by Mary Macary

Mount View High School is a school filled with talented students. Highlighted here is just some of the artwork created by students at our school this year shared here with their permission. 

This piece titled “Trees at Sunset” is a watercolor painting made by Bailey Cartier on 9×12” paper.

This piece is a gridded portrait titled, “Billie Eilish” which was made by Mia Donovan using graphite pencil. 

Also made by Mia Donovan was this hollow form sculpture titled,”Lil Dino Guy”, made using red clay. 

This shattered value piece was made by Rene Benedict using charcoal and smudge on a 12 x 18” piece of paper. 

by Orion Hudson

Updated February 16, 2024

Orion Hudson Interviews Alec Moreland

Are you aware that Mount View High has a guitar class where you can learn the basics of guitar? I am in that class this semester, and it is a fun and good class. If you are interested in guitar, go talk to Mr. Davenport and see if it might be for you. Don’t just take my word for it, though. Below are two interviews with classmates so that you can see inside the mind of an up-and-coming guitarist. 

First, I interviewed Guitar student Alec Moreland.

Me: How long have you been playing guitar?

Alec: About a Year.

Me: What or who got you into guitar?

Alec: My great-grandfather

Me: What is your favorite genre to play on guitar?

Alec: Country

Me: What is your favorite genre of music?

Alec: Probably classical or smooth jazz.

Me: Who is your favorite band?

Alec: Florida Georgia Line.

Me: Have you ever thought about joining a band?

Alec: I’ve thought about it; I just don’t know who I’d get to play the other instruments.

Me: Do you have future plans for guitar?

Alec: Yeah, play in my off time, maybe make a little extra cash.

Me: Do you plan on making your own music?

Alec: Yes, I’ve already got some written down.

Alec could possibly be an up-and-coming music artist. How about you?

Later, I interviewed another one of my guitar classmates so that you can get into the mindset of a future guitarist. Their name is Skylar Whittington.

Me: How long have you been playing guitar?

Skylar: Since the beginning of this year.

Me: What or who got you into guitar?

Skylar: Tik Tok and my dad.

Me: What is your favorite genre to play on guitar?

Skylar: I don’t have one.

Me: What is your favorite genre of music?

Skylar: Indie/pop, rnb, and hip-hop.

Me: Who is your favorite band?

Skylar: No favorite band.

Me: Have you ever thought about joining a band?

Skylar: No.

Me: Do you have future plans for guitar?

Skylar: For fun.

Me: Do you plan on making your own music?

Skylar: Nope, just gonna play songs that are already made that I like.

Me: What is your favorite type of guitar?

Skylar: No favorite.

Me: What is your favorite riff to play?

Skylar: The apology song. 

by Laylah Denton

Students in Mount View High School now have the opportunity to learn any language they choose. New to this year, a class opened up for students called World Language and Culture Exploration, where students can learn any language they choose. Languages students have chosen to study include French, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and more. Students practice their language skills every day and work alongside other students learning the same language. Occasionally, they are also given projects with many varying topics to learn about their language. This class will be very beneficial to students who are interested in learning languages outside of Spanish and German.

Mount View High School definitely has more than its fair share of talented artists. The photos below demonstrate just some of their impressive artwork. Thank you, Ms. Hewitt and young artists for sharing these with Voicing the View.

Madison Bisson Flower 12 x 16 inches Pastel on paper2023

Emma Marcoulier- Pink Rose 12 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Audrey Walker- Flower 12 x 16 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Schuyler-Mae Hunt- Flower 12 x 16 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Schuyler-Mae Hunt- Self-Portrait 8 x 12 inches Pencil on paper 2023

Sierra Caruso- Red Flower 12 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Josiah Miller- Orange 12 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Wayland Young- Flower 12 x 14 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Jillian Jewett- Self Portrait 12 x 12 inches Pencil on paper 2023

Ace Tracy- Flowers 12 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

 Anonymous- Flower 14 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

Brianna Short- Neon Blue Flower 12 x 12 inchesnPastel on paper 2023

Theresa Kinney- Flower with Water Drop 16 x 12 inches Pastel on paper 2023

by Jack Foye

For weeks, Sophomore students of Ms. Gray’s Honors English class read the classic Shakespearean play, “Macbeth,” also known as “The Tragedy of Macbeth” – which tells the story of a man who receives a prophecy from three witches that predicts that he will become the king of Scotland.

Students were tasked with the job of creating 3D artistic representations based off of the play which had to represent a certain character or a particular moment within the story. Students were paired up into groups of four or five to work on the project. Together, the class came up with a plethora of creative ideas and shared their opinions on what they wanted to do and what they thought would look best. While there were a few struggles here and there, the collaborative efforts of each group paid off and made way for some amazing artistic interpretations.

One group created this very interesting cardboard diorama that depicts the moment in which Macbeth kills the king, Duncan. They used an American Girl doll to represent Lady Macbeth–Macbeth’s wife– who manipulated him into killing the king. She holds Macbeth by marionette strings which represents her manipulative nature in the story. The students who created this used fabric to make their own little dolls of Macbeth and Duncan which look great, and they made a fabric and cardboard bed as well as some green curtains that represent Lady Macbeth’s envy and greed. This representation was done very nicely and is unique in its use of both pre-made and handmade objects.

This group’s idea was to create a scale representing the character Macduff.

The group constructed the model out of cardboard, glue, and tape and painted it with gold and black acrylic paints. What makes the model stand out especially is the golden chains and the dagger through the center. The scale holds a clay dagger and two handmade angel dolls on the heavy end, and a floral crown and a flag on the light end. Everything was made very well with a unique use of materials.

