In President Obama’s most recent State of the Union Address, he spoke of keeping students in school until they turn 18 and of making laws against dropping out of high school. While it’s true that research shows a direct correlation between how long one stays in high school and income later in life, making dropping out uniformly illegal is not the best way to help teens. In fact, it’s the wrong way.

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Black History Month sparks annual debate over its existence—a debate alive and well at Marshall, where the month is primarily recognized via facts on the morning announcements.

Senior Micheas Atkilt said he finds the announcements “demeaning.”

“It appears to me like African-Americans had a bad past so let’s give them a month to go over things that nobody cares about,” Atkilt said. He added that this sentiment was patronizing.

Senior Maha Hassan said she disagrees.

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The English department will be adding in IB English Standard Level 1 as a course option for next year. English department chair Martha Noone said the decision came as a result of the FCPS School Board’s vote to add English Honors classes.

The school then looked at “what would be best for students” and decided to add IB SL English as a result, Noone said.

The program was not added before due to Marshall’s small size. Noone said that the course would be accessible for students coming out of English 10.
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The entries had come in. Now it was up to the filmmakers to decide who would win.

After finishing their music video production project, IB Film Study 2 students took part in the Barberellos, a series of awards that recognize filmmakers for their productions.

IB Film Study 2 teacher Pierce Bello said that the idea for the awards came from students who wanted to recognize their peers’ film productions.

Voting occurred in two rounds. The first round had open nominations and the second had students pick from the top three choices for a winner.

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The Lake Braddock/Marshall ice hockey team won 6-1 against Loudon Valley/Woodgrove on Feb. 10.

“I scored two goals, sophomore Dirk Edison scored one and the other three goals came from our teammates from Lake Braddock,” assistant team captain Scott Henning, senior, said.

Henning leads the team with nine goals in seven games. Sophomore Edward Hirka is second with seven goals in eight games.

Despite its win, the team lost a “close game that [it] could’ve won” three days earlier against Robinson/Jeb Stuart with a score of 3-4 on Feb. 6, Edison said.

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Over the past few months, like you, I’ve witnessed careful construction: a foundation poured, leveled, smoothed; supports set, checked, reset; and new wires stretched, tested, aligned. Though I could be describing the new science wing, I’m thinking about all of the developments I’ve seen from the AVID students, along with Taryn Barber, the AVID coordinator, and the rest of the AVID team.

In August, I participated in the AVID orientation, helping push a few kids out of summer stupor while also being surprised at how quickly most were adopting a new view of themselves as scholars.
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Afrequent counterpoint to passionate political leaning speakers among critics is calling them ‘bigots’ or just obtuse.
However, a study by the University of Nebraska found that some people are actually biologically disposed to have fundamentally different political views.

Neuroscientists came to this conclusion by testing patients’ physiological arousal to a liberal and a conservative speaking, respectively.

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The dimming lights and the consequent hush that fell over the auditorium at sharply 6:45 p.m. last Wednesday signaled the start of Marshall’s annual International Night.

International Night is an event that celebrates the cultural diversity at Marshall. With over 20 countries and their cultures showcased, the night offered food, information boards and a variety of cultural performances.

The size and scope of the event mandated the collaboration of teachers, students, clubs and parent volunteers to achieve its large-scale goals of uniting the diverse cultures at Marshall.

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As you walk in to Sushi Yoshi, the first question asked is: “Do you have a reservation?” Reservations seem a bit out of place in the small and quiet restaurant.

The modern hanging lamps are a contrast to the traditional fabric prints on the walls, which surround the small tables sprinkled throughout the room. The look hovers between eclectic and mismatched. In the back of the room, behind a tall bar, the sushi chefs are at work, crafting rolls and sashimi in front of patrons.

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Senior Ashley Coates sized herself up—not just against her competition, but more importantly, herself. At the Skills USA Hot Foods Preparation Competition on Feb. 11, Coates tested her cooking skills against fellow high school students.

“I have always grown up around cooking,” Coates said. “I thought it would be a fun thing to see if I actually know as much as I think I do.”

At the competition, Coates demonstrated her knowledge of hot food storage, knife skills and preparation of a roasted chicken.

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