The Chemistry SOL will be held in the upstairs gym. May 23, 2012 at 9:52 am
Prom tickets are being sold during all lunches. May 23, 2012 at 9:48 am
Today is a Red Day. May 23, 2012 at 9:48 am
The Class of 2013 will hold their final bake sale after school outside of the cafeteria. May 23, 2012 at 9:40 am
Gwen is one of two Arts Editors on The A-Blast and has been part of the paper since her freshman year at AHS. Besides from editing and constructing her page, Gwen has made many videos for the multimedia section of The A-Blast online. Gwen enjoys being part of such a well-rounded staff and paper. In her free time, Gwen is part of the Social Studies National Honors Society, STAND Club, and has played major roles in the AHS theater department’s productions. Gwen is an avid performer on the AHS scene and in singer/songwriter showcases as part of the Songwriter’s Association of Washington (SAW), and posting her songs/videos to YouTube. Gwen has performed at such venues as Jammin’ Java, Bangkok Blues, and Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse and hopes to pursue a career in either film, journalism, or theater.
Gwen Levey, Co-Editor in Chief
May 16, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment, News, Story of the Day, Top Stories
The immediate shock that comes with being nominated for not just one, but two Cappies, entered the mind of junior Laura Hackfeld the night of May 15 as she scrolled through the names of nominees on the official Cappies website. Once the shock began to wear away, the immediate feeling of excitement... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Co-Editor in Chief
May 2, 2012
Filed under News, Story of the Day, Top Stories
The PTSA is encouraging all seniors attending the All Night Grad party on June 14 to become involved in planning the event through social networking devices. Through FaceBook and Twitter, such as the group “Annandale HS All Night Grad” and #AHSAllNightGrad, seniors are being asked to “pick... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Co-Editor in Chief
April 28, 2012
Filed under News, Story of the Day, Top Stories
Students taking IB Exams starting on May 2 will have the opportunity to leave school grounds for lunch between their morning and afternoon exams. However, in order to do this, students will need to fill out a form to the attendance office and return it by noon for their afternoon exams. According... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Co-Editor in Chief
April 26, 2012
Filed under News, Story of the Day, Top Stories
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” W4 classes all around school this morning listened as junior Patricia Moriba quoted her idol, poet Maya Angelou, as she concluded her speech for the... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
April 24, 2012
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Featured Multimedia, Homepage Video
Highlights from AHS’s spring musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
March 29, 2012
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Music
There’s a new soundtrack taking over the iPods and iTunes accounts of students at AHS, proving that audiences have been hungry for more than just The Hunger Games movie. While the film has already racked up the third biggest opening weekend in history with $155 million dollars and continues... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
March 19, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment
Paulina Stehr is more than just your average student who ocassionally tries out for a school play; she is an active member of all things musical, theatrical, and visual arts related throughout the halls of AHS. Whether this senior is bending over a sketchbook with a pencil in her hand, rehearsing... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
March 19, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment
It’s not everyday when feeding a giant green plant becomes daily routine. But even more bizarre is when that plant proceeds to talk and sing back to you. However, this is just one of the many peculiar things that happen in this year’s spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Thespians have... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
February 28, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment
ALUMNA, LAUREN KINCH (’10), WEIGHS IN “Theatre at Annandale was such a positive experience for me. We were a close knit group of people, and I didn’t want that feeling to end. In college, I still get to keep all the aspects from high school that I loved, but on a whole new level. There’s... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
February 20, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment, Music
The Kennedy Center, the Birchmere, the State Theatre, the Hard Rock Café; these are all venues that not only are incredibly familiar, but are places that any artist strives to receive the chance to headline. For 20-year-old Washington D.C. native Margot MacDonald, however, these venues are... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
February 20, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment, Entertainment, TV
Forget “Glee” and graduate to a whole new show about the realities of making it in the performing art world. NBC’s “Smash” is living up to its namesake as television’s new hit every Monday night at 10, putting a spotlight on the incredibly famous, but universally harsh world of... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under Editorials
We often hear the common cliché “true beauty and success is what lies on the inside.” It’s easy to let these words go in one ear and out the other, especially as a teenager on the brink of graduating from high school and really starting his or her life. As a teenage girl, however, I... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
January 5, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment, Featured Multimedia, Homepage Video
Go backstage with Gwen Levey on the set of “Arsenic and Old Lace”, the fall production by the AHS Theater Department.
