20.01.2015 Views

Issue 4: November 28, 2 - Lake Stevens School District #4

Issue 4: November 28, 2 - Lake Stevens School District #4

Issue 4: November 28, 2 - Lake Stevens School District #4

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

2news<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012 Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Drama Club presents Cab Night<br />

An unexpected spin on the usual fall play<br />

by Kaelyn King<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

T h e<br />

L S H S<br />

Drama<br />

Club hosted its first Cabaret<br />

Night on <strong>November</strong> 17 instead<br />

of the usual fall play.<br />

Cab Night showcased a variety<br />

of acts and included<br />

performers from the high<br />

school and the community.<br />

Freshman Brittney Wood<br />

A Viking welcome for <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> veterans<br />

More than 50 veterans gathered in the gym to be celebrated<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Loren Sperry gave an influential speech. He<br />

recognized students who had family in the<br />

military by asking them to stand.<br />

from Cavelero performed<br />

a scene from “Willy Wonka<br />

and the Chocolate Factory.”<br />

Professional actor, Kori Just,<br />

performed as the MC, alumni<br />

Riley Fraser and Ivanca<br />

Olanu came back to sing<br />

songs from “Grease” and<br />

“Beauty and the Beast” and<br />

a special guest from Nathan<br />

Hale High <strong>School</strong> performed<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

All of the performers ended the night by performing “We Go Together” from the<br />

Broadway musical and movie “Grease.” The night was full of fun and laughter.<br />

by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Editor-in-Chief<br />

A S B<br />

a n d<br />

a song from “Hairspray”.<br />

“Some of the best moments<br />

of my high school<br />

career happened in Drama<br />

Club, and to be able to relive<br />

the excitement and passion<br />

of the club once again was a<br />

real treat,” Riley Fraser said.<br />

Many crew members<br />

saw Cab Night as a great opportunity<br />

to shine on stage<br />

since they’re used to working<br />

behind the scenes.<br />

“It was a really great opportunity<br />

for me to be a cast<br />

member, so I loved it,” junior<br />

Brittney Swank said. “It felt<br />

more open to me because I<br />

felt like I had a better chance<br />

of making it in Cab Night<br />

rather than the musical.”<br />

Alumnus, Katie Anderson,<br />

brought her goats to<br />

do tricks that captivated the<br />

audience.<br />

At the end of the night,<br />

the spring musical was announced<br />

to be “Calamity<br />

Jane” and auditions will be<br />

held on the <strong>28</strong> and 29 of<br />

<strong>November</strong>.<br />

Leadership worked many weeks<br />

to prepare for the annual Veterans’<br />

Day Assembly. As the veterans<br />

walked in, they noticed the giant<br />

American flag backdrop and felt<br />

the welcoming feeling that LSHS<br />

produced. As the students walked<br />

in for the assembly, the feeling of<br />

thanks and appreciation for the<br />

veterans filled the gym.<br />

The assembly started with Boy<br />

Scout Troop #187 presenting the<br />

colors, which included seniors Cole<br />

Nickerson and Stephen Higbee,<br />

junior Kaleb Reeves and sophomore<br />

Chase Reid. The choir then<br />

performed the national anthem,<br />

and seniors Mawuli Attipoe and<br />

Samantha Smith introduced the<br />

speaker, Loren Sperry, Washington<br />

State Commander of the American<br />

Legion. Sperry talked about the importance<br />

of military families and<br />

the hard times they face when the<br />

service men and women are away.<br />

This year the Leadership class<br />

added something new. They made<br />

a Chain of Service. Each red, white<br />

and blue link represented individuals<br />

in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> who are either<br />

serving in the armed forces or who<br />

have previously served, the black<br />

links represented the soldiers<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Strategic Planning<br />

After six years, the district makes a new plan<br />

by Alexandra Mulvaney<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

The<br />

school district<br />

has<br />

begun a strategic planning process,<br />

which hasn’t happened in six years.<br />

Strategic planning is when the district<br />

and community decide where money<br />

will be allocated to what programs.<br />

They are also rewriting the district<br />

mission statement, which is a goal for<br />

the schools and their students.<br />

“The strategic plan that we want<br />

to create is a vision for what students<br />

will hopefully be able to experience<br />

and achieve. The goal is to make <strong>Lake</strong><br />

<strong>Stevens</strong> the best place to live, learn<br />

and teach, and that doesn’t happen by<br />

accident,” David Iseminger, <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Board President<br />

said.<br />

The district wants to help students<br />

be their best and achieve the most<br />

from their school experience. Offering<br />

students a better variety of classes<br />

and programs should help students be<br />

more motivated to go to school and<br />

boost graduation rates.<br />

“I hope we find ways to be more<br />

flexible in our course offering and<br />

scheduling, and we need more vocational-<br />

technical courses so kids who<br />

aren’t great at reading and writing,<br />

sitting classes can be successful too,”<br />

missing in action and the yellow<br />

links represented veterans who<br />

had died serving. The length of the<br />

chain required all of the leadership<br />

students to carry it into the gym.<br />

The gym décor set the tone for<br />

the more than 50 veterans who<br />

were honored. Among the veterans<br />

honored was LSHS alumnus Robert<br />

Longstreth who graduated in 2007.<br />

Sperry made it clear when he<br />

asked students to stand whose<br />

families are serving that <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

is a military-linked community.<br />

The assembly is one way that<br />

this town shows its appreciation<br />

for the soldiers that are fighting for<br />

our country.<br />

teacher Jeff Page said.<br />

They are holding district- wide<br />

meetings where community members,<br />

students, and teachers can volunteer<br />

and voice their opinions. At<br />

the meetings that have already been<br />

held, they have talked about the high<br />

school’s strengths and weaknesses as<br />

a whole.<br />

One meeting, held at LSHS in the<br />

library on <strong>November</strong> 6 focused on<br />

student input; it was the first meeting<br />

with students. Students shared that<br />

some of LSHS’s strengths are its welcoming<br />

and spirited environment and<br />

that students are very involved with<br />

school activities.<br />

Some of the things that the students<br />

want to improve are energy conservation,<br />

providing smaller and more<br />

balanced classes, syncing curriculum,<br />

and helping students make the transition<br />

from Cavelero to the high school.<br />

Some say the lunches are too large,<br />

and that there needs to be more discipline<br />

for kids who distract others from<br />

learning.<br />

“Students are the ones who know<br />

what’s going on. It’s important to see<br />

from students’ perspective. Student<br />

voice is really important,” Mari Taylor,<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Legislative representative<br />

said.<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

2007 graduate Robert Longstreth came back<br />

to be one of the many veterans in the assembly.<br />

He is currently serving in the Army.<br />

Obama wins another term<br />

by Caitlyn Chandler<br />

Opinion Editor<br />

At 8:18 p.m. on<br />

<strong>November</strong> 6, CNN<br />

made it official.<br />

President Barack Obama was re-elected to a<br />

second term as President of the United States.<br />

At that time, with the projection of Ohio’s 18<br />

electoral votes going to Obama, the President<br />

held 274 electoral votes. He only needed 270<br />

votes to win re-election. Poll results started<br />

coming in at 5 p.m. Pacific-Time and the first<br />

counted results had Mitt Romney ahead, he<br />

held 33 electoral votes and the President held<br />

only 3. Romney stayed ahead for most of the<br />

time as the votes from the historically Republican<br />

Mid-West and South came in. The race<br />

stayed extremely close<br />

until the historically<br />

democratic<br />

west coast’s<br />

votes came in<br />

at 8p.m.<br />

“I’m<br />

excited<br />

Obama won.<br />

I be-<br />

very<br />

that<br />

lieve that he will do well these next four years<br />

because this next term isn’t a second chance<br />

for Obama. It’s just more time for him to accomplish<br />

what he promised to accomplish,”<br />

junior William Stratmeyer said.<br />

During the election, one of the main points<br />

of discussion was what each of the candidates<br />

planned to do about jobs and unemployment<br />

in America.<br />

“I believe that Obama shouldn’t have won<br />

the election. Romney had better intentions; a<br />

better 5-point plan to solve the job crisis in<br />

America. But, oh well. Obama will do an all<br />

right job the next four years; laws can always<br />

change in the future,” junior Lyndsie Slavin<br />

said.<br />

After the results were counted,<br />

President Obama took the<br />

stage in Chicago to address<br />

America about his victory.<br />

Regardless of whom voters<br />

wanted to become the<br />

44 th president, the United<br />

States has peacefully<br />

elected<br />

another<br />

president.<br />

FFA harvests a win at club fair<br />

by Kaylee Nunley<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Club<br />

fair<br />

hit<br />

the school again. Fourteen<br />

clubs prepared their own<br />

station to attract people<br />

and advertised themselves<br />

in the cafeteria during<br />

lunches on Halloween.<br />

ASB sponsored a competition<br />

for best decorated<br />

booth. FFA club (Future<br />

Farmers of America) won<br />

$300 towards their ASB<br />

account for first prize.<br />

Clubs were judged based<br />

on criteria of the interaction<br />

with students, information<br />

provided and overall<br />

best decorations.<br />

“Based on the criteria,<br />

it was determined that FFA<br />

did a very nice job representing<br />

their group. The<br />

decorations at their booth,<br />

along with the activities,<br />

presented very well,” Associate<br />

Principal Leslie<br />

Ivelia said. “There were<br />

interactive games, but one<br />

of the most impressive<br />

things was the representatives<br />

of the booth were<br />

out circulating amongst<br />

the crowd inviting people<br />

back to learn more or participate.”<br />

One Voice’s décor<br />

placed second, earning<br />

$200 and Drama Club took<br />

third place and $100 with<br />

their photo booth. Every<br />

club that participated received<br />

$100, as well. Hip<br />

Hop also earned honorable<br />

mention. ASB adviser<br />

Suzanne Kerker believes<br />

this was by far the most<br />

successful club fair.<br />

“The amount of interaction<br />

the kids had with each<br />

club was unpredicted,”<br />

Kerker said. “It was much<br />

more like a fair and less<br />

like an information booth<br />

like it’s been in the past.”<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Junior Tyler Granston and senior Jennifer Conley walked around the<br />

cafeteria advertising FFA. They won “best booth” due to their festive fall<br />

décor.<br />

Photo Courtesy of creativecommons.org


Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

ads3


4sports<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012 Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

