F r e d e r i c k s b u r g A c a d e m y l F r e d e r i c k s b u r g , V i r g i n i a l V o l u m e X X I l I s s u e 4 l F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 3

The FalC n Flier

”“This is history—I am a part of it too ... I can proudly say to anyone, I stood in that crowd waving my American Flag.

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around townFALCONS Fly quotable

Many think the main chal-lenge of standardized tests like the SAT is knowing the subject matter. But for stu-dents with ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities, the test material is only half the battle. For these students, the SAT turns into a race against the clock.

But while students with learning disabilities apply to gain extra time on the SAT, many are denied. Junior Mitch Harrison is one such

The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary have led to a national debate on student

safety, which has caused many schools to take a look at what they can improve.

Upon a complete security review the ad-ministration decided to make a number of changes to the way security is handled, as well as reinforce some of the previous measures.

The doors at the front of the upper school are now unlocked later in the morning, so students arriving early are forced to use the door nearest the reception desk. The main door in the Lower school opens at 7:45, forcing students to enter through the side door before then. The door formerly used by middle school students in the morning and afternoon has been permanently locked except for afternoon dismissal.

The administration has also decided to re-vise the crisis reference guide that can be found in most classrooms. The current guide is a flip chart that was made by a former student for their senior exhibit. The chart currently goes into detail about what students and teachers

School takes second look at student safety

should do in the case of stabbings, shootings, intruders, fighting/violence, and tornado warning procedures. The guide is now simpler and more direct.

“We are trying to make it so people know whether they are supposed to leave or stay in-side the building,” said Head of School Karen Moschetto.

Head of Upper School Tony Durso ex-plained that it is counter-productive to have a laundry list of possible scenarios.

“We just want individuals that are put in these situations to act logically, not emotion-ally. We need to give them basic information about what people should do,” said Durso.

According to Moschetto, there have been no complaints about the new security measures. She believes that the new measures will eventu-ally become natural.

“I don’t think that any of these protocols will affect the morale of the school as I seen them as changes that only enforce and strengthen the safety of our campus. I want to make sure we have done our due diligence to ensure student safety.”

Upper school history teacher Jeff Eckerson praised the administration for putting proactive measures in place in a timely matter.

“I think that the administration has placed a high priority on helping teachers be as prepared as possible. It is difficult to be fully prepared for any unexpected event, but the admin is taking the necessary steps to be as ready as we can be,” said Eckerson.

FA community expresses concern over fiscal cliff PAGE 2 NEWS

student who appealed to the College Board for extra time due to an eyesight problem.

“I have fixation pursuit dis-abilities in my eyes; I become fatigued much quicker than the average person,” he said.

Harrison was shocked he wasn’t given extra time for his vision problems

“I was astounded consid-ering that my doctors said it was a miracle I’d gotten this far and done so well, and the SAT is a big part of how my future turns out,” he said.

The College Board turns

symptoms. However, Weiner does not

deny what extra time can do for kids with learning differ-ences.

“In my experience, it can help tremendously. It’s liter-ally about how they process the information. I’ve had students that I taught at my old school who couldn’t finish quizzes and tests in the time given, but what they had done was totally right,” he said.

Since FA is a private school, we do not have IEP (individualized education

Students with ADD, ADHD struggle to complete SAT without time extensions by Samantha King

the falcon flier

down thousands of accom-modation applications each year, especially since the num-ber of diagnosed students has increased recently. The College Board has been strug-gling to create more consis-tent standards for accommo-dations, while deciding who deserves them the most.

The obvious solut ion would be to give everyone with a learning disability extra time, but Director of College Counseling David Weiner pointed out that it can often be exploited by kids faking

plans), which are given to public school students with learning disabilities). Head of Upper School Tony Durso explained that FA has its own resource center for student dif-ferences, run by Shelley West and Marty Riedl.

“They work with students from a young age to help identify what type of learn-ers they are, and with the parents to see when and if it’s appropriate to address a potential learning disability,” said Durso.

Fourth-graders exit key-coded interior security doors installed in the lower school building in early November.PHOTO BY ISABEL STEVEN

by matt Kirchner the falcon flier by iSabel Steven

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Romance or friendship: what to do on Valentine’s day

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Boys and girls varsity basketball DAC tournament

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Beloved staff member dies

Swim team races for state times and breaks records

The unexpected death on campus of Ralph Carpenter, member of the maintenance staff, shocked members of the FA family.

On Jan. 15, around 2 p.m., Carpenter was found un-responsive on the floor of one of the Sports Center locker rooms by Athletic Director Eyal Fierst. Shortly after EMTs and Spotsylva-nia County Sheriff ’s depu-ties arrived on the scene and attempted to revive him, Carpenter was pronounced dead. The cause of death is un-known because an autopsy was not ordered.

Part of the FA staff for 10 years, Carpenter worked in the lower school and various other positions until his supervisor, Direc-tor of Facilities Matthew Dawson “found he did the best work … when I moved him to the Sports Center and he could work on his own.”

Carpenter cleaned the Sports Center and main-tained the sports fields for the fall and spring sports. He could often be seen driv-ing the John Deere Gator around campus.

“He made this place spot-less; he worked very hard. You could see yourself in the floors here in the Sports Cen-ter,” said swim coach and P.E. teacher Sheila Wimble.

Carpenter did more than maintenance, however. He often came in on weekends to prepare for and clean up after events like the fall car-nival or the spring auction.

“Everybody here, when there were events … that required work on the week-end or extra hours, everyone wanted Ralph,” Head of School Karen Moschetto said.

In all the time that Car-penter worked at FA, no

one knew anything about his family, but according to Moschetto, “from the mo-ment he came to FA, we embraced him and he em-braced us,” and FA became his family.

“It was so hard when Patty [Estes] came over to see who was his emergency contact, he had no one … I said, ‘Ralph, you have some-one, you have me.’ I said, ‘you put my name down on that list,’” lower school teacher associate Debbie Cooley said.

