The Viking / Issue II / November 2017

THE

VIKING Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, VA /

This is Us We’re not millennials.

We’re centennials and our trademark is passion. Page 9

Cover / Senior Catherine Gloeckner’s denim jacket is her canvas. Gloekner expresses herself through her choice of pins and buttons. (photo /Madison Stiles)

Above / Showing off their spirit, the dance team performs their routine in the November 2nd rivalry game against Woodgrove. Also serving as senior night, seniors on the football team, marching band and physical trainers were recognized. (photo / Olivia deStanley)

THE

VIKING News Magazine Staff 2017-2018

Editors-in-Chief Carleigh Rahn Griffin Hunt

Copy Editor Zach Stevenson

Online Editors Kerry Webster Brianna Henriquez

Sports Editor Claire Slook

Photo Editors Olivia deStanley Madison Stiles

Ads Managers Sadie Grant Grace Jennings Lauren Madey Madison McIntosh

Writers, Photographers, Business and Promotional Staff Max Breitenthaler, Colin Bunn, Beau Buzzelli, Heather Feconda, Erika Gesel, Riley Green, Jordan Iwerks, Ben Keane, Ella Krug, Gillian Krug, Bailey Kuhn, Casey Marrin, Caleigh Marsh, Mary Peterson, Noelle Saine, Jared Sanders, Ella Serafin, Logan Stup, Christina Thornton Adviser Paige Cox thevikingnews.com | Twitter: @lvhsviking | Instagram: lvhsviking | Snapchat: lvhsviking

Letter from the Editors

Dear Vikings, The Viking is a completely student-run and studentfunded newsmagazine, meaning that our staff is responsible for everything you see printed, unless otherwise credited. All interviews are fairly represented, and audio files are kept for reference.

In the current school year, our goal is to serve the student body by covering a variety of topics, ranging from serious political controversies to pop culture events.

Finally, the Viking is lucky enough to have a faculty and student body overwhelmingly supportive

of our news magazine. Thank you for your readership and your feedback.

Thank you, Carleigh Rahn and Griffin Hunt Editors-in-Chief

CONTENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

4

Making a Difference

5

Fall Flavors

7

Finders Keepers

9

This is Us

Freshman Sophie D’Agostino created a nonprofit devoted to spreading suicide awareness.

As the weather cools and the holiday season fast approaches, a fall recipe to fill your stomach and warm your soul.

Students use thrift shopping to add a personal touch to their everyday outfits.

Were not millennials. We’re centennials and our trademark is passion.

12

Get Out and Vote

13

Take Your Pick

15

Can We Keep it Simple?

Two new clubs aim to increase political participation through hands-on experience.

Today’s athletes are hanging up their other uniforms to focus on one sport.

Homecoming proposals have become an elaborate burden. For some, it even becomes a deterrent from attending the dance.

Right / Flute in hand, sophomore Hannah O’Neil marches during halftime performing this year’s show, Rhapsody in Blue. (photo / Olivia deStanley)

Freshman Sophie D’Agostino pictured with Cima, a therapeutic riding horse at Ride-On Ranch in Lovettsville.

Making a

Difference Freshman Sophie D’Agostino created a nonprofit devoted to spreading suicide awareness.

By Heather Feconda

M

otivated by her own family’s tragedy, Sophie D’Agostino sought to spread hope and help through her own passions. Healing Hooves is a program built not only to spread suicide awareness, but to be a helping hand in the lives of those affected by it.

The plan started when D’Agostino came into contact with Ride on Ranch, a stable specializing in hippotherapy, physical therapy done on horseback for children and adults with disabilities. When D’Agostino was 13 years old, she lost her own brother to suicide. Four months after, D’Agostino started equine therapy to aid in her own healing.

Soon thereafter, she was presented with the opportunity to write a grant. Writing the grant launched this process and served as an unforeseen opportunity to heal, and a testimony of the power of writing.

“Writing the grant helped me express my story more and I didn’t realize it until after but writing it was another source of therapy,” D’Agostino explained.

Because equine therapy made a tremendous impact on herself, D’Agostino knew she wanted to help others in the same

way.

D’Agostino created Healing Hooves, now an operating suicide therapy program.

The idea has its roots in a life long passion for horses and a personal testimony of the healing powers they hold.

“When my brother passed away, sit down therapy never really worked for me and my therapist suggested equine therapy. It’s been a really helpful experience and I just want to help others too,” D’Agostino said.

