The Viking - April 2019

the

viking

Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, VA / March 2019 / Vol. 57 ==/ Issue 6

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CONTENTS BUZZ

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Viking Highlights

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10 Ways to Reboot Your Life

The girls lacrosse team is sitting at 3-2 with wins over Tuscorora, Osbourne and Kettle Run

Improve your life in and out of school

FEATURED

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Thrifting Revamp your wardrobe with used and affordable clothes

Brain Break Taking a break from the constant stimulation of technology can have a major impact on your mental health

OPINION

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Review Roundup Catch up on the Marvel movies you need to know before watching Endgame

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Hidden Bullying

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The Game of Sorry

Some forms of intimidation are difficult to see

There’s a right way to apologize

Junior Brynn Lackey paints a ladder for the set of Freaky Friday. photo / Kathleen Grupe

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Junior Kylie Leigh gets ready for the draw, hoping to secure a possesion for the vikings.

Leigh has been playing lacrosse since the fifth grade when she and her friends chose to start playing.

n o i t i d E e s s aL c r o

VI K I NG H IGHLIGHT S

BY RILEY GREEN

The girls lacrosse team is sitting at 3-2 with wins over Tuscorora, Osbourne, and Kettle Run

Girls on the team converse in the win over Kettle Run. The team stays close by having team dinners, cracking jokes, and jamming out.

Senior Erin Reynolds, pushes the ball up the field, in an 18-5 win over Kettle Run.

Sophomore goalie Georgia Ricobene stands in goal, ready to stop a shot. layout / Caleigh Marsh photos / Jared Sanders

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10Ways yourto RebootLife Learn how to change your life for the better

BY ELLE PICKERING AND ERIKA GESELL

Paper Dump

To feel more organized, empty your full school binder and recycle the papers you don't need. This can also make you feel less stressed about school work.

Study Playlist

Do you find your mind wandering while you study? Make a playlist of your favorite instrumental songs to improve focus. Listening to soothing songs will also help relaxation and enhance mood.

Get Adequate Sleep Healthy Dishes Here are a list of healthy recipies to try with friends or your family. These can all be found on the Food Network website.

-Killer Kale Pasta -Goat Cheese Enchiladas -Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken

Constant grogginess should be a sign that you’re going to bed too late. Nine hours is the recommended amount of sleep for teens. Prioritize getting about this much sleep every night and plan everything else accordingly.

Exercise If physical activity has made its way out of your daily life, find a way to exercise that works for you. If you’re a beginner, try a class at the local community center or a yoga studio, or do workout videos on YouTube.

-Eggplant Parmigiana

Ask for Help

If you feel like you’re getting behind in your classes, ask teachers when their free blocks are so you can go see them for help. If free blocks doesn’t work for you, commit to seeing them uring PRIME. Doing this sooner rather than later will help combat stress.

-Seafood Gumbo -Fajitas -London Broil with Herb Butter and Potatoes

Healthy Eating If you find that your meals are lacking nutrition, be sure to always incorporate fruits and vegetables.

Ensuring not to overly restrict yourself, cut out foods that have no nutritive value and replace them layout / Elle Pickering and Erika Gesell with foods that do. photo / Creative Commons

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PASSION FOR FASHION Thrifting allows teens to get fashionable clothes at low prices while recycling

BY ABBY KEANE

The new section of dress clothing created at Blue Ridge Hospice this summer offers more selections for customers.

The vintage aesthetic hits customers as they walk into the rustic building, ready to explore a world of previously used goods. From shrinking your carbon footprint to revamping your wardrobe, thrift stores are becoming increasingly popular, especially when it comes to fashion.

A substantial issue for many teens is the cost of new clothes. Junior Lily Gable has a passion for fashion and loves to thrift mainly because she is able to buy trendy clothes at a low cost.

“I think that shopping on a budget is really important, especially for teenagers,” Gable said. “For one, yes it’s an aesthetic, but two, we don’t have that much money, and we are all trying to get the newest look.”

Thrift stores have a lot of opportunity for cheap fashion, but also have limited options depending on what kind of donations come in.

Sophomore Faith Nguyen goes thrifting every few weeks, and takes time to sort through all the miscellaneous clothes.

