The Viking / Issue IV / February 2016

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viking CA BO D M ER Y AS

Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, VA / February 2016

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Student opinions on the 2016 presidential candidates and the major issues.

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Your Vote Counts

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Above / Sophomore Sarah Schiavone and the dance team perform the half time show during the Potomac Falls basketball game. They stuck to their favorite style of dance and performed hip hop. (photo / Olivia deStanley) Cover / The planes represent the many issues that will affect how teens vote come election day. (cover photo / courtesy of Taylor Thackaberry)

Newsmagazine Staff 2015-2016

Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Advertising Photo Editor Multimedia Claire Deaver Emma Rodriguez Manager Editor Sacha Gragg McKenna Holtz Carina Bucci Sacha Gragg Helen Sternberg

Online Editors Emily Baer Chris Cerne

Online Managing Editor Sean Webster

Writers, Photographers, Business and Promotional Staff Emily Baer, Carina Bucci, Christopher Cerne, Nicholas Cerne, Olivia deStanley, Cassandra Good, Griffin Hunt, Alexandra Krens, Benjamin Manning, Christopher Morgan, Carleigh Rahn, Helen Sternberg, Zachary Stevenson, Madison Stiles, Tyler Valentine, Sean Webster, Rachel Weinstein Adviser Paige Cox thevikingnews.com | Twitter: @lvhsviking | Instagram: lvhsviking

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 will be fairly represented, and we keep audio files for reference.

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Our goal is to serve the student body by covering a variety of topics, ranging from serious political controversies to pop culture events.

If you are unhappy with this edition, please stop by room 135 or comment on our social media. We welcome all responses.

We hope this issue inspires you to become more involved in your local community and to become more politically aware.

As always, we thank you for your readership and your feedback.

Your editors, Claire Deaver, McKenna Holtz and Helen Sternberg

CONTENTS February 2015

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Trading Places

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Digging Deeper

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After spending two days as students, teachers learn what the school day is like from the teenager’s perspective.

The changes to the Viking Capstone Project are fewer than many seniors believe.

Together For Wil

Mourning the loss of a student and friend, the community joined together to honor and remember Wil Pitre with a benefit concert.

Your Vote Counts

Students voice their opinions on the candidates and some of the most important issues facing the natin.

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Freezing Out the Competition

Students recount their favorite moments from the winter sports season.

Photostory The foreign language clubs participate in their first ever dodgeball tournament.

Editorial: Up in Smog Americans lead the world in denial of climate change, but it’s time to accept mankind’s responsibility to reduce negative environmental impacts.

Junior Nick Kalivokas prepares to send the ball down the court during the Rockridge game on January 8th. The team solidly defeated the pheonix 78-48 . (photo / Olivia deStanley)

FEBRUARY 2016

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Trading Places

After spending two days as students, teachers learn what the school day is like from the teenager’s perspective.

By Carleigh Rahn

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got to see our colleagues from a different ll teenagers know that school angle which is huge,” Bugaj said. can be a lot to handle, but After shadowing sophomore Jake Rudy recently teachers are getting a for two days, Davidson realized how much taste of student life. These teachers spent students really have on their plate. the day walking from class to class, taking “We don’t think about what other tests and even asking to use the bathroom. [classes] have going on. I just know what After reading a Washington Post I assigned,” Davidson said. “I really think article about an administrator shadowing there needs to be some way of having a student Assistant Principal Nicole [communication] across curriculums with Herndon, suggested that some of our teachers. I don’t know how that will happen, own teachers try it. The Washington Post but kids just have a lot going on nowadays. mentioned how one administrator wished It needs to be a conversation.” she could revamp her class based on things All the teachers agree that students have a she noticed. However, our teachers didn’t lot to take on and Davidson hopes only learn ways to change their classroom, that as more teachers participate but they now have a greater sense of in this project, it will become a empathy for students. topic of discussion. Rudy finds Melissa Bugaj, a resource teacher, this a huge problem too. shadowed junior Bryan Terrazas. One “I completely agree with the of the things that stood out most to teachers. High school students her was how much sitting students do. have a lot to take on at school English teacher not to mention “There is literally something and Kerry Davidson juggling sports, for everyone at this school, activites and clubs. and US History and Government and maybe some people don’t Sometimes we won’t teacher Kimberly realize it. It was incredible to be perfect [or even] Vegliante agree. finish everything.” see it from that perspective.” Rudy said.

