Five members of the Northridge football team volunteered in January to help people in need with a moving project in Johnstown. For no compensation, the young men spent the afternoon hauling furniture because someone needed help. These football players include: Andy Andrews ('20), Dustin Chalfant ('20), Wade Mullins ('20), Dalton Hildebrand ('21), and Brendan Workman ('19) (who is not pictured because he took the photo).
Middle school students “stacking up” opportunities
By: Megan Smith
NORTHRIDGE- For the second year in a row, the middle school will be taking their fastest cup stackers to Wheeling Virginia for the 2017 fifth annual Ohio Valley sports stacking championship on February second; those students are a part of the sport stacking club in the middle school, and are practicing for the fastest time.
Mr. Andrew Innocenzi, the middle school P.E. teacher, is the one who started the club last year; he now runs it on his own, supervising every practice and takes the kids to the tournament. He had started cup stacking when he was 17, and wanted to give kids at Northridge some of the opportunities he had.
“There are practices Monday through Friday, which are free practices. I can’t force them to come since it is their choice whether or not they want to do it,” said Innocenzi.
Practices for cup stacking starts after Thanksgiving break, in preparation for the February tournament. They last 45 minutes, for the most efficient practice. The students involved are practicing to get the fastest times, trying to get into the top four for a spot to go to the tournament.
There are currently 15 to 20 students signed up, who attend practice when they can; a few of them had done sport stacking last year, with most of them having just signed up this year. Some people see the club, and just want to try it out for the day but don’t actually join. Practices are open for anyone.
Those who are practicing for the tournaments are preparing three different sequences that they have to do in front of the judges; a 3-3-3 stack, a 3-6-3 stack, and cycles. During the tournament, one of 100 or so people will go up to one of the few tables with three judges; two in front and one behind. They will get two warm up attempts, and then three attempts to get the time they want. The judges will take only their fastest time.
Besides the big tournament in West Virginia, Innocenzi is planning on having a mini tournament before the middle school dodgeball game before break. Everyone will be competing for the fastest time.
One of the middle schoolers practicing to be a part of the four going to West Virginia is Clarissa Yutzy (‘22). She joined sports stacking last year when she saw her friend join and enjoy it, and hopes that she can continue after middle school.
Yutzy explained why she likes the sports stacking club: “Once you start, you just try to beat yourself and I think that’s really fun.”
When he first started the club last year, Innocenzi had some of his middle schoolers play with cup stacking for an activity during class, but those who were good and enjoyed it, decided to come after school and be a part of the club.
Besides having a background in sport stacking, Innocenzi had made the club for those who didn’t have any special skills specific to another sport and wanted to be a part of something.
“Sport stacking is a sport despite what people think; it is very important. It’s something anyone can do, and you don’t need to have any special skills to be able to do it,” he explained.
Innocenzi has made the club is a place for anyone and everyone in middle school who wants to fit into something and have a little fun competing against themselves.
-Megan Smith (‘18) is a staff writer for The Viking Vault. [email protected]
By: Megan Smith
NORTHRIDGE- For the second year in a row, the middle school will be taking their fastest cup stackers to Wheeling Virginia for the 2017 fifth annual Ohio Valley sports stacking championship on February second; those students are a part of the sport stacking club in the middle school, and are practicing for the fastest time.
Mr. Andrew Innocenzi, the middle school P.E. teacher, is the one who started the club last year; he now runs it on his own, supervising every practice and takes the kids to the tournament. He had started cup stacking when he was 17, and wanted to give kids at Northridge some of the opportunities he had.
“There are practices Monday through Friday, which are free practices. I can’t force them to come since it is their choice whether or not they want to do it,” said Innocenzi.
Practices for cup stacking starts after Thanksgiving break, in preparation for the February tournament. They last 45 minutes, for the most efficient practice. The students involved are practicing to get the fastest times, trying to get into the top four for a spot to go to the tournament.