“It’s harder to find things because you know it’s not like there’s a small, medium and large of everything,” Nguyen said. “You definitely have to reserve some time to like look through everything to find something good.”

Thrifting doesn’t solely benefit one’s closet.

It also limits carbon footprints by allowing people to reuse other’s old clothes. Gable and Nguyen both enjoy thrifting because it’s a way

of giving clothes a new purpose.

“It feels good to not have a big carbon footprint, you know like reuse,” Nguyen said.

“Also, I guess some vintage style is kinda

“

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“It feels good to not have a big carbon footprint, you know like reuse.”

Faith Nguyen

trendy.”

Besides the local thrift stores— Blue Ridge Hospice, Re-Love-It and It’s Bazaar— the towns surrounding Purcellville also provide a wide array of thrifting outlets.

“There’s Trinity Church in Upperville that my Dad goes to on Saturdays, so he told me that there’s a thrift store right next door, so I went just because he recommended it,” sophomore Kaitlyn Luczak said. “It’s only open on Saturdays from 9-12, and I go every single Saturday. Usually they have really cute vintage stuff and most stuff is just $2.”

The offbeat styles donated to thrift stores make it easy to reconstruct the fashion of previous decades.

“It’s definitely unique, and it’s a change.

Like when I started thrifting, I definitely got a change in style and got more compliments on

things, like ‘Oh, you look so vintage,’” Luczak said. “I really like clothes from like different decades like the 80s and 90s, and you can definitely find stuff from there like that.”

When shopping for new clothes to spice up a wardrobe, it’s important to branch out and look in inconspicuous places. Luczak and Nguyen recommend looking for specific patterns to make the search easier.

“If there’s patterns you like such as stripes or florals, those are easy to spot. And then of course sweatshirts and flannels and jackets are probably like the best thrift-store kind of items,” Nguyen said. “Don’t be afraid to look in the men’s section. I get half of my clothes from that section.”

Thrifting allows customers to reuse old clothes and recreate their own personal style for a low cost.

“You can pretty much find anything if you look hard enough,” Nguyen said.

The clothing trend of today, is not so much about what is brand-new, rather the focus is more on meshing old styles from different decades to create something unique.

Q&A

With Blue Ridge Hospice thrift store manager Patty Fadele Why do you like thrifting?

“Thrift shops are good for people who want to save money. You can find treasures. You can get good prices, and you never know what you’re going to find.

The Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift shop’s used shoe section sparkles under ferry lights as customers shop around it. The shoes that are donated go through a unique process of sorting and cleaning before they are put on the shelves.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen donated?

“We had a beautiful sapphire diamond ring that came in, and it was real. Some people don’t realize that when they are cleaning out their grandparents’ jewelry that just because it’s tarnished doesn’t mean that it’s not real. That’s why Alissa and I have all this stuff here because we go through it, clean them and if we see that it’s real, we’ll clean those, and we’ll either put them on auction or sell them.”

Do you think thrifting is good for the environment?

“Yes, totally. We do a lot of e-cycling and recycling so that nothing goes to waste.

We have buyers for clothing we can’t sell.

There’s buyers for books and buyers for shoes, so everything has a place it goes to, so nothing goes to waste.”

How do you organize the store to make it convenient for customers?

“When it comes to the back room, everything has its own particular spot, like jewelry has its own tub that it goes in, and it comes out to Alissa and I, and then we process it to see if it’s silver, gold or whatever, and then we start processing it, pricing it and putting it out.”

The Blueridge Hospice Thrift shop holds a wide variety of clothes organized into specific sections to make it easier for shoppers. Not only do they have used clothes, but they also sell used antiques and books.

What are some tips and tricks you have for thrifting?

“Come often because if you come in and what you are looking for isn’t here or you don’t see what you want, come back later that day or the next day because the merchandise is always new, and every day is different for us, and it’s never the same.” photo and layout / Abby Keane

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BRAIN BREAK Taking a break from the constant stimulation of technology can have major impacts on your mental health

7 IN 10 TEENS SAY THAT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION A A BIG PROBLEM AMONG ARE THEIR PEERS

BY SAHANA ARUMANI AND BRIANNA HENRIQUEZ

“It definitely detracts from vibration is all what my life could be without it,” it takes. A hand whips down to Richmond said. a slight piece of technology, the Another face of this addiction screen illuminates, and the mind is deceitful and hides behind is elsewhere. According to Pew the mask of staying connected.

