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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 »

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.

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 »

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pro/Con: Are class rankings an accurate measure of student achievement?

By | Nov. 29, 2011, 7:45 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

Despite the preference among admissions officers to use class rank, 40% of US high schools have abandoned ranking as a means to measure their students GPA.

Painting only by numbers misses half the picture

By Adam Kadir | Nov. 29, 2011, 7:42 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

No one likes to be number two. That is why Blazers are frustrated about their standings in high school rankings.

It takes two: when clubs work together, everyone benefits

By Claire Koenig | Nov. 17, 2011, 11:45 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

It's in the symbiotic give-and-take of the natural world and the mutually beneficial handshake-deals executed in thriving businesses. In the bonds of a healthy marriage and the well-tuned chords of a veteran rock band. Cooperation works - just ask a few of Blair's clubs.

Charter Schools send educational reform off-course

By Puck Bregstone | Nov. 17, 2011, 11:36 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

The United States education system is in turmoil. Other industrialized countries are outstripping the U.S. in almost every aspect of education. In a desperate move, the U.S. Department of Education has poured $4.35 billion into an unexplored, costly and unnecessary alternative: the charter school.

Accurately depicting the nuances

By Claire Sleigh | Nov. 10, 2011, 12:25 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

It takes practice and dedication to incorporate the many layers of a story into a seamless piece, and when this is not done properly some points of view are compromised. Sometimes little details or nuances slip through the crack, and even the smallest of word choices can completely spin meaning in the wrong direction.

Pro/Con: Should Montgomery County enact a night time curfew for youth under 18?

By Ruth Aitken Leah Muskin-Pierret | Oct. 30, 2011, 2:08 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett drafted a youth curfew bill in July. The curfew would prevent youth under 18 from being out between midnight and 5am on weekends.

New attendance policy: recycled and unimproved

By Claire Koenig | Oct. 28, 2011, 11:31 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

False names, masked intention, danger disdained - the circular sweeping of a school system remembering the steps to a waltz they left behind.

For larger schools, one size does not fit all

By Maggie Shi | Oct. 27, 2011, 9:22 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

The term "Support” has become synonymous with "trivial” or "secondary.” But support positions are anything but trivial — without them, a school, like a building, can crumble.

Keeping autonomy and reputation

By Claire Sleigh | Oct. 27, 2011, 2:47 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

Silver Chips' autonomy could be in question because of recent leadership changes at Blair. The new administration has the power to take the school in a new direction, and with this they also have the power to take Silver Chips in a new direction.

June issue: changing of the guard

By Claire Sleigh | June 8, 2011, 11:41 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

The observant reader might notice recent updates in our staff box. Silver Chips's June issue is always entirely edited, written and managed by juniors. In the fall, we will formally begin our managing editor positions and work with a new group of junior staffers. Here is where we hope to take the paper next year.

When 'English' doesn't mean 'European': A diverse curriculum

By Claire Koenig | June 8, 2011, 11:14 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

Pro/Con: Are academy programs at Blair effective at motivating students?

By Helen Bowers Eliza Wapner | June 7, 2011, 11:08 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

Blair has five academies: Entrepreneurship, Media Literacy, Human Services Professions, International Studies and Science and Math and Technology. Academies allow students to take classes in fields that interest them. However, the academies program has faced criticism for ineffectiveness and lack of focus.

Frequent turnover hinders learning

By | June 3, 2011, 11:49 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. Principal Williams's "exciting and sad news" that he will leave Blair to take the position of community superintendent has largely left teachers and students disappointed and skeptical.