Year II, Issue I October 2012 Washington Latin

Seniors nominated for Posse scholarship programBy Kelly RiveraJunior! Seniors from Washington Latin have been nominated for Posse, a scholarship program in its second year at the school, and are going through the application process right now. !! Last year, Seniors Anaka Osborne and Farris Nabih were finalists in the Posse program. “It was an incredible honor, I was so happy to have them included,” Ms. Laurel Seid said.“I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens this year.”! This year’s finalists in the senior class are just as enthusiastic to do well as their predecessors. Currently, the seniors who have made it as finalists are going through the application process. ! “I found out that I was a finalist for the program through a text and through email, and my reaction when I found out I’m a finalist was ‘SWAG’,” Tim Hursen said.! “I got an email, I was really proud of myself because I didn’t

By Cuneyt DilJunior! Washington Latin is currently negotiating a 25-year lease with the City Council for Rudolph Elementary School, a 75,000 square foot building, with the aim that it will be the permanent residence for the school beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. ! The building was first awarded to Washington Latin in mid-July by the city, and there is an option to renew the lease for an additional 25 years as well. ! Rudolph Elementary School, located at 5200 2nd Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., will house both the

Lower and Upper school, approximately 650 students. The school currently leases three separate buildings for grades 5-12. ! “The teachers, students, parents that have supported this school deserve it,” said Head of School Ms. Martha Cutts. “It is very, very exciting.” ! The new campus will feature four science labs, a new gym, an outdoor home sports field, a large multipurpose/lunch room and a library. There is even the possibility of a

New permanent home after long journey

FeaturedIs 6-minutes enough? Page 2 September Latin Lions sports

recap Page 4 and 5Mr. Boyd’s college advice & college visits calendar Page 6

Sumus Leones

From left to right, Ms. Martha Cutts, Ms. Diana Smith, Ms. Laurel Seid, Ms. Patricia Kolb posing in front of the former Rudolph Elementary sign. (Latinpcs website)

(continued on page 3)

(continued on page 2)

October 2012 Sumus Leones Page 2

Op-Ed: Is six minutes truly enough?By Karrin ThompsonJunior

There aren’t many high school students that have to walk up and down 16th street in the rain, hail or snow just to get to classes. There aren’t many high school students that have to run down stairs from Allison and walk two blocks and go downstairs in order to reach biology class. There aren’t many high school students that have school in the basement of a church and in a 4-story house. Here at Washington Latin we do, that is, until we move into our new building of course. So we’ve asked students and teachers how they feel about the 6 minute class transition time. Is it enough?

This isn’t new. We’ve had this much time to get to class for a while, but with students new to the high school and the returning students that have different classes and schedules this year, opinions tend to change. The teachers admit they are more than willing to write late passes if they let the students out late. So what’s the problem?

“Teachers will sometimes say we have enough time but we don’t,” said Dawit Deres, an eleventh grader at Washington Latin. This seems to be a problem for a lot of students: teachers will let you out 2 minutes late and say they’ll send an email to everyone’s teachers, but then forget.

The next thing you know your name appears on the LUNCH DETENTION list the next day and you feel like your life is over for about 15-20 minutes.

Getting to class is easy for some. Dayvon Brody, a twelfth grader, says “It’s easy if you leave straight from class.”

A few students feel that a two minute grace period should provide the time needed in order to get from one class room to another. Some teachers agree with the two minute grace period.

“I am somewhat lenient. I try to think about what buildings students are coming from,” says Mr. Nathan Day, an English teacher.

Whereas others do not. “I only excuse if they have a note,” says Ms. Raskin, a math teacher.

There are two sides to this argument among students and teachers every day, and the teachers tend to win each time, but there are ways to get to class on time, which I’ve figured out over the years:

1. Pack up quickly. Fumbling around with pencil cases and loose sheets of paper can cost you a minute of vital transition time.

Posse scholarship (cont.)feel confident about my first interview, but after that I was definitely confident and I thought ‘I can do this!’” Savannah Miller said. ! Posse is a leadership program in which students are selected to form a ‘Posse’ and are provided with extra support. Participants end up graduating from selective colleges with a very high success rate.! Posse is partnered with a schools across the US and has sites in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Washington D.C. and also added Houston this year. The students accepted into the Posse scholarship apply to these schools, and then must go to one of the schools to which they are accepted. ! The goal of Posse is to send a “posse” of students from the program to the same school so that they feel more comfortable with their college experience. This scholarship is a full ride scholarship, meaning that all four years of college are paid for. ! Some participants this year had words of

advice for students interested in posse when they become seniors themselves. ! One piece of advice is to socialize with other participants. ! “If you go with a bunch of kids from Latin, socialize with each other but also make sure that you break away from the group and mingle with other people that you don’t know,” said Claire Detrick-Jules.! “Make sure that you find some way to show who you are to the ‘judges’ in the room even if you aren’t supposed to talk to them,” Hursen added. “Make sure that they know you're there, because ultimately if they don't see you in the crowd you won't have a chance.”! “Be yourself because they really want to know the students who they’re gonna be giving the scholarships to, and also be ready to answer some personal questions,” Vallis said. (continued on page 6)

