Talisman, Oct. 25, 2019

TALISMAN VOLUME 102 ISSUE 1

OCTOBER 25, 2019

ballardtalisman.com

WEEK FOR OUR FUTURE YOUTH ACTIVISM IN THE CLMATE CRISIS p. 10

NEW MURAL WELCOMES STUDENTS p. 5

MEET THE NEW COACHES p. 9

COMPETING HOT DOG STANDS ON CAMPUS p. 13

BEST PHO PLACES IN SEATTLE p. 16

02EDITORIAL

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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Letters submitted must be signed. Though, in some cases, the author’s name may not have to be printed. There is a 500 word maximum.

Anything longer may be submitted as a guest article, subject to being edited for length. Letter will appear on the editorial page.

Editorials

Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the staff editorial board.

Disclaimer

The staff reserves the right to refuse or edit editorials and letters for libelous content, obscenity or material considered inappropriate for publication. The Talisman staff is aware of sound journalistic practice found in the ‘Code of Ethics,’ as part of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Cover art by Ian Davino

HOMECOMING BANNER DISCUSSION STIRS CONTROVERSY

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uring a time that was supposed to celebrate school spirit and community, students in our building found it appropriate to hang a banner that alluded to the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump.

After pushback from teachers and students alike, our administration created a lesson to address the negative impact of the banner and create a community dialogue. The lesson was led by Link leaders for all ninth grade students and by teachers for other grades.

What started off as an administrative effort to redress injustice in our school turned into explosive conversations that proved even more harmful to students of color. Inadequate training of both our staff and Link leaders meant that many discussions around the building were dominated by those not harmed by the poster: White, cis-males.

After backlash to the banner emerged, a letter was sent out to all teachers by the staff member that approved the banner. While it did admit culpability and express a commitment to change, this letter was only delivered to the hands of other staff members.

Additionally, ahead of the discussions, a letter was released by ASB president Joe Zahner. It discussed the misguided intent of the banner and committed ASB to more actively listen to marginalized students. However, this letter was not spread through the student body — it was only addressed to teachers.

While the content of the letters was inspiring, we have to ask why these letters were not delivered into the hands of students. It would be powerful for leaders within our school

to admit to student how they contribute to our toxic environment.

Apart from the poster and backlash themselves, our “community discussions” also revealed that our school has a long way to go in addressing its racist climate.

The idea that the banner was associated with racist, homophobic and sexist beliefs angered many students. One teacher even said that he had students walk out because they felt targeted by the content of the lesson. Some students felt as though removing the banner was a violation of free speech; they seemed enraged and confused that there was so much criticism towards the banner when the words it displayed had no effect on them.

However, the students expressing such anger or just indifference do not seem to understand the great privilege awarded to them within our school — the slogan that inspired the words do not directly target them. Being able to look at the words displayed on that banner and feel no sense of fear or alienation is a privilege.

While the purpose of the discussion was to create an inclusive community dialogue and readdress racism within the student body, the conversation became

dominated by the very students that contribute to these issues.

Students and staff members who most likely already feel isolated in the student body were subject to more, often unintentional, segregating behavior from their dominating counterparts. For those marginalized within our school, the slogan that appeared on the banner and the person associated with it ignites a sense of fear, anxiety or dread.

“Make America Great Again” is noxious to our community — it exudes racism, nativism, sexism, and more.

The lesson also alluded to several other racist images that had been spread around Ballard in past years. However, it did not address the fact that the administration had not discussed these images with the whole school when

they emerged, underscoring a troubling continuation of leaving racist behavior unaddressed within our school.

In the past, discussions have been held in order to address similarly racist issues within our school, yet they continue.

We hope that administration can recognize that, while holding discussions are important to creating dialogue, greater action is needed.

We challenge the students that were angered by the criticism of the banner to exercise empathy and attempt to understand that while the banner did not affect them personally, it was extremely harmful to others.

Staff members are also partly responsible for the actions of students. When the sophomores put up the banner, at least one staff member was present to approve it. It is the job of the authority figure to prevent issues like this from arising in the first place, and it is the job of administration to condemn these issues when they do arise.

How many more incidents, discussions, and fallouts will it take for us to commit to real action?

Editors-in-Chief Staff

Ian Davino Editor-in-Chief Piper Sloan Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Board

Tess Petrillo News Editor Paige Anderson Sports Editor Samantha Swainson Features Editor Elliot Armitage A&E Editor Dhani Srinivasan Opinions Editor Hannah Weaver Copy Editor Skye McDonald Photo Editor Lila Gill Business Manager

Sam Rainville Staff Artist Peter Brown Staff Reporter Eli Campbell Staff Reporter Adria Cooper Staff Reporter Frances Kleinsmith Staff Reporter Alex Montes Staff Reporter Christian Moran Staff Reporter Lukas Ramakrishnan Staff Reporter Brett Richter Staff Reporter Will Shepard Staff Reporter Zev Golden-Zagorski Staff Photographer

Adviser

Michael Smith

NEWS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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Remembering Gabe Lilienthal

e’d come home every day — from school, from work, greeting his family and his dogs with infectious joy. Some days he’d cook, other days he’d play the drums, guitar, saxophone, or any game that came to mind.

Gabe Lilienthal passed away from fentanyl poisoning on September 29, 2019. In response, his family and friends have created the Gabe Lilienthal Foundation. The foundation website describes it’s goal as to “provide real education on the dangers of these drugs to middle and high school students.” His passing has been the topic of much discussion regarding the fentanyl epidemic, but his life was about so much more.

Deborah Savran, Lilienthal’s mother, knows that he was a lot more than just another statistic.

“Gabe was somebody who had a lot of light in him,” Savran said.

“He wasn’t partying hard, he wasn’t an addict.”

Lilienthal saw the adventure in life. His interests ranged from flying planes to dancing, long walks to climbing. He loved music; anything from jazz saxophone to Eastern European

hip hop fusion. And he was never one to shy away from a new experience.

“Gabe had a real adventurous spirit,” Savran said. “Even here, he didn’t know that many people, but he just go walking all over the city and him and his dad would go bike riding. He just liked to explore.”

Each challenge was something to be overcome, though Lilienthal struggled with anxiety and ADHD, he never let that get in the way. “He worked so hard to make sure that he was able to show his intelligence even though he had struggles with anxiety and ADHD,” Savran said.

“He was strong.”

We all make mistakes in our lives, even more as teenagers.

But mistakes shouldn’t cost lives. “When I was a teenager sometimes I did risky things and stupid things, I think that’s a pretty common thing,” Savran said. “but those mistakes shouldn’t kill you. You should have another chance.”

In his last year at school, Lilienthal was a great student; before his passing he was taking running start classes at North Seattle College, studying for the

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ACT, and preparing to attend college in Australia.

“He wanted to study finance or commerce and live on the beach and learn how to surf,” Savran said. “He was very focused on going to college somewhere where he could have a good lifestyle … he wanted to be out in nature and near the beach.”

You can’t ever fully capture a life in words. There’s no way to fully describe his laugh, his humor, the sense of wonder and adventure he saw in the world.

The people we’ve lost live on through our stories and our memories. Remember his joy, his passion, the lives he touched and the countless memories he left behind.

Lilienthal may have only lived in Seattle for a year, but he had a tremendous impact on the community around him, and will be dearly missed by the people whose lives he touched.

“We had gatherings and people couldn’t even get to the door, there were just so many people whose lives he touched,” Savran said. “He had a rich and full life that was only 17 and a Senior Gabe Lilienthal “had a rich and full life” that was sadly cut short due to fentanyl poisoning. (Courtesy of Deborah half years.”

Savran).

Feminist Club is introduced to the school

Feminist Club offers a place to create change and discuss equality Adria Cooper Staff Reporter

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new addition to the many clubs this year is the Feminist Club. They will strive to make the school more equitable and educated about women’s issues. It meets in SW100, the club’s advisor April McKenna’s room, on Mondays after school.

Junior Isabella Crone-Baron, the founder of Feminist Club, describes feminism as believing that everyone is equal. The Feminist Club looks to ensure this will happen at the school through awareness campaigns and communication.

Crone-Baron explains why Feminist Club is a valuable addition to student organizations. “Going to Ballard and hearing about sexual harassment and assault really opened my eyes to how there isn’t much awareness around those issues, and I felt like Ballard really needed that,” Crone-Baron said.

In keeping with the belief of equality, there are no hierarchal positions in Feminist Club. “President and Vice President are very patriarchal positions and a governmental structure. We want to break that down and have it be more like I can help lead but everyone works together and has the same amount of input,” Crone-Baron said.

This holds true in the role of advisor as well.

McKenna is hoping the club will be exclusively student run. “I am just happy to be able to make the space available to them and to help them with

logistical issues as they run into them,” she said.

The Feminist Club is already actively working to make a difference. For Homecoming, they produced posters about consent to inform students how to be safe and considerate at dances.

The club has ambitions for spreading awareness and creating an equitable environment. “One of our projects goals is to get free tampons and pads

Founder of Feminist Club Junior Isabella Crone-Baron and advisor April McKenna standing outside of classroom SW100 where the club meets (Skye McDonald).

for the bathrooms. In school and around the world, not having proper menstrual hygiene products can be a huge barrier to going to school and being comfortable,” Crone-Baron said.