C o o l e y a n d Carpenter were c l o s e f r i e n d s whose relation-ship developed because she fre-quently gave him rides to his apart-ment at Meadows at Salem Run.

“If I was hav-ing a hard day, I

could always rant and rave and he’d just listen to me. We shared a lot of laughs from the Pre-K I would tell him all the stories that would happen at school,” said Cooley.

Those who knew him best described Carpenter as an engaging, friendly and car-ing man with a strong work ethic and ready smile.

“When I wore my coach of the year jacket, he says, ‘now that’s sharp-lookin’ Sheila, I’d like something like that.’ And so I got him a jacket that had his name on it and got maintenance written on the back,” said Wimble. “I just wanted to take care of him because not only did he give to FA, but he gave to our country because he was a Vietnam vet, and I don’t think you can ever repay a person as much as you’d like for those who give for your country.”

He was a soft-spoken man who talked little about his personal life, preferring in-stead to discuss places he

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Chocolate-covered strawberriesGreat Lives Lecture on Houdini

Feb. 19, 22, 23

University of Mary Washington Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.

FA will hold a memorial service for Carpenter on March 16 at 10 a.m.

continued on page 4

School security nationwide91%: controlled access buildings

61%: security cameras

35.9%: threat reporting systemInformation courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics

2newsLegalization of marijuana is anything but “up in smoke”

S o p h o m o r e C h a r l i e Garbutt agreed with the views of these economists. “I thought it was right of Colorado and Washington to see the benefits and taxing opportunities of weed and how it’s much less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol,” he said.

Trillions of dollars have been spent fighting the war on drugs, and according to two recent government reports there has not been a significant impact.

M a r i j u a n a i s e v e n prescribed as medicine by doctors; the same cannot be said for alcohol and cigarettes. Yet, those are legal and weed is not.

The number one reason for not legalizing this drug is the effects it causes on the human body. Senior Andrew Murphy pointed out his concerns. “I see a lot of problems in the same way that we have DUIs, its going to increase the amount of people who are going to smoke and drive,” said Murphy.

Murphy also added that he was disappointed in the states of Washington and Colorado and does not condone the use of recreational pot.

But the fact still remains that this issue has been dividing the country.

“I mean, I don’t think that

a plant should have the power to separate a country,” said junior Mitch Harrison.

65 percent of FA upper school students think that marijuana should be legalized nationwide according to a recent Falcon Flier survey answered by 62 students, and some see it as practical too.

“I think that once this takes place and is able to get a good deal of momentum going, it is possible that it could become legal nationally,” said Harrison.

In order to do this the government could regulate the use of it similarly to that of alcohol and cigarettes. Harrison suggested that there should be an age limit of 18, and also have designated places where people could smoke such as in their home, or at special bars. In addition to this driving under the influence of marijuana would be illegal.

At the moment marijuana is considered a Schedule 1 drug and is prohibited by federal law. Here lies the conflict: according to federal law it is prohibited, yet Washington and Colorado have legalized it. This has created a power struggle between the state and federal governments. Until the Supreme Court makes a decision on this, the battle will continue.

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The times are changing, just ask any ci t izen of Washington or Colorado, where marijuana was recently legalized. For decades weed has been considered a poison to one’s body. So why is it all of a sudden becoming legal?

Many argue that effects of marijuana are too dangerous for it to ever be legalized. These include rapid heart rate, increased breathing, an increased appetite and most notable a slowed reaction time. However now it seems as if the benefits are out weighing the risks of this drug.

T h e l e g a l i z a t i o n o f m a r i j u a n a c o u l d h e l p stimulate the struggling US economy . It would provide the opportunity to generate a tax revenue of as much as $6.2 billion annually. Not only that, but it would save $7.7 billion a year on the enforcement trying to prohibit it. In fact over 500 economists signed a letter in support of legalizing pot to the president, congress, governors, and state legislatures. This is all according to a report entitled “The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition” written by Professor Jeffrey A. Miron of Harvard University.

With Congress in deadlock, many Americans fear an economic downturn.

Payroll taxes are being raised, our country’s debt ceiling increasing, and the upcoming final decision on spending in March are all issues regarding the fiscal cliff deal. Upper school history teacher Keith Wamsley, freshman Valentina Masiero, and her father Dave Masiero have expressed their concerns and predictions on these issues.

“Basically, I think that when the bill was passed on December 31, it really solved nothing on both sides,” Wamsley said. “We need to control social security. Right now the social security trust fund is worthless.”

Wamsley explained the government needs more spending control to have more income to finance the wants and needs of the public. He believes there needs to be an appropriate position of government and taxes.

“My payroll taxes went up, and they shouldn’t have,” he said of his main concern.

Working for the federal government at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Dave Masiero, father of freshmen Valentina Masiero, explained his views on the fiscal cliff deal and his specific predictions and concerns on the economy and his job.

“ I f C o n g r e s s decides that they are going to make a billion cut on spending, then that would affect the pentagon,” Dave Masiero said. “If the federal government shuts down then I could become on furlough with less income.”

The worry over furlough is a concern for many families who work for the federal government.

“Having a parent that works for the government then gets furloughed can be worrisome,” Valentina Masiero said. “It’s a scary thought to have.”

Many predictions have been made of the upcoming final decision on whether Congress will decide on spending cuts or increasing spending. According to Fox News, “If we drop the fiscal cliff, taxes will go up for nearly 90% of Americans.” According to CNN, “More than half, 52%, thought the deal would hurt people like them and only three in 10 thought it would help people like them.”

Predictions have been made that the final decision will be the Republicans’ choice of lowering taxes and spending cuts or the Democrats’ choice of raising taxes and increasing spending. No one is fully positive or certain of what the outcome may be.

“I’ve heard that many people are saying the Republicans are going to vote no to more spending,” Dave Masiero said. “Congress has to pass a law and raise the spending cuts. We need a limit.”

The Green Cup Challenge (GCC) is an annual month-long competition sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance. FA competes against other schools to see who can lower their school’s energy the most. The school has been a part of this competition for the past four years.

