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The Pitch May 25, 2011
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Volume 56 Issue 8 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814 [email protected] (301) 803-7302 Wednesday, May 25, 2011 12 Pitch the Walter Johnson High School A Farewell to WJ Senior Scatter SGA Reflection Q & A with Dr. Garran 4 3
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May 25, 2011 issue of The Pitch
Transcript of The Pitch May 25, 2011
Volume 56 Issue 8 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814 [email protected] (301) 803-7302 Wednesday, May 25, 2011
12
PitchtheWalter Johnson High School
A Farewell to WJ
Senior Scatter SGA Reflection
Q & A with Dr. Garran 43
2 MAY 25, 2011NEWS Pitchthe
Editors-in-ChiefAlexandra SanfuentesSasha TyckoKatie Levingston*Abby Singley*
News EditorsDevon MurthaAli Jawetz*Assistant News EditorsJulia CinquegraniJemile Safaraliyeva
Copy ChiefAbby Singley
Copy EditorsSari AmielAli JawetzJemile Safaraliyeva
AdvisorsHilary GatesSylvie Ellen
Business/Ad ManagerPhillip Resnick
Editorial EditorsLiz WasdenJessica Evans*Assistant Editorial Editor Ryan Lynch
Sports EditorsParker SmithDaniel Fanaroff*Assistant Sports EditorsHannah Flesch Phillip ResnickDaniel Gorelik*
THE STAFFThe Pitch is published eight times a year by the students of Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Advertising and sub-scription rates are available by calling 301-803-7302. Editorial opinions rep-resent those of The Pitch staff and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, faculty, or student body. We welcome letters, articles, photographs and artwork, to be submitted to room 211 or e-mailed to [email protected]. The Pitch is an award-winning paper that works towards providing the stu-
dent body with accurate, as well as credible, information.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2009
American Scholastic Press Association First Place 2010-2011
Feature EditorsRosie HammackLily SieradzkiSari Amiel*Taliah Dommerholt*
Arts & Entertainment EditorsSophie MeadeIan Green*
Photo EditorStefany Carty
Cameron KeyaniAlex SpinardJenny DeutschMegan ChunEvan EggermanSloane GuberRebecca HansenNathaniel ReesDaniel ThalerBryn MolloyGreg KimClaudia NguyenDominick Hernandez
Josh BenjaminGirard BucelloDanielle MarkowitzErik BladAdrian ZlotescuAndres ValenciaShanilka PuertoEmily CosentinoYun ZhouAnders NorbergLeslie FerdaniKiarra Strocko
Staff Writers
PR ManagerAlex Spinard
PhotographersAlex SpinardDanielle MarkowitzDevon MurthaSasha TyckoAlexandra Sanfuentes
Maryland HS Journalism Award Best Newspaper Overall Third Place 2009-2010
*Online Editors
Assistant Arts & Ent. Editor Eleanor Janhunen
Sports
Feature
Arts and Entertainment
LETTERFROM THE
EDITORS
THE PITCH ONLINE
News CONTENTS
VideographerEmil Hafeez
www.wjpitch.com
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Editorial
3 Graduation Speaker: Jody Olsen 3 SGA Reflection 4 Teachers Leaving WJ 4 Q&A with Dr. Garran
5 Up At Bat: Pitch Siblings5 Fielder’s Choice6 Trumped by Politics6 To the Editor6 Death of Osama bin Laden6 Liz’s Life7 Pitch Editors Sign Off7 Curveball8 Point-Counterpoint: Maryland Classes8 Slugger8 Shuttle Program Making a Permanent Landing
9 Celebrating the Class of 201110-11 Senior Standouts12 Senior Scatter
14 Music Playlist14 Out of Left Field15 Student Tattoos16 Prom Dress Review
17 All-Pitch Team18-19 Season Wrap-Ups
Russell Brand: The Self-Obsessed Sellout
Osama bin Laden’s Death Relief at Home and Abroad
Government HSA Requirement Nixed:Test Still Administered
Nationals:Up Against All Odds
Dear Readers, As much as we’d like to leave this letter blank and simply write “The ef-fects of senioritis...sorry...” we know we can’t. We wouldn’t want to pass on The Pitch to its new editors without a fi-nal farewell. This year we threw a lot of new chang-es your way, from funky layout designs and cool new graphics to discussions of more scandalous story topics and world issues. With all these new ideas we wanted to bring a fresh new look to WJ’s student newspaper, a look that was completely different from years prior. Looking back on all of our hard work, we’re proud to say we definitely rose to the challenge. It’s with sadness that we acknowledge the departure of an instrumental player of The Pitch, our advisor Hilary Gates. Without her support we never would have made it through all of the hectic press days and late nights. Next year, the paper will be under the new leadership of English teacher Sylvie Ellen and current feature and sports editors, Rosie Hammack and Hannah Flesch. With the new staff will also come more changes to The Pitch, changes that will continue to improve the paper to make it the best that it can be. Thanks for your loyal readership, WJ, and cheers to the class of 2011!
- Alexandra Sanfuentes and Sasha TyckoPrint Editors-in-Chief
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Profession: Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland-Baltimore School of Social Work, former Acting Director of U.S. Peace Corps.Graduated from: University of Utah and WJ
3MAY 25, 2011 NEWSthePitch
GRADUATION SPEAKER
SGA REFLECTION
By Jemile SafaraliyevaJody Olsen
Quick HitsDr. Jody Olsen
What is your favorite memory from being in the SGA? Falling in love with power and responsibility; that’s going to leave a mark.If you could have done anything differently over your tenure in the SGA, what would it be?Well two things really; the more important one is I should have been more communicative, especially with the un-derclassman, on more serious topics rather than just “what
are you doing Friday night?” On a lighter note, I regret the idea to sing “Shout” at the winter pep rally. Let me just say, I went to bed feeling great that I came up with that and then the next night I might have taken too many painkillers. Next question please.What advice would you give to next year’s SGA?Get Aetna as your medical insurance because you’re going to have a lot of psychologist visits. Was being in the SGA worth the time and effort it took?I don’t know, I mean I guess I’m happier and more depressed. Yeah, why not?
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment this year?Helping people out.What is your favorite memory from being in the SGA?Male poms.If you could have done anything differently over your tenure in the SGA, what would it be?Basically just getting more students involved because only a select group of students
did stuff.What advice would you give to next year’s SGA?Be open to ideas [from everyone].
What is your favorite memory from being in the SGA?When we met the administrators and something in-appropriate happened between one of our SGA officers and a teacher. And also hanging out with Mr. Merrill.If you could have done anything differently over your tenure in the SGA, what would it be?Probably been more involved with clubs and after-school activities because we always support the sports teams, but we don’t really support the clubs and things like debate and forensics.What advice would you give to next year’s SGA?Work your butt off, but have fun doing it.
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment this year?Raising $38,780.30What is your favorite memory from being in the SGA?The day that we all got elected and we met in Mr. Atencio’s room and we all looked at each other and we decided that we were going to be friends and it all went downhill from there.What was the hardest part of being in the SGA?The hardest part of being president was keeping check on Michael Li, my vice president.What advice would you give to next year’s SGA? I’m sorry to them because we did such a standup job and they’re going to have to live up to that, but advice I would say that they should be ready to work very hard and not set lofty goals because it’s not al-ways easy to meet them.
TREASURER Cole Ahnell
PRESIDENT Michael New
SECRETARY Nick Regan
VICE PRESIDENT Michael Li
Chosen as this year’s commencement speaker, Dr. Jody Olsen was part of the first class to graduate from WJ and will be making an appearance on May 31 to speak at this year’s graduation to the Class of 2011. “It was the third year WJ was open, I was part of the first class to go out and graduate,” said Olsen reminiscing about life as a student at WJ. Graduating in the ‘60s, Olsen re-members when WJ was on a farm and referred to as the “cow-school,” and when the mascot was the Spartan and Mighty Moo was yet to exist. Over the past couple of decades WJ and the im-mediate area has been transformed. The physical geography has changed, defin-ing establishments have been developed and the school has been renovated. However, the spirit of WJ has remained. This year’s senior class officers chose Olsen as the commencement speaker for the Class of 2011 because of her in-spirational life and experience which all began at WJ. Olsen will address thou-sands of students, staff and families on May 31 at 2 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall, graduation day. “Dr. Olsen has committed her life to service in a way that many of us at WJ can only aspire to,” said senior class secretary Xan Avendano, who will in-troduce Olsen on graduation day. “As a school characterized by giving back to the community, it is only fitting that our guest speaker does just that.”
Olsen’s gratitude goes out to her teachers and mentors who taught her the importance of working hard to achieve success. “I learned to work hard and respect learning in a way I had never had be-fore,” said Olsen. “I worked much hard-er and was so grateful to those teachers that taught me what it meant to learn.” Olsen moved to the Bethesda area from Utah and entered WJ as a sopho-more which made her uneasy about her acceptance, but WJ took her in with open arms. She recalls the sincere greetings and exchanges between vari-ous students in the halls. After graduating from WJ, Olsen pur-sued sociology and received her teach-ing certification from the University of Utah. Upon completion, she made a decision that set the course of her life. Olsen chose to become a volunteer for the Peace Corps. Her first opportunity with the Peace Corp occurred in 1966 in Tunisia. “I knew that I wanted to do things that would take me to other parts of the country,” said Olsen. “It was more of the idea of the adventure of it, testing the idea of who I am, trying things that were so different.” After only two years, Olsen leapt to the position of country director of Togo, under the Peace Corps. She’s been actively involved with the founda-tion since its early years and ultimately reached the position of Chief of Staff of the Peace Corps at the Washington
D.C. Headquarters, only four years after being the Regional Director of North Africa, Near East, Asia and the Pacific Regions. On May 31, Olsen wishes to com-municate the importance of holding on to aspirations. “Hold on to a passion for life, keep a wonderful sense of humor,” said Olsen. “The emotions inside of us, the emo-tions that drive us are as important as the science, literature and math that we’ve been putting into our heads.” Olsen is proud of her beginning at WJ and expresses large thanks to the indi-viduals who’ve defined the beginning of her adulthood. She anxiously anticipates the ability to address the Class of 2011 in a couple of days and to be able to thank the school. “I am who I am because of this school,” she said.
The SGA sign off as their year in office ends.Clockwise: Michael Li supports his president, Michael New, Secretary Nick Regan hides be-hind a curtain and treasurer Cole Ahnell flashes a peace sign.Photos by Julia Cinquegrani
By Jemile Safaraliyeva and Julia Cinquegrani
Photos courtesy of Jody Olsen Dr. Jody Olsen speaking at events and on various Peace Corp missions as Country and Deputy Director.
4 MAY 25, 2011NEWS Pitchthe
Kelly Bean Math
Kim Ahearn
Jim Zellers Foreign Language
Hilary Gates English
After spending 17 years as a French and Spanish teacher at WJ, Jim Zellers is looking forward to his retirement after this year. Zellers is eager for less stress and scheduling in his life, while he relaxes in his current home in Washington D.C., and in his former residence in Georgia. Zellers looks forwards to travelling after his retirement. Zellers has many memories to take with him. “My best memories are working with my colleagues . . . [this is] probably the best teaching experience that I’ve had, because [WJ is] one of the best schools,” said Zellers.