Feminist club memeber, junior Reese Pedersen shares about the club’s aspirations. “Some of our goals are better resources for learning about feminism and possibly planning class lessons for ABC/ABS time,” Pedersen said.

Feminist Club strives for diversity and different viewpoints, so anyone is welcome to join. “We want people from all different gender identities.

Something that we talk about a lot is that sometimes feminism can be a white woman issue, but we want it to be more intersectional in that women’s rights intersects with racism. We want to explore how sexism affects different races and sexual orientations differently,” Crone-Baron said.

They also strive to ensure there are no misconceptions about what Feminist Club entails.

“Feminist Club is not a man-hating club, it’s a club for people who believe in equal rights,” Pedersen said.

Crone-Baron calls for student involvement.

“If you are motivated about justice and equality, come join the club and have discussions and make change.”

04 NEWS Dangerous fentanyl epidemic rises across the nation 1.

October 25, 2019

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Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

Introduction of fentanyl laced drugs into the street drug industry threatens lives Tess Petrillo and Dhani Srinivasan News Editor and Opinions Editor

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entanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be used as a surgical anesthetic, or pain medication for advanced cancer patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine and 10 ten times more powerful than heroin.

Fentanyl has recently been produced and distributed illegally in the form of powders, pills, on blotter paper and even in nasal sprays or eye droppers.

Because of its potency, a very small amount of fentanyl can produce a high. It can be mixed or cut with other drugs in order to enhance the high while also lowering the price of the original drug.

The low cost of the enhanced drugs are appealing to users, not necessarily addicts, but anyone who wants to use the drug. When these people purchase the cocaine, pills, etc. they are most often unaware that it is laced with fentanyl.

Unlike the medical industry, when fentanyl is mixed with another drug there are no

M30 pills are made replicate the look and high of oxy coton when really they are a mixture of tylenol and fentanyl pressed into the pill form (Piper Sloan).

measurements, meaning that any amount of the drug could be laced with any amount of fentanyl.

When users unknowingly take a fentanyl laced drug, it often results in fentanyl poisoning.

However, since they weren’t aware of the presence of fentanyl it is not considered an overdose.

Math teacher Jan Drabek had a student who passed away due to fentanyl poisoning recently.

After the passing of the student Drabek attempted to educate himself on the dangers of fentanyl.

“I started reading the book ‘Fentanyl Incorporated,’ I tried to educate myself about what was going on,” Drabek said.

Drabek also recommended communication between administration to students across the district.

“When there’s this threatening danger, which is what this fentanyl situation is, I think there needs to be some organization within the school district that can move quickly to address it. I want information to be communicated out quickly,” Drabek said.

In addition to communication and education in order to prevent misuse of the drug, medical products are also available to counter the effects of the drug.

NARCAN brand naloxone is a product that can reverse overdoses of opioids like fentanyl. Naloxone can be bought in the form of a nasal spray, over the counter, by anyone in Washington state.

Companies have also emerged with products that can be used to test a drug before taking it to see if it is laced with fentanyl. The non-profit company DanceSafe offers packets of fentanyl testing strips as well as information about fentanyl on their website http://dancesafe.org.

Naxolone nasal spray can be purchased at various pharmacies and drugstores. If you witness the comencement of an overdose, NARCAN can be used to combat the effects of the drug and save a person’s life (Piper Sloan).

New schedule stirs up controversy among students and staff Students and staff share what they think about the different schedules Sam Rainville Staff Reporter

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he new schedule, featuring four different bell schedules, was introduced at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. Already, it has received mixed reactions from the school community.

The change accommodates the addition of Advancing Ballard Time (ABT), which takes place on Tuesday and Friday. Classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday have slightly longer class periods, resulting in four different bell schedules.

This change has created a discussion of the new routine, with much of the concern lying in the constantly changing start and end times of classes. The replacement of DAM time has also brought up concerns.

The schedule was created through the joint effort of Principal Keven Wynkoop, the Instructional Council and the Continuous School Improvement Plan Committee (CSIP).

The Instructional Council is made up of the different department heads, while CSIP is a mix of staff members and students.

In the spring of last year, the conversation began about what to do with the schedule. Through the conversation, Wynkoop presented the idea that would become the new

schedule, which was voted on in June.

One of the main concerns brought up in these discussions was the previous use of DAM time.

“That group brought the concern that the way we had DAM time allocated last year was not worthwhile for students, and that it was basically being taken advantage of,” Wynkoop said. “We couldn’t give more time to non-class time.”

After nearly seven hours of school, students had less focus by the end of the day, which made structured activities difficult, another problem that Wynkoop wanted to address.

“What we were able to do is really channel a lot of the things that we do into that Friday community time,” Wynkoop said. “This benefits our community, provides for more community in the school, and yet doesn’t take away from the instructional time that people have in class.”

However, student reactions have been more mixed. Some are concerned with the confusing aspect of the schedule, and are still struggling to find their bearings.

Junior Sydney Smith shared her concerns about the schedule. While she liked the addition of ABT’s scholarship days, the limited access to

that extra time was difficult for her.

“Because it’s not everyday it’s kind of inconvenient,” Smith said. “Some days I have so much work and I can’t prepare.”

To Smith, the usefulness of these scholarship days is reliant on the classes you have before.

“I have AP Chem second period, so I’m really lucky and happy about that,” Smith said. “But for other people it’s an inconvenience.”

At the same time, some students are having minimal issues with the schedule. Junior Kelsey Hansen found herself having an easy time adjusting.

“I like that there’s the longer time to get stuff done,” Hansen said. “I don’t really mind the different times every day. I just get up to go to my next class when the bell rings.”

The addition of ABT was also a positive for Hansen.

“The morning is better,” Hansen said. “I haven’t lost all motivation. By the end of the day I normally am just tired.”

Chemistry teacher Timothy Stedman shared what he saw as the ups and downs of the schedule.

“The class time that we have this year, even on Wednesdays, it’s longer,” Stedman said. “I’m really happy about that.”

While the schedule can provide more teaching time for teachers, the schedule on days with ABT can cut short Stedman’s lessons.

“It’s really challenging for me as an AP Chemistry teacher, because when that time comes up I’m supposed to be doing community time, and I have no other time during the day to break down the lab,” Stedman said.

One aspect that Stedman considered a positive was that teachers have more flexibility to help students with their own class’ work.

“Two times a week where if I need to, I can flex into that period and help my students get caught up, or myself get caught up, or break down a lab,” Stedman said.

As the school community adjusts, Wynkoop stands behind the change, remaining hopeful about the changes ABT will bring to the school community.

“I’m really excited about the prospect of students having time that they’re in charge of, for them to determine what is the best use of their time,” Wynkoop said. “Building in that self responsibility to manage that time effectively is a really great skill for students.”

NEWS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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New mural provides a warm welcome to the school

‘It’s not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate these differences’ Paige Anderson Sports Editor

It’s hard to miss the vibrant, intricate mural that’s now displayed in the library’s foyer. The piece was a production of numerous students and staff members work throughout the summer and the beginning of this school year. (Original design By senior Grace Sanderson)

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t’s hard to miss the vibrant, intricate mural that’s now displayed in the library’s foyer. The piece was a production of numerous students and staff members work throughout the summer and the beginning of this school year.

The Idea

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he making of the mural started spring of last year when graduates Marlowe Barrington, co-president of Black Student Union (BSU), Diego Ortiz Villacorta San Juan, member of Latinx Student Union (LSU) and Ezra Bantum attended a Martin Luther King Jr. rally at Garfield High School.

“We were really struck by the murals at Garfield which told stories about different communities in the Seattle area,” Barrington said. “What stuck with us was that community and the celebration of black and brown people.”

The students then attended a Race and Equity Team meeting and presented the idea of a mural.

This is where Botany teacher, India Carlson, first got involved.

Carlson always wants to ensure that students feel heard and supported. That’s why she believed so strongly in the mural.

“If it helps our students feel more connected to school, the more that they have a place at this school, then I’m all about that,” Carlson said. “I’m just here to facilitate what the people want, it’s not my vision, it’s the students.”

As BSU, LSU and Multicultural Club wanted to collaborate and create a mural, senior Grace Sanderson, founder and president of Art Club, wanted to fill the blank walls around the school with student art.

“In Art Club, we were trying to think about what we could do as a club and we thought a mural would be cool,” Sanderson said. “Little did we know other students were thinking the same thing.”

The students then all agreed to collaborate, and with the help of Carlson and art teacher Matthew Harkleroad, the mural would become a reality.

Outline and background design of the mural before faces and quote were painted. (Courtesy of Grace Sanderson)

The Plan

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fter the idea was in place, the group started to plan how to physically execute the mural.

First, they wrote a grant to present to the PTSA to get financial support. Students presented the grant and explained why they wanted the mural and why it would be important to the school.

After they received their grant, Carlson connected the team with Urban ArtWorks, an organization based in Seattle that works with groups to create large scale artworks and murals.

At the end of August, Urban ArtWorks sent Mari Shaboya, who helped plan what the mural would actually look like and what the students wanted out of it. They spent three and a half days brainstorming ideas and creating sketches.

“She sat with a handful of students and facilitated a really deep process of figuring out what those students wanted in the mural, what they wanted to express, what they wanted it to look like, who they wanted to include, everything,” Harkleroad said.

“Instead of using difference as a point of division, there’s beauty in difference. There’s things we can learn and embrace in other people and it makes the world more beautiful and interesting as opposed to ugly and scary.”