“This competition has a hugely positive effect,” said middle school environmental club, ECO, advisor Kathleen Laskey.

According to Energystar.gov, the Average K-12 school spends over $7.5 billion

on energy. $2.25 billion of that is unnecessary, wasted energy. Last year, the average drop in energy usage from participating schools, was 4.5 percent.

This year, the Green Team wanted to enhance the enthusiasm. “Everyone was excited the first year but it seemed to die down over the years,” said Green Team advisor Debra Lee-Rizzi.

To kick off the GCC, a “Green Day at FA” on January 16 was held. Students were allowed to wear jeans if they wore a green shirt. However, the Green Team got together with ECO, and they thought of ways they could

improve upon the GCC. The two groups decided

they wanted to make it an interschool competition in addition to the competition between other schools. They thought having a competition closer to home would get people to be more motivated. Each week, the electricity will be measured separately in each building. We will then see who lowers it the most- middle, lower, or upper school.

Another idea ECO and Green Team had been to give each week a theme. The first week was electricity, then reducing trash, then water usage. Then for the final

week they will go back to focusing on reducing energy. Additionally, during every family lunch, upper students can bring in a reusable water bottle and their family earns a point. Using a non-reusable will lose the family a point, and the one with the most points at the end of the competition gets a baked treat from upper school registrar Lisa Walsh.

"We [the Green Team and ECO Club] decided to make themes for each week as reminders to the students about the Green Cup Challenge. Often, it gets forgotten with everything

else students are doing, so we wanted to make the challenge more prominent by continually talking to everyone about ways in which people can be green." said Green Team captain Isabel Steven.

To raise the stakes, prizes will be awarded if FA wins the GCC. For the upper school, Head of Upper sShool Tony Durso will shave his beard and college counselor David Weiner will shave his head. Middle school Robert Franz will shave his head for the middle school. The prize for the lower school has not been determined as of press time.

by Meggie Rochethe falcon flier

by BRad hoffManthe falcon flier

This year’s Green Cup Challenge sweeps entire school

Fiscal cliff concerns

by caRoline Ponchock the falcon flier

50%

65%

of students have considered trying marijuana

of students think marijuana should be legalized nationwide

40%

60%

of students thought Colorado and Washington made the right choice

of students think the legalization of pot would benefit the country

*Poll results from a Falcon Flier survey answered by 62 upper school students

If we drop the fiscal cliff, taxes will go up for nearly 90% of Americans.

“

”- CNN

The Falcon FlierFredericksburg AcademyFebruary 2013

mount

On Sep. 20, retired low-er school teacher Sharon O’Bannon passed away. She was part of the FA communi-ty for 12 years teaching third, fourth and fifth grade. Having retired in 2004, many current students were not taught by her, but those who did know her have fond memories.

“She was such a nice lady, and it’s always sad seeing such a nice person pass away,” said senior Catherine Estes.

O’Bannon was Estes’s fourth grade math teacher, and she has nothing but fond mem-ories of her.

Alumnus Josh Cooper ’06 was taught by O’Bannon for fourth and fifth grade.

“William Moss and I use to have to alter-nate sitting at her desk because we would be disruptive during class, so I looked forward to sitting with her every Monday, Wednes-day and Friday,” Cooper recalls.

Cooper knew O’Bannon better once he graduated. When he saw her around town,

Remembering Sharon O’BannonSchool community mournS former lower School teacher

at dinner or the country club, he noticed what an energetic and lively personality she had.

“I was shocked when I found out. William Moss texted me and told me she had passed and I couldn’t believe it,” said Cooper.

Head of Lower School Patty Estes was a friend and co-worker of O’Bannon.

“She tried to get out of teach-ing math each year by volunteer-ing to do other duties, but I do be-

lieve she came to realize that she was a great math teacher,” she said.

The plum tree in the lower school garden outside the Academy Building is called The Poetry Tree and was O’Bannon’s idea. She had her students write a poem and hang it from the tree.

Each year she published The Quill, Fred-ericksburg Academy’s lower school literary magazine, which was a collection of student writings.

“She loved literature and shared it enthu-siastically with her students,” Patty Estes re-called.

In this 2004 yearbook photo, O’Bannon shows her silly side at the Halloween costume parade.

Sharon O’Bannon in 2004

by AllegrA MAssey-eliMthe falcon flier

The Falcon FlierFredericksburg Academy

February 2013

Imagine watching a TV show and as the commer-cial break starts, an ad-vertisement begins with a young teenage girl having a group sleepover. The rea-son: to do meth.

As the camera pans in on the girl, she justifies her actions saying, “I’m going to try meth just once.” The scene cuts to a parking lot where the same girl is sit-ting in a truck bed about to smoke meth. Before she takes the first hit, she says, “I’m going to smoke this just once.”

Next, she rummages through her mother’s purse, again justifying her actions with the familiar, “I’m go-ing to steal just once.” In the subsequent scene, she’s at a party holding the hand of a man who looks sinis-ter at best. Looking at the viewers, she states, “I’m going to sleep with him for meth just once.”

Finally, the commercial returns to the girl’s bed-room. She lies on her bed as her younger sister looks through her pockets. As the sister comes across the leftover methamphetamine, she says in a flat voice, “I’m going to try meth just once.”

In Montana, the Mon-tana Meth Project sponsors thirty second commercials that touch on topics like rape, desperation and sui-cide because of meth use. They expose the horrors of methamphetamines with-

Scare tactics ineffective

out sensitivity all in the name of drug prevention.

According to TalkRehab.org, the United States has spent millions of dollars on preventing substance abuse. Drug Abuse Resistance Ed-ucation (DARE), started in the 1980’s, was one of the first drug prevention pro-grams created.

Many schools use the “scared straight” strategy to try to prevent abuse. However, EducationWorld.com states these methods don’t prevent drug use, but are simply “preaching to the choir” of students who have already vowed to avoid drugs and other ille-gal substances.

The three main ways to actually prevent drug use are strengthening student skills, role models, and the “cool” factor. Playing a sport three hours a week or more, having adults to look up to, and making substance abuse seem un-cool are effective preven-tion tools, according to the website.

