The Viking Voice

The rich history of the Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 B.C. where they were originally staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. Throughout the past, the Olympics have brought nations together, creating a symbol of global equity and compromise. Starting on February 6th and running until February 23rd, a new chapter of the games will be born, in which athletes from 87 different countries will compete in the 22nd Winter Olympic Games.

Seven years ago it was decided that the games would be held in Sochi, Russia, beating out Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Salzburg, Austria. It is projected that Sochi will be one of the most expensive Olympics ever, with the estimated cost being a staggering $51 billion. To compare to a previous Olympic venue, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China cost $44 billion.

Sochi will also host the warmest Winter Olympics ever, with a whopping average temperature of 42.8°F in the month of February. Additionally, it will be the first time that the games will be held in the Russian Federation since the downfall of the USSR in 1991.

However, many people are concerned with a variety of topics that surround the Olympics this year. The speculation of corruption in Russia is an issue for many, along with environmental, economic, and political issues. The three recent suicide bombings near Sochi and the safety of the LGBT athletes and spectators are also cause for concern.

To insure the safety of the athletes and spectators attending the Olympics, 40,000 law enforcement officials with the knowledge of a multitude of languages will be assigned to certain positions to prevent any sudden outbreaks of violence. In what is speculated to be a protest of Russia’s conduct towards LGBT people, President Obama, along with other world leaders, will not be attending the games. President Obama has also chosen gay athletes as part of the delegation to represent the United States at the opening and closing ceremonies.

Throughout the years, Gibraltar High School has had its ups and downs when it comes to sports. Seasons filled with losses are accompanied by seasons of cherished victories. However, one thing remains constant: the spirit with which Mr. Eckhardt’s famous pep band imbues any gym or field.

As a young child sitting on the sidelines in a jam-packed Viking Hall, I sat in awe watching the fast pace of the games. Though what I anticipated most was halftime, when the gym would erupt in classic rock and pop songs that made up that evening’s set list. The energy emanating from the corner of the gym was and continues to be so palpable; the spectators simply cannot help but move along to the rhythms of the songs. Being a member of this pep band is unbelievably rewarding. Not only do you get to blow the minds of the spectators with your musical talent, you also get to assist in the preparation of the athletes’ game during warm-ups, which is extremely important to them. Whether the song is “Crazy in Love” by the one and only Beyoncé, the classic rock hit “Final Countdown” by Europe, or the slower tune “The Stripper,” fans and athletes alike enjoy whatever the band has to offer.

Grade: 10

Sports Participated in: Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field

What’s been gained from participation in athletics: I have gained a lot of knowledge and skills from playing with upper classmen. I have also had many teammates that have become really good friends.

Biggest accomplishment: My biggest accomplishment was when I led the varsity volleyball team in blocks as a freshman and again as a sophomore. I will strive to do so again next year.

Personal goals: Some of my personal goals are to win the regional championship for basketball this year and to win the regional championship for volleyball next year. I also want to play volleyball in college.

Favorite part of athletics: My favorite part of athletics is being able to play on a team. I also like to win as a team or lose as a team, because, no matter what, it is a team effort.

Girls Varsity Basketball

Friday, February 7th vs. Oconto @ 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 11th vs. Sevastopol @ 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 13th vs. Shiocton @ 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 15th vs. Crivitz @ 3:30 p.m.

Friday, February 21st vs. Sturgeon Bay @ 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 27th vs. Kewaunee @ 7:30 p.m.

Boys Varsity Basketball

Let’s all be honest- February is the worst month. I offer my sincerest apologies to those unfortunate enough to have been born during the dreariest time of the year. February primarily consists of the brown or grey leftovers of a pure, white Christmas. While this month is the shortest of all, it seems to drag. At this time, students feel like hamsters on a wheel, sprinting towards the end, which seems to be reachable, yet in actuality it is still many months away.

And so, in order to breathe life and color into this month, the staff of the Viking Voice has moved away from the usual style of feature article; this month, we present to the student body a visual feature done completely in photographs. In this feature, the Voice investigates Gibraltar High School’s art department and the many pieces that combine to create its striking style.

