the viewpoint may 2013 extra

EACH DAY COULD BRING A NEW AND DIFFERENT ALLERGY FOR FRESHMAN

EMILY ARCHER . 1.

STUDENT NEWSMAGAZINE OF MVHS Extra

Mountain View High School 2135 Mountain View Road Stafford, VA 22556@mvtheviewpoint [email protected]

the Viewpointextra

Bring your own technologyand Stafford County Schools:

Will they ... or won’t they?

Stafford County Public Schools is currently debating the integration of technology for everyday use into the class-rooms of their schools. by Juliana JonesThe BYOT or Bring Your Own Technolo-

gy initiative has been gaining ground and popularity in schools around the nation.

BYOT is the introduction of technolog-ical devices, such as E-Readers, into the school environment for educational use.

In early 2013, Stafford County Public Schools is-sued a survey to the student body to determine what technology is already available to the students for use in the schools. The results of the survey where released in March for viewing by the schools—

with the results looking good for the initiative. The hold-ups are the fact that networks need

to be created that can withstand the amount of additional technology; the county is also in the process of deciding whether to impli-cate the BYOT school-by-school or as a county.

A plan for students who do not already have the technology is in the process of being developed.

If it is decided to do this on a school-by-school basis, Principal James Stemple hopes to get some-thing in place before the end of the school year.

K. Lee

Technology takeover gaining strengthTired of the

back-breaking book bag? Good news, more schools are now turning to e-read-ers. E-readers, similar to the iPad, Amazon

Kindle, and other tablets, which read digitally saved media, are beginning to replace traditional paper textbooks in school districts around the country.

The cost of tablets is higher than most high school textbooks, but colleges, such as The George Washington University, are using tablets for some graduate courses where book cost often exceeds $250 each.

However, according to www.com-puterworld.com, the cost of tablets on average was $489 in 2011, $386 in 2012, and are projected to cost $263 in 2015—making them more affordable.

Usually, school textbooks range from 3 to 5 pounds each, while a typical tablet weighs 1.25 pounds and can hold approximately 1500 textbooks. It’s hard to avoid the fact that taking a tablet to and from school is a lot easier than lugging around 15 pounds in textbooks in addition to any other necessary school supplies.

Although students may make excuses in regard to the tablet, such as leaving their charger at home or claiming that it crashed and left them unable to do their work, how is that any different with textbooks when students claim that their younger sibling colored all over it, or that their dog ate it?

When you put a shiny, new toy in front of child, it’s difficult to say he won’t be distracted, so when you put a tablet ca-pable of games in the hands of students, how can they resist playing those games? And to a certain extent, they probably won’t be able to all the time, but for the

most of the time they will do their work. There will always be students who spend their time in school goofing-off and procrastinating whether or not they have technology to aid that, but there will also be students who will use the technolo-gy as it was meant to and further their learning.

Why try and stop the inevitable? Where in our society are we not moving toward digital media?

When you’re out in town it is simply impossible not to note the presence of iPods and iPads in the hands of children younger than six years old.

Society is rapidly becoming immersed in a digital world where it is unthinkable not to own a cell phone or computer. The use of tablets isn’t indoctrinating students, but simply introducing them into a faster-paced, technologically based society.

First-person perspective

Juliana Jones

2l the viewpoint l may 2013

may 2013 l the viewpoint l 3

An apple a day keeps the doctors away, but in freshman Emily Archer’s case, an apple may result in a trip to the emergency room. It was Archer’s last year of middle school in 2011, when her doctor diagnosed her with Eosinophilic Esophagitis which is a mass production of white blood cells in the throat. The mass production of white blood cells causes ever-changing food reactions. It all starts with a mouthful of food then leads to a stomach ache, itching skin, then possibly the closing of the throat which stops Archer from breathing. “My first reaction happened when I took a bite of bacon. Immediately, my throat closed. My throat was burning so bad that I was scratching so much it began to bleed. I tried to drink milk to sooth the swelling but all it did was flow back out. At that point I couldn’t move by body because I was hyperventilating and my mother called the hospital.” Archer’s grandmother, mother, and sister all have the same reactions but after each generation the severity of the diseases get worse. If Archer decides to have children later in life the daughter’s she may have will live with the same triumphs, but

A bi te out of a poison apple By Lexi Stevens

Emily Archer is a ninth grader diagnosed with Eosinophillic Esophagitis tells her story about how it has changed her life.

