Rank & File

Remember Me is memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. The opening scene of the film sets high expectations that the rest of the movie fails to meet. This scene is emotional, leaving the viewer to wonder about the state of humanity. The remainder of the film, however, is disjointed and, quite frankly, boring.

The Science Olympiad team participated in the organization’s regional competition Feb. 27 at Fairfax High School and will be advancing to state competition next month. The 15-member team placed 11th overall out of 23 high schools in the competition, which requires teams to participate in 23 separate events.

"I was pretty satisfied because this was my first time competing," sophomore Alexandra Ouyang said, "but States is more competitive and I definitely want to improve."

The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) team competed at the 2010 Northern Virginia FBLA Spring Regional Conference on Mar. 8, placing in 14 out of the 52 categories.

Competition categories covered a range of topics including computer sciences, business, marketing and public speaking.

Competitors in ninth through twelfth grade who achieved a high placement in any one category at the competition, held at George Mason University, will advance to the state FBLA conference. 10 competitors recieved first place in their categories.

Boys’ varsity baseball played its first game against Washington-Lee High School at home last Friday. Results were unavailable as of press time. They have a game tonight against McLean High School.

The main challenge that the team faces is the especially high rate of turnover from seniors to new underclassmen.

"We’re a younger team, so people have low expectations for us," sophomore Kent Blackstone said. "We’re trying to change that."

Four seniors have recently been selected to be National Merit Scholarship finalists, providing with the possibility of receiving scholarships. The finalists are Conor Dinan, Rebecca Groisser, Kelsey Kolbe and Annie O’Brien.

"Sometimes you get a surprise... one never knows [who will be selected]," director of student services Cindy Blakely said. "But, we usually have a good sense of [who will be a finalist."

O’Brien said she "was really happy [to receive this] big honor."

tarting off the spring season with a win, varsity softball beat Lake Braddock High School 8-0 in their first scrimmage.

The team is raising money to buy new uniforms.

"If we [raise the money], they can be our gifts for future teams," freshman Madison Martin said.

Varsity has three freshman: Martin, Mina Dunn, and Alexis McPhail.

"We have a pretty good balance on the team age-wise," coach Laura Campbell said.

Martin has high hopes for varsity’s district success.

Boys’ and girls’ varsity lacrosse began their season with a series of scrimmages before jumping into Liberty District play.

The girls’ varsity team had its first game last Tuesday against Annandale High School and lost 7-12. Both the boys’ JV and varsity teams had their first games last Wednesday against Annandale as well. Varsity lost 0-18 and JV lost 0-13.

The teams are under the direction of new head coaches Andrew Freeman and Nicholle Depaz respectively.

Team members remain confident despite having many new members and coaches.

From human rights and blood donations to recycling and feeding the homeless, Marshall’s variety of service clubs offer a wide selection of causes to join.

"I think it’s nice to have so many options," junior Rayn Eperemian, press secretary for the Amnesty International Club, said, "they are able to be specific and you can join whatever club [focuses on your interests]."

While many seniors are nearing the end of their time in school-sponsored athletics, others are choosing to continue to play in college. A number of athletes, including Christine Grilliot, who is already confirmed to play softball at the University of Mary Washington, have been recruited to compete collegiately.

"I knew that I wanted to play softball in college because I knew it would help me get to know some people immediately," Grilliot said.

Chemistry teacher Matthew Kirk has been teaching for a little over three years; joining the Statesmen this fall. At West Springfield, his former high school, he taught Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors Chemistry; this year, his classes include Chemistry 1 and International Baccalaureate (IB) Chemistry.

"I got my degree [in] chemistry at Mary Washington and went on to get my teaching degree at University of Virginia," Kirk said.

Kirk had been interested in chemistry since high school and thought about going into medicine.