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Board of Education releases budget

By Josh Schmidt | March 8, 2012, 11:11 a.m. | In Print News »

The Board of Education (BOE) unanimously agreed upon and announced a $2.13 billion operating budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2013. MCPS superintendent Joshua Starr initially requested a $2.1 billion budget.

GT policy enacted

By Srividya Murthy | March 8, 2012, 12:30 a.m. | In Print News »

On Feb. 28, the Maryland Department of Education (MSDE) adopted the first statewide policy on Gifted and Talented (GT) programs, which will establish minimum standards for such programs in school systems across the state.

Iron Sharpens Iron launched

By Srividya Murthy | March 8, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

Assistant Principal Dirk Cauley and Blair Sports Academy director Jose Segura have piloted a leadership program, Iron Sharpens Iron, to empower male Latino students at Blair.

Seniors scramble for SSL

By Katie Pohlman | March 8, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

The counseling office is mailing letters, making phone calls and sending emails to teachers, students and parents to make sure seniors who are missing Student Service Learning (SSL) hours get them. As of Feb. 10, roughly 30 percent of the class of 2012 did not meet the minimum number of hours needed to graduate, and about 20 to 30 students need 10 hours or less to do so.

Country in Profile: Kenya

By Zoe Waldrop | Feb. 17, 2012, 11:45 a.m. | In Print Features »

At her boarding school in the Central Province of Kenya, Eunice Muchemi's English teacher often moved the lesson to a field in the wildlife reserve just outside campus where monkeys, giraffes and antelopes mingled.

Starting their first year at Blair, but also their last

By Katie Pohlman | Feb. 17, 2012, 11:33 a.m. | In Print Features »

Bertha Garcia walked in the door on the first day of school and was shocked by the number of students she saw and intimidated by the size of Blair. Although she tried her hardest, she got lost several times. She took wrong turns here and there, and walked into stairwell hallways instead of real ones. This may sound like a typical first day for freshman Blazers, but Garcia is a transfer student and this is her senior year.

Pro/Con: Should clubs at Blair receive funding from the school?

By Katie Pohlman, Maggie Shi | Feb. 9, 2012, 11:28 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

MCPS lacks food options

By Katelin Montgomery | Feb. 8, 2012, 4:15 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

For most Blazers, the lunch line is safe, inviting and full of options. However for me, that line is perilous and fraught with danger.

JV Journal

By Josh Schmidt | Feb. 6, 2012, 12:16 p.m. | In Print Sports »

It's the second half, and the boys' JV basketball team (3-7) is just starting to get in rhythm. But only getting energized towards the end of the game is normal for the team, as they have three buzzer beating wins so far this season, and have made a name for themselves as a comeback team when they have won.

Athletes of the Month

By Katelin Montgomery, Josh Schmidt | Feb. 6, 2012, 11:38 a.m. | In Print Sports »

Wearing jersey number 43, senior Olivia Nono's presence captivates on the court as she selflessly leads her team. Standing poised and at the ready, she calls out to teammates, giving direction, and then sprints, blasting ahead of the crowd, as she rushes to defend the basket.

Silver Quill hosts arts fair

By Michelle Chavez | Feb. 2, 2012, 3:30 p.m. | In Print News »

Silver Quill hosted its fourth biannual arts fair, which featured local band performances, a silent auction and art activities at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Downtown Silver Spring on Jan. 21.

PTSA starts Amazon store

By Zoe Waldrop | Feb. 2, 2012, 2:53 p.m. | In Print News »

This past holiday season, the Blair Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) launched a new way to raise money for Blair, using the popular online merchant Amazon.com.

Four art electives to be offered at Blair next year

By Katie Pohlman | Feb. 2, 2012, 2:50 p.m. | In Print News »

Four new fine arts electives - Digital Photography, Digital Art 2, Fashion Drawing and Design, and World Drumming - will be offered at Blair in the 2012-2013 school year. New fine arts teacher Jacqueline Armstead will teach two of the new classes.

Metro proposes summer fare increase

By Sarah Wilson | Feb. 2, 2012, 2:36 p.m. | In Print News »

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) may raise both rail and bus fares beginning in July to support its $116 million budget increase for the next fiscal year. If approved by the WMATA board, the increases will simplify fare charges and increase funds for improving the transit system and decreasing delays.

