Young people might not know what is happening in the world today, and they might say, “Oh, the government shut down. Who cares?” But you should care. You should care because have you ever thought of losing something you really want or really need—like... 

On October 19, 2013 my family went to visit “The Wall”, which is actually called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C, to pay tribute to my late Uncle Alvin (shown in the picture above). Veterans Day is the official holiday that Americans have been celebrating since 1954.  It was created to pay tribute to the 58,000 Americans... 

In early September, our teacher informed us about the Student Government Association (SGA) this year at Blow Pierce. The SGA helps share students' ideas, interests, and concerns with teacher and school principals. There would be elected officers for grades 5-8. In order to... 

Black male Barbie dolls are becoming extinct. Whenever I walk down the toy aisle at Toys R Us, Target, or Walmart, I can never find them. Stores used to have a whole bunch of them. Now they are almost impossible to find. You now have to order them online or go to a specific type of store.

AUGUST 28, 2013.  In the morning I heard the news on TV about the Martin Luther King 50th Anniversary March. After I heard about it, I got up and got in the shower. I got out the shower and put my uniform on. After that I said in my mind, “I can’t wait to go to school so I can go on... 

Colleges are great places to go to get an education. Some people may be homeless because they didn't go to college. Several colleges are really neat, but some can be just faking—meaning that some universities may not give you the education that you paid for. That’s why I have plans to go... 

Andre Romelle Young, also known as Doctor Dre, was born on February 18, 1965 in Compton, California.  I think that Doctor Dre is ahead of his time because he has accomplished a lot in his time. He has put several new rappers in the game. Doctor Dre works with and put some now... 

Lebron James inspired me to do what I wanted to do for a long time, and that is to play basketball. Everybody kept saying I was some trash so I caved in and I stopped playing. I gave up because I thought the NBA would be irritating. So I got lazy and fell off. I am not doing that anymore. I will not...

Aretha L. Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is the queen of music. Franklin was a musician, singer, songwriter and a pianist. She sung gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, pop, rock and funk. People called her “The Queen of Soul” in her early career. Franklin is known as one of the most important ladies in...

Beyonce Knowles-Carter was born September 4,1981. Everybody says Beyonce is the greatest dancer and singer alive. I think she is too. Beyonce is very talented and intelligent. Her songs are very popular. Beyonce  has been blowing it up since she was a teenager.  She has a lot of talents....

Did you know that Blow Pierce has a turtle called Hal and he is a male with red eyes? Mr. Bell is a very good teacher who found Hal under the stairs of our school. Hal gets easily frightened by noise, so don’t be loud around him because he will put his head in his shell. He has a cool green and...

According to Ms. Venable, ”TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE to THOSE IN NEED”.  Ms. Venable is one out of many people who make the holiday season special at FPCS Chamberlain.

Hey, did you ever see the volleyball team practicing in the gym? Well those young ladies are the 2013 Chamberlain volleyball team. They are so good, that they can blow you away. Everyday the girls are ready for practice and ready to learn something new. I got interested in volleyball when...

Hey, have you ever been to Watkins football field around 4:30? Well those young black men are the 2013 Chamberlain Champions football team. They are the best team in their division. The team’s line up are Chris Davis, Kenny Tyree, Larah Thompson, Anthony Turner, Darius...

On October 10, 2013, Mayor Gray visited Chamberlain to hold a town meeting about the government shutdown and its impact on our community. It was held in the auditorium.

NED is an organization made to prevent bullying. Performers go all around America to do presentations or shows. In early of 2013, a NED performer named Christine, came to Friendship Chamberlain Academy to talk to grades K-5 about how to be a Friendship Champion...

Our Robotics/FNN team’s visit to GWU on October 11, 2013 was very exciting! We had a nice time and our guide Mr. Rone was very energetic and informative. He showed us the Robotics and Mechatronic Lab in the GWU Engineering building. The two special projects in the lab...

