Several broadcast networks recently announced the cancellation of long-standing television shows with well-established audiences as well as up-and-coming shows that received a variety of reactions from critics. Among the shows cancelled are House, One Tree Hill, Blue Mountain State and Terra Nova.

House, a medical drama about Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his unconventional methods, has aired on Fox since 2004. According to Fox president Kevin Reilly, Laurie and the producers of the show decided that the show had run its course and it was time to call it quits.

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With the end of tryouts three weeks ago and a recent 9-0 scrimmage victory over Lee High School, the spring season is in full swing for boys tennis.

In the midst of his second year as coach, James Macindoe is pushing for a fresh strategy for the new spring season.

“I’m actively stressing some different doubles strategies in practice and the singles players have been working more on striking the ball early, taking time away from opponents and being less passive,” he said.

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As the “Boromer” meme points out, one cannot simply become a social activist by watching a 30-minute video.

However, some students believe the opposite. Ever since “KONY 2012,” a video by Invisible Children Inc. intended to spread awareness of the namesake Ugandan warlord, hit Facebook by storm, students were pledging their commitment to “cover the night” on April 20. Essentially, students will receive “action kits” from Russell’s website and then
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“If you ask any of my students if I’m weird, they might say yes.” Correcting himself, English teacher Jason Tamborini said, “They will say yes.”

Tamborini, a new teacher this school year, recently moved from Massachusetts, where he taught special education after earning a master’s degree from Emerson College.

“I just felt like I needed a change of venue,” he said. “It was time to do something different.”

Here, Tamborini is involved with theatre, and he helps “build sets [and works] with some of the students.”

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It is sprawled on the bathroom stalls in sharpie and on the tops of desks in pencil. It covers everything it touches — roads and bridges and garage doors. Sprayed by artistic teenagers or painted by gangs to claim territory, it can be found from downtown DC to rural Great Falls.

“It’s a misdemeanor to do graffiti,” school resource officer Tom Harrington explained. “You can be charged with the removal of it, and that can go into the thousands of dollars, depending upon … how big it is.”

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There has been an influx of former Marshall boys basketball players into Vienna Youth Incorporated’s high school boys basketball league.

At least ten boys who had stopped playing for the Marshall team are now playing with each other again in the local house league.

The high quality of the league has players happy to return to their pre-high school league junior Jeff Townsend said. “I’m really loving my return.”

Players agree that the quality of play in VYI is what they are looking for in a league.

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As the Republican primaries build to the presidential election, there has been a burst of politically-themed clubs, both online and in school organizations that had lain dormant since the 2008 presidential election. Sophomore Alex Nesterczuk founded the Young Republicans Club again after he “noticed that there were a lot of debates on Facebook that were sparked by the race.”

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Rather than informing the public about current issues the government is facing, this year President Obama’s State of the Union address focused too much bipartisanship and patriotism.

Much of the hour -and-a-half-long speech was spent trying to encourage both parties to work together in Congress. Obama used examples in history to create a sense of patriotism that would overpower the divide the two parties are experiencing.

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Kanye West, Steve Jobs and Yo-Yo Ma may not seem like they have much in common. However, they have all been recipients of the most highly regarded award in the music industry: The Grammy.

Something can be said for any ceremony that invites rap artists, music technology visionaries and classical musicians to the same hall.

But in recent years artists such as Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of the band Tool, have challenged the concept of the awards ceremony.

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Virginia legislators are on the verge of passing a bill that would change the way schools deal with serious student offenses. Principals in FCPS and throughout the state are not required to call the parents of a student who is in a situation where he or she could be suspended or expelled.

“Parents need to know when our children are in serious trouble, and I believe that this bill eventually will bring state law closer to that critical goal,” Virginia Senator Chap Petersen said in a statement.

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