Features

Big Bell Challenge

By Joy Nystrom (December 12, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Joy Nystrom)

On Friday December 5, 2008, students gathered in room A120 to see Drew Davies take on Mr. Pepper in the Big Bell Challenge.

Known to many people as “Mr. Pepper,” “Science Teacher,” “Pepper” or, according to Mr. Sokolowski, “The Local Idiot,” the new title that Mr. Pepper holds is “Ultimate Champion,” after completing the Big Bell challenge on Friday and the McDonald’s Challenge last school year.

After dominating last year’s McDonald’s Challenge thought up by alumni Ramsey Kincannon, where one had to eat all the things off the McDonalds dollar menu, current senior Drew Davies thought up the Big Bell Challenge. This challenge consisted of eating everything off of Taco Bell’s value menu.

The value menu consists of a soft taco, a hard taco, a bean burrito, cinna-twists, a taco bell special, nachos, an apple caramel empanada, cheese rollups, and a 12 ounce soda all adding up to over 2,600 calories more than what you need in one day. Mr. Pepper downed all this food in less than ten minutes-- nine minutes and thirty seconds to be exact. “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing,” commented Mr. Pepper after completing the challenge.

The competition started out strong with both competitors fighting to eat their first item of food, but within only three bites, Mr. Pepper had devoured his taco. About five minutes into the competition, Drew Davies still had a lot of ground to cover having only finished the soft taco, the hard taco, and the bean burrito. “I’m going for completion” he said after seeing that Mr. Pepper only had the nachos, cheese rollups, and the cinna-twists to go.  Four and a half long minutes later, Mr. Pepper took his last sips of soda and held up his fists in victory. Though he did not complete the challenge and looked as if he had to hurl, Drew Davies put up a good, long, and honorable fight.

Tip Your Hats To Cappies

By Katherine Morgenegg (December 10, 2008)

In recent years students at George Mason have flocked to see Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Inspector General, Pajama Game, Fools and countless other plays that have been put on by our talented student body; but have you ever wondered what other high school plays are like?

Well wonder no more!  Cappies, an after school club at George Mason, has found a solution.  They write reviews of other high school plays in our region (Maryland, DC, Virginia).  These reviews are published in newspapers in the area, two of which are published in The Washington Post.

Getting on the team isn’t an easy feat.  Unlike other clubs which have a limitless capacity, Cappies is limited to only six critics and two teacher mentors.  It’s not because the club is elitist, Laura Peppe comments, “We just can’t have as huge amount a reviews… we are limited.”  This year the club had to make some hard decisions; they only had four spots open and twenty interested candidates.

New members are also required to go through a four-hour training course to make sure that they understand how to use cappies.com while returning critics only have a two hour refresher course.  “It’s great because everyone in there is so crazy because they are all theatre people,” senior team leader Laura Peppe, and a well renowned crazy theatre person, commented.

The decision was reached by members of the club as to which candidates had shown interest in the club the previous year.  Peppe gave the advice, “I would suggest talking to one of the critics or mentors closer to the end of the year so they remember.”

Aside from adding a nice little extra line on your college application, this club also allows the participants some laughs and new experiences.  “In tenth grade I saw a great version of  The Man Who Came to Dinner and Annie, and last year I saw a funny version of High School Musical (though I deplore the actual idea of the show),”  Peppe commented.

Of course this club commands a passion for theatre, and understanding of the arts and knowledge of the acting techniques and play to allot for a good review, but Cappies provides an opportunity for those who want to broaden their theatrical horizons.

Ninth Graders Ponder Futures

By Jordie Franklin (December 8, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Jordie Franklin)

Have you ever thought about what you might do when you finish school?  In an endeavor to answer this question, freshmen had the opportunity to visit the Arlington Career Center to explore possible career options. 

Four busses, 170 students, and fourteen teachers departed at 8:45 early Tuesday morning December 2 from George Mason with a sense of anticipation.  Upon arrival, students were split into groups and greeted by Arlington Career Center staff.  After a quick introduction, freshmen toured the building to twenty different classrooms, including Digital Photography, Architecture, Child Care, TV Production and Multimedia, Banking, Cosmetology, and Aviation.

The Arlington Career Center is a program connected with Arlington Public Schools which allows students to go to morning or afternoon classes that center around a certain career that students may be interested in. Classes are hands-on and train students according to the standards they will need to meet when they graduate from high school. The Arlington Career Center offers college credits, professional certification programs, and internships.

“I have had many students in the past attend the career center; they have very practical training…it has really been a wonderful thing for them,” says Mrs. Tooze, English teacher.  After the tours, one of the staff members mentioned that some of the career center’s best students have come from George Mason High School and they have been welcoming more and more every year.  “I think it helps students to gain knowledge and understanding of what they would like to do after they graduate from high school,” says Alyson Aguerrebere, freshmen.

Classes are available to juniors and seniors, and some classes are even available to sophomores. Transportation from the school is provided by the school, but students can drive as well.  For more information you can visit the website at  http://www.careercenter.arlington.k12.va.us/

Teach For America Inspires FEA Members To Reach Out

By Sally Blakemore (December 4, 2008)

Last Thursday afternoon, Stephen de Man and Dawn Gunderson Taylor, two representatives from Teach for America came to Mason and spoke to members of the Future Educators of America club.

Teach for America is a non profit organization founded in 1980 by Wendy Kopp, whose mission is to “build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting America’s most promising future leaders in the effort.”  TFA recruits recent college graduates and puts them in an intense five week training program, followed by two years of teaching in an area of America which suffers from educational inequity.