LSHS fall sports conquered the season<br />

Girls volleyball, football and boys cross country made it to State this year<br />

by Marissa Fredrickson and Kacie Masten<br />

Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor<br />

Volleyball<br />

The dry spell ended when LSHS girls volleyball team<br />

earned a place in the State tournament. On Friday <strong>November</strong><br />

9, the team played in Lacey, Washington at Saint Martin’s University.<br />

They played the first round against Bellarmine Prep,<br />

and although they lost, the team felt very proud to have made<br />

it to the State tournament. Additionally, they appreciated the<br />

support of many superfans and the cheerleaders who rode<br />

rooter buses to the event.<br />

“It means so much. This is the first time in 23 years since<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> has been [to State], and I think that everyone is<br />

just proud of that and proud to be here and everyone came to<br />

support us,” said junior Alexis Alverson.<br />

The team then went on to play in the second round later<br />

that night and won only one game out of the three, knocking<br />

them out of the tournament. While many would be sad with<br />

this outcome, the team played a good game because no other<br />

teams expected <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> to be a competitor.<br />

Football<br />

The Vikings football season ended in the second round<br />

of playoffs when they lost the fight against Skyline High<br />

<strong>School</strong>. As the game started, it looked like the Vikings<br />

would conquer the Spartans when the first quarter ended<br />

0-0. However, <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> wasn’t able to pull through and<br />

lost 42-0.<br />

Nevertheless, this loss does not deny the fact that the<br />

team worked hard throughout their season. In the first<br />

playoff game against Kentlake, the Vikings won 67-33.<br />

“I think we did good. Yeah, we lost to a pretty bad team<br />

[Monroe], but we also beat a couple great teams. I truly<br />

think our football season was good and the only thing I<br />

would want to change is that I really wanted to beat Monroe,<br />

which would have made us Wesco champs, but other<br />

than that I feel the season was good,” senior Jacob Fabian<br />

said.<br />

Cross Country<br />

The cross country team ran all the way to State in Pasco<br />

Get well, Ike!<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Junior Austin Otis signs Ike Ditzenberger’s get well poster. Last month,<br />

Ditzenberger suffered from pneumonia, and was in the hospital for more<br />

than two weeks.<br />

by Kacie Masten<br />

Sports Editor<br />

Last month, Snohomish<br />

football player, Ike<br />

Ditzenberger, who rose<br />

to stardom after a video<br />

of his touchdown play<br />

went viral, was hospitalized<br />

with a severe case<br />

of pneumonia. Ditzenberger<br />

was placed in the<br />

Intensive Care Unit at<br />

UW Medical Center, and<br />

his life was in jeopardy.<br />

Vikings decided to reach<br />

out to him. On <strong>November</strong><br />

1, students signed a get<br />

well poster for Ike during<br />

all three lunches.<br />

Thankfully, Ditzenberger<br />

was released from<br />

the hospital after 19 days<br />

and is now at home, happy<br />

and healthy. His family<br />

members are grateful<br />

that Ike is back with<br />

them.<br />

“We got him back and<br />

that’s the main thing. Because<br />

I could not imagine<br />

facing the future without<br />

him,” Kay Ditzenberger,<br />

Ike’s mother, said during<br />

her interview with the<br />

Everett Herald.<br />

At press time, Ditzenberger<br />

had not received<br />

the posters LSHS made<br />

him, but Tricia Sevey, who<br />

knows a family friend of<br />

the Ditzenbergers, hopes<br />

to deliver the well wishes<br />

to Ike Ditzenberger soon.<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Junior Molly Drivdahl and senior Christiana James jump to block the ball at the net in the first round at State against Bellarmine Prep. The volleyball team<br />

fought hard at State this year but lost all of the games in the match against Bellarmine Prep. Amy Wiklund coached this team to the State tournament. Ironically,<br />

Wiklund played on the team as a freshman when the Vikings last went to State.<br />

on <strong>November</strong> 3. Before the meet, the Viking boys bleached<br />

their hair, a tradition that has been going on for quite some<br />

time. Overall, the boys placed 13th.<br />

“Overall, I feel that the boys cross country team did<br />

amazing this year. Just making it to State is such a big obstacle,<br />

and I’m glad we all made it as a team,” senior Austin<br />

Hughes said.<br />

Swimming<br />

Many swimmers qualified for <strong>District</strong>s, including seniors<br />

Chloe Reid, Javon Brown and Athens Slater, juniors<br />

Amanda Pan and Felicity Spears.<br />

Tennis<br />

Members of boys tennis also qualified for <strong>District</strong>s, including<br />

seniors Ryan Lian, Andrew Moe and Grant Shultz.<br />

Soccer<br />

Girls soccer went to <strong>District</strong>s as well. The Vikings played<br />

against Edmonds-Woodway and lost 0-4 in the first round.<br />

PacWest takes over No Limit<br />

A change of pace for dancers in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

by Kaelyn King<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Last March, <strong>Lake</strong><br />

<strong>Stevens</strong>’ one and only<br />

dance studio, No Limit,<br />

closed down, and Pacific<br />

West Performing Arts took its place. PacWest<br />

received much success in the past with its studio<br />

in Snohomish and now one more in <strong>Lake</strong><br />

<strong>Stevens</strong>. The instructors have acquired experience<br />

from attending The Julliard <strong>School</strong> in New<br />

York to being a Sea Gal cheerleader for the Seahawks.<br />

Kelly Charlton, the owner of PacWest allowed<br />

the No Limit dancers to finish out the season<br />

at no cost, but they were still heartbroken.<br />

Senior Kirsten Mendes has been dancing for five<br />

years, and although she takes a single class at Pac-<br />

West, she has decided that attending Pointe Dance<br />

Center in North Bend is where she needs to be.<br />

“I was shocked when I found out No Limit was going<br />

out of business. I tried to keep everyone’s spirits<br />

up and reassured everyone that things would work<br />

out if we just stuck together as a team and unfortunately,<br />

that didn’t happen,” Mendes said.<br />

Junior Hannah Skinner danced for twenty hours<br />

a week but cut back to fourteen hours with about<br />

three hours total of commute due to the studio<br />

change. She takes one ballet class at PacWest, but<br />

spends most of her dance time with Mendes at<br />

Pointe Dance Center.<br />

“The girls at PacWest are all amazing dancers,<br />

and I love the<br />

teachers, but not<br />

many of us stayed<br />

there because all the<br />

girls that go there are<br />

a lot younger than<br />

us,” said Skinner.<br />

Sophomore Taylor<br />

Schlabs was already<br />

looking elsewhere<br />

to further her dance<br />

career before she<br />

learned of the studio<br />

shutting down.<br />

“I felt crushed that what I had been working on<br />

for those previous years was going to be taken away,<br />

but at the time we didn’t know PacWest was going to<br />

take over the space,” said Schlabs.<br />

Some joined PacWest when it opened<br />

its second studio in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> due to<br />

its proximity. Senior Kristen Hoffman<br />

discovered the<br />

studio as she<br />

found out No<br />

Limit was closing.<br />

“I really like the teachers and the<br />

motivation they give their students,”<br />

said Hoffman, “I’m very driven, and I<br />

am pursuing dance as a career. I really<br />

want to go to Cornish Performing Arts<br />

College in Seattle.”<br />

Though some dancers have moved<br />

on to other studios, the No Limit dancers<br />

still miss the studio they used to call<br />

home. No matter what dance studio they<br />

attend, each dancer remains focused on<br />

their next performances.<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Senior Taylor Schlabs poses elegantly for the camera. Schlabs<br />

is involved in many styles of dancing, but her favorite styles are<br />

hip hop, contemporary and lyrical.


Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Football, tennis,<br />

swimming<br />

and golf are just<br />

a few of the sports celebrated by<br />

the Vikings at LSHS. Some sports<br />

though, don’t get as much recognition.<br />

There are students at this<br />

school who put their passion and<br />

effort into sports off of LSHS charts,<br />

and one of those sports is hockey.<br />

Duncan Long, a sophomore and<br />

player for Team Seattle, has played<br />

hockey for about ten years. They<br />

practice on average, two times a<br />

week and play two to three games<br />

a week as well, which usually take<br />

place in Canada.<br />

“It’s really athletic and keeps me<br />

in shape,” Long said. “And I get to<br />

see more and travel because we fly<br />

[to] a lot of places.”<br />

Hockey brings a team really<br />

close, and that’s a major part of the<br />

fun, according to sophomore John<br />

Greer, another teammate of Team<br />

Seattle.<br />

“I just like going to tournaments<br />

and being with the team,” Greer<br />

said.<br />

Senior Mason Nicol plays for the<br />

Everett Grizzlies. They practice and<br />

play games at Comcast Arena in Everett.<br />

Nicol loves the intensity of the<br />

games and believes spectators enjoy<br />

the fights.<br />

“I think they could be more fun<br />

[than football games] because people<br />

like how aggressive it is.”<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

