The Viking / Issue 5 / March 2014 by The Viking

the

viking Loudoun Valley High School . Purcellville, VA . Issue V . March 2014

Senior Jessica McMann lovingly crafts a mosaic for her portfolio in AP Studio Art. McMann has been involved in the Valley art program for four years. (photo / Sacha Gragg) cover / Charles Lyons, with special thanks to Scott Hackett and room 308

the

viking Newsmagazine Staff 2013-2014

Editor-in-Chief Charles Lyons

Managing Editors Brianna Jennings Emma Rodriguez

Business Manager Courtney Morgan

Copy Editor Leila Francis

Photography and Social Media Editor Elizabeth Sikora

Online Editors Sami Morency Henry Webster

Writers, Photographers, Business and Promotional Staff Emily Baer, Carina Bucci, Christopher Cerne, Jennifer Colantonio, Claire Deaver, Eileen Dunn, Cassandra Good, Sacha Gragg, Saige Hamblin, McKenna Holtz, Alexandra Krens, Benjamin Manning, Gonzo Ocampo, Shawn Ouellette, Clayton Ramsey, Maddie Rice, Ainsley Sierzega, Sydney Smith, Dalton Smolens, Helen Sternberg, Tyler Valentine, Sean Webster, Rachel Weinstein Adviser Paige Cox

Letter from the

Editor

Dear Vikings, The Viking is a completely studentrun and student-funded newsmagazine, meaning that our staff is responsible for everything you see printed, unless otherwise credited. Our adviser, Ms. Cox, guides us through the process, but ultimately everything is produced and crafted by The Viking staff.

thevikingnews.com | Twitter: @lvhsviking | Instagram: lvhsviking If there is something you want us to cover, let us know! Room 135, the publications room, is always open for you to come give us suggestions. Our goal is to paint an accurate portrait of the current cultural, scholastic, athletic and overall climate of the environment we visit every day; knowing what you all are interested in reading will help us reach this goal. While we want to entertain our readers, we also are very serious about our work. We do not tamper with interviews; the words you give us during an interview are what you will see printed unless you tell us otherwise. Our interviews are backed up via

audio files, and we promise to never intentionally place your quotes out of context. If you find that we printed something incorrectly or feel that we misrepresented you in any way, please feel free to let us know so that we can print an apology. As we said, we work to serve you, our student body, and do not want to misrepresent you. Make sure to look for us throughout the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we will be distributing one more issue before the school year ends. We unfortunately lost an issue due to the excessive amount of snow days in January, and have thus adjusted our release schedule, excising an

issue entirely. In the meantime, visit our online iteration at thevikingnews. com, where we post articles, pictures, sports coverage, videos and more on a weekly basis. Also, if you are interested in submitting advertisements or shoutouts to friends or clubs, feel free to visit Room 135 or contact our advertising manager, Courtney Morgan, by e-mail at courtney.m.2014@gmail.com. As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of The Viking. Thanks! Charles Lyons Editor-in-Chief

CONTENTS March 2014

4 Duck & Dodge

Countless students heartily participate in the annual dodgeball tournament each year, devoting time before and after school. Students form creative, close-knit and diverse teams, together capturing the fast-paced, reckless spirit of the game.

Construction Zone Market Street Music Mininbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent

8 The State of Sex Ed

While students assume the sex education they receive is a nationallyreinforced conversation that prioritizes their health and knowledge, the reality is much less uniform.

Snow Fatigue

As days of school missed push well into the double digits, students and teachers face the unimaginable question: how much free time is too much?

11 Performance Piece

The performing arts programs at Valley (drama and musical theater students and play participants alike) united for the January 31 Winter Showcase.

12 Editorial:

Moderate Misconception

Within the heated political atmosphere, conservatives may find it difficult to express their beliefs without being shut down by outdated misnomers and associated with radical views.