Research, this reflex is natural in Ironically, being connected to the 45% of teenagers who claim the online world of social media they are unceasingly on their can also make one feel equally phones. isolated.

Yet, this fact isn’t shocking One reason for this, according anymore because technology to Stanford psychology professor and social media are casually Carstensen, the pillars of studyLaura Aaccepted PLOSasMedicine found thatis that our eyes are magnetized more by adolescence. Without them, or traumatizing the entire structure would loneliness has abesimilartragic impact on events than light-hearted ones. Therefore, unrecognizable. However, a mortality as �� cigarettes a day. any negative experience on new trend of self-awareness of social media lingers longer in our technology usage is surfacing, psyche. forcing people to edit the The results of a study from blueprints of their lives. the University of Pittsburgh Many teenagers are quick and West Virginia University to confess that their phones are Establish a "no time. findsphone" that every 10% increase of distractions, forever available detrimental exposure resulted in at one’s fingertips. But what is a 13% increase in loneliness. the root cause of this obsession?

Another development Junior Naomi Fraser Limit reflects that technology byrecent balancing is the discovery of a concrete this habit started to manifest it when withthenon-tech activities. causation between social media itself in middle school, usage and depression. In a novelty of rapid communication study day. done by the University of was overwhelming. Try a tech-free Pennsylvania, a group of 140 “It started in middle school undergraduate students were with social media. Now it’s just asked to either continue their a habit,” Fraser said. “We want habitual usage of Facebook, to stay in the loop. We are afraid Snapchat and Instagram or limit of being left out and not knowing the time on each to 10 minutes what we’re missing out on.” per day.

But while being kept in the After three weeks, the people virtual inner circle, teenagers are who self-monitored their daily also being chained to a modern screen time reported a decrease addiction—screen time. Senior in depression and loneliness.

Rachel Richmond finds that she The goals below can slowly help ease you This change was the greatest spends two-thirds of her time on the subjects that came into offher ofphone thedaily. dependency onin your phone.

Digital Hygiene

GOALS!

Do not use it as Do not use it during Keep the bathroom 8 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM APRIL 2019 an alarm clock. meal times. tech free.

Lindo said. the study with an elevated level For sophomore Morgan Allard, of depression. Overall, even the philosophy of abolishing the group that didn’t alter their social media is futile in a technology dosage reported a generation raised on the coattails decrease in FOMO and anxiety of an electronic era. because of the concept of a “A lot of people will say heightened consciousness. just get rid of it, and that’s very Teenagers are now unrealistic because it’s just a implementing this change at thing of nature in our society varying levels of severity. For nowadays,” Allard said.

Apple users, a screen time toof Pew Research, about athis in a subtler To combat monitor tracksAccording the amount way, students Richmond advocates for a fifth of high school times one picks up a phone and dimmer screen to make the mind how long one wasreported on it for the being bullied on school attracted apps. day. property in the past ��less months, andto the vibrant have reported “If you switch your Iphone This feature can show ��.�� said they�d experienced being trains cyberbullied to grayscale, it actually users the glaring reality of cyber-bullying in the previous year. your mind to click on things less their technological impulses. because all these apps are like For Fraser, this immediate bright colors that tend to draw information has aided her in National on Richmond Mental Illness you in,” said. curbing phone usage during the Alliance Junior��� Roslyn Hall-Wurst sayshabit approximately of students week, but on weekends, the surfaced the whirlpool returns. age �� and older withfrom a mental of social media after she made of people with psychologist Loudoun Valley illness drop out of high school. the subconscious effort to mental health Pamela Lindo is drop visited by distance herself from what she approximately out five to ten characterizes as a “black hole,” students each month for reasons sucking teenagers into a time exclusively tied to socialtomedia.

According Pew Research, In ����, Lindo mused��.�� that aof piece of ages vacuum. youths �� to �� had Hall-Wurst always had advice she gives is to tune out experienced a majorreservations depressiveabout broadcasting the constant stream of judgement of strangers, youths have episode the past year, up to from her life a world of and divert your mind.

