V2-I7 Columns/Reviews
Heaven Is For Real is really worth it
By Hunter Adkins
Heaven is For Real is a movie based on a book written about Colton Burpo and his amazing journey to heaven. The book was wrote by Colton's dad, Todd Burpo, and Lynn Vincent.
Colton was a four year old boy who survived an emergency appendectomy and then, even more surprisingly, went to heaven. He tells stories to his parents, things that happened before he was even born, that make them question his journey and what he really did experience. His dad has to find the courage and strength to share his son's extraordinary story about heaven.
Heaven is for Real was a very positive- spiritual movie. I loved this movie and I would watch it all day if I could.
Velvet Ice Cream Review
By Hugh Prentice
In Utica, the Velvet Ice Cream Company sells delicious ice cream and food in its restaurant and ice cream parlor called The Olde Mill. When you walk in the front door of the building there is an ice cream counter to your left and a restaurant to your right. The restaurant sells different soups, salads, and sandwiches along with their various different flavors of ice cream.
My personal favorite is the Italian Combo sandwich that has tender slices of salami, ham, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion topped on it and can be spiced up with Italian seasoning. After you get your food, it’s usually a good idea to get either a milkshake or some ice cream afterwards. There are plenty of flavors to choose from and they are all delicious. I usually get either a chocolate milkshake or a scoop of orange sherbet. But, whatever you get from the restaurant or the ice cream parlor, it is always going to leave you feeling like you made a good decision.
Hugh Prentice 16'
By Hugh Prentice
In Utica, the Velvet Ice Cream Company sells delicious ice cream and food in its restaurant and ice cream parlor called The Olde Mill. When you walk in the front door of the building there is an ice cream counter to your left and a restaurant to your right. The restaurant sells different soups, salads, and sandwiches along with their various different flavors of ice cream.
My personal favorite is the Italian Combo sandwich that has tender slices of salami, ham, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion topped on it and can be spiced up with Italian seasoning. After you get your food, it’s usually a good idea to get either a milkshake or some ice cream afterwards. There are plenty of flavors to choose from and they are all delicious. I usually get either a chocolate milkshake or a scoop of orange sherbet. But, whatever you get from the restaurant or the ice cream parlor, it is always going to leave you feeling like you made a good decision.
Hugh Prentice 16'
Amazing Spiderman
By Moe Wright
Over the weekend I went to go see the new Spiderman movie, and it was fantastic.
There just has to be no better feeling than swinging through the buildings and saving the everyday people of New York, at least if you are Peter Parker. There were plenty of plot twists and many heart racing moments. I thought that it was better than the last one and, by the looks of it, they will be making a Spiderman 3 in the near future.
AJ Mooney says “It was one of the best spider man movies they have ever made.” Matt Hudkins says “I liked it for the most part, but it does come with a surprise.”
In this exciting movie, Peter Parker loves spending time with Gwen and saving his fellow new Yorkers as an everyday job. While he is happy doing it, at the same time he realizes that he is the only one that can save them for the villains that flow through the Big Apple. As the rise of Electro has the attention of Spider-Man, he has a much larger problem on his hands that he does not want to face. As Peter's long lost friend, Harry Osborn, returns to New York, he realizes that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
Morgan Wright 14'
By Moe Wright
Over the weekend I went to go see the new Spiderman movie, and it was fantastic.
There just has to be no better feeling than swinging through the buildings and saving the everyday people of New York, at least if you are Peter Parker. There were plenty of plot twists and many heart racing moments. I thought that it was better than the last one and, by the looks of it, they will be making a Spiderman 3 in the near future.
AJ Mooney says “It was one of the best spider man movies they have ever made.” Matt Hudkins says “I liked it for the most part, but it does come with a surprise.”
In this exciting movie, Peter Parker loves spending time with Gwen and saving his fellow new Yorkers as an everyday job. While he is happy doing it, at the same time he realizes that he is the only one that can save them for the villains that flow through the Big Apple. As the rise of Electro has the attention of Spider-Man, he has a much larger problem on his hands that he does not want to face. As Peter's long lost friend, Harry Osborn, returns to New York, he realizes that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
Morgan Wright 14'
How to TURN UP for prom
By: Katelynd Havice
NORTHRIDGE- Prom is almost here! And with prom comes with teenage after prom festivities, and those too often consist of illegal or inappropriate things. Instead of going with the in crowd and getting yourself into trouble, take any of these outrageously fun and alternative suggestions into consideration.
Clubpenguin: Go home after your night of dancing away and instead of going out and partying hard get online with a group of your friends and meet up at the “Igloo Bar” on a clubpenguin server and party hard that way. There are so many different opportunities of ways to have fun on clubpenguin too; you could pimp out your igloo or just dance some more at the dance club, but this time through a penguin.
Connect Four: you could gather a few of your friends after prom and have an intense game of Connect Four. Or, if Connect Four is not an intense enough game for your prom expectations of an after party, try playing a game of chess to really amp the energy.
Nap: Go back to your home and sleep. You’re probably exhausted, so it would only make sense to be nice to your body instead of being out all night.
I Love Lucy: Go to one of your friend’s house that has the nicest living room and nicest television and pre-order all 6 seasons of I Love Lucy ahead of time to be fully prepared.
Bird Watching: After Prom go to your nearest local park and sit with your friends and try to identify all 200+ of the bird species.
Wal-Mart: Or, you could go sight-seeing at your nearest Wal-Mart. You never know what you’re going to find. And if that doesn’t sound like some fun, you could glue googly eyes to the poster boards and get kicked out immediately just for the thrill (though this does come close to the illegal activities hinted at in the lead of this story).