Teachers Bid Farewell
Kelly Bean, an Algebra 1 and pre-cal-culus teacher, as well as the sponsor of the Quidditch Club and National Hon-or Society, is leaving WJ after teaching here for two years. Bean previously worked at Eastern Middle School before coming to WJ and will be transitioning back to Eastern as the math department head. Bean also praised the students at WJ. “These are really bright students. [They’re] hardworking, sometimes overachieving, but in general, it’s re-freshing because you see kids who want to learn and do well.”
Aileen Leung, who teaches astronomy and honors matter and energy, is leav-ing after teaching for a year and a half. Leung has coached martial arts, tutored, volunteered and researched as her other jobs outside of teaching. Some of her best memories of teaching at WJ are the “work ethic of students, the sense of community and how easily the students interacted with the teachers.” Overall, she will miss the students she has taught and the staff of the school.
Aileen Leung Science
Sarah Moss has taught for 24 years in MCPS and is currently the math resource teacher, after teaching here for 17 years. She said that, while being a teacher is much harder and more time consuming than the previous jobs she held as a medical and legal secretary, it is also more rewarding. “I think that teaching is one of the most important professions there is,” Moss said. “It’s been a privilege teaching my students.” Moss will be staying in Bethesda after leaving WJ, and said that she will miss her students and colleagues the most.
Sarah Moss Math
Scott McGaw Math Scott McGaw has taught math at WJ for two years, after moving here from Michigan. At the conclusion of this school year, McGaw plans to move back to Michigan and will be searching for a high school teaching job, due to his wife’s recent appointment as a professor at Adrian College. He is looking forward to living close to his friends and family again, but will miss the relationships he has built with students and other teachers at WJ. “It’s been excellent [teaching at WJ]. Everyone supports each other and it’s a very family-oriented school,” said McGaw. “I don’t feel like I have to come to work every day; I just feel like I’m coming to help family learn.”
By Claudia Nguyen, Greg Kim and Megan Chun
For physical education teacher Kim Ahearn, teaching paved the way to coaching. A graduate of WJ, Ahearn currently coaches baseball and has previously coached golf, football and girls basket-ball. Though some would think staying in one place for over three decades would become tiresome, Ahearn begs to differ. “Every day is a good memory here for me . . . I can’t imagine [that] any high school would be more enjoyable for me,” said Ahearn. Although he spent 32 years teaching at WJ, Ahearn is not eager to get away. He will continue to coach baseball and will substitute classes a few days a week. In his free time he looks forward to travel-ing with his wife.
P. E.
Photo by Devon Murtha
For a full list of staff members who are leaving, check out wjpitch.com.
coming video. But I want somebody who will respect the culture and community here and thrive on the openness of the school. Q: What advice would you give WJ’s next principal? A: When the new principal is appointed, the f i r s t thing I’m going to say to that person is: ‘You just got the best job in the school system, and you’d better respect it.’ Because it is the best job; I’m giving up the best job in the school system . . . I just want them to un-derstand how lucky and privileged they are.Q: If you could change anything about WJ, what would it be?A: I shouldn’t have been a bad guy in so many of the Homecoming movies. Why is the SGA always the hero and I need to be saved? Why am I stuck in a shed for the whole movie, and they’re running around saving the day? So I think I was miscast by not being the hero in the Homecoming movies. That’s it. Q: What do you see yourself doing in ten to fifteen years?A: I wouldn’t rule out the idea of possibly moving to the superintendence level, or go-ing to a private school, or going back to an-other high school and being a principal, or teaching more at the university level. The most important thing that I will be doing is that my wife is expecting our first child, a boy, in September, so I’m sure that by then he will be a terror, and I will probably be on a first-name basis with his principal, and he will be getting back at me for all the students I have discplined at WJ. Q: If you could choose one accom-plishment that defined your role as principal, what would it be?A: Oh boy. One year I used my keys, which were in my pocket, to actually get myself off the wall when I was duct taped to it [for Pennies for Patients], instead of having oth-ers cut me down. I bet them that I could get myself down from the wall. And my keys were in my pocket, so it took me all of fifth period, but I did it. I got myself down. I won the bet, so that was pretty good. I think they were impressed. I mean, think about it, that’s a slow process of cutting yourself out. And then when you finally do break through the tape, you fall forward pretty fast. Luckily they caught me.
Q: How has WJ changed since you first started working here?A: Oh, it’s gotten far worse; I’ve led it astray. We now have Pong competitions and Bur-rito Miles and we have staff members being duct taped to walls and for an entire month we’re not shaving, and the place is just going crazy; that’s why I have to leave, so we can restore some order here. Hopefully I created an environment in which kids felt comfortable coming to me, and actually bringing up crazy ideas and we supported them, even when I was a little un-comfortable with the ideas. . . .but I think it’s been well received here. That’s what makes this place so great. I take the work I do here very seriously, but I don’t take my-self too seriously.Q: If you could have done anything differently over your tenure at WJ, what would it be?A: I would have done the Burrito Mile once. I think I could have eaten the burrito and done the mile, no problem. I think I could have actually beaten a couple of the kids. It’s my one regret; I missed that opportunity. I might have to come back and do that.Q: What qualities are you looking for in a new principal? A: What some of the students told me is that you need to find somebody who will be okay with being duct taped to a wall, and who will be in the Homecoming movie. And I’m also looking for a cameo in the next Home-
Dr. Garran Leaves WJ
By Julia Cinquegrani
Deborah Maletz and Pu Mei Leng declined to comment for this article.
On July 1, Garran will be replaced by new principal Jennifer Baker, who is currently the principal of Tilden Middle school.
Hilary Gates, who teaches AP Language and Composition and works as advi-sor for The Pitch, is taking a year off for personal leave after teaching at WJ for eight years. There are several things that Gates will remember about WJ. “I was lucky to teach where I had freedom and students who had cared about the world [and] colleagues who were engaged and helpful,” said Gates. She currently does not have firm plans for the future, but she has options in the paramedic field. “I’ll miss knowing that every day I come to work, [I was] surrounded by students and teachers who care about what they are doing and people who are happy to be part of the community,” said Gates.
5MAY 25, 2011 EDITORIALPitchthe
Q: What will you miss about your Pitch sibling next year?
For Up-At-Bat video responses, visit
WJPitch.com
Aliyah CartyA: “I will miss arguing about who is the better Yankee, Jeter or Mo. I think it is Jeter.”sophomore
UpBatatFielder’s Choice
Sister of Stefany Carty, Photo Editor
Move Aside Graduates, the New Seniors are Ready to
Take Over
As we approach the end of the year, this being the last issue of The Pitch, it is time to say goodbye to the seniors who have been the face of WJ since August. From quirky SGA events like speed dating to the pie fight that never happened, from the highly skilled male poms team that performed during the spring pep rally to the innovative new Pitch design ideas that senior staff members created, our seniors are definitely leaving a lot behind. But with their departure, a new group of seniors will be emerging, a group of which I am proud to be a part. Next year, I will be in the returning group of starters on the boys varsity basketball team. As seniors, most of the responsibility and leadership duties will fall on our shoulders. It will be our duty to get the team mentally prepared for practice and games and to maintain team chemistry and camaraderie. While this task may sound daunting, somebody has to do it. It’s just one of the many perks that come along with being a senior. Our SGA and senior class officer candidates are already meeting the high expectations set by their predecessors with extremely heated and competitive primary elections. Two candidates that successfully passed the primaries and are drawing tons of attention with their sweeping campaign techniques are juniors Jake Karlin and current junior class president Cameron Keyani. With Karlin, founder and head of the infamous Ginger Club, and Keyani, a notorious jokester known throughout the school, vying for the SGA presidency, I can guarantee that new, ground-breaking ideas will be brought to the table for the homecoming video, pep rallies, fundraisers and other events throughout the year. Before I sign off, I would just like to say thank you to all of the graduating seniors. Thank you to the seniors who always kept my fifth period AP Spanish Language and sixth period Forensics class fresh and entertaining with their hilarious antics. Thank you to the seniors who coordinated with one another to help lead the Minority Scholars Program. Thank you to the seniors on the basketball team whose leadership helped us navigate through a long season. And thank you to all of the seniors on The Pitch staff for always being helpful and encouraging and showing others the proper way to contribute to an award-winning student newspaper. I wish you all the best during the next phase of your life, whatever it may be, but now it’s our turn to pass down our knowledge.
By Ryan LynchPrint Asst. Editorial Editor
A: “I’m going to miss having someone who understands my inside jokes.”
Cristina Sanfuentes senior
Sister of Alexandra Sanfuentes, Print Editor-in-Chief
A: “I’ll miss her nagging me to check the website [wjpitch.com].”
Ben Levingston freshman
Brother of Katie Levingston, Online Editor-in-Chief
Grant WasdenA: “I will miss having to watch all [my sister’s] TV shows. Like The Real Housewives.” junior
Brother of Liz Wasden, Print Editorial Editor
A: “I’ll miss having him critique me after my hockey games.”
Brother of Parker Smith, Print Sports Editor
Emerson Smithfreshman
Photos by Abby Singley, Liz Wasden and Stefany Carty
6 MAY 25, 2011EDITORIAL Pitchthe
Liz’s LifeBy Liz WasdenPrint Editorial Editor
Auf Wiedersehen *kiss kiss*
The Death of Osama bin LadenAs “We Got Him” Syndrome Wears Off, Americans Ponder Exactly What They Got
Trumped By Politics The
Donald sat stone-faced at his table
at the White House Cor-
respondents’ Dinner, as
President Obama and Saturday Night Live news anchor
Seth Myers ripped him apart. Oth-ers at Trump’s
table sat in a w k w a r d silence, as
more politicians lit into Trump, and the Donald became more sullen. Had I been at that table, I would not have stopped laughing for a second. Trump deserved no such courtesy. Trump’s attention-seeking campaign has finally come to a well-deserved end-ing. In true Trump style, Donald Trump dropped out of the nomination race
By Nathaniel Rees
on Mon. May 16, explaining that, if he were to run, he would have been able to win both the primary and general elec-tions. Yeah, right. Trump’s terrible campaign was just one big publicity stunt only someone as crazy as the Donald could conceive. His persistence in asking Obama to hand over his birth certificate was just igno-rant. Yet, somehow this nut job led in the polls for a Republican Presidential nom-ination for two weeks. Were there actually people in America who supported his Presidential bid? Thankfully, Trump’s foolish campaign has ended. After Obama turned over his birth certificate (yes, he was born in the U.S.A.) and then ordered the capture of Osama bin Laden, Trump faded from the news. In addition, both Obama and Seth Myers criticized Trump in front of many notable politicians in Washington
at the White House Dinner. This was a chance for Trump to show some character and laugh at himself. Instead, Trump looked apparently an-gered as Myers and Obama drew many laughs with their comments. Whatever respect I had for Trump disappeared that instant. Trump’s entire campaign was centered on destroying Obama’s credibility, but once Obama finally replied to Trump’s comments, Trump did not have the courage to laugh at himself. “Is there anyone else they could talk about?” asked Trump after the dinner in an ABC news interview. No, Trump, there was no one else to talk about. You wanted to play in the big leagues of politics. Well, welcome to the game. And in this game, people like you get most of the flak. In politics you have to be able to laugh at yourself. None of the jokes told about you were nearly as bad as the petty lies you used to boost your fame. Trump, the game is over. You’re fired.
