GMHS Lasso Online

Do you have a favorite teacher at Mason? This week is your chance to let them know you love them! Why? Because it’s teacher appreciation week, so go get them a Starbucks, Panera card, a Chipotle gift card, or even just a regular “thank you” card is nice!

Show your teachers you appreciate them this week and you’ll be sure to get a nice smile, a thank you (and if you’re lucky, you might be able to get your class out of a quiz or test!).

On behalf of Lasso Online, we appreciate all of you teachers!

Dear Editor,

Every day at 11:06 (after third block), I go to my locker to grab my microwaveable lunch and then, instead of walking leisurely to the lunch room to heat up my food, I have to sprint.  If I don’t make it there by 11:07, there is a line of six people waiting to use one of the two microwaves in the cafeteria.

This never was a problem before since there used to always be at least four microwaves in the cafeteria. Recently I walked in and noticed that there were now only two. What happened to the other ones?

Having only two microwaves in the cafeteria is so inconvenient for the 10-15 people (at least) who use them during lunch. Why? Because it takes one to five minutes to heat up food, sometimes more depending on what you’re bringing. If you’re the third person in line, it can take up to ten minutes just to get to the point where you put your food in the microwave, then you have to wait another one to five minutes for your food to actually heat up. Usually by the time you’re done, lunch is half over.

Maybe some people don’t feel this way, but I don’t like to feel rushed when I’m eating my lunch. I like to have time to sit down, talk, do some homework if I need to and be able to eat all in one sitting. However, sometimes I feel like I’m shoveling mounds of Lean Cuisine in my mouth, choking on ravioli, just so I can finish and get to class in time.

Whoever’s idea it was to take away the other microwaves in the cafeteria made lunch time, a time for kids to relax and eat for 30 minutes, turn into a contest of who can get to the microwaves, eat their food, and get to class first. It’s stressful and unnecessary.

Please, for mine, and everyone else’s sanity at George Mason High School, bring back the microwaves. They’re needed more than you think. I would love to be able to spend less time sitting in line at the microwave and spend more time chatting with my friends and relaxing during lunch.

Dear Editor,

As it gets closer to prom, the females of George Mason High School are frantically looking for the perfect dress to wear on the night of the event. Throughout the prom registry (a Facebook group where Mason girls post the dress they’re wearing to prom) pictures of girls dresses are posted with twenty-some “likes” and comments.

This year the trend seems to be ordering online.

Online, the selection of dresses is greater; however, how do you really know that the website is legit? I was trying to order my dress online and came across a website that had it for thirty dollars cheaper-- www.weddingdressesbrand.com .

Ordering the dress was a little confusing, so I decided to call the number for some help. Thank god I did because when the woman picked up the phone I knew instantly the website was not legitimate.

First off, I could barely understand or even hear the woman on the phone. Second, it sounded like I had called a house-phone and the woman clearly had no idea what I was talking about. Once I said I needed help with ordering this dress (the third time) she finally said “Oh, oh, yeah what dress is it?” I hung up immediately.

As I continued my search I found two more websites that all had different names and website layouts but the same telephone number as the first website I came across.

Fishy right?

Ladies, please be careful about ordering your dresses online. Make sure you know the website is a real one so you’re not giving $250 or more to some internet scammer.

Ways to tell if a website is legit or not: Call the number on the website and ask the person on the phone questions concerning your dress, shipping, etc. Make sure the person knows what they’re talking about.  Look at customer reviews and see what people who have used the website have to say about it. If there is an actual store in the area (Macy’s, Nordstrom, Jessica McClintock etc), it’s probably a real website. Scams like this happen everyday, don’t let it happen to you.

The biggest misconception about the Kony 2012 campaign is that people think that the Invisible Children organization is in Africa delivering food, clothes and other goods to people in Uganda. This, however, is not the case.

Chances are, you have heard about the Kony 2012 campaign, the awareness campaign started by the organization Invisible Children that has recently become a household name among George Mason students and across the nation.

Contrary to popular belief, this internet phenomenon is simply a campaign to raise awareness of what’s going on in Uganda.

Many people, particularly teenagers and young adults who have recently seen the viral video that the organization put out, seem to think that all of the money that the campaign raises is going to help Ugandans directly.

“I have my concerns about Kony 2012 because of [Invisible Children]'s dubious records, and because they've simplified the issue to black and white - one evil vs. one good,” said senior Alex Valentino, president and founder of the HOPE club at George Mason High School.

