Spanish teachers to take students on Guatemala trip

Grace Erard, student life editor
June 7, 2013
Filed under News, Student Life

Spanish teachers Rebecca Samba and Kirsten Hope will take a group of students to serve Mayan communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala this summer through the Highland Support Project. Hope believes that this is a worthy cause. ... Read More »

Class of 2013 to take advantage of community college programs

Grace Erard, student life editor
June 7, 2013
Filed under Student Life, Top Stories

Sixty seniors are embracing the community college option with the Northern Virginia Community College, or NOVA, Pathway to the Baccalaureate Program. Pathway offers structural guidance for scholars as they graduate high school, attend NOVA, and transfer to a university of their... Read More »

Seahawks use social media to promote Smitty Strong campaign

Grace Erard, student life editor
May 1, 2013
Filed under Galleries, News

Leadership elects 2013-14 executive council

Grace Erard, student life editor
April 24, 2013
Filed under News, Top Stories

Student elections are typically characterized by bright posters plastered over school walls, speeches given by candidates in front of all their peers, and the announcement of winners based on votes cast by the entire student body. However, the election process for the Executive Council was altered... Read More »

Debate competes at Metro Finals, seniors qualify for Grand National Tournament

Grace Erard, student life editor
March 11, 2013
Filed under News, Student Life

Six members of the Lincoln-Douglas debate team and six members of the public forum debate team competed in the Washington-Arlington Catholic Forensic League’s (WACFL) Metropolitan Championship Final Tournaments at Dominion High School March 1-2 and Broad Run High School March 8-9, respectively. In... Read More »

Speech and debate team experiences growth and success this season

Grace Erard, student life editor
February 20, 2013
Filed under Student Life

Speech and Debate has experienced an increase in success and membership this season. Lincoln-Douglas debate captain senior Jeffrey Di Santo believes that the team has made a name for itself in the local speech and debate community. ... Read More »

Alumna takes advantage of scientific opportunities at MIT

Grace Erard, student life editor
February 15, 2013
Filed under News, Top Stories

Alumna Arfa Aijazi is as hard-core as a crystal formed from carbon atoms arranged in a single isometric-hexoctahedral lattice. Aijazi, who graduated from South Lakes in 2009, is now one of the 15 most impressive students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to... Read More »

Perkins auditions for ‘The Voice’ in Los Angeles

Grace Erard, student life editor
February 15, 2013
Filed under Features, Student Life

Senior Trudy Perkins auditioned for “The Voice” at SIR Studios in Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 5. According to her father, Barry Perkins, she began displaying musical talent at a young age. “My mother and her whole side of the family are all singers, so I always knew she had something,” Perkins... Read More »

Faculty makes a splash in cannonball diving contest against Madison’s staff

Grace Erard, student life editor
January 8, 2013
Filed under Sports

Five faculty members competed against Madison’s staff in a cannonball contest before the swim and dive meet at Spring Hill, Friday Jan. 4. The South Lakes team was comprised of dive coach Liz Badley, math teacher and assistant swim coach Zach Carter, assistant security officer Dan Smith, finance... Read More »

South Lakes defeates Herndon in food drive competition

Grace Erard, student life editor
December 21, 2012
Filed under Galleries, News, Top Stories

Herndon Principal William Bates will wear South Lakes spirit wear for a week as a penalty for his school’s loss in a canned food drive competition run by the two schools’ leadership programs. Seahawks collected a total of 1,300 cans for Fairfax County bus drivers, beating Herndon by 481 cans. According... Read More »

Defending our country, educating our children

Grace Erard, student life editor
December 21, 2012
Filed under Features

Spanish teacher Marly Fullerton aspired to become a doctor while she was growing up in Puerto Rico. However, she ended up on a very different career path that took her from the Special Forces to South Lakes. Fullerton graduated from high school when she was 15 years old and enrolled in college. Her... Read More »

Sophomore strives to earn EMT certification

Grace Erard, student life editor
November 14, 2012
Filed under Features, Student Life

Sophomore Christian Vagonis is preparing to save lives with the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad as an Emergency Medical Technician. Vagonis had the opportunity to tour the department through a camp he attended. This inside look, along with his personal... Read More »

Former Seahawk rocks Southern Conference, FCS football world

Grace Erard, student life editor
November 12, 2012
Filed under Sports, Top Stories

Alumnus Sean Price was named National Freshman of the Week by Sports Network and the Southern Conference’s Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week after a record... Read More »