By Cameron Keyani Osama bin Laden is dead. When I first heard those words I had mixed feelings of excitement and confusion. On one hand, I was thrilled to hear that the man who planned the 2001 World Trade Center bombing was gone. On the other hand, I could hardly put my thoughts together to ponder all my questions. “Reports of his death have existed since 9/11; should I believe this one?” “Does this mean Obama will get
re-elected?” “Should I trust the news media?” “Shouldn’t the government release pictures of the body?” “Is this any real milestone for the war on terror?” A combination of “yes,” “no” and “maybe so,” came from different people and organizations across the world. The lack of unity is one thing very interesting about this moment,
which might have been assumed to be one of unilateral joy in America. A great many foreign leaders commended the U.S. government for killing one of the world’s most wanted men, such as Prime Minister of the U.K. David Cameron, who called it a “huge achievement in the fight against terrorism.” In a similar spirit, D.C. residents took to the streets to revel in the news of bin Laden’s death. But Pakistan condemned the U.S. for overstepping its authority in executing
a strike within their borders and some, even in the west, have questioned the scruples of celebrating someone’s death, even a mass murderer. Skeptics even argue that there is nothing to condemn or celebrate, as we have no proof of bin Laden’s death beyond what the news media and our government has told us. In the wake of the conservative “Birthers” who doubted Obama’s birth in the U.S., a group of “Deathers” have emerged, who doubt the reports of bin Laden’s death under the reported circumstances. Prominent documentarian Michael Moore tweeted that he believed bin Laden was under house arrest and the CIA cut a deal with the Pakistani government. Furthermore, some of those who do believe the reports venture to say that bin Laden’s death means nothing because the next generation of terrorist leaders is already in place, and bin Laden did not have real power in Al-Qaeda anyway. As Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto succinctly put it, “His death was confirmed, it does not mean that terrorism was eliminated.” Now the only thing I know is that we did/didn’t get him, and that this is great/unimportant/sensationalized news.
Dear Editors of The Pitch, In the April 28 issue’s Point/Counterpoint, a claim was made that buying marijuana benefits the Mexican drug cartels that cause so much suffering south of the Texas border. However, this is not necessarily the case. In a study done by the RAND Corp. during the Proposition 19 debate in California in 2010, it was determined that if marijuana were legalized for recreational use in California, cartel profits would only drop from two to four percent. Fact of the matter is, the car-tels are dealing with much more serious, addictive substances than marijuana, such as cocaine and heroin, because of the customer base that keeps coming back, creating a huge profit margin. While I applaud The Pitch for taking an educated view on the issue, I respectfully disagree that the consumption of marijuana promotes cartel violence, and as a result, I believe it should be legalized, if only so that weed smokers do not end up eating up public funding in the prison system. - Junior Eli Gerber
To the Editor:
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer 2009
Image courtesy of ssoosay, graphic by Liz Wasden
Ask any senior and they’ll tell you about some aspect of high school that was meaningful to them, be it a sports team, club, class or the support of a teacher or counselor. Personally, I didn’t have a life-changing experience until the second semester of my senior year. For a few years of my high school career, I was the random girl who sat at the back of the auditorium during S*T*A*G*E’s many dress rehearsals, waiting to drive my brother, the sound crew chief, home. I waited as he attached body microphones to the main characters, who were dressed in full costume, and flipped switches and turned dials on the sound board as actors paced on the stage saying a few of their lines. I was intrigued by this small window into the productions, before seeing the final product, and viewing friends as the characters they played rather than my friends in wigs. I thought about auditioning. I was jealous of those who had confidence and bravery in spite of possible rejection, to try out for the shows. I had no such confidence. After the conclusion of the fall play, The Importance of Being Earnest, I realized I had one last opportunity, possibly ever, to dabble into theater. I took the plunge, auditioned, and was beyond thrilled to be cast as a member of the ensemble for the spring musical, Pippin. Participating in Pippin has changed me. I gained confidence, a plethora of vocal warm ups, a new appreciation for all that the students and teachers of S*T*A*G*E do and a family of 40+ people. I will never forget what I have learned through my experience and all of the people who made it a truly life changing experience. Singing Brittany Spears while getting ready in the dressing room, rehearsing long hours during Hell Week, learning about the importance of diction (we had to be sure we sang “hark the blood is pounding in our ears” not “hark the blood is bounding in our rears” and “shout it out” not “shout tit out”) and all of the traditions that I have sworn for life to keep secret. The only thing I won’t miss is teasing my hair for each show. For underclassmen and incoming freshmen, think of high school as your chance to do something you may not ever do again after you graduate. Try taking an art class because it might be interesting, or Chinese even though your parents don’t think it’s practical. Try going out for football or lacrosse or volleyball because it seems like a lot of fun, even if you’re nervous about being cut. Join a club even though you don’t know any of the members. Join S*T*A*G*E. It sounds cliché, but high school is the time to make mistakes. This is the time to try different things, to figure out what you don’t like so you can focus on what you do like and what you are interested in.
7MAY 25, 2011 EDITORIALPitchthe
By Alexandra SanfuentesPrint Editor-in-Chief What makes the past pleasurable? Memorable experiences. Of course, at the culmination of high school, you’re bound to find yourself deep in thought, considering everything you’ve done in your last four years, scouring your memory files for something meaning-ful. An enlightening experience. Some-thing new you tried, someone cool you met who influenced you. At first, I thought that my life up until year 18 had lacked anything significant. I thought, unfortunately, that high school stunk and I couldn’t wait to get it out of my sight. The first thing I couldn’t wait to do was to break out of this cage of pressure that we’re all locked into. But now that the door is being opened for me and I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel, I can actually move past all the frustration and deterioration I used to associate with high school. What I failed to realize these last few years was that everything happened for a reason. At the time, I could only think that a D on a math test was the end of the world. It wasn’t. I survived. If you asked me today which math test it was that I was so devastated over, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. That’s because that part of my high school experience wasn’t significant. What was significant, however, is that I learned how to ball up all of those crappy math tests and put them behind me. What I do remember, the memo-ries that stick out the most, are probably the weirdest times of my life so far, that just happen to be the best. What makes them, and any memory you keep, excel-lent is that they made you laugh so hard you cried. Times you felt proud, times you felt elated and overjoyed. Or times that made you smile. So when I look back on high school, and push aside the harsh thoughts I kept bottled up inside about how awful parts of it were, I see those memories. To this day they make me smile. Many of us work hard toward one goal: getting into college. For me, it was the time that ev-erything finally paid off. It was five o’clock and my mom wasn’t home yet. She had made me wait to check the status of my application to Vassar until she got home. We had al-ready established that I would wait for her, but she was late and I was antsy. When she burst through the door and ran downstairs, my heart was pounding nearly out of my chest. In a split second, the huge boulder of school pressure all these years finally lifted off. My mother reached into her pockets and showered glittery stars of confetti all over our liv-ing room, tossing them in the air as we laughed and hugged. It’s memories like this one that keep me going. To know that one day, it’ll all pay off. Just be patient, work hard for what you want, and, in the end, you’ll be glad you did.
SluggerWow, What a Ride
Compiled by the Editorial section
Pitch Seniors Sign OffSenior editors of The Pitch staff share their favorite memories of working on the newspaper.
Liz Wasden (LW)
Jemile Safaraliyeva (JS)
Sasha Tycko (ST)
Parker Smith (PS)
Ian Green (IG)
Devon Murtha (DM)
Stefany Carty(SC)
Abby Singley (AS)Katie Levingston (KL)
Alexandra Sanfuentes(Al.S)
Eleanor Janhunen(EJ)
Sophie Meade (SM)
Lily Sieradzki (LS)
Al.S: One time during press, for some reason only the female editors and Cami were around. I looked away for one sec-ond and the next thing I knew he had his whole fist in his mouth.
SM: The Pitch is like a warm bubble bath... We work together to create a soothing experience for the reader. I was the potent body soap that irritates your skin! I can hardly bear to leave be-hind such an effervescent mix of bath products—I mean, journalists.
DM: Throughout the year, The Pitch has had our share of controversy; some of our articles, which dealt with issues like sex, drugs and military recruitment, re-ceived mixed reviews, and there were definitely strong reactions to a couple columns. My favorite thing about be-ing on The Pitch was being able to walk through the hallways knowing that peo-ple were talking about the paper, even if what they were saying wasn’t always positive. It’s nice that people cared enough to have an opinion.
AS: One day, during press, Cami and Ian were half-playing, half-fighting with a metal tech ed ruler. Then, out of no-where, Ian started beating Cami with the ruler. It worked out, though. A few hugs and back massages later, they were all good.SC: It was a slow start to press and Cami had just arrived. He took a moment to look around and realized that he was the only male, not including Philip, and decided to jump up on the table to an-nounce, “It’s me and the ladies.”
JS: I’m definitely going to miss the at-mosphere. Press is priceless in that last hour when everything somehow comes together. I’m going to miss this group. It’s like a family in here and Cami is the creepy uncle. But we love him.
EJ: Without a doubt, my favorite mem-ory of being on The Pitch was using the microwave. I loved microwaving my popcorn every third period, heating up my lunch and then coming to press late after a volleyball game to microwave leftover dinner. What an amazing appli-ance.LS: I’m going to miss Phillip Resnick’s extremely loud and obnoxious laugh. NOT. I am going to miss him asking to “bond” with me and telling every senior
IG: Two words. Cameron Keyani.
PS: Resnick’s laugh still haunts me in my dreams.
ST: The Pitch won’t be the same without its fearless leader Hilary Gates. In the dysfunctional yet loving family that is the Pitch, she is the mother lion. She cer-tainly cracks the whip and gets us to do work, but also jokes around and com-forts us in our low moments. In a typi-cal display of our familial relationship, when someone failed to throw away the empty OJ carton she exclaimed, “You bastards!” and reprimanded us on our poor etiquette.
KL: I’ll miss being in an environment where everyone is curious about every-thing, where everyone is wanting to find new ways to tell information. I’ll also miss the wonderful Ms. Gates and the twitch I get in my right eye after staring at iMovie too long.
girl that they were best friends. What a sneaky liar. One time I told him the truth, which is that Feature > Sports and we were in a fight for a week. But then we “bonded.”
LW: I’m going to miss all the random outbursts at press that always seem to get crazier as it gets closer to 10 o’clock. Things like “Boom! Solution,” and “Where’d her arm go?!” and “How do you make the runners dance?” and “Whoa, Obama’s way too big.” We have our own jargon.