Statistics say that only about 32% of the money Invisible Children raises actually goes to the cause. Even though this may be a significant amount of money, people want all of the money that they donate to go to the actual cause, and not into the staff’s wallets, travel tickets and posters.

If the Invisible Children Organization really is trying to raise awareness and help out the people in Uganda, then they have 100% my support.

However, even though I am a strong believer in helping others in need, the recent backlash, scandals and controversy of the Kony 2012 campaign does make wanting to support them a little more complicated. This campaign shows us why one must always examine both sides of a story before jumping to conclusions.

For more information on the campaign, visit its website at www.invisiblechildren.com .

Read other articles by Maria>>>

Although this past Saturday wasn’t ideal weather for the beach, Clare and Don’s Beach Shack restaurant, located on North Washington Street, was packed hosting the annual “Byrd Feeder.”

From 4-7 p.m., many families from George Mason High School ate to help the senior class raise money for the annual All Night Grad Party which follows graduation in June.

“It was a really cool fundraiser and it was nice to see all the parents and students enjoying their night. The auction prizes were also really nice!” said senior Lauren Kane, who attended the event.

Clare and Don’s donated a chunk of money to the fundraiser and there were also “Tip baskets” and sign up sheets for the silent auction set up on tables by the bar.

The Byrd Feeder raised $3,400 for the senior class’s All Night Grad Party. The seniors can expect some pretty nice prizes along with an amazing night!

Read more of Maria's articles>>>

However you get to school in the morning, you and many other Mason students have undoubtedly passed by 7-11 and the questionable-looking deli and ice cream place next door.

However, on the other side of that white door lies heaven-on-earth. Mike’s Deli has recently become a hot spot among Mason students, especially the senior class.

Every day, the plain brown bags, aluminum foil wrappers, and small white chip bags litter the senior alcoves during the middle of the day. Senior Jeremy Stewart, a Mike’s Deli employee, has brought in business for the place by introducing it to all of his friends, who in turn have gone there almost every single day since they were introduced.

“I started working at Mike’s Deli at the end of the summer, and when people asked where I worked I would tell them and they had no clue what I was talking about. Now when I work I see lot of people that are from Mason, and the name is very well known around the school. It’s starting to become very popular,” said Stewart.

When Mike’s Deli came into my life I was a little skeptical at first, but after I took one bite into that “Dixie Chicken,” the world became brighter and I almost had an out-of-body experience.

“It’s the best place to eat in Falls Church. It fills me up without slowing me down,” said senior Max Kaplow who is often seen in the senior alcove with a “Belly Buster” breakfast sandwich or a “Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger” from Mike’s.

Mike’s popularity will surely continue to grow as its delicious selection of sandwiches, ice cream (all made on their premises), and milkshakes is discovered by more and more people.

It’s time to pick your classes Mason! Course registrations are due today, Friday, March 2.

Don’t wait up to turn it in because your chances of getting your top choices for classes get slimmer and slimmer every day you wait. Course registration is being done online this year, so log on to the Mason grade book and fill it out.

If you have any questions about which classes are appropriate for you to take, see your guidance counselor today.

See other articles by Maria>>>

There is something going around in the senior class. Symptoms include laziness, carelessness, and socializing more than studying. It seems that “senioritis” has been affecting seniors all over George Mason. Now that it is second semester, seniors of George Mason High School are falling into the senior slump.

I meandered around Mason hunting seniors down in the hallway and asked them to complete this sentence: “You know you have senioritis when...”

Click image for larger version>>>

Everyday, students go in and out of the guidance office to make appointments with their counselors and each time they receive a bright yellow pass from Mrs. Heather Richardson, the guidance secretary. When she’s not in the guidance office, Richardson spends her time partaking in her very tasty hobby, cake decorating.

When Richardson was a kid, she helped her mother bake in the kitchen.  Her job was always to stir the batter. She then took a 4H class, a community program for rural areas, and has been decorating cakes ever since.

“I love sweet stuff,” Richardson said, so it makes sense why cake decorating was so appealing to her.

Although she has never sold any of her yummy creations, Richardson made a co-worker’s wedding cake, and she even made her own.

“The only thing I made my co-worker pay for was the supplies,” she said.

Wedding cakes can be prepared about a week in advance, which is why making her own cake was not as stressful as one would think.

“I had a very simple wedding cake, nothing too fancy,” Richardson said recalling her creation for her special day.

A four or five layer wedding cake with simple sugar-frosted flower decorations (real flowers were used!) was the delicious masterpiece Richardson put together.