Tapping into his beloved bluegrass roots, special education teacher Scott Wallace dons a top hat and fiddle for the March 7 talent show. photo / Elizabeth Sikora

4 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2014

DUCK & DODGE

Holtz What used to be a memory from elementary school is now starting to come back in high school. Dodgeball is a game that brings about mixed emotions from many. This year, the tradition of the Spirit Clubsponsored dodgeball tournament continues. It’s a longstanding tradition into this year; there were many teams entered. There were football, baseball and even an all-girls basketball team called McFarlane’s Militia. “Some people on my basketball team thought it would be fun,” sophomore Lindsey Sweet said. “I agreed because competition is always fun.” The games are set up in tournament fashion. It starts off with the qualifier games then continues into playoffs. Finally, the championship is held in front of the entire school during the teacher-senior basketball game. The games are chaotic and intense. In some cases there will be a single player on one team against five members of the opposing team. According to the players, there were many reasons they decided to play in the dodgeball tournament this year. Some wanted to peg their friends with a ball; others wanted to participate in friendly competition and some wanted an opportunity to bond with their friends. “I decided to play this year because I missed getting to play dodge ball in gym class,” sophomore TJ Holdrege said. Whatever the reasons, most of the players agree that it was fun and exciting to play in the tournament. The spectators also enjoyed the entertaining and exciting games. Ultimately, team Oprah’s Mistresses was victorious after an intense battle in front of the whole school against team Abusement Park. The dodgeball tournament is an entertaining competition that has become a tradition at the school. It provides an opportunity for kids to hang out and play before school. “I am just playing for fun,” Holdrege said, “and to enjoy dodge ball with all my friends.” Top left / Junior Andrew Lohr throws a ball at the opposing team. Lohr’s team won the final round of the dodgeball match and was delcared the 2014 dodgeball champions. Middle left / Jason Yoxthimer gets ready to hurl the ball across the court. Bottom left / Sophomore Lindey Sweet collects balls. Sweet was a part of the first girls’ dodgeball team called McFarlane’s Militia. Center / Junior Robert Fox, member of the team Mike’s Soft Lemonade, jumps out of the way of the ball. Top right / Seniors Chris Voss and Duncan McDuffie coach the dodgeball teams.

photos / Elizabeth Sikora layout / Elizabeth Sikora MARCH 2014

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Construction Zone As spring sports season kicks off, new renovations impede students’ athletic endeavors. BY MCKENNA HOLTZ

Crowded parking lots, heavy machinery and piles of debris can be seen everywhere lately. It’s no shock to hear that the school is undergoing renovations, but few realize how many things it affects. One major example is spring sports. Many teams have been displaced and forced to go somewhere new. For some, this means practicing at a different field but still getting to play home games at school. This is how it is for boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. Both teams now have to be bused to Harmony Middle School to practice every day. Although they still get to play at the school, it is difficult to get readjusted and get into routine in a foreign place, although players are optimistic. “I don’t think it will really affect our season,” junior and varsity lacrosse player John Skinner said. “It takes 15 minutes out of practice to get there, though, and we didn’t have a say in where we practice.” Other teams have to move to an entirely new field for games and practices. The softball field was torn down and now is in the process of rebuilding, but in the meantime the team must play at Franklin Park. This puts the team at a disadvantage. “The field is unfamiliar; we lose the home field advantage,” senior and varsity softball player Tamasen Blaylock said. “It honestly stinks having to travel there every day.” For some, the changes aren’t entirely unwelcome. The old tennis courts were severely weathered. Cracks could be seen on all the courts, which affect the game, so the girls’ team is excited to practice and play at Ida Lee. “We get nicer facilities and we also get to play on more courts,” senior and varsity tennis player Abbie Baird said. Teams like baseball are used to playing off-campus, so this year is no different. They are used to traveling for practice, but most enjoy it because the

6 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2014

The track team navigates the unavoidable construction at after-school practice. (photo / Ainsley Sierzega)

