Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556
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Viewpoint
STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1
january | february EXTRA
Read more about the funding of the American Red Cross, the Ronald McDonald House, breast cancer research, and Goodwill on page 12.
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Editorial
The Viewpoint
Declaring a major for college early on can be beneficial to making sure you have a general path to follow during your college career. However, students are finding it increasingly difficult to choose a field of study when they are just finishing a chapter of their life. After graduating high school, college freshmen experience significant changes in their lives, such as trying to be financially stable, new civic duties, and leaving the comforts of their old lives. Declaring a major just adds to the copious amount of stress that comes with graduating high school and getting ready to enter college. However, the pressure to declare a major seems to be increasing. While in past decades, college was more about finding one’s self, it has recently become more career and future focused; the number of students entering college with undeclared majors has significantly decreased. According to the Wall Street Journal, “At the University of Denver, undeclared freshmen declined to 6% from 33% in 1995-96. Most of the other colleges examined showed a similar trend, though less pronounced.” The issue that has arisen is that, due to this increase in pressure to declare early, many students end up inevitably being employed in a field where their degree is not used. “In 2012, nearly half of college graduates between the ages of 22 and 27 were unemployed or had jobs that didn’t use their degrees,” said a 2014 paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. So instead of rushing into a major, consider your options as you work through your general classes the first two years of college. Then, when you find your area of interest, you can make a good decision that you know will impact your future positively.
Managing Editors Paige Doerfler Emilee Holmquist Ruby Jackson
INDEX 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
Cover Advertisement Index Briefs #metoo Work Advertisements National Days
09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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Touchdown celebrations Supersititions Advertisement Penny for your thoughts Advertisement March Madness March Madness How to be a better debater
2018 TEACHER OF THE YEAR, BYRON HOOVER by Lexi Strawder
Lexi Strawder
Byron Hoover was awarded teacher of the year for 2018. Hoover teaches Psychology, IB Psychology and Theory of Knowledge at Mountain View. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Educational Psychology at George Mason University. Enthusiastic about teaching, he said his favorite part about the job is “the collective energy that occurs when a large portion of the class gets engaged in learning together. I enjoy other parts of teaching too, but my favorite by far is being ‘in the flow’ with others.” He explains the energy he feels while teaching as having an “almost addictive quality to that experience and it is challenging to attain.” While his class is very task oriented at
times, he likes to give students the option to be socially interactive. He said, “I believe that getting students to be cognitively, motivationally, and emotionally engaged is both a means to an achievement end and an end in itself, i.e. this benefits students both to attain objectives and to improve their overall educational experience.” Hoover values and encourages students to engage in class to gain a greater sense of knowledge. However, he said, “...it is too individualized a quality to be found in only one type of design or strategy.” After being recognized as teacher of the year, Hoover explained his initial emotional response as being “a mixture of pride, gratitude, and anxiety.” Dr. Stemple presented him with the award at a faculty meeting in the auditorium.
JAN | FEB 2018 VOLUME XII ISSUE III
Social Media Editor Sophie Perez Copy Editor Bella Roeske Photography Editor Emilee Holmquist Briefs Editor Charlotte Hazard Adviser Trisha Orndorff The Viewpoint is a cross-section of the news and opinions of the student body of Mountain View High School. It is a forum of expression published by aPrintis. Letters and art to the editorial board are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 311.
Staff Writers Brody Albertson, JoJo Brigham, Gia Morreale, Isabel Navarro, Selena Obregon, Danielle Piper, Caroline Pollock, Chloe Reid, Adam Skoloda, Lexi Strawder, Damien Veal, Abbey Whitehead Front Cover Paige Doerfler Lauren Bristow 2014-2016 Virginia High School League State Championship First Place Award Winner 2013, 2014, 2015 Free Lance-Star Best Over All Newspaper 2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2011, 2010 and 2009 Virginia High School League First Place Award Winner Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Rd. Stafford, VA 22556
Loving The Viewpoint? There’s even more! Check us out on issuu.com to see more pages of content from The Viewpoint EXTRA. index q january | february 2017 q the viewpoint q 03
winter Events FCCLA News
at Mountain View
by Adam Skoloda On February 6, 2018, the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) held a meeting to discuss their upcoming state conference. There are four officers for the 2017-2018 Mountain View FCCLA. Senior Bella Colon is the president of the FCCLA. The first Vice President is senior Jennifer Rodriguez. The Vice President of Programs is senior Spencer Morris. The Vice President of Public Relations is junior Mathias Spangler. Each person in FCCLA had to choose a topic from an extended list. Some topics included advocacy, interior design, and job interview. They could work in teams or individually to complete their task. Kerri Hederer, the family and consumer science teacher, runs FCCLA and she helped the members understand their topics. She made sure to have them prepared for the upcoming state conference in April. The Virginia State Leadership and Recognition Conference is a conference that is made for FCCLA clubs across Virginia. The conference is in Virginia Beach, VA. They participate in STAR Competition Events, Community projects, and Leadership Conference Sessions. The FCCLA group will stay there for three days. The FCCLA meets in room 401 from 2:30 until 4:30 every other Tuesday. The FCCLA is a good club to be in if you are okay with a little extra work, but at great reward. It is a good club to have on your resume and a good club in which you can use to sharpen up your leadership skills.
