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april

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outlook news

out lookApril 9, 2010

A&E28 Bon Appétit

Mom’s bagged lunches are having to compete with the cafeteria’s appealing food, but the cafeteria’s meals may deserve some serious calorie counting.

31 Addicting GamesOnce Facebook gets boring, students need to find other things on the Internet to preoccupy their time instead of finishing homework. Find some of the most addicting games.

SPORTS

Row Your BoatCrew is notorious for working out on machines outside the training room during the off season, but the sport is actually carried out on water. Become familiar with crew terminology, as well as boat positions, strokes and other commonly used rowing slang.

38

Faith on the FieldsWith announcements for its meetings every Friday morning, the FCA sponsors religiously influenced athletic activity. But what really goes on in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes?

Master Chief FineHalo, a popular video game, is typically a favorite thing to play in spare time with friends. It’s

normally a fun, weekend relaxation type of activity. But for one Oakton student, Halo has become a job, and playing professionally comes

easily. See how Sam Fine has turned his fomer hobby into a successful career.

FEATURE

13 Cougar CrossingShe stands on Sutton each morning, directing traffic and allowing walkers to cross the street. She’s there every day, but who is the woman that controls traffic?

09

VOICE

19 Training RoomTrainers and athletes are crammed into limited space for recovery, taping and exercises. The training room desperately needs space to reduce crowding.

16An Opus member personally reflects on Opus’ annual open-mic event that allows students to express their personal material to peers.

Opus Coffee House

NEWS

Changing Schedule05The start of the fourth quarter means that plans for next year are getting finalized. A change in Oakton’s schedule will possibly include a free period, or a type of homeroom for students.

IN-DEPTH

High School21Students are warned on a daily basis to stay above the influence, but it seems that drug-involved activities are more prevalent in today’s high school communities than previously thought.

35

04

april 9 2010

outlook news

edito

rs’ letter

From,

Alex StratonCo-Editor in Chief

Erica WohllebenCo-Editor in Chief

From,

Outlook Staff

Business ManagersSarah CrainPhilip Tam

Editors in ChiefAlex StratonErica Wohlleben

News EditorsMichelle ChuElise Werner

Opinions EditorZoe Mitchell

Community EditorsTesla JensenKatie Smith

Design EditorSarah Kashanian

Sports Editors

Daniel Chait

Copy EditorVipin Reddy

Photo Editor

Alex BuscemiDaphne Martschenko

Online EditorKoorosh Massoudi

In-Depth EditorCharlotte Dobry

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Lisa BaumgartnerAlex BeldenOwen ChesserNikki ClemonsSpencer ConleyConner DickCharlotte DobryDrew HarringtonMorgan HarwoodKyle HughesMatt JohnsonCallum KeltonJackson LizardoAllen LuethkeJordan Nieusma

Staff

Sarah CrainPhilip Tam

The Outlook is an open forum for student expression. Unsigned editorials reflect the collective opinion of the Outlook staff. Signed editorials represent the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Outlook or Oakton High School. Reader opinions are important to the Outlook and contributions are welcome. Make your voice heard by sending us a line about what’s on your mind. Letters to the editor may be may be sent via email to editors@oaktonoutlook.com or dropped off in Chad Rummel’s box in the main office or in room 196. The Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and content provided the meaning remains unchanged.

AdviserChad Rummel

Michelle OhChristopher PapasJulia PicciottoPasquale PreziosoSonya PriceShannon RaganAndrew ReedShayda ShahbaziBecky SingermanRachel StanleyMatt SteeleNick WardMatt WoodhouseDorothy Yen

Editorial Policy

We’re back from spring break, and as a consequence, we’re

also experiencing some serious relaxation withdrawal. Whether you traveled to a foreign country, tanned on the beach, or kicked back at home, we all have one thing in common, and that’s that we’re all stuck sitting at our desks and have to face the impending school work. The truth is, it’s hard to kick it into high gear in school when we get stuck clicking through everyone’s spring break pictures on Facebook. Speaking of wasting time on

Facebook, it seems that there’s a lot more to do than merely stalk friends or scan through pictures. Sitting down to write an English paper with the enticing Internet icon can be a deadly combination, especially with all the available games featured on page 31. Addictinggames.com is definitely not a misleading website name.Spring break aside, the past few

weeks have been full of surprises, most specifically, NCAA basketball. As March Madness unwound and caused many of us to lose money on brackets, we all cursed each upset game that threw off our predictions. Who would’ve thought that Butler would make it to the championship? Continuing with surprises

concerning colleges, the majority of college acceptance letters were anxiously ripped open. With the supposedly life-determining letter drama over, a lot of the seniors know where they’re going in a few short months, and whether they’ll be student-athletes, like those on page 36, or just students, college is coming, and fast. And

so is senioritis.On a less serious note, another

less life-affecting surprise has reared its’ head in the lunch line; sushi. As an alternative to the normally purchased wrap or sandwich for lunch, it seems that the cafeteria is getting more creative in their options, but with more choices, it’s difficult to decide. To make the decision a little easier, take a look at the nutritional value that may steer you away or entice you towards some lunch line items on pages 28 and 29.Today marks the end of the third

quarter. Though we’re losing the extra day off this Monday because of that now almost forgotten snow storm, hopefully the recent spring break, and all those activities everyone did, such as those featured on pages 6 and 7, will make up for the loss. With the start of a new quarter,

and because it’s the final quarter, most of us have found friends and determined who we want to hang out with. Whether it be a relationship based on sports, academics, or social preferences, many circles have formed, but some things seem to be common among most of those different groups: the use of drugs and alcohol. A look into this topic is featured in the In-Depth section starting on page 21.With the recent excitement of all

those surprises and the realization that the school year is in its last quarter, spring has definitely arrived. What better way to kick off spring than attend the Down for Dao dance, on page XX this Saturday? Have fun, and be safe with whatever you plan on doing to start spring right. Go Cougars!

College acceptance, lunch changes and fourth quarter’s beginning start spring

05

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outlook news

newsbriefs• The Northern

Virginia Regional College Fair will be held on Wednesday, April 21, from 6:30-

8:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at George Mason University in

the Patriot Center, and it will be an opportunity

for sophomores and juniors to learn about

what various colleges and universities are offering.

Some of the attending colleges are Christopher Newport, Elon, James

Madison and Regent University.

• Rising seniors who are interested in having

a parking spot for the 2010-2011 school year can pick up forms in the Gold office. The price for the upcoming school year will be $200. The

forms will require a photo copy of a valid license

and a completed Student Parking preference

form. There will be no incomplete forms looked

at. No junior will be looked at until all seniors

are accommodated for.

• Debate students competed at Westfield

High School on Saturday, March 20 in the regional competition.

Four teams from Oakton represented the issue concerning providing

services for people suffering from poverty.

Though no teams went to states, they were content

with their efforts. “We’re satisfied with the results because we performed

well as a team. Everybody improved and learned a lot, so I’m proud of us,”

said Vice President Merrite Johnson,

senior.

With the hectic schedule changes result-ing from the “Blizzard of 2010,” students have finally begun to fall back

into the pattern of a normal school week. But before they are able to become too familiar with the current school day, the faculty has decided to change the typical seven period day once again. “Starting the 2010-2011 school year, we’re going to change the schedule to afford the staff and students time to work with each other in a structured setting in efforts to meet the needs of kids,” said Principal John Banbury. “We’re add-ing another period to the day that allows students to receive extra assistance in school.”: The faculty has not finaized details regarding the new schedule, although an official time schedule for the upcoming school year will be released next week. “We’re currently working on the specifics of the new sched-ule,” Banbury said. “We haven’t completely worked out how long this period is going to last or where exactly it’s going to take place, but right now we’re looking at somewhere around a 30 minute time block.” The addition of an extra period to the school day was created with the aim of helping students with their studies and will be guided under the same prospects as a real class. “The expectation is that students will be with a teacher for that block of time,” said Michelle Taylor, committee member and band direc-tor. “Although there will be opportunities and activities happening during this period, this is not a free-for-all. This extra period is meant to be instructional in nature and should be taken seriously.” Starting next year, a remediation period will be incorporated into the schedules of every student,

although not every student will have the same freedom and opportunities to go where they choose. “Students will be able to pick which classes they will attend for the most part,” Banbury said. “A number of students that display particular problems in certain subjects will be required to go to a specific location. We still haven’t decided what the GPA or grade cutoff is for students who need to attend a specific workshop. Even with the addition of a 30 min-

ute remedial period, Collaboration Wednesdays are to be continued throughout the new school year. “Collaboration Wednesdays are still going to be part of the schedule,” Taylor said. “On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday there will be a period for students to get extra in-school help, but on Wednesdays, there will be a normal collaboration schedule.” Despite his optimistic out-

look on the upcoming schedule changes, Banbury recognizes the

possible weaknesses of the new plan. “There are a few negative aspects to the new schedule,” Banbury said. “The new schedule cuts into the time of other classes and some of the teachers aren’t happy about losing their minutes. Having said that, the schedule was voted for by the bulk of the faculty and met overwhelming support.” The faculty is not the only group responding positively to the new schedule changes. “I really like the idea of having a remediation period added into our school day,” said junior Flora Lee. “A lot of the time I can’t stay after school and this new period gives [students] like me extra time to ask questions and get help that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to receive.”

by Michelle Chu and Jordan Nieusma

Eighth period added to schedule: ‘Cougar Time’

How do you feel about the addition of another period?

New School ScheduleSchool days will be 8 periods long

A 30 minute period will be addedto the schedule after 1st period

During this time, students passingall their classes will be free to

decide which class to attend

Students failing one or more classesmust attend the classes they are

failing during this time

“It’d be helpful. It’ll be easier to study with the extra time.”

freshmanwichin

steven

“I don’t think students get a sufficient amount of time to receive help from their teachers and the extra time will give them this.”

junioraydin

merve

“It’s a good chunk of time for kids with a lot of AP’s to get stuff done. Kids will get out of it what they will put into it.”

history teacherlucas

jason

“I think it could be ben-eficial for the students but the kids will try to take advantage of it [by hanging out].”

science teachergreeney

sean

06

april 9 2010

outlook news

news

briefs• Leadership sponsored

the first book drive for children in need, Government teacher Jihoon Shin’s fifth period class collected the most books. In second place was Kristi Layman’s class brought in about 27 books per person. Leadership worked with the Reach Out and Read Book Drive program to deliver books to local children’s hospitals. Juniors Kevin McGartland, Kit Mahoney, Jennifer Corser, sophomores Connor Anderson and Kelsey Clarke, and freshman Jeffery Gehring organized the collection of books for the drive. Boxes were put in each fifth period class and the amount of books was then recorded after a week and a half. In total, 3,200 books were collected.

• Model UN will convene at Thomas Jefferson High School on April 9 through 10 for their competition. The TJ event will be their first high school competition of the year and is entirely organized by high school students. Expecting a large turnout, the Oakton team has prepared their positions on global issues as they represent the countries of Belize, Uganda, Greece and Myanmar.

• Senior Kate Allen received an Honorary Mention at the 2010 National New Year’s Card Contest in the Artistic Category. The contest was sponsored by the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers.

During spring break, students had the opportunity to experience the culture and see the sites of Italy.

From Mar. 24 through April 1, six Oakton students, along with 13 students from Woodson high school, traveled to Rome, Florence and Capri.

For about 2,800 dollars, the 19 students spent their break on a trip that allowed them to apply their knowledge of Italian history.

“I [was] really excited to see the coliseum because I learned so much about it and it’s a big part of history,” said senior Jennifer Lonnquest. “Also, I was excited to see the differences between our culture and the Italian culture.”

At the end of the trip, everyone left Italy with a positive experience.

“It was amazing,” said AP U.S. His-tory teacher Tim Hudenburg. “It was the smoothest trip of 18 trips I’ve been on with students.”

When in Rome

During their trip to Italy, Seniors Jennifer Lonnquest, Courtney Roth, Caroline Beury, Meredith Freund, Amelia Smith and Hudenburg participated in various classes and demonstrations that taught the group more about Italian culture. Included were a make-your-own gelato class, italian dancing, fresco painting and a demonstration on leather-making in Florence.

“I liked the fresco painting because the Sistine Chapel was large and all done as a fresco. I can’t imagine how Michaelangelo did it,” Roth said.

