The world without Holden Caulfield, Atticus Finch or Frodo would be an empty place indeed. For those of us who grew up with Harriet the Spy as a partner in crime or Harry Potter as our nightly bedside read, a life of reading without these companions is almost unimaginable.
A message pops up on the computer screen. "Hi, I've trimmed the computer down somewhat. Happy hacking!” The computer, which had once held a slew of files, is now completely empty. The witty message is all that remains of Mark's presence.
Junior Kirstyn Ross-Roach still remembers April 1, 2006. Over dinner that night in her hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia, her father informed the family that they would be moving to Saudi Arabia. Ross-Roach scoffed at what she thought was her dad's attempt at a joke, but the announcement was no April Fool's Day prank.
"To my brother. To my dear, dear brother. I do love you. But I really don't like you." Freshman Ellie Musgrave wrote these words to her brother on a September evening after the two had a fight, but she never sent them. Instead, she vented her anger in a page-long rant and posted it on her public Web log.
This summer, after a decade of enhancing outfits, preventing abductions and inducing controversy, IDs were let go. No longer were we mandated to wear the pieces of plastic visibly-above-the-waist. For a few days, the announcement dominated Facebook statuses and casual conversation within Blair social networks. Then, we proceeded to...not wear our IDs.
Varsity football (1-4-0) suffered a disappointing 34-12 loss to Whitman at the latter's homecoming game. Playing in front of a sea of enthusiastic Viking fans in black and blue, the Blazers endured a crushing Friday night defeat.
Charlie Chaplin, Martin Scorcese and Bing Crosby seem like an odd grouping of people. Short of being famous, what might they have in common? They all got their start in the entertainment world through short films.
Nearly every day, the media broadcasts a news update on health care reform. Whether it's the new bill propositions or the disgruntled citizens in town halls, so many different issues at hand can overwhelm even the most savvy observer. So much information can be daunting to anyone trying to follow the reform, so here is a breakdown of the current reform proposals and debate.
The loud clash and bang drew sophomore Hannah Jo Mounty-Weinstock into the kitchen. She found her parents smashing pots and pans as they cleaned up. "You'll have to stop doing that," she signed to them. The racket went unnoticed by her parents. After all, Mounty-Weinstock was the only person there who could hear what was happening.
Recycling ideas is easy. It's coming up with new ones that can be tricky. Unfortunately, it appears that Blair's recycling program is neither new nor recycled; it's just in need of improvement.
Recent reports by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) show a decrease in graduation rates for Blair and MCPS for the 2008-2009 school year. Statistics by the MSDE show Blair's graduation rate declining from 84.53 percent in 2008 to 82.61 percent in 2009. Likewise, the MCPS graduation rate went from a high of about 93 percent in 2003 to 87 percent in 2009, the lowest graduation rate in 13 years.
Blair met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements for the second year in a row for the 2009-2010 school year, which has led to the removal of Blair from Year Two School Improvement status, according to Principal Darryl Williams.
Blair PTSA remains uncertain about the graduation venue for the class of 2010 due to budget restraints and conflicting survey results, according to the PTSA co-president.
Text messaging while driving is now prohibited by state law and punishable by a fine of up to $500, according to Maryland Delegate Frank Turner (D-Howard).
Sonia Sotomayor is a high school valedictorian, a Princeton and Yale graduate, a veteran of 30 years in the courtroom and the "savior" of baseball who ended the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. And on Aug. 6, Sotomayor took on her most important role yet: the first Latina Supreme Court justice.
Sligo Creek Golf Course, originally scheduled to close on Oct. 1 due to revenue problems, will remain open after the Montgomery County Council approved a supplemental appropriation proposed by County Executive Isaiah Leggett.
Times are changing, and as technology advances, it makes sense that sports would follow suit. But when expensive technology, not hard work, creates new athletic records at the high school, collegiate and professional levels alike, competition is no longer fair.
Student editors and writers are the only contributors to Chips stories; we write stories ourselves. However, the Silver Chips adviser also accomplishes several monumental tasks that are essential to the continued success of Silver Chips, and for that, we must recognize the hard work these individuals put forth in the name of student expression.
MCPS has implemented the new "Seven Keys to College Readiness" program this fall, aimed at increasing college preparedness in the county. The program provides students from kindergarten through 12th grade with a set of milestones for achieving scholastic success.
In their fifth game of the season, boys' varsity soccer (2-3) lost to the Springbrook Blue Devils 2-0 after a tough second half.
MCPS reinstated a hiring freeze on Aug. 20, preventing any new non-critical employee from being hired, according to Director of the Department of Management, Budget and Planning Marshall Spatz. The freeze, and other cutbacks enacted with the hiring freeze, will remain in effect for MCPS until June 30, 2010.
Whether at Montgomery Blair High School or John Hughes' famed Shermer High, the 1980s invasion is in full effect. The '80s were a time of high fashion and even higher hair and it's all coming back. Fashion is constantly changing, but the latest trends spotted suggest that we're going backward in time instead of fashion forward. And Blazers infatuated with '80s style are putting their own spin on the '80s fashion.
Envision stimulating classroom discussion, thought-provoking literature and appropriately challenging curriculum tailored to each student. Now scrap all thoughts of MCPS as an enriching learning environment in favor of Superintendent Jerry Weast's new plan for MCPS as an intensive 12-year college prep course.
At the beginning of this year, Blair Sports Academy (BSA) eliminated certain programs due to budget cuts faced by the Montgomery County Recreation Department (MCRD).
With the stress of classes, looming college applications and uncertain futures, we Blazers can always use a little help in learning what our lives will bring. As seniors, we were naturally tempted to get some advice from the paranormal by seeking a psychic. So, we, Samantha Lint and Tasnia Habib, your fearless entertainment editors, set out to test the murky waters of palm reading.
We found 4659 results.