This idea, the visual feature, is in the same vein of Beyoncé’s self-titled album released this past December. The album is a visual feast, with each song corresponding to a video that tells a story. Due to the convenience that programs like iTunes offer, so much of discovering, purchasing, and listening to music today is very rapid; there isn’t as much focus on enjoying the actual music. People rarely invest in entire albums anymore or listen to them in total. “There’s so much that gets between the music and the artist and the fans,” Queen Bey states. Beyoncé chose to do a visual album, because she wanted her audiences to immerse themselves in her vision when they listen to her songs. She states that she “wanted to make this body of work and…[she] wanted people to…not just listen to a ten second clip but actually be able to see the whole vision of the album.”

Beyoncé’s desire for listeners to experience her album as a whole piece can be applied to the Voice’s vision for itself. The Voice is not simply focused on student writing or reporting news; the paper is a culmination of many people’s efforts. It’s an amalgamation of not only the writing, but also the editing and the photography and the layout. Don’t just flip to the Photo Poll and then fold up the paper and recycle it. Invest in the paper.

As the winter chill finally seeps into everyone’s bones and cabin fever is growing apparent, Wisconsinites turn indoors to browse the internet or curl up with a good book. But believe it or not, the cure for winter blues is actually to suit up and head outside. And there’s no better place to go than the hottest spot in the Door- the Sister Bay ice rink! The fresh air will clear the mind, not to mention the lungs, and the sun (if it happens to be out) can assist with the all too common seasonal affective disorder.

Beginners can wobble about grasping chairs, while more experienced skaters can grab a hockey stick and puck to start scoring goals. The slick ice is filled with a different crowd every weekend, with a few regulars that never seem to leave. It’s easy to round up a group or meet people there and the prices for skate rentals are completely reasonable.

The Viking Voice sat down with Rosa Nelson, Gibraltar’s new high school Spanish teacher, to find out a little bit more about architecture, Spanish influence, and life.

Viking Voice (VV): What’s one skill that people might not know that you have that you’re proud of?

Rosa Nelson (RN): I’m an architect. I can design a home, and also I’m really good at math. Another skill that people might not know is that I speak fluent Italian.

VV: That’s really interesting. So, what’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

RN: Uff, too many. When I was young, I did a lot of stupid things that I’m not going to mention, because I don’t want to give any young people ideas. I didn’t always get in trouble, but sometimes I did. I did learn from the mistakes, and now I look back and I realize that many of the things I did were very irresponsible, like going away to France without my parents knowing. Mistakes are good as long as you learn from them.

VV: What’s the thing that you value the most about your Spanish heritage?

RN: I value my outlook in life: always going forward, living in the moment, not in the past. Celebrating every good moment in life- you know, we love to party. I think we are very aware of our mortality as a culture, but instead of dwelling on it, we like to enjoy life to the fullest and have a positive outlook on life. I think that’s one of the things that I enjoy the most.

VV: If you could go back in your life and change one thing, would you? If so, what?

RN: I wouldn’t change anything. I think that things happen for a reason in a way. I like my life. I mean, I’m not the richest or anything, but I have a great family, I have a great husband. I enjoy what I’m doing right now, and I think I’m doing something positive for the kids and for myself. I think that I’ve been quite successful through my eyes. I guess that’s positive thinking. Through someone else’s eyes it might seem like “Well, she was an architect. Why isn’t she doing that and making all that money?” I’m doing what I really enjoy, and that’s a big thing. So I wouldn’t change anything. I think I am where I am now because of what I’ve lived. Like I said, I made a lot of mistakes, big ones, small ones, and intermediate ones, but I think that everything helped to put me where I am right now. Hopefully I can keep improving through life, and when I’m gone maybe people will think “She was okay.” (Laughs)

VV: Okay, finally, what advice would you like to give to the students?

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

In a deck of cards, the king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food.

95% of all data in the world is still stored on paper.

