Thursday, May 24, 2012 3:22 am
Montgomery Blair High School's Online Student Newspaper

Tolu Omokehinde

Print Managing Photo Editor
omokehinde.tolu@gmail.com

I am one of those photographers that takes amazing pictures...

My photos are hosted at 500px and Flickr

My videos are hosted at Vimeo

Stories Authored (3)

Features »

VIDEO: Silver Spring in motion

by Tolu Omokehinde and Allison Daitch | April 10, 2012
Features »

VIDEO: Cloudscapes over Blair

by Tolu Omokehinde | Feb. 12, 2012
Features »

VIDEO: Silver Spring in timelapse (Preview)

by Tolu Omokehinde | Jan. 8, 2012

Galleries (21) Holiday Decorations

SGR Spectacular
SGR Slide Show
Changing Seasons: Fall Edition
Cheerleading Competition
SGA Wild'n Out
Homecoming Pep Rally
Fall Spirit Week
Summertime in Baltimore
Takoma Park Jazz Fest
Spring Spirit Week
Changing Seasons
Zebra Fish
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Silver Quill Valentines Open Mic
Magnet Arts Night
Wikipedia Turns 10
Blair Dance
Holiday Lights
SilverQuill Holiday Open Mic

Pictures (419)

Senior Molly Nicholson stole several bases over the course of the game.
Cosette bids farewell to Valjean.
The Thernadiers (Kronstadt and Nanda) at Marius and Cosette's wedding.
In addition to being the team's primary catcher, Freshman Maria Cruz also had several strong at bats.
Freshman Andrea Brown slides into third base. Brown is one of three starting freshmen on the team.
Ombudsman Claire Sleigh
Senior Rick Narcisse spikes the ball to win a point in the second set.
Senior Austin Liou serves the ball. Aggressive service was a huge contributor to the Blazers win.
Sophomore Annie Pietanza races the Blake catcher to home plate.
Freshman Kerry Madden up at bat.
A shot of Colesville road during the rush hour.
One of the many still from the time lapse.
Sophomore Annie Pietanza pitches against Walter Johnson.
Senior Samantha Schweickhardt bats during Varsity Softball's double-header on Monday.
Patrick Washington throws a pitch.
David Pilsk holds down first base.
Senior Becca Arbacher bunts the ball in an effort to advance the runners on base.
Senior Samantha Schweickardt is Blair's primary pitcher and a major part of the team's strong defense.
Junior Sabine Lipten provided offense for Blair in Wednesday night's 5-2 win over Clarksburg.
The Blair Softball team won 6 - 2, in a scrimmage against Good Counsel.
Sophomore Erica Adarkwa dribbles down the court.
Senior Johanna Lopez shoots past a Gaithersburg defender.
Senior Morgan Chase on defense. Blair had strong defense around the perimeter, but could not stop Gaithersburg from getting to the basket.
Senior Johanna Lopez shoots a free throw. Lopez led the team in scoring with 20 points.
Senior guard Morgan Chase controls the tempo in Blair's 62-33 thrashing of Einstein on Tuesday night.
Senior guard Adrienne Jackson defends an Einstein player in her final regular season game.
Sophomore Oumarou Bitang (120) came in 5th in his weight class. The team placed 12th overall.
Senior Chris Wells (132) pins his opponent in the County tournament on Friday. Wells placed 3rd in his weight class.
Senior Lorenzo Choudhary-Smith during his yo-yo act.
Each year, the Magnet seniors take the time to poke a little fun at their teachers. Here, Nathan Ng is imitating chemistry teacher Tran Pham.
Senior Johannah Lopez led Blair with 29 points.
Senior Olivia Nono was in foul trouble early in the game, and Blair lost a key force in the paint as a result.
With images from almost 45 sunrise, sunset, and cloudscape scenes, this time lapse shows some of the best image sequences over a 3 month period.
One of the many still frames from the time lapse video.
Senior co-captain Olivia Nono is a leader on and off the court for girls’ basketball.
Senior Julia Lewando assists at a NHS community service event.
Members of Blair's National Honor Society help distribute food to those in need after school.
Another still from the timelapse video. This shot was taken from the sky-walk, connecting City Place mall and the parking garage.
On January 2nd, the last day of winter break for MCPS students, this street was busy with many people and cars passing through.
One of the many still frames from the timelapse video.
After some unseasonably warm weather last week, winter temperatures return causing the formation of ice on streets and sidewalks.
State trees circle around a much larger Christmas tree near the White House during the holidays.
Vibrant blue LED lights.
In long exposures, LED lights seem emit more light flare than traditional Christmas lights.
Using long exposures, Christmas lights can be made to look like shining stars.
Here is a picture of blue LED lights wrapped around a blooming Higan Cherry tree.
By un-focusing these Christmas lights, the bokeh takes the shape of a tree.
Many houses switched to LED lights, saving up to 90% on energy cost compared to traditional lights.
Senior forward Johanna Lopez led Blair to victory with 31 points. Teammate Myla Sapp chipped in with 18.
Senior guard Morgan Chase was key in Blair's 12-point win over Quince Orchard on Monday night.
Senior Johanna Lopez got a concussion last Februrary, but returned to play. Lopez is a big part of the offense; she scored 16 points against Northwood.
The steeple of Blair is seen from the auditorium side of the roof. Surprisingly, the roof of Blair is connected from the cafeteria to the auditorium.
Senior Jack Vaughan, a member of The Live Wires, plays saxophone with his fellow band members.
Zeke Wapner, a member of Ladle Fight, showed off his moves with several air stunts throughout Ladle Fight's performance.
