• 2022-2023 CSPA Crown Award Finalist
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

Common Sense

Liam Sloan, staff writer emeritus

Liam Sloan is a 2025 graduate.

All content by Liam Sloan
Dr. Julian Lazarus and drama club president Noam Avner present a certificate to sophomore Ace Kippola at the Drama Honor Society banquet. At these annual banquets, Lazarus inducts new members to the society and awards "Lazzies," student-voted awards based on performance throughout the year. “He’s one of the most experienced directors I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with more than a few. He does a great job creating a welcoming space. I’m gonna miss him,” Kippola said.

Dr. Julian Lazarus leaves monumental 5-year theater legacy

Liam Sloan, staff writer emeritus
May 26, 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2 features a sleek black design with magnetically attached Joy-Con 2 controllers. The new controllers have a mouse-like functionality, in which the controllers can be dragged along a surface for an experience reminiscent of using a cursor or moving an in-game camera in a computer game. "For us, the most important thing is that we really want people to recognize and understand that Nintendo Switch 2 is the true successor to Nintendo Switch, takes what you love about Nintendo Switch, and then builds on it with a whole lot of new features and new capabilities and new games that take advantage of those," Nintendo of America Vice President Bill Trinen said in an interview with IGN.

Please Insert Coin: Gamers priced out of new releases

Liam Sloan, staff writer emeritus
May 11, 2025
Korean director Bong Joon Ho was challenged with making Mickey 17 in English, his nonnative language. Ho relied on his crew to help him communicate with the English-speaking cast. "I’m fortunate to have excellent people around me, like [interpreter] Sharon [Choi] and a bilingual assistant director. Having such people around me on set is invaluable. I rely on them completely during production," Ho said in an interview with NBC News.

Mickey 17 revives originality in Hollywood

Liam Sloan, staff writer
April 10, 2025
Sophomore Ace Kippola performs in "Gallows Humor," an original play from Round House Theatre. The play follows an unsupervised classroom of students as they bond and fight during a lockdown. "It meant a lot to me, especially since the show was covering an issue that relates to teenagers. Getting to tell the story to so many people over the course of a weekend was one of the best experiences of my life," Kippola said.

Students by day, artists by night

Liam Sloan, staff writer
March 14, 2025
The "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" poster is displayed at AMC Theaters in Rio, Gaithersburg. The introduction of Sonic's fierce rival Shadow introduces a darker tone to the film series. "It's like the franchise continues to grow up and our original audience is growing up. The kids who were little kids for the first one are a little older now. It’s a little along the lines of how Harry Potter grew along with the kids," co-writer Pat Casey said in an interview with IGN.

Gotta go fast: Don’t miss out on Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Liam Sloan, staff writer
February 20, 2025
Two evacuations were held last school year in response to bomb threats. A Shelter in Place was held this year in response to another bomb threat, though students were quick to brush off the threat and carry on with their day. "I didn't care," sophomore Onyx Sanders said.

Bomb threats continue, but who cares?

Liam Sloan, staff writer
January 13, 2025
The title card used in marketing the film "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" puts the lead actor's name, Tom Cruise, in a larger font than the phrase "Part One." Though "Mission: Impossible" still markets the two-film structure to an extent, other films entirely exclude "Part One" from their marketed title.

Two-part movies split audiences down the middle

Liam Sloan, staff writer
December 10, 2024
The "Transformers One" poster is displayed at AMC Theatres in Rio, Gaithersburg. The film follows Optimus Prime's resistance to Megatron's rise to villainy. "I never go into a role thinking I’m the bad guy. I wanted people to leave the movie feeling conflicted about Megatron, maybe even understanding him," Megatron voice actor Brian Tyree Henry said in an interview with Essence.

Transformers One is more than meets the eye

Liam Sloan, staff writer
November 14, 2024
Senior Sid McCasland plays with a Halloween decoration of a skeleton. Decorations are a common tradition for homeowners to add flair to their property during the Halloween season. "I'm so excited for Halloween. Halloween is my favorite holiday," McCasland said.

Beware: Halloween events, traditions ramp up during spooky season

Liam Sloan, staff writer
October 25, 2024
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
Sophomore Gleb Godynskiy rehearses a piece on the electric guitar two days before the upcoming performance at the football game. Godynskiy previously played the guitar for fun and took the opportunity to join the marching band this year to improve his skills. “It’s very nice to be able to play guitar in marching band. I think it’s a very unique experience that not a lot of people can attest to,” Godynskiy said.

Marching band rallies behind football team

Liam Sloan, staff writer
September 16, 2024
Senior Nico Marino scores for his team on the last roll of the bocce game.

Bocce tryouts prepare students for winter season

Liam Sloan, staff writer
December 20, 2023
Senior Nwamaka Aniagboso plays the lead role of Grace Fryer in the fall production of "Radium Girls."

Fall play ‘Radium Girls’ flies under radar

Liam Sloan, staff writer
December 12, 2023
Honors and AP chemistry teacher Lori Ruderman presents the periodic table in a science classroom.

Ruderman brings enthusiasm, compassion to chemistry classroom

Liam Sloan, staff writer
December 1, 2023
Sophomores Sarah Magazine and Caitlin Dexter catch up on homework during free time in health class.

How to complete homework during school hours

Liam Sloan, staff writer
November 8, 2023
Seniors Naveen Ramamurthy and William Chiang, and junior Dan Usmano, the student leaders of the Platinum Screen club are excited for the rest of this school year and invite students to join them at meetings.

Platinum Screen Club hopes to grow community during school year

Liam Sloan, staff writer
October 27, 2023
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