An Apple a Day

more severe. Since Archer was diagnosed, she tries to stay as positive as possible. “I try to stay positive about my situation, but there is a very high chance that I could die on the spot with every meal I choose to eat.” Food such as nuts, wheat, oranges, pork, carrots, apples,and cinnamon seem to trigger Archer’s food allergies, but she has learned that the best way to find food that will not give her a reaction it to try new food daily. “I have a dark, ominous cloud over my head wither I will live or die through the next meal I eat, but I know I have to do eat to stay healthy.” Archer said. When Archer becomes allergic to a type of food, there is a time period where she is not getting the correct amount of nutrition her body needs to fight viruses, colds and keep a constant weight for her age. “I would have to take a yucky formula that tasted like swallowing sand in order to keep my nutrition and I hated taking it,” Archer added. With many types of food giving Archer a reaction, there is one kind of food that her body seems to be ok with, “It’s rice. I eat it a lot, and I find comfort in it because it’s one food I found that won’t cause me to use me epipen or Benadryl.” Epipen is short for Epinephrine auto injector, a medical device that injects a measured dose of epinephrine in order to treat allergic reactions. Because Archer’s allergic reactions could occur during any meal, she keeps her epipen handy at all times. Her reactions could go two directions. One way would be a moderate itching of her skin where in this case she would take Benadryl. The other way is the more severe where she would need to use an epipen because of a imitate swelling of her throat. Archer’s reactions will always be a part of her life, “Sadly, there is no cure for me. Over time it could just stay the same or get more severe,” Archer added. Even though Archer has this set back on her life she lives her life day by day, spending her time with friends and family and enjoying the good things happening in her life.

The Viewpoint: While working at the juvenile placement center, what were your responsibilities as an employee? Were you a counselor or a teacher?Sarah Seigh: Both. You have to teach them a lot of things and then always counseling them.

TV: What were your good experiences? SS: When you have kids that have backgrounds like that, coming from abusive parents, neglectful parents just home situations that aren’t ideal they’re very appreciative of the very small things that you do for them. If they need something and you can provide it, even if that’s food, they’re very appreciative. So that’s a good thing. Another good thing is when we would do holidays with them we would have big Christmases and a lot of those kids never had Christmases like that. Their parents either can’t afford it of it’s not just something that their parents celebrate with them, they just don’t make a big deal. So we made it a big deal for them. For Easter we did the same thing. We gave them Easter baskets just like they’d be little kids, but to them, they never had that as a little kid, so it was a very big deal. Even taking them to dental appointments they were so excited because maybe because their parents a dental surgeon. They had no idea that this was something that is a normal thing that we all do. So, they appreciate things.

TV: How about here at Mountain View? How about experiences here? SS: I have good experiences here. Of course! Kids are very appreciative when you help them out.

Kids like to be told that they’re doing great, they’re doing good; so there are a lot of rewarding experiences here. When you see a kid not getting something and all of a sudden they get it, that’s a great reward.TV: How do your experiences at the placement center compare to those at MV? Is it more rewarding to teach here than there?SS: They are different rewards. Here, I don’t have to worry so much about restraining a student or telling kids that they cannot be returned to their parents’ home because it’s an environment that is not going to be good for them. Here, it’s just different. I don’t have to do those things, so there are just a lot more positive aspects. I don’t have to deal with the sadness that I had to deal with. The disappointment, I don’t have to deal with sometimes because it’s situations like that there are a lot of things that you learn about, just people in general, that are very sad. That haunts you. I have less of it here.

TV: What specifically haunts you? Could you go into detail?SS: Just, maybe, kids that came from very abusive situations. Those are things that you don’t want to know that human beings are capable of, but they do it. Even when you hear about it when a child is telling you about it, you will think about it for weeks and months and years. That could be happening here, but I don’t know about it. So, I guess, the difference is I was there every single day I was told something horrible or confronted with something terrible happened to a kid. That’s less

so here.

TV: Was there any one particular child who stood out to you? Good or bad?SS: All of the ones that stood out to me were the good ones, because the bad ones … You just want to remember the good. Plenty of kids that I worked with, they would come in from, maybe, drug related backgrounds and while they were with us they completely cleaned themselves. In the end, maybe, they were with us for a year and a half, or a year, they were clean. They were so excited to get their 90-day chip, or their 150-day chip, so. Those are good experiences.