Petland: Go to your nearest Petland. Buy a hamster, gerbil, any small rodent type animal- Buy it a sweet cage and start building your new friends a pimped out crib of extensions and sweet rooms for your rodent to play in.
Study: What better way to be a student and finish out the year strong with a full night's worth of studying for your exams; surely you will be tired but not tired enough to blow off something like studying!
All of these awesome ideas from yours truly would be so much more fun than actually “turning up” for prom. So be safe, have fun and have even more fun after with these suggestions!
Photo credit- clubpenguin.wikia.com
Photo caption- a penguin ready for prom
Katelynd Havice ('15) is a staff writer for The Viking Vault
By: Katelynd Havice
NORTHRIDGE- Prom is almost here! And with prom comes with teenage after prom festivities, and those too often consist of illegal or inappropriate things. Instead of going with the in crowd and getting yourself into trouble, take any of these outrageously fun and alternative suggestions into consideration.
Clubpenguin: Go home after your night of dancing away and instead of going out and partying hard get online with a group of your friends and meet up at the “Igloo Bar” on a clubpenguin server and party hard that way. There are so many different opportunities of ways to have fun on clubpenguin too; you could pimp out your igloo or just dance some more at the dance club, but this time through a penguin.
Connect Four: you could gather a few of your friends after prom and have an intense game of Connect Four. Or, if Connect Four is not an intense enough game for your prom expectations of an after party, try playing a game of chess to really amp the energy.
Nap: Go back to your home and sleep. You’re probably exhausted, so it would only make sense to be nice to your body instead of being out all night.
I Love Lucy: Go to one of your friend’s house that has the nicest living room and nicest television and pre-order all 6 seasons of I Love Lucy ahead of time to be fully prepared.
Bird Watching: After Prom go to your nearest local park and sit with your friends and try to identify all 200+ of the bird species.
Wal-Mart: Or, you could go sight-seeing at your nearest Wal-Mart. You never know what you’re going to find. And if that doesn’t sound like some fun, you could glue googly eyes to the poster boards and get kicked out immediately just for the thrill (though this does come close to the illegal activities hinted at in the lead of this story).
Petland: Go to your nearest Petland. Buy a hamster, gerbil, any small rodent type animal- Buy it a sweet cage and start building your new friends a pimped out crib of extensions and sweet rooms for your rodent to play in.
Study: What better way to be a student and finish out the year strong with a full night's worth of studying for your exams; surely you will be tired but not tired enough to blow off something like studying!
All of these awesome ideas from yours truly would be so much more fun than actually “turning up” for prom. So be safe, have fun and have even more fun after with these suggestions!
Photo credit- clubpenguin.wikia.com
Photo caption- a penguin ready for prom
Katelynd Havice ('15) is a staff writer for The Viking Vault
Texts from mother
By: Trevor White
We all love our Mother Dearest, and everyone cherishes Mother's Day as an opportunity to give back to the lovely birth giver. Moms come in all different colors, shapes, sizes, and personalities.
Texting my mom has never failed to disappoint me. Whether it is her telling me to send her a video of a “Shania Carey song” or sending a purse emoji thinking it was a strawberry, it’s always something new. It’s almost an honor to be the first person she texts when finding out how to use emoji’s, sort of like a special bond that carried over from the uterus. My mom has turned her autocorrect off, which only fuels the comedic fires. So as you’re off buying flowers for mother dearest, be sure to shoot her a nifty text message and see what you get back. Who knows, it could be your ninety year old grandpa wearing Vans that he just bought. It’s happened to me before, so never underestimate the power of a Keds wearing supermom.
But lastly, be sure you are always respectful to your mom; it would be a shame to lose her love and never receive a text from her.
Trevor White (’15) is the review editor and a staff writer for The Viking Vault
By: Trevor White
We all love our Mother Dearest, and everyone cherishes Mother's Day as an opportunity to give back to the lovely birth giver. Moms come in all different colors, shapes, sizes, and personalities.
Texting my mom has never failed to disappoint me. Whether it is her telling me to send her a video of a “Shania Carey song” or sending a purse emoji thinking it was a strawberry, it’s always something new. It’s almost an honor to be the first person she texts when finding out how to use emoji’s, sort of like a special bond that carried over from the uterus. My mom has turned her autocorrect off, which only fuels the comedic fires. So as you’re off buying flowers for mother dearest, be sure to shoot her a nifty text message and see what you get back. Who knows, it could be your ninety year old grandpa wearing Vans that he just bought. It’s happened to me before, so never underestimate the power of a Keds wearing supermom.
But lastly, be sure you are always respectful to your mom; it would be a shame to lose her love and never receive a text from her.
Trevor White (’15) is the review editor and a staff writer for The Viking Vault
For the love of all things good
By: Megan Dalton
People all of the world are helping out and spending time trying to make the world a better place. We are taught from a young age to “be kind to one another” to “treat others the way you want to be treated.” Even people here at Northridge are trying to make a difference and volunteer for charity.
You may ask, “Well, what do I get out of it?” If doing something kind just for the fact of being kind isn't enough, know that volunteering will benefit you as well. “Doing charity work isn't just something that is heartwarming in itself, it is beneficial when applying for school and applications. "Also if you want to be involved in Nation Honors Society, community service hours are a must,” Savannah Legg, sophomore, shares.
Katelynd Havice ('15) spent three months of her summer in Cincinnati feeding the homeless everyday with a program called Help For Hands. “It feels good to help someone who is so appreciative of what little they have. It just puts a smile on your face to see how grateful people are and to know you helped those people out. I just loved it,” Havice explains.
