Lessons Learned…Or Not Learned

By Dani De Vore


                The European colonists of the 1600s brought with them the beginning of the end to the Native Americans. Within 200 years, the native people of the New World had been all but massacred and depleted to nearly nothing. If only they had known from the beginning that these settlers would eventually bring strife and violence into their lives, then perhaps they would have fought a little harder to keep the colonists off their land.
              Yet, after centuries we see a similar scenario paralleled in today’s politics. The great country of America has blindly welcomed a likely foreigner into its embrace. This man whose politics and ambitions threaten the wellbeing of American citizens (and most assuredly benefit the wellbeing of illegal immigrants) has taken a role of leadership meant for someone officially born on American soil. We call this man President Obama.
              Although we certainly don’t expect a massacre any time soon, America should definitely take into account the story of the Native Americans. We have already seen what a supposed foreigner can do to a country. Across the country banks, automakers, and the housing market have been nationalized, causing the downfall of the free market. This has allowed the government to push its own agenda and spend other peoples’ money instead of its own.
             In addition to this, Obama has increased the national deficit more in two-and-a-half years than have all the previous presidents combined. He refuses to address energy problems. He also will not allow American oil companies to drill for oil on our land. Insisting upon purchasing oil from foreign countries, Obama himself has caused gas prices to skyrocket in the U.S.As if these problems aren’t enough, the unemployment rate has increased dramatically, leaving families without income. Is this the kind of leader we want in our country? We have elected a man who cannot technically prove his own citizenship. As ABC television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel puts it, the only difference between Obama and his dog Bo is that Bo has papers.
            Hopefully in the upcoming election America will not make the same mistake once again. Let’s all learn a lesson from the Native Americans and keep the foreigners out of power.

Gone Fishin'

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have a fish bite your hand? No? Perhaps watching a fish bite someone else’s hand is more to the taste of most people. The recent Animal Planet show “Hillbilly Handfishin’,” first airing in 2010, has inspired adventurous hearts across the country to try their hand—literally—at this odd technique of fishing. 
Also known as “noodling,” this adventurous sport uses the fisherman’s hands and feet to catch the fish. A popular sport in the South, noodling has gained national attention through this unique television show. Viewers can expect a few good laughs as veteran noodler Skipper Bivins takes city slickers out in the water to try their luck at handfishing. Imagine the shock these folks must experience when they feel the mouth of a 70-pound catfish clamp down on their hand!
First-time noodlers can usually get quite the scare when they stick their hand down into murky water and feel the slimy skin of a fish waiting to chomp down. According to those who’ve tried this odd genre of fishing, a bloody hand or foot isn’t all that uncommon; you’ve just got to toughen up and stick with the fish, much like Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” 
Unfortunately for some noodlers, encounters with the cottonmouth snakes that frequent the same holes as the fish have left some fisherman with the jitters. To remedy this problem, spotters are often used to alert the noodler of any slithery predators lurking in the murky water.
Although only a small percentage of the states allow handfishing because of environmental reasons, many noodlers throw back the fish they catch. Noodling is seen as a sport in the South, not as a main source of food.
The record catch for handfishing in the U.S. was a 123-pound flathead catfish, set in Kansas by Ken Paulie. In 2001 during the filming of a documentary on handfishing, it was brought to attention that there were no official contests for the sport. As a result, the First Annual Okie Noodling Tournament was held in Oklahoma that year.
Although this sport might not be for the faint of heart, hillbilly handfishing is a technique gaining attention and popularity nationwide. So if you ever find yourself bored with a regular old fishing pole, you might want to have a go at this bizarre form of fishing.

By Dani DeVore

Fighting the Freeze

Is it just me, or does it feel like Jack Frost has descended upon our school?

Our halls are filled with an abundance of students wearing heavy sweatshirts and bulky overcoats.  With temperatures hitting record highs outside, it’s hard to believe that people are dressed in fall apparel during summer!

Personally, I feel like I’m going to school in a refrigerator.  I dress almost everyday in the warmest clothes I can find in order to combat the sub-zero temperatures inside our school.  On the few days I do dress like its summer, I freeze, shivering throughout the entire day, and living with permanent goose bumps. Sometimes, I go outside during lunch just to warm up!

I would think with the massive budget cuts we’ve had to endure teachers wouldn’t mind turning the thermostats up a little.  My question is: wouldn’t it save us more money?

I understand that some people like being extremely cold, but I personally can’t focus on what my teacher is saying when I’m focused on how cold I am! My plea is this: please warm up the school! The students in jackets will thank you.

By Megan James and Abbey Bengtson

Viking Voice: Do you think Marquette Jr. High should close?

