Hawkeye 06-2023

As graduation is slowly sneaking up on us, we wish the graduates farewell, with advice from both seniors and staff.

10 Some jazz-y musicians

These guys have truly rocked our socks off! Gabriel Espitia and Nathaniel Ballard have wowed us with their drumming and bass-playing since their freshman year.

11 Try it all, this artist says Glassblower and athlete Ryan Melgardshagen provides both advice and suggestions to future manufacturing students.

12 This athlete keeps it Real and Fresh!

Kayla Apostol has so many tricks up her sleeve, businesswoman by day, athlete by night, podcaster occasionally? She really does it all!

13 How she’s flourished this year

She sings us away every time she’s on stage, whether it’s as Morticia, for jazz band, or even just for fun like during the Performing Arts Showcase.

14 A designer AND a model

Luna Tewolde participates in extracurricular after extracurricular, while also being a model.

15 HSM senior special

A collaboration from HSM staff, honoring the senior publication leadership members.

C When you’re

an Addams!

Senior Nathan Evans portrays Uncle Fester Addams in the recent spring musical “The Addams Family” while a few antilove ancestors hold him up during his first rendition of the song “But Love.”

02 Catch them if you can

Our featured artist, Ryan Melgardshagen, photographed during the staff vs. seniors softball game, where the seniors (inevitably) won. Big.

PHOTO BY EMMALEE HARMON

PHOTO BY KAITLYN MILLER

Hawkeye

Letter from the Editors END OF AN ERA, START OF A SEASON

Why hello there, Hawks! You may be noticing that I am not Irish or Eritrean. I have locked the past co-editor in chiefs in room 130 where they will be stuck forever.

No, I’m joking, don’t worry, you silly gooses. Maggie and Cecilia are perfectly fine. But supposedly seniors have to graduate? And go out in the big world to do stuff.

But now, my pal Seras Bryner, the fellow upcoming editor-in-chief, and I are here!

With summer coming around, things are ending and starting. For example, school is ending, but the hellish atmosphere is just beginning.

Listen, I’m as proud of people graduating as the next person. But you have to admit, seeing them all go out leaves a bittersweet feeling. Now, I need to preface these next 200 words by saying I’m extremely emotional, so if you’re reading this thinking, “What in the world is she talking about?” that completely makes sense! Nonetheless, I will be missing people. Now, I would name everyone I’ll miss the most, but that feels too lengthy, so I’m going to describe how I feel. Which is kind of corny, but who cares?

I’m not a theater-oriented person, but over this school year, I have been very focused on it. The reality of all the seniors I’ve met in the theater program no longer being here in merely a week crashed on me, and I started crying. I had already made friends there, but it felt different being a cast member in this production instead of watching it or being a technician. It

Well, hello students of Terrace! What’s this? Why are there more than one or two editors-in-chief on this page? As you may or may not know, while Hawks Student Media (HSM) are the student producers of our beloved newspaper, the Hawkeye, we are also the producers of our school yearbook, the Tempo! This upcoming year, we’re doing our best to ensure that next year’s yearbook is well-made and on time before the summer! Due to a series of unfortunate events, the yearbook production has been rough for the past couple of years. But that changes now. So let me formally introduce ourselves, as your Tempo editors-in-chief. I, Arabella Devera, and the most wondrous Emmalee Harmon are delighted to take over the upcoming yearbook for 2023-2024.

Yearbook aside, the school year flew by yet again. And each time, there is always this sort of feeling – a little bit of accomplishment, some relief, and even nostalgia. Looking back, this year taught me a lot more about myself. My likes, dislikes, what works for me, what doesn’t, and what I’m truly passionate about. Figuring these things out required a lot of

The HAWKEYE

felt like a new setting for me, despite the fact that I’ve been in the MTHS theater many times. Being around these people every day felt different.

The realization hasn’t settled in yet, which is good, but by the time this is being read, I will have already cried to all of them. I don’t enjoy admitting that the last “Letter from the Editor” Cecilia Negash wrote made me cry. I’m still unsure what made me feel so sad or if it’s me lamenting, but either way, I’m completely unprepared to see all of the seniors in HSM go.

On that note, it feels like a good time to get into nice things about summer and the school year ending. Swimming is an amazing thing, and while I love pools, they do me dirty time and time again. But you know what (almost) never does me wrong? Lakes! So, summer usually gives you the perfect time to swim.

Finally, on a serious note, the year is quickly coming to an end, and while graduating is bittersweet, I want to wish all the seniors I’ve been lucky enough to meet a “Congratulations.”

This is going to be repeated a lot in this issue, but class of 2023, you’ll do amazing no matter what you pursue. H

trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone. Some of those experiences included learning how important it is to take initiative and talk to people first, how to work with not-so-cooperative people, how to self-teach yourself calculus

III because the professor is a terrible teacher, dancing in front of the whole school for the fun of it even if you’ll embarrass yourself, and oh it goes on. Sometimes, well frankly oftentimes, I regret some of the commitments and choices I made, but then again, I don’t. It was those decisions that led me here today. So I say to you, to not regret but to keep moving on with your life, despite the frustrations. Don’t think about what you should’ve done, but focus on what you could do now. It’s this kind of mindset that’ll allow you to go forward in life.

Now, on another note, I know our lovely Terina has talked about it so I’ll spare you any extra babble about summer. But I truly hope you all enjoy your summer. For the majority of students, they’ll still have a few summers left to go but for others, this is their last. So each year, make it a goal to have the best summer ever and don’t look back. H

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 has been and always will be a designated open forum publication.

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Seras Bryner & Terina Papatu

Editorial

News Editor: Halle Connell

Sports Editor: Evan Kerani

Op/Ed Editor: Lucas Barquin

Lifestyle Editor: Mika Raring & Kaitlyn Miller

Managing Editor: Kim Banh

Tempo Co-Editors: Arabella Devera & Emmalee Harmon

Business

General Manager: Kimberly Nguyen

Travel & Event Coordinator: Terina Papatu

Distribution Manager: open Outreach Manager: open Visual

Graphics Editor: Charli Gilchrist

Photo Editor: Efrata Solomon

Design Editor: Andrian Treadwell

Online/Digital

Online Design: Curtis Gilchrist

Online Manager: Kaylee Miyamoto

A/V Editor: Terina Papatu

Contributing Staff

Virginia Alsept-Beaty, Ethan Holt, Dewey Jones, Evan Kerani, Adrian Knowlton, Bryce Soumphonphakdy, Mylin Nguyen, J Gurney, Ciara Constantino

Name in bold indicates staff member of the month as selected by the Editorial Board.

Support

Adviser: Vincent F. DeMiero, CTE, CJE

Co-Adviser: Christina Lewis

Journalist-in-Residence: Samantha Pak

FANs Coordinator: Carrie Lee

Printer: Pacific Publishing

Member of: MTHS ASB, JEA/WJEA, NSPA, SPLC, ESD CTE, FAPFA

Policies

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.

Editorial Policy

Letters to the Editor Policy Readers are encouraged to voice their opinions in the Opinion section, a public forum for the expression of varying viewpoints on relevant topics. The Hawkeye will print as many letters as space allows. Letters must include the author’s name, signature and class or position relative to the letter. E-mailed, typed or legible, hand written letters are acceptable, but should not exceed 200 words. The Hawkeye will edit all letters for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any letter.

Advertising Policy

The Hawkeye will not accept any advertising that the Editorial Board deems to be: factually inaccurate; designed to mislead, deceive or defraud; containing malicious, vindictive or unsubstantiated attacks; offering goods and/or services illegal for teens to possess, buy or use; libelous; obscene; or creating imminent danger or disruption to school. The Hawkeye reserves the right to refuse any advertising, solicited or unsolicited. Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board.

Complete policies are available at www.thehawkeye.org/about-2/mission-policies/

Terina Papatu & Seras Bryner HAWKEYE CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Arabella Devera TEMPO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Seras’s Top Photo: Each issue, Seras will share in this space a favorite photo she’s taken.

Emmalee’s Top Photo

A lot happens in a month. From fashion to finance, we are constantly bombarded by headlines from around the world. Here are the Hawkeye’s picks for what

A lot happens in a month. From fashion to finance, we are constantly bombarded by headlines from around the world. Here are the Hawkeye’s picks for what you need to know.

