E.B.
Henderson Awards
10
Masonites Win All ‘Dear Editor’ Prizes
By Rabita Aziz (June 20,
2004)
Ten Mason students were
presented
cash prizes they won for their strong "Dear Editor" letters they wrote
for the annual E.B. Henderson contest, at the 11th annual
Tinner
Hill Festival.
Prom
Preparations
Sure
to be Magical Midnight at the Cove
By Rabita Aziz (May 22,
2004)
The poster of the smiling
teens
dressed like princes and princesses behind the prom ticket table, was
just
a little corny, but in reality, that’s what over 200 seniors and
juniors
are preparing to do for tonight’s "Midnight Cove" prom at the Clarendon
Ballroom in Arlington.
Weeks-Long
Search Concluded
Dr.
Lois Berlin To Become New Superintendent
Currently with Alexandria
School
System
By Rabita Aziz (May, 19,
2004)"I
think what’s important is that we always keep our focus on you, the
student,"
said Dr. Lois Berlin, the soon-to-be new Superintendent of Falls Church
City Public Schools, when asked about what she believes is important to
maintain in a school system.
Lasso
Online Survey
61 Percent of Students Oppose Iraq War
By Stephen Twentyman (May 17, 2004)
Sixty-one percent of the student body oppose the U.S. military
incursion
in Iraq, according to a Lasso Online survey.
Leamon
Takes 1st Place in
French
Writing Competition
By Camille Christophel
(April
26, 2004)
Model
United Nations
2
Vets, 5 Novices Win Awards at Last Conference of Year
By Rabita Aziz (April 25,
2004)
Two senior veterans and five
novices
won Honorable Delegation awards at the last Model United Nations
Conference
of the year, TechMUN, at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Condo’s
Long-Awaited Opening
Mason
Musicians Play at
The
Broadway’s Inauguration
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(April
22, 2004)
Ensembles of the high school
band
and Madrigals performed at the inauguration of The Broadway
condominiums
last Friday.
Planting
of Tree In Honor of Nancy Sprague
Lends
Special Poignance to Arbor Day
(April 21, 2004)
The annual celebration of
Arbor
Day at George Mason took on special meaning this year as students and
teachers
assembled for the planting of a red bud tree in memory of Dr. Nancy
Sprague...
Cole
Cautions Citizens
On
Constitutional Rights
(April 2, 2004)
David Cole, a professor at
Georgetown
University and a correspondent for National Public Radio, gave a
lecture
to a full house at the Falls Church City Chamber of Commerce,
French,
Spanish Students Garner
Awards
at TJ Tournament
By Margaret Lipman (March
31,
2004)
Yet again proving their
linguistic
prowess, Masonites captured many honors in Thomas Jefferson High School
of Science and Technology’s Modern Foreign Language Tournament on
Saturday,
March 13th.
Seniors
Face Off against Faculty
In
Fundraising Game Tonight
By: Becky Roa (March 30,
2004)
The first annual staff versus
seniors
basketball game of the modern era will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. tonight in
the main gym.
Opus
Zero Shines at District Festival;
Madrigals
To Sing at Arlington Cemetery
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(March
28, 2004)
Opus Zero members received
superior
ratings from all judges at the VMEA District 10 Choral Festival, on
Saturday,
at Thomas Edison High School.
Signing
Workshop, Assembly Help
Students
Connect with Silence, Senses
By Margaret Lipman (March
19,
2004)
In a prelude to the afternoon
theatrical
production of Celebration of the Senses, Tim McCarty, president of
Quest:
Arts for Everyone and director of Celebration, worked with a group of
high
school students to explore the different ways of interpreting language
and poetry.
Ad
Fontes Certamen
Latin
I Team Takes 6th Place
(March 19, 2004)
Despite arriving shorthanded,
the
first-year Latin I team...
Student
Parking to be Senior-Only
Once
MS Construction Begins
By Stephen Twentyman (March
16,
2004)
Beginning after spring break,
juniors
and sophomores will no longer be allowed to park on campus once
construction
on the new middle school begins in the near future on the approximate
site
of the tennis courts.
