The Canine Chronicle MBMS November 2014 by The Canine Chronicle

[t h e canine ] mount baker middle school, auburn, washington

november 2014

volume V, issue 1

inside this issue: Pumpkin Walk

New Electives

Service Clubs

Fundraiser Update

What Grinds My Gears

Locker Lottery

SPOTLIGHT: Standards Based

SPOTLIGHT: Time Management

How to Survive a Horror Movie

TCC Culture Poll

Arts & Entertainment

Varsity Football

Varsity Fast Pitch

Sixth Grade Hoops

Movember/Pink Out

FRONT COVER PHOTO: In a recent press conference, Mr. Brown expressed his frustration with the current grading system. With Halloween recently passing, the sentiments were captured on a newspaper staff pumpkin carving. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY K. KOPCHO

Dear Bulldogs, The first quarter is nearly coming to an end, and it feels like the school year has just begun. It seems as if it was just yesterday we were jamming our lockers with massive books, running furiously up and down the halls like a raging peacock, and accidentally going to fourth period instead of fifth period. Trust me; we have all done it at one point or the other. Because this is the first edition for The Canine Chronicle, we want to make it the best newspaper it can possibly be. But humans make mistakes, and just like a normal human, the staff at the Canine Chronicle will have their fair share of mistakes. Who expects us to be perfect? When you’re tasked with telling the story of all 950 students, you’re bound to mess up somewhere in the process. But, we will strive to be perfect in our own right. We will report responsibly and ethically about our community and school, being as precise and detailed in moments of frenzy. We are determined to tell your story. If it’s the cafeteria food, our sports team, or the latest fashion trends; we will do our best to voice your opinion. The staff on journalism this year are driven individuals that wish to carry on the legacy and traditions of Mount Baker Middle School’s newspaper, for many more years to come. From Locker Lottery to What Grinds My Gears, we are proud to be able to put our own voices and opinions into this previous work. Telling the story of Mount Baker Middle School’s 2014-2015 amazing year. “It’s the best change I have ever made,” Principal Brown said after changing from Dick Scobey Elementary to Mount Baker Middle School. Make it a great year Baker! Sincerely,

Skylar Erickson~ Managing Editor Kira Kopcho~ Managing Editor Dylan Grenz~ Sports Editor Symone Bolden~ Photo Editor Shewit Alemayehu~ Design Editor

BACK COVER PHOTO: Veterans pose for pictures while in service of our country. Some of them are retired veterans, while others are still in the service. COURTESY OF MBMS VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY SLIDESHOW

mission: The MBMS Journalism 8 class produced this limited-voice Editors

Reporters

Technical Support

Shewit Alemayehu Symone Bolden Skylar Erickson Dylan Grenz Kira Kopcho

Hunter Allemand Tyler Braun Noah Elwell Trinity Forristall Francisco Gonzalez-Ramirez Trevor Little Brianna Lloyd Reis MacNeill

Sharon Manivanh Arturo Martinez-Reyes Odom Meas Jennifer Ortiz Yuliana Romo-Perez Zech Walker Lanae Wohlmacher

Jay Kemp

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newspaper with intent to ethically report events accurately, without bias. As a public forum for students, all decisions made on content are made under the guidance of the adviser, with intent to uphold students’ First Amendment rights. The opinions presented in articles are provided to represent the views and perspectives of students and individuals in our diverse student population, not necessarily the whole of the adviser, faculty, and administrators. Any material that would cause a disruption to the educational process like libel, invasion of privacy, or copyright infringement will not be published. The Canine Chronicle is produced using Microsoft Publisher. Photographs not taken by students have been utilized through a Creative Commons and Microsoft license. School portraits are licensed though Dorian Photography.

Adviser Peter Warring

table of contents

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Dylan Grenz

For many students here at Mt. Baker, Veterans Day is an important holiday. Many people that we know and love have fought bravely to defend our country. However, instead of focusing on just the soldier’s point of view, we focus on the student and staff viewpoint on veterans. In a recent class poll, 40 percent of the students had someone close to them in the military. While this can be tough on the member, it can also be tough on the kid. Seventh grader Payton Marshall agreed, saying, “The hardest part was not being able to see him.” Marshall’s father was in the Marines, but is not active at the moment. The branches of the military are all noble and provide a challenge for soldiers; however some believe certain branches can be more demanding than others. Eighth grader Arturo Martinez-Reyes thought that the Navy is the most difficult. Math teacher and Navy veteran Mr. Knighton disagreed, saying that you could make a case for all branches. “All branches take the same test, so getting in is equally difficult,” Knighton added. Despite these opinions, all branches of the military are challenging. Many soldiers have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, meaning they can have flashbacks to the wars they fought in. While this can be tough on them, it is also tough on the people surrounding them, including the students at our school. Some retired veterans enjoy talking to others about the experience, while others are reluctant. After coming home, Marshall’s father didn’t talk about the experience much. “[My dad] didn’t talk to me much about it. Sometimes I would hear him sharing stories with friends, but that’s about it,” Marshall said. Some soldiers that our students know are serving at the moment, while others served long ago. Sixth grader Sage Kelley’s grandfather served in World War II.

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While not on the battlefield, he contributed in other ways such as writing maps. However, Kelley’s brother is active, serving for the past two years in North Carolina. As you can see, there are many different options and situations for military members, and we treat each

one equally special. The veterans deserve it, as they continue to keep our country safe. So as this Veterans Day approaches, keep in mind not only of those who have served, but also those who have supported and loved them the whole way.

For many, the best part of a soldier’s journey is coming home. These special occasions have been occurring for decades. This picture is of Ms. Swanson’s father. He had just returned home after two years of service in the Marines during the Korean War. He worked as a telegrapher, writing codes so the officers could communicate. The girl he is embracing would later become the mother of Ms. Swanson. This special moment captures the feeling of relief when our loved ones come home safely. COURTESY OF P. SWANSON

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Arturo Reyes-Martinez & Brianna Lloyd

Auburn School District sponsered the Pumpkin Walk fundrasier that took place at Ilako Elementary on Oct. 25. This family event was coordinated by MBMS parent Trisha Schulz with help from many volunteers, raising about 1,200 dollars. The Pumpkin Walk provided a fun family community event full of marvelous designs that captivated your eyes. Glowing candles brought the pumpkins to life. The event coordinator, Trisha Schulz was behind the making of this fall event. “ The idea started about seven years ago. I heard about a Pumpkin Walk on Bainbridge Island, so we headed over. We had the best time. It was a long drive to get there. I presented it at the PTA and enough people thought the event sounded like something worth trying,” Schulz said . Even though, it was a rainy cold night, the Pumpkin Walk was very successful. With 75 percent of the pro-