There is a sense of com-munity within FA that helps students understand life be-yond the high, according to head of upper school Tony Durso.

“Our hope in FA is to provide students a moment to think about [drugs] and provide avenues and outlets for them away from drugs,” he said. “Enthusiasm for competition, artistic expres-sion and academic prowess help to prevent the use of drugs among students and their peers.”

by Kelsey WilliAMsthe falcon flier

examining drug uSe prevention methodS

3Feature

After the success of the journalism and music trips of previous years, the faculty and administration have organized a three-day, school-wide, fine arts field trip to New York City.

According to registrar Lisa Walsh, 76 of the 94 students in the upper school will be attending the trip, scheduled for March 20-22.

According to Head of Upper School Tony Durso, the success of the journalism trip and music trip to New York City provided the inspiration for a greater arts trip.

“The administration was talking about the collective desire to have more trips in the upper school that are reminiscent of those trips in the middle school like Port Isobel,” he said.

“There’s some talk of doing something like this every year,” band director Benjamin Titus said. “It’s definitely my hope that we will … Almost everyone is involved in a creative or performing art of some sort. It’s the one thing that really binds us together among grade levels.”

Students will arrive in New York City around noon on March 20, and allowing two additional hours to get situated, will then divide into groups of about 10 to 15 to go sightseeing around the Big Apple.

Though these options hadn’t been planned out as of press time, many students and teachers already have ideas about where they want to go, including Director of Communications Beth Hunley, who expressed interest in taking students to the Harry Potter exhibit in the Discovery Center.

The next day, students will attend various workshops. journalism students will participate in the annual conference at Columbia University.

“The Columbia conference is divided into sessions for newspapers, yearbooks, online media and broadcast,” Hunley said. “We get a catalogue with all of the sessions that are offered. .... We all get together when we get the book. We sit down and plan out who’s going to what

It is almost impossible to not see junior Amy Vellenga’s artwork w h e n y o u w a l k

around FA. You may not know her, but you have more than likely seen her initials. Everywhere you turn, there is bound to be something with an “AVB” inscribed at the bottom.

Vellenga has a shy, humble personality. Though she keeps to herself and her group of friends, she is kind and approachable. While she may not always speak out, her voice is heard through her artwork.

Vellenga’s passion for art has been present before her arrival at FA in the sixth grade. “I’ve been doing art my entire life … after I was one,” said Vellenga, whose full last name is Vellenga-Buban. “What I like about art is that when I am done with it, I get really good results. It can be very stressful when I’m drawing because it’s not perfect yet. I’m not a perfectionist, but when it comes to art I am completely different.”

Two of Vellenga’s favorite types of art are sketching and acrylic painting. Formulas and polynomials coincide with doodles in her Algebra II notebook, and her painter’s palette with many mixes of colors.

Vellenga’s artistic talent

has f lour ished through FA’s numerous ar t i s t ic opportunities such as event posters, set work for theater productions and participating in the street painting festival, Via Colori.

“If I was at a different school, I wouldn’t have the same opportunities that FA has given me,” she said.

Vellenga also enjoys the challenge brought upon by doing art in a school environment.

“The ability to present to people is a lot different than making art for yourself. If you’re doing art for yourself, then it’s not as challenging,” she added.

Middle and upper school art teacher, Catherine Altman, has taught Vellenga since her

Presence through passion arrival at FA. “Amy has really come out

of her shell. She has become much more confident in her work, more willing to take risks and experiment, and her skills have really blossomed and she has become an amazing talent. She is truly one of the few top notch art students that I have taught in my 16 years at FA. She has an amazing future to look forward to,” she said.

Vellenga has done work for many theater productions at FA including “Seussical”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Godspell”, and recently “The Little Mermaid Jr.” As lead art director for productions occurring this school year, Vellenga follows a simple process when it comes to decorating a set.

“I’ll talk to the director and then go around and look at the set and he or she will tell me their vision. Then I will suggest some things and then I’ll start sketching something out,” she said.

Middle and upper school chorus director Elizabeth Eschen recently worked with Vellenga to create the art for “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

“[Amy] is technically very talented in the arts. She can really take an idea and make it come alive and is very creative. She really knows how to express herself through her element. You can see Amy shine through her art,” she said.

A New York state of mind

session in order to maximize the information the staff gets.”

The chorus, band and strings ensemble will attend music workshops where they will have the opportunity to perform before judges and receive tips to help them improve, which is similar to last year’s trip.

However, unlike last year, students will not give a public performance, nor will they be expected to have a completed piece to perform for the judges.

“It’s going to be lower pressure,” Titus said. “We can take pieces we’re working on for our spring concert up … Last year, all of us prepared two sets of concert music—one for trip and one for the spring concert. It was difficult to juggle them.”

Drama teacher Todd Pristas plans to take his students to a two hour theater workshop run by Broadway Classroom, where they will learn the ins and outs of improvisational theater. Due to the costs of the workshop, the theater class will not be seeing an extra play as originally planned. Art teacher Catherine Altman plans to take her students on a guided tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 2 p.m., followed by a couple of hours exploring the Museum of Modern Art.

Altman and her students hope that observing these works of art will help them to develop into better artists.

“I think seeing famous works could inspire me as an artist and give me some new ideas,” junior art student Amy Vellenga said. “I think just being in a different setting from Fredericksburg will give me an incentive to want to create art.”

At the end of the day, all students will go see a Broadway show. While the show hasn’t been selected yet, Titus stated that the top three options were “Jekyll and Hyde,” “Newsies” and “Wicked,” and that the choice will depend on which one they can get tickets for.

The next day, journalism students wi l l cont inue at tending their conference at Columbia, and art students will be attending a 10 a.m. guided tour of the Guggenheim Museum. Music and theater students will be spending time touring various cultural locations around New York.

Staff member passes

Upper school trip to Big Apple on the horizon

Continued from front page

JUnior Amy VellengA shows pAssion for Art throUgh school works

Photo by Wyatt Davies

wa n t e d t o g o o r things he wanted to do.

