The Highlander - Issue 3 - December 2019

Volume 64 • Issue 3 • December 2019 • McLean High School • thehighlandernews.com • @MHSHighlander

A SCORCHED EARTH

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You Can’t Take It With You review Jessica Opsahl-Ong Following up on last issue’s play preview, our review of TheatreMcLean’s most recent production dives into the comedic love story of Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby.

McLean checks South Lakes to the bottom of the standings Ava Rotondo & Ben Brooks The McLean club hockey team earned a 5-2 win over South Lakes, their first regurlar season victory.

Gymnastics team tumbles into fourth place Laine Phillips & Saisha Dani The varsity gymnastics team competed against four schools in their first meet of the season. Check out this online article to read more about the team’s progress.

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Letter from the editors

Dear McLean, As natural disaster after natural disaster strike around the world and average temperatures continue to rise, adults and students alike have raised red flags and demanded change. Among those are many people in our community.

McLean students have participated in marches and walkouts, such as the national climate strike on Sept. 23, 2019, and Fairfax County has begun implementing environmentally friendly policies like a partial plastic straw ban. Still, there is much work to be done.

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New school board members elected Red hall bathroom closes due to vaping College Board is selling students’ information Good news from around the world Changes in ACT superscoring policy

This issue’s in-depth report, “A Scorched Earth,” offers a look into the effects of climate change and how the crisis is being combated nationally, locally and at McLean.

Yours truly, Nicholas Lohman, Ava Rotondo & Dasha Makarishcheva

Editorial policy:

The Highlander is a designated public forum in which students can express themselves, discuss issues and exchange ideas. School officials do not exercise prior review on this publication or its online counterpart, and student editors are in charge of all final content decisions.

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McLean’s service families Top 10 of the 2010s Faculty and students’ winter break plans How to start a club 10 Qs w/ Elisa Talmage Highlander of the Issue: David Bearden

Advertising policy: The Highlander sells ad space on each page of the magazine except on the front cover, opinions section and in-depth article. The staff reserves the right to reject any ads it deems libelous, obscene, disruptive or otherwise inappropriate.

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Please email it to thehighlanderstaff@gmail.com or bring it to room R133. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws concerning obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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Artist Spotlight: Grace Frazee McLean graduate on Thai acting show Hot chocolate review A look into the new Tysons Whole Foods Fun holidays Frozen II review

The Highlander newsmagazine Volume 64 | Issue 2 NOVEMber 2019

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22-27

McLean High School 1633 Davidson Road McLean, Virginia 22101 thehighlandernews.com | @MHSHighlander

Editors-in-Chief: Nicholas Lohman & Ava Rotondo Design/Website Editor-in-Chief: Dasha Makarishcheva Managing Editors: Ben Brooks, Dana Edson, Sebastian Jimenez, Jessica Opsahl-Ong, Rebeka Rafi & Jack Shields Copy Editors:

on the cover

22-27

News Editors:

Zach Anderson Addie Brown Emily Jackson Ally Liu

A Scorched Earth: The looming effects of climate change Photo illustration by Ava Rotondo

Addie Brown Cordelia Lawton Marina Qu

Features Editors:

Photographer: Cartoonists:

Jackson Clayton Arin Kang Dasha Makarishcheva Jayne Ogilvie-Russell

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Editorial: Too much work around break AirPods Pro distract students from school Crossfire: Are holiday rom-coms good?

OK boomer — not offensive

Maya Amman Emily Jackson Dua Mobin Katie Romhilt

Skye Sunderhauf

Digital Media Editors: Zach Anderson Erica Bass

Designers:

Taylor Olson Marina Qu

Advertising/Circulation Managers:

Social Media Manager: Erica Bass

Fall sports recap A history of McLean’s mascots Siblings on wrestling & basketball teams Athlete of the Issue: swimmer Ryan Sribar Finish Line: winter sports

‘17 Pacemaker Winner; ‘14, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19 ‘15, ‘19 Pacemaker Finalist; George H. Gallup Award; ‘15, ‘17, ‘18 All-American; ‘15 International ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘16 First Class; First Place Hall of Fame

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‘00, ‘18, ‘19 First Amendment Press Freedom Award

‘19 Crown Finalist; ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19 ‘17, ‘18 Silver Crown VHSL Trophy Class; Winner; ‘11, ‘12 First Place Winner; VHSL Savedge Award ‘15, ‘16 Gold Crown Winner ‘05, ‘07, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18 CSPA Gold Medalist

Noah Barnes Andy Chung Saisha Dani Ariana Elahi Emily Friedman Arnav Gupta Ana Paula Ibarraran Kaan Kocabal Athena Le Thomas Lohman Emily Mance Shruthi Manimaran

Opinions Editors: Erica Bass Heran Essayas Kyle Hawley

Rebeka Rafi Sydney Langston Assistant

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A&E Editors:

Michelle Cheng Elizabeth Humphreys Isaac Lamoreaux

Reporters:

Sports Editors: Josh Bass Rohan Mani Nicky Varela

Fact Checkers: Grace Gould Aleena Gul Mae Monaghan

Swetha Manimaran Victoria Mollmann Kara Murri Sam Naemi Cc Palumbo Benjamin Pham Laine Phillips Paarth Soni Skye Sunderhauf Lauren Thompson Lia Vincenzo Matthew Zarkani

Adviser: Lindsay B. Benedict

VALUING VOICES — Abrar Omeish speaks with an elderly man after a speech. Omeish values equity and making sure the voices of the community are heard. (Photo courtesy of Abrar Omeish)

jumping on board

Abrar Omeish elected to FCPS School Board DUA MOBIN FEATURES EDITOR ALEENA GUL ONLINE NEWS EDITOR

A

brar Omeish is one of eight new members elected to the school board.

She is the youngest school board member ever elected in Fairfax County and the first Muslim woman to hold such a position in Virginia. Her life experiences influenced her campaign platform.

“Being a minority in the U.S. is such a different experience and gives me a good perspective of wanting to advocate for everyone and wanting to uplift everyone,” Omeish said.

But, this transition did not come without some difficulties.

“Some people would slash my signs and carry them into the forest. Others would spread [rumors] about how I’m an extremist,” Omeish said.

Despite this backlash, Omeish received nearly 20% of the votes, earning her one of the three at-large school board member positions.

“We are a very diverse community and we really embrace that diversity. Having her on the school board is a very positive reflection [of the] community that we have here,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, said.

4 | NEWS | DECEMBER

Students are encouraged by the inclusivity that a diverse school board creates.

“I think that [Omeish] being elected demonstrates a more diverse and openminded shift in Fairfax County,” senior Sophie Howery said.

I THINK THAT [OMEISH] BEING ELECTED DEMONSTRATES A MORE DIVERSE AND OPEN-MINDED SHIFT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY.” - SOPHIE HOWERY SENIOR Omeish, along with all of the other members of the school board, is a Democrat, marking a significant shift in political ideology.

“There have been two Republicans and 10 Democrats, and now it’s going to be entirely single party controlled with 12 Democrats on the board. I think you will see a big shift,” former member-at-large Ryan McElveen said.

Omeish is a resident of Fairfax County and grew up attending its schools. Her ideas aim to improve students’ experiences, including support for their mental health.

“I talked about lowering the ratios of psychologists and counselors. I also want a lower ratio for parent liaison social workers.

These are all things that are in my [vision] for radical inclusion,” Omeish said.

She is focused on providing students a voice in matters that affect them, and her campaign included 13 high school students.

“It was a big part of our campaign to try to uplift everyone whose voices aren’t generally involved in politics,” Omeish said. “People who don’t feel represented and young people are such a key part of that.”

She hopes to continue including all people and providing an outlet for their opinions.

“Hopefully in January, I’ll be launching a town hall that I hope will be a primary source [of communication],” Omeish said.

“I hope that source will be for young people like students.”

Omeish is following through on the proposals she expressed in her campaign.

“Omeish ran a very effective campaign and delivered voters sensible and welloutlined solutions to county issues,” Howery said. “I think that was also a reason she did so well.”

Page design by Dua Mobin

Passing the baton Elected and resigning Fairfax County officials share their visions for the community

RYAN MCELVEEN

JOHN FOUST

Former Member-at-Large for the FCPS School Board

Dranesville District Supervisor

R

A

yan McElveen, also known by students as the man who blesses the county with news of snow days, has stepped down after serving FCPS for seven years.

Although he won’t be spending his evenings with the school board, he will maintain his primary occupation.

“I have a day job at the Brookings Institution in Washington, so I will continue doing that work,” McElveen said.

McElveen wants to keep working alongside students.

“I’m planning to start a global leadership program for students. I think that Fairfax County has a lot of student leadership programs, but we don’t have one that’s globally focused,” McElveen said.

As he steps down, McElveen sees a bright future for FCPS, which includes a reduced carbon footprint. “[The] school system has been much more of a leader in this area than the county has,” McElveen said. “We have already committed to have solar panels installed on three of our schools.”

fter serving on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 12 years, John Foust was reelected to his position.

“I have appreciated and been rewarded by the county reelecting me three times,” Foust said.

As Dranesville Supervisor, Foust hopes to transform McLean into a more pedestrian friendly area where there would be more ground-level retail for the community.

“One [plan] right now that could affect downtown McLean is modifying the comprehensive plan for the central business district community that has for years wanted to see some revitalization in downtown McLean,” Foust said.

One of Foust’s main priorities is the economy—the backbone of the county.

“The thing that is overriding is the budget because if we can get our economy going really well, then we have the revenues that we can support the schools and all the other programs and services that we are used to here in Fairfax County,” Foust said.

ELAINE THOLEN

JANE STRAUSS

Dranesville District Member Elect

School Board Member (Dranesville Representative)

A

fter teaching at various grade levels for three decades, Elaine Tholen was elected as the Fairfax County School Board’s Dranesville District representative.

“I worked in education and environment-related topics for almost 30 years,” Tholen said. “[Being a school board member] is a good opportunity for me to pull that all together in a different leadership role and see if I can make a difference.”

Tholen has a vision to improve the facilities that students and staff are working in.

“As we’re renovating, we need to make sure we’re being sustainable and as [environmentally] friendly as we can so that we deal with the climate change issues that we have,” Tholen said.

As Tholen works on these issues, she’s looking forward to spending more time with the people she met through her campaign.

“A huge percentage of the people I met are just so engaged and excited about making things better for students and for teachers and families,” Tholen said.

Reporting & page design by Dua Mobin, Aleena Gul & Maya Amman

S

tepping down after serving as the Dranesville District school board representative for 25 years, Jane Strauss recalls the memorable moments of her term.

“I have helped the schools go through three recessions, where we had to make huge cuts,” Strauss said. “I have tried to increase teacher salaries. We have seen huge growth in student population since I have started.”

Strauss sees the county as a place that nurtures diversity.

“Fairfax County has always been sort of a micro-world of the global community because of the international embassies or military [and] the growth of the STEM industry.

We are truly global,” Strauss said.

Strauss believes the role teachers play in fostering the county’s diverse community should be appreciated.

“Teaching is not a high paying job. It’s a passion. It’s a calling,” Strauss said. “I hope that the new school board coming in will understand that we need to support teachers.

We need to give them the tools that they need for professional development.”

DECEMBER | NEWS | 5

Nicotine Smoke & Bathroom Mirrors Red hall girls bathroom closes due to vaping incidents VICTORIA MOLLMANN & EMILY MANCE | REPORTERS

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aping is a huge issue at McLean, and many students vape in areas where they are less supervised and less likely to get caught. One of these areas is the red hall bathroom, where the administration noticed an increased frequency of vaping incidents, leading to its closure.

“If you were going to vape, where were you going to?” Principal Ellen Reilly said.

“The red hall bathroom.”

WE ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF CATCHING STUDENTS. WE WANT TO PREVENT STUDENTS FROM [VAPING].”

- NICHOLAS CORSI SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT ADVISOR To combat this issue, Reilly decided to close the girls bathroom during school hours, starting Oct. 29.

It was the only bathroom at McLean with a door, so staff members could not see if there was someone vaping without opening the door.

The red hall also has fewer classrooms compared to most other hallways at school and fewer teachers in the area who can see if anything is happening.

Vaping incidents have decreased overall.

During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 42 reports of vaping but only 25 reported incidents last school year, according to Systems of Support Advisor Nicholas Corsi. The bathroom’s closure indicates that the administration wants this trend to stay.

But this is an inconvenience for students who used the red hall bathroom every day.

“It’s annoying because so many people used that bathroom,” junior Mehr Sahgal said. “It was in such a convenient location, and no one would have to go out of their way to go to the bathroom.”

6 | NEWS | DECEMBER

With the overcrowding issue at McLean, having one less available bathroom also means that other bathrooms, especially the one in the blue hall, are more crowded.

Despite the disruption to some students, the closure of the red hallway bathroom has accomplished its goal.

“We are not in the business of catching students. We want to prevent students from [vaping],” Corsi said. “The way we prevent them from doing it is putting them in areas that are more supervised by the adults in the building.”

