The Viking / Issue V / March 2016

the

viking Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, VA / March 2016

Taking Charge Through dedication and hardwork, young entrepreneurs make a name for themselves.

VIKING

THE

Above / Junior Michael Ciafre and graduate Jesse Curtis enjoy the annual Partner’s Club Dance. This year there was almost 200 people in attendance. (photo / Sacha Gragg) Cover / Sophomore Kayleigh Lockhart poses with her camera to represtent her photography business. (cover photo / Sacha Gragg)

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 de Stanley, 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

Letter from the Editors

thevikingnews.com | Twitter: @lvhsviking | Instagram: lvhsviking responses.

Dear Vikings, Our goal is to serve the Finally, The Viking is lucky The Viking is a completely student body by covering enough to have a faculty student-run and studenta variety of topics, ranging and student body who are funded newsmagazine, from serious political overwhelmingly supportive of meaning that our staff is controversies to pop culture our newsmagazine.

responsible for everything events.

Thank you for your you see printed, unless If you would like to readership. otherwise credited. All address anything in this Your editors, interviews will be fairly issue, please stop by room Claire Deaver, McKenna Holtz represented, and we keep 135 or comment on our and Helen Sternberg audio files for reference. social media. We welcome all

2 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

CONTENTS March 2016

4

Speaking Out

6

At What Cost?

7

Ariel Santikarma discusses her family’s heritage and the Indonesian genocide.

Consumers often fail to realize the detrimental effects of drinking bottled water.

Student Life

New clubs: STEM club and A Capella club are rising in prominence and making names for themselves.

9

Taking Charge

12

Behind the Stalls

14

Toil & Trouble

15

Five ambitious teens create new businesses and blaze their own trails.

Equestrians convey their love for their sport and explain what it means to be a horseback rider.

The Viking Players perform “Macbeth Fallout,” a postapocalyptic rendition of the classic Shakespeare play.

Real Issues Over half a million people in the United States sleep on the streets, yet many believe homelessness is not a prevelant issue and repair efforts are minimal.

Senior Trey McDyre plays against junior Thomas Millman (not pictured) in the first ever PEER sponsored ping pong tournament. The tournament provided a fun and friendly competition and an interesting entertainment experience for many students. (photo /Sacha Gragg)

MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

3

Q&A: Ariel Santikarma

Speaking Out

After testifying about the 1965 Indonesian genocide at the International People’s Tribunal, Santikarma recounts her travels and explains her family’s story.

By Helen Sternberg What do you do when you go to Indonesia?

“I will usually go and visit my family, but I also teach English there. I had an internship at a family planning [non-governmental organization] in central Java, where I did a lot of things with women’s health and HIV. Whenever I go back I try to do something that I feel is meaningful. I have a house there and I have family there, so I see a lot of my family on my dad’s side.”

Why is your family involved in the Indonesian Genocide? “[My mother and I testified at] the International People’s Tribunal in the Netherlands. There was essentially a people’s tribunal [about] the Indonesian Genocide. And so my mother is a cultural anthropologist and she studies the Indonesian Genocide academically, my father is also a cultural anthropologist...but my father was actually a victim of 1965, his father, my grandfather, was killed and my grandmother was imprisoned and then four of his uncles disappeared and were probably killed.”

How does their story affect you?

“I think that it becomes something that is a part of my identity. I think that there was so much trauma, and so much violence, and that’s something that doesn’t just end in 1965; it doesn’t just end when the violence ends. It’s something that’s cyclical and that affects society for decades to come, and it has affected me in the same way.”

How are victims of the genocide treated?

“Having any ties to that is actually detrimental to their entire life. My father was a university professor in Indonesia and no one had known about his past or his family’s past and so one day he just got a letter that [said] ‘You’re being laid off.’ And he looked into it, and it was essentially that they had found out what his family history was. People that are tied to the Indonesian genocide, tied to victims of the Indonesian genocide, are still being persecuted in a sense.”

The Indonesian Genocide Between 1965 and 1966, the Indonesian military led a purge on all suspected members and sympathizers of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). The genocide, considered one of the worst in modern history, killed upwards of 500,000 people and put an end to the PKI.

How is the genocide treated in Indonesia?

“The government will not allow people to show films or teach things in the school curriculum or have any kind of public discussion about what happened in 1965. It’s literally oppressive.

