The Viewpoint March 2013 by The Viewpoint

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Viewpoint

Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556 @mvtheviewpoint mvtheviewpoint@gmail.com

STUDENT NEWSMAGAZINE OF MVHS VOLUME 7 ISSUE 4

Members of the boys Track team celebrate their District championship. Page 13.

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The Viewpoint

MV The Viewpoint

March 2013 Volume VII Issue 4 Editor in Chief

Emmy Reinwald Assistant Editor in Chief

Kerry Reichhardt Business Manager

Ashley Friedl Opinion Editor

John Keppeler Entertainment Editor

Victoria Conner

@mvtheviewpoint

Our community, our family, our school

ith Virginia Special Olympics taking place this weekend and the recent success of the boys basketball team, the school sense of community seems to be at an all-time high. A lot of this is owed to wild and loud fans at every game, and teachers who try to make Mountain View feel like a family even if it’s a rather large one. It’s not just the people in the stands decked out in maroon and orange that add to this school spirit, though. It’s the quiet student who doesn’t necessarily go to the game, but retweets the picture of the Wildcat Crazies in the stands. It’s the Learn and Serve student who raised money for his cause by doing the Polar Plunge. To quote the ever-popular band One Direction, it’s all the little things that make Mountain View Mountain View. Our school isn’t just recognizable by one group of students; everyone adds to our image as Mountain View.

Listen to the announcements. You’ll hear the names of the students named to All-State band, the times for Salon After Dark and the next scheduled meeting for any of the various clubs. There is a place for everyone and the school, as a whole, is a place for everyone. It’s not just a cluster of different groups of students, it’s an intertwining web connecting almost 2,000 people. Just look down the hallways to see it. Take in all that maroon and orange. Look on Facebook to see all the good luck wishes that are posted to our athletes ‘ and musicians’ walls. Everyone here is what makes Mountain View our family.

editor in chief

Student Life Editor

Lexi Stevens Advisor

#dailyviewpoint from February 23, 2013. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. Every school day we post the #dailyviewpoint, a photograph showing the everyday life of a Wildcat.

2012 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Medalist 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

Subtweeting seems to be taking over Twitter, but isn’t enough enough?

Check out two local bands that feature students and alumni.

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Buddy Club provides a path for student involvement.

Meet the champions of this year’s Special Olympics. Don’t forget to come out and support the team on March 15-16 at Mountain View.

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Pot of gold

Front page picture provided by Aaron Spicer Photography.

...

3. Snakes 4.

Staff Writers

Jonas Chechak, Megan Clark, Nathan English, Sam Foltz, Paul King, Trevor Martin, Ellie Pharo, Sami Toal and Niyah White

Inside this issue

un 2. Ireland

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 Signature Printing. Editorials represent the views of the writers and are not necessarily the opinions of Mountain View High School, its administration or staff. Letters to the editor are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 307 or sent to mvtheviewpoint@ gmail.com. Find PDFs of this and past issues can be found at www. issuu.com

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Education, responsibility are needed by Nathan English It’s really a shame that in a country where the majority of gun owners are responsible and law-abiding citizens, all it takes is one or two wackos to mess it up for everyone. The Sandy Hook tragedy has brought the issue of gun control back into the public consciousness and added fuel to the anti-gun fire, but unfortunately many of the provisions being discussed are by people who aren’t knowledgeable in the area of guns proposing laws that won’t necessarily make the country safer. There’s an unwritten assumption by some voicing that side of the argument that anyone who would possibly want to own a gun is a lunatic. I myself am a gun owner. Why? Because shooting guns is fun when done in a safe environment by responsible people such as on a range or hunting. I don’t feel like we should ruin the opportunity for people who want to shoot guns safely. People try to use the argument of “Well, you don’t ‘need’ a high caliber assault rifle” or “You don’t ‘need’ a 20-round magazine.” Of course, you don’t. You also don’t ‘need’ that cheeseburger that’s slowly piling on heart disease, and you don’t ‘need’ that pack of cigarettes that’s coating your lungs in tar. If you look at Bureau of Justice statistics, of gun violence in America, assault weapons accounted for only a very small fraction of gun violence. I support the NRA’s proposal to arm our schools. It makes sense, if you look at all the things we guard with guns – our banks, politicians, sporting events and celebrities. Why are we protecting our schools with a sign that says “This is a gun free zone” and then if there’s an incident, call armed police? I’m not, however, saying that teachers should be armed. For those who say “Well, guns in school create a violent atmosphere,” what about Deputy Kline? He’s an armed police officer, and I don’t feel he creates a violent or unsafe atmosphere – if anything, it’s a safer atmosphere. People try to talk about the supposed gun show loophole like any old schmuck can waltz into a gun show and buy all the AK-47s he wants, which is untrue, as the gun shows I’ve been to do conduct background checks. The bottom line here is that since no criminal in history ever said, “I’m not committing crime X because gun Y is illegal!” We need to make it harder for criminals to get them. We need to close any loopholes to allow mentally unfit people to buy guns and crack down on the purchase of illegal firearms. We should have mandatory gun education courses for people who want to purchase guns. If instructors have their doubts about someone’s mental status in these courses, then they shouldn’t be allowed to purchase a gun. Gun control is not the answer.

