Sunday, March 25, 2018 - Volume 4, Issue 2 - San Diego, CA - NathaNews.weebly.com
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MATCHMAKER
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SDYSP IN SPACE
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STUDENT WALK-OUT
7 Maranatha students and staff in Spain. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRYAM SULLIVAN
MRS. HOWARD FEATURE
Vamos A EspaĂąa: High School Art and Culture Trip to Spain Lauren Davis EDITOR Only a 14 hour plane ride away lies the beautiful city of Spain. Some of our students had the pleasure of jetting off to Europe the week before Thanksgiving break to endeavor on foreign adventure of exploring the culture and history of
Spain. The students left on November 11th to later return on the 17th. After an anticipating flight through London and onward to Madrid, the students eagerly arrived in Spain and got going right as their flight ended. Sure, it may have been around 9pm, however 9pm in Spain is like 4pm in America‌the night was
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young! As the week progressed, the group made the most of their time and certainly did not waste even a minute. They made their way through all of the famous southern cities: Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, and Cordoba.
See SPAIN on pg 2
WINTER SPORTS
Origin Story and Beyond: NHS Blood Drive Sarah Stout EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Students prepare to donate their blood. PHOTO BY MARISA HEFFERNAN/NATHA NEWS
On Monday, November 6, the National Honors Society coordinated their sixth annual blood drive for the underlying causes of not only donating blood, but raising awareness for the necessity of it in hospitals around the United States. During this event, students, staff, and the community were given the
opportunity to donate blood, and were also able to become organ donors-a new addition to the blood drive event. Students and staff arrived at the high school multipurpose room from 8:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon to donate blood for patients in need of it. By the conclusion of the event, 17 blood donations were received, which equates to 51 lives saved as a result of these donations. But how
did this blood donating tradition initially begin? In 2014, a current junior at Baylor University and past president of NHS, Elizabeth Collins, passionately pushed the idea of a blood drive based on her own past experiences. As a cancer survivor, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Leukemia, also called blood cancer, when she was a child.
See BLOOD DRIVE on pg 5
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As you could imagine, the mentality of the trip was “Go Go Go”! The group continued from page 1 ended up walking almost 70 miles in only the few days that they were in Everyone had the pleasure of visiting all Europe. There was truly nothing that they of the major monuments, cathedrals, missed out on due to their mentality, and museums, castles, and restaurants. they fortunately were able to make the absolute most of every minute they spent in Spain. Thanks to the endless cappuccinos and amazing teachers, the students loved all aspects of the trip, even despite the exhaustion of jet lag, time difference, lack of sleep, and long walking distances. Being in the heart of abundance of Maranatha students and Mr. Ryan Jackson in Spain PHOTO an European culture was COURTESY OF MIRYAM SULLIVAN/’NATHA NEWS
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unlike anything else, especially for the students that take Spanish, art, or AP European Culture. Being in the hub of history was an eye opening experience that made real so many things for not just the students, but the teachers as well. The group of students and teachers worked exceptionally well together, which therefore made the whole experience even more pleasurable. Each teacher provided so much knowledge about Spain and different aspects of it, and therefore were able to share their knowledge with the students. Hours of life changing conversation over meals and in front of spectacular views had to have been one of the most amazing parts of the whole rendezvous. If you are considering hopping on a plane for the next school trip, waste no more time and have no more hesitation. Simply start your fundraising now because these trips are a life changing
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Viewpoint in Spain. PHOTO BY LAUREN DAVIS / ‘NATHA NEWS
experience that our lovely school makes possible for us. Next stop, Italy!
Operation Christmas Child: What’s So Special About the Box? Rachael Hudak STAFF WRITER The box leads to the Bible, and the Bible leads to eternal life. People all around the world are filling shoeboxes and coming together for a common goal and purpose: to spread the word of God, one child at a time. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has been the biggest evangelical children’s outreach program in the world, impacting over 146 million children and their families. Everyday items that many Americans take for granted are offered to children to cater to their physical and spiritual needs. Rick Riehman, an active project leader, enjoys being apart of OCC
because, “ It reaches to the hearts of children who desperately need a Lord and Savior.” Maranatha Christian Schools has been the host of an annual packing party for OCC. This year MCS alone collected 800 boxes from the students and staff, which is a dramatic increase from the 600 boxes packaged last year. “I am so touched by how many people make it possible for each child to receive the love of God,” said Mr. Riehman. Because of our efforts in packing shoeboxes here at MCS, many children are beginning their walk with Christ. If the seed of faith is planted deep in your heart, there are many ways to become involved with OCC. According to Rick Riehman, “Student involvement
is key in embracing the needs of children through the gift filled shoe box.” OCC runs year round, allowing you to pray, package, and send out a shoebox that will go directly to the heart of a child. For every seven boxes sent, one child will grow to love Christ and accept Him as their savior. The youth community is the future of OCC, and the hand of God is already at work here on campus. As a student body, we can begin by collecting items that will be accepted with great joy by children in third-world countries. Although you may not be able to deliver the box in person, you can have confidence that your gift will give a child hope and a desire to learn more about Jesus Christ.
OCC shoeboxes packed by Maranatha students. PHOTO COURTESY OF RICK RIEHMAN
Morp-tastic Dance Emily Merkes STAFF WRITER
Sophomores Amanda Corey (left) and Emily Merkes (right) paint junior Justin Stout’s arm with white paint. PHOTO BY SARAH STOUT/’NATHA NEWS
What is Morp? Morp is the opposite of prom...think about it: Prom spelled backwards is Morp! People come dressed casually in all white for our White Christmas theme and dance under the black lights to the music of the DJ. At this year’s Morp dance, the tables were stacked high with snacks and cookies and sugar so you could re- energize yourself and continue to dance the night away. There was also a photo booth with Christmas decorations so you could capture the fun of it all with your friends. As you walked down the aisle of the candle-lighted pathway, you were met with a table where
you get your free ticket and walk into the dim lighted gym surrounded by black walls and filled with tables and food. The walls were lined with lovely handmade snowflakes made by our very own ASB. The same ASB that sets up and tears down almost every dance while everyone else leaves to go home spent months planning this year’s dance to make it fun for everyone. The night of Morp is the night to dance with your friends, go to the photo booth, and eat tons of junk food before you go home for the night. As Bethany Nyugen said, “I think it was a great way to spend time with my friends and have fun before finals week.” This dance provided the opportunity for students to have fun and take a break from the stress of finals-a break that many students really needed. The DJ played catchy songs that the
students could dance and sing to. Nathan Self stated, “I really enjoyed the dance and I thought Mr. Martin was a really good DJ because he played a lot of fun songs.” After the dance, the seniors had their senior party that around 20 people attended and continued to dance for the next hour. “So it was small but it was probably the most fun I've ever had at a school dance because the people who stayed actually wanted to dance and have fun,” said Nathan about the senior party. Morp is a time to dance and not worry about finals or the other stresses of life. This year, as always, it was a casual party. All in all, Morp was an awesome dance with wonderful music and delicious food, and provided an amazing opportunity for students to take a break from the studying and pressure of the upcoming midterms.
