The Viking / Issue I / September 2016

the

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

Loudoun Unity Amidst fear and tension, police officers and the African-American community strive for security and trust. Page 9

Above / At the drama department’s booth for Viking Fest, students sign up for Drama Club for the chance to toss a pie at Russ Staggs. (photo / Tyler Valentine)

VIKING

THE

Cover / Loudoun NAACP President Philip Thompson, Loudoun Sheriff ’s Deputy Jamie Holben and Reverend Jacqueline Hollingsworth embrace each other during a community-building event in Sterling on September 3. (photo / Tyler Valentine)

Newsmagazine Staff 2016-2017

Editors-in-Chief Chris Cerne Ben Manning Sean Webster

Online Editors Carleigh Rahn Zach Stevenson

Online Managing Photo Editors Editor Olivia de Stanley Griffin Hunt Madison Stiles

Multimedia Editor Tyler Valentine

Advertising Manager Madison Stiles

Writers, Photographers, Business and Promotional Staff Tito Alcazar, Heather Feconda, Sadie Grant, Brianna Henriquez, Jordan Iwerks, Grace Jennings, Ben Keane, Alexandra Krens, Gillian Krug, Lauren Madey, Caleigh Marsh, Madison McIntosh, Jared Sanders, Ella Serafin, Claire Slook, Madison Stiles, Charlotte Twetten, Kerry Webster Adviser Paige Cox thevikingnews.com | Twitter: @lvhsviking | Instagram: lvhsviking | Snapchat: 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 are fairly represented, and audio files are kept for reference.

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In the coming school year, our goal is to serve the student body by covering a variety of topics, ranging from serious political controversies to pop culture events.

Finally, the Viking is lucky enough to have a faculty and student body overwhelmingly supportive

of our newsmagazine. Thank you for your readership and your feedback.

Thanks, Chris Cerne, Ben Manning, and Sean Webster Editors-in-Chief

CONTENTS September 2016

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On the Roster

5

Summer Stats

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After much lobbying, Loudoun field hockey players finally got the team they deserved.

As summer officially ends, students reflect and reminisce: from hot days on the beach to binging their favorite TV shows.

Vegan Vikings

Vegan students open up about their experiences going meatless in a carnivorous world.

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Mr. Oh Q&A

9

Loudoun Unity

12

Painting Purcellville

14

Take a Knee

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Talk it Out

The well-known economics and psychology teacher talks about his experiences as a student, an educator and now, a father.

Amidst a national climate of fear and tension, police and the African-American community strive for security and trust.

Local artists support the community by distributing their work throughout town.

Junior Derek Goings kneels out of respect for his injured teammate during the 49-34 win over Rock Ridge.

A contrary opinion is not a threat; an opposing politician is not an enemy.

Right / Sophomore Casey Lanigan, Sophomore Riley Draddy and senior Emilie Peterson propel sophomore Catherine Slupe into the air during varsity football’s 49 - 34 victory against Rock Ridge on September 2. (photo / Caleigh Marsh)

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Senior Lucy Woodie takes a shot at Woodgrove’s goal after the Valley team gains possession. Despite their best efforts, the team lost eight to zero.

On the Roster

After much lobbying, Loudoun field hockey players finally get the team they deserve. By Carleigh Rahn

T

he school year is starting up, and sports are back in session.

Looking onto the warm September nights, something new has come to the field.

Field hockey has officially started in Loudoun County. In previous years, field hockey has been a club sport run through the Loudoun County League (LCL). LCL teams hosted teams from many different schools.

Due to the commitment of players and parents from all over the county, the school board finally added field hockey to the roster for fall sports.

Senior Lucy Woodie has been playing field hockey for five years. As a senior, she has seen the program transform into what it is today.

“Getting field hockey to become an official team took a lot of persistence with the schools system. [We] pushed to show the public and the school board how passionate we are about field hockey,” Woodie said. “We were very patient because we knew that there were some difficulties fitting the sport into the budget.”

In order to get the school board to 4

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consider field hockey, perseverance and patience were key. Junior Diana Maher explained what it took to get field hockey recognized.

