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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.

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.