In This Issue A Summer Full of History college, this project was both a way to enjoy

By Matthew Baker the physical adventure of archaeology and to be

• A Summer Full of
History, pg. 1 Some George Mason (Mason) students spent
their summer vacations relaxing on the beach,
• A Summer to
Remember, pg. 2 singing campfire songs at summer camp, or even
working shifts at a summer job. However, there
• Mason Welcomes
New IBH English were three Mason seniors who found awesome
Teacher, pg. 2 ways to enjoy their summer while following
their passions for continued learning in their
• This is Not Gossip
favorite subject—history.
Girl, pg. 3
• The Beginning, pg. 3 Synneva Elthon was
overjoyed when
• Numbers Say it All,
pg. 4 her IB History of
the Americas teach-
• Contributors, pg. 5 er, Mrs. Chincheck
helped her find an
out of the ordinary
summer opportu-
nity at one of the most historically acclaimed
houses in Virginia—Mount Vernon. When it
was decided to reconstruct George Washington’s
library on his Mount Vernon grounds, Synneva
was chosen to carry out an archaeological dig,
while ensuring that no “historical treasures”
were destroyed in constructing the library. This
thorough project involved hands-on archaeo-
logical experience that lasted the entire sum-
mer. From right after school ended, to the final
day of August, Synneva worked at the Mount
Vernon archaeological site three days a week.
Throughout the delicate process, Synneva and
others found antique bits of coal, brick, wine
bottle parts, china, and even fragments of bone.
To Synneva, who aspires to major in history in
a part of the ongoing history of our first Presi-
dent’s home.
While Synneva stayed in historic Virginia, senior
Jade Womack spend her summer at the Univer-
sity of Chicago where she participated in a class
in the Urban Studies Department. Jade was one
of only 14 high school students accepted out
of 400 applicants who got the opportunity to
take this class that covered topics ranging from
racial conflicts in Chicago to urban planning and
the social aspects of how cities form. The class
structure was similar to that of an undergrad-
uate-level college class with nightly homework
and reading assignment of 100 pages or more.
Despite the heavy workload, Jade felt incredibly
well prepared in relation to other students in
attendance, thanks to Mrs. Chincheck’s IB His-
tory class and other IB classes at Mason. Some
of the key class events at this program included
visiting Stephan Douglas’s grave, discussing the
Haymarket Riot and the Pullman Strikes, and
even taking a trip to Florence Kelly’s Hull House.
After the homework and class trips, the class
had discussions and debates about the statistics
and effects of urban aspects on history. Overall,
Jade felt that this program was a wonderful way
to explore her passion for history in a city filled
with stories. (Adapted from a letter written by
Jade Womack)
Another Mason student who decided to pursue
an extraordinary history program over the
summer was senior Emily Dockery. When her IB
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 (A Summer Full of History, continued)
History teacher, Mrs. Chincheck presented the
opportunity to apply for a scholarship to attend
the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College,
Emily jumped at the chance. As part of the
application, Emily submitted an essay on the
battle of Antietam that she had written in her
IB History class. At the end of the school year,
she was awarded the scholarship. The last week
in June, Emily travelled to Gettysburg College
where she and other students stayed in the col-
lege’s dorms. The week long program included
two to three history lectures a day with civil
war historians, trips to Gettysburg battlefield
and Ford’s Theater, and even the opportunity to
meet the acclaimed historian Edward Bearass,
the former Chief Historian of the National Park
Service. Like Synneva, Emily aspires to major
in history in college, and while it may not be a
Civil War focus, she greatly enjoyed her summer
learning experience at Gettysburg College.
As demonstrated, opportunities arise for IB
students every single day, even in the summer;
and passion and determination, along with a
little help from great IB teachers, can get you
anywhere.
A Summer to Remember
Crawford Taylor goes Above and
Beyond for CAS
By Jessica Lim and Hannah Walker
IB Diploma candidates are required to continue
their Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) activi-
ties over the summer, but many George Mason
students don’t just do CAS activities for the sake
of doing it; they go above and beyond. Crawford
Taylor, a current senior of the class of 2011, is
just one of those students.
This summer,
Crawford spent
four weeks in
Indonesia where
he worked on
various service
projects in Jakarta
and Padang, lucky
enough to travel there thanks to an extremely
generous family friend. During his trip, Crawford
taught English, helped with medical examina-
tions in prisons and distributed food to those in
need, in addition to helping out with whatever
else was necessary. In Padang, Crawford not