Lessons in Italian

During the springtime, an array of opportunities came up for students to experience different cultures and lifestyles. Among the trips were ones to Wallops Island, Italy, Sen-egal and Spain. Students on each trip had varying experiences from swimming through mud to helping out at an orphanage.by Elise Werner and Drew Har-rington

Students travel around the world during spring vacation

Eleven French students, along with teacher

Inge Pisano and Emily Fugate-Brunino, visited Senegal for 10 days over spring break. There, they traveled to the capital, Dakar, and then headed south towards Mali. The trip was organized through Castro tours, and the group moved every day, traveling by van.

Aside from experiencing a different culture, students volunteered at an orphanage, distributed food and mosquito nets, visited rural high schools and went to a wildlife preserve.

“The main thing we’re doing there is working with children, so we will be visiting a lot of children’s schools and English teaching schools

so we will have to talk to them in English,” said junior Emily Farmer. “I’m going with my French class, but we will probably be speaking more English than French because we are trying to expose them to our culture.”

Although illness was a concern while in Senegal, students were able to view a culture very different from that of Fairfax County.

“I [was] looking forward to seeing some old friends personally and to introduce the students to a country that is rich in history, culture, and tradition,” Pisano said. “Although it’s not rich economically, I [was] looking forward to the students experiencing its treasures.”

Students providing aid in Senegal experience culture

1.Pisano talks to the citizens in another

village the group vis-ited. Pasiano taught in Senegal last year and

was excited to return. I [was] looking forward

to seeing some old friends personally

and to introduce the students to a country that is rich in history,

culture, and tradition,” she said. 2. A girl who

wanted her picture taken. “They liked

to look at them after we took the picture,”

Farmer said

Seniors Courtney Roth, Meredith Freund, Caroline Beury, Amelia Smith and Jennifer Lonnquest enjoy their gelato in Italy. “I had the best gelato while in Italy,” Hudenburg said.

1.

2.

1 Photos courtesy of Emily Farmer

Photo courtesy of Courtney Roth

Senior girls visit Italy

2

1

• The class of 2011 will begin selling prom tickets from May 13 to May 21. Parent volunteers are needed to assist in selling tickets during all four lunches. All volunteers will be required to attend training to review FCPS regulations. Interested parents may contact Ellen Reilly at ellen.reilly@fcps.edu.

• Seniors Kunjisha Ahuja, Bo Yang, Ayesha Vaid, Lily Martins and juniors Jennifer Corser, Amanda Askari and Nyah Collier won awards and qualified to compete in the national competition at the DECA state competition held in Norfolk, Virginia. Seniors Danielle Brown, Joe Clinton and Sam Tanenbaum also qualified to compete in the international competition that will be held at the end of April in Louisville, Kentucky. Seniors Maria Laura Crespo, Brandon Dunlop, Alan Myers and junior Patrick Kelly won awards. DECA members competed in various events including presenting plans to judges as sales associative. The competition was held on March 12 to March 14. • Oakton Media Group

members will be attending the JEA/NSPA convention in Portland, Oregon April 15 through 18. The group’s online newspaper received the Silver Crown Award for the second consecutive year and was nominated for the Peacemaker Award.

newsbriefs

A day in the lifeStudents experience the life of a reasearcher on Wallops Island trip

A week before spring break, students taking

Oceanography were given the chance to partake in a field trip that, from Mar. 17 to 20, allowed them to experience what it’s like to work as a researcher. The trip took place at Wallops Island, which is 45 minutes from Ocean City, and at Chincoteague Island.

Students did various labs relating to marine life which they had been studying in class.

“We went on the research vessel the first day,” said senior Sierra Hemmig. “Then we went to Chincoteague Island and did an intertidal lab so we went to this shore area where the stream went into the ocean to study the different kinds of wild life there. We had to dig through the sand and stuff to look for little animals and plants. After, we went in the

stream and held these nets while other people went farther down the stream and chased fish into the nets, and then we brought it back to the lab. In the lab we just studied the organisms we brought back, and they gave us books of wildlife that lived in the area that gave us the phylum, so we just had to find what species it was.”

While the research was beneficial to students, furthering their education in the field, those that went on the trip also experienced the conditions of working in an intertidal area. Specifically, they had to walk through a salt marsh and jump into thick mud.

“The mud jumping and the shell collection were my favorite parts of the trip,” said Oceanography teacher Sean Greeny. “The mud went up to the kids necks.”

Oakton students toured Spain for 12 days, starting in Madrid. This trip, which lasted

from Mar. 28 through Apr. 8, also gave students the opportunity to see Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Morocco, Costa del Sol, Seville and Barcelona.

While visiting the various famous cities, students were able to enjoy the local culture and appreciate the foreign language.

“I think Morocco was my favorite because it was really nice to see a different culture, it was so different from anything I ever expected or knew,” said sophomore Sarah Casey.

In the end, students will benefit

from the trip in various ways.“It’ll benefit the students just to be exposed

to the language they’ve been studying,”said Spanish teacher Kristi Layman. “Most

students are in Spanish two or three, so it’ll be

good for a true cultural experience,

more than they can get out of the classroom.”In Madrid, however, as

with other bigger cities, students are exposed to a

wide range of buildings, people and lifestyles. Witnessing

this first hand gave the students exposure to things outside of their

comfort zone.“I’ve learned that the world is very

different from Fairfax, Virginia,” said Casey. “Here, there’s a lot more visible poverty.”

Spanish students visit Spain over Spring Break¿Hablas Español?

Students had to walk throught the mud, which at times went up to their necks. “I thought I was going to drown because it was really deep,” Hemmig said.

Alison Hutzler and Adriane Lopez dig through the soil in a quadrad during the Intertidal Lab. They were search-ing for any organisms that might be there.

Photos courtesy of Sierra Hemmig

Photos courtesy of Sierra Hemmig

april

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07outlook news

The junior class typically plans and runs an annual spring dance, like “Crave”, “Pulse” or “Tropic Like It’s Hot” to

raise money for Prom. However, the current junior class officers had the idea to host a dance that would differ from the usual.

“This year the junior class was pretty well off with their funds for Prom, so when we sat down to talk about what we wanted to do, we decided we wanted to do something different,” said Sarah Kowarski, junior class President.

The junior class offi-cers decided to organize a dance that would reach out to students, while supporting The American Cancer So-ciety. The dance will be held April 10 from 7:30 to 12 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door for $15 and online for $10.

“I think the dance is a great cause for the obvious reason. Not only are we raising money for cancer, it’s important that younger people are doing their part to help,” Dao said. “The fact that high schoolers are going out to contribute to the cause is in itself phenomenal.”

After contem-plating a theme for the dance, the officers needed to find a loca-tion that would hold the event for the right price. They could not hold a fundraising dance at Oakton because Oakton is a public school funded by the govern-ment and cannot donate money.

“I was relieved once we found a location because I wouldn’t have to worry about the financial part of it. If we weren’t able to rent the facility we wouldn’t have had a dance,” said Jen-nifer Corser, junior class Vice President.

The dance will be held at the Revercomb building off of Fairfax County Parkway, which is owned by the Fairfax County Police Associa-

tion. After hearing about the event’s cause, the board not only approved the dance but also decided to waive the usual $900 fee.

“We were really excited because now we would have more money to donate to the American Cancer Society,” Kowarski said. “All of our efforts would be towards donations versus paying the down payment for rent.”

Upon completing the contract with the FCPA, the junior officers began to publicize the event with the help of shirts, flyers, a video and Facebook. The final step was the spirit week following spring break.

“Spirit week is not techni-cally affiliated with the dance,” Corser said. “Since it is the week leading up to the dance, it makes people more aware of what is go-ing on.”

The dance is open to all students, but everyone must bring a current high school ID in order for security to keep the population limited

to only high schoolers. “At ‘Crave’, a bunch of non-high school

people came, and there was no accountability for who was there,” Corser said. “We are requiring a high school ID upon entry as this is strictly a

high school event.”

The upcom-ing spring dance will support junior Brit-tany Dao in her efforts to raise money for cancer research.

Originally, the Down for Dao foundation was founded by the Delta Zeta sorority at Virginia Tech for Brittany’s sister, Emily Dao.The majori-ty of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

“It doesn’t matter if I can help a few people or hundreds of people,” Dao said. “As long as I never give up on trying to find a way to help, that’s all that really matters, especially if I can give someone the chance my sister never had.”

by Shayda Shahbazi

08

april 9 2010

outlook news

news

briefs• Juniors interested in learning about the college application process are invited along with parents to attend the junior parent night on April 15 at 7 p.m. A panel of current seniors and their parents will discuss their recently completed application process and strategies for reaching success. This event will be full of information that will make the application process smoother for juniors and their families.

•All-State Choir will be showcasing its talent on April 29 through May 1 at Tyson’s Corner. The group will be singing and performing in front of family, friends and the public. “All-State Choir is a selective group of seniors,” said senior Jennifer Wolf. “I was nervous when I auditioned. It was a lot of pressure because the best of each district had come to sing. [All-State Choir] is a really good opportunity to meet and sing with the best singers and conductors.” All-State Choir is generally made up of seniors, but junior Holly Kelly is an exception.“I’m actually shocked that I made it,” Kelly said. “I was competing against seniors who had a lot more experience than I did. I just wanted to give it a shot. I figured why not? What is there to lose?”

• Because of the number of school days missed due to the snowstorm, students must attend school on April 12, a day previously scheduled to be a student holiday. It will be a Gold

What’s the 4-11? Down for Dao.Juniors organize an alternative Spring Dance in order to support the efforts of Brittany Dao and her aim to raise money for cancer research.

T-shirts designed by Jennifer Corser have been sold during the weeks which have led up to sprit week and are still being sold for $7 from the class officers.

The front of the T-shirt holds the slogan “Baby are you down” and the back finishes it off with “for Dao”. It also emphasizes the symbolic date, 04-10-10.

Down for Dao AdvertisesBa

by, a

re y

ou d

own?

The Down for Dao foundation was established in 2008 and has been steadily growing due to Brit-tany’s efforts. “I want my foundation to continue growing and be able to help numerous people in the future. Maybe it can someday be as big as Livestrong,” Dao said. Brittany hosted two parties, her birthday party and a Halloween party, for the foundation and raised approximately $2100. “If anyone was willing to fight cancer and go through all of that pain, they deserve to have a fight-ing chance to live [regardless of] money,” Dao said. “It seemed wrong for me not to do anything.”

photo courtesy of brittany dao

photo courtesy of brittany dao

09

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il 9

2010

outlook feature

paid to playOakton junior Sam Fine plays Halo as a profession

COMPETITIVE

GAMING

The do’s and don’ts according to Sam Fine

1. Do find a comfortable place to play. Somewhere you can relax - a stress free environment.2. Don’t take it too seriously. Remember, it’s only a video game.3. Do find people with whom you enjoy playing. If it’s not an enjoyable experience, what’s the point?4. Don’t cheat. Keep the integrity of the game, just like you would any other game.5. Do have fun with it, because it really is only game.6. Don’t let others get you down. Keep on doing what you think is fun, regardless of what might be considered “cool.”

Sam Fine plays video games like everyone else. He relaxes in his basement with his iTunes

library on shuffle and a smirk on his face as he jokes with friends. But what is happening on the screen in front of him is vastly different than what is happening on everyone else’s. He is playing in a Game Battles match, one of the many competitive forms of Halo that Fine plays. He is showing an almost virtuosic ability at the game, all the while acting like any other teenage kid playing a game. The biggest difference here though, is that Fine gets paid to play Halo. Much like the average kid these days, Fine started playing video games at an early age. “I’ve always played video games for fun, but around sophomore year of high school I started playing [Halo] competitively,” said Fine, “I’m just a competitive person.” He and friends Joseph LeBerre, a sophomore at Oakton, and Jamie O’Brien, a junior at Oakton, started their own Halo 3 team a few years ago, and quickly got recognition from playing online. “We started off playing in online competitions, like Game Battles,” said Fine, “and pretty soon we were being contacted to compete in regional and

national competitions.” They have also participated in many live tournaments, such as Team Ladder in New Jersey, in which they placed ninth. By taking place in these contests, which occur about nine times a year and take place around the country, and performing quite well, they have garnered the attention of many sponsors. “We were sponsored by Verizon for a while, and were thinking of joining up with AlienWare as well. But as of right now, we’re un-sponsored.” During their sponsorship, members of their Halo 3 team got many kinds of merchandise – from headphones to X-Box’s, monitors to t-shirts. To achieve this level of professionalism while playing a video game, Fine used to practice a lot, often finding himself forgoing homework to play. Nowadays, he only plays about two to three hours a week, but he still maintains and hones his abilities. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of playing. It’s a great release from just the stress of life in general. Halo just seems to be something I gravitate to,” Fine said. Despite the recognition he has received for playing video games, Fine never receives any ridicule for what many might consider as a “nerdy” past-

time. “All of my friends are really supportive of it. My parents don’t really appreciate it as much, but they’re still supportive,” said Fine. Fine has done something very few will ever be able to lay claim to - taking what he loves and turning it into a

profession.by Allen Luethke

allen luethke

allen luethke

10

april 9 2010

outlook feature

STRESSEDMeet Rachel

SchwartzJunior

Schedule:1. Int. Women’s

Chrous2. AP U.S. History

3. Spanish 34. AP Chemistry

5. AP Calculus BC6. Physics 1 HN

7. English 11

Activities: Model UN, History Honor

Society, National Honor Society, Varsity Tennis

On dealing with stress: “For the most part, I just suck it up and I deal with it and con-tinue on. I don’t have

time.”

