GMHS Lasso Online

The Sweetlife Festival was a thrilling experience that did not disappoint despite lackluster weather Saturday, April 28. The atmosphere was exciting from the time the doors opened at noon until the final song played around 11 p.m.

I spent most of my time in the Pit, the jam-packed mosh-pit located directly in front of the stage, but all of the seats in the covered Pavilion as well as the large lawn behind it were also at full capacity even though it rained off and on all day.

The festival was headlined by musical acts Avicii, Kid Cudi, and the Shins and over a dozen other bands and performers took the stage as well. Among the numerous bands that performed during the day, I enjoyed “Fun.” the most as their vocals and instruments sounded as good live as they sound recorded, if not better. However, the true excitement came at night, when Kid Cudi and Avicii took the stage.

It seemed like the enthusiasm of the crowd reached another level when Kid Cudi took the stage. The venue exploded with noise and the night was lit up by rainbow glow sticks which were thrown out for free to the crowd.

Kid Cudi did not disappoint, as he played songs from his first two albums with a live band that added a unique, rock feel to his music. The loudness of the crowd and the chaotic crowd-surfers in the Pit gave the festival a new energy which carried over to Avicii’s performance.

Avicii was the most exciting act of the night for me, as he ingeniously provided creative mixes of house music for over an hour and everyone in the crowd went crazy. Being a part of the large, jumping, and glowing mass of people that formed when Avicii took the stage was truly an indescribable feeling.

On top of the music, the festival also featured several fresh eating options as well as several stations which informed people of various ways to make the world a more environmentally-friendly place.

Between the overwhelming amounts of quality music, large array of food, and overall thrilling atmosphere, the 2012 Sweetlife Festival provided a mind-blowing experience which was well worth the price of admission.

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“We are a young team, and this showed that we can beat anybody,” senior midfielder Eion Oosterbaan said after his team beat arch-rival Clarke County by one on Friday.

Coming into the game, the Mustangs knew that they faced a challenge. Clarke is one of the top teams in the district this year, and they are known for their physical play.

“Clarke is always a physical team, so we came in knowing we had to match their physicality. We labeled this as a must-win game,” Oosterbaan said.

The game was fast-paced throughout, and the Mustangs gained a 1-0 lead early in the first half off of a goal by Oosterbaan, who was assisted by freshman midfielder Kavon Nowroozi. The score remained 1-0 until six minutes into the second half, when Oosterbaan added a second goal by hitting the top left upper-ninety from fifteen yards out.

Despite being down 2-0, Clarke kept the pressure on the Mustangs and made several pushes towards the goal. With thirteen minutes left, junior goalkeeper Sebastian Umerez made two crucial one-on-one saves to keep Clarke scoreless. Clarke finally got by Umerez with 1:36 left in the game by scoring off of a corner kick. However, there was too little time left and the Eagles ran out of time to add another goal.

Mason won by a final score of 2-1. After the game, the Mustang coaches told the young team how proud they were that every player stepped up when it mattered the most.

Oosterbaan stated that “a big win like this was crucial for our team at this point in the season. We played our best game when it counted.”

While the rest of the Mustang population was in school last week, the staff of Lasso Online was learning from the best in journalism and tackling the sites of New York City.

As participants in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s spring conference, the students got a chance to walk around the campus of Columbia University and attend several different seminars on journalism. These seminars were led by professional writers and editors from around the country. The topics of these seminars ranged from learning how to improve writing skills to learning how to tell stories using video.

While the staff learned valuable information at this conference, the real highlight of the trip for most of the members, including junior writer Paula O’Rourke, was getting to experience life in New York. The students went to Times Square, Central Park, the top of Rockefeller Center, and saw “Mary Poppins” the musical on Broadway.

“My favorite part of the trip was going to Times Square and being under the bright lights,” said O’Rourke. “We also got a chance to shop at a lot of stores like the huge M&M’s store and Forever 21.”

The Lasso staff returns from the big city with plenty of new ideas for the paper and lots of goodies from their shopping escapades.