Members of TFA can go anywhere from Atlanta to Nashville to Los Angeles to teach kids of all ages. The members of TFA are placed based on their preference as well as which places in America need the most help.

Stephen, one of the representatives, taught middle school history in southern Texas. At the beginning of the year, his class was in the 40th percentile for history testing. Stephen and his students made it their goal that by the end of the year they would be in the 80th percentile. With very hard work from both Stephen and his students, they not only made their goal, they made the 89th percentile by the end of the year.

Dawn, the second representative taught in an inner city school in Baltimore for two years. The school had about 5,000 students, 3,000 of which were in the freshman class. Majority of the students dropped out after freshman year, leaving the other 2,000 students sprinkled into 10th, 11th and 12th grades.

Over the past twenty years, the TFA has grown significantly in size and has continued to grow. As the TFA grows, their budget grows as well. Although TFA is growing rapidly, there still aren’t enough recruits to help children in all areas of America.

Many think that the TFA leaves its members without a salary for two years, but the TFA does pay each of their members anywhere from $27,000 to $47,000 a year to teach, although the salary is based on where individuals are placed in America, as well as what subject they are teaching.

Although the meeting was cut short with the arrival of the late buses at 4:00 pm, the TFA meeting inspired several members of the FEA who were present at the meeting. Paige Kerrigan, senior and president of the Future Educators of America said “The meeting really inspired me to do the program and it inspired me to make a change in education.”

For more information on Teach for America, you can go to www.teachforamerica.org.

Future Educators Tutor

By Rosalyn Kaddache (December 1, 2008)

The Future Educators of America club, held in Ms. Tooze’s room, meets every Friday morning for those students wishing to become teachers themselves. Often, it is at this time that many club members have a chance to ask questions about this career path to various GM teachers in addition to hearing about many teacher experiences; all the while sharing snacks and good laughs.

Recently, members of FEA have been visited by Teach For America employees as well. These personnel, who have worked in the areas of law, business, and other career fields become teachers in failing or poor school districts for a minimum of two years, in hopes of providing better education and raising national test scores to aid as many students in need as possible.

FEA has also established a tutoring program in the MEH Homework Club, allowing GM students to personally experience the job of an educator. In fact, GM students not only help MEH students with any academic problem they may have, but they also help Ms. Blanchard, whose classroom has the Homework Club, grade projects, tests and quizzes.

“It’s fun,” shares FEA tutor Nadine Coupard. “My only problem is, I feel so bad taking off points on projects and quizzes, and I still don’t quite know how specific I should be when I grade…I guess that’s all in the teaching process, though.”  No worries, though.  Ms. Blanchard supervises the grading process, so you can’t have favorites.

Mason’s Properties Mistress

By Shelbi Aris Taylor (November 20, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Shelbi Aris Taylor)

Normally actors are the main focus of theatrical praise, but at George Mason High School there is a senior who puts the magic in magical, which is what Mason Theatre is.  Her name is Sarah Van Buren and her job is to brainstorm, invent, and create the props for Mason productions.  In 2006 when Sarah signed up to be stage manager for As You Like It, she found herself “digging for or making props, then keeping book, or helping the director.”  She adds, “Now I just assume that prop making is part of my job as stage manager.”  Sarah’s immense dedication to the Mason Theatre department, working all hours of the day, after school and on weekends, has made everything perfect for opening night.

Making the props is no walk in the park.  The process begins the moment the play is decided.  Once the scripts are received “someone has to go through the whole script and weed through all the props mentioned,” Sarah explains.  “Then we do some research as to what time period the play is set in.”  To make sure that the props are historically correct, this research is vital in portraying the setting of the play as realistic.  Once the list of props is ready, the constructing begins.  “A lot of the props are based off of pictures that we find of the type of things that people of the time period in the play would have used.  The issues arise when we have to replicate it, we have to make a mutton or a dresser out of cardboard. We also do a lot of shopping at Goodwill to see if there are any pre-made things, they both save time and generally tend to look more realistic.”

Brigadoon, which opened Thursday night, is set in 18th century Scotland, and although the crew was able to use Beauty and the Beast props from last year, some alterations had to be made, because there are clear differences in France and Scotland in the 18th Century. “We had to use a lot of plaid,” Sarah giggled.  Although the props are not as essential in Brigadoon as they were in Beauty and the Beast, they are still crucial in the creation of a new world on stage.

When asked what her favorite prop is that she has made, without hesitation she replied: “Lumiere’s head…[from Beauty and the Beast]. We got lucky and found this roundish box that was about a foot. We extended the bottom…and took really old cream colored paint and globbed it onto the whole thing with a fork.  It was really fun, but really messy.” 

If you have seen the Mason plays you know how important the props are, so when you go and see Brigadoon this weekend and you are awestricken by the performance, think of Sarah and her team who spent infinite hours preparing and creating every thing to make a flawless production on stage.

What Are My Lines?

By Taylor Robinson (November 14, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Taylor Robinson)

“To be or not to be, that is the question.” Ok, maybe that’s not really the question, but it is still by Shakespeare.  In Ms. Mears’ CP 11 English class on Wednesday (November 12, 2008), students took on the challenge of trying to portray the lines of Iago, Othello, Desdemona, Amelia, and all the other characters of Othello.

