Vol. 3 Issue 5 June 2012

The Viking CallSenior Grad Passions: SGPs page 6 HKW #SaveTheWorld page 3 Frymoyer Signs With Shippensburg Lacrosse page 2

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys page 7 Where Are Our Seniors Going? page 4 Graduating With Style page 5

Continued on page 2

Imagine being surrounded by bright lights, tons of cameras, and people from all over the world as you play your favorite sport. Thousands of people have their eyes cast on you, and millions more from every place of the globe are watching your every move on television. Reporters are commenting on your every move, you hear deafening screams of your name – and you’re only sixteen years old. That’s the way it is for Michael Hixon, Lee Kiefer, and Jordyn Wieber, all of whom are teenage athletes vying to compete in London at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Hixon, a 17-year old junior from Amherst, Massachusetts, shines on the diving board. The young athlete has previously won seven junior national titles, in addition to a bronze medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and a gold medal at the 2011 Junior Pan Am Championships. Before seriously focusing on diving though, Hixon was a varsity point guard for his school’s basketball team, as well as a football player. “It’s just one of those things where you can’t really teach what he had,” explained Hixon’s father Dave in an in-terview with ESPN. “He had it in basketball, in football. He is just a great athlete”. Now, under the training of University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s diving coach, who just happens to be Hixon’s own mom, he is ready to complete the 18 dives necessary to qualify for a trip

MAY 7, Upper Merion’s School Board voted to bring MacBook Pro laptops to the high school, extending the One-to-One program another four years and saving the district over $47,000. Laptops have become a part of the high school’s culture over the past three years, and many teachers, administrators and students worked to ensure that the One-to-One program would not disappear. District administrators have been negotiating with Apple for several months in an effort to extend the current laptop lease, which would have run out at the end of the 2012-2013 school year. When Apple offered to end the current lease a year early and sign a new agreement that would give Upper Merion MacBook Pro laptops for an additional four years, the deal was hard to refuse. Under this proposal, Upper Merion would be able to sell its current MacBooks to another school district for approximately $295,000, a sum that would completely offset the fee that comes with terminating the previous lease with Apple a year early. Not only are the MacBook Pros new and sleek, but also they will save the district over $47,000, each year over the four-year lease. At the May 7 meeting, Mr. Darnell, Mr. Vreeland, Mr. Montalvo, and Mrs. Rieger presented to the board to provide evidence, including data from a school-wide survey, that the laptops were positively impacting education at Upper Merion. “The overwhelming majority of teachers and students feel that the MacBooks are improving the culture of learning here at Upper Merion, according to a survey sent out to the high school,” said English teacher Mr. Darnell. “We still have a long way to go to maximize the potential of the laptop program at Upper Merion. Continuation of the program will allow use to explore new ways to increase performance.” After a number of tough questions by the Board, a vote was called. The motion was passed with 8 for and 0 against; at-large member Joan Kellett abstained from the vote because she believed that she was too close to the teachers and students to make an unbiased decision. Board members were mostly optimistic about the program. Dr. Karen, Vice President of the Board, commented, “When this was first introduced into the high school, I had a major concern about how well we could integrate the technology into the curricular goals….I’m enormously impressed with what I have seen at home as a parent and also what I have seen tonight.” Technology director Mark Erb is working to finalize the deal with Apple. “Our deal on the table is that Apple will be purchasing our current MacBooks and replacing them with the 13 inch MacBook Pro,” Erb said. The new laptops boast an improved graphics processor, faster internet speeds, and longer battery life. With the new MacBooks arriving this September, everyone will have a chance to work with a brand-new computer. For everyone in the high school, the MacBook Pros represent a way to keep up with today’s innovative society.

By Jamie SheltonUM Goes Pro

Sports A&EYoung Champions: Teenage Athletes in the OlympicsBy: Jackie Nikpour

News Student LifeCoachella Music Festival Comes With A SurpriseBy Alex Froehlich This year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Fes-tival included an unexpected twist. The annual festival is known for featuring a diverse group of artists. This year’s headliners included some hit artists like The Black Keys, Dr. Dre, Florence + the Machine, Snoop Dogg, Radiohead, and David Guetta Dr. Dre performed with Snoop onstage when half-way through their set, an old friend rejoined them. On a deserted stage, to a cheering crowd, a hologram of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur rose from the stage and said into his microphone; “What is up Coachella!” The crowd at this point was in disbelief. Tupac continued to get the crowd amped for his performance until he finally started rapping to his song “Hail Mary.” Then after the first chorus, Snoop Dogg came out and had an actual conversation with the hologram. They followed-up by playing “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” After which, Snoop walked off the stage, Tupac stood in the center, and disappeared. The event was recorded and has since been copied over and over again on separate channels. And each recording has received and av-erage of a million views. Digital Domain, who designed the visual effects, paid specific attention to Tupac’s physical features like his tattoos, the way he held his microphone, walked, and spoke to the crowd. Dr. Dre paid a reported $10 million for the five-minute projection. Dre and Snoop were in talks of doing a Continued on page 7

Seniors are immersing themselves in their SGPs, memorializing them into heartfelt presentations that show their dedication to the topic. One of these memorable ones was Mary Kate Ryan’s SGP on the inner workings of the foster care system. For Mary Kate, this topic was more than just something that interested her, it was personal. About a year ago, Mary Kate was placed in the foster care sys-tem herself after a tragic event had completely changed her life. Despite how hard it was talk about those mem-ories with her peers, she felt the calling and need to do so. “I wanted to show everyone how strong I have be-come and how you can overcome any obstacle thrown at you in life,” Mary Kate explained. Even after she finished presenting, her story seemed to have a lasting impression on her peers, some shedding tears and get-ting emotional. “I just felt happy that my story affected other people’s lives,” she said. Mrs. Darnell, Mary Kate’s English teacher, shared her opinion on why Mary Kate’s SGP was so memorable. “She picked a topic that she had a passion for, so she wanted to learn about it and she wanted to it with other people, and that’s what re-ally is at the heart of a great graduation project.” This theme of passion was also seen in other memorable SGPs as well. Ryan Estock focused his application on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and its affects on the soldiers returning from war. Then he set up a golf

Senior Grad Passions: SGPs By Megan Hendricks

Continued on page 6

With Election Day approaching in less than six months, the campaign for the our next President is underway. America spent the last four years trying to rebuild the economy from the recession and rise of unemployment, end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, deal with the controversy over gays in the military, and grapple with the question of same-sex marriages. For this year’s election, the race for the Commander-in-Chief ‘s seat will be based on how well the candidates can advocate their solutions for making America a leading nation once again. The people of America want someone who can deal with the nation’s issues in a way that isn’t just beneficial, but also acceptable to the society. Current Democratic President Barack Obama, fired up his re-election campaign by telling Americans what he has accomplished over the past three and a half years, and slandered Republicans, arguing that America can’t afford to adopt their “bad ideas.” Obama is focusing in on the middle class, who will ultimately decide who will be the president this coming fall. He stresses that, “We have a choice…this is a make or break moment for the middle class, and we can’t turn back now.” Also making big headlines and grabbing the public spotlight, is Republican candidate Mitt Romney. In the past primaries, Romney has been gathering whopping percentages in votes, earning the highest number of pledged delegates that will allow him to run for president. But when the top two potential candidates line up, how do they fair

Fusion or Fission 2012?By Lana Fabia

Continued on page 3

DECA Celebrates Salt Lake SuccessBy Jackie Nikpour

What do you get when you take a group of hard-working, prepared Upper Merion students and send them across the country? DECA Nationals! In April, after several months of preparation, 26 Upper Merion students traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to show off their skills in business events ranging from fi-nances to merchandise to tourism. The excitement started right away for these talented students. After a speech from George Zimmer, the founder and CEO of Men’s Wearhouse, the students from both Upper Merion and across the country saw a live performance from the dance crew, the Jabawoc-keez. “The Jabawockeez were so talented!,” exclaimed sophomore competitor Kellie Keen. “Their dancing was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and the entire crowd went wild every time they did something new.” The students weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the perfor-mance, though. Pennsylvania DECA’s Executive Direc-tor Jerry DiGiovanni was just as excited for the special treat. “The enthusiasm was overwhelming,” he said. “It was great entertainment.” Even Salt Lake City itself, with its Mormon landmarks and welcoming people, was incredible for the students who are used to the Pennsylvania atmo-sphere. “I loved absolutely everything about Salt Lake City,” recalls junior Amanda Hankin, who did not com-pete but rather participated at a leadership conference at Nationals. “It was gorgeous to climb up the steep streets to get to the capitol building. The whole thing was truly breathtaking, and not something every av-erage high school student would get to experience on a school based field trip.” Mrs. Jowett, UM’s business teacher and DECA advisor, was also in awe of the scen-ery. “We were surrounded by snow-capped mountains ten thousand feet tall,” she said. “It was beautiful.” As for the competition itself, Upper Merion had incredible success. Out of 26 competitors, four became finalists: senior partners Gwynne Richmond and Sara Symoczko, as well as junior Jason Soong and senior David Galban. “We didn’t expect to be finalists at all,” explained Richmond of her and Symoczko’s suc-cess in their event, Buying and Merchandizing Team Decision Making. “In fact, we were so sure we would not be finalists that I had booked an early flight home

that conflicted with the finalist competition!” Of the four finalists, Soong broke the Top 10 in the nation in his event. What’s more, the entire club became ec-static when the announcer at closing ceremonies named the first place winner of International Business Plans… David Galban! His pride and excitement was written on his face, and, his DECA teammates were just as excited, especially because Galban was the only first-place winner in the entire state of Pennsylvania. “It was this incredible feeling of ac-complishment and unity,” said Mrs. Jowett. Kellie Keen agreed. “Everyone screamed and freaked out for the rest of the ceremony and even when we got back to the hotel. It was great that everyone was so sup-portive.” Junior Kush Gupta, who also took part in the lead-ership conference added “It’s phenomenal that we had so many finalists, and even a first place winner! It truly shows that DECA members are smart, dedicated, and confident.” So what’s in store for this accomplished Upper Me-rion club? “I’m going to miss having such a diverse group,”

Three Upper Merion Students Take Home Cappies

Mrs. Jowett explained of the graduating seniors, including three of the four finalists. “I’ve been running DECA for six years, and this is the first group that I’ve had a group for all four years, since ninth grade.” Still, many returning DECA members are already looking forward to the future. “I’m going to work my butt off to get to Anaheim, California, for Nationals next year!” exclaims Keen. Mr. DiGiovanni, who was thrilled to have so much success from the Upper Merion chapter, agreed. “What I will remember most about Upper Merion DECA is how large the chapter was this year and how well they did. They have set the bar even higher for next year!” On behalf of The Viking Call, congratulations to Galban, Soong, Richmond, and Symoczko, and the rest of Upper Merion DECA!