Across the Spider-Verse and straight to your screens (and social media feeds)

By Kaylee Miyamoto ONLINE MANAGER

stories by nico francois graphics by nico francois

stories by Evan Kerani, Seras Bryner graphics by Dewey Jones, Charli Gilchrist

U.S. Debt Ceiling is raised to avoid default

National

President Biden signed into law a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling, avoiding a potential default. The deal will suspend the debt ceiling until 2025 while freezing most government spending. The debt ceiling is a limit on the amount of money that the United States government can borrow. If the U.S. reaches this limit, it will default on its debt, which would almost certainly lead to a recession. The deal to raise the debt ceiling attracted criticism from both democrats and republicans, with democrats objecting to the work requirements for certain welfare programs like food stamps, while republicans criticizing the final bill for not cutting enough spending. However, despite this criticism, it easily passed both the house and senate, with many members voting for it to avoid a default despite their reservations about the agreement. H

Previous president under arrest

National

Former president Donald J. Trump is now being indicted for the second time this year, facing 37 felony counts. 31 of which are for violating the Espionage Act under, “willful retention” of classified records. Along with this, Trump is also being charged with six counts of obstruction of justice and false statements due to his alleged efforts to stop the investigation. Trump had stored many highly classified documents in his home in Florida. The documents, which even include information about the military were stored in his basement, a storage room, a ballroom and even a bathroom. Trump is scheduled for court on Tuesday, June 13. H

Close to five years after the first film, “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” presents major success as the global box office reaches $390 million through Sunday less than two weeks after the film’s release according to the Collider. The highly anticipated movie has had fans raving about hidden easter eggs in the film on top of the complex and intricate animation style of the film. The film follows Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales as they interact with other spidermen across the SpiderVerse and navigate different universes. The sequel reveals more details about how the multiverse functions on top of what it’s like for Miles Morales specifically to be Spiderman. It follows and introduces more characters, broadening the spiderman story and bringing more diversity to the screen. The film itself tackles many topics including sacrifice and growing as they face a challenge never seen before in the multiverse.

Beyond the complex plot and hidden details, the movie has received high praise for it’s groundbreaking animation and spectacular visual effects especially in relation to the characters and mood of the film. The use of music, just as its predecessor, has been highly appreciated by fans online with the use of hip-hop as the main backdrop of the film.

This film with its many easter eggs and references is leaving many fans to speculate Miles Morales’ place and the Spider-Verse series in terms of the Marvel Canon Universe (MCU). Many connections have been made with MCU’s Spiderman: No Way Home whether or not to confirm the existence of Miles Morales especially with the confirmation of a live action Miles Morales Spiderman movie by Sony. The Spider-Verse trilogy will be complete with “Beyond the Spider-Verse” expected to be released March 2024. H

COMING UP: SUMMER DATES & SEPTEMBER

SPOTLIGHT

Sept. 6 First Day of School

Welcome back, Hawks! Ready for 2023-24?

Sept. 7 Picture Day

Come ready to have your ASB/ID and yearbook photos taken.

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.

you need to know to be well-informed.

Pride month – the past and present

By Andrian Treadwell & Halle Connell HAWKEYE STAFF

The history of gay pride is one of battles and liberation, and now on its 54th anniversary, many are still celebrating the fight for equal rights in the modern world.Since the movement for gay rights began, there has been major progress.

One of the movement’s key catalysts was the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall was an originally “straight” bar located in Greenwich Village that the Genovese crime family bought in 1966 to profit off of gay clientele that were not allowed into other bars..

On June 28, The Stonewall Riots started after the New York Police Department raided Stonewall. That night, no tip was sent out, making this raid a surprise. As the police were arresting people, many people started to fight back. The rage had finally been expressed, but it was not all out yet. Dozens of people started to fight back, and over the course of the night, hundreds of people had joined in. People who were involved in the riot threw pennies, rocks, and eventually bottles at police officers, who were harassing patrons. Later that night, the riots escalated and officers, news writers, and some prisoners had to barricade themselves in the Stonewall inn, which the rioters attempted to set on fire multiple times. The Stonewall Riots of 1969 sent shockwaves across the nation as one of the most significant riots in American history.

The riots at Stonewall went on for 5 more days, despite a riot squad and firefighters intervening and dispersing the crowds, the riots only ramped up when the Village Voice released an article on them. At this point, it wasn’t just gay people and drag queens rioting, but even straight couples, Black Panthers, and anti-war protesters rioting. This was a giant movement for gay people, it showed that others can provide support towards the LGBTQ+ community and that they can fight together for more equal rights. The rioting of the Stonewall Inn was a breaking point for oppressed gay people, it moved a lot of people forward to make changes in the world.

On June 28, 1970, one year after the riots at Stonewall, the gay community wanted to be more proud of what they were. They decided that they could make something that everyone could participate in to express their pride. Thousands of people marched from Stonewall Inn to Central Park. The participants would chant “Say it loud, gay is proud.” People

called this day “Christopher Street Liberation Day,” which was America’s first ever pride parade. This was the day that so many gay people around the world began to feel accepted and heard, this was the day that no one felt alone.

The first ever pride parade was a huge turning point and allowed pride groups to grow, such as the Gay Libertarian Front and the Gay Activist Alliance, which helped gay people feel more and more supported and safe. These groups received a ton of help from a very famous Queer role model, Marsha P. Johnson. It has been rumored that the starter of the riot at the Stonewall Inn was prominent Queer and Transgender figure Marsha P. Johnson. Johnson was a LGBTQ activist and helped fight transphobia and racism among other pride members who still weren’t as accepting of trans people.

Johnson felt like there was still a lot of transphobia surrounding these groups, so with the help of her longtime friend, Sylvia Rivera, she founded Street Transvestite Action

THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE IS CALLING

Contributed by Jami Wollan and HOSA Leadership

HOSA ADVISER AND MEMBERS

HOSA: Future Health Professionals (formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America) is an international career and technical student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of ACTE. This club is for anyone interested in the healthcare field. We have students who desire to become doctors, nurses, dentists, EMTs, biotechnology researchers, and more. It is only our second year as a HOSA chapter and we have quadrupled! You may have already heard of HOSA. Maybe you watched the HOSA videos about our first aid kit sales, found us in the HUB selling SBA encouragement grams, seen posters promoting heart health, or heard about the blood drives sponsored by HOSA and DECA. Our club is focused on service, fun, healthcare, connection, and did we mention we are fiercely competitive?

We like to play games, and if you have been around Mrs. Wollan’s room when we are, there is no doubt you heard us! But, we know when it is time to get serious; we pull together and get things done.

As for competition, in 2022, the HOSA state competition was virtual. As a first year club, we did compete and even had one student who placed 9th in biotechnology. This year, we took 31 students to state in Spokane. We placed in the top 10 in many of the categories in which we competed! Two students qualified for nationals, placing 1st in biotechnology and 3rd place in healthcare photography, and will compete in Dallas this June.

How would we describe HOSA? A club with a focus on service and healthcare filled with friendships that feel like family. Do you want to make a difference in our school, community, and world through healthcare? We invite you to join us on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in room 127! H

Revolutionaries (STAR), which was an organization that helped shelter young transgender kids from abusive families. Johnson also made the STAR house, which sheltered trans kids who don’t feel safe at home. This was very important to Johnson due to her history of being homeless. The STAR house was originally in the back of an old truck, and it was eventually moved to an abandoned building. But sadly after 8 months in the building, they were forced to move out.

Marsha P. Johnson later learned that she had HIV, and decided to speak up about it saying that people should not be afraid of others that have it. Sadly though, through the many traumatic events she went through in the past led to her many mental breakdowns in 1990. 2 years later on July 6th, 1992, Marsha’s body was found in a river. Police refused to investigate and ruled it a suicide. Marsha was later honored by New York City with a statue of her and Sylvia Rivera in 2019.

In recent times, many changes have been made and impacted the LGBTQ+ community. On June 26, 2015, a bill was passed by the Supreme Court that said same-sex couple marriage couldnt be banned in any states. This was an incredible win for everyone, which influenced many positive changes made today. But sadly, there are many bills being passed that are very anti-LGBTQ. Just last year, there were nearly 240 bills passed that limited the rights for the Gay community.

But there is still a lot of hope for people, there are many positive gender affirming care bills being passed. Just in Washington alone, there have been bills that don’t allow parents to interfere in their children’s medical care for transitioning. There have also been bills that allow trans kids to be sheltered away from their parents if they feel unsafe, just like the STAR house Marsha P. Johnson made. Even if they were more than 60 years ago, the many events that happened in the 1960s have really impacted the changes made in the present.

Today, there are still many battles being fought for LGBTQ rights, governments all around the world are impacting the community greatly, whether that be negative or positive. But negative or not, many people are still fighting and it seems that absolutely nothing will make this fight stop. H

NOTE: All information credited to CBS News, History Channel, PBS News, and the National Women’s History Museum.

CHARLI GILCHRIST | HAWKEYE

A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE

By Kimberly Nyugen GENERAL MANAGER

The uplifting and enthusiastic personality, Jazzma Pennerman, is the president of the Black Student Union (BSU), ASB Treasury, a member of Key Club, and a player on the varsity women’s basketball team. Her unique upbringing and positive attitude has helped bring the community together.