They memorized a soliloquy passage and had to prepare for a recitation. One by one, the nerve-racked students got up and presented to the class and their teacher for a grade. For some, it was a hard challenge and for others, it was fun and a piece of cake. Even as she was watching and grading in the audience, students could ask for a little help from Ms. Mears if they were struggling along the way.

This test seemed to help those figure out their strengths and weaknesses while presenting and what taking the actual time to prepare can do. “Good morrow,” Ms. Mears’ class and well done.  

Familiar Faces Difficult To Remember

By Shelbi Aris Taylor (November 10, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Shelbi Aris Taylor)

This year a new opportunity was presented to eleventh and George Mason twelfth graders taking Chemistry II: Forensics.  Ms. Parsons, who majored in Forensics but has been stuck teaching plain old chemistry, finally has the opportunity to spread her wings and teach high schoolers her passion, crime solving and forensics work. 

Currently the class is working on the basics of Organic Chemistry and beginning a new unit on Arson, but in October the students had the chance to be real crime scene investigators a la C.S.I.  Using new software IQ Biometrics: FACES, the students constructed faces of familiar faculty at George Mason.  The class used “similar tools that are used in Police departments,” explains Ms. Parsons.  “It was important for us to see how hard it is to recreate a face, and how difficult it is to trust eye witness testimonies.”  Nicole, a junior, enjoyed “drawing” the faces of her teachers.  She said “It was fun, but it was difficult because…the hair choices were very bad.”

The students’ hands-on view of the life of a forensics detective opened many eyes to the difficulty of remembering specific features of a face.  Some of the most popular candidates were Mrs. McDowell, Mr. McAdam, and Mr. Snee.  Surprisingly enough, even though students regularly see these faces, the “drawings” did not resemble the actual faces at all. 

The activity was fun nonetheless as smiles never left the students’ faces as they added crazy facial hair and beauty marks to the faces just for laughs. And as the first quarter has come to a close, the students’ enthusiasm hasn’t dwindled. 

If in March there is an empty spot in your schedule or you are looking for an exhilarating science credit, check out Forensics.  You are sure to learn and discover new frontiers as you step into the shoes of a new-age detective and uncover the truth about being a C.S.I.

PTA Reflections Program Will WOW You

By Becca Ward (November 6, 2008)

The Falls Church PTA is sponsoring a Reflections Program contest, entitled “WOW!” where any student can submit a piece of art in any of six specific categories.

Students can use this competition to showcase their talent. The inspiration “WOW!” seems almost too vague to comprehend, but that shouldn’t intimidate any students interested in entering.

The categories for submission include musical compositions, dance choreography, film production, literature, visual arts, and photography.  The guidelines are vague in order to encourage a diverse collection and wide range of submissions. 

There is also a necessary form on the Falls Church PTA website that should be filled out and attached to the piece. Another short paragraph should be included on how the theme represents the overall topic “WOW!”

There aren’t monetary prizes, but this is definitely something any student would be proud to put on their college application—in addition, some English teachers are giving out extra credit for submissions!

If you are chosen, you will move on to the next level in the Northern Virginia District.

The due date is November 7, so get your entries in now! For more information, go to www.pta.org.

Gates Rebuilds The Wheel And Irks Many

By Leidy Baldwin (November 6, 2008)

The computer program Microsoft Office Word has been in existence since 1983.  It was formerly known as Multi-Tool Word.  Although the name has changed and advances to speed up the program have been made, the Word Processing system remained similar and compatible with previous releases.  On January 30, 2007, Windows Vista was released to the public.  The differences between the old and new are enough to displease the average computer user.

For example, simple tasks such as copying and pasting are different when one uses Vista.  Another common complaint is that there is no compatibility between previous Microsoft Office programs and Vista.  For instance, if you type a story at home on your new Vista computer and then try to open that same document at school, you will encounter error messages. 

It may be frustrating to deal with the changes, but there are a few ways to get around the complications.  As for transferring files, one can copy and paste work and send it to oneself via e-mail.  The spacing may be altered when opened, but it can at least be transferred back to the more commonly used Microsoft office computer program without a problem.  If classic is what feels best, then it is also possible to uninstall Vista and replace it by installing the classic Microsoft Office.

First Quarter Wrap Up

By Reid Mene (November 6, 2008)

The first quarter of the 2008-2009 year has been wrapped up.  The student body, and faculty would say it has gone off without a hitch.  Senior Class President, Johnny Vroom, says “I have been a Mustang for four years, and out of all of them, this is the most school spirited group of kids I have ever witnessed.  Since Mason is so small, everyone knows everyone, and this keeps us all tight knitted, which is something we pride ourselves in.” 

Many of the faculty and student body were worried about the transition from Mr. Snee to Mrs. McDowell.  Most of us can say it has been a great transition. Mrs. McDowell started off the year like she has been the principal here for 20 years.  “Losing such a strong principal has changed the environment of the school slightly, but it has not changed the administration, and love for our school,” says Ryan Sedmak, senior. 

Although Mr. Snee is missed, people feel Mrs. McDowell had to follow a rather large shadow, but has proved herself tremendously.  Mrs. Speir says, “This quarter has been completely smooth, and very little has changed; same game different kids.”  Mrs. McDowell adds, “This year has been very busy for me, but the students and faculty have been very supportive.  Everyone has been very accepting to the change, and I’m very thankful for that.  I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be working, and supervising with.” 