There were four reported vaping incidents before the bathroom was closed, and eight after. This suggests that students have had to vape in more supervised areas.

“In theory, our numbers might go up a little bit over the course of time, because students are going to test the boundaries and see what they can get away with,” Corsi said.

“After that initial period we are going to see that hopefully having more adults out in the hallways will prevent students from vaping in the bathrooms.”

The bathroom closure is a temporary solution, and the administration is working on building a partition for the red hall bathroom entrance, which will allow staff members to see inside, just as they are able to with the rest of the school’s bathrooms.

“Once we put that in, I’ll unlock it,” Reilly said. “But until that time, no. It was being abused.”

McLean’s reported vaping incidents *Data obtained from McLean administration

Out of 12 incidents as of Nov. 26, 2019

42

25

Reported incidents

Reported incidents

2017-2018

2018-2019

8

incidents

After red hall bathroom closure

4

2019-2020

Before red hall bathroom incidents closure

Infographic by Marina Qu | Page design by Victoria Mollmann

FOR SALE: YOUR INFORMATION

Colleges purchase student info to create false acceptance rates ELIZABETH HUMPHREYS A&E EDITOR

A

s college acceptance rates dwindle, applicants must perform better in order to meet incredibly high expectations. So why are hundreds of thousands of low-scoring students targeted with emails and brochures from the most prestigious universities?

Standardized tests are required by most schools. But if a student chooses to take the SAT, which is administered by the College Board, universities will likely have access to their test score, name, race, U.S. citizenship status, family income, disabilities, religion and family college history. That information is sold for 47 cents by the College Board, according to Insider magazine.

Universities buy this information to send low-scoring students promotions and persuade them to apply so they can ultimately get rejected, decreasing the school’s acceptance rate.

According to Insider, colleges are able to contact students who select the “opt-in” box for Student Search Service (SSS) when they register for the SAT. SSS serves as a means to connect students with information regarding financial and educational college opportunities.

“I don’t think it’s a problem, necessarily, that students can opt in to get information from colleges,” College and Career Specialist Laura Venos said. “I do think it is [a

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problem], though, if colleges are ‘recruiting’ students that wouldn’t necessarily get into their college.”

Colleges then make lists of students with different characteristics and scores and then categorize them for future contact.

COLLEGE BOARD SHOULD BE THERE SOLELY TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. THEY SHOULD NOT BE PROFITING OFF KIDS.” - MATTHEW YOON JUNIOR “Receiving information can help a lot of students, but I think there should be more transparency about why a college is reaching out to the student,” Venos said.

From a legal standpoint, students consent to receiving materials with the simple act of opting in, and College Board denies that it “sells” students’ data. Jaslee Carayol, a College Board spokesperson, told Insider that the data is “licensed,” which limits how universities can use it.

“A sale involves a complete transfer of ownership, wherein the buyer can use the transferred item or data as the buyer sees fit. The College Board does not do this. A license is not a transfer of ownership, but rather a right to use, under tightly controlled circumstances,” Carayol said.

Following their statements, College Board declined to specify how much data they license to universities.

Though colleges may view students’ information as only a statistic, the possibility for students to potentially give up their personal information unknowingly is present.

“To expect 15, 16 or 17-year-olds to know exactly what they’re agreeing to might be a little wrong. [Still], a student can say, ‘I do not want to receive any marketing materials,’ and nothing bad will happen to them,” Venos said. “I want to be really clear that students can opt out. It might be helpful [to get] information for a lot of students, but everyone should feel the power to opt out.”

Applying and attending college is a significant turning point in the lives of many students who wish to pursue their career.

“College is pivotal to one’s life. Increasing amounts of jobs require degrees, even when it’s not needed for the job,” junior Matthew Yoon said. “College Board should be there solely to provide students an opportunity for a higher education. They should not be profiting off kids.”

ACCEPTANCE RATE OF COLLEGES OVER TIME

Vanderbilt Columbia Yale Harvard

25% 20 15% 10 5% 02007

2017

Page design by Elizabeth Humphreys | Infographic by Taylor Olson

2018

2019 DECEMBER | NEWS | 7

Data obtained from Wall Street Journal & IvyWise KnowledgeBase

VIBE CHECK

A look at some of the good news in the world GRACE GOULD REPORTER|ARIANA ELAHI REPORTER ONE GIANT LEAP FOR WOMANKIND Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first-ever all female spacewalk on Oct. 18. Tasked with replacing a power controller, the women finished their walk in seven hours and 17 minutes. During their mission, they received a call from the president, who commended them for their historical moment. “[The space walk] is a really important step towards recognizing women in a typically male dominated occupation,” said sophomore Susan Shobeiri, an adviser for the Girls Leadership Committee.

Their walk brought NASA one step closer to achieving their goal of putting the first woman on the moon.

TEAM TREES FOR CHANGE Jimmy Donaldson, known on YouTube as Mr. Beast, set a goal to plant 20 million trees in celebration of hitting 20 million subscribers on his channel. The 21-year-old, who kicked off this project by planting 300 trees, has already gained 15 million participants as of Nov. 13. This figure comes with massive donations from the likes of Elon Musk as well as his fellow YouTubers.

“I really like his idea of making every tree equal to $1 because it isn’t a lot to donate,” said sophomore Emily Leonardi, Eco-action club member.

Donaldson said the trees will start being planted January of next year, with the ultimate goal that all 20 million be planted by the end of 2022.

FAST FACTS In the past 40 years, global access to safe water has increased to 91% Cancer deaths in the U.S. have dropped by 25% since 1991 U.S. renewable energy usage increased by 67% between 2000 and 2016 The global child poverty rate reached an all-time low, dropping to 15.6% Since 2000, 1.2 billion people have gained access to electricity *Facts obtained from WHO, TIME, CBPP, API & C2ES

ACTION FOR ANIMALS

PEOPLE FOR LESS PLASTIC

Animal lovers everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. Congress unanimously passed a bill making extreme animal cruelty a felony starting Nov. 25. The new law, known as the PACT Act, received overwhelming bipartisan support and was approved by President Donald Trump.

“It’s hard to get sweeping changes across the country,” AP Government teacher Karen McNamara said. “So when you have something put down at a federal level, it can make a more universal policy that applies to all animals.”

This law marks a great stride for animal rights activists who have been pushing for greater animal protection for years. Activists see it as the most comprehensive animal protection law at the federal level.

Each year, Americans consume 100 billion plastic bags, but thanks to new legislation, this may change soon. This year, Maine and Vermont placed a ban on single-use plastic bags, which will be effective in 2020. This comes as 400 U.S. cities and counting have banned plastic bags, according to Vox. “If we as humans don’t do something about the toxic plastic waste, our environment will cease to preserve itself as we know it,” Leonardi said.

Efforts to reduce plastic waste have been popularized recently as the public has become more aware of the effects of climate change.

These bans give hope to environmental activists for potential nationwide legislation on single-use plastic.

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Page design by Ariana Elahi

STRESS LESS, STUDY MORE

ACT changes policy to allow individual section retesting HERAN ESSAYAS OPINIONS EDITOR

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ollege-readiness standardized testing brings immense stress to students every year. Students must go through timeconsuming preparation for tests that may determine college acceptances. To help minimize this overwhelming stress, ACT testing policies have changed to allow individual section retesting and superscoring.

In an intense competition to get accepted to colleges, students feel obligated to get the best score they can by retaking these tests as many times as needed.

Starting on the September 2020 test, students will be allowed to retake individual sections of the ACT, rather than completing 36 35

BENCHMARK SCORES BY SECTION

30 25 20 15 10

18

22

22

23

5 0

100 80

English Math Reading Science

PERCENTAGES OF STUDENTS WHO MEET BENCHMARK SCORES BY SECTION

60 40 20 0

59%

45%

39%

36%

English Math Reading Science

Statistics from the 2019 ACT annual report

the whole test. Students are allowed to retake up to three of the four sections in one sitting, and section retesting will take place in the same locations on the same dates as the fulllength test, which is offered seven times a year.

There is no advantage for students who choose to retake sections, as those sections will be identical to the length and difficulty of those on the full test. Students who go this route can retake the sections as many times as they want.

The American College Testing Program, who administers the ACT, decided to make this change to allow students to improve on certain sections with weaker scores. Rather than using their time studying for all sections, students will be able to allocate their time to concepts they struggle with.

“This change will benefit students who are really satisfied with one or more of their ACT section scores but not all,” College and Career Center Specialist Laura Venos said.

“It’s nice that if they decide to take the ACT again, they don’t have to take the entire test if they are only focusing on certain sections.”

The idea behind section retesting is to have students demonstrate their strengths to potential colleges.

“I would have done that [if I was given the opportunity],” said senior Miranda Ma, who decided to take the SAT after being unhappy with the ACT. “It was mainly the science section that was dragging me down, so if I could specifically prep for a certain section, that would have been helpful.”

Some students do not think that section retesting will be beneficial to them.

“I feel like I get a better score when I’m more rushed and more stressed. Just taking one section is just too relaxed for me,” said junior Jennifer Ha, who took the ACT in September.

Superscoring, where the best score is taken from each section, allows students to not be restricted to their results from one testing day. Once students take the ACT two or more times, ACT will superscore students’ scores to create the best overall score.

At first, ACT did not support the idea

Infographic by Taylor Olson | Page design by Heran Essayas

of superscoring overall scores because they believed students’ composite scores would be higher than their level of understanding.

However, upon research, ACT determined that superscoring provides colleges with a more accurate representation of a student’s college readiness.

“It’s unfair for people like me who have already gone through it, since it just changed,” Ma said. “There’s nothing we can do because we just went through the process.

I started [preparing] at an early time, so I didn’t get the benefits of it.”

IT’S NICE THAT IF THEY DECIDE TO TAKE THE ACT AGAIN, THEY DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THE ENTIRE TEST IF THEY ARE ONLY FOCUSING ON CERTAIN SECTIONS.” - LAURA VENOS COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER SPECIALIST According to ACT, the number of students that did not meet any of the benchmark scores had been increasing over the years, and 36% of students did not meet any of the four benchmarks.

Thanks to the recent modifications, students will be able to improve their scores to meet those minimum benchmark scores.

Venos cautions that students should not use this change as a way of increasing their stress about college-readiness tests. Though it may be disappointing not to receive an ideal score, the goal is that these changes will reduce students’ stress about the ACT rather than increase it.

“Students may feel the need to sit for the ACT over and over again, feeling the pressure to be perfect in all areas,” Venos said. “We hope they don’t do this.”

DECEMBER | NEWS | 9

NOT NOTHOME NOT HOME HOME FOR FOR FORTHE THE THE HOLIDAYS HOLIDAYS HOLIDAYS

MAMA’S GIRL — Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz holds her daughter Sofia at her day care in El Salvador, one of the four foreign countries Jenifer has been deployed to as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. They lived there for two years. (Photo courtesy of Sofia Ortiz)

Ortiz family adapts to year apart from Mom

ADDIE BROWN COPY & NEWS EDITOR

F

or many families, holiday festivities start the day after Thanksgiving and for some, even before. Festive music plays on radio stations and lights sparkle throughout the neighborhood. The holiday season is a time when friends and family come together to celebrate, but for some families, this time can’t be spent together due to a family member’s deployment abroad.

The Ortiz family—senior Sofia, freshman Lola and 10-year-old Nico—have lived in a single-parent home for the past two months while their mother, Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, is deployed.

Jenifer is currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq, and will be working there for a year. As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. State Department, she has been deployed six times to four foreign countries.

Though Jenifer has been on assignments in the past, this is the first time she was not able to bring her family along with her because of the danger of the area she was traveling to. Besides being across the world from her family, Jenifer has had significant changes to her daily life.

“I live on a compound, and I cannot leave the compound without protective gear and a helmet, an armored motorcade and at least

10 | FEATURES | DECEMBER

eight military-style bodyguards,” Jenifer said.

“When I leave Iraq, I depart the compound by helicopter and then by military air into Jordan. We are regularly fired upon with missiles by foreign countries operating in Iraq, so it is fairly common to have sirens go off in the middle of the night announcing that you need to duck and take cover.”

Sisters Sofia and Lola have undergone shifts in their lives as well, taking on more responsibility at home.

“With my mom gone, my sister [Sofia] has to step up a lot more, and she has to help out with managing me and my brother’s practice schedules and fill in where my mom would normally help out,” Lola said.

Sofia, being the oldest and having a driver’s license, has had to take on the most responsibility out of the three siblings during this time. With this comes the sacrifice of missing out on some of the events she would like to attend during her last year at McLean.

“I’ve had to skip out on a lot of activities to help them with stuff,” Sofia said. “I’ve had to take on a lot with the buying groceries and driving my sister to her games and my brother to his games. Anything before 6 p.m. is my duty.”

Even with the eight-hour time difference, the separated family makes time to call each other every day.

“I feel the best when my kids and husband

act normally with me. For example, I like when my daughter puts me on FaceTime and then partially ignores me while she does homework or does something else, or when my son wants me to attend his concert via FaceTime, even though it is at 2 a.m. here,” Jenifer said. “I like that, because it makes me feel like I am still part of the daily equation.”