POW/MIA Advocates Club continues to promote awareness of lost troops

Grace Erard, student life editor
October 23, 2012
Filed under Student Life, Uncategorized

Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Advocates Club, sponsored by special education teacher Bob Smith, has big plans for the school year. The club is the first POW/MIA chapter in any high school across the nation. “In all the years since wars such as the Vietnam War have been over, we haven’t... Read More »

Five seniors named National Merit Scholarship finalists

Grace Erard, student life editor
October 19, 2012
Filed under News

Seniors Kelsey Ericksen, Dara Kharabi, Adrienne Nims, Reuben Levy-Myers and Scott Reid were recently named 2013 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. According to a National Merit Scholarship Corporation press release, they are among 229 students... Read More »

Name that Seahawk: Which senior has two clubbed thumbs?

Grace Erard, student life editor
October 19, 2012
Filed under Name That Seahawk

Answer: Senior Maddy Tate. Senior Maddy Tate first realized that her thumbs were special while at a nail salon. “I figured it out when fake nails wouldn’t fit on my thumbs,” Tate said. Instead of feeling insecure about her unusual fingers though, Tate chose to embrace them. “I thought... Read More »

Name that Seahawk: Which junior recently transferred to South Lakes from Oakton in order to participate in the IB Program?

Grace Erard, student life editor
October 19, 2012
Filed under Name That Seahawk

Answer: Junior Allie Stamey. Junior Allie Stamey recently traded in her Oakton cougar paws for seahawk talons.   Stamey, who is districted for South Lakes, decided to leave Oakton because IB classes appealed to her. “I came here because I was in AP Japanese at Oakton and I wanted to take... Read More »

Principal Retzer squashes rumors of conduct restrictions at sports events

Grace Erard, Seahawk Stories editor
September 24, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

Rumors that Fairfax County is banning student sections at sporting events and requiring breathalyzer tests have recently circulated throughout the student body. However, according to Principal Kim Retzer, these speculations are false. “I have heard absolutely nothing about student groups being... Read More »

Seniors to enlist in armed forces after graduation

Grace Erard, news editor
June 8, 2012
Filed under News

Five seniors will enter the military following graduation. Saleh Saeed has enlisted in the Army, Cullen Guimond and Armani Williams will join the Marine Corps, Naimah Coleman will serve in the Air Force, and Lee Maring will work with the Army’s intelligence gathering... Read More »

Scholarships awarded to graduates

Grace Erard, news editor
June 8, 2012
Filed under News

The Class of 2012 earned a total of $6,379,895 in scholarship money this year. This figure represents the largest amount of scholarship money given to any one graduating class in South Lakes history. Many of the awards... Read More »

Cochrane, Smith to speak at graduation

Grace Erard, news editor
June 8, 2012
Filed under News

Senior Will Cochrane and English teacher Ron Smith will represent the Class of 2012 as graduation speakers. Following tradition, the seniors elected their student and faculty speakers. According to Smith, the fact... Read More »

Reston Bike Club awards over $1,000 in prizes to participants in jersey design contest

Grace Erard, news editor
June 1, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

Reston Bike Club officers presented awards to the top six winners in the 2012 Jersey Design Contest at a ceremony this morning. The competition is an annual event open to South Lakes students involved in computer graphics. This year, over 40 students submitted designs to the club for consideration. “We... Read More »

Be Amyazing Reston Youth Triathlon inspires kids to stay fit and fight cancer

Grace Erard, news editor
June 1, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

300 young athletes swam, biked, and ran to raise money for cancer research during the second annual Be Amyazing Reston Youth Triathlon May 20. The event began at Ridge Heights Pool and ended at South Lakes High School, with course lengths varying by age group. Over 100 student and adult volunteers... Read More »

Josh Anderson Foundation sponsors speaker during Mental Wellness Week

Grace Erard, news editor
May 9, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

Josh Anderson, a former South Lakes student, seemed to have everything going for him in high school. He played sports and had friends, decent grades, and a girlfriend. Externally, he looked like a typical student, but internally, he suffered from... Read More »

Students take vows of silence to end LGBT bullying in schools

Grace Erard, news editor
April 20, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

Many students observed a day of silence today in honor of teens that have faced persecution for their sexual orientation or gender identity. The National Day of Silence is an annual event that strives to create safer schools for homosexual, bisexual, and transgender students. According to sophomore... Read More »

Seahawks reflect on Virginia Tech tragedy during fifth-year anniversary

Grace Erard, news editor
April 17, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

