The Viewpoint October 2016

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Viewpoint

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

STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 11 ISSUE 2 October

Three foreign exchange students from China, Norway and Germany enrolled at MVHS this year. Read more about their experiences so far on pages 8 and 9.

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The Viewpoint OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME XI ISSUE II Managing Editors

LIVING LIFE Between cell phones and social media, it’s hard to differentiate between real life and the one on the computer screen. And while we all groan about hearing how we use our phones too much, we all know that our cell phones hold most, if not all, of our lives.

But I’m not here to tell you to put down that dang cell phone or tell you how to live your life. I have realized, however, that life isn’t what you see on a screen and the little snapshots your friends’ posts is only a glimpse of what they did over their Thanksgiving break or three-day weekend. And while we check our phones for Snapchat streaks constantly (which I am absolutely terrible at keeping) or post the amazing pumpkin patch we went to over the weekend, it’s the experience of going to the pumpkin patch that truly matters.

If you’re a senior, this will ring true to you especially, as we are constantly realizing that there are

Hailey Bullis Morgan Ocetnik Social Media Editors

so many “lasts” this year and that we want to savior every moment of them (unless it’s your last time taking the SAT of course).

Our lives are constantly changing and morphing into something unrecognizable to what it was a year ago: new friends, new chances, or maybe even a new school.

This is most relevant to our three foreign exchange students this year, who come from China, Norway, and Germany. You can read more about them individually on pages 8 and 9.

Everyone could take a page out of the exchange students’ books by taking the chance on a new experience totally out of your comfort zone.

Managing Editor Hailey Bullis

Lexi Strawder Abbey Whitehead Copy Editors

Leah Garza Reagan King

Photography Editor

Emilee Holmquist Extra Editor

Paige Doerfler Briefs Editor

Ruby Jackson 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 Writers

Jenny Bullers, Nicholas Chechak, Charlotte Hazard, Damien Veal, Austin Venable, Adam Skoloda, Sophie Perez

Feature Figure

Jenny Bullers

by Jenny Bullers

Senior Ashley Stevens partook in a foreign exchange program last year; she traveled to France and lived just outside of the city of Bordeaux in a village, staying with a host family for her junior year.

Stevens said, “The city [Bordeaux] is really known for wine and vineyards. In France, they don’t really have towns like Stafford; they have bigger cities and then villages.” She lived in a small village called La Bred.

Steven’s host family consisted of a mother and father, two sisters, and a brother. One of the sisters lived closeby with her own family and the other lived in a small town in The Alps where she attended college. The brother lived in the house with Stevens and the parents, but went to a university in Bordeaux.

Stevens and her host family traveled a lot while she stayed with them. They took many road trips in their camper van because every six weeks schools in France get a two-week vacation. Last October, Stevens and the host family visited their daughter in The Alps.

“It was gorgeous; the mountains were beautiful, and it was during the fall so it was extra beautiful,” she said.

She also went skiing during their winter break in the Pyrenees Mountains.

Stevens said, “It was really challenging; I wasn’t used to mountains like that. It was awesome, but very hard because the snow was icy the first day but once it softened

up it was easier.”

She also got the opportunity to visit her uncle in Paris a couple of times.

“Families are very close to each other in France. I would say that they spend more time together there than here.

Kids are more dependent on their parents for a longer time in France,” said Stevens.

Socially speaking, kids are the same in France and don’t differ much from how kids are here. She said, “I made friends just as easily there as I would here.”

Stevens knew French well before the program because her mother is Algerian and communicates in French to her at home. Despite her previous knowledge of French, Stevens got the chance to improve on her French greatly while she was staying there and attending school. In the host family’s home, they only spoke French. However, she became close with a student from Australia and Germany who spoke English.

Stevens said, “I am really glad I got to have this opportunity because it helps you in a lot of categories. Language wise, you’ve learned this new language. Also, I have grown accustomed to being comfortable around people I don’t know and opening up and being more culturally adaptive.”

Despite her homesickness, Stevens thoroughly enjoyed this trip and encourages anyone who has the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Front Cover Morgan Ocetnik

2014-2016 Virginia High School League State Championship First Place Award Winner 2013, 2014, 2015 Free Lance-Star Best Over All Newspaper 2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2011, 2010 and 2009 Virginia High School League First Place Award Winner

Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Rd. Stafford, VA 22556

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at Mountain View Another Day Campaign for Suicide Prevention by Leah Garza

Cheer Competition

by Charlotte Hazard

Charlotte Hazard

Renaissance Night

Leah Garza

The Another Day Campaign for Suicide Prevention took place on Saturday, October 15.

