The Viewpoint September 2016

Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556

STUDENT NEWS Magazine MVHS VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1 September

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Viewpoint Mountain View’s varsity football team is quickly recovering from the loss of their starting quarterback due to an injury.

Read more on pages 8 and 9.

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The Viewpoint SEPTEMBER 2016 VOLUME XI ISSUE I

TO A NEW YEAR This is it, our last year writing for this beautiful, award-winning magazine (can’t you tell how much we love our publication?). We, personally, have been in room 303 for four years now and have enjoyed every second of it. Well, of course, besides the seconds of late nights filled with stress and rushing around trying to finish our pages and last minute touch-ups. But secretly we still love it even then too. With as much time as we work on these pages, we should basically be experts at brainstorming ideas, using Adobe InDesign, making pages, and writing after doing it for so long.

As seniors now, we have been so lucky to be on this staff. We love hearing your stories in interviews and taking photos at games. We especially love seeing you walk down the halls with the newest magazine in hand and hearing your thoughts on Twitter about an article. It just makes us happy because we know you’re reading The Viewpoint and that you care.

Managing Editors

Hailey Bullis Morgan Ocetnik

We are so excited for this year and what’s to come, especially since we will be producing an issue every month instead of bi-monthly this year.

This means more magazines, more topics, more pages, and of course more happy readers(and stressed staff members).

In this magazine in particular we talk about the football team’s plan for the rest of the fall season, organ donation, your options for voting other than Clinton and Trump, and old fashion trends becoming new again (and that’s only a few).

However, before we end this, we want to say thank you. Thank you for reading our magazine, thank you for retweeting our tweets and liking our photos. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and telling us what you want to see. Thank you for caring. And as always, we hope you like this magazine and the ones following.

Managing Editors Hailey Bullis and Morgan Ocetnik

Social Media Editors

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.

Staff Writers

Jenny Bullers, Nicholas Chechak, Charlotte Hazard, Damien Veal, Austin Venable, Adam Skoloda, Sophie Perez

Feature Figure

by Jenny Bullers

Paige Doerfler

This year Mountain View High School received a new assistant principal: Katie Werner. Werner replaced former assistant principal, Tammy Houk, who is now the principal of Brooke Point High School. Werner started teaching with our very own Dr. Stemple at North Stafford High School in 2002, then they came to Mountain View together when the school opened in 2005. Werner taught ninth grade English, Learn and Serve, and Leadership from 2002 to 2013. Werner was the assistant principal at H.H. Poole Middle School where she worked for the last three years.

Werner said, “I had heard the position [at Mountain View] was open and I was excited to come back and be on Dr. Stemple’s team again. I really love the family community that is here. There really is no other school that has that really warm feeling and such amazing teachers.

The student body is really great and spirited and I really feel like the students, teachers, and faculty really work together like a family and we really all support each other personally, professionally, and academically. It is a great place to be.”

As an assistant principal, Werner’s job consists of the safety and security of the students, partnering with the families to make sure the same expectations at

the school relate to the expectations at home, helping students to resolve any conflicts, and working with the English and history departments. Upon her return to Mountain View, Werner stated she noticed an impressive progression in the school since she first worked here in 2005. For example, student collaboration, technology, and the popular IB program has grown tremendously and flourished.

“I am excited to be back at home and have the opportunity to get to know the students better. It is difficult being out of the classroom because that is where I made good relationships with the students, so my hope is that I have the opportunity to get to work with a lot of the students and build those kinds of relationships with the new teachers I haven’t worked with before, and I’m always excited to partner with the community and parents to make sure they know that we are the best high school in the country,” Werner elaborated.

Not only is Werner excited to be back at Mountain View, but the whole student body is ready to welcome her with open arms.

