by devon maloney Fourteen business students competed in a LifeSmarts state competition on March 8 at Virginia State University. Of the eight teams competing, Marshall teams took second, fourth and fifth places. Two teams, the “Immortal Statesmen” and the “Statesmen 3 Taco Bueno” faced off in the semifinal round. “TwoContinue Reading

In a historic result for Marshall DECA, 53 students qualified for the April international competition in Anaheim, Calif. at the State Leadership Conference (SLC) competition in Virginia Beach. The DECA chapter also garnered Blue Chip status, the highest state honor. According to junior Conor Boyle, SLC is home to state-levelContinue Reading

The fact that Marshall has a Gay-Straight Alliance is wonderful. It provides a safe space for queer and trans people and our allies, even though our school is fairly accepting. However, the GSA, for the most part, seems fairly uneducated about identities other than gay and binary transgender. One problemContinue Reading

When I was little, I was the kind of kid that could be fascinated for hours on end by something as simple as a cardboard box; it could be a spaceship, train car or even a house—the possibilities were endless.

As I grew up, I slowly lost my sense of creativity. What was once a spaceship or a train caboose became simply just a box.

Of course, part of my loss of creativity (and in this metaphorical box example, loss of wonder) was simply due to me becoming more mature. But I think that another part of this loss is due to the influence of my education.
Continue Reading

Amazon’s Kindle has evolved from being exclusively a reading device, to being a full blown tablet.

The newest additions include a 9-inch screen with high-resolution graphics, an HD camera and a plethora of new apps, including classics like Angry Birds, HBO and Netflix.

All of these qualities raise the question: Do the new, state-of-the-art features distract from the original purpose of the Kindle?

The original basis of the Kindle was to make books more accessible; a contemporary take on reading, per se.

Continue Reading

Approaching Pho Sate, you’d never know the value within. The restaurant is hidden under an overhang in a dull strip mall on the corner of Graham Road and Route 50.

However, the inside of the restaurant is vibrant, both as a result of the kiwi-green walls and the downright delicious soup.

The line was running out the door when we got there, with tables full of Northern Virginians enjoying lunch. Why is this place so popular?

Continue Reading

“How do two poets greet each other?”
According to Brian Hernandez, they say, “Hey haven’t we metaphor?”
If you have ever visited Brian Hernandez’s Twitter or Facebook profile they are littered with similar puns that one can’t help but chuckle over. Hernandez is a current junior and an IB diploma candidate and is known for his carefully worded puns that receive a multitude of likes, favorites and re-tweets and have even given him the unofficial title of “class clown.”
Continue Reading

Entertainment is one of the toughest industries to break into: the uncertainty, the competition and the pressure make show business an intimidating career path for prospective stars. But despite the obstacles, aspiring stars Lily Roth, Sara Chapin and Samantha Hakim have already made their start.
Continue Reading

In light of the recent efforts by a local high school mother to ban Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved from Fairfax County Schools after her son experienced nightmares while studying the novel, a discussion here at Marshall began because the IB English HL 2 classes recently read the novel. Beloved depicts events containing a slew of sensitive and offensive topics such as infanticide, bestiality, and rape; it’s understandable why some people object to the text being taught.
Continue Reading