Warriorthe34th Year

300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860

May 17, 2012

Sherwood High School

News: 1-2Columns: 10-15Sports: 16

Wondering Warrior: 3Features: 4-5

Destinations: 6-9

Senior Issue

Inside: The Senior Issue

Q: What do you think makes a good graduation speaker?

A: Honestly? I have no idea how to answer this question. My immediate, instinctive/gut would be: someone who’s involved in many extra-curricular activities, or “bleeds Warrior blue,” or is generally known as an in-credibly powerful speaker, leader and so-cial butterfly (or something along those lines). But then I got chosen. Which still baffles me and clearly shows there’s no “traditional” mold or criteria. I mean, in my entire high school career, I’ve been to one football game (though it was a homecoming game); I do one extracur-ricular (but in my opinion, the best one): newspaper. And I’m terrified of class presentations (I literally start to shiver and my teeth begin to chatter during them). However, I’m fiercely passionate about my speech’s topic, and I’m a really good writer. I had genuine enthusiasm when I spoke, and could craft my words well enough to evoke the same in my au-dience. So to answer your question based off my own experience: Passion. Think

Ms. Woolley’s level of passion. That’s what moves the audience, and therefore makes an ef-fective grad speaker.

Q: How have your ac-complishments and expe-riences throughout high school shaped you to give such important insight?

A: Another hard ques-tion. I’m really not sure

if anything within high school walls has given me “insight.” To be honest, my ini-tial inspiration for my speech’s topic came from my watching Ratatouille (as I men-tion in the speech). I will say, however, that there have been many times through-out this particular year that I have been re-minded of my speech’s message. Whether it’s sitting in a class I really love, working on a graphic design for newspaper, or sim-ply walking down the halls, I find myself taking mental pictures of moments I know I’ll wish I’d appreciated longer.

Q: What encouraged or inspired you to put in the effort to beat the other contes-tants for the honor?

A: Gilmore girls plus inspiration plus my love for writing equals my motivation to audition. In middle school and the begin-ning of high school, my mom and I were addicted to Gilmore Girls largely because our relationship and our personalities were so similar to theirs. So, in 8th grade, when

I watched Rory (the daughter) give her graduation speech, I started thinking that maybe that was something I could do too. It’s silly. But that plus already having the inspiration for my speech’s topic plus actu-ally having the desire to write it equaled my “putting in the effort.”

Q: Don’t give us any details, but could you elaborate a little on the big ideas dis-cussed in your speech?

A: My speech is about savoring a mo-ment; absorbing yourself in it. I remind people to try and eliminate the trivial, un-important-in-the-long-run distractions that we often let ourselves get caught up in, and that often distract from events that deserve our full attention. It’s essentially about en-joying every moment –big or small– and not letting yourself get caught up insignifi-cant distractions.

Q: How will you carry on the Sherwood legacy next year?

A: I am going to NYU next year. I’ll be in the Gallatin School of individualized study (you craft your own individualized major around seemingly unrelated inter-ests. It’s the “hippie” school for indecisive kids.) My interests will be (I think) Adver-tising, Art (especially graphic design), and Philosophy. I hope to get into the advertis-ing industry and be the one both concep-tualizing the ads and then also creating them. I’ll be sure to try and give Sherwood a good name in the Big Apple!

With

Olivia SnyderGraduation Speaker

The NFL has been under fire recently with the 2011 lockout that threatened to cancel football for that season, the player bounty issue, and numerous lawsuits filed all over the country by former players al-leging concussion injuries from their time on the field. On the other side, at the forefront of representing the professional football players of the NFL, is DeMau-rice Smith, Executive Director of the Na-tional Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and Sherwood’s 2012 graduation speaker. Smith was elected unanimously to the NFLPA position in March of 2009 after working nine years as a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice and in the pri-vate sector as a trial lawyer and litigation partner representing important corpora-tions. “The private practice was extremely engaging and mentally rigorous. I got to

AQ

&by Nathan St.Pierre ‘12

by Ellen Kirkness ‘12

see SMITH, pg. 2

Students Opt To Earn Degrees Across the Pondby Holly Cuozzo ‘12

“I feel that the more you travel, the more you realize how much of the world there is still left to see. Many argue that there is always the safer option of going to a university closer to home and spending a year abroad through their programs … [but] I would hate to regret a missed op-portunity, and in 20 years you will regret things you didn’t do more than things you did do,” said senior Caitlin Hanratty. During the hectic application process, many students considered local colleges, reach schools, safety schools and many others, in hopes of finding the perfect fit. Students considered cost, availability of their majors, and opportunities in order to make a decision, but a factor that seemed to affect everyone’s decision is the loca-tion of his or her school. At this age, the

idea of travelling far from home usu-ally sounds more than appealing, but some students have decided to think outside the continent and go to school over-seas. “Attend-ing school in Germany will be a unique and exciting ex-perience in many ways, but I am most looking forward to the independence I will gain from living across the pond. Though I have

friends in Munich and family close by, I will be living on my own and will have to

adjust,” said se-nior Katarina Niedermair. There are many ways for s t u d e n t s to study a b r o a d : s t u d e n t s can do a gap year p r o g r a m to travel b e t w e e n their se-

nior years in high school and their fresh-man years in college, they can study abroad

for a semester or a year through a program at their university, or they can go to college abroad. Joe Hock, the career center advisor, believes that going to college abroad has its advantages, but sometimes “the deci-sion bases on immaturity.” It is easy to want to go to a foreign country for four or more years for the experience and the fun, but the decision to go overseas may re-quire more consideration than choosing an American college because of the cultural differences and possibly heightened cost of living. Colin Kee, for example, is deciding between Montgomery College and Univer-sity of Limerick in Ireland because, he be-lieves, it is a big decision to be away from family and friends for four years. “I think time spent at any university is,

see STUDENTS, pg. 2

Check out Sherwood’s Influential Seniors

Featurespgs. 4-5

ARTMusicVolunteer

AcademicsLeadership

NFLPA’s Smith To Speak at 2012 Graduation

“I think time spent at any university is, and can be, whatever you want to make it. I plan on using my location in Europe to my advantage.”

~ Senior Caitlin Hanratty

NFLPA executive DeMaurice Smith.

google.com

The Warrior•NewsMay 17, 20122

Section Editors:News:

Darby WhitehairWondering Warrior:

Isabel PatersonFeatures:

Holly CuozzoWill Gavett

Destinations:Devin CorneliusEllen Kirkness

Katie NolanColumns:

Hannah ChertockOlivia Snyder

Sports:Jacob Bogage

Photographers:Hannah Chertock

Brett MelnickPaul Szewczyk

Content Directors:Devin Cornelius

Holly CuozzoIsabel Paterson

Rebecca Stussman

Pollster: Amanda Harrington

Warrior Senior Staff

Advisor: Peter Huck

Students Choose Alternatives to Typical Post High School Endeavors

Encouraged by the social norms of our time, students from a young age have been urged and urged to go to college after high school in order to strengthen their educa-tion and master one specific area of inter-est. Even with more than half of the Senior Class continuing their education at a four-year college, some students are more inter-ested in taking the less beaten path. These students have decided to take either a short or permanent break from school to pursue something else that interests them. Senior Perry Stylos already has a job set up for him after high school, at the lo-cal 5 Plumbing Union in D.C. Stylos got the interest of starting a career in plumbing after spending a two-year program focus-ing on the trade at the Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Wheaton. “I looked at the classes at Edison and plumbing looked the easiest to do, and I found the rewards to be beneficial,” said Stylos. Edison enrolls around 600 students every year, and most use their learned skills to help pay for college expenses, or to continue their pathways and make a ca-reer out of them. Stylos will make around $18 an hour when he starts his new job in October, but once he turns 18, he will be able to make between $25 and $30 an hour. He hopes to continue his career path in plumbing until he retires. Another respected path choice af-ter high school has been to take the time to give back to the country, and join the armed forces. Senior David Barnhard has wanted to be a soldier since the fifth grade

and enlisted to be a Marine in July of 2011. Starting June 22, David will go to Parris Island, North Carolina, to begin his Marine Corps training. Although Barnhard has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has taken nine AP classes all through high school, he does not want to continue getting his education at this time and wants to give back. “There are so many people in this country worth protecting, that I feel obliged to help. And I think college is a waste right now. There are more important things to do at 18,” said

Barnhard. If Barnhard were to want to go to school after his time in the Marines, the Marine Corps would pay for it for him. These alternative options, though dif-ferent from the traditional paths, are just as rewarding and beneficial as spending the next years of life confined on a college campus. “People always heckle me about not going to college, but I don’t care,” said Stylos. “I really like my choice. And, when everyone’s in college, I’ll be making about $30,000 a year.”

and can be, whatever you want to make it,” said Hanratty.” I plan on using my loca-tion in Europe to my advantage in the way that I can travel much more easily and soak in a lot more in regards to foreign political systems, economic and languages. If one is looking for a job that involves global re-lations on any scale, employers are going to be much more eager to put you on their team if they know that you’re not afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.” Hanratty plans to attend the University of Glasgow in Scotland, UK, and Nieder-mair hopes to attend Ludwig Maximilian Universität (LMU) in Munich, Germany, but may go to Heidelberg, Würzburg or Freiburg because she will not receive her acceptances until August. Both students have frequently travelled to the countries in which they will go to college, so they were neither intimidated by nor worried about the cultural differences.

Students Attend College Abroad for Opportunitiesfrom STUDENTS, pg. 1

represent some of the best companies in the world. Very high end and very precise,” said Smith. At the NFLPA, Smith’s primary goal was improving players’ careers and pri-oritizing their long-term health and well-being through improved health and safety measures. “The challenge was not only to come up with a fair deal economically, but truly a deal [regarding the NFL lockout] that changed football by making the game safer and more rewarding for the players,” said Smith. Smith forged a new agreement with the NFL that eliminates practice two times a day, limits the amount of practices a week, and provides vastly improved ben-efits for both current and former players. Smith grew up in the D.C. area and is an experienced speaker, having given speeches at his own high school gradua-tion, his graduation from the University of Virginia Law School, and most recently at the Howard University Law School. He was last year’s commencement speaker at the University of Maryland College Park. Smith’s educational background is very important to him. “I am so thankful to the schools I went to especially elementary and high school. Those times are important years, not only academically and educa-tionally, but from the relationships you de-velop and the sports you play,” said Smith. “Good professors, good coaches and good counselors really make the first lasting im-pression on what you will be in your life.” What Smith really finds essential to success in his life is not viewing only his successes, but learning from his failures. “When everybody looks at my job they tend to look at oh you’ve been successful at this and successful at that. What every-body glosses over publicly are those mo-ments when people do fail,” said Smith. “People tend to not want to remember the times when they fail. The courage to accept failure is the prelude to success.”

Smith Reminds Kids To Learn from Failures from SMITH, pg. 1

by Brett Melnick ‘12

Staff Writers:Scott Bolen

Ryan CoulterSam Farrell

Daniel FrankAbby Issacs

Christopher JouArjun Singh

Allie StrosniderNathan St.PierreMichael Wagner

Perry Stylos (left)Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Brett Melnick ‘12

David Barnhard (right)

The Warrior•Wondering WarriorMay 17, 2012 3

Sum up your high school career...