It featured a walk and complimentary meal, as well as multiple booths and community vendors, including Mental Health America, whose booth featured pamphlets about survivors of suicide loss.

A Mountain View team, named Team Jake in honor of Jake Lowry, who would have been a senior this year, raised about $300 for the campaign. Students on Team Jake included senior Logan Olson, junior Kelly Akers, junior Bela Olson, and junior Sky Summers. The money raised goes toward suicide awareness and support groups in the community.

Amy Jones is a local mental health professional and the director of the Another Day Suicide Prevention Walk. She first became involved with the campaign about eight years ago as a walker and took over as director about four years ago when the original facilitators left.

Jones said of the walk: “Having people in a like community at an event like this is just what some families need. There is nothing else really like this.” She said that “seeing people being in an environment where they can be themselves and knowing that someone knows exactly how they feel” is the most rewarding part of her position.

Normally, between 200 and 300 people attend the event annually, and although fewer people attended this year because of conflicting community events, the event raised over $19,000.

The varsity cheer team competed in an invitational cheer competition at Brentsville High School Saturday, October 8. The team placed third out of the twelve teams that were competing.

The team did a routine with a mashup of songs that included “Best Love Song”, “Never Forget You”, “Stand by Me”, and “This is What You Came For”.

Isabella Olson, junior at Mountain View, said, “The elite stunt sequence is what our team does best.”

During the sequences, the team has to be careful not to step off the mat, have an improper technique, or let their flyer, freshman Kaylee Harris touch the ground; otherwise, they’ll lose points. A great way to earn points is to have to crowd cheering loudly with enthusiasm.

“It helps fuel us to keep us going. It gets us motivated,” said Sydney Hewitt, junior.

The team also has a special way of getting ready before competitions. It helps with their confidence and enthusiasm.

“Our team does a chant that says we give 12 out of 10 effort”, said Amanda Wyche, junior.

After the Mountain View cheerleaders completed their routine, they sat in the bleachers and cheered on the other teams. If the other teams messed up, they would yell words of encouragement and tell them to keep going.

The cheerleaders not only possess talent and hard work, but good sportsmanship as well.

by Adam Skoloda

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Adam Skoloda

The drama and choir came together on Friday, September 30 from 6:30 until 8:30 to carry out a reenactment of Renaissance times. They sang, danced, and performed throughout the night. The musical performance at the end was an eye catcher as students, staff, and parents all joined in the auditorium to enjoy.

Before the musical, everyone gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy food, music, games, songs, and friends. Periodically, the choir and the drama groups performed a song or dance. Everyone was invited to join in. They had a buffet of food. They served all kind of food including fruit, vegetables, chicken and sweets. There was plenty for everyone to enjoy.

There were many games and activities to do around the cafeteria including checkers, chess, and balloon sword fighting.

Sophomore William Weigeshoff’s job was to take pictures for social media. Other jobs such as braiding hair, painting faces, running the balloon sword fights, and helping the kids make paper crowns were already taken.

As many can imagine, classes leading up to this event must have been pretty stressful. Between putting the final ideas into plans and perfecting all of the songs, it must have been very stressful.

Weigeshoff said, “Class was chaos leading up toward Renaissance Night.”

The musical performance started at about eight and ended at eight thirty. As students, staff, and teachers drain into the auditorium, the children were called up to the front of the auditorium to interact with the story. The musical was called “A Boy, a Saint, and a Dragon.” It was mainly about how many villagers wanted the dragon slayed. They go into three rounds to fight the dragon. Round one is a draw, while the dragon wins round two. In round three, the dragon gets stabbed and “dies” only to come back to life during the feast.

Renaissance Night was a night for students, teachers, staff, parents, friends, and relatives to come together to enjoy good music and good food.

Movie Reviews

A look at some of the most-raved about movies this fall

by Hailey Bullis and Paige Doerfler Art by Madelyn Descutner

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Deepwater Horizon

September 25

September 30

Based on the series of books by Ranson Riggs, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” highlights what it is like to be different in a world of ordinary.

Centered around Jake (Asa Butterfield), a teenager who comes from a broken home and suffers a great family tragedy, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” explores what it is like to wonder who you are and the confusion and utter frustration you feel after you have suffered a great loss. The story spans through time, jumping from the early 1940s to the present. People with special abilities, known as “peculiars,” are forced to resort back to one day in time where they are safe from the outside world, looping it for eternity.

