Westfield High School Chantilly, Virginia 20151Vol. IX, No. 4 Dec. 26, 2008

Insidethis issue

Centerspread news style sports

Westfield High School4700 Stonecroft Blvd.Chantilly, VA 20151

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage PaidCentreville, VAPermit No. 6278

Dollars and SenseW ATCHDOG

Freshmen Teach Elementary Students

Wrestling’s NOVA Classic

Mona Ahmed, Joelle AndraosStaff Writers

Westfield Idol was held Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The show featured many different types of singers, each showing their musical talent to the audience.

Westfield Idol consisted of 15 hopefuls, each dazzling the judges and audience with their perfor-mances.

Each contestant had an opportunity to sing one song of their choice and the judges judged them based on their performance and musical skills.

The audience picked the contestants that deserved to be in the final three after hearing their first perfor-mances.

The results came down to seniors Christina Shepa-rd, Sumayyah Abdullah, and Taylin Frame.

Frame sang I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston. Shepard sang Last Name by Carrie Underwood and Abdullah sang Take A Bow by Rihanna.

The three final participants had the opportunity to sing one final song. Frame sang Love You I Do by Jennifer Hudson. Shepard sang Angels by Jessica

School, Community Grapple With Heroin Arrests

Simpson. Abdullah sang I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly. The judges rated each finalist and came to a final decision.

Frame was awarded the title of this year ’s ‘Westfield Idol.’ Abdullah was awarded second place and Shepard got third.

This was Frame’s first year participating in the actual the show. “I loved watching it last year and I wanted to give it a try,” said Frame.

Frame auditioned for Westfield Idol last year, but did not make the cut.

(Left) Winner of this year’s Westfield Idol, Taylin Frame, 12, sings “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. (Right) Runner-up Sumayyah Abdullah, 12, sings “Take A Bow” by Rihanna.

Hopefuls Compete in Westfield Idol, Frame Wins Title

Photos courtesy of Karen Kim

Shock reverberated through the community when the news broke on Nov. 23 in The Washington Post that ten young men and women were arrested for distribution of heroin. Four were charged with providing a lethal dose responsible for the death of Alicia Lannes, Class of 2007 graduate. Several of the 10 arrested were graduates or former students of Westfield.

For some students, the news was not a shock at all; according to the Post, “the drug slowly gripped an expanding network of people after it was introduced sometime in 2005.”

However, for most students and parents, heroin was always a drug used in movies and television shows about the underbelly of society, not a cause of death in suburban Virginia.

“Never in my life would I have thought heroin would be at Westfield. Never in my life,” said Patrick McDevitt, 12.

Although they recognize the severity of the situation, many students view the recent media coverage of the heroin arrests as another example of the media’s tendency to highlight problems rather than recognize achievements.

They feel that the coverage is slanted, attempting to

relate those arrested back to Westfield and its current students and mar the school’s reputation.

“The poor decision-making of some former students shouldn’t be a reflection of the entire student body. The media never focuses on the good. This whole thing shouldn’t even be about Westfield. I mean, they are adults. The reality is, almost all kids at Westfield would not even think about going near heroin,” said Pauline Lubarsky, 12.

Principal Tim Thomas has also expressed dismay at the coverage and assured the community that appropriate action is being taken where needed.

“[Regardless] of if the media coverage is fair or not, the facts aren’t fabricated, [they are] reporting the truth. The more we do to prevent these problems the better,” said Thomas.

Some teachers also agree that the media and community focus too much of their attention on Westfield rather than the wider community.

“I am disappointed that whenever something bad happens involving a former student, current students are blamed. We were already ‘Westfield, the home of the Virginia Tech killer’ and now I’m sure we will be ‘Westfield, the home of heroin addicts.’ I just hate to see those labels put on current students. Once kids leave Westfield it is a community issue, not a Westfield issue. It is unfortunate that the people who are actually working to correct the problems of Westfield

and the community are often the only ones blamed by the media and community when something bad happens,” said Christy Jenkins, math teacher.

For much of the community, however, the issue is not about media coverage, but about how the school is dealing with “the drug problem” and how it is affecting Westfield High School.

At Westfield, like in all Fairfax County Public Schools, there is a county mandated Alcohol and Drug Youth Services Assistance Program (ADYS).

Leslie Churn is Westfield’s Student Assistance Coordinator who works to help at risk students succeed both academically and socially and address concerns about alcohol and drug use.

All referrals that Churn deals with are strictly confidential, and in fact, all county Student Assistance Coordinators are bound by Federal Regulation 42-CFR Part Two which states that, “records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of any patient which are maintained in connection with the performance of any drug [or alcohol] abuse…shall be confidential.”

Unless a student is believed to be in danger of hurting themselves or someone else, Student Assistance Coordinators strictly adhere to this confidentiality rule.

Zach Athing, Bethany HorstmannEditors-in-Chief

Her entire fam-ily is very musical and she has been singing since she was three.

Frame’s f i rs t time singing was in her church choir.

“It was really hectic in the be-ginning. I knew many people in the audience so it was more difficult be-cause I was mostly singing in front of my peers,” said Frame.

Abdullah tried out her freshman year, but was only chosen as an alter-nate. This year, she was happy to be

given the chance to compete.“It was a really fun experience and I am happy I

got second place,” said Abdullah.When it was Shepard’s turn to sing her final song,

the disc suddenly stopped working and she had to perform the rest of her song acapello.

“ I w a s j u s t r e a l l y h a p p y I h a d t h e opportunity of singing a song and being a part of the show. I think the fact that the disc stopped working hurt my chances a little, but Taylin definitely deserved to win. She is amazing,” said Shepard.

Story continued on page A14

the

In Perspective: Bulldogs React to Heroin Arrests, Resulting Media Coverage

Pauline Lubarsky, 12Christy Jenkins, math teacher

“The negative slant by

the media tends to be the general

trend.”

“Never in my life

would I have thought heroin

would be at Westfield.”

Patrick McDevitt, 12Kathryn Turner, 11

“I think the parents are more

responsible for what happened than the school.

The school can only do so

much.”Marco Gutierrez, 12

“I think once kids leave

Westfield, it is a community

issue, not a Westfield

issue.”

“I don’t want the poor

choices of some to affect the reputation of the rest of the school.”

Ethics Day

OpinionDec. 26, 2008 The WATCHDOGA2

Rock IT

Knock IT

SCROOGE

Snowmen

Burned OutLights

GIVING

Peppermint

Christmas Carols

Why is the holiday season important to you?

"Lights please. And there were in the same country shepherds, abid-ing in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were so afraid ... And the angel said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord.

“And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men.”

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

"

- Linus Van Pelt, Peanuts

The holiday season has fallen upon us far too early. It makes me angry that Christmas, the birth of the Christian savior, has become nothing more than a marketing scheme. Christmas sales this year started before Thanksgiving.

Do we really need an entire month to buy presents to shove under the tree? We are using over 30 days to prepare for one single day.

Yes, I realize the economy is in shambles, but that is no excuse to exploit the celebration that Christmas actually represents. Now it's not like I carry a Bible in my back pocket, or even attend church at all, but I am against people just making money off of a religious holiday.

Look at other religions. It's not like you can get an overpriced picture with your little one with the menorah in the middle of the mall. The fact is that manufacturers and stores alike just want your money, not your holiday cheer.

It's not like Jewish people spend eight months preparing for their eight days of celebration. I couldn't even imagine if Christmas were more than a day long, with all the preparation we take for one day imagine how spirited we would be for eight!

If you need to make Christmas an excuse for something, it should be an excuse to gather with family and friends. The holiday season brings about an aura of happiness that should be shared with your loved ones, so instead of wasting money on dancing Elmo, why not pay for gas while its cheap and go share the holidays with your family.

Why not have a holiday spent with the crazy aunt and annoying cousins? I'm not saying spend the whole break with them, that much time in close quarters with family sometimes just sucks the holiday spirit right out of you.

But that doesn't mean you can't make it through a few days with them, exchange some presents and have

Menorahs

"I get a lot of presents for Christmas, and I love

the time we get off from school. It's also a

good time to spend with friends and family."

-Nijiati Aierken, 10

"Sharing time with loved ones and getting in the

spirit of giving are impor-tant, and the holidays give everyone an op-portunity to do both."

-Adair Findley, 12

a nice big meal. On Black Friday this year, a man was trampled to death by Wal-Mart shoppers. Now I must ask, what is so important to buy at Wal-Mart that you will literally kill someone to get?

Are half-priced, low-quality Wal-Mart products even worth waking up at 4 am after eating a Thanks-giving feast? Why would you be running so fast into the store that it's even a possibility to trample some one? Black Friday as a whole is a mystery to me. If

stores really wanted to make money why wouldn't they lower prices at a time where

most living things are actually awake?What is the purpose of a 4 a.m. sale,

when you could have the same sale at noon and have a lot more people at-tend?If you have been inside the mall during

the month of December, you would under-stand that stores have gone overboard with Christmas decor. The mall is decked from floor to ceiling in giant snowflakes,

red and green ribbons, stuffed animals, and giant snow globes.

Now when I say stuffed animals I don't mean Beanie Babies, I'm talking a real-sized fake moose. What in the world does a moose have to do with the holiday season? I mean maybe if all of Santa's reindeer died flying, a moose could work

as a good back up, but that's the furthest possible extent of holiday spirit they posses.How does decorating the mall in holiday gear help

make the mall revenue? How do giant snowflakes hanging from the ceiling make me say, "Hey I want to buy everything in the mall."

One of my favorite things about the holidays is the Christmas lights. Nothing's better than rolling down a street where every house is lit up from lawn to roof. It's just a magical feeling to know that a community can be united by one day. Not united to spend all their money, but united in celebration.

I think it's about time for a white Christmas, noth-

Commentary by Connor McCeney

Melting Snowmen

-Nathan Collins, 11

"Well, the holidays are important to me be-

cause I get to visit my mom in Florida, and

get to spend time with her."

ing would be better than walking down the stairs on Christmas morning with snow flurries spinning out-side the window. So this holiday season, try your best not to let the commercial industry get to you, spend some quality time with your family and friends and think about all the things you have to be thankful for. Just because the economy is down doesn't mean we can't all have an excellent holiday season.

I actually have a recipe for a wonderful Christmas break. Reserve one day just to kick back with family or friends, mix up some hot chocolate, pop in Charlie Brown's Christmas and watch it with the family. After that, you should have more than enough holiday cheer to make it all the way to the new year.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday.

"The holiday season is important to me because of family. I couldn't be more

thankful for it."-Issac Bumgardner,

Math teacher

"I enjoy getting the chance to spend time with friends I don't see too often, and visiting

with family that lives far away."

-Catie Cloutier, 9

"

A3 the WATCHDOG Dec. 26, 2008 Opinion

Are the English books that high school students are required to read facilitating education, or discouraging students from outside school reading? Some believe that when it comes to reading, the English program would be better off to add more science fiction and popular non-fiction novels to its reading lists. “It's good to mix non-fiction with fiction. The SAT now includes more non-fiction than fiction involved questions. The 12th grade curriculum at Westfield includes a non-fiction novel," said Mary Ellen Webb, English teacher.

It is reported by the National Endowment of Arts that the percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing has doubled in the last 20 years.

Some people blame these results on the fact that teenage desire to read is crushed in large part because of high school English courses.

“Far too often, teachers' canonical choices split from teenagers' tastes, intellectual needs and maturity level,” said Nancy Schnog, a teacher at McLean.

When students are forced to read books for a grade

Issue of the Issue

and answer questions on exactly what they read, it does not leave much room for enjoyment.

"As for turning kids on to reading using newer books, believe me, there are constant discussions in English departments everywhere about modernizing the curriculum to reflect this. However, if I were teaching a ‘Get Kids Turned On To Reading With Really Fun and Interesting Books’ course, that would be more of a priority to me,” said Gregg Greentree, English teacher.

In some of the ninth grade classes, students are required to read a book of their choice each quarter. The English program hopes that this will encourage students to read more often outside of school.

“I wanted to make sure that in all of our reading and analyzing, students didn’t stop reading for fun,” said Linda Rapp, ninth grade English teacher and English Department Chair. This reading assignment gives students an opportunity to explore different genres and find what interests them and what doesn’t.

Even though it is not the teacher's responsibility, they

Although Westfield is located in a primarily privileged community, there are many people in Fairfax County who struggle to provide for their families year after year.

With the current economic troubles, many families are having to cut back. However, for some families these cutbacks are so severe that they are unable to adequately feed and clothe their children, pay the bills, or even keep a roof over their heads. For these families, the holiday season can be especially difficult.

Although most of us do not and will probably never have to experience such hard times, we need to show compassion and a willingness to lend a helping hand to less fortunate members of our community.

During the holiday season, it is important for everyone to take a step back from their busy lives and frantic shopping, and to devote some time and resources to those less fortunate who are unable to provide for their families this holiday season.

While it is important to be charitable and compassionate all year round, the holiday season offers special opportunities to do something good in your community. From donating toys to sponsoring a family, there are many things you can do to help, regardless of how much time or money you have to donate.

shouldn’t be forcing students to read books that are uninteresting and stopping them from trying to read books of choice. The sad thing is that more students are giving up the thought of reading with excuses such as 'I don’t have time' or 'I just don’t like to read'; when the truth is the only reading they know of is the reading assignments they receive inside the classroom.

"Getting students to read is difficult. Getting students to love reading is impossible. I can offer students books that may appeal to them, but their love for reading, or lack thereof, has been firmly planted in their heads long before they enter my classroom," said Kevin Laub, English teacher.

Even though it is some of the parents' responsibility to get their kid to read, it needs to be a joint effort with the teachers.

If reading all of the classic books is necessary, I can't argue, but the fact that they are the only books in the curriculum is what I don't understand.

Curriculum Forces Apathetic Reading HabitsCommentary by Grace Martin

Adopt a Family

visit: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/partnerships/adopt_a_family/adoptafamily.htm

Toys for Tots

visit: http://www.wfcmva.org/

visit: http://www.toysfortots.org/

visit: http://www.mainstreetcdc.org/donate.html

Donate to a Local Homeless Shelter

Samantha HenryManaging Editor Become a sponsor for a local family. Sponsors can personally buy and wrap

gifts or simply donate money to the organization.

Donate new, unwrapped toys to local drop off centers and they will be distributed to needy children in

the area.

Put together a food basket for a local family in need with the help of Western Fairfax Christian ministries. You will receive information about the family, shop and put together your baskets, and personally deliver the baskets to

the family.

WFCM Food Baskets

Many local homeless shelters are in need of volunteers and donations. The Katherine Hanley Homeless Shelter located off Route 29 is conveniently lo-

cated and looking for assistance.

Underprivileged Families in Fairfax County

Volunteer for or Donate to Local Charitable Organizations

Ethics Day Improving, Still Needs Real Life ImpactCommentary by Kathryn Chapman

After attending Ethics Day as a sophomore, I began referring to the event as "Unethical Day." I was very unimpressed by the day. It certainly did not change my own ethical viewpoints, nor did it have an effect on my peers.

I sat at a table with six silent teenagers unwilling to talk and a senior leader who was less than enthusiastic. I analyzed and discussed poorly written scenarios that could not be taken seriously. I watched skits in which the performers acted out unethical decisions that in fact many of them made themselves.

I felt that the day was another superficial image booster so that Westfield could say it was working to instill a sense of ethical values in students. The fact is, that is not what happened.

Now two years later, I had the opportunity to partici-pate in Ethics Day as a senior. Although I arrived at the Westfield Marriott Hotel with low expectations, I was determined to have a good attitude and to play my role to the best of my ability. When the day was over, I was shocked to find that I was actually walking away with a different perspective and a desire to do better for myself and for others.

The adult leader at my table was a local bank manager with no high school students of his own. He had taken time out of his busy schedule to share time with the youth of his community. I enjoyed talking to him and was impressed by how open-minded and accepting he was of the reality that teenagers face. He was full of life stories and experiences, and he worked to make every sophomore at the table feel comfortable. I was moved to see an adult so genuine in his desire to help instill ethical values in teenagers.

In place of the skits that I watched as a sophomore, a group of 12 theatre students told personal stories of tough

events and issues that they have experienced in high school. These powerful stories taught students that even though life is filled with obstacles, they can always be overcome, and that everyone has the power to continue to make the right choices even when they are down.

One thing said during this "skit" really stuck out to me: "I hate the notion of when something happens to some-one they think they deserve special treatment, well you don't," said Taylor Aucott. Many times teenagers make unethical decisions because of negative circumstances in their lives that are often out of their control. Aucott reinforced that despite the trials we encounter, it is in our power to rise above them.

While the scenarios in ethical decision making remained on the cheesy side, I learned that the real purpose is to be able to analyze situations that we face and consider the choices we would realistically make.

The simulated court case touched on the topics of underage driving and underage drinking. The Judge's no-nonsense approach to discussing the case, forced students to fully explain and justify their viewpoints. This was an important part be-cause often when teenagers discuss ethical issues they convey their ignorance and disregard for the law, only following their personal feelings.

I felt that the planning and execution of Ethics Day had improved considerably and was well done. However there was still a large number of sophomores who did not contribute to or partici-pate in the seminar at all.

Did Ethics Day make a difference to any sopho-mores? Probably not. The question is: why? There is no doubt the event has improved, but what is the next step. Can we really expect to make a dif-ference in one day?

Our society does a lot of talking, but not a lot of doing. So we set aside one day each year to talk about ethics, and then go back to our same old routines and habits. Yet, why don't we do more? The answer is simple. It takes time, money, and resources.

Topics like ethics and morals are the things we need to be spending our time on more than any-thing. They are the foundation of our lives. The effort cannot stop at Ethics Day. Until there is a continual effort to reach out to teenagers, nothing will ever change.

Sophomores discuss ethical dilemmas during Ethics Day, such as drinking and driving and peer pressure.

Photo courtesy of Karen Kim

OpinionDec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOGA4

by Woody Angle

WOODY'S ANGLE

Newspaper Office:(703) 488-6475

Fax Number: (703) 488-6428

Editorial

Sincerely,

Principal's Corner

Happy HolidaysJournalism 1

Mason BartlettSuzanne DeckerPatrick DeeganAlyson LowryErin O’NeillCallie Schwartz

Journalism 2Faria AhmedMona AhmedJoelle AndraosBrittany ArmestoBrittany Bonanzo Olivia BrownKayla Carranza-Kee

Vol. IX, Issue 4 Dec. 26, 2008 Watchdog@fcps.edu

Dylan CarterCaroline Chen James CoughlinAmanda Daniels, Carolyn DoanNicole ErneyShahbano FaridRenick FernandesKauri GeorgeColin GibsonJessica GodartJanet HaiderKathryn LakeSkylar LisseJessica Liu

Grace MartinZachary MillerKara MooreEmily NosalDalton OkoloChristopher PeaseShelby RomineAksheetha SridharStephanie StreetMatthew StromeckiDana ViviritoColleen Wilson

Journalism 3Noor AbughannamCarl AndersonWoody AngleSaira Bhatti

Bonnie CanslerTrevor DintinoEmily ElcanoGeralyn EspositoKelley GrennSamantha HenryAmy HirabayashiKiran KoonerPriscilla LinAdrienne LowrySyed MajidRachael MarkerConnor McCeneyAmanda O’SullivanAlicia PostMelissa WalshHadley Zamperini

Journalism 4Justine AtienzaLaura BoundsElena DovensYogita JasaniBethany HorstmannRhonda NamanPriya PotapragadaJohn RaffertyMegan SmithGenevieve SmithKelly Wagner

from the Watchdog staffJournalism 5

Kathryn ChapmanZachary AthingRiham Osman

Westfield High School4700 Stonecroft Blvd.