“Last spring there was a lot of talk where [the school board] was deciding what would be funded,” Maher said. “Naturally we wanted to influence their decisions, so every meeting field hockey girls from around the county would come and prove how committed we were to having it be a varsity sport.”

Players demonstrated their commitment through special games called “Under the Lights.” The sole purpose of this event was to bring schools together and show just how much field hockey meant to the players in hopes of drawing the school board’s attention.

The school board decided to name field hockey a tier two sport. This means that the county recognizes it as a varsity sport but does not provide any of the funding.

Loudoun County School Board member Jill Turgeon explains why.

“We had a lot of parents come forward and say that they were already paying large amounts of money to play at the club level

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and that they would be willing to put in additional money so it could be recognized as an LCPS sport,” Turgeon said. “We took that to heart and figured that [tier two] would be a reasonable middle ground.”

After getting approval from the county, the community came together to get the program off the ground. Shaun Maher, Diana’s father not only supported the team by attending all the games, but also volunteered for the program.

“I’m going to be the announcer for the team, I just really want to be supportive. My daughters have been a part of field hockey for six years, and we’ve grown to love the sport,” Shaun Maher said.

After working so hard to get the school board and the community to acknowledge field hockey as an official sport, these girls can’t help but be a little proud.

“I think everyone involved in getting the sport into Loudoun high schools have a sense of pride,” Woodie said. “It feels good to have been able to leave field hockey as a legacy for future players.” layout / Carleigh Rahn and Ben Manning photos/ Olivia de Stanley

SUMMER STATS

As summer officially ends, students look back on their summers: from hot days on the beach to day-long binges of their favorite TV shows.

By Chris Cerne and Carleigh Rahn

Your Mind and Body on Summer Food Facts Off the Grid 26 - 36 percent Ice cream In a study done by the University of Giessen in Germany, researchers found that without access to cell phones or electricity, students reported an increase in life satisfaction and lower stress.

The Hits Finding Dory The sequel to the Pixar film Finding Nemo made 930 million dollars internationally.

Stranger Things The hit Netflix original series follows four preteens investigating strange occurrences in their otherwise peaceful town.

Top Song of Summer

According to research reported by the American Heart Association, you are 26-36 percent less likely to have a heart attack in summer compared to winter.

$5.4 billion

United States ice cream sales in 2014.

22 pounds

Average ice cream consumption per American per year.

Beach Stats

Statistics provided by the International Dairy Foods Association

98

Hot dogs

According to the International Shark Attack File, 98 shark attacks happened worldwide in 2015 (26 more than in 2014).

91,648

Hot dogs consumed on Independence Day in 2016.

Statistics provided by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council

Drake

n o i l il

6m Statistics and photos provided by Billboard

150 million

According to the United States Lifesaving Association, 91,648 rescues were performed by lifeguards in 2015.

One Dance

#1

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Number of hot dogs eaten in ten minutes by Joey Chestnut, the winner of Nathan’s Famous 2016 hot-dogeating contest.

According to Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development, Virginia Beach has 6 million overnight tourists annually.

Watermelon 3.2 billion

Pounds of watermelons grown in 2014.

Statistics provided by the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center

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layout / Chris Cerne THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

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V

egan ikings

Vegan students open up about their experiences going meatless in a carnivorous world.

By Kerry Webster

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mong Hollywood celebrities, former presidents and teenagers, veganism seems to be an increasingly popular lifestyle change. Now, more students are recognizing the benefits of veganism.

For those unfamiliar with the diet, it requires a total elimination of all animal by-products (meat, dairy, gelatin, fish, etc.).

The damaging environmental effects of animal agriculture is just one of the factors that motivate vegans. Meat and dairy farms are responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Worldwatch institute.

Raising animals for their meat and milk requires an excessive amount of food, water and land. In addition to stripping resources from the planet, the runoff of sewage from these farms is one of the main contributors to water pollution. Senior Elizabeth Pekin is a vegan cognizant of the environmental effects of meat and dairy farms.

“I’ve noticed our environment has been getting a lot worse, and of course there are many factors that influence that, such as burning fossil fuels,” Pekin said. “But animal agriculture is also a huge one, so I figured I’d just cut out animal products and I can make a difference.”