Joshua Guillem

ette

Biology teacher Sarah Seigh is a former employee at a juvenile placement center and talked about her experiences while helping children recover from abusive parents or drug related problems. by Joshua Guillemette

“Plenty of kids that I worked with, they would come in from, maybe, drug related backgrounds and while they were with us they completely cleaned themselves.” -

Sarah Seigh

Giving troubled children another chance

4 l the viewpoint l may 2013


CLOSING THE CURTAIN

The curtain call is here for seniors, some who have participated in the Wild Acts since their freshman year.

Take a look at where they’ve been, where they’re going, and what’s made it a great experience. by Kerry Reichhardt

In 2010, Snowmageddon caused some unconventional rehearsing tactics to take place for the cast of “Adding Machine”.

“Our competition was in a month and we hadn’t rehearsed at all. We’d try to rehearse on Facebook, and we eventually finished the show on the way to the competition on the bus, and we won the competition,” said Coffey, the current Stage Man-ager for ‘Once Upon a Mattress’. “

Between that last minute win, Saturday rehearsals, a play that took the cast to nationals and a role as a girl who caught on fire, Coffey has had some memorable moments.

It was the ensemble plays, however, that really made their mark on Coffey. She said, “You learn to trust people, and you learn to trust yourself. That’s what theater’s about; it’s about figuring out who you are and exploring how you can connect with other people on stage and the audience.”

“I’ve loved acting since kin-dergarten,” she said. She plans to continue her growth in college, choosing theater as a minor.

ERIN GIRVENCOURTNEY COFFEE“Theater is like Hogwarts. It’s

made of magic,” said Girven, playing Lady Merrill in the spring play.

Part of the magic for Girven was creating memories through the hard work. “There are memories that I didn’t enjoy at the time, but I laugh about them now, like when we were doing ‘Shock-Headed Peter’ one of the puppets had to be fat, so I spent an hour at rehearsal trying to get the fluff we were using to sit right, and then it all fell out,” she said.

It’s the little things, too, that are going to make this last production all the more sad to leave. “It’s going to be heart breaking,” said Girven. “You start to notice all the little things you’re going to miss, like the way the auditorium smells or the way the light falls on the stage or goofing around backstage.”

Girven and the rest of the cast will have one last celebration on closing night, where the entire cast will go out to IHOP. After that, Girven plans to minor in theater in college.

mctcam

pus.com

KALYN CLARK“I really don’t want to think more

about leaving everyone,” said Clark, who has been involved in the the-atre program since her sophomore year, and is the current Assistant Director of the school’s spring play, “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“I’ve been stage manager, assis-tant director, ensemble member, understudy, spotlight operator, sound technician and lead,” said Clark. With such a versatile resume, she was able to become part of the “drama family” that almost all drama students can talk about.

“I tell everyone all the time,” said Clark. “They sometimes get irritated with me for always saying it but it’s true, we are a drama family.”

Which is perhaps why the play “Blow by Blow” was one of Clark’s favorite memories instead of one of the worst. “When you work on a play for 14 months, it’s going to have a huge impact on your life,” said Clark.

Enough to make Clark want to continue theatre in college, where she hopes to take some sort of theatre club as soon as she can.

photos by Kerry Reichhardt

Rachel McAfee steps out from the crowd by becoming an entrepreneur. by Hunter Lewis and Ethan Mercado


RM Shoes:These shoes are made for painting

Remember when you were a kid and all of your friends had those light-up sneakers? Your parents said they would

never waste their money on something like that, and why would you want to be like everyone else.

Well, now there is something better, and it is even customized. No one else will have a pair exactly the same as you.

Junior Rachel McAfee has used her artistic talent to create a business. She creates customized shoes. Almost anything you can imagine - give Rachel a plain shoe to work with deer to the galaxy, and everything in between on Toms, Vans or sneakers, almost any shoe of your choice - she can paint it.

McAfee became interested in art her freshman year. She said the art classes got her involved more into art than she had been in the past, and she enjoyed it.

It all started when her friend asked if she could paint on her Toms, she did and she received numerous compliments, and that is how RM Shoes came about.