April 16 marked the fifth anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 dead. The shooting hit close to home for many Fairfax County residents. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, graduated from Westfield High School, as did two of his victims, Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha. Maxine Turner, a graduate... Read More »

College committments made by soccer, lacrosse athletes

Grace Erard, news editor
April 13, 2012
Filed under Sports

Several student athletes are committed to college sports. Senior girls varsity soccer captain Jessie Sells will play NCAA Division I Soccer at William and Mary. Sells has played soccer for 12 years, playing with the... Read More »

Spanish essay wins junior a historical trip

Grace Erard, news editor
April 13, 2012
Filed under Seahawk Stories

Junior Kate Badgett will embark on the adventure of a lifetime this summer. Badgett is one of three students in the United States, and 255 students worldwide, selected to participate in the Ruta Quetzal 2012 expedition sponsored by the Spanish government. ... Read More »

Walker addresses rumor about retirement due to cancer

Grace Erard, news editor
March 6, 2012
Filed under News

Recently, rumors circulated that assistant principal Dana Walker is retiring due to cancer. “There was a rumor started over Twitter and throughout the school building that I have cancer, which is a serious claim,” said Walker. “I don’t wish that disease on anyone or on myself.” It turns... Read More »

QRU? Sophomore Anna Gosling

Grace Erard, news editor
February 15, 2012
Filed under Seahawk Stories, Student Life, Top Stories

Sophomore Anna Gosling recently experienced a life-altering event. She was involved in a serious car accident that left her pelvis in pieces. How did the crash occur? My friend’s dad was driving us to school and we were taking a left onto Sunrise Valley when a car ran a red... Read More »

Feldman practices magic with cards

Grace Erard, news editor
February 6, 2012
Filed under Seahawk Stories, Top Stories

Harry Potter might be able to banish Dementors and summon his broomstick with a wave of his wand, but he only exists in fiction. Junior Michael Feldman is the real deal. Feldman’s interest in magic was sparked by a family member at a young age. ... Read More »

Seahawks react to Super Bowl XLVI

Grace Erard, news editor
February 6, 2012
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Video

The Super Bowl is significant to American culture and some even consider it an unofficial national holiday. Millions of football fans celebrate it with family and friends gathered around the television. People passionately cheer for their favorite teams and express amplified emotions while the game... Read More »

Homework committee works to create bill of rights

Grace Erard, news editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under News, Top Stories

The homework committee met on Jan. 25 to create the Homework Bill of Rights. This is a collection of common homework expectations for teachers and students. One of the topics addressed... Read More »

School board approves surveillance cameras inside high schools

Grace Erard, news editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under News

The Fairfax County School Board voted to approve the optional use of interior video surveillance cameras in FCPS high schools. High school principals are required to demonstrate community support before installing security cameras, which will be limited to cafeterias and identified... Read More »

Three students arrested for gang activity

Grace Erard, news editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under News

 Five people, including three South Lakes students, were recently arrested following a gang-related altercation. According to police officials, this incident resulted from an argument that occured between two of the students during the school day. One... Read More »

Video Fairfax registration due April 2

Grace Erard, news editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under News

Video Fairfax program promotes student interest in film and technology by encouraging them to gain experience in the art medium and exploring creative ideas and storytelling through film and news media. The deadline for online registration is April 2 by 5 p.m. Submission categories... Read More »

Locks of Love event to occur this spring

Grace Erard, news editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under News, Student Life

This spring, South Lakes will partner with Locks of Love in order to provide hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. According to Locks of Love, the children that receive these hairpieces... Read More »

America’s military mission in Iraq officially comes to an end

Grace Erard, news editor
December 16, 2011
Filed under News, Top Stories

President Barack Obama officially declared the end of the Iraq War on Dec. 14. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, ordered the first invasion of Iraq in 2003 on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was endangering the world with weapons of mass destruction. Hussein was ousted from power and later executed,... Read More »

Wolfe honored with athletic award by Hunter Mill District

Grace Erard, news editor
December 16, 2011
Filed under Sports

Sophomore Olivia Wolfe recently received the 2011 Hunter Mill District Champions of Character in Sports Female Athlete Award from supervisor Cathy Hudgins. The Champions of Character Sports Awards are sponsored by the Fairfax County Athletic... Read More »

FCPS program helps adults receive diplomas

Grace Erard, news editor
December 16, 2011
Filed under News, Top Stories

South Lakes, along with several other Fairfax County schools, hosts an adult transitional program four to five nights a week from 6:30-10:00 p.m. This program provides free math, English, social studies, and science classes for those who never graduated from high school. According to participant... Read More »