Mrs. McDowell’s goals before she started the year off as a principal for the first time were to not let anyone feel let down, or have things not run smoothly.  In the future she wants to be out and more visible during the day.  Since she has had lots of paper work this past quarter, she has been in her office a lot during the school day.  This next quarter she plans to interact with the students more during the regular school day. 

The first quarter says a lot about how the rest of the year will be, and since it’s been a great one, we can tell this year will be one of the best Mason has seen.  So much has gone on in just one quarter—a homecoming game, and dance, our golf team made it to regionals, the football team has been working really hard, and clubs have been going great so far.  Let’s continue to strive for greatness.

Gourmet Cooking Takes On A Challenge

By Stephanie Barrionuevo

(Photo Credit: Stephanie Barrionuevo)

If you like cooking or just love food, you should think about joining Gourmet Cooking.  Mrs. Wolner currently has one class with just eight students.  Although not many people are in her block five class, the students still manage to have a great time learning different cooking techniques.  The students have just finished learning how to make a variety of pies and will start a new food category on Monday.  

The class has learned to make foods of all kinds such as breakfast foods, pies, pastas, and quick breads.  The students love the class and always come eager to learn something new.  There is something always cooking in this class, so think about taking it next year or next semester if it’s something you’re interested in.

Mrs. Wolner is also writing up a proposal to present to a committee she will attend in the near future about developing a Gourmet 2 for the upcoming school year.  The class name will be changed to Culinary Essentials for Gourmet Cooks.  This will be a full year course and the only requirement is that you have taken Gourmet Cooking 1.  Mrs. Wolner is very hopeful for this new proposal and has already ordered a new textbook that covers all of the essentials needed to learn.  This textbook contains topics such as seasoning, meat cookery, equipment and more. 

The new class will also learn cost control techniques, and creating recipes and menus.  Everything learned in Gourmet 1 will also be done in Gourmet 2, just more in depth. “The ultimate goal is to have at least one commercial kitchen,” says Mrs. Wolner.

Halloween Special
Trick or Treat!

By Jordie Franklin and Gabby Mikiewicz (October 29, 2008)

(Photo credit: Jordie Franklin)

Readers beware; you’re in for a scare. Only read on if you’ve got nerves of steel. You can still back out…it’s not too late…ok if you insist…

My fellow ghouls, goblins, witches and warlocks, it’s the annual celebration of everything spooky – Halloween 2008.  Get ready for the spookiest, most spine-tingling, hair raising slice of journalism this year.  We want to ask you if you have ever encountered a scary or unusual experience or if you know a scary story or legend to tell.  Here are some deeply frightening tales told by students and teachers at George Mason High.

“My friend and I were sitting on the couch watching TV.  The remote control was on the table about ten feet in front of us when all of a sudden the volume bar appeared on the TV screen and the volume shot up full blast! It was really scary!”  - Anonymous, senior

“Every year my family goes on vacation over Christmas break.  A few days prior to our departure, my mum cleans the entire house and when we are about to pull out of the driveway, she turns all the lights off and pulls all the power cords out of the wall in case of a fire.  On our way home, we turned into our street and we noticed that my parent’s bathroom light was on.  Strangely enough, once we pulled into the drive way, the light immediately went off.  We checked inside for anyone who might have been there, but no one was.”  - Jordan Franklin, freshman

“It was October 4th, 2008.  I was working at the gate at a home football game when two girls and a mother approached me and told me that there was a scary man wearing chains and a Freddy Kreugar mask in the parking lot, just standing there. I told the girls to go get the police, and they went away. Then the man slowly started to walk towards the front entrance.  The police, at the time, were down near the sidelines overlooking the football game. I panicked as the man who was a few seconds ago walking towards me, now stood right in front of me and all that was separating us was the wooden bench. My blood ran cold as I asked if he was looking for someone in particular but all he did was silently shake his head. He didn’t say a word. ‘Do you want to buy a ticket?’ I asked him, and yet again he slowly, silently shook his head.  I turned around looking for the girls who had gone to get the police but found them taking their time. I turned around again, and the man blankly stared at me. I thought that this is how I was going to die, he would pull a knife out, just like in the movies, and I would die right there! But surely enough, the man turned out to be from a local TV station where they dress up every Friday, looking to scare the kids. Of course, the police yelled at him for not telling anyone, but it still scared us all!”- Mrs. Bravin, French teacher

“My friend Chloe and I were really close, back in Barbados. We would always have sleepovers, mostly at her house. Most of the time, we would watch a scary movie, and she’d fall right asleep, leaving me to interpret all the scary noises that her house would make. One time, after watching The Eye and I Know What You Did Last Summer, I was woken up to the sound of music outside and decided to check it out; I figured that someone was awake, playing the piano. When I opened the door of the room, the music stopped. I walked to the front door, looked out of the window, and stood for a couple minutes. As I turned around to head back to sleep, I heard the something fall in the corner by the piano behind me and I jumped and quickly turned around. All I saw was a shadow walk past the window, but that was enough to send me running back to the room. The next morning, there was a broken vase on the floor, and the piano chair had been moved out of place.” Gabby Mikiewicz, freshman

“I was at my old house one day, watching TV in the basement. I was watching Wedding Crashers or something, flipping through channels, and The Grudge was on, so I decided to watch it. I got through ten minutes of it, then turned off the TV and went upstairs. I forgot my phone down there, so I go back down to get it, and the TV was on again, and The Grudge was playing. I was so scared!” - Andrew Lee, sophomore