Front Cover Morgan Ocetnik

2014, 2015 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

Loving The Viewpoint? There’s even more! Check us out on issuu.com to see more pages of content from The Viewpoint EXTRA. index qseptember 2016 q the viewpoint q 3

at Mountain View

New orchestra director by Paige Doerfler

“I know that Mountain View has a great music program, and I am excited to bring some new ideas to the orchestra,” said newest orchestra director Thomas McDonald.

McDonald grew up in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour northwest of Philadelphia. He began playing the cello in third grade, and picked up new instruments, including the bass and violin, throughout middle and high school.

He earned his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and continued to get his Master’s in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College.

McDonald has been teaching orchestra for over 10 years: six years in Pennsylvania and four years at Shirley Heim Middle School, before being transferred to Mountain View. While teaching here, he will also be teaching at Drew Middle School.

“I like to think of orchestra as a family, and I feel that collaboration between students and the teacher is key. I can have all of these ideas and plans for the group, but if the students don’t feel the same way, we won’t be successful. There’s a lot of potential with this group of students to do great things, and I’m looking forward to helping them achieve success. I want us to perform at a high level and have fun doing it,” McDonald said.

Besides being an orchestra director, McDonald has also coached Track and Field at Shirley Heim Middle School. He enjoys running and playing golf when he has free time.

School board meeting by Leah Garza

Paige Doelfler

The school board meeting on September 13 started at about 7 p.m. when the mingling mixture of adults in business and casual clothes began taking their seats. Chairperson, Holly Hazard, convened the meeting and business as usual began.

Among the noteworthy events, Shirley Heim Middle School assistant principal presented Deputy Steven Epple with the Stafford County School Resource Officer of the Year for 2016 and the Hartwood Elementary School principal recognized the contributions of multiple companies, such as Geico and Lowe’s, to Hartwood’s Blessings in a Backpack program which provides food to underprivileged families over the weekend.

The most important portion of the meeting was the citizen commentary. First up was a concerned parent who explained that he had to begin driving his son to school (Brooke Point High School) because the bus is too crowded. Second was a lead driver for special needs transportation who spoke in favor of the Attendance Incentive Pay Program, which would give drivers with perfect attendance a bonus at the end of every pay period. Her and the third speaker accentuated the benefits of such a program: improved employee retention, morale boosting, and the importance of children and parents seeing the same trusted face on their route every day. The fourth speaker briefly mentioned that she observed no issues with the busing and added that the new Stafford County Public Schools website was not tablet-friendly, which she suggested should be fixed promptly. The last speaker said that because Hampton Oaks Elementary School had been designated a walking school, the routes had been changed and the bus driver for his neighborhood was required to reverse along the route, which could be potentially dangerous in adverse conditions. Additionally, his son was required to walk to the furthest point in the neighborhood to board the bus.

The board members did not respond to these concerns, but the ease of access the citizens possess to bring issues to the board’s attention is impressive. It remains to be seen whether or not the board will take action on the topics discussed, but most countywide activities appear to be running smoothly and the school board members remain connected and communicative with the community they represent.

The big view by Charlotte Hazard

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Charlotte Hazard

People of Stafford County have been requesting for a new movie theater for a while now. In 2018 they will get their wish. A new movie theater which is going to be known as The Regal Garrison 12 is currently being built by the Pence Group. It will be located in The Garrison of Stafford, also known as Stafford Village.

According to Laura Sellers, vice chairmen of the Board of Supervisors, Stafford did a retail survey with citizens and an improved movie theater was one of the most requests. Regal Aquia Cinemas 10, the current movie theater in Aquia Harbor has gotten complaints for being overpriced and the carpet not being cleaned. The new theater will hopefully not have these same issues. In terms of size, The Regal Garrison 12 will be much larger than Regal Cinemas Aquia 10. It will be 50,539 square feet and will contain a wide variety of different foods, a lounge for relaxing, and will provide traditional films and 3D films for all 12 screens. As people wait in anticipation for the movie theater, they’ll have to stick with Regal Aquia Cinemas 10 for a while, but the new theater will be worth the wait for everyone.

