The Insider April 2018

Issue 8

The Insider

April 2018

Welcome to EC, M r. Picciotto!

Catherine Vaughn Insider Staff

Our school has seen a lot of changes, but one recent change has happened that is sure to stick. On April 16th, Eastside Catholic welcomed our new president, Mr. Picciotto.

Mr. Picciotto attended University of California- Santa Barbara and earned his masters from Western Governor?s University. He began to study prelaw before finding his passion in fundraising and advancement. He started working at a child abuse prevention organization and UCSB before moving to Washington to work at Washington State University.

Originally coming from a public relations and advancement background, he decided to join the EC family in order to help promote growth in the Eastside community and to be, ?an advocate for the administrative lead for the senior leaders." He stated that the

direct interaction with students and appealed to him and he was interested in seeing the ?fruits of his work?, or the impact his work had on the community. Mr. Picciotto added that EC appealed to him through its Catholic values and the proximity in relation to where he lives.

When asked what he is excited about doing at EC, Mr. Picciotto said that he is, ?excited to help shape the minds of students to be well-rounded, socially adjusted, and have a strong spiritual relationship to fall

back on when times get tough.? Overall, he is most excited about what Eastside Catholic will achieve as a community and will work to be an advocate for students and faculty members alike.

In the next five to ten years, Mr. Picciotto hopes to promote, ?appropriate growth, establish big and better facilities, and help students achieve what they are capable of achieving." Mr. Picciotto stated that he is accessible to all students and faculty and hopes to know as much of our community as he can, which includes hearing any comments or concerns one may have for him.

When he?s off duty as president, Mr. Picciotto enjoys watching sports and hanging out with his family, including his wife, his two kids Sam and Charlie, and his yellow lab. If you ever see Mr. Picciotto around, make sure to give him a warm welcome!

Ar t Walk: A Smashing Success Katie Springborn

Eastside Catholic students are very talented in many areas like academics, sports, arts and more.

In the Middle School Jury Selected Awards, Sophia Gallard won first place with her piece Art Tool Still Life Cartoon.

In second place is Alex Schoenstadt with his piece Art Tool Still Life Cartoon. Carley Larsen came in third with her drawing of Winnie the Pooh.

On April 11th, there was an Art Walk on Wednesday from 3 ? 7 P.M. There was a lot of talent presented from all ages! The Art Walk is an annual event where students in art classes can display their art. Along with displaying the art there are also various awards they can be given.

For the High School 2-D Jury selected awards, Rose Didcock won with her Monochromatic Face Painting. In second is Jessica Bond with her piece Drawing of a Girl. In third place was Anna Albertson with her Creative Color Wheel piece.

In first place for the People?s Choice Award, was Jack Henry with his piece Art Tool Still Life with Cartoon. In second, is Angela Lai with her piece, the Optical Hand. Lastly, Ty Smith came in third with the Optical Bear.

The Last Category is the High School Jury Selected 3-D. Michael Sentman and Kayla McGeehee both tied for first place! Michael won for his piece, Four Seasons, and Kayla won for her piece Seahorse. In second place, was Gee Scott with his Mask piece. In third, was Grant Hunt with his piece Pacman Plate.

Insider Staff

In the high school 2-D category, Gio Ursino won first place for his piece Spaceman. In second place, was Madeline Kerbs piece, Succulent. In third place, was Lizzie Iwicki with her piece, ?The Veil?.

The winner of the High School 3-D category was Michael Sentman with his piece Turtle. In second was Kayla McGeehee with her piece ?Panda?. In third place is Alex Muth with his piece Pyrography Blocks.

"Spaceman" by Gio Ursino

"Succulent" by Madeline Kerbs

Issue 8

Student Life

Page 3

Seussical: The Best EC Musical Yet? Anna Leist

today?s students currently face, JesĂşs depicted the character with outstanding vocal performances and an amazing stage presence.

Insider Editor-in-Chief

Mayzie La Bird, played by Heather Halverson, was one of the most flashy and extroverted characters. Her solos perfectly encapsulated her vocal ability and outstanding skill. She brought humor and attitude to the stage, making her scenes fun and light.

While the start of spring may seem to mark the beginning of AP test, sports, and drawing closer to the end of the school year, spring is also the season of Eastside?s annual musical. This year, Eastside Catholic?s Performing Arts put on a colorful and energetic production of Seussical. This musical was based on the countless works of the famous children?s author Dr. Seuss.