By Sabrina Carroll On Sunday, May 6th, schools from all over the Philadelphia area came together to celebrate what they love most at the Greater Philadelphia Cappies gala - the thrill of performing onstage. Students filled busses to attend the show in support nominees from their school. Nominees, in turn, supported one another and offered great compliments. Anxiousness and excitement filled the air as students dressed in the best attire made the event feel both lively and formal. Like the Tonys, an awards ceremony for professional theatre, the Cappies included performances of snippets from shows from Upper Darby High School and Germantown Academy between nominations. The gala certainly had a feeling of unison to it that allowed each school to get a taste of what other schools’ theatre programs were about. While each district’s theatre groups had different ele-ments that made their performances their own, the love of being under stage lights and entertaining others was undoubtedly consistent throughout. This year, Upper Merion was proud to have three students from The Underground Players take home Cappie awards. Melissa Reinbold won the Sup-porting Actress award for her performance as the Stage Manager in Our Town. “It’s awesome that people can come together to celebrate high school theatre because it’s not really recognized any other time,” Melissa said. She added that it was a “really fun” atmosphere where everyone was simply genuine. Mrs. Ebersole, who di-rected the production this year, expressed how happy she was that Melissa took the award home by describing her as a “dynamic” actress and how much of an honor it was to have her narrate the show with her “soothing,

storytelling” qualities. Steven Burke and Evan Rieger took Cappies home for the Business and Marketing category, which was just added this year. Steven shared that, with marketing, the goal is to spread the word about the production in the com-munity through different methods that include posters and promo videos. Through these methods, they can familiar-ize a community with a show and make it appealing. Steven enjoyed communicating the basis Our Town to the com-munity because it gave him a “creative license” to express his idea of what the show was. “We were both really pleased with what we’ve created this year, and we are very proud

of the award!” he added. Mrs. Ebersole felt the same way and felt they should be recognized for their “professional publicity campaign.” What Mrs. Ebersole believes made the marketing of Our Town special and professional were the unique details that stood out, such as the use of a pocket watch as the “O” in the title, and the pictures of characters George and Emily in the cemetery. From taking a look at the work from Upper Merion that was rewarded, it is obvious that our school community was represented well at the Greater Philadelphia Cappies ceremony.

UM celebrates its DECA champions! Photo courtesy of school photographer, Mr. Tucker.

The UM Drama Department poses after a successful night at the Cappies. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Rieger

Old Macs to be replaced! Photo by Nick Lee.

vikingcall.comSportsYoung Champions: Teenage Athletes in

the OlympicsContinued from page 1By Jackie Nikpour

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to London. “It’s hard to not be nervous,” Hixon explained to ESPN of the upcoming June trials. “But I’m going to go for it. I’ve got nothing to lose.” The same goes for 16-year old Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Michigan. This young athlete has been designat-ed the “It Girl” of this year’s Olympics, as she balances her professional gymnastic life with going to school (and hav-ing a 3.9 GPA!) and hanging out with her friends. “Out-side of gymnastics, you’d never know I’m an elite gym-nast,” said Wieber to ESPN. And her older brother Ryan agreed. “She really is just your average teenage girl.” But she’s also much more. Wieber has been part of the 2002, 2004, and 2005 National top teams, and in 2008, won at both the Grand Prix Competition and the US Classics, becoming a member of the Junior National Team. In 2009 and 2010, Wieber also earned gold medals at the Tyson American and Pacific Rim Champions, and in 2011 came her biggest accomplishment, winning two gold medals and one bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo. And yet Wieber is still humble. “Usually I like to blend in,” she explained of a school-wide pep rally for her when she returned from Worlds. “But it was really nice.” Some teenage athletes have already made the cut. Take 18-year old Lee Kiefer, who has already earned her spot on the US Fencing Team for foil fencing. “In the beginning, I hated fencing,” explained Kiefer, who was just five years old when her dad taught her the sport. But slowly, she began to love it, and grew more and more de-termined to improve. Her father Steve added, “She has an intense and almost visceral dislike for losing.” Her passion has shown – Kiefer has won 14 gold medals at various events, such as the 2009 Junior World Championships and the 2010 Cadet World Championships. And now, she is not satisfied with just qualifying: Kiefer wants a medal. “Of course, I want to get a medal this year,” she said. “And I know I can put up a fight” From their hometown roots to big-time dreams, these young athletes have certainly accomplished a great deal. But when the crowds are gone and the spotlight off, these teenage athletes are just like us.

Fantastic 4x4 Finishes StrongBy Ally Frymoyer

Upper Merion Girls’ Track’s 4x400 power team of Jada Wilson, Amber McAteer, Ashley Anderson, and Rohwanna Smith sprinted their way to third place at the annual Penn Relays this past April and qualified for the Districts meet. In the track world, the 4x400 is a relay team of four, in which each member runs 400 me-ters, or one lap, and hands off a relay baton to the next teammate waiting for her. Of course, the whole team was ecstatic over their accomplishments. “When our team finished, I looked up at the screen for the results because natu-rally you want to know your time,” explained sopho-more leadoff runner Jada Wilson, who has been run-ning track for seven years now. “I knew that to qualify for districts we had to get a 4:08. When I saw the 4:06 I was so excited. I didn’t really believe it at first.” Her teammate, junior Rohwanna Smith, agreed. “When I found out that we qualified for Districts at Penn Relays, I was very excited,” she explained. “Basically the whole team was, because they worked so hard and came out strong.” This group of hard working ladies came to run as one relay because of their incredibly fast times. Ac-cording to coach Joy Niemenski, “The team is selected by who runs the fastest times. Anyone that wants to run the 400 has an opportunity to be on the relay team, they just have to run in an open 400 or run in a relay at a dual meet to record a time.” The girls were definitely feeling the pressure for the relays, and for Districts. “Running with a team is a lot different then running individually when you do a 4x400,” says Wilson. “It’s more pressure to be in a relay rather than in an open event because in an open even you can only hurt yourself,” Ashley Anderson,

the third of the four runners, added “Run-ning a team event like the 4x400 is a lot better than running individual events be-cause there is less pressure when there are three other people to rely on in case you have a bad day. At the same time, there’s more pressure because more people are

4x800 RelayRohwanna SmithJada WilsonAshley AndersonKelsey FitzgeraldTotal time 10:05.01, 27th place

100 Meter HurdlesJada WilsonTotal time 17.48, 34th place

1600 Meter RunAmber McAteer Total time 5:22.87, 20th place

400 Meters Rohwanna SmithTotal time 61.27, 18th place

800 MetersAmber McAtter Total time 2:30.75, 29th place

4x400 RelayJada WilsonAmber McAteer Regie Robinson Rohwanna Smith Total time, 4:06.95, 25th place

High JumpRegie Robinson 5’0” tied for 13th place

Pole VaultAnecia Alexaki10’0” 7th place, medal

Districts Track Results

Have your own play-by-play of this week’s game?

Do you have a knack for Sports?The Viking Call is looking for more sports reporters!

Submit your own sports stories or express interest to jwilliams@umasd.gaggle.net

Frymoyer Signs With Shippensburg LacrosseBy: Bernadette Koff

Senior lacrosse goalie and Viking Call reporter Ally Frymoyer’s dedication and talent has earned her a scholarship at Shippensburg University next spring. Ally became a goalie when she played for Upper Me-rion’s seventh grade team as a standout player who vol-unteered for her position. All her life Ally has enjoyed playing sports and being a part of a team. She has tried volleyball and field hockey in addition to lacrosse, but has come to know and love lacrosse the best. When asked if lacrosse was her favorite sport, Ally responded “Definitely. It looked fun and I just wanted to try it. I was looking for a [col-lege] that would allow me to play.” Ally explained, “I love playing, and being a part of a team is important to me.” Mrs. Yanocha, head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team, emphasizes the impact Ally made on the team. “Ally is extremely hard working and is totally dedicated to the sport of lacrosse. She has had a huge impact on the success of the team in these past two years where we’ve had winning seasons,” said Yanocha, “she will be missed [not only] in goal but also as a leader on the team.” Ally feels just the same way about her beloved team. “The spirits we did at school were always fun and really made us come together as a team and rivalry schools, like Plymouth Whitemarsh, were also excit-ing to play.” The ends of seasons are always hard saying good-bye to seniors, and Ally will certainly not be any different. Shippensburg University will be lucky to be gaining Ally in the fall for both academics and lacrosse. “I chose Shippensburg because the girls on the team and the coach both seemed nice. They were offering

me a good amount of money and a starting position too,” Ally said. Losing key players like Ally is always tough, but Mrs. Yanocha has nothing but words of encouragement. “I’m very excited for Ally that she will be attending Ship-pensburg and playing for the Lady Raiders. Playing at the college level is a whole new challenge and I look forward

to following her success.” Ally Frymoyer has been an asset to Upper Merion sports since seventh grade and we are sad to say this June she will be leaving for bigger things, Shippensburg, however is gaining a key player on any team. We wish Ally the best of luck on her journey ahead.

counting on you.” The Vikings certainly did not show the pressure, though, as the same team also qualified for the 4x800 relay at Districts. At Districts, most of the girls competed in other events as well: Smith in the 400-meter race, and Wilson in hurdles for both 100 and 300 meters. McAteer, who also qualified for the 800-meter, mile, and 2-mile race, competed in those three events, and the alternate runner, freshman Reggie Robinson, took her place in the 4x400. The team has many goals to accomplish. “Our main goal

was qualifying for districts, which we did,” explained An-derson. “Breaking the school record for the 4x400 [which currently stands at 4:00.99] is a pretty great idea, which we have a chance at coming close to”. Coach Niemenski also added her high hopes for the team. “If we run fast enough, we have a shot to make it into the finals and who knows, possibly even to States. I’d love to see it happen.” Though the girls didn’t qualify for States, every-body came out and ran hard, and that alone is worth cel-ebrating.

