The Viewpoint March 2015

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Viewpoint

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

STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 March

Madison Dahlke wears makeup on half of her face. Many girls in high school decide to wear make up.

What are their reasons behind it?

Page 10 and 11.

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The Viewpoint

Transitions For a lot of student athletes, their sport is their life. They are also aware that they are students first, then athletes. If a student athlete does not pursue their sport in college at a varsity or a club level, what can they do? We have lived through high school knowing essentially three things: school, sports, and chores. If you choose not to pursue your sport, two of the three things you knew are now out of your life.

Once you are on your own in college, there are no parents breathing down your neck telling you to take out the trash and mow the lawn. You are also not spending three hours a day with your team and coaches. Everyone knows that even the valedictorians of the world do not study 24 hours a day. So what will you do with your day? I am by far, no expert on college life. As a senior I am still figuring out high school life. However, I do know that after high school the possibilities are endless. As a high schooler your time is dictated by your teachers, parents, and coaches. With two of these things no longer dictating your time, you have almost total freedom of choice as an adult. You can pick up an instrument or an exotic sport like Quidditch (which DOES exist outside of the wizard world).

It is imperative you find a hobby to occupy yourself and your time; time that other responsibilities took up.

So much free time can cause college students to fall off the deep end. I am not saying partying and socializing is wrong. Far from it actually. These new activities you will

MARCH 2015 VOLUME IX ISSUE IV

be trying can lead to life-long friends and passions. By “off the deep end,” I mean the boredom that faces a college student in the beginning of their career could cause them to become experimental in terms of drug and other illegal activities. So do not do that, please.

You can find your best friends, your passions, and talents you did not know you had through activities you pursue in your college life. No matter what you choose to pursue, whether it be a new hobby, a new job, or a new interest, know that there are endless possibilities for you.

High school may be a great and defining time of your life, but I believe college will be even better and I look forward to it with anticipation and a sense of mystery for what lies ahead of me and all my colleagues.

Editor in Chief

Megan Clark

Assistant Editor in Chief

Sami Toal

Social Media Editor

Erinn Black

Copy Editor

Josh Guillemette Photography Editor

Cory Haley

Business Manager

Sarah Yakulis Adviser

Trisha Strahl

Lee Penninger Staff Writer

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 editor are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 307

Feature figure of the month

Staff Writers

by Erinn Black Art and photojournalism teacher Mark Hughes was nominated for Teacher Of The Year at Mountain View High School. Being nominated by the staff, Hughes then proceeded to be in the running for Teacher of the Year in Stafford County. On February 6, Stafford County’s School Board surprised Hughes during fourth block to inform him that he made the top three finalists for Stafford County--a nomination made by a panel at Central Office based off a resume provided by Hughes. “Mrs. Harris kept sticking her head in my room fourth block,” Hughes said. “ I knew it was coming because Greg Feducia and Nick Martino both won previous years and I heard this is what happened. I was shocked.”

Nominations are based on a teacher’s influence on their students inside and outside the classroom.“I have had the best kids in 24 years in the past two to three years,” Hughes said.

Hughes has been a teacher in Stafford County for 24 years and at Mountain View since the opening in 2005.

Som. He is credited with establishing the mission statement for Stafford County Public Schools and running live-stream video of the football games for parents serving overseas to be able to watch.

Hughes commented on the fact that as soon as he was nominated for Teacher of the Year at Mountain View, vice principal Tammy Houk told him he had a lot of work ahead of him. This is the same statement made by the Stafford County School Board after receiving cupcakes for being nominated one of the finalists for Teacher of The Year in Stafford County.

Hughes is appreciative for the support from all the teachers who helped with recommendations. “I would like to thank Tammy Houk because she really helped me through the process,”

Mark Hugh es the Stafford accepts his cupcakes from C being a final ounty School Board fo r ists for Teac her of the Ye ar.

Hughes said. “Mrs. Kiesau was the one that nominated me so I would like to thank her too.”

The county will hold an award ceremony in May to award the finalists and winners with their plaques. The winner of Teacher of the Year for Stafford County will advance to the regional and state level.

“One of the reasons I came to Mountain View is because of Dr. Stemple’s philosophy which is put the kids first,” Hughes said, “and that is my own philosophy: the kids come first.”

Hailey Bullis, Alex Harrington, Emily Johnson, Dekker Jordan, Paul King, Morgan Ocetnick, Lee Penninger, Austin Venable, Nico Villarreal Front Cover Erinn Black 2014 Virginia High School League State Championship First Place Award Winner 2013, 2014 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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Sisters Carson and Reagan King twirl during halftime at a Mountain View football game. Photo by Erica King

at a glance...

A comprehensive rundown of the rundown of the clubs, opinions, and happenings at Mountain View.

Twirling sisters take nationals From the flashy costumes to lighting batons on fire, there’s no question that Carson and Reagan King were the center of attention at this years’ halftimes shows.

“Our mom introduced us to twirling when we were young,” senior Carson King said. Both sisters started on a team called Dynamic All-Stars and fell in love with the sport because it was so different than anything they had done before. Competitions, also known as pageants, provide the sisters with opportunities to try out new moves and dazzling routines. “We practice weekends from nine to two and Mondays from six to eight, but we also practice in our spare time at school or in our church,” said Carson. With nationals approaching in July, however, they will attend an intense five- week training camp to prepare for the competition of a lifetime.

It’s no secret that friendly competition drives an individual towards success, especially if you’re competing against your sister. “Of course it’s hard working together and learning to leave our problems at the door, but we work it out,” sophomore Reagan King said.

Carson, who is a senior this year, is attending Clemson next fall with hopes of joining the twirling team and gaining the experience of working with a new group of girls. For Reagan this means next year she will be taking the field by herself. “I’ll miss not having her there to push me everyday,” said Reagan.