Even with daily communication, the family’s relationship has changed because of the distance between them.

“It’s a lot softer, just because we don’t really talk a lot about the hard stuff and because I feel bad because she can’t do anything,” Sofia said. “I mean, she’s obviously upset about it, we’re all upset about it, but whenever we talk, it is a good talk.”

The Ortiz family usually spends the holidays at home, hosting their friends and family. This winter break, they are meeting in Germany, a halfway point between McLean and Baghdad.

Jenifer and her husband, also a diplomat, have worked hard to ensure the family can move together for their coming assignment abroad.

“Next year we [are moving] to Guatemala, where both I and my husband will have jobs, the kids have good schools, and we will be relatively close to Sofia during her first year in college,” Jenifer said.

Baghdad, Iraq

OCEANS AWAY History teacher’s wife serves in Navy

SMILING IN UNIFORM — Anthony and Angela Puzan pose for a selfie showcasing Angela’s uniform. She has served in the U.S. Navy for nine years. (Photo courtesy of Anthony Puzan) DANA EDSON MANAGING EDITOR

A

lternating between land and water, social studies teacher Anthony Puzan and his wife, Angela Puzan, are constantly adapting to her dynamic life as an ensign in the U.S. Navy.

The pair have spent the majority of their relationship apart or moving to accommodate Angela’s job.

Angela joined the Navy in 2010, shortly after graduating college, and she recently became an officer. The Navy offers a multitude of jobs that allow Angela to remain on land, but this is not always possible.

“So the Navy works in a few different ways,” Anthony said. “As far as I understand, we spend time together on land, and there’s other times where she’s attached to a ship.

The time she’s been attached to a ship, it’s been a very different kind of hectic schedule.”

While deployed at sea, Angela spends the majority of her time around the Middle East.

Between the time difference and her tightly controlled schedule, finding time for each other can be difficult.

“Life [deployed] is very regulated, and schedule based, but you have to be ready for that to change at any moment,” Angela said. “While on deployment, most of the

time the only way you can communicate in any regular manner is email. Phone calls are typically made only in port. But there are even times when we can’t even email—for days and weeks at a time.”

Currently, Angela is continuing her onland assignment in Virginia Beach while her Anthony is living in McLean. As a teacher, he has had to make sacrifices in his career in consideration of Angela’s work, which has unfortunately led to the end of his time teaching at McLean High School, starting Dec. 20.

“It’s very sad,” Anthony said. “My students and faculty are not happy about it.

But we definitely had a discussion about their opportunities as well. I can share what I’ve learned here at McLean with other students.

It’s a nice happy ending to it.”

During their time apart, Anthony has to make everyday changes to his life to accommodate for Angela’s absence.

“It may seem simple but keeping the house clean and cooking,” Anthony said.

“You have to edit your schedule. There are different daily cycles that I definitely have to adjust to make sure that I am still working.”

Angela has also made changes to her life, mainly regarding social aspects.

“I have missed a number of holidays with my family and I have missed several

Graphics by Dasha Makarishcheva | Page design by Addie Brown & Dana Edson

weddings with my husband and our friends,” Angela said. “I was even deployed over one of my best friend’s wedding.”

To both, the most significant challenge is being separated from each other, especially during tough times.

“One of the most difficult things for me is when Anthony has a difficult day and the only way he can communicate with me is over email,” Angela said. “The only comfort I can be is through a dry response over email telling him I’m sorry, and he can only do the same for me.”

For Angela, although the distance is hard, it has only brought the couple closer.

“The physical distance becomes an emotional distance over time,” Angela said.

“Family is the one constant you can always count on being there for you, even if they are too far away and you can’t communicate. My relationships haven’t really changed—they’ve just gotten stronger.”

The two are taking each move and deployment one step at a time, and they are optimistic about their future together.

“She’s understanding that us as a family is going to be something a little bit different, and different isn’t wrong,” Anthony said. “It’s just different. We’ve had to come to those terms, accept them and make our own life of things.”

DECEMBER | FEATURES | 11

2010 AND BACK AGAIN A reflective journey through the past decade

ROHAN MANI SPORTS EDITOR | ALLY LIU COPY EDITOR | SAM NAEMI REPORTER 2010: INSTAGRAM IS CREATED Almost a decade ago, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded Instagram. After gaining millions of users, it was sold to Facebook in 2012.

2012: THE WORLD “ENDS” The end of the Mayan calender had the world on watch for the apocalyptic end of Earth.

2010

2010: JUSTIN BIEBER RELEASES “BABY” 2011: GAME OF THRONES PILOT EPISODE

The Battle for Westeros, a fantastical conflict which is the premise of the show, quickly became a global phenomenon at the time of its release. In its last season, the show was bringing in over 10 million viewers per episode.

2012

2012: “GANGNAM STYLE” GOES VIRAL

2012: iCARLY & WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE END

2012: THE AVENGERS IS RELEASED 2013: FROZEN WARMS OUR HEARTS “Frozen was one of those movies that when I went to first go see it, I really didn’t know what it was about,” science teacher Jeff Brocketti said. “I enjoyed it way more than I thought I was going to, and we have our tickets for Frozen II.”

Photo obtained via Creative Commons

2014

2014: ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

2015: HAMILTON TRANSFORMS THEATER Heralded as one of the most popular and revolutionizing musicals of all time, Hamilton took the world by storm in 2015. It defied racial and musical expectations for theater, including both race-blind casting and hiphop rap songs.

2016: POKÉMON GO TAKES OVER

TAKING THE PLUNGE — McLean High School students and staff pour buckets of ice water over their heads. They challenged Langley, Marshall and Madison High Schools to do the same. (Photo courtesy of WMHS News)

2016

2017: FIDGET SPINNERS RELIEVE OUR STRESS

2017: THE DEMISE OF VINE

2017: “DESPACITO” EXPLODES This catchy song had a meteoric rise around the globe, giving audiences an introduction to the Latin music scene. The music video has amassed over 35 million likes and sits as the most viewed Youtube video of all time with over 6.5 billion views.

2019: MCLEAN BEATS LANGLEY

“I feel like Fortnite had a huge impact on our decade

and gaming in general,” senior Ethan Bacica said.

“Obviously, it was huge. Everyone at school, including myself, was playing it.”

2018

“The game was really exciting to be a part of because it ended the best season we’ve had in a while,” senior offensive lineman Owen Ossman said.

“Beating Langley capped it off perfectly.”

FOR THE WIN — The football team celebrates its victory over rival Langley in the final game of the year. This win marked McLean’s first against the school in eight years. (Photo by Ava Rotondo) 12 | FEATURES | DECEMBER

2017: FORTNITE BLOWS UP

2018: WASHINGTON CAPITALS WIN

The Washington Capitals pulled off an improbable playoff run, signifying one of the biggest sports stories in D.C. this decade. This was the first championship for the D.C. region in 28 years, 2019: NATIONALS WIN WORLD SERIES

2019: ENDGAME ENDS THE AVENGERS FRANCHISE SCAN THIS CODE FOR in Seven years after our introduction to the Avengers A VIDEO WHAT 2012, this cinematic blockbuster eventOF concluded a HIGHLANDERS story arc that lasted over 21OTHER movies.

The film quickly ARE became THANKFULthe FOR! shattered box office records and highest grossing movie of all time.

Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva

WINTER ESCAPES

McLean teachers and students make plans for winter break ARNAV GUPTA REPORTER | KAAN KOCABAL REPORTER

BILLY THOMAS

PHYSICS TEACHER What’s your winter break plan?

I am planning to go to the Philippines for pretty much the entire winter break.

Will you spend time with family or friends?

Yes, I am going with my wife and her parents.

Will you be doing anything fun?

I plan on sitting on the beach on Christmas Day, and then I plan on going to Manila, which is the largest city in the Philippines, for New Year’s.

ROSALIE CLEMENTS

ENGLISH TEACHER What’s your winter break plan?

At the start of winter break, my best friend is getting married, and I’m a bridesmaid. We have the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.

Will you spend time with family or friends?

All my friends are going to be at the wedding, then I’m going back to Pittsburgh to celebrate Christmas with my family.

Will you be doing anything fun?

I will be in Atlantic City for New Year’s Eve.

HANNAH PARKER

ABDULLAH BIN-MANSOUR

Will you spend time with family or friends?

Yes, I am going with my parents, siblings and cousins.

Will you spend time with family or friends?

Yes, I am going with my dad, my mom and my sister.

Will you be doing anything fun?

We are planning on going out on the boat, swimming with dolphins and hanging out by the beach.

Will you be doing anything fun?

I will probably have dinner and hang out with my family in the city.

SOPHOMORE What’s your winter break plan?

I am planning on going to Mexico over winter break.

JUNIOR What’s your winter break plan?

I will be going to Las Vegas for a week.

Graphics by Dasha Makarishcheva & Taylor Olson Photos & page design by Kaan Kocabal & Arnav Gupta

STEVEN WALKER

MATH TEACHER What’s your winter break plan?

The plan is to go to Bethany Beach. We have a beach house up there and just hang out.

Will you spend time with family or friends?

My wife and her parents are probably going to come, maybe some brothers and sisters-in-law.

Will you be doing anything fun?

We usually do fireworks at the beach for New Year’s, set up on the beach if it’s not too cold.

REYNA HERSHBERG

SENIOR What’s your winter break plan?

I am going to Barcelona, Spain.

Will you spend time with family or friends?

Yes, I am going with my brother, my mom and my dad.

Will you be doing anything fun?

I am not going to be in Spain for Christmas—I am going to my grandparents’ house for that— but Barcelona decorates their city really crazy for Christmas.

DECEMBER | FEATURES | 13

HOW TO START A CLUB ADDIE BROWN COPY & NEWS EDITOR JACK SHIELDS MANAGING EDITOR

S

tarting a club isn’t quite as simple as it seems.

Even though McLean offers an abundance of clubs, many proposals for new clubs are denied each year.

Relay for Life is one club that was brought back to McLean earlier this school year.

“The club was already nationally established by the American Cancer Society,” said senior Christian Antezana, Relay for Life club president.

“But I brought the club to the school to grow its popularity and get more hands aiding in the fight against cancer.”

The Relay for Life club followed all necessary directions and rules. But recently, other proposals have been denied because they don’t adhere to county regulations.

Spikeball is a relatively new sport that is growing in popularity at McLean. Multiple students have

Fill out the “Registration for an Extracurricular School Activity” form

attempted to start a Spikeball club unsuccessfully.

“You can’t start an athletic club,” Director of Student Activities Greg Miller said. “Most clubs that are denied [are denied] because there is already a club like it or it is already an activity.”

Clubs that are denied are not reflective of the school’s decision but Fairfax County’s.

“We don’t approve clubs at the school level— you fill out the paperwork, and we send it to the county,” Miller said.

In light of the club proposals that have been rejected this year, The Highlander has outlined the steps to form a new club.

It is actually relatively easy to start a club by following all of the county’s guidelines.

“Thanks to the wonderful staff at McLean, the process was seamless,” Antezana said. “All in all, it did not take longer than a week.”

Find all forms here:

Fill out the “Student Interest” form

Clubs must create their own constitution. A sample constitution is available, but clubs must write one tailored to their specific needs.

14| 14 | FEATURES | DECEMBER

If you have any additional questions, contact Assistant Director of Student Activities Jeremy Hays jlhays@fcps.edu

Page design by Addie Brown

10 Qs with Elisa Talmage (Counselor)

Reporting by Maya Amman Photos by Isaac Lamoreaux & courtesy of Elisa Talmage Page design by Highlander staff

1

What activities do you do outside of school?

2

What would your profession be if you weren’t a counselor?

I’m in an a capella group, so I sing outside of school. It’s the main thing that takes up my extra time, especially around Christmas—we do a bunch of holiday gigs.

I think if I could do anything, and it didn’t require other schooling, especially because I hate science classes, I would be a dolphin trainer. But I don’t want to have to do the classes.

3 4 5 6 7

Describe the perfect Christmas morning.

The perfect Christmas morning is waking up late, eating cinnamon rolls and having a big brunch. Then, throughout the rest of the day, just hanging out in pajamas.

What is your favorite holiday movie?

Gosh, I love so many holiday movies... I think the movie that I have to watch every year is Elf. What Christmas song do you love to sing most?

Shockingly, I kind of hated the song “Feliz Navidad.”

Normally, I think it’s really annoying. It’s just the same thing over and over again, but the arrangement that we sing is really fun, and I enjoy it.

What are your winter break plans?

I’m going to go visit family.

I’m going to write college rec letters that are due in January, and I’m going to watch Netflix.

What’s your favorite holiday recipe?

A recipe for a pumpkin roll, which is like a Swiss roll, but with a pumpkin spice flavor.

8 9

What is one thing you wouldn’t leave your house without?

I always need headphones.

I forgot them today, and it was not a fun.

What is your New Year’s resolution?

