Viking Saga
Northwest High School Grand Island, Nebraska May 2013 Issue 9
Violence in America PAGE 2
Where is Our Society Heading Fashion Trends Upcoming Finals
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The Death of MSN Changes in Social Media
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A Wish Comes True for Viking Student Secular Allance Group
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Dishonorable Review Broadway Comes to GI
EDITORIAL - OPINION
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What’s the deal with fashion?! Just be your own person Now I have my own character shouldn’t come such a grip on fashion, your personality. AlyssaLilienthal Staff Writer
Fashion, fashion, fashion. It seems like everyone is worried about boots, scarves, and other completely ridiculous things. Honestly, why do people have to be “in”? Can’t humans be and dress like themselves?
fashion, I wear what I want and I don’t care who doesn’t like it. I think everyone should express themselves through everything they do, especially fashion. Strut it. In my opinion, fashion is not as important as people think. Friendship and
Tips on how to prepare for semester finals AmyJohnson Staff Writer
Every school year has its set of challenges; some people can handle them better than others. Most of the time, however, everyone has the same reaction to the semester finals. Most high school students get psyched out and freaked about the semester finals and it is normal, too. But the most important thing to do, is to keep breathing, and keep calm. But what can do you do to help keep yourself calm? Well there are a lot of things. You can do what anyone would do, and sleep. The University of Notre Dame has shown how sleeping after an all-nighter can help a person remember the materials they studied. Something that everyone does is multitask. It happens all the time, and it’s normal to do, but it’s not the best idea if you want to focus. So while studying, turn off anything that will get you distracted and just focus on the books. Something that people don’t know about learning is that if you
just from clothes you wear: express yourself, don’t express society. Some girls think that boots or brand name shirts make them more popular or cool. Boys seem to think shoes and hats are the only things that make up an outfit. It’s sad that society has
learned about something new in class, if you review what you learned within 24 hours, you have an 80% greater chance to remember what you learned. Another thing is to write down your notes. While I agree that the iPads are an amazing addition to helping with school work, it’s a proven fact that if you write notes down rather then typing them, you remember them. Tests happen in all classes. With each class you need to know different vocabulary, different notes on people and things relating to the subject, and you need to study for the class. With each class there is new vocabulary, new people to learn about, and what they did to leave their mark in history too. Along with that, each class comes with a lot of notes. So if you are still freaked out about the finals, and about studying, then remember the basics. Keep calm, focus, relax and study. If you want to know more tips to help you study, then go to www.thebestcolleges.org.
that if you don’t wear what’s in-style you are not as cool as others. I love it when people dress up just because they know they’re beautiful. Plus boys who wear a suit and tie to show their respect for the sport they play. I think scarfs and bow ties bring out
So the big statement I’m trying to make here is be free with your fashion, love what you wear, and don’t care what others may think. You are perfect the way you are! So to all you ladies and gentlemen, do you let society pick out your clothes?
Not happy with the world? Change it CourtneyNiemoth Staff Writer
War, threats, bombings, shootings, racism, discrimination, suicide, and homicides; a list of things that I hear discussed daily: grim topics that we’re forced to talk about and can no longer avoid, because they’re the actions of the people around us. Due to the recent tragedy in Boston, people have been questioning what our society is becoming. That with all the hate and violence humans are coming to a certain end. But on the contrary, some people think that for every tragedy, hundreds of people unite and show world prosperity. And I think that the previous statement is a joke. I think that individually, all humans are born with a conscience, but some humans are born with the ability to ignore it. But everyday I notice more and more people with that ability. People like this will always exist, they’re capable of ignoring their conscience, and they’re capable of causing horrific scenes and tragedies. But I also know that there are wonderful and kind people in the world, people that would do anything for a complete stranger. And sadly, people like that are becoming scarce in this world. Furthermore, there will always be selfish and selfless people in the world, but I believe that the selfish outweigh the selfless. Every day people kill other people, because they’re gay, a different race, believe in different things, are a different religion, or have different morals. Some people kill themselves because they can’t handle it; like dying is easier than living with the people they’re surrounded by. People kill them
selves because they were tormented everyday for being different. How is anyone okay with being part of a world like that? People keep saying they want to make a change, to live in a better world, but what are any of us doing to ensure that a change is made? The government can pass and trash all the laws they want, but it means nothing if none of us truly want to change. I’m still shocked by the amount of people I hear say, “we don’t need change.” In the last 18 years, there have been 87 school shootings; it took 50 years prior to that to reach 87. So in the last 18 years, our generation caused the same amount of destruction as 3 generations combined. A really big problem in our society is intolerance and ignorance. No one has tolerance for anyone that is different. We’re all so quick to judge, but no one ever takes the time to actually listen to other people. Everyone thinks that they’re better than everyone and that there’s no room for change or difference. People need to lose that attitude. BE ACCEPTING. That’s the best piece of advice I can give anyone. Accept that not everyone is going to be the same religion as you. Accept they’re not the same color. Allow people to have different opinions and morals. Be tolerant of people that aren’t the same, because IT’S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT. Why do people bash gays, argue about religion, and discriminate against different races? Why do people ridicule and say harsh things to other people just because their opinion differs? That isn’t solving anything. Ridicule won’t automatically change someone’s religion, sexuality, or skin color. It’s
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.
