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MAIN THINGSthe

Editors in ChiefAndrew Dilworth

Jordan Sharpe

Managing EditorLindsey Bush

News EditorMelissa Lin

Features EditorsAnurag Bhatnagar

Kevin Poon

Commentary EditorsAnnelise Jensen

Allie Sawyer

Entertainment EditorZafar Shaw

Sports EditorKevin Dowd

Copy EditorsBrian BerenbaumAditya Bhatnagar

Business ManagersEmily Buzzard

Emily Stone

Art Directors Jake FulmerDan Webster

Staff WritersChip Barker

Abraham HassanSteven Kendall

Samantha LernerMakeda MartinKyle MoodheMatt Reihing

Emily RobinsonEmily Taylor

Boa ThaiAneela WadanAlex Woodill

AdviserLauren Millette

The Rebel Roar is published as a public forum of student expression. Letters to the Editor are encouraged. Only signed letters are considered for publication. The editors reserve the right to edit all material in the interest of clarity and space. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the staff or school administration. The staff writes unsigned editorials

on a majority basis. The Rebel Roar accepts all advertisements deemed appropriate for a public forum meant for young adults and are subject to the discretion of the editors. Students are encouraged to take an active voice in the student publication. Questions, comments, and letters can be e-mailed to FHSRebelRoar@gmail.com.

Staff09-10

- - Virginia High School League First Place in Newsmagazines 2008-2009 - -

What started as a rumor, the “iPad” has become a reality. The latest Apple creation is sweeping the Apple world by storm, for better or worse.

page 7

Meet the Piano Man, se-nior Joshua Rickwald. Go behind the script music to learn what it takes to be a pianist and composer in the Fairfax Academy.

page 10

From participating in Fair-fax Idol to recording for Omega Records, sopho-more Jaime Boyd sings her way to fame.

page 13 page 14

Tryouts for spring sports took place this week, start-ing February 22: see how the off-season condition-ing prepared teams for the 2010 regular season.

With the praise that comes from creating a renowned newsmagazine that in-cludes opinionated pieces comes the occasional Let-ter to the Editor.

page 16

Junior Minahil Amin, and her non-profit organization here in Northern Virginia make a difference in help-ing women and children all the way in Pakistan.

XXI The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are underway. The United

States is currently leading the medal count, and continues its

success into the remaining days of competition. The 21st Winter

Olympics will come to a close on Sunday, February 28.

page 5

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letter from the editors

Oh, the second semester is upon us, Rebels, and the first half of school has been quite memorable, but thank goodness, we are less than halfway to the end of the year! For seniors, that means the hourglass of

your high school experience has almost run out, and freshmen: get used to this for three more years. The start to the second semester was hit dead on by a record breaking amount of snow. The snow effected The Rebel Roar just like it effected every other aspect of the school day. We compressed our usual 24 page newsmagazine to 16, in order to have a February issue. Welcome back, we hope you had a splendid part II to your Winter Break.

This month, the Rebel Roar has spotlighted the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics in our middle spread. Take a look at the competition between countries, and the most celebrated American athletes this winter. The U.S. is running on all cylinders, leading the medal count over fiercely competitive Canada, the host country. All standings are accurate as of February 23.

In this issue, we highlighted the non-profit organization, WADA, led by FHS student Minahil Amin, which helps women and children get the health coverage they need in Pakistan. Also, we have featured two indi-viduals that stick out at FHS. Sophomore Jaime Boyd received the Young Artist People’s Choice Award for her songwriting, and has hit the recording studio to begin her singer/songwriter career. Senior Joshua Rickwald, a composer in the FHS Academy, will be performing in the MCT Fest on March 12. Check out “Piano Man” to see what Rickwald is all about.

Be sure to get a copy of our March issue that will focus on AP, Pre-AP and Honors courses and the impor-

tance of thinking twice before you enroll. Thank you for the continued support. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to email us at fhsrebelroar@gmail.com.

Go make me proud,

Many people know how hard school is when you don’t have access to a computer, and some stu-

dents at Fairfax do not have their own computers. In a time when families’ budgets are getting tighter, it is hard to find the money to purchase a new one. These things make the VA STAR program so important to Fairfax, but what exactly is VA STAR?

