![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin visited Whitman’s media center Sep. 17 for a WhitTalks presentation where he spoke about his career in politics, law and activism.
During the event, which took place during lunch, students had the chance to interact with the politician and learn about government opportunities.
WhitTalks, a speaker series designed to help Whitman students explore career paths and opportunities, organized the event.
Having graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, Raskin spent over 25 years teaching constitutional law at American University before entering politics. Between 2006 and 2016, Raskin served three terms as a Maryland State Senator. Since 2017, Raskin has represented Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac. He is also a Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
In 2021, Raskin led the impeachment team during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump and served on the Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Raskin began his address by outlining the timeline of his career, highlighting his work on the legalization of gay marriage and criminal justice reform.
“If you think the government is perfect, the death penalty is great,” Raskin told students during the event. “But if you think the government can make mistakes like everyone else, then you don’t want to invest public policy into a system that risks the erroneous killing of an innocent person.”
Raskin discussed his entry into state-level politics in 2006 when he ran for a seat in the Maryland State Senate. He recalled a woman approaching him after his speech, expressing her admiration for his campaign but advising him to stop advocating for legalizing gay marriage because she thought it would never happen. Raskin used this example to illustrate his belief that politics should reflect morality, as he strives to bring what he believes is right into the world, even when others are doubtful.
WhitTalks President senior Ria Gulati said the event was inspiring and she hopes to continue expanding the series to provide Whitman students with new opportunities.
“We’ve never had a politician on a panel at Whitman, so it added a unique perspective and career that students were able to learn about,” Gulati said. “There was excellent participation and engagement during the event, with students asking questions during and after.”
During the 50-minute event, Raskin spoke for around 20 minutes about his life and career before passing the mic to students for half an hour of questions.
Junior Auggie Teller attended the event and said he enjoyed its interactive environment.
“It was a good event, and we were able to challenge his ideas and ask questions,” Teller said. “I also was able to learn about some of his policies and accolades.”
Raskin stressed the vital role students play in shaping America’s future. He highlighted that youth possess the power to drive meaningful change through activism, voting and public service.
“I hope to encourage students to get involved in politics, as it is an honorable calling,” Raskin said. “I’ve always been an advocate for term limits even in Congress, and I’m a proud supporter of passing the torch to new generations.”
This story was originally published on The Black & White on October 4, 2024.