The ratings have been soaring this post sea-son for the NHL. In the past month the NHL has been getting more attention then they normally do and it is benefitting in many ways. The NHL has been a lost league in the past couple of years. Ever since their lock-out in the 2004-2005 season they have never really got-ten back to where they used to be. They have been look-ing for that something that would help the league get to where they were before. There is something that has been unusual this postseason, and that is the abnormally high amount of fighting. There have been more fights per game this post season then there have been in the last 25 years. The fighting has brought much attention to the league, and they are benefitting from huge exposure, which is resulting in lots of money coming in. For example, the Flyers-Penguins Game 3 was the highest rated playoff hockey game since 2002. The NHL was lucky because this was one of their prime time Sunday slots and the two teams capitalized on the attention and hooked many of the new viewers. Viewers will not only remem-ber this game for the goals, but also for the many fights that broke out. Games, such as this one, have brought fans, new and old, back for more. Games like this one have carried through the entire post-season, making this round of playoffs the most watched in NHL his-tory. But the question is, why all the fighting, now? Hockey has always been a violent sport, what made this post-season any different? For starters, playoff match-ups have featured some of the most heated rivalries in sports like Flyers-Penguins, Rangers-Devils, Bruins-Capitols, which are all bringing in big audiences and heated emotions. Even the matchups that aren’t rival-ries have brought the same intensity because it is still playoff hockey. The NHL is attempting to keep these ratings up and doing so with some luck. They have re-ceived help from the continued rival matchups of big market teams making it easy for the NHL to get atten-tion and bring in revenue. The NHL hopes to carry this popularity throughout the rest of the playoffs and hopefully into next season.

Big Hits Bring Big Ratings to NHLBy Kevin Crowe

Countdown to the London Olympics. Photo by Pooja Parekh.

Ally Frymoyer signs with Shippensburg University as her mother stands by. Photo by Dana Wright.

Clockwise from top, Jada Wilson, Rohwanna Smith, Ashley Fitzgerald, and Amper McAteer. Photo by Michaela Kiczula.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Razvan Marescu.

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with issues that the young generation cares about most today? Who will win? Education. Romney believes education should be based on a local and state level, not on a federal level. He says that in order to pass high school, students should need to pass an English and Math exam. Romney also believes in having the best teachers and removing those teachers who do not meet or exceed their professional duties. Obama’s main goal is for kids to stay in school in order to be successful in the future when jobs will require more education at an increasingly higher level. To help accomplish this, his administration plans to set up an incentive program to keep excellent teachers where they are needed, challenge school districts to remove “ineffective teachers,” and implement modern and effective student assessments. Obama says that, “We are working together to put an outstanding education within reach for every child.” Though Romney and Obama agree on excellence in education, it is important for voters to consider the small differences when it comes to teacher employment and student assessment. UM Social Studies teacher, Mr. Mitchell stresses the importance of considering a candidate’s views on education, explaining that, “Public schools are incredibly important in the development of tomorrow’s citizens, meaning that students and schools must be held accountable for meeting high level expectations. Developing those expectations is a process that requires a conversation between politicians representing bipartisan views and those with significant experience within the educational field and a full understanding of the realities of public schooling.” Same-Sex Marriage. Romney firmly believes in marriage being the bringing together of a man and a woman, and that there should be neither gay marriages nor civil unions. Instead, he’d rather there be domestic partnership “benefits,” such as same-sex couples having hospital visitation rights. Romney opposes employment choices that are made based on sexual orientation and doesn’t want sexuality to influence job status. When

Fusion or Fission 2012?

asked about the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy concerning gay individuals serving in the military, Romney responds, “I was not comfortable making the change during a period of conflict.” Obama believes same-sex couples should be able to get married, and he supported the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy reasoning that the change would “underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known.” These are just two of the many issues that both Romney and Obama have been asked to take a side on. With all the issues there are out there, which policies does American need right now? “Obviously more attention to stimulating the economy is necessary,” says Mrs. Dell’Elmo, AP Government and Politics teacher. “We are showing signs of growth out of the recession, which is good, but that needs to stay on an upward trend. So, creating more jobs and doing things like that are good… [But] presidential policies can only go so far.” In previous elections, there has been a division between our nation: Democrats and Republicans. Even with today’s issues, there is a split down the middle between one candidate’s views and policies verses the other’s. “Mitt Romney is moderate enough for Republicans like himself who are moderate to vote for him, but he’s still too conservative for the majority of people,” says senior Alex Tassoni, who is contemplating her decision to vote this coming fall. “He has millions of dollars, and no one else has millions of dollars, so he’s trying to connect with people who normally make $54,000 a year.” Regardless of speculation, when November 6 comes and the polls open up, the question remains: Will we be divided as a nation or will we be E Pluribus Unum?

HKW #SaveTheWorldBy Molly Cooke

On May 3, 2012, supporters of the Humankind Water campaign to “Get On The Shelf ” learned that their efforts had been a success and Humankind Water (HKW) had won Walmart’s national contest out of thousands of products competing for shelf-space. HKW was started in October 2011 as a bottled water company committed to ending the world water crisis by selling spring water for two dollars a bottle and donating all the net profits to make water purification systems to give to the 1.1 billion people who do not have access to clean drinking water. CEO of Humankind Water, TJ Folz said of his attempt to end the crisis, “The problem is huge... We knew that it doesn’t take a ton of money to get people clean drinking water. Six to eight billion dollars could take care of the biggest physical crisis on earth today. It seems like a lot, but Americans give 290 billion to charity every year.” Ethos Water, which is sold in Starbuck’s, also advertises that they give money to end the water crisis, but they make a profit. Only about 5% of their net profits actually go to charity, while HKW gives 100%. According to the company’s website, all of its overhead and operating costs are paid by donors, not water sales, and they are currently donating their revenues to Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association, Water Missions International, the Ugandan Water Project, Living Water International, and Blood Water Mission. These organizations have a variety of missions, but all share the goal of providing access to clean drinking water to people in developing nations. Weeks before the contest, where people would be asked to vote for their favorite products, started, videos and links to the Humankind Water website started popping up on email lists, Facebook, and Twitter. There were options to sign up for daily text message and

“Six to eight billion dollars could take care of the biggest

physical crisis on Earth today.”

How To Keep Your Laptop AliveBy Justin Spedding

This June it will be time to say ‘goodbye’ to your Macbook, and come September each of us will receive a shiny new Macbook Pro, and you may want to take better care of that new computer than you did your old one. Everyday, many students fall behind on schoolwork and projects because they accidently break their school laptops. Sometimes the screens crack, sometimes soda spills on the keyboard, and sometimes the laptop breaks from one of many other causes. Students have to wait in the iHelp room for a long time and, if the damage is bad enough, pay a $100 fee to fix their laptops. Fortunately, there are some easy-to-follow guidelines that will prevent your laptop from suffering this fate. First of all, do not eat or drink anything while using your laptop. Even if just a few drops of soda fall into the keyboard, one or more of the keys could stop working. The library is the most common place where people accidently spill drinks on their laptops, so be cautious with laptops when eating/drinking in the library because there are very few cases in which a laptop continues to work after a drink is spilled on it. Laptop screens are very sensitive to a lot of things. If the screen is poked, it can break very easily or at least become discolored. Also, the laptop should never be squeezed when it is closed because the keyboard keys will be pressed against the screen and have the same effect. Cleaning chemicals such as Windex, stain remover, bleach, rubbing alcohol, etc. should never be used to clean a screen. These chemicals burn through laptop screens and will render the laptop unusable. If you really want to clean your screen, either let the tech guys in the iHelp room clean it for you with their special cleaning solution or rub it gently with a very soft cleaning cloth. As long as the screen is not hit/poked by anything and is not exposed to any harmful chemicals, it should work fine.

Upper Merion Graduates Take a Bite of the Shark Business

On March 9, 2012, four Upper Merion graduates appeared on the popular ABC series Shark Tank, on which entrepreneurs can receive business loans from a panel of multimillionaire “sharks”. The UM-alumni entrepreneurs Danny, DJ, Kyle, and Keith Mastronardo campaigned for their skincare line “Nardo’s Naturals,” which they described as being entirely organic. The brothers endured many rounds of surveys and background checks before being selected for the show. Brother and co-owner Danny Mastronardo called the Hollywood experience “pretty exciting,” but the brothers also characterized it as “nerve-racking.” Danny pointed out that unlike many people on the show, the brothers had each other to help out when the sharks began firing questions. And boy, were they firing. Although the brothers filmed for about two hours, their segment aired for only 15 minutes. During that time, sharks Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and Daymond John pressured the brothers with questions about how much their business made, what their plans were, and why they should get a loan. But as brothers Danny and Kyle commented, they were glad to have the whole team of brothers there to support one another. Whenever the sharks would attack one brother, the rest of could be there for support. “I couldn’t imagine doing this alone,” commented Kyle, and the rest of the brothers agreed. Finally, the brothers got an offer from shark Barbara Corcoran, and they were thrilled. “Barbara has