A D

ay o

fSt

ress

7:00 am- Rachel stud-ies for quiz in 20 min-

utes. Stress level: 6

9:30 am- Rachel takes notes in Spanish class.

Stress level: 4.

9:45 am- Zak rehearses for production in

Drama Class. Stress level: 4

Your hands shake. Your stomach turns. Sweat drips down your brow. You panic as the world crashes around

you.No, you’re not in some horror movie. You’re

dealing with a problem that everybody has to face: stress. Students at Oakton know about this psychological problem all too well. But what is stress really? What is it doing to us? That ques-tion proves to be a bit harder to answer.

The Hydra to Your Hercules

One of the problems of dealing with stress is that it’s so hard to define. It’s “individualized,” as school psychologist Rebecca Bernotas puts it.

“What I see,” Bernotas notes, “[is] anxiety that causes people to end up having a nega-tive impact.”

This anxiety manifests itself in many ways. According to the American Institute of Stress, there are 50 common symp-toms of stress, from headaches and insomnia to depression and anger. The problem is that a person experiencing stress may experience some of these symptoms or have entirely dif-ferent reactions.

“I think everybody’s stress or anxiety is seen in different ways,” said Berno-tas. “In some people it could affect their social relationships. They might isolate themselves more when they’re stressed. They don’t feel as comfortable being social or outgoing. Other people, it might affect their eating habits.”

The Root of the Problem

Just as it is difficult to document the symp-toms of stress, it is difficult to document what causes it. Zak Goldberger, junior, provides a litany of issues that cause him stress.

“Not having enough time to do anything, homework, bad grades, colleges, hoping I can be successful, and females.”

Goldberger also places pressure on himself, causing him to be even more stressed.

“I want to be good at things, and when you improve, sometimes, its stressful.”

Fellow junior Rachel Schwartz blames not herself but the mountains of homework she is often assigned, a feeling all too familiar for students at Oakton.

“Deadlines,” Schwartz empha-sized. “Knowing I have multiple things due on [a certain] day causes me a lot of stress.”

Teens are particularly suscep-tible to the pitfalls of stress as they deal with the hormones and hankerings that go along with adolesence.

“I think adolesence is a time when you’re maturing physically and intellectually,” Bernoatas said, “but sometimes what we overlook is the maturing process emotion-ally. So I think there’s so much

change going on during adolescenece- socially, entering high school, and filling that gap be-tween being a child and becoming an adult- that all those changes can often times lead to stress. I think it makes you really vunerable to those things.”

Bernotas also adds that teenagers aren’t fully

5 Common Symptoms of

Stress1. Headaches2. Depression and mood swings3. Frequent illness4. Weight gain, loss5. Nausea, stomach pain

Source: American Institute of Stress

11

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OUT Its everywhere all the time, but stress might

actually be helping you

On the effects of stress: “I don’t get

much as much as sleep as I want to [when I’m stressed]. It makes me

feel like I’m not the best I could be.”

11:15 am- Rachel fi-nises lab for AP Phys-

ics. Stress level: 7

8:20 pm- Zak studies for AP Biology, along with other homework.

Stress level: 7

3:15 pm- Zak works out at track practice.

Stress level: 5

equipped to deal with stress.“If you’ve not matured emotionally, you

don’t always have the coping skills. Whereas as an adult, you would hope you develop those coping skills to deal with anxiety and stress.”

Your Friend Stress

Everybody has stress in their lives, and a lot of it is undue. However, when a deadline is clos-ing in around you, stress can actually be your friend.

“It helps you,” said Goldberger. “It motivates you a little bit.”

“There’s an appropriate amount of stress and anxiety that’s healthy,” said Bernotas quickly, “that makes us all do things, and get things done. I think without stress or anxiety, I wouldn’t get a lot done during the day.”

Indeed, stress is good to a certain degree. Some amount of stress motivates people to do things, but too much can have harmful effects. How much stress is an individual determination.

How to Cope

People also deal with stress in their own individual ways, and that fact becomes extremely important when stress goes from good to bad. Bernotas stresses the importance of recognizing stress.

“I think if you’re stressed to the point of where it’s impacting something important in your life, then it’s reached the level where you should probably try to find some assistance or help.”

Dealing with stress when it first rears it’s ugly head is also important. according to Bernotas.

“If you access the right help [when] stress is

affecting you negatively and you can build and develop the kind of skills you need to deal with anxiety and stress [as well as] access the help you need or find things that help you relax and calm down or reduce that stress, then during adulthood you’ll be okay. You’ll have those skills. I think it’s when you don’t realize that you need to develop those skills or you don’t set aside the time to develop them, it can eventually overwhelm you.”

Good people to talk to about dealing with stress are teachers, counselors, parents, or Ber-notas herself. And when all else fails, Schwartz offers a piece of advice.

“Sometime, I just like to finish up and go to bed.”

by Chris Papas

Perfo

rman

ce

(Pro

duct

ivity

)

Expected Performance

Fatigue

OverloadHealthy Work

Pressure

Stress(Work Pressure)

Breakdown(Emotional/Physical)

The Human Function Curve

Meet Zak Goldberger

Junior

Schedule:1. Physics 1

2. AP U.S. History3. Theatre Arts 3

4. AP English 5. Precalculus6. AP Biology

7. French 3

Activities: Cross-Country, Winter & Spring Tack, The-atre, Temple Youth

Group

The Human Function Curve shows how stress can help or harm you. A certain amount of stress is helpful, but too much can overwhelm you and

eventually cause a breakdown.

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outlook feature

Before and after school every day,

the intersection at Sutton Road and Country

Creek Road right near Oakton becomes incredibly hectic. The

four-way stop sign, in combination with those walking across the

intersection to get to school, would cause terrible confusion if not for the guidance and

assistance of crossing guard Sharon Lewin.For fourteen years, Lewin has held the duty

of safely directing walkers and cars through the intersection in order to avoid collisions. For the last seven years, the intersection outside of Oakton is one of the three posts Lewin covers each day, and according to a study conducted by Fairfax County, the intersection is the most difficult crossing to manage in the county.

“I think it’s the combination of the driving to school, kids walking to school and incoming metro traffic,” said Lewin. “It can be really crazy, especially in the morning when it’s darker.”

In addition to the volume of traffic, many of the cars at the intersection are students who have just learned to drive, adding to the chaos.

“I have a lot of patience for the new drivers. If they forget to use their turn signals or something, I know it’s because they’re still learning,” said Lewin. “I get frustrated at the people I know

should know better.”The span of time that Lewin controls the Oakton intersection

before and after school is only a small part of her daily schedule.

“I have two crossings in the morning, then I usually go to the

gym, then [to Oakton], then I have two more crossings in the afternoon,” said Lewin. “I also volunteer to do crossings at races a lot.”

Before Lewin, the guard who covered the crossing outside Oakton was forced to resign

after she was hit by a car driving through, severely damaging her knee to the point that it required surgery.

“When she asked me to take over [the intersection], I was a little reluctant,” said Lewin. “But it’s not too bad.”

Although they have similar uniforms, crossing guards do not perform the same duties as the police.

“Little kids always ask me if I have a gun,” said Lewin. “I don’t.”

However, crossing guards do have to undergo a lot of the same training. After learning the signals she needed to conduct traffic, Lewin had to become CPR certified and undergo medical training. Crossing guards also share some of the same abilities as the police.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize that I do have the power to give tickets when I need to,” said Lewin. “The people at Oakton are pretty good, but I have gotten into a few arguments.”

In addition to her job as a crossing guard, Lewin is a mom and an athlete.

“I like skiing, running, playing soccer...” said Lewin. “I like to stay active.”

Even outside of work, Lewin’s job as a crossing guard often has an impact on her day-to-day activities.

“Being a crossing guard has made me realize how important it is for people to use turn signals,” said Lewin. “It’s the only way to communicate to other drivers what you’re doing, and I get really frustrated when I’m driving and people don’t use them.”

by Kyle Hughes

Cougar CrossingCrossing guard Sharon Lewin shares her story

sarah kashanian

sara

h ka

shan

ian

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outlook feature

The Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

The first Day of Silence was orga-nized by students at the University of Virgina in 1996. Today, over eight thousand middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities participate.

This year will be the fourteenth year that the Day of Silence has taken place.

History of DOS

DOS TraditionsThe Day of Silence is a student-led ac-

tion where concerned students take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harass-ment—in effect, the silencing—experi-enced by LGBT students and their allies.

This year the day takes place on April 16. Traditionally, students go the entire school day without verbally communicat-ing with others. Often there will be a “Breaking the Silence“ gathering at the end of the day. Students can break their silence as a group and discuss their expe-riences of the day.

Information from dayofsilence.org

By the Numbers

Sources: dayofsilence.org and pflagphoenix.org

Gay-Straight Alliance

28 % of LGBT youth drop out of high school because they feel unsafe.

60.8 % of LGBT students report feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

32.8 % of LGBT students report miss-ing at least one day of school a month because they feel unsafe.

41.5 % of LGBT students who experi-ence physical harrassment do not intend to go to college.

In 1989, only 2 GSAs were present in the U.S.

By 2004, over 2000 GSAs were pres-ent in the U.S.

27 % of gay and lesbian youth have been physically harrassed by other stu-dents.

People of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual com-munity have always

been part of a minority. Although they face civil rights injustices and discrimination, they’ve never had a predominate place in the media spotlight. However, recent events in the news have brought new at-tention to the LGBT community.

Those who keep up with the military may have heard about the changes in the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, the policy that pro-hibits gay service members from revealing their sexual orientation while serving in the U.S. Military.

The Constance McMillen story garnered interest from high school students across the coun-try. When Constance, a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School, Miss., asked permission from her school to take her girl-friend to prom, they refused and canceled prom.

Gay-straight alliances were created to establish a connection between the LGBT community and the straight community in schools and to give students the opportunity to learn more about each other. GSAs also connect students with the larger outside community fo LGBT and the cur-

rent events they’re involved in.The OHS GSA sponsor is

Kelly Tatian, one of the English teachers here at Oakton. The club started late this year, but it’s grown to nearly twenty members.

“I joined because I support gay rights,” said sophomore Tim Collins.

One of the major goals of the club is to create a safe atmosphere where gay and straight students can come to relax and hang out.

“The atmosphere is always really chill and open, and all the students are very accepting,” Col-lins said.

A priority of the club this year is to educate Oakton students about the LGBT community and the issues they face.

“Uneducated people tend to discriminate against people they don’t understand,” Collins said. “I hope we can educate people who are ignorant and get more of the student body involved in the gay rights movement.”

At club meetings, students usually discuss current events rele-vant to the LGBT community and future plans for the club. Their current focus is the aproaching Day of Silence, coming up on April 16.

by Shannon Ragan

Creating a safe havenOHS Gay-Straight Alliance starts its year

Oakton is eliminating Break.

That prized 13 minutes set aside for students and teachers to socialize, snack and study. Idolized and appreci-ated by all, Break has become an institution in Oakton’s schedule so important to students that should not be tampered with lightly.

But could there be something better than Break?

The answer: Cougar Time.Despite the corny title, Cougar

Time is actually the best thing to come to Oakton since collabora-tion. Cougar Time replaces break with a (tentatively set) 20-30 minute period in which students are provided with a “study hall” in which to spend time with teachers working on homework and assignments.

Cougar Time provides different benefits to students failing a class and students passing their classes. For any student not reaching the academic standards of a class, Cougar Time requires them to visit that classroom. This time will prove beneficial for any failing student who legitimately wants to improve their grade, as they will be given added instructional time with teachers.

Students who reach the mark of a (soon-to-be-set) GPA are rewarded by Cougar Time, as they are able to decide what classroom they wish to work in. Of course, it has to be assumed that failing students will be given priority over passing ones, but this provides passing students with a variety of options over how to spend their Cougar Time. Rooms will be on a first come first serve basis and if a classroom fills up, then students are required to move on to another classroom, which is reasonable.