VA STAR provides free computers for students who need them. The Virginia Student Training and Refur-bishment program is “good for the students getting the computers so they can do well in school,” said junior Jonathan Aspromonti, the Vice President of Commu-nity Service for FBLA. The program accomplishes this by taking old computers, fixing their broken parts, and installing new software on them. As Vice President, Aspromonti worked closely with one of the FBLA ad-visors, Mr. Campbell, in order to achieve their shared goal of putting on the first and only successful VA STAR program in Fairfax County. Mr. Campbell said that “the computers come free of charge from the state of Virgin-ia.” Other than supplying the computers, everything is left up to the Fairfax FBLA to make fixing and refurbish-ing the computers possible.

The first VA STAR meeting was held on October 21, and a horde of FBLA members showed up to find out

what they could do. It quickly became clear that the pro-gram was off to a great start, but problems also arose for those organizing the event. “[Having] free space to work on the computers and cutting down the workforce [of volunteers] to those who are committed” were the major problems according to Mr. Campbell. Despite these setbacks, VA STAR was able to begin fixing the computers and installing software. “If you’re direct-ing VA STARS, you spend seven to ten hours a week. If you’re just working on the computers, about five hours a week,” Aspromonti remarked. After months of labor and weekend sessions, the project is coming much clos-er to its conclusion.

The ultimate goal of VA STAR is to help Fairfax stu-dents who need a computer, but it is important that they know how to apply. The Fairfax High School website, http://www.fcps.edu/FairfaxHS/, has the application on the home page and applications can be obtained in the main office. These forms must be turned in by March 4 to give students the opportunity to get these computers free of charge. Mr. Campbell and Aspromonti both hope that students will take advantage of this opportunity.

News

VA STARS bringing technology to students

Electives fair takes over Commons

Kyle Moodhe ‘10Staff Writer

Senior Kevin Dowd receives his award for being the Gatorade Vig-inia Runner of the Year. Photo by Andrew Dilworth

The FHS Cheer team receives their rings for winning the state title at halftime of the South Lakes basketball game. Photo by Andrew Dilworth.

Due to the “snowpocalypse” these past few weeks, the electives course fair was moved to Friday, February 19. What was originally supposed

to be held in classrooms was held in the school commons during lunch peri-ods. Students were given the opportunity to view the numerous stands set up by both teachers and students. Academy classes also participated as schools, such as Chantilly, set up booths so that students could see projects in their curriculum.

Electives that were present included Orchestra, Art, DECA, Chorus, and Dance.

Melissa Lin ‘10News Editor

Booths were set up by different electives for students to explore. Photo by Melissa Lin.

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News Briefs

A new student to Fairfax High School, junior Minahil Amin, has already established a lasting impression.

She has proven herself to be an integral part of the band and has demonstrated her superior academic skills. However, Amin’s philanthropic actions surpass all expectations of a high school stu-dent.

Last October, Amin began to fill out the Articles of Incorporation to establish a non-profit organization in order to “establish health institutions for wom-en and children in the underprivileged and remote areas of Pakistan through the work of dedicated and passionate individuals.” These forms required Amin to define a mission statement, goals, address and analyze the issues, plan a pilot project, create a name for the organization, and post such information on a website. The name was the first she checked off of the list. Amin chose to name the non-profit WADA; “in English, ‘WADA’ stands for Wondrous Achievement Despite Adversity and in Urdu, [it] means promise.” She then had to establish

a working website, www.wadapromise.org. Here she delineated her goals and her irrevocable vow: “We will

bring healthcare to the women and chil-dren of Pakistan.” Amin attributes such desires to her ties to her home country of Pakistan. She realized that the pov-erty in Pakistan is such a problem that healthcare is not a priority for the gov-ernment.

Amin plans to fund her pilot project in the mountains of Pakistan in a village called Birote, where her family knows the people and owns part of the land. From individual donations to setting up a 5K at the end of May, Amin thinks that this money can spring WADA to suc-cess.

If you have any questions about WADA or want to help, Amin would be more than hap-py to address you. You can contact her via the website stated above or you can just talk to her in the halls.

WADA: one project, one student, helping hundreds.

News

Upcoming Events: • Rebels on the Rise Breakfast will be on February 25.

• Interims will be issued to students on March 11.• March Madness Student Faculty Basketball Game will take place on March 16

•Rebel Round Up will be on March 16. School will start three hours late.

Minahil Amin works hard to di-rect WADA. Photo by Abraham Hassan.

Abraham Hassan ‘10Staff Writer

Snow snow go away...or not?