“She always has a positive attitude even when you don’t know what hardships she’s going through, flexible, com-

Dancing has been Pennerman’s second favorite hobby since she was four years old.

“My aunt is also one of the biggest inspirations in my life because she is also a singer and a dancer at my church back in the Bahamas,” she said. “She started teaching me how to dance and I would take dance lessons. Those were my only professional lessons at the time. I performed at my church. I would sing and be able to perform in front of people at the church. It helped me practice more and be more comfortable with finding my style of dance and style of music. I mainly do classical; I like that slow, elegant dance… and sometimes hip hop. Little Tik-Tok dances have been on my mind lately.”

Pennerman’s main motive to continue music and embrace different genres is her beloved aunt, “My aunt is definitely my dance guide. She spent hours making my costumes. I remember when we would take months practicing songs, going over tracks, over and over. She would help me write my song, sing my song, record my song, and then dance to that same song. She encouraged me to be more independent about influencing my own style and my own music.”

Pennerman’s other hobbies extend beyond the arts, however. She also loves to play MTHS sports.

“I like to play basketball. It’s my favorite sport out of the three sports I’ve played. When I’m not dancing or singing, I’m playing basketball. I was interested in basketball in freshman year. I moved here from the Bahamas in January after basketball season so it was already too late to join. And I was super excited, I wanted to try out. I grew from 5’4 to 5’8”. It was my time to shine…and then COVID-19 happened. When I came back my junior and senior year, I played basketball because I grew from 5’8” to 6’3”.

Despite the pandemic postponing sports, it was still a valuable time for learning and regeneration.

“I was super excited but also so confused because I did not think I was gonna win, especially being the only girl in the competition. I was definitely intimidated by some of the males, but the show was super nice. It was very rewarding!” said Pennerman. “I always sing at school assemblies, and I sang the black national anthem, but I wanted to sing a few songs that represented me and my music style, and songs I could really express myself through; it was my time to shine. The songs were perfect in my genre.”

There is a universal value that is important in communities and relationships and something Pennerman still carries with her wherever she goes: respect.

“Growing up there [in the Bahamas] taught me to be respectful. I noticed that a lot of the teenagers here aren’t respectful to adults. My school and my family have always taught me to be respectful, and that’s helped me here at high school to influence how the teachers and staff see me, and that led me to being the staff pick for student speaker at graduation,” Pennerman reflects. “I appreciate my upbringing, my middle school, and my elementary school life. I appreciate my teachers and principals back in the Bahamas who taught me always to be respectful and put my best effort in anything I do.”

Pennerman says that she misses the food, weather, beaches, and her family in the Bahamas, but she will never forget what her family says: “Keep your morals and your manners and your respect.”

“That’s everything they always tell me and that has carried me throughout my whole high school career, and it’s gonna carry me through college and adult life,” she said.

Jazzma Pennerman is a bold and honest character, but for every personality, there comes some downsides.

mitted, and always willing to advocate for other students,” College and Career Specialist and Mediation Coordinator Tribecca Brazil said.

Pennerman loves to sing and has been performing and writing since she was three years old. She won third place at Terrace Got Talent.

She credited her church and aunt as being big influences in her art.

“I want to take singing lessons because I’m going to be in choir at the college I’m going to, so that’ll be my first experience with a professional teacher,” she said. “I grew up in a church, so being around the choir at our church, listening to them just happened one day. I was just in the car singing one day. My brother is an artist and my aunt and my uncle are both musicians.”

Singing helps Pennerman express herself when she needs to.

“Singing makes me happy. I get to express my emotions through singing. It’s my outlet.”

Pennerman’s love for music continued to grow and branched out into new genres she soon found she enjoyed.

“I like really sad, depressing love songs. Not that I’ve been through any major heartbreaks in my life, but I just really like their music; Lewis Capaldi, Dean Lewis, Billie Eilish.”

“I learned my strengths and weaknesses. Coming into freshman year, I thought I knew everything. I thought I was the smartest, the most athletic, and then I got humbled in my junior year,” Pennerman said. “The pandemic really helped me learn how to be an independent student and not rely on my teachers 24/7 because I couldn’t rely on them 24/7. I learned how to really manage my time more and put my effort into studying; I never studied in my life, I relied on what my teachers said and then used that on the test. So it helped me learn to study and prepare for college by putting in more effort and managing my time more.”

Not only is Pennerman involved in arts and sports, she also displays strong leadership in clubs.

“BSU is my main club. BSU is about educating people about the black community and our experiences. It’s also a safe space for the black students–actually, it’s for everyone who needs a safe space. Hanging out, chill, play games, eat, learn about experiences other students face and world problems, current events. It’s a big, educational safe space,” she said.

“We participated in the Students of Color Conference in March. That was a big part of connecting with others, black and brown students, and other school districts,” she said.

“We recently hosted a staff vs. student basketball game; getting everyone in our school community together and it was a big rivalry. Students won for the first year in 30 years.”

With great work comes great rewards! Her proudest moments and achievements include earning “Most Improved” in her basketball team last year, being promoted from JV to Varsity, to Varsity Starter, being chosen as the “Student of the Month,” being promoted from BSU Secretary to President and winning 3rd place at Terrace Got Talent.

“I have a very strong, social personality, so I always end up clashing with other people because I’m friends with everyone, and that’s been a problem for me since freshman year,” she said. “Being friends with everyone always leads to you encountering problems whether it’s in your club or in the classroom; being too nice, being too friendly, getting taken advantage of, but it’s something I’m working on.”

To try to deal with this problem,

“I ignore the problem and just move on with my life because you’re not gonna please everyone, so I’m not gonna spend my time and effort pleasing people who don’t agree with what I do. I just gotta let them move on and do what they want to do,” Pennerman says. “There’s always a community you can gravitate towards. No matter where you are, you’re always gonna find people who will care about you and treat you well.” H

Jazzma Pennerman entertained the audience with her vocals during the second round of Terrace Got Talent. EFRATA SOLOMON | HAWKEYE

In round one of Terrace Got Talent, Jazzma Pennerman performed a rendition of a song by Adele. SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE

Jazzma Pennerman

MOVING SCHOOLS AS WELL AS HEARTS

By Efrata Solomon PHOTO EDITOR

Just as the intoxicating smell of the graveyard captivates the Addams Family, senior Jack Williams has a serious obsession for theatrical acting, which developed from a love of film ever since he was young.

“I watched a lot of movies as a kid, specifically animated movies, and I remember that even as a kid, I was fascinated by the performance of certain voice actors, and how their vocal inflections fit perfectly with the emotions being shown in the animation,” he said. “When I decided I should try acting myself, I didn’t have a video camera, and my friends didn’t live nearby, so I did the next best thing and joined the drama program at my middle school.”

As such, Williams stepped into the spotlight in his eighth grade year. Gradually throughout the years, he’s built up his talents, taking it to a level that is almost professional, starting off at Kings High School, his first of three high schools.

Williams went into his freshman year at Kings High School, unsure of his place in school and powerless. As he tried to get out of the slump of middle school depression, he started to realize that he needed to take control of his life and do things his way, not leaving himself a victim to fate.

“Leaving Kings was the first step in doing that,” Williams said. “I told my parents that I can’t spend the next three years of my life at this private school, I hate it here, and I need to be transferred out.”

After leaving Shorewood High School, attending online in his sophomore year, Williams has found his place in MTHS in his junior year. He became an actor in the MTHS after-school drama program, giving him opportunities to express himself and make a network of friends. He flourished as an actor by working on productions and roles such as being Dennis in “Midsummer/Jersey” and later, Emmett Forrest in “Legally Blonde the Musical.”

Senior year has truly given Williams a final chance to show the world all the acting talents that he has to offer, with him taking a major role in three out of four of the productions that premiered this year. His most recent role is as Gomez Addams in the “Addams Family Musical,” which premiered from Wednesday, June 7 through Saturday, June 10. In the “Addams Family Musical” in particular, Williams has taken his role as Gomez as a way to hone his ability to speak in accents.

“[Since Gomez Addams] has a Spanish accent, I’ve been really trying to work on that. I’ve been pronouncing different things with that accent, working on rolling my R’s…. so that’s been fun for me,” Williams said.

However, the production of the musical has been held back by problems with communication and stress built up. The musical this year is a no-cuts show, meaning everyone that auditioned got a role, which caused gaps in experience and how to run the show.

Despite the hardships of the latest production, this hasn’t affected Williams’s overall experience in theater and making connections with others who share the same interests as him.

“I’ve met a lot of really nice people, and really talented people as well, who, if they put themselves out there, could

really succeed in the acting world,” he said. “I also enjoy playing different types of people that are these larger-than-life personalities, so that’s a really big thing for me.”

Small moments helped bring Williams closer to other actors, such as little goofs with wigs falling off and jokes like that helped bring the ensemble together.

