Rank & File

For Special Education teacher Helen Schaefer, Relay for Life holds a personal significance. As an ovarian cancer survivor, the event provides hope for the future of cancer treatment options.

“For me, it means that our whole community gives up time to make lives better for people with cancer or people who might yet have cancer,” she said.

Schaefer, who has participated in the Vienna Relay For Life every year since its founding in 2004, said the money raised from the participants are used to improve the medications for current cancer patients, as well as finding a cure.

Following the initiative of local high schools, on Friday, Amnesty will host Jamnesty, an event designed to raise awareness of humanitarian issues across the world through musical performances.

“The goal is to create a chill environment where friends can dance, hang out and listen to music,” junior Shannon Minor said.

Jamnesty will showcase student performances, including singing, musical instruments, and local bands.

The club hopes that this year’s success will allow for Jamnesty to become an annual event and “start a legacy,” Minor said.

The Obama administration is launching a campaign against unpaid internships, which it considers to be a violation of labor laws. Deputy administrator of the Labor Department’s wage and hour division Nancy Leppink stated that almost any situation where a person has an internship for a for-profit employer and doesn’t get paid in any way is against the law. There are legal situations where interns are paid through provided housing, but only recently has the government begun cracking down on the unpaid internships that have long been illegal.

As the growth of unpaid internships continue, the United States government is considering making them illegal. According to the New York Times, numerous cases of interns being the victims of the abusive power of employers have been tried in court all over the country. This abuse varies from sexual harassment, bad treatment of interns or, most commonly, being forced into doing laundry lists for the employers instead of the tasks interns hope to gain experience from.

The opinions presented in this article reflect those of the individual reporter, not of the Rank & File collectively.

1. Wild Hogs (2009): I guess the mid-life crisis angle isn’t uncharacteristic of John Travolta, but get some self-respect, Travolta. You were Vince Vega.

2. Gigli (2003): This movie got a 6% on rottentomatoes.com. Quite a step down from The Godfather, Al Pacino.

For a team that has traditionally disregarded the annual National Football League (NFL) draft, the Washington Redskins will play an extremely large role in the upcoming event, held this Thursday. Their actual first round pick may be of little consequence, but the recent moves they’ve made will play a huge role in deciding the fates of several teams.

On April 12, boys’ varsity soccer lost 1-3 to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Due to breakdowns in the defense and an uncoordinated midfield, Jefferson, which was previously win-less, pulled out ahead in an otherwise even match-up.

Results of Friday’s game against Centerville High School were not available at press time. The girls varsity recently tied with Fairfax High School, but the game was called due to lightning. Despite their losses, the teams remain optimistic about future games.

While selecting majors, dorms and roommates fluster matriculating college freshmen, their parents are focusing on a more problematic aspect of higher education — the cost. Buried within the mess of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act was recently passed, making a college education more available and affordable for all.

For most, pursuing higher education means an academically-focused college experience. But for a few Statesmen alumni, higher education means pursuing collegiate athletics and handling the pressure of balancing academics and athletics in college.

Ryan Goss, a junior on the University of Richmond National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I AA football team, said that he always puts school and football before his social life.

The baseball season has begun to swing into high gear for both the varsity and JV teams. Each team has experienced some adversity, but some success as well.

The varsity team, with a record of 3-7, and has entered the heart of their Liberty District schedule. The team recently faced off against Stone Bridge High School on Friday, but results were not available at press time. Additionally, the team was successful against South Lakes High School on April 14, winning 1-0. The team also played against Langley High School on April 9, losing 9-14.