Hawkeye 06-2022

THIS RED-HAIRED CHEERLEADER WENT “LEGALLY BLONDE” IN THEIR FINALÉ

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THANKS TO THEM, INTERNET FILTERING IS A BIT MORE SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS

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MOUNTLAKE TERRACE HIGH SCHOOL | 21801 44TH AVE. W MOUNTLAKE TERRACE WA 98043

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JUNE 2022 | VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 9

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KNOW YOUR PRIDE: A BASIC GUIDE OF COMMON SEXUALITIES AND IDENTITIES

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A FINAL FAREWELL TO FANTASTIC HAWKS

2 | JUNE 2022

Hawkeye CELEBRATING SENIORS

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fter making it through a high school experience like no other, the class of 2022 has finally reached their graduation. While everyone’s gone through their fair share of struggles during the past few years and have managed to come out on the other side, the seniors recognized in this issue of the Hawkeye have shined especially bright in their time at Terrace, and made an impact on the community as a whole.

HSM staff members identified more than a dozen seniors to showcase, and those who responded to our calls for interviews are featured here and on our website. We think you’ll agree that these graduates are simply amazing. Enjoy.

06/2022 Vol. 37, Issue 9

IN THIS ISSUE…

04

Terrace Calendar & Updates

05

Passionate performer

06

Gamer, actress

13

Finding the balance

07

STEM standout, barista

14

Athlete and social activist

08

A Guide to Pride

15

HSM Senior Special

10

A slugger and an unblocker

02

One final showstopper

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Stay updated with the happenings around Terrace through the summer months.

Beth Cohn has been as active as anyone could be during her four years at Terrace.

Anabelle Sumera-Decoret is as at home on the stage as she is in a D&D campaign.

Karensa Suzara has served in ASB, and can serve up a mean latté, too.

In honor of Pride Month, get familiar with a few sexualities and gender identities.

Emma Kerani has excelled on the diamond and in advocating for fair access to online information.

Drawing up a bookworm

Mackenzie Kier reads. A lot. As in more than you, me, and just about everyone.

Singer, standout actor

On stage throughout the community, Hannah Fisker-Anderson is at home in the spotlight.

Ainsley Ward took a deep breath and took care of herself this year. Good advice for overachievers.

Damaris Ibrahim somehow found a way to juggle music, sports, clubs, and a whole bunch of other activities.

We celebrate our resident HSM senior leadership staff for all that they’ve done in the organization, keeping it going against all odds.

Senior Beth Cohn makes their presence known on the Terrace stage as Elle Woods in drama’s final production of the year, “Legally Blonde.”

PHOTO BY EMMALEE HARMON

Hawkeye

Letter from the Editor

OP/ED

JUNE 2022 | 3

The HAWKEYE

THE CHALLENGE WITH CHILDREN H

ello there, Hawks. Welcome back to your monthly letter from your co-editor-in-chief. You may notice that I am not the blind girl who, prior to me, would also come on here babbling about any nonsense that came to mind.

However, our lovely Ritika Khanal is graduating and moving on to bigger and better things.

Starting next fall she will be attending a small liberal arts college by the name of Harvard, you Cecilia Negash may have heard of it.

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Today, I will be talking about children. More specifically, the children at my job.

About two months ago I quit my first job: McDonald’s. And if you’re curious, yes the ice cream machine does break down as often as the workers tell you over the intercom.

“But why would you ever quit such a fantastic job, Cecilia?” is what you’re probably thinking. At some point I guess I stopped enjoying coming home at 10 p.m. with the smell of french fries seeping into my pores.

So, I put in my two weeks notice and then proceeded to not show up for my final shifts anyway. At that point, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t going to work for the remainder of the school year and would just apply later for a new job come summer.

But then a few days later, I found myself updating my Indeed profile and making my resume public. I wasn’t expecting much from it, it was mainly to prepare for when I would decide to look for jobs later, towards the end of the school year.

Then, my phone dinged with a little notification from the City of Mountlake Terrace. In the message was a description of an open position at the local recreation center. Next thing I knew I was responding, and a few weeks later I’m filling out (re: glorified guesswork) a bunch of complicated paperwork with my mother.

Fast forward to the present, and here I am spending Monday through Friday surrounded by screaming children. The good kind of screaming though (I hope).

I’m still fairly new. As of right now I’ve only been working a little under a month and I can confidently say I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m trying, and I think that counts for more than most people realize.

To add a little more context, I work in this after-school program called Kids Krew, which is a part of the Youth Programs department. My job entails working with children from ages 5-10 after they get off school.

I feel as though I’ve already learned a lot from this job, and when I say that I mean I’ve learned a lot about myself.

Surprise! Contrary to popular belief, I don’t despise children.

Kids Krew has three sites located around the Mountlake

Terrace area, with the exception of one in Edmonds, and I’ve had to work at all three as part of my training process.

The job can get a bit tiring, depending on how the kids choose to behave that day, but it can also be very rewarding.

It’s the small things, like when you enter the room and a kid runs up to you and hugs your knees, or when they kindly ask you to play with them.

Despite the heartwarming moments, the duality of a child will never cease to give me whiplash. One moment you’ll look at them thinking, “You sweet summer child, how could you ever do anything wrong?” And then in the exact next moment, they decide to bare their teeth and turn into a little gremlin.

It’s interesting, sometimes they don’t even realize that the thing they’re doing is something that maybe they shouldn’t be. Just the other day, one kid had befriended a snail that she found on the pavement. For the next hour, she proceeded to speedily run around the playground with the snail loosely in her hand.

My concern didn’t reach its peak until she took copious amounts of dirt from the school garden and drowned the snail with it. Repeatedly. When I expressed my concern she simply looked at me and said, “He likes it.” I did not have a response to that.

I also find their fixations quite interesting too. Just yesterday, as of typing this, I was working a shift when the same girl (we’ll refer to her as snail girl) got into a tussle with another kid over a worn down ring. Not like a piece of jewelry, but just a giant orange ring.

The situation over this piece of plastic became increasingly intense, until it reached its breaking point and the kid started to chase the snail girl, to which she responded by swinging her fist.

None of her hits landed thankfully, but it’s safe to say that I lost a few years off my life each time I saw her tiny ineffectual hand swinging about. Of course I tried defusing this situation, but my words could hold only so much power amidst the chaos.

These anecdotes make my job seem like an occupation that you would want to stay far away from, and if you prefer not to be around a group of children, then your assumption would be correct.

Unfortunately, I like my job. Kids will be kids (and I say that with both positive and negative connotations), and I find myself fortunate to spend a few hours with them just doing menial activities like drawings and games.

I’m sure there’s a lesson in all of the nonsense I’m spewing right now, but I am simply too worn out to spell it out, so I will leave it up for your interpretation. Just know that whatever jobs you may work in the future, you can really anything to learn from it, and I mean anything. H

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The Hawkeye’s mission is to provide the MTHS community with quality, thought-provoking student produced publications. Since September 1960, we have faithfully served our audience and community as a designated open public forum where student editors make all decisions.

In policy and in practice, the Hawkeye will always be a designated open forum publication.

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Cecilia Negash & Maggie O’Hara

Editorial

News Editor: Terina Papatu Sports Editor: Arabella Devera Op/Ed Editor: Kaitlyn Miller Lifestyle Editor: Mika Raring Fashion Editor: Denise Munoz

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General Manager: Phuong Lam Travel & Event Coordinator: open Distribution Manager: open Outreach Manager: open

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Graphics Editor: Rodney Budden Photo Editors: Seras Bryner & Emmalee Harmon Design Editor: Rachel Davis

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Virginia Alsept-Beaty, Angeli Angeles, Kim Banh, Sean Brouwer, Savanah Coco-Barrett, Amelie Conrad, Seble Daniel, Curtis Gilchrist, Penelope Goodwin, Nicholas Iwuoha, Nathankel LeGary, Eva Madrid, Ryan Melgardshagen, Kimberly Nguyen, Hailey Rowe, Sydney Sandstrom, Sophia Vander Veer, Annabelle Westby, Casey Carpenter, Annabella Mills, Jakob Nacanaynay, Reyna Rodriguez, Camryn Thornton Name in bold indicates staff member of the month as selected by the Editorial Board.

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Adviser: Vincent F. DeMiero, CTE, CJE Journalist-in-Residence: Samantha Pak Teacher Candidate: Carrie Lee FANs Coordinators: To be named Printer: Pacific Publishing Member of: MTHS ASB, JEA/WJEA, NSPA, SPLC, ESD CTE, FAPFA

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Editorial Policy The editorial section of the Hawkeye, including editorial cartoons, serves as a forum for well-written, thoughtful, longer forms of expression. Signed editorials represent the opinions of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Hawkeye Editorial Board. Views printed herein are meant to be opinionated and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board.