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ceeds going to schools and clubs that sold the tickets, 25 percent was also donated to the Human Society. The Pumpkin Walk was about as successful as it was last year. The weather last year was perfect, but this year the weather did not cooperate. The Pumpkin Walk did not receive as much carved pumpkins as they did last year. “From what I can tell we are just about even with last year as far as ticket sales. We received less carved pumpkins this year. Last year we had just over 200. This year we had just over 130 pumpkins on the trail,” Schulz said . Local people at the Pumpkin Walk enjoyed the trail according to the families at the walk. This fall event was handing out free hot chocolate. Also giving free candy once you completed the hay bale maze. Overall we saw many smiles and happy families. “[My favorite pumpkin] was the angry bird and the minion. [My favorite costume] was the Jedi. [This community event] was fun. I would go again,” a local person at the event said . Some people at the Pumpkin Walk did not have a good time, and did not enjoy it. The event did not have enough carved pumpkins to put along the walk, so people drew on empty water jugs. “M y favor ite pumpkin was the minion. My favorite Halloween costume was the Superman. I didn’t like [the event], they had water jugs instead of pumpkins,” eighth grader Jack Daughtery said . Even though some people didn’t enjoy the event, it was still a

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success. Mark Schweitzer did a 16 Halloween carved pumpkin display. He carved different designs for each pumpkin. The display flashed lights and plays music from Harry Potter. Schweitzer carved 16 pumpkins that cost about 50 dollars, and weighed about 289 pounds, and took about 4 hours to clean and carve. “I love to decorate for Halloween and hand out candy. The pumpkin display was so cool last year I decided to set it up again. My new project for this year is a stuffed and mounted dragon head that wakes up when it detects motion,” Schweitzer said . Schweitzer creates something new for Halloween every year and gets close to 100 trick-or-treaters a year.

The photo is the 16 carved pumpkin display, which lit up to the temp of Halloween music. This display was created by Mark Schweitzer. PHOTO BY A. MARTINEZ-REYES

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The Mindstorm robots must be programmed using a computer application. They are plugged in, and then, once they’re programmed they’re set to run the routes. PHOTO BY T. LITTLE

Noah Elwell If you thought the Mt. Baker electives last year were boring, fear not, because three interesting new electives have been added to Baker’s repertoire. The first of these new electives is robotics. In robotics the students are taught how to build and program LEGO Mindstorm robots. They must program them to run a series of routes of increasing difficulty. “I like it a lot. It’s more fun than I thought it would be,” Trevor Little said, an eighth grader taking robotics. “I really enjoy teaching robotics because it requires the use of much of our brains,” Mr. Cowan said, who teaches robotics. “Students can have strengths in a number of areas and find a place in robotics. I really like to see kids solve problems and get excited about school.” The second new elective at Mt. Baker this year is forensics/criminality. Students start the year with a fire unit, learning how professional investigators look at firerelated crimes. “Really what we’re studying is how people investigate and what goes into it, as well as different types of crimes,” says Mr. Johnson, the teacher of forensics here at Mt. Baker. Forensics offers insight on how criminals think and how to study what their

crimes leave behind. The final new elective at Mt. Baker is sports media, previously called sports literature. In sports media students must analyze all the different character traits in athletes to determine whether these traits are positive or negative. They also have to figure out which traits that athletes posses help society and make the world a better place. It’s not just character studies, as students learn about the rules of many different sports. “I love teaching sports media because the sixth graders in my class are very deep thinkers,” Mrs. Koenig said. Sports Literature requires lots of in depth discussions about athletes and their personalities. Every one of these new electives is fun for the students and will give them more job opportunities in the future because of the unique skills they teach them. Hopefully these electives are carried over to future years at Mt. Baker, as most students seem very enthusiastic about taking them. “I think [the new electives were helpful to students]. With the electives we’re trying to bring down stuff from high school. I would love to have a foreign language class at Mt. Baker,” Principal Greg Brown said.

If we all had a choice on new electives which ones would you want? ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF DORIAN PHOTOGRAPHY LICENSE

Reis MacNeill

“All of the eighth grade electives are boring we should get more exciting electives, and any exciting elective would be good.”

“Some other electives that I would want are like some architect classes, or make a full class of cooking instead of a little cooking in Home Ec.”

BRIANNA CRAWFORD

SAM ERICKSON

eighth grader

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“I like technology so I am happy to have Robotics. I would really like to see this elective expand to more grade levels and include Robotics class 2. ”

PHILIP KOCHUBY

MR.COWAN

science/robotics teacher

sixth grader

seventh grader

november 2014

“I would want are more forensics classes because it seems like it would be fun and maybe woodshop for sixth graders would be good...”

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Members of Builders Club at Riverside high school prepare to Trick or Treat for Unicef. They are in the Lake Land Hills area raising awareness. PHOTO BY S. ALEMAYEHU

Sharon Manivanh & Symone Bolden The Glitter Gals is an all girl group at Mt. Baker that helps sixth and seventh grade girls boost their confidence. Glitter Gals do fun activities together and enjoy their time they have with each other. They have a lot of fun afterschool socializing and learning techniques to have confidence in themselves. “We get together and do fun things like dance, workout, and we recently just did pumpkin carving. We just have a good time together while gaining our self esteem.” Ms. Utu, one of the advisors, said. What made these girls want to join this group? “I joined this group because they said it would help with confidence, and it really does,” seventh grader Shamara Perry said,. But boys and eighth grade girls can feel uncomfortable too, don’t they? The group does not allow them, though. “I think it’s good that there’s no boys allowed because if they were, they would make fun of us,” Perry said. “And I’m kind of happy that eighth grade girls aren’t allowed either because some of them seem really mean.” So, from the girls point of view, they are happy with how the system works. However, we still don’t know how the boys feel. “I don’t like how they exclude boys; we should form a group and exclude girls so they can see how we feel,” eighth grader Dylan Molina said. We’re inferring the guys don’t like the system as much as the girls do. But, our question is, do guys really need a group like this too? “ Yes, some guys actually do need to boost their confidence. We care about how we look but don’t show it as much,”, Molina said. Do you think that boys should have a group like this too?