Nikki Strickland ‘13Staff Writer

Consult any Facebook status, the week we got off due to the giant blizzard of 2010 was God sent.

Unfortunately, the repercussions may outweigh the fun we had on our school free week. One event cancelled due to the snowpocalypse was the annual Science Fair. To some people, this would come as a relief, but for those who actually did a science fair project, it was a disaster. A whole semester’s worth of work down the drain. What a waste!

Junior Victoria Tran says she was “…deeply sad-dened by the decision to cancel the science fair. I just wish we had the chance to convey our ideas to the judges in person.” The science department has decided to choose which 22 students should move on to be judged in Regionals, which will be held March 19-21.

With this unrelenting attack of snow, there’s been lots of talk about what we will or will not have to make up. We’ve all heard the rumors. Some say that they’ll add a half hour to the end of each day; others say that

they’ll declare a “State of Emergency” and we won’t make up any snow days from now on. Freshman Tim Riley-Ryan thinks “It’s unnecessary to make up for all the snow days, there’s too many for it to be effective.” But one thing’s for sure: as of right now, we are over the snow day limit of three, by eight. We’ve had two winter breaks! Freshman Julia Pfeiffer loves the snow and said “I had fun being snowed in at home, but now I’m ready to be able to get out again.” The first attempt to begin making up snow days was rejected by more snow on President’s Day! It seems the late presidents have spoken, refusing to allow school on their day of honor. With about 50 inches of snow and count-ing, there’s no telling what the school board will do. Whether they decide to add to the year, or just leave it how it is, with this unpredicted leave from school, there is much to catch up on.

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Commentary

Emily Buzzard ‘11Business Manager

Designed by Dan Webster.

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Groundhog DayI love Groundhog Day. Who doesn’t get a rush of excitement just thinking about the importance of the groundhog’s shadow? Why we don’t get a day off from school for a holiday that is as significant and meaningful as the continuation of winter is a question that has yet to be determined. As Rebels, we need to start a cause. I’m thinking Facebook group and tee-shirts. This is serious.

Chocolate milkI don’t know why I have just fallen in love with chocolate milk at the ripe age of 17, but it is so chocolatey and deliciously pure. I am upset that I missed out on 16 years of chocolate milk drinking, but ever since I began my chocoholic endeavors, things have been looking up for me. The whole week we got off because of snow? You can thank the chocolate milk gods. Yes, skeptics, they do exist.

Two-hour delaysThere is nothing like waking up in the morning and then checking the TV to see that you can have two more hours of sleep. Unfortunately, we live in Fairfax County so two hour delays come sparingly. This is why next year I plan on attending school in Fauquier County. Every time there is any chance of precipitation, wind, or extreme cold, they cancel school. You can subscribe to my new school’s newspaper if you want to continue to read “The Buzz”.

Formspring.meThere is nothing funnier than spending a day looking at people’s Formspring pages. This website, which features anonymous question asking, has brought so many laughs to FHS. Not only does Formspring allow for an individual to find out what people think of them, but you truly learn how crazy people are as soon as things turn anonymous. No really, freaking psychotic.

Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day is an excuse for annoying girls (myself possibly included) to wear pink and put stupid ribbons in their hair. Hallmark commercialized V-Day so they could bank off of girls getting mad at their significant others when they don’t get anything for this insignificant holiday. It was only fun in elementary school when you got to decorate shoe boxes and give each other cheap valentines.

Abercrombie & FitchI know this has nothing to do with chocolate milk, but A&F is getting on my last nerve. There is nothing that is “HOT” that could even pertain to this pretentious store. Almost all of their clothing items turn people into a giant walking advertisement. Also, whenever you walk into the store employees look at you like you are the ugliest person they have ever seen. Whatever happened to customer service?

Going to school till JuneWill someone please tell me why FCPS insists on keeping the students in school until mid-June? By the time we get out of school it is already hot out, the birds are chirping and everyone is twitter pated. I would much rather start school at the end of August and get out in May. However, the way that things are going with Mother Nature lately, it looks like we will be making up snow days until August.

OmegleI am not sure if I understand Omegle correctly, because I am not creepy enough to use it, but I get the basics. Pretty much, you log on so you can talk to strangers. What are you kids thinking? Didn’t your parents teach you when you were like four to never talk to strangers? Life lessons, people! Half the people are just looking to kidnap idiots like you anyway. Fact: kidnappers target idiots.

