High-flying sport does the trick
By Eliza Wapner | March 10, 2011, 11:20 a.m. | In Print Features »
Junior Anthony Jankoski launches himself into the air and does a corkscrew twist, landing on his feet. Immediately he flips backwards, finishing his acrobatics with a few cartwheels.
New bill would change tax laws to fund schools
By Biruk Bekele | March 9, 2011, 5:53 a.m. | In Print News »
Maryland State Senator Richard S. Madaleno (D-8) proposed a bill last month that would allow county governments to raise property taxes above the charter limit in order to fund education.
National tragedy teaches local lessons
By | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:59 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
This article was written by the Silver Chips Print Editorial Board and is intended to represent the official views of the newspaper. On Jan. 8, our nation was struck by violent, devastating tragedy. A young man entered a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz., where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was speaking to her constituents, and he opened fire on those gathered. The suspected shooter, Jared Loughner, shot at least 18 people, including Ms. Giffords, killing six. In light of this terrible crime, many are re-examining the country's political atmosphere, questioning whether the recent emphasis on fiery rhetoric and harsh criticism is to blame.
Vexed by the Capital Curse
By Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 10:09 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
To truly understand and recognize the widespread significance of sports, you need only look at Cleveland, Ohio, deemed the "most miserable city” in America by a 2010 Reuters poll. What was once home to National Basketball Association (NBA) stardom and "King” LeBron James has now become a ghost town, a shadow of a time long ago. Yet while James left Cleveland for the beaches in Miami, along the way he had to pass through yet another sports purgatory: Washington, D.C.
Struggling to maintain Chips' diversity
By Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:57 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
The Silver Chips ombudsman is the liaison between the paper and the Blair community. In a school that boasts one of the most diverse student populations in the area, it's always tough as a newspaper to know what will provoke readers' attention. With so many different cultures, races and traditions, it's always a challenge to write stories that attract everyone.
Chips Trips: Curling
By Jialin Quinlan, Gardi Royce | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:46 p.m. | In Print Sports »
As the wind whipped around the cold Scottish pond, two lone figures stared nervously at the ground. They whispered and checked their surroundings, making sure no one was watching them. They had been simply playing on the frozen ice when suddenly; they created one of the most dynamic and exciting games known to man.
Crossing the line
By Eli Okun | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:35 p.m. | In Print Features »
Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources. The conversation was private enough: Mike, a sophomore, casually told a friend that he wasn't supposed to be at the school. The secret should have stopped there. But Mike looked up and saw a teacher walking by. He had overheard. In a flash, all of it – the addresses forged, the documents fabricated, the boundaries crossed – threatened to fall apart. The fear of discovery flickered through Mike's mind, but the teacher's next words erased it: "Don't tell the whole school,” he said, and continued down Blair Boulevard.
Changing education standards without lowering the bar
By Claire Koenig | Feb. 9, 2011, 2:33 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
One of the greatest educators of all time is a high school dropout. Temple University awarded him his bachelor's degree based on "life experience” after he had started working toward his master's degree, and his PhD dissertation was titled "An Integration of the Visual Media via ‘Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum.”
Dream Act proposed
By Biruk Bekele | Feb. 9, 2011, 1:43 p.m. | In Print News »
Maryland Senators Victor Ramirez and Richard S. Madeleno introduced a bill last month dubbed the "Maryland Dream Act" that would grant undocumented Maryland college students the right to in-state tuition. At the same time, Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, filed a lawsuit against Montgomery College accusing the community college of granting in-county tuition rates to students graduating from Montgomery County high schools regardless of their immigration status or residence.
Making the most of photo opportunities
By Claire Boston | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:55 p.m. | In Print Features »
Junior Jenny Nguyen's summer trip to Vietnam in sixth grade seemed like an unlikely place to discover a new passion. Agreeing to model in a hair show at her brother's workplace, she was whisked away to hair and makeup and soon found herself confidently strutting down a runway.
A semester sequestered
By Jenny Sholar | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:24 p.m. | In Print Features »
Blair is many things, but wild it is not. Its wilderness is limited to the swamp behind the athletic fields and Blair Boulevard between fifth and sixth periods. So for junior Connor Siegel, spending last semester on two-square-mile campus abutting a national forest and encompassing eight different lakes was quite a change.
USDA revises school lunch nutrition standards
By Eliza Wapner | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:21 p.m. | In Print News »
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed new guidelines for public school meals on Jan. 13. The initiatives would require healthy food choices, including more fruits and vegetables in every meal and snacks for after school activities. The new regulations are based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine and are updating the National School Lunch and School Breakfast program as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids act of 2010, according to a USDA press release.
From note-pads to iPads, teaching goes high-tech
By Simrin Gupta | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:20 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
Few students remember the last time they hauled out a dictionary to look up a word. Even fewer remember an instance where they had a question that Google couldn't answer. Gone are the days when the twenty-pound textbook was the best resource. Thanks to the emerging technology of e-readers and tablets, anyone can be privy to a plethora of information with just the click of a button or the tap of a screen. Teachers across the nation have finally begun to capitalize on that concept within our classrooms. It's high time that MCPS do the same.