Another reason students choose the vegan lifestyle is for the health benefits.

Common claims about the health benefits of veganism include less headaches, lower cholesterol and a better immune system. It can also be beneficial for those who cannot consume dairy, including senior Lizzy Elliehausen.

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“I was having stomach pains, so I cut dairy from my diet because my GI doctor told me that I could be lactose intolerant,” Elliehausen said. “After cutting animal products, I realized, ‘Wow this makes me feel a lot better,’ so I ended up vegan.”

Because of perspectives shared through Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and online documentaries, there is far more exposure to the vegan lifestyle than ever before.

Popular social media voices are using their platform to spread the word about animal cruelty in the meat and dairy industry, hoping to convince their followers to consider veganism.

Pekin and senior Natalie Emery both say they were heavily influenced by vegan Twitter users and documentaries regarding the effects of meat and dairy consumption.

“I watched a few documentaries, like Cowspiracy, and it showed what goes on in factory farms,” Emery said. “Then, I started following a few vegans on Twitter and they tweeted about veganism, so I researched and decided I was going to stop eating animal products.”

A common misconception about veganism is that it is far more expensive than a regular diet. The opposite is true.

Meat and fish are some of the more expensive products to buy in the grocery store, right up there with cheese and butter.

Eating frozen fruits, veggies, nuts and grains can prove to be fairly inexpensive and nutritious.

“There are some expensive specialty vegan foods that are like eight dollars when the non-vegan option would be like five

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Senior Lizzie Elihausen and senior Natalie Emery show their support for the vegan lifestyle through political stickers and messages.

dollars, but the basics, like rice, beans and veggies are actually pretty cheap,” Emery said.

Completely cutting animal products out of your diet can seem daunting. It takes a lot of determination and devotion to stick to this lifestyle, and it’s very normal to not fully comply.

“If it takes a while for you to go vegan that’s completely fine; it takes some people years,” Pekin said. “Small changes in your lifestyle are helpful, like just adding more vegetables at dinner or doing Meatless Mondays. There’s no real right or wrong way to be vegan,” Pekin said. photos / Madison Stiles layout / Sean Webster

Q&A Mr. Oh

The well-known economics and psychology teacher talks about his experiences as a student, an educator and now, a father.

By Chris Cerne

What careers did you have in mind before becoming a teacher?

Initially I was thinking about going to grad school and getting my PhD in history. I was looking into many different things when I was in college. I was thinking about law school or thinking about getting into accounting or [fields] where there are a lot of jobs out there.

Tell me about the student body at Valley. Compared to my old high school—we had about a thousand students for each class. You don’t necessarily know everyone there. [Valley] was nice compared to that. It is

really family oriented and everyone knows each other.

In your experience, what is the best way to connect with teenagers? Something that I always tried to do was that I tried to understand them and try to get on their side and [see] the student perspective. My family came to this country when I was in high school.

It was always a really interesting process to learn from other people because it is not my own culture and not my native language. I was always learning something new, and that’s been my number

SEPTEMBER 2016

one strategy to [get to] know other people and try to understand things from their perspective.

How was the transition from South Korea to America?

It was really different.

When I was moving over here, everyone told me that it was going to be different culture. I understood that, but when you actually move to a different country, that is the moment when you really get to understand [the change]. It is easy to say that I understand another culture but it’s not really easy to adapt to a new culture [and] a new language.

What do you like about teaching? I get to meet a lot of people. I am not really an outgoing person that goes out to [try to] make different friends, but as a teacher you get to meet a lot of different people. Each year I have about 160-170 students, and that’s 160170 new people that I get to meet. My favorite part about being a teacher is getting to meet and getting to know other people and learn from them.

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When you’re not teaching, what interests do you have in your spare time? Now, since I am a dad, most of my time is devoted to taking care of my kid, and my wife is a teacher too. So both of us will be gone during the school day. When I come back home, we have to do a lot of house work and spend a lot of time to take care of our kid.

What’s your favorite movie? I watch a lot of movies. It keeps changing.

