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.
Because of the success of the ninth grade teams, the Blair administration hopes to implement similar tenth grade academic teams that would revolve around students, administrators and teachers, according to several Blair administrators.
Seniors who exceed the allowed number of unexcused absences because they skip school on Thursday, May 5, the Class of 2005's Senior Skip Day, will not be able to appeal their loss of credit. Furthermore, only notes written and signed by a doctor saying that the student was seen that day will be accepted, according to Attendance Secretary Roxanne Fus.
This year's freshman class has reportedly done better academically than previous classes. There have been fewer tardies and office referrals, lower ineligibility and a higher overall GPA for this year's freshmen, according to Blair administration.
Blair is expecting 87 fewer freshmen for the 2005-2006 school year now that Round I of the selection process for the five Downcounty Consortium (DCC) Montgomery County high schools has been completed.
Julissa Roger (jurogers@MBHS.edu) asks: "Hi I will like to know why the bathroom never have soap or paper to dry your hands. How come the bathroom are never clean. Can we get some one can help use about that Thank You?" Don't complain to us. There's nothing we can do. Better start your own clean-up team, best named Teen Tightyupems. You'll all have super powers. Like one person can turn into a ghost and walk through walls and inspect how rotten it is in there. Also, for all those people who like to lock bathroom stalls to make people crawl under and open the door, Ghost Teen Tightyupem will just walk right on through. Invisibility Teen Tightyupem and Telekinesis Teen Tightyupem are the most useful perhaps. You could just remove all the nasty paper towels from the ground…with your mind! No pick up necessary.
On Monday, Jan. 31, junior Abrahm Gurmu died of heart disease. It was his first day at Blair. Abrahm, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, came to America eight months ago to pursue a better education. "He was very eager to go to school," said Abrahm's cousin, senior Namerud Admasu. Abrahm was also a model student back at home in Addis Keteema School, according to his older brother, Dawit Gurmu, who said Abrahm was one of 10,000 students, out of a pool of five million, to receive a high score on an important nationwide exam.
Several issues ago, we asked our readers for nominations to make our list for the best teachers at Blair. We received over 30 nominations for teachers, and excited at our newfound power, we set off to root out the unworthy to find out who would crack our list. We decided upon three tough questions to test our teachers' mettle: Why do you think you deserve to be on the Ask Chips list of best teachers, why do you think you are better than all other teachers, and what are your best two qualities? We started with Mr. Honigsberg, of the foreign language department. Mr. Honigsberg jumped right into the top spot on our list with an unabashed proclamation.
The Pentagon Metro Station reopened at 12:20 p.m. today, Dec. 6, after being shut down for more than two hours following an alleged hazardous materials (HAZMAT) situation. HAZMAT experts were called to the station to investigate but found no traces of dangerous substances.
A former Blair student was caught trespassing in the student parking lot at around 2:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, according to Blair administrators and police.
A Blair student was involved in an accident in front of the University Boulevard firehouse at approximately 7:05 a.m. today, Nov. 12, according to Blair administration and security. An announcement to Blair students and faculty at around 7:40 a.m. stated that the student did not sustain any serious injuries and would be in school for the rest of the day.
Classes were locked down for almost half an hour today, Nov. 11, during homeroom for scheduled Code Blue and Code Red drills. Blair security and administration determined that four classes were casualties.
U.S. History teacher George Vlasits was interviewed in the Style section of The Washington Post on Nov. 2 in "When parents, kids are polls apart" by Rebecca Kahlenberg.
An accident occurred this morning near the intersection of Lanark Way and Colesville Road, sometime before 6:35 a.m., involving a small, unloaded school bus and a grey Hyundai, according to Blair security and the Media Services Division of the Montgomery County Police Department.
The Montgomery County Volunteer Center will hold its eighteenth annual Montgomery County Community Service Day on Saturday, Oct. 23, rain or shine.
The viewing for Carlos Brenes, the 2002 Blair graduate who died in a car crash Oct. 2, will be today, Oct. 7, between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. at 7400 Georgia Avenue NW, according to social studies teacher David West.
Guest speakers as well as Blair bands and clubs have the opportunity to speak, perform and run booths at the Rock for Change event scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the SAC.
Many see this election as a crossroads in determining the direction of America's future. On November 2, Americans will vote to determine the U.S.'s domestic and foreign policies. The following is a non-partisan compilation of viewpoints of the candidates, Senator John Kerry and President George Bush, for the 2004 presidential election. This is meant to inform, not to persuade.
The Fichandler stage is set: plain, with chairs scattered in the four corners of the arena and stairs leading up on two sides of the white-marble tiled floor. Unlike so many of the sets of the arena that are wedged deep into the floor, the French prison cell in M. Butterfly is at the same level as the first row of Fichandler seats. This effect forces the audience to feel right on top of the stage, whether people want to or not. But in Arena Stage's first play of the new season, the audience cannot help but be drawn in by the intensity of the characters' relationships and the complexity of the storyline.