-Art Teacher Matthew Harkleroad The Creation

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fter it was designed, they started to sketch it out on three four-by-eight foot pieces of wood.

It was painted in four days with the help of numerous students, including some from Garfield.

Eventually, on Sept. 18, 2019, Urban Artworks hung it up.

Barington explained that the mural highlights two things that really speak to an overarching goal of representation.

“In the foreground you see different people from different communities who we felt had made positive and profound impact on their communities,” Barrington said. “We tried to choose a diverse group so that hopefully any student could find commonality and feel some pride in their own

identity, and maybe feel inspired to learn more about them.”

From right to left- Ermias Hagos, Escot Mexcal and senior Jordan Hughes examining the mural during the creation process. (Courtesy of Grace Sanderson)

Even the background of the mural is significant, it represents various cultural patterns and traditional symbols.

“In the background we chose different artworks and styles of different cultures,” Barrington said. “I think we all had a wonderful opportunity to learn about the Scandinavian culture of Ballard, but we wanted to also celebrate other cultures who make up the fabric of our community.”

The students also wanted the mural to be inclusive and provide some context of the many cultures within the school.

“It’s important that everybody that walks through the doors of Ballard High School feel seen and feel that some part of them is appreciated and embraced by the whole school,” Harkleroad said. “Having a mural like that hanging up begins to do that.”

The Reaction

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any people may not realize that the mural was driven and created by students. Most of the art pieces already hung up in the school were created by alumni.

“A lot of people like that we finally have students artwork,” Sanderson said. “It makes the school more student-friendly and it’s going to be our mission to bring more student art to the walls.”

06 NEWS Get to know this year’s new teachers at school ballardtally@gmail.com

Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

Will Shepard Staff Reporter

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heana Conaway, a new LA teacher, is not new at all.

After teaching math for seven years, she decided to take a year off. Each day she would spend nearly a majority of her day going from home to work, and back. “I was living too far away, and was spending up to five hours each day in the car,” Conaway said. “It was terrible.”

After shortening her commute, and having a 5-month-old baby last school year, Conaway remains happy and committed to teaching her new subject at school.

Now, with the introduction of a baby into the family, Conaway’s interests have changed. “Lately my favorite thing to do is just to spend time with my daughter,” Conaway said.

Despite the break Conaway is happy to be home and with her home high school. “I love Ballard, and I just couldn’t stay away.”

Sheana Conaway New language arts teacher Sheana Conaway. (Skye McDonald)

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Evangeline Drink New science teacher Evangeline Drink. (Skyler McDonald)

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vangeline Drink, the new Chem A/Phys A teacher in room SW225, may appear quiet at first, but in reality is a pleasure to talk with.

“I seem shy, but I actually enjoy talking with students,” Drink said. “Getting to know them, and teaching them the material, it’s the most important part of teaching for me.”

She became interested in teaching from her mother, a former high school math teacher in the Philippines, and her high school chemistry teacher who paved the way and showed what a great teacher should be.

“My high school chemistry teacher was a really cool teacher who understood the material, and we had a lot of fun labs.”

She has previously taught at Sequoyah Middle School, and TAF@Saghalie, a 6th-12th grade school in Federal Way. Outside of school, Drink’s favorite pastime is by far traveling. “Traveling is what I really enjoy doing,” Drink said.

“I’ve been all around Europe.

So if you get a chance, make sure to stop by Room SW225, to talk to Drink about anything from chemistry to world traveling.

“I’m excited to be here, I think there’s a great community here at this school, and I’m really happy to be a part of it,” Drink said.

teven Bradford is ready to fill in for Matt Lawrence, the former film teacher, and continue the film program’s glory. Bradford is a seasoned film teacher, spending his previous tenures at colleges in Arizona, and most recently having taught his last ten years at the Seattle Film Institute.

Since graduating from the University of South Carolina’s Film School, Bradford has also worked at the Northwest Film Forum, and has been working in teaching and editing film for ssthe last 35 years. After hearing “through the grapevine” that Lawrence was stepping down, Bradford began to make his move.

“I knew it was a really good film program, and I hadn’t really thought about teaching high Steven Bradford school before that,” said Bradford, “but I knew New face of the Ballard Film it was a really good program, and I wanted to Program Steven Bradford. (Skye McDonald) be a part of it.”

Bradford does understand the enormous pressure and standards that are being put on him for this year.

“It’s a big challenge, and a big responsibility to keep everything going as well as its been going,” Bradford said.

If you ever stop by his class, make sure to get him talking about his favorite movie, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” any film related news, or what the film program is planning for this year.

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ara Butsch-Nolte, a newly hired Spanish teacher, thinks of her job as a mix of her two passions. “I taught ski school in high school and college,” Butsch said, “and afterward I needed a job, and I knew how to teach, and how to speak Spanish, so I put them together.”

Butsch also talked about the aspects of teaching that she loves the most.

“Being in the classroom with kids,” Butsch said. “That’s my favorite part of teaching.”

This is only the second school she has worked at, previously teaching at Kentridge High School, before transferring here.

Once the school day ends, Butsch is a rabid outdoors person. “I ski a lot, especially up in Alpental and Sun Valley,” Butsch said. “My daughter and I hike and camp, and most summers we do big road trips.”

She also is currently obsessed with Disney. “I’ve been to Disneyland repeatedly, and I go to Disneyworld most summers.”

So we would like to welcome Butsch, to our troupe of teachers. “I’m excited Kara Butsch-Nolte to be here,” Butsch said. “I’ve lived in Ballard for years and years and years, New Spanish teacher Kara Butschand now I get to finally work here.”

Nolte. (Zev Golden-Zagorski)

New career counselor assists students in finding jobs

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October 25, 2019

ou may find Brent Martin passing out pamphlets, or hawking students in the hallways. Or you might find him at his desk in the counselor’s office, searching for opportunities and thinking of ideas.

This is because Martin is the Career Connected Learning Coordinator, or as he likes to call himself, the “Jobs Dude.”

“My job is going around and connecting people to different jobs and opportunities,” Martin said. “I went over to the Northgate Store, dropped in, got some contacts. Next thing you know, I’ve got a cool personal relationship with the new Target manager, And I hear they’ve got about 30 jobs open.”

This is just one example of the work that Martin does daily to help connect high school students to job opportunities, and help them find their passions.

Martin also considers this his passion, as he gets to do what he loves. “I’ve always liked helping people,” said Martin. “In any role that I’ve had, I always enjoy seeing people succeed. I love to see when people find their spot.”

“I have this passion throughout my life to see people have great jobs and careers doing what they’re gifted at and what they love to do.”

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ristina Shaw, a new World History and Credit Recovery teacher, has taught all over Seattle before finally settling on Ballard.

After previously teaching at Franklin, Garfield, and South Kitsap High School, Shaw is happy to be an educator at her neighborhood school for the first time.

Like most teachers though, Shaw never thought she would get into teaching, especially when she was in high school. Then in college, she majored in history and religious studies and studied abroad in Germany.

“I lived in Germany, and I taught at a high school there,” Shaw said. “Before then I had been in a masters program in college, which was a lot of talking about the world, but teaching was more interacting with the world.”

A big part of Shaw’s drive to teach is the absence of the mundane that lives in the high school campus.

“Every day is different,” Shaw said. “I worked in an office before, and I hated it, every day was the same and you just answer emails all day.”

Like all typical Pacific Northwesterners, Shaw loves the outdoors and strives to be a part of them by hiking, camping and traveling.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said Shaw. “I’m happy to be at Ballard, and to be a beaver.”

Kristina Shaw

New history teacher Kristina Shaw. (Zev Golden-Zagorski)

Top to bottom- Senior, junior, sophomore and freshman classes cheering at the Homecoming assembly. (Skye McDonald)

Students show spirit at Homecoming assembly Paige Anderson Sports

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Editor pirit week allows students of all grades to show off their school pride. On Friday Oct. 4, ASB held the Homecoming assembly to celebrate the week.

The gym was packed with students dressed in their class colors, ready to win the numerous activities such as relays, the spirit can and the dance off.

The freshman, wearing grey, take up the largest part of the bleachers and watch in awe as they experience their first all school assembly.

The sophmores, now proudly wear their new class color and scream in their sea of white.

The juniors, decked out in all red, are ready to showoff their upperclassmen status.

The seniors, wearing all black, give it all they got for their very last homecoming assembly.

Performances by cheer and dance team allow the programs to show off their skills and excite the student section.

Homecoming week is a great way for students to celebrate being a Beaver.

SPORTS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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The Beavers run onto the field for their first game against Juanita High School. They won 42-7. The team continues to win their games with a current 7-0 record. (Skye McDonald)

Football team strives towards success

Students and coaches embrace community and support Frances Kleinsmith Staff Reporter

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ead football coach, Ross Humphries, started working at Ballard in 2016 and had 46 players playing in the first season. Since then, the program has expanded by almost double the players with 91 in the 2019 season.

“In my interview [in 2016] I said my goal was to have 100 players in the program and they kind of laughed at me,” Humphries said. “This is by far the biggest team Ballard has ever had.”

Not only has the population grown, but so has the dynamic and the program as a whole.

The team is based on the core “CCCC” acronym, which means commitment, cooperation, conduct and compete. These are the main components that make up the team and keep everyone held accountable.