They don’t allow people to have any public dialogue about it, whether it’s in school or not.”

How does this ignorance of the issue affect society?

When Santikarma was with her parents testifying in the Netherlands, she was also able to see a few sights. However, the primary purpose of her visit was to speak about the crimes committed by the Indonesian government.

4 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

“It emphasizes how terrible the situation is and how important it is for when things happen like the Holocaust, like the reason we have the Holocaust museum, and the reason that we talk about it so much in class is so that we can make sure that never happens again. But the Indonesian government, because they’re not talking about it, you see the same anti-communist propaganda continuously in Indonesian society, and it becomes something that is really dangerous… It just makes me realize there’s a lot of work left to do.” layout / Helen Sternberg photo / courtesy of Ariel Santikarma

MOMENTS MATTER.

Don’t miss out on a year’s worth of memories!

YEARBOOK 2016 BUY TODAY jostensyearbooks.com

15-1176

MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

5

At What Cost?

Bottled water is often seen as a cleaner, safer alternative to tap water, but consumers fail to realize the other effects of constantly drinking from a plastic bottle. By McKenna Holtz

The Numbers

Tap vs. Bottled

40% of bottled water is

filtered tap water.

24,500

The number of chemicals found in a single bottle of water.

800 billion

Aquafina and Dasani bottled water are tap water.

100%

A gallon of bottled water is

2000x

the cost almost of a gallon of tap water.

The value in US dollars of the world water market, according to the World Bank.

714 million

The number of gallons of oil used annually in water bottle manufacturing.

Health Effects Plastic water bottles are made from Bisphenol-A (BPA). Scientists have linked high doses of BPA to obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, brain disorder and negative effects on male reproductive organs.

7.5 million The number of gallons of bottled water Americans consume in a year.

Regulations “The EPA regulates tap water, while the FDA oversees bottled. Yet FDA oversight doesn’t apply to water packaged and sold within the same state, leaving some 60 to 70 percent of bottled water, including the contents of watercooler jugs, free of FDA regulation.”

.. .

-According to a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council

Environmental Impact

6 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

60 million water bottles end up in landfills every day.

80% of water bottles in US become litter.

Only 1 out of 5 bottles are recycled.

layout / McKenna Holtz and Helen Sternberg photo / Sacha Gragg

In Tune The new A Cappella club provides

exciting opportunities for passionate vocalists.

By Jules Simpson

Student Life

Tech Triumph

Recent state winners of Samsung’s “Solve for Tomorrow” contest, STEM club makes leaps of progress in their project.

By Chris Cerne

A

Junior Lizzie Wordham leads the group in practice for an upcoming A Capella performance. The group has performed in many school functions, including the winter assembly.

N

ew to the high school this year, the A Capella club is characterized by strong voices and wide smiles. A collective personality that expands beyond the circular desk arrangement they set up for rehearsal or the ears of a hallway passerby, this extracurricular entity is putting down roots and eager to grow. The group is the brainchild of junior Lizzie Wordham, a chorus student whose passion for singing led her to start the club.

“It’s been a lot of fun, and I think everyone in it enjoys it,” Wordham said.

Meetings are held every day after school with a lighthearted dynamic among the club’s nearly 40 members.

“The friendships we develop here are so good...just gathering for music is always fun,” freshman Kerry Biake said.

Open to any student from all four grades with no audition necessary, the only requirements to join A Capella club are a penchant for singing and commitment to the group. Optimistic as to how the club could evolve, Wordham is enthusiastic as to the heights the club could climb in the near future.

“Well, it’s the first year, so we’re still figuring stuff out, but our second semester goal is to put on a benefit concert for childhood cancer [research] in June,” Wordham said.

With another three years left at Valley, Biake intends to remain a member of A Capella club. Biake’s answer to what she likes best about A Capella club was unhesitating and confident: “Just showing people what we can do, and making people happy because of it.”

ccording to a Pearson report, the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High the United States places School at the state-level competition. thirteenth in the world in terms of STEM club won $20,000 worth education. A common argument relating of Samsung technology, and used to this low statistic is that students in the technology to create a video the United States simply aren’t engaged demonstration explaining the project. in class. Math teacher José Rodriguez Samsung will choose the top 15 finalists and science teacher Erin Wissler, from a pool of 51 to win $40,000. Out started the STEM (Science, Technology, of those finalists, five will come out Engineering and Math) club this year with $120,000 in technology. As of in hopes to gain student interest by now, the club has moved into the top 15 combining curriculum from many finalists in the country. different subjects towards one particular “The students have been amazing goal: to help engage the student body in and they have worked really hard, so an engineering project. More specifically, they have every right to be excited about they chose to participate in a nationwide it,” Wissler said. competition hosted by Samsung called With their new Samsung technology, Solve for Tomorrow, where participants create a project to help the community.