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Busloads of Mustangs charged down to Virginia Commonwealth University for the basketball state tournaments Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10. Both the girls and boys basketball teams competed in the semi-finals and finals of their respective brackets.

With multiple games in a short period of time, many Mason students found themselves traveling to and from Richmond several times over the weekend to see the teams play.

Lasso Online sports reporter Graham Parvinkarimi made a video recap of the boys semi-finals game, the girls state final, and the boys state final. Watch them to see how it all turned out.

Girls Basketball State Finals 2012

Boys Basketball State Finals 2012

Boys Basketball State Semi-Finals 2012

The Mustangs got a chance to play on the biggest of stages Saturday, March 3, 2012 when they faced Essex High School at Virginia Commonwealth University. For the seniors on the team, this was a chance at redemption after suffering a heart-breaking loss at VCU last year.

Both teams came out with passion as they knew that a chance to be one of the final four teams left in the state was at stake. Lasso Online sports reporter Graham Parvinkarimi was at the game to film the action. Watch the video to see which team prevailed.

The Mason boys’ basketball team and its fans trekked two hours away on Saturday, February 25 to Eastern Mennonite University for the Region Championship.

The Mustangs knew that they faced tough competition; coming into the game their opponent, Dan River, was undefeated at 24-0. While the two teams had already been guaranteed a spot in the State tournament, they both still had a lot to play for as their seeds for States would be determined by this game.

Watch the video recap to see how the game unraveled.

Fans packed into the Mustang Gym and supplied a thrilling atmosphere for the last home game of the season.

Mason knew that a lot was on the line on Tuesday; on top of being able to advance in the playoffs with a win, the team also had the chance to go down as the winning-est boys’ basketball team in school history.

Randolph Henry came hungry to play, however, and was eager to steal the glory from the home team. Watch this video to see how the game turned out.

Do you enjoy drawing and creating art? Are you looking for a place to display your artwork or cartoons?

Lasso Online has the perfect solution for you. For the rest of the school year, Lasso will be accepting art and cartoons from the student body to be posted on the school’s newspaper website www.fccps.org/lasso . If you are interested, you can send your artwork to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or submit it in person to Lasso adviser Mrs. Wagener in room A112. This is a wonderful opportunity to let the school see your cartoons, masterpieces, or even just classroom doodles. Just think, next time you’re on Lasso, you could see your own artwork!

The Mason Wrestling Team hosted a District Tri-Meet on January 4. The team squared off with Clarke, Chantilly, and Central Woodstock. Lasso Online sports reporter Graham Parvinkarimi was on hand and compiled a video recap of the action.

The varsity basketball team will have to defend its first-place spot in the district when rival Madison County comes to town on Wednesday night. The first matchup in December between the two was back-and-forth and the game came down to the last minute. Watch the recap video below to see how the first game turned out so that you’re ready for Wednesday’s crucial game.

The Mustangs traveled to the hostile environment of Madison County to take on the Mountaineers in their first district game of the season last week. The game was close from the get-go, with Mason being led by Senior guard Philippe Griffiths who hit three after three for the Mustangs. Lasso Online sports reporter Graham Parvinkarimi was on hand and compiled a video recap of the game. Watch it below to see how the game turned out.

Mason students formed a “Red Sea” that flooded the Mustang Gym with spirit as the Mustangs squared off against Clarke County. After suffering a close loss at the hands of Madison County earlier in the week, the Mustangs were eager to avenge themselves in front of a home crowd on Thursday.

The team would not get anything easy, however, as the game was highly contested and went back and forth several times. Senior guard Philippe Griffiths began the game on a hot streak, hitting a few threes to give his team a small lead. After Clarke answered with an offensive streak of their own, sixth man senior guard Eion Oosterbaan came into the game and provided a spark with excellent outside shooting. At the half, Clarke County held a marginal 19-17 lead over the Mustangs, and the game was still far from decided.

In the third, the home team began to pull away with an outpouring of scoring that was led by senior point guard Noel Obusan, who drove in and made key layups time after time. Senior guard Jeremy Stewart, in only his second game back from a thumb injury, also began to find his stride, making a handful of vital plays to help his team gain the lead.