The Hawkeye will print submitted guest editorials as space allows and requests that all contributors include their name, signature and position relative to the editorial. The Hawkeye will edit all submissions for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any submission.

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Cover illustration by Arabella Devera and Emmalee Harmon © 2022 HAWKEYE | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBIT

IN THE KNOW

4 | JUNE 2022

• the • the update update ••

Hawkeye

HOUSE HEARINGS FOR JAN. 6 ATTACK COMMENCE

AAlotlothappens happensinina amonth. month.From Fromfashion fashiontotofinance, finance,we weare areconstantly bombarded constantly by bombarded headlinesby from headlines aroundfrom the around world. the Here world. are the Hawkeye’ Here ares the picks Hawkeye’ for whats you picksneed for what to know youtoneed be well-informed. to know.

By Rachel Davis HAWKEYE STAFF

stories by by maggie nico francois stories o’hara and rachel davis graphics by nico francois graphics by phuong lam

Edmonds-Woodway H.S. student arrested

Local

Mental health excused absences for 2022-23

State

A student from Edmonds-Woodway high school was arrested and placed in juvenile jail on the morning of Monday, June 6 for felony harassment.

According to Edmonds-Woodway H.S. Principal Allison Larson, information about a credible threat of violence was reported by families, and subsequent action was taken. Police recovered a BB gun and other evidence from the student, and there were police on campus on June 5 for additional safety. According to ESD Assistant Superintendent Greg Schwab, the next course of action will be for the student’s parents and teachers to discuss the incident in accordance with the district’s threat assessment protocol.

Following the arrest, Larson sent an email to students and families encouraging them to report any potentially dangerous information, and informing them that support would be available if needed. H

A Woodinville High School student was reported selling vape cartridges containing fentanyl to other students. Fentanyl is a narcotic substance that is used for pain management for cancer patients. Despite being a prescribed medication due to its high opioid properties, it is a commonly abused substance. An email from the Northshore School District was sent out to parents and guardians about the investigation into the dealings after several students who were reported to have bought and vaped the cartridges reported sickness later. H

The first of the scheduled public House committee hearings for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was televised on June 9. The first hearing included responses from over 1,000 witnesses, and testimonies from top White House aides along with members of former President Donald Trump’s family, such as Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. It also included never-before seen video footage from the attack. The committee uncovered many critical parts of the attack, including the confirmation of Donald Trump’s involvement and support in continuing the attack, and the reveal of the far-right group the Proud Boys’ charges of seditious conspiracy.

Donald Trump’s own family appeared in the hearing against him, stating they didn’t support his theories or believe his claims about winning the presidency.

Part of Ivanka Trump’s eight-hour-long interview revealed that she and several members of the Trump family had already accepted Donald Trump’s reelection loss, but didn’t want to embarrass him.

Almost all major news networks covered the hearing, except for media company Fox News Channel. Instead, television host Tucker Carlson called the hearing “propaganda” and the attack “forgettably minor vandalism.”

Everyone can make their own judgments of the event by tuning in for the remaining hearings through the rest of June, the second being on June 13. H

COMING UP: SUMMER DATES & SEPTEMBER DATE

EVENT

TIME/PLACE

Friday, June 24 Last Day of School

10:20 a.m. early release

Monday, July 4 Independence Day

The U.S.A. turns 246 today

Wednesday, July 13 Closest Full Moon of the Year

11:37 a.m., the sky

Week of August 22 Fall Sports practices begin

Check the official calendar

Wednesday, August 31 Hawk Walk Monday, September 5 Labor Day Wednesday, September 7 First Day of School Thursday, September 8 Picture Day

All day; HUB; check the official calendar for exact times All day 7:20 a.m.-1:50 p.m. @ MTHS In your English class

Week of October 3 HOMECOMING 2022

All week @ MTHS

Friday, October 7 Senior Class Picture

Time & place TBD

Saturday, October 8 Homecoming Dance

Time TBD; MTHS HUB

SPOTLIGHT

Sept. First Day of School We’re back! We kick off the ’22-’23 7 school year.

Sept. Picture Day Come ready to have your ASB/ID 8 and yearbook photos taken.

EDITORS’ NOTE: The information in this calendar is taken in part from the calendar published on the MTHS webpage. Information may change.

For further information on an event, contact the organizing party. For corrections, contact editor@thehawkeye.org or visit us in Room 130.

Land Acknowledgement

The Hawkeye acknowledges that our campus sits on the traditional homelands of the Suquamish, Stillaguamish and Coast Salish peoples. The lands of these tribes were taken by colonizers using the Treaty of Point Elliott, which to this day has never been fully honored. We also recognize the 29 tribes throughout Washington state. As a local news organization, we commit to remembering the genocide of Indigenous peoples in the United States and ask that our readers take a moment to reflect on the history and land on which they stand.

Hawkeye

Beth Cohn

LIFESTYLE

JUNE 2022 | 5

COHN CHEERED ON THE HAWKS, THEN TOOK CENTER STAGE

By Mika Raring LIFESTYLE EDITOR

From coming to Terrace as a freshman in 2018 to now, senior Beth Cohn has been seen all around the school in different clubs, sports and even more activities. Since freshman year they have been involved in cheer, theater and band, adding even more as high school progressed, and continuously climbing the ranks in each one.

For Cohn, band has always been an important aspect of their life, allowing them to keep music present. While they had been involved in school bands since elementary school, Cohn always admired jazz and wanted to be a part of it.

“I’ve always seen jazz band as one of the coolest things you can be involved in,” Cohn said. “But it wasn’t an option since I played the flute.”

Starting off high school on the flute, Cohn played in the school’s concert band for their first two years, learning alto saxophone on the side. They also participated in jazz 3 when it was still offered, which took place as a zero period class a couple times a week.

In their junior year, Cohn switched completely to jazz band and the alto saxophone, spending their 2020-21 school year in jazz 2 before advancing into jazz 1 for their senior year. “[Jazz 1] is much more demanding, and not in a bad way. It was really like, ‘Okay, I need to be pushing myself,’” Cohn said. “I think I was able to get a lot better in a short period of time.”

Jazz 1 was definitely a time-consuming commitment for Cohn. The group works all year towards shows such as “Hot Java, Cool Jazz,” an annual concert sponsored by Starbucks, and “Essentially Ellington,” a nationwide jazz competition featuring the top 15 high school jazz bands in America to compete in New York City.

“I’ve had to learn a lot about being part of a group and about keeping going, even when it’s really difficult,” Cohn said.

Earlier this year, the band program hosted the world-renowned trumpet player Allen Vizzutti to play at one of their concerts.

Expectedly, he inspired many of the players and brought in a lot of incentive towards playing in a band. To Cohn, he brought the motivation and excitement that they had joined band for to the surface.

“Sometimes, especially as a senior, I feel like ‘Oh, I just need to get through this year, then I can drop everything,’ because I’m just really tired,” Cohn said. “Being at that concert, it was really like, oh, I actually do like playing music.”

Over their four years of playing an instrument in the band, Cohn has found an especially strong connection to music, which the band director, Darin Faul, has added to.

“The band teacher we have at this school is amazing,” Cohn said. “He’s so passionate about what he does and really has made the

“OH MY GOD!” As the lead character Elle in the Drama Department’s spring musical “Legally Blonde,” natural red head senior Beth Cohn sang, danced and acted her way to resounding applause over the show’s three-night run in the MTHS Theater. SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE music program, especially the jazz band program, into what it is.”

In addition to band, Cohn has stayed involved with music and performance through theater.

“I kind of impulsively auditioned for the little play “Check, Please!” and I ended up getting into it,” they said.

Cohn joined theater in their freshman year after auditioning for the school play. Since then, they have been in the productions of “Godspell” in their sophomore year, and “Legally Blonde,” which took place this year. “[I do] theater and cheer because I really enjoy performing,” Cohn said.

Although Cohn joined the drama club on a whim, they discovered a new talent and played the main character, Elle Woods, in this year’s musical, “Legally Blonde”. With auditions taking place around two months ago, Cohn and the rest of the production team has worked non-stop to make the musical the best it can be.

Coming from a background of dancing, it’s not surprising that Cohn does cheer as well.

Taking the position of a flyer, the person who does the stunts, they have brought spirit to Terrace sports games and assemblies, and competed with MTHS’s cheerleading squad in the state competition multiple years in a row. This year, they placed sixth in the largest division of the competition for the small game day routine.