So far McAfee has painted about 20 pairs and has just begun painting non-canvas shoes. It takes her two to eight hours to paint a pair. She has yet to find anything she can not design on a shoe.

She has recently entered into a competition for shoe painting called the Vans Custom Culture Contest. Vans sent her four pairs of shoes to paint according to four themes, and she could win money for the school if she places.

McAfee is looking to broaden her clientele by starting to sell online in other states around the country.

If interested in a pair she can be contacted via email, [email protected], her website, http://rmshoes.webs.com/. Fans can also like her on Facebook, RMShoes.

Vans Competition “I recently entered in a Van’ shoe painting competition, the Vans Custom Culture Contest and designed four pairs of shoes. The solar system, Monticello, surfer and The Beatles were all included in those that I painted. McAfee said.

Galaxy Shoe“This is probably one of my most popular designs. I can make either galaxy Vans or Toms, and I have made both. People like them because they have an interesting design and they are not difficult to create an outfit to go with them.” McAfee said.

Mountain View Shoe “These are another popular design because they show school spirit. You can wear them to football games or pep rallies so you can be spirited literally from head to toe,” McAfee said.

http://rmshoes.w

ebs.comhttp://rm

shoes.webs.com

http://rmshoes.w

ebs.com

photo provided by Rachel McAfee

Random Acts

AMOK stands for Annual Melee of Kind-

ness. It is a one day event where people around

the globe perform random acts of kindness. This

year the event took place on March 10 and was put

together by the non-profit organization Random

Acts co-founded by Misha Collins.

Barsana went around with a couple of his

friends, and they performed random acts of

kindness.

TV: Why did you decide to participate in this

event?

JB: It was something fun to do and I had no plans

for that day so I said why not. It only took two days

to plan.

TV: How did you hear about this event and the

non-profit organization?

JB: Well, I was watching “Supernatural,” and I decid-

ed to do research on Misha because I really liked

the way he acted. I found out he co-founded the

organization, so I creeped on the organization web

page and saw this event and said, OK, I’ll do that.

TV: What types of random acts of kindness did

you do?

JB: We bought two dozen roses and went around

Wal-Mart giving them out to people who were

shopping alone. We also put $2 dollars in change

on vending machines around Wal-Mart.

TV: What did you get out of this experience?

JB: It made me very happy to see people smile,

and it made me smile. You could tell they weren’t

pretending or putting on a fake smile. They were

actually smiling, it made them happy.

TV: Do you see yourself doing this in the years

to come? Why?

JB: Yes, I do because it makes me feel good that I

did something for others.

TV: Will you be participating in anymore of their

events this year?

JB: Yes, I will. There’s this event coming up. I don’t

know when because the dates have not been

posted. It’s called Endure4Kindness. I’ll probably

be doing that as well.

Random Acts is a non-profit organization encouraging people of all ages to perform random acts of kindness. Sophomore Jonathan Barsana took the challenge to participate in the Annual Melee of Kindness. by Victoria Sullivan


Jonathan Barsana

Jonathan Barsana

While HBO watchers enjoy a new season of “Game of Thrones,” readers continue to wait ... and wait ... for George R.R. Martin to get his writing on.

Ah, “Game of Thrones,” how you do make ghastly murders and incest and armies of the undead, oh, so entertaining?

That’s just the TV show! The books (spoiler) are even better!

When I say “better,” I mean better in the way a

‘72 Charger is better than those aluminum cans they call Chargers now-a-days. If you’ve never been in a ‘72, you might just think the alternative is as good as it gets.

Now, like a ‘72 Charger, you will spend hours of your time with these books.

First, so you can find out who lives to see the next chapter and who gets their head lopped off. Secondly, because they’re kind of long, and there are a few of them out there.

For any of you who watched the HBO series first and began comparing the books to the series, don’t. It isn’t even really fair to either.

It’s not the same format, so you might not want to go around saying one or the other tells the story better.

If you’re thinking, “Then, my dear writer, how can you say that the books are better? What say you, sir?”

I certainly did not say George R.R. Martin’s book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which the HBO series is based on, tells the story better than HBO’s series. What was meant by the opening statement was that the story was better in the format of a book.

Martin might not be the most timely of writers, but he is the most capable. Particularly, he is capable of making his characters feel very much like people, not characters in a story, but people. This is his gift, as “A Song of Ice and Fire” is very much driven by the people it’s about.

