The Viewpoint April/May 2016

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Viewpoint

Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556

STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 10 ISSUE 5 April| May

On pages 12 and 13, read about exercise and its effect on your body.

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Elizabeth M Attreed, DDS, PC 2832 Jefferson Davis Highway Stafford, VA 22554 (540)-659-5161

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The Viewpoint APRIL | MAY 2016 VOLUME X ISSUE V

End the year with a bang With the school year coming to a close, most of us probably don’t want to deal with the remaining workload that comes with AP and IB exams, finals, and last ditch efforts to get our grades up. Though many already have no desire to work at the beginning of the year, it tends to become more extreme as the months go by. The idea of the school year, or maybe even one’s high school career, ending seems to make something click in our minds that turns off the desire to do any type of work whatsoever.

Generally, the adults in our lives desperately attempt to convince us to finish the year strong and refrain from letting our grades drop. However, we tend not to be as successful at following these directions as we’d like due to the simple fact that many of us are too stubborn to realize the importance of school work; we give in to the irresistible temptation of putting off work in lieu of doing something we find more interesting.

Letting our grades drop and basically giving up on school altogether doesn’t benefit us, but come late spring, the focus tends to shift to getting out of school and our summer plans rather than actually focusing on doing well for the few months we have left.

There definitely are people out there that are studying and working hard to get through exams and whatnot, but what happens after that? We tend to just quit.

“My exams are over; now I am just waiting for summer to start” is something I’ve heard quite a bit after the AP and IB

exam season finishes.

What is it in our minds that tells us the end of the school year doesn’t matter? What makes summer plans and partying more important than school and preparing for the future?

Many students don’t see the long-term effects of high school. We are repeatedly told that these four short years affect the rest of our lives and that we should take them seriously. Yet while we are in it, it seems like none of it will ever matter.

High school is one’s ticket to college, and college is one’s ticket to a good job and a great career. And even if any of us do not have the desire to go to college, going straight into the workforce or in the military generally requires a high school diploma. If we do well in high school and work hard to get good grades, our lives will basically be laid out in front of us, and opportunities will be practically endless.

School gets us ready for the real world; you’d think that invaluable preparation towards success for the rest of our lives would be more important than our ideas of temporary fun.

Editorial Board

Hailey Bullis Cory Haley Sarah Yakulis Social Media Editor

Krissy Poff

Copy Editors

Leah Garza Reagan King Adviser

Trisha Strahl

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 to the editorial board are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 311.

Staff Writer

Staff Writers

Feature Figure

by Krissy Poff

Hailey Bullis

Playing a varsity sport and maintaining school work is a hardship any athlete faces, but sophomore Alex Rodriguez is determined to be successful on and off the field.

Rodriguez has been playing lacrosse for seven years and began his love for the sport through a friend who was involved.

“He invited me to a practice and I fell in love with the game,” said Rodriguez. After that one practice, his love for the sport flourished and he began playing on a daily basis, developing skills that most kids his age couldn’t master as well.

However, his mom is who inspires him to practice harder everyday. Rodriguez takes the field everyday with his mom in mind, since she herself did not have the opportunity to play any sports. This is his way of thanking her for everything she does for him and his lacrosse career.

Rodriguez said, “I give my best on the field everyday because I know that sports should never be taken for granted.” Being humble is just one of the many reasons

why Rodriguez feels he is looked up to by his fellow teammates.

“Playing for MV Lacrosse has taught me to always trust in my teammates when things aren’t going as planned,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez’s favorite aspect of playing lacrosse is his ability to share his knowledge of the game to his teammates, so that they can all work together to grasp a win for the team.

For now Rodriguez is accomplishing both high school lacrosse and maintaining a successful GPA, but he plans to take this life to college with him.

“I would love to play lacrosse at the D1 level,” said Rodriguez.

With The University of Richmond already keeping Rodriguez in mind to become part of their D1 program, Rodriguez should have no problem achieving his life goals, while taking his lacrosse career to a whole new level.

Jenny Bullers, Lily Cowper, Paige Doerfler, Michael Goffus, Zane Gobie, Alex Harrington, Morgan Ocetnick, Reagan King, Austin Venable Front Cover Morgan Ocetnick

2014, 2015 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

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at Mountain View an overview of the last few months

Music Assessments by Reagan King and Michael Goffus Spring is the season of music at Mountain View. The music department recently participated in its assessments and came back with high scores to prove its success.

“When we’re preparing a piece like this, the expectation is that every detail is prepared to reach perfection,” said Band Director Gene Welch.

