Jimmy D’Andrea, Principal Shelia Harrison, Assistant Principal Erika Singleton, Assistant Principal Kelly Bean, Assistant School Administrator

Sophia D’Amico

Warren Dansou

Emma Decker

Megan O’Grady

Kendall Griffith

Maria Guo

Steven Henry

Will Jamison

Gauthami Moorkanat

Rashika Rahman

Sriman Sandireddy

Ankur Talwar

Sydney White

Marc Waldman

Chris McDermott

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Eight Grade Math Challenge ....... 2

Miss America .............................. 2

Eight Grade Cheerleader ............ 3

Dancing to Become a Star ........... 3

Vous Parlez en Francais? ............ 4

Light, Camera, Dance ................. 4

Hail to the Chief .......................... 5

Soccer in College ......................... 5

The Love of the Game ................. 6

Hooping It Up ............................. 6

Flying Through the Air ................ 7

Former KMS Student to MLB ..... 7

The Kingsview Current

June 2015 Volume One, Issue 2

by Sophia D’Amico

From Xbox to PC, former KMS student

Nina D’Amico has played it all. Call of

Duty, a commonly known game, ranks

its players and D’Amico was once

ranked number 15 in the world in the

game mode category known as

“Infected.”

Call of Duty was released in 2013 dur-

ing D’Amico’s freshman year in high

school. D’Amico played the game

about one hour a day which helped her

skill wise but she didn’t even notice she

was being recorded and put on a score-

board. “I didn’t really have a goal in

mind, I just got better and better plus I

played a lot,” says D’Amico.

Once D’Amico found out how high her

score was, she spent most of her time

working towards becoming the best.

In Call of Duty, a player can rank up

and the higher the rank, the compete

tion will become better. ¨Once I

even got to face the number one

player in the world, I stayed alive

with him for a while.” says

D’Amico.

Sadly, D’Amico’s rank only lasted

about three months before the score-

board was hacked and everyone’s

scores were erased. “When I first

found out, I was so angry I raged and

quit,” comments D’Amico. She had

spent months getting her score all the

way up into the top twenty.

Good Counsel student performs

her “Call of Duty”

2

KMS eighth grader challenges

himself in math

By Ankur Talwar

Many students couldn’t imagine what it is like to

excel in such a high level in math. However, KMS

eighth grader Avirat Tomar has had the opportunity

to do so.

“I went to a magnet school and they said I can skip

a level of math,” says Tomar. According to Tomar,

Algebra 2 isn’t as vigorous as he thought it would

be. He thinks the curriculum is quite easy and sort

of fun as well. Tomar feels he has more of an

advantage than other students. Tomar’s Algebra 2

class requires him to learn many more equations

and formulas.

“I guess I would like major in math. I think I’m

exceptional at it as well,” says Tomar. According

to Tomar, math is a big aspect for him. He sees

himself and math in a bright future. For Tomar, the

high level math class doesn’t add much more pres-

sure upon him taking his other classes. He would

like to become a businessman and major in finance

as he keeps developing his math skills.

“I am learning long Algebra 2 mixed equations.

They are really challenging and they annoy me as

well,” says Tomar. According to Tomar, the equa-

tions he is doing are similar to the ones he did in

Honors Geometry. Tomar takes tutoring lessons to

help him with the challenging math problems as

well.

Issue One, Volume 2 The Kingsview Current May 2015

Northwest Student has “Miss

America” in her sights

By Sydney White

Former KMS student and current Northwest High

School sophomore Becca Block competes in the

Miss America Outstanding Teen pageants. She is

currently Miss Washington County Outstanding

Teen.

Block has won the titles of Miss Western Mary-

land, Miss Historic Maryland, and Miss Washing-

ton County, which is her current title. Block started

competing in pageants about two years ago. “I met

Jen Corey, Miss DC 2009, who inspired me and

introduced me to the Miss America organization,”

says Block.

