For some Blazers, the warm weather means one thing: blasting music from their cars with the windows down.
Magnet Physics teacher James Schafer was named Teacher of the Year for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for the 2010-2011 school year. The announcement, made on April 28, allows Schafer to compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
The Blair administration held its first code blue tornado drill yesterday during first period at 7:55 a.m. Assistant Principal Dr. Andrew Coleman spearheaded the exercise, which is a part of a state-wide initiative for increased tornado safety measures.
Ah, the smell of springtime is enough to make even the coldest of hearts thaw. Along with the snow, layers of clothes have melted off Blazers as the warm weather brings even hotter fashion. Springing up along with flowers are all sorts of new trends that are sure to sizzle in the sun.
There's nothing I love more than the Olympics, which is why I'm sad to see them go. The idea that nations from all over the world can put aside their differences for a little fun competition just goes to show the value of sports. Not to mention, the Winter Olympics garner a sense of national pride (37 medals for U.S.!) that recently seems hard to come by.
Silver Chips Online has somehow managed to recruit a number of renowned, self-certified experts in a variety of fields to write and edit for our paper. We are fortunate enough to have snoWatch specialists, pop culture pundits, auto-tune aficionados, match-making masters and alliteration all-stars.
It's been a pretty bleak winter. Gloomy and dirty gray snow still covers the ground. But the prospect of some Silver Chips Online manufactured young love will surely melt away any winter woes.
As a senior, I've admittedly had a difficult time sitting down and focusing on the piles of homework that I have (second semester, you're almost here!). Recently, with final exams, I've found myself having an even harder time staying on track. And, in all of my distracted glory, I've gotten myself a Twitter.
In an age where special effects and computer-generated graphics dominate the silver screen, it's quite the novelty to see a film shot without the help of fancy visual effects or animation. Where oftentimes technological advancements aid in the way of a film's perception, in "The Lovely Bones," it diminishes the otherwise strong plot and cast.
It may have been last year, but I remember it clearly - when news outlets announced that Tiger Woods had been in a car accident. My dad, a golf aficionado, made sure to text everyone in my immediate golf-loving family. Later we learned that Tiger suffered from minor face lacerations. With weeks to come, his reputation would suffer the most damage.
It's winter time and even though the wind chill is in the teens, Blazers still manage to heat up the Boulevard with their stylish outfits. When it comes to looking winter-chic, there is no such thing as snow days. We at Silver Chips Online strive to stay up on the latest trends so you can stay in the know while you're in the snow!
It is 6 a.m. and you jump out of bed in anticipation. You dash to your window to see the once green lawn covered in fluffy snow. With a grin plastered across your face, you run to the T.V. and turn to channel 34. Amidst the soothing elevator music playing in the background, a blue screen with white writing reads, "Due to inclement weather, Montgomery County Public Schools have been closed for…" Huzzah! A snow day!
2009 has been quite a year/And the experts at SCO would like to share with our peers/Our wise predictions for what 2010 has to bring/So feel free to rejoice! Shout out, dance, sing!/With 2009 already halfway out the door/Check out The List and see what '10 has in store
For many students, lunch is an opportunity to chat with friends and catch up on events from the day. But for junior Hien Le, lunch at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School was torture. Constantly berated by her classmates because she identified as lesbian, Le eventually had to eat with teachers to escape the torment of her peers.
It's Halloween and the wind is swirling wildly as twilight turns to darkness. The air is crisp and leaves crackle as night draws near. Trekking down the dimly lit street are creatures and characters of all kinds. Some costumes make you shiver with fear, some make you grin with delight. And others - well, others might just leave you confused.
As the temperature goes down, Silver Chic is back in action to keep Blazers up on the latest trends. For its first installment of the year, Silver Chips Online has taken it to the Boulevard and to find out exactly which trends Blazers are setting on fire as autumn arrives.
