th e
Viewpoint the
Thanksgiving break has ended,
Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556 @mvtheviewpoint mvtheviewpoint@gmail.com
STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 8 ISSUe 3 December
and now all we crave is winter break. The best holiday season is finally here. Goodbye fall, hello winter. I’m sure I speak for all students and faculty when I say we are ready. It’s time for snow days, an abundance of Starbucks and ugly sweater Fridays, when it’s finally socially acceptable to listen to Christmas music 24/7. This is the time of year where it’s a neighborhood competition of who can decorate his house with the most lights and have the most expensive electric bill. Santa is coming. The mistletoe is going up. Stores are going into overload. It’s time to make memories with friends, family and loved ones. Go out of your way and experience something new. Try going to Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights in Vienna, Virginia, which is a winter stroll through an illuminated garden. The cost is only $12 and about an hour up to Northern Virginia. Want to be more active? Try the Harris Pavilion Outdoor Ice Skating Rink in Manassas, Virginia. The cost is $8 per person and the hours are 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s located in downtown Manassas which is full of boutique stores and cafés to go to after. Experience the feeling of giving back to your community. Consider doing something inspirational such as donating to Toys for Tots which gives gifts to less fortunate children in our community. To find out more go to www.toysfortots.org. You can also visit the Fredericksburg Homeless Shelter & Services for the Needy website to volunteer at different, local homeless shelters. Need an athletic day out? Take advantage of the two inches of snow that will soon begin to cover our yards and keep us out of school longer. Take a family trip to the Massanutten Ski Resort in Harrisonburg, Virginia and tube down the 900-foot slope at their Mountain Express Tube Park. If we ever get a snow day, take advantage of the School’s Out special: $25 lift tickets. Build an igloo. Make a snowman family. Have a snowball fight. Take tips from Buddy the Elf or dress your dog up as Rudolph like the Grinch (part of ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas). Make handmade gifts from Pinterest. Get your picture taken with Santa at Tyson’s Corner Center in McLean, Virginia. Relax and enjoy it. Decorate, celebrate, or vegetate. Make the best of it in every way possible. Your alarm will be set back to 6 a.m. sooner than you think.
Erinn Black Staff Writer
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The Viewpoint December 2013 Volume 8 Issue 3 Editor in Chief
Megan Clark Assistant Editor in Chief
Sami Toal Social Media Editor
Lexi Stevens Copy Editor
Joshua Guillemette Adviser
Nicole Eshelman
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 Stafford Printing. Editorials represent the views of the writers and are not necessarily the opinions of Mountain View High School, its administration or staff. Letters to the editor are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 307 or sent to mvtheviewpoint@gmail. com. Contact us through Facebook or Twitter.
Staff Writers
Erinn Black, Jonas Chechak, Nathan English, Ashley Friedl, Katie Jones, John Keppeler Front page graphic provided
by Wikimedia Commons.
Art provided by Ellie Pharo
2013 Free Lance-Star Best Overall Newspaper 2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2011, 2010 and 2009 Virginia High School League First Place Award Winner 2008 National Scholastic Press Association First Class Winner with Marks of Distinction in Writing and Editing
MV The Viewpoint
MVTheViewpoint
@mvtheviewpoint
These are the best years of my life? If I hear the word “rigor” one more time, it might have to kill someone. My life, probably similar to yours right now, is on the verge of a breaking point. High school is an uphill battle, and I think I’m losing. School. Sports. Homework, homework, homework. Want spare change? Better get an after-school job. The SAT. The ACT. Yikes. Simply put—it’s hard. The cycle doesn’t start now. SOL testing starts in third grade. There’s third graders having nightmares because they hate the SOLs. The SOLs are scary and stressful. Who blames them? Testing sucks, even then. In fourth grade, believe it or not, is when your grades start to count. Your fifth grade teacher looks at your fourth grade achievement to place you into math groups. Your test scores in fifth grade place you in your middle school math classes, which can track you all the way though IB math. That’s only the beginning. School only gets harder. There’s so much to do. Where do I even start making this list? I have no idea, but it has to happen, so it will. Classes. Let’s add more IB classes to your schedule, OK? It looks better on applications. IB is insane, not unmanageable. I’ve made it through so far. My sanity is questionable, but my application is sure firming up. For those of you who are pulling it off, I’m so impressed by you. You’re truly magical. Please share your talents and skills with the rest of us. Want to talk about homework? Neither do I. Remember the days when you could have a conversation with a peer that didn’t start with, “Did you understand number 11?” College. The elephant in the room. There’s not a family get-together where I’m not asked about it: Where I want to go? What I want to do? Who I’m going to be? How am I going to do that? Why don’t I do this? Do I want to be a teacher like my mom? The answer to all of these question is an “I don’t know” muttered under my breath. I like to pretend I’m relativity pulled together, but when questions start flying, I start to feel less and less sure. Whatever my answer is receives judgement from someone somewhere. I miss the days of first grade when I could want to be an ice-skating vet without judgment from my peers. Although it was intense before, the ante is only upped now. Let me take you back to where all these thought began. It’s around 2:30 p.m. spring of my freshman year. My friend’s grandma is driving us to practice. She’s sweet as pie. Like most of our grown-ups, she asks about my future
