$4K raised in 2018 food drive
By: Sarah Phillips
NORTHRIDGE- The 2018 food drive took place the first week of October (1-5). In that week, NHS raised an estimated $2,010 and 210 cans, while our middle school counterparts raised an estimated $2,000 and 1,300 cans.
“I’m really proud that we were able to raise over $4,000 dollars and 1,500 cans,” says Principal Amy Anderson.
This year the food drive kicked off with a Spirit Week of wearing orange for Hunger Awareness. The Student Leadership class decided to raise the food drive money with a “penny stall,” “pie a teacher,” and “buy a senior.” The penny stall involved students bringing in coins to “stall” a class, since teachers couldn’t proceed with class until they’d counted up all the contributions. The others were what they sounded like: for a donation, students get to throw a pie in the face of a teacher of choice (that assembly is coming up Nov. 20, the day before Thanksgiving Break), and they could put their names in a drawing to “buy” a Leadership class senior who would follow them around and be bossed around for the day, which took place a couple of weeks ago. The penny stall brought in the most amount money, Leadership members said, while the pie a teacher and buy a senior were close behind.
Kody Everts (‘19) was one of the seniors bought this year, purchased by Logan Miller (‘22). They spent their day with Everts shadowing Miller to all his classes.
“It was a good experience. I liked getting to see all the freshman teachers again,” says Everts.
The sophomore class brought in the most amount in both cans and money this year. However, all the classes were pretty close. The participation was really good among all classes, according to Leadership.
This is the only food drive taking place this year. Next year’s Student Leadership will decide if these fundraisers will carry on or if they’ll be changed. Each senior group is in charge of picking fundraisers and running the food drive.
“This year’s Student Leadership did a great job running the food drive,” Anderson noted.
The results of the competition between the Northridge and Johnstown food drive are still unknown. However, all the proceeds of money and cans from both schools are going to the Johnstown-Northridge food bank, benefiting both schools and the entire community. The Johnstown-Northridge food pantry helps more than 150 families every month
- Sarah Phillips (‘20) is the entertainment editor of the Viking Vault.
By: Sarah Phillips
NORTHRIDGE- The 2018 food drive took place the first week of October (1-5). In that week, NHS raised an estimated $2,010 and 210 cans, while our middle school counterparts raised an estimated $2,000 and 1,300 cans.
“I’m really proud that we were able to raise over $4,000 dollars and 1,500 cans,” says Principal Amy Anderson.
This year the food drive kicked off with a Spirit Week of wearing orange for Hunger Awareness. The Student Leadership class decided to raise the food drive money with a “penny stall,” “pie a teacher,” and “buy a senior.” The penny stall involved students bringing in coins to “stall” a class, since teachers couldn’t proceed with class until they’d counted up all the contributions. The others were what they sounded like: for a donation, students get to throw a pie in the face of a teacher of choice (that assembly is coming up Nov. 20, the day before Thanksgiving Break), and they could put their names in a drawing to “buy” a Leadership class senior who would follow them around and be bossed around for the day, which took place a couple of weeks ago. The penny stall brought in the most amount money, Leadership members said, while the pie a teacher and buy a senior were close behind.
Kody Everts (‘19) was one of the seniors bought this year, purchased by Logan Miller (‘22). They spent their day with Everts shadowing Miller to all his classes.
“It was a good experience. I liked getting to see all the freshman teachers again,” says Everts.
The sophomore class brought in the most amount in both cans and money this year. However, all the classes were pretty close. The participation was really good among all classes, according to Leadership.
This is the only food drive taking place this year. Next year’s Student Leadership will decide if these fundraisers will carry on or if they’ll be changed. Each senior group is in charge of picking fundraisers and running the food drive.
“This year’s Student Leadership did a great job running the food drive,” Anderson noted.
The results of the competition between the Northridge and Johnstown food drive are still unknown. However, all the proceeds of money and cans from both schools are going to the Johnstown-Northridge food bank, benefiting both schools and the entire community. The Johnstown-Northridge food pantry helps more than 150 families every month
- Sarah Phillips (‘20) is the entertainment editor of the Viking Vault.
NHS Band is marching to States
By: Megan Payne
NORTHRIDGE - The Northridge High School Band recently qualified for the State contest which was held at Hilliard Bradley High School this past Saturday, October 27th. The band received a Superior rating, or "1" at the state competition.
