Viking Views - New Kensington

Volume 9
Viking Views
Valley High School 703 Stevenson Blvd. New Kensington, PA March 2014
Issue 7
C-130: The JROTC Takes Off
By Lauren Ortego, JROTC Representative
VHS
Readers Win!
By Jaezhaun Garland, Staff Writer
Valley’s reading competition members, the Rebellious Readers, won 1st place at
the Westmoreland Interscholastic Reading Competition at Seton
Hill College on March 10, 2014.
The group’s sponsor,
Mr. Edgerton, said, “I have never
seen anything like this happen
before. The Rebellious Readers
did an amazing job in winning all
four rounds of the competition.”
The team read 30 books and the
team captain Katelin Omecinski
held a meeting every Wednesday after school to practice.
The team prepared
for this competition by writing
questions on every book they
read and testing each other on
those questions. Thirty-six other
teams participated in the event.
On Monday March 31st, 2014, the JROTC Cadets visited the 911th
Air Wing in Corapolis, PA for a flight in a C-130 Hercules, the 3rd biggest cargo plane the military carries. The cadets always enjoy this
annual field trip, and were excited to find out they could go, again.
Dream
Team Takes It All
By Laura Pollino, Editor-In-Chief
Marching in the Magic Kingdom
By Madison Pastrick, Staff Writer
Valley’s
March- and Hotel. During the trip, Valing Band became honorary ley’s band and auxiliary memDisney cast members when bers also attended workshops
they performed at the Magic where they danced and played
Kingdom in Disney World. along with Disney classics.
Leaving March 13, Band member Jathe band traveled to Orlando, net Canady agreed, “It was
Florida, where they visited such a great experience beDisney’s four parks and down- ing able to spend my first
town area, all while staying at visit to Disney World with
the Coco Keys Water Resort some of my closest friends.”
Masquerade Prom
May 17, 2014
Promenade at VHS at 3.30 p.m.
Hillcrest Country Club
Ticket Sale April 21st - May 2, 2014
$75 CASH ONLY
On Thursday, March
20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. VHS student council held its first boys
volleyball tournament to raise
money for the Salvation Army.
Five teams entered
the tournament: one freshmen, sophomore and junior
team, and two senior teams.
The seniors split up
into two teams, team one being the Dream Team, and
team two being, The Waar.
Pictured above are
the winners of the tournament.
Top Row (from left) Dom Guzzi,
Josh Noel, Luke Thimons,
Cody Schrecongost, and Ethan
Walkowiak. Bottom Row: Amanda Cooper, Ty Matthews, Marissa Newhams, and Laura Pollino.
VHS raised over two
hundred dollars, and brought
in a great deal of cans and
non-perishable
food
items
for our local Salvation Army.
Page 2 Banko’s
Business
Coming up with topics
for this column is usually easy.
There are plenty of great things
happening in our school that
are worthy of being acknowledged in the Viking Views. As I
contemplated this issue’s topic
I considered the title of my column, “Banko’s Business”, and
thought what a great opportunity to talk about my business.
People often tell me
that they would never want to
have my job and I think I understand what would make someone think it’s not very fun. Honestly, sometimes it isn’t. Most
of the time, though, it is a great
job, especially when I consider
the things I like best about being a professional educator.
Besides the feeling
you get when you help someone really learn something,
I’ve discovered that I really enjoy studying and continuing to
learn about how people learn
and about education in general. I also like being faced with
challenges that might have multiple solutions and working with
people who care to find the one
that will benefit the most people.
Finally, working with and
watching the growth of young
adults is one of the biggest rewards of being the principal.
Working in education is a challenge regardless of the role.
The complexity of the environment can be both frustrating and extremely rewarding,
and when I think about my
“business”, I feel fortunate
that I have a job that gives me
much more than a paycheck.
Archives
5
197
Back in the Day
Compiled by staff; written by Ally Isbell
197
6
“Back in the Day” is a series of articles detailing the events of Valley High
School through the eyes of current staff members who attended the school
and also how students were affected by the historical events of their time.
It was a time when the Vietnam War
came to an end… A time of Rock N’ Roll and
Disco… A time when Rocky and The Godfather premiered in theatres… A time of Happy
Days and M*A*S*H… A time when President
Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment… A time when the Pittsburgh Steelers
consecutively won Super Bowl IX and X…
A time of clunky shoes and bell bottoms…
Meanwhile, the freshmen hallway was the latest addition to Valley High
School, which consisted only of grades 1012. Class was in session from 8:30 to 3:30.
The graduating classes of ’75 and ’76 consisted of 400-500 students each (Now, each
class averages 200 students). Mrs. Capone,
Mrs. Cernicky, Mrs. Fantuzzo, Mrs. Ignozzi,
and were five of those hundreds of students.
