Jan+feb 2021

Timberline High School’s student run publication l Jan&Feb 2021

are we sure about Core 24?

This school year’s distance learning has coincided with the Class of 2021’s new gradution requirement Core 24. theBlazer investigates how much of an impact that has on graduation rates and potential solutions being explored by North Thurston School District.

letter from the editors

2021

2020

Dear Readers,

First and foremost, thank you for your patience!

We are well aware that it has taken quite some time to produce our first magazine. It has been an exciting learning experience to maneuver running a news publication while in distance learning. That being said, we have still put forth great efforts to produce our January/February issue.

It seems as if every aspect of our educational careers has been affected by the pandemic.

But the aspect of utmost concern, particularly for our class of 2021 is the fear of not graduating.

Timberline has proudly maintained glowing graduation rates in past years. However the combination of remote learning and the Core 24 initiative has a scary number of seniors worried about graduating.

TheBlazer explores how teachers, students and the district are responding to these concerns regarding our graduation rates, and the measures that are being taken as we speak. Additionally, in the staff editorial, the staff gives their perspective on the matters at hand.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue to do what we love to do. COVID-19 has taken away a number of opportunities, and though our journalism experience has looked different, we are so thankful it is still happening. And with that, we thank you, though the experience looks different, for still reading. We hope you enjoy reading!

-- The 2020-2021 news staff

editors in chief news & feature editor opinions editor online editor a&e editor reporters

sarah horlacher jake smith ahna rader ethan barber chloe vaughn nick fore azzura bergendahl cameron pawlak claire coleman cooper smith danielle hunter elijah rodriguez evan stucki jacob horlacher nathan atkinson

Sarah Horlacher and Jake Smith Editors-in-Chief 2020-2021 2 | contents

CONTENTS CONTENTS table of

opinion

columns staff editorial reviews

news

vaccine 1619

cover

are we sure about core 24

4-5 19 30-31 22 23 15-18

feature

emily morse scott ahlf jeem

6-7 8 26

q&a

ASB officers mr. shaw's range

9 11

sports

emma wickett photo essay

28 29

a&e

music classes play photos

24 25

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B

www.theblazernews.com contents | 3

columns

political parties

By Staff Writer Cooper Smith

Twenty twenty was a bittersweet year for the National Democratic Party. It was the year of the Democratic Party’s victory in the presidential election; nominee Joe Biden’s victory over the incumbent President Donald Trump. It was also the year of COVID-19 and multiple injustices faced by people of color. To say 2020 was a good year for the Democrats is not entirely true, but to say it was bad isn't true either.

On May 25th, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed by the Police. This fueled a flame that burned in people's hearts after generations of injustice towards people of color and their community.

They took to the streets in protest, showing that they needed to be heard and change needed to be made.

This movement is called the Black Lives Matter [BLM] movement. Many people realized during these times of protest that there are two Americas; one a land of the free, opportunity, and unity; and another where innocent people of color are killed by the very people who took an oath to protect them.

On November 7th, President elect Joe Biden, and Vice President elect Kamala Harris won the election and beat out the incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. While the Democrats were celebrating their victory, the Republicans spread conspiracy theories that the election was rigged and tried in court to overturn the election several times, but failed because their claims were baseless.

On January 6th, the House of Representatives was going through the process of recognizing Joe Biden as president when a group of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, fueled by the lies and conspiracies President Trump and his allies spread. This act of domestic terrorism contrasted the BLM protest. Even though BLM fought for justice, basic human rights, and the need to be safe in their own county, they were seen as rioting criminals and faced much pushback. On the other hand, the group who stormed the Capitol with the intent to harm were left to do what they wanted, even being encouraged. This further showed how America was split in two.

On January 20th, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were inaugurated and former Presiident Trump left office. This was seen as a day of hope many. After all, we’ve been through the past four years, and 2020 in particular. This was a win for Democrats and a win for democracy. Although the country will not change in an instant and there is still a division within it, there will be change. There has to be change.

4 | opinion

By Staff Writer Elijah Rodriguez

On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump announced that he would be running for President of the United States. The idea was teased before, and many celebrities and high profile individuals initially embraced him, but have since denounced him. Overall, the mainstream media hasn’t been in Trump’s favor. They refuse to speak on his achievements, instead focusing on his lifestyle and blunt “non-presidential” personality.

While in office, Trump has made historical progress for our nation. His achievements include but are not limited to signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law, the largest US tax code overhaul in 30 years, and signing an executive order to protect religious freedom in 2017.

In the 2020 election, Trump received 74 million votes, 12 million more than in 2016 and the most of any Republican candidate in history. He even saw an increase in Hispanic and African American votes. If he’s really a “racist, sexist, xenophobic dictator,” how is it that he’s earned the support and votes of more Americans than ever before?

That said, there were and continue to be debates on election integrity. The popular belief is that the courts haven’t found any evidence of fraud, but the truth is, the Supreme Court refused to look at or even acknowledge any evidence brought forward. The media didn’t report this, instead going with headlines like “Courts find no evidence of voter fraud.” Headlines should have been: “Courts won’t look at possible evidence of voter fraud.”

Many know of the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021. It was initially blamed on a rally speech made by Trump just an hour before the breach of the Capitol, but a day later, investigators found that the attack had been planned weeks prior. Some believe this day to be the worst in American history, but I beg to differ. The final sixth months of 2020 were defined by protests over the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Though they were initially peaceful, the protests became violent overnight.

Cities were burned, businesses were looted, and many people were injured, some even killed. Many Democratic leaders supported this destructive behavior. The events of January 6 weren’t even remotely comparable to these months. In the end, the riot was blamed on Trump, leading to accusations of inciting violence and insurrection.

He was later impeached, though acquitted in a Senate trial on February 13.

After leaving the White House on January 20, Trump refused to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration. I personally don’t blame him. Under the circumstances, I too would have skipped my successor’s inauguration. Trump has promised his supporters that “we’ll be back, one way or another.” What comes next is uncertain, though his supporters are optimistic that he’ll return to the White House in the future.

Toxic masculinity refers to the cultural norms that are put upon men and how they should look and act in society. According to society, men should keep their emotions supressed and exude masculine traits, such as being good at sports and having a devotion to their work. These might be seen as harmless, but there are also harmful traits such as homophobia, bullying, and their promotion of violence. Although the more harmful traits need to be addressed, they aren't the only ones. Every trait that toxic masculinity promotes needs to be addressed.

To start, I need to mention how men should look according to Hollywood. If you have ever watched a movie, you have probably seen that the male lead is fairly young and has a stubble shave and muscular body. This is a gross misrepresentation of how a man is expected to look. These features are unrealistic and hard to obtain. Many are obtained through intense diets and renowned personal trainers that an average person could not hire.

Another subject that needs to be addressed is the use of makeup by men. You hardly see men use makeup, as society has dictated that makeup belongs to women. The care products that are offered to men are usually shaving supplies and perfume. How many ads have you seen with an masculine man in the mirror shaving with a company's razor or shaving cream? How many ads have you seen with a good looking actor using a designer cologne? What about ads with a man putting on makeup? Likely none, and why is that?

Why can't men use makeup? Why is makeup used only by women?

The answer given by society is that women must look attractive through any means. On the other hand, society says that men do not need cosmetics to enhance their look; instead, their level of attractiveness depends on features they've had since birth. According to society, if a man's skull is shaped differently, their eyes are spaced too far apart, or their nose is too large or small, then they're out of luck.

If you are a man and want to wear makeup, go ahead. If you want to wear skirts and femine clothing, go ahead. The world is changing and society is becoming more open, so be who you want to be and look how you want to look.

By Staff Writer Claire Coleman

Toxic masculinity is a major problem that is still widespread to this day.

Some people migtht say that men can’t wear dresses and skirts or paint their nails, but clothes should not be separated by gender. Anybody can wear whatever they want.

I haven’t seen anybody at Timberline get judged for what they’re wearing, but just because it doesn’t happen in front of you doesn’t mean that it’s not an issue somewhere else. An example that many people have heard of is the conflict between Harry Styles and Candace Owens. Styles is a singer and actor and a former member of the band One Direction, and Candace Owens is a conservative author and political commentator.

Styles has worn a wide variety of clothing, including dresses and skirts. In mid-November of 2020, the well known fashion magazine Vogue released an issue with Styles won the cover wearing a dress, making him the first man to appear solo on the cover of the magazine. Owens posted her opinion to social media and commented on his wardrobe, saying “bring back manly men.” She claims that men cannot wear dresses or skirts.