Stay young while you can

Our younger generation is being affected by the growth in technology and media more than ever

by Morgan Ocetnik Almost every parent wants their child to grow up slowly so that they can hold on to their “little” girl or boy longer. But why is it that our younger generations and pre-teens are jumping these huge steps to maturity and to being an adult? Two reasons: internet and social media.

It’s quite scary to think that parents are handing their children iPhones, iPods, or iPads at such a young age. Some receive them as early as kindergarten. According to Guardchild, 21 percent of kindergarten through second grade students have access to cell phones. We don’t even realize that giving a child or pre-teen this privilege means allowing them to have access to an extensive range of information, resources, and services: the internet.

The internet has anything and everything you could ever need or want to find, right at your fingertips. Internet connects with social media and other apps on our phones. So nowadays when an adult is giving their child a technological device “in case of emergency” or for entertainment, they aren’t realizing the depth and breadth of power they’re giving them. Children are being handed overwhelming amounts of information about celebrities, pressures and influences from people (peers and adults), pornography, and just about any image or article ever written about whatever subject you could imagine. GuardChild shows that 70 percent of children seven to 18 years old have accidentally encountered online pornography, often through a web search while doing homework. The most disturbing part is the ease of access these sites provide.

This futuristic production of technology is allowing our younger generation to grow up too quickly. The difference between the present middle/elementary school generation and the past one is technology’s increasing prevalence. Before the internet was this widely accessible, girls didn’t have step-by-step makeup and hair tutorials on YouTube or Instagram videos to make them look older. They didn’t consider dressing in a more revealing way because of celebrities influencing them through social media on a daily basis. They weren’t pressured into sending nude pictures through text messages or showing themselves off on social media. Boys didn’t know every little thing about sex based on what the internet told them. Children weren’t influenced by or openly shown expressions of gender fluidity and homosexuality. None of that was acceptable then, but everything seems to be acceptable now.

People aren’t shocked or surprised now by new ideas or expressions because social liberality is the new norm.

When will the media stop being so revealing and narrow its impact?

If the trend continues at the rate it is currently at, it’s not even imaginable what this world will look like or be like in 10 years.

Don’t get me wrong, the advancement of technology and the media is phenomenal and has done an outstanding amount of beneficial work in our society, but it isn’t doing our youth any favors. Realistically, the only solution to this maturity jump is for adults to distance their children from the influence of technology and social media, and for the internet to create some way to block these sites from our youth. The marketing world along with trade is only getting more educated and advanced as time goes on so asking them to slow down is not the answer. Social media’s impact is too significant; its harm to our younger generation overshadows the wealth of knowledge it could provide. opinion q september 2016 q the viewpoint q 5

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In past years, ALS has been a tremendously fatal disease, claiming two lives out of every 100,000 people, but new research funded by the Ice Bucket Challenge has contributed to remarkable breakthroughs by Ruby Jackson

It’s been two years since the Ice Bucket Challenge made a splash in social media and changed the world of ALS as we know it.

The challenge, founded in 2014, was originally started by golfers to raise money for charities. It quickly circulated Facebook and was seen by former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates, who had been diagnosed with the disease in 2012 at age 28. He completed the challenge, followed by his former team, and eventually followed by thousands more, leading to a total of 17 million participants on all social media platforms.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, deals with the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control voluntary muscle movement. Four hundred and fifty thousand people worldwide are living with it, about 5,600 people diagnosed per year, and struggle with symptoms like difficulty speaking, muscle twitching, and weakness in limbs. The only drug FDA approved to treat ALS is called Rizuloe, which slows down the disease, but only extends survival for two to three months.

It’s also expensive, costing around $1,200 a month.

