features


Thurman, Candace

By Poorva Singal | June 24, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

By seventh grade, she and her mom had decided. She was not going to be anybody's secretary. She was not going to be a waitress. And she was definitely not going to be a teacher. Yet Candace Thurman is currently finishing up her third year teaching at Blair after having taught for 23 years at Walter Johnson.


Moose, Kevin

By Kiera Zitelman | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Kevin Moose is rarely seen standing still. His enthusiasm for life and learning is reflected in his rapid-fire speech as he walks the halls with colleagues or engages his students in the classroom.


Giles, John

By Lucas Alvarado-Farrar | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

While students follow John Giles as he scribbles a complicated pre-calculus problem on the whiteboard, a sinister plot is being hatched across the room. He turns to explain what he has written when a "click" and "pop" resonate through the air and a small foam pellet hits him square in the chest. Giles has just been shot.


Simel, Dana

By Sophie Schwadron | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

It is the first day of ninth grade, and a group of anxious freshmen girls nervously filter through the door to room 162. But as soon as their English teacher begins to speak in a warm Southern accent, the girls immediately feel at ease. "Y'all are my babies," Dr. Dana Simel tells them, "And I'll do anything to protect you."


Tanner, Jenny

By Susie Branson | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Staring down at her manicured hands, Biology and ESOL environmental science teacher Jenny Tanner reflects on a time when those same hands felt as if they were on fire after she ripped seeds out of poisonous peppers for a day.


McMahon, Rob

By Jenny Williams | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

The usual noise surrounds the weight room. The football players are noisy, music is blaring and others are screaming while trying to finish their final repetitions. However, most of the noise is coming from Rob McMahon. "Don't bend your back," he says to a freshman. "Push harder," he says to one of the football players.


Weldon, Stefanie

By Alisa Lu | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

When Stefanie Weldon first entered the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1968, she was shocked. The atmosphere there screamed wealth and privilege, something Weldon was not used to. Yet she soon found a kindred spirit in a gentleman from Arkansas who came from a similar background. Twenty-five years later, her friend William Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States.


Roberts, Michelle

By Emily Hsiao | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Michelle Roberts decided in high school that she wanted to teach music. Sitting at her desk, Roberts gives an amused yet somewhat cynical laugh as she recalls her band director's warning. Shaking her finger, Roberts does an animated imitation of her teacher. "You know it's a lot of work, but I'm telling you, it's a lot, a lot, a lot of work," Roberts says in a stern voice, before breaking down into laughter.


Lee, Stephanie

By | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Stephanie Lee walks into a classroom wearing a new shirt. She lectures her students at the board and halfway through the class period, her students stop her to tell her that the tags on her shirt are still on. Later, her entire class has to tell her that her fly is unzipped. But for this young teacher, such situations don't spell trouble because, as she says, "[embarassing] moments like those create a good working relationship in the room."


Prange, Eric

By Jon Kesten | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

A Frisbee spins tightly on his index finger while he sits at his desk. Sporting a white lab coat and yellow goggles, Eric Prange then pours 50 ml of hydrochloric acid into a graduated cylinder.


Berry, Janet

By Greg Kohn | June 23, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

It took a little bit of time for things in Janet Berry's life to fall into place. She describes her hometown, South Bend, Indiana, as a place where "many people are from but not many stay." Early in her life, Berry saw art as her ticket out. But despite being the "artist in the class," she was hampered by a high school that offered only one art class.


O captain, my captain

By Brittany Allen | June 20, 2007, midnight | In Features »

Carole Tomayko started working at Blair in 1981, beginning as a staff assistant and eventually taking a position as an English teacher. Over her years at Blair, she has seen the school move from one building to another, seen hundreds upon hundreds of students walk the hallways and taught just about every core book known to mankind. But this year, she says, it's finally time to kiss the kids goodbye and leave Blair Boulevard once and for all.


SGA wraps up eventful year

By Clement Yang, Betsir Zemen | June 14, 2007, midnight | In Features »

With the ID policy controversy, hallway sweeps, and a host of new events, it has been a very busy and tumultuous yet successful year for Blair's SGA under the leadership of 2006-2007 SGA President Eric Hysen. In spite of such success, the SGA has realized major flaws in its organization and methods of operation, leading to structural changes that will be incorporated into next year's SGA. The SGA will also face the challenge of meeting and working with a new principal next year.