This same gift can also really suck because you become attached to these characters. Tyrion? Who’s next to misconstrue his intentions? Jamie? What arrogant thing will emerge from him? Cersei? Will her next treachery come close to topping the last?

And that’s just the Lannisters!Another problem tangent to becoming attached

to the characters is the problem of how the characters have a tendency to die, get maimed horribly or break down over all the nasty things happening to their loved ones.

Yet, Martin keeps us hanging on because of his ability to alter a character’s plot relevance. It can vanish in a split second, leading shortly thereafter to something very unseemly happening to them.

Unless you’ve read “Gaunt’s Ghosts,” it’s hard to be prepared for the kind of cavalier way with which Martin seems to handle his characters’ lives.

While one could spend hours talking just about the characters, if you stop and take a breather, you might remember that the world of “Ice and Fire” is a

very large and rather interesting world. It’s filled with all sorts of monsters, magicians,

gods and groups of people who seem to only be interested in harming our beloved little cast.

While we would all love to explore this crazy world to our hearts content, the amount of newly published material from Martin has been coming less and less frequent. No, Martin is not known for his timeliness on the matter of book releases.

On March 22, 2013 Martin told Mashable.com, “So I need to write faster. The last two books took a really long time, so I’m hoping this one [the Winds of Winter] will go a little faster. But I make no promises. I found out long ago that when you look at the overall task, the cathedral you have to build, it looks so daunting that you just give up and sit down and play a video game.”

It can be considered one of the only problems with the series. No one likes to wait years for anything. This is especially true for a book series of which its rather perturbed fan base expects a resolution.

A fan base which has weathered years of waiting before.

If the only problems this series faces from now on are prolonged waiting periods, then everyone should consider it a godsend and leave it at that. This would us all to worry about what really matters, like whether or not your favorite character does meet an timely, and most importantly, permanent end.

Might as well watch since there’s nothing new to read

Dekker Jordan

First-person perspective


Freshman Kevin King and Daniel Orlando may not play soccer, football, or tennis, but they are into a sport more dangerous by far. by Paul King

Some students in high school run track. Others play football. Others play baseball. Daniel Orlando and Kevin King race BMX. They might not be getting any varsity letters, but it requires skill and a lot of courage. Bike motorcross, also known as BMX, is a sport like no other. Influenced by dirtbike motorcross, It began in the 1970s by kids in California who found a vacant lot and started racing on it with their bicycles. Its popularity had spread, and soon enough officially sanctioned leagues had sprouted up. “Basically, you ride bikes over jumps as fast as you can,” explains Kevin King. Daniel Orlando added, “It’s getting from point A to point B the fastest.” They race at NOVA BMX in Prince William County. They start off at a gate, where everyone lines up. They line up eight racers to a gate. “A guy holds a timer, and says ‘riders ready’. There’s a tone that beeps three times, and then the starter tone goes off,” explained Orlando. BMX uses a point system, much like NASCAR, for placement in races.

BMX is actually easy to get into. “I used to do it when I was younger, and then I got out of it,” said Orlando. “My brother had gotten me into mountain biking. I saw a race track outside of the stadium at a Potomac Nationals game, so I checked it out. My parents got me a BMX bike, and i started last year.” Like other sports, practice makes perfect. “There’s practice on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 5:30 to dusk and races on the weekend,” said Orlando. “ “I normally can’t go to (BMX races) though, because I race motorbikes, but if I don’t have a (motorcross) race that weekend, I race BMX,” said King. “I do BMX mainly for training and endurance, because, motorcross, I don’t know, is a lot tougher. A lot of people don’t think so.” Motorcross is different from BMX in that, just as the name implies, the bikes have motors, which makes the bikes a lot heavier. “It’s a lot more dangerous, too. There was one race

I was in where a couple of guys almost died,” said King. “The one guy’s heart stopped, and they had to get two helicopters.” That sort of event would scare many people off from racing again. “It was kinda scary the next race because I knew that they got hurt on that jump,” King said. “I went slower in some of the sections, but it wasn’t that bad.” Races are memorable for good things, too. In BMX, Orlando has finished first twice, and King has one first place and one second place, even though he doesn’t race as much BMX. “I remember my first race,” said Orlando. “It was bad. I got beat by a girl,” he added, laughing. King and Orlando used to play team sports, but gave them up for BMX and motorcross. “BMX is way more fun,” said Orlando. “When I played baseball, it was always the same.” “I used to play team sports, but I got bored of it. It was just the same thing over and over, but with BMX racing, it’s never the same,” said King.