No... [there's already] too many here already in high school, we dont need more in the middle school as well. - Skylar Mills, freshmen


I think that the school closing down was coming anyway. You can either save the money now or later, but Marquette will be closing soon, whether we like it or not. - Carrie Albers, sophomore


I don't care either way, but you can't please everyone. - Emma Anderson, sophomore 


Close it, send them to death camps. Nothing good comes out of that town. - Mikael Midkiff, senior 


No? - Halie Sparks, freshmen 


No. - Ethan Loder, freshmen 


No! I think it should have stayed open. I am a better student because of MJH, we had great teachers and the learning atmosphere was great! I used to be an average D student in California and I went to being an A student because the teachers were so caring and so understanding. In California I never had the chance to talk to the teacher person to person because my classroom average was 50 kids per classroom. - Ceci Gonzales, junior 


I think it's a good idea. - Krystin Vidrine, junior 


Yes it should be closed down so the school can be better and have more learning stuff. Many students say they don't learn because they don't have as much, well this is a chance to gain for our school and have more students do better on their work and tests. - Larissa Walker, sophomore 


Well, everybody is going to say that it shouldn't, but honestly if it is going to help our school sufficiently and makes it to where we don't have to cut things like music, or sports i think it should. - Caitlyn Barnes, freshmen 


Keep the school! - Cody Hopkins, freshman


No it shouldn't, because we put a lot in to our school and we may not have as many people as Lindsborg but our school has a much as right as Lindsborg's schools should be. Our school is loved by many and if it closes Marquette every one will move and it will be desserted.  - Mary Linder, freshmen 


No, it should not because it would not help the USD 400 budget at all as far as I'm concerned. They would have to buy more books in the classes of LMS because they barely have enough books for all the current students. Some of the books are so old that they would be better off buying new books, which would cost a lot. They would have to buy more desks for more kids because some classes are so large that the kids take up almost every desk as it is. - Jared Wilson, sophomore 


No, it should be kept open! That school really means a lot to the people of Marquette! - Daisy Quested, sophomore 


Yes. It won't kill them to drive 15 miles. - Hailey Martin, junior 


I think that if Marquette raises the funds to support themselves (which they are doing), who's to say they should not stay open?  If the junior high closes, the elementary school will go extinct and eventually the town will go with it.  Marquette thrives on the youth in town and it would be sad to see Lindsborg's sister town turn into a ghost town because the junior high was no more. Also, when the junior high closes, the businesses in town will suffer and will have to close because they won't have enough business to stay open.  A large amount of people will lose their jobs and then the decision of closing down the junior high will have created more of a problem then intended. - Laura Klaassen, senior 


It should definitely not be closed down!!! If it closes down, the town will go down with it. - Jessica Rider, senior 

I think they should keep it open. Yes it might be a small town but its one of the main things keeping our town alive and if the school goes who knows what else might be next. We might not have the money to fund it but its also nice for the families in Marquette because then they don't have to drive to Lindsborg to watch concerts or sports and its closer to home. - Brian Patrick, senior 

Inside Opinion: April edition

- What happened to the dress code? That's my question.


- Seth Nelson+Trevor Menke=Jim Halpert


- Some times I wonder "Why is that Frisbee getting bigger?" and then it hits me.


- Did you know that if you say Colter! Colter! Colter! really fast it starts to sound like a gurgle.


- Quit complaining about Marquette closing.


- Is it necessary for couples to kiss goodbye to go to separate hallways? 


- Is NObama going to win re-election in 2012? Or is Donald "The Billionaire" Trump going to clobber him and become the next president? And if Trump does win, who here thinks he'd be a decent president? Anyone?


- The Marquette school shouldn't be closed down!

Seniors continue to change the world

Seniors Marina Patrick and Staci Foster sit at their table in the commons
handing out and selling treats.

Smoky Valley seniors are just touching the tip of their “Change the World” projects. Some are walking for the benefit of others while other seniors, such Marina Patrick and Staci Foster, are baking for a cause.

Patrick and Foster chose Invisible Children, which is a relief effort for child soldiers fighting in Uganda.

“We picked the Invisible Children because we believe that their story is not well known,” Patrick said. “Many people picked issues such as breast cancer, but the Invisible Childrens' story has not been told and we were hoping to spread their story.”

The two seniors raised $108.80 between the two lunch periods on March 9^th by selling several baked goods, puppy chow, and dirt ‘n worms.

“I wish that we could have provided more dirt n' worms. We knew that it would be popular, but if we would’ve known we would have made that much [money] we definitely would have prepared better,” Patrick said. “It was just the lack of knowing how much we needed on our part.”

