Viking Saga
Northwest High School Grand Island, Nebraska March 2013 Issue 7
Cheerleaders and Vikettes compete at State PAGE 2
Anticipation for Prom and Recognizing Sportsmanship
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Mike Smith Inspires Speech Team sees Success
PAGE 6 Start of Spring Sports Seasons
See insert for special issue of Viking Saga
PAGE 7
Reviews for Far Cry 3 and final Twilight DVD release
EDITORIAL - OPINION
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Prom can be a hassle, but is well worth it for the memories MelissaFrias Staff WritEr
Let’s get serious right now: prom may be one of the most important dances of the school year. It isn’t just the formal wear or the surprising over the top ways to ask someone to the dance. Prom is one of the biggest nights of the school year for so much more than that. It’s usually the ladies who get excited on picking out what dresses they want to strut around the dance floor in. Many girls will spend endless hours, weeks in advance, trying on dress after dress until they find “the one.” They also spend a lot of time considering how they are going to do their hair, whether that be getting ideas from Pinterest or Googling famous celebrities. How they are going to do their makeup, what shoes they are going to wear, and so much more. You can often spot girls posting on Facebook, “Should I get this dress, or this one?” Guys aren’t left out in the fun at all. Guys get to wear fancy tuxes and suits, and what looks better than a guy in formal wear? Everyone’s dream is to get asked to prom in the most big, over the top way possible. This can range from having a big orchestra screeching your favorite song, having a dozen roses sent to your advisement with a cheesy poem asking to go to prom, waking up in the dead of night to someone holding a boom box with their buddies holding a huge poster saying “Will you go to Prom with me?,” or just a simple “Prom?” on a sticky note. Getting asked is just one of the few perks. Nowadays, the old stereotype that “only guys
ask girls” has been terminated. A handful of brave ladies have been asking some lucky guys as well. It’s really nice to be able to go with someone, but does it really matter if you have a date, though? Why does everyone have to stress whether they are going with someone or not? For fear of being a wallflower? Not going just because you don’t have someone to go with seems pretty lame if you ask me. And what’s wrong with dancing with a friend? Whether you are by yourself or with a studly date, just have fun and step out of your comfort zone for the night. It isn’t just the scenery and glamour of prom that makes it an exciting night. It’s the memories that you make that are the best part: the unforgettable moments that will become a huge part of your high school experience; the crazy moments you’ll look fondly back on when you’re much older. The wardrobe malfunctions. Those crazy pictures you took in the parking lot with your best friends. That first slow dance you had with your date. The ten minutes you had to stand still as your parents took 500 pictures of you. Remember when your date was so nervous that they drove you to the wrong school? Or when you spilled mustard all over your dress? How about when you tied your tie so tight that when you tried to loosen it on the dance floor, somehow, it flew across the gym and hit someone you never even met before? Okay, maybe not all of the memories will be the best, but prom is a night that is unforgettable for everyone who attends.
Vikings should be proud of recent displays of sportsmanship AmyJohnson Staff WrittEr
Everything in the world needs sportsmanship. Every team, group or pairing. And some people more then others should realize it. The basic thing that comes to mind when you think of sportsmanship is a sports team congratulating the other team by saying, “Good job”. Northwest has some very good examples of sportsmanship. At a recent pep rally, Coach Paige gave a great example of a student who did something very kind. Jake Brian, a freshman, allowed a boy to win during a wrestling match after seeing his opponent’s disabilities. This was an amazing reminder to people about kindness, and sportsmanship too. It’s not just wrestling that has examples of sportsmanship, there is also bowling, mock trial, and every other team or activity at Northwest. Everyone should be recognized for it too. So with either a win or a loss, people should be kind to the other person or people and congratulate them, and have good sportsmanship.
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Viking Saga Staff Editor-in-ChiEf BaiLeighLeach Staff WritErS AdrianArroyo AshleyBykerk MelissaFrias SarahHeinen KylerJanecek AmyJohnson MakenaKelly CourtneyLierman AlyssaLilienthal ChelseaMusquiz CourtneyNiemoth MaryRice SethSalter adviSEr ElizabethKavan The Viking Saga is the official student publication of Northwest High School in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is printed by the Grand Island Independent nine times (monthly) throughout the school year. The paper is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association. Outside submissions, suggestions, or letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. They may be brought to room 32, or emailed to Ms. Kavan at bkavan@ginw.org Any and all submissions must be signed for them to be considered for publication, and the editor reserves the right to edit or print any submissions.
