By:

Statesmen wrestlers James Cusack and Matt Crawford, both seniors, wrestled in the Virginia AAA State Wrestling tournament at Robinson Secondary School on Feb. 17 to 18, finishing in eighth and third places, respectively.

Crawford beat Yorktown High School wrestler Charlie Whel on the second day of the tournament to earn his third place finish in the state. Cusack lost his final match that determined the seventh and eighth place finishers in his weight class.

Continue Reading

By:

I started painting graffiti when I was a little kid mostly because it was a bit of fun and involved a lot of running and hiding like any other children’s game. It sort of started out as just painting quotes or offensive phrases and then as I got older I got a lot more creative and sort of branched out my painting spots.

For awhile I liked to find places where no one went because it gave me more time to paint and look over my stuff. Now I think I spend about 90% of my time thinking up ideas or matching colors – though I usually only get to paint about 2% of what I want to.

Continue Reading

By:

The following is an edited interview on Feb. 8 between senior Sam Rosenberg and Rank & File that examines his participation in competitive powerlifting.

–

Rank & File: So powerlifting, where exactly did it start?

Sam Rosenberg: I started working out and lifting weights during my freshman year in high school, but I didn’t get serious about powerlifting until my sophomore and junior years. I started out at Fitness First Gym in Tyson’s and have been lifting there ever since. My powerlifting team, Team Force, works out there.

R&F:How do you train for competitions?

Continue Reading

By:

“I’m so sorry,” Cold War historian and author John Lewis Gaddis said in response to comments of Marshall history students regarding excerpts from his books as learning aids in IB Topics classes. “You must be suffering.”

Despite this lighthearted joke, Gaddis gave ten Marshall seniors and other historians an in-depth lecture on his new book, George F. Kennan: An American Life, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday.

Continue Reading

By:

According to a 2008 survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau called “Reasons For Not Voting, By Selected Characteristics,” 21 percent of people from ages 18 to 24 cited “Too busy, conflicting schedule” as a reason for not voting, followed closely by “Out of town” and “Not Interested.”

However, contrary to those statistics, there are seniors who will be voting.

In the week of Feb. 6, Virginia voter registrars came during IB Topics classes to help eligible seniors become registered voters.
Continue Reading

By:

This Friday will be the second to last day of Freshmen Friday, an event headed by the Class of 2015.

Twenty-five songs ranging from Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” to Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” will be available for selection on Freshmen Friday for 50 cents.

Any student can pay to play one of these songs or pay for a shout-out. Money raised from Freshmen Friday will go towards funding for the Class of 2015.

“We made it February-themed—happy—not just love-themed,” SGA executive board member Erica Sherr, freshman said.

Continue Reading

By:

The swim and dive team is approaching the District championships on Jan. 27 and 28 following a historic win at the end of its regular season.

The team broke a four-year losing streak by beating South Lakes High School on Dec. 16 and followed it up with a win against McLean High School.

The current record is 3-3 with the team’s most recent win on the Jan. 13 against Stone Bridge High School on senior night.

The swim and dive team lost in a meet against Madison High School Friday. Scores were not available.

Continue Reading

By:

In an attempt to foster the skills of young writers and artists, the Alliance for Young Writers and Artists recognizes excellence each year in creations by high school students on a local, regional and national level in the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Students in visual arts classes submitted work this year in several of the contest’s 28 categories. Their art was then entered in a selection process, which involves teacher and judge evaluation.

Art teacher Nicole Walter said art entered in the contest is judged on three artistic categories.

Continue Reading

By:

There is still, though, a huge swath of dating abuse victims and potential victims who do not have the same national and international attention that some are, rightfully, receiving: men. Young men and minority men are at particular risk for dating abuse. In 2008, 13 percent of male Latino seventh-graders reported that their partners, according to a study by the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, had physically abused them.

Continue Reading