In This Issue at American labor unions from every possible

IB Teacher of the Year angle. We started off by going over the notes
• IB Teacher of the By: Jessica Lim and Hannah Walker that we had been assigned for homework the
Year, pg. 1 previous class. Mrs. Chincheck clarified any grey
The IB Student Advisory Board will recognize an areas or questions that we had about the Ameri-
• Advice for Rising
Seniors, pg. 2 IB Teacher each school year as the George can Federation of Labor (AFL), the Industrial
Mason IB Teacher of the Year. This year’s Workers of the World (IWW) or Knights of Labor.
• IB College Credit and We then dove into the discussion of company
SB 209, pg. 3 teacher is highlighted for her dedication to the IB
program and to her students. Our first recipi- towns to transition into the film “Matewan”
• Sophomores Rise to ent of the IB Teacher of the Year Award is the depicting the lives of coal miners who were
the Challenge, pg. 3 indirectly controlled by the mining corporation
IB History of the Americas teacher, Mrs. Tammy
Chincheck and the development of a labor union there. We
• Meaningful Volun-
teer Experience in were asked to take notes on the film as one of
Peru, pg. 4 Mrs. Tammy Mrs. Chincheck’s most notable teaching method
Chincheck is one is to use as many primary and secondary sources
• Cool CAS Reaching
Beyond the Norm, of kind. I realized to give her students a holistic look at history.
pg. 5 that the moment Therefore, we never get bogged down on “what
I walked into my the textbook says”, but rather we are encour-
• Contributors, pg. 5
first IB History aged to make our own conclusions from an array
of the Americas of perspectives. This “world-view” and broad
class and saw her approach are exactly what the IB program at-
bright red cow- tempts to instill on its students. While watching
boy boots and her the movie, Mrs. Chincheck also passed around
feathery hair. But it wasn’t just her unique style an authentic piece of company script, a token
that stood out to me, it was her one-of-a-kind used as currency in the company towns that was
teaching approach. With the voting of the IB given to her by a previous student. For me, it
Board as well as the overall high opinion of her was enthralling to hold a real piece of history in
as an IB teacher, the recently nominated Agnes my hands and it brought another dimension to
Meyer instructor has been awarded as the very my knowledge of the time period.
first IB Teacher of the Year Award.
Mrs. Chincheck’s ability to hunt down these
A typical block inside the four walls of Mrs. artifacts, articles and primary sources demon-
Chincheck’s classroom involves a mix of re- strates the exact enthusiasm that is needed for
viewing notes, analyzing primary sources and an IB teacher. After being drained by my morn-
participating in lively discussions. One chip- ing blocks and the drama of that day’s lunch,
per afternoon, we spent 100 minutes looking it’s reassuring to know that the instant I enter
(IB Teacher of the Year, continued next page) 1
 (IB Teacher of the Year, continued)
her classroom, she will provide a never-ending
eagerness of the topic we discuss. This nonstop
energy transfers to me and inspires me to find
out more information or question the knowl-
edge that I’ve already learned. For example, we
recently covered the Populist party in America,
and when Mrs. Chincheck began to describe The
Wizard of Oz being propaganda for the party,
I was honestly entranced by the metaphors
that the book possessed. One metaphor, about
the link between Dorothy’s silver shoes (yes,
they were silver in the book) and the yellow
brick road as a positive outlook on bimetallism,
was truly inspiring (almost like the day I found
out Animal Farm had a direct correlation with
the Russian Revolution). I have never found a
teacher so dedicated no only to history but also
to her student’s learning.
Mrs. Chincheck’s dedication is shown by the
fact that she always plans different ways that
students can learn about history while having
fun. This year we got to go to Gettysburg after
finishing our Civil War unit and were able to
experience and learn more about the Civil War
while standing on one of the most important
battle fields of the war. Also, this year we went
to Ford’s Theater to watch the Lincoln- Douglas
debates. These debates helped students under-
stand the issues surrounding the Civil War and
the personas of both Abraham Lincoln and Ste-
phen Douglas. Mrs. Chincheck always finds ways
to teach students in interactive ways. In addi-
tion, her love for teaching and helping students
is shown everyday when she comes early in the
morning, long before school starts to meet with
students that have any questions or concerns
about the unit we are learning. She is constantly
willing to help students who ask for it.
Mrs. Chincheck is an irreplaceable teacher and
has influenced students of George Mason for
many years. Sam Butler, (a junior) said, “Mrs.
Chincheck’s enthusiasm for teaching and ex-
panse knowledge of history has left on me an
imprint that I will never forget”. Due to her hard
work, enthusiasm for history and love of teach-
ing, we would like to thank Mrs. Chincheck for
being a one of a kind teacher.
Advice for Rising Seniors
By Jonathan Ross
Dear rising seniors whom happen to be IB
Diploma candidates,
This is a message from a senior about to
graduate, who
has gone through
the program. I
hope everyone is
excited for summer
and ready to go
through their final
year of high school
with a bang! I cer-
tainly found my se-
nior year to be so, in that I did so many activities
and things I would never have thought possible.