What’s next for the King sisters? With nationals fast approaching in July preparation is key for pulling a national title.

-Krissy Poff

A Capella

The Mountain View a cappella groups combined for a competition on March 19 at Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, VA .The A cappella Ellas and A cappella Fellas are two student-led singing groups and are open to any interested students. A capella means that the group sings without instrumental accompaniment.

Mountain View has always had a men’s group

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and formed a female group in 2007. Many students who join already have a love for music and wanted to be more involved in the music department, especially if they couldn’t fit a chorus class in their schedule. Senior Megan Hellmann and freshman Isaiah Lawson said they enjoy the feeling when the song is in sync and the voices come together.

Several of the students say the best part of being in a cappella is that because there are no instruments; it brings the group closer.

“It’s all about your group and skills; all you have is your voice,” said junior Teresa Weigeshoff. Many students also like that they help each other learn the music because they all have different skill levels.

Senior Raven McCrodden said, “Even if you don’t know anything about music, don’t let it hold you back.” The focus is to improve and be successful as a group, so if someone is struggling there are always people there to help. Since the groups are student-led, senior Abby Carbone said the leaders let the group decide after running the ideas past Bonita Keene, the chorus teacher.

Keene said she hopes the groups achieved “satisfaction and a sense of pride” after going to the competition.

-Rachael Daywalt

Students Helping Honduras Students Helping Honduras is a week-long community service trip where students are able to help in construction projects, interact with the Honduran people, and learn about Honduran culture.

This trip allows students to compare their own lives in America and their temporary life in Honduras.

Originally, the trip wasn’t supposed to happen.

But with enough students volunteering, the trip is scheduled for April 4. The difference between this year’s trip and last year’s trip is that it is student sponsored. Concerns arose with this and as Senior Sydney Grossweiler said, “I think we may have a problem with organizing ourselves now that we don’t have teachers going with us.”

Grossweiler has been on these trips since her sophomore year. She believes the trip has given her a “more understanding of others” and she has realized how much people in other nations need help.

She said, “These past trips have made me appreciate life in America and has made me want to pursue a career in helping others and traveling.”

Senior Paige Hollis is new to Students Helping Honduras. Paige believes she will “positively help the children.”

Hollis said, “I like doing humanitarian work and after high school I want to work with NGOs.” Students Helping Honduras is a positive trip, not only for the Honduran people, but also for the students of Mountain View.

-China-Lee Brown

Blow by Blow Since mid-November, the drama program at Mountain View has been rather busy. The Mountain View Wild Acts took their competition one-act play, Blow by Blow, to the Virginia High School League districts competition on Saturday, Jan. 31 and received runner-up after a tie breaker. Along with their placing, Wallace Vanderhoof got an honorable acting mention, and Beth Beard and Jonathan Barsana received Outstanding Actor awards.

The team then headed to regionals on Feb. 7, where they received second place, along with an honorable mention for their ensemble and honorable mentions for acting that went to Beth Beard and Jonathan Barsana, sending the Wild Acts to the state competition.

“I’m so proud of them,” said director Tom Clark.

“It was such an amazing experience. This play sends a powerful message, and it’s great to be recognized.”

Freshman Isaiah Lawson, a performer and member of the Wild Acts, said that that he felt great about going to the state competition. “It’s an amazing achievement and an honor to be a part of a show that has a past. In the past, Blow by Blow didn’t make it past districts, but now we took it to states. I feel like I’ve contributed something important… something that means something.”

The Wild Acts took Blow by Blow to the state competition on March 7. Jonathan Barsana received an Outstanding Actor award, and the Wild Acts took home the title of state runner-up.

-Gerorgia Cary

The IB conundrum

by Nico Villarreal

Hailey

Bullis

Members of the girl’s A Capella group practice their songs for an upcoming performance. Photo by Rachael Daywalt

Above and below: “Blow by Blow” cast members reherse for their state one act championships performance. They placed second overall. Photos by Billy LaPietra and Patricia Coffey

The International Baccalaureate Program at Mountain View has come under much scrutiny in recent months.

At a school board meeting on January 13, discussing the cost and benefits of the program was on the agenda. While school board members argued that it may not be worth the cost, and that it should be phased out in favor of Adavanced Placement and Dual Enrolment, staff and parents from Brooke Point and Mountain View defended the program. Some of the criticism was about the number of IB graduates, and for Brooke Point, how the program had replaced AP courses.

Worldwide, the program is used for upper level learning in high school, and has such notable alumni as Lupita Nyong’o (Academy Award winning actress), Marina Catena (director of the UN’s world food program), Jorma Ollila (former CEO of Nokia), President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. Here, the program is used as a supplement to regular classes, an alternative to AP and Governor’s School, and, most importantly, the highest available diploma at Mountain View.

Whether or not the IB program is too small at Mountain View to be helpful or effective hardly seems to be the issue to me, considering that the number of full diploma graduates has been increasing steadily since it was started. Instead, the question of the necessity and effectiveness relies on its merits for individual students.

So what are the pros and cons of IB? I’d advise getting a seat and some popcorn, ‘cause this is going to be a long one.

As a senior who went down the path of the IB diploma, this is my perspective on things.

Let’s start with the cons.

All IB classes are very rigorous; some more than others with the level often depending on the teacher and subject. While this can be a pro, it can also lead to some very stressful times. If you are good with time management, you will probably be able to handle it, but if you’re more like me, at four o’clock in the morning you’ll be cursing the fact you were ever born more than once.