The symphonic band received straight ones, the highest score possible, on stage and a one in sight reading. The wind ensemble earned similar scores with an overall one on stage and a one in sight reading. This, along with the Marching Band’s superior rating, secured Mountain View’s tenth consecutive year as a Virginia Honor Band.

The chorus classes have a different style of preparing for these assessments in that the classes become more focused. They practice the professionalism of the assessments and behavior that they will exhibit the day of the event. These efforts by Chorus Director, Bonita Keene, paid off that day.

“We even got a note from one of the judges on how impressed she was with the group’s professionalism in the sight reading room, which is really exciting,” said Keene.

Four out of the five chorus groups received superior ratings in stage performance and sight reading. Mountain View’s a capella team made a trip to Hanover High School to compete in a separate chorus competition. The group sang “Hold Me Rock Me” and “And the Angels Sing” and placed 2nd overall.

Under new direction, Brian Schmidt, the two orchestra classes that were judged at assessments, Chamber Sinfonia and Concert Orchestra, received similarly high scores to the rest of the music department. Chamber Sinfonia earned a one for their stage performance and a two in sight reading, while Concert Orchestra earned a two for their stage performance and a one in sight reading.

Mountain View’s highly acclaimed music department upheld their reputation this year at assessments, bringing back nothing but high expectations for upcoming performances.

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Thompson receives scholarship

by Sarah Yakulis Mountain View’s own physics teacher Seth Thompson was awarded the Teaching It Forward scholarship provided by the University of Phoenix.

The Department of Defense State Teacher of the Year, Mary Hansen got to award a person of her choice this scholarship. She says she selected Thompson after seeing the impact he made in her own son Alex’s life. “I believe that the true success of a teacher is not measured through standardized test scores, formal observations or student grades. I believe that the success of a teacher can be measured by the conversations that happen at the dinner table....

Seth Thompson understands that students learn best when they feel connected and engaged,” Mary Hansen said at the presentation ceremony. This award was a surprise that Mr. Thompson did not see coming. A presentation was organized for him in the auditorium where his wife and baseball team were watching. Thompson said that the scholarship was “a surprise in the best sense of the word.” He plans to start his master’s program this summer in Curriculum and Instruction. “It’s very humbling to be selected for something like this; it’s a huge blessing. I’m very grateful that God saw it fit to provide me with this.”

Michael Goffus

Sarah Yakulis

Lauren Sarno

In the NHS students plan events and service projects in order to give back to the school and the community. In its recent induction on April 12 about 76 new members were accepted into the NHS. The biggest requirements of joining the NHS is having a GPA of atleast 3.8 and being a sophomore or above. Being a part of the NHS does look good on college resumes, but that isn’t why all of the students decided to join the NHS. Senior and president of the NHS Zach Phillips has different motives for being involved. “It definitely looks good on college resumes, but I like making a difference,” said Phillips. As president, Phillips’ biggest responsibility is to run the meetings that they hold. In these meetings they work with the officers in order to plan their future events. As a tip to those who are just joining and to those who plan to join in the future, Phillips said, “Take advantage of the opportunities given to you; it is beneficial in ways you might not understand now, but will pay off in the future.”

Reagan King

National Honors Society by Zane Gobie

The unknown athletic genius From music to mathematics, school work can be seen as a mental exercise, but what are the benefits of physical activity? The Viewpoint discusses the intellectual benefits of being an athlete. by Paige Doerfler

Paige Doerfler Junior David McCabe at the Mountain View vs.

Riverbend varsity lacrosse game.

The structure of track helps [my grades and intellectual health] by forcing me to learn to multitask and help me with the different classes that I have and what I do outside of school, as well. Spencer Rasor, sophomore on the varsity track team

Hailey Bullis Sophomore Brandon Scoffield dribbling the ball towards the goal at the Mountain View vs. Riverbend varsity soccer game.

eing athletic and highly intelligent do not normally mix when thinking of the stereotypical image of jocks vs. nerds. As students many teenagers spend countless hours participating in sports. A good portion of these individuals tend to carry out their athletic careers well past high school at a college, or even a professional level in addition to working towards a successful intellectual career for the future.

Obviously, a major benefit of being athletic is being fit and healthy. Another benefit, however, is that many colleges tend to look for extraordinary athletes to represent them, giving students a ticket to college without a huge emphasis on academics. Now, the question is can being an athlete, alone, actually help you intellectually?

A 2014 study by the Kansas State Department of Education showed a definite difference between athletes and average students. Among 5,017 male athletes studied, 74 percent reported a GPA of 3.0 or higher, while of 3,674 male non-athletes studied, only 64 percent reported a GPA of 3.0. Among 4,330 female athletes, 87 percent reported a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Of the 5,547 female non-athletes, only 75 percent reported a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

While you have to take into consideration one’s work ethic and desire to learn, this study does show that athletes generally have a higher GPA, and there are some scientific reasons for why that is.