There are currently 15 to 20 students signed up, who attend practice when they can; a few of them had done sport stacking last year, with most of them having just signed up this year. Some people see the club, and just want to try it out for the day but don’t actually join. Practices are open for anyone.
Those who are practicing for the tournaments are preparing three different sequences that they have to do in front of the judges; a 3-3-3 stack, a 3-6-3 stack, and cycles. During the tournament, one of 100 or so people will go up to one of the few tables with three judges; two in front and one behind. They will get two warm up attempts, and then three attempts to get the time they want. The judges will take only their fastest time.
Besides the big tournament in West Virginia, Innocenzi is planning on having a mini tournament before the middle school dodgeball game before break. Everyone will be competing for the fastest time.
One of the middle schoolers practicing to be a part of the four going to West Virginia is Clarissa Yutzy (‘22). She joined sports stacking last year when she saw her friend join and enjoy it, and hopes that she can continue after middle school.
Yutzy explained why she likes the sports stacking club: “Once you start, you just try to beat yourself and I think that’s really fun.”
When he first started the club last year, Innocenzi had some of his middle schoolers play with cup stacking for an activity during class, but those who were good and enjoyed it, decided to come after school and be a part of the club.
Besides having a background in sport stacking, Innocenzi had made the club for those who didn’t have any special skills specific to another sport and wanted to be a part of something.
“Sport stacking is a sport despite what people think; it is very important. It’s something anyone can do, and you don’t need to have any special skills to be able to do it,” he explained.
Innocenzi has made the club is a place for anyone and everyone in middle school who wants to fit into something and have a little fun competing against themselves.
-Megan Smith (‘18) is a staff writer for The Viking Vault. [email protected]
Behind the scenes of planning Prom
By: Katelyn Darby
NORTHRIDGE- With Prom quickly approaching, the student leadership class has been working on plans for this year’s dance, which will be on May 12th from 6-10 p.m. at Jorgensen Farms.
“One of the first steps to planning Prom is picking the location,” says student leadership advisor Kristen Grow. “We went as a group to tour the venue we were looking into and knew it was the right place and immediately booked it.”
Jorgensen Farms is an event venue located in Westerville that is also a farm for organic produce. The venue mainly hosts weddings, and Northridge’s Prom will be the first school dance the location has held in a while. There will be two main areas used for the dance: the barn and the patio. The area is also surrounded by gardens.
“There are lots of good places to take pictures with the barn and gardens,” says student leadership member, Megan Trainer (‘18), who toured Jorgensen Farms with the class.
The next step for planning Prom is booking the music. This year’s prom will feature the typical DJ and an additional live acoustic guitar band. “We wanted to do something different this year,” says Grow, “But the class had concern over whether having a live band only would take away from the Prom experience. The setup of Jorgensen’s is perfect for this though, as the separate areas will allow us to have both.” The DJ will be set up in the barn, while the live band will play on the patio. The class provided the band with a list of current songs they will play renditions of during the dance.
“I think the live band will be really cool. It’s something new, and it’s a way to make sure everyone has fun and likes the music,” says student leadership member Caylee Lindsay (‘18).
Another important planning step to Prom is the food. Jorgensen Farms has their own menu with food options, and this year's Prom will feature a pasta bar with many options for everyone. The pasta will be set up buffet style and will have different options for meat, sauces, and toppings. There will also be a fire pit on the patio where a s’mores station will be set up.
“We decided a pasta bar would be good because everyone will be able to find something they’ll like,” says Tori Strong (‘18), a student leadership member.
The price of tickets is still yet to be announced, but be on the lookout for updates soon.
-Katelyn Darby (‘18) is a third-year Vault staff member and Wed Editor-in-Chief. [email protected]
By: Katelyn Darby
NORTHRIDGE- With Prom quickly approaching, the student leadership class has been working on plans for this year’s dance, which will be on May 12th from 6-10 p.m. at Jorgensen Farms.
“One of the first steps to planning Prom is picking the location,” says student leadership advisor Kristen Grow. “We went as a group to tour the venue we were looking into and knew it was the right place and immediately booked it.”