Sheinoffers as ����. so building a barrierexperienced between aher a self-care plan which has a�� listas recently depressive episode and Instagram was a welcome of healthy activities that one can change. engage in. But for some, a more “It just wasn’t part of my mind radical change is needed. anymore,” Hall-Wurst said.

“During those times, I will definitely say well, maybe the child should give their phone to the secretary and not be with their phone because I don’t think layout / Brianna Henriquez it’s appropriate to be on your Infographic / Brianna Henriquez phone during the school day,”

Anxiety & Depression

19%

50%

65%

THE NEWS

According to the the American Physiological Association � in �� adults report that the

Technology vs. Mental Health

7 IN 10 TEENS SAY THAT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE A BIG PROBLEM AMONG THEIR PEERS A PLOS Medicine study found that loneliness has a similar impact on mortality as �� cigarettes a day.

Digital Hygiene Establish a "no phone" time.

Limit technology by balancing it with non-tech activities.

Try a tech-free day.

GOALS!

Anxiety & Depression

According to Pew Research, about a fifth of high school students reported being bullied on school property in the past �� months, and ��.�� said they�d experienced cyber-bullying in the previous year.

50%

of people with mental health drop out

19%

have reported being cyberbullied

National Alliance on Mental Illness says approximately ��� of students age �� and older with a mental illness drop out of high school.

According to Pew Research, In ����, ��.�� of youths ages �� to �� had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, up from �� as recently as ����.

65%

of youths have experienced a depressive episode

THE NEWS

The goals below can slowly help ease you off of the dependency on your phone.

Do not use it as an alarm clock.

Do not use it during Keep the bathroom meal times. tech free.

According to the the American Physiological Association� � in �� adults report that the current political divisiveness causes them stress.

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REVIEW ROUNDUP

Catch up on the Marvel movies you need to know before watching Endgame

By Ben Keane

“Captain Marvel” is the 21st movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first to feature a female lead. The presence of Brie Larson as the title character has led to an abundance of unwarranted controversy surrounding the film, resulting in an overwhelming number of negative user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, people with common sense are likely to leave “Captain Marvel” with a feeling of delightment, because if nothing else, this film is a boatload of fun.

The film opens with our protagonist Vers (Larson) as she wakes up on her homeworld, Hala.

It’s quickly revealed that Vers has no memory of her past life and has a unique set of powers she is unable to control. After Vers and other Kree military members unknowingly enter a trap set by the villainous alien species, the 10

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Skrulls, Vers finds herself stranded on Earth with none other than a young Nick Fury.

Several Skrulls also found their way onto Earth but are able to disguise themselves as regular people with their shapeshifting abilities. The film then finds the characters chasing a macguffin that is a lightspeed power corps that will give either the Kree or the Skrulls the upper hand in their ongoing war.

The chemistry between Larsen and the film’s supporting cast is tremendous, and performances in the film are mostly spot on.

Critics have cited Larsen as being the weakest link of the cast, and in dramatic moments, that is somewhat true. Other than those moments, Larsen does a fairly good job, especially at portraying the confusion of Vers as she arrives on Earth and the witty

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nature of the character.

The more time she spends on Earth, the more familiar Vers becomes with her forgotten past and how she is more related to the Skrull vs. Kree War than she realizes. Many twists unfold leading to a third act that is pure fun. Watching Vers unleash her full potential against a fleet of spaceships as Nick Fury watches on in amazement is a blast and makes the viewer excited for Captain Marvel’s inevitable matchup against Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame.”

However, the film does have a fair amount of faults, and the most notable of these is its memorability. Movies in the MCU are best when they are memorable, and “Captain Marvel” feels too bland to have the same staying power as a film like “Black Panther” or “Guardians of the

Galaxy.”

Where many films in the universe have a specific spotlight to looks back on, it feels “Captain Marvel” itself was overshadowed by the unwarranted controversy around it. This is a shame because the film is fun to watch once Vers arrives on Earth.

