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How midwives are supporting pregnant women amidst COVID-19

By Rekha Leonard | May 13, 2020, 2:56 p.m. | In Print Features »

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital visits are bringing greater and greater inherent risks, leaving many pregnant women searching for alternative places to give birth. As a result, many midwives are seeing an increase in clients looking to give birth at home or in birthing centers. According to the National Institute of Health, in the US, only about one percent of babies are born at home, but some prenatal care workers and experts predict that COVID-19 encouraging women to deliver outside of the hospital might cause a spike in the percentage this year.

Students can choose a letter grade one higher than their third quarter mark or a “pass” for their transcript, MCPS announces

By Anika Seth | May 12, 2020, 2:38 p.m. | In Print News »

MCPS will allow high schoolers to choose how their second semester grades appear on their transcript, the Board of Education declared in a 7-1 vote today. Students can opt for their transcript to reflect a “pass” or one letter grade higher than what they received in the third quarter. A COVID-19 marker will also be added to all transcripts for the second semester.

US experiencing a blood shortage

By Rekha Leonard | May 11, 2020, 2:13 p.m. | In Print News »

The United States is experiencing a blood shortage due to mass cancellations of blood drives amidst concerns over large gatherings of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local COVID-19 testing

By Ashley Thommana | April 30, 2020, 1:54 p.m. | In Print News »

In Maryland and Montgomery County, there are several COVID-19 testing sites. Compiled below is a list of testing sites within a few miles of Blair and the requirements for being tested.

New Montgomery County law limits rent increases

By Anna Fisher Lopez | April 29, 2020, 1:42 p.m. | In Print News »

County Executive Mark Elrich signed the COVID-19 Renter Relief Act on April 24 prohibiting landlords from raising rent more than 2.6 percent during or for the 180 days after Maryland’s state of emergency.

Hogan announces reopening plan, hopes to launch first stage in early May

By Abby Brier | April 24, 2020, midnight | In Print News »

Governor Larry Hogan announced Maryland’s reopening plan for the COVID-19 pandemic today in an afternoon press conference. Hogan said that his administration has been working hard to attain adequate testing, hospital capacity, personal protective equipment (PPE), and staff for contact tracing in order to start the process of recovery. Once these criteria are met and doctors begin to see a decline in the rate of hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the reopening plan will begin.

Northwood employee taken into custody

By Michelle Chavez | June 1, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

Northwood High School media services technician Aaron Lamere was arrested on May 7 and charged with over a dozen counts of sex-related crimes, according to police reports. A letter signed by Northwood Principal Henry Johnson was sent home informing students about the situation on the day of the arrest.

Pro/Con: Can Internet activism replace traditional forms of activism?

By Puck Bregstone, Michelle Chavez | May 9, 2012, 7:31 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

Tips and tricks for navigating recruitment

By Claire Sleigh | April 27, 2012, 12:59 p.m. | In Print Sports »

Sports in college operate on a whole different level: the competition is more intense, the training hours are longer and the pressure is much higher. But getting there can be the hardest part.

Tailoring content to our readers

By Claire Sleigh | April 27, 2012, 12:30 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

If you flip through an issue of Silver Chips from the past couple years, you'll find one topic suspiciously missing: what Blazers do once they graduate Blair.

Horticulture club starts gardening

By Ruth Aitken, Hannah Weintraub | April 26, 2012, 11:51 a.m. | In Print News »

Blair's Horticulture club broke ground on the school's new water conservation landscape on April 14 with the cooperation of parents and student volunteers.

Math raps engage students

By Srividya Murthy | April 26, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

On March 14, in honor of Pi Day, Superintendent Joshua Starr tweeted a link to math teacher Jacob Scott's music video "Triangle Experts," raising the number of views of the video to nearly 7,000. Scott has gained countywide acclaim for pioneering a new genre of music: math rapping.

Blair staff continues AP push

By Michelle Chavez | April 26, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

Blair is holding its first Advanced Placement (AP) boot camp this year with a grant from the Montgomery County Education Foundation. Media Specialist Andrea Lamphier worked with the social studies department to organize the boot camp for two Saturday sessions and two after-school sessions.