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The Show’s Poppin! Zoë Scherpbier STAFF WRITER Hold onto your hats because Maranatha is working on a “practically perfect” show for the junior high and high school spring musical, Mary Poppins. Beginning last November, Jayne Howard, the director of the show, has been working nonstop on directing the famous play and choreographing all of the intricate dances. Also helping her with the costuming team, lead by Katherine Gordon and help from Natalia Neumrekel, and music and harmonies, lead by Jenny Gillette. Out of the many students that auditioned, only a select few could make the cut for the lead roles. The actress, Jessica Hewett, a senior, was chosen to play the role of Mary Poppins. Actor, Will Collins, a fellow senior, was cast for the role as Bert. Lexi Fuller and Samuel Gordon will play Jane and Michael Banks. J.D. Stout and Ryleigh DeJong will play George and Winifred Banks. When asked about the choreography, Jessica Price, playing Queen Victoria, said, “It’s really fun, sometimes really hard but still really fun…the choreography is really fast in certain songs.” Jayden Saleh, who plays the teddy bear and ensemble, said, “ I think it’s coming together well. It’s very complex and complicated though; like there’s like 20 different gestures for one word and that took like two hours, no three hours. It took like a whole rehearsal just to get like a quarter of the choreography for ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’, which, by the way, we have to spell with our hands,” With all the hard work put in by all the actors and actresses, costumers, vocalist, and mostly Jayne Howard, the show will turn out practically perfect.
Mrs. Howard teaching the cast choreography. PHOTO BY SARAH STOUT/’NATHA NEWS
Drama students acting in Matchmaker. PHOTOS BY EMILY HIME/’NATHA NEWS
The Matchmaker Bella Salanga STAFF WRITER “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder in short, described by Lorraine Koska, is romantic, “but still full of comedy.” Lorraine played “Dolly Levi,” the protagonist of the play, where she was meddling in others’ lives, trying to spread wisdom and love wherever she went. Her character, Dolly, “is … extroverted and fun … and [has] such a big personality.” The play had three shows where the casts’ family, friends, and even teachers came to support them! The play featured students from all grades starting with freshman, Isabelle Monroy, to beloved seniors: Will Collins, Ryleigh Dejong, Jessica Hewett, and Nathan Self. Prior to the shows, the cast had “tech week” where the cast spent hours preparing for the show. Students and staff would be at the school from 3pm to about 10pm every night, trying to work out every little detail. During these hours especially, and additional rehearsals throughout the first semester, students practiced “teamwork,” and fellowship. Students worked together, developed friendships, and learned plenty of lessons
approaching the performances. One of the most important things Lorraine Koska learned was, “every single character is important,” and Noah Sullivan learned, “it’s a lot of work ... but the responsibility is trumped by the fun it [was] to put together [this] play and [I] discovered a new talent I never thought I had.” Not only was the responsibility worth it, like Noah said, but so was all the countless hours the cast and crew put into the show. Every night, the crowd was filled with bouts laughter and infectious joy, which made everything feel more joyful. As always with the happy moments of the show, there also came the sad moments. The show was bittersweet, because as for some of the beloved cast it was their final high school play, but it also inspired and bred new thespians like Noah Sullivan. For students contemplating joining MCS performing arts, Lorraine and Noah encourage their peers to give it a shot. Lorraine says, “[students should] try theater if they are interested. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and to try a new thing.” Noah said, “[by being in the show] I [was] part of something I never thought I [would be.] I never imagined that I would be acting ... but all it took was for me to try it out.”
“And There Was No More Room Left In the Chapel” Jayden Saleh STAFF WRITER A wonderful way to highlight the Christmas season and to celebrate the spectacular birth of our humble Messiah Jesus Christ was our annual All-School Christmas Chapel. With the addition of students, a new show choir, and so much more this year’s was taken up a notch. Kicking off with the delicious, annual Koinonia Breakfast before the celebration and only one midterm everyone was a little happier walking into the school grounds. Everyone found their seats and some tried to guess the songs by the line that was displayed upon the screen’s countdown. During the final moments of the countdown, Mr. Jackson walked on stage and prayed. After, there was a powerful video with statue-like actors telling the
story of the birth of Jesus with only instrumental music. When that ended, the five vocalists of the High School Worship Team sang the song “Hallelujah” while backed up by many instruments. Their second song “Little Drummer Boy” was amazing, with talented instrumental work, a solo on the saxophone from Samuel Gordon and a rapping solo from Rory Darby. Following, the Junior High Drama performed a unique interpretation of the story “Three Wise Men” showing a side of the story that we don’t see. After, the carolers of the Junior High Choir sang a beautifully harmonized “The Most Wonderful Time of The Year”. They also sang a very smooth “Do You See What I See?” in perfect notes. Next, the High School Show Choir performed an astounding performance of “Pinecones and Hollyberries”.
Continuing in the celebration, Mr. Holguin shared with us an amazing composition of “Stairway To Heaven”. Starting mellow the music soon amped up into some amazing instrumental work, and so many more surprises. It was super loud and really fun. Then, the 4th graders took the spotlight with their performance of “Joy Has Come”. It was upbeat and fun with adorable choreography and powerful, young singing. The JH Choir went back up and sang “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. They performed with awesome annunciation and pronunciation of Old English. The High School Choir came back on stage and beautifully sang “How Far”. It was louder than the bell and it portrayed wonderful control of voices. The chapel concluded with a
legendary performance. The band started extremely loud and every singer of the choirs’ voices matched the band’s volume. The song revealed itself to be Christmas Sarajevo. This song brought many surprises. One was a giant plastic tuba perfectly worked in to the musical galore. Everyone played on perfect notes, sang with astounding harmony, and drummed magnificently. It was absolutely out of the park with the instrumental music. The song ended and Mr. Jackson came on the stage and wrapped it all up with John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. Bravo to everyone that participated. A special thanks to Mr. Holguin, PAC, and Mrs. Howard for putting on this fantastic celebration.