It’s time to suck up, students and staff! You never know when Richardson will be feeling generous and bring in one of her delicious cakes or other baked goods for taste buds to test.

Those of us who have been at Mason for over a year know the look all too well-- the “I don’t care what I look like, it’s exam week” look. This trend has been very popular with the girls every year I’ve been at Mason, and I am proud to be a part of it.

As you walk, (or run depending on what the time is) through the halls before exams, so many girls are wearing yoga pants, t-shirts, sweat pants, or sweat shirts. But why the style slump during this week?

“Because during exam week I don’t care how I look. I just want as much possible sleep and do well on my exams and get out of school early,” said junior Kylie Englander.

Besides Pajama Day, the ladies of George Mason High School take exam week as an opportunity to not worry about looking fashionable and impressing their peers by their looks, but to worry about their school work and impressing their peers and teachers with their grades.

“I usually dress down because I'm too busy studying to worry about what outfit I should wear, said senior Natalie Ferrell.

I think I speak for all George Mason girls when I say that exam week is always the most comfortable week of the year.

We may only know her as the theatre teacher, but Ms. Pam Ricker is also an ice dancer. She had her first debut on the ice when she was fifteen years old. Ricker learned the basics of skating, but after a year she quit. It wasn’t until she took her daughter to her first skating lesson that Ricker decided she wanted to pick it back up again.

She started doing freestyle ice skating at first, but after a few injuries such as a sprained knee, her teacher told her she should try ice dancing because it’s a lot safer.

“The difference between ice dancing and freestyle is that you must remain attached to your partner the whole time. It takes a lot of work to maintain skill level,” Ricker said. “In ice dance it’s harder to be in sync with your partner because the male is always bigger so strides can often be off.”

Her hard work paid off when she qualified to go to Nationals. However, she didn’t have the time because of her dedication to her job here at George Mason High school. The man she partnered with ended up going and won.

Ricker dreams of someday coaching ice dance.

“I love that it’s so multi-cultural! There are so many people of different ages from different countries that do ice dance,” Ricker said, explaining her love of the sport. “I have so many friends in the class that are twelve and fifteen!” she says, laughing about how fun it is.

Throughout the years we have all walked past the Mason Trading Post without paying any attention to it. What used to be a Mason hot spot during home games and school events is now collecting dust. But why hasn’t the post been used consistently to sell items to students and athletic patrons? The main reason is because our Pit isn’t used for home basketball games anymore; in fact, the Pit isn’t used for anything, besides P.E. classes and pep rallies. However, bringing the Trading Post back into business could really benefit clubs, students, athletes, and even teachers.

The Trading Post originally “used to exist as a school store” said Athletic Director Tom Horn. But since the school no longer sells pencils and school supplies, and nothing major ever goes on in the Pit, it has not been used for quite sometime. However, that does not mean that it can never be used at all, in fact, Coach Horn would “love to see it being used again.”

Any clubs, students, athletic departments, etc. who would like to start using the Trading Post again can do so. Just ask Coach Horn to set up a date and you can become a part of bringing the trading post back to life! Although this resurrection may be challenging, why should we let such a convenient outlet, which many students pass on their way to the buses after school everyday, go to waste?

At the beginning of a new school year, students feel a renewed sense of excitement for new classes, new people, more privileges, and getting a new locker.

In the past locker assignments have been assigned by grade-- seniors, of course, get first pick, and eighth-graders get dead last. However, that recently changed when we found out that the eighth graders got their lockers first this year. Not only did they get lockers first, they got them in the most popular hallway that almost everyone in the school wants.

Is this fair? Personally I would say no. As an eighth-grader I did not get my locker before school, in fact, like everyone else in my grade, I got my locker last.

While most upperclassmen agreed with me, a few, such as senior Christina Park, said that they “don’t mind because it helps [the eighth-graders] get more comfortable.”

Most of us had a very different point of view, however, such as senior Sarah Sarkar who complained that the seniors “never got [theirs] first. I’ve been waiting my whole life to get senior privileges and once it was finally time, the eighth-graders got first priority!”

Juniors Jeremy Brown and Sumner Askin had similar feelings saying that “they don’t deserve them. They don’t even take real classes” and “they don’t need a big locker for three binders” referring to their homework and class load.

Even the sophomores and freshman had negative feelings towards the eighth-graders getting their lockers first.

“They didn’t do that for us” said sophomore Sally Karstens.

Freshman Alfonoso Banks voiced his and his friend’s opinion on the subject saying that “it’s not fair because we’re older than them!”