EC?s musicals not only draw attention to the talented actors and actresses at our school, but also feature the skills of the orchestra and band performers. They also feature the talents artists behind the scenes helping with makeup and costumes, as well as the stage crew.

I attended Seussical on the matinee on April 21. The lobby was decorated with artwork based on a countless number of Dr. Seuss books. All members of the orchestra wore red and white hats mimicking one of his most famous books, The Cat in the Hat. The stage and backdrop were decorated with bright colors and shapes.

Katie Stanos played the Sour Kangaroo, and with her over-the-top hair and emotion-heavy vocals, she D | brought the character to the next level. Overall, her amazing performance perfectly captured he role of the Sour Kangaroo.

PHOTO CREDIT | EC MARKETING AND

When the play started, I was impressed with the performances of two of the key characters, The Cat in the Hat, played by junior Matthew Wittress, and Jojo, played by Ben McCall. Throughout the entire performance, Wittress brought humor and character, reflecting on the role he played. Overall, his performance was hilarious, fun, and very impressive, showing that Wittress fit his role perfectly.

Horton the Elephant, played by junior JesĂşs Bautista-Feliberti, was one of the most influential and grounding characters in the musical. Representing the common problem of bullying that many of

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Highlights included the costumes and makeup of the Who Children, played by a mostly middle-school cast. Their bright yellow, pink, and blue costumes mimicked their hilarious hairstyles of random buns, curls, and colors.

Overall, all the performers did a fantastic job, as they do in the musical every year. The music, costumes, and makeup were fantastic. Congratulations to everyone involved for putting on such an amazing show.

Speech and Debate Leaves us Speechless Liam Edwards Insider Staff This year, EC has seen a lot of success throughout the entire school. From multiple State Titles in sports, to the grand success of many of our academic programs, Eastside Catholic has many clubs and sports that show the true talent we have here. One of the many clubs here at Eastside, is Speech and Debate.

EC Speech and Debate started decades ago when EC first founded, and has continued to be a staple of the Eastside community. The club started as a small group of teens who wanted to engage in a variety of speech based activities with opportunities to participate in healthy debate.

Through the many years speech and debate has been a club, it has received many accolades, with various State champions, State titles, and National titles. This year is no different, with competitors such as Liam Edwards and Emmie Gilchrist placing 3rd in state for a second year in a row and moving onto nationals, Catherine Vaughn taking 8th in state, and Angel Lin and Landon Halverson competing in Debate state for their first times.

Landon took 4th place in the state congress competition. None of these various awards would be possible without the exceptional Coaching of WIAA Coach of the Year Jane

McCoy. Jane has been teaching Speech and Debate since the 70?s and has had grand success with all the schools that she has taught at, including Eastside and Mercer Island.

Jane has sent 100?s of kids to State over her years of coaching, and many kids to Nationals.

Jane is truly dedicated to the ordeal of speech and debate and has helped many kids including myself, gain valuable life skills and have incredible experiences. Speech and Debate has seen a lot of growth in the past few years and it continues to grow at an exponential rate. Please consider joining if you have an interest in public speaking. If you have any questions about the Speech and Debate program and how you can get involved please talk you Liam Edwards, Emmie Gilchrist, or Angel Lin.

CONGRATULATIONSMs. McCoy!

Student Life

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Page 4

EC Celebrates 10 Years on the Plateau performances by band and cheer as well as the opportunity to watch boys soccer practice, girls lacrosse practice, and Seussical rehearsal.

The school was decorated with bundles of crusader blue and orange balloon, as well as a balloon arch, and a large banner made by leadership hanging over the commons reading ?Happy 10 years on the plateau!!!?

Sophia Vanderwark Insider Staff

In 2006 Eastside Catholic announced that they would be building a brand new campus in Sammamish. Families were excited to receive this news, that finally, after several years of fund raising and prayers, the campus that had previously only been a dream, would soon be a reality. The old campus was located in Newport and featured a tiny parking lot and a library that would flood repeatedly throughout the school year, along with other parts of campus.

The new campus on the Plateau had a multitude of benefits coming with it.

Situated between Skyline High School and Eastlake High School, the location of the school allowed for relationships to be developed between the students at all three high schools and encouraged the growth of friendships. The campus is made up of 50 acres, including protected wetlands. One of the greatest gifts of Eastside Catholic its campus.

The celebration of 10 years was more than just about the campus. With the construction of a new campus there was also the opening of the Eastside Catholic Middle School. The middle school always for excellence in academics and a faith center education for 6th- 8th graders. The middle school added a substantial amount of new students to the Eastside Catholic family.