Ladle Fight played a variety of songs including two original songs.
Senior Michael Strautmanis plays the guitar with senior John Rose in the song "Can't Back Down".
Senior John Rose collaborated with senior Michael Strautmanis in an acoustic version of "Can't Back Down".
Junior Aaron Meyer keeps the audience in laughs as the next act sets up on stage.
InToneNation sang a variety of songs including "Smooth Operator" led by senior Carina Zox.
Junior Emma Rothman sings an acoustic version of "French Navy" by Camera Obscura.
The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange kicks of the night with an interpretive dance.
At one of the various tables, free candy was given out to those who wanted it.
InToneNation, sang three different songs: "Lollipop" by MIKA, "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley, and "Smooth Operator" by Sade.
Senior Savon Young lit up the stage with an electrifying breakdancing routine to "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.
The Bollywood Dance Group performs a traditional Indian dance.
The bokeh from these blue Christmas lights are caused by wide apertures and deliberate miss focusing of light.
Many houses around Blair show off their Christmas lights with a vibrant display of colors and holiday-like props. Shown here are some blue Christmas lights blended with monochromatic tones.
Senior guard Adrienne Jackson puts up a baseline jumper. Blair beat Northwood 69-40.
Senior Johanna Lopez scored 16 points in Friday night's win over Northwood.
Morgan Chase pushes the tempo against the state champion Gaithersburg Trojans. Blair fell in its season opener, 65-53.
Sophomore point guard Erica Adarkwa played aggressively and was instrumental in Blair's first half lead.
JV boys’ football started strong.
Senior Peter Gondor sprints past a defender.
During a cold November night, stars can be seen by simply looking up into the sky. This picture was taken over the course of two hours, showing Earth's rotation on its axis.
Freshman Shailee Bruck shows her Blair spirit at counties.
Blair cheerleaders celebrate after winning the Spirit Award.
A competitor on SGA's version of "Wild 'n Out" shows off his skills.
New programs are in place to help freshmen become more successful.
Senior Maya Kozarsky dons an intricate dress. The play's costumes were fitting for each character.
Seniors Michael Gelfeld and Audrey Tchoukoua are caught demonstrating some of the cast's combat skills.
The football team has tried to stay positive despite being in the middle of a rough season.
Senior striker Jamie Kator splits two Bengal defenders. Kator scored three goals as the Blazers improved to 9-2-2 on the season.
Senior Alanna Gangloff sends a shot toward goal. Blair defeated Blake 6-1 on Wednesday night.
Blair senior Arec Jamgochian opened for the Capital City Symphony.
On the show and during practices, the team "buzzes in" its answers.
Members of the "It's Academic" team practice for their first tournament of the season.
The senior class cheer for the cheerleaders after an amazing performance that included stunts and various other routines.
Fellow cheerleaders hold up senior Susan Yu as they perform a "Liberty".
Freshman Shailee Bruck is thrown into the air by her fellow cheerleaders. Throughout the pep rally, Blair's cheerleaders impress Blazers with there impressive moves and synchronization.
Blair Poms performs the same dance routine during the second pep rally.
The seniors during the second pep rally cheer on the cheerleaders as they perform.
The marching band practices as they prepare for the first pep rally of the year.
Many of the tracks played during the pep rally were synced and remastered using a program on this Mac Book Pro.
Members of the Cheer-leading team strike a pose as students from the first pep rally leave the gym.
The senior class cheers after the Poms performance.
Senior Rebecca Russi happily performs with the rest of Blair Poms during the Pep Rally.
Various teachers and Blair alumni run down the gym shortly after all the fall sports teams.
Blair did not meet AYP for the 2010-2011 school year. Here, students study in the media center.
Many of the supplies used to decorate the hallways were provided by the SGA and other teachers.
Thursday after-school, groups of seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshman work on decorating their class hallways. Each grade decorated their hallway according to an SGA assigned class theme.
Leaves begin to accumulate on the ground after a windy day.
Senior Captain Kevin Fallet races a defender for the ball
Sophomore Donald Benamna releases a shot as he eludes the defender.
The Blazers fell to 0-6 on the season after Thursday night's loss. They will look to bounce back against Whitman next week.
Senior running back Shailesh Bogati heads up field. Blair failed to execute offensively for a third straight game, falling 17-6 to Springbrook.
Sophomore Leila Bartholet defends a Springbrook player.
Sophomore Dillon Sebastian fights for possession of the ball. Springbrook defeated varsity field hockey 9-0 on Tuesday night.
Northwood had its way against the Blazer defense in the Battle of the Boulevard, dropping 42 points on Blair.
Blair's offense had a tough time finding running room against the Gladiators on Friday night. Northwood won the Battle of the Boulevard, 42-0.
It's the first day of October and already the weather has made a change. For the next 2-3 days its supposed to rain with temperatures in the low 50s.
