the

Volumefalcon XVI, Issue 4 Fredericksburg Academy 10800 Academy Driveflier Fredericksburg, VA 22408 540.898.0020 February 2008

Dance Team takes Sex Ed: Find the perfect home 2nd in DAC a genuine need in Valentine’s Day gift Championships. upper school? for your sweetheart. Page 5 Page 7 Back Page

Administration proposes new schedule Nicholas is so structured that it leaves and how they experience the Poetry fever sweeps FA students unprepared for the learning process. The pre-col- Ducharme-Barth freedom in college.” legiate schedule offers multi- assistant editor The proposal has been sub- ple opportunities for students As a college preparatory mitted to the faculty and the and teachers, not only to cov- school, Fredericksburg Acad- new schedule would be geared er the traditional material, but emy always looks to find bet- towards opening up more free also provides the flexibility to ter ways to prepare its students time in the day by being less pursue various new ways to for college. It is for this reason structured. expand the learning process,” that the administration is cur- “Numerous studies (and said Head of School Robert rently reviewing a proposal to my experiences), have shown Graves. change the schedule for the that it is not necessarily the According to Graves the 2008-2009 school year. amount of time students new schedule would be a vari- “College operates on a very spend in class that it is the ation on the Collegiate/ Mod- different schedule,” said Dur- key factor in learning. Instead, ular schedule. This would be a so. “However, our schedule it is how students are taught schedule exclusive to the up- See Schedule, Page 2 Teen pregnancies are on the upswing Emily Zigman Every year in America there are an estimated 750,000 teen preg- assistant editor nancies. In 2006, pregnancy rates rose for the first time since the 1990’s. In 2005, these pregnancies resulted in 414,593 live births in the 15-19 year old population. This may not seem like a lot compared to other nations. However, according to the Center for Disease Control, international com- photo by Zach Sullivan parisons show that America is the runner up as the world’s second nation with the Sophomore Rachel Zalegowski participates in the Poetry Out Loud contest in English most teen pregnancies out of 46 developed nations. class. The school-wide competition will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 6 during activities Virginia.gov reported that in 2005 there were 13,416 teen pregnancies period in the theater. Class winners from grades nine through 12 will compete. See the in Virginia. The Hampton Roads region had the most expectant teenagers in Briefs on page 2 for a list of class winners. the state and Northern Virginia had the lowest. In 2003, Virginia was listed 38th in a nation wide list of states with teen pregnancies. FA mom ‘Survives’ on TV show Although teen mothers may not intend to bring tax payers into the picture, Virginians paid $117 million dollars in taxes in 2004 for teen pregnan- Lower School parent competes on Survivor, airing Thursday, Feb. 7 cies. Senior Meghan Pcsolyar transferred from Stafford Senior High School in line. As early dawn turned in one hotel but were each into a blazing summer’s day, confined to their own room. during her sophomore year. At Stafford, Pcsolyar saw pregnant teen- Amanda Gage agers at school. At FA, students are not accustomed to seeing editor Hughes-Wolf remembers For eight weeks Hughes-Wolf pregnant classmates on a regular basis or even how unexpect- pulling out an umbrella for was woken up at various times ed pregnancies are handled at public schools and other some relief from the heat. around the clock for question- Besides being a mother of private schools. “Everyone was just laugh- ing. two girls, owner of her own “I think in public school girls would be much ing,” she recalled with a giggle. “You didn’t sleep,” she said. commercial and residential more inappropriate about the whole situation- “They were saying, ‘You want “[The producers] were out to home business, and an avid maybe not cover as well as they should, and at to go on Survivor and you’re pick you out and break you health enthusiast, FA parent private school we know that that’s not okay. holding an umbrella to keep down. They wanted to see Tracy Hughes-Wolf is a Sur- I think that at private school, girls may the sun off you?!’ It was just how you responded on the vivor. get more help with mothering the child so hot!” spot. It’s all about what you’re Premiering on Thursday, since their parents gave them the op- After stepping inside a huge able to do impromptu. You Feb. 7, the sixteenth season portunity to going to a school that nightclub for the interview, had to be ready at any time.” of the CBS primetime show has tuition,” Pcsolyar said. Hughes-Wolf became fully Hughes-Wolf watched fel- Survivor will strand 10 fans Teen pregnancy has swamped aware of the meaning of an low contestants fall away week and 10 “favorite” contestants the media. Jamie Lynn Spears, “open” casting call. The two- after week, but she stayed from previous seasons on the Britney Spears’ younger sister, tier club held all of the con- strong in the face of the inter- Rock Islands of Palau, Micro- is expecting boyfriend Casey testants and left no room for rogations. nesia. As one of the “fans” Aldridge’s child. Spears is privacy. Five contestants at a “They kept asking, “Do in this latest only 16 years old and Al- you really think Survivor season, dridge has been reported you’re tough Hughes-Wolf by the media to be 18 or enough?’ They fought for two 19. Her pregnancy was wanted to know months to out- announced to Us Weekly if I could be a wit, outplay, magazine in December, Survivor. I didn’t and outlast her when she said she was three go in there to be competition. months along and going to eye candy on the “I’m a big keep the baby. camera. I went in Survivor fan. Within a week there…wanting Ever since of Spears’s pregnancy an- to be everything day one when nouncement, Juno, star- I said I could be [host] Jeff ring Ellen Page, Michael on the show: a Probst came Cera and Jennifer Garner, winner.” out and said hit the big screen every- H u g h e s - ‘We’re dropping where. As of the week- Wolf’s goal was 16 castaways in end of January 12, Juno to let her inner the middle of grossed $14 million qualities show, nowhere…,’ I over the weekend and and it turns out was hooked,” $71.2 million since that’s just what said Hughes- its release on Christ- the judges were Wolf. “I looked mas Day. The main looking for. at my husband character, Juno “ B a s i c a l l y and said, ‘I’ve MacGuff (Page) they want per- got to go on Photo Courtesy of www.survivor.com faces an unexpect- sonalities. On that show.’” FA mom Tracy Hughes-Wolf toughs it out in Micronesia. ed pregnancy after she the show, you’re Despite talking about it and her best friend, Paulie time stood on the ground lev- not playing a part, it’s real. for years, the timing was just Bleeker (Cera) have a sexual encoun- el for the interview while ev- They’re looking to see if your never right. With starting up ter. Juno decides against abortion and searches for eryone else watched from the personality can be a piece of her own business and raising adoptive parents. second tier. Hughes-Wolf was the puzzle.” her two daughters, Abigail Some students see Juno as promoting sexual activity among nervous, but was determined The producers thought that and Madison, now students at students. Junior Chris Desilets hasn’t seen the box office hit, but to put it aside to do what she Hughes-Wolf was the ideal FA in first and fourth grades, doesn’t want to because of what happens in the movie. had come there to do. “hot mom” for the show. Her respectively, Hughes-Wolf “I’d give Juno a 0 out of 5 rating. However, this would be a “I just said to myself, age, physical fitness, business could never pull herself away. biased rating since I haven’t seen the movie. I would only give that ‘You’re here, just get it all out drive, motherly instinct, and It wasn’t until June of last year rating to encourage people not to waste their money and otherwise of your head. You said you loyal personality won over the that she decided to go to a provoke them to imitate the movie,” Desilets said. wanted to be on the show, you producers instantly. casting call. Senior Taylor Sutton thinks that teen pregnancy can be both came here to be on the show, “They wanted someone “This past summer I just good and bad in the media. get on the show.’” on the show that was my age said to myself, ‘It’s time. I’m “I think there are two aspects to it. One, you have Juno where After a few months, and who wasn’t homely,” said going for it.’” pregnancy is portrayed as a negative situation turned positive, but Hughes-Wolf received a Hughes-Wolf. “They said I Hughes-Wolf drove to then you have a real life situation like Jamie Lynn Spears where it’s phone call: she was going to was ultra-feminine, yet strong, Charlottesville to participate real life and in real life you’re not madly in love with the guy who’s California for the next stage in and was able to juggle it all. I in the open casting calls. She the father of the baby or mother. Juno is a good movie but to me the interview process. She was remember them saying I was arrived around 6 a.m. and was one step closer. a ‘complete left-right’ because See Teen Pregnancy, page 2 surprisingly the second person All the contestants stayed See Survivor, Page 2