media

Restaurant Olympics

By Hannah Weintraub | Oct. 7, 2011, 11:19 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

When walking along Georgia Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring, it's easy to do a double take. Camouflaged in the patchwork of restaurants and shops are two nearly identical Greek restaurants. The two popular restaurants, The Greek Place and The Big Greek Café, share a complicated history that begins at the Greek Place. The owners of local restaurants partnered together and founded The Big Greek Café in March of 2008. In 2009, according to Daniel Centeno the chef at the current Big Greek Café, the partners split and the original Big Greek Café closed down briefly. When it reopened a few weeks later, it was renamed as The Greek Place. One partner moved right down the street and opened his own Greek restaurant. The new restaurant opened in July of 2009 as The (Original) Big Greek Café. Confused yet? Jose Garcia, the manager of The Greek Place, has a different take on the story. "We came first, then they opened down the street when they saw a lot of business here," he says. Despite the proximity and confusing history, Centeno and Garcia both attest that there is no competition between the two restaurants; there are enough Greek-food lovers to go around. For any Blazer, the choice between the two Greek eateries can be tricky. As a homage to the restaurants' Greek roots, Silver Chips is pitting these two restaurants against each other in the Olympic Games of Greek Restaurants. In order to win, the restaurant must impress in three categories: appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Ultimately, only one restaurant will go home with the gold.

Chips Trip: Zumba

By Sarah Wilson, Helen Bowers | Oct. 7, 2011, 11:07 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

The last time I danced, I performed a solo interpretation of The Ugly Duckling at age seven. I admit now that my smug self-satisfaction over my feathered boa and ambitious decision to portray a bird may have hurt my ability to gauge the audience's reaction. I can now only imagine the parents' shocked horror in what surely appeared to be a disappointing plot twist: I transitioned from awkward duckling to graceful swan but the terrible dancing continued without change. I quit shortly after that.

A Hidden D.C. Treasure is Unearthed

By Zoe Waldrop | Oct. 7, 2011, 9:53 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Passing by the White House and the grandeur of Washington D.C.'s public buildings and monuments sets up many expectations. But when entering the back door of the Department of Commerce building, these expectations are immediately replaced with the set of plastic hammerhead shark models hanging above the security check. The stairs lead down to the basement where natural light and marble trim disappear. The brown, six-foot long sharks are there to guard one of D.C.'s best-kept secrets - the oldest aquarium in the United States.

Council reviews curfew

By Srividya Murthy | Oct. 7, 2011, 12:05 a.m. | In Print News »

The proposal to enact a teen curfew in Montgomery County is being revised by the County Council's Public Safety Committee and will be submitted for a vote this November.

Silver Quill adds musical portion

By Srividya Murthy | Oct. 7, 2011, 12:01 a.m. | In Print News »

Silver Quill will integrate a music section with its present art and literature categories to encourage submissions from musically talented Blazers and to expand their readership to a broader subset of the student body.

Glory Days

By Claire Sleigh | Oct. 7, 2011, midnight | In Print Sports »

Blair football has become a regional joke in some senses, but it hasn't always been this way. It's important for Blair students to look back to all that our predecessors accomplished, and take a look forward to see what new crops of Blair athletes can bring.

Life on the Median

By Sebastian Medina-Tayac | Sept. 20, 2011, 3:17 p.m. | In Print Features »

They come earlier and stay later than any student. They work weekends and summers. While we sit in our climate-controlled school, building our futures, they stand in the heat or cold, begging to maintain their present. Just across the intersection of Colesville Road and University Boulevard, the "panhandlers" pace sidewalks and medians for hours every day, holding cardboard signs and jingling coins in plastic cups. Many different panhandlers visit the intersection, but some "regulars" have been coming to Four Corners for decades. The intersection and small commercial center surrounding Blair attracts many panhandlers, often five in a day.

From handcuffs to hallways

By NoahGrace Bauman | June 8, 2011, 4:16 p.m. | In Print Features »

Conducting blood pattern analyses, chasing suspects on motorbike, and finding bullet trajectories seems more like a day in the life of an actor on CSI, not of the security guard who patrols Blair's back halls. But just a few years ago Maureen Walsh was documenting homicides and dodging bullets for the Washington, D.C., Police Department.

Communicating through creation

By NoahGrace Bauman | June 8, 2011, 12:14 p.m. | In Print Features »

Senior Talia Mason stands red-faced and panting with a feeling of satisfaction after performing a series of jumps, leaps and twirls in front of a group of her peers at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. The routine, which she painstakingly arranged herself is more than series of movements — it is an expression of her thoughts and feelings into a kinetic work of art.

Expanding the lunchroom

By Stella Bartholet | June 8, 2011, 11:53 a.m. | In Print Features »

Senior Roxana Treminio used to resort to going hungry during the school day. She did not know that she could qualify for free meals until last year, when her younger sister brought a county-government form home and asked her parents to fill it out. Now that Treminio receives school-provided meals, she is able to eat a full meal without waiting until she gets home.

June issue: changing of the guard

By Claire Sleigh | June 8, 2011, 11:41 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

The observant reader might notice recent updates in our staff box. Silver Chips's June issue is always entirely edited, written and managed by juniors. In the fall, we will formally begin our managing editor positions and work with a new group of junior staffers. Here is where we hope to take the paper next year.