Senior quarterback Robert Clingman is helped off the field after suffering a head injury. He would later have to be carted off on a stretcher.
The Warriors' defensive line put pressure on Blair quarterbacks all night long.
Running back Kahlil West is tackled by a Sherwood player. Blair failed to get anything going offensively in a 35-0 loss.
Even though many flowers bloom during the spring and summer, some flowers bloom late like during the fall season. September 23rd is the official first day of fall this year.
Friday, Sept. 16th was Blair's first home varsity football game against the Wheaton Knights. The Blazers lost to the Knights by a score of 18-20. The next home game is Friday, Sept. 23rd at 6:30p.m.
Montgomery Blair's Marching Band marches on to the field to play the national anthem, kick starting the football game between Blair and Wheaton.
Senior Jessie Agus practices her cheers with the cheer-leading team just before the football game between Blair and Wheaton begin.
At the end of the school day, the sky darkens as a rainstorm approaches the Silver Spring area. The movement of the clouds and the false colors of the sky and trees are captured using a 720nm Infrared Filter.
False colors of the sky and trees are produced using a 720nm Infrared Filter. The blurred movement of the clouds are because of an impending rain storm.
The new attendance policy states that students can lose credit for a class if they are absent five times.
While the sun sets, a storm approaches, illuminating the sky with a red/orange tone to the south, a purple tone to the west and a blue tone towards north.
Much of the city and many its hotels can be seen from Federal Hill.
As the day comes to an end, the sun sets and the street lights around Federal Hill begin to turn on.
This person dressed up as Ezio Auditore, the assassin in "Assassins Creed 2" and "Brotherhood."
This costume is of the Captain of the Ninth Division Kaname Tosen from the anime TV show, "Bleach."
The Otakon convention took place in Baltimore, where attendees dressed up as their favorite characters, watched live action fights and raved on rooftops at night. This person is dressed up as the character Kisame from "Naruto."
During the day, many children come here to play in the water shot from these ground hoses.
After the fireworks show in the Inner Harbor, many people started heading back to their homes using various forms of transportation.
The next set of photos were taken on July 4 at Inner Harbor.
This American flag is raised high at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Bayview campus, north of Baltimore.
A new system of traffic and security cameras were just installed before the July 4 weekend.
Just a few miles outside the city, you can see many townhouses that stretch out for miles and miles.
If you look into the horizon, you will see that the skyscrapers continue off into the distance.
The water drops flow down from the tourist attraction called the "Waterfall." Tourists can walk under these falls and enjoy a nice cool breeze from the splashing water.
Surprisingly, there are many ducks living in the surrounding Baltimore area.
Lots of people walk around the Inner Harbor to shop, play games and eat food.
The Pratt Street Mall is located in the Inner Harbor. Many tourists and residents go here to dine at various restaurants.
Light shines from the glass roof to illuminate the Gallery with natural light.
The Gallery, located near the Inner Harbor, is one of the busiest malls in Baltimore. It contains a wide range of shops, stores and restaurants.
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States, with a population of almost 621,000 people. Baltimore is also home to the National Aquarium and Baltimore Orioles.
The Baltimore skyline is illuminated by the orange sunset to the south, while a storm approaches from the north.
During the 5th and 6th period exams, some students went to the SAC to do some last minute studying before 7th period exams.
Griffis (center) performs in the piece he choreographed for the musical.
The cafeteria staff was reduced three years ago because of a decrease in school lunch purchases.
Above, Blazers enjoy hot lunches in the SAC. The FARMs program opens this meal option to all students.
It was a strong year for JV baseball because they had many good pitchers.
Sophomore Luke Shoppert gives the frisbee a toss during a Homecooked Ultimate practice. The team practices regularly at Blair.
Team Flii builds team spirit with cheers and costumes.
Senior Jenna Yi, junior Becca Arbacher and senior Kris Shin attempt to solve a puzzle with the help of Google.
Junior Samantha Schweickhart slides home during the first Blair game.
Junior Rachel Smith applies the team’s new offensive and defensive strategies.
Many of the roads leading up to the Takoma Park Jazz Festival were closed. Those attending the festival had to park their cars elsewhere and walk to the various festivities.
Math teacher, Peter Engelmann holds his class sign up to help his students locate him during the scheduled fire drill at 9:30 AM.
Bouquets consisting of various different flowers were sold near the Farmers Market.
Dara Tucker, a Nashville Jazz vocalist, sang a multitude of jazz songs that had a lasting impression on the audience.
These hand painted wooden rings were selling for 10 dollars each.
The vendor Printemps Pottery sells custom-made pots, bowls, and containers in various colors and designs.
This entertainer plays his hand whistle while balancing on a unicycle, providing entertainment for his young audience.
