The Viewpoint EXTRA January/ February

The Viewpoint

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

STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 13 ISSUE 3

January | February

Is social media ruining your life? Check out pages 12 and 13 to see how your social media life is affecting your mood

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Editorial

It’s not only important to keep yourself healthy, but help to keep Earth healthy too. With the new year, consider these new plastic alternatives. Whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or preparing dinner for your family, small changes can lessen your negative impact on the environment.

More often than not stores today still offer plastic bags. Although it may be convenient to use these, the detrimental effects of them add up. Making the switch to reusable is easier than you think. These reusable bags are offered in most stores, and they can be purchased online also. If these bags aren’t easily available to you, any tote bag can work.

Recently, the use of plastic straws has been very controversial. However, people don’t consider what effects other plastic utensils have too. Buying reusable utensil packs, which typically include a spoon, knife, fork, and straw, is a handy way to help the environment. This helps you be prepared, but it also eliminates the possibility of using dirty silverware provided at a restaurant. In addition, don’t forget the simple switch to using a reusable water bottle.

If everyone takes a small part in reducing their use of plastic, the results will be enormous.

It may not seem like much, but you can make a difference: for humans and for the other inhabitants of Earth.

e r u t a Fe e r u g i F

by Javonna Brigham

For a lot of people, swimming is a causal fun hobby for the summertime. For Georgia Johnson, it’s become part of her everyday life as a junior and a member of the swim team here at Mountain View.

From sacrifices to awards, Johnson has had a long, eventful, and rewarding swim career. She began to swim at 6 years old, and she has been ripping through the water ever since.

Johnson said, “It’s hard to constantly have to turn down many plans due to my early practices in the morning.”

Another challenge Johnson faces is having the mental toughness to get herself through a hard set or practice.

But with challenges and sacrifices comes rewards.

Early in her high school career, Johnson was titled the All-Area athlete both her freshman and sophomore years.

She considers her biggest achievements to be getting her NCAA “B” cut or Winter National qualifying time in 100 and 200 breaststroke.

Johnson plans to continue her swim career in college and hopes to attend either the University of Kentucky, University of South Carolina, Virginia Tech, or University of Alabama.

Index 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

Cover Advertisement Index Briefs Advertisement Advertisement Quince vs Sweet 16 Is social media ruining..

Is social media ruining..

Analyzing middle...

Bad habbits Working the double..

13 14 15 16

Cup chasers Domestic abuse Domestic abuse Miles from mars

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The Viewpoint JANUARY| FEBRUARY 2019 VOLUME XIII ISSUE III Managing Editors Ruby Jackson Chloe Reid Extra Editor Lexi Strawder Social Media Editor Sophie Perez Copy Editor Danielle Piper Bella Roeske Photography Editor Gia Morreale Briefs Editor Selena Obregon Adviser Trisha Orndorff The Viewpoint is a cross-section of the news and opinions of the student body of Mountain View High School. It is a forum of expression published

by Staples. Letters and art to the editorial board are welcomed and should be submitted to room 303.

Staff Writers Brody Albertson, Javonna Brigham, Matthew D’Lugos, Emilee Holmquist, Lexi Jackson, Caroline Pollock, Victoria Rogers, Aisha Santiago-Burgos, Adam Skoloda, Jules Torrice, Damien Veal

Front Cover Ruby Jackson Chloe Reid

2018 International Quill and Scroll Sweepstakes Award for Design 2014-2017 International Quill and Scroll First Place Articles 2014-2016 VHSL State Championship First Place Award 2013, 2014, 2015 Free Lance-Star Best Over All Newspaper Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Rd. Stafford, VA 22556 index u january | february 2019u the viewpoint u 03

What‘s Ne w at the Vi ew?

Rising Freshman Night kicked off at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 30. Many middle school students came to participate and experience a taste of life as a Wildcat is like.

Students were invited to join Dr. Stemple in the auditorium for a presentation. He talked about everything the school has to offer including classes, IB, athletics, and more. The students were then divided into groups for tours of the school led by National Honor Society members.

The tour leaders showed the students and their parents the academic and elective hallways, the front office, the clinic, and the information center, and the gymnasium and locker rooms. The tour ended in the cafeteria where the eighth grade students had the chance to ask high school students questions about Mountain View and high school in general. Then, they were able to visit tables that had been set up by most of Mountain View’s clubs, athletic teams, and the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

“It was a good way for rising freshman to see what Mountain View was all about,” said junior Grace Dausman.