“Those little moments stay with you for your entire life,” Williams said.

then I thought, you know, maybe this is a career I can see myself doing.”

This future career of his won’t get in the way of his passion for acting, however. Williams had partly chosen to go to Western Washington University because of their esteemed theater department.

“I told my parents that I can’t spend the next three years of my life at this private school, I hate it here, and I need to be transferred out.”

Jack Williams SENIOR

Outside of theater, Williams became interested in the social sciences over the pandemic, taking a general interest in science starting in his junior year. One specific interest in the subject he has is in chemistry.

“I’d like to learn more about chemistry going forward. I didn’t really take any chemistry classes all throughout high school, which is both a pro and a con, because those kinds of classes can be stressful. I’d definitely want to learn about it more in the future.

Williams is planning to pursue political science at Western Washington University as a “settle for it” career.

“I like to think of myself as someone who is up to date on current events, so I think I’d do well in political science,” he said. “[My interest] in political science probably started during the pandemic, which was right around the time the 2020 elections were happening, so that was on everyone’s minds. And yeah, that’s when I started paying more attention to current events and getting more interested in consuming political content, then I started developing opinions, and

“I still want to do theater, because I don’t want to be middle aged one day thinking to myself: ‘Oh, what could I have done! I could’ve done this, I could’ve done that,’” he said. ”I’ll definitely still do acting. Perhaps, I’ll even make a career out of it.”

Through the art of theater, Williams has found a place full of people who share the same passion as him, gaining invaluable connections, kindness, and positive feedback along the way.

“This year in particular has probably been the best year of high school for me,” he said. I feel very liberated and free and like I’m in control of my life, a big contrast to my freshman year where I felt powerless.”

As Williams concludes his high school career on the stage and in the spotlight, he’s cemented his spot among MTHS not only as an star who is able to manipulate his audience’s emotions to his will, generating laughter, sadness, tension, and more through his talents, but as an important friend to many. How lovely is it, that the final high school production he participated in would be about strengthening connections with people close to you while facing change and adversity! H

Jack Williams portrayed Gomez Addams in the musical “The Addams Family” while singing one of many solo songs, “Trapped.” The show ran four successful night earlier this month. EFRATA SOLOMON | HAWKEYE

Jack Williams

TRAILBLAZING AND GRADUATING

By Hawkeye Staff PHOTOS BY HAWKEYE STAFF

In honor of graduation, The Hawkeye collected photos and advice both to and from seniors. Over the course of the past few years, so much has happened for the Class of 2023. School shutting down their freshman year, coming back during their sophomore, and resettling in their junior year. Just this year alone could be reminisced, as the time has flown by faster than anyone could’ve anticipated. This year they had their last picture day, homecoming dance, winter assembly, Jam Session. Maybe even their last school ever, depending on the path they choose to take. Clearly, the seniors of MTHS have seen it all. They’ve gone from marching from Safeway to the school, to having a night to remember at prom like it’s their own ‘High School Musical,’ to getting their caps and gowns. This is a new journey for everyone and we wish all of you good luck no matter where you decide to go! Happy graduation class of 2023! H

Seniors finally got to participate fully in school activities throughout an entire school year, in classes, assemblies, football games and more. PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS BY HAWKEYE STAFF

DEAR CLASS OF 2023...

Christina Lewis

Congratulations on reaching this significant milestone of graduating high school! As you embark on the next chapter of your life, here’s some advice to carry with you. Embrace new experiences and step out of your comfort zone. Take the time to explore different paths, whether it’s pursuing higher education, entering the workforce, or traveling.

Stay curious and never stop learning, as education is a lifelong journey. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people who inspire you to grow. Remember that failure is a natural part of success, so don’t be afraid to take risks and learn from your mistakes.

Finally, be true to yourself and follow your passions and dreams, as they will guide you towards a fulfilling and purposeful future.

Good luck on your journey, and may you find joy and success in all your endeavors!

Sincerely,

ChatGPT

Angelo Comeaux

Joseph Campbell, the person credited for discovering the hero’s journey in myths across civilization advises young people to “follow your bliss.” In other words, pursue your passion. Do what you love and love what you do.

Paula Scher, the postmodern graphic artist who redefined how we communicate with text advises to “Play seriously.” Taking on a challenge outside of your comfort zone makes you perfectly qualified to be innovative in finding solutions.

Mike Rowe, host of the successful TV series “Dirty Jobs” advises graduates that they might not have the luxury to purely follow their bliss. There will be times you have to take a job to pay the bills. No matter the job, find joy in the work. Be the best at all you do.

Okay, for real though. There are some words in that paragraph that can be good advice. This advice, however, is so generic that it feels like it doesn’t come from a human being. Oh wait… It’s true. Graduating high school is a milestone. It is the end of an era, a chapter in your life, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Some of you might be excited to get out of high school and are looking forward to where life will take you. Some of you might be scared because you don’t know where life will take you. This is quite normal. Being excited and scared is healthy. But the most important advice I can give to you is to not try and fit into a box or give into the expectations of what society expects of you. Far too many young people think they need to go onto the “next step” in life and end up with pain and regret. Do what makes you happy! And if you don’t know what makes you happy yet, you will. Try new things and be patient, practice kindness, and above all, you do you, boo!

Love, Your Queen, Ms. Lewis

IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME I’D TELL MYSELF...

I was sitting in the HUB finishing my pancakes at the band sponsored Santa Breakfast when I spotted a friend and her grandchild having a wonderful morning. I thought there are two people in touch with what is really important in life. It is not the hustle of a job, it’s the interaction with the people. It’s long squeezing hugs, gooey warm grilled cheese and long afternoon naps.

My advice to you graduates is be generous with kindness. It costs nothing to give, and just might be priceless to those who receive it.

Angelo Comeaux 6/9/23

CLASS OF 2023 THANKS THESE TEACHERS

Nick Lencioni

“Mr. Lencioni was my AP calc teacher for 2 years, and as someone who struggles with memory and formulas, he was patient with me for two years and answered the same questions as many times as I needed until I fully understood.”

~ Marion Tate

Lavon Driscoll

“My most influential teacher was Ms. Lavon (Ms. Driscoll) she has help me through the rocky parts in high school helped motivate me and push me through when I felt I wasn’t able to do so.”

~ Natasha Abeditameh

Saboora Deen

“The most influential teacher at Terrace was Ms. Deen, the sports medicine teacher. She motivated me to become an athletic trainer like her and help athletes out.”

~ Riki Kobayashi

Ryan Sells

“Mr. Sells/Coach Sells and all the other teachers that were related to the baseball program because they gave me a chance to pursue the game I played since I was little.”

~ Rominic Quiban

“Mr. Welman set the best standard for my scientific education by making the class a fun challenge, and was the best biology teacher I could ask for.”

~ Annabella Mills

Kelsey Way

“Kelsey is the entire reason I have a chance at graduating this year. She has been a wonderful IEP and I hope to stay in touch with her after I’m done at Terrace.”

~ Casey Carpenter

“Just keep it pushing and turn in the work even if it wasn’t finished.” ~

Allison Sanchez

“Time moves fast, the best thing you can do to yourself is cut out negativity, trust yourself, and working hard pays off!’

~ Luna Tewolde

“If you’re gonna do something, go all the way. Put the maximum effort into what you do in everything you do. Also grades matter, so don’t slack off.”

~ Ryan Melgardshagen

“You don’t need to try to intimidate others into respecting you. You can leave situations where you’re being disrespected; revenge is never worth it. If your relationship with someone makes you feel worse about yourself, that is more than enough of a reason to leave.”

~ Zero Kosciuk

“It’s not that hard as you might think, and make sure you actually do your homework in a timely and non-procrastinative manner.”

~ Spencer Dessart

“I’d say go to more school/sporting events and have doing all the school spirit days. It’s a good excuse to dress up and have fun”

~ Megan Grush

“Do theater and don’t be afraid to get out there and try new things. As well expressing yourself.” ~

Nathan Evans

“These 4 years will go by fast. Enjoy every moment and do everything you can. Don’t be scared to try things out.”

~ Riki Kobayashi

“Go say hi to people, it doesn’t hurt to introduce yourself :)”

~ Marion Tate

“Don’t fall asleep during Zoom classes, join more clubs, enjoy every moment because you’re gonna open your eyes and you’ll be standing in your cap and gown.”

~ Ishah Musa

“Try new things and join new clubs.”

~ Jack Williams

“Stay organized and dont be afraid to talk to teachers.” ~ Macyw Adams

“Expand the people you hang out with because you’ll find much better friendships.