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Bring on the Dinosaurs: Sadie Hawkins Dance Sarah Stout EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Many of the high school students at Maranatha look forward to the Sadie Hawkins dance for numerous reasons, such as girls asking guys to the dance, spending time with friends, the awesome after-parties, or all of the above. However, unlike past Sadies dances, this year’s dance included multiple new features: an awesome new theme, an
introductory skit, and dinner. This year, the ASB tackled the Sadies theme of Jurassic Park, and did so masterfully! When the students first arrived, they stood outside of the main school gates while they patiently waited for their ride to get into the dance: a truck. After loading the truck, the driver turned on a pre-recorded tour on the radio. This tour played as the truck drove the students and staff riding it through
the long wooden gate to the right of the C-building. After entering the gate, the riders listened to the commentary as they observed different scenes resembling the Jurassic Park movies—from the scientists first engineering the dinosaurs, to the dinosaurs being hunted, and to the dinosaurs attacking a person and chasing down the truck! By the end of the skit, the truck passed the baseball field and looped around the back of the gym to finally unload its passengers outside the doors
Left: The mezzanine-level view of the Sadies dance. Right: In the Jurassic-theme skit, scientists developing the dinosaur eggs. PHOTOS BY EMILY HIME/’NATHA NEWS
on the side of the gym, where Mr. Cabral was waiting to greet the students to the dance. In the gym itself, black partitions lined with leaves and different naturethemed decorations bordered half of the gym. Glass lanterns filled with butterflies were perched on several of the tables stationed on the gym floor. There were also cardboard cutouts of several dinosaurs and a photo booth for students to capture memories of the dance. But one cannot ignore the DJ, Mr. Martin, who rocked some amazing music and cracked a few jokes along the way. Also, unlike previous dances the south mezzanine was utilized. Multiple tables rested there for students to sit around. Students furthermore partook in the burritos and chips assembled in the mezzanine. Many of the students and chaperones appreciated this added benefit and the striking view of the full dance from the edge of the mezzanine. After three hours of dancing, photos, eating, and excitement, students left the dance saying that it was the best dance that the ASB has organized. This is no surprise, as the various fresh additions coupled with the older traditions made this a memorable dance for all the students who attended.
Much Ado About Shakespeare Sarah Stout
One opportunity that students receive to dive deeper into the acting world of Shakespeare is the chance to compete in Shakespeare: the legendary author of the annual National Shakespeare widely-known works such as Romeo and Competition. Juliet, Julius Caesar, and creator of In this optional competition, high school students not only memorize a acclaimed quotes such as, “To be or not monologue by Shakespeare, but also tap to be” and “Et tu, brute?”. Not surprisingly, as a component of English into the thespian side of Shakespeare’s classes, high school students at writing, as they act out their specific Maranatha Christian School take time to monologue. study the works of this renowned author. After choosing a monologue and attending several practices for the competition, students present their rendition in front of several people at the school. The winner then advances to compete at the regional level in Solana Beach. The winner of that round of the competition then attends the national competition in New York City. This year, five students competed in Junior Noah Sullivan reciting his monologue at the regional the first round of the level. competition at the PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRYAM SULLIVAN school. All the months EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
that the students prepared for this event finally paid off at the school competition on Saturday, January 20th. Out of the five students, junior Noah Sullivan won for the second year in a row and took his skills to the regional competition in Solana Beach, where other high schools, including performing arts schools, sent students to compete to earn a spot in the national competition. Noah brought on a stunning performance, but fell a little short of earning a spot in the national competition. However, the goals of this competition stretch beyond a single performance. Mr. Pratt, an English teacher at MCS, commented that he intends to help his students improve their public speaking skills, train the mind to read tough literature, and become better communicators as they imitate Shakespeare. Mr. Pratt further added, “He is an author that makes over 2000 references to the Bible in his plays, so as [the competitors] are learning Shakespeare [they] are further developing and confirming [a] Biblical worldview.” As for his favorite moments of the competition, Mr. Pratt stated, “I just have so much fun seeing my students present
Noah Sullivan and Mr. Pratt PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRYAM SULLIVAN
these monologues…[and] see them perform and get into character and see their hard work.” Overall, this competition offers students more than just the surface benefits of competing against other students and gaining experience performing, but provides the chance to refine life skills that will last beyond high school.
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Work Hard, Play Hard: ASB Retreat Jayden Saleh STAFF WRITER From Christmas decorating to making videos, our ASB does it all. Throughout the year, our ASB does more and more. Busy meetings, early arrival to dances, late departure from dances, and endless decorating are just the tip of the iceberg. A single weekend of relaxing, having fun, and planning is necessary for them to keep going through the year. Starting the second semester on the right foot, our ASB went to Carlsbad State Beach from January 12th through the 14th. ASB members came up on Friday, set up the tents, and went to the school for the basketball game. They finished the night on the beach. With conflicts navigated around, Saturday was when the real excitement began. Participants of the Mary Poppins play went to an 8:30am-1pm practice, and returned to a Subway lunch. After lunch, branch meetings began. The three branches of ASB are media, ministry, and government. All elected positions,
people who ran for elected positions and didn’t get elected, and people who wanted to be on this branch are in the government branch. Ministry and media are also selected on the application and are either declined or accepted by Mrs. Gray. The government branch primarily worked on plans for Sadies. Media team completed the Sadies intro video. Ministry team planned for the semester to come. After the meetings, our ASB did a scavenger hunt. This included asking strangers for all sorts of a variety of objects such as a two dollar bill, Monopoly money, sticker, soda can, and so much more. After the hunt, our wonderful ASB went to the movies to see The Greatest Showman. When they returned to the campsite, many tried to stay up all night but only one person actually accomplished it. That person was none other than the Chaplain Justin Stout. On Sunday, the retreat concluded with a session of worship lead by Justin Gray and an amazing message by Mr. Gray. With a fresh start, the ASB is now able to serve and lead the high school to the best of their ability.
Members of ASB around the fire at the retreat. PHOTO BY SARAH STOUT/’NATHA NEWS
Students donating blood in the Multipurpose Room during the blood drive. PHOTO BY MARISA HEFFERNAN/’NATHA NEWS
BLOOD DRIVE continued from page 1 Elizabeth’s life was saved through blood transfusions. Years after her recovery she acted as the driving force for NHS to begin the blood drive. She was the mediator between NHS and Red Cross, and she brought the need for blood donations to light through telling her testimony in chapels and classrooms. She wanted the events to be the best that they could be, as she even went to the lengths of organizing themes for each of the blood drives along with promotional videos, one of the themes modeling superheroes. “In the blood drive area, she definitely bought that passion [and] personal experience, [which] was quite compelling,” the NHS staff supervisor, Julie Carlson, comments concerning Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for the blood drive. As a result of her efforts, on April 16, 2014, NHS organized their
first blood drive, which occurred in the south mezzanine in the gym. After a few more successful blood drives, the event moved to the bloodmobile, owned by Red Cross, so the PE classes would not be displaced in the gym during the drives. Currently, the event takes place in the multipurpose room in the high school building, which allows student volunteers to check in on students donating blood, as the volunteers were not able to do so in the bloodmobile. Elizabeth’s passion for the blood drive continues to affect Maranatha today, as students, staff, and the community continue to donate blood. At the next blood drive, donate blood for the sake of not only saving a life, but changing one.
