media

Blair Pair - Hip-hop, Hugh Hefner and no teapots make for the perfect marriage

By Jewel Galbraith, Helen Bowers | March 10, 2011, 12:10 p.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Ah springtime, the season of love. In high school, finding that special someone requires more than just instinct; it requires time, money and patience. But Silver Chips has a solution for your stale love life: Blair Pair, where we pair prospective soulmates on dates!

A ‘Kehne' sense for competition

By Simrin Gupta | March 10, 2011, 12:06 p.m. | In Print Sports »

She has played for Blair's junior varsity soccer team and she is on Blair's crew team. She played softball in middle school, she bikes recreationally and she even knows how to unicycle. She also manages the girls' basketball team, but only because a soccer-related knee injury prevents her from being out on the court. Blair athletes know that freshman Adrianne Kehne is a sports maniac--but her biggest athletic achievement is in a sport with which most of them are completely unfamiliar.

Leap of faith

By NoahGrace Bauman | March 10, 2011, noon | In Print Features »

Once or twice a week, junior Cecile Drymalski sits cross-legged on the floor of her bedroom. She taps singing bowls and attempts to keep her eyes open as she slips into a meditative trance. These are rituals of Buddhism, the religion that Drymalski follows. But rather than taking the typical path of following her parents into religion, Drymalski has found a faith all her own in order to fill spaces left by not having a religion.

First ICC road segment opens

By Srividya Murthy | March 10, 2011, 11:56 a.m. | In Print News »

The Intercounty Connector (ICC) opened its 5.5-mile segment between Gaithersburg and Olney on Feb. 23, after nearly 50 years of debate and planning. According to Ray Feldmann, media relations manager at the ICC Project, driving on the ICC has proceeded smoothly during its opening weeks.

Maintenance of Effort promotes maintenance of mediocrity

By Sebastian Medina-Tayac | March 10, 2011, 11:52 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

The I.D. policy, blue Pepsi, Nickelback: Good intentions do not always produce good results. On the contrary, misguided or irrelevant decisions can harm the very people they were meant to serve.

Basketball boys wreck the rec league

By Claire Sleigh | March 10, 2011, 11:52 a.m. | In Print Sports »

Ten off-the-rim-dunks in the last game, three players kicked out of the gym, dozens of technical fouls and one player crashing into the referee. This is Montgomery County Recreational Basketball's Scrap City, and they are here to win.

Blair Pair - Food for thought: Senior Blazers bond over aspirations for the future

By Helen Bowers | March 10, 2011, 11:50 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Ah springtime, the season of love. In high school, finding that special someone requires more than just instinct; it requires time, money and patience. But Silver Chips has a solution for your stale love life: Blair Pair, where we pair prospective soulmates on dates!

MCPS forms partnership with Navy

By Srividya Murthy | March 10, 2011, 11:49 a.m. | In Print News »

MCPS middle and high school students have started to contribute to Navy-based science and engineering projects as a result of a partnership signed between Montgomery County and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division. This is the first partnership between the Navy and Montgomery County and was entered at a signing ceremony on Jan. 24 at Shady Grove Innovation Center in Rockville, Maryland.

Basketball boys wreck the rec league

By Claire Sleigh | March 10, 2011, 11:46 a.m. | In Print Sports »

Ten off-the-rim-dunks in the last game, three players kicked out of the gym, dozens of technical fouls and one player crashing into the referee. This is Montgomery County Recreational Basketball's Scrap City, and they are here to win.

County grants schools permission to grow gardens

By Stella Bartholet | March 10, 2011, 11:45 a.m. | In Print News »

Braving the boulevard

By Eli Okun, Natalie Rutsch | March 10, 2011, 11:43 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

T-5 minutes. You leap from a moving vehicle, slam the door shut and join the herd making its way toward the entrance. Once inside, you confront a new set of obstacles: From the slick floors to the confusing maze of halls, the journey promises to be difficult. But before you reach your destination, a chime overhead seals your fate. It's 7:25 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, and another day at Montgomery Blair High School has begun.

With tiger moms or not, students can survive the jungle

By Jenny Sholar | March 10, 2011, 11:35 a.m. | In Print Features »

"From a clinical standpoint, have you ever considered getting some help?" Uneasy chuckles fill the aisles at Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C.'s famous independent bookstore, in response to the question from an audience member. But the speaker at the front of the room, a petite woman by the name of Amy Chua, is unfazed.

Cruisin' cuisine

By Claire Koenig | March 10, 2011, 11:35 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Washington, D.C., is quickly becoming one of the food truck capitals of the country, with over 30 trucks roaming the city streets today and at least seven more getting ready to open up shop in the next year or so. The culinary concept behind each of the trucks is unique and tasty; ranging from Canadian poutine on hot dogs to gourmet french fries and milkshakes, the trucks' interesting choices span several continents. So next time you're looking for a fast, satisfying bite to eat downtown, spring for these quirky alternatives.