Due to countywide budget cuts, recreational funding has been reduced by more than $2 million for the 2010 fiscal year. As a result, the Blair Sports Academy (BSA) will see operation changes next year, according to Melanie Coffin, manager of recreation for Montgomery County.
With the advent of the Internet has come a steep increase in digital piracy. Media, films and music are available to consumers illegally at the touch of a button. The question is though, how much is this really hurting movie-makers?
It's hard to know where "Terminator Salvation" falls on post-apocalyptic man versus highly-intelligent machines movie spectrum. On one hand (in this case it would be a sturdy metal appendage), this flick capitalizes on the advancements in Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) technology and brilliantly uses them to depict an ominous planet earth that is being terrorized by robots. On the other hand, though, its sloppy plot, pointless characters and melodramatic script drag the movie down to mediocrity.
While her friends unwrap sandwiches and pop bags of potato chips around her, junior Jill Lidsky sits down across the table silently with a wide grin across her face. "What's up Jill?" a friend asks Lidsky. She continues to smile wildly as she pulls out a picture and presents it proudly. "I finally found out what my sister looks like!" Lidsky replies triumphantly as she hands over a picture of her sister.
A former student from Walt Whitman high school was arrested last Wednesday after posting death threats on the teen gossip website, peoplesdirt.com.
The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) will vote on whether students will be allowed to use their cell phones during lunch, a change that would nullify the current ban on cell phones during school, in order to allow easier communication between students and parents. Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Quratul-Ann Malik proposed the change in policy earlier this month and the board will review it in June, according to Malik.
April 29 - Senator Arlen Specter (R - Pa.) switched political parties after concluding that his reelection chances as a member of the GOP were slim. This switch could give the Democrats a 60th vote in the Senate, making Obama's administrative agendas potentially filibuster-proof.
The varsity baseball team (7-6) was unable to recover from giving up three runs in the sixth inning to the Walter Johnson Wildcats (5-3), eventually losing 6-2. A few smart plays could not save the Blazers from falling victim to the Wildcats' strong pitching.
Juniors Tomas Deza and Richard Adamson met President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Clinton on Tuesday while planting trees in honor of Earth Day. Deza and Adamson are a part of the environmental group Student Conservation Association (SCA) that helps protect and restore national parks.
Threads of cotton candy expelled from a machine twirl in the breeze. A volunteer frantically coils the sugary treat around a paper cone as more than a dozen patrons wait excitedly for their turn, tickets in hand. Standing only feet away from the machine, a child sports a bright blue grin after finishing his sweet delight. This child's smile was one of many at this year's annual Blair carnival, where fun activities and beautiful weather combined in perfect harmony to provide a blissful evening.
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) has chosen Montgomery County as the location for its new global headquarters for the Americas, to be completed by 2010. The establishment will oversee the IB programs in the 1,494 schools found throughout the 28 territories in the Americas, according to a February press release from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
Sophomore Gardi Royce and his father, Jimmy Daukas, lock eyes from across the dinner table. They are both enticed by the delectable desert in front of them. Not willing to give in to the allurement or the calories, Royce pushes it aside and smirks at his father. Royce's dad, too, refuses to yield to the tasty temptation. After all, this is a competition.
Thursday night's game provided some moments of redemption after a long and dissatisfying season for Blair's varsity boys' basketball team (7-14). Coming off of the momentum of their close overtime win over Walter Johnson on Tuesday, the Blazers rallied to defeat the visiting Gaithersburg Trojans (10-11) in a powerful 48-37 performance on their senior night. The two victories make up Blair's first string of consecutive wins since beginning the season 3-0.
As the final movie gems of 2008 transition to wide release, audiences everywhere turn to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy, for short) as well as its smaller, more liberal cousin, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to recognize the greatest movies of 2008. These institutions run two of the film industry's biggest award ceremonies: the Oscars and the Golden Globes, respectively. Nominations for each award are highly coveted and the golden statuettes are supposedly given to nothing less than the best Tinseltown has to offer.