On Monday the 17th the school kicked off the celebration of the Campus opening its doors in 2008. The celebration functioned as an open house, with

Guests were welcomed to campus by cheer leaders and leadership students who were gathered at the corner of 228th. The school supplied food trucks and, as always, opened the event with prayer written by religion teacher Mrs. Kittridge. The celebration also hosted the new President of Eastside Catholic, Gil Picciotto who gave a short speech to those attending the celebration.

HAPPY ANNI VERSARY EC!

Eastside's Actions for Earth Day Lauren Michels

students and staff can refill reusable water-bottles instead of buying new plastic water-bottles and creating lots of extra waste.

Insider Staff

Earth Day was on Sunday, April 22, 2018 this year, and the very first Earth Day was in 1970.

This day has become an annually celebrated holiday across the globe.

The goal of Earth Day is to encourage and raise awareness of environmental protection.

One of Eastside's very own teachers, Ms. Jenkins, reflected on the very first Earth Day, 48 years ago, when she was in seventh grade and was given a project on the issue. Ms. Jenkins task was to build a sewage plant that abided by the new environmental laws, and she said she was fascinated by the project. The sewage plant was relevant to her life because she lived on the bank of the Hudson River at the time, which was polluted, and her project posed a possible solution to create a cleaner environment. Ms. Jenkins said that it was because of this project assigned on the very first Earth Day, that she decided that she wanted to become an environmental engineer.

Not only have some teachers taken

steps towards a cleaner environment, but EC is working towards becoming greener.

In the lunchrooms, there are three different trash bins, one for trash, one for recycling, and one for compost. By taking a few extra seconds when throwing away one?s lunch, Eastside is creating compost, which has several environmental benefits. Composting reduces the need for farmers to use chemical fertilizers, plants grow healthier with natural fertilizers, and it conserves materials. Not only does composting conserve materials, but so does recycling.

Although the reuse of these two categories of materials is different, they both support the working towards a cleaner environment.

Eastside also has water re-fill stations at the water fountains where

Another major project that Eastside has taken on to become greener is a hydroponic system on campus. The hydroponics is the process of growing plants in substances such as sand or nutrient rich water, but without soil. Ms. Jenkins explains that hydroponics is, ?A solution to food shortages in urban areas?. Hydroponics are a developing technology that is a possible solution to helping countries that do not have nutrient rich soil to grow or supply their own food. The hydroponics on campus is growing lettuce so make sure to stop by and check it out!

Students, make sure to tell your parents that if they are waiting to pick you up from school, something as little as turning their car off during that wait is one of the small steps everyone can take to creating a greener environment!

Not everyone is expected to make drastic changes in their lives to better the environment, but everyone taking a small step can make a big change in the world.

Issue 8

World News

Page 5

What You Need to Know About Syria Chris Grazko Insider Staff On Friday April 13th, a coalition of the United States, United Kingdom and France unleashed a torrent of 109 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, aimed at destroying the Syrian government?s chemical weapon installations.

Throughout the civil war, president of the Syrian central government, Bashar al-Assad has been accused of using chemical weapons on rebel groups. The reasons behind these unlawful uses of chemical weapons can be explained by analyzing the violent history of Syria since the beginning of its civil war in 2011.

In the Winter of 2011, thousands of young people and liberal political leaders rose up to protest the perceived backwards and authoritarian policies of the governments across the Middle East.

The most violent of these protests occurred in Syria, where millions of armed young Syrians rose up to overthrow the longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad. What resulted from these protests was the formation of the Syrian Free Army, which was in favor of overthrowing the president and installing a democratic system of government, with Islam as the official state religion.

Throughout this period, Assad and his government became increasingly desperate to hold onto power in his country, pleading with regional allies such as Iran to support his government in the crushing of the rebel groups. Assad?s desperation culminated in the first chemical attack of many in the war in July of 2013, sparking nearly unanimous commendation from the international community due to the violation of various non-usage treaties.

This nearly resulted in a Western intervention against Assad, but was ultimately decided against by the Obama Administration, which largely supported a backseat approach to opposing the Assad regime.

With the formation of ISIS in late 2013, the line began to blur between democratic rebel groups, radical Islamic terrorists. These conditions paved the way for Iran and Russia to paint all groups opposing Assad as terrorist organizations.

In September of 2015, thousands of Russian airmen and soldiers arrived in Syria on behalf of Assad?s central government, officially to fight Islamic extremism, which Russia deemed as ISIS and other rebel groups disloyal to Assad.

Together with Russian support, the Syrian government began to retake areas of the country which were previously held by ISIS and other rebel groups.

With President Trump elected in 2016, the United States largely removed its enduring support of rebel groups whose goal it was to overthrow President Assad, as many within the State Department deemed it harmful to the continued destruction of ISIS in the region. Without American training and weapons, the Free Syrian Army dissolved into smaller, more radical groups focused on guerilla warfare against the Assad regime.

During early April of 2017, it became apparent to Western governments that a large chemical attack had occurred in the western city of Khan Shaykhun as Syrian forces prepared to retake the city from rebel groups. Casualty numbers range from 74-101 people killed, according to the independent SyriaDirect news agency. On April the ninth, President Trump authorized the launch of 59 Tomahawk missiles, targeting the Syrian Airforce, who had carried out the attack. The missiles destroyed nearly a third of the Syrian Air Force, but numbers were replenished with Russian support in just under two days.

President Trump spent one week weighing potential options of retaliation for the continued illegal usage of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, and ultimately decided on a large scale multinational response. On the night of April 13th, British and French aircraft fired missiles at airbases and military installations in Syria, while the US Navy, based off the coast of Syria, launched missiles targeting chemical research and production bases in Syria. The goal of these attacks was to make the further usage of chemical weapons impossible for the Assad regime through mechanical means, rather than diplomatic methods.

The morality and legality of these strikes was called into question shortly after they occurred.

Many critics state that military intervention of any sort should be approved by the House and Senate, while others fear a military retaliation from the Russian state in defense of their ally, which would have grave consequences. According to Politico, 51% of Americans polled are in favor of the strikes, showing the growing divide between Americans which support interventionism and those who do not. Americans today must decide between a future where American power is used to enforce interests abroad, as it has since the end of the Second World War, or to adopt a policy of non-interventionism.

This decision will prove pivotal to the safety and security of the world, and perhaps more importantly, the security of the United States.

In April of 2018, Western governments were again made aware of another chemical attack in Syria. This time, sarin gas was used on a pocket of Syrian rebel forces in the city of Duoma, sparking international outrage and condemnation.

Questioning of the Zucc Garrett Wallace Insider Staff

On April 10 and 11th Mark Zuckerberg went on trial for the misuse of personal data through Facebook. Suspicion surrounding Zuckerberg?s misuse of personal data has been debated and discussed for many years, and recently evidence has risen on Zuckerberg misusing and selling Facebook users personal data. Many arguments have been made for and against Zuckerberg?s integrity and credibility as Facebook?s founder and CEO, but most have turned on Zuckerberg and are aiding the investigation. More than 2 billion people use Facebook daily, making it the largest social media website and the largest hub of people?s personal information. Being called the most intense hearing since the Microsoft hearing in the 1990s it would decide the future of online social media and the usage of personal information by corporations in the future.

The controversy surrounding Facebook and their usage of personal information has been around for a while. Many people have reported that Facebook has shown them ads of things that they have searched on other platforms. Some users have reported that they fear Facebook?s use of their information and some of

" People who use Facebook have been suspicious about their per sonal data being leaked and sold for many year s." their fears may have come true. The main reason Zuckerberg is on trial is because of taking and selling personal information to third parties and making peoples info a quick cash grab. With no real laws on the use of personal data on social media, Zuckerberg has been questioned on how Facebook makes its money and if their use of the billions of Facebook

users personal information is right under the constitution.

People who use Facebook have been suspicious about their personal data being leaked and sold for many years. People have staged online protests against Facebook and Zuckerberg to voice their opinions and fears about the use of their personal data. Facebook users know it is an invasion of privacy to them and others like them to have their data mishandled and sold, and they will not stan for it. Many have voiced support of the people investigating Zuckerberg and are hoping that Zuckerberg is found guilty under a court of law.

PHOTO CREDIT | ALJAZEERA|

Issue 8

Around EC

Page 5

Wreaking Havoc of the team has been playing together for 4 years and have created a connection like no other. Watching the team move in sync without thought or hesitation is beautiful and makes the game almost elegant.

Evan Greve Insider Staff Frisbee is a sport of will and determination. It requires guts and hard work, only the toughest of the tough play it. Lead by their captains Adam Gregg, Conrad Gregg, Leo Marchetti, and Emma Lien, they have been playing in the hardest division (division A) and competing against the best in the country such as Lakeside and Cleveland. Even though their record is 2 and 4, they have been playing hard and laying it all on the line.