At the next blood drive, donate blood to save 3 lives!
Maranatha in Orbit: SDYSP Prepares to Send Experiment into Space Grant Rupe STAFF WRITER The Maranatha chapter of the San Diego Youth Space Program has been shooting for the stars in designing and testing new experiments—literally! The San Diego Youth Space Program is an organization of clubs around San Diego where students meet at their local club, design an experiment, and test it. Duplicates of the materials and instructions needed to perfectly replicate the experiment will then be sent to NASA, and arranged to go to the International Space Station on a shuttle. There, the astronauts will repeat the exact same experiment, but this time, the experiment is, obviously, done in zero gravity. The astronauts will record the results of their experimenting, and provide them to students, who will then
use them to draw conclusions. This year, the Maranatha club designed an experiment to study the decomposition of rice in and out of a zero-gravity environment. Dehydrated rice is placed in a sealed container along with penicillin bacteria. A pump is placed to pump water into the container, which starts the decomposition process of the rice. A camera is also placed in the experiment to periodically take pictures of the observations. This was done to see how the low gravity of space would affect the mold growth on the rice, in terms of factors such as speed. Vice President Alex Partida remarked, “It’s an incredible thing to know that something you’ve worked on and literally written your name on: it has been in outer space. It’s pretty incredible.” The club is largely built on student’s
love for and interest in science and the says that they plan to analyze them, and world around us. “I don’t think there’s a then start planning on possible starting person there who doesn’t want to do points for next year. And raising the bar science as their career and as their year to year tends to be a strength for passion,” said Alex. students at Maranatha. When asked what the highlight of the club has been, Alex said, “Usually the highlight is getting the pictures back from the ISS. That's always incredible.” On the International Space Station, the experiment will take place over the course of about a month, and will be sent up to space this spring. (left to right) Blake VanDyken, Alex Partida, and Daniel Hoefer Once the results talk to a group of young students at the Maker Faire. are back, the team PHOTO COURTESY OF MARANATHA FACEBOOK
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Lights, Camera, Action: Seniors in Theater Bella Salanga STAFF WRITER Will Collins, Ryleigh Dejong, Jessica Hewett, and Nathan Self are all seniors from Maranatha. What they also have in common is their passion for the performing arts and the wonderful gifts God has given them as phenomenal performers! All four of the stunning seniors are actively involved in the performing arts in Maranatha, and they continue to amaze the school with their God-given gifts. Ryleigh and Nathan are a part of the school’s first show choir, where they performed songs such as “City of Stars” from the movie “La La Land” and “Hills and Valleys” by Tauren Wells. Additionally, Jessica and Will are the leads Mary Poppins and Bert in the spring musical Mary Poppins—a musical of which Ryleigh and Nathan are also a part of, with Ryleigh playing Mrs. Banks and Nathan playing Von Hussler. Like many other students at Maranatha, these four use the arts to express themselves, and they all agreed that theater has shaped them into the people they are today. Regarding specifically theater, Nathan describes it as an activity where, “everyone has the chance to shine in different areas.” They
all expressed that, through theater, they were able to do what they love most, and along the way develop new friendships and try new things. Will Collins said his “theater
experience at [MCS] has been lifechanging.” His passion and love for theatre and the performing arts is so profound and grew so much, he is planning to pursue a career in acting,
(Left to right): seniors Nathan Self, Amanda Gwaltney (stage manager), Ryleigh DeJong, Jessica Hewett, Will Collins, and Lucas Queen (actor from outside school) pose after their final performance of Mary Poppins. PHOTO COURTESY OF BETSY STOUT
which he would not have thought of if he did not receive the opportunity to act at MCS. Theatre taught all of these students multiple life lessons including social skills, confidence, flexibility, and perseverance. Jessica said the most important thing that theater has taught her is, “just like onstage, sometimes unplanned things happen, but I’ve learned to improvise and keep my head up high, because life goes on. Life will be stressful and surprise me, but I will have to adjust, just [like] in theatre.” However God has been working through theater to teach them so much more than the arts alone. “God has definitely opened [many] doors through theatre,” says Nathan. Being in theatre encouraged him to join a worship team with other fellow actors. His newfound love for worship only grew, and he will be pursuing a future in worship. Jessica says, “[God] has helped me learn and grow over the years doing [theatre] … [He used] me to inspire others… and this helped me decide what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Ryleigh sums it up perfectly with the statement, “God has blessed me with … certain talents [and taught me that] … I should be sharing them with the world … to worship and glorify God.”
A Christian Perspective on Modern Events: Student Walk-out Sarah Stout EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nobody can deny the chaotic and violent nature this world is adapting— and this same nature is just growing worse. Reflecting this fact, there has been a steady increase in school shootings throughout the United States, and one in
particular that has earned the national spotlight: the horrific school shooting in Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. As a result of this incident, students around the nation are now standing up to gun violence by walking out of their classrooms on specific days for seventeen minutes to honor the seventeen
Mrs. Schwartz and her 9th grade class pray during the walk-out. PHOTO BY MARISA HEFFERNAN/’NATHA NEWS
people killed in the Florida shooting and Imagine what would happen if, to protest gun violence. However, instead instead of protesting, people walked out of protesting, Mrs. Schwartz’s class took of their classrooms and prayed. God said a different approach: prayer. in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who During the are called by My “ If My people who seventeen minute name will humble walkout taking place are called by My name themselves, and pray at schools across the and seek my face, will humble nation, Mrs. and turn from their Schwartz pressed themselves, and pray wicked ways, then I pause on her daily will hear from class time, took her and seek My face, and heaven, and will class outside, turn from their wicked forgive their sin and organized them into a hear their land.” ways, then I will hear circle, and prayed. God promises to Instead of protesting, from heaven, and will heal our land, our these students lifted forgive their sin and country, if we up the tense situation humble ourselves heal their land.” -2 of gun control into and pray. That God’s hands. promise is much Chronicles 7:14 Throughout our more powerful than lives, we sometimes forget the incredible our protests. asset that is only a few words away: God. Today, just take a few seconds to He not only hears our requests, but pray. Pray for the country and where it’s actively responds to them. Think about it: headed. Only God knows how rapidly we the God with literally more power and can change things if we just pray—and sovereignty than we could possibly whatever that change is, the impact imagine or possess is open to hearing us would surely surpass that of any protest and our cries for help! man could possibly organize.
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Everything Singing, Drama, and Theater: Mrs. Howard Bella Salanga STAFF WRITER What came walking through Maranatha’s doors nearly five years ago, after Mrs. Gray came knocking on hers? Mrs. Howard. She is our performing arts director and teacher, experienced in
Mrs.
