There is something to be said about the numerous accomplishments Bigfork High has received since its founding. While there are too many to count, the most recent ones include State Champions in girls’ singles tennis, boys’ doubles tennis, track for both 2017 and 2018, as well as the most current: basketball for both 2018 and 2019
But over the past few years, many students, family members, and even Bigfork faculty have noticed a certain favoritism amongst the different sports. In a recent Instagram story, I reached out to my fellow Bigforkians, asking if anyone had feelings about treatments between the sports, and the response was overwhelming. Instead of the one or two texts as I expected, my Direct Messages were filled. One winter sport athlete was enraged with how the school seems to put off other responsibilities for basketball athletes when they denounced simply that “[the] basketball teams get whatever they want.” In further elaboration, junior Adam Wermer explained how “personally, I think basketball is treated far better than any other sport.” He went on to explain his feelings on the decision to allow the basketball teams to stay at home longer than the band and cheer teams, who also attended the 2019 Western-B Divisional tournament, saying, “if the basketball team gets a late start, how come everyone else that is a part of the extra curricular |
The 2018-2019 Bigfork High school pep band supporting their Viking basketball players at Class-B 2019 State. Currently, the Pep band is feeling the heat during the Class B/C State Basketball tournament.
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For the village of Bigfork, Montana, the winter holidays take center stage with the annual transformation into ‘the Christmas Village.’ On Friday, November 17th, 2018, many Bigforkians traveled down Electric Avenue to decorate every surface with poinsettias and wreaths, all of which took place before Thanksgiving. The spirit of Christmas seems to be worn on each and every sleeve of this tight knit community, and the joy of giving to loved ones is all many can think about.
This holiday season, however, is not much different from previous ones. While many go Black Friday shopping and spending a multitude on presents for the family, many children in this loving town will go without many necessities, including food over break and even beloved Christmas gifts. The number of students in the Bigfork school system who endure this is higher than many people realize. According to Roger Vanlandingham, the Food Director in the Elementary-Middle school, “We have 264 students who qualify for Free/Reduced meals which is approximately 30% of our total student population.” |
Calm, cool, and collected, Matthew Porrovecchio is standing in front of his new desk in the Bigfork High School. Porrovecchio was hired as the Activities Director for this school year.
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My aim is to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Whether you know him as the fun-loving guy often found walking the halls, and interacting with students, or one of the loudest cheers coming from the Vikes and Vals’ fan section, it is no doubt that Matt Porrovecchio has the heart and soul of a Bigfork native. What better spot for “P-Vecch,” as the students call him in lieu of his long last name, than as the school district’s activities director.
Porrovecchio has been encouraging the Bigfork athletics and activities for a very long time, as he attended Bigfork schools from sixth grade to his senior year. After growing up in the small town, Porrovecchio felt “indebted to those who came before me,” and motivated to make “[Bigfork] the best place possible.” In hopes of doing so, Porrovecchio accepted the offer to succeed previous activities director, Dave Creamer, who stepped down in order to pursue opportunities outside of Bigfork Schools. “[Creamer] had a good run, and decided to choose a different path,” Porrovecchio stated, “and I gladly accepted the position.” Some uncommon knowledge to most students is that Porrovecchio ran as the principal at Bigfork High School before now; additionally, his duties did not end there. “I was on and off activities director at the high school when I was the principal,” he said. “I filled in wherever they needed me.” “My mindset has always been where the need is. If it was to mop the floors, I would mop the floors. I will do whatever is needed at the time, because I just want to help.” |
One of the most prominent ideas on the first day of school is to dress nice, in hopes of impressing our peers. Many of us go shopping weeks in advance in order to plan the perfect first day look. Arriving on the first day of school in that new outfit instills confidence of one of the scariest moments in any student’s career. Now, imagine a student being told to change this confidence-instilling outfit into one that conforms to dress code.
The first thought that comes to mind when someone says “dress code” can range from restrictive to irritating or beyond in the minds of most high schoolers, and at Bigfork High School, this is no exception. According to page 20 of the 2018-2019 Bigfork High School Student Handbook, “the dress code is designed to allow for student comfort while maintaining an environment conducive to learning and appropriate for the educational environment.” Despite the nice wording, dress code has evolved into a system that more often restricts creativity rather than protecting physical decency. The unfortunate souls who have been dress coded in the past can agree when I say that the enforcement of these subjective rules hinders not only our birthright to express individuality in any way we see fit, but as a sign-off that people have authority over what we wear. With how the dress code is written and judged, it causes a victim-versus-oppressor mindset that is not healthy for both parties. It hinders the exploration of human identity, as young adults are told to wear “what society” has deemed fit for their outfits, rather than nurturing the spirit each individual has in order for each one to feel like they have a place in this world. How the dress code is enforced these days is similar to teaching children how to draw in a coloring book. Such children are told they may only draw with black and brown crayons; if they color outside of the printed lines, they will be scolded. What should change is to spur the idea of self-expression and a growth mindset rather than forcing people of all sizes and backgrounds into boxes. To combat these issues, we should encourage our teachers to be less subjective to such rules and open up the violations to all students, male and female. We must also ask all students to abide by the rules. If students were to witness a step in the right direction of making these |
If you do not agree or would like to challenge any of the statements in this column, feel free to write the Norse Code. We would love to hear your opinions. |