Jorgensen Farms is an event venue located in Westerville that is also a farm for organic produce. The venue mainly hosts weddings, and Northridge’s Prom will be the first school dance the location has held in a while. There will be two main areas used for the dance: the barn and the patio. The area is also surrounded by gardens.
“There are lots of good places to take pictures with the barn and gardens,” says student leadership member, Megan Trainer (‘18), who toured Jorgensen Farms with the class.
The next step for planning Prom is booking the music. This year’s prom will feature the typical DJ and an additional live acoustic guitar band. “We wanted to do something different this year,” says Grow, “But the class had concern over whether having a live band only would take away from the Prom experience. The setup of Jorgensen’s is perfect for this though, as the separate areas will allow us to have both.” The DJ will be set up in the barn, while the live band will play on the patio. The class provided the band with a list of current songs they will play renditions of during the dance.
“I think the live band will be really cool. It’s something new, and it’s a way to make sure everyone has fun and likes the music,” says student leadership member Caylee Lindsay (‘18).
Another important planning step to Prom is the food. Jorgensen Farms has their own menu with food options, and this year's Prom will feature a pasta bar with many options for everyone. The pasta will be set up buffet style and will have different options for meat, sauces, and toppings. There will also be a fire pit on the patio where a s’mores station will be set up.
“We decided a pasta bar would be good because everyone will be able to find something they’ll like,” says Tori Strong (‘18), a student leadership member.
The price of tickets is still yet to be announced, but be on the lookout for updates soon.
-Katelyn Darby (‘18) is a third-year Vault staff member and Wed Editor-in-Chief. [email protected]
Green and white-out
The truth about snow days
By: Katie Applequist
NORTHRIDGE- Winter. It’s cold and miserable. The only redeeming quality is the possibility of snow days. But how do snow days become reality?
How does one person know what is going on in the whole district? Well, Superintendent Scott Schmidt says, “When snow that might impact the roads is forecasted, my alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. I get dressed and Mr. Liggett, maintenance, and Mrs. Cheadle, transportation, and I start driving around to see what the roads are like. We drive the main roads as well as some back roads, and then everyone meets at around 5 a.m. in the administration office and watches weather reports and looks at the local sheriff’s road report. We’re also in contact with superintendents of surrounding schools. We have to make a decision by 5:30 a.m.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to make decisions, like when we had the extreme ice, and we don’t need to drive around the whole district,” Schmidt says.
In addition to the all-call system that sends out a phone call to everyone on the list, news of a delay or closing is spread to local tv, radio, and newspapers and sent as an email. Superintendent Schmidt tweets the news from his Twitter account, @NorthridgeSupt. The news can also be found on the district’s website and Facebook page.
Some districts are affected by the weather differently. In districts with lots of people that walk to school, the cold might affect them more than a school that doesn’t have a lot of walkers. However, the number of miles buses travel and whether they are on backroads or main roads makes bad roads affect a district more.
Since “hindsight is always 20/20,” according to Schmidt, you might find yourself faced with the prospect of having to go to school in some non-ideal weather. So how do you make sure you are as safe as possible?
According to AAA, you should drive slower than normal, accelerate and decelerate slower than normal, and increase the distance between you and another vehicle by about double. You should also never warm your car up inside a barn or garage, and of course, always wear your seatbelt.
Of course, the best case scenario is a snow day. There are lots of outlandish myths to do the night before that are supposed to guarantee, or at least increase, the likelihood of a snow day. You can wear your pajamas inside out and backwards, put a spoon under your pillow, flush an ice cube down the toilet, put a purple crayon on the window sill, and tape a paper snowflake in the window. But if you want to be really accurate, you can go to www.snowdaycalculator.com, put in your zip code, the number of snow days you’ve had this year, and the type of school, and like magic it tells you the likelihood you’ll have a snow day the next day and in two days.
This winter when the weather turns foul, now you know exactly what goes into getting a snow day.