Vikings leave the ship and head for ice<br />

Hockey players understand the world of pucks<br />

by Kaylee Nunley<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Hockey, although appreciated by<br />

these boys, could use some more<br />

love here at LSHS.<br />

“It’s a really good sport, but not<br />

a lot of people have really played it<br />

or tried it out, I think they should,”<br />

Long said.<br />

Students interested in skiing or snowboarding<br />

band together to create Ski Club<br />

by Hannah Bartow<br />

Design Editor<br />

Adrenaline races on dirt track<br />

by Brittan Lamberty Dirt biking<br />

Staff Reporter is becoming<br />

a well-known<br />

hobby and sport. The rush of adrenaline<br />

while hitting huge jumps in the<br />

air can be an exhilarating experience.<br />

“I started because my neighbor<br />

got a Honda CR250r, and I had ridden<br />

dirt bikes before, but never one<br />

that was that big and powerful,<br />

and once I had ridden it, I<br />

was instantly hooked,” sophomore<br />

Cody Morton said.<br />

Likewise, dirt biking can<br />

be an incredible thrill for<br />

some who thrives for the<br />

empowerment while racing<br />

through tracks and having<br />

full control of the bike.<br />

“Unique experiences<br />

would have to be traveling to<br />

races and racing on different tracks.<br />

Every track is different and has different<br />

challenges,” sophomore Tyler<br />

Denton said.<br />

“My favorite thing has to be the<br />

power you feel when you are going<br />

over jumps and hitting the throttle<br />

down; it’s just an amazing experience,”<br />

Morton said.<br />

Senior Mason Nicol aims for the puck to bring his<br />

team, the Everett Grizzlies, to victory. Students<br />

have sought opportunities to play hockey outside<br />

of school, since schools LSHS does not provide a<br />

school team.<br />

Scan the QR Code<br />

and visit the Comcast<br />

Arena hockey page<br />

for more information<br />

about youth hockey and<br />

lessons.<br />

The high school welcomes its<br />

newest club, Ski Club. This new<br />

addition provides a social connection<br />

with other students who enjoy skiing or<br />

snowboarding.<br />

“Ski Club is just for students to meet other students<br />

who enjoy skiing or snowboarding. We will not<br />

provide rides or transportation up to the pass. However,<br />

if you become friends with someone and would<br />

like to go with them, that’s what we’re aiming for,”<br />

Club Adviser, Lorri Davidson said.<br />

Ski Club will meet every first and third Friday of<br />

the month. Like other clubs, a leadership board is<br />

required, including a president, vice president and<br />

secretary treasurer. Juniors Hannah Olliges, Sean Davidson<br />

and Katie Tronsdal are ready to take on the<br />

task, with the help of Davidson’s mother as adviser.<br />

“I think it is fine that my mom is the adviser. I think<br />

it’s better than if someone else did. She knows a lot<br />

more about ASB law than a lot of other people,” S. Davidson<br />

said.<br />

After participating in Club Fair, Ski Club increased<br />

in size, going from the three board members to almost<br />

two dozen students. At the moment there are<br />

20 members on the Ski Club roster; however, not all<br />

members were able to attend the most recent meeting.<br />

“We only had six people show up to the meeting<br />

on <strong>November</strong> 16, and it was only five minutes long.<br />

Twenty is a good number for club members, but<br />

I would love to get more. Finding fun things to do<br />

when not everyone is there is a little hard to do,” Olliges<br />

said.<br />

Like many clubs, Ski Club opted to sell T-shirts.<br />

However, unlike other clubs, Ski Club plans to sell<br />

their T-shirts to all students. The cost of these snowy<br />

T’s will be nine dollars. The club plans on doing a presale,<br />

meaning the club will not depend on ASB funding.<br />

“At [the] meeting, the only item on the agenda was<br />

T-shirts. We aren’t limiting the shirts to just the members<br />

of the club,” L. Davidson said.<br />

Students looking to join the club are encouraged to<br />

talk to the three board members or Mrs. Davidson in<br />

the Business Office.<br />

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people. If I<br />

see them up on the slopes, that’ll be cool,” Olliges said.<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Secretary Treasurer Katie Tronsdal (left), junior Elias Horn, President Hannah<br />

Olliges and junior Zachery Kinder pose for a picture. The Ski Club meets the<br />

first and third Friday of every month.<br />

Some may keep these extreme<br />

sports as a hobby and may not wish<br />

to pursue it as a career; others have<br />

their own opinion on it and possibly<br />

hope to take their sport further.<br />

“It would be great if I could make<br />

it my career, but if not, it could still be<br />

a fun hobby,” sophomore Tyler Denton<br />

said.<br />

sports5<br />

Calling all<br />

Superfans!<br />

Wrestling<br />

12/1 vs. Tahoma 12 p.m.<br />

12/1 vs. Rodgers 1:30 p.m.<br />

12/4 vs. Edmonds-Woodway<br />

6 p.m.<br />

12/4 vs. Kamiak 7:30 p.m.<br />

12/7 @ Sedro Woolley 7 p.m.<br />

12/14-12/45 @ Coeur d’ Alene<br />

(Tri State Tournament)<br />

12/18 @ Vashon Island (Double Duel)<br />

5 p.m.<br />

12/21 @ Roseburg<br />

12/<strong>28</strong>-12/29 The Clash Tournament<br />

1/3 vs. Arlington<br />

1/5 Hall of Fame Duels<br />

@ Moses <strong>Lake</strong> 10 a.m.<br />

Girls Basketball<br />

11/<strong>28</strong> @ Shorewood 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/5 vs. Marsyville-Pilchuck 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/8 Les Schwab Preview @ Kentwood<br />

High <strong>School</strong> 10:30 a.m.<br />

12/12 @ Arlington 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/14 @ Snohomish 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/18 vs. Mount Vernon 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/20 vs. Monroe 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/27 @ Shadle Park 6 p.m.<br />

12/<strong>28</strong> @ Coeur d’ Alene 6 p.m.<br />

12/29 @ Lewis and Clark 7 p.m.<br />

1/2 vs. Jackson 7:15 p.m.<br />

1/4 @ Cascade 7:15 p.m.<br />

1/7 vs. Kamiak 7:15 p.m.<br />

1/9 @ Lynnwood 7:15 p.m.<br />

Boys Basketball<br />

11/30-12/1 Fitz Tournament @ Lewis<br />

and Clark<br />

12/4 @ Marysville Pilchuck 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/11 vs. Arlington 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/14 vs. Snohomish 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/18 @ Mount Vernon 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/20 @ Monroe 7:15 p.m.<br />

12/27-12/29 Surf and Slam @ San Diego<br />

1/2 @ Jackson 7:15 p.m.<br />

1/4 vs. Cascade 7:15 p.m.<br />

1/8 @ Kamiak 7:15 p.m.<br />

Boys Swimming<br />

12/4 vs. Kamiak 3:15 p.m.<br />

12/6 vs. Jackson 3:15 p.m.<br />

12/13 vs. Stanwood 3:15 p.m.<br />

12/19 @ Oak Harbor 6 p.m.<br />

1/5 <strong>District</strong> Dive Meet @<br />

Kamiak 10 a.m.<br />

1/8 vs. Everett 3:15 p.m.<br />

Photo Courtesy of Mason Nicol


. HCommunity Service. Help end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity. Community Service<br />

. HCommunity Service. Help end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity. Community Service<br />

6homeless teens <strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012 Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Homeless students face the struggles of li<br />

Homeless teens look like any<br />

other teenager.<br />

Photo by Hannah Bartow<br />

There are approximately 300 homeless students in Snohomish County. Mr. Dufay’s class represents the notion that all teens look alike, whether or not they’re homeless.<br />

by Meredith Brown<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

There are students in classes that<br />

look like everyone else, but they<br />

don’t have a home to go to at night.<br />

Currently there are 78 students district wide enrolled<br />

in the McKinney-Vento for the school year of 2012<br />

and 2013. The McKinney-Vento Act supplies students<br />

without a stable household or shelter with transportation,<br />

breakfast, lunch, immediate enrollment, tutoring,<br />

health, waived fees, clothing and supplies.<br />

“The purpose of the law is to provide support for<br />

children, so that children have something stable in their<br />

life when other things are in a bit of chaos,” Director of<br />

Communications and Community Services and Student<br />

Safety, Arlene Hulten said.<br />

Students who qualify for these services face the challenges<br />

of life, more extreme than others. Students may<br />

be homeless for a number of reasons, and it’s important<br />

to understand one’s rights.<br />

“They lost their house, they’ve been evicted, and<br />

their family is broken up, domestic violence, students<br />

that leave their home because they don’t want to live<br />

in their parents’ house anymore. The wide gamut of<br />

reasons that people are in transition don’t necessarily<br />

know that this law is in place and there is support for<br />

them,” Hulten said.<br />

Not many people are aware of this, but counselors,<br />

secretaries and the principal are people to<br />

the act. It has changed many students’ live<br />

“Kids can stay in schools where they<br />

tions and relationships,” <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

counselor Angela Riebli said.<br />

The act ensures that students can exper<br />

lar day. It spends an average of one thou<br />

per student a year, which includes tr<br />

meals, and other necessities. In 2010 an<br />

were 114 homeless students enrolled in<br />

<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong>, and everyone one of them<br />

by the act.<br />

Hulten’s focus is to ensure students<br />

with transportation to and from school. C<br />

district is providing transportation to st<br />

muting from as far as Sultan and Edmon<br />

makes sure the students are provided w<br />

and lunch every day, along with other ne<br />

plies.<br />

“If the child needs additional academi<br />

provided. If they need health services, we g<br />

nected. Fees for anything part of the nor<br />

ic day, field trips or supplies those are w<br />

charge so that’s not a barrier for the stu<br />

said.<br />

This act is the reason that that these stu<br />

successful in school. These types of progr<br />

change the lives of everyday teenagers. Ho<br />

is a current problem, students can turn a<br />

tend it doesn’t exist, but think about, how<br />

like to not know where they are sleeping t<br />

In addition, to the McKinney-Vento Act t<br />

er local programs that help students. The C<br />

is an emergency shelter and a place that ho<br />

agers can go to remind themselves that so<br />

about them. Located in Everett, people go<br />

get a meal and hang out. It’s a place wh<br />

teens can feel safe.<br />

Lil’ Hungry Hearts<br />

helps one backpack at a time<br />

by Aleesa Browning<br />

Features Editor<br />

In the<br />

L a k e<br />

<strong>Stevens</strong><br />

community, there are many<br />

ways to help out families in<br />

need. Several organizations<br />

have been created, and<br />

they all volunteer their<br />

time to help others.<br />

Organizations like<br />

the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

Food Bank, Big<br />

Viking/Little<br />

Viking, and<br />

Hillcrest<br />

E l -<br />

“It feels<br />

like the right<br />

thing to do.<br />

We are doing<br />

something that<br />

matters and<br />

makes a difference<br />

by helping children<br />

in need in our community.<br />

It is wonderful to see how<br />

a chain reaction starts when<br />

we come together to help our<br />

neighbors and their children,”<br />

said Caffee.<br />

elp end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity.<br />

ementary Homework Club are<br />

programs designed to provide<br />

children and families with<br />

what they’re missing. Lil’ Hungry<br />

Hearts is one of these important<br />

programs that helps<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> families.<br />