The building was divided into three sections: The Business Department, Vo-Tech,
and College Prep. The latest technology
was the calculator, and research was limited to encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Traditionally, gentlemen wore ties
while ladies wore dresses. The dress code
forbade girls from wearing pants until the
early 70’s. Facial hair and sandals were
banned throughout the school. Required gym
class ensemble included shorts, tube socks,
and a one-piece suit, remembers Mrs. Mangone. Huge collars, long straight hair, plaids
and vertical stripes were trendy. According to Mrs. Ignozzi, “The popular hair styles
were those that looked like Farriah Fawcett”.
Popular Hair Styles; Long, Straight Hair!
Groovy,
cool,
and
bad
were some Viking jargon of this era.
According to Mrs. Capone, the sports
teams were always winning. Mrs. Cernicky recalls the school spirit being higher, and students
attending numerous pep rallies and bonfires before football games. The football stadium was
Gym Uniforms
composed of wooden seats and grass; it was
often crowded. Mrs. Fantuzzo remembers attending all high school sporting activities. Kiski
and Highlands were our primary sports rivals.
Aside from sporting events, popular
hangouts included the Tarena Roller Skating
Rink, McDonald’s, and an under-aged dance
club called the Electric Spider, which was located where the Pittsburgh Ice Arena stands now.
The Red Cross, Bank Staff, Handbook Staff, Key Club, and Future Business
Leaders of America were some clubs available back then that are not offered today.
Mrs.
Mangone
recalls
many
meals being made from scratch. Lunch
was also the only period that students got
to socialize, according to Mrs. Cernicky.
Rock N’ Roll and Disco dominated
the music industry. The Eagles, Led Zepellin, The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind and
Fire, James Taylor, Marvin Gaye, Crosby
Sills, Nash and Young, and Elton John
were among the top artists of the time.
Back in the Day, our high school offered many courses, which prepared students
to enter the work force directly after graduation. Students could eliminate courses for the
upcoming year by attending summer school,
in hopes of potentially receiving a study hall.
Sue Fantuzzo noted that her class
has had a reunion every 5 years. Both Cernicky and Fantuzzo work on the planning
committee. At reunions, the alumni reminisce
about the carefree times, their high school
years, and also discuss kids and grandkids.
The alumni believe that apart from
technology, the biggest contrast between
now and then is the attitude of students. Mrs.
Mangone said she would prefer to go to high
school then, because students had “much
more respect then for the teachers and each
other.” “Kids had more respect for everyone,”
said Mrs. Capone. Mrs. Ignozzi remembers
having fun, plenty of family time, and less
stress than many of today’s students have.
Staff Box
Editor-In-Chief..................................................................................................................................Laura Pollino
Co-Editor-In-Chief..................................................................................................................................Ally Isbell
Associate Editor..............................................................................................................................Megan Hooks
Sports Editor/ Assist...........................................................................................Colten Buzard and Ben Carlisle
Staff..............................................................Rory Baker, Brittany Daniels, Caleb Davis, Vincent DiCarolis, Jaezhaun Garland, Skylar Houck, Alexander Huffman, Ashely Johnson, Savannah LaLiberte, Andrew Macura,
Mikey McNabb, Madison Pastrick, Parker Shearon, Sierra Storrs, Brenda Varela-Santiesteban, and Gerardo
Varela-Santiesteban.
Sponsor..............................................................................................................................................Ms. Schank
Principal................................................................................................................................................Mr. Banko
Disclaimer
The Viking Views is a publication of the Journalism one, two, and three
students of Valley High School. Views and opinions are those of the students and do
not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administrations, faculty, or staff.
Answers to Winnie the
Pooh Quiz
1.E 2.G 3.F 4.C 5.A 6.B 7.D
In The Halls/ Psychology
In the Halls & On the Walls
Make sure to see this year’s high
school musical, Children of Eden,
opening Thursday, April 10, which
tells the classic stories of Adam
& Eve and Noah’s Ark. With serious moments of life, death, love,
anger, creation and destruction,
this show is one for all audience
members to remember and enjoy!
Page 3
Today the choice of Andrea Baker, Lakisha Ross, and Laronzo Wade is to see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.
Outside Ms. Ryce’s room is this beautiful
blooming garden.
Cartoon Displays Psychological Disorders
We have all been
young before and watched cartoons. Some of our favorite TV
shows and cartoons have underlying backgrounds and stories. From an article by Ashley
Lutz, an internet blogger, it has
been found that a famous 90s
cartoon, “Rugrats”, shows various psychological disorders.
In the “Rugrats” cartoon series, all of the characters are a figment of Angelica’s
imagination, but why would
she create these little children?
The reason behind these delusions is blamed on Angelica’s
nonexistent relationship with
her mother and her manipulative relationship with her father.