One’s brain has a great increase in the ability to memorize efficiently when their body is active.

An experiment conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine proved this when students were asked to memorize a string of letters, then either run, lift weights, or sit quietly afterwards. The students that ran and kept their blood flowing were able to recite the string of letters faster and more

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Cory Haley Senior Jacob Neufang swings at the ball at the Mountain View vs. Courtland varsity baseball game.

accurately when they were tested on memorization, compared to the students who chose to lift weights or sit quietly.

According to Jennifer Cohen, writer for Forbes, regular physical activity improves muscle strength and boosts endurance, which, in return, gives you the energy to create new ideas and think more clearly. Though it never really feels energizing until after the fact, the more physical activity in which you participate, the more energized you tend to feel.

Exercising also releases endorphins and serotonin, which have been shown to improve mood, alleviate some symptoms of depression, as well as assist memory growth.

With participating on a sports team comes structure in your everyday life. Athletes must balance school work with practices and games, jobs outside of school, and other numerous activities.

“It’s more motivation [to keep my grades up] because I know that I have to for soccer, but I do want to have a good GPA and get into a good school. I would like to go to the University of North Carolina and play soccer in college,” said Brandon Scoffield, sophomore on the soccer team.

Being an athlete doesn’t just mean you are some “meathead” who isn’t smart or fully capable of being successful in a job that has a high demand for psychological intelligence. In Paige Doerfler reality, exercising and being active are beneficial for, not only Sophomore Spencer Rasor sprints the 100 event one’s physical health, but intellectual health as well. at a track meet against Colonial Forge and North Stafford.

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lEARNING

A Little Bit Extra

With a student’s high school schedule planned out completely, Senator John Miller’s Senate Bill 336 has an interesting concept that will change several aspects of a typical high school degree. by Hailey Bullis Background by Lindsey Hughes

Throughout every high schooler’s career, every year is planned to every last class, every last hour, and most of the time, the very last minute.

The only flexibility in a student’s schedule is what electives a student wants to take, and even that is so standardized. They now have to take one fine arts class and multiple physical education classes before they graduate as colleges want a “well-rounded” student.

However, a bill introduced by Virginia Senator John Miller proposes to change this.

Senate Bill 336 proposes to get rid of the current requirements a high schooler needs to graduate and allow students after their first two years of high school to choose whether or not they want to take academically-driven courses that would prepare students for post-secondary education, such as an English class, or to get a technical education that would focus on career readiness.

Tammy Houk, the assistant principal of Mountain View High School and the board director for Region 8, said, “Stafford County came up with, kind of, what the state is looking at in terms of the profile of the graduate. The state’s trying to come up with a profile of a graduate of Virginia. Courses would provide minimum

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competence to make you both college and job ready. They’re doing a whole lot with the work force. They’re working with Chambers of Commerce to see what businesses need from students.”

This is what the bill is proposing, but on a larger scale that would hopefully prepare students who aren’t planning to attend college to be better prepared after high school and give them the opportunity to be successful.

Cosmetology teacher Colleen Nicoll said, ”We have a lot of things that relate to any workplace readiness type skills, so what they learn here they can apply in other places and the benefit of doing it here versus a trade or tech school is that it saves a whole bunch of money.”

Many students at Mountain View already participate in Career and Technical Education classes that allow them to be certified in culinary or cosmetology after their high school career. In fact, the requirements for the cosmetology classes may also be changing in that the state wants more hours from the cosmetology students and would require the students to take three years of cosmetology instead of two.

In another case, House Bill 831, passed and plans to prepare students for the increasing

number of technology-based careers. The bill also plans to include computer science, computational thinking and computer coding into the current SOL curriculum as the curriculum is updated.

“Before we opened, our idea was that every student here could graduate with a little something extra, whether it be an IB diploma, a business certification, your state boards, your culinary license, you know, anything. So that little bit extra, I think has always set our graduates a part,” said Houk. This “little bit extra” mentality has seemingly been rubbing off onto the state of Virginia as a whole as these multiple bills continue to be made and pass through the Senate and House.

For students the change will be drastic. Many students have uttered “when will this help me later in life?” while in a core class they don’t care to be in. The standardization of a high schooler’s schedule does not account for what the student needs to do after high school for a career, but with the new bills being passed, this will change and allow students to have handson experience and shape them for their careers later in life.

Hailey Bullis

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Say yes to the dress

It’s time to say no to the dress code and yes to the dress by Lexi Strawder

The sun is shining and the weather is warm. Weather just peaked into the 70’s range and even low 80’s. It is time to break out the cute summer tank tops, jean shorts and flip flops you got while shopping over spring break. But if only it was that easy, right?