To start off, the character development for all characters was lacking. The protagonist, Jake was obviously explained, but other than that, no one else was really discussed. There was quite a disconnect in most of the relationships between the characters because many were not explained or explored; too many things were simply implied and it seemed as if the director took shortcuts to push the story along. Though I understand that there isn’t enough time in a movie to explain everything, it was slightly confusing.

For someone who is just watching the movie and not emotionally invested in the plot and characters, this movie is slightly disappointing after all of the raving that critics granted it prior to its release.

Tim Burton as a director is becoming quite predictable with his creepy monsters: slender, wide-mouthed beasts that don’t really contribute to the actual plot. Even in movies like “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Corpse Bride,” the same type of monstrous characters are present. And though these are common features of his monsters, they were practically a rip-off of “Slenderman,” originally seen on Something Awful forum, created by Eric Knudsen. Burton was so invested in his ability to create (or rip-off ) monsters that he forced their inclusion within the first few minutes. I expect more from Burton; his directing is usually fantastic, but this was fairly disappointing. His predictable directing is getting quite boring to watch at this point.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to most people; it’s not awful, and I definitely would watch it again if I was bored or someone wanted me to watch it with them. Putting my feelings aside, it was a good movie for children in their early teens; it’s frightening and engaging enough to spark interest, just maybe not as much for adults who value good character development and story progression.

“Deepwater Horizon”, starring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, and Dylan O’Brien, is based on the real life oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010 ,ended up being the largest oil spill in U.S. history after a series of mistakes. Most notably the concrete was not laid correctly, causing the Macondo well and the Deepwater Horizon vessel to blow.

The movie starts off with Mike Williams swearing in a court of law to “tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth or so help me God,” which highlights the massive repercussions and investigation the oil spill caused.

From there, “Deepwater Horizon” starts off slow, but is heartwarming as it slowly introduces lead characters Andrea Fleytas (Rodriguez) and Jimmy Harrell (Russell).

The storyline progresses with a flashback to Williams (Wahlberg) in his home preparing to leave for three weeks to board the Deepwater Horizon as he is the chief electronics technician of the vessel.

Once everyone is aboard the vessel, however, the fact that something is wrong is very apparent from the not so subtle foreshadowing; many systems are offline, such as the phones and the smoke detectors. But to the characters, these problems are nothing new and are very quickly moved past, even though they present possible safety issues.

The acting in “Deepwater Horizon” is phenomenal and the actors are incredibly convincing. The chemistry on screen is palpable and when equipment on the Deepwater Horizon begins to go awry, their fear and in many cases pain, is very believable. Trigger warning is noted for those who don’t like gore; one scene shows a character pulling out a piece of glass embedded in their foot.

But all the gore and cinematography really pull the audience into the events unfolding before them; no explosion is overdone and nothing truly feels “Hollywood.” Most of the events in the movie are true in real life as well. No tacky romances, and no irrelevant sub-plots are created out of thin air.

This is what sets “Deepwater Horizon” apart; the authenticity and realism are wonderful and still pays a respectful tribute to the 11 lives lost to the explosion at the end of the film. “Deepwater Horizon” is a film that allows conversation: it makes you wonder why the explosion happened and plenty of “what ifs,” making it definitely worth the watch. review q october 2016 q the viewpoint q5

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Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast cancer is a horrible and life-threating illness that can take up to 40,400 lives each year. Although there is no cure, there are some ways to help prevent it and to treat it by Sophie Perez According to BreastCancer.org, in the United States, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death, with around 40,000 lives being taken annually, among women. It also affects around 2,600 men annually. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Despite all the scary statistics, there are ways to help prevent and treat this fatal disease and extensive research is being conducted everyday as doctors fight for a cure.

Scientists state that women over the age of 40 are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. This being said, it can be extremely beneficial take a few precautions starting at a younger age. Most methods that doctors recommend to decrease your risks are obvious things, such as not smoking, limiting alcohol intake and controlling your weight but a lesser known way is to breastfeed. It is said that breastfeeding can reduce a woman’s menstrual cycle and the release of estrogen, which fuels 80% of breast cancer cases, according to the scientist at BreastCancer.org. Of course not every woman is able to or will decide to have children in her lifetime, so another way is to avoid birth control. Many forms of birth control release unhealthy amount of hormones, like estrogen, into the body.