I guess the one movie I am still thinking about a lot is Interstellar. That movie kept making me think about many different things, whether there would be other people out there. photo / Tyler Valentine layout / Chris Cerne

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Loudoun Unity

Leaders, activists and students in the Loudoun area have organized in response to recent tragedies to elevate awareness and open a dialogue, ensuring a safer community.

By Ben Manning and Sean Webster

A

cross the country, signs and vigils tell the story of the people affected by the tragedies over the past summer. Among the headlines were both unarmed African-Americans unjustly killed and devoted police officers shot in the line of duty. These incidents highlight an increasingly dangerous policing landscape where both African-American citizens feel targeted and dedicated police officers feel unsafe carrying out their duties.

Student Voices Senior Darius Fraser is acutely aware of the problems between the community and law enforcement. Fraser said that he often gets nervous when he encounters police officers, fearing that one wrong move could result in tragedy.

“Not only are police scared of young black men, but young black men are fearing police, and that just creates a huge aura of distrust amongst both communities and that tension results in violence on both sides,” Fraser said.

Within this uncertain and tense atmosphere, local community groups and law enforcement officials in the Loudoun area are working to maintain a transparent relationship and assure people of their commitment to addressing this issue.

One consistent concern voiced by Americans around the country is how to prevent unqualified or even aggressive police recruits from slipping under the radar. Recent remedies include increased training and even implicit bias counseling, but that doesn’t solve all of the problems facing police-community relations.

“They need to be transparent in their actions, because their job is to serve the public. Taxpayer money goes into paying them to protect and serve,” Fraser said.

In an effort to increase transparency, the Justice Department will provide $20 million to police agencies throughout the country for body cameras. The purpose is to facilitate investigations into police brutality allegations and help the public gain a clearer perspective on police actions.

“I think body cameras are a great thing,” Fraser said. “Police need to be held accountable to their actions, just 10

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“At a time like this, we can overcome what we’re going through. I have great faith in the American people.”

Congressional Candidate LuAnn Bennett like a politician, just like someone who is elected to office.”

Community Response The Purcellville Police Department and its Chief of Police Cynthia McAlister hope to implement body cameras in conjunction with their updated dashboard cameras. Although, McAlister emphasizes that her officers wish to provide what is best for the community.

“I’m confident that every officer that I have goes out there everyday to do the right thing for the right reason,” McAlister said.

Reverend Jacqueline Hollingsworth, Pastor of the Christ Chapel AME Church in Sterling, is also working to

Loudoun branch of the NAACP, Hollingsworth has experience collaborating with law enforcement agencies, including helping members of her congregation communicate their problems to the police. Hollingsworth’s church puts a great deal of focus on keeping up relations between the African-American community and law enforcement in order to facilitate trust and communication. To this end, Christ’s Chapel AME organized the “Building Unity and Peace in Loudoun” event at Briar Patch Park.

The Sterling police, church leaders and local representatives came together to meet face to face with the citizens. The goal was to unify local interests and build personal connections that will

“They need to be transparent in their actions, because their job is to serve the public. Taxpayer money goes into paying them to protect and serve.”

Senior Darius Fraser better the community. Hollingsworth’s main area of focus is advocating on issues that are most important to the African-American community, and improving communication among the wider population.

“We want to be a part of not protesting, so to speak, but more of informing the community on how to work together,” Hollingsworth said.

In addition, as secretary of the

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strengthen the community.

Congressional candidate LuAnn Bennett spoke at the event promoting activism and political involvement.

She emphasized the importance of cultivating connections and solving the problems that are affecting communities nationwide.

“At a time like this, we can overcome what we’re going through. I have great faith in the American people,” Bennett

said.

The event included Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Deputy Jamie Holben and Loudoun NAACP President Phillip Thompson. Thompson recounted numerous instances where police officers jumped to conclusions about him and treated him with unwarranted suspicion. However, he emphasizes the importance of patience and cooperation when interacting with police.

“One of the things we preach is if you get stopped by an officer, just follow commands, do what you’re supposed to do and go home. Take your ticket. But don’t sit there and make a bad situation completely worse,” Thompson said.

law enforcement outnumbers the negative attitudes others may harbor.

