Volume 57 Issue 6 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814March 16, 2012

Inside, Check Out:

Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

From WJ to the Small Screen, It’s Academic Team is Making a Buzz

WJ’s Young Dems, Reps Express Opinions in Political Clubs

WJ Raises Over $58,000 for Pennies for Patients

By Claudia Nguyen

By Julia Cinquegrani

WJ students raised a total of $58,263.53 through-out the months of February and early March to do-nate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which supports cancer research. WJ’s total was the most raised by any school in the D.C. Metropolitan area. Whitman High School ranked second in the area by raising approximately $51,000. WJ’s total this year is well above the amount the school raised last year, which was approximately $38,000. The increase in the amount of money that WJ stu-dents raised can be attributed to the expansion of many Pennies for Patients events that were held in previous years. Pong for Pennies for Patients was ex-panded to include 100 teams, and a new color of Paw Prints were sold that were specifically designated for teachers. New Pennies for Patients fundraisers were also added this year, such as T-shirt sales, rap battles, ninja tag and a movie night. Furthermore, Flippin’ Pizza held many new lunchtime fundraisers whose pro-ceeds went to Pennies for Patients, and WJ GLOW had more students attend than any previous winter dance, which were all factors that contributed to WJ’s fundraising success.

By Julia Cinquegrani

Photo courtesy of Seth Gottlieb

Sophomore Kendra Allgood, a member of WJ’s Young Republicans Club, was in fourth grade when she experienced her first brush with political dissen-sion. Her family had recently moved to the area from Texas, where her parents’ Republican values were consistent with most of their neighbors’. “I always knew that my family was Republican, but I didn’t know what that meant,” said Allgood. “When I moved here, one of my classmates said ‘Ew, Republi-can!’ when I told them what my family believed.” Allgood has grown accustomed to being in the mi-nority with her political views, but this has not pre-vented her and other members of the Young Republi-cans Club from expressing their views. “Especially around here, Republicans don’t evoke a positive image in people’s minds,” said sophomore Nevo Magnezi, the president of WJ’s Young Republi-cans Club. “But if you really look at the Republican philosophy, I think people would understand it more.” The club, which has existed sporadically in previ-ous years, was revitalized by Magnezi this school year.

Political Clubs continued pg. 2

It’s Academic continued pg. 2

The It’s Academic team competed against Landon and St. Albans high schools in the playoffs on Sat. March 3. The team competes in two different types of competitions, It’s Academic and Quizbowl. “[It’s Academic] is going on TV to answer Jeopardy-

style-type questions and you compete against other schools and you buzz and people can watch it; it’s fun,” said coach Stuart Safford. “And then there’s [Quiz-bowl, where WJ competes] against other teams. It’s similar, but the difference is the questions are more

academic questions, more like things you’d actually study in high school classes as opposed to trivia.” In order to prepare for these com-petitions, the It’s Academic team practices three times a week. They meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fri-days in Safford’s classroom during lunch. Due to there being only one girl officially on the team this year, Molly Narkis, senior co-captain Seth Got-tlieb said the team dynamic could be loosely compared to a boys’ locker room because the team members often joke around with each other. However, once practice commences the team becomes instantly focused. Members of WJ’s It’s Academic Team, center, competed against teams from T.C.

Williams HS and Wheaton HS at a taping of It’s Academic. From left, junior Grahme Taylor, senior Seth Gottlieb and senior Ilya Zhitomirsky.

Sports, pgs. 11-12Arts & Ent.,

pgs. 8-9Feature, pgs. 5-7

On March 13, hundreds of students waited to register for AP tests at lunch and lines spread into the Student Commons. This resulted in hours spent waiting in line and some students leaving classes early to attempt to beat the rush. To read an article detailing the problems with AP registration, check out wjpitch.com.

Occupy AP Registration

Photo by Danielle Markowitz

2 MARCH 16, 2012NEWS Pitchthe

LETTER FROM THE

EDITORSDear Pitch Readers,

Sincerely, print-editors-in-chief Rosie Hammack, Hannah Flesch, and online-

editor-in-chief Ali Jawetz

Photo by Steven Groobert

He wanted to organize a place where students could freely express their opinions, even if they were differ-ent from the majority. Junior Molly Narkis, president of WJ’s Young Dem-ocrats Club, had similar motivations for revamping the Young Democrats Club this year. She got excited about the idea of starting the club as a way for students to create change and make a difference politically. Magnezi and Narkis agree that the ongoing presi-dential primaries have generated more political aware-ness among students, but they have not necessarily en-couraged more students to join the clubs or be more politically active “There’s a good sect of students that is politically aware... but there’s such a plethora of clubs at WJ; it’s hard to dedicate your time to anyone of them,” said Narkis. At lunchtime meetings, members of the Young Dem-ocrats Club meet to debate current issues and brain-storm ideas for new activities in which to participate. Earlier this year, club members held a letter writing campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, which they sent to Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator for Maryland. Club members plan to vol-unteer for Obama at phone banks later in the year. During Young Republicans Club meetings, mem-bers debate current political issues and discuss the merits of the various Republican presidential candi-dates. Soon, Allgood hopes to organize a debate with the Young Democrats Club. Many of the club members support Ron Paul, but Magnezi and Allgood favor Mitt Romney. However, neither is very enthusiastic about Romney’s campaign.

