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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The new IDs, which were distributed Oct. 3, were delayed as a result of printing errors, according to Assistant Principal Andrew Coleman. Several of the mistakes, according to Coleman, are still present in the IDs that have been distributed.
Guests from the Liceo Giordano Bruno, a high school in Rome, Italy, will be visiting the Blair community from Oct. 9 to Oct. 19. Two teachers and eleven students, of which ten are female and one is male, will spend time as part of a foreign exchange program led by the International Studies academy.
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.
The Blair Sports Academy (BSA) will strengthen academic support programs and offer new programs to attract more female students in its first full school year in session, according to MCPS recreation specialist Jose Segura.
This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the BBC News and New York Times. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.
The new ID policy will be discussed at the upcoming PTSA meeting on Tuesday Oct. 17. The meeting will give parents and students the opportunity to share their opinions on the new policy with the school administration.
The new ID policy came with an overhaul and a new detailed color-coding system. The top portions of the IDs are colored based on academy, class or program according to the administration.
SGA announced today the winners of the Sept. 28 election for the 2010 class council.
Blazers participated in the first fire drill of the school year after receiving their IDs during a special homeroom today between periods one and three. This was the first evacuation not monitored by former safety coordinator Mark Curran, who left his job at the end of last year.
Four college fairs will be held in the Washington D.C. area in the beginning of October. All fairs will feature representatives from colleges and universities which will give students an opportunity to learn about the institutions and ask questions about the admissions process.
After weeks of deliberation, the SGA and administration have finalized an ID policy to be implemented after all students receive their IDs next week. Although the SGA worked extensively with the administration to form a more acceptable ID policy for students, they still disapprove of some of the changes.
The SGA has chosen the Spirit Day themes for the week leading up to homecoming.
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