IS IT BLACKBOARD’S FINAL DAYS?
NEWS Deaf comedian to visit campus | Page 2 PERSPECTIVE J.K. Rowling makes a return | Page 5 FEATURES: Faculty take over the Corner Gallery | Page 6
NIC decides Google Docs and moodle among the options to replace Blackboard in years to come. | Page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE MONDAY MARCH 7, 2016
WWW.NIC SENTINEL .C OM
Volume 69 | Issue 8
Cruz visits North Idaho, hoping to gain Idaho’s vote
Above: Cruz addresses the audience about his rivalry with Donald Trump. “65 percent of Republicans will recognize that Donald Trump is not the best candidate to go headto-head with Hillary Clinton.” Below: NIC students pose in front of Cruz’s podium after the candidate’s speech.. Katie Hartwig/Sentinel
North Idaho College was well represented at the local rally for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz Saturday night, after a group from a campus club decided to give of their time help make the event possible. Joining the other 3000+ attendants of the rally, the eager students volunteered and helped to direct traffic, wave signs, set up and clean up at the event. Held at the North Idaho Fair Grounds, the event saw Senator Cruz walk out on stage to a thunderous applause and cheering following speeches from other local Cruz supporters. Cruz’s speech, which covered ever ything from his plan to build up the militar y to repealing Obama Care, even touched on his perceived condition of college students. “Today, I’m talking to all of the students out there, who are coming out of college in debt up to their eyes.” Another thing Cruz addressed was his bitter rivalr y with forerunner Donald Trump, and how he thinks the scales are starting to shift in his own favor. “The energy we’re seeing here in Idaho is really what we’re
seeing all across the countr y,” said Cruz. “65 percent of Republicans will recognize that Donald Trump is not the best candidate to go head-to-head with Hillar y Clinton.” Student volunteer Garret Thyr, a business marketing major, believes that one thing that people should consider about Cruz is his record. “He has a consistent record in the Senate, and he’s fought for what he has said he’d fight for,” Thyr said. “I am here today because I believe in Ted Cruz. I think he’s the most qualified candidate for the president of the United States.” Timothy Beggs, an NIC student who is majoring in medical sciences, admitted that he was originally a Ben Carson supporter and changed his mind after Carson dropped out, adding that Cruz is a much stronger candidate. “If someone is going to be a candidate for the presidency, I’d rather have them have a record of actually fighting for what they’re speaking about,” Beggs said. “And it not just be a newly acquired conviction that they have.” “I’m voting for Ted Cruz because he’s practiced Consti-
Cards come home Basketball men still hopeful after regional tournament loss. Sports Page 9
QUOTABLE
Gabe Theander Staff Writer
tutional law for a long time, and he’s got a pretty good track record,” said NIC student Bruce Berr y, a philosophy major. For Berr y, the most important thing to consider in a candidate is his/her understanding of the law. “Where I’m going is Constitutional law,” Berr y said. “And just as we heard even in the introduc-
“Morality and ethical behavior are talked about, yet seldom understood.” Perspectives Page 4
tions, Cruz has got a really good track record in that.” Several NIC students disagreed with Cruz’s policies, but attended the rally to see what the presidential candidate had to offer. “I was interested in seeing Ted Cruz because he is famous,” Nicole Hill said, 21, General Studies, Hayden. “He was a good
speaker, he had a way of sounding inspirational, but I strongly disagreed on many of his points, like how he said that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. I am most definitely not voting for him I’m voting for Bernie Sanders.” Regardless of political views, the rally brought together Idahoans and students alike.
WHERE TO START News...........................2
Sports.........................8
Perspectives............4 Games................. 11 Features..............6
NIC’s Got Talent.......12
27
class days left
UNTIL Summer
Break
News tip? Story idea? Contact Lizeth Meinguer
208-769-3388 lbmeinguer@students.nic.edu
Campus News
PAGE 2
Campus Voices How do you feel about Blackboard and a potential replacement?
“Most people struggle with Blackboard; it’s not exactly easy to maneuver when you first start using it. I feel like students struggle in how to maneuver it and teachers struggle with setting it up.” Montana Rosedobbs, PreMed.
WWW.NICSENTINEL.COM
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016
Institutional Optimization update Aislinn Lautenbach
Staff Writer
NIC programs received feedback after a heavy evaluation by the end of Januar y. NIC President Joe Dunlap provided a list of institutional recommendations required by NIC in the hopes of recognizing strengths and weaknesses within NIC programs. Institutional optimization reports were required from all areas of the college. Many of these areas received recommendations for change. Those recommendations included: data tracking and reporting, scheduling/ room authorization, academic and student support, athletic programs, academics, career and technical education, fiscal savings, scholarship/ GIA, campus staffing, and
media ser vices. Dunlap addressed the recommendations with employees during a meeting. “It was taken ver y well,” Dunlap said. “We knew there were things we needed to improve on.” Dunlap said NIC faculty and employees held some concern regarding program recommendations. “Bottom line is out of this process, nobody is losing their job because of this,” Dunlap said. “We’re just looking at improving the college. This process provided an opportunity for impute and to look at your program and ask what we learned...If we get feedback, we can adjust.” The institutional recommendations encompassed the theme of what went through the programs. The recommendations looked at establishing outcomes and
establishing the means to measure its outcomes. The reports sourced 25 NIC areas as commendable and were held as examples for other programs. The reports were submitted and due in by the end of last October. The final reports were reviewed by Dec.16, 2015. Three different members of the college reviewed the reports, who for warded their comments to the President’s cabinet after. Vice President of Instruction Lita Burns said most programs received accommodations. “It’s pretty amazing that we had 151 reports submitted,” Burns said. “Having a large participation across the campus, it wasn’t an easy process and in some respects was not well received by many people because of the amount of work
involved and the questions about where is it going and what is going to happen. It was a challenging process.” Burns explained that NIC wanted to make sure the information used from the process and the knowledge of where the programs would like to go to become stronger made sure that they were using their resources effectively to reach their goals.
What’s next? In addition, NIC will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the institutional optimization process itself. Based on the results, NIC will decide whether or not similar evaluations will continue and how often they will occur. NIC is currently seeking an outside source to complete the sur vey.
NIC to host famous deaf comedian Jack Harris Staff Writter
“If it was easier to use with less bugs it would be fine. I think Blackboard right now could be better but if it gets replaced I hope is something that doesn’t take a very long time to figure it out.” Michael Glenn, Psychology.
“I like Blackboard. It is easy to use and simple.” Cody Iannelli, General Studies
J ohn Maucere, Deaf comedian and star of the children’s movie “SuperDeafy: No Ordinar y Hero,” will make three appearances at NIC the weekend of April 2. The first show will be an in-character per formance from SuperDeafy and the other will feature a stand-up comedy act. Both events will be per formed in American Sign Language with voice interpretation. Maucere will make three appearances on April 1 and 2. On he first oneset up at 4:00 p.m., he will be teaching a workshop on ASL poetr y. The workshop will not be voice interpreted. On April 2, Maucere will be per forming two voice interpreted shows. The first, SuperDeafy, is an in-character per formance intended for children and families and will be per formed at 2:00 p.m. at NIC’s
Christianson Gym. His second show will be at 7:00 p.m. in NIC’s Schuler Auditorium, and will feature his more mature stand-up comedy act. Jacalyn Marosi, head of the American Sign Language depar tment at NIC, was responsible for booking the shows. “I’m really excited for the exposure to the area. To have a proud ASL-using member of the Deaf community coming to our area it’s just thrilling.” Maucere is best known for his star ring role in SuperDeafy and his extensive work in the Deaf community. After graduating from Gallaudet University, he went on to become one of the first mainstream Deaf actors in Hollywood, including an appearance on Law and Order. All events are being spon-
John Maucere to visit NIC on April. Photo courtesy of John Maucere website.
sored by Silver wood and the NIC Signers club. Tickets to both of the shows and the workshop may be purchased online at eventbrite.
