Staff Profile
Ashley Beyer –– Lifestyles Editor
Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles and In-Depth Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com. This is Ashley’s second year of journalism and her first year as a staff member on The Patriot. Beyer is also a member of the Chorus, Music Ministry, Tennis, Respect Life Club, Clay Club, and performs in the school musicals. When she isn’t working on the newspaper, Beyer enjoys reading, writing, and dancing.
Ashley Beyer can be reached for comments at abeyer@jcpatriot.com.
Senior Project Snapshots: Julie Kraus
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
May 6, 2013
Filed under Lifestyles, Uncategorized
Junior Julie Kraus walked through Johns Hopkins Hospital’s hallways with her boyfriend and cancer patient senior Don Linardi. As they strolled through the hospital, they saw a young girl laughing and smiling with her mother. The pair was celebrating the daughter’s release from quarantine after three... Read more »
Weight loss required more than dieting
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
May 3, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
As the sun starts to heat up the beaches and the frozen yogurt stores open for business, the dreaded bathing suit season begins. This season can drive people to extreme dieting and excessive exercising, but there are better ways to get a healthy body and ultimately be happier as the summer approaches.... Read more »
Gardens trim waist, add pounds to wallet
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
April 29, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
The sun beats down on my back as I pick green beans. Although the labor can sometimes be overwhelming, I know it will be worth it to have the fresh produce on my plate tonight. Every April, my family gears up for home grown vegetables and fruit, like many other families across America. According... Read more »
Healthy You: Caveman diet challenges modern dieters
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 25, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
The paleolithic diet may have been so easy a caveman could do it, but the diet is not quite as easy for the current Homo sapiens that walk the earth, eating their fried Twinkies and fudge cakes. The paleolithic diet, or paleo diet as it is more commonly known, is the diet that cavemen adhered to in... Read more »
True health of foods surprises dieters
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 15, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
Many students have walked into the cafeteria and, hoping to be healthy, taken one of the large chicken salads and practically drowned it in dressing, all the while thinking that they were picking the best choice for their health. There are tons of foods that seem beneficial, but are actually detrimental. ... Read more »
Music composes students’ personalities
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 7, 2013
Filed under Lifestyles
After a rough day of school, I drive home blaring “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore. Turning up the volume on this mainstream song as loud as possible helps me de-stress from a horrible day as well as pass the time on my fifteen minute drive home. 63.9 percent of students surveyed by The Patriot believe... Read more »
Healthy You: Emotional eating curbed by strong mind
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 25, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
As I collapse on my bed amongst abandoned Honors Algebra 3 notes and AP Psychology flashcards, I take a break from stressful studying to eat some mac and cheese. Although I’m not actually hungry, I’ll do practically anything to get away from the stressful situation that is studying for my midterm... Read more »
Chinese New Year
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 21, 2013
Filed under Uncategorized
Junior Kelly Seo and other international students celebrated Chinese New Year, which was Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. Seo entertained students and faculty by dancing to celebrate the new year. Although they were unable to be in their home countries for this special holiday, the international students were... Read more »
Healthy You: Seaweed, sushi diet satisfies
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 7, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles, Uncategorized
As I look through my pantry, I am faced with a major dilemma: organic raisins or roasted seaweed. Though both of these choices are tasty, they are not a part of my normal diet. They’re some of the things I can eat on my macrobiotic diet. I heard about the macrobiotic diet from a friend and, after... Read more »
Practical math class should be installed
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
January 28, 2013
Filed under Op-Ed, Opinion
My boss walks into my office and says, "Quick. Graph f inverse of x plus g of x." Except he doesn’t, because very few professions will ever use an algebra problem such as this one. There are realistic uses of math that many teens don’t know, such as paying taxes, balancing checkbooks, and paying... Read more »
Healthy You: Dedication results in New Year success
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
January 8, 2013
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
Visions of Christmas cookies and candies loom in people’s heads after the holidays, crushing anyone’s hope to stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Though people eat more unhealthy foods around the holidays, getting back on track is not as hard as one may think. Gradually changing eating habits... Read more »
Teacher Spotlight: Alvin Ward
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
December 6, 2012
Filed under In the Community, Lifestyles, On Campus, Teacher Spotlight
Riding in the wake of the boat, math teacher Alvin Ward, class of ’70, kicks up a 10-foot spray. For Ward, this is just another vacation day on the water. Ward has been water-skiing since his junior year at JC, when he bought his first boat. “I raised money for the boat from my paper boy job,”... Read more »
Healthy You: Yoga and Zumba pump teens up
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
December 4, 2012
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
Exercising is not always at the top of teens’ to do lists, but exercising does not always have to be boring. Keeping up with exercise is important, and one way to do that is to make it interesting. Doing fun exercises like yoga and Zumba are easy ways to get exercise and fun enough to stick with. Doing... Read more »
Sophomore inspires St. Margaret students to dream bigger