According to Lutz’s
inferences, Chuckie died with
his mother in childbirth. This is
why his dad is always so worried about him in the show.
Tommy was stillborn,
making his dad have some kind
of a break down and sit in the
basement to make toys for the
son he was supposed to have.
The DeVilles had an
abortion. Angelica never found
By Brittany Daniels, Staff Writer
out if the baby was supposed to Suzie
was
ac- explained the origin of the theory.
be a boy or a girl so she decid- tually
Angelica’s
friend. How true Lutz’s theoed to make it twins. Then, she The theory says that she grew ry is, is unknown, but the idea
gave them matching names and up to become a psychologist and of it is very interesting. A show
personas because there prob- joined the Nickelodeon team to you watched as a child was
ably would have been only one invent the “Rugrats” TV show. actually based on a little girl
child if there were no abortion. After the show aired, she finally with a psychological disorder.
Angelica had no one to turn to
when she needed help dealing with the babies’ deaths
and resorted to making up the
By Brittany Daniels, Staff Writer
lives they should have lived.
Lutz’s theory even ex- We all have a fear, ssophobic. Are you afraid of
tends to “All Grown Up”, the show what’s yours? Are you afraid sharks? You may be galeophothat stemmed off of the 90s car- of tight spaces? You may be bic. Are you afraid of germs?
toon featuring all of the babies claustrophobic. Are you afraid of You may be mysophobic. Are
as teenagers in high school. birds? You may be Ornithopho- you afraid of clowns? You
In “All Grown Up”, Angelica is a bic. Are you afraid of spiders? may be coulrophobic. Are you
bipolar schizophrenic addicted You may be a Arachnophobic. afraid of bears? You may be
to drugs because they help her
keep her delusions alive. At this Are you afraid of snakes? You Arcotophobic. Are you afraid of
point, we learn that Angelica’s may be Ophidiophobic. Are you dogs? You may be cynophobic.
biological mom died from a afraid of bees? You may be Me- Are you afraid of heights?
drug overdose and Angelica’s lissophobic. Are you afraid of You may be acrophobic.
bipolar schizophrenic disease the ocean? You may be Thalastemmed from her mother’s
drug use during her pregnancy.
Angelica’s real mom’s name was
Cynthia, hence her doll’s name. “Rugrats” is not the only child show based off of psychoThe woman from “Rugrats” logical disorders. The cartoon “Winnie the Pooh” has shown
who was Angelica’s mother is psychological disorders in its characters as well. Can you
really her gold-digging step- match the “Winnie the Pooh” characters with their disorders?
mom who Angelica idolized.
When “All Grown Up” 1.___Piglet
A. OCD
was canceled, Angelica died of 2.___Owl
B. Depression
an overdose just like her mother.
3.___Tigger
C. Social Anxiety disorder
Dil is the only baby who was
D. Schizophrenia
real, but Angelica never ac- 4.___Kanga
cepted him as being real and 5.___Rabbit
E. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
accidentally hit him too hard 6.___Eeyore
F. ADHD
while trying to make him go
7.___Christopher
Robin
G. Dyslexia
away once, resulting in brain
damage. This is why he’s such
an odd child in “All Grown Up.”
Answer to quiz on page 2
Fears and Phobias
Winnie the Pooh Quiz
Page 4
Spring Quotes...
Spring
Varsity Softball/Baseball
Schedules
“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative
decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The
storm will pass. The spring will come.” --- Robert H. Schuller.
“People
ask me what I do in winter when there’s no
baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” --- Rogers Hornsby
“Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem
that season of beginning, spring.” --- Truman Capote
Varsity Softball
“You
can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” --- Pablo Neruda
how
sure to
long
follow.”
the
---
winProverb
“Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing
soil.”
--Bishop
Reginald
Herber
10 Facts About
Spring
By Megan Hooks, Associate Editor
1.
Benjamin
Franklin
was the first American to propose Daylight Savings in 1784.
It wasn’t fully implemented until after the Second World War.
2.
In
Europe
Daylight
Savings is in Summer Time.
3.
In the spring we have
more
daylight
because
the
earths axis tilts toward the sun.
4.
Spring is often called the season of rebirth, renewal and re-growth.
5.
Tornado Alley has a lot
more activity during the spring.
6.
The first day of spring or also
known as the vernal equinox is when
you are suppose to have 12 hours
of daylight and 12 hours of night.
7.
Spring usually starts in
March, April, May for the Northern
Hemisphere, which is the opposite for the Southern Hemisphere.
8.
Spring
is
when
the
flowers bloom and the animals come out from hibernation.
9.
In
the
spring
months, floods are common.
10.
St.
Patrick’s
Day
and Easter occur in Spring.
Q
I
Q
S
Date
Opp.