If you or a loved one are diagnosed with breast cancer, there are three stages of breast cancer and all have different treatment options. In stage one the cancer has either not yet spread to the lymph nodes or has infected a small part of the sentinel lymph node. Patients will most likely receive a breast conserving surgery (BCS) or a mastectomy. Post surgery, the patient will receive a biopsy to double check the other areas of the breast and hopefully get the all clear.

Stage two of breast cancer is unfortunately more invasive. If someone has stage two breast cancer, it means that the cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes. Patients who developed stage two after initially being diagnosed with stage one will probably receive a BCS and a round of radiation after. If the patient was initially diagnosed with stage two and had already received hormones or chemotherapy, then the radiation is likely to be delayed depending on the case.

In stage three of breast cancer, the cancer has spread beyond neighboring lymph nodes and muscles. Although options vary widely, mastectomy and radiation can occur for local treatment and hormone or chemotherapy can occur for systemic treatment.

Although you may feel like there is no way for you to help people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, that’s not the case. There are plenty of organizations that put together walks and different kinds of fundraisers that anyone can participate in. The volleyball teams participate in Dig Pink games every year. The proceeds raised at the game go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The American Cancer Society annually holds walks in Fredericksburg in support of breast cancer victims. These fundraisers collect money that go into cancer research and treatment and every penny counts.

Sophomore Meghan Wiley said,”I went to a breast cancer walk a few years ago and it was a really memorable experience. I would definitely recommend going to anyone”.

Even though there isn’t currently a cure, there is plenty of hope and effort going into finding one. news q october 2016 q the viewpoint q

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Foreign The Student Exchange Program allows students from other countries to travel and experience a culture and education different from their own by Morgan Ocetnik

Stine Fohrmann

Germany

Stine Fohrmann is a junior foreign exchange student from Germany. She flew to the U.S. for the first time a couple months ago, starting her journey in New York City. Fohrmann is staying with senior Emily Hollis, and said that she really likes her host family. She comes from a big city in northwest Germany but said that the U.S. is very different than where she comes from.

“Everything is bigger, really everything. The houses are bigger, the stores, and the distances between everything is a lot bigger,” said Fohrman.

Formann has expanded her involvement by joining Battle of the Books, Science club and Latin club. When Fohrmann compared the schooling system from here to Germany, she explained the general idea is different. They don’t have standardized tests. They also have three different secondary schools (not just one high school) for all of the different levels of the students. Whichever school one attends depends on your qualifications to go to that university. Stine thinks the classes here are easier, but in Germany they don’t have much of choice; everyone takes the same classes.

She has around 800 people at her school in Germany vs. the approximate 1800 students attending MVHS. Stine described the classes to be easier here, but in Germany everyone has the same classes; they don’t have much of choice. Another difference is this is the first time she has experienced school spirit, school colors, school sports or anything along those lines since they do not have these aspects at her school in Germany.

Another point Fohrmann finds different about the U.S. is the usage of electronics, in school.

She said that electronics aren’t usually used in school.

“Everyone has the Google Classroom, StudentVue app and all of that. I like that you can have access to all of that,” said Fohrmann. She said that one time she took a test in English class here and they did it on tablets; it was strange for her.

Fohrmann also said that the way people act towards strangers is different.

“I think here people would rather say a compliment or something nice to you, or even just greet you on the street. In Germany, nobody would do that,” said Fohrmann.

She said that maybe if you talked to them or knew them, they would say a compliment or something, but they would never greet someone they didn’t know. Instead, everyone minds their own business.

“I like that everyone is really nice and open [in the U.S.],” said Fohrmann.

One thing Fohrmann noticed is the difference in the climate and weather. She said it’s definitely colder in Germany and it’s pretty much the same temperature year round because they don’t have large changes in seasons. They experience more rain and generally more clouds every day too.

The Foreign Exchange Student Program is very popular where Fohrmann lives. She heard about how great the whole experience was from a few friends and that’s how she became interested.

“I wanted to experience a completely different life and environment,” said Fohrmann.

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Hans-Petter Pedersen

Norway

Hans-Petter Pedersen moved here as an exchange student from Norway in August.

Since moving here, Pedersen noticed that education systems in Stafford are different than in Norway. He explained that Mountain View is very big compared to every school in Norway, as most schools in Norway only have 800 people. According to Pedersen, Norway’s education system is very good; he finds it’s a bit more rigorous than what students in the U.S. are experiencing at his age.

Pedersen is placed as a junior for his foreign exchange student program and his schedule this year consists of French, Biology, English and Strength and Body. Next semester, he has chemistry, math, physics and history.

