Page 7

SAXON MATCHMAKER

Issue 5, Vol.48February 2013

Langley High School6520 Georgetown Pike

McLean, VA 22101

SUCCESSATHLETES OF THE

SEASONPage

ROLE MODELS

NO MOREPage 16

THE SAXON

SCOPEFEBRUARY 2013

SPLASHING TO STATES

Page 14Swim team talks morning practices, favorite restaurants and Coach Jackson

8-9

LIFE OF A RELAY

CAPTAINPage 12

Page 9

Senior sets state swimming

recordPLUS

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FEBRUARY 2013

DEAR SAXONS,

THE SAXON

SCOPE

The Saxon Scope serves students, faculty, and the Langley High School community. Editorials express the opinions of the editorial board. All by-lined editorials reflect the opinions of the reporters and/or artists. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit material for publication. The Saxon Scope, under the directions of the advisor, reserves the right to withhold or edit material submitted for publication. The Saxon Scope will not print material found to be in poor taste or detrimental to one’s character. Names may be held upon request. Letters may be placed in the Saxon Scope box in the office or brought to room 114. The newspaper is published monthly. Newspaper reporting, typesetting, layout, photography, and computer graphics designs are done by the journalism classes at

Langley High School, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Virginia 22101. (703)287-2797. FAX (703) 287-2797 or e-mail saxonscope2013@gmail.com & saxonscopeonline@gmail.com.

5

5 Scientific prodigies

6 Working for no pay

7 Date Lab

12 Is Valentine’s Day worth the hype?

16 When role models let you down

10 Teachers’ marriages

11 Relay for Life: A team captain’s perspective

14 Meet the swim team that’s making a splash

NEWS

FEATURE

OPINION

SPORTS

IN THIS

ISSUE

118 108

Executive News Editor:

Amirah Ahmad

Blair PurdyExecutive Feature Editor:

Riley CosgroveExecutive Online Editor:

Emily FlessasExecutive Sports Editor:

Executive Design Editor:

Na He Jeon

Business Editors: Veronica SmithTyler Seckar

Copy Editors: Mana AfsariLi ChienEllie CrossShrey DuaMicaela GrassiSusie KimLeila RaminpourMatt Smith

Staff Writers: Ben CrossAvani HegdeDaniel LevetownCayhan MovaghariBilly Orme

Adviser: Jennifer McAdams

Editors-in-Chief: Aimee ChoCathy Kiess

Nahal DaneshAlex De ThierIlene GoudarziSara EbadiSabir HathiramaniAbdullah JamilJoey MalpicaChris NameOlivia SalamoneNate ShaferTaylor SnyderDaniel StoneBijan Todd

Reporters:

Online Editors: Harris LaTeefKatherine Rohloff Neeka Eghbali

Justin SperosSenior Staff Writer:

News Editor: Alex Krial

Feature Editor: Sara Guglielmo

Sports Editor: Lizzy Weingast

Graphic Designers: Brandon ArcariBrendan CoffeyHaley CurtisGaby Wantula

Copy Chief: Avani Hegde

7

Our hallways are filled with talented students: state

champions, record holders and college-bound athletes alike. Standout athletes aren’t simply the players with the most titles or athletic ability. They’re stars both on and off the field. They have a de-termined work-ethic, they’re strong leaders and of course, they’re filled with lots of Saxon spirit. For as much as it takes to become an exceptional athlete, you can be torn down in a single stride, with one poor decision. Professional athletes all around us have given us much to be disappointed about. Take Paralympic gold-medalist Oscar Pistorius, who murdered his girlfriend. And the infamous Lance Armstrong who was stripped of all his tour titles after he was found to have used illegal substances during his races. A standout athlete is supposed to be someone who is respect-ed and idolized. What kind of example are you setting for young fans by cheating and killing? As our generation watches these athletes fall from glory and bring shame upon their sports, I hope we can reverse the trend and restore the prestige to those who deserve it.

Emily FlessasExecutive Sports Editor

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2 news 3 SENIOR SAXONS OF THE MONTH THON PLANNING

IN THE WORKS ONE ACTS TAKE THE STAGE

February 2013

BATTLING BANDS

Last year, Langley’s first dance marathon (“THON”), started by then-senior Holly

Dodd and inspired by Penn State’s THON was a huge success. This year, seniors Natalie Rasmus and Brittany Gallagher are continuing the tradition--but adding a few changes. “We want to have a fundraiser that will get bigger and bigger,” said Rasmus. They hope to beat last year’s total of $15,000. All funds will go to the Joe Cassella Foundation which has helped many members of the Langley community such as the Hess family, Nick Cafferky, and Peter Choo. At THON itself on March 9, activi-ties will include yoga, Zumba, Wii games, a cake walk and a moon bounce. Food will be provided by Ichiban, Fluffy Thoughts, Jimmy John’s, Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A. Unlike last year, food will be free to everyone. Students are allowed to form teams with clubs or friends. Each team must raise at least $50 prior to THON. “I’m doing THON because we don’t have enough school dances and I love to dance. Plus, fundraising is fun. It literally has the word “fun” in it,” said senior Karishma Sonde, who is forming a team with other stu-dents in the Art Club. “For our first year, it went really well. Everything was scheduled to the minute,” said Ms. Sandra Hamilton, a THON sponsor and one of two leadership teachers. “We would definitely like more people to participate on the day of,” she said.

WHEN IN ROME...

The Langley orchestra recently toured the streets of Italy for about a week. They also performed at a

sports arena and a local middle school. “The students knew a little English and asked us who our favorite artists were and what our school was like. They were all really sweet,” said fresh-man Maria McQuade. “Some of the students even asked the se-niors for autographs,” said freshman Minh Pham. Apart from performing, the students visited Rome’s most famous tourist destinations. They visited the fountains of Rome, Assisi and Peru-gia, the Colosseum, and Pompeii. At the final dinner, things quickly took a wrong turn when the orchestra mem-bers discovered their buses had been ransacked. The freshman bus was especially hit hard. A couple of passports, one green card, wal-lets, textbooks and more had been stolen. Even some of the chocolate and soda was gone. However, the students and chaperones were safe. Orchestra director Mr. Scott McCormick looks at the experience positively.