If you decide to get the IB Diploma, you will have to take IB for every core class plus your world language and an elective. This means that even if you are not particularly strong in a certain subject, or have already decided on a college major, you will have to take high-level classes in subjects you aren’t good in and/or not needed for your planned career. There will always be that one class you hate, but the difference between IB and the rest of high school is that you’ll have to take that class at or near the highest amount of rigour available.

Then there’s also the monetary cost. At $110 per student per class, compared with $91 for AP, it may be unwieldy or prohibitive for some.

Another requirement of IB is Creativity, Action and Service, or CAS. Essentially, it’s you recording the extracurricular activities you’re already doing, although you might have to go out of your way for CAS activities once or twice. The real burden it imposes though, is the tedious and redundant nature of the logging. It is honestly one of the most tiring things to have to take something so trivial so seriously.

Despite all its problems and the stress IB might cause in its students, there are a lot of pros that may make it worth it.

For one, it’s a very holistic program. There are few programs that try to model you into an ideal student as much as IB, with its attempts to encourage extracurriculars, time management, and the way it gives a well-rounded education in every subject, something especially useful to those who haven’t decided their career or major yet.

Also, most colleges will accept IB credit, although some are more particular about certain details like higher level versus standard level classes.Regardless, it looks very good on applications and is just about on par with AP here.

One of the best and most unique classes IB offers is Theory of Knowledge, or TOK. It deals with how we as humans know things, and often examines this in the context of every field from Religion to the Natural Sciences and Art to Ethics.

It’s the closest thing to a philosophy class the school has, and encourages students, quite effectively, to consider different and unique perspectives on the world.

And in that line of thinking, the whole global focus of IB is definitely a pro. Whereas most classes have an America-centric viewpoint, looking subjects like history or math with international ideas in mind gives a distinct advantage to students in an increasingly globalized world.

In case this is sounding to much like a pamphlet for the program, I should mention that I’ve found myself at odds with my IB classes at times. But there has never been a problem so big that I was compelled to leave.

Because of the nature of the program, most of the students in it have classes with each other at some point. It is an excellent way to meet smart, funny and interesting people. In fact, I might have never met two of the best friends I’ve ever had if it wasn’t for IB. You’ll also be hard pressed to find a teacher who simply doesn’t care in IB. All of them either care immensely about their subject or their students or both.

A couple other pros include the fact that you can choose pretty much whatever topic you want for your extended essay along with a couple other papers, and how the classes connect to each other in the content being taught.

Altogether, the IB program is definitely worth it for some students, even with the stress and the costs. And as long as that’s true, the school board should keep it as an option.

Here at Mountain View, there may not be the education of kings and princesses, but the presence of IB should still be warranted. march 2015 q the viewpoint q5

A

day

“A” day is the perfect way to show that with hard work life can reward you is some great ways. by Alex Harrington

t the beginning of the year we all hear the same announcement reA minding us to keep our grades up in anticipation of “A” day. The idea stays in our mind a few weeks, possibly a month but after that it becomes

a forgotten memory.

However, when the end of the semester rolls around, we once again start to hear all the buzz for “A” day. Some people just keep doing what they’ve been doing, while other try to make that last ditch effort to slingshot their grades up. Something about getting those red tickets, and the possibility of winning a prize causes students to buckle down and finish the semester strong. Whether or not you actually win a prize is really a game of luck. The more “A’s” you have, the better your odds are, but it all comes down to what ticket is chosen out of the many entries.

“A” day comes together with a lot of planning and money spent. AP Tammy Houk said, ”We want ‘A’ day to be a loud, fun celebration for the middle of the year to help students get through the second semester.” With $2,225 invested in the prizes, it puts into perspective the time and preparation put into “A” day. With all the prizes, free popcorn and snow cones, it’s hard to imagine that anything could be added to the “A” day celebration. Houk said,” This year we changed things up with giving students the tickets earlier, this way it gives students who were not there the opportunity to get their tickets.”

Whether or not “A” day is to reward or motivate students makes a big difference on how you look at the prizes. Are the benefits of this contest really helping the students, or is it teaching them to always expect a reward when they succeed? Senior MacKenzie Lindholm said, “I think it is helping students because it’s promoting them to get good grades, and help them get into colleges and jobs.”

One problem would be if students are really taking “A” day seriously. Lindholm said, “‘A’ day for me is just a fun day. I don’t really think of it as a competition.” It may be apparent that during the year there aren’t that many, if any, announcements regarding “A” day other than when it is weeks away. Lindholm said, “I think like one or two would be nice to remind students to work hard for grades.” To some students “A’’day is what they wait for all year; for others it’s just another day in the year. Lindholm thinks of “A” day of something that adds a little bit of fun to the school year. She said, “Its something fun to do with your grades but not too serious.”

When offered an incentive people tend to try their hardest to do what ever they can to get the prize. The same idea should apply to students and their grades. While “A” day is a nice reward for students, geometry teacher Mark Sanford said that his students strive for good grades all semester. He said, ”At least with my students they tend to be consistent throughout the year with always striving for the ‘A’.”

Last minute studying for the last few tests of a class may help you get a passing grade but in the long run you wont remember everything you studied. “A” day rewards students for their grades in high school. However, in reality, you can not always expect a reward for your behavior.

Fostering a genuine love of learning an important goal of the school systems and is supported by rewards such as the”A” day celebrations. Whether “A” day means the world to you or if it’s just a nice day for getting free popcorn and getting prizes, it goes to show what a little hard work and dedication can do.

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Trading dirt for rubber A

The education budget in Stafford is small.

Yet Mountain View is getting an artificial turf field that costs $800,000. Where’s the money coming from? by Paul King and Lee Penninger

rtificial turf was once seen as the way of the future in American sports. First used in the state-of-the-art (for its time) Houston Astrodome in 1966, groundskeepers benefited from having a playing surface that wouldn’t have to be watered or constantly tended to. AstroTurf, as it was called, spread like wildfire through the NFL and MLB during the 1970s; from Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium to Seattle’s Kingdome, AstroTurf was the way of the future.

