“I feel like I could do better and my grades don’t exactly reflect my true abilities,” junior Nardos Assefa said.

Several teachers thought that with the use of Atom Time this year, students would take advantage of the extra free time to seek help with any teacher or class they were having trouble with. Students with below average grades were assigned to the class and teacher they were struggling with.

“The scores were a little lower than the first quarter,” ESOL teacher Georgiana Tomisato said.

Each quarter gives every student a chance to improve. Students that are displeased with the grades they have received for second quarter still have third and fourth quarter to improve.

Although some were unhappy with the outcome of their report cards, others were happy with the grades on their report card for second quarter.

“I improved in all my classes for second quarter. I’m pretty happy about that,” sophomore Danny Alfaro said.

The fundraising events will take place from Feb. 6 through Mar. 2.

“I really hope we meet our goal to raise awareness and of course the $3,000,” SNHS President Jiyeong Park, senior, said. “I will be so happy if we do so.”

Last year, SNHS raised close to $2,000 for this event. This year the fundraising goal is $3,000.

“Please help us out, so we can achieve our goal,” SNHS Co-Sponsor and biology teacher Claudia Lemus said.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is an organization that funds research on finding treatments and cures for blood cancers. The presentation began with outlining what leukemia and lymphoma are and the impact the raised funds can make.

“We have come a really long way with the cure rate,” Leah Cutler, Campaign Manager of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, said. “In the 1950s, the cure rate for the most common rate of leukemia was 3 percent, but now it is 94 percent. We are not going to stop till we get to 100 percent, and that’s why we need your help.”

Jonathan Faure, a local survivor of acute lymphatic leukemia, was announced as the honored hero for the presentation for the second year running. His struggle with cancer and the process he went through to become fully cured was explained, as he was not able to come and speak for this year’s presentation.

“The presentation was very informative and it was nice to hear about Jonathan and his survival story,” junior Jessica Strong said. “That was the part I enjoyed the most.”

Multiple fundraising events were then presented by SNHS. For the entire month of February, there will be a ‘penny war’ between classes and faculty departments. For students, the penny war will be held during all lunches. Any student who donates $2 or more will be entered in the weekly raffles. The winning class will also receive a prize. For faculty, donation boxes will be placed in the workroom of each department, one in the main office and one in the guidance office. The winning department’s faculty members’ names will be entered in a raffle to win prizes as well.

There will be a Fuddrucker’s night held on Feb. 10 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Flyers for this event will be handed out at a later time. A movie night will also be held in the auditorium from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for “My Sister’s Keeper.” The date is to be determined. A dating event will also take place in the auditorium during Atom Time. This event involves five male seniors and five male juniors being auctioned off. Junior and senior girls will have the opportunity to bid on a guy for a date. There will be a $5 admission fee and the date for this event is to be determined. Lastly, chocolate bars will be sold. More information regarding these events will be announced at a later time.

Both AHS representatives, Mason District Member Sandy Evans and Braddock District Member Megan McLaughlin, supported the measure. McLaughlin was the Co-Founder of FairGrade, who campaigned for the board to change the grading scale four years ago. During an AHS PTSA meeting in October, she declared her support for the classes.

“We want to have that middle-level option,” McLaughlin said.

The classes include English Honors 11, World History Honors 2, U.S./VA History, English 12 and U.S. Government.

Sully District School Board Member voted against the measure.

Superintendent Jack Dale supported the measure and thought that it was going to pass before the vote.

“I think it is definitely going to happen,” Dale said.

Baker began playing at the age of four and is best known for her accomplishments in classical music. She is known all over the world for the powerful emotions and mastery that her performances emit.

“It’s extraordinary to have a musician of her caliber known all around the world come and perform for our strings students and their families,” orchestra teacher Stephanie Lewis said.

Her performance locations have varied from Carnegie Hall to the Lincoln Center to Strathmore Hall to the Coolidge Auditorium to the Kennedy Center.