Purcellville residents frequently stop by with gifts and words of kindness, demonstrating the gratitude that many feel. Nonetheless, there is a legitimate risk whenever an officer is on duty.

“The majority of the population appreciates law enforcement, and we know that, but we have to be careful for the one person that doesn’t,” said McAlister.

Unity and Activism

In order to better ensure both police safety and police reform, communication and collaboration are necessary. Senior Camryn Fischer believes that engaging in that Police Perspective conversation is important to that McAlister agrees that communication process. and cooperation are “If you’re putting an important first your opinions out The majority of the there, and showing step in improving relations. As the population appreciates your support for police chief, one of if you can law enforcement, and something, McAlister’s primary even connect minutely we know that, but we to that kind of goals is to maintain an open dialogue have to be careful for solidarity, that makes with the community. a difference,” said To achieve this, she the one person that Fischer. doesn’t.” meets with school In the Loudoun principals, minority area, leaders, Purcellville Police Chief pastors, officers and community leaders, Cynthia McAlister and Loudoun devoted citizens County sheriffs. In are committed to the future, McAlister hopes to create a elevating the message against ignorance, citizens advisory board to better engage misconception and prejudice. Students the community in police operations. are also getting involved in the cause.

“The community wants to know, the With the help of social media, teenagers community deserves to know. We work have become more aware of the for the community,” McAlister said. issues that affect the entire nation.

McAlister, who has spent 35 Throughout the county, citizens are years of her life in law enforcement, coming together to reject division and understands the logistical and emotional promote understanding. Congressional complications of police work. With the hopeful Bennett emphasized this at the events in Dallas, Texas, new concerns meeting between police and community arise over police safety. leaders.

“I know my officers are a bit stressed “The only antidote to the hate that by the things that are happening,” we’re hearing...is love.”

McAlister said. “You could be shot and killed only because you’re wearing this uniform.”

Still, McAlister believes that photos / Tyler Valentine layout / Ben Manning and Sean Webster the appreciation people have for

“

Sources Washington Post The Chicago Tribune CNN FBI

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Painting Purcellville Local artists support the community by displaying their work throughout town.

By Alexandra Krens

A

s the summer season ends, so does Purcellville’s town-wide art project.

The Painted Barrels Around Purcellville had its debut at the music & arts festival, showing off the art of over 40 local artists.

“We wanted it open to all artists of all ages, [so] there were no limits,” said coordinator Michael Oaks “We had two 11 year-olds, couple of teenagers and some of the top artists in Loudoun County too.”

The project started with the intention of encouraging tourism and to support local artists, but it’s also given the town a stronger sense of community.

“You see the horses [in Leesburg] and the painted apples in Winchester, and it’s kinda nice to have something of our own to see around town,” Senior Emily Scott said.

“Any art project that gets the community involved I think is a really good idea.”

The barrels are Oaks’ first project as a member of the Purcellville Economic Developement Advisory Committee all sponsored by local businesses, at $200 a barrel. This covers the cost of the physical barrels as well as the advertising, allowing the money from the auction on October 8th to be reinvested in future art projects.

“What we’re doing is creating self-funded 12

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art projects in the town, no taxpayer money or town money supports any of this, we raise all of the money.” Oaks said.

Scott has plans to implement a similar system to help with funding for the school’s art program.

“As the Treasurer of the NAHS, National Art Honor Society, I’m also trying to get a program started where students come in and volunteer their time to paint paintings and then we sell them to fund the art program,” Scott said.

Scott also said that she hopes the local art projects will become more of a presence in Purcellville.

“It’s really nice to see local artists get recognition for their work, so I hope they continue,” Scott said.

Luckily, Oaks already has prospective concepts for more local art projects, including bicycles and large stone flowerpots. He plans organize another project for this December.