With the stables only a couple miles down the road, helping run a ranch with twelve 1500 pound animals has become a way of life, and therapy, for D’Agostino.

While Healing Hooves brings gifts to individuals, it also reaches families.

D’Agostino explained the huge change in her family dynamic following their time at the ranch.

“We all did one session together, and ever since then we’ve been working together more and talking more.”

D’Agostino has heightened awareness of the sensitivities surrounding those dealing with suicide, and strives to make the road a little smoother for others. She explained some of the hardships she dealt with.

“It was always a struggle when kids in school would joke around it because I know they’re just trying to be funny but it actually happens. We’ve had that experience with not just my brother but one of his friends and now my cousin so I just don’t want that to happen to anyone else because it’s a struggle for the families that it does happen to,” D’Agostino said.

The driving force behind D’Agostino’s program is her desire to ease the pain of other affected families. She hopes that others can avoid the lack of communication her family experienced following her brother’s death.

D’Agostino said that if there is one thing people need to know about delving into the world of equine based therapy, it is this: “Horses aren’t as scary as they look,” D’Agostino said. My mom was absolutely terrified, but these aren’t wild horses that will trample you.”

photo / courtesy of Sophie D’Agostino layout / Griffin Hunt

fall flavors

By Griffin Hunt

With chicken marinated in a sweet balsamic glaze, tangy raspberry puree, fresh gremolata made from parsley and savory browned-butter carrots, this meal is sure to satisfy anyone.

Ingredients ½ pound butter 4 chicken breasts 2 pints raspberries ½ cup sugar ½ cup parsley 1 lemon 2 cups balsamic vinegar ¼ cup honey

Recipe 1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. In a pot, mix the balsamic vinegar and honey. Heat on high until boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half. Remove from heat and let it cool. Set half aside for plating before pouring the rest in a freezer bag with the raw chicken to marinate.

3.

Heat up a saucepan on medium, add the butter and let it melt. Stir it while it cooks.

Once the butter is melted, re-

5. In another duce heat and stir.

Let it simmer for 4 - 6 minutes.

It should change from yellow to a brown, and will start to develop a nutty flavor.

4. Julienne (cut into thin long strips) the carrots and pour the butter over them. Put them on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

pan combine the raspberries, sugar and a splash of water. Simmer until they can easily be crushed with a spoon. Blend until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and then cool.

½ tbsp of lemon zest.

Plating: Pour the balsamic glaze in the middle of the plate.

Stack the carrots on top, then add the grilled chicken over carrots before drizzling with raspberry puree Finish by sprinkling the diced parsley.

6. Start up a grill on high. Once the grill is hot, add the chicken.

Cook it for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until it’s cooked.

7. While the chicken cooks, mince the parsley, then mix with a drizzle of lemon juice and

Photo / Griffin Hunt Layout / Griffin Hunt

Finders Keepers Students use thrift shopping to add a personal touch to their everyday outfits.

By Kerry Webster

T

here’s a new wave of young shoppers with their focus set on unique finds that won’t break the bank, and they’re flocking to local thrift stores. According to a study done

by ThredUp.com, an online secondhand store, 30% of millennials have shopped secondhand in the past 12 months, 21% say they will in the future.

The way teenagers buy clothes has changed plenty since the days of brandname shopping. In a survey where teens were asked what was important in the clothes they purchased, 56.36% said “style” mattered most, 30.91% said price mattered most, and only 4.55% said that “brand” mattered most.

Because of the variety of items that are available at secondhand stores, simply looking at the eccentric home decor pieces and trying on the hodgepodge of different clothes can become an activity on its own.

“I really like going thrifting with my friends. It gives us something to do other than just hanging out in town, and it’s a lot of fun to just try on crazy looking stuff with your friends,” senior Aaron Hahn said.

Others are craving a way to define themselves through eye-catching outfits that are unrepeated by their peers.

FAVE FINDS “I just like to look for things that are different and things that not everyone at school is going to have. When you’re thrifting, you can find very unique pieces that may be old or from somewhere else in the world and you just don’t really know,” junior Casey Lanigan said.

Because secondhand shopping can be pretty hit-or-miss at times, veteran thrifters seem to have found some shortcuts in the searching process at their preferred shop.