Eakins wins school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition

Grace Erard, news editor
December 16, 2011
Filed under News, Top Stories

Sophomore Ainsley Eakins won first place in the third annual school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition on Dec. 8. Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that challenges high school students to memorize and perform a pre-selected poem. It helps students master public speaking skills and build... Read More »

Students volunteer during giving season

Grace Erard, news editor
December 16, 2011
Filed under News

As the spirit of giving spreads across America this holiday season, students look for ways to give back to the community. Sophomore Allie Micka recently joined members of the Washington Capitals to package and sort donated goods at the Capital Area Food Bank. Among the volunteers... Read More »

Honor Roll Breakfast celebrates academic achievement

Grace Erard, news editor
November 18, 2011
Filed under News, Top Stories

The PSTA Academic Boosters sponsored an Honor Roll Breakfast on November 18 during first period. This event honored over 820 students who received all As and Bs on their first quarter report cards. Safeway and Academic Booster parents supplied the refreshments.  Students enjoyed the time to... Read More »

Bella Voce performs at prestigious Virginia music conference

Grace Erard, news editor
November 18, 2011
Filed under News

The Virginia Music Education Association selected the Advanced Women's Ensemble, Bella Voce, to perform at the Virginia Music Educator's Conference on November 18 in Norfolk, Virginia. The South Lakes Choral Department last performed at this conference in 1996.  Bella Voce auditioned for the honor... Read More »

Family gains awareness after mother’s battle against breast cancer

Grace Erard, news editor
November 14, 2011
Filed under Seahawk Stories

Junior Camille Gilbert’s mother was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2007. Stage II breast cancer is characterized by primary tumors of up to five centimeters and their potential to spread to nearby lymph nodes.  It is known as the middle ground in breast cancer... Read More »

Committee formed to assess homework; Vatterott’s ‘Rethinking Homework’ basis for homework committee study

Grace Erard, news editor
November 4, 2011
Filed under News

A new homework committee comprised of teachers from each academic department and headed by assistant principal Chad Lehman, assessment coach Karri Iaquinta-Springer, and psychologist Rebecca Caldwell will have its first meeting on November 9. The motivation to form this group came from Lehman’s... Read More »

Varsity football loses homecoming game to Langley 35-3

Grace Erard, news editor
October 24, 2011
Filed under Sports, Top Stories

Varsity football lost to the Langley Saxons 35-3 on Homecoming Friday, October 21.  The Seahawks now have a 0-8 record with two games remaining in the season. Despite the encouragement of their fans and the Hype Squad, which showed up at the blackout game in full force, the Seahawks were unable to... Read More »

Seahawk parent shares post 9-11 military experience

Grace Erard, news editor
September 29, 2011
Filed under Seahawk Stories

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, thousands of U.S. troops were deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Sergeant First Class Mark Johnson, father of senior Tim Johnson, was among them. Johnson remembers exactly where he was and what he was doing at the time of the attacks. “As... Read More »

Youth triathlon dedicated to resident’s memory

Grace Erard, news editor
June 9, 2011
Filed under Student Life

Close to 200 youths between the ages of 6 and 15 participated in the inaugural Be Amyazing Reston Youth Triathlon on May 22, 2011. The athletes swam in the Ridge Heights Pool, biked near South Lakes High School, and completed the event by running on the South Lakes track. The course lengths varied... Read More »

Trailers to become artwork

Grace Erard, news editor
June 7, 2011
Filed under Student Life

The auxiliary trailers outside of South Lakes are currently a physical reminder of the overcrowding in the region. However, students hope to change this. According to junior Emily Lopynski, leadership and foreign language students plan on giving the trailers a major makeover in response to numerous... Read More »

Virginia superintendents petition for SOL flexibility

Grace Erard, news editor
June 7, 2011
Filed under News, Top Stories

Fairfax County Superintendent Jack Dale and leaders of four other Virginia school systems are urging the State Board of Education to change certain testing requirements associated with the Standards of Learning tests. SOL testing began in 1998, four years before the federal No Child Left Behind Act... Read More »

Political science dropped from 2011-12 course offerings

Grace Erard, news editor
May 18, 2011
Filed under News

The political science course, taught by Wynndolynn Thompson for the last 11 years, will be eliminated next fall due to a lack of student interest. During this year’s course registration, only 13 students signed up for the course. Last year, approximately 21 students enrolled in the course. Political... Read More »