Builders Club, EZA Sponsor Fundraisers in Auburn, Beyond Symone Bolden & Lanae Wohlmacher At Mt. Baker, we have two extremely helpful service clubs, Builders Club and End Zone Academy. Both of these wonderful clubs help are community. These service clubs start fundraisers to raise money for causes around the world. In Builders Club there are many great students. Together the students work with the community to help raise money and awareness for other foundations that can help the world. Mrs. Carnahan, the advisor, is happy helping her community with the students. “[I] wanted to help out with the community [and] wanted to help educate students about giving back to organizations,” she stated. Builders Club is an organization that helps the community. Currently they have been working on a fundraiser called Trick or Treat for Unicef. The club has been hard at work. Mt. Baker students that aren’t in the club joined in to help. Students have donated money to their teachers to give to Mrs. Carnahan. Builders club has put on a hat day for the organization. Also they have gone trick-or-treating to raise money. They met their goal of raising over $1500 and still counting. “I’ve gotten great leaders and officers but need

The glitter gals at Mt.Baker are dancing in the commons. Glitter Gals do fun activities like this one Tuesdays after school. COURTESY OF J. UTU

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more people to attend our meetings,” Mrs. Carnahan stated. The other club, End Zone Academy is a Mt. Baker ASB club with the mission to acknowledge and empower socially responsible young global citizens. They support Free the Children, raise money to build schools in third world countries. ”It’s fun and you get to help people,” sixth grade member of EZA Amber Rudolph said. End Zone academy also visit Terry Home residents with traumatic brain injuries in Pacific and take them on field trips and they host events that acknowledge socially responsible young global citizens or raise money to make the world a better place. Seventh grader Jacob Bloomingdale did not know what EZA was. Amber Rudolph Member of EZA said,” Ms. Winter talked about it in class.” Ms. Winter the advisor of End Zone Academy is social studies and Leadership teacher. They meets on Thursdays in Ms. Winter's room. EZA has partnered with “Free the Children” and is committed to raising $10,000 to help them build schools in Haiti. They believe that education stops poverty and that they can help children around the world through education. ”[EZA] supports money for the school” Amber Rudolph said.

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Student Participation Dips

Sixth grade ASB show their bulldog pride. PHOTO BY T. FORRISTALL

Jennifer Ortiz

The cookie dough fundraiser is one of many different ways to raise money for our school. If more of us sell, then we will have more money to buy things that we need at this school. We could afford to buy new equipment for clubs and sports for example. So far, we have sold $11,040 worth of cookie dough. That’s as if everyone at this school went to sell $12 worth of cookie dough. Not all of the money we raise goes to our school. Only $8, out of the $20 they cost goes to Mt. Baker; we have raised $4,416 for our school. The rest of the money goes to the cookie dough company we worked with. Many students sell to the same customers every year. People don’t want to buy cookie dough every year, but they are generous enough to do so. Grandma doesn’t really want a tub of cookie dough every year. Also, just about every other school in Washington sells cookie dough, so people will get sick of this yummy treat. Assistant Principal and fundraiser organizer Mr. Lewis said that the staff is thinking of changing what they’re

selling because “Grandma needs a variety.” The price also plays a part in this. This year, cookie dough costs $20 for a 2.7 lb tub only. There are no other sizes, so you either pay $20 or you don’t get any. We need to take part in our school to make it a better place. If none of us ever did anything, the school would be no fun. Kids don’t want to go to a boring school. Pitching in at school is the first step to making it a better place. Mrs. Carnahan, an advisor of Builder’s Club says, “[Participating at school] helps build a community within our school, and helps students take ownership.” Mt. Baker has been selling cookie dough with cookie cards for two years now. They are easier to use, because that way staff doesn’t have to keep all the dough in a freezer, waiting for everyone to turn in their sales. Customers can just go online and get it delivered to their house. The cookie dough fundraiser has been considerably effective so far. If we keep it up, someone might win tickets to the Seahawks game.

Mr. Lewis says that we have raised $4,4416 for our school. Money from the cookie dough goes to fund new clubs. PHOTO BY J.ORTIZ

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Trinity Forristall The sixth grade election has come and gone. There are some really ecstatic sixth graders who got elected for senator, and they have lots of tips if you want to run for an office in ASB. “Make sure you have a good campaign, make lots of posters, make cool and creative tags and a good speech,” sixth grade senator Sophia Shunk suggested. Senator, Chloe Edwards, explains that confidence is the key to succeed in the election. “[Students] can run by being confident and being yourself. Also make sure you are speaking up for your people,” Edwards said. “Sometimes you feel like you can’t. You might be nervous. You just got to believe in yourself. If you want to run then do it,” sixth grade senator Yesenia Scearcy explained. Why would you want to run for ASB? According to Shunk, she wanted to run to contribute to the decisions that are discussed in the ASB meetings. “I just thought it would be a fun thing to run for and I wanted to help the school out,” Shunk said. “I enjoy helping people and doing what’s right,” Edwards explained. “[I wanted to run for ASB] so I could make the school a better place and get everyone’s voice out there,” sixth grade senator Ellie Goodspeed added. Shunk enjoys the ASB meetings, but she hates waking up early. “[The meetings] are really fun! And sometimes [Mrs. Lindgren] brings us dessert. The only thing I don’t like about [the meetings] is waking up early. There is a meeting every week, unless there is going to be an assembly, then there is normally two.” The sixth graders in ASB contribute to the decisions almost as much as the seventh and eighth graders do, so all grades are involved in the decisions that are made for Mt. Baker Middle School.

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All graphics in feature courtesy of MS Clipart

What

Disagree? The segment ‘What Grinds My Gears’ is presented as opinion and does not express the views of all MBMS students or The Canine Chronicle. If you would like to express your opinion, write us a letter, and you may be published in our next edition.

You know what really grind’s my gears are school computers. Theeeeeeeeyyyyy arrrrrrreeeee sooooooooo sloooooowwwwww! They also are very old so it doesn’t help that case. The school computers are not very accessible. Either some students do need to use the computers for certain researching but unless their class is in the computer lab, they can’t use them. Although I understand why they won’t let students use the computers because some students may get off track and do things, they aren’t supposed to do. But that is unfair for the students that are responsible and great learners. In my opinion the school computers need to be updated if that means in the classrooms or the computer lab. They need to be updated because after a while the computers are going to get slower and then we won’t be able to use them at all. So that will mean that we can’t get assignments done at school that require a computer and not all students have computers at home. I know teachers don’t like it when students don’t finish their homework, but if students don’t have the after school access or before school access they can’t get their homework done and that is what grind’s my gears.

There I was on the edge of my chair at the kitchen table in the dining room. The power was out and I was alone. I could hear the wind whistling outside and the rain crashing against the windows. The candles lights flickered wildly, like someone blew on them softly. The house was so cold that it made me shiver. I decided to heat up a gigantic mug of hot cocoa to warm me up. While the water was boiling on the stove, I was frantically scavenging for marshmallows in the cupboard, but I discovered something even more extraordinary. I revealed a box of Oreos. I snatched that box of Oreos like it was the only box of Oreos in the Universe. Before I could tear open the box and dive in, the hot water boiling started to scream. I anxiously slammed down the box of Oreos down on the table, and finished making my beverage. I quickly sat down and tore open the box of Oreos. What do I find? Nothing. The box was vacant, there were only crumbs scattered at the bottom. I threw the box across the kitchen, furiously. I dumped my hot cocoa down the drain; I no longer wanted to drink it. I solemnly went to slouch on the couch, haunted by the fact that I will never get to taste the blissfulness of an Oreo ever again.

