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Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556
STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 11 ISSUE 6 March Extra
Many people, while they tend to eat fast food on a regular basis, fail to know what they are actually consuming. Read more about what is in what you are eating on page 7.
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The Viewpoint MARCH 2017 VOLUME XI ISSUE VII
EDITORIAL As a nation, our main concern should always be maintaining personal and national safety. In order to ensure Americans’ well being, gun laws have been enacted around the country. In Virginia, a person must be at least 18 to purchase a shotgun or rifle, must be at least 21 to purchase a handgun, and must pass a firearms eligibility test. This eligibility test includes questions regarding their criminal record, United States citizenship, and mental health. Any concerning responses could result in prohibition of firearm ownership under state and federal law. On paper, the background check method seems foolproof, but the real concern arises from the ability to acquire guns illegally. In such cases, individuals with malicious intent or mental health issues are able to inconspicuously access firearms. Stricter gun legislation is put in place to promote the general welfare, but, for some, personal defense is the ultimate concern. Additionally, guns can be used
Managing Editors
Hailey Bullis Morgan Ocetnik
for harmless recreational activities like hunting and sport. But according to Pew Research, only 32 percent of people cite the ownership of a gun for the purpose of hunting, whereas 48 percent state that they own a gun for protection. Guns can be used as a tool for violence and some believe that those who wish to wreak havoc with a firearm will be able to do so despite legislation. Proponents of that belief support personal gun ownership as a means of protecting themselves and their loved ones against potential threats. Regardless of whether you support or oppose stricter firearm legislation, we can all agree that the current process is a solid basis on which to build in the future. In order to move forward and optimize the process, conservatives and liberals will need to compromise and create a policy that is able to promote both the general welfare and the personal freedoms that Americans hold dear.
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Lexi Strawder Abbey Whitehead Copy Editors
Leah Garza Reagan King
Photography Editor
Emilee Holmquist Extra Editor
Paige Doerfler Briefs Editor
Ruby Jackson Adviser
Trisha Strahl 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 aPrintis. Letters to the editorial board are welcome and should be submitted to rooms 303 or 311.
Feature Figure by Jenny Bullers
Jenny BUllers
Many high school students have big dreams, but how many of them have the initiative and passion to pursue them so early? Sophomore Kimberly Sharp has been working hard to achieve her dream of being a singer/ songwriter. “I just decided, why not start now? So I researched how to put up albums on iTunes and ways you could do that through distributing companies,” said Sharp. Sharp spent nearly five months writing the music for her album, and, in December, she bought a studio-quality microphone and editing software. She wrote, played, recorded, edited, and uploaded the music on her own. Then, Sharp went through a distributing company to get her music on iTunes. Sharp uses the acoustic and electric guitar, ukulele, and piano to bring her music to life. “It depends, but my favorite instrument to use is either the acoustic guitar or the ukulele,” said Sharp. “I have just always been interested in music and I want to do it for my life,” said Sharp. She kept her plans a secret from her family during the whole songwriting process, but had to tell them when she needed the house quiet for her recording. “They were very surprised at first and had
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no idea. Now they just want me to get out there and start performing in front of people,” said Sharp. Sharp plans on starting to perform in front of people once the school year ends, so she can really devote her time to it. Sharp finds her inspiration from books and different story lines; her creativity helps her make up stories in her head to use in her music. “Different musicians motivate me as a person as opposed to inspiring my music. While I do think that they inspire how I do my music, I don’t want to compare my music to any one artist,” said Sharp. Sharp is motivated by alternative bands such as Five Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and All Time Low. “One person that really inspired me was a YouTube musician called Dodie Clark. She really inspired me with a couple of my songs,” said Sharp. “Performing in public would be really good exposure for my music because I do want to grow up and tour and play my music in front of people,” said Sharp. Sharp’s passion for music is clearly shown through her devoutness to songwriting and the time she put in to begin to pursue her dreams. Her album is titled “Crowned”, and you can find it on iTunes.