“Captain Marvel” is another strong entry into the MCU, but doesn’t quite have the staying power held by the franchise’s best films. Brie Larson does a serviceable job as the title character but doesn’t quite excel the way the supporting cast does.

With actions sequences sure to put a smile on the face of anyone watching, the film is a must watch leading up to “Endgame” while remaining a strong stand alone film in the franchise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Avengers: Infinity War

Thor: Ragnarok

By Katherine Curtis

By Jennings Felt

By Logan Stup

The trailers for “Guardians of the Galaxy” instantly let everyone know this was not a typical superhero film.

There was a talking racoon, a talking tree, WWE star Dave Bautista in a leading role and the entire trailer was scored to Blue Swede’s “Hooked ona Feeling.”

Perfectly blending comedy and action, the audience follows along as the Guardians come together and remains one of the MCU’s best origin stories. Everyone can find something to like about this movie, whether it is the soundtrack, the fantastic chemistry among the cast or the heartfelt moments that are rare in comic book movies nowadays. James Gunn’s script is perfectly written, making the characters feel as if they’re real people reacting to each other’s actions.

While the soundtrack is easily this film’s most iconic aspect, Tyler Bates’ original score also lends to the film, especially in the third act.

Gaurdians of the Galaxy also contained Thanos in his first speaking role. Prior to this, he had only been seen in a post-credits scene to 2012’s “Avengers.”

While the film’s villain Ronin is still remembered as one of the franchise’s weakest antagonists, he stands as a solid force to showcase how strong the Guardians are together. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is also one of the best sequels in the franchise, and in “Avengers Infinity War,” the Guardians meet Thor, and they all fight alongside the Avengers against Thanos.

Last year, Infinity War had everyone counting down the days until it was released in theaters. People everywhere watched in anticipation as they saw their favorite Marvel superheroes hit the big screen to fight against Thanos. However, this was not your average good-guy-wins-all ending. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Even with a somewhat depressing finish, it didn’t fail to bring the comedic, action-packed Marvel movie we all know and love.

There are six stones in all: time, soul, reality, space, power and mind. Marvel fans will recognize the blue space stone from past movies. The movie “Thor” has the space stone, also known as the tesseract. This stone can teleport anything into another part of the universe.

The reality stone as you can tell, can alter reality, making things seem different than they actually are. The power stone gives Thanos super-human strength which is hard for the Avengers to fight against.

The mind stone, which is lodged in Vision’s head, can allow Thanos to mind control.

The soul stone and the time stone had not yet been seen in movies. The soul stone has the power to trap souls in another world, and the time stone can let you visit any point in time. You can go back and change the past or you can visit the future. Anything is possible with all of these stones, even destroying the world.

The Marvel superheroes endure continuous loss, whether the death of an ally or losing an infinity stone.

It seems like the good guys will never prevail, and as we all know, they don’t. Thanos collects every single stone.

With a snap of his finger, he wipes out half the universe.

As the movie ends, we see Thanos looking out towards the new world he has created. It seems like for once the bad guy has won, leaving the question: What next?

“Thor: Ragnarok” is the third installment in the Marvel franchise and has been the most well received. This particular film scored a 92% on the Rotten Tomatoes “tomatometer” and is certified fresh. This film has a great contrast of humor, action and a satisfying conclusion that really showcases the god-like power of the Avenger.

“Thor: Ragnarok” has an experienced and well selected cast with great chemistry, with a hilarious ironic cameo from Matt Damon and Luke Hemsworth. The new additions to the cast add new layers of depth to the story without interrupting the flow. Thor Ragnarok also features cinema legends Anthony Hopkins and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The best example of a great new character, was Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. Thompson has been in a multitude of critically acclaimed movies in the last 10 years: “Creed,” “Creed 2,” “Sorry To Bother You,” “Annihilation,” “Dear White People,” and “Selma.”

Valkyrie is an alcoholic ex-Asgard special forces soldier and offers a great contrast to Thor’s serious personality. Her ironic sense of humor and quick wit always are great for cutting through the more serious tension.

One of my favorite elements of the whole story was the introduction of the Hulk. It is humorous but also provides action and insight to his previous disappearance. Mark Ruffalo is stunning as always, and his subtle use of humor never ceases to get a laugh.