Their performance that got them there is called Sideshow, which is meant to transport the audience into a circus. The band uses several props throughout the show to transform the field into a circus arena. The songs included in the show are “Thunder and Blazes,” “A La Lune,” “Send In The Clowns,” and “Incantation.”
Many of the 41 band members say they were very excited to go to States this year. When asked if he was excited for the contest, trumpet player, Matt Pileski (‘20) said, “Heck yes!”
Color guard member, Luci Holbrook (‘20) said, “I was really excited but also very nervous because it is the biggest competition of the year.”
Northridge High School Band has qualified for the State contest six years in a row, including this year, but this year things have been a little different. The band’s previous director, Mr. King, left the program after the conclusion of last year, so there is a new director at the helm this year.
Ms. Casey McCall, the new band director, said that it “feels awesome to qualify for States” during her first year here. She said, “I have worked hard this year, but the kids really stepped up and put forth the effort while working incredibly hard, so we are very excited.”
Band members feel like this year’s band has a special feeling about it. Holbrook said, “The new director has brought a lot of good to the program.”
McCall said, “Our band is a little smaller than it was last year. There are also a lot of younger members in the band this year, so the older members have stepped up to help take charge. The younger members have also worked so hard to get to the level of the older members.”
As the nerves and excitement grew more and more each day before the contest, Pileski explains how he thought the state contest would go. He said, “I prayed that we would get a 1 because we have worked so hard this year. I think it will go okay. I am just a little nervous because we did so well last year and I just want to perform well again.”
Pileski and the others got their wish. Saturday went wonderfully, according to band members.
"The weather was terrible, but everything clicked in terms of music and movement," said Field Commander Aidan Cupp ('20).
- Megan Payne (‘20) is the junior web editor of the Viking Vault
By: Megan Payne
NORTHRIDGE - The Northridge High School Band recently qualified for the State contest which was held at Hilliard Bradley High School this past Saturday, October 27th. The band received a Superior rating, or "1" at the state competition.
Their performance that got them there is called Sideshow, which is meant to transport the audience into a circus. The band uses several props throughout the show to transform the field into a circus arena. The songs included in the show are “Thunder and Blazes,” “A La Lune,” “Send In The Clowns,” and “Incantation.”
Many of the 41 band members say they were very excited to go to States this year. When asked if he was excited for the contest, trumpet player, Matt Pileski (‘20) said, “Heck yes!”
Color guard member, Luci Holbrook (‘20) said, “I was really excited but also very nervous because it is the biggest competition of the year.”
Northridge High School Band has qualified for the State contest six years in a row, including this year, but this year things have been a little different. The band’s previous director, Mr. King, left the program after the conclusion of last year, so there is a new director at the helm this year.
Ms. Casey McCall, the new band director, said that it “feels awesome to qualify for States” during her first year here. She said, “I have worked hard this year, but the kids really stepped up and put forth the effort while working incredibly hard, so we are very excited.”
Band members feel like this year’s band has a special feeling about it. Holbrook said, “The new director has brought a lot of good to the program.”
McCall said, “Our band is a little smaller than it was last year. There are also a lot of younger members in the band this year, so the older members have stepped up to help take charge. The younger members have also worked so hard to get to the level of the older members.”
As the nerves and excitement grew more and more each day before the contest, Pileski explains how he thought the state contest would go. He said, “I prayed that we would get a 1 because we have worked so hard this year. I think it will go okay. I am just a little nervous because we did so well last year and I just want to perform well again.”
Pileski and the others got their wish. Saturday went wonderfully, according to band members.
"The weather was terrible, but everything clicked in terms of music and movement," said Field Commander Aidan Cupp ('20).
- Megan Payne (‘20) is the junior web editor of the Viking Vault
High School Musical … Middle School style
By: Lindsey Stocks and Emma Garee
NORTHRIDGE - Northridge Middle School will be performing High School Musical Jr. as their performance this year.
High School Musical Jr. will be presented Nov. 16th and 17th at 7 p.m. and Nov. 18th at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of Northridge High School. Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.
“This is the most kids we’ve ever had on stage,” said Jennifer Ulery, one of the directors, alongside Jody Hepp and Christine Light. There will be 53 kids on stage this year ranging from 6th to 8th grade. There will be 20 more kids backstage helping with lights, props, and costumes.