Pedersen speaks Norwegian, French, English, and a little bit of Spanish. He started learning English when he was about 8 years old but said that the English teachers at school don’t teach very well, so he learned a lot of the language on his own by reading books.

Pedersen said that there is no school spirit back at his home school. The structure set up is only focused on getting an education. He said there are no school dances, pep rallies, or any sports through the school. If you wish to participate in a sport, it’s all done outside of school. Pederson plays handball competitively in Norway and because there is no team in his town, he travels four hours away just to play.

Pedersen described his town as being in a fjord: long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial erosion, with mountains all around him. He explained that their culture revolves around mountains, fishing, and the ocean. Pedersen’s family travels a lot and has practically been all around Europe. The climate is very cold in Norway year-round so his family spends the summers traveling to the warmer countries in Europe.

One new thing that Pedersen experienced since he has arrived in the U.S. was that he attended a Nationals baseball game with his host family. He’s never seen a baseball game nor does he have baseball in his country, but he thought it was very fun.

Pedersen’s sister was a foreign exchange student in Ohio a couple years ago. They pay up to $12,000 to have the opportunity to experience a new culture and life.

Originally, he hoped to go to Florida but waited too long to plan out his traveling, so the program selected Stafford for him. He’s never been away from his family this long but is able to keep in contact with them a couple times a month through Skype.

After high school, Pedersen is planning on going to a university for medicine. It’s very common for students at his school to make that transition to a university right after high school.

Pedersen has recently gotten involved with cross country this year and plans to do track in the spring before he leaves in June.

Yuhao “Bonnie” Wu

China

Yuhao Wu traveled to the U.S. in September to be a foreign exchange student from China. She felt that it was important to know the different countries especially America.

Wu said China has a very different schooling system from the topics taught to the culture. One big difference in the schooling system is the time.

Wu takes two classes of English every day in China and describes it as being hard to learn. She said that she can see how Chinese can be hard to speak, but it’s a lot easier to read. In China Wu said that you must be in school before 7:00 a.m. and school gets out at 9:40 p.m. They do have homework, but even though they have time to do it in school, however some students do it after school until midnight.

“We don’t have good sleep [habits],” said Wu. Wu is musically inclined and actually brought her Chinese instrument to the U.S. so she can practice and play. Another activity Wu enjoys is badminton. She said that badminton is very popular in China and is played at school often.

“Badminton here is like volleyball in China,” said Wu. One of Wu’s favorite parts about America is the food. She said she enjoys all of it, especially the McDonalds food, pizza and sandwiches. She almost never gets to eat American food in China so being able to experience this is a big deal for her. Wu said in China they drink hot water, they do not use ice for drinks, and they eat a lot of vegetables in meals. A popular dish is stir fry.

In China, they use just as much social media as Americans, but they have different kinds. Instead of Instagram or Facebook, they use QQ instant messenger or WeChat where you can send voice messages, snapshots and emoticons to people. Wu really likes American music and is able to see the newest and most popular songs through another music app, using the Billboard.

“I love Stafford so much, so many trees,” said Wu. Wu explained how much she loves the air because it’s so fresh. She said it’s hard to breathe in the city she lives in because the air is so dirty from all of the buildings and cars.

This is Wu’s first time in the U.S. and believes that “America is so nice.” She does a lot of traveling with her grandparents which is who she lives with.

Wu explained that she also really likes her host family and that they are very nice. She said she doesn’t miss her grandparents too much because she is starting to acclimate to the lifestyle here, but she still keeps in touch with them every once in awhile. feature q october 2016 q the viewpoint q 9

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o G od Goodwill shopping has become a very popular activity among high school students and families

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A current trend sweeping high schools is Goodwill shopping. Sure, some may think of it as a colossal waste of time, but others view it as treasure hunting. To be completely honest, it is a hit or miss affair. Some days I walk in, find adorable, old-school clothes, and end up buying four whole outfits for 20 dollars, while on other days, I leave completely empty handed. The whole idea of Goodwill and thrift store shopping interests me; why wouldn’t I want to buy a fifteen year old Coca-Cola graphic t-shirt or a faded flannel for five dollars? If you are stingy with your money like me (I cringe at any piece of clothing over ten dollars), Goodwill shopping may be right up your alley. I always feel a glimmer of pride when I get asked where I got a piece of clothing in my outfit and respond with,“Goodwill.”