Time
3/27/14
Deer Lakes
4:00 p.m
3/27/14
Freeport
4:00 p.m
3/28/14
Apollo Ridge
4:00 p.m
3/28/14
@Norwin
4:00 p.m
4:00 p.m
4/1/14
Allderdice
4:00 p.m
4:00 p.m
4/4/14
@Hampton
4:00 p.m
4:00 p.m
4/7/14
Knoch
4:00 p.m
@Highlands
4:00 p.m
4/7/14
“ When spring came, even the false spring, there was no problems
except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a
day was people and if you could keep from making engagements,
each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”
--- Ernest Hemingway
matter
spring is
Time
4/3/14
“The sun was warm but the wind was chill/You
know how it is with an April day.” ---Robert Frost
“No
ter,
Opp.
4/1/14
“ In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different
kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ---Mark Twain
@Freeport
Shadyside
@Kiski
4/8/14
@Ford City
4:00 p.m
4/9/14
4/10/14
Burrell
4:00 p.m
4/11/14
@Mars
4:00 p.m
4/15/14
@Deer Lakes
4:00 p.m
4/14/14
Kittanning
4:00 p.m
4/17/14
W. Shamokin
4:00 p.m
4/15/14
St. Joseph
4:00 p.m
4/21/14
Indiana
4:00 p.m
4/17/14
Jeanette
4:00 p.m
4/22/14
@Apollo Ridge
4:00 p.m
4/22/14
Hampton
4:00 p.m
4/24/14
Freeport
4:00 p.m
4/24/14
@Knoch
4:00 p.m
4/28/14
Plum
4:00 p.m
4/25/14
Burrell
4:00 p.m
4/29/14
@Shadyside
4:00 p.m
4/26/14
South Park
11:00a.m
5/1/14
Ford City
4:00 p.m
4/28/14
Highlands
4:00 p.m
4/30/14
Mars
4:00 p.m
5/2/14
@W.Shamokin
4:00 p.m
5/2/14
@Kittanning
4:00 p.m
5/5/14
@Burrell
4:00 p.m
5/6/14
@Allderdice
4:00 p.m
Spring-Time Word Search
Spring Unscramble
W
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bunny
butterfly
flowers
lamb
rain
spring
sunshine
tulip
umbrella
warming
Varsity Baseball
Date
1. Alrpi___________________
2. sboslom_______________
3. ilekseu bs______________
4.etrraipcall_______________
5. ebezre_____________
6. ddffaoil________________
7. dlkiucgn____________
8. gduotu_______________
9. Dy Fiiog snfparrtS ______
answers on page 8
March 26, 2014 It Snowed!
By Skylar Houck, Staff Writer
Spring has just begun,
but the cold weather still isn’t letting up. On March 26, 2014 (6 days
into Spring) it continued to snow in
Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.
The weather this year has resulted
in record-breaking temperatures and
snowfall for both January and February. January 6th-7th reflected record
low temperatures of -9° F. January
26th accumulated a record-breaking
5.2 inches of snow; February 9th
had a record-breaking 2.8 inches.
This past winter was
one of the coldest that we’ve experienced in nearly 20 years,
and this spring is expected to
have cooler weather than normal.
Holidays
Page 5
History of St. Patrick
By Savannah Laliberte, Staff Writer
Saint Patrick was a nobleman born in about 400 A.D.
in Britain. He was not Irish, but
was captured by Irish pirates
when he was just 16. Saint
Patrick was an atheist early in
his life, but he rediscovered his
faith while enslaved in Ireland.
During his enslavement, he
worked as a shepherd, outdoors
and away from people. 6 years
later he escaped back to Britain.
While home, he had a
dream of an angel coming to him
and telling him to convert Ireland
to Christianity. That became his
top priority. As he converted
Ireland he chose to incorporate
traditional ritual into his lessons
of Christianity instead of attempting to destroy Irish beliefs.
For instance, he used bonfires
to celebrate Easter since the
Irish were used to honoring their
gods with fire. He also added
a sun, a powerful Irish symbol,
onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic
cross, so the symbol would
seem more natural to the Irish.
Saint Patrick is credited
with converting the Irish to Christianity. He was the most commonly recognized patron saint of
Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day, which
is celebrated in honor of him, is a
cultural and religious holiday celebrated annually on 17 March,
Saint Patrick’s date of death.
Around the World: Easter
By Savannah Laliberte, Staff Writer
(Back Row) Carol Lennex, Louise Rowe, Mary Ann Capone,
and Jodie Ashbaugh.
(Front Row) Amy Ignozzi, and Jill Roberts go green for St. Patty’s Day.
Spring Equinox
By Brenda Varela-Santiesteban, Staff Writer
March 20th is the spring equinox, which in the astronomical system of seasons, is the first day of spring. Humans have been celebrating this
day in various forms for thousands of years, but what exactly is an equinox?
