TheBlazer Jan 2024: The Disappearance of AVID

timberline high school’s student run publication l january 2023

The Disappearance of AVID

Timberline students and staff share their experiences with the AVID program With Timberline’s sudden disapperance of the AVID program students stopped to ask the question, why?

letter from the editor Dear Readers,

2024

2023

This school year, Timberline is once again working on bouncing back from the pandemic and the transition to normal learning with the senior class being the last reminiscence of high school online learning. TheBlazer is working on picking back up the pieces of what was lost and rebuilding our publication.

With the new additions to our now growing staff we look into some important things and their disappearance. Wonder what happened to our AVID program? Take a look at "The Disapperance of Avid" on pages 12 and 13 which dives into AVID’s past and present and the effects on our student body as a whole.

It's a new school year which means new cars! Interested in some of the cool cars that fill up our parking lot and the stories behind them? Check out "Need For Speed" on pages 6 and 7. We at Timberline have tons of amazing students but some really are stars. What to see what some of our students are up to? Step on stage with "Behind the Lens" on page 3 and "Backstage Pass" on pages 18 and 19.

This new staff has come in with hope and excitement for this year and we hope to provide our readers with a representation of our student body and the diversity that comes along with it. We appreciate your patience and support and hope you enjoy our first issue of the year.

-The 2023-2024 Staff

Caitlin Grygorcewicz Editor-in-Chief 2023-2024

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editor in chief

Caitlin Grygorcewicz

news/opinion editor

Cate Abbey

digital editor

Kristine Baldoza

feature editor

Julie Arana

sports editor

Aidan Lu

staff writers

Bella Andino Etan Hamlyn Demetric Villodres Issy Justis Isaac Perez Javan Jimenez

reporters

Kayla Lambiotte Mckenzie Scott Noah Deligeannis Shaylynn Craighead Anna Bauersfeld Sophia Allard Loralai Finnegan

Behind the Lens

coming soon the theaters near you

3

Need For Speed

explore more of timberline's parking lot

6-7

Who runs the world?

stars of the girls xc team

8

Turn The Music Up

timberlines music taste

9

The Disappearance of Avid

a dive into the loss 12-13 of the avid program

Lets get opioninated

why do we vote?

16-17

Backstage Pass

the life of a stage manager

18-19

Flowchart

do you wanna know what type of apple you are?

25

CONTENTS CONTENTS

table of

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Behind The Lens A inspiring videographer spotlight

By Staff Writer Demetric Villodres

In the bustling world of videography, where power of storytelling in branding and promotion. By creativity and story telling merge, senior Jase Casinfusing his marketing knowledge into his film projsou is making waves with his unique approach. ects, Cassou aims to create compelling narratives With aspirations to major in marketing and minor in that not only entertain but also resonate with viewers film, Cassou’s sets himself apart as a visionary direcon a deeper level. His unique perspective allows him tor who thrives on seeing his creative vision come to to approach each project with a fresh and innovative life on the screen. Cassou’s passion lies in directing, mindset, resulting in visually stunning and emotionalwhere he can orchestrate scenes to unfold exactly as ly engaging content. he envisions them.

As Cassou continues to pursue his dreams, he Inspired by beserves as an inspiloved sitcoms like ration to aspiring "Modern Family," videographers "Seinfeld," and, and creatives. His most notably, dedication to his "The Office," Cascraft, coupled with sou has embarked his ability to blend on an exciting genres and collabendeavor of his orate effectively, own. He has crepositions him as ated a captivating a rising star in the show called "The world of directing.

Study Group," With "The Study a testament to Group" as his his love for the platform, Cassou sitcom genre. is poised to make Drawing a lasting impact, from the humor bringing laughter and relatable dynamics Jase is one of the most skilled and entertainment to audidisplayed in these iconences worldwide. ic series, Casou aims to In the ever-evolving video editors that I have seen in capture the essence of landscape of videography, everyday life and human Cassou stands tall as a my classes for a along time. interactions in his own visionary director, merging Daniel Hardebeck unique way. his passion for marketA key collaboraing with his love for film. tor in Cassou's creative journey is his friend, senior With Moore by his side, providing valuable input Ruben Moore. Cassou recognizes Moore’s excepand refining comedic elements, Cassou’s journey as tional talent for crafting comedic punchlines that a filmmaker promises to be one filled with laughter, resonate with audiences. Moore’s ability to analyze creativity, and endless possibilities. the essence of humor and provide valuable insights In Cassou’s own words, he describes his videfor joke revisions and improvements has become an ography as an outlet for showcasing his humor and invaluable resource for Cassou. capabilities: "It is more of an outlet of what people Together, they form a dynamic duo, pushing can see, what I like, my humor, and what I can do, the boundaries of comedy and ensuring each epibecause before that, really the only exposure I had sode of "The Study Group '' is filled with laughter and was like, classes of me just doing funny one-liners." relatability.