Robotics
Team Earns Rookie
Award
at Prestigious Competition
By Omar Tanamly (March 12,
2004)
After roughly six weeks of
intense
preparation, the George Mason Robotics Team received the Rookie All
Star
Trophy at last weekend’s FIRST Robotics Tournament at Virginia
Commonwealth
University, in their first year of competition.
International
Dinner
International
Club Donates Money
To
Refugee Committee
Rabita Aziz (March 12, 2004)
The International Club donated
$475
to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that donates
money
to displaced persons around the world to buy food, clothes, furniture,
and other supplies, at its annual International Dinner last week.
District
10 Festival
Band
Racks Up Perfect Scores
While
Playing More Difficult Pieces
In Excitement, Webster
Loses
Her Baton
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(March
9, 2004)
The high school band, made up
of
78 instrumentalists, received superior ratings at the District 10
Festival
on Friday, at West Potomac High School.
Scholastic
Bowl Team Second at States;
Stumbles
in It’s Academic
By Chris Varouxis and
Stephen
Twentyman (March 3, 2004)
The Scholastic Bowl team
narrowly
missed the three-peat on Saturday, losing in sudden-death overtime in
the
state finals to Eastern Montgomery, 200-190.
Clinicians
Tweak the Sounds,
Aid
Band for Upcoming Festival
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(February
27, 2004)
Three band clinicians came to
help
the Concert Band for a total of six hours this week in preparation for
the upcoming District X Band Festival at West Potomac High School next
Friday.
Robotics
Team Sends Robot
To
VCU Tournament
February 27, 2004
Subtract
1, Add 2
Students
Experience Changes
In
Math Department
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(February
25, 2004)
Approximately 90 students in
four
classes have been introduced to different math teachers over the past
two
weeks ...
Superintendent
Shaw Discusses Why
She’s
Retiring Now After 34 Years
By Stephen Twentyman,
Rabita
Aziz, and Omar Tanamly (February 21, 2004)
"I never planned on it,"
Superintendent
Mary Ellen Shaw explained to the Lasso Online staff when asked about
her
34-year career in Falls Church City Schools that seemed to lead from
one
promotion and position to another.
Spring
Musical
The
Show Must Go
On: Bye Bye Birdie
To
Open as Scheduled
By Stephen Twentyman and Rabita Aziz (February 18, 2004)
In spite of some of the most severe challenges in its history, the
drama department has resolved that the show must go on.
15-0
Scholastic Bowl Team Wins Districts,
To
Compete at Regionals Feb. 14
By Stephen Twentyman
(February
12, 2004)
The indomitable George Mason
Scholastic
Bowl team completed yet another undefeated season with a formidable
performance
at the Bull Run District competition, which took place at Clarke County
High School on January 31.
Masonites
Bounce Back
During
Rebound Week
(February 12, 2004)
Masonites have been trying to
bounce
back from a week of strenuous exams during Rebound Week that is going
on
now following the delays caused by long snow closings and late openings.
Chinese
Educators Tour Mason to Learn
About
IB and Other Programs
(January 27, 2004)
In order to promote
internationalism,
George Mason recently played host to a contingent of administrators and
other representatives of Chinese schools. Two vice principals and a
vice
supervisor and their entourage toured Mason with two student
translators,
Kevin Zhou and Weina Xuan.
Robotics
Competition
GMHS
Squad Makes Ready for
FIRST
Robotics Competition
By Omar Tanamly (January
25,
2004)
The Science Club participants
in
the famed FIRST Robotics Competition have collected their supplies, and
have begun steady preparation for the annual March tournament.
As
Tests Begin Tomorrow
Poll
Shows Mixed Results on
Exam-Induced
Stress
By Nana Saynieva and
Margaret
Lipman (January 22, 2004)
Masonites often face tension,
numerous
commitments, deprivation of time and sleep, and academic pressures.
