Woodbridge High School - Valhalla Yearbook (Woodbridge, VA)

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Now that is a true Viking! Valhalla, the Viking equivalent of heaven, can be easily applied to our own modern society. The Vikings believed that only the best and most spirited of warriors could make it to Valhalla. Social maxims governed much of the life of the Vikings. Clothing and practiced ways in social contact and warfare were set in ritualistic patterns. In these ways, Viking culture was close to our own. Only through achieving scholastic recognition can one make it to higher education. Just as the Viking society was geared toward warfare, the scholastic world has emphasized academic or athletic achievement. Senior Steve Manley remarked, “With academic pressure at its peak, the Vikings of old may have had it easier!’’ There was much pressure on the individual to conform to the norm. Spirit was also regarded highly in team sports and club participation. This could give the individual the edge needed to make it to college. Jim Knapp pointed out, “Our great spirit and com¬ petitive nature could easily be identified with the Norsemen attitude.” Conforming to social maxims was also a large part of Welcome back! The cheerleaders opened the year on a cheery note by writing signs emphasizing welcome and good times to come. The cheerleading sqi ad played a large part in class morale and rolled-out the welcome mat in style. But you have to be on the list! Helping organize the effort to help students find their classes, Mr. Douglas Dean finds that the size of the school often dictates the amount of paperwork. In this case, the paperwork was endless. school life. Dress codes allowed for imaginative at¬ tire and many students experimented with the new-wave styles. Others kept to the preppy style or would rely on the casual look of blue jeans and a pullover shirt. Although many different styles of clothing came about last year, certain outrageous clothing was not acceptable. In this way, our patterned social structure was very much like the Viking’s set standards. Social codes and maxims of the Vik¬ ings, although applied differently, have managed to survive the test of time and change to become a strong part of our everyday life. The age-old original Viking culture has long since died out but many unmistakeable similarities linger on to re¬ mind us of our deep rooted heritage. 2 Opening