“Romney’s a flip-flopper,” said Magnezi. “He contra-dicts himself a lot. But he will definitely get the [Re-publican Party’s] nomination.” Because the metropolitan area is quite liberal, it is unsurprising that the number of members in each club is unequal; the Young Democrats Club has approxi-mately 25 members, whereas the Young Republicans Club has approximately nine members. It can also be a challenge for Allgood and Magnezi to generate interest among students in joining the Young Republicans Club. “We’d be standing outside the classroom before a meeting, trying to get people to come into it, and they’d just say no. Like, ‘just no,’ ” said Allgood. Ironically, the existence of the Young Democrats Club was part of Magnezi’s motivation for starting the Young Republicans Club. “I was taking a quiz one day in [social studies teacher and the sponsor of the Young Democrats Club Steve] Miller’s room during lunch, and the room was [filled] with people there for the Young Democrats meeting,” said Magnezi. “And I thought, ‘Why isn’t there a Young Republicans club?’ It was also a personal thing for me; I wanted to become more politically involved.” While Narkis believes students are very open to dif-ferent political ideas, conservatives Allgood and Mag-nezi do not believe that to the same extent. “You can definitely be criticized for your views if you raise your hand in class and say something conser-vative,” said Allgood. “[I wish] people would be more open to different political views. People should con-sider both sides. I honestly don’t care what side people would align with, as long as they know the issues.

Young Democrats, Republicans Express Diverse Political Opinions in WJ Clubs

Political Clubs continued from pg. 1

During practices, Safford reads aloud various trivia questions that are approximately the length of a short paragraph, and the answer is a specific title, name or term. Individual team members try to answer the questions as quickly as possible. “[Practices] during lunch [are] mostly for speed’s sake,” said Gottlieb. “But you really do learn a lot of facts just by going to practices.” Additionally, students put together note packets and independently study common subjects that have ap-peared in previous competitions. “We run through a lot of question packets from other tournaments and on our own we usually study a variety of subjects,” said Gottlieb. “Some of us study literature, some of us study science, [others] study his-tory, battles [and] the Roman empire- things like that. And that’s fun to do; it’s exciting.”

Other “A”-team members this year include senior co-captain Cameron Keyani, senior Ilya Zhitomirsky, and junior Grahme Taylor. Safford said that he has been proud of the team’s performance as it has been doing well. However, all members, not just those on “A”-team, are integrated onto the team. Everyone has a role and contributes. “People can do a lot of different things,” said Safford. “One student… Molly [Narkis] has been working on putting together a packet of previous Quizbowl ques-tions.” Team members will research certain topics on their own, even over the summer. Gottlieb said that this past summer he researched sculptors, architects and famous books. Since there are so many subjects that can be covered in a tournament, sometimes one stu-

It’s Academic continued from pg. 1

dent will act as a specialist for a given subject area. “The team knows [I’ll get] anything [related to] Kurt Vonnegut,” said Gottlieb. “I won us a [match] one time. We were tied [and] I got a Kurt Vonnegut question. I got it within five words.” Being an intellectually-based competitive team, there are sometimes stereotypes that the team faces. A few of the team members poked fun at this subject, and Safford clarified that most of these preconceived notions are not true. “We joke about it a lot, but we’re not like your stereotypical nerd[s],” he said. “It’s just cool knowing things that other people don’t. The part that makes it fun is the competition.” The It’s Academic playoff that the team competed in on March 3 is set to air on NBC4 on Sat. April 14, at 10:30 a.m.

At left: Seniors Ilya Zhit-omirsky and Cameron Keyani and junior Grahme Taylor joke around in a break from taping.

At right: Taylor, Keyani, senior Seth Gottlieb, Zhit-omirsky and It’s Academic coach Stuart Safford pose after finishing the show.

Photos courtesy of Seth Gottlieb

It’s Academic Team Makes a Buzz on the Small Screen

As usual, in this issue of The Pitch, we are high-lighting student talent in the form of singing. With features on Mr. and Ms. WJ, WJ’s open mic show “Feedback” and WJ’s spring musical Les Miserables, The Pitch is yet again taking note of the vocal chords on several of the same students. You will also find The Pitch’s annual March Make-Over Madness in this issue. Our feature editors channeled Stacey London and Clinton Kelly for their very own edition of “What Not to Wear” at WJ. Hopefully this version of March Madness can cheer you up whilst you are overly absorbed in brackets and conferences and goals and touchdowns. You may notice this issue of The Pitch is a little shorter than a normal issue, but don’t be alarmed. You may find an additional issue before we leave for spring break. Enjoy!

Sincerely,Ali (Your in-house therapist)