The middle school students were also able to buy Mountain View spirit wear which consisted of t-shirts, hoodies, long sleeve shirts, hats, and bracelets. The opportunity to speak to club leaders and athletics coaches about activities and sports available at Mountain View was given to parents and rising students.

The goal for this is to help prepare future students for next August.

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Freshman Orientation By Matthew D’Lugos

t Nsiogn h n a hm okan Frespc: Eric H

DC Women’s March By Lexi Jackson

Wome n’ pc: Lex s Ma i Jac rch kso n

To protest the Trump administration and petition for women’s rights, the first Women’s March was lead

by Vanessa Wruble on Trump’s inauguration day in 2017. Women marched for equal pay in the workplace, skewed gender roles, and abortion rights. On January 19, 2019, this year’s annual march continued to fight for these same rights. Senior Angela Tran said, “The power is within the people and if we just let issues go without addressing them, especially if we have the opportunity to have a protest, they’d just get left unresolved and unnoticed.”

The 2017 march was the largest protest in US history. This year, however, around 400,000 fewer people attended. The number has dwindled since 2017 because of bad weather and anti-Semitism allegations against the leaders of the march. Some speakers included LaDonna Harris, founder, and president for Indian opportunity, Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, America Ferrara, and Madonna. Nina Turner, president of “Our Revolution”, said, “Sisters, we not gonna play around with this, things are hard, folks are suffering, but I believe in a transcendence that is bigger than any one man. I believe in a transcendence that is bigger than any one moment and if you don’t, believe me, I want you to think about the history of revolution in this country and this is what this is about, revolution.”

Snow Days By Caroline Pollock

On snowy winter mornings, parents, students, and teachers check their phones or emails for the call on whether or not there is school that day. Cancellations are determined by the Stafford County Public Schools’ weather operations center’s many staff members and community organizations who evaluate road conditions and possible hazards early in the morning before reaching the superintendent. On mornings when inclement weather is expected or is a possibility, the center opens. This center collaborates with the Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Rescue, and schools to recommend whether county government and schools will be operational.

Every school year has “built-in snow days” which ensure students receive the minimum number of instructional hours. Should the 2018-2019 school year fall below the required instructional days or hours, the difference will be made up by converting current non-school days to school days, adding instruction time to existing days, or by adding days to the end of the year. May 27, and June 12, 17 and 18 are the days that may be converted to school days. “I love snow days, but I don’t appreciate that we get punished for them and have to go to school longer than we were supposed to,” said junior Madi Hyatt.

Since Stafford County converted January 24 and 25 from early release days to full school days, we are not currently at risk of losing any days off. In the 2017-2018 school year, schools were closed seven times and there were three 2-hour delays so we had no need to convert any days. As of February 1, we have had six cancellations and one 2-hour delay. Because of the number of instructional time needed per school year on top of the recent cancellations of school, midterms were canceled and the two half days on January 24 and 25 became full school days. If we do not have any catastrophic weather incidents we should not have to add any more school days to our calendar.

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ayPosllock D w e Snyo: Carolin B

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Quince vs Sweet 16 Find out the difference between a Quinceanera and a Sweet 16

by Aisha Santiago | photos by Zaida Gonzalez

The focus of a Quinceañera, also known as a Quince, is to show that a girl is transforming from a child into a young woman. In a Quince, the girl has a change of shoes ritual that her father or a close family member will perform. This change symbolizes that when they remove her flats and put heels on the girl, she is becoming mature. With the responsibilities that come with become a 15 year old can show how you can handle certain situations and also how independent you can be.

Also, there is the tradition of the doll. The doll is given from the father to the birthday girl. Because this is the last doll that the girl will be given, occasionally the doll will look like the girl. The doll is also a symbol of the girl going from childhood into being a young woman.

The young girl will have a big entrance. She will be escorted by either a male friend or a family member, and she will also be followed by her court which usually consists of friends and family members around her own age. The court will wear a color close to or exactly the same as the one the birthday girl is wearing. The Quinceañera chooses the style of the dresses and heels for the girls and the type of tuxedo the guys will be wearing the day of this event. The young lady’s partner will have the same color as her and the rest of the guys in her court will have a different color, so the audience can be able to tell apart who is her partner and who isn’t.