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How were you asked to prom? I went to Angelica Carlini, and she blindfolded me, put me in her car and drove me.Then she took me to Tyler Garret’s house, unblindfolded me, and he was standing there with roses, a soccer ball, and candles all over the place.They spelled out “prom” with a question mark. - Katie Goesch
My dad came downstairs and said I had a vistor and so I got dressed and ran upstairs. Logan Stratman was with my parents waiting. Then he got up and handed me a basket with golfballs and a note saying, “Now that I have the balls to ask you, will you go to prom with me?” -Alyssa Fisher
[At State basketball, the cheerleaders were doing the “Do It” cheer] and they said “Stop! now let Dakota do it!” so I stood up and was dancing around.Then they were like, “Go! Go! Go! Do It! Do It! To! To! To! Do It! Do It!” Then they held up signs that said “Prom” and Kenzie held the question mark. -Dakota Rader
NEWS
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Presenter Mike Smith spreads message Speech ends to “Speak up, Stand out” season with MaryRice Staff Writer
On Monday, the 4th of March, the school’s auditorium was filled with freshmen to seniors who came and gathered to listen to a motivational speaker by the name of Mike Smith. The students of Northwest seemed to really get into his speech and seemed to really like Smith. “Mike Smith was my favorite speaker; I really think he made an impact on us students--plus, he wasn’t boring; he got us laughing and intrigued,” stated sophomore Tiara Sullivan. Smith told students all about growing up and how he was bullied as a child and somewhat of an “outcast.” However, what he didn’t explain was what really made him want to change. After a drunkdriving accident took some of his best friends away from him, he made a true commitment to live life intentionally and to convert his reckless poor choices into recklessly pursuing his dreams. That was when he took the sport of basketball and
made it very important to his life, along with making sure that others never felt the way he did: that was when he found Calvin. “His Calvin story is an amazing story and touched the hearts of many,” sophomore Lindsey Johnson said. As the Executive Director for “The Bay,” one of the few nonprofit skateparks in the country, Smith works with young people from all walks of life, often showing them love and support when nobody else will. He is also the Executive Director of “Skate for Change,” an organization that empowers young skateboarders to help the homeless in their communities. He has skated across the state of Nebraska to raise money for his organizations TWICE. Smith’s passion and momentum haven’t gone unnoticed. He has been featured by organizations like Red Bull and State Farm, and people like professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler are more than supportive of Mike’s ventures.
So, a kid that lived in the small town of Imperial starts off being bullied, being a bit of a trouble maker with a 2.4 GPA; he takes a complete 360, turns into a standout basketball player, putting himself through college, and now is living the rest of his life extraordinarily and teaches others to do the same. He has never looked back: always forward. A decade of working with youth and two nonprofits later, Smith lives his life to the fullest. While other professional speakers struggle to remain current as they continually talk about their past experiences Smith works to stay relevant by talking about what he is doing. Whether it’s motivating students to change the culture of their school or teaching others how to start and maintain successful organizations, Smith uses his experience and expertise to inspire others to be extraordinary. “Speak for the silent, Stand for the broken” is Mike Smith’s quote that he lives by and encourages others to live by, too.
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State medals
MakenaKelly Staff Writer
“Don’t kill the kittens!” and “No regrets!” were two commonly heard phrases throughout the entirety of the Northwest speech season. These mottos, along with several other words of encouragement, helped to make the 2012-2013 season to become a memorable one. “We all did so great this year and I was so happy we had so many make it to State, and even finals,” stated senior Holly Green. Due to the level of competition, Northwest’s Class B-5 District is commonly referred to as the “Blood Bath” amongst coaches and competitors. As the awards ceremony came to a close, five Northwest students qualified for the state competition in four events. The next stop for Shana Havenridge, Rachel Jacobsen, Holly Green,
Riley Ruzicka, and Makena Kelly was the Class B State Tournament. “Gibson has been coaching for eight years and has never had finalists, and this year he had three amazing kids break that,” Green continued. This is the first year in Coach Brian Gibson’s coaching career that he has ever had a contestant make it to finals at state; this year three contestants qualified. Riley Ruzicka, Holly Green, and Makena Kelly all progressed to the finals round, and medaled at the Class B State Tournament. The 2012-2013 Northwest Speech Team was a year filled with firsts, and also a year sprinkled with lasts. Even though her career with the Northwest Speech team is over Green still plans to keep speech in her life by joining her college’s team. “...Speech is my life! I never missed a meet in high school, and it was and will remain my life!”