By Jackie Nikpour

email reminders to vote. People started organizing voting parties, thinking that it was just a matter of voting all day everyday, but on March 7, HKW supporters learned they could only vote twice a day, once by text message and once through Facebook. Then it became a matter of making sure that everyone remembered to vote twice everyday and the word got out to everyone who could vote. Supporters were encouraged to send emails, post daily on social networking sites, and even get in touch with friends in foreign countries to make sure everyone knew about it. Upper Merion freshman, Rebecca Willgruber recalls, “One of my friends told me about Humankind Water, and I got really excited about it. Every time I texted in my vote, I felt like I was saving a life. It’s cool to be able to have that great of an impact on the world, just by sending a text.” The finalists were announced around April 7, and Humankind Water had placed in the top ten. With fourteen days to vote for the final round, it was more important than ever that everybody get all 28 available votes in. So began another initiative, remind people to vote during the final round. On top of the daily text and email reminders, Humankind offered to give voters bright pink wristbands with places to check when you voted each day. Companies were not allowed to give away anything to get people to vote, so the water company charged supporters four cents for ten bracelets that they could wear and share with their friends, and prayed that they could get enough people reliably voting to win. Nine days after voting closed, the winners were announced, and Humankind Water won the grand prize, getting on the shelves of Walmart (and Walmart.com) along with a $12,500 check. HKW’s two competitors the SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit, which also gives some profits to a charity that fights bullying, and the Plate Topper won “First Prize,” getting on the shelves and $10,000 each. Now that these products are en route to the shelves of Walmart’s all across America, they could stand to make millions for water projects that help people across the world gain access to clean water. Of course, people still have to go out and buy it, but with all the publicity HKW has received, that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Some areas of the school, such as the gym, pool, locker rooms, cafeteria, and hallways, are kill-zones for laptops. Students should keep their laptops away from these areas or at least keep them in their cases when passing through. For maximum safety, laptops should only be used on flat, stable surfaces that are not close to water or active sports games. Also, laptops should not be opened in a school bus or any other moving vehicle because a sudden stop or turn could knock them out of people’s hands. By not using one’s laptop in these areas, many types of accidents can be avoided. Sometimes, students play with their power cords when they are bored. Tying the cord into knots or playing with it in some other way is a very bad idea because it degrades the wires. Degraded wires can make the laptop charge slower, only work when bent in a certain position, or stop working altogether. If a power cord does break, it costs $65.00 to replace. It will be even more important to have a working charger next year, because, unlike the Macbooks we have now, the MacBook Pros do not have easy battery replacing capabilities. So, avoid the urge to play with the wires; it never ends well, and keeping your power cord in good condition could save you a lot of trouble. Finally, a lot of people think that the school-wide laptop insurance will pay for the entire cost of laptop repairs. However, the person who breaks the laptop actually does need to pay a fraction of the cost of repair. Also, each student will use the same laptop for the rest of high school. Students who break their laptops will have to use the same broken laptops for the remainder of their high school careers unless they pay an expensive fee to fix it. Do not take working laptops for granted! All in all, the most common ways that people accidently break their laptops are also the easiest to prevent. If you follow these guidelines, your laptop should stay in good shape throughout your high school years!

Continued from page 1By Lana Fabia

the best track record of the sharks, so it was great to have her on our team,” explained Danny. Although Corcoran agreed to 50% of the company in exchange for a $75,000 loan on TV, she only kept 10% in off-TV negotiations. “We own the company,” explained Danny. “We wanted to gain that relationship with Barbara, and move forward with the business.” So what’s next for Nardo’s Naturals? “We’re in wellness centers, and we’re working with Whole Foods,” explained Danny. The brothers also hope to become a home favorite by getting into drug stores, such as Walgreens and CVS, as well as higher-end skincare stores. And while they’re based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, the brothers hope to open stores in areas buying many products- more in Florida, Colorado, and of course, Pennsylvania. Plus, their online store is up and running, receiving millions of hits since Shark Tank. Tampa Bay Ray David Price now endorses Nardo’s Natural, which the brothers are absolutely thrilled about. “Before, we would walk up to homes and people would turn us away,” explained Danny. “Now, they’re calling us.” From their Upper Merion roots to their new fame, Nardo’s Naturals has certainly come a long way. But the journey is far from over for the brothers. “We still worry every day about not succeeding,” explained a solemn Danny. “But we keep a positive attitude, and still find time to have fun.”

The Nardo brothers pose to promote their successful skin care line. Photo courtesy of Nardos Naturals.

Presidental debate heightens with the 2012 election coming up. Photo courtesy of Flickr users Cain and Todd.

Water bottles now have the power to save the world. Photo by Iman Salam.

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Where in the World Are They Going?By Rosie Owoc In the midst of June, Upper Merion seniors are getting ready to graduate and to spend their last summer before the start of their college careers. Then, as August rolls around those same seniors will be pack-ing their bags to start the next chapter of their lives. Upper Merion’s class of 2012 is showing a great variety of destinations. Some will stay close, or at the very least near by. However, some students are venturing off to distances as far as the other side of the United States. So, where in the world are they going? Some students don’t want to go very far at all. The list of seniors who preferred to stay in the area is extensive, not that there’s anything wrong with that! Some of the colleges the seniors have committed to include Montgomery County Community College, Cabrini, Temple, West Chester, and Drexel. Others

have committed to one of the many Penn State campuses, St. Joseph, Kutztown, Arcadia, Villanova, and LaSalle. Be-lieve it or not, those are just a few of the local colleges that are in the class of 2012’s future. Why stay close? Christina Orse who will be attending Temple University for Busi-ness Management says she decided to stay relatively close because “it’s still a totally different environment, but I can come home if I feel homesick, or for my mom to help me with the mountains of laundry that I always have.” There are students who will be studying in colleg-es/universities outside of Pennsylvania, but will be staying at least within the North East region. The list includes col-leges such as Hofstra, La Salle, Towson, York, American University, Wittendberg and New York University. Senior Alex Tassoni will be going to Hartwick College in One-onta, New York. “I’m going out of state because I want a new experience, one that’s far enough away where I can get a new feel of things instead of around the Philadelphia

area,” Alex said. Alex will be majoring in biochemistry and obtaining a minor in French while in New York. There are the few seniors who decided they just want to get far away. Some of the farthest colleges include the University of Miami, University of Vermont, Brigham Young University, Tufts, Tulane, Whittier, and San Diego State University. Senior Corey Grace will be attending Costal Carolina this fall with a major in busi-ness. Costal Carolina is located in South Carolina, where the weather should be pretty warm all year round! How-ever that was only one reason Corey decided on Costal Carolina. “It gives me the opportunity to play golf almost all year round. Picking Costal Carolina was about both the distance and the college,” Corey explained, “I love the campus and everything about it, and the distance away from home just helped my decision even more”. There is one senior student who dedicated her-self to leaving the Continental US. Melanie Sweeney will

be attending Hawaii Tokai International College for her first two years, and then plans to transfer to Temple Japan. “I wanted to go somewhere where nobody would go. I want to explore and travel all over the world one day, and going to college somewhere close isn’t going to let me do that,” Sweeney explained, “It’s always good to go outside of your comfort zone.”No matter where the students of the class of 2012 may end up one thing is for sure, they will be missed. Par-ents, teachers, friends, and loved ones will sure to have a hard time saying goodbye at the graduation ceremony as the seniors all depart to their separate ways. The Viking call would also like to give honorable mention to Jacob Younger and Tom Schiliro who will be enlisting in the United States Marines after graduation. We all thank you in advance for your honorable service!

Viking Mother, Viking DaughterBy Treci Butler Picture it: Upper Merion High School in May of 1983, kids wearing togas through the halls and using computers that could barely fit on a desk. That is how Mrs. Deitemyer, administrative assistant to Dr. Hoy, here at the high school and mother of the president of student council, Lizzie Furino, experienced Upper Me-rion. With less than a month until graduation, Trish Deitemyer and her daughter Lizzie Furino sit and com-pare their experiences at Upper Merion High School. Deitemyer, known as Trish Pecharo then, is a 1983 graduate of Upper Merion and her daughter Lizzie Fu-rino is a soon to be 2012 Upper Merion graduate. Deitemyer attended the high school when the high school only had grades 10-12, but this did not suppress all the good times she had at Upper Merion. She described her experience here as very different than her daughter’s, but she did participate in many activities that her daughter is a part of today. Just like her daughter, Deitemyer took honors classes and was on the prom committee. She also came from a time in Upper Merion where having the newest iPhone wasn’t the coolest thing, but being in the marching band was, and she said, “That’s what you did when you were cool.” Both mother and daughter were very involved during their Upper Merion experience. They both were a part of the prom committee, but Lizzie is currently on the newspaper, and Deitemyer was on the yearbook. They did not have many similarities just because they went to the same high school. Deitemyer said, “My high school experience was very different, and I wasn’t as stressed

as Lizzie.” She says that she was less stressed as Lizzie because she did not have the infa-mous SGP. Even the structure and functions of some key places in the high school were different. Unlike today, the high school’s beautiful courtyard was used for students that wanted to smoke cigarettes, and the

faculty room, where our staff eats lunch, was their desig-nated smoking area. Like many things, prom was different in 1983 compared to now. Deitemyer’s junior prom did not have a DJ like Lizzie’s, but a live band, which she did not enjoy. There was also sneaking of alcohol into the prom, which, due to today’s alcohol consequence awareness, would not cross the minds of high school students. Deitemyer’s se-nior prom consisted of a longtime boyfriend and a little competition. Just like on the movies, a girl wore the same dress as Deitemyer! Both wore a pink dress with a sash, but the other girl solved the problem by tying her sash a different way. Lizzie is wearing a red dress and said “No one better wear the same dress as me!” Lizzie’s prom will also have an ice cream bar! Upper Merion High School offers many good memories that are hard to forget. For the last twenty-six years, Upper Merion graduates remember the famous Dis-ney World Trip, and Lizzie remembers this well, however, there was no Disney trip when Deitemyer was in school; but there was Toga Day. Yes, Toga Day. This was a day where all the seniors came to school wearing togas. Like Disney, this was a day that was successful in bringing the class together. Despite the class unity in 1983, Deitemyer says she has yet to attend one high school reunion and said, “I’m really bad at things like that.” Lizzie says if she is in this area in the future, she will attend her reunions. On June 12th, Lizzie will be have her graduation ceremony at Villanova, unlike her mother who remembers graduat-ing on Upper Merion’s the football field. “It was crowded she said” being that her class was composed of about 400 people. Now when you go and get your locker combina-tion from Dr. Hoy’s office, or even a cut slip, remember that the Administrative Assistant in that office walked the same halls as you.

Senior pictures of Lizzie Furino ‘12 and her mother, Trisha (Pecharo) Deitemyer ‘83. Lizzie is student body president at Upper Merion. Her mother, also a graduate of Upper Merion is Dr. Hoy’s administrative assistant.

Photos courtesy of Lizzie Furino and Trish Deitmeyer.

Graphic by Kathryn DelCollo and Brooke Mitchell

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Lizzie Furino News Editor Lizzie Furino has been a member of the Viking Call for two years, and wrote for the OpEd section before taking her current position as News Editor. In addi-tion to editing articles, Lizzie has written a phenom-enal fashion column for the past two years. Lizzie will be attending Franklin and Marshall College this fall and hopes to write for their paper. In the future Lizzie says that it would be “neat” to have a career in writing and that “if I could have any job, I’d write for a magazine like Seventeen or Food Network Magazine. She also comments that one of her favorite memories from working with the paper was participating in the school’s journalism class where “brainstorming ses-sions there seem similar to those of real newspapers.” Lizzie’s exuberant personality has shown through while at Upper Merion, and Mr. Schurtz comments that, “Lizzie’s greatest attribute is not only her hard work, but a willingness to work hard with a smile on her face.” Lizzie advises future writers to “work hard, take the articles, and learn to take criticism. The editors just want writers to be the best they can be so constructive criticism should be taken and absorbed.” Lizzie adds that “Upper Merion is a great place” and that “I’m grateful to have gone here.”