Churches often go on mission trips and take both teens and adults. That’s how Haley Trimble('16) and Jamie Swickard('16) have been on two “wonderful” mission trips. Trimble and Swickard have been to Indiana and New York the past two years and plan on going on more. They share how great it is to help the people there. When they were there, the duo, along with Swickard's church, spent their days building and cleaning. They even went on a “midnight run” in New York where they provided homeless people with needed items.
Helping out and taking care of your community doesn’t have to be on a large "outta country," or even state event. It can be as little as helping someone mow their lawn, or volunteering at an animal shelter. Doing charity feels good and looks good!
Photo caption- Trimble and Swickard on a mission trip to New York
Megan Dalton (16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault
By: Megan Dalton
People all of the world are helping out and spending time trying to make the world a better place. We are taught from a young age to “be kind to one another” to “treat others the way you want to be treated.” Even people here at Northridge are trying to make a difference and volunteer for charity.
You may ask, “Well, what do I get out of it?” If doing something kind just for the fact of being kind isn't enough, know that volunteering will benefit you as well. “Doing charity work isn't just something that is heartwarming in itself, it is beneficial when applying for school and applications. "Also if you want to be involved in Nation Honors Society, community service hours are a must,” Savannah Legg, sophomore, shares.
Katelynd Havice ('15) spent three months of her summer in Cincinnati feeding the homeless everyday with a program called Help For Hands. “It feels good to help someone who is so appreciative of what little they have. It just puts a smile on your face to see how grateful people are and to know you helped those people out. I just loved it,” Havice explains.
Churches often go on mission trips and take both teens and adults. That’s how Haley Trimble('16) and Jamie Swickard('16) have been on two “wonderful” mission trips. Trimble and Swickard have been to Indiana and New York the past two years and plan on going on more. They share how great it is to help the people there. When they were there, the duo, along with Swickard's church, spent their days building and cleaning. They even went on a “midnight run” in New York where they provided homeless people with needed items.
Helping out and taking care of your community doesn’t have to be on a large "outta country," or even state event. It can be as little as helping someone mow their lawn, or volunteering at an animal shelter. Doing charity feels good and looks good!
Photo caption- Trimble and Swickard on a mission trip to New York
Megan Dalton (16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault
Diet Coke in schools
By: Kyle Stermer
Diet pop is made to be the healthy alternative to regular pop, but that is not correct. Diet pop not only contains harmful chemicals that regular pop doesn’t have, but it doesn’t even quench your thirst. It leaves you even thirstier, therefore coming back for more and more.
Michelle Obama has worked to get laws enforced for kids to have “Healthier lunches.” That includes removal of regular pop, but diet pop has been deemed acceptable. Well guess what, diet pop is not healthy. Diet soda is arguably the worst thing to drink in today’s society. There are many health problems that it is linked to, such as type 2 diabetes, kidney problems, obesity, and cell damage. The main reason why diet pop is so bad for you is because of the use of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking something is sweet when it’s really not. A popular artificial sweetener known by the name of “aspartame” was actually banned by the FDA twice. Aspartame was actually accidentally created in a lab by a company called G>D searl. They then got it accepted by the FDA, but serious health issues arose and the company was under fire. It was then deemed not safe for use by scientists, who also said it led to major increases in brain tumors. It was clear at the time that aspartame was not safe for consumption, but not for long.
Then, in 1981 Searle Rumsfeld (who is a former Secretary of Defense, surprise surprise) wanted to get it re-approved. January 21st, the day after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, Searle re-applied aspartame’s approval for use by the FDA. Ronald Reagans FDA commissioner Arthur Hull Jr appointed a 5-person Commission to review the decision. They quickly decided in a 3-2 vote that aspartame was still not safe. Hull then decided to appoint a 6th member to the board, which created a tie in the voting, 3-3. He then decided to personally break the tie and approve aspartame for use. So he rigged the voting to favor aspartame.
Since then, aspartame has been questioned by scientists, chemists and the general public about its safety. Many studies have been completed that show aspartame is a cause for over 90 serious health problems such as cancer, leukemia, headaches, seizures, fibromyalgia, and epilepsy.
So why does Michelle Obama want Diet Pop in schools? If artificial sweeteners have such a sketchy past, then why put it in schools? She cares so much about the health of our children, but then insists that schools have diet pop. Why?
Kyle Stermer ('16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
By: Kyle Stermer
Diet pop is made to be the healthy alternative to regular pop, but that is not correct. Diet pop not only contains harmful chemicals that regular pop doesn’t have, but it doesn’t even quench your thirst. It leaves you even thirstier, therefore coming back for more and more.
Michelle Obama has worked to get laws enforced for kids to have “Healthier lunches.” That includes removal of regular pop, but diet pop has been deemed acceptable. Well guess what, diet pop is not healthy. Diet soda is arguably the worst thing to drink in today’s society. There are many health problems that it is linked to, such as type 2 diabetes, kidney problems, obesity, and cell damage. The main reason why diet pop is so bad for you is because of the use of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking something is sweet when it’s really not. A popular artificial sweetener known by the name of “aspartame” was actually banned by the FDA twice. Aspartame was actually accidentally created in a lab by a company called G>D searl. They then got it accepted by the FDA, but serious health issues arose and the company was under fire. It was then deemed not safe for use by scientists, who also said it led to major increases in brain tumors. It was clear at the time that aspartame was not safe for consumption, but not for long.
