THE BLAZE – The Student News Site of Rock Ridge High School

The Latest from The Blaze

Rodrigo showcases her stellar lyrics and 2000s-inspired production in “GUTS.”

Arts & Entertainment

“GUTS:” Olivia Rodrigo’s Newest Self-Loathing Record is a Means of Catharsis

Olivia Rodrigo is seething. And she’s showing it with shimmering electric guitar chords and poignant lyrics in her sophomore album, “GUTS.”...

After fighting hard, the Phoenix and Bobcats congratulate each other on a game well played. While the game went on for four sets, ending with a victory for the Bobcats, the Phoenix kept their energy and enthusiasm at a max until the match point was won. “When [the team loses] a point or they start getting down, theyre good at not letting themselves fall into a hole,” assistant coach Whitney Leach said. “They’re really good at staying positive, pulling themselves up, and keeping that energy going during games.”

Fall Sports

Phoenix Volleyball Faces First Loss of the Season

After winning two scrimmages and their first game of the season, the Phoenix varsity volleyball team faced their first loss of the season in...

Superhero movies and TV shows have been slowly declining in popularity and demand from younger audiences in the past few years.

Opinion

Are Superhero Movies Dying?

With massive franchises like “The Avengers” and “Batman,” superheroes have been a massive part of the media for more than a decade. But...

Sophie King plans to continue following her passion for horseback riding after high school, but for now, she enjoys spending her time schooling horses twice a week.

News

Talking to Something That Can’t Talk Back: The Story of Sophie King

Walk in. Grab the saddle and tack. Groom the horse. Tighten the girth. Ride. Twice a week, sophomore Sophie King enters The Stables at Wulf...

Rock Ridge High School

38

Tuscarora

51

Jan 25 / Boys Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

58

Broad Run

49

Jan 20 / Boys Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

34

Broad Run

52

Jan 20 / Girls Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

42

Loudoun Valley

55

Jan 17 / Boys Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

21

Loudoun Valley

64

Jan 17 / Girls Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

42

Lightridge

27

Jan 13 / Boys Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

22

Lightridge

46

Jan 13 / Girls Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

47

Loudoun County

51

Jan 11 / Boys Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

20

Loudoun County

35

Jan 11 / Girls Varsity Basketball
Rock Ridge High School

61

Briar Woods

48

Jan 9 / Boys Varsity Basketball

The Blaze on Instagram

rockridgehsnews

On Friday, Sept. 8, the Phoenix community gathered

On Friday, Sept. 8, the Phoenix community gathered in the gym and got hyped for the first pep rally of the 2023-2024 school year. The sophomores took the lead in hungry hungry hippos, winning the game with 33 points. Then, teachers took to the floor in a heated game of musical chairs, where chemistry teacher Kyle Hayne came out on top. After class cheers, the class of 2024 took home the first spirit stick of the school year.

The pep rally came at the conclusion of the first spirit week of the year, where all grades participated in dressing up in outfits inspired by themes from Adam Sandler to Barbie. SCA hosted lunch games throughout the week and students from each grade level competed to win spirit points for their class during lunch.

“[Spirit week] is fun; it’s probably going to be my last chance to [participate] before college applications,” senior Manasvi Sharma said. “This year is going to be a lot of work — especially the first semester — so it’s something fun [to do].”

Check out our website for more stories!

📸 by: Rachel Adams, Shaila Patel, Maya Coleman, Ananya Karthik, and Shivu Sathe

Thursday, Aug. 24, marked the beginning of the 202

Thursday, Aug. 24, marked the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year and the school’s 10th year. The building swarmed with students falling into each other's arms after long summers away, staff welcomed buses pulling in, and excited teachers prepared for their first day of classes. Students and teachers shared how it felt to be back in the building and what they were looking forward to as a new school year began.

Click the link in our bio to watch from our website.