These included taking part in the school play
and participating in Scholastic Bowl tourna-
ments. Anyway, here are a few tips to help you
in that ever great and stressful senior year:
• Do the extended essay over the summer: I
know there is a temptation after the stress-
es of junior year to just sit down and relax
by the pool all the summer long or to go on
a vacation, and simply leave the extended
essay to the beginning of senior year. Don’t
fall into that temptation! Next year there
will be plenty of Internal Assessments and
College Essays to keep you busy until 5:00 in
the morning. With sports and all, how will
you have time to do your extended essay
without dying of stress and overwork?
• Try to avoid doing things the last night: I
know this might be hard for some people
with workloads from a variety of classes
and activities, but try to avoid writing essays
the night before they are due. If you write
up your essay a week before it is due, you
will avoid bringing stress upon yourself that
will lead you to be happier with your life
and in turn you will write a better quality
assignment with less pressure on yourself.
• Do college essays on holidays and week-
ends: your college essays are going to be
some of the most important pieces of mate-
(Advice for Rising Seniors, continued next page) 2
 (Advice for Rising Seniors, continued)
rial that you will be writing in you school
careers. It is best to write them when you
will have plenty of time to work on them,
remember to edit them.
• Use CAS for that which you have a pas-
sion: I know some of you will be tempted
to do activities for college resumes or to
fulfill CAS requirements. Don’t fall into that
temptation and cause yourselves more an-
noyances from things other than the school
workload. Try to use CAS activities as ways
for yourselves to take breaks from school
and pursue things you are interested in.
These are my final pieces of advice, my rising
seniors. Learn them well and apply them to your
life and you will be happy in your senior year.
From a graduating senior
IB College Credit and SB 209
By Samuel Waters and Rosalyn Kaddache
One of the big questions that GMHS IB students
consistently
ask, “Will I
get college
credit for
the IB
courses
that I am
taking in
High School?” A justified question, since most
of us need to ask it as college is right around
the corner. As the class Theory of Knowledge
has taught us, the answer is often “it depends.”
If a student is taking an IB Higher Level class (a
two-year program) then the student will most
likely have an opportunity to receive college
credit from all public universities in the state of
Virginia. However, the amount of credit hours
granted for a Higher Level class is often the
same amount that AP students receive for their
one year classes. IB is a smaller program and
colleges have not taken the time to update their
very outdated policies over the years. Despite
the many college admissions officers that do
know the IB program well and say they recruit
IB students as eagerly as they do AP students,
they are not the ones who make decisions
regarding course credit policy; college academic
departments do. Few professors appear to
know much about IB or AP, so they typically
fall back on rules instituted years ago. To boost
their argument for credit, IB educators in the
Washington region cite a November study from
the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham
Institute. After asking experts to compare
AP and IB English, math, biology and history
courses, the study concluded that one-year IB
and AP courses were about the same in content
and rigor. However, most students still weren’t
receiving the same amount of credit as AP
students simply because the colleges did not
know enough about the IB program.
To attempt to fix this growing problem, Senate
Bill 209 was introduced and eventually passed
despite much debate. This bill “requires the
governing boards of each public institution
of higher education to implement policies
regarding the granting of credit for International
Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses.
The governing boards must report to the State
Council of Higher Education for Virginia the
policy adopted and implemented, and make the
policy available on the institution’s website” (VA
Legislation Website). Put more simply, every
college in the state of Virginia must now have
parity in their college credit policies for IB and
AP. Through passing of SB 209, the IB Program
has not just taken a step, but a leaping bound in
its growth and expansion in US schools.
Sophomores Rise to the
Challenge
By Mollie Breen and Elizabeth Womack
Getting the white registration form and deciding
your future at George Mason can sometimes
be intimidating, especially when you’re a
sophomore. This past month, students filled out
and turned in their class registration forms for
the next school year. After meetings with Mr.
Misra in their English class, the TLC, and in his
office, many sophomores chose the IB Diploma
path. The IB Diploma is the most rigorous
academic opportunity that Mason offers. Yet
what inspired these students to pursue the IB
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 (Sophomores Rising, continued)
Diploma, receive certificates, or even take IB
classes in the first place?
Looking at
responses
of the
rising
junior
class, we
found
that many
are excited to learn more and work hard in IB
classes. Andrew Finein even stated that he is
looking forward to IB SL English because “I feel
like CP English was too easy this year and I want
the harder work.”
While many are aware of the additional work
load that comes with IB classes, students are
willing to take the challenge, as Maria De Fatima
Rivas puts it, “I am taking IB classes because I
know it will help me in the future.” As Mr. Misra
has said in past speeches, the IB Diploma is an
internationally accepted high school diploma
and is recognized all over the globe. Therefore, if
sophomores wish to study abroad in the future,
they’ll be well prepared.
Overall, although the sophomores might be
anxious about the increased academia to come,
many we talked to seemed eager to take on the
challenge.