field at Fireman’s Field has nice amenities. However, this year, due to the snow and harsh weather, both baseball and softball have been delayed from playing on the fields. Overall though, the baseball team loves playing in the stadium at Fireman’s Field. In fact, some of the players are upset about having to leave the field that the team has played on every year. There is a great deal of history at Fireman’s Field and there is an emotional connection for the players. Getting to play in a stadium that has been around for years is a fun experience for them. It’s been a tradition for students and players to travel to the stadium to watch the team play. “I would rather play at Fireman’s Field,” sophomore and varsity baseball player Adam Lockhart said. “Fireman’s has a lot of character and the new field at Valley won’t be the same.” Despite the chaos that the spring sports season entails, the teams are ultimately going to receive new fields to play on that are state of the art, which will help them to improve. The new weight room is going to be larger than the old one, so the athletes will train in an environment that will give them superior training opportunities to other schools. A new tennis court, softball field, baseball field, turf practice field and turf stadium field will be built by next year. Some teams are even getting to reap the rewards of the renovations this year. The soccer teams get to practice on the brand-new turf field. “The field is a lot easier to practice on, so we will be able to improve on our speed of play, passing and technical ability,” junior Ashley Moore said. “The field at Harmony was terrible, so the ball would never do anything you counted on it to do and was very unrealistic to how we would play in a game.” Every spring sport team will eventually benefit from the renovations. They will bring the school up-to-date with the others it competes against. The athletes and coaches believe they will have a greater chance against the opposing teams because they will no longer have to deal with the imperfections in their old fields, such as chunks of grass missing and cracks in the dirt. For teams like baseball, the renovations provide them with an opportunity to play their first ever game on campus. For almost all the teams, though, they will not get the true benefits of the renovations until next year, meaning that this year’s seniors will not get to enjoy the new facilities. “I can’t wait to play on the new fields,” sophomore and varsity lacrosse player Parrish Alto said. “I feel like playing on the turf will help us a lot. We will get a better feel for what it will be like in a game situation.”

Market Street Music

Student musicians perform at Purcellville’s favorite coffee shop.

BY CLAIRE DEAVER Among the several sought-after features of a coffee shop—appealing coffee drinks, relaxing atmosphere and free wi-fi—Market Street Coffee Shop’s recent musical performances draw large crowds of students. Market Street lets musicians play for free at their Purcellville location to help support and promote local performers. Juniors Grant Frazier and Ian Gallagher are among these many artists. With Gallagher playing guitar and Frazier singing, Chords and Keys brought in a large crowd at their performance. On February 22, they played their originial songs “Tongue Tied,” “Fly” and “I Can’t Tell,” as well as covers of “Wayfaring Stranger” by Johnny Cash and “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Beatles. “The reaction from the crowd was great. There were about seventy people in that small coffee shop and the atmosphere was really cool,” Frazier said. “People really liked the acoustic set that we did and were really pumped about some of the covers.” Another musician, junior Dennis Brumback, recently performed at Market Street with junior Jake Lutman as guitarist and lead vocalist, senior Hector Padilla as bassist and backup vocalist and Josh Poncin as drummer. Although they only expected 10-20 people to come out, the whole shop was packed, with about 15 people standing outside the whole time because there was no space available inside. Brumback said the name of their band, Lobsters Riding Space Trains, was part of the why they drew so much attention. As lead guitarist, Brumback played music with what he called a more “psychedelic vibe.” They performed funk and jazz originals and covers of Phish, Lotus, Jimi Hendrix and Grateful Dead songs. “We did not get paid, nor did we pay to play there,” Brumback said. “We’re just some local musicians who want to play some good music to a crowd of people who want to listen to us and have a good time.” The group received some tips, similar to Chords and Keys, even though they did not request them. Brumback said he heard great reviews

Junior Ian Gallagher performs at Market Street with his band Chords and Keys on February 22. (photo / courtesy of Doug Barton)

from everyone who came to their performance. “People were dancing and just having a good time listening to some good music,” Brumback said. “During one of our songs, I looked outside and even saw people outside in the freezing cold dancing.” Employees like senior Caleb Vineyard also benefit from the performances. The local musicians bring in tons of customers, increasing business significantly. “Business is insane,” Vineyard said. “People stay to listen so it’s usually packed and you get really good tips.” Therefore, both Market Street and the local performers profit from the experience. The performers gain practice in front of a live audience and the coffee shop receives more customers and advertising for their business. The coffee shop’s size provides a limited audience, a good transition step for new musicians. “It’s nice to have a good relationship between the business and the band, where we’re both benefitting from one another,” Frazier said. “I think we’ll definitely play there again, if we can fit everyone!”

Mininberg’s Got Talent Government teacher opens up about teaching, guitars and reality television.