Karishma Purswani Student Life Editor Karishma Purswani has been a member for the Vi-king Call since it was established three years ago, and became Student Life Editor this year. Karishma also writes for Student Life, regularly writing “Where Were They Then” articles. Karishma will be attend-ing Drexel University this fall, and plans on majoring in biomedical engineering. Although she is not go-ing into a writing career Karishma praises her time as an editor saying that “being an editor allowed me to improve my leadership skills and taught me to be more assertive.” Karishma has made her mark as be-ing, “respectful and courteous to a fault,” and “pleas-ant, no matter how her day is going,” said Mr. Kozol. Karishma’s advice to future writers is to “be proactive, in the sense that when you are give a topic to write about, get started with your task as soon as it is as-signed.” Karishma also advises members of the Viking Call to “enjoy your experience as a writer.”

Elissa Salamy OpEd Editor and Web Master Elissa Salamy has been a member of the Viking Call since it was established three years ago. Her junior year she was Integrity Editor, and Copy-Editor, and her senior year she became the OpEd Editor. Recent-ly Elissa also took on the position of Web Master, and she also writes regularly for the OpEd section. Elissa plans on continuing her writing career at Hofstra University majoring in journalism. One of Elissa’s favorite memories from the Viking Call was when the very first issue came out and “all of the teachers and some of the students were just as excited as we were, and it’s just gotten better since then,” said Elissa. Elissa is involved in many other clubs and activities at Upper Merion, and Mr. Campbell comments that “I have enjoyed seeing [Elissa] stay heavily involved in many extra-curricular activities like water sports, Model UN, and the Viking Call.” Although Elissa has been very involved she says that restarting the Viking Call in Upper Merion “is definitely one of the most important things that I’ve done in high school.” Elissa persuades future writers of the Viking Call to “work together! The paper isn’t created by just one person, but by everyone together.”

Viking Call EditorsSara SymoczkoLayout Editor Sara Symoczko has been a member of the Viking Call for two years, and has been Layout Editor for both of them. Sara has dedicated many hours to laying out the paper, and says “the intense responsibility of for-matting the paper for press proved to be immensely stressful, but consistently rewarding.” Sara is major-ing in English at Bryn Mawr College next fall, and though she is “undecided in terms of a career choice” the idea of a professional writing career still hangs in the air for her. Sara has been touched over the years by the Upper Merion English Department. She ex-plained, “they have taken a critical role—knowingly or unknowingly—in helping me determine my col-lege major with confidence.” Though Sara’s time with the paper has been mostly spent “behind a glaring computer scream” she recalls the many laughs she’s had and, the “pleasure” it was to “get to know both Ms Williams and the two Editor-in-Chiefs I have served under.” Sara’s advice to future writers of the Viking Call is that “due dates are not suggestions,” a quote she borrowed from English teacher, Mr. Schurtz.

Nir Shtuhl Arts and Entertainment Editor Nir Shtuhl has been a member of the Viking Call for three years, serving as the Arts and Entertainment Editor for the past two. Nir has also written many articles for Arts and Entertainment. He recalls that one of his favorite memories of being a member of the Viking Call was writing his Justin Bieber article during this year’s December issue. “When Ms. Williams sug-gested that I write it, I let out a chuckle and pleaded against it, predicting I would disappoint readers,” he said. “It turned out that the readers and I were on the same plane of thinking, and they were pleased.” Next fall Nir is attending Northeastern University Honors Program and will be studying both physics and math-ematics. A favorite teacher of Nir’s, Mr. Bugenhagen, said “Nir always offers a unique perspective, and he is able to solve complex problems by combining solid logic skills and exceptional creativity.” Nir pleads fu-ture writers of the Viking Call to “communicate with your editor and Ms. Williams,” and he also thanks “everyone who makes this paper run,” as they “do the most work for the least credit.”

Michaela Kiczula Photography Editor Michaela Kiczula has been a member of the Viking Call for three years, and has been the Photography Editor for the past year. Before Michaela was an editor she took photos for the paper, but especially enjoyed being the photography editor. “It has been a great ex-perience, and a great opportunity to oversee all of the photographs over the years,” said Michaela. Michaela will be attending Bloomsburg University this fall. “I know that given her persistent nature and her high level of enthusiasm, Michaela will find success wher-ever she seeks it,” said Mr. Darnell, one of Michaela’s favorite teachers. Michaela added her enthusiasm to the paper with every issue, and had a great time do-ing it. “My experience with the paper has been great,” said Michaela, “I have really enjoyed my time with everyone and appreciated having the chance to be an editor.” As Michaela leaves the paper, she urges future editors to “stay organized. Organization can be a big part when you are collecting photos or articles.”

Viking Call Writers

Allison FrymoyerSports Allison Frymoyer has been a sports writer for the Viking Call for three years. She plans on continu-ing her study in communications at Shippensburg University this fall. Ms Moser, praised Allison’s “drive and determination,” and said Allison is al-ways “pleasant and optimistic.” Allison persuades the future writers to, “work and do as best as you can because what you’re writing in the newspaper actually matters to people.”

Rosie Owoc Student LifeRosie Owoc has been a member of the Viking Call for three years. Though, her senior year she wrote for student life, her first two years mostly consisted of participating in the photography section. Next fall Rosie will attend Penn State Brandywine and is trying to decide whether or not to major in English education or elementary education. Rosie encour-ages future writers not to get discouraged.

Iman Salam Photographer Iman Salam has been a photographer for the Viking Call for two years, and will be attending Temple University this fall. Iman hopes to continue pho-tography in her future endeavors, including pos-sible participation in the photography section of her school’s paper. Iman’s creative nature shines through everywhere, “even in a physics class, and that’s a difficult task to master,” said Mrs. Rabold, one of Iman’s favorite teachers.

Mike ShannonSports WriterMike Shannon has been a sports writer for the Viking Call for three years. He plans on attending Temple University and majoring in Broadcasting. Mike’s personality has made an impact on the school, and he “lives the movement that Gandhi set forth with honesty and passion,” said Ms Rieger. Mike’s advice for future writers is to, “Never compromise. Write about what needs to be written about.”

Graduating with Great StyleBy Lizzie Furino Now and again, the halls of Upper Merion are graced with students who sport amazing clothes and current trends. As the Class of 2012 departs, UM will lose two of its own greatest fashion stars. With Brett Jentleson moving south to at-tend Tulane University and Caitlin Do heading north for Northeastern University, their styles are sure to transform. Currently, Brett’s style is “casual mixed with preppy,” he said, “I like to look clean cut and fresh.” To create that look, Brett shops primarily at J.Crew, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom. As he moves to New Orleans, however, he anticipates a change. “I really don’t have the winter months, so I don’t have the sweaters and the long-sleeved shirts. I’m going to need to make do and find a variety of spring clothes.” To help with this need, he says he will turn to “new stores down south.” Brett will forego his winter go-to of a “button down with a pair of dark wash jeans and moccasins or leather shoes” for “just a plain polo crew neck, the 9-in J.Crew shorts and a pair of Sperrys,” he said. Conversely, Caitlin will not have the luxury of warm weather. Caitlin currently relies on Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, H&M, and thrift stores to fill her closet. While her style is now urban casual, her new college style will “depend on what kind of crowd [she] gets into,” she said, “You’re either preppy or hipster, but I’ll probably be more hipster because it’s cheaper.” Considering that, Caitlin’s winter standard of a “really loose sweater with leggings or stockings and high black or brown boots” will probably make more of an appearance than her summer look. For

He’s athletic, he’s smart, he’s charming... He’s Michael Shannon. Mike is well known at Upper Me-rion for his involvement in the community and for just being a great guy. “I love being so [active in the com-munity]. Getting involved is just fun,” said Mike. “Mike is dedicated to everything he does and he is incredibly active in school,” said Ms. Greenstein. “I’m busy year round with all of the clubs that I do. Being active in school can be really enjoyable,” said Mike. And active he is. Mike is currently in Na-tional Honor Society, Student Council, The Viking Call, The Viking Channel, DECA, golf, and baseball. “At first my parents were pushing me to join clubs because they would look good on a college application, but it turned out that I really liked them, and I’m glad that I joined them,” he said. And his participation and dedication in these clubs is astounding. Austin Edelman, a friend of

Featured Student: Michael ShannonBy Maddy Rojulpote

Mike’s, said, “Mike is very dedicated to the Viking Chan-nel and is involved in almost all the programs that air on the channel.” Community of Caring sponsor, Mrs. Rieger, said, “Mike acted as a facilitator for both of our Chal-lenge Days. Besides helping out behind the scenes, Mike was also there for anyone who needed something.” Ms. Greenstein, Mike’s guidance counselor, added, “Whether it be for student government, sports, or anything else, Mike is very dedicated to everything he does. Whatever it is, he sticks to it a hundred percent.” Mike’s involvement in school is not the only ad-mirable attribute he has. He is an incredibly nice guy as well. “Mike is pleasant and upbeat. People are naturally drawn to him,” said Mrs. Rieger. Austin remarked, “Mike is a really friendly guy and he is really funny. “He goes out of his way to make others feel com-fortable at school,” Mrs. Rieger said. But Mike is most

that, Caitlin sticks to “high waisted shorts with a nice top and sandals,” she said. It’s common that high school fashion stars look to fashionable celebrities for inspiration and Brett and Caitlin are no different. Caitlin cites Kourtney Kar-dashian, saying, “I like her style. She always looks good in what she’s wearing and comfortable.” Caitlin also sticks to a tactic when deciding her outfits. “I pick one article of clothing, and then I base my outfit around that,” she said, “but it’s never the same outfit that I think I’m going to wear.” While Brett doesn’t emulate anyone’s style in his day-to-day wardrobe choices, he does when it comes to formal occasions. “I really like what the teens are wearing like the Jonas Brothers or Zac Efron,” he said. “For my formal clothes I really like Calvin Klein.” Regardless of their fashion icons, both Caitlin and Brett believe in the power of a watch. “You can do so much with a watch. For boys, it’s the only real way to dress up your outfit,” Brett said. Caitlin agreed, “The only [jewelry] I would ever really wear is a watch. I think they look good. I’m just not comfortable wearing jewelry.” Many say clothes or fashion aren’t important, but Brett and Caitlin believe they’re very beneficial to a person’s self esteem. “It’s not the brand. It’s just putting it on, feeling good, and feeling confident. That’s the best part of fashion,” Brett said. “As long as you feel good in your outfit, it’s going to look good. It’s a way to express yourself,” added Caitlin. Although their college choices will send Brett Jentleson and Caitlin Do a combined total of about 1500 miles away from Upper Merion, their fash-ion choices are sure to be a success no matter where they are.

known for being so well rounded, said Ms. Greeinstein. “He displays all of the community of caring values. He has a great attitude and he is a great role model. I’ve been Michael’s counselor for four years, and since the first time I talked to him freshman year, Mike struck me as a great guy. He had a maturity beyond his years and handled himself so gracefully.” Mrs. Rieger agreed, “Mike has this fun persona. He can be a funny and joking guy, but he has the maturity of any teacher at this school. He is able to look at the big picture and think of others before him-self.” Based on all of Mike’s great qualities, it’s easy to see that he has a bright future, but Mike has already paved that road for himself. He is going to Temple University next year and majoring in broadcasting, television, mass media, and communication.

