The Military Banned TikTok. What Does This Mean for the Rest of Us?
Emily Richardson, Editorial Board
January 23, 2020
With more than one and a half billion users to date, one can safely say that TikTok’s American user base has grown considerably since its introduction in 2016. So greatly, in fact, that it is now the second most downloaded app in the world, dominated only by WhatsApp, a messaging service by Facebook....
Seniors’ Privileges in Course Selection
Riya Jain, Editorial Board
January 15, 2020
Upon the first week back to school from winter break, students in grades 9th, 10th, and 11th are meeting with their counselors to select their courses for the next school year. 11th graders, who are rising seniors, have the special option to be Teacher Assistants (TAs), take a free period, or become s...
Course Registration for the 2020-21 School Year has Begun
Shevany Moharir, Staff Writer
January 15, 2020
Even though winter break just ended and there are still five more months until the end of the school year, the process of registering for next year’s classes has already begun. Course registration this year has really snuck up on many Oakton students, especially Juniors, rising Seniors, who will be sig...
Will there be any snow days?
Katie Le, Staff Writer
January 14, 2020
This winter in Virginia has been unbalanced because of the unusually warm weather we’ve been having. This poses the question, will there be any snow days this year? On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Virginia got a little taste of winter when it started snowing in the afternoon. Thankfully the weather was cold enough for...
Cafeteria Renovation
Grace Park, Staff Writer
January 14, 2020
Oakton is changing right now. The Cougar Studio (dance studio) next to the cafeteria is almost finished with construction and during the winter break, Oakton’s cafeteria was totally renewed. According to Mr. Colgan, Oakton’s School-Based Technology Specialist, renovation is now in Phase 1, and there...
The Problem with Student Motivation
Jacob Rutzick, Staff Writer
January 14, 2020
Motivation is hard to come by. Something that really drives you to succeed and work hard to achieve your goals. Some people never find something to motivate them to work hard. Oakton students have many things to motivate them: grades, college, family, friends. But what really motivates Oakton student...
The Horrors of the McKamey Manor
Shriya
January 14, 2020
The McKamey Manor claims to be an ‘extreme haunted house’, but upon further research, one is quick to discover the horrors it actually possesses. The entry into this extreme attraction itself raises question- apart from the fact that there’s 27,000 people on the wait list, participants have to...
Everything You Need to Know About Second Amendment Sanctuaries
Sameeha Khan, Staff Writer
December 16, 2019
Northern Virginia resides in a suburban bubble, its diversity shielding its residents from more conservative ideologies, only present when threatened by Virginia’s soon to be overwhelmingly Democratic majority within the state legislative and executive branches. The idea of a second amendment sanc...
U.S. Schools Fall Behind in National Rankings
Olivia Garrone, Editorial Board
December 13, 2019
In an international test of education systems around the world, the United States fell behind top countries, remaining around the same level it has found itself for the past ten years as other countries skyrocket in rankings. Though the U.S.’s already stellar reading results have improved, its aver...
Addition and Subtraction: Presidential Candidate Edition
Claudia Messina, Staff Writer
December 13, 2019
With election year rearing its dreadful but inevitable head, The final lineup for presidential candidates is beginning to solidify within each party. Each election season, at least one person joins the race later than others or drops out of the race altogether. In this year’s lineup for the democra...
The Koala Crisis in Australia
Veronica Preaskorn, Staff Writer
December 11, 2019
As the Australian bushfires continue to burn, they prove a threat to koalas and other animals. Many marsupials tend to run from fires, but koalas climb higher into the canopy of the trees. They have evolved to coexist with the fires, but this year fire is resulting in a higher amount of koala fatali...
Cultural Exchange at Oakton
Haley Longfellow, Staff Writer
November 6, 2019
Cultural experiences can be fascinating, offering people a glance into the day-to-day lives of others. They can shed light on the differences between simple things; say, shopping for groceries in California versus Egypt, or finding transportation in Laos versus Spain. To an outsider, these differences can define...