Photo by Ryan Lynch
Photo by Emily Cosentino
8 MAY 25, 2011EDITORIAL Pitchthe
CurveballBy Sasha TyckoPrint Editor-in-Chief The University of Maryland’s Young Scholars Program is
definitely not for everyone. While it remains a very popular option among those determined to get ahead in the race towards college, due to the inconveniences of a very dif-ferent schedule, a college-level workload, a heavy price tag and sometimes unsatisfactory results, taking any class in the program is a decision that cannot be taken lightly. I, like any other teenager, know that high school never runs short of things to do or classes to take. With the loom-ing competitive trials of getting into and surviving in col-lege ahead, the rush to get all the class credits you need, dealing with the classwork and keeping up with all of your extracurriculars can make high school life feel like a field of flaming hoops and hurdles. Throwing a chunk of college life into that mess can be a death sentence to the unprepared student. Rather than listening to what your parents, older siblings or friends have to say about whether or not you should decide to take a class in the Young Scholars Program, it is critical to judge your schedule and figure out wheth-er or not you can manage it. In addition, being different from high school altogether, the classes are normally very long, lasting up to two periods. While some AP courses of-fer similar classes, the Young Scholars Programs would not give you high school credit and because they take up two class periods, your opportunities to get your credits may diminish. College classes come with college responsibilities. Yes, that includes fees for everything. From the application to the tuition, the Young Scholars program is definitely not a cheap program. While the cost per credit is less than many colleges, the fact that you’re doing a college course in high school might not be the best course of action. In addition to taking away from the whole college experience, it also takes away from the high school experience. With each class around a thousand dollars, this step must definitely be con-sidered closely with parents to determine whether or not they believe it’s worth it as well. Overall, the courses offered by the University of Mary-land are definitely a unique but rigorous program that can definitely help you achieve your goals, but that may also be a major task for the unprepared high school student. Sacrifices, monetary and social, definitely have to be made, and any decision you take regarding the program should be taken with careful consideration for what you can and can’t handle.
CounterPoint
Tired of tedious high school classes? Anxious to get a taste of college? Then the University of Maryland at College Park’s Young Scholars Program is tailor-made for you. This program gives students a terrific opportunity to es-cape high school for two periods every day and to challenge themselves with a college course of their choice. A wide array of subjects are offered, including World Affairs, Engi-neering, Moral Issues, Entrepreneurship, Social Violence and Psychology. Juniors who have the required minimum GPA of 3.00 should definitely jump at the chance to apply. With actual professors and college lectures, no class, not even an AP, comes close to paralleling the preparation Young Scholars gives students for college. “I think that if I hadn’t taken the class, the transition from high school to college would have been much more difficult,” said Young Scholar senior Sara Blad. Since very few people in the world are presented with such a beneficial class option, students who choose to take on the challenge of Young Scholars will enter college at a significant advantage. Not only will they already have college credits, but they will also know how to cope with heavy workloads and busy schedules. Although Whitman students are involved with the program as well, all classes are held at WJ. Twice a week, UMD profes-sors make the trip to WJ to teach their class during periods one and two. Yes, that’s right, only twice a week. The three other days of the week, students get the double period off. The educational benefits are good, but the extra sleep in the morning is what makes this program great. Just imagine how rejuvenating it would feel to wake up at 9 a.m. and only have five classes to endure. How could anyone turn down this luxurious lifestyle? Before you get too excited, it must be noted that the class is not a just a walk in the park. There will be tough assignments and it will be necessary to devote some time to studying. Af-ter all, it is a college class. But, it’s still a worthwhile chal-lenge to take on. Colleges will be enamored to see a student ambitious enough to commit to a college class while still in high school. If you’re not sure whether or not to apply for the Young Scholar Program, at least sleep on it. That is, if you get enough sleep. A Young Scholar does.
By Dominick Hernandez
University of Maryland Young Scholars Class
Shuttle Program Will Be Making a Permanent LandingBy Girard Bucello
It feels almost tragic: on June 28, 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is sched-uled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the last time. It will carry a crew of four, as well as several pieces of cargo, to the Inter-national Space Station, but it will carry more: a 34 year legacy and the dreams of a nation – and, indeed, the dreams of the entire world. The shuttle has been an icon across generations and the very symbol of space exploration. It has also ushered in significant scientific breakthroughs that began in the space program: vir-tual reality, water purification meth-ods and solar panels pioneered to sus-tain men and machines in space. Despite such obvious economic and cultural sig-nificance, the project and its proposed replacement, the Constellation pro-gram, were deemed too expensive to continue funding. It’s here, along the Interstate 270 cor-ridor, where much of the technology is
designed. Many shuttle parts, from the massive fuel tank to the navigation sys-tems for the Space Shuttle, are designed and tested here. The effect of the end
of the shuttle program will be enor-mous at companies large and small. NASA will still launch space ve-hicles, but, without any manned space flights run by NASA, no
longer will there be a need to sustain humans in space, nor
will there be a need to repair a reusable space
craft, such as the Space Shuttle. It follows, then,
t h a t work- ers at companies who supply NASA must either change focus or face layoffs in the wake of the dying shuttle program. Perhaps more profound, however, is the cultural impact of the Space Shut-tle’s last flight. Since the Apollo pro-gram, Americans have always been fas-cinated watching a white rocket ascend
into the sky with the initials “U.S.A.” emblazoned on the side. The space pro-gram has since changed to a symbol of international cooperation as much as one of national pride: the Space Shut-tle crew has received a number of calls from the Russian president, and fifteen countries’ staff support the Interna-tional Space Station, which the Space Shuttle supplies. Nothing can erase American pride in the space program, however. For a na-tion which successfully landed on the moon, and has turned to other planets in fascination, it will be heartbreaking to watch American astronauts leave Earth on a Russian Soyuz rocket or a commercial charter spacecraft. An icon as American as the Statue of Liberty or the flag raised on Iwo Jima should at least have a worthy “Made in America” successor. Without it, we will lose not just skilled workers and opportuni-ties for advanced technology, but also a piece of the American spirit itself.
Whew. After a frenzied race to the fin-ish line that is graduation, I’m exhaust-ed. I’ve spent the past year in longing anticipation of this moment and, with commencement only a week away, I’m stopping to catch my breath. Walking through WJ these days, I can’t help but see myself as a freshman, running to Ms. Baker’s classroom to be first in line for those dreaded book reports. Or as a sophomore, attending weekly meetings of the Peace Club.Or as a junior, starting the stressful process of applying to colleges. A lot has changed in the last four years. Most seniors have transformed from excited, naïve freshmen into ma-ture adults ready for the next step. In this transition, my perspective has shift-ed, broadened. I now realize most of the little things I agonized over in the past are trivial. Held up to the uncertainty of the near future, the daily toils of high school seem insignificant. I’m much more forward-thinking. But for a little while, I want to reflect. The world has changed in the past 18 years of my existence. You could almost say that we’re at the tail end of a genera-tion. Technology has shaped the culture we know today. I remember a time before cell phones became a necessity, when calling friends’ house phones was the norm. We used clunky PCs and primi-tive video games and interacted on Xanga and Myspace. We traded Poke-mon cards and read paperbacks instead of collecting apps and reading Kindles. Cassettes, then CDs yielded to online downloading and iTunes. In jumping headfirst into an age of technology, we lost some elemental as-pects of humanity. Personal interaction is being replaced by twenty-word text messages and faceless computer mes-sages. But change is inevitable; we’ll just have to work harder to maintain inter-personal relationships. WJ has changed a lot, too. It’s sleeker, glossier, glitzier. Construction is over and freshmen don’t know what it’s like to attend class in a trailer park, to not have ceilings or to have your route to class obstructed by a closed hallway. They don’t know what it’s like to storm the football field in celebration of the first win in four abysmal years. What WJ gained in brighter hall-ways and shinier fields replaced some of the funkiness, some of the personal-ity. There used to be a certain aura of indignant pride. Yes, our football team sucked and the facilities weren’t as nice, but we bonded. Now we’re barely dis-tinguishable from our neighbors at B-CC and (gasp!) Churchill. Class of 2011, it’s been a good run. I hope your next four years will be a whirlind of new challenges and experi-ences. In the midst of the changes you will inevitably go through, be wary of your immersion into these changes. Seek out change and yet hold on to yourself.
Farewell, WJ
Photo by Red Huber O
rlando Sentinel/MC
T
Point
By Daniel Thaler
9MAY 25, 2011 SENIORSPitchthe
celebrating the
Cartoon by Michael Matthes. Yearbook photos courtesy of The Windup. Group photo by Sasha Tycko
10 MAY 25, 2011SENIORS Pitchthe
11MAY 25, 2011 SENIORSPitchthe
As a small boy, senior Jake Reynolds loved to watch Saturday morning cartoons and draw pictures. He never knew this hobby of drawing would lead him to the college of his dreams. Reynolds is attending Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) one of the nation’s most prestigious art schools. According to its website, 96 percent of RISD graduates are employed in creative
fields within one year of graduation. According to “U.S. News and World Report”, RISD is the top fine arts college in the United States. Reynolds decided to apply
because of its prestige and was surprised he was accepted because only 34% of students who apply are accepted.
Reynolds’ desire to pursue art started in his freshman year when he took digital art. Though initially the class was taken for fun, he really enjoyed art and continued to take it for the next three years and decided to pursue it in college. This differs from Reynolds’ childhood dreams. which included
being an archeologist or a conductor. “I wanted to be a samurai at one point, [with the] next best
thing [being] drawing,” said Reynolds. Reynolds is excited for RISD. He hopes the curriculum will improve his art skills and he looks forward to meeting new people. Reynolds is now preparing to fulfill his dream of being a comic book illustrator or author.
By Anders Norberg
Imagine only going to one class each day for three weeks, surrounded by the clear air and craggy cliffs of the Rockies. This is exactly what senior Sara Peterson will be doing next year. Peterson plans to go to Colorado College in Colorado Springs in January 2012.For three months before that, she will be participat-
ing in a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) trip in the northwest United States where she will be backpacking, rock climbing and sea kayaking. “Since [Colorado College] just handed me three months to use however I wanted, I decid-ed that I would take that time to get away from home and experience some amazing things in
the same part of the country that I’ll be going to college,” said Peterson.
The NOLS offers programs for people of any age to learn leadership skills through hiking, kayaking and other outdoor activities all over the U.S. and Mexico. “The skills I learn at NOLS are definitely going to come in handy over my four years at [Colorado College],” said Peterson. Peterson chose Colorado College because it is small and it has a unique schedule. The students take one class for three weeks and then take an exam at the end of each set of three weeks. She found this schedule better than a regular college semester because she could focus on each subject individually. Peterson is excited to go to Colorado Collegeand has plans to travel after she graduates. “When I graduate from college, I want to go around the world,” she said.
Dating back to its founding in 1802, West Point Military Academy has long remained loyal to its motto “Duty, Hon-
or, Country,” in its mission to prepare its students to be future commissioned lead-
ers in the American military. Senior Carl Adams has known about the Academy for as long as he can remember. His father is an alumnus and as such Adams grew up with military influence. “Through most of high school, all of the
colleges kind of looked the same to me,” said Adams. “West Point [was] way different from anything else out there.”
