Brian Le


Name: Brian Le
Position: Online News Editor
Graduation Year: 2016
Hey guys! I'm excited to be writing for SCO.


Stories (38)


Blair's Trump train

By Brian Le | April 25, 2016, 3:06 p.m. | In Features »

Polls show that Trump's support among younger Americans is far from robust. At Blair, public opinion skews against Trump, but there is a sizable minority that support him.

Nine semifinalists from Blair in Intel Science Talent Search

By Brian Le | Feb. 10, 2016, 7:56 p.m. | In Features »

Nine Blazers were named semifinalists in the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search, the most of any school in the country. Seniors Josephine Yu and Arnold Mong were also announced as finalists and will receive $7,500 and a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in final judging.

Chipotle E. coli outbreak spreads to Maryland

By Brian Le | Jan. 6, 2016, 2:13 p.m. | In Local »

Two E. coli outbreaks that have sickened at least 58 people in nine states including Maryland have been traced to Chipotle Mexican Grill, a popular chain of restaurants serving primarily burritos and tacos.

The Blair community responds to the tragedies in France and Lebanon

By Brian Le | Dec. 3, 2015, 3:29 p.m. | In Features »

Blazers have shown their sympathy through news of the attacks. More than anything, we became unified.

Hurricane Patricia: deadly, devastating, and not overblown

By Brian Le | Nov. 11, 2015, 4:28 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

In the case of Hurricane Patricia, there was no such thing as exaggerating, and we need to stop believing there was. In treating this storm as another example of overhyping, we risk complacency the next time a powerful natural disaster hits.

What's up with Mr. Pope?

By Brian Le | Oct. 19, 2015, 2:38 p.m. | In Features »

With jokes that he is often misquoted being truer than not, many are not familiar with the pope's values, so SCO is here to break it down: what really does Pope Francis believe?

Baltimore reaches 6.4 million dollar civil settlement with family of Freddie Gray

By Brian Le | Sept. 16, 2015, 8:49 p.m. | In National »

Baltimore's Board of Estimates approved a civil settlement of 6.4 million dollars to the family of Freddie Gray on September 9, almost five months after his death in police custody in April.

Blazer wins first place in MoCo's Got Talent

By Brian Le | June 12, 2015, 1:51 p.m. | In Local »

Alternative modern rock band Throwing Wrenches, whose singer and guitarist is Blair sophomore Shyaer Parvez, won first place in the second annual MoCo's Got Talent on May 31 after defeating over sixty other contestants in the three-round competition at The Fillmore in Silver Spring.

Some thoughts on Belle Gibson

By Brian Le | June 2, 2015, 1:01 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Some may know Belle Gibson as the mastermind behind a revolutionary health app. Most observers, however, would call her a selfish liar and manipulative scammer.

Freshman starts fundraiser at Blair for Nepal earthquake aid

By Brian Le | May 18, 2015, 9:51 p.m. | In Local »

Between May 4 and May 8, freshman Jigyasa Dahal led a fundraiser in Blair's cafeteria and courtyard for the April 25 Nepal earthquake. The fundraiser was sponsored by teachers and sponsors of the "No Labels Diversity Workshop" club Anne Mathews and Tami Jeral.

English class: beyond the lectures and essays

By Brian Le | May 17, 2015, 6:46 p.m. | In Features »

Let's face it: English is the only class that's required for all four years of high school, so people may be reluctant to enroll in even more English electives. However, as Blazers finalize their schedules for the 2015-16 school year, it's important to understand the extent of English courses in our school.

Girls' lacrosse loses playoff game against Springbrook

By Brian Le | May 14, 2015, 1:09 p.m. | In Blair »

The season came to an end for the girls' lacrosse team (6-8) after they lost to the Springbrook Devils (12-1) in a grueling match Friday afternoon. The game began evenly with both teams' defenses holding strong, but Springbrook eventually gained the upper hand and won 7-3.

Deja vu in win for girls' lacrosse

By Brian Le | May 8, 2015, 1:45 p.m. | In Blair »

On a rainy Wednesday night, the girls' lacrosse team beat the Paint Branch Panthers yet again in their first game of playoffs. The game was strangely reminiscent of their match against Paint Branch in the regular season which finished with the same score 15-9.