This year-round service is<br />

a non-profit organization that<br />

collects food for students to<br />

take home with them over the<br />

weekends and during the holidays.<br />

Food is sent home with<br />

children on Fridays, and all of<br />

the students that use the program<br />

stay anonymous.<br />

“We started the program<br />

when Tammie Enders discovered<br />

there was a student in her<br />

class going hungry,” said LHH<br />

volunteer, Anita Caffee.<br />

“She called the single<br />

mother of her student<br />

three weeks before<br />

Christmas and discovered<br />

they had<br />

five dollars to<br />

make it to the<br />

first of the<br />

year.<br />

The<br />

Community Service. Help end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity. Community Service. Help end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity. Community Service. Help end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity.<br />

i s -<br />

sue of childhood<br />

hunger is so<br />

large and overwhelming<br />

that when she discovered<br />

programs that provided backpacks<br />

full of kid-friendly food<br />

on the weekends to children in<br />

need it seemed manageable.”<br />

Participating in of Lil’ Hungry<br />

Hearts is an act of generosity.<br />

“I am happy to know I am<br />

helping others. It brightens my<br />

day after I have volunteered<br />

knowing someone will be better<br />

because of my small service,”<br />

said LHH volunteer, Kimberly<br />

Dailey.<br />

This year, Lil’ Hungry Hearts<br />

is looking for volunteers to<br />

help with their service. If anyone<br />

is interested in signing<br />

up, they can contact<br />

Anita Caffee or go to<br />

the Career Center<br />

for more information<br />

a n d<br />

com-<br />

During<br />

the<br />

2011-<br />

2012 school<br />

year, 33.4%<br />

of students<br />

in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />

received free or<br />

reduced priced meals<br />

(reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us).<br />

elp end Hunger. Volunteer. Donate. Generosity.<br />

mu-<br />

nity service<br />

sheets.<br />

Students can<br />

make an immediate difference<br />

in the communty<br />

and earn community service<br />

hours at the same time.<br />

“<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> may be a<br />

small community, but when<br />

we work together for a<br />

cause, we’re mighty and<br />

anything is possible,”<br />

said LHH volunteer,<br />

Tammie Enders.<br />

by Ch<br />

P<br />

Deac<br />

are av<br />

<strong>Lake</strong><br />

oppo<br />

Hillcr<br />

time a<br />

Hous<br />

tion.<br />

Lil’ H<br />

kids.<br />

(425)-<br />

Givin<br />

dents<br />

Can/<br />

one h


fe<br />

talk to about<br />

s.<br />

have connec-<br />

High <strong>School</strong><br />

ience a regusand<br />

dollars<br />

ansportation,<br />

d 2011 there<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

was assisted<br />

are provided<br />

urrently, the<br />

udents comds.<br />

She also<br />

ith breakfast<br />

eds and supc<br />

help, that’s<br />

et them conmal<br />

academaived<br />

free of<br />

dent,” Hulten<br />

dents can be<br />

ams save and<br />

meless youth<br />

way and prewould<br />

they<br />

onight<br />

here are othocoon<br />

House<br />

meless teenmeone<br />

cares<br />

there to talk,<br />

ere homeless<br />

Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Amazing friends in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong>, it has<br />

been brought to my attention that we have<br />

[78] homeless students in our school district<br />

that are in need of winter clothes. While<br />

the girls supply is steady, middle school<br />

and teen boy size clothes are desperately<br />

needed, including pants, shirts, sweatshirts,<br />

coats, hats and gently used shoes. A local<br />

group of ladies have organized a boy’s<br />

clothing drive with drop-off locations at the<br />

<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Journal, the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

Sewer <strong>District</strong>, and Bell Properties by the<br />

Safeway gas station. Please donate what<br />

you can. Keep these boys warm this winter!<br />

Thank you!<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

Many are unaware of the Rotary Club and the<br />

charitable acts this national club participates in<br />

to help the community. The mission of The Rotary<br />

Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding,<br />

goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support<br />

of education and the alleviation of poverty.<br />

The <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Rotary Club was started in 1991. The club’s most<br />

recent service project focused on homeless children and teenagers<br />

and efforts to help them.<br />

“This is the first time we have done a project like this, as I recall.<br />

We certainly did not know the extent of homeless students until earlier<br />

this year,” club Secretary Gary O’Reilly said.<br />

According to the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Journal, the Rotary Club worked<br />

continuously over the last six months to raise $10,000 to help homeless<br />

students within the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong>. On Friday, October<br />

19, at the weekly Rotary Club meeting, <strong>District</strong> 5050’s Committee<br />

Chair Larry Jubie presented the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> Rotary Club with a<br />

check for $10,000. Due to matched funding, Rotary Club President<br />

Scott Smith presented <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Superintendent<br />

7<br />

Local group puts “Service above Self”<br />

Rotary Club lives up to its motto through humanitarian efforts<br />

by Hannah Bartow<br />

Design Editor<br />

by Hannah Bartow<br />

Design Editor<br />

After the presentation by<br />

Arlene Hulten to the Rotary<br />

Club on October 19, Joyce Bell,<br />

Rotarian and owner of Bell Properties, informed her<br />

employees of the extent of student homelessness.<br />

Long time employee, Reshal Ploeger, then logged<br />

on to Facebook where the group “Besties Buy, Sale,<br />

Trade” had made numerous posts advertising a local<br />

clothing and supply drive. Started by Besties member<br />

Kim Demary, the clothing drive has collected<br />

enough clothing to dress about two dozen students.<br />

Demary picks up the donated clothing at each location<br />

about once every two weeks; so far 10 to 15<br />

bags of clothing have been collected, including about<br />

15 winter coats.<br />

“I’ll take clothes as long as people will donate<br />

them so hopefully the drive will be all winter long,”<br />

said Demary.<br />

Donations for hotel-size toiletries are also needed.<br />

Any type of donation is appreciated and will benefit<br />

students.<br />

“Many of these students don’t have a stable living<br />

environment and don’t have access to running water.<br />

Lots of them come to school to shower, but don’t<br />

have proper cleaning supplies. Donations will make<br />

a big impact for these students,” Ploeger said.<br />

homeless teens<br />

Group of community members create a<br />

clothing drive to benefit homeless students<br />

Photo by hannah bartow<br />

Joyce Bell, Rotary Club member and owner of Bell<br />

Properties, sits with one of the many loads of donations<br />

brought into her office. Bell opened up Bell<br />

Properties as a donation site as a result of a request<br />

made by employee, Reshal Ploeger.<br />

Dr. Amy Beth Cook a check for $20,000.<br />

At the moment, the Rotary Club is working on two annual fundraisers,<br />

the Outdoor Wreath and Poinsettia sale and Bikes for Tykes.<br />

The Bikes for Tykes fundraiser will end on December 22 so children<br />

who are hoping for a special gift will receive something on Christmas<br />

day.<br />

“There are a couple of things that high school students can do to<br />

get involved. Rotary International has developed a New Generations<br />

program involving youth as early as 12 years old and others up to 30<br />

in programs such as Interact, Rotaract, RYLA and Youth Exchange. If<br />

there was enough interest, our club would be keenly interested in<br />

working with the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> High <strong>School</strong> to develop one of these<br />

programs sponsored by our club,” O’Rielly said.<br />

Club members are always looking for volunteers to help with service<br />

projects. Students looking to help are encouraged to visit club<br />

meetings held in the <strong>District</strong> Office; for dates and times, refer to the<br />

club’s website. For more information visit the <strong>Lake</strong> Steven’s Rotary<br />

Club site at www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Home.aspxcid=274 or visit<br />

Rotary.org for information on the original Rotary Club.<br />

Opportunities for studentsto help the<br />

community<br />

loe Rowland<br />

hotographer<br />

There are quite a few community service opportunities advertised at <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> High <strong>School</strong>. Information<br />

can be found in the Career Center with Mrs. LaFortune. However, there are a few community<br />

service opportunities that are not advertised quite as much as the Food Drive or Locks of Love.<br />

oness Children’s Services: Protecting and supporting children at risk and strengthening families, multiple opportunities<br />

ailable. -Contact (425)-259-0146.<br />

<strong>Stevens</strong> Boys and Girls Club: Help coach a team, mentor a child, and many other<br />

rtunities here in our community.<br />

est Elementary Homework Club: Hang out with elementary kids during free<br />

nd help them with homework. (Must commit to at least 10 sessions)<br />

ing Hope: Childcare help, landscaping or if over 18, people can help with construc-<br />

-Contact (425)-347-6556<br />

ungry Hearts: Help collect and distribute food to local hungry<br />

Many different opportunities are available. Contact Anita Caffee at<br />

346-5464 or email at lilhungryhearts@msn.com<br />

g Tree: Donate for up to eight hours of community service. Stucan<br />

donate gifts to Mrs. Arcos in room 110.<br />

Food Drive: For every ten cans donated, students will receive<br />

our of community. Donations will be collected during first period.<br />

Photo Courtesy of creativecommons.org<br />

Photo by Hannah Bartow<br />

Header Art on cover done by senior aaron piega


8opinion<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012 Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Lunchtime Freedom<br />