Cassou utilizes videography as a platform to express Cassou’s passion for filmmaking and marhimself, allowing others to witness his comedic talketing intertwines seamlessly, as he recognizes the ents and unique perspective.

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Immersion An insight on how movies impact our community in Timberline

By Sports Editor Aidan Lu

Get your popcorn, find your seat, and experience something that has never been seen before. Escape from reality, and immerse yourself in this fictional world. Movies are one of the biggest sources of entertainment in the world, however, they have much more of an impact on people other than just entertainment.

As senior Naeem Ganni has put it after he watched American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron, he said, “I gotta be motivated.” Ganni, a senior at Timberline says the movie had made a profound impact on his lifestyle, making him want to workout, create a routine, and be the best version of himself that he can be.

That is just one movie that has made a very long lasting impression on Ganni. As he continued, he says that movies are important due to the new experiences and messages that can be made just through watching. He says he learned to face his fears through the movie “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”, and was astonished by the animation of Disney’s hit movies “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo.”

Lastly, Ganni’s most heartfelt moment in any movie that he has watched was when Iron Man snapped his fingers in Avengers: Endgame.

Heartily stating, “That showed me that people can change, people can be the one to make the sacrifice.”

Naeem Ganni was just one perspective on movies however, moving to the houses of Hogwarts, Catherine Evans, a senior and a proud Slytherin says movies help her escape reality and live in different worlds that she can never visit. She feels like she can get on a flying broom and compete to grab the golden snitch in the iconic quidditch world cup.

Evans feels that she can just escape and relieve herself from all her problems for two to three hours. While most will say movies are generally for entertainment, Evans says she mostly watches them for the message and the philosophical aspect, stating “I’ll imagine myself in that movie.” The intriguing part for her is not to just be entertained, but really invest and embody the theme and message that is being portrayed.

Due to this, she is exposed to a vast majority of movies that she watches, constantly being inspired by these creative pieces. Dawson is astonished by them saying, “They inspire people to make innovations or inventions that don’t yet exist. Movies have the ability to inspire.” She is inspired by these creations, Dawson wants to learn more about each movie, whether it’s real or fictional. The ability to learn and be inspired is why she finds movies important. Each has a lesson, and being able to learn it and apply that to your life is the valuable part.

In all, movies have value to us. Whether it is through the messages that are shown, or the ability to escape from our current reality to an expansive universe, movies are irreplaceable and hold an important place in all of our lives.

Similarly, our 2027 Freshman class president Andy Vo follows in the same direction as Evans, stating, “I need a time to stop thinking about my life.” Vo expressed an overwhelming feeling when it comes to his life. A person who is involved in many aspects of the school and really makes it a priority to value his down time and create a list of movies that he has watched. Whether it’s through watching an impactful movie, or a musical that is so vibrantly beautiful, he flees from reality and is placed in those fascinating universes to calm down.

Although, some may not want to escape, but rather enjoy movies with loved ones and learn! Timberline Teacher Pavielle Dawson says she spends her Friday and Saturday nights with her kids, creating quality time that is incredibly important to her. She loves being able to spend time with her kids, making it a tradition that creates a stronger bond. It’s something that she can look forward to every single week.

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Miranda Nielsen Senior Miranda Nielsen received her dream car, a Mustang 2006 convertible, as a gift for her 16th birthday.

While cars do not hold significant importance in Nielsen's life, she takes pleasure in feeling confident while driving. She prefers not to solely define herself by her car, stating, "It's not my style." Upon initially acquiring her car, Nielsen cleaned the interior and discovered a tag bearing the name Fernanda. This discovery persuaded her to name her Mustang, Fernanda.

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Do you peronally think you are a good driver?

No... I always hit the curb.

Miranda Nielson

Jakob Volkman Jumping on the Kia Soul hate bandwagon, senior Jakob Volkman believes that your car can have a positive impact on your self-esteem. Volkman drives a 2015 Toyota Corolla S model, named Diana. Volkman used to worry while driving his old car, a Mazda 3 2008, fearing that it might break down and “explode.” “ Since upgrading , I do actually feel a lot better about myself.” With his Corolla, Volkman claims that managing his lifestyle has become more convenient. As a running start student juggling work and driving his sister around, Volkman believes that his car grants him a sense of freedom.

