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Strathmore's jazz debut is a sloppy start

By Jeremy Goodman | Feb. 26, 2005, midnight | In Print »

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, the newly opened Strathmore Hall in Rockville held its first jazz concert, presenting the Mingus Big Band, a 14-member ensemble dedicated to the musical legacy of the late bassist and composer Charles Mingus. The event's theme was "Blues and Politics."

Nat Turner

By Grace Harter | Feb. 26, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Nat Turner, a slave who lived in the 1800s, is one of the most famous historical black figures to date. Turner, who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831, was a preacher who claimed to have visions from God. He was hailed as a prophet by many slaves of the time, especially because of the signs he believed God sent him and because of his uncanny knowledge of events that happened long before he was born.

Blair swimming ends season with strong performance at Metros

By Kristina Yang | Feb. 26, 2005, midnight | In Print »

FEB. 26, MONTGOMERY AQUATIC CENTER" Every year, after the regular season is over and done with, after divisional and county championship trophies have been awarded and the annual inter-division demotions and promotions are finalized, Montgomery County's swimmers get one last chance to race before it's time to leave the pool until next year: the Metropolitan Area Championships. The Championships bring together qualifying swimmers from 46 teams from around the region, including several top-ranked private school teams, and the level of competition at the meet is far more intense than at any county-sponsored equivalent.

Pledge of Allegiance causes debate of its own

By Michael Bushnell | Feb. 26, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Every school day, 184 times a year, the Pledge of Allegiance comes on over the public address system at Blair. Most Blazers stand, reluctantly or not, while a good number of others don't stand at all - in part due to contempt for the government and in part due to just plain laziness.

Blazers taken down in first round

By Dan Greene | Feb. 26, 2005, midnight | In Print »

FEB. 26, SPRINGBROOK The Blazers put up a hardy opposition to the ferocious Blue Devils for much of the game tonight, but a flurry of Springbrook scoring coupled with the ejection of coach Orlando Larracuente took the wind out of Blair's sails and let the Blue Devils run away with the first-round playoff match, 64-45.

Photo: Pledge of Allegiance

By Diana Frey | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Photography teacher Franklin Stallings stands for the Pledge of Allegiance while his students talk in the background.

Blair teacher nominated for six Wammies

By Ekta Taneja | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Magnet computer science teacher Karen Collins was recently nominated for six 2004 Washington Area Grammys, or "Wammies," for her solo and group country music performances. She did not win the awards in any of the categories.

Reflecting on years in the 'Red' zone with Auerbach

By Monica Huang | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In Print »

No pancakes on game days. No water during practice. No cheerleaders at Celtics games. Former Boston Celtics coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach knows what he wants.

Photo: Nat Turner

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Nat Turner, slave, preacher and leader of a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831.

Photo: Leontyne Price

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Leontyne Price, winner of 15 Grammy Awards and the first black opera singer to perform on television.

Photo: Duke Ellington

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Duke Ellington, famous black pianist and jazz composer.

Nelson Mandela

By Erik Li | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In Print »

A South African nationalist and politician, Nelson Mandela became the first freely-elected president of South Africa in 1994. He implemented several social reforms and was a key player in the development of a democratic South Africa.

Photo: Ray Charles

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Ray Charles, R&B, blues and pop musician.

Photo: Sidney Poitier

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Sidney Poitier, the second black to receive an Academy Award and the first actor to insist a certain percentage of black crew members be present for films on which he worked.

Photo: Whitney Houston

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Whitney Houston, the first female artist to have an album debut at number one on the charts.

Whitney Houston

By Grace Harter | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Whitney Houston is one of the most famous, highest-grossing, female vocal artists to date. She has set many records in album sales and was the first female artist to have an album debut at number one on the charts. Houston is not only a successful singer, however; she has also set up numerous charities and funds to help the less fortunate.

Photo: Paul Robeson

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Paul Robeson, actor known for his theatrical roles in "Othello," "Show Boat" and "The Emperor Jones."

Ray Charles

By Christopher Consolino | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Born into poverty in September of 1930, loosing his sight at age seven and loosing his parents by his early teens, Ray Charles has had a lot to sing about. But, rather than sing to someone else's tune, Charles invented his own musical style, combining 1950s R&B with jazzy rhythms and blues, making him one of the foremost pioneers of soul music.

Photo: Morgan Freeman

By | Feb. 25, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Morgan Freeman, actor, winner of one Golden Globe award and nominee for four Oscars.

Photo: Nelson Mandela

By | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Nelson Mandela, South African nationalist and politician and the first freely-elected president of South Africa in 1994.

Photo: "Cursed" movie poster

By | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Text-a-friend: the high-tech approach to cheating

By Ravi Umarji | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In Print »

During his Modern World History final exam last year, Mike, a senior, came to a difficult question. After mulling it over and failing to come up with the right answer, he decided to turn to text-messaging. Quietly, Mike put his head down on his desk and pretended to sleep while texting his friend the question under his desk. The friend texted the answer back to Mike, who quickly bubbled it in " all without the teacher noticing.

Ken Griffey, Jr.

By Adith Sekaran | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Ken Griffey, Jr. is the starting center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Griffey, whose father was also a legendary baseball player, recently entered the 500 Homerun Club and has been playing baseball throughout his life.

Maryland fans are over the top

By Grace Harter | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In Print »

In the world of college basketball, March Madness is almost here, which means a month of exciting games, intense rivalries and rowdy fan behavior.

Shirley Chisholm

By Zahra Gordon | Feb. 24, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Legendary politician Shirley Chisholm died on Jan. 1, 2005 at the age of 80, but her spirit lives on. She was the first black woman elected to Congress and worked endlessly for the rights of women and minorities.