“We want to make sure that everything we’re doing with our players, everything we’re doing as coaches, that we’re attacking at least one of those core values,” Humphries said. “We’re all under construction, we’re all working towards that, and we’re not perfect with that every time [but] it’s intertwined in everything we do.”

There were three values that Humphries said he wanted to aspire and work towards as a coach; supporting players with academic development, emotional development, and physical development that enhance relationships. These values are reflected on the field, but most importantly, onto the players.

Head coach Ross Humphries has been apart of the program since 2016. “If you win at everything else, you win at football,” Humphries said. “It is all about love.” (Oliver Colleran)

“We knew that if we could help them in those areas of their life, football would be easy. If you’re just winning at stuff, you’re winning at everything you do,” Humphries said.

Humphries mentioned examples of things the team does as a way to build relationships and develop community within the program. These were things like 30-second conversations (in passing, making sure to have coach-player and player-player conversations) and free writes (where every player has a composition notebook and they get to write their feelings based on a given prompt). The goal is to enrich the players’ mental health while boosting a strong and reliable community.

The coaches conduct a discussion called mindset curriculum that takes place before the games.

“We have installed schedules of how we install our offense and defensive schemes. We also have one that’s with the subjects we talk about with the mindset we want our players to adapt and have,” Humphries said. “For example, one day a talk would be about mental toughness and the next day it’s talking about relationships. We’re intentional about how we’re going to teach the mindset side of being a better person.”

In relation to the players’ mental health growth and their strong community outreach, the team has started a new program called ‘a person of impact’.

The seniors on the team write down people in the community who have impacted them in a positive way. They then present those people at team dinners to overall honor the impacts those individuals have made on the player, and ultimately gives the players an opportunity to show and give gratitude for somebody who’s helped them.

In spite of the football team’s successful 7-0 winning streak this season so far, success in the players’ eyes is measured in the community and the benefits they gain from it.

Senior football player, Dajean Wells, has learned many life values from football from his four years on the team.

“I have noticed in life you cannot get the goals you want without having those key values,” said Wells.

Fellow teammate and four-year senior football player, Cooper Croy, has also been greatly impacted by the program.

“Ballard football has changed me into the best person I can be,” Croy said. “Every time I do something, I think about all the core values of the program. We just work on being better every day.”

Wells and Croy both agree that the most important aspect of football to them is “the brotherhood” and the community that the program has enriched them with.

In the game against Ingraham on Oct. 18, senior George Blue, who scored three of the touchdowns, runs past the Ingraham opponents. Beavers won 29-13 (Ian Anderson)

Football moves to 7-0 Paige Anderson Sports Editor

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he football team had one goal for the game on Oct. 18: beat Ingraham. The two teams were playing for the number one seed in their division and both had undefeated records.

Even though Ingraham was the first to score, the team won 29-13, keeping their undefeated record which is currently 7-0.

The King 5 News television of the game was significant for the program.

Junior and starting quarterback, Ryan Blokker, who threw for three touchdowns, shared some insight about the game in an interview with King 5.

“It was nerve-wracking going into the half, we were only up one point,” Blokker said. “But those are the type of games you love to be in, having that high-stakes reward.”

The team knew what to expect when they played Ingraham according to senior George Blue.

“We’ve beaten them in the past,” Blue said. “We know what they do, how they play.”

It was a big game for everyone, but especially for Blue, who scored three touchdowns — the most touchdowns he has ever scored in one game .

“We’re the better team,” Blue said. “We have more talent and we wanted it more.”

08 SPORTS Cross country adjusts to coaching methods this season

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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The team says goodbye to long time coach Alex Montes Staff Reporter

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he cross country team has played a big role in the athletics program for the last 15 years, giving students from all grades a safe and inclusive space to grow as individuals and meet new friends along the way.

For the majority of the time that the team has been up and running, Bob Mirenzi has been the main coach—getting the team all the way to state.

Mirenzi gained quite the positive reputation for himself around the school.

Senior Ruby Siehl and fourth-year cross country athlete and captain this year describes his coaching style and her personal outlook on him.

“I found he cared a lot about how each athlete did and I really liked how he spoke directly to me about how I was performing,” Siehl said. “Even if people thought he was tough, it was all out of caring for the team and he was actually a very soft guy.”

As of the 2019-2020 school year, new coach, Neal Howard, has stepped in for Mirenzi, becoming the head coach for the team.

Many are sad to have seen Mirenzi go, but have been optimistic about a new beginning.

“Neal is actually pretty similar to Bob in a lot of ways. Especially in the things he advises us to do like drinking enough water,

getting lots of sleep,” Siehl said. “I think that he brings a new scientific perspective that was not as prominent with Bob.” Howard has also been an assistant coach to Bob for the last five or six years, working with sprinters.

In the past, the team had been built on foundations such as community and compassion which had been very effective in bringing the team together. This season, keeping the team similar to years past is important to Howard.

“We haven’t made too many changes; we’ve had a very successful program for the last 15 years or so,” Howard said. “We’re trying to maintain a lot of

similar aspects to it. We’re trying to increase a little bit of the team bonding that we try to do, so intergender, inter-grade work; so try to work on reaching out to the younger athletes with older athletes.

A little bit more trying to work on that inclusion atmosphere as a team.”

The team has many goals this year prompted by Howard’s ideals.

“We want to be inclusive within each other, so we want to make sure that people feel involved with the team, they feel like they’re a part of the team—a part of something that’s a little bit more than them, that kind of feeling of adding to a program,” Howard said.

Senior Alexis Johnson who has been on the team for two years, said although the team is pretty similar this year there are still some discrepancies.

“We still have to put in the same amount of effort and have the same expectations,” Johnson said.“The coaching staff is more understanding without Bob. Also, there’s less of a scolding tone during our meetings.”

With high expectations and great outcomes from Howard, this cross country season has been great for the team, bringing new members closer with the old ones and creating new connections.

The girls get ready their first league meet on Sept. 18 at Lower Woodland. (Courtesy of Sherry Jacqua)

Seniors sweep the juniors in the annual Buff Puff game Competition and fun rolled into one for the upperclassmen Adria Cooper Staff Reporter

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he junior-senior rivalry lives on with the two classes having participated in the annual volleyball game known as Buff Puff. The two sides went head to head on Wednesday, Oct. 2 with the seniors securing the win.

This is not the first Buff Puff victory for the class of 2020. Jack Berard, senior and two time Buff Puff participant, said they dominated both years.

Senior presence also outweighed that of the juniors. Claire Burreson, a coach for the senior team was impressed with the crowd. “There was a sea of black and a sea of red, but the seniors definitely won,” Burreson said.

Even Gavin Nichols, a junior player, acknowledges this defeat. “The junior crowd was a lot smaller and quieter, but they were still supportive,” Nichols said.

A point of controversy in this game was that all the line judges were seniors. Some thought this influenced the calls that were made.

“When the refs made biased calls, that was a hardship,” Nichols said.

Soodjai Kutrakun, a staff member and friendly face in the halls, says next year there will be some

changes for who gets to be line judges.

“Not just seniors because I want it to be fair for both sides. Next year we are going to have it be neutral,” said Kutrakun.

Even though the game raises tensions, both classes agree that it is a tradition that should be kept at school.

“You get to have that fun rivalry between the upperclassmen and it also excites the younger classes,” Nichols said, while Berard said “I think it’s just fun.”

Many of the contestants play other sports as well. Nate Leibold, an athlete on the junior team, plays baseball and basketball. He said “having an athletic background” helped him be prepared for the game. Berard agrees saying his experience on the lacrosse and football teams translated over to help with communication.

Buff Puff may be over for the year but the rivalry isn’t done. EJ Knoll was one of the seniors in the crowd. “Go seniors,” Knoll said to end his interview, showing the different classes will still clash. This is confirmed by the juniors as well.

“Next year, we’re winning,” Nichols said.

Seniors win Buff Puff fror the second year in a row. Senior Jack Berard defends an attempted spike by junior Gavin Nichols.

(Skye McDonald)

SPORTS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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The new cross country, soccer and swim coaches Get to know the new faces behind the fall sports teams this year Will Shepard Staff Reporter

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER

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New head coach, Neal Hawrd, obserevs a meet on Sept.

24 against Bellarmine. “I want to empower the leaders on this team to be successful,” Howard said. (Courtesy of Eric Souza)

CROSS COUNTRY

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eal Howard, the newly named head coach of the cross country team, is not a newcomer, having been an assistant coach under former head coach Bob Mirenzi since 2014.

Howard is excited to take the helm of the cross country team and lead them to victory.

“I want to leave a legacy of a team that enjoys being a team,” Howard said. “I want [the team] to enjoy doing this as a part of a team, and become a cohesive unit that is successful.”

Howard ran all the way through high school and college, yet he stopped running once he reached grad school.

“When I was in grad school, I went to my college championship, and I realized how much I missed the sport,” Howard said. “Right when I got back, I contacted the coach at my college to volunteer and help coach. He let me in, and I’ve been coaching ever since.”

Once Howard graduated from Central Washington in 2008, his head coach was also coaching here, and he asked Howard to come down and help out.

Howard wants his coaching style to be flexible and hands off, inspiring people and having them understand the tactics that they employ.

“I’m very much about the education of the athletes. I want them to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Howard said. “I want them to like doing it, because that’s what makes them good athletes and makes them invest in the sport.”

Expect big things from the cross country team in the years to come.

“We’ve been going to state for the past few years,” Howard said. “I want to empower the leaders on this team to be successful.”

am Macca, the new girls soccer coach, is a veteran of the sport and has been playing for almost his entire life.

“I have played [soccer] for the past 47 years, and I got into it through a neighborhood friend,” Macca said. “I then played all through high school and college.”

It was Macca’s goal to play professional soccer, but like most aspiring athletes, these aspirations fell short.

“I was close,” Macca said. “It was my dream to go pro, but I never got a contract.”

So Macca moved on, graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in communications and creating a career in marketing.

But as time went on, Macca grew to miss the coaching the sport. “[My son] grew up playing soccer, and going to his games I never had the chance to coach,” Macca said. “So when my last job ended, and this opportunity came along, its something I have a passion for, and the timing was right.”

Macca considers his coaching style to be about patience and control, preferring to wear an opposing team down and be smart with the ball at their feet.

“Work hard, play hard,” Macca said. “We want to be similar to Barcelona, which is short passing and a lot of possession.”

So with a veteran now wearing the coach’s hat, the girls team is attempting to make a run this season.

“I want to create a legacy of girls wanting to be a part of this program,” said Macca. “There’s a real pride about our program.”

Head coach Sam Macca talks with the team during halftime against West Seattle on Oct. 22. “I want to create a legacy of girls wanting to be a part of this program,” Macca said. (0-5) (Skye McDonald)

New swim coach Stephanie Cummings works with athletes during morning practice. “Swimming is a very personal sport. You have to be able to want it, and you have to be able to have the mental toughness to do it,” Cummings said.

(Elliot Armitage)

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tephanie Cummings, the new girls swim coach, is hoping to restore glory to the swim team after last years unsuccessful record.

Cummings is implementing new drills and exercises in an attempt to fix a team that was plagued by injuries last season.

“This year, we gotta make sure that [the team] stays healthy, that they stay strong,” Cummings said. “So [I’m] changing up their training, their training regiment, and they’re dryland regiment to make sure they stay strong.”

Now, in addition to coaching the Ballard team, Cummings also coaches a club team, Team Hydra, and runs her own business, SC Fitness and Coaching. Cummings gives personal training, teaches swimming lessons, and hosts running clubs.

Cummings views her style as hands-off and that the swimmers drive to win is what really compels them.

“I give you the tools, I make sure you can use the tools correctly, and then it’s your job to actually use them,” Cummings said. “Swimming is a very personal sport. You have to be able to want it, and you have to be able to have the mental toughness to do it.”

With new leadership and improved training regiments, the girls swim team is looking to have a successful season. “[Coaching] is about the next generation of swimmers, and letting them be in the limelight,” said Cummings. “It’s not about you anymore. It’s their name on the heat sheet not mine.”

10FOCUS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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TEENS TACKLING THE CLI

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Ian Davino and Piper Sloan Editors-in-Chief

eptember 20th welcomed the largest mobilization of humankind for climate action in history. Students and workers from across the globe striked, marched, made signs, and chanted to voice their concern for the Earth and to challenge Data taken from FridaysforFuture.org lawmakers to take action.

The march was organized primarily by young activists from various organizations such as Fridays for Future, Global Climate Strike, and Climate Strike WA. According to the Fridays for Future website, an estimated 7,260,621 people worldwide took part in the strike one way or another Kimaya Mahajan is one of the prominent teen organizers involved with the Seattle hoping for, like, a couple thousand branch of the strike. She people. But I don’t think any of was particularly pleased the organizers were expecting with the sheer number tens of thousands of people of people that came out that we ended up getting.” to show their support.

The march was an “I was really really exciting success for everyone happy and surprised in involved, both in size and a good way, just seeing in the breadth of influence. how many people came Although the events out,” Mahajan said. “I were largely centered know that I was really around Capitol Hill, Kimaya Mahajan is one of the people from all leading youth climate activists over Seattle in the Seattle area. She works came to with Climate Strike WA to lead climate strikes and encourage participate. climate activism in the “It community (courtesy of Kimaya Mahajan).

Approximated people in attendance at weekly climate protests.

was really exciting to see hundreds of south Seattle students participated as well as like north Seattle people,’” Mahajan said. “I was also really happily surprised that those students who were there were taking it pretty seriously like they weren’t just there to skip class. Most of the youth that were there genuinely wanted to be there for the right reasons.”

The success of this march definitely signifies a step in the right direction for the movement, raising awareness and pressuring lawmakers; however, there is still much that needs to be done, and it starts locally.

“I really think that Seattle has the potential to be doing so much more than we are doing currently,” Mahajan said. “I think that

FOCUS

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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IMATE CRISIS Seattle should be doing a way better job of being not just a follower, but a leader in the climate action movement ... I think that’ll paint a really amazing portrait of our city for the rest of the country.”

As it stands, Seattle City Council members have all signed their support for the Seattle Green New Deal, but not much has actually changed. Additionally, the Washington State Clean Energy Transformation Act also requires that all electric utilities be carbon neutral by 2030 and 100% carbon carbon free by 2045.

As the threat of climate change looms closer, environmentalist movements have shifted their away from individual decisions, like reusable water bottles or carpooling, toward large-scale political change.

“I think that we’re past the time of individuals having the power to change anything,” Mahanjan said. “It really comes down to our elected representatives, and the people that have the power to create change. It’s definitely them that we need to start pressuring and forcing them to make or to pass things that will revert the climate crisis before it’s too late.”

Legislation like the Green New Deal or the WACETA is often criticized for being overly-radical or unrealistic, but as we move forward into a future that is threatened by an impending climate crisis drastic changes are exactly what we need.

“Climate change The “Week is not for our Future” was a weeklong protest organized as a callto-action for climate justice. It began with a global walkout on Sept. 20, an estimated over 7 million people were in attendance (Elliot Armitage).

an issue that’s far into the future, it’s not something that we have a couple of years, or a couple decades, until we need to start thinking about,” Mahajan said. “It’s something that’s currently affecting people and killing people in different parts of the world, and in different marginalized communities.”

Though it can be intimidating to stare in the face of such an overwhelming crisis, it’s important to realize that there are still actions that can be taken to make significant changes. The “Week for our Future” from Sept. 20-27 stands as a reminder to show not just that people can demand change, but that others are willing to listen.

12 FEATURES

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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El Día de los Muertos

Members of the Latinx community share traditions of celebrating the lives of their loved ones Tess Petrillo News Editor

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his year, El Día de los Muertos will begin on Oct. 31 and end on Nov. 2. Families and friends will come together to celebrate and rejoice the lost lives of their loved ones in a day of remembrance.

History teacher Alonzo Ybarra celebrates Día de los Muertos and educats on the culture associated with the holiday as well as Mexican heritage in general.

“It has ancient traditions that predate the Spanish,” Ybarra said. “Most people would attribute it to the culture of the Aztecs, but it likely predates the Aztecs as well.”

“It has evolved over time because of the presence of Catholicism and colonialism. So it kinda started to appear to be a cultural tradition that was tied to Catholicism when it was really a cultural tradition that persevered despite Catholicism.”

Throughout history, Catholicism has seeped into Mexican culture, sometimes affecting the traditions of Día de los Muertos. Junior Gavin Bradler describes how religion has become a part of his family’s traditions.

“In my house, we usually set up a small ofrenda in my kitchen, dining room or living room area,” Bradler said. “We set up pictures of deceased relatives and candles, usually some with the Virgin Mary on it. And throughout the days that it is set up we usually include it in some sort of prayer that we say around it.”

Bradler also explained how his, tía, his aunt, celebrates the holiday while still preserving her religious beliefs.

“You aren’t supposed to give offerings to the dead,” Bradler said. “Often my family in Mexico will visit the grave of a family member and have a

“In my family, we celebrate to honor our family members that have passed away. It’s kind of a way for us to tell them that we still remember who they are.” -Jasmin Garcia Cruz,12

moment of remembrance, but they don’t put out any offerings besides maybe flowers.”

In Seattle, Bradler’s family also includes alebrijes on their ofrenda. “There are little statues that my tía bought us,” Bradler said. “They’re these giant colorful animals. And we put them on the ofrenda in front of the relatives, as guardians over your relatives and your family tree.”

Overall, Bradler views Día de los Muertos as a day of commemorating family. “It’s mainly just for the remembrance and reverence for ancestors and personal family history.”

Senior Jasmin Garcia Cruz has a similar view on the purpose of Día de Drawn here is an ofrenda decorated with pictures of the deceased, los Muertos. “In my family, we celebrate offerings of flowers and general niceties that celebrate and honor their to honor our family members that have lives. (Sam Rainville) passed away,” Garcia Cruz said. “It’s kind associated with Día de los Muertos. of a way for us to tell them that we still Even though she does not celebrate Día de remember who they are.” los Muertos, Lopez-Madrid still has a special Garcia Cruz describes one specific tradition connection to the celebration. that her family does to honor their past relatives.