“He had a great sense of humor, a dry sense of humor … We’d have great conversations talking about world events, politics. He was very well read.” said Dawson.

Carpenter’s death came as shock to many, since he was never sick, according to Dawson.

“It was like losing my brother. I got in the first day after he died and I always have stuff on my front seat and I thought I would throw it over the backseat so he wouldn’t have to clear things off, and then I thought, ‘oh my God, I don’t have to anymore.’ And it just tore me up that I don’t have to do that anymore,” said Cooley.

Both Moschetto and Dawson stated that it would be impossible to truly replace Carpenter b e c a u s e o f h i s dedication to the school.

“He died doing a job that he loved at a school that he loved, and I just think that was very, very fitting,” said Moschetto.

Amy Vellenga starts drawing a basic pencil sketch of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” marquee to go in the lobby.

Feature4 The Falcon FlierFredericksburg AcademyFebruary 2013

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Hudson Karlie Hunter Boots Elizabeth McKay Spanx &more!

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by Wyatt Daviesthe falcon flier

by Wyatt Falconethe falcon flier

5sportsIn traditional FA fashion,

Athletic Director Eyal Fierst had not been an administra-tor long before donning a second hat as head coach of the varsity boys basketball team.

After consulting with the administration, Fierst decid-ed that because of the diffi-culty in hiring coaches mid-year and his own experience in coaching high school and college basketball for over 20 years, he would be the best option to take over the coaching of the team.

Fierst is focusing on per-fecting the fundamentals of the game and player commu-nication. However, he also implemented new defensive and offensive systems dur-ing holiday break practices. Plays and set-ups are rein-forced with pre-game walk-throughs. According to se-nior team captain AJ Topps, the team has been scored on less with the new defensive system.

Since Fierst has been coach, practices have been run on a clock to ensure ev-ery minute of time is used.

“I treat [practice] as a class and there’s valuable learn-ing to be had in sports. I ap-proach it like a teacher … It’s run by a syllabus,” Fierst said. “I want to make sure we get as much accomplished as possible. We really need to be efficient in practice and value what we’re doing.”

Initially Fierst’s coach-ing style was a shock to the athletes, but once the shock wore off, assistant coach Todd Pristas said, “they real-

ly started to begin to embrace everything he’s been putting in.”

“If they put in all that hard work and effort that coach has asked of them then they will see wins both for the team and for themselves,” Pristas said.

According to senior team captain AJ Topps, Fierst is an intense coach with a strict attention to detail who demands a high level of ac-countability from the ath-letes.

“He puts a lot of emphasis on a lot of small things be-cause those add up and can be the difference in a tight game,” Topps said. “… we’ve become more focused both during practice and games.”

Fierst focuses on how the athletes play and interact, not whether they win. Pristas has already “seen a level of camaraderie starting to form

within the team that I haven’t seen before.”

“Ultimately, it needs to lead to personal and team growth. I think that what we want is for guys to forget about winning and losing and focus on how [they] can become a better teammate, player and person,” he said.

Fierst wants to build up the basketball program for future years so that athletes can train during the off-seasons and summer, developing their basic skills and muscle.

“We have to create a co-hesive basketball program … The younger group needs to feed into the varsity group. [We need to] put together programs to create an en-vironment those who want to excel can do that,” Fierst said.

Originally, Fierst went to college to play baseball and

then began coaching the sport at the high school varsi-ty level. While there, he was asked if he was interested in coaching the JV basketball team.

“I realized basketball fit the best because it combines a lot of things in my person-ality. It’s a detail-oriented sport. There’s an organiza-tion to it that fits my mindset, and I love the pace,” Fierst said.

As athletic director, Fi-erst’s main goal has been opening up communication lines between coaches, ath-letes and parents. Practice dates have been added to the game dates already posted on Veracross.

In future years, he has plans to meet with coaches and athletes to find out what specific athletic areas need to be improved.

by Isabel steven the falcon flier

Fierst takes the reins of boys basketball team

The school’s vendor for sports uniforms and equipment has gone from Adidas, to Under Armour, back to Adidas. Many peo-ple are wondering about the switch.

“The former athletic di-rector had a connection with an Adidas representa-tive. At this time, we have not made a decision about the future, and I am inves-tigating our options with regards to apparel,” said Athletic Director Eyal Fi-erst.

The differences in Adi-das and Under Armour “mostly depend on the representative,” according to Fierst. “Some compa-nies specialize in certain sports, but the difference in the quality of the mer-chandise between compa-nies is negligible.”

Student opinions vary on which vendor they pre-fer.

“I enjoyed Under Ar-mour because I like the jer-seys they make, but I also think that Adidas makes good equipment,” said se-nior AJ Topps.

Junior Nate McDermott said, “I would say that I en-joy Adidas gear for when I am playing soccer, but for other sports I would prefer to use Under Armour ap-parel. Also, I am excited that we are switching back to Adidas, but if I could choose I think that I would most definitely choose Nike.”

by Zach Goforththe falcon flier

Uniform uncertainty

New Athletic Director Eyal Fierst discusses offensive plays with the varsity boys basketball team. PHOTO BY ISABEL STEVEN

The Falcon FlierFredericksburg Academy

February 2013

In a sport where every sec-ond counts, the varsity swim team has been organizing and reorganizing relays in or-der to achieve the necessary times to compete in states.

“A single second can be the difference between first place and sixth or seventh,” junior captain Jase Davis said. “It can be the differ-ence between staying home and going to states. We’re al-ways trying to push ourselves … We are all working really hard to shave off a second a half. It doesn’t seem like that much time to shave off, but when you’re swimming as fast as you can, a second and half is really difficult.”

According to Davis, the swimmers are constantly thinking about how they can improve their times.

“It takes a lot of focus and practice and really constant diligence,” he said. “You have to be thinking about how you can make your

stroke better. It’s the little de-tails that count.”

Senior captain Kirstie Har-ry cited specific areas where swimmers tend to struggle.