Howard. PHOTO BY HEFFERNAN/’NATHA NEWS
MARISA
dance, theatre, and singing. Before she came to Maranatha, she was the Children’s Creative Arts Director at the Church of Rancho Bernardo for 13 years; she also owned a dancing studio and taught dance there. She’s taught dance for 25 years and has been teaching musical theatre for 18. Five years ago, she began teaching at Maranatha after they approached her and offered her the position of performing arts director. However, coming to Maranatha was a big choice for Mrs. Howard, and she describes the decisionmaking process “like a Moses moment… God really spoke to me and said ‘it’s for my glory, not for your comfort.’” She acted in faith and obedience to God and began working at Maranatha. One of the most important things she has learned from teaching at Maranatha is that, “[life] is about relying on Him and trusting that He knows best.” She is a God-loving, God-fearing, faithful woman as well as a loving, caring mother. She is a mother to four children, all whom have graduated high school. She has one daughter, Julie, and three sons: Jason, Jon, and Adam. She then came to Maranatha and she described it simply as, “a journey.” Not
only was it a journey for her, but also a journey for her children. When she came to Maranatha, all of her children had to adjust to their new situation. While it was hard, the end result was definitely worth it. Mrs. Howard has a profound love and passion for Jesus, the performing arts, and teaching, which she shows through her work. She emphasizes the importance of glorifying God to her students, and encourages them to do so through, “prayer, choice of music, and choice of show.” In regards to the godliness of her shows, she says, “[Though] they’re secular shows, they’re all made by God… and they can all Mrs. Howard with the Maranatha Jr. High Carolers. be related to God.” PHOTO COURTESY OF MARANATHA FACEBOOK As much as she loves theater and song, she loves equally so or more, when the world around you is collapsing. dance. She plans to incorporate dance Every walk is different [and] not one way into the ever-growing performing arts is better than another.” program. This advice has helped her on her As she continues to teach theater, and walk with Christ, before and after hopefully dance in the future she has coming to Maranatha, and she hopes that advice for students, whether interested in it will help students on their endeavors performing arts or not. “Study the Word. through life as much as it has helped Pray. Keep your eyes on Jesus, especially her.
New, Smiling Face on Campus: Mrs. Bauer personal walk with God. In her everyday teaching, she loves to STAFF WRITER incorporate prayer and worship; she even Mrs. Bauer is the new Bible teacher has students do worship in the class here at Maranatha. This is her first year every week. She also incorporates here, and she teaches both sophomore accountability and real-life scenarios into and junior Bible classes. her teaching with small group questions In her pursuit to and real life problem become a Bible solving questions. teacher, she obtained a “She is such a good For her first year, bachelor's degree in she has already been role model...she has Theological Studies able to coach many such an amazing students in their faith from The King’s University and a give them relationship with and Master of Divinity encouragement in their degree from Regent God and she’s such walk with God. She has University. Before an amazing teacher been a shining example coming to teach Bible kindness and and person.” -Isa of at Maranatha, she encouragement to the Popat taught at the collegiate student body in just this level starting in 2008 one year. and she and her Sophomore Katie husband have been in the pastoring Guldner says this: “You can tell that she ministry since 2002. Her husband is cares [about the students] and is really currently a pastor at Grace Church in San passionate about the Bible.” Marcos. She loves Maranatha and even has her Mrs. Bauer is a wonderful teacher four kids enrolled from kindergarten to with a heart for the Lord as well as her fourth grade. She is known for her loving students. Ever since becoming a teacher spirit, humor, and her open heart for here, she has grown closer and closer to Jesus. She is recognized and loved her students and has helped them grow among the student body, and she and excel in both Bible class and their continues to show us how to appreciate
Emera Sanchez
and enjoy Bible class. my friends [and me].” Sophomore Isa Popat says this: “Mrs. The students and staff are very Bauer's class is definitely one of my thankful to have her with us and I can't favorite classes not only because I enjoy wait to see what else she accomplishes as reading the Bible and Bible has always a teacher here at ‘Natha! been one of my favorite classes, but Mrs. Bauer has made it so much better. My faith has become so much stronger this year because of her and how she is always willing to help students with their needs. She is such a good role model for all of us because she has such an amazing relationship with God and she's such an amazing teacher and person all around.” Going to a Christian school, a strong Bible class is very important, as some teenagers have grown accustomed or numb to the repetition of learning Bible both at school and at home. This year, I have watched as she has opened doors to the high schoolers to start a more intimate and not strictly religious relationship with God. As sophomore Jaelyn Bourgeois puts it, “Mrs. Bauer is always there for every student. Every relationship she has with her students is so Bauer. PHOTO BY MARISA different and so God-based. I really M r s . appreciate everything she does for
HEFFERNAN/’NATHA NEWS
8 ’NATHA NEWS
SPORTS
MARCH 25, 2018
CIF, Here We Come (Again): Girls Basketball Emera Sanchez
ruled the court. Seniors Rae Salas and Sydney Sheng led the team, making Dribble. Pass. Shoot. Swish. If you’re several three-pointers and many twothe Maranatha girls basketball team, pointers throughout their games. But it that’s just how you do it! didn’t stop there! In one of their many games, the girls With their amazing communication crushed Mission Valley. Just like their and their ability to keep up their hardother games, the team played with working mentality, these girls beautiful agility and teamwork, taking exemplified the very essence of home the win! endurance and grace on the court. Just As they made those baskets, the last year, their team progressed energy flowed between them and they magnificently all the way to CIF, which is the farthest that Maranatha Girls Basketball has gotten before in school history, and their performance shows it. This year, they continued to push this same drive into the league and CIF playoffs. Both at their games and practices, the girls showed great perseverance. Head The basketball team. PHOTO BY MARISA HEFFERNAN/’NATHA coach Nate Jackson has been very proud NEWS STAFF WRITER
Captain Sydney Sheng shoots a free throw. PHOTO BY EMILY HIME/ ‘NATHA NEWS of the girls and was training them hard for the games this season with a new system. This system allows Coach Jackson to draw out the full potential of the girls by putting them into the game and having them play their hardest for about one minute and then subbing them out with another group of five for the next minute. This system has helped them to achieve multiple wins this season and, along with playing harder teams, has aided in preparing them for league this year. With this system, the girls entered into the league finals with their heads
held high, and, unsurprisingly, dominated! They earned a score card of 7 wins and 3 losses in their league games, and took home the league banner! From there, the team advanced into the CIF playoff games as the #1 seed in the Division 4 bracket. In the first round, the girls defeated the #16 seed Crawford with a score of 64-51. Although they lost after a close game against Valley Center in the quarterfinals with a final score of 45-51, the girls fought for every basket in every game and overall finished off with an incredible season!