Chantilly, VA 20151

Dear Bulldogs,I hope this note finds you in the midst of warmth

and love with family and friends this holiday sea-son!

If you did not see the Theatre Department show-cased on ABC Television Dec. 15, hopefully you will be able to view a recorded version! Currently clips from the show are available at the ABC website as well as on YouTube. What a feather in the caps for our students, parent volunteers, community and staff, especially those who worked both on stage and behind-the-scenes in the making of The Wiz.

Hopefully you also had an opportunity to witness the many musical talents of our students during De-cember concerts and events.

By now most of you have heard some of the horror stories about the school budget for next year. Among these rumors; however, there are ele-ments of truth which will no doubt have an impact on our school. One must remember that some of these obvious changes are not only a result of the budget, but also the overall decline in enrollment and therefore staffing at Westfield.

It is much too early to outline and identify any of these changes, but rest assured information that will impact your students will be communicated as soon as possible. One item is the possibility of the loss of a late bus day during the second semester of this year.

I am proud to acknowledge that a number of pro-grams geared towards or in support of our theme of

“Bridging Gaps and Building Relationships” have been well attended including the Minority Achieve-ment Committee Parent Coffee and the Hispanos al Progreso evening programs. A note of appreciation goes to the students, staff, and parents who have been instrumental in the success of these programs which effect the student's academic achievement.

Don’t miss the annual Bulldog Bash basketball tournament here over the break, Dec. 27-30. Eight boys and eight girls teams will be competing.

It is with extreme appreciation but with a tinge of sadness that I announce the retirement of Cathy Yates, Westfield Building Supervisor and founding

member of the staff. Her hard work and dedication as an FCPS employee and Bulldog can not go unnoticed as most people in the building recognize Cathy since she is seen in all parts of the school each day. Thank you Cathy and good luck in your retirement. You will be missed.

When you return from the holidays, it will only be a short time before First

Semester ends Jan. 23. Enjoy the holiday break be-cause the remainder of the year will go by quickly and will require new resolutions and sustained com-mitment to academic achievement!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is already upon us this year. It feels like not only has the year 2008 flown by, but the last few years of our lives have seemed to move in fast forward.

Our houses are beautifully decorated, yards are filled with lights and decorations, Christmas music is being played on the radio, holiday specials are being aired on TV, and stores are filled with all of our favorite holiday items. Yet we, along with many high school students, seem to be oblivious to the festivities and celebrations occurring around us.

Where did the days go when all we thought about throughout the month of December was Christmas? We miss and long for the childhood days where Christmas was the highlight of the year and we appreciated al l of the wonderful and special traditions that accompanied the holidays.

The days of waiting to see Santa seem to be only a vague memory. In fact, why did we ever stop believing in Santa Claus in the first place? Santa, to young children, is the symbol of the Christmas spirit, of what is kind and generous. No matter how old we get, we should never forget the importance of Santa.

Remember all of the ABC specials, like Santa Claus

is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Drummer Boy, The Island of Misfit Toys, Frosty the Snowman, and Charlie Brown Christmas? The highlight of our December days was anticipating these 8 p.m. holiday classics.

Each day during the holiday season was new and exciting, as families would have special countdowns and each day you would open the door of an Advent calendar.

Let's not forget the delicious Christmas cookies we would bake and decorate as a family, or the

Gingerbread houses we would elaborately construct.

We remember playing over and over again the awesome decorations that sang carols and danced.

With Christmas just days away, we cannot believe that we have gone this far without enjoying these simple moments that hold so much meaning.

This year, we are going to take a step back and take some time to truly love Christmas again. We are going to believe in Santa again. We are going

to sit around the tree we decorated and enjoy the lights and ornaments which hold so many memories.

We are going to watch our favorite holiday movies over and over again. We are going to stay up late on Christmas

Childhood Christmas Spirit Gets Lost in Shuffle

By Kevin ReardonCartoon of the Issue

Winter is here, and with winter, comes the same statement I say every year: I really, really hate cold weather. I don't have a whole lot to add to that, I just think cold weather is awful. If I had wings, I would fly south for the winter.

I thought that winter was the best season because of the snow and snowmen and snowboarding and the magic of Christmas.

Well, forget that. Now that I am older and have the ability to feel cold, I realize that I was an idiot. Snow is great, and snowboarding is a blast, but the truth is that the amount of days where there is enough snow to play in does not even come close to the amount of days where it's just cold and windy and TERRIBLE. Global warming? I wish. Try explaining global warm-ing to me when it's so cold in November that my car door is frozen shut in the morning.

Winter is also depressing. Over the summer, you could be out playing kickball or chasing butterflies until nine at night without it getting too dark. Now, it gets dark at 5:30.

When it's dark when we wake up, and gets dark earlier in the day, our bodies are programmed to be more depressed. But the summer on the other hand, is freaking awesome.

Someone tried to tell me, "Oh but I love winter clothes. It's sooo cute and awesome and OMG." But they are wrong. No one on the face of the earth can argue to me that the amount of cute their new scarf is matches up to the amount of how awful it feels when the bitter cold hits your nose and your fingers are freezing and you just wish you were at the beach and it was 83.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Summer does not even come close to compar-ing to winter. No one has ever said, "Oh no! Its too sunny out today and the birds are chirping and its too beautiful! What are we going to do with all of this great weather!"

Being a little bit too warm is much better than be-ing a little bit too cold. The summer has the pool, the beach, sunny days, no school, the ice cream man, and sandals. Winter has hot chocolate. I think my point has been made.

P.S. I've given Mr. Thomas and the administration a lot of heckling this year, and I would just like to say that Mr. Thomas has been really cool about it.

Eve. We are going to leave cookies and milk for Santa and sprinkle the yard with reindeer food. We are going to wake up first thing on Christmas morning.

Finally, we are going to return to the spirit we once held as children, the spirit that represents what Christmas is truly about.

NewsDec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOG A5

Winter Coffeehouse Showcases Musical TalentCarl AndersonAsst. News Editor

Calliope's semi-annual Coffeehouse was held Dec. 5 from 5-9 p.m.

Winter Coffeehouse included a va-riety of acoustic acts as well as three electrical performances from bands 8ED (formerly Inertiac), Jones Catcher, and Ugly Thrash Demon.

For many, Coffeehouse provided hopeful performers a chance to show off their talents. "It was an opportunity for people like me who are aspiring to be singers," said Jin Shin, 12. Shin sang Alicia Keys’s "Superwoman" accompa-nied by the piano.

In addition to singers and band performers, there was also a poet and orchestra performers. Alex Gomes, 12, read three of his poems at Calliope’s Winter Coffeehouse. Alex and Friends, a conglomeration of orchestra performers, led by Alex Kruszewski, played a song cover by Radiohead.

VDOT Chooses Winners of Drawing, Presents PrizesJessica GodartEntertainment Editor

The music, entertainment, and food provided by Cal-liope brought fun for everyone.

"Far be it for me to say that I can sum up in a few words the grand joy that Coffeehouse brings to me. The coffee, the friends, the fun, and best of all, the music; it is some-thing for everyone," said Jeremy Rom-mel, 12, lead singer of Jones Catcher.

Coffeehouse’s show ended with three electric per-formances. 8ED was the first to play, performing i n s t r u m e n t a l s . Jones Catcher, a

In an effort to promote safe driving, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) teamed with the staff of the Watchdog and held a raffle known as the Highway Safety Challenge.

Although hundreds of applicants submitted to the opportunity, only 25 names were chosen at random from the VDOT box.

By signing the pledge card promising to adhere to the rules of safe driving, participants entered the drawing. The students were counted on to uphold the promise to buckle up, avoid distractions, share the road with other drivers, drive

drug and alcohol free, and abide by the speed limit. The above condition are considered to be the five key actions students should take towards being safe drivers.

Prizes included two $100 checks from Keith's Driving School, a bowling party at Chantilly Bowl America, a $20 gift card from Rigatoni Grill, a $25 coupon to Eggspectations, and other gift cards.

Jennifer Bishop, 10, and Hadley Zamperini, 11, both won $100 checks from Keith's Driving School.

"It was really great winning

Photo by Jessica GodartMike Salmon, VDOT representative, presents an excited Hadley Zamperini, 11, with a $100 check from Keith's Driving School after she won one of their drawings.

$100," said Bishop. "I was really surprised. I didn't even remember that I had submitted my name."

To draw the names and hand out the gift cards, Mike Salmon of VDOT Public Affairs, went to the Publications Room and, as the names were picked, presented the prizes to the winners.

The raffle took place at 2:30 on Nov. 20.

This was the first year that the Virginia Department of Transportation held a raffle at Westfield.

Both the Watchdog and VDOT hope to continue the raffle.

four-member band, performed second. Ugly Thrash Demon, an electric band comprised of nearly a dozen instru-ments, performed last.

Calliope has evolved immensely since the opening of Westfield eight years ago. What was once an after-school club has become an elective entirely run by students and advised by Greg Luongo, English teacher.

Calliope raises the majority of money needed to produce two literary maga-zines and shows with Coffeehouse. “I’m absolutely thrilled with what we’ve ac-complished,” said Kelsey Trumble, Cal-liope’s Publicity Editor for Fund-raising. There was a large turnout, which can be attributed to the variety of performances in Coffeehouse.

Calliope spent much time prepar-ing in advance as well as getting food, drinks, and decorating for Coffeehouse. A mural painted by Jessica Aguero, incorporating elements of music and bright colors, was set as the backdrop for this year’s show.

Willenbrock, Crescioli Earn National Board CertificationTara Willenbrock, math teacher, and

Deirdre Crescioli, math teacher, have been accepted as National Board certi-fied teachers.

Willenbrock and Crescioli went through a difficult 200-400 hour process to earn this advanced level of teaching certification that is known as the high-est symbol of professional teaching excellence.

“I applied to be a National Board Certified teacher because I was looking for a professional challenge," said Wil-lenbrock.

There are 25 different types of certification, for the distinct fields of teach-ing.

Becoming a Nationally Cer-tified Teacher is a very challeng-

ing and demand-ing process.

Teachers must first develop a port-folio that includes written reflections on instruction, students' work samples, videotapes of classroom teaching, docu-mented accomplishments, and parent communication.

“They grade how you present your-self as a teacher,” said Crescioli.

T e a c h e r s must also take six 30-minute tests on subjects that including algebra, geom-etry, calculus, trigonometry, discreet math, and probability

"It took 200 hours of work and at the

end I had written a 100 page document that I had to submit," said Willenbrock.

Teachers must apply for grants from the school since the application fee alone costs $5,000.

The teachers also took National Board workshops to prepare them for the tests. "I was very lucky to have a friend work-ing on it the same time with me and although it was a lot of work, it made it easier having a friend with me during this experience,” said Willenbrock.

Adrienne LowryBark It Up Editor

Photo by Carl Anderson

Deirdre Crescioli

Tara Willenbrock

Ugly Thrash Demon members, Andy Crumpler ,12, Philip Eberhart,12, Chris Smith,12, Elbert Kim, 12, along with other band members perform at Calliope's Coffeehouse.

Very few teachers are able to become nationally certified.

“This is very important to me, only 3% of teachers across the U.S. have it.”

While the application process is very difficult, it can also be very rewarding. Many states, including Virginia, offer incentive rewards for teachers who be-come National Board Certified.

Certification also gives them a teach-ing license that allows them to teach in different states which allows them

greater job opportunity. “I learned through this experience. I

think it helped me improve as a teacher," said Crescioli. "The process made me think more

about what I do in class and my students being successful once they leave the school in whatever field they choose to pursue," said Willenbrock.

Both Crescioli and Willenbrock hope to encourage other teachers to pursue certification.

Dec. 26, 2008News WATCHDOGA6

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Girls Basketball at Fairfax

Boys Basketball vs. Fairfax

Girls Basketball at Centreville

Boys Basketball vs. Centreville

JV Wrestling at Fairfax

PSAT Interpretation Night 7 p.m.

Wrestling at Liberty, New York

SGA Winter Pep Rally

Wrestling at Liberty, New York

JV Wrestling Jamboree 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball vs. Robinson

Boys Basketball at Robinson

Wrestling vs. Centreville and

Oakton at Oakton

Junior Parent/Student Night 7 p.m.

SGA Congress Meeting 11-1 p.m.

Girls Basketball at Chantilly

Boys Basketball vs. Chantilly

Disney Dazzle 7 p.m.

JV Wrestling at Thomas Dale

Disney Dazzle 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball vs. Herndon

Boys Basketball at Herndon

JV and Varsity Wrestling at

Chantilly

JV Wrestling at Centreville

Pyramid Chorus

SATs JV Wrestling

Jamboree 12 p.m.Wrestling at

Loudoun Valley

No SchoolStudent Holiday

Girls Basketball at Oakton

Boys Basketball vs. Oakton

a a

a

b

b b

JV and Varsity Wrestling vs.

Woodson

Mr. Westfield Rehearsal 2-4 p.m.

Girls Basketball vs. Fairfax

Boys Basketball at Fairfax

Band Symphonic Camp After School

Wrestling at Hayfield

2nd Quarter grades mailed home

Electives Course Fair

JV Wrestling at Robinson

Symphonic Band Camp

New Years DayWinter Vacation

Winter Vacation

Wrestling at Colonial Forge

No SchoolMartin Luther King Jr. Day

No SchoolInauguration Day

No SchoolStudent Holiday

Seniors interested in pursuing a teaching career, or any other career that involves serving youth, are eligible to apply for the Virginia PTA scholar-ship.

Special scholarships, which will be awarded to two students, include a scholarship for $1,200, in memory of M. Frida Koontz, the Executive Secre-tary of the SCA from 1922-1950, and a scholarship in memory of S. John Davis, Virginia’s Superintendent of Schools from 1979-1989.

Students interested in applying "must go to a school that has a PTA or PTSA association, graduate from a Virginia public high school, enter in a career in teaching or qualify for a service with a youth-serving agency, enter a Vir-ginia college or university in September, maintain an average GPA of 2.5 or better, and provide eligibility for financial need and academic achievement," according to the application instructions located on the web site.

The deadline for submitting scholar-ship applications is Mar. 2. Along with the application, applicants are required to send three letters of recommenda-

tion, a School Administration Support Form, transcript, and test scores.

The principal, guidance coun-selor, and the applicant's parent or guardian are required to re-view the application, and sign to say that they have done so.

Applications are available at the Virginia PTA web site, www.vapta.org, Virginia PTA Local Unit Resource Guide, School Guidance Departments, or info@vapta.org.

The Scholarship Selection Committee meets and evalu-ates all applications sent, highly considering the student's academic achievements, financial need, and in and out of school ac-tivities.

Applicants will be notified by mail in April.

The scholarship money will be sent immediately to the winners through mail, along with a copy of the college registration form.

Kiran KoonerAsst. Front Page Editor

Virginia PTA Offers Scholarship,Essay Contest Opportunities

The Virginia PTA is sponsoring the annual Citizenship Essay Project, open to students in grades 6-12.

The 2008-2009 theme is, “Our Earth, Our Future.”

“This essay project allows students to express their views and opinions on ‘Character or Citizenship,’ Virginia PTA is committed to promoting a sense

Alicia PostAsst. Photographer

of citizenship and responsibility in the lives of our children-tomorrow’s leaders,” said Debra Abadie, PTA president-elect.

Adam Baker, last year’s first place winner, came up with a few topics for this year. A board of managers voted on their favorite topic last spring.

Rewards presented to the essay winners include: a first place $1,000 savings bond, a second place $500 savings bond, and a third place $250 savings bond. Awards will be presented in two age groups: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12.

To enter the contest, students must fill out an entry form and send it in to a district director with the es-say. If the district director chooses the essay, he/she

will send it off to the Virginia PTA State office, for state level judging.

Winners will be notified in April or May 2009 and be featured in one of the PTA's official publications (Virginia PTA Bulletin, Virginia PTA web site, and Virginia PTA VOICE).

The essay must be a minimum of 750 words, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, and have one-inch margins. Ad-herence to the theme, originality, clarity, thought, and skill in standard written English, will be judged. The essay must be, "Our Earth, Our Future."

The deadline for submitting essays is Feb. 1. Applicants can download an entry form at www.vapta.org, visit a Virginia PTA local unit resource guide, or contact the PTA at info@vapta.org.

Scholarships for Serving Youth Annual Essay: "Our Earth, Our Future"

January

Winter Vacation

SOL Retests/ Makeups through

Jan. 23

Auditions for Winter Mainstage Jan. 6-8

Junior Orientation Week Jan. 12-16

Dec. 26, 2008 SGAthe WATCHDOG A7

Dec. 26, 2008The WATCHDOGDec. 26, 2008 A9 Center SpreadA8 Center Spread

1. The Housing Bubble: Housing prices rose sharply in the mid-nineties and continued to increase. This occurred as a result of new policies that made

it easier for people to purchase mortgages.Between gift purchases and travel costs, family expenses are known for increasing significantly during the holiday season. Despite predictions of more conservative spend-ing and less sales, the current state of the economy has not put a damper on holiday shopping. Over Thanksgiv-ing weekend, Americans spent $41 billion, which marked an 18% increase in spending from 2007. Retailers attri-bute this unexpected growth to the greater number of sales and discounts now available in stores. The trend of increased consumer spending has continued throughout

the month of December.

“I have a Christmas spending budget and this year it is signifi-cantly smaller because daily expenses have gone up due to the bad economy.”-Germeen Sanad, 10

“This year we’re on a budget so it makes Christmas shopping a lot easier.”-Becca Marker, 10

“I can’t get the gift I wanted because we’ve had to cut back.”-Shabaaz Chaudhry, 10

“I was planning on go-ing to an in-state school to begin with, so the economy hasn’t really impacted my plans.”-Dan Gayer, 12

“I’ve been looking at more scholarships and focusing on finding more in-state schools that meet my academic needs while still easing my financial burden.”-Kat Lanigan, 12

“The idea of financial aid is becoming more relevant to my college choices. Even if I get into a selective school, I know how much money I’m offered will be a fac-tor for my family.”-Alex Kruszewski, 12

“This year, we had the largest Finan-cial Aid Night ever. Over 500 people at-tended, which is an indication to me that more and more fam-ilies are having to consider the econo-my when looking at college. Also, many families I have talk-ed to invested money

for college in stocks instead of using the Virginia College Savings Plan, and now a lot of their savings are gone.”-Diane Villars, Career Center Specialist

“My hours have been severely cut. I’ve gone from working a few days per week to only one, which is frustrating because it means I can save less and can’t spend as much.”-Kelsy Trumble, 12

“I had jobs lined up for after football season, but now they all say they’re not hiring.”-Zach Sargent, 12

“I get tip share at the res-taurant I work at. Fewer people are coming in now, so I’m making next to nothing. Our restau-rant is dead.”-Kristen Utter, 12

A U.S. Labor Department report showed a loss of 533,000 jobs for the month of November, and an unemployment rate of 6.7%. This is the highest unemployment rate since 1993, and it excludes those who left the work force after becoming discouraged with their job hunt. Economists expect the unemployment to reach 8% by late next year. The dramatic cut in possible employment opportunities has a significant affect on students seeking holiday and part-time jobs. While more students are seeking part-time and seasonal work, these positions are the first to be

cut by store owners.