According to Block, she plans on competing for

Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen, and being Miss

Washington County gives her the opportunity to do

so. “I hope to compete as I get older and hopefully

not only become Miss Maryland, but become Miss

America,” says Block. She plans on continuing in

pageants throughout college.

Blocks message for other teenagers is to, “Get in-

volved in their community. I want other teenagers

to find something that really interests them and just

run with it.” Block enjoys being a part of pageants

and thinks they are a good way to be a part of the

community. She says pageants also open up a lot of

opportunities for people.

3

Eighth grader cheers others on

May 2015 TheKingsview Current Issue One, Volume 2

Dancing to one day become a star

By Emma Decker

Cheerleading is important for some people like KMS

eighth grader Courtney Campbell. Campbell is part of

Dream all-stars and she competes with them on the

weekends.

Campbell has been cheering for three years. She start-

ed out doing gymnastics, then became interested in

cheerleading. Campbell enjoys performing in front of

huge audiences, and competing with her team. Her

team won 14 competitions, and lost ten. She has to

travel to different cities and states, like Ohio, and

Ocean City, MD. “The best competition was last

year, in Ohio. The first day was bad. Day two came,

and we did great,” says Campbell.

Campbell plans to keep up with her cheerleading, and

continue working with her team. “Along with being

an architect and an interior designer, I want to be a

cheer coach,” says Campbell. She enjoys going out

onto the mat with her team and showing the judges

how hard they have worked.

“Cheer is about being apart of a team and to work

hard together. You succeed as one or fail as one,”

says Campbell. Everyone on her team does the same

routine and encourages others to do their best when it

comes to competition. Some people have individual

parts but they always make sure it’s not just one

person winning, it’s all of them.

By Warren Dansou

Having been dancing for 11 years, KMS seventh

grader Shauna Mahoney dances at Dawn Crafton

Dance Connection (DCDC) in Rockville with a ton

of amazing teachers guiding her on the path to

perfection.

"I dance because I love being able to express

myself, " says Mahoney. She started with the help

of her parents because they thought it was a good

way for her to socialize and develop friendships.

Mahoney started with ballet and worked her way up.

Mahoney’s studio has won many awards for differ-

ent styles of dance. Mahoney has competed in three

competitions in Washington, DC and still competes

every now and then. Mahoney rehearses six hours a

week. Throughout the vigorous training, Mahoney

has perfected her techniques in dance to be the best

she can be. She has developed a better liking for tap

dancing.

“I like tap dancing because it’s fun making all

different rhythms and making noise with your feet,”

says Mahoney. She has been dancing since she was

three and a couple years later began tap and was

hooked on it right away. She has competed in tap

competitions as well as other styles of dance ever

since.

4

By Kendall Griffith

Many KMS students find interest in sports but

KMS seventh grader Leah Greenspan finds pas-

sion and enthusiasm in dance. However, dancing

has both positive and negative aspects.

Greenspan started dancing when she was two

years old and currently dances with Dawn

Crafton Dance Connection. All sports require a

great deal of commitment including accepting

the drawbacks. “I dislike how it takes up a lot of

time. I would like a little more free time after

school,” says Greenspan. With commitment

comes the rewards of putting in the effort. She

has won two competitions so far.

“I like how it's a challenge. Also, when I achieve

a difficult move, I feel accomplished,” says

Greenspan. She doesn’t have a favorite move

but she does enjoy tap dancing. According to

Greenspan, tap is a challenge but when she

accomplishes a hard tap move it makes it all

worthwhile. Many dance numbers, including

tap, require bold makeup, and special

costumes.

Greenspan dances for the thrill and excite-

ment rather than working as a professional

and hardcore dancer. “My inspiration is oth-

er talented dancers because when they do

something cool, it inspires me to do that same

thing,” comments Greenspan. Whether she

continues dancing or not, dance will always

be a huge part of her life.

Lights - camera - dance!

Issue One, Volume 2 The Kingsview Current May 2015

By Rashika Rahman

Vous parlez en Francais? You might not know

what that means but KMS seventh grader Jamila

Watson excels in speaking French. She goes to

Northwest High School School to take French 3.