More than Just a Game: Girls Soccer Bella Salanga
Trent says that it is one of the ways how “[we] glorify God through soccer. ..Prayer… is a pillar of this team and The Maranatha girls soccer team is through prayer we can do anything … coached by Mr. Tena and captained, this [through] surrendering everything to year, by seniors Sarah Trent and Jessica God.” To Mr. Tena, it is something that Hewett. They have won league for the he tries to incorporate into every practice past two years, but soccer is more than and every game, but is not just a playing games and tradition. It is a way of “We are just one giving every game and winning league. To captain Sarah big family and I practice to God and Trent, “[Soccer is] a glorifying Him through way of expressing know that everyone what they do as a team. myself and what I enjoy Soccer also teaches can learn to do … it helps me lessons that Mr. Tena something from hopes will last a lifetime. cope with my problems playing on this and let go of stress for a “[Soccer teaches] while.” Captain Jessica persevering until you team.” -Jessica Hewett says, “It’s a big can’t give anymore … Hewett, Team part of life.” [to] never [give] up and Like Sarah and to always keep trying … Captain Jessica, the sport is dear those are the things that to many students’ and teachers’ hearts, will motivate [the girls] in life and when including Mr. Tena. He hopes to expand they’re facing completely different trials the girls soccer program in following … they will look back and say ‘I can do years, hoping future students will this because I played soccer at “quickly hear about the soccer program Maranatha.’” and [be] introduced to it.” Soccer also teaches “teamwork … He wants to share the “love [players using everyone’s abilities to be have] for the game and the team year successful,” and to be “aggressive and after year,” as well as the soccer team’s strong,” Mr. Tena says. vision to glorify God. The teams prays As for this season, the girls brought before and after the game, and Sarah their A-game with a league record of 5-0STAFF WRITER
1 and an overall record of 9-7-2. In league, the girls did amazing, bringing home the banner without losing any games. The girls continued on to the CIF playoffs, however they lost against Calexico. To sum up Maranatha’s beloved girls soccer team and the game itself, Jessica says, “We are… just one big family and I know that everyone can learn something from playing on this team. Soccer is already a fun sport, but the team and our
motivating coach make it ten times more fun.” As for past and future players, Sarah says, “Thanks for contributing to my high school experience and for being some of the best friends I’ve had at this school. Even those of you I tease (you know who you are) it’s all a joke, and I really love every single one of you. You’re my soccer family. And [thank you] to Coach Tena for being the best coach.”
The soccer team performing some warm-up drills before a game. PHOTO BY EMILY HIME/ ‘NATHA NEWS
MARCH 25, 2018
SPORTS
’NATHA NEWS
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New Coach, New Beginning: Boys Soccer Lauren Davis
and building new relationships, as well as playing as a team and learning new EDITOR skills. The beloved Maranatha boys soccer Part of what makes this year different team has had a year unlike any other to any other year of Maranatha boys year. Despite a league record of 2-7-1 soccer is the new coaching staff. After and an overall record of 4-14-2, the team Coach Cabral, who coached the has pushed through their season and Maranatha boys soccer team for ten learned many things on and off the field. years, retired, coach Jerry Velazquez The boys have had an awesome time stepped up to the plate and became the bonding together as a team this season head coach of the boys soccer team. With Coach Velazquez in charge, he along with the assistant coaches have put plenty of time and effort into coordinating a system of teamwork for the team’s games that, throughout the season, showed results. Coach Velazquez says, “It’s been a struggle up to this point trying to find the correct combination because we don't have the depth that a lot of other teams have. So Sophomore Blake Van Dyken battles another player for the ball. because we don’t have PHOTO BY EMILY HIME/’NATHA NEWS
The soccer team lines up to give high fives to their opponents, Escondido Charter. PHOTO BY EMILY HIME / ‘NATHA NEWS that same depth, we have had to start from scratch and now are implementing some things that we have been working on for a few weeks. Me along with assistant coaches Steven and Matt have been brainstorming together on how we [can] get our point of view across to them so they [can] understand exactly what we want...our new approach to things has clicked.” Jerry Velazquez is an experienced
coach, as he has been coaching his sons Christophe and Andre, who play for Maranatha now, for many years. Also among his credentials is his assistant coaching career with Coach Cabral. This season, the boys soccer team brought on a new beginning with a major change in coaching staff, and therefore fresh plays, new levels of teamwork, and a different system. We are excited to see what the future has in store for the team!
Prime Time: Boys Basketball Raises the Bar Lauren Davis EDITOR Boys basketball at Maranatha is not just a game, but a lifestyle. The sport has been widely loved by many ever since Maranatha’s humble beginnings, and has only continued to grow in popularity and excitement ever since then.
Captain Phillip Willis shoots a free throw. PHOTO BY EMILY HIME/NATHA NEWS
With an overall record of 25-4, the boys have been working all year long for this season; their hard work of which has resulted in great success continues to raise their level of competitiveness and skill. If you’ve treated yourself to watching even one of the Eagles’ games, then you know very well that the games are filled with high energy and high intensity. Their impressive skill and teamwork shine on the court as they play their hardest to represent their school in every game that they play. The team’s games are one of the schools favorite events that not only students, but parents and teachers come out to see—especially with such a skilled and talented team this year. Fans can often be heard screaming for the team at the games. This year, the team put on an outstanding performance in league, as they reigned league champions with their 7-1 record in league. From there, they entered into the CIF Division 4 playoffs as the #1 seed, and have been the #1 seed since the beginning of their season. After defeating #16 seed High Tech High with a score of 72-35, the boys advanced to compete in the quarterfinals. At the quarterfinals, they faced off against #8 seed Southwest EC. The boys fought hard in this nail-biting
game as they have been all season, but court and their teammates and therefore unfortunately lost by two points with a has great success in all that they do score of 55-57. through their teamwork and effective The team is headed by coach Brooks plays. Barnhardt and also coached by assistant This chemistry and hard-work ethic coaches Justin Wells and Andrew brought this team to new heights this Oribello. The team has been shaped year, and many are excited to witness dramatically by these coaches over the how they will continue to grow in future past few years and the team has now, no years! doubt, finally reached their prime, as evident with their intense games, amazing record and awesome teamwork. Some of the star seniors that truly shape the team are the captains—Phillip Willis, Adam Buffini, and Micaiah Boettner. These boys all agree that playing together over the last few years on the team has not only been an exciting and memorable experience but has shaped them as players and even more as people. The chemistry between the Maranatha boys basketball team is shown through their Captain Phillip Willis takes a shot while Matt Brashear and playing. In their games, Joey Dowdy prepare for the rebound. PHOTO BY EMILY all of the players see the HIME/’NATHA NEWS
10 ’NATHA NEWS