The word itself comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox
(night), because around the equinox, night and day are about equal length.
In the most basic terms, an equinox is when the length of the night and
the length of the day are roughly equal. During the equinox, the Earth’s
north and south poles are not tilted either towards or away from the sun.
This phenomenon occurs twice a year: one in
March
for
the
beginning
of
spring
and
one
in
September
for
the
beginning
of
autumn.
Holidays Word Search
APRIL
CELEBRATION
GOLD
CANDY
Ms. Link & Mrs. Milliron celebrate
St.Patty’s Day by wearing all green.
Chicago River Dyeing
By Savannah Laliberte, Staff Writer
In Chicago they dye
their river green annually. The
dyeing of the Chicago River has
been a tradition they’ve done
since 1962. What makes the water green? They dump containers
of dye from motorboats in to the
Chicago River. The river’s green
color lasts for six to 12 hours.
Dyeing the Chicago River a beautiful emerald
green attracts hundreds of
thousands of people dressed
in their best St. Patrick’s Day
apparel. This, along with parades
is one of the many traditions of how
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated.
D
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MARCH
CLOVERS
EGGS
IRELAND
Do you ever wonder how Easter is celebrated
in different parts of the world?
In
Rome,
people
gather in St Peter’s Square
on Easter Sunday when the
Pope conducts Mass. He also
delivers his traditional message of hope and peace.
In Poland, pouring water on one another is an Easter
tradition called Smingus-Dyngus. On Easter Monday, boys
drench other people with buckets of water, squirt guns or anything they can get their hands
on. Legend says girls who get
soaked will marry within the year.
In Haux, France each
year a giant omelet is served up
in the town’s main square. The
omelet uses more than 4,500
eggs and feeds up to 1,000
people. The story goes, when
Napoleon and his army were
traveling through the south of
France, they stopped in a small
town and ate omelets. Napoleon
liked his so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather
their eggs and make a giant omelet for his army the next day.
In Hungary, like Poland,
boys playfully sprinkle perfume or
perfumed water on girls. Young
men used to pour buckets of water over young women’s heads,
but now they spray perfume, cologne or just plain water, and ask
for a kiss. People used to believe
that water had a cleaning, healing and fertility-inducing effect.
Easter is celebrated differently all through out the world.
April Fools!
ST PATRICK’S DAY
TRADITIONS
Origins: The Easter Egg
By Savannah Laliberte, Staff Writer
Easter Eggs also known as “Paschal eggs” are
special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or
springtime. The tradition of painting and dying these eggs
during springtime dates back to the start of Christianity.
In many cultures around the world, the egg is a symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. For Christians, the Easter
egg is symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Painting
Easter eggs is a tradition in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches where the eggs are dyed red to represent the
blood of Jesus. The hard shell of the egg represents the sealed
Tomb of Christ. Cracking it represents Jesus’ resurrection.
Historically Christians would withdraw from eating eggs and
meat during Lent, and Easter was the first chance to eat eggs.
No
matter
what
the
Easter
eggs
true
meaning, Easter egg hunts and egg rolling will
always
be
two
popular
egg-related
traditions
here
in
the
United
States.
Even some of the best students at Valley High have a prankster side to them!
Page 6
Proms: Past and Present
Proms
From the Past
By Jaezhaun Garland, Staff Writer
An archive of past proms reveals the following themes
listed below. The yearbooks which they are preserved in feature the prom from the previous year.
The Night of the Dragon 1989,
Ice Fantasies 1987,
Magical Evening 1993, Rock’in
the Night Away 1998, Deep Sea
Dreamland 1966, Glittering
Grooves 1999,
A Night to Remember 1976,
Save the Last Dance 2007
Human Interest
Prom 2014
By Ashely Johnson, Staff Writer
The theme for this years prom is a masquerade. It will
be held at the Hillcrest Country Club in Lower Burrell. All members going to Prom must be in the cafeteria at VHS no later
than 3 pm for Promenade. Doors open to the community at
3:30. Promenade begins prompty at 4. You will be ready and
dressed to walk onto stage in front of your parents and friends
to show off your prom date and dress. After that, the members
can report to the Hillcrest Country Club for the actual Prom.
Food and refreshments will be served throughout the night.
Teen Traffic Safety Quiz
1.The leading killer of teenagers is:
A. Suicide B. Drug Related
C. Auto Crashes
2.Under PA’s Teen Driving Law,
how many hours must you drive
while under a learner’s permit
to obtain your driver’s license?
A. 45 B. 50 C. 65
3. Who is less likely to wear seatbelts?
A. Adults B. Senior Citizens
C. Teenagers
4.
Three passengers in the
car increase the risk of a crash
in a car driven by a teen by?