Your tank tops show your far too sexy shoulders and your shorts are too short if it’s past your longest fingertip resting by your side. It was fine when you bought it even after your mom approved of it, but the Stafford County dress code would like to disagree.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have a dress code but over time fashion has changed and it’s time for the dress code to change as well.

Let’s just be real, who wears jorts that extend to your knee? What even are those? They aren’t capris and they are definitely not shorts. The bigger question is where do you even find these atrocious articles of clothing?

Freshman Cami Taylor said, “I think people are unaware of how hard it is to find school appropriate clothes that are still cute, at cute places we shop at.” Some of the most shopped at places do not sell knee-length jorts.

Even if you do find a pair, it’s an even bigger hassle to find the perfect pair that fits just right.

So what’s the big deal with sexy shoulders? Are they really as revealing and intimidating as they seem?

Senior Caleb Hill said, “I don’t think shoulders are attractive because there is nothing about a shoulder that turns me on.”

The reason we are not allowed to wear tank tops in school is because the dress code groups it with other truly problematic clothing options. It reads as follows: “Tank tops, tube tops, mesh tops, sheer tops, sleeveless tops, halters, or bare midriff tops. Shirts cannot have necklines that are lower than the straight line from top of underarm across to opposite underarm. Shirts must cover shoulders, must have sleeves, and must extend past the top of the pants. Display of cleavage is not permitted. Tops may not expose the midriff, and clothing must cover undergarments at all times. Note that at the elementary level, sleeveless tops and dresses are permitted providing they do not violate any other part of the dress code.”

Granted, most of these stipulations are accurately set in place to avoid inappropriate clothing. However there are other alternatives to being modest in school One example of this beautiful and magical articles of clothing is the halter top. A halter top is sleeveless top apart of the tank top family that contains a strap behind the neck covering the entire front side of your chest solving our no cleavage rule.

Sophomore Karina Vasquez said, “If I could change one rule about the dress code, I would let students wear tank tops because not all tank tops are bad but just make sure that the clothes students wear don’t become too revealing.”

I understand that there are rules put in to place to protect students from looking too promiscuous in school, but it is time to lighten up, and change the dress code a little.

Lexi Strawder

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“I don’t think shoulders are attractive because there is nothing about a shoulder that turns me on.”

-Senior Caleb Hill “I think people are unaware of how hard it is to find school appropriate clothes that are still cute, at cute places we shop at.”

-Freshman Cami Taylor “If I could change one rule about the dress code, I would let students wear tank tops because not all tank tops are bad but just make sure that the clothes students wear don’t become too revealing.”

-Sophomore Karina Vasquez

Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Breaking down the Trump-Sanders crossover vote

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sk the average voter to graph the current presidential hopefuls on a political spectrum, and you’ll likely end up with a fairly even distribution: Democrat Hillary Clinton in the mid-left, Republican Ted Cruz in the mid-right, and moderate Republican John Kasich somewhere near the center. Then, of course, you’ll have the two so-called “radicals” staring each other down from the poles: Independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the far left, billionaire business magnate Donald Trump on the far right. The former runs as a Democrat, the latter as a Republican.

On paper, these two “radicals” truly seem to be polar opposites. Sanders openly refers to himself as a “democratic socialist,” wholeheartedly supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and advocates “strength through diplomacy;” Trump clamors for the repeal of ObamaCare, has accepted campaign donations from white supremacist organizations, and maintains as a key element of his platform his promise to force Mexico to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. It seems impossible to imagine two more different candidates entering the political mainstream.

And yet, these ostensibly divergent campaigns seem to be courting a large number of the same voters. Sanders received over 2,000 write-in votes in the New Hampshire Republican primary in February, indicating that, at least in the liberal Northeast, he has attracted a significant number of sympathizers within the Republican Party. In a similar vein, a Trump rally held in Sanders’ generally liberal home state of Vermont during the month of January drew thousands of attendees; this is in keeping with a recent survey conducted by Mercury Analytics, which found that nearly 20% of prospective Democratic voters would disregard party allegiance to vote for Trump. The two candidates are well aware of this shared electoral turf, each having fired long-range political potshots at the other and having vowed to pursue the support of “undeclared” voters.

These “undeclared” voters, those not registered as members of either major party, will likely make up a sizeable portion of each candidate’s voter base.

Marc Nozell

Greg Skidmore

By Nick Chechak Clearly, a large number of voters have found themselves deciding between Sanders and Trump – the two most radically disparate candidates of the entire race. Why is this?