All the captains not only lead by example, but are also vocal leaders, cheering on the team even when they aren?t playing.

Hayden Harris says, ?I am new on the team, but I seem to be drawn to the excitement and leadership of the captains. Mason Schreck also has helped me in my growth of skill and play.?

I asked Jake Huff, another key player on the team, another question: ?How do you feel going into the tournament this weekend??

PHOTO CREDIT | EMMA LIEN| Jackson Hudgins, but Jake stated, ?I am extremely excited sometimes I must rely on my for this coming tourney. Our team has been physical intangibles to go up and make a practicing for weeks in preparation for this play.? coming weekend. We have been placed in the

Even though he is new, Mason Schreck and the captains have accepted Hayden into the team. The team seemed to be tight knit because the core is from 7th grade. The core

I asked him a series of questions about his experience playing frisbee including, ?Do you enjoy it??

C Division because of our record which is questionable, but we cannot do anything about it now. We just need to go out and show them that we deserve to be playing in Division A. Most the teams we will be playing are from Canada, which gives us a chance to compete with teams we have never seen, let alone played against before.?

Best wishes for the team and their tournament. We hope they can keep their high level of play throughout the rest of the season and hopefully makes the record reflect that. Go Friz!

Hayden stated, ?If I didn?t enjoy it, why would I play it. The team aspect is a big part of what makes it fun. As a team rookie I like "picking the brains" of the veterans such as Dawson Flowers, Mason Schreck, and

EC Celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends Day Emma VanSickle Insider Staff

Every year on the last weekend of April, Eastside Catholic holds an annual Grandparents and Special Friends day here on Campus.

This year it will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 9:30am. There will be a mass including guest student and grandparent speakers and a display of student artworks.

After, there will be a brunch served in the commons and a recommended student tour will be held after brunch.

In an interview with the manager of special events, Mayten Gross, we found that Grandparents day started back around 2000.

It?s a very important event because as a community, EC ?honors our families, especially our grandparents and special friends. They play a very important role in our lives. The lessons that they teach their children and the values that they impart on the family are then passed down to the grandchildren and other generations to come. It?s important to continue their legacy.? The significance of grandparents and special friends?day is that

?Relationships is one of our touchstones. To foster and nurture our relationship with God and our family is vital in our daily lives.? It?s important for students to bring their grandparents to an EC brunch because ?It?s important to take time to let our grandparents and special friends know how much they are loved and appreciated. We also want to make sure that they feel part of our EC community.

Many of our grandparents are parents to EC alumnae and they enjoy seeing how Eastside has evolved throughout the years.

PHOTO CREDIT | CNN | It?s very endearing to see our EC students spending time with their grandparents and special friends to show them what EC is all about. To see our EC students?show pride in their school; talk about what they learn at school and all the different activities they are involved in.?

Attending the Grandparents and Special Friends?Day brunch was a very exciting experience filled with love and joy.

The mass was preached by Fr. Gary Zender from St. Louise Parish in Bellevue. He made it very fun to listen to the mass and made it very inclusive for others to join in on the singing led by the Choir Director, Mrs. Larsen, and the responses. After the mass there was a brunch held downstairs in the commons. For brunch we had egg frittata, sausage links, fruit cups, and a desert bar. The food was very good and the best in the past couple of years for the brunch. After brunch there was an option to take a photo with your grandparents and special friends.

Student Life

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Where Will Our Seniors Be Next Year?

Trent Arkley will be attending Bellevue college.

Trent believes that this is a cheap option with the option to transfer to UW after a semester. Both schools are in Washington which is an added benefit.

Ashlyn Ramos will be attending Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Ashlyn will be participating in the running program on a scholarship. She hopes to settle into the way of living and eventually find what she wants to major in.

David Pritchard will be attending University of Washington next year.

David will walk on for football and will participate in track.

Leo Marchetti will be attending University of British Columbia. Leo wants to be able to see the world and believes the first stop will be Canada.

Collin Howland will be attending Washington University in St. Louis. Collin likes how they are open in their business program and do not require you to pick a specific field. Not only is this a good school, but he believes the BBQ is an added benefit.

Aaron Ao will be attending Occidental College. He was inspired by Barack Obama and likes the location of the school.

Aaron will be studying actuarial mathematics next year.

Comic by Ian Nelson