Campus crime log SUB
Febr uar y 23 - Police and Campus Security addressed a student conduct concern.
SUNSPOT
February 25 - Security report was completed on an unauthorized item that was found adjacent to the NIC campus.
SUB
Februar y 26 - Police & Security conducted a welfare check on an individual outside of the Student Union.
WIN
Februar y 27- Student was contacted and subject to a disciplinary referral for an incident in Parking Lot A.
“I think we should just do everything hardcopy because not many people have very good Wi-Fi access or have Wi-Fi at all, so I prefer old fashion.” Suze Weinstein, General Studies.
“I like Blackboard the way it is right now. I’m not sure how I feel about a replacement.” Chase Chambers, History. Interviews by Jack Harris and Celeste Kump Pictures by Gabriel Theander
DID YOU KNOW? The word ‘Strengths’ is the longest word in the English language that has just one vowel.
www.nicsentinel.com
NEWS
the sentinel | 3
Is NIC saying goodbye to Blackboard?
Rachel Sieradzki Staff Writer NIC has been using Blackboard for the past few years. Every student and every instructor at NIC uses it to some extent. Most students are somewhat familiar with it, and everyone has experienced its upsides and its difficulties in equal measure. But what if NIC decided not to use Blackboard anymore? The contract will soon be up and the Office of the State Board of Education had involved Idaho colleges and universities in negotiating either a new contract with Blackboard or negotiating a contract with a new vendor that offers a similar service. “Some institutions started breaking off and what happened was that at the end of the day the State said we didn’t have
enough institutional support, so everybody had to just go look at their own thing,” Dr. Thomas Scott, director of eLearning, said. Scott said the State contract with Blackboard has been extended until September of 2016. After this date NIC will need to decide whether to switch from Blackboard to another learning management system or to keep it the way it is and that NIC will sent out a survey to evaluate campuswide feelings about the change. If overwhelmingly the campus decides to look at another software, then NIC would put together a committee of students, faculty and staff, and have them drive the process to look for the most viable option. Some students don’t like the idea of Blackboard being changed. “It’s already kind of complicated and it
took me this long to figure it out. I think it’s working so why change it?” Rachel van Meter said. Van Meter said she would be pro change if students were able to help make the change. “I think it should be the voices of everyone making a decision and not just a small portion of students,” Van Meter said. “I would definitely be on the committee and let my voice be heard.” Scott said one of the main reasons NIC is waiting to decide whether to change blackboard is because the college just went through some other campus initiatives, such as Institutional Optimization and Guided Pathways. “A lot of us are waiting to see what happens down the road instead of trying to make all these changes at one time,” Scott said.
When the discussion is held in the fall an alternative option for different learning management systems could include Google Drive. NIC English instructor Aaron Cloyd has some professional experience with several different learning management systems, including Blackboard and a free open source software called Moodle and Google Drive that he used when he taught at Idaho State and at University of Kentucky respectively. “Blackboard is one of the major learning management systems,” Cloyd said. “All of them have problems. All of them break, all of them are unreliable in some way. I think there are some important questions to be asked that may guide these decisions.” According to Cloyd, Google has synchronous learning, which is when students work together at the same time, where Blackboard has asynchronous learning, which is in that moment when there is a time gap in learning. “There is certainly a time and a place for isolated learning, but there’s a whole lot of research that shows the benefits of collaborative learning, and something like Google makes that happen,” Cloyd said. Google, including Google products such as Google Drive, Google Sheets and Google Presentations, has good transfer value, which according to Cloyd means that it will help students after they leave college and enter the ‘real world.’ Not all students are prepared to use Google Drive as a Learning Management System. “How does a cloud work? I have no idea. What is Google Drive? I’m not exactly sure, but I know you need a gmail account which I do have,” said Caleb Weeks, 19, General Studies. Vice President for Instruction, Lita Burns said in a press release that in the past two weeks, eLearning has hosted a number of Learning Management Systems (LMS) companies on campus to demonstrate their products in statewide process. Whatever the changes, Blackboard is not changing anytime soon. Depending on the decision made in the fall when the contract is up, influenced by the committee of campus constituents, any change will not be implemented for another year or two, according to Scott.
FINISH W H AT YO U S TA R T E D Your A.A.S. prepared you for a great career. Now get the degree that sets you apart. PUBLIC SERVICE ADMINISTRATION SOCIAL SERVICES HUMANITIES CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION
Whitworth’s Bachelor of Liberal Studies Program educates you, mind and heart – expanding your experience and setting you apart from the crowd. You’ll transfer in as a junior and earn your bachelor’s degree in about two years. Classes are in the evening, once or twice a week, at either our northside campus or our downtown U-District location. And it’s all available at a tuition that’s comparable to the cost of a state university.
WHIT WORTH.EDU/EVENING
509.777.3222
Perspectives
Perspective tip? Story idea? Contact Rachel Anderson
208-277-6721 rmanderson195@gmail.com
PAGE 4
WWW.NICSENTINEL.COM
EDITORIAL
Just start a blog With information being shoveled on the Internet ever yday, new innovations have made it easier than ever to share your thoughts on the web. In past decades, writers were required to be educated in order to publish their written work. However with the advancement of blogging, writers of ever y kind can more easily express their thoughts— no matter how strange or controversial—to the public eye. Rather than going through the extensive process of sending written works to publishers and editors, any person has the ability to post their writings independently and more easily through the use of blogs. In fact, blogging websites are as diverse as the people who read and use them. Bloggers can write about anything from their latest DIY project to their dreams of being an astronaut to their grandmother’s financial advice—giving ever yone the ability to create a blog into whatever they choose. Not only does it give you a platform to express yourself, it also provides you with writing oppor tunities, and it may even allow you to engage in conversations with like-minded people. Overall, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living, you can express your opinion and personal thoughts on your own page. Another appealing aspect of keeping a blog is that it can actually help you get a job. Many job applications suggest you link them to your personal blog, and many employers (especially those in the communication field) love to see the blogs of potential employees to check out their writing style and proficiency. Not only can blogging help you get a job, but blogging can also be a job itself. Many people make their living or a little extra cash through the use of blogging. If your own personal blog gets popular enough, adver tisers may even pay you to keep going. Blogging can really be a great way to release your feelings and maybe a little extra stress, as well as being a great way to create oppor tunities for yourself in the work field. So go ahead! Tr y it out! You never know if your blog will be the next Huf fington Post.