The overall goal of this time will be to provide stu-dents with extra educational instruction. But the time will hopefully be adapted to provide students with extra homework time that they could actually be appreciated and utilized by all.

Of course, each classroom would have a different at-mosphere, some being more serious and structured than others. This allows students to pick which environment they would want to work in, whether it be relaxed or fo-cused, based on their own study habits and the amount of work they are determined to complete.

Cougar Time will no doubt be a blessing to the procrastinators. It pro-vides that extra 20-30 minutes to finish that assignment that one just doesn’t have time for as the clock strikes 2 a.m.

In addition, it can easily be used as a last minute review period for students to brush up on material. Teachers are being encouraged to hold reviews for AP exams, espiecally during testing season. This would allow a structured everyday time period for students to focus on their upcoming exams without having to disrupt their already busy after school schedules.

The library will also be open to students, but will most likely have a pre-register system so as to avoid overcrowding, just as it does for collaboration. The Oakton Writing Center is also rumored to be opening its doors

for students during Cougar Time as well, which could prove incredibly valuable for students. Both of these programs futhur expand the options for academic im-provement for students.

Cougar Time should help limit the floods of stu-dents stuck after school, especially with the elimination of late buses. It allows students to have time to ask questions during school, instead of having to stay after only to have to wait after school for parents and rides to pick them up.

Of course, Cougar Time will be abused by many students to text and divert teacher attention from the students who are actually utilizing the time. But the overall benefits to the majority of the student body should not be overlooked because of a few selfish trou-ble-makers. The system itself will require a few weeks, maybe months, for students and faculty to adjust. But, just as the kinks have been worked out of collaboration, Oakton will adapt.

Nothing about the free period is completely set, as Oakton administrators are considering everything from the time, the purpose and even the name. But hopefully they will decide to set this time as an unofficial study hall and provide students with a chance to complete homework and projects under teacher supervision, something that all motivated students and procrastina-tors would appreciate.

Cougar Time brings Oakton up to the standard of every other Fairfax County school. Every other FCPS already implement a Cougar Time type of policy for

students. Oakton finally joins in the ranks of the rest of FCPS and students who learn to utlize the time benefit immensely.

Even if it means losing Break.

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outlook voice

Next year’s schedule provides a second “home” for homework.

The Staff Editorial is the official opinion of

the Outlook

COUGAR TIME

7th 1:15 – 2:05

1st/2nd 7:20 – 8:50

Cougar Time 8:57 – 9:32

3rd/4th 9:37 – 11:07

5th/6th 11:14 – 1:10A Lunch 11:14 –11:44B Lunch 11:44–12:15C Lunch 12:20–12:50D Lunch 12:50 – 1:10

*Schedule subject to change

2010-2011 Schedule

**Different for collaboration days

As the cacophony of the sounds of my heart beats out of my chest, the crowd and the roar of feedback mixed together to form one moment: the

beginning of “Dark.” I started to count the beats in my head as the guitar played the intro. I hovered one stick over the hi-hat, wiggled my toes inside my old Vans, and as the bass line came in, I began to play. My name is Andy, and I am the drummer for Sounds of Gray. Our first legitimate show was the Rock Show for the Committee for Helping Others (CHO) benefit concert on Jan. 23 at The Soundry. That Saturday, Richards, Larson, Schueler and I sat around playing COD: MW2. All of us were a bit nervous, but luckily everyone waited until after the show to flip out. About an hour later, the Xbox controller was swapped for picks and sticks as we finalized our set list for the night’s frivolities. Halfway through our hit single “Contradiction,” we all realized that we, in fact, had a gig and had to be on stage in about an hour.

By the time we finished, packed up and put the guitars in cases and in the back of a parent’s car, it was time to go. As we were about to leave, the sounds of our grumbling stomachs collided with my mom yelling “Do you boys want pizza?” We rushed inside and shoved down three pies worth of pure pepperoni and pineapple goodness.

En route to our show, we ran a quick check to see if we had everything (Cymbals: Check, Bassist: Check) and everything seemed to be there. We sat in silence in the nice, comfortable SUV listening to a jazz channel on XM radio and before we knew it, we had reached our destination. We piled out of the Acura RDX, opened the trunk and started unloading all the instruments.

We entered through the front entrance and immediately liked what we saw. It could only be described as an artist’s haven, complete with a coffee shop, art studios, and a stage. We wandered through the confusing labyrinth of corridors and eventually found the stage, lead singer and guitarist of the headlining band Irresponsible, Ryan Paladino, as well as an audience of our closest friends and family. The sound guy, Sean, asked us if we were ready to go on and after a quick mic check and monitor check, we were plugged in and had a crowd of soon-to-be-fans listening attentively.

Show time: Richards (vocals) and Larson (guitar) ran through our acoustic songs “Indecision” and “Sympathy” which were followed by Schueler on the bass and me on the drums for “Dark,” which was very dark indeed. After “Dark”, we played the disco-beat powered “No Matter,” then the frantic “Sophisticated Labrador,” and then we closed with “Contradiction.” All in all, it was a fantastic show and we did our job of opening up the show for The Celestials, Josh Apt and the Regulars and headlining Irresponsible to come in and put on a killer concert.

I just wish there was more pineapple pizza. Live, Love, Rock.

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outlook voice

As with anything, the Opus Coffee House had its ups and downs in coming together. A subcommittee of the Opus staff,

composed primarily of people in the business, marketing and music departments and headed by music editor Sandra Bocharnikov, had a lot of work to do, culminating in what I believe can be considered a successful show on March 24.

The various tasks which went into pulling the coffee house together—recruiting bands, reserving space, configuring seating, arranging the audio system—were all achieved in

a relatively short span of time. Individual staff members worked the bake sale table, managed admissions and other small tasks throughout the afternoon. I floated wherever extra help was needed and helped manage the set-up and clean-up of

the event. A modest turnout of both students and faculty

members joined us for a relaxing afternoon listening to student-artists perform in the cafeteria. Some audience members lounged on couches borrowed from the journalism and drama departments. Others chatted quietly with friends

and enjoyed free drinks and bake sale goods at round tables as they listened to the bands perform.

The profits from admission and the selling baked goods will help fund a new addition to the Opus literature and arts magazine: an audio CD containing band performances and poetry readings

by Oakton students. Some bands that performed and others who have submitted samples of their music will be represented on the CD.

Opus’s Coffee House proves to

be modest success

dobrystaffer

charlotte

Sounds of Gray: humble beginnings

reedstaffer

andy

Senior Charlotte Dobry sells brownies to a student entering the Opus Coffee House. The event showcased student-artists and performers and raised money for the Opus Literary Magazine.

Be sure to order your copy of the magazine by picking up an order form on the English hallway bulletin board or downloading one from www.oaktonmedia.net.

sarah kashanian

Sounds of Gray has a show at Jammin’ Java on May 1.

Sounds now consists of-Jorey Richards (vocals, acoustic guitar)-Andy Larson (electric/acoustic guitar)-Andy Reed (drums and percussion) -Eric Schueler (James Madison HS) (bass)

The band first started as Event Horizon, and has gone through two other members that have left for bigger and better things

Sounds played at the Opus Coffee House featured on the other side of this page- Check out SOG at myspace.

com/sounds_of_gray

band background

-

-

-

the yearbook is coming soon!

check out a sneak peek of the yearbook

on our facebook page.

facebook.com/OaktonMediaGroup

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april 9 2010

outlook voice

Reciting facts and examples of life stories from a school text book while 75 percent of the class stirs in their sleep may seem like a drab and

useless way to teach a health class; however, it is the only way aside from scare tactics. Most students view health class as unnecessary and spend the time texting, sleeping and generally not paying attention. There are students who take careful notes and retain some tidbits of knowledge; but in truth, kids will be kids, and drug and alohol usage is inescapable.

Health teachers present the standard county curriculum on the harms of drugs and alohol on the body in order to keep students from engaging in illegal activities. These classes show teens the harmful side effects along with video testimonials of victims and their families affected by drug abuse in order to show how a drug user’s behavior affects others. In an environment where just about

everyone has access to drugs and alcohol, all a teacher can hope for is to keep at least one kid off drugs and maybe prevent the ones who will

ignore the warnings of drugs from continued usage.

High school students will inevitably be offered or at least somehow be connected to drugs. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, it will happen. Now a health class will not change your life in any significant manner, but when it comes

to making the choices concerning drugs and alcohol, it allows students to make educated decisions. Health classes cannot make the choice for you, but they do provide the knowledge for students willing to consider the consequences of their actions.

FCPS health classes are doing all they can to warn students about the consequences of drug and alcohol use. The presence of bad influences in the world will always be there and are often stronger than a few facts learned in school. Keeping every kid off of drugs is not a realistic goal, but the drug education is sufficient enough to warn students of the dangers of drug and alcohol experimentaion and hopefully the message will get through to some students.

Health needs an updated curriculum to impact students

chesserstaffer

owen

Involvement with illegal substances can’t be avoided

ProConLook around you. How many kids do you know, sitting within five feet of you now, who do drugs? Too many. The health class curriculum

is clearly an ineffective and obsolete way of keeping students from experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Outdated videos are not effective in detering students from drug and alcohol abuse or experimentation.

Considering that health teachers are able to teach reproduction in a way that makes students never want to give birth, surely they can

find ways to teach students about drugs so that students will be less tempted to try them. Mr. Cowdery’s description of babies pushing their way through a cervix was scarring. Health class instead should follow Human Growth and Development’s approach by awakening students to the reality of drug use with real-life “on the street” stories about drugs’ detrimental effects on peoples’

lives. Nothing health teachers tell us could ever be as frightening as the first hand accounts of people, not unlike us, whose futures were impaired by drug use in their youth. For even more of an impact, FCPS should consider allowing reformed illegal drug addicts to share their stories and experiences including their path to rehabilitation.

The outdated health videos currently used hardly dissuade students from illegal drug use. The disorienting camera movements and colors paired with the outdated styles and poor scripting make the videos little more than material for wise cracks out of half the class. It’s difficult to take a person wearing mom jeans and one of those ugly 80’s sweaters seriously. But drug use is a serious subject, one that should be handled with a more serious approach. Outdated videos make what should be a sobering subject a joke.

Students might be more deterred from drug use if they know its real dangers from the relaying of first-hand experiences. Being tested on every street name of meth is no way to dissuade students from using it. Learning about how it could make all one’s teeth fall out and the horrific withdrawal effects would be much more effective. Health teachers use convincing scare tactics in regards to unprotected sex and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t also employ them when teaching students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

singermanstaffer

becky

owen chesserowen chesser

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Waltzing in at 2:10 p.m., thinking I had ample time to ask trainers Rupp and Cowdery a few questions about my recent injury, get

treatment and make it to practice in time, I poked my head into the training room. I didn’t expect to see both hot and cold tubs already filled and athletes already sprawled across the treatment benches. I didn’t expect to see Rupp already taping someone, sending them off to practice and then telling another athlete to hop up on the counter. In general, I didn’t expect to see so many people in the training room.

The place was packed like sardines, and when trying to get an opinion from a trainer when there’s a ratio of probably 1 trainer to 20 athletes, my chances were looking slim. Despite those slim chances, Rupp handled me with efficiency, and I was impressed while being shuffled among multiple athletes to a corner opening where I could soak my foot with relative

space.Regardless

of the efficiency with which I was dealt, a larger question hovered in my brain while

I was enduring 10 agonizing minutes in ice water: why isn’t the training room big enough to accommodate the obvious demand it has? Because of the limited space and overcrowding,

it’s almost as if we’re getting robbed of the work our trainers are capable of. Our ATC’s are too skilled to have to rush their work and too vital to our athletic programs to have limited space when giving athletes recovery and prevention exercises.

In regards to the limited space, having someone doing band work as you struggle to jump over them is not the best condition. We may even be promoting possible injury in some of the cramped fitting as athletes maneuver around each other to reach their stations. The trainers need more space. Another room should be dedicated solely to mobile recovery, such as band work or other moving exercises. There are definitely lounges or offices that could be converted into training rooms for this purpose. The current room should be used only for stationary recovery, such as heating pads and ice on the tables and hot and cold tubs.

Another possibility to remove the excess of athletes in the training room would be to design some sort of shift system dependent on practice time or game days. Though it is very clear that the training room emphasizes getting treatment immediately after school, this is sometimes not possible due to afterschool activities, or the altered indoor-sport schedule that forces athletes to be prepared for practice at 2:15 p.m. For example, girls lacrosse practice starts significantly later than girls soccer practice, and for this reason, girls soccer may need to have priority in getting treatment so that the team members can get to practice on time.