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
January 3, 2012
Filed under Arts, Arts & Entertainment, Entertainment, Music
There are few voices in this world that can make something simple seem so meaningful, but artist Chelsea Lee has been managing to do this for many years.In a world where music exists primarily of heavy beats and edited voices, the 20-year-old singer/songwriter’s music beholds a voice... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
October 27, 2011
Filed under Arts
An acrylic piece of still life painted on canvas by Paige Britton. Senior Emily Oliver is an avid IB art student who has been involved in the subject for four years. Oliver had been preparing for the year’s IB exam and adding to her portfolio when on Sept. 9, she and 400 other students in... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
October 27, 2011
Filed under Arts
An acrylic piece of still life painted on canvas by Paige Britton. Senior Emily Oliver is an avid IB art student who has been involved in the subject for four years. Oliver had been preparing for the year’s IB exam and adding to her portfolio when on Sept. 9, she and 400 other students in... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
October 18, 2011
Filed under Editorials, Top Stories
Some of the group of students represented to escort Michelle Obama to her seat at the event. For a surprise, where’s the compromise? There are a lot of things that can come to one’s mind when they think of AHS: one of the most diverse student populations in not only the area, but... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
October 17, 2011
Filed under Arts
One of M.C. Escher’s famous drawings of his never ending staircase plays tricks on one’s eyes, fooling the mind to think that the staircase never ends. By Gwen Levey, Arts Editor They’re science’s artistic wonder, panning out from the world around us and playing tricks on our peripheral... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
October 9, 2011
Filed under Arts, Entertainment, Movies
Gosling showcases his acting ability in his new hit, "The Ides of March". We’ve had them all: the Robert Redford’s, the Paul Newman’s and the George Clooney’s. All have been or once were Hollywood’s leading man, and in these modern times, we are welcoming a rather... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
September 20, 2011
Filed under Arts
Salvator Mundi depicts Jesus Christ raising his right hand as he holds a transparent glass sphere in his left. Written by Gwen Levey, Arts Editor You may remember his name from world history class, but this year Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the most famous names in not only the art world, but... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
July 25, 2011
Filed under Arts
The loop pedal: a funny word for a tool musicians use to honestly become a “one man/woman show.” After all, who really needs a band when you can use your voice or other instruments during a live performance to create one all by yourself? With a loop pedal, you’re able to do this,... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
June 7, 2011
Filed under Arts
Margot MacDonald A native of the Arlington and Washington, D.C. area and a graduate from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, nineteen-year-old Margot MacDonald is no stranger to the music scene. Releasing her first album when she was just 12, MacDonald had originally started out as a classically... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
June 2, 2011
Filed under Arts
At a young age, sophomore Paula Naanou began playing the piano and has taken her love for the instrument to accompany her songwriting. Naanou’s original songs portray an indie-like feel with meaningful lyrics, such as in her original song, “Tonight”, in which she talks about wanting to... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
June 2, 2011
Filed under Arts
Senior Rackel Jurdi has been singing and performing from a young age. Most know her for singing at various events around AHS, such as AHS Filament’s Coffeehouses, STAND Benefit Concerts, and AHS’s 2011 Battle of the Bands, showing off her powerful vocals and graceful stage presence. Recently,... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Arts Editor
May 27, 2011
Filed under Arts
On August 2nd and 3rd, Taylor Swift is scheduled to come to Washington D.C.’s Verizon Center in honor of celebrating her fans and her third studio album, Speak Now. The tour, which is named after the best-selling album, is scheduled to come across the nation, playing shows and meeting... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
March 28, 2011
Filed under Academics
While most AHS students envision the traditional experience of college after high school, some prefer to follow a career in the military. Tyler Jackson, a senior who recently enlisted in the Marine Corps, was put into this situation when the prospect of traveling and having an adventure without... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
March 23, 2011
Filed under Arts, Entertainment, Movies, Top Stories
You probably remember the good old days when life was simple, bunched up under the covers of your bed, while your mom or dad sat next to you reading a fairytale that has probably lived forever with you as a classic. And if you remember one story in particular that involves a little naive girl... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Video Staff
March 8, 2011
Filed under Editorials
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” Maybe it’s the words of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Cobb, that proves what happened at the Academy Awards this year when it came to acknowledging Christopher Nolan’s... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
October 28, 2010
Filed under Academics
College tuition is a word defined by most middle- and lower-class families in America as the bank-breaking four or more years required to obtain an undergraduate degree. With increasing competition for scholarships, paying for schooling has become that much harder. The majority of high school... (more...)
Gwen Levey
October 21, 2010
Filed under Academics
College tuition is a word defined by most middle- and lower-class families in America as the bank-breaking four or more years required to obtain an undergraduate degree. With increasing competition for scholarships, paying for schooling has become that much harder. The majority of high school... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
August 18, 2010
Filed under Top Stories
“You represent New Jersey, so tell us a story and show us who you are.” Those were just a few of the encouraging words spoken before a range of emotions broke through the stadium of the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, when one of the top television shows in the country made... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
June 7, 2010
Filed under Entertainment
Imagine: you’ve just heard the news on the radio, seen it on TV, read it online—your favorite artist is coming to a city near you and you couldn’t be more excited that you finally have the chance to see them in concert! After seeing that tickets go on sale the next day, you discuss going... (more...)
Gwen Levey, Videographer
May 10, 2010
Filed under Editorials
A majority of today’s society has quite a one sided view about teenage pregnancy. In a society such as today’s, it seems to be more common and the blame seems to be mostly brought upon the soon-to-be teenage mother. It made me think: does there seem to be a double standard for girls when... (more...)
