by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
It has been senior Anaya Perry’s dream to become an entertainer since she was young. She started off on Vine, but then branched out to Instagram, where Perry started to post skits the summer of 2016. From there, she started to release her own music on SoundCloud. Since then, she has gone viral, gaining over a million followers on Instagram alone.
“I just started posting every day, and I got a few viral skits from doing that,” Perry said. “I would follow trends, so whatever was popping on Instagram, I would make a skit about it.”
Perry’s friends help her brainstorm content and are featured in numerous of her skits, but the rest of the work is done by Perry. Since she draws inspiration from teenagers, her content tends to concentrate on what goes on in a teenager’s life; a mix of what goes on at school and what happens at home. Her skits, which she edits herself, are filmed using a Canon camera and a tripod.
Since her viral videos are displayed on Instagram’s explore page, companies, such as FashionNova and SugarBearHair, have reached out to Perry. For giveaways, companies pay her before the promotion.
“When other companies hit me up, they want me to sponsor their clothing, wear it in a skit or just post a picture with it,” Perry said.
Perry has gotten the chance to meet some of her fans.
“When I go to the mall or to places, people come up to me and [go] ‘Oh my god, it’s Anaya Perry,’” Perry said.
No matter how many times fans have recognized her, Perry still gets nervous; however, her fans motivate her to produce better content.
“There’s more to it than just getting views and followers,” Perry said. “I dedicate all my time…it’s my main priority.”
Through SoundCloud, Perry was able to connect with other musicians. This connection has helped her release multiple singles in the past few years. On her latest single, ‘She Ain’t Me’ – which came out in early January, she partnered up with Murph, a SoundCloud producer from D.C.
“My producer, Murph, hit me up saying that he had a studio in D.C… he made the beat and we started to fill it and then the concept ‘She Ain’t Me’ came to my head,” Perry said.
Perry plans to release her own clothing line, start a YouTube channel, schedule official meet and greets and to travel to Los Angeles in order to get her name out there. Perry has been building herself into a well-known social media figure, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
Lights, props, colorful set-ups, actors… everyone is familiar with the performance aspect of a play because it’s what they see. What happens on stage, or what the audience experiences all allude to the time spent rehearsing and getting everything perfect for opening night. But are actors going over their lines the only thing that goes into putting together a show? No, and few people know what goes on behind the scenes.
Junior TJ Hartless has been one of the resident sound engineers since his sophomore year, and has worked, behind the scenes, on many of Freedom’s theater productions since freshman year as well as during pep rallies and assemblies. While Ha
rtless is not the only student involved in the more technical side of theater, he stands out in particular as one who puts a tremendous amount of effort and time into his work.
“It’s kind of like my sport equivalent,” Hartless said. “I found set [design] and I fell in love with [the idea of] having a second family.”
While sound is obviously an important part of theater because the audience needs to actually hear the actors while they’re on stage, that’s not all that Hartless is involved with. Working on sound is one of his primary responsibilities, but Hartless also works with set creation and construction and ensures that everything on stage is safe for the actors.
Even though sound in particular is something that Hartless is very passionate about and has spent a good amount of time working on, there are some drawbacks to having a large amount of responsibility regarding a performance going well.
“With sound, no one knows you exist until you mess up,” Hartless said. “You’re also the last to get credit, but the first to get criticized.”
Despite the work and precision that impact the success of a performance and the extensive time that goes into getting everything finished and ready to go, Hartless works hard to have everything run smoothly which is commendable to say the least.
“You know that [sound engineers] are there, but you don’t know how much work goes into it,” Hartless said. “[The sound engineer] is the most unsung hero.”
Students at Freedom do not have to become sound engineers to appreciate the contributions of those who actually do behind-the-scenes work, but next time the theater department is putting on a show, or there is a pep rally or assembly, think about these “unsung heroes” who will be working hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
How often do you think about the environment? How often really? With the Paris Climate Agreement reached in 2015, and subsequently revoked in 2017, it is fair to say that the environment has been a big focus for the US in the last 5 years. An example of Freedom caring for the environment is AP Environmental teacher Debra Savage and her “grass-heads.” This sustainability project is created by making a plant doll, which is decorated before being gifted to teachers.
“If you take a look at its plastic packaging and the grass-head itself, they are all materials that you have at your home,” Savage said. “I wanted to show the students that you can use everyday products and repurpose them. That’s sustainability.”
FHS’s Environmental Club, which is sponsored by Savage, focuses mainly toward advocating for recycling within the school. The club competes with other Loudoun County schools in generating the most recyclable material by weight while striving to make recycling a habit for students.
“A lot of people know that the bins are there, but it’s the habit of it,” Environmental Club president Nicole Balog said. “We don’t see the [negative] changes often here in South Riding, so we can throw away our plastic and not see it go into the ocean because we don’t live right by the beach.”
Savage and her students are the perfect example of FHS’s dedication to the environment. Loudoun County Public Schools and FHS have been the recipients of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Award every year since 2009. The award is granted to places that conserve energy through closing doors to trap heat and shutting down technology during times of non-use like vacations. On top of this, the school has implemented the use of recycling bins both in the cafeteria and in classrooms.
“I believe that we have consciously started a really good recycling program,” Assistant Principal Neelum Chaudhry said. “There are two dumpsters outside, one is a trash dumpster and the other is a recycling dumpster.”
Excess food is another byproduct of running a school that is damaging to the environment. Food waste that ends up in landfills produces a large amount of methane, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. At FHS, excess food is cut down by the cafeteria staff calculating how much of food is bought by students. By doing this, they can approximate how much food should be prepared, minimizing the amount of waste as a result.