-Trevor Little

-Trinity Forristall

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Do you know what really grinds my gears? People whistling in the halls; like seriously, we are not the seven dwarfs “whistling while you go to work”. You aren’t on your way to go mining for diamonds; you’re on your way to fourth period, like just stop please. Walt Disney didn’t create you on a sheet of paper in the 1930’s, and your name isn’t Grumpy. Plus, most people aren’t even good at it, so it just sounds like a bunch of dying birds trying to cry for help. That’s not attractive. If it sounds like I’m in Hawaii sitting next to a waterfall drinking out of a coconut, then I’ll maybe listen. But, when people do it during class time, I’m literally going to explode. What? Are you trying to encourage me? Well if that’s what you’re trying to do, it’s not working. So if you see me walking down the hallway please, just say “hi”: just don’t whistle. But, if you make the poor decision to whistle, just know that I’m internally screaming at you. I will not talk to you if you make that decision for at least a week. And that’s what grinds my gears. –Skyler Erickson

You know what really grinds my gears? Too much homework. It’s not the homework that angers me; it’s just the amount that we have to do. Although I know probably the entire school population would agree with me, maybe some readers would disagree. I like practicing and learning my homework, but two hours is how long it takes to do it. I know the work will help me in the future and I will be more knowledgeable, but two hours of it just doesn’t seem worth it. On top of all the other activities students have, I don’t think many have time for two hours of homework. This is probably the most common dilemma in school. I’m sure many students have a busy schedule after school like picking up younger siblings, doing countless chores, and going to extracurricular activities. On top of all that, they have to do math, language arts, and science homework, followed by still getting the required eight hours of sleep. An average school day is the amount of seven hours, added by two hours of homework; you result in nine hours of total schoolwork, which is an hour more than your average eighth hours of sleep. —Tyler Braun

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The locker lottery is an exciting part of our newspaper. We go around and select lockers at random and interview whoever’s locker it belongs to. The lockers we have selected belong to sixth grader, Tatum Murry, sixth grader, Nathan Benthin, seventh grader, Luisa Suchkova, seventh grader, Davontre Williams, eighth grader, Liliya Paschinskaya, and eighth grader, Byron Gutierrez.

Tyler Braun, Sharon Manivanh, Noah Elwell

How well do you manage your time as a student? L.P.: I manage it well. B.G.: Horrible. I spend more time playing soccer. D.W.: I can manage my time well, I get home and do my homework right away. L.S.: I do about 2-3 hours of homework a day, I think I can manage my time well. N.B.: Pretty well. I pay attention in class. T.M.: I manage it pretty good. Do you plan on playing upcoming sports at Mt Baker? L.P.: I was going to but not anymore. B.G.: Soccer. D.W.: Basketball, I just finished football. L.S.: Yes, I’m going to join gymnastics. T.M.: Yes, I’m in one right now. How much money did you raise in the school fundraiser this year? L.P.: I didn’t do it. B.G.: I raised no money this year. D.W.: I didn’t do it, one of my friends did. I think it was a good idea though. L.S.: I didn’t do it. N.B.: I sold two things.

hands pink. T.M.: Yes, I did. Which app do you use or play the most? L.P.: I use the Snapchat the most. B.G.: Facebook, I use it the most out of everything. D.W.: Instagram. L.S.: I use Snapchat. N.B.: Sketchman. T.M.: The Sims. What are your thoughts about standards based grading? L.P.: It’s dumb; it should be the ABC way. B.G.: It’s stupid. I don’t get it. it’s confusing. D.W.: My parents think it’s easier but to me it doesn’t matter. L.S.: I don’t like it, it’s too complicated and hard to figure out. N.B.: It doesn’t bother me. T.M.: I think it’s good.

How are you prepping for the upcoming pep assembly? B.G.: I’m going practice my trumpet to get better. D.W.: My mom is going to buy me a whole bunch of purple stuff and I’m going try to have as much spirit as possible. L.S.: I know I’m going to participate and wear some purple stuff. N.B.: I’m not sure. T.M.: I’m going to wear lots of orange. What are you going to be for Halloween? L.P.: I don’t celebrate Halloween. B.G.: I’m going to grab a black mask, and color it and go around with my friends and scare little kids and stuff. D.W.: A gangster. L.S.: I don’t celebrate Halloween. N.B.: Jason. T.M.: I was a 50’s girl.

How is it being sixth, seventh, eighth grader? L.P.: It’s better than last year. B.G.: Boring. There’s more drama. D.W.: Yeah, it’s pretty fun. We have more activities than what we did in sixth grade. L.S.: I like it. I thought it’d be harder, but it’s really not. N.B.: I like it a lot better than elementary. T.M.: Good. Did you participate in the pink out? L.P.: Yeah, I did. B.G.: No, I would’ve worn pink but I didn’t have any and I wasn’t going to waste money on it for one day. D.W.: Yeah, I wore a couple of pink things. L.S.: No, but I think it did help raise awareness. N.B.: I didn’t have any pink clothes, so I just colored my PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONBY S. MANIVANH VIA PHO.TO

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Kira Kopcho

You’re on Skyward frantically checking have even succeeded in being more bamyour grade, and it is the last day before boozling then the original standards based the cut off for the quarter. Your grades grading that rolled out 2 years ago. Based are relatively good exon the popular reaction, cept for a 3.2 in math. it might not be here to You have one question on stay. your mind, “What does “Common core takes that even mean?!” away the fun of learnThis has been a coming.” Mrs. Carnahan, U.S mon problem since the history teacher, re—Mrs. Carnahan introduction of standards marked about her views based in the 2012-2013 U.S History teacher on assigning projects. “It school year. Not only are doesn’t allow for us to students confused by the new grade book, give the projects and activities we used to staff and even parents are roped into the be able to.” chaos. To most people at Mt. Baker, the The standardized system might just be to new grading system is not easier than the blame for the lack of projects being asold ‘1, 2, 3, and 4.’ These new grades might signed this year. The testing and re-testing takes a lot out of what little time teachers can use to spark the creative side of what is usually pencils and paper. But the grading system doesn’t only affect the amount of projects we get; it also affects how we’re assessed in classes like math and science. “I don’t like standards based at all. I’d rather use regular grading,” eighth grade math teacher Mr. Carter stated his opinion Carnahan also shared a recent progress report she signed with multiple means of reporting a student’s progress from percentages on the ‘new’ common core. “I believe that

“Common core takes away the fun of learning.”

to smiley faces. PHOTO COURTESY OF E. CARNAHAN

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what will eventually happen is we will have the standard strands, but they will actually have grades or percentages.” Core-class teachers aren’t the only ones struggling with how the new grading system works. It’s even harder to give a grade for electives like like orchestra, band, and choir. Everyone could have a different idea of a 4 in music.