Watson attended a French immersion school from

kindergarten to fifth grade, a school where half of

each grade spoke either French or English. Wat-

son was in the French half of the school and could

only speak English when she was surrounded by

people who only spoke English. “Because we

were young and we were speaking all day it

was really easy for us to learn,” says Watson.

According to Watson, the experience of going

to high school every morning was awesome for

the first two months but then became routine.

“It's kind of like in sixth grade, you get lost and

then there are all these new people and you

want to explore everything,” says Watson.

However Watson feels going to high school

every morning has its downs. Watson says

sometimes she just wants to have a regular sev-

enth grade schedule and feels out of place be-

ing with high school students.

Watson plans on continuing French until tenth

grade but isn’t sure after that because she wants

to see what else is out there. She says having a

career involving French is one of her options.

Watson wants to live in Europe when she’s

older and having the knowledge of French will

be helpful.

If you need help with your French homework, this is the student to ask

5

Hail to the chief

By Sriman Sandireddy

Many students don’t think about playing soccer in

college but KMS seventh grader Karthik Nambiar is

looking forward to. Nambiar, currently playing for

Olney United, is looking forward to getting a col-

lege scholarship.

Nambiar says, “Playing soccer in college is some-

thing I always wanted to do and hope I can.” Nam-

biar hopes to play for Notre Dame in Indiana. Nam-

biar is looking forward to playing on his high

school soccer team so he could have a better chance

of getting scholarships to many colleges.

Nambiar’s favorite player is Manchester United’s star

forward, Wayne Rooney. Says Nambiar,

“Wayne Rooney is somebody I look up to because

he is an awesome player and he has a good

attitude.” Nambiar hopes later in his life could be

picked by Manchester United if he makes it to the

professional level.

In addition to the Olney United, Nambiar currently

plays for the KMS boys soccer team as well where

he plays left-back. Nambiar is looking forward to

playing on his high-school soccer team which will

most likely be Northwest High School. Nambiar is

also trying to follow the steps of his cousin who

plays for Manchester United in the U19-20 divison.

Soccer in college and then beyond

By Maria Guo

Not many 13 year-olds are able to decide what goes

on in their school and influence the decisions of their

principal. However, KMS eighth grader Michelle Gu

can as the current KMS Student Government Associ-

ation president.

Gu held leadership roles before the SGA election.

She was SGA treasurer for the 2013-2014 school

year and joined the county level SGA organization

Montgomery County Junior Councils as Lobbying

Research deputy shortly before the election. Accord-

ing to Gu, these roles led her to become president. “I

had the dream to become SGA president starting in

seventh grade while I was SGA treasurer because I

wanted to impact the school,” says Gu.

“I love every aspect of being SGA president but

mostly (have enjoyed) the experience I gained,” says

Gu. As SGA president, Gu represents Kingsview at

different conferences and events. She also gets the

opportunity to attend leadership conferences such as

the Maryland Student Council Association conven-

tion and MCJC assemblies. According to Gu, she

learns many valuable things about leadership at

these meetings.

“Students usually don’t enjoy coming to school and I

want to change that,” says Gu. She is taking an ac-

tive role to bring about that change. According to

Gu, KMS principal Jimmy D’Andrea, hosts a lunch

meeting every quarter with the SGA officers in

which they can discuss issues and concerns. Gu also

leads weekly SGA meetings.

May 2015 TheKingsview Current Issue One, Volume 2

6

By Megan O’Grady

Soccer is a sport played by millions around the

world including KMS seventh grader Cayla

Mathis. During soccer season, Mathis plays for

two teams in hopes that it will help her get a col-

lege scholarship.

Mathis started playing soccer when she was only

four years old and she has loved it ever since be-

cause it is a great source of exercise and, in her

opinion, is very entertaining. She would consider

being a soccer player as a profession when she is

older. “Soccer gives me a feeling of leadership

which is one of the many reasons why I love it,”

comments Mathis.