Jacob Cheatham STAFF WRITER The next Avengers movie, Infinity War, is coming out in May 2018. This movie is the third Avengers movie and the seventeenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie is part of the climax of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with all of the previous movies leading up to it. The present situation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe leading up to this movie is that the Avengers are based in New York and Wakanda after they were divided, the Guardians of the Galaxy are still together, Doctor Strange is defending the earth from mystical threats, and Thor, Loki, Hulk, the people of Asgard, and Korg are asking people if they “wanna come” after Asgard was destroyed. The upcoming movie will be featuring many widely-known characters, one of them being Thanos, the main antagonist
OPINION
of the story. He was first introduced into the Marvel cinematic universe in Guardians of the Galaxy as Ronan the Accuser’s boss, and through the Black Order (Thanos’s high-ranking minions). The members of the Black Order are the married couple Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, the rock creature Black Dwarf, and the skinny bald character Ebony Maw. In the upcoming movie, Thanos and the Black Order will be attempting to collect the Infinity Stones for the Infinity Gauntlet. The Infinity Stones are stones which give the person who holds them power over space, time, soul, reality, mind, or power depending on which stone the person is yielding. When the Infinity Stones are put into a special glove called the Infinity Gauntlet, they give the one who wields it total control over the universe. The storyline for Infinity War is based upon the comic series, “The Infinity
Gauntlet,” and if the movie follows the comic, the most likely storyline is that after the destruction of Asgard, Thanos goes there to get two Infinity Stones from its ruins. When Thanos arrives, he sees Thor’s ship and he raids it to see if there are any Infinity Stones being carried on it. During the raid, Thor gets thrown out into space and Loki reveals that he is hiding the Tesseract, also known as the Mind Stone. Once Thanos takes the Mind Stone he departs for earth where the rest of the stones are (except for the Power Stone, which is in the headquarters of the Nova Corps on Xandar). Once he reaches earth, Thanos splits up his forces: with him, Ebony Maw, and Black Dwarf going to New York to get the Mind Stone tone from Vision and Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Thanos’ armies going to Wakanda to get the Soul Stone from Black Panther. In New York, the Avengers fail to stop Thanos from getting the Mind Stone. The Avengers in New York then go to Wakanda to help the Avengers already there deal with Thanos’s army and try to stop Thanos from getting the Soul Stone. From this point on, there are many possible storylines including the Avengers stopping Thanos in Wakanda,
MARCH 25, 2018 Thanos getting the Soul Stone from Wakanda but being defeated by the Guardians of the Galaxy, or Thanos collecting all the stones and putting them into the Infinity Gauntlet and the heroes dying in the process. The most probable storyline for this upcoming movie, however, is Nebula, Gamora’s theoretical sister, pretending to side with Thanos and once he collects all the stones on the Infinity Gauntlet, she steals it from him and undoes all the killing and destruction Thanos did. Until Avengers: Infinity War is released, only speculation can be done about its storyline. However, based on appearance, the movie seems to be an action movie filled with explosions and fighting scenes. If this movie is like its predecessors, then it promises to be an amazing movie with many epic teamups, great character development, and plot twists keeping the audience on their toes about what is going to happen. People are also very excited for the upcoming movie, as they want to see their favorite superhero teams come together to fight the cosmic-powered Thanos. Despite anything negative people might have to say about the upcoming movie, it promises to be one amazing movie which will do very well at the box office.
Disney: The Old and the New Lindsay Adzima STAFF WRITER
Disney, the old and new, is a timeless source of entertainment for all ages. The classics are what many generations have grown up on, although the newer depictions are loved by the younger generations. The originals are like watching your dreams on the big screen. They perfectly depict the magical fairytales of their written predecessors. The
By Bella Potenziani
classics have the musical styles and the historical context of the time they were created which showed the history of the story. Live action movies, or the Disney films the have your favorite actors acting the parts instead of just voicing them, are Disney’s newest form of relating to the modern styles of the 21st century. These have either become the movies of the year or another controversy. The music styles have been one of
the biggest differences between the eras. In the live action, they went a tad crazy with the auto tune. In the classics, the singing sounds like a true concert with every note. Early Disney artists in all genres put their hearts and souls into every frame, but in the newer creations, they seem to be more for money or even fame rather then art. Yet in their very own way they are beautiful. The largest development in cartoon style is the aspect of the
drawing and digital work which has made the characters literally go from drawings to live people. Now in this age they brought in real people to change the art forms completely. They have transformed Disney from old to new. The age groups the movies are directed towards has raised through the years as more adult humor is added to the stories. Overall, Disney will remain a part of many people’s lives and the mouse will stay a forever icon.
MARCH 25, 2018
OPINION
’NATHA NEWS
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi Jacob Cheatham STAFF WRITER Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the third Star Wars movie produced since Disney bought Star Wars and this movie continues to carry on the Star Wars universe. Like other fan receptions of previous Star Wars movies, fan input has been mixed. Critics love The Last Jedi as they gave it a 98 on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience’s reception has been more diverse. Some have said that they thought the movie was one of the better Star Wars movies and others saying that this movie ruined Star Wars. While the audience’s reception of The Last Jedi has been mixed, one cannot deny that there are cinematic problems in The Last Jedi. These problems include the bad decisions of characters and the throwing away of plot elements. In the Last Jedi, there are many bad decisions made by characters which confuse the plot line and make it nonengaging. The people who make the most bad decisions in the movie are Doe Dameron and Rose Tico. In the movie, Poe Dameron makes several decisions which help the First Order and further kill off the members of the Resistance. The first decision he makes is using the Resistance’s remaining bombers when it was unnecessary. In the movie, Poe Dameron decides to use the Resistance’s bombers to take out a capital ship of the First Order which has no defenses. In their attack, all the bombers get
destroyed by the First Order. Further into the movie, the bombers would have been useful in damaging the ships following the Resistance, which would have helped the Resistance to escape. Later on in the movie, Poe Dameron decides he knows best so he mutinies and takes over the Resistance after all the main leaders have been killed. This decision ends up being problematic, as Poe doesn’t know what he is doing and this leads to almost the total annihilation of the Resistance. Rose Tico also helps bring about the destruction of the Resistance by trusting a code-breaker who ends up revealing to the First Order that the Resistance were fleeing to Crait. Rose also decides that Finn should not sacrifice himself for the Resistance and the greater good when he was about to destroy a weapon that would potentially end the Resistance just because she loves him. This decision ends up forcing Luke Skywalker to sacrifice himself, as he is forced to create a force projection of himself to distract Kylo Ren and the First Order, which he in the end dies from. Also, in the Last Jedi many plot elements built up in The Force Awakens are answered with unsatisfying results. These elements include Commander Snoke, Rey’s parentage, and Luke Skywalker. In The Force Awakens, Commander Snoke appears as some sort of mysterious figure behind the First Order. In the Last Jedi, Commander Snoke, even though he can read minds and link them across the universe, he is killed by his own student