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“The Greatest Showman” by Danielle Piper
The Greatest Showman follows the life of P.T. Barnum, founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. It’s starring Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, and many other talented performers. The inspirational story of rags to riches,diversity, and overcoming differences was met by mixed critical reviews, but I was overall impressed. If you don’t like musicals, don’t see this movie. However, if you do enjoy intricate choreography and emotional lyrics, enhanced by special effects, The Greatest Showman will catch your eye at the very beginning. All the lyrics are written by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, also known for their work in Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Dear Evan Hansen, and Academy Award winner for Best Original Music Score, La La Land. This poetry was matched with the acrobatic and dance performance, both made sharp and even more impressive with extensive VFX. Compared to the other sensory parts of the film, the plot itself isn’t as impressive. Not that the story isn’t good, but if you’re there for the hard facts on the life of P.T. Barnum, Hollywood’s spin on the real history isn’t where to look. Personally, I could have done without the added drama of the love triangle between Charity, his wife, and P.T. Barnum, and Jenny Lind, the first two who loved each other very much and the last two whose relationship was strictly professional, according to Encyclopedia Britannica article on the showman. There is also ANOTHER love story between fictional characters Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) and Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron), which does follow the movie’s theme of acceptance, but is overall underdeveloped and unnecessary if romance isn’t your thing. To reiterate, see this movie if you like musicals. Although it was judged hard by critics, The Greatest Showman is an enjoyable movie with a heartwarming story with pure underlying themes about the adversities faced by people different than the majority.
Melanie Martinez
Whie House Archives
Donald Trump Woody Allen
In 1993, a story surfaced about Woody Allen’s rumored sexualt assault of adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. It was not until four years ago that Dylan Farrow personally wrote a letter detailing her experience as a child with Woody Allen. “… when I was 7 years old, Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet-like attic on the second floor of our house. He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me,” wrote Farrow. There has been an uproar about actors and actresses, such as Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake who continue to work with Allen, even after the allegations have come out against him. Senior Elsa Vinso said, “Woody Allen is a terrible man that has not been correctly recognized for what he really is: a pedophile, and I think that his continued career in the arts is an insult to actors everywhere and, no, you cannot separate the art from the artist because a piece is an extension of the artist themselves.”
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Oprah Winfrey made a powerful statement during the recent Golden Globes awards where women and men alike wore black in solidarity to protest sexual assault with the Time’s Up movement. This movement “addresses the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential,” according to the official Time’s Up website. Winfrey stated how she was proud of the women who have come out to tell their stories and expose the horrid truths they have been living with for years. Closely related to the Time’s Up movement is the #metoo movement. The hashtag went viral in October 2017 as survivors of sexual assault used it to tell their long silenced stories through social media. Alyssa Milano tweeted, telling people to use the hashtag if they have been sexually assaulted. However, Tarana Burke created the Me Too movement in 2007, after talking to a young girl about how her mother’s boyfriend repeatedly assaulted her. Burke was overwhelmed by the stories and left speechless. Burke focused on supporting women of color and created Just BE Inc. to support victims of sexual assault and harassment.
Wikipedia
Wiki Commons
Timothy Heller, a friend of Melanie Martinez, accused Martinez of rape through a story posted on Twitter. “I never said yes. I said no, repeatedly,” Heller wrote. “But she used her power over me, and broke me down. Just so there is no confusion, I was molested by my best friend.” Heller’s accusation has been left without much coverage by the news, despite her accused abuser being a famous singer. Many fans are outraged by her supposed actions; however, Martinez has repeatedly denied the accusations. “The only reason I do this now is because I’m hoping because of recent events, people will believe me,” she wrote. “Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship doesn’t equal consent. Silence doesn’t equal consent.”