From late bells to wedding bells
By Natalie Rutsch | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:19 p.m. | In Print Entertainment »
Ah, Montgomery Blair High School. What's more romantic than the overcrowded halls, the disappointing football games or the sweaty homecoming dances? It doesn't get much more picturesque than meeting "the one" at a table in the SAC littered with styrofoam Cup O'Noodles.
Take one for the team: Linebackers sacrifice health for glory
By NoahGrace Bauman | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:10 p.m. | In Print Opinions »
After four years of rigorous training and encouraged weight gain, only 3.4 percent of college football players will make it into the NFL, according to the National Football League Players Association. When their glory days fade away, the rest of these athletes graduate from football and move on to suffer from a disease that, according to the Center for Disease Control they share with 26.5 percent of Americans -- obesity.
Diesel exhaust filters installed on MCPS buses
By Srividya Murthy | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:09 p.m. | In Print News »
MCPS has installed diesel exhaust filters on 70 MCPS buses in order to enforce the 2008 settlement with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for improved air quality in the local Washington D.C., area. The settlement additionally entailed the construction of an air quality monitor near the Capital Beltway, which would be able to provide the first hard data on the highway's pollution levels over the course of three years.
Edison and Wheaton possibly to merge
By Claire Koenig | Feb. 9, 2011, 12:07 p.m. | In Print News »
The MCPS Board of Education is examining potential plans to combine the Thomas Edison High School of Technology with Wheaton High School. If Superintendent Jerry Weast and the U.S. Board of Education (BOE) approve one of the arrangements proposed to integrate the schools, Wheaton may offer a new vocational Magnet program through Edison. Wheaton officials hope this arrangement would simultaneously allow more students to participate in the popular Edison program and solve under-enrollment issues at Wheaton, according to Edison Network Operations teacher Jesse McGee.
Ride-On introduces tracking features for commuters
By Philipa Friedman | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:51 a.m. | In Print News »
By the end of the summer, Ride-On, Montgomery County's bus transit system, will have instituted the fully operational Smart Traveler system, which will allow commuters to check locations and arrival times for buses due to arrive at specific stops, according to Montgomery County Public Information Officer Esther Bowring.
Nando's Peri Peri spices up Downtown dining
By Jialin Quinlan, Natalie Rutsch | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:47 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »
With restaurants already spread across five different continents, Nando's Peri-Peri finally brings its cultural flavor to Downtown Silver Spring. Its famous Peri-Peri Flame-Grilled Chicken, which has delighted worldwide, is a fusion of Portuguese and Mozambican cuisine.
Fun for less doesn't mean less fun
By Helen Bowers | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:44 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »
When the weekend rolls around and you're trying to impress someone with a great date idea or just wanting somewhere new to chill with your friends, it can seem like the only thing to do in Downtown Silver Spring is to watch a movie or to eat at a restaurant. Not only does that routine get boring pretty fast, it can also cut a big hole in your pocket. But if you venture a little farther out of your comfort zone, you can find some great places that won't set you back more than $10.
BNC launches new online aspect
By Philipa Friedman | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:40 a.m. | In Print News »
Blair Network Communications (BNC), Blair's media production organization, has made a number of changes since the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, including the introduction of a new online aspect and the addition of "That's All, Folks," a radio show hosted by sophomore Adam Maisto. "The Internet is the main thing I changed," said BNC's faculty advisor Paris Bustillos. "I really thought it should be a bigger part of BNC."
When snow sticks, lessons don't
By Jewel Galbraith | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:39 a.m. | In Print Opinions »
If American boards of education are known for anything, it's their winning ideas. Maryland alone has come up with countless dazzling concepts in recent years: yearly MSA testing, mandatory tornado drills and of course Edline, alerting our parents to our every academic failure since 2006. But this year, our nation's school boards have outdone themselves. Eight inches of snow forecast for tomorrow morning? Well, set your alarms for 6 a.m., kids, because it's time for online school on a snow day.
Book nook
By Claire Sleigh | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:36 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »
Remember back in elementary school when we had all that time on our hands? Back then, the most nerve-racking part of the day was show-and-tell, and there was always time to play and relax. Now, with all the stress of classes, finals and extra-curriculars, finding a free moment to curl up and read a book can be a challenge. For Blazers looking to squeeze a book between physics homework and soccer practice, Silver Chips provides a selection of four different quick reads that are sure to make a lasting impact.
Getting down to business
By Maggie Shi | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:33 a.m. | In Print Features »
Sophomores Leah Hammond and Allison Whitney had a major task at hand: cupcakes. The job was, simply, to bake and decorate them, but there was a catch. It wasn't just a couple cupcakes, or a dozen, or even a couple dozen - it was 300.
Tangoing with trigonometry
By Eliza Wapner | Feb. 9, 2011, 11:33 a.m. | In Print Features »
Senior Danny Catacora glides across the dance floor. He dips his partner, spins and maintains his graceful poise as he dances around the studio. His body moves to the music, staying directly on the beat. His partner's body spins in and out of his steady arms. Later, after the hour-long drive home from the Baltimore dance studio, math and science replaces ballroom music as Catacora delves into his homework.
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