Speed Racers

Kevin King jumps his bike while he practices.

Daniel Orlando, in the lead, rounds a curve.

Daniel Orlando goes over a jump while prac-ticing at NOVA BMX.

http://farm7.staticflickr.


Former alumni of Mountain View share the experience of their first year in college as Division I athletes.by Erinn Black

Off to the NCAA

Bailee Hubert

Dayna Tomayko


Bailee Hubert

After finishing the MV season off as a “Free Lance-Star” All-Area Athlete and Northwest Region Player of the Year, as well as three first team honors, four- Time Virginia All-State selection and All-Met selection, Hubert signed to play field hockey with James Madison University. JMU offered what she wanted academically as well as a positive atmosphere. Hubert said she knows being at a college level requires a lot of hard work and mental toughness. Comparing her new team to her old MV team, she said that both teams are similar with dedication and acting as a family. The experience from the first year has been positive for Hubert and rewarding every day. Off the field, she was rewarded with being apart of the National Academic Squad for having above a 3.0. Unfortunately, Hubert red shirted this year due to injuries, but plans to play five years in the upcoming seasons.

“Never forget why you’re out on the field/track/pool. It’s because you love it. There is no

substitution for hard work. Remember, you are a student athlete, and there is a reason student

comes before athlete.” -Bailee Hubert

Leaving Mountain View as a first team All-District, All-Region, and All-State soccer player, Tomayko went on scholarship to play four years at North Carolina State University. UNC State soccer program gave her the opportunity to be part of a collegiate sport in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Going from high school to college level was a big step for Tomayko to adjust to. The challenging aspect and competitive atmosphere intensified the second she stepped on the field. She said that she knows her coach expects nothing less than dedication and hard work at all times. Finishing her first year off as a starting outside defender and a team record of 4-2-1, Tomayko plans to play all four seasons for the upcoming years.

“I love being able to represent my school doing something that I love.”

-Dayna Tomayko

Not available for contact: Craig Lopez, Kimi Ficnec, Nic Wolfe.

Dayna Tom

ayko

Everything is connectedWatch Dogs is the next generation title that allows you to hack almost anything. by Trevor Martin

facebook.com/w

atchdogs

Hack any bank account. Control stop lights and stop trains. Immediately know the most private details of

your fellow citizens. This is the world of Watch Dogs. Watch Dogs is set in a near future city of

Chicago. In this world, everything has been hooked up to an information grid, from phones to security cameras.

The main character, Aiden Pierce, is a hacker who can access and manipulate this network.

The developer, Ubisoft Montreal, is known for its critically acclaimed titles, from Splinter Cell to Assassin’s Creed.

Officially unveiled at E3 2012, Watch Dogs impressed the crowd with its amazing game-play. Its 15 minute demo won many “Game of E3” awards.

Many theorized that this game would be available on the next generation of consoles. This was confirmed during Sony’s Playstation 4 reveal on February 20. At this reveal a new demo was released containing more gameplay.

At the reveal, audiences saw that the demo opened up on an incredible high definition Chi-cago skyline. The city was beautifully rendered with leaves and traffic providing a city that felt authentic. The camera eventually focused on the main character walking through a crowd. As he passed by different people, details ranging from occupation to whether or not they were a smoker, appeared over their heads.

While walking through the street, he saw a women getting mugged in an alley. He then pulled up his bandanna to obscure his face and pulled out a gun.

After the mugger realized that a gun was pointing at him, he acted realistically and began to run away. After a short chase, Pierce used his phone to hack and overload an electrical box, causing it to explode and disorient the mugger.

To evade the police, Pierce stopped a speeding train and jumped aboard, then started it again. As he’s carried away, the camera switches to a security feed watching Pierce. The trailer ended with him tapping a button and the camera going to static.

People watching the demo were amazed at the city, as well as the lifelike reactions and citizens. The hype has only grown since the Playstation trailer.