Liam Abbey Junior Liam Abbey's love for cars was deeply rooted in his early fascination with Hot Wheels. At 13, Abbey bought his first car for his grandma after she crashed hers. Abbey took on the challenge of repairing it and eventually selling it. With the proceeds from that sale, he purchased his current car. Abbey currently drives a 2004 Subaru WRX with many self made modifications. As his love for cars grew, so did the amount of modifications made to his Subaru. Over the years, he has made around 30 alterations, including his latest project: a manually wired ignition cut that allows flames to shoot out from his exhaust. It took Abbey less than a day to make this alternation. Abbey expressed his fascination for cars as “just a hobby.” On the contrary, Abbey believes that every modification made to his car reflects his resilient personality.

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5, 6, 7, 8, Who Do We Appreciate!

An inside look on Timberline’s dance team

By Staff Writer Issy Justis

Friday Night Lights. Referees are blowing whistles in the middle of plays, the cheer team is chanting, the band is playing, the student section is screaming while behind the stands, Timberline’s Dance Team prepares for yet another performance.

After preparing all week for this performance the whole team can feel the nerves. Emotions run high before any performance, lucky for the dance team the captains do everything to remain calm. Angela Fratis, a captain on the team and member for three years, even admits to feelings of nervousness, “A little bit of both actually. I’m a little nervous right before I go on, but that feeling goes away when I start performing.”

Alongside with the Friday night performances, Timberline’s Dance Team also participates in performing at assemblies, other sports events, local parades and competitions during the winter and spring months.

With only seven competitions left till their appearance at state the dance team has to stay as active as possible, even in their preseason they attend a Dance Camp (DTU Dance Camp), then each week the team practices together for eight hours a week.

Outside of normal practices the team does many workout circuits to stay in shape and help their performances. This takes their total hours together a week to twelve hours. But for the team this is normal, in

Nicole Oliver performing at freshman orientation. order to be well bonded and grow as a team they need to see eachother everyday, even on the bad days. This is what makes the team connect not only as friends but as family.

The dance team mainly competes in two different genres. Pom and Hip Hop, and before some competitions the team’s head coach, Colette Hudson will add in a third dance either Kick or Military. For Davion Killebrew, a sophomore on the team, Hip Hop is the way to go. “With Hip Hop you can have like more within yourself and your own personality can shine through, but Pom is just if you do something wrong its just wrong, there’s just no individuality in Pom,” she said.

Nationals are right around the corner and Killebrew wishes to bring light into how accomplished the team truly is. “I feel like we get a lot of attention, but I feel there are areas where we would need more attention. Not a lot of the school knows, but we are actually competing at Nationals this year.”

Killebrew expressed her concerns for the lack of excitement she feels from her peers at school when dance team accomplishments are announced.

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Left to Right: Alyssa Mapu and Davion Killbrew perform at timberlines back to school assembly.

For many on the dance team, being on the team isn’t their only priority and trying to balance a work, social and for many a life in theater or choir can be difficult. “It’s a little difficult at times but I manage. I think for me keeping busy helps me be productive,” Fratis claims.

A lot of the members of the team had no prior dance experience causing the team to have to rebuild itself, especially when large numbers of the team were seniors last year. Killebrew joined the team at the end of 8th grade after seeing a poster hanging up in the hallway at her school. This year the team only had five returners The Timberline Dance team allows individualism to shine throughout their dancers along with the support of others in the community, “It’s nice,” Killebrew said, “I like the feeling of going out onto the field performing then going into the stands where people see me in my dance uniform and them being like, you did great,” Killebrew stated.

The family aspect to the team is what has drawn in most. The team being known for having positive attitudes towards every new opportunity has brought in almost the entire team.

“Most of them I would consider my best friends, and even my family,” is how Killebrew describes her relationship with the rest of the team.

Left to Right: Nicole Oliver and Angela perform a pom routine at a pep assembly.

Who Runs The World?

With the new Cross Country coaching position creates a brand new enviornment fo the team

By Staff Writer Etan Hamlyn

On November 4th, in Pasco Washington, a woman was screaming from the sidelines of the State Cross Country Race. The woman was Timberline’s Coach Jamie Sullivan, cheering on Freshman Amaya Brown. The significance of this moment is that this is only the second year that Coach Sullivan has been the designated head girls coach of the Cross Country Team. In fact, this was only the second season where the position even existed at all.

The new addition of this position has led to the ability of the coaches to be more focused on the specific needs of the athletes, especially the girls within the team.

“Athletes have been able to come to me with things that I don’t think they would have otherwise spoken up about,” Sullivan said. Sullivan believes that the girls are able to develop a relationship with her, and feel more comfortable sharing things they otherwise would not have. She is also able to curate more to the needs of the girls, with issues that may affect them more, such as issues with food or body image.

The new position also allowed for the girls on the team to have a new role model for how to handle sportsmanship and team morale.

The girls were very connected and as one. “Our biggest struggle this year, with morale, came in the form of injuries,” Sullivan stated.