“As a teacher, I -Kimberly Vegliante always thought While these that if I change up teachers learned ways the activity, even to improve their if the students were sitting, they would own classroom, they were also still be engaged and that wasn’t the case,” able to see parts of the school Vegliante said. “The classes I was in the that sometimes go unnoticed by teachers did a great job of changing the teachers. activity; my mind was engaged, but my When Vegliante shadowed body wasn’t. I just needed to get up and senior Maddy Johns, she move.” really got a feel for the school When asked if she would recommend atmosphere. During activity shadowing students to other teachers, period, Vegliante was able to Bugaj responded with a resounding, walk around the school and see “Definitely.” By shadowing Terrazas, Bugaj all the different opportunities. learned new ideas for her own classroom.

“There is literally something for everyone “It makes you aware of what other at this school, and maybe some people don’t teachers are doing and giving kudos to realize it. It was incredible to see it from your colleagues for what they’re doing. We that perspective,” Vegliante said. “We [as 4 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM FEBRUARY 2016

teachers] are so focused on our subject, that we don’t get to see what goes on the other side.”

After working in the school environment for a while, Bugaj is very aware of the comradery here, but this shadowing experience helped her see it from a different view.

“Everywhere you go people always say ‘You work at Valley, you’re so lucky!’ This just made me appreciate it more,” Bugaj said. “I just felt so comfortable walking into a classroom, and I hope every student feels that way.”

Kerry Davidson stands with sophomore Jake Rudy who she shadowed for two school days. In those days she learned what the life of a high school student was like.

layout / Carleigh Rahn photo / Sacha Gragg

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The changes to the Viking

Capstone Project are less

drastic than many seniors believe.

By Helen Sternberg

Digging Deeper R

umors are flying and wrapping the Viking Capstone project in clouds of confusion and misconception. However, it’s much simpler than seniors are making it out to be. The first thing any senior will tell you about this update on the traditional “Senior Projects” will be that it’s harder and requires a lot more work, but does it really?

The Viking Capstone will have two parts: an initiation ceremony and the actual service or career-oriented projects. The initiation ceremony will be sponsored by H2O for Life, an organization dedicated to bringing water to low income countries. Seniors will fundraise to raise money for a secondary school in Uganda. In addition to raising at least $20 each, students will mimic the, on average, three-kilometer walk children at Kateta Hill Secondary School must complete every day in search of fresh water.

Kimberly Vegliante, head of the Viking Capstone team, heard about the program through a Virginia Counsel for the Social Studies program she attended in October.

“I came up with this because I was a participant of AmeriCorps National Community Corps… and to kick off our experience for the service projects travelling around the country, we had an induction ceremony…” Vegliante said. “ It really brought us all together, [and] having that

experience made me realize that it was necessary for [Valley’s] community service experience.”

For those living in America, water is a common resource that can be found with relative ease, but for those living in places like Uganda, the trek for clean water can take the entirety of one’s day.

Most of the questions about Capstone, however, focus on the projects themselves.

Students will be required to commit 80 hours to their respective projects, which is actually very similar to requirements from previous years. Another change is that students will need both a teacher and a community sponsor, and both sponsors will be significantly more involved than in previous years. While this may be creating a slight uproar among students, there is a justified reason for the change.

“I hope to email [the sponsors] after the project is done and ask them ‘If you enjoyed working with your senior or seniors, would you be interested in taking other seniors next year?’” Vegliante said. “So, over the years we’re hoping to build a large list of places that will take seniors, so seniors can now just come and pick places from the list if they don’t know what they want to do.”

The process is being streamlined to create ease for future users. As this is the

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first year, students may not have this option to simply pick and choose, but seniors should know that they are forging a path for students to come.

As for now, seniors may not feel they fit into the guidelines set forth by Vegliante and her team, but they actually have a wide span of options.

“I am extremely flexible… if there are extenuating circumstances, if you want to do something that you don’t feel fits in the box that we’ve established, come to me and we will make it fit in that box, no matter what… I’ll work with anybody in what they want to do,” Vegliante said.

Without investigating, seniors may perceive these changes as obstacles; however, Capstone is still an experience worth being a part of. The initiation ceremony will inspire students and give them the knowledge that they can solve global problems, locally, and the projects themselves will help make a positive difference in the community.

“It’s a way for all the seniors to recognize each other’s experiences and what other seniors are going to do, and it’s a way for us all to come together,” Vegliante said. layout / Helen Sternberg photo / Sacha Gragg

Together For Wil

Top / The art department painted a portrait of Pitre to be displayed at the front of the room at the benefit concert.

Left / Following the passing of Pitre students placed flowers and messages on his locker to honor and remember him. Every few weeks new flowers are placed on the locker.

Mourning the loss of a student and friend, the community joined together to honor and remember Wil Pitre with a benefit concert.

By Sean Webster

A somber crowd gathers before a small trestle table as the music swells from inside the auditorium. The room holds a comfortable silence with the lights subdued in every place except one. At the front, an easel sits with a canvas stood upon its frame. All eyes are on the painting of sophomore Wilberto Pitre III. On December 17, the Loudoun Valley Music Department held a benefit concert to help raise funds for the family of Pitre who passed away Sunday November 22 in a tragic car accident. Students described experiencing a range of emotions throughout the concert. None the less, an opportunity to gather and express mutual feelings left students with a sense of unity.

