The Pitch Online

Written by Ali Jawetz · May 20, 2012  

Dear Ali, I’m really afraid to graduate high school. Everyone is so excited to leave this suburban bubble and move on with their lives, but I’m legitimately worried about relationships changing with my best friends, being on my own in college and just not seeing some of these people ever... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · May 17, 2012  

Dear Ali, I was recently falsely accused of a crime. I was hanging out in a park, innocently eating ice cream with my friends, when a cop came. He accused us of trespassing. Apparently, this open public area, where everyone can play and enjoy the nice weather, “closes” at sunset, though... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · May 4, 2012  

The second annual Sweetlife Festival, put on by Sweetgreen, was full of energy this year. Unfortunately, the rain and the cold did affect the excitement of many viewers — the likelihood of leaving one’s personal cuddle corner in order to explore the food options or the different... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 31, 2012  

In a performance I saw last week of a local musical theater conservatory, which has programs for about 100 teens in Montgomery County, only one of them, a 10-year-old girl, was not white. In the last movie I saw, the black actors were in roles of specifically black characters, written with... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 23, 2012  

Normally, I am a huge advocate of this community, and I actually believe WJ is one of the best schools in the county. However, we are also the only school in the county that has been virally posting on “hsmemes.com,” which started out as innocent fun and has quickly turned into cyber bullying. Hsmemes.com... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 17, 2012  

At 10:30 a.m. on Tues. March 13, the final day for AP registration, in the middle of fourth period, there were already over 100 students lined up outside the kiosk into the student commons. By 10:45 a.m., there were about 200. By the time fourth period was actually supposed to end, at 10:53... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · February 16, 2012  

Dear Ali, I have a friend who I think is upset about something, but she doesn’t really want to open up to me. I try to just let her know that I’m here for her; however I think she might actually need help. I don’t know how to approach her about it, because she’d feel betrayed if I straight... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · February 15, 2012  

Dear Ali, I recently moved on from a job where, let’s face it, I was worshipped as a god. I was replaced by a “worthy” and “experienced” individual, let’s call her Bliss Maker. Now, Bliss is a lovely woman, but I’m pretty sure that the community does not accept her as they accepted... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · January 30, 2012  

WJ has never had a female SGA president in the past eight years. In addition, out of the three females who have been on the SGA in the past eight years, all three have held the position of secretary. Still, WJ at least has had female presidents of individual grades, and certainly has had female... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · January 17, 2012  

Book: The Hunger Games Though the first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins was published in 2008, the upcoming movie, to be released March 23, 2012, necessitates a book review. The novel follows the life of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl living in a futuristic dystopia... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · January 16, 2012  

Dear Ali, I’ve been in conflict with my father lately. He is rude and treats me poorly, treating me like a familiar friend rather than his son. However, if I come home 10 minutes after curfew or if I don’t call him at all hours telling him where I am, he goes on a belligerent tirade, yelling... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · December 21, 2011  

Dear Ali, I know it’s difficult to get into college. My parents repeatedly told me that there was no guarantee of getting accepted, and life’s unfair, so we’ll just see what happens, sweet pea. But now that I’ve gotten rejected from my Early Decision school, I have to say: it really... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · December 7, 2011  

Dear Ali, I just want to be out of high school. I don’t know how to get out of this funk, because I really haven’t been doing much of anything. My senioritis is getting out of hand now that I’ve submitted all my college applications, but I’ve also even stopped hanging out with... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 27, 2011  

The spirit was almost tangible. But so was everyone’s breath – the temperature at a crisp 34 degrees, tons of WJ students arrived bundled in black winter attire. The game had an impressive start – WJ Wildcat Noah Sheetz-Ziegel scored the first goal within the first two minutes of the... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 20, 2011  

Two thousand three was a great year for movies. From original action flicks like the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and The Italian Job to guilty-pleasure chick flicks like Uptown Girls, that year had a movie for everyone. I discovered the 2003 phenomenon when researching two particularly... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 18, 2011  

Dear Ali, I am in a pickle. Well actually, more like a triangle. I took a girl to homecoming, who likes me, but I like someone else. The person who I like is not very interested in me, but loves to play with my feelings. Both girls are friends with each other. I just want a chill girlfriend... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 3, 2011  

Dear Ali, I recently moved here from Virginia, and started as a sophomore at WJ. By sophomore year, most people already have their friend groups and it’s hard to find one that I fit into. I have tried talking to people and asking what they are doing after school, but it never seems to work... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · October 25, 2011  

WJ S*T*A*G*E’s new play, The Diary of Anne Frank, is in rehearsals now and will be shown on Nov. 11, 12, 18 and 19. The play chronicles the life of Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl at the time of Nazi-occupied Holland, from 1942-1944. The Frank family, along with another family (the Van Daans),... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · October 20, 2011  