Justin Nguyen (12), Sydney Kee (12), Alan Chi-ang (12), Julia Pennington (11) and Julia Hara (11) stand in front of the Italian arch during their orchestra trip in Italy.

SABIR HATHIRAMANIREPORTER

AVANI HEGDECOPY CHIEF

LOCKS OF LOVEHARRIS LATEEFONLINE EDITOR

HALEY CURTISGRAPHIC DESIGNER

LEILA RAMINPOURCOPY EDITOR

Students participate in a conga line at last year’s THON.

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Get ready for loud music, raging fans and the sweet sound of rock n’ roll. The annual Battle

of the Bands will be taking place in March. This year, 13 different bands from Lang-ley will be performing for about 10 minutes each. “I’m nervous about the upcoming competition,” said senior Kate Fraser, who is the lead singer of the Side Projects band that won last year’s Battle. “It is my first year doing the Battle of the Bands, and I am very excited to see how it goes,” said sophomore Fletcher Buckley, who is the key-board and bass player for the Walker Road Band. A few band members who have partici-pated in previous Battle of Band competitions are thinking about switching up their style. “I’m excit-ed to play our friends. We’ve got some interesting tricks up our sleeves,” said junior Carter Louthian, who is a member of both the Carter Louthian Band and Grand Revival. The event will be held on March 2 at the

Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean at 7 p.m. Each band is given 20 tickets to sell in or-der to promote the event and their band. Tickets cost $7 if purchased directly from a band member and $10 if purchased at the door.

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Kate Fraser (12), Colin Hanley (11), Tariq Khan (alumni), Spencer Jessee (12), Allie Sherlock (12) and Ben Kenna (11) make up The Side Projects, the band that won last year’s Battle.

Clockwise from left: Rokhsane Mahmoudi (12) stars as Emily in “It’s Called a Crush for a Reason.” Madeline Chalk (11) plays Maria in “Dr. Fritz.” Lily Brock (9) stars in “Telephone Operator.”

Nicky Guglielmo takes part in organizations such as Relay for Life and the High School

Service Organization at his church. On top of it all, he plays for the varsity basketball team. “I feel honored to be Senior of the Month and it is nice to know my school, faculty and peers think so highly of me,” he said.

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“It was a life lesson. What I was really proud of was how our group came together. That night everyone was consoling each other and giving each other hugs. We got through it like a family.”

Top: Assistant Principal Ms. Jessica Statz with Chi Elie of Drizzles of Old Town Alexandria.Bottom: Ms. Statz after giving her Locks of Love donation

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Laura Grems is the drum major for the marching band. Although marching band is seasonal, band

director Mr. Doug Martin, says that she remains a student leader and a role model for the remaining part of the year. “She always asks ‘What else can I do, what can I do more?’” he said. She participates in nearly every music group.

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Additional reporting by Sara Ebadi

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Langley Assistant Principal Ms. Jessica Statz is sporting a new haircut. However, unlike some

other people trying to change their look, Ms. Statz’s new hairdo is helping a good cause. For the third time, Ms. Statz grew out her hair and made a donation to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering the effects of cancer treatment or other diseases that cause hair loss. The first two times she donated to Locks of Love Ms. Statz was preparing for surgeries to remove the benign brain tumor which she was diagnosed with in 1999. After five successful surgeries, Ms. Statz has been in remission for over nine years but still has to have regular MRI scans to make sure the tumor is not redeveloping. For her recent donation to Locks of Love, Ms. Statz said, “I donated because I could. I thought it would be a nice way to give back.” In addition to her donations to Locks of Love, Ms. Statz helps organizations involved in cancer research in other ways. “I run the Race for Hope every May. It’s a brain tumor 5K run by the National Brain Tumor Society and I’ve done a couple of Benefit Dinners,” said Ms. Statz.

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FEBRUARY 2013 NEWS 5 GOING BEYOND THE VOLCANO PROJECT

Calvin Li (12)Science Olympiad Co-President7th place-Nationals in Sounds of Music 10th place-Nationals in Chemistry Lab

Anna Cox (11)Envirothon member

Conor Maddry (10)Langley Science Fair Grand Prize Runner-up

Members of various Langley’s science teams share their unconventional projects

Who says roller coasters can only be found in amusement parks? Senior Calvin Li has taken his love for roller coasters to the next level by creat-ing a mini-roller coaster for his Science Olympiad project. Li has been a part of Science Olympi-ad for three years. “Science Olympiad is like the Olympics except for science,” said Li. There are 23 different events in which teams and individuals from Langley compete against other schools. The winners receive medals and advance to higher lev-els of competition; the highest level is nationals. Li`s mini-roller coaster will be no more than one meter in width. It will be made out of small tubing and marble. In the Science Olym-piad competition, the roller coaster will be judged

based on time limits. The cart should reach the finish line within either 30 or 60 seconds, depend-ing on the competition. He will also obtain points if jumps are included in the track. Li prefers these hands-on activities because the hardest part of Sci-ence Olympiad is the written tests. Last year, Langley Science Olympiad won states and advanced to Orlando, Florida for Nationals. “My favorite memory is beating TJ in states after losing to them in regionals. It was a triumphant win,” said Li. Li is considered a crucial part of the Sci-ence Olympiad team. “Calvin is very creative and brings a positive spirit to the team. He is also a great dancer,” said Ms. Leah Puhlick, the Science Olympiad sponsor.

