GMHS Lasso Online

Come support the Best Buddies organization as the George Mason community participates in events at Oakton High School to help raise money for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD).

The friendship walk is an annual community event hosted by Best Buddies Virginia, drawing in high schools and colleges from all over Virginia. It is a precursor to help earn money for the 2012 Audi Best Buddies Challenge this October.

Prizes such as an official Best Buddies 2012 Challenge t-shirt and trophies for the top chapter and community groups will be awarded.

Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers that strive to create better opportunities for those with IDD.

The Audi Best Buddies Challenge Kick-Off/Friendship Walk will take place Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oakton High School (2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA).

Schedule:        

9 a.m.:  Registration Opens

10 a.m.:   Warm-Up with Laurent Amzallag of the YaLa Workout

10:45 a.m.:   Walk and Run Begins

·        1 mile “Track Trot” in the Oakton Stadium

·         3 mile Walk or Run through Nottoway Park

11:30 a.m.:  Party and Award Ceremony

·        Gourmet BBQ featuring Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery

·        Live Music

·        Field Day Games

·        Award Ceremony

Students at George Mason should make an effort to attend this event, it is a great chance to improve awareness of those with disabilities and give a little service. Our school created a team (Team George Mason HS) and anyone interested is welcome to join.

Have you ever realized that as you scroll down a webpage, all the ads coincidently have something to do with a topic that you just Googled, emailed a friend, or even liked on Facebook? This is not fate, it is Google stalking every search you make.

Whenever you search a topic, it’s tracked by Google and sent to the site of the link you have selected. But, that's not all that's sent. Your computer and browser information is sent to the link. This makes it easy to determine who you are. The companies of these ads can make profiles about you that can appear in unwished-for places such as insurance, credit and background checks.

Students at George Mason should be especially knowledgeable of this. Between homework, Facebook, blogging, email, and just surfing the web, the average teenager spends dozens of hours online each day. Google also saves everything you search. The information you release can come back to haunt you or end up in the wrong hands.

However, understand that Google only has access to this information when you are logged in to a Google account. When you became a user, you accepted their user/privacy policies and agreed to become a member of their services.

Mr. Steve Knight, George Mason’s instructional technology coordinator, said, “The media hype around Google tracking can remind us to be more aware of our digital footprint. Never leave the default privacy settings or at least know your options for privacy settings when joining a new service, be mindful of linking social networking services (creating accounts using Facebook or Twitter accounts) and remember nothing is truly hidden when it is on the internet.”

English teacher Mrs. Joy Wagener responded when asked about her feelings on the subject saying, "I understand what Google is doing and why they're doing it, but it's really scary that they know what I'm doing all the time."

Although it can be argued that Google motives for tracking have benefits, it’s important to note that they’re getting paid for every advertisement that appears via their own search engine. So they’ve created a way to follow your online behavior and display ads that are according to your interests.

Senior Claire Acosta said, “It’s creepy, but in a way convenient because they advertise things that are relevant to me.”

See other articles by Sara>>>

The Chinese Language class took a field trip to the National Zoo Thursday April 26. They took the Metro down to Washington D.C. at 9:30 a.m. and returned around 2:45 p.m. The main motive for going to the zoo was to visit the panda exhibit. They were also given the opportunity to visit other exhibits.  For lunch they walked to Mr. Cheng’s Chinese Cuisine and ordered their lunches in Mandarin. “It was a fun opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture and spend time with friends,” said sophomore Charlotte Sudweek.

For the second time in history, George Mason High School will have a team in the eleventh D.C. Dragon Boat Festival. This is not an official school activity, but rather a team organized by interested students of the Chinese Culture Club that has been approved by the school board.

The team will have three training sessions given by the National Capital Area Women's Paddling Association and the D.D. Dragon Boat Club. There they will work on their technique and skill to help them win the race.

The festival will take place May 19-20 on the Potomac River at the Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown. The festival is held in honor of Chu Yuan, a respected poet and politician of ancient China. Out of anguish he committed suicide by drowning himself because he'd lost the trust of the king, bad officials had come to power in his homeland, and invaders weakened his country. Many people rushed in their boats to save him, but they were too late. The paddlers racing in the dragon boats for the festival are symbolic for those who hurried to save Chu Yuan.