The main landscape of “Thor: Ragnarok” is the planet Sakaar. The planet is basically where trash is dumped and is ruled by a nefarious fight-monger and “grandmaster” played by Jeff Goldblum. This is another iteration of the quick tongued, sarcastic, yet merciless Marvel sub-villain formula that has been replicated throughout the series. Goldblum is perfect for the role of the comedic ruthless villain. He’s a goofy, yet feared, villain who doesn’t take away from the main plot.

Thor has something to offer everyone. It incorporates humor, action and insight to Thor’s power and is a great setup for “Infinity War.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming

By Jennings Felt Peter Parker is not your average high school student.

Instead of hanging out with friends after school, he saves the world. However, his journey to get there is not so easy. He must prove himself to Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man. While this movie is nothing like reallife high school, it is still a really entertaining movie. We get to see the progression of the character as he learns what it’s like to become a superhero and Avenger.

Peter Parker must learn to balance his new life as Spider Man and his school responsibilities. One night while at a party, he finds himself in the middle of a black market for weapons. He decides to continue tracking the illegal business and follows it while he is at his high school academic competition in Washington, D.C..

While they are in D.C., the academic competition group gets stuck in Washington’s memorial. Peter Parker must go in as Spider Man to save them. He is regarded as a hero to everyone in the school, even though they have no idea it’s him. Eventually, Spider Man catches up with The Vulture, who has been behind the illegal weapon market.

As we all know, Spider Man saves the day once again.

He beats the bad guy but never actually wins the girl.

He doesn’t become an Avenger either. He turns down the invitation by Iron Man to join so he can continue in school. But, he is put on the right track for future movies.

All Marvel fans will love to see Parker’s unfolding into Spider Man as he saves his community and, eventually, the world.

Captain America: The First Avenger

By Katherine Curtis This is a classic iteration of the American superhero movie. It tells the timeless tale of the underdog standing up for himself and triumphing over the bad guys.

The story takes place in 1941, and America is fighting in World War II. The main character is Steve Rogers, a New York native that is barely 5 feet tall. All that Steve Rogers wants to do is join the war, but he is continually rejected due to his scrawny figure. However, Rogers eventually gets the opportunity to be a part of an experiment to turn him into a supersoldier: Captain America.

Captain America, along with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter (whom Rogers falls in love with), fight against the Nazis. Although they win, Rogers falls into a coma at the end of the movie and does not awake until present day.

Once he wakes, he realizes that he has not aged at all.

Eventually, Captain America joins the Avenger team, becoming an Avenger himself and proceeds to fight with them against evil forces throughout the Marvel Universe.

layout / Ben Keane and Logan Stup photos/ IMDB.com

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OUR

EDITORIAL

Hidden Bullying Forms of bullying less obvious to us still have a massive impact on our lives What counts as bullying? It’s a simple question, but the response a person can get is vast and unclear. The image that comes to mind is a student shoving another against a locker and taking his lunch money. A modern kind of bullying occurs on social media, where anonymous people can say anything. But that does not fully encompass the spectrum of actions that seek to harm, intimidate or coerce people.

The definition needs to change to encompass the constant verbal garbage being spewed in the hallways of Loudoun Valley. It is not hard to walk through the school and hear a variety of slurs that range from racist to homophobic. This should not be acceptable.

Granted, the intent is important. Lots of people use said slurs in ways not meant to do harm. Why would we limit people and their freedom of speech?

These words can cause harm, even if they’re not intended to. What people do in their private lives is their choice. But in a public space, shared by people of all walks of life, respect is the least that can be asked.

For instance calling something gay, in most cases, is not meant to hurt members of the LGBTQ community.

But the word gay is being used in a negative tone. It can be hostile and unnecessary.

However, have some empathy and be aware. What you do and what you say impact people in ways you do not expect. Don’t risk making someone’s day worse.

If you can’t think of another word than gay to describe something you don’t like, then you need to expand your vocabulary. We suggest words like substandard, unsatisfactory or

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abysmal as worthy substitutes. Look them up in a dictionary.

But words only make up a small proportion of the real, hidden, bullying that goes on at Valley. It happens on social media, away from the eyes of administrators, where people can act with impunity. Assistant Principal Bill Gulgurt is well aware of this.

