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Marijuana: The word and plant have been used amongst high schoolers for decades and are, in some cases, some of the hotter points of conversation.

Synthetic marijuana: This man-made drug is new to our generation. We know little about it, and it remains a mystery even amongst its users.

Use of synthetic marijuana, frequently known as K2, is on the rise. It has been used as a back-up for the real thing or sometimes when a user has been on probation or in drug rehabilitation. In some cases the user is just looking for a change of pace in their high.

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The following is an edited transcript of an interview between Rank & File and substance abuse counselor Patrick Lawton.

Rank & File: There’s been a recent spike in the trend of teenagers and young adults smoking synthetic marijuanas, including the substance known as K2. Are you aware of this at Marshall or around the county?

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By the end of March, the majority of freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have solidified their schedules for the 2011-2012 school year.And, as they meet with their guidance counselors to finalize their schedules, they have the opportunity to consider several new classes that will be offered in the upcoming school year: Sports Medicine, Creative Writing, Leadership Training and Avid.

Sports Medicine, which will be taught by athletic trainer Esther Horner, will focus on medical professions, anatomy and physiology of skeletal and muscular systems, types of injuries and injury prevention.

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DECA was named a preferred chapter at DECA States, held March 4 through the March 6 in Norfolk. Twenty-eight students qualified to go to nationals, which will be held in Orlando, Fla. April 30 through May 4.

Additionally, Marshall is currently tied with Chantilly in the most first place DECA wins.

One of the DECA advisors, Jennifer Hendrickson, was recognized as one of several Outstanding DECA advisors, she said.

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Auditions for Amnesty International’s second annual Jamnesty event took place last Wednesday. Jamnesty will be held in May, but no date has been publicized yet.

The event is the club’s main fundraiser of the year and the money raised will be used to pay for postage for the club’s letter writing campaigns.

“It [will be] a night of music and human rights awareness,” club sponsor and social studies teacher Andrew Freeman said.

Jamnesty will feature a concert with student and teacher acts.

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Amnesty Club and Reveille will host Slamnesty after school today. The event, a poetry slam, aims to give students the opportunity to share their views on human rights issues.

To raise awareness about these issues, Amnesty decided to have students share poetry related to human rights.

“Everyone [can] share their poems and opinions on human rights,” sophomore Maggie Schumann said.

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The French Club is hosting a dance to celebrate the French festival of Mardi Gras. The dance moved from March 18 to Friday because of conflicts with a soccer tournament at Marshall also taking place that weekend.

“We want as many people as possible to come,” officer and junior Sharon Walbarsht said.

The dance is prepared entirely by the students involved in French Club, with four officers—juniors Yazan Alshawkani, Faby Chaillo, Amir Noorbaksh and Wolbarsht—leading the preparations.

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Rumors have recently circulated regarding the termination of Lunch and Learn. Rising concerns, especially among IB students, have resulted in a large number of student testimonials on L&L posted to the wall of a Facebook group devoted to the subject as well as an accumulation of letters to the editor on this subject.

Principal Jay Pearson addressed the situation publicly on March 4.

In a discussion inspired by junior Brandy Allen and specifically targeted towards worried IB students, Pearson outlined the fate of next year’s lunch.

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Junior Matt Crawford, who wrestles in the 285-pound heavy weight class, won the NOVA classic, a wrestling tournament that took place at Fairfax High School on December 10 and 11. Juniors James Cusack and Zac Brooks won sixth and seventh place, respectively. With experienced players who have been playing forContinue Reading

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Constantly new coaching staff seems to be a universal problem for Marshall sports teams. Teams from all seasons have had to deal with losing part or all of the coaching staff, presenting the challenge of adapting to a new coaching style. The boy’s basketball program is no exception. After losingContinue Reading