This is a prime example of toxic masculinity. I see several problems with this situation, the first being that any single person can’t just tell someone else what they can or cannot wear.

Secondly, I believe that clothes have no gender boundaries.

Just as how it’s become culturally normal for women to wear pants, there should be no difference with men and dresses. If they want to wear a dress, they can.

Owens says “bring back manly men” because Styles is wearing a dress, but dresses can be worn by anyone who wants to.

Clothing doesn’t decide if a man is manly or not, and saying it does is a form of toxic masculinity.

columns

By Staff Writer Cooper Smith

toxic masculinity

Graphics by Azzura Bergendahl

opinion | 5

Opera in the House Written By News and Feature Editor Ahna Rader What do performers do in a pandemic? Public entertainment is low on the list of priorities when it comes to reopening essential businesses, so many actors and actresses have found themselves out of work as their beloved theatres are closed down due to COVID-19 guidelines. The spotlight grows dim on the stage of live performance. However, for Timberline Junior Emily Morse, COVID-19 has provided a surprising plethora of new opportunities. As of now, Morse isn’t dependent on her acting career to provide a consistent income, and many volunteer based services have adapted to operate online. The open organization of distance learning and the convenience of SPSCC classes has allowed Morse to engage in many new music programs, and most recently, the Seattle Opera. Morse now pursues a career in opera, from the comfort of her home studio; an unassuming microphone placed next to her usual school supplies and a multitude of instruments within arms reach. “This is my first time working with them [Seattle Opera],” Morse shares.

“It's been like two weeks of rehearsals, they're putting on an opera called Brundibar and it's really cool that they're able to have the sense of community online.”

The program is based out of downtown Seattle so under normal circumstances, Morse wouldn’t have been able to be a part of the production, “It's made me be able to do it, because otherwise I'd have to drive over to Seattle, like twice a week for rehearsals,” Morse says.

Each week she has two, sixty minute rehearsals conducted over Zoom.

Sara Litchfield, the Youth and Family Programs director at the Seattle Opera has played an integral role in the online adaption of the youth opera program. “This fall and spring, youth performers are continuing to sing and act as participants in Youth Opera Online, an opera training program for ages 7-18 that gives participants the opportunity to learn and record a virtual youth opera,” Litchfield briefs. “The process for creating a virtual youth opera requires that each participant record one audio track and video for each song.

Since all rehearsals take place via Zoom, the participants are unable to sing together, so most of the time everyone has to sing along while on mute.” The opera is still in the early stages, as the virtual program eases the process of learning sheet music. “We're working on it piece by piece. We've made a recording of one track so far. We're just learning one at a time and then we're gonna record them as we learn them,” Morse establishes. “We can get things done and finalized as we're learning stuff, instead of like a normal performance, where you have to memorize it, learn it all and perform it all.” Pre-recorded performances may allow a production to be perfected in a way a live show cannot but according to Morse, the performances themselves lose a lot of passion. “When you're live, you have those other people on stage with you to bounce off of, and you don't really have that emotional connection [online,” Morse admits, “There's a feeling that you get when you're performing with other people that's connecting and empowering [and] you don't get that now. Even if you're making music together, it's not actually making music together.” Be as that may, Morse has had experience with COVID-19 friendly gigs as she played Maria from West Side Story in the pre-recorded Timberline Spring Musical last year and regularly attends piano lessons via her computer. Zoom rehearsals may not be new to Morse but the genre of opera itself certainly is. “I’ve had some experience singing opera, but not actually performing one,” She mentions. “I’ve always loved performing [in] musicals so this will fit my voice better,” Morse says referencing the unique choral of opera music.

Morse will be performing in Brundibár: a story that triumphs the dedication of the young spirit. Litchfield describes the premise of the opera, “In the story of Brundibár, two poor children meet a cat, dog and sparrow who help them defeat the bullying organ grinder, Brundibár, and help them sing in the town square so that they can earn milk for their sick mother.” Morse will be taking on the role of the advantageous pup. Despite it’s pleasant-sounding plot, this opera was by no means an easy first pick for Morse as it originated in Jewish concentration camps, and holds a weighty historical significance for Holocaust survivors. “To deepen our learning about this dark time in history, we partnered with the Holocaust Center for Humanity who lead us through a virtual field trip of their space, and facilitated a conversation with the child of a Terezin survivor,” Litchfield states. “Someone smuggled in the script and wrote the other instrumental parts and the voice parts for it, so that the kids could perform it, and have a source of joy during such a dark time. It let them have an escape to this performance-land [in] which they could just pretend like they're in [the] scene,” Morse shares. “I love the message of how [by] working together, we are more powerful than on our own. In today’s world there is so much division or even just fear if asking for help,” She comments. “The opera shows the importance of friendship and how good friends help you get through hard times and situations.”

Brundibar isn’t the whole of Morse’s commitments at the moment; her weeks are chock full of vocal lessons, college courses and extracurricular activities. Morse reviews her usual schedule, “I'm taking music theory and ear training at the college. I have two voice teachers right now, one’s for college credit. I have choir at Timberline, choir at SPSCC, and then the opera. Piano lessons too,” She details. “Music is important to me these days. I've realized how much it means to me when I’ve lost the ability to perform with other people and listen to music with other people. It forms bonds between people that you don't realize.” Singing may not offer the same sociability it used to but it certainly gets Morse closer to her ultimate goal - to become a full fledged musician. “I want to pursue opera or vocal performance,” Morse asserts. “It really feels like I'm working towards something, working towards my future.”

Morse’s love for music is unshakeable, but choosing a career at age seventeen is nevertheless a daunting task. “It may sound like I know what I want to do and all that, but it's still scary,” she shares.

“Who knows where I'll be in two years or five years!” Morse is also wary of joining an industry that is infamous for being unreliable, “It's scary to be like ‘That's what I want to go for,’ when you don't even know if that's gonna get you money, and that you're going to have a steady income.”

Regardless of any fears she may hold about being a musician, performing is undeniably Morse’s true love. “I've always had an attachment to music since I was young. My grandma started giving me piano lessons when I was in second grade,” she says.

“I started doing choir in middle school and I’ve kept doing it.” Morse has come a long way since junior high chorus and continues to grow day by day- taking every opportunity she can get her hands on. “It's a lot and it can be overwhelming sometimes, but it's what I enjoy and what makes me happy.”

parenting in a pandemic

By News & Feature Editor Ahna Rader

W

“I get to hang out with them so much.

I don’t usually get to see them until after school. Now we can joke and play games together during our work break”

james dillard

hile students are learning how to be scholars at home, educators are learning how to teach like they’ve never taught before. And, many of them have families. Multitasking is never easy, but parenting in a pandemic? For many educators it’s 24/7.

As James Dillard faces 20 high school math students on a Zoom call for precalculus class, his daughter approaches his desk, and asks, “Dad, can I use the bathroom?” It’s a natural kid thing, but Dillard is preoccupied trying to manage twenty high school students on a Zoom call. The line between work and home begins to blur. Dillard has two children, ages of five and seven, who participate in distance learning at Lakes Elementary.

“It is very hard to be both a good parent and a good teacher at the same time,” said Dillard, a Timberline math teacher who is parenting from his classroom. “My kids are still at an age where they sometimes need help when they are doing their online school work, and when they are finished they crave my attention.”

Dillard is now not only at work full time, but he’s also on “dad duty” at all times. He said, “This means I have to be adept at switching roles like introducing a new problem to my class and then quickly getting them started in their next Zoom session or looking at their artwork that they want to show me.”

Crystal Garcia, Timberline’s mental health specialist, is working from home where she is responsible for five kids during a usual work day. In addition to doing her job, Garcia now has to become a hands-on educator for her children, a job she used to shop out to the public school system.

“I’ve always gotten really good feedback from my kids’ teachers that they’re like wonderful angels, or they’re hard workers, but for me, their attention span is really short and they fatigue. I have never taught this, y’know?” Garcia said. “I have a deeper appreciation for classroom teachers, it’s really hard, I don’t know how they do it with that many kids.”

Garcia’s renewed appreciation for teachers is genuine, as she continued describing with ardence the discoveries she’s made through her children’s distance education. “I don’t think I ever realized how different the grades are because I have one [child in] elementary, one in middle school and one in highschool and they all have different class schedules and requirements and materials and it is very hard! Before it was like you drop them off at one time and pick them up at one time unless something goes on, and this is a very different experience that I haven’t had in my sixteen years of parenting.”