@nwvikingsaga only going to hurt your fellow human beings. You might think being gay is wrong, not being Christian is wrong, not being white is wrong; but isn’t belittling a person so much that they kill themselves just as wrong? We do need to change. Look around you. The world we’re living in is nothing to be proud of; no one should be satisfied by this place. It’s the lack of people striving to be a better civilization that will destroy us. We can’t keep living this way, or we will be the reason the world ends.
NEWS
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Changing social media MelissaFrias Staff Writer
Teenagers are all naturally social creatures. They need to stay up-to-date with their friends, any incidents that may have occurred throughout the day, and what goes on in the lives of famous celebrities. There is no doubt that social media sites are becoming a huge part of everyone’s lives, but how does the popularity of the site affect why some students choose to get one? How exactly has changing social media been brought into perspective by students? The popular social media site or “the account to have” has been changing in the past few years. MySpace was once the main social media site in use, now it isn’t as popular. MySpace offers a way for people to connect with one another, make new friends, stream music, and it allows people to post personal information about themselves. MySpace was first launched in 2003. Between 2005 and 2006, MySpace had peaked to 80 million users around the world, according to Random History. By 2008, Facebook began to gain popularity, leaving MySpace in the dust. “MySpace is forgotten
because times have changed. [When] Facebook came out, people liked it because it looked much simplier to use than MySpace,” senior Lindsey Johnson explained. Facebook is probably one of the most frequently used social media sites in the world right now. Facebook currently has over one billion users. That means one in every seven people on earth has a Facebook account, according to Digital Marketing Ramblings. Many people like to use Facebook to upload photos, post statuses, and use it as a way to connect with friends and family. Unfortunately, Facebook is also often prone to “Facebook drama.” “I think Facebook helps me stay connected with my family and friends who live out of state. It can be dramatic, but that’s the best part about the unfriend button because you can keep yourself drama free,” junior Cheyenne Lucas stated. Twitter is quickly becoming a popular social media site. It currently has over 500 million users and counting, according to WebProNews/Social Media. It allows anyone to follow famous celebrities and friends from all over. People can tweet about anything
they want (in under 140 characters) and post pictures. There is no doubt that Twitter is increasingly becoming popular, but is it becoming bigger than Facebook? MySpace was once the king of all social media, but is now considered the abandoned amusement park of the internet. Is Facebook heading in that direction, becoming overrun by Twitter? “I think it could replace Facebook because, I mean look at MySpace. It’s gone. Facebook is still pretty popular, but Twitter beats it,” commented junior Daisy Arreola. Social media is becoming a huge part of everyone’s lives and it’s only going to get more involved. Everyone everywhere is getting online. Statistics say that in one minute, 100,000 tweets will be sent and over 680,000 pieces of content will be shared on Facebook. By 2015, it is estimated that the number of internet users will double to four billion people and it’s guaranteed that most of those users will have a social media account, according to 216 Social Media and Internet Statistics (September 2012). This is the age of the internet.