“When I was 9 years old Maddie, my sister, and I took the dog out for one last walk at about 10:30pm. We left the house and no sooner had we reached the middle of the driveway did we see a man across the street standing straight up behind a car, staring. He was pale faced, and had pitch-black waist length hair, black pants, and a brown vest on. Deciding against walking into the street, we took the dog into the backyard. Having done nothing yet, we took the dog back out into the front.  At the foot of the light post in our yard, the black haired man stood, hands in his pockets, without the vest. Noticing how much closer the man had gotten, we turned and headed for the house. Once we reached the door, we spun to see the man in the middle of the driveway where we had previously stood, with his vest back on.” – Max Kaplow, freshman

“One night, before I went to bed, I was watching A Haunting, a show on the Discovery Channel which tells true scary stories that have happened to people.  It was about this kid that was possessed by a demon and his mother was attacked by this demon after it had left her son’s body.  I turned it off as I was becoming scared and decided to go to bed.  Then in the middle of the night I woke up when I felt a finger nail brush against my face, then out of the corner of my eye in the reflection of my beside-table mirror, I thought I saw the demon that had possessed the child in the show.  It was terrifying!” - Sarah Sarkar, freshmen

“When I was about ten I was staying at my dad’s house. He lived in Falls Church, and the house was never considered odd or haunted- in fact, it was relatively new. One night, however, after we had finished watching a television show and I was going to bed, I decided to start telling him about a peculiar dream I had had the previous night as we were walking up the stairs. Suddenly, as I was getting to the interesting part of my dream, I noticed something in the mirror on the wall. The chandelier in our dining room had turned on. I pointed it out to my dad, who told me, ‘That’s odd; I swear I just turned it off.’ He started to walk down the steps when suddenly the light flickered off… then on. It started repeating this on-off pattern at a slow pace. My dad and I exchanged confused glances, and he continued down the stairs. The lights started to flicker faster. Alarmed, he started running down the stairs as the lights started blaring with light-strobe intensity, on-off-on-off faster and faster. Finally my dad got to the dining room and just as he was about to reach the light switch, the lights flashed blindingly bright and suddenly went out completely. We stood in silence, me on the stairs, him in the dining room, and very hesitantly he flicked the lights back on. The lights worked like a charm, no flickering what-so-ever. To this day my dad, who believes very little in the supernatural, can never explain the mystery of the chandelier lights.”  -Rachel Dix, freshman

And if those scary real-life stories didn’t make the hair on the back of your neck prickle and your skin tingle with fear, then nothing will.  Happy Halloween!

How To: The Google Calendar

By Christina Dacanay (October 23, 2008)
(Image Credit: Christina Dacanay)

In order to keep our GMHS website as up to date as possible, “This Week @ GM” has now been changed into a Google calendar. This holds a lot more opportunities for both the website updaters and the viewers; we can view events scheduled in advance, we can check past events, and we can even choose what type of events we do or don’t want to look at! However, for our less tech-savvy frequenters, Lasso Online has created an instructional Google Calendar How-To so everyone can fully utilize this new tool. 

The body is pretty self-explanatory; scroll to go through the dates. Most of the options are on the top bar of the calendar. The buttons allow you to skim events and go through the months with ease, and without having to scroll for minutes in order to get to next January.

The Today Button snaps the calendar back to today’s date, no matter how far down you’ve scrolled. 

The Left and Right Arrows allow you to scroll backward and forward respectively through the weeks. This way you can jump right to the schedule for two weeks from now without having to scroll down and read all the dates.

The Present Date not only tells you what date it is, but the down arrow next to the date drops down a mini, numerical calendar. You can not only click the date you’d like to see, but you can also use the little arrows (<< >>) on the side of the month and scroll through the months as well. This way you can see what’s on schedule for two or three months in advance.

Print, of course, allows you to print the listed events on the calendar.
Week gives a visual representation of the events going on within that week, down to the time of day.
Month also gives a visual representation of events within the month. Each event type has a different color, for all you color-coordinators.
Agenda simply lists the events and their given times. All the different types of events are color coded.

The Dropdown Menu appears when you click the little, blue arrow below it. It lists all the different types of Mason events, and allows you to check or uncheck any of them that you’d like to see. If you uncheck an event-type, all of those events will be taken off your calendar. If you uncheck all but one event-type, the calendar is much easier to navigate and you’d most likely find the date of a specific event much faster.

Finally, the + Google Calendar Button on the lower right hand corner of the calendar allows you to add these GMHS events to your own personal Google calendar.

The new calendar is much easier to update, navigate, and hopefully now you know all you need to know! In order to find it, all you need to do is get on the GMHS web site (http://www.fccps.org/gm) and scroll down until you see the header “This Week @ GM.”

Pride Survey Results Bring New Addition To Mason Faculty

By Sally Blakemore (October 27, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Sally Blakemore)

If you’re not familiar with the results from last year’s Pride Survey (a survey put out every year to determine the drug usage of students at George Mason), the survey showed that about one third of the student body here at George Mason habitually smoked marijuana. Other smaller percentages came out for drugs such as cocaine, cigarettes, ecstasy, and alcohol as well.

In response to the results of the Pride Survey, George Mason was assigned an Alcohol/Drug Services counselor, Ms.Case. Although Ms.Case was assigned to Mason, she said that she loves Mason and she is happy to be here. Coach Galliher said, “I think it’s good that there is an ADS counselor; it’s good to keep counseling and drug counseling separate.”