only served the people there, but he took a cre-
ative approach and helped to teach origami as
well as taking part in constructing a new school
there.
Crawford got to experience what it was like to
live in another country and learned from it,
“There’s a lot of poverty in Jakarta and it was
quite shocking. Thankfully, I was able to work
with people trying to remedy the vast gap in the
distribution of wealth,” he said.
A unique way of fulfilling CAS, Crawford Taylor
not only had a great experience over the sum-
mer but learned lessons of a life time; an accom-
plishment many would be lucky to follow.
Mason Welcomes New IBH
English Teacher!
By Mollie Breen
For the 2010-
2011 school year,
George Mason
High Schools (Ma-
son) welcomes
new IBH English
teacher, Melissa
Raeder. Although she is new this year to Mason,
Mrs. Raeder is not new to teaching. She actually
worked as an eleventh grade English teacher
right here at George Mason for seven years be-
fore she got a job at Madeira, an all-girls private
school, where she taught ninth grade English
and senior electives for two years.
When she first heard of the IB program her
initial reaction was appreciative. She likes
“the concepts IB is built around and that it
extends critical thinking.” However, as with
many teachers here at George Mason, she is
also “concerned that there is too much work
for students.” Nonetheless, Mrs. Raeder does
her best to balance a regular curriculum with IB
standards.
When asked to compare her experiences be-
tween teaching a ninth grade English class and
(New IBH English Teacher, continued next page) 2
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an IB English class, Mrs. Raeder most profoundly
noticed that in IB classes students are given
more responsibility in discussions and choice in
work. Moreover, IB teachers themselves have
more liberty when choosing texts and if ap-
propriate, the freedom to choose a text that is
controversial; a freedom she would not have if
she did not belong to the IB program.
As always, when a fresh face arrives at Mason
he or she also brings something to add to the
community, as well as ideas of how to bet-
ter a program. In Mrs. Raeder’s experience
at a private school, she noticed the difference
in teaching smaller classes averaging nine to
ten people, pointing out that it led to more
student-to-teacher contact that benefitted both
a student’s and teacher’s relationship and the
class as a whole. Also, she adds that shorter
classes provide students with an incentive to fo-
cus more intensely for a shorter period of time,
rather than sitting through a longer class.
Mrs. Raeder is a great addition to the Mason
faculty and thus, to the IBH English teachers. We
look forward to a great year!
This is Not Gossip Girl!
False Rumors and Misconceptions
About IB
By Matthew Irvine and Alex Valentino
At the end of each
school year, mem-
bers of the sopho-
more class have
the opportunity to
become IB Diploma
candidates. Many
misconceptions
about the program
are formed in the
minds of students, but some other false as-
sumptions are not immediately evident. One of
the least apparent but most important of these
false assumptions is that to be an IB Diploma
candidate, one must be a straight-“A” student.
In reality, students can and will be successful in
the IB Diploma Program even without having
perfect grades. Although IB classes are challeng-
ing, they are not impossible; with hard work
and good time management skills, a dedicated
student will do fine as an IB Diploma candidate.
In addition, another misconception about
what is required as part of being an IB Diploma
candidate, is the amount of time required for
each of the three parts of CAS, and that a log of
every activity that the student participates in is
required in order to counts as CAS. This is false.
In reality, although there are set minimums for
how much time you must spend doing each
part of CAS, there is no need to keep a time log
of these activities. This is because CAS activi-
ties must extend over a lengthy period of time
and require a firm and clear dedication, such as
working on a service project, playing an active
role in a club, or participating in a Mason sport.
As long as it is clear that one is participating
actively in all parts of CAS, students are satisfy-
ing their CAS requirements and there is no need
for a time log.
Although stress and anticipation are normal for
rising juniors, Mr. Misra and current IB students
are eager to address questions and clear up
misconceptions about the program.
The Beginning
Students Start CAS
By Lia Cattaneo
This year’s junior class is excited to embark on
their IB Diploma journeys. Creativity, Action,
and Service (CAS) plays a major role in the
development of IB world thinkers and juniors
Claire Constance, Ze’ev Lailari, and Danny
Seidita have already begun working on their CAS
projects.
A few days ago, I received a letter in the mail
from Claire, asking me to support her in reaching
her CAS goals. Incorporating both Action
and Service, Claire’s project also addresses
many of the smaller learning objectives of