If we’re going to take full advantage of our trainer’s abilities we need to eliminate the crowding in the training room.

A part of the Texas State Board of Education voted to make radical right-wing changes to their textbook curriculum on March 12 by a 10-5 republican majority vote. In some areas

of the textbook, one of America’s most influential and important philosophers, Thomas Jefferson, has been removed and replaced with French Christian theologian John Calvin.

The new books also question the separation of church and state, which has helped dramatically to keep laws rational and different from those of a theocracy. The extremely religious committee members went on to refuse to require that students be informed that the Constitution restricts the US Government from promoting one religion over others.

This is a dramatic step backward for our entire country. The decisions made by the school board will affect far more than just Texas.

Because of the state’s massive textbook market, matched only by California, which is suffering from financial problems, the modified books will quickly appear in out-of-state classrooms.

“They are going overboard, they are not experts, they are not historians,”said democratic board member Mary Helen Berlanga. “They are rewriting history, not only of Texas, but of the United States and the world.”

The board members failed to contact any historians or sociologists while reaching their decisions, making the textbook a selective telling of the past.

These astonishingly biased changes will eventually spread throughout our nation, potentially warping the views of the next decade’s worth of students. It is extremely important that we put only absolute fact into the pages that will be educating America’s impressionable youth.

Texas makes radical right changes to student textbooks

Trainers need more space to provide

athletes care

stratoneditor-in-cheif

alex

steelestaffer

matt

graphic by matt steele

By the spring of junior year, it’s hard to escape the thought of college admissions, but don’t worry if you still don’t have a clue where you want to apply. This spring can help you answer that question.

Work with your counselor to put together a preliminary list of colleges based on what you think you want (and taking into account your grades and PSAT scores). Then start checking out those colleges -- in person if you can manage it.

The basic college informational tour makes a good starting point, although some do a better job than others. On any given day you could get an enthusiastic tour guide who is knowledgeable and helpful or get someone whose clear boredom and lack of information makes you as eager to bolt as they surely are. You may share your tour with people who impress or who totally bore you. You may get a day with brilliant

sunshine or clouds and relentless rain. It’s hard to keep these factors in proper perspective, but you do need to try.

Whether your tour experience was good or bad, it’s best to think of it as an introduction and not the full story. Tours, by de�nition, only give a broad overview. They try to dazzle you with campus beauty or their sports program or their latest and greatest architectural wonder. That’s �ne so far as it goes, but it only scratchesthe surface.

Keep in mind that your college life will revolve primarily around classes and classmates, so in each campus visit try to come away with a clear sense of both the academic style and the personality of the student body. How comfortable you are with those will tell the real story.

It’s pretty hard to determine how well you’ll �t into campus life if you’re visiting an empty campus, so think about taking advantage of your spring break week to see colleges as they really are. High school break weeks generally don’t coincide with college break weeks, which means that college students will be on campus. Try attending a class to see if it’s

lively or dull, if students are engaged or daydreaming. Try talking to students you meet on campus to see what they have to say.

Don’t be like the tourist who sees Europe through the

window of a bus. Experience as much as you can so you’ll know if the college you’re dreaming of is a place where you can succeed and be happy for four years of your life.

PSAT | SAT | ACT | SUBJECT TESTS | AP | SUBJECT TUTORING | APPLICATIONS | ESSAYS

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PrepMatters.

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learn more tips Visit the PrepMatters YouTube channel for recent webinars: youtube.com/prepmatters

take a test To schedule a free diagnostic ACT, SAT, or subject test,call 703-356-6390or send an e-mail to frontdesk@prepmatters.com

21

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For many students, the high school years are all about the focus on academics, sports and clubs. For a portion of the student body, however, these years are all about pushing physical, biological and chemical limits. This In-Depth section focuses on the drug network underlying Oakton’s prestigious reputation.

insideoakton’s drug community

photo illustration by katie smith

by Erica Wohlleben and Katie Smithwith help from Matt Steele

22

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outlook in-depth

“I had one night where I think I had done cocaine, Oxycontin,

Xanax, and I was drunk. And then every time I would snort a line of cocaine, I would throw up like two seconds after... I did that for like eight lines before I was like ‘this is probably bad,’” recalled 18-year-old Alex Duff. “Then I really don’t remember much, except that I woke up in the backyard of that guy’s house the next morning. It was a bad experience at the time because I felt really sick—I don’t know why I kept going.”

Alex, a former Oakton student, started abusing illegal substances as early as seventh grade and has since experimented with a wide range of highly-addictive drugs. While Alex’s story is uncommon within the Oakton community, he represents a small and often overlooked subset of the student body that has taken drug experimentation to the next level.

When Westfield High School made headlines in 2008 for a heroin scandal that left several students dead, the issue of hard

drug use (strong and addictive controlled substances) was still largely regarded as “someone else’s problem.”

“I don’t think hard drugs are really used at Oakton,” explains one senior girl. “I know people who drink and smoke weed, but noth-ing like heroin or cocaine or anything like that.”

The issue may be somewhat masked within a school focused on AP testing and college placement, where people are afraid to discuss drug usage and acknowledge that it’s a problem.

“I think it’s a lot safer to think it’s not happening where you live, where you’re rais-ing your kids, in your school, in your kids’ school,” explains Oakton’s Psychologist Re-becca Bernatos. “Throughout history, things that’re taboo to talk about—or, that scare people—are sometimes avoided because it’s easier to think ‘let’s not bring this up or discuss it, because what if we find out it’s the truth.’”

While hard drugs may be the most con-troversial, marijuana is said to be the most prevalent drug.

“Drug offenses are not something we see happening on a weekly basis,” said Rick Mey, student resource officer. “The most common thing we see is marijuana and pre-scription drugs.”

Oakton has a full spectrum of drug users within its walls. Starting at students who abstain entirely from substances, all the way to the rare, yet existent, group of students like Alex, who have ventured to cocaine and heroin use.

Progressionof Drug Use

Kevin* is a senior and a former Oakton student

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

Started smoking weed

Started doing heroin

Started drinking alcohol

Went to rehab and stopped doing drugs

Started smoking weed again

Experimented with prescription drugs, including Oxycontin, Percocet, Adderall, Xanax and Vivance

Continued experimenta-

tion; cocaine, salvia, acid and ecstasy

Cut back use of illegal substances. Drinks alcohol and smokes weed

0

90

80

70

60

40

30

20

10

50

100

Drug Survey:

For Against

47%

53%

No

31%

Yes No

30%

Have you ever experimented with drugs?

Yes

67%

70%

Do you know anyone who has experi-mented with drugs?

Are you for or against legalizing marijuana?

Surv

ey fr

om 1

50 ra

ndom

stu

dent

s

23

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“On one end, there are kids who are getting messed up every weekend, addicted to stuff,” explains one student, “and then there are kids who have no idea that this is even happening. Like, your lab partner in sci-ence might be high when you’re doing your experiment and you have no idea.”

“I just wanted more”Alex doesn’t remember much about his

last day at Oakton, but he knows that the Cha Cha Slide had something to do with it.

“I took some amount of Percocet, and a couple Soma… and then they mixed to form some sort of terrible combination that made it very obvious that I was intoxicated in my German class,” Alex remembers. “I remember sitting next to [a friend] that tried to calm me down, but the kid behind me knew I was intoxi-cated and kept leaning forward and going ‘everybody clap your hands,’ and I’d do it because I was [messed] up.”

Since his expulsion, Alex has attended two different high schools, attended three different outpatient drug treatment facilities (he was kicked out of one), completed one inpatient substance abuse program and been to jail twice. He’s been arrested more times than he can count. Technically, he’s not even allowed on FCPS property.

Although he first began to experiment with hard drugs while attending Oakton, Alex said the kids he uses with come from many different schools and backgrounds.

“It’s a few people from a lot of different schools — I don’t know really how we got to know each other,” Alex said. “I guess it’s because one kid would get expelled and sent to a new school, and then they’d make new friends there and combine friend groups.”

Alex didn’t start using drugs with the intention of becoming a regular user. In the beginning, it was pure curiosity that led him to drugs like Oxycontin, cocaine and heroin.

“For a long time, I thought I was being, like, cheated out of parts of my conscious-ness, and that I should be able to experience all of them and if I didn’t do every drug then I wasn’t able to explore certain feelings of well-being that I could have,” Alex said. “And then after that it just sort of became ‘oh, this is fun, I guess I’ll keep doing this.’”

Curiosity is often the catalyst for a drug habit.

“I think experimentation is scary because it can lead somewhere really scary,” Bernatos explains. “You’re betting that it won’t lead to something lifelong, but it’s like rolling the dice. It could lead to a lifelong addiction that could affect the rest of you life. You might not finish school, you might not have

a career, you might even end up homeless… The ‘what if ’ is the scary part. Like, what if you’re the one person that experiments, but experiments again and again and it becomes a daily habit?”

At this point, Alex doesn’t consider him-self an addict, though he does claim to have had an opiate addiction.

“That was a painful experience,” Alex said. “I had to go to rehab and just not do them.”

But rehab isn’t always enough to conquer addiction, nor is success guaranteed to be permanent.

“Even with good treatment, relapses are likely. There are actual changes in the brain

that can trigger cravings, even for someone who has been sober for a long time,” said Gayathri Dowling, deputy chief of the Sci-ence Policy Branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Patrick*, a current Oakton student, de-scribes his experience of withdrawal from the prescription anti-anxiety medication Xanax.

“That was bad. When I came off of it, I didn’t see people for like three days—I just basically sat alone in my room, didn’t eat, didn’t talk to people, didn’t care about my work or anything… I just wanted more Xanax.”

While both Patrick* and Alex acknowl-edge that their relationships with their family members have been affected by drugs, both say their parents have become somewhat desensitized to it all.

“Originally, [my parents] were horrified, but now they’ve sort of come to accept it,” Alex said. “Actually, it’s sort of depressing, but I think they just think of it as a part of life. Like, I’ll come home, and I’ll be really high, and they’ll be like ‘Great. You still have all these chores to do. Have fun doing them while you’re [messed] up.’”

Despite his record, Alex still hopes to make something of himself. “I still have aspirations, even though I use drugs,” Alex said. “I want to be an architect and build houses…. I’m probably going to go to NoVA, then hopefully transfer to a nice Virginia school.”

“Don’t have to look like a pothead”John* doesn’t stand out too much from

the crowd. He plays a varsity sport, takes

To Fake: (v.) To fail to show up at a deal, or to fail to respond to texts/calls.

Good: (adj.) To be in possession of marijuana.

Strains: (n.) High grades of marijuana are distinguished by “strain names” such as Grand Daddy Purple, Purple Kush, or AK47. They all have slightly different effects.

Blunt: (n.) A cigar that has been emptied of its cancerous insides by vertically slicing it, removing the tobacco, and unpeeling the chemical strip known as “cancer paper.” Filled with marijuana, it is rolled back up like a large joint.

Bowl: (n.) A common term for a marijuana-smoking pipe (often glass). Bowl can also refer to the bowl-shaped area where marijuana is placed to light.

Mids: (n.) Mids (or “middies”) are nearly the lowest quality of marijuana, fraught with seeds (which cannot be smoked).

KB: (n.) Good marijuana, or “kind bud.” KB rarely has seeds and is essentially great marijuana with less potent effects than headies (see below).

Headies: (n.) Headies is always top quality cannabis, in regards to both the plant matter and the effects. High-quality marijuana is recognized by its sweet-smelling aroma, red hairs, and visible crystals of THC.

“...the kid behind me knew that I was intoxicated and kept leaning forward and going ‘everybody clap your hands’ and I’d do it because I was [messed] up.”

Terminology

Mar

ijuan

a

Please note that terminology and slang differs according to location, and the following terms are based in NOVA.

source: Oakton Students

24

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outlook in-depth

“[My mom] just passes it off as teenagers being teenagers...she doesn’t mind the

drinking, as long as we clean it up.”

multiple AP classes and maintains a decent GPA. What his teachers and peers would probably be surprised to find out, however, is that he distributed marijuana for over two years.

“[Selling] was such an adrenaline rush,” John* remembers. “I’d be driving along with [so much marijuana] and cash. It was pretty ridiculous. I think about it and I’m like, ‘how did I not get caught’? I’m glad I got out when I did. I stopped because everyone else was get-ting busted. It’s too much of a risk.”