West Point’s education consists of dual programs: one in the field of specialized education and the other in cadet life. Stu-
dents balance high-caliber classes with com-petitive sports and intense military training for the four years at the school and then graduate to a subsequent five years of active duty as a Second Lieutenant. Less than 1,500 students are admitted out of the thousands that apply. The application process to West Point is very unique in that applicants must be nominated from the state’s Senators and Representative in Congress. But Adams’ work paid off as he was offered a spot as part of the West Point class of 2015 after completing the lengthy applications and vari-ous fitness tests. Students live by military standards at West Point and are expected to behave according to the honor and codes of the U.S. Military. Stu-dents must also make the transition between citizen and military life from the second they step on campus. “Basically, you come in a civilian,” said Ad-ams. “During those six weeks over the sum-mer, they wring all of the civilian out of you and replace it with the letters A, R, M, and Y.”
By Danielle Markowitz
Harvard University, located in the heart of Cambridge, Mass., has been considered a prestigious school since it was established in 1636. From Presidents to Supreme Court justices to the creator of facebook, many influential
people have attended Harvard, a school ranked number one in the nation by the “U.S. News and World Report.” This fall, senior Tianhao He plans to add himself to this esteemed list. Despite being accepted into other such prestigious schools as Yale and Stanford, the strong connection He feels to Har-vard factored into his decision process. “My heart was really at Harvard,” said He, who plans on majoring in economics. He said the attractions of the school were not limited to the lofty ranking, but also included Har-vard’s location and generous financial aid programs. What excites He most about college is learning and excel-ling in all types of new activities and taking advantage of the diverse range of resources at Harvard. “I’m opening up a new chapter of my life and keeping my mind open about it,” he said.
Before he steps foot on Harvard’s grounds, He can al-ready boast a plethora of achievements. Among these,
in the March-April 2011 “Bethesda Magazine”, he was featured in the article “Top Teens 2011,” and was published in the “Concord Review” for his 11,200-word history paper on Alexander Hamilton. He is also a National Merit Finalist and Scholarship winner. These achievements are made possible by He’s driven at-titude. “I am always trying to find the fun in everything I do and learn something new each and every day,” said He.
By Emily Cosentino Out of the 12 total students from WJ who have applied to the prestigious Eastman School
of Music since 2006, senior Sam Um is one of the three who have been accepted. As a sophomore, Um decided to pursue classi-cal percussion. While researching top-ranked mu-sic schools, Eastman caught his eye. Eastman is a professional school inside the Uni-
versity of Rochester in New York. It was named “The Hottest School for Music” by the Kaplan News-week in 2008. Even with the extra time and practice Um put in, the application process was nerve-racking. “It was a wakeup call,” said Um. “I saw a lot of really good people and realized there was competition.”
Although Um grew up surrounded by music and can play a variety of instruments, including
drums, piano, cello, bass and French horn, he was nervous about applying and did not expect to be ac-cepted. The school offers five different degrees. Students can strive to achieve a Bachelors of Music, Masters of Arts, Masters of Music, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. “My ultimate goal is to achieve a Ph.D. and become a music professor for a school similar to Eastman,” said Um.
Whether it’s because of the Harry Potter-esque cam-pus, the rich Scottish history, or just because the city
of Edinburgh is really cool, senior Gaby Cavanagh has decided to enroll in the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland.
She feels that the advantages of going abroad are the reasonable price and the excitement of being in a new place,
as well as the glorious opportunity to travel around Europe. Despite these various advantages, Cavanagh warns that going to Edinburgh may not be a wise decision for individu-als who are undecided about their major because unlike most American universities, one must declare a major immediately and cannot spend the first two years of their college experi-ence taking general classes. Cavanagh is planning to major in international relations, which she will receive a master’s degree after only four years, thanks to this European style of higher education. For next year, she is worried about different European cul-ture and being far away from her friends and family.
“I don’t know if they are going to laugh at my jokes or understand me,” said Cavanagh.
This college, which has been “influencing the world since 1583,” is the alma mater of Charles Darwin and Nobel Prize winners Charles Barkla, Max Born, Peter Doherty and James Mirrlees. Perhaps Cavanagh can join this list of impressive people who attended this school across the pond.
carl adamswest point military academy
By Anders Norberg
sara petersoncolorado college
sam umeastman school of music
By Jenny Deutsch
gaby cavanagh
By Emily Cosentino
university of edinburgh
tianhao heharvard university
jake reynoldsrhode island school of design
senior statistics135 seniors were polled
primary reason for attending your college14% in state tuition
10% scholarship
12% reputation of school
15% location11%specific academic program
14%dream school24% other
number of colleges applied to4% zero
11% one42% two to five
32% six to nine7% ten to thirteen
fourteen plus4%number of colleges accepted to
6% zero16% onetwo to five
six to nineten to thirteen
fourteen plus
57%18%
2%1%
how you were admitted to your school
1%
17%26%
42%13%
1%
early decisionearly action
regular decisionrolling admission
deferral from early decisionwaiting list
major is45%
55%undecided
declared
Most of the graduating class of 2011 has impressive plans for next year. However, these individuals have shown their remarkable talents and drive through their unique and noteworthy future paths.
151
across the mapwhere the seniors are scattering, by state
vermont
12 massachusetts
2
2 rhode island4 connecticut
24new york
27pennsylvania
1 new jersey
2 delaware12d.c.
17 virginia
3w. virginia
14
14n. carolina
s. carolina
4georgia
7florida
7wisconsin
5michigan
7illinois 5
indiana 6ohio
1
nebraska
2minnesota
1
iowa
1
kentucky
1mississippi
1
alabama
3louisiana
1
colorado
1
washington
2
oregon
5california
9towson
52umcp
10umbc
52mc
6smcm
key# number of seniors in
this state
number of seniors attend-ing this specific college
#
all numbers taken from Senior Scatter information
Cartoon by Michael Matthes. Photos by Stefany Carty
compiled by Josh Benjamin and Lily Sieradzki
Graph compiled by Abby Singley, Lily Sieradzki, Sari Amiel and Rosie Hammack
international: 11
maryland
12 MAY 25, 2011SENIORS Pitchthe
Abraham Yehudah GWU
Adams Jasmine MC
Adams Carl West Point
Aehle Nate U of Mississippi
Afework Martha St. Mary’s of MD
Ahnell Cole Dickinson
Akhverdiev Oktai Undecided
Alberto William MC
Alexander Christian Colgate
Alonso Daniel MC
Altekruse William UMBC
Andes-Gascon Sophie Pratt
Andrews Sarah UMCP
Andreyev Oleg U of Pittsburgh
Atreya Vamsi Indiana U
Avendaño Xan AU
Avila Amanda MC
Bae Geun UMCP
Banai Rotem Towson
Banerji Robin Haverford
Bara-Garcia Daniel Catholic U
Barr Jackson F Bard
Barrera Lizzy Salisbury
Bavousett Lindsey Gap Year
Benahmed Farah UMCP
Bender Rachel UVA
Benicka Julia Work
Berlin-Fischler Mariel UMCP
Berman Orli Emory
Biesecker Ryan Cornell U
Blad Sara Barnard
Blass Abby Towson
Boas Glenna Tulane
Boman Brian Boston U
Boman John MC
Bonacorda Ronnie Empire Beauty Sch
Bosse Anna Loyola U of MD
Bouvet Camille Virginia Tech
Brami Lauren Coll of Charleston
Brockett Taylor MC
Brown Robert UNC Chapel Hill
Buel Trip PSU-Army ROTC
Burke Allen MC
Campagnone Therese Towson
Campbell Dylan Keuka
Campos Omar MC
Caplon David UMCP
Carty Stefany UMCP
Carvalho Alexander UMBC
Casellas Rafael UMCP
Cavanaugh Gaby U of Edinburgh
Chang Alice UMCP
Charme Samira MC
Chichester Ashley U of South Carolina
Chidamber Niranjani UMBC
Chin Kuo-Kai Harvard
Choi Yun Ju Undecided
Chow Angela PSU
Cochran Annelise Eckerd
Collier Michael U of Iowa
Collins Katie Denison
Conroy Elyse PSU
Cooney Caroline U of Wisconsin
Cooper Jamie PSU
Cooper-Wall Amelia Nebr. Wesleyan
Cope Talie U of Wisconsin
Cotter Kristin Princeton
Covaliu Sigal MC
Crenca Jack Coll of Charleston
Crumbley Josh MC
Cyr Kate Emory
Dabney Kristin Salisbury
Dabney Colin Stevenson
Dabney Ashley Undecided
Darby David St. Mary’s of MD
Davidson Gabe Coll of Charleston
Davidson Paul U of Wisconsin
Davis Ryan Greensboro College
Decker Lisa MC
DeKenty Victoire U of Rochester
Devia Juan PSU
Dickison Kailey Coastal Carolina
Djourabtch Ardalan MC
Dodrill Alicia High Point
Dolan Suzy Northeastern
Dorbu Henry Gap Year
Dossa Soss Joyce MC
Drill Sidney Columbia U
Duong Eric U of Michigan
Earenfight Olivia Loyola U of MD
Earley Neal Indiana U
Edgar Emily U of Vermont
Ellis Liza U of South Carolina
Evans Jessica UMCP
Fansler Aubrey East Carolina
Fascenda Lisa Towson
Ferguson Claire Carleton
Fernandes Gaby Towson
Ferrari Francisco Native Country
Fingerman Inbal IDF (Israel)
Fisher AnneMarie U of South Carolina
Foley Graham UMBC
Fowler Nicky Ohio Wesleyan
Galetovic Emilie MC
Galli Jinae MC
Gamiz Victoria Argentina
Gates Brendan Coll of Charleston
Gautereaux Kaitlyn MC
Geier Sean U of Wisconsin
Gekker Lianna UMCP
Gendelman Moriah UMCP
Gidez Ally PSU
Gierszewski Christine East Carolina
Giorgis Dawit MC
Goldstone Jessica Syracuse
Gradowski Brady Loyola U of MD
Green Ian Denison
Green Zachary High Point
Guber Sloane Towson
Guinan Allegra Tyler School of Art
Guzman Katherine Military