theSentinel Awards
Editorial Board
Associated Press Five-Star All-American Newspaper
Rachel Anderson Managing Editor
National Pacemaker and Newspaper of the Year
Tanner Sheffield Webmaster
Three-Time Robert F. Kennedy Award-Winner
Lizeth Meinguer News Editor
Society of Professional Journalists National First-Place General Excellence Award National Hall of Fame National Society of Professional Journalists First-Place Online
Michelle Mills Features Editor Riley Hadeen Sports Editor Geoff Carr Adviser
Contributors Rachel Anderson Jeff Barad Timothy Gant
Chris Martinez-Ford Staff Writer
“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity,” This is a quote from Henry Thoreau that is actually quite simple to understand, but somehow is one of the most misunderstood pieces of advice. It is not entirely surprising that people struggle to identify what simple is because society has redefined what that word means. When using a search engine to look up the word for a clearer idea a company named Simple appears before any kind of definition. Furthermore, simple is misused by businesses to help their product appear more appealing because they know people are struggling with how complex bills and everyday life is becoming. “America’s simplest wireless service,” a cellphone company’s slogan is followed by an explanation of their plans starting at twenty-five dollars per month which includes unlimited data, but for another thirty dollars includes
Celeste Kump Aislinn Lautenbach Chris Martinez-Ford Lizeth Meinguer Nick Miller Nathaniel Symons Pepper Root Rachel Sieratzki Gabriel Theander
received on the same subject; 2) are possibly libelous; or 3) are illegible. The Sentinel reserves the right to edit letters. Letters may be mailed to the paper, e-mailed, faxed or brought to Room 203 of the Siebert Building. The Sentinel’s address is 1000 W. Garden Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID, 83814.
truly unlimited data. For a simple program it seems counter intuitive that they have unlimited data and truly unlimited data. This program is followed by fine print asterisk with thirty-five words, double asterisk with thirty words, triple asterisk with seventy-five words and that is not everything. There are also fine prints cross, double cross, and diamond comments as well. Lives are filled with televisions that have over a thousand channels, cell phones that companies convince their customers to pay 500 percent extra for the latest advanced phone versus basic phones, internet plans with access to millions of sites, cars that can reach speeds over a 120 miles per hour when most of our fastest roads only allow speeds of 75 mph. There is a constant stream of excess material being thrown around, endless advertisements at every corner, and six pieces of fine print for “America’s simplest wireless service” and more hidden behind a link to a free novel of fine print. It is not surprising that 9.8 percent of Americans suffer from severe depression. That is ten times more people suffering
from depression then we had 60 years ago. When all these things collide and people wonder why it feels like everything that could go wrong seems to do so they should not despair. It is not just a small group of unlucky individuals who are hurting, there are thousands of people each day who get slammed with hidden fees or feel a weird low when the high of buying new things wears off. A challenge Thoreau would encourage many people to take on is living a life of simplicity as he defined it. For two years he lived alone in the woods while he built his own house from scratch using materials he purchased or were available around him such as trees for lumber. He used that time to reflect and think on life without the distractions of society which in his time were very little in comparison to today’s society. This does not mean he thinks everyone should jump into the woods and be a hermit, but does everyone really need access to internet on demand in one’s home while many places provide it for free or smart phones that are 500% more expensive then basic phones that also have unlimited talk, text and internet?
Effects of cultural relativism
Robert Johnson
Letters to the Editor Policy he Sentinel welcomes letters to the Editor. Those who submit letters must limit them to 300 words, sign them legibly and provide a home phone number in order to verify authenticity. Some letters may not be printed because of space limitations, or because they: 1) are similar to a number of letters already
Henry David Thoreau and the house he often wrote his poetic works in. Courtesy of LIFE Photo Archive
Katherine Hartwig
Come join us Wednesday, March 9 at noon in Siebert 209 for a crtique of the paper. We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
T
Taking a leaf from Thoreau
Riley Hadeen
Dylan Latting
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016
Mason Brown Student Writer
In today’s world, morality and ethical behavior are talked about, yet seldom understood. A popular and growing phenomenon is being taught to students at all levels, that it is not a value or okay to judge another culture and their practices as right or wrong, because it is outside of our own sphere of experience. This is called cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is an ancient theory which was professed by famous Athenian sophists long before the anthropologists of today claimed it as their own philosophy. But is it a good one? In a way it sort of fosters an environment of “indifference” especially when considering the plight of women in foreign countries. Surely, nobody would agree that it is not based off of a sexist maxim that women are not aloud to drive in Saudi Arabia. Or that women are routinely
abused and killed in certain middle eastern countries, a cultural practice known as an “honor killing.” But are these practices allowable? Do they not violate the international declaration of human rights? It seems as though cultural relativism in its attempt to remain neutral and not place a judgment on another culture is fostering a type of attitude that will not address certain practices that are in fact objectively wrong and harmful., such as the ones mentioned above. Objective morality is the opposite theory of cultural relativism. This theory is one in which it sets a standard by which we as humans judge other humans and their actions or intentions as right or wrong. It crosses gender, racial , and cultural lines and is fair. However, the cultural relativist will say this is not a good alternative to their method. That it is not allowable or logical to place a value on such a theory. But isn’t the denial of this theory placing a value onto their own of “non-judgement”? Cultural relativism is a dangerous and erroneous theory.
It leads to the acceptance of an anything goes world. How can anyone make a value judgement of whether or not a politician is corrupt, or a practice is harmful if we cannot judge something as right or wrong? I urge students to dismiss theories of relativism because it is one in which allows for harmful practices to flourish while turning a blind eye. We must adopt an objective standard of morality (whatever it may be) instead, whereby we as humans can judge others and not tolerate acts of discrimination or abuse towards women, like we see in other countries and also be able to condemn acts that are harmful to an individual or society even in our own. As Dr. Martin Luther King pointed out, the relativist was the one who defended slavery and later segregation as a “cultural practice,” while king used objective morality and natural law to argue against segregation. All one needs to do is to read the debates between Stephan Douglas and Abraham Lincoln to see how dangerous cultural relativism is to human rights.
DID YOU KNOW? On this day in 2011, actor Charlie Sheen was fired from the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.
www.nicsentinel.com
J.K. Rowling delivers again
PERSPECTIVES
the sentinel | 5
Are they all coming 30 years too late?
An analysis of the latest cinematic reboots and remakes
Rachel Sieradzki Staff Writer
As many Harr y Potter fans will already know, author JK Rowling has been writing a series of crime novels under the male pseudonym Robert Galbraith ever since 2013, when she published “A Cuckoo’s Calling.” There have been two sequels since, “The Silkworm” in 2014 and “Career of Evil” in 2015. Rowling originally intended to keep writing under the pseudonym for as long as possible, but she was revealed by her agent as the series’ true author shortly after the release of “A Cuckoo’s Calling.” She continues to write the rest of the detective series under the name Robert Galbraith and said she enjoys using the penname. “I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience,” Rowling said, according to “The Telegraph” in 2013. “It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation J.K. Rowling and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.” The protagonist of the books, Cormoran Strike, is a private detective in London who has a prosthetic leg, a growing debt and experience in the British version of the CIA. In each book, Strike is presented with a mysterious crime and does his best to solve it right under the nose of the inept police with the help of his bright and determined partner/secretar y Robin Ellacott. I have read all three books in the series, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of book four. I can’t wait to find out what’s going on with Strike and Robin. I won’t spoil it, but I will say that there is a growing subplot involving Strike’s professional relationship with Robin, who is engaged to be married. The books are exciting and filled with suspense. They have moments that tear at the heartstrings. They’re set in a dark and murky version of London much different from the one portrayed in “Harr y Potter.” Rowling has certainly proven herself a versatile British writer, jumping from her whimsical wizarding world to dealing with adult themes like drug overdose, sexual assault, homelessness, alcoholism and homophobia. I had never read spy novels, crime fiction or any kind of mysteries until I picked up the Robert Galbraith books. It just wasn’t my thing. But the Cormoran Strike novels really changed my mind. If you like to read myster y novels, or even if you prefer other kinds of books or even if you don’t like to read - read this. In a press release last September, BBC announced that Robert Galbraith’s books are soon to be adapted jointly by BBC One and HBO as a TV show, entitled “The Cormoran Strike Mysteries.” So you might want to read them soon, before they hit the big screen.