A. 307% B. 250% C. 52%
5. Using seat belts reduces the risk of
fatal injury in a crash by how much?
A. 50% B. 60% C. 70%
6. One in every _____ crashes
is caused by a distracted driver.
A. 6 B. 10 C. 20
It’s
Fashionable
Real or Fake UGGS
By Ashely Johnson, Staff Writer
Uggs have become very
popular and are always in demand.
Some retailers don’t have the best
intentions and are only out to scam
people with
counterfeit
items. Buying
UGGs
from major
online retailers perhaps
is the simplest way to
ensure that
you get the
real thing. If you’re planning to
get a pair of UGGs as a gift be
sure to stay away from the fakes!
Here are some things to look for.
1. Check the labels. If they
say they are made in China
then they are most likely fake.
They originated in Australia.
2. Check labels on the back. The
fake ones vary greatly from having bigger fonts, different stitching, and off-shade colors than
that of real UGG Australia labels.
4. Check the fur. The fur lining
in real UGG boots have a rich
creamy color and feel thick, fluffy,
and soft. In fake ones, they are
a greyish whitish color and feel
thin, scraggly, and like plastic.
5.Check
the
soles.
Real UGG boots also have 1/2inch thick soles. Fake UGG boots
have thinner soles, having only
1/4-inch thick soles at the most.
7.
The first driving ability to be affected by alcohol is:
A. Coordination B. Vision
C. Judgment
8. According to PA’s Teen Driving
law, if you have your junior license
you may not drive between which
hours, unless driving to or from work?
A. 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. B. 11 p.m. to 5
a.m. C. midnight to 6 a.m.
9. By state law you must have
your headlights on when using your windshield wipers in PA:
A. True B. False C. Not Sure
10.
Under PA’s Teen Driving
law, you and all of your passengers are required to be buckled up? You can be pulled over
for simply not being buckled?
A. True B. False C. Not Sure
answers on page 8
Trendy Topics
By Ashely Johnson, Staff Writer
The Viking Views Staff
conducted a survey based on
fashion and trends. Here are
the majority of boy and girl students that voted on which items
they prefer rather than the other.
BOYS
76% chose True Religion over
Buckle
50% prefer to wear Hollister than
Abercrombie
82% chose Northface over Columbia jackets
74% say they wear Jordans
rather than Timberlands
40% would rather wear G-Shock
and the other 60% say they would
rather wear Rolex
90% say they wear Nike over
Adidas
GIRLS
52% prefer to like leggings over
yogas
86% say they wear VS Pink
rather than VS Angel
67% chose to wear Uggs rather
than Bearpaw.
57% tend to like Michael Kors
over Vera Bradley
70% prefer to wear their hair in a
messy bun rather than a sock bun
82% prefer to wear Hollister over
Abercrombie
79% wear Nike than Adidas
93% tend to wear more Northface
than Columbia Jackets
OVERALL
90% of students choose and prefer
to wear Nike gear over Adidas
88% of students choose and wear
Northface rather than Columbia
Life
Vo-Tech Instructor Generates Interest in
Health Occupations
By Gerardo Varela-Santiesteban, Staff Writer
Mrs. Roncher
Page 7
Students Endure Stress
By Parker Shearon, Staff Writer
If Charles Dickens
were alive today, he would
reinstate his famous quote:
“It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times.”
Teenagers in this
generation who are living
the so called “best years
of their life” are finding it
to be more like the worst.
And if not the worst, at
least the most stressful.
According to an
active blog on teenage
most pressing issue of the
ten. 44% of students polled
said academic stress is their
top stress factor and 92%
of the students identified it
A. Stern, B. Flatt, M. Farneth, J. Cintron
Mrs. Roncher’s goals for her Health Occupation students are “Exploring different health care careers, completing nurse aid training, and passing the certification exam”
Health Occupation is a Vo-Tech program that focuses on learning the
differences and similarities of health care careers. Students learn about
the body, what is normal and not normal. Also, they learn about medical
technology and specific skills that are performed in different careers.
The course provides information on C.P.R., first aid, vital signs, infection control, nurse aid skills, laboratory skills,
and physic skills. These skills are learned both through textbooks and throug h hands on work in their classroom.
Belaire Nursing home, in Lower Burrell, has also provided opportunity for the Health Occupation students to
have hands-on experience by working with the residents.
Mary Roncher is the Health Occupation teacher. She graduated from
Kittanning Senior High, where they also offer the Vo-Tech privileges.
She then attended the Western PA Hospital School of Nursing. Shortly
after she started teaching in Vo-Tech, where she has taught for 13 years.
Alexis Stern, Brittany Flatt, Mandi Farneth, and Jasmine Cintron are the current 11th grade students Mrs. Roncher has in her class.
These students were motivated to join Health Occupations by their
desire to become a nurse, and even by the tour that Valley High
School offered. Most of them also have family members that work
in nursing and helped them be more motivated to join the program.