Hot NotThe Buzz

Shiny, elegant, advanced, overpriced. These four words could only be referring to one of two things:

a Ferrari or an iPad. Consumers have learned to expect nothing short of amazing from Apple. However, it seems that Apple may have come up short with their newest gadget.

I purchased my first iPod Shuffle in the summer before sixth grade, and I think that it would be fair to say that I’ve been in love with Apple ever since. To date, I’ve owned four different types of iPods and one MacBook. I love Apple and I love its director, Steve Jobs. But now, I’m just disappointed.

The iPad, which was launched on January 27, was hyped for months. For the majority of 2009, business speculators and hopeful tech geeks across the web were trying to guess what the iPad would look like and what it could possibly do. Unfortunately, the excitement that the iPad received was undeserved.

What can the iPad do? It’s an MP3 player, an e-reader, and a netbook- all in one. It can run over 140,000 apps and has a 9.7 inch LED lit touch screen display. But like a Ferrari, the iPad is just another pointless luxury. It starts at a whopping $499, and runs up to $829.

What can’t the iPad do? It has been praised for its amazing video playback quality, yet you can’t even insert a DVD; it can only play what’s bought on the

iTunes store. Plus, with the exception of YouTube, most online videos can’t even be viewed because its flash software isn’t compatible with JavaScript.

So why would you buy the new iPad? Honestly, I don’t know. If you already have an iPod or a Kindle, the iPad is a complete waste. Essentially, it’s a smartphone that can’t make calls or take pictures. “It’s phenomenal to see a whole web page right in front of you...it is unbelievably cool,” Steve Jobs said in the iPad’s debut ceremony. But hold on a second…couldn’t you just view the web on a much larger computer monitor? Yes. Because there are actually people in this world who will buy anything that’s shiny and made by Apple, the iPad will be sure to make a decent amount of money, despite its lack of new features and overwhelming price.

Personally, I have a lot of better things to spend $499 on, especially considering that I already have an iPod and a computer. But even if I was iPod and computer-less, I would invest in something more worthy of my money than an iPad. As of now, the iPad is scheduled to begin shipping in mid-March. So if you have a few hundred extra dollars lying around the house, go ahead, buy it… but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Ask Kevin

Kevin Dowd ‘10Sports Editor

7Sam Brott ‘11Staff Writer

Dear Kevin,Over the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to plan a sort of spring break trip for myself and a small group of friends. Obviously, I am limited by time constraints (we only have a week off) and by cost (I’m not that rich). I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to where I might find a good 6-7 day spring vacation spot. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,Vacationing Vanessa

You asked the right guy about vacation planning. I’ve been known to make three or four day weekends into overseas adventures. With an entire spring vacation, your options are endless. But considering money and time are limited in your case, you may want to stay in the Western hemisphere.

That’s not to say you’re missing out on all of the fun. From my experience, I can tell you that the best trips are often the ones closest to home (but not too close). One trip I will never forget is my trip to Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, VA. The first thing we did when we got there was rake up a leaf pile roughly the size of a small house, douse it with a cocktail of lighter fluid and gasoline, and light it up. The Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, and the

Grand Canyon all pale in comparison to the sight of an eminently hazardous tower of greenish fire and dense yellow smoke rising into the sky. So, if you and your friends like to make your own fun (fire) like I do, then you need not go further than the middle of nowhere in Virginia or any other place where police don’t care as long as you haven’t killed someone.

If you are one of those people who is harder to entertain than myself, then a warmer, more tropical experience may be more to your liking. I’ll never forget my trip to Mexico last spring which included stops at Cancun, Mexico City, and many other sketchy locals. Aside from the belligerent drug dealers and cartels, Montezuma’s

revenge, the swine flu, and the black lung I developed while in Mexico City, it was a beautiful trip. If none of those things bother you or your friends, take a trip on down to America’s splendid beard.

If you’re looking to cool off or if you just aren’t willing to part with winter just yet, a ski trip for you and your friends will turn out great. But if you are like me and some wussy skiing just doesn’t spark your extreme side, the North Pole sure will. My last visit up north was complete with ice fishing, and polar bear wrestling. If you’re up to the challenge, the North Pole

just might turn out to be one of your favorite vacation spots. Haven’t you ever wondered what Santa is up to this time of year? Nothing.

iHate the iPad

My recollection of the Roanoke leaf fire. Photo courtesy of microscopiq.com.

The overall medal leaders as of February 22: Norway, the United States, and Germany. Illustration by Dan Webster.