The death of MSN AdrianArroyo Staff Writer
On March 15, 2013, students lost an old friend. No one saw it coming; RIP MSN (windows live messenger). MSN was the thing to have a few years ago, but now it is a thing of the past. “MSN was like Twitter,” said junior Mary Rice. Pre-teens would do anything to get on MSN to chat with their friends or to see if their crush had messaged them back. “People were on it constantly. I’d have to fight with my parents to get on,” added Rice. “Technology has improved to the point where I don’t even think twice about MSN. I used to get on all the time but now there’s faster ways to communicate with people,” explained junior Molly Rafferty. When on MSN, it was as if students needed to compete with their friends. “You’d always have to have the coolest fonts and you could share your backgrounds,” stated junior Kylee Norgaard. Back then, it wasn’t about how many people liked a status or how many followers one could get; it was more about who decorated their page
with the best fonts or who had the coolest backgrounds. “It was a way to talk to all your friends back then. It was like the older version of Facebook. It was so personalized that when you would listen to music on iTunes, it would tell what song you were listening to on your status,” said junior Hanna Yelkin. For students, it is surprising to see a part of their past disappear. “Even though I stopped getting on MSN, it’s still crazy to think that something that I used to get on all the time is now closed down,” Norgaard added. Now that MSN is no longer around, students may forget how much they used it in their lives before social media sites like Fcebook and Twitter came along. MSN is an everlasting memory for many students. Everyone forgets that MSN was the one that started online messaging alongside MySpace and many other social media sites. People don’t realize how much they have forgotten about MSN until someone mentions that it is shutting down. When someone tells them that, they take a step back and run all those memories of late night chats through their heads again.
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FEATU
the increase of vio INCREASING
When sudden violence strikes SarahHeinen Staff Writer
Disaster has struck America multiple times in the recent past. Many events have taken place that have shocked the nation and has made many Americans second guess their safety. Attacks such as 9/11, Sandy Hook and the Boston Bombings are only a few of the tragic events that have changed the face of this country. The attack of September 11th, 2001 was a catastrophic event that took place in one of America’s most beloved cities, New York City. News reporters went wild, and many people lost their family members, friends and co workers. This was one of the most crazy, random events that Americans have seen. Some say it was just as surprising as the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was pulled off by Iraq suicide bombers. This attack made citizens of the U.S. question their safety against foreign invaders. Another event, the Sandy Hook shootings, took on a whole new darkness. A man ran into the Sandy Hook Elementary School, shot at and killed many young children and
eventually killed himself. A recent happening in Boston, Mass, widely called the Boston Bombings has now made it impossible for sanctioned national events to be unsafe. At the Boston marathon two men set up pressure sensors bombs around Boston and in the heart of the marathon. When these bombs went off they in injured and killed runners and spectators. What is this country coming to? Mass tragedies are happening all around, and we can’t see it or prevent it until it happens. Violence has been been booming within the past 15 years and it has been changing the face of America forever. Is this change good or is it bad? Some may argue that it is tearing us apart, it is tearing us away from our government and also away from our fellow Americans. Others say that it is rather making us stronger. In times of adversity we should stand together as one and not let tragedy break us down. Either way it is clear that violence in our country is beginning to be uncontrollable. Is this the beginning of the end of our civilization as we know it or are we on the brink of being a whole different kind of power in the world?
34%
of rampage murderers commit suicide
42.7 14.29 2.33 34%
times higher: US homicide rates, compared to other countries.
average of people killed in rampage killings when the police step in.
average of people killed when a civilian steps in.
50%
of rampage killers were considered to be in the “mainstream” crowd.
of rampage killers felt they had been bullied or persecuted at school.
71%
Statistics from Psychology Today
When early nurturing does not take place, various brain systems are not established properly. This may result in anxiety or violence later on in life.
Scan from WGBH’s NOVA Chart from Citizens Crime Commission of New York City
URE
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iolence in america VIOLENCE What Triggers Violence? ALCOHOL
By relieving people of their ability to control themselves, violence ensues.
Media
Photo from The Daily Beast
When violence occurs, people try to find what could have stopped it MakenaKelly Staff Writer
The recent debate over gun violence has caused many Americans to begin askig questions if they’re actually doing all that we can to protect our citizens. Several bills have been proposed in legislation to help end gun violence, but as of now, none have passed. Ninety-percent of Americans currently support universal background checks, but in April, the bill proposed was shot down in the Senate. With shootings like Columbine in 1999; Sandy Hook Elementary, just this last December; and the even more recent Boston Bombings that happened in April, many people have deduced that violence is on the rise in American culture. Some people believe that this can be actively conveyed through the cultural use of video games, accessibility to weaponry, and various other factors. Guns have been in American culture since the very
beginnings, however. To some, guns are more than their intended use. Guns, in some parts of the United States, are looked at as memorabilia. “In a state like Nebraska, almost every house has a gun. Hunting is a popular tradition. Everyone’s great grandpa probably had a rifle or two that he probably gave to his children or grandchildren. A gun is always close to home,” said sophomore Matt Eberle. Our representatives differ in opinion between what is really at fault in these mass killings. Some choose to blame the person behind the gun rather than the gun itself. Mental health is a very strong factor in how one could effectively commit such gruesome killings. In recent, the criminals that have committed these crimes have come from either unstable, emotionally traumatizing backgrounds, or have been diagnosed with some mental illness. “Everybody wants to make a difference; change the world. To some, that means ending the world of others,” said Eberle.
