Capitalism is equal to successful manipulation, and blockbuster season screams capitalism—just like the sharing principles taught in elementary schools subliminally scream socialism. A successful summer movie will not put Academy Awards on a studio’s mantle (maybe the computer graphics department), but instead rob the wallets from families escaping a rained out beach day.

Here is my plan for creating the highest grossing summer blockbuster of all time. The only thing grosser than my income will be my artistic integrity.

1. My idea will not be original.

The same ridiculous number of fans who wait outside for new releases of their favorite book, will be guaranteed to be at midnight premieres of my movie. The highest grossing movie from this past summer, and a part of the highest grossing franchise in history, was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part Two. It was aided by a great trailer. This leads me to my next point.

2. Release an ambiguous trailer the summer before.

A trailer that is half sequences that lead to the title and constant short clips that cut to black will not get an audience excited; it will confuse them. The confusion created from a trailer that reveals nothing about my movie will drive bloggers and Internet users to learn more. Curiosity killed the cat, and curiosity will help pay for the mortgage on my new island. Now time for the casting.

3. Cast an Academy Award nominated actor, but not an actor who has won an Oscar.

Name dropping, but only to add credibility. A nominated actor wants to prove himself on the big stage, while the winning actor is busy acting in an Indie movie or on vacation. Good choices include Edward Norton and James Franco, but there is no better choice than Will Smith. I want someone as greedy as me. His willingness to typecast himself as a cocky but witty and sincere straight-shooting guy has made him the most bankable star in Hollywood. Speaking of bankable…

4. Make shrines to the prince of blockbusters: Michael Bay, and the king of moneymaking: James Cameron.

These two guys create movies only to make money, and do it better than anyone else. Large scale sets, computer graphic imaging, romances and explosions. There’s something for everyone. Three movies did this perfectly: Transformers, Avatar and Titanic.
Transformers follows all my criteria: it was an animated series in the ‘80s, and a trailer was released the summer before that did not reveal anything on the movie. Although there were no nominated actors, Shia LaBeouf was coming off a Disney TV show. Try telling me he didn’t have anything to prove.

What made Transformers so genius was the introduction to the monotonous underacting of Megan Fox. She could have bit her lower lip and looked into the camera, and she would’ve done everything Bay could have ever asked out of her. Sex appeal gave the men something to look forward to, and the origins as an animated series hooked the children. If only it had romance (Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox was more of a summer hookup than a summer romance), then everyone would have had something to look forward to.

While Avatar and Titanic were released in the winter, they are the two highest grossing movies of all time (without taking inflation into account, but hey, nothing says the spirit of capitalism like an increasingly weak dollar.) They were also unoriginal; Avatar was merely Pocahontas in space with pretty colors and a large scale production. The most underrated aspect of a money maker is romance.

For Titanic Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were cute together, and it did not matter that the love interest in Avatar was an alien; she melted hearts and made me as confused sexually as when I watch a Ryan Gosling movie.

Romance is something for everyone. Women love the young couple, married men love seeing someone in love who is not their wife, and movie execs (like myself) love money. Everyone wins.

Lastly, to everyone who criticizes how blockbuster movies ruined the art of film making, making money is as American as it gets. In the words of Ron Swanson from NBC’s Parks and Recreation, “capitalism is God’s way of determining who is smart and who is poor.” God bless America.

My first internship caught me unprepared and inexperienced in the unique yet traditional corporate world. Whether interns are working in a science lab or a cubicle office, there are many unspoken rules that they can only obtain through experience. To all you summer interns out there: bosses aren’t gaining much from having 16 and 17-year-olds roaming around the halls of their offices. Remember, this is an opportunity you should take advantage of, and to do this – you must first establish your reliability and responsibility

1) Be on time. This is the most important yet sometimes overlooked rule you must follow. Employers don’t notice if interns arrive at work on time – that is the expectation. But, if you show up late, frappuccino in hand, your boss won’t be happy.

2) Taking the metro? Get there at least an hour and fifteen minutes before you need to be at work, especially if you are riding into the District. During the six weeks I spent working in Dupont Circle, I boarded three malfunctioning trains and five trains that were so crowded they had to be stopped and emptied. Save yourself from the obnoxious “I’m sorry I’m late but…” explanations and just wake up a little earlier. The worst scenario is that you get to work early.

3) Though it depends on the employer, some bosses tend to avoid giving work to interns. To truly gain knowledge and experience you must be aggressive and ask for assignments. However, remember to avoid seeming too needy or annoying–that’s a huge turn-off to busy bosses. Bosses will generally start giving you easy, can’t-go-wrong assignments that anyone could probably do. These tests of your ability show your employer just how much effort and attention you give to your projects.

4) Don’t waste your time on Facebook. Trust me, it’s much easier said than done. If you’re working in a corporate environment, chances are the administrators are watching what employees do on the computer. Don’t get too excited if you think your boss has not caught you yet; he or she probably knows and does not have the time or desire to care. At the end of the day, interns who fool around on the computer listening to music on Pandora or tweeting will get bad reviews and little to no real work.

5) If you are on top of your game and your boss truly does not have anything for you to do, spend your extra time doing something productive. Research the company, read the news and find interesting articles that are relevant to your field of work. As a news intern at Radio Free Europe, whenever I didn’t have any assigned work I would research and find news that my boss may have missed and give it to him, even though I am sure he rarely used it. Even working on college applications or doing a short SAT section looks better than wasting your time on Instant Messenger. Look and act professional and your coworkers will treat you accordingly.