$486 Million in scholarships have been awarded by the posse foundation’s University partners.(source possefoundation.org)

October 2012 Sumus Leones Page 3

library--called “the Forum”--with glass walls, that will give a view of the fields and gardens. The process of renovating the entire school will begin in early 2013.! In contrast to the new campus, our current campuses at Decatur, Allison, and Upshur (MEU included) only total 31,000 square feet. ! Ms. Cutts has noted how complicated it is to renovate this building “quickly” and states that there is a “very competent team” to get the new campus ready for the next school year. ! The building is in a residential neighborhood, close to the Ft. Totten Metro Station, with red, yellow and green lines. An 80-car parking lot is also in the works. ! The renovation for the three-story school building has provided an opportunity for the AP Environmental class to get involved in the planning,

as the building will be a “L.E.E.D” certified building. The Lower School is also working on a variation of Latin’s new logo to be used on a section of the school website which documents the progress of the new campus project.! Ms. Cutts has described it as a “dream come true.”! “Now it’s time for us to have optimal facilities,” Ms. Cutts said. ! A large focus for many students will be the new athletic facilities provided by the move. ! Mr. Richard Bettencourt, Director of Physical Education and Athletics has revealed plans for a “brand new gym from the ground up” that is still “in the design phase.” In addition, Latin will also have an outside home field. ! The gym will include a basketball court with 6 hoops and

New life at the new campus(continued from front page)

Model of the new campus. Not everything in the model is finalized. (Photo credit Cuneyt Dil)

74,000 square feet

bleachers. ! “[The] size of those spaces are still being determined,” Mr. Bettencourt said. ! In addition to the indoor facilities, there is also field space at the back of the school “large enough for one full-sized soccer field.” ! Mr. Bettencourt has stated the possibility of having a turf field will be “based on finances.”! “There will be plenty of space to call our own. It will be Washington Latin’s field,” Mr. Bettencourt said. ! The Director of Athletics has also hinted at the possibility of a volleyball team, and that he “hopes there will be a required gym class in the Upper School.” The gym class would serve to replace one of the sports credits. Mr. Bettencourt admits the fate of such proposed activities “will depend on the facilities we end up with.” ! Not only will the sports facilities make the lives of athletes and coaches easier on a day to day basis, but Mr. Bettencourt believes it will also help with recruiting students and keeping them at Washington Latin. ! “It’ll attract students, plain and simple,” he said. “It’ll keep students at the school because some students right now decide we don’t have gyms or fields, and leave. It’ll attract students and also retain students. [It is] game changing for us as a school.” ! This new building is the future of Washington Latin, and Ms. Cutts believes as a School our “priority is to have the strong sense of community we have now sustained and nurtured in the new building.”

Sports September Recap

Page 4October 2012

Girls Varsity SoccerRecord 1-0-2

vs Bell H.S. (A): 0-10vs German School (A): 0-4vs Cesar Chavez (H): 4-0

Upcoming matches10/04/12 4:00 Away: Archbishop Carroll H.S.10/09/12 4:00 Away: Connelly School of the Holy Child10/13/12 1:30 Away: Episcopal H.S.10/19/12 4:00 Away: Capital City PCS10/22/12 Charter cup quarterfinals

Boys Varsity SoccerRecord 5-0-1

vs E.L. Haynes PCS (H): 7-0 Wvs Cesar Chavez (H): 4-2 Wvs Paul PCS (H): 5-0 Wvs Friendship - Woodson Collegiate (H): 5-0 Wvs Edmund Burke (A): 1-4 L vs Friendship - Woodson Collegiate (H): 7-1 W

Upcoming matches10/05/12 4:30 Away: E.L. Haynes PCS10/12/12 4:15 Home: Capital City PCS10/16/12 4:00 Away: German School10/18/2012 4:00 Away: Paul PCS

! It was a rough start for the varsity soccer girls this season. Adjusting to new coaches, new players, new captains and losing the seniors who graduated was more of a toll than most of the girls realized it would be. The team had to relearn how to play the game and reunify itself, and it definitely did not happen overnight. ! “This season is by far the toughest since my freshman year...this year we’re focusing on building teamwork and letting go of our fears,” said Vanessa Rodriguez, Junior.! After preseason, scrimmaging the Field School, and starting back into the fall semester, the girls went up to Bell HS for the first game of the season. Bell’s first goal was scored early into the game,

and some of the girls lost faith in themselves. However, the team continued to try and play hard, but ended the game with no goals and injuries.! Latin played much better against the German School. The rude comments of German School fans (and players) were infuriating as well as distracting, but the team was able to channel their anger into playing well. The girls had a few good shots, but ultimately were not able to get a goal on the scoreboard, losing once again.! Against Cesar Chavez, the Latin girls had a change of fortune. The whole team felt really good going into the game. It was the girls’ first home game, and the team had a lot of support from the Latin community as well as parents, and