“On turns and starts, that’s where people lose a lot of time,” she said. So we prac-tice a lot of turns and starts, usually the day before a meet. Getting off the block really fast, [and] when you get to the wall, turning very fast. Usually if you can push off the wall faster than the other [swimmer], you can win the race.”

According to coach Sheila Wimble, organizing relays is all about strategy. She assess-es the strengths of her indi-vidual swimmers and places them where she feels they’ll work the best. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible.

“The relays are set up with your top four swimmers in that stroke,” Wimble said. “[However] sometimes that’s not always the case, if you can’t field a relay or you’re trying to get another relay to states.”

This year junior Meghan Norair made Freder-icksburg Academy history. She is the first FA stu-dent to commit to a Division I college: Duke Uni-versity. Duke is famous for its successful athletics, particularly basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey.

“I went on an unofficial visit. It had everything that I wanted: athletics, location and very strong academics. Then I went to visit the campus and I met the team and coaches. It made me love it even more,” said Norair.

The recruitment process is no easy task, but Norair was persistent and got college scouts’ at-tention by inviting them to all of her tournaments and games, as well as emailing the coaches con-stantly.

Norair first student to commit to Division I school for athletics

There is a good chance that this year’s girls varsity basketball team will make FA history. This is the first year that the team actually has a real-istic shot at the state tournament.

The team is currently ranked sev-enth in the state, and if they make it to the state tournament it would be a huge boost for the program, accord-ing to Head Coach Jeff Eckerson.

As of The Falcon Flier’s press time the girls have 10 wins and 1 loss in the conference. Overall, the team’s re-cord is 11 wins and 4 losses.

Last year, the team was Delaney Athletic Conference champions, and it looks like that could happen again this year.

“I think we have an excellent chance of repeating as DAC cham-pions. We have already beaten out

closest conference rival twice and beaten every other team in the con-ference at least once. We are 8-0 in the conference. Going back to last year we have won 20 straight con-ference games,” said Eckerson.

Earlier in the season, some thought that the loss of last year’s players would hinder the team, but that does not appear to be the case.

Junior Sabrina Combs has been impressed by her team’s effort this season. “We really stepped up our defense this year, and I was proud of that,” she said.

For players like Junior Kelsey Gedin, this is a chance to say she helped lead a team to a DAC cham-pionship two years in a row. “I’m tremendously proud of my team, I think that were an excellent ex-ample of hard work and determina-tion,” she said.

Girls varsity basketball on the road to glory

Despite the hard work, Davis says the benefits are worth it.

“It’s totally rewarding,” Davis said. “I always go up to Mrs. Wimble after events. If I shave a second or so off my time, she’ll be ecstatic. [It gives a] sense of self-confi-dence and self-improvement. And other people recognize that. Everyone we’ll come up to you and say you did a great job.”

Besides improving relay times, swimmers have also been improving their per-sonal times. As a result three swimming records have been

broken. Eighth-grader Juliet Whitman broke the school record for the women’s 100 breast stroke with a time of 1:28.55. The previous record of 1:29.39 had been in place for eight years. Harry broke the school record for the women’s 50 freestyle with a time of 30.54, surpassing the previous record of 30.78 set in 2007. Harry also broke her own school record for the women’s 100 Freestyle with a time of 1:07.92.

“[Breaking records] feels really good,” Harry said. “You don’t really know until you get out of the water. You

turn around and see Mrs. Wimble cheering, and then they let you know. It feels re-ally good.”

“Shaving seconds and breaking records is very im-portant,” Wimble said. “It gives swimmers goals and standards to achieve during their long season. It makes them feel like they have ac-complished something for all their hard work and dedica-tion.”

The Delaney Athletic Con-ference swim team champi-onship occurred on Feb. 9 and the state swim meet will take place from Feb. 14-16.

Shaving seconds to break records

PHOTO BY WYATT FALCONE

Freshman Katie Zalegowski works on her start, as the girls improve their relay in hopes of a state time.

“My parents helped me a lot through the entire recruiting process. They paid for my tournaments, reminded me to contact coaches, and helped me act professional through the entire process,” said Norair.

Although Norair is committed to field hockey now, her early life told a different story.

“I played tennis my whole life—all through lower school. Then in sixth grade, I tried field hockey, and I loved it. In seventh grade, I joined travel hockey, and from there I took off,” said No-rair.

After two years of field hockey Norair began playing for FA’s varsity team in eighth grade.

“She improved so much on her own from her outside commitment to field hockey. She went to camps, joined travel teams and clubs. I feel like I

was just the sounding board,” said Head of School Karen Moschetto.

While FA’s reputation for athletics is not that strong, Moschetto believes Norair’s commitment to a Division I college will turn heads.

“I think kids and parents from other schools will certainly become more interested with our school seeing the level of competition going on at FA. There are many students who are alumni playing at college and many students here with the talent to play at the college level,” said Moschetto.

Norair is thrilled at the prospect of showing her skills learned during high school in college.

“What makes me happiest is even though I go to a small school I can participate at such an elite level and represent FA the best way I can,” said Norair.

sports6 The Falcon FlierFredericksburg AcademyFebruary 2013

by Matt Vance the falcon flier

by Meggie Rochethe falcon flier

by Wyatt Falconethe falcon flier

Junior Sabrina Combs takes a free throw at a home game as senior Emma Vance watches.PHOTO COurTEsY OF THE TALON

It’s been estimated that one million people attended the second inauguration of President Barack Obama on Monday Jan 21.