The next group decided to use mostly pre-existing objects, namely Barbie dolls, but also used cardboard and paper to create the box and the drawing above.

The large drawing is of three witches from the movie Hercules which were used to represent the three witches in Macbeth. They hold strings to control characters, and the representation of Macbeth in this project is especially different and unique. A mermaid Ken doll was used to represent the deceased Macbeth, who is represented as a mermaid because he cannot walk on his own two feet because he is always being under someone else’s control. I think this idea is very different and I quite like it.

The last group created another diorama which interestingly portrayed the light and the dark side of Macbeth– who, like the last diorama, is represented by a Ken doll dressed in a military-style uniform. On the light side, crowds are shown cheering which shows how noble Macbeth was considered before turning to the dark side. He has his horse and his religion to also portray his nobility, and a framed picture is shown in the background of him and Lady Macbeth with a bloody slash through the photograph to depict their damaged and unhealthy relationship. On the dark side, there is blood and scattered gravestones to represent those that he has killed. In addition, there is a silhouette of a whispering lady to portray Lady Macbeth, evilly commanding him to commit these treacheries to become the king and bring power to Lady Macbeth as well.

These projects are all very interesting with their themes and use of different objects and materials. The best part of this project was that students were able to have fun with it while learning collaborative and constructive skills. Students learned how to compromise on ideas and receive feedback as well. Overall, the project was a really great learning experience for the class involved. It helped students explore different themes and symbolic representations that they could incorporate into their work. We are all hoping that there will be more book-based creative projects to see in the future as the school year continues!

By Emily Hodgdon

Throughout the month of March, Tyler Tallmadge, an English teacher at Mount View High School, fought to add to the curriculum and teach a class, appropriately titled, Women and Gender Studies. I had the opportunity to ask  Mr. Tallmadge a few questions regarding the content of the class so as to spread information about what students could gain from taking it. 

When asked what message he wanted potential students to take away from the course, Mr. Tallmadge reflected on the complexities of the individual student, rather than the class as a whole. 

“Ideally, I want the message of the class to be the importance of each and every student’s individual voice. I see myself approaching this from a number of angles. A lot of students are interested, of course, in the feminine voice and how it’s controlled and silenced. Others are coming to the course hoping to hear queer voices. It’s really going to depend, I think, on each individual’s own experiences what they might take from this course. I hope that it helps students see how voices have been silenced in the past and how they continue to be silenced (or attempted silencing) in today’s society.” -Tyler Tallmadge

I asked Mr. Tallmadge about his inspiration for the class. He replied with a thought provoking process of the development of the course through his own experiences, even reflecting on how his current students have influenced the course and inspired him to move forward with this idea. 

“This is actually something that I’ve been thinking about proposing for a while now. It began developing in my mind last year as something I’d be interested in teaching. I wasn’t sure what it would be or how it would shake out, but that’s what this year has been for.” Says Tallmadge. 

“Essentially, the idea for the class comes from my own experiences as someone who has a background in the Women & Gender studies field. I’ve always enjoyed analyzing social constructions of gender identity and expression. As an English teacher, I’m particularly interested in how that is shown in literature (and other forms of media). It was this year in my Honors English 1 course wherein I really saw this class coming together beautifully. My students and I read Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which is entirely about the mistreatment and silencing of women. The conversations that came from that text alone really showed me that there was an interest in this type of class (so shout out to the Class of 2025 Honors English Students!). Their interest in this topic is really what gave me the go ahead to even begin developing the class. I wouldn’t have proposed this type of elective if I truly thought there was absolutely no student interest.”-Tyler Tallmadge 

I was curious to hear how this course would play out as there has never been a course quite like it at Mount View, so Mr. Tallmadge shared his thoughts on the development of the course: 

“This is what I’m so excited to see! I’m most excited to engage with the first batch of students taking this course. As I said at the English Department Elective meeting, I’m really open to mending my curriculum to match the interests of the students taking the course. I’m hoping they bring materials into the classroom that they’d want to talk about. In terms of developing, anything can happen in terms of content. In 5 years, let’s say there is a new film out that does some crazy stuff with the portrayal of gender…I’d totally try to incorporate that into my class. The field of Women & Gender studies allows for the topic itself to stay contemporary pretty much indefinitely…Or at least, I think it does!” relayed Tallmadge.

I was curious to see if Mr.Tallmadge had anything he wanted to say about the class that he hadn’t had the opportunity to share thus far, and he shared the following:

“Honestly, this is a hard question. I’m just really excited to dive into the class itself and see how it naturally develops. I guess if there is one thing I haven’t shared it might be this: I think that every teacher who proposes an elective course puts a part of themselves into constructing it. In some ways, these classes we develop are our “babies.” Or at least, the WGS elective is my baby…I’m really invested in following it into what it becomes. With general level classes, it’s really easy for kids to complain or question what they’re doing or why they’re doing. With an elective like this, students elect to be there and I hope they come in for the right reasons! I’m taking this class very seriously and I hope my students do as well,” Tallmadge shared. 

From the information I’ve gathered from Mr. Tallmadge, the Women and Gender Studies course will be a student-influenced course with media examples, both modern and historical, that provide insight on gender roles and the portrayal of them. Moreover, the class will have a flexible curriculum that will encourage students to participate in discussions over societal implications of gender, how they may have changed, how they will continue to change, and how that presents itself within day-to-day life.