The Highlander September 25, 2023

The Highlander

HIGHLAND FALL PICNIC IS A SUCCESS!

Once a year, Indian Creek Camp hosts an event specifically for Highland Academy called Fall Picnic. Every class competes against each other in water games. Memories are made each year that students participate. Even though it is a required school day, it does not feel like one.

Days before, each class had practiced synchronized swimming whenever they had the opportunity. They would ask their teachers and sponsors if they could skip a class to practice, which paid off. This year’s judges were: Mr. Wade, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, Mr. Schmidt, and Mr. Reading. Freshmen started the competitions this year with the song “How Far I’ll Go” by Auli’i Cravalho from “Moana.” They had no time to practice, so there was no synchronization, which earned a two from every judge, putting them in last place

Sophomores went next, starting with the song “Dance the Night Away” by Dua Lipa. However, what got the audience riled up was when the boys broke into song singing

“I Am Ken” by Ryan Gosling from the movie “Barbie.” It was such a performance that they got a 24 out of 26, which earned them second place.

Next up was the Juniors. They waded into the pool with face masks designed to look like characters from Mario that went with their music “Bowser Battle” from “Super Mario Bros,” “Mario’s Victory Theme” from “Super Smash Bros,”

and “Dire, Dire Docks” from “Super Mario 64 Guide”. Their performance was “The closest thing to actual synchronized swimming that I have seen,” says Saniya Livingston. Ultimately, they got third place.

Seniors blew everyone out of the water. It started with the song “Go the Distance” by Roger Bart from “Hercules.” This included Connor Cheney diving into the water and coming up and singing the song while three other guys jumped. The next song was “Part of Your World,” sung by Halle Bailey from “The Little Mermaid,” with Alexandria Reid acting as Ariel. Once they finished that song, they played “I’ve Got a Dream” by Mandy Moore and Brad Garrett from “Tangled.” Acting as Rapunzel, Abigail Hosler sat on Cheney’s shoulders, singing the song. Transitioning to the song “A Whole New World” by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane from “Aladdin.” Three guys carried Victor Castillo and Izzy Laneville, acting as Aladdin and Jasmine, around the pool. The

second to last song was “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” by Donny Osmond from “Mulan,” with Rachel Liu acting as Mulan and Suhjin Yoon acting as General, turning into a fight scene. The last song was “Heigh Ho” from “Snow White.” As it played, all the seniors in the pool walked up the steps and out of the water to where it ended. No one doubted them getting first place; they earned it.

The next competition was the turtle race, which included a turtle float. The students competing had to lie on the float and swim to the other side. Once they reached the other side, their teammate would swap places with them and swim back to the shallow end. Juniors received last place, Freshmen got third place, Sophomores placed second, and Seniors arrived first.

The next competition was the football throw. Sophomores and Juniors tied for third place; freshmen would have won if Diomedes Suarez had messed up his throw instead of giving the

seniors the win. We were all on edge to see who would win.

The girl’s swimming relay was next, starting with a backstroke and then a breaststroke from the deep end. It then led to a butterfly stroke in the shallow end, which was funny watching people do it, and the last relay was a freestyle swim. Freshmen lost, Sophomores got third, and Juniors arrived in second, which leaves Seniors with first place. They were all very impressive swimmers, and all deserved first place. The relay used a lot of teamwork to get first place because they were not the only ones swimming; they did not want to let their classmates down, making them all swim harder and faster.

Continued on pg. 6

Maggie Carlson

LUMBER JACK WEEK COMES TO AN END

kyle Dudgeon

August 27th marked the beginning of Highland Academy’s annual LumberJack and Lumber Jill week, when the male students competed in many manly activities, and the girls had different fun activities every night to compete. Some activities were physically demanding, while others required more thought.

The arm wrestling tournament was the guys’ first event of the week. It was a oneon-one elimination bracket that was completely randomized. They had games that ended instantly because one person was much stronger than their opponent and others where they were so even that no one moved for minutes at a time. No matter who played, you could hear all the guys cheering, and once we got to the final rounds, Isaias Serrano brought an arm wrestling strap to even the odds. The last round was a very even match between Sion Kwan and Isaias that went on for what seemed like hours. Everyone was screaming and shouting excitedly to see who the victor would be, then finally Isaias won. Goi Tour, junior, said, “I liked the arm wrestling tournament. It was hilarious when someone’s wrist almost broke.” The girls had a class-onclass jump rope competition. There was a huge jump rope for this event, and each class had to have at least five girls jump rope simultaneously. Whichever class had the most successful jumps won. After three rounds of pure excitement and anticipation, the senior class won.