For maximum enjoyment, please lay down a sick beat before reading

The Sandhill Crane

Here’s a little story about Sandhill Cranes

It’s rap, but not from the artist Two Chainz

Just made to share, so that people are aware

These aves are peaceful, they do not thresh

 They’re hip, neat, cool, and totally fresh

For protection, they often fly in a flock

 You know these beats are better than 2pac

Everybody is singing

Everybody is clapping

All of the Sandhill Cranes keep on flapping

With ancient wisdom, a staple in folklore

There are sacred stories about them that people adore

North in the summer and South in the winter

They’re just following the seasons, so please don’t hinder

It’s time to say goodbye

These rhymes are fly

Sandhill cranes

The most majestic of birds

Fly low, looping circles overhead

Lugubrious calls echoing with jagged sorrow

Their futile attempts to fill that aching void

Left behind when a fellow bird dies

The ruby drop on their delicate skulls

Showcasing their identity

Great wings spread wide

As ghosts in the night

Their shadowy forms slipping softly

Through the seams of the dark

The leaves turn, and with them the seasons

Mother Nature forces her chicks from the nest

James Vincent McMurrow – Post Tropical

The Irishman’s second album Post Tropical is a heartbreakingly soft masterpiece. McMurrow is an experimental singer-songwriter who draws inspiration from the likes of James Blake and Bon Iver. He chants “I remember my first love” in “Cavalier” over a swelling chorus of horns with a painfully emotional falsetto. Each song is a poem that starts off soft and builds and builds, until eventually subsiding. The whole album deals with the undeniable necessity of falling in love, and the mood it creates emulates that scary, awkward, incredible feeling with absurd grace.

Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe

In the past few years, Devonté Hynes’ electronic soul band Blood Orange has come to provide a unique voice for the gay community in New York City. Sounding like a mix between Phil Collins and Madonna, Hynes has created angst-filled lyrics layered over computerized beats. The cliché nature of his lyrics is completely overshadowed by the beauty of his soaring voice. Chill out with some Blood Orange on Valentine’s Day. Few artists are more romantic.

Inside Llewyn Davis (Original Soundtrack)

There is no better way to spend a night than watching a classic rom-com. Whether the day consisted of having an awkward latte with an ex or silently crying about ones inability to fit into an old pair of corduroy pants, a romantic comedy has the power to lift the spirits more so than any other genre (excluding documentaries). Curling up on a futon with wool socks and a carton of ice cream, while secretly slipping a romantic comedy into the DVD player, is one of the most regretfully happy feelings in the world.

Within the genre of “romantic comedy” there are various subgenres to consider. One must decide: “Does tonight feel more like an exotic romantic comedy night (Chocolat, French Kiss, Eat Pray Love), a political romantic comedy night (The American President, Mr. Holdmann’s favorite rom-com), a sad guy falls in love with an annoying, neurotic girl romantic comedy night (Garden State, (500) Days of Summer, Breakfast at Tiffany’s), a large ensemble cast romantic comedy night (New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Love Actually), or best friends who fall in love romantic comedy night (When Harry Met Sally, Spider Man)?” With all these obviously wonderful choices, it can be a little overwhelming choosing the appropriate movie. However, one thing is clear: no matter the choice, a romantic comedy will allow you two hours of zero brain activity.

In the midst of deep winter, some students have been noticed roaming the halls with cameras and microphones; they’re hoping to create a masterpiece. What kind of masterpiece exactly? No one except Chris Mydra is entirely sure. Mydra, writer and director, is using the student-produced artistic grant created by 2013 graduate Anya Kopischke to offer students the opportunity to participate in a completely student-produced film entitled Jeff is Dead.

Jeff is Dead is a full length movie, lasting seventy five minutes. The script itself is sixty seven typed pages long.Each member of the cast was given an incomplete copy of the script only including the scenes that they are a part of. The major characters have a slightly better idea of what’s going on in the plot due to the larger amount of information they have been supplied with. The actors will film each scene with minimal knowledge of the overall plot; this method was famously used during the production of Bryan Singer’s classic crime film The Usual Suspects. Once the initial filming has been completed and all of the actors have viewed the rough cut, scenes may be redone according to the master plan.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)- People are beginning to think that you’re brewing up something evil. Maybe you ought to take care of that constant stream of chemicals spilling out of your locker.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)- Lots and lots of Oreos are the solution to any emotional blow. If you’re seriously allergic to them, make sure that you’re actually as sad as you think.