Right next to the Jazz Festival was the Takoma Park Farmers Market. They were selling fruits, vegetables and bread.
At the festival, many people lined up for delicious food. These chicken kabobs were sold for 5 dollars.
Many families came out to Jazz Festival to listen to music and have fun.
Jen Krupa (trombone) and Leigh Pilzer (saxophone) play in a jazz quartet, which also includes a bass player and a pianist.
Dancing was not limited to adults, little kids had fun running around and dancing to the music.
A couple dances to a song played by Matt Wigler.
Matt Wigler, a 17 year old pianist, plays a variety of jazz songs that the audience dances to.
There was an assortment of vendors selling a variety of different items. This vendor was selling abstract photography for 20 to 40 dollars.
This vendor, Mystic Water Soap, makes their own soap and sell it where ever they can.
During 5th and 6th lunch, Jacob Lee and his students help sell yearbooks to students. They will be selling yearbooks in the booth next to the vending machines near the SAC throughout this week.
Sophomore Ellie Musgrave and junior Michael Strautmanis shared music tastes
Senior catcher Emily Haislip and the rest of Blair's hitters had trouble getting on base against Chesapeake's Megan Hyson.
Senior pitcher Eve Brown was successful for the first half of the game, but the Cougars broke open a big lead in the fifth inning.
Coach Louis Hoelman assembles the team on the mound in an attempt to restore confidence.
Junior Samantha Schweickhardt pitched a solid game against the Trojans.
Senior Eve Brown slides into home for one of Blair's four key runs. The Blazers will now face Sherwood in the regional finals.
Parents and students cheer at the Maryland Girl's Softball State Semifinals. It was the first time in history that Montgomery Blair's girl's softball team made it to state semi-finals.
Junior Samantha Schweickhardt slides into home plate. The Blazers will face Gaithersburg in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Senior Eve Brown pitched a shutout. Blair dominated both defensively and offensively in the team's 5-0 victory on Tuesday.
After-school from 2:10 to 3:30, the Ethiopia club sells pizza and snacks to raise money for their upcoming carnival this Saturday.
Junior Julian Lofton plays trumpet with the student-run jazz ensemble, The Silver Six. They started the concert off by playing four pieces by various musicians. Over the next two days, the music department will be having concerts for each of the ensembles. This Wednesday is the Choral and Guitar concert and Thursday is the Band and Orchestra concert.
Blair fell to Damascus 3-1 on Monday night. The Blazers will play their first playoff game on Monday, May 16.
Junior pitcher Samantha Schweickhardt played well in the loss.
Testing
Helen and Simrin create a makeshift bowling alley in the foodstuffs aisle. Though they weren’t kicked out of Walmart this caused a few double takes.
Helen and Simrin take a relaxing nap in the aisles of Walmart, to the chagrin of other shoppers in the store.
Senior Samantha Boyd slides home on a hit by senior Katlyn Harmison.
Senior pitcher Eve Brown pitched her last home game of the season with few walks and many strikeouts.
Once upon a time, April showers brought May flowers. Now they bring APs.
Sophomore Sabine Lipten bunts the ball before hustling to first.
Junior Samantha Schweickhardt hits a pop-fly, one of many that hindered the Blair offense.
Many desks remain empty in Calculus teacher Peter Engelmann's fourth period due to AP Psychology and AP Environmental Science exams. Tomorrow's AP exams include AP Computer Science, AP Spanish Language and AP Art History.
Principal Williams will take the position of Community Superintendent on July 1. Here, Williams talks to Assistant Principals Suzanne Harvey and Edith Verdejo-Johnson.
Silver Quill's usually well-attended Open Mics take place during both lunches.
Senior regular Gabe Pollack reads his poem "Sentiment About Life" at the Holiday Open Mic.
Senior and Open Mic regular Lauren Rust accompanies another regular, senior Anthony Carrell II, at Silver Quill's Holiday Open Mic earlier this year.
Senior Emily Haislip represents the core of Blazer defense; she calls and is involved in every play.
First Baseman freshmen Annie Pietanza prepares to tag a Quince Orchard runner out at first on a throw from the second baseman.
Junior Samantha Schweickhardt pitched the entire Quince Orchard game and managed to close many innings decisively and quickly.
Even though the pep rally is over, many students line up by the side lines to watch the Powder Puff football game.
Juniors and seniors clash as the juniors fight to keep possession of the ball.
Junior Rachel Chen acquires the ball and runs down the field with it but meets heavy resistance from the seniors' defense.
The game begins with junior possession of the ball and seniors defending.
As the pep rally comes to a close, the annual Powder Puff football between juniors and seniors begins. Shown here is the junior team running into the field.
Along with the seniors, sophomores and juniors showed a lot of enthusiasm throughout the pep rally.
Out of all the classes, the seniors showed the most spirit throughout the pep rally.
During the pep rally, Calc w/ Apps and SAT Math teacher Peter Engelmann dances to the song "Teach Me How To Dougie".
Varsity Girls Lacrosse are one of the many teams that run across the field during the pep rally.
Senior Christina Stiles starts the pep rally by exciting the crowds and announcing the spring sports teams.