BY BRIANNA JENNINGS Government teacher Dave Mininberg is a fixture at Valley; students are drawn to him for his magnetic personality and strong musical abilities. Mininberg’s musical talents led his wife to push him to audition with their band for reality TV show America’s Got Talent. At first, the group didn’t get a call back after sending in their video audition. However, they recently received a call back and eagerly await the results of round three. “The experience was really cool,” Mininberg said. “Essentially, we met at a studio with a producer, cameraman and sound engineer. They give you 90 seconds to perform. After the 90 seconds they ask a bunch of questions and I told them we did original songs too, so the producer asked to hear one. He said he liked it. So far we have made it to round two.” The group will soon hear if they are accepted into the next round, which will take place in New York or L.A. Mininberg is lucky enough to be able to pursue two of his passions, teaching and music. “I just love to play and write music. It is so much fun to get paid to do something you love. It is an amazing feeling to perform a song you have written and have people tell you how much they like it or how it connected with them. I have been blessed because I get paid to teach and to play and I love them both.”

Mininberg takes the opportunity to bust out his favorite instrument in school, playing with the Bluegrass Club at their winter fundraising event. (photo / Ainsley Sierzega)

MARCH 2014

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

While students assume the sex education they receive is a nationally-reinforced conversation that prioritizes their health and knowledge, the reality is much less uniform. U.S. teens now grow up into a battleground of different ideas and approaches regarding their health and future. When we conceive of the purpose of school, we envision the objective pursuit of knowledge: the venturing of our brains into unknown mental realms of kings, equations, fanciful fictions and periodic tables. Our classes equip us with practical information for future use in more advanced classes and, hopefully, the real world and our burgeoning careers. Family Life Education is a program mandated by Virginia state law that addresses a host of issues confronting students from kindergarten through tenth grade. The program includes, at age-appropriate intervals, the importance of family, what a healthy friendship or romantic relationship entails and the ins and outs of those Big Three hot button issues: drugs, alcohol and sexual activity. Unlike the more knowledge-based curriculums of other required

classes, the standards of learning (SOLs) and intentions of Family Life Education (FLE) are distinct in that they appear to be rooted in a particular set of values. In every FLE booklet’s Philosophy and Goals section it stipulates that “The lessons in the Family Life curriculum are intended to teach certain values of our society. Teachers are expected to instill these values as they teach the curriculum.” By distinguishing itself as a class that primarily instills rather than instructs and deals in societal values rather than researched facts, FLE inevitably raises questions and disagreements about what should be taught and how it should be expressed. Across the country, state laws regarding what public schools have to teach vary considerably. As

8 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2014

of March 2013, only 22 states and the District of Columbia require that schools teach sex education. 20 of those states also mandate HIV/AIDS education.

Divides in belief There is a major split between those that feel educators should stress an abstinence-until-marriage position on sexual activity and those who push for “comprehensive sex education,” in which other forms of birth control and contraception are discussed in more detail. According to a Virginia law initially passed in 1988, the state requires counties to promote an abstinence-only position to students; one of the nine tenets of LCPS’s FLE program (listed at the beginning

of every handbook) says that “A student should refrain from sexual relations until marriage.” Junior Lily Hamilton feels an abstinence-only stance is “bad news,” adding that “it may be a valid method of ‘birth control,’ but it reinforces archaic social constructs like the concept of virginity which doesn’t help women much.” Some argue that the sex education policies of Virginia, and specifically Loudon County Public Schools, are, on the whole, rooted in more traditional values. On the LCPS website it reads that the program is designed to “emphasize the importance of family,” and “stress the value of life,” objectives that are close in phrasing and content to conservative political standpoints on family structures and abortion, respectively. “FLE is on the conservative end of the sex ed spectrum, and that can be frustrating,” Hamilton said. “Changes I would make would be more emphasis on the choices available to women, including the inclusion of abortion to the curriculum…I don’t recall ever learning about abortion during my time in FLE.” However, for other students and their families, the current FLE program explores too much graphic information that they feel is unnecessary in a school environment, a divide that is illustrative of the different perspectives surrounding the controversial subject. Some of these parents decide to opt their children out of the instruction altogether because of their dissatisfaction with how much is taught and the way with which it is being communicated, a decision that could stem from a variety of personal or ideological reasons. “I’ve always been opted out [of FLE] because my parents didn’t want me to learn about sex and stuff like that at school,” sophomore Cooper Lush said. According to Health and Physical Education Department Chair Joyce Phillips, approximately 25 students a year in the freshman and sophomore classes combined opt out of FLE, and although the school does not ask that families provide a reason for doing so, it is often for religious reasons. “I am a believer that it is a parent’s choice whether a student learn this, do this, understand this. I am, however, okay that we do it because a lot of parents won’t talk to their kids about it and kids definitely need to learn,” Phillips said.