Like bell-bottom jeans, however, the fad of the original AstroTurf began to die quickly after the 70s and 80s. The ‘grass’ was essentially a green carpet on a cement base. It destroyed players’ knees, became a slip and slide whenever it began to rain, and it was downright painful to get tackled on. Seams in the turf would catch to players’ cleats, twisting ankles and ending careers.

Artificial turf has certainly evolved since then. If you’ve ever played at Smith Lake park, you’ll know what it’s like now; a soft base of black rubber pellets that provide a cushion for players, and green plastic ‘blades’ that simulate grass. Head and shoulders above what artificial turf once was, it simulates a grassy playing surface much better than it did in the ‘70s. Games won’t get canceled when it rains, and the field stays intact much better than natural grass fields, especially for recreation-type games where soccer games are played back to back to back any given Saturday. Smith Lake once housed fields that were scary to play on with holes and bumps that ate through ankles and knees, until artificial turf was installed and provided a flat, uniform playing surface.

Like most nice things, however, it isn’t cheap. Far from it, actually--$800,000 is the initial cost of installing such a field at Mountain View. This sum of money is required to be used as a one-time expenditure, meaning that it couldn’t

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go in teachers’ salaries, but could go into the purchase of new school buses.

Athletic Director Greg Margheim said, “It’s called proffered money... It’s not coming from taxpayers, it’s not coming from the school.”

Proffered money is money typically from housing developments such as the newer Embry Mill housing development. The building company and real estate people pay the schools to improve their infrastructure due to the fact that all these developments put stress on the school system to provide for the potential new students coming into the system. It is not certain what else exactly it could be used for, but Margheim said, “I know it can’t be used for salaries or anything like that.... This is something I didn’t go get. This is something I’m told, ‘Hey you’re gonna get this turf field,’ but it had to be used for Mountain View resources.”

This turf field can also be used for community use as it is available for rent.

Margheim said, “You can talk to Brooke Point or Stafford. (Stafford Area Soccer Association) has their St. Patrick’s Day tournament this weekend (3/14/15).

They’re using their turf fields. So it will be available. It’s a rental through the county... and they have to pay a supervisor to be there. Can you come on and start playing on it? No. It’s not like Smith Lake where it’s just open.”

A turf field allows Mountain View to play a more active role in the community. Margheim said, “When you play 150 games a year on a field it just gets wear and tear.”

This increased durability allows the school to open its doors more often to community sports and activities. A grass field can’t be open to everyone who asks. With a turf field, Mountain View will be able to be more open to community activities without the worry of tearing up the field and causing stres to Mountain View sports.

Photo by Erinn Black

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Makeup your mind Exploring the secrets to why girls wear makeup. by Morgan Ocetnik and Emily Johnson

“Why is a girl only pretty for her face?

Why isn’t she pretty for her personality too?” -Madison Dahlke

Most girls wake up in the morning and makeup is one of the first things they put on. What purpose does it serve for women to “put on their face”? Whether it’s to cover up imperfections, boost confidence or even impress somebody, makeup is used by many women.

Sophomore Madison Dahlke started playing around and wearing makeup in the sixth grade. Like many other girls, she learned all of the secrets and techniques by watching YouTube videos. Dahlke explained that makeup allows girls to be more confident. “It’s not about being uncomfortable on a daily basis, but people start to see you look more put together, or tell you that you look really nice,” said Dahlke. She now enjoys doing other girls’ makeup and loves seeing the result on their face when they see themselves in the mirror. She said boys shouldn’t complain about girls wearing too much or none at all. Dahlke also said, “Why is a girl only pretty for her face?

Why isn’t she pretty for her personality, too?”

However, some people choose not to wear makeup just for their appearance. Senior Shelby Williams said that makeup is mainly a way for girls to express themselves. Makeup is somewhat of an art. She said that not wearing makeup doesn’t make her feel ugly; it gives her a boost of confidence.

However, applying makeup can be very time consuming. “I spend at most 30 minutes, and I take my time. It’s just something that calms me down. It’s my ‘me time’ ,” said Williams.

As for boys’ opinions, Williams believes that it’s their own opinion, but it’s really none of their business. From a male perspective, junior Samuel Newsome said, “Well I mean, I can understand it to a certain point, but at the end of the day the makeup comes off.” Newsome explained that he knows girls who look good with makeup but also plenty of girls who look good without it. He said that makeup is not a necessity for girls to wear on a daily basis.

Senior Adham Hasan said that girls who wear makeup should find a happy medium, but not all girls need it. It goes person to person. He also said, “If they wake up at five in the morning to do their hair and makeup, that can be a waste of time.”

Some girls chose not to wear makeup at all. Often times the reasons girls have given for why they do not wear makeup is because they don’t have anyone to impress, they don’t have enough time, and they don’t care what they look like. For many it’s a time issue; for others they don’t feel the need to impress anyone. Freshman Searra White said, “I don’t really see a point, I have no one to impress. I really don’t want to wakeup early to put it on.” She also said that she doesn’t find it a waste of money to buy to basic drugstore products, but it could turn out to be too expensive if you purchase high-end makeup which does the same thing.

Others choose not to wear makeup because of the expense that comes with it. ”The expense of make up is unnecessary. I’d rather spend my money on buying soccer cleats,” said Cecilia Keppeler. At the drug store level makeup prices can range anywhere from $2.00- $20.00.

However, some people choose to purchase high-end products from stores built just for make up such as Sephora and Ulta. Those product’s prices can range beyond the regular drug store prices.