Its Friday and as part of the Pep Rally festivities, face paint is being given out to those who want it. Here, junior Kindra Nicole paints black face paint on to a fellow blazer.
During Twin day, SGA junior class Vice-President Caryne Moses takes a picture of two students dressed up as twins. The SGA gave out prizes to those who dressed up the best for each spirit day.
For Tuesday's Twin day, juniors Anthony Jankoski and Nathan Foley and senior Amir Gorjifard wear matching shirts and pants.
Spirit week has begun and Monday's theme was "Decades". On the left, junior Rachel Chen dressed up in a pink toga representing ancient times. On the right, junior Hannah Mounty-Weinstock dressed up in 70's fashion.
During the Pep Rally, the seniors cheer for their class team as they play the juniors' team in the annual Powder Puff football game.
Freshman Alejandro Perez receives encouragement from Abdul-Rahim
Senior Neel Kar brings his yo-yo to school every day in order to practice tricks during lunch. He started yo-yoing a year and a half ago and practices as much as two hours each day.
Junior Samantha Schweickhart just barely makes it home, sliding into the plate seconds before the catcher manages to get control of a lose ball and tag her out.
Freshman Annie Pietanza filled in as catcher today and perfomed well, both on the field and at bat.
Its spirit week, and many blazers dressed up for today's theme which was "decades". From left to right, Rachael Carruthers is dressed up in 20's fashion and Rachel Chen is dressed up in a pink toga representing ancient times.
Sophomore Rachel Robey practices a front hand spring on the vault during gymnastics practice. The gymnastics team next home meet is against Walter Johnson on April 12th at 5 p.m.
Freshman Langston Cotman played a leading role as Sky Masterson.
Elizabeth Spilsbury (Adelaide) charmed the audience with her engrossing singing and dancing.
Ajay Kannan prepares to hit the ball over the net.
Ajay Kannan beats Sherwood player Jeremy Parel by a score of 6-0.
Junior defense Julia Lewando tosses the ball at center field for one of the game's difficult draws.
Junior Rachel Smith leads the players as she carries the ball down the field.
Captain Tessa Mork cradles the ball as a Springbrook player comes up behind her.
Seen here from Great Falls is the Potomac River. After several days of rain, the Potomac River is at least 2-3 feet above normal water levels.
As a fun spring or summer trip, hiking the Billy Goat Trail at Greats Falls in Potomac isn't too much of a task.
These white orchids can be seen at the Brookside Garden Nature Conservatory, where many flowers and plants are kept inside greenhouses all year round.
Hyacinths can come in a range of many different colors.
Seen in many local neighborhoods around Blair, daffodils are one of the most common flowers that bloom in early spring.
Despite the warm weather and blooming flowers, many people suffer from allergies because of the large amounts of pollen emitted into the air from both flowers and trees.
This beautiful set of flowers is known to many as the cherry blossom. Running until April 10th, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival is being held in Washington, D.C where many people commute, even take time off work, to see these flowers.
These pink hyacinths are densely packed florets that bloom in early- to mid-spring.
If left uncut, lawns will begin growing weeds that can suck nutrients away from other plants.
Freshman Annie Pietanza tags first base and gets the runner out before passing the ball on to second.
Junior Becca Arbacher rounds third base on her way home as the Coyote outfielder scrambles for the ball.
Seniors Veshal Masih and Pape Koite leap to perform the nearly impenetrable block for which they, along with co-captain senior Victor Ekunseitan, have become famous.
New addition sophomore Lizzy Liu, one of the most skilled and quickly developing players on the team, according to coach Chris Klein, sets the ball for a deadly spike by Veshal Masih.
Spring is here and many flowers, like this Pink Orchid, have bloomed at the Brookside Gardens Nature Conservatory.
Strong hitting and serving by first doubles player senior co-captain Michael Lee contributed to Blair's 7-0 win over Northwood.
Senior captain Eve Brown winds up to throw. Brown was instrumental to the teams' success both on and off the mound.
With the Northwest catcher caught slightly in front of the base, junior Samantha Schweickhart manages to slide home, scoring Blair’s first point of the evening and tying the game.
Despite a relatively small team this year, varsity baseball hopes to utilize new talent like juniors and sophomores coming up from JV to supplement the team.
According to captain Tessa Mork, the girls' varsity lacrosse team wants to focus on working as a cohesive unit this upcoming season.
Senior Brandon Crabtree, President of Stage Crew, prepares the lights for Blair's upcoming spring musical, Guys and Dolls. The opening night for the show is April 1st.
Senior Anthony Curcio of Tuff Bucketz vaults into the air as he propels the ball to the hoop.
Mr.Giles stands covered in pie thrown by various students during Monday's Pi Day celebration. Many Blazers came out during 5th and 6th period lunch to throw pies at teachers for $2 per pie. 
As part of the Pi day celebration, Honors Pre-Calc and AP AB Calculus teacher Jack Giles is covered in pie thrown by various students. Many blazers came out during there lunch period to throw pies at their favorite teachers for $2 per pie.