Then, in 1981 Searle Rumsfeld (who is a former Secretary of Defense, surprise surprise) wanted to get it re-approved. January 21st, the day after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, Searle re-applied aspartame’s approval for use by the FDA. Ronald Reagans FDA commissioner Arthur Hull Jr appointed a 5-person Commission to review the decision. They quickly decided in a 3-2 vote that aspartame was still not safe. Hull then decided to appoint a 6th member to the board, which created a tie in the voting, 3-3. He then decided to personally break the tie and approve aspartame for use. So he rigged the voting to favor aspartame.
Since then, aspartame has been questioned by scientists, chemists and the general public about its safety. Many studies have been completed that show aspartame is a cause for over 90 serious health problems such as cancer, leukemia, headaches, seizures, fibromyalgia, and epilepsy.
So why does Michelle Obama want Diet Pop in schools? If artificial sweeteners have such a sketchy past, then why put it in schools? She cares so much about the health of our children, but then insists that schools have diet pop. Why?
Kyle Stermer ('16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
A "Flawless" analysis
By: Savannah Legg
Flawless is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé Knowles. On the surface, the song seems to be coming from a superficial standpoint and how she is flawless, but a deeper investigation shows the actual origin of the song.
The inspiration of this song came from a speech given by Nigerian feminist activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In Adichie’s speech she discusses how society as a whole views and treats women. Adichie starts off by saying that society advocates to girls that they should starve and shrink themselves to make themselves smaller and that women should be successful and have ambition, but not too much, otherwise they will threaten men. She says that we teach women to view each other as competitors for the attention of men.
In the song Beyoncé also satirically discusses the society’s view of women being flawless when shes says that men must think that women “wake up flawless,” when in fact achieving flawlessness is inconceivable. Beyoncé then goes off to name the things women will receive for being flawless, such as diamonds, fancy cars, etc. She goes on to say “ladies, tell them that 'I look so good tonight.'” By saying this, she's declaring that all girls need to boast and brag about how good they look to men to attract their attention to make the men believe that women are flawless.
The fact that this song comes from Beyonce (a beauty icon) herself, makes her message even more special. She’s telling women that despite what society wants us to believe, we are not flawless, we are flawed, but it’s our flaws that make us beautiful.
Savannah Legg ('16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
Horoscope
By: Jamie Swickard
NORTHRIDGE- Read your zodiac sign’s horoscope for this month to find out what your sign says about you!
Aries (March 21-April 20): You are a loyal person to everyone. People can go to you about anything or ask you to do any favor. Teachers can always count on you to turn in your work on time and do your best in school.
Taurus (April 21-May 21): You’re very artsy. You always have a new art project in mind and see the world through a rose colored glass. Everyday you spend drawing or painting something that amazes everyone.
Gemini (May 22-June 21): You’re friendly. You go out of your way to make a new student feel very welcomed. People know you as the outgoing one who always is in a good mood and ready to pick someone up if they’re feeling down.
Cancer (June 22-July 22): You’re the “go-to” friend. You always have the best advice and all of your friends know they can go to you about anything no matter how embarrassing or serious.
Leo (July 23-August 21): You’re known as the intelligent one. Many friends and fellow classmates look to you for help studying for tests or quizzes. You always know how to help friends out with any school-related subjects.
Virgo (August 22-September 23): You’re adventurous. People know you as the person always wanting to go on hikes or try something new. You’re ready to try anything that comes at you.
Libra (September 24- October 23): You’re ambitious. You’re willing to do anything to achieve a goal once you put your mind to it. People know you as a hard worker and a dedicated person.
Scorpio (October 24-November 22): You’re confident. People know you as the person willing to try a new style or do something not many people know. You like doing things different and unique.
Sagittarius (November 23-December 22): You’re a leader. People look to you for directions on what to do and where to go. You’re a humble leader who many love and look up to.
Capricorn (December 23-January 20): You’re very athletic. Your team mates can look to you to make the big plays, while your fellow classmates look at you as the athletic, yet humble person.
Aquarius (January 21-February 19): You’re a little reserved. People know you to keep to yourself and to not voice your opinion as often as others. But people always know that all of your intentions are good.
Pisces (February 20-March 20): You’re funny. You always know how to make people laugh even if they’re in a bad mood. You always have a joke ready to tell. Many people look at you as the class clown.
Jamie Swickard (16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
By: Jamie Swickard
NORTHRIDGE- Read your zodiac sign’s horoscope for this month to find out what your sign says about you!
Aries (March 21-April 20): You are a loyal person to everyone. People can go to you about anything or ask you to do any favor. Teachers can always count on you to turn in your work on time and do your best in school.
Taurus (April 21-May 21): You’re very artsy. You always have a new art project in mind and see the world through a rose colored glass. Everyday you spend drawing or painting something that amazes everyone.
Gemini (May 22-June 21): You’re friendly. You go out of your way to make a new student feel very welcomed. People know you as the outgoing one who always is in a good mood and ready to pick someone up if they’re feeling down.
Cancer (June 22-July 22): You’re the “go-to” friend. You always have the best advice and all of your friends know they can go to you about anything no matter how embarrassing or serious.
Leo (July 23-August 21): You’re known as the intelligent one. Many friends and fellow classmates look to you for help studying for tests or quizzes. You always know how to help friends out with any school-related subjects.
Virgo (August 22-September 23): You’re adventurous. People know you as the person always wanting to go on hikes or try something new. You’re ready to try anything that comes at you.
Libra (September 24- October 23): You’re ambitious. You’re willing to do anything to achieve a goal once you put your mind to it. People know you as a hard worker and a dedicated person.
Scorpio (October 24-November 22): You’re confident. People know you as the person willing to try a new style or do something not many people know. You like doing things different and unique.
Sagittarius (November 23-December 22): You’re a leader. People look to you for directions on what to do and where to go. You’re a humble leader who many love and look up to.