Cosmetology teacher, Kim Marietta, said that makeup has definitely evolved since 1976 when she was in high school.

She said, “When I was in high school, Maybelline and Maxfactor were the biggest makeup companies. I think the big thing then was when blue mascara came out.” Marietta also explained that back then they mixed a lot of their makeup with water, such as foundations and mascaras. Their blushes were also called “rogue” that were cream rather than powder, “It was quite different,” said Marietta. In today’s society, they offer a wider variety of makeup brands, colors, and products. For her, it offers a more versatile look and helps polish women. Marietta says the purpose of wearing makeup is “to highlight their good features and minimize the ones they don’t want shown.” Exposing makeup to her students is one of her favorite things to teach. She said, “I think they need to learn how to properly apply; I think it’s great.” She explained that students can learn by watching YouTube videos, messing with products to learn the technique or find a look they like.

Women wear makeup for various reasons. Despite whatever reason they have, it has become a part of society and for some girls a daily routine.

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Why do girls wear makeup?

“I think it makes them feel confid and pretty. ent I don’t thin k it’s necessa just helps th ry. It em boost th eir self este - junior La em.” uren Sarno

“To hide th eir lack of self-confid want peop ence, they le to judge don’t them.” - ju nior Conn or Cox “I feel like it’s to be m ore confide own skin.” nt in their - sophomo re Kaity So holt “It’s kind o f a way for girls to fee known so l that more p eople notic them.” - fre e shman Cor bin Leo “So they ca n feel com fortable ab their appea out rance and can accent features.” their senior Erik a Tomayko

Emily

“I feel that girls sh ould wear whatever makes th em comfortable. You shou ld wear makeup to make yo urself feel nice, not others. A guy who only sees a girl as be autiful because she wears makeup is being too judgmen tal.” -sophomore Ashlyn Horto n

Erinn Black

n

Johnso

“To make themselv es feel more confident whe n they walk around.”

-junior Shaina Rousseau

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Juniors Tommy Wetzel and Rich Grant start their own fashion company called Spirit Animal. by Cory Haley

Spirit Animal

Juniors Rich Grant and Tommy Wetzel started their own clothing company in October. Grant said, “ It’s an extension of us; it’s our creative journey that the school was never able to give us.”

SpiritAnimalOnline.com is where you can browse their products. They have a variety of wool hats for their first collection.

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Spirit Animal started out as a way to creatively express themselves and turned into a career. The name “Spirit Animal” came from Grant and Wetzel wanting to have a creative outlet to show their unique ideas. “This business was our calling and we were drawn to it. Similar to how you’re drawn to your spirit animal,” Grant said. “We wanted to make clothes that we haven’t seen around,” Wetzel said, “[Spirit Animal products] can be applied to everything in your life.” However, Spirit Animal doesn’t want their clothes to become mainstream. They are looking for members of “The Pack.” “The Pack” is what they call their tightly knit fashion community. Products such as skateboards and other general products are available along with fashionable clothes.

“We are for the outsiders, the creative and the people who just feel different.”

Spirit Animal

Currently Spirit Animal is selling their first hat collection. The prices range from $42.00 to $62.00. “They are high quality, 100% wool, and made in the UK,” said Grant. A summer collection, which will be coming out in late spring, includes crew neck T-shirts and tank tops. In addition to clothing options, Spirit Animal will sell artwork, vinyl records, handmade wooden art and unique items from local artists.

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Playing the parts

Annette MacDougall MacDougall is a geometry and AP calculus teacher. You would never guess that MacDougall is also a wellness coach on Facebook and has she has been helping others get into shape and be healthier for six years. MacDougall owns page for beach body building. MacDougall also works out by doing P90X and other forms of exercise in her spare time. She had really devoted a lot of her time to her health and body. After exercising, muscles will get tired and sore, so it’s a good thing that she is also a massage therapist. She became a therapist three years ago because she likes to work with her hands and likes to find new ways to relieve different pains in muscles.

She makes her house calls by appointments.

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Teachers seem to have a pretty busy schedule just teaching the six hours they do, some even more. It’s very common for teachers to have different jobs outside of teaching. These are some of their different jobs. by Callie Walker

Catherine Jackson Jackson teaches biology and IB biology but her teaching doesn’t stop there. Her knowledge for biology extends to teaching general biology and environmental systems at the University of Maryland.

She also takes her time to teach online classes about microbiology for Germanna Community College.

After teaching, Jackson goes home to her horses.

Her love for horses is immense. She is a horse judge on some weekends and has been judging for two years now. Jackson’s knowledge and care doesn’t stop there. She also goes to 4-H camps and clubs to talk about caring and nurturing their own horses.

Reitha Abed Abed grew up knowing business. His family owned their own grocery store, so he grew up itching to own something of his own. In 2005 he opened up his first restaurant, Wings to Go. He was also teaching at the time so he quit teaching to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. It was hard to own a business and teach because he would go from his teaching job to the restaurant right after.

In 2007, he opened up a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop. He was running the business for about two years until he sold his ice cream shop, and went back to teaching. His students ask him, why he would come back to teaching after owning successful businesses? For Abed, his priorities changed and owning a business and having a family was just too much at that moment to handle.

DECA

DECA prepares its students for business, The Viewpoint takes a look at this year’s results.

by Austin Venable

The Distributive Education Club of America, or DECA for short, is a business club that prepares leaders and entrepreneurs for careers and education in marketing, finance, hospitality, management, and other business areas. In order to test its member’s ability, they are placed into competitions to test their business savviness. The tests can range from debates to situations one may encounter in working a position in their fields. Reitha Abed, the chapters advisor, has been awarded Outstanding DECA Advisor every year since 2012. The chapter as a whole has also been awarded the Thrive level in its 20142015 Chapter campaigns, and received the Annual Report Preferred award for 2015. Abed was in his DECA chapter in high school, and has operated an ice cream shop and two restaurants. “DECA helped me in highschool to become a leader. It helped developed my public speaking, how to write resumes, and how to think quick. In adulthood, Im always early and on time. It helped me to get ready for the real world,” Abed said.