Beyond the interesting variety of attire, Goodwill stores also provide a great opportunity for community service. Goodwill targets high school kids looking for an extracurricular edge when it comes to applying to colleges by allowing them to volunteer for a couple hours. Colleges admire this kind of volunteer work because it shows the student as a well-rounded individual. Considering the emphasis colleges place upon community service this can put you ahead in admissions. As for adults, Goodwill welcomes any extra help from people who might be having a hard time finding a job.

Aside from the obvious benefits of volunteering, donating can be a significant help as well. Anyone can donate clothes, shoes, accessories, or household items to these stores. For example, the lamp that has been sitting in your garage for five years could light up another family’s living room. Many families struggle with their finances and rely on Goodwill stores to decorate their homes or clothe their children.

Goodwill shopping can also be a fun way to spend your free time. Students enjoy rummaging through racks of old-school clothing and seeing what they can bring back into the style spectrum. Goodwill stores are sorted by color and size throughout each aisle. Senior Connor Weed, a frequent Goodwill shopper, said he “looks for his favorite colors” when shopping for clothes. Weed goes Goodwill shopping once a week with his friends, saying its has become a “tradition” for them.

As opposed to sitting around the TV playing Xbox or lounging on the couch rewatching “The Office” for the third time, take a trip to your local Goodwill store. Round up some close friends and head over, all you need is a few dollars and an open mind.

by Jenny Bullers

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“[The most rewarding part of field hockey is] the feeling I get after winning with my team, but I feel like the absolute best parts are the friendships and sense of family I get playing with these girls,” said senior Yazzy White. White started out playing softball, basketball, and swimming; however, she fell in love with the team aspect of field hockey and has been playing since seventh grade.

“I never really felt at home [with other sports], but when I was playing field hockey, I got that,” said White.

As one of the captains of the team, White is one of the few returning players from last season, which led to many drastic changes. Many players had a change in their position in order to have a strong starting line.

The workouts and conditionings also started early this year to get everyone acquainted with each other. The hard work and effort the team has put into this season is clear by their success thus far.

The football team had a rocky start this year after starting quarterback Ahmad Tweedy was knocked out in their first game against Freedom High School, resulting in a loss.

Since the first game, the team has adjusted well to injuries, winning the next few of their games. However, senior Jamil Collison-Cofie stated that he believes that more young players need to step up to make it a truly successful season.

Despite the losses, Collison-Cofie still has faith in his team.

“Our season didn’t start off how we wanted this year, but it’s not over, and I believe that we’ll keep fighting,” said Collison-Cofie.

He started playing football in fourth grade, and has recently had to step up to be a leader for the team as one of the backup quarterbacks. The football team has had to adjust to many unexpected changes in the roster and the positions that the players are used to.

As the team adapts, the goal is that something will click, resulting in more victories for the Wildcats.

If you have ever gone to a football game, you have seen the cheer team in action. The football games are good preparation for the upcoming competitive cheer tournaments, but that doesn’t mean the games aren’t an important part to their season. Keeping an upbeat attitude and mesmerizing crowds are just a few of the jobs the cheer team has to fulfill.

Senior Rachel Ransom said, “So far, this season is going great. We have a lot of new talent and great attitudes. We are also progressing in our routines faster than last season. Every season we perform a completely different routine, but like every other team, we encounter injuries, which lead to changes of who’s on who’s mat. This year, we have focused on having good attitudes and giving a 12/10 effort in everything that we do to make sure we can still come together and do our best.”

Ransom started cheering when she was 6 years old, and from the moment she won her first competition, she knew she wanted to continue cheering competitively.

She said, “The most rewarding part of cheerleading is when you hit your routine, and you know you gave it your all and the crowd goes wild.”

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Starting off the season with a strong win against King George High School, the volleyball team has had a steady season with many wins.

“Every season at Mountain View has been great, but I feel that this season is special because it’s my senior year,” said Tiaralyn McBride. McBride’s passion for volleyball has only grown since her mother introduced it to her.

McBride said, “The most rewarding part for me is how much of a family we are towards each other. All of us are respectful and respected, and we have that understanding that after it all, good and bad, we can come together and still be united as one.”

This positive outlook and attitude is a clear factor on the court and one attributing factor of their gains this season.

all about the

SOLE

As one of the more individual sports, cross country is more than just a bunch of runners. Despite it not being seen as a team sport, the cross country team is just like any other team: a family.

After adjusting to the head coach of 11 years leaving, the former assistant coach Michael Porter stepped up as the new head coach. “[The new head coach] meant that while some things stayed the same, there were many changes, including adjustments to the workouts and warm-ups,” said senior Timmy Sharp, one of the top runners on the team.