The dance that is performed by the court and the birthday girl takes many months of practice trials to prepare for the real thing. The dances that every girl does is the waltz and she can add more to it such as doing a bachata, salsa, or even a merengue dance. Now a days a lot of the girls who are turning 15 are into doing surprise dances for the audience and this can be a dance of any style they choose from. Some birthday girls, if they decide to, will do the “dollar dance.” This dance is a way for the birthday girl to get more gifts such as money from whoever would like to dance with her. It is not required for a girl to do it, but some may choose to do it as traditions that their family have done in other Quinces.

A Quince can go many ways, but it is usually a religious ceremony or not religious at all. Some ceremonies that are religious are away for the young girl to affirm her faith, and she will be given religious gifts and tokens from her family. It depends on her culture, her decisions, and her family.

In addition, the family needs to work out all the guests who will be invited, the table chart, the catering, and where this will all take place at. There also has to be a type of transportation for the birthday girl and her court if they choose to ride together.

Both a Quinceañera and a Sweet 16 have the same focus to show everyone that their daughter is going from childhood into young womanhood.

It’s important because it’s when teenagers are starting to find out what it means to be independent. But the Sweet Sixteen is a little different from a Quince, a Sweet 16 isn’t as traditional as a Sweet 15. When you turn 16 some people choose to celebrate it and others don’t. If you do choose to celebrate it, it can either be a small gathering or a huge party depending on what you want.

In the case of turning sixteen, a gift that you will usually get from your family is a new car. The party, if you choose to do it, also symbolizes to everyone that you are finally old enough to handle more responsibilities in your life. The birthday girl can have different types of customs and themes. Girls can choose to wear a long or short dress of different styles. The birthday girl as well will have the traditional change of shoes, the father-daughter dance, and will have the placement of the crown.

But a Sweet 16, a girl doesn’t have to have a court and the traditional ceremony. The birthday girl can just have a huge party with all of her friends and family invited to it. The party can possibly have a theme to it and the guests will have to dress as accordingly to it. The theme sets the whole party because you will go based off of it for everything. The birthday cake usually only has the number 16 on it but if the birthday girl chooses to have a different set up, she can do that. The girl has control of all these options, she chooses what she wants and how she wants it.

The caterer is important as well for many families who are having these parties. They want food from their own culture not someone else’s. They go for the traditional dishes and also the dishes that are also appetizing to those who aren’t from the same culture as them. As far as the gifts go, many families may choose to pass down heirlooms because they believe that you are officially old enough to have it and to pass it down to their future families so the tradition continues.

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a i d e M l a i c o S Is Ruining s s e n i p p a H r u Yo 0qQEPAD0qQEPAD The aspect of Social Media is detrimental to our happiness

by Jules Torrice | Photos by Pexels, Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, GoodFreePhotos

Materialism Do you remember the glorious days when you didn’t care about the clothes you wore, the way you styled your hair, or even the way your eyebrows, lips, and stomach looked?

Materialism is the tendency to consider possessions and physical comfort more than spiritual values. Clothes, makeup, latest technology, perfume, hair products, jewelry, shoes are all included in materialism. People can see materialism from clothing hauls shown on YouTube, Instagram posts of makeup tutorials, and Tweets of what is trending.

Materials do not satisfy our happiness. However, pop culture views others on certain materials, so this is why people start to view themselves. We tend to judge our self worth based on what things we possess. Social media doesn’t help with this. There will always be someone with something we want or someone that we see as “better” based on their possessions, which can be placarded on social media showing what is the latest and greatest.

Advertising on social media is seen on a daily basis--from the thousands of beauty, clothing, and food hauls posted on YouTube to middle class people posting pictures of themselves covered with brands of Gucci, Supreme, Adidas, and so much more.

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Idolization & Comparison

Celebrities are placed on a pedestal for all others to look upon. People want to look like them, have a life like them, have money like them, and be known and valued like them. These celebrities may seem happy and successful by throwing a picture of themselves in your feed, but if they were truly happy, why would they edit the photos they post? There are also those who cake their face and are in bikinis to give the appearance of a certain physique. The celebrities I have most in mind are the Kardashians. They are social media influencers who are always editing their photos when there is nothing wrong with them. Their followers see these photos and compare themselves to them,wishing they looked like someone who isn’t all that as they seem.