“It’s great that she is coming to perform at AHS for us and we do not have to go to the Kennedy Center [to see her],” Sophomore Eric Mejean said.

The performance was sponsored by the Poe Middle School Orchestra Boosters and all strings students and families were invited as special guests. Donations were suggested and all proceeds will go to the Poe Boosters.

“This is a way to encourage students to stay in strings and continue in the musical department,” Lewis said.

Baker’s major accomplishments include her Master of Music degree from the Julliard School in New York City. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, one of most prestigious music schools in the country.

Because she is known around the world, many students were disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for Baker’s visit to AHS.

“I’m disappointed that so many people got excited over Michelle Obama coming, but no one is aware that a Grammy-nominated artist will be performing for us,” senior Danielle Turner said.

Even with the lack of attention, Baker’s visit supported musical education and left a memorable impression for the students and families in attendance.

“It’s a true honor that she is able to perform for students and family,” Lewis said.

“Before, I was extremely nervous. I spent almost 99% of my time in classes studying, but once I was there it wasn’t that nerve racking,” senior Tamera Demessew said.

Before beginning their IOCs, higher level (HL) students must pick a passage or poem to analyze from one of 30 folders, while standard level (SL) students must choose one of eight. Each folder contains a literary work, which include poems from Sylvia Plath and Seamus Heaney and excerpts from Beloved, Hamlet and Woman Warrior: Memoirs from a Girlhood Among Ghosts for SL students or An American Childhood for HL students.

Students then have 20 minutes to read and analyze the literary work they select, which they read earlier this semester. After analyzing the work, students move into a different room to give a ten minute recorded presentation concerning the work. Their English teachers, who listen in to the presentations, then ask follow-up questions.

“It was sort of stressful beforehand, but afterward it was relieving. I think I did fairly well,” senior Anthony Young said.

The IOC will count towards one third of students’ midterm grades and 20% of their IB grades.

“Thinking about it, it was really stressful, but [English teacher Courtney] Dearinger made it chill,” senior Jessica Hotter said. “The cookie at the end was good too.”

Pageant mom and dads alike enter their young children in competitions that cost anywhere from $25 to $500 just for the entry fee. With dresses costing up to $500 apiece, mothers regularly buy three to four outfits for one weekend pageant.

Some pageants have prize amounts as high as $1,000 in cash, but the average winner receives $300, if they are lucky.

Not only are these contests very costly for low-income parents, who are the majority of those who participate, but it also exploits young girls, and strips them of their innocence.

Mascara, glitter, blush, tanning, waxing, highlights, flippers (fake teeth), fake lashes, acrylic nails and shaving are only a few of the torturous preparations these toddlers endure in order to “properly” prepare for pageants. While not all competitions require these very adult-like appearance “enhancers,” “the high glitz” pageants strongly recommend it.

While the “high glitz” pageants encourage more costly measures to be taken, some children are not waxed or spray tanned before a normal pageant. However, that is rare.

These young girls, and sometimes even boys, strut around on stage trying to act beyond their years. On one episode, a mother was surprisingly proud when her four year old daughter resembled a 16 year old girl.

This grotesque epidemic is revolting yet fascinating at the same time. While Toddlers in Tiaras makes your stomach churn, viewers seem to be unable to pull their eyes from the screen.

Toddlers in Tiaras airs Wednesday 10/9c on TLC.

Both organizations feel that bullying is a problem, both at AHS and around the country. Nationally, one out of four teenagers have reported being bullied, and roughly nine out of ten LGBT teenagers have reported being harassed. Clubs like the Gay/Straight Alliance and Peer Mediators work to educate people about the dangers of bullying. They put up signs all over the school that call for respect and open-mindedness.

“I am for the Gay/Straight Alliance, because everyone deserves to have their own values and beliefs,” sophomore Hayat Yusuf said. “They should have the freedom to express themselves in a safe environment, like school.”

Students and faculty members feel that events like No Name-Calling Week will help to limit the amounts of bullying within schools.