For those looking for a good laugh at the movies, look no further than "The Uninvited." Don't let the trailer or advertisements for this cinematic rubbish fool you, the only thing scary about this movie is the fact that it costs money to see it.
There's something to be said about the fact that on Wednesday night, Blair ended their game with more turnovers than points scored. Blair (5-13) fell to the Richard Montgomery Rockets (10-7) in yet another frustrating display of disarray on the court, with the final scoreboard reading 53-27. Despite Blair's variety of talented players, the Blazers continue to struggle with unity, grabbing rebounds and accuracy of shots.
Cecilia Munoz, mother of junior Tina Munoz-Pandya, has been appointed Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration and as of Tuesday, will be one of the highest-ranking Latina women in government. Munoz believes that this opportunity will help solidify "a place at the table" for the United States' ever-growing Hispanic population, as well as strengthen the relationship between local and national government for all Americans.
If you've turned on the radio in the past few years, you're probably familiar with the robotic twang of "T-Pained" vocals. This trademark motif of namesake and Florida R&B crooner T-Pain is caused by Antares Audio Technologies's Auto-Tune plug-in, a program that snaps sour notes into a computerized pattern with a distinctive tremble.
With all of this holiday cheer and flakes of snow comes what seems like another blessing: low gas prices. Sure, maybe not the first thing you think of when you think of the excitement of winter break, but according to CNN, gas prices are at a five-year low at $1.65 per gallon and that is something to be thankful for.
The boys' varsity basketball team (3-2) fell victim to Churchill's deadly shooting Friday night, as they dropped their second game in a row, 44-29. Blair struggled offensively all night, and a 16-0 Churchill run in the second quarter made it too difficult for the Blazers to make a comeback in the second half.
It was 1 a.m. on a weekend night last June when Adrian, a senior, heard his phone ring. His mom was in the hospital. Adrian stood up - and stumbled over. He was intoxicated at a graduation party. Desperate to be with his family during their emergency, he dropped his drink, hopped in his Nissan Ultima and headed down University Blvd.
A reignited boys' varsity basketball team (2-0) entered the gym for the second half against Kennedy (0-2) Tuesday night, leading a rally after an unfavorable 27-18 halftime deficit. Senior co-captain and forward Mike McClain sank four clutch free throws in the final seconds to seize and cement Blair's first lead of the game. The Blazers scored 32 second-half points and limited the Cavaliers to just two points in the final 5:56 to win the down-to-the-wire battle, 50-47.
As fun as it is waiting in line for 35 minutes at The Gap to get your mom that cable-knit sweater that she already has in every other color, we at Silver Chips Online have created a holiday gift guide to make this festive season filled with creative and thoughtful packages.
Our deteriorating economy gives reason to bargain shop. We all want to find good deals to save money, but it seems like some are taking it too far. That desperation for a deal, which manifested itself this past Black Friday, became deadly at a Long Island Wal-Mart when an employee was trampled to death by a frantic mob of shoppers. Jdimytai Damour, 34, was killed while trying to restrain the crazed barganeers.
Fall is here, and winter seems just around the corner! The temperature is getting colder and visions of sunscreen and short-shorts are fading quickly. Though this time may be sad for some, autumn also brings beautiful scenery and food-filled festivities. Nothing hits the spot quite like the Thanksgiving classic, pumpkin pie, but if you're looking for something a little less caloric (but not by much, folks) with the same pumpkin punch, look no further than these delectable treats. A pumpkin-chocolate chip cookie hybrid, these squares of joy will warm your belly and make you forget that there are still eight more months left of school.
The Boys' Varsity Soccer team celebrated their first victory of in the 4A division playoffs on Friday, beating Whitman 3-0. Playing off of the momentum of their first goal, the Blazers managed to shut out the Vikings, whom they had tied in their only meeting during the regular season.
The Student Government Association (SGA), in partnership with the American Red Cross, hosted a blood drive on Wednesday. More than 200 students and staff signed up to give blood at stations in the gymnasium. The event spanned throughout the day.