Kiana Blume, one of the team’s top athletes, was sidelined for a month because she got a fractured shin. This being said, the team banded together, taking care of each other despite this, and not letting this blow affect the moral of the team as a whole.

“It’s a safe place, my teammates have always been very nice and welcoming,” Brown explains, as a newcomer.

“There is no drama on the team. Everybody gets along, and like, everyone likes everybody,” Blume said similarly. She goes on to answer the question of who on the team she finds most inspiring by saying “Well for me, it’s like all of them. We all cheer for each other, and no matter if she’s like fast or slow, she can inspire you because she still runs, and she is still bettering herself.”

She says the team is truly a place for other girls to go and better themselves without judgment from their peers.

“I mean, I think everything starts at the top and the type of team culture that you create. If you’re enthusiastic and supportive with runners, they will, I think, in turn be supportive and

Timberlines 2023-2024 Girls Cross Country Team. enthusiastic too,” Sullivan said. The team is supportive of each other, especially at races, cheering everyone on and supporting their success, largely due the example set by Coach Sullivan.

The great benefits of the position extend beyond just helping the girls on the team. “People respond to different types of coaching, every coach has a little bit something different that they offer,” Sullivan stated. With more coaches being on the roster, all of the athletes have more resources at their disposal. Even Coach Sullivan is available for any of the boys on the team when they need her.

Because of the new environment and conditions, more girls than ever have joined the sport. Blume said, “They should just do it. Every person on the team who thought they couldn’t do it, every size and shape did it. And we cheered them on for it.” Similarly, Brown said when asked whether perspective members should be nervous said “No, never nervous because it’s really welcoming. And even if you’re not the best to start, our team is still gonna welcome you and help you out.”

The addition of the head girls coach on the cross country team has aided in many ways, especially in making a more supportive and inclusive environment for those on the team. Coach Sullivan urges those who are conflicted about joining the team to “take the plunge” and try it out!

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Turn The Music Up..

Delve into the opinions and music interests of our students

By Staff Writer Bella Andino

Walking around the school hallways, most students have one thing in common.

Whether it’s an AirPod or headphones, maybe something in one ear or both, it’s music.

Whether it’s to subdue the daily stressors of students’ everyday life, or to simply listen to their favorite song, many students find themselves immersed in all that it has to offer.

Using music as a guide to help them get through everyday life, senior Lucas Roraback said, “it helps me focus, you know?

Helps me be in a better mood, helps me be calmer.”

Roraback found the inspiration to listen to a wider variety of music through an artist he was very familiar with, “Igor as an album is what got me into lots of other albums.”

“Flower Boy” by Tyler The Creator was one of the examples Roraback mentioned, “It got me to listen to more than just rap, I was very locked into rap as a genre, and “Flower Boy” is a bit more experimental, you know?”

Finding his sound through experimenting with many different kinds of music, Lucas says he’s, “fairly diverse with his music.”

For anyone who ever wonders how to expand their music taste, Roraback would be the one to ask. “I feel like everyone will have at least one song that I could show them if I know them well enough and like what type of music they like.”

Meanwhile Roraback is not the biggest fan of “Dance Monkey” by, Tones and I. “Some sort of, corporate song you’d hear in an Old Navy or on the Sirius XM top 100 Most of the time, not to say all mainstream songs are bad.”

Junior Micah Shell who is an active Chamber Choir member, and music enthusiast spends a significant amount of time enjoying what music has to offer. “On Sundays, when I’m getting ready, and then when I’m in the shower on my way to school, in choir, in between everything I’m doing before class starts after class i’m listening to music,” she said.

Using most chances she gets throughout the day to plug into her favorite tunes, Shell’s main method for finding her sound goes as follows, “I’ll just put on like a random soundtrack and just go through songs to find ones I like,” Shell says. An example of her method is when she found a brand new artist she has never heard of and was able to discover them through a random Spotify generated playlist.

But there’s more to simply just hitting play on a song. Sometimes there’s a feeling or mood behind the song that is chosen. Helping the listener connect with the sound being played, “it just really helps me recognize where I’m at,” Shell said.

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“I love Taylor Swift. It’s a public thing but I feel like every artist has some songs where you’re just like ew, you know?” Shells’s least favorite song is “Me” by Taylor Swift.

Whether it’s something you don’t pay much attention to, or you spend hours curating a playlist to convey how you feel, music is something that most teens think about at one point or another.

Although TheBlazer does not advocate for listening to music during class, it can be acknowledged that it helps some people simply just get through the day.

For some, it creates an escape or ability to understand complex emotions where finding the words is not the easiest, as Shell vocalizes, “It’s a way of being able to see yourself through another lens. I can see different parts of my life and feel those emotions through song.”