3March 16, 2012 EDITORIALPitchthe

CurveballR-E-S-P-E-C-T

A Step to EqualityBy Anders Norberg

I Only Want a Trip to the ParkBy Danielle Markowitz

By Rosie Hammack It was a scene taken straight out of a peppy ‘80s high school dramedy, complete with the grossly nonsensi-cal exaggerations of the stereotypical ‘teenager’ that the genre entails. The scene was surreal; so much so that, had someone retold it as I am now, I might have thought it an obvious and ridicu-lous exaggeration. The curtain opens on a full class-room. In the center stands a small-stat-ured Asian man. He has to shout over the students to bring the class down to a simmering noise level, and even then he can’t have more than 25 percent of his audience’s attention. His thick ac-cent immediately garners a few mali-cious snickers, as does his declaration that he has two Ph.D.S: one in Calcu-lus, the other in Chemistry. It is right after this that the substitute makes his fatal mistake: he divulges his name, and a student shouts, “Nice to meet you Dr. Shit!” The class boils over in uproari-ous laughter. Fast forward 45 minutes. The bell rings, and as I pack up I notice through the corner of my eye a gri-mace seize the man’s face. End scene. I understand that preaching is off-putting and ineffective in any persua-sive argument. For that reason, and as a general rule for my monthly column, I try my best to avoid it. But I must say I’m finding the preachy angle difficult to sidestep, when the topic at hand is basic human decency and respect (or lack thereof). Any motivating reason for treating an adult – a fellow human being – with such flagrant disrespect is unfathom-able for me. I am not going to pretend to be some kind of saint, but I just can-not comprehend taking pleasure in hu-miliating a friendly, mild-mannered, middle-aged man, who obviously expects respect from the throng of judgmental young adults he has volun-teered to teach. It all boils down to that one word: respect. A substitute, like every other person out there, deserves respect. I understand this may fly in the face of age-old high school tradition, but it’s true. Some kind and intelligent people doom themselves to adulthoods of ridi-cule in exchange for their valuable ser-vices to the public. Imagine expecting uninhibited derision each day at work; imagine coming home with the weight of contempt on your shoulders. It’s no wonder that some subs overcompen-sate, and that some have created shields of strict rules and swift punishments. We mock them for it, but we are the reason for that overcompensation. I can’t help but wish the scene above had played out differently, and that common decency had won out over lazy, cruel humor. The curtain opens on a full class-room. In the center stands a small-stat-ured Asian man. He calls the class to attention, rolls through his list of aca-demic accomplishments, and receives polite acknowledgment – the students hold their peace. Forty-five minutes later, he leaves the classroom with a smile on his face, having avoided one class period of nauseating racism and scorn. End scene.

As of March 1, Maryland will be-come the eighth state to allow same-sex marriage in the United States, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Iowa being others. The bill has caused quite a ruckus in the state. The supporters are ecstatic about this development. One more state means that LGBT groups are that much closer to having same-sex marriage na-tionwide. Of course, those against the idea of same-sex marriage are angry and upset and have started to gather signatures for a refer-endum on the 2012 election ballot. Such an event is pret-ty extraordinary and monumental, consid-ering that before 2004 no same-sex marriage was recognized by the national govern-ment. To see such a rapid change in only eight years is a true testament to the dedication of the members of LGBT, and shows how strong and powerful the LGBT community has become. Personally, I am completely in favor of the bill. The idea that a certain type of person can’t get married is outra-

geous. Marriage is a ceremony allowing one person to spend his or her life with another person they truly love, and if these two people happen to be the same sex, they should still be able to have the same rights as those who are straight. I honestly can’t see why allowing same-

sex marriages would be such a big issue. To deny people a certain right is equiva-lent to racism or sexism in its effects, and denies rights that are explicitly stat-ed in the Constitution. Denying love is definitely disregarding the unalienable right of “the pursuit of happiness.”

“FIELD TRIP TIME!” should shout a chorus of overly-en-ergetic high schoolers, each regressing back to his or her inner child. But alas, the above statement is rarely heard, if heard at all. Back in elementary school, there was a field trip about ev-ery two months. We would go to the Ken-nedy Center, the Na-tional Opera House, the Baltimore Aquar-ium and the Building Museum. In middle school, the field trips became sparser, but we still managed to go to the National Zoo. Now, as we reach an age where we want to go out into the world (you know, spread our wings and all), we are kept in the confines of the school. A select few students in AP U.S. History get to go to the National Portrait Gallery and a few other students in Child Devel-opment get to go to the zoo. Besides

these small groups, field trips have be-come virtually non-existent in high school. Budget restraints are completely un-

derstandable in this recovering econ-omy, but it is truly a travesty that we no longer get the opportunity to go outside of the classroom for genuine

I think allowing same-sex marriage is good for everyone. Sure, people can disagree, but allowing people to get married doesn’t hurt anyone. Though others might disagree with me because they don’t feel that same-sex marriage or even same-sex couples should exist,

these people should re-alize that gay marriage does not hurt anybody. Same-sex marriage has always sparked huge debates in states across the country. Whenever a state passes such a law, there are two very dis-tinct reactions, ranging from joy to utter out-rage. California was once the second state to allow same-sex marriage, but discontinued it in 2008. If such a thing could hap-pen in one state it can happen in any state. So, even though the law has passed in Maryland, it doesn’t mean it is per-manent and it could sad-

ly be repealed at any time. Although there are already some peo-ple setting up opposition to the law, I hope that their efforts don’t succeed. I think marriage is something everyone should be able to have and to share with another person they love.

1998: Bill Clinton signs Executive Order 13087 that bans discrimina-tion based on sexual orientation in the workplace.

2004: Massachussetts Legalizes Same- Sex marriage

1976- Harvey Milk is first openly gay man elected to public office.

2003- Supreme Court strikes down all Sodomy laws.

educational experiences. The benefit of such hands-on learning is so valuable that learning through this is something the county should strive for. There is

no better time than now to take advantage of the wonderful area we live in; from the Smithson-ian museums to the myr-iad of places in the area dripping with historical value, field trip opportu-nities are basically in our backyards. We’re only a short bus ride away from the epicenter of the free world, and this is not something we should take for granted. In a world of AP classes and continuous Scant-rons, it is hard to sched-ule time to step outside of the classroom, but this shouldn’t discour-age teachers from at-tempting to make learn-ing more hands-on and interesting for energetic teenagers. The break

from the norm of learning truly creates lasting memories and im-prints knowledge, and that alone should be enough reason for the high school curriculum to include more field trips.

Photo courtesy of flickr.comThe image of a bus taking high school stu-dents on a field trip is a rare occurence.

