news
Taking ACTion to improve test scores
By Nathan Goldstein | Nov. 12, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Last May, an envelope marked ACT, Inc. arrived in senior Daniel Keller's mailbox. Putting his anxiety aside, Keller sat down on his living room couch, ripped it open and stared at its contents in shock. To his amazement, Keller scored a 34 out of a possible 36 on the ACT - a score that unofficially corresponds to a 2280 out of 2400 on the new SAT - 160 points higher than the 2120 he had scored six months before.
Students invited to participate in "Reflections"
By Lois Bangiolo | Nov. 11, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The PTSA is currently requesting submissions for this year's Reflections Program under the theme "My Favorite Place." The Reflections program is sponsored by the national PTA to encourage participation in the arts.
Double-click on ‘opportunity'
By Ankhi Guhathakurta | Nov. 10, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Nineteen years ago, College and Career Information Coordinator Carla Partlow found applying to college as a Blair student fairly straightforward. She browsed a few of the thick volumes in the Career Center and discussed her college choices with her guidance counselor. She even called some schools and asked to be put on their mailing lists - snail mail, that is.
International News for the second week of November
By Hokuma Karimova | Nov. 10, 2006, midnight | In International »
This article is a compilation of recent news around the world. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.
White House announces resignation of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld
By Jessica Cutler | Nov. 9, 2006, midnight | In National »
President Bush announced at a White House press conference Wednesday morning that Donald Rumsfeld will step down from his position as Secretary of Defense and named former CIA chief Robert Gates as Rumsfeld's successor.
Democrats successful in Maryland elections overall
By David Jia | Nov. 9, 2006, midnight | In National »
Democrats declared victory in Maryland on every level from Tuesday's election, with Benjamin L. Cardin winning the Senate race, Chris Van Hollen winning the Congressional Eighth district race and Martin O'Malley winning the Maryland gubernatorial race.
Help the Homeless Walkathon to take place Nov. 18
By Maya Calabrese | Nov. 9, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The 19th annual Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Walkathon will take place on the National Mall on Saturday, Nov. 18. The Walkathon is part of a campaign to raise awareness and funds for over 180 Washington metropolitan area organizations working to prevent homelessness. Early registration is due by Nov. 12, but onsite registration is also available.
SGA plans new events for the year
By Lois Bangiolo | Nov. 4, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Buoyed by the success of the Homecoming spirit week, the SGA is planning many new events for the rest of the school year. According to SGA president Eric Hysen, the SGA has many more events in store than it has held in previous years, including several charity drives and a downcounty spirit week.
Fire alarm pulled during 5A lunch
By David Jia, Boris Vassilev | Nov. 4, 2006, midnight | In Local »
An unscheduled fire alarm went off at 11:35 a.m. on Thursday, immediately following the bell that ended 5A lunch. The alarm was activated when an emergency alarm was pulled in the SAC, according to business manager James Funk. At 11:51, the building was cleared by the fire department and chief and the students were released from the stadium, where they gather during emergency evacuations. 5B lunch was not extended.
Football team has TV opportunity
By Jessica Cutler | Nov. 2, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The football team's upcoming game against Blake is one of five featured games on Fox 5's "High School Game of the Week" contest. The game that gets the most votes in an open online poll will be broadcast on the Fox 5 news channel on Friday.
Blazer to speak at Fifth Annual Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit
By Poorva Singal | Oct. 31, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Senior Abhishek Sinha will be one of three students to represent high school English Language Learners (ELLs) at the Fifth Annual Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit that will be held tomorrow in Washington, D.C. A former ESOL student and an ELL himself, Sinha will share his views on what it is like to be an ELL and hopes to especially address the difficulties these students face with standardized testing.
Annual FIST conference to be held at Blair on Nov. 11
By Priyanka Gokhale | Oct. 29, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The annual Females in Science and Technology Conference (FIST) is scheduled for Nov. 11. Seventh grade girls from all around the county have been invited to attend the program. They will learn about science, math and technology at workshops taught by Blazers and teachers and hear from a female guest speaker.
Parking permits to be distributed early next week
By Will Bucher | Oct. 26, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The parking applications due on Oct. 16th are in the process of final review and will be assigned early next week. Business Manager James Funk received 175 applications with 150 spots available to students.