“The next project will be hand-painted Christmas decorations” Oaks said, “We’re looking at about 90 different pieces.” photos / Tyler Valentine layout / Alexandra Krens and Sean Webster

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Top left / I. Byde. My. Time. by Kitty Johnson, sits near its sponser, Shenandoah furniture gallery Top right / Faces of Purcellville by Sarah Huntington, sponsered

by Movement Mortgage Middle / Dogwood Farms Purcellville by Nan Bowe sponsered

by Matthew Bowe Design & Building, standing near Grisus Orthodontics Bottom / Wildflowers of Purcellville by Kelley Willis stands in front of its sponser, Designing Flowers

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TAKE A KNEE On September 2, varsity football took on Rock Ridge High School in the first home game of the season. The Vikings came out strong and maintained the lead throughout the game.

In the third quarter senior quarterback Nick Kallivokas suffered a minor injury. Out of respect, junior quarterback Derek Goings takes a knee for his teammate just before filling Kallivokas’ place on the field. Goings went on to lead the team to a 49-34 victory.

layout / Olivia de Stanley photo / Olivia de Stanley

EDITORIAL

Talk It Out

A contrary opinion is not a threat; an opposing politician is not an enemy.

W

e are a nation that is bitterly divided, a nation where political opponents are seen as villains.

We are a nation that does not understand each other because we rarely try to. We are a nation that has lost its way because we’d rather lecture than listen.

Currently, well-thought out and cogent political views are difficult to find. Instead, too much of our political dialogue consists of regurgitations and recitations, and accusations of subversive and antiAmerican motives. Many now judge the validity of an opinion by the vehemence with which it is presented. The facade of hostility we construct around our beliefs discourages conversation, and thus ensures they remain weakly-held opinions. Our views remain biased, near-sighted, and partisan.

Leon Wieseltier of the Brookings Institution put it well when he wrote, in an essay for the Washington Post: “We are all hobbled by the narrowness of inherited circumstances. In our bodies, in our communities, in our social classes, we are all provincials, all in need of correction and amplification by the encounter with other views and practices of life.”

When we view our opinions as infallible, and anyone opposing them as evil, we miss the opportunity to “correct” and “amplify” our beliefs.

When they are isolated, our opinions lose their vitality and become stale strings of words, little more than taglines. In the words

of the English philosopher J.S. Mill, for someone to truly hold an opinion, he or she “must feel the whole force of the difficulty which the true view of the subject has to encounter and dispose of.” Few realize the necessity of understanding an opponent’s argument to understand their own.

Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the terrifying rise of Donald Trump. His promises and proclamations are not just antithetical to everything America stands for, they’re also unfeasible. I’ll use just two of his more infamous promises as examples: his promise to build a wall between the United States and Mexico funded by Mexico, and his proposed ban on Muslims. Regarding the former, the absurdity of forcing a foreign country to fund a massive domestic infrastructure project is self-evident. The latter proposal is in defiance of the Constitution, and would require the backing of legislators who have taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Trump’s supporters won’t consider the practicality of their candidate’s proclamations because they’re too busy attacking Hillary Clinton, or—when Trump’s numbers slip in the polls—calling the system “rigged” against them. Local State Senator Dick Black said that if Clinton were elected, he believes this will be “the last opportunity that we ever have to have an open vote as a republic.”

The plague of partiality, however, is not unique to the right wing of American

politics. An example of divisive rhetoric from the left can be seen in a Columbia Journalism Review profile of David Brooks, a conservative columnist known for looking at current issues with a moral lens. A common criticism of Brooks is that he moralizes too much, or in the words of Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi: “[Brooks] has basically one idea...which is that the poor are badly behaved and need to behave better, and all of these lectures that he gives on moral vocabulary are really a way to express this idea that all of the problems the underprivileged face are their own fault.”

Not only does Taibbi caricature Brooks and his motives, he also makes a hyperbolic claim that is impossible to defend. No one has just “one idea” that animates them.

We all have a desperate desire to be understood; we should feel equally compelled to understand. This election season, we must remember the power of empathy, and remember that we need not agree with someone to commiserate with them.

Our political views must be informed by the opposition because no single entity, be it a party or a person, has a monopoly on the truth.

To borrow again from the words of J.S. Mill, “Truth, in the great practical concerns of life, is a question of the reconciling and combining of opposites.” layout / Zach Stevenson, Ben Manning and Griffin Hunt

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