Due to weather conditions, Friends of Sligo Creek (FoSC) has postponed its third annual Sweep the Creek event until tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Friends of Sligo Creek (FoSC) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reintroduced six species of fish into Sligo Creek on May 1.
As part of the revitalization project of downtown Silver Spring, the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theater opened a year ago. Situated between Panera Bread and Round House Theater, the movie theater appears small and out of place. But once you enter through the main doors, you immediately feel like you are stepping into another world where people of all ages, ethnicities and areas are drawn into its historic walls.
Students from SGR participated with community members in the Clip-the-Trees of English Ivy event that Friends of Sligo Creek(FoSC), a local environmental organization, organized last Saturday, April 24.
SGR members plan to participate in the Clip-the-Trees of English Ivy event sponsored by Friends of Sligo Creek (FoSC), a local environmental group. The event is in celebration of Earth Day and will take place on Saturday, April 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
SGR members are participating in a rally against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday, April 24, and in the March for Women's Lives on Sunday, April 25.
Nestled in the back of the Media Center, the head-in room is overlooked by many Blair students researching and surfing the web. But students with a love of technology use their expertise and time spent within the cramped, wire-ridden room to connect with the Blair community.
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection is collaborating with Friends of Sligo Creek (FoSC), a local environmental organization, to release several species of fish back into Sligo Creek on May 1. The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a trash clean up will take place in the morning, while the fish release will occur in the mid-afternoon.
A Blair student earned the Service Star Award presented by the Maryland Student Service Alliance at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSSA/MSDE). Every year, the MSSA honors up to two high school students in each school district to recognize their service to the community.
Away from the hubbub of downtown Silver Spring, there lies a quiet spot off of Colesville and Georgia where you can relax from a hectic day and soak in the light, amicable ambiance of Thai Derm. From the moment you enter the small, dimly-lit restaurant, tucked between several nondescript buildings on Bonifant Street, you're welcomed into a new cultural experience from which you will not want to escape.
After several postponements due to scheduling conflicts, the SGR Spectacular will take place on Friday, March 19 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the SAC.
The AFI Silver and Discovery Channel in downtown Silver Spring have scheduled SILVERDOCS, a documentary film festival in its second year, for June 15 through June 20. The extended film entry deadline is Friday, March 12.
The American University School of Communication (AU) is collaborating with the American Film Institute (AFI) in downtown Silver Spring, the Newseum and The Washington Post to sponsor the Reel Journalism Film Festival from March 26 to March 28.
Blair's PTSA voted unanimously last month to support an alternative extracurricular eligibility policy that would begin with the current ninth graders in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC). Other DCC schools are considering the policy, and the PTSA hopes to meet with MCPS officials soon.
Around 850 ninth graders are predicted to attend Blair next year despite the preliminary estimation of 730 freshmen, said Academy Coordinator Susan Ragan.
Starbucks coffee shops across the world are participating in a book and toy drive to help sick children under the age of 12. The Starbucks located at Four Corners is encouraging its customers and local high schools to donate new or used items in good condition.
For the 2004-5 school year, 730 ninth graders will attend Blair, 379 Einstein, 335 Kennedy, 333 Northwood and 349 Wheaton, according to Academy Coordinator Susan Ragan. Ragan said she expects the class of 2008 to be larger than the already expected 730 students but not as large as in September of 2003 when there were 909 ninth grade students at Blair.
Internationally respected French actress Jeanne Moreau spoke to the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center patrons in downtown Silver Spring on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Friends of the Silver Spring Library (FSSL), a chapter of Montgomery County's Friends of the Library, sponsored author Martin Goldsmith at the Silver Spring Library on Jan. 14. Goldsmith is the author of The Inextinguishable Symphony, a novel about his parents experience playing in a symphony orchestra in Nazi Germany. The next event in the Speaker Series is planned for April.
Throughout Montgomery County, graduation and dropout rates vary significantly by high school and by ethnicity according to MCPS data collected by the Maryland School Performance Program for the 2001-2002 school year.
This year's current eighth grade class has already selected one of the five high schools in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) to attend next year as of last month. Current Blair ninth graders were sent a survey during the week of January 4 regarding which academies the students preferred.
The National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) attended the Montgomery County Association for Student Council to present their request to enact a law that would lower the voting age in Takoma Park to sixteen in the city's local elections. Student governments from various schools in Montgomery County attended the general assembly. Most of the students supported the law, according to Alex Koroknay-Palicz, President and Executive Director of NYRA, a non-profit organization dedicated to the Youth Rights political movement.
Lee Boyd Malvo was found guilty of two counts of capital murder for his participation in the October 2002 sniper shootings last Thursday, December 18. Malvo was convicted of murdering FBI analyst Linda Franklin last fall.