TheBlazer Staff Top Picks • “A Certain Someone” - The Sundays • “Linger” - The Cranberries • “Somebody New” - Sophia James • “Yours & Mine” - Lucy Dacus • “Punisher” - Pheobe Bridgers • “Last Day On Earth” - Beabadoobee • “Sugarcoat” - KISS OF LIFE • “Cherry Wine” - Grant Perez • “Would you go with me” - Josh Turner

The Disappearance of AVID Timberline students and staff share their experiences with the now abolished AVID program, students stopped to ask the question, why?

The Disappearance of AVID Students and staff share their experiences with the program

By Digital Editor Kristine Baldoza

AVID: Advancement Via Individual Determination. Why was it stripped away so suddenly from our students? AVID had been an ongoing class beginning from middle school in 8th grade. The purpose of the class was to prepare students for college eligibility and success. Students would engage in activities like character building such as personality types and love languages. In addition to that, students would exercise their college readiness skills through tutorials and note taking.

When asking former junior AVID students about their opinion on the disappearance of the program, their responses revealed a universal disappointment of losing a class that was once so dear to them. However, Timberline's Assistant Principal, Kristy Grinnell said that a lack of students meant AVID would be canceled.

Esperanza Tepale, a senior this year at Timberline High School, exclaims her dismay about the discontinued class that she took for nearly five years, “I spent four years in the class and I was meant to have it for five. I was disappointed because it was just out of the blue.” She elaborates on her disappointment saying, “We didn’t have a timeframe to where I could switch out if I needed to take certain classes.”

From a similar perspective, Celestine Allsup, another senior this year at Timberline High School, agrees with Tepale and expresses that the class being cut felt as if the family they created over the years was gone, “It was like our own little group you know, family. We all have known each other for a long time. When I heard it got taken away, it was something sad for me because I just wanted to finish it out.”

Majority of the junior AVID class knew each other since the very beginning in 8th grade. The experiences they lived through together, whether it be field trips, “Family Fridays”, or just class time, were the strings that connected them together. As Tepale says, “People were rooting for each other's success.”

When the students were questioned about what they expected to gain from their last year in AVID, Tepale says, “I was expecting that we would be working on our essays and how to really get into depth of how we should actually write them and what colleges we would be looking for.” She continues on, “And if we didn't want to go to college, then what trade schools offered and how to apply to them. Just step by step ways of how to go with what we need to do in the future.” Allsup agreed with Tepale’s statement saying, “I was hoping we’d get into more individual things obviously, like essays and just finding your path and what you want to do after high school, because it's coming 12| news

up pretty soon for us.” These students lost their chance of going through the most anticipating topic that they’ve been waiting for since middle school: college essays and applications.

Students in AVID had a lot to lose. One of those things being with each other. Tepale says, “I felt like because we always saw each other every single day for four years straight, that we

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The point of AVID was to help people who were less fortunate and not likely to have support. That program was the support and it was just taken away.

Esperanza Tepale

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all just got to get to know each other.” She goes on to say, “Even if we didn't specifically talk to one another, we would be able to have that bond where we can just randomly be like, ‘Hey, it's me from AVID, do you want to hang out?’”

It wasn’t just the students who were affected by this decision. Teachers who had taught and who are still teaching AVID within their school are bummed out to hear about the cut.

Dayna Sivankeo, an AVID and English teacher at Komachin Middle School, had once taught the former junior AVID students in Timberline. To the students, Sivankeo raised them to prepare for AVID. With her experience of teaching the class, she says, “It’s my 9th year that I’m doing it, and I have seen so much growth in my students.”

She goes on to explain that, “The skills that they have learned helped them become college ready, and has definitely been valuable. I have seen kids be successful in college because of what they have learned in AVID. So I was disappointed to hear that Timberline was no longer offering it.”

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I wish that there would have been a way to

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Her students have worked hard throughout their years in AVID, building up to the final year where the focus was all about college. Sivankeo says, “I wish that there would have been a way to honor that for them this year.”

Similar to what Tepale and Allsup were expecting out of AVID, Sivankeo states, “From what I understand, senior year in AVID is one of the most important years because that’s when you guys are applying to colleges, applying for scholarships, and doing all the financial aid paperwork.” She then added, “It’s important to have that guidance and the whole point is to help students who may need that extra support in getting that guidance.” To add on, she mentions, “I feel like it’s just kind of the time of year when you even want to celebrate when you get accepted into college and when you get those scholarships. Being able to support and celebrate with the people who you have been (with) in this class since you were in 8th grade, that would’ve been so meaningful to them.”