Marian Anderson was a great person. She had some flaws but that just made her greater.  She was an African American opera singer.  To me Marian’s life span was groundbreaking for music and her life was long.  Ms. Anderson lived from 1897 to 1993 during segregation.... 

Recently the Chamberlain robotics team went to the NASA Goddard Visitors Center, Robotics Test Facility in Greenbelt, MD and their clean station called “Building 29”.  

If you are reading this—just to let you know—Uberstrike is a gaming website. To me, Uberstrike is more than a game. To me, it is war. When I play, I’m living the game…watching my enemies’ every move and when they let their guard down, I strike. The object of the game is easy. It’s to shoot your.

Friendship Collegiate Academy (FCA) celebrated its 2013 Homecoming November 4th – 9th.  

On October 26, 2013, Friendship Collegiate Academy’s Leadership Team volunteered in a “Make a Difference Day” event at the Allen House Senior Apartments.  Friendship’s students under the direction of Mr. Wali Farid painted hallways, planted flowers, took photographs and conducted interviews....

I know of someone who lived on Jay Street who had to relocate because his family couldn’t afford where they lived. His mom lived in this house all of her life, until his father passed away in 2011. They lived in a decent neighborhood. Because of gentrification, their rent became too... 

The 2013 Summer Enrichment Program at Collegiate provided a variety of opportunities for students. The activities included programs such as performing arts, band camp, cheerleading, basketball, self-improvement, and more.... 

For the first time since we’ve been here, we had a relaxing day, no work, just relaxing. We woke relatively late to get breakfast at the hotel we’re staying in. We drove around town taking... 

After enjoying a hot breakfast, we take the jeep to Belly Buttons Restaurant, where we waited for the snorkeling company to arrive. Abe’s Snorkeling Company arrives in van to pick up the FNN... 

Recently in America a lot of hearts have been stirred by the Trayvon Martin incident when George Zimmerman was pronounced not guilty. Since then a lot of people have come out against the “Stand Your Ground” law because it seemed like Zimmerman got off easy.

I hear the loud ringing of the alarm. It’s 5:50 am. A sudden rush of panic surges through me. I rush to put my clothes on and then scramble my way down the steps. I hurry and put my bags in the...

After breakfast we catch the bus to Old San Juan. Old San Juan is one of the oldest cities in America, and it’s the place where Columbus discovered the Americas. In Old San Juan we... 

FNN Collegiate students recently went to Puerto Rico where they experienced the history, culture and natural beauty of San Juan and the remote island of Vieques. Read their journals and enjoy the slide show.

APRIL 30, 2013.  Since middle school Nasheia Conway has always wanted to be a lawyer. She graduated from Friendship Collegiate Academy in 2012. She now attends Bowie State University Law School, and she wants to become a criminal justice lawyer.  

On Thursday, February 21, 2013 Friendship News Network (FNN) took a trip to the Washington Post to make a presentation, to hear from other high school students, and to hear Mary Beth Tinker. Angelique Dove and Regina McDuffy spoke to the audience about what FNN does. Mary Beth... 

February 6, 2013 was an historic day as twenty FCA varsity football players signed to college. It was a great honor to be a part of the National College Football Signing Day Ceremony. Derwin Gray, Cavon Walker, Jermaine Carter, and Yannick Ngakoue were recruited to The University of...

68 different colleges, 1500 students, and 5 different Friendship campuses... Alumni day was simply amazing.  On December 18, FCA graduates came to our classrooms and gave us various tips on college life. In the gym there were many college booths that gave FCA students many different... 

The amazing city of San Antonio, Texas!  Home of epic historical artifacts, interesting food and many different faces. We have traveled here to experience life here in Texas while also going to conferences and workshops to help us gain more on topics we may be interested in....

 Now that I’m in high school and even when I was in middle school, I have learned a lot about kids my age and a few years older who are LGBT and the things they go through. There have been recent news stories about gay/lesbian teens who were bullied. The stories show that some boys... 

