Seema Kacker


Name: Seema Kacker
Position: Page Editor
Graduation Year: 2005
Seema is a senior in the magnet this year, and is thrilled to be a part of the Online senior staff. She also plays tennis.


Stories (57)


Senior class to hold cookout

By Seema Kacker | May 18, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The senior class will sponsor a senior class cookout on Friday, May 20 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the school stadium. Admission to the event is limited to seniors and is $1 with IDs.

UPDATE: Senior exam and HSA testing schedule published

By Allison Elvove, Seema Kacker | May 8, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The senior exam schedule as published in the planbook's calendar is incorrect, according to the memorandum that was sent to Blair teachers and administration Monday, May 3.

Weast suspends controversial new curriculum

By Jeremy Goodman, Seema Kacker | May 7, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Superintendent Jerry D. Weast suspended the pilot program for the new health education curriculum, which was scheduled to begin May 5, following a ruling by US District Court Judge Alex Williams, who issued a temporary restraining order blocking the pilot.

Silver Chips Online editor-in-chief wins Knight Ridder scholarship

By Seema Kacker | March 24, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Senior Ely Portillo, editor-in-chief of Silver Chips Online (SCO), has been named a recipient of the annual Knight Ridder minority scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards for high school journalists. Portillo is one of five awardees this year and is the fourth to win from Blair.

Student's car burglarized at Blair

By Seema Kacker | March 20, 2005, midnight | In Print »

A student's car was broken into and burglarized on Friday, March 11, sometime between 7:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. A police report was filed Saturday, March 12; no items have been recovered as of yet.

Silver Quill recognized by national literary organization

By Seema Kacker | March 5, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Silver Quill, Blair's literary magazine, was awarded the highest honor possible for student-produced literary magazines by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for their 2004 publication.

Albert John Luthuli

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 20, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Albert John Luthuli was a prominent leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement in South Africa and an activist for peace and quality education. He was born around 1898 in a small tribe in Groutville and died July 21, 1967.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 18, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first black poets to be nationally recognized by both blacks and white readers. He was born in Ohio in June 1872 to two freed slaves and died at the young age of 33 in February of 1906.

Silver Chips Online named Pacemaker finalist

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 17, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Silver Chips Online was selected as one of seven finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association's (NSPA) annual online Pacemaker competition. Winners will be announced at a journalism convention in April.

Amnesty International to hold write-a-thon

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 11, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Amnesty International is holding a write-a-thon on Feb. 18 in an effort to end violence against women. The event is part of an world-wide campaign.

Valentine's Day dance cancelled

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The Valentine's Day dance, which was to be held Feb. 11, has been cancelled due to scheduling issues, according to SGA sponsor Rondai Ravilious.

Electrical overload causes fifth brief power outage

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

An electrical overload caused a brief power outage to occur during at approximately 12:25 p.m. today, Feb. 9, causing many computers in the 60s hallways to shut down. The outage is the second in 10 days and the fifth this school year.

Second-semester parking permits available

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 4, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Parking permits were distributed to seniors yesterday, Feb. 3, during both lunches. Unlike in previous years, space locations were assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Gwendolyn Brooks

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 3, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, best known for writing about blacks in poverty, was born June 7, 1917 in Kansas. She began writing at the age of seven and died Dec. 3, 2000 in Chicago as a well-respected literary figure.

Magnet celebrates 20th anniversary

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 1, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The math/science/computer science Magnet at Blair is celebrating its 20th anniversary this school year. A reception for all Magnet graduates will be held in the spring.

Fire alarm disrupts sixth period exam

By Seema Kacker | Jan. 19, 2005, midnight | In Print »

A fire alarm sounded at approximately 11:35 am Wednesday, Jan. 19 during the sixth period exam, resulting in the fourth unplanned evacuation this year. Students were given an additional 30 minutes to complete their exams.

UPDATE: The Washington Post bases ICC headline on virtually unknown environmental group

By Jeremy Goodman, Seema Kacker | Jan. 6, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The Washington Post published a news article on Wednesday, Jan. 5 headlined "Environmentalist Group Backs MD Connector," which focused on the African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA), a group that supports the construction of the Intercounty Connector (ICC), a project opposed by nearly all other environmental organizations.

SGA to hold donation effort for tsunami disaster

By Seema Kacker | Jan. 4, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The SGA will hold a donation event for the tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia. Donation jars will be available along Blair Boulevard and in the SGA office during both lunches beginning next week.

Senior class to begin hallway cleanup

By Seema Kacker | Dec. 13, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Senior class officers are launching a hallway cleanup activity for students to pick up trash in the SAC after 5 lunch. The program will commence Monday, Dec. 13.

National Honor Society to hold cell-phone drive

By Seema Kacker | Oct. 28, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The National Honor Society (NHS) is holding an old cell-phone donation drive for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is in Oct.

The Washington Post explains collegeboard.com crash

By Seema Kacker | Oct. 23, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Senior Dan Cate was cited in an article in The Washington Post today, Oct. 23, regarding the collegeboard.com crash. The story featured students who had unsuccessfully tried to access their SAT scores from the Oct. 9 exam through collegeboard.com.

Christopher Reeve dies at 52

By Seema Kacker | Oct. 11, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Actor Christopher Reeve, best known as the star of Superman, died Sunday, Oct. 10 from heart failure at the age of 52, according to The Associated Press.