“I don’t have to pay for my own gas, but it has a big effect on my family. I feel spectacular about the decline in gas prices because we have more money for food and ne-cessities.”-Eden Volbrecht, 12

“My parents pay for the gas. It’s so much easier to fill up the tank and not feel bad about using my parents money with the decline in prices.”-Leigh Serroka, 11

“Yes, I have to pay for my own gas. Some-times I like it because it doesn’t put a dent in my wallet. I want to get a car that runs on water.”-Gage Hagen, 11

“It’s harder to get around because of gas. It makes you not want to do your job.”-Gary Grier, 11

“Yes, I have to pay for my own gas. I love the prices now because I drive a big car.”-Josh Halback, 12

The sharp decline in fuel prices has come as a relief to drivers, including students who pay for gas out of their own pockets. Average gas prices in Virginia have plummeted $2.46 in the past 5 months—from $3.99 in July to $1.53 in mid-December. While this makes consumers happy, it has a negative effect on the

overall economy. Low oil prices reflect lower demand, which indicates deflation.

Even before the economic crisis, paying for college was a concern for many fami-lies. Both prospective and current college students are finding creative ways to save money. Many seniors currently applying to schools are having to closely consider financial aid, scholarships, community college, loans, and less expen-sive in-state options in order to cut college costs.

2. The Stock Market: Large numbers of mortgages were packaged into mortgage-backed securities. Shares from these securities were sold to in-vestors from around the world. As more and more people started investing in mortgage-backed securities, lenders tried to meet the demand by giving

more housing loans to risky lenders, such as people with unstable incomes.

3. Foreclosure: As housing prices declined, people were unable to sell their houses for more than they had bought them. The amount of housing foreclo-sures rapidly increased, and consequently the value of the mortgage-backed securities declined. This caused huge losses on Wall Street for consumers and

corporations who had invested in them.

4. The Credit Crunch: The foreclosures and plummeting stocks caused banks to become reluctant to extend credit to people buying houses or ap-plying for credit cards. The unwillingness of banks to lend money has caused

more foreclosures and job losses, and has sent the economy into a downward spiral that has proven difficult to

stop.

Dec. 26, 2008The WATCHDOGA10 Style

WWW.AlohaDrivingAcademy.com(Website Under Development)

We are licensed, bonded, and insured.

DRIVE WITH ALOHA!!

Wishes you and your family a …

Mele Kalikimaka a (Merry Christmas and)

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!(Happy New Year!)

Teen program: (Hours 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.) 40 Hours not required to begin lessons Teach safe-driving habits Parallel parking*, Hwy driving*, Backing into* parking spaces and a whole lot more Reaffirm classroom instruction Seven separate lessons consisting of50-minutes behind the wheel and 50-minutes observation Pick up and drop off from home, school or work * Not Required to teach by law

Sincerely, Hawaiian Bob a.k.a. (Bob Albert)

Driving Coach

Thank YOU for choosing Aloha Driving Academy to teach your keiki (children) to drive. It has been our pleasure and we will continue to strive to be the best driving school in Northern Virginia and to provide sound teaching in a calm and nurturing environment.

Dec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOG A11

Fires Enforce Need to Respect School Property

Counselors' Corner

Kelley GrennStyle Edtior

Fire trucks were called to the build-ing Nov. 25 and again Dec. 2 for paper fires in restrooms.

On Nov. 25, the boys' bathroom in E-Hallway was filled with smoke after a minor paper fire was set after school.

English teacher Kathleen Dullnig was forced to evacuate the school.

“I didn’t even notice all the smoke in the hall until Mr. Klix came in and told me to leave. The fire alarms didn’t even go off which really worried me,” said Dullnig.

The smoke-filled hallways left many teachers and students with questions about the severity of the fire and the person responsible for setting it.

"One of the students told me there was a fire, so I walked into the bathroom and saw flames at least six feet high. I have never seen anything like this be-fore. It was as high as the ceiling," said

David Pleasants, math teacher.This was not the last fire to occur.

During school, on Dec. 2, students rushed out of class in response to the screeching of the fire alarm.

This was again a paper fire in a trash receptacle and was put out before there was any significant damage.

"It was pretty crazy because people who had 'B' lunch had to scramble out of the cafeteria as fast as we could, with food in our hands," said Beau Rabung, 9.

The next day, Dec. 3, at approximate-ly 8 p.m., fire trucks returned again, but this time it was merely the sprinkler system that had set off the alarm. Re-gardless, people were in a frenzy.

"We had our volleyball banquet and we were taking team pictures when the alarm went off, so I bet those pic-tures were hilarious because we were all basically screaming," said Emily Kohler, 10.

The fires have been the object of

gossip among students who wonder whether this was the work of a single individual.

Some members of the administration feel that the arson is an example of the lack of respect for the building by a few in-dividuals.

"Last year, a teacher was severely injured when she slipped on a ketchup packet that wasn't thrown away," said Safety and Security Specialist Ray Clemmons.

"Students need to re-spect their learning envi-ronment because there are definitely consequences," said Clemmons.

Since arson is a crime, the school, po-lice, and fire department are still in the process of investigating the bathroom

On behalf of the Student Services Department we want to wish all of our students, faculty, staff, and parents a happy and safe holiday season!

We hope that this season brings out the best in all of us as we get ready to begin a new year. As always, the Student Services staff is committed to assisting you in any way we can so please know that our doors are always open to you.

Quote of the Month: “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." -- Chinese Proverb

Dates to remember:Return from break Jan. 5SOL Testing Jan. 5-23 Junior Orientations Jan. 12-16Junior Night Jan. 14th @ 7 p.m.MLK Jr. Holiday Jan. 19 Inauguration Day Jan. 20SAT Jan. 24 Teacher Workdays Jan. 26 & 27

Tip of the Month:Dealing With Problems

If you follow this guide carefully the things you might see as difficulties now become enjoyable challenges:1. What exactly is the problem? Make sure you know what it is!2. What end result do you hope to achieve? Decide on what “success” means to you.3. Collect information. What are the facts? Who/what can help? What are your priorities?4. Decide what has to be done. How will you achieve your goal?5) Plan ahead. When? How? Why?6) Act! Carry out your plan.7) Review your progress.• Have you achieved what you set out to do? (Yes or No)• Were you unsuccessful? (Go back to Number 1…) • Did you fall short in any way? (Go back to Number 2…) • Have you learned anything? (If not, why not...?)

SOL TestingJan. 5-23

SOL tests will be given during Janu-ary. Students scheduled to take a test have been notified by mail and by let-ter through their 7th period teachers. If you have questions regarding testing or review for the January SOL tests, contact your counselor or Jen Flora in the Main Guidance Office (703-488-6383).

Free Federal Financial Aid Process (FAFSA)

The application form that all students

must use to apply for federal financial aid is called the FAFSA (Free Applica-tion for Federal Student Aid) and can be submitted any time after Jan. 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov

•FAFSA on the web is an internet application developed by the Depart-ment of Education that can be used to complete an electronic FAFSA. The online application is designed to help reduce errors. About 70% of FAFSA fil-ers now complete the FAFSA online.

•Once you have completed and submitted the FAFSA, it will be sent di-rectly to the Central Processing System. You can mail the completed signature page or sign it electronically by using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) obtained from the web site.

•Once the signature page is received the CPS mails a Student Aid Report (SAR) if you did not provide an email address. If you did provide an email address, a link to the SAR will be sent to the email address provided.

•The SAR summarizes information you reported on the FAFSA and dis-plays your Expected Family Contribu-tion (EFC). Review and make sure the information you reported is accurate.

•The SAR is sent automatically to the colleges indicated on the FAFSA.

•Check on the status of your appli-cation. If you apply online, you should check one week after submitting the ap-plication. If you mailed it in or mailed your signature page, check 2-3 weeks after submitting the application.

•Check the status by calling 800-4-FED-AID or via the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Even if you mailed the application, you can check the status via the web. You must have a PIN number that can be obtained via the FAFSA website.

•The 2009-10 applications are avail-able online only. It is highly recommend processing this application on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Processing using the website is 7-10 days while using the paper version takes four weeks. Most college deadlines for the FAFSA are in February or March. Refer to your col-lege’s financial-aid website or college application for exact deadline dates.

For further questions please see your counselor, or Ms. Villars in the Ca-reer Center, or the following web sites: www.fafsa.ed.gov or www.finaid.org

APPLY FOR YOUR FAFSA PIN(personal identification number)Go to www.pin.ed.gov. Though you

cannot file your FAFSA until Jan. 1, you can get the PIN now!

ScholarshipsFairfax County Public Schools main-

tains a scholarship database which

students can access through Family Con-nections account via BlackBoard. Once on the Family Connections page there are two options on the left-hand menu: “Scholarship List” provides information on every scholarship loaded into the sys-tem and “Scholarship Match” filters out those scholarships for which students are not a match.(typically by gender, grade level or minimum GPA)

Military Academy NightMilitary Academy Night for Westfield,

Centreville, and Chantilly students will be held on Monday, March 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Chantilly. Representatives from the Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, United Navel and the Military Academy (West Point) will talk with students and parents.

Academy representatives will have a table for display and students will be free to walk around and visit them. The program is set up much like a college fair. Students in all grade level are welcome to attend. See Mrs. Villars in the Career Center for more information.

JuniorsJunior year is important -- it's the last full year colleges have to evaluate you. Now is the time to dive into post-secondary

planning and make sure you are on track.

Continue to work on getting good grades. Keep in mind when you regis-ter for senior classes that colleges like consistency in core academic classes even if the course is not necessary for graduation.

For example, take four years of a foreign language or math. This plan will not only open more doors, but you will be better prepared for college academic rigor.

SAT RegistrationTest Date: Register by:Jan. 26 Dec. 26March 1 Jan. 29May 3 April 1June 7 May 6 Register online at www.collegeboard.

org or pick up a paper application in the Career Center.

ACT RegistrationTest Date: Register by:Feb. 9 Jan. 4April 12 March 7June 14 May 9These tests are not offered at W.H.S.

Register online at www.act.org or pick up an application in the Career Center.

fires. The administration offered a re-ward for any information that might lead to the arsonist's identity.

This camera phone picture of the fire set in a stall in the downstairs E-Hallway bathroom was sent out to many students via mass text messaging.

Photo source unknown

Dec. 26, 2008NewsA12

Dickman Bowls for Enjoyment,ScholarshipsAmy HirabayashiFront Page Editor

Making use of her talents, Danna Dickman, 11, found an unconventional way to help pay for college funds. Dick-man bowls in tournaments throughout the Washington, D.C. area to earn money.

Dickman has been bowling since she was six years old. She began bowling with her family.

“I like how it is a family thing. We all just like to have fun and bowl together,” said Dickman.

For ten years, Dickman has bowled in a youth league. She practices twice a week. “To bowl in leagues you have to be sanctioned through the NCAUSBCA, or Nation’s Capital Area United States Bowling Congress Association. You also must have an established average. My average is 176,” said Dickman.

Dickman bowls throughout Virginia and Maryland in tournaments. “Tourna-

ments are definitely my favorite part. I like meeting new people and seeing how other people bowl,” said Dickman.

At a tournament, Dickman arrives at least an hour before her slot time, giving her ample time to sign in and prepare for her games.

Usually Dickman is assigned a lane with people she doesn't know. "It is a great opportunity to meet people. I've made lots of friends who go to different schools because of tournaments," said Dickman.

In one tournament day, Dickman bowls between three to ten games. “Tournament days can be really long but they are a lot of fun. I’ve come in second in city tournaments in my divi-sion,” said Dickman.

Although she has not yet bowled a perfect game, Dickman’s best score is 279. She uses her own 14 pound bowl-ing ball.

Dickman has bowled with childhood friend Katie Ellinger, 11, since elemen-

Genny SmithStaff Writer

Johnson Bikes to SchoolEveryday, rain or shine, Rachel John-

son, 12, rides her bike to school. Johnson has been riding her bike

to school since she moved here from London last year.

“When I went to school in London, I rode the bus, but here I would rather ride my bike, because it’s more fun and I like being outside,” said Johnson.

She bikes to school every day, regardless of rain or cold temperatures.

“The only time I don’t ride my bike to school is if there is a lot of snow,” said Johnson.

If there is too much snow for her to bike to school, she walks instead. The trip to school is about 2 miles from her home in Sully Station, and takes her about 15 minutes. She goes to school on a path through woods.

Even before she started rid-ing to school, Johnson enjoyed biking.

“I also like to bike on the weekends. I go with my dad and sometimes we bike up to 100 miles,” said Johnson.

Despite the potential dan-gers that come with biking to school, Johnson remains persistent in her means of transportation.

“A car hit me while I was crossing the street to school one day. I didn’t get hurt, but it

damaged my bike,” said Johnson.Although Johnson is a skilled biker,

she still falls occasionally.“During the winter it’s really hard

to bike over the bridge on my path. It usually freezes over and gets really slip-pery, so I’ve fallen there before,” said Johnson.

Despite some difficulties, Johnson enjoys her unique way of getting to school.

tary school. "She's really talented. We have been bowling together since we were in third grade," said Ellinger.

Dickman is undecided as to whether or not she will continue to bowl after high school.

“I don’t really know yet if I want to bowl in college. I have scholar-ship money that I’ve earned from tournaments that can use towards college funds,” said Dickman.

When Dickman participates in tournaments, she is required to wear a collared shirt. Depending on the size of the tournament, sometimes Dickman wears khaki pants.

Bowling is an activity Dickman will always enjoy.

“Even though people think it’s funny that I bowl, I love it and would feel weird without it. Bowling is just something I enjoy doing,” said Dickman.

The friendship between Diana Fer-titta, 11, and Joey Komisarcik, 10, is a special one.

The two met through Best Bud-dies, a club that sponsors one on one friendships for students with disabili-ties.

Fertitta and Komisarcik were first matched up last year, first as TLC buddies, then as peer buddies.

"Joey and Diana have a mutual respect and caring for one another. Diana respects and appreciates Joey's strengths and humor and Joey respects and appreciates Diana's companion-ship and guidance," said Sharon Denisar, Best Buddies sponsor.

TLC buddies usually meet through school sponsored activities, while peer buddies meet at least once a month outside of school.

“It’s really great that Joey and I are expanding our friendship this year, we have tons of plans to go bowling and to go mini golfing. I'm really ex-cited,” said Fertitta.

Komisarcik enjoys playing games, going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and sports.

"I love sports. Football, golf, wres-tling, and bowling. Tennis is good too," said Komisarcik.

The two differ on their favorite Best Buddies activities. Komisarcik looks forward to the annual bowling trip, while Fertitta enjoys the end of the year Maggiano's dinner.

BUDDIES OF THE ISSUEColleen WilsonNews Editor

Diana Fert i t ta , 11 , and Joey Komisarcik, 10, pause from an activity at a Best Buddies meeting.

Photo by Colleen Wilson

"I joined because I have always loved working and helping people. I like working closely with the buddies and seeing them achieve new things. It's really inspiring," said Fertitta.

"Best Buddies is a good club. Ev-eryone should join," said Komisar-cik.

"Diana and Joey are an amazing example of what The Best Buddies Organization is trying to achieve - look beyond a person's disability and acknowledge and embrace the many strengths they possess," said Denisar, Best Buddies sponsor.

Rachel Johnson, 12, is one of a small margin of students that bike to school everyday.

Photo by Rhonda Naman

Danna Dickman, 11, practices for an upcoming bowling tournament in February.

Photo courtesy of Danna Dickman

Katie LakeNewsbrief Editor

Select students from 73 schools attended the Vir-ginia Junior Classical League State Convention at the Convention Center in Richmond on Nov. 23.

The purpose of the convention was for students who expressed an avid interest and excelled in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Roman culture to meet with other Latin students and represent their school in creative activities.

This two-day convention was held for middle and high school members of the Virginia Junior Classical League, an organization run by students holding of-fice on the VJCL board. “It is a well-run, student-run organization,” said Donna Winstanley, Latin teacher.

Latin teachers Winstanley and Elizabeth Campbell selected 14 students to attend the convention, where they competed in academics, art, and creativity, and placed at least once in each category.

Students were also able to attend lectures, and participate in games, dances, and karaoke. "There was something for everybody to do,” said Winstanley.

As the theme of the Convention was “Fortuna no-bis vi animi tantum frenabitur,” or “The level of our success is limited only by our imagination.” Students

were encouraged to be creative and imaginative with their tasks.

One of the major events was a spirit competition between schools. Each school was able to show their enthusiasm and school spirit with T-shirts, dances,

Latin Students Compete in Classical League State Convention

(Left) Hadley Zamperini, 11, Victoria Monroe, 11, Emily McCracken, 11, and Kate Marshall, 12, competed in an overnight costume competition for the VJCL State Convention. (Right) Virginia Junior Classical League members gather for a group picture after attending the two-day Latin convention in Richmond, Virginia.

.

chants, and making noise. "Virginia really gets into it with spirit," said Winstanley.

Winstanley and Campbell expressed high hopes of qualifying for the national convention, which will be held for one week over the summer.

Photos courtesy of Donna Winstanley

Dec. 26, 2008News

the WATCHDOGA13

Speech, Debate Host Third Tournament of Season

DECA Sponsors Free Financial Literacy Seminar for CommunityKara Moore, Shahbano FaridSpotlight Senior Editor, Staff Writer

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) held a financial literacy seminar on Dec. 11 to prepare students for financial road bumps in life.

Presenters from Burke and Herbert, Clearpoint Financial, and Western Fed-eral Credit Union were in attendance to talk about personal budgeting, good versus bad debt, and where to save your money.

When assigned the project in early October, DECA students had no idea that their class project would turn into

Sophomores attended the annual Ethics Day Seminar at the Westfield Marriott on Nov. 24.

Sophomores reported to second pe-riod in the morning and were sent to the cafeteria, where they were addressed by Rear Admiral Julius Caesar of the United States Navy and father to two Westfield graduates.

Admiral Caesar gave a speech on honor, integrity, trust, character, and respect.

After walking the short distance to the Westfield Marriott, they were as-signed to tables where they participated in two sessions that were used to discuss the topic of ethics and character. Seniors in the National Honor Society and adult volunteers guided them through discus-sions.

“I think it is important for underclass-men to attend this event because it gives

them an opportunity to talk with their peers about difficult situations and eat good food,” said Chelsea Croll, 12.

The Westfield Theatre Troupe pre-sented a thought-provoking perfor-mance on making choices.

The performers formed a circle and each presenter moved toward the cen-ter to tell a personal story. The stories ranged from eating disorders to dis-crimination to abuse.

“The Ethics Day Seminar was actu-ally interesting. The skit was probably the most interesting part of the whole presentation. It really makes you think about what other people go through," said Manisha Gokhale, 10.

After eating a Thanksgiving lunch prepared by the staff at the Westfield Marriott, all the students walked back to Westfield for dismissal.