Ms.Case is here to help students and family with alcohol and drug related issues. If you have an issue that is alcohol or drug related you can go see Ms.Case and talk to her about what is going on. You can also go see Ms.Case if one of your friends or family members has a drug problem and you need to talk to someone about it. Unlike with the guidance counselors over in the C Wing, if you go to see Ms.Case, what you and she talk about together is 100 % confidential. However, Ms.Case is required by Federal Law to report any issues concerning hurting yourself or someone else, or any instances where child abuse is reported.

The Coordinator of Student Services, Ms. Becker, said “Karen Case is an experienced substance abuse counselor who joined our school community last spring. She brings skills, energy and a strong commitment to helping our students. I feel fortunate to have Ms. Case at GM and hope the students will take the opportunity to seek out her assistance if needed.”

Her office is slightly out of the way, it’s over in the E hallway by the dragon ramp, on the left side. Ms.Case is here every Friday all day, and you don’t need an appointment with, you can just drop in at any point during the day. You can still email her though if you want to schedule an appointment at casek@fccps.org.

Mustangs And The Global Food Crisis

Jade Womack (October 21, 2008)

Have you ever tried a dirt cookie? Some of the ingredients are: shortening, salt, coffee, buck wheat, corn starch, and clay.  Yummy right?  Just imagine the millions of people in Haiti who eat these cookies on a daily basis because they’re too poor to buy any food. Yesterday, Mrs. Herrington’s International Relations class got to try these delicacies at the Youth Forum on the World Food Crisis and Global Poverty at the World Bank.  Missing a day of school, the Mustangs became aware of the growing problem of food shortages and rising food prices in the world. 

In the beginning of the forum, students were able to hear many speakers who are trying to solve the growing problem of food shortages and poverty.   Throughout the forum, students learned many facts such as 50 cents could immunize one child against polio or someone dies from starvation every 3.6 seconds. This means, a school lunch could save five children from polio and around 1,500 people die due to starvation during just one one-hundred minute block at George Mason.

Mustangs were able to experience this struggle of survival in a simulation.  Every student was assigned a designated country with a set life expectancy. For example, Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, had a member of the country “die” every two minutes if there wasn’t enough food available.  On the other hand, an American would only die every thirty minutes.  Therefore students from all 13 countries were racing around the clock to try and get enough food and money for all their citizens.

Sadly afterwards, there were many deceased Mustangs such as Ellie Silverman (U.S.A.) and Mollie Breen (South Africa).  “It was really frustrating towards the end, because when you had nothing to offer, you were turned down,” said Maya Carter, a senior who represented Haiti.  Overall, the Mustangs could agree the forum really helped them learn about “the other side.”

At the end of the conference, Mustangs started trying to help this food crisis by taking leftover sandwiches from lunch and giving them to the homeless on their way towards Farragut West Metro Station.  A chaperone commented, “All the other students would walk away, but George Mason students are different.”

The forum was with schools from all over the Metropolitan area and lasted from 8:00a.m. until 2:00p.m.  Mrs. Herrington’s class will be going on a trip to the Pentagon sometime in November to further broaden their understanding of the international world.

What’s Your Answer, Mason?

By Taylor Robinson (October 21, 2008)

During the 48th season of “It’s Academic,” the Scholastic Bowl competed against Maret School of Washington and DeMatha High School of Hyattsville. In a nerve-racking questionnaire, Captain Amelia Nemitz led the George Mason team on with the help of Asher Morse and Katie Beunneke to second place. Their effort and dedication helped them with their success. DeMatha ended up winning this brainy show down and Maret coming in third. This recording will be aired November 22, at 10:30 am on Saturday morning. It will be on channel 4 of NBC4.

Crazy Coin Countdown

Sally Blakemore (October 8, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Sally Blakemore)

So far in the coin war, the seniors are taking the “coin-cake.”  The coin jug for the seniors has by far the most coins. Following not-so-close behind are the juniors. The freshmen are in a close tie for 3rd place. In 4th place are the sophomores, and in DEAD LAST are the faculty members. Pick it up teachers…

More updates as the week goes on! Keep putting coins in your grades jug to increase your points.  Remember- all money is worth positive points this year, nothing is negative, it does NOT benefit you to put coins in another grades jug!

Spanish Peer Tutoring Aqui

By Ryan Sedmak (October 2, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Ryan Sedmak)  

Walking into Ms. Planas' Spanish classroom this past Monday, I immediately felt at ease. The classroom, which is full of colorful posters and fun little anecdotes in Spanish, will definitetly give Spanish students an urge learn. I was greeted by a warm friendly face who I learned to be a volunteer peer tutor. Peer tutoring takes place every Monday at 3:05 in C102. All Spanish students are welcome and encouraged to come and ask for help.

Abby Stroup, a senior and tutor, hoped that "students would take advantage of this valuable resource." When asked why she enjoyed tutoring Stroup replied, "I get to practice my Spanish while helping other Spanish students.  Although Stroup and her fellow tutors are there to help, Ms. Planas, a Spanish teacher, is also present if students need further clarification. So before confused Spanish students go out and spend money on a tutor, they should check out peer tutoring.

Words With Authors

By Gabby Mikiewicz (October 2, 2008)

The rain was no obstacle at Saturday’s National Book Festival. As the rain poured down, thousands of people holding big green Library of Congress bags sat under tents and listened to authors speak and read a few of their works. In between the showers, the sun was shining as authors sat down to sign books. People would wait in line for hours just to get a glimpse and a signature of one of their favorite writers. During their very busy schedule, R.L. Stine, Marc Brown, and Charles R. Smith Jr. took the time to answer some of my questions.