See other articles by Sara>>>

Awarding winning journalist and author, Sarah Chayes, is visiting George Mason High School Tuesday afternoon to share her experience in the Middle East with students.  Her insight into previous Taliban strongholds and the Afghan war during the past nine years will be highlighted.   The lecture will be held after school Tuesday, April 17 at 3:05 in the TLC.

She is the author of The Punishment of Virtue, Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban and a former reporter for the National Public Radio (NPR). In 1980 Sarah graduated from Phillips Academy and later Harvard in 1984 with a degree in history.  She later served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco after she decided to return to Harvard and get her master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies and history.

She has lived in Kandahar, Afghanistan since 2002, helping to improve life and organize Agrhand Cooperative, a 100 % natural skin care and soap product made by the people of Kandahar.

Attending her lecture will be a great opportunity for students to learn about the Middle East from a first-hand resident. It will be especially captivating because the Chayes brings a unique perspective due to her background living in the United States coupled with her current work in such a troubled area of the world.

See other articles by Sara>>>

What happened to the computer lab in the back of the library? There is now a sign on the door that reads, "Lab Reserved All Blocks, Hybrid Learning Classroom." What is Hybrid Learning?

Hybrid Learning, also known as Compass Learning, is a program that the school uses to help students earn recovery credits necessary for graduation. It is an online class with a teacher presiding over the room answering any questions the students may have.

Students take a lengthy pretest before starting a unit. The pretest is designed to see what the students know so the program can construct a learning path specific to that student. The students then watch a step-by-step video of a teacher explaining the lessons followed by a short five to 10 problem quiz to show what they've learned. If students do poorly on the quiz the program will review the lesson. And finally, at the end of a section they will have a unit test.

Depending on the teacher, students will be graded on quizzes and tests.

There are mixed feelings on the subject of hybrid learning. Some students love being able to learn one-on-one from the computer at their own pace.

Others dislike the program. They would much rather be in a class full of students.

One George Mason hybrid student said, "It's hard to stay focused when learning on your own. There are so many distractions and it's easy to lose your concentration. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish the class by the end of the semester."

Mr. Ben Swartz, a hybrid learning teacher, said, "The freedom that it gives students is good; however, it places an additional challenge on them as they are tasked with completing course work with less teacher guidance."

This is the first semester that George Mason has been using the program; therefore, the school has being working out many technical difficulties, anywhere from computers freezing up in the middle of a lesson, to questions on a quiz that had absolutely nothing to do with the lesson.

See other articles by Sara>>>

George Mason’s band and choir head to Lasstier High School today to participate in a competition with other schools from around the country.  They depart from school on Wednesday at 2 p.m. to begin the 12-hour trek to Atlanta, Georgia.  They return late the following Sunday.

Performing isn’t the only thing the students will be participating in while on the trip. They get the opportunity to go to Six Flags, the Coca-Cola Factory, attend the Hunger Games movie, visit Centennial Olympic Park, and see Stone Mountain (the largest piece of exposed granite on earth).

When most people talk about St. Patrick’s Day, the color green, leprechauns, and four-leaf clovers instantly come to mind and the true meaning of this holiday is often forgotten. Why do we really celebrate this holiday?

St. Patrick’s Day is a feast day and anniversary of the death of the religious leader of the same name.

The Irish have been celebrating this holiday March 17 for over 1,000 years with dancing and feasts of the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage.  Today many different cultures celebrate this holiday, particularly the United States, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain during the fifth century. At age sixteen he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. Fortunately, he was able to escape, but he returned to introduce Christianity to the Irish.

Irish soldiers serving in the English military held the first St. Patrick’s day parade in New York City March 17, 1792 to honor the religious holiday and connect with their Irish roots. Today, it is the world’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 people participating and three million people attending to watch.  The parade is five hours in length, which also makes it one of the longest in the world.

Many of the Saint Patrick’s Day symbols have meanings which have been forgotten in the commercialism of the celebrations.  The shamrock, (three leaf clover) was chosen to be Ireland’s emblem after the Irish legend that St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The original color of St. Patrick was blue, but in the 19^th century it changed to green to signify the beautiful green landscapes of the Emerald Isle.

Staff members of Lasso Online Claire Acosta, senior; Mimi Nemec, sophomore; and Allie Plata, sophomore, prepare for their class trip to Mt. Daniel Elementary School where George Mason’s journalism class will be teaching Phyllis Kravinsky’s first grade class how to write a class newspaper.  The high school journalism staff will be helping the students transform their topics into articles that will be published digitally on Lasso Online. “I’m excited to show them what we do in class in the hopes their love for journalism will continue to grow,” said Plata. 