“We Own The Night” -William Drozdoski

“The Man Who Knew Too Little”

-Chris Mueck “Accepted”-Nino Azcuy

“High School Musical 1, 2 and 3 with some aspects of Grease.”-Jordan Kleiman

“Dazed and Confused”

-Jarrett Metro

“#weekends”-Price Peters

“#thatawkwardmomentwhenyourealizethatyouretheonlyseniorintech”-Jon Burnsky

“#ihatemondays”-Sophie Sweeney

“#firstworldproblems”-Paige Wise

“#weoutchea”-Randall Stewart

“#nerdshavemorefun”-Yi Chen

“I need sleep.”-Irene Szeless

“I made it.”

-Jonathan Flores

“Ready to leave.”-Brian Kaplan

“Most cherished memories.”-Lydia Hanson

“So many shenanigans.”-Daniel Barnette

“Eat, study, collapse.”-Lakshmi Kirkire

“Meeting many new people and making a lot of friends.”-Gabriel Rosa

“I will forever remember all the experiences

I gained and memories I made.”

-Emily Kong

“Our two classmates Daniel Hon and Alex Popeck.”-Amanda Schell

“Going to Europe for Spring

Break.”

-Steven Sloane

“Drop balloons and confetti ... or streak.”-Rodney Christian

“Bust a move on stage.”-Eva Chakalakis

“Arrive via my own

personal float and parade.”

-David Marin“Set off fireworks.”-Erica Peters

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”-Briana Covington

...using movie titles ...using a hashtag

If you could do anything at graduation, what

would you do?

What will you remember most from high school?

...in three words

“#lifegoeson”-Lauren Alexa Gambrill

“The Judd Nelson arm thrust at the end of ‘The Breakfast Club’.”-Liz Scanlon

“Never back down.”-Joey Quinn

“Have people throw me money.”-Jordan Lichtenstein

“Bedazzle my entire gown and cap.”-Faith Udofia

“Shake hands with someone famous.”-Kristine Kim

“Breakdance on stage.”-Joshua Hahn

“Being hit by a car.”-Dayo Adegbite

“My senior year homecoming with all my friends, having the time of our lives.”-Sheyenne Boswell

“The Every 15 Minutes program.

This will forever be in my mind.”

-Delicia Kama

by Abby Isaacs ‘12

L i n d s e y Leigh, though

quirky, has proven time and time again that she

is serious about her pieces and yields great artwork. The theme behind her paintings this year was to find beauty in people and situations that most other people would overlook or deem ugly. Also, as a member of the Arts Honor Society, she assisted in making the mural that is currently hang-ing over the water fountain in the Ertzman lobby. Over the years, however, the theme and style behind Leigh’s work has always been changing. “I don’t really like to tie myself to one style because it al-ways changes depending on my mood. The

thing about art is that you can create something no one has seen before and you aren’t constrained to reality. You

can draw a bear riding a unicycle in space if you wanted,” said Leigh. She will be submitting her

work to College Board and plans to continue her work in the art school at Syracuse

University.

The Warrior•FeaturesMay 17, 20124

The Warrior•FeaturesMay 17, 2012 5

Caroline McCue has always had an appreciation for learn-ing and an ability to succeed in school. Her affinity for math allowed her to take Algebra as a sixth grader, AP BC Calculus as a sophomore, and currently she excels in Multivariable Calculus. Her interests extend to other subjects as well, and McCue participates in Music, Math, Science, English and National Honor Society. With an SAT score of 2380 and a GPA of 3.98, academic success is an area of extreme strength for McCue. The senior also engages in activities beyond the classroom such as Model UN, Engineers without Borders, Chemathon and Jazz Band, where she plays trumpet. She cites her love of learning and high self-expectations as motivators for her scholastic dedication. Next year she will attend the University of Maryland Engineering School on a full Banneker Key scholarship.

For many, working to get the required amount of service learning hours was a grueling task, but for An-drew Burlin, the pros out-weighed the cons. Since sixth grade, Burlin has logged a whopping 1,139 SSL hours working as a counselor at the Oak Dale Emory United Methodist Church Day Camp during the summer. He enjoyed working there because he had a lot of fun and he didn’t even notice that the hours were accumulating.

He received several awards in middle school and just recently received a certificate and extra tassel for his abun-dance of hours.

Ambitious se-nior Louis Levine is the Vice President of Mu Alpha Theta and an active member in the National Honor Society, the National Sci-ence Honor Society and the Na-tional Music Honor Society. He has excelled in backbreaking courses such as BC Calculus, AP Physics and AP Chemistry, and, throughout an impressive high school career, has maintained a love of learning and appreciation for academics that fuels his mo-tivation to work with dedication in school. With an almost flaw-less GPA of 3.92 and a weighted GPA of 4.71, Levine has marked himself at Sherwood as a figure of scholastic distinction. He also excels beyond the classroom, volunteering with the Key Club, competing in the local Chemathon, and performing the trumpet in Sherwood’s Jazz Band. Levine first discovered a passion for academ-ics as a young child, demonstrating such eagerness to learn that his parents enrolled him in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten two years early. This interest has not waned, and Levine looks forward to at-tending the University of Maryland next year in the honors college with an expected major in chemistry.

A bassist, guitarist, pianist, drummer and saxo-

phone player, Daniel Kehoe has undoubtedly

exhibited a great interest in music. He began to

play piano and clarinet in third grade, learned to

play the bass in seventh grade, picked up guitar in

eighth grade, and began to play the saxophone in

his junior year. He plays in several bands, writes

music, has been in Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival for all

four years of high school, sings for the Chambers

Choir, and does more with his musical talent.

About music, he said, “It’s the only thing I found

at school … that interests me.” He plans to attend

Towson University to major in Music Education because it offers the job security that he wants

along with the involvement in music that he loves.

High school is a time to find what you are passionate about, and for Phanna Iamlek, it’s serv-ing others. Since entering middle school, Iamlek has earned over 2,000 service learning hours for helping out at places varying from the Olney Library to Med-star Montgomery Medical Center to Brookside Gardens. Although she has served at a variety of or-ganizations, Iamlek most enjoyed her time at Winter Growth, a non-profit assisted living community for older and disabled adults here in Olney. During her four years at Winter Growth, Iamlek served meals and developed compan-ionship with some of the adults. She continued to help out long after she accumulated enough hours not only because she plans on being a Pre-Med major, but because she found something she was passionate about. This year, Iamlek received the Montgomery Serves Youth Ser-vice Award, an award that recognizes a demonstrated commitment to serving the community.

From a young age, Bryancca Bogle has had an in-terest in singing. Her mother exposed her to vari-ous genres of music, giving her the initial interest. She attended Oak Chapel School for her fourth through sixth grade years, which truly sparked her passion for singing. “It made me want to get out there and just really start singing,” said Bogle. She sings in the Chambers choir, has participated in Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival, posts YouTube videos of her singing, and is trying to make her own songs, but lacks the necessary equipment, she says. She also received the Duke Elington Award for sing-ing and academic performance. “I aspire to be a

singer, but I always have a Plan B, so I’m going to major in communications … so hopefully

I can be in the same field,” she said. Bogle will attend Trinity Washington University with the

hopes of a future in radio broadcasting.

Alexandra Stephanos has always been known through the halls of Sherwood as a dedicated, hardworking and sweet girl. She has been involved in the SGA her full four-year tenure and a prominent member in the National Honor So-ciety since being inducted her junior year. She has excelled in AP courses such as US History, Calculus, Language and Literature. She represented Sherwood on a competitive lev-el as well by captaining a perfect Pom team as a junior in the 2011 MCPS County tournament and winning the Cap-tain of the Year award her senior year in 2012. “She leads by example,” said Senior Class sponsor Katie Jaffe. “She’s a hard worker, and while some things are natural to her, she puts in her work and deserves what she gets.” Outside of education, she spends hours practicing and perfecting horseback riding. She furthered her claim to diligence by being accepted to schools such as Boston College, Univer-sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland at College Park, the latter to which she picked to attend in the fall of 2012 as a history major.

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12 Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

Paul Szewczyk ‘12

by Michael Wagner ‘12

by Holly Cuozzo ‘12 by S

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by Rebecca Stussman ‘12

Seniors

Known for her dark

works of paint and pen, Kara Allen

has received a lot of atten-tion from her peers throughout high school. As a

member of the Art Honors Society, she has taken a wide variety of art classes ranging from Studio Art to Fashion Design. As an AP Art student, Allen has also had the opportunity to have her worked reviewed many times and has won quite a number of awards in the process. Her most recent was given to

her by the art department the 2012 Sherwood Art Expo. Despite the highlights her artwork has given her, Allen said

with a smile that “the most rewarding part [of art] is being able to see people’s reactions to it because, sometimes, they are funny.” She hopes

to continue painting at the Takoma Campus of Mont-gomery College and for upcoming artists, she gives this piece of advice, “Always put

meaning in your artwork.”

With an impressive ten AP courses under his belt, including the daunting Physics and Language courses, Chris Witczak has shown leadership qualities twice over in his four years at Sherwood. “I’m proud I took on the challenges these courses have to offer,” said Witczak. “They helped me change my pro-crastinating habits which I’ve had all through high school.” In addition to academia, Witc-zak was the captain for the JV soccer team his sophomore year, and participates in both track and cross country. Outside of school Witczak is the vice president for Engineers Without Borders and is a captain for his swim teams’ pre-team. Next year Witczak plans to attend Bucknell University, where he’ll take his lead-ership qualities into the field of engineering.