Joining the squad in their freshman year, Cohn has competed with the team for three seasons, and faced the challenges that occurred last year due to COVID-19.

“It was pretty difficult this last winter, because with our competition season, we had to [redo] routines and formations almost between every competition based on who was out with COVID,” Cohn said.

Cheer wasn’t the only extracurricular affected by COVID, however, with band also taking a hit.

“Jazz band especially [was affected by COVID] because with music, what I enjoy most is when I get to play with other people,” Cohn said. “When I’m trying to motivate myself, it’s much more difficult.”

Despite the challenge of band on a screen, Cohn showed up prepared everyday for class with their camera turned on. Even with classes being held online, Cohn put maximum effort into their extracurriculars, showing the dedication they held to these activities.

The Gender Sexuality Alliance club, or GSA, was another area where Cohn felt welcome at Terrace.

“When I was younger, [GSA] really served as a space where I could figure out my own identity,” Cohn said. “It was just a place with other people who were also trying to figure it out.”

Cohn joined GSA at the beginning of their sophomore year, and it soon became a safe space full of others who were looking for support as well.

“We could become a group who was just trying to support each other, and I really want to help create that kind of space for younger kids,” they said.

This year, Cohn had served as the club’s

vice president, with the goal of welcoming new members in and creating a community that supports one another, much like the one they found in GSA. Despite having an almost overflowing schedule, Cohn doesn’t regret anything about taking on the extra responsibilities.

“It definitely is really stressful to have a full schedule,” Cohn said. “It sometimes feels like I’m not sure if I can do it, because I really like all of it. That’s why I joined.”

Next year, Cohn will be attending the University of Washington’s (UW) engineering program, and moving onto the campus.

The STEM program at Terrace had been a large influence in this decision, giving Cohn some of the experience and opportunities that added to their interest.

“In my classes, especially my STEM classes like biotech, which I took when I was a sophomore, I got to learn about things that I was really passionate about, and it cemented that idea that I want to go into this field,” they said.

Cohn had known that they wanted to go into the STEM program at Terrace for a long time, and after completing the biotech program, it confirmed what they wanted to study. At UW, they will be looking into studying bioengineering, a long-term goal they’ve had since they were 12.

After reflecting back on their time at MTHS and what it taught them, Cohn is excited to take new steps into their future, knowing they’ll be prepared for wherever it may lead them. H

6 | JUNE 2022

Anabelle Sumera-Decoret

LIFESTYLE

Hawkeye

CLEAR THE WAY AND SET THE STAGE...

By Virginia Alsept-Beaty HAWKEYE STAFF

Senior Anabelle Sumera-Decoret has enjoyed acting for as long as she can remember. She got her start in acting when she was in elementary school, falling in love with the art after participating in musicals as a sixth-grader.

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve always enjoyed performing,” Sumera-Decoret said. “I was always singing and performing shows for my family and friends. It’s always been an integral part of me.”

Known as Amber by her friends, Sumera-Decoret has had a fulfilling and creatively motivated high school career at MTHS. Not only has she participated in many drama productions, but she’s also taken on active leadership roles in Jazz 1. After high school, Sumera-Decoret is planning on going to Elon University to earn a BFA in acting, and will eventually pursue acting as her career.

When the time came for her to move up to high school, Sumera-Decoret had to weigh her options. Seeing that she lived near Lynnwood H.S., she would have gone there, but decided against it, as she thought MTHS had the better drama program and wanted to stay with her friends.

“A lot of my close friends were transferring to Terrace as well for the STEM program, so I knew that if I went to Terrace, they’d stick with me,” Sumera-Decoret said.

Sumera-Decoret has been cast in many musicals and plays here at MTHS, such as “Little Shop of Horrors,” “She Kills Monsters,” “Quilters” and “Godspell.” The first musical she was cast in was “Little Shop of Horrors,” playing a street urchin named Chiffon when she was only a freshman.

“That was a big feat for me because it was a cut musical, so only a certain amount of people would get in and I, this little freshman, managed to make it,” she said.

Of all the drama productions she has been in, SumeraDecoret’s most memorable was “She Kills Monsters,” where

Anabelle Sumera-Decoret in her senior year as Grand Master Chad in the MTHS drama department production of “Legally Blonde.” EMMALEE HARMON | HAWKEYE

she starred as Tilly Evans. Her favorite scene was when her character, Tilly, has an argument with her sister, Agnes, and calls her out for Agnes’ homophobic behavior. After, they encounter two cheerleader bullies and Tilly is assaulted by one of them.

“Agnes stands up and asks if [Tilly’s] okay, and I got to let out this guttural scream of ‘No!’ at her before running offstage crying,” Sumera-Decoret said. “That was really fun, because my friends would come to the show afterward and say ‘Your acting made me cry!’”

On top of “She Kills Monsters” and other productions she’s performed in, the Terrace drama department has given Sumera-Decoret even more one-of-a-kind experiences. In her freshman year, she was able to go to the International Thespian Festival, flying all the way to Lincoln, Neb. to partake.

“We got to stay a few days at this festival where we got to go to workshops and watch other schools’ productions of shows,” Sumera-Decoret said.

Her freshman year was the first time she was able to get close with the upperclassmen in drama, and she’s kept those friendships to this day.

After spending a year and a half online in her sophomore and junior years due to COVID, some of the traditions that had built up after so long in both drama and Jazz 1 had been lost, and the feeling of connectedness was difficult to reestablish. When students returned to campus in the spring of 2021, MTHS band director Darin Faul reached out to Sumera-Decoret and other band members to start a student leadership group. She gladly took on the role, and worked with other students to rebuild the community for both drama and band.

“There were some traditions that have probably been lost in the transition, and definitely in the drama program,” Sumera-Decoret said. “It’s been a little bit more of a struggle to connect with the upperclassmen, so the same relationships I had in freshman year weren’t really fostered for this year. But, with all things considered, it has been a good year [since] it’s still a program that’s being rebuilt and that we are still fostering.”

When she is able to, Sumera-Decoret also enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) with her upperclassmen alumni.

“Depending on the session, things can get really dramatic, or in combat when someone nearly dies and we’re all really stressed,” she said. “There are other times when someone does something that’s really funny and everyone just bursts out laughing.”

Sumera-Decoret enjoys the positive environment that’s unlike anything else when she plays D&D, and doesn’t intend to stop after high school.

Like many students, Sumera-Decoret struggled heavily during online learning in her junior year.

“Junior year, online, was definitely my lowest point, probably in life to be honest,” Sumera-Decoret said. “I was crying a lot and felt apathetic. I was mentally exhausted, refusing to do assignments.”

Through the difficulties, she found comfort in her friends, connecting with them and talking about their struggles over Discord. She got through her junior year with their support, and is now ending off her senior year with an ambitious future ahead of her.

After college, Sumera-Decoret plans to go into TV and film acting, wanting to support herself and her family financially all while fulfilling her creative desires. She wants to participate in action movies and shows, aspiring to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe someday. Her ultimate goal is acting in a big show like “Stranger Things.”

Anabelle Sumera-Decoret in her freshman year as Tilly Evans in MTHS’s production of “She Kills Monsters.” NATHANIEL REYES | HAWKEYE

“I really want to play a character that other people can then take and make fanart and do character analyses [of],” she said. “I want to be able to create something that other people can have and make more things out of.”

Through everything, Sumera-Decoret’s mom has been one of her biggest supporters.

“My mom has come to all of my performances, she helped me figure out what college I’m going to, she helped pay for my college counselor; she has always been there for me and she lets me know that she loves and cares for me,” SumeraDecoret said. “She has also taken care of my friends and lets them know that they are loved and cared for. She just tries her best to be as good of a person as she can, and I really appreciate that.”

Over the course of her years in high school, SumeraDecoret was able to get a better understanding of herself and the person she wants to be in the future. “[In freshman year] I had the foundations. I had an idea of who I wanted to be and where I wanted to go,” she said. “I think high school for me was just navigating the process of solidifying my identity.”

Through the experiences she’s had, passions she’s delved into, friendships she’s formed and obstacles she’s overcome, Sumera-Decoret has made tremendous growth in high school, and will only grow more as she faces new challenges and gains new opportunities in her future endeavors.

“I’ve always had this idea of wanting to be a kind, open person that’s easy to talk to; someone you can rely on and trust,” she said. “I want to be this creative, passionate and driven person when it comes to things that I want to do in life.

Each obstacle that I overcame, or each thing I learned about myself, about others and about life, would be one step closer to reaching that image of myself.” H

Hawkeye

Kerensa Suzara

LIFESTYLE

JUNE 2022 | 7

FROM A GIRL IN STEM TO A WOMAN IN DESIGN

By Phuong Lam

as the president of the class of 2022 Kerensa Suzara, who describes herself as during her sophomore year. The fol“charismatic, sentimental and driven,” was lowing year, she served as the Big 6 not only MTHS’s Big 6 president her senior treasurer, and finally worked up to year, but also a member of the Technology her most recent and final position at Student Association, or TSA, and played MTHS, Big 6 president. on the women’s tennis team for the last four While Suzara went through tough years. Her role at MTHS the entire time classes, extracurricular responsibilities she’s been here has impacted many students, and had her fair share of challenges in friends, staff, teachers and anyone that has her senior year, the place it got her was met Suzara. worth it.

The Associated Student Body (ASB) has “I’d compare senior year to a waterplayed just as big of a role in Suzara’s high school journey as she has to Terrace just by being a part of the organization. She served as the MTHS Big 6 president her senior year, and has been a part of ASB for the past three years.

“ASB helped me grow as a person,” Suzara said. “I was definitely more closed off and shy as a sophomore than I am now. I believe that ASB has helped me grow more confident in a leadership position and has helped me be more open to speak my mind.”

When she wasn’t busy preparing for assemblies or planning dances, Suzara was hard at work being a woman in STEM. Her TSA journey all started in middle school, and through restless nights, countless hours spent on projects, and the hardships that presented themselves at every turn, she has stuck through it till her senior year. This year, Suzara and her team went to place With soft aesthetics and pretty vibes, Kerensa third in the categories of both sci- Suzara dedicates her time and effort to make entific visualization and children’s everything around her look its best.

CONTRIBUTED BY KERENSA SUZARA stories in the Washington TSA competition. In previous years of competing in TSA, Suzara has placed fourth in video production and fourth slide. You climb all these stairs, you in scientific visualization. sit down, go down the slide, and From the years of competing, Suzara has there’s a fun little splash at the end,” learned valuable lessons. she said. “It was all hard in the begin“I learned to have more faith in myself, to ning, and it’s kind of tiring while stop invalidating my progress as a person you’re figuring out future plans and and the importance of time management,” how to understand stuff like calculus. she said.

It was also hard to move forward this Along with being a part of the STEM, year because of getting used to going TSA and ASB programs at Terrace, art has back to school again, reviving work ethic and also driven Suzara to pursue her passion on COVID restrictions.” the next level.

However, after she’d gotten through the To achieve her dreams, Suzara is continuchallenge of climbing the ladder, Suzara ing her education next fall, studying design could take in the view of everything she’d at Western Washington University. accomplished, and enjoy the rest of the way “I want to work with a company as a down. graphic designer and later on work inde“When you start settling down and getting pendently,” she said. “I also want to do a all the work over with AP tests, projects and lot of art projects, including another mural, grad requirements, then you have all your especially after having so much fun doing fun stuff. There’s spring break, spirit weeks, one for Terrace. I want to inspire others and assemblies, prom, and suddenly you’re done!” help bring a little light into the world, even Suzara said. “Overall, it was a very exciting if it’s small. I like to make a good impact on year.” people.”

Still, senior year wasn’t easy for many. At When Suzara started ASB, she first served times the stress was overwhelming, with colGENERAL MANAGER

lege applications, challenging classes and the unpredictable future looming ahead.

“Everything was overwhelming and took a toll on my mentality,” Suzara said. “I was stressed about settling my future plans, because it felt like the expectation was to already know what you want to do and which college or career you want to go into.”

Although COVID and the hardships that came with learning in person again posed a challenge for Suzara, she still found moments to cherish, no matter how big or small.

“Senior year gave me a lot of self-growth, memories and people I love,” she said. “These are the greatest rewards, as I feel a lot more support and readiness for the future. Now

I’m able to look back on it to motivate myself as I look forward to my future endeavors.”

One of Suzara’s favorite memories from her senior year was when she and her friends went on the light rail to the University of Washington and ate at Din Tai Fung.

“We had to walk in the rain with our ice cream, which ended up being watered down by the rain,” she said. “It was hilarious, and we ended the day with blankets in my car.”

Throughout her time at Terrace, Suzara’s favorite class was French.

“I was never bored in French, especially with having fun video and skit projects, and Ms. Monrad always had funny stories to tell,” Suzara said. “She was a wonderful teacher and someone I could talk to for hours. She cares a lot for students and has confidence in all of them.”

While in her class, French teacher Heidi Monrad made sure Suzara and the rest of her students felt cared for, and created a fun classroom environment.

“She had interest in all of her students’ lives and checked in with all of us, and [I liked] how she felt comfortable being open to us about her life as well.

I respect her efforts as a teacher and her as a person overall!” Suzara said.

Much of Suzara’s time at Terrace was spent painting an “Avatar: the Last Airbender” mural, planning spirit assemblies, stressing over college applications, drinking matcha lattes from Urban City Coffee and working hard to finish up her high school career. Wherever she goes in life, she’s sure to make a bright impression on those around her.

While she was active and integral in the Terrace community for years, Suzara learned lessons that she’ll keep close to her, and that others should as well.

“The biggest life lessons I learned, although fairly basic, were to believe in myself and enjoy the little things. I spent a lot of my high school career trying to be more like other people and stressing out instead of enjoying myself and enjoying my time with others,” Suzara said. “So, I advise any seniors to really, really live in the moment and enjoy your senior year. H

LIFESTYLE

8 | JUNE 2022

Hawkeye

Gay Most commonly defined as men who are primarily attracted to other men. This includes non-binary people and those with a connection to manhood. The term ‘gay’ is also commonly used as an umbrella term for all identities in the LGBTQIA+.

Lesbian

Most commonly defined as women who are primarily attracted to other women. This includes non-binary people and those who have a connection to womanhood.

Bisexual (Multisexual Spectrum)

A person who is attracted to two or more genders.

Bisexuality falls under the multisexual spectrum, a range of sexualities that are attracted to more than one gender.

Polysexual (Multisexual Spectrum)

A person who is attracted to multiple genders but not all. Not to be confused with polyamory.

NICO FRANCOIS | HAWKEYE

Aromantic Spectrum

Abrosexual

This spectrum is similar to the Asexual spectrum but instead deals with romantic attraction. Someone who is on the aromatic spectrum might range from not feeling romantic attraction to only experiencing it sometimes. Common identities include demiromantic, grey romantic, aroflux, and more. The term ‘Aro’ is used as an abbreviation for any or all identities in this spectrum.

A person whose sexual and/or romantic identity changes over their lifetime. It is also often described as a fluid attraction. Their orientation may change throughout a time frame of days, weeks, or years.

Omnisexual (Multisexual Spectrum)

A person who is attracted to all genders. However, there is usually a gender preference or gender may play an important role in attraction.

Pansexual (Multisexual Spectrum)

A person who experiences attraction regardless of gender. Gender plays a very minor role in attraction or none at all.

Asexual Spectrum

A broad range of sexuality that describes the range of someone’s sexual attraction. A person might feel little to no sexual attraction or only in specific situations. Sexual attraction is not to be confused with sexual behavior but may be related to some people.

Some common identities within this spectrum include demisexual, grey sexual, aceflux, and more. The term ‘Ace’ is used as an abbreviation for any or all identities in this spectrum.

Hawkeye

LIFESTYLE

By Caroline Shynshyn HAWKEYE STAFF

Understanding sexualities and gender identities is important in dismantling the oppressive heteronormative culture in our society. It also helps destroy ignorance and build a safer community.

JUNE 2022 | 9

Coverage of LGBTQIA+ people and issues allows us to destigmatize the conversation around the community.

This introductory, informational guide outlines a variety of sexualities and gender identities, but is not fully complete. H

Transgender An umbrella term describing people who do not identify with their assigned gender at birth. Transgender is also an umbrella term used to group gender identities that do not align with the assigned sex or gender at birth.

Genderfluid

A person whose gender identity is flexible and changes over time. Change can be present in expression, identity, or a combination.

Non-binary

Agender

A person whose gender identity doesn’t fall in the binary genders of man or woman. Often described as neither man nor woman. Also an umbrella term used to group other gender identities that don’t fall into binary lines.

A person with little to no connection to gender at all. They do not identify as a particular gender. This is often seen as existing with no gender or no alignment of the concept.

Demi boy Genderqueer

A person whose gender identity falls between man and woman on the spectrum. In some cases, genderqueer is described as being both man and woman, however, this is not a universal definition.

Also, some people use genderqueer interchangeably with non-binary but that boils down to preference.

A person who partially identifies with being a man, regardless of what they were assigned at birth. Similar to demi girl, they also identify with falling outside the binary lines.

