The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

The student news site of Oakton High School

Oakton Outlook

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief

Hey, I'm Payton! This is my fourth and final year with the Oakton Outlook; I'm super excited to be an Editor-In-Chief this year. I love to write feature stories and investigative pieces. You can also catch me on the Oakton Cheerleading team or at my dance studio in Vienna!

All content by Payton Wozny
Photo courtesy of Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash

Moving Forward

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | January 21, 2021

The polarization of the nation became more evident than ever following the breach of the Capitol Building on Jan 6 and the anticipation of Biden’s Inauguration, however, following Inauguration Day, unity...

Photo courtesy of Ben Mullins

COVID and college admissions

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 8, 2020

A common challenge, among many others, for many high school students right now across the country is standardized testing. As seen in the spring, the College Board’s AP exams took place virtually with...

Questioning Out of Shadows

Questioning ‘Out of Shadows’

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | June 11, 2020

Out of Shadows, a documentary on Youtube, released in April 2020 has sparked some conversation about the integrity and influence of media consumption on Americans. Personally, I’ve heard from many peers...

courtesy of oaktoncounselor instagram

Oakton Administration Celebrates Class of 2020

Sahithi Jammulamadaka and Payton Wozny | May 30, 2020

Unfortunately, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many important milestones for the Class of 2020 have been canceled and their final days of high school were suddenly ripped out from under their feet....

Photo courtesy of the US Department of Defense

UFO Confirmation Fuels Chaos of 2020

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | May 7, 2020

In the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, chaos has been seemingly striking the world; adding to this chaos was the confirmation of UFOs. On April 27, the Department of Defense (DOD) released...

OHS Spin-off of the 2048 Game

OHS Spin-off of the 2048 Game

Payton Wozny and Aubrey Harrell | April 24, 2020

If you’ve spent time in any public school across Fairfax County, or any public school across the country for that matter, chances are you’ve heard people mention the single-player number puzzle game,...

National Blood Donor Month

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | January 14, 2020

   January is national blood donor month. Blood donation is crucial for life-saving treatments and is often overlooked, especially by students. In Virginia, people as young as 16 can donate blood, as...

Students parking on Sutton Road.

Jumpstart Your Day

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | December 15, 2019

For many student drivers at Oakton, getting to school early to park on Sutton is a norm. To ensure a good spot, students begin arriving as early as 6:30 AM. Although the parking situation is not ideal,...

The problem with social media’s reaction to tragedies and crises

The problem with social media’s reaction to tragedies and crises

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 31, 2019

People generally have one of two reactions to the trending of controversial: either being very adamant about sharing their opinions and raising awareness or complaining about the spam of different topics...

Colleges Reforming the System

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | September 15, 2019

   As the college application process grows increasingly more important and stressful for juniors and seniors, many students are stressing over SAT or ACT scores. In the United States, standardized...

Is Stress Stressing You Out?

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | May 12, 2019

Many people are constantly looking for ways to manage their stress. Although stress affects us in many obvious ways, like causing procrastination, it actually has major effects on our physical health,...

Photo Courtesy of the New York Times

Notre Dame Donations Spark Anger with Philanthropists

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | April 26, 2019

With the recent burning of the Notre Dame, a world-famous cathedral in Paris many have quickly organized funds to help with the restoration process. Although it’s a good effort, many argue that there...

The Power of Yet

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | April 11, 2019

Sophomores were recently introduced to the “Power of Yet” and the concept of growth mindset during a counseling lesson during gym periods in the end of March led by Mrs. Stanley and Mr. Grausz. This...

Daylight Saving…More Like Daylight Ending

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | March 11, 2019

At 2:00 A.M. EST on March 10, we all time traveled. Not actually, but we set our clocks forward seemingly traveling through time. What I’m referring to is daylight saving time(DST), which is everyone’s...

The Student Agenda

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | March 1, 2019

High school is a very competitive environment with students all battling for, seemingly, the same thing; colleges. Although there are schools for everyone, students still feel immense pressure to take...

Highlights of 2018

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | January 18, 2019

As we begin 2019, it’s important to take a look back at our past. Here were some of the biggest events for Oakton students and staff from school renovations to YouTube videos. Welcome to Cougar Towne To...

Photo courtesy of Abby Chen(10).

In October, We Wear Pink

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 17, 2018

   Oakton sports are bringing out their pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month(BCAM). BCAM was started by various breast cancer charities to raise awareness and money to support research and treatments....

Photo courtesy of Isabella Walrath.

Improv! Improv! Improv!

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 9, 2018

  After tryouts on September 12th and 13th and callbacks on September 20th, the Oakton Improvables are back and they’re preparing for another amazing season!   Improv is a very “splur of...

DC has bloomed

DC has bloomed

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | April 12, 2018

     Last week, the District of Columbia was covered with the famous cherry pink flowers. This year marked the 106th anniversary of the cherry blossoms in DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival said...

The best of spirit week

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | February 23, 2018

Oakton students showed their enthusiasm for spirit week from February 20 to 24. Here are some of the most spirited students from this week. To start the week, the students wore their patriotic colors....

Emma Rogers: freshman member of dance team

Cougarettes take on Nationals

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | January 25, 2018

The Oakton High School Dance Team is leaving soon for their trip to Florida where they will compete in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) dance team national competition. At this competition, they will...

Are you sleeping enough?

Are you sleeping enough?

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | January 17, 2018

24 hours in a day never seem like enough time to get everything done. With school, homework, and extracurricular activities, it is easy to seemingly run out of time - you have to learn how to prioritize...

Who rules the slopes?

Who rules the slopes?

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | December 14, 2017

If you ask a skier if snowboarding is better than skiing, they will all tell you that skiing is much better. If you ask a snowboarding if skiing is better than snowboarding, they will all tell you that...

RIP Snapchat?

RIP Snapchat?

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | November 22, 2017

Facebook and Instagram might be making the Snapchat ghost a little too literal.  Although Snapchat is part of most of our daily lives, Facebook and Instagram are stripping Snapchat of its users leading...

Don’t Miss Your Shot to Get the Flu Shot

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 22, 2017

Flu season is coming up and one thing you definitely don’t want to forget is to get your flu shot. Although you may fear this vaccine, it’s vital that you receive this immunization. I’m sure...

Don’t Be Afraid of This Halloween Quiz

Payton Wozny, Editor-In-Chief | October 13, 2017

If you look forward for October 31 every year, you are one of the 179 million people who celebrate Halloween. You probably try not to track how much you spend around Halloween but the first personality...

Load More Stories
Activate Search
Payton Wozny