www.thewarrioronline.

com
School Mourns Death of Student
by Julia Gajewski-Nemes 15
Through the best and worst times, Sherwood
has proven to encompass the traits of its mighty
mascotthe Warrior. The strength of the commu-
nity was unquestionable as it came together after
hearing that three of its members were involved in
a fatal car accident on August 30 at approximate-
ly 1:30 a.m. All three students were taken to the
hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the
vehicle, senior Austin Hall, was released from the
hospital days after the accident and the front seat
passenger, senior Max Dechter, is expected to be
Warrior
t
h
e
37th Year, Issue No.1
300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Inside: News: 1-3, School Safety: 4-5, Features: 6-8, Humor: 9, Spotlight: 10-11, Opinions: 12-14, Wondering Warrior: 15, Entertainment: 16-17, Sports: 18-20
October 9, 2014
Sherwood High School
transferred from the University of Maryland Med-
ical Center in Baltimore to a rehabilitation center
in early October. The backseat passenger, junior
Shawn Gangloff, died the following afternoon.
Jackie Dechter, Maxs mother, maintains a jour-
nal blog with updates on Maxs condition. Over the
past month, he has been recovering from a shattered
elbow, three fractures to his neck, and, of greatest
concern, trauma to his brain. While he has had many
setbacks during his stay in the hospital, he is becom-
ing more alert and responsive and plans to continue
The makeshift memorial for Shawn Gangloff along Hines Road in Olney has become a gathering spot for
the Sherwood community to mourn and remember Gangloff, who succumbed to his injuries on August 31.
Non-Athletic School Activities Receive Little Funding
by Jack Armstrong 15,
Emma Izzo 15,
and Connor Loughran 15
Nearly all non-athletic ac-
tivities and clubs at Sherwood
have to raise money on their
own, with little or no fnancial
support from either MCPS or
the school. This leaves many
clubs, honor societies, publica-
tions and performing arts groups
scrambling to independently
raise money to cover operational
costs and activities such as feld
trips and school performances.
In order to raise money last
year, the Key Club sold boo
grams to students. Other clubs,
such as the Shakespeare Club,
sell pizza to students after school
while a number of clubs and so-
cieties hold fundraiser nights at
local restaurants. Any money
raised is then put into individual
school accounts for each club.
For most of these groups
raising money is diffcult. We
dont really make any money,
said language resource teach-
er and French Honor Society
sponsor John Falls. The only
money that we take in is [from
members] dues, and we honestly
break even by buying the gradua-
tion cords at the end of the year.
Falls said that the lack of money
makes it diffcult to have activi-
ties and events, so students have
to pay out of pocket for them.
Another factor in raising
money is both the type of club
and the number of students in
the club. Honor societies, for
example, tend to have club dues
for buying cords for graduation,
and some, like French Hon-
or Society, are required to pay
a fee to the parent corporation.
Usually, service clubs, such
as the Key Club, try to raise
money for charities to which
the club is affliated, where-
as honor societies and student
government tend to raise money
to hold special events and ac-
tivities such as Mr. Sherwood.
Our club doesnt really
make money, said Key Club
sponsor and social studies
teacher Michelle Games. All
of the money we do collect is
either in terms of dues or any
fundraiser or collections we
do are primarily for charities.
When clubs struggle to raise
money, the burden often falls
on staff sponsors and student
members to raise more. In con-
trast, the athletics department
receives annual funding from
MCPS. Sherwood athletics re-
ceived $34,102 from the county
last year as well as $22,087 from
student parking permits. The rest
of the funding for school sports
comes from booster clubs, parent
sponsors, ticket sales and oth-
er fundraisers. All money raised
by each sport, with the excep- see CLUBS, pg. 3
see ACCIDENT, pg. 3
Yik Yak App Raising Concerns
About Cyberbullying at School
by Madison Dymond 16
In mid-September over a
three-day period, seemingly ev-
ery student at Sherwood down-
loaded the Yik Yak app onto his
or her smart phone. Yik Yak is a
social networking app where one
posts, comments, and does every-
thing that one normally do with
social media. The only differ-
ence is that Yik Yak is complete-
ly anonymous. It is essentially
Twitter but without identities.
Yik Yak appeared approxi-
mately three months ago on col-
lege campuses, but just recently
became popular at Sherwood.
Though the app is supposed to be
used by college students, there is
no way to guarantee this, as stu-
dents are able to use it at school.
The apps most attractive
feature is that students can say
whatever they want and no one
will know it was them. The stat-
ed purpose of Yik Yak, as de-
scribed in the app store, is to act
like a local bulletin board for
your area by showing the most
recent posts from other users
around you. It allows anyone
to connect and share information
with other people anonymously.
While the creators of Yik Yak,
fraternity brothers Brooks Buff-
ington and Tyler Droll, intended
for the app to be a hyper-lo-
cal place to rant about anything
anonymously with people in your
community, posts from Sher-
wood students frequently ridicule
or insult teachers and other stu-
dents. Reportedly, some teachers
with Yik Yak accounts down-
vote any hurtful posts they fnd.
Security Team Leader Patrick
Rooney is aware of the apps exis-
tence, but school security does not
see Yik Yak as a signifcant prob-
lem, as new social media crazes
come around all the time. I un-
derstand that its out there and that
its anonymous, said Rooney.
Teachers have complained
to Rooney about bullying on
Yik Yak. Bullying is a concern
and a criminal violation, so it
is not covered by freedom of
speech. However, as long as it is
not threatening to public safety,
there is little that the school can
do. The app is not worth your
time. Dont feed into the fren-
zy, Rooney advised students.
If the cyberbullying gets
in the way of students abili-
ties to perform well in class or
directly threatens someones
safety, the school will have to
become further involved in con-
trolling the usage of Yik Yak.
Jack Armstrong 15
tion of fundraisers, then go into
one large account that covers all
sports, according to Business Ad-
ministrator Linda Berkheimer.
The money [for athletics]
is in one account, but tracked by
the sub-accounts of each sport,
Berkheimer said. [After that], it is
The annual $75 parking
permit fee required by students
who drive to Sherwood raised
$22,087.50 for the school during
the 2013-2014 school year. The
fee is set by the county and is
the same for all MCPS high
schools. The money Sherwood
raises each year from these per-
mit fees is distributed to the ath-
letic departments throughout the
county, going to multiple sports
teams as a way to pay athletics
expenses before other money
comes in from MCPS.
According to Business Ad-
by Jack Armstrong 15
Money Raised from Parking Permits
Annually Goes to the Athletics Department
ministrator Linda Berkheimer,
the money Sherwoods athlet-
ic department receives from
MCPS is based on the number of
parking permits sold and the en-
rollment at Sherwood. She says
if Sherwood has a problem rais-
ing enough money from park-
ing permits due to a declining
number of upperclassmen who
drive, Sherwood would receive
additional funding from MCPS.
The county would then take into
account the total number of stu-
dents enrolled before providing
additional funds.
Should the U.S.
Intervene in
Iraq and Syria?
Football falls on the road, but looks to
bounce back tomorrow at Magruder
pg. 14 pg. 18
Inside Sports
The WarriorNews
2 October 9, 2014