Demi girl

A person who partially identifies with being a woman, regardless of what they were assigned at birth. They also partially identify with being outside the binary lines.

10 | JUNE 2022

LIFESTYLE

Hawkeye

Emma Kerani

Committed to connecting through community

By Rachel Davis and Maggie O’hara HAWKEYE STAFF

Senior Emma Kerani is a multi-talented machine, balancing several clubs and sports as they strive for personal achievement, doing what they do best. From basketball to Technology Student Association (TSA), Kerani has had their hands full with various activities throughout their entire high school career. However, they didn’t enter high school as the same person they are today. As their four years at MTHS flashed by in an instant, Kerani went through a remarkable journey of personal growth, forming irreplaceable friendships and gaining confidence from their experiences through the years.

All the way back in 2018, a long-haired Kerani left Brier Terrace M.S. and entered the vast halls of MTHS. As any freshman would be in a new school full of new, unknown people, Kerani was unsure of how to handle the new environ-

it was a new experience.

“I started softball really young, playing with my dad,” Kerani said. “Then I tried out in my freshman year, and that was my first time actually playing on a softball team.”

By joining these sports, Kerani was able to not only stay active, but form meaningful and lasting connections.

“One of the biggest things is the people that are also doing them, because I’ve only ever been involved in team sports,” they said.

It was that same feeling of camaraderie that motivated Kerani to get involved in other extracurriculars, including battle of the books, TSA and becoming a connect leader.

Whether they were focusing on technology or sports, Kerani always gravitated toward activities that allowed them to work with others and form lasting connections.

“Even in battle of the books and TSA I’m always on a team with someone,” they said. “Having that feeling of working as

Emma Kerani prepares to hit during softball practice. ARABELLA DEVERA | HAWKEYE ment. a team and making connections with other people is really “I was a lot less sure of myself,” Kerani said. “As part of important to me, so those have always been appealing.” that, I didn’t know how to stand up for myself or be confiForming those connections also allowed Kerani to grow dent in really anything.” close with their teammates, and they made some of their However, Kerani didn’t let that didn’t stop them from fondest memories at Terrace while spending time with their doing what they loved. In their freshman year, Kerani joined various teams. One of their most notable was on the basketthe MTHS women’s basketball team. After playing in midball senior night of their sophomore year. dle school, they enjoyed the sport and wanted to continue.

“That was the team I’ve been closest with,” they said. “I had “I started basketball in seventh grade, so I played for six a camera with me as we were going through pep talks, and I years throughout middle school and high school,” Kerani have a bunch of pictures from that that are really goofy and said. silly. I like that feeling of closeness, and I’ve had that feeling Along with basketball, they also joined the MTHS softball for a lot of different people. That’s probably in all of my most team in their freshman year. Kerani gained an interest in the important memories.” sport from a young age, but the team environment added to Only a few weeks after enjoying that special moment,

however, Kerani, and everyone else’s lives, would be flipped upside down. On March 13, 2020, MTHS shut down due to COVID, and the feeling of community at Terrace came to a sudden halt.

Kerani was only halfway through their sophomore year when the school closed, and while they struggled, it gave them an opportunity to reflect on who they were.

“The pandemic was a big event for everyone,” they said.

“But in a way, I think having that time to first sit with myself, and having the time to figure out a bunch of things made me more ready to get back to school and less willing to take s**t.”

From the difficult experience, Kerani became more confident, both in who they were and in standing up for themself and what was right.

“Going through so much in the span of two years helped me be like, ‘Okay, I survived a worldwide trauma, I’m not gonna let people call me names,’” they said.

When Kerani came back to school in September 2021, they carried that attitude with them, and were ready to make the most of their senior year. Early in the school year, Kerani was going through LGBTQ+ websites and noticed a troubling trend.

“I noticed that all these websites were blocked when I was trying to look up Campus Pride, which tells you if colleges are safe or not, which is important for someone looking at colleges,” they said. “I ended up with this huge list of websites that were blocked for no reason.”

After compiling a long list of wrongfully blocked websites, Kerani wrote a letter on a Google Doc and garnered student support by sharing it around the school. Once they accumulated student signatures, Kerani met with Principal Greg Schellenberg, and from there managed to get the websites unblocked.

“I met with the principal, and then he took it to the assistant superintendent and the director of equity for the district,” they said. “I met with all of them together and had a conversation, and they unblocked them. It was honestly easier than I expected.”

Making such a big impact on the students of the ESD was one of Kerani’s proudest moments at Terrace. It showed them that they were capable of creating meaningful change for not only those close to them, but on a larger scale. “[Getting the websites unblocked] was my big thing this year,” Kerani said.

After high school, Kerani wants to continue leaving an impact and helping people, and plans on accomplishing that by studying sociology at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. While they had been interested in pursuing psychology for years, it was the research project in Jennifer WidrigHodges’ AP Language and Composition class that made them realize they wanted to focus on sociology instead.

“I did my [research project] on women’s sports and media,” Kerani said. “That topic is something I’m super passionate about, and that also made me consider sociology as something I’m interested in.”

Through their experience doing the research project, Kerani learned that studying sociology fit their passions more closely than psychology would have.

“Reading more about politics, and sports and all these different things, I realized I wanted to have a broader focus,” they said. “Thinking more about the U.S. and our society in general was what led me to be more inclined to sociology.”

Because of their time at Terrace, whether they were spending time with their teammates or fighting for what’s right, Kerani grew exponentially as a person, and is sure to accomplish even more as they move on to the next chapter of their life. H

Hawkeye

LIFESTYLE

JUNE 2022 | 11

Mackenzie Kier

Book Battler is also a featured artist

By Phuong Lam GENERAL MANAGER

“The Catcher in the Rye,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Giver” and even more bestselling novels can be found in Terrace’s library, where senior Mackenzie Kier chooses to spend most of her time.

Kier is known to read books as her favorite way to pass time, and the book she’s recommended in the library is “The Cruel Prince.”

No matter the time of day, she can almost always be found in her favorite place at Terrace, the library, probably finding her next favorite book series or chatting it up with librarians Denise Tripp and Donna Anderson during lunch.

Whether she’s solving equations in Calculus AB or Mackenzie Kier reads her favorite book, “The Cruel Prince“ by Holly Black, in the school library. SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE filling her time after school with different extracurriculars before heading home, Kier can always be found with a trusty book by her side.

What started as an avid passion for reading and reveling in beautifully crafted stories. This interest led her to joining the Battle of the Books, and eventually becoming the president in her senior year.

Battle of the Books is a club where book lovers at MTHS gather to read as many compelling books as they can, preparing over the course of the year towards the district-wide end of the year competition.

In Battle of the Books, students from each high school in the Edmonds School District face off with each other to see who will reign supreme for the amount of books they can read, answer tough questions about each of the several novels chosen for each year’s competition, and come out as the year’s champion.

The club can be found in elementary and middle schools as well, beginning in fourth grade and raising the reading level, as well as the number of books read, each year.

Besides reading, Kier has also participated as a member of the Creative Writing Club during the first semester of her senior year, and has previously been in VEX robotics as well as theater Kier’s ar was featured in the 2019-2020 Edmonds School District calendar – this piece is titled “Elk” and is in full color. at Edmonds Heights. Along with | ARTWORK COURTESY OF MACKENZIE KIER her passion for reading, Kier also

enjoys the arts; being featured in the 2019-2020 Edmonds School District calendar and winning the Scholastic Art Award in 2021.

Out of over a dozen classes she has taken throughout her four years of high school, her favorite class was by far the honors geometry class she took in 9th grade with her favorite teacher, Dino Aristides.

“I was actually excited to go to math, which was a first,” Kier said. “Each class was interesting and engaging, and his squirrel drawings were top tier.”

Whether she’s indulging in an old favorite or discovering new stories to get lost in or spending time with her pet dog, Cashew, Kier favors the simple and quiet things in her life to keep her busy.

Due to COVID-19, members of the class of 2022 have spent most of their high school career at home, learning in front of a screen in order to keep themselves and others engaged.

More than a few of these seniors have been ecstatic to return to in-person school, showing that excitement at any time possible.

Although for Kier the most challenging thing about senior year was returning to campus. After almost two years of online school, her final year came with a sense of normalcy as restrictions began to lighten up and in-person school made it return.

“The most challenging thing was readjusting to in-person school and the COVID guidelines changing.”

Kier said.

A useful last piece of advice Kier wants to leave behind to the upcoming seniors and however many more to come is that it’s okay for high school to not live up to your expectations.

“People say that these will be the best four years of your life, but it’s okay if they’re not,” she said.

After she graduates, Kier plans on attending Lewis & Clark College, a private college in Portland, Oregon.

There, she plans on continuing her studies in art, literature, and music, but is still unsure where her future lies. As she leaves Terrace and moves on to even more greater things, she will leave a memoir as a smart and radiant book lover who always keeps a bright smile on her face, even under the mask. H

12 | JUNE 2022

Hannah Fisker-Anderson

LIFESTYLE

Hawkeye

A NATURAL ON STAGE, AT HOME IN THE SPOTLIGHT

By Arabella Devera SPORTS EDITOR

Set? Check. Lights? Check. Costume?

Check. Makeup? Check. As the red curtain rises, senior Hannah Fisker-Anderson prepares herself for the stage. She clears her mind and calms herself down. In an instant, Fisker-Anderson is able to embody a new persona. After over eight years of experience performing, there will only be a few shows left until she leaves the MTHS theater and moves on to a bigger stage.

“It’s sad to say goodbye to it,” FiskerAnderson said. “I have been doing theater since I was 5 or 6.”

Throughout her elementary and middle school days, she participated in a community theater, giving her an early start in the performing arts. By the time Fisker-Anderson was in the fourth grade, she was able to participate in school plays. These shows happened to take place in the MTHS theater, making Fisker-Anderson’s familiarity with the school stage stronger and her farewell to it tougher.

“For elementary and middle school productions we had cool lights, curtains, really nice costumes and really nice sets,” she said. “It was like a high school level production.”

Being so involved with the performing arts at a young age, one would assume FiskerAnderson would have had more musical influences growing up. However, her dedication and passion came from her own interest. With a STEM-focused family, FiskerAnderson quickly became the oddball in her household after becoming interested in theater once she learned about plays through her church.

“When I was a kid, every year my church did these Christmas plays,” she said. “The people who did it actually ran a theater and they would write their own original plays for us to do. They had weird themes like ‘The Beatles’ Christmas’ or an Area 51 theme.”

While the church sparked her interest in theater, it was Madrona Children’s Theater that kept Fisker-Anderson’s fiery passion burning.

“Madrona Children’s was incredible, helping me realize this was my passion,” she said.

Madrona Children’s Theater never did junior productions, which are adapted productions that are easier to do but sacrifice the quality and depth.

“The director believed in us, and the creative team trusted us to do full shows,” she said.

Because of this, Fisker-Anderson went through indescribable experiences that she kept with her, and that encouraged her to continue doing theater.

Although having found her one true passion, Fisker-Anderson’s musical journey wasn’t easy, as she faced challenges with her mental health.

“I have really bad anxiety, it’s kind of like a battle every day to go to school,” she said.

“I’m on anxiety medication [but] it doesn’t help me 100 percent. I still have to mentally push through stuff.”

Fisker-Anderson also struggled with depression and OCD for some time, her freshman year being especially difficult.

Coming from Madrona K-8, MTHS was a whole new domain for her.

“When I was a freshman here I didn’t know anybody since I came from Madrona,” Fisker-Anderson said. “I was put into this giant school, a completely new world with nobody I knew.”

During this time, the MTHS theater brought back some joy in her life. While Fisker-Anderson did not make the casting initially on her first audition, she was fortunately still able to perform.

“I auditioned for ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and I originally didn’t get in,” she said.

“Brzovic came up to me and asked, ‘Hey, I didn’t have enough space to cast you for a singing part, but do you want to be the puppeteer for the plant?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely!’”

Enthusiastically accepting the role, FiskerAnderson did not anticipate how much she would come to love it.

“It was so unbelievably fun,” she said. “I made connections and I met people who I’m still friends with today.”

Through theater, Fisker-Anderson was able to adapt to a new community and gain lasting friendships. She had another similar positive experience through the MTHS acting improv class.

“I made some of my best friends through my freshman year improv class,” FiskerAnderson said. “It’s good for connection, and there is a lot of support from people.”

Not only has theater helped as a community-building tool, but it has further helped Fisker-Anderson with her anxiety. By doing something she loves, she’s able to overcome her mental blocks.

“For a while, theater was anxiety-inducing for me and I got super nervous before going on stage, but I just pushed through it because I love doing it,” she said. “It’s gotten to the point now where when I’m on stage, all of the anxiety just goes away. I go up there, I’m calm, I’m at peace, and I get to embody a character and sing. It’s fun.”

Since then, after putting in the time and the effort, Fisker-Anderson is currently the president of a drama club and also the captain of the improv team. She has played many roles, including Audrey II puppeteer from “Little Shop of Horrors,” June and other various roles in “Quilters,” herself in “Godspell,” Avery Stern in “Bad Auditions by Bad Bad Actors,” Helene from “Midsummer/Jersey,” and Paulette from “Legally Blonde.”

Alongside this, Fisker-Anderson has helped out in other theaters and gotten cast for roles

Hannah Fisker-Anderson cracking up the crowd as Paulette in MTHS’s production of “Legally Blonde.” ARABELLA DEVERA | HAWKEYE in shows from Edmonds Driftwood Players, of things including lighting, audio, costumEdmonds Heights Performing Arts, and Red ing, makeup and building sets. In all these Curtain Theater. roles and jobs, people can have a great time “I love [the] performing arts [because] it’s in theater even without acting. As a bonus, a community builder,” she said. “It’s healing, they develop many skills and create sweet making people laugh, making people cry. At memories. times, we tell social change through theater.”

Overall, thanks to theater, FiskerFisker-Anderson’s passion for theater has Anderson was able to become more outgoing. only grown during her time at Terrace, and “Before, I was in my shell,” she said. “But it’s not just the acting that she loves; supI’ve become better at expressing myself.” porting backstage can be just as thrilling.

After graduating, she’s set on pursuing this “Being backstage, you get to hype other industry. Fisker-Anderson will be doing the people up and get nervous for them whether honors program at Western Washington they’ll be able to nail their scene or not,” she College, and plans to study both history and said. theater.

Through this, Fisker-Anderson has learned “I’ll be studying theater and history and how theater brings people together, with hope to get a career that blends the two, like everyone counting on and trusting each a historical dramaturge,” she said, “I’m also other to put on a good show. In addition, interested in costumes, props, stage makeup another exciting part of theater is being a and of course acting. I think a historian or part of the tech crew and stage tech. museum curator would also be a good career “I really like doing tech too,” Fiskerfor me.”

Anderson said. “I’ve built sets, which I was in Throughout her time in theater, Fiskercharge of. I was in charge of 50 props that all Anderson has learned many important life had to be set on stage. It was stressful, but it lessons. One of them was to pursue dreams, was fun. If there’s anyone who wants to get even if they seem impossible. into theater but is unsure about being on“I have problems that are in direct conflict stage, tech is a good way to go.” with the things I want to do in my life, but I With stage tech, there is a wide variety of care too much about the theater and the arts jobs everyone can take. These people who are to let it stop me. If you want something, then behind the productions deal with all sorts just go for it.” H

Hawkeye

Ainsley Ward

LIFESTYLE

JUNE 2022 | 13

This future healer serves up aces on the court

By Phuong Lam and Maggie O’Hara HAWKEYE STAFF

the most memorable moments from Ward’s time at Terrace was at a basketball game. “[We] were playing against Meadowdale.

It’s a very niche memory, the classic buzzerbeater at the end of the game that put us overtop them, allowing us to win at home once again.” Ward said. “The pure elation I felt and the amount of buzz that killed the room was something I’ll never forget. It was also the moment I realized, as a program,

socialize outside of school.”

While she took on a vigorous workload, Ward realized the importance of spending time outside of academics. However, discovering that value created a new challenge: Ward had to learn how to balance her academic and athletic responsibilities with time spent for herself and with friends.

“It was a struggle for me, because I’ve always been an ‘all work no play’ type of

When senior Ainsley Ward first came to Terrace, she had about as much of an idea of what to do and who she was as any other freshman.

“I had no clue as to who I really was,” Ward said. “I was shy, introverted and rather quiet.”

In the years since however, she was able to become more sure of herself, and confident in the person she’s become.

“Terrace helped me discover who I am, and I’ve learned to be a better person while attending,” she said. “I feel that I am a real person, rather than someone wandering around and trying to figure out what in life they want to do. It’s thanks to Terrace I’ve discovered who I am, and [met] some people I hope to remain close to.”

Throughout her years at Terrace, Ward has participated in several sports, always finding a way to stay active regardless of the weather or season. When she’s not shooting hoops or kicking balls, Ward spends her time connecting with the community and having fun in clubs. As a part of the creative writing club, Dungeons and Dragons club, Connect and ASB as the class of 2022 vice president, Ward has had her hands full of school activities across the board. However, taking on so many roles and pushing herself out of her comfort zone gave Ward the opportunity to really grow and flourish.