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FEAT
We’ve got Spir
Cheerleaders keep Northwest’s winning streak rolling CourtneyNiemoth Staff Writer
Cheerleaders Katie Aguilar and Kelsey Faaborg constructed a performance that made their team runner up in the Class B NonTumbling portion of the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Championship on Saturday, March 18th. Aguilar was proud of the hard work the cheer team put into their performance. “We practiced everyday after school at 4 o’clock, plus games. Games are huge practices for us,” Aguilar said. The girls ended up being ranked second with a final score of 74 points, after Gross Catholic who had a final score of 89 points, ranking first. The girls were appreciative of the help they received on their way to success. “We couldn’t have done it with out Tim Smith from Smitty’s. He worked with us for four hours straight, and it was a hard work out. He made us jump every time
we did our routine. He was a huge contributor to our victory. But I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Aguilar said. It is a challenge when a season’s work comes down to only a few minutes. “The hardest part is only having two and a half minutes to show everyone all that we’ve got. Most sports get every Friday to prove themselves, but we get two and a half minutes once a year,” Sophomore Jillian Dixson said. She agrees with her teammate Katie Aguilar about the hard work it took to get that far in state. “We went over the cheer routine so many times that I could do it in my sleep. It’s one of those things that you’ll never forget,” Dixson said. Though the girls didn’t think it wasn’t all just hard work and stress. “The best part about state was getting second place. We finally became a real team, and our hard work ended up paying off. It was so nice to get recognized for it,” Dixson said.
Nebraska State Cheer score sheet.
Thank you to Elizabeth Elliot for contributing cheerleading competition photos
URE
rit, Yes We Do!
Thank you to Bri Vitera and Emma Meyer for contributing Vikette photos
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Vikettes experience great support on way to competition ChelseaMusquiz Staff Writer
“We didn’t place, but I am still so proud of my team because we came so far since the beginning of the year, and we all had fun out there on the dance floor!” stated freshman Maddie Shultz. As the Vikettes placed third in Jazz and runner up in hip-hop last year, they didn’t medal or place high enough to get announced this year. The Vikettes spent most of their mornings and nights practicing, while some of them even practiced in their head during class. “We practice twice a week after school. Most of us take another dance class out of the Vikettes, whether it is Dancing Company, Just For Kix, or Smitty’s. This really helps with our flexibility and technique.” stated senior Emma Meyer, who was a Vikette for two years. Spending all day at a dance competition can give opportunities for some very memorable moments. “What stood out to me the most this year was right before we were supposed to do our jazz dance, a cheerleader from a tumbling team threw up in front of our entrance! So we had to wait for them to clean it up before we could even dance,” senior Jacy Judds said.
Wild moments aside, the girls were appreciative of the support they had at the competition. “It was amazing how many people were there to support us! Our friends, family, the cheerleaders, and Mr. Fisher were all there!” Judds said, who has been a Vikette for a year. Although the Vikettes have so much support from family and friends, they also hold each other together. “My relationship with the other Vikettes is great! We are all super close and are like one big family. We would do anthing for each other and we have tons of fun together!” stated Meyer. As a senior and it being her last year as a Vikette, Meyer stated, “I’m going to really miss them all! I really look forward to helping with tryouts and seeing a bunch of new dancers being able to fill the space us seniors are leaving behind. Being a Vikette has given me an amazing group of friends and a chance to do what I love, which is dancing!” For many of the girls, there are many positive aspects to being a part of an organization like the Vikettes. “Being a Vikette is very important to me. I love being part of such a close team, and I love supporting our school’s other athletes and representing Northwest,” Judds said.
