On the edge of the Rio Grande River, during a black night in June 2003, Tom, a sophomore, waits with nine others. After 27 days of walking and hitching rides, Tom is within reach of Texas, but cameras, police cars and helicopters threaten his passage.
Junior James Lee crouches in ready position. As the ball sails over the net, he leaps two feet into the air with his right arm drawn for the hit. An aggressive expression is plastered on his face as he goes for the spike and directs the ball to the other side of the court in Blair's gym during practice on March 23.
Senior Alysia Isong grabs the baton from junior Narique Dixon but drops it in the second leg. Scrambling to recover, she scoops the baton off the ground and sprints to catch up on the Blair track. Seconds later, track and field co-captain Isong has closed the gap, ultimately helping the 4x100m relay team capture first place on March 23 against Seneca Valley.
Blair may face restructuring if a minimal percentage of students do not pass the math and reading standards on the upcoming Maryland State Assessments (MSAs) on Feb. 25 and 26, which raises the stakes for staff and students, according to Principal Phillip Gainous.
Several high school principals have clashed with Superintendent Jerry Weast on his perceived push to discourage underperforming students from taking the SATs, his redirection of crucial resources from individual high schools to Central Office and his alleged mistreatment of administrators.
Approximately 630 seniors graduated at Jericho City of Praise church in Landover, Maryland on Monday, June 2.
Although the war in Iraq has come to an official end, most soldiers have yet to come home, including the relatives of many students.
After all the students left Blair on Friday, Mar 14, the windows and hallways were cleaned and the walkways cleared. But come Monday, May 17, grime covered the windows, trash littered the corridors, and cigarette butts dotted the sidewalks.
Junior Elizabeth Finn flies. Time stands still for her as she leaps from the pool board into a graceful somersault before plunging into the turquoise pool on Jan 18. Time begins to run again when the pervading silence transforms into a whirlwind of cheers at the Rockville Municipal Swim Center.
Blair was the only public school in Montgomery County to delay a Homecoming dance scheduled for Oct 12 in response to the sniper attacks. Principal Phillip Gainous pushed the dance back to Nov 2 because of the cancellation of the Oct 11 football game due to safety concerns.
As the bright sun beats down during summer break, senior Josh King shifts his red cap and breaks into a sweat in the humid tropical air. King is not on an exotic vacation; he is collecting palmetto palms in a rickety, orange wheelbarrow on a palm plantation in Concordia, Ecuador.
A phone in one hand and a clicking mouse in the other, senior Denise Sylla taps her foot and scans FastWeb, a scholarship search web site, as she waits on hold with admissions officers from Wellesley College at the computer in the Student Government Association (SGA) office during lunch on April 30.