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
November 20, 2012
Filed under In the Community, Lifestyles, Off Campus
Sophomore Amanda Brannan anxiously sits on a bus on its way to the Race for the Cure as sophomores joke and chat around her. Even though it’s 5:30 a.m., the students are restless, waiting to get to their destination. Brannan works every October to raise money for breast cancer awareness. She has... Read more »
Healthy You: Vitamins positively affect immune system
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
November 15, 2012
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
It’s tough to stay healthy during winter, when viruses run rampant, but it’s even tougher when you spend an entire week with sixty other teenagers, sharing waters, makeup, and clothing, like some students experienced the week of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Whether it’s sharing a water bottle... Read more »
Healthy You: Lite, low cal chocolate snacks delight
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 25, 2012
Filed under Healthy You!, Lifestyles
With late after school activities and sports keeping students at JC, eating healthy snacks, as opposed to most things that can be found in the vending machines, is hard to do. But there are options, like Kellogg’s Special K Pastry Crisps: Chocolatey Delight, Fiber One chocolate chip cookie brownies,... Read more »
Teacher Spotlight: Patti Murphy Dohn
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 22, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles, Teacher Spotlight, Uncategorized
Instead of worrying about morning prayers during her high school career at JC, campus minister Patti Murphy Dohn was worried about deadlines. "The most stressful times were the weekly deadlines for The Aegis … in those days and everything had to be hand-delivered. I clearly remember many times... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Amanda Brannan
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
May 24, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles, On Campus
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Losing a parent can be incredibly hard, but when faced with such devastation three years ago, freshman Amanda Brannan rose above and beyond to... Read more »
Friend-to-Friend hosts first dine-out fundraiser
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
May 14, 2012
Filed under In the Community, Lifestyles, Off Campus, Uncategorized
The Friend-to-Friend Club, according to the president, senior Nick Henninger, has always strived to open doors for those with developmental disabilities, improve lives, and create strong friendships. For his senior project, Henninger invited a group of disabled adults from the Gallagher Services to... Read more »
Food Fast educates students about worldwide hunger
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
May 4, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles, On Campus
Convincing students to take a Saturday to come to school and not eat anything for a full twenty-four hours may seem impossible, but senior Talia Kahoe was up for the daunting task. Kahoe spent April 21 with 18 other JC students discovering how hard it really is for people who struggle with hunger every... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Pat Fogarty
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
April 27, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Junior Pat Fogarty found himself in the back of an ambulance giving CPR to a woman who had little chance of living. After 25 minutes though,... Read more »
Junior fulfills wish of meeting Nick Jonas in NYC
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
April 23, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles, Off Campus
It’s four a.m. during spring break and my alarm clock is blaring in my ear. No, I did not forget to turn it off. I purposely set it the night before to wake up for one of the most exciting experiences of my life: meeting Nick Jonas. Early on April 11, my mother, aunt, and I drove to the White Marsh... Read more »
I cut myself
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
April 4, 2012
Filed under In-Depth, Lifestyles
Ugly. Stupid. Never good enough. These are things that ran through one JC student’s mind on a daily basis. “I've never really liked myself as a person... I don't think I'm very good looking, I don't really deal with people well, and I don't think I'm very easy to get along with,” the student... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Shannon Olsen
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 29, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Not many students have to deal with goats jumping into their tractors, but junior Shannon Olsen deals with this on a daily basis. “I was driving... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Karly Horn
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 8, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Sophomore Karly Horn is certainly emulating one of “Bye, Bye, Birdie’s” popular songs, “Put on a Happy Face,” by choreographing her... Read more »
JC spreads the love with National Self Injury Awareness Day
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 8, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles, On Campus
National Self Injury Awareness Day was March 1, and this year was the first time that JC participated by having students write “love” on their arms. The day was labeled as “a day of love,” according to Greig. “When I was about twelve, a friend of mine revealed to me that she had been cutting... Read more »
Pro V Con: Facebook dress groups enhance cat fight potential
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
March 1, 2012
Filed under Pro V Con
While junior and senior girls look for the perfect dress for Junior Ring Dance or Senior Prom, they hope that no one else has bought the same one. For this reason, the junior and senior girls have created Facebook pages and invited all of the girls in their class to show off their dresses. In theory,... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Adriana Baker
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 24, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles, Uncategorized
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. By the age of nine, moving from one historic house to another and having random strangers ask for tours of her home were normal for junior Adriana... Read more »
Digital Learning Day encourages technological instruction
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 9, 2012
Filed under News