Sharp’s passion for running started with middle school track, which led to him running cross country his freshman year and every year since.

“We’re still fairly early in the season, so we’ve only raced one race competitively, but so far, I think we are doing pretty good. Last year, we only had two seniors, both of which were part of the top five. Although we didn’t have them this year, we did get new members who are just as good, and it feels like by the end of the season we will probably be better than we were last year,” said Sharp.

Sport captains reflect the season thus far and how they connect to the sport personally

by Emilee Holmquist and Ruby Jackson

Mor gan

“The most rewarding part [of dancing] is definitely after we perform on stage and seeing that all of our hard work has finally paid off,” said senior Hannah Cruzan.

As captain of the Mountain View Dance team, this season Cruzan is a role model for the many new freshmen on the team.

“Everyone works really hard and I think this will be one of MVDT’s best seasons yet, “ said Cruzan.

The dancers learn several different routines throughout the year, performing in events from football games to pep rallies to competitions. The team currently is preparing for several upcoming competitions, practicing each week during their half time performances at the football games.

However, the dance team’s success would not be possible without the team captains to guide them.

Cruzan’s love for dancing began when she was five, and she loved it because she felt like a “superstar.” She fell in love with the sport from the rush she got from performing, and there is no doubt the dance team will go far this season.

Oce

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feature q october 2016 q the viewpoint q13

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Freshly Baked Sugar Shack, the newest store in Stafford, is taking the area by storm, but does it live up to its reputation? by Austin Venable

sugarshackdonuts.com

Sugar Shack is the newest addition to Stafford’s growing restaurant industry. The regional chain based in Richmond has established its eighth store in Stafford amid much excitement. However, its location at 428 Garrisonville Road has seen many businesses come and go; Bruster’s Ice Cream, Doc’s Pizza, Uncle Polo’s, and most recently, Alpha. This begs the question: is all the hype around Sugar Shack worth it? Or will it soon be just another memory?

The company was founded by Ian Kelley in Richmond in June 2013.

Although he had been a fine dining chef who traveled the country for years, Kelley wanted a change of pace and decided to open up a doughnut shop.

One of the core values he wanted to instill in his business was community involvement. Every Sugar Shack is operated by a local manager to increase area involvement. The company also tries to get its ingredients locally.

I absolutely adore companies that try to help out their surrounding communities because I believe that everyone in the area should try to help the common good, so this place already seemed like something great, but it was time to go to the store.

Overall Pulling into the lot, I couldn’t help but notice how busy it was. The store also has a drive thru, the only negative is that there are no pictures of the doughnuts on the menu board, so you may have a hard time deciding what you want without being able to see it. Regardless, I walked into the store to get the full experience.

The lobby was warm and cozy, with its dark colors and laid back atmosphere. The aroma of fresh doughnuts being baked was such a great smell, reassuring me that they really do make all their products fresh.

The lobby is small, but, in all honesty, it’s not really supposed to be a sitdown restaurant.

When I reached the counter, I still really didn’t know what I wanted. The two cashiers operating the front were very friendly with me, but, not in a stereotypical “fake” customer service way; They made me feel genuinely welcomed because they were patient with me as I had a hard time deciding what I wanted. After I chose and the cashiers were packing my order, I gazed into the kitchen to see if it was clean and if the employees were

working well together. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the floors were spotless, the counters were organized, and although the bakers obviously had a lot of doughnuts to make in order to keep up, they seemed to work together efficiently and professionally.

Pricewise, be prepared to dig into your wallet. Its doughnuts are priced

one of my favorites. Topped with a sweet maple frosting and with bacon bits sprinkled on top, it was essentially breakfast on a piece of dough. The maple drizzle provides just the right amount of sweetness while the saltiness of the bacon provides a great balance. Needless to say this one was quickly eaten.

based on whether it is a “House Doughnut” or a “Special Doughnut”.

The House variety costs one dollar and the Specials run $2.50 a doughnut. My bill came out to be about $7.

I opted to try two special doughnuts and two house doughnuts. I chose the Maple Bacon and Chocolate Butterfinger for the specials and the M&M and the Vanilla Chocolate Chip for the house doughnuts.

The Maple Bacon doughnut was

Next, I had the Chocolate Butterfinger. I couldn’t have found a more decadent treat. The rich chocolate icing blended together with the Butterfinger to create a sweetness explosion. And while it was very rich in flavor, it wasn’t overwhelming.