In the end, the Mustangs held on to their slight lead over Clarke by possessing the ball on offense, forcing the Eagles to foul them. Obusan led the team in the 50-42 win with 17 points, followed by Griffiths with 10 and Oosterbaan with 8.

Obusan attributed much of his success to the “Red Sea,” saying that “when I got on the court, the crowd got me hyped and I brought my ‘A’ game. Also, my big turnover at the end of the Madison game inspired me to play the best that I could.”

Head Coach Chris Capannola added that the point guard was “outstanding. He took control of the game with the fundamentals. They took away [senior forward Nate Ogle] so we needed him.”

The team will be tested again this Tuesday when new addition to the district Central Woodstock comes to town.

As starting guards Philippe Griffiths and Noel Obusan told Lasso after their team’s first win, it was just a matter of time before the varsity basketball team began to show its true potential. The team’s performance last week suggests that the wait is now over and that the team has hit its stride heading into a week of crucial district games.

On Wednesday, the Mustangs faced off against Freedom High School. After a back and forth first half, Mason began to pull away, outscoring the opposition 15-3 in the third quarter. This burst of points was a team effort that saw scoring being spread out amongst the whole team. The Mustangs rode this momentum to a 61-47 win. The team was led by seniors Philippe Griffiths and Nate Ogle who had 13 points, with key contributions also coming from senior point guards Noel Obusan (9) and Eion Oosterbaan (7), senior forward Dimitri Venets (6), and senior guard Drew Nickle (6).

Friday night’s game had a similar outcome, as the team was able to avenge last season’s early loss against Avalon with a 60-41 win. The Mustangs were trailing at half time, but sound defense and brilliant outside shooting led yet another second half revival. Ogle led the team with 17 points, followed by Obusan with 12 points. Junior center Will Nunley began to emerge as a post threat, chipping in 9 points. Venets led the team on defense, finishing the game with 2 blocks.

These two big wins have given the team just the momentum that they need heading into their first week of district play. After having to travel to the hostile environment of Madison County on Tuesday, the team will have to turn around and face arch-rival Clarke County at home on Thursday. The veteran team feels that they are well-prepared for this challenge, however.

“We are ready, this is what we’ve been waiting for. Guys practice all off-season for games like this,” said senior forward Dimitri Venets.

When asked what impact last week’s games had on the team, senior point guard Noel Obusan stated that “against Avalon we showed how we’ve stepped up as a team. Practice has been great the past few weeks, and we’ve been having team meetings so we really feel like a family now.”

Are you in a band and interested in performing this holiday season? The Falls Church Community Center is looking for a high school band to perform at their annual New Year’s Eve party. This is an all night party (lasting from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m.) for sixth through eighth graders, but the band would only perform for part of this time.

The Community Center is looking for a high school band to perform around 8:30 P.M. and would love for anyone interested to perform. This is a great way to generate publicity for your band or to even just have fun while performing. If you are interested, contact Amy Maltese, the Teen Coordinator at the Falls Church Community Center.

Amy Maltese

Recreation Program Supervisor

City of Falls Church

Recreation & Parks

223 Little Falls Street

Falls Church, VA 22046

Phone: (703) 248-5307

Fax: (703) 536-8150

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The court was ablaze as the boys’ varsity basketball team caught fire to open up the second game of the Loudon County Tip Off Tournament. Coming off of a tough loss the night before, the team was anxious for redemption as they squared off against Heritage High School Friday night. The Mustangs did not disappoint, as they developed a lead in the first quarter which they would not relinquish for the entire game.

Senior guard Philippe Griffiths began the offensive onslaught by putting up twelve points in a two minute span early on in the game. Following Griffiths’ lead, senior guard Noel Obusan and senior forward Nate Ogle also caught fire and gave the team a ten point lead at half time.

After a back and forth third quarter that saw Heritage cut the lead to four and in which both teams struggled to maintain possession of the ball, Mason once again caught fire to close out the game in the fourth. Griffiths finished the game with 27 points and was relieved to see his team get their first win of the season.

