Mimi Verdonk


Name: Mimi Verdonk
Position: Online Sports Editor
Graduation Year: 2013


Stories (53)


Popping the question

By Mimi Verdonk | May 15, 2013, 1:53 p.m. | In Student Section »

With prom less than a week away, the dramatic asking season has officially come to a close. Prom proposals, affectionately dubbed promposals, no longer consist of a simple "Will you go to prom with me?”

From Pakistan to La Paz

By Mimi Verdonk | April 3, 2013, 10:15 p.m. | In Features »

Among Blair's diverse crowd walks a group of giggling Hispanic girls conversing rapidly in Spanish about plans for the weekend. Within the voices, a south Asian accent comes across - but only a hint, extremely easy to dismiss. It takes a closer look to see the one girl who is not like the rest: Jawairia Iqbal.

SCO Says: Prom, TV and other shenanigans

By Hannah Lynn, Stacy Mathew, Mimi Verdonk | March 18, 2013, 8:14 p.m. | In Humor »

Your experts are back, telling you how to properly live your life. Good advice is not guaranteed in the slightest.

Who's in line for the girl's bathroom?

By Mimi Verdonk | March 9, 2013, 11:46 a.m. | In News Blog »

As a first grader at Eagleside Elementary School in Fountain, Colo., Mathis is treated no differently than any other female student, except for one thing: she can't use the girls' bathroom.

Women take the wheel

By Mimi Verdonk | Feb. 26, 2013, 6:21 p.m. | In Sports Blog »

In a world where the punch line of jokes about bad driving often end with a woman behind the wheel, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick's eighth place finish in Sunday's Daytona 500 speaks volumes.

Beyoncé Bowl

By Stacy Mathew, Mimi Verdonk | Feb. 7, 2013, 5:25 p.m. | In Entertainment »

Though the Ravens may have taken home the Lombardi on Sunday, Beyoncé was the real winner, capturing both our hearts and the title of MVP in halftime show history.

Around the school in 100 days

By Mimi Verdonk | Feb. 7, 2013, 2:16 p.m. | In Connections Blog »

48,000 minutes. 800 hours. 100 days. Yes, ladies and gentleman, today, Thursday, Feb. 7, is the 100th day of school (feel free to hold the applause).

The sandwich showdown

By Mimi Verdonk | Jan. 8, 2013, 11:29 a.m. | In Food »

There was a time when sandwiches were simple: just two slices of bread and your choice of peanut butter and jelly or lunchmeat. But today's sandwiches come in all shapes, flavors and price ranges. Whether you want it cold, hot, vegetarian or beefy, there's a kind of sandwich out there for us all.

Blair teacher helps students improve grammar through social media

By Mimi Verdonk | Dec. 24, 2012, 5:06 p.m. | In Features »

Blair reading teacher Theresa Hiller is using a new tool to get her students engaged in syntax and word choice: social media.

The Blair Boogie: The top 10 pop Christmas songs, period.

By Jacob Buchholz, Langston Taylor, Mimi Verdonk | Dec. 21, 2012, 5:35 p.m. | In Music »

Let's talk Christmas music. Not carols, not hymns. Not "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" or "Come All Ye Faithful." In fact, nothing containing the word "ye" at all unless it's pronounced YAY and is referring to Kanye West.

Picking pies for Thanksgiving

By Mimi Verdonk | Nov. 19, 2012, 5:20 p.m. | In Food »

Thanksgiving is three days away and many Blazers are already preparing for the subsequent food coma. Who can resist a plate full of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce?

The Blair Boogie: Good girl gone really bad

By Mimi Verdonk | Nov. 2, 2012, 1:09 p.m. | In Music »

While Rihanna has sky rocketed into a household name, the quality of her music has been on a downward spiral.

Living the American DREAM

By Stacy Mathew, Mimi Verdonk | Nov. 2, 2012, 9:57 a.m. | In Features »

While many college-bound seniors think they have it tough, imagine applying to colleges, searching for scholarships and fighting to stay in the country. For some Blazers this isn't just a hypothetical, this is reality.

Never Mind the Grind

By Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 13, 2012, 11:28 a.m. | In Connections Blog »

With the Homecoming dance just a week away, Blazers are already starting to envision the night.