Restrict firearms available to citizens by Jonas Chechak

MCT Campus

Nearly two months after the Newtown shooting, the gun control debate rages on with seemingly no end in sight. The logical solution would be to remove the weapons that allow this massacre to happen, but unfortunately, the NRA and many other Americans are vehemently opposed to this idea. However, gun-control supporters are going about this issue the wrong way. Citizens should be allowed to own guns; many people enjoy hunting, target shooting, and other gun-related recreational activities. And rifles and shotguns are excellent weapons to protect against home invasion. However, I don’t think people should be allowed to own all guns; some of them just cause a danger to other people. Do you really need 30 rounds in a magazine to hunt or defend yourself against criminals? There are good reasons for citizens to own firearms, but we need to more tightly restrict what people can own. Americans should be allowed and possibly even encouraged to own long arms like rifles and shotguns, but smaller, more easily concealed weapons like handguns and weapons with large-capacity magazines, should only be in the hands of law enforcement and military personnel. Citizens can use long arms to hunt, protect from home invaders or shoot recreationally. However, many other guns just prove to be a danger to society. According to www.fbi.gov statistics, 75% of all homicides involving firearms in the U.S. in 2005 were committed with a handgun or similar weapon, as opposed to only 9% with rifles or shotguns. Handguns are easy to conceal, quick to draw and fire, and a favorite among criminals of all types. Weapons like these are a danger when in the hands of people other than trained law enforcement and military professionals. Obviously, the United States has a gun violence problem that desperately needs to be fixed. However, those that are fighting for tighter restrictions on firearms are going about it all wrong. A simple look at statistics show that handguns are the real culprit in the vast majority of these killings. Take a hint Washington.

march 2013 l the viewpoint l 5

YOU

WON'T

so, what's the point?

@THEM

a point across “To get--Krissy Poff ”

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{And why you shouldn’t}

Recently, Twitter has been filled with subtweet after subtweet, some positive and even more negative, leaving me wondering “Who is #oomf and why does everyone hate him?” More importantly, why do we involve ourselves in such hateful activities?

To get something out “without everyone knowing about who you’re talking about.

”

--Tristen Stevens

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opinion article by Kerry Reichhardt

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hecking my timeline each night consists of reading tweets from the past few hours that, together, create a “Twitter Formula.” It goes something like this: Someone tweeting their opinion on “The Game.” That same person retweeting someone with the same opinion. A “Mean Girls” quote. A “cute emergency” picture. A subtweet. Urban Dictionary defines “subtweeting” as “directly referring to a particular person [in a tweet] without mentioning their name.” And it’s true. You can hardly go five tweets before you’re hit with a nasty comment about some poor girl’s outfit and how it matches her morals. Although she may not be a “poor girl” to the person tweeting about her, you can bet she feels pretty hurt after reading something that harsh, if she even recognizes it’s about her. Not to mention in the same scenario, 10 other girls are wrongly thinking it’s about them. People have deleted their Twitters because of this, because of miscommunications and bullying. The point of Twitter is to voice your opinions, but the point of subtweeting is to passive aggressively hurt someone’s feelings. So why are we doing this? Is that really how we get our pleasure nowadays, by hoping that our petty tweets will find their way to the subject of their insult? I’m not throwing out golden tweets here either, people (as evidence by my lack of followers and “negative ratio,” whatever that means), but I try my hardest not to alienate anyone. And while I may complain about the endless sports tweets on my timeline, I have the power to unfollow whoever I want whenever I want if it bothers me that much--and so does everyone else. If there were ever time for a “Mean Girls” tweet, I think my next would be “I wish we could all get along ... and I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy ...”