Jenny Bullers, Nicholas Chechak, Charlotte Hazard, Damien Veal, Austin Venable, Adam Skoloda, Sophie Perez Front Cover Sydney Morgan
2014-2016 Virginia High School League State Championship First Place Award Winner 2013, 2014, 2015 Free Lance-Star Best Over All Newspaper 2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist 2011, 2010 and 2009 Virginia High School League First Place Award Winner
Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Rd. Stafford, VA 22556
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Physical Education Gym class benefits a student’s life in more ways than one by Damien Veal
“You stimulate your brain, you're having fun, and releasing toxins which will help you think and you're better at tests ” - P.E. coach Pattie Sullivan 4 q the viewpoint q
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hysical education (P.E.) and health, are classes in which students and athletes alike can relieve themselves from typical academic stresses while learning to be active and focus on their wellness. P.E. is seen as a high school recess where students must occasionally complete state-mandated fitness testing. Aside from the few times a year these tests are conducted, students choose from a variety of things to do in their gym class. From an intense game of basketball to just walking around, students can get out of their seats to have fun and be active with their friends in school. Students learn a variety of things that will benefit them throughout their lives, such as learning what not to eat and explaining the specific details in the nutrition facts that no one fully understands. Once they have passed P.E., students above 10th grade are no longer required to take the class, but can still opt to take P.E. as an elective. “As they get older, they do realize that it’s more important to work on health,” said Pattie Sullivan, a coach who teaches the strength and body class and competitive team sports at Mountain View. She explained how upperclassmen who have chosen the class as an elective enjoy it more and are more active in their classes. She said it’s much more of a challenge to get students in 9th and 10th grade to get dressed out and actually try in their gym classes. Gym class helps students in more ways than just physically. Sullivan said, “You stimulate your brain, you’re having fun, and releasing toxins which will helps you think and you’re better at tests.” Strength and Body class is geared more toward lifting weights and finding the proper technique to do so, whereas students under 10th grade learn about different sports and skills. Senior Kalei Beckford says that he doesn’t think gym class helps destress students as they have to do work outs in the class. Junior Oscar Alvarenga says he likes gym class because it helps keep him active. “It takes their mind off of schoolwork that they have to do in other classes,” said Alvarenga. He says that students should not be required to take the class because“we’ve all had our fair share of gym class.” Students who take gym class benefit from being active and getting away from their stressful academic lives in school.
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What’s Really In Fast Food? McDonald’sChickenMcnuggets When you think of McDonald’s Chicken Mcnuggets, the words fake, fried, and grease might come to mind. But are they really as bad as the popular belief? McDonald’s Canada released a video where they walked viewers through the process of making a chicken nugget. The workers start off by grinding up raw chicken breast and then adding seasonings and small amounts of chicken skin to add flavor. Once the chicken breast, skin, and seasoning have been ground up, they are formed into the four main shapes: the ball, the bell, the boot, and the bowtie. After this, the nuggets are run through a thin layer of batter followed by a second, thicker layer called tempora, which is a batter made of cold water and soft wheat flour. Once the nuggets have been fully battered, they are halfway fried (the frying is finished at the actual restaurant), frozen, and packaged to be shipped out to restaurants. It’s a bit of a relief to know that no pink slime or chicken beaks are involved in their production.
Most people can relate to occasionally splurging at their favorite fast food restaurant, even though they’re aware it’s not the healthiest option. Despite this, not many people really know just how unhealthy some fast food items are by Sophie Perez
Burger King Whopper On Burger King’s website, it states that their whopper burgers are made of “¼ lb of savory flame-grilled beef topped with juicy tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a soft sesame seed bun.” While thankfully this is true now, in 2013, scandal erupted when Burger King was accused of using unapproved horse meat in various restaurants around the U.K. and Ireland. In a statement published in British newspaper The Guardian, Burger King stated that an independent DNA study done in multiple restaurants found no horse DNA, but a sample from one of their production plants was found to contain a small percent of horse DNA. It was established that this particular plant had gotten unapproved meat from a supplier in Poland. Now Burger King’s hamburger patties are made with 100% beef, according to their website.
Taco Bell Crunchy Taco Most would think that ground beef should be one ingredient, but Taco Bell’s meat contains more than 25, including cellulose, citric acid, and modified corn starch. Beech wood is also used to give the beef a natural smokey flavor. As a final touch, caramel coloring is added to give the beef a more attractive look. Taco Bell’s food isn’t the most natural to begin with, and their cheese is no exception. The cheese in Taco Bell’s crunchy beef taco is made of pasteurized milk cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto color, and anti-caking agents, according to foodfacts. com. In total, a crunchy hard shell taco from Taco Bell contains 170 calories.