I do have a really cliché, boring New Year’s resolution, which is just to work out consistently. So, I finally found a gym that I like, and my resolution for 2020 is to work out at least four times per week.

10

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My aunt used to buy us costumes that were somewhat Christmas-related.

This particular year, she got us all penguins. One year, it was all elves and, one year, we were all Christmas trees.

DECEMBER | FEATURES | 15

HIGHLANDER OF THE ISSUE

OFF THE CHARTS

Junior David Bearden excels in the stock market and beyond BEN BROOKS MANAGING EDITOR & REBEKA RAFI MANAGING EDITOR & AD MANAGER As Bearden has become more involved to college or if in the future I need to access 40,000. That’s how much junior David Bearden makes in a year. in the stock market, he has learned the some money for some financial crisis, then it’ll be available to me.”

Most students come home and scroll importance of money and how to save it.

His parents try to reinforce the message through their phones to relax, but Bearden is that saving money can go a long way. busy checking his stocks and making trades.

“My husband and I both have been trying His interest in stocks originated when YOU HAVE TO to tell our kids the importance of saving he participated in a stock market game in UNDERSTAND YOU’RE since a young age, because even if you save a middle school. penny a day, in the long run, it makes a big “We started with a set amount of money, DEALING WITH difference,” Bearden’s mom Adriana Bearden usually about $20,000, and we selected some REAL MONEY AND said. stocks to buy and hold them for a certain ACTUALLY LOSING Being involved in the stock market period of time,” Bearden said. “I saw how MONEY THAT YOU involves real monetary gains and losses, much $20,000 can make and over time I WORKED FOR.” so Bearden has to approach it with a lot of thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is interesting.’” maturity and strategy.

Bearden gained insight and support from - DAVID BEARDEN “You have to overcome the psychological his dad regarding entering the stock trade.

JUNIOR aspect of it. You have to understand you’re “My dad was a big influence, because he dealing with real money and actually losing has a master’s in financing, so he taught me “I’m putting it off into a savings account, money that you worked for,” Bearden said. a lot about stocks and gave me some insight into it,” Bearden said. “I decided to open up just so in the future I have something to “So [stock trading] just helps you plan and access,” Bearden said. “Especially when I go observe things analytically.” my own account under him.”

$

16 | FEATURES | DECEMBER

Photos by Ben Brooks | Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva

On top of investing, Bearden has found other unique ways to pass his time. One way he has done this was by getting involved with a program called NaGisa, which analyzes biodiversity of coastal regions.

Bearden went to Europe over the summer to further his knowledge of marine biology. “[NaGisa is] a marine census group, which we do biannually, and what we do is we’ll take different sand samples at different depths of the ocean—in this case, it was a Rocky Beach in Plymouth Bay,” Bearden said.

Despite having numerous talents, Bearden’s mom believes his greatest skill is his versatility in different environments, especially living in a military family. Moving around the world has not prevented him from interacting with his community, especially through Boy Scouts.

“I’m Life Scout, which is one rank below Eagle Scout, which is what everybody strives for,” Bearden said. “It’s just a good organization that allows you to focus on a lot of leadership skills, adventuring, interacting with other boys and just furthering your knowledge of the outside world.”

In school, Bearden has taken on an extremely difficult schedule, with a full load of AP classes. He also decided to take Accelerated International Course

MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL OUR KIDS THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING SINCE A YOUNG AGE, BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU SAVE A PENNY A DAY, IN THE LONG RUN, IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.” - ADRIANA BEARDEN DAVID BEARDEN’S MOTHER Examination Semester (ACES) classes on top of his already rigorous workload. “[ACES classes] prioritize critical thinking skills over rote memorization. [In] AP, they have multiple-choice questions. ACES has none of that—it’s all written response. You actually have to think about it, and you’re for yourself. They give you no insight as to what the possible answers might be,” Bearden said.

“ACES is more reflective of your character and your ability to think outside the box.”

Another way Bearden has highlighted his academic abilities is through standardized testing. He first took the SAT when he was in eighth grade and scored highly.

“I took it for fun because I thought it was interesting. Plus, when I was in eighth grade,

PIANO PRODIGY — Junior David Bearden plays “Jägerlied op. 19b-3,” one of the songs he routinely performs. Bearden attended two competitions in Florida and received the highest honor at both.

I was already taking precalculus at [the] high school,” Bearden said. “I had the math knowledge already, and English and reading was just stuff that you assimilate over the years. I think I got around a 1500.”

Bearden has put his academic talent to good use by joining Mensa, a society exclusively for individuals with a high IQ. Members have to prove their IQ is in the 98th percentile.

“It’s a good place to actually interact with people,” Bearden said. “Whether you’re a kid or an old person, everyone has something to offer. It’s a great way to cultivate yourself and become a more open-minded person and understand different viewpoints of all these different people.”

Bearden feels that being a part of Mensa has given him the opportunity to meet new individuals in a space that encourages them to be themselves.

“It offers me an environment to actually interact with people who want to do something more,” Bearden said. “They’re kind of bored with the standard and status quo, and they want to find some way to open themselves up and interact with other people.”

Bearden’s parents are incredibly proud of his achievements and note that his hard work contributes to success.

“David is a well-rounded kid, you know—he doesn’t have an extraterrestrial ability,” Adriana Bearden said.

Bearden finds the environment at McLean well-suited for him, and he is adjusting well to life at MHS. “McLean is quite open-minded and provides a lot of academic opportunities and opportunities in general, especially [with the] extracurriculars here,” Bearden said. “It’s a good environment for anybody to take their interests and expand upon them to pursue their passions.”

DECEMBER | FEATURES | 17

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

AMAZING

GRACE Senior Grace Frazee’s art tackles important issues JESSICA OPSAHL-ONG MANAGING EDITOR

G

race Frazee always gets ideas at the worst times. When she’s trying to do her homework, go to sleep or listen to her therapist, she’ll get artistic inspiration for another piece and have to write it down.

“I’m trying to go to sleep, and it usually takes me a long time to go to sleep, and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, oh, I just got an idea for an artistic piece,’” Frazee said. “So I’ll get up and go on my phone and write it in my notes.”

Her ideas have evolved throughout the years.

“I used to just draw a bunch of girls all the time… And then I think in middle school, I kind of went through like an I’m-sadcause-I’m-now-a-middle-schooler phase, you know? The thing everyone goes through,” Frazee said. “And I was like, ‘I’m gonna draw sad art,’ and now I look at that art and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna throw this in the garbage’ because it’s very edgy.”

Now, her pieces deal with illness and mental health, issues that are very important to Frazee. Currently, she’s working on a collection of drawings of girls crying into jars that they are handing away.

“This piece is about how people around you can only take so much of the sadness that you have within you… And so you can only put this small amount of your sadness to give away in a jar to them,” Frazee said.

Frazee also focuses on physical health, as she struggles with a severe form of a chronic

18 | A&E | DECEMBER

SHARP AS A KNIFE — Grace Frazee works on her most recent art piece during class. She is using an exacto knife to cut out lines where she will later place red string. (Photo by Jessica Opsahl-Ong)

illness called ulcerative colitis.

“I can’t get my inflammation under control, and I haven’t been able to for like a whole year, which is really bad for your system,” Frazee said. “So...art helps me process a little bit, you know?”

Frazee’s struggles with mental and physical illness have given her a different perspective that guides her art in a unique way.

ART IS VERY GOOD AT WORKING THROUGH AND UNDERSTANDING HOW YOUR MIND WORKS.” - GRACE FRAZEE SENIOR “I think that Grace has something to say... which is pretty unusual for people our age,” said senior Liza Alieva, Frazee’s friend. “She is already going through a lot and she knows how to deal with it.”

Art has always been an important outlet for Frazee to cope with these issues. “[Art] is very reliable and for every mental thing or anything that anyone’s going through—it doesn’t even have to be a mental illness—you need coping mechanisms to

deal with the stuff that you have in your life,” Frazee said. “And art is a very good one.”

Frazee sees an opportunity for art to play a similar role in other people’s lives as well.

“I want to become an art therapist. I think that art is very good at working through and understanding how your mind works and what mental things are going on,” Frazee said.

Despite the fact that art has always been a part of Frazee’s life, she hadn’t seriously considered a career in art until recently.

“I always doubted because I always heard from society and the world that no one cares about art; people care about STEM fields, like math and science,” Frazee said.

But her mom helped her see the more practical side of art.

“I think it’s a great career. I think art can be applied to many different settings. I’ve often told her repeatedly that, you know, anywhere you look, people want things to be beautiful, and she has the opportunity to do that in a lot of different ways,” Frazee’s mom Kristin Battista-Frazee said.

Along with pursuing a career in art therapy, Frazee will continue working on refining her own skills.

“You’re never going to stop improving,” Frazee said. “There’s always more for you to learn in art and always more for you to get better at because...not even cameras can capture what the human eye can capture.”

Page design by Jessica Opsahl-Ong

TANGLED AND UNTANGLED

MEDICATED

“This one is a piece because I have a chronic illness, a physical one actually called ulcerative colitis. It’s an intestinal disease, so [for] my intestines, I [am] going to have a red string and it is going to be all tangled and stuff like that. We watched this video about a person talking about tangling and untangling their life, and so I thought about where the tangles were in my life, and I was thinking about my intestines and how the feeling of going through the disease kind of hurts. My intestines are all tied around.”

“The thought process behind this was I’d been on a lot of different medications for my ulcerative colitis, and I just really didn’t like it. It was really wearing on my mental health. The medications I was taking were supposed to make me feel better, but they ended up, with all their side effects, making me feel kind of worse.

Specifically, this [piece] is about a certain medication called Prednisone, which is an awful whole-body, anti-inflammatory medication. And if you’re on it for too long, you get a whole bunch of not fun side effects—you can’t sleep through the night, your appetite is really increased, your face swells up and you get a bunch of acne.”

THE HUMMINGBIRDS “This one’s kind of about thoughts, like anxious thoughts, because...I have some mental illness, which is fine and normal.

But sitting in bed and thinking about anxious things and having anxious thoughts fly around me, [got me] thinking about hummingbirds. They’re so small, but they’re still there, and people tend to direct all their attention to them when they come.

[What gave me inspiration was when] I was sitting at my dinner table with my parents...and we were talking about stuff that was hard to talk about. And I was like, ‘I’m gonna cry at the dinner table now.’ And my dad, whenever this was happening, he would be like, ‘Oh, there’s a hummingbird outside.’ And I would be like, ‘Awesome! I’m going to go upstairs now.’ Yeah. So I just kind of connected it like that: the hummingbirds [represent the thoughts] that are kind of all around me and overwhelming.”

Art by Grace Frazee

DECEMBER | A&E | 19

NEXT O NE: KRI S DAV I S 2019 GRADUATE KRIS DAVIS COMPETES ON ELIMINATION ACTING SHOW IN THAILAND ZACH ANDERSON COPY EDITOR EMILY JACKSON COPY & FEATURES EDITOR 20 | A&E | DECEMBER

LIKE A KRIS OUT OF WATER — McLean Class of 2019’s Kris Davis points to his headshot on The Next One’s website.

The show started with 20 people and will be cut down to the final eight. (Photo courtesy of Kris Davis)

W

hile Kris Davis could be spotted roaming the hallways of McLean last year, this year he can be seen on Channel “One 31,” a television station in Thailand.

Davis was born in Thailand and moved to the U.S. when he was 2.

After graduating from McLean, his life followed an unexpected path.

“I moved to Thailand around August, so two months after graduation. I actually came back to Thailand with the intention of learning to read and write Thai at a deeper level,” Davis said. “It was supposed to be like a gap semester, but things have changed.”

On Sept. 14, Davis walked into an audition, and suddenly his plan for a gap year went down the drain.

“I was [waiting for] seven hours until it was my cue to go on stage. I was number 2053,” Davis said. “The judges were interested in me, so I showed them my dance skills.”

The show Davis auditioned for, The Next One, is a project by Channel “One 31” to discover actors. The Next One airs every Sunday for three months, meaning there will be 12 total episodes, with the final eight contestants being announced in the middle of January 2020.

“Under the program, we take acting classes with the goal of acting in a real series, which is given to the final eight [contestants],” Davis said.

To avoid elimination, Davis uses skills from multiple aspects of his life.

“My personality and my talents with dance led me to want to try to pursue this career,” Davis said. “Ever since I started dancing and getting better, I gained more confidence in myself and [started] to try new things.”

Davis’s time at McLean helped him develop the abilities needed to win.

“Freshman year at McLean, for example, I was in the school musical for Cinderella, where I was part of the ensemble for ballroom dancing,” Davis said. “I love trying new things and when I do something I want to do the best I can, even if I do not have any experience with it. I also love being busy all the time, and this kind of work keeps me stimulated and learning all the time.”

Davis has found some benefits he didn’t consider when joining the show.

“Being on the show definitely introduced me to many friends. Since I did not go to school here in Thailand, I [didn’t] really have Thai friends around my age,” Davis said. “So The Next One helped me get to know people.”