retweets “ I canandgetfavorites. ” --Lia Kelly

photos by john keppeler-- twitter bird from advertising.twitter.com

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Kickin’ out the jams Two bands with Mountain View student and alumni members - post-hardcore band Mortify the Scythian,and hard rock band Absolute Zero, are here to rock your socks off. by Nathan English

Mortify the Scythian mortify the scythian

Valde Tribuno. Vocalist Patrick Ryan, guitarist Anthony Vu and vocalist Brandon Baker perform at Kingdom in Richmond. Brandon Stewart and Davin Morta, 2010 and 2012 alumni, respectively, are also in the band.

ver since their first gig in 2011, post-hardcore band Mortify the Scythian has made a name for themselves in the Stafford area. “We all played in local bands all throughout our high school years,” said vocalist Patrick Ryan, “and then one day we were just like ‘Let’s make one that actually succeeds and not falls apart every three months.”

The band is currently working with Eric St. Clair of the band Lakeview to record a debut single. “We’ve been gyped in recording before,” said guitarist Anthony Vu, “but [St. Clair] is the polar opposite of anything we’ve ever dealt with.” The members cite musical influences such as Escape the Fate, Everytime I Die, Darkest Hour and Underoath. Kingdom in Richmond is their favorite place to perform because of the energy-filled atmosphere. “Richmond is music-rich, and people there love music,” said Stewart, “and whenever they come to a show, they want to thrown down, they want to mosh, they want to scream and yell the worst of your songs.” In their time together the band has overcome many challenges, including selling tickets to be able to perform at venues such as Empire in Springfield. “Selling all our tickets is always an obstacle, “ said drummer Brandon Stewart. “We have to make a certain amount of money in order to play a show around here, and they base that off ticket sales.” Nevertheless, the band is determined to let nothing slow them down. “One thing we’ve learned that sets us apart from other local bands is that we don’t stop,” said Vu. “We don’t care if we have to sell 50 tickets for $14 or someone gyps us out of recording, we’re still going to keep going.” The band has an ambitious future ahead. They are planning to be signed to a label soon and record an album before the end of 2013. “The one thing I want to see is people in the crowd singing along to our music,” said Stewart. You can look for Mortify the Scythian’s debut single on iTunes in the near future.

MCT campus

Absolute Zero

Nathan English

The members cite a wide range of influences from bands like Tool, Soundgarden, Rammstein and Concrete Blonde. Sanford, in particular, is influenced by the Deftones and Radiohead because of their style of writing. He said, “When they write lyrics, it’s never a direct message. It keeps you guessing.” The band has undergone a series of lineup changes, most recently the addition of guitarist Adam Chamberlain and the hiatus of their keyboard player, Joey Hewitt. “His job got in the way,” said vocalist Noah Jones. Jones has written several of the band’s songs, including “Pennies for the Sick,” which is about the big impact that little things can have, and “Crosses and Cadillacs,” which was inspired by the imagined fate of a speeding car. “I’m writing most of the songs right now since I had a whole bunch already written, and we’re on a deadline.” The band has been working on booking their first gig since January.They plan to have onstage antics such as wearing 3-D glasses. “It’s incredibly hard to play with these [glasses] on,” said guitarist Adam Chamberlain, “because you look down at your fingers and feel like you’re playing with an octopus.” You can see more of Absolute Zero on March 30 when they open for Manamana at Q Balls Cafe in Fredericksburg.