Girls' Lacrosse crush the Knights on Senior Night

By Brian Le | May 8, 2015, 1:24 p.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' lacrosse team (5-7) celebrated a Senior Night victory against the Wheaton Knights (2-10) with a final score of 15-4. From the beginning it was going to be a night for the seniors on the team and they showed this with all of the senior attack getting on the scoreboard in their dominating performance.

Ex Machina is anything but mechanical

By Brian Le, Divya Rajagopal | May 4, 2015, 8:01 p.m. | In Movies »

Screenwriter and director Alex Garland weaves together philosophy, science and suspense to create an convincing plotline that leaves you shaken.

Girls' lacrosse suffers loss to Walter Johnson

By Brian Le | May 4, 2015, 1:02 p.m. | In Blair »

In their final home game before playoffs, the girls' lacrosse team (4-6) suffered a preventable loss against the Walter Johnson Wildcats (3-7). The two teams started out neck-and-neck, but the lady Blazers fell in the second half and ultimately lost 8-10.

Girls' lacrosse snags a comfortable win against Paint Branch

By Brian Le | April 27, 2015, 1:18 p.m. | In Blair »

It was a strong and comfortable night for the girls' varsity lacrosse (2-3) as they soundly defeated the Paint Branch Panthers (1-4) with a final score of 15-9.

Ebola dies down, total eradication still far

By Brian Le | April 23, 2015, 1:39 p.m. | In International »

The unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola virus disease that began in late 2013 has been limited to only a few cases in Sierra Leone and Liberia, but has seen a recent spike in Guinea. The three West African countries were the most affected by the outbreak and are working to eliminate the last Ebola cases.

Girls' lacrosse routs Einstein

By Brian Le | April 15, 2015, 1:56 p.m. | In Blair »

A cold Friday night proved to be no obstacle for Blair's girls' lacrosse team (1-2) as they defeated the Einstein Titans (0-3) by a final score of 13-5. The Blazers took the lead early and dominated for the rest of the game.

"Fresh Off the Boat" sinks below expectations

By Brian Le | April 14, 2015, 11:47 a.m. | In Television »

It took decades for Asian Americans to be represented in American mainstream television again. A lot was riding on this show. So when the first few episodes were laden with exaggerated stereotypes, corny one-liners and stilted accents, I was pretty let down.

Step into North Korea

By Brian Le | March 9, 2015, 6:51 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

What really goes on in this land that is so isolated from the rest of mankind? Below are some disturbing, stirring and, occasionally, hilarious videos that delve deeper into one of the most mysterious regimes of today

You want the truth? Part One

By Brian Le | March 5, 2015, 3:23 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Boko Haram has been devastating parts of rural West Africa. Where is the coverage?

SCO snoWatch: January 26, 2015 (take two)

By Brian Le | Jan. 26, 2015, 10:42 p.m. | In Humor »

Yesterday's snowstorm left us less than enchanted and wetter than we'd like. Could its second leg give us the snow day we're after?

SCO snoWatch: January 26, 2015

By Brian Le, Zoe Johnson | Jan. 24, 2015, 10:20 p.m. | In Humor »

How-ev-er, before the snow day comes the call, and before the call comes predictions. SCO, of course, is the most accurate predictor of snow days; so stick around for updates on whether we'll be having a snow day this Monday.

"No justice, no peace": protesters march in DC against police brutality and discrimination

By Brian Le | Dec. 15, 2014, 12:37 p.m. | In Local »

On Saturday, protesters from all over the nation gathered in Washington D.C. to rally against police violence and discrimination towards blacks in a march organized by Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network.

Samantha's Restaurant: more than just 'fine' cuisine

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, 5:47 p.m. | In Restaurant Reviews »

At first glance, it looks like nothing out of the ordinary – it's a small place that sits innocuously off University Boulevard between two shady-looking parking lots. Yet, Samantha's serves some of the most delicious Latin American food in the DC area.