Another longtime teacher of AVID, Jenna Tate, an English teacher at Timberline High School had more insight on why the program was cut. “There's no money behind the program. So, schools up until last year had to find the funding within the school to pay for the program.” She explained that, ”an English teacher teaching AVID uses regular school funding to take one period out of English. But then the other English classes would be overloaded because there's no money to pay for that extra period," she said.

Explaining the Core 24 system Tate also elaborates on how AVID was only an elective, making it harder for students to complete all the graduation requirements without giving up another thing they love or are passionate about.

“It's an amazing program for kids. And it's a great relationship and great support system,” Tate said, “I still have some of my past AVID students who have graduated now and some who are graduating who still contact me and keep in touch and it's just it really can be a family situation when it's done correctly.”

AVID has greatly impacted the lives of our students. From developing new connections and creating a special bond between students to accumulating life skills that will eventually assist them in the future, these students have lost a great program that helped them grow into the people they are today. Allsup said that AVID may have been lost, but the impact that it left on its students will always be engraved in their hearts, "I just miss our group," she added.

honor that [AVID] for them this year.

Dayna Sivankeo

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Staff Editorial

TheBlazer staff discusses the loss of the AVID program and the effects it has had on Timberline students.

With the disappearance of the AVID program, our staff has taken much notice. AVID is a college and career readiness class where students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses.

With the number of students and staff who participated in the college readiness course, the loss has been felt. Now that the college admissions season up and going, lots of our senior class is lost and has gotten swept up in it. A college prep class seems almost essential. Yes, we have things like our advisory, but that cannot fill the hole that the AVID program filled.

Depending on how many people knew about the program, it seems like a lot of students would have taken advantage of it. Some of our students thought it was only for people whose parents didn’t go to college or a class that you couldn’t just join; you had to be exclusively invited. The only time the class was advertised was in middle school for most students, so the chance of them enrolling in the program in high school was very low.

Our staff itself has been impacted by the loss of AVID, some of whom have been a part of the program since middle school. Their perspectives on the matter are interesting to hear, and their disappointment in the district scrapping the program is strong. Without prior warning, they only knew that the program was not available when they eventually went to sign up for their courses for the year. A big question that was asked was: Why? Other high schools still have the program so why take it away from Timberline students?

The students as peers got very close to each other over their time in the classes and built a sense of community with each other, which was lost with the COVID-19 pandemic. The program helped bring some normalcy back to these students as well. It was noticed by the students in the class that COVID had tanked their budget. The amount of things that have been taken away from students and the obvious priorities that the district takes are not where the students’ hearts lie.

Hearing from middle school teachers of AVID that they are trying their best with the little time they have to teach their students what they can is disheartening. 7th and 8th graders who take really helpful class have no way to continue when in high school or College.

The need for the Avid program at Timberline is more than students wanting their class back. It’s a necessity for students to thrive in college. Without that extra help those students who think college and higher education isn’t a possibility for them are left stuck in that mindset.

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To get the program back, students would have to go to the district level because one of the main reasons it has gone away is a lack of funds and the decrease of students with that need in our district. A strong possibility that has been discussed is making AVID fit into the Core24 program so students could take the course while fulfilling a required credit like CTE or English.

Ultimately, students miss the program. They miss their teachers, friends, and the sense of community that avid created for them and will work to get it back.

AVID AVID AVID AVID AVID

Let's get opinionated...

A deep dive into why its important to vote as a member of Gen-Z

By Editor-in-Chief Caitlin Grygorcewicz

It's been shown in many elections that results can be decided by With our polarized world, it's getting harder and harder simply hundreds of votes. An example, in 2000 when George W. Bush won the to figure out who to vote for. Some of my own generation's conelectoral college with 271 votes to Al Gore's 266 votes. A presidential race being cerns spread across the board.

Starting off with our rapidly deteriorating climate, wom- that close is astonishing, because it contrasts the 500,000 votes that were in en's bodily autonomy, and even inflation. Gen-Z is terrified of our favor of Gore in the popular vote.

You may not care now, but you will in the future. Things in our world future because of how politicians are treating our country, but are rapidly changing, new conflicts, disasters, and people are coming and gostill are hesitant to take action to stop it. Being so close to a new election year I'm sure you're wondering, "Why do we even vote?" ing. The time to act is now. Are you upset or worried about our country's future and don't know where to start? Do you want to take hold of your future? Go Young voters account for half of the voting population. and register to vote.

You have the chance to be very influential in any election. With the power to swing elections, most young voters have no idea they hold such an important role in this country's political game.

A lot of young people don't realize how easy it is to register and in Washington state. We have mail-in ballots so you don't even have to go out of your way somewhere to vote.

It's easier to be informed than ever before. Lucky for everyone in our country, with the invention of the internet and the rise of 24-hour television broadcasts, information is at our fingertips at all times.