This game certainly has me excited. Ubisoft promises huge a huge city to explore, and many cool and interesting things to do in it. From stopping petty crimes to a larger storyline that we haven’t seen of yet, it seems that there won’t be a lack of things to do in future Chicago.

The game isn’t planned for release until holiday season 2013.

Watch Dogs promises players the ability to interact with the city in new and exciting ways. If this demo is anything like the full game, then the next generation of video games may have an extremely strong first title.

-Trevor MarTin


Preview

Sony recently unveiled their new console, the PlayStation®4. Will the new console reign as the true king of the gaming empire? by Joseph Bessette

Sony PS4: The new king in town?

Ample suspicion has been wandering the streets over the curiosity of the recently revealed PS4.

Hype over this console aroused many people and on February 20, 2013, Sony representatives revealed several facts about the new console. The only problem: There was no console to be seen.

Sony decided not to actually release a picture of the console itself. However, multiple pictures of the PS4 controller were released.

Tech specs that were confirmed during the presentation included a compatibility between Vita and PS4 games, a highly enhanced GPU, 8 GB of unified memory and an 8-core hard drive.

Social networking and online comm-unications seem to play a key role in this edition of the PlayStation®. There will be a new share button to share your gaming records, stats and gameplay to Facebook and YouTube. You can even live stream straight from the console by a new feature known as U-Stream.

Having Sony incorporate multiple sharing features not only brings the gaming

community together but could possibly enhance the compatibility of Sony and all of these social networking sites that are going to be a part of what is hopefully a new era in gaming.

Some specifications of the new console really seem to separate it from its competitors. One feature includes playing games while downloading digital content. This feature presents this console to be efficient and powerful for the consumer.

The PlayStation® will also allow the player’s friends to remote assist them, meaning that they can take over the control of the remote if requested by the player. Having this feature could be beneficial if you are in multi-player match, are on a time crunch or even need some help from a friend to get you through a mission.

Other features that connect the player and friends to the game comprise of friends being able to watch the player play a game and comment on the progression through the game or anything they so choose to comment

on. The PlayStation 4® seems to stand out from

its competitors, but does the PS4 have what it takes to get ahead of its’ main rival, the new Xbox.

Little information has been released but rumors are buzzing around that the new Xbox will feature an AMD Jaguar-based CPU clocked at 1.6GHz that will be very similar to the PS4.

The graphics of the new XBox are also rumored to be a revised version of the AMD’s 7000 series graphics. These graphics are based upon its 28nm Graphics Core Next Southern Island tech. Information about the new Xbox will be launched at E3 this year in June.

Whether or not the new Xbox will be the heir of the gaming throne, there is no doubt that the PS4 will not give the Xbox a run for its money. Hopefully, with a good line of games including Knack, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Watch Dogs and The Witness, the PlayStation 4® will reign supreme and a new era of gaming will be underway, if not already happening right at this very moment.

playstation.com


The things we do for money

As a high school student who works and is involved in school sports, travel teams, classes and community service, I know how hard it is to keep with the program.

On the one hand, I love working. It allows

me to have extra money for whatever I need and coming from a family who struggles with finances, it is a great relief.

I have to pay for my pets as well as a car, insurance and any activity I want to do, but it’s not always about money.

I work at a daycare and the children I see every day are wonderful. By watching them I have experience on how to raise my own child.

Experience is a great reason to get a job. My sister, who is 26, is having trouble finding

work because she has no experience doing anything. I see her struggles and know I have to learn from her.

I plan on going to college and getting a good-paying job; although good SAT scores and a great GPA are important in getting into college; many universities look for students who are well-rounded and can manage their time effectively.

If you’re looking for something to do; even if you don’t necessarily want a job, you should still consider looking into it because there are thousands of ways to do what you love and still get paid.

I love animals. Before I worked at a daycare I worked as a dog walker.

By being a dog walker, I was introduced to the woman I work for now as well as being introduced to the animal shelter where I work on some weekends.

I have also spent my summers tutoring. I met one of my best friends through tutoring and I also have connections to other tutors in case I ever need help on my own school work.

However I understand having a high school job isn’t for everyone. Regardless of what I’m involved in, I know school work always comes first. If a job interferes with school my advice is to quit.

Sports are also important, I know my involvement in sports is my favorite part about going to school and if you’re a person, whose future relies on athletics, make that a higher priority.

Having a job as a teenager provides you with experience and of course a little extra cash.