“It was happy and sad and we were all so full of love,” junior Julia Hamilton said. “It

was a great feeling to know that we were just playing music for him.”

The concert included performances from the Loudoun Valley Orchestra as well as Pitre’s close friends junior Quinn Weir, freshman Eve Walker and senior Grant Hayes. The group reprised the first song that Weir and Pitre had ever played together, “We Are Gonna Be Friends” by the White Stripes. Weir described the performance as sad but also comforting seeing that everybody was there in support of her close friend.

After her performance, Weir explained to the audience one of Pitre’s personal experiences and remarked on his kind and thoughtful character – something he was known for.

She also quoted one of Pitre’s Instagram captions, “‘All around me there was

beauty. There [were] flowers blooming and birds singing and it reminded me that I would get past that hard time. Even in death and hardship, beauty and happiness prevails,’” Weir said.

During the concert, the Loudoun Valley Service Initiative (LVSI) hosted a silent auction to raise money for the Pitre family. Town residents donated money and handmade auction items and eventually raised $5,000 in total. Among those items were a few paintings donated by the art department.

In the middle of the concert, band director Rick Reaves shared his fond memories of teaching Pitre and his positive impact on the Jazz Band. Reaves commented how Pitre’s passing deeply affected both teachers and students in the entire music family.

With the various collaborations and FEBRUARY 2016

performances, the night was a fitting tribute to someone who was both artistically and musically gifted. The heartfelt concert not only honored Pitre, but also gave students an opportunity to support each other. Whether it was the overcoming grief or a celebration of a loved one, the gathering offered a chance for students to support each other and come together. Sometimes during times of despair, fellowship can be a driving force towards recovery.

“His death… it’s been confusing because I want to be sad about it, but I’m also so happy to celebrate his life and how much love he has spread to so many people,” Hamilton said. layout / McKenna Holtz photo / Madison Stiles and Sacha Gragg

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Your Vote

Counts

As the 2016 Presidential Election begins with the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary, students voice their opinions on the candidates and some of the most important issues facing the nation.

By Ben Manning and Chris Cerne

FEBRUARY 2016

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452 upperclassmen The Candidates

29.2%

Bernie Sanders

With only two prominent Democrats in the primaries, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is popular among young adults, takes the lead out of both parties. Even though the majority of students surveyed identify as Republicans, their votes were spread among a number of candidates.

15.5%

Ben Carson

14.9%

Donald Trump

11.9%

Hillary Clinton

10.3%

Marco Rubio

7.6% Ted Cruz

Along Party Lines

Same-sex Marriage

With which party do you identify?

What is your stance on the legalization of same-sex marriage?

Pro-life / Pro-choice

Call for Cameras

How would you describe yourself?

Should police be required to wear body cameras?

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surveyed say...

Syrian Refugees How do you feel about Syrian refugees relocating to the U.S.?

THE STATS

The survey was voluntary and anonymous.

All 452 responses were collected in a survey given to seniors and juniors in English classes.

Upperclassmen were chosen because of their potential eligibility to vote in the election.

83.2%

of students surveyed think that humans contribute to climate change

58.4%

Closing the Gates U.S. immigration enforcement should be

of students surveyed support the death penalty

53.8%

of students surveyed believe the minimum wage should be raised

The Great Gun Debate How much government firearm regulation is needed?

56.4%

of students surveyed believe that recreational marijuana should be legalized

46.9%

More (45%) No Change (33%) Less (14%) No Response (7%)

of students surveyed believe that public universities and community colleges should be free layout / Ben Manning and Chris Cerne photo / Taylor Thackaberry FEBRUARY 2016

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Freezing out the Students recount their favorite moments from the winter sports season. By Claire Deaver and McKenna Holtz

Gymnastics Girls “I love my team.

Basketball Whether we are encouraging or critiquing, it’s always for the best,” senior Katie Conklin said. “I couldn’t be more happy to be on a team with such talented and hardworking girls.”

Swimming “I feel like our team is a lot closer than a lot of the other teams,” freshman Jessica Lu said.

“The late night iHop runs and practices are great for team bonding.”

Winter Cheer “Cheerleading has made us have a stronger friendship because you know a family that cheers together stays together,” junior Benny Reynolds said.

Wrestling “Our team’s goal is to be Conference Champs this year and I believe that is definitely achievable,” sophomore Adam Broskevitch said.

“[During the Potomac Falls game], there was six seconds left and we were inbounding the ball at their basket and had to go the full length of the floor while we were down by two,” senior Emily Thompson said.