N
E
W
S
in brief
Reports from Montgomery County Health and Human Ser-
vices indicate that 38 MCPS personnel have now been diagnosed
with pertussis, better known as whooping cough. Since a student
from Sherwood came down with it during the frst week of school,
a newsletter was sent out by the school to notify parents. Students
were also instructed to remain vigilant of the symptoms, which in-
clude runny nose and a cough, which can intensify and become
fatal if left untreated.
Since whooping cough threatens to become an epidemic, es-
pecially among younger, elementary and middle school-aged chil-
dren, the county has put into effect mandatory vaccinations against
it. According to the Washington Post, students who do not receive
the vaccine are not going to be permitted into school beginning
Monday, October 29.
Whooping Cough Spreads
Throughout MCPS
by Gianna Bartolini 15
Enrollment Shrinking in Contrast
to Growth in MCPS
by Betselot Wondimu 15
With shifts in the Washington-Metropolitan population in the
past decade, MCPS has gained a considerable number of students
for the 2014-15 school year. MCPS currently has its highest num-
ber of students ever, with more than 154,000 enrolled. This is an
increase of about 2,700 students compared to the 151,289 enrolled
in MCPS during the 2013-14 school year.
Despite the fact that MCPSs overall enrollment has dramati-
cally increased, Sherwoods student body has actually dropped. Its
enrollment has slumped to 1,877 after having 1,980 students during
the 2013-14 school year. This can be partially attributed to the in-
coming Freshman Class consisting of 459 students, fairly smaller
than the outgoing Senior Class of 496 students.
Sherwoods enrollment has been falling for the past eight
years, steadily declining from its peak of 2,240 students during the
2005-06 school year. MCPS offcials predict Sherwoods enroll-
ment will continue declining and MCPSs enrollment will continue
rising, projecting 1,748 students to be enrolled in Sherwood and
163,049 in MCPS by the 2019-20 school year.
Students Put into Alternate
Technology Classes
by Will Van Gelder 16
This year dozens of students currently taking the course De-
signing Tech Solutions in actuality signed up for Foundations of
Technology, one of the other courses offered for tech credit. Due
to very high demand for Foundations and the fact that only one
teacher, Jason Braverman, is teaching all of the classes, many of the
students who would have liked to be placed in Foundations ended
up being put into Solutions, taught by Pamela Johnson.
While these classes may sound similar from their course titles,
there are signifcant differences. Foundations is more a hands-on
designing course, while Design is much more computer-focused
and based on programs, said counselor Jamii Avery.
This unexpected class change came as an irritating shock to
some students who are now in a course that they didnt sign up for.
Jason Daigle, the technology resource teacher, explained the cause.
More students enrolled in the Foundations of Technology class
than sections we were able to offer based on staffng needs and con-
siderations, said Daigle. Designing Technology Solutions meets
the same curriculum standards as the Foundations of Technology
class so some students had to be shifted.
School Year Starts with New Administrators
by Kira Yates 16
This school year began with
two new school administrators at
Sherwood. However, neither of
these faces are new to the school.
Positions in administration started
opening when former Principal In-
tern James Allrich left Sherwood.
In August, Allrich had the
opportunity to become the prin-
cipal of Banneker Middle School,
and after an opening for an as-
sistant principal also arose at
Banneker, former vice principal
Erin Mazer took the opportunity
to gain administrative experi-
ence at the middle school level
and joined Allrich at Banneker.
To fll their positions, Prin-
cipal Bill Gregory conducted
interviews for an assistant princi-
pal job two weeks before school
started and one week before
teachers returned. Sandi Wil-
liams was promoted from assis-
tant school administrator (ASA),
an 11-month position, to fll this
year-round position. Earlier in
the summer, Karen Rose had
been hired to fll another assistant
principal opening at Sherwood.
Rose, the assistant prin-
cipal assigned to grade 9, has
come back to Sherwood after
spending four years at Damas-
cus as an assistant principal.
She had worked at Sherwood
as an administrator before that.
Rose, who lives in Olney
and whose children graduated
from Sherwood, says she is ex-
tremely happy to come back to
Sherwood because she says it is
like coming home to family. I
am looking forward to working
with the Freshman Class, having
them be as successful as they pos-
sibly can be and [being] part of
all the activities that are involved
with Sherwood, said Rose.
To fll Williams ASA posi-
tion, Sapna Chaudhry, the for-
mer math resource teacher, was
promoted to become the acting
ASA. Chaudhry said she was
not initially thinking about [an
administrative position], but
approached Mr. Gregory to
fnd out the responsibilities at-
tached to the ASA position,
and he encouraged her to apply.
Chaudhry explained that her posi-
tion is labeled as acting ASA be-
cause of how late into the school
year things developed. With All-
rich and Mazer leaving near the
start of the school year it was not
in the best interest of our school
to have a whole interview pro-
cess, and that is why [the] posi-
tion is acting for the time being.
Although Gregory felt that the
process was stressful, he is very
happy for both Allrich and Mazer
to have middle school experience.
A recurring pattern in this
administration is promoting
from within Sherwood. I al-
ways look for the best candi-
date, for someone who believes
in the best of students and adults
and I have found that strong
people within the school al-
ready have that, said Gregory.
Gregory also clarifed that outside
candidates were brought in to in-
terview for the assistant principal
position but that for a few times,
especially for resource teach-
er positions, the top candidates
have been all inside the building.
Gregory said that he is excited to
work with Williams in her new
assistant principal position and
Chaudhry in the ASA position.
Changes Take Place in the Math Department
At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, changes with-
in the math department of Sherwood affected many students
and teachers alike. Former resource teacher of the math depart-
ment and AP Statistics teacher Sapna Chaudhry was promoted
to Sherwoods acting Assistant School Administrator, leading
to changes of other teachers positions within the department.
AP Calculus teacher Thomas Cohan has taken over Chaudhrys
AP Statistics courses. Cohan was essentially one of the few teach-
ers able to teach statistics classes, as he has had experience with
teaching statistics (including AP). Cohan had taught AP Statistics
about 10 years ago, and still gladly accepts the challenge of ac-
quiring more students and teaching with a more rigorous schedule.
I had 90 new students after one weekits a lot of work, but I
look forward to the challenge and relearning the class because I dont
like teaching the same thing over and over again. Statistics is one of
my favorite classes because of how real and in-depth it is, said Cohan.
Not surprisingly, the move has caused some minor stress to all
those undergoing change, but with the support of the math team as
a whole, the transition is expected to smooth out in no time. The
math department has acquired a new department resource teacher,
Jordan Bennett. Bennett had joined the Sherwood community during
the 2013-2014 school year, so he is not entirely new, but with the
changes going on and his recent promotion to department chair,
things may certainly be seen from a different perspective. Since
taking his new administrative position, Bennett looks forward to
working with the math team and working with students and staff
to make for a good school year using his newly earned position.
Taking over the position was smooththe changes were a bit
different with the change in routine and with teachers out of their
comfort zone, said Bennett. But I look forward to the challenges of
the new year and we expect the math department to be a great one.
by Ankur Kayastha 15
by Emily Gilburt 16
In 2009, MCPS began us-
ing a web-based program called
myMCPS that was intended to re-
place and enhance the features of
Edline, which serves the MCPS
community by providing commu-
nication of grades, school events
and other information. However,
as of 2014, the myMCPS program
is still only accessible to school
staff. Although the school sys-
tem has indicated that myMCPS
will become available to parents
and students this year, there has
been no formal announcement
regarding a switch from Edline
to the internal web-based system.
The switch from Edline to
myMCPS has proven more dif-
fcult than anticipated due to
the necessary fnancial invest-
ment as well as technological
hurdles to provide certain safe-
guards for the website in order
to disable students from access-
ing material that is off-limits.
Currently, myMCPS is used
by school staff as a portal for
organized school system infor-
mation, school and student data,
and internal communication. For
more than a year, MCPS offcials
have been describing the benefts
of the program once it becomes
fully functional. The expansion
of myMCPS to include parents
and students will provide a com-
munity forum for document shar-
ing, accessing curriculum and
resources, video conferencing,
sending messages about key learn-
ing experiences, and monitoring
progress on students work, said
Kara Trenkamp, the director of
the Department of Instructional
Technology for MCPS, in a Jan-
uary 30 article in The Warrior.
According to a memo writ-
ten to the Board of Education in
2009 by former Superintendent
Jerry Weast, the myMCPS pro-
gram was established with a goal
in mind of eventually eliminating
external systems, such as Edline.
MCPS Keeps Pushing Back Date to Stop Using Edline
By eliminating the use of multi-
ple external systems, we can bud-
get our resources more effective-
ly, Weast wrote fve years ago.
In the time since, MCPS has
continued to indicate its desire to
stop using Edline. The school
system would consider ending the
use of Edline if it was determined
that myMCPS can fully replace
it, MCPS spokesperson Dana
Tofg said, adding that it would
be ideal if the school system
could use just one online system.
It is possible that some chang-
es could be ready for this school
year, stated Tofg to the Gazette.
The goal was to try to ex-
pand myMCPS to provide more
access for students. Edline is
great. It is wonderful. It is a prod-
uct that is run by an outside orga-
nization and we wanted to bring it
in house and expand on it, stated
Tofg in a February 2013 article.
In the meantime, students and
parents will continue to use Ed-
line until myMCPS is available.
The WarriorNews
October 9, 2014
3
Allen Family, Armstrong Family, Bardach Family, Brady Family, Bray Family, Brigham Family, Bush Family,
Matthew and Louise Cahill, Calles Family, Chauhan Family, Copeland Family, Corman Family, Cosca Family,
Cosgrove/Romeo Family, Cudd Family, Deal Family, Dowrick Family, Rosanne Ferris, Lynn Fields & Steve White,
Ganey Family, Glaudemans Family, Glickman Family, Gun Family, Robert & Lynette Hall, Stacey & Taylor Harris,
Hierholzer Family, Hoyt & Karen Hughes, Joe and Kathy Hughes, Jou Family, Steve Kanstoroom & Susan Mize,
Kayastha Family, Keilsohn Family, Kendall Family, Kress Family, Kyber/Loughran Family, Lampshire Family,
Betsy & Mark Levy, Little Family, Macrae Family, Mezebish Family, Mize Family, Moeller Family, Murphy Family,
Nemes Family, Nnabue Family, Paholski Family, Patanwala Family, Laura & Craig Sanchez, Santini Family,
Robyn and Joel Schwartz, Siberry-Reody Family, Singer Family, Sousane Family, Spillman Family, Sundell Family,
Sussol Family, Sutherland Family, Loana Thorndahl, Thorndahl Family, Tom Family, Townsend Family,
Van Gelder Family, Cindy & Mike Weitzner, Wells Family, White Family, Whitt Family, Wilpon Family, Cal Wilson,
Tod & Renate Wilson, Witkin Family, Wondimu Family, Yates Family
If you are interested in becoming a patron, contact Peter Huck at Peter_J_Huck@mcpsmd.org
or go to the Warrior Online at www.thewarrioronline.com
The Warrior thanks its many wonderful patrons:
Community Grieves Loss of
Student after Car Accident
Chick-fl-A To Come to Olney in Near Future
by Meagan Barrett 15
Chick-fl-A representatives
revealed a proposal to build a
4,780 square foot establishment
in Olney during a July meeting
with a group of Olney represen-
tatives. According to the compa-
nys plans, the future restaurant is
set to include a drive-thru, chil-
drens play place, and 120 seat
occupancy. The goal is to give the
restaurant more of a street pres-
ence by giving it outdoor seat-
ing as well as a pedestrian con-
nection off of Georgia Avenue.
Chick-fl-A will replace the
small building adjacent to Five
Guys, which currently houses
Master Method Karate, S Clean-
ers and Designs by Nicole. The
building, as well as an unoccu-
pied house on the east end of the
property, is going to be razed.
Along with changing the
building, the company is planning
to work with Five Guys, Chipotle
and Gormans Garments and Gear
to completely overhaul the park-
ing lot and create a space with
more than 170 parking spaces.
During the meeting of Olney
representatives, one representa-
tive, who refrained from giving
her name, expressed concern that
the political, moral, and religious
viewpoints of Chick-fl-A execu-
tives may not align with those of
the Olney community. In June,
2012, the president of the com-
pany, Dan Cathy, son of founder
Truett Cathy, openly expressed
his disapproval of gay and lesbi-
an couples and their right to mar-
riage. Under criticism, Cathy said
he was guilty as charged, and
that he and the other company
executives believed in upholding
the biblical defnition of marriage.
Conservative political fgurehead
Mike Huckabee then established
on social media that August 1,
2012 was National Chick-fl-A
Appreciation Day, later support-
ed and advertised by former pres-
idential candidate Rick Santorum.
While Cathys viewpoints
made Chick-fl-A more popu-
lar in conservative areas, Ol-
ney is predominantly liberal.
It was a brief concern that res-
idents political and religious
affliations would prevent them
from frequenting Chick-fl-A.
However, no other representa-
tives considered it a problem.
What others saw as more
of a concern was whether or
not Olney needs another fast