Hafeez Emil NYU
Hamm-McEwen Jordan Appalachian State
Hansen Sarah U of Washington
Hartzell Lauren U of Scranton
Hassan Ishmail MC
Hawkins Zachary Work
Hazlett Zach PSU
He Tianhao Harvard
Hernandez Manolo MC
Hessler Brian UMCP
Hirshell Lizzie MC
Holcomb Ross Oregon State
Holcomb Nicholas Oregon State
Holmes Melanie DePaul
Holtzman Michael William & Mary
Hong Wonpyo Korea
Horner Skye AU
Houle Anna Alfred
Howie Sarah U of Delaware
Hsu Grace UMCP
Hutton Emily MC
Im Ji-Eun UMCP
Ivanova Valentina UMCP
Jackson Charlotte UNC Chapel Hill
Jacobs Kim Emory
Jacobs Daniel Northwestern
Jamieson Lindsey U of Pittsburgh
Janhunen Eleanor GWU
Jones Sarah Catholic U
Joutz Marguerite Brown
Katz Melanie U of Miami
Kennedy Laura Wake Forest
Kennedy Emma William & Mary
Kepple Allison Mount Holyoke
Khananayev Marina Clark
Kidd Jessica WVU
Kim Sera Towson
Kirchner Catherine Michigan State
Kirilyuk Ksenia U of Chicago
Konapelsky David Towson
Kong Lisa UMCP
Kormann Claire Ohio U
Kratzke Gavin Beloit
Kravitz Rachel MC
Kruger Maddie Tulane
Kwon Sara UMCP
Lake Marisa Elon
Laska Taylor Catholic U
Lavadenz Camila UMCP
Lavine Simone Pitzer College
Lazaro Norwel MC
Le Anh UMCP
Lee Michael MC
Lee Aaron Stony Brook
Lefkow Josh Marines
Leon Laura GWU
Levine Max Wesleyan
Levine Gordon WVU
Levingston Katie Boston College
Li Michael UMCP
Lifshitz Ophir UMCP
Lillibridge John RIT
Linder Andrea U of New Haven
Link Katrina Mitchell
Lisse Naomi Northwestern
Liu Elizabeth UMBC
Lock Sarah MICA
Locker Maggie Pratt
Lom Peter UVA
Lorenzetti Gina U of Edinburgh
Lubbert Rebecca Washington Coll
Lutes Alexander MC
Lutes Victor MC
Lux Michael Salisbury
Ma Yuchi UMCP
Maddox Alexander MC
Magenheim Steven PSU
Mahdavi Katherine Wake Forest
Maldonado Andres University in Spain
Mamonau Aliaksandr UMCP
Mandel Gabriel CIA
Mariola Madeleine NYU
Markowitz Seth UMCP
Marks Dana Wellesley
Marquez Alexander Indiana U
Marquina Luis Carnegie Mellon
Marsh Hannah UMCP
Martin Sophia MC
Martinez Jose Stevenson
Martinez John UMCP
Martinez Claire UMCP
Martinez John UMCP
Masood Asad UMCP
Maydan Daniel UMBC
McCarson Cortney Work
McCune Adair MC
McCurry Marjorie U of Michigan
McDermott-Adler Zoe Eckerd
McKenna Charlie Gap Year
McLean Caitlin James Madison
McLean Kelsey Virginia Tech
Meade Sophie Oberlin
Mears Daniel George Mason
Meendoza Vanessa MC
Mejia Brian Full Sail
Mejia Christophe MC
Merkel Shaiyon UMCP
Merrick Emma La Salle
Mertz James Clemson
Miller Stewart James Madison
Mitchel Colleen U of Michigan
Mitchell Shannon U of Kentucky
Moersen Maria Georgia Tech
Montgomery Sean WVU
Moomau Cassie UMCP
Morales-Ortiz Jennifer MC
Morgun Eva UMCP
Morris Brian The Citadel
Morris Elyssa UMCP
Moschkin Julie UC Santa Barbara
Mostafa Meraz U of Vermont
Motazed Ariana Carnegie Mellon
Namvar Houman MC
Nation Nichelle Allegany of MD
Nau Mikaela Radford
New Michael Harvard
Nogueira Jessica MC
Oates Island MC
Odgers Michelle GWU
Ollayos Macklin UMCP
Ortiz Cristy Work
Oyarzabal Ignacio Argentina
Panossian Nadia UMCP
Park Sharon UMBC
Parker Hayley Indiana U of PA
Pei Daniel Clemson
Pendergrass April Undecided
Pepper Elizabeth Florida State
Pepper Joseph Lake Forest
Perkins Cassandra UNC Chapel Hill
Perone Sara MICA
Peterson Sara Colorado College
Phelps Tyler UMCP
Plata Kathryn George Mason
Plata Kristine George Mason
Platais Emma PAC-Rio
Ponce Jose Andres France
Popovich Claire Kenyon
Rains Caroline UNC Chapel Hill
Rasul Kahlil A. MC
Ravin Nitay UMCP
Ray Jordan UC Berkeley
Razmjou Ashkan MC
Reardon Madeleine Susquehanna
Regan Nicholes UMCP
Reiss Yuval UMBC
Ren Shu Yang AU
Ren Jen UVA
Reshef Eadoh U of Delaware
Reyes Franz Air Force
Reyes-Lozada Mulawin Diwa Hawaii Pacific
Reynolds Jake RISD
Ricker Joseph MC
Rivera Michael Marines
Rivera-Brown Cait U of Edinburgh
Rizzi Mia Gap Year
Robinson Evie Mitchell
Rodriguez Laura MC
Romani Adrianna Auburn
Safaraliyeva Jemile St. Mary’s of MD
Salazar Oscar Undecided
Saling Marci Dean
Sanfuentes Cristina Cornell U
Sanfuentes Alexandra Vassar
Sanoir Shenelle Marymount
Scaduto Erica UC Davis
Scalet Sarah Hamilton
Scheibel Matt Washington Coll
Schiffman Anna Arcadia
Schill Dmitri Lincoln Tech
Schiponi Alex College of St. Rose
Schliessler Federika Gap Year
Schonman Ian U of Michigan
Scott Michael Salisbury
Scully Spencer UMBC
Sealover Nancy UNC Wilmington
Segal Gregory UPenn
Seghieri Alex Navy
Shea Katherine Clemson
Shpak Eva St. Mary’s of MD
Shulimson Sam Indiana U
Sidibe Abraham Undecided
Sieff Talia UMCP
Sieradzki Lily Tufts
Singh Pallavi Drexel
Singh Yashovardhan Furman
Singley Abby Hofstra
Skay Rachel Virginia Tech
Smith Donitto Howard CC
Smith Jeremy Indiana U
Smith Parker Tufts
Snyder Cory MC
Spelke Samantha UMCP
Spencer Daniel Northeastern
Spies Kevin St. Mary’s of MD
Spinard Alexander Eckerd
Stamler Lisa Stevenson
Stokes Stefan McDaniel
Swann Michael MC
Szebeni Zoltan St. Mary’s of MD
Talisman Lita Northwestern
Teklehiwot Maedot Morgan State
Thomas Chris MC
Tillman Michael Coastal Carolina
Torbenko Vladimir MC
Tran Dennis UMCP
Triantos Katerina U of Edinburgh
Tycko Sasha U of Chicago
Um Sam Eastman
Van Acker Etienne MC
Van der Tak Lea U of South Carolina
Vanegas Sabina London C of Fash
Vasquez Indihra MC
Vickery Oliver PSU
Vinson Bobby UMCP
Vistnes Michelle Juniata
Vocal David Towson
Votaw Kecheri Washington Coll
Wade Dorine MC
Wang Alexis Washington Coll
Ward Charlie MC
Wasden Liz UMCP
Weich Sam UMCP
Weitzner Aaron Tulane
Whitaker Victoria Military
Whitman Casey UMCP
Willett Alex UMCP
Wilson Eric MC
Wilson-Gay Angenae U of Tampa
Wolman Jonathan Hofstra
Wong Brandon Marist
Woo Julia GWU
Wright Raymond NYU
Yaffe Bert Macalester
You Yang Carnegie Mellon
Zechter Mariela James Madison
Zelarayan Vania MC
Zelenko Jennifer U of Wisconsin
Zhao Tingrui UMCP
Zhou Yannan UMCP
Zlotescu Adrian MC
Seniors who did not supply their information are not fea-
tured in the Senior Scatter.
Last First Plans Last First Plans
Last First Plans
Last First Plans Last First Plans
Logo by Michael Matthes
13MAY 25, 2011 ADVERTISEMENTSPitchthe
Walter Johnson All School Booster ClubWe are here to support YOU!
TEAMS AND CLUBS CAN EARN MONEY FROM BOOSTERS IN THESE WAYS:
1) Sign up to work the concession stand at any of the events posted. All groups who work will receive $100.
2) Sponsor, create and run a fundraising event that is co-spon-sored with Booster. Take advantage of the events we already use to raise funds, or ask us to help you with your own fund-raiser.
3) Direct request for assistance. Request assistance through our Funding Request Form. TO JOIN THE BOOSTER CLUB – Look for our flier ONLINE at www.wjboosterclub.com.
GOT BOOSTER?
14 MAY 25, 2011 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPitchthe
As I leave high school once and for all, I keep seeing the faces of the students who have one, two, three more years of the same routine and fluorescent-lit halls. I keep thinking of words I wish I could impart to my freshman, sophomore and junior self if only to ease the burden of adolescence. When you think about it, high school is a pretty ridiculously designed system. At the most volatile and developmental stage in their lives, a large group of people are set on the same mind-numbing schedule, inhabiting the same building five days a week. Sh** will inevitably go down. It often becomes difficult to separate illusion from reality and the inconsequential from the significant. We can mostly thank sexual repression for this hazy state of mind. Consider the fact that about 99.9 percent of the actions you complete are either directly or indirectly motivated by sexuality. And when I say sexuality I mean the gender you identify with, your sexual orientation, your sex drive and more. Even if you can’t help it, you can still foster an awareness toward your true motives. If you’re going to go to great pains to wear clothes that give you good cleavage and show lots of leg, at least do it with conviction. Either face the fact that you need to look “sexy” in order to feel validated or live a self-conscious lie. If you really feel so compelled to blurt out “no-homo,” in seriousness or as a joke, then do it knowing that you are fulfilling the desire to affirm your masculinity. None of us can escape the power that sexuality wields, but you can make the choice to be honest with yourself when no one else is. This can be especially hard when most of the friendships in high school are completely contrived. It’s easy to hide from yourself when you have online social networking and a priority list that includes partying, sleepovers, and partying. All the texts, notifications, alcohol and hookups can be enough to distract you from the terrifying reality that inside your mind you are alone—but do you really want your internal stability to rely on something as impermanent as a high school social chemistry? For those of you who are tormented daily by the pressures of social identity, there’s good news: once high school comes to an end, the social constructs no longer matter—unless you let them. They are as ephemeral as your hairstyle and as inconsequential as your ‘B’ in freshman biology. For others, this will pose a problem. If your identity is dependent on your setting, then you’ve built yourself a glass house which could shatter at any moment. Luckily, there’s this thing,called introspection and it’s not an FB feature, an iPhone app or a stretchy piece of clothing. It’s simply a method of thought—and your shot at freedom.
Out of Left Field:
By Sophie Meade Arts and Entertainment Editor
Dear Underclassman
Pitch Picks
By Rebecca Hansen and Shanilka Puerto
WJ Staff and Students fill in the blank
What song...
...do you sing in the shower? _______________“Guns of Brixton”
The Clash
...is the soundtrack of your life? __________________“Search and Destroy”
The Stooges
Karen GeneroseForeign Language
...would you listen to trapped on an island? _______________“Just Like Heaven”
The Cure
...makes you want to dance? ______________“Blue Monday”
New Order
Summer Playlist Every summer needs a soundtrack. Here are six songs for all those hazy days and crazy nights.
Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues”
Santigold and Karen O “Go”
Beyoncé“Run the World (Girls)”
Jack White and Danger Mouse“Two Against One”
Adele“Someone Like You”
The title track of FF’s new album captures the feeling of being part of something greater than just yourself. The song personifies the feeling of being trapped in traditional expectations and motivates the listener to break free. Summer is a time to rebel and this is your soundtrack.
Jai Paul“BTSU”
This new release from praised British vocalist Adele is the song for summer love. The lyrics are reminiscent of a romance ending before desires and hopes for a future are reached. When your summer fling doesn’t meet your expectations, just let this perfect break up song soothe your broken heart.Danger Mouse and Jack White have paired up to produce this master collaboration.This song explores the relationship between one’s inner self and inner demons. The lyrics are poetic and introspective, while the calm beat is great to listen to when relaxing with friends.
Beyoncé upholds her legacy of empowering women with this upbeat new single. The beat is engaging and the lyrics encourage women to feel self-confident enough to make a difference in the world around them. Pump this jam in preparation for a date, party or sports game.
Some songs aren’t exactly catchy at first listen if they seem out of your musical element, but the more they’re played, the more likable they become. “Go” is a prime example. The song is a captivating mix of indie and R&B that makes it a perfect upbeat summer song.
Jai Paul’s origins are almost as mysterious as the meaning of his first single. Paul released it quietly from his MySpace page in 2010 and wasn’t heard from again until earlier this year when he signed with XL Recordings. “BTSU” itself is a trippy mix that puts a twist on traditional elements of Dubstep.
...did you first slow dance to? __________________“Kiss From a Rose”
Seal
...is perfect for a rainy day? _______________“Love is Hard”
James Morrison
...do you fall asleep to? __________________“Always and Forever”
Cory Morrow
...is your favorite foreign song? _________________ “Quelqu’un m’a dit ”
Carla Bruni
...is perfect for driving with the top down? ______________“10,000 Miles”
Vanessa Carlton
...do you work out to? ______________“Jump Around”
House of Pain
...is stuck in your head? ____________“The Sun”
Portugal the Man
...would you listen to for the rest of your life? _____________“Ready Able”
Grizzly Bear
...would you listen to trapped on an island? ________________“Knives and Pens”
Black Veil Brides
...is stuck in your head? ____________“Nightmare”
Avenged Sevenfold
...makes you want to dance? _______________“Edge of Glory”
Lady Gaga
...would you listen to for the rest of your life? _______________“Outrageous”
Britney Spears
By Rebecca Hansen and Daniel Gorelik
Sean GeierSenior
Katherine BairdForeign Language
Nathan SchwartzSocial Studies
Kelly BeanMath
Ana LorenzoFreshman
Carolina MeloSophomore
Peter ChamberlainJunior
Photos by Eleanor Janhunen, Sophie Meade and Sasha Tycko
15 MAY 25, 2011ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Pitchthe
Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular among students in the WJ community, but what is causing this trend? Are they acting in youthful rebellion against parents’ disapproving attitudes? Or, is it a genuine expression of one’s self that parents have trouble relating to? Students who are tattooing themselves as a rebellious act with little thought behind it might regret that decision later in life and could end up spending money to remove them. Those serious about the true art of tattoo generally put months, if not years, of thought into the ink they want to put on their body, as opposed to the irrational decisions many high school students make. Often, tattoos are conceptual and pertain to the interests of their carriers. For example, senior Madeleine Reardon has a tattoo of a sound speaker which also transforms into a flower. “I’m really into music and I think the type of music I listen to can bring out my personality and show how fun and colorful I can be,” said Reardon. “Being an artist, I envisioned the flower tattoo idea in my head and decided it expressed how music was relevant to my life.” I personally chose to get a tattoo of a sun on my ankle when visiting Austin, Texas’s art district. The sun art is relevant to my life because I have seasonal affective disorder, which makes sunlight a crucial element in my life. While there is definitely a stigma in our society against tattoos, painting them as unnecessary aspects of the counter-culture, well-thought-out tattoos can be an appropriate expression of one’s personality and identity.
Tattoos belonging to (clockwise from left): Lea Van Der Tak, Ryan Kersten, Van Der Tak, Van Der Tak and Spi-nard.
By Alex Spinard
WJ students get
Photos by Eleanor Janhunen
Illustration by Michael Matthes
16MAY 25, 2011 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPitchthe
BEST OF THE DRESSES Dress destinations such as Jovani and BCBG dominated the landscape of prom 2011. Jovani’s online store is so exclusive that their web site doesn’t even list prices next to dresses – after all, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it – while BCBG is so commonly shopped that dress disputes occurred and true originality comes into question. Many senior girls resorted to online shopping in order to find the perfect ensemble for the perfect prom, but many also trolled department stores such as Nord-strom, Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Dillard’s. Regardless of retailer, most prom dresses seem to blend together across the prom scene, a sameness seen not only throughout WJ, but also throughout Montgomery County, the Eastern Seaboard and the country. Of course, the long dress is a mainstay – when else is it appropriate to wear a floor-length gown other than at your wedding? – along with the ever-present up-to-there slit. However, the modern short dress is breaking through, with bare legs becoming the new “it”accessory. Despite similarities in cuts, dress color trends seem to be approaching opposite ends of the spectrum as blacks and midnight blues face off with pastels, while patterns are few and far between. The one-shoulder, by far the most visible trend this prom season, dominated with its coveted asymmetry, closely followed by the strapless gown. For girls, prom conjures up an almost fairy tale image in our minds as we were in-undated for the majority of our previous 18 years with magical movie and television scenes of “the best night of our lives.” However, once the moment actually arrived, instead of standing out and absorbing the moment, many tended to sport the typical prom dress – long and strapless with slight glitter detail. But this is a night to cel-ebrate graduating high school, to celebrate your friendships and to celebrate yourself, so senior girls should have gone for something more unique and personalized. Prom dresses should utilize the variability inherent in the fashion industry – why not use more texture, more architectural shapes, more vintage, more types of fabric, more more. Prom should be the greatest night of your life so why not dress for the occasion?
By Eleanor Janhunen
SHORTA break from the traditional long dress that dominates prom season after prom season, the short dress displays a more casual elegance. Show off your legs in these gam-revealing gowns that are perfect for dancing the night away.
VARIED LENGTHS
LONG
Photo courtesy of Kei Votow
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Caught between dress styles? The mixed length is your solution. Whether the dress be long in the back with a cropped hem in the front, short overall with longer pieces of fabric or a mid-length, you’re treated to the best of both fashion worlds.
For the most classic of prom attire, the long gown is the way to go. But this isn’t your mom’s gown as modern twists on this traditional style abound. The asymetrical neckline is the latest trend to take over the style scene, but prom seasons to come will show the changing potential of this tradition.
Talia Sieff
Grace Hsu Gabriela Cavanagh
Sophie Andes Gascon
Sarah Hansen
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Olivia Earenfight
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PROM 2011
ALL PITCH
2010-2011
Rachel SkayLacrosse
ALL-SENIOR FIRST TEAM
Skay had a tough act to follow after her 2010 season when she scored a county record 86 goals. But in her se-nior season, Skay didn’t disappoint, scoring 79 goals and 107 points. Skay was a senior cap-tain and led the team to an 8-0 start and a 10-2 regular season record.
The quarterback and leader of the football team, Ahnell led the Wildcats to the best football season (6-4) in recent memory. Ah-nell was the orchestra-tor of the offense in the Cats’ key wins, includ-ing a thrilling season opener, 47-41 over Rockville and a 48-26 homecoming game win over Wootton.
Bosse has built up quite a reputation in Mont-gomery County, and continued her domi-nance with a second individual cross coun-try state championship with, an indoor track state championship in the 3200m and a third place finish at the outdoor track 4A West regional meet.
Won 4A West individu-al cross country cham-pionship and helped cross country to a state championship. Also won indoor track individual 3200m state title and won outdoor track 1600m 4A west regional title and was runner up in 3200m in same event.
First-team All-Gazette and first-team All-Met swimmer has been a force in the pool for the swim and dive team at WJ. As a senior she won the 200 free and 500 free at Met-ros, in addition to 200 IM and 100 fly at the county championships.
First-team All-Gazette and Second All-Met soccer player, Spen-cer was the anchor of the Wildcat defense that lost in the second overtime of the re-gional championship game. The Gazette has described him as “flaw-less.”
ALL-UNDERCLASSMEN TEAM
ALL-SENIOR SECOND TEAMSarah HowieBasketball
20102011
-top athletes of the sports year-
Cole AhnellFootball
Anna BosseXC, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
Alex WillettXC, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
Elizabeth PepperSwimming
Daniel SpencerSoccer
4-year varsity player has been warrior through some tough times and leaves WJ on the upswing.
Shannon MitchellGymnastics
Won 3 of 4 individual events at counties, in-cluding the all-around around championship, and helped gymnastics to team county title.
JP BrennanLacrosse
Co-captain and talent-ed attackman, Brennan put the team on his back late in the season.
Nick ReganXC, Indoor Track,Outdoor Track
A major contributor to a handful of great relay teams, Regan was also runner-up at cross country states.
Camille BouvetXC, Indoor Track,Outdoor Track
Juan Pablo ZuluagaBoys Volleyball
Bouvet won the out-door track 4A West 1600m crown, and has provided important points to compliment Bosse.
An All-Gazette first-teamer in 2011, the transfer from Colom-bia led boys volleyball to an 11-3 season.
Elad Covaliu, jr.Football, Wrestling
Bethany Buel, jr.Softball
Jordan Krasner, jr.Boys Tennis
Annie Kastler, jr. Diving
Jake Verner, jr. Boys Lacrosse
Laura Dally, jr. Indoor Track, Outdoor
Drew Ohlrich, soph.Ice Hockey
Stephanie Paul, soph.Girls Volleyball
Carina Deandreis, soph.Girls Soccer
Mateo Arenas, soph.Boys Soccer
Gus Gill, soph.Baseball
Caroline Hagerty, jr.Girls Soccer
17MAY 25, 2011 SPORTSPitchthe
Skay will play lacrosse at Virginia Tech.
Ahnell will play football at Dickinson College.
Bosse will run for Loyola University of Maryland.
Willett will run for UMCP.
Pepper will swim at Florida State.
Spencer will attend Northeastern University.
By the Sports staff
Photos by Stefany Carty
Tennis
Wrapup-The varsity baseball team started the season slow, beginning with three losses and two wins, and then they had a great middle season with four con-secutive wins and only one loss. The end of the season proved to be the tough-est part of their schedule, as they ended the season with four consecutive losses. The team notched quality wins against Churchill, Wootton and Gaithersburg, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs after defeating Blair, a team who beat them twice in the regular sea-son, in a 6-4 thriller of a game. Unfor-tunately, the team fell to Gaithersburg in the second round of the playoffs, end-ing their postseason hopes.Standouts-The team was anchored by ace pitcher and star shortstop Gus Gill. The sophomore pitched the team to key victories against Gaithersburg during the regular season and against Blair dur-ing the playoffs, and was a very consis-tent bat in the middle of the lineup as well. Senior Dylan Campbell and junior Caldwell Clarke also contributed, both with the bat, and both were solid de-fenders as well.Coach’s Take-“A lot of people didn’t give us a chance because of the gradu-ation of nine seniors last year. They ex-ceed my expectations.”- Kim Ahearn, head coach.