“Our goal every year is to have one STEM project that we’ll work on in the club throughout the year,” Rodriguez said.

The STEM club brainstormed the ultimate idea: a networked safety system for STEM club members exhibit their networked safety system for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. Their project placed first in the state of Virginia, defeating top-ranked the W&OD trail Thomas Jefferson High School. Front Row: José Rodriguez, Riley Schnee, Summer Harvey, where attacks have Erin Wissler. Back Row: Grayson Smith, Sean Lohr, Blake Messegee, Malcom Miller, happened before.

Jackson Kennedy, Ethan Rodriguez, Morgan Freiberg.

It works through a series of electronic nodes with and potential winnings, the club hopes buttons that can be pressed to request to expand and use the new gadgets in assistance. their future. Riley Schnee, STEM club “This could be put in a national member, recounts her experience with park…where there’s no reception,” the club’s winnings thus far.

Rodriguez said. “When you push a “I was very proud that as a club we button, [the signal] actually goes to the were able to make a name not only for next node. And it goes all the way down our school but for our community,” the line that way…it does not rely on Schnee said. “[The project] is something any other communication except for the that could…keep us safe.” nodes.” layout / Helen Sternberg and Chris Cerne The club managed to defeat even photo / Sacha Gragg MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

7

Gregory S. DiRenzo, D.M.D. Kelly M. Lincoln, D.D.S. 540 East Main Street Purcellville, Virginia 20132 (540) 338-6262 (800) 448-0378 direnzofamilydentistry.com

Follow The Viking: @lvhsviking @lvhsviking 8 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

taking charge For a generation focused on innovation, the stories of five ambitious teens who created a name for themselves exemplify the reward of hard work and dedication.

By Claire Deaver and Carleigh Rahn

Memory maker Junior Carl Gragg

.........................................................................

When junior Carl Gragg built his first photo booth, having his company featured at the White House seemed impossible. Gragg is the proud owner of Premier Photo Booth, LLC, which provides photo booths for parties of all caliber. His top quality service has earned him not only great reviews, but also a spot on the White House preferred vendor list.

“I’ve done a lot for the White House, the Capitol, Nissan, a lot of big companies. Our booths are the top booths in this area, so I’ve got a corner of the market,” Gragg said.

The upside to all jobs is profit, but to Gragg, owning and running his own business has personal benefits.

“I love helping people. I hired college and high school kids so they would have extra cash,” Gragg said. ”I think the main reason I created the company is to help people and get them on their feet.”

MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

9

stringing it together Senior Max McNerney

.........................................................................

After picking up a lacrosse stick six years ago, senior Max McNerney hasn’t been able to put it down. Soon after, McNerney started his own business, MaxLaxStrings.

McNerney sells his own product, MaxWax Mesh.

“MaxWax Mesh creates a pocket in the stick that is weatherproof, eliminating the chance of the stick’s pocket becoming too big [which is] illegal,” Mcnerney said.

When McNerney first started stringing lacrosse sticks, it was never his intention for it to become as big as it is now.

“After I started stringing sticks for my friends, my dad recommended that I design a website so I could start doing it for real,” McNerney said.

Although profit is a huge part when it comes to running his own business, McNerney sees other benefits.

“MaxLaxStrings is [also a] huge learning experience. I’ve learned about manufacturing, marketing, inventory and so much more,” McNerney said. “I’m lucky to have caught the entrepreneurship ‘bug’ early and I plan on continuing to be an entrepreneur for the rest of my career.”

Game changer Senior Jared Schoeny

.........................................................................

Apps are downloaded by the thousands every day, but people often forget that someone sits behind a computer, spending hours designing them. Senior Jared Schoeny currently has four apps available for free on the Apple iTunes store: Flabby Duck, SizeUP, the Drew Hunter Game and Vortex.