Pro/Con: Should student service learning hours be mandatory for high school graduation?

By Simrin Gupta, Claire Koenig | March 10, 2011, 11:33 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

As of the 2010-2011 school year, MCPS requires all students to complete 75 hours of community service to graduate, instead of the 60 hours necessary in past years. Though some students find the requirement relatively easy to complete, others with more rigorous schedules question its necessity.

Celebrate a mad March, Chips-style

By Jialin Quinlan, Natalie Rutsch | March 10, 2011, 11:29 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

It's March: The temperatures are finally rising, the Mardi Gras king cake is long gone and the only holiday to look forward to is St. Patrick's Day, right? Wrong. March offers a slew of holidays and observances so wacky you won't even have time to ask, "What exactly is the Great American Meat Out (March 20)?" Starting with Pig Day (March 1) and ending with Bunsen Burner Day (March 31), the third month really does have it all. Here are a few Chips-tested ideas on how to celebrate our favorite March observances.

High-flying sport does the trick

By Eliza Wapner | March 10, 2011, 11:20 a.m. | In Print Features »

Junior Anthony Jankoski launches himself into the air and does a corkscrew twist, landing on his feet. Immediately he flips backwards, finishing his acrobatics with a few cartwheels.

New bill would change tax laws to fund schools

By Biruk Bekele | March 9, 2011, 5:53 a.m. | In Print News »

Maryland State Senator Richard S. Madaleno (D-8) proposed a bill last month that would allow county governments to raise property taxes above the charter limit in order to fund education.

National tragedy teaches local lessons

By | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:59 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

This article was written by the Silver Chips Print Editorial Board and is intended to represent the official views of the newspaper. On Jan. 8, our nation was struck by violent, devastating tragedy. A young man entered a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz., where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was speaking to her constituents, and he opened fire on those gathered. The suspected shooter, Jared Loughner, shot at least 18 people, including Ms. Giffords, killing six. In light of this terrible crime, many are re-examining the country's political atmosphere, questioning whether the recent emphasis on fiery rhetoric and harsh criticism is to blame.

Vexed by the Capital Curse

By Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 10:09 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

To truly understand and recognize the widespread significance of sports, you need only look at Cleveland, Ohio, deemed the "most miserable city” in America by a 2010 Reuters poll. What was once home to National Basketball Association (NBA) stardom and "King” LeBron James has now become a ghost town, a shadow of a time long ago. Yet while James left Cleveland for the beaches in Miami, along the way he had to pass through yet another sports purgatory: Washington, D.C.

Struggling to maintain Chips' diversity

By Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:57 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

The Silver Chips ombudsman is the liaison between the paper and the Blair community. In a school that boasts one of the most diverse student populations in the area, it's always tough as a newspaper to know what will provoke readers' attention. With so many different cultures, races and traditions, it's always a challenge to write stories that attract everyone.

Chips Trips: Curling

By Jialin Quinlan, Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:46 p.m. | In Print Sports »

As the wind whipped around the cold Scottish pond, two lone figures stared nervously at the ground. They whispered and checked their surroundings, making sure no one was watching them. They had been simply playing on the frozen ice when suddenly; they created one of the most dynamic and exciting games known to man.

Crossing the line

By Eli Okun | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:35 p.m. | In Print Features »

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources. The conversation was private enough: Mike, a sophomore, casually told a friend that he wasn't supposed to be at the school. The secret should have stopped there. But Mike looked up and saw a teacher walking by. He had overheard. In a flash, all of it – the addresses forged, the documents fabricated, the boundaries crossed – threatened to fall apart. The fear of discovery flickered through Mike's mind, but the teacher's next words erased it: "Don't tell the whole school,” he said, and continued down Blair Boulevard.

Changing education standards without lowering the bar

By Claire Koenig | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:33 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

One of the greatest educators of all time is a high school dropout. Temple University awarded him his bachelor's degree based on "life experience” after he had started working toward his master's degree, and his PhD dissertation was titled "An Integration of the Visual Media via ‘Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum.”

Dream Act proposed

By Biruk Bekele | Feb. 9, 2011, 1:43 p.m. | In Print News »

Maryland Senators Victor Ramirez and Richard S. Madeleno introduced a bill last month dubbed the "Maryland Dream Act" that would grant undocumented Maryland college students the right to in-state tuition. At the same time, Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, filed a lawsuit against Montgomery College accusing the community college of granting in-county tuition rates to students graduating from Montgomery County high schools regardless of their immigration status or residence.

Making the most of photo opportunities

By Claire Boston | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:55 p.m. | In Print Features »

Junior Jenny Nguyen's summer trip to Vietnam in sixth grade seemed like an unlikely place to discover a new passion. Agreeing to model in a hair show at her brother's workplace, she was whisked away to hair and makeup and soon found herself confidently strutting down a runway.