“I think the sophomores actually get something out of this. I remember attending it my sophomore year and I learned a lot about ethics and how to

Marriott. Rather, perhaps the greatest value of today’s ethical decision-making seminar was to stimulate discussion at home and amongst peers,” said Tim Thomas, principal.

The Ethics Day Seminar will continue on to be part of Westfield tradition for all sophomores in years to come.

Ethics Day Seminar Engages SophomoresYogita JasaniOpinion Editor

Aksheetha SridharAsst. Style Editor

GoodSearch Helps CommunityThe Parent Teacher Student Associa-

tion (PTSA) has partnered with Good-Search, an online search engine powered by Yahoo, which donates about 50% of its overall profits to selected schools, charities, and nonprofit organizations.

Each “GoodSearch” raises about $0.01 for the selected charity, school, or nonprofit organization. Since its active participation in 2006, the WHS PTSA has raised a total of $31.04 to date from a total of 2,468 searches.

GoodSearch was launched in 2005 by Ken and JJ Ramberg, siblings with prior experience in business and public relations. In addition to GoodSearch, GoodShop, an online shopping site, was instituted in 2007.

"This money is being raised by people who are doing something they do every day: search the Internet," said Ramberg in a recent interview.

"It is what we call a quiet fund raiser. If we could publicize it and have people use it more, we wouldn't have to send

The Westfield Theatre Troupe forms a circle so each presenter could talk about making choices. Topics included eating disorders, discrimination, and abuse.

look at situations from different perspec-tives. I think this year was even better,” said Amina Derbi, 12.

“Our students’ behavior was out-standing! They were attentive, reflective, courteous and respectful. It is our hope that some of the healthy discussion that took place will not end at school or at the

kids door to door to sell something to raise money. We all use search engines every day, and if we could switch to GoodSearch, we could put a lot of the money raised back into technology or student programs at school," said Jennifer Campbell, PTSA First-Vice President.

To participate, simply log onto good-search.com and choose the charity, school, or nonprofit organization of your choice to benefit. All searches and purchases will provide revenue to the designated organization.

"The PTSA is interested in continu-ing with GoodSearch, but we need to publicize it more, so people will set their browsers to GoodSearch," said Campbell.

"So far, the biggest challenge is get-ting people who rely on other search engines, like Google, to use GoodSearch instead," said Ramberg in a recent article from The New York Times.

There are many ways to spread the word about GoodSearch: adding links to e-mails, posting on Facebook and Myspace, and telling friends about it.

FBLA Builds Gingerbread Offices

Future Business Leaders of America held a contest on Dec. 11 to see who could build the best gingerbread office building. The winning building was a replica of the Pentagon decorated with frosting and Twizzlers for the holidays.

a real program for parents and students throughout Fairfax.

Tyler McCarthy, 12, and Taylor Ful-ton, 12, thought it would be a good idea to pick financial literacy out of all the various options because they were themselves, in a financial crisis.

"With college on the way and the economy as low as ever, we wanted to learn more about how we can be financially stable for our future, and then before we knew it we were doing a seminar to help out fellow students," said McCarthy.

"I think the seminar was very infor-mational and it was a good learning

experience for adults and students," said Fulton. The two are going to take their manual to states with high hopes of get-ting into nationals. "I hope that this semi-nar has helped us prepare for nationals," said Fulton.

The boys have made no commitment to have another seminar, but because of the great turnout of the previous one, they might consider on having another just to spread more awareness.

They have designed shirts for their campaign, but it is unclear whether or not the shirts will ever be made. Ful-ton and McCarthy are working more towards the school project.

Taylor Fulton, 12 and Tyler McCarthy, 12, welcome all the guests at the Financial Literacy Seminar.

Photo Courtesy of Karen Kim

Photo by Mehreen Haider

Photo Courtesy of Karen Kim

Stephanie BancroftCopy Editor

Members of t he debate team participated in and hosted the third Wash i ngton Arl i ngton Cathol ic Forensics League (WACFL) tournament on Dec. 13 at Westfield.

Over 10 schools and 500 students attended this tournament, which is usually one of the biggest of the year.

Students had the opportunity to compete in Policy, Student Congress, Public Forum, Forensics, and Lincoln-Douglass.

For Westfield, 10 students competed in Student Congress. In this event, students assume the role of United States Senators or Representatives and create legislation on current issues. The

topics debated in each chamber, which are composed of about 30 students, are divided into three categories: economic, domestic, and international.

Despite losing six seniors last year, the debate team has had a strong start to its season.

Shane Grannum, 10, director of research and training for team, placed first in his chamber and won the title of Best Speaker. Based off these scores Grannum qualified for WACFL Student Congress Metro Finals, a competition in the Spring in which the top 30 students in the league compete.

"I researched my topics and spent a lot of time writing resolutions before I got to chamber so I was prepared and able to do well," said Grannum.

Aimee Chen, 10, also finished well,

placing fifth in her chamber and winning Best Novice.

"I didn't expect it at all. Even though my captains and teachers helped me a lot, I didn't know how I would do. The most important thing was keeping my composure," said Chen.

In addition to competing in Student Congress, Westfield had several students compete in Forensics, also called Speech, events.

Bethany Horstmann, 12, captain of the team, and Harsimran Mann, 11, competed in Extemporaneous Speaking. In this event, competitors draw a topic, either foreign, domestic, or economic, from an envelope. Once they draw their topic they have 30 minutes to prepare and give a seven minute speech.

Speakers are judged on the content

of their speech, delivery, hand gestures and vocal modulation, to name a few.

Horstmann finished fourth overall, qualifying for WACFL Forensics Metrofinals in the Spring.

Additionally, for the first time since Ted Penton, history teacher, began coaching the Speech and Debate team, Westfield had several members compete in Policy. In this event, students must take a position and argue for or against a United States policy. During this tournament, the policy in question was government use of alternative energy.

"I was very impressed with the caliber of debate and preparation on our team. We should have a strong team for the VHSL [Virginia High School League] competitions in the spring," said Penton.

Dec. 26, 2008News

the WATCHDOGA14

Newsbriefs

Show Choir's annual Disney Dazzle production opens Jan. 16-17 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Auditions were held for the solos and duets.

The Women's and Men's Choruses, Mixed Chorus, and Chamber Singers will all participate in the show.

Jessica Lardin, chorus teacher, is the musical director.

Yvonne Henry, special education IA , along with Emily Joseph, 12, are in charge of choreography.

Laurice Attia, 12, Melanie Webber,11, Colby Dezelick, 9, Jennifer Schumacher, 11, Samantha Harris, 12, and Taylor Au-cott, 11 are student dance captains.

"I'm excited for Disney Dazzle but I know there will be a lot of rehearsing. Last year we had to rehearse every day and Ms. Lardin tried to accommodate all the students' schedules," said Taylin Frame, 12.

"This year it's a lot less hectic but we still have to work hard and try to not goof off."

The songs in the show will remain the

Choruses To Perform in Annual Disney Dazzle Performance Justine AtienzaFeature Editor

participant in the annual contest, won "Outstanding Interpretation" for her poem submission, "The Whispered Wow."

Grayson has won awards for her poetry many times in her years both in elementary and middle school, but was still honored.

"I found out through my mom that I won. I've won before, but I was still excited and glad," said Grayson.

Michael Eckenrode, 11, was also

PTA Reflections Contest Announces WinnersCaroline ChenStaff Writer

Out of the 31 students who partici-pated in the National PTA Reflections Program, 11 were presented with awards on various levels.

The National PTA Reflection Arts in Education Program is an annual artistic competition in which students in pre-school through high school submit their own works of art.

By giving students the opportunity to create and submit works of art around a positive theme and receive recognition for their artistic achieve-ments, the program hopes to encourage expression and enhance art education.

This year's theme involved the word "Wow!". The PTA picked the theme out of thousands of entries submitted by stu-dents in the program's Theme Search.

Students submitted works in five of the six different categories: literature, photography, visual arts, musical com-position, and dance choreography.

The visual arts category included art forms such as drawing, painting, print making, and collage-making.

Awards were given out on three levels: the highest being "Outstanding Interpre-

tation," followed by "Award of Excel-lence," and "Award of Merit."

Students who were honored with "Outstanding Interpretation" had their work sent to the county level to be judged with other entries.

Marisa Grayson, 9, a long-time

Future Business Leaders of America teaches students about the business world. On Nov. 21, members attended the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets game at the Verizon Center. Wizards front-office members spoke and answered questions about the business aspects of the National Bas-ketball Association. Contact sponsor Sonja Clelland for more information.

FBLA

The Interact Club helps families in need, collects recyclable items, and helps keep Westfield clean. The club meets the first Tuesday of every month. Meetings are not mandatory. Members may join at any time. Dues are $5. Contact sponsor Becky Rice or president Emily Nosal, 10, for more information.

Interact Club

The National Honor Society moved its induction ceremony to January. The ceremony will be held in the au-ditorium, and will be open to friends and family of inductees. Officers will deliver a speech and light candles. Inductees will then be called up on stage to receive their pins.

National Honor Society

“Most of the referrals I get are self-referrals, when a student comes to talk to me unprompted by a teacher or parent, and I think that is because of my confidentiality. I don’t lecture kids, I give them information so they can make informed decisions,” said Churn.

Churn is not limited to self-referrals, however. If a teacher or counselor believes that a student is having problems with drugs or alcohol, the issue can be raised confidentially with Churn.

For confidentiality and professional reasons, Churn was unable to release to this paper any hard numbers of how many students visit her office with drug issues and what she believes the extent of the drug problem is.

Rather, she referred concerned students and parents to ADYS’s recent statement.

“In light of recent events, the Alcohol and Drug Youth Services (ADYS) program continues to assess what the barriers are to identifying youth that need ADYS assistance and how to best encourage and support parents to follow through

with recommendations,” said ADYS’s statement.

In the media, much of the heroin problem is portrayed as the fault of the school itself, but many students object to this idea.

“I think the parents are more responsible for what happened than the school. The school can only do so much," said Marco Gutierrez, 12.

Like Gutierrez, many community members are left wondering where the line is drawn between the authority and responsibility of the school and the responsibility of the family and the individual.

Since its founding, Westfield has offered alcohol and drug information programs to parents and students alike.

“Each year we put on ‘Saturday Night in the Suburbs’ and the ‘Bong Show’ [programs designed to facilitate communication between students and parents about drug use]. Out of a school of 3,000 students, this year only around 30 parents came [to these programs]," said Dave Jagels, assistant principal.

"We also have Chris Skinner speak to

ESPN Zone "Lock-in"The All Night Grad party will take

place at the ESPN Zone, on June 18. The price goes up in February from $60 to $75. The ESPN Zone will pro-vide food, and students will be given a game card to play arcade games. A DJ will be present at the party. Last year, out of the 775 seniors that graduated, 687 attended the grad party.

Annual Mulch SaleThe Annual ANGP Mulch Sale will

be on April 25 in the school parking lot. It will be the last chance for seniors to earn "Bulldog Bucks" before the All-Night Grad Party and the lock-in. Bull-dog Bucks allow seniors to purchase gifts and prizes at the ANGP.

students about drunk driving to inform them about good decision-making.”

Even so, some parents and students believe the school is not doing enough to counter the apparent surge in drug use.

Nonetheless, the administration maintains that they have, and continue to offer, students resources and support.

Moreover, since the nature of drug and alcohol problems are often confidential, what action the school takes is not necessarily public knowledge.

“We aren’t necessarily making changes based off this one incident. These kids graduated two or four years ago. I am the type of principal who looks for continuous improvement," said Thomas.

"I am constantly taking inventory of what works and what doesn’t and making the necessary changes."

“It’s an unfortunate situation and my heart breaks for all of those involved and affected by it. I truly hope that Westfield’s students, alumni, and faculty can learn from these struggles and help to better our community,” said Senior Class President Angie Giancola, 12.

Heroin Distribution Ring Shocks Community Story continued from A1

J.E.B Stuart High School - The Raiders' DigestWhen a student passed away, the staff and the students put rocks by the

school to say R.I.P. Recently, however, the rocks have been taken away due to administrative fears that the rocks will be inappropriately used.

The principal at J.E.B. Stuart has proposed that every class should have a rock corresponding to their grade. Freshmen would have a small rock and then seniors would have the biggest one.

James W. Robinson Secondary - Valor DictusThe Class of 2009 at Robinson have taken the idea of a "senior prank" to

a new level. Pranks the seniors have tried so far are: having alarm clocks going off at

the same time, releasing mice and pigs in the halls, spreading baby oil on the floor, and hanging bras on the ceiling.

The Class of 2008 also tried to keep the juniors from parking in front of the school by putting caution tape around it.

Woodson High School - CavalcadeA history club at Woodson is getting some unique lessons by inviting se-

nior citizens into the classroom to share their stories. Their first guest was a 104-year-old granddaughter of a slave who shared her grandmother's story. The club's purpose is to help students learn valuable life lessons, as well as the importance of living life to the fullest.

One of the most memorable speakers was a man who worked in the White House and had a close relationship with the president.

In the future, the students hope to increase the clubs membership and find more volunteers who are willing to share their stories.

Herndon High School - The StingerHerndon High School’s mascot is getting redone. Currently, the Hornet

is hiding. No one is allowed to see it.

Around the County

Junior Parent NightJuniors and their parents are invited

to a Parent Night to discuss college admissions on Jan. 11 in the cafeteria. Various college representatives will speak about what qualities they are looking for in prospective students, as well as what students should look for in a college. Some attending colleges include James Madison University, University of Tennessee, and Northern Virginia Community College.

same as last year, with the exception of one new addition from the Broadway show Aida.

This number will be sung by Russell Wagoner, 12, and Kim Perrow, 12.

There will be many talented stu-dents performing in the shows.

However, a couple students will be featured in the spotlight during solo performances.

Stevan McKiernan, 10, will sing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin and Attia, Wagoner , and Perrow will team up in "Written In the Stars" from Aida.

Melanie Webber, 11, will perform the song "Reflection" from Mulan and Carey Jarosik, 11, will sing "Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas.

Many choral students are excited to see more participation in this year's show.

"I think the best thing for the new show is having all of the chorus classes participating, instead of just show choir and a small ensemble," said Alex Kruszewski, 12.

"The new faces that are being added into the show will bring enthusiasm, adrenaline, and a willingness to work diligently," said Kruszewski.

"

It was a candid shot and it shows I have great friends.

"- Michael Eckenrode, 11

awarded the highest honor for a photog-raphy piece that he submitted.

Eckenrode interpreted the theme of "Wow!" with a photograph of his friends.

"It was a candid shot and it shows I have great friends. I was surprised that I won," said Eckenrode.

Aside from Eckenrode and Grayson, "Outstanding Interpretation" awards

were won by Yun Sang Cho, 12, for vi-sual arts, Brendan English, 11, for musi-cal composition, and Julie DeGregorio, 12, for dance choreography.

Winners of the "Award of Excellence" include: Taylor Young, 9, for literature, Hannah Banks, 11, for photography, and Young Yoon Chung, 12, for visual arts.

Tara Kelley, 11, won in literature, Mia Spain, 11, won in photography, and Abdullah Pathan, 11, won in visual arts. Kelley, Spain, and Pathan, were awarded the "Award of Merit."

Dec. 26, 2008News

the WATCHDOGA15

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On Mondays and Thursdays "the Green Team" often wander the halls picking up classroom's blue recycling bins. The Green Team, organized by Maggie Panoff special needs teacher, and Athena Sotirchos, Spanish teacher, is a collaboration between Panoff's WAT team and Sotirchos Recycling Club.

Last October, the School Board made it a requirement for schools to recycle pa-per, and this year it added on bottles and cans. At the end of last year when the Re-cycling Club was disbanded, Westfield was in violation of this policy.

"There is not one big county-wide program. We didn't want to restrict how

Panoff, Sotirchos Take Initiative with Recyclingschools go about it, we just want to make sure they do it," said Scott Larson, FCPS Disposal Services Coordinator.

Many students find it unfair that the responsibility of recycling for such a large school is left to the students.

"I just don't understand why Mr. Thomas doesn't set up a program and be in charge. It shouldn't be up to stu-dents to raise the issue and for teachers to request recycling bins," said Becky Mattox, 12.

Principal Tim Thomas believes that more should be done. "It's not entirely fair that the students do so much. It's a joint agreement between student and teachers. But I believe the students handle the responsibility well, and are good at giving back," said Thomas.

Not all believe that Thomas is at fault for the lack of recycling participation at our school. Some students feel that the school as a whole is to blame.

"I don't think it's all Mr. Thomas' fault. I just think our school needs to be educated about recycling. No one really uses the few bins we have. I feel like its the administration's obligation to move the school back in the direction of recycling. However, I do think the administration can only do so much. It is up to the students to take initiative and participate in recycling," said Robyn Weatherholtz, 12.

Thomas agrees there is a lack of ini-tiative among administration in regards to the recycling program.

"When the school was opened the

administration at the time decided not to include a recycling program, so when we tried to get a recycling program three years ago, it was hard for the rest of the school to get into the habit," said Sotirchos.

"Many teacher's claim that they are not provided with a recycling bin, but they're obviously just not reading our emails on where they can get them," said Sotirchos.

"Mr. Thomas claims he supports school recycling, but he doesn't do anything to show that support. I'm disappointed, but I know that once he realizes the issue, he will step up," said Amanda Duda, 12.

In fact, there is not even a recycling bin in Thomas's office.

(Left) Jasmine Barbour, 10, and Abigail Perez, 12, empty a recycling receptacle as part of the revamped Westfield recycling club. (Right) Perez and Barbour go from classroom to classroom gathering paper to recycle.

Photo by Rachael Marker

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bsectionStyleWestfield High School Chantilly, Virginia 20151Vol. IX, No. 4 Dec. 26, 2008

Freshmen Teach Third Graders Greek Culture

Bowden Dances in Thanksgiving Macy’s Day ParadeOlivia Brown, Dana ViviritoAsst. Style Editor, Staff Writer

Third graders from Deer Park Elementary School came on Dec. 4 and 5 for a unique learn-ing experience with high school freshmen.

They participated in a series of activities with Susan Bean and Jessica Naeves’ ninth grade Pre-AP English and World Civilization classes.

The ninth grade classes were divided into groups of four students and each group was assigned an aspect of ancient Greek and Ro-man culture. Groups were given three weeks to prepare a presentation and a game for the kids to play.

“My group taught about the Peloponnesian War. It was cool to hang out with my buddy,” said Zach Haubach, 9.

“There were four people in my group. Our topic was Alexander the Great. We made crowns for them to wear, they seemed pretty excited about it,” said Sean Douglass, 9.

Some of the topics included mythological heroes and creatures, warfare, art and architec-ture, the Peloponnesian War, the Trojan War, Mt. Vesuvius, and Alexander the Great.

The Trojan War group made a horse out of boxes. Another group built a ‘time machine’ that the kids could walk into and feel like they were in ancient Greece.

The Mt. Vesuvius group blew up a model volcano. “I think the kids thought it was really cool. Some of the kids were really loud but they were really cute,” said Kirsten Moser, 9.

The art and architecture group used building blocks to construct building models and colored in outlines of the Sistine Chapel.

“It was hard to prepare for the project because the material was so in-depth. The second time we presented we had to change the presentation

(Above) Freshmen Troy Dennis, Cole Holland, and Sean Douglas. assist visiting elementary school students in learning about Greek culture. (Below) Freshmen Lindsay Kidwell, Kyle Corwin, Tatum Roessler and Tara Kangarloo talk with their buddies after performing their skit.