Kiley Haberman Montgomery CollegeJoshua Hahn Drexel UniversityKatherine Hanlon Howard County Community CollegeCaitlin Hanratty University of GlasgowLydia Hanson Towson UniversityAmanda Harrington University of Maryland College ParkEvan Harris St. Mary’s College of MarylandTroy Harris WorkforceDylan Hartzoge Montgomery CollegeKelly Heacox University of North Carolina WilmingtonMarie-Yolaine Heles Montgomery CollegeJorge Hernandez-Port WorkforceMegan Hewitt University of Delaware Jessamine Hickson Binghamtom UniversityAdam Hollander Lincoln Tech InstituteKristen Holonich West Virginia University Donald Hong University of Maryland Baltimore CountyTony Hopkins WorkforceBrandon Houston Montgomery College

Kevin Huffman Montgomery College Emily Hughes University of South Carolina Tucker Hyman Virginia Tech Phanna Iamlek University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Abigail Isaacs Syracuse University Alexandra Jackson James Madison University Jordan Jacobs U.S. Military Zebe Jacobson Towson University Nicole Jakobowski University of Pittsburgh Abdoulie Jallow Undecided Alison Jenkins Shepherd University

Elizabeth Jenkins University of Florida Joseph Jimenez Montgomery College Nicholas Johnson University of Maryland Baltimore County Steven Johnson University of Maryland

College Park Joycelyn Jones Howard University Stephen Jones Montgomery College Christopher Jou University of Maryland

College Park Seth Kahanov University of Pittsburgh

Alexander Kahsay Montgomery College Grace Kane Towson University Brian Kaplan Montgomery College Patrick Karngbaye Alfred University Talia Katz Yale University Colin Kee University of Limerick

Daniel Kehoe Towson UniversityKelly Kendall Clemson University Hyung Joon Kim Montgomery CollegeKristine Kim University of Maryland College ParkLakshmi Kirkire University of Maryland College ParkEllen Kirkness University of FloridaJordan Kleiman Towson UniversityNicholas Koch Montgomery CollegeRyan Kohn University of MissouriMary Kolb University of Maryland College ParkEmily Kong Towson UniversityChristopher Krauss Year AbroadRobin Kristall Montgomery CollegeRewa Kumar University of Maryland Baltimore CountyJohn Kurtz U.S. MilitaryAba Kwagyan Howard UniversityCaitlin Kyber Virginia TechThomas Kyttle Lincoln Culinary InstituteHarold Ladele Montgomery CollegeStephen Landis Montgomery CollegeJulie Lasheski Towson UniversityMargaret Lauda James Madison UniversitySamantha Lawhorne WorkforceKathy Lee U.S. MilitaryLindsey Leigh Syracuse UniversityLiz Lemus Montgomery CollegeKarin Lemus Hernande Montgomery College Alyssa Lesho University of Maryland College ParkRebecca Levine Towson UniversityLouis Levine University of Maryland College ParkJason Levy James Madison University

Matthew Abrams Clemson University Derek Abrokwa University of Maryland College ParkMelat Affa Montgomery CollegeAlexandra Aiken Towson UniversityDaniel Alarcon University of Maryland College ParkRyan Ali Montgomery CollegeKara Allen Montgomery CollegeBenjamin Ames University of Maryland College ParkCasey Anderson University of MississippiJulie Ansorge Towson UniversitySewit Araia Towson UniversitySedjro Assogba University of Maryland Baltimore CountyMatthew Azcuy American UniversitySarabjit Bakshi Penn StateRebecca Balenson Colorado State UniversityNitika Bansal University of Maryland Baltimore County Tiana Barksdale Pace UniversityDaniel Barnette Montgomery CollegeDavid Barnhard U.S. MilitaryJesse Baucom University of Maryland College ParkLauren Bealded Long Island University Jess Beattie University of Maryland College ParkBrandon Beauchamp Montgomery CollegeJordan Becker Montgomery CollegeJeffrey Berger Stevenson UniversityIsabel Berger University of GeogiaRachel Berman University of Maryland College ParkFred Bernard Advanced Technol- ogy Institute Ramona Bhagwandin Montgomery CollegeJames Bickel Penn StateBrigitte Bitanga University of Maryland College ParkJohn Blaa Towson UniversityConnor Black Towson UniversityErin Blank Montgomery CollegeZachary Bloom Montgomery CollegeAaron Bogage University of Maryland College ParkJacob Bogage University of MissouriBryancca Bogle Trinity Washington UniversityScott Bolen Messiah CollegeBlake Bonita University of Maryland College ParkJay Boswell Art Institute of WashingtonSheyenne Boswell Montgomery CollegeWilliam Boudhraa University of Maryland College ParkDaniel Bower Montgomery College Rachael Brehm Towson UniversityJared Bright Towson UniversityCourtney Brown Montgomery CollegeJamie Brown Towson UniversityCecile Brule University of Maryland College ParkAndrew Burlin Towson UniversityJon Burnsky University of Maryland College ParkNicholas Calderon University of Maryland Baltimore CountyAshley Calkins Daytona State CollegeTyler Campbell University of Maryland Baltimore CountyShana Caplan University of Delaware Kevin Carey Nova Southeastern UniversityBlake Carpenter Penn StateKevin Carter Stevenson UniversitySheldon Carter Workforce Evania Chakalakis The Catholic University Ka Wai Crystal Chan University of Maryland Baltimore CountyGeordan Charles West Virginia University Isaac Chase Culinary School

The Warrior•DestinationsMay 17, 2012 7

The Warrior•DestinationsMay 17, 20126

Yi Chen University of Maryland College ParkHannah Chertock Virginia Commonwealth UniversityCelia Cheung Montgomery CollegeHarley Chin Montgomery CollegeRodney Christian Johnson & Wales UniversityLudovicus Iolo Claver Montgomery CollegeMargaret Collins Bentley University

Blake Conrad Montgomery CollegeMark Cook Montgomery CollegeCaroline Corbett University of Maryland College ParkDevin Cornelius James Madison UniversityRyan Coulter Mount St. Mary’s UniversityCandice Courtney Montgomery CollegeJanay Covin Morgan State UniversityBriana Covington Towson UniversityKatelyn Cox Montgomery CollegeKyle Crane Montgomery CollegeMark Creppy U.S. MilitaryMatthew Cromwell University of Maryland College ParkSamantha Cruz Montgomery CollegeHolly Cuozzo University of Maryland College ParkChristopher Damion University of Maryland College ParkTimothy Daniels Lincoln Technical InstituteShelby Daniels University of MissouriCameron Davis University of MemphisJose De la Cruz Montgomery CollegeCara Dekelbaum University of Maryland Baltimore CountyScott Deming Penn StateThu Do Montgomery CollegeGabriel Donovan Towson UniversityNoah Dove York College of PennsylvaniaMarisa Dreher Middlebury CollegeWilliam Drozdoski Salisbury UniversityNicholas Ducq Montgomery CollegeLois Dyer University of Maryland College ParkBrianna Dzidzienyo U.S. MilitaryMelissa Echalar Towson UniversityCollin Eckroade Towson UniversityRaveena Edwards University of Maryland Baltimore County

Dylan Edwards University of TampaMadison Elie McDaniel CollegeRobert Elizondo University of Texas San AntonioLisa Ellis Penn StateAaron Eng University of Maryland College ParkEmily Engle Drexel UniversitySandrine Esikadi Montgomery CollegeLauren Ewing Shepherd University Felix Ezeanyaeche Montgomery CollegeMaxwell Fader Indiana University Brian Fanelli University of Maryland College ParkAlexander Farinelli University of South CarolinaPatrick Farrell George Mason UniversityWilliam Farrell Work InternshipIbad Farshori University of Maryland Baltimore CountyAntonio Favali Montgomery CollegeStephanie Feigenbaum Towson UniversityMatthew Fertig Montgomery CollegeVigny Junior Feze Feze Montgomery College

Franklin Feze Toukam Montgomery College Sean Flaherty University of Maryland College ParkMatthew Flamand University of Maryland College ParkJonathan Flores Montgomery CollegeYolanda Flores Montgomery CollegeDaniel Flynn Towson UniversityDaniel Frank University of Maryland College ParkTaylar Frazer Montgomery CollegeJason Frazier University of Maryland College ParkSamuel Fregly Hofstra UniversityRenzo Fuentes Montgomery CollegeGregory Fury Montgomery CollegeSaro Gahima Mount St. Mary’s UniversityLauren Gambrill James Madison UniversitySamuel Gasbara Montgomery CollegeWilliam Gavett New York UniversityKatelynn Gibbons Towson UniversityMichael Ginsburg Montgomery CollegeChristopher Giorgio Towson UniversityDavid Goldberg Montgomery CollegeStephanie Golding University of Maryland College ParkDaniel Gomez Penn College of TechnologyJulian Gomez University of Maryland Baltimore CountyHaneef Grant Morgan State UniversitySara Grantham Salisbury UniversityPatrick Gregory Shepherd University Olijawon Griffin King’s CollegeTalia Gudelsky Towson UniversityAmanda Guimaraes Montgomery CollegeAndoni Guzman Montgomery CollegeJuri Haake Montgomery College

SeniorDestinations

The Warrior•DestinationsMay 17, 20128

The Warrior•DestinationsMay 17, 2012 9

Jordan Lichtenstein Montgomery CollegeSi Ying Lin Catholic UniversitySi Qi Lin University of Maryland Baltimore CountyAmanda Lin University of Maryland College ParkAlexander Liu University of Maryland College ParkAustin Lofthus University of Maryland Baltimore CountyCindy Lopez Towson UniversityKriscia Lopez Aguilar Montgomery College Jaz Ludwick Daytona State CollegeEmily Luke Marymount UniversitySushmita Malik University of Maryland College ParkNyashadzashe Mandima University of Maryland College ParkAmanda Marcus Towson UniversityDavid Marin University of Maryland College ParkNathan Markovitz Montgomery CollegeEdgar Marquez Montgomery CollegeCourtney Martin Coastal Carolina UniversitySamantha Martin Lynn UniversityChristopher Martinez George Mason UniversityJavier Martinez Montgomery CollegeMaritza Martinez Montgomery CollegeDaniel Martinez University of Maryland Baltimore CountyConnor Mayes Messiah CollegeEric Mazur Towson UniversityAlexandra Mazzeo James Madison UniversityMorgan McAlpin Marymount UniversityGary McCants Marymount UniversityJuliana McClurkin Montgomery CollegeCaroline McCue University of Maryland College ParkLauren McDaniel Montgomery CollegeMeghan McDonald Towson UniversityKyle McFarlane Montgomery CollegeColin McMahon Montgomery CollegeEdward McWilliams Towson UniversityEsteban Melendez Montgomery CollegeBrett Melnick Ohio UniversityEric Mendelson Montgomery CollegeGenesis Mendoza Southeastern UniversityVictor Mercogliano University of North Carolina CharlotteJarrett Metro West Virginia University Stephanie Michaud Campus Saint-DenisBrian Miller Radford UniversityRyan Miller WorkforceBrett Mills U.S. MilitaryJoshua Milstein Towson UniversityMatthew Minor Towson UniversityTriumph Mofor Montgomery CollegeJalanya Moody Frostburg UniversityHarveen Moore Rutgers UniversityMichelle Morales Catholic University Jacob Morrison Towson UniversityChristopher Mueck Towson UniversityShannon Murphy University of South FloridaMatthew Na University of Maryland College ParkSamantha Nachlas Towson UniversityThomas Nakamura North Carolina Wesleyan CollegeLisa Nardone Towson UniversitySergio Navarrete Mount St. Mary’s UniversityBrandon Neil Montgomery CollegeJulie Nerenberg Virginia Commonwealth University Emma Newcomb University of Maryland College ParkTeri Newell Johnson C. Smith UniversityVi Nguyen Towson UniversityAndrew Nguyen University of Maryland College ParkRoxanne Niava Montgomery College