Video by Aline Gonzalez and Melissa Waas

On Aug. 29, the Phoenix varsity volleyball team fa

On Aug. 29, the Phoenix varsity volleyball team faced off against the Battlefield Bobcats in the first home game of the season. The game ended with a Bobcat victory in a final score of 3-1. Despite the tough loss, the Phoenix maintained high levels of energy and enthusiasm throughout the game, coming back with a win in the third set after two losses. The younger teams cheered on the Varsity girls, coordinating creative chants as the game went on. “When [the team loses] a point or they start getting down, they're good at not letting themselves fall into a hole,” assistant coach Whitney Leach said. “They’re really good at staying positive, pulling themselves up, and keeping that energy going during games.”

📸 by: Aarohi Motwani

In August of every year, fresh cans of paint, colo

In August of every year, fresh cans of paint, colorful designs, and excited seniors show up in the sun to pick a parking spot to make their own. The class of 2024 arrived on Monday, Aug. 14 to start the first of many traditions that will fill their senior year.

After getting their design approved and choosing a spot to reserve for the year, the seniors, along with friends and family, got to work making their spot look amazing before school started. After three long years of hard work, these seniors finally have the opportunity to participate in long-standing traditions. “I think [painting your parking spot] does have sentimental value, because it’s kind of your last mark on the school,” senior Eunice Makassi said. Some seniors opted for simple sentiment with their graduating year and a sweet saying, some paid homage to their favorite artists, sports teams, and movies.

Designs featured elements from childhood days, like paintings of ‘The Emperor's New Groove,’ ‘Tangled,’ Snoopy, and Disney. “It was just something fun [to do] and [shows] how time flew by so fast,” senior Umaima Azam said.

Students and families had four days to come out and paint their spots. After the Thursday, Aug. 17 time slot got canceled, as a result of a county-wide development day held at Rock Ridge that day, additional time was added for Wednesday, Aug. 23 for remaining seniors to finish and perfect their designs before school starts.

“I feel like [this is] a way to represent that you are a senior -- it’s a fun tradition,” Potluri said.

Click on the link in our bio to see more Phoenix stories!

Photos and caption by Shivu Sathe

On Aug. 21, incoming freshmen received a warm welc

On Aug. 21, incoming freshmen received a warm welcome from staff members, SCA, and W.I.N.G.S mentors during Freshman Orientation. Formerly known as “Pre-Flight Day,” the underclassmen participated in a variety of activities after a brief introduction in the auditorium. From workshops writing letters to their senior year selves, to scavenger hunts getting them more acquainted with the building itself, the new Phoenix became immersed in the student culture of Rock Ridge. “I learned a lot [useful] things like how to sign up for clubs, when our lunch block is, the advisory schedule, and more stuff like that,” freshman Aashika Pesaladinne said. “It was helpful to come to Freshman Orientation just so you can get to know the school better.” After the four groups, aptly named Respect, Integrity, Service, and Empathy after the school’s motto RISE, finished their respective rotations, all freshmen in attendance were brought to the main gym for a pep rally simulation. Following a shoutout for student athletes on fall sports teams, the freshmen were guided through various Phoenix cheers and chants, and ended the “pep rally” by playing a few spirit games such as the chicken toss.

📷 by: Tanishka Enugu

On Friday, June 9, the Class of 2023 celebrated th

On Friday, June 9, the Class of 2023 celebrated their commencement exercises. Principal John Duellman started the ceremony with some welcoming words, and introduced SCA president Amelia Chen to deliver the senior class opening speech. “It's finally here, the moment we have all been waiting for, the end of having our parents ask what our GPA is for the millionth time… it is our last time as high schoolers and it is such a monumental day,” Chen said.

After a few performances from the combined chorus, the recipients of the faculty award were recognized by senior class president Arun Karthikeyan. Following assistant principal Mike Fitzgerald’s Phoenix highlights and a powerful piece from graduate Rasa Jami, valedictorian Harshit Pottipati took the stage for the commencement address. “The Class of 2023 has accomplished a great deal over the years, and those four years were certainly unlike any high school class before you guys. You were here in high school before the pandemic, during the pandemic, after the pandemic, and just this week, an international wildfire. You’re certainly ready to make your mark on the world,” Fitzgerald said.