An open campus would provide<br />

students with many benefits<br />

“The ability to ensure an open<br />

campus for our school would let students<br />

show their responsibility.”<br />

An open campus at school would be great to<br />

some. Being able to leave school during lunch and<br />

taking the choice to not have to eat school lunches,<br />

or even going home to take a quick power nap,<br />

what’s bad about that<br />

“I think an open campus would be kind of awesome<br />

because we could have lunches better than<br />

the ones served at school,” sophomore Camryn<br />

Dietrich said.<br />

However, as there are many reasons why an<br />

open campus would benefit the students at our<br />

school, there are many reasons why the school<br />

chose to close campus.<br />

“It probably isn’t allowed now because the<br />

school could lose track of the kids, if there is an<br />

emergency at school, teachers wouldn’t know<br />

where people are and wouldn’t know whether or<br />

not they need to search for kids within the buildings<br />

or if they’re safe and just aren’t on campus,”<br />

Dietrich said.<br />

Also, some students don’t always love the<br />

lunches here at school and would prefer to go<br />

home to make their own lunch for themselves.<br />

“I think it would be good because the school<br />

lunches are not very good, and it gives students<br />

more freedom,” junior Alexander Verhoeven said.<br />

In my opinion, <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> High <strong>School</strong><br />

should include an open campus. Open campuses<br />

are a fantastic way to let students know they<br />

aren’t being fully controlled during lunch. It gives<br />

them freedom to do what they please during their<br />

lunch break.<br />

“Don’t fence me in”: no more shortcuts<br />

New barriers bother students and block off easy pathways<br />

Walking from the 400<br />

building to the cafeteria not<br />

all students have noticed<br />

little changes that happened<br />

over summer break.<br />

Certainly a few of the veteran<br />

juniors and seniors have<br />

noticed that the shortcut to<br />

the grass in front of the cafeteria<br />

has been blocked off<br />

by awkward rails.<br />

“When I saw that there<br />

were rails there [by the cafeteria]<br />

it honestly pissed<br />

me off, not just because it<br />

was unexpected, but also<br />

because it feels a little bit<br />

restricting,” said junior Tyler<br />

Baggs.<br />

Likewise, I personally<br />

enjoyed having the quick<br />

get away when things became<br />

really jammed up<br />

between periods. The traffic<br />

in between classes is<br />

still just as bad. Now, students<br />

decide to jump over<br />

the bars, which could end<br />

badly if they ever happen<br />

to misstep. If they wanted<br />

people to get off the grass,<br />

it didn’t work out too well.<br />

“Some rails were left<br />

out of a previous construction<br />

project, so we finished<br />

the job at a nominal cost.<br />

Our Facilities Department<br />

works very closely with the<br />

school to address maintenance<br />

and safety needs...<br />

Students can assist in the<br />

effort as well by notifying<br />

a building administrator<br />

or teacher about repairs<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Over the summer, the maintenance team put metal bars connecting the railings around campus to<br />

stop students from cutting across the grass by the commons.<br />

needed,” said Robb Stanton,<br />

Director of Operations<br />

Services.<br />

The high school seemed<br />

like it treated its students<br />

like adults, but now it<br />

seems like the school officials<br />

want to keep students<br />

controlled like pigs in a<br />

pig pen. The railings may<br />

reduce students from going<br />

directly from the dirty<br />

grass to the cafeteria, but<br />

it doesn’t stop them from<br />

walking all over the lawn or<br />

putting themselves in risky<br />

situations by jumping over<br />

the slippery metal.<br />

This is another pointless<br />

addition to the school,<br />

when there are much more<br />

important things to take<br />

care of, like the broken cement<br />

benches and the beat<br />

up lockers. More could be<br />

done to the school to make<br />

it more appealing to the<br />

eye and give the students a<br />

somewhat more beneficial<br />

environment for learning.<br />

Girls are fed up with domestic stereotypes<br />

Students give their opinion on the saying “Cool story, babe, now go make me a sandwich”<br />

There are always stereotypes about the<br />

roles of men and women, such as women belong<br />

in the kitchen and men belong at work<br />

to support a family. Recently, some students<br />

have been wearing T-shirts that say “Cool<br />

story, babe. Now, go make me a sandwich”.<br />

This t-shirt design comes across more like<br />

a joke than anything else, although the message<br />

it portrays is not exactly right for the<br />

sake of women’s roles.<br />

A lot of people view these shirts as just a<br />

joke not thinking of the deeper message.<br />

“It’s not degrading if she makes a great<br />

sandwich,” senior Brenon Thompson said.<br />

Teenage boys are just acting like teenage<br />

boys. They don’t care or know any better,<br />

and they view those things as jokes more<br />

than as serious disrespect towards women.<br />

Jokes at girls’ expense are funny to boys;<br />

sure, part of it is human nature, but most of<br />

it is just immaturity.<br />

“I think the ‘make me sandwich’ joke is<br />

degrading because many men think making<br />

a sandwich or cooking is all we can do or are<br />

good for,” junior Brittany Willis said.<br />

In this day and age basically nobody is<br />

raised with a stereotypical stay-at-home<br />

Photo by Marissa Fredrickson<br />

Juniors Izel Thomson and Andrew Ralph act out the “Make me a sandwich”<br />

stereotype that annoys most girls.<br />

mom like it was many years ago. Most women<br />

want a career of their own and plan to<br />

build their own life without relying on men<br />

to do it for them. It’s wrong for men to think<br />

otherwise of women, they are good for many<br />

more things than cooking and cleaning.<br />

Women do everything men can do and<br />

sometimes, do it better.<br />

With regard to college graduate rates,<br />

“Women aged 25-34, 42% had earned an<br />

associate or bachelor’s degree, while just<br />

34% of men of that age group had done so,”<br />

according to mainstreet.com.<br />

Women and men are becoming more and<br />

more equal every year, and more women<br />

are getting an education to have a career of<br />

their own.<br />

These shirts shouldn’t be allowed at<br />

school, just like any other inappropriate<br />

shirt. The shirts are degrading to women<br />

in a society that still needs some work on<br />

equal rights, and the message on them is<br />

negative towards women.


Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

opinion9<br />

Twitter is the new Facebook<br />

This social media giant is surpasing the previous leader in popularity<br />

Facebook has been at the<br />

center of social networking ever<br />

since the infamous Myspace days<br />

ended. However, tough competition<br />

has risen in its place. Twitter<br />

is a fun, less annoying and<br />

more efficient go to site that<br />

many, including myself, have<br />

come to prefer. Facebook has<br />

been our shoulder to lean on for<br />

a long time, but will that change<br />

“Twitter is easy to post on.<br />

Something happens and you pull<br />

out your phone and tweet about<br />

it. Facebook posts are typically<br />

longer,” sophomore Julia Chalk<br />

said.<br />

Although Facebook offers<br />

much more room for words,<br />

I know from experience that<br />

many people use it for all of the<br />

wrong reasons. From whining<br />

about 45-minute relationships<br />

to quoting conversations nobody<br />

else cares about, kids take<br />

almost too much advantage of it.<br />

It’s connecting with friends, not<br />

making friends want to hit their<br />

head against a brick wall.<br />

“People think it’s necessary to post all of their issues<br />

and cry about stuff that is irrelevant to any person with a<br />

brain,” junior Karissa Seiersen said.<br />

Twitter users do their share of whining, but somehow,<br />

it’s a completely different atmosphere where the 140 character<br />

blurbs about life are somehow much less bothersome.<br />

Users on Twitter actually relate to each other. There’s less<br />

obligation to follow people you don’t really like.<br />

“Twitter is a place to vent, to say what you’re doing,<br />

where you’re going and anything else you want and everyone<br />

loves each other for it,” Seiersen said.<br />

While Facebook seems to have everything networking<br />

wise, Twitter has a secret weapon: the retweet button,<br />

the place to capture words you like. The only downside is<br />

when people go crazy with it.<br />

Photo art by Chloe Rowland<br />

“You can “retweet”, which is<br />

kind of cool, unless you retweet<br />

everything you read, which is<br />

what half of the people I follow<br />

do,” junior Nathan Moore said.<br />

The hashtag is slowly taking<br />

over the world, one word starting<br />

a trend that will take over your<br />

feed for about a night.<br />

“The power of the hashtag<br />

is underestimated,” sophomore<br />

Jack Petterborg said.<br />

One major downside to Twitter<br />

however, is that inner curiosity<br />

isn’t totally satisfied. Facebook<br />

allows users to log endless<br />

albums of pictures for sharing,<br />

commenting, liking and just safekeeping.<br />

Twitter only offers single<br />

posts with pictures in them.<br />

This not only makes it harder<br />

to capture more, but also makes<br />

it so that Twitter provides less<br />

snooping opportunities.<br />

“On Facebook, you get to stalk<br />

people. Their pictures, videos....<br />

relationships,” Seiersen said.<br />

Facebook does defeat Twitter<br />

when it comes to keeping in touch with family. Something<br />

to think about is that the older generations are probably<br />

going to stick with Facebook. Quickly typed messages take<br />

up less time than hour long phone calls to distant relatives.<br />

“I am connected to a lot of family that I don’t see regularly<br />

on Facebook,” Chalk said.<br />

While Facebook is something that we are all used to, it’s<br />

like a frenemy, which we’ll all get tired of eventually. Twitter<br />

is working itself in more and more every day, making<br />

its way to the top.<br />

Hola Vikings,<br />

I have noticed in the past few<br />

weeks that guys have been becoming<br />

less and less chivalrous.<br />

And I don’t mean that every guy<br />

has to be a knight-in-shining-armor,<br />

but every girl would like to<br />

have a guy open and hold a door<br />

for her every once in a while.<br />

Just last week, I was walking<br />

to class, going through the<br />

400 building, with my hands full<br />

and this guy was in front of me,<br />

I knew he saw me, and he went<br />

through the hallway door and<br />

then slammed it in my face. I felt<br />

annoyed it was a rude gesture. I<br />

clearly couldn’t open the door because<br />

my hands were full yet he<br />

didn’t care. Its common courtesy<br />

to hold a door open for someone.<br />

I feel like manners have been<br />

going down the drain as the years<br />

go on. I’m not sure if it is because<br />

we are teenagers or if the younger<br />

generations are just being<br />

raised with fewer manners.<br />

Well, whatever it is, common<br />

courtesy needs to be on everyone’s<br />

mind, and a note to boys;<br />

girls like when boys hold the<br />

door open for them, just FYI.<br />

RANTS AND RAVES<br />

“I hate that I don’t get to<br />

leave campus at lunch. That is<br />

something that I want to do,<br />

that my brothers got to do.”<br />

– sophomore Jarod Hampton<br />

“I love when teachers plan<br />

your homework around your<br />

sports schedules to give you<br />

more time.”<br />

– sophomore Tehya Harney<br />

“I love to go mountain biking.<br />

Especially up at <strong>Stevens</strong>’<br />

Pass Ski Resort.”<br />

– junior McCager Bryant<br />

“I hate when I’m waiting for<br />

my coffee in the morning in the<br />

Cove and I get stuck behind a big<br />

group of people who think it’s<br />

okay to let their friends cut.”<br />

– sophomore Austin Sutherland<br />

Unnerving Misconceptions<br />

Scientists debunk controversy surrounding the 2012 apocalypse<br />

The ancient Mayan Civilization’s Empire—what<br />

is now Central America—reigned from 300 A.D.<br />

through 900 A.D. They constructed an elaborate<br />

calendar system with an end date of December<br />

21, 2012. Nowadays, some people view this end<br />

date as the Mayan Prophecy of an apocalypse. As<br />

the clock winds down to this possible doomsday,<br />

I can’t help but feel just the least bit uncomfortable.<br />

However, while I don’t<br />

view it as a silly belief, I still don’t<br />

think the world will be ending<br />

anytime soon.<br />

Many think the world<br />

will come to an end<br />

through a zombie apocalypse,<br />

but according to<br />

the Mayan Prophecy, the<br />

Earth’s solstice will align<br />

with the sun and the “center<br />

line” of the Milky Way<br />

Galaxy on December 21,<br />

2012. Known as the Galactic<br />

Alignment, it is supposed to<br />

cause mass destructions to our<br />

Earth due to as solar flares, meteor<br />

impacts, polar shift, the collapse<br />

of our magnetic field and the absorption into<br />

a supermassive black hole located at the galactic<br />

center.<br />

“If there is one, it’s [going to] be awesome,” junior<br />

Cassandra Bennett said. “I think it will happen<br />

[through] natural causes like tornadoes or earthquakes.”<br />

However, scientists think otherwise and are<br />

far more reliable than a modern man romanticizing<br />

the story behind a 1,300-year-old calendar.<br />

According to NASA, these alignments occur every<br />

year. They hold no significance and pose no threats<br />

to Earth.<br />

Even the Mayans of today are protesting against<br />

the deceits, lies and the twisting of the truth. They<br />

claim that people are turning them into folklores<br />

only to gain profit. The end date of the Mayan Calendar<br />

truly signifies the end of a cycle, not the end<br />

of the world. Recall the Y2K bug scare back in 2000<br />

marking January 1, 2000 as an apocalypse. People<br />

believe that a computer bug would crash many<br />

computers and cause catastrophe leading to the<br />

destruction of our society.<br />

The myths surrounding the 2012<br />

apocalypse became so popular that<br />

movies have been produced based<br />

on it, further proving that people<br />

are trying to feed into it to gain<br />

money. But the 2012 myth may<br />

be just one of the other 200<br />

debunked end-of-world predictions<br />

as the world remains<br />

intact to this very second.<br />

“I don’t buy into all that<br />

stuff,” junior Austin Elmore<br />

said. “If some people think Michael<br />

Bay movies are that convincing<br />

to believe in 2012, then<br />

let them believe. I’ll just sit here and<br />

watch all of [them] look stupid.”<br />

No matter whether the theory is true<br />

or not, it is still very unnerving to know and hear<br />

that some people believe the end is near. I cannot<br />

be 101-percent comfortable until we make it past<br />

the winter solstice alive, but I won’t be scrambling<br />

and stocking up on supplies or sending out goodbye<br />

messages. But if for some divine intervention<br />

the world does cease to exist on December 22,<br />

2012, let’s all hope that it won’t be because of a<br />

zombie apocalypse.<br />

photo courtesy of creative commons.org


10a&e<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012 Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