Some of these students started Health Occupation knowing nothing,
or very little about nursing. With the help of their teachers, like Mrs.
Roncher, they have gained much knowledge and are now able to do
things, like being able to use medical technology without difficulty.
2013 Leaves Strange
Laws in Effect
By Skylar Houck, Staff Writer
Did you know that a law Other strange laws inin Illinois makes it illegal for a clude: a Texas law that makes it
person to bite off another’s leg? illegal to sell one’s eye, a WashThis is one of the many question- ington law illegalizing the use of
able laws that were passed or x-rays to fit shoes, a Pennsylfailed to be taken away in 2013. vania law that makes it illegal
The state of Califor- for those convicted of felonies
nia passed and left some of the to operate Bingo games, an
strangest laws in the books. Alaska law that makes it illegal
One law states that dogs are for a moose to drink alcoholic
not permitted to chase bears or beverages, and a law right here
bobcats. Another states that no in Westmoreland County that
car without a driver may exceed prohibits a person from sipping
60 mph. A city law in Baldwin a carbonated drink while lecturPark, California makes it illegal ing students in an auditorium.
to ride a bike in a swimming pool. One of the strangest
The state of Illinois also laws is a Norfolk, Virginia law that
left many strange laws in effect requires women to wear a corset
including a law in Chicago that after sundown and be in the comforbids anybody from eating in a pany of a male chaperone. Noplace that is on fire. Also, the state body could say when exactly this
passed a law that makes it legal to law was made, but Norfolk has
drink under age 21 as long as you never gotten around to removing it.
are enrolled in a culinary program.
depression on the website “Mind your Mind” ten
major causes of teenage
stress include: academic
stress, dealing with death,
financial struggles, feelings of helplessness, peer
pressure, parents who are
divorced or separating, neglect, relationships, heredity, and low self esteem.
The Viking Views
staff polled 62 random
students in Valley High
to see which of these ten
causes of stress affect the
student body the most.
The results reveal
that academic stress is the
as a major stress cause.
When it comes
to academics the ways it
stresses out students greatly varies. For seniors Julia
Westerman, Dom Guzzi,
and Ian Kelly calculus
with Mr. Linde is the most
stressful class they have.
Junior Ben Carlisle is worried about college. He says, “It is hard to
choose a college and also
choose and focus on what
I want to study when there
is so much school work I
must focus on right now.”
Valley’s psychology teacher Mr. Pedrosky
says, “Academic stress
can be detrimental to a
student’s health. It is important to eat right, get a
sufficient amount of sleep
(more than 4 hours), and
get plenty of exercise. Also,
always remain optimistic”
JROTC Helps Veterans with
Marksmanship
By Lauren Ortego, JROTC Representative
Saturday, March 22nd and Sunday, March 23rd
the JROTC went to Health South, which is a VA hospital in
Harmarville, to practice marksmanship with the veterans.
There was a rifle range set up in the gymnasium for the cadets and veterans. The cadets and their
veterans then went up to a specially set “shooting
table”, where they began shooting at 1 of the 12 targets (after they went through a safety brief, of course).
The vets shot three different ways: prone
(two elbows on the table), kneeling (one elbow on
the table), and standing, (no elbows on the table).
Saturday was just the practice round, Sunday
was the actual competition. After the competition, the
veterans were given awards for their marksmanship.
All in all, the cadets who participated say that it was a
great experience and they would certainly do it again.
Page 8 Softball / Baseball Athlete Profiles
By Dylan Hamilton, Staff Writer
Sports
Coaches
Corner
By Vincent DiCarolis, Sports Writer
Congratulations to Cody
Schrecongost for winning
first place in the tennis section
championship tournament
for the third year in a row.
Boys Tennis and
Varsity
Track Schedules
VarsityTrack
Courtney
Toney
has
been playing softball
for 12 years.
She mainly
pitches but
has
also
played 3rd
and 1st base. The best game
that she pitched in her high
school career was when she
got 9 strikeouts in a game.
She says the most challenging
part of pitching is fielding the
balls afterwards. Her strength
in the sport is catching fly balls.
Her most memorable event
was hitting her first homerun.
Courtney’s
mom
has influenced her the most
in the sport of softball as
well as her family members
that have played before.
She would like to go to college in West Virginia to play
softball when she graduates
from Valley High School.
Courtney also plays
other sports at VHS, including soccer and basketball.
Boys Tennis
Date
Opp.
Time
4/3/14
Indiana
3:30 p.m
4/7/14
WPIAL Singles
1:00 p.m
WPIAL Singles
1:00 p.m
Date
Opp.
