What’s new at the View States and signing by Taylor Cooper Senior Zara Christophe not only went to states for gymnastics, but also signed to Fairmont State University for acro and tumbling. Christophe says, “This year’s state was my best one out of all four years that I qualified.” She competed in all four events for the third year in a row placing fourth on bars, tied fourth on vault, scoring 9.600, and placed fifth all-around. Signing to Fairmont State University was a major deal for her since she loved everything about the school when she toured it. Choosing whether she wanted to do acro or gymnastics was very default for her. She said, “Before I chose this school, I was very indecisive about whether I wanted to do gymnastics or acro in college. I chose to do acro because it is something new, but at the same time it was the best of gymnastics and cheer.” Acro and Tumbling is a new, but growing, sport and she felt it would be a great fit.
Things to do at the Outer Banks by CateLynn Aiman Who doesn’t want to go to the beach for a week in the summer? Some fun things to do at Outer Banks or OBX for short can include going to see the wild horses in Corolla, spending the day in downtown Manteo, or travel the sand dunes. Something you do not see often is a wild horse; most of the time they are behind fences. The horses came from Spain when America was still being discovered. Today the horses walk around on the beach and swim in the marshes. You will be fined $500 if you get too close to a horse because they are not exposed to our type of bacteria and the OBX locals would like to keep it that way. Downtown Manteo has a lot of history. It is where Virginia Dare, the first person to be born on American soil, lived. It is also where the lost colony disappeared. During the day you can spend time shopping or at the aquarium. At night you can see a play on the Lost Colony and learn about what happened to them, or take a ghost tour and learn about pirates, colonists, and even people who have lived in Manteo. The Sand Dunes are a national park. They are these big hills of sand. On a nice day you will see people walking across them. On a windy day you will see people flying kites. On a rainy day you will probably not see anyone there. Of course, you can always spend the day at the beach, but these are some fun things to do while you are down there.
Presidential birthday by Na’Syr Jackson On February 22, 2020, a celebratory birthday party was held for George Washington at his home. The event itself was free; however, members of mountvernon.org could reserve tickets as early as February 1, whereas non-members could only reserve tickets starting February 12. Numerous events were held on his birthday, like the presidential wreath-laying ceremony that happened early in the morning, as well as all-day events like “Meeting George Washington” and hearing character interpreters share stories of the past. Before the event, a special menu in honor of George Washington’s birthday party was available at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. The event also had its own virtual party for those who couldn’t attend.
briefs u february | march 2021 u the viewpoint u 03