Blazer wins second place nationwide at science competition
By Priyanka Gokhale | Oct. 26, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Blair freshman Jacob Hurwitz won second place and a $10,000 scholarship at the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (DCYSC) – a nationwide science competition in which students compete for the title of "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year." Fellow freshmen David Tao and Scott Yu were also among 40 finalists in the competition. Tao and Yu also did well at the challenge, which took place from Oct. 21 to 25, winning the "Discovery Times 'Tech Trip'" award and the "Discovery Health 'Forensics Camp' award," respectively.
Six Blazers announced as Siemens regional semifinalists
By Jessica Cutler | Oct. 24, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Six Blair seniors were selected as regional semifinalists in the annual Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. Regional finalists will be announced on Oct. 30.
Faulty smoke detector initiates school evacuation
By Gus Woods | Oct. 24, 2006, midnight | In Local »
A faulty smoke detector at the end of the 140s hallway near the back exits went off today initiating a school evacuation. A fire drill initially scheduled for today during 3rd period was cancelled because of the cold weather, but the defective smoke detector caused an evacuation despite the cancellation.
Group claims MCPS promotes bias in counseling materials about homosexuality
By Sarah Kinter | Oct. 24, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Last June, the Virginia-based Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) submitted a statement to the MCPS Board of Education and Superintendent Jerry Weast claiming that, in May, a parent had received information from a school counselor that promoted a single viewpoint on homosexuality.
PTSA minigrants available for Blair community
By Julia Mazerov | Oct. 23, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The grant applications are due on Wednesday, Oct. 25. The Blair PTSA has announced that they will be providing minigrants of up to $500 for projects headed by staff members, parents or guardians, students and other community members. Large-scale minigrants provide up to $500 for projects that benefit the entire school, a whole grade or at least 500 students. Smaller-scale minigrants award up to $200 for projects that can help fewer than 500 students.
Athletes' grades illegally changed to meet eligibility at area schools
By Adam Yalowitz | Oct. 19, 2006, midnight | In Local »
In response to allegations that the grades of five students at Einstein were inappropriately changed so that the students could remain on sports teams, the MCPS Office of School Performance (OSP) has completed a thorough review of all 9,000 athletes at each of the 25 high schools in the county.
Flaws revealed in grading and reporting policy
By Ethan Kuhnhenn | Oct. 18, 2006, midnight | In Local »
In a survey of Montgomery County teachers and students, MCPS's Department of Shared Accountability (DSA) found that, three years after the Board of Education implemented the county's current grading and reporting policy, there is still widespread confusion and dissatisfaction with the policy, specifically its re-teaching and reassessing components.
Newly revised ID policy discussed at PTSA meeting
By Lois Bangiolo | Oct. 18, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Principal Phillip Gainous discussed the new ID policy at the PTSA meeting held yesterday at 7:30 p.m. in the media center. A newly revised copy of the policy, updated yesterday afternoon, was distributed at the meeting.
ID color coding system draws media attention
By Merlyn Deng, Alex Hyder, Payal Patnaik | Oct. 18, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Reporters from several television stations came to Blair this afternoon to interview principal Phillip Gainous, SGA President Eric Hysen and several students about the ID policy after a Washington Post story brought this year's changes, including the new, controversial color coding system to public attention.
Bomb and gun threats force lockdown of 14 MCPS schools
By Ethan Kuhnhenn | Oct. 12, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Less than a week after MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast sent out a letter to students and parents assuring that, after a spate of school violence in the Midwest, Montgomery County schools were tightening security, a bomb threat and reports of a gunman triggered heightened security and even evacuations on 14 campuses across the northern part of the county.
Fall sports pep rally to be held tomorrow
By Clement Yang | Oct. 12, 2006, midnight | In Local »
The Homecoming pep rally will be held in the gym throughout 7th period on Friday, Oct. 13. The rally will be divided into two parts and will be held with half of the school population attending each, depending on the students' classroom number and floor.
Administration moves to crack down on freshman hazing
By Julia Mazerov | Oct. 11, 2006, midnight | In Local »
Just as it has in past years, "freshman hazing" has surfaced as an issue within the student body over the course of spirit week. Principal Phillip Gainous announced this information in a broadcast over the PA system during 7th period on Monday and today, reminding students of the repercussions of participating in such acts.
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