Oprah Winfrey
The #metoo movement is so, so important for our society to listen to and learn from, especially in present times. For those that have been sexually assaulted, it takes a great deal of courage to speak out about their struggles, we need to listen and not brush away these victims, but instead educate ourselves and learn to push for what is right.
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Karoline Colucci, sophomore
Despite at least 21 women having accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, he still became our president. Trump’s alleged assault victims include Jessica Leeds, who says that Trump tried to kiss her, fondle her breasts, and put his hand up her skirt while they were on a plane, and Natasha Stoynoff, who said Trump pushed her up against a wall and forcibly put his tongue down her throat. In October 2016, a video was leaked of Trump talking to Billy Bush in 2005 about assaulting women. During the video, Trump said that since he’s a star, he is allowed to do anything, in terms of sexual acts, with women. Later on, Trump undermined the extreme language used by calling his comments “locker room talk.”
Harvey Weinstein
Wiki Commons
Wiki Commons
#metoo
The #metoo campaign has gone viral and has allowed many victims to come out and tell their stories by Bella Roeske
At least 84 women have come forward and accused Harvey Weinstein, film producer, of sexual assault. Along with rape accusations, many women have said that Weinstein asked them to give him a massage and perform sexual acts, which they were uncomfortable doing. Although over 80 women have told their stories, Weinstein denies all allegations of sexual assault. “Harvey Weinstein’s actions are disgusting and action must be taken to ensure justice for the victims, despite his wealth and social status,” said Kristen Marshall, sophomore. opinion u january | february 2018 u the viewpoint u
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WORK
Working high school students shouldn’t be given long hours by employers by Selena Obregon
Teenagers are expected to do a lot in a short amount of time: keep up with school, get a license, get a part-time job, etc. With school taking up at least six hours of the day alone and homework usually taking up about two, trying to keep a part-time job is difficult especially when your employer wants you to work a seven to 10 hour shift five days a week. It’s immoral and unrealistic to subject someone to the stress of a seven-hour shift on top of hours of school work and activities and just expect us to balance it perfectly, having stable mental, physical, and social health. In Virginia, most jobs are available to teenagers after they turn 18, but not all. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia’s child labor laws state that minors under the age of 16 cannot work more than 40 hours a week while in school and cannot work more than five hours a day without a break. However, there are no restrictions on how much children over the age of 16 can work, even though most 16-year-olds are still in school as well. This leaves room for employers to abuse their power in order to have a more plentiful and available staff. It gives them more leverage over teenage employees because it’s hard enough to get a job as a teenager with such a limited schedule. While there is a point that it’s ultimately the student’s choice to get a job and some people can balance everything, it’s not fair to disregard any concerns or issues someone is having just because someone else found a way to balance everything or because the student was the one who applied. A lot of teenagers need money if they want to get a car, save up for college, or just have money for themselves and they aren’t really given a choice on whether or not they can get a job since that’s the easiest and most reliable way to make money. It’s a lose-lose situation, either you’re making no money and can’t be as independent as you’d like, or you’re making money under bad conditions. Jobs affect your life in a lot of different ways, and if the work conditions
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teenagers are under can be changed to help life be more manageable, they should be. Students in high school are stressed enough as is, and some employers have the unrealistic expectation of teenagers to be able to efficiently juggle school work and grades, social relations, play a sport, participate in extracurricular activities, and still get enough sleep every day when many of us get home at 2:30. “Its very hard to juggle school and long up to 50 hour work weeks. It felt like you didn’t have any time to do anything except school and work; homework was hard to keep up with and my grades slipped. My manager told me to keep my grades up or he would fire me, but he gave me 45 hours to work. It was practically impossible to keep up with anything while working that way,” said Nyah Graham, junior. “I work at a five star restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg as a busser and my hours average 20-40 hours a week. On weeks where I work close to 40 hours, I have no time for anything other than work. I have to bring my homework to work and if I want to see my friends, I have to go after work around 11 p.m.,” said Madeline Gregory, junior.