Time
4/8/14
4/8/14
Knoch
3:30 p.m
4/9/14
@Riverview
3:30 p.m
4/14/14
Kittanning
3:30 p.m
4/11/14
Springdale
3:30 p.m
4/24/14
Kiski
3:30 p.m
4/14/14
@Highlands
3:30 p.m
5/2/14
Pine Richland Inv.
3:30 p.m
4/16/14
Kittanning
3:30 p.m
5/6/14
WPIAL indiv. Qual.
3:30 p.m
4/22/14
Section Doubles
1:00 p.m
5/15/14
WPIAL indiv. Finals
3:30 p.m
4/23/14
Section Doubles
1:00 p.m
5/23/14
PIAA Champ.
3:30 p.m
4/25/14
@Burrell
3:30 p.m
4/28/14
WPIAL Doubles
1:00 p.m
4/29/14
WPIAL Doubles
1:00 p.m
5/1/14
WPIAL Team
1:00 p.m
2014 Spring Turkey Season
By Alex Huffman, Staff Writer
The 2014 spring turkey sea- turkey season is open to all
son is right around the corner. ages. It starts May 3-31, 2014.
The junior hunt is for kids 16 From May 3-17 the legal huntand un- ing hours are one half hour beder with fore sunrise until noon. From
a special May 19-31 legal
license. hunting hours
It starts are one half
April 26, hour
before
2 0 1 4 . sunrise
until
The one half hour
a c t u a l after
sunset.
Rachael Link has been
the head coach of the varsity
boys’ tennis team for seven years.
Her tennis experience spans
back to her own days at Valley
High School and her phenomenal college career at Clarion.
On this years team
Cody Schrecongost, Adam Barone, and Josh Denham are the
top three single players, while the
doubles pairs are expected to be
Adam Johnson with Andrew Macura, and Ryan Moya with Nick
Licata. Link has one particular
goal for senior Cody Schrecongost, which is to go undefeated
and to win section. He is one
of only two seniors with Adam
Barone that Link refers to as
her “anchors”. “The seniors are
my leaders and my motivators,”
Link said. She expects her main
leadership however to come
from her juniors, who she calls
“the heart and soul of the team”.
Last year, her team went
undefeated in the regular season
so her expectations for this team
are limitless. The team lost during the first round of playoffs last
year. “Vincentian was a tough
loss,” Link said, “but in order to
change that we must win on all
five courts.” The team’s toughest tests this year will be Indiana,
Springdale, and Burrell. The team
already exceeded Link’s expectations by beating Indiana 5-0. Link
went on to say that the biggest
surprise of this year has been
her doubles teams who she says
are simply “playing great tennis”.
Link would love to see
more students coming out and
supporting her team. Link says,
“You don’t have to love the
sport, just come out and support your school. Don’t be afraid
to show some Viking pride!”
The team is shooting for another perfect regular
season. Once again the section playoffs will be hosted by
Valley. The team is looking forward to the home court advantage and the rest of the season.
Answers to Teen Traffic Survey: 1c, 2c, 3c, 4a,
5b, 6a, 7c, 8b, 9a, 10a
The Division I NCAA
National Basketball Tournament
is played every spring for 68 qualifying teams. The tournament
has been given the name “March
Madness” and the “Big Dance.”
The tournament started in 1939 when only eight
teams were allowed in the tournament. Changes to the rule
of how many teams were allowed in and the most recent
change in 2011, called for 68
teams to qualify for the tournament including 4 play-in games
for the last eligible teams.
On March 16, 2014 the
68 teams were selected and set
in the tournament bracket. Every
Division I college basketball team
played regular season games to
earn a top “seed” in the bracket.
To clarify, a “seed” is the position
in which the team is assigned.
For example, if a team goes
undefeated for the regular season, that team earns a number
one “seed” in the tournament.
The University of Pittsburgh is a local favorite for the
tournament. Pitt was given a nine
“seed” in the bracket. After a 25-9
regular season record, Pitt has
high hopes in the tournament.
Jesse Iellimo,
junior catcher
for the VHS
Varsity Baseball
Team.
Jesse is a
versatile player who can
also pitch and play 3rd base.
He has been playing baseball for 11 years,
which includes him playing for
the Running Rebels, VBSA,
the Valley Middle school and
High School team. His father
also played baseball, and
coached a few of these teams.
Jesse also played
his first varsity game as
a freshman, which is his
most memorable moment
in his high school career.
After high school
Jesse plans on playing baseball in college, he has already
visited a few colleges and participated in showcases to get
colleges interested in him but
he is still undecided on where
he wants to go to college.
Spring Unscramble Answers: 1.April, 2.
blossom, 3.Blue Skies, 4. Caterpillar, 5.
Breeze, 6. Daffodil, 7. Duckling, 8. Dugout, 9. First Day Of Spring, 10. Flower,
11. Gardener, 12. Lamb, 13. Pollinate