Junior Nika Lilley observes a zebrafish larvae at 400x magnification. At that magnification the zebrafish's heart, and blood vessels can be seen.
With the help of Ms. Sloe, students took one larvae zebrafish and added it to a microscope slide. A muscle relaxant was then added to the larvae to stop them from moving.
On the final day all the larvae have hatched and body parts can be distinguished in the microscope.
On day 4, majority of the larvae are hatched and could be seen with the naked eye. Many students found that they had pigmented and nacre (non-pigmented) zebrafish larvae in there petri dishes.
On day 3, students had to use small pipettes to remove the the dead eggs and if hatched already, the empty cases. If the the dead eggs and empty cases were not removed, as they decompose, they could release toxins that may kill other eggs and hatching larvae.
On day 2, this is what the zebrafish eggs look like under the microscope at 30x magnification.
Ms. Mills demonstrates to the class were the fish will go after class and the mechanism used to induce mating between the two fish.
The groups then made observations about their two fish, whether they had different sizes, colors and behaviors.
Once the fish were retrieved, a label was put on their containers identifying which genetic cross they were. Then the containers were stacked up as the groups awaited further instruction.
For some groups, retrieving the fish was fairly simple. Other groups struggled to retrieve their fish.
Juniors Oliver Baron, Raqib Hossain, and Don Bui, all in a group, received the genetic cross B x C and began to retrieve the fish for their specific genetic cross.
On day 1, four tanks of zebrafish were setup each with different letters corresponding to the different types. Each group of students were assigned a certain genetic cross of two zebrafish. The crosses included A x D, B x C and C x D.
Junior Francisco Gonzalez peers into the microscope looking for hatched zebrafish larvae in Ms.Sloe's AP Biology class. For a week, Ms.Sloe's biology classes have been working on a genetic lab using the zebrafish as models.
Junior Harrison Reed throws a football during 5th period lunch in the courtyard. Despite the rather strong winds, many blazers enjoyed their lunch outside with clear blue skies.
Many teachers and staff members came down to the SAC to eat from a buffet of food at the Staff Appreciation "Mocktail" party. Setup by the PTSA, a variety of tables were setup with food for the teachers and staff members to snack on.
On Feb. 28, Blair's SGR President spoke out against the GT label in Montgomery County. Here, Ross speaks about the same issue at an SGR meeting with Student Member of the Board Alan Xie.
Today, Montgomery county issued a tornado watch at 9 a.m. that would last the entire school day. Despite this warning, many blazers went outside to enjoy the warm 70 degree weather.
With or without Weast's budget proposal, security guard positions, among others, will be reduced throughout the county next year.
Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) Alan Xie met with Blair's SGR after school today.
Students take advantage of a day off to skate at Wheaton Ice Arena. Admission is $6.25.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited Blair on Monday morning to screen a video clip from his new documentary, "On The Shoulders of Giants," the story of the Harlem Rens.
Assistant Principal Edith Verdejo-Johnson talks for a brief moment about many of Kareem Abdul-Jabber’s awards and achievements before presenting him to the Blazer audience.
Blair Network Communications came out to record video of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaking to the students after the film.
Many students and teachers take pictures and record video of Kareem Abdul-Jabber, as its many students and teachers first time seeing him in person.
Junior Harrison Reed asks a question about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s inspiration for Basketball.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes his closing remarks and reminds students to be looking into colleges.
The Blazer audience applauds as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaves the stage. Blazers were sent back to their 3rd period class after the assembly.
Only a certain number of classes were allowed to go to the assembly. Teachers had to sign up there classes on a first come first serve basis.
A group photo with members of the various basketball teams and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks to the Blair Basketball teams about practice and dedication.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trading cards were given out to the basketball teams. Each card has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s stats on the back with a short excerpt of his successes.
Senior Rian Henry sings while playing guitar at the very beginning of the second half of Open Mic.
As part of his national tour, NBA Superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visits Blair to present his new film, "On The Shoulders of Giants." The film tells the story of the Harlem Renaissance Big Five, a world champion "colored" basketball team in the 1930s.
Senior Rian Henry sings while playing guitar at the very beginning of the second half of Open Mic.
Senior Andre Brown reads a romantic poem titled “Our First Kiss”.
Sophomore Ben Lockwood and senior Zoe Kurtz solo for the song “Love Story” by Taylor Swift performed at the open mic by InToneNation.