Violent shows and video games have been proven to alter moral perception.
OVERCROWDING
Overcrowding gives people more opportunity to be discontented with others.
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NEWS
Student secular group invites questions ChelseaMusquiz Staff Writer
promoting skeptical inquiry; (3) providing a community for athiests, agnostics, humanists, skeptics, naturalists and other free thinkers; and (4) advocating for the separation of church and state.” Some of the GISSA members do not believe in the word of God. One response from a GISSA member was, “There have been about 1,000 Gods throughout human history and about 10,000 religions. Everyone would like to believe that their God is the right God and their religion is the right religion.” Mills stated, “All matter and energy originated from nothing at The Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago, according to astronomers. They also tell us that ‘nothing’ is a more complex term than we may believe. Prior to the Big Bang is still a mystery, but string theory may someday give us a certain conclusion.”
What are your reasons for being a free thinker? How do you come to the conclusion that all things come from nothing? What are your thoughts on the 10 commandments? These are few of the many questions that were asked of the Grand Island Secular Student Alliance (GISSA) on April 25th. This group consists of about a dozen Northwest and Grand Island Senior High students who consider themselves as “free thinkers.” Stan Mills, the adult administrator of the group and science teacher, stated, “Free thinkers prefer rational, logical explanations. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” These students came together and formed the only secular high school group in Nebraska; which is connected to the nationwide Secular Student Alliance. The GISSA comes together to talk freely about their opinions and beliefs about religion and the influences it has on peoples’ lives. According to Pete Letheby from the Grand Island Independent, “GISSA objectives include (1) promoting and practicing open, rational and scientific examination of the universe and Junior Makena Kelly gives a response to a question on the panel. our place in it; (2)
A wish come true for one Viking
An overjoyed Courtney Lierman receives an iPad and learns that she will be attending the Country Music Awards in Nashville on behalf of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. AshleyBykerk Staff Writer
Most people would find attending the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee an exciting opportunity; however for junior Courtney Lierman, attending the CMAs this summer will mean so much more than that. Lierman was recently awarded the trip to Nashville by the Make-aWish Foundation in honor of her courageous journey. It was during the first semester of her junior year that Lierman received abnormal results from a regular blood draw. In October of 2012, after many medical visits and testing at the Children’s Hospital in Omaha, Lierman received news that would embark her on a new journey and change her life forever. She was diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia. Nevertheless, Lierman has displayed admirable courage and has not let her health slow her down. English teacher Darbie Mazour describes Lierman as compassionate and determined. “I think we could all learn so much from her strength and incredible attitude,” said Mazour. “She has a sparkle in her eye and an inspiring spirit that is easily shown in how she has chosen to live her life.” Lierman credits her family and close friends with helping her stay positive and remain in high spirits
throughout her journey. “On the days that they know I’m having a bad day, they help bring me up,” said Lierman. In fact, it was friends of the Lierman family that referred Courtney to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. They did so in an attempt to help relieve some of the burdens after observing the hardships the family was going through. The Make-a-Wish Foundation is the nation’s largest wish-granting organization and helps give happiness to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Foundation has granted over 200,000 wishes since its beginning and currently grants a wish every 40 minutes. Lierman was surprised and excited about her referral to the Foundation. “I didn’t know if anybody would refer me or if I deserved it or not,” she commented. After her referral, Lierman met with a team from the Makea-Wish Foundation to determine her wish. Her wish was to go the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. On both good and bad days for Lierman, music can explain how she feels. “Country music is a way for me to escape everything around me and help me feel better,” she stated. Then, on Sunday, April 14th, Lierman was at home and noticed a
car, along with the Nebraska State Patrol, outside her house. “I got kind of worried at first,” laughed Lierman. Volunteers then from the Makea-Wish Foundation, along with the Nebraska State Patrol, came into Lierman’s house. First, Lierman received an iPad on behalf of the Nebraska State Patrol. Then, State Patrolman Vince Hernandez let her know that the iPad took really good pictures, especially in Nashville at the Country Music Awards. “I was completely overwhelmed,” Lierman stated. “It was the greatest feeling ever. It was also great to have good news,” she continued. Lorri Rogers, a volunteer for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and former member of the State Troopers Association of Nebraska, helped present the gift to Lierman. She described Lierman as a “very awesome and strong young lady.” Rogers told that Lierman seemed shocked as she learned she had been granted her wish. “I wanted to cry along with her in happiness,” Rogers stated. Rogers finds that the best part of volunteering with Make-a-Wish is being able to help others and see the joy and happiness in the lives of others. “The Lierman family is a very sweet family that is deserving of this. It will be a time for the family to step away from Courtney’s illness and enjoy the trip together,” she said. Lierman continues to go to regular check-ups and gets her blood checked every three weeks. Even so, she knows there are others out there that are not as fortunate as her. “Even when I am dealing with a lot, I remember that there is someone that has it worse.” In return, Lierman finds it important that she gives back to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and helps others dealing with Leukemia. “As soon as I am old enough, I would love to be a wish granter for Make-a-Wish.”
