Arthi Vijaykumar


Name: Arthi Vijaykumar
Position: Staff Writer
Graduation Year: 2016


Stories (30)


Where is the honor?

By Arthi Vijaykumar | June 21, 2015, 4:15 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Some aspects of national honors societies are beneficial, such as their tutoring and community service chapters. However, the positive qualities of these societies, to many students, are not the deciding factor for joining. For most, it's the way the words "honor society" looks.

TIDAL is a receding wave

By Arthi Vijaykumar | June 8, 2015, 1:06 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

While the concept sounds promising, it's likely that TIDAL won't be the musical revolution it has been marketed as.

Hogan plans to move education funding to state pension

By Arthi Vijaykumar | May 31, 2015, 12:18 p.m. | In Local »

To the disapproval of Governor Larry Hogan, the Maryland General Assembly's $40 billion budget passed on April 13th, with $68 million allocated for Maryland public schools.

'Plugging in' isn't detrimental

By Arthi Vijaykumar | May 29, 2015, 1:39 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

As the number of new computer technologies increases, it's clear that our digital lives will become a much larger part of our overall lives. Rather than trying to hide from this fact, every person needs to figure out what balance of "real" and digital life works for them personally.

2015 albums to check out

By Arthi Vijaykumar | May 24, 2015, 1:42 p.m. | In Music »

2015 is not even halfway over and already the year has been overwhelmed with fantastic albums, from several hyped and long-awaited releases to many impressive debuts.

A change of pace

By Arthi Vijaykumar | May 23, 2015, 8:23 p.m. | In Features »

As a student, it's surprising to think teachers do anything outside of school other than grade and write lesson plans. There are, however, many Blazer teachers with unique and interesting hobbies, and we've highlighted a few below.

The black sheep

By Zewde Ingram, Arthi Vijaykumar | May 20, 2015, 2:02 p.m. | In Features »

Magnet programs around the country have received criticism from students, parents and their communities for their lack of diversity. Blair's two accelerated programs, the Math, Science and Computer Science Magnet and the Communication Arts Program (CAP), are no exception.

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award recommendations

By Amalia Chiapperino, Eleanor Linafelt, Neida Mbuia Joao, Arthi Vijaykumar, Zoe Johnson, Sarah Trunk | April 23, 2015, 8:42 p.m. | In Books »

As the year winds down, it's time to make a lot of decisions: which Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee you'll be voting for. Silver Chips Online has read, reviewed and ranked the books--so you don't have to.

Student members of the board who won't leave you bored

By Arthi Vijaykumar | April 18, 2015, 8:12 a.m. | In Features »

It's important that all voting students are familiar with the candidates' platforms and experience. SCO has you covered: our profiles of the two candidates will give you the rundown on the 2015-2016 SMOB.

"Out of Nowhere" is packed with substance

By Arthi Vijaykumar | April 15, 2015, 1:54 p.m. | In Books »

While its means of delivering its messages isn't perfect, "Out of Nowhere" shows a refreshing sense of sincerity, sensitivity and heart.

Hogan plans to move education funding to state pension

By Arthi Vijaykumar | April 15, 2015, 1:40 p.m. | In Local »

The budget has widened the split between Maryland's democratic legislators and Hogan, who recently planned to funnel the money for schools into the state pension plan.

Blair holds National African-American Read-In

By Arthi Vijaykumar | March 1, 2015, 8:42 p.m. | In Local »

On Feb. 24, Blair hosted its second National African-American Read-In in honor of Black History Month. The event, created by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is meant to honor and celebrate African American literature.

Boys' basketball falls to BCC

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Jan. 9, 2015, 12:45 p.m. | In Blair »

The boys' basketball team (2-3) suffered a hard fought loss to the Bethesda Chevy Chase Barons losing by a score was 54-56, with the Barons pulling away with the lead from the game's start.

The secret life of Blair handball

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Dec. 4, 2014, 6:31 p.m. | In Features »

The varsity handball program in Montgomery County is probably one of the most welcoming sports programs in the county, since it is both co-ed and intramural. Blair's handball team is also one of the most successful teams in the school, with an outstanding record for all three years of its existence.

Rated R for ridiculous

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Oct. 16, 2014, 4:20 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

A new type of ratings system would force the MPAA to shy away from their prudishness and leniency towards violence, which is apparent in their current standards for what defines different movie ratings.