It is certainly not down to any policy similarities, because, aside from their relatively comparable views regarding gun rights, the two appear to clash on nearly every major issue of the election.

Sanders has repeatedly held climate change to be one of the most dire problems facing the nation, while Trump has made little mention of the issue at all. Sanders has been very vocal in his desire for socialized health care, while Trump’s website details his plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act in favor of a more “free market” approach to provisional health services. Sanders endorses the demilitarization of American police forces, while Trump seeks to grant them greater authority. Tax reform is just about the only policy issue on which they slightly agree, with each supporting lower tax rates for the middle-class and higher tax rates for the wealthy.

Perhaps this issue reveals a more plausible explanation for their crossover appeal: they’re rhetoric.

Each has positioned himself as an obvious alternative to the traditional powers that be, willing and able to wage political war against vested interests and the entrenched elite. Both Sanders and Trump rail against the Wall Street bankers that they feel possess undue influence over Washington, granting them considerable appeal to a middle class frustrated by an ever-widening income gap. In addition, they each portray themselves as “outsiders,” doing little to hide their lack of historical allegiance to their

adopted parties; Sanders has run as an Independent for the entirety of his Congressional career, while Trump has no political experience in either party. Moreover, they each utilize unique campaign funding techniques designed to demonstrate their independence from Super PACS and other political interests, with Sanders’s campaign funded almost wholly by individual donations, and Trump’s primarily self-funded.

All of these characteristics enable our two “radicals” to capitalize on the record low approval ratings currently plaguing the federal government. With the vast majority of Americans deeply unsatisfied with their existing batch of politicians, a growing number of voters have begun to swear their allegiance simply to “anybody else” – the further outside the traditional political machine, the better. To this segment of the population, Trump and Sanders each represent a certain great white hope: a president who will actually do what he thinks is right, rather than catering to the interests of PACs, lobbyists, and multinational corporations. This crucial connection ultimately forms the crux of the Sanders-Trump crossover vote. Each candidate is so far removed from the Washington power structure that they are almost guaranteed not to buckle to outside influences. As a result, many of the voters committed above all else to forcing an “outsider” into office and ousting the old guard have found themselves deciding between the two most antithetical candidates of the election: the socialist Sanders, and the neoconservative Trump.

Thus, in many ways, the “old guard,” made up of a rotating cast of Washington incumbents, is largely responsible for the runaway success of the Trump and Sanders campaigns. By lazily holding the federal government in a continuous state of political gridlock and ineffectiveness, the incumbent politicians have created such national discontent that a populist outcry was inevitable. “Establishment” has become a dirty word. A certain faction has been left itching for some sort of revolution – if not military, then at least electoral. april | may 2016 q the viewpoint q

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Listen to music

Unless you are a fitness fanatic, working out may not be your favorite activity. But what many people neglect to realize is that working out does not have to be hauling yourself to the gym and running mile after mile on the treadmill. Sure, not all of us have time to go on a day-long nature hike or marathon, but finding a fun way to get fit and healthy is easier and simpler than you may think.

Hydrate before and after

“It [exercise] doesn’t have to be going out and running a mile. It’s go play pick-up basketball or soccer or have fun with your friends. Don’t just make it about a serious workout.” -La Shier

Wear comfortable clothing

Along with the importance of exercising as a whole, it is also crucial that you enjoy the process. If you are dreading the idea of working out, it won’t benefit you as much.

Fitted tennis shoes

p e e l s h g u o n e t Ge

z

Get a buddy

y h t l a e h t r a e h Be

Eat healthy

z zz

When people are crunched for time, sleep is usually the first thing to go.

Many people view sleep as a luxury rather than an essential. Many people also overlook the short and long term health consequences insufficient sleep can cause such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These issues develop over long periods of time and result from a number of factors, such as genetics, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise. Scientists have recently proven that getting an adequate amount sleep is as important to health as nutrition and exercise.

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Although not everyone thrives when working out with a buddy, most people find achieving their fitness goals easier when having someone you trust there to push you. You can’t always view yourself objectively during your fitness progress, so having someone to give you compliments or critiques might help you. Also working out with someone else makes the time go by faster. When you’re working hard, and dreading the next 45 minutes or so of your workout, it’s easier to have a friend there going through the pain with you and making the time move quicker.

april | may 2016

Granted, your to-do-list most likely doesn’t have “Get heart healthy” at the top of it and many people believe that heart disease will never happen to someone like them. Sadly, that is not the case because more and more young people are developing heart conditions or attacks every year. Ways to limit your risk for heart disease include avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol and caffeine, taking care of your teeth, reducing stress, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating right, visiting your doctor, making sleep a priority, and knowing your family history.