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National Holidays There really is a wacky day for everything by Javonna Brigham
February
1
Freedom Day
2 3 Groundhog Carrot Cake Day Day
8 6 7 9 5 4 Kite Flying Thank a mail Weatherper- Frozen Yo- Send a Card Pizza Day Day carrier Day sons Day gurt Day To a Friend Day 15 13 14 11 12 16 Organ Donor Gumdrop Do a Grouch Don’t Cry Plum pud- Tortellini Day Day Day a Favor Day Over Spilled ding Day Milk Day 18 19 21 23 20 22 Battery Day Chocolate Love Your Pet Sticky Bun Cook a Sweet Toast Day Day Mint Day Day Potato Day
10 Umbrella Day 17 Random Acts of Kindness Day 24 Skip the Straw Day
25 27 26 28 Chocolate Tell a Fairy- Polar Bear Public SleepCovered Nut tale Day Day ing Day Day
MARCH
2 3 Pig Day Old Stuff Day I Want You To Be Happy Day 7 4 5 6 10 8 9 Music Day Cheese Oreo Cookie Cereal Day Proofreading Barbie Day Pack Your Doodle Day Day Lunch Day Day 11 12 14 13 Oatmeal Nut Girl Scout Earmuff Day Pi Day Waffles Day Day 18 Awkward Moments Day 25 Medal Of Honor Day 08 uthe viewpoint
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17 15 16 Kansas Day Panda Day Corn Dog Day
22 23 24 21 19 20 Chocolate Ravioli Day Fragrance Goof Off Day Chip and Dip Chocolate Day Covered RaiDay Caramel Day sin Day 29 30 31 28 27 26 Black Forest Nevada Day Doctors Day Bunsen BurnSpinach Day Joe Day Cake Day er Day
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Fun on the field and in the end zone Take a peek at the end zone and the new rules in place for touchdown celebrations by Caroline Pollock | Photo by Caroline Pollock Thanks to the National Football League (NFL) relaxing their rules on touchdown celebrations, the players and fans are enjoying the creativity and fun expressed in their celebratory dances. Touchdown celebrations during football games are often performed after the scoring of a touchdown. These displays of excitement after scoring have evolved over time. The NFL used to prohibit celebrations performed by multiple players. Anything that looked out of place in any way and seemed excessive drew a 15-yard penalty. “Technically, the NFL made premeditated or choreographed celebrations illegal in 1984, but it was hardly enforced until a crackdown came in 2004,” according to Adam Stites with the SbNation. This season, the rules have relaxed a bit. The new rules include allowing the use of the football as a prop after a touchdown, celebrating on the ground, and also group demonstrations. Even with these changes, there are some regulations still in place. Players are still not permitted to display violent or offensive imagery, sexually suggestive acts, or dunk through the goalposts. Players have taken full advantage of these new rules. Some teams have performed skits such as bowling, duckduck-goose, and hide-and-seek. Others have done ones involving double-dutch jump roping and a relay race. Some
fan favorites include Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, leapfrog, tug-of-war, and a game of curling. Before these new rules were released, many fans and players were frustrated with the excessive restriction the NFL had on touchdown celebrations. There were many comments posted on social media regarding the “No Fun League”, which is what many began to call the NFL. For example, some fans said things like, “Dunking the ball over the goalpost should be allowed if you can do it,” or “Hmmm, didn’t see ‘Flex your bicep muscles’ mentioned anywhere, wonder how that drew a flag on Carlos Hyde last night?!?!” As expected, these football enthusiasts are now enjoying the relaxation of the rules and having as much fun watching the new touchdown celebrations as the players who are performing them. According to Robert Mays with The Ringer, the eight best NFL touchdown celebrations are: 8. Devonta Freeman’s Free Throw 7. Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Playing Ping-pong 6. The Packers’ Receivers Feel the Rhythm and Feel the Rhyme 5. The Lions’ Curling Disaster 4. The Colts Do a Live Stage Adaptation of ‘Heat’ 3. Washington’s Go-to Flight Marshal Celebration 2. Torrey Smith’s Moon Shot 1.The Vikings Play Duck, Duck, Goose
“My team is the Carolina Panthers and when ‘Supercam’ scores a touchdown he rips open his chest like Superman,” said Heather Donald, junior. “The celebrations, such as Duck-Duck-Goose, show how these players spur each other to become better players through a combination of comedy and insult,” said freshman Leland Fry. Senior Shawn Long said, “I love it how the NFL has changed the rule as to where NFL teams can now perform celebrations. It’s always interesting to see what kind of new celebrations each team will come up with and do in every game. Plus, with the addition of adding the rule, it adds some humor to the game also. My favorite celebration so far has to be when the Philadelphia Eagles performed a bowling strike in the end zone. I thought that was pretty funny.” Sophomore Gavin Fitzgerald said, “I think some dances are stupid, but it’s not easy to score a touchdown, so it does deserve to be celebrated.”
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Superstitious much Many people from many different countries have odd superstitious beliefs by Javonna Brigham
OWLS Gum Pillows Kissing babies Animal abuse Goat meat 10 uthe viewpoint
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In Egypt, it is considered bad luck to see an owl. Th belief is that your will receive bad news after spotting this bird.
In Turkey, it is believed that if you chew gum at night, you’re actually chewing on the flesh of dead human beings. In Malaysia, many people believe that if you sit on a pillow, your bottom will get covered in blisters and boils.
In Nigeria, it is frowned upon to kiss your baby on the lips, with the belief that it will cause the baby to drool as an adult. In Romania, people who abuse animals are thought to be cursed into having hairy babies. “I wish this was a commonly believed superstition in America, then animal abuse wouldn’t happen so much,” said sophomore Evelyn Pailthorpe.
In Rwanda, women don’t consume goat meat as they fear it will cause them to grow facial hair.
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he Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) has been an international nonprofit organization built on helping similar programs and families with children suffering from health issues since 1974. Charity Navigator gives them a 4/4 star rating on their financial work, with over 85 percent of their expenses spent on its programs and services, and accountability to support their mission of aiding children and families in need. The only controversy to arise was in 2013, and it wasn’t a problem with RMHC itself, but with its “founding mission partner,” the McDonald’s fast food company. Both USA Today’s “McDonald’s slammed over Ronald McDonald House” and ABC News’ “McDonald’s Accused of Being Cheap Toward Its Charitable Arm” were released after advocacy groups Corporate Accountability International and The Small Planet Fund released a report highlighting the, although legal, unethical way McDonald’s uses the RMHC. It “reportedly support[s] only 20 percent of the nonprofit’s funding,” but gets all the “branded benefits” of working with the charity. This is true, but McDonald’s does supply the RMHC with things other than the lesser direct donations, as described in RMHC website, like providing a safe place for their donation boxes, which have raised $300 million dollars since the charity’s founding, volunteerism, and McDonald’s own branding, raising awareness for the charity.
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oodwill Industries International is a nonprofit organization that doubles as a hotspot for thrifters. Locations accepting donations from their community and sells it back. According to their website, their mission is to help people by “strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential.” They do this with the 87 percent of their $5.71 billion revenue spent directly on their programs like skills training, assisting with job searches, writing resumes, building interview skills, and rehabilitation programs, etc. These are centred on helping “youth, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, criminal backgrounds and other specialized needs.” The organization has been under fire before though, from websites like Snopes. However, Snopes has revised their original statement, when they posted exaggerated salary statements for a fake CEO. The Cheat Sheet and The Huffington Post both criticize Goodwill for paying some of their disabled workers “as little as $0.22 per hour” with a legal loophole from 1938. However, there are many people who benefit from Goodwill’s programs working with disabled people, who have commented so on their website. One thing to remember is that Goodwill is not the only thrift shop or donation options. Look in your local area and support small businesses like St William of York Outreach Inc, Corner Thrift Shop, Donna’s Thrift Shop in Stafford, Fredericksburg, and Dumfries.
A Penny for Your Thoughts
Donating to charities helping people is always a morally good thing to do, but some organizations are not as helpful they seem by Danielle Piper When asked the first organization he’d think to donate to in a natural disaster, junior Michael Bendele said, “The Red Cross because they just have such an advertising machine and I just think of them first.”