Kylo Ren. Another disappointment began in the Force Awakens, which was all about finding a map to Luke Skywalker and bringing him back to the Resistance. The Last Jedi wastes Luke because he should not have been that resistant to trying to start a new Jedi Order. In the Last Jedi, Luke was prepared to build a new Jedi Order, and even though his nephew has turned on him, Luke still should have come out of exile when Rey came to him. Instead of having Luke as a legendary jedi as he should be, the Last Jedi portrays Luke Skywalker as an old hermit who is cynical and gets killed by using his mind too much. Finally, the identities of Rey’s parents were unknown in The Force Awakens and the movie built up her parentage as something special. The Last Jedi wastes the suspense by simply making her parents junk traders who sold her off for drinking money. The movie does not even show her parents, as she accepts who her parents really were during a conversation she has with Kylo Ren. Though the Last Jedi has its problems, it still has some good elements, including the porgs, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren fighting, Rey, and BB-8. First, porgs are a combination of a puffin, a seal, and a hamster all into one adorable creature which fans can’t have enough of. Also, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren fighting at the end of the Last Jedi is the fight every fan of Star Wars has been waiting for. The fight is very brief, but intense with Luke Skywalker being shot
at by AT-ATs, dodging every lightsaber strike Kylo Ren does, and surprising everyone by revealing that he never was actually there (he projected himself through the force), but he was still at his home on Ach-Too. The fight shows how powerful Luke is as he is able to match Kylo Ren’s skills and can send a life-like image of himself across the galaxy. Furthermore, Rey in The Last Jedi is, eventually, recognized by Luke as a jedi and this recognition comes from the fact that Rey has shown deep knowledge of the force. But we can’t forget one of the most essential characters in the film: BB-8. Even though BB-8 has been called an over-glorified ball droid, he still proves his usefulness by taking out five security guards and saving Finn and Rose from getting executed by the First Order. This may not be noticed by many audience members, but The Last Jedi is similar in many aspects to the Empire Strikes Back. The Last Jedi begins with the Resistance running from the First Order, which was similar to the Rebellion fleeing the Empire. The Last Jedi also includes Rey going to Luke for training in the Force just like Luke went to Yoda for guidance in The Empire Strikes Back. The Last Jedi has the same ending as The Empire Strikes Back as both movies end with the main characters being hopeful for the future. Overall, The Last Jedi has good and bad elements, but it is still performing as a Star Wars movie should, with action, adventure, the force, an amazing droid, and some pretty awesome animals.
But Wait, There’s More: Things To Do After Christmas Sarah Stout EDITOR-IN-CHIEF After the excitement of Christmas day, what is there to look forward to? Here are four things that you can incorporate into your future after-Christmas traditions. 1. Relax It is not every week that we have the ability to sleep in late on a weekday and are not required to attend classes during the day. Make every day a day to celebrate by doing what you love-whether it be a hobby or spending time with family and friends. This is your chance to unwind after finals—don’t waste it!
By Bella Potenziani
2. Shopping Spree Stores before Christmas: shoppers packing into isles, scrambling to buy those last-minute gifts and Christmas decorations. After Christmas: no shopperscrambling and sales! You can prepare
for future Christmas seasons by purchasing Christmas-related items such as ornaments, home decor, gift sets, and toys. You never know what you’ll find! 3. Enjoy your gifts and family Make the most of your time with your family and your gifts! Spend this time with your family before the second semester of the school year sucks up your time. Also, use your gifts! Now is the time to sit down and make good use of those gifts that others selected for you. 4. Spend the day at a local park or attraction Even though Christmas just passed, local attractions keep the joy of Christmas alive through their Christmasthemed decorations and events! Spend a day at the San Diego Zoo, Knotts Berry Farm, Seaworld, or other popular locations around San Diego to make the excitement of the Christmas holiday last!
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OPINION
Devotional Emera Sanchez STAFF WRITER
Most teens struggle with identity. There is just so much going on in our lives and so many people and things presenting themselves to us that it is hard for us to root ourselves and remain stable. However, even amidst this unstable and forever-changing world,
we have to learn how to find stability and find our identity in something greater than ourselves. Maybe that identity comes from something other that the world. Maybe you have tried to find your identity in grades, relationships, or your talents, but most people have found, and will find time and time again, that none of these things will ever give us a stable, comforting identity. The only place we can find that identity is from God. One chapter in the Bible thoroughly and effectively describes where we can find our identity. Psalms 139 shows us, as Christians, where our identity is found. It is found in Christ. If the creator of the universe cares about you,
then how much more should you value yourself? Psalms 139:13-18 says this: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the
’Natha Voices Quotes from your classmates and teachers “Run so fast you leave your soul behind.” -Mr. Tena
“To pear or not to pear, that is the apple.” -Zoë Scherpbier (9)
“Whenever I eat pretzels I forget how to swallow.” -Emily Young (9)
“I’m not stupid! I know apples exist!” -Anna DiPasquale (9)
“I may be mentally unstable by next week.” -Ben Kraetsch (10)
“At the beginning of the semester, I thought I could tackle the world. Now, I just want enough energy to wake up in the morning.” -Sarah Stout (11)
“You don’t use a mountain to fix your light bulb?” “No, I use a plunger.” -Justin Stout (11) and Cole Chambliss (10) “I brood with the best of them.” -Mr. Ryan Jackson
“A pretzel is a metaphor for life. It is defined by what it is made of, not what shape it is.” -Amanda Corey (10) “It’s a grey rock. It’s an albino rock. Don’t kill my albino rock.” -Jayden Saleh (9)
“Teamwork makes the dream work.” -Lauren Davis (10) Quotes collected by ‘Natha News
MARCH 25, 2018
grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” WOW. If God cares that much about you, how much more should you value yourself? He loves you deeply, and he put thought into your creation, but he didn’t just stop there. He not only put great thought and detail into creating you, but he still thinks about you, loves you, and is working out his plan for your life. Before a single day of your life had been written on the pages of this world, God had plans for you. So why worry and stress about our identity? Instead, focus on Christ, and find your identity in Him, because he loves and cares for you!
Editor-in-Chief: Editor: Lead Art Director: Head of Photography: Head of Advertisement: Graphics:
Sarah Stout Lauren Davis Bella Potenziani Marisa Heffernan Jacob Cheatham Lauren Davis Lindsay Adzima Sarah Stout Zoë Scherpbier Secretary: Emily Hime Treasurers: Jayden Saleh Advisor: Mrs. Schwartz
’Natha News is the MCHS student newspaper and is published by the newspaper team. Opinions expressed are that of the writers and are not necessarily that of ’Natha News or school administration. 'Natha News welcomes feedback from the MCS community. Email: NathaNews.mcs@gmail.com Website: NathaNews.weebly.com Instagram: @natha.news