Aries (March 21-April 19)- Soon hugging will be out of style. Belly rubs will be the new thing.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)- Don’t grow up. It’s a trap.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)- Many have found that the less they wash their hair, the more they save on axle grease. Think about it.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)- That’s a pretty interesting pattern of facial hair. To each his own, right?

Leo (July 23-August 22)- You probably have never thought that later in life you will have a mansion, a full wallet, and a happy family. And you’re right- you won’t.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)- You really ought to ask the dentist to replace all of your teeth with small blue beetles at your next appointment. They’ll bring out your eyes.

Libra (September 23-October 22)- Don’t listen to what other people think. Meeting deadlines or not is a great way to express yourself.

 Scorpio (October 23-November 21)- Bread baking is a tough job but not as tough as you seem to be making it. Many suggest that you use a source of heat other than friction from your hands, but it’s really up to you.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)- Hey, cheer up. Life could be worse. At least you don’t have cataplexy.

1. Hide that nasty pimple on your upper lip. Who needs makeup when you can grow your own zit-cloaking device?

2. Use it as a soup strainer! If you grow your mustache long enough, eventually those little hairs will grow past your lip and strain all the gross bits out of your soup for you, a bit like a blue whale with its baleen.

3. Enter the World Beard and Moustache Championships. The competition for 2014 will be held in Portland, Oregon.

4. Create a safe haven for the local flora and fauna. Who knows how many small mammals will be able to find shelter in your facial hair?

It is incontrovertible that after a serious crime, a serious punishment must follow. The question that follows then is not regarding the magnitude of the repercussions but the form that these repercussions take. As high crimes like murder and treason make their way to courtrooms across America, there is a single debate that manages to gather these offenses under one umbrella: the death penalty. Many ask “Is death an ethically and constitutionally sound punishment for major offenses?” Not only does capital punishment explicitly violate the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, it can cost innocent people their lives.

The Constitution states in the Fifth Amendment that convicted criminals do not have to testify without a Grand Jury, “nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” In cases where the death penalty is an option for punishment, the Fifth Amendment is often breached. The trials are lengthy, and evidence of innocence is often ignored or goes undetected too late for exoneration, as the offender has already been executed. This clearly violates the due process clause as the offender has been deprived of life.

The Eight Amendment forbids the use of cruel and unusual punishment. Death is the most final of all punishments, and in no way does it punish a criminal more than a life sentence would. Capital punishment carelessly disposes of human lives, portraying them as of little value, especially if it is the life of a felon.

Lastly, the Fourteenth Amendment states that all citizens are entitled to a fair trial and their rights of life, liberty, and property. In courtrooms, there often seems to be a racial bias that inhibits the jury’s ability to make impartial decisions. Since 1976, of the cases involving the murders of one or more people of one race, there were 286 that resulted in an execution. Of these executions, 266 were of African Americans who had murdered Caucasians, while only 20 were of Caucasians who had murdered African Americans.

Crimes like rape, torture, kidnapping, robbery, murder, and others are all on a pivot point where the accused may either be punished by prison or punished by death. The belief that the death penalty is immoral is merely based on faith and opinion, not fact. The death penalty treats the accused as human beings with free will, instead of as animals who can be penned up.

People may say that the death penalty is a cruel, inhumane way of punishment where the accused will suffer unbearable pain. However, the accused only feels pain when the death penalty is not properly performed. In reality, the death penalty can be more humane than regular means of punishment.

The death penalty is the most efficient way to deter crime. Death is a permanent punishment, and there is nothing that people fear more than death itself. No other means of punishment produces 100% effective results- if someone is sent to prison, then they may defect back to crime after they are released.