food restaurant when there are
more than 20 already within a
three-mile radius of the town.
In response, Chick-fl-A of-
fered examples of its commu-
nity involvement at previous-
ly established locations. Many
places offer family-oriented
activities such as story night, fa-
ther-daughter night and others.
While Olney is already over-
fowing with fast food, Chick-
fl-A promises to add a unique
experience to the community.
There are no fnal arrange-
ments as of yet, but a lot of
planning has been done in order
to accommodate for the possi-
bility. It is likely that within the
next two years, Chick-fl-A will
make an appearance in Olney.
An artists rendition of what a possible Chick-fl-A may look like. The
plan is to build Chick-fl-A in Olney near the Five Guys and Chipotle.
from CLUBS, pg. 1
MCPS Financially Supports Athletics as Many Non-Athletic Clubs Struggle
[Athletic Director Kathy] Greens
job to make sure that all the mon-
ey is distributed evenly, she said.
In total, athletics reve-
nue for the 2013-2014 school
year was $197,586. In addition
to the allocation from MCPS,
sources of money included
$28,120 from the Warrior Boost-
er Club, $50,848 from gate re-
ceipts, and $42,210 from var-
ious fundraising campaigns.
Sherwood sports in total
spent $222,526 last year. The
overall Athletics account be-
gan the 2013-14 year with a
balance of $100,913 and ended
the year with $75,974 in its ac-
count. In contrast, most clubs
and activities started the year
with zero, and ended it with the
same amount, since the only
money that came in was spent.
While a few non-athletic ac-
tivities receive a small amount of
money from MCPS, that amount
is barely enough to cover yearly
expenses or cover costs of buy-
ing new or replacing damaged
equipment. The drama depart-
ment, for example, only received
$275 in program aids last year.
While some organizations
have built networks of fnancial
support from the parent com-
munity, no singular booster club
exists to generally support the ef-
forts of the schools clubs and ac-
ademically-focused extracurricu-
lar activities. Similarly, the school
itself provides limited fnancial
support for a small number of
the many non-athletic activities.
www.gazette.net
from ACCIDENT, pg. 1
his recovery at Mount Washing-
ton Pediatric Center.
The Sherwood community
has united to commemorate the
life of Shawn and support the
families of the other two boys
involved in the accident. Shawn
was an easy-going 15-year-old
who enjoyed making people
laugh. He was a member of the
Sherwood lacrosse team, but
also loved to draw, ski, skate-
board and play Hacky Sack.
Since the accident, there have
been several prayer sessions and
small group gatherings held out-
side of school across the Sher-
wood community. On August 31,
Oakdale Emory Church hosted a
candlelight vigil, where friends
and loved ones shared their fa-
vorite memories of Shawn and
exchanged fowers to support one
another through the diffcult time.
Many have also gathered
around the site of the accident to
honor his life. Friends of Shawn
colored the tree his favorite col-
or, purple, and left him fowers,
lacrosse gear, notes, posters,
and articles of clothing that held
meaning to him. On one poster
was a photograph of Shawn with
messages written to him: Keep
smiling; Rest easy Warrior;
You brought joy to everyone.
The tree has served as another
meeting place in which members
of the community join to mourn
the death and celebrate the life
of one of its beloved members.
Returning to school after La-
bor Day weekend, students par-
ticipated in a school-wide blue-
out in honor of Shawn and the
mark he left on Sherwood. Not
only were students able to come
together during their advisory
periods that Tuesday morning,
but they were welcome to the
Ertzman Theater until lunch to
help cope with the tragedy. Stu-
dents had the opportunity to talk
to counselors and sign posters for
the three boys and their siblings
in order to show their support.
A viewing was held on Sep-
tember 8 at St. Peters Church in
which members of the community
could pay their respects and send
their condolences to the Gangloff
family. A funeral service was held
the following day at St. Peters
Church, where community mem-
bers joined in offcially celebrat-
ing Shawns life for a fnal time.
During the funeral, Shawns
mother, Allison Gangloff, ex-
pressed her hopes that her sons
death could serve as a lesson for
his peers. She spoke of parents
setting rules for their teenagers
and how important it is for teen-
agers to make good choices. She
explained that while it is import-
ant to have fun, it is also important
to know where to draw the line.
Although Sherwood lost a
wonderful member of its commu-
nity, Shawns organs were donated
and have already been used to im-
prove the lives of seven patients.
May Shawn live on in our
memories and may we always
remember, in the words of his
mother, Even though Shawn
died young, he lived his life to the
fullest.
The WarriorSchool Safety
4 October 9, 2014
Door Security
Access System
Faces Delays
by Sammie Spillman 16
The full use of the security system that
was installed last June in the front lobby,
lower H-hall doors and upper B-hall doors
has been delayed. The new access control
system is required by MCPS at all of its
schools. The system is not yet functional
at Sherwood and other high schools, but
MCPS has implemented the use of control
systems in elementary and middle schools.
Sherwoods control system should come
into place as early as next semester.
The computerized system will secure
the building from the outside during the
day and better monitor who enters and ex-
its the school. A physical barrier is to be
installed, leading visitors from the front
doors directly to the main offce.
Security Team Leader Pat Rooney
is disappointed that the control system is
not functional. If you had another tool at
your command, why not [use it]? Rooney
asked. Although the front door is not locked
during the day, security always monitors it,
according to Rooney.
Although the system is not fully oper-
ational, MCPS has added 16 cameras over
the past year at Sherwood to better monitor
the hallways and card readers outside some
of the doors. Eventually, teachers will re-
ceive cards that will permit them to enter
the school after-hours by swiping their key
card to unlock the door. When visitors en-
ter the school, they will have to go to the
main offce and check in by swiping their
drivers license. The card-reading machine
can conduct a background check, accord-
ing to Rooney. Any visitors coming in will
also receive a white nametag with the date
and time they entered the building.
Offcer Veiga Finds Welcoming Second Home
by Ketki Chauhan 16
Mauricio Veiga is Sherwoods new
School Resource Offcer (SRO). This
year is the frst year MCPS has assigned a
SRO, or uniformed police offcer, to all 25
schools in the county. Veiga is a graduate
from Springbrook and has lived in Mont-
gomery County his entire life. For seven
years, he has worked in the school system,
and he has been in the police department
for over 11 years. He is also a decentral-
ized hostage negotiator, a detective and a
defensive tactics instructor who has spent
a majority of his career in Silver Spring
as a patrol offcer. He was one of the frst
police offcers to arrive on scene, call out
and make entry at the Discovery Building
on September 1, 2010 when a lone gunman
held three people hostage.
What are your responsibilities and how
are they different from Sherwoods secu-
rity team?
Part of my responsibility here at Sherwood
is to build a [harmonious relationship] be-
tween the police department, the students,
the staff and the community. There are cer-
tain crimes that can only be handled by the
police that I am here to handle. There are a
lot of school policies that are not criminal,
in which the police have no jurisdiction.
Those would strictly be handled by school
security and school administration.
How are the assignments to the different
high schools made?
When there is an opening at a school for
a School Resource Offcer, an application
is placed out to the department. Offcers
who are interested write a letter of inter-
est and then are given an interview. The
interview includes the lieutenant in charge
of the school offcer position, a principal
within that district and generally a sergeant
or above. Based on the interviews, an off-
cers yearly reviews are looked at, and then
the most qualifed applicants are placed in
schools. When you apply, it depends on the
number of openings in the district; offcers
can put a preference of which school they
would like to go to. Its kind of like a wish
list.
Why were you interested in coming to a
school?
There are a couple of reasons. One, I used
to teach middle school. My degree is in sec-
ondary education social studies. So, I was
in the school system for seven years and
taught for two. Even on the road, Ive had
a close relationship with the schools Ive
worked with. With Sherwood in particular,
Ive worked different sporting events here,
and Ive enjoyed them. I also know a lot of
the staff here. My kids are also in this clus-
ter. Sherwood was a school I really wanted
to be a part of.
How have the students and staff interact-
ed with you?
The students have been very positive and
very polite. Some have asked me questions
like how to become a police offcer and how
I like Sherwood. They have also expressed
their gratitude about me being here. One of
the primary reasons we are in the school is
to show that just because a police offcer
is here, it doesnt mean its a bad thing; it
can be a positive thing too. The staff has
been very supportive. Theyve shown me
around and welcomed me here. Its like a
second home.
Why do you think it took so long to put a
police offcer in all 25 high schools?
When the program initially started, there
was an offcer in every high school. With
the economy getting so bad, we had a job
freeze. Instead of hiring new offcers, they
had to take offcers out of schools and put
them back in the stations. With the econo-
my getting better, we can go ahead and put
them back in schools.
Progression of
School Safety
Springbrook graduate Mauricio Veiga is Sherwoods newest School Resource Offcer.
by Ryan Deal 16
SDFSCA Creates Pathway
for Safer Schools
The Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities Act,
passed in 1994, was one of the
frst laws passed by Congress
to beter promote school safe-
ty. The law called for programs
that would work toward cre-
ating drug-free communities,
decreasing the crime rate and
improving discipline among
the student body. This law was
essential in creating a welcom-
ing and inviting atmosphere
within schools. It was met
with praise by school stafs
and parents across the nation.
1994
Controversial Bill Enforces
Unique Requirement
On February 12, 1998, the Senate
approved a bill that would pro-
vide all California schools with
a security ofcer to protect stu-
dents and staf. The SB 1626, as
it was named, was the frst law of
its kind to allow for such a pres-
ence in a school. With such a bold
new provision being installed,
other schools began to take no-
tice. This California law was one
of the frst signifcant school se-
curity laws to be enforced be-
fore Columbine. Many laws
after the massacre were craft-
ed based of of this precedent.
1998
Columbine Massacre Puts
Spotlight on School Safety
On April 20, 1999, the nation was
blindsided with a horrifc trag-
edy that occurred in the town
of Columbine, Colorado. Two
students with mental disorders,
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold,
opened fre within Columbine
High School, murdering 15 stu-
dents and teachers and wound-
ing 24 others. The events sparked
a national debate on what
should be done regarding the
safety of students. The massa-
cre was one of the largest school
shootings and worked as a cat-
alyst for school safety reform.
1999
How do you think school security can be
improved?
To be honest, the Sherwood security team
is very good. Mr. Rooney and his team are
very effcient; they know the students, the
staff and the school. I think that their mod-
el is excellent; they have a fantastic rela-
tionship with the administration and work
closely with the police department. A lot of
times things can be prevented by having
that proactive, good relationship with the
students. We can come to you and let you
know if something is going on in order to
prevent something. The key is a security
team that has a good relationship with the
administration and their School Resource
Offcer. It makes for a really successful
program.
What are your expectations about being
at Sherwood?
Every day is a day that I come in and learn
something new. I have expressed interest
to several teachers to go into their class-
rooms and to talk about the department,
law or any other topic they would like. I
have also gone in for the ESOL classes.
Ive had a wonderful opportunity to speak
to some parents who only speak Spanish.
Im really happy to be able to connect
with some members of the community that
didnt have the opportunity before.
Chase Wilson 17
Over the last two decades,
school safety has been a hotly
debated issue among politicians
and the general population
alike. Events such as the tragic
shootings at Columbine, Virgi-
na Tech and Sandy Hook have
made school safety one of the
major issues of the twenty-frst
century, and various policies
have been enacted to create saf-
er environments nationwide.
The WarriorSchool Safety
October 9, 2014
5
No Child Left Behind Law
Attempts to Solve Problems
One of the most infuential laws
of the 2000s was the No Child
Left Behind Act. Signed into law
by President George W. Bush, the
act sought to improve the quali-
ty of education for students and
protect them from any trouble
that they may encounter during
their school career. The law stat-
ed that any students that atended
what was labeled by the state as
a persistently dangerous public
school must transfer to a safe
school. This provision was includ-
ed largely to put students in a nur-
turing and healthy environment.
2001
IDEA Mandates Help For
Those in Need
The Individuals with Disabili-
ties Education Act (IDEA) was an
important act that placed an em-
phasis on assisting and providing
proper educational services to
those with special needs. Despite
opposition of the act from many
teachers, who felt the excessive
workload would take away from
teaching time, the law was passed
and has been improved consid-
erably over the years. As an ex-
tension of the No Child Left Be-
hind Act, this law additionally
aimed to stop potentially violent
circumstances before they begin.
2004
Safety Measures Expanded