the team was very confident. It showed in the way the team came together to get our first win of the season. Goals were scored by Ellie Alexander, Senior, Maya Vaughan, Sophomore, Michelle Abundez, Junior, and Brynae West, Freshman.! “Our team is getting better,” said Akayla Bracey, Senior, “there have been a lot of rough patches...but we are working together to get through it,” ! A lot of the girls, when asked, said similar things. Even our coaches agreed, saying that we were not doing well as a team because of drama, and because we were unsure of ourselves. Now, Coach Tony and Coach Sawyer both agree that we are well on our way to becoming a team we, and our school, can be proud of.

Initial heartache, eventual glory against Cesar Chavez at homeBy Tessa Torgovitsky Sophomore

Sports September Recap

Page 5October 2012

In Pictures(Soccer photo credit to Mr. Alpert; Cross country photo credit to Claire Detrick-Jules)

October 2012 Sumus Leones Page 6

2. If it’s already on the board, make sure you write down the homework when you first get into class. You can always gamble on skipping writing the homework and ask your teacher later in the day, or commit the crime of checking wikispaces.

3. Minimize on socializing, there’s always break and lunch.

! And Mr. Martin, a Latin teacher, gives his own advice too: “If you walk like you have someplace important to be, you should not have a problem making it between the two campuses.”! If you follow this advice, I bet your chances of spending those breaks after lunch with Mr. Vanterpool (oh, the joy) will be slim.

Opinion: Is six minutes enough? (cont. from page 2)

Q.Teachers, how many minutes of grace period do you give late students?

Percentage of students polled who believe 6 minutes isn’t enough.

75%

Sweet Bees! $10 will get you a jar of official Washington Latin honey. ! The bees at the Decatur campus have been producing the honey since Spring 2012, when Director of Facilities Management Mr. Elias Figueroa brought an apiary to the Decatur campus balcony. The jars are now for sale at the Upshur and Decatur offices.

The honey is reportedly “sweet enough !to tame a lion.” (Source: latinpcs.org)

From left to right, Ms. Dorian Lamb, Mr. Elias Figueroa, Ms. Megan Hannon (Source: latinpcs.org)

Average amount of time it took to walk from the highest point of Allison to the lowest point of Decatur.*

(Mr. Leonard’s room to the “yellow” computer room--or back)*Does not include packing up or being dismissed late.

5:53 MINUTES

Watch the video results on facebook.com/sumusleones

2  minute54% 1  minute

31%

0  minutes15%

s

College Advice Corner

The theme of this week’s article is, perhaps surprisingly, the freshman year. Though fall is a terrifically busy time for seniors trying to get into college, it is just as crucial for those students just starting their Upper School experience at WLPCS. The college counseling office at WLPCS has a primary (and pretty obvious) role: to help students get into college. We write a lot of letters, make a lot of phone calls, and set up quite a few meetings with college reps (over 70 will visit this fall alone) to get the word out about Latin. We spend a lot of time with our seniors, helping to ensure that their applications are on track, their essays are checked (and double checked, and triple checked), and that they are able to find a school that will make them happy. More than that, however, college counseling works with students at each Upper School grade level in order to help prepare students for the college process. For those who might wonder when they will start the process, here’s a primer for our freshmen:

Freshman Year Ms. Latham always says to the incoming freshmen and their parents, “Not only are you now in high school, you are now officially college applicants.”

Although freshmen feel as though they are far from filling out applications, there is no question that freshman year is an important one for college, for a number of reasons.

• It’s the first year that colleges see on a transcript.

• It’s a year where academic performance can help place students into honors (and eventually AP) courses.

• It’s a time to start building the relationships that will one day become glowing letters of recommendation.

• It’s an opportunity to start longer term projects, like volunteering (don’t forget the 100 hour requirement) or sports (five seasons in high school!)

• It’s a chance to go to a few college visits, to start to think about where you might like to be four years from now.

In the end, freshman year is a crucial time to focus on academic achievement. The advice: get the best grades you can, and play nice with your teachers. You will need both an impressive GPA and strong recommendations when senior year rolls around.

Focus on freshmenBy Mr. Matthew BoydCollege Counselor

Upcoming College Visits CalendarRutgers Tue October 9, 2012 LUNCHUniversity of Rochester Thu October 11, 2012 LUNCHStevenson University Thu October 11, 2012 LUNCHCollege of Charleston Fri October 12, 2012 LUNCHUnited States Air Force Recruiter Fri October 12, 2012 LUNCHNortheastern University Mon October 15, 2012 LUNCHUniversity of Vermont Mon October 15, 2012 LUNCHUniversity of Richmond Tue October 16, 2012 LUNCHVirginia Wesleyan College Tue October 16, 2012 LUNCHMcDaniel College Thu October 18, 2012 LUNCH