House Doughnuts were next. The M&M doughnut was a good eat. The M&M’s provide some crunchiness to the otherwise plain doughnut. One thing I appreciated was that they

didn’t skimp on the M&M’s like many places do.

The Vanilla Chocolate Chip was surprisingly my second favorite.

The topping had zigzags of white and dark chocolate with chocolate chips on top. The different types of chocolate allowed me to appreciate everything in its chocolate delectableness. Although I usually don’t like a lot of chocolate, this doughnut challenged my prejudice. All the doughnuts had very fresh dough that was not dry at all. They were fluffy and had a hint of sweetness.

The subtle sweetness of the dough allows the consumer to appreciate the toppings much more and prevents the doughnuts from being so sweet that they are inedible.

From my visit to Sugar Shack, I can tell the company obviously prides itself on providing top quality products for its patrons. I conclude that this is the newest gem of Stafford, and that it will be around for quite some time.

review q october 2016 q the viewpoint q 15

W

hat exactly is “real hip hop”? It’s a phrase I’ve heard

rappers, from mainstream names like Melle Mel and KRS-One to outsid-

thrown around quite a bit in the last few years, usu-

ers like El-P and Cannibal Ox, place such lyrical emphasis on not only

ally used to question the validity of a rotating cast

the microphone and the turntables, but also on B-Boying and graffiti

of apparently “not real” rappers: Lil Wayne, Drake,

bombing. Whether you agree with these elements or not, they form

Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and pretty much anyone else associated with the

the basis of the classical hip hop tradition.

Young Money record label. I’ve always dismissed the term as a calling

However, this raises an interesting question: how much of the

card for old-school hip hop fans who think that music can only be “hip

modern hip hop that old-school fans love to complain about is really

hop” if it involves hardcore, socially conscious word-spitting over driv-

hip hop, in the historical sense of the term? An artist like Drake, for

ing, dense beats, and who can’t accept that music has moved in a differ-

example, has virtually no association whatsoever with traditional hip

ent direction. “Real hip hop”, I’d assumed, was effectively just a way for

hop culture. Not only do his lyrics contain few, if any, mentions of

anyone to denigrate a track in the YouTube comments without actually

graffiti or breakdancing, but deejaying – usually defined by sampling

providing any valuable criticism. But having come across this phrase

and disc-scratching – is nowhere to be found in his music. Moreover,

more and more frequently in the past few months, I’ve started to think

the guy sings just as much as he raps, if not more. Drake, and modern

that maybe these “get off my hip hop lawn” types may have a point.

rap artists like him, have essentially co-opted the hip hop technique of

In 1998, seminal underground rap group Company Flow released a

rapping and applied it to the existing pop format. And it isn’t just him

single titled “End to End Burners”. In the song’s first verse, rapper Bigg

– it’s across the board: aside from an artist like Kendrick Lamar, whose

Jus mentions hip hop’s “origins…that gave the four elements its start.”

music is intentionally referential to earlier works, I would struggle to

Four years later, Company Flow’s producer, El-P, released his solo album

find any associations with “the four elements” in the modern hip hop

Fantastic Damage; on the album’s second single, “Deep Space 9mm”,

charts beyond rapping.

he made a point to mention the fact that “back in ’86” he “lived for the

So what does it all mean? In essence, one could say that “rap music”

four-course artistry.” Clearly something is going on here. El-P and Com-

as we know it has ultimately evolved into a different artistic form than

pany Flow were New York natives – they grew up alongside hip hop in

“hip hop music”. For better or for worse, as artists from across the

its geographical birthplace. They know what they’re talking about. So

world have tossed their hats into the rap music ring, they have not only

what are the “four elements” they keep harping on? And what do they

added their own unique musical traits but have also left behind the

have to do with hip hop?

characteristics that originally defined the music. The old-school fans

Basically, as any old-head will tell you, hip hop is not technically

certainly think it’s a turn for the worse; aside from a few nostalgic con-

just a form of music – it began as a cultural lifestyle. At its core were

scious rappers, their beloved genre has been largely transformed into

four methods of artistic expression: rapping, deejaying, B-Boying (or

something they don’t recognize. Meanwhile, us music nerds are just

breakdancing), and graffiti. When hip hop culture was first developing

left scratching our heads and burning our candles at both ends trying

in New York during the late 1970s and early 1980s, all four elements

to figure out where rap music is going.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia user Levan

Bur

ner

s

were considered essential to its voice. This is why so many East Coast

End

to E

nd

Graffti, B-Boying and the definition of hip hop

by Nick Chechak

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q the viewpoint q october 2016 q feature