Digital Learning Day on Feb. 1 was intended to be a day to focus on the digital aspects of education, according to Principal Madelyn Ball. Digital Learning Day is a national event, and though Maryland did not participate, Ball said she hoped to still get the school involved since technology is integrated... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Denzel Varner
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 9, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Going to three schools in four years is no easy task, leaving your teachers, friends, and sports teams each year, but senior Denzel Varner has... Read more »
Junior learns valuable lessons through Friend-to-Friend program
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 6, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles, On Campus
Although Horton is an elephant, he is smart for saying “A person’s a person no matter how small.” This doesn’t just pertain to a person’s height, but anything that makes someone different, including mental and physical disabilities. Through Nick Henniger’s senior project, Friend-to-Friend,... Read more »
‘One for the Money’ nails it
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
February 2, 2012
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Cinema
Put together a squeaky clean unemployed woman, a psychotic boxer, a cocky police officer on the run, and 50,000 dollars, and you get the hilarious movie, “One for the Money.” Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) has just gotten a divorce and has been unemployed for six months so she begins working... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Sarah Pattisall
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
January 27, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. As a child, sophomore Sarah Pattisall sat and watched her dad play volleyball. She became entranced by a game she didn’t know much about, but... Read more »
German exchange student reveals American experience
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
January 23, 2012
Filed under Lifestyles
For sophomore Yannick Frach, every day spent in America was a new experience. For the past six months, Frach has been away from the comforts of his home in Germany, spoken a different language, and lived in a foreign country. From spending a day in New York City to learning how to use the tablets... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Megan Greig
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
January 2, 2012
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. As soon as she stepped into her first creative writing class at the age of seven, sophomore Megan Greig knew that she was born to write. “Something... Read more »
Turkey Blast reloads your life
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyle Editor
January 2, 2012
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Books and Video Games
Getting bored of killing pigs with birds that have anger issues? There’s a much better app that lets you kill zombie turkeys in space with your jelly blaster, or even better, kill 3D cowboy turkeys with a taser. The Turkey Blast: Reloaded app is both customizable and free for smartphones and iPods.... Read more »
Exercise improves quality of life
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
December 15, 2011
Filed under In-Depth, Lifestyles
Though many things seem to interfere with exercise and getting active, junior Sammy Clough finds time to exercise in the weight room five days a week. He has been doing this for three years, beginning as a freshman. "It has made me a more dedicated person. It has relieved stress for me, improved my... Read more »
March for Life attracts high participation
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
December 9, 2011
Filed under In the Community, Lifestyles, Off Campus
Standing outside on one of the coldest days of the year with thousands of people you don’t know doesn’t seem like something many people would want to do. When those people realize they are being a positive change in the world, however, none of that matters anymore. 32 students have signed up for... Read more »
National Art Honor Society spends two days in The Big Apple
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
November 17, 2011
Filed under Lifestyles, Off Campus
Sophomore Lindsey McCumber rushed through the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art, racing from gallery to gallery, striving to find just one last piece of art her group needed for an artistic scavenger hunt. Panting from exhaustion, she triumphantly handed her completed list to art teacher Bruno Baran. Exploring... Read more »
Every Student Has a Story: Madysin Eisenhuth
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
November 7, 2011
Filed under Every Student Has a Story, Lifestyles
Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story. Freshman Madysin Eisenhuth wanted to try something new when she entered high school, and she’s certainly not regretting the choice. Eisenhuth... Read more »
Junior experiences a memorable trip to New York
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 28, 2011
Filed under Lifestyles
A dancing, quirky, cross-dressing eleven year old boy is not something that you would normally ride on a bus for three hours to see, but when I got the chance to see “Billy Elliot” in New York with the Theatre Department, I couldn’t say no. I had never seen “Billy Elliot” before, so when... Read more »
Senior reshapes Clay Club
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 28, 2011
Filed under Lifestyles
Senior Dana Grimmel scrutinizes the intimidating block of clay in front of her, deciding what to make. She looks around at the other students’ projects and then it hits her. With Halloween fast approaching and fall already here, why not make a pumpkin mug? Grimmel joined the clay club her junior... Read more »
Students explore land down under
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 21, 2011
Filed under Lifestyles
Senior Stephanie Carper spent the summer cuddling with koalas and kangaroos and looking at the Milky Way. She also used a boomerang for the first time and survived three weeks without her cell phone. She was able to do this because of a program called People to People which took her to Australia. The... Read more »
National Art Honor Society travels to NYC
Ashley Beyer, Lifestyles Editor
October 16, 2011
Filed under Lifestyles
New York City is known for the arts, with its statues, museums, and other architectural pieces seen throughout the city. Junior Katlyn Cyphers has always been interested in art, and is thrilled to experience the artistic culture that New York City has to offer for 48 hours with the rest of the National... Read more »