The effects and symptoms of this disease are different and vary for every person, however most people don’t survive 10 years after being diagnosed. Stephen Hawking, known for his groundbreaking theories on black holes and how the universe began, was diagnosed with ALS in 1964 at age 22 and is still alive at 74. In Hawking’s case, the ALS has not affected his brain cells, and he was professor of mathematics and Cambridge University for 30 years.

“One has to have a positive attitude and must make the best of the situation that one finds oneself in; if one is physically disabled, one cannot afford to be psychologically disabled as well,” said Hawking.

His positive outlook on life and the legacy he will leave provides hope to many.

The Ice Bucket Challenge raised a total of 115 million dollars and funded 150 clinical trials, in hopes of finding a cure. Only 40% of the entire money has been used so far- towards more drug development, gene discovery, disease model development, identification of biomarkers, clinical trials, and fundraising. The rest of the money is being budgeted towards more future research, like analyzing spinal fluids

and mapping the genetic code of patients.

One protein coding gene associated with ALS, NEK1, was researched by a clinical trial and was identified in the DNA of people who had a family history of it and those who didn’t. Although, according to the ALS Association, 90% of people diagnosed have no family history of ALS, this discovery is groundbreaking and the gene is currently still being researched to discover how people inherit it and how it is related to the illness.

Even though there isn’t a cure yet, the Ice Bucket Challenge helped tremendously in the effort to fight back against this disease. The ALS foundation received over 40 times the amount they normally raise in the same time period and have since used a percentage of it to fund 150 plus laboratories in 79 countries on every continent. “I feel like I raised awareness by participating, because I did it with my family and friends, so we got a good group of people to do it by nominating them,” said sophomore Megan Pedigo.

Because of this challenge and contribution from millions of people, the cure could be found any day.

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D L I W “These are times when you learn valuable lessons.

You can’t control what happens to us in life, but what we control is our response, how we are going to react to it, so that’s got to be a big thing.” - Coach Sorrentino Hailey Bullis

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S T K A C A C B E C N U O B With the star quarterback injured, the Mountain View varsity football team has attempted to quickly recover, doing everything possible to succeed by Paige Doerfler

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irst game of the season: Mountain View v. Freedom High. With Mountain View students screaming in the stands, Ahmad Tweedy, quarterback, gets hit again and again, until finally, he’s out, and Jamil Collison-Cofie takes over his position.

On Tweedy’s injury, Louis Sorrentino, coach of the Mountain View varsity football team, said, “Well, he got hit while running the ball; he got tackled and dragged down to his leg.

Initially, we thought it was his ankle, and part of it was, but earlier in the game, he had a knee injury, too.”

Tweedy further explained that he tore his meniscus and has recently undergone surgery. It is unclear whether or not he will play another game in this season, for recovery time is so dependent on the surgery itself.

“I’ve been coaching over 30 years and have had key injuries before, but I can’t remember my quarterback or a quarterback this good getting injured this early, and then having the second team guy go down, and us having to adjust,” said Sorrentino.

During this same game, second team Tyler Haskins, who starts on defense, got injured, as well. His injury combined with Tweedy’s resulted in options for the quarterback position to become very limited. Collison-Cofie, the team’s best running back, luckily had some experience and was put in.

“It limited what we could do passing the ball, which is not good because it’s harder to defend if you can run and pass, but I really liked the way we responded [when Tweedy got injured] during that game,” Sorrentino said.

On top of Sorrentino’s satisfaction with the team’s response to

their quarterback’s injury, Tweedy also had quite a bit to say about how they responded to that game and how they are currently doing.

“I think they’re doing pretty well trying to make the best out of the situation. Coach always says, ‘No matter who is out, the game is going on. Whether he’s [Tweedy] here, Jamil’s here, or whoever, the game on Friday will be played.’ He says that every Friday, so I feel like they’re really taking that to heart, and they’re staying positive, looking at the bright side of things, and trying to control the controllables,” he said.