Trevor Larned is the co-president of DECA. Along with other members, he competed in the state DECA competition, in the category of business finance marketing. “We had to go through districts, and if you placed in districts, you can go on to states if you want,” Larned said.

Gretchen Geisler is the vice president of DECA. She competed in the restaurant and food management category. “We would be given sample role plays so we could practice and learn more about our topic while at home. These are situatations that you may encounter in the business world,” Geisler said.

Ian Hodge has been a member of DECA for one year. At regionals, he placed second place in the category of principles of business managment, and went on to compete in the same category at states.

“It (DECA) helps prepare me for my future, because I want to go into business,” Hodge said.

Hodge said he believes he is charismatic, as people tend to like him as a leader and a friend. This has helped his role in DECA.

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The experiences of our teachers certainly differ from the current educational standards and norms that students witness on a day-to-day basis in 2015.

Several of our current teachers agree that the biggest change is the expectation that all students need to pass. The biggest proponent of this change is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act proposed by former President Bush in 2002. This bill passed with bipartisan support, which means that this bill was popular enough that both parties in the House of Representatives and Senate were in support. The basic mentality behind NCLB is that there should be a 100 percent passing rate of students in each of the states. Its provisions include that the states create a standardized tests to be administered statewide. In Virginia, the Standards of Learning (SOL) test given to students at the culmination of grades three through eight, as well as for certain subjects and grade levels in high school that all students are required to take. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) publicly disclosed the results every year since 2006. Currently, the Standards of Accreditation has 68% of all public schools in Virginia as being fully accredited. This means that of 1,826 schools in Virginia, 1,249 are in the state’s expectations.

While the SOL tests have definitely produced results, educators question its method of producing these results. International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology teacher Margaret Gallagher said she does not approve of standardized tests because she thinks the goal of 100 percent is unattainable. “The incessant drilling of these SOL tests have lowered expectations,” Gallagher said. She said that since the implementation of standardized tests, the quality and depth of the material is limited because of the amount of information required for students to memorize places a restriction the details on a certain subject. She also gave an example where she taught before NCLB’s implementation. Her students and she would go to the local creek and perform experiments.

She said her students had more fun catching and studying fish rather than now where most things are taught in the classroom with the goal of memorizing science facts which were deemed necessary to know by the state. “ The positive that Gallagher sees is the emphasis on how teachers need to present their material. “I think it has forced teachers to go back and really think about instruction and how it’s being delivered.... It definitely causes pause on a good teacher’s part who cares,” Gallagher said. She continued to say how standardized tests are not a good test of knowledge because some students excel at test-taking and are better at memorizing compared to a student who is also very smart but does not have sufficient test-taking skills.

But these tests are a good benchmark to see what students lack and where they need improvement. She does not, however, see the purpose of a student being required to know things they might not need in life like the operculum on a fish, but she says a basic knowledge of science is necessary like the scientific method.

Math teacher James Hodges said that the rigor at which math specifically is presented now is more challenging than it was when he was in high school. “Before, you could get a high school diploma just by passing the general math class. Now you can’t get a high school diploma without passing Algebra I and Geometry. And if you want the advanced diploma you have to get Algebra II.” On top of this, Hodges also said there’s

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also the SOL tests that students must be concerned about as well as “more requirements to be successful.”

With standardized tests being a reason for concern, competition between students to enroll in college has increased due to the rise in the number of students. IB Coordinator Lisa Renard-Spicer said the educational system in place now is a lot more demanding of the students and requires them to focus more on their grade-point average in order to secure their places in college rather than the focus of learning for the sake of learning. “I don’t remember feeling as if I had to take (advanced courses like AP and IB) in order to get admitted to college. From what I am seeing in students now, more students and their parents seem to feel like if they don’t take those classes they’re not going to get accepted to college,” Renard-Spicer said. “From a parent’s point of view and from a teacher’s point of view, it’s very frustrating when sometimes you feel like you are more invested in the child’s success rather than the student themselves,” Renard-Spicer said.

Obviously, there are differences and changes. The biggest difference is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. This implemented standardized tests with both desired and undesired results. There is more work and requirements for students to perform and meet. Competition has also risen due to the number in students rising and the focus that everyone needs to graduate college to be dignified in life.

The change Education has undergone many changes throughout the times, but that’s not completely clear.

Read here to find out how education has changed. by Joshua Guillemette

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Comcast: can’t live with them, can’t live without them.

Now normally I would have something really witty to say about what I’m talking about, but Comcast has really done it. They have left me speechless. This all started when my dad started talking about how his cable bill had gone up all of the sudden. Not by to much mind you, but enough to where it was noticeable. What had happened? Why would our rates suddenly go up? Well that was a starting point for a very revealing bit of research which made me realize just how much this company does not care at all about people. Let’s just say I’m glad these guys are a cable provider and not something like an airline manufacturer.

It wouldn’t just be the quality of the product they would be selling in this speculative world where Comcast makes aircraft that would worry me. In this analogy, Comcast would be one of only two companies making airplanes and so you’d be forced to ride in planes made of spit and duck tape. For a lot of people Comcast is there only option.

Regardless, back to the original question, why did our cable jump up a little on us? Most likely to pay for the obscene amount of lobbying that the company has been doing as of late, first to do away with net neutrality, and now to push their merger with Time Warner Cable. I would also hazard a guess that they spent a large amount of money on getting the NASCAR Nationwide series name changed to the NASCAR Xnfinity series. Xfinity is the name of one of their cable packages and now they no doubt need to make the money on that back as well.