The musical is about a guy and girl who meet on a ski trip and end up going to the same high school. Once they come back to school from winter break, they join together from two different cliques to try out for their school musical. Their bond creates an opening for others to step up and show their hidden talents and who they truly are.
The leads for the musical include Olivia Debolt (‘23) as Gabriella, Layne Mercer (‘23) as Troy, Kyleigh Andrews (‘24) as Sharpay and Joshua Chestnut (‘24) as Ryan. The roles were picked extremely carefully and were very hard to choose, according to directors.
Ulery said, “At Northridge, we have lots of kids who have talent.” The props and painting are done by parents and volunteers who help to work on whatever needs done.
Mr. Shawn Decker and his classes in the high school are creating the programs this year. They are formatting the biographies of the kids, along with adding in the ads and designing each of the pages.
Some the most energetic high school volunteers also include Chris Curran (‘20), Kathryn Nicks (‘21), Breann Absten (‘20) and Kylee Williams (‘20). Landon Hewett (‘21) has designed the t-shirt for this year’s musical. Rachel Brannon (‘20) has been the designer for the poster for this year’s musical, and Carmen Debolt has been the costumer designer for the kids. Many of the costumes are also rented from Debbie’s Costume Shop to help make the kids look great when performing on stage.
People can expect to see a live orchestra at the musical. “People love the music, which is a big part of why we chose this,” said Hepp.
“It’s not about us, it’s about making the kids look awesome,” said Ulery.
Olivia Debolt (‘23) said, “People should come and see it because we worked really hard to make it look good. It is fun and enjoyable!”
Performers first come together in September and practice five days a week for about three months to prepare for the musical. During the week prior to the musical, known as “Tech Week,” the students practice and prepare for about six hours each day getting ready for the performance. In total, the musical costs about $14,500 to put on, and the funding comes in multiple ways including ticket prices, multiple fundraisers and ad sales in the programs. This money covers the costs of royalties, sets, costumes and the pit for music.
- Emma Garee (‘20) is the photo editor for The Viking Vault. Lindsey Stocks (‘21) is a student in Mr. Nelson’s Journalism class.
By: Lindsey Stocks and Emma Garee
NORTHRIDGE - Northridge Middle School will be performing High School Musical Jr. as their performance this year.
High School Musical Jr. will be presented Nov. 16th and 17th at 7 p.m. and Nov. 18th at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of Northridge High School. Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.
“This is the most kids we’ve ever had on stage,” said Jennifer Ulery, one of the directors, alongside Jody Hepp and Christine Light. There will be 53 kids on stage this year ranging from 6th to 8th grade. There will be 20 more kids backstage helping with lights, props, and costumes.
The musical is about a guy and girl who meet on a ski trip and end up going to the same high school. Once they come back to school from winter break, they join together from two different cliques to try out for their school musical. Their bond creates an opening for others to step up and show their hidden talents and who they truly are.
The leads for the musical include Olivia Debolt (‘23) as Gabriella, Layne Mercer (‘23) as Troy, Kyleigh Andrews (‘24) as Sharpay and Joshua Chestnut (‘24) as Ryan. The roles were picked extremely carefully and were very hard to choose, according to directors.
Ulery said, “At Northridge, we have lots of kids who have talent.” The props and painting are done by parents and volunteers who help to work on whatever needs done.
Mr. Shawn Decker and his classes in the high school are creating the programs this year. They are formatting the biographies of the kids, along with adding in the ads and designing each of the pages.
Some the most energetic high school volunteers also include Chris Curran (‘20), Kathryn Nicks (‘21), Breann Absten (‘20) and Kylee Williams (‘20). Landon Hewett (‘21) has designed the t-shirt for this year’s musical. Rachel Brannon (‘20) has been the designer for the poster for this year’s musical, and Carmen Debolt has been the costumer designer for the kids. Many of the costumes are also rented from Debbie’s Costume Shop to help make the kids look great when performing on stage.
People can expect to see a live orchestra at the musical. “People love the music, which is a big part of why we chose this,” said Hepp.
“It’s not about us, it’s about making the kids look awesome,” said Ulery.
Olivia Debolt (‘23) said, “People should come and see it because we worked really hard to make it look good. It is fun and enjoyable!”