Just
how much do the end-of-semester exams factor into all of this?
Dead
Language Coming Alive?
Latin
Students Do Well in Contests
By Rabita Aziz (January 18,
2004)
Carpe Diem. This
two-word
phrase is one of the most well known in the world, and yet is a part of
a famous language that is spoken only in thousands of classrooms
throughout
the world as a foreign language.
Robotics
Competition
Community
Comes Together,
Raises
$5,000 for Science Club
By Omar Tanamly and Stephen
Twentyman
(January 9, 2004)
In the past few weeks, the
Falls
Church community has come together, supplying the Science Club with the
$5000 in fundraising it needed for the 2004 FIRST Robotics Competition
at DCU in Richmond tomorrow. FIRST is an acronym for "For Inspiration
and
Recognition of Science and Technology."
International
Baccalaureate
Graduates
Finally Receive Rewards
After
Working Hard for Two Years
By Rabita Aziz (January 8,
2004)
Of the 22 George Mason
graduates
of the class of 2003 who earned the International Baccalaureate Diploma
for their two years of hard work, 17 showed up to receive their
diplomas
and medals at the annual awards ceremony Tuesday night.
Hallway
Caroling Caps Busy Two
Weeks
for Performing Arts Department
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(December
20, 2003)
Wearing reindeer antlers, red
noses,
and elf hats, a spirited band of carolers directed by Frank Marino
entertained
students and teachers in the hallways this afternoon with rousing
renditions
of seasonal tunes.
64
in All
Marino
Announces ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ Cast
December 3, 2003
Following days of spirited
auditions
and call-backs, director Frank Marino announced the cast for the spring
musical Bye, Bye Birdie this morning.
Junior
Variety Show
Artists,
Musicians Tune Up for
A
Jamming Night to Remember
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(December
3, 2003)
The JV Show will take off with
18
acts which include vocal duos, piano solos, dance numbers, comedy acts,
and even a juggling act this Thursday and Friday nights at 7:30 in the
auditorium.
Lasso
Online Survey
Poll
Shows Discrepancy between Students,
Teachers
over Short Wednesdays
Majority of Older Students
Prefer
Early Dismissal;
Teachers Narrowly Prefer
Late
Arrival
By Jamie Dodson ( November
20,
2003)
Students and teachers differ
in
their opinions about "late arrival" Wednesdays,...
NHS
Inducts 32 New Members
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(November
19, 2003)
Thirty-two students were
inducted
into the National Honor Society at the traditional candle lighting
ceremony
Monday night, in the cafeteria.
‘La
Vie Est Belle’
French
Visitors Give Falls Church High Marks
By Camille
Christophel
(November 10, 2003) Updated November 11, 2003 (Article in French)
From October 16 to the 29th,
18 students from Toulouse, France, visited George Mason, living with
their
host families, attending classes, shopping at malls, and visiting
museums.
In March, the French students will return the favor as Masonites will
visit
Toulouse. Lasso Online reporter and foreign exchange student Camille
Christophel,
herself from France, accompanied the guests during their exchange and
filed
this diary of observations.
3
Named Best Actors
‘Beggars’
Opera’ Players Take 2nd;
Head
to Regionals Nov. 21
By Matthew Meyer (November
10,
2003)
Mason’s vagabonds of Beggars’
Opera earned second place at the District One-Act Play Competition
at Madison County last Tuesday.
SRO Steve Rau
Back at
Mason
After 9-Month
Military
Stint
By Rabita Aziz (November 7, 2003)
"I’m back. It’s like I never left," said school resource officer Steve
Rau after his return to Falls Church following a nine-month deployment
with the military that interrupted his job here at Mason and his
family.
Bond
Referendum Passes in Landslide;
New
Middle School to Be Reality
By Stephen Twentyman (Nov.
7,
2003)
Well over 2,000 Falls Church
residents
voted on Tuesday to approve the bond referendum allowing the City to
borrow
$25 million to construct a new middle school on the site of the current
tennis courts on the George Mason High School campus.