Sarah Bowden, 10, was given the opportunity to dance in the annual Macy’s Day Parade.

Bowden has been dancing for 10 years and is cur-rently a JV Dance Team Captain along with Melanie Norris, 10. Bowden and the other dance team captains were offered tickets by Mike Miller and Associates to dance in the parade. Unfortunately, the other captains were unable to attend and perform in the parade, leav-ing Bowden as Westfield’s sole representative.

Auditions were not required to participate in the routine. Ticket receivers merely had to fill out a form online. Bowden spent a week in New York City and had rehearsal every day. 1,500 participants danced and 650 performed with Bowden in the pom cheer routine. “I really want to be able to do this again, but I realize it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Bowden.

The dancers did not spend all of their time rehears-ing. They were allowed to go shopping in the city and also saw a Broadway show, but always wore their red jackets that distinguished them from the other performers.

Grace Martin, Callie SchwartzStaff Writers

Photos by Rhonda Naman

to hold the third graders attention,” said Darby Nelson, 9, of the art and architec-ture group.

The third graders went around to each station set up around the library.

A group in each class performed a skit during lunch for everyone about Greek culture. Each third grader was assigned a buddy whom they ate lunch with.

“It was fun to eat lunch with my buddy. I think all the kids really enjoyed themselves which was cool to see,” said Ben Kendrick, 9.

“Our skit was on King Midas and the Golden Touch. The third graders’ reac-tions were positive,” said Rachel Shirley, 9, who was in the skit performance.

“We didn’t have a very set script which was good because our improvi-sation was funnier,” said Emily Hunt, 9, another member of the skit group.

The skit turned out to be one of the highlights of the event. “I really liked seeing the skit,” said Bo Hartman, 9.

This was the fourth year Bean and Naeve have hosted the third graders.

“Our first block skit was the best in four years. It was the most entertaining and original. The third graders really enjoyed it,” said Bean.

“My favorite part was seeing the kids and knowing I was in their position six years ago and seeing how excited they were,” said Kyle Corwin, 9.

Before the field trip, each student wrote a letter to their buddy to tell them a little about themselves. The third grad-ers replied with both letters and pictures of themselves.

Photos courtesy of Sarah Bowden(Left) Sarah Bowden enjoys her time getting to know the other girls on the performing team at the parade. She was the only dancer from Westfield. (Right) This year was Bowden’s first time performing a pom routine.

SGA hosted its annual food drive during the week of Nov. 17-21.

The food drive was promoted as a competition amongst participating seventh period classes to see who could collect the most cans.

All collected food items were donated to the local organization, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) to distribute to needy families in our area.

At the end of each day, teachers delivered the cans their students had collected to the SGA room to be counted.

A total of 1,250 cans were collected.Christy Jenkins’ seventh period blew away the

competition with a total of 207 non-perishable food items.

Jenkins persuaded her students to participate in the food drive through a competition with Doug Ewell's

SGA Sponsors Annual Food Drive for Needy FamiliesMason BartlettStaff Writer

seventh period Driv-ers Ed. class.

A n a d d e d i n -centive offered by Jenkins was a short break from their les-sons in calculus.

Evan Ulickas, 12, was the top par-ticipator in Jenkins' class.

"I brought in a whole trunkful of cans. I was motivat-ed by her offer of a break from calculus" said Ulickas.

S G A s p o n s o r, Diane Underwood, was thrilled with the

Samantha Kehn, 11, and Irene Kwon, 12, sort cans to be delivered to Western Christian Ministries.

Photo courtesy of Brianna Berling

results. “I was really proud of the student participation."

"Everyone did a really great job. I’m very pleased with the amount of items that were col-lected,” said Underwood.

Kate Gilbert, 12, was the SGA member in charge of the food drive.

“It was a lot more successful than we had hoped for, we had more teachers participating than we had originally expected” said Gilbert.

“Western Fairfax Christian Ministries was very appreciative of our efforts. They were able to provide for so many families for the Thanksgiving holiday with our donations,” said Gilbert.

Teachers dress up as Santa Clause, B4

the WATCHDOG Dec. 26, 2008

Rachael MarkerFashion Editor

B2

808’s & Heartbreak Leaves Fans Wanting MoreEmily ElcanoEntertainment Editor

After Kanye West’s 2007 album Graduation sold 975,000 copies in its first week, many expected his next record to follow the same winning formula he found so successful.

Instead, 808’s & Heartbreak, released on Nov. 25, expresses the raw emotion only someone who has had their heart broken can produce, a kind never heard before from West.

The rapper’s life changed dramati-cally this past year, with the death of his mother and splitting from his fiance.

West expresses his pain felt dur-

Melissa WalshJV/Freshman Sports Editor

Hitting theaters on Christmas Day, Bedtime Stories is a great way to spend some quality family time during the holiday season.

“I love Adam Sandler, he’s a really good actor and I’m a really big fan of his movies, so I’d love to go see it when it comes out in theatres,” said Evan Winfrey, 12.

This Disney movie tells the story of Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler), a ho-tel handyman, who has his life changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew mysteriously come true the next day.

When he babysits for his sister, Wen-dy (Courtney Cox), her two children insist on Skeeter telling them a story each night before they go to sleep.

The children add imaginative parts to each story, which end up happening to Skeeter the next day.

“I’ve seen the commercials for this

movie and I can’t wait to see all of the different events play out on screen. It’s going to be hilarious,” said Julia Corey, 11.

Skeeter tries to change the stories to benefit his fam-ily and himself by adding in details to his stories such as winning one hundred million dollars and meeting a beauti-ful girl.

He eventually realizes that only the kids can affect what happens to him in real life.

Skeeter goes through a se-ries of interesting events due to the creative additions to his stories made by his niece and nephew include raining gum balls, mysterious rain storms.

Skeeter even catches on fire at one point.

Skeeter ’s life is literally

‘Bedtime Stories’ Comes Alive in Theatersturned upside down by his niece and nephew’s imagina-tions.

“It would be re-ally cool if this could actually happen. I’m so excited to check it out. If this hap-pened to me I would definitely make sure a lot of cool things happened,” said Abby Fallon, 9.

“I think that this movie sounds re-ally funny and I’m pretty excited to see it. Adam Sandler is a very good actor and the previews that I’ve seen look pretty interesting,” said Chris Matz, 11.

Directed by Adam

Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) stands outside while it rains gum balls, an event come to life by magical bedtime stories.

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Shankman, who also directed other well known movies such as The Wedding Planner, A Walk to Remember, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Hairspray, and The Pacifier, this movie is also filled with many ac-complished actors.

Aside from Adam Sandler and Court-ney Cox, this all-star cast also includes Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Richard Grif-fiths, and Russell Brand.

Sandler is also the co-producer of the film as he was for his last film, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.

“The actors are all hilarious and the director is really experienced so I think it will be a very good movie and I’m looking forward to seeing it with my friends over winter break,” said Abena Arkorful, 11.

This family adventure comedy has a PG rating, so it is appropriate for the whole family and filled with tons of laughs.

ing these rough times by singing through an Auto-Tune machine, l ike he did on the first single of the album, “Love Lockdown. Dur-ing the songs West is not mourning his mother on this album, he’s angry, like on tracks such as “See You In My Nightmares” fea-turing Lil Wayne, where West takes

the upper hand in a break-up.

However, his old, cocky style does return on the new track in the song “Amazing” featur-ing Young Jeezy.

While the new Kanye West might take a while for fans to get used to, his new style provides a glimpse into the true soul of the star

that has been previously kept hidden

behind his arrogance.The change ap-pears to be working so far, with 808’s holding the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200, selling 450,000 copies in the first week. This achievement pales in com-parison to the 975,000 copies Graduation sold, leaving fans wondering if West’s style switch up is really for the best.

“I think this album is definitely dif-ferent, and it has some good songs,” said Mia Spain, 11, “but I don’t think it compares to any of his previous ones.”

“I’m disappointed with his new sound. He should go back to rapping,” said Kaivon Jones, 11.Photo courtesy Google Images

SPEA

K OU

T What do you think of 808’s & Heartbreak?

“I think it’s terrible. He tries to sing way too much and it doesn’t

sound good,”- Devon Ferguson, 11

Watchdog rating:

Watchdog rating:

Kanye’s my boy, so I’d like anything

he put out. This album is sick,”- Andy Novak, 11

“It’s pretty good, but not as good as his last one though.

It’s not bad,”- Elbert Kim, 12

“I like it. My favorite song is ‘Heartless’

and the videos are really unique,”

- Patricia Salinas, 11

“I’m really feeling ‘Love Lockdown’. I listen to it every day in the car,”

- Hannah Winfrey, 10

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RUNWAY

Dec. 26, 2008the WATCHDOG B3

4

ALLin the MINDKelly WagnerEntertainment Columnist

ComingAttractions

movies to know

Hudson, Hathaway Feud in Anticipated Jan. 6 'Bride Wars'Jessica Godart, Faria AhmedEntertainment Editor, Staff Writer

Best friends Liv and Emma have known the plans for their weddings, down to the flower arrangement, since they were young girls.

They might not have known who they were going to marry, but they did know that they were going to be married at their fairy tale venue, the Plaza Hotel.

Soon, they are both engaged and ecstatic about being each other’s maids of honor.

Everything is set; they have the per-fect fiancées, beautiful wedding gowns, and their dream setting, the Plaza Hotel. But when they think everything is all set in stone for the best day of their lives, things start to go wrong.

Liv and Emma find out that their wed-

dings have been booked on the same day in the same venue.

Both girls try to be reasonable and convince themselves that they are okay and the other can just change the date and be more flex-ible than the other.

The truth is, both girls want the spot , and they'll do any-thing and every-thing to get it.

Liv, a young school teach-er, has always

done what she can to please other people; but when her wedding day is on the line, she'll do any-thing to get what she wants.

Emma, a lawyer, does what she needs in order to get what

she wants, and her skills are about to be put to

the test.From dying hair

blue for the wed-ding day to ruining wedding gowns, the

brides are going out of control.

Now, the gloves are off and the girls are de-

termined, may the best bride win.

Liv is played by Prin-cess Diaries series and Photo courtesy of imdb.com

Hotel for Dogs

Jan. 16

Spears Makes Second Comeback with CircusAksheetha SridharAsst. Style Editor

Emerging from a whirlwind year, pop legend Britney Spears succeeded in a second comeback with the debut of her sixth studio album Circus on Dec. 2, Spears' 27th birthday.

Spears' original comeback album, Blackout, was disappointing, selling only 3.1 million copies worldwide and failing to debut as number one on the Billboard 200. Blackout became her least successful album to date.

Circus sold approximately 219,000 copies on the first day and over 505,000 copies its first week, in addition to de-buting as number one on the Billboard 200 Chart for the week of Dec. 7, knock-ing Taylor Swift's Fearless to number two.

Spears promoted her album with a

European tour on various television shows in both France and the UK as well as an award show in Germany. She returned to the States where she performed on ABC's Good Morn-ing America on Dec. 2.

The official al-bum tour has been announced to be-gin on March 3 and end on June 14. Lo-cal stops include a performance in Washington, D.C. at the Verizon Cen-ter on March 24.

Labeled as her official comeback, Circus features a fresh new sound with

12 original songs. The album includes her hit single "Womanizer," which hit

number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It also in-cludes the highly controversial track

"If U Seek Amy.""It's really per-

sonal, and I think people will feel that when they hear it. It's me talking to them, instead of just singing a song about something," said Spears in an in-depth interview w i t h G l a m o u r Magazine. "I have

'come back' so many times, people are just like, 'Is this another one?' It's kind

During Christmas time, many families get ready for the big family Christmas parties, where the few Christmas crazies bust in on all the fun.

Well, last year, we all sat down to the evening ham and we all looked around at the family we hadn’t seen in so long. I felt a slight nudge on my arm as my sister whispered, “Who’s the guy at the end of the table?”

At that moment I turned to look at a short little tan man, with a full gray head of hair, and smooth, Botoxy-looking skin. I stifled a giggle and answered back, “I have no idea.” Whispers circled the table as we all tried to discover our “family” visitor.

As the night went on we moved on and welcomed the mystery man, rather than simply staring at him with our jaws hung to the floor. We had heated ar-guments with my mega-Christian grandma about how Christmas songs have moved on to focus solely on getting presents rather than experiencing the joy of giving.

We then went on to the family movie which, as usual, was the instant classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas; not the real people version, but the old school cartoon one. As the night wore on and the loud family members shouted their thoughts across the room, I began to wonder about the old man again.

Suddenly, I turned around and there I was face to face with him on the couch. “How have you been?” he asked me.

I searched his face for any clue as to who he was, but couldn't find any, so I decided to keep the conversation safe as to not offend him. “I’m well, thank you. What’s new with you?”

“Well, you remember all I’ve been through, so no need to re-sail that boat,” he chuckled in his deep voice.

“Uh-oh, I’m sorry,” I looked for more to say, but at that instant my Uncle Chris came up to the couch and shook hands with the man.

“Excuse me sir, I don’t believe we’ve met,” he explained.“Why, it’s me, Frank,” he looked stunned.“Frank? I don’t believe I know a Frank.”At that moment, everyone looked at him as the phone rang and we learned

that the nursing home had brought him to the wrong house for his Christmas party.

He had a mild case of the disease of Alzheimer’s and I guess our family resembled his, but we finished the night with him and brought him to his real family who had been searching frantically for their grandfather.

This story is no joke, it may seem farfetched, but during the Christmas season weird things tend to happen, sort of like a season ritual.

But anyway, this Christmas season, take the time to reach out to “new” family and enjoy the season of giving.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Get Smart's star, Anne Hathaway. Pro-ducer and actress, Kate Hudson, who has starred in romantic comedies such as My Best Friend's Girl and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, took up the part of Liv's best friend, Emma.

Hathaway also starred in another wedding movie, Rachel Getting Married, which opened earlier this year

The movie, which will premiere in theatres on Jan. 9, was produced by Kate Hudson making this her first self-produced project.

Bride Wars director, Gary Winick, has also directed hit movies such as the chick-flick, 13 Going on 30, and the fam-ily movie, Charlotte's Web.

"I'm totally excited to see Bride Wars, because it looks like a really funny movie and I think I'll enjoy watching it," said Callie Schwartz, 9.

PAUL BLART:

MALL COP

JAN. 16 New in Town

JAN. 30

TAKENJAN. 23

of like a joke to me now," she said. Spears entered the music industry at

the age of 17 and produced worldwide hits such as "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again."

After her 2006 split from husband Kevin Federline, Spears has come under constant media scrutiny for her antics, behavior, and personal problems, which include rehab stints, the infamous shav-ing of her head, and her opening act at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). With TV cameos, a new album, and her MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, under her belt, Spears' career seems optimistic.

"I like all of Britney Spears' songs. She's definitely making a comeback. Her songs are legendary," said Mrinmayee Takle, 10.

Photo courtesy of x17online.com

Watchdog Rating:

Dec. 26, 2008the WATCHDOGB4 Style

Hadley ZamperiniManaging Editor

“Mr. Cox is full of joy and gives lots of

gifts.”-Ryan Knowlan, 11

“Mr. Greentree is a jolly guy, he is just missing the hair.” -Natalia Mello, 11

“Mr. Pleasants is bodacious and I could definitely

imagine him with elves.” -Taylor Grenn, 9

Mr. Sachlis is a big tub of fun!

-Jenna Coyle, 12

Boulder Squad/Bashful Science also known as BS2

is becoming a musical sensation. BS2 is composed of juniors Will Mattocks, Lamont Hall, and Rob Akins.

“There are two different groups between the three of us. There’s Boulder Squad and then there’s Bashful Science. To represent both groups we use BS2,” said Mattocks.

“Bashful science is Will Mattocks and I because everything flows and we try to use more musical notes and deeper meanings in our lyrics,” said Akins.

“It’s bashful because the underlying theme of all the songs we put out is more rhythmically put together than in your face. It’s not straight forward chemistry. It’s precise. Whereas Boulder Squad is all of us to-gether rapping and rhyming about anything and everything.”

Each member of BS2 has a love for music and they each bring a unique aspect to the group which has enhanced their talent. Each of them rap in the songs while Rob mainly focuses on the beats for the background.

“I’ve been rapping ever since I was a little kid and I grew up around music. Since my family and my friends are so into it, everything they did rubbed off on me. Seeing all the old heads rapping made me want to rap too, and I want to make something better out of my life doing something I love with the people that I care about,” said Hall.

“It really started off as just a freestyle for fun, and we would put videos up on Facebook because it was fun and we thought whoever watched it would enjoy it. But after a while, and after putting out numerous songs, we got such positive feedback that it escaladed to us writing down actual songs and producing full-length ones,” said Akins.

BS2 has released many songs such as “Killa,” “We Rock,” “Born Elevated,” “Recording Live from the Moon,” “Kick Rocks,” “And the Crowd Say,” and “Resistance is Futile.” You can listen to all of the songs online as well as download them on zshare.net or on their facebook page.

“I couldn’t pick just one of my favorite songs to

recommend to everyone because I love all of them and think just as much hard work went into each one,” said Hall.

To be able to freestyle or make a song, they must first make the background music. The groups use a program called FL8 studio (Fruity Loops Studio 8 XXL Producer Edition).

“It’s a very useful software because it has so many different instruments that we can pick from. There’s definitely an instrument for every mood that needs to be portrayed in each song. It’s the sequence of those different sounds and instrumentals that make the beats and the back-grounds. I usually get a beat in my head and then I’ll use the program to replicate it. Other times Lamont and

his younger brother will beat box together to create alternate beats,” said Akins.

After they find the perfect beat they free-style while recording it. After they finish

free-styling they listen to the track to see what they like and what they want to change.

“My favorite part of what we do is listening to the song when we’re com-pletely finished because it’s amazing to think that we actually just made that ourselves,” said Mattocks.

“Boulder Squad, got the whole world on our shoulders! It came from one day when I was with Lamont and we agreed that a freestyle we just finished rocked, but rocked didn’t do what we created justice. It was on another level so it was boulders. Rocks is an understatement for what we create,” said Rob Akins.

“This is just for fun, we aren’t pressed to be famous or get big, but if people like it, we’re going to have to pursue it,” said Akins.

The catchy beats are spreading all

BS2 Does More Than Rock, They ‘Boulder’

Photos courtesy of Boulder SquadJuniors Will Mattocks, Lamont Hall and Rob Akins make up the groups Boulder Squad and Bashful Science, or BS2.

It was another level so it was boulders. Rocks is an understatement for what we create.

"

"

- Rob Akins, 11

BS2

Check them out at:www.myspace.com/bashfulscience

“Mr. Wisda would be a great Santa Claus because he’s a G.”

-DJ Rehman, 12

over high schools in Virginia. “Most of the time, since I have the FL, I make beats

just to make beats and after we listen to it, we’ll free-style to it to get a feel for it. And once the juices start flowing we come up with a chorus or a hook to tie together the song,” said Akins.

“We rap about things that kids our age can relate to. Also, we rap what we know and what goes on in our lives.”

SPEAKOUT: What teacher would make a great Santa Claus?

