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The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

Common Sense
The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

Common Sense
The Student News Site of Thomas S. Wootton High School

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News
September was National Suicide Prevention Month.
September’s National Suicide Prevention Month followed by county mental health awareness week
Zachary Derman, reviews editor • October 8, 2024
During the first advisory lesson of the school year on Aug. 28, English teacher Dominique Parker introduces the new ID policy to students in her second period AP Literature class.
MCPS introduces new ID policy
Lea Weinstein, managing editor • October 8, 2024
Seniors Justin Kim and Aarna Rastogi promote Science Olympiad at the Club Expo on Sept. 20 during lunch. Kim and Rastogi are both co-captains for the club this year. "[The Club Expo] gives everyone a chance to explore the new clubs that pop up every year and join old ones," Rastogi said.
Students react to new club expo format, club policy changes
Pragna Pothakamuri, features editor, race and equity editor • October 8, 2024
Junior Aadi Chaudhari works on the activity assigned to him on Class Companion by social studies teacher Amy Buckingham.
Class Companion utilizes AI, helps students make improvements
Cyrus Kaz, staff writer • October 6, 2024
Profiles
Juniors Bryan Ngouzo and Ashton Ingram celebrate a touchdown by Ngouzo during the first home football game against the Rockville Rams on Sept.13. This is an example of the sports photojournalism of Keon Gray.
Keon Gray captures sports photography in new light
Annalise Yi, staff writer • September 26, 2024
New Resource Counselor Elizabeth Robinson works on student schedules and ensures every counselor has what they need. "We want our students to do well and doing well doesn't just mean doing work. We also want them to know we care and we were once high school students as well so we are here to listen," Robinson said.
Counselor Elizabeth Robinson steps up as head counselor
Shayna Fleischer, opinion editor • September 14, 2024
Miranda Custer is a co-coach of the school's first girls' flag football team. She also teaches biology and forensics and, with, “two new classes that I'm teaching, it's a whole new group of kids and age group and I'm really excited to just start fresh and to have my ability shine through,” Custer said.
Miranda Custer: teacher, coach, fellow Gen-Z member
Helen Manolis, features editor • September 12, 2024
Biology teacher Stanford Herzon prepares for his final classes of the school year.
Herzon retires in good spirits
Jack Weinstein, staff writer • June 10, 2024
Opinion
Top: Then freshman Helen Manolis (this writer) attends a football game with her friends. Bottom: Rather than going to a football game, now in her junior year, Manolis stays home and does homework on a Friday night.
Do football games lose excitement throughout high school?
Helen Manolis, features editor • October 8, 2024
Senior Abby Brodsky logs into Naviance to check the status of her college applications. "It's sometimes hard to see all your documents and know their status," Brodsky said.
Inefficiency of Naviance impacts accessibility of higher education
October 6, 2024
Students in Eva O'Keefe's fourth-period math class listen to the day's lecture.
Does the school system see us as products or students?
October 5, 2024
Media specialist Tammie Burk reads "Finding Justice: a History of Women Lawyers in Maryland since 1642," by Lynne A. Battaglia. "[Misinformation] is a huge problem today because people tend to trust everything they see on the internet and that information can be manipulated. One of the best ways to combat misinformation is to use sources that are trustworthy," Burke said.
Journalists have responsibility to combat misinformation, bias
September 17, 2024
Reviews
The "Alien: Romulus" poster is displayed at AMC Theatres in Rio, Gaithersburg. The poster depicts an attack from the iconic facehugger alien. "We wanted to bring back that visceral, edgy feel that made the first Alien movie so terrifying," director Fede Álvarez said in an interview with The Latin Times.
Alien: Romulus honors horror film classic
Liam Sloan, staff writer • October 8, 2024
Senior Alex Balian (this writer) saw summer blockbuster "Deadpool and Wolverine" at Regal Rockville in July. The movie grossed over $1.086 billion over just 23 days, which gives it the title for highest-grossing R-rated film of all time at the global box office.
The summer screen: successes or slams?
September 9, 2024
Junior Tali Rosen reads the summary for the new British black comedy drama series "Baby Reindeer."
“Baby Reindeer” shocks, engages viewers
May 26, 2024
‘Quiet on Set’ leaves viewers speechless
‘Quiet on Set’ leaves viewers speechless
May 15, 2024
Features
Senior Naomi Negussie studies for a vocab quiz during AP Literature. "Lit is one of my harder classes but I know that I will learn a lot from the course, making my reading and writing skills stronger," Negussie said.
Different paths available to access education
Sydney Chaikin, social media editor • October 7, 2024
Senior Anna Lizondo reviews Republican presidential endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris in between helping chamber choir students during lunch on Oct. 4. "I think endorsements by people from the Republican Party to Kamala are more influential, because they are less expected and really show how much they don’t want Trump to be in office... and also probably got some from the Republican Party to step back and think more about who to vote for," Lizondo said.
Presidential endorsements used to court voters’ support
October 6, 2024
This year's shirt is different from the class of 2020, class of 2022 and class of 2024 in both colors and design. Senior class secretary Justin Kim’s favorite design from the past five years was the class of 2024’s senior shirt. “I think it’s the most original and timeless design. I would wear it outside of school,” Kim said.
Seniors feel ignored, disappointed with class shirt
October 6, 2024
Psychology students turn in their brain projects on Oct. 4. "Projects like this allow students to visualize the big picture and be more engaged in their classes," social studies teacher Amy Pollin said.
School projects provide value, insight
October 5, 2024
Columns
Senior Josie Spicer reads "The Scarlet Letter," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, on Friday, Oct. 5, during advisory. Having not read a book in a while, she said she is struggling to find the motivation.
What the world is reading: Slumps
Emma Karcz, managing editor • October 4, 2024
Senior Brandon Bartee stands in front of the poster for Francis Ford Coppola's 23rd film, "Megalopolis" outside of AMC theaters on Sept 28. "Any attempt to portray a message or make a grand critique of the world fell very far short, a waste of two hours," Bartee said.
‘Megalopolis:’ mega flop
Ahmed Ibrahim, opinion editor • October 4, 2024
Senior Emma Karcz read 17 books over the summer including "Into the Wild."
What the world is reading: Summer book review
Emma Karcz, managing editor • September 10, 2024
Senior Carma Ghorab watches Michael Showalter’s seventh feature film “The Idea of You” on May 25 on a roadtrip to New Jersey. “There was no substance to the movie, it felt like a story for older One Direction fans that are now mothers. It was a very odd trope, a mother with a newly adult,” Ghorab said.
Unpacking ‘The Idea of You’: What went wrong?
Ahmed Ibrahim, opinion editor • May 28, 2024
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