This is a project of a model slave ship that Carnahan used to give before the implication of standards based. The ship could also be seen as a symbol of how with standardized grading, we’ve become slaves to pencil and paper tests instead of focusing on creative aspects. PHOTO BY K.KOPCHO

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“Standards based grading, it’s a nightmare.”

It all comes berly Gavin voiced her down to the comviews on standards mon question, based in music. “I just “What truly exlike playing my instruceeds standard?” ment because it is a “When I play mufun thing to do.” sic, I’m not thinking —Principal Brown Playing tests in band about a good grade and orchestra are like I’m going to get on a playing test like I am your summative assessments in math. on an algebra test.” Seventh grader, Kim- Unfortunately, this new grading system

makes it hard to give ‘4’ opportunities in elective classes. Kids might not freak out like they do over an algebra or history test, but in Skyward, a playing test counts just as much as a summative assessment. Standards Based grading affects everything from choir to language arts to the new robotics class. In the words of Principal Brown “Standards based grading, it’s a nightmare.”

Do you think standards based grading is a nightmare? Yuliana Romo-Perez

“Yes, because to me it is easier to just use A, B, C, D and F.”

“No, because I think it makes the grading easier.”

“Yes, I think it’s a nightmare because it’s hard to understand and confusing.”

“I think the computerized grade book doesn’t work easily for standards based grading.”

THOMAS NELSON

EMMA BAILEY

MACEY HAYNIE-BOYD

MRS. CARSTENS

seventh grade

eighth grade

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sixth grade *

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Skylar Erickson

After you arrive home following a long bus ride from school, you quickly eat a small snack before you start your homework. Your brain feels like a giant bowl of Jell-O after sitting for nearly seven and a half hours. You shove your half-cooked Pop-Tart down your throat. Reaching for your

backpack, you feel its massive weight pull you down to the carpeted floor. You manage to sit up with your backpack in hand and start your homework. You wait for the agony to begin. Geometry, social studies, language arts, and science papers fill the kitchen table.

Doing your homework late at night can really take a toll on you, especially in the morning. Just imagine falling asleep in class. PHOTO BY C. MCLAUGHLIN

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“Why do I have so much?” you think to yourself. Why do students, have so much homework? Why can’t we go hangout with our friends? The truth is you just have homework. That’s it. If you want to be a brain surgeon or work at McDonalds for the rest of your life, you need school. But it’s how you manage your time that can help you get good grades. Students these days have a lot of homework and responsibilities, but how much is too much? “I have stayed with the same amount of homework since coming here in 2008,” algebra teacher Mr. Knighton explained. He believed that students have an adequate amount of homework; some of them just don’t take the time to actually complete it and accomplish it to their full potential. “Sixth grade is a lot different from fifth grade,” sixth grader Tatum Murry said. “I have a lot more responsibility now that I’m older.” If you procrastinate on all of your homework, you will get behind in school, and your grades will most likely fall. Even if it’s just a small amount of it, if you make the decision not to do it, the homework load will just get even bigger and bigger until *

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you don’t know what to do and get stressed out. “Thirty-eight percent of students in grades seven through 12 and 28 percent of students in grades three through six report being ‘very often/ often’ stressed out by their homework,” reported The Atlantic, an online news source, explaining that almost about half of children in America feel very often stressed out by the amount of homework they receive. If you’re stressed out about your schoolwork, just follow some of these tips in order to succeed in school. - First things first, you need to make sure you check your work on homework and on test, you can miss something super small and it can affect your score in a big way. - You must do your homework. Even though you may be one of the most intelligent people in the school, if you don’t do your homework, it won’t show on your report card. Many more jobs are requiring more college education to attain better positions. McDonalds is even now requiring their cashier workers to have earned a bachelor’s degree. Make sure to manage your time for both homework and activities outside of school. If you do this you will surely succeed in school, and also in life.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Staying organized and having a great support system has helped me fit everything in each day.â&#x20AC;? MAKENNA WEBB

asb co-president

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Everybody thinks they could survive a horror movie. We all like to yell at the people at the movies because they do the most idiotic things ever. And if WE were in their shoes, we would NEVER do what they do, but could you really survive? Recently, MBMS staff and students took multiple online quizzes to test their aptitude for survival. “In horror movies, they make stupid decisions and I don’t make stupid decisions,” eighth grader Sol Han said. Sol took four online quizzes on if he could survive a horror movie and it showed that he was the star of the movie and survived the whole thing, and on another quiz he had a 70 percent chance of surviving, although he did die three times before passing one of the quizzes. Overall the odds were most definitely in his favor. But for other people the odds weren’t in their favor. Eighth grade teacher Mrs. Carstens, who explained that she hated horror films, was likely to be the first one to die and she even refused to take one of the quizzes. Although she knew she couldn’t survive, she had a 60 percent chance of surviving. “No, I know I can’t [survive] because I don’t like feeling sick to my stomach and I don’t like adrenaline,” Carstens said. Seventh grader Mason Hammer thinks it all depends on

the movie. Even though, he had a 40 percent chance of surviving, he still enjoyed horror films, his favorite being The Purge, because there was a lot of horror in it. However, on the quiz it said he was the star of the movie like Sol. He also died three times, like Sol, before passing one of the quizzes. “[I don’t think I could survive] because I had a 40 percent chance [of surviving],” Hammer said. Sixth grader Zoe Moore loved horror movies and thought she could survive one because she doesn’t get scared. “Yes, I watch them a lot, my friends think I’m crazy and are too scared to watch them,” Moore said. She was the star, like Sol and Mason. Even though she had a 30 percent chance of surviving and died twice before surviving one of the quizzes, it still doesn’t change her mind. “I still like horror movies, [because] they’re fun,” Moore said. One rule we can all agree on is that if you hear a strange noise, GET OUT IMMEDIATELY! Do not go investigate because you are not Sherlock Holmes and don’t ignore it. “When you hear a noise call 911.” This is Mrs. Carstens’ number one rule for surviving. If the killer is chas-

ing you in your home DON’T RUN UPSTAIRS! It is very likely you will fall in the process. Don’t run to the woods if you live near them, the killer knows them better than you. If you get a mysterious call that asks, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” or anything creepy, DO NOT LOCK the doors and windows, because it’s very likely the killer maybe in your house laughing at your stupidity. DON’T SPLIT UP! If you in a group of 5 or more people, don’t split up and the one that always suggest to split up usually dies, but if you’re in a group of two or three people, and you suspect on of them to be bad then you should probably leave because in those situations, its every person for themself. Don’t be the jerk in the group. There’s nothing worse than a guy who refuses to cooperate with everyone else during times of crisis. At some point near the end of every horror movie, the remaining character(s) finally defeats the monster. They pat themselves on the back in sweet relief; all the while we know that the monster isn’t dead. So once you kill the monster or the bad guy make sure you KILL HIM AGAIN. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING! You find an ancient looking book with strange ritualistic notes, urging not to repeat them, most people in films will go on to do that very thing and unleash horrible demons. So if you don’t want your friend or family to become possessed then LEAVE THE BOOK ALONE—one of the biggest rules of them all.