Capricorn (December 23-January 20): You’re very athletic. Your team mates can look to you to make the big plays, while your fellow classmates look at you as the athletic, yet humble person.
Aquarius (January 21-February 19): You’re a little reserved. People know you to keep to yourself and to not voice your opinion as often as others. But people always know that all of your intentions are good.
Pisces (February 20-March 20): You’re funny. You always know how to make people laugh even if they’re in a bad mood. You always have a joke ready to tell. Many people look at you as the class clown.
Jamie Swickard (16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
Ask Aili
By: Aili Barbee
Q: I took the ACT as a sophomore and didn't get the score I was hoping for. Do you have any tips on how I can raise my score?
A: Luckily, you have plenty of time to retake the ACT. The ACT is offered in September, October, December, February, April, and June, so decide when you would like to retake it during your junior year. The good news is you can take the ACT up to 12 times, and people typically raise their score when they retake it. Before you blindly jump into the ACT, refresh your memory of what it exactly entails by taking practice tests. You can buy ACT prep books or borrow them from the library. These books contain tips on how to take the test and use your limited testing time wisely, practice tests, and codes that allow you to access online ACT tools. Several ACT prep companies offer online seminars and classes that can be either free or quite expensive depending on the quantity of material. You can also hire an ACT tutor that can help you in the subjects that you struggled in most. The key is to prepare yourself so that you are not confused and stressed out the day of the test. Good luck!
Q: Is volunteering a necessity in high school? I would like to volunteer, but I’m not sure what I should do. Do you have any recommendations?
A: Volunteering is not a necessity to graduate from high school, but it is a requirement to get into National Honors Society and looks really good on college and scholarship applications. It is also a great way to help out others which leaves you feeling better about yourself. There is a wide variety of different types of volunteering opportunities. If you enjoy reading you can volunteer at the library by putting away books or straightening up shelves, or by reading to young children, illiterate adults, the elderly, and the ill. If you are really good at a certain subject, you can tutor a child after school or become a “big brother or sister” to an underprivileged kid. . You can also volunteer by helping out at animal or homeless shelters, nursing homes, and hospitals. www.volunteermatch.org is a great website to use to find what types of volunteering options there are in your area.
Q: My best friend has been extremely sad recently and was just diagnosed with depression. How can I help her?
A: What your friend needs is someone to be there for her. Listen to her when she wants to talk, and be a shoulder for her to cry on when she needs it. Try to understand why she feels the way she does. Depression, in some cases, can be situational and easier to get over. Yet, depression can also be caused by a lack of serotonin neurotransmitters (“happy cells”) in the brain which can require medicines known as antidepressants to get better. If you notice your friend getting worse or starts threatening suicide, make sure you alert her parents or doctor immediately. It is important to remember to be patient with your friend because it can take a while to overcome depression. It also is critical to not treat your friend’s depression lightly. If she was medically diagnosed with depression, that means she is legitimately ill and cannot just “get over it”. She is probably pretty sensitive and joking about her depression could cause her to feel worse and turn away from your friendship. Also, remember that your happiness is still a priority. Continue to do the things you enjoy and take care yourself. If you just feel overwhelmed by her sadness, talk to your parents and see what you could do that is best for both your friend and yourself.
Aili Barbee (’16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault
By: Aili Barbee
Q: I took the ACT as a sophomore and didn't get the score I was hoping for. Do you have any tips on how I can raise my score?
A: Luckily, you have plenty of time to retake the ACT. The ACT is offered in September, October, December, February, April, and June, so decide when you would like to retake it during your junior year. The good news is you can take the ACT up to 12 times, and people typically raise their score when they retake it. Before you blindly jump into the ACT, refresh your memory of what it exactly entails by taking practice tests. You can buy ACT prep books or borrow them from the library. These books contain tips on how to take the test and use your limited testing time wisely, practice tests, and codes that allow you to access online ACT tools. Several ACT prep companies offer online seminars and classes that can be either free or quite expensive depending on the quantity of material. You can also hire an ACT tutor that can help you in the subjects that you struggled in most. The key is to prepare yourself so that you are not confused and stressed out the day of the test. Good luck!
Q: Is volunteering a necessity in high school? I would like to volunteer, but I’m not sure what I should do. Do you have any recommendations?
A: Volunteering is not a necessity to graduate from high school, but it is a requirement to get into National Honors Society and looks really good on college and scholarship applications. It is also a great way to help out others which leaves you feeling better about yourself. There is a wide variety of different types of volunteering opportunities. If you enjoy reading you can volunteer at the library by putting away books or straightening up shelves, or by reading to young children, illiterate adults, the elderly, and the ill. If you are really good at a certain subject, you can tutor a child after school or become a “big brother or sister” to an underprivileged kid. . You can also volunteer by helping out at animal or homeless shelters, nursing homes, and hospitals. www.volunteermatch.org is a great website to use to find what types of volunteering options there are in your area.
Q: My best friend has been extremely sad recently and was just diagnosed with depression. How can I help her?
A: What your friend needs is someone to be there for her. Listen to her when she wants to talk, and be a shoulder for her to cry on when she needs it. Try to understand why she feels the way she does. Depression, in some cases, can be situational and easier to get over. Yet, depression can also be caused by a lack of serotonin neurotransmitters (“happy cells”) in the brain which can require medicines known as antidepressants to get better. If you notice your friend getting worse or starts threatening suicide, make sure you alert her parents or doctor immediately. It is important to remember to be patient with your friend because it can take a while to overcome depression. It also is critical to not treat your friend’s depression lightly. If she was medically diagnosed with depression, that means she is legitimately ill and cannot just “get over it”. She is probably pretty sensitive and joking about her depression could cause her to feel worse and turn away from your friendship. Also, remember that your happiness is still a priority. Continue to do the things you enjoy and take care yourself. If you just feel overwhelmed by her sadness, talk to your parents and see what you could do that is best for both your friend and yourself.