Doctors recommend you eat a healthy breakfast before working out in the morning considering most of the energy you got from what you ate for dinner the previous night is used up.

Doctors suggest this because your blood sugar may be low, leaving you feeling sluggish and light-headed while working out. If you plan to work out within an hour of eating breakfast, a light breakfast along with a sports drink is highly encouraged. Professionals suggest emphasizing carbohydrates for maximum energy while working out. It is also important to remember to eat healthy regularly, not just before working out.

Com mit to be

fit

21%

54% 46%

of adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines

of males are likely of females are to meet the 2008 likely to meet the Physical Activity 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines Guidelines

3 out of 10 teenagers say that they get an hour of physical activity a day Research from “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”

“One of the first things I think it [exercise] helps with is having an overall sense of well-being. You just feel better after you get in a good workout, you feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Sarah La Shier, Mountain View Athletic Trainer

Lately, health has been put on the back burner in teenagers’ lives when it should be a top priority. by Morgan Ocetnik and Jenny Bullers, photo by Morgan Ocetnik

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N O I L L I M LLAR D OR I Z E P

London, Paris, Tokyo...

Spending money on experiences rather than material objects can be more beneficial in the long run. By Emilee Holmquist

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f you won a million dollars, what would you do with it? Would you go on a shopping spree and buy that expensive car that has always been out of your price range, or the latest smartphone? Would you go buy all the clothes that could possibly fit into your closet? Or would you go on a dream vacation?

Many people prefer material things over experiences, and it makes sense. Why spend your money on something that will eventually come to an end when you could buy something that lasts forever?

Although this argument may seem valid, it’s not necessarily the truth. That expensive car will eventually become old and unfixable, the smartphone outdated and deemed “lame”. The clothes will be grown out of, ruined, or become out of style. But that vacation you went on? The memories will last forever.

The point is that no matter what some people may say, the excitement that people get when they buy something new will wear off, and in the end, they will become bored with it. Once they become bored, people just move on to the next object that

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will replace the one they just bought. People are often blind from this because they get so caught up in rewarding themselves for their hard-earned pay with material objects.

Mikayla Alexander, a senior at Mountain View, has a different mindset than most when it comes to her financial priorities. She said, “If I had a million dollars, I would probably use half of it to travel and donate the rest to a charity. I love getting to go to new places and learning about different cultures through traveling.”

In addition to providing long-lasting memories, traveling can better your understanding and knowledge of places all over the world. Experiencing things first-hand can increase how well people retain information, creating better opportunities for education.

For example, studying abroad is very popular with college students. According to a study from the University of Georgia, “Students who study abroad have improved academic performance upon returning to their home campus, higher graduation rates, and improved knowledge of cultural practices and

context compared to students in control groups.

They’ve also found that studying abroad helps, rather than hinders, academic performance of at-risk students.”

Experiences don’t have to be as grand as traveling abroad, however. Plane tickets are expensive, and most people can’t afford to just go wherever they want, whenever they want. But there are a wide range of other things to do that are equally rewarding, just not so costly.

It could be as simple as putting down your phone for the weekend and instead going out to dinner with your family, going camping at Old Rag Mountain, even going to seasonal fairs or farmers markets.

There are so many different things to experience around the world, but this is often masked by people’s desire to spend all their money on clothes, technology, and other material objects.

So, if you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Would you waste it all on things that are just going to be tossed aside one day, or would you go on the trip of a lifetime and make memories that you can look back on forever?

The Athletics Department’s End of the Year Sale!

Stop by the Athletics Department for Pricing april | may 2016 q the viewpoint q

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Senior year bucket list

When you are older and you look back on your high school experience, don’t you want to say you tried everything you wanted to? by Alex Harrington

“I want to win a State Championship for baseball.” - Jakob Neufang “I want to pass my EMT national registry test.” - Alexis Viola “Become Vine famous over the summer.” - Avery Borlodan “Jump off the rocks at Able Lake.” - Callie Anderson “Get my act together” - Kylee Nielsen “Go on a road trip with friends.” - Taylor Butler “Have a roof party.” - Brittany Loving “Finish building my car.” - Rex Stockham “Get scuba certified.” - Elise Whitworth “Hike up Old Rag.” - Andrew Crafton

* All checkmarks on the bucket list represent a task that has been completed by a student.

18 q the viewpoint q april | may 2016

You Got Served

Girls tennis maintains another season of working towards their success. The players and coach provides their thoughts on the season by and photos by Morgan Ocetnik

Demi Barrow #1 “To get better as a team as the season goes on we have to continue to have a close bond, be supportive of each other, and have great team work.”

Casey Jackson #2 “I think we have kept our focus on the season goal and as of right now, we would like to do even better.”