As we quickly walked across the street so that Marc Brown, author of the Arthur series of children’s books, would make it to his next engagement, he told me that he had become an author simply because he was fired from all of his other jobs. I didn’t question him further on this. When I asked why Arthur was an aardvark, he stated “because people remind me of animals, don’t ask me what you remind me of!”

I also found out that his favorite book he has written is Arthur’s Underwear, inspired by children’s ideas. “I never would have written the book otherwise,” he stated. His favorite book that he has read “has to be John Adams’, a biography. I just finished reading it for the second time. I really like histories and biographies.”

In a quick one-on-one with Charles R. Smith Jr., a sports writer and photographer, he told me that he loves all the books he has written equally, “they’re like my children, and I can’t pick favorites.” His favorite book in general, though, is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. He also informed me that his inspiration comes from his parents. “Simply stated, it’s my parents,” he explained. His favorite sport to watch is basketball, but he is also into Marshal Arts. Even though he has written the book Twelve Rounds to Glory, A Story About Muhammad Ali, he has yet to meet the man himself.

I had even less time to talk to R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series for adolescents, but he did share that his favorite book he has written would be “any Goosebumps. Actually, the Haunted Mask would be my favorite.” His favorite book that he has read is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.

The National Book Festival was great inspiration, and the day passed by quickly and with a lot of fun for children, adults, and the whole family.  The Library of Congress has been sponsoring this event with First Lady Laura Bush since 2001; make sure not to miss it next year!

George Mason Spirit Club

By: Becca Ward (September 24, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Becca Ward)

If you’re seeping with spirit and have a certain kind of love for George Mason, Spirit Club is right for you. This is a club less demanding than cheerleading, but more involved than sitting back and watching the Mustang games. Freshman, Joy Nystrom says, “I think it’s a good way to get people who wouldn’t normally get involved interested in school spirit.”

Spirit Club, sponsored by Mrs. Shields, makes posters for the different sports teams throughout the year. They decorate the stands to keep our teams looking fresh with banners and streamers. They also decorate team lockers to support our athletes.

Senior Megan Millar, the founder of the club, says, “The reason we started this club was to supply the spirit that the cheerleaders once provided. Last year there was a serious lack in cheerleaders, so someone had to step up.”

The first meeting was Monday, September 23. If you missed it, the next meeting is Tuesday, September 30 after school at 3:15. For more information, contact Mrs. Shields in the art room.

Long Loyalty: Nancy Goldman

By Leidy Baldwin (September 16, 2008)

(Photo credit: Leidy Baldwin)

After 25 years of working at George Mason High School, counselor, Ms. Nancy Goldman had much to say about her life and her experiences at George Mason.  She smiles in her vintage sweater, as she says "I've always loved the idea of being a teacher." 

She attended Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.  Then she went to Lehman College for a graduate degree in New York City.  Prior to teaching at Mason, she was teaching in New York City public schools as an elementary school English teacher. 

She began teaching part time at George Mason High School/Middle School as an English Teacher in 1983 for 8th and 12th grade.  In 1997-1998, she continued working as a part time English teacher and a high school counselor.  In 1999, she finally joined the counseling staff full time.  Her favorite part about being a counselor at this school is "working with siblings and their families."  She gets to watch them grow up.  She serves and has served as a great role in the lives many Mason Mustang high school students, graduates, and families.

Her own college influences come from the support of her parents.  Her father was an engineer, and her mother wanted all her children to go to college.  Her mom also believed in her early desire to become a teacher.

Before leaving her spacious office decorated with a broad palette of blue frames, cards, and sentiments, I asked her what she enjoys outside of work.  She absolutely loves animals, especially dogs.  She also enjoys keeping in touch with friends she had met over the years, visiting historical towns, needlework, and shopping for collectibles.  Why one might ask?  She confidently says "I love things that tell stories." As for now, her story is still being written.  

Can I Get an Upgrade?

By Taylor Robinson (September 18, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Taylor Robinson)

Walking into school this year the student body was greeted with a multitude of new and exciting things which this year include new carpets and fancy, sleek computers.  Say goodbye to the old bulky frame and hello to your new Dell Optiplex 755.

“This school is set on a four year schedule for new upgrades,” Mrs. Chico explains. “I like this new carpet, and it is nice and pretty.”  Mrs. Chico, who works in the school library, has had the most amount of use out of these new carpets. 

The old carpet was unraveling and had been present since the last renovation. It seems that this time the workers who had put it in didn’t use any chemicals or any special materials that smell, making the carpets more environmentally friendly.

“We could stay in here and work still, while they put it in. They didn’t send us out,” Mrs. Chico mentions, which helped get the school ready for the new school year and not inconvenience the teachers.

It was also time for some new computers. They are better, faster, and have an easier access.  They don’t break down as easily like the old ones would do.  This will make it a lot easier for people to get work done, especially if you are trying to cram in that last paragraph of an essay before class.

Biology Students “Molt” Old Methods and Discover Metamorphosis.

By Shelbi Aris Taylor (September 13, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Shelbi Aris Taylor)

Dr. Mecca’s biology classes are experiencing a new phenomenon in his biology classes.  Just days before the start of school Dr. Mecca came across sixteen monarch caterpillars, or larva, while working in southeastern Pennsylvania doing field work on streams this summer. He decided to capture them and show his students the miracle of metamorphosis while looking at “life cycles, mimicry, food chains and habitat,” he explains.  