ENTERTAINMENT
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An Honorable Review of a Dishonorable game
Corvo goes in for the kill on an unsuspecting guard, obviously uninterested in making any attempt to get the game’s good ending. Screenshot from nextgengamingblog.com KylerJanecek Staff Writer
In all my time as a gamer, I haven’t really played many proper stealth games. The only two that could really be mentioned are Assassins Creed and Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I choose not to count those because in both you have the unfair advantage of being able to take down every guard in the city singlehandedly (in the case of Assassins Creed) or just being Batman (In the case of Batman). I only mention this because Dishonored, which I played earlier this year, may be the first actual stealth game I’ve played in which you actually spend most of the time being stealthy. And yes, this usually means strategizing your attack plan, having to retry it ten or twenty times, and getting killed repeatedly and mercilessly for your failings by unforgiving guards and trying to function with a somewhat broken sprint function. All of this sounds like a lot of fun. So the question is, why isn’t it? Well I suppose that’s not an entirely fair statement. Dishonored is sometimes kind of fun. It’s just that the fun is short lived and bittersweet. Yes, it may be fun to
retry a section due to poor planning or execution of your attack plan. However, after twenty or so tries of the same section, dealing with the same monotonous area with the same monotonous controls trying to kill that same monotonous guard who keeps monotonously seeing you and hitting you with his monotonous sword, it all starts to feel a bit... repetitive. It doesn’t help that you have to juggle this with an art style that can be silly and hard to look at, and a moral choice system that will either force you to spend all your money and retry every section approximately thirty times the amount you normally would, or make you feel like you’re playing it badly. At first I attempted to get the good ending where you don’t murder things, but after coming out of the first mission having made 15 panic kills, I realized this wasn’t possible. Still, I don’t really know what I think of the game. I looked foreword to playing it so much, only to be so disappointed. I suppose what I want to say is that Dishonored had a very good attack plan. It just executed said plan somewhat poorly and ended up getting killed and had to retry. About twenty times. Does that sound familiar at all?
GILT brings Broadway to Grand Island; Viking students and staffer take part MaryRice Staff Writer
usually the one directing the students, but now I am in a production with them” said Gibson. Performances will be June 14-16 and June 21-23. Contact GILT Box Office at 308-3822586 or go online to githeater.org. “It is a lot of hard work, but it’s going to pay off; also, there are a lot of good actors so it’s awesome to be able to work and learn under them,” said Post.
Grand Island’s Community Theatre is very excited to have the privilege of showing the production of Monty Python’s Spamalot “a comical musical lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail.” Like the film, it is a “highly irreverent parody of the Arhurian Legend,” but it differs from the film in many ways. Fortunately Grand Island Northwest has four of its own in the production: three of them are students and one staff member: juniors Dalton Stout and Makena Kelly, sophomore Hannah Post and Technology Coordinator Brian Gibson. Dalton Stout is the accompanist for the cast. “We just started practices and we have already come a long way; it will definitely be a show to see,” said junior Dalton Stout. These four vikings are taking the extra time out of their schedules to participate in this production. They practice three days a week for three hours at a time. “I’am very excited to be in my first production with high school students; Junior Dalton Stout teaches dance moves to fellow cast members in it will be different and fun because I’m rehearsals for Spamalot. Stout plays a minstrel in the show.
photo contributed by Grand Island Little Theatre
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