After Sandy Hook
After the tragedy that occurred
in Newtown, Connecticut on De-
cember 14, 2012, a new set of mea-
sures were enacted in many states
to prevent future crises. In Ruther-
ford County, Tennessee, all 24 el-
ementary schools were permited
one security ofcer for protection.
Asheville, North Carolina spent
$1.3 million for automatic doors
and additional social workers to
beter protect the schools. The
new measures made the Newtown
shooting arguably the most infu-
ential tragedy since Columbine in
terms of improving school safety.
2013
Steubes Firearm Bill
Tabled In the Senate
Florida Congressman Greg Steu-
be (R), with the help of the Na-
tional Rife Association (NRA),
crafted a bill that would allow
for designated school person-
nel to possess a frearm at all
times in case of an emergency.
The controversial bill, which
also called for school drills that
would prepare a student for an
active-shooter situation, passed
through the House of Represen-
tatives quickly. However, the bill
has been stalled in the Senate for
months and may never come up
for discussion among senators.
2014
New Disciplinary Policy in Effect
by Stacey Wells 15
In order to confront the prob-
lems of racial disparities and the
high number of suspensions in
MCPS, offcials have issued a
new disciplinary policy that went
into effect at the start of the 2014-
15 school year. The county hopes
the policys increased fexibility
will be able to help students learn
and improve, instead of simply
punishing them.
A disciplinary matrix is
now being utilized. Each matrix
describes a punishable behav-
ior, which has an accompanying
range of consequences. Students
are able to look over the new pol-
icy and the matrices in the 2014-
2015 Code of Conduct booklet.
Say a student continues to
disrupt class by talking out of
turn. The policys increased elas-
ticity allows the student to poten-
tially have a meeting with his or
her parents, teacher and admin-
istrator to evaluate the problem
and to select the most appropri-
ate punishment. According to the
Code of Conduct booklet, con-
sequences for engaging in mi-
nor behavior that distracts from
the learning environment range
from a written apology to an in-
school suspension. Factors such
as the type of behavior, frequency
of the behavior, and the students
record will be taken into consid-
eration when deciding a punish-
ment. If the student changes his
behavior after a stern conversa-
tion, he might just have to write
an apology. However, if the stu-
dent continues to antagonize and
verbally abuse other people, he/
she might face an in-school sus-
pension.
Principal Bill Gregory strong-
ly agrees with the new MCPS
policy. It seems to be much more
positive in terms of expectations
and how we respect one another,
said Gregory. It allows for fexi-
bility standardization [and] an
opportunity to learn more about
students needs.
The main goal of the new
disciplinary policy is to address
concerns about the prevalence of
Peer Mediation Returns
To Support Student Body
Studies show that peer me-
diation has a positive effect on
students who are in confict with
each other. The head of Peer Me-
diation, Erin McKenna, and the
rest of the counseling department
are working to bring the program
back to Sherwood this year.
Peer mediation worked re-
ally well at Sherwood. Students
responded well to the support and
mediators did their job better than
expected, McKenna explained.
However, the funding, which was
essential to running the training
and for supplies, was limited.
We lost funding and my support
team, said McKenna. It became
much more diffcult to maintain,
so we had to stop the program
[before the 2013 school year].
McKenna frst observed Peer
Mediation in Howard County. In
middle schools and high schools,
mediation was a prominent fea-
ture. The county paid for train-
by Annie Feinroth 15
racial disparities and the number
of suspensions in schools. Instead
of just handing out harsh punish-
ments to any student who breaks
the rules, the new policy steers
towards a more rehabilitative ap-
proach. Suspensions have already
decreased by about 37 percent in
MCPS last school year, but they
will continue to be given out for
serious offenses or as last steps in
the disciplinary process.
Taking students out of
school leads to a disinterest in
school this [new] policy takes
away harsh consequences when
theyre not needed, said Grego-
ry.
Gregory also thinks that this
policy will be a positive step to-
wards reducing racial discrepan-
cies. Even though the rate of sus-
pensions continues to decrease,
African American and Hispanic
students are still being suspend-
ed at a higher rate than other stu-
dents. Offcials hope that by im-
plementing this new policy, racial
inequality in school discipline
will continue to diminish.
ing and supported us with a lot
of staff, she said. Since MCPS
doesnt fund the program, McK-
enna applied for a grant in 2009
and received only a little over
$1,000.
McKenna plans to have Peer
Mediation back as soon as pos-
sible, hopefully even more ef-
fectively than in past years. We
want to bring the program to as
many students as possible . . . the
more exposure the better, she
said.
McKenna is hoping to have
applications out by the end of the
month, looking for a group of at
least 20 students. Depending on
how the frst months go, McKen-
na hopes to bring up the program
during Advisory Period, possibly
having a discussion run by medi-
ators to explain the goals of the
program and how other students
can participate. Hopefully, the
students will respond well to the
program, so it can stay in place
for years to come.
6
The WarriorFeatures
October 9, 2014
by Chase Wilson 17
English 10 and Theatre
teacher Chris Goodrich may be
a new teacher to Sherwood this
year, but he comes with many ex-
periences to share with students.
Goodrich was a stage actor be-
fore he started teaching and has
been awarded the Stella Adler
Studio Whos Who award and
the Audience Favorite Award for
his work. He also has published
an acclaimed book of poetry.
Before transferring to Sher-
wood, Goodrich taught at North-
wood for six years. He started
his teaching career as an adjunct
professor at New York Univer-
sity, and after that he was hired
as an adjunct English professor
for Frostburg University. I liked
what [acting] offered in terms
of working with people so
it got me interacting [with stu-
dents] and it brought me into a
world of ideas, Goodrich said.
Goodrich transferred to Sher-
wood in part for the students
positive attitude toward learning,
along with the administrations
support of their teachers. If he
could pick his perfect class to
teach, it would be creative writing
with oral interpretation, a class
that would focus on the kind of
speech and words a person uses
when reading poems out loud.
When he was in high school,
Goodrich joined the theatre club
and stayed in it for the duration
of his four years there before at-
tending New York University.
He graduated and began direct-
Studies Confrm Later
Start Times Are Benefcial
by Steven Witkin 16
The American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), a nationwide
group of 62,000 pediatricians,
made a policy statement on Au-
gust 25 highly recommending the
delaying of school start times as a
solution to widespread sleep def-
ciencies among teens. The state-
ment came less than three months
after Superintendent Joshua
Starr recommended that MCPS
not move forward with the start
time schedule proposed in 2013.
The AAPs policy statement
refects the fndings of several
scientifc studies. In 2006, a poll
showed that 87 percent of high
school students get less than the
recommended eight and a half
hours of sleep each night, with
the average student sleeping
less than seven hours. The same
poll showed that 28 percent of
students fall asleep in class at
least once a week. Insuffcient
sleep doesnt just make students
tired; the AAP reports that repet-
itive sleep loss can increase the
chances of anxiety, mood disor-
ders, car crashes, cardiovascu-
lar disease and Type 2 diabetes.
While sleep patterns de-
pend on many infuences, the
time frst period begins sets a
concrete barrier on when stu-
dents have to wake up. Several
studies have shown that the av-
erage teenager develops sleep
rhythms best suited to fall asleep
around 11 p.m. and wake around
8 a.m. With 43 percent of public
high schools starting before 8
am, students often have to catch
a bus much earlier and rarely
achieve this ideal sleep schedule.
As school systems make the
change to later start times, sever-
al have been studied to measure
the change in sleep patterns and
student performance. A school
district which delayed start times
from 7:30 to 8:30 found that the
percentage of students averaging
over 8 hours of sleep rose from 37
percent to 50 percent. Other stud-
ies of schools that moved the start
time to after 8 a.m. found that,
with more sleep, some students
achieved higher grades in core
subjects and standardized tests.
Since a conglomerate of stud-
ies and a nationwide pediatrics
organization show strong sup-
port for later start times, why did
Starrs plan come to a halt? The
plan to move high school start
times to 8:15, 15 minutes earlier
than the AAP-recommended 8:30,
was tentatively denied due to the
$21 million cost of extra busing.
There is a future possibil-
ity that state and federal gov-
ernments will offer money to
schools systems pursuing lat-
er start times. Another decid-
ing factor was the results of
polls of over 75,000 MCPS
students, parents and teachers.
Only 50 percent of high
school students and staff sup-
ported the change, and there
was even less enthusiasm in the
elementary schools. The plan
is not completely dead; Starr
said the board will continue to
discuss and monitor the issue.
Whether the many benefts
of later start times are worth the
high cost is now left for future
MCPS board members to de-
termine the next time a school
start time change is proposed.
Chris Goodrich, a new English teacher, calmly awaits a fresh group of students before class begins.
English Department Gains Member
ing throughout the city before
he moved back to Maryland, his
home state. Goodrich and his wife
then started Unexpected Stage,
a theatre company, in 2010. His
Theatre class meshes his teaching
career with his passion for acting.
Goodrich started his poetry
career in college and continues it
today. I have a masters degree in
poetry and creative writing with a
concentration in poetry that I got
in 2005, Goodrich said. I was
at a point in my life where I real-
ly wanted to study just language
and written word so I took two
years and I just studied poetry.
In 2009, his frst book of poems,
Nevertheless, Hello, was pub-
lished by Steel Toe Books, and the
second one titled No Texting at
the Dinner Table is forthcoming.
Teachers Utilize Social Media To Communicate with Students
by Samantha Schwartz 16
Social media has begun to
run teenagers lives. They feel
obligated to tell the world what
they are doing, whether its
tweeting their love for Chi-
potle or Instagraming a quick
picture from the party the night
before. Many teachers have no-
ticed this technology obsession
and opened their classrooms to it.
Teachers throughout Sher-
wood have been logging in and
connecting with students for easy
contact to answer quick questions
about homework or to inform stu-
dents of upcoming assignments.
Teachers use sites that they
feel are most helpful and acces-
sible. Social studies resource
teacher Christine McKeldin
has an available Twitter ac-
count for her students. McKel-
din believes that Twitter is a fast
way to share information with
her AP Psychology students.
With the choice of many dif-
ferent social media sites, McK-
eldin chose Twitter over Face-
book and Instagram because of
its ease and widespread usage.
McKeldin uses her Twitter
account to answer students ques-
tions and communicate with them
about the course. [They have]
quick and easy access to me for
questions or to share information.
My school e-mail does not come
through on my phone but my twit-
ter notifcations do. I also gain
a lot by following and sharing
ideas with other teachers across
the nation, said McKeldin. She
believes it has made communi-
cation easier and hopes that more
of her students choose to use it.
English teacher Beth Dibler
has the same idea as McKeldin for
easy communication with her stu-
dents, but she prefers Facebook,
which allows students to create
groups based on classes. Dibler
then joins the group and can an-
swer questions, keep students up
to date, and easily communicate.
She is able to participate in the
group and still keep her Facebook
page private from her students.
Dibler believes that Facebook
is a helpful tool and has allowed
students to gain more information
that they could not before. First,
[students] can get pretty immedi-
ate feedback on their questions.
Other students who may have
the same questions can then see
my response, saving them time
as well. Second, I think it helps
students gain a comfort level. If
they are more comfortable com-
municating on Facebook, that
then translates into more relaxed
students, which often means
higher quality work said Dibler.
Junior Abby Palmer has
both technology-savvy teachers
McKeldin and Dibler. Palmer
fnds their involvement with so-
cial media to be very helpful.
Not all of Palmers teachers
use the Internet to communicate
with students and she believes
that it would be helpful to have
teachers on social media because
thats mainly how [students]
communicate with each other. Its
easier, faster and more convenient
for us to reach them, said Palmer.
Social media has taken
over and impacted many stu-
dents lives. Teachers are slow-
ly but increasingly jumping
on the bandwagon, hoping to
use social media to advance
learning in their classrooms.
Haley Whitt 15
compiled by Allie Pino 15
The WarriorFeatures
October 9, 2014
7
by Meagan Barrett 15
illustration by Helen Schmitt 15
...there is a bias against introverts?
In society today, everyone is
expected to be outgoing, talkative
and perpetually social. Whats
often overlooked is the fact that
some people are not geared to
be as expressive, animated, and,
well extroverted as these ex-
pectations would suggest. In fact,
approximately one out of every
three people in the United States
is an introvert, and arent even
aware of it. On the quieter end
of the spectrum, introverts tend
to be more thoughtful, reserved
and less social than extroverts.
The term introvert im-
plies that a person is stimulated
by internal stimuli, such as
ideas and thoughts, while ex-
troverts are stimulated by ex-
ternal stimuli, such as people,
places and activities. More than