This role of being both the parent and the teacher is a challenge for many, but to Katie Myrick, parenting in the workplace isn’t new. Myrick’s son, Samuel at the age of 11 is accustomed to spending long hours in the highschool library.

Myrick describes her past when it comes to multitasking childcare and work, “Last spring when we were out, not only did my son not have a place to go, my neighbor’s child goes to private school and she didn’t have a place for him to go, and my niece who was two at the time, her daycare was closed. So what happened is I just stepped up and said ‘Hey, I’m home, they can all come to my house.’ We called it Katie School.” She relayed with a proud grin.

Parenting in the workplace didn’t exactly come easy to Myerick, her and Samuel have gotten lots of practice finding their “balance.”

“I think a huge advantage that I have that maybe other teachers don’t have is [...] Samuel’s been coming with me since he was in kindergarten. He’s already learned that I’m always his mom, but if a student walks in the door, or the phone rings, I’m [the] librarian.”

Timberline’s educators have taken this challenge in stride, working hard to create a nurturing environment for both their students and their kids. “I get to hang out with them so much. I don’t usually get to see them until after school. Now we can joke and play games together during our work breaks.” Dillard said.

“We are just making memories for the future.”

Katie Myrick watches over her son Samuel while he preforms a solo

8 | feature

get to know your ASB PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT

By Staff Writer Nathtan Atkinson ASB President Christian Baldoza has been going to Timberline since his freshman year and lived in Lacey for almost his entire life.

His parents are full Filipino and he is the middle child out of his siblings. He ran for ASB because he’s had mentors that were great friends and role models and it made him want to step up to the plate so that he could execute what they taught him about being a leader. He said that he was originally intimidated by the position but a voice in the back of his mind told him that he should with his running mate being Caleb Morris. The hardest thing about ASB this year is of course due to COVID-19 which greatly affected the activities that everyone was looking forward to. Also, the participation of the students around the school is more difficult because of the multitude of issues that everyone could be having all at the same time. Finally, he wants everyone to know that “all though things may be difficult this year it’s best to keep pushing ahead because things will get better eventually,” and he makes it his personal goal to remain optimistic and understand that all things happen for a reason.

ASB Vice President Caleb Morris has also been going to Timberline since his freshman year and has lived in Lacey his whole life.

He’s the youngest of five siblings, two of which came to Timberline also. His father is African American and is an Army veteran that served in the armed forces for twenty-two years and his mother is European and Cherokee and she is a Contact Center Agent for a credit union. Caleb was also intimidated by the amount of pressure that came with the title but was able to push it to the side for the betterment of himself and the school with his running partner Christian Baldoza. He said that the most difficult part of ASB this year is creating activities and programs that are able to be socially distanced and even completely at home. Also, that it’s tough not being able to meet all the new people, teachers, and students alike so he can create connections. He wants everyone to know “we’re all in this together and to not be afraid to ask for help, because you reaching out can also be what helps someone else get through what they’re going through.” *Caleb Morris not featured Christian Baldoza adressing an empty gym where students would be seated for assemblies if we were in-person

Graphics by Sarah Horlacher and Chloe Vaughn

q&a | 9

the weight of homelessness in covid

By Staff Writer Cameron Pawlak

E

veryone who lives in Lacey knows of Olympia’s homeless problem, and it’s getting worse every year. This year especially has seen a dramatic increase in Olympia’s homeless numbers.

According to Thurston County Public Health and Social Service’s “Point in Time” homeless census report, there has been an increase of 35% in the homeless population. The leading factors of this homeless boom are job loss and eviction because of COVID-19.

Homeless shelters in Olympia have to strictly follow the CDC’s [ Center for Disease Control and Provention] guidelines to keep people safe, as a majority of the people who go into shelters a more at risk to Covid.

An longtime volunteer at the Interfaith Works Overnight Shelter, Jason Stanford, said, “Each guest has to take tests and go through many other safety things to just possibly get a room. It’s turned a lot of people off of the shelter.”

Due to Washington state guidelines, homeless shelters have to take fewer people to social distance, which means in turn that there are fewer people getting shelter each night.

Instead of volunteering at a shelter, Robert Signer spends his time going around the city of Olympia giving out food, blankets, and clothes to those in need.

Spending a lot of time with the homeless community, he says since Covid-19 hit, the morale has gone down. “It’s depressing; I’ll see someone one week just to go back a couple of weeks later and find out they died. It really takes a toll on you to know that you aren’t doing enough, or really it’s that you can’t do enough to help them.”

As the Covid-19 vaccine is starting to be distributed throughout the country, the homeless community might have a hard time getting

access to it.

The vaccine is being distributed through 6 phases, with homeless people being in the very last phase to get the vaccine.

For the homeless community, having to wait so long might be fatal.

The homeless community is one of the more at-risk groups in the pandemic. A large number of homeless people have underlying health conditions and are of an older age group.

Not only that but the longer the time it takes for the homeless to receive the vaccines, the more of a COVID-19 hotspot the shelters and clinics become.

Even when the vaccines become available to the homeless, there’s no telling how many homeless people will get the vaccine.

Many homeless people have past trauma with hospitals, so going to get the vaccine might be hard for them.

According to the CDC, the solution to this would be to hold multiple vaccination events so people have more time to consider getting the vaccine, and to “work with staff members and community navigators who have trusted relationships with the clients you serve.”

There’s also another problem with the vaccine, it requires two doses in the span of nearly a month.

The reason this is a problem is that there are a large number of homeless people who don’t have a phone, which is the main way they notify people to get the second dose.

So even if they go in for the first dose, there is no guarantee that someone will go in for the second one.

Graphics by Graphics Editor Nick Fore

10 | news

mr. shaw’s home on the range

terry shaw with tank the pig

By Staff Writer Jacob Horlacher Through quarantine, many people have had a hard time keeping a good mood. One cure for depression during the pandemic are pets.

Many people have turned to their pets for emotional support and a good source for a smile. Terry Shaw, Timberline’s choir teacher, has a 6-acre farm where he has an abundance of pets.

What pets do you have?

“We’ve got three alpacas. We’ve got four mini goats. We’ve got three mini pigs, and about 15 chickens. And a dog.”

How long have you had them?

“We kind of got all of them in the summer of 2019. So about, a year and a half.”

Did you get them all pretty much at the same time?

“Yeah, within about two months it was kind of July or August of 2019.

The pigs and goats were newborns, they were about eight weeks old when we got them. The alpacas which were the first animal we got were about six years old when we got them, but everybody else was new.”

What are their names?

“The alpacas are Agnes, Gladys, and Pearl. We kind of went with old lady names. And then our goats are Bentley, Buttercup, Atlas, and Luna, and they’re all siblings. And then the three pigs, Tank is our boy pig. And then the two girls are Debbie and Linda. And then all the chickens have names, but my wife names the chickens and I don’t know which ones which because they all kind of look the same to me.”

Do you have a favorite story about your pets?

“I don’t know if I have a favorite story. They’re very funny because they all have their own personalities. Our alpacas are very curious, but they don’t want to be touched.

They’ll come right up to you if you’ve got some food and they’ll eat it from you. But if you try to reach out and touch them, they’ll flail around

like they’re being electrocuted or something.

The goats are super friendly.

They’ll just come and sit in your lap. And eat anything that you’re wearing, or your shoes or your finger or your, you know, whatever. They just like being around you.

The pigs are very friendly, but pigs are very food-oriented. So if you don’t have food they’ll sit there and grunt at you and show their displeasure.

However, I guess one of my favorite animals is Tank, our big pig. And in the summertime, he likes to lay [around]. If you scratch him on his belly when he’s standing up and assuming he’s been fed, he’ll just fall over and literally roll over, stick his legs up and just fall asleep while you’re petting him which is just adorable. You can just scratch them [the pigs] with a rake,because their skin is pretty thick. And he’ll do the same thing. With your hand or whatever, and then just close his eyes and nod off to sleep. It’s pretty fun.”

What does it take to care for them?

“We had always lived in a cul-de-sac, and when you live in a culde-sac neighborhood, you don’t ever think, ‘oh, hey, let’s go get some alpacas.’ But when you live on a farm, that becomes a possibility.

We planned it to where we had semi low maintenance animals. Like, alpacas are super low maintenance, I mean, literally, they poop in the same spot. And they’re pretty clean in general. And the same thing with the goats and the pigs. They’re not super high maintenance.