Despite the distance, those who know Davis from his time here want him to succeed.

“I think that this is such a great opportunity for Kris,” said senior Miranda Ma, Davis’s former teammate on the McLean dance team.

Ma isn’t the only person who has faith in Davis, though.

“It is a great chance to see him grow and succeed in his dream career,” said Pran Kittivorapat, a former Thai exchange student at McLean.

As the show narrows down its 20 contestants, Davis hopes to take advantage of this situation and prove to Thailand, himself and his American counterparts that he has what it takes to survive as an actor in this challenging career path.

“He has a natural-born gift for performing,” Ma said. “I’m so excited for what the future holds for him.”

Page design by Isaac Lamoreaux

PRICE: $3.13 CHOCOLATE LEVEL: 3/5 CREAMINESS: 2/5 OVERALL: 3/5

Q

STARBUCKS

uick, cheap and piping hot, Starbucks’ hot chocolate is all about efficiency—but sometimes at the cost of quality. The first thing we noticed when we took off the lid was the minimal spiral of whipped cream, which did not exactly inspire the holiday spirit. Upon tasting it, the drink itself was simplistic in flavor and texture—watery and a bit grainy, but most definitely chocolate-y.

It tasted like a slightly elevated Swiss Miss hot chocolate. This beverage left an uncomfortable film over our teeth and an unfavorable aftertaste. In conclusion, it was most definitely not our cup of tea, er, hot chocolate.

B

PANERA BREAD

y far, Panera has the most “worth it” hot chocolate in the McLean area. It came with everything: heaping, velvety whipped cream, luscious cocoa marshmallows filled with mini chocolate chips and a mouthwatering sea salt caramel drizzle to top it off. Not only do these toppings bring the Panera cocoa to the next level, but the hot chocolate itself is to die for. Smooth, creamy, well-rounded and flavorful, this hot cocoa is near perfect. More like a dessert than a beverage, Panera’s hot chocolate is just divine.

PRICE: $3.95 CHOCOLATE LEVEL: 5/5 CREAMINESS: 4/5 OVERALL: 4.5/5

LOCO FOR COCOa

Hot chocolate hotspots around McLean KARA MURRI & LIA VINCENZO REPORTERS

PRICE: $3.76 CHOCOLATE LEVEL: 4/5 CREAMINESS: 4/5 OVERALL: 4/5

A

GREENBERRY’S

esthetically, Greenberry’s hot chocolate is a masterpiece. It arrived with a mountain of whipped cream and gently dusted with chocolate powder. The dollop of light and fluffy cream gently melted into the chocolate. Despite being a little grainy at the bottom, the drink was like upgraded chocolate milk in the best way possible. Every swallow felt like liquid heaven: a chocolate lover’s dream. Best of all, it didn’t leave an unappetizing aftertaste, and we left feeling the wintry spirit from head to toe.

F

STAR NUT GOURMET

or a place that claims to be gourmet, Star Nut Gourmet was just okay. The hot chocolate was less like a rich chocolate-y beverage and more like some warmed up milk a parent might make to get their young child to go to sleep. Arriving without whipped cream and rather a milk foam, the cocoa was reminiscent of a latte—not a hot chocolate. The taste of lukewarm milk with the slightest hint of chocolate flavor failed to conjure up warm and cozy feelings. *tax included in price, subject to change Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva | Photos by Kara Murri

PRICE: $3.55 CHOCOLATE LEVEL: 1/5 CREAMINESS: 3/5 OVERALL: 2/5 DECEMBER | A&E | 21

A SCORCHED EARTH 22 | IN-DEPTH | DECEMBER

Ben Brooks

Managing Editor

Dua Mobin Features Editor

Marina Qu News Editor

Rebeka Rafi

Managing Editor

DECEMBER | IN-DEPTH | 23

Kirkland Bozeman

Minneapolis

Burlington

Madison

Ann Arbor

Chicago Des Moines

Cleveland

New York Philadelphia

Louisville

Modesto

Concord

Charlotte

Projected shifts in average temperatures of cities by 2050

Data obtained from Vox Weather 2050 project

FOR EXAMPLE: Philadelphia’s average temperature will be that of Southern Virginia by 2050

T

he Amazon fires. Typhoon Hagibis. Hurricane Harvey.

California fires. Hurricane Sandy. Millions of people have been displaced. Millions more to come. Recent natural disasters and extreme temperature changes are impacting every single person on Earth.

WARMING UP

While students are aware of the disasters heavily reported by the media, they are less informed about the everyday impacts climate change has on them.

An example of this can be seen in New Mexico, where there have been noticeable changes to the desert landscape.

“We are facing rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, increasingly severe wildfires and much more,” New Mexico Senator Tom Udall said in an interview with The Highlander. “These consequences of climate change have ripple effects for all of us—threatening food security, economic security and our way of life.”

Virginian author Rick Van Noy spent a year traveling the southeast coast of America, exploring the effects of climate change on local habitats. In his book Sudden Spring, one example stands out.

“The most extreme is a community in Louisiana called Isle de Jean Charles,” Van Noy said. “It’s made up of a mixed tribe of Native Americans, and they’ve lost 98% of their land mass. They will be asked to relocate, but it’s hard to leave your home that you’ve gotten used to.”

Also known as “managed retreat,” many coastal communities in America may require relocation, since rising sea levels will likely flood their homes. The number of “climate change refugees” will only increase as the effects of global warming further take hold.

According to the World Bank, an average of 24 million people each year have been displaced due to climate change, and this number could grow to nearly 150 million by 2050.

This serves as a possible preview for the cloudy future of life on Earth.

24 | IN-DEPTH | DECEMBER

These overall upward shifts in temperatures have been one of the most apparent effects of climate change. This problem isn’t just isolated in the U.S.—other parts of the world are seeing similar patterns.

“In places like Southeast Asia, for example, climate change is leading to extreme monsoon seasons, which severely hurt farming efforts, and increasingly hot summers, which will eventually lead to summers where going outside could be fatal,” junior Ryan Shue said.

In a poll of 253 McLean students, over 60% said they feel the federal government is responsible for handling the problem, and nearly 90% think the government isn’t doing enough to combat these oncoming issues.

“Climate change poses an existential threat to our environment, public health, way of life and security,” Udall said. “This requires an immediate and aggressive federal response: setting a national standard for renewable electricity generation to achieve significant cuts in carbon emissions as well as other pollutants that hurt our most vulnerable communities.”

Officials have recognized the existing impacts of climate change; however, it has proven difficult to balance the economic benefits of environmentally unfriendly practices like coal mining. In West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, recognizes the challenge of balancing climate initiatives with the economic advantages.

“Many leading the climate change debate will suggest we need to eliminate certain fuel sources, but the truth is that fossil fuels will continue to play a role in the global economy, particularly in countries like India and China,” Manchin said in an interview with The Highlander. “I believe that the U.S. must lead the world in pursuing climate solutions that will allow us to use fossil fuels in a cleaner manner.”

Manchin has shown initiative in this issue by introducing environmentally friendly legislature.

“This year, our committee has passed 49 bills, many of which would advance energy solutions like carbon capture

Infographics & page design by Marina Qu & Dasha Makarishcheva

technologies, battery storage, advanced nuclear and energy efficiency,” Manchin said.

Although some government officials advocate for green solutions, the process of alleviating environmental damages still has a long way to go.

“No single policy or approach will solve this monumental challenge,” Udall said. “We need to make sure our responses meet the needs of a diverse range of communities across the country and around the globe.”

STRIKE FOR THE FUTURE

Refusing to bear the impacts of global warming, 16-yearold Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg launched the Fridays for Future Youth Climate Strike. This movement started with her single-person protest outside the Swedish Parliament and eventually spread to a global movement in almost all major cities throughout the world.

As part of the worldwide effort, the U.S. Youth Climate Strike fights for governmental interference in response to the increase in environmental damages.

“We follow the Youth Climate Strike dates on [certain] Fridays,” said Katya Little, a Yorktown High School junior who is the state communication officer for the Virginia Youth Climate Strike. “We will leave school. We will work with our regional teams that are organized across the state to protest at key parts of our local governments to urge them to enact climate legislation.”

Little joined the organization to directly impact climate change reform.

“I wanted to make sure that I was part of a system that uplifted everybody who needs a place at this table and fight one of the greatest, most devastating issues of our time,” Little said.

Capitol Hill was crowded by thousands of students on Sept. 20, during the 2019 D.C. Climate Strike, as part of the largest worldwide environmental protest in history.

“Climate Strike represents those who did the least to cause climate change who are the first to experience the effects,” said sophomore Leah Siegel, who participated in the D.C. Climate Strike. “I believe that by striking, I can help represent the voiceless and be active in politics, even if I can’t vote.”

Most of the featured speakers were teens aspiring for a better tomorrow for the planet, including senior Wendy Gao from Oakton High School. “[The strike] was showing world leaders that there are a lot of people who care about [climate change], and they need to act on it,” Gao said.

Student activists advocate for excused absences on Fridays, but Siegel argues otherwise.

“I think that having [climate strikes] unexcused truly shows it is an act of disobedience, and it shows those who are genuinely passionate about the movement are those who leave,” Siegel said.

Despite the overwhelming support for Friday Climate Strikes by students, teachers suggest that advocates should take an approach that does not disrupt traditional learning.

“I encourage students to be activists, but I feel that it is important for them to be learning, and I would not advocate for skipping school or excused absences,” AP Environmental Science teacher Kate Hoefer said.

Hoefer recommends other methods of voicing concerns for global warming.

“Educate the public on the weekends. Talk to your neighbors. Participate in organized Earth Day events,” Hoefer said. “There is so much you can do that does not compromise your education.”

FLOODING NEIGHBORHOOD — A neighborhood in Hampton, Virginia, experiences flooding even though there’s no rain or storm. Known as “sunny day flooding,” this effect of climate change has raised concerns about rising sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay Region. (Photo courtesy of Rick Van Noy)

VA IS FOR ENVIRONMENT-LOVERS

Responding to the climate crisis, Arlington County For the past few years, one of the most pressing recently adopted a Community Energy Plan (CEP) that environmental issues in Virginia has been the construction aims to achieve 100% renewable energy in the community of fracked gas pipelines. The pipelines transfer highly by the year 2035. pressured liquid natural gas, which many think poses risks The CEP will specifically aim to ease the transfer process to local communities. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, running of fossil fuels to renewable clean energy. It will implement from West Virginia and across Virginia to North Carolina, more charging stations for electric vehicles and help was proposed in 2014. homeowners purchase solar panels.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline, from West Virginia to “The plan identifies priorities for continued and Virginia, was proposed in 2015. The proposals provoked enhanced economic strength, reliable and secure energy controversy due to the potential for water contamination availability, equitable access to energy efficiency and clean and other environmental damages. energy across the entire community,” Arlington County “Fracked gas pipelines are really dangerous and damaging Energy Manager John Morrill said. to the environment and people’s health and obviously will One day after the September Climate Strike, on Sept. magnify Virginia’s contribution 21, 2019, the Arlington to climate [change],” said County Board finally approved Alice Redhead, a clean energy the 100% renewable energy organizer in the Sierra Club plan, the first in Virginia, after YOUNGER Virginia Chapter. countless public meetings with GENERATIONS Virginia’s largest electricity various community members. supplier, Dominion Energy, Morrill recognized the DIDN’T CAUSE was the lead partner in the urgency of this global crisis [CLIMATE Atlantic Coast Pipeline. and the crucial role of local Dominion greatly influenced government in reducing the CHANGE], BUT the Virginia legislature in community’s carbon footprint.

THEY WILL BEAR THE past years and donated large “[The government is sums of money to political responsible for] trying new CONSEQUENCES.” campaigns. However, many technologies and practices to Virginia representatives have demonstrate what works and - TOM UDALL recognized the fossil fuel leading by example through SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO industry’s negative impacts on educating the public [about the environment. This year, climate change],” Morrill said. some officials and candidates Starting by installing solar pledged to not accept panels in its government donations from fossil fuel companies such as Dominion. buildings and schools like Wakefield High School, “Officials were potentially turning away Dominion, a Arlington County is taking small steps that contribute to a large donor, which is really meaningful in showing that they larger effort in alleviating the climate crisis. are taking [global warming] seriously,” Redhead said. “They don’t want to be influenced by that money, and instead they want to keep making laws and decisions based on what the COOLING DOWN people want and what the people need.”

Fairfax County is not far behind. Teens in the Fairfax Large fossil fuel companies have been unknowingly County community have been working on an initiative contributing to climate change, and the effects are already advocating for the installation of solar panels in Fairfax becoming apparent. Two-thirds of Tangier Island in the County schools.

Chesapeake Bay has disappeared since 1850 due to climate “Our solar panels started in 2016 with three seniors change. from James Madison High School,” Gao said. “They started According to science research news site PHYS.org, to go to school board meetings, and they started a student Tangier Island might disappear completely in the next 40 coalition called Solar on Schools.” years, and this is not the only place in Virginia affected by Not only is climate change a prevalent issue on a global rising sea levels. Other low-altitude areas experienced similar scale, but it has major implications locally, as well. effects from more extreme weather and natural disasters.