For Tuesday’s activity, the boys excitedly ran down to the gym to play Glow in the Dark Dodgeball. The deans split the boys’ dorm into two teams, playing in the dark with glow sticks. This event did not have a winner because

it was a non-competitive game where the teams would change every round. Everyone was able to have fun violently assaulting each other with dodgeballs, and no one got hurt.

The next activity for the guys was mini golf. The dean and R.As put together a mini golf course inside the guys’ dorm composed of 8 different holes. The make-shift range consisted of everything from hitting the ball straight forward to ricocheting the ball between two trash cans. Like every first pancake is the worst, everyone’s first shot was awful. Some people got their balls stuck behind furniture, while others knocked between door frames. Everyone had fun and did their best, but some did exceedingly well and got below par. Someone went above and beyond, getting a hole-in-one on almost every hole, and that was our winner, Isaiah Mckenzie, junior. The girls had an intense classon-class tug-of-war competition.

Victor Castillo, a senior, says, “I could even hear the screaming all the from the boy’s dorm.” The girls worked together with different strategies to win. The freshman took the victory against the senior, and the seniors raced over to congratulate them for a job well done.

The next guy’s event was the six-on-six indoor soccer tournament. The dorm split into four teams of six who would play two games each. The first game was your placement game. The two teams that won would move on to the next round, and the losers would play a final game for third place. All of the games came down to the wire and required a penalty shoot-out to decide a winner. The winning team was Lucas Mills, freshman, Connor Cheney, senior, Goi Tuor, junior, Isaiah Mckenzie, junior, Curtis Ballew, junior, and Diomedes Suarez, senior.

The boys’ final event before the campout was the Amazing Race. The Amazing Race was a scavenger hunt in teams of five where you had to look for riddles that told you where you

needed to go and then do the given task. Goy Both, junior, who ran the marshmallow station, said, “I loved watching the people fail at making the marshmallow structures.” The winning team comprised Jackson Roddy, senior, Bradon Patton, senior, Curtis Ballew, junior, Jovan Fritz, sophomore, and Josh Mazibuko, junior. Josh said, “It was so much fun running around campus to do all the tasks.” They received ice cream for their outstanding efforts.

The girls had an exciting Nerf Gun War in the gym. The gymnastics mats were used as barriers, and the girls split into four teams. Some people made alliances, and betrayals occurred. Friends turned against friends to make an epic battle. Different types of rounds made it more interesting. There were the regular teams, a free-forall, and to conclude the night, there was a shoot-out. Now we come to our fantastic campout, the most exciting part of the week. Every guy in the dorm set out to the back 40 to the campsite on Friday evening. The first thing they did was to put up their tents and hammocks to sleep in. Once everyone settled in, the deans brought them a bounty of burgers and fries. They ate and then had vespers. They sang songs, and then our illustrious Pastor Benji had the worship thought. When vespers ended, they had s’mores and then went to bed.

They ate pancakes and eggs in the morning and then had Sabbath School. For Sabbath School, the deans had them set out on a scavenger hunt to find different items in God’s nature. Once they returned to the campsite, Dean Rogers told them to use the things they found to make a worship thought. Then they had church, where Elias Groft taught them what it means to be a Kingdom Seeker and lead others to the Kingdom.

Continued on pg.6

Unraveling the Layers of Generalized Anxiety: Empathy, Awareness, And Coping Strategies.

Shiloh Bushey

Anxiety comes in many shapes and sizes, the most common being GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Life sometimes feels like you hustle and bustle with no breaks, and having anxiety with you for the ride does not make things any better. Anxiety affects students from the classroom, to the dorm, and even their home. It follows a person everywhere. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Let’s shed some light on anxiety and how to handle it.