You’ve just got to feed them. The daily care is, in the morning, I get up, I go feed everybody. And then my wife and son feed everybody in the evening. It’s not like a full time job of caring for them just kind of keep them fed, and then they kind of do their own thing.” photos provided by the shaw family

q&a| 11

For most students across the country, life is confined to one’s trivial existence in a Zoom call. They are faced with the question of “Is this all that life has to offer me?”

What’s the point of sitting and staring at the abyss of nothingness?

March 13th, the official anniversary of school shutdowns, looms ahead, confronting most Timberline students with the fact that they haven’t seen a single teacher or peer for a year in person. The day to day isolation is a universal reality but is nevertheless damaging to one’s mental health. Everyone is struggling. Learning over Zoom is a far cry from the experience of in-person schooling: it's harder to attend classes and turn in assignments when they feel so optional. So quarantine unforeseen social dormancy has taken its effects on the minds of the Timberline student body. Crystal Garcia, Timberline’s Mental Health Specialist, has noticed the motivation decline among students. Garcia said “We need a variety of interactions in a day, it can't all be text messages. It can't all be Zoom. You need to make contact with someone and hear their voice and have a regular conversation.” Before COVID, students were used to seeing their friends in the halls, meeting new people in class, being surrounded by people constantly. Isolation feels unnatural to many students, especially after being used to seeing hundreds of people a day. Garcia said “This has been kind of traumatic for a lot of people and we have experienced a lot of loss as far as routine activities.'' Routines help with organization and field a sense dependency for students in such an independent environment.

One way to improve one’s mental health is to create a routine. During the pandemic, more than just school schedules have changed.

The tensions of the political climate, environmental disasters and the rise of civil justice are daily highlights of the news and unavoidable as the majority of Americans lead lives online. The world as we know it is changing as life at home moves slow. “It's not okay. It will be okay. The students will be okay. The staff will be okay. But what has happened in our country is not okay,” Garcia affirmed. “It's normal to experience a depressed mindset in that type of environment or to struggle or to question or to be angry or to feel lost. Because you have lost something.”

Amidst a nation in repair, it’s difficult to not feel unsteady on a day to day basis. There’s only so much we can control, so take advantage of that! “I would recommend that youth are making routine social supports that are scheduled, and then utilizing resources when they need extra support,” Garcia said. “So exercise, [utilize] social outlets, stay in contact with your teachers.”

Being deprived of basic necessities such as seeing people in person can degrade one's health. A poll surveying the Timberline student body found that 85% of students would say their social life has declined significantly during the pandemic. It can be difficult to connect with people when you never see them face to face, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the effort. “I'm really proud of the students who are able, who feel comfortable enough to speak up and say something.” Garcia says.

So call friends, facetime family members, go on a walk with a companion.

Garcia challenges Timberline students to look out for themselves, “Stay brave and courageous and if you start to feel like, you know, things aren't going so great, tell someone, a trusted adult.”

Staying social isn’t so easy as COVID guidelines force one to consider a lengthy checklist when it comes to making plans. Plans are not easily cemented with a “I’ll pick you up” text anymore. However, there’s other ways in addition to social interaction that can aid a dismal mindset. Listening to music and exercising are well established, serotonin boosting activities, but like anything else it’s important to be aware of how it’s consumed. “So I know a lot of the students that I work with, they've been listening to a lot of music lately, and music has a lot of therapeutic properties. But sometimes music that we listen to doesn't actually make us feel better, kind of makes us feel worse, right?” Garcia mentioned. Music has a powerful influence over our lives, it can change our moods and how we view things.

Constantly listening to slow and sorrowful music will and can bring us down. So, skip the slowed-down reverb remix, and put on something that will motivate you.

In response to a questionnaire regarding student strategies to improve mental health, many Blazers expressed that exercising is beneficial to their mental health. “For younger adults 25 and below 115 minutes of aerobic exercise a week significantly not only impacts your mental health positively, but it helps prevent dementia or Alzheimer's, depression, anxiety. It lowers your heart rate and so it decreases your risk for heart conditions.” There are numerous ways to exercise. It doesn't have to be long or hard, a quick walk would work too.

The real key is intentional movement, and taking time to do something good for yourself.

By Staff Writer Claire Coleman

How are Blazers coping?

Anonymous responses collected from the Timberline student body

whats up with graduation?

By Staff Writer Cameron Pawlak

Back in 2019, House Bill 1599 was passed, and with it came new graduation requirements for class 2021 and beyond.

The Bill’s end goal “is that more students will be better prepared to meet 21st-century demands in their working and personal lives”, according to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

One of the changed requirements was the increase in credits required for graduation, from 20 to 24.

Natalie Scott, student advisor for the NTPS Board of Directors, and Timberline Senior says that “since the credit change, there’s been a concerningly high amount of students not on track to graduate” and that “this issue has been exacerbated by online learning”.

“The school district’s response to this has been to offer these students an opportunity to make up the credit later,” says Scott.

This is because, with the increased amount of credits, students can’t fail a single class to be eligible for graduation, and in the online learning environment a very large group of students are failing a majority of their classes.

One student, who wishes to stay anonymous, when asked how they felt about the 24 credit graduation requirement said, “It’s horrible, it put me in such a bad situation. I moved here in the second quarter of freshman year so I only got a quarter credit for all my classes that semester. Now I’m in a situation where I’m having to take like 10 classes in order to catch up and I still might not even graduate, so yeah I don’t really like it.”

However, there may be some good news in it for students who are struggling right now.

Earlier this year, the Washington State Board of Education surveyed students all around the state about the graduation requirements.

Their survey found that less than half of the students agreed with the new requirements, with most of the students having a problem with the credit requirement increased to 24.

The main critique is the lack of freedom students have to pursue something they enjoy doing, instead of being tied down to English and Maths due to the required credits.

When asked in the survey what they would change about the requirements to make the requirements better, the students almost unanimously agreed that a more custom, fluid graduation plan would be better.

Combined with student feedback and students’ performance in the online learning environment, the Board of Education introduced a new bill into the state government, an emergency waiver of the graduation requirements.

This bill, introduced to the state House Committee on January 15, 2021, will lower the graduation requirements temporarily back to 20 credits for students graduating this year.

So if you’re at 21-23 credits right now, then you will be able to graduate.

However, the bill has not been passed yet, the bill has already been through both the House and Senate and it has been sent to Governor Inslee for his signature to be passed into law.

By the time this comes out the graduation requirements might have been lowered to 20.

Hope isn’t all lost, if you feel that you’re struggling, please reach out, your counselors and teachers are there to help.

“Education matters to me and I wish that Timberline students were getting the best form of it right now. But we need to be patient and understanding and remember that high school is not the most important thing in life, and people will move on from it and have futures- even if they do have “F’s,” said Scott.

“we need to be patient and un-

derstanding and remember that high school is not the most important thing in life, and people will move on from it and have futures” natalie scott

14 | news

Graphics by Graphics Editor Nick Fore

are we sure about Core 24?

This school year’s distance learning has coincided with the Class of 2021’s new gradution requirement Core 24. the Blazer investigates how much of an imapact that has on graduation rates and the potential solutions being explored by North Thurston School District.

cover | 15

By Editor-In-Chief Jake Smith first time in Washington state history, F orwethe will be seeing a massive rollout of results.

This year the first class to graduate under the “Core 24” standard, a newer standard introduced in 2016 to families. Promising greater results in academics and creating a better-educated student for post-secondary careers. But is this really the case? Did the new standard help blossom our students to highly educated, highly motivated, highly professional, and highly skilled workers?

According to the numbers there is a trend starting to lean on the negative, students are seeing a higher rate in failed classes. As most students and families know failing for even one semester now means a student is unable to graduate.

This higher rise in fail rates, in turn, means fewer students are going to graduate.

Core 24 is hitting a hard wall of fails, and as district administrators tackle this struggle, in came the anomaly year of 2020. A year full of unprecedented truths brought light to the fact; that systems in our everyday lives are broken.

This so clearly evident in the education system right now, with the frightening fact that across the North Thurston Public school district 56% percent of students are failing a class according to a student board reales on Feburary 12, 70% percent of this 56 is below the poverty line. To make this digestible think of a scenario of ten students, over half the kids; six students are going to be failing and the other four are passing.

Now let’s look at those six students, four out of them are less privileged than the other two.