Aili Barbee (’16) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault
Under the desk:
Summertime books
By: McKenzie Messer
This summer when you’re lying by the pool or you need something to do, pick up a book! The grand question is “What should I read?” Well, this girl has you covered!
If you’re traveling this summer, a place that you spend hours of your life is in a car or plane. A good read for a plane is If I Stay by Gayle Forman, which is actually becoming a movie and is coming out August 22nd this summer. If I Stay is a story of a girl named Mia who gets in a car accident traveling to her grandparents’ house with her parents and brother. She is unconscious and is seeing herself outside of her body when she realizes her parents died instantly and her brother may also pass. Mia tries to decide if she should try to stay alive whilst looking through all the memorable moments in her life. I recommend this book for ages 14-19.
A very popular destination is the beach. A great book for the beach and all ages is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The book is written from the point of view of a student named Leo at a high school in Mica, Arizona. An unusual girl named Stargirl comes to town and shakes everything up. Throughout the book you see how special the girl truly is and how it affects the community in both positive and negative aspects. The book is 208 pages long, but it goes by much faster than you expect. It’s recommended for ages 12-17, but I’d recommend for 11-100. It is childish in some aspects, but in a loving manner. Someone once said the age recommendation is “whenever you’re feeling most lost,” and I agree.
Another book that’d be nice on the beach is Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Bernadette Fox is the mother, and best friend, of a 15 year old girl with years of health issues named Bee. I don’t want to say anything more because it’s definitely one of those books that when you read, everything unravels in the most beautiful way. The book is sort of confusing at the beginning due to the format. (Hint: It’s told by multiple people through e-mails, hand-written notes, and internal/external monologue. Just try to keep track of the format of the message, and you should follow easily!) Also, don’t give up on this book too fast! I read about 30 pages the first time and got bored so I sat it down, but I’m so glad I bought it and read it entirely this time! Since this is an adult book, I’m not going to put age recommendations, just keep in mind it’s meant for adults and occasionally has strong language.
Whilst on vacation, you’ll probably be in a cramped hotel, or possibly a beach house with several other family members. My favorite book series to read in a hotel room is Harry Potter. With seven books full of magic, you can’t go wrong! If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 17 years, I’ll give a quick summary. Harry Potter is a boy who was raised muggle (non-magical people),then finds out on his 11th birthday that he’s a wizard and was accepted to the school for witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts. Over the seven years at Hogwarts, he goes on crazy adventures with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In the later years, he has to try to defeat Vol...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The movie series is wonderful, but the books are still so much better by an enormous amount. The recommended ages for the series is 8-12, but that is absolute rubbish. I say read it until your age takes over your eyesight because magic never ends.
Not everyone goes away for summer break, so I found some great books to read while staying local.
Home is one of the most popular places to read books, so pick up one of these good books and snuggle into bed. If you’ve known me for longer than two days, you know how much I ardently love and admire Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This book is pretty old, I mean like 201 years old. It’s a love story between a fellow named Mr. Darcy and the narrator Elizabeth Bennett, with a background love story of her sibling Jane and Darcy’s best friend Mr. Bingley. I won’t even try to tell you about it, because if you read one of my previous columns on Pride and Prejudice, you’ll see that I get too excited and go off talking about every aspect in a “quick summary”. (Read it here if you want to know about the book before you get into it! http://thevikingvault.weebly.com/archived-columnsreviews1.html) I recommend this book for 18+ just because the vintage dialect is sort of difficult for some to read, and the sarcastic dialogue is even harder. Also, if you read the book, you must watch the BBC 1995 mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It’s not on Netflix, but you can get it from your local library! Don’t watch the 2005 movie with Kiera Knightly. It sucks.
A completely drastic book series that is also great to read at home is the “Scott Pilgrim” by Bryan Lee O’Malley. There are six books in this series, but they go by incredibly fast! These are graphic novels, but don’t let society’s pre-formed opinion on them stop you from enjoying a hilarious opportunity! Scott Pilgrim is a guy in his early twenties who finds a magnificent girl named Ramona Flowers. The only catch is he has to defeat her seven evil exes to date her. I recommend these books for ages 16-early twenties. They also made a movie based off the six books, and it actually turned out really well considering there was six books to squish into the amount of time! They even keep some of the comic drawings for special parts of the movie and have comic blurbs like, “Pow!” I know it sounds really bizarre, but the director beautifully ties what makes graphic novels great and brilliant cinematography. I highly recommend both the books and the movie.
My favorite place to read books is at my most beloved coffee shop. Two books that would be great for that environment is What My Mother Doesn’t Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones. The two books are narrated by a couple; the mother book is written from the girlfriend’s view, while the girlfriend book is written by her boyfriend. What My Mother Doesn’t Know is where we first meet Sophie, a high-school girl who is fairly “popular” and see all of her different relationships. She ends up dating a boy named Robin who is seen as a “school weirdo”, when in reality he’s just really into art and not that great and socializing. Sophie is basically shunned by her posse because Robin is seen as “un-fit boyfriend material”. In What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know, the book is written from Robin’s point of view. In this book, he goes to college at the age of 16 for art and meets some interesting people. One of which is a pretty girl who also turns out to be 16 and start a forbidden romance whilst dating Sophie. These books are written as novels in verse, so even though each book is 260-290, they go by extremely fast! I recommend these books for ages 14-20.