Artwork by Nathaniel Symons.
Nathaniel Symons Staff Writer
Movies are a good way to pass time, and are a good form of entertainment that gathers peopletogether. Some of them have even become classics and have a huge following. With all of the newer reboots and remakes of classic titles, do these movies continue the legacy of movies prior, or write anew chapter for audiences to enjoy? The first of these new movies to take a look at is in the Star Wars series, with originally six movies that audiences watched and became extremely attached to, making conventions that fans of thosemovies could gather and talk, enjoying each other’s knowledge. Then Star Wars Episode VII comes along, and pres-
ents a new challenge; is it possible to retain the feelof the original movies, but pull in new technology, scenarios, and actors? Fortunately, they pulled in some actors who were iconic characters that were a hit for viewers, with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher Harrison Ford who played the roles of Luke and Lea Skywalker, and Han Solo just thirty years in the future. There is still a new cast, including a cute little android named BB8, a new alternate version of R2-D2 who is orange and rolls around on his ball of a body. The thing that makes this android different from R2is that he is run by remote control instead of controlled by a person being inside, bringing in a new yetold form of technology to their aid. Another set of movies that is an interesting one is the Jurassic Park series, almost all of them talking of scenarios of dinosaurs
being created in modern times and wreaking havoc due to accidents. This newest movie, Jurassic World is another reboot, coincidentally also thirty years after the original. It has a whole new cast, and presents a new issue of a dinosaur created as a hybrid of all of the smartest species of dinosaurs, with a huge product endorsement of Sony products. It seems a little too heavily handed the promotion of their wares, but is okay with the movie the way it is, making a cool reboot all the same. As for movies to look out for on the horizon, Gremlins 3 is currently in the works as announced by Zach Gilligan, the actor who originally played Billy Peltzer. The only things that made it difficult to produce a third film was that the second Gremlins was not as openly received, kind of
being before it’s time. Now the biggest thing keeping a movie from being produced is not only having a solid script, but also determining if the green and brown monsters will be represented as their original puppets and animatronics or by computer graphics, altering the way that the audiences experience or approach this newest work. And last but definitely not least, we have the Ghostbusters returning, but with a few tweaks. The trailer for it was released on March 3, and had some things that may make it an interesting experiencefor the fans of the prior movies. For a summar y of the trailer and what I think, please look at the connecting article. If you think that myopinion was too brief or potentially that you would like to put your two cents, or even wanting to follow up on last article,Creaters choked out by fans, email nathanielsentinel@gmail.
Who ya gonna call? Will these ladies answer the phone? Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
And how was that new Ghostbusters trailer anyways? The Ghostbusters are back… or are they? After the release of the trailer, I studied it and while it looks like it will be a good movie, is it a Ghostbusters movie if all they have are apparitions of the past movies? Melissa McCarthy,
Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon tackle the task of being the Ghostbusters, an all-female cast. The things that I’ve noticed from watching the trailer was that they had the same roles as in basic professions, symbol and
Slimer, almost ever ything has changed. The main base is a Chinese restaurant, their car is a hearse instead of the ambulance, the ghost traps are bear traps, the photon packs can now be photon pistols and they continue with scenes re-
peated from the first and second movies. So much has changed that, while it will be a good movie standing on its own, I don’t know if it will necessarily be a “Ghostbusters” continuation movie. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Features tips? Story idea? Contact Michelle Mills 208-449-6464
mrmills@students.nic.edu
PAGE 6
Features WWW.NICSENTINEL.COM
MONDAY, MARCH 7 , 2016
“Manly” is a piece on display at the faculty art exhibit in the Boswell Hall Corner Gallery made by creator Otis Bardwell. Gabe Theander/ Sentinel
NIC faculty show off creative side The instructors from North Idaho College’s art department put proof on the
Boswell Hall Corner Gallery’s walls of their artistic prowess. Pieces range from photographs to paintings to sculptures and more, all created by our very own masterminds. The artists whose work claim the gallery include Fran Bahr, Donna Bain, Otis Bardwell, Megan Cherry, Priscilla Cooper, Jen Erickson, Michael Horswill, and Jessica Raetzke. The exhibit opened on February 16 and will continue to be on display until March 25. Now that the faculty has had a turn to show their artistic hand, it will be the NIC students’ turn to show their handiwork in the Student Union Building starting March 17. (Couterclockwise from top left): “Cultivation” by Michael Horswill, “April 1927,” by Michael Horswill and “Remnants III” by Priscilla Cooper. Gabe Theander/ Sentinel
7 | the sentinel
FEATURES
Monday, March 7
Aviation club takes flight Michelle Mills Features Editor
Shaun Andrew concentrates on his quadcopter during a demonstration at KTEC to raise awarenss for his new Aviation Club on March 1. Michelle Mills/ Sentinel
Shaun Andrews focused intently on his quadcopter as he guided it through a series of hoops lit up with strands of colorful lights. The quadcopter, also known as a drone or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), came to rest at its destination on the other side of the hoops and observers applauded the miniature journey. The demonstration took place at the Kootenai Technical Education Campus on March 1 in hopes to raise awareness for the new Aviation Club which operates as part of the NIC aviation program. The club also works as a subsidiary to the Coeur d’ Alene Airport Association. “I want to spread the joy of aviation and get as many people interested as possible,” said Andrews, 23, computer science major and president of the new Aviation Club. “Many people don’t even know we have a [local] airport.” The aviation club is not just for NIC students, however. In fact, it isn’t even restricted to those with any aviation experience. The only prerequisite for this club is to be an aviation enthusiast. One of the club’s board of directors, Murdo Cameron, a retired Delta Airline captain and vice president of the Coeur d’ Alene Airport Association, said the club is open to anyone, any age in the Northwest. Part of the club’s mission statement is to “promote fellowship among pilots and aviation enthusiasts.” And Cameron said he believes this club is a good way to do just that. They had 16 new members sign up at their last demonstration, and several more added after this one. “We’re trying to get young people into the aviation industry,” said Darrell Kisler, the club’s flight instructor. “We want to get them interested in something with endless possibilities.” Kisler has both a private and a commercial pilot’s license on top of being an instructor, and has had 7,500 hours of flight time. “I never get tired of it,” Kisler said of aviation. “It gives a new perspective of where we live.” The club will be featuring a quadcopter obstacle course/race on March 26. The location is to be announced. For more information, contact Shaun Andrews, club president at (760) 382-0269 or email ShaunAndrewsMail@aim.com
NIC Philosophers Chosen Four North Idaho College students have been chosen to present their papers at the 20th annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. April 15-16. Pictured from left to right: Dawson Williams, Adrian White, Jeremiah Serrell, and Mason Brown, all from Coeur d’Alene, will be presenting papers on a variety of philosophical topics. Since 1997, more than 1,300 students from 300 schools have participated in the Pacific University conference. “This is the largest and most competitive undergraduate philosophy conference in the country. It attracts entries from all 50 states as well as from Canada and the United Kingdom. This is a great honor for these outstanding NIC students, since the conference organizers must turn down many submissions,” said Ed Kaitz, NIC Philosophy instructor. “Those who wonder about the practicality of a philosophy degree should know that beyond the field’s solid preparation in the history of political, moral, and religious thought, and beyond its deep investigations into human nature and knowledge, the discipline produces excellent scholars and productive citizens in just about every endeavor.”