~ Krystal Wilson

T. Adam Welman

Gabriel Espitia

DRUM ROLL FOR AN EAGLE SCOUT

By Ethan Holt HAWKEYE STAFF

Senior Gabriel Espitia was named the only drummer for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) All-Northwest Jazz Choir which performed at the AllNorthwest Music Conference in February. Being the drummer for NAfME All-Northwest Jazz Choir means that he was the best drummer chosen from all applicants from six states – Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Though this monumental achievement does not mark the end of Gabriel’s musical journey, he is planning on pursuing music as a career after attending Central Washington University for higher education.

The Jazz 1 drummer, Espitia, was inspired to pursue joining jazz band after witnessing the 2018 Essentially Ellington performances. He said he was “blown away” and was interested in joining the MTHS jazz band that had performed along with other top jazz bands nationwide at the prestigious festival in New York.

Unfortunately for Espitia, COVID-19 hit our country, closing schools across America. Everyone went into lockdown and had to take classes over Zoom, which severely impacted Espitia’s high school experience during his freshman and sophomore years. “Music was the main thing keeping me going through COVID,” Espitia said about the time.

Coming back from COVID-19 was an “eye-opener” for Espitia. Finally, he could see and experience everything

he had previously missed. That’s not too surprising given that as a long-time Boy Scout, Espitia has learned how to always be prepared. But more about that later.

His friends refer to him as Gaby, and he attributes his success to band director Darin Faul. “He gets me working harder and eventually I started to see progress in my playing,” Espitia said.

Faul has given Espitia the drive to pursue music during and beyond high school, so much so that he plans on being a music educator or performer in the future. “Mr. Faul is 100% why I strive to be a music educator,” Espitia said. His dedication to music can be observed when considering the effort he puts into playing his instrument, the drums. He said he usually practices for at least four hours a day.

Espitia has progressed monumentally due to Faul’s assistance and extreme dedication to his craft. Espitia has shown himself to be an exemplary student of the musical arts.

But what about the Scouts?

Well, Espitia is scheduled to receive the program’s highest honor – an Eagle Scout award – in the near future. He’s been involved in Scouts since he was in the first grade. “My biggest thing (outside of music) is that I’m in Boy Scouts. I’ll be getting my Eagle Scout pretty soon,” Espitia said.

Others might be passionate about activities such as sports, drama, dancing, gaming, or STEM, but to Gabriel Espitia “music, means everything.” H

Multi-talented bassist battles back after accident

By Terina Papatu CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Who else loves bass? No, not the fish, the instrument!

From the moment senior Nathaniel Ballard was born, his life was flooded with music from his father, grandfather and even his aunt. Throughout his school career, he always played stringed instruments, like the cello in elementary, and guitar in his early high school years. Since his dad is a phenomenal guitarist, as Ballard put it, string instruments have always been more accessible for him. Other than these instruments, Ballard has also played the occasional trumpet.

“String instruments have been a little bit more accessible. I have played trumpet like a little bit, I’ve gone to a couple of pep pan games with the trumpet,” he said. “I can play ‘Tequila,’ you know, and I’ve messed around. But I’ve always found the string instruments to be a little bit more fun.”

Throughout the last few years, despite the pandemic taking a hit while he was an underclassmen at Terrace, Ballard’s favorite part of his entire school career has been the band program and director Darin Faul. What could’ve gotten him into this program? His close friend, Seth Meyers. “The band program is the best thing that ever happened to me. I thank Seth Meyers.

Not as much as I should for getting me into that. But you know, it’s such an amazing experience,” Ballard said. The bands have brought Ballard so much joy and opportunity throughout his high school career, but especially his senior year, when he truly began being engulfed in jazz. Part of being in the band during this year meant that he was able to play in the pit orchestra for this year’s spring musical, “The Addams Family.”

“With all the other vamps and you know, playing while the musicians are talking, all the actors are talking and mixing everything together and having it perfect is super powerful,” He said. “Even just down in the pit I can feel how much potential it has.” During the musical, Ballard played more than one instrument, so he had to switch between electric guitar, bass, and upright bass. The guitar and electric bass aren’t too difficult to pick up, and as Ballard described it, the stand up bass is a beast.

Along with the rest of Ballard’s musical career, in college, while Ballard does plan on furthering his music education, he plans to get a degree in mechanical engineering at Washington State University.

Originally, Ballard was prepared to go to Edmonds-Woodway High School. How did he end up at Terrace?

The STEM magnet program!

Computer science was the STEM pathway Ballard wanted to take. But, after his freshman year, taking intro to engineering design, commonly known as IED, he found a new part of STEM he loved.

As mentioned before, Ballard’s interest in music was heavily influenced by his dad and grandpa. Both play guitar and sing, even at a professional level.

Being surrounded by music might’ve launched his music career, but during his junior year, Ballard got into a car accident that heavily impacted his ability to play music. While this was terrible, it also taught him that it’s okay to ask for help.

“It’s tough to do school, I couldn’t look at a screen, I couldn’t look down at a piece of paper. School got tough. Music got tough because I couldn’t put the guitar strap around my neck,” he said. “You know, and it didn’t get better until I asked for help. Until I started talking to Faul and working with him to try and figure out ways for me to be able to play.”

Even after such an accident, Ballard said he can’t imagine life any other way, and took senior year as his opportunity to really improve. His friend, Meyers, agrees about Ballard’s improvement. Ballard and Meyers suggest that every student should get into music, whether just listening or being a part

Senior Gabriel Espitia plays the drums during a jazz band concert in the Terrace Theater. EFRATA SOLOMON | HAWKEYE

of the music programs at Terrace. In fact, they said they believe music should be a part of everyone’s life. H

Nathaniel Ballard

Nathaniel Ballard performs during round one of Terrace got Talent. EFRATA SOLOMON | HAWKEYE

Ryan Melgardshagen

A master with glass and a glove

“So I come in here this year, meet Mark for the first time and tell him I don’t really know what I want to do,” Melgardshagen knew of glasswork and wanted to expand his knowledge on the topic. He had heard of glassblowing but had never breached into more subjects of the glassblowing world.

Melgardshagen had barely touched glass before he came into Mark’s studio, only having completed basic glassworks, such as plates and spheres.

“It was very minimal, instead of finer, more detailed stuff I do now, instead, it was big medal rods that you see in studios where they have the massive plates and balls and spheres or objects or one of those big projects,” he said.

Due to Terrace’s broad expansion of the arts, Melgardshagen got the chance to experiment with glass more than he could ever imagine. “I’ve been to a few classes like that but nothing like the lampwork here,” he said.

Melgardshagen barely got the chance to expand his artistic pallet before Mark showed him the ropes. “He turned on the torch for the first time and told me what it was all about.” And with the mentoring of Mark by his side, Melgardshagen finally branched out into what he soon discovered would be his new hobby that would soon overtake his life, “From there, I was just super interested in it, and it took up a lot of my time.”

And as Melgardshagen’s time was taken up, his work with glassmaking quickly improved, “Honestly, it was a really good way to spend an hour every day, and the more I’ve played with the glass and the more I’ve looked up videos on the internet, and just stuff heard about it and talked about it, the more I’ve gotten interested in it. And it just led me through the year.”

works together, you know.” His determined mindset quickly led him to achieve multiple milestones and well-acclaimed pieces of artwork, including marbles, different detailed flower work, and other small detailed pieces. “Also, I had a lot of free time. So that helps.”

Melgardshagen has stayed motivated in his work and continues to create new pieces. Though he says he couldn’t have done it without his mentor, Mark.

“Mark … was the first guy to show me the torch work and just showed me the basics of it.” Mark has continued encouraging others like Melgardshagen to pursue their artistic ability, “He’s just an inspirational person and just a lot of fun, and in this class, he encourages people to have fun.”

Melgardshagen plans to continue glassmaking only as a hobby, “All kids are broke, and glass is very expensive.” Due to financial stability and Melgardshagen’s other passions, he’s decided to stick to Mechanical Engineering.

Though he still holds love in his heart for glasswork “I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I would love to, but I’m also not too keen on dropping like $3,000, $4,000, $5,000 on a whole setup that I may or may not use a lot.”

Melgardshagen encourages other MTHS students to pursue the same artistic passion, “It depends on where you are in school right now. If you’re a junior and below, take manufacturing innovations. The budget cuts will hurt this class, but there’s still enough here to keep you interested, and it’s a good place to start.”

By Halle Connell HAWKEYE STAFF

Get ready to be blown away as the skilled artist, Ryan Melgardshagen, with a unique talent for glasswork, sets the stage for a senior year’s worth of progression in crafting the perfect glass marbles and small glass flower pieces.

When Melgardshagen was informed of the Jewelry and Metalworking class his freshman year, it immediately caught his attention.

“My freshman year, I came into the school and I saw this really interesting class on the list, it was jewelry and metalworking. I saw that class and I thought, ‘Oh this would be a really cool class to take.’” Though the start of fine art for Melgardshagen wouldn’t continue

until his senior year, “Then the course name changed.”