Student reaction Outside of the heated, contentious values debate that ensnares sex education, a problem that frequently arises is a refusal on students’ parts to take the program seriously. “I think if they take it seriously it has a positive effect,” Phillips said of the program. “I think some kids go in—and it’s the child’s choice how they want to learn—but I do feel that sometimes they go in and maybe they don’t take it seriously enough and they may not get anything out of it.” For some students, this may be because of immaturity or insecurity, but for some it could stem from a genuine discomfort with the material being taught. “My experience with FLE has been eerie. I didn’t feel comfortable with what they were talking about; almost out-of-place,” freshman Thomas Millman said. Students have specifically reacted unfavorably

ACCEPTING THE CONSEQUENCES

to watching a video of a birthing process and other similarly graphic imagery. They cite being physically upset and disturbed, with many unwilling to watch and vocal to disagree with viewing the images in the first place. “[FLE classes] shouldn’t teach the actual birthing process. I don’t think that anyone wants to watch a live birth because that just seems gross,” Lush said. Millman agrees, recounting an incident when a student responded to biological sexual imagery. “During the first class of [FLE], a person was on their phone. At that time, the teacher was presenting graphic images. Then, after a couple minutes the teacher asked him to put his phone away and, after seconds of recognition of the image, he started puking.” However, although students are apprehensive when forced to confront the realities of their decisions, they still participate in the corresponding risky behavior. A 2011 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that more than 47% of all high school students say they have had sex and 15% of high school students have had sex with four or more partners during their lifetime. If these numbers were to be applied to Valley, it would mean over 550 kids are sexually active. Although some families and students may object to the methods of instruction, sexual behavior is, statistically speaking, a reality of teenage life and majority of Americans think it needs to be grappled with in some way. “Teens need sex ed to learn how to make decisions regarding their sexuality in a mature way, and to decide what’s best for themselves and their health,” Hamilton said. “It is, in my opinion, one of the most important things that can be taught at school.”

of American adults say that it is important for young people to be taught comprehensive sex education.

15%

of American adults say they want abstinenceonly education for their children.

TV shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” caused 20,000 less teenage births per year, reducing the teen birthrate by 5.7% Study by University of Maryland and Wellesley College

The future But as political persuasion, religious affiliation, location and squeamishness lock families and students into unchanging viewpoints on how to best educate young people, time and technology push forward, advancing and altering the cultural landscape. These changes, like it or not, undeniably influence and change how people approach the weighty issues at hand. Phillips deems the amount of exposure modern teens have to new technology “overbearing,” adding, “I think [sex education] is more important now than it used to be. Kids get some good things and some bad things from social media just like my generation got from television. I just think the difference is the pervasiveness of social media right now. It’s like you can’t get away from it.” A similar inescapability hovers over sex education. Though some detractors may wish it away, the behaviors that it attempts to educate persist and the class remains a required course for students—at least in Virginia. Due to this, it is funded on tax payer money, a fact that means its content and approach has the potential to affect peoples’ beliefs and their wallets. As the last two decades’ stress on abstinence education is reflected upon, people must ask themselves if they understand what they are paying for and whom they are serving in doing so. photo / Charles Lyons layout / Charles Lyons

90%

Abstinence pledge programs increase plege-takers’ risk for STIs and pregnancy

88%

of pledge-takers had sex before marriage. They were less likely to pursue STI testing or use contraception. Study by Columbia University

Sexual activities declined significantly among high schoolers in years before abstinence-only programs were introduced, but changed little when they were instated. Data from Youth Risk Behavior surveys