These boots feel so good with the fur in them.  Ask your Mom if you can get a pair of these. They are the bomb.com and they are blue. What do you have to wear with them... 

On Tuesday, September 24, 2013 from 8:30- 9:30am, there was a Grandparents Day program for the grandparents of Friendship Southeast students. The host of the program was Mrs. Simmons.  First our grandparents were given a light breakfast. Then two girl scouts, Serenity Greene and Ziyah Anderson presented... 

When Ms. Montalvo and Dr. Uy invited me to their office, I found out that it was fun. So I kept coming back. It was fun because we got on the computers and we ate lunch together. I think they are nice because they just don’t spend time with people their age. Dr. Uy is interesting because she knows more than what you think...

Does anyone you know care about your feelings? Sometimes that’s the issue with our community. Some people think that we don’t have feelings.

MARCH 19, 2013.  Teachers are people who teach in a school.  They teach students even when they don’t want to learn.  They stay after school to teach students when they need extra help...

Do you know who this lady is? For all of you who don’t know, you are about to find out.... By night she appears as Shazzle Dazzle, a disc jockey. She is a Smart Lab facilitator at Friendship Southeast Academy during the day.  Her name is Ms. Baynard.  She is also a technology engineer...

The Southeast basketball team played at the Verizon Center Arena. They played against Highland Park Christian Academy. Even though I wasn’t there I think that it might have been a great game.

Deep frying a turkey is becoming more and more common. But, there are hazards that come along with using a turkey fryer. Over 1,000 fires a year are blamed on turkey fryers. These fires are caused mostly by either overfilling the kettle with oil or using a frozen... 

The cheerleading team is back after 2 years and even stronger than before. Our goal is to bring the spirit back to Tech Prep and we plan on doing exactly that....

My mother has been dancing since she was about 6 and is a leading lady on the dance team of Smooth N’ EZ. She’s traveled to Texas, Atlanta, New York and California. I’ve always wanted to know why she loved this so much. Dancing was her passion.  Dancing and travel are the two... 

At Friendship Tech Prep we have multiple clubs. These clubs all offer different activities to students. Titans can learn respect for themselves, their community and others in these clubs. 

We take a foreign language every year for middle school and high school. And each year that language is Spanish. I truthfully love Spanish, but I can barely speak it. It came to me that we need to switch it up. I want more language classes at Tech Prep. I want a variety of cultures to... 

At Tech Prep there are many devices that we use to “get connected”. But the two main devices are the Apple iPads and the Samsung Chromebooks. There’s so many differences between the two, but which one is better and more convenient to use? According to http://teachbytes.com/ the Samsung Chromebook is better. It is more... 

In the current Tech Prep building all of the classrooms are cramped, teachers don’t have their own classroom and we don’t even have a real cafeteria. But, by summer of 2014 Tech Prep’s new building should be completely built. An open house will be available before the school actually opens so we will be able to...

In my Algebra II class there is a rule that in order to be counted as on time, students must be sitting and starting on their work as soon as they enter class or they will be counted tardy. About 40% of our class is tardy on a regular basis. This rule is only used in our Algebra class. Is it... 

Ever wonder why there’s no ISS and why it’s been replaced by this new referral punishment called "Focus Room".  It’s because our school administration decided that students should still be allowed in class and given  ‘another chance’. The goal for this was to maximize student’s...

“Yes”, says Eric King, Howard Simms, Jennifer Poisson, Clarence Cross III, and Rydia Wright. All agree that cell phones and cell phone usage should be allowed in school, but their reasons differ. In this article we are going to explore the minds of three teachers, three students, and their... 

Congress was supposed to approve a budget for the fiscal year by October 1, 2013.  A fiscal year is the monetary or business year for the United States.  But unfortunately, Congress didn’t. So for two weeks the government had to shut down.  Some people had to go to work without pay. Some people couldn’t go to.... 