Athlete of the Month: September

By Jacob Buchholz, Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 7, 2012, 8:09 p.m. | In Blair »

Find out which Blazer was voted as your Athlete of the Month for September.

SCO Says: Need Advice?

By Hannah Lynn, Stacy Mathew, Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 2, 2012, 8:40 p.m. | In Ask Chips »

Need advice? Luckily, Silver Chips Online is here to answer all of your questions!

The Blair Boogie: A double dose of G.O.O.D music

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 28, 2012, 6:10 p.m. | In Music »

Less than two weeks later, "Cruel Summer” came out, a compilation between Jay-Z's Def Jam Records and Getting Out Our Dreams (G.O.O.D) Music, Kanye West's label.

Beefing on the Boulevard

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 26, 2012, 6:32 p.m. | In Connections Blog »

In the world of high school athletics, Blair and Northwood have a rivalry not unlike the Redskins-Cowboys.

The Blair Boogie: the boys are back

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 7, 2012, 9:09 a.m. | In Music »

"Backstreet's back, all right." They said it in 1998 and they're saying it almost a decade and a half later. You heard it folks, the Backstreet Boys are in, fact, back. But wait. Don't cue the teenage, or in this case thirty-something-year-old, obsessed fans quite yet.

The Olympian Prediction

By Jacob Buchholz, Mimi Verdonk | July 27, 2012, 2:01 a.m. | In Professional »

The Olympics begin this Friday, with the smell of the torches' smoke in the air. It's been four years since Beijing, and with a lot of newcomers and a lot of returners back with a vengeance, it's time to take a look at what's in store this year at the 2012 London games.

When in Paris...

By Mimi Verdonk | June 7, 2012, 10:21 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

Gwyneth Paltrow posted tweet referencing a Jay-Z and Kanye West song, along with a picture of the two performing in France on June 1. Though Paltrow did not write out the full word, and it is, as she later rightfully pointed out, the title of a song, cries of racism ensued almost immediately.

Blair summer program offers more classes

By Mimi Verdonk | June 4, 2012, 10:31 p.m. | In Local »

The Blair Summer Math and Reading Team (B_SMaRT) summer program will take place at Blair from June 18 through Aug. 10. The program gives students the opportunity to earn up to 1.5 credits in predetermined Math, English or High School Assessment Prep courses.

#Twitterfamous

By Mimi Verdonk | May 29, 2012, 7:35 p.m. | In Features »

Sophomore Julian Henry and a handful of other Blazers are celebrities. Their claim to fame? The Internet.

The One Direction infection

By Mimi Verdonk | May 24, 2012, 1:14 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

Move over Justin Bieber! Boy bands are the new big thing...again? With the introduction of England's One Direction and The Wanted to the music scene, and along with their American counterparts Mindless Behavior and Big Time Rush, boy bands have not been this big since 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. But what does this mean for the state of music? Contrary to what the screaming girls at sold out concerts might think, boy bands are nothing but trouble.

The Advanced Placement problem

By Mimi Verdonk | May 9, 2012, 11:02 p.m. | In Connections Blog »

There was a time when college credits were earned…in college. But that time is over. With the next two weeks dedicated solely to Advanced Placement (AP) testing, a significant chunk of Blair's student population is away taking a test with the hope of receiving college credit. Thus, the madness ensues.

Superheroes save civilization

By Mimi Verdonk | May 6, 2012, 9:31 p.m. | In Movies »

What do a green monster, a hammer-wielding Viking and an espionage-agent-like Scarlett Johannson have in common? Definitely not strange hair and accents. Somehow these three, as well as many other classic Marvel characters, come to life together in "The Avengers," a blockbuster superhero film reminiscent of the comics of yesteryear. Though the return of the Hulk or Captain America may lure an audience in with its action scenes, viewers will stay for the plot and humor as well.

Gymnastics snags second on Senior Night

By Mimi Verdonk | April 29, 2012, 7:42 p.m. | In Blair »

After finishing first in the last two competitions, the girls' varsity gymnastics team(4-2) lost to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC) Barons (6-1) but defeated the Whitman Vikings (3-4). The competition was determined by narrow margins, B-CC finishing with 163.65 points to the Blazers 159.85 and the Vikings 152. Despite the defeat, the crowd remained celebratory, cheering on the five senior gymnasts performing in their last home three-way meet.