Vancouver OlympicsThe Vancouver Olympics were supposed to be Canada’s

time to shine. Despite breaking their gold medal drought at home, the Olympics on the whole have been a disappoint-ment for the host country. They are currently in fifth place in the total medal count with ten, behind the United States, Ger-many, Norway, and Russia.

The United States has had a strong run in alpine skiing and short track speed skating, helping lead it to a Olympics-lead-ing 25 medals, including seven golds. Along with continued dominance in the snowboarding events, Americans in these three sports have totaled sixteen top three finishes.

With five days left of competition (as of Tuesday, February 23), we can still look forward to the exciting finals in ice hock-ey, curling, short track speed skating, and snowboard slaloms, among others.

Updates can be found on NBC on television and at www.vancouver2010.com.

Andrew Dilworth ‘10Editor-in-Chief

Canadians have yet to “Own the Podium”

Snowboard CrossMen’s

1. Seth Wescott (USA)2. Mike Robertson (Canada)3. Tony Ramoin (France)

Women’s1. Maelle Ricker (Canada)2. Deborah Anthonioz

(France)3. Olivia Nobs (Switzerland)

HalfpipeMen’s

1. Shaun White (USA)2. Peetu Piiroinen (Finland)3. Scott Lago (USA)

Women’s1. Torah Bright (Australia)2. Hannah Teter (USA)3. Kelly Clark (USA)

DownhillMen’s

1. Didier Defago (Switzer-land)

2. Aksel Lund Svindal (Nor-way)

3. Bode Miller (USA)Women’s

1. Lindsey Vonn (USA)2. Julia Mancuso (USA)3. Elizabeth Goergl (Austria)

Super Giant SlalomMen’s

1. Aksel Lund Svindal (Nor-way)

2. Bode Miller (USA)3. Andrew Weibrecht (USA)

Women’s1. Andrea Fischbacher (Aus-

tria)2. Tina Maze (Slovenia)3. Lindsey Vonn (USA)

Super CombinedMen’s

1. Bode Miller (USA)2. Ivica Kostelic (Croatia)3. Silvan Zurbriggen (Austria)

Women’s1. Maria Riesch (Germany)2. Julia Mancuso (USA)3. Anja Paerson (Sweden)

Snowboarding and Skiing results

Chip Barker ‘10Staff Writer

Vancouver OlympicsTop U.S. performers

Evan Lysacek, figure skatingLysacek won the men’s figure skating gold medal with a huge performance in his free program routine, coming back from sec-ond place to beat Evgeni Plush-enko of Russia. Photo courtesy of blog.zap2it.com.

Bode Miller, alpine skiingMiller earned a bronze in the men’s downhill event and a silver in the Super Giant Slalom (Super G), losing in the Super G only to heavy favorite Aksel Svindal of Norway. However, he earned his long-awaited first gold medal in the super combined thanks to a very strong second run. Photo courtesy of TIME.com.

Lindsey Vonn, alpine skiingVonn won the gold in the downhill, beating out fellow American Julia Mancuso by less than a second. This followed a bronze medal in the wom-en’s Super G and a disappointing race in the super combined event, in which she did not finish.Photo courtesy of nj.com.

Shaun White, snowboardingWhite won the snowboard halfpipe competition again, without even needing his second run. He nailed his new trick, the Double McTwist, en route to a score of 48.4 out of a pos-sible 50 points.Photo courtesy of examiner.com.

Apolo Ohno, short track skat-ingHe earned bronze in the 1000m race and silver in the 1500m race, bringing his medal count to an American record of seven medals, including two golds. In the 1500m he lost by a mere .3 seconds.Photo courtesy of apoloantonohno.com.

Joshua Rickwald isn’t necessarily a “piano player.” In fact, that is not what he wants to be referred to at all.

“I am more of a composer. Piano is just my choice in-strument of composing,” Rickwald said.

However, what Rickwald does play on the piano, he is very good at, to say the least. He may have started a little later than the general pianist population, but at age 12 Rickwald began playing by ear and picked up the in-strument easily. As a matter of fact, Rickwald did most things differently than the general pianist population.

His parents never pushed or prodded him into prac-ticing, and when he started studying the piano pri-vately at 15 he made sure that his tutor would do the same, “I told my teacher what to do. I let him know that I wouldn’t keep playing and I wouldn’t be interested if the piano became a chore.” So lessons began.