Since that first game, the team has had to adjust the way they approach their offense. As of right now, they are still trying to get the ball to what they consider the best players to be. This, however, brings a huge concern to the table because if all the team can do is run the ball, then they are much easier to defend.

Sorrentino explained that now the goal is to try to diversify a little bit as the team gets to some of the more tougher games down the road because it’s hard enough to beat those teams when no one is injured and they can run and pass, let alone without some of the best players.

Currently, Collison-Cofie is the quarterback, but with Tré Coghill and a few younger quarterbacks being considered as well, the future of the position is uncertain.

“We kind of coin a phrase ‘response-ability,’ and it’s about being having responsibility, but what’s our ability to respond,” Sorrentino explained, “We have to come together as a group, do a little bit more with pulling together, and not feel sorry for ourselves.” news q september 2016 q the viewpoint q 9

The Alternatives

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Libertarian Party

Gary Johnson

by Nick Chechak

Greg Skidmore

Jill Stein

Green Party

The past year and a half of the American election cycle has been a grueling marathon, and no one has felt the pressure more than the American voters. The Democratic and Republican parties having whittled their options down to former first lady Hillary Clinton and real estate mogul Donald Trump, respectively, the American public has faced a seemingly endless barrage of smears, snarks, and slogans from the two increasingly divergent candidates since their party conventions in July. In the months since the conventions, the rhetoric has only gotten more vitriolic and the attacks more vicious. While some Americans have remained devoted to their big-name candidate of choice, the brutal campaign has simply left a good many alienated.

Frankly, it’s easy to see why. The dominant political parties have handed the American people two candidates who each effectively represent a unique sociopolitical extreme – in the most polarizing way possible. On one hand, the Republican Party is fielding Trump, a loudmouthed, inexperienced demagogue known for comments and arguments so insultingly blunt that even members of his own party have labeled him an offensive personality. On the other hand, the Democratic Party is fielding Hillary Clinton, a perpetual Washington mainstay that, to many, embodies the stereotypical sleazy politician; she has a record of flip-flopping on social issues, she is currently embroiled in several high-profile scandals, and she has so many political fingers in so many financial pies that it’s impossible for even the U.S. government to keep track of her dealings. American voters have had to make unpleasant decisions in the past, but never before have they been forced to choose between two so exaggerated and widely disliked candidates.

This unique predicament has resulted in an even more unique development: the sudden and strong outpouring of support for third-party candidates. Polls conducted throughout the month of August have found Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson registering near or above 10% - the first time a third-party candidate has broken into the double digits since Ross Perot’s campaign two decades ago. Moreover, Green Party candidate Jill Stein is consistently polling at nearly half that, especially in the heavily liberal West Coast and Northeastern states; on a good day, Johnson and Stein together appear to have gained the thumbs-up from nearly 20% of prospective American voters.

Greg Skidmore

Third party candidates gain mainstream traction

Johnson and Stein have been quick to capitalize on this surge in popularity, both clamoring for a spot in the upcoming presidential debates.

With the threshold for participation currently set at 15%, a three-way debate is rapidly becoming a real possibility, provided Johnson maintains his current momentum. Yet both third-party candidates realize that their popularity stems not from their own strengths, but from the perceived weaknesses of Clinton and Trump. Their miniscule hopes of winning the general election remained pinned on the majority of voters becoming so frustrated with the leading two that they decide to vote third-party out of spite.

Will this happen? No. Clearly. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that 10, 12, even 15% of the vote won’t get you into the White House. But that doesn’t mean that the Libertarian and Green Party candidates won’t have an impact on the election. Aside from the potential spoiler effect – the potential for a third-party candidate to steal enough votes from a similar Democratic or Republican candidate to grant their opponent victory – the popularity of Johnson and Stein will compel Trump and Clinton to take their positions into account in an effort to court some of their supporters. This impact will be especially pronounced if one of the two leading third-party candidates secures a spot in the nationally televised debates, which would force Trump and Clinton to address their views on camera. And if one of the third-party candidates does end up acting as a spoiler come November, it will likely spell significant alterations to the platform of the defeated party in preparation for the next election.