7Opinion

Staff 12-13FALCON FLIERTH

E

Alex WorkmanBrad Hoffman

Caroline PonchockForest WilsonJustin ReedKat SparksMatt Vance

Wyatt FalconeZach Goforth

reporters

The Falcon Flier is produced by the Fredericksburg Acad-emy upper school newspaper staff to inform and entertain

the 197 middle and upper school students.

falconflier@fredericksburgacademy.org

Students or faculty who wish to express their views in The Falcon Flier are encouraged to submit letters to the editor to:

The publication is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press

Association.

falconflier.net

10800 Academy Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22408February 2013Issue 4, Volume XXI 540.898.0020

Isabel Steveneditor-in-chief

Matt Kirchnermanaging editorMeggie Roche

design editorAllegra Massey-Elim

business managerKelsey Williams

copy editorWyatt Davies

web masterSamantha Kingphoto coordinator

Beth Hunley adviser

Mimi Wackcartoonist

Attending the 2013 presiden-tial inauguration could be

described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is something that isn’t attended for fun, or for other leisure reasons, but it is something that is attended to remember, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

To see the street so many presi-dents have walked down, and to hear the oath so many of our leaders have repeated, is a truly remarkable experience.

Every four years countless people gather to see their elected leader take up responsibility for the entire United States. For some it is an experience celebrated for obvious political reasons, while for others it can be viewed as a final end point of the tiresome campaign trail. But for me and most others that gather and fill the National Mall is to celebrate the swearing in of the commander-in-chief.

The sense of sharing common ground and views is amazing, and it is very powerful to look back across the crowd’s smiling faces waving hundreds of thousands of small American flags. To grasp the idea that so many have stood before and will for many centuries to come in the same spot partici-pating in the same monumental event that you are gives a sense of patriotism and pride like no other.

Even though you would have to be very lucky to catch a fleet-ing glimpse of the president or any other important figure, seeing them projected on the screens and hearing their voices booming from the capital to the Washington monument is amazing enough.

The main drawback of the in-auguration is how many people, once the president is sworn in and recites his Inaugural address, talk over the poems, prayers, and even musicians who follow. It is quite annoying not being able to hear anything, but then when I got home and looked up what was said, I was disappointed at how much I missed.

But the inauguration is definite-ly something I’m glad I attended, and I will remember it for the rest of my life as something very mov-ing and important. It’s a very re-warding and amazing thing to do, and I enjoyed it immensely, but next time I’m going to bring better walking shoes.

by Alex WorkmAnthe falcon flier

While most FA students were enjoying a day off for the

Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I rolled out of bed at 5:30 a.m. in or-der to beat the huge crowds on the D.C. National Mall. It would be 30 degrees and I was going to be stand-ing for hours just to get a glimpse of President Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

As we moved closer to Washing-ton D.C, the train filled up quickly to standing room only.

Just behind me a woman stood in a long dress. Her name was Betty Baxter from Aiken, S.C., and she was 68 years old.

“First of all, I love President Obama. At my age, I don’t think, I’ll be around to see another black presi-dent. I am here to be a part of his-tory,” she said.

After a mile walk, I got to the Mall at 9:50 a.m. There were road clo-sures, barricades and snipers on roof tops, big screen T.V. monitors on the right side of the Mall area and ushers

with red Obama hats that helped keep the big crowd moving.

At 11:13 a.m. the crowd went wild as the President was shown on the big screen.

The best part of my trip was about to begin. The President’s in-augural address lasted until 12:10 p.m., and most watched on the monitors.

Immediately, the crowd started to leave and it was hard to hear the inaugural poem being read. But when Beyoncé sang the National Anthem, all eyes were fixated on every monitor.

During the train ride home, I met Walter Mathis, an African-American who wore a Vietnam veteran hat and pins on his jacket.

“I think it’s great to have an Af-rican-American President. He’s the very first one. My parents didn’t get to see it; their parents didn’t get to see it; I’m glad I got to see,” he said.

It was 5:45 p.m., twelve hours from the time I woke up, and my trip to the inauguration was over. I didn’t get an up-close look at the President, but I remembered what Baxter and Mathis both said to me. This is history—I am a part of it too. When the photos of President Obama’s inauguration on the National Mall are shown on television, in newspapers and history books, I can proudly say to anyone, I stood in that crowd wav-ing my American Flag.

by Justin reedthe falcon flier

Falcon Flier reporters witness history

The Staff’s Stand

Community Outreach:Having a greater presence

in the community could serve as a quick way to re-ceive more applications. Stu-dents Government should work with the administration to organize something like a fundraiser, a food drive, or a fun-run. We do a lot of charity work within the school, but we think it’s time to branch out to other parts of the community. If we did this, we would be advertising the school as well as working to better the community.

Bigger Sports Programs:This would be a more long

term solution. It will obvi-ously be a long time until FA fields a football team, so we need to put an emphasis on what sports we do have.

In sports, respect comes from consistency. The field hockey team has been con-sistently powerful, which has inspired many of the young-er students to start practicing field hockey. Field hockey has had the same coach for a number of years, while guys lacrosse has had five different head coaches in five years. A

Three ways to gain more students

good athletic program will also keep current students around.

There have been multiple middle school athletes that have left for other schools because they felt their col-lege chances would be bet-ter in public school. Head of College Counseling David Wiener works with students interested in college athlet-ics all the time, but we often don’t know too much about it. In college counseling, there are certain paths that must be followed. A plan should be made for students looking into NCAA sports and should be presented to them early as underclassman. He could also talk to talented middle schoolers, simply to let them know about the op-portunities that are available in the upper school. This would improve middle-to-upper-school retention rates as well as the sports teams.

Getting more athletes to come here could be as simple as holding sports camps or clinics on FA’s fields, and making them open to the public. This would give out-side athletes the opportunity to play on our fields and talk to our coaches, which could increase recruiting.

Accessible Scholarships:There are many factors

that come into play when a parent is considering send-ing their child to FA, the big-gest factor being cost. The administration does a good job offering financial aid to families in need, but a more comprehensive scholarship system would go a long way.

Like many colleges, we think that FA should put scholarships and their eli-gibility requirements listed simply on the school’s web-site. It might work in the school’s favor to offer more scholarships that aren’t worth as much. It’s important that the first number they see isn’t $19,000. We could even mar-ket these exclusively to stu-dents in the different schools districts. The eligibility re-quirements could consist of required classes and grades; for older students GPA and test scores.