Performers first come together in September and practice five days a week for about three months to prepare for the musical. During the week prior to the musical, known as “Tech Week,” the students practice and prepare for about six hours each day getting ready for the performance. In total, the musical costs about $14,500 to put on, and the funding comes in multiple ways including ticket prices, multiple fundraisers and ad sales in the programs. This money covers the costs of royalties, sets, costumes and the pit for music.
- Emma Garee (‘20) is the photo editor for The Viking Vault. Lindsey Stocks (‘21) is a student in Mr. Nelson’s Journalism class.
What's next with Leadership?
By: Mackenzie Holder
Student Leadership has been hard at work planning events for the rest of the 2018- 2019 school year, trying to come up with fun and new ideas to get everyone at the school involved. With almost seven months of school left, there are a lot of things that we can do in that period of time. We hope to leave this school year feeling like we had a great time and got things done while doing it. The goal is to have creative activities that all students will enjoy and to get more student involvement from the underclassmen.
Along with planning projects and promoting school spirit, the Leadership class has been reading The Energy Bus book, and members have been learning how to become good leaders with Mr. Grieger as their instructor.
Hunter Henson (‘19) stated that “At first I was skeptical about the book but after I started reading it I am actually really enjoying it. I have learned the steps that I need to take to become a good leader.”
While planning projects we needed to make sure that as a class we have a goal for those projects. Makenna Hale (19’) states, “Our goal is to have one big project that we are working on every month, and we will try to stick with that goal for the rest of the year.”
For the month of October, Student Leadership will be heading to the Primary School in Alexandria to help with their fall parties. Reading books and dressing up in costumes are only a few things that the Leadership class will be doing to help out during this time. Rachel Allen (‘19) says, “I am so excited to go to the Primary and see all of the little kids dressed up … I am also excited to dress up and show them my costume!”
Our goal is to help out the teachers during this time and make this a fun and stress-free day for all of the students.
Looking forward to the next few months, there are multiple things that are in the works. Some of the ideas that are currently being tossed around include a dodgeball or basketball tournament, decorating doors at Christmas time, and volunteering at a food kitchen. These are only a few ideas, there are many more that are currently being worked on.
Leadership is excited for the rest of the 2018- 2019 school year and cannot wait to make some of these ideas happen. The class is working very hard to make this school year a great one, and we can't wait for you to get to experience some of the fun things we have planned. We are looking forward to see everyone’s reactions to some of the new and fun things coming your way.
-Mackenzie Holder is the print editor for The Viking Vault. [email protected]
By: Mackenzie Holder
Student Leadership has been hard at work planning events for the rest of the 2018- 2019 school year, trying to come up with fun and new ideas to get everyone at the school involved. With almost seven months of school left, there are a lot of things that we can do in that period of time. We hope to leave this school year feeling like we had a great time and got things done while doing it. The goal is to have creative activities that all students will enjoy and to get more student involvement from the underclassmen.
Along with planning projects and promoting school spirit, the Leadership class has been reading The Energy Bus book, and members have been learning how to become good leaders with Mr. Grieger as their instructor.
Hunter Henson (‘19) stated that “At first I was skeptical about the book but after I started reading it I am actually really enjoying it. I have learned the steps that I need to take to become a good leader.”
While planning projects we needed to make sure that as a class we have a goal for those projects. Makenna Hale (19’) states, “Our goal is to have one big project that we are working on every month, and we will try to stick with that goal for the rest of the year.”
For the month of October, Student Leadership will be heading to the Primary School in Alexandria to help with their fall parties. Reading books and dressing up in costumes are only a few things that the Leadership class will be doing to help out during this time. Rachel Allen (‘19) says, “I am so excited to go to the Primary and see all of the little kids dressed up … I am also excited to dress up and show them my costume!”
Our goal is to help out the teachers during this time and make this a fun and stress-free day for all of the students.
Looking forward to the next few months, there are multiple things that are in the works. Some of the ideas that are currently being tossed around include a dodgeball or basketball tournament, decorating doors at Christmas time, and volunteering at a food kitchen. These are only a few ideas, there are many more that are currently being worked on.
Leadership is excited for the rest of the 2018- 2019 school year and cannot wait to make some of these ideas happen. The class is working very hard to make this school year a great one, and we can't wait for you to get to experience some of the fun things we have planned. We are looking forward to see everyone’s reactions to some of the new and fun things coming your way.