Some may argue that celebrities post and share for their jobs. With some posts, celebrities are turning “Likes” and posts into dollars. For example, Instagram models can get paid a large sum of money with every post, and they can get paid even more with every brand deal they receive. There is nothing wrong with making money from social media, but the portrayal of unrealistic looks and lifestyle may push some viewers to think this what you should look like and what you should have. The people who follow these celebrities believe that they need to compare. This doesn’t open a door to happiness, but a door to self-hate.

According to National Eating Disorder Blog, “It’s human nature to compare yourself to others, and to feel envious or jealous of what someone else has. With the rise of social media, it becomes so much easier to do so. Not only do we face everyone we physically encounter during the day, but we also face the entire world, as they present themselves on social media.”

Likes, Followers, & Status Have you ever posted a picture or video and just kept refreshing the page to see where your likes were at?

People use social media to connect with friends, family, and even the other hundreds of other random people following them. On a social media profile, people seem to have started equating likes and followers with an elevated social status. People want to appear a certain way to accumulate likes. There seems to be an unspoken rule on social media from this. For example, people have to know when and when not to post in order to get the maximum amount of likes. The number of likes you get does not equate to the number of friends and people impressed by your post.

“All the money in the world can’t buy happiness. This is can be true to how many likes my friends get on a post,”said Isabella Riccardi, sophomore.

According to an article on Odyssey Online written by Catherine Edquist, “If no one cared how many likes they had, no one would feel as pressured to follow the unspoken editing and posting rules. I believe this would bring us a step forward to a society that focuses less on a flashy public image and more on things that actually matter, like valuing people for who they are, not what filter they used.”

I do have to say, getting a large amount of likes on any social media platform may boost some confidence. However, this feeling doesn’t stay, so people will still be looking for the next perfect post and wait for the likes to roll in.

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ANALYZING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS Taking a look into the lives of junior high schoolers in 2019

by Javonna Brigham

Callie Knight

Callie Knight

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You’ve probably heard the saying “they grow up so fast.” You’ll usually hear it coming from parents in reference to the young’uns. Whether you’ve graduated from middle school recently or a while ago, you can agree it’s nothing

like it was while you were there. From the clothes, to the hobbies. There has been a lot of change.

When I was in middle school, if you didn’t shop at stores like Aeropostale, Justice, or even Hot Topic, you weren’t cool. Now, preteens spend their money at places such as American Eagle, Hollister, or Victoria’s Secret. Both are relatively expensive, but one is seen as more “grown up” now.

“I remember thinking my friends were wild in middle school. Now I look at middle schoolers and think, wow we didn’t even compare,” said sophomore Amberly Lovett. Posting things to get more likes and having crazy parties is something that wasn’t a big thing when I was younger.

Middle school is when many get their first phone. It seems that now, kids get their first smartphones) as early as elementary school. Although there are age restrictions while signing up for social media, younger and younger kids are lying about their ages to join. “Middle schoolers in 2019 are way different than us. They have more technology like airpods and things we didn’t,” says senior Hannah Sims.

Social media was really booming during my middle school times. Kik and ooVoo were the social media apps to have as a preteen. In 2014, an app formally called “Musically,” now called “TikTok,” came out. It has recently been taking over the junior high population. The 2019 way for preteens to group talk is an app called “Houseparty.” It allows you to video chat with several other people in the same way ooVoo did. But it’s still not good, according to psychologytoday.com, “A tween’s underdeveloped frontal cortex can’t manage the distraction nor the temptations that come with social media use.”

During my middle school years, bullying prevention was a lesson we had to be taught at least once a month. It was extremely common to be bullied, at any age. After I left middle school, I hadn’t come across any serious bullying.

I figured it had slowed down across all ages. However, after taking a look into the lives of my 12 year old cousin and her friends, I found bullying is coming back and stronger than ever. According to Togetheragainstbullying.org, “Bullying increases at the end of elementary school, peaks in middle school and slows down in high school.” With more social media platforms and easier access to the internet, cyberbullying is still a large problem within preeteens and teens. In 2015, there was a 1% crude rate in suicides among teens under 15. In 2017, there was a crude rate of 1.34, according to afsp.org. Sophomore Saige Beltran said, “I have a brother in middle school. He’s a good kid and respectful for the most part. But his friends aren’t really like him. I’ve seen kids drinking and smoking to try to be “cool” or “popular. It’s really sad to me. I think they need to just live their lives as kids while they still are.”