The tutor followed Rickwald’s ultimatum, and Rick-wald still continues to study with his private teacher at GMU.

Our music based academy pulled Rickwald towards Fairfax from his previous private school near his home in Herndon. We are lucky to have Rickwald playing and com-posing with our music program at Fairfax today.

Now he is enrolled in two Fairfax Academy courses, Ac-tor’s Studio and Music Comput-

er Technology, and spends the rest of his school day at Fairfax to make traveling simpler. Rickwald will perform at Music and Computer Technology Fest along with other Academy students on March 12.

Being the realist that he is, Rick-wald knows that the music indus-

try is not always as prosperous as the big stars have it. Because of this, he wants to go to NOVA post-graduation in order to get some experience in whatever field he may choose to pursue: at this point he is leaning towards something medical. This way, he can have a backup plan under his belt so he won’t have to go back to school if the music industry doesn’t work out.

After Rickwald finishes his time at NOVA, he intends to continue in his study of music in either New York City or London. The piano may be a “hobby” of Rickwald’s, but he plans on turning com-posing into a career. With an immense amount of talent in his hands and a sup-portive family behind him, don’t doubt for a second that Rickwald will be able to make his dream a reality.

Entertainment

10

The piano man

Emily Buzzard ‘11Business Manager

I knew that I wouldn’t be interested if the piano

became a chore.”“Photo courtesy of Joshua Rickwald

Behind the Wheel offer expires March 2010

Advantage Driving School, Inc.

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$240.00Fairfax High School Special

Entertainment

11

Chick flicks of the season

Dear JohnA lot happens between John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young soldier, and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), a studious college student, over Spring break. Within weeks they fall in love and are torn apart because of John’s deployment to fulfill his duty. While spending only spontaneous short moments together, they keep in contact through a stream of love letters. Unfortunately, these letters yield consequences that neither lover could foresee.

Aneela Wadan ‘11Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of imdb.com.

Valentine’s DayWith an ensemble of A-list actors such as Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Queen Latifah, Emma and Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba and more, Valentine’s Day takes viewers into the lives of multiple love stories that take place in the city of Los Angeles. This movie, meant for chick flick fanatics or those who enjoy romantic comedies, follows the love life of engaged couples, teenage love, and little kid love. The film follows the ten people over a single Valentine’s Day as they find their way through romance. Photo courtesy of New

line cinema production.

“I really thought the movie was cute. Even guys who claim to not like chick flicks were laughing.”

--Junior Roshni Patel

“It made me cry. The challenges and sacrifices make you feel happy with what you have too.”

--Junior Natalie Verbiest

10th Graders and Parents:Please plan to attend the Second Annual…

Sophomore Parent/Student Preparing for College Night

Thursday, March 11, 20107:00 pm

FHS Multi-purpose Room (MPR)

Back by popular demand…

Speaker: Mr. Randy Doss Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life

Guilford College

Mr. Doss will present an informative and fun program specifically de-signed to help 10th graders and parents plan for college. His presen-tation includes a mock admissions exercise. Come learn how Admis-

sions Officers make their decisions!

You will not want to miss this important event! For more information or questions, contact: Mrs. Maureen Kim, Career Center Specialist, at

703-219-2204 or Maureen.Kim@fcps.edu

Features

Sophomore Jamie Boyd was one of over 270 artists who entered the Songwriters’ Association of

Washington’s contest, which was held on October 27 in the Baird Auditorium at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Twelve of these songwriters were selected to perform in front of a full audience of over five-hundred, which included Lamont Dozier, a distinguished Motown singer and member of Holland-Dozier-Holland, a songwriting team that is considered to be one of the greatest in popular music. The contestants’ performances were followed by a medley of Lamont Dozier’s famous Motown songs, including “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch”.

Boyd’s performance, “Runnin’ on Empty”, was strong enough to be selected as one of these twelve finalists. The audience then selected two winners, one for the category of over the age of twenty-one and the other

under twenty-one, and Boyd’s performance won her the Young Artist People’s Choice award.

Her success didn’t stop after she won the award. A few days after the contest, Boyd received a call from the

Vice President of Broadcast Music, Inc. asking her to lunch to discuss her future as an artist. He became her manager and got her a producer. Since that time, Boyd has spent many hours in Omega Studios in Rockville, Studio 8121 in Silver Spring, and Recording Arts Studio in Fairfax. She is now on her way to her first album, which she admits is a hard process, but one that she thoroughly enjoys. “In the future, I can’t see myself doing anything other than

music,” she said.