“I’ve always liked the challenge that comes with designing an app,” Schoeny said. “Each app takes hundreds of hours to develop, so it’s a lot of work.”

Schoeny has been coding since second grade, but was finally able to distribute his creations to the app store a few years ago after upgrading his programming software. For Schoeny, it’s all about the final product effect.

“What I like most about making games is seeing people play something that you made,” Schoeny said. “It’s my own way of bringing some fun into someone’s life and it affects people from all over the world.”

10 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

Court Coach Junior Josh Urban

.........................................................................

For some, an extracurricular activity sparks a new opportunity. Last spring, junior Josh Urban was finishing a season of varsity tennis when a family friend asked whether he would be willing to teach tennis lessons. Seeing that very few people in the local area give lessons and that the job payed well, Urban accepted the offer.

“I have been told by different people that I am a natural instructor and that I’m very good at helping someone understand how to do something correctly,” Urban said.

From there he gained more students and a position at Franklin Park to teach clinics. Through teaching, his love for tennis grew.

“Any other job I’ve had, no matter what it was, I’d find myself literally staring at the clock,” Urban said. “Time literally flies when I’m giving tennis lessons.”

Getting the Shot Sophomore Kaleigh Lockhart

.........................................................................

Ever since she got her first camera when she was six years old, sophomore Kayleigh Lockhart’s passion for photography has led her to recently starting her own business and sharing her talents with the world.

“Early last year I started taking photography a little more seriously, taking photoshoots left and right,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart’s first shoot with her pastor kickstarted her career.

“After he shared the photos, I got tons of emails from his friends asking if I could do the same for them,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart plans on getting a business major in college and then opening her own photography studio where she can specialize in wedding photos. As for now, social media has been her gateway to success.

“Through Instagram and Facebook, I’ve been able to connect with other photographers and get inspiration,” Lockhart said. “I’ve been able to engage myself in the photography community.” layout / Claire Deaver and McKenna Holtz photos / Sacha Gragg MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

11

Behind the Stalls Equestrian sports demand seemingly infinite hours of training, horse care and barn chores. For many students, however, the manual labor involved doesn’t compare to the bond and love felt between horse and rider.

By Olivia de Stanley

I

t’s four in the morning, the alarm clock goes off. The room is pitch black, not a lick of sunshine coming through the windows. A clean pair of breeches sit next to the slightly-muddied riding boots and a polo coated in slobber stains. The barn is at least 20 degrees colder than the high for the day and the smells of hay, sweet feed and horse manure fill the air.

Equestrians are often awake before the sun comes up and stay long after sunset working tirelessly in the barn. Social outings are dropped to a minimum in an effort to spend as many hours as possible with their mounts, solely to maintain the irreplaceable bond between horse and rider. Whether it’s sitting up with a sick horse through the dark hours of the morning or just building stronger relationships with one’s teammate, horses are more than just an instrument for sport—they’re a lifestyle. “[Horses] mean everything to me. [They] mean family, dedication, patience, connection, love, hard work and so much more,” senior Nicole Stetson said.

Horseback riding is a deceptively difficult sport. It’s the rider’s job to make it seem effortless, almost as though the horse is reading their mind. The reality is quite different. To be able to successfully communicate with the horses, riders must be exceedingly fit, as the slightest move of a muscle can make or break the ability to properly execute a jump course or dressage test. In 2007, 78,279 people went to the emergency room for horse-related injuries according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

“It’s so physically demanding. Like when I’m out foxhunting, I’ve literally pulled muscles in my knees and nearly, like, ripped my arms out of my sockets,” senior Samantha Combs said. “When you’re doing dressage, you’re trying to communicate through the slightest muscle cues and doing that is ridiculously hard.”

12 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

Along with the physical demands of riding are countless hours of barn chores. Mucking stalls, throwing hay bales or hauling water buckets around are just a few of the many tasks required of equestrians. Often the activities surrounding the horses can be more strenuous than the actual riding itself. “[I spend] probably three hours a day every single day [not including riding],” said sophomore Claire Slook.

Although much of Loudoun County is farmland, the majority of horse owners board their horses at local farms, not at home.

Keeping horses elsewhere only adds to the ever-rising cost. In an attempt to lower considerable costs, equestrians often find other creative ways to pay for boarding. Many barn owners allow boarders to pay for their lease by helping out at the barn.