While not quite a social norm, marijuana usage is certainly widespread within the Oak-ton community and Fairfax County at large. According to the 2008 Fairfax County Youth Survey report, 38.1 percent of 12th graders reported having used marijuana within their lifetimes, while 17.3 percent admitted to hav-ing used it within the last 30 days.

“So many people at Oakton smoke—all kinds of kids,” John* said. “There’s no certain look or group. Yeah, you have the kids who wear the Marley shirts and beanies, but I think at Oakton there are all kinds of different kids, from all kinds of different cliques, that smoke weed.”

Because it’s so widespread, marijuana use is not always concentrated into specific social cliques.

“You can’t just look at someone who wears real preppy clothes and say, ‘You’re wearing a polo, there’s no way you smoke,’” John* said. “That’s not the case at all at Oakton. So many kids smoke. They don’t have to look like a pothead—most of the kids who smoke all the time don’t even look like potheads.”

The high rates of marijuana usage within the Oakton community can be attributed to the availability of the drug.

“It does differ from school to school and from place to place, partly because of what is available,” explains Susan Weiss, chief of the Science Policy Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “We know, for in-stance… that there are pockets in the country where methamphetamine abuse is much higher than in other places. It also matters what the prevailing attitude of the community is: whether or not drug use is cool or not, etc.”

And because there are Oakton students who distribute marijuana to their peers, John* said it is not hard to find.

“Weed is absolutely easier to get than alcohol. Anyone can get weed,” he said. “You know who sells it, you know who smokes.”

“I don’t remember what I did”Like many Oakton students, Emily*, an

Oakton senior, has a Friday night routine: after telling her parents that she’s going to a sleepover, she’ll meet up with a group of friends and search for a party to go to, where they’re guaranteed to find good music, cute guys and plenty of alcohol.

“I think the older you get, the more people party,” she said. “I don’t think that many kids drink all the time, but I do think there are a lot of people who do drink on occasion.”

And as students grow older, alcohol use becomes increasingly prevalent. According to the 2008 Fairfax County Youth Survey, 71.7 percent of FCPS seniors have consumed alcohol. This is a significant increase over sophomores, with 57.9 percent reporting lifetime alcohol use.

Emily* said that as she’s grown older, her attitude toward alcohol has become signifi-cantly more relaxed.

“Freshman year, I would’ve never even thought of drinking or smoking; I thought that would be a huge sin,” she said. “But now I try to party every weekend. I definitely

have stopped caring as much about the rules and have become sneakier behind my parents’ backs.”

Students believe alcohol to be the illegal substance most accepted and expected by adults and their peers.

“My parents are generally really chill about it, as long as we respect them and talk to them when they come downstairs,” explains Kevin*, a former Oakton student who regularly throws parties with alcohol. “My mom knows what we do; she just passes it off as teenagers being teenagers. So she’s fine with it—she doesn’t mind the drinking, as long as we clean it up. Pretty much as long as we clean up afterwards, everything is fine.”

Like their children, the attitude of parents toward alcohol use can become more laid back as their kids grow older.

“I’ve thrown four parties at my house throughout high school when my parents were away and they found out about two of them,” Emily* said. “The first time was sophomore year and my parents were shocked and really mad, but the second time was this year so they didn’t really care as much. I think it’s more ac-cepted that I drink now that I’m a senior and about to go to college.”

Many students choose to drink because of the impact it has on their mood and personal-ity.

“I feel like when I party, it brings out the part of me that likes to be the center of attention, which is the person that I like to be,” Kevin* said. “I like being the center of attention.”

However, those same qualities that students

Heroin Type: OpiateSchedule ICost: Sold for $40 per “gram.” A gram on the street is not close to entirely pure heroin—it is often mixed with another pow-der, such as quinine, which is a natural anti-inflamatory.

MarijuanaType: Psychoactive /HallucinogenSchedule ICost: Typically sold by the gram for anywhere from $10-$30.

Mushrooms Type: PsychedelicSchedule ICost: Usually sold for $30-$40 per eighth of an ounce (3.5 grams.)

CocaineType: StimulantSchedule IICost: Regarded as a very pricey drug. Sold by the gram for $80–$120.

Oxycontin Type: OpiateSchedule IIICost: Sold by the pill for about $30-$40, depending on mil-ligram content of the pill.

Schedule I — Deemed to have a high abuse potential, no safe medical use.

Schedule II — Also deemed to have a high abuse risk, but are also considered to have safe medical uses.

Schedule III, IV, or V — drugs with an abuse risk less than Schedule II. These drugs also have safe and accepted medical uses in the United States.

Pick Your Poison

source: Oakton Students

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outlook in-depth

enjoy while drunk (a carefree attitude, reckless-ness, the desire to be friendly and have fun) often lead to unintended consequences that can lead to humiliation later on.

“Definitely, a big thing that I’m embarrassed about is if I ever don’t remember what I did the night before, or if I hook up with someone I shouldn’t have,” Emily* said. “Or if I act stupid or get sick, you can’t take it back and it’s really embarrassing.”

In addition to embarrassment, the decisions students make while intoxicated can be extreme-ly dangerous.

“I don’t think kids are really safe at all when they’re drinking,” Emily said. “I know I’ve driven drunk once, and I know girls and guys that do it a lot. People just make dumb choices when they drink. My friends and I usually just sleep at the house that the party is at so we don’t drive drunk.”

“I wouldn’t want to risk anything”It would be false to say that Oakton students

are drug free or free from drug-related problems. However, the problems are not unique to this community.

“I’ve worked at three different high schools [in Fairfax County],” Officer Mey said. “All three had different demographics of students, but all high schools are going to have students who use alcohol and drugs.”

Although students within the Oakton com-munity may have drug problems, the Fairfax County statistics are below national averages. Using drugs is far from paramount in maintain-ing a social life.

“I’ve never really felt all that pressured,” said senior Erin Turley. “I mean, I’ve been offered alcohol before and have had the opportunity, but I’ve never been in a situation where I felt bad for being sober.”

Throughout her high school career, Erin chose to abstain from using controlled substanc-es, a choice that students make regularly. They may be concerned for their futures, choosing to obey the law and their parents or simply are not interested.

“I’ve just always thought that because academics and sports are so important to me, I wouldn’t want to risk anything by drinking or doing drugs,” she said. “It’s just not something I wanted to get involved in during high school.”

Erin’s choice puts her at less of a risk for the social, physical and mental complications assosi-ated with drug use.

“Studies have reported that drugs cause loss in life satisfaction, more physical problems, problems with relationships; almost all aspects of your life can be effected by abusing drugs,“ Weiss said. “I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to give up on their aspirations, and help for drug addiction is always available, but they do need to realize that these drugs can have quite devastat-ing effects and can take over their lives.”

Differences By Grade

Alcohol

Marijuana

Inhalents

Cocaine

Psychedelics

Heroin

Lifetime Use

38.7%71.7%

6.8%38.1%

14.2%6.3%

2.1%6.8%

1.8%6.5%

1.0%1.5%

8th Grade

12th Grade

Pers

crip

tion

Pain

kille

rs A

buse

Non

-Pai

nkill

ers

Pers

crip

tion

Abu

se

8.5%12.2%

Heroin: 1.3%

ecstasy

Alcohol

Marijuana

Cocaine

Inhalents

+1.4

+2.6

+0.2

+0.6

Changes Since 2005

Changes in percent of

lifetime Use

LSD

Alcohol50.8%

4.0%

4.2%

Marijuana

17.8%

Lifetime Use

Percent of FCPS students who

have ever tried the following substances

Fairfax County conducts a Youth Survey Report every few years tomonitor trends in teen behavior, including drug use. The data is gathered from countywide anonymous and voluntary surveys taken by students in eighth, 10th and 12th grade. The statistics show that Fairfax County students abuse drugs and alcohol less than the national average and that substance abuse increases by grade.

by t

he numbers

26

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outlook a&e

Based off of the 1981 cult classic with the same name, “Clash of the Titans” follows a

similar plotline following Perseus, son of Zeus, on his quest to slay Medusa and the kraken. While The special are quite convincing, with a desert-rock Djinn, giant scorpions, and a very reptilian Medusa. The action was defintely intense consisting of swords and guts and lava,

and Sam Worthington did a respectable job as Perseus though his character had little depth other than asserting that he man, not God and being seriously awesome with a sword.

The story wasn’t very deep, and the at-tempts at character develop seemed to fall a bit shy of expectations. I didn’t walk away from the movie feeling as though I had witnessed anything moving or life changing, but it was an enjoyable 118 minutes that I would definitely see a second and possibly third time. The acting may not have been as emotive as , but it was okay because I got to hear Liam Neeson say “Release the kraken!”

by Lisa Baumgartner

5movies to look out for

I Love You, Philip MorrisApril 30th

Iron Man 2May 7th

Nightmare on Elm StreetApril 30th

BabiesMay 7th

Date NightApril 9th

Steve Carrel and Tina Fey star as a suburban couple comically trying to reignite their marriage.

Jim Carrey plays a con-man who falls in love with

his prison inmate, played by Ewan

McGregor.

This documentary follows four different babies from around

the world throughout the first year of their

lives.

A group of teenag-ers is haunted in their dreams by a gruesome killer in this remake of the classic 1984 slasher.

Robert Downey Jr. returns in the sequel to 2008’s hit summer block-buster.

Pokémon has always been

one of my favorite game franchises. The original “Gold” and “Silver” versions on which these remakes are based were my

favorite generation of Pokémon games. They were the second generation of games, expand-ing on the groundwork lain by “Red” and “Blue” versions. “Gold” and “Silver” were able to fully utilize the creatures and regions available. They allowed the player to explore the Pokémon world to its fullest.

In “HeartGold” and “SoulSilver”, the depth of the “Gold” and “Silver” versions receives an expansive and colorful upgrade. New features introduced in the third and fourth Pokémon generations come together in a brilliant new way, offering an entirely new playing experi-ence.

The transfer of many of the menu screens to the Nintendo DS’ touch screen makes the games more playable and simple than ever. Old favorite Pokémon and characters come to life with the DS’ bright palette and cleaner in-game design, and the “Gold” and “Silver” story feels completely new.

by Kyle Hughes

Movie“Clash of the Titans”

GamePokémon:

HeartGold and SoulSilver

Love. The painfully ob-

vious topic that the seemingly under-aged, questionably male Justin Bieber aims to get across in his new CD, “My

World 2.0.” I noticed this reoccurring theme right off the bat; I mean, really, the first three songs are called “Baby”, “Some-body to Love”, and “Stuck in the Mo-ment”. As Bieber crooned on about his “baby”, “shawty”, “girl”, what have you, my mind started to drift to other, unrelated things; I could guess prematurely what was coming next.

Each song had to do with Justin Bieber and his undying love for one girl or an-other, and the theme begins to border on the edge of desperate— creepy, even, in the track “That Should Be Me”— as the CD wears on.

The repetitiveness of each song, paired with the strangely feminine voice that hits notes that I didn’t even know existed,

quickly loses a listener’s inter-est. There’s not much to be interested in, seeing as each song has a slightly techno background, Bieber’s trademark high vocals and a famous accompa-nying artist.

I have to admit, though, that some of the songs do standout and are undeniably catchy, “Eenie Meenie” featuring Sean Kingston, and “Up” being the most notable tunes. For fans of upbeat pop and boyish good looks, this album is a must hear. People looking for diversity, variety, someone who has hit puberty…well, they should promptly run the other way.

by Nikki Clemons

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I will be the first to admit that I am a Nintendo fanboy; I

often consider my Nintendo 64 to be like a brother to me. “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” will make even the most diehard “Call of Duty” player pick up a Wiimote for a few hours. The new “Super Mario Bros.” keeps what made the 1985 classic so much fun: warp tunnels, side-scrolling action, bouncing on a Koopa’s head like a trampo-line, and added levels worth of improvements including better graphics, harder missions and the ability to play as Toad.

There are two new additions

that I particularly love, such as the Penguin Suit, which allows you to turn enemies into a block of ice--I hear it’s go-ing to be huge this fall in Paris. The

other addition is the multiplayer feature. Unlike previous “Super Mario Bros.” games, in which multiplayer was simply two players taking turns, in “New Super Mario Bros.Wii”, up to four players can have their char-acter on screen at once, which provides an exciting new twist to the classic gameplay. Overall, this game is a must buy for all Wii owners that are in the mar-ket for a classic game retooled for a new generation, not just Nintendo fanboys.

by Pasquale Prezioso

GameNew Super Mario Bros. Wii

2) 3)

5)4)

1)

Now Pla

yin

g

Name:

Top Five Tracks:

Favorite Genre:Top ThreeArtists:

Position: Psychology Teacher

Sue Anna Clark

Rock, rhythm & blues

James Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and Savage Garden

“I Feel Good” by James Brown“Carmina Burana- O Fortuna” by Carl Orff“Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana“Oklahoma” from the musical Oklahoma!