Mary Nickerson High Point UniversityKatarina Niedermair UndecidedAnna Nightingale St. Mary’s College of MarylandLaurette Njehoya Montgomery CollegeKatie Nolan San Diego State UniversityDylan O’Donnell Montgomery CollegeMark O’Flynn Ohio State UniversityGyyoung Oh University of Maryland College ParkNatalie Oporto Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityFelix Ortiz WorkforceAdedayo Oseni-Adegbite Montgomery CollegeLeo Pacano Daytona State CollegeRaphael Pacano Daytona State CollegeIngris Pacheco Montgomery CollegeOscar Padilla Montgomery CollegeGriffin Paquin University of Maryland College ParkJeremy Parel Shenandoah ConservatoryRichard Park Montgomery CollegeChoul Min Park-Zuniga Montgomery CollegeIsabel Paterson Shepherd University Emma Patterson University of Maryland College ParkTyler Patton Montgomery College Erica Peters Coastal Carolina UniversityDavid Peters Montgomery CollegeSarah Peterson Coastal Carolina UniversityKevin Phillip University of Maryland Baltimore CountyKenya Platero Montgomery CollegeChezley Polk George Mason UniversityErin Post York College of PennsylvaniaSean Pratt Montgomery CollegeJenney Premont Brigham Young University IdahoGabrielle Prochaska Montgomery CollegeTyler Purcell Montgomery CollegeRobert Quinn Susquehanna UniversityRichard Rafferty Penn StateAlexandra Rajotte St. Mary’s College of MarylandKristina Ramirez Howard UniversityJoel Ramos Montgomery CollegePaige Reddan University of Maryland Baltimore CountyMichael Reich University of Maryland College ParkRebecca Reis Montgomery CollegeKatherine Relihan James Madison UniversityDori Rhode LIM CollegeMitchell Rhode University of PittsburghBrennan Ridinger Johnson & Wales UniversityJoseph Roberts U.S. MilitaryLauren Roberts Montgomery CollegeAustin Roberts University of Maryland Baltimore County Tyler Rodriguez St. Mary’s College of MarylandCharles Rogers Salisbury UniversityGabriel Rosa Montgomery CollegeAndrew Rosen Lafayette CollegeHayley Rosenberg Frostburg UniversityMarisella Rotella Montgomery CollegeKaitlyn Ruth Lynchburg CollegeKyle Ryan Clemson University Shaun Saalakhan Montgomery CollegeSara Sabry University of South CarolinaAlvaro Salguero Montgomery CollegeJohn Carlo Salter Towson UniversityTory Sanna-Withers University of MinnesotaRikki Sargent Shippensburg UniversityElizabeth Scanlon University of Miami Amanda Schell Montgomery CollegeStefani Scher Montgomery College

Timothy Schindel Penn College of TechnologyBrittany Schneider Montgomery CollegeEmma Schneider Penn StateDaniel Schrock Universal Technical InstituteMichael Schwarz West Virginia University Reshan Selvarajah Montgomery CollegeSamrawit Semaie Montgomery CollegeAminata Sesay Morgan UniversityMonroe Sherman, Jr King’s CollegeHunter Silfies Olympic Community CollegeGabrielle Simala University of Delaware Ashley Singh University of Maryland Baltimore CountyArjun Singh University of Maryland Baltimore CountyStaline Laure Sipanze Montgomery CollegeKirby Siravo Montgomery CollegeMichelle Siuce Montgomery CollegeMelissa Slater Montgomery CollegeSteven Sloane University of Maryland College ParkAshlie Slone West Virginia University Fernando Smith Hardgrave Military AcademyAshley Smith Indiana University of PennsylvaniaZachary Smith University of Maryland College ParkAlia Smith York College of PennsylvaniaOlivia Snyder New York UniversityZoe Sousane University of Maryland College ParkTimothy Spillman University of Maryland College ParkPaul Spriggs Montgomery CollegeAnn Sragner Towson UniversityNathan St Pierre University of Maryland Baltimore CountyMegan Stanley Juniaita CollegeLauren Steck Lewis and Clark CollegeNicole Steiner Fashion Institute of Design and MerchandisingAlexandra Stephanos University of Maryland College ParkJohari Stephens University of Illinois Urbana ChampaignRandall Stewart Michigan State UniversityMatthew Stitzlein Towson UniversityAnne Stout Towson UniversityJustin Strang Montgomery CollegeAllison Strosnider St. Mary’s College of MarylandJovonn Stull West Virginia University Rebecca Stussman Columbia UniversityPerry Stylos WorkforceKevin Suen Montgomery CollegeConnor Sullivan Montgomery CollegeBrittone Sullivan WorkforceSophie Sweeney Virginia TechIrene Szeless Montgomery CollegePaul Szewczyk University of RochesterGregory Szwarcman University of Maryland Baltimore CountyNathan Tagg Brigham Young UniversityAurelien Tchouente Tseb Loyola University Maryland Alexandra Thanos Howard County Community CollegeHeather Thomas New River Online CollegeDanielle Thornburgh Montgomery CollegeJoshua Torres John Jay College of Criminal JusticeSierra Tothill Montgomery CollegeMadison Tralka Towson University Michael Traynor Towson UniversityAndrew Trout WorkforceKevin Tsang Montgomery CollegeMelinda Tung University of Maryland College ParkBari Turkheimer University of Maryland College ParkDemetra Tzamaras University of Maryland College ParkFaith Udofia University of Maryland College ParkCarmelita Ugarte Hood College

Derek Valentin Morgan State UniversityBethany Van Waes St. Mary’s College of MarylandJohn Van Etten University of Maryland College ParkBenjamin Velazquez Utah State UniversityJoseph Vendetti West Virginia University Michael Villanueva Frederick Community CollegeMichael Vires University of Maryland Baltimore CountyMichael Wagner Montgomery CollegeNicole Wagner Montgomery CollegeAlexis Warner Montgomery CollegeMeleny Weber University of Maryland College ParkJoshua Weingart Montgomery CollegeJacqueline Weiss University of Maryland College ParkConnor Welch University of Maryland College ParkEllen Wengert Virginia TechSydney West East Carolina UniversityDarby Whitehair University of Maryland College ParkLauren Whitten University of Maryland College ParkCharles Wight University of Maryland College ParkRachel Wilkinson California Polytechnic State UniversityDave Williams Montgomery CollegeEric Williams Towson UniversityBre’A Williams University of Baltimore School of LawDani Willis U.S. MilitaryDante Wilson Montgomery CollegeNicholas Winikoff University of South CarolinaPaige Wise The Hill Prep School/ US Naval AcademyChristopher Witczak Bucknell UniversityNathan Wolfe University of Maryland College ParkVickie Wong University of Maryland College ParkPeter Woods Montgomery CollegeClaire Wortmann University of Maryland College ParkArielle Yair Corcoran Art and Design SchoolIlse Yee Montgomery CollegeNatalie Yee Towson UniversityHoan Yong Case Western Reserve UniversityRuth Yosef York College of PennsylvaniaCarter Young Montgomery CollegeDylan Young Montgomery CollegeMelody Young Montgomery CollegeKatherine Zavaleta Montgomery College

Though the Warrior made every effort to contact all members of the Senior Class, some names are omitted because students either did not provide a response or did not wish to be listed.

Joe Sangillo (Social Studies): Make yourself your #1 priority—it has a trickledown effect on every aspect of your life. Don’t let the past define you. Live your best life possible, without excuses. Educate your-self on how financial interest helps and hurts you.

Laura Dinerman (Science): Someone loves you. Don’t lose track of him/her/them. Your parents, friends, teachers, counselors and lots of other people have all played a role in making you who you are. Keep in touch. Especially with your mother who is going to miss you so much (sniff…).

Jim Douglas (Science): If you don’t drink - stick to your beliefs - 30% of college students never consume alcohol.

Aileen Woolley (Social Studies): When things get tough and busy put your head down and work through it. When they’re not: party wisely. Being efficient in this way guarantees discipline and suc-cess … oh and fun.

Christine McKeldin (Social Studies): Don’t waste time on people who don’t deserve it. Redirect that energy onto the good people in your life so often overlooked.

Gina Martin (Science): Look ahead and think about where you want to study abroad.

Tim Altaner (Math): When you are in college remember you learn as much outside classes as you do in your classes. Try new things, meet new people, grow!

Beth Dibler (English): In life, you’ll be both complimented and insulted. Accept the compliments as facts and the insults as lies. Never give in to the tendency to do the reverse.

Todd Rubinstein (Social Studies): Don’t forget to breathe, it’s easy to get caught up in classes, clubs, sports, fraternities and sororities but make sure you take some time each week for yourself to unwind, reflect, and relax.

Debbie Reier (English): Break down stereotypes! Hang out with students who might not have been your best friends in high school.

Teachers’ Inspiration A few wise words . . .

Peter Huck (Newspaper): Invest in a good pair of shower slippers. Oh, and if you develop a code for how to live your life ethically and stick to that code regardless of what it might cost you, then you’ll have clarity when you face the tough choices and situations that inevitably will arise.

The Warrior•Columns May 17, 201210

Have you ever pondered “life,” like when does it begin and when does it end? Does “life” begin at birth or are the first few years a prologue to your real life story? I have thought about this question all throughout high school, and all I have to say is that we have all lived on an airplane… a metaphorical airplane of course. A safe, commercial aircraft that is taking us to “there.” Somewhere specific. It’s taking you to where you have to be, to that monumen-tal moment when you begin to change. At that first moment when we finally

reach “there,” we are kicked off our flight and we fall … There, on the way to the inevitable, our “life” begins. I was kicked out of the metaphoric airplane the day I stared into darkness on Brighton Dam. I was alone, scared about what was to come, scared about who I was, and scared about the inevitable (whatever that may be). To put it more simply I had reached my lowest low. Worrying about life, I received a phone call from a friend who simply wanted to see if I was all right. That brief yet important conversation with my friend is when I realized my “life” was about to begin. I realized that whatever neurotic hypothetical situation I was thinking was all in my head. That phone call from my friend made me realize that I needed to live in the moment and stop worrying about the hypothetical, big picture (which may or may not happen) and focus on something else instead. Now I am falling from the metaphorical airplane and my “life” is truly started. I begin to realize what is truly important in my life, which are the minor things that my peers and I do to show we care about each other. The way your best friend cracked a joke to you when he knew you were feeling down, the smile your friend gave you when you picked her up in the morning or the nights you ordered pizza just because you wanted to. Those small moments were the moments that matter the most, because you knew they were fleeting but they were still encapsulated moments of happiness. While capturing memories, you knew one day your friend wouldn’t be there to cheer you up, or your friend greeted with you with a frown, or you didn’t have any money in your wallet for a pizza. While trying to hold on to the memories you keep falling falling and falling. And once you have captured a brief moment of happiness you knew the fall, “life,” would be less terrifying since you knew you were happy with what you have.