What’s on your playlist<br />

The witch steals the spotlight<br />

“Wickedly” hilarious musical drops into Seattle<br />

by Kaelyn King The newest<br />

Staff Reporter hit Broadway<br />

musical that<br />

put a hilarious spin on The Wizard<br />

of Oz was shown at Seattle’s<br />

Paramount theatre from October<br />

17 through <strong>November</strong> 17.<br />

Long before Dorothy dropped<br />

into the wonderful Land of<br />

Oz, her soon-to-be friend and<br />

foe got along quite pleasantly.<br />

That’s right; Elphaba, the “wicked”<br />

witch of the West, and Glinda,<br />

the good witch of the North,<br />

were childhood friends. At Shiz<br />

University, the two are polar opposites.<br />

Elphaba is an awkward<br />

and peculiarly green outcast<br />

and Glinda is the popular, perky<br />

blonde. They hate each other<br />

immediately but are forced to<br />

tolerate each other as they are<br />

assigned to be roommates. They<br />

Top 5 reasons why<br />

the world won’t<br />

end in 2012<br />

5. Harold Camping<br />

hasn’t confi rmed it<br />

yet<br />

4. Pigs haven’t fl own<br />

3. It’s a stupid,<br />

made-up story<br />

2. Baseball season<br />

hasn’t started<br />

1. Seniors<br />

still have 117<br />

days to go<br />

“Dave Brubeck Quartet was a good<br />

band; ‘Take Five,’ that was a good<br />

song. It was the best jazz song of the<br />

20th century.”<br />

— junior Evan Hubbard<br />

“My favorite artist is Lana Del Ray,<br />

and my favorite song by her is<br />

‘Radio.’”<br />

— senior Samantha Cook<br />

“I like Tyler the Creator, and my<br />

favorite song is probably<br />

‘Burger.’”<br />

— sophomore Ryan Watson<br />

“My favorite band right now is probably<br />

Grouplove, and I think my favorite<br />

song by them is ‘Lovely Cup.’”<br />

— junior Mckenzie Grant<br />

“My favorite artist right now is the<br />

Local Natives, and my favorite song<br />

by them is ‘Stranger Things.’”<br />

VS.<br />

— senior Tessa Tasakos<br />

Top 5 reasons why<br />

the world will<br />

end in 2012<br />

5. Mayan Calendar<br />

4. Zombies<br />

3. Snooki’s baby<br />

2. Justin Bieber<br />

continues to sing<br />

us to death<br />

1. Honey<br />

Boo-Boo<br />

photos taken by Chloe Rowland and Marissa Fredrickson<br />

From desk doodles to assembly art<br />

Senior Jordan Maher’s artistic talent gains recognition<br />

by Sarah Gluck<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Senior<br />

Jordan Maher<br />

is recognized<br />

for more than just daily<br />

work in class. For the past<br />

three years, Maher has been<br />

catching herself doodling<br />

all over desks during class.<br />

Ever since she could<br />

remember, Maher has<br />

been designing and<br />

messing around with<br />

different fonts.<br />

At a young age,<br />

Maher would always<br />

set aside free time to<br />

sketch. It started out as<br />

just drawing bubble<br />

letters, but soon<br />

photo courtesy of Jo r dan Maher<br />

progressed into<br />

the stylized art of<br />

graffiti.<br />

Leadership and<br />

Spanish teacher Alisa<br />

Arcos certainly recognized<br />

Maher’s artistic<br />

ability. She asked if Maher<br />

would be interested in designing<br />

the class posters that hung<br />

on assembly days. Maher was<br />

excited about the offer and has<br />

created a few posters for the<br />

school already.<br />

eventually become the best of<br />

friends and go through the typical<br />

friend-drama that every girl<br />

has experienced with boys, family,<br />

flying monkeys and unreasonable<br />

wizards. The “wicked”<br />

witch doesn’t seem so wicked<br />

after all.<br />

The musical’s cast’s unbelievable<br />

vocals made it very<br />

difficult to not jump up and<br />

start singing. The beautiful set<br />

boasted a giant golden dragon<br />

that sat at the top of the stage<br />

and was complete with steam<br />

coming out of its snout. Glinda<br />

was hilariously ditsy and selfabsorbed<br />

and hit notes that<br />

nobody knew existed. The costumes<br />

were gorgeous, and the<br />

actors are straight-off-of-Broadway<br />

talented.<br />

The whimsy was breathtaking.<br />

It felt like the audience was<br />

involved in the magic. It was<br />

truly entertainment for all ages.<br />

All from the witch’s side of the<br />

story, it’s the Wizard of Oz like<br />

never before.<br />

Word Bank:<br />

BROADWAY<br />

DOROTHY<br />

ELPHABA<br />

GLINDA<br />

GREEN<br />

LION<br />

MONKEYS<br />

MUNCHKINLAND<br />

MUNCHKINS<br />

MUSICAL<br />

NORTH<br />

POPULAR<br />

SCARECROW<br />

SINGING<br />

TINMAN<br />

WEST<br />

WICKED<br />

WITCHES<br />

WIZARD<br />

photo courtesy of creativecommons.org<br />

According to Maher, the<br />

work for Arcos was similar<br />

to being asked by her fellow<br />

classmates to draw their name<br />

out for them.<br />

“I’ve probably drawn hundreds<br />

of names for<br />

my friends. I’m asked all the<br />

time,” Maher said.<br />

Maher might not know the<br />

full extent of how much her<br />

work is appreciated, but students<br />

do pay attention.<br />

“The art is an exquisite example<br />

of the fine quality our<br />

students show. The Senior<br />

sign in the assemblies are like<br />

a diamond in the rough when<br />

it comes to artistic swag,” senior<br />

Ryan Lian said.<br />

There is no doubt that the<br />

senior signs are noticeable<br />

during assemblies.<br />

“I noticed the signs<br />

above the senior section<br />

last assembly. It really<br />

caught my attention.<br />

Maybe if there were more<br />

signs around school in<br />

that cooler format, people<br />

would actually read<br />

them,” senior Tanner<br />

Plaisance said.<br />

Maher has really been<br />

inspired and is highly valued<br />

for her work. But not everyone<br />

loves the graffiti style<br />

as much as Maher.<br />

“It’s a shame that the stereotype<br />

of graffiti has a bad<br />

reputation. Graffiti can come<br />

off as vandalizing or be seen<br />

as an association with gangs.<br />

To me, graffiti is how artists<br />

express their joy for drawing,”<br />

Maher said.<br />

Sounds Around the Sound<br />

JINGLE BALL, Decemeber 16 at the WaMu Theater<br />

Kiss FM will host seven different artists—Calvin<br />

Harris, Cher Lloyd, Owl City, 3OH!3, Alex Clare, Afrojack<br />

and Ed Sheeran. Calvin Harris is famous for his hit song,<br />

“Feel So Close,” while Cher Lloyd is climbing the music<br />

charts with “Want U Back.” Owl City originated in Seattle<br />

and gained acclamation through “Fireflies,” while<br />

“Don’t Trust Me” and “Starstruck” are just one of the<br />

many chart-topper songs by 3OH!3. Alex Clare’s recent<br />

hit is “Too Close” and Afrojack is unstoppable with<br />

popular single, “Can’t Stop Me.” After gaining notoriety<br />

through “The A-Team” and finishing his North American<br />

tour, Ed Sheer an joins the panel of artists at the Jingle<br />

Ball. Tickets cost $53.55.<br />

LADY GAGA, January 14, 2013 at the Tacoma Dome<br />

Lady GaGa rose to fame in 2008 through her debut<br />

album, The Fame. She was recently nominated for Best<br />

Live, Best Video, and Biggest Fans at the 2012 MTV’s<br />

EMAs. Just some of her countless hits are “Born This<br />

Way,” “The Fame,” and “Bad Romance.” She broke a record<br />

for reaching five million sales with her first album<br />

and is known for her amazing concerts. This one is going<br />

to be one to see. Ticket prices range from $62.48<br />

- $435.00<br />

WICKED WORD SEARCH<br />

I U O J P I A B D I P M B M M<br />

A D N I L G P I L E Y U T U D<br />

Q N O I L M Z J U J K N N Q R<br />

W O R C E R A C S W U C V R A<br />

Y S I N G I N G E M H H I T Z<br />

R A U C U Y N S O K A K S W I<br />

E M W T X A T N I L P I E N W<br />

R L C D M K K N A Q O N H O Q<br />

G D P N A E S C S O P L C R N<br />

O R I H Y O I M N C U A T T X<br />

L T E S A S R R S W L N I H I<br />

D I M E U B K B J K A D W D E<br />

H I L M N F A I Y Q R P S N Y<br />

C I D O R O T H Y K C K K Y K<br />

T Q P O E A Z F A K E U E I N


features11<br />

Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla” <strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

Visit locksoflove.org for more information about donating hair<br />

by Caitlyn Chandler<br />

Opinion Editor<br />

Face in the crowd: Delvene Ali<br />

Junior Delvene Ali adapts to moving around the West Coast<br />

by Kacie Masten<br />

Sports Editor<br />

Alexis Buehler<br />

Locks of Love is an organization<br />

that began in 1997 and<br />

gives wigs and hairpieces to<br />

children in the United States and Canada who suffer<br />

from long-term medical hair loss. They collect donated<br />

hair and create unique hairpieces for financially<br />

disadvantaged children who can’t afford to buy wigs<br />

for themselves.<br />

Most of the wigs created by Locks of Love are given<br />

to children with Alopecia, a disease that causes complete<br />

hair loss. LSHS senior Alexis Buehler recently<br />

donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love because<br />

of her personal connection to someone with Alopecia.<br />

Outstanding students<br />

by Brittan Lamberty<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Students of the month<br />

must go above and beyond<br />

and show their hard work<br />

and dedication to their teachers. To some, being student<br />

of the month was a goal to be accomplished. For<br />

others the award was a complete surprise to them.<br />

“My German teacher nominated me; I work hard<br />

in that class so I think that’s why she did so. Hard<br />

work definitely pays off!” junior Emily Schollenberger<br />

said.<br />

Moreover, having a positive attitude and being<br />

nice to others is one of the many attributes that students<br />

perform to receive student of the month.<br />

“Try your best in school and be nice to other people.<br />

You don’t have to have all A’s just to be student<br />

of the month. If your teachers recognize that you are<br />

really trying your best then you could be nominated<br />

as well,” sophomore Kaitlyn Kurisu said.<br />

Being student of the month does take a lot of effort<br />

and devotion. However, anyone can do it if they<br />

try hard to succeed and work to their fullest potential.<br />

.<br />

..<br />

October students of the month<br />

Sophomores Kaitlyn Kurisu and Jaylen Pegues<br />

Juniors Emily Schollenberger and Rylan Huot<br />

Seniors Tanya Richmond and Kyle Zellers<br />

Many students at LSHS experience<br />

moving to a new house<br />

or neighborhood. However, most<br />

students will never experience moving like junior<br />

Delvene Ali. Within the past 16 years, Ali has moved<br />

six times. These haven’t been to different neighborhoods<br />

either. Overall, Ali has moved to four different<br />

cities, three separate counties, and two states.<br />

Ali’s family is accustomed to moving; her parents<br />

immigrated to the United States in 1993. Both of her<br />

parents were born and raised in Iraq. They were<br />

married in the early 1990’s, and soon after, Saddam<br />

Hussein began to bomb the country. Hoping to seek<br />

safety, Ali’s parents fled to Turkey. Luckily, after living<br />

in Turkey for almost a year, their names came up<br />

for a lottery, allowing them to move to the United<br />

States. In 1993, Ali’s parents moved to the United<br />

States, and settled in Bremerton. A few years later,<br />

Ali was born.<br />

Ali lived there until she was two. Soon after,<br />

Ali’s parents felt uncomfortable in the community<br />

because, being from the Middle East, they felt detached<br />

from their culture. Soon, they moved to Everett.<br />

However, this wasn’t a perfect match, so Ali’s<br />

family moved to <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> until Ali was in third<br />

“One of my cousin’s friends has Alopecia, so her<br />

hair falls out constantly. She gets her wigs from a wig<br />

shop,” Buehler said.<br />

Donating to Locks of Love is no easy task as it takes<br />

a lot of time and hard work to maintain hair that long.<br />

Additionally, hair must be free of bleach.<br />

“It took me about three years to grow my hair out<br />

that long. It was just past the middle of my back when<br />

I cut it,” Buehler said.<br />

The hairpieces provided by Locks of Love help to<br />

restore self-esteem and confidence to the children<br />

who need them. The hair that Buehler donated will do<br />

just that for a child in need somewhere.<br />

Paving a path to the big city stadium<br />

by Sarah Gluck<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Senior Andrew Elgaen has<br />

been playing football ever since<br />

he can remember, and he doesn’t<br />

want it to end. With the close of the football season,<br />

Elgaen has been preparing his best for the future.<br />

Both Elgaen and fellow senior football<br />

player Conner Coleman were contacted by<br />

University of Portland coaches to take a<br />

day trip down to watch a game. The boys<br />

not only watched the game, but enjoyed<br />

excellent passes to view the game from the<br />

sidelines. Coleman and Elgaen toured the<br />

campus and were able to go in and walk<br />

around the locker room.<br />

While Elgaen loved the Portland<br />

coaches, the campus, the college<br />

atmosphere, in all honesty one<br />

of his favorite parts of the University<br />

is the mascot.<br />

“They’re the Vikings, always<br />

have to stay true to the<br />

Vikings,” Elgaen said with a<br />

beaming smile on his face.<br />

It doesn’t all come so<br />

easy though. Elgaen explained<br />

that being studious<br />

is essential for athletes.<br />

“<strong>School</strong> comes first. You<br />

have to have an education<br />

if you want to go anywhere<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Senior Alexis Beuhler holds the braid that was cut off and donated to Locks<br />

of Love. The minimum length of hair that is required to donate is ten inches.<br />

in today’s world.” Elgaen said.<br />

As much as Elgaen receives pressure at home,<br />

he says the pressure to obtain good grades and play<br />

his hardest on the field has only helped him in a<br />

positive way. But trying his best exceeds most<br />

people’s efforts. Not only has Elgaen played<br />

his hardest, but he sure has shown it. This<br />

season he stood on the field every game<br />

with two broken fingers and a partially<br />

torn ACL.<br />

“I plan on getting surgery after the<br />

season unless I wrestle. It’s my senior<br />

year, and I’m going to play my heart<br />

out,” Elgaen said.<br />

Elgaen says the key to success is<br />

to just focus.<br />

“Mentally preparing and<br />

zoning everything out is<br />

what I do to get it done. I<br />

deal with school, and then<br />

I deal with sports.” Elgaen<br />

said.<br />

Other athletes just like<br />

Elgaen are hopeful to further<br />

their athletic careers.<br />

Students will be hearing<br />

about their scholarships<br />

over the next few months.<br />

Elgaen hopes to hear from<br />

UP and suit up next fall.<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Photo courtesy of Alexis Beuhler<br />

grade. Then her family decided to try living in Everett<br />

again.<br />

However, the story isn’t over. After living in Everett,<br />

Ali’s brothers wanted to move to California,<br />

where more people from the Middle East live. Ali’s<br />

parents agreed, and the family moved to San Diego.<br />

After a year, though, the Ali family grew to dislike<br />

the community in San Diego.<br />

“[San Diego] was really bad and the schools were<br />

terrible, and we didn’t like it over there so we came<br />

back [to <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong>],” Ali said.<br />

As of late September, Ali lives in <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong>, but<br />

the move comes with its own challenges.<br />

“It’s different because a new place has different<br />

people and some places are hard to make friends<br />

and some places are good, but it’s just really hard<br />

around different people every few years,” Ali said.<br />

Even though moving has been difficult for Ali, and<br />

at times she would rather be in Everett where she<br />

stayed the longest, she knows that her parents had<br />

the best of intentions in mind and that they wanted<br />

their children to be first priority.<br />

“They always wanted me to get the best education<br />

I can and try my hardest even though they knew<br />

it was difficult,” Ali said.