As a biology teacher Dr. Mecca must teach his students about the life cycles of insects, especially monarchs’, but never before has he been able to literally have his class take part and study the unknown mysteries of insect transformation.  “We really have no idea what is going on while [the larva] are in the cocoon.” The only visible change is the color of the cocoon itself.

 “Each larva goes through 5 stages called instars.” An “instar” as given in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a “stage in the life of an arthropod (as an insect) between two successive molts”; a molt is a term used to describe the “shedding” of an outer layer. As the larva develops through the “instars,” its cocoon changes color from a crisp apple green to a translucent brown; however, the most intriguing detail on the monarchs cocoon is the small golden dot formations.  Dr. Mecca admits he doesn’t know what these golden dots might be.  But that is the beauty of this incredible insect.  Looking at the cocoon, it seems as though someone had painted gold designs to tell the difference between larvas, but in actuality that is part of the cycle. 

This year could not have been a better year to discover these insects.  With the completion of the Butterfly Garden last spring, Dr. Mecca is presented with the perfect location to release the butterflies after they have broken out of their cocoon.  “Releasing them in the butterfly garden provides the monarchs with an opportunity to obtain some food for their trip to northern Mexico. It also permits them to determine their geographic position for migration and exercise their wings in preparation for flight.” Mecca explains.

The whole cycle of life is beautiful; from the moment they begin to make their cocoon to when the color changes to a translucent brown and the color of the wings are visible.  And even towards the end when the butterfly breaks through the cocoon and pumps blood through its wings to stretch and practice flying.  Although a few of the larva were lost due to infection, Dr. Mecca could not be happier at the start of the school year.  Visual learning is always a good tool but when that learning is kicked to the next level and students actually get to physically study the changes a monarch butterfly undergoes, the interaction and participation levels reach their highest. 

China – Far More Similar than One Anticipates

By Mariya Kretova (September 16, 2008)

(Photo Credit: Mrs. Johnsen)

As I walk down the corridor of George Mason High School to Ms. Johnsen’s office, I wonder how many new students from China will visit our school for the first time in the coming months, and how many of our own Mustangs will walk down the halls in Nanning, China. I finally stop in front of Ms. Johnsen’s office, above the TLC, and knock on the door. Ms. Johnsen is happy to share the information that I’m sure many of the students at our school take an interest in, that being the details of the Chinese exchange.

I ask Ms. Johnsen about the culture shock she thinks our guests will receive. According to her, “the American culture is readily available to the Chinese students in forms of music, TV, popular clothes, and books. What I think will shock the Chinese students most is the large houses, the large cars, and trees and gardens.” She adds, “I think they will be impressed by the small size of our school and the personal interaction between students and teachers.”

Well, George Mason High does aim to amaze. The principal of Nanning High School #3 said she was “very impressed” by our IB program. But what about our own students? What will make an impression on them? Ms. Johnsen informed me that, “Homes are smaller in China … there is no restriction to what time of day certain foods are eaten. At breakfast, they eat hot soup and pickled items. Although they also have KFC and McDonald’s in China.”

I’m sure they do. And I’m sure our Masonites, and Chinese students alike, will find new and interesting areas of each others’ cultures to explore once they are abroad, in each other’s lands.

For those interested in additional information, there will be a meeting held on Wednesday, September 17, in Ms. Kao’s room, D127, at 7 p.m.

(Information courtesy of Ms. Johnsen and http://www.fccps.org/gm/).

Attention Actors, Dancers, and Singers!

By: Becca Ward (September 15, 2008)

Auditions for the fall musical, Brigadoon, are Tuesday and Thursday right after school in the auditorium. Grab a form from Mrs. Spicer one of these two days and waltz onto the George Mason stage to prove your theater skills. Callbacks will be posted on the theater board next to the library this Friday.  Break a leg.

Tim Koning: A Voice Leading a Herd

By Becca Ward (September 12, 2008)

Preparing for an interview with senior Tim Koning, 2008-2009 SCA President, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the “voice of George Mason.” We’ve all heard his humble, conservative voice on the loudspeaker every morning, inspiring us to “stay strong.” Although we hear these words, what does the unscripted Tim Koning really have to say about this year?

Koning explains, “This year is shaping up to be an extremely eventful year. We’ve got exciting events planned for each month. No student can use the ‘school’s boring, nothing ever happens’ excuse anymore.”

People are dying to know what’s going to be so different this year. According to Tim, SCA is going to try and get the classes more involved with charities. Last year they dabbled a bit with the idea when they sold bracelets during lunch throughout spirit week. This year, they’re going further. He said the student body should expect to see a lot more events sponsored by classes with funds going towards good causes.

Good causes? How are we supposed to make all these changes in just one school year? Koning promised to try and work as hard as possible with other SCA members, sponsors, and the student body, but most importantly, he wants to work with the administration. Some may call him an idealist, but he can’t stop dreaming of meetings with the principal, Mrs. McDowell, to hammer out some changes. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

This urge to help the community seems so sudden. Is being president just another hobby for this lacrosse-playing thespian? Absolutely not. “Honestly, it isn’t a ticket to college to put on your applications. You run for president because you honestly care about the student body’s well-being. You’ve got to live, eat, breathe, and love George Mason. Also, you’ve got to get up early on Monday mornings for meetings…”

That’s a small price to pay for such an aspiring high school student. Any student can plainly see the yearning in Koning’s eyes as he leads George Mason High School to another year of victory.