Whatever books you read this summer, I hope you read some amazing adventures! Happy reading!
McKenzie Messer (’15) is the columns editor, literary editor, and a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
Summertime books
By: McKenzie Messer
This summer when you’re lying by the pool or you need something to do, pick up a book! The grand question is “What should I read?” Well, this girl has you covered!
If you’re traveling this summer, a place that you spend hours of your life is in a car or plane. A good read for a plane is If I Stay by Gayle Forman, which is actually becoming a movie and is coming out August 22nd this summer. If I Stay is a story of a girl named Mia who gets in a car accident traveling to her grandparents’ house with her parents and brother. She is unconscious and is seeing herself outside of her body when she realizes her parents died instantly and her brother may also pass. Mia tries to decide if she should try to stay alive whilst looking through all the memorable moments in her life. I recommend this book for ages 14-19.
A very popular destination is the beach. A great book for the beach and all ages is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The book is written from the point of view of a student named Leo at a high school in Mica, Arizona. An unusual girl named Stargirl comes to town and shakes everything up. Throughout the book you see how special the girl truly is and how it affects the community in both positive and negative aspects. The book is 208 pages long, but it goes by much faster than you expect. It’s recommended for ages 12-17, but I’d recommend for 11-100. It is childish in some aspects, but in a loving manner. Someone once said the age recommendation is “whenever you’re feeling most lost,” and I agree.
Another book that’d be nice on the beach is Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Bernadette Fox is the mother, and best friend, of a 15 year old girl with years of health issues named Bee. I don’t want to say anything more because it’s definitely one of those books that when you read, everything unravels in the most beautiful way. The book is sort of confusing at the beginning due to the format. (Hint: It’s told by multiple people through e-mails, hand-written notes, and internal/external monologue. Just try to keep track of the format of the message, and you should follow easily!) Also, don’t give up on this book too fast! I read about 30 pages the first time and got bored so I sat it down, but I’m so glad I bought it and read it entirely this time! Since this is an adult book, I’m not going to put age recommendations, just keep in mind it’s meant for adults and occasionally has strong language.
Whilst on vacation, you’ll probably be in a cramped hotel, or possibly a beach house with several other family members. My favorite book series to read in a hotel room is Harry Potter. With seven books full of magic, you can’t go wrong! If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 17 years, I’ll give a quick summary. Harry Potter is a boy who was raised muggle (non-magical people),then finds out on his 11th birthday that he’s a wizard and was accepted to the school for witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts. Over the seven years at Hogwarts, he goes on crazy adventures with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In the later years, he has to try to defeat Vol...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The movie series is wonderful, but the books are still so much better by an enormous amount. The recommended ages for the series is 8-12, but that is absolute rubbish. I say read it until your age takes over your eyesight because magic never ends.
Not everyone goes away for summer break, so I found some great books to read while staying local.
Home is one of the most popular places to read books, so pick up one of these good books and snuggle into bed. If you’ve known me for longer than two days, you know how much I ardently love and admire Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This book is pretty old, I mean like 201 years old. It’s a love story between a fellow named Mr. Darcy and the narrator Elizabeth Bennett, with a background love story of her sibling Jane and Darcy’s best friend Mr. Bingley. I won’t even try to tell you about it, because if you read one of my previous columns on Pride and Prejudice, you’ll see that I get too excited and go off talking about every aspect in a “quick summary”. (Read it here if you want to know about the book before you get into it! http://thevikingvault.weebly.com/archived-columnsreviews1.html) I recommend this book for 18+ just because the vintage dialect is sort of difficult for some to read, and the sarcastic dialogue is even harder. Also, if you read the book, you must watch the BBC 1995 mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. It’s not on Netflix, but you can get it from your local library! Don’t watch the 2005 movie with Kiera Knightly. It sucks.
A completely drastic book series that is also great to read at home is the “Scott Pilgrim” by Bryan Lee O’Malley. There are six books in this series, but they go by incredibly fast! These are graphic novels, but don’t let society’s pre-formed opinion on them stop you from enjoying a hilarious opportunity! Scott Pilgrim is a guy in his early twenties who finds a magnificent girl named Ramona Flowers. The only catch is he has to defeat her seven evil exes to date her. I recommend these books for ages 16-early twenties. They also made a movie based off the six books, and it actually turned out really well considering there was six books to squish into the amount of time! They even keep some of the comic drawings for special parts of the movie and have comic blurbs like, “Pow!” I know it sounds really bizarre, but the director beautifully ties what makes graphic novels great and brilliant cinematography. I highly recommend both the books and the movie.
My favorite place to read books is at my most beloved coffee shop. Two books that would be great for that environment is What My Mother Doesn’t Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones. The two books are narrated by a couple; the mother book is written from the girlfriend’s view, while the girlfriend book is written by her boyfriend. What My Mother Doesn’t Know is where we first meet Sophie, a high-school girl who is fairly “popular” and see all of her different relationships. She ends up dating a boy named Robin who is seen as a “school weirdo”, when in reality he’s just really into art and not that great and socializing. Sophie is basically shunned by her posse because Robin is seen as “un-fit boyfriend material”. In What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know, the book is written from Robin’s point of view. In this book, he goes to college at the age of 16 for art and meets some interesting people. One of which is a pretty girl who also turns out to be 16 and start a forbidden romance whilst dating Sophie. These books are written as novels in verse, so even though each book is 260-290, they go by extremely fast! I recommend these books for ages 14-20.
Whatever books you read this summer, I hope you read some amazing adventures! Happy reading!
