In response to concerns over theft of student ID numbers to pay for lunches, the cafeteria administration has installed new picture verification technology in each lunch line. Under the new system, if a student is caught using someone else’s ID number, he or she will be formally charged with theft.

The new technology uses touch-screens, which have every student’s school picture uploaded. When a student ID number is put in, a picture of the corresponding person will come up on the screen.

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The Envirothon team competed in the District Envirothon competition today. This two-part challenge tested students’ environmental skills and knowledge. The group competed against eight other schools and teams.

The first part of the competition took a traditional question-and-answer approach, centering on four main categories: wildlife, streams, soil and forestry.

According to team sponsor Barbara Brown, certain members were chosen to specialize in one of the categories in order to answer more obscure questions.

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DECA earned the title of Blue Chip Chapter at their state competition on the weekend of March 7. The award is the highest honor a chapter can earn in Virginia.

“This [award] is something we’ve been working towards for a while,” DECA advisor Jen Hendrickson said.

The team also broke the Marshall record for most first-place wins, with six participants topping their respective categories.

Forty-one participants qualified for the international competition, requiring a top seven or eight placement in their respective categories.

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Marshall’s two FBLA teams placed first and third in the Regional Spring conference at the University of Richmond on March 7.

The first-place team, consisting of seniors Sandy Vo, Shannen Escobar, Nathaniel Chen, Corey Martin and James Cusack, will go on to the National Competition in Philadelphia in April.

“We had a good amount of wins in first, second and third place,” said vice president director of activities, Negin Hooshmandnia, senior.

Each team member competed in one of five categories: Environment, Health and Safety, Personal Finance, Consumer Rights and Technology.

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Smiling, senior Austin Hoskins held up a caricature of himself and junior Danny Glass next to his face.

“Guess who’s who?” he said.

Hoskins acquired the caricature from IB Art student Rachel Frankel, junior, who was partipating in the second annual Creative Arts Festival held on March 9.

The festival welcomed all attendees to enjoy live music and events presented by the National Art Honor Society, Art Club, Photo Club and ACE Mentoring.

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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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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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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 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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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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