So where does that leave us? Barring a bizarre and unforeseen turn of events, Johnson and Stein can’t hope to win the general election. But their surprisingly strong showing in recent polls will regardless have a very visible influence on the American political landscape. They will not only affect the campaign strategies of Trump and Clinton, but will have long-term impacts on the proceedings of elections to come. In addition to revealing the dissatisfaction of the American people with their current presidential candidates, the political sway of Johnson and Stein demonstrates the potential for an electoral insurgence; not since Perot have the voices of third-party politicians been heard so clearly. When taken with the Republican nomination of Trump and the persistence of self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, Washington has never before been under so much threat from the outsider.

schoolBREAKdown The traditional two and a half months of summer vacation are over and school is back in session, but for some, school never “officially” ended by Emilee Holmquist

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raditional school began with a way for children to stay home during the summer months so that they could help harvest the crops on their farms. But as times have changed and farming is no longer a livelihood for most, people have begun to wonder whether the two-month summer vacation is still necessary.

Traditional school calendars require at least 180 school days, with a long (usually around 10 week) summer break.

According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 86 percent of public schools in the United States operate on a traditional calendar.

Some students argue that we should still have the regular summer vacation, not wanting to give up the bliss of two months of freedom. Connor Walls, a senior at Mountain View, said, “Two months of summer vacation is totally necessary; we need to rest our brains after being in school for so long.”

On another note, with less week-long breaks in the year, traditional calendars make scheduling easier for teachers because they have less breaks to work around.

However, teachers and parents everywhere worry that their students may not be retaining all the information that they worked hard to learn over the years, and while most schools in the United States still run on a traditional calendar, more and more schools are switching over to year-round.

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newer alternative to the traditional calendar is year-round school. I know what you’re thinking– why should we give up our summer vacation and have to stay in school for the entire year with no

breaks?

Well, the term “year-round school” can be misleading.

While it sounds like students will have to be in school to no end, most year-round schools still do have a summer vacation, it is just cut shorter than the traditional 10 weeks.

In addition to the shortened summer break, year-round calendars have about two-three weeks off of school for every nine weeks they are in school.

So, what can more frequent breaks do to benefit students? While some say that more frequent breaks can help to regulate students’ study habits and a shorter summer break helps students retain information; study results go both ways.

Jonathan Day, a history teacher at Mountain View, said, “I think year-round school would be a better alternative because there isn’t the huge gap from summer vacation for the students to forget everything, and with year-round school, you are spending the same amount of time in school that you are out of school.”

As the debate rages on, one question comes to mind: Will Stafford switch to a year-round schedule one day?

Google Maps

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Out with the new, in with the old Styles worn in the ‘90s are making a huge come back into modern fashion by Jenny Bullers Photos by Morgan Ocetnik photos of Alysha Thomas

Styles and fashions change constantly throughout the years. However, one decade of fashion modern designers have chosen to bring back is the notorious ‘90s. From turtlenecks to chokers and every high-waisted piece in between, teenage fashionistas can’t get enough of it. The ‘90s style is famous for projecting the careless attitude, while also keeping some timeless and classy tendencies to each outfit. Each style can be easily replicated by any high school student efficiently and most importantly, cheaply.

Denim was all the rage in the ‘90s and it is one of the styles revived in 2016. Of course, jeans have always been a popular clothing choice, but denim jackets and skirts have made a comeback. High-waisted jean skirts are one of the most enjoyed articles of clothing stolen from the past. Turtlenecks were also dug out from the dusty backs of our closets and drawers and are a cozy and cute addition to any fall or winter outfit. Finally, retro sunglasses are adored by most trendy teenagers.