that, there are distinct differ-
ences in the way blood fows
through the brain, as well as the
chemicals released by the brain.
More blood fows to the
brain in introverts, causing more
stimulation. Extroverts make
up for the lack of stimulation
by turning to the outside world.
The pathway the blood takes
through the brain is also longer
for introverts, passing through
areas that are associated with
matters of internal focus, such
as memory and planning; sim-
ply speaking, introverts spend
a lot more time thinking about
their thoughts before they share
them. Extroverts, on the other
hand, think with pathways linked
directly to sensory information,
producing a response almost at
the same time they are process-
ing what someone else has said.
Also, the chemicals need-
ed to feel happiness vary be-
tween the two. Extroverts run
on dopamine, which activates
the sympathetic nervous system
and provokes action, rewarding
activity and physical accomplish-
ment; however, introverts release
acetylcholine, which rewards
activities such as thinking and
feeling with happiness. Acetyl-
choline activates the parasympa-
thetic nervous system rather than
the sympathetic, and promotes
withdrawal from a situation.
A common misconception
is that introverted is the same as
shy, and extroverted is the same
as outgoing, but nothing could
be further from the truth. A shy
person may very well be an ex-
trovert, meaning they want social
interaction but are afraid of it.
On the other hand, an introvert
can be very sociable and easy
to talk to they may just pre-
fer not to. And introverts dont
necessarily dislike people. They
simply cant handle too much
social interaction without get-
ting overstimulated and needing
some alone time to cool down.
Its been argued recently,
spearheaded by Susan Caine,
author of Quiet: The Power of
Introverts in a World that Cant
Stop Talking, that society is
designed for and values extro-
version more than introversion.
In fact, public schools are one of
the most dominant places where
the extroversion bias exists. Put-
ting a lot of kids in a big class-
room automatically creates a
highly stimulating environment.
That alone is exhausting for the
introvert. However, school also
encourages group activities and
socialization. If one prefers not
to join in, theyre considered shy
or quiet. It starts out cute, but as
the kid grows older, people see
it as a crippling attribute; it ap-
pears to hold the person back.
While the intentions of
teaching kids to work in groups
and jump in socially are al-
truistic, it teaches introverted
children to dislike their intro-
version, and tells them what
they feel and prefer is invalid.
Telling this to a child consis-
tently can be detrimental to ones
self esteem. But problems such
as these can be fxed by making
teachers and school staff aware of
the possibility that certain students
will be introverts and may need
structured alone time in their day.
Allowances could be made
to certain students, even in
simple ways such as letting
a student take a break from
the loud and overwhelming
classroom while they work in-
dependently in the hallway.
Simple solutions like these
can easily relieve the stress of
spending seven straight hours a
day with people, which is far more
than most introverts can handle.
The next step after that is for so-
ciety itself to be made aware of
the differences, and recognize
that there is nothing less valuable
about the way introverts function.
Some of the worlds best
thinkers are introverts, and its
important for society as a whole to
recognize that, rather than trying
to change the nature of introverts.
Promises of Privacy with New Wi-Fi
by Lauren Cosca 15
As many students have no-
ticed, free Wi-Fi is now available
at Sherwood. The purpose of this
network is to expand the avail-
ability of technology as class-
room material for students and
teachers. It is available to them
on their iPhones, tablets and lap-
tops. The build-
ing-wide wireless
access was in-
stalled in August
and September
of 2013, but was
only available
for MCPS de-
vices. Many new access points
were added and moved in Jan-
uary of this year. Over the sum-
mer, capabilities were added
in order to allow staff and stu-
dents to use the schools net-
work without a key or password.
According to IT Specialist
Andrew Dodge, no additional
equipment was installed when
the Wi-Fi was added to monitor
what the students were doing on
the schools network with their
own personal devices. In relation
to passwords and students priva-
cy, most websites that are visited
encrypt passwords so the school
has no access to them. It is im-
portant to note that no one [at
Sherwood or in MCPS] is active-
ly looking for passwords or per-
sonal information, said Dodge.
With the popular iPhone, all
incoming and outgoing text mes-
sages to other iPhones are sent
using iMessage, which uses
cellular data, or any available Wi-
Fi. It has been reported that the
staff at the school and the district
wide level are not monitoring
day-to-day text messages. If there
is any suspicion of misuse with-
in the schools Wi-Fi, additional
steps will be taken by the school.
At Sherwoods level, there
is no way for the staff to pull up
any activity of the students on de-
mand. All of the network usage
goes through the same flters and
monitoring tools as the school
computers. There is a web flter
at the point of entry to the MCPS
network, so if certain students are
repetitively trying to view inap-
propriate material, they will be
reported to the school and actions
will be taken at a lower level.
Any websites that are blocked on
the school com-
puters also will
be blocked on
the wireless net-
work. MCPS is
legally required
to follow fed-
eral law in pro-
tecting students on its net-
work from specifc material.
The school expects students
and staff to use the wireless net-
work for educational use. The
rules of technology usage in the
classroom still apply to students;
it will be allowed based on the
teachers discretion. Using the
Wi-Fi is like using the schools
computers. Staff and students
are guests on the network and
should use it as they would on a
school computer, said Dodge.
Myths Behind Societys
Social Expectations
Staff and students are guests on
the MCPS network and should be us-
ing it as they would on a school computer.
~ IT Systems Specialist Andrew Dodge
8
The WarriorFeatures
October 9, 2014
The WarriorHumor
October 9, 2014
9
Experts Mystifed by
Spike in Admission
by Leo Corman 15
An emerging trend has baf-
fed college admissions analysts
across the country: students re-
ally want to go to school in the
state of Colorado. That much is
certainly clear, as statistics point
to a 27.3 percent jump in over-
all enrollment in universities and
colleges across the state, with an
even more astounding 40-percent
increase in applications to Colo-
rado schools. Colorado is appar-
ently the place to be, but no one is
quite sure why.
According to one admis-
sions expert, these fndings are
absolutely remarkable. Its like
nothing Ive ever seen beforeI
simply cannot explain it. Its as if
these kids have some sort of bodi-
ly compulsion, a physical crav-
ing, for life in Colorado. I just
wish I could understand why.
Of course, there is no short-
age of speculation as to the causes
of this recent phenomenon. Some
postulate that Colorados ideal
location in the center of the coun-
try has made it an enticing desti-
nation for students from all over.
Others have hypothesized that
prospective students were attract-
ed by Colorados raucous cele-
bration of Volunteer Recognition
Day (at least thats what students
seemed to be so excited about
on April 20). A few have theo-
rized that the rise in admissions is
linked to Colorados glorious ski-
ing and snowboarding tradition.
However, these people have been
cautioned to not stereotype Colo-
rado by associating it with winter
sports and emphasizing only one
aspect of the state. Nonetheless,
all studies performed to date have
been inconclusive, and the source
of this momentous migration re-
mains undetermined.
One incoming freshman to
the University of Colorado at
Boulder, who identifed him-
self under the pseudonym Bro
Weiss, said the main consider-
ation in his decision was the cam-
pus atmosphere: It was just a re-
ally chill vibe, you know? Thats
what mattered to me: the chill fac-
tor. I knew I wouldnt be able to
handle a school that wasnt chill.
But Im totally stoked to be here.
Theyve got frats, Frisbee and fe-
malesWhat more could I want?
Im also pretty excited for my hy-
droponics class this semester, if
you know what Im saying.
Mr. Weiss also mentioned
that the school cafeteria has an
excellent baked goods section.
While the motivations of Colora-
dos new college students contin-
ue to be hazy, Colorado schools
have undoubtedly smoked their
competition when it comes to ap-
pealing to high school youth.
In other, unrelated news, rec-
reational marijuana use became
legal in Colorado on January 1.
Students Struggle To
Work with Wet Hands
by Stacey Wells 15
Using the bathroom during
the school day is an ordinary
thing for mostif not allstu-
dents. They enter the bathroom,
do their business, wash their
hands and then wait in line
to use the malfunctioning hand
dryer. Most of the time, espe-
cially during lunch, there will be
crowds of people waiting to use a
single dryer. And thats on a good
day.
Students handle this major
inconvenience in a variety of
ways. Some will groan and at-
tempt to wipe their hands on their
jeans before they trudge back to
class. Others unsuccessfully try to
dry their sopping wet hands with
toilet paper, which leaves them
with lovely little scraps of tissue
stuck to their hands.
The rest of the students,
wearing grim faces and heaving
sighs, try to summon up hope that
the hand dryer might just work.
They watch as its sad puff puff
of air lightly breezes over their
hands, evaporating about one per-
cent of the water.
Senior Phil Towellete shares
the feelings of many other stu-
dents. I just hate it, snapped
Towellete. Youre standing in
line forever, and then the hand
dryer doesnt even work!
Other concerns students seem
to have revolve around a very im-
portant issuesafety. Last spring
a group of freshman girls werent
able to dry their hands suffcient-
ly, and while in the hallway they
made contact with several people,
getting arms and clothing soaking
wet. Severe nasty comments and
aggressive behavior ensued.
It was really scary and
dangerous, commented Jenny
Brown. I am now terrifed of the
hand dryers. We need another op-
tion.
A few years ago, there was a
revolutionary device stocked in
each and every bathroompa-
per towels. These thick sheets of
paper were able to dry students
hands extremely fast and even al-
lowed them to return to class in
a reasonable amount of time
which of course is every students
goal.
Students believe that there is
a necessity for a defnite change
in how Sherwood treats their
bathrooms. Paper towels must be
reinstalledbefore its too late.
Danger in Freedomville
by Betselot Wondimu 15
Tensions are faring at the
Mexico-U.S. border as Amer-
ican citizens continue to food
into northern Mexico. Ameri-
cans from Freedomville, Texas,
a small town near the border, are
desperately feeing violence, so-
cial hardship and outright chaos
after Freedomvilles government
suddenly collapsed in July. After
total anarchy engulfed the region,
Americans crossing the border
were deemed refugees by the
United Nations (UN).
The huge surge in illegal im-
migration to Mexico has brought
about a great deal of concern and
anger, as the increase in popu-
lation and clash of cultures are
beginning to take their toll on
Mexican society. The Mexican
people fear for their well-being,
complaining that the majority of
illegal immigrants are coming
equipped with semi-automatic
weapons and cries of Murica!
In response to these claims, mi-
grants have demanded that Mex-
ican thugs dont unfairly paint
them as violent people.
The [undocumented] men
keep on threatening to shoot
our children while theyre play-
ing outside, yelling about their
right to bear arms and repeating
that their self-defense claims
will stand up in a court of law,
said one Mexican resident who
wished to remain anonymous.
They wont stop talking about
their Second Amendment rights.
When I explained to them that we
dont adhere to the U.S. Consti-
tution in Mexico, they called me
a traitor and suggested that I be
deported.
Mexican school districts also
are struggling to deal with the
infux of undocumented children
enrolling in their institutions.
Schools in Mexico opened in Au-
gust and saw their student body
double in size. Many of the chil-
dren are expected to need extra in-
struction in Spanish, including tu-
toring outside of school, offcials
say. Most illegal immigrants have
no profciency in Spanish, and
though they have proudly stated
they have no desire to speak any
language but American, Span-
ish for Speakers of Other Lan-
guages (SSOL) programs have
been promptly created.
Despite their undocument-
ed status and disregard for the
law, citizens from Freedomville
wholeheartedly believe that
crossing the border illegally is
perfectly okay. Listen up, be-
gan Ron Johnson, a former police
offcer from Freedomville, Im
from Murica, the greatest na-
tion to ever bless this flthy earth.
Were facing some tough times
right now. Our governments col-
lapsed; drug violence is on the
rise; hell, Freedomvilles starting
to look like Mexico City. When
the Murican people are living in
that kind of condition, you better
believe well do anything to es-
cape and pursue our happiness.
Johnson began getting emotional,
and after a tear fell into his mus-
tache, he picked up his shotgun
and walked away.
In addition to the horren-
dous condition of Freedomville
and their inalienable right to the
pursuit of happiness, citizens
from Freedomville cited Ameri-
can Exceptionalism and Manifest
Destiny as acceptable reasons for
crossing the border illegally.
I dont understand why the
Mexican people cant take us in as
refugees looking for a safe place
to live and show some compas-
sion to those in need, said Glo-
ria Smith, a former teacher from
Freedomville. I know thats ex-
actly what Americans would do if
the tables were turned.
Illegal Immigrants from Freedomville mumble the Mexican National
Anthem amongst citizens of their newfound country across the border.
cartoon by Helen Schmitt 15
Colorado colleges see inexplicable increase in enrollment.
Source: The Vanderbilt Torch
say the least. Zarrelli works from 6 to 9 on weekdays
and 4 to 10 on weekends. I work right afer practice,
and do homework really early in the morning ex-
plained Zarrelli, who gets up at around 3 a.m. to com-
plete homework.