“Latinx people, just like people from Spain, are “Basically we sit down and just talk about our very close with each other,” she explained. “It is favorite memories that we have with them,” Garcia something that represents us [Día de los Muertos], Cruz said. “It’s a day where we just focus on what we care for each other and are there for each other they did and how they impacted our lives. It’s also in a really really close way. It is a representation just kind of a way for them to know that we are still of the close relationships that families have. You thinking about them and that they haven’t been want to keep a person in your daily life, you want to forgotten.” tell them that you are here and you still remember Garcia Cruz’s family also sets up an ofrenda and them.” says a small prayer for their loved ones, which is the tradition that she hopes to pass down to her children someday.

“In the future when I have kids, I want to keep that tradition going on for my kids to know who their past family members were and what they were like. I want them to know why they were so important to me and why we celebrate this holiday,” Garcia Cruz said.

In addition to cooking their loved ones’ favorite dinners, Garcia Cruz also described a special food that her family indulges in on Día de los Muertos.

“We also go to the store to buy what we call pan, which literally translates to bread,” Garcia Cruz explained. “They come in the shape of, not voodoo dolls, but like a chubbier version of a stick figure.”

Sadly, in America Día de los Muertos is often portrayed in a commercialized way that does not convey the meaning of the holiday.

“I feel like here in America, people don’t really know what it is,” Garcia Cruz explained. “They kind of just dress up and it’s like ‘sugar-skull day!’

I don’t really think they know what the meaning of it is.”

Many celebrators place bread baked in the shape of people Spanish teacher Vanessa Lopez-Madrid, always on their ofrendas as depicted above. (Sam Rainville) sets aside an amount of time to educate her students about tradition like these and the culture

FEATURES

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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Hot dog stands compete for business

First ever hot dog stand’s successful opening leads to creation of competitor business Hannah Weaver Copy Editor

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n the early months of school it seems as though almost everyone is suffering from early-onset senioritis, the September blues, or a combination of the two. Even worse is the thought of eating the same old lunch every day, whether it be a moldy sack lunch or the sixtieth coffee cake muffin of the month. Though 30 minutes may not seem like much time, it’s the longest break all day, and students haven’t realized its full potential.

Seniors Aldo Behrens, Connor Gizinski, Avery McGinnis, Callum Bone and junior Robin Stump were recently feeling tired of their regular lunch schedule. They came up with the idea to spice up their regular routine with some fresh-off-the-grill hot dogs.

In the beginning, the hot dogs were just for them, but they realized that their new idea was too good not to share with the rest of school.

“We all communally decided, ‘what if we started selling hot dogs as a joke?’ ” Behrens said.

With their Camp Chef cooking stove and purchase of hickory smoked dogs from an undisclosed bulk food distributor, Beaver Wieners was born. However, they don’t have a food permit or food handler’s license, and emphasize that they are not officially a business and are not affiliated with the school.

“We make sure not to have any signs up, because then it could actually be seen as a real restaurant,” Stump said. “We [also] asked Mr. Wynkoop if we

could do it and he said off school property, yes.”

Once they were certain they wouldn’t come into any legal trouble, the next step was to advertise their grand opening, and they created an Instagram account to do so. This account quickly amassed a large following, some excited at the prospect of freshly cooked hot dogs and others just curious to see what Beaver Wieners was all about.

On the Friday of their grand opening, the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

“It went swimmingly,” Behrens said. “It was a lot bigger of a thing than we imagined, we did it as a joke to maybe sell hot dogs to 10 people, and then we sold about 70 hot dogs.”

After a successful grand opening and much feedback, they brainstormed ideas for future sales.

Cream cheese as a condiment, buns pressed in a waffle iron with syrup on top and hot dog eating contests were just a few of the many ideas they conjured up.

These big plans were suddenly put on hold when another hot dog seller came to town. Junior Emiel Madonna and senior Jackson Ward decided to start their very own hot dog stand for a marketing project, about a week after Beaver Wieners was conceptualized.

Taped to every corner of the walls were posters proclaiming, “Ballard Classic Hot Dog.” This, of course, did not go over well with the Wiener Boys, who saw it as a threat to their business. Beaver

Seniors Aldo Behrens, Connor Gizinski, Avery McGinnis, Callum Bone and junior Robin Stump that brought a much needed hot dog stand to the common high school student­—cheap and delicious. In the bottom left Aldo Behrens is featured wearing a wiener suit while Callum Bone hands Avery McGinnis a hot dog and Connor Gizinski sits in the back next to Jackson Fasser. (Skye McDonald)

Wieners took to Instagram, saying that if one of their followers took three posters down, that person could get a free hot dog at their next sale.

Ward, however, had no intentions of causing such controversy.

“I personally had no clue that there was another hot dog thing going on, I didn’t know it would become this big thing,” Ward said. We did not mean to offend anyone, we were just trying to do a marketing project.”

His business partner Madonna, on the other hand, is okay with a little bit of controversy and competition. He believes the hot dog market is open to anyone, and that Beaver Wieners shouldn’t have a monopoly on it. This has created a mock rivalry between the two stands.

“Oh, I want conflict,” Madonna said. “This is a competing business.”

Behrens of Beaver Wieners agreed, especially since the new hot dog sellers’ business model was so similar to that of Beaver Wieners.

“I was appalled that someone would knowingly steal the Beaver Wieners idea,” Behrens said. “I see it as a declaration of war, and I can’t say I’m going to hold myself back from continuing with this war.”

The two hot dog stands aren’t exactly the same, however. They sell their dogs at different price points, and they use different methods to cook them.

The new stand sells their hot dogs for two dollars, and claims they are doubly good. Beaver Wieners, on the other hand, sells them a dollar apiece.

This, they say, better aligns with their core values.

“We could just as easily sell the same if not better quality dogs, but we prefer to cater to the poor man, and so that’s why we sell our hot dogs at half the price,” Behrens said.

The two stands also have very different vibes.

Ward and Madonna’s marketing project is very streamlined and factory-like. At their sales, they had a massive hot dog machine that sat there rolling out hot dogs, thirty or so at a time. They have the business down to a science, and their quick service drew a crowd comparable to Beaver Wieners’.

Beaver Wieners seems more focused on connecting with their customers, and creating a fun atmosphere. At their homecoming week sale, they had music playing from the red pickup truck they sold out of, and they stood atop the truck as people gathered eagerly to get some dogs.

“We like to be a part of the community, and this is the best way we could do it,” McGinnis said. “People who have never met each other [were] talking over hot dogs, you know? It’s something everyone can relate to.”

Their main goal is to provide students with an enjoyable experience and a distraction from the mundanities of school. Or, as Gizinski said, “dogs for the people.”

14 FEATURES

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

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Best dressed, then and now Lila Gill and Brett Richter Ads Manager and Staff Reporter

Fashion as a whole is always changing. Fads are born and die off, trends try to hold on for as long as possible, and classics remain a staple in many wardrobes. Things that seem ridiculous now were commonplace 40 or 50 years ago. As society moves forward into the 2020s, it’s important to remember the fashion that came before and to recognize the historical influences of today’s looks.

Belgian fashion designer Diane Von Furstenburg was quoted saying, “style is something each of us already has, all we need to do is find it.” And boy, is high school the time to try and find it.

Waking up in the morning and painstakingly pulling on a corset doesn’t sound as appealing to young women in the 21st century as it did in the 2oth. Neither does the bone damage. Since the school opened in 1903, the fashion in which they’ve done than has changed drastically. Out with the old and in with the new.

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak,” said American stylist and fashion designer Rachel Zoe. When we walk through the halls today we see tight jeans and baggy pants, hoodies and button-ups, dresses and suits; each item of clothing gives a little more insight into the wearer’s life.

Looking back on fashion in the past five decades, we really get a chance to see just how big these style changes were.

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tudents in the 1960s were much more conservative and formal compared to what we wear today. Girls often wore button-ups in warmer seasons and sweaters in the winter, tucked into highwaisted, pleated skirts.

Men’s fashion was classic — flannels, jeans, and some loafers or tennis shoes.

India Carlson, plant-science teacher and resident fashion connoisseur, notices something similar taking place in the student body today.

“I see more guys that dress up. [They] seem to be taking a little more pride in what they’re wearing rather than just wearing sweatpants,” Carlson said.

o many, the 1970s conjures up images of hippies and flowing skirts. But it seems Seattle never got the memo. Outerwear like trench coats and formal wear defined this era at school.

The classic high waisted flare jean was popular for both genders. Sneakers were on a decline as dress shoes like loafers from the 60s carried into the 70s for both guys and girls.

For girls, A-line dresses and vests layered over button-ups, blouses and turtlenecks. Some students chose to add flair with a patterned ascot. Skirts and sweaters were also popular.

For guys — turtlenecks, and casual suits with a “worn” look. These were paired with slacks or high waisted flare jeans. imilar to today, ripped Levi’s jeans and khaki Bermuda shorts were all the rage. Flare jeans similar to those in the 70s remained in style. Paired with chunky turtlenecks and often layered, the look was then completed with long hair and fluffed bangs.

The unisexuality of these trends is similar to some of the things we see in modern fashions. Carlson shares her take on this new mode.

“I see there’s less gender designation for clothing,” Carlson said. With women wearing suits and guys wearing clothes that would be traditionally considered more feminine.”

Athleisure is wearing athletic clothes such as yoga pants, sweatshirts, or brands like Fila, Adidas and Nike not just at the gym. It’s easily one of the most popular trends right now, and it originated in the 80s.

