4
TROY INVOICE Auburn Senior High School Auburn, Wash. (253) 931-4880 [email protected] Volume 39, Issue 2 Dec. 17, 2007 Fans at this year’s Homecoming football game on Oct. 26 waited at halftime to see the Trojans race out of the locker rooms and bust through the banner to continue a phenomenal game. Instead, they saw newly crowned Homecoming queen, senior Cali Kaltschmidt, running behind the banner to rip it slightly. Before she could finish, the football team raced out of the locker room and busted through the banner, crashing into Kaltschmidt. One player in particular, junior Zach Tate, crashed into her as she scrambled to get out of the way. TV cameras captured the scene, and the film clip later captured America’s attention. The video was seen from the local news channels to ESPN and CNN and has received more than 1 million hits on YouTube. “I wish it wasn’t so dramatic,” she said. Kaltschmidt has since appeared on “World’s Most Amazing Videos,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” “Inside Edition,” “Good Morning America” and “Northwest Afternoon.” “It was fun to meet Diane Sawyer and Tyra Banks. Tyra is really tall,” Kaltschmidt said. “I liked ‘Good Morning America’ the best. It was the first show I did. They were really nice and welcoming.” Kaltschmidt said she tried out for cheer on a bet but now she likes it and is famous as being the cheerleader who “took a smearing, kept on cheering,” according to “The Today Show.” “Everyone knew me – my flight attendant, my limo driver, everyone. It got really annoying, though,” she said. There are some good things that came from this experience. “I want to go to college for broadcasting,” she said. “Seeing behind the scenes was cool. It helped me know that that is what I want to do.” Trampled queen becomes famous By NIKOLE “CELESTE” QUINCY PHOTO EDITOR UPCOMING EVENTS AT AHS: 12/20-1/2: Winter Break. 1/11: Winter Pep Assembly @ Gym. 1/18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly. 1/19: Winter Wonder Ball, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. @ Gym. 1/21: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School. 1/28: In-ser- vice Day, No School. The abundance of places to eat is one of the best parts of lunch at Auburn High. The cafeteria, the DECA store and DECA-sponsored commercial pizza offer plenty of options for students. However, at the beginning of this school year, returning students noted an absence of two mainstays of the AHS lunch scene: cafeteria offshoot Kip’s Corner and student-run restaurant Café Auburn. “If it’s not open, we don’t eat,” junior Brandon Huwe said of Kip’s Corner. Run by paraprofessional Melodie Kieswether, Kip’s Corner serves pizza, frozen yogurt and other popular carnival-like foods. When open for business the facility regularly has a line extending down the hallway by the teachers lounge, sometimes out the door. Three former employees in the culinary arts program left at the end of last year and had to be replaced. For the first few months of school, Kieswether had to focus her energies in basic cafeteria output. “I had to be here in the kitchen because there wasn’t anyone here to staff the register,” Kieswether said. One retired, while the other two left for various reasons. Three new staff members, Michele Loomis, Tammy Johnson and Carol Maier, had to be hired and trained to accommodate the loss. “Everybody quit,” paraprofessional Marci Massick said. “This is part time. They wanted full time.” Head chef Ed Flynn said it was an issue of better pay. Only vice principal Darrin Lowry, who oversees the Career and Technical Education program, seemed to know the real issue of why three people left simultaneously. “The issue was more how you manage a stressful kitchen and how you encourage people to accomplish the task,” he said of the situation that may have caused one of the staff to seek employment elsewhere. “Part of it may have been personality. Maybe they just didn’t click.” A number of students are using physical violence to defend themselves. These fights are not solving anyone’s problems and are leaving students with a feeling of animosity and hatred, dividing them and taking away from the school’s unity. Recently, Auburn’s increased fighting has been prevalent in minority groups. At the end of October, a group of Hispanic students and a group of African American students engaged in a fight. Assistant principal Darrin Lowry explained the basis of the fights was no different than any other: name calling and verbal attacks to one’s race. They are being dealt with accordingly. Lowry’s first step in investigating was talking to the students. “That Thursday, I pulled all eight kids into my office to give them a chance to resolve the problem,” Lowry said. Despite his efforts, he was unable to gather all the students involved that day. Since the fight, many of the students involved have dropped out, been expelled or transferred; action has been taken in trying to bring other students within these to groups to peace. Lowry’s first idea was to bring the president of The Black Student Union from Green River Community College, and he hopes AHS will be able to start one as well. There is currently a petition being signed by students and teachers. “The purpose of ethnic clubs is not to separate students but to raise awareness when they see problems,” Lowry said. Lowry also suggested to Amber Davis, adviser of Latino Club, that at the last club meeting a discussion on fighting be initiated. According to Davis, the conversation did not take place due to a low turnout. Lowry wants students to be aware of Auburn’s diversity. “I remember when I first came to Auburn,” Lowry said. “I saw the sign ‘Pride Together,’ and I thought, ‘Well, that’s really cool.’ I’ve never been to a school as diverse, as far as I’m concerned, with race.” Fighting is still a continuing dilemma on and off campus. Hopefully by raising awareness, students will take the time to resolve their problems in a adult- like way and not through violence. Hostility rises on campus By SALENA HILL EDITOR IN CHIEF By REBECCA NELSON NEWS EDITOR Lunch mainstays finally reopen Photo by Nikole “Celeste” Quincy Sophomore Cameron Hernandez receives frozen yogurt from Melodie Kieswether at Kip’s Corner during second lunch on Dec. 11. SEE MAINSTAYS PAGE 2 Senior Julie Nordby helps the Trojans in their final game against Bonney Lake. See Fall Wrap-up, page 3 Call to students, staff to step up and recycle. See page 4

December Issue 2007

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

12/01/2007

Citation preview

Page 1: December Issue 2007

TROY INVOICEAuburn Senior High School Auburn, Wash. (253) 931-4880 [email protected]

Volume 39, Issue 2 Dec. 17, 2007

UPCOMING EVENTS AT AHS:

Fans at this year’s Homecoming football game on Oct. 26 waited at halftime to see the Trojans race out of the locker rooms and bust through the banner to continue a phenomenal game.

Instead, they saw newly crowned Homecoming queen, senior Cali Kaltschmidt, running behind the banner to rip it slightly. Before she could finish, the football team raced out of the locker room and busted through the banner, crashing into Kaltschmidt.

One player in particular, junior Zach Tate, crashed into her as she scrambled to get out of the way.

TV cameras captured the scene, and the film clip later captured America’s attention.

The video was seen from the local news channels to ESPN and CNN and has received more than 1 million hits on YouTube.

“I wish it wasn’t so dramatic,” she said.Kaltschmidt has since appeared on

“World’s Most Amazing Videos,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” “Inside Edition,” “Good Morning America” and “Northwest Afternoon.”

“It was fun to meet Diane Sawyer and Tyra Banks. Tyra is really tall,” Kaltschmidt said. “I liked ‘Good Morning America’ the best. It was the first show I did. They were really nice and welcoming.”

Kaltschmidt said she tried out for cheer on a bet but now she likes it and is famous as being the cheerleader who “took a smearing, kept on cheering,” according to “The Today Show.”

“Everyone knew me – my flight attendant, my limo driver, everyone. It got really annoying, though,” she said.

There are some good things that came from this experience.

“I want to go to college for broadcasting,” she said. “Seeing behind the scenes was cool. It helped me know that that is what I want to do.”

Trampled queen becomes famous

By NIKOLE “CELESTE” QUINCYPHOTO EDITOR

UPCOMING EVENTS AT AHS: 12/20-1/2: Winter Break. 1/11: Winter Pep Assembly @ Gym. 1/18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly. 1/19: Winter Wonder Ball, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. @ Gym. 1/21: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School. 1/28: In-ser-vice Day, No School.

The abundance of places to eat is one of the best parts of lunch at Auburn High. The cafeteria, the DECA store and DECA-sponsored commercial pizza offer plenty of options for students.

However, at the beginning of this school year, returning students noted an absence of two mainstays of the AHS lunch scene: cafeteria offshoot Kip’s Corner and student-run restaurant Café Auburn.

“If it’s not open, we don’t eat,” junior Brandon Huwe said of Kip’s Corner.

Run by paraprofessional Melodie Kieswether, Kip’s Corner serves pizza, frozen yogurt and other popular carnival-like foods. When open for business the facility regularly has a line extending down the hallway by the teachers lounge, sometimes out the door.

Three former employees in the culinary arts program left at the end of last year and had to be replaced. For the first few months of school, Kieswether had to focus her energies in basic cafeteria output.

“I had to be here in the kitchen because there wasn’t anyone here to staff the register,” Kieswether said.

One retired, while the other two left for various reasons. Three new staff members, Michele Loomis, Tammy Johnson and Carol Maier, had to be hired and trained to accommodate the loss.

“Everybody quit,” paraprofessional Marci Massick said. “This is part time. They wanted full time.”

Head chef Ed Flynn said it was an issue of better pay. Only vice principal Darrin Lowry, who oversees the Career and Technical Education program, seemed to know the real issue of why three people left simultaneously.

“The issue was more how you manage a stressful kitchen and how you encourage people to accomplish the task,” he said of the situation that may have caused one of the staff to seek employment elsewhere. “Part of it may have been personality. Maybe they just didn’t click.”

A number of students are using physical violence to defend themselves. These fights are not solving anyone’s problems and are leaving students with a feeling of animosity and hatred, dividing them and taking away from the school’s unity.

Recently, Auburn’s increased fighting has been prevalent in minority groups. At the end of October, a group of Hispanic students and a group of African American students engaged in a fight.

Assistant principal Darrin Lowry explained the basis of the fights was no different than any other: name calling and verbal attacks to one’s race. They are being dealt with accordingly. Lowry’s first step in investigating was talking to the students.

“That Thursday, I pulled all eight kids into my office to give them a chance to resolve the problem,” Lowry said.

Despite his efforts, he was unable to gather all the students involved that day.

Since the fight, many of the students involved have dropped out, been expelled or transferred; action has been taken in trying to bring other students within these to groups to peace.

Lowry’s first idea was to bring the president of The Black Student Union from Green River Community College, and he hopes AHS will be able to start one as well. There is currently a petition being signed by students and teachers.

“The purpose of ethnic clubs is not to separate students but to raise awareness when they see

problems,” Lowry said. Lowry also suggested to Amber Davis, adviser

of Latino Club, that at the last club meeting a discussion on fighting be initiated. According to Davis, the conversation did not take place due to a low turnout.

Lowry wants students to be aware of Auburn’s diversity.

“I remember when I first came to Auburn,” Lowry said. “I saw the sign ‘Pride Together,’ and I thought, ‘Well, that’s really cool.’ I’ve never been to a school as diverse, as far as I’m concerned, with race.”

Fighting is still a continuing dilemma on and off campus. Hopefully by raising awareness, students will take the time to resolve their problems in a adult-like way and not through violence.

Hostility rises on campus By SALENA HILLEDITOR IN CHIEF

By REBECCA NELSONNEWS EDITOR

Lunch mainstays finally reopenPhoto by Nikole “Celeste” Quincy

Sophomore Cameron Hernandez receives frozen yogurt from Melodie Kieswether at Kip’s Corner during second lunch on Dec. 11.

SEE MAINSTAYS PAGE 2

Senior Julie Nordby helps the Trojans in their

final game against Bonney Lake.

See Fall Wrap-up, page 3

Call to students, staff to step up and recycle. See page 4

Page 2: December Issue 2007

NEWS/FEATURES Dec. 17, 2007

TROY INVOICEAuburn Senior High School

800 Fourth St. NEAuburn, WA 98002

EDITORIAL STAFFSalena Hill, Editor in Chief

Rebecca Nelson, News EditorAndrew Brockmueller, Opinion Editor

Jacob Carroll, Sports EditorNikole “Celeste” Quincy, Photo Editor

Anna Marshall, Adviser

STAFF REPORTERSRobin Ball, Kelsie Smith

To maintain a high standard of journalism, Troy InVoice adheres to the following editorial policy. All members of Troy InVoice staff have agreed to this policy, and it will remain posted in the newsroom throughout the year.

Troy InVoice will strive toward excellence in every issue. It will aim to be a vital part of Auburn High School. The Troy InVoice staff will strive to:

1. Report news accurately, objectively, fully and in-depth.2. Provide leadership. 3. Meet professional journalism standards.4. Provide a forum in the school for the free interchange of ideas. Letters to the

editor and reader contributions will be accepted. The written views of students must be responsible, in good taste and must not attack anyone in a personal manner.

5. Cooperate with staff and student body in supporting projects and give honest evaluation of such projects.

6. Give full credit for any material that is not original.7. Acknowledge any mistakes and frankly correct any major errors that are

brought to the attention of the staff.8. Use the most effective style of expression. 9. Endeavor to create a valid expression of the concerns of the students and staff

of Auburn Senior High School.10. Ensure no photograph will be altered in any way. Troy InVoice will not endorse political candidates or accept political advertising.It will reserve the right to refuse any advertising illegal or inappropriate for high

school students.Paid advertisements that are libelous, inappropriate, advocate an activity illegal

for students or are judged to be in poor taste by the editors and adviser will not be published.

2

Corrections from the Oct. 17 issue• Senior Jake Letho was listed under an incorrect name.• The new Latino Club meets after school the first Wednes-

day of each month in room 533.

Make gifts for lessWant to give a gift but can’t

afford to spend a lot of money? Here are five inexpensive gift

ideas to give over the holidays.• Snow Globe: Materials

needed: A glass jar with a lid, a small figurine, glitter, epoxy glue, water.

• Reindeer Pot: Materials needed: A terra cotta pot, a hot glue gun, candy, felt, pom-poms,

a mixed bag of candy, and googly eyes.

• Blanket: Materials needed: Massive amounts of fabric, scissors, hands.

• Chocolate spoon: Materials needed: Chocolate of your choice, a pot, a plastic spoon, cellophane, ribbon.

• Picture frame with a picture of you. Materials needed: A picture frame and a picture of you.

By SALENA HILLEDITOR IN CHIEF

What do you like to do in the snow?“Hitting cars

with snow-balls.”

sophomore Desmond Stensen

“Snowboard-ing at Crystal Mountain.”freshman Amanda Weekley

“I like to play, and we made a new couch.”senior Sean Kallis

“I like to make snow

angels.”junior Bethany

Kizziah

—Compiled by Kelsie Smith and Robin Ball

There are problems in every department, Lowry said, and if it had been a bigger concern, he would have “put him (Flynn) on administrative leave.”

The three new employees required extensive background checks and training to function in the unique environment of a busy commercial kitchen paired with oft unruly high school students.

“There are quite a few specifics that are part of their training,” Flynn said.

While the Human Resources department

hires the paraprofessionals, it his is job to guide them and show them what to do.

Even after replacements had been hired, a broken dishwasher delayed Café Auburn from operating as a restaurant.

The Café has repaired the machine and officially opened at first lunch on Tuesday, Nov. 27. A second lunch time slot will be coming soon.

Despite a rocky start and an obvious change from last year, Kip’s Corner is also open and serving students at both lunches.

“This year was different,” Massick said. “Changes started occurring. We’re the last to know.”

MAINSTAYSCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Reach out and partake in RAKE

RAKE is a new club at Auburn High that junior Kahlani Badeaux hopes will encourage students to show kindness toward others, either by helping people at the school or members of the community.

The club’s acronym stands for Random Acts of Kindness Every day, formerly Random Acts of Kindness, Et cetera.

Badeaux founded the club this year.

“I went to a camp, and after seeing what they were doing, I thought that it was a good idea,” she said.

After coming back to school,

Badeaux spread the word about her new idea, and the club held their very first meeting last month.

She hopes the club will help raise awareness of how others should be treated.

“I don’t think people respect the Golden Rule: Treat others how you want to be treated,” Badeaux said.

She wants students in our school and community to be nicer to one another.

The club meets in room 101 every Wednesday with adviser Crystal Wisness.

“I think that it is a great idea with a great cause,” Wisness said.

By JACOB CARROLLSPORTS EDITOR

Ball foresees yummy horoscopesIf today is your birthday: You are a cake

with a little frosting; babe, you are on fire!Aries (3/21-4/19): Life seems like a burnt

brownie, but there is always something sweet in it.

Taurus (4/20-5/20): Sugar cookies get covered with frosting, ruining their truth; do not let frosting cover the real you.

Gemini (5/21-6/21): Pie can look unappetizing; the inside is what really matters.

Cancer (6/22-7/22): You are as sweet as taffy, and you stretch your sweetness to many people.

Leo (7/23-8/22): Fruit can become fancy with just a little bit of chocolate. Remember, a little can go a long way.

Virgo (8/23-9/22): Candy bars have a wide variety; keep all of those weird friends.

Libra (9/23-10/22): Sugar seems plain and simple; look closely, you will see crystals among the ordinary.

Scorpio (10/23-11/21): Like peanut brittle, you are hard to crack, but there are always little surprises to find.

Sagittarius (11/22-12/21): Cupcakes with sprinkles and frosting may look yummy, but keep the future in mind.

Capricorn (12/22-1/19): Feelings seem wiggly like Jell-O. Keep still, and things will settle down.

Aquarius (1/20-2/18): Ice cream is cold and then sweet. Do not stay cold; go sweet.

Pisces (2/19-3/20): White chocolate is an odd ball in the chocolate world. Stay odd; it is good for you.

By ROBIN BALLSTAFF REPORTER

AHS warmly welcomes back RodsethBy REBECCA NELSON

NEWS EDITORAfter a 14-year absence, P.E. teacher Kent

Rodseth is glad to be back at Auburn High. “My first day here in P.E., the kids were

really excited to participate,” he said.Rodseth was an assistant football coach

at Auburn and left in the spring of 1993 to be the head football coach at Decatur High School in Federal Way.

He was not trying to get away from Auburn, he said, but was attracted to the esteemed position.

This time around, however, he purposely deserted Decatur.

“I was tired of breaking up fights,” he said. “I wanted to get some place where I could really focus and teach.”

Rodseth’s first job after graduating from the University of Idaho was at a Catholic

private school in Boise. “It was everything

you could stereotype a private school (as being),” he said. “It was a challenge.”

He overcame the obstacle, and now, after experiencing a few different teaching

positions, has appreciation for Auburn schools.

“From my standpoint, the Auburn School District is a much better school district (than Federal Way),” Rodseth said. “There’s just a different philosophy.”

Rodseth tries to keep his workplace standards high.

“You need to make sure that the students come first,” he said.

Rodseth

UPCOMING EVENTS: 12/15-29: Nutcracker @ McCaw Hall. 12/18: Dancing with the Stars, 7:30 p.m. @ Key Arena. 12/18: Queens of the Stone Age @ Paramount Theatre. 12/19: Blue Scholars, 8 p.m. @ Neumo’s. 12/20: Blake Lewis, 8 p.m. @ Showbox at the Market. 12/30: Harvey Danger, 8 p.m. @ Neumo’s. 1/24: Blue Man Group, 8 p.m. @ Key Arena.

Page 3: December Issue 2007

SPORTS 3Dec. 17, 2007

UPCOMING FALL SPORTS EVENTS AT AHS: 12/18: Boys basketball vs. Enumclaw, 7:30 p.m. @ AHS. 12/19: Gymnastics, 7 p.m. @ AHS. 12/27: Girls basketball vs. Emerald Ridge, 7:30 p.m. @ AHS, 1/4: Girls basketball vs. Franklin Pierce, 7:30 p.m. @ AHS. 1/4: Boys swim/dive vs. Mountainview, 3:30 p.m. @ AHS. 1/9 : Wrestling vs. Riverside, 6 p.m. @ AHS.

Boys TennisThe Auburn boys tennis

team has a pair moving on to districts.

Going 8-6 for the second year in a row, the team will send juniors Josh Jeter and Travis Hanley to compete at the district level. The doubles team took fourth in sub-dis-tricts and now has until the spring to prepare for the dis-trict tournament.

“Although we don’t have too many returners (sic), I still believe we have a strong core,” Hanley said. “With a strong foundation, we can help out our other young players.”

Apart from Jeter, Hanley and sophomore Eric Haug-land, the team consisted of all seniors this year, including Brian Nichols, who is the first alternate for district singles.

“It will be a rebuilding year, but the three we have back will be a good thing to build the team on,” Smetheram said. Golf

AHS golf has come to a close. The boys golf team, coached by Jeremy Sagle, fin-ished out the season 8-1. The

girls ended their season 2-5. The girls were coached by Becky Olson.

“This is my first year coach-ing,” Sagle said. “This team that I inherited was already very talented and experienced. My strategy is to keep the team focused and motivated to play golf at the high level they are capable of playing.”

At the SPSL 3A medalist tournament, Auburn placed fifth out of eight teams, and the girls placed fourth out of four teams. Senior Kevin Cleary placed 10th in the tournament, which qualifies him to go to the West/Central tournament next spring to fight for a spot in the state tournament.

Girls Swim and DiveThe girls swim and dive

team did not win any of their dual meets but had two divers go to state: senior Brittney Jones and sophomore Shawna Jordan.

Water PoloThis years boys water polo

team was an enjoyable sport for both the players and also the spectators.

“Yeah, I had fun,” junior

Jesse Butterfield said. “It’s a really fun sport, though the season was really bad.

The won a game against Rogers, Butterfield said.

Girls SoccerThe girls soccer season has

come to an end. The team was co-captained

by seniors Bailey Brown and Julie Nordby and coached by Russ DeFord. They ended the season with a record 4-8-3.

In “our first two games, we scored more goals then last year combined,” sophomore Ali Lundberg said.

Brown had a lot of players in mind who she said were the core of the team, and she said she had a great season as well.

“This year was more suc-cessful,” Brown said. “We grew a lot. We had a different mentality. We had an intense desire to win.”

Overall, the season went well and the team did a lot bet-ter than last year.Cross Country

This year’s cross country season “went well,” head coach Greg Isham said.

“We’re a young team with

mostly sophomores and fresh-men, but they still improved from the previous season.”

Isham takes pride in know-ing that outside of running the team is excelling academi-cally.

“It was a great honor for the team to win the WIAA State Academic Championship by being the cross country team with the highest grade aver-age in the state with a 3.867,” he said

On that note, the boys fin-ished their season with a re-cord of 2-5. Football

Football for Auburn is a tradition like many others, and winning is definitely a big part of that tradition, with a new school record of now 27-straight wins on Troy Field.

“We had a successful sea-son considering that we had to replace so many starters from the 2006 team,” head coach Gordon Elliott said.

The team finished 8-3 and competed in the round of 16 in the state playoffs, finishing 10th in the state

“After a slow start, our players made great improve-

ments over the season. These improvements were not just in performance on the football field, but we came a long way in our attitude, commitment and effort also.”Volleyball

This year’s girls volleyball was “very successful,” head coach Kimberly Farris said.

“We went from a losing season last year to making it to the district tournament this year.”

She added: “Our girls this year have played great and some of the players really stepped up.”

The girls improved greatly.“We had several players

that stepped up their level of play when we needed it and got Auburn volleyball back to the level of play that it used to be,” Farris said.

The girls finished their sea-son with a record of 8-12.

—Compiled by Troy InVoice staff

Trojan fall sports season ends successfully

Sophomore Shawna Jordan is rela-tively new to diving, yet her success suggests otherwise. In just her second season of diving, she earned first place at the state meet.

“I was a gymnast but got an injury.That’s how I got into diving,” Jordan said.

She has always heard people say gymnasts make great divers.

Head coach Scott McLaughlin said Jordan definitely “stood out last year.” This was evident since last year Jor-dan, who was only a freshman at the time, made it to state and placed fifth, a rare achievement.

Her dive coach, Jim Southerland said, “She is a really good athlete, she has the right background, is very

strong and acrobatic. She’s a good gymnast.”

Southerland said that during meets, the adrenaline is high and can mess up the diver.

For Jordan, the adrenaline only seemed to boost her abilities, and she performed well during meets.

Her win in the district meet led to her participation in the state meet. Jor-dan said the general gist at state was very energetic and enthusiastic.

“It was a lot of fun. I was excited,” she said. Still, she does admit she was “really nervous” during the meet. To subside her nerves, Jordan stayed on her toes.

Jordan has achieved many great things during her little time in diving. She’s a sophomore, yet she has great potential for the future in diving.

Jordan nabs state diving title

Winter sports are starting off strong. Check the January issue for updated results and more information.

WINTER SPORTS

By KELSIE SMITHSTAFF REPORTER

Page 4: December Issue 2007

4 OPINION Dec. 17, 2007

UPCOMING EVENTS: 12/19: Peace Vigil @ 5 p.m., U.S. Federal Courthouse, Tacoma. 12/22: Story Time with Anna and Kitri @ 11 a.m @ University Book Store in University District, 1/11: Anti-Genocide meeting, 1st lunch in 309 and 2nd lunch in 410.

Maybe it’s the way I have been raised or my innate passion for sustaining the planet, dwindling resources and humanity.

Either way, recycling has come as naturally to me as making my bed. Since I was little, my family has designated a milk crate for old newspapers, flattened cereal boxes and surplus Target mailings. I take off the caps before I recycle glass or plastic bottles. I try to do what I can, even though I know I can do more.

Though I’ve learned to deal with it, coming to school is a reality check. Yes, there are blue plastic bins (that will take thousands of years to decompose) in every

classroom for easy access. Yet, I can still go into every room in the school and find candy wrappers, used tissues and forsaken assignments crumpled into little balls littering the recycling. Likewise, I see stacks of newspapers and pop cans overflowing adjacent garbage cans.

Providing these services is nothing without educating students – and staff – on how to use them.

Despite wide media coverage sustainable resources and the Green Campaign have received in recent years, much of this generation has been left out of the movement. Parents and older relatives did not grow up with it, and many have not implemented anything in their households. They simply do not know how much of a difference recycling can make.

Explaining the practicality of recycling can’t lie solely on enlightened students. Teachers need to remind students to recycle and make sure it gets done. After all, it is their job to set the example and prepare us for life after high school. As more time goes by, recycling and other earth-friendly acts will be more imminent and necessary.

Ignorant people need to help now.

Unfortunately, the other faction is harder to convince: the naysayers who either refuse to

believe the impact of human actions or who, alarmingly,

don’t care. I constantly ask people to recycle paper rather than toss it in the trash; often they look at me either incredulously or distastefully (or both) and go on their merry, apathetic way. The popularity of recycling has made it so easy to do, and the benefits have been proven. What is so excruciatingly difficult about throwing something in one bin rather than another? Sure, it requires a change of habit and a shift in attitude, but the effects of conscious actions benefit everyone, so everyone should do what they can to help.

School recycling must improve

REBECCA NELSONNEWS EDITOR

• Clean out containers with food par-ticles. • Rinse and crush pop cans. • Caps – like the ones on soda bottles and other beverages – aren’t recyclable. Throw them away and recycle the crushed bottle. • Try not to crumple up paper. If it already is, you can still recycle it, but it is harder to salvage. • Flatten cardboard boxes.

RECYCLING TIPS

Soda pop — the non-diet varieties — is gone. This has become a widespread dilemma in schools. Students find it offensive

to adhere to school-prescribed diets. Many think it’s stupid that all schools have is diet soda pop. Some even take this move, made by former president Bill Clinton, as a way of stripping away student freedom.

Secondary school students are old enough to make their own decisions; we don’t need guidance to pick out pop. If we want to drink diet pop, we will, and if we want to drink regular pop, we will. In the real world, there are no sections in stores that have only diet pop, juice and water.

Diet soda pop is more harmful than regular soda pop, and it has been proven that diet sodas may stimulate more hunger. Aspartame

— an artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Sprite Zero, and many other diet sodas that are offered at school — is a well-known hunger enhancer and carcinogen. Simply put, diet sodas make you hungrier and cause cancer.