Now I know what your thinking, “So what if they spend money on advertising and lobbying? Big companies do that all the time.” While I agree with that last statement. Comcast isn’t your average big company in the sense that they are both the largest cable company in America, and one of the largest telecommunications companies on earth. Did I also mention that the company has twice been voted the worst company in America by Consumerist , and that the company it is merging with, Time Warner Cable , is the second largest cable company in America. Let’s not even get started why a merger with Time Warner Cable of all companies would be bad. Time Warner is the kind of company that increases customer rates from $90 a month to over $200 a month over the course of a few years.

About that merger, if it is approved by the government, it would give Comcast control over more than fifty percent of the cable broad band market in the United States. If that doesn’t sound good then let me add that the coverage area will include almost the entire northeast of the country. This of course still could not happen, because as I might have mentioned before, the government still hasn’t approved the merger, and it’s not a guarantee that they will.

That being said a few years ago Comcast went through this approval process when they went to acquire NBCUniversal and they did end up getting what they wanted then. As a guy who has heard Comcast employees say things like “I can understand why people hate our company,” the thought of Comcast being almost every where really does not give me high hopes for the future of broadcasting and internet access in this country.

Everyone who has ever had to deal with them or has had a relative that has had to deal with them knows that Comcast is probably run by the kind of people who would otherwise have been in the oil business if they hadn’t found the real racket: cable TV and internet provider.

By Dekker Jordan

Note: Above is a notice Comcast released telling people about a price adjustment. Notice how instead of just telling you what they changed, they hide it amongst a load of useless information. The rest of the document is much of the same and its four pages long. march 2015q the viewpoint q 19

Undercover athletes Senior Emily Branstetter and junior Taylor MacLeod are serious athletes, and you wouldn’t even know it. by Erinn Black and Sami Toal EMILY BRANSTETTER - In the hallways of Mountain View High

three minutes to be perfect. In soccer, you might kick and miss the goal, but you get to try again. In synchro, you get one chance to be perfect. You only get one shot,” she said.

“I started skating in third grade. My dad was overseas and my mom said I needed to do something to take up my time,” said senior Emily Branstetter. With her father overseas, ice skating started as a way to stay busy but quickly became way more than a time killer.

Branstetter also emphasizes the intense communication necessary for synchrnized skating. “Skating takes a lot of communication. You rely on other teammates. You absolutely have to have a common goal to achieve,” Branstetter said. She continued, “We are all really close and completely rely on each other. If someone isn’t understanding something, we help each other out.”

School, senior Emily Branstetter is well known for being a full IB student. However, her true passion exists not in the classroom, but on the ice.

“The rink was close by so I started with two group lessons. By the second lesson, I was already spinning,” said Branstetter. “I don’t remember being like, ‘Oh, this is so natural.’ It was just kind of like, if they told me to do something, I did it.”

While Branstetter has experience at individual ice skating and theatrical ice skating, synchronized ice skating is a big part of what she does. She been competing in “syrnchro” since the 7th grade.

Branstetter is currently preparing for tryouts and recruitment of colleges in March and April. She will try out for the collegiate teams of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Delaware, and the University of Miami at Ohio.

“Synchronized skating is basically where 16 girls take the ice at one time,” said Branstetter. Essentially, a team will go out onto the ice and form “blocks,” with four girls to a line. Then, the team forms circles or squares and moves around in accordance to their routine. During this, the teammates are usually connected through either a hand hold, wrist hold, or a shoulder hold.

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“You get one chance to be perfect. You only get one shot.”

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“At each competition we perform one program, which we use all throughout the season,” Branstetter said. Each season lasts from December to February with around four major competitions per season. However, Branstetter and her team, the National Blades Synchronized Skating Team, practice year round for three hours twice a week. The team generally spends an hour on strength training, and has trained using P90X to specifically improve their upper body strength, which is crucial to the sport. Then, for the last two hours, they are skating and practicing their routine for upcoming competitions.

Competitions are extremely competitive. Nationally, Branstetter has competed all cross the United States at competitions in North Carolina, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, Colorado, and Connecticut. However, against around 30 teams per competition, Branstetter’s team has placed at least first place through third place at every competition.

“There are six to eight judges who rank you among other teams,” said Branstetter. “They assess your interpretation of the music, your skating skills, the technicalities, and your overall performance.”

While Branstetter makes it seem easy, she assures that it’s not. “You have

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Carmo Photography

Synchronnized skating is a world-level sport internationally, and while it is not currently in the Olympics, there’s a huge push to include it in the 2018 games. Currently, Branstetter qualifies for the Junior World’s Synchronized Skating in Croatia. Her team also placed first in the Eastern Championship Series in 2014.

TAYLOR MACLEOD - Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts. “Tae” means to jump, kick or smash with the foot. “Kwon” means to punch or destroy with the hand or fist. “Do” means the way or discipline. Today, the sport has an international reputation and is a part of the official sports in the Olympics. This is the path junior Taylor Macleod is on- going to the Olympics. After being introduced to the curriculum as a child, earning her black belt in eighth grade, and beginning the sport as a freshman in high school, Macleod is on the U.S. Junior Nationals Team and is ranked 75th in the world.

Macleod was introduced to the sport as a child through a summer camp that taught the curriculum of taekwondo. She received her black belt at the age of fourteen and her coach introduced the actual sport shortly after.

Macleod does not participate in any other sports. Taekwondo is her life.