Tech Prep hasn’t won a high school basketball game in 2 years. It was time for a change in culture. So we brought in former coach James Jenkins to do just that. With the season approaching, we asked him a few questions about his plan for this season.

What’s your favorite holiday? Well, I have about 5 or 6. For many Americans like myself, that holiday is Christmas....

The holidays are a time that everyone gets that sweet tooth. It really should be called cavity season rather than holiday season.  I mean you’ve got cheesecake, apple pie, peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, carrot cakes, pumpkin pie, fudge brownies, gingerbread cookies, lemon... 

Do you think there is too much violence on television today? You wake up to it and then go to bed watching it day in and day out. Violence on television now-a-days should have parents concerned all over. Eventually, if children continue to watch these violent shows regularly..

The holidays are here and parents are crunching numbers to be able to buy the precious gifts that their children desire and have asked for all year long. Between all of the chaos that the holidays bring, most parents are struggling and trying their best to make ends meet.... 

Isn’t there always that group of inappropriate boys in a classroom somewhere in America? That distracting want-to-be class clown. A boy who just feels like messing with you because he just thinks he can, and you’re just stuck there thinking, “Why am I even in the... 

No ideas where to travel this winter? Want to go somewhere new, experience something else? There is an entire world for you to explore! Well, I already know where I want to go. Japan! This time of the year, depending on where you want to go, Japan is an ideal place to visit, and here is why:

Thinking about the perfect gift for a young man who does everything he is supposed to do in school, around the house, and respectful to adults. Well, for girls it’s very simple, perfume, nail polish, and clothes. Boys on the other hand, boys are into something...

Ms Girelle, our teacher showed us an email she received about hurricane Sandy and how it had affected Maya Faison’s life. Maya is a member of the Global Kids program in the Laurelton, Queens, New York area affected by the hurricane. As soon as we heard about the devastation we decided...

Well who doesn't! I sure love to eat. Have you ever thought about the things that might happen to you when you eat the foods that surround you? Now, tell the truth. When you're hungry, don't you automatically think of all the fatty foods such as snacks, big meals, or whatever fills you up? 

I really like Rick Riordan's series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians because there’s always an adventure in each book. Rick Riordan wrote five books in his first series. I’m only going to talk about the first book, The Lighting Thief. Why? I chose this one because it helped me understand the rest...

Have you ever wondered why some schools are majority white? Have you ever though that there might be some unfairness or discrimination in that. Well there is some discrimination in that. So there is a program to balance this inequality and it's called Affirmative Action. Affirmative... 

There are not enough positive leaders in our black community. What happened to our black leaders? Back in the day, we had MLK, Malcolm X, and more. Nowadays we don’t have enough young men who care and want to help our black youth to be successful. I think there are not... 

August 28, 2013 was the best day of my life and best day of school so far. My Journalism class and I experienced a history making moment at the 50th Anniversary march on Washington. This took place downtown Washington D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial. We traveled there by metro... 

‘’One day was never like the day before,” she remembers. Ms. Gilliam entered the unpredictable life of a journalist at the young age of 16, filling in for a journalist who was out on maternity leave.  She wrote and edited small pieces.  Over time, she eventually landed a prestigious position at the Washington Post in 1961 where she... 

Name one DC coach who went to 15 Turkey Bowls. Anacostia former head coach, Willie Stewart has won 7 "Turkeys" as a coach. He has been at Anacostia for over 20 years. “First of all, I enjoy being around student athletes,” Willie said.

Did you ever dream of becoming a musician or dealing with music? If so, sit down and have a conversation with Dr.Kilgo, a former member of the Blackbyrds to see what it’s like.  Killgo has always been a person with a dream for music.  He initially joined a jazz group, the Blackbyrds, as... 

Ian Roberts was born a great leader on Dec 18, 1978 in Guyana, South America. Dr. Ian Roberts overcame childhood obstacles, became a successful student and athlete and ultimately attended Harvard University.  He was a teacher for 8 years in Brooklyn NY, and has been a principal for 6...