SPEAKOUT:

Dec. 26, 2008 Stylethe WATCHDOG B5

Dingell Pursues Pilot License Bonnie CanslerStaff Writer

Head Custodian Yates Retires after 30 Years Mona AhmedStaff Writer

Yates is looking forward to retiring.

“My first thought after retir-ing is to do massage therapy. After I thought about it again, I told myself to organize my home,” said Yates.

Yates is committed to her job and likes to help anyone who is in need of her assistance.

"She is always willing to help no matter what the task. This school will fall apart with-out her," said Greg Luongo, English teacher.

As a loved member of the staff, Yates will be missed dearly, especially by Principal Tim Thomas.

"Cathy Yates has played a critical role in the success of Westfield High School. Her tremendous efforts and contri-butions to not only Westfield, but also Fairfax are much ap-preciated. We will miss her," said Principal Thomas.

Yates has put her time and effort to keep the school clean and presentable.

Dena Denny, custodian, is one out of the many

Catherine Yates, head custodian, will be retiring on Feb. 15.

Yates has been working for 30 years in Fairfax County and has been working at Westfield since the school opened in 2000.

Yates worked at several schools in the county, in-cluding Cherry Run Elementary for ten years, Lake Braddock for eight years, and John C. Woods Elemen-tary for one year.

She has been married for 30 years and likes to spend time with her seven grandchildren. In her free time Yates loves drag racing.

An unfortunate experience that has helped define Yates' live occurred early in her life. When she was just six years old, she saved her brother from a house fire by running for help.

Unfortunately, Yates was not able to save her two year old sister.

Yates was born in Warrenton, VA, in Fauquier Hospital. She was raised in Stafford County and later moved back to Fauquier.

Yates enjoys seeing the happy faces of the people around her when they see the school clean and or-derly.

“I like it when people come in the school and say things like ‘Wow! This is clean.’ It makes me feel good about the job I’ve done,” said Yates.

James Dingell, 12, is getting his pilot's license by fall of 2009.

Dingell has been accepted to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. He is planning to double major in business and flight studies.

“I think it’s cool that he’s getting his license,” said Chuck Cowell, Aerospace Science teacher.

Dingell has been interested in flying since he can remember. His interest really took off when the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened near Dulles Airport. His family, friends, and current teachers have also helped expand his interest in flying.

people who will miss her fun attitude.

“After working together for eight years, I will miss having her around. She is a lot of fun to work with, but I will see her from time to time at the race track, one of both of our favorite places. She will definitely come back to visit us,” said Denny.

“I am going to miss her, but this does not come as a surprise to me. She is very nice, and she is definitely irreplaceable. There is no one like her. The thing I am going to miss the most about her is her sense of humor. She always knows how to make me laugh,” said Peaches Carter, cus-todian.

As much as Yates will miss the staff and the ad-ministration, she is pre-pared to retire and relax.

"I can't wait to relax and spend time with my grand-children," said Yates.

Catherine Yates will be retiring in February after serving as Westfield's head custodian.

Photo by Trevor Dintino

"I certainly plan on continuing my education," said Dingell. He currently has 32.2 hours of flight training, and several hours of solo flight hours.

"It's cool, but getting the license is hard to do," said Nick Rocha, 12.

Dingell has flown several aircrafts. He has flown a Cessna 172-P, Cessna 172-R, Piper Warrior, Ryan Navion B, and an Aero L-39.

"By the time I graduate from Embry Riddle, I should have my Private Pilot’s License, Multi Engine Aircraft Rating, Instrument Rating, as well as my Commercial Flight Rating," said Dingell.

Dingell hopes to get type-rated on a Gulfstream G200 or G250 or the Learjet 60. Also, as far as turbo-props, he hopes to get type-rated on any kind of Beechcraft KingAir or Pilatus PC-12.

Dingell has plans to enter into the corporate aviation section rather than the airlines.

James Dingell, 12, will major in flight studies at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL.

Photo courtesy of James Dingell

Dec. 26 2008Style the WATCHDOGB6

Fashion Students Learn Style Techniques in New YorkKelly Wagner, Priya PotapragadaEntertainment Columnist, Opinion Editor

Fashion marketing students travelled to New York on Nov. 13 and 14 to ex-plore the different styles and methods employed by the fashion industry.

The trip began at 5 a.m. when the students both drove and flew to the Prudential Center Arena in New Jersey and met up with other classmates.

At the Prudential Center Arena, stu-dents learned design techniques and met the instructors who design team attire for basketball, indoor soccer, and hockey.

This was the same location in which, a Cheetah Girls concert was to take place later that night.

“It was magical. I expected it to be tiresome and busy, but it was really exciting, and I really liked it,” said Me-hereen Khalid, 11.

Following lunch, they went to Ma-dame Tussaud’s Marketing Presenta-tion.

Students learned about the styles of

various celebrity figures, makeup, and how each of the wax mannequins were designed.

Afterwards, students went to the Broadway play, Mamma Mia, where they were able to enjoy the presentation of the major produc-tion.

O n N o v. 14, the fash-ion marketing students trav-eled further north to New York.

S t u d e n t s arrived at Ma-cy’s depart-m e n t s t o re before open-ing hours to partake in a banquet o f b r e a k f a s t foods laid out by the own-ers.

The students were given a dis-count and were then allowed to shop around.

They learned about the new adver-tising campaign of “Believe.” Students modeled various fashions for Macy's.

During the Christmas season, people have a variety of shopping destinations to visit depending on who that special someone is they are buying for.

Some people prefer a store for its cheap prices, while others are drawn to cool gadgets, DVD's, CD's, and elec-tronics.

Clothes and home furnishings are also big attractions for holiday shop-pers.

Stores like JCPenny, TJ Maxx, Ab-ercrombie, and Hollister are clothing stores which offer everything from ca-sual, formal, to summer attire.

Other stores include Kohl's and Ross, which are known for their affordable prices and quality clothing.

Those who enjoy cool gadgets look for objects such as radio-alarm clocks, booklights, and lava lamps which are frequently found at stores like Brooke-stone .

Electronics tend to be a popular area of attraction during Christmas. Best Buy, Circuit City (now called The City) and Radio Shack are stores where people can find televisions, home theater systems, laptops, computers, radios, cell phones, and videogame consoles.

Many enjoy shopping at Wal-Mart for the name brand electronics and af-fordable prices.

Shopping Options Abundant Renick FernandesStaff Writer

"I would go to Costco because of

cheap prices and lots of variety."

-Patrick Deegan, World History

Teacher

"My husband likes to build things, so I

go to Home Depot to shop for tools."-Mary F. Dunn, Spanish Teacher

"I go to Best Buy because they have

games and TV's and they're kind of cheap during

Christmas."-Egal Abdullahi, 10

MacPro, which is the professional Apple store for photo shoots and fashion shows, allowed the students to test their modeling abilities and learn make-up techniques. "I liked how we went to MacPro and you could see the studio," said Jennifer Lane, 11.

Following the photo shoot, students ate lunch on 34th Street.

ZumZum, the makers and designers of prom dresses, asked students ques-tions on their opinions on dresses.

The students were asked questions on different factors of the dresses, such as length, color, trends, the times they begin their dress search in relation to the dance, as well as the price.

"We learned what the professionals look for to target the consumers. I think the trip went smoother than last year," said Lane.

Two students were even asked to return for internships next year, which they are really looking forward to.

"I liked it, but it was really short and we had a lot of stuff to do. I wish it was longer," said Brittany Hoffman, 11.

"Target because it's my favorite store and they have good

prices." -Becky Mattox, 12

Photo courtesy of Daisy Johnson

Stylists at the Madame Tussaud's museum show students the make-up techniques for the statues.

Speak Out: Where do you like to do your holiday shopping?

Dec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOG B7

Westfield Parent

Because Life Demands Style

Jewelers & GoldsmithsCustom Design

Jewelry Repair Laser Welding

Free Jewelry cleaning & inspection

703-222-1104www.almasjlrs.com

14106 Lee Hwy., Centreville, VA 20120Newgate Shopping Center -

Close to Trader Joe’s

Store Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Khalid Plans Seasonal TravelingShahbano Farid Staff Writer

Kaela Krakoski, 11, is a member of the Junior Redskins' Cheerleading team.

Though not a fan of the football team itself, she really enjoys being on the dance team.

Krakoski along with the team has been performing for the Redskin's since she was ten years old.

“I am very excited to get out there and perform. It was like an adrenaline rush, I loved it,” said Krakoski.

The team performed during halftime again at the Redskin’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 21.

To prepare for the big routine, Krako-ski and the dance team previously had three dance rehearsals.

“Our three practices seemed enough

Mehereen Khalid, 11, has been traveling to Chicago every year to celebrate Christmas.

It has always been the same: going there on Christmas Eve and coming home before New Years, but this year there are some changes in the itinerary.

Instead of having a humble Christmas with her relatives, she will be attending a wedding, including all of her family, even some from India.

The family is going to be in ultimate wedding mode.

After the wedding, Khalid will go to the Chicago River with her relatives from India for some family bonding time before she leaves.

"I'm really excited," said Khalid. "I get to see my family from all around

Krakoski Dances at Redskins GameDylan Carter , Dalton OkoloStaff Writers

Photo courtesy of Kaela KrakoskiKrakoski is ready to cheer in her Redskin's uniform.

On Dec. 13, the South Asian Student Association (SASA) held a fundraiser during the debate tournament through a charity known as Vibha.

Vibha is a charity which is not af-filiated with any religious or political group but rather focuses on work in India.

The organization runs solely on volunteer work.

As a non-profit organization, their mission is to help underprivileged children receive an education, get the proper amount of health care and also the right amount of nourishment.

Projects include building schools and rescuing kids from bonded labor.

The name of the charity reflects the hard work that it continually does.

Students Support Cruelty-Free HolidayBritany ArmestoStaff Writer

tors saw workers holding turkeys under water, hitting them with lumber and pipes, breaking their necks, and even cutting off their beaks with dull pliers.

Many Westfield students, however, will be going home for the holidays to

have a holiday dinner, without supporting factory farms.

“I became a vegetar-ian because I can’t eat beef for my religion,” said Shruti Ramesh, 10.

“I don’t eat turkey and ham because I believe in animal rights.”

A vegetarian holiday dinner doesn't require a change in the types of dishes, only the ingredients put in them. Even a holiday ham can be made out of soybean products.

Holiday dinners can become cruelty-free by leaving out meat.

During the holiday season, many Westfield students will have a ham and turkey dinner.

Unfortunately, one of the most popular brands of ham, Hormel, has their pigs living in unfavor-able and horrible condi-tions. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent investiga-tors to one of Hormel’s pig farms and found workers hitting piglets’ heads against the concrete floor, spray-ing paint up a sow’s nose, and kicking a sow with a broken hip in the face.

The conditions for turkeys were also recently revealed just as gruesome. In an unnamed factory farm, PETA investiga-

Mehereen Khalid travels to downtown Chicago in 2007 for Christmas.

Photo courtesy of Mehereen Khalid

Style

Gingerbread Cookies

Candy Canes

EggnogPeppermint

Hot ChocolateSnicker Doodles

Shortbread

Sugar Plums

Fruit Cake

Top Ten

Apple Pie

SASA Raises Money for Charity

Photo courtesy of tofurky.com

the world, and get to see a wedding on Christmas, its going to be a blast."

Khalid needs to make sure some things are taken care of before she leaves including matters of school and packing.

"I need to stay after school because I might miss several days, and I have to pack a lot, because in Indian weddings, there are a lot of festive colors and a lot of different outfits you wear on different days," said Khalid.

That's not where the trip ends. Right before the New Year, Khalid and her family will fly to New York to see the ball drop from Times Square for the first time.

"As much as I am excited for the wedding, this is something I have never done, I can't stop thinking about what it's going to be like. Hopefully it will be really amazing," said Khalid.

The charity focuses on helping underprivileged children. Vibha is a Sanskrit word used when talking about children.

“We really wanted to get involved with the South Asian community since our club revolves around South Asia," said Upma Kapoor, 11, president of SASA.

Various foods were sold at the fund-raiser including delicious sweets such as pie and brownies. There were also South Asian dishes such as samosas sold as well.

A total of $105 was raised at the event.

SASA plans to hold numerous more charities in the future.

“Hopefully we will do another char-ity event soon. We’re still planning at the moment but this was a success,” said Kapoor.

Saira BhattiAsst. News Editor

to get me ready, but I don’t know about the rest of the girls on my team,” said Kra-koski.

Even though she is a huge fan of the New York Giants, Krakoski has Redskin’s spirit in her blood.

Her father, Joe Kra-koski, played for the team in the 80’s as an outside linebacker.

"Surprisingly, I don't get nervous, I'm just really relaxed. I really just have fun. It is not stressful or anything," said Krakoski.

At the age of five years old, Krakoski began to take dance

classes because of her constant energy as a kid.

She was extremely motivated to dance after watching the famous bal-let production "Gisele", and now dancing has be-come one of her only true passions.

In the future, Krakoski plans on pursuing danc-ing as a career.

"I would love to be an NFL Cheerleader when I get older," said Krakoski.

"I don't really have any other passions. Dance is the biggest commit-ment in my life right now,

besides I have dance four times a week," said Krakoski.

Dec. 26, 2008the WATCHDOGB8 Student Services Ad

SeasonsGreetings

from the

Student Services Department

Junior Night for Students and Parents"Planning for College"

Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.Auditorium

Sponsored by the Westfield Student Services Department

Rob Yarborough, Nancy Bennett, Bobbi Snyder, Donna Garrison, Nancy Donnelly, Debi Martin, Vicki Carayiannis, Mickey Leigh, Jennifer Flora, Tammi Butler, Nicki Bender, Casey Shurbargo, Armando Garcia, Matt Dell'Orso, Dave Thompson, Bill Sidener, Dan Harris, Laura Gulgert, Linda Paxson, and Jeanne Frost. Not pictured: Diane Villars, Mary Wescott, Cynthia Crisafulli, Rachel Wilson, Leslie Churn, Joanne Burger, Linda Aytes

Westfield High School Chantilly, Virginia 20151 Dec. 26, 2008

Sports C section

Boys Basketball Tops Oakton, Posts 5-1 Mark

Varsity Swim and Dive Teams Post 1-1 RecordsColin GibsonStaff Writer

Farhan MajidSports Editor

Looking to make a statement, the varsity swim and dive team produced a win in its first meet, however fell short of a victory in its second.

BoysIn its first meet, the boys varsity swim

and dive team topped Centreville 176-133 at Cub Run Rec Center. The meet's MVP was Charlie Keith,10, who came away with two first place finishes and a team record in the boys 200 free with a time of 1:52.09. He managed to make the regional cuts in the 200 free and 100 fly.

"Winning MVP is good for me. It's good to know that I'm one of the best performers on the team. It feels good to set that record. I wasn’t feeling well that day, but I managed to pull through for my team and I did my best. Making re-gionals is also big for me because I made it last year too. The team did really well that meet; we kicked butt,” said Keith.

CJ Fiala, 10, also made regional cuts in the 200 IM as well as Kurtis Ratcliff, 10, in the 100 fly.

John Bounds, 10, Will Karras, 11, Thal Kratzke, 12, Andrew Kwon, 9, Ryan Otroba, 10, Matt Pangman, 12, Lee Pay-ton, 9, Harlan Mantelli, 9, Matt Pisarcik, 9, and Will Steinhilber, 10 all achieved personal best times.

"It feels pretty good to get a personal best time. All of the hard practices have paid off. I was always focused and just tried to do my best. As a team we need to work on some stuff, but overall were doing well," said Bounds.

In the second meet the team couldn't

At the start of the season, the varsity boys basketball team is playing strong both offensively and defensively with a record of 5-1.

OaktonDespite a shaky second

half, Westfield came out on top against Oakton 71-59.

The Bulldogs dominated the first half of the game but struggled to keep up in the second half. "We played really well early in the game but we lost the ball offensively. We didn't play that well in the second half but overall, it was a good first district game," said head coach Doug Ewell.

Senior forward Chris Kear-ney led the team scoring 18 points.

WoodsonThe Bulldogs defeated the

Cavaliers 65-57 at home.Coming out of the second

quarter, the Bulldogs were down by two points 25-27 but the team came back leading in both the third and fourth quar-ters. Kearney assisted the game scoring 17 points along with Jacob Ryder, 12, who scored 13 points.

"It was a very tough test for us but we came together as a team and got a good win on the road," said Kearney.

Lake BraddockThe team won its first home

game against Lake Braddock. They contained the leading scorer

from Lake Braddock, Dominique Mor-ra.

“We did what we practiced to perfec-tion. The main goal was to focus. Over-all, we played very well. The defense

(Left) Jordan Anderson, 12, goes up for a layup against Lake Braddock's defense. (Right) Peter Scanlon, 12, dribbles past Lake Braddock's defense for a big play to put the Bulldogs in the lead.

Photos courtesy of Sue Spencer

was executed perfectly,” said Vernon Miles, 11.

King Williams TournamentThe Bulldogs played in a tourna-

ment at King Williams High School in Richmond. Three teams, Langley, King Williams, and Greensville high schools

competed. The team crushed King Williams 73-37 but lost to Greensville 52-49.

“We expected to play hard and win both games but couldn’t win the second one. We played with aggression and really well as a team,” said Michael

Kiley, 11.Langley f inished

the tournament with wins in both games and King Williams lost both games. Greensville won one and lost one game.

“It was a good experi-ence for the team to go down and stay over-night which will help us down the road. It’s always good to play an overtime game to start the season off,” said Peter Scanlon, 12.

St. StephensThe varsity basketball

team began its season with a win against St. Stephens 55-53.

“It was a close game. We need to focus on making more free throws when the game is on the line. For the most part we played well and it was a good first game,” said Scanlon. Top scor-ers for the game were Kearney and Jay Jack-son, 12, respectively 25 and 16 points, contribut-ing to more than half of the team's points.

overcome Chantilly and lost, 171-138. Keith and Ratcliff both had strong show-ings. Keith dominated the 100 free and came away with a 49.58 time, while also making the regional cuts.

Ratcliff was given the MVP award, setting a team record and making two region cuts. Ratcliff broke the record in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.02, and made cuts in the 200 free and 100 fly. Another region cut went to Richard Xue, 9, in the 500 free.

Girls The girls varsity swim and dive team

took down Centreville 179-133.Jessica Layne, 11, earned Ironwoman

honors, taking part in three events in 18 minutes, the 100 back, 200 free, 200 medley. Layne also competed in the 500 free and was named meet MVP. "It feels good to get the Ironwoman award.

Carolyn Barbee, 11 scored personal best times. "As a team, we were missing some of our better teammates and we lost a meet we should have won, but we are doing really well," said Witt.

Upcoming meets include those against Herndon and Oakton.

I'm excited because I've never gotten it before," said Layne. Heather MaGill, 10, set a new team record in the one meter six dives, with a score of 179.00."It's ex-citing to set a new team record. I was trying not to mess up. Being captain I have to help others with their dives and encourage the younger divers," said MaGill.

Personal best times were earned by MaGill, Marissa Coughlin, 11, Marika Emanu-el,10, Sierra Higinbotham, 9, Carolyn Rice, 9, and Rebecca Rice, 12. In its second meet, the team lost to Chantilly, 168-141. Missy Witt, 12, made region cuts in the 100 breast.