-Katie Applequist (‘18) is a second year member of the Viking Vault and is Entertainment Editor.
The truth about snow days
By: Katie Applequist
NORTHRIDGE- Winter. It’s cold and miserable. The only redeeming quality is the possibility of snow days. But how do snow days become reality?
How does one person know what is going on in the whole district? Well, Superintendent Scott Schmidt says, “When snow that might impact the roads is forecasted, my alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. I get dressed and Mr. Liggett, maintenance, and Mrs. Cheadle, transportation, and I start driving around to see what the roads are like. We drive the main roads as well as some back roads, and then everyone meets at around 5 a.m. in the administration office and watches weather reports and looks at the local sheriff’s road report. We’re also in contact with superintendents of surrounding schools. We have to make a decision by 5:30 a.m.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to make decisions, like when we had the extreme ice, and we don’t need to drive around the whole district,” Schmidt says.
In addition to the all-call system that sends out a phone call to everyone on the list, news of a delay or closing is spread to local tv, radio, and newspapers and sent as an email. Superintendent Schmidt tweets the news from his Twitter account, @NorthridgeSupt. The news can also be found on the district’s website and Facebook page.
Some districts are affected by the weather differently. In districts with lots of people that walk to school, the cold might affect them more than a school that doesn’t have a lot of walkers. However, the number of miles buses travel and whether they are on backroads or main roads makes bad roads affect a district more.
Since “hindsight is always 20/20,” according to Schmidt, you might find yourself faced with the prospect of having to go to school in some non-ideal weather. So how do you make sure you are as safe as possible?
According to AAA, you should drive slower than normal, accelerate and decelerate slower than normal, and increase the distance between you and another vehicle by about double. You should also never warm your car up inside a barn or garage, and of course, always wear your seatbelt.
Of course, the best case scenario is a snow day. There are lots of outlandish myths to do the night before that are supposed to guarantee, or at least increase, the likelihood of a snow day. You can wear your pajamas inside out and backwards, put a spoon under your pillow, flush an ice cube down the toilet, put a purple crayon on the window sill, and tape a paper snowflake in the window. But if you want to be really accurate, you can go to www.snowdaycalculator.com, put in your zip code, the number of snow days you’ve had this year, and the type of school, and like magic it tells you the likelihood you’ll have a snow day the next day and in two days.
This winter when the weather turns foul, now you know exactly what goes into getting a snow day.
-Katie Applequist (‘18) is a second year member of the Viking Vault and is Entertainment Editor.
Cells, Blood, Needles! Oh My!
Blood Drive a success
By: Cora Dorman
NORTHRIDGE-Students, staff, and community members participated in the Red Cross Blood Drive at Northridge High School on January 10th to honor Logan Garee (‘17).
The Red Cross had 37 donors, although some donors gave double reds. According to National Honor Society Advisor, Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, ”Double red is when they take away red blood cells, but they give you your blood back. They take out twice as much blood but they give you more back. It’s not actually a double blood donation, it’s just a cell donation.”
The Red Cross requires double red donors to weigh more. There are different height and weight requirements for whole blood and double red. More information about age, height and weight requirements can be found on the Red Cross website.
In addition to height and weight requirements, Northridge does not allow athletes to participate in the blood drive. Miller states, “This is a school rule because there have been issues with athletes passing out and getting sick during games and practices. Technically, you are not supposed to engage in physical activity after you donate.”
Emily Fraley (‘18) states, “I've donated blood twice and I recommend that everyone does it. It doesn't hurt that bad.”
The average whole blood donation takes on average 8-10 minutes, but after filling out paperwork, the process takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Donor, Savanna Verhovec (‘19), says, “Giving up an hour of my day is worth the reward. I’m saving someone’s life.”
Miller adds, “If you are healthy and able to, it is a fairly easy process to help people in the community and across the country.”