The minnows in the river swarm around them. The water rushes by them. The current steals away their test tubes. This is a typical day for the mem-bers of Langley’s Envirothon team. In Envirothon, students study aspects of the environment and compete. The four ma-jor topics students study are soil, aquatics, wildlife and forestry. Each year a special topic is selected, on which the students prepare a presentation; this year’s topic is rangeland management. Junior Anna Cox’s love for the outdoors convinced her to join Envirothon two years ago. She specializes in aquatics. “My favorite part of Envirothon is when we wade in rivers to take wa-ter samples,” said Cox.

The competition itself involves hands on events, tests and the presentation. Accord-ing to Cox, the presentation is nerve-wracking. It must be extremely detailed and is presented in front of a panel of judges. Science teachers Ms. Deanna Den Har-tog and Ms. Elizabeth Hoblitzell are the sponsors of Langley’s team. To host an Envirothon meet-ing, they lay out various types of leaves with iden-tification guides. For the rest of the meeting, the team members work on identifying each type. According to Ms. Den Hartog, Cox is a valuable member of the team. “Anna catches on to concepts very quickly. She is also very committed to the competition,” said Ms. Den Hartog.

One of the most famous Marvel superheroes is coming to life right at Langley High School. Sophomore Conor Maddry recently began creating an iron man arm that can be used to increase a person’s strength. His work made him the first place winner in the Mechanical Engi-neering category of Langley’s science fair, and the Grand Prize runner up overall. Maddry’s inspiration came from the Iron Man movie itself. “I watched it and thought maybe I could build the iron man suit,” he said. Maddry’s exoskeletal arm increases the wearer’s strength by ten pounds in each direction. He plans to eventually create an entire suit to go along with the arm. “I’m going to try to make two legs

which would let me be able to jump higher, run faster and run longer,” he said. After the legs are made, they’ll be paired with the arm. When completed, the new suit could be used to carry large amounts of ammunitions to run with heavy equipment. “My goal is to find a big enough power source to create a full suit that would be used in a multitude of fields, includ-ing medical and military.” Maddry’s invention is much cheaper than other projects similar to it. The Iron Man Suit isn’t Maddry’s only accomplishment. He’s also won first place in En-ergy Transportation for Langley and Regional fairs for a different project. “I find science interesting when you can do things that have some impact,” he said.

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Envirothon

Science Olympiad

--Sara Guglielmo and Daniel Stone

--Sara Guglielmo and Daniel Stone

--Daniel Levetown

NEWS FEBRUARY 20136 CLUB SPONSORS NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY Faculty sponsors of academic teams receive little to no paymentNA HE JEON & GABY WANTULAART DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

AP Chemistry teacher Ms. Leah Puhlick stays after school for hours almost every day. Usu-

ally, after school, her classroom is filled with stu-dents building balsa wood gliders, burning wool or discussing art history. Between helping her chemistry students and sponsoring three aca-demic teams--Science Olympiad, Science Bowl and It’s Academic--Ms. Puhlick puts in some long days. “I spend around one to two hours a week on each team for practices, and on weekends I go to tournaments, which usually last about eight hours. Sometimes the trips are overnight, or even several days,” said Ms. Puhlick. For this, Ms. Puhlick receives a stipend of just $800 a year for It’s Academic, but Sci-ence Bowl and Science Olympiad aren’t paid for. And she’s not alone. It’s Academic and Debate and Forensics are the only activities that are Virginia High School League approved and whose coaches receive stipends. Sponsors for other teams, such as Envirothon and Varsity Math Team, devote their time and energy for free.

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Ms. Leah Puhlick works with Science Olympiad members, explaining how to identify rocks and minerals.

“Ms. Puhlick should definitely be paid. She puts in so much effort,” said senior Aishvar Radhakrishan, a member of Sci-ence Olympiad, Science Bowl and It’s Academic. “But at the same time, if Science Bowl gets money, then what about clubs like South Asian Student Association? It’s hard to set a boundary.” Langley Model United

Nations has had difficulty finding sponsors. Their sponsors changed twice in the last three years. The current sponsor

is math teacher Ms. Jillian Busath. “The students had to beg me to be their sponsor. If they had a sponsor with an incentive who was paid they could be even better,” said Ms.Busath. “As of now there are no plans to pro-vide payment for the academic sponsors,”said Mr. Geoff Noto, Director of Student Activities. “It’s really sad how the sports boosters get so much money from the school but we get

nothing. We’re top 10 in the nation, but there’s no support,” said Fahlberg. Thomas Jefferson High School for Sci-ence and Technology has its own academic booster to raise money for its nationally acclaimed teams. There have been voices inside Langley calling for a similar system. “I’ve been talking with a mother who also has a student in TJ, and she thinks starting something like that in Langley would really help us,” said Ms. Puhlick.

“Ms. Puhlick should definitely be paid. She puts in so much

effort.”-Aishvar Radhakrishan (12)

Kyle: We were taken to our table and naturally I waited until she took her seat to take mine--as is the protocol for a civilized man above the age of 14. When the waiter came over and asked me what I want-ed to drink, I was stunned. Everybody knows you always ask the lady first. I quickly prompted Me-gan, who said she would like water. I always drink iced black tea and that night would be no dif-ferent. I was really glad we both got something to drink because otherwise we might have got-ten thirsty later.Megan: I ordered Mongolian beef for dinner.Kyle: When dining at Big Bowl, I have to go with the make your own stir-fry. Start with a

nice bed of steak fried rice, throw on a copi-ous amount of snap peas, a few dashes of pep-pers and carrots, two miniature corns, and then the paramount ingredient: bok choy. There’s a meal that’s gonna taste real nice.Megan: We talked about whatever came up, which in-cluded school and summer plans and tv

7 feature SAX N MATCHMAKER SUCCESSTwo students hit it off on Valentine’s DayAIMEE CHOEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Several times a year, the Scope sets up Langley students on blind dates. Since February is the

month of love, it was only fitting that these two seniors had their date on Valentine’s Day itself.