“There’s so many things that I can’t say I know because… it’s hidden,” Gulgurt said.

“People talking about somebody [or] isolating somebody are forms of bullying that I feel are hurtful and less easy to see or hear

about.”

There is a stark lack of effective policies to help students being bullied online. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, online bullying is the most common form of bullying. It is frankly alarming that we don’t know how to handle the most widespread form

in the United States.

The same study reports that 19% of teens say they have been harassed or bullied online, and the incidence of online harassment is higher (23%) among 16- and 17-year-olds. Other studies report that over 50% of teens have been bullied or harassed online.

“With social media, it’s changed,” Gulgurt said. “I think the adults are catching up because adults aren’t as quick with technology.”

Bullying exists, and it is a problem. It comes in many forms other than physical violence.

From social media to the easy use of slurs or derogatory phrases, it is omnipresent.

The question becomes how do we prevent unseen bullying?

The hardest and best option is to speak up. The reason these types of bullying are so shrouded is that they aren’t talked about by victims and bystanders. Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber-bullying occurs. “ I feel like we’ve got a climate where students kind of stand up for themselves, advocate, and if they’re feeling bullied, they say something,” Gulgurt said. “Other kids don’t have that, and they need to feel safe to be able to tell somebody, be it a friend or an adult or a parent. Then we can work on fixing it.”

The Children’s National Medical Center released an article detailing a bullying learning curriculum throughout Europe called the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program. In Europe it was successfully used to lower the bullying rates in schools from elementary school to high school.

However, when it was moved to the United States, the program was not as successful.

Teachers and school systems in the U.S. did not fully commit to the program. They taught only a select few lessons. It is important to dedicate time and energy to combating bullying.

A mandatory PowerPoint and a cheesy video once a year are not enough.

Statistics show a consistent program to prevent bullying has far better results.Do not expect a 15-minute presentation to lower the bullying rate in any way. It doesn’t, plain and simple. This is even more disheartening when students see the rolling back of programs that are intended to help.

Do people remember Viking Tip? We sure do. It was supposed to help give the administration a heads up about what was really going on in school. The Viking Tip was a phone number that any student could text to quickly alert administration if they felt unsafe or found themselves in an unconfortable situation. For it to be rolled back and not replaced is sad. The image portrayed is that of a school either free of the effects of bullying or one that does not care.

We care about how other students feel. School should not be an environment that makes people feel anxious. Bullying, in all its forms, needs to be fought.

BULLYING AROUND THE

WORLD

1 in 3

students in the U.S. say they have been bullied at school

Top 5 countries in the western world with the most bullying (boys aged 11-15) 1. Australia - 21% 2. Estonia - 20% 3. Russia - 18% 4. Belgium - 17% 5. Portugal - 17%

1/3 African countries are most common in the top 10 countries with highest bullying rates

of youth globally experience bullying in school

Common factors of bullying: Low socioeconomic status is the primary predictor of whether young teens in wealthy countries will experience bullying in school. photo / Creative Commons layout / Colin Bunn infographic / Marisa Del Borrello and Ella Krug

Immigrant youth in wealthy countries are more likely to be bullied in school than locally born youth.

APRIL 2019

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

13

The Game of

How to apologize for past behavior

BY KERRY WEBSTER

It feels like we’ve been inundated with apologies from all types of public officials, not as a result of any real increase in problematic behavior.

Rather, their past actions are being held to today’s rapidly progressing standards of appropriate behavior.

The disappointing nature of many recent apologies (like Kevin Hart and Ralph Northam) begs the question: What is the best way to effectively apologize for past behavior?

What’s important to recognize before an apology is that not everyone has to forgive you, especially those directly affected by your offensive behavior.

Luckily, a good apology can start you on the path to redemption.

This doesn’t mean that everyone offended is obligated to exonerate you.

People won’t be able to look at you the same after finding out about your wrongdoings, and you have to realize this is out of your control.

An excuse that we hear a lot when older public officials are found to be problematic is that they “grew up in a different time,” and these things were normal “back then.” While it may be true that what is socially acceptable then isn’t now, these things were always bigoted in nature.

