• I attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

• I majored in near eastern and Judaic studies and minored in theater.

• In my spare time, I participate in acting, stage managing and producing theater and sing in chorus.

• I like to listen to Led Zeppelin, Spin Doctors, The Who, The Beatles and musicals.

• I have traveled to Egypt, Turkey, Mexico, Greece and Israel.

• My favorite part of working in a school is working with the students and seeing them learn.

• My motto is: “Just take it one step at a time.”

• My birthday is June 15.

• An interesting fact about me is my birthday was celebrated the wrong day the first 15 years of my life.

• I played street hockey.

• I attended the College of William and Mary.

•I majored in international relations and Spanish.

•In my spare time, I travel.

• I like to listen to anything that sounds good.

• I have traveled to Spain, Ireland, Italy, England, France, Portugal, Scotland, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Rwanda, Mexico and I am still adding to the list!

• My favorite part of working in a school is working with my students.

• My motto is: “Life is too short, enjoy it while you can!”

• My birthday is Oct. 1.

• I played basketball.

• My favorite TV show is How I Met Your Mother.

• My favorite store is J. Crew.

Grade:11

G.P.A: 3.7

Extra Curriculars/clubs: Deca and Ultimate Frisbee

Sports: Football, track and lacrosse

Currently Taking: IB Standard Level math, IB physics, English 11, Advanced marketing, Spanish 4, weight training and US/VA History

Outside Activities Include: Works as a lifeguard at a Rec Center

How does he stay successful?:

“Writing things down on the calendar in my phone helps me to stay organized.”

High school is filled with experiences that can shape who a person is as an individual. These four years help many students find out who they really are, so it is very important that students celebrate the sense of originality that comes from this learning experience.

“I think people in general can dress or do whatever they want with themselves and be prepared to hear criticism and take the best or worst,” sophomore Nikita Coelho said. “As long as you enjoy what you wear it’s no one else’s business.”

With many rules and regulations on what a person is allowed to say or do at school, most students take advantage of AHS’s non-uniformed dress code as a way to express themselves as unique individuals.

“I express myself through what I wear and I dye my hair a lot. I think it looks cute and lets people kind of get a hint of who I am through my appearance,” freshman Rachel Feldbauer said.

More and more students at are being seen with crazy-colored dyed hair, piercings, tattoos and all types of “out-there” clothing. Students are not necessarily doing this for personal attention, but rather to illustrate their true personalities.

“It’s really important to express yourself because you look and feel good if you’re wearing something that really makes you feel like your own self,” sophomore Jennifer Nguyen said. “I kind of like to wear the colors that represent what I feel and what I wear is what I like and reflects my personality.”

These popular ways of expressing yourself through your appearance often disappear once you reach the real world. This is one of the reasons teens commonly use their appearance as a creative outlet to express themselves.

On the other hand, there are students who say they don’t care about their appearance. Some students come to school without taking the time to worry about whether their clothes and hair are just right because comfort is the most important thing to them.

“I like to dress casually when I come to school because it’s comfortable and when I wear comfortable clothes I’m a lot happier,” junior Julia Copenhaver said.“Plus, it is way too early in the morning to be putting forth effort.”

“I don’t necessarily go out of my way to dress crazy and stand out to express myself, but I do think it is important that people get this opportunity to let people know what they’re like and who they are inside,” freshman Aaron Pierce said.

Senior Kunny Kou has over a 4.0 GPA.

Grade: Senior

Weighted GPA 4.307

Currently taking: IB HL Math II, IB SL Latin II, IB SL Chem II, IB HL Topics, IB HL English II, Leadership, Select Women’s Ensemble, IB Theory of Knowledge and Women’s Camerata

Extracurricular activities: Executive board for the class of 2012, President of Select Women’s Ensemble, Math Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, English Honor Society, National Honor Society, Social Studies Honor Society and Key Club

How does she stay successful? “Time management, staying after to ask questions and study!”

Grade:10

Weighted G.P.A: 4.05

Extra Curriculars/clubs: Model UN, Student Government and orchestra

Sports: Cross Country and Long Distance Track

Currently Taking: Pre-calculus Honors, Pre-IB chemistry, Pre-IB government, French 3 and English 10.

Outside Activities Include: Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra

How does he stay successful?:

“I take English 10 non honors to keep my schedule more grounded.I don’t plan on receiving the IB diploma because I’m missing the one credit in English. To manage my time, I just try to get as much done after practice and before dinner as I can. On a normal night I’m up until about midnight, but I can operate on a good 6 hours of sleep. To maintain good grades I always do all my homework. No matter how late I’m up, I do what it takes to finish, and I always make time to study for tests. Even if it’s at lunch, studying is an important way to gain success.”

History and psychology teacher Whitney Dunning as a child and present day.

• This is my fifth year teaching at AHS.

• I attended James Madison University.

• I majored in history and political science.

• In my spare time, I hang with my dogs, get together with my friends and plan my wedding!

• I like to listen to everything and I’ve gotten a lot more into hip-hop since teaching at AHS.

• I have traveled to Australia, London, Paris, Italy and many others.

• My favorite part of working in a school is my kids! I adore my students and love watching them grow up!

• My motto is: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

• My birthday is July 9.

• An interesting fact about me is that I had a horse when I was younger that I trained and competed with.

• I played basketball, softball, swimming and tennis.

• My favorite TV shows are Glee and Law and Order SVU.