The process of blood donation includes donation, processing, testing, storage and distribution. When the Red Cross receives whole blood donations, they separate red cells, platelets, and plasma. The parts are then distributed to those in need as the Red Cross determines where the blood goes. Oftentimes, an email is sent to the donor to tell them where their blood went.
The National Honor Society members are major contributors to the blood drive, according to Miller. They are responsible for getting students from classrooms and getting sign ups by going into the lunch room. They also check people in and make sure people are okay after donation. Miller admits, “They really do it all.”
In the next few months, National Honor Society will be inducting new members into the prestigious program and continue to work on gaining service hours.
Although it is not well known, the Red Cross gives a 250 dollar scholarship to a Northridge individual with the highest amount of donations. If one donates double reds, it counts as two donations towards the scholarship. The winner has to be attending college to receive the scholarship.
The next blood drive is not set, but there could possibly be one after spring break. Parents will not be able to donate, as it is a safety concern. Miller explained, “The blood drive is a good thing. We will continue to do it.”
Donations were made in Logan Garee’s name because the recent grad is battling severe aplastic anemia and requires regular blood and platelet transfusions.
-Cora Dorman ('18) is a second- year Vault staff member and Copy Editor.
Blood Drive a success
By: Cora Dorman
NORTHRIDGE-Students, staff, and community members participated in the Red Cross Blood Drive at Northridge High School on January 10th to honor Logan Garee (‘17).
The Red Cross had 37 donors, although some donors gave double reds. According to National Honor Society Advisor, Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, ”Double red is when they take away red blood cells, but they give you your blood back. They take out twice as much blood but they give you more back. It’s not actually a double blood donation, it’s just a cell donation.”
The Red Cross requires double red donors to weigh more. There are different height and weight requirements for whole blood and double red. More information about age, height and weight requirements can be found on the Red Cross website.
In addition to height and weight requirements, Northridge does not allow athletes to participate in the blood drive. Miller states, “This is a school rule because there have been issues with athletes passing out and getting sick during games and practices. Technically, you are not supposed to engage in physical activity after you donate.”
Emily Fraley (‘18) states, “I've donated blood twice and I recommend that everyone does it. It doesn't hurt that bad.”
The average whole blood donation takes on average 8-10 minutes, but after filling out paperwork, the process takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Donor, Savanna Verhovec (‘19), says, “Giving up an hour of my day is worth the reward. I’m saving someone’s life.”
Miller adds, “If you are healthy and able to, it is a fairly easy process to help people in the community and across the country.”
The process of blood donation includes donation, processing, testing, storage and distribution. When the Red Cross receives whole blood donations, they separate red cells, platelets, and plasma. The parts are then distributed to those in need as the Red Cross determines where the blood goes. Oftentimes, an email is sent to the donor to tell them where their blood went.
The National Honor Society members are major contributors to the blood drive, according to Miller. They are responsible for getting students from classrooms and getting sign ups by going into the lunch room. They also check people in and make sure people are okay after donation. Miller admits, “They really do it all.”
In the next few months, National Honor Society will be inducting new members into the prestigious program and continue to work on gaining service hours.
Although it is not well known, the Red Cross gives a 250 dollar scholarship to a Northridge individual with the highest amount of donations. If one donates double reds, it counts as two donations towards the scholarship. The winner has to be attending college to receive the scholarship.
The next blood drive is not set, but there could possibly be one after spring break. Parents will not be able to donate, as it is a safety concern. Miller explained, “The blood drive is a good thing. We will continue to do it.”
Donations were made in Logan Garee’s name because the recent grad is battling severe aplastic anemia and requires regular blood and platelet transfusions.
-Cora Dorman ('18) is a second- year Vault staff member and Copy Editor.
Succeeding in business … and in musicals
By: Anna Kohler
NORTHRIDGE- How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying will be performed by an NHS cast on March 9th, 10th, and 11th, and the tickets will go on sale around the beginning of February in the high-school office.