By Ashley Soulchin

By Ashley Soulchin

UM seniors show off their great style! Photo by Tiffany Cheng.

Senior Mike Shannon shows off his skills on the field. Photos by Michaela Kiczula.

vikingcall.com

Where Were They Then? Miss Dell’ElmoBy Karishma Purswani

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A 12th grade AP Government/Politics, Hon-ors Economics, and 10th grade CP Western Civili-zation teacher, and an assistant coach of the Foren-sics Team. Miss. Dell’Elmo has been a motivational teacher and an inspiration to many students at Upper Merion for the past six years. She completed her B.A. in History from Ursinus College in 2006. But the real question is, what was she like back when she was a high school student from 1999 to 2002.

Q: What clubs/extracurricular activities were you in-volved in? A: I was very involved in activities. I was in jazz band and marching band in which I played the saxophone, and in orchestra I played percussion, and sang in choir. I was also the president of Student Council and Na-tional Honor Society, and was also involved in other student service organizations and clubs. So everyday after school, I had something I had to do and all of my friends did as well. I was also very studious and cared a lot about my schoolwork. I have always liked learning.

Q: What were your favorite hobbies outside of school? A: I was always been a very family-oriented person and family always came first and then it was spending time with my friends. When I was in high school, some-thing that became popular was instant messaging and I haven’t done it in years, but I remember that was the thing to do every night. Cell phones weren’t nearly as prominent and it wasn’t the same thing as people texting and calling each other and Facebook wasn’t around, so it wasn’t all that.

Q: What type of a student were you?A: I was a good student, and focused mostly on social studies, English, and foreign languages and those were my favorite classes. Actually, my high school had inten-sive scheduling, it was all blocked, so I only had four classes a day and as a student I really liked it a lot.

Q: What was life generally like at home? A: Life at home was very, very supportive. My family is very close knit and we always see each other. Din-nertime was a big deal, and it didn’t matter what time everybody got home from their activities, but that’s how late we would eat. We are used to eating dinner at around 7-7:30 and that would be the time we would sit and talk about everything, so everybody knew what was going on in everybody’s lives and we’re still that way. That was always very important to me and I am very lucky that way.

Q: What was your favorite high school moment? A: In 10th grade, we had our music trips and that was a highlight of performing together and we won the school spirit award and we had a lot of musician-ship. I also remember, as part of student council we instituted a recycling drive and we gave all the teachers recycling bins and everyday after school we would collect it and take it to the recycling place. That was very successful and we all felt very proud and greatly involved. A lot of my students will not believe that because of all the paper I use and they think I am a big tree killer.

Q: What was your most embarrassing or funniest high school moment?A: I went to sit on a desk in my chemistry lab and fell right off and another embarrassing moment was when I was quarantined off from my chemical lab for getting sick with one of the chemicals and my poor lab partner had to finish that lab by herself.

Q: Did you always want to be a teacher? When did you decide to become a teacher? A: I decided in 8th grade, I had a great 8th grade Amer-ican history teacher, Mr. Coldren. He just cared a lot about the subject; he talked to us very naturally and talked to us like we were equals. He had such passion for the subject that it was fun to hear him tell stories and I thought “I would love to do this because I have loved

learning history since I was very small.”

Q: What sparked your interest in history? A: When I was about four years old, my grandfather gave me a book called the Italian Americans and it was a book about Italian American immigrants who came and settled in America. Looking through the book and the pictures, I remember thinking it was so neat to see all the stuff from way before I was born and it sparked an interest in me to learn about what came before I did. My grandfather was a judge of elections in Philadelphia and it got me really into history and government.

Q: What was it like being in high school for the Septem-ber 11, 2001 incident? A: It was tough and very confusing because it brought that realization that there is a lot more going on in the world beyond high school, that we really didn’t know more about and was hard to understand, and something we may never understand. It made the world seem a lot bigger. My ideas have changed a lot in the past 10 years and the way that I look at the world has changed and I am okay with that; I see that as having grown. I still have the same emotional reaction to the incidence, but my view isn’t as narrow as it was.

Q: How were you feeling around this time when you were getting ready to leave high school and move onto Ursinus? A: I commuted to Ursinus, but this time of the year, this end of the year feeling was very hard for me because I was a very comfortable and a very happy kid in high school. I had my friends, the group of people I hung around with, and we were all going in separate direc-tions. I was very apprehensive about that because I spent thirteen years, out of a seventeen year life at that point, with the same group of people, so I was very nervous at that time of how will I meet new people, which was very unusual for me. It’s a big change in your life of going from high school to college.

Q: Did you have ‘senioritis’? A: Honestly, I had perfect attendance in my senior year and I was so into the things I was doing and I was claiming so much to high school to not let it go. I don’t remember that I actually gave in ‘senioritis’, which I recognize is weird.

Q: What was your graduation project like? A: It wasn’t a senior graduation project; we completed it during our senior year. The English and Social Stud-ies classes were combined, kind of like humanities, and we did a year-long research project on any place in the world that we wanted at any time. I did the changing landscape of American history in 1950s. We researched in intervals all year long and then in May, we presented our project to our class for a grade. We also had a “Night of Cultures” and we had to present it to the public like in a cultural fair with poster boards and all our research and we had to explain our project to whoever came around. For the people who might have not passed, had to complete it again in their Junior and sometimes even in their Senior year of high school.

Q: What was your favorite class? A: I had two favorite classes, which were my US history class in 12th grade and my AP English literature class in 12th grade. I loved both those classes and I really feel like I got tremendous information that I still use and always will.

Q: Any advice you would like to give students at Upper Merion? A: Take advantage of using all the resourses while you are here and of all the people who are really supportive, talented and knowledgeable. We, the staff here, have all been through where you are. Stay in the moment and use those resources around you. Don’t look at school as a burden, but look at school and all the people here as opportunities.

outing that produced over a thousand dollars for the Wounded Warrior Foundation/Disabled Veteran Asso-ciation. “Everybody says it’s an extremely random topic, but I’ve always liked the fact that these guys go out into a legitimate warzone, and it’s life or death for a lot of them,” Ryan explained. Besides his interest in the mental aspects of PTSD, Ryan shared his personal connection to it: golf. “Professional golf is greatly associated with raising money for veterans.” Mrs. Rieger, his English teacher, said, “His application component is a prime example of what we want to see in senior projects, and that’s students taking their research and applying it to something meaningful and doing good for others.” Other seniors’ SGPs provided this kind of passion and meaningfulness in their presen-tations. Abby Mina also exhibited a kind of passion, though more light-hearted, in her SGP on conquering fears. Fearful of many things that might not trouble her other peers, Abby focused her attention on breaking those fears and becoming stronger. She wanted to show that you can overcome many obstacles in life if you just try.

Senior Passions: SGPsContinued from page 1By Megan Hendricks

Upper Merion Students Volunteer for Summer VacationBy Rosie Owoc Instead of rolling out their towels this summer, Upper Merion students are rolling up their sleeves and getting involved with unique opportunities. Summer 2012 is going to be a lot more than hanging out with friends, swimming in the pool, and getting a tan. Many Upper Merion students this summer will be making their summer count and will be getting involved. There are a number of students who are plan-ning to volunteer this summer. The areas are wide and far, they include retirement homes, kid’s centers, church-es, summer camps, and animal shelters. Caroline Wood-side looks forward to volunteering at a local retirement

home this summer. “It’s a few hours, usually twice a week,” said Caroline, “I go to help entertain the old folks, maybe organize the movies, or something of that sort. Oh and yes, we play bingo.” Molly Cooke is going in a slightly different direction as she said, “I’ll volunteer every weekend teaching a

Student Life

karate class adapted for kids with autism. I’m also volun-teering at Washington Memorial Chapel doing various things like giving tours of the grounds, organizing choral music, cleaning, and running the bookstore.” Her plans don’t end there though. “I’m also going with my church to do missions in Philadelphia, putting up a summer camp in Kensington and repairing houses in Mount Airy,” she said. Of course summer would not be complete with-out summer camps. In fact, some of Upper Merion’s stu-dents are planning on working or volunteering at a few summer camps. Claudia Emerson plans to do just that. “I’m probably going to be volunteering as a counselor for a camp at Hope Church. I have been doing it for two or three years now. I usually volunteer with the younger chil-dren for arts and crafts, it’s so much fun!” Esther Grambs is returning to Independent Lake Camp for her 6th year, only this time she’s not a camper. This summer Esther will be spending 10 weeks there, as a camp counselor teaching young kids to ride horses. “I learned to horseback ride

at this camp, and now I will get to spend my entire sum-mer with the horses, my old friends, my new friends, and complete freedom in the middle of the Pocono Moun-tains,” Esther explained. Another trend for this summer is attending spe-cial programs to developing personal skills and talents. Ainsley Humphrey, Deanna Cantello, and Jess McGinty have all been accepted to the Consortium program. Con-sortium is a 5-week program that is dedicated to the arts, and helps students improve their skills in theater, music, art, sculpture, and creative writing. Deanna has been doing this program for 7 years now, and she can’t get enough. “I’ve had a really good time doing it all these years, and it’s a great way to meet new people and to keep myself busy.” Anna Bahn is also doing a summer pro-gram for the arts with People’s Light and Theatre where she received a scholarship through volunteer work and regularly takes classes. Sofia Montgomery also received a scholarship from the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week

(PFEW) program. The program challenges participants with economic and business concepts. While there she will learn about management, finances, production, and the free-market system. “Being a part of a team is actually very fun and is another opportunity for me to increase my leadership and communication skills,” Sofia said. Finally there is Jeremy Gurbatow, who will be interning at Lafay-ette Ambulance. “I am in training to become and EMT and I’m going on calls with them,” he explained. Upper Merion’s students have a lot going on this summer. Between internships, jobs, summer camps, sum-mer programs, and volunteering, there’s so much you can do to get involved. Of course, don’t forget to save time to soak up the sun and enjoy the warmth while it lasts!