4 March 16, 2012EDITORIAL Pitchthe

THE STAFFThe Pitch is published eight times a year by the students of Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Advertising and subscription rates are available by calling 301-803-7302. Editorial opinions represent those of The Pitch staff and do not neces-sarily reflect the opinions of the staff, faculty, or student body. We welcome letters, articles, photographs and artwork, to be submitted to room 193 or e-mailed to eics.wjpitch@gmail.com. The Pitch is an award-winning paper that works towards providing the student body with

accurate, as well as credible, information.

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2009

American Scholastic Press Association First Place 2010-2011

Maryland HS Journalism Award Best Newspaper Overall Third Place 2009-2010

Feature Editors Jenny DeutschSari AmielMegan Chun*

Copy ChiefSari Amiel

Copy EditorsMegan ChunNathaniel ReesClaudia Nguyen

AdvisorSylvie Ellen

B u s i n e s s / P R ManagerClaudia Nguyen

ArtistsAnders NorbergEmily Cosentino

Staff WritersAnders NorbergMatthew MorrisEllie Jorling

Photo EditorsEmily CosentinoSteven Groobert

PhotographersAnders NorbergGirard Bucello

CartoonistMichael Matthes

Editors-in-ChiefHannah FleschRosie HammackAli Jawetz*

News EditorsJulia CinquegraniGirard Bucello*

Assistant News EditorClaudia Nguyen

Editorial EditorsNathaniel ReesDanielle Markowitz*

Sports EditorsPhillip ResnickDaniel Thaler*

Arts & Entertainment EditorTaliah DommerholtCameron Keyani*

Assistant Arts & Ent. Editor Emily Cosentino

*Online Editors

All photos by Steven Groobert.

Q: If you could go on a dream date with any-one, who would you go with and why?

UpBatat

We all dream about having a perfect date, with boys or girls who are just so far out of our league. Therefore, we ask you, students of WJ,

who is your dream date and why?

Taylor Swift- “Because she looks like my girlfriend.”

Cole MillerSenior

Josh BernsteinFreshmanMs. Baker- “Because I get lost in her eyes.”

Ashton Kutcher- “He’s tall and attractive.”

Leah AltekruseSophomore

William Levy- “He’s a really good dancer and he’s really fine.”

Stephany Aguilar Zeke GreenSophomoreSasha Gzirian - “Because she is a very attractive young lady.”

Edward Cullen- “I don’t like Jacob, and Edward sparkles.”

Frank YangJunior

Benedict Cumberbatch- “We would have fun going to a crime scene and deducing who the killer is. Then I would touch his cheekbones.”

Sarah Norkola- SmithJunior

Sophomore

5MARCH 16, 2012 FEATUREPitchthe

Cast, Crew and Orchestra Prepare for Spring Musical Les Misérables

Production Timeline

Rehearsals begin

Jan. 3 & 5

CallbacksJan. 13

Cast list released

First rehearsal

Music PickupDec. 5-9

Audition Workshop

Dec. 14, 15, 21, 22

Jan. 24

Jan. 20

By Claudia Nguyen For this year’s spring musical, WJ S*T*A*G*E has been preparing a performance of the popular Broadway production “Les Misérables.” Auditions were held at the end of January, and parts were cast at the end of February. As part of her responsibilities as as-sistant to the director, junior Sarah Hamel acts as bridge between cast and crew. She described the work that S*T*A*G*E has been doing to prepare

for the show. “Right now, we’re work-ing on the set [and] we’re about a quarter done with [it],” she explained. “The cast right now has learned all of the music, because ‘Les Mis’ is an opera, so it’s completely musi-cal. They’ve learned the entire show, [they] have staged quite a few scenes and they are in the process of staging other scenes.” Rehearsing nearly ev-ery day after school and even during some weekends, the cast will continue its busy schedule up until its first per-formance on April 20. Hamel added that, for the next few weeks, they will be doing a “sitzprobe,” which is when the cast and orchestra work together to figure out how to combine the music with what is happening onstage. Senior Andrea Beaty, a cello player for the WJ S*T*A*G*E pit orchestra, explained their preparation for the per-formance. “We always start out sight reading every single one of the pieces,” she said. “But now that we’ve gone through them… we’ve been focusing on the pieces that we have the most trouble

with, the ones that everyone is in… with all the dancers and the singers.” Beaty added that practicing for “Les Mis” has been especially difficult be-cause the music is more complicated than that of other shows. “‘Les Mis’[is] a very music-driven show,” she said. “The music is a really, really important part of it, and just to pull it off and make sure it sounds like the recording… takes a lot of practice

and it takes a lot of focus.” While preparation is hectic, with students having to balance work for the show with school, Hamel said it is enjoyable. “The process [is] all fun,” she said. “There’s a lot of crunch time be-fore the show. [It’s] not so much procrastination, but people have school work and stuff like that.” Set in 19th century France

prior to the French Rev-olution, “Les Mis” tells the story of Jean Valjean, a man who has just been r e l e a s e d from prison. Valjean re-solves to bet-

ter himself, and rises to become

a factory owner and the mayor of a small town. However, as the story progresses, Valjean has to overcome many hurdles, including being pursued by a policeman and hav-ing to care for the daughter of one of his workers. “’Les Mis’ is a very well-known show,” said Hamel. “Even if you don’t know what it’s about, you probably have heard the name or heard about it.” Hamel also added that before com-ing in, the audience should know, while the show is not all serious, it is definitely not lighthearted.