Senior Rowela Silvestre plays guitar for the song “Make You Smile” by +44, while junior Alvin Vega sings the vocals.
Juniors Yoshi Yui and Sebestian Medina-Tayac tell a story called “Untitled” which was accompanied by intense laughter in the audience.
Junior Tyler Maton reads a poem titled “Another Side of Love”.
Silver Quill provides food for the audience. Turnout for Open Mic was much larger than expected, many of the candy and snacks were eaten by the end of 6th period lunch.
The three new elective classes include entomology, logic and organic chemistry.
During 5th and 6th period lunch, the International Cancer Alliance for Research and Education (iCare) club is selling flowers for Valentine's Day. One flower is $3 while two flowers are $5, and they will be sold from February 7th to February 11th.
Students exit from the north-facing front of the White House after going through the tour.
The group poses before the gates of the White House Front Lawn.
Despite not originally being planned in the program, Magnet Computer Science teacher Ms.Collins got to sing a song to the audience. Outside from teaching, plays and sings in two bands.
“SSM Indian Dance” was a performance of Indian dances by magnet students. These students were Swapnika Bhagvatula, Aanchal Johri, Madhura Mahajan, Janvi Raichura, Manesha Ramantha, Millie Shah, Neha Soni, and Tripti Soni.
Master of Ceremonies Quinn Shen, announce the next two scheduled acts for the night which include “SSM Indian Dance”, “Neverending Medley” and “Diabolo”.
Juniors Ittai Baum, Shiv Kaul, Julian Lofton and Gabe Koempel enjoy the applause from the audience at the end of their performance.
Sophomore guard Melissa Romero had a strong performance throughout the game.
Magruder defense attempts to block junior point guard Myla Sapp.
These delicious Georgetown cupcakes were customized with the Wikipedia logo and trademark on the icing.
At the end of the talks, guests ate special cupcakes ordered by the WikiXDC team.
A student campus ambassador from the Wikipedia Ambassador program talks to the audience about what they do. These ambassadors teach students about editing and posting on Wikipedia. They also help professor better understand how to use Wikipedia.
Kat Welsh, a Board member of the Wikimedia Foundation, speaks to the audience about the history of Wikipedia.
Cheryl, a Michigan State Chemistry Teacher, teaches new and moderately experienced members of Wikipedia how to add and edit there references when posting a new article.
The hallways of many conference rooms like this one were filled with historical items like maps of DC or letters to congress.
During the break, many drinks like sodas, juice and water were added to tables for guest to drink.
The audience listens to Hairhar Shankar’s presentation about his MediaWiki plugin for Memento. Memento is a resource used to view a version of that web page in the past.
Ed Summers, a Software Developer at the Library of Congress, talks about how to explore Wikipedia links that are linked to credible sources.
As the “Lightning” talks begin, Thomas Gideon talks about how he gathers information, videos and pictures for Fedflix. Fedflix features movies and images of the United States Government and has a joint venture with the National Technical Information Service.
Coffee and donuts was served as breakfast for those who wanted. Hot chocolate and water was also served.
Inside the Washington Conference center, guests were greeted by a sign and directed them to the next room where breakfast was served.
In the main lobby of the National Archives, a stand was ready to greet those who part of the special event. Guests were allowed to take Wikipedia pins and free National Archive postcards.
At the National Archives and Records Administration, volunteers of the WikiXDC setup an entire day of events. In the morning they gave private tours of the National Archives and in the afternoon had talks by various members of Wikipedia.
Tables and chairs in Blair's courtyard stand covered in snow from last weeks storm. Another storm is expected to hit this week bringing a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.
Junior co-captain Steven Staley attempts to take control of his opponent.
Junior co-captain Billy Saturno sets up to pin his Wheaton opponent.
Despite school being closed for students because of a Professional day, members of Blair’s Robotics Team are hard at work building parts for this year’s FIRST Robotics competition.
Despite school being closed for students, because of Professional day, members of Blair’s Robotics Team are hard at work building parts for this year’s FIRST Robotics competition. This year’s challenge is to build a robot and attempt to earn points by hanging as many triangle, square and circle pieces of the FIRST logo.
The Blair parking lot lays empty due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday were students and teachers got the day off. Many students took this extra day to study for this week's exams which include periods 3, 4, 5/6, 7, 8 and 9.
Before the performances begin, Ms. Nelson's 7th period dance class practices one of the various line dances they learned in class. These dances include "MJ Shuffle" , "Canadian Stomp", and "Tush Push".
As the the show comes to a close, raise there hands in the air as they finish there last moves of their dance.
For the finale dance, students from various dance classes come together and perform a dance to the song "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.