Middle school has changed over the years, and it will continue to grow and grow. To me, it’s interesting to compare my middle school years to those who are younger than me and seeing the differences and similarities.

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Evy Pailthorpe

Amberly Lovett

Bad Habits

Find out what your bad habit means and what it does to you

by Aisha Santiago Burgos

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Stress Eating Stress eating can also be considered as emotional eating, it is consuming food in response to your feelings. Often people eat out of stress, anxiety, anger, depression, and happiness. But with the consuming of food also comes with the chance of obesity and being overweight. People use the method of emotional eating because when you are eating emotionally, you are eating to feel better, not because you’re hungry or because your body needs calories. Emotional eating can also often result in overeating and can have a direct relation to weight gain and self-esteem.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Diatecs, “People also eat out of pressure to be social.

They feel it is rude not to eat when someone has gone through the trouble and/or expense of preparing food.” They don’t want to make someone waste food on them so they suck it up so they won’t make the cook feel bad for cooking for them.

A way to break the habit of stress eating can be trying to find ways to deal with the situations that makes you turn to food. As stated by the American Psychological Association, “People tend to seek high calorie, high-fat foods during periods of stress, though in fact, when people are stressed, their bodies store more fat than when they are relaxed.

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Swearing When you start to swear all the time, it becomes second nature because you’re so used to doing it.

Some people cuss because their friends do it, so they think it’s okay for them to do it too. According to researchers at Keele University, “enraged yelling and swearing, raises your heart rate, which triggers a fight-or-flight response.” Swearing can be caused by anger, stress, confusion, and anxiety. So a lot of the times you swear because it is a way for you to let off steam.

As stated by The Guardian, “people show higher stress levels when they are asked to swear.” A lot of the time when people swear they do not enjoy doing it, they can feel guilty after for saying such horrible things to someone or in general. The way you use your words towards other people or in general can be taken in an offensive way. In times where you catch yourself about to curse, try thinking about other ways you can express the way you feel and avoid trying to escalate the situation you are in. In the opinion of Global News, said “ the harmful words affect us differently; our heart rate and blood pressure increases, blood flows to our extremities and we can measure sweat on our fingertips. We react strongly to these words because of the lessons we learned as children.” As a child you are taught to not use profanity because it is a terrible habit to pick up and also since you’re so young, you don’t fully process or understand what the word means. Adults don’t swear around children because they don’t want them to hear them and then for them to start saying it and get in trouble for using such bad words.

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Nail Biting Nail biting can harm both the physical and emotional state of a person. The medical term for the habit of nail biting is “Oncychoplagia”. It is where you have this compulsive need to mess with your nails, and you’re unable to control your action. Both bacterias and viruses can be transmitted to the mouth and face through nail biting.

Mrs. Cherry, medical teacher, said, “There’s research that says that nail fibers contribute to appendicitis.”

According to Rana Akiki, “the mere fact of generating bad looking fingers can lead to having stress and anxiety when it comes to being in public. Nail biters feel embarrassed of their own hands and are aware of how disturbing it is to look at.” So they tend to hide their nails from others and try to find ways to try to cover it up such as painting their nails so it’s not as noticable.

Also Dr. Kieron O’Connor, professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, said, “ We believe that individuals with these repetitive behaviors may be perfectionistic, meaning that they are unable to relax and to perform a task at a ‘normal pace’. They are therefore prone to frustration, impatience and dissatisfaction when they do not reach their goals. They also experience greater levels of boredom.”

In that case, stress, boredom, and loneliness can be considered some of the prompting factors of excessive nail biting. feature u january | february 2019 uthe viewpoint u 11

Working the double shift Find out why teaching can take the phrase “I don’t get paid enough for this” to a whole new level by Sophie Perez

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f you were to ask any high school student what their plan is after graduation, it would probably follow the outline of going to college and getting a job. Notice I said job, as in one singular job. Imagine you grow up from the high schooler you once were, attend college or university for four to six years while studying what you’re passionate about, only to find that the career you’ve been preparing for isn’t sustainable and you have to work an extra gig. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this is the jostling reality for more than 14 percent of teachers. Now, 14 percent may not seem like all that much when you compare it to the 11 percent of non-teachers who are in professions that also require them to take on another job.