“It’s a very, very dark show,” said Hamel. “There are a lot of deaths; there are a lot of sick jokes. There are definitely hu-

morous parts, but if you want to see a light, hi-larious show, this is not the show you go to [for] your jollies.” Although S*T*A*G*E

has been putting a lot of time and ef-fort into the performance, there is still much to be done. Hamel still expects the show to be great. “It’s got an amazing score, amazing music, and in this show there is so much talent in the cast,” said Hamel. “The set is already looking incredible. I highly recommend that every WJ student go out and see it. It’s going to be awesome.”

Walter Johnson All School Booster Club

We are here to support YOU!

TEAMS AND CLUBS CAN EARN MONEY FROM BOOSTERS IN THESE WAYS:

1) Sign up to work the concession stand at any of the events posted. All groups who work will receive $100.

2) Sponsor, create and run a fundraising event that is co-sponsored with Booster. Take advantage of the events we already use to raise funds, or ask us to help you with your own fundraiser.

3) Direct request for assistance. Request assistance through our Funding Request Form. TO JOIN THE BOOSTER CLUB – look for our flier ONLINE at www.wjboosterclub.com.

GOT BOOSTER?

Hell Week

Opening Night

Apr. 14-19

Mar. 12First Sitzprobe

Apr. 20

The orchestra practices for Les Misérables at a Saturday rehearsal, with the cast lis-tening to coordinate its performance. This process is called a sitzprobe.

Les Misérables’ cast and crew pre-pare for the April show by rehears-ing and constructing a set onstage.

Photos by Steven Groobert

6 MARCH 16, 2012FEATURE Pitchthe

7MARCH 16, 2012 FEATUREPitchthe

MARCH MAKE OVER MADNESS

What Not t

o Wea

r Editi

on

After the makeover, Bryan is sporting a fresh haircut and some casual yet modern attire.

Before being made over, Bryan often was found wearing dirty sneakers, T-shirts, and track shorts.

NO NO NO!

Elise arrived to her make-over sporting a comfortable, stretchy. unpolished look and well-worn Birkenstocks.

After her makeover, Elise is wearing a tribal outfit with a splash of color, courtesy of For-ever 21.

That will not do.

Fashion ConsultantsDanielle MarkowitzJenny Deutsch

Sari Amiel

Much better!

Beautiful!

Bryan is trying on shoes at Pacsun in Montgomery Mall.

Bryan is shopping in the aisles at Pacsun in Montgomery Mall.

Bryan gets a fresh haircut at Bubbles Salon in Montgomery Mall.

and

Elise peruses the clothing options at Forever 21 in Montgomery Mall

Danielle Markowitz expertly styles Elise’s hair. Elise gets her makeup done at Sephora in Montgomery Mall

Byran England

Elise Rudt

Photos by: Sari Amiel, Danielle Markowitz and Jenny Deutsch

Once a month, usually on a Friday afternoon, WJ’s halls are filled with the sound of organic talent issuing from the Student Commons: the sound of Feedback. Feedback is an open mic show that senior Helena Klas-sen organized for her senior project, and the oppor-tunity to participate in it is open to any student who would like to take center stage and perform in front of an audience. “It’s really im-portant [for kids] to have the ability to express them-selves,” said Klas-sen, who feels that even if students don’t take mu-sic as a class, they deserve the op-portunity to share their talent with an audience that is ready to listen. Klassen had the idea when she saw the student-run open-mic show at Sidwell Friends School in Washing-ton, and was amazed at the talent of the student per-formers. She was immediately inspired and figured WJ had as much talent to display, if only there was a proper occasion.

“After I had seen open mics at Sidwell,” said Klassen, “I thought, ‘Why don’t we have one of these at WJ?’” So far, Klassen has organized four open-mic shows, which featured per-formances by solo singers, bands, students performing po-etry or prose pieces, a come-dian and even a magician. Most performers sign

up in advance, but in the past there have also been a number of impromptu performances. “Potential performers can contact feedback.wj@gmail.com if [they] want to perform in an upcom-ing show,” said Klassen, “and I usually put up posters around the school to advertise.” Feedback has drawn in different talent from all four grades, and the outcome of each show has exceeded expectations. But, more importantly, the opportunity is exhilarating for performers and their audiences. “I love performing,” said senior Conor Brodnick, who has played guitar in multiple Feedback shows with his band, Minnesota. “I love watching people perform; I like seeing how people react to my performance and I like reacting to their performances.” Brodnick and the other members of his band are accustomed to putting on a show for live audiences, but this is the first year that they have actually formed an official band, taking everything to the next level. For Minnesota, Feedback is an opportunity to show audiences what they have been working on and it is a chance to practice performing.

“We usually decide which songs sound best and are the most professional-sounding, so that people will think that we’re a real band,” said Brodnick. “I think original songs are easier and I prefer them because you’re not up to a standard. It’s also a little more fun because you can feel it more.” In order to stage the shows, Klassen has needed sponsorship from WJ faculty and approval from ad-ministration to utilize the Student Commons. There is usually an entry fee to get into Feedback shows for

adults and all of the proceeds go to the Children’s Inn at NIH, though at the most recent show, the proceeds went to Pennies for Pa-tients. “I think—as ar-tistic as WJ is—it is great to have a forum for art out-side of the class-room,” said Eng-lish teacher and faculty sponsor of one of the shows, Jonathan Bos. “It’s encouraging for kids to get up in

front of peers and get that immediate Feedback.” Klassen plans on having two more Feedback shows this year, and one will probably be sometime after spring break. “Feedback is awesome for myself and my band as musicians—it’s definitely helped us because it’s our proving ground,” said Brodnick, who also feels that it is an excellent event for students who may not have had the same chances to perform as he has. Feedback has been a place where unknown and known artists alike have come together in front of an eager and attentive crowd, to share their passions and improve their skills. “What’s interesting about WJ’s talent is not that it’s there, but that it’s exciting to see how free students are about developing their talent and putting it out there for others to enjoy,” said Bos. “I’m really happy that Helena started it.”