The majority of Blair students oppose the war with Iraq but remain divided on the issue of maintaining U.S. military presence in Iraq, according to an informal Silver Chips Online survey of 100 Blair students conducted during the weeks of November 2, 9 and 16. This data is released amid the recent news of Saddam Hussein's capture.
Blair students can give donations and volunteer at various organizations in Montgomery County to help the less fortunate this holiday season. The following information is compiled from the November 27 issue of The Washington Post Montgomery Extra.
Blair's annual SGR Spectacular is rescheduled for January 9, 2004 at 7 p.m. in the SAC.
Ledo's Pizza will be collaborating with the Blair PTSA on Tuesday, December 9, from 5 to 10 p.m. to raise money for Blair's after-prom party.
Montgomery County schools are participating in a holiday drive to gather new and unwrapped gifts for males and females of all ages to benefit the Battered Women's Shelter and the Dwelling Place, a transitional shelter. The deadline for donations is Friday, December 12.
Drawing the Line, a combination of 30 to 40 organizations and individuals dedicated to decreasing underage drinking in the community, is sponsoring the "Commercial Challenge" for Montgomery County high school clubs and organizations. Students are asked to create television advertisements that discourage the consumption of alcohol.
Montgomery College, Takoma Park is collaborating with the American Film Institute (AFI) in downtown Silver Spring on the Montgomery College Film Series, which began September 24 with Sunrise and concludes December 3 with To Be or Not to Be. The college also sponsors other events and programs for high school students interested in the arts.
The Activity Fair was successfully held today during 5A and 5B lunch after being postponed from last week because of the Code Blue and Code Red drills.
The sixteenth annual Help the Homeless Walkathon will be held on Saturday, November 22 at 9:00 a.m. on the National Mall, rain or shine.
As part of the ongoing relationship between the Montgomery College Takoma Park campus and the American Film Institute Silver Theatre (AFI), Love Me Tonight, a 1932 romantic musical comedy, was shown last Wednesday, November 12.
The Blair annual Activity Fair was cancelled today due to a Code Blue and Code Red drill during period four.
The annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade is planned for Saturday, November 22 at 10:00 a.m. in downtown Silver Spring.
All Blair clubs and organizations recognized by the SGA will have the opportunity to promote themselves during the annual Activity Fair scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18.
The seventeenth annual Community Service Day sponsored by the Montgomery County Volunteer Center occurred this past Saturday, Oct. 25.
The Montgomery County Volunteer Center presents their seventeenth annual Community Service Day this Saturday, Oct. 25, rain or shine.
Dorothy Height, author of newly published Open Wide the Freedom Gates, spoke to a group of about 100 people last Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the Silver Spring Library as part of the Speaker Series.
The trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad began in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Oct. 14, a year after the shootings last fall, according to The Washington Post.
Recycling at Blair has always been difficult because of its large faculty and student body, but over the years, the process has improved. The main issue now is to bring awareness to what can and cannot be recycled so there is less contamination of the blue bins.
The Silver Spring Library will sponsor a discussion between recently published author Dorothy Height and The Washington Post Columnist Courtland Milloy on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8:00 p.m.
Maureen Diodati wanders around room 157, preparing for her first period CAP English block. She writes the daily agenda on the dry-erase board, removes the necessary papers from her briefcase, and sits in her chair, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her tenth grade students.
Michael Kinghorn, Senior Dramaturg for Arena Stage, provided background on the 1935 movie A Midsummer Night's Dream and its directors, Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, at the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (
The new Blair Academy courses are being offered to ninth graders for the first time this school year. As a result of an unprecedented electoral decision, sixteen-year-olds in Baltimore were eligible to cast ballots in the primary elections for mayor and City Council last Tuesday, September 9. On Saturday morning, September 13, from nine to 11 a.m. local residents participated in the second annual Sweep the Creek event sponsored by Friends of Sligo Creek (FoSC). Families with small children, the Boy Scouts, and the Blair's SGR were among those who collected trash along Sligo Creek despite the rain. So far, Summer 2003 has extinguished the usual excitement of going to the movies by showing a large number of dull sequels and moronic chick flicks. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has its own weaknesses but still reminds us of what summer movies should be: adventurous and entertaining. On any given day, Señorita Coral Martin can be seen chatting in Spanish with colleagues in Montgomery Blair High School's Foreign Language Department. She seems at home in this environment, which is surprising since she only arrived here from Spain in August 2002. Math teacher and football coach James Baker sits at his desk in room 248 at Montgomery Blair High School, concentrating on papers while murmurs fill the room. Baker leads a different life from most teachers. Not only does he teach three periods of Algebra I and II at Blair, but he alsotravels to Rockville High School, where he is a teacher of threeadditional classes as well as a football coach.Academies now underway at Blair
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Sixteen-year-olds vote in Baltimore primaries
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Sligo Creek clean up leaves stream trash free
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Back to school for parents
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Clever but lacking in the extraordinary
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Martin, Coral
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Baker, James
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May 1, 2003, midnight
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