Crossing the language barrier illegally

By Gus Woods | June 14, 2007, midnight | In Features »

Junior William Cavanaugh remembers Spanish class as a sophomore. He did the work, memorized vocabulary, learned the grammar and read about the culture. But after earning high grades in nearly four years worth of Spanish courses, Cavanaugh found himself unable to readily speak the language.


Galloway, Kerri

By David Jia | June 12, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

She didn't start learning Spanish until eighth grade and she doesn't have a degree in education. Nevertheless, Kerri Galloway finds herself in Room 156 pointing out the objectives on the overhead to 19 Spanish I students.


Kabemba, Mbaya

By Kate Harter | June 11, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Blair is a school filled with different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and ideologies. There are students and faculty who have come to Blair from all over the world, and French teacher Mbaya Kabemba fits right in among the diverse population.


Amell, Heather

By Johanna Gretschel | June 10, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

Late January marks the end of the indoor track season. Most members have long since disappeared, whether from the onset of studying for exams or not qualifying for the regional meet. The remaining runners face the frosty track each day after school, and they are not alone. Their coach sprints alongside them, feeling the same shin splints and fatigue. She who dares to join her athletes in the dreary weather instead of comfortably standing by on the sidelines is Heather Amell.


Porac, Richard

By Josie Callahan | June 10, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

When the bell sounds at 2:10 p.m., students pile noisily out of the P.E. hallway, toward their buses or friends. In the midst of the hysteria, a teacher leans casually against the wall outside his classroom, slapping hands, laughing and joking playfully with students on their way out. The day however, is not nearly over for Richard Porac, a notoriously entertaining health teacher.


Ngbea, David

By Priyanka Gokhale | June 10, 2007, midnight | In Teacher Feature »

One peek into room 160 shows the depth of David Ngbea's reach. Over 40 letters and notes fill one bulletin board, saying things like, "Thank you Mr. Ngbea for everything." Motivational posters line every corner of the wall space – some with tips for healthy living and others with words of guidance. Ngbea has made it clear that he has one main purpose at Blair – to guarantee that young people get the best out of their high school careers.


Blair's budding businessmen

By Maya Calabrese, Rachita Sood | May 31, 2007, midnight | In Features »

At age eight, senior Thomas Dant picked up his first camera – an old Nikon from his uncle – and spent hours snapping photographs of flowers, people and whatever else he could find in his neighborhood. Now, nine years later, Dant's photography has blossomed into a thriving business, Fine Foto, and earned him honors in a national business competition.


Blazers hold their own at the historic Penn Relays

By Johanna Gretschel | May 28, 2007, midnight | In Features »

As soon as he felt the crisp, cold metal of the baton slap onto his palm, senior Muhammad Roberson bolted from his expectant stance to sprint up the curve of the track. Salty sweat dripped down his brow, blinding his eyes as he caught the leader of the race. Halfway through the backstretch, Roberson suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hamstring. An aching grimace spread over his face as the pain intensified and Roberson wanted to stop, but couldn't – not in front of the 46,000 fans who had come out for the 113th annual Penn Relays Carnival. For the first time in over twenty years, Blair sent the boys' 4x100m and 4x400m relays to Philadelphia, joining a legacy of Blair faculty who have competed in the meet throughout the years.


Beaching with the Boss

By Josie Callahan | May 25, 2007, midnight | In Features »

Think beach week is a time to get away from school? Think again; you may just end up sharing a beach umbrella with Mr. Gainous.


Lost in Translation

By Lois Bangiolo | May 17, 2007, midnight | In Features »

At the start of her sophomore year at Blair, senior Estefany Carrillo would walk into the science office, and explain her situation to any teacher there who would listen. After days of this, she finally got what she had been asking for: classes equal to her ability, not far below.


Hand in the sand

By Lois Bangiolo, Jessica Cutler | May 15, 2007, midnight | In Features »

Every vacation when he heads to the beach, Magnet teacher Robert Donaldson takes along a swimsuit, towel and one extra special item: a steak knife.


BLAIR PAIR: third time's the charm

By | May 14, 2007, midnight | In Features »

Hardworking percussionist Peter wants companionship. Will guitar player Lisa play to the beat of his drums?

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