MCPS introduces recyclable lunch trays

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Oct. 12, 2014, 4:15 p.m. | In Local »

Montgomery County Public Schools has made the switch from Styrofoam lunch trays to new recyclable ones, beginning this school year. The cardboard trays made their way to Blair during the week of September 15.

Blair alumni reconnect at 80th anniversary basketball game

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Oct. 12, 2014, 12:50 p.m. | In Local »

Many faces, both old and new, could be seen at the 80th anniversary alumni basketball game. The game, played by Blair's basketball champions from years past, acted as an opportunity for Blair alumni to reconnect with each other.

"Gone Girl": A who-Dunne-it of striking originality

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Oct. 9, 2014, 9:33 a.m. | In Movies »

Director David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" is an engaging, fast-paced film with aspects to please any moviegoer. With remarkable stylistic choices and a plot that is anything but formulaic, "Gone Girl" shapes up to be one of the best movies of 2014 so far.

Girls' tennis unable to best Wootton

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Oct. 7, 2014, 3:39 p.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' varsity tennis team suffered a sizeable loss to the Wootton Patriots(7-0) in their final home game. The Blazers (7-3) won just two of the seven matches they played against the Patriots.

Girls' tennis leaves Northwest in the dust

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 30, 2014, 11:09 a.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' varsity tennis team had an easy win over Northwest in their final divisional game, rendering them divisional champions for the second year in a row. The Blazers (7-2) won six out of the seven matches they played against the Jaguars (2-6).

Hot drinks for cold weather

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 21, 2014, 4:27 p.m. | In Drinks »

One of the best parts of the fall and winter is being able to enjoy a warm beverage when it's chilly outside. However, most of us are not seasoned chefs or baristas. With that in mind, here are some recipes for hot drinks that you can't mess up.

CVS/Pharmacy has stopped selling tobacco products

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 19, 2014, 1:52 p.m. | In National »

CVS has ended the sale of tobacco products in all of their locations in the United States on Sept. 3, one month earlier than originally planned.

Girls' tennis inches past Walter Johnson

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 16, 2014, 10:05 p.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' varsity tennis team just barely came out victorious over Walter Johnson in their second divisional game and fifth game overall. The Blazers (4-1) edged past the Wildcats (2-3), winning four out of the seven matches played.

Blair student music roundup

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 11, 2014, 1:43 p.m. | In Music »

Looking for new music? You don't have to look too far: Blair is packed with talented musical artists and bands. Here are a few unique artists who are pretty close to home.

Girls' tennis falls to Churchill

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 9, 2014, 2 p.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' varsity tennis team fell to Winston Churchill High School in their second game of the season. The Blazers (1-1) dropped all of the seven matches played, while Churchill (1-0) dominated in their first game of the season.

Girls' tennis shows Paint Branch no love

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Sept. 7, 2014, 11:20 a.m. | In Blair »

The Blair girls' varsity tennis team (1-0) proved victorious in their first game of the season against the Paint Branch Panthers (0-1). The Blazers began their season on a high note, with a winning score of 6-1.

The pros and cons of school social media monitoring

By Arthi Vijaykumar | Aug. 20, 2014, 12:04 p.m. | In News Blog »

Washington County public school officials recently stated that they will begin using a new software called Social Sentinel to monitor students' social media posts. The software tracks social media posts for certain keywords, and if posts containing these keywords are threats of violence or bullying or references to drug or alcohol use, the posts will be forwarded to school officials and/or the police.

"Lucy" is confusing and mindless

By Arthi Vijaykumar | July 28, 2014, 3:12 a.m. | In Movies »

With "Lucy," director Luc Besson tries to look at humanity through an existential lens while simultaneously creating an action-packed and fun summer movie. Unfortunately, his ambitious attempt to create a film that can please a wide variety of moviegoers has resulted in a jumbled, pseudo-scientific mess.

"Redskins" a little too strong on offense

By Arthi Vijaykumar | July 26, 2014, 12:28 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Snyder has resisted change for a while, but he must understand that changing the name would not only be compassionate to Native Americans who are hurt by the team name, it would also benefit himself and his team socially, financially and ethically.

Summer reading (that's not required)

By Arthi Vijaykumar | July 19, 2014, 12:52 p.m. | In Books »

Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading, especially when it's too hot and sticky to even think about leaving the house. Here are a few books that I would consider great reads when you're on a long car ride, at the beach or stuck at home on those buggy, humid days.