For instance, many people tried to justify Northam’s blackface scandal by recounting their stories of themselves and friends darkening their skin and explaining how normalized it was in that time period. To say that this means people shouldn’t be offended by prejudice is unrealistic. To marginalized groups, these things have always been offensive. The time period in which it happened does not correlate with its ability to hurt someone.

Your apology will be scrutinized,

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so pay attention to the wording.

Many times when people apologize, the basic context of their tweet, post or video is “sorry to anyone that I offended…” instead of apologizing for everyone who saw it, not just a select group of offended people.

Many influencers and celebrities have needed to apologize for past actions that have risen from social media. One influencer who had to apologize recently is 17-year-old YouTuber Emma Chamberlain.

Chamberlain apologized over Twitter about being called out for “dead naming” Caitlyn Jenner. “Dead naming” someone is when a person calls someone by their old name after they’ve transitioned.

In the tweet, Chamberlain barely gives any background and gives an apology that seems half-hearted to her audience.

The last line of her tweet says, “BUT I just wanted to say sorry to the people who may have misunderstood me and felt offended. Love ya.”

After the tweet, Chamberlain never brought up the incident again.

This apology could’ve been more substantive and meaningful if she had just apologized for her actions outright, without implying that people who were offended just “misunderstood.” By doing that, she put more blame on the people calling her out than on herself.

An apology can have a second stage that entails anger towards being called out. This may even lead apologizers to call their accusers “sensitive,” or claiming that the accusations are an attack.

Kevin Hart fell into this category when people found an old joke he made about not allowing his young

son to be gay. He did apologize, but not without criticizing those who accused him by essentially saying that the callout was an attack. Many marginalized groups who are calling out this behavior have experienced the effects of it in real time. By calling accusers sensitive, it’s discrediting their real-life struggle.

An apology can meet all these guidelines, but if everyone who was affected by your behavior can’t see it, it’s worthless.

YouTube star Cody Ko was under fire when fans brought up an old Vine of his in which he rapped the n-word.

Much of the criticism towards the influencer was brought up on Twitter, creating a trending conversation.

A day after the controversy, he posted a well-worded, well-intended apology, stating: “Some old Vines where I say some really insensitive things have been surfacing on Twitter.

They were really ignorant videos and I wish I never made them. The last thing I’d want is for someone to feel alienated because of something stupid I said. It was a mistake and I’m sorry I let you down.”

Great, right? Well, the apology was posted on Patreon, the platform that fans can use to pay Ko for exclusive content. Because most of the conversation surrounding his use of the slur happened on Twitter, his apology should have, too.

There’s a lot to be said about what’s called “cancel culture,” the phenomenon of dropping someone as soon as they display problematic behavior. However, many “cancellations” could be avoided by just making sure that the apology for it is effective and meaningful. layout / Kerry Webster

Above /Senior Daniel Soiland, junior Bella Moser, senior Hanna Saling, and sophomore Daniel Arreaza study on the Mixing Bowl benches. (photo / Kathleen Grupe).

VIKING

THE

Cover /Hobbies to keep you off your phone (photo / Gillian Krug).

Newsmagazine Staff 2018-2019

Editors-in-Chief Brianna Henriquez Kerry Webster

Online Editors Ben Keane Colin Bunn

Sports Editor Riley Green

Photo Editors Gillian Krug Caleigh Marsh

Ads Managers Grace Jennings Lauren Madey

Writers, Photographers, Business and Promotional Staff Bailey Kuhn, Elle Pickering, Garrett Hennessey, Marisa Del Borrello, Ella Krug, Erika Gessell, Casey Marrin, Allison Dunkleburg, Jared Sanders, Logan Stup, Abby Keane, Katherine Curtis, Kathleen Grupe, Sahana Arumani, Emelyn Schneider, Jennings Felt Adviser Shari Adwers, MJE

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.

Throughout the 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 newsmagazine. Thank you for your readership and your feedback.

Thanks, Brianna Henriquez Kerry Webster Editors-in-Chief

APRIL 2019

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For Membership Information, Please Contact Vanessa Walters vwalters@loudoungolf.com

(540)-338-7679 ext. 116

Proud Home of the LVHS Golf Team!

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