Feedback: WJ’s Open Mic Show8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Pitchth

e MARCH 16, 2012

By Cameron Keyani

Third BaseThe Humor Column Spring is Springing, Don’t Miss It

As the interminable blizzards and frost of this ardu-ous winter melt away, the bees start buzzing, the birds start chirping and the Wildcats start prowling. There’s never a better time to turn over a new leaf than when new leaves are sprouting. For underclassmen, spring means a continuation of hard work and yet another round of AP and class exams. But for me it means summer is right around the corner, with just a few more months until college, a career, marriage, children and divorce. How did the years disappear like this? The spring-time of my life is over, and it flashed by in an instant. I’m practically an old man now; I might as well start eating prunes and scolding the youth for how low they wear their trousers (though, to be fair, they are getting VERY low). In order to prevent my hair from going gray, I’ve devised a plan to seize the day, every day. It doesn’t take much to seize the day, only an open attitude and a lot of Enya. Seizing the day works like this: every day, when the weak voice inside you tells you that you cannot, should not, will not do something, you do it anyway. This is not an invitation to skip every class and en-gage in a myriad of illegal behaviors, but rather a push to conquer your fears, which are in the end based on nothing. Leave it to Worldstarhiphop.com, a site inundated with freestyle raps that devolve into fistfights, to teach me that fear is not real. A video on that site featured an Indian guru, who stated that fear and anxiety don’t exist because, unlike happiness, they don’t exist in the present moment. Fear is based on shame from your past and worries about your future, one of which is done and gone and another of which may never come to pass. As a man filled with ridiculous fears and anxiet-ies, eliminating these narcotics from your life seems like an impossible task. But they are truly nothing but crutches, allowing people to feel content and com-fortable with achieving less than their full potential. With the past three and a half years at WJ under my belt, there is a great deal of pressure to do something radical before graduation. Spring is a time for instincts above everything. The aforementioned birds and bees don’t apply much thought to what they do, they just act. Sometimes it’s better to just be a dog chasing cars, as the wise Joker from “The Dark Knight” put it. My treatise to do more has been echoed by various sayings, such as “Carpe Diem” and “Bark More, Wag Less.” I must admit, what I’m saying is the height of whiny first-world suburban ennui. There are people on this Earth who would literally kill to have the cushy, self-important life that I do. But this spring more so than any other, I urge anyone reading this to start something new, conquer your fears and live your life to the fullest. You don’t know how many more chances you’ll get.

Seniors Conor Brodnick and Helena Klassen perform “Come Back” by the Born Ruffians.

By Taliah Dommerholt and Ellie Jorling

Senior Ryan Polk does stand up comedy.

Senior Madison Chase singing “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele.

Photos by Emily Katz

Come June 1, seniors will have graduated and will be ready to jump into the traditional beach week of unmonitored freedom, a much anticipated break from school, college enrollment stress and parents. How-ever, this year an alternative option to beach week has arisen, one that many students are taking hold of and eagerly anticipating: Bonnaroo. Every year, 80,000 people crowd into Manchester, Tenn., to camp in relentless heat for the sole purpose of four days of constant music. This year, approximate-ly 16 WJ students will be joining in on the festivities, and these music-loving students can hardly wait to en-joy artists such as Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Pepper and Bon Iver. “It’s such an awesome idea,” said senior Abby Adler, who will be attending Bonnaroo with five of her clos-est friends. “I think it’s just an absolutely amazing op-portunity, to see almost 100 bands over a span of four days and do nothing else.” Though Adler and her friends are not sure how ex-actly they will get there, it has proved an excellent al-ternative to beach week and the problems that come with planning. “Our group was having trouble finding a house for beach week because we had such a large group,” said Adler. But when the Bonnaroo option came to play, the group was easily able to split between who want-ed and were allowed to go to Bonnaroo versus who

would stay with the original beach week plan. For senior Adrian Ortiz, however, Bonnaroo has been his dream since freshman year and he never even considered beach week, as the two events overlap. Or-tiz, an avid concert-goer and music fanatic, was the one who started the Bonnaroo craze at WJ, bringing to light how exciting it would be as an alternative. “It has one of the best line-ups in the country,” said Ortiz. “I always had planned to go senior year because we don’t have exams then and it’s an alternative that’s 50 million times cooler.” Both Ortiz and Adler are very excited for the camp-ing aspect as well, and have even embraced the fact that the four days will be incredibly dirty. “I’m just excited to see awesome bands and go camping all weekend,” said Ortiz. “I can’t wait to go four days without showering—it adds to the experi-ence of camping and being out there.” This will be Adler’s first time camping, and she is excited for the collective experience of sleeping in a tent and attending endless concerts. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Adler. “There are going to be 80,000 others who are going to be just as dirty. Cleanliness isn’t your priority; it’s about having a total Bonnaroo experience.” Although senior Aman Afsah had all of his plans to-gether for beach week, when he saw the lineup for Bonnaroo, he was completely sold. Like Adler, he has never camped before; however, he is not as optimistic about it as she is. “From what I’ve heard,” said Afsah, “it’s just going to be ridiculously hot and I’m not looking forward to