“I wanted to overcome my simple fears to feel more con-fident about myself. It sounds corny, but I’m a lot more confident now!” Abby exclaimed. During her presenta-tion, Abby showed visuals of her overcoming her fears. She displayed pictures and videos of her accomplishing many things, including holding snakes and tarantulas. “It wasn’t easy to show them my video of overcoming my fears. It was embarrassing. But they were all very sup-portive and lighthearted. It made me feel better that they enjoyed my presentation,” Abby said. Mr. Schurtz added, “the fun of Abby’s presentation was in the honesty of her videos … you could experience the terror and horror of the moment, but it was funny because it was so genuine.” Throughout the season of SGPs, all teachers and students alike have agreed that the projects that become memorable are those where the presenter shows a strong passion for the topic. There has to be some kind of per-sonal connection to it, some kind of internal desire to want to learn about the topic and share it with others to be successful.

Congratulations to this year’s Valedictorians and

Salutatorian! Brian RhindressDavid GalbanKaren Hranek

Valedictorians:

Salutatorian: Jackie VanLoan

Best of luck from the Viking Call.

Mrs. Dell’Elmo then and now. Photo by Michaela Kiczula.

SGP super stars stand side by side. Photo by Dana Wright.

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Have your own version of this review?

Do you have a critic’s eye?The Viking Call is looking for more A&E Writers!

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full-on stadium tour featuring them with the Tupac holo-gram. However, Dr. Dre decided not to go through with the idea because the technology is not advanced enough. “The image was 2-D, and for a full stadium, it’d have to be 3-D. That’s just not out there yet,” he explained. Now that this kind of technology exists, record companies are probably going to be doing what Dr. Dre isn’t able to do accomplish himself. Some late-great art-ists they’d most likely consider “bringing back” would be: John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hen-drix, James Brown, and Michael Jackson. Now we’re left with the question, would this be right? It would give us

2012 Don’t Miss Summer ConcertsBy Grace Eppinger

Summer is right around the corner, and for many of us that means working a boring job to make some money. But on those days you have total free-dom, spending your hard-earned cash on a concert is a great option for those who want to make summer-time memories that will last. Freshman Audrey Karas says that concerts give you “the feeling that you are around people who love that band almost as much as you.” Here are some of the bands that are coming to or near the Philadelphia area in the coming months. On June 13th, Radiohead plays at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey. The English rock band first achieved great success back in 1993 with the song ‘Creep’ from their debut album Pablo Honey. ‘Creep’ became a worldwide hit. Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer, came out in 1997 and is regarded as a very influential album of the 1990s. OK Computer received high critical acclaim and made it onto Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Bends, album number two, also made the list. This summer, Radiohead tours in several dif-ferent continents, including Europe, North America, and Australia. Foster the People, the masterminds behind ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’ perform at the Mann Center in Philadelphia on June 14th as part of a three month

tour through North America and Europe. The band released its first EP back in 2011 with the songs ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’ ‘Houdini,’ and ‘Helena Beat.’ All three songs from the EP were included in their de-but album, Torches. Since its release, Torches has sold over 321,000 copies. By far the band’s biggest success is ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’ which made it to number three on the charts for eight consecutive weeks. Senior Megan Wisniewski, who has been to two Foster the People concerts, says that her experience seeing the band live was “amazing...It was just a great concert.” The band Fun plays the River Stage in Phila-delphia on August 2nd at the River Stage as part of a national tour. The band first formed after their lead singer broke up with his former band, The Format, and asked a touring member to make a new band with him. Their first album, Aim and Ignite, came out in 2009 and received mostly positive reviews. Earlier in 2012, the band came out with their second album, Some Nights, and with it came the success of the song ‘We Are Young.’ The song reached the top of the charts for six weeks straight. Although you might be busy this summer with work and other activities, remember to sit back and enjoy the music of summertime every once in a while.

Coachella Music Festival Comes With A Surprise

No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn: The Death Of Adam Yauch

By Alex Froehlich On May 4th, 2012, Adam Yauch, better known as MCA, passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. The death of Yauch, a founding member of the legendary hip-hop trio The Beastie Boys, will inevitably lead to the break-up of the band.Just 20 days before, on April 20th, the group was induct-ed into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, an honor that MCA could not attend to due to his illness. And just last year, they released their long awaited, and now final, al-bum Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (despite there not being a Part One). The Beastie Boys, as a whole, remain a vital mu-sical force. At first, they were a bunch of loud-mouthed, punk rocking boys trying to rap. And that’s what made them so vital. They brought out that punk rock attitude that was missing in hip-hop at the time. You can look at ‘Lil Wayne, The Wu-Tang Clan, or even Jay-Z, and they all have this attitude that says “We don’t give a ‘you know what’” and that comes from The Beastie Boys’ punk rock attitude towards hip-hop. Their debut album Licensed To Ill was the first rap album to go No. 1 on Billboard and went on to go nine times platinum in America alone (a rarity in the genre).

They, along with Run DMC, were the pioneers of merg-ing stadium rock guitars with hip-hop beats to bring that arena feel onto a record. Darryl “DMC” of Run acknowl-edged the Beasties’ contribution saying “They put rock with rap like we did, but it made so much sense when they did it because they were punk rockers.” Then they inspired a whole new genre, known as Rap Rock and Nu Metal, with this same fusion. Bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, KoRn and Linkin Park wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for what The Beastie Boys did. Along with this, they opened the doors for their own race to grab a mic and sell records. Without them, there’s no House Of Pain, there’s no Eminem, and there’s no Mac Millar. It’s just an endless domino effect of the question “What would’ve happened if The Beastie Boys had never made License To Ill?” With MCA’s death, I can’t escape this feeling of a great loss in music. There’s a feeling of everything this band has accomplished over the last 25 years being over. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll break up. A trio is so closely knit that there’s no way they’ll go on without MCA and I don’t blame. After all, as this band once proudly proclaimed; “All for one, and one for all/The Beastie Boys have gone AWOL!”

One Direction By Lisa Kuttothara Chances are you’ve probably heard of the latest fad to hit America, the British boy band One Direction. However, One Direction isn’t your cliché boy-band. Niall Horan, Zayne Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne originally auditioned for the British X-Factor as solo artists. The boys came from working class families all over the U.K and Ireland, hoping to thrive in the mu-sic industry. Individually, they made it past the first set of auditions only to be cut after the second. Yet the judges, most notably Simon Cowell, realized that the boys’ talent would be better put to use as group rather than individu-ally and they were reentered in the competition as One Direction. They proved their worth in their earliest per-formance with a male twist on Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn. Later they would perform stellar renditions of songs such as Coldplay’s Viva La Vida and The Beatles’ All You Need Is Love. Charm, good looks, and flair were only mere factors in One Direction placing third in the overall com-petition. Each boy is unique and is able to not only convey the individuality of the group but also unite it as a whole. Choosing to remain as One Direction, the boys released and recorded their first album Up All Night in 2011. Their hit What Makes You Beautiful became the first song by a U.K band to gain immense success in the US since the Spice Girls with Wannabe in 1997. They were the open-ing act for Big Time Rush’s US tour yet it seemed that it was actually One Direction’s tour. Their album eventually made it to number one which cemented One Direction’s stardom. They’ve recently made cameo appearances on shows such iCarly and Saturday Night Live and even per-formed at the 2012 Kid’s Choice Awards. They are cur-rently working on their second album, which is predicted to surpass the first.

Under the Big Top With UM’s ArtistsBy Angie Joseph & Lizzie Furino

Although not under an actual big top, Upper Merion’s “Life at the Circus” exhibit proved flames and live animals aren’t necessary to bring the circus to life. On May 5, the Advanced Studio Art class hosted the open-ing reception for their exhibit, “Life at the Circus.” The exhibit portrayed several art styles and techniques all done by Upper Merion students and all focusing on vari-ous aspects of circus life. After weeks of hard work and a few shattered pieces of art, the fourteen students proudly displayed their art at the Inquirer Building in Consho-hocken. The creative theme of the exhibit began with animal crackers, which provided some food for thought for senior Rachel Berman, who came up with the idea. “I wanted something fun,” she said. Although her classmates weren’t instantly convinced this was the right direction, after a few weeks of rallying and talking up the idea, the official theme of their debut as a class became “Life at the Circus.” Over spring break, the students thought about what their pieces would be and what aspect of the circus they would focus on. Some, like Brigid Magdamo, had non-tradition-al views. “I wanted to evoke a general sense of what it was like for the animals, estranged from the circus, and kept in their cages. It contrasts the fun, vibrant circus life behind it in the distance,” she said. The process of creating their

work wasn’t exactly fun, either, for many of the artists. Colleen Bowes explained her frustration, “I was going to make a cardboard car, but in the end things didn’t work out. It looked like a 2nd grader did it so I tried to think of a backup plan.” Senior Sara Symoczko, who had an even more destructive and deflating experience, described, “I first did a ceramic, but then it got fired and burst into a million pieces.” While some ran into trouble before reaching a solid final product, others had great success from the start, one being senior Emily Canale. Emily won the Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artist’s Award of Excellence for her pieces titled “Circus” and “Animals,” which were showcased at the opening reception of the Advanced Studio exhibit. Emily commented saying “Each person has his or her own point of view and art is what I use to demonstrate mine. Whether the pieces were created with ease or required multiple trials and plenty of patience, they re-ceived positive feedback and looked outstanding. Steven Kantor who came to the show said, “ I was surprised by the level the art was in, for high school students they re-ally are talented.” So after weeks of hard work and prepa-ration these fourteen Upper Merion students deserve our congratulations.