“I’ve always been interested in the environment and “In Hampton Roads, they’re seeing worse flooding, and solving global warming, because I feel like climate change even ‘sunny day flooding’ when there is not even a storm and global warming have always existed, and it’s always happening,” Redhead said. been a problem that’s been conscious in the back of my While the public mainly sees catastrophic reports on mind,” Gao said. climate change in the news, it’s important that they also Gao and her team are working to spread their message recognize the positive steps being taken to create a cleaner across the county.

Earth.

“We have been advocating for solar panels for a while.

We go to school board meetings when we can,” Gao said. “We also speak at different community forums that environmental groups hold. We speak at public hearings and Board of Supervisors meetings.”

Placing solar panels on schools would significantly reduce the amount of energy that is used throughout a typical school day. The student coalition’s efforts paid off. As of October 2018, a resolution was passed in support of the students’ advocacy.

“We lobbied the school board panel to pass a resolution on climate change, which basically was a resolution that gave them permission to support federal and state initiatives to decrease the Fairfax County carbon footprint,” Gao said.

The youth group’s advocacy did not stop there. In January 2019, they spoke at the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) public hearing. The CIP is a document that lists all of the buildings and renovations for Fairfax County Public Schools.

“We spoke at the public hearing and we got three schools, Thomas Jefferson High School, Chantilly High School and Mason Crest Elementary School, listed in this CIP to receive solar panels,” Gao said.

“We got over 150 schools added to be evaluated for solar capacity.”

Although the school board approved solar panel installation in three schools, some McLean students are skeptical about the necessity of this kind of change.

“I support solar panels in FCPS and I think McLean should implement them,” Shue said.

“However, solar panels are expensive, and McLean’s carbon footprint is so small that using solar power wouldn’t affect climate change at all.”

Clubs and organizations at McLean have also taken actions against global warming. Through FCPS Get2Green, schools have the opportunity to participate in the Trex plastic film recycling challenge. In McLean’s Science National Honor Society, students can bring in plastic items for service hours, benefiting the environment.

“I felt that a challenge such as this would be beneficial to students in that it’s so easy, and it really is eye-opening to see how much plastic we use every day,” Hoefer said. “Everything we purchase, just about, is wrapped in plastic film. However, our standard recycling services at home and at school don’t pick up plastic films.”

Hoefer believes that individual actions can lead to a brighter future.

“It would be cool for students to bring it here and make a difference,” Hoefer said. “Less plastic going into the [waste bin] means less plastics entering our waterways and oceans.”

From individuals to governmental agencies, tackling climate change requires all hands on deck.

“Younger generations didn’t cause this problem,” Udall said. “But they will bear the consequences.”

Do you support the Fridays for Future Climate Strike?

85.3%

14.7%

YES

NO

Data obtained from a poll of 253 McLean students

Is the government doing enough to resolve climate change?

88% NO

11.6% YES

200 150

175 154

100

Who is responsible for

142 102

96

RESOLVING climate change?

50 0

National Government

People

Should Fairfax County adopt a 100% renewable energy plan?

Local/State Large Government Companies

Other Countries

12.3% .

NO 87.7% YES

HIGH-END GROCERY STORE COMES TO TYSONS New Whole Foods provides a modern shopping experience NICHOLAS LOHMAN & AVA ROTONDO EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

T

he bustling streets of the world’s most famous cities have come to Tysons’ newest urban space. The Boro, inspired

by London’s captivating Borough Market, welcomed a new Whole Foods last month that mimics a European food hall.

Practically a museum, The Boro’s Whole Foods contains masterpieces for all five senses. Hordes of customers surround a woman treating them to wine and cheese, steam rises from buffets offering exotic global dishes and unique, modern features leave shoppers pointing in excitement.

After entering the store, customers are met with an abundance of options for how they can start their shopping adventure.

If the aromas from the front of the store work up an appetite, Whole Foods has four miniature restaurants to choose from, three of which we tried, offering fresh oysters, Asian snack food and hand-stuffed cannoli.

Unfortunately, the fresh, warm donuts from Curiosity Doughnuts had run out. These food stands hit the spot when you’re hungry but are not worth the price.

28 | A&E | DECEMBER

Walking just outside the restaurants, shoppers pass the self-serve wine bar, where they can pour a glass and sip while they shop.

Customers then come to a fork in the road.

Straight ahead lies a buffet area stocked with global cuisine, from wood-fired pizzas to classic Indian dishes. Olive bars and freshly made pasta stations line the walkways and draw the attention of foodies, families and even McLean High School students— we saw several wandering around.

Upstairs, a fun-filled social scene awaits.

Modern decor and a funky seating area are perfect for families looking to sit down and enjoy a meal. Young urbanites share this space, watching their favorite teams on flatscreens from the store’s sports bar.

After a satisfying meal, adults and children alike can explore the arcade. More comfortoriented seating is available on this upper tier as well, where shoppers can take in birds-eye views of the supermarket.

Whether for a weekend outing or a routine grocery trip, Tyson’s new Whole Foods is open for all to enjoy.

THE BORO’S WHOLE FOODS FOOD HALL Rappahannock Oyster Co. Genji Izakaya Officina Curiosity Doughnuts

IN-STORE CERTIFIED CHEESE PROFESSIONAL FULL-SERVICE COFFEE & TEA BAR JUICE & SMOOTHIE BAR AMAZON LOCKERS

Page design & photos by Nicholas Lohman & Ava Rotondo | Graphic by Ava Rotondo

FRESH OR FROZEN...

RAPPAHANNOCK OYSTER CO.

H

arvested straight from the pristine, salty Chesapeake Bay waters, these Olde Salt Oysters tasted like they needed a long trip to the freezer before reaching our plates.

Even the saucer of ice cubes the oysters came nestled in was not enough to cool their shells’ warm water. Half as briny as an Olde Salt should be, these guys were also twice an acceptable price. At $2.25 per oyster, Rappahannock Oyster Co. is worth skipping.

CRISPY, CRUNCHY AND CRAPPY GENJI IZAKAYA

C

ustomers of Genji Izakaya are greeted with the sound of sizzling chicken and the scent of Asian spices, but the Crispy Chicken Bao was less inviting. This Asian plate was a mouthful of a lukewarm bun, which tasted dry, like it had been left out overnight. The chicken, the heart of the sandwich, contrasted the dryness of the buns with a crunchy, flaky exterior and warm, moist interior. We met the Crispy Chicken Bao with high expectations, but ultimately were disappointed by its lack of complex flavor and satisfying texture.

HAND-STUFFED HAPPINESS OFFICINA

O

fficina—workshop in Italian—offers hand-stuffed cannoli which are filled to order with an overload of rich ricotta cream and covered in pistachios and chocolate chunks.

While these cannoli satisfied our stomachs, they would not be looked upon kindly by Mother Nature. Protected in a ridiculously large plastic container even when dining in, the pastry chefs at Officina seemed to forget we could have eaten off of plates. All in all, Officina’s artisan and rich desserts make it worth a taste.

DECEMBER | A&E | 29

WINTER BREAK WONDERS

Celebrations for every day of winter break 22 National Short Person Day How’s the weather down there?

(Also Hanukkah begins )

23 Festivus

24

A Festivus for the rest of us!

27

25

Christmas Eve

‘Twas the night before Christmas...

Newtonmas Celebrate gravity on Isaac Newton’s birthday by pushing a fat man down a chimney

National Fruitcake Day

(Also Christmas Day)

We won’t blame you if you don’t celebrate this one

26

to lcome We ia, Virgin n Mclea

National Thank You Note Day Time to thank Grandma for that ugly sweater (Also Kwanzaa begins )

WHAT HOLIDAYS DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CELEBRATE?

28 National Call a Friend Day That’s right! We said call, not text

30 National Bacon Day Sizzlin’!

29

National Download Day We hope you have enough storage...

31 New Year’s Eve Resolve to make every day Bacon Day

1 New Year’s Day Where did the decade go?

2

National Buffet Day As if you haven’t eaten enough already during winter break

3

Festival of Sleep Day Enjoy that food coma from the day before!

“I think it would be great to have Hot Cocoa Day as mandatory.

Everybody has to drink hot cocoa or apple cider.

Having a Holiday Drink Day in general would be really cool,” English teacher Linda Chang said.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING HOLIDAY OUT OF THESE?

4 National Trivia Day Quick! What day is National Trivia Day???

5 National Whipped Cream Day Get ready for school again by going to your kitchen at 2 a.m. and drowning your feelings in an entire can of whipped cream!

30 | A&E | DECEMBER

“I would say Festivus so that I could get to know another religion,” Chemistry teacher Nicholas Nicolaides said.

WHAT IS SOMETHING FUN THAT YOUR FAMILY DOES DURING THE HOLIDAYS?

“We normally play spoons, which is a card game, and sometimes that involves my grandmother flicking spoons across the room,” social studies teacher Corrine Mazzota said.

Reporting, graphics & page design by Ariana Elahi, Aleena Gul, Isaac Lamoreaux & Taylor Olson

Frozen’s sequel should not have been made CORDELIA LAWTON NEWS EDITOR

W

ow, I really wish the Frozen II team had spent more time on this film.

It seems that six years was not long enough for them to make a film with a plot. This sequel was boring and bewildering for the first 20 minutes, and it only got worse. I have to admit that the film did give my head a lot of exercise. It turns out you can burn 150 calories an hour by banging your head against a wall. I wonder how many calories I burned after face-palming for an hour and 40 minutes.

Frozen II brought back all of the iconic voice acting cast, including Idina Menzel as Elsa and Kristen Bell as Anna. The premise is that Elsa awakens spirits from a magical forest and the sisters have to save their kingdom, Arendelle, from them.

It wasn’t just one of those sequels that didn’t live up to the original. It wasn’t just mediocre. And it wasn’t just a bad movie.

It was hands down one of the worst Disney films I’ve ever seen—and I’ve seen Mary Poppins Returns.

It’s truly amazing that they took so long to create such an unoriginal and infuriating film. It’s like the creators sat down with the intent to cram as many things as possible into it, which made the plot hard to follow and extremely frustrating.

The creators tried to explore intense and universal experiences like loss, but

without a clear focus on these themes, they were never fully developed.

Frozen II didn’t please the new generation of children or the nowolder Frozen fans. They failed to create a coherent plot, but managed to steal elements from many other works, like Infinity War, Narnia and the show Once Upon a Time.

I loved the ending of the original Frozen because of its message that Elsa could belong and rule Arendelle even though she was different. I loved that Arendelle eventually embraces and celebrates her, but that was all rolled back in the sequel.

In fact, this film mocks everything the sisters faced in the first one.

The only thing this movie has going for it is its animation, but that doesn’t matter at all if it has no driving story. The film is only eye candy, and we, the consumers, deserve better for our money. Clearly, they should have spent more time on character development, plot, music, themes and pretty much everything else that makes up a decent movie. A work of art like a film or play is not just about one element. They all have to work together.

As I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of a little girl’s face. She had dressed up as one of the iconic characters, but her expression was utterly confused and let down. Her sad little face mirrored every negative thing I was thinking. Do yourself a favor and let that urge of wanting to see Frozen II go.

Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva & Arin Kang

DECEMBER | A&E | 31

WINTER BREAK: HOLIDAYS OR HOMEWORK? Students shouldn’t have to stress over piles of homework for the holidays The staff editorial represents the opinion of the majority of The Highlander editorial board

W

inter break serves as a much-needed period of relaxation for most students, freeing them from the ever-present anxieties of school. But, in the upcoming weeks, some teachers will choose to increase the workload to conclude a unit before the break begins.

Having such a large amount of work crammed into a short period of time is extremely unhealthy. The demanding workload has a negative effect on students, and the quality of the work they produce begins to decrease as they start to focus on other things, such as the upcoming holidays.

“I feel really stressed the weeks surrounding winter break,” sophomore Hanna Boughanem said. “The curriculum kind of builds up so that you can close off units and start again after winter break.”

Though the stress can be a lot for students in weeks prior to the holidays, it should be outweighed by the two weeks of relief and relaxation that awaits them during the break.

In certain classes, though, the schedule does not allow for the unit to be completed before winter break, leading teachers to assign work due immediately after students arrive back at school, even though there is a rule in place preventing exactly that.

Some teachers use a loophole to assign work by having students turn in assignments a couple days after the break ends. These assignments are often timeconsuming, forcing students to either work on assignments during their time off or cram to finish them after. This brings unnecessary stress to students over a supposedly stress-free break.

“I don’t think we should have homework over break because it’s called a break for a reason. The purpose of it is to get a break from school and to rest,” Boughanem said.

WE ALL WORK HARD, SO IT’S NICE TO HAVE THAT BREAK AND TO HAVE THAT MENTAL DOWNTIME.” - BETH WERFEL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST With few breaks during the school year, students need the ones they do have in order to relax and recharge.