Blair to hold Sankofa show

By Peter McNally | Feb. 2, 2012, 11:37 a.m. | In Print News »

On Feb. 17, a cast of Blair students will stage a traditional Sankofa show in commemoration of Black History month. The show will take place at 7:30 in the Blair auditorium. English Department Resource Teacher Vickie Adamson will direct the show.

Recommended Capital Improvement Program threatens school construction

By Maureen Lei | Feb. 2, 2012, 11:28 a.m. | In Print News »

On Jan. 17, Montgomery County released County Executive Isiah Leggett's recommended Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a budget designated for construction and maintenance projects. Leggett recommended a $1.36 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2018 CIP for MCPS, a $134 million reduction from the budget that the Board of Education (BOE) requested.

The high cost of lower tuition

By | Feb. 2, 2012, 10:44 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

With the national average in student loan debt quickly outpacing the national average in credit card debt, it is clear that the high cost of college is not a problem that the country can afford to ignore.

Go beyond the counter with new cold remedies

By Peter McNally | Feb. 2, 2012, 10:40 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

As we enter the icy heart of the winter months, Blazers continue to succumb to the perilous symptoms of the common cold. Although many head to the pharmacies to stock up on Ricola and NyQuil, there is a whole universe of alternative remedies that you won't find at CVS.

At Blair, print media stays strong

By Claire Sleigh | Feb. 2, 2012, 10:32 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

Is print media dying? It's a question that professional publications have struggled with over the past decade. In 2009, the Baltimore Examiner went all-online, and newspapers like the New York Times continue to debate how much of their content should be made free to the public online.

Time's running out. What should you do before its too late?

By Zoe Waldrop | Feb. 2, 2012, 10:28 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

As seniors receive admission decisions and start planning for next year, they start to look around the hallowed walls of Blair and begin to wonder what they will miss most about high school. But this December seniors aren't the only ones who have cause to look at Blair with a sense of impending nostalgia. Be it in plague, explosion, pollution or flood, it's pretty much a fact that the end of the world is coming in 2012… Maybe. It's time to look at all the things that are still left to be accomplished and create a plan of action. The internet is riddled with suggestions of things that are simply necessary to experience before you kick the bucket. But these ideas are lacking in creativity, and might, perhaps, devastate the rest of your life just in case the Mayans were off in their calculations. So! We set off on a perilous journey through school rules and policies into a Pandora's Box of rebellious deeds to do before we die. Let's begin at Blair.

For UMD, cutting their sports can only lead to losses

By Claire Sleigh | Feb. 2, 2012, 10:10 a.m. | In Print Sports »

Imagine: You are a freshman at the University of Maryland. Senior year of high school, you applied to a range of colleges, scouring state schools and private universities for a competitive, top-ranked swim team. You chose your state school, and, with a sizeable amount of scholarship money under your belt, you suit up for your first practice of the season.

Eight Blazers place in Intel Science Talent Search

By Srividya Murthy | Feb. 2, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

Seven Blair seniors were named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), a national science research competition for high school seniors. Senior Frederic Koehler was named a finalist and was the only finalist selected from Maryland.

Youth organization closes

By Emma Bergman | Feb. 2, 2012, midnight | In Print News »

Washington, D.C. youth development organization City at Peace closed last month as a result of long-term financial difficulties. The organization was forced to cut short what would have been its seventeenth year.

Raising the bar for Spanish page

By Claire Sleigh | Dec. 22, 2011, 11:58 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

It is our goal as a newspaper to reach out and include as many people in our community as possible. Blair has a significant Hispanic population, including many who feel more comfortable reading in Spanish. Silver Chips has included a Spanish page in every issue since for the past ten years because we believe that it is important for Silver Chips to be accessible to everyone.

Down, but not out

By Claire Sleigh | Dec. 19, 2011, 12:09 p.m. | In Print Sports »

There was a loose ball, and a pileup ensued. The play moved to the other end of the court, and everyone in the stands followed the action, except for Dawn Smith, senior Gabrielle Smith's mother, who was focused on her daughter. Blazer shooting guard Gabrielle didn't get up and follow the play like everyone else. She lay on the gym floor curled up in a ball.