Don’t make a stupid decision like the Geico television advertisement people. Go towards the running car, not the chainsaws. COURTESY OF ISSPOT.TV

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Kira Kopcho Aquarius (January 20-Febuary 18): Red pens might be your best friend in math, but your ink is red for a different reason…

Jennifer Ortiz & Kira Kopcho

Media Coverage of High School Shooting By now you all have probably heard the tragic story of the Marysville shooting at Pilchuck high. Unfortunately, shootings at schools is becoming an increasingly popular trend. It’s almost to the point that the media coverage has turned what might be an empty threat into a news story that scares people silly. Do you think the media’s coverage of the Pilchuck shooting was responsible?

Veterans in Family Our veterans are coming back home to celebrate. Veteran’s Day was originally made to show honor and respect to those who have served our country. They come back to their families and friends with tears in their eyes. We need to thank them for their efforts if we see them around. Do you have a family member who serves the country?

Ebola Control Ebola is a deadly disease that attacks your dendritic cells. These cells defend your body, and call your white blood cells for back-up; without them, your body is vulnerable to any disease. It has recently been located in West Africa, and brought over to Texas by people working with sick patients. Do you think the government is doing a good job of keeping Ebola under control?

Way-to-go Ticket Incentives Way-to-go’s have been controversial since the scandal of 2013. Back in the day, we received humongous feasts of the unhealthiest foods for getting our name drawn from a box. Now the incentives have changed to something less elaborate. Do you think students will like the new incentives for way-to-go’s?

Aries (March 21-April 19): Despite being a fire sign, you won’t be laughing when your nemesis sets fire to your homework. Taurus (April 20-May 20): Your trusting nature might get the better of you when a stranger offers you cupcakes. Don’t eat the red velvet ones! Gemini (May 21-June 20): Your indecisive nature will be your downfall when you have to choose between a bag of candy and spilling your darkest secrets, Cancer (June 21-July 22): Your introverted personality might not pay off when you start hearing strange noises in your house. It might be time to leave town… Leo (July 23-August 22): Black cats are symbols of misfortune for a reason. When you lose a flash drive, look for the feline offender. Virgo (August 23-September 22): Paranoia might get the better of you but stay alert. That scratching against your door at 1 AM isn’t normal, especially if you don’t own a cat…

Homework Stress

Libra (September 23-October 22): Crows have taken a stalkers liking to you, but they aren’t to be trusted. You won’t think crows are cool when they steal your lunch.

Homework is an excellent way to practice what you’re learning at school. Sometimes though, we get too much homework for every period in just one day. That’s too much homework, and sometimes you can’t finish it all; especially if you have an afterschool sport or activity. Do you think too much homework stresses you out?

Scorpio (October 23-November 21): You will be attacked by a giant spider as revenge for killing them. Watch your back for creepy crawlies.

Black Friday Approaches

Sagittarius: November 22- December 21): You might act brave now, but prepared to get scared silly when you see a tall man with long arms in the woods near your house.

Ah, Black Friday, a day when people stand in line at the crack of dawn just to get good deals. But the craziness of this holiday doesn’t stop there. The madness of cops getting called and people trampling each other over a blender starts on Thanksgiving now! Will you brave the madness of Black Friday and go shopping?

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Pisces (February 19-March 20): Beware of fish and seafood, if you eat too much you might wake up with flippers!

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Capricorn (December 22-January 19): Clowns are all fun and games… until you find one in your closet.

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COURTESY OF HDWALLPAPERS.COM

Francisco Gonzalez-Ramirez A seven-star-rated film, Maze Runner, by Wes Ball made a movie of young actors such as Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, James Dashner, and Will Poulter made the film a successful hit that might be only pointed toward teenagers. The movie seemed to only attract young adults due to the actors that starred. To be

more precise: fan girls. The film is about a young man who finds himself lost in a labyrinth brain-washed. He realizes he is not alone. He joins the other “runners” in a journey for freedom with parkour action. “I think they’re going to put young actors so they can

relate to the younger audience,” art teacher Ms. Wells stated. Did Ball’s tactic work? “Wes Ball wanted newer actors because then it would ruin the purpose of the book and the movie,” eighth grader Julissa Cisneros said. One impact the film might have had was the lack of older audience. Lately other movies such as The Hunger Games and The Twilight Saga have made their movies with young actors and actresses mainly with well-known actors, such as Dylan O’Brien and actress Shailene Woodley from Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars. “Because Dylan O’Brien was in it. DUH!” was one of Cisneros the reasons she watched the film, Another impact this film struggled is why was the movie different than the book? According to reviews and my perspective, many came out disappointed due to the fact that the movie was a far cry from the novel. “Newt didn’t call Thomas ‘Tommy’, which ruined the whole fandom and Ben was changed,” Cisneros ranted. One last struggle this movie had was the poor acting performances. People were easily able to infer the next event. There was a lack of exceptional acting performances. Many of the slightly entertained audience agreed it was just another want-to-be version of The

Hunger Games.

One positive effect this movie did have was relating to the genre and feeding their fan fiction lovers. “Just follow me and run like if your life depends on it. Because it does,” character James Dashner said.

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Streaming television series worth a weekend

Hunter Allemand & Lanae Wohlmacher

Walking Dead

Supernatural TV-14

TV-14

AVAILABLE: Netfflix, Hulu, Amizon Prime 200 episodes

AVAILABLE: Netfflix, Hulu, Amizon Prime 51 episodes

SYNOPSIS: Two brothers, Sam and Dean, were raised by their father, John, and got trained to fight things that bumped in the night. Their mother had gotten killed by a supernatural being. Their father dedicated his life to find whatever killed his wife. His father got killed by the same thing that his wife was killed by. Now the two brothers have to find out what happened and solve supernatural mysteries.

SYNOPSIS: The Walking Dead is about a cop that was shot while on duty and goes into a coma. When he awake from his coma he discovers the world has been overrun with a virus that turns people into the living dead. After he woke from his coma he went to his house hoping to see his family but they went missing. He sets out on a search to find them and he succeeded now he is working to keep his family and himself alive.

WHY WATCH IT: If you like ghosts, ghouls, and other mysterious creatures then you would love Supernatural. Many people watch this show. This is probably why they have 10 seasons. It is a very mysterious show. Many things can come out of the dark at any given time. If you like the adrenaline rush when you get scared, then you really wants to watch this show. Always keep a pillow by you. You will need it.

WHY TO WATCH: In this horribly good show you witness everything that goes on in a zombie apocalypse. The story line will keep you sitting at the edge of your chair as the crew makes their way through cities bashing zombie brains. This show can being very addicting. You just have to know if your favorite character will be bitten. It is great to just sit down and watch it never gets boring.