CDJustin Bieber“My World 2.0”

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outlook a&e

Counting CaloriesMindlessly picking up an entree, various sides, a drink and, most likely, a dessert, a majority of students move through the lunch line each day. While there could be healthier entrees, all in all, the school lunch is good for your body and your wallet. Here’s a closer look at what you’re actually eating.

Spicy Chicken WrapCalories - 384Protein (grams) - 21.8Carbohydrates (grams) - 37Fat (grams) - 16.6Saturated Fat (grams) - 8.25

Chocolate Chip CookieCalories - 150 Protein (grams) - 2Carbohydrates (grams) - 25Fat (grams) - 5Saturated Fat (grams) - 1.5

1% Milk Calories - 110 Protein (grams) - 8Carbohydrates (grams) - 13Fat (grams) - 2.5Saturated Fat (grams) - 1.5

Fresh Fruit (Orange)Calories - 83Protein (grams) - <1Carbohydrates (grams) - 21.5Fat (grams) - <1Saturated Fat (grams) - 0

Vegetables (Variety)Calories - 20Protein (grams) - 1Carbohydrates (grams) - 4Fat (grams) - <1Saturated Fat (grams) - 0

by Matt Johnson

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outlook a&e

Sun Chips (Original)Calories - 140Protein (grams) - 2Carbohydrates (grams) - 19Fat (grams) - 6Saturated Fat (grams) - 1

Lunch TotalCalories - 887Protein (grams) - 35.8Carbohydrates (grams) - 119.5Fat (grams) - 32.1Saturated Fat (grams) - 12.25Cost - $4.20

Other Meal Options

Chicken Filet on Wheat BunCalories - 441Protein (grams) - 25.1Carbohydrates (grams) - 15.2Fat (grams) - 30Saturated Fat (grams) - 6.6Cost - $2.15

PretzelCalories - 180Protein (grams) - 6Carbohydrates (grams) - 38Fat (grams) - 3Saturated Fat (grams) - 0Cost - $0.75

Sushi (Vegetarian Roll)Calories - 240Protein (grams) - 5Carbohydrates (grams) - 0Fat (grams) - 4.5Saturated Fat (grams) - 0Cost - $4.75

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Guide the four-legged creature called the Doodler up a never ending series of platforms without falling. The Doodler gets extra boosts from special objects, such as propeller hats, rockets, springs or trampolines. Throughout the game there are monsters that the Doodler has to shoot or jump on to eliminate. When the doodler falls, jumps into a monster, get sucked into a black hole, or is abducted by a UFO, the game ends.

Doodlejump

Practice your virtual driving skills with Drivers Ed. In Drivers Ed you are a 16-year-old pursuing their driver’s license. Start the game by selecting your driving instructor. You can then practice driving in practice mode or move directly to the driving test. Drivers Ed may not prepare you for real roads, but it is a fun.

Drivers Ed

Jill is back with a brand new adventure. Explore six bakery locations, serving up delicious creations. Will Jill choose fame and

fortune or even love? In Cake Mania 2, you decide what path Jill will take. Each decision has a con-sequence and will lead to new baking challenges and dilemmas. Cake ma-nia 2 has 204 levels of baking chaos and 6 different possible endings. It’s up to you in Cake Mania 2.

Cake Mania 2

Put your vocabulary to the test with Super Text Twist. This game challenges you to use six jumbled letters to build as many words as you can before time runs out. If you find a word that uses all of the six letters, you can advance to the next round. Text Twist is a fun and challenging game that tests your vocabulary and ability to spot patterns.

Super Text Twist

G S M E A

Take pong to the third dimension and test your coordina-tion. Use the mouse to control your curve ball paddle. To gain more points

hit the ball in the center of the paddle and curve the ball as you hit it. How many levels can you go through before running out of balls?

Curveball

By Tesla Jensen

When studying or paying attention in class calls for a break, the Outlook has five suggestions for killing your time.

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“They showed ad-mirable organization and committment to the cause. I really respect that they saw an idea through. It was nice to be in a different situation, to see everyone outside of school. There was a really nice sense of community. Oakton could use more of that.”

“I go to Jammin Java a lot, so it was kind of awkward going to this since there were so many people from school. I’m not used to that; it kind of threw me off. It’s not neces-sarily bad... just different.”

Oakton students perform at Jammin Java to raise money for victims of the earthquake which ravaged Haiti in January.

Goal Earnings:$2,000

Actual Earnings:$2,335

Length of Concert:7 p.m.-11 p.m.

The Facts

The Attendees

HAITI RELIEF CONCERT

On any other Tuesday night at 7PM, 161 Oakton students would be

relaxing after practice, eating dinner or doing homework. However, March 23rd was not a normal Tuesday night.

Just over two months earlier, a 7.0 magni-tude earthquake shook Haiti, leveling cities, killing hundreds of thousands and displac-ing millions more. Oakton Junior Amanda Wright and Chantilly Junior Erin Horil were moved by the harrowing news reports and decided they wanted to make a difference.

“My friend [Horil] and I were talking about doing something like this a long time ago, before Haiti,” Wright admitted. “But when the earthquake hit, we decided that Haiti should be our cause.”

The two began to think of ways of col-lecting money that they would send to Haiti to help aid the locals there. They started with some jars— jars set up at different public loca-tions, asking store patrons for donations.

Most notably, the two of then set up a concert at local music venue and coffee house, Jammin Java. Student musicians and artists performed; from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m., Jammin Java was filled near capacity with Oakton students, cheering and dancing as they eagerly watched the performances of their peers.

“[The concert] went a lot better than I expected,” said Wright. “We almost sold out. Jammin Java’s employees said that more people had showed up for our concert than usually do for student run benefits.”

The night consisted of performances from both soloists and bands. Performances includ-ed pianos, guitars and even bongos.

Junior Esther Workman sang accompanied by Alex Le on the piano as the opening act.

“It was really cool to be able to perform at a place where I have seen people whom I admire perform,” said Workman. “A plus was that I got to do what I love.”

It is a rare event in which Oakton parents, students and teachers all converge in the same place for a common cause.

“It was really great to be able to perform with my friends for my community and spread relief,” said Workman.

Wright and Horil aren’t done yet. They are planning to continue collecting change in jars; they have already collected an impressive $500. Supporters can also look forward to another concert of sorts, though perhaps for a different cause.

“We’re probably going to do it again in the summer, after school,” said Wright. “We’re not sure though; we’re still planning.”

By Nikki Clemons and Becky Singerman

reddy

LucusHistory Teacher

Jason

KarrakchouJunior

Yasmina

photos courtesty of Yasmina Karrakchou

photo courtesy of Yasmina Karrakchou Daniel Chait

Esther Workman, Junior, sings as the opening act. Founder Amanda Wright, Junior, starting the concert with a speech.

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Quidditch Sweeps Area

The high-flying, death-defying world of quidditch has finally made its way into high schools across the

area. The sport features players flying at high speeds on broomsticks and was origi-nally banned from public for encouraging “witchcraft and other debauchery.” After months of heated debate, the Fairfax County school board finally gave the O.K. to allow competitive qudditch at local schools. After the ruling, headmaster John Banbury got right to work assembling a team. “Creating the team was a huge undertaking,” Banbury said, “Finding the equipment as well as the athletes who possessed the unique set of skills required to play a sport like quidditch was nearly impossible.” One of the select athletes who had this special brand of skills was junior team captain Ricky Bassett. For Bassett, whose father taught him to fly a broomstick at the tender age of two, the addition of a school quidditch team was like a dream come true. “I’ve been training my whole life for an opportunity like this,” Bassett said. “Being the leader of this team is the culmination of all my awesomeness.” Other than Bassett and a few others, most members of the team are straddling their brooms for the first time in their lives. For head coach John Glufling, training the fresh-faced flyers in the ways of witchcraft and wizardry has proved to be a perilous task. “It’s tough to know how someone will react to their first time on a broom,”

Glufling said with a sigh, “We’ve already lost a couple…right into the side of a trailer.” Other than a rather messy death, athletes face many less fatal, but still painful, dangers: bludger beatings, blagging, blatching, and blurting are all

hazardous parts of the game. Athletic trainer Paul Rupp has had a difficult time treating the kinds of injuries that are an in-

evitable facet of the magical game. “Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Defense

Against the Dark Arts…they don’t teach you this kind of stuff at Syracuse,” Rupp said. Qudditch is indeed a different kind of sport, and the magic and

mysticism that go along with it have caused outrage amongst parents and teachers alike. “I don’t want my

students to be subjected to practices as evil as witch-

craft,” said furious English teacher Beth Blankenship. “Also, I’m tired of cleaning up the side of my

trailer.” Despite the dangers, quidditch has grown in popularity at a rapid pace. Athletes school-wide have signed up to be a part of the team, many resigning from all previous sports obligations to devote their time solely to quidditch. “Football was fun and all, but I’ve rediscovered myself as a quidditch player,” said ex-star-full-back junior Jordan Willetts, who recently made the switch from shoulder pads to cape, “I was born to fly.”

New Sports Craze Stirs up Cauldron of Controversy

On the Scoreboard: Quidditch3/1vs. Madison Win, 200 - 1653/8 vs. Westfield Win, 230 - 503/12 vs. Chantilly Win, 190 - 803/19 vs. Hufflepuff Loss, 180 - 2203/26 vs. Robinson Win, 230 - 120”

”

The seeker is the most important position you can play since whoever gets it first will almost always win. I guess if you think about it, the whole rest of the game is kind of pointless.

-Marybeth Schmitt, Jr. Seeker

Matches are between two teams of seven players who ride on flying broomsticks.

Chasers race back and forth pass-ing the quaffle, a tetrahedronal ball. ten ponts are scored for tossing the quaffle through one of the opposing team’s three hoops

Each team’s keeper is in charge of protecting the hoops, like a goalie

Small, metal balls called bludgerswhiz at players with enough force to knock them off their brooms. It’s up tothe beater to swat bludgers away using a small wooden bat

The seeker chases after a tiny, gold, winged ball called the snitch. When the snitch is caught, the match ends and the successful seeker’s team is awarded 150 points

Clockwise from top: Senior Kevin Opoku, Junior Ricky Bassett, Junior Jordan

Willetts, and Junior Luke Willis perfect their flying skills during

practice.by Alex Buscemi

Quidditch Rules for Muggles

COUGAR CARIC TURESA the Oakton Outlook satire page

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Boys3/16 @ PVI: Lost 1-6 3/18 vs. Westfield: Lost 4-93/26 @ T.C. Williams: Won 11-43/27 @ Madison: Lost 6-18

Girls3/18 @ Westfield Won 16-11 3/24 vs. Stone Ridge Won 19-9 3/27 FLA Invatational Loss 8-19

On the Scoreboard: Lacrosse

Many athletes are aware of the fitted mouth guards, provided by athletic trainer

Paul Rupp, that offer great protec-tion and also, all that is necessary is a quick mold of your teeth. Something that people might not know is that new performance enhancing mouth guards are also offered. The new mouth guard is a free mold and is currently only being used by Oakton athletes. The idea was created by Dr. Canal, a dentist that currently is working with Rupp on the program. “The mouth guard creates a space in the mouth which decreases fatigue in the athlete,” says Rupp. “It increases the oxygen flow into the blood stream.” The mouth guard also helps the athlete be more responsive and awake. Many different sports are currently participating in this trial such as football, boys and girls lacrosse and girls crew. The mouth guards are also completely customizable so athletes can put their name, number and Oak-ton colors onto the mouth guards to be able to identify them as their own and also put their own personal twist on the it. Throughout the course of the program, the athletes and Rupp have seen very positive effects. “Football swears by it when lift-ing,” says Rupp. “Crew sees better effects on the erg as opposed to on the water.”

This shows that, although the pro-gram is relatively new, it is working quite well and shows promise. The research on the mouth guards is empirical and is encouraged “if [Rupp] sees benefits.” “They also give significantly better teeth protection compared to the other molded mouth guards.” Rupp creates them by melting a special plastic over the teeth mold and then lets it sit. Then he cuts off the excess plastic before sanding it down to produce the finished mouth guard. There is alot of unused plastic that comes out of the process, and the trainers intend to re-use it. “We are going to take all the ex-cess platic and melt it down to creat new multi-colored designs for the mouth guards.” These mouth guards are currently in high demand for all sports. The athletic trainers have a filing cabinet filled with mouth molds ready to be turned into performance enhanc-ing mouth guards as well as molded mouth guards. The mouth guards give a glimpse into the future of competitive sports. These mouth guards make for a more competitive setting and helps athletes perform at their maximum strength for longer periods of time. If proven effective, these mouth guards could be used frequently throughout Oakton and maybe other high school athletic programs.

