Opinion

Renovations and a rising student population turned Lunch & Learn into an outdated system. Though Lunch & Learn became impractical due to the current conditions of the school, the administration still wanted to encourage students to take time during the school day to get additional help or ahead on school work, resulting in the creation of the Learn period. Learn is a concept that all Statesmen had to adjust to, and as the year progresses, its benefits and flaws are manifesting themselves.

From the self-immolation and death of Tunisian street merchant Mohammed Bouazizi, which catapulted the Arab world and greater Middle East, to the forefront of revolution and even civil war, to the European debt crisis, which plagued European Union nations like Greece with a social discord equal to that of some Middle Eastern countries, 2011 was far from quiet. Greater solidifying 2011 as a crucial year for world affairs was the near-complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the death of Osama bin Laden, Moammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-Il.

Biology, chemistry, physics. Sound familiar? The latter are possible science classes that one could take at Marshall. But just over the summer, a new alternative was made available by one of our very own physics teachers, Ms. Janet Kahn. Enter the Pulsar Search Collaboratory! This group of students represents Marshall in the national PSC, which consists of a multitude of high schools. To enter the group, students must pass two tests where they score data charts on how close it resembles a pulsar. After they pass, they are allowed to access data from the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia.

FCPS has reason to be proud what it has achieved with its new FCPS Google Apps. Faculty and students now have a powerful suite of professional software at their fingertips. FCPS’ new Google Apps network is a strong step in a smart direction, but it needs work and time before it becomes useful. At the moment the Apps implementation is underpowered.

The night before an IB Biology test, I am distraught by the amount of information I am unclear about. Upon posting a Facebook status and tweeting about my distress, to whom do I turn?

Salman Khan.

Salman Khan is the creator of the project khanacademy.org, a site that holds over 2,700 videos—topics covering calculus to history—all taught by Khan.

The site also includes numerous lessons in biology. I watched one ten-minute lesson on oxidative phosphorylation, and the subject became clear to me.

The internet is sometimes considered the freest place to express oneself. Well not anymore. There are two bills that are being discussed in Congress called Protect IP Act and Stop Online Piracy Act, and their aim is to allow Media Corporations to directly interact with websites and take down any content that they feel is breaking their copyright. The Protect IP Act and Stop Piracy Act are an excuse for corporations to start a full monopoly over all the media.

Social media is a powerful tool. It can be used to gain support for a movement, raise awareness of an issue or voice opinions of current events. When used effectively, social media makes these things possible; its nature is to connect people and serve as a platform for discussion. However, as with any power, the power of social media can easily be abused. High school students need to figure out how to use social media without abusing it.

Looking back on elementary school, I remember how confidential grades were. Even if I willingly attempted to share my score on something as innocent as a reading quiz, my teacher was always quick to remind me that “we don’t brag about our grades” to other students. At the time, I thought this was a pointless rule; any child would want to bask in the glory of an A with his or her friends.

Bowie's Point:
The Occupy Wall Street movement has undeniably riled relatively dormant rich-poor tensions.

“Do we really have to remember all of this?”

Fellow students in the IB History class kept asking the question as they filled in a map of the Middle East. They had started learning about the Arab – Israeli conflict, and one of the standards for the unit was demonstrating understanding of Middle East geography. As an assessment at the end of the unit, they would have to label a blank map of the Middle East.

Nothing too difficult, though. The students may have thought otherwise; many seemed overwhelmed by the list of foreign countries, geographical areas and bodies of water.