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
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<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.