CAS. Through her participation, Claire hopes
to increase awareness and support for Falls
Church’s sister city in Democratic Republic of
Congo, Kokolopori, by running in the Sister
Cities International 5K Race for World Peace.
She would like members of the community
to sponsor her in her endeavor, and all of the
(The Beginning continued, next page) 3
 (The Beginning, continued)
money will
go to pay for
a doctor’s
salary. Clear
cut goals are
an important
aspect of CAS,
and Claire
hopes to raise $5,000 for her cause as well as
challenge herself to get a fast time in the race.
After running the race in October, Claire says
she will continue to work as a liaison between
George Mason and the Sister City Foundation.
Ze’ev Lailari and Danny Seidita were inspired
during their IBHL English class to find a way for
Mason students to participate in rhetoric, an
important and rapidly growing field. Together,
Ze’ev and Danny came up with the idea to start
a Rhetoric Club. In order to expand the scope
of their club, they have decided to register
with the Virginia Speech and Debate club. If
anyone is interested in joining Ze’ev and Danny,
they would be ecstatic to have new members
who are willing to engage them in speech and
debate. If you are interested in joining the
Rhetoric Club, please contact Danny or Ze’ve for
more information.
As can be seen, Claire, Ze’ev and Danny have
already gotten a good head start on their
projects and with the help of teachers and
friends, so can everyone else.
The Numbers Say It All
Review of a Survey on the Extended
Essay
By Gemma Seidita
For many diploma candidates, the Extended
Essay is one of the most exciting, but also most
stressful components required for attaining an
IB Diploma. On one hand, the Extended Essay
allows students to thoroughly explore topics
they are interested in, outside the constraints
of what may or may not fall into their day-to-
day curriculum. However, on the other, a 4,000
word research paper is a 4,000 word research
paper and completing that on top of regular
IB coursework, college applications, and other
activities outside of school is definitely no easy
feat.
There is hope. I compiled a survey and learned
that roughly one-third of the diploma candidates
completed the process of writing the Extended
Essay (EE) rough draft, and despite all of the
Facebook statuses equating the EE to (insert
a bunch of bad stuff here), the majority of the
responses to the survey about the EE were very
positive. Instead of an in-depth analysis of the
survey in its entirety, I thought the most striking
components were the numerical data and the
comments about the overall experience of
writing the paper.
In terms of raw numbers, the number of hours
spent researching and writing were collected
and the data was fairly spread out, which
isn’t surprising considering the subject areas
surveyed ranged from physics, math, English,
Spanish, French, history, theatre and psychology.
For the number of hours spent researching,
the most common amount of time spent
researching was between 15 and 25 hours,
earning 50 percent, while the least common
amounts of time were less than 15 hours and
more than 40 hours, which each earned 8.3
percent of the vote. Once it actually came time
to write the essay, 33.3 percent of the students
surveyed wrote for 5-10 hours and 15-20 hours,
respectively. Fortunately, none of the student
surveyed spent over 20 hours writing the rough
draft of the EE.
When asked to
rate the overall
experience of
writing the EE,
on a scale of
1 to 10 (with
10 being an
absolutely
valuable experience and 1 being a worthless
experience), 75 percent of the students
surveyed gave the EE a rating of 7 or above,
with 8 being the most common rating. Many
candidates wrote that the EE gave them the
opportunity to explore something they were
very interested in and receive credit, and that
the sense of accomplishment they felt after
completing the first draft made the process
feel like it was well worth it. The candidates
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also offered some advice, naturally the most

common piece being “don’t procrastinate!”;
and after being asked what they wish they had
done differently, almost all of the candidates
mentioned starting research sooner, or even
finishing it by junior year, making an organized
outline, reading the rubric, finishing research
before starting the paper, and being sure to
cite everything while writing the paper. There
is no doubt tha the EE is a taxing and difficult
endeavor, but in the end it is also an incredibly
valuable and rewarding experience, just wait
and see.

Contributors
Editor-in-Chief/Layout and Design
• Elle Silverman

Student Editors
• Rosalyn Kaddache
• Gemma Seidita

IB Board Members & Contributing Writers

Seniors
• Matthew Baker
• Mollie Breen
• Rosalyn Kaddache
• Jessica Lim
• Gemma Seidita
• Elle Silverman
• Hannah Walker
• Elizabeth Womack
Juniors
• Lia Cattaneo
• Chris Earman
• Matthew Irvine
• Michael Irvine
• Alex Valentino
For more information, questions, or comments,
please contact Mr. Asheesh Misra, IB
Coordinator at: misraa@fccps.org