Ready to rock. Vocalist Noah Jones, bassist Nigel Sanford and guitarist Adam Chamberlain pose for a group photo. North Stafford High School junior Matt Krystopik, drummer, is also in the band.

n up-and-coming new band, Absolute Zero, describes their sound as a blend of hard rock, grunge and alternative. The band has been playing together since the summer of 2012 and is planning their first gig on March 30. “Our music is not generic at all,” says bassist Nigel Sanford. “Every song has a different feel.”

Want to have your band highlighted? Contact us on Facebook (MV the Viewpoint), Twitter (@mvtheviewpoint), or stop by room 303. march 2013 l the viewpoint l 9

Listen Watch Love 1

Macklemore

Ben Haggerty, or Macklemore as most people know him, has taken over. If you’ve listened to the radio in the last two months, it is almost guaranteed that you’ve heard “Thrift Shop” at least once. The thing that makes Macklemore up and coming isn’t just his success on the radio, but his deeper songs such as “Same Love” that expresses his support for same-sex marriage and “Otherside” that tells his struggle with drugs and coming clean. He’s not afraid to speak about the bigger issues which is what made his first studio album, “The Heist,” so successful. If you enjoyed “Thrift Shop” make sure to give his other songs a listen, starting with “Can’t Hold Us” which is the most similar to his biggest hit.

“The Following”

Kevin Bacon makes his return to television with this new drama. The show opens up on Ryan Hardy (Bacon) who has just come out of retirement in order to recapture the serial killer he arrested 10 years prior, Dr. Joe Carroll. Once Carroll is captured, Hardy finds out that this man is just the beginning. It turns out that the words of Edgar Allan Poe have been used to create a cult-like group of young adults willing to do anything for Dr. Carroll, even kill themselves and others. This series is sure to leave you wondering what is coming next and every episode ends with a cliffhanger. If you enjoyed shows such as “24” and “Law and Order,” definitely check out new episodes Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox and catch up on old episodes on Fox.com. march 2013 l the viewpoint l 10

Twenty One Pilots

Classified as a “pop duo,” this Ohio band seems far from what is traditionally on the radio. Imagine Matt and Kim mixed with The Naked and Famous with a little Hollywood Undead thrown in. They just released their first full-length album and are classified by MTV as an Artist to Watch. Their songs have strong beats, and their voices fit more into the alternative category. Every song they perform has a different feel to it, showing their versatility. “Car Radio,” their most popular single to date resembles the rapping style of an old school Eminem but less angry. They then can switch to a song like “Guns For Hands” which is much more upbeat. They admitted on their website that one of their main goals is to write songs that make people think. So make sure to download “Vessel” and pay attention closely to the lyrics.

“Girls”

Lena Dunham may not have the history of success that Tiny Fey has, but she is the new face of strong female writing. Not only does she write for the hit show “Girls” on HBO, she also produces and acts in it. While “Girls” is only on the first half of its second season, it is already signed for a third and is seeing great success. HBO allows more creative freedom which Dunham takes full advantage of. Much of the humor comes from the sometimes uncomfortable but always hilarious situations that Hannah (Dunham) and her friends find themselves in as they search for success in New York. “Girls” is also becoming known for new and unique music during the episodes.

Photo credits clockwise from top left: guerrillacandy.com; 8tracks.com; leeruri.com; blogspot.com; blogspot.com; leftcall.com

Hannah sums it up perfectly with, “It’s a Wednesday night, baby, and I’m alive!” Check out new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

The Lumineers

“House of Cards”

Their most popular song “Ho Hey” is inescapable. It was first heard in TV commercials before it found its fame through the radio. It was the most played song of 2012 on Spotify which has led to sold out shows across the United States and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. However, this band is much deeper than their well known hit. They passed on signing with many big time record companies to sign with an independent label showing that they work hard to stick to their roots. Their debut album “The Lumineers” reached #2 in the U.S. If you liked “Ho Hey,” take a listen to “Slow It Down”. You won’t regret it. Usually when you start to get hooked on a new television series you have to wait an entire week to find out what happened to your favorite characters, but this series is changing that. “House of Cards” is a new Netflix series that has all 13 episodes uploaded at once. It focuses on politics in Washington D.C. while a representative, played by Kevin Spacey, works to get revenge on people who have betrayed him. It has received high ratings since its release and is worth checking out. Who knows, you may just find yourself watching the whole season in one night. -Victoria Conner #whattowatch

On Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, students will find Mountain View a hot spot of sports and spirit as these athletes compete for Olympic gold.