Every candidate that is running for office makes a website or some form of online information laying out their positions on issues. It's a key part of how American campaigns. In this day and age, saying you don't know how to learn about a topic is purposefully ignorant.

A unique thing about Gen-Z, is that we are the most diverse group of voters yet. Compared to other generations Gen-Z, has a wider range of diversity racially and ethnically. According to the Pew Research Center, 1-in-4 members of Gen-Z are Hispanic which is vastly contrasts from their millennial counterparts.

Another prominent factor that sets Gen-Z apart is the way gender is handled. When filling out a form or online profile asks about a person's gender, Gen-Z is the most likely to agree that it should include options other than "man" and "woman".

The rise of the "majority minority" makes a vast difference in how we vote on certain issues, bringing in more diverse opinions and people.

The electoral college is also an aspect of American election systems that turns many people away; "Oh my vote doesn't count because that elector actually casts the vote." And yes, this is technically true, but they are loyal party members that will put their vote into the election based on the citizens popular vote.

Fun Fact!

Only 15.8% of Timberline students are registered to vote.

47.4% of students are planning on it or don't know how to register.

16| opinions

Backstage Pass

A look into Timberline High School’s Stage Manager

By News/Opinions Editor Cate Abbey

“Whenever there’s a problem, DJ is the problem solver.” These succinct words from Crow Richardson, the Timberline theater light technician, encapsulate DJ Swan’s theater responsibilities.

“DJ wears a lot of hats,” echoed drama teacher and director, Robin Tuckett. As the drama club president and the stage manager for both the fall play and spring musical, Swan juggles a multitude of re-

sponsibilities. “As drama club president they prepare things for club days,” said Tuckett, “As stage manager, they are responsible for keeping the show together.”

Swan is in charge of “calling” the show, this means that any actions, or “cues" need to be called by Swan before they are done. There are upwards of 500 cues per show, and Swan has to memorize and call them all. Richard explained it by saying, “DJ is like the backbone of the theater.”

Swan found the theater department, and their place in it, during their sophomore year. “I was going through a very hard time that year, and being a part of the crew was sort of my anchor, it still is in a lot of ways,” said Swan, “I believe pretty strongly that I’ve found my place in the world through theater.”

Tuckett watched Swan grow a lot in the past few years. “From a shy sophomore to this powerhouse of a senior that they are,” commented Tuckett, “It has been a joy and an honor to watch it happen.”

In that time, Swan has impressed Tuckett with their supportive leadership towards the rest of the crew, “DJ honors their 18| feature

intelligence and respects them as humans and therefore holds them accountable for what they need to contribute.” Tuckett praised the success of the strategy, “Because of that leadership, everyone rises to the occasion.”

Tuckett continued to say, “I don’t think everyone can see how much they are doing and how hard they are working.”

Despite their humility, Tuckett believes that Swan’s accomplishments speak for themselves, “They don’t show off everything they’ve been doing, but you still feel it.”

“They appreciate not only the process of creating but the understanding that you can’t do it all,” said Tuckett. She described theater as a puzzle and complemented Swan’s understanding that all the necessary pieces required to make the final picture can not be done alone.

Outside of class, Swan also works in the after-school musical every year, “The musical is always such an amazing experience, especially as someone who is deeply involved in every aspect of the process.”

The musical is a large but welcome commitment, “It ends up taking over my life in the best way possible. It’s like Christmas is coming,” shared Swan.

“I credit all of the actors, the crew, and the Tucketts that worked on Pippin! with solidifying my feelings about continuing to work in theater after high school,” said Swan, “I will forever be grateful that it was my first show as a Stage Manager.”

Of course, not every theater experience is full of sunshine and rainbows. “There have been times where I have to really prepare myself to work with a rude director or one that is extremely particular. I’ve had to work with actors who pretend I don’t exist or yell at me for just doing my job,” Swan said.

Last year’s production, Pippin!, was Swan’s first official experience as the stage manager. They looked back on the closing night of the show and said, “[It was a] room full of people who had shown me nothing but compassion throughout the entire process, I felt so full of love.”

will eventually be doomed to the back of the props closet,” said Swan. Of course, Swan will not be going into a props closet, but onto the next chapter.

“I really hope to leave a legacy here,” they said, “I want to start things this year that will continue to happen and develop further after I graduate and will allow the department to really shine.” Swan works hard every day to rebuild, maintain, and enhance the program. “It’s like I’m giving back what I owe to the theater.” They said.

Looking into the future, Swan is sure theater will still be there, “No matter where I go after this, it’s just who I am to continue to make art.” The future is uncertain, but Swan will continue to carry the lessons and passion they have found at Timberline, no matter where they go. “Maybe I’ll be the one to bring back Stage Management awards to the Tonys, you never know.”