6) Dress appropriately. For girls especially, the summer months pose a wardrobe problem as it becomes difficult to find a happy medium between stylish and professional looking clothing. If you show up to work wearing something you may wear to school, chances are you dressed inappropriately. Dress conservatively and comfortably if you want adults working there to take you seriously.

7) Most importantly, remember that this internship is not like going to school. For the first time in your life, your mentors will not harass you to do your work. If you truly want to be successful, work diligently and make yourself distinguishable. Become the person your boss can rely on to do last minute projects. Even if you don’t want to do a specific assignment, accept it with grace and put the utmost effort into it anyway. Finally, remember that work assignments cannot be treated like traditional homework–if you don’t do your office work consistently, they’ll just throw you out. Simple as that.

Internships can be rewarding if interns put in the effort. If you really want to sit in on that next meeting with the guest panelist or expert, show that you can carry yourself in a professional manner. Make a good impression this summer, and your boss might even offer to write a college recommendation or put in a good word at your next job. The keys to success in the corporate world, and arguably, anywhere else, are self-control, a positive self-image and persistence.

Beverly Farms is scheduled to start construction this July, and during the 2011-2012 school year Beverly Farms students will attend school at the North Lake Center in Rockville while Hoover students will attend the Tilden Holding Center in Rockville.

However, Hoover will only be partially demolished this summer.

According to Hoover Principal Billie Jean Bensen, unlike Beverly Farms, the entire building will not be destroyed. Instead, Hoover’s new addition will be built around the atrium wing.

“I feel kind of sad,” sophomore Steven Miller said. “I’m going to miss the buildings because that’s where all these memories are.”

The new Beverly Farms is scheduled to be ready by December 2012, and the new Hoover is scheduled to reopen in August 2013.

Most CHS students have attended at least one these schools.

According to registrar Denise Fabrizio, 60 percent of CHS students attended Hoover, and many of them attended Beverly Farms since Beverly Farms is one of three elementary schools which feed into Hoover.

“There will be a lot of changes,” Beverly Farms Parent Teacher Association (PTA) President Kim Band said. “It’s a brand new building, and the interior will be completely state of the art.”

The Beverly Farms bus loop will be moved to the side of the new building, and the building itself will be larger and designed to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood.

According to Band, the artwork that Beverly Farms students have created and displayed throughout the past years, including those dating back to when some CHS students attended Beverly Farms, will be preserved as much as possible.

“There is a lot of art inside and outside of the building,” Band said. “We are going to save and preserve as much as we can and find a place for them in the new building.”

The new Beverly Farms will also be much larger. According to Bensen, the new Beverly Farms building will accommodate 1,200 students, which will eliminate the need for portables.

Both schools will be built as environmental-friendly institutions and be evaluated by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an internationally-recognized green building certification system standard.

“There are all kinds of things that will be going into the school that will be environmentally safe and sound,” Band said. “All schools have to be silver certified, but Beverly Farms might be the next level up.”

The new Hoover extension will also include environmentally-friendly additions. According to Bensen, the roof of the new Hoover building will include live plant material, and the heating and cooling systems will be situated underground. There will also be classes to explain to students the construction process and the building’s use of environmentally-friendly materials.

Other plans for Hoover include new tennis and basketball courts and a different gym location.

According to an Aug. 4 Potomac Gazette article, the Hoover building’s student capacity will rise from 914 students to 1,092 students.

Virtual pictures of the new Hoover building can be found on www.moseleyprojects.com.

Once construction has started, all Beverly Farms and Hoover students will be bused to their respective holding schools.

“I have a younger brother in sixth grade, and before the renovations he could walk to Hoover from our house in around 10 to 15 minutes,” sophomore Jennifer Jin said. “Because of the remodeling he is going to have to get up earlier and take the bus to go to Tilden.”

Before Beverly Farms and Hoover are torn down, many CHS students will visit their former schools.

“It would be nice to see them one last time before they are gone,” Miller said.

At the beginning of the fall season, athletes find themselves without a spare moment in their unyielding training schedules.  Many found it useful to begin their training over their summer break as there was nothing else to worry about except preparing for the upcoming season.
Under MCPS policy, teams are not allowed to hold out-of-season practices. Athletes therefore typically train independently, and some began their training as early as last spring.

“I run every day,” sophomore cross country athlete Rachel Beiser said.  “I do stretches, warm ups, and cool downs. My actual workout is at least a few miles a day.”

Running is also a common workout for athletes in other sports, not just cross country, as it raises endurance and stamina.

According to sophomore soccer athlete Crispin Muessle, training by running and working out help him get back into shape for the season.

While many athletes practice regularly on their own, others may attend outside of school camps and clinics to sharpen their skills.

“We offer clinics in the spring for skills and maintenance,” cheerleading coach Brandi Richardson said.  “Many members of the team [also] go to camp together right before the season starts.”

With intense summer workouts, athletes and coaches can often see the effects of the dedication athletes have for their team’s success.

“Anyone that simply shows up and expects to do well without preparation should think twice and take a reality check,” cross country coach Steven Bettis said. “You get exactly what you put in.”