“I’ve found the most luck with things like sweaters and button downs that I can just throw over other t-shirts, like flannels,” senior Conor Spriggs said.

Although there are those who are still averted to the idea of buying someone else’s used clothes, many people feel like they get something out of it that is unmatched in any other store. Thrifters find inspiration from knowing that they’re not the first person wearing these clothes.

“I like the idea that someone has had other experiences in the item of clothing that I bought,” junior Cate Osborne said.

“It’s exciting to think that I’m going to make new experiences in [this item of clothing].”

“

This sweater is my favorite thrifted piece because it goes with every outfit and it’s so comfortable,”

Anastazia Corbett, Sophomore

“

I got this denim jacket from the little girls section. [It] kind of came with a story.

You could see that the little girl played soccer and she went on her girl scout trip.

It’s really cool,”

Casey Lanigan, Junior photo / Kerry Webster and Caleigh Marsh layout / Carleigh Rahn

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This is

US We’re not millennials.

We’re centennials and our trademark is passion.

By Carleigh Rahn and Claire Slook

E

veryone loves something. It is a part of being human. We crave attachment. Whether it’s a person, a place, an activity, or a particular object, we all want to belong to something. And we want something to belong to us.

These things we crave, these are our passions. It’s what you devote your time to. It’s how you express yourself. It’s what makes you, well, you.

Contrary to popular belief, we’re not millennials. We’re centennials. And as centennials, it’s our trademark to have a passion. It doesn’t matter what it is, but it’s always something.

Dropbox founder Drew Houston compares a passion to a tennis ball. He explains that the most successful people are the ones who are always chasing something, like a dog running after a tennis ball.

The students profiled here have found their tennis ball. Each, in their own way, express themselves through their passion.

left / With earbuds draped around his neck, senior Jonathan Jacobson holds his guitar. Every day, Jacobson devotes time to listening and creating music, one of his greatest passions. (photo / Caleigh Marsh)

BUTTON UP

A

beloved trend is making a comeback.

Scrunchies, chokers and denim are the trademarks of the nineties revival. To stand out in the sea of denim, complete the look with a personal touch.

Senior Catherine Gloeckner spices up her outfits with colorful buttons. “There is no wrong way to choose pins,” Gloeckner said.

“I wear pins that can subtly say things about my personality and interests.”

STRUMMING ALONG

S

enior Jonathan Jacobson is happiest when he’s strumming his guitar and writing lyrics. His passion is music: listening and making it.

“Everytime I write a song, it’s like putting down a little piece of me,” Jacobson said. As a member of the songwriting club, Jacobson and his peers meet every few weeks to share ideas and inspire each other.

Jacobson’s passion goes far beyond the club. “I gain comfort and stability from writing, because I can put everything going on in my head into notes,” Jacobson said. “It relieves me from stress and anxiety of the day.”

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

W

ith so many different styles, it can be hard to choose just one. “My number one style tip would be to wear what you love and what makes you feel happy,” senior Jordan O’Connor said. O’Connor, known for her style and confidence takes pride in choosing outfits with a purpose.

Struggling to find your style? Take it from O’Connor: “Don’t be afraid to wear something out of the ordinary.

‘Cause normal is just boring!”

INSIDE THE PAGES

W

hile reading does help with vocab and test prep, there’s more to it than just an A on a paper.

Many people find their happy place inside the pages. For senior Samantha Milchenski, a book is a place to escape, a place to go deeper and think about things differently. “You get to create your own mind and go inside a character’s head,” Milchenski said. Curled up under a blanket, you can find Milchenski reading one of her favorite books, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. “It’s de-stressing, a romance and short enough to read in a day,” Milchenski said. “Perfect for a fall weekend.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

F

or as long as he can remember, Senior Enmanuel Ibarra has been creating art. Art has been his passion from the very beginning. Now in AP art, Ibarra dedicates his time to the class, making sure that each piece is done with pride.

However, Ibarra doesn’t view AP Art as just another class. “It is hard, but it’s fun. It’s something I enjoy doing,” Ibarra said.

“If you practice, if you work hard, the tools don’t matter. “You can make art with anything.”

SHOOT YOUR SHOT

W

hile a workout seems like the least relaxing thing for some people, senior Matthew Traub uses it as his release.

“Basketball is an outlet for me to let loose and forget about the rest of the world” Traub said. Not only a sport, basketball proves to be Traub’s greatest teacher. “It’s taught me leadership, character and so many other qualities I need to be successful,” Traub said.