-Mackenzie Holder is the print editor for The Viking Vault. [email protected]
Two issues impact Northridge in November
By: Shelby Yorde
NORTHRIDGE - On November 6 of this year, voters will be asked to approve two ballot issues directly related to our school: one is a bond issue, and the other is an emergency operating levy.
The operating levy covers expenses like teachers, technology, and utilities. It was already approved by voters and simply needs renewed, which will not represent a tax increase to voters.
The bond issue would allow the district to build a new elementary school and do ongoing upgrades and maintenance in all buildings. The new school will bring ½%, or 3.4 mills, property tax. Although, if you receive social security, pensions, capital gains, or compensions, then you are exempted from the tax. Also, the tax on the previous bond from 1995 will be ending. This will mean it will only be $23 more a year for a $100,000 house.
If you would like to know exactly what your tax amount would be for that bond issue, you can go to the Licking County Auditor’s website and enter your property address. You then go to menu and select <taxes>, <calculator>, and then <levy> (make sure you subtract tax from 1995 bond).
Our school is now and will continue to be the school with the lowest tax rate in Licking County, even if both the bond and levy pass.
The new building will not only help those in the Primary School, but will also get the 4th and 5th graders out of the trailers, along with providing updates for the middle and high school. The school’s reasoning behind the whole thing is that “there becomes a time where replacement makes more sense then repair,” according to levy committee literature. With the primary, so many things need replaced from plumbing to electrical, that it would actually save the school money to rebuild.
The proposed school has a budget lower than average for a new school, as well. The money we save from the repairs would go to bettering the education for the kids. Superintendent Scott Schmidt says, “The combined bond is not only important for the school but for all the updates needed.”
Schmidt also says, “We know getting a lot of support isn’t the challenge; the challenge is getting people out to actually vote.” Savanna Verhovec (‘19) says that this will be her first time voting and she will be voting yes because “the younger generations of Northridge deserve a better future.”
Northridge asks that you go out and vote on Nov. 6. To find a location, you can go to www.licking.ohioboe.com/apps/pollfinder.aspx.
- Shelby Yorde ‘20 a junior editor for the viking vault [email protected]
By: Shelby Yorde
NORTHRIDGE - On November 6 of this year, voters will be asked to approve two ballot issues directly related to our school: one is a bond issue, and the other is an emergency operating levy.
The operating levy covers expenses like teachers, technology, and utilities. It was already approved by voters and simply needs renewed, which will not represent a tax increase to voters.
The bond issue would allow the district to build a new elementary school and do ongoing upgrades and maintenance in all buildings. The new school will bring ½%, or 3.4 mills, property tax. Although, if you receive social security, pensions, capital gains, or compensions, then you are exempted from the tax. Also, the tax on the previous bond from 1995 will be ending. This will mean it will only be $23 more a year for a $100,000 house.
If you would like to know exactly what your tax amount would be for that bond issue, you can go to the Licking County Auditor’s website and enter your property address. You then go to menu and select <taxes>, <calculator>, and then <levy> (make sure you subtract tax from 1995 bond).
Our school is now and will continue to be the school with the lowest tax rate in Licking County, even if both the bond and levy pass.
The new building will not only help those in the Primary School, but will also get the 4th and 5th graders out of the trailers, along with providing updates for the middle and high school. The school’s reasoning behind the whole thing is that “there becomes a time where replacement makes more sense then repair,” according to levy committee literature. With the primary, so many things need replaced from plumbing to electrical, that it would actually save the school money to rebuild.
The proposed school has a budget lower than average for a new school, as well. The money we save from the repairs would go to bettering the education for the kids. Superintendent Scott Schmidt says, “The combined bond is not only important for the school but for all the updates needed.”
Schmidt also says, “We know getting a lot of support isn’t the challenge; the challenge is getting people out to actually vote.” Savanna Verhovec (‘19) says that this will be her first time voting and she will be voting yes because “the younger generations of Northridge deserve a better future.”
Northridge asks that you go out and vote on Nov. 6. To find a location, you can go to www.licking.ohioboe.com/apps/pollfinder.aspx.
- Shelby Yorde ‘20 a junior editor for the viking vault [email protected]