Dr.
Nancy
Sprague Dies Unexpectedly
City
Mourns Loss of 'Superb Educator'
By Michael Hoover (November
3,
2003)
Dr. Nancy Sprague, longtime
City
resident and a pillar of the Falls Church City School system for 20
years
from 1970 to 1990, died peacefully in her sleep Friday night at her
home
in Falls Church.
Homecoming
2003
Glittery
Dance, Winning Game Draw
End
to Successful Spirit Week
By Stephen Twentyman
(October
30, 2003)
The seniors once again won the
annual
Homecoming Spirit Week competition, which concluded this weekend with
the
Homecoming Dance and football game.
Model
United Nations
12
Masonites Represent Security Council
At
Pan Am Health Organization
By Rabita Aziz (October 25,
2003)
Twelve George Mason students
took
part in one of the many activities of National United Nations Week when
they traveled to the Pan American Health Organization building in
Washington,
DC for an United Nations simulation last Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Homecoming
2003
Competition
Keen as Classes Compete;
‘Red
Carpet’ Theme for Dance
By Andrea Genovese Soares
and
Stephen Twentyman (October 24, 2003)
The senior class currently
holds
a slim lead over the sophomores as spirit week draws to a close, with
800
and 675 points respectively, followed by the freshmen (650), juniors
(500),
and faculty (350).
82
Donors Participate
Seniors
Collect 68 Pints of Blood
By Stephen Twentyman (Oct.
22,
2003)
Eighty-two members of the
Falls
Church community gave 68 pints of blood, a full eight over INOVA Blood
Donor Services’ projection of 60, at the Northern Virginia Grad Center
on Friday.
Who
Dunnit?
Christie’s
‘Murder on the Nile’
Opens
Tonight at 7:30
By Matt Meyer (October 16,
2003)
Who dunnit? Well, I know dis,
a
han’ full of misters and misses are droppin’ like flies. How adept are
you at figuring out who’s makin’ them gone missing?
16th
Annual Conference
MUN
Hosts Nearly 400 Delegates
By Arya Namboodiri (October
11,
2003)
George Mason hosted its 16th
annual Model United Nations conference this past Saturday. The
conference,
which included almost 400 students from 13 different schools across
Northern
Virginia, was one of the largest ever organized by George Mason.
Supt.
Shaw Discusses Bond Referendum,
Overcrowding,
New Middle School
By Stephen Twentyman
(October
7, 2003)
"For a long time, people
thought
[the population boom] would stop," Falls Church Superintendent of
Schools
Mary Ellen Shaw said in a recent interview with the journalism at
George
Mason.. "Well, it hasn’t. It’s just gotten bigger and bigger and
bigger."
George
Mason Students Experience
First-Ever
Lockdown
By Lasso Online Staff
(October
6, 2003)
At precisely 2:42 p.m. today,
George
Mason Middle School and High School students went into their first real
lockdown as police both on the ground and in a helicopter searched for
a suspect in a car theft who may have entered the school building.
International
Club
Exotic
Foods Flavor Back-to School Night
By Rabita Aziz (September
29,
2003)
Students, teachers and parents
attending
the annual back-to-school night, enjoyed international cuisine for the
unbelievably low price of $3.00 per bowl, last Wed.
Hurricane
Isabel Storms Falls Church;
Closes
Schools Early
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(September
24, 2003)
Forcing the school system to
use
two of its four inclement weather days earlier than ever, hurricane
Isabel
stormed through Falls Church last Thursday and brought with it loss of
power, boiling water advisories, flooding, destruction of trees and
homes,
and, later, ironically, a beautiful weekend.
The
Year Begins
Trailers,
Rockin’ Teachers
Greet
Returning Students
By Andrea Genovese Soares
(September
5, 2003)
As the school system begins
the
wait for the November decision on the bond referendum for the new
middle
school, George Mason welcomed 620 students, including 40+ new students,
10 new professional and two new members of the support staff, for the
first
day of school Tuesday, Sept. 2.