Student driver's car hit in parking lot accident

By Seema Kacker | Oct. 7, 2004, midnight | In Print »

October 2004 Newsbriefs

By Ravi Umarji, Seema Kacker, Renee Park | Oct. 7, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The homecoming football game will take place tomorrow, Oct. 8, two weeks earlier than last year's game, which was on Oct. 24. Blair's varsity football team will take on Wheaton at 6:30 p.m., and the game will be followed by the Homecoming Dance on Oct. 9 from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Homecoming events schedule

By Seema Kacker | Oct. 1, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Homecoming dance tickets will be sold for $10 each beginning Monday, Oct. 4, according to Senior Class President Alejandra Barberena.

Two boys' bathrooms closed due to leakage

By Seema Kacker | Sept. 27, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Early Homecoming date tightens schedule

By Seema Kacker | Sept. 17, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Homecoming weekend will be held 16 days earlier than last year, due to scheduling restrictions and a decision made by a group of administrators and sports coaches. The date has caused some difficulties for clubs who are planning for the event.

Blair receives new computers and updated network

By Seema Kacker | Sept. 15, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Nearly 780 new Dell computers were bought for Blair through MCPS' TechMod program last summer, and the network was updated from Mac OS 9 or X to Windows XP Professional, allowing for a faster, more current system. However, the changes have caused several problems, one of which prevented the students from logging on.

Fifty-six Blair National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

By Seema Kacker | Sept. 15, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of 16,000 semifinalists of the fiftieth annual National Merit Scholarship program today, Wednesday, Sept. 15. Fifty-six of the qualifiers were Blair students.

A fresh young thriller

By Seema Kacker | Aug. 14, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The hottest new phenom at the Olympic games this summer hits close to home for many of us. Michael Phelps, the 19-year-old sensation from Baltimore County, is not like the other star athletes or celebrities.

Completing the Olympic circle

By Seema Kacker | Aug. 14, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The 28th Olympiad of the modern era officially commenced yesterday night at 11:15 p.m. in Athens, Greece, following a momentous 3-hour opening ceremony. The event was filled with expositions symbolic of Greek life and legends, and emphasized fire, water and the ancient Greek Gods.

Closings and scheduling changes for Reagan's funeral

By Seema Kacker | June 10, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Officials are closing area streets and buildings in addition to postponing deadlines for memorial ceremonies for former president Ronald Reagan. The following information is subject to change.

Final exam schedule

By Seema Kacker | June 1, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Silvia Trumbower to retire

By Seema Kacker | May 28, 2004, midnight | In Print »

After 35 years of teaching, twelfth grade honors English teacher Silvia Trumbower will retire at the end of this school year. She hopes to spend more time with her family, to actively participate in church and volunteer activities and to pursue her interests in gardening, traveling and art history.

Blazers view and discuss commemorative video

By Seema Kacker | May 19, 2004, midnight | In Print »

MCPS and AFI to hold Brown vs. Board ceremony

By Seema Kacker | May 17, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Senior wins youth activist scholarship

By Seema Kacker | May 8, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Function of appetite hormone may be established early

By Seema Kacker | April 14, 2004, midnight | In Print »

FDA approves new HIV test

By Seema Kacker | April 2, 2004, midnight | In Print »

The first ever created rapid saliva test for HIV was approved on March 26 by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the Washington Post. The device yields results within 20 minutes and is 99 percent accurate.

Blazers place in county science fair

By Seema Kacker | March 29, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Teacher to release CD

By Seema Kacker | March 19, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Student Republican group makes unfortunate mistake

By Seema Kacker | March 19, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Senior places tenth in national Intel competition

By Seema Kacker | March 18, 2004, midnight | In Print »

National School Board visits Blair

By Seema Kacker | March 18, 2004, midnight | In Print »

FDA to change food nutrition label

By Seema Kacker | March 17, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Blazers qualify for national biology test

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 29, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Ear piercing may cause disfigurement

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 27, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Fetal mercury concentration estimates increase

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 17, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Mass-mailing email virus infects computers worldwide

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 16, 2004, midnight | In Print »

FDA finds antidepressants unsafe for children

By Seema Kacker | Feb. 14, 2004, midnight | In Print »

Several Blazers move on to States

By Seema Kacker | May 22, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Blair's track team placed low in the 4A West Regional Championships today, with few runners qualifying for the upcoming Maryland State Competition.

Regionals are last leg for most runners

By Seema Kacker | May 17, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Blair's track and field team placed low in the continuation of the rain-delayed 4A West Regional Championships today, with few runners qualifying for the upcoming state competition.

Bruised and broken, Blazers stay strong

By Seema Kacker | April 22, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Even with three key runners unable to compete, track's third seasonal meet against Rockville High School ended successfully with final winning scores of 96-41 for the boys' team and 94-37 for the girls.

Track trails Blake

By Seema Kacker | April 10, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Blair?s track and field team fell behind Blake High School on Apr 1 in the second meet of the season. The girls lost 81-56 while the boys were close behind their competitors with a final score of 73-64.

Blazers left trailing

By Seema Kacker | April 1, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Blair's outdoor track team fell to Blake in the second meet of the season today, with the girls losing 56-81 and the boys close behind their competitors with a final score of 64-73.

Blazers sweep

By Seema Kacker | March 25, 2003, midnight | In Print »

Both the boys and the girls outdoor track teams performed well in the first meet of their seasons against Einstein, placing first in nearly every event.

Fetal mercury concentration estimates increase

By Seema Kacker | Dec. 31, 1969, 7 p.m. | In Print »



Images (1)


Photo: Ameer Presentation 1

By Seema Kacker | March 23, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Senior Ameer Abutaleb presents his senior research project during the 2005 Magnet Research Convention.