Taekwondo is the sport of hand and foot contact. To score points, the athlete contacts the body with different moves or kicks. Like wrestling, there are three rounds or periods consisting of two minutes, except there is a minute break in between. A pin is the equivalent of a TKO, or knockout where the opponent automatically wins. “It is kind of like a game of chess,” Macleod said. “You want to see who can put the better combinations together to score the most points.” In More competitive tournaments athletes are capable of receiving money as an incentive for winning. In other tournaments, athletes are awarded with the gold. Macleod has received eighteen medals and is in the process of earning points to qualify for the Grand tournaments.

Macleod has to cut weight just like a wrestler; however, her average amount of weight to cut is 20lbs maximum where as a wrestler cuts on average between 5-10lbs. Dieting is crucial and calorie counting keeps her on track. “The hardest obstacle is cutting weight,” Macleod said. “When you are in a sport where there is no ‘off season’ you always have to be ready for a tournament every month and to make weight. Year-round I have to eat a healthy diet.”

Training is demanding. Macleod has two-a-days for six days out of the seven at Power Kix Martial Arts Studio. This includes a conditioning session right after school, then later in the evening around eight is straight fighting.

Even on her days off, she typically trains individually on Sundays to enhance her cardio.

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“The big thing that helps me overcome the challenges is how much I love Taekwondo.”

]

Taekwondo competitions have taken her across the world the past three years to several places including Chinese Taipei, Cali Columbia, Canada, Toronto, and Quebec. She plans on competing in Mexico, Spain, Bolivia and Paraguay. It sounds expensive, which it is, however, being on the U.S team has its financial benefits. In January 2014, Macleod made the Junior National Team with a first place title after seven fights and 21 rounds. In Cali Colombia, Macleod fought in the senior bracket and won all four fights receiving gold. She plans on competing in Nationals in July where she will be in Florida one day and fly to California the next. Her ultimate goal is to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Playing the games One sport takes up a lot of an athlete’s time. So how does a student athlete balance multiple sports? by Hailey Bullis

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ports take up a lot of time, from practicing to games, and even traveling. Balancing one sport can be difficult but these students play multiple.

Tiaralyn McBride, sophomore, is one of those students who play multiple sports. She plays volleyball and soccer.

In addition, she dabbles in basketball, and she swims. “Balancing time, it’s very hard; you have to stay on a strict plan, that’s why I like to write everything out like on a calendar or something,” McBride said.

Sports are a common subject to talk about in high school, and for good reason, according to a survey that was given out to 100 Mountain View students, 61% of students play a sport and only 39% do not. Twenty-eight percent of that play more than one sport.

Madison Hukka, sophomore, plays lacrosse and cross country, and would have run track, but suffered a back injury before she was able to. Hukka said that doing three sports can be stressful when the sports overlap and she has to choose between the sports. “You have to think of what you want to do, because I want to be committed to the sport I’m already in,” she said. “So if I am already committed

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to one sport I don’t want to stray, and I want to show my commitment, but I also want to show my commitment to the other team.” Hukka continues to say that she has to balance out her time in order to stay on track, even if it means she has to go to one and not the other,.“I just balance it out, if it’s like a day before a meet than I would obviously stay with my team (cross country), but if it’s a few days before a meet then I would ask my coaches to make sure it was okay with them that go to my track conditioning.”

Jennylynn Johnson, sophomore, does cross country, track, and she swims; however, she does not feel pressured by playing multiple sports like Mcbride and Lynn. “All of my family play sports, and I’ve been swimming since I was five, up until I was thirteen. I did it year round so I was always used to getting home late and doing homework, I don’t know, It’s just been like a routine since I was little,” Lynn said. When it comes to balancing time, she plans out how long certain things will take. She said, “Mainly I plan out everything in my head like, ‘oh this project will take this long, or like this is going to take this long.”

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Before you post

In a culture where social media is so apparent in our daily lives, too many teenagers and adults alike are abusing this new technology.

By Sarah Yakulis Graphic by Hannah Galligan

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ocial Media has been called one of the greatest inventions of the generation.

Now, it is easier than ever to get in touch with people from every point of your life and share pictures and information. While sharing cute family pictures and talking about an awesome vacation may have been the goal, the perks of social media can quickly be turned into popularity contests, public rants and an unnecessary outlet for frustrations.

Social media is fun; I get it.

It can be entertaining to watch people’s lives play out online.

However, this “fun” can so easily become hurtful and unnecessary.

Too many people share every little thing that happens to them online.

I’m not just talking about any one specific group of people either.

Adults do it, too. From political rants to talking about that one rude woman in the parking lot, why do we all suddenly feel as if we need to make this public?

Then, of course, there’s the constant passive aggressiveness. “#oomf, you know who you are.”

You’re right. They probably do know who they are. Everyone else does too, or will as the Twitter fight continues. So, why is it so common to see people posting screenshots of text messages, purposely bluring out the faces of old friends in photos and making every problem between two people a public affair?

Why do we care? Why does it matter to us if another person that we’ve never spoken to before posts an opinion different to our own?

Why do we feel the need to call them out?

It’s frequently said that teens are too attached to their phones and social media, but I don’t think the problem is that there’s too much time spent on social media.

I think the problem is how we let it affect our lives. Having hatred for someone purely because they have a different opinion than you shouldn’t be commonplace, neither should forming an opinion on someone be based on what is in their Instagram bio.

The problem is that we’ve become a society that is far too focused on what the rest of the world thinks of us. We have become dependent on the acceptance of others, so much that we’ll compromise old friendships and close opinions to gain followers.

We’re so worried about acceptance and having the upper hand that we feel the need to share every rant that we have and “expose” people.

Social media is having a real impact on our generation. We just need to be sure that it’s a good one.

Lastly, think about how what you say to other people online reflects you as a person. Is it accurate? march 2015 q the viewpoint q

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