However, you have to take into account the fact that the 14 percent is from one profession, only teaching, while the 11 percent is from a collection of multiple professions, and still doesn’t exceed the amount set by teachers.

So, why exactly are teachers a demographic who so commonly have to take on the strain and responsibility of two jobs? The answer to that question is hidden in the numbers. The national average starting teacher salary is $38,617. Compare this to a police officers whose starting salary is anywhere from $50,856 to $59,329; a veterinarians salary which has a base of $60,000; or to the $66,640 starting salary of a nurse, and the contrast is quite stark. When salary figures are put into the picture, it’s no wonder some teachers need to take on other jobs.

Some may have the opinion that teaching isn’t as demanding as the other jobs previously mentioned, but aren’t teachers the ones who take on a significant bulk of molding the minds of future police officers, veterinarians, and nurses?

Unfortunately, the differences don’t stop with starting salaries. The average teacher’s salary in the United States is $58,950, which still falls up to $42,000 short of the previously mentioned professions average salaries.

The argument could be made that when choosing to become teachers, people know what they’re signing up for. But, why should someone have to sacrifice their passion for financial security?

“I think that being a teacher is a hard thing to do. There’s a lot of stress between dealing with setting up assignments and dealing with rude kids, yet they don’t get paid a lot which is astounding to me,” says senior Terrell McCoy. It makes sense that even students can recognize the hardships taken on by educators, given the fact that they’re the ones that teachers are putting all their energy into. If a teacher comes to school underslept and overstressed because they had to leave school and head straight to another shift, it could be hard for them to put on a relaxed and prepared facade for their students the next day. The students sensing that their teacher isn’t at their best that day could lead to an unruly classroom. In a worn down state, it wouldn’t be completely unexpected for a teacher’s patience to be strung thin or for them to become more strict with students. After all, teachers are still human.

It also makes sense that teachers need to be passionate about what they’re doing in order to effectively get through to students. You may have heard one of your peers say, or have said yourself, something along the lines of, “Why would you be a teacher if you don’t like kids?” That question is a completely valid one that further emphasizes the need for passionate teachers. As a student, it could be hard to fully engage yourself in a classroom where your instructor gives off the notion that particularly care about what they’re doing.

Maybe you even have had a teacher who made you from a disdain towards an entire subject. Passionate teachers harbor the power to do just the opposite.

Society doesn’t disregard and minimize the salaries of medical workers, law enforcement officers, and many more. So, why should society disregard and minimize the salaries of teachers, the people who are raising the futures of other professions?

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Cup Chasers A new team with experienced players fight to compete in the Stanley Cup Final Building a new team from nothing was not a problem for The Las Vegas Golden Knights. The 2017–18 Knights season was their first in the NHL. They played their home games at T-Mobile Arena at the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The Golden Knights had the strongest debut season for an expansion team in American professional sports history.

Not only was adding an expansion draft a new concept, but the rules were more favorable for Vegas than any other in history. One contributing factor to their strong debut was when Vegas’ general manager George McPhee made 10 official trades ahead of the draft, picking up 10 draft picks and six additional players on top of his 30 expansion players.

“Vegas was one of the best teams I’ve ever seen,” states Travis Miller On February 1, 2018, the Golden Knights broke the record for most wins by an expansion team in their first season when they earned their 34th win. On February 21, they broke the record for most points by an expansion team in their inaugural season when they scored their 84th point. Then on March 26, they became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers in the 1979–80 season, according to NHL analysts.

by Matthew D’Lugos

After that achievement, on March 31, 2018, with a 3–2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, the Knights became the first modern expansion team from any major sport, and the first NHL team since the 1926–27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season.

“I wasn’t sure about a new team, but they proved themselves from the start.” Edward Nevgloski.

Earning a playoff spot in their first season, the Golden Knights eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in four straight games during the first round, becoming the first team in NHL history to sweep their first playoff series in their inaugural season.

“I thought they were going to win the Stanley Cup,” says Brendan Robinson They later defeated the San Jose Sharks in the second round in six games and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season where they played the Washington Capitals and lost in five games.

news u january | february 2018 u the viewpoint u 13

DOMESTIC ABUSE and PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES How domestic abuse is prevalent in athletes’ lives and how it affects their careers by Brody Albertson

A

Wikipedia

few months ago a video of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was leaked to the public. The video contained Hunt kicking a woman on the floor. Shortly after this video was leaked, Hunt was cut from the roster and hasn’t played in an NFL game since November 19, 2018.

