Over the years that Silversun Pickups have been recording music, they’ve been almost constantly compared to 90’s-era shoegaze, punk rock and psychedelic rock bands — think Smashing Pumpkins or My Bloody Valentine.

Their most recent release, Neck of the Woods, seems to actually try to embrace that association with the past. The resulting blend of ambience with grungy guitar hooks, ethereal vocals and thrumming bass is an homage to a time when rock was constantly being redefined. In doing so, Silversun Pickups have created one of the best albums of the year.

Continue Reading

A view from a car window. A bridge at sunrise. A ballerina dancing on a road in the woods.

So opens senior Madeleine Fleshman’s short film, “A Screaming Cry in a Silent Room,” which won first place in Video Fairfax’s annual film festival in the high school age category.

“I really enjoy writing but I haven’t taken the time to continue it recently,” Fleshman said, “so this was my chance to combine film with something that functioned more like a short story.”

Fleshman originally created this film to serve as both her final exam and IB exam in her IB Film Study HL II class.
Continue Reading

The Virginia Department of Education has revised its standards for SOL testing to include free response questions.

According to the Virginia Department of Education website, the new questions require critical thinking designed to prepare students for the challenges they will face in the next grade.

The new questions will make up about 15 percent of the modified SOLs.

“I think it’s a good idea,” math department co-chair Judy Greenblum said. “It’s important for students to know how to problem-solve and to think critically, rather than just … drill and practice kinds of questions.”
Continue Reading

For some, the traditional school program just is not realistic. Maybe the hours conflict with a job, maybe the scheduling does not meet academic needs but, regardless of the reason, some students find that the mainstream school system does not meet their specific needs.

Senior Troy Phares is one such student.

Due to an illness in the family, Phares felt he needed to be home more than the regular school system would allow. Phares heard about Computer Enhanced Instruction, an alternative schooling program, from senior Tyler Morris and decided to enroll this year.

Continue Reading

“I can’t believe Matt pulled this off,” sophomore Greer Gabor said as she mingled with students at the The Fresh Selection benefit concert at Jammin Java on May 5.

The concert, organized by sophomore Matt Colwell, featured the area’s most well-known rap artists such as Genie and Lyric as well as smaller acts such as DJ Ryan Feng from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Continue Reading

The Activities Office organized its second ever Signing Day for graduating seniors being accepted to colleges to play sports on April 26. At the event, students were acknowledged by school faculty and coaches for committing to play at their respective schools.

“I had been talking to a couple of schools that I liked academically but Delaware was beautiful and close to home and the head field hockey coach was really friendly and they asked me to play for them in November,” said senior Maddie O’Beirne, a center midfielder who signed to play field hockey.

Continue Reading

Prom is over now and I hope everybody had a wonderful time. I have some retrospective advice I would like to offer to future prom attendees.

The first thing you need to do is to start planning early. Find a core group of people, talk to all of them and make sure everyone is on the same page. The page you all need to agree on is money.

Everybody has a different idea of prom in his or her head. Some people envision jewel-encrusted spoons whereas others want to bring a tablecloth to McDonalds. Both are fine.

Continue Reading

The Young Democrats and Young Republicans of Marshall will hold a presidential debate on June 1 in Michael Hall.

The Young Democrats and Republicans have been preparing for this debate with dedication and focus.

“We are going to be comparing the Republican Platform to the Democratic platform on the issues that matter most, like women’s rights and such,” founder of the Young Democrats Andrew Crider, junior, said.

Continue Reading

The homework, the lectures, the rush of graduation: teachers are usually the guides, the instructors and the supporters as their students work their way through the year’s curriculum.

Some, however, have coursework of their own. From 7:20 until 2:10, these teachers may be instructing freshmen through seniors, but afterschool, on weekends or in the summer, they are taking graduate classes of their own, and pursuing advanced degrees.

Continue Reading

Throughout the season, baseball’s batting lineup evolved so that the crowd saw the same starting four players lead the team during the first inning.

Beginning with three left-handed hitters, each player had been carefully selected by his abilities to play a specific role in the lineup.

Senior Michael Nassoiy, the starting center fielder, batted first in the lineup.

Nassoiy, a third year varsity player for Marshall, undoubtedly set the offensive tone for the rest of his team.

Recognizing this pressure, he took the outlook that “failure is not an option.”

Continue Reading