Feb. 14, 5:45 pmBig Bowl at Reston Town CenterKyle: On Valentine’s Day love is already in the air. I’d heard of people falling in love on an airplane or in a foreign country, so I figured I could probably at least enjoy a pleasant evening with someone at Big Bowl. I saw the blind date as an opportunity to meet someone new.Megan: I really didn’t know what to expect but I was hoping it was someone I had things in com-mon with.Kyle: When I walked into Big Bowl and saw Megan I was instantly relieved the Scope sent an actual girl, as opposed to perhaps Billy Orme in his dress. Megan: I thought, “Hey it’s Kyle, this should be interesting.” Kyle: Megan and I both have 7th period English with Mr. Howard, but because he typically spends most of the period giving a lecture or moderating a discussion, we’d never gotten to know each oth-er. I looked forward to our dinner conversation.

shows that we both watch.Kyle: We talked a lot about our teachers and our experiences at Langley. We discussed Mr. Kuhn’s

tenacity on the dodgeball court and of course the ver-bal beat-downs Mr. Howard has been deliv-ering to yours

truly on a daily basis. Megan: He’s really funny and entertaining. And we also talked about politics. Kyle: After we finished eating, the waiter brought us our fortune cookies. Megan: He saw the fortune from the cookie and he was like, “It says never go on blind dates.” Kyle: Our fortunes were frankly awful--they were more like misfortune cookies.Megan: After we were done, we left the restaurant and he walked me to my car. Kyle: If you don’t offer to walk your date to her car then you’re most likely not very intelligent. Unfortunately, Megan did not remember exactly where she parked. After a short search we were in fact able to locate the vehicle in question. We both said we had a great time and then we hugged.Megan: I had a lot of fun, and I would do it again! Kyle: Megan is a sweetheart, a true rose among thorns. She can have another dinner any time she pleases.

“Megan is a sweetheart, a true rose among thorns. She can have another dinner any time

she pleases.”-Kyle Dear (12)

Megan Flynn (12)

Kyle Dear (12)

About me: My favorite things are photography and music, and I enjoy going to concerts and hanging out with friends. I’m also a sports fan, and it’s no secret that I’m a liberal.

What I look for in a guy: I like guys who have a good sense of humor and are intelligent and easy to talk to.

About me: I’m a slightly handsome, somewhat humorous, well dressed, Langley Football star. I am an Eagle Scout and clearly no stranger to the rigors of the Langley weight room.

What I look for in a girl: I look for a girl who is both intelligent and good looking, someone who I can have a conversation with. I also al-ways admire a good Democrat.

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Seniors Megan Flynn and Kyle Dear eat dinner together at Big Bowl on Val-entine’s Day.

FEATURE FEBRUARY 20138 FEBRUARY 2013 FEATURE 9

What started off as a way to avoid

running workouts in freshmen year, turned into a passion and talent

for senior pole vaulter Robert Yu. He’s made a

lot progress over the years, reaching a personal-best pole vaulting height of

14’6”, qualifying for States, Nationals and the prestigious Penn Relays. “Robert works hard and puts a lot of time into pole vaulting. His efforts are paying off and he’s performing very well,” said senior teammate Logan Besougloff. Yu has managed to go undefeated this season, placing first in every VHSL meet he has competed in. He’s also become a role model and leader for his teammates. “Robert is always there to relay what he knows to help develop and critique some of the younger athletes,” said Varsity Track and Field Head Coach Joshua Culver. Expect to see Robert continuing his passion next year at a Division 1 NCAA level, and hopefully competing in Rio in 2016.

Whether you see him on the court or in the halls, senior

Brad Dotson is hard to miss. At 6’6”, the center isn’t only the Varsity boys basketball team’s tallest player, but one of the most effective. Dotson dropped 17 points on TJ and 19 points in an exciting overtime victory at McLean last month. “Brad and his size are crucial to our defense; he’s the biggest player in the district,” said senior teammate Justin Galiani. According to Coach Travis Hess, Dotson always has a good mentality. “Brad is an extremely talented, hardworking and humble player. He has all the attributes you could want in a captain,” said Coach Hess. Dotson not only excels on the basketball court, but also on the lacrosse field. He plans to play lacrosse for Bucknell University next year.

When talking about the girls swim team, it’s hard to avoid

talking about senior Abi Speers and all that she has accomplished. For four years now, she has dominated the lanes and brought Langley to new heights among the state’s best. Speers shattered the state record for the 50-free in last weekend’s state finals, with a time of 23.18 seconds. Her second place finish in the 100-free created a new Langley record as well. “States is a really great experience,” said Abi. “I just tell my girls, if you love what you are doing then the pool will do the work for you.” Head coach Ryan Jackson stated, “If I had to admire just one thing about Abi, it would be that she is a competitor. She never gives up.” Speers will continue her competitive swimming in college at the University of California, Berkeley.

Junior Katie Altman has one philosophy: “I’m a person who

believes that if you’re going to spend time on something, you might as well put in a 100% effort.” As captain of the varsity gymnastics team at Langley, Altman constantly motivates the team to remain confident and work hard whether in practice or at a meet. “Katie was a really good captain, always nice and supportive. I could count on her to cheer me up and get rid of my nerves before a competition,” said sophomore teammate Natalie Volpicelli. Two years on the team as an All-Around gymnast, in which she competed in each of the four events--beam, floor, vault and bars--have taught Altman how to deal with the mentally challenging aspects of the sport. “Confidence is key. I’ve learned that even if you mess up, you have to keep on going,” she said.

Most athletes aim to meet the bar; however these Saxons surpass it, and not just in pole vaulting. They’ve dominated the court, torn up the track and stuck their landings, and that is something to recognize. The season may be over, but these Athletes of the Season will keep stroking at their

sports, making history.