Winter break is centered around holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, which give students time to practice their religion and enjoy time with their families without worrying about additional stress.

91% of students stress over school in the week after winter break

94% of students stress over school 1-3 weeks before winter break 75% of students stress over school during winter break

32 | OPINIONS |DECEMBER

*Based on a survey of 110 McLean students

What teachers don’t seem to realize is that the overwhelming amount of work adds to students’ stress and decreases the amount of time they can spend with their families leading up to the holidays. Instead of enjoying the holidays, students may feel as if they have to isolate themselves from their family in order to complete their assignments.

“A lot of the time, we don’t get time to spend with our families because of sports and school. What makes winter break so great is that we do get to do those things,” Boughanem said.

Regardless of what students choose to do over the break, they should be allowed to enjoy their free time without thinking about the pressures and stress of school.

Without fully receiving a break, constant and unrelenting work can lead to a decline in the stability of students’ mental health and an increase in stress.

“We all work hard, so it’s nice to have that break and to have that mental downtime. It really helps our own mental health as well as our social relationships,” school psychologist Beth Werfel said.

Teachers should be more considerate of the activities that students may partake in over the break and understand that students can easily continue learning after the break without having to do assignments in their two free weeks.

In a time filled with stressful assignments, students look at winter break as their end goal—the time they can finally relax—and are disappointed when they start the break with assignments still due. Students may feel that they are constantly doing homework, with no sign of it stopping.

“While there does seem to be more stress before the holidays, I feel like it’s really helpful for students to just be prepared for that and go into December knowing that it is going to be busier,” Werfel said. “There are going to be more projects and assignments, but it’s just a temporary amount of time.”

Teachers should recognize that work leading up to breaks can be difficult and therefore should seek to make breaks as stress-free as possible. Students should be able to start winter break without having to worry about lingering assignments.

Reporting by Mae Monaghan, Taylor Olson, Heran Essayas & Sydney Langston Infographic by Taylor Olson & Dasha Makarishcheva | Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva

AIRPODS ARE AIRHEADED

Apple’s new creation is not all it’s cracked up to be

I

HERAN ESSAYAS OPINIONS EDITOR

f you take a second to look at other students roaming the halls of McLean, you will notice many students with small, white, wireless earbuds resting in their ears. These earbuds, known as AirPods, have become a necessity to some students due to their convenient size and sleek design. Though they may seem useful, the newest sequel to their collection—the AirPods Pro—have no benefits for their cost.

The wireless earbuds, invented by the mega-corporation Apple, may be extremely useful, but they can also cause frustration with parents, teachers and administrators.

The AirPods Pro allow for the option of active noise cancelation, which students take advantage of to listen to music or watch videos instead of being productive.

“For me, [noise canceling] is a good thing because I don’t have to listen to anyone else.

But for everyone else around me, it’s a bad thing,” said junior Maya Nair, a student who uses AirPods frequently.

Students who listen to music in class may not learn all the necessary material, as most teachers use class time to explain complicated ideas.

“Due to their small size, it makes it easy to hide from a teacher by simply turning your head or putting your hair over it. People can miss out on class information and fall behind without the teacher being able to help it,” junior Sofie Treibitz said.

Though the AirPods Pro may seem like the perfect purchase, their use can result in lower grades for students. For $249, students who buy the newest AirPods are ultimately paying to hinder their own learning without realizing it.

“My freshman year, my teacher had to email my parents because I was using [AirPods] too much in class. My grades were going down, but I didn’t see the correlation,” Nair said.

In classes where listening is imperative for success, the use of AirPods and headphones in general can be a determining factor in retention of information. Language classes are often based around listening and

&

NICKY VARELA SPORTS EDITOR speaking, and AirPods prevent students from fully hearing the language.

“To acquire a language and really learn it, you have to hear the language spoken correctly,” Spanish teacher Jamie Heath said.

“I provide that for them in class, so if they have something blocking their hearing, they’re not going to fully acquire the language.”

The first edition of AirPods were extremely popular among the public—with Apple selling 35 million pairs in 2018 alone— and the AirPods Pro continue to attract customers. While they may be appealing, students should be aware of the appropriate times to use AirPods in class.

Not only do the AirPods Pro play a detrimental role to the education of students, but they also can cause discomfort to users.

Though there is no increased pressure, some users may experience a feeling similar to sitting on an airplane.

Cartoon by Jayne Ogilvie-Russell | Page design by Heran Essayas

According to the World Health Organization, by 2050, 93 million people will have a hearing disability due to audio devices. When using noise-canceling headphones, certain precautions must be taken to prevent hearing damage.

The Washington Post explained that noisecanceling mode should only be used in environments that cause users to listen to their music at a very loud volume, which overworks ears. When it is quiet, noisecanceling mode can have damaging effects.

People should not have to sacrifice their hearing so they can listen to music. AirPods Pro could directly cause lasting effects that are not worth it.

Students who are interested in the AirPods Pro should consider the physical and educational consequences before making their purchase, as the AirPods Pro provide no benefit to students besides being able to listen to music. Why should students willingly pay for a device that could hurt their ears and halt their learning?

DECEMBER | OPINIONS | 33

Just go with the snow—the clichés can be cute ERICA BASS OPINIONS EDITOR

D

on’t lie, we’ve all wished at some point to be in a Hallmark movie.

To be a rich New York executive who visits home for the first time in a while, partakes in an incredibly intense cookie bake-off, falls in love with a hot small town-er, all while learning the “true meaning of Christmas?”

That’s the dream.

Holiday rom-coms get a bad rap for being predictable and cheesy, but while that may be true, that also doesn’t make them bad. In fact, most of the time, their complete absurdity is what makes them brilliant.

“I love a happy ending, and I think that some movies nowadays don’t do that,” sophomore Maren Johnson said. “It’s always fun to know exactly how it’s going to end up so that you won’t get your heart broken, because you’re so emotionally attached to the characters.”

Despite the guaranteed good endings, these movies still manage to be entertaining and captivating. You already know she’s going to end up falling for the small town hunk who believes in the magic of love, but will she win the Super Buttercup Snow Dazzle Sugarplum Bake-Off Supreme? Or will her arch-nemesis beat her out and teach her that material objects don’t matter in the end? Who knows? The cheesy suspense is a fun journey in itself.

No one can pretend that these movies are realistic. All the characters live in a world where snow never melts and always stays nice and fluffy, where true love can be discovered in a matter of days and, somehow, where no one ever seems to go to work.

But, this fantasy is exactly what draws people in. It’s nice to pretend that a world like this exists, and the possibility of finding true love in the sparkling snow is irresistible for us all.

Audiences relate to these characters, as cliché as they are, because that’s exactly what all of us want to be.

“They make me giddy. They make me smile,” Johnson said. “And, when [the characters] finally get together, I, like, run around the house—I’m so excited! Even though I know that it’s going to happen, I still just love them.”

The innocent hope and joy these movies radiate is pure entertainment, and in a world as crazy and chaotic as the one we live in, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a bit of escapism.

You know what, though? Maybe critics are right. Maybe movies like this aren’t for everyone. Maybe only people with a sense of humor can truly appreciate the pure cinema that is a holiday rom-com.

Let’s be real; there’s nothing like a shared bad movie experience to bring people closer.

All of the terribleness—the bad acting, cringy lines and plot holes—comes together in a cacophony of comedic gold.

Gather your best friends to poke fun at the movie together, and suddenly this beautiful atrocity of a film becomes an inside joke to forever be treasured.

“I think sometimes the bad ones are the best ones because they’re more entertaining to watch. As long as it’ll entertain me for an hour and a half, I don’t care what it’s about or how it was written,” junior Chloe Lahr said.

The fact is, the holiday rom-com is an art form that excels in what it’s meant to do.

Every movie may not be particularly cuttingedge or revolutionary, but they do make you feel comforted and at home. They provide a blissful escape from the realities of the world, or, if nothing else, they give everyone something simple to laugh at.

Illustrations & page design by Dasha Makarishcheva

34 | OPINIONS | DECEMBER

Holiday rom-coms: merry or cliché?

Christmas movies aren’t built for everyone ISAAC LAMOREAUX A&E EDITOR

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he holiday season isn’t complete without the way-too-early tacky decorations at Target, watery hot chocolate and, of course, non-stop, overly festive, holiday romantic comedy train wrecks—the kind of movies that are awful, but you can’t look away.

Call me Scrooge, but these movies get too much praise for the clichés mixed with sloppy plot developments and the too-goodto-be-true distortion of reality that is often written off as “Christmas spirit.” They seem to cater exclusively to white, heterosexual individuals who celebrate Christmas.

Most can agree these movies are not the best in the world of cinema.

“I’m an expert, right—I’ve seen every Christmas rom-com on Netflix, every single one,” senior Rachel Kulp said. “I can solidly say that none of them are good. Not a single one. I love rom-coms, but if the entirety of your rom-com hinges on a holiday, then it’s [trash]. It’s so bad because they’re like, ‘We love each other and Christmas.’ Like, no one [cares]. I want to watch a movie about Santa Claus, or about, like, Ryan Gosling, and I don’t like that overlay.”

Trust me. Literally anything would be a better use of your time than watching the same story play over and over like a festively hellish version of Groundhog Day. “When it’s so formulaic, I tend to roll my eyes,” English teacher Anna Caponetti said.

“A less conventionally successful man teaches her something about returning to her roots and provides the heart and soul that she was

missing in the sterile corporate environment in which she’s excelled.”

One of the cornerstones of holiday romcoms are the overuse of Christmas clichés: snowball fights, kissing under the mistletoe, sleigh rides in the park, the works.

Unfortunately, these holiday clichés seem meant to be enjoyed by specific types of viewers. Many people can’t relate to the experiences of the characters.

“Not growing up Christian, there’s always kind of an outside-looking-in thing. For me it’s not even like there’s [any] basking in the reflected beauty of Christmases I’ve experienced because I haven’t,” Caponetti said. “To me these plot devices or products are more obviously artificial.”

Even worse, these movies are direly lacking in diversity. Visit Hallmark’s holiday rom-com page, and you will scroll through a sea of straight white couples, with the exception of one black couple.

“It gets to the point where they like beat you over the head with how white it is,” Kulp said. “There was this one [movie] where there was this African American sidekick, and she said

something like, ‘Oh my god, like, sometimes you’re so dramatic, Britney, I feel like I’m a side character.’ I think it’s funny that they acknowledge it, but you would think that by acknowledging it they would move to fix it.”

These movies fail to fix the problem of using almost the exact same kinds of casts over and over again. Sure, you use Mariah Carey as a side character, but using token minorities does not make these movies inclusive or diverse.

I will admit—I love me a good rom-com, even if they are cheesy. But their poor writing, littered with clichés, and an aggressivly white cast make these movies fall flat.

As Kulp said, “If I see another movie about a female New York exec going home for the holidays and and getting stuck in a hotel in a blizzard…”

DECEMBER | OPINIONS | 35

OKBoomers BOOMER — IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL overreact to new social media phrase SAISHA DANI & SHRUTHI MANIMARAN REPORTERS

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limate change isn’t real. Kids today are so sensitive. Boys shouldn’t wear nail polish.

OK, boomer.

The emergence of this new phrase has deepened the divide between baby boomers and millennials. It is meant to discredit and shut down people from older generations, who hold what are considered nonprogressive or outdated ideals.

“OK boomer” has received an unprecedented amount of backlash and claims of discrimination, even though it was originally just a silly meme. In fact, The New York Times said the phrase was the “end of friendly generational relations.”

To claim that something meant to bring attention to a political issue is ageist is ignoring the meaning behind “OK boomer.”

“I call people boomers all the time as a way of saying, ‘shut up, old person,’ because times are different, and they expect standards to stay the same,” junior Brendan Lindsay said.

36 | OPINIONS | DECEMBER

Young people use the term to express their dissatisfaction with older individuals and not to attack them.

“It stems from frustration with the older generation, who’s been running this country for a really long time. A lot of people feel— and I think rightfully so—that they have been ignoring modern ideas and changes,” senior Jacob Paikin said.

Twitter has become a platform for the constant bickering between the generations over politics.

Many older people have taken to social media, expressing their offense to “OK boomer.” Some have even called it a slur.

Conservative radio host Bob Lonsberry tweeted his distaste of the term. “‘Boomer’ is the n-word of ageism,” Lonsberry said. “Being hip and flip does not make bigotry okay, nor is a derisive epithet acceptable because it is new.”

It is ridiculous to go to such extremes and compare “OK boomer” to one of the most derogatory and damaging words in the English language.

This phrase is nowhere near bigotry, and those who address it as such fail to consider the meaning behind bigoted terms.

It’s also quite hypocritical since common nicknames boomers have for millennials are “snowflakes” or “Peter Pans,” terms used to criticize younger generations’ sensitivity and unwillingness to face reality. Instead of getting upset over these phrases, young people have chosen to dismiss them.

Opposers of “OK boomer” cite it as an unfair shutdown to arguments. But the terms “snowflake” and “Peter Pan” have never been criticized for doing the exact same thing.

