Do you wanna build a snowman? A review of Disney’s Frozen

By Laura Springer

“Do you wanna build a snowman?” A common question asked by children during winter. They put on their coats, boots, gloves, hats, and scarves and run out the door to play in the freshly fallen snow. But in Disney’s newest movie, Frozen, the simple question, “do you wanna build a snowman?” takes on a brand new meaning.

Frozen introduces two new princesses, Ana and Elsa, to the Disney family.The movie begins by introducing Ana and Elsa as young children, showing off Elsa’s power to freeze things. Hence young Ana’s question “do you wanna build a snowman?” But something goes wrong while the girls are playing, creating a problem that carries the rest of the movie.

While the problem continues to manifest during the movie, other wonderful characters make their appearances. These include a prince, a reindeer, a snowman, and other great mythological creatures that you’ll fall in love with. They all add comic relief that will make you laugh along with all the little kids in the audience. The other great thing about each and every character is how well they are developed and how easy it is to relate to them.

It’s great because unlike many other princess movies Frozen doesn’t center around romance. (Although romance does play a part, and you may fall in love with a fee fictional characters.) Instead, it follows the story of the two sisters as they find their way back to each other and save their home.

The music in the movie has also been raved about about by many.

“The songs are great! They are both inspirational and relatable; they make you want to sing along!” Senior Rachel Phinney said.

Frozen features the voices of Idina Menzel, popular from the broadway musical Wicked, and Kristen Bell. The music truly is outstanding, as is the movie as a whole. Frozen will probably become a classic Disney movie along with Lion King and Mulan. Senior Madeline Butler attests to this fact.

“I love Frozen because I think it’s amazing how Disney has been around forever but instead of burning out, their movies only get better and better.”

Frozen is a must see for all ages. No one is too good for it. If you’re in for a good laugh, a good cry, or just a good movie in general, take an hour and a half to go see Frozen this Christmas break. You won’t regret it.

And hey, maybe it will even inspire you to build your own snowman.

To drive… or not to drive; winter driving insight from an experienced driver

By Bibiana Luevano

Staff Writer

Snow, wind, ice and below zero degree weather; what are the driving highschoolers of our time
to do? In actuality, there are many various things that you can do to increase the safety factor
while you are driving. You can never guarantee an one hundred percent accident free drive, but
we can come as close to it as we are able to.
 
Having a safety kit filled with extra clothing, blankets, emergency tools and non-perishable food
is always a great route to take. Preparing for winter is a big part of the process, so make sure
you are comfortable in driving that vehicle, and that it is equipped with good tires. Maintaining a
clean windshield is also a must, in order to have a clear view of your surroundings while driving.
Another tip is to be a careful driver, not only for yourself, but for those other drivers who are
driving as well.
 
Warming up your vehicle beforehand also has helps in assisting a better drive, for when the
vehicles is properly lubricated and the oil has warmed up, then your brakes and other functions
tend to work better. Avoid flashing your headlights at an animal you may come across while
driving in the winter. The deer or any other mammal has already spotted your headlights, and
will most likely shy away on instinct. If you proceed to flash your brights, then the deer may see
a larger shadow of itself and become terrified. An animal will always run from something larger
than themself, and may very well run into your vehicle.
 
How is driving in snow dangerouse at all? Just because you deem yourself worthy enough to
take control of the wheel, it does not mean that nothing will happen. Here’s a little insight to one
driver’s opinion.
 
“I do not like driving in snow.” Thirty-seven year old Salvador Luevano said. “The fact that it’s
slippery, and [there’s] a possible chance of getting stuck in the snow. Then the other thing is, other
people who drive carelessly in the snow, also cause a danger.” Luevano said.
 
Salvador Luevano, a driver of twenty years, sheds some light on what he deems as his most
traumatic driving experience.
 
“I was driving in Maine to work and it was one of the first few times it was icy, snowy, and there
was this hill. It was a very steep road, and at the end of the road was a curve, so it’s like going
down a sled with a curve at the bottom. I had to drive so slow, all I did was put it in neutral and
kept my foot on the break continuously letting off the break, little by little, kinda inching my way
down to the end and then driving. That was probably the most scariest thing I’ve ever had to
experience.” Luevano said.
 
He gives a few tips on how he would handle a highly probable scenario, which would include an icy
road, a red light, oncoming traffic, and a vehicle that is at a standstill before you.
 