Gymnastics vaults to victory against Springbrook and Sherwood

By Mimi Verdonk | April 20, 2012, 1:04 p.m. | In Blair »

Blair's girls varsity gymnastics team, reigning state champions, (3-1) continued their winning streak Thursday night with a victory over the Springbrook Blue Devils (0-4) and the Sherwood Warriors (3-2). Despite missing their two highest level gymnasts, Katie Pohlman and CiCi Bergman, who are both training for state gymnastic competitions, the team received first place, scoring 152.5 points compared to Sherwood's 139.4 and Springbrook's 95.7. Though the lead scorer was from Sherwood, second, third and fourth place were captured by Blazers.

The standardized testing snafu

By Mimi Verdonk | April 19, 2012, 12:04 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Standardized testers have finally found the way to end cheating. Next fall, SAT and ACT test scores will be sent directly to students' schools along with a picture of the test-taker.

SGA introduces "Fun Fridays"

By Mimi Verdonk | April 11, 2012, 12:21 p.m. | In Local »

On April 13 the Student Government Association (SGA) will begin hosting "Fun Fridays" to bring students together in a relaxed and safe environment.

Trojans trample varsity baseball

By Mimi Verdonk | April 5, 2012, 12:42 p.m. | In Blair »

Despite cheers and a defensive rally in the final inning, the varsity baseball team (2-3) lost to the Gaithersburg Trojans (3-2) by a score of 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon. The Blazers scored their only two runs in the first and second inning, remaining scoreless throughout the following six innings. Gaithersburg capitalized on simple fielding errors that cost Blair the victory and led to runs by the Trojans.

21 Slump Street

By Mimi Verdonk | March 19, 2012, 10:53 p.m. | In Movies »

The struggle to be cool, prom asking anxiety and a couple of wild parties make "21 Jump Street" the same as any other teenage movie: overdone.

Advancing in Apple

By Mimi Verdonk | March 14, 2012, 1:08 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

Four months after the death of its founder and CEO Steve Jobs, Apple products are still all the rage.

Winter sports come to a close

By Mimi Verdonk | March 13, 2012, 6:07 p.m. | In Blair »

Multiple first place titles, a couple division champs and a handful of national qualifiers later, the Winter sports season officially came to a close with the annual Winter Sports Banquet. Student athletes participating in indoor track, poms, cheerleading, wrestling, bocce ball and boys or girls basketball, joined together in the auditorium on March 12 for a night full of celebration and congratulations.

Iron Sharpens Iron comes to Blair

By Mimi Verdonk | March 9, 2012, 10:22 a.m. | In Local »

A Blair new organization, Iron Sharpens Iron, was formed in February to support and encourage Blair's Latino male population.

Hats off to hats on

By Mimi Verdonk | Feb. 8, 2012, 1:05 p.m. | In Connections Blog »

For some it's a simple snapback and for others it's a beanie. The classiest among us may bring out a fedora or a beret. No matter the form they take, hats are strictly prohibited to be worn by Blazers from 7:25 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. unless it serves religious purposes. So why the cap on caps?

Blair works to improve SAT performance

By Mimi Verdonk | Jan. 28, 2012, 12:17 p.m. | In Local »

Blair is joining the larger Montgomery County Public School initiative to increase the percentage of students taking the SAT Reasoning Test, as well as the mean SAT combined score of all students.

Chill tunes for a chilly day

By Mimi Verdonk | Jan. 27, 2012, 3:33 p.m. | In Music »

With finals behind us and a new semester on the horizon, now seems like the perfect time to sit back, drink a cup of Earl Gray tea and crank up the best mid-winter jams.

Extremely touching and incredibly intense

By Mimi Verdonk | Jan. 23, 2012, 11:17 p.m. | In Movies »

For once a movie lives up to the book's expectations. Great acting, an even greater plot line and near perfect cinematography are sure to leave you crying your eyes out by the end of this film.

Traditional travesties

By Stacy Mathew, Mimi Verdonk | Dec. 19, 2011, 1:03 p.m. | In Humor »

Ah, the holidays. They should be full of family, cheer and harmony. But let's face it; they're a little lacking in the food department.