Reporting by Emily Flessas, Ben Cross, Alex De Thier and Justin SperosPhotos by Harris LaTeef and Cathy Kiess, and courtesy of Logan Besougloff, Abi Speers, Liana Kramer, Katie Altman and Tate Dulany

Design by Emily Flessas, Cathy Kiess and Na He Jeon

The faster you run, the faster you’re done.” Senior varsity track

and field captain Liana Kramer embraces this motto each time she sprints the track. Whether it’s at a practice workout or a meet, she puts her heart into her training. “I run a lot of relays so I train for my teammates. And for the coaches--I don’t want them to be disappointed in me,” Kramer said. Kramer runs a medley of events including the 4x4 relay and the 4x8 relay. She ran a personal best time in the 500m at Districts this season. “I’ve never seen her do a workout at less than 100%,” said junior teammate Anna Cox. Not only do Kramer’s teammates give her respect, her coaches do too. “She is someone that leads through her actions. People like Liana Kramer are difficult to re-place and are a true blessing to have,” said sprinting coach Jarrette Marley.

For four years Jack Reilly has consistently been a dominant

element on the varsity swim team. His upbeat attitude and swimming gave the team confidence to succeed throughout the season and boosted them to one of the top teams in the state. “Watching him swim is just a great way for me to model my swimming after and has helped me improve since freshmen year,” said sophomore Patrick McCarthy. “Also I can’t help but copy his style of button down shirt, Speedo, midcalf, and high top shoe combo at every meet… he knows what he’s doing.” “Jack works hard and has the solid respect of his teammates, which makes him a good role model and someone his teammates can look up to,” said assistant coach Kristin Sandridge. “I just love that kid’s sense of humor, confidence and swagger.”

22.5fastest 50-free

14’6’’highest vault

7.6best vault

Meet Tate Dulany. This 220-pound senior was the

beast of the Liberty District this season, compiling a 23-2 record in his weight class. Though the Saxons experienced their fair share of struggles as a team this winter, Dulany’s individual season was one of his best. Widely considered as one of the top wrestlers in the area, Dulany came away just short of a Northern Region title in the 220-pound division. “He’s ferocious,” said senior teammate Zach Regen. “His entire demeanor is one you’d expect from a district champ. He has a workmanlike attitude.” Fellow teammate Araz Khalilpour agreed. “Tate lives in the weight room and he’s always trying to get better.” Dulany will take that same work ethic with him to Ferrum College next year, where he will continue his wrestling career.

23-2season record

68season points

23.18 secsfastest 50-free

11.7 avg pts/game

4x200, 4x400regional events

Flying nearly 3000 miles cross-country to start her senior year

at a brand new school full of un-familiar people didn’t faze Jaclyn Detwiler. “As soon as Jaclyn arrived from California she became a staple at all of our workouts,” said varsity girl’s basketball Head Coach Aman-da Bates. “Her blocking ability has brought energy to our games. After each of her monster blocks, our fans go crazy and the level of play instant-ly goes up.” Despite an ankle injury early-on in the season, constant biking and shooting practice kept Detwiler conditioned and ready to return to the court as a dominant player. Her presence has helped the team clinch nine victories this sea-son. “She’s one of the most athletic people on the team. It’s just too bad she waited until senior year to come to Langley,” said senior teammate Jennie Kleinknecht.

FEATURE FEBRUARY 201310 LOVE IS IN THE AIR AT LANGLEYTeachers open up about their engagementsABDULLAH JAMILREPORTER

Math teacher Ms. Jillian Busath was standing on top of the Washington Monument, enjoying the view of the capital, when her boyfriend of two years got down on one knee and asked the magic

question. The scene was reminiscent of The Notebook, with rain falling softly outside. The wedding will be just as romantic—Ms. Busath is folding 1,000 paper cranes for the reception for good luck.

For English teacher Ms. Anna Weber, it was her home city—Chicago—that

brought her and her true love of six and a half years together. “When we met, I was sold on his smile, slammin’ sneakers and love for Chicago,” she said. Ms. Weber’s fiancé proposed to her on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a fitting place since the couple spends lots of time traveling together. “We’ve gone to London, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and several other places,” said Ms. Weber.

Since Special Education teacher Mr. James Parrott and his fiancée are

both teachers, it was only fitting that Mr. Parrott proposed right after his girlfriend got home from school one day. The couple enjoys that they both have the same job, because it means that their schedules are always the same. One of their most memorable spring breaks was a road trip to Georgia. “We basically drove right through a tornado. We went through places where the tornado had passed through minutes before,” said Mr. Parrott.

When English teacher Ms. Amanda Crane first met her fiancé, she was the one who did the pursuing. “We always laugh about the first time we met because

I was really awkward when I tried to flirt with him,” she said. On her way home from a wedding , Ms. Crane got lost and asked her future husband for directions. He asked her out for a date on the spot, and the rest was history. The couple has been together for three years. They became engaged when Ms. Crane’s boyfriend proposed atop a mountain during a hike.

Ms. Busath

Ms. Weber

Math teacher Mr. Matthew Pitkewicz decided to pop the question to his

girlfriend of seven years on New Year’s Day this year. He met the love his life in college at James Madison University. “We had a lot of great memories, and college is certainly one,” he said. Mr. Pitkewicz is planning a wedding that many girls dream of their entire lives: a wedding on the beautiful Outer Banks.

Mr. PitkewiczMr. Parrott

Ms. Crane

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LHS TEACHERS; DESIGN BY CATHY KIESS

see during her business trip in Chicago. 586 likes and 154 comments later, she landed a recording deal. Chalk is currently in the process of producing a CD for Jeff Levin Records in Great Falls, which she goes to every Saturday. “Believe it or not, my cup video was pretty much my ticket. [He] caught wind of my video, got in contact with me, and basically said ‘I want to produce you. Come to my studio.’ It all happened very fast--it was totally surreal,” said Chalk. All of the songs are original and are a mix of rock, pop and blues. “Right now, we are focusing on creating good music that is the best it can be. When we’ve finished with these songs, then we’ll talk about selling. To be honest, I can’t wait for people to hear it,” she said. Her friends are also very supportive of her once in a lifetime opportunity. “Madeleine Chalk is one of the most talented, down-to-earth people I know and I think it’s inspiring that she is pursuing what she loves to do,” said sophomore Connor Kianpour. Junior Rosie Brock added, “Madeleine