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Teaching Techniques Teaching techniques vary between teachers, but some techniques are better for students than others by Adam Skoloda
Teachers all have their own unique methods of teaching, but students have their own learning styles as well. Not all students learn best from lecturing and taking notes in class. At the same time, not all students learn best through group activities, and teachers should try to split the difference more. Almost all teachers rely heavily on note-taking as part of their classes’ education process. Even though notes are an easy way to provide the information needed to do well on tests and quizzes, they aren’t always the most effective way to teach the information. When students know what field they intend to study in college, they may learn differently based on their field. A Purdue study said that students going into engineering don’t learn well from lecturing, but instead require hands-on activities to learn the most effectively. Spanish teacher, Meg Wright said that there should be a variety of different teaching
styles so that different style learners can all learn best. If teachers stick to one teaching technique it doesn’t take long for the class to get bored by it. With a variety this makes classes unpredictable and tends to lead to more enjoyable classes. English teacher Meghan Johnson said, “[Techniques] Differentiated so that diverse students can best access the material.” All students learn differently; some learn better from notes and lecturing while other learn better through hands on activities, and some learn with a mixture of both. Wright said that it’s hard for everyone to do notes and lecturing. There are many techniques and strategies for teaching and for learning; teachers and students should find the right balance in order to fulfill both the preferred teaching style and learning style.
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Three sides on Immigration
Immigration has been a hotly debated topic in recent times, but how do different countries address it? by Austin Venable
United States With President Trump’s election in November, many have questioned what changes may arise in the immigration policies of the United States, but few actually know the current policy. According to the United States Immigration Service, the big division comes between citizenship and resident status. But for the purpose of immigration, most immigrants start as residents. In order to apply for resident status, an individual needs to have a reason. This can vary from visiting for an extended period, coming to work, or being sponsored to live with family members. Should this criteria be met and approved, the immigrant is allowed entry into the country. Upon arrival into the United States, immigrants are inspected by a series of inspectors to ensure their immigrant status validity. The primary inspector asks questions about necessary documents and may search any possessions that an individual brings. They will then ask the person what their reason is for entering the United States to ensure that all papers match. Other questions such as what kind of employment they will have, where they will be staying, and how much money they have may be asked at the inspector’s discretion. However, immigrants have few rights in the process. They cannot talk to a lawyer during the process, and for that reason are at risk of having their rights violated. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment, undocumented immigrants are entitled to healthcare regardless of their residency status and the children of these individuals are entitled to a free public education. It is illegal to harm an immigrant, and any crime done against an immigrant is treated just as if they were a legal resident or citizen. While the United States is the largest destination for immigrants and migrants in the world, its process for vetting immigrants is regarded as one of the hardest. It takes an average of 1 to 2 years to complete the process. For this reason, many have called for further reform in the immigration process to make it fairer and easier.
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Germany Many look towards Europe and their immigration laws as being the ideal that the United States should follow. Ever since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, Germany has been one of the most popular destinations for immigrants from Syria, the Middle East, and North Africa. Until recently, German immigration laws were very relaxed. Germany has benefits to be gained from immigration. With an aging population and dwindling birth rate, Germany is facing a severe labor shortage, particularly in the information technology and research fields. Immigration helps to relieve this problem. However, unlike the United States, Germany has accepted almost every refugee that has arrived in the country. According to the Federal Statistics Office, A staggering 1.1 million refugees arrived in the country in 2015 alone. 2016 saw admissions drop to about 300,000, but this figure does not count any family relatives that an immigrant may wish to bring over once they are settled. In addition, a influx of an additional 1 million immigrants from other countries in poorer areas of Europe and abroad entered the country for other means. Altogether, Germany has accepted a total of 2.4 million immigrants within the last three years. While Germany may be very open to accepting refugees, its policy for other types of immigration is more restrictive. To obtain residency, you must file for a visa for either work, family, or training purposes. Should your visa be approved, you may then stay in the country for an initial period determined on a case-by-case basis. After a period of five years, the resident may apply for the naturalization process. To be approved for naturalization, the applicant must pass the naturalization test, have means to secure a living without welfare or unemployment benefits, and have adequate German language skills. Afterwards, the individual gains full German citizenship. Germany has come under scrutiny for the amount of immigration that it has admitted, but Chancellor Angela Merkel has continued to support the current policy, saying: “Hatred, racism, and extremism have no place in Germany”.