As of now, Mathis hopes for a soccer scholarship

to the University of California - San Diego. "I

want a scholarship so I can continue to play the

rest of my life and a scholarship would be a great

`

opportunity for that," comments Mathis.

She wants to earn a scholarship to UCSD

because she heard that it is a great school.

Mathis is constantly practicing soccer to

help herself earn a scholarship.

Issue One, Volume 2 The Kingsview Current May 2015

Playing for the love of the game (and more)

By Steven Henry

Slashing through defenders, KMS eighth grader

Jaden Blocker is a basketball player and has made

the school team twice. Blocker also plays on an

AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball team

and is a young kid chasing his dreams.

Blocker says, “ My favorite basketball player and

role model is, LeBron James.” Blocker loves his

style and how hard he worked to get to the NBA

and wants to take the same path as him. Over the

weekend of February 14th, Blocker went to All-

Star Weekend in New York, met Mr. James, got

his signature, and was shocked that he met his

idol.

Blocker has been playing basketball since he was in

kindergarten and started off playing on a recreation

team that his dad coached. “ My dad is the whole

reason I am playing basket-ball,” comments Block-

er. His father, Al Blocker, also played basketball

and introduced his son at a young age to the

game and taught him the basics on how to

play.

Blocker is constantly working on his game be-

cause he wants to continue to grow as a play-

er. Blocker works with a trainer Mondays,

Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Not only is

Blocker a good ball player, he is also a great

student averaging a 3.75 GPA.

Hooping it up

7

May 2015 The Kingsview Current Issue One, Volume 2

Flying through the air with the greatest of ease

By Gauthami Moorkanat-Gopakumar

Flying and flipping through the air, KMS seventh

grader Helen Feng is a level seven competitive artis-

tic gymnast, who performs on floor, balance beam,

uneven bars, and vault.

Feng trains at Preston Gymnastics academy with her

team, for 12-16 hours a week, four hours each prac-

tice. She started gymnastics when she was five, and

started competing when she was eight. Feng says, “I

started gymnastics because I really liked watching

gymnastics when I was younger.” Her favorite part

of gymnastics is competing, winning and hanging

out with her teammates.

According to Feng, the State Games of America is

an incredibly prestigious competition. It is held eve-

ry two years, and gymnasts from all over the United

States compete. In 2013, Feng won third on beam

and floor, and fifth all-around. She com-

ments, “I strive to earn first place, but I

was still happy about the State Games’

results.

Feng hopes to get a scholarship in gymnastics

and become an elite gymnast. A gymnast is

considered elite, after she completes. level 10.

Feng is level seven, and training to become

level 8, next season. She says, “I might be able

to become an elite gymnast if I work very hard

and consistently.”

By Will Jamison

Anthony Vattuone is a left handed submarine pitch-

er for the Harford Community College Fighting

Owls in Bel Air, Maryland. He attended KMS and

Northwest High School where he played varsity

baseball.

Wanting to follow in older brother’s footsteps, Vat-

tuone first played T-ball at the age of six. Says Vat-

tuone, “I started playing baseball because my broth-

er played and it was a way for us to get outside and

play our favorite sport.” Vattuone was a part of the

NWHS varsity baseball team’s Maryland 4A State

Championship in 2012.

Vattuone’s role models are former New York Yan-

kees closer Mariano Rivera, and his older brother,

Dominique Vattuone, who pitches for a minor league

affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Says Vattuone,

“They are my role models because they are success-

ful pitchers, and I use them as motivation to push me

to that next level.”

Vattuone has goals of transferring to a four

year university and getting drafted by a Major

League Baseball team as a pitcher. Says

Vattuone, “My favorite thing about baseball is

that anyone can win on any given day. It’s a

team sport and you have to work together, you

can’t just rely on one guy to win the game for

you.”

Former Panther on his way to the Major Leagues

8

Issue One, Volume 2 The Kingsview Current May 2015