Emily Schulte, 11, Meghan McPherson, 10, Marika Emanuel, 10, Amanda Karstetter, 11, and

(Left) Julia Nichols, 10, swims the 200 meter freestyle at the Chantilly meet. (Right) Heather MaGill, 10, keeps her form as she attempts to stick her dive against Chantilly. The meet took place at Cub Run Recreational Center.

Photos courtesy of Fred Witt

Girls Basketball begins season with a

3-3 record, C2.

Sports the WATCHDOG

C2 Dec. 26, 2008

Girls Basketball Inexperienced; 3-3 RecordWith a 68-57 loss to Oakton, the var-

sity girls basketball team’s record fell to 3-3 with a young and inexperienced group.

“It has been a roller coaster ride already,” said Coach Pat Deegan. “This is a young team and we have had moments where we showed great promise but moments when our youth was evident.”

With only one senior and six returning players, experience and leader-ship is slim. New varsity members include Kaley McManamay, 11, Mary Bar-ondess, 11, Jessica Andre, 11, Cierra Green, 11, Allie Druffel, 10, and Maggie McInturff, 9.

Oakton“We have players step-

ping up, but we can’t get them consistent and play-ing strong at the same time,” said Deegan.

Westfield came out strong in the first 12 min-utes, but let the lead slip away.

After being up seven in the first quarter, Oakton had the upper hand going into half time, 24-20.

Unfortunately, their mo-mentum continued and the Cougars extended their lead. The Westfield girls were unable to make up the deficit and came up short 68-57.

W.T. WoodsonIn an old, run down gym, the Bull-

dogs pulled off a win against W.T. Woodson 45-34.

“We got an early lead but the offense

stalled,” said Coach Deegan. “Woodson started playing more aggressively and took the lead by the end of the half. In the second half we stopped inside drives, but they got hot from three-point land.”

Woodson’s three point game was not enough to get it the win. Westfield finished the game off, making all of its free throws in the last two minutes.

Lake BraddockIn the second consecutive win of

the season, the Bulldogs defeated Lake Braddock Bruins 52-35.

Brittany Bonzano, Sanshweeka ChinStaff Writer

The girls hit outside shots to take the lead early in the game. Jessica Mc-Namara, 10, and Ashlei Sutton, 10, had big games scoring 27 out of the team’s 52 points. This win put the Bulldogs record at 2-2.

Falls ChurchPicking up the first win of the sea-

son, the Bulldogs crushed Falls Church 80-20.

11 out of 13 girls put up points on the scoreboard. Shelby Romine, 11, led with 29 points along side Mary Barondess, 11, who contributed 12 points.

Sutton also contributed with two three pointers. “It was great to see ev-eryone contribute for the win, now we just need to bring this excellent energy to our next games and continue the good work,” said Andre.

“Shelby did a great job in leading the team in the ab-sence of Alicia Richardson, who is out until January with a torn meniscus,” said Coach Deegan. “Her 29-point per-formance in three quarters of play helped make this an easy game for us.”

Good CounselWestfield fell to Good

Counsel 51-28. “It’s always hard to lose

two in a row, but I think it’s be-cause our team is just starting to get the feel for each other,” said Barondess.

After a tough first half with around 20 turnovers, the Bulldogs were only down by 13. The second half didn’t get better, however and the 13 point deficit slowly turned into 23.

Paul VIThe Bulldogs played a very

experienced Paul VI Panther team, and lost 54-46.

The nerves of the young bulldog team showed in their first game of the season. “Even though we all were nervous, we definitely should have played better,” said McMa-namay.

Westfield’s offense strug-gled against the Panthers strong inside post game. At half time Westfield was down by 11, but came out with inten-sity in the second half and pulled the gap within two. Dani Knox, 10, led the team with 13 points, followed by Jessica Andre with 12 and Jessica McNamara with six.

Indoor Track Protests Possibility of Last Season Another track season has started

with a new team, but is continuing with the same coaches.

On Nov. 27 the team had its first fundraiser at Reston Town Center.

The team helped out with the Needles Kids’ Race, a race where kids of all ages come out and run a mile. Running with the kids was 3:46 mile-runner Allen Webb, who ran in every race.

Westfield is not only participating in this race, but is also managing it, by directing the little runners where to go. Standing at the finish line, members collected the top three times.

The Bulldog runners ran the mile loop around the buildings in the high school race, going against teams they knew and others they didn’t. Team results came in the same as last year with Westfield in first winning $1,000 for the track team.

“For the past two years we helped out with this race and it’s a great oppor-tunity for the team, but I am a sprinter so running a mile was a challenge for

me. I think it’s great how we ended up winning the $1,000 for our second time,” said Tyler Barnes,11.

Another track season has started, only this time it could be the last indoor season ever. Due to budget the county has mentioned the possibility of cut-ting indoor track for all Fairfax County

Geri EspositoStaff Writer

Jessica LiuFront Page Editor

tice on the outdoor track. Having indoor track was once a possibility. According to sources, the land where the rec-center

now stands was Fairfax County’s to make an indoor track for the school.

For some reason the county decided to build the Cub Run Rec Center in-stead, leaving the team with no indoor track. Some team members joined the Face-book group, “Save Fairfax County Winter Track,” in order to petition. While this was going on, the team had its first meet on Dec. 13 at Episcopal’s indoor track, where most of the team ran well.

With some of the relays won on both sides, the team placed fifth overall. On Dec. 20 the team hosted

and ran the Metro Run and Walk Holiday Invitational,

at Prince George’s indoor track in Maryland. The whole team went to run or help out. Some of the runners won relays, others perserviered, but were unsuccesssful at winning.

Swim team is known for its many different spirit wear and activities. Girls on the team have sleepovers and Little Sister, Big Sister traditions each season.

This year, the boys have come up with a tradition of their own.

On Thursdays, during practice, the boys wear speedos and dragsuits (over

their jammers), and any other shorter swim wear to display their thighs. Se-niors, Brian Gay, Alexander Rice, and Adam Norton came up with the idea.

“‘Thigh Thursdays’ are basically for the guys. It’s one of our new ways to show spirit, and the girls already show off their thighs anyway. This is a chance for the guys to show off their thighs and it’s growing in popularity,” said Norton.

“My brother thinks it’s hilarious,

Public Schools next year because of the budget restrictions.

On the cut list are also the gymnastics

and ice hockey teams. Both may be cut due to each of them not having their own proper practice areas.

Ice hockey has to practice at an ice arena, while the track team has to prac-

but really it’s kind of disturbing to look at men’s thighs; they don’t need to be showing that,” said Rebecca Rice, 12.

The boys hope that when they leave high school, the tradition will continue for many years to come. Hopefully, thigh-showing Thursday will bring good luck to the team.

“The idea sounds great. Hopefully they can do this during school too, and not just during Thursday practice,” said Kelley Grenn, 12.

Senior Boy Swimmers Begin ‘Thigh-Thursday’ Tradition

(Left) Mary Barondess, 11, rushes past Oakton’s defense to make a lay-up. (Right) Jessica McNamara, 11, jumps over an Oakton defender to score.

Photos by Trevor Dintino

Boys play London Bridge in their spee-dos during Thursday’s swim practice.

Track runners gather around in excitement as the $1,000 check is presented to them.

Photo courtesy of Missy Witt

Dec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOGSports C3

The incoming boys JV basketball team looks to surpass the disappointing 5-11 record set by last year’s team under head coach Jamie Shepherd.

The team consists of 11 returning freshmen players and three newcom-ers. The returning players also aspire to improve on last year’s freshmen record that posted only three wins.

The boys started the year on the right foot, inching by St. Stephens 55-52 in double overtime by knocking down key free throws late in the extra period.

David Aurora, 10, and defensive standouts Robert Aid, 10, and Mitch Castleberry, 10, led the team to vic-tory.

“It feels good to get the first win, it’s a positive. It feels like we got that weight

Freshmen Girls Basketball

Freshmen Boys Basketball

Colin GibsonStaff Writer

JV Boys Basketball

JV Girls Basketball

Kauri GeorgeStaff Writer

Amanda O’SullivanStaff Writer

Suzanne DeckerStaff Writer

off our shoulders by getting the win in double overtime,” said Aurora.

In the second game the team fell short to Lake Braddock in another close one, 57-53. The scoring tandem of Aurora and Ben Campbell, 10, carried the team most of the way. Another good showing on defense by Castleberry kept the game close, but didn’t lead to a win.

The team traveled to Woodson, look-ing to improve on their 1-1 record, but the team was blown out, 60-41.

“We need to be more aggressive on offense and play better defense. We need to improve on the basics,” said Campbell.

The boys then tried to get back on track with a win against rival Oakton, but again were destroyed, 60-35.

“We just have to be better and work harder. We need to work on our funda-mentals,” said Shepard.

The freshmen girls basketball team began its season with a win against Paul VI, 39-31.

“We played good defense but we need to work more on plays and the ba-sic criteria of basketball. Hopefully our team will progress with more practice,” said Lexi Scoville, 9.

The freshmen girls basketball team played Lake Braddock and came out with a victory 30-23.

“We made a new play and worked it against their zone and got many points out of it. We hustled a lot and came out with a win,” said Sarah Kearsley, 9.

“They had a lot of height and were aggressive but our defense pulled through. Overall our team had a good game.”

“The team needs to work on its defensive positioning. We also need to work on defensive and offensive rebounding and lay-ups,” said biology teacher and new freshmen coach, Amy Ward.

The team played Woodson in its next game and was unable to produce

JV WrestlingKayla Carranza-KeeStaff Writer

JV wrestling had a dual-meet at Herndon to start off its season. The team wrestled two out of the four schools that were present, West Poto-mac and South Lakes.

The majority of the team won all of their matches including Nick Lehman, 9, Julian Pena, 10, and Jason Steuber, 11. “I knew our team had a strong chance of win-ning,” said Dennon Carranza-Kee, 9.

Some o f the wrestlers won their matches by pin-ning their oppo-nent. “It was really tiring but it was definitely worth it to win by pin-ning,” said Jimmy Wruk, 9. Another way they could win was by accumulat-ing the most points which Dylan Doty, 11, did in his first match ever.

The first team the boys wrestled was West Potomac. They came out on top

Unbeaten with a 4-0 record, the boys freshman basketball team edged Oakton 50-49.

Quinton Lord hit a shot with 17 seconds left on the clock to provide the winning margin.

The team opened the season with a win against St. Stephens, 57-30.

For the first home game the Bull-dogs knocked off Lake Braddock 58-47. “The Lake Braddock game was my favorite because everyone worked well together and we won by the most points,” said Zach Elcano.

The game started off with a close score of 12-10, with Zach Elcano scor-ing two crucial free throws for the lead.

“Playing like a team and working out has played a big role in benefiting the team,” said Isaiah Collins.

At the home game against Woodson, the team improved their record to 2-0 with a 44-37 victory over Woodson.

The Bulldogs were behind in the first quarter, and then were able to make an astonishing comeback in the second quarter.

“Take better care of handling the ball,” is the only thing that would like to be changed on Friday night’s game against Woodson, according to Patrick Deegan, center for the team.

In the last two minutes Lord made two shots bringing the boys to a 23-19 lead at the end of second quarter.

After being tied up again in the third quarter, the team ended up pull-ing away with a win.

The most anticipated games after the holidays are against Centreville on Jan. 8 and Chantilly on Jan. 16.

Beginning the season, the JV girls basketball team has lost two close games, but hopes to improve on their record from last season.

“We already mesh really well to-gether which is really surprising so early in the season. I think we will be very successful this season,” said Hallie Sampson, 9.

On Dec. 16, the JV team defeated Oakton 48-34 at home. After ending the first quarter in a tie, Westfield took over the lead and that is how the game remained.

The Bulldogs were led by Sampson, with 12 points and 10 boards, Hannah Winfrey, 10, with nine points and 12 boards, and Lauren Hayden, 9, with 10 points and six steals.

Leading Woodson by 10 points midway through it, the game against the Cavaliers on Dec. 12 was close up until the last whistle. It resulted with a tough 56-49 loss for the JV girls basket-

with a 99-32 win. “It was awesome to be able to experience wrestling in high school. I’ve only wrestled for SYA before so going to West Potomac was a lot of fun and new to me,” said Jimmy Wruk, 9.

Next, the boys smothered South Lakes 86-12.

“Coach Donahue has never lost a dual-meet which is really rare,” said Julian Pena, 10.

Donahue, the head coach for JV wrestling, was very proud of the team.

After winning the dual-meet the team had an in-dividual meet at Oakton. Many of the wrestlers won their matches . Artie Pickett, 9, went 1-1 and won his last match in

triple overtime.“We have very good athletes but are

pretty inexperienced overall. I think once we get more experience everyone will improve a lot,” said Pickett.

SENIORS 2009 has almost arrived!

Tickets for the All Night

Grad PartyAt ESPN Zone are just $60.

But Hurry!Ticket Prices go up

to $75 on Feb. 1.

ball team.The top scorers were Winfrey, with

11 points, Priya Khanna, 9, with eight points, and Nadia Podo, 10, with seven points. Hayden led the team’s defense with five steals.

The JV girls basketball squad trav-eled to Lake Braddock on Dec. 9 and defeated the Bruins 45-32.

Westfield’s powerful defense secured the victory, while Hayden, Winfrey, Sampson, and Lauren Seidner, 10, were a key part of Westfield’s offense. Together, they scored a combined 27 points, compared to the team’s 45.

“Even though it was only our second game, we already had a good amount of experience playing together because of preseason scrimmages,” said Winfrey about the victory.

The 52-48 defeat for Westfield against Paul VI was a difficult way to begin the Bulldog’s season.

Although the team did not score enough to beat the Panthers, Hayden did put up an impressive 16 points and Sampson put up eight.

Zach Elcano gets ready for the rebound in a game against Lake Braddock.

Photo Courtesy of Allison Deegan

Photo by Kayla Carranza-KeeDennon Carranza-Kee, 9, takes a shot at his opponent

any offense, which amounted to an unfortunate loss, 37-27.

“We have been practicing hard and have been trying to focus on improving our weaknesses. Although we lost I think that we’ll learn from our mistakes and will hopefully excel later in the season,” said Scoville.

“I think the reason why we lost is because we didn’t run our plays correctly and overall Oakton was a better team,” said McCreah Lackman, 9.

“I think to improve later on in the season we need to practice on working together and being able to play like a team.”

“I think that we played better as a team then in our previous games but we still have many things to improve on. I think that we will get better later in the season as we work on our mistakes,” said Natalie Cook.

The team suffered another loss to Oakton, 47-27.

Abby Fallon and Carrie Otroba were the leading scorers with seven points each.

The team will play Fairfax on Jan. 5.

Sports the WATCHDOG

C4 Dec. 26, 2008

Spotlight SeniorsChris KearneyMissy Witt

Chris Kearney has been playing basketball since the second grade. He picked up the game while just playing for fun and then played Southwestern Youth As-sociation (SYA) travel basketball.

"My favorite memory was when I went to Las Vegas to play in a tournament with my travel team and while we were there we got to see Team USA play," said Kearney. He has been playing basketball for Westfield since his freshman year and

was named All-District player as a junior. He is now captain of the varsity team.

"Chris works really well on the court and is a very strong competitor. He is an all around great athlete and guy. He is my best friend," said teammate A.V Lawless, 12.

Kearney hopes to defend the team's Concorde District Champion title this season. "My personal goal for the season is to play my best every night and do what is best for the team," said Kear-ney.

Before each game Kearney gets his mind where it needs to be in order to put himself and the team in the best position to win.

"Chris has worked extremely hard the last three years and it's showing on the court. Chris has a lot of talent and I'm sure he will play at the next level; We are just not sure whether it will be Division I, Division II or Division III. Chris has impacted this team in many ways, but the biggest way he has impacted the team is with his work ethic and motivation of

others," said head Coach Doug Ewell. In the spring and summer, Kearney plays on an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)

team that ends just in time for fall conditioning to start. "Throughout the year, I weight lift to stay in shape for the upcoming season," said Kearney.

Off the court, Kearney enjoys playing ping pong and guitar hero. At school he juggles National Honor Society, FBLA, and maintains a 3.7 GPA while taking three AP classes.

Kearney wants to continue to play basketball at the college level. "I am not going to commit anywhere until after this winter season. So far I am considering MIT, Johns Hopkins, Catholic University, Randolph-Macon, NYU, and Carnegie Mellon," said Kearney.

By Nicole Erney and Kara Moore

Photo by Rhonda Naman

For the past 13 years Missy Witt has participated in competitive swimming, so naturally when she entered high school she joined the swim and dive team.

“I first started swimming when my sister joined a community team. I have always looked up to her, so when she joined the team, I did too,” said Witt.

Witt has been on the varsity swim and dive team every year since her freshman year. As a senior she is currently one of the team captains. Witt has an optimistic outlook for the team this season. She has set a team goal of placing at least second in the district this year, along with her personal goal to keep improving. She wants to continue working on her swim-ming times so that she can hopefully make the Olympic time trials.

Witt is working on her 100 meter breaststroke, with a personal record of one minute ten seconds, to get it to the best it can be for the Olympic times. The qualifying standards for the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the women's 100 meter breaststroke was 1:12.59, but the qualifications change regularly.

"Missy has been a swim team member all four years and this year leads the team as one of our captains. She is a gentle leader and has her team's support and respect. With breastroke as her forte, she has been a member of the district, region, and state teams," said assistant varsity coach Brenda Feichtl.

Before each meet Witt always looks for her father in the stands.

“When my Dad is there, I always seem to swim better. We have this thing we do where before my race I give him a thumbs up, and in return he gives me one back," said Witt. "If he is not there to give me a thumbs up, I get really nervous and I psych myself out."

Outside of school Witt is also actively involved in community swimming where she is a member of the York Club Swim Team. In her spare time she coaches swim-ming during the summer at Sully Station. Besides swimming Witt is an active student. She maintains a 3.5 GPA and will graduate with three AP classes. She is also an editor of the yearbook and a member of both the Quill and Scroll and Spanish Honor Societies. After graduation Witt will be attending Florida Southern College, where she is on scholarship for swimming.

Dec. 26, 2008 the WATCHDOGSports C5

Happy Holidays from the Athletic Department

Terri Towle - Asst. Director of Student

Activities; Tom Verbanic - Asst.

Director of Student Activities; Alice Anderson - Asst.

Director of Student Activities; Francis Dall - Director of Student

Activities; Sherryl Salzman - Activities Administrative Asst.

Wrestling Places Second in NOVA ClassicWrestling is off to a promising sea-

son with 4-1 record. Even though they have had many setbacks they are still winning tournaments. Several mem-bers of the team were diagnosed with either impetigo, a skin disease com-mon among wrestlers or shingles, and already many of the teammates have suffered injuries.

Nothern Region Classic In the first tournament of the year

which was held at Fairfax High School, the varsity wrestling team placed sec-ond out of 32 teams, losing for the first time in three years to rival Robinson High School.

Ten wrestlers had to sit out at this tournament for various reasons, which ranged from impetigo, to hurt muscles, and sprains.

“Since we did not have everyone on our team in this tournament, we were not able to wrestle to our highest ability. I think it definitely affected our performance and hurt our chances at winning. The rest of us that were still able to wrestle tried to step it up to fill in for the missing members of our team,” said Brandon Berling, 12.