“I work a shift so that I can earn credit hours for my lease and then sometimes I’ll go and help with camps and birthday parties,” senior Keelyn McCabe said.

For many, horseback riding doesn’t stop when they leave the barn. Oftentimes, generations of families have participated in a variety of equestrian activities, and these familial ties give riders a sense of purpose and inspire them.

“My great-grandmother owned a racing farm, she bred race horses [and] was sort of the one that got me started, it’s kind of in my family and I love it,” McCabe said. “[Riding] means that I’m able to carry on the legacy my great grandma started and it’s a way for me to feel confident about myself and it’s what I love to do.” layout / Claire Deaver and Helen Sternberg photos / courtesy of Keelyn McCabe, Claire Slook and Nicole Stetson

Top / Slook waits with her fellow hunt members at a check. A check is when the hunt stops to listen for the hound’s cry in order to determine their next direction.

Bottom left / McCabe jumps over a vertical during a lesson at Redgate Farm. She puts in numerous hours of practice to accomplish skills like jumping.

Middle left / The race horse, Hishi Soar, bucks in the paddock at the Loudoun Hunt Point to Point held at Oatlands Plantation.

Right / Stetson poses on her house at Fox Chase Farm during a jumper show with her trainer. She placed third on one of the many divisions she competed in that day.

MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

13

Toil & Trouble

The Viking Players performed “Macbeth Fallout,” a postapocalyptic interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic play.

The performance was free to all who wanted to attend, and any donations given went to supporting the arts. Senior Abby McDonough performed one of the lead roles as Lady Macbeth.

14 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2016

EDITORIAL

Real Issues Over half of a million people in the United States sleep on the streets, yet many believe homelessness is no longer a prominent issue and repair efforts are minimal.

H

omelessness almost never touches us here in Loudoun County. We don’t see overcrowded shelters. We don’t see families struggling to feed their children. We don’t see homeless veterans trying to keep warm as the temperature falls below freezing. The homeless population in Loudoun stands at just 172 people according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but this doesn’t mean we can forget about the more than 560,000 other homeless persons in the United States. It’s not a local problem, it’s a national problem.

The chronically homeless, who are defined

by HUD as “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more,” are afflicted by one of the most common forms of homelessness. Unfortunately, the consensus seems to be that chronic homelessness and other types of homelessness are an unavoidable and unsolvable problem, and consequently this issue has receded into the background of the American political consciousness. However, one group challenged this way of thinking.

Social researcher Sam Tsemberis and his team changed the way chronic homelessness is fought.

Tsemberis, a psychologist, was hired at a New York City shelter to provide counseling for the mentally ill, but he quickly realized that the methods used by the shelter and around the country were woefully inadequate. So, he assembled a team and they worked through a number of ideas until they found a solution that worked. Their solution was

simple; give the homeless permanent housing.

On the surface, their plan appears to be one that is optimistic but not practical, and also exorbitantly expensive. However, the state of Utah adopted Tsemberis’s strategy early on and slashed its chronic homeless population in half, while saving $8,000 per person housed. On average, it is more expensive to maintain a wealth of shelters and care for the mentally ill homeless than it is to provide permanent housing. Multiple states have started to use Tsemberis’s ideas in their own homeless programs.

Today, homeless shelters are some of the most common tools governments use to fight homelessness, but they were never meant to be a permanent solution. They allow us to feel like we’re doing something, but in reality the shelters don’t help in the long term, they only put off the problem.

Shelters are also often overcrowded, and don’t provide a conducive environment for the recovery of a homeless individual. Why attempt to provide temporary shelters for every homeless person, when permanent housing can save the government money and better equip the victims of homelessness to get back on their feet? The need for shelters will never truly end, especially those for battered women and children, but the focus should be on long term solutions like Tsemberis’s so we can reduce the amount of people who are forced to live on the street.

The Numbers Percentage of homeless teens that identify as LGBT

40% 60% LGBT Youth Non-LGBT Youth The Amount of Homeless People Living in Shelters

Non-Sheltered Homeless Sheltered Homeless

layout / McKenna Holtz and Ben Manning MARCH 2016

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

15

101 S Maple Avenue I Purcellville Virginia I 540.338.5859 7 Days A Week from 9 AM to 9 PM