Because of this simple name change, the metalworking and glassmaking classes wouldn’t be brought to Melgardshagen’s attention again until well later into his high school years.

“I thought they got rid of the class but, eventually, someone last year, one of my friends, took manufacturing and Innovations and he was just like, ‘Yeah it’s just the same metal and jewelry class from last year, but it expanded into broader stuff,’” he said.

The soon-to-be glassworker unknowingly decided at that moment he would finally expand his skill set by joining Mark Walker’s (more commonly known as Mark’s) Manufacturing and Innovation class.

Throughout his senior year, Melgardshagen faced many challenges and failed attempts at glasswork. But, he was bound to make mistakes. “You have to be very patient with it so you can’t rush it a lot. That’s one thing I’ve had a lot of trouble with in the past,” he said. “Just working on projects and rushing through to the end, I’m not really worrying about the final product.” Though that wouldn’t stop his passion, Melgardshagen was determined to embrace his love for glassmaking. “I always look back on my projects like, ‘Alright, here’s what I can improve,’ or ‘Maybe tried this,’ or ‘Experiment with that,’ or whatever. It’s just, it’s fun.”

In December, Melgardshagen started focusing on flowers, practicing almost every day to perfect different flower patterns within small glass pieces like marbles. This soon became his main focus.

“I think just working on it so much, every single day, even weekends, spending hours upon hours of time, learning how to work with the material, learning how everything

Melgardshagen also encourages art and glassmaking to outgoing seniors. “If you’re a senior and beyond, I would say go to Shack Art Center in Everett, or other glass-blowing studios, and just watch at the very least or pay for a class.” His main advice is to surround yourself with information on glasswork and continue to self-educate yourself, “If you’re interested in glasswork just surround yourself with articles and videos and classes.”

In addition to his work as a glassmaker and STEM student, Melgardshagen has played baseball all four years – including playing a part in the past two seasons’ run to state. Melgardshagen’s outoing thoughts on high school are thorough and insightful: “High school is not only about grades as a lot of people believe it is. I’m not gonna say it doesn’t matter at all because they do. They matter a hell of a lot. But it’s not only about grades, so experience as much as you can. You’re still a kid, so you have a bunch of energy to go around and do sports, do art, do whatever, right? If you wanna make rockets? Go make rockets. If you wanna play baseball? Go play baseball. If you wanna do glasswork? Do glasswork. Just experiment, try a little bit of everything.” H

Ryan Melgardshagen works on making marbles with flowers inside. This challenging glass project in the manufacturing classroom overseen by art and CTE instructor Mark Walker.

EMMALEE HARMON | HAWKEYE

Kayla Apostol

Connect leader, athlete, or businesswoman? Yes.

Efrata Solomon & Ciara Costantino HAWKEYE STAFF

Got a club or extracurricular in mind? Senior Kayla Marie Apostol has most likely participated in it. From volleyball to DECA and more, Apostol has ventured into just about everything, exploring the depths of what MTHS has to offer. In her four years at Terrace, she showed nothing but immense school spirit and love, going from an unfamiliar face, not knowing where she belonged in school, to a well-known, funny, and lovable person.

From freshman to senior year, she played volleyball and tennis, but in her sophomore year, she decided to join more clubs, involving herself in Key Club, the Asian Student Union (ASU), and the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). She joined the Sports Medicine Club and Connect Leadership in her junior year. She soon became the secretary of DECA. In her senior year, she became one of the co-presidents of Connect Leadership.

“I mostly did it to be with friends and meeting new people,” she said. With all these extracurriculars, her name and face followed people wherever they went, and she became well-known throughout the school.

Apostol made unforgettable memories she’ll cherish forever during her four years here, taking advantage of the activities MTHS offered and excelling. Her participation and contagious enthusiasm drew people closer to her and many of Apostol’s favorite memories at MTHS are from the clubs and sports she participated in. One of her favorite memories was in Sports Medicine, of which she’s the vice president.

“Sports Medicine was a really big core memory for me. I went to the state Sports Medicine trip twice, and it was really fun. It made our class bond really well and we got along with each other,” she said.

As a part of the Sports Medicine Club, it should come as no surprise that Apostol is a student-athlete. Through volleyball and tennis, she deepened her connections to other students and MTHS sports, sharing love among everyone on the teams through a common passion for either sport.

“Volleyball really turned into a family, and it was perfect for me… because it was not only something we loved doing but it had a lot of bonding that turned into a family,” she said. Women’s tennis presented some challenges to bond in because of the structure of the game, but Kayla and her team persevered and formed a bond that made them stick together like glue.

“(Women’s) tennis is hard to actually bond in, but I feel like we did more bonding experiences in it,” she said. “When you play tennis, of course, you’re either by yourself or with a partner, and I played by myself almost all through my high school experience. Throughout that, we all came together to express our feelings because it is a hard sport when you’re by yourself, struggling, not having anyone to look out for you. But in reality, your teammates are right behind you, cheering you on.”

Dedicated to helping others, Apostol joined the Key Club. Although it was intimidating due to its massive size, it gave Apostol another opportunity to build strong bonds and make new families. She fully connected with her friends and the community they were helping, strengthening her love for volunteering and giving time to others.

“Because Key Club is a really big club and there’s so many people, we would all just really bond in our combined friend groups. The activities we would do would make it really fun, and those are the reasons people would go.”

ASU helped Apostol forge connections with those with similar backgrounds to her. Not only did she connect with people, but she connected with her own culture and heritage. Apostol will continue exploring her culture in college with similar clubs they offer.

“[ASU] was fun and I did connect with my culture and different cultures,” she said.

Connect leadership helped Apostol become an important authority figure for underclassmen at MTHS. This was one of the reasons why she was well known at the school, for her caring and helpful attitude towards helping underclassmen allowed them to be comfortable with the school. Apostol’s guidance with the new incoming high schoolers showed them that high school isn’t bad when guided by the right people.

“I joined Connect junior year because you can only join your junior or senior year and I wanted to become a part of leadership,” she said.

Apostol’s involvement in Connect might’ve given her experience in leadership but DECA helped her gain experience as a leader, holding the position of secretary in the club, and she also found a deep love and passion for business marketing. This passion was so deep that it helped her decide on her future career and showed her that she wanted to go into business. Sports Medicine also helped her decide what she specifically wanted to major in, deciding on sports marketing.

“Sports medicine showed me that I really loved sports, but not [the medical part of sports], so the two in one really mixed together,” Apostol said.

All of these extracurriculars would be hard for the average person to manage, but Apostol’s transition from middle to high school was a tough one, and COVID was a huge additional factor. COVID made it harder for her to manage her classes and extracurriculars while finding her way in a new environment.

“I feel like [managing extracurriculars] takes a lot of balance, especially because of COVID affected a lot of it,” she said. “I went through a whole stage of online and in-person, and it was a lot of transition. Now, for a lot of other people, it would be easier, but for me, it was a bit of a big transition.”

Despite the struggles of the pandemic, Apostol was still successful throughout her high school career. She managed to maintain a job and hobbies outside of school, such as reading at the beach and spending time with her friends and family. Next year, she will be advancing her studies at St. Martin’s University in Lacey, majoring in marketing and going to grad school afterward in sports marketing, while also considering a minor in exercise science. She plans to continue her heavy involvement in extracurricular activities at university, planning to join the cheer team, the Filipino Club, and the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Club.

“[AAPI] is basically all of the cultures into one, showing our different sides of who we are,” Apostol said, showing how much she enjoys connecting with her Filipino heritage.

Even with big plans ahead in Apostol’s future, she still appreciates her time at MTHS and all of the experiences she had along the way. Her memories and experiences at MTHS shaped her into the person she is today.

“My four years here were a very exciting time. They were very interesting, I learned a lot, and I made a lot of fond memories that I would cherish,” she said.

As she plans to depart from MTHS, Apostol wants to leave a message to any current students having doubts about spreading their wings and joining new clubs.

“Try new things. Any opportunities that come up to you, just try it. It’s not gonna hurt,” Apostol said. “Anything I found interesting, I did it and eventually loved some of it. Some of it, I just didn’t start liking anymore so I just quit or dropped out of it. But, I feel like whatever comes up to you that you might think is a sign, just take advantage of it because you’ll never know what would happen if you didn’t.” H

Kayla Apostol and other varsity volleyball players throw goodie bags into the stands as a pre-game activity. SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE

Kayla Apostol (right) with Liliana Lopez-Santiago (left) at a DECA conference at the Lynnwood Convention center

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KAYLA APOSTOL

Riley Frank

MEET THE SINGING ACTRESS WHO BROKE OUT OF HER SHELL

erty in singing it. It just flows,” she said.

At Terrace’s Swing Night in November of 2022, Frank sang “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Fly Me To The Moon.” The night was a rousing success.