FEBRUARY 2013 FEATURE 11 musical mind

JUNIOR MADELEINE CHALK SCORES RECORD DEAL

EN GARDE

KATHERINE ROHLOFFONLINE EDITOR

KATHERINE ROHLOFFONLINE EDITOR

A moment of procrastination dramatically changed junior Madeleine Chalk’s life. One

Thursday afternoon, she was surfing YouTube instead of doing her Pre-Calc homework, when she came across a video of Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect, doing her thing with the cup in the movie. “I knew how to do ‘the cup thing,’ and I liked the song, so I thought, what the heck,” said Chalk. After just ten minutes of practicing, she was ready to have her brother film her and post it on Facebook for her mom to

is an incredibly talented vocalist and an overall beautiful person. I casually stalk her YouTube channel all the time to hear her latest song covers--so I’m definitely really excited for her CD.” Before this fast track to fame, however, Chalk had been singing practically her entire life. “I’ve always loved to sing, no matter what style. I’d

do all the talent shows and belt along with the radio. I started pursuing it seriously in 6th grade, when I did elementary school choir, and basically haven’t stopped since,” she said.

Chalk has been studying classical voice with her voice teacher for three years and also performs in Madrigals. “She is an amazing soprano and whenever she gets the solos they are absolutely gorgeous,” said sophomore Rachel Tagliareni. Madeleine Chalk continues to sing in these arenas as she pursues her recording deal, and nearly four months after she posted the video that changed her life, she still remembers her reaction to seeing all the likes and comments on the Cup Song. “I just remember feeling so grateful for each person who liked it and feeling the urge to hug them all individually. I honestly never expected this, and I still can’t believe it,” said Chalk.

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Who would have thought that Lindsay Lohan would be an inspiration? After watching

Lohan’s best known—and most innocent—movie The Parent Trap, nine year old Simone Unwalla was inspired to become a fencer. She’s continued ever since. Now a sophomore, Unwalla has been competing nationally since age ten. She fences at the Virginia Academy of Fencing four times a week, for a total of ten hours. During that time, she does conditioning, drills, and practices her fencing for competitions. Competitions are set up so that the fencers start in “pools of about seven people and then they cut out the bottom 20%. After that, it’s a bracket of direct elimination bouts [matches between two fencers],” said Unwalla. She prepares for this grueling process by listening to music and doing warm ups such as drills, running and stretching. “I’m just focusing on what to do, it really is a mental and physical sport

so you have to be pretty focused,” said Unwalla. “From what I remember, fencing is all about defense; you have to take your time to learn your opponent’s tactics before you can attack. The sport requires a ton of focus and patience,” said senior Nicole Azmoudeh, a former fencer. Through her years of competing, Unwalla has ranked sixth at Nationals, and second and third at a North American Cup. This year, she also made the USA’s international team in the under 17 category. Being on the international team has allowed her to compete at world cups in Budapest, Hungary where she placed 19th, and Tauberbischofsheim, Germany where she placed 57th. Not only has she competed around the world, Unwalla has also fenced against Olympians. “I’ve fenced a girl named Nzinga Prescod who went to London in the pools of a Division One competition. I didn’t win; she beat me,” said Unwalla. Her friends have been

extremely supportive along the way. “It’s so cool that Simone fences because no one does fencing and she stands out, and that’s awesome that she’s being her own person,” said sophomore Aubrey Zarella. Unwalla’s next goal is to make the US national team for 19 and under and eventually make the senior team, which is the official US team. “I really love every aspect of the sport. It’s a lot of work and a lot of traveling, but it’s definitely worth the sacrifice,” said Unwalla.

SOPHOMORE SIMONE UNWALLA HAS BEEN FENCING NATIONALLY SINCE AGE TEN

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Simone Unwalla (10), left, competes as one of the top 20 fencers of the 16 and under USA team in Budapest, Hungary.

“It all happened very fast--it was totally surreal.”

-Madeleine Chalk (11)

Madeleine Chalk (11) records her album at the Jeff Lavin Records studio in Great Falls.

12 opinion

On Apr. 27, Langley’s track will be consumed with purple shirts, music and scattered tents.

But this is simply a final celebration of months of work done by the Relay For Life committee, team captains and team members. While it will mark Langley’s first time hosting Relay For Life since the 1990s, it will be my fourth year as captain of my team, “Color Me Cured.” Over this time I’ve gained a unique perspective as to what goes on behind-the-scenes of Relay. A Relay For Life team captain’s role is essentially to (1) recruit friends to join their team, (2) encourage their team members to fundraise, and (3) to work out team logistics of the event. But I’ve discovered the hard way that these three seemingly simplistic goals are more easily said than done. Back when I first created my team dur-ing freshman year in 2009, I knew next to nothing about Relay for Life. It was a chal-lenge just to fill out forms, deal with finances and figure out exactly what an “on-site fund-raiser” or a “luminaria” were. I was overwhelmed when I took on the task of making decorations for our campsite and found myself cutting out and painting around over 20 oversized, cardboard M&Ms. Luckily Emily Flessas (who, coinciden-tally, also writes for the Saxon Scope) became my co-captain and we attempted to conquer these ob-stacles together. However, by the time our event was only a week away, we were still confused as to

FOUR YEARS FOR THE CAUSERelay for Life from a team captain’s perspective

Relay for Life Glossary

BLAIR PURDYEXECUTIVE FEATURE EDITOR

what exactly would take place during the 12-hour walk.

But just like everything in life, being a part of Relay takes practice. After that first year we became smarter about our planning and took our fund-raising goals to new heights.

That’s not to say there weren’t still issues. For instance, when we tried to fund-raise at Langley by selling doughnuts in the gym lobby, we found out that the money could not go directly to Relay For Life since funds raised in school must be used to buy a specific product. We found a loophole by deciding to purchase Relay “Luminarias” with any cash we made--only to be told that there were further stipulations that took us weeks of thinking to accommodate.