Sprinting down the court, Traub feels like the best version of himself. “It’s a place where I can feel the energy and passion in every play,” Traub said.

photo / Madison Stiles and Olivia deStanley, and Caleigh Marsh layout /Carleigh Rahn

Juniors Gurinder Chahal, Jack Forys, Jackson Morris, and Liam Filsouf pictured with Congresswoman Barbara Comstock

Seniors Sophie Bosse and Claire Slook with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam.

Get Out and Vote Two new clubs aim to increase youth political participation through hands-on experience. By Zach Stevenson

P

oliticians, political scientists and professional pundits love to lament the low levels of youth participation in American politics. Two new clubs, representing the two major political parties in the United States, have set out to counteract the longstanding assumption that teenagers are uneducated and unmotivated when it comes to politics.

Junior Jack Forys, long interested in politics because of his parent’s backgrounds, started the Republican Club believing that others would be similarly fascinated if given the opportunity.

“Politics is going on around us, but a lot of people aren’t plugged into it,” Forys said. “It’s a very interesting thing, people just need the opportunity to get involved.”

Forys had the idea for the club during the 2016 election, and he held an interest meeting in June. Forys built the club up by asking the Loudoun County Republican Party for ways to get involved, a request that led to canvassing, phone banking and eventstaffing opportunities with state delegate Dave LaRock.

While the club is mostly activitybased, junior Anna Garbe appreciates

that it offers an environment where persons can talk about controversial topics.

“I think [the purpose of the club is] to let kids express their political views in an environment where they know people will agree with them. I think that’s important,” Garbe said.

The founders of Young Democrats club share Garbe’s belief in the importance of giving everyone an opportunity to be heard.

“

I think it’s really important to represent what you believe in.”

MCKENNA MAGOFFIN

“I think it’s really important, as teenagers we’re finding our identities, and a lot of people identify with the [Democratic platform],” Magoffin said. “I think it’s really important to represent what you believe in.”

Like their Republican counterpart, the Young Democrats club aims to educate students on the political process by allowing them to participate in the campaigns of local officials. The club recently attended a meet-and-greet with Democratic candidates Tia Walbridge,

Ralph Northam and Mark Herring.

The Young Democrats club also gives students a place to discuss current events with informed peers. At a September club meeting, for example, conversation revolved around President Trump’s then-recent decision to end DACA, an Obama-era policy that had protected undocumented immigrant children from deportation.

“It’s nice just to have a discussion and be able to listen to everyone and value everyone’s opinion. If we get bigger, that will just bring more voices in,” co-founder Sophie Bosse said.

The two clubs are looking for ways to work together to increase constructive dialogue between those with differing opinions. Some ideas include a coffee house discussion, a debate and a dodgeball game for charity. Both clubs hope that by encouraging civility, open-mindedness and empathy in high school, they will prepare students to be functioning members of the American republic as adults. “[It’s important to] start people off early,” Garbe said. “So later in life they’re not screaming at the first person who has a different idea than them.” photo / Courtesy of Claire Slook and Jack Forys layout / Zach Stevenson and Griffin Hunt

Take Your Pick Today’s athletes are hanging up their uniforms to focus on one sport. By Max Breitenthaler

I

n generations before ours, any athletic teenager would spend their time playing multiple sports and working to perfect their skills in all of them.

They would rush home from one practice to change uniforms, try to refill their worn-out body through quick snacks, and once again be on their way to their next practice. It was almost a given: if you were athletic, you played more than one sport.

This generation, however, does not.

Serious athletes tend to specialize in one sport rather than spending their time participating in multiple.

Juniors Jacob Windle and Meghan Breeden are no different. While research continues to prove the flaws of being a one-sport athlete, they’ve both hung up other uniforms in order to focus on a single sport.

“With two sports, it’s difficult to master both,” Windle said, “If you commit yourself to one, it’s easier to really focus on that.”

Athletes have different reasons as to why they decided to switch to playing only one sport. Windle, a devoted long-distance runner, quit soccer to focus solely on his running career.

“Running requires a massive time commitment and, with the amount of

miles we run, we wouldn’t really be able to do anything else without injuring ourselves,” Windle said. “I still miss soccer but I can watch the game by watching it professionally or watching my brother play.

So I’m just sticking with running for now.”