that as much.” While some parents have hesitated to allow their kids to go so far away, others have been persuaded by the fact that the chances of getting in trouble at Bonna-roo are much lower. “They have their reservations because we’re going by ourselves,” said Adler, in reference to her parents, “but they trust us and know that we’ll make smart deci-sions. And this is the opportunity of a lifetime.” Though some parents are actually coming on the trip, others are just comforted by the fact that their kids will not be cooped up in a rental house with a bunch of other kids, experiencing unlimited freedom and almost no supervision. “There are obviously way more drugs around you,” said Ortiz, about Bonnaroo. “But in terms of the inten-tions, we’re not going to a house to get drunk, we’re going for the music.” With so many WJ students and a few parents going, most are certain that safety will not be an issue. “If something happens, there will always be someone you know,” said Afsah. “If you get lost, there will be a bunch of other people you can always reach.” And so these seniors are counting down the days until they can stuff their sandals and bandannas into canvas bags and enter the Bonnaroo bubble, a world where reality will cease and they can just sit back and enjoy the music with close friends. “For me, I love the beach, but you tan for the first two days and then what else do you do?” said Adler. “Four days of concentrated music and fun are just what I need.”

By Taliah Dommerholt

On March 2, WJ students audi-tioned for the chance to be a part of Mr. and Ms. WJ. Representing WJ seniors are six guys and six girls who will try to take the crown and win the title. The students have two regular rehearsals sched-uled and one dress re-hearsal to prepare for the show in front of the school. On March 16 the 12 students will compete to be the winner, showcasing their various talents. The show will have a wide variety of students with many different talents. Some of the students will be using their instrumen-tal skills to impress the audience, such as senior Madison Chase. who will be playing the piano. Multiple students will be using their voices in the competition. Seniors Taylor Swift, Bea Owens and Fiona Buckley will be singing for the title. Dancing is a major aspect of this show. Seniors Elena Johnson, Laura Dally, Leah Holmes, Morgan Huffman,

Jacquie Maranville, Tyler Cole and more are par-ticipating in various types of dance routines. “[One reason I was interested in perform-ing was] because I could perform onstage which I haven’t done in a while,” said Buckley. Buckley also tried out for Mr. and Ms. WJ be-cause she wanted to chal-lenge herself and her tal-ents. With this being their last year in high school,

this challenge would be one way to end se-nior year with a positive experience.

Some of the seniors participating in the performance have seen the previous shows put

on by the past WJ seniors and known the people par-ticipating in them. Seeing people getting crowned and winning the title during the past three years can influ-ence students and get them interested in participating. “Ever since I went and saw the show my sophomore year I have always been interested in participating,” said Johnson. With most shows or experiences where people have to perform in public in order to win something, peo-ple have anticipations, hopes and worries, especially when performing in front of their peers. “[I hope] it’ll go smoothly and I won’t forget the words because of my nerves,” said Buckley. Although it is a nerve-racking process, the students are still excited and anticipating great things for the upcoming show.

According to Johnson, the rehearsal went better than expected and every-one seems prepared and ready to put on a great show. “Everyone participating is very tal-ented and I think this year’s show is go-ing to be the best [show yet],” she said. According to Johnson the seniors are trying to put on the best show that they can. Their expectations for themselves are high and the goal for the show is to have a fun, competitive experience, for the most memorable Mr. and Ms. WJ talent show yet. “Winning the title would mean a lot to me,” said Johnson. “I would love to be able to represent my school with a crown.”

Bonnaroo in Place of Beach Week

9MARCH 16, 2012 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPitchthe

Senior Bea Owens sings during her audition for Mr. and Ms. WJ.

Senior Elena Johnson showing her dance rou-tine for Mr. and Ms. WJ.

Morgan Huffman (middle) auditions with friends Robyn Bernstein and Rachel Ferry.

Photos by Wahid Ishrar

Representing 2012: Mr. and Ms. WJBy Emily Cosentino

10 MARCH 16, 2012SPORTS Pitchthe

11MARCH 16, 2012 SPORTSPitchthe

What to Watch For This Season

Elad Covaliu is Wrestling State Champ

4/11 at 7:00 p.m. Boys Lax @ Churchill4/13 at 5:15 Boys Volleyball vs Wootton4/21 at 1:30Softball vs Churchill4/24 at 7:00 Baseball @ Whitman5/02 at 7:15 Girls Lax vs Sherwood

It had been 36 years since a WJ wres-tler had finished on top until senior Elad Covaliu defeated Urbana’s Joe Rimel on March 4 to become the 182 weight class state champion. Covaliu credits his coaches and extreme dedica-tion for this year’s success. “I worked harder in practice [this year] and was extremely focused and determined to win states,” said Covaliu. “My coaches pushed me to work on the championship level and taught me new moves and techniques to take to the mat.” Going into fresh-man year, Covaliu had never even wrestled and didn’t envision coming this far. In a matter of just four years, he picked up the fundamentals, won the region twice, won the county once, and broke the school record for number of career wins as well as wins in a single season.

“I thought I had great potential as a freshman but never thought about wrestling at the state level,” said Cova-liu. Stemming from his accomplishments, Covaliu has garnished much attention including numerous media interviews and recruiting letters from respected Universities such as the University of Maryland. Despite the recognition, Covaliu remains committed to play football at the College of the Holy Cross next year. Nonetheless, he plans on staying involved with wrestling in some way or form.