A style known as soft grunge is constantly associated with the ‘90s. Articles of clothing, such as over-sized sweaters, leather pants, black tights, and plaid skirts correlate with this style. Chokers are also common accessories a person can wear if they are aiming for this look. Inspired by the “school girl” fashion, plaid skirts live on in our generation.

Denim, denim, and more denim. Denim in all shapes and styles was encouraged in the ‘90s and the same idea is starting to be enforced today. Denim overalls, a thing of the past, has made full circle and cycled back to current fashion. Although this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, paired with an old-school graphic t-shirt or flannel, it is an easy and stylish outfit in the ‘90s and today.

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Decisions, Decisions With the start of senior year, things have started to go to a whole new level of stressful by Hailey Bullis All Statistics from the University of La Verne Photos taken by Hailey Bullis

If you were to ask 10-year-old me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I probably said something along the lines of “I want to be a nurse!” Or the very classic shrug to avoid the question. This was before I discovered that I gag at the sight of blood. And if you were to ask 15-year-old me, I would laugh nervously and say, “I don’t know yet.” If you were to ask me now? I’ll probably say, “I think I want to be a journalist.”

But if I’m being completely honest, I still don’t know. And that terrifies me. I mean, this is the decision I’ve been working towards my entire high school career, isn’t it? I should know what I want to do with my life, shouldn’t I? However, you can take a breath if you’ve had similar thoughts, according to the University of La Verne, actually no we don’t need to know now as 50% of people entering college are undecided. This feeling of uncertainty isn’t exactly exclusive to us which is a huge relief really. On top of that, this one decision that we’ve all been working towards our entire life isn’t exactly final either as 80 percent of college students change their major at least once throughout their college careers according to the University of La Verne.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t solve the problem of the impending college application due dates or scholarship deadlines. That doesn’t help my constant frustration with the common application that many colleges have now transferred, which is both a blessing and a curse as some of the questions are at best very vague.

But I still can’t help but feel my heart skip a beat every time someone asks. This is probably because it’s expected that I should know. After all of the questions from relatives during the holidays, isn’t it the expectation that I’ll finally have an answer I’m confident of to throw back at them for once?

And if you’re like me you’ve been counting down the hours to graduation and pushing off the plague of senioritis since you were a freshman.

The thought of growing up scares me and I’m pretty sure the meme “How Do I Adult?” was created for me because I relate to every single one I see which is pretty bad whichever way you look at it.

If you’re taking anything from me, I hope it’s that you aren’t alone in your uncertainty and we’re all feeling the stress of moving forward, even if it’s in different ways.

80% of people change their major at least three times during their college careers according to the University of La Verne

50% of entering college students are undecided about their majors according to the University of La Verne

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to be a donor It’s time to get your license, but it’s also time to decide if you want to be an organ donor

by Abbey Whitehead

“I think people should be organ donors because its not like you need the organs anymore.”

Junior, Joe Poe It’s the day you’ve been waiting for. You head to the DMV to finally get your driver’s license. The prospect of the ensuing freedom and ability to go when and where you want fills you with excitement After waiting in line for over an hour, it’s finally your turn. The customer service representative asks, “Do you want to be an organ donor?” Without thinking you reply, “no.” Your answer to this seemingly simply question has the ability to affect many people.

Imagine not having the physical ability to enjoy the freedom that driving provides. According to The U.S Department of Health and Human Services there are currently over 120,000 people waiting for Life-saving organs. Some wait while hooked up to dialysis machines, while others cling to life in the hospital. Each person waiting is a mom, dad, child, brother or sister. According to The U.S Department of Health and Human Services Twenty-Two people die each day while waiting. It’s easy to hear the numbers, but remember each number is a life. A life, you have the ability to save by answering yes.

Some may answer no simply because they haven’t considered the facts. It’s hard to think about death when our lives are just beginning, let alone what will happen to our bodies after death. Organ donation is supported by most major religions.

