![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
Students Show Off Scientific Successes
For the first time in four years, the Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF) took place in person. Senior and RSEF participant Casie Peng gained valuable experience from the research she conducted for the fair. “It teaches you how to be independent and how to create a plan,” Peng said.
Fair participants and judges from various organizations walk around in the Regional Science and Engineering fair looking at various projects.
May 10, 2023
After years of online presentations, the 2023 Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF) took place on March 20-23. Students from all over the Loudoun County Public School District met to present the research they have been working on over the school year. The last big in-person fair took place in 2018 before the pandemic broke and shut down not just schools and office buildings, but also a student’s ability to collect tangible data for their research.
Peng and her partner, senior Michael Sing, did their project on the effects of light frequencies on fruit flies. “It was a year-long process, and there was a lot of writing and researching to pull things together,” Peng said. As the date of the fair got closer, Peng noticed an uptick in work required for her project. “We had to compile all of the data that we had gathered and make it into a cohesive project and figure out what information was necessary,” Peng said.
There were around 300 participants at the fair this year, and over 25 organizations presenting awards. Junior Jagadeepram Maddipatla was one of the five science fair finalists. Maddipatla was also a first place contender for the Curtiss-Wright Embedded Systems Award and won the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Technology Excellence Award at the fair.
![On Friday, Dec. 20, the varsity Phoenix wrestling team embarked on a two-day tournament against 32 other high schools spanning from Loudoun County to other states. This year, Rock Ridge High School hosted the highly anticipated tournament and decked out the main gym for the occasion, donning six full-sized wrestling mats with the Phoenix logo and clearing out space for coaches, managers, and administrators alike. Every open seat in the stands was filled with family and friends of the players, making a lively environment for the players.
King of the Rock started at 4:00 p.m. and lasted until 9:00 p.m on Friday. Every player on every team had the opportunity to go up against another player for three rounds, with each of them lasting two minutes. The preparation for this has gone on since the beginning of the season in their practices, and their previous meets have been leading up to this specific tournament. “During practices, I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning [and] making sure my body is [as] healthy as it can be,” junior Julian Serna said. “I’ve been doing [all] the moves and techniques our coaches are telling us to do, [too].”
The second day of King of the Rock started at 9:00 a.m on Dec. 21, and ended at 3:00 p.m. South Carroll High School in Sykesville, Md. took the win for the entire tournament. Martinez and junior Elijah Whitfield both placed in their individual weight classes, bringing in a win for the Phoenix.
✏️ and 📷 by Maya Coleman, Bella Gerardi, and Sophie King](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)