By Daniel Thaler

Photo courtesy of Elad CovaliuSenior Elad Covaliu (center) is crowned as state champion

SportsMARCH 16, 201212

Check

Baseball is looking forward to a successful season. The fact that few players graduated last year made transition to the upcoming season much simpler. “Last year, we won 10 games, and I think this team is capable of winning 12 [games],” said coach Kim Ahearn. “Our team has gotten better this year and our division has also gotten easier with Gaithers-burg not in the division any-more, so our only real com-petition is Whitman, but we always like to beat Churchill too.” This year, the team plans to avenge last year’s loss against their co-division champion, Whitman.

Both Boys and Coed Volleyball are gear-ing up for a reassembling season, with almost all of the players from last year’s teams having graduated. “This could be a rebuilding year…[but] there seems to be a very strong core of young players who will make an impact this year and in years to come,” said Coed coach Bill Morris. The Boys team is adding a new coach into their lineup, Brian Fairall. Though Fairall has not coached vol-leyball before, he is thrilled for this new experience. “[Boys and Coed] work together in prac-tice and during games [and] I’m relying on [Morris] to show me the ropes ,” said Fairall. “I’m excited to use my teaching and coaching abilities on a new sport for me”

After a great indoor season, the track and field team is preparing for an even better outdoor season. Despite illnesses hindering a number of athletes during the State Championship meet, the Boy’s

4x800m finished fourth and senior Laura Dally came in

third in the 55m hurdles. The boy’s distance team will

be strong coming off of a state title last fall, led by Ap-palachian State commit and

senior captain Josh Ellis and Cross Country state champion

Scott Sheehan. The team has brought out a number of new

jumpers and throwers to make the team more complete.

Baseball Volleyball

Track

Softball

Gymnastics

Springing Ahead: Spring Sports Previews

Boys Lacrosse

Girls Lacrosse By Anders Norberg

Tennis

Gymnastics is an incredibly difficult and precise sport that requires the utmost pre-cision and constant practice. The 19 girls

part of this team have a high stan-dard to uphold from last year’s vic-tory at county championships.

Coach Ursula Bright said the team’s biggest challenge will be winning the reg-ular meets. “We have lots of positive girls who want to learn new skills and also have fun in the process,” said Bright. This year’s team will face the biggest

challenges against rivals BCC and Blair, but Bright says that Sophomore Ella Wu will step up and the rest of the team will also be there to help. “We have a pretty good line up this year I feel our team will excel in many ways. We have lots of girls trying new skills and are excited about it. It will be a fun year,” said Bright.

Last year Girls Lacrosse did very well during the season with a final record of 10-2. After losing eight seniors, all of which were team players, coach Chris-sy Yetter says that this team of 21 girls is very hardworking and dedicated. This year’s team is very well connect-ed and is able to work well together. Seniors Paige Keller, Charlotte Kir-wan, Bryn Molloy and Paige Waqa are preparing to step-up this year for their team.

“They are already confident in their teammates, and they aren't hesitant to make long passes, or pass to the new girls on the team,” said Yetter. The team is determined to push them-selves and each other and win a division and possibly regional title. “Dedication, determination and hard work to be the best will be our goals through the season,” said Yetter.

By Anders Norberg

Freshman Mary Svirydava

Junior Aldo Filas

Photo by Wahid Ishrar

Photo by Steven Groobert

Senior Jordan Krasner

Last year, the softball team made a strong impression despite a 5-12 record in the regular season. This year, the team looks to be a con-tender for the division title. “Every year I expect improve-ment from the last,” said coach Jamie Ahearn. “We have a lot of returning players and some very strong seniors leading our team, plus I have a good amount of younger players who are eager to play and win.” The team is led by seniors Beth-any Buel, Sarah Bernstein and Han-nah Flesch. Ahearn is also excited about the youth of the team and is looking for contributions from sophomores Kristen Scott and Sar-ah Duncan.

Junior Gina Fischetti

Boys Tennis has been a recent powerhouse at WJ, with win-ning records the last three years. This year, the team hopes to continue to build on its strengths and improve its weaknesses. According to returning senior singles player Wojtek Bieganski, the team is looking to be a more well-rounded and competitive team. “Last year we had a strong singles group but not as strong a doubles group,

which made every match a nail biter,” said Bieganski. “This year it’s a lot more evened out.” The team will be led by returning players including Bieganski, senior Ty-ler Hao and senior Jordan Krasner. The team is also looking for important con-tributions from younger players such as freshman Justin New, the younger brother of last year’s team captain, Mi-chael New.

Photo courtesy of Mocorunning.com

Senior Brad Hampton

Photo by Hannah Flesch

Junior Chris McCurry

Despite graduating a stacked se-nior class last year, the lacrosse team seems headed towards an-other strong season. Anchored by a top notch defense, the team’s offensive production will decide whether they reach their full poten-tial. First year attack starters look to gel quickly and stay strong until star senior Jake Verner comes back from injury and solidifies the line. “We are a very young team after graduating most of our offense last year,” said Verner. “It’s early and some of the kinks will definitely be sorted out as the season progress-es.” WJ will be tested by formidable rivals Churchill and Wootton, two games that are key to winning the division.

Photo by Stephanie Salvatore

Senior Bethany Buel

Photo by Steven Groobert

Senior Bryn Molloy

Photo courtesy of Paige Keller

Photo by Wahid Ishrar

By Daniel Thaler

By Matthew Morris

By Matthew Morris By Ellie Jorling By Ellie Jorling

By Phillip Resnick

out inside: What To Watch For

on Pg.11