Yes, high school students want a choice, but we don’t want to be forced to drink diet sodas.

Why must we be forced to drink diet items? It’s not just soda; it’s energy drinks and juices, too. We cannot blame this on the schools, or even the school board. This is the doing of Clinton.

According to the Common Dreams News Center Web site, The American Beverage Association, along with major soda companies, signed the deal brokered by the Clinton Foundation, whose mission is to promote values of fairness and opportunity for all.

We are growing up, and giving us only diet pop gives us nothing to choose from. There are decisions in life, and the correct answers are not going to be handed to us, like diet soda now is.

ROBIN BALLSTAFF REPORTER

Bring back regular pop

The culminating project is a relatively new concept to the Auburn School District. Advisory was introduced to both students and teachers in 2004. However, the graduating necessities are not confined to merely Auburn schools. The whole state of Washington has certain requirements that students need to meet to graduate. This increase of

responsibility has had mixed reactions among the students and teachers here at AHS.

Last year, advisory was a joke to me and seemed like a major waste of time and effort. I didn’t pay attention to what my adviser was saying or what we were doing. However, getting closer to my senior year I am starting to realize the benefits and reasons for these requirements.

Chuck Chew, a junior adviser, said, “I have to do

it. It’s not like we have a choice.” His tone suggests a slight annoyance with the

subject. However, Chew does not let his personal opinion affect his teaching.

“I am preparing my advisory students as much as possible,” he said.

Even so, he doesn’t disregard the fact that some, even most, of the students hate the project. He sees the lack of attentiveness among his students. Chew knows this process can be a “tough transition” for students. Tough transition or not, we “have to do it,” he said. Chew’s answer to this problem: “It’s a team effort.” If you don’t put forth the effort, then why should the advisers?

The fact of the matter is that senior projects are a state requirement, and with it comes advisory. Whether we like it or not, we have to deal with it. We can deal with it by ignoring it and choosing to act like it doesn’t matter, or we can deal with it by facing up to it and doing the best we can to meet the requirements.

Forty-five minutes of work once a month is not hard. It is time we start to look ahead to our future and beyond these four years of high school.

According to freshmen advisory leader Jon Morrow, if we do not complete the necessities for our senior project now, we are “going to pay the price later.” If we only use those minutes, we could easily complete this task. After all, we have four years to finish one project.

“It can be a really fun thing,” Morrow said. He said that this is an opportunity “to show us your experience, where you’ve been.”

The culminating projects are a notorious issue in AHS. No matter what side you are on, realize it is a requirement that we have to complete. Not only is it a necessity, but it is a journey. This plan is not only to prove yourself, but also to discover yourself. Taking merely 45 minutes out of a month to organize and plan is only going to benefit you. So grasp the opportunity next time it arises and have a new outlook on advisory and the senior project.

KELSIE SMITHSTAFF REPORTER

Culminating project serves as a guide to success

High school dances provide memories to almost all participants, and homecoming at Auburn was no exception. All students who attended homecoming on

Oct. 27 will have a fond memory of a night packed full of great music, dancing and friends.

Most students tried to make it to an epic restaurant before the dance and my group was no different. We went to the Tokyo Steak House, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an interactive meal with a lot of amazing Japanese food.

If the dancing alone does not draw you to the school dances, then how about just having an excuse to get dressed up and go out with your significant other or a group of friends? It’s a nice chance

to relax with all of your buddies from school outside of class time and in the halls during passing. Stresses from class and teachers seem to fade away at events like these. Plus, it is always righteous to see your friends looking their best and having a good time!

The sole problem with the dance was the food and beverages. They served the same punch at Homecoming last year, and they should have had more choices and variety with the drinks and served more food. Cookies and punch are not enough to keep you going for four hours inside the dance. If you do not like either, what were you supposed to grub on?

Looking back years from now at my Homecoming pictures, I will remember how much fun high school was and that dance. It provides a keepsake and a memory to share with future children.

Homecoming was a complete success, and I honestly cannot wait for the next school dance.

ANDREWBROCKMUELLER

OPINION EDITOR

Homecoming was righteous