English teacher Jennifer Beasley gave her keynote speech after being introduced by salutatorian Shriya Dale. “You are a class that exemplifies the Rock Ridge RISE principles. And you have proven time and time again that you can embrace and attack [any] difficulties [you] come across and that will always be something you can be proud of,” Beasley said. Finally, 337 seniors received their diplomas as the “Class of 2023.”

📸 by: Shaila Patel, Tanishka Enugu, & Rachel Adams

On Wednesday, May 31, Rock Ridge presented the All

On Wednesday, May 31, Rock Ridge presented the All School Awards virtually through WeVideo. Winners were selected based on academic performance throughout the 2022-2023 school year. Congratulations to all the winners!

Noses in a book, glasses pushed up their face, and

Noses in a book, glasses pushed up their face, and backs hunched over desks in their bedroom is where you’ll find every Indian living in America – at least according to Hollywood. Whether it’s the typical “nerdy” pre-medical poster child, or other harmful stereotypes like being known as cheap, unhygienic, and unattractive, Indian representation in media has consistently missed the mark in creating an accurate portrayal of such a large ethnic group.

Junior Varsha Korumilli, a passionate consumer of South Asian media in all of its forms, faces this dilemma each time she tunes into an anticipated portrayal of Indians in a new setting. “I think that the media is getting better at including Indian teens on the big screen and in the entertainment industry, but the stereotype of these teens still remains an issue,” Korumilli said. “Most of the Indian teens represented are not accurate to reality, and end up just feeding into the harmful stereotypes of what Indian kids are like.”

Diverse representation in media, whether it’s in music, film, art, or literature, not only helps provide unique perspectives and backgrounds to stories, but also they allow audience members to see themselves represented in the characters they see on the screen. By maintaining harmful and insulting stereotypes in their media, and by not including any Indian characters that divert from the ‘norm,’ popular media from both Hollywood and Bollywood not only fail to encapsulate the diversity and richness of Indian culture, but also marginalize the lived experiences of Indian people across the world. If these media powerhouses truly pride themselves upon having diverse and widespread representation in their media, then it is essential that they actively work to combat these stereotypes of Indian people and ensure that Indian people from all walks of life are portrayed in a way that respects their uniqueness and diversity, rather than reducing them to a stereotype.

Click the link in bio to read more about Indian representation in the media!

Graphic by: Sitwat Mian
Written by: Rohan Iyer and Tanishka Enugu

After working on seven issues of the newsmagazine

After working on seven issues of the newsmagazine over the last three years, we finally must bid farewell to “The Blaze.” But how do we give a proper goodbye? We started off in newspaper as 15-year-old sophomores, dropped into a world of AP Style and online learning, trying to navigate a tumultuous new environment. In May 2021, we came back to school for the first time to work on our first issue, which happened to be the Senior Issue for the class of ‘21. Each year, we watched the senior newspaper staffers make their final contribution to the magazine and say their final goodbyes. Two years later, we find ourselves in their shoes, having to say goodbye while looking down on a new generation of “The Blaze” and up towards an uncertain future.

In this senior issue, you’ll read about everything ‘23, from the accomplishments and destinations of the Class of 2023 to a bucket list of 23 activities to try out over the summer. Additionally, you’ll hear about some of our senior athletes, and how they plan to pass the torch to their younger teammates. Finally, you’ll read the final words of our senior staffers, as they close the chapter on their last year of high school.

We want to say a last thank you to our dedicated and resilient staff members for all their hard work in publishing this issue and working diligently to run our award-winning publication. Furthermore, we would like to give a warm thanks to our adviser, sponsors, faculty, and community members, whose steadfast support of student journalism has made all of our work possible.

---Amelia Chen and Rohan Iyer, Editors in Chief

Click the link in bio to read our 2023 senior issue! Seniors, you will get a physical copy in your graduation packets.

Load More Follow on Instagram

Comments (0)

All THE BLAZE Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest