Vol 48 Iss 1 Oct 22 2019

The 

Ellensburg High School’s Student News Magazine 

Alutant 

October 21, 2019 

Issue 1 

Volume 48 

Bull Bating 

Pages 4-5 

Sports 

Pages 6-8 

Fall Play 

Pages 11-12 

Teacher Features 

Pages 16-24 

Students start a crowd-surfing mosh pit during the History 

department’s Lip Sync of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at the 

Homecoming Pep Assembly.

2 October 22, 2019 

Alutant 

Alutant Staff: 

Letter from 

Imani Alexander 

A Editor in Chief 

Editorial 

Editor-in-Chief: 


Jada Godwin 

Associate Editor: 

Lucy Altman-Coe 

Staff Reporters: 

Olivia Anderson 

Lydia Blaisdell 

David Lira 

Marcus Shurley 

Elian Calderon 

Ariana Armstrong 

Helen Mills 

Marcella Kelly 

McKenzie Bandy 

Ashley Callan 

Tyler Carlson 

Hannah Campbell 

Taylor Snyder 

Adviser: 

Jon McClintick 

Affiliations 

Washington Journalism 

Education Association 

National Scholastic Press 

Association 

Quill and Scroll Honorary 

Society 

Special Thanks 

ESD Printing Services 

Alutant is an Old English word 

meaning “bulldog.” 

The Alutant is a public forum 

for student expression. Content 

is written and produced by and 

for students and does not necessarily 

reflect the opinions of EHS 

or the school district. 

ELLENSBURG HIGH 

SCHOOL 

1203 E. Capitol Avenue 

Ellensburg, WA 98926 

(509)-925-8300 

Cover photo: 

the Editors 

An opening letter from the Head Editors, 

welcoming you to our first issue of the year. 

Hello! Welcome to the first 

issue of Alutant’s 48th volume. 

Our first issue is coming 

out later than it has in past 

years. This was on purpose. 

We wanted a large issue 

that showcases all of our reporters 

and gives you an idea 

of what’s to come in later issues. 

This takes time. We had to 

learn about our team and ourselves, 

as well as what you 

guys want. 

Our entire team put a lot of 

work into making this issue as 

great as possible. So, here’s 28 

pages of pure quality content, 

for you all to enjoy. 

Being a student run publication 

is truly exciting. 

We run just about everything 

ourselves. We choose 

what we write, how to write 

it, and even design the layout 

of every article ourselves. 

Everything comes to fruition 

with our hard work. 

Of course, that comes with 

it’s own set of trials and tribulations, 

but it’s definitely 

worth it. 

Journalism teaches students 

so much more than how 

A 

Jada Godwin 

Editor in Chief 

Editorial 

to write articles. 

It teaches accountability, and 

responsibility. It allows us to 

work with our peers in a brand 

new way. It gives us something 

to be proud of. 

We want to bring you the 

news of the school, country, and 

world- in a way that matters to 

you. We want to find out what’s 

happening and why, and write 

down history in the making. 

Of course, that means we 

want to hear from you. Send 

us ‘Letters to the Editor’ at 

our e-mail, Alutant@esd401. 

org. 

Another way for students 

of Ellensburg High School to 

contribute to our publication 

is by sending us your work! 

We accept freelance writing, 

photography, and artwork. 

It’s a great way for you to 

showcase your work, and for us 

to understand what’s important 

to you all. 

So from us here at the Alutant 

to all of you, we truly appreciate 

your contributions and 

interest in our publication, and 

we can’t wait for you to read 

further issues.

Alutant October 22, 2019 

3 

What’s Up With the New School? 

A 

Why A New Elementary School Isn’t The Right Solution 


Copy Editor 

Editorial 

Recently, Ellensburg School 

District discovered that the 29-acre 

plot of land just North of Mount 

Stuart Elementary, purchased for 

$750,000 in 2018, will be unusable 

for building a new elementary 

school. The land has been reclassified 

by the Department of Ecology 

as a flood zone area, and unable 

to support the weight of a school. 

Their new plan? Divide the 

land that Mount Stuart sits on 

into areas for two, adjacent elementary 

schools built on land that 

won’t be able to keep kids safe. 

Overcrowding has been an 

issue in Ellensburg School District 

for many years. However, 

the solution that the 

school district proposes- 

the building 

of a new elementary 

school- may be 

faulty in and of itself. 

Currently, all elementary 

schools in 

Ellensburg School 

District funnel into 

Morgan Middle 

School, whose remodel 

was finished 

last year. Nearby 

Damman Elementary 

School doesn’t provide 

a middle school 

education beyond 6th 

grade, leaving previous 

Damman School 

students few options 

other than beginning 

attendance at Morgan. 

Morgan currently has about 

750 attending students spread over 

grades 6, 7, and 8. The school is allowed, 

by a 2017 bill, to reach 800 

students before the school district 

considers the school overcrowded. 

Many people already consider 

Ellensburg High School overcrowded; 

class sizes are rising above 30, 

lockers are unavailable to some students, 

and bustling hallways, akin 

to the times of eighth graders at 

the high school, are now the norm. 

Almost every single student 

from Morgan Middle School 

chooses to attend Ellensburg High 

School. In addition, students from 

Ellensburg Christian School often 

move to the high school after 

they complete the curriculum 

that only reaches 8th grade. 

Last year, Ellensburg High 

School’s student population was 

approaching 1,000 people. The 

school, whose construction began 

in 2003, is built to accommodate 

no more than 1,050 students. 

Therefore, building a new elementary 

school is not the most 

practical solution for Ellensburg 

School District’s growing population. 

A new elementary school 

may be able to accommodate more 

K-5 students, but provides no answer 

to the growing populations 

that will attend the already overcrowded 

Morgan Middle School 

and Ellensburg High School. 

Perhaps there are better 

ways that the school district 

could have spent that money 

than on unusable land. 

Lincoln Elementary, another district elementary school, is overflowing with students.


Alutant 

Since the end of the 19th century, 

with the arrival of the Industrial 

Revolution, greenhouse 

gases have been steadily on the 

rise. 

While some scientist’s object 

to the fact that global warming 

and climate change exists, 

most scientists have been able to 

agree that it is a serious problem 

we need to deal with. 

“It’s not something that’s 

easy to argue about,” Jeff 

Hashimoto (Environment Club 

Advisor) says. “It’s difficult to 

argue fact. If someone’s not going 

to respond to evidence, it’s 

not going to be a productive discussion.” 

Over the last 250 years or so, 

large amounts of carbon dioxide, 

methane, nitrogen, and water 

vapor have accumulated in 

our atmosphere. This is causing 

a phenomenon that scientists 

call the “greenhouse effect”. 

By containing the sun’s heat, 

this greenhouse effect has kept 

us in a livable zone for centuries. 

But now, this layer is becoming 

too thick to be healthy for our 

ecosystem. 

The effects of global warming 

can be seen all around us. 

Polar bears in the Arctic are now 

losing their habitats because of 

the rising ocean temperatures 

melting the ice they live on. This 

melted ice allows the oceans to 

retain more heat and melt even 

more ice. 

OPPOSING VIEWS 

Seeing Through The Haze 

Revealing the Truth About Climate Change 

Sea levels have risen approximately 

7 inches since 1900, a 

clear indicator that something is 

wrong. 

“It’s not just the United 

States, it’s become a global problem,” 

Hashimoto warns. “We 

have to do a lot of things on the 

personal and social level.” 

Global warming also causes 

temperatures around the globe 

to rise. Charts of the world’s 

heat began to turn upward dramatically 

around the year 1900. 

Even though global temperatures 

have wavered throughout 

history, the greenhouse effect 

has caused these wavering temperatures 

to rocket upward in 

the years since the end of the 

19th century. 

While science may lay out 

the facts of what is happening 

on earth, some refuse to see 

what observations and measurements. 

This blindness to information 

has reached such a level 

such that a sixteen-year-old is 

forced to show lawmakers what 

they are ignoring. 

“I shouldn’t be standing 

here!” Swedish activist Greta 

Thunberg emphasized as she 

stood in front of the United Nations, 

reinforcing the fact of how 

little legislators have done to 

combat this serious issue. 

Greta Thunberg, a teenager 

with a passion for climate 

change, has managed to help 


Copy Editor A 

Opinion 

lawmakers see through claims 

that this disaster is a hoax. 

Hopefully, we are now 

turned toward a brighter future 

where we can all respect and act 

on science. “A lot of countries 

look to us for a role model, and 

so we have to use clean energy 

so other countries know to use 

clean energy.” Hashimoto added.


5 

ON CLIMATE CHANGE 

Political Decisiveness Is No 

Place for Children 

Tyler Carlson 

Staff Reporter A 

Opinion 

We live in a modern world 

where the media has been turned 

into a weapon for political gain. The 

center of this attention 

is climate change. 

Climate change 

used to be a scientific 

issue, but over the 

years it shifted into a 

political sideshow. 

It is a sad attempt 

of public fear mongering 

that has taken 

roots in the left. Most 

recently, this fear 

was spread at the 

United Nations by a 

Swedish 16 year-old 

child. 

Pedophrasty- Argument 

involving 

children to prop up 

and rationalize ideas 

People use pedophrasty 

as an attempt 

to demoralize 

their competition. 

Another instance 

of this was the Parkland 

students who 

held gun control rallies. 

There is a more 

scientific term 

known as “Antagonistic 

Buffering” 

which was coined in 

primates who would 

hold children close 

to them to avoid conflict 

with other males. 

What can grown adults do? 

They couldn’t possibly disagree 

with a passionate child. This is a 

tough bind that should be combated 

with logic and reasoning. If Greta 

Thunberg is brave enough to stand 

in front of the United Nations, then 

she should also be willing to take 

the criticism. And no one should 

be berated for disagreeing with her. 

Welcome to the big leagues, Thunberg. 

If so-called climate change was 

a scientific issue, then it would be 

fought by scientists instead of politicians. 

How can fact be rooted out 

through the fiction in the chaos of 

the media? The truth is, it becomes 

difficult when urgency is exaggerated 

. 

Alarmists have called for extreme 

measures just to support their 

side, and many consider it sickening. 

What has begun to happen is 

that a large majority of the population 

has been led to believe that climate 

change is a scientific consensus 

- that climate change is a non-negotiable 

fact. 

In the same way that Hitler led 

Germany to believe that Judaism 

was a disease, people mindlessly 

cling to the concept of climate 

change because they don’t know 

what to believe. 

The fact is, ignorance of the 

masses is bliss and we must not turn


Alutant 

FOOTBALL FIRST GAME: 

Revitalizing The Bulldogs 

Tyler Carlson 


Sports 

It was an excellent 

first game for our Ellensburg 

Bulldogs, competing 

very well against 

Royal City, but falling 

short 21-16. The Bulldogs 

had a very strong first 

half, giving the Royals a 

run for their money. 

Ellensburg High’s 

quarterback, Ryan Ferguson, 

played a very successful 

first game, making 

two running plays 

for first downs. Not only 

were his legs working, 

his cannon of an arm 

made some spectacular throws, 

including a 43 yard toss to Running 

Back, Brenden Swanson. 

Speaking of Swanson, he had 

many excellent plays, ranging 

from an interception all the way 

to a touchdown. 

Even in the last quarter of the 

game, he didn’t fail at riling up 

the crowd, demonstrating excellent 

school spirit. 

Linebacker, Elijah Harper, 

performed well in different 

aspects of the game. He had a 

good-looking 32 yard field goal 

in the first quarter, as well as a 

fumble recovery in the second. 

He is one 

player to 

pay attention 

to. 

After 

the game, 

Senior Dion 

Hardeman 

explained 

his opinion 

on the 

first performance. 

“We did 

an amazing 

job for our first game; we usually 

get swept by Royal. I didn’t play 

as well as I wish I did, but my 

boys carried.” 

Many have wondered about 

the future of the Bulldogs this 

season, under the new Head 

Coach Jeff Zenisek. 

“The new coach is an awesome 

guy… very knowledgeable 

about the sport,” says Ferguson. 

Dion Hardeman voiced his 

agreement. 

“We have an amazing new 

Coach, he’s got good energy,” 

said Hardeman. 

It seems that the energy the 

Bulldogs bring to the field is 

an unwavering strength of the 

team. As a school, we all look 

forward to seeing how the Dogs 

perform through the rest of the 

season.


7 

A Look Into the Heart of Ellensburg 

High School Cross Country 


A Staff Reporter 

Sports 

The Ellensburg High School 

Cross Country team is a group 

of determined and skilled young 

men and women striving for victory. 

Community, Commitment, 

and Character are the three C’s 

the cross country team train to 

pursue, whether it be through 

bonding with fellow teammates 

or running until your legs are 

ready to fall off. 

Through practicing both 

mentally and physically, these 

runners are determined to succeed 

this season. 

Running through difficult 

obstacles, up and down hills, 

and charging through seemingly 

endless courses are just some of 

the ways the team practices for 

the challenging season ahead. 

“We do run, a lot. Running is 

the best training for running.” Says 

Wyatt Mullings, a member of the 

school’s team. 

However, their training is not always 

physical. 

“Visualizing the race, knowing 

the purpose, and sweating the small 

stuff,” Mullings says, are also key 

components of the team’s mentality 

and is just as important as their 

physical training. 

To the members of cross country, 

the bond between teammates 

seems to be a crucial factor to the 

team’s success. 

“My favorite part of cross country 

is probably the team. The team is 

very cool and laid back,” says Curtis 

Smithgall, followed by Mullings, 

who responded, “Definitely the 

community. 

“The cross country team is the 

most wholesome team and they’re 

some of the nicest people I have 

ever met. They always support each 

other and always cheer people 

on.” Says Owen Mertel, who is 

a proud participant of the High 

School’s cross country team. 

To the members of this elite 

team, it seems like the season 

ahead could be a bright one. 

“Well a week from now 

we’re probably gonna be running.” 

says Mullings. 

When asked about their top 

goal for this season, both Mullings 

and Smithgall were quick 

to respond with “top five or top 

three”, which in their opinion, is 

achievable for their team. 

According to the Washington 

State Cross Country Coaches 

Association, Ellensburg has 

already been recognized in the 

top five in the coaches preseason 

poll. 

“We’re the best. Our team’s 

like a T-Rex.” boasts Mertel.


Alutant 

Friday Night Homecoming Football 

Tyler Carlson 


Sports 

The Ellensburg Bulldogs 

came out and showed the fans 

what they had on October 4th, 

successfully defeating the East 

Valley Red Devils 27-14. 

A 

Bulldogs celebrate a touchdown. 

The Homecoming Royalty 


Staff Reporter 

News Brief 

During the Homecoming assembly 

on September 30th, 2019, the 

Homecoming Court was finally announced. 

Congratulations to: Kyle Nolan 

and Allie Brown, Patrick Adkisson 

and Grace Oldham, Nick Gleed 

and Zoe Ihrke, Dion Hardeman and 

Maia Valencia, Henry Rinehart and 

Ellie McConnell, Preston Oldham 

and Brinley Hagemeier. 

While informing the student 

body of the Homecoming themes, 

the votes were tallied up to find out 

who in the royal court had won the 

crown. 

The 2019-2020 Homecoming 

Rulers are King Dion Hardeman 

and Queen Zoe Ihrke. 

It was a refreshing home 

victory for the Bulldogs, giving 

the fans hope for the rest of the 

season. 

Two back-to-back wins for 

Ellensburg shows a positive 

turnaround from the three grueling 

consecutive losses beforehand. 

There were 

plenty of memorable 

plays 

during the 

game, including 

a 15-yard 

run with Brendan 

Swanson 

plowing 

through three 

or four of the 

other team’s 

players. 

The game also had an awesome 

display of fireworks, both 

on and off the field. The team 

seems to be starting to come 

together as a unit. There was a 

big difference between the first 

game and this game. 

Homecoming royalty was 

announced at half-time, and the 

senior deemed king, Dion Hardeman, 

played one heck of a 

game. 

“We had it from kickoff... we 

could’ve not let up the points, 

but we played well,” Hardeman 

said. 

When asked how he felt to be 

crowned homecoming royalty, 

he said, “It felt good to be king.” 

Aside from the royalty matters, 

Dion had multiple touchdowns, 

running one for 10 yards. 

Dion Hardeman and Zoe Ihrke pose after being crowned. 

Photo by Olivia Anderson.


9 

Underclassmen Homecoming 

Royalty 

A 



Feature 

(Left to right) Grady Fortier and Rebecca Johnson, freshmen, George Wright and Katie Blume, 

sophomores, Peter Hogan and Olivia Berthon-Koch, juniors. 

This year had a host of wonderful 

people on the underclassmen 

royalty court. 

First off, the freshman class 

royalty Grady Fortier and Rebecca 

Johnson. 

“I feel really shocked that 

the school voted for me on their 

own without me advertising or 

putting up posters or anything 

like that! I’m just so happy and 

grateful!” said Fortier. 

He and Rebecca have known 

each other since 6th grade and 

were both on the middle school 

ASB. 

“I was really excited when I 

found out that Rebecca was my 

princess!” Grady commented 

about his fellow royalty. 

Next up, the sophomore class 

royalty was George Wright and 

Katie Blume. 

Many people in the sophomore 

class love their homecoming 

royalty. 

For example, an anonymous 

sophomore stated, “I didn’t exactly 

expect the outcome, but it 

seemed like they were definitely 

[the] people you’d expect to get 

it.” 

Lastly, the epic junior class 

court featured Peter Hogan and 

Olivia Berthon-Koch. 

“While I heard a few people 

tell me that they voted for me, I 

truly didn’t expect it to be me. I 

believe that there are more deserving 

people in our grade, but 

instead y’all got me,” said Hogan. 

Hogan is not only our junior 

class prince, but also a devoted 

student with six AP classes and 

a zero period. 

“I’m glad that the [wakeups] 

were not earlier than what they 

were, because if that was the 

case, the Exec Board may have 

found me awake working on my 

homework.” 

When asked what her experience 

was like and whether or 

not the wakeup tradition should 

continue, Berthon-Koch stated, 

“Yes, you should continue the 

tradition. It’s pretty scary when 

they first wake you up, but after 

you realize what it’s then it’s so 

much fun! Breakfast is a lot of 

fun too!” 

Hogan and Berthon-Kock are 

both on the cross country team 

and are very close friends. 

“Awesome! Peter is a super 

close friend of mine,” Olivia 

stated when asked about her fellow 

royalty. 

Overall, this was a great Hocoming 

court for Ellensburg High 

School.


Alutant 

PEP At EHS DECA 

A 

Ariana Armstrong 


News Brief 

Starting off with 

some games, a taco relay; 

which the freshman 

class won, and then following 

up with some 

class karaoke. 

Seniors took the gold 

with karaoke. 

ASB gave away free 

tee shirts and the School 

Cheer Squad performed 

some new cheers and 

dances. 

The Bob Ross competition 

was next and 

the game was wack a 

mole. Mrs. Nelson led 

the Senior class to victory. 

“It was so awesome 

and so much fun to hit 

my boss, I knew I was 

going to win the second 

I was called down, and 

Bob Ross is a hero of 

mine so I was inspired,” 

Mrs. Nelson said. 

As the closing, the 

band and cheer squad 

played the fight song 

and ASB announced the 

seniors as the winners 

of the pep assembly. 

Overall, the first pep 

assembly of the year 

was a success. 

“It was awesome, 

everyone paid attention 

and there was a lot 

of spirit,” Logan Cook 

said when asked about 

his thoughts on the performance. 

Forming Leaders, and Helping 

Students Succeed. 

The Distributive Education Club of America or 

DECA is an organization that offers great opportunities 

for students. 

Club members have the opportunity to go to 

leadership conferences, and also have the chance 

to compete in competitions. 

Students have the chance to qualify to compete 

at the regional, state and even the national level. 

According to Camis Davis (Club Advisor), 

previous students have described competing to be 

enjoyable and a fun experience. 

Being apart of DECA is a great way to boost 

your resume and college applications. 

To become a member there is a $20 fee, which 

goes toward club funds. To find out more about 

this club, visit decadirect.org or visit Davis in 

room E120. 

Mundy’s Formal Wear 

108 N Mt Daniel’s Drive, Ellensburg WA 

Phone:509 925 9725 Cell: 509 899 4906 

Mundy’s Formal Wear has the largest showroom of shirts, pants, ties, 

and all the accessories that you will need to impress your date at a 

dance or any other formal event. 

A 

Imani alexander 


News Brief


11 

A New Budget Woe for Ellensburg 

High School’s Clubs 

A 

Jada Godwin 


Feature 

With a new school year 

comes a new budget - and some 

people aren’t happy about it. 

With the latest budget revision, 

$80,000 was reduced from 

the co-curricular budget for Ellensburg 

High School and Morgan 

Middle School. 

These reductions were 

mainly on athletic transportation, 

equipment purchasing 

and reconditioning, various 

services for the schools, miscellaneous 

items 

for multiple 

programs, 

and club stipends. 

While any 

of these are 

Clubs Affected 

Cover to Cover 

Creative Writing 

El Club de Español 

History Club 

Key Club 

Marine Biology 

Peace Club 

TSA 

and more 

issues, the 

club stipends 

have caused 

a noticeable 

uproar. 

Club stipends 

are 

contracts in which teachers are 

paid for their extra time and 

energy advising clubs. Some 

advisors get more money than 

others depending on their time 

spent with the club outside of 

school, among other factors. 

It was announced last spring 

in a letter to all the club advisors 

that the club stipends would be 

cut for the following year. This 

Club Stipends Matter 

was sent out before the teacher 

strike vote and salary increase 

that took place last summer. 

“We didn’t qualify for several 

adjustments that would 

have given us more money 

and as a consequence we are, 

at the moment, underfunded,” 

says Charlie Acheson, a history 

teacher and the History Club 

advisor at EHS. 

According to Acheson, 

those adjustments included the 

cost of living and free and reduced 

lunch program, both of 

which had barely missed the 

requirements that would have 

granted additional 

funding for the 

Ellensburg School 

District. 

Acheson also 

helped organize 

the club advisors 

to sign a petition 

to get the stipends 

back, but the district 

has yet to respond 

to it. 

Clubs must 

have a full charter 

before the advisors can get a stipend, 

so many new clubs don’t 

have their advisors receive stipends. 

While this means that 

some clubs aren’t feeling the 

pressure, many of the school’s 

older clubs are. 

The advisors for Knowledge 

Bowl and Yearbook, the band 

and choir directors, and the 

activities coordinator are the 

Acheson smiles for the camera. 

only staff receiving stipends for 

the 2019-2020 school year, due to 

“either required and/or significant 

hours outside of the school 

day”, as stated in an email that 

was sent out this fall. 

Acheson believes the stipends 

could come back. 

“I really would hope that 

the district reconsiders where 

they’re allocating they’re money, 

and puts it into programs 

that are the most beneficial for 

students,” says Acheson. “I 

think that’s the education realm 

- teachers - and I think it’s also 

in the realm of clubs, because it’s 

an area where students can meet 

with like minded individuals to 

explore topics and content that 

drives them and motivates them. 

Because that’s what they might 

do in their life.”


Alutant 

Leaping into Fall Play 

On September 19th, 2019, this year’s Fall Play started up. With our new and amazing 

director Jim Denison, auditions were held for the show “Almost Maine.” Many new 

kids were at the auditions and overall it was a welcoming and warm environment for 

both the actors and crew members. Despite the fact that we knew only nineteen of us 

would make it into the show, this experience was fun and relaxed. 

A 



Feature 

Jim Denison, the new Fall Play director, 

giving the welcome speech to the fall 

play members. 

Zoe Ihrke and Kyle Nolan, both seniors, reading for two characters in 

this year’s Fall Play “Almost Maine”. 

Drew Bland, junior, filling out forms to 

be on the back stage crew for Fall Play. 

Dylan Moore, sophomore, and Sophie 

Hanson, senior, reading sides from 

“Almost Maine”. 

Kelly Duong and Grady 

Fortier, freshmen, goofing off 

during auditions.


13 

(Left to right) Annie Schlanger, junior, Olivia Anderson, senior, Kyle Nolan, senior, and 

Peter Hogan, junior, waiting outside auditions. 

Brock Bowers, senior, and Madison Panattoni, junior, 

reading a side for auditions. 

Bri Lubinski, senior, during auditions. 

Nick Zimny, junior, and Olivia Anderson, senior, talking 

to director Jim Denison while reading sides from the 

script. 

While waiting for her audition, Olivia Reiman, sophomore, 

struts her stuff for the camera.


Alutant 

IT Chapter Two Review 

Ashley Callan 


Review 

As we all know, spooky season 

is upon us. It is time for Halloween, 

cold weather, pumpkin 

spice everything, and scary 

movies. 

Recently, the movie “IT 

Chapter Two” was released. “IT 

Chapter Two” is the sequel to 

the award-winning movie “IT”, 

directed by Andrés Muschietti. 

In the first movie, a group 

of friends come together to help 

Bill Denbrough, portrayed by 

Jaeden Martell, when his brother 

disappears mysteriously. 

Bill is determined to find his 

brother, but the group discovers 

an evil alien clown called Pennywise, 

played by Bill Skarsgård, 

took him. 

At the end of the first film, 

it is believed that the group has 

destroyed Pennywise, and the 

viewers are left with a happy 

ending- that is, until the credits 

roll up “IT Chapter One”, meaning 

that a second film would follow. 

After two years, “IT 

Chapter Two” was finally released. 

This movie takes place 27 

years after the group of friends 

had initially fought Pennywise. 

They now all live separate lives 

and had almost forgotten about 

what had happened because 

they had moved away. 

But one of them stayed in 

Derry, Mike Hanlon, portrayed 

by Isaiah Mustafa, and he remembered 

Pennywise. 

Disappearances and deaths 

start to act up again in Derry so 

An in-depth review into Stephan Kings Universe of IT 

Mike calls the friends and tells 

them they have to come back. 

Once they return, they try to figure 

out how to kill Pennywise. 

The movie, in my opinion, 

was one of the best films I have 

seen. I enjoyed how put together 

the story was and how integrated 

it was with the first film, as 

well, I find Andrés Muschietti to 

be a very original director who 

portrays different views. 

In the movie, he includes lots 

of hidden treats for us to find. 

With only one watch you will 

not catch them all. 

One of the obvious ones is that 

the release date adds up to 27. 

For example, September (9), (6) 

th, (2)(0)(1)(9). 9+6+2+0+1+9=27; 

and 27 is the number of years 

between Pennywise rising up to 

feast on children. 

In another subtle use of filmmaking, 

Andrés Muschietti uses 

horror that only the observant 

viewers will notice. 

In the film, a photograph of 

Beverly Marsh, portrayed by Jessica 

Chastain, and her husband 

Tom showed, very faintly, 

Pennywise’s face 

watching over them. 

This is a low-key form 

of horror that you may 

not recognize at first. 

Not only was the 

story fantastic, but the 

acting in the movie was 

amazing; I even cried a 

few times. 

For a horror movie, 

the humor was amazing, 

with most of the jokes cracked 

by Richie Tozier, who was portrayed 

by Bill Hader. 

There was even a guest appearance 

by Stephen King, the 

author of IT and 83 other books. 

Stephen King used to pop up 

in his movies but stopped, so 

this was the first time he’s been 

shown in a long time. 

Even though the terror 

wasn’t there from the first one, 

that doesn’t mean that the second 

didn’t have its moments; it 

surely did. 

The ending was my least favorite 

part, as it seemed rather 

childish and boring. I would 

expect more terror from an evil 

alien clown, but you could always 

connect the ending with 

universal themes such as the 

strength of friendships or being 

kind to one another, giving the 

film a whole new meaning. 

In all, you should definitely 

watch “IT Chapter Two.”


15 

Ford vs Ferrari 

Elian Calderon 

Freelance Reporter A 

News 

If you are a big fan of cars 

and racing, come and see the 

new upcoming movie called 

Ford vs Ferrari. It starts on 

November 15, 2019 at the 

Grand Meridian Theatre. 

The plot follows an eccentric, 

determined team 

of American engineers and 

designers, led by automotive 

visionary Carroll Shelby and 

played by Matt Damon and 

his British driver Ken Miles, 

played by Christian Bale, who 

are dispatched by Henry Ford 

II with the mission of building 

the Ford GT40, the new race 

car with the potential to finally 

defeat The Ferrari racing team 

at the 1966 24 Hours of Le 

Mans race in France. 

In the 1960s, Ferrari won 

five times at Le Mans and 

Ford had planned to buy out 

Ferrari. Car designer Enzo 

Ferrari had agreed to this deal. 

Ferrari was very happy 

with the deal, knowing he 

won’t be alone in sharing the 

power of the company. 

However, the contract stated 

that Ford would take complete 

control over the racing 

department, which Ferrari was 

against. 

He wanted to keep control 

of his own company, so Ferrari 

decided not to work for 

Ford anymore. Ford was mad 

at Enzo Ferrari, so he decided 

to beat Ferrari by building 

his own car called The Ford 

GT40. He talked with Carroll 

Shelby to help him build the 

car. 

Shelby joined his team but 

he didn’t want to race because 

he was too old for racing and 

chose to talk to Ken Miles 

instead. He asked Miles if he 

wanted to race. Miles said yes 

and joined Ford. 

Ford built two prototypes 

of GT40s. Miles test drove 

the first car and said it was 

not fast enough, as it was too 

unstable to race with, so Ford 

built the GT40 again and made 

it better and faster. 

https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/ford-v-ferrari


Alutant 

The Alutant Presents: 

EHS Teacher Features 

The Alutant staff started the year by interviewing many of the 

amazing staff members at EHS. For all those who wonder what 

staff members do after the schoolbell rings, here’s a brief look into 

that obscure portion of their lives. 

Page 17 

Page 18 

Page 19 

Page 20 

Page 21 

Page 22 

Page 22 

Page 23 

Page 24 

Table of Contents 

Mrs. Naboychik 

Mr. Rutherford 

Mr. Barrera 

Mrs. Bicchieri 

Mr. Wickwire 

Mr. Wilson 

Mr. Walter 

Mr. Hodges 

Mrs. Ott


17 

At The Head of it All 

A 

Feature 


Copy Editor 

Activities Coordinator 

Haley Naboychik has come a 

long way since she first participated 

on her Junior Class 

Government. 

Naboychik, who graduated 

from Ellensburg High 

School with the class of 2001, 

has maintained a love for Ellensburg 

in her heart throughout 

her life. 

“I was excited about the 

idea of being back here.” 

Naboychik expresses, whom 

is continuing her fourth year 

in her current career as activities 

coordinator. 

Naboychik experienced 

several career transitions before 

ending up in the office 

she’s in today. 

She originally went to 

school and got a Business 

degree, intending to work in 

marketing. She eventually began 

work as a substitute paraprofessional. 

This turned out 

to be a life-changing move for 

Naboychik. 

“I started subbing as a 

parapro, and I found I loved 

it.” She continues, “I enjoyed 

the challenge of being in the 

classroom.” 

Now, in addition to her 

duties as executive board advisor, 

she also teaches the 

leadership class. 

Activities Coordinator Haley Naboychik 

“After discovering I loved 

being a parapro, I went back 

to school and got my teaching 

certificate,” Naboychik says. 

She goes on to explain that 

one of the most rewarding 

parts of her job is watching 

and helping her students develop 

their skills, and furthermore 

utilizing their abilities in 

a way that benefits the school. 

“I like seeing kids develop 

their leadership skills and put 

projects together for the student 

body,” says Naboychik. 

“So, last year, our kindness 

month was a great example 

of student projects coming to 

fruition.” 

Naboychik believes that 

leadership can help develop 

important skills that can be 

used for the rest of one’s life. 

She herself uses many of the 

skills she learned during her 

leadership experience on a 

daily basis. 

“The lessons you learn as 

a leader, teamwork and people 

skills, are so important,” 

explains Naboychik passionately. 

“The most important thing 

is who you are as a person, 

and what we do as teachers is 

help you figure out who you 

are and help you be a good 

person.” 

Naboychik smiles for a picture while at work in her office.


Alutant 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

Robert Rutherford 

A 



Feature 

Since Robert 

Rutherford was 

in 8th grade, he 

knew he wanted 

to be a band 

teacher. 

“I started going 

down that 

path, but then 

I started falling in love with the 

idea and the actual performing 

part. So that was like being on 

tour doing all that stuff was super 

cool,” Rutherford said as he 

talked of his journey from teacher 

to performer, back to teacher. 

But as he went on pursuing 

this career he found his love for 

performing. That love turned 

him on a path of performance accomplishments. 

He has performed in the Blue 

Devils Drum Corps, The Ringling 

Brothers, and the Barnum 

and Bailey Circus. He then decided 

to become a band teacher. 

But does he miss his performing 

life? Leaving the life on the 

road with amazing connections 

and making an impact? As his 

dream became wanting to be a 

studio musician and travel playing 

trumpet for a living, what 

changed? Why did he decide to 

come back to where it all started? 

“The thing is I got to go do all 

of that, I got to go live that dream. 

Even though it was for a year, I 

got to go do that part of my life 

that I had worked so hard to do 

and it was really awesome and I 

absolutely miss it,” said Rutherford. 

The Greatest Showman’s Last Show 

Robert Rutherford in the Ringling Brothers 

and Barnum and Bailey Circus 

One of many of Rutherford’s 

accomplishments is 

his participation in the circus. 

He described his experience 

there as amazing and overall 

life-changing. He lived in a 

tiny train car and played all the 

time. 

“When I told my parents 

that I was joining the circus my 

mom cried, and my dad was 

like this is awesome! And my 

mom was like, my sons joining 

the circus...great,” stated Rutherford. 

He was in the circus during 

the end of the “Legends” tour, 

which was the last circus tour 

that had live elephants. He also 

helped put together the “Out of 

This World” tour. 

Rutherford got his undergraduate 

degree at Central 

Washington University, and using 

those connections he joined a 

group called the Blue Devils. 

Rutherford described the 

Blue Devils Drum Corps as an all 

brass and percussion ensemble. 

He participated in this group the 

summers of 2012 and 2013. They 

won their 15th world championship 

when he participated in 

2012, the same year he was featured 

as a soloist. 

“The Blue Devils just actually 

won their 19th world championship 

and it’s actually like the 

world champions because we’re 

just like the housing site basically 

of this league,” Rutherford stated. 

When asked what it took to 

reach where he is, Rutherford 

explained the immense amount 

of failure it took to reach where 

he is. He described his transition 

into the Blue Devils and CWU as 

terrifying with his having never 

marched before and worrying 

about how people would react to 

him. 

Overall, Rutherford has accomplished 

much with his incredible 

performance abilities. 

He also gave up much to come 

to Ellensburg High School, but 

he still considers his decision to 

quit the circus and return to his 

original dream of becoming a 

band director a great one. He truly 

loves helping young musicians 

like those who helped him. 

“Music did wonders for me 

personally, and if I can help anybody 

by doing the same thing, 

absolutely I want to do that.”


19 

A Mathematical Superstar 

A 

Looking Inside the Mind Of Daniel Barrera 



Feature 

At a young age, it was clear 

that Daniel Barrera was an enthusiast 

for mathematics. 

“As a kid, I was always good 

at math. I mean, there were other 

subjects that I enjoyed, but I never 

excelled as much as in math… 

Math was always something that I 

enjoyed,” Barrera states about his 

early school life. 

Thus, the whole journey began. 

As he got older, Barrera took 

this excitement and pursed his 

passion in teaching the subject he 

shined in. 

While studying here at Central 

Washington University, he majored 

in mathematics while also 

minoring in bilingual education, 

and he received a master’s degree 

in special education. 

Barrera began teaching his 

own classes at Easton in 2014 and 

began at Ellensburg High School 

in 2016. Overall, he has been 

teaching mathematics for twelve 

years. 

“I like to take complex topics 

and break them down for people 

to understand in simple ways… I 

like to see that ‘Aaahh, that makes 

sense now’, the reaction you get 

from students, that’s huge right 

there,” he says. 

As a math teacher himself, 

Barrera wants to get rid of the 

stigma surrounding mathematics. 

“Sometimes, students come 

with a mind block, ‘Oh, this is 

math’ barrier already. Psychologically, 

it’s a barrier before they 

even try. They have this negative 

perception about math.” 

When asked about any 

troubles he experiences as a math 

teacher, his response was, “Going 

back to that barrier that students 

have when they say “Oh, 

I’m dumb.’ No, you’re not dumb. 

We’re just gonna find different 

ways for you to understand.” 

Before becoming a math teacher, 

Barrera worked at restaurants, 

CPS (Child Protective Services), 

and served as a police officer 

for two years. However, Barrera 

seems to have stuck with the profession 

as a math teacher here at 

the high school. 

“I think EHS is very unique, 

I grew up here, I went to school 

here, my family lives in town, it’s 

a good place to raise kids.” 

So what is Barrera’s favorite 

part of the job? 

“...When students become 

professionals, you actually have 

some sort of input or say I had 

that student in my class and now 

they’re professional. You know, 

you almost have an influence… 

“...Two years ago I had two 

students who took the SAT test 

and they scored top 1% in the 

nation… and guess who their 

math teacher was…” Barrera says 

proudly. 

Daniel Barrera is a man of 

many interests. He enjoys learning 

about different cultures and 

their histories, he likes to explore 

and travel, and is happy to interact 

with students. 

Whether it be helping with 

studying for the upcoming test, 

or entering the room’s door everyday 

and saying, “Did you 

know?” followed 

by a random fact, 

joke, or a riddle 

that would 

boggle even the 

world’s brightest 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

minds, Barrera 

is always sure to 

start the class off 

with smiles. 

When asked if he thinks there 

is anything he can improve on as 

a teacher, Barrera was quick to 

respond with, “I think everyday 

you can become a better teacher. 

Everyday is different so you have 

different challenges everyday… 

nonetheless, there’s always room 

for improvement.” 

While finishing up the interview, 

Barrera remarks on how 

much he enjoys his job as a math 

teacher here at Ellensburg High 

school, stating, “I think it’s one of 

the best jobs I could have.” 

Barrera smiles as he hands an assignment 

out to his algebra class.


Alutant 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

A 

Sarah Bicchieri; Captain of 



Feature 

Sarah Bicchieri, teacher of the 

Personal Learning Center, has 

always wanted to help “underdogs”. 

“Children, seniors, prisoners, 

minorities, poor people, 

and women. There are 

six categories of underdogs.” 

Bicchieri explains. 

Anyone who is in a 

lower position for success 

of life in society is an 

underdog. 

Because of her love 

for helping people, her 

career of choice developed 

into teaching. 

Bicchieri has been a 

teacher for years. She’s 

been employed by Ellensburg School District 

for 14 years. 

When she got employed with the district, 

she immediately started out with the Parent 

Partnership Program. More currently known 

as the Personal Learning Center. 

Originally, it was started to help bring the 

homeschool families together to be a bit more 

inclusive. 

Over time it developed into giving kids with 

subjective special needs a place to go, where 

they could get something that they were missing 

from the main campus. 

Bicchieri got her undergraduate in Special 

Education and her graduate degree in English 

& Literature. She also has a certification in 

Spanish. 

However, prior to becoming a teacher Bicchieri 

served three years in the peace corps. She 

was placed in Honduras. 

Primarily, she was placed there to help 

the Underdogs 

How Bicchieri has dedicated her life 

to helping others 

“...There are six 

categories of 

underdogs.” 

teachers set up their classrooms. 

She then got reassigned by the health center 

to work with the children who were malnourished. 

“You can die from malnourishment, but 

you can also die from 

what’s called failure to 

thrive. When you aren’t 

touched and shown affection 

enough, you can die,” 

Bicchieri says. 

After helping those babies, 

she went into different 

communities who had 

disabled preschoolers and 

young children. 

“We did what’s called 

early stimulation.” 

Bicchieri and her team 

taught parents how to care for and assist children 

with special needs. 

Helping people is a passion that Bicchieri 

m a n - 

aged to 

make a 

career. 

Because 

of that 

fact, she 

created 

something 

that has 

helped 

h u n - 

dreds 

of kids 

graduate. 

Photo courtesy of Sarah Bicchieri.


21 

Wickwire’s Wild 

Adventures 



Feature 

This relatively new teacher 

at Ellensburg High School has 

more to uncover than what most 

of you know. Eric Wickwire has 

been teaching at EHS as a social 

studies teacher for two years. 

However, he has been teaching 

outside of EHS for twenty years. 

One class that Wickwire favors 

seems to be US History. He 

taught Current World Affairs for 

fifteen years and according to 

him, teaching CWA is “not fun” 

due to the many opinions being 

thrown around and the majority 

of them not being structured by 

facts. 

Because of this, US History 

is favorable since he is able to 

further inform people about the 

topics they are arguing about. 

“If you ask people what they 

think about any particular current 

issue, people will throw all 

kinds of opinions at you and 

many of them are very uninformed, 

but 

I’m a social 

scientist, more 

than just a historian, 

and as a 

social scientist 

we value well 

informed opinions, 

not just 

opinions, but 

opinions that 

are rooted in 

facts and information 

and in 

reason, things 

Eric Wickwire smiling for the camera. 

that we as a human society of 

the world have been moving forward 

on for 500 years. 

“So US History is my favorite 

class to teach because it provides 

a good base so people have 

something to draw from when 

they look at current world issues 

next year.“ 

At EHS, Wickwire does not 

advise any clubs. However, he 

coaches for the Morgan Middle 

School Baseball team. 

The reason he doesn’t advise 

any clubs is because he doesn’t 

want to assume full responsibility 

for clubs. It also takes a lot 

of his time away from baseball, 

family, and his classes at EHS. 

“I value these kinds of experiences 

and did them earlier in 

my career, [but] as I have gotten 

older and as I have matured as 

a teacher I [decided that I] want 

to give all of the best me to my 

kids in the classroom, and not 

have my energy divided too 

much with other things. We only 

have 100% of our energy and in 

the spring when 

some of that is 

divided off for 

Morgan Middle 

School baseball, 

than my kids, 

in the classroom 

[my students] 

inevitably will 

not get 100% of 

my energy because 

its divided.” 

Outside of 

school he is 

much more adventurous. 

Wickwire 

grew up in the 

Manastash Canyon, 

and there he 

found outdoor 

activities involving 

(but not limited 

to) hiking, 

backpacking, 

mountain biking, 

and more. 

While these activities 

primarily 

took place in his 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

younger years, 

he still does a lot of these activities 

on a much smaller scale. 

Over time, Wickwire’s interests 

has evolved to adventure 

motorcycling. An adventure motorcycle 

is a motorcycle that is 

meant for city streets and Jeep 

trails. He describes this activity 

as his “bliss” and “the place he 

goes to get the medicine he really 

needs”. 

“My longest trip so far has 

been ten days. Just disappear on 

a motorcycle in the middle of nowhere.” 

He goes on to explain what 

he did during those ten days. 

“Mostly ride. Swim at the 

occasional river crossing when 

it’s 100 degrees outside, so I just 

live, stopping to find a meal a 

day at a restaurant because you 

go through towns. 

“I would camp, I would get 

up in the morning and break 

camp, find a cup of coffee when 

I get a tank of gas, stop for lunch 

or dinner at a restaurant or 

wherever is convenient. 

“I try to be as remote as possible 

and see places that I’ve never 

seen, and interpret geography 

without being inside a metal 

cage behind a glass screen in 

front of you.”

22 October 22, 2019 

Alutant 

Darrin Walter, 

a man of great artistry 

and depth. 

Teaching art 

here at Ellensburg 

High School for 

21 years has given 

him some time to 

truly appreciate 

his career. 

“Well, I enjoy the job… I enjoy 

working with young kids, I really 

enjoy the art aspect of it, it’s been 

interesting getting to improve as 

I’ve taught,” he explains. 

Coming all the way from Los 

Angeles, Walter has lived in Yakima, 

Seattle, and Belligham before 

finally settling in Ellensburg, 

where he started his career. 

A 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

A 



Feature 

The sound of saw blades 

whirling and drills spinning fill 

the woodshop. Students are busy 

making their own projects, and 

Taylor Wilson, Ellensburg High 

School woodworking instructor, is 

making sure everyone makes the 

Mr. Wilson helping direct students on their projects 

after class ends. 

Keeping Art Alive at EHS 



Feature 

When asked about his favorite 

part of his job, Walter replied, “In 

general, it’s a lively atmosphere. It’s 

fun talking everyday to high school 

kids. They tend to be youthful but 

also adults, it’s a fun age group to be 

around.” 

Independent style and original 

creativity is encouraged in the art 

room. 

“Even though art seems like such 

an opaque subject, it’s actually very 

approachable, you can learn a few 

tricks, and anyone can learn to make 

artwork.” 

Talent is not a necessity for an art 

class. 

“Largely, it’s about teaching some 

techniques, teaching some art appreciation 

and an ability to see it, even 

when they’re out and gone.” 

Walter is a man of many medi- 

right cut. 

Mr. Wilson graduated from Ellensburg 

High School in 2002 and 

went into the Air Force as a fireman 

for five years. Moving to Europe at 

nineteen, near Italy, he toured the 

area, calling it an, “ eye opening experience.” 

He returned to go Central Washington 

University. Then, in 

2012, he set his eyes on teaching. 

“My first job was out in 

Forks, machine and welding 

for a year. Then in Mattawa 

for four years, and I have 

been in Ellensburg for, this is 

year three.” 

It used to be that everyone 

could make simple objects. 

“The nation released 

‘we still need to know how to 

use our hands,’ so there been 

ums, including painting, woodworking, 

sketching, film making, 

and furniture design. He looks at 

art in a very broad way, believing 

it is necessary to define art as 

something other than a simple oil 

painting sitting in a church. 

“It’s omnipresent. In other 

words, it’s everywhere. From the 

logos on the T-shirts we wear to 

design work in the houses we’re in 

and certainly we’re surrounded by 

digital media,” Walter says. “An 

especially 

good 

c a k e 

decorator 

is 

certainly 

an 

artist.” 

Darrin Walter smiling 

Cutting into Action 

a kind of resurgence in shops all 

around. It’s the ability to problem 

solve outside of a classroom seat.” 

He has a few personal projects 

lined up, including a shed, 

birdhouses, and a few other ideas 

about what to do. 

He also is giving a younger 

generation a chance to work with 

their hands. “We build three-hundred 

[birdhouse] kits that the kids 

come and build in the fall.” 

While the first semester will be 

busy for the students, Mr. Wilson 

also wants to see individual projects. 

“I usually let the kids run the 

program. They can get online, look 

for something they want to build 

and we try to build it. [The] Epoxy 

work has really taken off, a lot of 

students have taken to it.”


23 

The Extinction of Resilience 

Mr. Hodges’ Take on Modern Education 



Feature 

Walking into David Hodges’ 

classroom shortly before 

the close of the second day of 

school certainly surpassed expectation 

on what was originally 

set up as an in-depth 

‘who teachers really are’ interview. 

Instead, Hodges gave 

thoughtful perspective on 

what it’s like to view education 

from the opposite side of the 

whiteboard - and given Hodges’ 

position as a seasoned educator 

of over forty years, he 

had a lot to say on how education 

throughout his professional 

years has evolved, and 

not necessarily for the better. 

W h e n 

asked what 

significant 

changes 

in education 

had 

taken 

place in his years of teaching, 

Hodges was quick to 

point out flaws in the way 

students in the 21st century 

are perceiving success. 

“The problem is, is that too 

many students are told to get 

A’s and everything will be easy. 

But it’s not. Life’s not easy.” 

This comment led into 

Hodges’ belief that students aren’t 

trying as hard in academics 

as they have in past years, and 

current education has only proceeded 

to lower the standards 

in order to adapt to this change. 

Hodges defended his point 

with the mention of an ever-dwindling 

student population 

in Ellensburg High School’s 

Advanced Placement (AP) programs. 

Ultimately, it’s his belief that 

the downgrading, or “watering 

down” of education today in order 

to make students feel more 

successful, isn’t helping this 

change in student attitude, and 

may even be encouraging it. 

Educators’ responses may 

hold a vital role in providing 

quality learning material and 

experience for 

students, experience 

that 

could ensure 

true success in 

students’ current 

and future 

academic 

careers. 

Hodges 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

depicted this change of pace 

in today’s education by describing 

the change in his own 

classrooms. For example, the 

material that he now presents 

to his advanced chemistry students 

(a small class only held 

during zero period) is similar 

to content that he would’ve 

taught in his basic chemistry 

classes in past years. 

Hodges remarks that he 

wishes he could hand out more 

difficult tests, or have the ability 

to present a greater number 

of in-depth lectures than what 

he teaches today. He fears that 

in not doing this, the majority 

of his students will receive less 

favorable grades in result of 

not rising up to the academic 

challenge. 

“Education is the most important 

thing there is,” Hodges 

emphasizes, stating that what 

goes on within schools is only 

a “mirror of society.” 

With Hodges’ take on the 

course of today’s education, 

perhaps it’s time to spare our 

society a longer glance. 

Hodges teaching his second period 

chemistry class.


Alutant 

EHS 

Teacher 

Features 

A 

Feature 

Not many can 

say that they’ve 

found their life’s 

‘niche’; however, 

Ellensburg High 

School’s Choir director 

Gay Ott certainly 

can. 

“Don’t do it 

unless you can’t 

not do it,” Ott advises in regard to 

choosing music as a career. Luckily, 

Ott has confidence in her decision 

to educate young musicians, 

and it shows through the time and 

effort she’s devoted to the music 

program for 27 years. 

Running the three choirs at 

EHS since her arrival, Ott has 

nearly doubled the amount of 

out-of class activities her students 

Helen Mills 


Feature 

The Triumph of the EHS 

Music Program 



now have the opportunity to participate 

in. 

Activities range from a 

year-opening collection of student 

performances called “Evening on 

Broadway” to dance potlucks put 

on by the jazz choir to an annual 

multiple-day choir tour. 

Although having broadened 

the choir program’s connection to 

the community, Ott says the connection 

she has with her students 

brings her the most joy. 

“You get to see a diverse population 

coming together as one [in 

choir],” Ott remarks. 

Ott hasn’t always taught vocal 

music. When given a choice at 

the beginning of her educational 

career between choir or band, she 

had chosen band based on her 

Moving To Ellensburg: 

In 2019, more than fifty kids 

moved into Ellensburg School 

District, many related, and many 

having relatives in Ellensburg already. 

While the middle and elementary 

schools have people to show 

you around, EHS does nearly nothing. 

The high school gives you your 

class schedule and wishes you well. 

School is like that though- things 

happen and it gets worked out. 

Within a couple days everything 

comes together enough that you 

know what to do. 

The school also gives you 

enough time to get things together 

Ott smiling for the camera. 

devotion to instruments like the 

oboe and flute. 

However, not long after this 

decision Ott received an offer to 

be the EHS Choir Director for one 

year. After the year had passed, 

her next offer requested her hire 

in permanence. 

“Find what you love to do, and 

someone who’s willing to pay you 

to do it,” Ott explains as the key to 

finding your life’s niche. 

and people try their best to make 

you feel welcome, but it doesn’t always 

help. After all, people always 

have their own thing going on and 

need to get their work done. 

It’s nice that there are enough 

new people so they can all be new 

together, but new students don’t always 

know who is and isn’t new. It 

gets pretty tricky. 

One student new to Ellensburg 

stated, “Moving was hard. I had to 

stay in a hotel for a while. When I 

finally got into my house, I had at 

least two tests to study for.” 

Another student stated, “It 

sucked moving here. I hated the 

small town thing and other problems 

around here, but this is just a 

stepping stone for the future.” 

(Left) Ellensburg High School.


25 

Nicotine Ban 



News Brief 

As many of you know, 

JUUL is currently one of 

the biggest problems in the 

state with teenagers. 

JUUL will be pulling the 

mango, cucumber, fruit, 

and creme flavored pods 

from convenience stores 

and other retailers said an 

anonymous source, who 

asked not to be named be- 

Explaining the new state legislature 

cause the proposal is not yet 

public. 

These flavors have 

drawn criticism from parents, 

teachers, and regulators 

who say they attract 

kids to the products. 

According to the 

Washington State Legislature, 

federal law requires 

states to have a minimum 

age of 18 years for the sale 

Peace Club 

or purchase of tobacco 

products. 

With new requirements 

soon to be put into the work 

on Jan 1, 2020, it will be illegal 

for anyone under the 

age of 21 to purchase or attempt 

to purchase anything 

JUUL related. 

It is not illegal for minors 

to possess or consume 

tobacco products in public. 

Ashley Callan 


News Brief 

With school starting again, 

you might find yourself interested 

in exploring some of the 

school’s clubs and what they 

have to offer. Back in September, 

the school held a club fair 

where students could come 

and look for clubs they might 

be intrigued by. Peace Club 

was a main attraction at the 

club fair, but what is it? 

Peace Club is a student lead 

group whose goal is to try and 

improve our school and community 

by doing projects that 

benefit people. 

For example, Peace Club 

does a lot of community service 

throughout the year. Every 

Wednesday they meet to 

go to Apoyo at the college and 

help fold clothing and make 

boxes of food for people in 

need. 

At our school, Peace Club 

chalks the sidewalk before big 

events, such as at Homecoming 

this year. 

Peace Club is run by President 

Jenna Callan and Vice 

President Annie Schlanger. 

Callan said that she joined 

Peace Club in the middle of 

her freshman year and was 

elected president of the club 

after her sophomore year. 

The main reason she wanted 

to join was because she 

wanted to interact with the 

school life in a beneficial way 

and join a club her friends 

were in. 

Her biggest goal for this 

year is to have a lasting positive 

effect on the community 

and school. 

When asked what her favorite 

past Peace Club activity 

was she answered, “Trickor-treating 

for canned food.” 

The club plans on continuing 

this activity this Halloween, 

so make sure you donate! 

If you are interested in 

joining Peace Club they meet 

on Monday mornings at 8:45 

in room E206.


Alutant 

Columbus Day Controversy 

Stephen Martin 


Feature 

The Backlash Over The Recent American Tradition 

First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World; painting by Dióscoro 

Puebla (1862). 

Columbus Day is celebrated 

in the United States and several 

Latin American countries on 

October 12th, commemorating 

the date that the titular explorer 

landed in the Bahamas. 

The holiday traces its roots 

back to Italian immigrants, 

who latched onto Columbus 

as a symbol of Italians’ 

place in America’s history. 

In the 19th century, many cities 

with large Italian populations 

began celebrating the holiday. 

Columbus Day officially became 

a federal holiday in 1937. 

In a 1940 speech, president 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed, 

“The promise which 

Columbus’s discovery gave to 

the world, of a new beginning 

in the march of human progress, 

has been in process of 

fulfillment for four centuries. 

Our task is now to make 

strong our conviction that in spite 

of setbacks that process will go 

on toward fulfillment.” In Latin 

America, however, the holiday 

took on a different meaning. 

“In Latin America, they call 

it Dia de la Raza, which means 

‘Day of the Races.’” Says Mr. 

Bicchieri, a history teacher at 

Ellensburg High School who 

had lived in Honduras and 

Mexico. “Previously, it began 

as a celebration of Spanish heritage, 

however, it’s morphed 

into a celebration of all ethnicities 

and cultures including 

the mixing of Spanish and 

Native American cultures.” 

This brings up to the contemporary 

issue of whether or not 

the holiday should be celebrated. 

Native American groups, 

including the American Indian 

Movement, have claimed that the 

holiday glorifies Columbus and 

the violent actions he committed 

against the native population. 

Many states have done away 

with the holiday altogether. 

Four states (Alaska, Minnesota, 

Vermont, and South Dakota) 

have replaced the holiday 

with one that celebrates Native 

American heritage and history. 

Columbus Day is not officially 

celebrated in Washington. 

However, many think the state 

has a long way to go in giving 

Native Americans the treatment 

that they deserve, pointing specifically 

to their lack of representation 

in public education. 

“As far as Native Americans 

specifically, it’s a pretty 

small sliver.” Said Mr. 

Acheson, another history 

teacher at EHS. “They are an 

integral actor and they do have 

important agency in the grand 

historical narrative, however 

I would say historically they 

have been underrepresented.” 

With Columbus Day over 

and November, Native American 

heritage month, coming 

up, it is a good time to reflect 

on Columbus Day and 

the issues that Native Americans 

face in modern society.


27 



Feature 

Some students look into getting 

their Generalized Education 

Diploma, or GED, rather than go 

through high school for various 

reasons, including work-related 

opportunities, anxiety issues, or 

just to be finished with school 

early. 

But there are some students 

out there that may not know 

about this opportunity and 

choose to do online school or 

Excel rather than pursue getting 

a GED. 

Joren Bement was a student 

who would have been apart of 

the class of 2020, had he graduated 

with his peers. Instead, he 

had decided that he wanted to 

take his GED in his freshman 

High School Or GED 

year, and finished a few months 

later. 

He decided to get his GED 

early because he wanted to get 

into the working world and 

gain job experience for future 

work opportunities. He had first 

worked for an older woman 

out on Reecer Creek Rd. His job 

usually included 

feeding horses, 

digging ditches, 

burning shrubbery, 

and plowing 

snow. 

After a while, 

the woman had 

less and less work 

for Bement, so 

he began seeking 

out new jobs. He 

ended up finding 

Blast From The Past 

Joren Bement poses while at work for the Blue Leaf 

Company. 

From Previous Issues of the Alutant 

On October 22nd, 1984... 

A group of school board members and teachers from 

Hyogo Prefecture School, Japan, visit EHS in order to observe 

the Ellensburg school system. 

Visitors included high and junior high principals 

Mr.Tsujimura and Mr. Fujimoto, who had reportedly been 

impressed with EHS’s size, faculty, and student work in 

classes like art and auto repair. 

The program of student exchange between the schools 

had not only been created, but fully funded by the Japanese 

government in an effort to improve their school system 

and had continued this process with other schools 

worldwide. 

Article written by EHS Staff Reporters Fawn Martin. 

another farm-hand job that had 

more hours and more pay, but 

more difficult work. 

He had worked there for 

about three months before getting 

offered his current job at the 

Blue Leaf Company catching, 

tagging, and releasing sturgeon 

in Vantage in Wanapum Lake. 



EHS History 

A 

Japanese educators take a break for tea amidst tour 

of EHS


Alutant 

Fall 

Festivities 



Feature 

Helen Mills 


A Comic 

Fall has come, winter is starting to approach, 

people are starting to get bundled 

up, and the most popular “fall scents” are 

flying off the shelves. One has to love the 

hype of fall and Halloween, and if you 

don’t than the hype of Christmas and the 

holidays. But for now, we are talking about 

fall and all of the recurring trends that 

come along with it. 

Of course,to kick this article off with a 

bang, we have to include the all too glorious 

pumpkin spice. Awh yes, the over hyped 

flavor put into many edible things such as 

cookies and lattes. Personally, I am not a 

fan. However, pumpkin chocolate chip is a 

wonderful flavor combination that I highly 

encourage everyone to try. 

The brisk air and cold weather is another 

reason locals love this season so much, 

the start of winter. The drop in temperature 

really gets some snow lovers going as 

it gives them the indication to start preparing 

for winter sports and activities. 

This season also allows people to bring 

out their chunky sweaters and cold weather 

attire. With that comes great photography 

opportunities for those cliche girls 

on Instagram who really want to show off 

their closet. 

Halloween is another thing loved by 

most as well as the Halloween themed activities 

around Kittitas County. Some of 

the more known sights are Dusty’s Pumpkin 

Patch and Huffman’s Haunted Forest 

(and pumpkin patch). 

The decorations involved with this holiday 

is another fun attraction in this town 

alongside the aura autumn gives. 

With the damp air and color-changing 

leaves, it isn’t a surprise the people of Ellensburg 

love this time of year so much.

Vol 48 Iss 1 Oct 22 2019

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