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“I donate to Goodwill all the time, but I’d go to other thrift stores too if I wanted to buy something for cheap,” said freshman David Brady when asked the first thrift store he thinks of.
he American Red Cross (ARC) is the go-to platform for Americans to donate to after natural disasters within the country and around the world. Their website displays they respond to “nearly 64,000 disasters yearly” and that “an average of 91 cents of every dollar spent [is] invested in humanitarian services and programs.” But in recent large scale relief efforts to disasters like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, 2012 Superstorm Sandy, and 2017 Hurricane Harvey, the ARC’s efforts fell short of what was needed to aid the people left homeless and those without other vital resources like food and water. Articles by Time Money, The Washington Post, the National Public Radio (NPR), and ProPublica state claims that the ARC uses their funds to enhance their public image rather than help people. One example from NPR refers to the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, when a former Red Cross official said, “as many as 40 percent of the organization’s emergency vehicles were assigned for public relations purposes.” In some cases, they also have come to aid, without enough food, batteries, blankets, or cots. In other cases, inexperienced staff purchased too much food, only for meals to be wasted. The funds donated to Haiti after the earthquake went nowhere when the nearly half-billion donated dollars built only six homes and the rest of the money went to smaller organizations. And overall, the ARC’s operations are too large in size to arrive timely to aid. When aiding relief efforts, conduct research before giving, and give to small, local operations, GoFundMe’s, or if you’re close enough, volunteer. The local efforts will be there for the people affected before the ARC gets there and will stay and help long after the ARC leave.
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“Saint Judes, because I think of cancer,” said freshman Cassie Sturgill when asked what health organization she thinks of first.
s the non-profit to fund breast cancer research the most, Susan G Komen draws a lot of attention for the disease and its patients. Their website proudly showcases their impact since their founding in 1989, and the statistic that 80 percent of their money is funding their mission and the other 20 percent of their funding goes towards fundraising and administration costs. But, like any charity, Komen receives its dose of criticism. The organization is blamed for stealing the spotlight so-to-speak with its plentiful advertisements and it’s “pinkwashing,” a term coined by Breast Cancer Action, for flooding markets with pink ribbons. “Allhands: The pink-ribbon deluge backfired for Komen and breast cancer” by USA Today points out Komen’s error of allowing “basically any company or organization to ‘slap a pink ribbon on anything.’” This lead the movement’s initial intention to be lost, and making the pink ribbon a tool for advertisers and not a reminder to help breast cancer awareness and research. Another controversy arose in 2012 when Komen withdrew its, “$680,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings and education programs,” as stated in “Komen Foundation Struggles to Regain Wide Support” by the New York Times. This was met with outrage from former supporters who saw the move as a stance against the pro-choice movement. Komen reinstated the grants to regain its supporters, which was met by outrage from their supporters with pro-life stances. This caused less participation in their Race for the Cure, and led to an overall lowerage in fundraising figures. Plenty of other breast cancer charities other than Susan G Komen exist and shouldn’t be overlooked. Charity Navigator can give further insight on different organizations, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, and BreastCancer.org.
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arch Madness: college basketball’s annual tournament which is somewhat similar to the National Basketball Association’s postseason. Divided up into the East, South, West, and Midwest regions, 68 different college basketball teams face off
Find take out w h Mar s to wi ose go ch M n it tw adn all in hat is t ess tou his yea by B rna rod men rs y Al t. ber t
in one game, single elimination series where winning advances you to the next opponent. From there, the teams rinse and repeat the process until there is a winner. Fans break into a frenzy to fill out their brackets in hopes of having a perfect bracket -- one loss and your bracket is busted. A perfect bracket has only been accomplished a handful of times as March Madness is known to have ‘upsets’ scattered across the tournament. College players have not fully devel-
oped their skills, and cannot always remain consistent, which causes upsets to happen. When making a bracket, always pick a 12seed over a 5-seed, or never fall in love with an 8 or 9-seed are common superstitions. But superstitions aside, and looking at the numbers, you will see they are not as far-fetched as some would expect. Only once have all number one seeds made it to the Final Four, and that was in 2008. So it would be the obvious choice to not choose all number one teams to make it to the Final Four. In the past five tournaments, the 12th-seed has always beaten the fifth seed. But what teams can go all the way, and bring home an March Madness tournament championship? Four teams stick out and look like contenders for this year's championship.
Mar pre ch dict Mad ions nes s
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The Duke Blue Devils are another top team, as Marvin Bagley III and Senior Grayson Allen are both on their roster. This team is coached by Mike Krzyzewski, or informally known as Coach K. Coach K is probably the greatest college basketball coach of all-time and that’s saying a lot. Bagley is a top-prospect entering the 2018 NBA draft. Bagley is averaging 22.0 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and is shooting over 60 percent from the field. But an underrated acquisition they made this off-season was the addition of Trevon Duval. Duval is averaging an astonishing 12.5 PPG and 6.3 APG as the third scoring option, and secondary ball handler. Duval pulls this roster together; makes them a real threat. They currently only have two losses, some improving to do, but they’ll be ready come March.