GAD is just one of several different types of anxiety. It is normal to be stressed, but when worrying becomes excessive to the point that a person cannot focus or work well, it may be time to work on anxiety. GAD is when worrying gets out of control with even small things. When experiencing anxiety, small things seem much larger to the person

experiencing them, but Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

GAD can be inherited from previous generations. Traumatic experiences like domestic violence and bullying can also cause it to grow into a problem. Another interesting cause of GAD would be a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some of these chemicals would be Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine. Any chronic illness can cause it such as hypothyroidism. The most common symptoms include; excessive worry, restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping and physical symptoms including headaches, stomach pains and muscle tension. Anxiety is like a cycle, one that

feels impossible to stop. Logan Johnson, director of the Student Success Center at Highland Academy, says, “You can subconsciously fall into a cycle of anxiety and depression, but you have to consciously make the choice to work your way out of it.” It can be difficult to make that decision, but you must make it every day knowing that God is with you every step of the way

Just like GAD is common among students, it is common everywhere. You may have friends or family who have it, and you can help them by listening to them talk it out, educating yourself on what it is and how it affects them, encouraging self-care and by not minimizing their struggles. If you are struggling with GAD, don’t hesitate to contact a friend or family member. The staff at Highland Academy are always ready to help whenever you need it.

Understanding

Generalized Anxiety

Disorder and seeking help is crucial for creating a healthy environment and thus, healthy self-care. By looking at some of the causes and symptoms of it, we can empathize with those who struggle and grow to be supportive and encouraging friends. Support from loved ones is vital, so, reach out to those you see struggling. If you are the one in need, ask for help so we can all be a part of a better community. Talk to someone, but most importantly, talk to God. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

Creative Corner

WELCOME TO THE NEW PART OF OUR NEWSPAPER!!

This corner of the newspaper provides a place for creativity and interaction with all of you!

Here’s a few different things you may see in this corner of The Highlander Newspaper; sketches, poetry, quotes, thoughts and ideas. Remember, this corner is for creativity so it could be anything from the deepest/ heavy things on your heart to simply something that makes you smile. :)

In our day to day lives we don’t always get the opportunity or time to express our thoughts and emotions in creative ways. This is your time and place to do so!! If you are wanting to send something in, scan the QR code below. You can sign your name or leave your work anonymous, whichever you prefer! I will start it off-

KIND

By: C.L.D

If I could change the definition of kind

Every time.

On every line.

Through your eyes.

I can tell you

You are kind

But it wouldn’t fulfill

How you are defined, You are more than that You were designed God made you

One of a KIND

Casi Demaree

WEEK OF SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS RECAP

The week of spiritual emphasis (WSE) was held August 21 through 25 at Highland Academy for the students and staff to take a moment from their busy schedules and strengthen their relationship with God.

Lo- Ammi Richardson was the guest speaker for the week as he shared his testimony with the student body. Week of Spiritual Emphasis is a biannual event that students and staff look forward to. WSE is when all the students join in the chapel, sing songs, and listen to the guest speaker as he shares his knowledge of Christ and His immense love for us. This event occurs every year because it is good to be reminded that we attend a Christian school and helps us understand how Christ can be implemented into our daily lives.

This year’s guest speaker, Lo-Ammi Richardson provided his bio, which can be found on his website https://www. loammirichardson.com.

It says that, “Lo-Ammi Richardson is familiar with the struggles and challenges facing students today.

Between the ages of 15 to 25, he was trapped in a lifestyle of fighting, skipping school, and selling drugs leading to multiple juvenile arrests. This behavior led to bad decisionmaking, low academic performance, and wasted opportunities.”

His life took a positive turn when he attended a Youth Conference in Kentucky. Since that conference, he has traveled the world sharing his inspiring story detailed in his book I Am is Greater than

I Was; From Identity Lost to Purpose Found. Lo-Ammi has experienced firsthand the hardships and trials that students face when trying to enter college, graduate, and contribute to American societal and economic life. Lo-Ammi seeks to use his story to serve and motivate students to find their inspiration, calling and purpose.”

“As a speaker, he seeks to serve and motivate students to successfully complete their postsecondary education and excel at their local school. Lo-Ammi is a firstgeneration college graduate completing his bachelor’s degree from top renowned HBCU Oakwood University. Having triumphed over the adversities of growing up in a low-income community and attending a Title 1 High School. His story is one of hope and a purpose discovered. LoAmmi’s experiences have led him to become the motivational speaker he is today. Nationally, he has traveled, touching the lives of many young people.”

“Traveling over 25 states, and internationally from Canada, Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, and the Middle East. Lo-Ammi is uniquely equipped to ignite this generation of students to believe that all things are possible while helping them find their calling and purpose in this culture.”

You can learn more about him and his work on his website at https://www.loammirichardson. com/.