When she first got the part as a jazz vocalist, it was Frank’s first time singing jazz. Frank particularly enjoys slow, romantic jazz pieces and ballads.

“I’m very self-taught, as far as jazz vocals go, but I think it’s just more natural for me,” she said.

Earlier this month, Frank starred in her first theater production at Terrace as Morticia Addams in “The Addams Family.” The Addams Family was Frank’s first theater production since before the pandemic, and she was fairly unfamiliar with the theater scene at MTHS.

“Some musicals I liked to do were ‘Legally Blonde,’ where I had a big role. I didn’t really know much about the Terrace musicals, but I watched their ‘Legally Blonde’ at the end of my junior year and was like ‘Okay, I want to do this,’” she said.

Frank enjoyed playing Morticia Addams, and she also enjoyed bonding with her fellow cast members.

“She’s such a cool character, because she’s so poised like the queen of the family. She has this song, “Death Is Just Around The Corner,” which is a happy song for her, and she’s enraged before that and this is her freedom, and I love how crazy she is, and how crazy every character in that show is,” she said.

Frank and her co-star Jack Williams, who plays Gomez Addams, performed a salsa piece in the song “Tango De Amor.” Both Frank and Williams greatly enjoyed being able to fully immerse themselves into their characters, and they had a great time dancing.

“My boyfriend’s family is Hispanic, and they love to salsa, so I found that also cool because I’ve learned some salsa with them.” Frank said.

By Virginia Alsept-Beaty HAWKEYE STAFF

Ever since she was a young child, senior Riley Frank has enjoyed performing. Music has always been a central part of her, and it has only developed as she has gotten older.

“Everything in my life is improved by music, its a huge part of me and my relationships, and is truly one of the most beautiful things in life,” she said.

Frank first starred in theater productions in kindergarten and continued to do so all through elementary school and middle school. At Edmonds Heights K-12, she made many dear friends through the school’s theater productions and thoroughly enjoyed her time there.

“It’s very special in a nostalgic way, where I still go and see their productions and I went to their graduation, and they’re all dear friends of mine,” she said.

Frank had always longed to go to public school and eventually did so in 1st grade when she attended Spruce Elementary for a year. Even though she had a lovely time, Frank decided to return to Edmonds Heights in second grade, as she missed her friends. Even to this day, she still considers the friends she made at Edmonds Heights to be dear friends of hers.

After middle school, she began to attend Mountlake Terrace High School as a part-time student. And in 10th grade, she was elated to finally be a part-time student at MTHS, but she, unfortunately, began during the pandemic and struggled with the isolation and her mental health. Frank’s mental health began to rapidly

deteriorate throughout quarantine.

The lack of socialization with her classmates and teachers was especially hard for Frank, as she would continuously sleep through her classes. She found it difficult to learn from her classes and stay motivated through remote learning. Frank’s siblings provided some much-needed social stimulation, and she is grateful for her bond with them.

“Even though quarantine was hard, I’m really close with my siblings so I was able to socialize with them. I’m close with all of them in different ways,” she said.

Frank’s junior year was a transitional period, as she was still struggling with her mental health. It was especially nerve-wracking to make friends in her headspace at the time. Even though that year was riddled with pain, Frank still considers that time in her life to be crucial in how the rest of high school turned out.

“That just really messed me up a lot, but it’s definitely been something that I’ve grown and learned from. And so I’ve tried to look at it with that lens,” she said.

In her senior year of high school, Frank began to grow and develop in many ways. Frank opened herself up to new experiences and began to take part in the performing arts here at Terrace. Frank had many friends in jazz and she admired their passion for it, leading her to fall in love with the art form. When jazz vocalist auditions opened up, Frank took the chance and auditioned, and was elated when she got the part.

“I really enjoy singing jazz because there’s a lot of lib-

Frank loves her teachers and classes, especially Stephen Merlino’s English 12 class. Frank has appreciated Merlino placing physical examples when she needs them, and his understanding of Frank’s ADHD and how it affects her learning.

“I think he just really understands what helps me learn. I’ve been the most successful in this English class than any other I’ve experienced. Because even though I enjoy English, I can never finish a book. In this class, I was able to finish most of the books, which is a huge deal for me,” she said.

During her junior year, Frank took part in SnoIsle’s cosmetology program and found that she deeply enjoyed cutting and styling hair. She began to cut hair in quarantine and practiced on her family members and even on herself. After high school, Frank plans on going to Evergreen Beauty College in Shoreline to get her barber’s license.

“I really enjoy building up other people’s confidence, and so I knew I wanted to pursue a career like that where I would get to keep myself social.” .

Frank hopes to do jazz gigs and community theater in the future, and plans to professionally record her own original music this summer. Frank plans to keep music a part of her life for the foreseeable future.

“I wrote a song that night, and then the next day I recorded it and I just posted it, and so it was definitely just a very quick thing that I did. But I think that’s the beauty of songwriting, is it just flows, I just play the music and the lyrics just come to me and I just start singing them.” H

Riley Frank performs as Morticia Addams singing one of her solo songs, “Death is Just Around the Corner” in “The Addams Family Musical” earlier this month in the MTHS Theater for four nights. EFRATA SOLOMON | HAWKEYE

THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER

Ciara Constantino & Mylin Nguyen

HAWKEYE STAFF

Having a passion for STEM since middle school, senior Luna Tewolde will be taking her passion with her to the University of California, Berkeley, planning to study biochemistry and minoring in bioengineering. Passionate, driven, and inspirational, she was not only the vice president of Technology Student Association (TSA) this year, but she is also a model for a company called Baz Model Management based in New York and Boston. She also does internships, one being at Fred Hutch, located in Seattle.

Tewolde’s classes at Brier Terrace Middle School helped rocket her Stem career and eventually her involvement in TSA.

She joined TSA and continued all the way to the vice president position, her current position senior year. In TSA, she participated in Fashion Design and Technology, Dragster Design, and many other events like Biotechnology. At the 2019 TSA State Conference in middle school, she won 1st place in Dragster Design and went to TSA nationals her 8th grade year in Washington D.C. This year, she won 1st place in Fashion Design and Technology along with her teammates, seniors Alessandra Serena-Takahashi and Emily Ulvin, winning her a place in TSA Nationals, which is in Louisville, Kentucky this year.

Tewolde has always had an interest in modeling and fashion.

“I have always liked looking at Instagram pictures,” said Tewolde. “I got into it sophomore year; it was that year when I realized ‘Oh, should I do this?’ It was kind of hard because sophomore year there was COVID and stuff and then junior year, I was more focused on like, you know, I had a lot of clubs and APs classes and stuff, and I was like: ‘I don’t think I can do this.’” But through all of these hardships, Tewolde was still able to sign with an agency.

“I did model for jewelry companies and stuff and then later in senior year, I signed a with an agency based in the East Coast, but we kind of wanted to postpone until we figure out what college I am going to because I was planning on going to the East Coast, maybe like NYU or something, but I am going to California for college so I am going to continue doing that (modeling) when I go to California and just finish my senior year off.”

Tewolde´s favorite part of modeling is doing photoshoots.

“I like the joy of doing photoshoots and stuff,” she said. “It is really fun for me and I am not into runways or anything like that. I wanted to do photoshoots and be in that area of modeling and not walking down runways.”

Modeling has played a big role in Tewolde´s life.

“I think that it gave me a lot more confidence for sure. Like when I went to high school, I came into it as a very nerdy shy girl. I was always into fashion, but when I was younger I was into fashion with dolls. I learned how to sew clothes because I didn’t like that my dolls only had one pair of clothes, so I learned how to sew for my dolls.”

“But in freshman year, I was shy. But then in sophomore year, I started exploring more into fashion and modeling, and photoshoots with my Instagram. It gave me a lot more space to explore fashion and as well as giving me more confidence. It is easy to give a lot more confidence when you are taking a lot of photos.”

Tewolde also made a lot of accomplishments in TSA.

“I have done TSA since 8th grade. At the end of 7th grade, I was picking classes for 8th grade. I didn’t know what STEM actually was, so I just chose a STEM class that we (Brier Terrace Middle School) had and TSA was connected to that class. My friend forced me to go to one of the meet-

ings with her, and then I just kept going to the meetings… I designed my first CO2 dragster car, and I won state that year and got to go to Washington DC and so I continued to do it… I really liked the officers in TSA and so I really wanted to be a part of it (leadership) and do something bigger in the club than just being a member.”

So Tewolde decided to be more than just a member. She became a leader in the club.

“I actually wanted to learn how to lead and everything. I remember texting one of my favorite leaders who graduated about in my sophomore year two years ago, and I was like, ‘Hey, how do I join leadership?’ and she was like, ‘Hey, you just have to fill out this form.’ And then I joined leadership, and I´ve been a leader since sophomore year.”