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he first one? The University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma has a diverse roster, perfectly surrounding their star, Trae Young. He is the player the Sooners run their offense through. Young is a perfect fit and a quintessential piece on this roster. He has an ability few other players have: the ability to pull from deep, real deep. This allows him to space the floor for the Sooners. What makes Young such a threat is his ability to create shots for himself while making plays for others, and his pass-first mentality. Young is leading the Big 12 conference in both pointsper-game (30.1), and assists-pergame (10.0). Trae Young is why the Sooners can go far.
to have a high chance to make the Final Four is Villanova. A team like Virginia in terms of depth, but a polar opposite in terms of star-power. The Wildcats consist of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVencenzo, and Phil Booth, all great scorers who contribute to the Wildcat’s amazing depth. Their standout star is Bridges, a top prospect heading into the 2018 NBA draft who is currently averaging 17.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.7 SPG, and 1.3 BPG. The junior is having a breakout year and is embracing the role as the leader of this great team. There is a reason why they have only lost one game as of January 22.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Last but not least, the final team (no pun intended), I predict
The Winner
W
ho is winning it all? My prediction is Duke. This team is too stacked to lose. Having one of the greatest college coaches ever, and one of the top prospects for the 2018 NBA draft will always make you one of the favorites in my eyes. If Duke lost anywhere outside of the Final Four, this season would be nothing less than a disappointment. But as long as Duke continues to play this way -- the way they have been playing -- the Blue Devils should have no problem.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Another team I can see making the Final Four is the University of Virginia. Virginia has one loss at the time of writing and has key victories over teams like Boston College, Duke, University of North Carolina, and Rhode Island. They don’t have a superstar like the Sooners or the Blue Devils, but they do have depth. Senior Devon Hall is the most consistent player on that team, averaging 12.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.2 APG. Sophomore Kyle Guy is also another talented guard on this roster. Guy averages 15.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG. Possessing depth, being able to rotate players, and not overplaying your starters is key to sustaining long-term success.
opinion u january | february 2018 u the viewpoint u 15
How to be a
Better
Debater
Five main steps are key to becoming a good debater, which are beneficial to learn by Charlotte Hazard
1 Think as if you were the judge 4 Refer to your evidence In the end, the judge is ultimately the one who decides who wins or loses the debate. Put yourself in the judge’s shoes, and try to judge yourself based on their standards. Did you let your emotions get in the way while arguing? Were your arguments based on facts? How were the rebuttals? If you were in a team debate, was it organized? People who judge debates tend to have a lot of experience and have certain expectations. A smart thing you could do before a debate is research what judges look for in debaters when judging them.
2 Always think comparatively
Whenever you are debating, make sure you are arguing with information that can’t be questioned. In other words, will the other side or team be able to find gaps in your argument and use it against you? Try to avoid using words such as “all” or “everyone” when debating. Most “all” or “everyone” statements tend to be inaccurate, and if you do use those words, make sure you have evidence. Numbers are your friend. Use reliable statistics and don’t make straw man arguments, or informal fallacies based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent’s argument, while actually refuting an argument not presented by that opponent. Listen carefully when your opponent speaks and write down what they are saying, so you have information to use in the rebuttal.
3 Always act like you’re winning
During an intense debate, whether you are winning or losing, remain confident and keep making points. If you’re losing, a good opponent will take advantage of you if they notice any discouraged or defeated looks. If the judge notices you looking discouraged or defeated, they may start to doubt your arguments because you look like you don’t believe them yourself. Keep your game face on, and keep going with your evidence and arguments.
Information can be found at: http://www.riudl.org/debate-tips-tricks/
16 u the viewpoint
u january | february 2018 u feature
It is very crucial for people in debates to have arguments built on evidence. That may seem very obvious, but a lot of debaters sometimes rely on their emotion and passionate arguments and forget to refer to their evidence. Make sure the evidence you have is also reliable. Make sure it is up to date and from an accurate source. One of the worst things you can do is build an argument based on false or outdated information.
5 Debate is a team activity
This really only applies if you are debating in groups and not individually. If you are debating in teams, it is really important to remember not to talk over one another. Plan out who is saying what and when ahead of time. It is crucial to make sure you and your partners each have different facts that you are individually responsible for. If you are really passionate about the topic, be careful not to let your emotions get in the way of your ultimate goal: to win.