“These clubs have helped me figure out a part of me,” she said. “They allowed me to put myself forward as a person, as I lacked a lot of confidence going into junior year.”

Ward has played soccer and basketball for all four years of high school, and recently added tennis to Ainsley Ward refining her tennis skills by practicing on the Terrace courts. EMMALEE HARMON | HAWKEYE that list, being on the MTHS women’s tennis team for the past two years. She we were heading somewhere. I’ll never forget person. Once I figured out that I enjoy hangalso excelled at basketball. Ward became the that game.” ing out with people and talking to them and JV captain in both her freshman and sophoStill, Ward found it difficult to navigate doing things outside of schoolwork, it was more years, along with being named athlete her senior year after returning from online a very slippery slope,” Ward said. “Figuring of the week over her time on the team. school, and having to face the internal conout how to balance school, sports, socializing As for tennis, Ward continued the trend flict between academic perfection and findand familial responsibility was by far the of leading her teams, taking on the role of ing contentment in herself. hardest thing for me to do this past senior JV captain for the women’s team this year.

“Senior year was a tough battle for my year.”

Ward’s participation through all the seasons personality,” Ward said. “As someone who’s Though her final year of high school prehas made an impact on those around her done well in most of my classes at Terrace, sented new difficulties, dealing with them with her outstanding leadership skills, attiit was a different kind of challenge. I was in allowed Ward to gain a better understandtude and grit towards whatever she wants to five A.P. classes this year, as well as STEM ing of herself, and she came out of it better accomplish.

English, which is a year-long project course. equipped to balance her responsibilities and Being on so many teams also gave Ward These classes, while not difficult by thempersonal life. the opportunity to form close connections selves, became a challenge. I had five A.P. “Senior year taught me a lot about my valwith her teammates, and make cherished classes, STEM English, my three sports ues and who I am as a person,” Ward said. memories with them along the way. One of and numerous clubs, and for a while, didn’t “I think by the end of it, I’ve rather enjoyed

the struggle and challenge it put me through, even though in the moment of it a ll I would’ve rather done literally anything else.”

With a track record of over a dozen A.P. classes, Ward had many memorable and impactful teachers through the years that helped her manage it all. Off the bat, her teachers from freshman year influenced how she learned for the rest of her high school career.

“Freshman year, my favorite year, my favorite teachers were (Vince) DeMiero and (Adam) Welman,” Ward said. “DeMiero had a very relaxing class atmosphere and an amazing student teacher, (Tyler) Hartung. It was an incredible class to not have to worry about and have a good time in.”

On the other side of the same coin, science teacher Welman encouraged Ward by creating an environment that motivated her to work for her academic goals.

“Welman pushed me to be a better student, and [the way] he ran his classes kept it engaging and interesting,” she said.

In the following years, Ward’s teachers continued to enrich and encourage her desire to learn, whether they taught her online or in person. “[My teachers] all do a fantastic job running their classes, and they’re very cool people to get to know. They have some interesting conversations with students that only make you learn to love them more. Thank you to all of you!” she said. After graduating high school, Ward plans on moving to Oregon to study nursing at the University of Portland. By going into a field dedicated to helping people, Ward hopes to make people’s lives at least a little bit better.

“As cheesy as it sounds, I hope that my job as a nurse will help me make an impact, big or small, on other people’s lives,” Ward said. “I also hope to live my best life. Another cheesy goal and aspiration, but I want to make sure I live a life worth living and don’t miss any opportunity to experience something.”

Ward’s growth in senior year helped her build a mindset that she plans to carry with her into college, and for years to come past that. Because of the challenges she faced, Ward learned that no matter what happens, she can get through it and find a silver lining.

“I can always grow and come out the other side, and it’s a rewarding experience to have,” she said. “I encourage everyone to reflect on their growth, no matter where they are, and they’ll see there’s more positive than negative.” H

14 | JUNE 2022

LIFESTYLE

Hawkeye

Damaris Ibrahim

RUNNING FULL SPEED INTO A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE

By Terina Papatu NEWS EDITOR

From her elementary school days to senior year and onward, senior Damaris Ibrahim has been involved in more activities than one would think is humanly possible. Juggling music, sports, and other extracurriculars all at once is a feat that seems nearly superhuman.

Luckily, none of the pressure has ever stopped her but instead given her an even more of a reason to keep going.

Sports have always been a constant occurrence in Ibrahim’s life. After doing soccer in sixth grade and track and cross country in seventh and eighth, Ibrahim had a wide variety of talents to choose from in her freshman year.

“I did track and cross country both years [of middle school]. I started cross country my freshman year,” Ibrahim said. “Believe it or not, I was never super athletic. I just kind of wanted to do the things I did.”

Terrace’s cross country team is known to host many social gatherings in an effort to bring the team closer together, one of them being team dinners.

“Just by being around the team, it was really small back then [2018-19], I had an environment that was really welcoming,” she said. “We had team dinners every week.”

Although some people assume that all athletes maintain a strict diet of greens, water and maybe some Gatorade, the team dinners Ibrahim attended had more relaxed and enjoyable courses.

“For cross country, we have a very specific diet of mac and cheese and chocolate milk.

Sometimes spaghetti, [or] some kind of salad. But, chocolate milk is very important for our diets.” Ibrahim said.

In her freshman year, Ibrahim joined some clubs that she participated in occasionally, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year that she officially started attending these clubs more consistently. One of the first was journalism, thanks to her friend Jonathan Kwong.

“I joined journalism my freshman year, but unofficially about halfway through the year.

The whole reason I ended up joining so many other clubs was because of the former editorin-chief, Jonathan Kwong.” Ibrahim said.

Though Ibrahim was juggling many different extracurriculars and sports in her sophomore year, she still managed to attend the clubs whenever she could.

“It was kind of hard because I had running every day,” she said. “I was doing a lot for journalism at the time, so I went to eco club when I could.”

Not only did the clubs keep Ibrahim busy, but the music programs she was in took up a fair amount of her time as well. Concert nights often ran as late as 9 p.m., and occurred often, as she was in jazz band, choir and orchestra all at once. Ibrahim quickly

Damaris Ibrahim prepares to practice a sprint at the Terrace track.

EMMALEE HARMON | HAWKEYE

learned that while participating in so many activities can seem fun and look good on college applications, there’s a limit for everyone.

“When I was a sophomore, prepandemic, I was super involved in school activities. But it was almost to the point where it was becoming really hard for me mentally,” Ibrahim said.

Once the pandemic and lockdown began, Ibrahim had a lot of time to think and figure out who she really was, instead of what she thought everyone else wanted her to be. In early 2020, she discovered a group called “Root of Our Youth,” a group of young adults that advocate for racial equity in schools. This group gave her much of the support she needed and created a safe space with individuals who would listen to her when she opened up.

“In ‘Root of Our Youth’ I was able to find the people that saw me for who I was and valued the things I had to say,” Ibrahim said. “It was different from all the school spaces and clubs I’ve been in because I Ibrahim has been a member of the Hawks' track and cross was able to come and be a complete country teams. EMMALEE HARMON | HAWKEYE

wreck and be a mess, and not know what’s going on, and they were like, ‘Yeah! You’re good girl, just keep going!’”

During the 2020-21 school year, Ibrahim took Jami Wollan’s anatomy and physiology class. The final project for the class was related to making a version of a children’s book.

“The idea of writing a book came from a project for [my] anatomy and physiology class, taught by Mrs. Wollan. That was her final project for my junior year,” Ibrahim said.

Wollan gave the students the option of creating the book by hand or using a fairly easy-to-use program. Ibrahim decided to take the project to the next level, and, using her experience in both writing and the Canva app, wrote her very first book.

It took the entire summer to get her book “The Amazing You!” published, but thanks to a few connections, the process wasn’t nearly as difficult as she expected. The book was made for people of any age to learn more about the systems and different parts of their bodies.

As this school year comes to an end, plenty, if not all seniors are asking themselves the same question: “Okay, now what?”

Whether they are going straight to university, joining the military or taking a year or two on their own, there seem to be feelings of both excitement and anxiety towards the next steps into adulthood.

Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) looks to be the direction of Ibrahim’s next journey, and one that she is very excited to take.

“What made me want to go there is, one, I got a music scholarship there, [and] it’s a D3 school,” Ibrahim said. “I’ve been talking to the track coach there, and it sounds like I’ll be able to do both track and music since those are my two most important extracurriculars.”