Reagan King #3 “[This year] was a little bit of a

Mackenzie West #4 “Our biggest obstacle will be realizing our own potential and tapping into it in order to win.”

Mackenzie Cunningham #5 “Just to do our best and try to make it as far as we can in the tournament with all our effort.”

Madison Rivero #6 “Luckily some of the matches end at different times which allows us to cheer on our other teammates and encourage them through their match, which makes you feel like you’re not out there alone.”

Taylor Larned #7 (doubles) “ I think the team as a whole has kept their focus on their goals for this season by practicing their hardest everyday and not worrying too much. If we don’t win, it’s just a game and we are trying our best and having fun.”

reality check because we couldn’t rely on seasoned players to carry the team, so we really had to build our own skills and be confident in those.”

With a current record of 4-4, the girls tennis team came into this season after losing three seniors from the previous season and only two returning varsity players. So with six or seven players on varsity, there were expectations to uphold.

Coach Meghan Johnson explained that there were many strong underclassman last year so they really filled in the gaps. With one senior this year, they have a pretty young team. It’s a little soon to tell how the rest of the season will go because of the small amount of matches played, but as of right now they are about the same skill level as last year. Johnson continues to help better the team with building skills, adding to repertoire, being more consistent, strategizing for doubles, maintaining consistency with singles, and of course keeping it fun. One of the strongest areas on the team this year, Johnson said, is in doubles since that’s where they tend to shine.

“The team is awesome; I love hanging out with them, I love watching them improve and compete. They’re really strong athletes and they have improved fast,” said Johnson.

Based on this progress from the season, they have a team with lots of growing potential and have exceeded the expectations.

april | may 2016 q the viewpoint q19

What is

a "real man"?

The term “real man” is an outdated phrase used to describe a stereotype that doesn’t accurately represent men as a whole

by Cory Haley

When you hear the term “real man” what do you think of? Someone like Stephen Amell who plays Oliver in “The Arrow”? A strong, dominant man who can take care of himself? Those were the most common traits I heard when I asked students what a “real man” was. Most of them described a hyper masculine bodybuilder in a banana hammock, but personally I find that offensive and damaging.

The term “real man” has been used for years throughout our culture to praise men that were physically built, but it, just like most phrases, has multiple meanings. “Oh just man up and do it” or “A real man would help me with this” are some of the ways that phrase has been used, by guys and girls, to pressure me into to doing a so called “manly” act. Whether it be physical activity or something else, it was used to harass, intimidate and bully. Men who don’t look like Calvin Klein models when they take off their shirt are compared in the same way as women are compared to swimsuit models.

There is a major difference between the comparisons though. Women have been able to make a stand against such sexist stereotypes through feminism.

The feminist movement is massive and has had a huge impact on how women are presented in the media. The traditional image of a model now encompasses all shapes and sizes--many which are not subjected to extreme Photoshop editing anymore.

Men’s equality however has gained very little traction or media coverage.

Feminism has overshadowed any male activists movements and has caused the issue to remain mostly unnoticed. People tend to believe that men want to be these buff, tough guys. In reality men just want to be accepted for how they are, not how the media depicts they should look.

This is where the cultural definition for a “real man” should change. A real man shouldn’t be determined by his body or the way he carries himself but by his actions. To me a real man is someone who is chivalrous and compassionate towards others. A real man realizes when he makes a mistake and then tries to make it right. A real man only needs a kind tongue and a kind heart to prove his masculinity.

Senior Austin Fairley describes a real man as, “ . . . someone who is chivalrous, respectful, and treats women as equally as they treat men.”

So the next time you call someone a “real man” to try to pressure them to do something, think about this new definition of a real man and make sure you’re describing the man on the inside, not just the muscles of the man on the outside.

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the viewpoint q april | may 2016

Hear yee, hear yee

Students and business workers alike enjoy listening to music while they work, but does it help or hinder their ability to work efficiently? by Riley Snitkin

Riley Snitk

he debate about listening to music while working has been going on since portable music came out. Teachers and students have different opinions on whether or not the use of music while studying is helpful.

Music with lyrics distracts people while they are trying to concentrate, even if it is blocking out noises, such as classmates’ voices.

According to Clifford Nass, a professor at Stanford University, “Music with lyrics is very likely to have a problematic effect when you’re writing or reading.

Probably less of an effect on math, if you’re not using the language parts of your brain.”

Several English teachers allow students to listen to music while they write papers, not realizing that it can cause lower grades.