Top: Participants walk the track and raise money through fundraisers at Relay for Life of Falls Church last year. “Color Me Cured” occupied just one of the many tents which lined the track at the event. Bottom: The “Color Me Cured” team has been doing Relay for three years.

Team captain: The leader of an individual Relay team.Luminaria: A candle in a bag dedicated in honor or memory of someone who has survived cancer or lost their battle. Luminaria are person-alized and placed around the track.On-Site fundraiser: A fundraiser held at a team’s campsite at a Relay event.

Despite all of these complications I am by no means complaining. Through Relay For Life I’ve met so many people affected by cancer--people who fight much bigger battles than the meager obstacles I face as team captain. Every poster I paint or dollar I raise is worth it just to see the smiles on the cancer survivors’ faces when it’s all said and done.

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Every dollar I fundraise is worth it just to see the smiles on the cancer survivors’ faces

FEBRUARY 2013 OPINION 13 BE MY VALENTINE?A sensitive, romantic guy and a no-nonsense girl face offBILLY ORMESTAFF WRITER

RILEY COSGROVEEXECUTIVE ONLINE EDITOR

“ SAXONSPEAKHow do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

“I think it’s a nice day for everyone, but I think every day should be more like Valentine’s Day.”

“I always have four to five women on me so Valentines Day is every day for me.”

“I do not believe in Valentine’s Day; people should just not celebrate it.”

“I think it is a good morale booster and it is a really fun holiday to celebrate.”

”-Edric Wung (11)-Natalie Volpicelli (10)-Chris Scalia (9) -Meghan Stowell (12)

When someone says “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I cringe. I don’t hate love (I have a lot of love for my fridge, for example), but I think having a

holiday for love is completely pointless. Valentine’s Day nowadays means the commercialized stuffed animals and cheap chocolates that are mass-produced and given to a lot of sappy, lonely women. Or bought as “to me, from me” gifts (but who does that)?

I’m not saying that I throw pencils at anyone exhibiting PDA in the halls on Valentine’s Day, or that I knock down overdone CVS

displays, but I am saying that the holiday itself has no real merit. I mean, Christmas I get. Even Arbor Day has some merit (trees are important). But Valentine’s Day? Do we really need a holiday to

remind us to appreciate all the people we love in our lives? Apparently, we do. But my point is that we shouldn’t. One day isn’t enough to appreciate someone fully, and the fake, commercial gestures on Valentine’s Day aren’t nearly enough to show someone that you care. Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking:

this girl (substitute what you will there) is clearly bitter because she doesn’t have guys knocking down her door

to be her Valentine. Well, you’d be wrong on two counts. One being that my dad has already replaced the door three times due to all the guys after me, and two being that not having a Valentine has not made me dislike the holiday. It’s a holiday that has far too much hype for being essentially meaningless. What I wonder, too, is what happens

after Valentine’s Day. All the anticipation leading up to receiving a stuffed animal (it’ll sing if he’s really serious) and a heart shaped box of chocolates is gone, and you’re back to your significant other and underappreciating

them. It’s almost like Valentine’s Day gives false hope for a relationship: you’re showered with gifts and affection only to go back to the same routine the next day.

Regardless of my views on Valentine’s Day, though, I still appreciate some decent chocolate and a stuffed animal

all the other 364 days of the year.

I love Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, and I have my woman (no, not my mom) by my side. Girls follow me on Valentine’s Day like they follow Justin

Bieber every other day of the year. I mean, yeah, it’s a stressful holiday, because I have to eventually

pick only one lucky lady (maybe two). But overall, I love the holiday perhaps more than Christmas. The two are really synonymous for me, though, considering I get showered with gifts either way. Some people might say that this holiday is unnecessary, because as a man, you should be showing your appreciation for your woman the other 364 days of the year. I completely disagree, though, because as the perfect man, I do appreciate my woman every day of the year. I just do it ten times as much on Valentine’s Day. Some people might say, too, that Valentine’s Day is far too commercialized and isn’t genuine. To that I’d say: So what? Why shouldn’t I shower my lucky woman with luxurious presents (one of which being my presence) on the big day? I mean, she’s not just with me for my perfect personality and unparalleled good looks. I don’t need to incentivize a lady to stay with me, but a good gift every now and again definitely keeps the relationship alive. It’s not like I really need to get my women presents to stay with me because who else would they want to be with? Anyone else would just be a step down. Clearly, I’m a romantic guy, and that’s why Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. It’s important to show the ladies at Langley that I’m a kind, sensitive guy who’s deeper than just what’s on the surface, even though that’s already pretty great. I’m already taking applications for next year’s Valentine’s Day. Hurry, though: slots fill fast.

Even Arbor Day has some mer-it. But Valentine’s Day? Do we really need a holiday to remind

us to appreciate people?Why shouldn’t I shower my lucky woman with luxurious presents (one of which being my presence) on the big day?

14 sports

MAKING A SPLASHThe varsity swim team shares its insights on food, morning practices and team traditions

AIMEE CHOEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The varsity swim team may not receive as much hype as other teams like basketball or lacrosse,

but by no means does it have less personality. As evidenced by the appearance of seniors Michael Ratcliffe and Matt Salutillo in nothing but Spee-dos at the winter pep rally, the swim team isn’t afraid to go all out, both in and out of the pool. With another successful season and run at states under their belts, the swimmers share their per-spectives on what makes their team so unique.