As the school has already opened so many opportunities for Ibrahim, it’ll be nearly impossible to choose only one to focus on.

“I’d like to try majoring in the realm of environmental science,” she said. “I’m conflicted because ecology is really cool, but biology and I, we’re not friends. They [PLU] have a pretty good study abroad program, so I hope I’m able to [study abroad].”

The high school experience has been different for every student at MTHS, with some feeling like they’ve missed out and others feeling as if they’ve done too much.

From early September to late June, they have all worked their butts off to study, finish projects and accomplish so many other things that might not have even been related to school.

Make sure to wish Damaris, and any other seniors, good luck with their plans after high school! H

TRIBUTE

Hawkeye

JUNE 2022 | 15

THANK YOU TO OUR PUBLICATION SENIORS

By Hawkeye Staff

Maintaining a student-led newspaper, website and yearbook while dealing with a pandemic, personal struggles and a year and a half of remote learning wasn’t an easy feat. With low motivation and the disruption in a regular leadership transition, the survival of Hawks Student Media (HSM) from 2020 to 2022 rested on the shoulders of just a few students.

While living through unprecedented times, these senior HSM leadership members stayed dedicated to documenting life at Terrace during a pandemic, and took on the responsibility of preparing the next generation of student journalists. However, outside of the journalism newsroom, little is known about these seniors’ contributions. As they go forward into their future endeavors, the graduating senior leaders of HSM deserve to be recognized and celebrated for sticking by the organization for years, and going above and beyond to keep it afloat and furthering HSM's tradition of excellence.

We appreciate you! H

Justin Barsness ONLINE MANAGER

MTHS K DIGIPEN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Ever seen a looming, 6-foot-4-inch tall man dressed in all black and swinging around a lightsaber? That’s our Justin Barsness, and despite him being a goofy and playful guy, he takes Hawkeye very seriously. Since joining in his sophomore year, he has maintained an almost perfect attendance record for meetings, even showing up and consistently participating through remote learning when motivation was at an all-time low. No matter where he goes, Justin can light up the mood of a room, whether he’s at Terrace’s D&D club or playing the tuba in chamber winds.

“Even though I was intimidated by him at the beginning of the year, getting to know Justin has been really fun. He’s serious most of the time, but he also knows how to read a room. I think he’s a good person and he hasn’t done anything other than be helpful to me.”

(From left to right) Seniors Ritika Khanal, Nico Francois, Justin Barsness, Lin Miyamoto, Nathaniel Reyes, and Caroline Shynshyn gather together one last time before graduating. SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE

Lin Miyamoto

Ritika Khanal

Linaly Miyamoto has been with HSM since her freshman year and almost single-handedly created two whole yearbooks. She activitely has participated in Technology Student Association and has been sent to several national competitions for it. Over the course of her time at Terrace she was fueled by endless gallons of coffee to get on her computer and slap the keyboard until her work was done. With the little free time she has she destroys her friends in card games and takes care of her siblings.

You know her, you love her, it’s our very own visuallyimpaired Hawkeye co-editor-in-chief Ritika Khanal! While readers may be familiar with Ritika’s monthly and insightful LFEs, she manages to do even more behind the scenes. From leading weekly meetings for the past two years, to working with HSM members individually to help them improve as writers, Ritika has cemented a place in the heart of MTHS for students and teachers alike with her caring and dedicated personality, and is destined for great things in the future.

TEMPO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MTHS K UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

“As our resident Editor-in-Chief for the Tempo for the past two years, I hold so much respect for Lin. She’s a hard worker who somehow always gets everything done and done well. Not only that but she is fun to be with and playing any game with her is - to simply put an experience.”

Rachel Davis 2022-2023 DESIGN EDITOR

Terina Papatu 2022-2023 NEWS EDITOR

Nico Francois

Caroline Shynshyn

Nico Francois has been the unsung hero of Hawkeye as the co-editor-in-chief and graphics editor for the past two years.

Not only have they worked tirelessly and lost sleep to create nearly every beautiful graphic for the paper, but they’ve worked in the background as a meticulous planner, skilled writer and designer to ensure monthly Hawkeye issues get completed in top-notch quality. Nico always brings a smile to the faces of the people around them through their friendly and supportive personality (and scrumdiddlyumptious homemade cookies), and is unforgettable to those that have gotten the pleasure of getting to know them.

Lurking in the Hawkeye room almost 24/7, Caroline Shynshyn spends most of her time editing and taking photos… and also playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As the photo editor since her sophomore year, Caroline took on the role of teaching a whole new generation of HSM photographers this year while still capturing school events, managing photo booths at dances and taking senior photos.

Without Caroline, your precious high school memories wouldn’t have had the same glimmer that she brings with her photography and editing skills. She is also a master of dressing her best every day, and her style can only get better.

While her minions take over the photography department, she can spend more time doing what she loves: obsessing over Soul Eater and drawing little doodles.

HAWKEYE CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MTHS K WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

“Nico is one of the people that have brought me the most comfort over the past year, just from being around them and subtle things they do that make me feel cared about. Whenever I’m anxious (which is a lot), Nico’s existence is a reminder that I can accomplish the things that I’m scared I won’t be able to handle. They make me feel like I’m capable and can get through it, and that everything will be okay :,)” Maggie O’Hara 2022-2023 CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

HAWKEYE CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MTHS K HARVARD UNIVERSITY

“Ritika has been there to help me, in both my writing and as a friend. I remember when I wrote my first article, she was willing to take the time to sit down and go through every sentence of it with me and give me feedback. I’ve always felt like she wants to help people become better writers, and she’s always there to answer when I text her with something, no matter how late or how busy she is. She’s also just an overall fun person to be around and I never run out of things to talk about, especially with her obsession with AP Euro.”

Mika Raring 2022-2023 LIFESTYLE EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

MTHS K EDMONDS COLLEGE

“I like Caroline’s fun personality. I also think that her training system will be used for many years, and I like that she gave us lots of opportunities to practice photography. She’s also very supportive and a great photo editor!”

Emmalee Harmon 2022-2023 PHOTO CO-EDITOR

Nathaniel Reyes NEWS EDITOR

MTHS K CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Always keeping busy, Nathaniel Reyes has excelled in writing amazing, accurate and impactful journalism articles since his freshman year. As the two-time news editor, his reporting and masterful layout of factual information has been nothing short of perfection. While the majority of his time this year has been spent working as one of the leaders in the drama department’s technical team to bring amazing shows to the community, Nathaniel still makes time to attend Hawkeye meetings, and stays fully engaged whenever he does. With a passion for public transport and a dream to work in aviation, he is sure to fly high!

“From the beginning of the year, Nathaniel has always been a serious person. But, he makes my 5th period a lot better even though I don’t talk to him much. He’s resourceful and gives great feedback as well as advice.

He also balances theater and Hawkeye really well.”

Terina Papatu 2022-2023 NEWS EDITOR

16 | JUNE 2022

Hawkeye

Independent.

Focused on our community.

Committed to solid journalism.

Community News For Mountlake Terrace

MLTNews.com Facebook – www.facebook.com/mltnews/

Twitter – @mltnews

The Hawkeye & MLTNews are proud partners committed to serving the MTHS community.

awkeye

&

We’re always looking for a few good…

WRITERS • PHOTOGRAPHERS GRAPHIC ARTISTS • SALESPEOPLE WORDPRESS GURUS • EDITORS DESIGNERS • INTERVIEWERS VIDEOGRAPHERS • COLUMNISTS BLOGGERS • WEBMASTERS LEADERS • ORGANIZERS TEAM PLAYERS • THINKERS WORKERS • INDESIGN EXPERTS EVENT MANAGERS • INNOVATORS MARKETING MASTERS • PLANNERS REVIEWERS • SPORTS WRITERS • PUZZLE MASTERS • DEBATERS • ETC.

Know any?

What about you?

Come see us any day after school in room 130.

We’ve written a book about you.* DELIVERY UPDATE:

The 2022 Tempo yearbook is scheduled to be distributed in early September.

The Tempo is delayed once again due to COVID restrictions, supply chain interruptions and shipping delays, but it’s on its way!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING

SENIORS: Make sure your contact info is up to date as you’ll be the first to be able to pick up your book!

The experienced chefs at our restaurant are natives from Mexico, which allows them to blend authentic recipes with a unique and creative flair that your taste buds are sure to love.

4306 228th St. SW #9 Mountlake Terrace in Cedar Plaza

425-409-5070

*Okay, and about 1430 of your closest friends.

And no, that isn’t the cover of this year’s yearbook.

We’re a little more creative than that.

LasEspuelas.net

Las Espuelas is a longtime supporter of MTHS activities.