By Spencer Conley

-Nick Ward, Sr.

”

As a young team, I see ourselves improving every day in practice, and at the end of the season, I hope we will be where we want to be.

”

Athletes imprint their teeth into a material that forms a mold.

Square, plastic sheets are the base material to create the mouth guard and must be melted down.

A machine is used to heat the previously square plastic sheets into melt-ed, malleable plastic that can be pressed into the mouth molds.

The edges of the mouth guards are sanded down to eliminate excess plas-tic and rough portions.

A lever presses the melt-ed plastic into the mold of the original imprint.

Excess plastic is re-used by melting them back into squares.

The final mouth guard can be customized with name, number and choice of color.

Final Product

Starting Point

Performance Mouth Guard ProcessATC’s Rupp and Cowdery take many steps to make ath-letic mouth guards.

hew on thisRupp and Cowdery experiment with new mouth guard design to help improve athletic performance while providing neces-sary protection from injury in sports

sarah kashanian

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Keeping the FaithOakton’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes combine their passion of both religion and sports.

The sun won’t be up for another hour. Most kids would rather still be asleep or grabbing their

morning Starbucks than be at school. Yet every Friday in the Lecture Hall, there are several students meeting to discuss being a Christian athlete, or simply being a Christian. They are the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Every Thursday, you may see their bright red shirts with the bold white “FCA Tomorrow” text on the front.

“[The club members] wanted to get shirts made,” said JV baseball coach Todd Burger, club sponsor. “The idea to have the ‘FCA Tomorrow’ was also their idea as well. It’s a great way to advertise.”

Just because the club is known for athletes, doesn’t mean that every one in FCA is exclu-sively an athlete.

“I don’t play any sports here [at Oakton], but I manage the boys’ bas-ketball team,” said senior K Scarry. “[I joined because] faith has always been the most important thing in my life.”

“Some members are just in Band. We accept anyone, whether or not they’re Christian or an athlete,” Se-nior club leader Ryan Mazon said.

Now some may inquire, what does FCA do exactly? If you ask the official website, their mission is “To present to athletes and coaches and all whom they influence the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the

fellowship of the church.” For Mazon, FCA represents some-

thing more than a definition written on the official website.

“We meet every Friday,” said Ma-zon. “We mostly hang out, talk about God, and share experiences.”

Mazon, club leader, has been a member since his freshman year. “My brother was a leader in FCA before I was,” noted Mazon. “My volleyball coach was also the previous club sponsor.”

FCA also has a speaker to say some words at every meeting. Most often, it’s a member of the group. However, a few weeks ago, a faculty member known to many stu-dents shed his gruff image to talk to the

members of FCA. “Hutch [Security Administrator

Ron Hutchinson] spoke on March 5,” Scarry said. “He talked about being good examples of God’s grace.”

The club meets before school every Friday, a time that would normally heavily cripple any group’s atten-dance. However, FCA has avoided any problems, and even thrived in their unusual time spot.

“The early time isn’t an issue,” said Coach Burger. “It’s an easier time for everyone because of the after school schedules of many of our members. [Attendance wise,] we averaged about thirty people early in the year, but we’re in the forties now.”

by Pasquale Prezioso

”

”

[I joined because] faith has always been the most important thing in my life

- K Scarry, Sr.

Boys3/23 @ Centreville: Win 6-03/25 vs. Chantilly: Win 5-44/06 vs. Robinson Secondary: Loss 3-6

On the Scoreboard: Tennis

”

”

I think we are going to be undefeated this year because we have a really strong team.

-Gary Yeh, Fr.

Girls3/23 vs. Centreville: Win 8-13/25 @ Chantilly: Win 6-34/06 @ Robinson Secondary: Loss 4-5

sarah kashanian

Clu

b le

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Rya

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azon

“ ”We are really excited to begin the season and we have a lot of exciting meets coming up.

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On the Scoreboard: Track

-Shelby Windmuller, jr

Results:3/27 Battlefield Relays:Boys 5th, Girls 1stUpcoming events:4/9-10 Wildcat Invitational4/16-17 Volunteer Track Classic4/24 Milestat Elite Track Classic

cour

tesy

of c

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Cross Country and Track

• Chose NC State because “they have a good running program and a soild math and sci-ence school.”

• Major Accomplishments: 2008 Cross Country Team Title, Running 14:48 for 3 miles, a top 10 all-time performance at Burke Lake

• Runs 50-55 miles a week

• Chose Villanova because “it’s a really good school academically, and there were better opportunitites to run post-collegiate.”

• Major College Accomplishments: Ran a 4:06 mile and made Big East Cross Coun-try Team

• Runs 70 miles a week

Name: Andrew McCullenOakton Grad: 2010College Choice: North Carolina State

Name: Joe LoRussoOakton Grad: 2008College Choice: Villanova University

Womens Soccer

• Chose Mary Washington because “it’s a competitive DIII program, and it’s a good school.”

• Future goals: “I definitely want to play freshman year; I plan on playing all four years. I hope to continue playing in some form after college.”

• Practices 14 hours a week

• Chose Radford because “I liked the size of the school and I knew some of the people there and I could play soccer.”

• Future goals: “I want to continue to do well in my classes and graduate with a degree in athletic training.”

• Practices 24 hours a week

Name: Erin ReynoldsOakton Grad: 2010College Choice: University of Mary Washington

Name: Jenna CahillOakton Grad: 2009College Choice: Radford University

From

the

As many sports’ college signing days have passed, Oakton athletes plan to take their high school athletic success to the next level as they prepare to compete in the NCAA. In pursuit of athletic opportunities at one of the highest ama-teur levels, they have made recruiting visits and finally made their decisions regarding which schools to attend. Considering the fact that Oakton alumni have attended uni-versities or colleges and played the same sports as some of the recruited seniors, we asked both future and current collegiate athletes about the logic behind their decisions, their train-ing regimens and their current accom-plishments and future goals.

by Matt Woodhouse

to the

Senior athletes reflect on upcoming collegiate athletics while alumni athletes share current experiences

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outlook sports

On the Scoreboard: Girls & Boys Rowing

”“We’re getting better as a team every year. We’re getting stronger and our program is gaining popularity.

-Michael Becker, So.

courtesy of shafer dobry

3/27 Polar Bear Regatta Varsity Girls 1v8- 2nd in finals.Varsity Girls 2v8- 4th in finals.Varsity Boys 1v8- 4th in heat.Varsity Boys 2v8- 4th in finals.

4/3 Walter Mess RegattaVarsity Girls- 1v8 3rd in finals.Varsity Girls 2v8- 2nd in finals.Varsity Boys 1v8- 6th in finals. Novice Boys 1n8- 1st in finals.Novice Boys 2n8- 3rd in finals.Novice Girls Frosh8- 3rd in finals.Novices Girls 1n4- 3rd in finals.

oar lock (n.)the oar is kept in place by the oar lock.

seat (n.) and slide (n.)rowers move up the slide, or a track in the boat.

foot stretchers (n.)the board with the shoes rowers wear while row-ing. Unlike most sports, rowers do not use their own shoes, but ones built

into the boat.

stern (n.)the “back” of the boat. The stern is the last part of the boat to cross the finish line at the end of a race.

stroke (n.)the leader of the boat. The stroke is the person everyone else in the boat follows. The stroke is also eighth seat. The stroke and coxswain work together to keep all rowers in sync.

oar (n.) oar is what’s placed into the water and propels the boat. The pattern on the blade distinguishes teams from each other.

bow (n.)the “front” of the boat. The tip of the bow has a bow ball, a rubber ball that protects the boat during a collision. Bow also refers to the person rowing in seat 1.

ROWING (V./N.)The propelling of a boat by means of oars : the action of one that rows. The sport of racing in shells.

“catching a crab “ when the blade of the oar gets stuck in the water, causing the rower to lose control of the oar handle.

power ten (n.)10 sprint strokes.

cox box (n.)an electronic device that with a digital stroke rate (strokes per minute) monitor, a time readout and a microphone. The coxswain uses the cox box to communicate with the rowers.

check (v.)the act of placing the blade into the water in order to stop the boat.

BOW

BOW

SIDE

STER

N1

23

45

67

8

COX

DIR

ECTI

ON

OF

MO

TIO

N

Parts of the stroke

finish (n.)the end of the stroke where the oar exits the wate; the oar handle is close to the body.

drive (n.)the part where the legs engage to move from the catch to the finish with the blade in the water.

catch (n.)the start of the stroke where the oar enters the water; the legs are fully bent.

“ready all row”command to start rowing

“weigh-enough”command to stop rowing

COXSWAIN LINGOIn the off season

Because crew practice requires water, rowers must find ways to work out for their sport in the off-season. Using indoor machinery, the rowers are often seen in the aux gym hallway outside of the training room during the winter months.

erg (n. or v.)machine used when rowers can’t go out on the water. The ergs are

pulled out and taken into the Auxiliary Gym hallway during winter conditioning.

erg shed (n.)the place where all the ergs are stored during the off-season.

Though it may appear that crew mem-bers are easily synchronized when the boats power by so swiftly, each member is actually carrying out multiple actions with their oars that keep the boat mov-ing. Three different motions sum up a perfect stroke on the water.

by Daphne Martschenko

Note: v stands for varsity and n stands for novice. The number after stands for the number of rowers in the boat. The number before stands for the level of the boat, where 1 is the most competitive.

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3/20: vs. Washington Lee Win 12-03/27: vs. Falls Church Win 19-23/27: vs. Washington Lee Win 4-23/31: vs. Woodson Loss 4-154/01: vs. Chantilly Win 7-3

”

We’re coming off a good win at Chantilly, and we’re look-ing to do even better the rest of the year.

-Patrick Burns, Sr. ”

YOU ARE

Athletes focus on nutrition and personal training to get the extra edge.

Many athletes at Oakton have decid-ed to take on a personal trainer in order to improve their performance

by learning better training techniques as well as what to eat and how to maintain a healthy diet. One of these athletes is James Craig, a sophomore football player. “Last January I decided to get a personal trainer because I wanted to get faster and fit,” said Craig. “One of my biggest goals was to run a sub 4.7 40 yard dash.” Because of his goals, all of Craigs work-outs are geared toward making him faster. “In order to run faster straight forward you have to train your muscles to run in every direction. So I do a lot of side shuffling as well

running backwards.”

Even though his main goal was to improve his speed, much of the focus has been on his diet. Craig has been told to gain weight for football, where he plays linebacker. “My trainer told me to follow a 3,000 calorie diet,” said Craig. “So I have to load up on carbohydrates and protein.” In addition to the students that follow training regimens, some teachers act as train-ers for kids who ask for advice. John Masters, an assistant coach for varsity football recom-mends a diet and weight lifting program to players in all levels of Oakton Football. The program gives you a plan based on

how much you weigh, which tells you how many calories you can eat. The plan also stresses the importance of loading up on carbs, like pancakes or oatmeal, as well as eating proteins and meat. The players also have a specific schedule for what weights and excer-sies they should do every day. After players do any lifting they are told to run in order to keep up their agility. The last thing the plan suggests is to eat power bars after workouts in order to en-courage muscle growth.

by: Callum Kelton and Jackson Lizardo

WHAT YOU

what has he been eating?a look inside of the fridge of an athlete that uses a nutritionist to aid performance

Craig, So.

Jam

ie

For dinner Jamie makes sure he’s eating carbs and proteins by eating chicken, pasta and steak.

To drink Jamie has water and gatorade but tries to stay away from soda.

For lunch Jamie eats a tuna sandwich and fruit such as an apple

Nutrition Facts

On the Scoreboard: Baseball

Athletic Trainer Paul Rupp talks about a healthy diet for an athlete

Breakfast of Champions

“You want a more com-plex carb,” Rupp said. “You want fiber to your

breakfast. Oatmeal or cereals are good. There’s nothing

wrong with eggs, bacon and sausage, once in a

while.”

Snack Time

“Athletes should shoot for 5-7 meals a day,” Rupp

said. “Consider everything you eat a meal. Just a sandwich

and banana is a meal. Stay

away from simple sugars”

Stay hydrated

“[Energy Drinks] are horrible. There not good for a growing heart and

body,” Rupp said. “Chocolate milk is the best recovery drink.”

sarah kashanian

courtesy of jamie craig

, ,

classes

Training

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