“I credit all of the actors, the crew, and the Tucketts that worked on Pippin! with solidifying my feelings about continuing to work in theater after high school,” said Swan, “I will forever be grateful that it was my first show as a Stage Manager.”

Of course, not every theater experience has been full of sunshine and rainbows for Swan. “There have been times where I have to really prepare myself to work with a rude director or one that is extremely particular" Swan said, "I've had to work with actors who pretend I don't exist or yell at me for just doing my job.”

However, instead of letting the bad spoil the good, Swan chooses to look at these experiences as lessons, “I now know that you have to do hard things in the industry to get work, I know how important it is to set clear boundaries to keep myself and my peers safe, and I know that I can do hard and frustrating things.”

Thanks to that mindset, Swan still has an overall positive impression of their time in theater. “It’s important to note that for every one ‘bad’ experience I’ve had, there’s three good ones that make up for it,” they said.

After three years in the department, Swan will have to say goodbye to Timberline Theater this spring. The good news is that saying goodbye is a necessary part of theater, so Swan has experience. “It’s such a temporary art that you have to get used to putting your heart into something that feature | 19

Blazer Territory

Moments captured of the start of a spirit filled year

By Editor-in-Chief Caitlin Grygorcewicz

Above: Celebrations from students after a winning score.

Above: Timberlines ASB and the Peppy Pooper.

Above: Students prepare in the cabin for a home game.

Above: Junior Wyeneah Verceles celebrates after a touchdown is scored.

Right: Senior Nathan Tulloch lines up before preforming at half time.

20| photo

Left: Sophomore Bella Daniels preforms at a back to school assembly.

Below: The senior class competes in table surfing.

Below: Senior Tia Wieclaw at the first pep assembly of the year.

Above: Senior Gage Pedro warms up before kicking a field goal.

Left: Etan Hamlyn, Addison Daukaus, And Isaac Perez compeat in the annual lip sync competition. photo| 21

New Beginnings

An inside scoop of the experiences and challenges that exchange students face Embarking on a journey to an unfamiliar place, where expectations are left behind like echoes in the wind. It’s the daunting reality for some of the exchange students at Timberline High School. Picture this: a canvas of uncertainty, painted with the hues of anticipation, nervousness, and excitement. Each passing year, Timberline opens its doors to a diverse groups of cultures, weaving together threads from countries like Egypt, Italy, Spain, and beyond.

Being an exchange student is like stepping onto a thrilling yet challenging roller coaster. Leaving behind the familiar comforts of your country to embark on the journey to a new country, new language, new customs, and most importantly of all new people. As expressed by senior Sophia Bononii, “I think the first month was the most difficult for me.” She says, “Language is one of the many challenges exchange students face throughout their school year,” she said.

However, with every challenge comes success. senior Elvira Alvarez also touched on the topic of transportation, “if you don’t have a car you can’t do anything.” It’s understandable that most of the fun stuff to do in Lacey isn’t achievable walking distances like it could be in her home country Spain.

Gestures and habits play a big part in every culture in the world. However, some gestures that people consider to be normal in their country can be seen as unusual here. For example, Alvarez mentioned “When you meet someone you don’t do two kisses you shake hands”. Junior Omar Youssef gave another example, “We are not allowed to flush toilet paper in the toilet” he said. On the other hand, Bononii shared that in Italy it’s normal to eat bread with pasta but her host family found that to be unusual.

Just as gestures vary, so do school systems across different countries. One common thread among these exchange students was their unanimous agreement on the harshness and strictness of their school system compared to the American school system. Youssef shared, “In Egypt you have a lot of homework” a common take amongst international students. Alvarez shared “In math tests we can’t have note cards”, and Bononii shared “We don’t have PE in school, in fact sometimes students can’t do a sport because they have to study a lot of things.”

Some of the exchange students expressed a sense of 22| news

ease when moving to the States, “We were so scared to go to school, have a lot of homework, and we go to school on Saturdays” Bononii mentioned. agreeing that it’s much easier to study in the US due to the curriclum being more lenient. Obviously since in their countries the school systems are much harsher compared to the United States system.

One of the hardest parts that exchange students must face in their experience here is having to say goodbye to their friends that they’ve made here. While speaking with Bononii she shared that she hopes that the friends she has made will go and visit her and her country.

Although from our point of view it sounds sad, the good thing is that they all shared that so far their experience in the United States and the year is just getting started.

“

España es in lugar

“

By Staff Writer Isaac Perez

muy bonito y distinto.

Elvira Alvarez

flowchart | 23

The mission of TheBlazer is to provide the students and staff of Timberline High School and the surrounding community with a quality, thoughtprovoking 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.