The musical is based on a book, and there have been multiple movies about it, too. The musical is basically making fun of the business world and how those in it handle things. The main character is J. Pierrepont Finch, and it’s a story about how he tries to get to the top in business by cheating. There is a book he uses that tells him how to get to the top without even really trying, but he has a rival, Bud Frump, who's fighting for the top, too, with a little advantage of his own. There is a lot of drama, romance, and comedy involved in this musical.
Mrs. Jody Hepp, who has been directing musicals since 1995 and for the past several years at NHS, says she chose this musical for many reasons. Hepp states, “I chose this musical because it has a wide variety of leads. It’s something very different from anything we’ve done before. In high school I performed in it and had a great experience.”
There are 45 cast members and 15 stage crew members who spend an average of 10 hours a week practicing and getting ready for the show. There are two-hour-long practices every week day and sometimes on a weekend day. Hepp states, “There is a lot of practice, but not everyone has to come each day; it just depends on what we're focusing on.”
Hepp says the musical always goes very smoothly because of how dedicated the kids are, and she says she is very excited for the show. She claims, “The kids are pretty good at memorizing their lines because they want to learn them and they have been participating in musicals for awhile.”
Katie Debolt (‘20), one of the leads in the musical, says, “I'm a little nervous but overall just excited.”
Hepp says choosing the kids that get the leads is pretty easy because you can “just tell who's going to be who” when they are working together, and it just all falls in place.
When asked what to expect from this musical she's states, “I hope everyone gets laugh out of it but lets people see the problems in the business world and sees how poorly they are handled.” Mrs. Hepp also explains how it is more for the mature older kids rather than little kids because of certain jokes they just may not understand.
Mrs. Hepp is also a music teacher, so while she manages the stress of both teaching and directing at the same time. She states, though, that “Though the extra work is stressful, there's a pretty good system which makes it easier.”
-Anna Kohler ('20) is a first-year Vault staff member and Entertainment Editor. [email protected]
By: Anna Kohler
NORTHRIDGE- How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying will be performed by an NHS cast on March 9th, 10th, and 11th, and the tickets will go on sale around the beginning of February in the high-school office.
The musical is based on a book, and there have been multiple movies about it, too. The musical is basically making fun of the business world and how those in it handle things. The main character is J. Pierrepont Finch, and it’s a story about how he tries to get to the top in business by cheating. There is a book he uses that tells him how to get to the top without even really trying, but he has a rival, Bud Frump, who's fighting for the top, too, with a little advantage of his own. There is a lot of drama, romance, and comedy involved in this musical.
Mrs. Jody Hepp, who has been directing musicals since 1995 and for the past several years at NHS, says she chose this musical for many reasons. Hepp states, “I chose this musical because it has a wide variety of leads. It’s something very different from anything we’ve done before. In high school I performed in it and had a great experience.”
There are 45 cast members and 15 stage crew members who spend an average of 10 hours a week practicing and getting ready for the show. There are two-hour-long practices every week day and sometimes on a weekend day. Hepp states, “There is a lot of practice, but not everyone has to come each day; it just depends on what we're focusing on.”
Hepp says the musical always goes very smoothly because of how dedicated the kids are, and she says she is very excited for the show. She claims, “The kids are pretty good at memorizing their lines because they want to learn them and they have been participating in musicals for awhile.”
Katie Debolt (‘20), one of the leads in the musical, says, “I'm a little nervous but overall just excited.”
Hepp says choosing the kids that get the leads is pretty easy because you can “just tell who's going to be who” when they are working together, and it just all falls in place.
When asked what to expect from this musical she's states, “I hope everyone gets laugh out of it but lets people see the problems in the business world and sees how poorly they are handled.” Mrs. Hepp also explains how it is more for the mature older kids rather than little kids because of certain jokes they just may not understand.
Mrs. Hepp is also a music teacher, so while she manages the stress of both teaching and directing at the same time. She states, though, that “Though the extra work is stressful, there's a pretty good system which makes it easier.”
-Anna Kohler ('20) is a first-year Vault staff member and Entertainment Editor. [email protected]