Paul Versus The Inevitableby Paul Szewczyk

A Chance To Get To Know The Real Meby Darby Whitehair Five foot five, blue eyes, large feet, upturned nose, and pale skin that turns red in an instant. It’s what people see when they look at me or at least what I imagine they see, but I am so much more than that. I’m the girl who stays home and immerses herself in books and movies not because she has noth-ing else to do but because she likes to believe that those stories can come true. I’m the girl who in the summer wants to stand outside in a storm and feel the raindrops hit her face. I don’t go out and party but it’s not because I disapprove; it’s because I like to be in control of myself. I stay home with my little sisters and brother not because I am told to, but because I truly care about them. I make a point of saying good bye to people just in case it is the last time I get to do so. I don’t watch the news because I hate hearing all the horror stories. I’m the girl who likes to keep the hall light on at night because I hate not being able to see. I’m the girl who wears the cross, not because I am a devout Christian but because it makes me feel safe. I wear a now broken dragonfly ring at all times not because it’s pretty but because my mother gave it to me. Love stories make me sad because I find it hard to believe that there can be love so great, yet they leave me hopeful that one day I might have an even greater love. These are all just some of the little things that make me, me. When deciding on colleges I was told by many friends that I needed to go away and experience life, but I choose Maryland because what I have now is my life. I have a family, a home, and a best friend. Sure, in the future I want things to change, but I don’t think I’m going to have to search far to be happy. While in the future I want to add to my family a husband and children, if I don’t find those things, I’ll always have my mom and dad, my stepdad and stepmom, my three sisters and my brother, my aunts and uncles and my cousins to support me as they have the last eighteen years of my life. This is me. This is who I am. This is who I am going to be.

The Expert’s Guide To Finding Happinessby Holly CuozzoI Hate The Beach When I was in my Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten years, I was never a very conventional person. I was known for wearing cat ears to class every day and for being obsessed with dinosaurs and Pokèmon. But I had great friends who liked the same things as me (save the cat ears) and I was happy, so I never questioned myself and therefore no one else questioned me. However, as I grew older, I began to view myself as weird instead of unique, and I lost the creative spirit through which I used to express myself. It took me until a few years ago to learn this, but journalism and photography taught me that expressing myself can be done in so many ways. I learned not to alter my photographs or articles based on what my audience expected so I stopped doing this when it came to my personality as well. If we spent half of the time that we spend trying to impress others, trying to make a difference in the lives of people around us, we would lead much more re-

I hate the beach. Mind you I don’t hate going to the beach for vacation; I love places like Ocean City and the boardwalk. I just can’t fathom the idea of actually going to the shoreline with all the sand and the water to have fun. To me the actual beach is just a sandy, perpetually cold, wet waste of time. Reason number one why I hate the beach: the sand. This reason is probably the most understandable one in my entire argument because when you think about it, everybody hates the sand. All sand does is annoy people. It gets in your bathing suit (or whatever you’re wearing), it scratches your skin and it takes a good three hours to get the stuff off you entirely. Some of you may be thinking, “Oh. What about the showers right before you leave? Can’t you just wash your feet off there?” To those people, you look my picture in the eyes and tell it that those work completely. I can’t recall a time where as soon as I clean my feet of all the sand I don’t get them immedi-ately sandy by stepping right into more sand. Reason number two: the water. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being cold. In fact I loathe the feeling of being cold so much that I tend to avoid situations where I could become cold. I also hate the taste of an entire shaker of salt flooding into my mouth and the idea that I am probably stewing in other people or creature’s urine. So naturally, the idea of going into the ocean is not exactly appealing to me, and the more I think about what is probably in the water, the more I want to sterilize ev-ery part of my body with a potent acidic substance of some sort. Call me crazy but I prefer

ward-ing and

satisfying lives.

When I am feeling down, I always remember

two things: One: happiness is a choice. If some-

thing bad happens and you mope about it, the situation will never get better. Think about

the song—Don’t Worry, Be Happy. And two: don’t worry about what other people think. Burst into

song, paint a terrible picture, wear stripes and polka dots at the same time (or cat ears—whatever floats your happy little boat). If you think that people will judge you, who cares? If you’re always worried about what other people think, you won’t really be able to do anything, ever. Just saying. You just need to look within yourself, realize that whatever you struggle with is not as bad as it seems, and keep your head held high for all to see, your arms wide open (bursting into song again) for all to come into, and the corners of your mouth turned up to infect others with your contagious bliss.

the clean

chlorine filled water at the pool to

the salty infestation at the beach. So when I’m in Ocean

city in two weeks I’m going to be loving life on the boardwalk while the rest of the beach goers who remain uncon-

vinced can stew in the salty filth of the ocean.

by Will Gavett

The Warrior•ColumnsMay 17, 2012 11

High School Is Life by Daniel Frank

Good morning Sherwood, today is Thursday, May 17th, 2012. I’m Abby Isaacs and I’ll be hosting the Special Senior Edition of Warrior Wake Up this morning. Attention rising sophomores: Just because you are underclassmen doesn’t mean that your grades don’t count. Believe me, you will be extremely upset if you don’t get into the college of your dreams because you slacked off early on. College is only three short years away and it may seem like a lifetime now, but time flies; soon you will regret speeding through high school. So slow down and focus on school work, but don’t forget to have fun. Also, don’t push your technology credit class to senior year—it blows. Attention rising juniors: You may feel like you got lost in the mix of things this year but be

ready, junior year is a wakeup call. Get started on the college process early. If there is one thing I regret in high school, it’s pushing the college application process to senior year. Junior year will be much harder than sophomore year, I’m not going to lie, but it is also 12 times more fun. You meet a lot more of your classmates and you get to experience the advantages of being an upperclassmen. Also, make sure not to load your schedule with APs and honors courses; you will definitely need a break during the second semester. Attention rising seniors: Senior year will be your best year at Sherwood so make the most of it and try to get the majority of your college applications done over the summer. Believe me; you won’t be sorry you spent that rainy day inside typing es-says while your friends watched a boring movie in a basement. Senior year is also the most unifying year; you continue to strengthen the bond between you and your peers. Step out of the box and try new things, whether it’s trying out for a sports team or participating in Mr. Sherwood. But remember, the most important aspect of senior year is learning to stay true to yourself; it’s easy to get swept up by the mainstream. And last but not least ATTENTION GRADUATING SENIORS: Through thick and thin we have stuck together and we are finally at the end of our journey. In just 10 short days, we will be walking across the stage at DAR Constitution Hall in front of all our peers, friends and family, taking hold of our diplomas and starting our new lives. If there’s one piece of advice I could give to our whole senior class, it’s to never forget what we learned in our days at Sherwood. Not just our knowledge, but from our experiences as well. Take what you have learned and apply it wherever you find yourself in the future and always be reminded that you are and will forever be a Stormin’ Warrior. That’s Warrior Wake Up Live’s Spe-cial Senior Edition, I’m Abby Isaacs. Have an awesome summer!

Warrior Wake Up: Senior Editionby Abby Isaacs

Rachel Kim was the first friend I made in high school. She laughed at the wide-eyed freshman who stumbled in late to Mr. Huck’s third period journal-ism. She was a junior and decided (more like demanded) that she take me under her wing. She declared I’d be Editor-in-Chief of The Warrior my second day at Sherwood and intended to lead me down that path whether I liked it or not. I guess I liked it. As a sophomore, Rachel grabbed me by the collar and shook me. She wore a smile from ear to ear, a purple plaid shirt and earbuds dangled from her neck. That, among the jostling, was all I could see. “You have to grab the reader by the collar,” she shrieked gleefully, “and shake them.” (Rachel, I learned, was a very literal person). The ruckus attracted two other senior editors to pick on the cub-reporter. In about five seconds Maria Romas and Marcus Lee joined in shaking me and Editor-in-Chief Lexi Evans stood by and laughed. I finally slumped down in my desk and the “three amigos” backed away, giggling as my head throbbed. “I get it Rach.” “We did it to help you, man,” Marcus said. Yes, Marcus, I know. I retrieved my story and ventured to what I secretly called the valley of death, where stories go to die. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the (literally) rough and tumble world of journalism. But Rachel followed me and parked her petite self next to me. She slid the keyboard away from me and rewrote my lead. “You don’t write features stories, do you?” “I mostly write sports.” She highlighted my first 300 words and won the race to the delete but-ton. While I mourned my text, she pressed save, making the change irreversible. “That’s editing,” she told me. “Now write.” It took me six tries at a new lead, but Rachel didn’t leave my side. She tuned into her ipod and periodically pressed back-space, playing with my hair and punching me in the arm to console me. My new lead finally completed, she rushed to show Marcus and Maria my accomplishment. I left the valley of death to a chorus of mocking applause and finally a group hug from the “three amigos” plus Lexi. “We did it ‘cause we love you.” And I love them too. Some say it takes a village to raise a child. Well the Class of 2010 raised me. The late Rachel Kim edited not only my work, but my character. Maria Romas was my voice of reason. Marcus Lee was my prophet. Together, they made me, as I was once called by an adorable child, Bogage Man.

Shout-Out To My Seniors: Class Of 2010by Jacob Boggage

As Told By Brett Melnick

For me, high school has been a sequence of distinct paradigms. I feel as though I have been in constant flux over the course of my stay at Sherwood, drastically chang-ing my personality and ideas as well as my outlook on life practically at the drop of a hat. I’m sure that if I were to travel back in time and meet a ninth-grade Daniel Frank, I’d scarcely recognize him. Or rather, I’d get an eerie sense of how deluded I was back then (which would, of course, reflect on how deluded I’ll forever continue to be). The point is, high school wasn’t just a single phase for me, like so many insist about these four deceptively short years. It was a million phases, a million disparate mindsets through which I passed every year, every month, every week, every day. It is a perfect early microcosm of my life. I feel that it would be foolish for me to conclude that the rest of my life will be essentially different from my high school years. There’ll be the same mélange of people and ideas. No matter the situation in life, there’s an equivalent parallel in high school. I will be beset by analogous troubles and boons in the workplace, as a father, as an elderly man. The nature of society won’t change even as it pro-gresses; people will still gossip, act pettily, and continue to behave irresponsibly and insensitively. Likewise, kindness and virtue will persist in a form not differentiable from what I have experienced in the past four years. Now, all of this is not to say that I’m not looking forward to college and the rest of my life. In fact, I meet each day with an almost excessive amount of enthusiasm and optimism. The thing to be taken from life’s homogeneity is not that we are waiting for something that will never come, in the way that Godot never came in the play Waiting for Godot. Rather, what we need is always here, entirely within our grasp. As cliché as it sounds, what matters is the jour-ney, not the destination, and I expect nothing more or less from the rest of my life’s journey than I got from the remarkable and ineffably human experience that was Sherwood High School.