Japan Only about 1.5% of Japan’s population is of other ethnic groups or foreign born, and as such the process of becoming a legal citizen can be quite complex. Japan has 27 different visas for immigrants wishing to enter the country, but the three main groups are working, non-working, and family related visas. There are 4 different documents that an immigrant must provide before they will be issued a long term visa these are a passport, photograph of the individual, visa application form, and a Certificate of Eligibility. To qualify for a certificate, one of the strictest requirements is that the person must make at least 180,000 yen monthly; which converts to about $1,600 US dollars. It is worth noting that the person must make at least this income upon arrival in Japan, or no certificate will be issued. Depending on the field of work that one is trained in, this can be quite a challenging requirement to meet. Initially, any person from a foreign country is allowed to stay in Japan for up to 90 days, whether it be for business, tourism, or immigration. Before you leave your arrival station, you will have your picture and fingerprints taken. Once all the requirements are met, the person is designated a foreign resident and gets most privileges that Japanese citizens have. To complete naturalization, then they will need to live in Japan for at least 5 years, be at least 20 years old, must pledge allegiance to the Japanese constitution, must be in good standing with the law, forfeit any other citizenships, have Japanese reading and writing skills equivalent to an average 8 year old, and be able to have a smooth oral conversation with the immigration official. In addition, if you are marrying a Japanese national, you must be able to prove that your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together. While all these conditions sound overwhelming, it is important to note that the processing time for naturalization in Japan is quicker than most countries, only taking about 10 months to a year. With the most recent figures available from the Immigration Bureau of Japan, 13,072 applied for Japanese citizenship in 2010, with only 234 of them being rejected. Japan’s requirements are fairly stringent, it does have one of highest approval ratings for immigrants, at 99%. However, it accepts one of the lowest number of refugees in the world. 7,586 people applied for asylum in 2016, but only 27 were granted. Most of these refugees are from other countries in East and Southeast Asia. While many have called upon Japan to take a more active role in the world of immigration to help offset their aging population, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe officially stated “I would say that before accepting immigrants or refugees, we need to have more activities by women, elderly people, and we must raise our birth rate. There are many things that we should do before accepting refugees.”
Memories in the Book Scrapbooks are a great way to capture memories to preserve and cherish
by Charlotte Hazard In an age of constant technological advancements, the development of so-
phisticated cell phone and tablet cameras has made picture-taking easier than ever. Before this technology became a widespread commodity, pictures were taken on cameras, printed in various sizes, and organized into scrapbooks to commemorate experiences. The scrapbooks and photo albums created by previous generations hold an incredible wealth of knowledge and experiences. Scrapbooking may be time consuming, but its ability to preserve reality is unmatched by today’s gadgets and social media platforms. While snapping photographs on cell phones may seem quick and efficient, receiving physical prints of pictures and placing them in a collection to be cherished forever preserves the memories and adds a new memory of creating the scrapbook. Sophomore Olivia Brooks said, “In my opinion, scrapbooking is better because even though iCloud exists and pictures can be backed up, physical albums can really tell a story.” Old childhood books and stories imbue us with nostalgia so that the pictures in scrapbooks can remind us of past experiences and the path we’ve tread in life. Scrapbooking can be a lifelong hobby, relieving stress and adding a personal sense of achievement to life. Some technology has actually promoted scrapbooking; programs such as Mixbook and Slideserve allow a user to create online scrapbooks. While these virtual scrapbooks aren’t in true form, they are a close second. More importantly, these programs represent the evolution of scrapbooking. Traditional scrapbooking is unparalleled, but it is comforting to know that the worthwhile hobby will persist in some form or fashion, storing memories and transferring wisdom to future generations. Scrapbooking comes in many forms, commemorating different experiences like family vacations and foreign travels. Scrapbooks can result in an eclectic mix of cultures and experiences that can remind you of your various adventures. In scrapbooks commemorating friendships, the memories made with friends are compiled and available in a central location. You could make galleries on your phone, but swiping through pictures on an electronic device isn’t the same experience as flipping through pages of a book designed specifically for your interests. Another disadvantage of saving pictures on computers is that they’re easily lost. If there is a power outage, if someone forgets to hit the save button, or if someone forgets where they saved the pictures, they could be lost. It is true that physical pictures can be lost too, but if they’re neatly stored together in one place, it’s more difficult to lose them. It all comes down to memories’ importance to individuals and how much care people are willing to take to preserve them. Overall, scrapbooking is one of the best ways to save memories and will be an adventure for future generations to peruse. Scrapbooking has been around for a long time, and with good reasons. While advancements in technology are very beneficial, it is important to remember traditions that preserve memories and life lessons. Scrapbooks may be considered “old school,” but in the long run, scrapbooking is a helpful and worthwhile hobby.
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