(From left to right) Featured in the style section of the Shingle yearbook through 1980 is an unknown student with fluffed hair and wearing high waisted flare jeans; from the 1970 edition Lissa Kaufman is showcased in an aframe dress and Ron Thronton shows off his suit; from the 1990 issue Angel Finkle is shown layering up.

he decade of dial-up internet and “Vanilla Ice.” Students were wearing crochet sweaters, turtlenecks, and highwaisted tapered jeans­—majorly different from the jeans in the 70s and 80s.

Layering seems to be a staple in student fashion. Fluffed hair also lasted through the 80s into the 90s. Slicked hair for guys was a common option as well.

The 90s presented a fresh new take on 1980s styles, mixing in more modern elements.

Of course, no style article would be complete without mentioning Grunge.

Nirvana, Mudhoney and Soundgarden brought not only iconic music, but also iconic looks. Flannel shirts and the combination of long and short sleeve tees became fashionable.

2000 s T

he Y2K scare, frosted tips, low-waisted jeans and a slew of techno club songs led the world into the new millennium. For teens, slicked hair from the 90s was intensified and spiked, sometimes bleached for that Guy Fieri feel.

Simplicity was the new modernity for teens, and it showed. To put it into perspective, Hollister was founded in June of 2000, bringing the classic lace camisole to girls across America. Add a white tank and some low-waisted jeans, and you’re ready to roam the halls with a Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino in hand.

If 1970-1990s student fashion was formal, then the 2000s students were basically dressed in pajamas. Where there once were loafers, now it was sneakers and Uggs. Platform sandals could also be seen on nearly every other girl in the halls.

Featured in the 2011-2012 Shingle yearbook are five girls rooting for their class at a spirit assembly., all wearing typical styles of the earlier 2000s.

15

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

‘IT Chapter Two’ is frighteningly bad

ballardtalisman.com

The follow-up to the horror smash is an absurd misfire.

Peter Brown Staff Reporter

A

s most people alive then know, Andre Muschetti’s 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s popular horror novel “IT” was a resounding success, receiving critical praise and the largest box office opening for an R-rated movie ever.

Ever. Widely admired for its talented young cast, emotional sensibility and legitimate horror, the promise of a second installment was genuinely exciting. Unfortunately, “IT Chapter Two” is terrible. Massively disappointing. On almost every level.

The reality of chapter two’s incredibly low quality sets in slowly. The creative transitions and attempted artistic style of the opening makes you want to like it (though preceded by a tasteless homophobic murder scene), but as the film progresses it becomes slightly clearer what you’re in for.

“IT” is awkward. The adult cast, with the exception of Bill Hader, isn’t nearly as charming as the previous film’s younger stars. The writing is weak, the typically strong actors like James MacAvoy and Jessica Chastain struggle under the dead-weight of their characters, and the utter lack of chemistry. Additionally, teenage actors from the first chapter (including a bizarrely de-aged Finn Wolfhard), deal with noticeably more wooden dialogue, and a feeling of lack of purpose in the story. There’s a sense that their inclusion is only to satisfy fans of the first film, a gross sense of self-nostalgia, a recurrent theme in the movie.

The younger cast isn’t the only indulgence though. The film is 3 hours long. And there’s no inherent issue with that since there’s a number of acclaimed films (Schindler’s List, the Lord of The

Pennywise stares menacingly in one of the laughable film’s more serious moments.

Rings films) with lofty run times. But those are good films, and the length is needed to serve the story. Chapter two is neither good, nor does anything in it feel necessary. “IT” is a victim of brutally under-served editing, leaving far too much in, and dabbling in iMovie white screen transitions and pretty atrocious color.

Shots bounce between everything is green and

everything is yellow, etc. it’s kind of amazing for a blockbuster studio film. It looks bad, just generally, special effects sequences look like Xbox 360 game play, and normal scenes look like Mazda commercials shot in horror sets.

Any visual appeal or interest from the last entry is practically gone.

Above all of this is a bold stupidity. It may be one of the most proudly unintelligent movies to come out recently, but even worse is it carries itself with an aura of sophistication and a total lack of self awareness. More than the countless confusingly bad moments (The song Angel in The Morning plays for about five seconds, full volume), “It Chapter 2” attempts a lot of very poorly handled social commentary with Pennywise’s bizarre turn as body-shaming, misogynistic homophobe. Not neglecting that all of this is done with chapter two’s bizarre and uncomfortable sense of humor.

It is plotless, the characters are weak, it’s impressively poorly made for film of its size and it carries itself with an unearned pretentious air which takes it from hate watch territory to just hate. At the very end of the film a title comes up that says “A film

by Andre Muschetti”, not “Directed by”, “A film by”.

Makes sense.

IT Chapter Two (2019) ¶¶¶¶

‘Ad Astra’: Interstellar daddy issues

James Gray’s intimate space epic is an excellent start to the fall awards season.

Sebastian Zufelt Guest Writer

A

s I read in “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” a journey’s never just a journey, in that every journey is about something more, and “Ad Astra” is no exception. While on the surface one might mistake it to be quite similar to “Interstellar” — which is a great film in its own right — it’s actually quite different. “Ad Astra” is really about Roy McBride’s journey to reconcile his conflicts with his father.

From the gorgeous opening shot to the captivating inciting incident, the film sets itself up well, almost too well. The film takes a classical, cold and straightforward approach, as the story elements gradually set into place, peaking with the expository private conference which sends Roy on his dual mission to literally and emotionally confront his father.

Despite a more formulaic, less inspired first act and some redundant narration spaced throughout, the film is well worth it if you’re patient.

While Brad Pitt’s performance is

rightfully receiving immense praise, the film never lets up on introducing great supporting performances. Donald Sutherland as the mentor, Ruth Negga as a fellow astronaut who aids Roy and Tommy Lee Jones as Pitt’s father all give memorable performances. There’s also an amusing cameo from Natasha Lyonne, adding some muchneeded levity. Pitt is the true star, obviously. His narration detracts from his acting at times since he’s able to emote what he’s saying. He sends an impromptu message to his father at one point in which one can easily forget that this improvisation in the film is scripted.

Going back to the theme of fatherhood, the film

beautifully conveys the primary conflict in a shot which justifies the futuristic-glass-tech stereotype. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema superimposes Roy’s face onto a message his father sent, showing how Roy is trying to stop his father yet is repeating the same mistakes his dad made.

He kills the crew of a ship in order to further his mission, although Roy killed in self-defense unlike his father on his ship. It’s in the end that Roy grows, unlike his father, by learning to fail.

Though the studios are advertising the film as another science fiction action film, make no mistake, this is a pensive drama. While some may find the film too slow and lacking action, I feel that there’s plenty of intriguing drama to take you on a journey.

Ad Astra” is a must-see in what looks to be another exciting awards season.

In “Ad Astra,” Brad Pitt explores a distant planet en route to confront his father.

Ad Astra (2019) ¶

16 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

ballardtally@gmail.com

SEATTLE’S FAVORITE PHO

FEATURING

Pho Big Bowl  | $

Dhani Srinivasan Opinions Editor

RIP

Big bowl is the neighborhood go-to for a reason. Kind servers, free mango pudding and soda, and solid pho. The overly sweet broth isn’t the best in the game but portions are generous, cheap, and consistent.

Time 4 Pho ¶¶ | $$

Great atmosphere and very friendly staff, but the veggie pho was just alright. The broth was reminiscent of La Croix, with it’s barely-there flavor and wateriness. Once doused in plum sauce and sriracha, it was much better, but it still didn’t quite fill me up.

Hannah Weaver Copy Editor

Pho Vietnam | $

Elliot Armitage A&E Editor

Pho Vietnam serves the best tasting soup with a no-frills experience. You seat yourself, a server comes over within the minute and your soup is in front of you within four minutes of opening the front door. Speed doesn’t compromise flavor, though — a perfect balance of salty and savory results in Ballard’s best pho.

Cafe Pho ¶ | $$

Frances Kleinsmith Staff Reporter

The veggie pho broth was bursting with a variety of spice flavors and definitely doesn’t disappoint, especially on a cold day! The tofu, veggies and noodles were perfectly cooked and didn’t lack flavor either.

Pho Than Bros.  | $

Alex Montes Staff Reporter

The medium veggie pho is the most delectable, delicately crafted pho I have ever tried. Thinly sliced white onions, firm tofu with cooked, brown edges, vibrant orange crinkle cut carrots, thin rice noodles balled up in the center of the bowl and a savory, piquant warm broth make for the finest pho in Seattle.

Monkey Bridge ¶¶ | $$

Skye McDonald Photo Editor

Notable “other” responses: “All pho tastes the same”

“I don’t like pho”

“Pho is just expensive ramen”

“Seattle doesn’t have good pho” “Soup sucks.”

Monkey Bridge has a wonderful atmosphere and an expansive menu, serving a variety of Vietnamese dishes. The pho is unorthodox, with a sweet and cinnamony flavor. It was good for the first few sips but got old fast.

The Talisman surveyed 102 students on their favorite places to grab a bowl of pho in Seattle. Surprisingly, Than Bros. claimed a sizable victory over both Pho Vietnam and Big Bowl, despite Pho Vietnam being closer to the school and Big Bowl being a block away from Than Bros.

I’m going to be honest, I’d never had pho before this. Tony’s might not have been the right choice for a first try. It was luckily appropriately cheap, but the flavor was dominated near exclusively by salt? Like much, much more than I expected. The dingy Tony’s atmosphere didn’t do much to help. At least it was convenient.