An injury ended Breeden’s basketball career. She tore her meniscus in her left knee the day before basketball tryouts of

“

Focusing on what I’m best at and trying to be the best I can be at the sport I love is why [I put my focus into one sport].”

JACOB WINDLE her sophomore year and decided it would be best for her health and her injury to stop playing basketball.

Windle explained that since quitting soccer, he has taken running very seriously.

He puts more time into his athletics now than he did prior to specializing in one sport.

“I spend a lot more time in my sport now. I spend about two and a half hours at practice a day,” Windle said. “About two or three times a week I’ll get up early in the morning and go for a 20 minute run. So

I put up to three hours into cross country and track a day.”

Lately, studies have begun showing that one-sport athletes are more prone to injuries when compared to their multisport counterparts. Athletes that only play one sport are constantly working and stressing the same muscle groups, therefore increasing the likelihood of injury.

“We do a lot of injury prevention. That’s one reason practice takes so long,” said Windle, “It’s so that we don’t get injured from just running.”

Many coaches recommend playing multiple sports saying that being a multisport athlete leads to a more well-rounded athlete.

“I understand the argument of playing multiple sports but when being a one sport athlete, you get to deeply invest yourself into one thing,” said Windle, “Focusing on what I’m best at and trying to be the best I can be at the sport I love.”

photo / Olivia deStanley layout / Carleigh Rahn and Griffin Hunt

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EDITORIAL

Can We Keep It Simple?

Homecoming proposals have become an elaborate burden. For some, it even becomes a deterrent from attending the dance.

F

or many high school students, October no longer brings to mind pumpkins and vibrant fall foliage, but is instead typified by homecoming proposal posters and bouquets. The obsession with finding a date and asking him or her in an Instagram-worthy way has come to a head. A once heartfelt and creative tradition has become a stress-inducing expectation.

When and why did this transformation occur, and how can we change it back?

Guys asking girls to school dances is an age-old tradition that has devolved into a grandiose production. Perhaps the issue is that fear of rejection drives the belief that a clever proposal will increase one’s chance of having a date. There are two places this could be coming from: girls’ expectations or male one-up manship.

While these are both ancillary causes of this phenomenon, the primary one may be social media. Far too many students seem to live by the motto, “If there’s not a picture, then it didn’t happen.” Homecoming proposals are

and no one would expect a spectacle.

While the pre-dance pictures and dinner may be date-oriented in certain groups, the reality is that only six minutes of the three hour dance are spent slow dancing with your date; the rest are spent dancing and socializing with friends. Thus, there is hardly any reason to obsess over a date.

The issue is not in asking The issue is not in asking someone to someone in a way that he or Homecoming in a way that he or she will she will remember, but rather remember, but rather in the expectation that you ask in a way that everyone will in the expectation that you remember. ask in a way that everyone will The purpose of Homecoming is to welcome back former students for a time remember.” of reunion. The Homecoming dance is meant to be a celebration of friendship, preserved in a staggering number of posts not a gaudy matchmaking parade. Having each year, and the most clever or outlandish a date and a rose bouquet is simply an ones go viral on social media. If there was endearing bonus, not the main attraction. no pressure to have a picture to post, then photo / Gillian Krug flowers and chocolate would be acceptable, layout / Griffin Hunt

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VIKING VIEW 1

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1

Senior Rock Swartz flips into the end zone during the November 3rd game against cross-town rival Woodgrove. In a fight until the end, the Wolverines won 35-28. (photo / Olivia deStanley)

2 Leaping into the air, senior Rebecca McFadden dances with the color guard during their halftime performance on October 13th. (photo / Ella Serafin)

3

On Wellness Wednesday, senior Blair Putman plays cards at the coffee house. Wellness Wednesday provides students with de-stressing activities to enjoy before starting the school day. (photo / Caleigh Marsh)

4

After being crowned homecoming king and queen, seniors Tim Foster and Natalie Morris smile for the crowd at the October 13th football game. (photo / Ella Serafin)

5 Diving for the ball, senior Sam Allen narrowly misses the pass from senior quarterback Derek Goings [not pictured] during the November 3rd game against Woodgrove. (photo / Gillian Krug)

6 Sophomore Eva Swartz waits for a pass from her teammates during the game against Heritage High School. Despite their best efforts, the Lady Vikes lost 0-6. (photo / Olivia deStanley)

layout / Olivia deStanley