STARRING: Jared Padalechi, Jensen Ackles, Tim Beaver.

STARRING: Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Emily Kinney, Scott Wilson

Rating: 4/4 stars

RATING: 3/4 Stars

COURTESY OF DVDTV.COM

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Yuliana Romo-Perez

Six years from today, every student in Mt. Baker Middle School will be using a Chromebook. The new technology is coming to our school in the next few years. Students and teachers will be able to experience a new and

Google Apps for Education includes apps like Google Classroom that will keep the class organized. It will make grading assignments more rapidly to save time. COURTESY OF GOOGLE.COM VIA CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

unique way of learning. After so many years of using textbooks, the Auburn School District is taking a big step on advancing our technology for students. The technology levy will replace the 2005 levy. Starting at the end of this school year, Wi -Fi will be available in every class room. The district will give teachers tools to improve learning. One purpose of the technology levy is for students’ engagement to increase. “I think it will make school a more enriching environment for both students and teachers. The power of every student using a Chromebook in every class will give even more ownership to students for their learning,” computer teacher Mr. Kemp said. Students and teachers will also be given District Google Accounts that will provide access to Google Apps for Education. With Google Drive, there is no need to worry about forgetting your flash drives or losing your assignments. Documents are able to be stored in your account so you can open them whenever you want. “I think it will be a lot easier to do stuff in the classroom, to research projects and homework at home with

being able to do it on the computer,” eighth grader Jorge Malacon said. During class time, students will be allowed to use their cell phones to research whatever the teacher says. Eighth grade math and science teacher Mr. Johnson already lets students use their phones. “Kids like internet and it’s easier to type than write and it’s less work for kids,” seventh grader Kyle Miller said. Although Chromebooks and cell phones will be very useful, they could cause interruptions in class. Kids will get distracted if they get a text or when someone gets a call. This can take away class learning time if kids need to be reminded what the expectations are. Malacon explained how he believes that people can go on websites and they do things they’re not supposed to like go on YouTube. “The one downfall will be to educate students on the care and use of the devices. We will need to teach what is acceptable use for the Chromebooks,” Mr. Kemp responded .

Zech Walker & Odom Meas Many kids these days are always on their smart phones playing games and texting instead of doing their homework, but. what if there were apps or other technology that could help them with their school work? There are many of them and I am going to tell you the top five. One of the apps is Scratch. Scratch is an app designed by M.I.T students and staff in 2003, which is a little old but it works great. Scratch is created specifically for 8-16-year-olds. Originally a multi-platform download, Scratch is now web- based and more accessible. Student’s use a visual programming language made up of bricks that they drag to the workspace to

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animate sprites. Various types of bricks program, trigger loops, create variables, initiate Tynker was built to teach programinteractivity, play sounds, and more. ming. Another app where you can play ”This app is great for beginners doing games and do work which is called Word programming,” Mrs. Walker said . Joust. Word Joust lets students go on The app features starter lesson plans, knightly quests, do battles with trolls, classroom management tools, and an and learn vocabulary words to win online showcase of student-created points. Kids compare their performance programs. with classmates. For students who have Mrs. Keaton ,we An additional app is a free app called all know of Remind 101. This is an app Tynker. Tynker is a w here the relatively new app teacher can for coding. The remind you to interface looks study, do your similar to Scratch, homework and but while scratch more. This was was designed to pretty helpful COURTESY OF QUIZLET.COM

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for the students because sometimes we forget there is a test but teachers can send you a reminder. This app is in the pay store and can be used by any student. “This app is great because anyone can use it for anything,” Dylan Grenz said . Lastly, the number one app voted by the journalism class is Quizlet. Quizlet is an app that kids use to study for any test or quiz coming up and you can compare scores with other kids in your class and compete to be the best. Most of the time this app is used for math tests. Quizlet also has many flash cards to study whether its vocabulary words or times tables.

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Jimmy T Leota throws a pass down field in the Bulldogs first game. COURTESY OF MT. BAKER YEARBOOK.

Hunter Allemand

Three seconds remained in the final game of the varsity football season. Mt. Baker’s varsity football team had to stop North Tapps from scoring a touchdown, so they could keep the shutout rolling. The center snapped the ball to the quarterback. He handed the ball off to the running back. He was hit hard and he fumbled the ball. Mt. Baker recovered the ball. The game was over. The Mt. Baker Bulldogs finished the season 33. Mt. Baker was on a tough road to start off the season. They had gone 0-3 in the first three games, but turned it around and won the last three games. The first game in North Tapps was a very close game. Andrey Grishchenko scored the only points of the game for Baker. It was a two yard trot into the endzone. The final score of the game was 6-14. Mt. Baker lost. The other two games Mt. Baker was outscored 7-35. The fourth game was one of the best games of the season. Rainier could not stop the run, Grishchenko led the running game with two rushing touchdowns, but this could only be done by the tremendous blocking by Maxwell Parsons. Mt. Baker quarterback Noah Elwell, only had to

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throw the ball once that game because of the total dominance of the running game. The score was 38-6. The next game was even better than the last. The running game was very dominant. Ty Emmons caught a touchdown pass from Noah Elwell. This was the only pass from Elwell. On one trick play, the center snapped the ball to Noah Elwell, he tossed it to Jimmy T. Leota. He threw the ball down field to Emmons for a touchdown. This was Emmons’s second receiving touchdown of the game. “My favorite team to face off against is Rainer,” Elwell said. The final game was a shutout against North Tapps. This win made Mt. Baker in third place in the playoffs. The kicking team was extremely consistent in the last three games. It consisted of Parsons as snapper, Emmons as holder, and Griffin Cummins as kicker. They made 13 of 14 PATs in the last three games. “I was pleased with the season, it went well,” varsity football coach Mr. Vatne said.

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Seventh Grade Football Wins League Odom Meas & Zech Walker The junior varsity football team performed well this season, capturing the championship title. Led by Coach Brown and Coach Kemp, they showed a lot of pride in their team. In addition, both of the coaches said that Javon Forward was the star of the team. ”Javon Forward, he was our most passionate player,” said Coach Brown. Coach Brown said that Forward played many positions, including quarterback, punter, running back, and linebacker. Forward also scored many touchdowns, which were followed by extra point attempts followed by kicker Jeremy Gregerson. This team fought their way all the way to the top. The seventh grade Mount Baker football team was dominated by Olympic middle school, 21-0 but then turned the tables in the championship with a 32-19 win. In addition, they overcame every other team in the league such as North Tapps, Cascade, and Rainer. Some people were wondering why the JV football team was doing better than the Varsity football team. “Injuries, our team hasn’t had any injuries yet,” Coach Brown said , explaining their success. “[We won] because we were more disciplined,” Ethan Dietz said Mr. Kemp agreed with Brown, saying said, “[The team] stayed healthy.”