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Track athletes prepare for success AshleyBykerk Staff Writer
The 2013 Viking boys and girls track and field team are well on their way to continuing the streak of success Northwest sports and activities have experienced this year. The team motto, “Work Hard, Have Fun, and be Champions in Everything You Do,” also provides good motivation and incentive. The track team started practice on February 25th and has been working hard every day since. The season also brings some new changes as well, including a new coach, Brandon Harrington. Harrington is serving as co-head coach, along with Coach Dave Gee. He will also coach hurdles and help all over the track. Harrington is excited for the coaching opportunity. “I know there are great coaches at Northwest, so getting a chance to work with them and the caliber of athletes at Northwest was a great opportunity for me,” Harrington stated. Harrington is a former Northwest student and athlete and even holds a few school records in track. Furthermore, that fact is only driving Harrington to make the most out of his position. “I am taking a ton of pride in everything because I am an alumni and I want to work with this coaching staff because they are such good coaches and people.” He has high goals going into the season, for himself and for the athletes and track program.
“I want to learn as much as I can from Coach Gee and this experience,” said Harrington. As for the athletes, Harrington desires to put them in positions where they will excel and perform to the best of their abilities. “The finishing goal is to win a district title and compete well at State,” said Harrington. With high energy and strong encouragement from the coaching staff, the athletes on the team are also ready to work hard and compete well. Freshman Taylor Kool, a distance runner, is looking forward to participating in track meets in her first year on the team. “I decided to go out for track because I wanted to become a better runner,” she said. Her goal for the season is to place well in meets. Senior Tanner Martin looks forward to competing in hurdles, relays, and the 400-meter run this year, as well as getting in the best shape that he possibly can. “One of my goals for the season is to beat Coach Harrington’s school hurdle record,” stated Martin. After being a four-year member of the track team, Martin is also looking forward to stepping up and being a senior leader. “I plan on being positive and encouraging all the time,” he said. Snow and cold weather postponed the first meet of the season for the team. However, the athletes look forward to competing at the North Platte Invitational on March 28th.
Soccer season kicks to a start SarahHeinen Staff Writer
Soccer season is here, along with two new coaches and a strong group of girls who are out to dominate this season. Their main goal is to be state champions. “The team is really assertive and productive when we focus and get work done,” said freshman Heather Pohlmeier. With that work ethic, along with the help of the team’s two new coaches, Jessica Topil and Travis Lillienthal, this team plans on going all the way. “Our new coaches are amazing. They’re very positive and funloving coaches who use a positive way of constructive criticism to coach us,” said senior Jessica Saddler. Don’t mistake these coaches for softies, though; the girls team practice after school with a demanding practice routine. This includes multiple passing drills to focus on the basics and create a good chemistry between the players. Along with that the girls also work their speed and agility with daily conditioning. It sounds like a lot, but the girls don’t mind. This year they feel as though they have something to prove. “We don’t have the strongest reputation as a team, so we really want to prove to everyone how good we really are and what we can accomplish,” said junior Courtney Niemoth. Before the regular
season starts every year, the girls play through the winter sports season on an indoor league. This past indoor season the girls soccer team went undefeated. This has set a fire in the hearts of the girls team to be the best. “So far, the season is going very well. The older girls are very supportive and open and our coaches are great,” freshman Bailey Parr said. As for the boys this year, they are anticipating a very successful season ahead of them as well. After wrapping up their season last year with a trip to the state soccer tournament, the boys are not going to accept anything less this time around. “Our team has six returning starters this year so it’s good that we have a lot of experience on the team,” senior Trevor Krat said. Even though there are a lot of returning players, the team does have one new very important member: their new coach, JJ Wagner. “Coach Wagner has done a good job with us so far; he fits in with us pretty well,” said Junior Austin Allen. The new coach has got the boys working hard with multiple shooting and scrimmaging drills to keep the boys precise and up to speed. With the outstanding veteran leadership and the team’s new coach working the boys hard, the team is hoping to go far this season.
SPORTS
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Spring Sports Goals
Viking Spring athletes share their goals for the season.