Red dots in a blue ocean

By Mimi Verdonk | Dec. 9, 2011, 1:32 p.m. | In Features »

But among the varying shades of color and the pool of many languages at Blair, there is an underrepresented minority: conservatives.

Occupy the court

By Mimi Verdonk | Dec. 4, 2011, 11:07 a.m. | In Sports Blog »

John Wall will dance again, Glen Davis will cry again and LeBron James will once again be on a quest for his long awaited championship ring. So what exactly has changed?

The return of "The Muppets"

By Mimi Verdonk | Nov. 26, 2011, 8:22 p.m. | In Movies »

The jokes that were hilarious at five are still snicker worthy at 17, and the songs you jammed to as kid are just as catchy more than a decade later. "The Muppets" manages to warm your heart, and despite its corniness, remind you of the good old days.

Blair student performs with Capital City Symphony

By Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 21, 2011, 12:45 p.m. | In Local »

Blair senior Arec Jamgochian opened the Capital City Symphony's fall season as guest performer on Oct. 16.

Spiritless in Silver Spring

By Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 13, 2011, 7:13 p.m. | In Connections Blog »

What's that other thing that happens this week, where people dress up and show their Blazer pride? Hint: It starts with school, and ends with week. But what's missing in the middle…? Oh yeah, spirit.

SCO's radio hit list

By Mimi Verdonk | Oct. 8, 2011, 11:15 a.m. | In Music »

It seems like radio DJs only play 15 songs over and over again, so we're here to give you the lowdown on the ones that you can still bear after a hundred listens, as well as the others that you'll want to turn down.

Wives gone wild

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 28, 2011, 9:02 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

Housewives were once elegant women, seen but never heard. But now these ladies have ripped off their masks and are exposing every ugly detail of their lives. The housewives have gone wild, and America loves it.

An unanswered call

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 18, 2011, 6:16 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

What the American public wants, and needs, is an actual plan to generate savings, but what Obama provided in his speech earlier this month was a lot of empty words.

Blazers tame Wolverines

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 18, 2011, 12:13 p.m. | In Sports »

The Blair girls' tennis team (2-2) defeated the Watkins Mill Wolverines (0-5) by a final score of 7-0. The inexperienced Watkins Mill squad was an easy match for the veteran Blazers.

New cell phone policy introduced

By Mimi Verdonk | Aug. 26, 2011, 9:55 a.m. | In Local »

The Blair administration will take part in an initiative to expand cell phone use in school for the upcoming academic year. The program, which was piloted at 10 other Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) last year, allows students to use cell phones before and after the school day, and during their lunch periods. The policy was proposed at a countywide principal's meeting where principals from all 26 MCPS high schools signed on to the initiative after it received support from Student Government Association (SGA) members and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) participants at the Instructional Leadership Team retreat in July.

No more peanuts and cracker jacks

By Mimi Verdonk | Aug. 22, 2011, 10:15 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

As the fall sports season gets into full swing for Montgomery County, sweat, whistles and school spirit fill the air. Sadly, so does the late July decision to cut MCPS's athletic budget by almost ten percent.

"Smurf"-tastic

By Mimi Verdonk | Aug. 1, 2011, 10:37 a.m. | In Movies »

Great animation, snappy humor and a little Katy Perry make "The Smurfs” a summer hit for the whole family.

Feminizing the field

By Mimi Verdonk | July 22, 2011, 8:07 p.m. | In Sports Blog »

More than six years after Mia Hamm retired, it seems that Women's soccer is finally making a comeback.



Images (5)


Photo: Whitney

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 3, 2012, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Allison Whitney is a player to watch on the girls' tennis team this fall.

Photo: Sara

By Mimi Verdonk | April 29, 2012, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Despite tough judging on the vault, Blair placed second on Senior Night.

Photo: Fernando

By Mimi Verdonk | March 9, 2012, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Junior Fernando Ventura finds motivation and unity in Blair's new club Iron Sharpens Iron.

Photo: Whitney

By Mimi Verdonk | Sept. 18, 2011, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Junior Allison Whitney patiently awaits a Watkins Mill return.

Photo: Soccer scrimmage

By Mimi Verdonk | Aug. 22, 2011, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will have to deal with changes in their schedules as a result of the cuts.