Pastor Richardson’s topics ranged from facing anxiety and depression with God, to lessons we learn from the parable of the prodigal son. It was enjoyable to sit and listen to the pastor talk about such topics and refreshing to hear how we can defeat whatever battles we may be going through with Christ at our side. On Friday night, the second to last night of WSE, we hold an event called Agape Feast, or simply, Agape. This special event is where all the staff, students and the WSE speaker get together and share a meal. After dinner, the group heads to the chapel to listen to the messenger’s final words for the week. After the night’s sermon, people head to the gym for a small communion service and foot washing service. Here, staff prepare and wash students’ feet as an expression of servanthood. This was a tender moment for everyone and something participants can carry with them for a long time.

Students prayed together. Staff prayed with the students. Hugs were shared. It was a touching night. One student said, “It was a spiritual moment. I felt that God was there with us.” Overall, this week was a great success. Thank you to Lo Ammi Richardson for being willing to speak at our school and share more of Christ’s love with us.

Adriel Garcia

WELCOME MR. GAGATAM!

Maggie Carlson

This year, a new member was added to our Highland staff. Darlie Gagatam, working as a personal finance, brought him and his family to the campus of Highland Academy from Wisconsin, “America’s Dairyland.” Gagatam has been in finance for 23 years, and even though it was not his first choice as a job, he has learned to love it. He has two sons, Seth and Luke Gagatam, and a wife, Blanch Gagatam. He met his wife through a singing group in church.

Gagatam loves that his boys are “very respectful, humble because of their upbringing, and they read their Bible every day. They don’t go out without having worship and when we drive they never forget to pray and always remind me to pray, even if the distance is very close. I love that they are close to God and dedicated; they also follow what has been taught to them.” He and his family came to Highland because “I feel like I have a calling here, with new staff, new friends, new church members, and getting to know the students.” The most important reason that he came is that God has a calling for him to work here. Maybe Gagatam will bless this campus in no way ever done before.

When Gagatam was asked what his dream trip was, his immediate response was, “The Holy Land, but of course, the most important dream I have is going to heaven, but here on earth, I want to visit the Holy Land.” He wants to visit the pilgrimage destinations where Adventism started and “all those historical places.” Gagatam would have liked to tell his younger self “to read books because what I did instead was play a lot. I would have told myself to study well, explore some more, create more

experiences and not be afraid because sometimes you learn lessons from your mistakes, most of the time, I mean.

“ Be content with what you have, but strive to be a better person not by cheating, but by being honest and willing to help.”

In his free time, Gagatam plays tennis, “but there are no courts around here. I think they are in Madison, so I like fishing.” He loves photography, playing badminton, and pretty much any other sport, “not expert, just for fun.” He also loves mountain climbing and hiking. He has a great love for nature because it is God’s Creation. He said his favorite place to go and pray when stressed and anxious was “a quiet place in God’s Creation, by a stream, a mountain, a place surrounded by trees, anything He has created so I can meditate on it.”

The question of the highlight of his year came up, and Gagatam started laughing and said, “It was moving, moving from Wisconsin. That is the highlight of my summer.” He was so busy that he never had time to do anything that would have been interesting. “I just finished my college degree and am still serving with the Lord,” which is

a blessing! He is also a third-generation Adventist carrying on the family religion.

Gagatam’s dream job as a child was as a pastor. Still, as he grew up, he wished to be a computer engineer, “but since money was an issue, the next option was to be a nurse because I wanted to come here to the US, but as I said, money was the big issue so they told me to take accounting. It is not my main target or mission, but I loved my work once I started and learned to love accounting. Which I have done for thirty-plus years.”

Gagatam was asked what his favorite thing about Highland was, and he answered, “Well, when I first came here, the staff were very welcoming, so everyone is supporting each other, and it is a new place although it is not as country as I expected. The principal is outstanding in his leadership and his support. There are a lot of students here compared to where I came from. It is more than half, times two,

You cannot only have a girl’s relay, so the boy’s swimming relay was the next competition. With the boys, the results were different. Freshmen still got last, but sophomores ended with second, and the juniors placed third. First place was awarded to Seniors.