“I would start applying the brake slowly, tapping the brake trying to get it to stop. I’d probably
attempt to put it in neutral, to stop the acceleration. But if I was going way too fast, and had no
other choice, I would look on my blind spot on either my left or right and try to drive decently into
the next lane to give me a little more room to stop. Either scenario, hopefully you can stop
before hitting the car and try to turn. That’s also a risk to, because turning too sharply could
actually slide into the vehicle as well.” Luevano said.

He has lived through a majority of taxing weather conditions, and it mostly occurred while driving
his ’89 Concord from his past hometown of Wallagrass, Maine to his job that was located forty-
five minutes away in Portland, Maine. Blizzards, he confirms, are the most dangerous scenarios
to be driving in. All you can do is drive safely, and avoid using cruise control while driving.

“In Maine we were able to use what they called studded tires. It has little metal studs in them,
throughout the tire, to grip the ice better. That was one precaution we used, or we used chains,
where people put chains on their tires that also gave them good grip in situations that they
needed it most. Those really helped while driving.”
 
You could also use the back roads that are less traffic-heavy, only if you consider that route to
be safe enough for you to drive through. Shortcuts are a plus while driving in Maine, but a bit
more risky than any of Nebraska’s.
 
“They were dangerous shortcuts, because they were frozen lakes.” Luevano said.

Thor 2: The Dark World REVIEW

By Kyler Janecek

Staff Critic

 

The first Thor movie was kind of a love/hate thing, really. Many said it was a great movie, and did a lot well. Personally, I think it was absolute garbage, and could go on for days about how it was boring, mostly pointless, and had only one or two good scenes in the whole thing. I won’t, though, I only mention Thor: The Failed Attempt because it leads into this quite well. After a horrible first movie, and an amazing co star role in Avengers, how does Thor 2: The Dark World hold up? 

 

The answer is: extremely well. I assumed it would be as bad as the first, but I never guessed that it would be this good. Never once in the whole movie are you bored; the story understands how to pace itself and there’s a lot more action in it (without crossing the line into having too much). 

 

The basic premise is that a race of Dark Elves from Thor’s family history are coming back from hiding, and have acquired a power that will help them destroy the universe, or something along those lines. Thor must go against the will of his father (who is probably used to this by now, and really should have been more prepared for the whole thing) and hunt down the Elves himself. He relies on the help of his friends from Thor: Such Disappoint, along with his mortal girlfriend and his evil brother Loki, whom he recruits for the mission. 

 

The movie does a lot extremely well. Action scenes are well done, interesting, and filled with enough humor to make them all around enjoyable. Loki in particular is the highlight of the movie, with sarcastic remarks for everything, and an amazing few moments in particular that shoot my imaginary rating of this movie about 500% higher. This movie also carries some interesting twists that make it an emotional roller coaster at times, and you will probably find yourself fangirl-ing. (and if I ever say fangirl-ing again in a publicized review, please take me into a dark alley and beat me with a stick repeatedly.)

 

Another problem I had with Thor: Epic Fail was that it didn’t have a lot of interesting characters. This movie doesn’t add a lot more, but what it does instead is to shift the focus so that we don’t have to put up with the boring ones as much. The focus is on Thor, Loki, and Thor’s crew of human friends making a return straight out of Thor: I’m Done Thinking Of Arbitrary Fake Titles Just Accept That This Movie Was Bad, along with the new villains. It makes things a lot more entertaining, and gives it a more familiar feeling.

 

So, the final rating? Seeing as I have no problems at all with the movie, I’m going to say amazing. Do yourself a favor and see it. Maybe it’ll wash out some of the horrible tastes left from the first movie. Unless of course, you liked that movie. In that case, Thor 2 is probably too good for you. Let me guess: you probably think the new Spider-Man is the best of its kind as well, don’t you? Just go lie down over there, okay?

Santa: Sweeping up the shards of shattered childhood dreams

By Jennifer Clement
Staff Writer 

When you are a small child on Christmas Eve, you await the arrival of the big fat jolly man known as Santa Claus. Some brave children stay up all night to sneak out of the comfort of their beds to catch a glimpse of Santa, only to find their parents placing neatly wrapped boxes full of unknown pleasures under the tree signed by the one and only Santa.

The parents confront the child by lying saying they are Santa’s Helpers. But the child has seen to much already and knows the sickening truth. The child’s hearts implode, then turn to nothingness as they wander off back to their bed sad and lonely. Feeling utter betrayal, their innocence melts like heated snow.

Every child has to deal with the reveal of the identity of Santa some time in their youth. A traumatic moment that sends children’s dreams out the window. Everyone finds out in a different way. Some less dramatic, some earth shattering.