Brian Berenbaum ‘10Copy Editor

Fairfax’s own idol:

From top to bottom: Boyd records for her first album, which will be produced by Broadcast Music, Inc. She performs the song on the piano. Photos courtesy of Jamie Boyd.

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Jamie Boyd

Ah, the smell of spring is in the air. You know what I’m talking about, the smell of brisk wind, new

leaves, and baseball diamonds. Smell it? If not, then you’re probably not an athlete. Fairfax High’s spring sport athletes have been feeling the season coming since the dead of winter, as they prepared for yet another try-out. But just how did these Varsity-hopefuls prepare themselves? Let’s find out.BASEBALL

Despite a poor season in ‘09, Coach Simonds’ Rebels plan to come out strong this time around. Most baseball players definitely got a good head start on this season by attending after-school weight lifting sessions twice a week. The workouts were specifically for baseball, with exercises designed to help players throw the ball harder, hit it farther, and run faster.

“The squats are the hardest,” sophomore Kody Sherlund thought of the drills, “You can really feel the burn.”

To add on to what was an already busy schedule, the team had once a week hitting and pitching practices at an indoor baseball facility in Chantilly for players who wanted to come to tryouts more prepared to play. LACROSSE

Lacrosse is a very unique sport, so it’s easy to see why the players’ offseason practices were unique as well. The coaches left it to the athletes to take it upon themselves to work out in the winter. Afterschool workouts were lead by the experienced seniors three times a week.

“To start off the practice we usually conditioned with long distance runs, sprints or jogging,” says freshman Dani Hannan, one of the 10-15 players who normally went, “Then we either did some passing, catching, and shooting drills or broke into offense and defense. The offense worked the ball around the net while the defense

practiced blocking passes, coverage, and clearing the zone.” TENNIS

In a game where players are constantly running back and forth, tiring out in the final set isn’t an option. Therefore conditioning in the offseason is vital for a tennis player to have success when it counts. Coach Nancy Wadden made sure that her girl’s team is prepared with once a week workouts.

SOCCERFor soccer, anywhere from

five to 15 players showed up for conditioning three times a week, and as a warm-up they jogged around the track for two miles. What they did after their warm-up varied from practice to practice. On some days they head up to the weight room for lifting, while on others they’d simply scrimmage against each other. But no matter what drills they did, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. On a scale from 1-10, “a seven,” is how hard freshman Michael Rice says the workouts were.SOFTBALL

Coaches Corey Stokes and Lesley Hassen took a much more relaxed approach to winter conditioning. “We have many players who play more than one sport, and we wanted these girls to be able to focus on the sport they are playing during those seasons,” says Hassen, “We don’t want to have them feel as if they are limited to one sport.”

But that, of course, doesn’t mean that softball players totally forgot about the game. Many of the girls also play for travel teams that have facilities they were allowed to use for any type of practice they might have needed to get ready for the season. As for conditioning, “Occasionally the seniors got a group of girls together to do a workout as well,” Coach Hassen said.

Training for 2010

Walker Carlson ‘13 Staff Writer

14

Everyone who plays a sport here at Fairfax knows that we have a great

trainer in Mr. Gustman. And it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that he is good enough at what he does to win an award for it. And that’s exactly what he did. Gustman is the recent recipient

of the 2009 NATA (National Athletic Trainer’s Association) Secondary School Gatorade Service Award. He is one of 10 winners nationwide.

“Communication with coaches and parents,” Mr. Gustman says, is the greatest factor in being successful in helping students through injuries and putting them back on the field healthy. So next time you walk into the training room with tendonitis, a sprain, or any other injury, rest assured that you are in good hands.

The fieldhouse comes alive on the first day of spring sports tryouts. Photo by Kevin Dowd.

Gustman is Mid-Atlantic Trainer of the Year

Kevin Dowd ‘10Sports Editor

Sports

RUGBY VIRGINIABoys & Girls

In Rugby Any Player Can Pick Up The Ball, Run and ScoreYOU CAN PICK IT UP

FPYC RUGBY U-19/U-17Spring 2010

REGISTER NOW AT: www.fpycsports.com --- First Training is February 15, 2010

HAVE FUN – PLAY RUGBYBill Brownley - Director of Fairfax Police Youth Club Rugby

billbrownley@aol.com, 703-629-2835These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, the

Diocese of Arlington or this school.