T
e rigid schedule Zarrelli has set for himself has
paid of with a high cumulative GPA while taking ad-
vanced-level classes. Im taking three APsAP Psy-
chology, AP Statistics, and AP Micro-Economics, but
its all about not procrastinating, said Zarrelli. I know
what I am responsible for; I have to get it done.

Still, Zarrellis dedication is pretty remarkable. He
is not one brag, though. Im not working for a repu-
tation or for fun; it is necessary for my future. Its a
future that Zarrelli already has envisioned. My dream
is to one day be the CEO of a gym franchise.

Students focus better when they do not have too
much on their plate. However, there are exceptions to
this rule, and upperclassmen and even some under-
classmen are balancing a job and school at the same
time. For one example, senior Mike Zarrelli works at
Urban BBQ as an expediter, runner, busser and host
if need be.

I work from 4 to 6 days a week making $8 an
hour, said Zarrelli. I am [saving for tuition] because
I have to pay for college myself. Zarrelli is planning
to go to college in Maryland, in large part because of
in-state tuition costs.

To balance a part-time job and schooland then
to throw school athletics into the mixis difcult to
T
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p
s

t
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a

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f
u
l

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o
b

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r
v
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w
by Catherine Jou 15

T
e profle of the typical student is changing as m
ore
students get jobs during the school year and still m
anage
to balance their academ
ic and social lives. W
ith an ar-
ray of options available, Sherwood students fnd ways to
schedule jobs into their lives.

Senior Jessi Alperin works 9 hours a week babysitting.
She is also a m
em
ber of National English Society, French
Honor Society and National Honor Society and likes to
write and do photography on her own tim
e.

I babysit for about 8-10 diferent fam
ilies but only
one consistently three tim
es a week, said Alperin. Al-
though she usually goes to bed around 11:30 or 12 on
school nights, on the weekends when she is sitting, she
stays up later until the fam
ilies com
e hom
e, which is not
until 1 a.m
. in som
e cases.

Alperin is involved in the m
usical, dinner theater, the
play, and Rock n Roll, which occupies about 90 percent
of her tim
e. Since she is so involved in afer-school ac-
tivities she worries about losing her clients. If you say
no because youre busy, you risk losing your job. Because
I do the m
usical, I end up losing a lot of tim
e
Im
al-
ways really worried that m
y clients arent going to want
to hire m
e again for babysitting because I have such a
busy schedule, said Alperin.

Despite this she is still able to m
aintain her job, do
well in school and have a social life. Alperin balances
school work by taking m
ore APs. She
said, Youre not going to
believe m
e but
taking m
ore
A
P
s
equals less hom
ework. If I wasnt taking four APs last
year I would have had so m
uch hom
ework and I would
have never had any tim
e for weekends
usually [AP]
hom
eworks just outlining. T
en you end up having m
ore
tim
e since you just have to do the outline and dont have
three worksheets and a book to read.

Senior Brenden W
est works 20-25 hours a week at
Ledo Pizza. W
est is on the wrestling team
and in Knitting
for Hum
anity. He also enjoys taking m
ixed m
artial arts
classes and hanging out with friends and he occasionally
shoots at a gun range. Besides the benefts of getting paid
W
est is saving up m
oney to buy a car.

W
hile work defnitely takes up m
y tim
e said W
est,
he m
anages to do activities and academ
ic work by do-
ing his school work in advance, so he can hang out with
friends on the weekends. W
est suggests not to work
too late on school nights. Som
e insightful tips from

W
est on doing well in school and having a social life
while m
anaging a job are to, Stay on top of your
school work; m
ake tim
e for yourself and life; dont
work too m
any hours, said W
est.

Senior M
aryann Agnello is com
pleting the M
edical
Careers Pathway and is in National English Honor Soci-
ety. She works around 12-14 hours a week as a pharm
acy
clerk at Giant. Even with a job she still has a balanced life.
Since she has a half day schedule, she is able to fnish her
hom
ework before she goes to work and so she doesnt
have to stay up later than usual.

I try to stay ahead in m
y classes and not procrastinate
because I know that spare tim
e will pay of in the end,
explained Agnello while advising students. Dont be
afraid to ask for help from
teachers and friends.
Dont stress the sm
all stuf.
P
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k
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d
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f
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s
o
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w
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o

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?
W
h
en
Im
w
o
rk
in
g I rarely
h
ave tim
e to
h
an
g o
u
t w
ith

m
y frien
d
s. B
u
t, I try to
m
ak
e
tim
e o
n
th
e w
eek
en
d
s!


- Emma Nichols 15
I w
o
rk
to
sav
e m
y

m
o
n
ey
fo
r N
ew
Y
o
rk
o
r n
ew
Jo
r-
d
an
s! I a
lso
sav
e m
y
m
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fo
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fu
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re co
lleg
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lan
s.



- Brandon Lowenthal 15
by Annie Feinroth 15
Z
a
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e
l
l
i

M
a
k
e
s

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W
o
r
k
* 29 employed students surveyed
Interviews are all about frst im
pressions. H
ere are som
e tips to
give the right im
pression and m
ake the interview successful:
1. Show up early (or at least on time).
2. Dress appropriately
As a general rule, no denim, sneakers, or overly eccentric or provocative clothing
should be worn. However, your clothing is something that should be
entirely up to you; you should use your best judgment to deter-
mine an appropriate outft that can still show your per-
sonality while ensuring the interviewers biases on
clothing do not prevent you from getting
the job.
3. Keep a positive attitude
T
e best way to do this
is smile! Also, make sure
to keep eye
contact and
have a con-
fdent posture
and mannerisms when an-
swering and listening to questions.
4. Provide intellectual responses
T
e best way to do this is to make sure you
are providing sufcient answers that address
the question in around six sentences, while
using a more formal language instead of mod-
ern colloquialisms. One question that should
always be answered honestly is your schedule. Tell
the interviewer of any conficts and exactly how long
you plan to work there so you dont make any false
commitments. 5. Ask questions
Interviewers especially like to see that you have taken particular interest in their
business and taken the time to fnd out more about working there.
You can demonstrate the research you have done by asking any questions you
have come across along the way.
by Marie Moeller 15
T
h
e

L
i
f
e

o
f

a

W
o
r
k
i
n
g

S
t
u
d
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T
H
E

W
O
R
K
I
N
G












L
I
F
E
The WarriorOpinions
12 October 9, 2014
Warrior
the
ublished seven times a year, The Warrior
serves as Sherwood High Schools premier news
source. Over the years, it has received numerous
state and national honors. With a staff of 37
students and one advisor, The Warrior keeps
the Sherwood community
apprised of local and national events.
All opinion articles represent the
viewpoint of the writer. The unsigned staff
editorials solely represent the opinions of the
newspaper staff. These articles do not necessarily
represent the views of
Sherwood High School.
The Warrior welcomes Letters to the
Editor of 250 words or less. They may be
submitted to room C268 or emailed to
thewarrioronline.shs@gmail.com. Letters must be
signed, and all content received by the newspaper
is subject to editing.
The Warrior staff invites feedback and
corrections to printed inaccuracies.
The Warrior reserves the right to
refuse advertisements.
P
Staff
Print
Layout and Production Directors .................

News Editors ..............................................
Specials Editor ................................................
Features Editors ............................................
Humor Editor .................................................
Spotlight Editor .........................................
Opinions Editors ................................

Wondering Warrior Editor.............................
Entertainment Editors ..................................

Sports Editors ...............................................
Online
Online Managing Editor ................................
Online Page Editors.........................................
Managing Content and Copy Director .......
Content and Copy Editors ...............................
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Morning Announcements Script Editor..............
Staff Reporters ............................................
Business and Publicity Directors.................
Offce Manager ............................................
Advisor...........................................................................