If there’s anything I’ve truly learned these last four years of high school, it would be to find the place that makes you feel most comfortable. I say this because, at the end of the day, it’s not the tests and the essays that make you a smarter and well-rounded person, it’s about finding the place

in high school that makes you the most comfortable. It’s about finding that sort of utopia, or “home” to put you at ease. I spent the first two years of my high school career at a private school, think-ing it was the place I needed to be because it challenged me and made me a better student. But I didn’t fit in. I was given nonstop work and couldn’t balance a social life. As a result, my grades suffered due to the stress and lack of feeling compla-cent where I was. Although I learned a lot in terms of classes and books, there was a lot that private school didn’t teach me skills like making friends, leaving your comfort zone and public speaking. Those are things that I would not have ever felt comfortable enough to pursue at my inflexible, uptight private school.In all honesty, I think I’ve learned more valuable information from my experi-ences at Sherwood rather than my actual classes. Of course, it’s good to know

calculus and literature and whatnot, but you won’t always need those things after school. But social skills and interpersonal skills, you’ll always need those

things regardless of what field you wish to study or job you get. I don’t think I would have ever been able to feel I had learned these skills if it wasn’t

for finding the home that gave me the opportunity to feel com- fortable in my own skin. It

has truly taken all four years to say this, but I

have found my home.

by Brett Melnick

I’ve thought really hard about who I have become throughout high school. Philosophy class had me rede-fining my morals and Psychology was where I began to understand how I became who I am today. But who I am today is completely different from who I was yesterday, the day before, and a year ago. My personality is made up of every experience I have been through. These experiences have shaped my personality and mentality. As I stand on stage to take my diploma, I stand as Hannah Renae Chertock, myself in every form, size, shape and state of mind. My experiences hold me high as I strut myself across the stage in 5 inch heels. When surrounded by so many smart and talented individuals at Sherwood, it is easy to strive to stand out from the crowd,

but it is even easier to fall back into it. Through my years in high school, I developed and matured, gaining confidence in myself as a leader, an artist and a strong, independent individual. I involved myself in the Na-

tional Art Honors Society and let my love for art and leadership run the society. I picked up more shifts at work and got three internships. After reflecting on my four years here at Sherwood, I realize how much I have

grown as an individual and contributor to the community. My life is now about what I can accomplish with the time I am given. I was given four years in high school and in those four years I discovered I

could be an extremely dedicated, motivated and inspired young woman.I cannot even attempt to fathom who I will turn into at the end of the next four years. All I

can do is remember how much each experience I undergo will shape me to be a new me, a new Hannah Renae Chertock. That’s a

bit scary, not knowing how I’ll turn out, but I choose to take that big leap into the scary future ahead. I

know I’ll be able to come out more confident than ever.

by Hannah Chertock

There’s A New Me Coming Around

The Warrior•ColumnsMay 17, 201212

I’ve never really been a vocal person. By that I mean, I’m usually that kid in the back of the class who doesn’t say much and keeps to herself. I’m usually the kid who gets over-the-top anxiety when I have to present something or talk in class. Someone like this would usually steer clear of a class where conversation is necessary to succeed. A class, like Jour-nalism, that is all about communication. Well, I’m also usually the kid who doesn’t think things out. I walk in the classroom nervous and worried, petrified that I will have to talk.

What if someone asks me a question I don’t know? Seriously? Why did I take this class? What was I thinking? This was a huge mistake. I sit down. Everyone seems so excited. Everyone’s talking and laughing and I’m just sitting there awkwardly. The teacher is talking; he’s talking about responsibility and what we will be doing. I’m going to have to train for a job? Interview people? Gosh, what was I thinking? Somehow though, I made it through Journalism and went on to join the Newspaper staff. I actually enjoyed it. I even survived interviewing someone. Then sophomore year, I got placed in the wrong class. Another mistake that lead me to walking into a Digital Art class where I knew nobody. I guess it worked to my advantage because I focused all my energy on learning Photoshop and working on projects. Again, by a fluke, I got an internship at NIH working on editing video and organiz-ing film. This meant I had to socialize with adults. Adults! And had to ride the metro in every day by myself. Before I knew it, I had an actual skill. I had something I liked. And I had confi-dence… well some. Once I realized that I was actually sort of good at graphic design, I started to take more chances. And by that I mean, I started to talk. I started giving suggestions in newspaper class. I took T.V. Production and started being the director of the morning announcements. I made graphics and video for it as well. I went from being that kid in the back of the class who doesn’t say much and keeps to herself, to being in the three classes that are the most communi-cation-focused in the school: T.V. Production, Newspaper and Yearbook. It’s funny, I still think of myself as a quiet person, a not involved person, someone who is awkward and never really gives her input on things. But I guess that’s not really who I am anymore, thanks to Newspaper, and thanks to a few fluke mistakes.

I Guess I Have Improvedby Isabel Paterson

My Stay At Sherwood While there are some on the Warrior staff who contribute to the paper with intense research, thorough writing and an obsessive drive to uncover what is happening in the world, I, the cartoonist, sit back at my desk, laugh to myself at those people, and start making a draft of a comic for the Humor section. Now —this is not to say that I’m lazy. I’m just not a writer and yet I work for the paper—how ironic. Being a part of the Warrior staff has been a large highlight of senior year and has given me some career-like experience. As for my overall senior experience, though, I would not say that it was as “chill” as I was led to believe it would be, and I did not partake in any parties, but it would be a lie if I didn’t say that it has not been exciting for me. I’ve had an awesome time with my teammates during Cross Country and Track and, because of my breakthroughs in my sport, I’ve been able to compete on places like the Great American or Hereford Cross Country courses. I felt like I got closer with my teammates this year more than any other year. Outside of running, I’ve also had a chance to work on my art. The Senior Art show was pretty fun to be a part of (and I also got to miss a whole day of classes, yay!) and I enjoyed being able to watch peoples’ reactions when they passed by my exhibit. I’ve also been working on my comics, as usual, for The Warrior and some stories I’m working on outside of school so I can’t complain. Sorry if this column is not as interesting since I’m really only summarizing what I did in senior year, but remember, I’m no writer! Also, outside of running and drawing, I don’t really have a life, ha ha, oh well, I’m content. I guess this is it and as for my teammates, I can say that I’ll be joining you for some of your

summer runs and I wish you all good luck for the

next years to come. See

ya!

Reflecting. We are supposed to form these intellectual and novel revelations about life that come from our “wise years” of experience and learning, but what if even throughout this life the only ideas that pop into your heads are the ones that sound idiotic and might even land you a suspension if written in an assignment (oddly similar to this one…). Reading other students’ insights, it seems to come too easily to them when I can hardly even utter one sentence before it is ripped up like a piece of meat for being cliché, stupid or inappro-priate. My attempts at sarcasm are completely missed, my trials of philosophical thinking are shot down (Daniel Frank *cough *cough), and none of my ideas seem good enough. Well, screw that. When I think of high school, I don’t think about each year, and how prepared this is making me for college and life in general. I don’t think about all of the “new” skills that, ten years down the line, won’t make a difference in my life. I think about the funny jokes in class, the teachers that make class entertaining and the enjoyment I get out of being at school with friends and teachers alike, because that is the kind of person I am. I take joy in being with my peers and interacting with other mortals. And I think that is the most important thing to me about high school: interacting with others. Whether it be jok-ing around with a friend about raunchy humor, complaining about how hard that AP Literature essay was or getting mad at friends for not doing homework that you wanted to “review” with them. And what is the greater message behind this? High school is what you make it out to be. No, LIFE is what you, and only you, make it out to be. Life is what you, the individual, make it out to be. You get out of life, what you put in. There are so many clichés telling you to make your own life, yet people continually ignore them. Let me make it simple for you. It doesn’t matter what strangers think about you. It doesn’t matter how stupid or idiotic you look. It even doesn’t matter what your friends and family think or say, screw the naysayers! If it makes you happy and you like it, do it and embrace it.

Life Beyond School Walls by Arjun Singh

by Michael Wagner

The Warrior•ColumnsMay 17, 2012 13

In order to forget nothing, I have repositioned my bed from its com-fortable place in the corner by the window to the center of my room so that I can sit down and slowly rotate, taking in all my possessions and making a mental note of which ones to bring to college and which ones to leave behind. Truthfully, there isn’t that much I can say I really need. I don’t think I want to bring my world with me to Gaines-ville. I would much rather start my year with clean blank walls with the hope that they will become colorful

with pictures of new smiles and posters of unpredicted interests. So, I will make the conscious decision to leave many possessions behind. However, that which cannot be cast away so easily is the intangible. While I will begin all over again with a clean slate, I cannot simply leave behind the personalities that have shaped me into the person I will present myself as. Though my bags might seem devoid of belongings, every pocket will be stuffed with memories. In my carry-on there’s a girl who has stood beside me for almost 12 years. She has adventure programed into every nerve and her free spirit could pick up the heaviest clouds on the rainiest days and make them glow. She never learned how to follow rules or how to escape madness. She is the crazy inside me. Juliana McClurkin. Folded in with my T-shirts are two girls who helped me hold on to child-hood for as long the world allowed me to do so. They are full of music and imagination, but stained with creek water and chalk. They are the innocence inside me. Ellen Wengert and Gabby Simala. Packed inside my shoe bag is a boy who has thrown me under the bus almost as many times as he has bailed me out of trouble. He is stubborn, but he is worth it. He acts like he doesn’t care when he does and fails to take advantage of how smart he actually is. He is frustrating. But, he is the fam-ily inside me. Daniel Kirkness. Stuffed inside my pillows and blankets is the guy who I would trust with my deepest scars and ugliest moments. He is strong and trustworthy: the best armor I could ask for. He is the power inside me. Steven Johnson. Weaved into every seam of every bag is the girl who truly watched me grow up. Over the last four years, she supported me in every wrong decision and never failed to catch me when I made my fall. She is made up of magic and sincerity, and I will carry her around with me no matter how many miles separate us. She is my best friend. She is the kindness inside of me. Katie Nolan.

The Hearts In My Suitcaseby Ellen Kirkness

The Perfect Hug by Becca Stussman

A song once said, “It’s astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll.” Though I’m probably reading too deeply into that, it inadvertently gives a very apt description of high school life. It certainly is astounding, as a microcosm of the future and equally bleak. And the time you have to do things seems to decrease disproportionally as you get older. But most importantly, the mad-ness of this almost pious land affects one’s mentality, especially negatively. Strange rituals of procrastinating and ignoring teachers’ remarks are learned

and middle school habits discarded. Perhaps one would ask, as an adult or even as a child, why would one subject one to the pain of cramming and typing up essays at 2 a.m.? At least for me, it is because my rationalization is too strong. I reason that in my short life time, I aim to have as much pleasure as possible. Homework is not imme-diately pleasurable, only in that single instance when you know you’ve finished it all. Therefore, homework can wait. Twisted thinking, but this sanctimonious environment is the cause. If the generally uninteresting content from your core classes hasn’t made you cyni-cal and unmotivated yet, hopefully there is some teacher that serves as a corrupting force against the garish light of day. If your knight in black armor never appears, then you will have to play that role. The cynic that is me wants to say if one doesn’t have at least a framework of beliefs and potentially amusing quirks in sophomore year, I’d say he/she’s doomed to mediocrity. If you have to, be a character. If this happens to be the only life we have, don’t waste it being a dull and dreary individual. The lunacy of high school is not without its addictive qualities. Eventually one may even start to enjoy the camaraderie of hanging with others with similar experiences. You may even start to be enthralled by the daily routine of waking up each morning (unlikely) because you know the future will be worse. Get as much pleasure in as possible but don’t compromise your own values for it. “Stand firm for what you believe in, until and unless logic and experience prove you wrong,” said Daria. These are the words of someone more cynical and misan-thropic than I, but true words nonetheless. We sure as heck can’t trust common sense. Be skeptical and cynical, don’t trust your perceptions, and don’t trust me. What can you trust? I still don’t know. But good luck with that, and good night.