Jeremy Ryan, 12, and Austin Fallon, 11, both won their matches. In a big up-set, Fallon, ranked seventh in the state, beat Robinson’s Marcus Hathaway, who is ranked sixth. However, Fallon’s vic-tory ended in pain after being slammed to the mat by his opponent, partially dislocating his knee. Fallon will now not be able to wrestle for the next couple of meets.

Nick Grinups,11, who wrestles at 152 pounds, lost in his final match but still placed second overall for his weight class. Jarrod Branch, 12, Kyle Arnold, 11, and Kevin Koch, 11, all placed third in their weight class contributing to the team’s second place trophy.

“We started off our season on the right foot with this win. Our team feels more confident about our season now.

Skylar Lisse, Hadley ZamperiniStaff Writer, Managing Editor

Kayla Carranza-KeeStaff Writer

(Top) Jeremy Ryan, 12, wrestles opponent Christian Olanowski and wins the match, 6-4. (Left) Brandon Berling, 12, uses a half nelson to pin his opponent . (Right) Kyle Arnold, 11, is running a bar arm to gain points in his match.

Photos by Trevor Dintino

Hopefully, in the next tournament when we have our entire team ready to wres-tle, we can place first,” said Grinups.

The Northern Region Wrestling Clas-sic is always a good warm up for the season, motivating the team to work harder.

“I believe we will continue to get better and when February gets here we will be right where we need to be,” said Coach Chuck Hoskins about the tournament.

Warhawk DualsWarhawk Duals took place at Madi-

son High School where Westfield achieved 4-1 as a team.

“The main reason for our success was everyone’s dedica-tion to the team and working hard at prac-tice,” said Jordan Leh-man, 11.

F a q u i e r H i g h School won all five of its matches, win-ning the tournament. Berling and Grinups were the only wres-tlers for Westfield to win all five of their matches.

11/25/2008 4:00 PM (A) Annandale, South County, Woodbridge (Scrim.) Annandale HS

12/13/2008 8:30 AM (A) Warhawk Duals Madison HS 12/20/2008 TBA (A) Border War Battles Paulsboro HS 12/29/2008 12:00 PM (A) CV Holiday Classic - Day 1 Conestoga Valley HS, Lancaster PA 12/30/2008 10:30 AM (A) CV Holiday Classic - Day 2 Conestoga Valley HS, Lancaster PA 01/02/2009 4:30 PM (A) Battlefield Duals - Day 1 Colonial Forge HS 01/03/2009 9:00 AM (A) Battlefield Duals - Day 2 Colonial Forge HS 01/09/2009 9:30 AM (A) Eastern States Classic - Day1 Liberty, NY 01/10/2009 10:00 AM (A) Eastern States Classic - Day 2 Liberty, NY 01/14/2009 6:00 PM (A) Centreville, Oakton Oakton HS 01/21/2009 6:00 PM (A) Chantilly (Matdogs, JV, Varsity) Chantilly HS 01/23/2009 4:00 PM (A) Loudoun Valley Duals - Day 1 Loudoun Valley HS 01/24/2009 TBA (A) Loudoun Valley Duals - Day2 Loudoun Valley HS 01/28/2009 6:00 PM (H) WT Woodson - Senior Night Westfield HS

“I think we did okay at our last meet. There were a few gaps in the lineup, but we worked everything out,” said Jarrod Branch,12.

The first Scrimmage was at Annan-dale High School where Westfield com-peted with South County, Woodbridge, and Annandale

“It was great seeing all the hard work and things that we have learned during practice put to use,” said Kevin Koch, 11.

Upcoming matches include the Border War Battles at Paulsboro High-School, Conestoga Valley Holiday Classic in Lancaster, PA, the Battlefield

The JV and varsity wrestling teams are going to a two day meet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania over the Christmas Holiday. Starting on Dec. 29 JV will be wrestling first followed by the varsity team.

This is the wrestling team’s fifth year competing in the Conestoga Valley Holiday Classic. Twenty-four teams will compete at this meet.

“I look forward to good old Penn-sylvania wrestling. It’s a tough com-petition,” said Coach Hoskins.

The boys are constantly learning new moves everyday. They build on old techniques and learn from other wrestlers as well.

Hoskins hopes to finish in the top five. “The purpose we go up there is to try to get the guys exposed to the physical style of wrestling.”

The Conestoga Classic is an important tournament because it’s the second out of state tournament following the Border War Battle Tournament.

Conestoga Valley Holiday Classic

Dear Dawgy,I am worried about my friend. He is starting to hang out with a group of people that I know

are bad and have a reputation for using drugs, maybe even just pot. My friend is a good person who has never done drugs before, and can be fun, but the group keeps bugging him to hang out with them. I am worried that they might pressure him into doing drugs. What should I do? No Dope  Dear Dope,

 Yowzer!! Peer pressure and influence have got to stink more than running into a skunk these days. Your instinct as a pup is pretty on the nose. Teens, unfortu-nately, do get caught up in things to be cool and sometimes hang with the “in” crowd - and later do things because it is what the “group” is doing.

 Have you tried saying something to your friend about it?  If your friend starts hanging with a mangy pack of dope smokin’ dogs, is he even good for you to hang out with? Friendship is a powerful thing and it is good to speak up before trouble starts. Besides, if you don’t, it sounds like your friendship will change, if it already hasn’t. Getting past the fear of talking about it is often the hardest- what have you got to lose?

Be honest and direct. Check out http://www.abovetheinfluence.com or www.freevibe.com for ideas. There is so much info, that I almost missed the gravy train while surfing for information about teenage risks, personal stories and what to say in different situations. 

It is important that you also get support from other friends, adults, including your parents or your friend’s parents, the school clinic, your guidance counselor or Westfield’s Substance Assistance and Substance Abuse Counselor, Leslie Churn, MA. Ms. Churn can talk to kids confidentially and connect them with whatever services are necessary. Her contact information is 703-488-6308 or Leslie.Churn@fcps.edu. You’ll need to limit your time with your friend especially if he’s hang-ing out more and more with those other bad dogs. Doing otherwise, you could be putting yourself at risk, or be guilty by association. Be safe... Dawg

Got issues? Just bark and I’ll scratch your itch at DearDawgy@aol.com or send it to the main office in a sealed envelope to “Dear Dawgy.” Dawg reserves the right to edit due to space and for clarity.  

 Parents:  Look for the asterisk in the WHS Student directory for parents who signed the Parent Pledge for hosting alcohol free parties. The asterisk is by no means a guarantee, but it is an invitation to call them to double check. Please add an asterisk to  Lauren Baker and Ken Vu.

The use of 100% federal funds from the Drug-Free Communities and Support Pro-gram grant through the Westfield Coalition paid for this advertisement. Visit the Uni-fied Prevention Coalition web site: www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org

Sports the WATCHDOG

C6 Dec. 26, 2008

Community Coalition

Small Team Hinders Gymnastics

The  girls  gymnastics  team  began its unorthodox season with only three people on the roster and a coach shared between  two  schools,  Centreville  and Westfield. Although they share a coach with Centreville, the two teams remain separate during competitions.

“Unfortunately, we cannot win with only  three  people  on  the  team. As  of right now, I am the only one competing all-around at our meets. Hopefully, the rest of the team will be ready to compete all-around after we have more practices together,”  said  Madeleine Arencibia Pohn, 12.

In  the  first  meet  of  the  season  at 

Over the weekend, while attempting the impossible task of refereeing a fourth grade basketball game, I witnessed what was one of the funniest injuries I have ever seen. In this riveting competition of ten-year-old basketball prowess, the score was tied 12-12 in the third quarter. After the point guard on the one of the teams dribbled the ball off his foot, the ball somehow landed in the hands of the shortest, fattest, most awkward kid on the court with no one around (he was trailing the play by a good 30 yards) and the basket in sight.

For those of you who have never seen fourth grade basketball, it is one of the most pitiful things you’ll ever see. It's full of kids who don’t want the be there, obsessed parents, and flustered referees who can’t differentiate between the goofy kid who tripped over his own feet and the goofy kid who got tripped.

Well, back to the short, chubby kid on the breakaway. No one in sight, this chubster lumbering down the court near breakneck speed, and here I am jogging back with a whistle in my mouth and the hint of a smile on my face. I know from the plethora of elementary grade games I have had the honor of refereeing, this kid is either going to trip, dribble out of bounds, or miss terribly.

To my surprise and utter delight, this play ended better than I could have expected. Not only did the little tyke miss the shot terribly, he shot the ball so hard it hit the rim, bounced back, hit him in the face, and put him on his little soft, well padded behind. 

I forgot the take the whistle out of my mouth so my laughter resulted in a loud, accidental screech. Luckily the kid was down and out for the count so my premature whistle appeared to be a timely stoppage of play. His pudgy cheeks turned a shade of scarlet so that he resembled a swollen apple. He didn't return to the game.

This great and border line epic sports injury naturally brings to mind other classic, more well known sports injuries. Ken Griffey, whose career has been thwarted by his body's inability to hold up, once missed time because of an unfortunate run in with his cup, jockstrap, and the object it dutifully protects.

Sammy Sosa, the washed-up slugger for the Cubs and later the Orioles dur-ing the tail end of his career, was forced to sit out several games after two killer sneezes in a PETCO threw out his back.

Gus Ferotte, however, gets the award for the stupidest injury. While playing for the Redskins in 1997, Ferotte had to sit out the second half of a game after celebrating a touchdown against the Giants by head butting a padded wall. The padded wall was a little too much for Ferotte to handle and left him with a sprained neck.

Injuries  can  have  various  impacts  on  teams  and  players.  Unfortunately, injuries cannot be the blame of the Redskins's embarrassing performance at the tail end of this season. The team just sucks right now. They consistently disappoint and underachieve. Talks have sparked up that Zorn should be fired. I think that's completely ridiculous because those people were the same ones praising him for his success a month earlier. Keep the coaching staff, get out of the season on a positive note, and prepare for next season.

The Sports Analystby Jack Rafferty

Skylar LisseStaff Writer

“I like to listen to "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga;

it has a really good beat and I like to dance to it.”

-Abena Arkorful, 11

McLean,  the  Bulldogs  competed  well placing fourth out of six. 

"We  did  better  than  expected.  It brought our team's confidence level up for  next  weeks  meet,"  said Arencibia Pohn about the meet. In the next meet at Centreville, the Bulldogs placed sixth out  of  the  six  competing  teams.  The girls  could  only  be  judged  six  times, compared to the sixteen times the other teams were  judged, because they only had three girls competing. 

“Since it is impossible for us to win, it takes a lot of pressure off of us when competing. We go to practice and try and have the most fun we possibly can. Our team has a lot of heart and I think that is more important than winning anyway,” commented Arencibia Pohn. 

“I love "Summertime Girls" by LFO. I started listening

to it in 6th grade, and I've never stopped."” -Ryan Knowlan, 11

“Any song that is by the Boulder Squad pumps me up and really gets

me in the mood.” -Mike Cash, 12

“I listen to "Heart of a Champion" by Nelly because it gets me in the right mind-set before getting on the field.” -Kimberly Edmondson, 11

“"Hellagood" by No Doubt has a really good baseline

in the beginning and I fell in love with it."

-Emma Stewart, 11

“Undisputed" by Ludacris. I like the beat and Ludacris is

a great rapper.” -Branden Francis, 12

“We ride to our lacrosse games together listening to "Everyday

I'm Hustlin" by Rick Ross, we love Ricky Ross."

-Gage Hagen, 11 & Forrest Fisher, 11

“I listen to Kanye West before I run the 800, it

calms my nerves before the run.”

-Frank Lackman, 10

"I like to listen to Lil Wayne's "I'm Me" because it angers me and gets me

ready to run." -Briana Berling, 11

score 5-5. Min Yoon, 10, scored the tie-breaking, game winning goal.

McCeney had one goal, and Yoon had three, and Zach Haubach, 9, had one.

On Dec. 12 the Ice Dogs posted a 10-5 win over Lake Braddock at the Ashburn Ice House, with Sorrells still absent.

Yoon had five goals, McCeney two, and Pierce three.

The Ice Dogs faced off against Lang-ley on Dec. 16.

The team lost to Langley 4-0. “Lang-ley just had better individual talent than us. It was a non-league game though so it didn’t go on our record,” said Luke Crosby, 12.

The team hopes to make it to the playoffs this season, something it has not done since 2005.

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Looking to defend the home court on both sides of the bracket, Westfield hosts the Bulldog Bash from Dec. 27 to Dec. 29.

On the boys side, defending Bulldog Bash champions Westfield, will have a tough act to follow as the competition is led by a group of talented teams, South Lakes (18-4 last year) and Woodbridge (10-13 last year).

The boys started their season in strong fashion with a big win over pri-vate school St. Stephens.

“I just hope we compete. If we get better and compete everyday, we’ll be fine,” said coach Doug Ewell.

South Lakes has a very experienced lineup that features seven seniors, four of them starters. However, they also have four sophomores in their rotation of ten. “We believe we are a work in progress and that you will see a big difference in the team from December to the end of February which is the start of the district tournament,” said head coach Darryl Branch.

They started off their season with a big win over Heritage before suffering a tough loss at the hands of Hayfield, 56-40 and are looking forward to the Bulldog Bash. “We are looking to com-pete in three strong games against stiff competition,” said Branch.

Also coming to the tournament is rival Centreville. After a disappointing

9-13 record in 2007 the Wildcats look to improve in 2008 and take advantage of the fact that they return first team All-District Defensive Team player Tommy Meador.

The defending Liberty district champions, Langley, have a very tal-ented and e x p e r i -e n c e d lineup that is m a d e up en-tirely of juniors and se-niors. Ad-ditionally, the Saxons are a very tall team with six players over six feet three inches.

“We return three starters from last year’s regional runner-up team and are excited about our potential for success for the upcoming season. Our goal is to defend our Liberty District Champion-ship and make another deep run in the regional tournament,” said Langley head coach Travis Hess.

Woodbridge has posted wins over Marshall and Woodson. The Vikings are paced by power forward Raphael Put-ney, who has committed to University of Massachusetts, a Division I school.

Patrick DeeganStaff Writer

Bulldog Bash Features 16 Basketball Teams On the girls side of the bracket,

Westfield looks to take home the cham-pionship after falling short last year.

The Bulldogs are starting to come together after two early season losses to

Paul VI and Good Coun-sel. The team has

three new start-ers and lost

six major contrib-utors off of last y e a r ’ s squad, w h i c h m a i n -t a i n e d

a 17-6 re-cord.

“It wil l be a good

test because a number of good teams from a bunch of different areas play. We hope to use the tournament as a way to reinforce what we do well and what we need to improve for the remainder of the year,” said head coach Pat Deegan.

One team that looks to challenge for the title is Madison. Coming off a strong 2007 campaign with a good showing in last year’s tournament, the Warhawks look to get back to the basics.

“We are very excited for this year’s Bulldog Bash. We think there will be great competition and a great test for our young team. Our motto this year is

Coach of the Issue Ice Hockey Club Team 2-1

LaurenJones The Ice Dogs Hockey team is a club sport at Westfield. It plays weekly games at the Ashburn Ice House and the Kettler Ice Complex.

The Ice Dogs’ five coaches are: Coach Fleming, Gallagher, McCeney, Masley, Harrington, and Midgley.

The captain of the team is Brendan Manning, 12, and the assistant captains are Brett Barber, 11, Connor McCeney, 11, and Matthew Murdoch, 12.

“Westfield Ice Hockey is just a club and we have to pay for ice time to practice as well as equipment,” said Sam King, 10.

On Dec. 5 the Ice Dogs played at the Kettler Capitals IcePex in Ballston against O’Connell.

O’Connell took the game 9-1.

“It was our first game as a team together, and our team chemistry was off,” said Manning.

The Ice Dogs bounced back and won a close game over Paul VI, 6-5 on Dec. 7.

The starting goalie Mike Houde, 11, was injured and backup Grady Sorrells, 10, stood in.

The team had an early 3-0 lead, however PVI was able to comeback to make the

Lauren Jones, a Westfield graduate, is in her first year of coaching the girls freshman basketball team. Aside from coaching, Jones is an Information Tech-nician Assistant at Westfield.

During her four years playing bas-ketball at Westfield she lettered three years for varsity at point guard.

During her senior year as captain she started every single game and helped lead her team to win districts.

After she graduated in 2004 she at-tended George Mason University and played basketball as an intramural sport.

“I still loved basketball but I wanted to focus more on my studies at the time,” said Jones.

Also after graduation she continued to work with the Westfield girls basket-ball teams. She helped with the teams during summer camps and other team functions.

“I never really left Westfield in a way,” said Jones.

When Jones came back to Westfield

Dalton OkoloStaff Writer

to coach she noticed that not much besides the new R wing of the school had changed.

In regards to the team,“They are very athletic energetic and so far the season has been really fun,” said Jones.

Jones had a very strong start, win-ning her first two games as a coach.

Players say that Coach Jones is al-ways willing to talk to her players. She relates well to them because she only recently graduated.

“She is really cool and really nice, she has also taught us lots of new and helpful plays,” said Lexi Scoville, 9.

Jones also works at Westfield as an Information Technician.

“I like to coach a lot, but I also love my job because of all the great people I work with, like Mr. Mandigo and Mr. Roach,” said Jones.

In the future Coach Jones would like to either keep coaching or go back to school and earn her Master’s Degree in Information Design.

If Jones does choose to continue coaching, she thinks that she would

like to stick with the fresh-men for a little longer.

“I love coaching and I love my job, so I am pretty content with where I am right now,” said Jones.

“We have a great coach-ing staff and I enjoy coach-ing with everyone.”

“She’s a good coach who knows what she is doing, she always does her best to teach us new things,” said Abby Fallon, 9.

Other coaches are im-pressed by Jones’ impact.

“She brings patience and an understanding of the game from both the player and coach perspective. She relates well to the players and she has a genuine enjoy-ment for both the practice and game aspects,” says varsity Coach Pat Deegan.

RaytheonBu

lldog Bash

Joelle Andraos, Stephanie StreetStaff Writers

‘back to basics.’ We are really working hard on fundamentals and teamwork and know the other teams in the Bulldog Bash will force us to play our best,” said Madison head coach Kirsten Roberts.

Annandale has an inexperienced team this year. “We are young but we want to get better every day and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. Also, we are going to take great pride in competing as hard as possible against everyone we play,” said head coach Cleveland Williamson.

Freedom also has high expectations. “Our expectation is to win the tourna-ment and nothing less. We have a tal-ented group of kids that are young. Our senior captain Meixandra Porter has signed a full scholarship to attend Colo-rado State University. So that will be a challenge for us. We will look to lead-ership from Kelsey Buchanan [Junior center] and Dionna Scott [sophomore guard and forward],” said Freedom head coach Jason Eldredge.

“Both of these girls were All-District a year ago and Kelsey was named Sec-ond Team All-Region and Third Team All-State. We have high expectations and have to get better over the next couple of weeks to get out of our slow start.”

Midlothian from Richmond always has a strong girls team; this is the second year in a row that Midlothian has made the trip. McDowell from Pennsylvania is the other school making the long journey to Westfield.

Photo by Dalton Okolo

Photo by Stephanie StreetThe Ice Dogs hope to compete in the playoffs, something they have not done since 2005.