Lexi Stevens

meet the champions Taylor Clark

Special Olympics basketball cheerleader

Stefan Spriggs

Competing in the skill portion of the competition

Kevin Vogt

Stafford Titans blue team participating in the full-court basketball competition

Ryan O’Meara

Stafford Titans red team participating in the full-court basketball competition.

Rachel Marlowe

Special Olympics cheerleader

“Let me win, and if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt.”

ountain View Special Olympic athletes say the phrase above before each basketball tournament, an encouragement for the team and a reminder of what the game is really about. At the end of this week, basketball players and cheerleaders will take part in the 2013 Special Olympics State Basketball Championships. Student coach Maddie Biddle said, “The athletes love it. They are always really excited to get playing. You can tell that each one of them loves basketball and is happy to be there.” Athlete Kevin Vogt agreed when he said, “My favorite part is making baskets.” And that he does. Since December, the athletes have been attending two-hour practices every Saturday that consist of running, drills, scrimmages and learning the rules of the game. Athlete Ryan O’Meara said, “I practice dribbling and passing at practice every Saturday.”

Biddle noted the dedication and enthusiasm evident in every athlete. She said, “Everyone has improved so much. Shots are more consistent and everyone always puts forward their best effort. It’s really neat to see the team form.” O’Meara has also noticed the improvement. He said, “I’ve gotten better at shooting baskets.” The games will start off with the opening ceremony and the lighting of the torch. There will be half court games as well as full court games, and a dance for all the athletes. With all the activity and excitement, it might be hard to find a favorite part, but not for Vogt. He said, “I like the introduction when they bring out the torch.” O’Meara added his favorite as well when he said, “I like the cheering.” Biddle said that the opportunity to compete in Special Olympics helps students to be involved in sports and to have fun. She said, “Some of these athletes would not have an opportunity to play sports but with Special Olympics, they do.”

Student coach Sarah Olkowski said, “I’ve seen a lot of changes with all the athletes. Teamwork, among other skills, have tremendously developed since practices first began. It seems like these events have really boosted the self-esteem of several players as well.” Students interested in supporting the athletes are invited to attend. Students can sign up officially by visiting www.volunteertocheer.org or they can register to volunteer at the door. Of course, anyone is welcome to watch the games and cheer, which is free as there is no admission fee. Katie Werner, Student Council Association adviser, organizes the Volunteer to Cheer program. She said, “They’ve prepared for four years, and it’s the highlight of their career. If they win, they advance to the next level, since these are qualifying games. “ She added, “It means a lot to the athletes, their friends and their families.” Games run from 8 a.m. on Saturday until around 1:30 p.m. which begins the medal ceremony when athletes are awarded bronze, silver and gold medals.

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TOP5 WINTER SPORTS MOMENTS The 2012-2013 winter sports season was certainly one for the age with most of the teams making championships or having individual champions, highlighted by boys basketball bid for the state championship. The Viewpoint counts down its top 5 moments. by Paul King paul king

Basketball makes states

This year, it has all come together. Mountain View boys basketball, has become Commonwealth District champions, then Northwest Regional champions. This is the second time in Mountain View history that the boys varsity basketball team has made it to the regional championship. The basketball team was good last year, but what’s different about this year? “Well, last year we had a good team, and we played well in spurts, but we didn’t play as consistently as we did this year,” said head coach Kevin Brown. The offense has been firing on all cylinders for most of the season. “The kids are very unselfish with passing the ball around,” said assistant coach Scott Pollock. “All five guys on the court are averaging around 10 to 12 points (per game).” Brown added, “They have a good feel for what one another does. We’re not the type of team that can rely on just one person.” However, the true force behind the 26 straight wins wasn’t the offense, but the defense. “Defense is the main reason why we have won 26,” said Pollock. Brown said, “The defense has really been key for us. If we didn’t play good defense, we wouldn’t have won as many games as we have, because we have had some bad shooting nights and our defense has saved us.”

The Sixth Man. Mountain View fans celebrate as the Wildcats defeat Stonewall Jackson in the regional semi-finals.