12features<br />

<strong>November</strong> <strong>28</strong>, 2012<br />

Check out more photos on Facebook at “Lshs Valhalla”<br />

Coping with the painful loss of a loved one<br />

Junior Madison Whornham speaks out about the passing of her mother<br />

by Alexandra Mulvaney<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

There are a large<br />

number of kids at the<br />

high school who have<br />

lost a loved one or a<br />

family member. Losing<br />

a loved one can affect<br />

many aspects of a person’s<br />

life, and coping is<br />

different for everyone.<br />

Junior Madison Whornham<br />

lost her mother a<br />

little over two years ago<br />

and has coped in her<br />

own way, living with her<br />

older brother, and moving<br />

back and forth to<br />

Texas with her dad.<br />

“The relationship<br />

with my brother has<br />

changed the most because<br />

he was always just<br />

my brother now he is my<br />

From students to teachers<br />

by Sarah Gluck<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

Sydney Clark spits rhymes<br />

by Meredith Brown<br />

Staff Reporter<br />

The friendly staff and<br />

enormous student body that<br />

occupy the halls at <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong><br />

High <strong>School</strong> have welcomed two newcomers.<br />

Matt Palmer and Jennifer DiAsio are both<br />

student teachers learning the ropes to someday<br />

fulfill their dreams of becoming teachers themselves.<br />

Mr. Palmer is a student teacher for Mr.<br />

Hein in the Math Department. Palmer graduated<br />

from Federal Way High <strong>School</strong> and the University<br />

of Washington.<br />

“I highly enjoy teaching. It’s one thing I love<br />

to do. I teach anything and everything I can possibly<br />

think of. I like science, math, English, history<br />

and philosophy. But math is the one I prefer<br />

and probably the one I’m best at,” Palmer said.<br />

Although Mr. Palmer didn’t think it was going<br />

to be as hectic as it is, he is taking it all in.<br />

“There’s a lot more busy work than they<br />

make [teaching] out to be. It’s probably half and<br />

half, lots of busy work-filling out papers, lots<br />

of putting stuff in<br />

the computer, lots<br />

of grading and<br />

helping out Mr.<br />

Hein with what I<br />

can,” Palmer said.<br />

Overall, Palmer<br />

has thoroughly<br />

taken pleasure in<br />

teaching.<br />

“I love it when<br />

students finally<br />

understand<br />

In the<br />

eyes of<br />

senior<br />

Sydney Clark, music is essential.<br />

Ever since her childhood, she has<br />

been interested in the music industry.<br />

She started out beat boxing<br />

and soon progressed to rapping.<br />

She has written two songs<br />

and performed one of them at<br />

both One Voice, a club at <strong>Lake</strong><br />

<strong>Stevens</strong> High <strong>School</strong>, and at a<br />

camp she attended.<br />

Thinking about a performance<br />

beforehand makes Clark<br />

nervous, but on her way up to<br />

the stage, she knows it’s all or<br />

nothing. After the performance,<br />

she feels great, and people love<br />

it. Clark plans on beat boxing at<br />

Open Mic soon.<br />

Like most artists, Clark writes<br />

her own lyrics. Something random<br />

usually sparks an idea in<br />

Clark’s mind which is when<br />

she sits down and unfolds her<br />

parent too,” Whornham<br />

said.<br />

Confiding in family<br />

is often a way to help<br />

people mourn a loss.<br />

Many kids tend to isolate<br />

themselves because<br />

they don’t know how to<br />

react to their feelings in<br />

a healthy way, and there<br />

is no right or wrong way<br />

for a person to feel.<br />

“The best advice I<br />

have to others is to not<br />

shut people out, and<br />

keep your family close,”<br />

Whornham added.<br />

At the time of a loved<br />

one’s passing, it may feel<br />

like life will never be the<br />

same, which was a big<br />

part of Whornham’s experience.<br />

“I thought it was the<br />

end of the world and<br />

Photos by Chloe Rowland<br />

that it would hurt forever,<br />

but you have to really<br />

take into consideration<br />

that time heals everything,<br />

because it’s really<br />

gotten easier over time,”<br />

Whornham said.<br />

Whornham has proven<br />

to everyone around<br />

her that she is a very<br />

strong person after going<br />

through an unbearable<br />

loss. She has persevered<br />

through the pain.<br />

“With all she has gone<br />

through over the past<br />

few years, she still has<br />

one of the most positive<br />

outlooks on life,” Whornham’s<br />

best friend, junior<br />

Hailey Sylvester said.<br />

Being positive and<br />

surrounded by people<br />

who can help in a constructive<br />

way seems to<br />

something. Like really understand something<br />

about the world they didn’t know before,” Palmer<br />

said.<br />

As for the other student teacher around<br />

school, Jennifer DiAsio teaches Novels and Exposition<br />

in Mr. Palmer’s class. DiAsio graduated<br />

from <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Stevens</strong> High <strong>School</strong> and later<br />

attended Everett Community College, SPU, and<br />

Grand Canyon University, where she recieved<br />

her Master’s in Education, and realized she<br />

wanted to teach in her future.<br />

“I wanted to become a teacher where I can<br />

have a positive impact on kids’ lives. I chose<br />

kids in high school because they are at such a<br />

fork in their lives because it’s right on the cusp<br />

of them having so much freedom, graduating<br />

high school, and finding out who they are. I feel<br />

like I can really be a positive role model,” DiAsio<br />

said.<br />

DiAsio’s student teaching experience has<br />

differed from her original expectations.<br />

“It has turned<br />

out better than<br />

I thought it was<br />

going to be. I’m<br />

not sure how the<br />

classes as a whole<br />

would accept me,<br />

and I found it a lot<br />

easier to connect<br />

with the students<br />

than I thought I<br />

would,” said DiAsio.<br />

rhymes.<br />

“I usually get my inspiration<br />

at eleven at night or four in the<br />

morning, and I just write it all in<br />

a day,” Clark said.<br />

Clark has kept up with beatboxing,<br />

and it helps with her<br />

rapping. Typically, she makes<br />

her beats by beat boxing, then<br />

she adds the rhymes to fit the<br />

rhythm. Clark looks up music on<br />

YouTube for her audio. Friends<br />

of Clark record her for fun every<br />

once and a while, but she hasn’t<br />

professionally made a recording<br />

yet. However, Clark plans to in<br />

the near future.<br />

A popular Christian rapper,<br />

LaCrae, is her main inspiration.<br />

LaCrae provides her inspiration<br />

for her lyrics and the style of the<br />

songs she writes. He inspires<br />

Clark because he doesn’t perform<br />

for his own notoriety, but<br />

to serve God. At age nineteen,<br />

he was inspired when he attended<br />

a conference. From then<br />

on, LaCrae has been traveling nationwide;<br />

his passion has made<br />

an impact on Clark.<br />

In addition to LaCrae, Pink is<br />

her motivation in terms of making<br />

a name for herself in the music<br />

industry.<br />

“It’s really inspiring how Pink<br />

wants to help the world. A lot of<br />

people like her for that,” Clark<br />

said.<br />

be the best medicine<br />

when struggling with a<br />

hard loss. Losing someone<br />

is one of the hardest<br />

things anyone can<br />

go through, but there is<br />

always help from other<br />

family and friends to<br />

confide in. Nobody is<br />

alone.<br />

“Some days are better<br />

than others. I’ll always<br />

say if my mom was here,<br />

I wouldn’t be dealing<br />

with this, but I am where<br />

I am today because of<br />

what happened, so I try<br />

to look at the brighter<br />

side,” Whornham added.<br />

Whornham holds a photo of her and<br />

her mother from several years ago.<br />

The passing of her mother was hard,<br />

but she has found ways to cope and<br />

still wears a sincere smile on her<br />

face. Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

What’s cookin’<br />

by Iris Favoreal<br />

A&E Editor<br />

Sophomore<br />

Jirat<br />

Rymparsurat’s<br />

passion for culinary arts<br />

hit him like love at first sight.<br />

To him, cooking is an accomplishment<br />

and a form of art.<br />

Being around his mom aided<br />

him to develop his love for<br />

cookery at just the early age<br />

of seven. She opened his eyes<br />

to something he would later<br />

decide on doing for the rest of<br />

his life.<br />

“My mom made such great<br />

food,” Rymparsurat said. “She<br />

would let me help sometimes;<br />

she would let me fry the eggs<br />

we were having.”<br />

As Rymparsurat grew up,<br />

the presence of cuisine became<br />

more dominant in his<br />

life. Home-cooking gave him<br />

the chance to explore the joys<br />

of cookery. His family makes<br />

fancy dinners such as steaks<br />

and ribs, and Rymparsurat<br />

helps by doing the prep work.<br />

This year, Rymparsurat<br />

followed his passion and was<br />

more than thrilled to find the<br />

culinary arts electives. He<br />

took full advantage and<br />

signed up for Mrs. Boyden’s<br />

Culinary Basics<br />

and Prep class.<br />

“Jirat is very serious<br />

about his cooking,”<br />

Mrs. Boyden<br />

said. “He loves to<br />

cook and it’s exciting<br />

to watch all the great<br />

creations he makes.”<br />

Rymparsurat enjoys<br />

the diversity of<br />

foods they cook in<br />

class, such as pancakes,<br />

stir-fry,<br />

cakes and biscuits.<br />

“Whenever<br />

Jirat makes<br />

food [from<br />

his Culinary<br />

class], I’m<br />

a l w a y s<br />

chocolate<br />

begging to try it. It’s so good;<br />

I love his food,” sophomore<br />

Mackenzie McLeod said.<br />

One aspect Rymparsurat<br />

especially loves about cooking<br />

is the spices. His love for them<br />

has prompted him to grow<br />

his own stock. He grows bay<br />

leaves and currently owns a<br />

thriving rosemary bush in his<br />

backyard.<br />

“I’m addicted to spices. I<br />

like tasting just the spice, such<br />

as curry powder or ginger.<br />

The smells are sometimes just<br />

so nice to smell,” Rymparsurat<br />

said.<br />

Rymparsurat enjoys cooking<br />

Asian food the most;<br />

however, Rymparsurat looks<br />

forward to expanding his culinary<br />

knowledge and enhancing<br />

his versatility by learning<br />

other international cuisines,<br />

such as Italian cuisine and<br />

learning more cooking techniques.<br />

He plans on enrolling<br />

in Sno-Isle’s culinary program<br />

for two years as well as eventually<br />

attending Seattle Art Institute<br />

for their<br />

culinary program.<br />

He<br />

dreams<br />

o f<br />

someday<br />

becoming<br />

a sushi<br />

chef or<br />

a pâtissier.<br />

Photo by Chloe Rowland<br />

Rymparsurat discovered his passion for cooking at the young age of seven. Here, he<br />

shows his love for cooking in his culinary class.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!