No matter the political or cultural climate, generational divides will always exist.

“I think that the difference in opinions from generation to generation is always going to be there,” math teacher Michael Farmar said. “And that’s healthy, because that’s what brings about change. Awareness is always a positive thing.”

Whether or not “OK boomer” offends or empowers people, it is crucial to keep in mind that it is just a phrase. It will come and go just like everything else the internet spits up.

The media shouldn’t be making this term into something bigger than it really is.

Boomers should take their own advice and be less sensitive, OK?

Cartoon by Dasha Makarishcheva | Page design by Saisha Dani & Shruthi Manimaran

FALL SPORTS RECAP McLean teams find success in fall sports VOLLEYBALL The volleyball team had another successful season, qualifying for regionals and coming one game short of the state tournament. The team won 10 games out of 20 during the season and hope to build on this success in upcoming years.

FIELD HOCKEY CELEBRATION ON THE COURT — The McLean volleyball team celebrates a win against Chantilly on Sept. 10. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Mallus)

Despite a lack of success on the scoreboard, with a final record of three wins and 13 losses, the field hockey team’s character off the field was noticed. They were recognized by other district coaches and received the “Sportsmanship” award for the Liberty District.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY The girls cross country team had their most impressive season yet, winning the district championship for the first time in school history. The team finished second place in the regional tournament and qualified for states.

“A district championship means a lot in my senior year having worked really hard,” senior Elly Glenn said. “[Winning] the first one in school history, it’s an awesome feeling.”

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY The boys cross country team placed third in districts and qualified for regionals, a better record than in previous years.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS — The girls cross country team holds the Liberty District Championship banner on Oct. 24. (Photo courtesy of Julia Johannsen)

FOOTBALL After back-to-back winless seasons, the football team bounced back this year with a record of five wins and five losses. After a strong start to the season with three wins and one loss, the team capped off the season with their first win over Langley High School in eight years.

CHEERLEADING The cheerleaders narrowly missed qualifying for regionals as they finished in a tie with Herndon for third place at the district competition.

GOLF STORM THE FIELD — The McLean football team runs onto the field in front of the crowd before the game against Langley on Nov. 8. McLean won the game with a final score of 17-7. (Photo by Ava Rotondo) Reporting by Rohan Mani & Paarth Soni | Page design by Rohan Mani

After finishing in third place in the district competition, the golf team qualified for regionals for the second year straight. During the regular season, the team amassed an impressive four wins to only one loss.

DECEMBER | SPORTS | 37

HISTORY OF MCLEAN’S MASCOT How school spirit has changed over the years MAE MONAGHAN ONLINE EDITOR KAAN KOCABAL REPORTER

The Eagle: 1956 to 1958

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efore McLean students were Highlanders, they were Eagles. The Eagle was the first mascot to represent McLean High after the school opened in 1955. Two years later the school decided to switch up the mascot. Students decided on the change, wanting to be represented by something closer to the school’s Scottish background. A portrait of the bird still hangs on a wall in the library.

Scottie Dog: 1958 to 2003

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hile the Scottie dog was not an official mascot, he was the Highlanders’ unofficial pet, and images of him are still prevalent today. Students would wear kilts and play bagpipes and the Scottie dog would cheer them on. The mascot didn’t last long after someone discovered it’s hard to perform in a giant dog costume.

“The last time I remember [the school] using the Scottie dog costume is when the swim team used it, and somebody got pushed in the pool,” said yearbook adviser Meghan Percival, who has been teaching at McLean since 1998. “It turns out that it is hard to take off a mascot mask when you’re underwater, almost dangerously so.”

The Highlander: 1959 to 2006

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inally, a mascot who sticks around! The Highlander was introduced to McLean in 1959, but before we received the Angus costume, students would dress up as real life Scottish Highlanders.

“The students voted to change [the mascot] to something that embraces the Scottish heritage of McLean High, but what makes or breaks the school spirit is really the kids and the players,” Class of 1991 McLean graduate Rusty Payne said.

“Whether we’re the Eagles, the Highlanders, the Saxons, whatever they want to call us, if people want to come out and support their friends and their community and their school, then you’re going to have good school spirit.”

Angus Costume: 2007 to present

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ver since Radford University donated the Angus costume to McLean, school spirit has risen. From dance-offs at pep rallies to halftime shows at football games, Angus never fails to get a wild reaction from the crowd.

In the past, Angus has been represented by a male student, but this year, a girl decided to take on the role.

“Initially, I was really nervous, but when [I got] in front of the crowd. It was just super hype, and that’s my kind of energy,” said junior Kendall Jones, who is wearing the Angus costume this year. “I’m really excited to have the chance to be the first girl mascot.”

Page design by Dasha Makarishcheva Photos by Mae Monaghan and Katie Romhilt| Images courtesy of the McLean Yearbook

DECEMBER | SPORTS | 39

FAMILY TIES: Twin wrestlers form bond thicker than blood “It was more fun than anything, because he ancient sport of wrestling creates when I won [last year], special bonds between teammates that I got bragging rights,” no other sport does. The McMahon twins Ryan said. “But it was have experienced this firsthand, forming a also hard, because you camaraderie that has bolstered their success knew the one who lost in the sport. would definitely get Senior twins Danny and Ryan McMahon trash-talked by other have always been close, dating back even to people for being the their infant life when social interaction was ‘worse twin.’” limited. During that period, the two had an Now that Danny is in a higher weight advantage: each other.

“We’re very close. Being a twin, they say, class, he prevailed is like having a built-in best buddy, so we against Ryan at this basically do everything together,” Ryan said. year’s Red and Silver TWISTED UP — Ryan McMahon grabs his twin brother Danny plans to compete in the match on Nov. 30.

Danny’s knee in order to take back command of the Wrestling together Red and Silver match at McLean on Nov. 30. They 145-pound weight division, while Ryan will compete in the 132-pound division, the provides a spark that are participating in their third season on varsity this same classes as last season, in which they fuels their competitive year. both had major success. Ryan concluded fire.

“We’re pretty competitive,” Danny said. greatly influenced their lives. last season with a fourth-place finish in the “It makes it a lot more dynamic, because district tournament, and Danny got eighth “We never let it get to the point where we’re place at the Nova Classic. fighting each other or anything, but we we have to compete a lot more, especially In the past, the two wrestled in similar always try to one-up each other, so you could because we’re around the same size and everything, so it’s also good that it gives us a weight classes, leading to instances where say it can get pretty competitive.”

Wrestling has changed how the twins competitive edge,” Danny said. they had to wrestle each other for spots in Undeniably, the McMahons have tournaments. The twins also wrestle each approach their relationship off the mat as other in the annual Red and Silver match, a well—practically in all aspects of their daily competitive personalities, but the true secret lives. For better or for worse, wrestling has to their success on the mat is their coachable scrimmage between McLean wrestlers. nature, which has impressed head varsity wrestling coach Kenneth Jackson since their OWNING THE MAT — Danny McMahon takes control of his brother, Ryan, first year on the team. on Nov. 30. Danny went on to win the annual match 12-6.

“Coaching Danny and Ryan for the past four years has been pretty fun,” Jackson said.

“I knew right when they came in that they were going to be a fun group to have on the wrestling team. Their hard work and little complaining gets the job done.”

The McMahons will carry the lessons they learn on the mat throughout the rest of their lives, forever shaping their relationship with each other.

“I think that it’s just going to make them closer in the end,” Jackson said. “They’ll be able to look back on their experience here between high school and on the McLean High School wrestling team many, many years from now and reminisce together.”

NICKY VARELA SPORTS EDITOR

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40 | SPORTS| DECEMBER

Photos by Nicky Varela | Page design by Jessica Opsahl-Ong & Nicky Varela

SIBLINGS STRIKE MCLEAN All three Bremsers ball on varsity this season JACK SHIELDS MANAGING EDITOR | ANDY CHUNG REPORTER

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oming off a successful season last year, varsity basketball players and their fans are excited to see what this season holds for the teams. But for some, the winter sport signifies more than just intense competition.

The Bremser siblings, senior Evan, junior Aaron and freshman Kara, all made the McLean varsity teams this year, and they will carry their family ties into the McLean gym.

All three Bremsers started their basketball careers at an early age, and it immediately provided a common interest and activity for the three to engage in.

“It gives us things to talk about, and we play together,” Kara said.

Aaron credits their family’s closeness to the sport.

“My relationship with my siblings has improved because of basketball. It gives us something that we all like to talk about and

has led to me being around my brother a lot more,” Aaron said.

All three play basketball at a competitive level, including with Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball outside of McLean.

This season, Aaron and Evan look forward to playing on the McLean varsity team together.

“I have played with my brother before.

I played-up in seventh grade on my brother’s eighth grade CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) team for St. Mark’s, but that is the only season we have played together, and a lot has changed in our games since then,” Aaron said.

The Bremsers’ competitive play led them to the McLean system even before entering high school.

“Last winter, I played McLean travel, so then I was familiar with the girls that played at McLean High School,” Kara said.

The family has enjoyed lots of togetherness and bonding through basketball, something most families don’t get to enjoy.

Kara—being the only sister—has had a slightly different experience than her brothers. Still, she is comfortable letting her brothers have their own fun.

“They do their own thing together, but I don’t care,” Kara said. “I’m happy to do my own thing.”

None of the siblings have any visions for how their family ties will affect the year ahead and are trying to go about business as usual.

The two teams are already off to a hot start, both winning their opening games of the season against Chantilly, and the girls winning back-to-back games early on.

No matter how the season goes for McLean, the Bremsers are sure to play a huge role on the court.

PUTTING IN WORK — The Bremsers, Evan (left), Kara (center) and Aaron (right) take the court. Aaron and Evan practice a day after a win over Chantilly, while Kara warms up before playing Chantilly on Dec. 3.

Photos by Katie Romhilt & Heran Essayas| Page design by Dana Edson

DECEMBER | SPORTS | 41

ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE: RYAN SRIBAR

SOPHOMORE VARSITY SWIMMER

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SWIMMING AND WHEN DID YOU START TAKING THE SPORT SERIOUSLY? I started summer swim when I was in kindergarten and started club swimming around fourth grade. Around seventh grade I would practice five days a week and end of eighth grade or the start of freshman year, I started to do morning practices which is when I really kicked it into high gear.

WHO ARE YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATIONS? Michael Phelps—honestly, he’s a beast and so fast. Just watching him I would love to make it to one of those big meets one day.

Also my parents have been a big part of the picture. They always support me and I do what I can to make them happy.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM SWIMMING? In 200 freestyle, I tied this guy in the prelims race so we had to do a swim off. It was just me and him with my whole team behind my lane and it got super hype. During the last 50, it’s tied, and I’m thinking that I have to win this. I push myself through it, beating my previous time by three seconds and winning the race. When I got out of the pool my whole team was cheering and it felt so good.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS SEASON? For McLean I would love to make states.

If one of our relays could or one of my individual events, that would be awesome.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO SWIM IN COLLEGE? Yeah, right now I am thinking hopefully I can go Division I if I keep doing what I am doing.

I just gotta make sure that I keep grinding and stay on task.

“

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PERSEVERE THROUGH THINGS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT SWIMMING IS ALL ABOUT. YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR MIND INTO IT AND DO IT, NOT LET ANYTHING ELSE AFFECT YOUR PERFORMANCE.”

HOW HAS SWIMMING INFLUENCED YOU OVER THE YEARS? Swimming has been a big part of my life and has made me who I am today. It’s made me mentally pretty strong and I have been able to persevere through things because that’s what swimming is all about. You have to put your mind into it and do it, not let anything else affect your performance.

Reporting by Paarth Soni | Photo courtesy of Ryan Sribar | Page design by Marina Qu

DECEMBER | SPORTS | 43

THE

FINISH LINE

WHAT ARE MCLEAN ATHLETES’...

THAIS ROLLY

FAVORITE SNOW DAY ACTIVITY?

WINTER BREAK PLANS?

GO-TO WINTER TREAT?

FAVORITE HOLIDAY MOVIE?

SLEDDING

SKIING WITH FAMILY

HOT CHOCOLATE

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

SNOWBALL FIGHTS

GOING TO HAWAII

HOT CHOCOLATE

THE GRINCH

SKIING

STAYING IN TOWN FOR BASKETBALL PRACTICE

APPLE PIE

HOME ALONE 2

SLEDDING

STAYING HOME

COFFEE CAKE

LOVE, ACTUALLY

VIDEO GAMES

SPENDING TIME WITH MY NEWBORN BABY

PIE

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

FRESHMAN, TRACK

BRENNEN SUMIDA

SOPHOMORE, WRESTLING

CHRIS CORNELL JUNIOR, BASKETBALL

MAGGIE CALLSEN SENIOR, GYMNASTICS

KYLE DRAKE COACH, SWIM

44 | SPORTS | DECEMBER

Photos & reporting by Emily Friedman & Ana Paula Ibarraran Page design by Anya Chen, Maren Kranking, Dasha Makarishcheva & Taylor Olson

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