It is considered an act of charity. Many families who have lost loved ones find comfort in the fact that their loved one helped save others. A single person can save up to eight lives. According to sophomore Nelson Alvarado said, “I want to be an Organ Donor because if something ever happened to me , and I needed an organ from someone, I would hope they were a donor.”

Consider the organ donation question prior to being asked at the DMV. This will ensure you make the right choice. Even if you previously said no, you can change your mind. Simply visit the DMV, and make your wishes known. It’s also important to let your family know of your choice to be an organ donor. Remember you can be someone’s hero. Say yes to organ donation and save lives.

“I believe organ donation is a good thing because you have a chance to save many people’s lives.”

Sophomore, Taylor Larned

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Pokemon Go or Pokemon No? The former DS and Gameboy game has been turned into a scavenger hunt to find Pokémon , while also causing problems with leading people to the question, “Should Pokémon Go go?” by Charlotte Hazard The new app called Pokémon Go has gotten gamers out of their seats and on their feet to find Pokémon and get exercise. However, it has also caused lawsuits and numerous complaints. Pokémon has evolved dramatically since its release for the Gameboy in 1996, and release for the Nintendo DS soon after. Now in 2016, Pokémon has also been turned into an app called Pokémon Go where people have to walk around to find Pokémon in order to level up. Since its release date on July 6, 2016, approximately 9.5 million people have been using the app, according to Recode Gaming.

Symphany Dawson, a senior at Mountain View High School said “I played Pokémon Go all summer. It was basically my life.”

While this game has benefits such as going outside and getting exercise, it definitely shows you how “intelligent” people are. People have walked off cliffs, gotten into car accidents, and trespassed onto private property while playing Pokémon Go. Even though it is not against the law, many people have complained about others loitering in cemeteries to play the game. The Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum have asked people to refrain from playing the game while on their property. The Arlington National Center’s Twitter page posted “We do not consider playing ‘Pokémon Go’ to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery.

We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity.”

There have been several lawsuits against Pokémon Go, with the latest one gaining the most publicity. A couple in St. Clair, Michigan filed a lawsuit against the creators of the game because of the number of Pokémon Stops and Pokémon Gyms on and near their property.

At Pokémon Stops and Gyms you can get free items and revive your Pokémon if needed. Just like people have to walk around to catch Pokémon, they have to walk around to find these stops. The couple said hundreds of people come onto their property to get items and revive their Pokémon and it has gotten out of hand. Players would block the driveway, trample their landscape, peek in their windows,

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and swear at them when asked to move.

This lawsuit was filed after the couple attempted to contact the creators about removing the stops from their location. The couple said they did not get a valid response from the creators and the lawsuit was filed.

“The game has ruined our lives and we are doing this to look out for people who may have the same problems as us,” said the couple.

A similar issue occurred in West Orange, New Jersey. A homeowner in that area filed a lawsuit not only against the creators of Pokémon Go, but also against the Nintendo Company for even creating Pokémon.

The man said “Strangers are gathering outside of my home holding up their mobile phones as if they were taking pictures.” He also said that at least five people a day knock on his door, asking for access to his backyard to catch the virtual creatures. He said the majority just stroll onto his property without consent. CBS interviewed a group of teenagers who said the app is addicting, but they know their limits. They said the game warns people to be aware of their surroundings and not to trespass while playing the game. They said it’s less of a problem with the app and more of a problem with people being stupid.

Senior at Mountain View High school Cheyenne Suamataia said, “I feel like people need to pay attention to where they’re going and not be so wrapped up in their phones while playing the game.”

There is still debate about whether or not Pokémon Go should actually go. There are clear benefits in the activity it provides, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the game has caused problems.

Despite the problems the game has caused, the majority of the people say the game is harmless and fun. The minority say the game is dangerous and ruins lives. Right now, it doesn’t look like the game is going away anytime soon. People have to realize that just because something is addicting, it doesn’t give them an excuse to neglect common sense or intelligence.