“I passed the ball to Lindsey and then I got the pass back. I dribbled down the middle of the court and with three seconds left I shot a floater that was a three pointer, it hit the rim rolled around, bounced off the backboard and went in. It was exhilarating.”

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Boys Basketball “Our team is built with many different personalities which helps us build stronger chemisty,” senior Daniel Traub said. “Every player on our team can go on the floor and produce.

Not many teams can say that.”

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Competition

1. Senior Emily Thompson races down the court during the game against Loudoun County.

2. Junior Duron Norris tries to break pass the defense and make a shot against Rock Ridge Highschool on January 8.

3. Junior Preasha Ellis cheers on the varsity boys basketball team.

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4. Senior Katie Conklin competes on bars at their home meet.

5. Freshman Sean Conway speeds across the pool during his breaststroke race.

6. Sophomore Dan Stanley ties up his opponent working into a front headlock position.

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layout / Claire Deaver and McKenna Holtz photos / Megan Gannaway, Rachel Weinstein, Sacha Gragg, Chris Morgan, Olivia deStanley FEBRUARY 2016

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Duck & Cover The foreign language clubs participated in the first-ever language dodgeball tournament on January 8. Although every team put up a fight, the Spanish club prevailed. Each team got into the spitit of the event by dressing in crazy uniforms and even carrying flags of different countries.The foreign language department hopes to make this event a traditon. layout / McKenna Holtz photo / Olivia deStanley and Rachel Weinstein

Top / Senior Blake Hessen led the clubs as the most spirited, while wearing a Quebecian flag and hat as well as making posters. Hessen was a undoubtably a leader on the French Club’s team.

Middle / Playing for the German Club, Senior Taylor Thackaberry rears back to fire agant the opposing team. The German Club wore all black to uniform them.

Bottom / Sophomore Ian Carlson prepares to attack the opposing team in hopes of gaining a victory for the Latin Club.

Background / Junior Brendi Garcia participates in the dodgeball tournament as a member of the French Club.

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EDITORIAL

Hot

Air

Americans lead the world in denial of climate change, but it’s time to accept mankind’s responsibility to reduce negative environmental impacts.

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most cities will end up looking like Beijing or Los Angeles. Snow ach year, approximately 1.6 million Chinese citizens die, but days will be traded for smog days when the air quality is so poor it’s not from guns or disease; it’s from the air. Air pollution that it poses a threat to student health. Beijing recently issued two accounts for more than 17 percent of all deaths in China. red alerts for smog, when meteorologists predicted three or more The air quality in Beijing is a grim reminder of what cities across days of dangerous levels of smog. The government closed schools, the globe will look like if air pollution and climate change go limited the number of cars allowed and banned fireworks and unchecked. While the United States is one of the largest producers barbecuing. The residents have taken to wearing masks to protect of carbon dioxide waste, few are aware that America is also leading themselves from the terrible air quality. the world in denial of human-caused The future may sound bleak, but there are According to market research global warming. We cannot claim measures that can be taken to prevent further to be an intellectual country when done by Ipsos MORI, a British damage.

Air pollution from passenger cars causes nearly one third of our citizens nearly one third of all air pollution in the US. By research organization, 32 believe humans are not the main using fuel-efficient vehicles, students can reduce cause of climate change. percent of Americans don’t pollution.

Another way to reduce pollution is For future generations, the world choosing clean energy over pollutant ridden fossil believe that humans contribute will feel drastically different from fuels.

By doing this, students can begin to lessen how it is today. Scientists predict that to climate change. the pressures on the environment. by 2047, the average coldest US days One of the largest beliefs regarding climate will feel like a summer heat-wave change is that the planet is in a cycle of heating and cooling and today. This will result from a buildup of greenhouse gasses such as climate change is natural.

While that is true, most such occurrences carbon dioxide and methane, which cause the solar rays that would in history happened over thousands of years, not 50. It is a lazy normally bounce out of the atmosphere to be instead trapped, attempt to give Americans a free pass. heating up the Earth.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed,” writer James At the recent United Nations climate talks, nations met in Paris Baldwin said. “But nothing can be changed until it is faced." to discuss plans to reduce the effects of climate change by reducing It’s time to wake up and accept that humans are the major cause the burning of fossil fuels, coal and gas. In addition to donating of global warming.

Shouting matches between political parties and money to developing countries that can’t afford clean energy, they universal denial won’t help, but the United Nations Climate Talks hope to keep the world’s average temperatures from rising by two are a step in the right direction.

The facts are out there, just listen to degrees Celsius. There is also a much more visible problem: smog. layout / Griffin Hunt our planet.

Humanity needs to clean up its act. It is predicted that in 50 years picture / Sacha Gragg FEBRUARY 2016

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