These numbers are extremely frightening in that under core 24 there is no room to fail a class, you need all of your credits in order to graduate. In turn, right now 44% of the student population will graduate, while the other wide majority will not. They will watch as the students who know the system and are able to use it graduate. Some will move on while other remain left potentially stuck in a cycle of schooling.

Now there’s no one party to point fingers at any, by far and away this is a deeply complex issue with many potential short comings. Is it the state’s fault for implementing such a rigorous credit standard? Is it the district’s fault for not offering more resources to students, or making help more available to them? Are the school administrators at fault for leading the sinking of the ship? Is it teachers' fault for not being able to adapt to the times? Is it the students’ fault for not being a more proactive individual?

As a staff, the Blazer wanted to dive into the reasoning behind the higher failure rate. And potentially offer some alternative standards and or solutions to the issue we find ourselves in. As well as finding the human aspect behind the numbers and stereotypes that we tend to see as the main point of view.

16 | cover

teacher's and adminstration view: of the most essential parts to any classroom, is that there is a teacher who One guides instruction. With distance learning being implemented at all levels in

high school, teachers are put in this new odd spot. Instead of live feedback from faces they just see a majority of blank tiles.

“One of my colleagues said ‘this is like students having a substitute teacher three days a week’.” said Rob denning Social studies head, Ap world Teacher, Ap us history teacher, and world history teacher. “And on their days in class they can just get up and leave.”

One of the biggest issues with online learning is engagement, some find it hard to even login or turn assignments in. “When I end a class and see people around I say ‘hey does anyone have any questions,’ and there's no response it’s pretty clear that they are not at their chromebook.”

Students and parents alike have often attributed this lack of engagement due to the lack of social interaction with one another. Most teachers would also attribute that to the lack of engagement. Although they are trying to remedy this, “I’ve used the discussion features where students can go on and talk on a prompt.” said Denning, “You Know opening the class with nonsense questions like ‘like how was your weekend’ or ‘preference questions like eggnog or hot chocolate.’” “ Thats one of the biggest disappointments of this [failure rates]. We’re providing these opportunities. We have office hours every day. We have Zoom links that students can get into,” said Laura Kraig biology teacher and Science department head, “It’s frustrating that it’s hard to get students to use the resources we’re providing”.

As most departments are seeing that students just are not using the systems in place. “Everyone is being very accommodating by making sure that we can help in any way we can. But it’s hard with distance learning because we don't really have the bonds that we normally have.” Kraig said.

But with all the negative that has come from COVID-19 and distance learning, there has been significant improvements in how we engage with canvas and other online resources. “We’re better at replicating lessons for students who are absent or not being able to participate,” said Krag. “ I think that the whole business with not using as much paper will also help with achieving carbon neutrality.”

Page coninuted-

“It’s frustrating that

it’s hard to get students to use the resources we’re providing” laura kraig

student view : One thing that both department leaders agree with is the complexity that comes with the implementation of hybrid learning.

“We’re [teachers are] are always walking around and interacting with students.It’s going to be really tough to be interacting with kids in person, while simultaneously monitoring the chat,” said Kraig.

“I think theres some big questions about hybrid learning/ in person learning. When we get there. And is that something that is a net gain for us or is not,” Said Denning. “Is that the best thing thing you know. Are we going to have substitutes [teachers] remain as well as students revolt learning.”

As the future of hybrid learning seems to keep coming in a flurry, students and families alike are beginning to wonder. What about the kids who have missed the credit, what are they going to do? Right now theres no solid answer to that question. twentynine point seven percent of students failing one or more classes we would want to see more action on the school administrations part.

They took the right step in that they changed F’s to Incompletes, allowing students to do extra work to earn back the credit they have not received. But for the time being this seems to be the end all be all. With no further systems or aide being released to the public.

To students it may seem like teachers are heading the effort of trying to save the credits. One quote that may instill hope to those who are feeling left behind by the powers above. “I’m not trying to simplify and say all students who are failing are lazy and don't want to work, and playing video games. There's alot of factors, there's mental health, caring for your siblings, your parents leaving the house, there's all kinds of things.”

Denning said, “The general philosophy if we see some kind of initiative that is reaching out or contacting us we will help the students to our fullest abilities' '.

Graphics by Azzy Bergendahl

the pandemic many things have D uring obviously changed for students. They

have gone from waking up and starting their trek to school to roll out of bed and turn on their electronics for their daily classes.

Instead of seeing their friends faces and interacting with peers they may turn to social media to get those missing social dynamics.

“I was for sure on track to graduate on time, before 2020. But the move to distance learning has put a strain on me “, said Senior Hayden Anderson. Like many students the shift from school to virtual (distance learning) left a lasting impact. “I do way better on site, with visual learning and hands on learning with a teacher”. Anderson said, Senior *Payton found themself in a different kind of predicament when dealing with Core 24. “I have passed all my classes but one semester of geometry, which I made up in my junior year,” said Payton.”But I’m still three credits behind graduation requirements. So I have to take a bunch of extra classes on top of my already full schedule.”

When Payton asked for any help for the deficit of credits they had, all the school offered was “take extra classes”. To many students that share similar circumstances this may be discouraging, where is the effort or care to help them? Why should they try when the alternative is more classes that may not be working for them?

To Payton and Anderson Core 24 has just added more burden, in comparison to the help that was promised when introduced.

“I hate core 24, it just puts that vision in my head that I need to be perfect, when I know I’m not," said Anderson . “There are just a lot of

unnecessary classes that we are being forced to take to meet the requirements,” said Payton. “It’s overly stressful to constantly think about how many extra classes I have to take atop my required classes.”

What’s the answer for the later classes or future classes? Payton suggests that “I would like alternatives instead of classes that I will never need for life.” They continued “Give or promote more classes about budgeting, writing checks, and other classes that will be more beneficial in my future.” This approach is how we see now modern CTE[ Career Technical Education] classes follow, by creating more dynamic lessons that help students relate concepts to everyday life.

Another way that we could see a return in prior years graduation rates, is a return to until a new dynamic standard is introduced.

“I would love it, if it was the way it was before[ prior years 20 credit standard]. So you can actually make mistakes rather than losing your graduation because you failed your freshman year health” said Anderson.

Either way both Senior’s see that there is a need for change. Whether that be a change with the classes, or that they reform the standards. Clearly the cracks in the Core 24 system have been rotting away at the students' education. And now while away at distance learning, the rot is filling the air. *Students name changed to protect Idenity

cover | 17

district and state view:

By Editor-in-Chief Jake Smith

most of the country feeling the effects that Covid 19 has brought upon the systems that uphold us day to day, the public begins to W ith seek answers.

Reelected Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal ran on the promise of getting us out of the mess of Core 24 and education inequity. “So it’s [the current credit standard] totally unfair across the state,” Reykdal continued, “Those in a six period system you need to get 22/24 credits, while in a seven period system you need to get 22/28 credits; and in a 32 credit system you need to get 22/32 credits.”

Essentially across the state the standard of Core 24 is very different, schools to the north of our district may be using a system that allows for failure and some wiggle room. While in a district like ours students have no clear breathing space, or room to work with in general.

“This state needs to figure it out. Do they [Washington State Legislature] keep obsessing over the 180 days, 1000 hours of teaching. Or the 24 credit system. Or even the strict testing standard,” Reykdal said.

Right now we do a mixture of all the prior listed systems. Right now the state’s approach to our education is to hit and pass all the systems in place. While now with COVID-19 we see how this system does not actually work. With a massive growth in failure rates people are starting to wonder if this system really works?

“That’s what I have been trying to chip away at [the current graduation system], so I do think you’re going to see some flexibility from the legislature for credits,” Reykdal said. “I’m hoping it’s permanent and not just another one time thing. Last year, to help out our seniors and we saw a leap in graduation rates for the sixth year in a row.”

“This year will be really tough. This wasn’t just a first year [of raising failing rates]. We have a lot of students struggling with passing and hitting the credit requirements,” Reykdal said. For some students being so behind in credits, they may only be wishing for a miracle to get out of the deficit. “I will run this class this year, helping them get the flexibility, as well as driving resources and particularly in the second semester for students,” Reykdal said.

With all that Superintendent Reykdal in mind said, consider what NTPS [ North Thurston Public Schools] is doing to make sure that students are able to graduate. It may not be as aggressive as Reykdal would suggest, but not exactly doing nothing.