Heath Pedersen Senior Soccer
Brandon Bachle Senior Soccer
Kaley Warner Senior Track
Make it back to State like last year
Get back to State, and win the State Championship
Break the 400m dash record of 59.2 seconds, and win the State Championship as a team
Katie Placke Junior Track
Alex Larsen Senior Track
Jared Buller Junior Track
To win State as a team so that we can be the first school to ever win State in volleyball, basketball, and track
My goal is to win Districts as a team
This season I would like to win the 4x4 race at State
Alexis Iversen Senior Soccer
Jessica Saddler Senior Soccer
Zach Rouzee Senior Golf
Make it to State, but also become close as a team and work together
Make it to State
To make it to State as a team, and to be top three in our district
ENTERTAINMENT
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Far Cry 3: A vaguely positive view KylerJanecek Staff Writer
Ever since I first watched my cousin play a bit of Far Cry 2 a few months ago, I’ve had this assumption that the Far Cry games are about as interesting and fun as games like Call Of Duty. However, upon playing Far Cry 3 I realize how wrong I was, because it’s actually a pretty good game. The premise of the game is that you and your rich twenty-something American friends are vacationing in this island area when disaster strikes--a group of pirates capture you and your friends, and take you to their base to be sold into slavery. You alone escape, at first aided by your older brother, but proceeding alone after he is shot dead during the escape attempt. Alone and mostly helpless, you are forced to join up with the local tribe to fight against the pirates. In turn, they promise to help you to find all your friends, including your younger brother. You must work both to help the tribe to reclaim their island and find your friends--while navigating through mountains, rivers, and things that want to eat you. The game’s main goal is to
immerse you. It does this effectively in a lot of ways, one of which is to never leave the first person perspective in gameplay or cutscenes. Everything that happens--be it navigating through a burning house, fighting a pirate who’s 50 yards away with an AK47, or Because of the way the game is played, you’ll never get a third person view of being jumped by an your character as you play. It’s okay; you probably don’t look as cool as you’d crocodile and forcedimagine anyway. (image from PCgamer) pirate, pirate vehicle, or half-starved to mash a button to tiger trying to eat your face--that keep what’s left of you undigested-is, until you’ve absorbed too many is all seen through the eyes of your character, and while it may sound like bullets, in which case you can hide behind a piece of cover and cry it gets annoying, it works extremely yourself back to good health. well. Though Far Cry is not a perfect Another way the game immerses game, I cannot think of any particular you well is to make the world you’re flaw that is outstanding enough to in a fun one to be living in. Your justify mentioning. Just remember that character slowly evolves from a it does have it’s flaws, so don’t expect spoiled rich kid into a fierce, mentally absolute perfection. All of that aside, unstable hunter, and the gameplay is Far Cry 3 is a high quality experience as fun as the latter makes this sound. and you should have immense levels You can run into a pirate camp and of fun playing it. shoot up anything that moves: be it
Combining Sagas AdrianArroyo Staff Writer
Everyone knows about the Twilight Saga, a movie that originated from the book written by Stephenie Meyer. A movie that had everyone falling hard for a love triangle among a teenaged girl by the name of Bella, a vampire named Edward, and a werewolf named Jacob: not the typical love triangle. The Saga ended its final movie, Breaking Dawn Part 2 with a crazy ending. The movie begins coming off the cliffhanger of Breaking Dawn Part 1. Bella had just given birth to her baby girl named Renesmee. Bella was given the information that she would not survive. The wolf pack that wanted to kill Renesmee at the end didn’t, because Jacob, a member of the wolf pack, imprinted on Renesmee, which means that she
cannot be harmed. In Part 2 the Volturi, (a group of the oldest vampires that run everything) get information that Renesmee is an immortal child, which means that she was born than bitten. Throughout the whole film Bella, her husband Edward, and his family search for other vampires to use as witnesses, to say that she is not immortal. All of this led up to a great ending. I feel that the movie definitely had a closure to the whole saga. I think that Twilight can be for all genders and all ages. It has love and romance for the girls, and at the same time it has fighting blood, and dramatic effect for the boys. I loved how everything came together. It had laughter, excitement, and romance, seriousness, and many different emotions through out the whole film.
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