Marie Moeller 15
Betselot Wondimu 15
Connor Loughran 15
Samantha Schwartz 16
Steven Witkin 16
Annie Feinroth 15
Allie Pino 15
Hunter Moore 15
Emma Hierholzer 15
Julia Gajewski-Nemes 15
Will Van Gelder 16
Lauren Cosca 15
Ketki Chauhan 16
Ryan Deal 16
Jack Armstrong 15
Sammie Spillman 16
Brian Hughes 15
Catherine Jou 15
Ashley Nnabue 16
Stacey Wells 15
Meagan Barrett 15
Leo Corman 15
Ankur Kayastha 15
Kira Yates 16
Haley Whitt 15
Helen Schmitt 15
Kaleigh Homer 15
Dalton Sanchez 15
Zach Stubblefeld 15
Allie Pino 15
Jack Armstrong 15
Chase Wilson 17


In Our Opinion
Staff Editorial:
Social Media for a Good Cause?
With the advancement of technology in the
twenty-frst century, social media is slowly be-
coming acknowledged as a reliable source for
news and an acceptable medium for social justice.
Organizations and news sources are largely de-
pendent on social media to educate citizens on na-
tional issues. Most notably, Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis disease (ALS) became a well-known
topic last summer when it went viral on Facebook
and Instagram after the ALS Ice Bucket Chal-
lenge was created to spread awareness of the dis-
ease. While it is very apparent that social media
has a large role in spreading information, its value
to Americas youth remains debatable.
The benefts of social media are clear; young
people are exposed to various causes and have
the chance to directly involve themselves in those
causes. The ALS Foundation, for example, was
able to use fast-paced social media to raise sev-
eral million dollars from donations via promotion
of the Ice Bucket Challenge, which strongly con-
trasts the comparatively minuscule amount the
foundation collected in years past.
Nonetheless, the major increase in ALS funds
is largely due to the participation and generous
donations of celebrities, not those of teenagers.
While many young people participated in the
challenge, the motives behind their participation
were often not in appreciation of the cause but
rather in yearning for attention or simply for fun.
Many completed the challenge to take part in the
new fad. As a result, many teens do not take
the time to fully understand ALS, even though the
facts are readily available to them.
This highlights a latent problem Millennials
have: most dont care about any issue unless a
fun, desirable outcome awaits them. There is a
myriad of information available on social media
concerning injustices and hardships worldwide
from racial and gender discrimination to water
scarcitybut teens have become indifferent to-
ward it. With an overabundance of information
and resources, it becomes diffcult for teens to
discern the importance of different issues, which
leads them to think I cant fx all of these prob-
lems, so why try at all?
Despite these negative aspects, the potential
of social media could override peoples apathy. A
majority of young Americans today have a smart-
phone right in their pockets and constantly check
them. It would be absurd not to use social media
as a medium to fnd out whats going on in the
world around them.
It isnt that social media is necessarily an un-
suitable means for social justice, but that younger
generations have an inappropriate attitude toward
learning. Once they grow more interested in their
surroundings and accept that urgent problems
wont solve themselves, the true power of social
media will be unleashed.
Gianna Bartolini 15
Madison Dymond 16
Emma Izzo 15
Emily Gilburt 16
Stephen Luckey 15
Peter Huck
Content and Copy
cartoon by Emma Hierholzer 15
How effective are social media campaigns in
raising awareness for causes?
Is social media an appropriate medium to share
important information through?
Do teens care about the world
they live in?
The WarriorOpinions
October 9, 2014
13
Chromebooks Belong in STEM
by Ankur Kayastha 15
Continuity in Schedule Policies
by Emma Hierholzer 15
Weve all had them before
teachers who we just cant stand.
As hard as we try, even the most
valiant efforts to reconcile some
sense of understanding fails to be
achieved. Some people just dont
click.
Teacher-student relationships
have always been a key factor in
the distinction between classroom
success and failure. Although
some would argue that a students
maturity plays an overarching role
in his/her liking towards a teach-
er, its never one-sided. Tempting
as it is to blame the younger party,
the older mentor is just as respon-
sible for fostering a productive
and meaningful partnership. This
is why making sure students are
put with teachers they appreci-
ate and giving them the option to
change teachers is so important.
At Sherwood, there is a stat-
ed policy that requesting class
changes because of a confict
with a teacher is not a viable rea-
son. Some counselors honor this
code while others do not. This
inconsistency on the counselors
part only creates an even more
frustrating situation in which
some students get the teachers
they work well with, and the oth-
ers are stuck with whoever they
receive. Although I dont agree
with the schools policy, its only
fair that counselors try to be more
consistent in their decisions to ei-
ther let students modify their as-
signed instructors or not.
However, this is only a small
part of the larger issue at hand. In
the ideal situation, we wouldnt
have to worry whats fair or not.
Instead, students would be giv-
en the freedom to make a choice
about one of the biggest infu-
ences in their academic achieve-
menttheir teachers.
But this privilege will un-
doubtedly never be fulflled. We
should focus on making the pol-
icy that counselors follow more
well-known to both students and
instructors. Whether it is decid-
ed that there should be teacher
changes allowed or not, consis-
tency is key. Although students
will never be given the full ability
to change teachers themselves, a
good compromise between ab-
solute freedom and complete re-
striction would be the evaluation
of each situation on a case-by-
case basis. This way counselors
can have their say while students
feel like their opinions are heard.
With all of this in mind, the
administration should reevaluate
its rescheduling policy. Inevita-
bly, students will want to change
their teachers, but with a more
effcient approach to dealing with
these requests, there will be less
confusion along the way.
MCPS purchased about
40,000 Chromebooks to distrib-
ute among elementary, middle
and high schools across the coun-
ty. Of those, about 10,000 are
dedicated to high school class-
rooms, but not all types of class-
es. The total cost of the program
is a substantial $15 million for
the frst year, and high school stu-
dents get the lower end of the dis-
tribution deal. The idea is to use
the Chromebook devices and oth-
er android-based products with
the newly-updated Wi-Fi network
in schools for a more interactive
learning experience.
According to this new poli-
cy, only social studies classrooms
in high schools are given the
Chromebook devices. The rest
are allocated to kids in grades
three through eight. Not only do
the third graders of Montgomery
County get to use devices that are
too technologically advanced for
their age, but also kindergarteners
receive android tablets to supple-
ment their coloring book-style
learning. What purpose could a
multifunctional smart tablet serve
to 5 and 6-year-olds besides fun?
MCPS intends to provide students
with a more Twenty-frst centu-
ry learning space, (according to
the MCPS website), yet kids who
are barely able to read and write
clearly should not be the ones to
take advantage of the technolo-
gy that they think is a product of
magic.
Elementary schools get the
better bet, sure, but zeroing in on
high school, the Chromebooks
are strictly given to social studies
classes. And the need for the most
advanced technology should not
be for classes that teach about the
past. Aside from the irony, histo-
ry and government classes utilize
the internet and visual aids less
than most other academic classes
in county curriculum. This is not
to say that they would not get any
use out of the Chromebooks, its
just that it really is not pressing to
have in social studies classrooms.
Instead STEM classes could and
should be the main focus of this
program, potentially changing the
course of learning for the better
within these courses.
Within STEM classes, visual
representation and interactivity
is key to learning. In calculus,
for example, use of videos and
graphical representations is vital
to learning the basic concepts of
infnity. In engineering, rendering
of images and designs could be a
noticeable, positive change due to
incorporating Chromebooks into
these classes. Even in the feld of
biology, using the Chromebooks
to blast (magnify) genes from ge-
nome databases in a lab could be
useful and engaging. Or, it can be
used in a chemistry lab.
In history and government,
the classes rely more on lectures
and PowerPoints. If a timeline is
needed to show some span of his-
tory, the Promethean board would
be enough to present it to the
entire class. Basically, the only
thing that history and government
classes could use Chromebooks
for is as a headrest or overpriced
paperweight. They would be bet-
ter put to use in STEM classes.
Advisory Period
This year Sherwood added a 27-minute period every Tuesday between periods 3 and 4 that
helps students learn key academic skills and troubleshoot topics such as course selection,
time management and organization. The advisory period is intended to be a time for stu-
dents and staff to address school-related issues and concerns. The Warrior Staff conducted a
survey on how students feel about this new policy.
Yes
39%
No
45%
Unsure
16%
Do you enjoy having an advisory period?
*175 students surveyed
on September 25
How effective do you feel advisory period will be at
increasing achievement and enjoyment of high school?
What improvements should be made to the
advisory period?
How seriously does your homeroom teacher take the
advisory period and its stated goals?
What topics should be covered during advisory
period in the future?
Not very effective Moderately effective Very effective
51% 43% 6%
Not very seriously Seriously Very seriously
6% 65% 29%
College applications
Updates on whats going on in our school
such as pep rallies, spirit days and days off
Studying methods
Life skills like taxes
Current events and community news
Scholarship opportunities
Time management and
how to stay motivated
Career paths
School-wide
issues such as
bullying
Include fun
activities
Provide snacks
Less paperwork
Make it a time to study and tutor
other students
Less
structure
Let students use it as a time to do homework
Hold the class outside
Allow students to visit
teachers for help
The WarriorOpinions
14 October 9, 2014
In the last couple of years at Sherwood, a new phe-
nomenon has emergedthe Bathroom Party. This is
when a group of popular boys run into one of the many
bathrooms at Sherwood, usually chanting USA! USA!
Not only is this an annoyance to many students in the
hallways attempting to get to their classes on time, but
it is also a problem for security and school staff. For in-
stance, at one of the Bathroom Parties last year, a mir-
ror was broken and some tiles cracked due to the un-
ruly nature of the crowd. Additionally, security, who
try to keep hallways clear and orderly, often have trou-
ble breaking up these groups, as well as restoring order.
With at least one Bathroom Party having already
occurred this year, and likely many more to come,
the question arises: What is the purpose of these par-
ties? Perhaps it is a statement of rebellion, or may-
be it is just a way to let off some steam. Its possibly
even a way to raise school spirit, according to one par-
ticipant. But for most students, it is just a nuisance
and a sad fact that exists at Sherwood. So please, stop.
Bathroom Parties More
Annoying Than Fun
by Connor Loughran 15
As high school seniors around the nation contin-
ue to perfect their early applications for colleges, many
do not realize that social media activity can hinder their
chances of being accepted. In a Kaplan survey of col-
lege admissions offcers from 381 different institutions,
it was found that 31 percent of the offcers visit appli-
cants social media pages and 29 percent conduct Goo-
gle searches in order to learn more about the student. Of
those, 30 percent reported fnding something online that
negatively impacted a students admissions chances.
Although it is rare that a social media post be the sole
reason that a student does not get admitted into a college,
there is something incredibly unsettling about the thought
of an admissions offcer covertly nosing through the so-
cial media sites of prospective students. Due to the im-
pulsiveness and hormonal nature of the typical teen-
ager, it seems unfair for an applicants character to be
judged on his or her past, especially when the appli-
cant is not notifed that his or her social media pag-
es may be examined during the application process.
Covert College
Admissions Offcers
by Julia Gajewski-Nemes 15
Texas native Omar Gonzalez, who jumped the
White House fence on September 19, should have been
monitored more closely after previous run-ins with po-
lice. On July 19, Gonzalez was arrested in Virginia with
many weapons including four handguns found in his
car along with a map with a line pointing to the White
House. On August 25, Gonzalez was stopped by a cop
as he was walking outside the White House fence with
a hatchet. Gonzalez also has a history of Post Traumat-
ic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving in the army
for more than 13 years, and spending time overseas.
These incidents should have sounded an alarm that
this man has the potential to be very dangerous. After
fnding the White House circled on a map and many weap-
ons in his possession, Gonzalez should have been placed
into a mental health facility or closely monitored by other
means. By letting Gonzalez off the hook repeatedly, law
enforcement allowed Gonzalez to not only climb the White
House fence, but also sprint 70 yards and enter the White
House with a knife and 800 rounds of ammo from his car.
Too Many Warning
Signs Ignored
by Kira Yates 16
The United States is the leader of
the free world. ISIS is a threat to the free
world. It cant be much clearer. As a global
superpower, our nation must do what it can
to eliminate a threat completely, and not
simply suppress ISIS with drone strikes
and bombing runs. By looking at past suc-
cesses of U.S. military intervention in the
Middle East and due to the fact that ISIS,
unlike the Taliban in Afghanistan, is a po-
tential threat worldwide, there come about
defnitive reasons for why its Americas
job to lead the fght against the Islamic
State.
For now, sadly, small-scale airstrikes
will have to be enough to protect refugees
as they escape the Islamic States genocide
and to guard American forces currently in
Iraq. America has acted with immediate
force towards terror threats in the past, and
those efforts have been vastly successful
(contrary to popular belief). People tend
to forget about the victories of the Gulf
War in 1991. With the United States at the
head of the international coalition, Oper-
ation Desert Storm air offensives paved
the way for ground forces to roll in less
than a month later. This process, Opera-
tion Desert Sabre, lasted less than a week
Stopping the spread of terror is the
only policy that the United States should
follow when considering the actions to be
taken against ISIS. The last time the Unit-
ed States was directly involved in a foreign
intervention (in Afghanistan), it ended up
in an 11-year-war. The last Iraq War last-
ed 8 years. It is best to simply wait until
ISIS becomes an immediate threat to U.S.
security, because right now, putting boot-
on-the-ground is not the proper move. The
United States shouldnt enter a confict it
cant realistically fx.
First thing is frst, we dont want any
more lives lost to useless warfare, like in
the Iraq War. There were absolutely no
weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
there, and also Saddam Hussein was not
tied to any terrorist organization. To fght
terrorism is one thing, but to directly in-
volve ourselves into a confict taking place
in the Middle East is folly. Sure, the United
States is a world superpower, but it should
not abuse that role. Should ISIS come to
the homefront, it is completely understand-
able to fght fre with fre. But by histor-
ical precedent, the United States exper-
tise does not lie in entering countries and
leaving them politically intact. It is time to
stay on the sidelines when it comes to Mid-
dle Eastern conficts, probably because it
would make things worse to get involved.
Of course the thousands of people
slaughtered by ISIS should be avenged,
but through a global coalition rather than
the United States just sending the bulk
of needed troops. Fully eliminating ISIS
would not be as simple as taking out Sadd-
am Hussein, or suppressing Taliban terror-
ist threats in Afghanistan. ISIS contains a
31,000-manned army with many soldiers
that survived the harshest warfare, and
ultimately evolved into ruthless, heartless
war machines. Not only are Syrian extrem-
ist rebels controlled by ISIS and their Sun-
ni-based semi-empire, but ISIS has also
recruited former Iraqi commanders from
Husseins army. The fght would drag on,
and would not end as cleanly or as eff-
ciently as we would like.
To contain ISIS and prevent it from
attacking Europe and the United States
should be the main concern. Use of drones
and airstrikes may not be as effective as
full military force, but the targeting and
elimination of ISIS leaders can prove vital
to taking down ISIS as a whole. The pro-
cess will be long, but at least a direct war
can be avoided and ISIS contained, along
with the suppression of the threat it poses.
before Iraqi forces were driven out of Ku-
wait with roughly 300 casualties. Executed
with a roughly similar structure and more
modern, precise Special Forces tactics, an-
other North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) effort is bound to work if an of-
fensive is launched before ISIS grows to a
broader status than it is at now.
That creates more of a reason to elim-
inate the threat as soon as possible. More
sophisticated than the monkey-bar-eff-
cient, ragtag militia of the Iraqi Surge
of 2007 (which, its worth noting, is an-
other example of successful American-led
military intervention), the new enemy is
an immediate, resourceful threat, both on
its homefront and ours. The Islamic State
funds itself through its captured oil trade
and steadily attracts more recruits daily.
Some join out of fear of becoming a sta-
tistic of the genocide of religious minori-
ties while others are even Americans and
Europeans infuenced by ISISs presence
on social media and other popular culture.
No longer are there messages broadcasted
from a cave twice a year.
With a former offensive structure that
proved its effciency and a more intricate
threat on its hands, America must live up to
its role as the leader of the free world and
deliver justice before its too late.
by Brian Hughes 15 by Ankur Kayastha 15
Pro Con
To The Point
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been waging genocide on Shia Muslims and religious minorities in the
Middle East for months, in addition to beheading two American journalists. A plan of action is needed, but how far
should the United States go? Should our nation take a head-on approach until the threat is completely eliminated, or
do what is necessary to prevent ISIS from spreading and avoid another decade-long war? The Warrior debates the issue.
Should U.S. Troops Directly Confront ISIS?
The WarriorWondering Warrior
October 9, 2014
15
Fall
Do you drink
pumpkin spice
lattes? Do you plan on going to.....
How much money are you willing to
spend at the Field of Screams?
Do you call this
season Fall or
Autumn?
What was your best Halloween Costume and why?
What is your favorite aspect of Fall?
Yes 31%
No 69%
34% said None
41% said $20-$40
19% said $40-$60
6% said Over $60
38%
of students said
they do
Trick-or-Treat
62%
of students said
they do not
Trick-or-Treat
17%
19%
64%
of students said they do
not watch football
of students said they watch
high school football the most
of students said they watch
college or NFL football the
most
Fall 88%
Autumn 12%
My costumes 1st-5th grade: 1.
Present 2. Rubix Cube 3. Dice
4. TV. 5. Basketball hoop
(All using the same box).
-Grant Fricke 15
Inflatable Sumo Wrestler.
-Chase Mulligan 15
I was Urkle from Family
Matters.
-Moaz Hassanin 15
I like carving pumpkins
and watching high school
football.
-Kelly Saah 15
The sweater weather, the
changing colors of leaves,
hot chocolate and sitting by
the fire.
-Savannah Suser 14
Wearing comfortable
clothes.
-Sami Davidson 15
compiled by Lauren Cosca 15 and Kaleigh Homer 15
*123 students surveyed
The homecoming game 39% said no 61% said yes
The homecoming dance 54%said no 46% said yes
The WarriorEntertainment
16 October 9, 2014
Shows n Shindigs
F
u
r
y
O
c
t
o
b
e
r