Tuesday January 26th, the school board approved a measure to turn F’s to incomplete*. This essentially means that students can contiune to work to complete assignments raising their grade to passing. While this is alleviating the issue of having a massive board of F’s , this, instead, creates a massive board of incompletes.

Now this Incomplete system had success last year partly(this pretains to Seniors) because of the fact that students could go to the state government and ask for their failed credits to be waived. This led to the massively inflated rate of 96% of students graduating the NTPS school district in 2020. But could backfire in the sense that those students who went and waived their lost credits may not be prepared for whatever post high school course they take.

The school district [NTPS] recognizes that with COVID-19 students are under more stress and pressure, with a multitude of factors outside of the virtual classroom bearing down on them. Community Relations Executive Relations Courtney Schrieve and the school board had a clear message for students who are struggling from all the stress and pressures. “We have a multitude of resources available for students struggling from anxiety and other mental crises. Reach out to your guidance counselors to get in contact to school psychologists. Call hotlines linked on counseling center pages,” Shrieve said. “We want students to prioritize their mental and physical health before schooling.”

*Editor’s Note: Febuary 17 the Washingtion State House signed House bill 1121, and was promptly signed by the Washingtion State Senate on Febuary 18th.

The bill then reached the desk of Govnernor Jay Inslee.

The bill give school districts in Washington state, the power to waive credit and testing requirments.

Source: Washington State Legislature, leg.wa.gov

18 | cover

Graphics by Azzy Bergendahl

24 Crisis Hotline: 206-461-3222

staff editorial

The Blazer staff gives their opinion on Core 24 and the rising number of failing students.

COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light more than a few T he flaws within the Core 24 credit system. One of these flaws is

the lack of exposure many students have had to it. When asked, only 54% of The Blazer staff were confident with what they knew about Core 24. The rest believe the school and the district haven’t done enough to emphasize what it really entails. For many, the only time the term comes up is in advisory, during which many students don’t like to pay particular attention anyway. It’s hard for students to understand the importance of Core 24 if they don’t know what it is in the first place.

So, what is Core 24? Core 24 is a grading standard within the district meant to boost academic and post high school curricular performance. With this standard, students must earn 24 credits in order to graduate. For most at Timberline, that’s the total amount of classes one takes in their time in high school. From its first year it showed promise, but with the recent transition to distance learning forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, cracks in the system are becoming more than apparent.

At its core, the system is meant to prepare students for a college pathway, calling for many classes required by colleges across the state. While beneficial for those who plan to follow that pathway, for those who don’t, it’s a major hindrance that prevents them from following their potential dreams. With the credit requirements resulting in a full plate for students, many can’t find the time to take the classes they enjoy and might actually contribute to the future they want to pursue.

About 56% of students are failing at least one class in the entire North Thurston Public Schools District. With over 14,000 students in total, that roughly translates to 8,000 students; that’s a lot. What’s more, many students aren’t even aware that they’re failing, which to some may be a bleak revelation.

With these disconcerting numbers and the overall lack of emphasis on the cruciality of Core 24, the percentage of failing students will only rise if these requirements don’t change under these online learning circumstances. Although having a standard for credits is

the facts

necessary, it doesn’t need to cause more stress than necessary. As it stands, Core 24 provides hardly no “wiggle room” for students.

Students tend to enjoy classes they feel match their career path, or that will benefit them in the future. With Core 24’s requirements written in stone, this doesn’t give students much of a chance to take the classes they enjoy.

It doesn’t help that the advent of distance learning has provided a whole new set of problems for students. It’s easier than ever to become distracted in a class when you’re doing it from home. When you don’t particularly care for the class, it’s much easier to “skip” them. It seems the lack of participation from distance learning and the restrictive and uncompromising nature of Core 24 have collided explosively, setting many students up for failure.

That said, it’s probable that Core 24 isn’t the only thing to blame for the rising number of failing classes. Though it’s a contributor, it might only be insofar that the unfortunate circumstance of distance learning is highlighting its flaws. We can’t know for certain if the statistics of failing classes would be lower if the school year was in-person, but there’s a chance they would be, making Core 24 not the only element to blame.

Due to the complications distance learning presents, the restrictions that Core 24 impose on students should be relaxed. Fortunately, these changes are being made. Teachers can now hand out “incomplete” class grades in the place of Fs, a measure that is hoped to help students recover their grades and alleviate the alarming number of failing students.

In itself, Core 24 is not a bad idea. It may just be that distance learning is a trial it was never meant to face. The statistics may just be different if school had been in person all this time. But the fact remains that Core 24 isn’t perfect, and distance learning has shone a light on it’s cracks. Currently, lawmakers and administrators* are looking into simply waiving credits instead of addressing the faulty system at hand. Time will tell if this will be effective, but the fact remains that more students are failing now than ever before. *See editor’s note on page 18

56% of students in 70% of failing

the district are failing at least one class.

students come from low-income families.

The BIPOC population is failing more than the white by

10-20%.

“

the lack of participation from distance learning and the restrictive and uncompromising nature of Core 24 have collided explosively, setting many students up for failure.” blazer staff opinion | 19

ANDi ANDi sells custom-made electronic appliances like the Electric Eraser and the Smart Mask. @electrifi

Tallie's Workshop Talia sells wreaths that she makes herself, each with a unique theme and design that anyone can enjoy. @talia___clark

cq.closet cq.closet resells clothes sourced from thrift shops and from business owner Coco's own closet. @cq.closet

pressedbykathy pressedbykathy sells custom-made press-on nails through both Instagram and Etsy page, pressedbykat. @pressedbykathy 20 | feature

Roberto Andino ANDi

Talia Clark Tallie's Workshop

Coco Quach cq.closet

Kathy Trinh pressedbykathy

up in their business a look inside some of the businesses run by students of Timberline.

By Opinions Editor Ethan Barber and Staff Writer Jacob Horlacher While in school, some students of Timberline have created small businesses as a source of income. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many have suddenly found themselves faced with challenges that make it harder than ever to keep their businesses afloat.

One of these student entrepreneurs, Timberline junior Coco Quach, runs cq.closet, through which she sources clothing from thrift stores and her own closet to improve and resell them. She started her business in February of 2020, just a month before the widespread pandemic shut down businesses and schools across the nation.

She currently runs the business by herself. “I wanted to start [my business] because I didn’t have a job,” she said.

“I wanted another way to make some change and have some spending money.”

Regarding the impacts of the pandemic, Quach says she was selling more before the pandemic. “Obviously everyone had jobs [and incomes]. Ever since [the pandemic started], people are home more and are thinking more about how they spend.” That said, her business practices haven’t changed too much, especially when it comes to safety and sanitation. “I’m a very sanitary person, so I always wash everything and make sure it’s in a clean place before shipping something out or having something sent to someone.”

Another student entrepreneur, junior Talia Clark runs a homemade wreath-making business with the help of her mom, which she calls Tallie’s Workshop. Using items she buys and items she finds around the house, Clark makes intricate wreaths that she sells online through social media. Overall, the pandemic hasn’t had much of an impact on her business. “I make everything from home,” she says. She began her business in November of 2020, well after the pandemic began. While many wreath businesses may only operate in the confines of the holiday season, Talia’s business extends beyond that.

Graphics by Azzura Bergendahl and provided by respective business owners

“My business isn’t open just for the holidays, but year round. I’m [currently] in the process of fulfilling an order that asked me to create a wreath for each season. [These kinds of requests] are some of my personal favorites.”

Senior Roberto Andino runs a business called ANDi, through which he sells custom-designed electronics, including personal projects and inventions of his. He believes the pandemic has brought him nothing but trouble, especially as most of his products are writing tools and devices meant to be used in the classroom. “[After the pandemic began,] many students suddenly no longer had a need for new office supplies, and my main market was now gone.” Even before the pandemic, Andino had difficulty running his business. He claims there’s very little demand for the products he produces.

“I walk a fine line between not having enough interest [in my products] and charging too little or too much.

It’s [also] been difficult to build a community around my products without being able to meet up with people in person. I’ve struggled to find an achievable way to grow [my] business.”

While some students have been struggling, not everyone has had that experience. Senior Kathy Trinh runs a press-on nails business called Pressedbykathy. Having started her business in August of 2020, several months after the pandemic began, she doesn’t know for sure if business would be better or worse without it. However, she posits that it is actually beneficial for the sales of her business, due to the fact that many can’t go to nail salons due to the pandemic, making press-on nails a safer and more sanitary way to go. “It’s an easy way to practice the craft and make money at the same time. The online market is booming. [During the pandemic] was probably the best time to start a small business.”

feature | 21

a shot for normalcy

By Staff Writer Evan Stucki

For over a year now, our world has struggled with a global pandemic.