The last five competitions were; biggest splash, smallest splash, best trick, best dive, and most gruesome. Seniors won every competition thanks to Levi Hallam, who won “Biggest Splash,” Jana Shin for “Smallest Splash,” Cheney for “Best Dive,” Bryson Beckworth for “Best Trick,” and finally Brandon Patton for “Most Gruesome.” Patton was definitely the alltime winner; he truly earned his first-place win. When his feet left the diving board, he glided over the water and made the most painful bellyflop ever. There was a red mark on his chest for hours afterward. Hunter Darrel gave Freshmen second place for “Best Trick” by executing a double flip, only over-rotating the

tiniest bit. Hannah Rice and Rachel O’Dell tied for second for smallest splash; they had identical splashes.

After all of the competitions, judges discussed for a moment and then announced the final results of the winners. Christen Thomas read off the placements. “Fourth place with 37 points goes to the Freshmen. Third place with 42 points, the Juniors.”

Once the clapping and cheering had died down, she said, “With 49 points,

second place goes to the Sophomores”. Of course, neither last nor least, with 70 points for first place”, Seniors won.

Once they were done, the students were given options of swimming in the pool, where people were playing volleyball and jumping off the diving board or going to the boat dock and either tubing or cliff jumping. After an hour of these activities, food was served in the gymnasium. After eating, it was right back to having fun. A ton of

people were sore from tubing the following day. Emmett Stevens and Bertin Shyaka both agreed that “the tubing was fun.” Cleaning up was the sad part because that meant we had to leave. No one can wait for this following year’s Fall Picnic. Everyone had a blast this year; we hope to have even more fun next year. Thank you, ICC!

The girls went to staff member Stephanie Rufo’s house for a Slumber party. There were lightsaber fights, Lego building, and even playing with Barbie dolls. The girls concluded the week of competitions Friday night with a classon-class cake decorating competition. The senior class was again the victors of the competition. Saturday morning, the girls had a delicious breakfast of pancakes and tater-tots. There was a Sabbath School outside with some relaxing devotional time. Then, there was a church service inside the living room. It was a great bonding experience with various songs, testimonies, and fun.

The next challenge was the jump rope contest. Each person had to see how many times they

could jump over the rope in two minutes. The next competition was the sports relay, where a person would have to first dribble a soccer ball between cones and then set a volleyball above their head. Next, they had to run to half-court and throw a football at the backboard. Once they did that, they had to hit a free throw, then finish it off by throwing a frisbee into a goal. Whoever did it the fastest won. Our final challenge was the bench press, where you had to lift the most weight according to your body weight. This week was an exhilarating endeavor for everyone involved. It got the whole dorm to get closer through meaningless tournaments and challenges. Even though not everyone won

Lumber jack week cont.

a tournament, everyone grew closer to each other and God.

Photos

Photos by: Yearbook

Riddle: You throw away my outside, eat my inside, then throw away the inside. What am I?

Rules: Go tell Mrs.Rufo when you think you have the answer.

August 31st Issue answer: Second place

By Casi Demaree

You’re giving to others but not receiving anything back, take a break from it- you don’t have to smile and make everyone else feel comfortable by making yourself uncomfortable. That’s not your job. Don’t change yourself by lowering yourself just to meet someone else’s level. Stay exactly where you are, and be proud of who you are and what you are capable of, you will be accepted by those who matter :) The people who love you will support you and be proud of what you have achieved, and not only that but they will push you and help you achieve even further goals. So just be, let yourself be comfortable. Putting yourself first is not being rude to others, it’s loving and protecting who you are. If you walk past someone and smile at them and they don’t smile back, shake it off. Only smile if you feel you have enough in you to do so. Smile when you want to, smile for yourself not for others. And if you walk past someone and know that you don’t have the power to smile that day, there’s no reason for you to feel bad for knowing your limits. After you pass that person, it’s up to them to decide what to make of the interaction, it’s not up to you to put that upon yourself. And chances are, there’s not even giving the interaction a second thought- but you are, I understand. You’re deep and you’re missing the feeling of connection. So you smile with the little bit of happiness you have left and end up walking away feeling empty and rejected. But please, only smile when you truly want to. Know your limit, and be genuine, because genuine is what you need. Have a deep moment with someone, don’t be afraid to open up if you need to. Feel what you’re feeling and never put those feelings second to other people’s happiness. Put your feelings first because you deserve what you’re constantly trying to give other people; Happiness, understanding and a genuine smile.

“What happens when people compliment a smile that is being used to cover pain?” They say my smile is beautiful but what about my pain? Is my brokenness beautiful too? Will they see the same kind of beauty in my grief as they do in my smile?

The Highlander Staff

“Smile”

Editor-in-chief

Aurora Gomez