MARCH 2014

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

SNOW FATIGUE As days of school missed push well into the double digits, students and teachers face the unimaginable question: how much free time is too much? By Gonzo Ocampo and Sami Morency The winter of 2014 has been one of the most unorthodox for Loudoun County Public Schools. The unconventional weather, including outrageous instances of snow and ice accumulations and sub-zero temperatures, has gotten under the skin of administrators, parents and even some students with 14 full days of school lost due to closings, many more days cut short due to several delays and the complete cancellation of mid-term exams due to an entire week of unplanned student days off. It has been made clear that this cold, extensive winter no longer serves as a fun snow day for many students. According to the Weather Channel, the last winter storm had accumulations of up to 18 inches of snow and one inch of ice. These types of conditions make it almost impossible to leave the house, dangerous to drive and impose a cabin fever-like feeling to the 60,000 students enrolled in Loudoun County schools. “It restricts everyone from getting where they need to be; I’m simply just tired of it,” sophomore Anna Guzzetta said. “There are piles of dirty snow everywhere, which don’t look good, and it’s constantly freezing outside.”

Not only does the snow impede on the students’ mobility but also parts of their educational and athletic lives. “The snow and cold weather affect spring try-out conditions for lacrosse, and also affect my schoolwork in the sense. I am often confused and backed up on multiple assignments,” sophomore Josh Huerbin said. The outrageous weather effects not only students’ school work and athletics. Some students have jobs they are prevented from travelling to, and a few even have their own small businesses that were hit hard by the lack of business due to the weather hazards. “The harsh weather negatively impacts my out-of-school business, Max Lax Strings, drawing customers away from my product due to the road conditions,” sophomore Max McNerney said. The increasing amount of closings affects a large number of students, but it also negatively affects the staff and teachers at the school. AP Psychology and history teacher Rodney Jones attested to the fact that the snowfall knocked him out of his daily routine. “Me and a few other teachers

10 THEVIKINGNEWS.COM MARCH 2014

have agreed that we are going to have to assign spring break assignments in order to prepare for final exams and the AP national tests,” Jones said. Most students would agree that watching Netflix under a heated blanket for five straight days could potentially get boring, and going sledding with a few friends would be fun if only it wasn’t ten degrees outside. Although a large amount of students think that these huge amounts of snowfall have been a burden, a handful of students simply say that the snow isn’t an inconvenience to them and they actually enjoyed snow days and time off to the fullest. “I really do enjoy all the snow; I can go do different winter weather activities like sledding, riding my snowmobile and skiing, activities I’m not normally used to doing,” sophomore Marcos Pierce said. “The amount of snow hasn’t bothered me, I really enjoyed my time off.” photo / Ainsley Sierzega layout / Sami Morency, Henry Webster

70.8

The number of inches of snowfall for the 20132014 school year.

Days cancelled for inclement winter weather.

The number of days Loudoun County has to make up due to cancellations. Most other Virginia schools have to make up days.

1996

The last time midterms were cancelled due to the snow.

Performance Piece The performing arts programs at Valley (drama and musical theater students and play participants alike) united for the January 31 Winter Showcase. Throughout the evening, audiences were privy to an unvarnished display of the performersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; evolving abilities and interests, as students dressed all in black gave monologues, solo musical performances and more. Freshman Noah Wade animatedly performs a scene with senior CJ Thomas (not pictured). Inset left / Junior Alex Poirier contorts in the name of theatre. Inset right / Freshman Greta Simons is aghast in a scene, scribbling furiously. (photos / Maddie Rice)

MARCH 2014

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

Moderate Misconception Within the heated political atmosphere, conservatives may find it difficult to express their beliefs without being shut down by outdated misnomers and associated with radical views. Editorial by Leila Francis

Politics hold distinct influence in nearly every individual’s life; the First Amendment grants each of us the inherent right to not only have our own beliefs, but express them. However, as people come to terms with their own values and beliefs in relation to politics, it can be hard to convey them respectfully to others. We are entitled to our own opinions, but we are equally entitled to share our opinions with those who may not agree, so long as we maintain a certain level of courtesy. As the perceived gap between liberal and conservative viewpoints widens, the maintenance of respect grows more difficult for people leaning in either direction. A key factor is the very perception of the gap; it is often in reality much narrower than we think. Rather than celebrating similarities, though, we exaggerate the differences until we are entirely convinced that the opposition is completely wrong, with no merit to their claims whatsoever. As a conservative, it is particularly frustrating that many liberals fail to acknowledge that any conservatives can have any progressive principles whatsoever. Not only is there a failure to acknowledge, but also a distinct stubbornness insisting that conservative views can’t possibly have any benefit in a modern society. Conservatives are often brushed aside as outdated, old-fashioned and irrelevant with an attitude of superiority that is anything but conducive to compromise. In some cases, opposition even goes so far as to assume that those who aren’t thoroughly liberal are racist or bigoted. Such assumptions are unfounded and in themselves bigoted. This mindset allows only for two extremes, the metaphoric black and white, without any shades of gray or varying degrees of belief, when in fact 34 percent of individuals in the US are self-identified moderates rather than conservative or liberal as of 2013, not including those who identify as moderately conservative or moderately liberal, an ever-increasing number as the far left and far right become more extreme. In the 2004 National Election Study, a sample of the American electorate were asked to classify themselves on a seven-point scale