Phi Theta Kappa honors students with potato bar
Phi Theta Kappa officers gather on Feb. 17 for the orientation of new members. Baked potatoes were served as part of the welcome. Celeste Kump/ Sentinel
Courtesy Photo
Celeste Kump Staff Writer
Phi Theta Kappa upped the college food game last Wednesday night with white table cloths and a baked potato bar as opposed to the usual free pizza that clubs use to obtain members. Though the organization hosts many events, including orientations, fundraisers, and seminars, membership doesn’t require any time obligations, except for those on the board. Applications for next semester’s board positions will be accepted until February 28. Most Students find that the main benefit of joining Phi Theta Kappa is being able to list membership on college and job applications, as well as access to a number of scholarships. Some tips given to help achieve and maintain membership included setting life goals, organizational skills, and building a strong support system. Students added calculators, caffeine, and Quizlet to this list.
Sports
Sports tip? Story idea? Contact Riley Hadeen
208-769-3388 rhadeen@students.nic.edu
PAGE 8
WWW.NICSENTINEL.COM
@sentinelsportsn Follow NIC sports on Twitter
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016
NIC goes regional with full NWAC transition Conference change brings new possibilities for NIC sports Riley Hadeen Sports Editor Break out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks because baseball is coming back to North Idaho College. After over a decade hiatus, baseball and women’s track and crosscountry may once again become NIC sanctioned sports, though fans probably won’t get to see them in action until at least fall of 2017. The plan, according to NIC athletic director Al Williams, is to likely have the sports reintroduced via ASNIC clubs and hopefully integrate them into official school sports in the near future. The reintroduction of the sports comes as a result of some big changes that the NIC athletic department is currently undergoing. By next fall, all NIC teams except wrestling will complete their transition from the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), which is one aspect as to why NIC can now begin to look towards expanding the sports programs that they offer. In addition to the local conference change, almost all NIC sports will also be withdrawing from the National Junior College Association (NJCAA). Withdrawing from NJCAA is in some ways a double-edged sword for NIC. A larger spread of athletic scholarships for the players will be offered, but at the sacrifice of the high echelon competition and national recognition that we get in some sports with competing in the NJCAA. “It was a tough decision,” said NIC athletic director Al Williams. “But I am much more concerned with adding sports as opposed to dropping sports.” But perhaps leaving the NJCAA will still provide worthy competition for the Cardinals. According to former track and field coaches Lewis Watkins and John Jensen, the competition in the NWAC is anything but easier for the athletes. “It’s still great competition,” Jensen said. “It’s just whether or not you need that competition to be belonging to a national association or not.” “Competition is not what it’s about,” Watkins said. “Because we can have a great competitive environment between us and CC of Spokane and any other NWAC team… it’s about perspective.” Williams is also confident that the competition in the NWAC will be worthy of the talent that NIC attracts. “It’s not like they’re not competitive. We’ve played them in non-conference all the time and they’re pretty good programs,” Williams said. “It’s not going to be that big of a drop-off for the average fan.” The decision to switch to NWAC will also cater more to the local incoming students, with athletic scholarships only becoming available to students coming in from the nine regional NWAC states, as well as British Columbia. “Any time you can add slots for locals to have opportunities, that’s a good thing,” Jensen said. “The five northern counties are our tax base and our service area so it seems like we should be doing whatever we can
Softball preseason pitching brings wins for Cardinals
to provide opportunities for them.” In the NWAC, half of the NIC players will be eligible for scholarships that cover 65 percent of their college costs, rather than the full cost scholarships that the NJCAA membership allowed. With student-athletes receiving partial scholarships, NIC sports become more of a revenue stream for the college than before, further reinforcing the notion to add a more diverse array of sports to the school’s catalogue. “With this also being now a revenue factor for the college, it makes sense to bring in sports like baseball, cross-country and track because it gives more opportunities for student athletes,” Williams said. NIC’s outdoors sports have already been participating in the NWAC for a few seasons now, but the indoor sports will be experiencing their first season in the NWAC come next fall. The only exception to the conference changeups is wrestling. Since the NWAC doesn’t offer wrestling in their league, the sport will remain a NJCAA member. It was already a financial strain in the SWAC to send our current lineup of sports to the away games, so before the transfer to NWAC, adding more sports wasn’t an option for NIC. “It (baseball) was never an option in the SWAC because we would have to fly players down to Vegas and Salt Lake and Reno,” Williams said. The NIC baseball, cross-country and track teams were national competitors in their heyday, and had achieved top spots in the nation before they were cut from the program. In fact, just prior to the 2002 sports discontinuations, the NIC baseball team’s roster included MLB’s 2004 Rookie of the Year Jason Bay. “Baseball was big then. Crosscountry and track, they were national champions,” Williams said. “They were always contenders; we had All Americans that came from all over in track. We had Olympic athletes on our roster. Every sport we’ve had has been competitive.” There is a slough of quality runners and ball players in the area that could contribute some great talent for NIC to capitalize upon as well and generate successful programs when they are reintroduced. Though budgetary issues are always factors that can play into decisions for NIC athletics, Williams is eager to get new sports developing sooner rather than later. “If I had my way, it (the reintroduction of baseball and track) would be the fall of 2017,” Williams said. “We’ll be going over our budget proposals in the next few months and if we can make that work, we could easily get it started as early as next fall. The goal would be to bring them both back even if it’s just at the club level for baseball for the first year.” NIC may not be reintroducing former sports like tennis and bowling just yet, but the reinstatement of baseball and women’s track and field could be a great step in bringing more sports to NIC.
Katie Hartwig Sports Writer This last weekend in Februar y kicked off the women’s first pre-season tournament held in Richmond, Washington, which ended in a respectable 3-1 finish. Don Don Williams, who is in her 19th season as head coach of the Cardinals softball team, seems hopeful for the ladies’ season. The team had a big win this last weekend over Mt. Hood Community College, which is one of the top teams in the area. “They’re the team to watch out for in this season,” Williams said. “It was a great win for us.” The Cardinals beat Mt. Hood at the bottom of the seventh inning by one run. The tournament in Richmond had upwards of 25 teams in attendance. The team will be returning
Tanner Sheffield: Webmaster
from another tournament in Lacey, WA on March 6, which consists of at least four guaranteed games depending on wins. “Getting a few more games under our belt will help us settle into our line-up,” Williams said. Williams said that the tournaments are a good way to see how the players are in different positions and get them prepared for the season. It shows them their strengths and weaknesses and what to work on in practice. The Cardinals practice ever y day from 1-3 at Memorial Field, which coach Williams feels demonstrates that the players are committed, especially since most of the players have a full time workload at school along with outside jobs. There are only eight home games this season, so they will be on the road a lot with games
out of town. The Cardinals have a scheduled 24 games with double-headers, with a total of almost 50 games this season. The first home game for the ladies will begin on the March 25 at Memorial Field, near the college. Williams told me the team is looking great, along with Katie Barron, who is one of the team’s star pitchers and Head coach Don played a Don Williams great game against Mt. Hood at the tournament. “Barron went out and made a statement in her pitching against Mt. Hood and showed ever yone
she has what it takes to take our pitching to the distance this season,” Williams said. Amber Hawks is another pitcher on the team that is starting off the season with some impressive play. “It’s good to have that one, two punch in our pitching,” Williams said. “The team, as a whole is committed and working toward their goals” Williams has been with the softball programs since it’s inauguration and since has led the team to back-to-back regional championships as well as a national championship title. Last spring, the softball team celebrated the 500th overall win for the program since the first season in 1998.