Council evaluates dropout prevention spending

By Srividya Murthy | April 26, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

The Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) released a report on county-funded alternative programs for students at risk of dropping out. The study was sponsored by the County Council to evaluate the success of these programs in preparing at-risk students for college and the workforce.

The other side of Blair sports

By Sarah Wilson | March 29, 2012, 2:05 p.m. | In Print Sports »

"First of all, I don't like Frisbee, I love it. And second of all, 'Frisbee' is a wham-o disc, 'Ultimate' is a lifestyle," jokes junior Devin Rutan, a co-captain of Blair's Ultimate Frisbee team, "Home Cooked." The Ultimate team, along with crew, paddling, running, ice hockey, are Blair's club sports, meaning that they don't receive school funding, their coaches and referees are not paid for by the school and they don't follow country established schedules for competitions.

Restrictions are the driving force behind safe roads

By Puck Bregstone | March 20, 2012, 12:12 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

In a recent study, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recorded and analyzed the deaths of teens in the age range of 16-19 in order to access the effectiveness of the Graduated Licensing System (GLS). According to their findings, after the implementation of the GLS, states have suffered 1,348 fewer fatal automobile accidents with 16-year-olds behind the wheel. But in the same period of time 1,086 more 18-year-olds have been killed behind the wheel.

Pro/Con: Should MCPS raise the high school dropout age from 16 to 18?

By Peter McNally, Claire Koenig | March 14, 2012, 12:10 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

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The place of a parent

By Claire Koenig | March 14, 2012, 11:30 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

The Latin expression in loco parentis gives schools and institutions the right to speak for their students' best interests in dire instances. Administrations in schools have saved lives in crises and protected students when their parents could not. But although our schools can shoulder that legal burden while we are behind their gates, does it hold that they should keep it with them at all times?

Blair slam poets move to their own beats

By Emma Bergman | March 14, 2012, 11:18 a.m. | In Print Features »

"Beautiful black women mother of the earth/A skin who's been embraced by the sun but led by a curse." These words begin senior Andy Mbala's poem entitled "Black Women."

On the tip of the tongue

By Puck Bregstone | March 14, 2012, 11:09 a.m. | In Print Features »

At the age of four, junior Tranelle Dodson was sitting in her living room when her aunt collapsed from a stroke. Dodson rushed into the kitchen to warn her mother, but the words just would not come out.

Inspirational epics

By Claire Sleigh, Claire Koenig | March 13, 2012, 2:28 p.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Second semester seniors can smell the end of the school year from months away. It's the light at the end of the tunnel; a carrot dangling from a very, very long stick. And sometimes the tantalizing taste of oh-so-close freedom can be a little…distracting. We lose the drive, the focus. We loaf.

Earlier tracking hurts at all levels

By | March 13, 2012, 2 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

MCPS may already go above and beyond the Maryland State Board of Education's newly adopted guidelines for gifted and talented (GT) education, but the county has yet to take GT labeling to the state-condoned extreme. The Feb. 28 GT legislation suggests that schools monitor their students from pre-kindergarten, a dangerous move that threatens to widen the achievement gap and contribute to the deceleration of curricula across MCPS.

For news, timing is everything

By Claire Sleigh | March 13, 2012, 12:06 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

Currently, Silver Chips puts out seven issues a year, which is fairly infrequent. It's up to the editorial staff of Silver Chips to strike a balance between length and quality on the one hand, and timeliness and relevance on the other. Silver Chips print should consider shifting gears to a ten-issue paper to keep the readers up-to-date through more timely and relevant sports and news stories, and to establish a greater Silver Chips presence throughout Blair.

There's an App for that: iPhone favorites

By Puck Bregstone | March 13, 2012, 11:58 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

With friends, there's always a home court advantage

By Emma Bergman | March 8, 2012, 11:35 a.m. | In Print Features »

Some friendship roles are universal: the jokester, the listener, the leader. Not so common is a friend group that also has the forwards, the point guard and the captains. For best friends and senior varsity basketball players Morgan Chase, Adrienne Jackson, Johanna Lopez, Olivia Nono and Myla Sapp, friendship and basketball are inseparable.