Just Call It What It Is

by Bridget Cook ’14 What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you see a lit up, ornately decorated evergreen tree? Whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or even Atheist, most people identify a Christmas tree as just that. A Christmas tree. Lately, the term ‘holiday tree’ has been used in more frequent instances with the goal of honoring religious diversity. … Read More

More to October Than Pink

by Bridget Cook Most students are familiar with the highly publicized Breast Cancer Awareness Month, donning pink clothing and accessories and selling items to raise money for the cause. It is gratifying to see high-schoolers so passionately involved in such a widespread effort to combat the terrible disease. However, another pervasive problem meant to be supported this month has been … Read More

New Age of Spaceflight

by Shaan Verma ’13 The recent launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station marks a new era of spaceflight. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has retired the space shuttle program for the foreseeable future due to lack of funds, which leaves a void that is now being filled by companies from the private … Read More

The Unlucky 2013

by Alyssa Miller ’13 It all started with the “academies,” in which the Class of 2013 was required to sign up for courses based on a particular academic concentration. When the school realized the academies were unpopular and inconvenient, they were quickly made optional. Although that idea failed, the introduction of the academies began a pattern in which the same … Read More

An Inflation of Stress

by Ellen Kirkness ‘12 Most seniors who aspire to attend college have long since submitted five or six or fifteen applications to schools all over the nation. For most of these students, College Board is visited more often than Facebook and College Prowler has way more hits than Twitter. Checking how we stack up with scores from the schools we … Read More

iFeel Guilty

by Katie Mercogliano ‘14 It’s hard to deny that Apple has taken over the world over the past decade. Everywhere I go I see people browsing the hundreds of thousands of apps on their highly recognizable shiny, rectangular screens. But at what price are we willing to pay for the high-tech device? Last week, The New York Times published an … Read More

Ready for Same-Sex Marriage

by Isabel Paterson ‘12 Last year, a same-sex marriage bill narrowly passed the Maryland State Senate but fell short in the House of Delegates. On January 31, Governor Martin O’Malley again raised the topic of legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland. “The very reason for our state’s founding was for religious freedom. At the heart of religious freedom is respect for … Read More

#TooConnected

by Steffani Carrera ’14 Today, the average high school student has a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, or both. According to Pew Internet research, approximately 8.6 million Facebook users are teenagers ranging from 13 to 17 years old, and over half of them reported spending over 20 minute sessions when logged on. Since most teenagers check their account daily, that’s … Read More

Speed Cameras Trap Drivers

by Vicky Florian ‘14 Four cameras caught 97,000 drivers last year that were going at least 12 mph over the speed limit. For many, this number confirms the fact that the speed limits of Montgomery County streets are too low. Traffic engineers have found that drivers travel at the speed they feel most comfortable and safe, regardless of the actual … Read More

Republican Musical Chairs

by Alex Porter ‘13 For a while, Mitt Romney was the obvious Republican nominee for president. He still is. But every few days, it seems that the front-runner changes. Not too long ago it was Bachmann, then Perry, then Cain. As we realized that each was a genuine lunatic, a new survey showed another doing better in the polls, who … Read More