DID YOU KNOW? The first NCAA men’s basketball tournament was held in 1939 and only consisted of eight teams.
SPORTS
9 | The sentinel
www.nicsentinel.com
The downhearted Cardinals turn a negative into a positive and gather around teammate Brayon Blake after the championship loss. “The season’s not over,” Blake repeated as the Cardinals came together following the loss to Salt Lake Community College.
Riley Hadeen
Cards look ahead following regional loss Rob Johnson Sports Writer
All-Tournament team winners Brayon Blake (left) and Trey Riley Hadeen Burch-Manning (right).
The Cardinals pose with their regional runner up plaque.
Riley Hadeen
Riley Hadeen NIC diehard fans Sydnie Herbert (right) and Whitney Reichold (left) support the Cardinals and sport a Sam Dowd cutout at the regional tournament in Twin Falls. “Win or loss, I’m glad I came,” said Reichold.
the 10-hour trek. hopefully we get back.” Salt Lake City immediately “I think it’s good for our jumped out to a 10-2 lead, and team,” Dowd said. “It’s a learnhad the Cards playing catch-up ing experience, we’re going to The Cardinals advanced the rest of the first-half. learn from our mistakes and in Scenic West Athletic Club Due to the early foul-trouble play with a chip on our shoultournament by beating Snow of Blake, Burch-Manning along der.” College in a close 77-73 battle with the rest of the Cards’ The team finished out the in their first regional game, but night by thanking the fans and then experienced an 86-73 defeat bench; stepped up and clawed themselves back into the families that came out to Twin and their first loss of the season game. They squeaked into the Falls to watch them. in the championship game to a “The NIC community is tough Salt Lake Community Col- locker-room at halftime with a narrow 38-37 lead. just crazy and we couldn’t do it lege team on Feb. 27. “Anybody on the bench can without them,” Dowd said. “I’m In their first game of the tourgo out on a night and score proud of everyone and am just nament, the Cardinals squared blessed to be in the situation off against Snow College for the 20,” said freshman Sam Dowd. The second-half remained that I’m in.” second time within a week. Though the Cardinals didn’t The loudest and most excited close, until the 15:00 mark. Salt Lake City went on a rampage, bring home the regional champeople in the arena were the and shot a barrage of threepionship title, NIC still brought Cardinal players themselves. pointers and increased their home several individual awards Right from the start, the Cards lead to 54-67. The Cards fought with Burch-Manning and Blake bench was clapping and chanthard to cut the deficit to a bringing home All-Tournament ing “Defense” and “D-up, D-up, team recognition. D-up,” and it seemingly inspired 66-71 game, but Salt Lake City prevailed and finished with an The Cardinals season may the team. 86-73 victory. still be alive. They are hopeful Their hands were up and ac“We just didn’t play our best and are expected to receive tive on defense; if they weren’t game tonight,” coach Symons one of the NJCAA National forcing Snow College to shoot Tournament’s four at-large-bids awful attempts, they were getting said. “We turned the ball over 20 times tonight. That’s the when the voting takes place in the passing lanes and getting most we’ve had all year.” March 7. steals leading to easy baskets. It was a tough loss for the “We didn’t want to go down Coach Corey Symons was team, and though the team this road, but hopefully we get substituting players in and out was unhappy with the way some favorable voting,” coach the entire game, almost hockey the championship turned out, Symons said. “We’re third in like. there was still a hint of optithe country, best record in the “We are so deep. We were mism that the team managed country, so I think we have a just trying to find a rhythm. It to exude despite their circumpretty good chance.” is tough to coach a team full of stances. The NIC men’s basketball great players, because every“It definitely hurts,” said team hasn’t made a trip to the body deserves to play,” coach Symons said. “We have so many NIC’s Haywood Irwin. “It’s our national tournament since 1997, and this year will be the great players that we never know first loss, especially as a freshman this is my first loss, but team’s last chance with NIC who is going to step up.” I’m just looking to my leaders, withdrawing from the National The Cards bench tallied 33 BJ and Briaian and they’ve all Junior College Athletics Aspoints and 19 of them belonged been here before so I’m just sociation following the concluto Trey Burch-Manning. He looking to their leadership and sion of this season. was an instant spark off the bench, and during one stretch of the first half Burch-Manning accounted for nine straight Cardinal points and collected rebounds on both sides of the court at the same time. “I was in the zone there for a minute,” Burch-Manning said. “My teammates were finding me in open spots for open shots.” With a little over eight minutes left in the game the Cardinals increased their lead to 70-49, but the game was far from over. Snow College was resilient and stole the momentum by going on a 24 to 5 run, bringing it to a 75-73 game with 5.4 seconds left. Snow College then regained possession, and had a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Once again The Cards defense answered with authority, by forcing a Snow College player to step out of bounds on his own baseline; just feet away from a potentially tying the game. Brayon (BJ) Blake squashed Snow College’s last minute efforts by knocking down a couple free throws and sealed it as a 77-73 victory for the Cards. Blake had a strong outing and finished the game with a doubledouble, 15 points and 10 rebounds. The SWAC Championship game Saturday was an intense atmosphere. Riley Hadeen athletic director Al Williams congratulates Kaleb The College of Southern Ida- NIC Warner on his Honerable Mention at the awards ceremony ho’s arena was surprisingly filled following the championship game. NIC finished with several awards with dozens of the Cardinal faith- including Honerable Mentions for Kyle Guice and Trey Burch-Manning ful’s that made as well as a second All-Tournament team spot for Lucas Antunez.
SPORTS
10 | The sentinel
www.nicsentinel.com
CDA provides biking thrills for all skill levels Event central
Coeur d’Alene is one of the best places to live if you enjoy biking. There is something for everyone from beginners to pros, and with spring almost here, now is a great time to get in on the biking scene. Pepper Root Sports Writer
The amateur series
The beginner series If you are beginner just getting into bike riding, there are lots of trails that vary in length and difficulty. Mapmyride is an app that has a GPS built in and lets you track you ride including distance, pace, speed and elevation. You can use the app via Facebook and share it with your friends, as well as see rides that others have posted. Another useful tool for new riders is www.trailink.com. The website also has GPS capabilities in addition to reviews of trails by other users and photos. Commuting to work or school on a bike is another good way to get started. If you need a refresher on the
rules of the road for bicycles www. kickinasphalt.info has PDF version of what you need to know, including a short quiz to test your knowledge. Regulations may vary from State to State so you can always check out www.idaho.gov for the specific regulations for this area. If you do not own a bike but are not sure if you want to invest a lot of money in one; Craigslist is the cheapest option for finding a decent bike for low cost. There is also the bike collective that offers discounted or free bikes for those in need, information about the bike collective can be found at their website www. bikecda.com.