However, their efforts were definitely a success. The pair baked for 12 hours in order to prepare for the sale.

“We would most definitely do it again,” Patrick said. “We would do it again because we believe that spending a few hours of our time baking goods and selling them makes it worth it to possibly help save thousands of lives over in Uganda.”

A group from the Invisible Children organization will be visiting Smoky Valley to spread their story on March 16^th in the auditorium at 2:30.

- Carleigh Albers, Viking Mirror Editor

SVHS "dies" for drunk driving awareness

Senior Cody Bowers, junior Desiree Harrison, sophomore Jessica VanRanken, teacher Ryan Biegert, freshman Jenell Hulse, sophomore Dylan Pruitt, and senior Kari Bingham.

Imagine walking through the hallways between classes and seeing your best friend wearing a black victim shirt. Your best friend has now been victimized by a drunk driving accident.
Six students and one teacher floated the SVHS hallways on Thursday, March 10, as victims of "drunk driving accidents." The FCCLA group raised awareness for distracted driving during the last three days of the school week, focusing on wearing seat belts, texting and driving, and driving under the influence.
Using the statistic "every 50 minutes someone dies from a drunk driving accident," FCCLA reminded students how tragic drunk driving can be. Almost every hour, a student was chosen at random to sport the black shirts with a victim number on it. The students wore the shirts the rest of the day to show students how many people are affected by driving under the influence. On Wednesday, posters with facts and statistics were hung on the school walls. On Friday, FCCLA shared a short documentary by AT&T called "The Last Text." Seminar classes watched and discussed the video.

    - Megan Roberts, Senior blog editor

VIKING VOICE: Bathroom vandalism

This month's Viking Voice: What do you think of the bathroom vandalism? 

"I think that it is stupid that girls have to sign out when its the boys bathroom getting vandalized." - Lacey Bowles, junior.

"My opinion would be that the girls shouldn't be punished for what the boys do to their bathrooms. The girls shouldn't get their bathrooms passes taken away for what the boys did. That's not fair to us." - Sarah Sharp, freshmen.

"I think it is stupid that the girls are being punished for the vandalism too. If we were actually vandalizing our bathroom then it would be acceptable." - Ashley Foley, sophomore.

"My opinion is that whoever is doing should be shot. Just say'in." - Abigail Householter, freshmen.

"The girls shouldn't be punished for the boys immaturity. Not being able to go in the locker rooms during school is stupid, especially when it's the boys bathroom and locker room thats being vandalized." Hailey Martin, junior.

"I think whoever is vandalizing the boy's bathroom should stop. It's stupid and juvenile. If they're trying to prove that they're a "big boy" by vandalizing stuff and showing that they're bad, they're going the opposite direction. Everybody thinks they're stupid and nobody is impressed." - Abbey Bengston, sophomore.

"I think it is stupid! What is the thrill of vandalizing something for no apparent reason? It just makes a hassle for everyone, especially the janitors. Personally, I hate being treated like we are in elementary school....we are in high school now and I think that people should be mature enough to behave themselves. It's a shame that one or two people are ruining the privileges for everyone! Just grow up already!" - Lori Dauer, senior.

"It's dumb to make stupid decisions that are inconvenient for everyone. Learn the first time and don't be idiots." - Monica Olson, senior.

"Stop vandalizing stuff and freaking get a life!" - Mattie Loder, senior.

"It's terrible. I hate it. A few people screw it up for everybody else, and they may find other places to vandalize, and then the situation gets worse for everyone else. " - Neal Nickel, senior.

"I think that the people who are doing this should just knock it off. What the point in destroying a bathroom? In no way is it funny and it doesn't make them look cool. Honestly I think they just need to grow up!" - Liz Trowbridge, sophomore. 

"My opinion is pointless and plus why do the girls lockeroom also have to be locked up? We didn't do anything. It's very aggravating." - Taylor Tiani, freshmen.

"This is ridiculous.  We have such nice facilities here at SVHS and for people to go about and ruin all this, it's so stupid.  Grow up.  If they are doing it for fun...no one is laughing." - Maddie Klotzbach, sophomore.

"Why?! It is stupid and immature. We all know that schools are facing budget cuts, so why are there people here who are damaging school property that will have to be paid for by the school?!" - Dani Devore, junior. 

"Stupid! High school students shouldn't act like preschoolers, grow up and stop being immature!" - Brittney O'Steen, junior. 

"I think that the people who did it should be kicked out of school and shot in the head 100 times by a BB gun. I will do the honors." - Josiah Roberts, junior.