by Christopher Jou

I remember the moment I first discovered my life’s pas-sion. It occurred just outside the Best Buddies room; I had only started at Sherwood that year and was nervous walking through the intimidating halls. Overwhelmed, I entered our club’s room, where I looked for my buddy at the time, Lori. We were still new friends then, and I was unsure of myself—unsure if I was being an okay buddy, unsure if I was actually bonding with her, unsure if I belonged. I turned around when I heard Lori yell my name, in time to see her run over and gleefully throw her arms around me. I was a little late that day, and so she had been wor-ried that I wouldn’t come to greet her that morning before school, as I did every morning. Lori lost her balance during the hug and elbowed me pretty hard in my side. I was so flustered, we almost fell down together. It was one of the best hugs I’ve ever gotten in my life. With this moment began my complete embodiment of the most rewarding cause I have ever been a part of. I devoted myself to the mission of inclusion and acceptance, not just for people with disabilities but for people of all origins and eccentricities. I fell in love with the vision of Best Buddies and other tolerance-based programs. I found myself. After Lori graduated, Sumi became my new buddy. She is smart and silly and loving and creative and sweet. Together we try on oversized sunglasses and wear our baseball hats turned sideways. I’ve yet to beat her at bowling or match her skill in cracking an egg with one hand. I love her so much, and I know that I have enriched her life just as much as she has enriched mine. Together, we personify friendship. Together, we are perfect. Life is about inclusion; it is about acceptance. It is forging friendships and connections and bonds not despite but because of our differences. We are unique. We are special. And we are unashamed. Last year, I came out as a lesbian, and I honestly don’t think I could have embraced this aspect of my identity without the confidence gained from my participation in Best Buddies and Special Olympics programs. Clubs like Best Buddies and Stand Proud represent the future and exemplify progress. I can see the impact that I have made on our Best Buddies club mem-bers, on people like Sumi and Lori and T.J. and Pat and Alex. We are influencing the student body and opening minds. We are making a difference and changing the world. We are loving life and proudly wearing our oversized sunglasses and our hats turned sideways. Together, we are friendship. Together, we are perfect.

by Scott Bolen

So this is my senior column. I have been in newspaper for a semester so I can’t really write about my extensive career. I also do not want to bore you with my future aspirations. Instead, I will tell you one of my dreams. Before I start writing my mysterious thoughts I just want to let everyone

know that these are true and unfiltered. This comes straight from my uncon-scious mind onto this paper. I also will be changing the names of characters in my story in order to protect the identities of my peers: I close my eyes and appear walk-ing towards the gym with my new wife Hamanda Aubbard. Once we get there, there are only about seven people present. So, Ms. Fishgilchrist calmly explains that we will be having a relay race today and the winner will get an umbrella. Might I add that the umbrella was covered in beautiful shining flowers. I was teamed up with Victar Mercaglifronzo and Peggie Applauda. However, it wasn’t really a race. Instead, the gym was cov-ered in chairs and there were six cups of Swaggjuice and six heads of cabbage in the middle of the gym. We had to put the cabbage and Swaggjuice on a chair and once we did I suddenly appeared in my bed back at my house. However, my bed is in my foyer and I am naked. Then Smevin Bornfelius walks in carrying chocolate syrup and a cherry the size of a kiwi. She asks me if I want waffles. I coldly deny the temptress and her sinful breakfast accommodations. She was followed by three hairless siamese men. Their names were Less Freattie, Snowflake Bonita and Alex Mazzeo and they hail from the fictional island of Scotland. I leave these creatures and the temptress, and I stumble into an abandoned taco hut. I am greeted by the giant taco Chazzle Dazzle and his partner Peter Luck. I am told by the taco that I am trapped so I tried to escape. But the almighty Luck used his elongat-ed Michael Jordan-Space-Jam arms to block the exits. However, I was luckily rescued by the Egyptian Princess/Warrior known as Simalia Chafir. I then awoke to the image of Simalia and me riding off into the sunset. Interpret this however you want, but I think that the only logical moral one can derive from this dream is that newspaper was a great experience and that I should probably stay away from cabbage for a few meals. Unitl then, I’ll dream.

I Dreamed A Dream

Corrupting Light

The Warrior•ColumnsMay 17, 201214

Sitting in Gabby Simala’s basement earlier this year, we tried to remember everything we had gone through these past four years. Racking our brains, we realized that all of high school had be-come a blur with all of the years overlap-ping each other. High school has gone by so fast that I can’t separate my freshmen homecoming from my sophomore one, I can’t remember what books I read in my English classes, and I cannot distinguish one Newseum visit from the next. Everyone told me that your four years of high school go by fast and you should

cherish each year, but as a freshman I don’t think I ever thought I would graduate. Thinking back, I remember hearing teachers say “you need to learn this for college” or “get used to doing this when you go to college” and pushing their advice to the back of my head. Even while filling out college applications this past summer, graduation still seemed so far away. As a freshman I just wanted to be older so that I could drive and get rid of my braces, I didn’t even consider the importance of the friends I was making. As a junior I only wanted that terrible, stressful year to be over so that I could be done with homework and experience senior year. Not once did I stop to realize that I only had one year left and at some point I might want to slow it down. When we started school this August I wanted to fast forward to April so that I knew which colleges I got into. Now that my time in high school is coming to a close, though, part me of me just wants to relive these past four years. For a long time I only wanted to go to school in California, but I’m not even sure how I got the idea into my head. This summer, though, when it finally came time to apply to colleges, I only applied to schools in Arizona and California because I never considered anywhere else. Now that it’s come about time for me to graduate and move out I realize everything that I am going to miss about high school. I don’t really know how to be emotional and meaningful, and I’m not quite sure I could sum up everything that I will miss about Sherwood in a senior column, but I’ll miss this place. I’ll miss the friends I made and the memories and my house and dog and family. But on the other hand, I will be in San Diego next year, so I guess it evens out.

My Fleeting Four Years by Katie Nolan An Ode To My Top Fiveby Olivia Nichole 3-5 minutes is an incredibly short length of time in which to summarize, reflect on, and gener-ally wrap up four years. You’re bound to leave something out. And I did. As important as the words and ideas in my graduation speech are to me, there is one aspect of these four years that, though equally as signifi-cant, just wouldn’t fit in a five minute speech. And I desperately wish it had. So here’s where that gets rectified. In the graduation speech I detail the impor-tance of savoring a moment sin distraction. But what I didn’t get to say were the things I already wish I had appreciated more; the things for which I’m already feeling nostalgia; the things that are constant examples of my own advice. My teachers. The people I already wish I’d savored longer. I was going to find some clever way of organizing this, but whether it was my fear of going over word count or my senioritis-induced languor, I decided to simply opt for a good ol’ fashioned list. So... “The List”: Woolley: Passion. You truly excite the minds of your students and have an uncanny ability to awaken and engage a classroom full of sleepy, apathetic seniors. Everyone, including me, truly wanted to do well-- not for the grade-- but for you; sim-ply because no one would dare take lightly the subject you exhibited such excitement for on a daily basis. You gained our respect and, in turn, our attention. Thank you for having such contagious passion. Walker/Altaner: Patience. Clearly the two of you did something horrible in a past life to have to teach me about math in this one…Each of you worked tirelessly to help me grasp illusive concepts. Mrs. Walker, despite your “tough as nails” persona you demonstrated that you truly care about your students; and Mr. Altaner, you are simply one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever met. Thank you both so much- I simply could not have passed AP Calculus or Economics if not for your constant help and support. Dinnerman: Person. Your true personality - the one behind the required “teacher front” - is what I will remember most. You actually practice what you preach. With your insanely green house, sustainable dietary practices, and crazy outdoor adven-tures: you’re fascinating. And have unbeatable credibility; and it’s because of this that we truly like and trust you and therefore actually listen to you. You accomplish what

teachers are meant to do - affect true change. Thank you for making me want to listen, and as a result, inspiring me to actually do something with the lessons you’ve given me.

Huck:_______. I just can’t fit these past three years I’ve gotten to know you into one simple word or para-graph. Neither would do you justice.

I will miss all of these people fiercely. If I shed a tear for anything at graduation, it will be for them.Most of these amazing teachers were actually ones I had this year. You know, I would have to

say that as far as teachers go, this last year I have been the luckiest. But I have yet to decide if that’s a blessing or a curse. Regardless, thank you.

The thought of entering high school can be terrifying for some … so many fears, so many questions, and so many unknowns. As a seasoned Sherwood War-rior, my parting senior wish is that I could write a letter to myself as a freshman. If I knew then what I know now, I would tell myself … I know Sherwood seems big, but it isn’t so hard to find your own niche. Don’t be afraid to branch out and meet new people. You’d be surprised; you may even meet one of your best friends. Being denied by the first girl you asked

to homecoming really doesn’t turn out so bad. You should see the girl you’ll have by your side in just a few short years. School isn’t easy; I can promise you that, but don’t be afraid to challenge your-self. Just sack up and push through AP Lang. Writing will be the key to your success.

You’d never believe me if I told you but that class will end up saving you $130 thousand to the university of your dreams. P.S., Listen to mom when she says you have to go to the

Founder’s Scholarship competition the weekend after you get back from Canada. Your biggest flaw is that you’re too afraid of change. While change can be bad sometimes, you will find that 9 times out of 10 you’ll come out of it a better person.

Don’t take yourself so seriously all the time. Life doesn’t have to be filled with drama. Enjoy the simple things in life. Make time to go fishing with the guys; they’ll have your back no matter what you get yourself into.

So, stick up for your close friends even when others turn their backs on them. Remember to surround yourself with people who are down to earth and let everyone else “be cool.” Stay true to yourself. It’s easy to give into the

mainstream but trust me you don’t want to get dragged into that mix. Every time you fight with your parents, just assume you’re wrong. Your pride isn’t worth the consequences of defending the actions you already

know are wrong. They know what you’re capable of and how much it will matter in the your future. Just listen and man will you be rewarded. When mom tells you there is someone out there who’s right for you, she only wants the best for you. All the arguing is in an attempt to help you see the

world that you could have, the world of freedom and a world with a girl who always knows just how to be your perfect fit. Soon enough you’ll find yourself lakeside under the stars lying face to face with her, wondering how you got so lucky and what you did to deserve such a

best friend. Above all man, find some extra time to spend with Daniel and Alex. You’re going to wish you had gotten the chance to spend more time together.

I know you can’t wait to get out but take a breath and look around. These days are some of the best of you’re life. Don’t blink. It’ll blow bye and the memories will be all you have left. I’ll see you on graduation day; you have so much to look forward to.

Letter To Me by Ryan CoulterIf you aren’t good at English don’t take an AP English class. You might be thinking, it’s good to extend yourself and find new challenges. After all, if you don’t stretch you will never grow. That’s true and it is important. But is there something even more important than chal-

lenging yourself? Know your strengths. You can’t be good at everything and if you try to be you’ll find yourself struggling in even the classes you used to enjoy and do well in. Taking AP classes is great but if you’re intending

to focus on math and science then skip AP Literature. Taking four AP classes won’t impress anyone if you find yourself spread so thin you do poorly in the classes that actually matter to what you want to do. You know what you can and cannot do so stop trying to lie to yourself. If you’ve never

gotten an A in an English class you won’t do well in an AP English class. So sit down, drop the high-

lighter and stop stressing before you make yourself sick.