“It felt good to get the first win, but we should’ve opened the season with a win,” Griffiths said. “It is less of a celebratory win, but more of a game that shows what we can be,” he added of the Mustangs 74-62 victory over Heritage.

While the team was happy to get a win, they still feel that they have room for improvement as there is a growing process each season, Griffiths explained.

“Last year from beginning to end we were a completely different team, but we have more seniors this year so the growing process will be quicker; the game on Friday didn’t show our true potential yet,” Griffiths stated.

Senior point guard Noel Obusan, who had 16 points in the game, added that “the returning players are on board, and we just need to get everyone else on the same page, then we will be where we need to be.”

Chances are, you have noticed the increase in facial hair among the Mustang population over the last month.

As part of “Movember,” male students and faculty took on the challenge of growing mustaches to raise awareness for men’s health issues. This cause has also raised money for prostate cancer research through the donation jar that has been located in the front lobby. Recently, some of the female faculty also took part in the event by putting on fake mustaches.

English teacher Mrs. Karin Tooze, who sported one of the fake mustaches, told Lasso that even though women can’t grow mustaches, they “can certainly help the cause in many ways, such as by putting on a fake mustache!”

Although the mustaches will be shaved away as “Movember” ends, that doesn’t mean that the support for men’s health issues needs to end. Students can always take a few minutes and donate to groups such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation, as any amount of support can go a long way.

Senior year is the pinnacle of high school and it comes with many special privileges and experiences. It is also Mason students’ last chance to accomplish anything that they have yet to achieve in their high school careers. As the first quarter comes to an end, Lasso caught up with several seniors to see what their favorite thing about being a senior is up to this point in the year.

Question: What do you like the most about being a senior so far?

Bursts of flavor could be heard coming from the auditorium as visiting Chilean students demonstrated their heritage and culture for faculty and students at George Mason.

The Chileans, who have stayed with students in Falls Church for over a week as part of a two-week-long exchange program, spoke about Chile’s history and traditions and then demonstrated many of these traditions in a reenactment of the annual Viña del Mar International Song Festival.

The mock Festival consisted mostly of different dances featured in Chile, such as La Cueca and the Easter Island dance. A trio also performed the song “Llueve sobre la ciudad” by Los Bunkers, a popular Chilean rock band.

“I was a little nervous at first to perform in front of a crowd in a foreign environment, but the applause of the crowd turned my nervousness into excitement!” said Raul Harris, who played guitar in the assembly.

Cheers filled the packed auditorium as Mason students displayed enthusiasm for the performances. Unfortunately, not all of the students in the school were able to see the Chileans in action.

“For the fifth year in a row, I missed out on the Chilean assembly because my teacher wouldn’t let my class go,” said disgruntled senior Eric Brown.

For those who did get to witness it, the assembly was an exciting way to learn about Chilean culture.

Senora Suzanne Planas filmed the assembly for those unable to attend.  The video is available on Lasso.

The hard work of the Environmental Cub, led by senior Ben Mothershead, has finally paid off as the reusable grocery bags that they worked on all of last year are now ready to go. The bags, which are made out of recycled water bottles, can now be bought in the lobby after school for $4 each. They will also be sold at the football game this Friday.

The bags are part of the Environmental Club’s campaign to encourage students to use less plastic water bottles and bags and to recycle those that have already been used.

The local businesses that are displayed on the bag have displayed their support for this cause by helping to fund this project. Mothershead garnered this support last year by contacting these businesses and encouraging them to join in on the project, and he is thrilled that the bags are ready.

“I really like the bags because they are good for the environment,” said Mothershead, “each one can prevent the use of over 1000 plastic bags, and they are even recyclable themselves because they are made out of recycled materials.”

Teachers are also anxious to purchase some of the bags and are giving the club positive feedback. “All that I use for grocery shopping are cloth bags, so I’m really excited about these bags. I also like how they look and how the club got local businesses involved!” said Mrs. Joy Wagener, and English teacher.

All profits made from selling the bags will go towards other projects of the Environmental Club, such as helping to maintain and improve the solar panels and gardens around the school.