There are times when the parents are the dream breakers. And the child has to find out the hard way.

“My parents told me when I was little,” said senior Aaron Borer.

Some mothers and fathers don’t want to lie to their children, so they don’t even tell the children about Santa in the first place. Then that child goes to school and tells everyone that Santa is not real, ruining the fun for everyone else.

Some people are at fault for their own disappointment. Some people can’t handle secrets. They do not like the unexpected. So they go “exploring” around the house in search of gifts only to find an unpleasant surprise.

Freshman Nicole Church found out one day when she was snooping around. She was already halfway on the “Santa is not real” bandwagon. She was not surprise, but a bit disappointed.

While Church went looking for trouble, some poor unfortunate souls find out unexpectedly.

“I found the Santa costume in my basement. I was heartbroken,” said science teacher Mr. Mills.

Some smart children figured it out on their own. They noticed things other children did not. Such as Santa using the same wrapping paper as their parents. Or they wonder how in the world Santa could make a iPod touch when in the movies the elves use wood to make their gifts.

And, the always asked question, how does Santa get to everyone’s house in one night?

“The Santa Claus they had at the mall did not look like Santa, they always looked different.” said math teacher Mrs. Harders

It is a horrible point in a child’s life when they find out the truth of Santa; They will always remember when and how they found out. It will haunt them forever.

Merry Christmas!

Bon Bon Christmas Special<3

Q: Can I survive High School single?

A: Yes, yes you can. You do not have to find your true love in High School. It’s only four years of your life, and you have a lot of living to do still. You have to be patient: don’t give up–there is someone out there for everybody.

 

Q: What if I don’t get any Christmas presents from friends?

A: Then they don’t love you. I’m totally kidding, it’s probably because they couldn’t afford anything. Don’t take anything personally; sometimes people just aren’t big into gift giving.

 

Q: I’m pregnant and still in high school: what do I do?

A: First you have to find a support system: no one should have to go through this alone. You have to realize that you need to be the grown-up one now. You need to know that you’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of your time. It’s all about the baby now. It won’t be easy, but lots of girls have gone through the experience successfully.

 

Q: I looked at my friends arms and found scars: what do I do?

A: Talk to her, and simply ask “What’s wrong.” Let her know that she can trust you,  and let her know that she’s not alone. Ever.

 

Q: My so called “best friend” likes my boyfriend. How do I tell her to budge off?

A: You confront her and say, “he is my boyfriend for a reason, and as a friend you should respect that.”

 

Love you all,

Bon Bon<3

 

The Joys of Giving

By Angelica Carlini

When Christmas rolls around, most kids write endless lists of toys, electronics, and clothes for their parents to get them. What most people don’t realize is that there are kids that won’t be receiving any gifts this year because of financial issues. Those kids would usually wake up Christmas morning without any excitement. They wouldn’t experience the thrill of receiving a gift that could make them jump for joy. Until this year.

For a project in Diane Rouzee’s marketing class, they decided to bring items from their house that they didn’t have use for anymore. Those items included toys, books, clothes, movies, and much more.  Some were used while others were brand new. Not only did Marketing bring items, but other students reached out and brought things, including sophomore Preston Sundermeier.

“Sometimes it’s crazy to think about the kids who don’t get anything for Christmas. It’s amazing to think how just fifty dollars could change a child’s life,” Sundermeier said. Sundermeier went out of his way and bought multiple gloves, hats, and other winter apparel to keep kids warm that might otherwise not be able to afford it.

Marketing spent close to a week preparing and sorting through the items. They divided all of the gifts among the feeder schools. Those schools included 1-R, Cedar Hollow, Chapman, St. Libory, and Lockwood Preschool.

On December 17, the class loaded their cars with multiple boxes full of goodies and spread out to deliver to the schools. The students’ faces were priceless as they walked into a room full of  gifts just for them.

The marketing students were more than happy to give out gifts and candy canes to children that deserved a merry Christmas. But no one was more proud than their teacher.

“I am so proud of my marketing kids,” Rouzee said. “They came up with the idea and they spear-headed the effort and organized everything. The thoughtfulness and the generosity of the kids at Northwest were really humbling for me. It was just cool and the reaction of the kids made our day. We made some little kids very happy at Christmastime and it made us feel really good too.”

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The 2013-2014 Viking Saga staff is excited to cover the news of Northwest High School!! This website will be our “spillover” page, where stories and photos that might not make the monthly issue of the Viking Saga can still find a home…