Avengers Assemble!By Danny Oates The movie is finally here. The big superhero film that we have been preparing for so long has finally come out. This phenomenon began at the end credits of the first Iron Man film and has formed into one of the most suc-cessful movie storylines to date. Does The Avengers pay off with the build up it have been creating with the previ-ous five movies that it is proceeding from? The answer is simple; yes! The movie is great - there is no doubt about it. The action scenes were well played out, and the acting was superb. All the actors and actresses that starred in the previous films (excluding Edward Norton) are reprising their roles in this film, so the chemistry between the team members was convincing and showed how well the team operates. In case if you haven’t seen any of the films trail-ers and posters, the team’s roster includes: Captain Amer-ica/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), The Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). The film is about Thor’s brother, Loki (adopted brother, as revealed in the Thor film), whose is played by Tom Hiddleston, joining forces with an alien race called the Chitauri to steal an object called the Tesseract (the blue cube shown in Captain America: The First Aveng-er). After the destruction of a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, direc-tor Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) reactivates the then scrapped Avengers Initiative, hence the title. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and adds humor in just the right spots, especially the scenes including the Hulk. Loki is a great villain to help form this team together to fight him. He doesn’t just play “king of the mountain,” but he also brings an extraterrestrial army in that invades Manhattan. The film is long, but the pacing is perfect so it doesn’t feel rushed. Director Joss Whedon did a great job setting up the characters, having them interact, and then bringing it full circle at the end. I would highly recommend this film to every-one, comic book geek or not. If you have seen any of the previous Marvel films from Iron Man on, you will not be disappointed. Just a helpful hint, stay after the credits. You’ll be glad you did.

the ability to see these great artists we grew up loving, but never saw live. However, we can never truly bring back the person and is a projection the way we want to remem-ber them? Sure we’d be able to see them and enjoy their best songs, but there’s nothing new. There won’t be any new songs, just the same nostalgia from their hits. Still, it was a pleasant surprise to see Tupac brought back for a short period of time. Those five min-utes can be used as a great reminder of what Tupac was: a martyr, a legend, and an icon.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Emilydickonsonridesabmx.

Upper Merion’s Advanced Studio Art Class poses with pride. Photo by Mr. Burkhart.

Continued from page 1By Alex Froehlich

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All that black doesn’t work at the beach. My mom was pretty happy that I had gotten over my “phase.” I was pretty happy because I stopped pretending that I wasn’t happy. These days, the only remnants from that time period in my life are a few pairs of ripped up Converses, a love for My Chemical Romance, and some funny anecdotes. It seems that in high school, we’ve all sort of come into our own, or started to. We’ve developed friendships and a certain sense of self-confidence that will help us to thrive next year, and throughout life. Since middle school, I’ve grown to understand that what I wear shouldn’t be what defines me. If I want to wear flower-pattern Doc Martens, I should wear them because I like them, not because they fit with a specific cultural movement. Think back to your freshman year, to eighth grade, seventh grade. Think about your funny or embarrassing stories. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, in my case a collection of skull-adorned thermals. In a matter of days, we’ll all be sitting in The Pavilion at Villanova, dressed in gowns. Everything that is a part of me, the good, the bad, the downright strange, has been a part of my journey to this time in my life. And after we receive those diplomas, we’ll all go our separate ways, to create more funny and embarrassing stories and memories. Don’t forget to take pictures with your friends, swap some stories, and think about how far we’ve come, and how far we are all going to go.

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Opinion Editorial Four years at Upper Merion has filled my brain with countless lessons ranging from Shakespeare to the periodic table, and practically everything in between. After all of the classes, lectures, and homework, however, one message has stuck with me: be nice. Be nice to each other, be nice to teachers, be nice to principals, and be nice to the entire staff, in general. As simple as it sounds, far too few of the 1100 or so students here follow it. Being nice includes being respectful to peers and adults in the building. Teachers and staff are obviously older than us. They’ve been through more in their lives; they’ve already graduated high school, and, therefore, have technically surpassed us in education. This alone should warrant our respect in some way. But instead, students are disrespecting teachers, staff, and principals on a daily basis. These are the people writing passes and giving grades: Just be nice! Unlike being rude or flippant, which has both immediate and lasting consequences, being nice and respectful can only help you in the short and long term. Likewise, treating classmates well benefits you in many ways. First, you’ll have more friends and others will want to be around you, increasing self-esteem and confidence. Teachers will also pick up on this positive attitude and make a mental note of your friendly disposition, which could prove to help you in the future. Having positive relationships with classmates will make group projects, hallway encounters, and the four years in this building a better experience. Another form of disrespect is the constant cursing, which I really have never understood. Are you really that upset that you lost your pencil or the cafeteria ran out of pretzels before you got there? That’s not curse-worthy. Save your vulgar language for moments of extreme distress and people might take you more seriously. Cursing too much has somewhat of a “boy who cried wolf ” effect, if you will. While students love the old saying “rules are meant to be broken,” they really shouldn’t be in most situations, including a school environment. If everyone just followed the student handbook, the school would be a happier place. For example, when a principal or any authority figure asks you to take your hat off, save yourself some trouble and just take it off. Considering hats were originally intended as protection against the elements, it doesn’t make sense to wear one in a temperature-controlled, roofed building. In the end, you save yourself from an uncomfortable situation by being compliant. I can’t overstate the importance of just simply being nice. Random acts of kindness will gain you respect from your teachers little by little. It only takes a few extra seconds to say, “Thanks, have a great day!” but the effect is lasting. Similarly, saying, “Excuse me” when you bump into anyone in the hallway, student or adult, is immediate and necessary damage control. Hopefully everyone will be more kind and make Upper Merion an even better high school, but it has to start with niceness.

A “Nice” LessonBy Lizzie Furino

You’re Hired! Now What?By Ashley Soulchin The summer is upon us (finally!) and with summer comes a slew of high school students racing to hand in job applications at every store that’s hiring. However, what these eager teens don’t realize is how much craziness (good and bad) comes with working a part time job. From ridiculously long shifts, to crazy customers, work is stressful, and future employees should be warned of the madness before swimming into these deep waters. First of all, the customer is always right, even when they are one hundred percent wrong. I work at Chick-fil-A, and I can’t even count the amount of times I have been blamed for “forgetting” to put fries in somebody’s bag. “You forgot my fries.” “Are you sure ma’am?” “YES, THERE ARE NOT FRIES IN THIS BAG!” Just smile, nod, apologize, and give them the fries. It works out much better that way. Chances are you gave them the fries, but there is also the slim chance that you forgot the fries, and you’d look like an idiot if you accused the customer of lying. It’s important to grow thick skin, and just not let customers bug you. No matter where you work, customers will blame you for something, and make you feel like you’re the worst person in the entire world. Just remember that they’re mad at the situation, not at you. They’re mad about the fry, not at who you are as a person. Bagging food or folding clothes doesn’t define anybody as a person, and neither does an angry customer. Next, be polite and courteous to your coworkers, especially ones who have been working there a lot longer than you. When you first start working it’s awkward because it will feel like everybody knows what they’re doing, and you’re the lonely one that doesn’t know how to do anything. However, slowly but surely you’ll begin to fit in. Working is a learning process, and eventually you’ll become a regular pro just like everybody else. Plus the beauty of part time jobs is the hiring cycle is quick; you won’t be the newbie forever. New people will keep coming in and slowly you’ll become the one telling them what to do. The only way that will happen though is by listening to those who have been there longer, and learning from them. Plus if you respect them, they’ll respect you, and the last thing you want to gain at a part time job is an enemy. One day you’ll need a shift covered or help cleaning up a milkshake (happens to me all the time), and it’s nice to have a strong base of people willing to help you. Finally, respect your bosses. Whether you only report to one person or five, see every one of them as head honcho. Clean the bathrooms, scrub the floors, organize the shelves, take out the trash, do this do that, do all of it. It’s even more important to respect your bosses than it is to respect your coworkers. They give you raises, control your hours, and can write a killer recommendation for a future job. Plus, it’s not a myth, they can fire you. Having a part time job (if only for the summer) may look good on a college application, but getting fired from one will look bad. Don’t risk messing up your future because you refuse to clean bathrooms; just hold your breath, grab the Lysol, and scrub quickly. Wherever the summer job search lands you always keep an open mind. You never know how it will affect your future, and what skills and wisdom you’ll end up gaining.

How Far We’ve ComeBy Elissa Salamy

When I think about my high school career, I can’t help but see how much I’ve changed since I first walked the halls as a freshman. Thinking even farther back to middle school, I can’t help but laugh. Middle school was a rough time for all of us, with puberty and hormones crippling our former sense of identity and our self confidence. No matter how much I was warned, my middle school experience was downright horrific. Each year is distinctly different in my mind. Fifth grade I was still a child, and then sixth grade suddenly I wasn’t. I was sullen and moody. I wrote in a diary, which is now hidden underneath my bed. At the time I was proud of my poetry and short stories, but have since decided that my pre-pubescent musings are not suitable for public consumption. Seventh grade was probably the weirdest nine months of my life. It’s what my mother would call my “punk-rocker phase.” I would choose to call it my “emo” phase, but only to myself because “labels are for soup cans.” I fully embraced my love of Green Day and Panic! At The Disco, and decided that in order to be allowed to listen to alternative rock I had to look like an alternative rocker. I cut my hair short and bought black eye liner. For Christmas, I asked for a leather studded belt, skinny jeans, and band t-shirts from Hot Topic. I actually owned a pair of camouflage knock-off Vans. I threw out anything pink, anything preppy. It didn’t last long. By the time summer came around, I kind of just gave up. The truth is, it’s hard to be “emo” or “punk” or “alternative” when it’s hot out.

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The Viking CallEDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Ashley Soulchin

ADVISER: Jenny Williams

NewsLizzie Furino*, Molly Cooke*, Lana Fabia, Justin SpeddingARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Sabrina Carroll*, Anna Bahn, Grace Eppinger, Alex Froehlich, Lisa Kuttothara, Dan Oates, Angie JosephSPORTSJackie Nikpour*, Ally Frymoyer, Megan Hendricks, Bernadette Koff, Mike Shannon, Jamie Shelton, Kevin CroweOPINION EDITORIALElissa Salamy*, Lizzie Furino, Ashley Soulchin

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