1
7
O
u
i
j
a
O
c
t
o
b
e
r

2
4
Big Hero 6
November 7
The Judge
October 10
Bastille
Patriot Center
October 11
The Orwells
Black Cat
October 14
Courtney Barnett
Black Cat
October 18
Skrillex
EchoStage
October 24
Capital Cities
9:30 Club
November 11
Concerts
Movies
graphic by Ketki Chauhan 16 and Ryan Deal 16
Fall Fashion Themes
Mod/1960s Revival
Shop: etsy.com
Mid-twentieth century fashions are one way to stay classy, no matter
what decade you live in. The 1960s London Look is defi-
nitely back, with heavy influences on the runway and
in the streets. Here are some trending pieces:
Girls:
-Slightly androgynous
-Shift dresses/shirt
dresses
-Houndstooth
-Cat-eye
-Longer skirts
-Drop-waist
-Head scarves
-Bold jewelry
-Pixie Haircuts
Boys:
-Grey, black, navy, brown
-Slim cut clothes
-Luxe sweaters
-Patterned shirts
-Skinny ties
-Beatle boots
-Desert boots
-Button-down, collared shirts
-Long, styled hair
Both: loafers, oxfords, European influence, trench
coats, pea coats
Want to change up your look? Here are a few ideas based off of the predictions for fall 2014 most successful trends.
compiled by Gianna Bartolini 15
Grunge Renewal
Borrow from the boys
The nineties are back! If youre into the whole grunge scene but dont
have the patience for thrifting and/or digging through dumpsters,
there are a lot of stores that carry staples for the look.
Some examples include:
-Flannel
-Beanies
-Camo
-Distressed denim
-Dark, muted colors
-Unisex pieces
-For girls: Boyfriend jeans
-For boys: Wear them a little tighter
-Shoes: high top sneakers, Doc Marten boots,
Vans
Shop: Urban Outfitters
Want to read more?
Check out The Warrior Online at
www.thewarrioronline.com
Luxury Meets
Casual
Shop: J. Crew
America is known for popularizing casual, ath-
letic, easy pieces. This season, many brands
and designers have built upon this national
standard and mixed them in ways so that we
all can look a little more dressed up while feeling
like were wearing our leggings and sweatshirts.
The most successful combos include:
-Sneakers with dress clothes
-High end pieces + thrifted finds
-Camo and lace
-Tulle and luxury skirts with ratty tee shirts
-Button ups and ball caps
-Silk blouses and jeans
Designer: Samantha Berger
Model: Pearl Mak
Photo: Lianna Lieberman
Model: Gabrielle Bartolini
Photo: Marie Moeller
Models: Alex Hanson, Gianna Ba-
tolini, Will Goniprow (right to left)
Photo: Marie Moeller
The WarriorEntertainment
October 9, 2014
17
Want a Thrill, Denzel Kills
Every few years, Holly-
wood treats audiences to a qual-
ity example of a revenge-style
fick with an Oscar-caliber actor.
The Equalizer, starring Denzel
Washington, is frmly rooted in
this tradition, delivering exactly
what its ad campaign has prom-
ised.
The camera travels through
the apartment of Robert McCall
(Washington) as he goes about
his evening routine in the flms
opening moments. Hes one of
those guys who keeps to himself,
and it isnt hard to fgure out why.
He has a dark history, except we
dont know what that history is
yet. Every night, after working at
the local Home Mart, he goes to
his usual diner where he spots his
only friend, the local hooker. But
McCall sees something different
in Teri (Chlo Grace Moretz) than
most people do. He sees her po-
tential to become the singer she
has always dreamed of becoming.
McCall is distraught when he
learns that Teri was beaten by her
pimp, a local Russian crime boss.
To McCalls credit, he offers a
fair deal of ten grand to win Teris
freedom. But the boss and his half
dozen thugs just laugh at McCall.
Boy, was that a mistake. This is
the frst moment when we see
what McCall is capable of. With
unimaginable speed, he kills ev-
eryone in the room. What McCall
doesnt know is that he just wiped
out the Russian Mafas entire
East Coast team.
The Russian Mafas CEO
dispatches a trained psychopath
named Teddy (Marton Csokas) to
protect investments in Americas
by Allie Pino 15
organized crime and make an ex-
ample of McCall. This naturally
means theres going to be a mon-
ster showdown. The Russian Ma-
fas biggest, baddest men versus
one man, who they dont know
once had a career as a well-armed
shadowy government agent.
Director Antoine Fuqua is at
his best when teasing out the ten-
sions between doing whats right
and whats legal. Theres some-
thing appealing about a scenario
where a man has the ability to
right wrongs without having to
worry about the strictures of the
law.
There are few actors who ra-
diate the sort of calm authority
Washington doesthe dry smile
and arched eyebrow that suggests
he knows hes always in charge,
regardless of how many thugs are
in the room. The Equalizer is a
bit long at 128 minutes, but whos
really going to complain about
getting to hang out with Denzel
Washington for longer than two
hours?
Annabelle Falls Short of
Going Down in History
by Haley Whitt 15
From Fine to Frustrating:
Falls Newest TV Shows
by Zach Stubblefeld 15
Usually when we think of
dolls, we think of the happiness
and innocence of childhood.
However, the horror movie An-
nabelle puts a perverse twist on
a vintage childhood toy.
In Annabelle by John
Leonetti, the director of noted
horror flms Insidious and The
Conjuring, a couple experiences
supernatural events that turn their
world upside down. It all starts
when a doll of theirs becomes
possessed by a demon summoned
by satanic cult members. As if
this wasnt baffing enough, the
characters soon learn that the
only way to get rid of the demons
presence is to offer up one of their
souls. This riveting prequel to
The Conjuring keeps audience
members squirming in their seats
as the electrifying plot unravels.
The mother Mia (played by
Annabelle Wallis) juxtaposes this
exhilarating plot with her sub-
standard acting. She bores the
audience with her lack of expres-
sive personality. Often times, her
shrieks seem more forced than
natural. On the other hand, Ward
1. Gotham
Gotham without Batman?!
Thats certainly an interesting
twist. Instead of focusing on the
nations favorite bat-crazed vigi-
lante, FOX is focusing on a much
simpler time. A time when Com-
missioner Gordon, Gothams hot-
shot detective, is calling the shots
instead of the batman.
Its a novel idea to use the
richness of a comic book city as
the setting for a crime thriller. The
pilot came chock-full of referenc-
es to the whole Batman cast. We
get to see a young Catwoman, a
recently orphaned Bruce Wayne,
and a young Harvey Dent among
others. Im sure I didnt catch
all of the references, but it def-
nitely has enough to please even
the most hardcore Batman fan.
With nearly 60 years of Batman
mythos to pull from, it is hard to
see this show as being anything
but a success.
2. Red Band Society
I cannot watch NBC for more
than ten minutes without seeing
some sort of ad or pop-up for this
show. Sadly, no matter how hard
the network pushes the show, the
premise is still awful. Watching a
bunch of ill children is not a fun
pastime. No matter how many hi-
jinks they pull, you cannot help
but remember that these kids are
sick, really sick. One has a heart
problem, another has cancer, and
the other is in a coma. That makes
it hard to establish a fun, go-lucky
attitude that Red Band Society
pushes hard on its viewers. Too
often it feels like this show should
be in a high school instead of a
hospital. This show has a case of
an identity crisis.
3. Black-ish
I went into this show thinking
it would be like a black Modern
Family. Was I wrong? Black-
ish depicts a rich black man de-
ciding that his family needs to re-
connect with their black roots. He
has this epiphany when he fnds
out that his son wants to play feld
hockey instead of basketball, and
when his wife bakes chicken in-
stead of frying it. He sees this
as meaning that his family is not
black enough anymore. So, he
decides that he must urbanize
them by making them follow ste-
reotypes, like wearing a tracksuit
everywhere. This show lacks the
charm that successful sitcoms
like Modern Family have; in-
stead it just comes off as racist
and offensive with a few laughs
in between.
4. Utopia
Reality TV shows do not get
much better than this. Think Real
World meets Survivor. They
plop 15 people on the island and
instead of telling them to compete
against each other, they are just
told to survive. And of course,
everyone does not get along. The
show is rife with confict as con-
testants vie to make their version
of a perfect civilization. Surpris-
ingly, there is not even any prize
money to win! They are just there
to try and build their own society.
The best thing is that the
show is happening in real time.
People can watch live streams
of contestants at any hour of the
day. This lends a certain level of
authenticity to the show. Coupled
with the fact that FOX shows two
episodes per week, it almost feels
like youre living with the contes-
tants.
Horton, who plays the father
John, misleads the audience into
thinking he is evil with his fake
persona. Whether this was inten-
tional or not, he acts suspicious,
and this confusing and distracting
fact ends up taking away from the
overall plot. In the scene where
graphic drawings are shown, he
acts too optimistic as he assures
his wife that it means nothing and
that things will be okay.
Annabelle combines satan-
ic murders and bodily possession,
two thrilling aspects of horror
movies, to terrify the audience.
The unexpected pop-ups are
guaranteed to startle audiences,
but the slight overuse of blankly
staring fgurines and machines
turning on and off by themselves
grows predictable.
This flm had the poten-
tial to be the new Exorcist for
contemporary audiences. The
plot is often attention-grabbing
and scary, but its lack of compe-
tent acting almost sinks the flm.
While Annabelle succeeds in
scaring viewers in the moments
they are watching it, the fear and
memory of the flm wears off as
soon as they leave the theater.
The WarriorSports
18 October 9, 2014
Spirit Squads Find New Way To Bond
The 2014-2015 school year
has started differently for the
Sherwood varsity poms and cheer-
leaders as a way to amp school
spirit. The two spirit squads tra-
ditionally have a little sister-big
sister relationship within each in-
dividual squad, in which the old-
er girls mentor the younger ones.
This year, however, they have de-
cided to connect the two squads
by having individual cousins
on the other squad. Both squads
are looking to return to the top
of the county after being voted
second place, in cheers case,
and fourth place, in poms case.
The point of this is for the
spirit squads to be coming to-
gether and promoting SHS spir-
it, said senior cheer captain
Devin Rogers. We give our
cousins on the pom squad small
$5 gifts before the frst game
and the homecoming game.
Led by captains and four-
year varsity cheerleaders Rogers
and senior Austyn Waldron, the
cheer squad is looking to im-
prove last years second place
fnish in the county champi-
onship. When not in competi-
tion, the cheerleaders cheer on
the sideline of football games.
Their cousins on poms
also perform at football games,
but at halftime, when they
perform their original danc-
es created by the captains and
other members of the team.
Being cousins with the boys
and girls of the cheer team allows
us to form a new Sherwood fam-
ily that represents school spirit
and camaraderie, said senior
poms offcer Katarina Stephanos.
The poms last year did not
rank in the county competi-
tion, which is unusual for the
traditional county powerhouse.
Team members are confdent
this year will be different. With
the positive attitude we have
been displaying so far this sea-
son, and with every girl on
the team giving it 110 percent
each day, we will win back our
county title, said Stephanos.
Although cheer and poms
sound somewhat similar, the girls
on either team insist that they are
very different. The poms have a
season that lasts through both fall
and winter. During this stretch,
they attend and perform at football
games, soccer games, basketball
games and a few other activities.
Cheer, on the other hand,
is broken up into two sepa-
rate seasons, having a varsi-
ty team in the fall and a varsity
team in the winter, with some
new members. They too at-
tend football, soccer, basketball
and other sports teams games.
Poms routines consist
of strictly dancing and differ-
ent types of dance, whereas
cheer is a bunch of different
things, said Waldron. Our
[cheer] routine is made up of
stunts, dancing motions, tum-
bling and most of all cheers.
by Hunter Moore 15
Poms perform their latest dance routine at the frst home football game
of the season on September 5 against Gaithersburg.
Warriors Cant Catch Up against Seneca Valley
The Warriors suffered their
frst loss of the season against
Seneca Valley, 27-17, last Thurs-
day night. Seneca Valley jumped
out to an early lead in the frst
quarter, mounting a 21-0 lead be-
fore the Warriors scored their frst
points. After going into halftime
with a 21-3 defcit, the Warriors
cut the lead to 21-10 in the third
quarter on a 48-yard touchdown
pass from senior quarterback
Neven Sussman to senior receiv-
er Myanthony Starnes, but the
Warriors were ultimately unable
to overcome their slow start.
We must practice and play
with more heart and intensity,
said Coach Chris Grier. We be-
lieve we can learn a lot from the
Seneca loss and become a much
better team because of it. We
will make some adjustments in
our schemes offensively and de-
fensively so we can take more
advantage of our strengths.
Seneca Valleys rushing at-
tack proved diffcult for the War-
riors to defend, racking up over
200 yards on the ground against
a Warriors defense that held its
frst three opponents in the single
digits for points. The Screaming
Eagles also managed for much
of the game to stife a normally
productive Warriors offense, al-
lowing only one frst down in the
entire frst quarter. After Seneca
Valley scored in the fnal seconds
of the fourth quarter, the Warriors
ended the game with an 80-yard
bomb from Sussman to junior
receiver Marcus Simms, whose
big play ability has provided
an excellent boost for the War-
riors offense so far this season.
The story of the game was
missed opportunities, said senior
linebacker and tight end Jared
Shaia. Our offense had multi-
ple opportunities in the red zone
and we didnt capitalize. Sene-
ca didnt win because they were
better than uswe just didnt
fnish drives the way we should
have. But give credit to [our]
defense [for only allowing] one
touchdown after the frst quarter.
Despite the disappointing
loss, the Warriors displayed great
mental toughness by fghting
back and making the game close
in the end. The loss brought the
Warriors record to 4-1, the frst
stumble in a season that had been
almost all success up to this game.
The game was the Warriors worst
performance of the season on both
sides of the ball, part of which can
be attributed to the strength of a
talented Seneca Valley team (4-1).
Grier expects his team to
have a great week of practice and
get back on track tomorrow when
the Warriors go on the road to
take on 2-3 Magruder. Sherwood
will then face their next big test
of the regular season when they
play Quince Orchard at home
next Thursday. The Cougars cur-
rently are 4-1, and senior running
back Kyle Green has rushed for
480 yards with a 5.7-yard av-
erage per carry this season. If
the Warriors can contain Green
and the rest of the Cougars of-
fense, the game will be a strong
indication that the Warriors will
be ready for the post-season.
We expect the team to re-
focus after the Seneca loss and
recommit themselves to playing
hungry and with a chip on their
shoulders, said Grier. If we can
do that every week during the sec-
ond half of the season, well have
a chance to make a playoff run.
Senior quarterback Neven Sussman scans the feld for junior wide receiver Marcus Simms (foreground) during
a game at Seneca Valley on October 2. The Warriors fell to the Screaming Eagles and are now 4-1.
Jack Armstrong 15
Jack Armstrong 15
by Leo Corman 15
and Stephen Luckey 15
The WarriorSports
October 9, 2014
19
Hard Work Pays Off for Runner
on the Field, in the Classroom
Senior boys cross country
captain and top runner Jefferson
Ruiz moved from El Salvador to
the United States in 2012 and en-
rolled at Sherwood at the begin-
ning of his sophomore year. At
the time, he spoke very little En-
glish. Ruiz originally wanted to
try out for the soccer team, but he
couldnt fnd transportation home
after the tryouts. Persuaded by a
friend, he decided to join the cross
country team. When Ruiz frst
started running, he owned no run-
ning shoes and had to take three
public buses just to get home.
It was hard at frst, but I
liked the challenge. I knew I
could do more and improve, so I
kept with it, said Ruiz. In fact,
through his frst cross country
season, Ruiz was a relatively av-
erage runner. However, after par-
ticipating in indoor and outdoor
track and training consistently
over the summer, Ruiz returned
for his junior season and frmly
established himself as the num-
ber two runner on the team, be-
hind Jarrett Harman (14). This
season, Ruiz is the teams clear
number one runner, but his talents
extend beyond the athletic sphere.
Ruiz also excels academical-
ly, testing out of the ESOL pro-
gram and receiving only one B
thus far at Sherwood. Ruiz is also
the Treasurer of the Spanish Hon-
or Society, and he helped create
the ESOL Honor Society. The
reason [behind the ESOL Honor
Society] was to help ESOL stu-
dents who struggle with class-
es and to help each other with
college applications. I thought
it would also motivate students
because they dont have to speak
perfect English to be in an hon-
or society, explained Ruiz, who
described learning English as
the hardest part about adjust-
ing to life in the United States.
In addition, Ruiz has a pas-
sion for acting. Before he moved,
Ruiz had an acting scholarship to
an academy in El Salvador. While
running leaves him without much
time to perform, he is currently
taking a drama class at Sherwood.
Ruizs goals for this cross
country season include improv-
ing on his present 5k personal
record of 16:36 and fnishing in
the top 25 at the state meet. As
for his post-high school plans,
Ruiz is very much undecided. He
could either stay in the United
States and pay his way through
college or return to El Salvador
and rededicate himself to acting.
Regardless of the path he
chooses, his upstanding charac-
ter should serve him well along
the way. Jefferson works re-
ally hard and inspires us all,
said fellow senior captain Bob-
by Hanlon. Hes unbelievably
humble and nice, and hes such
a positive infuence on our team.
I dont think anyone could say
anything negative about him.
by Leo Corman 15
Professional football play-
ers by and large are an arrogant
bunch. They have been the best
at their craft for much of their
lives, and that breeds a certain
amount of cockiness in them.
This obviously does not give
them an excuse to beat women
and children, but it may explain
why players think they are above
the law. The NFL needs to take
a stand against these actions for
the sake of the leagues reputa-
tion, but more importantly to set
an example.
Ravens running back Ray
Rice is a perfect example of how
the NFL is not taking the proper
steps necessary against domestic
violence. When the incident was
frst reported, the Ravens PR
team released a column that said
things like, If you had asked me
on February 1 to name fve Ra-
vens players I would never ex-
pect to receive a call at 3:00 in
the morning about doing some-
thing illegal, Ray Rice would be
on the list EASILY. Basically,
Rice is a good guy, and hes not
the type to knock out a woman.
But the fact of the matter is he
did knock out his fance and
dragged her out of an elevator.
The NFL initially suspend-
ed Ray Rice two games for this.
To put that in perspective, NFL
player Josh Gordon was sus-
pended for a year for smoking
marijuana. The NFL made a
statement about domestic vio-
lence with these two suspensions
and not a very good one; beating
is eight times less severe than
smoking.
The NFL has since gone on
to change these suspensions, in-
creasing Rices and decreasing
Gordons. However, the damage
had already been done by then.
The original suspensions show
how the NFL thought about do-
mestic violence. If they really
thought it was an important is-
sue, they wouldve suspended
Rice for a longer period of time
in the frst place. The only reason
they changed it was because the
media was crucifying the NFL
about its decision.
Although the NFL foun-
dered on its frst domestic vi-
olence case, they can still set
an example for the rest of the
country. Another star running
back, Adrian Peterson, has
been indicted for child abuse,
and the NFL has another chance
to make a statement. The league
needs to show its 100 million
viewers how serious domestic vi-
olence is by making a statement
with one of their premier players.
The league has already taken the
frst step by suspending him from
all NFL-related activities. Now
the NFL will need to wait for the
investigation to close and punish
him appropriately. This will help
make America a safer place for
women and children everywhere
by sending a message that abuse
will not be tolerated, even from
NFL star players.
The NFL Needs To Take a
Stand on Domestic Abuse
by Zach Stubblefeld 15
Senior Jefferson Ruiz fnishes a race at Georgetown Prep on September
8 at the Woodward Relays. Sherwood boys fnished third in the meet.
Jack Armstrong 15
The success behind the 6-2
record, as of Wednesday, October
1, held by the girls soccer team
is the talented players skills put
to good use through the teams
strategic approach on the feld.
It is no secret that the War-
riors have fast, strong forwards.
The team takes advantage of this
by getting the ball to their out-
side strikers who dribble the ball
with pace down the sideline and
look for the opportunity to cross
the ball to a player in the mid-
dle who has a chance at scoring.
This has been a system
of play that has been effective
over the course of the last three
seasons at Sherwood. It has ft
our team very well with our ex-
ceptional athleticism on the out-
side, and skillful, smart play-
ers in the middle of the feld,
said Coach Danielle Rosanova.
Using the 4-3-3 system, the
midfeld has been successful in
maintaining an attack-minded
focus, which is highly benef-
cial since they are the heart of
the team. The midfeld assists
both offensively and defensively
by setting up the forwards with
through balls and then coming
back to support the defense when
marking the opposing players.
They need to move up and
backtogether. Pretty much
the whole team needs to move
as a unit, said senior Tiffa-
ny Woods, who plays defense.
The Warriors two losses
came against top teams in Mont-
gomery County and in the state as
a whole. In a 2-0 loss on Septem-
ber 10 against BCC, the Warriors
continued their tendency to play
nervously against the powerhouse
program that has won multiple
state titles over the past fve years.
The Churchill game on
September 22 resulted in a 3-0
loss, but the team played very
well defensively. The last two
goals were a result of [Sher-
woods desperate] offensive
push in the fnal minutes of the
game, explained Rosanova.
Although both BCC and
Churchill are strong teams, the
key for the Warriors is fnishing on
by Ashley Nnabue 16
Junior midfelder Barbara Pizarro looks to make a pass during a game on September 29 against
Clarksburg. Senior Lauren Woods, junior Ariella Amaguana and Pizarro dominated the second half.
Jack Armstrong 15
Girls Soccer Looks to Use Speed to Teir Advantage
their quality scoring opportunities
and minimizing mistakes. We
just need to keep our focus the en-
tire game It impacts the future
because now knowing those mis-
takes, they wont happen again
and we can move forward, said
senior forward Lauren Woods.
Jack Armstrong 15
The WarriorSports
20 October 9, 2014
READY FOR IMPACT Senior midfelder Ethan Carey fghts for the ball during a game against Bethesda-Chevy Chase on September 10. It was a great back and forth game that
went all the way to double overtime, but no goals were scored, resulting in a tie, 0-0. Carey had a near miss at the end of the game. The team looks to increase their feld strategy
and communication going forward. As of October 1, the teams record is 4-2-1. Their next game is at 7pm on October 10 at Paint Branch.
UP FOR THE HIT Senior Julia Gajewski-Nemes and junior Kendall Kahn cover
sophomore Kaiya Heylinger-Powell as she attempts to spike during a game against
Broadneck on September 11. The Warriors are currently 8-0.
Jack Armstrong 15
Jack Armstrong 15
ON THE RUN Senior attacker Zoe Kaminski dribbles the ball down the feld to attempt a
shot against Northwest on September 11. The Warriors lost to Northwest 2-0.
IN THE LEAD Varsity runner, junior Colin Loiacono, leads ahead of a pack of Sherwood
runners during a meet at Churchill on September 10. Loiacono fnished sixteenth (19:04.09).
Jack Armstrong 15
Jack Armstrong 15
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