Rewind to four years ago on September 8, 2014. Video footage of Ray Rice was leaked and he was put in a similar situation. I think most of you by now know who Ray Rice is, and if you don’t, he was that guy who knocked out his girlfriend in an elevator. That guy. Rice used to play for the Baltimore Ravens, but he hasn’t played an NFL game since this incident occurred.

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Although he had the talent to play after this incident, the NFL and its owners were extremely picky with the off-field issues they want to deal with. Unless a player is capable of being a franchise player, or the issue has little significance, they probably won’t stay on the team since the NFL tries to remain unaffiliated with these players.

Since 2014, according to USA Today’s Tennessean, there have been 24 instances of a player in the NFL being charged with some sort of domestic abuse. Sixteen of those 24 people haven’t played a game since they’ve been accused. Most retired or got released from their team.

But when we look at other leagues, the numbers aren’t the same. In the MLB (since 2014), there have been eight instances of players being caught up in a domestic abuse case. Out of those eight players, six went on to play baseball after the case and are currently playing baseball. In the NBA, six out of the seven cases since 2014 played basketball after the case.

Although players get negative publicity for being involved in these cases, we need to ask ourselves if the NFL and other major sports leagues should enforce stricter punishments to players who commit actions like these? And when is it appropriate to let them back into the league. I think everyone should be in a consensus when I say that players should have to go through some sort of anger or aggression training class before being able to play again.

Most players, for their images-sake, say they go through classes like these. Personally, I think these classes should be run by the sports league so they know the player has in fact gone through the course. Since the league makes so much money off these players, it would be in their best interest to help them get back on the field after incidents like these They should provide the best therapists and more for the players, which would discourage these issues further in the future.

When asked if Hunt should be allowed back into the NFL, Brendan Heatherman, Junior, said this “No, I don’t think he should be allowed back into the NFL. He should be held responsible like normal people with jobs, or be held to a higher expectation since he’s a public figure people look up to.”

We’re seeing right now with Kareem Hunt how devastating a situation like this can be to a professional. He lost his job, and I don’t think anyone should ever wish something like that upon a person. But there’s still demand for Hunt in the NFL due to how great of a talent he is, and how he can transform an offense. When he was “cut,” Hunt was paid the rest of

his guaranteed contract (which ranged somewhere around $450,000).

Hunt is serving a six-game suspension the next time he signs a contract, so if he signs anywhere this off-season like he’s expected to do, he won’t be able to play until week seven or eight (depending on the bye week).

Dylan Doyle, Junior, said this when asked if major sports leagues should enforce stricter punishments, “He shouldn’t be allowed back in the NFL because it’s too big of a platform for someone like him and what he did, and it could encourage or normalize what he did - that’s not ok. I think he should’ve lost his job for what he did as for anyone else playing any sport. So yes, I do think sports leagues should enforce stricter punishments.”

But if we take a step back from the more household leagues and take a look at boxing, we can see Floyd Mayweather, one of the greatest to ever box, has been accused of beating multiple women between the years 2001 and 2010, according to The Undefeated.

These accusations have turned into jail time for Mayweather. If Mayweather is going to jail for beating women then why doesn’t he face professional repercussions and not be allowed to fight?

Well, most sports, whether that be football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. have a set list of rules that player must follow on and off the field. These rules are set into place by the league that the players join, and in the United States, there’s only one football, baseball, and basketball league. They aren’t competing with anyone else when it comes to rules, and players can’t leave to play in a different league unless it’s overseas. These leagues act as a governing authority and have the right to suspend players for their actions.

In boxing, this is very, very different. There are four leagues/bodies that “govern” the sport of boxing: The World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO). Matches are set up by each of the four league’s, but they all have their own, different, set of rules. This means the WBC could suspend Mayweather, but the other three leagues don’t have to, and if they don’t he’s still allowed to fight. And if there’s a lot of money involved, you bet he’s going to fight, and people are going to watch. So unless all four bodies individually suspended Mayweather, he still can professionally box.