Freshman wins at Regionals

Freshmen do not normally make a huge impact in varsity sports, but gymnast Lauren Graves is an exception, winning regionals and competing at states. “It was a shock, but it was pretty exciting,” Graves said. She hadn’t scored much for a majority of the season. “We just upped my value that week so I hadn’t been scoring that high during the season,” she said. “It was a fun experience going to states as a freshman. I hope to go back.” She expects to be back at states next year. “I think next year will be easier, and I think I’ll probably make it to states next year in more events. That’s my goal.”

Beltran, Swan place in state tournament

Mountain View had two 100+ winners, sophomore Junior Beltran in the 120 lb. weight class with 105 career wins and junior Jared Swan with 108 career wins in the 160 lb. weight class. Along with their win total, Beltran won his weight class being named champion at the Northwest Regional Tournament. Both Beltran and Swan placed in the state tournament coming in 4th and 6th respectively. “I felt good,” said Swan. He had beaten Alex Gowers from Osbourne Park to win the championship. “It felt good because I had already lost to him once,” Swan said.

Boys track wins districts

Due to district realignments, this was the last Commonwealth District championships, and track brought the district crown home. The boy’s track team scored 133 points, with Ben Sorenson and Ryan Glavy leading the way with 10 points and 5 points respectively in the 3200 meter run. Glavy didn’t think Mountain View was going to win districts. “We really thought we were going to place second at best,” said Glavy. “It feels great to win districts now, because we’re the last ones that could.”

Buzzer beater against North

Every win is sweet. A win against North Stafford in dramatic fashion to clinch a district crown and to earn a bid to regionals, is even sweeter. The 2011-2012 Wildcats Basketball had a good season, only to get the district crown taken from them by North Stafford. North Stafford has also had a good season, and the district title, once again, came down to North and Mountain View. This year, Mountain View got their revenge the hard way. The game that was at Mountain View was a close game throughout, with it literally coming down to the final seconds, with one final shot from Tyrus Mason, to end with a wildcat victory. #bestofthebest march 2013 l the viewpoint l 13

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all new to mountain view

Buddy Club

Buddy Club offers opportunities to learn more about others around you, but what else is it about? by Megan Clark

ast year, Jessica Johnson, the current president of Buddy Club, was leery about students with special needs. Lauren Puglia , a special education teacher talked to Johnson about a program that she participated in high school that encouraged her to pursue her career in special education. This encouraged Johnson, along with Claire Godfrey, the current vice president, to begin Buddy Club for their service projects. In high school, Puglia participated in a program called Best Buddies which encouraged the student to create the Buddy Club here. Buddy Club is an extracurricular activity for students with disabilities to interact with their regular education peers, in a non-educational setting. Buddy Club makes a big impact to the students involved.

Johnson said, “For the special education students, this is a chance for them to participate in an after school activity,” said Puglia. “It’s just so much fun for them.”

“The more time I spend with them the more and more I love them.” - Jessica Johnson A Buddy Club meeting might look a little different than any other club meeting. At their last meeting, there was Valentine’s Day celebration where everyone in the club made each other

Valentine’s Days cards and ate snacks. Buddy Club gives students a chance to socialize and interact in a way that they probably would not otherwise, outside of a school environment. Godfrey said, “It’s a really good experience. It gives us a lot of perspective.”. At their first meeting, all the members were introduced and played board games together. This is the norm as meetings are about members interacting, socializing together and just having a good time. Johnson said, “For the regular education students, I think it shows us that they’re really super sweet. Everyone needs to see that. The more time I spend with them, the more and more I love them.” Because of Buddy Club opening many students are closer than ever. Johnson said , “Even if you’re tentative, you can stop by for a few seconds. You’ll be able to make a difference and have fun while doing it.”

Still want to be a buddy but you’re more hands off? Consider donating to FBLA’s Backpack Buddies. Backpack Buddies assist in filling backpacks of food to students at Margaret Brent Elementary School who have an insufficient food supply on the weekends. Any food, any amount will do. Drop off donations to Mrs. Barbee in room 300. march 2013 l the viewpoint l 15

16 l the viewpoint l march 2013