Meaningful Volunteer Experience
in Peru
By Courtney Ready
As a requirement for receiving the IB Diploma,
candidates must successfully participate in
extra curricular activities that involve creativity,
action and service. Although all of us are
enthusiastically engaged in activities ranging
from theatre and politics to basketball and
robotics, it is not often that we are able to travel
to other countries and apply the skills that we
have learned from our classes and community
to make the world a better place.
This summer, I was fortunate enough to be given
the opportunity to venture into the heartland
of Peru to participate in an international
community service project with three of my
fellow classmates. Living in Cuzco, the ancient
capital of the great Incan empire, Samuel
Atkeson, Grace Kuipers, Nick Kuipers, and I
volunteered for five weeks with Bruce Peru.
Bruce Peru is a nonprofit organization located
in eight different South American countries that
works to educate and empower some of the
world’s poorest children. The Cuzco branch that
we worked in focused on educating children
living in the barrios around Cuzco whose
families did not have the funds to pay the fee
to enter their children into the national public
schools. Every morning for almost a month, we
traveled to one of two one-room schoolhouses
to teach these children how to read, write and
do math. Not only did we have to overcome
the challenge of teaching in Spanish, we also
came face to face with the reality of public
education in developing nations. Although the
schoolhouses were run by the organization, they
had poor-lighting, dirt floors, and were located
in the low-income barrios surrounding the city.
Furthermore, the children we worked with had
close to nothing. Many came from families with
troubled parents
or single mothers
who could barely
afford to send
their children
to a free school
for three hours
a day because
they needed the
extra hands to
work. The sharp contrast between the limited
opportunities of those children and the plentiful
opportunities offered in the Falls Church Public
School system really put into direct perspective
how lucky we are to have access to such high
quality education. As Grace Kuipers stated of her
experience volunteering in Peru, “It was a great
learning experience and a really engaging way to
experience a country. Enmeshing myself not just
in the culture but in the societal problems of a
country provided for an interesting way to spend
five weeks as well as a desire for social justice
that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Although our experience volunteering in Cuzco
was cut short by a national order to close all
public schools due to the threat of swine flu,
(Volunteer Experience continued, next page) 4
 (Volunteer Experience, continued)
the time that we spent building relationships
with the people and children of Cuzco was an
irreplaceable experience. Not only did it truly
open our eyes to the problems that we face
in our global community, it definitely gave us
a sense of social responsibility that we will
carry with us for the rest of our lives. This
sense of social responsibility is exactly what
the IB program strives to instill in its students
and it was though actively pursuing CAS in this
interactive way that we came to develop this
awareness.
Cool CAS: Reaching Beyond the
Norm
By Matt Baker
Creativity, Action, and Service are so much more
than just requirements that must be fulfilled to
receive the IB Diploma.
CAS is a way for us,
the George Mason IB
students, to exceed
in the extracurricular
activities that make us
the talented individuals
we are. We take pride
in the sports we play
to stay active, in the
musical and artistic
expressions that we
creatively mold, and
in the dedicated service we provide to others in
order to make our local and global communities
better places for everyone. However, the
true beauty of our three-letter acronym is its
diversity. Here are a few examples of ways that
students have embraced CAS to involve novel
experiences that follow their true passions.
When we were little, many of us dreamed of
becoming astronauts and lifting off into the
great beyond. This interest in space science
sparked several Mason students to take part in
the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology
Scholars (VASTS) program. Through this
“NASA-based science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics educational program”, high
school juniors in our state take an online course
that involves engaging in weekly modules
that imitate real life NASA scenarios. Creative
projects can include designing space shuttles
or solving real world mathematical and space-
related problems. A neat part of VASTS is
that it also allows students to discuss space-
related topics in online forums. Junior, Daniel
Drawbaugh enjoys the VASTS program because,
“I get to learn new things about NASA and
space exploration in a scholarly yet sociable
environment.”
In Music Share, students are engaging in both
Creativity and Service. Music Share was started
by Juniors, Danielle Agress and Sam Waters as a
way for musicians to bring music to people who
might not have the mobility to attend a concert.
This club, sponsored by Ms. Dean-Pratt, aims to
use charity performances to share music with
retirement homes and children’s hospitals. Their
next scheduled visit is to the Sunrise Retirement
home. According to Sam Waters, Music Share is
a great way for students to not only hone their
musical talents, but also to make a difference
in the world by giving the gift of music to those
who might not otherwise be able to attend a
concert.
Contributors
Editor-in-Chief/Layout and Design
• Elle Silverman
Student Editor
• Courtney Ready
Contributing Writers/IB Board Members
• Matt Baker
• Mollie Breen
• Micah Jasny
• Adeyianka Johnson-Bowman
• Rosalyn Kaddache
• Jessica Lim
• Mary Ma
• Courtney Ready
• Jon Ross
• Gemma Seidita
• Elle Silverman
• Hannah Walker
• Sam Waters
• Elizabeth Womack
For more information, questions, or comments,
please contact Mr. Asheesh Misra, IB
Coordinator at: misraa@fccps.org
Congratulations and good luck to
the Class of 2010!
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