Relaxby Allie Strosnider

The Warrior•ColumnsMay 17, 2012 15

The one thing that separated itself from the rest of my four-year tenure at high school was friendship. By senior year, I felt invincible, like nothing could phase me, and I’d always have a vast amount of friends to cycle through. All of these friends, all these handshakes in the halls and hugs in class, they’re all fake. See, seven months ago I was so worried about having a good time, liv-ing up to this fictionalized “high school life,” I forgot who my friends were. As long as I had a beer in my hand and all

these artificial people around me, I was content. That’s all wrong. It’s taken me until now to realize that. You know, who you decide to be around defines who you are. A few months of false friendship and a couple hangovers to discover what friendship actually is? That’s a price I’m willing to pay. With the year ending, you’ll see there is a reason why the same people are at my house every week-end. Those are the outliers, the ones that separate themselves from their predicament entirely. They are my boys, who I’d die for, who I’d live for. Never a disregarded text or an ignored phone call. They call me and I come. I call them and they come. Come back in a year, ten years, twenty years, and you’ll find me with a smile on my face, surrounded by people that I choose to be around. They are restless and wide awake, and their identities not fake or fabricated. They’ll be with me, waiting to laugh or cry. My heart will be full, full of good times and bad. Somewhere along the line, it’ll come together. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I don’t know where I’ll end up. I don’t know what I want, or what other people want out of me. No college, no job. You’ll call me insane, you’ll judge me. The insanity is only beginning for me. I hope all the people I’ve come across go out far and wide and enjoy themselves, I really do. But you will all worry, worry about school or jobs. Not me, I’m not going to worry. Everyone’s so caught up in worrying; they forget to just sit down and consider their options. I’m not going to be fifty and look back with regret. I’ve noticed during my seventeen years of living that people have a tendency to look away, and miss the mo-ment. The moment which made all this living will mean something. I’ll find mine, it’s only a matter of time Until then, I’ll shamble along.

Reflecting upon the past four years of my life, I am surprised, to say the least, at who I have become. I’m proud of my accomplishments and achievements attained throughout high school, but it only seems fitting to give credit where credit is deserved. And this credit does not belong to me. Thank you, newspaper. Thank you, Warrior Staff. I think it’s the Warrior that made me who I am today more than anything else. My three years on the staff transformed me from lackadaisical to devoted. Being a staff member turned me into a leader and a team player. Being a staff member forced me to become organized and dedicated. Being a staff member made me realize what I love. I loved the deadlines, reporting, interviewing, researching, writing. I loved being responsible for something that thousands of people would eventually see and judge. Most of all, I loved the staff that doubled as a family. I made some of my best friends in newspaper and they made all of the hard work we did genial and without a doubt, worth it. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Mr. Huck. Thank you for dealing with all my nonsense and teaching me more than any other teacher before. You always gave me the indepen-dence and freedom I wanted with the guidance and reality I needed. From journalism to newspaper to AP Lit-erature, you have helped me grow as a writer and inspired me to continue on in college. It’s comforting to know that I will be joining another great newspaper staff next year, but also horribly sad to think of leaving this one. I will always love the Warrior the most. That little office made me, and gave me the greatest memories of high school.

How I Learned To Enjoy People by Nathan St.Pierre

When I think back to how my early freshmen and sophomore years were, I realize how much of a fool I was. Not because I was doing stupid and childish acts, but because of how much better I thought I was than most of you. With the exception of the few friends worthy of my attention, I found the rest of these peasants at Sherwood to be barbaric and overall terrible people who couldn’t hold a cohesive thought in their head. Of course I would never tell them that, but that was my honest opinion of most of them. Anybody that talked to me sounded like an imbecile, acting nice so that they could receive all the amazing knowledge and power I had to offer because I was that great. Yes, in my mind I was king, and they were the unintelligible brutes I lorded over. Then something came to knock me off my glorious throne. A reflection of my past at Sherwood made me realize how boring it was to be superior to Sherwood peasants. There were very few people to interact with me and praise me for being so extraor-dinary and I got the feeling that no one cared that I was kimg. I came to a realization that I was never the master over others, but the puppet to my own pride and ego. In a split second I changed my thinking about these peasants. They were not my inferiors, but my equals because each of them had different talents and abilities that make them more than ordinary, and when I realized the se traits in people, it made talking to them more invigorating than ever before. I enjoyed talking to the people I once looked down as being unworthy which made life exciting. I am no longer a slave to my own ego, who gave me false praises and fake superiority, but its master, knowing that life is more exciting when it isn’t all about yourself.

It all started when my parents met 31 years ago in The University of Maryland dining hall. They got married, had me, and it was destiny from there. I grew up going to every Maryland football and basketball game. I was even a junior terp cheerleader. Lame, I know, but I looked pretty darn cute in the uniform so that helps a little. Fast forward to summer 2011 when I played club lacrosse. I had talked to two of my coaches about playing at Maryland. One of them said I had the talent but they were done recruiting 2012’s and the other said I wasn’t good enough. By the end of the sum-mer I was being recruited by a few schools, but Duke was my top choice at the time. How ironic. I went to their camp and they

really liked me. They offered me a spot on the team, but something didn’t feel right. I talked to my dad about it, and the Duke coach played at Maryland and won national championships there, so if she could get used to it I could too. That fall we were at a Maryland football game and to tell you how mixed up I was, I had my Duke lacrosse t-shirt on under a Maryland windbreaker. Then here’s where fate kicked in. Two Maryland lacrosse players happened to walk by our tailgate and we started a conversation. We showed them my Duke lacrosse shirt and they flipped. They told me that I didn’t have to settle for Duke and that if I really wanted to come to Mary-land it was never too late. We got in contact with the coach and they were excited to come see me play. We went for a visit, everything felt right, and the coach told me she had no idea what I was thinking going to Duke because Maryland was where I belonged. After years of hard work, training and dedication it finally paid off. Don’t ever settle for anything unless your completely satisfied and work hard. Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. I am going to be on the #4 ranked team in the country and I’m a part of the #1 ranked recruiting class. That’s better than I could have ever imagined.

Destined To Be A Terpby Amanda Harrington

And I’ll Shamble Along Warrior Prideby Sam Farrell by Devin Cornelius

The Warrior•SportsMay 17, 201216

The Best of The Best: ClassOf 2012

Megan Hewitt

SydneyWest

MorganMcAlpin

FernandoSmith

Scott Bolen

KevinCarter

CharlieRogers

JourdainMcCants

AliaSmith

ConnorWelch

Amanda Harrington

SergioNavarrete

AbbyIsaacs

StephanieFeigenbaum

ColinMcMahon

NickJohnsonJuliana

McClurkin

SaraSabry

TommyKyttle

RikkiSargent

KristenHolonich

AbdoulieJallow

TommyNakamura

KatieRuth

Fernando Smith, Kevin Carter and Abdoulie Jallow are not pictured above.

A two-time var-sity girls’ state champion, Hewitt was named Second Team All-Gazette for both

2010 and 2011 and was named All-Met Honorable Mention in 2011. Will

attend the University of Delaware.

After transferring from Reservoir High School

(Howard County), Smith was a football standout, lead-ing the Warriors in rushing

yards (1,103) and touchdowns (14). He was named Second Team All-Gazette and Honorable Mention All-Met. Will attend Hardgrave Military Academy.

In basketball, he played a caped-crusader in MoCo-SportsFan’s “Batman & Robin” award with Bolen, leading the Warriors to a 4A North champi-onship while earning All-Gazette honors. In baseball, he started at first base and rightfield. Will play basketball for Salisbury University.

A baseball state cham-pion his sophomore year

and basketball regional cham-pion his senior year, Bolen scored 1,081-points in his career and could be a shoe-in for the Warrior Hall of Fame in 2022. Will play basketball for Messiah College.

Isaacs recorded over 500 saves in her var-

sity field hockey career, recording the most in Maryland her senior

year. Will attend Syracuse University.

Part of the Terps’ No.1-ranked lacrosse

recruiting class, Har-rington was named basket-ball All-American Honorable

Mention 2011. Will play lacrosse at University

of Maryland.

A two-year All-Met Honorable Mention

and First Team All-County selection, Holonich helped

in key victories over rivals Damascus and Blair. Will

attend West Virginia University.

On varsity since her sophomore year, Smith was second on the team in points and pulled

down 117 rebounds. Will play for York College of

Pennsylvania.

A three-year varsity starter, Sabry com-

peted in a state champion-ship her sophomore year. She finished her senior season leading the county in RBIs.

Will attend the University of South Carolina.

After transferring from St. John’s Catholic Prep his junior year, McCants was a two-year varsity starter and helped lead the Warriors to a 4A North re-gional final his senior year. Will play for Marymount University.

A three-year field hockey starter and

four-year softball starter, she helped capture softball

division championships four straight years. Will

attend Montgomery College.

As a junior he led co-ed in kills earning All-Gazette hon-ors and as a senior led the boys’ team in the same category. Carter even managed the girls’ team through two state champi-onships. Will play at Stevenson University.

After being named team defensive MVP his freshman year, Welch was named Sec-ond Team All Division his ju-nior year. 13 games into his senior season, he’s already saved 132 shots. Will attend University of Maryland.

Sargent owns the Sherwood 100-meter

breast stroke record and has won two sportsman-ship awards in four years of

Sherwood swimming. Will swim at Shippensburg

University.

A two-year varsity starter, McMahon leads the Warriors in homeruns and is second on the team in RBIs while catching a youthful pitching staff. Will play for Montgomery College.

West played four years of varsity girls’

volleyball, earning three All-Gazette honors and one All-Met Honorable Mention

along with two state cham-pionships. Will attend East

Carolina University.

After winning the 4A West soccer tournament his sopho-

more year, Navarrete went on to win All-State honors his ju-nior year. He also started at hitter for boys’ volleyball his senior year. Will play soccer at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

A four-year varsity player and 2012 team

captain, Ruth has 850 ca-reer points and 650 career

rebounds. Will attend Lynchburg University.

Another two-time volleyball state

champion, McAlpin has been a Scholar Athlete all four years at Sherwood. She also

started on co-ed this spring. Will play for Marymount

University.

An All-Gazette First Teamer, Johnson finished seventh in the

state in the 800 meter dash and was part of the 4x800 meter relay team that placed third in the state last year.

Will run at University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Nakamura will leave high school with a 5.7 handicap after being named team MVP two straight years and qualify-ing for the Montgomery County High School Golf Invitational two straight years. Will play for North Carolina Wesleyan College.

The only four-year senior on this year’s team, Kyttle placed second at Spring-brook’s “Grapple at the Brook.” Due to illness, how-

ever, he was not able to finish the sea-son. Will attend Lincoln Tech Culinary Institute.

After being called up to varsity her sophomore year, the defensive specialist played a part in six shutouts her senior year. Will attend Towson University.

He led the football team in receiving yards his se-nior season, then made the basketball team and played significant minutes off the bench. It was his first season ever playing organized bas-ketball. Will play football in college, but remains undecided.