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News
New Spanish for Spanish Speakers curriculum implemented
MCPS Spanish for Spanish Speakers (SSS) curriculum has undergone changes that have been implemented this year in eleven high schools and eight middle schools that offer the course, according to Judith Klimpl, supervisor of MCPS Department of Foreign Languages. The course was revised in order to enhance the Spanish of the shifting population of students, according to Klimpl.
Administration asks teachers to log academic support times
The Blair administration has established a new policy requiring all departments to record the names of students attending lunch time academic support and is providing additional school wide support to meet their School Improvement Plan (SIP) goals, according to assistant principal Edith Verdejo.
Teachers reflect on difficulty of Bridge Plan
One year after the High School Assessments (HSA) Bridge Plan was first introduced, some teachers are questioning the standards of the HSAs and the HSA bridge projects as graduation requirements. The bridge projects are designed to provide a way for students who have trouble succeeding on the tests to fulfill their graduation requirements, which many teachers view as a necessary option for students.
Teachers to renegotiate contract with MCPS
With the 2008-2010 teachers union contract to expire soon, the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the official teachers union for MCPS teachers, is set to renegotiate their contract with the MCPS Board of Education (BOE). However, recent dealings with MCPS have left some MCEA members unsatisfied and could affect the upcoming contract negotiations between the two groups, according to MCEA Vice President Christopher Lloyd.
This Month's Print
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Sports
JV Journal
JV girls' soccer (8-3) rounded off a winning season with a victory over Gaithersburg on Oct. 22, according to coach Kerri Galloway. Although most of the team members had never played together before this season, they managed to create an efficient dynamic on the field, said Galloway.
High goals in the hexagon
Monday is easy training. Tuesday is a four to five kilometer run along a forest trail. Wednesday is four hours of practice. Thursday is weightlifting and scrimmaging. Friday is easy again, a stretching day. Saturday is for tactical work. Sunday is the big game, and then the cycle begins again.
Swimmers finally lose their scales
Times are changing, and as technology advances, it makes sense that sports would follow suit. But when expensive technology, not hard work, creates new athletic records at the high school, collegiate and professional levels alike, competition is no longer fair.
Whitman Vikings conquer Blazer Football
Varsity football (1-4-0) suffered a disappointing 34-12 loss to Whitman at the latter’s homecoming game. Playing in front of a sea of enthusiastic Viking fans in black and blue, the Blazers endured a crushing Friday night defeat.
Features
Alumni aiming for the stars
She hadn't intended to go out this way. With three beautiful bouquets in hand and a wide, elated grin across her face, she ran across the stage, waving to the audience as she left. But while making her dramatic exit, she tripped, showering the audience with roses.
An unexpected reunion
In his eyes, the once magnificent stage had been transformed. It was now a gloomy debacle strewn with trash and wires hanging precariously from the ceiling.
Driving down memory lane
It was the ultimate teenage experience. He and other members of the jock crowd strutted Blair's halls. He drove the cheerleaders around after his baseball and football games. He was a senior, and he felt unstoppable. After all, Pete Luces' 1976 AMC Matador was not just a car – it was freedom.
Becoming the daughters of modern science
The riddle goes that a boy and his father are injured in a car accident and immediately rushed to the hospital. When the boy is sent to surgery, the surgeon says, "I can't do the operation; this is my son." The "trick:" the surgeon is the boy’s mother.
Opinions
Loopholes in MCPS regulation of school food allow unhealthful options
These days, with the recent influx of media coverage of childhood obesity, students are more health-savvy than ever. Yet, school food seems to have remained largely unchanged - bright Pepsi vending machines selling sugary soft drinks still adorn Blair Boulevard and fast food dishes are served in the school cafeteria.
A plea for different interview sources
As much as we Blazers love to hear from our principal, Silver Chips needs to find new sources of information. In the last issue of Silver Chips, both MCPS public information representative Chris Cram and Principal Darryl Williams were quoted in multiple news stories. And they're not alone - various issues of Chips have had their share of repeated sources in their news sections.
Grading the grades
Starting this year, elementary school students will bring home report cards with more details than a NASA operation manual. In a time when education success is determined by test scores and GPAs, MCPS has gone too far with these new report cards. Though the cards were meant to help parents, they end up not delivering the important information and establish an emphasis on grades rather than learning.
Driving on the safe side
Over 4,200 teens in the U.S. were killed in driving accidents in 2007. More than 400,000 teens were treated in emergency rooms for vehicle crash injuries the same year. And these already high numbers are on the rise.