from extremely liberal to extremely conservative, as seen in the graph below. The results reiterate the claim that the far left and right are in no way representative of the general populace. All too often, liberals alienate those with different opinions—conservatives—without pausing to hear what those differences may be, then cover their own narrow-mindedness by labeling conservatives with terms that are, in most cases, wholly baseless. Racist. Sexist. Homophobic. Admittedly some conservatives fit these labels very well, but they are the exception rather than the rule, an even smaller fraction of the three percent. Conservative values often are religiously or morally based and not an expression of bigotry in any way, but rather one’s principles, and rarely as extreme as the labels imply. These labels misapplied to those who don’t actually fit them destroy any distinction between those who legitimately are racist, homophobic, etcetera and those who are openmindedly conservative. When every conservative is labeled as racist, sexist and homophobic, the term loses its verity, diluting into an overused, irrelevant word. Conservatives hold an equally important place

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in politics as liberals, and as everyone becomes more frustrated with the lack of bipartisanship in our government, it is essential that both conservatives and liberals remain respectful and willing to compromise. By painting all conservatives of our generation with the same brush as Tea Party members—who have vastly different views and backgrounds—and the outdated party leaders who cling to extreme ideas rather than moderation, we prevent the finding of the very solutions we demand from our leaders. We don’t have the luxury of allowing partisan opinions to dictate our every decision; this is the very mindset that many find so frustrating in our current government officials. As our country’s future, it is our responsibility to improve upon generations past, learn from their mistakes and learn the valuable skills of remaining open-minded and willing to compromise. layout / Emma Rodriguez photo / Ainsley Sierzega

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MARCH 2014

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Free meal at our Need a Meal?

Community Kitchen

Free Food Pantry Deliveries Served Thursdays at 5:30pm Call 703-554-3595 Free meal at our Community Kitchen Served Thursdays at 5:30pm

Need Some Rest?

Still Waters Ministry No cost help for families who Need Some(ages Rest? have children 5-15) Still Ministry withWaters special needs.

No cost help for families who (ages 5-15) 2ndhave andchildren 4th Monday. 6-7.30pm with special needs.

All at our Tree of Life2ndCenter and 4th Monday. 6-7.30pm

Every Thursday 6:30 to 7:30pm

210 N. 21st Street, Unit D, Purcellville Valley Business ParkStreet, 210 N. 21st Purcellville ehind Old Unit TrainD,Station)

Need Financial Help?

All at our Tree of Life Center

(Valley Business Park untoBehind us a child is Station) born..” Old Train

703-554-3595 Info@tolministries.org 703-554-3595 www.tolministries.org

Info@tolministries.org Christmas Greetings as we celebrate the Savior’s birth! www.tolministries.org

“For unto us a child is born..” Christmas Greetings as we celebrate the Savior’s birth!

MARCH 2014

THEVIKINGNEWS.COM

Viking View 1

Freshman Will Ramey raps during his performance at the March 7 talent show.

Peer students, including senior Hannah Hodson and juniors Kailey Liverman and MJ Gillis, join together for a visit with Blue Ridge Middle School students.

In the process of making a mosaic, senior AP Art student Ana Kesari paints a replica of a filtered photo.

During the annual dodgeball tournament, junior Jack Degroat competes for his team. The tournament raises money for military children.

Junior Alie Campbell sings during the drama winter showcase on February 21.

Freshman Sam McDonough dribbles the ball during the JV boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; soccer scrimmage against James Wood. photos / Sacha Gragg, Maddie Rice, Elizabeth Sikora layout / Carina Bucci