See Sara Campbell's other published articles>>>

This Valentine’s Day, George Mason High School students helped raise money for the Arlington Academy of HOPE by selling CD/DVD-grams.  The CDs and DVDs were donated by the community and all of the profits of this fundraiser went to support this good cause.

The CD/DVD grams are similar to traditional candy grams. Students purchased a CD or DVD, and it was delivered to each Valentine along with a note from the purchaser.

The Arlington Academy of HOPE program (AAH) was founded by John and Joyce Wanda in 2004 to help give children in their original home, Uganda, improved health care and education.

Less that 50% of children in Uganda are attending elementary school regularly. Kids are needed to work in the fields to help support their struggling family members. Not to mention, the rundown, inadequate public schools give the children little hope for a good education.

Several children were also dying of malaria, so AAH built clinics in villages to provide health care. Children receive free medical care and adults pay a nominal fee. Children are also given immunization and regular medical checkups, as well as lessons in health and hygiene, and a daily breakfast and lunch.

AAH makes a huge impact on villages in Uganda: providing employment to over 100 people in villages, educating students, and improving health conditions. More than 160 kids attend secondary boarding schools on AAH scholarships. They also help schools in 13 different villages educate an additional 10,000 kids every year.

George Mason’s annual Mr. and Ms. Mason competition is this Thursday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m.  This competition is a mock talent show that is designed to bring out the students from grade 8-12 that best represent the school in spirit and attitude.  Students are selected by their teachers for this honor.

The following students have been selected to compete at each grade level.

Eighth grade: Brian Nelson and Blaise Sevier

Ninth grade: George de Mars and Meredith Johnson

Tenth grade: Truman Custer and Maeve Curtin

Eleventh grade: Vijay Menan and Kallen Shea

Twelfth grade: Matt Abel, Chris Earman, Stephan Cother, Bryce Cooper, Jack Trainor, Claire Constance, Lia Cattaneo, Kate Highman, and Geneva Jost and Claire Acosta

The students will be judged by a panel of five teachers and five students, one student from each grade level.  Each contestant will present their biography and then a personal talent.  The talents usually showcase an actual talent of the student in a zany or humorous way.  For example, juggling bananas or speedy sandwich making have been past offerings of contestants.

The top five boys and girls will continue on to rounds of formal-wear and interviews.  The winners will be crowned Mr. and Ms. Mason and will be given the opportunity to ride as king and queen in the Memorial Day Parade.  The winners will also receive gift certificates and other prizes donated by community members and local businesses.

Mr. Mark Sokolowski, George Mason science teacher and SCA advisor, recalls that his favorite part of the event is the talent show.

“It’s interesting to see the things students come up with,” Sokolowski said.

The entrance fee to see the event is five dollars. All proceeds go to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  It’s a worthy cause but also a lot of fun considering the time and effort that goes into the planning and preparation by staff and students.  Community members and students are welcome to attend to show their support for the school and the students.

Guy Ritchie’s intriguing film “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows” is a fascinating mystery with many twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire movie. Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., and his partner John Watson, played by Jude Law, endure many dangers and challenges to stop Professor James Moriarty from achieving his plan to light the fuse in the collapse of western civilization in Europe.

The movie is fast paced and requires full concentration to keep up with the clever plot.  The suspense is appealing to those who enjoy a quick thinking mystery with plot twists and interesting characters weaving in and out of the storyline. Not only is the plot interesting, but the movie moves through multiple cultures to enrich the interest.  The landscape and European colors of various ethnicities and styles come and go as quickly as the thoughts and actions of Sherlock and Watson.

The storyline is unpredictable and engaging. Holmes doesn’t always win all the battles and come out on top which keeps you glued to the screen wondering what will happen next.

The suspense is balanced with humor that makes the movie appealing to comedy fans as well as mystery lovers.  The back and forth banter and quips between the crime solving duo keeps the pace of the movie exciting but enjoyably light.  The dialogue which moves with speed brings laughter in the middle of a rainfall of bullets or during the leisurely ride on the afternoon train.  And like that train, the viewer never knows what’s going to happen just around the corner.