Frustration and disappointment were carved onto the faces of the boys' varsity soccer team (6-3-2) after losing a close game to Wheaton in overtime, 2-1. Another overtime upset left an especially sour taste in the Blazers' mouth as the loss game on senior night.
It was three minutes before the 7:25 late bell and I was frantically dashing to my first period class. Before I could sprint through the University Blvd. entrance, I was halted by security requesting my ID. I halted, fishing though the abyss that is my humongous backpack to find nothing but an ID from last year. Attempting to be sly, I tried to flash the back of it, thinking that I could avoid that fact that the front of it was last year's red instead of this year's white.
Two early goals gave the boys' varsity soccer team (6-2-2) enough momentum to maintain authority on the field and trounce Walter Johnson, 3-1. Another strong win can be accredited Blair's powerful midfield with all three goals coming from the middle.
Heads hung low, the Blair varsity soccer team (3-1-1) sulked as they walked off the field at the end of their game against Magruder, crushed by their first loss of the season, 3-2. The arduous fight ended in overtime after Blair gave up a two-goal lead in the last 15 minutes of regulation.
Boys' varsity soccer (3-0-1) added another win to their resume, demolishing the Blake Bengals, 5-1. The victory came easily to the Blazers whose team unity led to field domination and another comfortable win.
The Montgomery County High School Democrats (MCHSD) held a kickoff party at Magruder High School yesterday. In addition to providing an opportunity to organize members from respective high schools, the event featured guest speakers, discussion forums and elected official meet and greets. Much of the discussion centered on the upcoming presidential elections, and attendees were offered opportunities to volunteer.
Coming off of a close win against Watkins Mill last Friday, Blair varsity soccer proved that they are a force to be reckoned with after a 5-1 drubbing of the Richard Montgomery Rockets. In their second game of the season, the Blazers showed their cohesion on the field and played a strong game overall.
The rain and terrible field conditions at Blazer stadium did not stop the Blair varsity soccer team from winning their first game and setting a tone for the rest of the season, beating Watkins Mills 2-1. Junior midfielder Aaron Baldwin scored Blair's two goals, the second of which won the game in overtime.
The Montgomery Blair Katrina Project (MBKP) held a five-kilometer race along Sligo Creek Parkway for renovation efforts in New Orleans on Aug. 28. More than 350 people of all ages participated in the race, and the group, made up of Blair Communication Arts Program (CAP) seniors, has raised over $11,000 for the cause so far, according to co-organizer Camille Huang.
The Montgomery Blair Katrina Project (MBKP), formed by a group of Communication Arts Program (CAP) seniors, is hosting a five-kilometer race on Aug. 31 to benefit survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Silver Spring International Middle School and the race begins at 8:30.
John Haigh is a typical Blazer: he plays soccer constantly, loves the outdoors, wears American Eagle clothes and enjoys hanging out with his friends and jamming to alternative rock music. He could be just a typical teenager – which is why it is easy to forget that he's a teacher.
With a plot thinner than supporting actress Angelina Jolie's arms, "Wanted" comes up short in everything but explosive violence. Only certain adrenaline seekers will enjoy the graphic violence and action in this fast-paced assassin movie, with an opening scene that includes a close up of a bullet ripping through a man's forehead.
Five cupcake stores later, Katie can't eat another bite.
With fair prices and delicious cupcakes, Georgetown Cupcake is a winner.
These cupcakes are almost too pretty to eat.
We ventured to Cake Love for the first round of the battle between reporter and cupcake.
The red velvet cupcake at Cake Love is overwhelmingly sweet.
Put that baby in the oven!
The necessary ingredients for this delicious treat.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix in the star of the recipe: the pumpkin puree!
Spread the mixture onto the pan.
Before entering the school, Blazers fish through their backpacks for their IDs while a security guard watches.
Haigh is relaxed at the front of the classroom.