Despite this and similar efforts, a lot of progress still needs to be made. According to the EPA website, the United States still generates approximately 254 million tons of trash, which calculates to about 4.4 pounds per person per day. Only 34.3% of that trash is recycled, with the rest being incinerated or dumped in a landfill. Small increases in the recycling rate can have huge effects on communities all over the country, both for animals and the environment alike.
“Here’s the problem with our recycling-not just here at FHS but in the United States as well-if people throw food scraps in there or they don’t empty out their gatorade or their water, the whole thing is going to end up in a landfill,” Savage said.
FHS is not perfect, but students and teachers have shown commitment to making this school more environmentally conscious. It is up to the rest of us to make smart decisions that will make our school a model for our community, so that we can preserve our planet for years to come.
by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
It is easy for high school students to be an easy target because students who stay after school for clubs or sports practices are walking home when its darker outside. Therefore, when students are walking home at night due to extracurricular activities academic support, or clubs, it is important that they take precautions in order to be mindful of their own safety.
Freedom High School’s resource officer Deputy Jason Gadell said,“I do think [teens and adults] need to put a little bit more focus on their surrounding areas knowing where they’re at, who’s around them.”
Gadell suggests that teenagers should evaluate their surroundings instead of focusing mainly on their cell phones.
“Their whole world is in this phone, [but] the reality is that the world extends way beyond this five inch glass,” Gadell said. “The whole world’s out in front of you, you got to see what’s out there, you got to see what’s coming.”
Using a cell phone while walking is a distraction. This makes the person more vulnerable because it is easier for criminals to target those who are distracted. So how can a cell phone help teenagers stay safe? A simple call or text message can be sent to update family and friends about their whereabouts. There are mobile applications that can track a phone’s location. Deputy Gadell advises that being attentive and aware can secure the safety of the teen and the whole community.
“Call somebody and say hey I’m leaving practice now [and] I’m going directly home,” Gadell said.
Public information officer Deputy Aleksandra Kowalski from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office suggests that teenagers take action to prevent themselves from being caught in undesirable situations.
“Do proactive things like [take] self defense classes,” Kowalski said. “Always let people know where you’re going if you leaving whether it’s leaving the house… leaving school or whatever so somebody knows that where you heading off to.”
Caitlin Sullivan, a math teacher at FHS, took self defense classes last year.
“It started out as a Christmas present from my sister because we had a conversation about how I was living by myself and sometimes at night, I get worried about going home and getting safely into my house,” Sullivan said.
From her self defense classes, she learned techniques that help her defend herself. Sullivan recommends that students carry a flashlight with them so they can see clearer when they are walking home or to walk home with a friend.
The Dulles South School Awareness and Firm Enforcement (S.A.F.E.) initiative started during the 2016 school year and focuses on school zone safety and traffic issues. Recently, the number of patrols in the South Riding, Brambleton, and Aldie areas have increased. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, there has been a very minimal decrease in robbery, but an increase in rape cases from 2015.
Both Deputy Gadell and Kowalski advise that your own safety will only be protected if you take charge and make responsible decisions like reporting anything suspicious you come across when you’re out in the neighborhood. Not only is it important to be aware of your surroundings and location, but also inform others of your location so that if something was to happen, parents or friends will know your location.
by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
Aviation is a wonder that humanity has been able to accomplish since the Wright brothers originally flew in 1903, allowing humanity to see sights that before we could only dream of.
Senior Mustabinur Bhuiyan has been attracted to flying since he was little.
“I enjoy looking down and just seeing what the world has to offer basically and just the breathtaking scenery that you get to see,” Bhuiyan said.
Bhuiyan has been flying for months now and is on track to receive his private pilot’s license before he gets his driver’s license.
“[My interest in aviation] all started when my dad used to work for the [Dulles] airport for United Airlines,” Bhuiyan said.
Getting a pilot’s license is similar to getting a driver’s license. The person who intends to be licensed needs to go through a step by step process that includes a knowledge and practical test.
The knowledge test consists of information based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules depending on the type of license the person is pursuing. Following the knowledge test is the practical test or flight test, similar to a driving test in which the person that is getting a pilot’s license has to demonstrate their capabilities within an airworthy aircraft.
“I still have about three or four more of the certifications to complete, so I am currently at the first phase of [getting the pilot’s license],” Bhuiyan said. “I’m doing the practical part right now and I do the knowledge or the academic part of it at home.”
Aircraft and cars have many differences, with the biggest being how the controls are set up. The only major similarity between planes and cars is the yolk which controls how a plane turns. “Driving is similar [to flying] because when you drive, you try to drive safely in a straight pattern same with an airplane,” Bhuiyan said. “When you use the yolk or steering wheel you turn it left to bank left and turn it right to bank right.”
Flying is not a simple task and it is not something that everyone can do. The biggest challenge of becoming certified is the cost of flight school.
“I manage to pay for [flight school with] my parents [currently] helping me out,” Bhuiyan said. “I have a job that I work full time to pay for [flying lessons], and then I have been taking out loans for it and also getting scholarships for it as well.”
Balancing school, work and flying is a difficult task. To overcome these difficulties, Bhuiyan has created a plan that works for him.
“I try to balance my schedule out,” Bhuiyan said. “I try to at least get in two days of flying [a week] to have all my skills ready so I don’t lose [them],” Bhuiyan said.
For school, Bhuiyan tries to get his homework done right after the lessons are taught in class. Bhuiyan’s future with aviation contains a lot of possibilities and opportunities to expand his knowledge and career in aviation. Possessing a pilot’s license can create many opportunities both with the federal government and with commercial airlines. This initial certification will also produce the opportunity for Bhuiyan to improve his own abilities as a pilot by earning more certifications.
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