“There’s a need for it,” freshman Lisa King said. “I think its a good idea.”

“I’m so glad! I hate Freshman Transition, because it’s kind of a waste of time,” freshmen Leah Turner said.

For the past three years, the program had a total of 13 sessions, but the number was reduced to eight sessions this year. This was a joint decision made by the school counseling staff in order to improve collaboration between the counselors.

“One reason for this change is was the fact that while teachers are able to work together and meet during Collaboration Day, the school counselors cannot because they’re teaching the freshmen,” counselor Carrie Schaefer said. “Therefore, in order to collaborate, the counselors have to meet during the regular school day, which takes away time from meeting with their students. The counselors were happy that the reduction of sessions allows them more time to work with their students, teachers and parents, as well as allowing them more opportunities to collaborate more easily with each other.”

Another reason for the change was because similar programs in the county are much shorter.

“At the end of last year, the AHS school counseling staff reviewed freshmen programs at other schools and learned that the majority of schools in the county offer four sessions for their freshmen, and even one school only offered one session, while AHS offered 13 sessions,” Schaefer said. “Therefore, with the support of [Principal Vince] Randazzo, the school counseling staff decided to reduce the number of sessions we offered.”

During Freshman Transition, students and counselors would discuss topics ranging from study skills, college, good habits, cyber bullying, harassment and grade point average. The program was held on Collaboration Day about twice a month.

While the freshmen were with their counselors, all the teachers would collaborate and talk about how to improve their teaching.

Upperclassmen would get the chance to sleep in, since school didn’t start until an hour later. The students who rely on bus transportation came to school on time and would go to the gym to be with their friends or finish up homework.

“I am happy that Freshman Transition Program ended. It was helpful and all, but I didn’t like how freshmen had to come on regular time and everybody else came late,” freshmen Alina Waqar said.

After its close in 1963, Alcatraz’s prisoners disappeared before they could be transferred to other prisons around the country. Abrams uses this history to begin the show with a crime being committed in the exact same way as a previous convicted prisoner from Alcatraz. Although it begins very confusingly, Abrams’s prestige in the Entertainment industry warrants a chance to be taken on the show. With FOX’s sci-fi thriller Fringe coming to an end this year, Alcatraz will be taking its place.

Alcatraz stars Sarah Jones as Detective Madsen and Jonny Crove as Wardin James and airs Mondays at 9 p.m. If you’re interested in this new show, check out its pilot on FOX.com.

The Class of 2013 is holding a parking pass raffle in the cafeteria from Jan. 23 though Jan. 26 during all lunches. The fee is $10 in order to participate and the winner will be announced on Jan. 27.

“This is a really great idea,” junior Laura Hackfeld said. “I am really interested in this raffle because I want a free parking space.”

Although there are many students interested in this raffle, some are less enthusiastic because they already have a parking space. Parking spaces cost $200 at the beginning of the school year.

“I wish I could participate,” senior Jordan Winkler said. “It is unfair that I have already bought my parking pass, but I am thrilled that they going to be helping out someone else with this space.”

Other students cannot participate because they do not have a car or a driver’s license.

“I can’t drive so this fundraiser doesn’t really apply to me,” freshman Jordan Shoop said.

The raffled parking spot is located in the Ossian Hall Park parking lot. The exact space number is currently unknown. The parking pass will be valid for the rest of the 2011-2012 school year.

The goal of each class throughout the four years of high school is to raise money for Prom, which is held at the end of senior year. If the class raises more money then the cost of renting the location, the price of Prom tickets sold to students will be lowered. The Class of 2013 is currently the class that has raised the most money, even beating out the seniors, who have been at AHS a year longer.

“The Class of 2013 has been working really hard to raise money for prom next year and we’re really excited for the raffle to hopefully boost those fundraising goals,” Class of 2013 Sponsor Lindsay Zivney said. “Ultimately, we want to get the ticket price as low as possible for the 2013 students. This is a really unique way to raise some of that money and the officer team has been amazing this year in meeting its goals for the class.”