In the end we’re still young, we have the next fifty years to live. This is the best time of our lives, so let’s not waste it.

Just how far we will go for some extra cash? by Ashley Utterback and Katie Jones

Why get a job?

1. Babysitting

2. Coffee shop

3. Retail clerk

4. Dog walking/pet grooming

5. Leaf/snow removal

6. Food services

7. Tutoring

8. Sports instructor

9. Movie theater

10. Internship

Familyeducation.com’s top ten jobs for high school students

First hand account on why high school students should work. by Katie Jones


The Price of Indecision

Four years. That’s how long the United States has been without a budget, and now the inevi-table has happened, we’ve gone over the fiscal cliff.

Congress’ refusal to compromise on anything

is now going to take its toll on all of America, espe-cially in areas where many are federally or militarily employed like Stafford.

Does the government realize that their pointless bickering is affecting all of us? It seems like the American government has been getting more and more polarized and refuses to ever agree on any-thing. Democrats were proclaiming that the seques-tration would ruin the country to force their own budget plan down everyone’s throats. Republicans refuse to increase taxes ever, no matter how hurtful it is to America.

“They look like children who cannot share a toy,” said AP Government teacher Abigail Murray. “There is absolutely no compromise.”

Murray’s husband, Staff Platoon Commander Robert Murray, works on the Marine base at Quan-tico, and is already experiencing the effects of the sequester. ”They’re getting less bullets and less oil, which results in less range time and training for the new recruits.”

To avoid firing troops, the government has instead cut down on materials and training time for the military, hurting combat readiness. Many military troops are also being furloughed and losing pay.

Along with cuts to the military, taxes have increased dramatically for all Americans and many government programs like Medicaid are taking large cuts. Is standing your ground on your point of view really worth hurting America?

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only current issue Congress is unable to agree on. Gun control legis-

lation has been completely stalled. Immigration reform is going nowhere as the two parties refuse to agree on anything, and health care reform had to be rammed through an indecisive legislature. Is this the new state of American politics? Will every new issue be delayed indefinitely by an impossibly divided congress?

Congress seems to be growing increasingly out of touch with the American public. They work tirelessly to get re-elected but spend very little time actually passing legislation. They care more about their party’s stance and never budging from that position than the welfare of the country they are supposed to serve. Maybe we need to give them an incentive to complete one of the basic functions of their jobs and pass a budget, along with all the other bills they have in the works that are stalled. Warren Buffet put it brilliantly when he said, “If Congress, both houses, can’t do their job, why should they get a paycheck?”

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ctcampus.com

How Congress and the White House’s inability to compromise is hurting all of America. by Jonas Chechak

President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner discuss the federal budget.


Graduation Bucket listFor the class of ‘13, graduation is almost here. You won’t be a senior forever so here’s a bucket list to make sure you make the most of the time you have left. To those of you who aren’t seniors, that just means you have more time to get the job done. by Sam Foltz

21 3Senior Class Spirit Day Senior Skip Day Gender Bender DayIt’s never too late to show off your

wildcat spirit. Plan a day for you and your friends to go all out in wildcat spirit wear. Homecoming spirit week didn’t have to be your last spirit week. Gather up a group and plan your own spirit week.

Still haven’t planned that senior skip day? The clock is ticking to check that off your list before graduation. Just be aware that every day is mandatory and you’ll be responsible for any work you miss because you took a day!

Plan a day for you and a close friend of the opposite gender to switch out-fits. All the girls will dress like guys and the guys dress like girls for one day.

4 5 6Pool Pass Senior PrankCollege Apparel DayWe’ve all heard about the pool on

the roof, right? Pass down the tradition! Hand out pool passes to underclass-men so they can enjoy the Mountain View pool, too.

Show off your college pride and wear all the spirit wear you have for that school. Make it part of the spirit week you and your friends are planning.

Plan that classic senior prank to fool a teacher or underclassmen. You could even do a normal prank as simple as walking around at lunch eating from a jar of mayonnaise full of vanilla pudding. No one has to know it’s not mayonnaise.

“We are in the process of scheduling one. It hasn’t been finalized yet, but it will be big,” senior class secretary Nick Jarvis.

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Sam Foltz

Senior Sean O’Driscoll dresses for the day.

mctcam

pus.com


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