McKenzie Messer (’15) is the columns editor, literary editor, and a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
Mother's Day
By: Megan Hatfield
Mothers have the toughest job of them all, along with fathers. They are raising the next generation and the future of the world. Sometimes I think kids, and everyone in general, can overlook the full time job of motherhood. Mother’s Day is a day to appreciate, and thank them for all these things.
Macy Adams (’15) says on Mother’s Day that she and her family cooked her mom and grandma a special dinner. Alexis Absten (’15) helped her mom out on Mother’s Day by cleaning up the house for her. Just doing simple gestures is enough to show your mom how much you care.
Mikaela Pankuch (’15) said her family asked her mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day, and she wanted to go on a shopping spree to Maurice’s. So she went on her shopping spree and picking out new things, and then her family accompanied her to lunch.
McKenzie Messer (’15) and I both did similar things for Mother’s Day. Messer, her sister, and her mom went to a nursery and let their mom pick out flowers for her garden. My mom did the same thing with me, her mom, and her sisters. She picked out new baskets of flowers and some for her garden. Danielle Salamone (’14) said she and her mom worked in their garden at home for Mother’s Day. Flowers and gardening are always a popular theme of the day.
When people think of Mother’s Day, they think of flowers, pretty cards, candles, and picture frames. Emma Dann (’15) and her family did something more unique. Her family went camping together that Sunday at their grandparents' campsite. Jeb Board (’16) took his mom out for a drive in his mustang to get ice cream.
Ethan Chalfant (’16) bought his mom new Pandora charms for Mother’s Day, which is a popular gift for mothers and grandmothers for many holidays. I made my mom a video of pictures of her and our family to music.
Spending time with your mom on Mother’s Day and just in general in the best way to show them you care and appreciate the things they do for you. Our moms spend the entire year going out of their way to make us happy, and it’s nice to take the one day of the year devoted to them and make it special.
Photo caption- Hatfield and her mother before prom
Megan Hatfield ('15) is the features editor and a staff writer for the Viking Vault
Bad Days
By Lilly Chesser
I’m kind of over bad days. Why do I keep having them? I spent a while asking myself this but the answer was always pretty obvious.
If I have an actual problem, that is, a concrete problem that affects me in the real world, then it’s pretty much guaranteed that there’s something I could’ve done to prevent or offset it in some way. My recent bad days were filled with a lot of stress and worry over homework. If I got more homework than usual, I would worry all afternoon how I was going to do it, how I could possibly find the time. Then I’d fall asleep very sweaty and wake up in a panic.
The rest of my day would be spent trying to hide the obvious fact that I had done absolutely nothing last night, all the while thinking “I don’t feel very good today.” Of course, bad things do happen to me sometimes that are completely out of my control, but taking action against problems is very empowering so (ideally) I’d do whatever I can to get rid of the problem, even if that’s just waiting for some days to pass.
The other type of problem, the far worse one, is the not-actual problem. These are characterized by having pretty much no bearing on my life but still making me feel like I’m being weighed down at the finger tips and have been dragging myself around all day. For me, these problems are usually caused by internal emotional conflict or, a favorite recently, failure and rejection. Failing at something is absolutely awful. For some reason it always fills me with a sense of impending doom, like I’m about to take a final exam that I never studied for.
My key to beating this problem is still very underdeveloped, but I think it’s important to remind myself not to let the problem infect other areas of my mind. If I didn’t win an award, it’s probably not because I’m ugly and have no friends and have bad taste in music. I have to contain the problem, tell it to stay where it belongs, in that one moment of my life. Besides, the fact that these problems affect me so much is just a sign that my mood is entirely controlled by my brain.
I believe the only thing you need to get over a bad day is to keep in mind that things are going to get better. Even if you don’t believe it, tell yourself that you’re awesome and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by something any day now.
After all, the world around you is getting better every decade. People are getting smarter, new stuff is being built, and new ideas are being spread around. You might think this doesn’t affect you personally, but you are pretty lucky to live in the year 2014. At least you don’t live in the middle ages. You didn’t even have a chance at happiness back then.
Photo credit- google images
Lilly Chesser ('15) is a staff writer for the Viking Vault.
Everyday I’m Hosslin’: Fast Times at Northridge High
By Zach Hossler
Northridge High School has been known as a bit of a troublemaking school for the past few years, but is now thankfully on it’s way back to a having a well-behaved student body. Famous movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porkys, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and others are known to have exceptional students who like to party and do really stupid stuff.
These students are in some ways similar to the students of Northridge. When asked if the student body had any standouts that act like the characters from these movies, Mrs. Miller replied “yes, yes , and yes.” There are obvious similarities between the movies and our real life students. The largest similarity are the “clicks” in the school. At Northridge there are the obvious clicks including, jocks , cheerleaders, druggies, band kids, and that group by the vending machines.
The major difference between these movies and NHS is that our staff and administrators are not “robotic” like the staff of the schools in the movies. The school staff here is fun and energetic and very good at their jobs. You won’t walk into the high school here and hear “Bueller,Bueller, Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.” In the high school we don’t have any crazy events like the kids from Porky’s. How often have you you seen a group of KKK members lured into the gymnasium to be given the treatment they deserve by a group of men? You won’t see anything crazy like that here, but I have to say there may have been some”Graveyard Gloria” type of events.
The Northridge staff only had a few ideas from these movies that they wished were true in real life. Mrs. Miller said “There are no kids here as cool as Ferris Bueller," which is a true statement if you have seen that movie. All Mr. Kirtland wanted was theme music when teachers had great teaching moments. Northridge High School is pretty cool, but in the end we are all glad school is nothing like it is in the movies.
Zach Hossler 14'