We know full well that the administration and Board of Trustees are doing all they can to attract the best and brightest students. We sim-ply feel that the school can do more to improve the ap-peal of the school.

CARTOON BY MIMI WACK

One town’s winter is another town’s spring

FRESHMEN SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE SECOND INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

While we love the small class sizes and individual attention that are provided to students in the upper school, we are starting to become agitated by the decreasingly low student population. We feel that it’s time to make a few changes in our recruiting process. Here are three suggestions for the administration that could help increase interest in the school.

The Falcon FlierFredericksburg Academy

February 2013

Photo by Justin Reed

backpage the

Sandwiches & baked goods: For healthy eating, head to Panera

Bread. Cheap with both a bakery that has tons of sweets and a café with healthy options like salads, sandwiches and pasta. One is located on 10059 Jefferson Davis Highway while another is on 1760 Carl D. Sil-ver Parkway.

Burgers: For a quick option, go to Five

Guys Burger and Fries at 1661 Carl D. Silver Parkway. Cheap with a small menu but high quality burgers, fries and hot dogs, as well as all-you-can-eat peanuts.

Italian: For an option to show group dates

can be just as fancy as a romantic one, try Castiglia’s at 324 William Street. It’s Italian food with wood-fired pizza.

Froyo: As an after-dinner dessert, or if

you just have a sweet tooth, try Sweet Frog. It’s cheap frozen yogurt for 39 cents per ounce with toppings like sprinkles, fruit, candy bits and choco-late shavings. It’s located at 1211 Jef-ferson Davis Highway.

Restaurants

Valentine’s Day may be a day for true love, but it can also be for those who want to appreciate their friends or enjoy the perks of being single. Enjoy “Singles Awareness Day” with these suggestions from the Falcon Flier:

by Kat SparKS the falcon flier

Best ways to spend Valentine’s Day

So you’ve decided to spend the holi-day with one of your best gal friends! Hanging out with a friend is a great option; nobody wants to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

But if you ask your friend that is a girl to hang out with you, make sure that she knows you are going out just as friends; do not lead her on. If you think that she has any romantic feel-ings towards you don’t give her the false sense that you do to by making this seem like a romantic date.

Try taking to her to a casual restau-rant like Chipotle, Tropical Smoothie or Panera. You can pay for her if you want, but it is not necessary.

If you’re the type of guy who loves to give gifts, try and think of an in-side joke between you two and play into that. Don’t worry about spending much. Keep it light and friendly.

If you think Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to sweep your crush off her feet and make her fall in love, then you need to slow down—you don’t want to over-whelm her. First, make sure that she hasn’t put you in the friend zone. If she typically calls you bro, that’s a good sign that she probably thinks of you more as a brother than as a potential boyfriend.

Start the date off right; offer to pick her up and bring her flowers. They’re romantic but not too forward, and every girl loves to get them.

Restaurants are crowded on Valentine’s Day and you don’t want to make your crush wait an hour to get a table, so make a reservation. As far as picking some place to eat, make it nice but not too fancy. You don’t want to make her nervous or feel any pressure about the date. Some good places are Bonefish, Cheeseburger in Paradise, or Carrabba’s.

A great place to go before or after dinner is the mov-ies. If you are worried that the date might be awkward and you don’t know what to say, movies are a good way to be able to spend time with your crush without having to worry about coming up with conversation.

You would think this one would be easy, yet year after years many guys seem to be at a loss for what to do. If you are in a serious relationship, you know what your girl likes.

If she has a favorite restaurant, take her there. If she constantly drops hints about a gift she wants, get it for her. If you know her favorite type of flowers, buy her a bouquet. But with that, don’t think that you have to blow your life savings. No girl wants to feel like she’s emptying your wallet.

Pick up on the little things she likes; girls love when they know you have paid attention. You know your girl, so make it a lovely day that she will remember. What a girlfriend re-ally wants is for you to take the initia-tive, shower her with your love and attention all day, and remind her that you know what she likes.

Start Here

Do you like her?

She’s my BFF I like her a lot

I don’t know

Have you made it clear you like

her?

Of course she knows

I’m happy how it is

I think so

Do you want to be in a

relationship with her?

Already areNot really I hope so

Just Friends! Your Crush! In a Relationship!

Take this quiz to find out what you should do to give her the perfect Valentine’s Day.

by allegra MaSSey-eliM the falcon flier

photo courtesy of iheart.despair.com

Guys’ guide to Valentine’s Day

Do you want something

more?

MoviesRomantic Comedy:

Some good movies to watch with your friends would be “Val-entine’s Day”, which is about vari-ous couples breaking and making up on the special day. Or go for the classics with a Disney movie, like “Beauty and the Beast,” Cinderel-la,” or “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.”

Romance:The all-time famous “Titanic”

will have you and your friends reaching for the tissue box. Or, if you want to go less traditional, the most recent version of “Phantom of the Opera” is a great choice. Both are traditional mushy-gushy but tragic traditions in the romance department.

Action: “Spider Man 2,” with its

packed action and romantic ending with the boy getting the girl is a fast-paced choice. Or go for “Speed,” a movie made in 1994 about a LAPD officer and a woman who thwart an at-tempted bombing and fall in love along the way.

Who needs to go out? Get in your PJs, microwave some popcorn and have a movie marathon with your friends.

Hang out with friends: Watch television, play games, go

bowling, anything. It doesn’t mat-ter that the holiday is for all those “lovey-dovey”, Hallmark moments; but it’s also for those adorable group moments that everyone can think back on with a smile on their face.

Go people-watching: If you’re hanging out with friends,

make it a game: create a back story for strangers. It doesn’t matter how realistic it’ll probably be hysterical no matter what you say. But make sure you don’t get caught! You don’t want to seem too creepy.

Head downtown: Whether alone or with friends, go out and explore downtown Fredericks-

burg. With all the interesting shops and cafes scattered around, who knows what you might stumble upon that will catch your interest. Strike up a con-versation with a stranger or splurge and buy yourself something completely unnecessary.

Activities

Singles Awareness Day

Lonely Hearts

Club