On food The swimmers must eat constantly in order to keep up their energy. “We’re all about food,” said senior Caitlin Rose. “We’re the Lang-

ley Eating Team. We eat as much food as you can possibly get.” T h i s typically in-volves carbs before meets, and team dinners at Silver Diner or McLean Family Res-taurant after-wards. The team also eats dinner

together every Thursday at members’ houses, ac-cording to junior Jason Fu. “Our team will go out and order the biggest meals. We’re all so hungry,” said senior Jack Reilly. Not only do the swimmers have to make sure they eat enough, they also have to make sure they’re eating the right foods. “I know not to drink soda, coffee or energy drinks often,” said sophomore Amy Owens. On morning practices In addition to their daily afternoon practices, many members of the team hit the pool to practice well before the sun comes up. “I did morning practices until this year,” said Reilly. “I would be tired the entire day. When I got home, I wouldn’t feel like doing any-thing else but sleeping.” Morning practices force the swimmers to plan ahead and not procrastinate. “I usually have to plan a lot with my homework, because I can’t stay up too late or else I’ll be falling asleep during seventh period,” said Owens.

On Coach Jackson Head coach Ryan Jackson has earned a reputation among the team as supportive and un-derstanding, especially for the swimmers who are on club teams and have to juggle extra practices. “Coach Jackson really understands how we have other commitments. He puts school above practice. Also, he lets us rest when we don’t

have meets,” said Owens. Coach Jackson has also been known to document the team’s memories on Instagram, according to senior Anne Gent. “He and assis-tant coach Kristin Sandridge strongly emphasize the importance of good sportsmanship and team spirit,” said Gent.

On team bonding The team prides itself on its close bonds and traditions. Before each meet, they all congregate in the pool and yell a series of chants. One common chant is “Saxons on 6,” where they count to six and yell “Saxons,” according to Rose. The chant is a play off Langley’s broadcast pro-gram of the same name from a few years ago. “My favorite pre-meet tradition was senior Chris Paul’s awesome cheerleading,” said Roesel. Upperclassmen make a big effort to integrate the younger swimmers into the team. “This year, it felt like there was absolutely no di-vide between upper and lower classmen,” said ju-nior Katie Storch. Rose added, “I always love seeing the new faces. They make our team so interesting.”

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Top: The team chanting at a recent meet against McLean at Spring Hill RECenter. Left: Rounding off his ninth year as head swim coach, Coach Ryan Jackson has led the team to multiple titles, last year ending the season with a state championship for the girls’ team.

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SPORTS FEBRUARY 201316 NOT SO STRONG AFTER THE FALL

THANK YOU TO OUR PATRONS

With the NFL and NCAA football sea-son over, all attention is now turning to

college basketball. The greatest thing about college basketball is its own imperfections. The rankings have been constantly chang-ing amongst all the upsets and surprising losses, and several teams have emerged out and ahead of the pack as the best in college basketball. The University of Miami has made the largest splash of them all after los-ing two games back to back against strug-gling teams and bouncing back to win twelve straight games. Throughout two of their losses this season, they were left with-out Reggie Johnson, one of their best and most explosive players. Since Johnson’s return from his mi-nor injury, the Hurricanes have yet to lose as one the most experienced teams in the coun-try. With only one ranked team left on their schedule the rest of the season, it is shaping out to be an easy ride to a number one seed. Their three five-year seniors are expected to lead this team to the title. The University of Indiana be-gan the year ranked number one and was one of the most highly anticipated teams in the nation. With a disappointing loss to a determined Butler team in early Decem-ber, a lot of experts have took them out of the discussion for the championship game. Determined to prove them wrong, the Hoosiers have beaten four top fifteen ranked teams including former number one Michigan and have clawed their way back up to the top spot. Like Miami, the experience from players like Cody Zeller can lead them to the title in a year of many uncertainties. This season has seen some of the biggest upsets in college basketball history, and preseason rankings have been thrown out the door. With six of the top ten teams not ranked in the top fifteen to start the sea-son, this year has been more than confusing. However, these teams have been some of our top two and will make for a ground-breaking March Madness.

• The Abravanel Family• The Bucy Family• The Chien Family• The Davis Family• The Devlin Family• The Galiani Family• The Gray Family• The Grems Family• The Haupti Family• The Kearney Family• The Mahoney Family• The McAuliffe Family• The Novacki Family• The Officer Family• The Osgood Family• The Pungnello Family• The Rohloff Family• The Sasser Family• The Smith Family• The Sterling Family

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Bronze $75:

BEN AND JOEY TALK SPORTS

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MATT SMITHCOPY EDITOR

When beloved athletes let us down

Every year, plenty of athletes are caught abusing substances and breaking laws.

Recently, the amount of athletes let-ting us down only seems to be rising. When you think about it, it makes sense. In a few years, younger athletes who’ve been long exposed to social media like Twitter

and Facebook will make up the majority of athletes. A Swiss soccer

player and Greek triple jumper were both recently sent home by their countries for racist tweets. Other things to consider are tech-nology advancements. Athletes who previously went undetected in steroid and PED use will now likely be caught. Take Lance Armstrong for instance. If he’d been born 15 years ear-lier he’d have had a lot easier time getting off. But it’s not just PEDs and racist tweets. Weird new scandals like the Manti Te’o scandal, where his “girlfriend” was never real, keep pop-ping up. Although there’s plenty of evidence defending Te’o’s oblivious position to her existence, multiple teammates said Te’o was having relationships with other women on campus, which sug-gests he was using a woman he thought dead to boost his Heisman campaign. The most disgust-ing, notable scandal, the Saints Bounty Scandal, was completely different from the rest of these. Members of the Saints defense allegedly pledged money to those who could

make an opponent leave due to injury. Multiple testimonials and the dis-covery of a chilling speech by former Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams were proof enough for the NFL to suspend coach-es and players alike for multiple games. This was a sad moment for the NFL, and a situ-ation that’ll hopefully never occur again. And while all these athletes have been letting you down, you’ve let them down too. In a country which prides itself in a supposed claim of innocent before guilty, sports is somehow different. The norm is players assumed guilty be-fore they’ve even had a chance to defend themselves. In a time with increasing accusations of wrongdoing, its understandable, but still doesn’t make it any less incorrect on our part. Scandals are a part of most facets of life, but the increase in athletes that have let you down in sports is becoming alarming, and it doesn’t look like that trend will change anytime soon.

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