Tewolde’s favorite memory in TSA is going to Washington D.C. in 8th grade.

“It was really memorable. We got to see the statue of Abraham Lincoln and we went next to the White House. It was really nice. And it was the biggest conference that I have ever been to. It was a big step for me because I am from a country that wasn’t so focused heavily on STEM and I had never been to a conference where it was heavily focused on STEM.”

The National TSA Conference in Washington D.C. helped Tewolde explore more of her passion for STEM. She had never been so heavily involved in STEM, and TSA helped her jumpstart into that and sparked her passion for STEM. Tewolde got into UC Berkeley this year in March.

“I applied to UC Berkeley because it was a good school. I wasn’t planning on going to Berkeley. My dream schools were NYU and Stanford. I dreamed about those schools for so long. First NYU came and I didn’t get in, and I was really sad. On the day that Columbia came out, Berkeley also came out, and I kind of forgot and my friend texted me and she didn’t know how to access the portal, and I said ‘What portal?’ and she said ‘Berkeley.’ and I was like ‘Oh! That school is coming out and I clicked on my portal and ‘view decision’ and I was about to close the tab because I was expecting a rejection and right before I was about to close it, I saw ‘Congratulations!’ or something like that in the first sentence and I stared at it for like 5 seconds. I was kind of like in disbelief and then I just went and told my family everything.”

She will be studying chemical biology and minoring in bioengineering.

At Terrace, Tewolde has made a great impact. Inspiring many students in the STEM program to achieve her level of passion and drive for her field of study. Her favorite memories at Terrace were mostly centered in STEM and TSA.

“I was more involved in that area. My favorite memories were going to TSA Nationals.”

Tewolde enjoyed the experience of going to Nationals. In her junior year, she and her friends went to Dallas, Texas to compete, making some of her favorite memories of high school. Even though COVID shortened her high school experience, she still made many memories in her senior year, particularly through TSA.

“It was kind of hard to form memories because of COVID. Before freshman year ended in March, we went into total lockdown and sophomore year was a blank, and junior year was like when you are trying to climb up to the normal lifestyle. Then senior was when I started making more memories,” she said.

To get to where she is today, she did many different things. “I tried to challenge myself and set high expectations for myself cause I feel like you kind of do get what you expect… when you push yourself you get what you expect. Some of the factors were taking AP classes,” she said. “I think those helped me challenge myself and everything. But also STEM for sure. The majority of things that helped me in the academic area were the internships and research that I did outside of school.”

Tewolde did a lot of research outside from her STEM 12 Research Project.

“I did two research projects outside of school. I did an internship at Fred Hutch, working in [a] lab which focuses on lung cancers that come from genetics, not smoking,” she said. “[The other] one that I did, I was mostly a research assistant… the project was basically studying women with disabilities and STD rates in Nigeria. I assisted in that research and I also learned about that too… The one from Fred Hutch has not been published yet, but the one from UW just got published maybe two weeks ago. I think that those things really helped me a lot.”

Tewolde said she feels that her internships and research have helped her with her acceptance to Berkeley.

“Grades and classes do matter for me but for the field of STEM especially, experience matters and also research and hands-on work. At the end of the day, if you work hard, you will get the grades, but I don’t think that it would prepare you for the career that you want.”

Being in the STEM program at Terrace, Tewolde credits the program as helping her further her interest in medicine and research.

“A lot of the basic skills that I learned helped me for the basis when I was interning at Fred Hutch,” she said. Tewolde said she is really excited to start her next chapter at Berkeley and call California her home for the next four years. She also has more plans for the future. H

Luna Tewodle accepted an award at the TSA state convention in Fashion Design. KAYLEE MIYAMOTO | HAWKEYE STAFF

THANK YOU TO OUR SENIORS

BY HAWKEYE STAFF

Even though there was a bumpy transition of leadership, Hunter Michaelson, Rachel Davis, Phuong Lam, Cecilia Negash, Rodney Budden, and Maggie O’Hara pulled off the difficult feat of leading a student-run publication. Only having experience from part of their freshman and junior years, these seniors had the responsibility of training the future journalists of Hawkeye and TEMPO. As many of them have probably spent most of their high school career within the walls of room 130, they have all worked hard to produce not only this year’s eight issues of the Hawkeye, but all the issues from the past three years as well. It’s been a struggle to get the TEMPO yearbooks up and running again, but these seniors single-handedly finished this year’s yearbook, on top of training future yearbook editors, designers, and managers. Though it’s tough for the underclassmen of HSM to let go of their seniors, they all have big things in the future. All the underclassmen of HSM wish our seniors the best of luck. WE APPREACIATE YOU AND WILL MISS YOU!

Cecilia Negash

HAWKEYE CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MTHS k University of Washington Bothell

Cecilia Negash has a knack for balancing Hawkeye, work at multiple recreation centers and school work. As well as giving the most wonderful advice, almost every conversation you have with her will leave a smile on your face. Along with having an insanely busy life, did you know that she can fall asleep anywhere? On a plane? Easy. On a table? K.O. Anywhere with the slightest amount of cushion, she can and will be asleep.

“Cecilia is Hawkeye mom. She is the definition of a single mom who works two jobs and loves her kids and never stops. Dealing with our antics and conversations about George Santos every single day, she is a survivor.”

KIM BANH 2023-2024 MANAGING EDITOR

Maggie O’Hara

HAWKEYE CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MTHS k gap year k Western Washington University

Maggie O’Hara is Hawkeye itself. Without her inhuman perception, HSM probably wouldn’t have half the respect it does now. You can usually spot her skulking around the halls at Terrace, obsessing over rats in an almost creepy fashion, and being one of the kindest people ever. If you have never met Maggie, that’s pretty sad. Maggie has brought so much joy to the people around her, and continues to be one of the most genuine and amazing people ever.

“Maggie is the only person I know who can be constantly caffeinated yet always tired. She’s the unseen eye in Hawkeye, and catches everyone’s silly mistakes. Thank you Maggie for putting up with all our grammatical issues, and drawing rats on the whiteboards, we appreciate you.”

LUCAS BARQUIN 2023-2024 OP/ED EDITOR

Rodney Budden

GRAPHICS EDITOR

MTHS k gap year k North Seattle College

Rodney Budden may seem cold and intimidating at first, but hidden underneath is a still very intimidating, but very cool person. Rodney is one of those talented people that you just kind of gotta say WOW at. Without him in Hawkeye, we would probably bore all our readers into a never ending boredom of sleep. If you ever see Homestuck fanart on room 130’s whiteboards, blame him.

“You can usually find Rodney drawing scrunched up in the most back breaking position known to man. Have you ever seen those little doodles on DeMiero’s white boards? Yeah that was probably Rod. Always finishing up whatever graphics we didn’t get done, Rod has definitely saved our press dates multiple times.”

LUCAS BARQUIN 2023-2024 OP/ED EDITOR

Rachel Davis Hunter Michaelson Phuong Lam

DESIGN EDITOR

MTHS k Whitman College

You might not be able to find her in a crowd, but you can for sure find her in room 130! Whether she’s munching on a salad during lunch or designing her fingers off before an issue, Rachel Davis is a person you need when you’re working. She’s emotionally supportive and can crochet her heart out. We’re extremely grateful to have had her and Whitman will be as well.

EMMALEE HARMON 2023-2024 TEMPO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

TEMPO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MTHS k Bellevue College

You ever seen that really tall white guy in the halls of Mountlake Terrace High School? No, not Principal Schellenberg, it’s Hunter Michaelson! Hunter worked tirelessly on yearbook design, sports photography, and baseball. He also shows a fondness for dinosaurs, specifically the brachiosaurus, which you can find covering his Mac and MacBook.

“Hunter teaches me design and opens my applesauce every morning. Without Hunter and applesauce, InDesign would be too hard and I would have dropped this class.”

KIM BANH 2023-2024 MANAGING EDITOR

GENERAL MANAGER

MTHS k University of Washington Seattle

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Pinterest girl! It’s... Phuong? That’s right people, Phuong Lam is not only an athlete, she’s also been the general manager for HSM for the past two years. She works behind the scenes and the brains behind all things money in the journalism program. She and her iPad are inseparable, but she’s not an iPad kid, don’t worry. Overall, Phuong is one of the sweetest people and anyone who meets her is truly lucky.

“This girl is literally so pretty and has such a cute clothing style. She rocks bangs and I love her sense of humour. You will be missed Phuong.”

EMMALEE HARMON 2023-2024 TEMPO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Senior Hawkeye leadership from left to right: Hunter Michaelson, Rachel Davis, Phuong Lam, Cecilia Negash, Maggie O’Hara (not pictured: Rodney Budden). SERAS BRYNER | HAWKEYE

“Rachel is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met while still holding boundaries and prioritizing herself. I will miss seeing her in the mornings before classes.”