Baseball Boys Lacrosse
Record: 8-9Playoffs: Lost in second round
Spring Sports Review
18 MAY 25, 2011SPORTS Pitchthe
WrapUp- The lacrosse team ended the season with a 10-5 record. After los-ing their first game against Wootton by one goal, the WJ lacrosse team won the next four games. Although the team was not as consistent with its wins this year, the team made it to the third round of the playoffs. The team used stellar goal-tending, a lockdown defense and an extremely potent attack to dominate other teams.Standouts- The most valuable play-ers were attackers junior Jake Verner and senior attackers Colin Dabney and JP Brennan, along with senior midfield player Alex Schiponi. “I would say our potential was restricted when everyone wasn’t playing together. But when we played as a team, we were lights out. I’m definitely going to miss playing for WJ. Our attack line really carried us a lot, but there were too many key players to really say one person was the main player.”-Alex Schiponi.Coach’s Take- “I think this was a tran-sition year as new coaches came in, and next year there will be new chemistry. My favorite part of the season would be beating Sherwood 17 to 16, and my least favorite part was getting beat by Wootton. This is the place and type of school I’ve always wanted to work in.” Alan Pohoryles, head coach.
By Yun ZhouBy Leslie Ferdani
Record: 8-4Playoffs: Lost in regional final
Wrapup-The girls softball team ended the season with a tough loss against Paint Branch 1-15 after rain delayed the initial game in the fourth inning with the score 9-1 in favor of the Panthers. Despite the second round exit, the Wildcats earned a first round win against Churchill in a rematch of the regular season matchup in which the Bulldogs edged the ‘Cats 2-1.Defense proved to be the Achilles heel of the team this year, with an average of five errors per game, despite consis-tent pitching performances by junior Bethany Buel, who finished the season with 113 strikeouts. The team opened up with a dominating win against Rock-ville but lost to future regional cham-pion Blair and would go on to lose two of their next eleven games. Standouts-Junior Sarah Bernstein was a pivotal player on the offensive side of the ball, hitting opposing pitchers al-
most every game for a .484 batting av-erage from the leadoff spot. Senior Ka-tie Levingston also provided a solid bat in the cleanup spot and was a key third baseman. Although this was a rebuilding year in some respect, freshmen Sarah Duncan and Catherine Royston were impact players in their first season on the team. Along with their contributions, every member of the team was able to play and step up in light of injuries and ab-sences. Coach’s Take- “Despite the rain, inju-ries and inconsistent practice schedule, the girls worked hard, never gave up and learned how to fight back through-out the season. Ending the season with a big win in playoffs to Churchill sealed our reputation in this county and for our future.” -Jamie Ahearn, head coach.
SoftballBy Phillip Resnick Playoffs: Lost in second round
Record: 6-12
Bryn Molloy Photo courtesy of David Dabney
Photo courtesy of David Dabney Photo courtesy of David Dabney
Tyler Modjeska Photo courtesy of Jeff Campbell
Photo courtesy of Jeff Campbell
(Left to Right): Brad Hampton and Gus Gill
Sarah DuncanPhoto courtesy of Scott Marks
Alex Schiponi
James Lillie Photo by Stefany Carty
Photo by Stefany Carty
Alex Schiponi Photo courtesy of David Dabney
Paige Waqa Photo courtesy of David Dabney Yuval Dan
19May 25, 2011 SPORTSPitchthe
Girls Lacrosse Track
Volleyball Gymnastics
Standouts- The team is full of stars on both the girls and boys teams. Wil-let and Regan anchor the boys distance team, but junior Joshua Ellis is a great compliment to them as a standout 800m runner. Junior Elad Covaliu has been an outstanding hurdler and before injuries hampered them, Donitto Smith, Nicky Fowler and Michael Li were all part of a very good 4x400m relay. For the girls, Bosse and Bouvet were the core of the distance team, but Sarah Breen, Me-gan Spurell and Taylor Swift also were key contributors as distance runners. The girls sprint team was led by many underclassmen, including Laura Dally (also an outstanding jumper), Caroline Hagerty and Maya Campbell.
Wrapup- The track team has had a remarkable season so far this year. Led by seniors Alex Willett and Nick Regan on the boys side and Camille Bouvet and Anna Bosse for the girls, the team has dominated in almost every event, including posting record-breaking per-formances in certain events. Willet has consistently run sub 4:20 miles, mak-ing him a favorite at the state meet, and Laura Dally is a serious state contender in the triple jump as well.
Coach’s take- “We have had some great performances and some really nice surprises. Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of disappointing injuries late in the season, but I’m still happy with what we have achieved so far, and think we can still have a lot of success.” Tom Rodgers, sprint coach: “Everyone is working hard toward the common goal of qualifying for states. Our team has done a great job continuing the tradi-tion of championship caliber running here at WJ.-” Tom Martin, distance coach
By Phillip Resnick
Wrapup- Coed: After going 1-4 to start the season, the coed volleyball team ended the season strongly by winning 4 out of 7 games to finish 5 -7. However, they lost their playoff game, ending a season full of ups and downs. As a developing volleyball program, the team will defi-nitely continue to be a pipeline for up-coming boys and girls volleyball teams here at WJ. Boys: After finishing the season 10-2, they were due for a long playoff run, but, their dream was cut short after they lost to Blair in the second round. With some quality seniors leaving, the team may have to rebuild next year but this was definitely a successful season. Team’s Take:- “We learned a lot of things this season, one of them would be that you have to work very hard in order to get to the level you expect, I think we could have done better than what we did,”- Junior first team All-Gazette out-side hitter Juan Pablo Zuluaga, “Next year will probably be a rebuilding year for us, because we are losing a large amount of players,”-Junior all-county middle Halid HamadiCoach’s take- “I am not sure what to expect next year. We have a good core, but some of the boys may end up playing on the boys team and some of the girls may not return. Each year is so different from the last I just never know.” – Bill Morris, co-ed coach. “I knew that we were going to win most of the games…[we are] graduating lots of seniors.” On whether it is interesting being a woman coaching a man’s sport, “it always poses for interesting mo-ments.” – Sylvie Ellen, boys coach
Standouts- Senior co-captain Ra-chel Skay ended her stellar career with 78 goals and 29 assists, including two against Sherwood in her final game as a Wildcat. Skay, along with junior attack Bryn Molloy, averaged over nine goals per game to produce a lethal duo of at-tack for the ‘Cats. Meanwhile, defense helped the team win pivotal games as junior goaltender Paige Waqa ended her first season as a goalie with an .857 save percentage and the defnse, led by se-niors Sarah Howie and Kristin Dabney and junior Paige Keller, kept opposing offenses held to just 5.4 gpg.
Team’s Take- “Coming into the season I didn’t think we would be as strong as we were because of how young we were but through our hard work and dedication we really improved as a unit and became one of the best teams in the county. [The team] will be strong next year. Coach Yetter did such an amazing job this year and will turn the new and returning players into a great lacrosse team.”-Sarah Howie, senior co-captain
Wrapup- After a dominating regular season which started out 8-0, the girls lacrosse team fell in the 4A regional quarterfinals to third-ranked Sherwood 6-9. Despite high expectations, the Wildcats failed to reach the regional fi-nals for the second straight year. Coach Chrissy Yetter, in her first season at the helm, coached a stellar defense and bal-anced attack which prevailed in many of the Wildcats’ games. The team will miss Virginia Tech commit Skay next year but will return goalie Waqa and attack Bryn Molloy.
Wrapup- The girls gymnastics team had a very impressive spring season, placing first in three out of its four meets. The girls’ hard work and dedication to the team was shown when they were named the MCPS County Champions on May 3, beating B-CC, Blair, Blake, Sherwood, Gaithersburg and Whitman. Contrary to years past, the team had many gymnasts who also competed on a club team, resulting in a County Championship and dethroning the four-time defending champion B-CC. The team also came in second at a bi-county meet on May 11, with Grace Leslau placing top five in both the vault and the bars. Standouts- The team’s key players, or “big three” are senior Shannon Mitchell, freshman Ella Wu and sophomore Grace Leslau, all of whom compete in club gymnastics outside of school. Mitchell placed first in vault, bars, beam and all-around at the MCPS Championship meet at Blair High School. Mitchell will compete for the University of Kentucky next year, a huge loss for the Wildcats as they try to defend their county title. Coach’s Take-“I feel that our overall season went well. The girls worked well as a team and did the best that they could at every meet. The girls got better at every meet as far as their individual scores on the events that they competed on, and that was their goal. My expectations for the team this year was to win counties and that was my ultimate goal and it was met; the girls worked so hard this season and worked as a team at counties!”-Ursula Bright
By Sloane GuberCounty Champions
By Erik BladBoys: 11-3 Coed: 5-8
Camille Bouvet: Regional champion in mile and two-mileAlex Willett: Regional champion in mile and runner up in two-mile
By Hannah FleschRecord: 11-3
Playoffs: Lost to Sherwood in regional semifinal.
TennisBy Daniel ThalerRecord: 7-4
Playoffs: Lost in county quarterfinalsWrapup- The Wildcat’s tennis team recently wrapped up a respectable sea-son. They finished tied for fourth in the 4A-west division and reached thequarterfinals of the regional play-offs. Despite the strong play of Jordan Krasner, Kevin Spies and Michael New, the team struggled to find enough consistency to warrant a long winning streak. How-ever, when they did win, it was by no small margin. Six of the seven matches were won by five points or more. Next season, both Krasner, as well as sopho-more Jamie Schmidt will have to fill the roles of eight graduating seniors.S t a n d o u t s - K r a s n e r, ranked as the no. five play-er in Maryland, was the
teams no.one singles player. New and Spies were also big contributers to the team. However, none of them were able to overcome the stalworts of Wootton, Churchill and Whitman as they finished tied for fourth in the county.
Coach’s Take- “Over-all, it was kind of what we expected. We’re not able yet to compete with Wootton, Whitman and Churchill. I think we’re starting to see what it’s going to take to defeat these teams. We need to win way down in doubles and we’re going to need much stronger commit-ment to doubles. We’re still going to be strong next year unless our dou-bles can be deeper [and] stronger”-Mike Laukaitis
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Wolman
Photo courtesy of David Dabney
Photo by Sasha Tycko
Photo by Stefany Carty
Photo by Stefany Carty
Taylor Swift
(From left to right): Juan Pablo Zuluaga and Leron Gil
Eric Duong
Shannon Mitchell
Kristin Dabney
Sports
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ALLPITCH
2011
2010
60 - 46overall spring record
1 County Championship[Gymnastics]
4 teams with winning records
MAY 25, 201120
spring sports reviewBaseballBoys LacrosseSoftball
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19Boys/Coed VolleyballGirls LacrosseBoys/Girls TrackBoys TennisGymnastics