Recently two different vaccines have come known to the public, one created by a company known as Pfizer and the other known as Moderna. These vaccines have been questioned by the public, and rumors have been spread about their potential side effects.

Lee* explains that though the vaccine is out we should still stick to the C.D.C guidelines.

Lee says that “Social distancing, self-reporting for symptoms, self-isolating, mask-wearing will continue for a while”. Though the vaccine is effective, following current government guidelines will keep us safe, especially since the two vaccines currently released have only been tested on ages 16 and up, so we have no idea how the vaccine might affect children under 16. Lee plans on getting the vaccine in the foreseeable future, considering “some nurses have already had it”.

While staff and Nurses are encouraged to get the vaccine, Lee speculates that it will probably not become mandatory for students. Both vaccines are over 90% effective on people over the age of 16, according to Lee the vaccine uses mRNA, which is commonly used in cancer treatments, which helps your cells adapt and overcome the virus. To lower the risk of COVID-19, we would need approximately 70 percent of the population to be vaccinated. Lee says that even if the risk is lowered, we will still have to follow the CDC guidelines currently in place to stay safe. Though the vaccine is effective, until we reach a point where a majority of people have taken the vaccine, then there can be consideration of changing the guidelines.

Shawn* says that while the vaccine is currently reliable, there are some unreliable factors such as how long immunity will last and the long-term side effects of the vaccine. Shawn has mixed feelings about the vaccine, he explains “this virus is mutating rapidly and who knows how long this vaccine will work”. Though the vaccine is reliable, Coronavirus is an evolving virus, making it hard to grow immunities to. Shawn says that the vaccine does tend to have side effects, but a majority of those who have had the vaccine only have side effects on the second dose. These known side effects include fevers, headaches, fatigue, and an overall ill feeling. While side effects may seem like a bad thing, Shawn says that symptoms come from a “natural immune response” which means the vaccine is working. Shawn, while addressing the rumored side effects, said that some of the current rumors about the side effects could be false. He says that people have said that the vaccine can cause “the placenta to malform” and that it will stop the production of milk in breastfeeding women, currently, there are not any reliable studies that support that claim. Many rumors are surrounding this vaccine, but that doesn’t mean all of them are true.

While this vaccine may be new, and different, studies are constantly A student and consistently showing positive results about the effectiveness. poll of which This pandemic will get better at some point, and the students would get vaccines currently being produced are a step in the a COVID-19 vaccine right direction. Though the vaccine gives side effects it’s the best the world currently has to offer to growing immunities to coronavirus.

“social distancing, self-re-

yes 74%

no 26%

porting for symptoms, self-isolating, mask-wearing will continue for a while” lee Graphics by A&E Editor Nick Fore *This person decided to remain anonymous

22 | news

The 1619 Project

The True American Past?

Written by Staff Writer Claire Coleman and News and Feature Editor Ahna Rader

T

*Photo Courtsey of Free Creative Commons usage

he 1619 project created by The New York Times is a new and innovative way of teaching history classes by including a richer, more forthright history of slavery. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator, is trying to include more of slave history into schools around America. Hannah-Jones hosts a podcast called “1619” to further address the bracing truths about slavery that many history books, to this day, glaze over.

Two of Timberline’s history teachers, Mike Stauffer and Jason Bush, both agree that America was and is heavily influenced by 1619, the year that African Americans first arrived in America upon ships of the slave trade. Stauffer states, “It postulates that the history of the United States is based on slavery and that the actual beginning of what we have today as America is started in 1619 when the first slaves came over.” In agreement, Bush, described the project as “An attempt at providing an alternative curriculum to the traditional story of slavery told in US history, because the first enslaved Africans were brought to the colonies in 1619”

In the four hundred plus years since the original implementation of chattel slavery, Hannah-Jones believes that America never “grew out” of exploiting the black community, and she’s not the only one. The “Black Lives Matter” movement has been around far longer than just this past spring, but it gained national attention after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in May, 2020.

Over the summer, hundreds of thousands of Americans rallied together in the fight against white supremacy, and while some of the mainstream support has died down, the movement has only grown stronger.

Slavery and racial injustice are a deep-seated part of American history - and certainly haven’t gone away. “The concepts are important to understand where the roots of disconnect come from. You can see from any region of the United States the influence of racial segregation, racism, and institutional racism.” Bush shares.

Stauffer highlights the importance of teaching the basics, “The Civil War was really about state’s rights and you could argue maybe if you consider one of the rights of the southern states was to own slaves. You could argue every aspect was about slaves. So some people said ‘Well the North invaded the South in order to stop slavery,’” Stauffer says.“We need to teach that as a huge thing; that’s why the Civil War was fought; to stop slavery.”

At Timberline, a few social studies educators have incorporated parts of the 1619 project in their teaching. Bush uses the project as a resource for his U.S. History class, including information as a useful perspective. “I personally don’t have a deep need to use it but having the resources available are very helpful,” Bush says.“ like I said some teachers in the history department will pull resources just to provide another perspective and more information but I don’t think we will necessarily adopt the curriculum, just having access to the information and the perspective is helpful.” Stauffer points out that outside sources are always welcome. “It’s always, always, always useful to bring in another source for an alternative view. Always helpful.”

However, it could also give misleading information to students.

Stauffer brings up the point that not everything in this project is reliable.

“It’s in some cases historically inaccurate...She [Nikole Hannah-Jones] claims that us separating from Great Britain was to continue to promote capitalism, which was based on slavery, that we wanted to keep our slaves,” and then adds that there’s, “Virtually no evidence to show that independence was to protect slavery.”

Nevertheless, Stauffer doesn’t contest the legitimacy of Hannah-Jones’ claim that slavery was far more grueling than what history textbooks dare to acknowledge, “There are certain aspects of the project that I can’t argue, the extent of slavery in the United States, you can’t even argue that.”

Slavery is a piece of the American past, and however ugly it may be, Hannah Nikole-Jones is determined to inform American students and classroom teachers of the neglected stories of black pain. The brute honesty of The 1619 Project has taken American classrooms by storm, many teachers still too anxious to tell the whole story. The highly contentious curriculum, whether fully taught in classrooms or not, has certainly started a debate about the integrity of the current history taught in our nation’s schools. Will we continue to sacrifice truth for white comfort?

“we need to teach that as a

huge thing. that’s why the Civil War was fought: to stop slavery.” mike stauffer

feature | 23

hello darkness, my old friend The empty choir room, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured above is the set up of the choir room to accomodate social distancing guidlines. The above barrier serves to separate the instructor and the singer, and a microphone to record the musical audio. The music teacher can then compile the audio electronically and create a virtual choir, band or orchestra.

band student Jason Pham playing his flute 24 | a&e

the sound of silence

By A&E Editor Nick Fore

Due to COVID-19 going on through the 2020-2021 school year, music classes have been relying on online rehearsals and concerts to perform for the student body, and this approach has its pros and cons.

Sophomore Jason Pham, a flute player in Wind Ensemble, hasn’t been the biggest fan of recording or being online. This is because they “weren’t able to hear each other during practice” which ruins the sense of unity. in conjunction. Along with other students that have been finding it difficult for similar reasons because they “prefer hearing the sounds of other instruments when they play.”

“Bringing it together is quite difficult,” said Sophomore Ryan Lambert, a cello player in Green Orchestra “It is much harder to learn your part, not being able to hear other people’s parts.” While there has been the loss of unity, Lambert is still proud of what has been accomplished. “I am proud of my teacher and classmates for giving it their all and trying their best regarding the circumstances.

Senior Natalie McVay, a french horn player in Wind Ensemble, an alto in Chamber Choir, and a member of the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia, feels the same, “I am proud of the product that we are able to put together.” One positive about recording for concerts is the ability to do multiple takes, instead of the one take students get at a concert. Students can record over and over again until they get it just how they want it. But what comes with the ease of getting multiple takes, there’s some challenges. “It’s great, because there’s often a better product, but it’s also more stressful and time-consuming,” said McVay. Even while there is pride, there is still stress when it comes to recording for concerts. Problems ranging from siblings, a filled household, or just the typical Graphics by Staff Writer Evan Stucki

troubles that come with technology. “I have a lot of siblings so it’s usually loud in my house,” said Senior Taja Brooks, a Soprano in Symphonic Choir. While Pham who doesn’t have as many siblings still has others to think about, “I tend to record around the afternoon/ evening, so I don’t wake my neighbors early in the morning or late at night.

While your family members can be random, technology can be as even surprising. “It’s sometimes difficult because of technology,” said Brooks. “Sometimes it might just glitch out and you have to redo something, and it was perfect.” Since many classes are using Canvas as their main instruction program, many students are having to submit recordings. Many students use the Canvas recording feature to record, and Canvas’ recording system can often be glitchy, and can delete the recording. It often takes a long time to upload the files for recordings for assignments or concerts.

While students have to record for assignments and concerts, there are other reasons why students record.

“If recording in sub-par conditions is the only way to hold onto the magic, then I’ll gladly take that route,” said Pham. To Lambert this is the best students can do for concerts, “Recording yourself playing, and then mashing everyone’s recordings together, is the best that we can do.” While Brooks, who would love to have in person concerts, “I still want to be a part of the choir experience.”

Graphics by Editors in chief Jake Smith

Junior M.J. Dizon Preforms his opening number for the medley

Junior Izzy Coulson prefoms one of her solos

Freshman Natalie Eckroth singing her first highschool preformace, as the female lead to Little hsope of Horrors

Senior Natalie Mcvay delievers a breathtaking solo from Les Miserables

blast from the past the blazer shares snaps from the fall musical

a&e | 25

h

o me a e wa y f r o m h o m Get to know one of Timberline’s foreign exchange students who has yet to leave her home country; Tasmiah Jeem from Bangladesh.

PA S S P O R T NAME

TASMIAH ZAMAN JEEM COUNTRY

BANGLADESH AGE

16

By Editor in Chief Sarah Horlacher In Timberline’s recent history, it was not unusual for student’s visiting from an entirely different country, even continent, to be mixed in among the hallways. Timberline families have hosted foreign exchange students for many years now and those students get the opportunity of a lifetime. They get to travel to a new nation, stay with a strange family, eat potentially unfamiliar food and interact with American students who ask them to say words with their funny accent. Many could be found in upper level language classes, of languages that may even have been their native tongue. They often joined different sports and clubs, jumping at the chance to experience as much as they can in their nine month vacation.

This school year, not even Timberline students get to travel to their high school and it’s hallways and parking lot may feel unfamiliar and foreign to us now. Despite how foreign Timberline may feel to us now, there are some students who have yet to even visit the country.

This is the case for Tasmiah Zaman Jeem, who goes by the nickname Jeem. She is a sixteen year old girl from Bangladesh, and though she would be taking classes here at Timberline if she were in America, she attends Baridhara Scholars’ International School and College, which is a school run by their federal army.

Jeem’s experience as a foreign exchange student is unlike anything that we’ve seen before. In loo of physically or virtually attending Timberline classes, she takes a few online sessions and has frequent meetings with her host mom so that she can still get to learn about American culture. “It was very tough to pass all the stages [to becoming a foreign exchange student] with so many competitors. Somehow, I tried my best, and I made it. Finally I became a scholarship holder.”

Despite not yet visiting America, Jeem has still made attempts to learn what she can about the country she would be living in if circumstances were different. One of the most interesting differences to her has been some of the frequent and casual ways that we interact and communicate with one another. “I’ve learned about the small talks that American people like to do from my host mom which has caught my interest,” says Jeem. “Small talk doesn’t really happen for us, so it’s uncommon.” Even though short exchanges of “hello’s” and “how are you doing” may feel like second nature to us, it is weird to Jeem.

In her native country, Bangladesh, Jeem is very involved in various sports. She plays handball, relay race, table tennis, chess, football and badminton. She prefers athletics to musical instruments, though music is something she’d be interested in exploring if or when she comes to the United States. Though it’s unfortunate that she hasn’t gotten the foreign exchange student experience she was anticipating, she is making the most of her chance to learn about the place we call home.

Have more questions about Bangladesh, or want to get to know Jeem better? Reach out to her via instagram:

@tasmiah_jeem

26 | feature

Photos provided by Jeem, graphics by Sarah Horlacher

underneath the mask

We have become accustomed to seeing people in public, safely covering up with masks. But it’s always helpful to remember the beautiful, smiling faces underneath the masks.

Brooklynn Warner, 12th grade

Isaac Martinez, 10th grade

Graphics by Editor in Chief Sarah Horlacher a&e | 27

blazer’s bright spot written by staff writer cooper smith

was a arduous year for everyone, dealing with Covid-19 and all the 2 020 societal effects . But a lot of stress has been put on student athletes in

particular seniors getting recruited to Colleges. Covid-19 has made it so student athletes and colleges are not able to communicate as well as they used to, this has made students weary about their future in sports and college.

Emma Wickett a senior volleyball player who is committed to Pacific University in Oregon speaks on her experience “Everything has been online since last May when I verbally committed. My entire recruiting process was online (pre-Covid), with the only exception being camps that I went to.Said Wickett. My college coaches keep a pretty strong communication with me, and I assume with other recruits as well. It wasn’t too much of a change for me because I started the process my sophomore year, and was actively being recruited by Pacific then. A disadvantage is that between that time, they never got to see me play except on a screen.”Said wickett has been speaking with Pacific University since her Sophomore year so dealing with recruitment has been easier on her than others, she gives advice to aspiring athletes who want to be recruited “Recruiting is an intimidating process at first, so finding a support system as well as believing in yourself (with humility) is what can take you to the next level. After hardwork and determination, the biggest thing I want to leave to student athletes is to focus on themselves outside of your sport. Student athletes sometimes forget this, and it’s vital to take care of yourself. Yes, for your performance, but also for you and your own wellbeing.”

Above Wickett celebrates a win set with Elizabeth Copeland. To the right Wickett takes her turn to serve.

And digs out a serve graphics by jake smith 28 | sports

Sophmore Sapphire Simpson captured between cheer flags Febuary 1st marked the day that Blazer atheletes were allowed to start the first season of. The first Sports included in the modified fall season were; Girls Swim and Dive, Volleyball, Girls Soccer, Football.

Cheer

fall sport’s recap graphics and writing by Editors in chief Jake smith

Pictured above Sophmore Manaia Tauiliili digs out a serve To the right junior Zacary Gonzales celeberates the first down

sports | 29

checking out take-out

By Staff Writer Cooper Smith

Because of COVID-19, eating in a restaurant is not a viable option right now. To combat this problem, food services such as UberEats have become a more popular and more reliable option for eating out during the pandemic. If you want to use these services, you should find out which one is the best and which is the worst.

Postmates is a widely used food service to deliver food, it was the first service I tested out and the worst out of the three tested. The food I ordered was about a 3 minute drive from my house, but with Postmates, it took around 30 minutes to deliver and came with a delivery fee of $25. I would be fine with paying the fee if I knew the money went to the driver, but a large sum of the money paid goes to the service instead of the restaurant and driver.

The second service I tested was UberEats, which recently bought Posmates. This time, I ordered from a farther restaurant about 20 minutes away. It took about 25 minutes to deliver

out of the 40 minutes projected. The delivery fee was $15, but the order was smaller than the Postmates order. UberEats was substantially better than Postmates and if you had to choose between the two go with Uber Eats because of its faster service and that it now owns Postmates.

The final service reviewed was Grubhub. It took around 35 minutes to arrive with a $25 delivery fee. I would say it was better than Postmates, but not as good as Uber eats. It was the longest to arrive but, at the same time, this was the farthest restaurant from our location, so giving it the benefit of doubt, it was better than Postmates.

In conclusion, if you were to choose a food delivery service, go with Uber eats and avoid Postmates. But if you want to help out local restaurants the most, see if they have their own delivery service or call and pick up in store, because these methods makes sure all the money you pay goes directly toward the restaurant.

*This story was written before restaurants were allowed to reopen at 25% capacity.

30 | opinion

Cooper's Ratings: •30 minute delivery •$25 delivery fee

•25 minute delivery •$15 delivery fee

•35 minute delivery •$25 delivery fee

opinion | 31

The mission of theBlazer is to provide the students and staff of Timberline High School and the surrounding community with a quality, thought provoking publication. We aspire to print a publication that adheres to professional journalism standards, including sincerity, truthfulness, accuracy, impartiality in reporting news events, and equal representation of Timberline High School. theBlazer will serve as a public forum for the free exchange of information, opinions, and artistic expression in a civil and constructive manner.

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