The last independent group of students to perform was again from Ms.Nelson's 7th period class. They danced to the song "Work" by Ciara, and to the audience was one of the best performance of the night.
Ms.McAuliffe's 4th period class perform there a ballet dance to the song "Falling for you" by Colbie Callit. This was there last dance of the night.
Another independent group of students from Ms.Nelson's 7th period class dance to the song "Number 1" by Big Bang.
An independent group of students from Ms.Nelson's 7th period class dance to the song "Gimme Dat" by Ciara.
Parents and students in the audience watch and listen as students from various classes perform on stage. Some even take pictures and record the performances with there cell phones and cameras.
Dressing in red, students from Ms. McAuliffe's 4th period class perform a tap dance to the song "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train.
Students from Ms. Nelson's 5th period class dance to the song "Telephone" by Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Their dance is about a girl who builds up her self-esteem and learns how to dance.
Wearing colorful pants, students from Ms. McAuliffe's 4th period class dance to the song "Wall to Wall" by Chris Brown.
Students from the first independent group strike a poise as the stage curtains close for the next group. Students are allowed to form independent groups and make up there own choreography to the songs of there choice.
The second performance of the night was modern dance performed by the Ms. McAuliffe's 4th period dance class to the song "Waka Waka" by Shakira.
Many Blazers crowd around as a fight breaks out between two students during sixth period lunch. Later security broke up the fight and separated the two students.
Junior co-captain Steven Staley attempts to gain control of opponent.
Senior Elie Francois pins opponent in first Blazer pin of the match.
Surprised and shocked, many Blazers wait outside in the cold after the fire alarm goes off. A smoke bomb went off and triggered the fire alarms by the SAC just before classes began.
The SGA concludes the semester by relaxing and doing homework in their office. Events and activities have been planned and will continue after exams.
Despite the cold, some Blazers venture outside to skate on the newly erected ice rink near in front of the Civic Center in Downtown Silver Spring.
Presents are one of the many things people await to open on Christmas Day. These presents can be wrapped in a multitude of creative ways.
Christmas lights and various ornaments are added to a Christmas tree to add life and color. Some of these ornaments can include bulbs, bows and stars.
Lights on the Christmas tree glow like stars as many people enjoy their Christmas holiday with their families.
Junior Chris Wells locks down on cavalier opponent.
Junior co-captain Billy Saturno's opponent goes into a defensive position.
Regularly wrapped gifts tend to be a bit boring, these simple ideas should be able to add some spark to normal wrapping paper!
Blair graduate Keith Ayensu answers questions about various aspects of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). At the HBCU 101 Panel, MCPS graduates that currently attend or graduated from a HBCU talked to parents and students about the different colleges.
The audience at the 9:30 Club sings along to "Little Boy" by The Agiles.
The Agiles perform "Wha-Oh? Oh No!," an audience favorite.
Seniors Louise Getschel and Theresa Regan read a poem called "Winter."
Junior Carina Zox and senior Zoe Kurtz sing a holiday favorite, "Santa Baby," with InToneNation.
Senior Elizabeth Spilsbury is the first to sing a solo in the song "Santa Baby" with InToneNation.
Senior Lauren Rust plays guitar for Anthony Carrell II as he sings an improv song.
Senior Anthony Carrell II sings an improv song on various topics, including Angel fish, cheeseburgers and tacos.
Silver Quill provided snacks to the audience. Each student was allowed two pieces of food.
Senior Gabe Pollack reads his poem titled "Sentiment about Life."
Blazers applaud after Joshua Briggs reads his poem dedicated to his mother.
First-time and nervous freshman Joshua Briggs reads a poem that was meant for his mom, which talks about the many things he has thanked her for.
Junior Sebastian Medina-Tayac adds sound and rhythm with his miniature rain-stick as Yoshi Yui reads his poem "I Disagree."
Junior Yoshi Yui reads his poem "I Disagree," which brings laughter and excitement to the Blazer audience.
Blair shut down at 3 p.m. today due to the MCPS sanctioned cancellation of after-school activities.
Chris Wells locks down Blake wrestler.
Billy Saturno seeks to roll Blake opponent.
Freshman offender Samuel Han moves down the ice, preparing to make a pass.
Junior offender Dan Friedman faces an opponent at the start of play.
Sophomore Kenyon Bundy runs the ball downfield into Wildcat territory.
Midfielder Caroline James prepares to pass the ball to her fellow teammates.
Forward Caren Holmes dribbles the ball past a Trojan defender.
Blazers wait in line after school to get into the SAC for the Blair Sports Academy.
Blazers wait to sign in at the Blair Sports Academy.
Blair's defense shut the Rockets down, holding them to just eight points.
Security guards directed all students outside of the building on the University Blvd. side back into the SAC.
Cafeterias in MCPS are required to post calorie counts.
Junior co-captain Kevin Fallet attempts to move the ball downfield.
Sophomore striker Stallon Kayaga takes a free kick in Magruder territory.
Jialin has discovered a fail-proof snow escape strategy: tunnel out by spoon.