If you are an intermediate cyclist and want to join a club or look for an extra challenge some of your options include taking a mountain biking course, or joining a bike club. The Lake City Tri and CDA-Tri teams both go on group rides and always welcome new members. Information about joining both triathlon clubs can be found on their websites, www.lakecitytri.com and www.cdatriteam. com. Charles Miner, 19, a student at NIC says, “I would love to do a road biking club…it seems like a great way to meet new people and be a part of new experiences.” If you are looking for a little bit more action, mountain biking might be more your style. NIC offers a mountain biking course as a one credit PE class. The class rides around Canfield Mountain in preparation for their trip to Moab,
Utah the week of spring break. “We will probably ride Canfield a few times and hopefully make it out to Beacon,” said NIC student D.A. “Catfish” Check who is currently enrolled in the mountain biking course. “We didn’t get to practice very much last year (before the trip) because it was raining.” The Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. will be having mountain bike rides every Wednesday beginning March 23rd. The rides start at 5:00 p.m. Meet up at the Nettleton Gulch trailhead. No previous mountain biking experience is required and the group often meets at Slate Creek after the ride for some brews and free burgers. Information about the rides can be found on the Facebook page titled “Wednesday night bikes, brews, and burgers.”
- Lilac Century (Spokane, WA) April 24 multiple distances Cost: $40-50 - Inland Empire Century (Kennewick, WA) May 7 multiple distances Cost: $35-50 - Flying Wheels Summer Century (Redmond, WA) June 4 multiple distances Cost: $60-70 - Chafe 150 (Sandpoint, Idaho) June 18 35, 80, & 150 miles Cost: $65-75
The workbench If you own or have purchased a bike that is not yet up to snuff, not to worry, there are great ways to get it fixed or better yet, learn to fix it yourself. Outdoor Pursuits has several upcoming bike clinics that are free. There are also clinics offered through the Parks and Recreation department and the Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. In addition, Outdoor Pursuits is building a bike shop in the McLain Hall Outdoor Recreation Center. It will be a way for students to come get their bikes fixed and learn a few things too.
There’s no shortage of bike races, tounraments and endurance tests in the Coeur d’alene region, so if you’re feeling elite or just want to feel the thrill of biking with a crowd, check out one of these events.
The pro series If you are dreaming of riding in the Tour de France and want something to help get you there, Coeur d’Alene also has something to suit you. The Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. has a road bike club, and new this year a half-Ironman training group. Some perks of joining the road bike club include 15% off all merchandise purchased at Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. (not
- Coeur d’Fondo (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) Sept. 24, multiple distances Cost: $90
including labor), team Jerseys offered at wholesale price, team events including shop parties and race day viewing on the big screen as well as race week priority bike service. Upcoming events include the bike season kickoff party on March 25. More information can be found through the Coeur d’Alene Bike Co. website or on their Facebook page.
Enrich lives through Boys and Girls Club Katie Hartwig Sports Writer
The Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County is always seeking out dedicated individuals to volunteer. Their main goal is to enable all young people; especially those that need it most to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. Many children grow up without any positive role models and fall prey to peer pressure, bullying, and drug use. Being a volunteer is a great step to share positive experience and goals to individuals who have little or no direction. There are two locations in Kootenai County. One in Post Falls near the public library, and a club currently being built on 15th Street in Coeur d’Alene. Lola and Duane Hagadone, whom most people know in this area, funded the Coeur d’Alene location. Duane Hagadone is now 83, but still contributes greatly to this area. Duane his wife Lola, donated $1 million towards building the new club. They also put a challenge to the community to match that amount. As a result of this challenge, the club’s supporters have contributed $3.65 million to cover the cost of the new building as well as operational expenses occurred along the way. You can participate in individual volunteer activities or assist with special club events. You need to be at least 18 to apply online
and you will go through a background check. You then have a small meeting with one of the director managers to go over the regulations and policies of the Boy’s and Girl’s Club. Once those steps are taken you can then begin volunteering and making a difference. One of the best reasons to volunteer is to contribute into a child’s life. It’s done by mentoring, tutoring, donating, and educating. The two facilities have a gym area, after school homework classroom, art room, and open game rooms. These are available for all ages and they have a teen center with pool tables, video games, and televisions. Mentoring focuses on providing the youth with emotional support while dealing with family struggles and behavioral issues. You can guide youth on future career exploration, educational and homework, drug and alcohol prevention and self-esteem issues. Many of the youth just need a point in the right direction in these areas and it’s never too early or too late to help. Homework is a battle for many youth, whether it be math or English or just a simple habit of procrastination. It’s helpful for the club members to get help with reading and questions they may have. The kids that take advantage of the afterschool work program have said they do better in school from all the help they receive.
You can be their “coach” helping them with fitness goals. The facilities are fully stocked with basketballs, footballs, Frisbees, dodgeballs, and other sport related equipment. Sports are always good, no matter what form, to help kids get out energy. It’s good throughout the ages and is great to have volunteers who can help teach the technical side of different sports and help kids find a new found joy in sports. I began volunteering a few months ago after having a desire to volunteer for years but I didn’t have the time. I come into the Post Falls location a couple times a week for just a few hours that fit into my schedule. I play basketball with the
youth, shoot pool, play board games, and even assist with art classes. Periodically I assist with “Math Mondays” for those members who have trouble with math. Anybody, especially those in college, can contribute and can give the youth some good guidance. You can go onto the boys and girls club of Kootenai County and do a number of things. You can join your kids, volunteer, sign up for special events they hold throughout the year or simply donate. All proceeds go to the youth facilities, snacks for the youth, facility repair, new sports equipment, and special events that benefit both the volunteer and the members. Volunteering in any sense is
rewarding and always looks good on your resume. For those seeking to volunteer or assist in any way through the Boy’s and Girl’s Club you can notify Missy Gill, who is the volunteer coordinator via email at mgill@ northidahobgc.org or call (208) 215-2401 “What we really need is volunteers who are committed to being strong role models for the children,” said Gill. “Because you may be the only positive role model they have.”
Katie Hartwig is a writer for The Sentinel. Her opinions are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sentinel. Respond to this column online at www.nicsentinel.com
Construction is under way at the new Boys and Girl’s Club building on the corner of 15th Street and Boyd next to Riley Hadeen Lakes Middle School.
www.nicsentinel.com
Games
the sentinel | 11
March Horoscopes Red the Psychic (aka Celeste Kump, staff writer) is here for your supernatural needs. She loves cucumbers and disco and is closely associated with Archangel Michael Business Consulting & Co. She is also willing to do anything for free food.
Aries (March 21 - April 19): As you continue with your March ventures, consider this comment by Mia Wallace, “don’t be a rectangle.” Taurus (April 20 - May 20): This will be a frustrating, yet rewarding time for brain exercise. Ponder philosophy, art, your life choices. If a topic seems particularly heavy it’s a sign that those are the important ones to focus your mind powers on. Gemini (May 21 - June 20): You are both gentle and affectionate. These traits manifest in many different ways, mainly weak coffee. This is perfectly alright, given you like weak coffee, but the greater good of those you prepare coffee for is at stake. Cancer (June 21 - July 22): Your dislike of ‘your mom’ jokes is well founded. Try doing something uncharacteristically selfish. Tell your friends that you don’t like crude comments directed at your mother. Leo (July 23 - August 22): Wow, there are going to be a lot of seagulls!- sorry, I mean distractions- for you this POPCORN TIME- month! You might even feel hyperbolic. Active, you might feel hyperactive. Okay, that’s it. Looking at your stars is making me paranoid. Virgo (August 23 - September 22): Life can be boring, rush through it to the good parts.