If you haven’t heard the name Joon Pahk, you’re clearly not a Jeopardy fan, since he has won the game show for seven straight days last week. Joon finally ended his run on Wed. Oct. 12, losing to Katie Proctor, but he left with over $200,000 in winnings, earning him the 6th rank in all-time... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · September 26, 2011  

Dear Ali, I have problems with women.  Mostly, I don’t know how to articulate myself. First, there is a very smart sophomore girl, who I will call “Mary” for the purposes of this letter.  I have been stalking her since last year, and while I go out of my way to say hello to her in the... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · September 22, 2011  

Dear Ali, I have so much on my plate! I’m taking a lot of hard classes and I don’t know how to manage schoolwork and my social life! How do I balance my schedule? Sincerely, Trying to find balance ———– Dear Trying to find balance, That’s awesome that... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · September 14, 2011  

This is the first installment of Ali’s advice column for the Pitch online. Feel free to write in to eics.wjpitch@gmail.com to share your questions, concerns, embarrassing stories, or suggestions! Dear Ali, So there’s this boy who I really like, but he just considers me a friend. We’ve... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · June 1, 2011  

That final bell rings and you know you are free. Your last exam is over and you have an entire summer to look forward to. After going home, taking a nap and listening to “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper on repeat, it may take a while to realize that it is actually summertime.... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · May 23, 2011  

With the end of the year fast approaching, it’s important to set up a good playlist to last you through the warm summer nights and the long trips abroad. Creating season-based playlists is sort of a specialty of mine, because I believe the mood of your music combines with the mood... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · May 17, 2011  

*This article has been corrected since published. According to social studies resource teacher Ty Healey, the 2011 Maryland budget did not include the National, State, and Local Government (NSL) High School Assessment (HSA), so though it will still be administered this year, passing the exam... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · April 28, 2011  

*As seen in the April 28 print issue of The Pitch.  The jaws of life rip off the door of a white sedan, as senior Zach Hazlett and his sister, junior Hannah Hazlett, are dragged out of the car by uniformed fire rescue officers. A helicopter propeller beats the air overhead as it descends on... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 20, 2011  

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday Today is Friday, Friday… Tomorrow is Saturday And Sunday comes afterwards Sound familiar? Other than being the natural progression of time that we humans adhere too, these are lyrics to the recent internet sensation, Rebecca Black’s song “Friday.” Though... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 10, 2011  

Step aside, Mel, Nicholas, and Lindsay – there’s a new crazy celebrity in town. That’s right, Charlie Sheen has been dominating the news and entering a new crazy-town territory where no celebrity has gone before. If you haven’t been following the Life and Times of Charlie Sheen,... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · March 9, 2011  

The R-word. It’s derogatory, but not unheard of. Students may have had the urge to use it toward friends who are doing something ridiculous, or as an insult to someone who knocked into them in the hallway. However, the week of Feb. 28 was about repressing that urge: spreading the word... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · February 15, 2011  

You have just received your license. You are brimming with joy as you imagine finally getting to drive to school on your own. You will avoid the freezing walk to your overcrowded bus, on which the ride takes three times longer than it should due to multiple unnecessary stops. But then, there... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · January 20, 2011  

1) My Beautiful, Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West You knew this was coming. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 496,000 copies within its first week. According to HiphopDX.com, as of Jan. 2, the album has sold 882,000 copies. West truly outdoes himself with... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · January 5, 2011  

Tenure: if you’re familiar with the term, you’re familiar with the stigma. “Teacher tenure is a code word for ‘teachers are bad, they don’t serve kids well; most teachers are horrible and that’s why the schools are horrible,’” said social studies teacher and Montgomery... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 8, 2010  

If you’ve looked on the WJ homepage recently, you will have noticed the picture of Tingrui Zhao and Annie Lin, who were semifinalists in the very prestigious Siemens National Science Competition. There were a total of 11 semifinalists out of the entire state of Maryland (312 in the nation),... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · November 3, 2010  

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, I had the opportunity to watch the taping of “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, third row, center, 30 feet from President Barack Obama. Before Stewart entered the stage, comedian Paul Mecurio came out to pump up the audience for the taping. He called himself... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · October 14, 2010  

A scientific hero: many imagine a Dead White Male who has won a Nobel Prize or who enjoys sitting alone, answering science’s greatest questions. Einstein, Newton, Salk – all scientific heroes of an older age. But now, in the 21st century, other groups are given opportunities to contribute... (more...)

Written by Ali Jawetz · October 4, 2010  

Ronen Katz, who graduated from WJ in 2001, was killed in a hit-and-run car accident on  Sept. 19 in New York City. He was struck by Naisha Sutton, who was driving with a learner’s permit and made an illegal left turn, hitting Katz’ motorcycle. After she fled the scene, she turned herself... (more...)