plans. I probably mutter something along the lines of “I don’t know … yet.” To her, that’s perfectly fine. Her advice? Do what you love. Do what you’re good at. It doesn’t matter if they pay you $5,000 a year. Be happy and everything will fall into place. My dad, similar to any parent ever, has his opinion, too: You will not be able to support the lifestyle you want working for nothing. No matter how much you “love it.” You will learn to love whatever you’re doing if it’s allowing you to go on multiple vacations a year. First, get your business degree. Then, law school. Then, you can make whatever you want of yourself. The value of a college diploma is decreasing. Further your education. Back to now. I’m crying sitting in my room at midnight because I spilled glue on a project that I’ve been working on for hours that’s due by second block tomorrow no exceptions. (Even if you’re on your death bed, please have someone drop it off.) It should have been started a week ago when it was assigned, but there’s so much going on. I have above average time management skills, but there are just not enough hours in the day. As tears stain my already ruined project, words from the wise echo in my head: “These are the best years of your life.” What? This is it? Sitting the midst of construction paper, glue and notes from the past two months of lectures and discussions ... This is it? The climax of my being is here? It gets worse? I’m working this hard now to only work harder for the rest of my life? The few hours of sleep I manage now will turn into even less? There’s more responsibility? Less fun? More stress? Our journalism adviser never took an advanced class in high school. There was only one AP course, and she wasn’t recommended for it. She went to an Ivy League school and received her master’s degree without taking an advanced course in high school. She doesn’t remember doing homework. She’s not out of the ordinary, either. For our generation, kiddos, expectations are higher. There’s more, excuse me, rigor. Stakes are higher. And for now, some things have to go on hold. We’ll cope with the late nights and the busy work. We’ll clutch our overpriced coffee in shaky hands and power on through the rough waters. Maybe one day the work we put into it now will be worth it. Maybe when the “best years of our lives” settle down, I’ll have more time do enjoy the world revolving around us. editor in chief
Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Rd. Stafford, VA 22556
Think this issue is a little small? Check out The Viewpoint EXTRA headed your way next week in addition to our daily updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Look for us on those sites as MVtheViewpoint! december 2013 l the viewpoint l 3
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Deck the halls with things we want! Here are the hottest things on the market that students would love. Check out the Extra to find the other five! Background photo from www.flickr.com.
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Product: Nike Free Run Price: $100 Info: By Nike, these shoes are one of the most flexible and comfortable on the market. They come in many different colors and sizes for both men and women.
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by Joshua Guillemette
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Product: iPhone 5s (left) and iPhone 5c (right) Price: iPhone 5s 16GB $199, 32GB $299, 64GB $399 iPhone 5c 16GB $99, 32GB $199 Info: The iPhone 5s has fingerprint recognition and is available in black and white with either a gray, white or gold colored aluminum. The iPhone 5c is cheaper. It is made of plastic compared to aluminum. However, it is available in five colors, white, pink, yellow, blue and green.
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Ten best gifts for teens
Product: Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Price: Xbox One $499; PlayStation 4 $399 Info: Play the newest games or watch TV. Or maybe you want to live steam gameplay directly to TwitchTV. Do it all with the latest gaming consoles out there. Check out the last EXTRA issue on issuu.com at MVtheViewpoint for a more in-depth look at the platforms.
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december 2013 l the viewpoint l 5
Sports
All- Conference Athletes
Fall Season
December 2013
“I want the kids to have fun. I want them to learn, and I want them to have a good time. Yet, we need to be successful and sometimes it goes hand in hand.� - Assistant Principal for Athletics Greg Margheim
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1st team cheer
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Field Hockey 2nd team
Erinn Black
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Freshman Rachel Ransom Senior Carri Marcolini Senior Reina Ransom Senior Sarah Houk Sophomore Tiara Gilbert Sophomore Lauren Graves Senior Samantha Quaye Freshman Lily Bryngleson Senior Morgan LaRowe Junior Rachel Gregor honorable mention Senior Camile Unruh
1st team cross country Junior Christina Dittmer Junior Jordan Angers Senior Annie Davis Freshman Ashley Pearson
4 player of the year Junior Olivia Hubert
field hockey 1st team
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Erinn Black
Erinn Black
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Junior Erinn Black Junior Gretchen Geisler Junior Olivia Hubert Junior Emily Johnson Junior Beth Barnes Senior Bailey McCarthy Senior Morgan Lowry
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1st team quarterback Junior Elijah Burress
Offensive player of the year Senior Gordon Collins
1st team running back and 1st team kick returner Senior Gordon Collins
1 st team offensive line Senior Mason Madeline
Samantha Quaye
1st team receiver
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Erinn Black
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Senior Quinton Gray
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1st team defense Senior Dontey Branch
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1st team volleyball Junior Emily Abramaitys Freshman Brittney Bullis Senior Suzanna Weisband
7 2nd team defensive player Senior Alex Windsor Senior Jerel Fayorsey
2nd team line backer Senior Jalen Hill
2nd team offensive line Senior Jerel Fayorsey
Erinn Black
Erinn Black
Erinn Black
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honorable mention Senior Tyler Roehl Senior Joshua Fox- not photographed
2nd team volleyball Senior Sarah Weisband Junior Taylor Barbazon
Wildcat Salon Open Thursdays 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Appointments recommended; Walk-ins Welcome 540-658-6840 X2213 You must have a permission slip. Get one in the main office or in the cosmetology room.
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SENIOR ADS for the yearbook are due DECEMBER 16, 2013. Get out those pictures you’ve been saving for years. Yes, those pictures ... the first day of school, the first dance, the first car ... and yes, the baby in the bathtub. Go to the Mountain View website, click on the Yearbook tab on the left and scroll to the bottom for all size and pricing information.
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