Upcoming local events •
NIC Peace and Hopefulness Concert, March 8
•
CDA Music Walk, March 11
•
St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown CDA, March 12
•
Tim Hawkins Concert at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, March 13
•
NIC Spring Fling Formal Dance in the SUB, March 16
•
DA Blues Festival, March 18 - 20
Libra (September 23 - October 22): Libra, my dear Libra. Did you know that cell phones give you cancer? Scorpio (October 23 - November 21): Things are going to happen. You might not like these things that are going to happen, but trying to keep them from happening will only stress you out, another thing you don’t like. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21): Carry a pen and paper around with you, and if inspiration strikes, strike it back. Capricorn (December 22 - January 19): Everything is about balance, for example, trebuchets. Therefore, if you spend most of your month being a responsible workaholic, take some time to hurl large stones at people. It also follows that if you rock and roll all night, then you should party every day. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18): Spend your alone time doing something adventurous. Wear comfy clothes and explore everything: puddles, other people’s rooms, etc. Pisces (February 19 - March 20): Be careful. Don’t take on the roll of the martyr prematurely. Huh, my horoscopes rarely make this much sense. This worries me.
www.nicsentinel.com
NIC’S GOT TALENTME
Break a Leg
the sentinel | 12
Are they all coming 30 years too late?
NIC welcomes all kinds of talented performers in campus-wide talent show Jack Harris Staff Writer
Act I
Before “NIC’s Got Talent,” I last shed a tear watching Interstellar for the first time. Nils Rosdahl changed that. In a crowd of young talent, Nils stood out – he was maybe 50 or so years older than the other contestants. Nils had been the journalism instructor at NIC since the ‘80s, and had retired 5 years ago. He mentions the song he’ll perform tonight. “I wrote this [song] about . . . 30 years ago, when I first became a dad.” he said. “Has the song changed over the years?” I ask. “I’ve had to add verses as my life’s changed!” His song, “I Saw His Face,” tells the stor y of growth from child to father to grandfather, written over the course of 30 years. Tonight’s performance marks the song’s public debut. My friend Adam asks Nils about his 12 string guitar. He told us that long ago it once belonged to his best friend. When they both enlisted during the Vietnam war, Nils elected to stay while his friend went overseas. His friend gave him the guitar now before us, saying he wanted him to keep it – he wasn’t coming back. Of course, Nils insisted he’d be fine, but he took the guitar anyway. His friend didn’t come back. We all looked down at the guitar in silence. “I think this is what he would have wanted,” I said. “I think you’re right about that.” Onstage, Nils performs first. His guitar work isn’t perfect; nor his singing – but I could see the heart and wisdom in his performance in a way that seemed lost on the crowd. My eyes watered as he finished performing his song for the first time, almost 30 years after its inception.
Act II
Immediately, Kasey Hawkins stood out from the other performers. Her blue and white outfit was accentuated by the kilt and matching knee-high socks she was wearing. And then there were the swords. Tonight, she performs a modernized Scottish sword dance. I’ll let her explain. “The old tradition was Scottish warriors would do this before battle – they would lay their sword down and the sword of their enemy down, and if you touched the sword, you would have bad luck in battle, and if you kicked it, you would die the next day in battle.” Fortunately, Kasey is still ver y much alive to this day. She did, briefly, touch one of the swords during her dance. I asked her about it after ward, and she mentioned the bright lights. After stepping in the lights myself, I wondered how she saw the swords at all. Kasey is a ver y accomplished dancer. She has her own studio in the area where she teaches Scottish highland dancing. She’s made nationals for dance before and hopes to do it again this year – though I doubt she’ll have any trouble.
Act III
Two girls with an unassuming look file onstage. They bring a guitar and both begin to sing. Miranda Harrison and Jasmine Smith showed off their beautiful voices in a well-practiced piece that started slow, but ended with lots of energy and plenty of soul. Again, the crowd was slow to appreciate the two, but they soon warmed up to the performance, and the crowd was remarkably loud for the limited attendance when they finished. Given that the winner would be chosen by crowd noise, I liked their chances.
Act IV Undoubtedly, the dynamic hip-hop duo of Risky and Jawbo were the most entertaining contestants to inter view. Being a casual hip-hop fan myself, I asked who they considered their biggest influences. “My biggest inspiration . . . definitely Geoff Carr,” says Risky. Geoff is the journalism instructor here at NIC, and is decidedly not a rapper, though I have heard stories. Their performance opened with the most energy of any of the performers. They undoubtedly showed some talent, but were let down by some minor technical problems and an unenthusiastic crowd. Personally, I’ve never been offended by swear words, but it’s worth noting that they only mildly censored their act – it was ver y obvious they were not used to doing so, and more than a few words slipped out. Nevertheless, both Risky and Jawbo delivered an entertaining performance and showed their surprisingly talented rap skills. Risky was nice enough to leave me his album. I haven’t listened to it yet. Act V
Photos courtesy of NIC Library.
Taylor Kyle impressed me more than any other contestant. Generally speaking, I’m not easy to impress. But Taylor did a damn good job of leaving me speechless both off and onstage. During the inter view, he made a ring appear and disappear from one hand to another. Despite being maybe two feet away, I was ver y much impressed and completely stumped as to how he did it. “Oh s***,” I say. He smiles. Next, he lets me take a card out of his deck. Before I even get the chance to do anything with it, he starts. “An eight. I think it’s an eight of hearts . . .” he says.
Of course it’s the eight of hearts. Onstage, Taylor has a harder time showing his close-up tricks to the audience, and without music, the pacing feels off. Despite the technical difficulties of displaying his magic, he impresses the audience anyway. His last trick still confuses me to this day. Ever yone wrote down phrases on slips of paper, and put them into a box. Cheekily, I wrote “Papa John.” Taylor picks a slip from the box. “Papa John,” he reads. “Okay.” He asks ever yone who wrote a phrase to stand up. “All the girls can sit down,” he says. There are only three guys left standing. He walks to the first, and determines pretty quickly it isn’t him. Next is my friend Adam, who I had showed the slip to before putting it in the box. Taylor stares Adam down. He thinks for a long time. “You can sit down,” he says. I stood alone. “Did you write Papa John on this piece of paper?” he asks. I smile and nod. Act VI If I were to pick the order of contestants, I don’t think I’d have put Nils first. But I absolutely would have put Josh Day last. Let me explain – Josh’s performance, a jazz piece written by Herbie Hancock and John Mayer, had the perfect energy to close up the night. He started his performance slow, true to the song, and slowly built to a captivating (and pretty funky) jazz performance. Adam, seated beside me, knows far more about jazz than I do, and he loved it. To vote for our favorite performer, we made as much noise as possible, including using noisemakers provided for the entire crowd. Josh received a hearty round of high pitched squeals, but in the end, he finished a close second to Miranda and Jasmine’s duet.