Shoveling out more snow days

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, 12:35 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

While this law is a valiant effort in ensuring adequate learning time for students, it ultimately prevents MCPS from using a more effective calendar that does not rely so much on makeup days.

Winter Sports Preview

By Amalia Chiapperino, Maximillian Foley-Keene, Brian Le, Robert Pfefferle | Dec. 5, 2014, 12:58 p.m. | In Blair »

Blair's winter sports teams look to continue their success from previous years.

Senior creates girls' leadership program for middle school students

By Brian Le | Nov. 18, 2014, 11:32 a.m. | In Local »

For the 2014-15 school year, senior Christina McCann created a girls' leadership program at Parkland Middle School.

"Ouija": the only scary part is its quality

By Brian Le | Oct. 24, 2014, 10:21 a.m. | In Movies »

Films often take advantage of the whole "this is based on a true story" or "this could happen to you" theme to make their stories more engrossing and frightening. "Ouija" attempts to do this too, but it completely drops the ball.

Muslim Student Association revived after a three-year hiatus

By Brian Le | Oct. 22, 2014, 8:12 p.m. | In Local »

After three years of scattered activity, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) has been made an official club at Blair with librarian Andrea Lamphier as teacher sponsor.

What it's like to be on Wheel of Fortune – and win a million dollars

By Brian Le | Sept. 30, 2014, 1:19 p.m. | In Features »

After keeping her winnings a secret for four-and-a-half months, Manchester was finally able to reveal her ecstatic moment when the show aired on September 17. Friends and family, hundreds of current and past students and millions of Wheel of Fortune viewers were struck with amazement.

Beatboxers, cheerleaders and skydivers come to Blair

By Brian Le, Ellie Struewing | Sept. 25, 2014, 5:19 p.m. | In Features »

Some are returning teachers, some are Blair alumni and some are stepping into Blazer territory for the first time. Here is a quick roundup of the new teachers at Blair.

From the underdog: being a non-mainstream musician at Blair

By Brian Le | Sept. 16, 2014, 1:19 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

I came across other musicians and found their views of their musical heritage equally interesting. And corny as it may sound, we all shared one thing: our love for music.

Bring on the Books coming to Blair

By Brian Le | Sept. 9, 2014, 1:52 p.m. | In Local »

The Bring on the Books foundation is a non-profit organization that advocates for youth literacy and donates books to abused, homeless or disadvantaged children throughout the country. The club, sponsored by English teacher Lauren Termini, will meet every other Thursday during fifth period lunch.

Why the #IceBucketChallenge isn't so stupid

By Brian Le | Aug. 27, 2014, 5:46 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The ice bucket challenge requires people to pour a bucket of ice water on themselves or donate $100 to the ALS Association—or both—then nominate others to do the same. Millions of people around the world and countless celebrities are posting their challenge videos online.

Save yourself: don't step "Into the Storm"

By Brian Le | Aug. 11, 2014, 2:36 a.m. | In Movies »

Following the overused 'disaster thriller' pattern, "Into the Storm" documents the small town of Silverton as it's slaughtered by an unprecedented amount of tornadoes. In an awkward and unconvincing hour and a half, the film tells the story of a bunch of good-hearted people who manage to escape catastrophe. Unsurprisingly, it fails to thrill.

Turning up the heat: new hot albums for this season

By Brian Le | Aug. 5, 2014, 9:46 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

Whether you're on the road, on the beach or just sitting around at home, try listening to a few of these to give your day that extra boost.



Images (5)


Photo: Snow

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, midnight | In ‎Latest »

A snowstorm in February of 2014 - one of many that year - that caused MCPS to close school for two days.

Photo: Samantha's Sign

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Photo: Enchilada

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, midnight | In ‎Latest »

If you're heading to Samantha's, the chicken or steak enchiladas are a must try.

Photo: Pollo Saltado

By Brian Le | Dec. 9, 2014, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Pollo saltado is a Peruvian stir-fry dish popular at Samantha's.

Photo: BOB

By Brian Le | Sept. 9, 2014, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Juniors Chris Leung (left), Gaby Pleitez-Gomez (middle), and Zachary Williams (right) are the 2014-2015 officials for Bring on the Books.