On the opposing side, some teachers realize that music can hinder students’ ability to learn. Diana Van Fleet, a ninth grade English teacher at Mountain View, says that she doesn’t let students listen to music often because she believes that “they aren’t actually learning the material for long-term retention but they are just going through the motions and doing the assignment without processing it.”

in

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According to Nass, the research also has proven that listening to music doesn’t help with long term retention.

In addition, the journal “Work” published a study about 102 Taiwanese college students where listening to music was linked with lower scores on concentration tests.

Although research shows that music can hinder some students’ ability to work, it’s all about perspective. Some students enjoy listening to music and think it helps them study, no matter what the studies show.

Freshman Kimberly Sharp said, “For me, I work better with music. I can get homework done quicker while listening to music than I do without. If I have a worksheet due during class time my peers distract and annoy me, but music allows me to tune out their voices and actions, so I can focus on my assignment.”

To many students, music can help them focus when they are in a busy classroom filled with lots of classmates that are talking. Music can block out the distractions, making it easier to be productive to an extent.

Studies prove music can hinder students’ ability to learn and retain information, but students still enjoy jamming to their favorite tunes while they work. So what do you think, is music helping or hindering your ability to work? april | may 2016 q the viewpoint q

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FEMINISM

Flickr.com

Recent debates about feminism have made some ask “What is a feminist?” by Michael Goffus Feminism, by definition, is simple. Feminism is advocacy for women’s rights: the idea that women should be equal to men. It is not new, and the words and ideas of historical figures like Christine De Pizan, Queen Elizabeth, and Joan of Arc who defended women’s rights centuries ago still ring true today. Today, the term ‘feminism’ is often used and distorted in the media and across social media outlets, causing debate about what feminists’ ideals really are.

“Feminism is about empowering women,” said Liesl Yeskey, a teacher at Mountain View. “And more than anything, giving women equal opportunities as men.”

In more developed countries, some feminists fight to end slut-shaming, close the wage gap between male and female workers, stop misogyny (prejudice towards women), or just make the sexes equal.

In the past few years, many more people have begun to identify as feminists, but it seems that each person has their own definition of the word, making it unclear what feminism really stands for.

“Personally, [feminism] is a happiness thing because it helps me feel like I’m doing something and not being a bad person,” said sophomore Meredith Speet. “Making sure everyone else is happy helps me be happy in the long run.”

According to Mick Gibson, a senior at Mountain View who identifies as a feminist, “[Feminism] benefits me personally because it affords me the opportunity to explore culture and gender differences that I otherwise would have no access to. For others, I imagine it’s the same thing, but also a sense of community. They can feel safe within feminist culture knowing they’ll be accepted and respected.”

Some have criticized the feminist movement because it’s often misconceived as women trying to dominate men, rather than fighting for equality amongst the sexes.

“I think it’s often misinterpreted as beating up men,” said Amy Turner, another teacher at Mountain View that identifies as a feminist.

“Feminism is really more about societal equalism. It paves the way and lets [women] know that there’s nothing they can’t do.”

In recent years, feminism has become a more broadly used term thanks in part to more celebrities identifying as feminists.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Emma Watson, and countless other celebrities have come out as feminists. Feminist social media pages like @feministculture and @femfreq have gained a greater following in recent years as well.

“Less people are burning bras and fighting the patriarchy,” Speet explained. “It’s more about making the world a better place not just for women, but for everybody.”

“I think there’s a new brand of feminism that is concerned with pitting women against men,” said Gibson. “That’s bad for the ideology because it gives the idea that one gender has to rise above the other or that somebody has to be on top, when the actual case is we all need to be in the middle.”

While most feminists agree that women’s rights have come a long way, some feel there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“There’s still a lot of progress to be made,” said Gibson. “Especially in cases of rape for either party. We’re making progress, but it’s very slow going.”

“Why are we where we are? Why are there people who are being killed in the streets for what they believe in, or just being them?” added Speet.

“We have made lots of big steps, but I think we’re also starting to take some backwards steps with women’s rights, especially women’s reproductive and sexual rights,” said Turner.

All four people interviewed found feminism to be important in less-privileged countries. “A lot of less privileged countries are forced to rely on some kind of leadership, usually a matriarchy or patriarchy, which leads to one gender being “worth” less than the other, which is the gateway to treating people of different races and classes as a lesser than another,” said Gibson.

“Feminism can instill the idea of equality.”

Despite the bad reputation some have given feminism, some still feel that it’s an important movement that fights for change to benefit people all over the world. Feminists like Speet, Gibson, Yeskey, and Turner are advocates for change who hope to see the feminist movement succeed.

“Feminism is about promoting equality within all genders, races, and classes. It’s never been solely about women and men, it’s been about treating everyone around you equally, and as a person, not a gender,” said Gibson.

24 q the viewpoint q april | may 2016