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Connor Pennycook Varsity fast pitch had a strange season only playing five games and having one cancelled on the field. The girls did not win a game, but they still had a ferocious season with their bonding and skills. “I think the season went great. No, we did not win a game but we played great, and the team bonded,” Coach Koenig said. “They never gave up. They never would. They were so enthusiastic even when we practiced in the gym!” Koenig did cite a few moments of struggle for the team. “The only bad part about this season is when Lexi Allen sprained her ankle and was out for the season,” Koenig said. The MVP Award this year was given to Rebecca Spear, who started playing in third grade. “I feel very accomplished and I’m proud of myself because all my hard work has paid off,” said Spear. “We didn’t win a game, but we improved by so much!” Spear had many fond memories of a challenging season. “What I’m going to remember most about this season is that they let seventh graders play on the varsity team. I’m going to remember the entire team and how good we played, along with all the fun we had.” The Team Captain Award this year was given to Kashe Stansberry, who felt accomplished by winning the honor. “This season was really good, it was a little sad we only played [5] games, and then they told us we can’t play anymore games like, ever,” the captain said. “I liked playing North Tapps the most.” The Most Improved Award this year was given to Caroline Cooper. “I started as the worst player at the beginning of the

Arturo Reyes-Martinez

The Varsity Fast Pitch team enjoyed one of their few sunny days at practice. The players practiced as a united team. COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK

season. Then at the end I could throw the ball accurate and pretty fast. I also started hitting the ball really good. I ended up being a valuable player to the team.” Cooper also was committed to both teams, futures and varsity. “I decided to play on the seventh grade team, because I didn’t want them to forfeit because there was little games in the season. Cooper said, “It was a little hard because I didn’t know their team or their plays. I also played a different position.” Coach Koenig and many players described a positive season, full of improvement. “The way we improved on the field [was my highlight]. Our first game we weren’t the best,” Cooper said. “As we practiced, we started running double plays and came together as a team.”

PHOTO BY C. PENNYCOOK

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The girls future fast pitch team played each game with spirt and tried to make the best out of each game, even when it rained. There were a total of nine girls that tried hard to improve at each game and practice, achieving this by the end of the season. They were all excited to be part of this season, especially Coach Duca. She coaches fast pitch every year, and said this is a special hard working team. She gave lot of helpful tips, according to many players. “I had nine players that demonstrated excellent team work, sportsmanship, respect for one another, and a strong desire to learn the game of fast pitch,” said Coach Duca, who said she is going to miss the team and wishes the season was longer. The players loved to be on the team. This team helped each other improve a lot over the season. The only thing that really effected them was the rain but they always had a great spirt, and wanted to play. “It was really disappointing to not be able to play a lot of games because we practiced really hard,” said Lily Scheschy. “It was a really fun team and I learned a lot, I’m definitely going to do Varsity Fast Pitch next year.” The team had a record of 1-3, but the improvement of each girl was amazing according to the coach and players. Rain or shine, the team never gave up or quit. “They were doing double plays and they were hitting the ball with great fielding,” said Coach Duca. “These girls have great skills. I have no doubt that most of them will make varsity next year”. Lily Scheschy had a great experience, while never stopping to improve, for the futures team. Scheschy described the team as being “awesome”.

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Sixth Grade Basketball,

for Future Dylan Grenz The boy’s sixth grade team battled hard every game. They improved both on offense and defense. COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK

The sixth grade basketball program impressed, as all of the boys and girls teams produced successful seasons. Girls team number one, coached by Ms. Burkhalter, played great throughout the year, finishing with a record of 6-0. Ellie Walter-Goodspeed was the leading scorer in many of the games. “They were one of the best defensive teams I have coached,” coach Burkhalter added. “They were super aggressive and kept the ball out of the opponent’s hands.” Coach Swanson’s team also played well, with

Kayla Riper and Zoe Moore contributing every game. Dunka Hysea-Ramirez said that the team was best at playing defense. The teams rebound skills also improved throughout the year. The boy’s teams represented our school well, battling powerhouses such as Rainier and Cascade. Mrs. Brown’s boys team finished with a strong record of three wins and two losses. Christian Knox stated that the most memorable moment was the “last game because [the team] really dominated on offense.”

The other teams benefited with three out of school coaches. Donavon Jones was on one of these teams, having coach Pegram teaching many new skills. Jones said that his favorite play was called “horns”, which was the team’s go to play. Jones also thought that Ian Middleburg was one of the best players. With the success of both the boys and girls teams, the seventh and eighth grade coaches are sure to have talented teams in years to come.

DIRECTIONS: Unscramble each of the sports-related clue words. Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number.

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During the Pink Out, students and staff of Mt. Baker Middle School go all out in everything pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. Every year at least 40,000 people, mostly women, die from breast cancer. Mt. Baker is showing their support for this cause. According to MakingStrides.com more than 9 million walkers across the United States have raised more than $528 million to help fight breast cancer through Making Strides events. PHOTOS BY S. ALEMAYEHU & R. MACNEILL

Shewit Alemayehu During the months of October and November, MBMS has celebrated or will support cancer awareness. Pink Out was a day we went all out wearing pink for breast cancer awareness. About 40,000 people, particularly women, die from breast cancer every year and it’s the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. What’s Movember? Movember is an annual event in which you have to grow a moustache in the month of November to raise awareness for men's health issues, such as prostate cancer and other male cancers.

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Moustache + November = Movember. Principal Brown thought Pink Out went great,saying, “I thought it was awesome and it was really cool to see [all of the pink].” Not a lot of people know Movember even existed including Principal Brown. Mr, Brown wasn’t sure if a Movember theme day be as successful as the Pink Out. “I don’t know some of the young men can’t grow moustaches,” Brown said. But he said he would talk to the male staff members, so they could all do the challenge. The rules for Movem-

mbms barks

ber are simple. 1. Start November of with a clean shave. 2. For the month you have to grow and groom your moustaches. Principal Brown may or may not do a Movember theme day, but he did say, “I’ll love bringing the school together.”

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Shewit Alemayehu Every month TCC will highlight a MBMS staff member, featuring a little-known story about their adventures in or out of the school. The picture above picture is a clue of who we will feature in our next edition.

This staff member is an adventurous, yet geeky person. For a month he was in the rough woods of Belize and was also stranded on Mt. Rainier for three days. He is also musician, playing the string bass and writing songs on his guitar. He is also very dramaticâ&#x20AC;ŚDRAMA QUEENâ&#x20AC;Ś. More like president of the drama club. He has also been snorkeling with sharks at nighttime! Stay tuned next month to find out who this mystery staff member really is.

DIRECTIONS: Take an appropriate picture of you or a friend with this mustache. We may publish it in our December edition. Send it to us at pwarring@auburn.wednet.edu or hashtag it on Instagram.

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