So what does this have to do with anything? This shows that every league has different opinions on what a player should face after committing an offense like domestic abuse. I personally think players like Hunt should be severely punished for their actions when it comes to this, as with a platform like the ones they are given comes with great responsibility. If they can’t live up to that responsibility then they don’t deserve the platform. But I also believe in giving people second chances, and I would like to see Kareem Hunt back in the NFL because he’s a great player. However, only if he’s taken the necessary steps to be in a place where he will never be involved in another situation like he was, as for every other player as well. feature u january | february 2019 u the viewpoint u 15

Miles from Mars Join the exploration to new places with new technology

by Matthew D’Lugos

Wikipedia

NASA is making big plans to explore an unknown environment. In December 2017, President Donald J. Trump gave “NASA a new direction, telling the agency to work with international and commercial partners to refocus exploration efforts on the moon, with a goal to eventually go on to Mars and even beyond,” according to the NASA website.

The Moon is a crucial part of Earth’s past and future. The Moon may hold valuable resources to support space activity and scientific treasures that may tell us more about our own planet.

Although Americans first walked on the moon’s surface almost 50 years ago, our explorers left footprints at only 6 sites, during a total of 16 days on the surface. The next wave of lunar exploration will be a lot different, according to NASA officials.

“The things Nasa does are out of this world,” states Savana Cole.

NASA is building a plan for Americans to orbit the Moon starting in 2023, and land astronauts on the surface no later than the late 2020s. This will be the first chance for the majority of people alive today to watch a Moon landing.

“I’d love to watch the moon landing on tv just like they did when we first went to the moon,” says Ruby Darling.

“A key part of establishing the first permanent American presence on and around the Moon is the Gateway, a lunar orbiting platform to host astronauts farther from Earth than ever before,” as stated by the CNN website.

NASA also stated, “on the Gateway, America and its partners will prepare to explore deep space, testing new technologies and systems as we build to support missions to the surface of the Moon and prepare for the mission to Mars. NASA also will study the effects of the deep space environment of the Gateway, learning how living organisms react to the radiation and microgravity of a deep space environment over long periods.”

The Gateway also will be assessed as a platform for the assembly of payloads and systems. A reusable command module for lunar surface exploration, and a way station for the development of refueling depots, servicing platforms, and a sample return facility, according to CNN. Some elements of the Gateway already are under construction at NASA centers across the United States including facilities in Ohio, Texas, Alabama, and at commercial partner facilities. The Gateway, according to NASA, will be assembled in space using the Orion spacecraft and SLS, as well as commercial launch vehicles. The first element, providing power and propulsion, will launch from Florida in 2022.

“The lunar surface will serve as a crucial training ground and technology demonstration test site where we will prepare for future human missions to Mars and other destinations. Through combinations of missions involving commercial and international partners, robotic lunar surface missions will begin as early as 2020, focus on the scientific exploration of lunar resources, and prepare the lunar surface for a sustained human presence,” according to NASA. By the late 2020s, a lunar lander capable of transporting crews and cargo will begin trips to the surface of the Moon. The sustainable, long-term lunar surface activities enabled by these efforts with the Gateway will expand and diversify over time, taking advantage of the Moon and near space for scientific exploration, as stated by CNN. The first human landing on Mars will be an achievement recalled far into the future. Key components of the Exploration Campaign, according to NASA officials, already are underway and include long-duration human spaceflight on the space station, development of advanced life support systems, and continuing to lead and advance the world in deep space science missions.

“Overall, the Exploration Campaign focuses on approaches that include the development of technologies and systems that enable a series of human and robotic lunar missions that are extended to Mars,” as stated by NASA. NASA continues to have leadership in robotic exploration on and around Mars. The agency’s mission now is on its way to Mars and will land in November to study the core of the Red Planet. Development of NASA’s next rover to Mars continues to make excellent progress and is scheduled to launch in July 2020.

“It’s crazy that we’ve traveled out of our world,” states Aiden Gonzalez The Mars 2020 Rover will search for life and demonstrate the production of fuel and other resources that enable human exploration, according to NASA. We also will use this mission as a building block for following round trip robotic mission with the historic first rocket launch off another planet and a sample return. That mission will serve as a critical precursor to an eventual series of missions to Mars planned to start in the 2030s, which will be supported by the work we’ll do on the Moon in the coming years.

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u january | february 2019 unews