The student sabbatical

By NoahGrace Bauman | June 8, 2011, 11:30 a.m. | In Print Features »

Class of 2010 graduate, Gemma Deustachio, lives on her own off of a mere three dollars a day. She gets up at six every morning and works with at-risk fourth graders in Washington D.C., and she loves it.

When 'English' doesn't mean 'European': A diverse curriculum

By Claire Koenig | June 8, 2011, 11:14 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

JV Journal

By Claire Sleigh | June 8, 2011, 11:12 a.m. | In Print Sports »

The JV softball team finished off the season with an outstanding record of 12-1, making them one of the strongest JV teams at Blair this year.

Best of Blair Sports

By Claire Sleigh | June 7, 2011, 12:28 p.m. | In Print Sports »

Senior Eve Brown has been a pitcher on Blair's varsity softball team since her freshman year. Brown has pitched the majority of the games for the past two years and achieved a record of 12-1 for this past season, striking out 82 batters in 72 innings. Her only loss was against Chesapeake in the state semifinals.

Homecooked competition serves the ultimate friendship

By Eliza Wapner | June 7, 2011, 12:02 p.m. | In Print Sports »

Sophomore Puck Bregstone leaps to snatch a Frisbee out of the air. As he catches the disc, he lands hard on the ground, accidentally pushing a member from the opposing team down. The time is stopped, not by a referee, but by the players.

Spirits ‘flii' at Puzzle Palooza

By Eliza Wapner | June 7, 2011, 11:52 a.m. | In Print Features »

Senior CJ Argue hangs another blue beaded Mardi Gras necklace around his neck. His face and body are already caked with blue and white face paint, giving him the appearance of a retro superhero; a blue and white Israeli flag drapes proudly over his back.

A new school of thought

By Stella Bartholet | June 7, 2011, 11:51 a.m. | In Print Features »

Like any typical Blair student, sophomore Conlan Mayer-Marks grudgingly wakes up at six in the morning, brushes his teeth and gets dressed. But instead of throwing on the standard t-shirt and jeans, Mayer-Marks neatly buttons up a military uniform.

Off the wall at Walmart

By Helen Bowers, Simrin Gupta | June 7, 2011, 11:40 a.m. | In Print Entertainment »

Whether you're a fan of the low prices and vast selection or if you greatly oppose the environmental impact and harsh mistreatment of their workers, there is no denying that Walmart is one thing and one thing only: a playground. With vast, unattended spaces and a labyrinth of shelves of objects to be misused, it is almost impossible to resist temptation. And how better to prepare ourselves for the incoming Walmart branches in the DC area (one on Georgia, New York, New Jersey Avenues and another on East Capitol Street) than to try out some of the online tips for having fun at Walmart. So your two daring, brave Silver Chips star reporters decided to breech the rules of consumer etiquette and wreak havoc at Walmart.

Non-profit hosts media festival

By Stella Bartholet | June 7, 2011, 11:28 a.m. | In Print News »

The Gandhi Brigade, a local non-profit organization, hosted its fourth Annual JustUs Youth! Media Festival in Downtown Silver Spring on May 21. Blair students participated in activities related to social justice issues at the festival, including film competitions, workshops and performances.

Losing weight, finding community

By Eliza Wapner | June 7, 2011, 11:14 a.m. | In Print Features »

For the past eight weeks, every Friday, 44 teachers nervously filed into the nurse's office all day. Each one slowly steps onto a scale, hoping that the number is lower than it was the previous week. The Biggest Loser competition has come to Blair.

Spring Sports Update

By Claire Sleigh | June 7, 2011, 11:09 a.m. | In Print Sports »

Despite the fact that the girls' lacrosse team (2-4) has lost to two teams, B-CC and Whitman, that it beat last year, the team remains confident that it can rebound, said senior co-captain Tessa Mork.

Pro/Con: Are academy programs at Blair effective at motivating students?

By Helen Bowers, Eliza Wapner | June 7, 2011, 11:08 a.m. | In Print Opinions »

Blair has five academies: Entrepreneurship, Media Literacy, Human Services Professions, International Studies and Science and Math and Technology. Academies allow students to take classes in fields that interest them. However, the academies program has faced criticism for ineffectiveness and lack of focus.

Frequent turnover hinders learning

By | June 3, 2011, 11:49 p.m. | In Print Opinions »

This article was written by the Silver Chips Print Editorial Board and is intended to represent the official views of the newspaper. Principal Williams's "exciting and sad news" that he will leave Blair to take the position of community superintendent has largely left teachers and students disappointed and skeptical.

A detour to success

By Srividya Murthy | June 3, 2011, 1:14 p.m. | In Print Features »

Our society has etched the story of the successful student: they advance through elementary, middle and high school, working hard and achieving good grades and finally standing proudly as high school graduates. Adorned with a cap and gown, diplomas in one hand and admission letters to top colleges in another, they are completely prepared to meet the future ahead. While this trajectory is common for many Blazers, it conceals the paths of who do not follow this story: the paths of Blair dropouts.