Pho Big Bowl 2248 NW Market St

Medium: $5.90

Time 4 Pho 2812 Thorndyke Ave W

Medium: $8.50

Pho Vietnam

Medium: $6.95

Cafe Pho

7040 15th Ave NW

401 NE Northgate Way

“What is pho?”

Favorite Pho Restaurant

Tony’s Teriyaki ¶¶¶ | $$

Peter Brown Staff Reporter

“Who are you?”

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Art by Sam Rainville

17

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

October 25, 2019

ballardtalisman.com

Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

‘Radium Girls’ illuminates hidden stories

Fall play showcases the unknown, true story of neglected female factory workers Paige Anderson & Tess Petrillo Sports and News Editor

T

he fall play, “Radium Girls”, tells the story of the New Jersey factory girls who would hand paint watches with paint consisting of radium, although it seemed harmless at the time, slowly the workers started getting ill and dying mysteriously.

It follows Grace Fryer (Vee Ashmun) and her co workers in the process of suing the United States Radium Corporation for poisoning them and exposing how far a company will go to be successful.

The performance had an eerie, simplistic effect to it which allowed the audience to focus on the very dark, important topics within the play and the performances from all of the actors.

“Radium Girls” combines elements of simplicity and depth in a visually stunning production. The lighting throughout the show consisted of bright individual lights that seemed to shift based on how many characters were on stage and the mood of the scene.

Because of this, the lighting was dim and often alienated a single figure on stage, this created an ominous mood that reflected the story that was being told while also mimicking the glow of radium.

The stage production was very basic, only

consisting of the individual lights and an occasional desk or chair. This expressed the simpler time period and lifestyle of the Radium Girls.

The costume design followed a similar methodology to the lighting, as most characters wore simple outfits. The costumes did a good job of signifying the time period and that the workers were seen as so insignificant in their time.

The lighting and costumes also reflected the setting and time period of the story- Orange, New Jersey of the 1920s. Radium companies and the press

bribed Grace Fryer in attempt to keep her story at bay rather than taking radium out of factories.

Even though it was set in the 1920s, the play included some very current topics such as feminism, corruption in the media and large corporations.

Grace Fryer attempts to overcome these obstacles.

When Ashmun stepped onto stage as the lead role of Grace Fryer, she did a great job of conveying the frustration and loss that her character faced. The audience swelled and swooned as the actors did, and the powerful performances from all of the actors made for an emotional evening.

In the last scene, the actors brought in illuminated vases, which represented graves, to honor the Radium Girls who died. Both a visually stunning and emotionally satisfying ending to the performance.

Vee Ashmun and Lilly Rutledge onstage in a moving scene as Ashmun’s character, Grace Fryer, is dying from radium poisoning.

Lana Del Rey perfects her sound on ‘NFR!’

Her latest effort is not only her best, but one of the best albums of the decade Elliot Armitage A&E Editor

I

t isn’t Lana Del Rey, but a lonely piano that introduces “Norman F---ing Rockwell!” The sparse, melancholy mood is attention grabbing, and Del Rey’s voice drifts in a few moments later, lamenting her “man-child” who she nearly slipped up and confessed love to. She settles into a mood similar to her other efforts: wishful, brooding, and dangerously feminine.

However, it’s clear simply from the careful composition and her quieter singing that Del Rey has matured, not afraid to be just as personal and introspective as she is powerful. On “NFR!,” she lifts the veil higher than before, and she solidifies her present status as a pop culture icon — and her legacy as an all-time songwriting great.

Lana Del Rey is Elizabeth Grant, and she’s six albums into her career. Her 2012 major label debut “Born To Die” has sold 1.5 million copies. The huge, confident songs on that record were meshed with a sadness in her lyrics that resonated with young women in a way few artists had in recent decades.

Del Rey’s bright red lipstick and hollywood pinup hair established a character with a foot in two worlds, stuck in the monotonous stability of the 50s but seeped in the irony and depression of today.

Now, seven years later, Del Rey hasn’t remodeled her character and music, but rather streamlined it.

“NFR!” starts off with her three best songs to date. The title track’s opening piano is beautiful, but the bubbling harps that introduce the first chorus are intoxicating. “Mariners Apartment Complex” sounds like a Joni Mitchell song with a serene modern sadness layered over it, and Del Rey’s triumphant chorus of “I’m your man” feels just as commanding as Neil Young’s most powerful songs.

“Venice B----,” however, is a whole other psychedelic, dreamy behemoth. Starting off as an acoustic ballad, the second chorus is overwhelmed

by distorted guitars and a cloud of dreamy vocals.

Just three minutes in the storm relents, and catharsis gives way to six minutes of strings, guitars, keyboards and all manner of sounds precipitating as the song swirls upwards.

“Venice B----” sounds like Del Rey finally recognizing and then unleashing all of the emotions she’s been romanticizing her whole career; few songs this decade can match its gentle intensity.

While Del Rey’s lyrics have always been submerged in strong emotions, “NFR!” goes beyond that. The production on “NFR!” is just as emotive as Del Rey —“super producer” Jack Antonoff co-wrote and co-produced nearly every song, and it pays off in a big way.

After “Doin’ Time,” a joyously poppy cover of Sublime, Del Rey shifts to a more lonely, sparse, and isolated mood. Most of the last two-thirds of the record is quiet and mournful, and with a few notable exceptions, sounds very similar to past

Del Rey efforts with more sparse instrumentation.

“The Greatest” deviates from traditional pop song composition as Del Rey slowly fades away over the last half of the track, becoming quieter and quieter and losing her grip on being “the greatest.”

Del Rey seems to sink deeper and deeper into her disillusionment with California and her general sadness through tracks six to 13, but “NFR!” ends on a surprisingly hopeful note. The majority of “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have- But I Have It” is similarly downtempo, as Del Rey leaves off “but I have it” from every chorus except the last. When Del Rey ends with her declaration of hope, it feels like she’s finally escaping the beachfront melancholy she nearly resigned herself to for the last hour.

It also feels like a turning point in Del Rey’s career. She’s been caught in that beachfront melancholy for her whole career. She’s already announced a possible next album, “White Hot Forever,” and because of her hopeful ending and the moments of psychedelia on “NFR!,” Del Rey has laid the groundwork for even further artistic growth in the future.

Despite what lies ahead, “NFR!” is its own masterpiece. It draws inspiration from decades of American music but is emotionally grounded in the present day. If you’re like me, and have always considered Lana Del Rey’s music to be just a soundtrack for sad middle schoolers, give “NFR!” a try. There’s so much more depth to what Del Rey puts down on the record ­— the kind of depth that ensures “NFR!” will resonate with generations to come.

Norman F---ing Rockwell (2019) 

18 OPINIONS Booming tech company eats away at Seattle’s culture

October 25, 2019

ballardtally@gmail.com

Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

Amazon’s continuous growth gentrifies Seattle and deteriorates its authenticity Tess Petrillo News Editor

H

ave you been spending hours in traffic trying to get home? Noticed another beloved building being torn down to make room for new apartments?

Wondering why your rent keeps getting raised? Jeff Bezos calls it expansion.

In the past decade, Bezos has graciously welcomed over 35,000 new members to the Seattle area.

Employing the most people of any business in Seattle and owning almost 20% of Seattle office real estate has given Amazon the ultimate economic control over Seattle.

Projecting to bring 10,000 new workers into the metro area while simultaneously reaching a total of 12 million square feet of office space by 2022, the beast is only going to continue to grow.

With the expansion of Amazon, the city has no choice but to tailor itself to the business of Amazon employees.

Business Insider reporter Harrison Jacobs writes about the restaurants and food trucks located within the Amazon campus that are booming with business, but only during lunch time and only if they are trendy.

Since the campus becomes almost deserted when the work hour ends, restaurants have had trouble affording to stay open through the dinner hours.

Not only that, restaurants that don’t conform to what Jacobs calls “Silicon Valley trends,” such as overpriced ramen, poke or açai bowls, often do not appeal to the Amazon workers and are run out of business.

Inevitably, these trends have contaminated Seattle’s foundation of cheap food culture of the 90s and early 2000s. One dollar pizza slices and cheap coffee are what fed the starving artists that founded what Seattle is, or what it was.

Through the process of creating a more appealing environment to the Amazon employees and the company itself, Seattle has been losing its charm and authenticity. This means historic buildings and even gardens are sold into development for new office space and housing.

Most recently, the Ballard P-Patch, a community garden that hosts art showcases and donates over 1300 pounds of produce to the Ballard Food Bank annually, has been threatened to be developed into town houses.

Even restaurants who don’t necessarily conform to the new trends

need to increase their prices to stay in business. The only semi-affordable place within walking distance from the school is Tony’s, and even that could be considered overpriced for teriyaki.

Amazon’s effect on Seattle has become so drastic that it affects where we go out to eat at lunch. If Dick’s is torn down, Seattle won’t be Seattle anymore.

Amazon is not just affecting Seattle’s food culture, but the overall architecture as well.

Before Amazon came to South Lake Union, it was a world of warehouses and industrial buildings. Now, it is has been completely transformed with the arrival of Amazon’s many office buildings.

Along with the continuous expansion of office space, the arrival of new Amazon recruits to Seattle has acted as a catalyst for the never ending construction all over the city.

New people means a need for new housing, which means more buildings coming down to make room for apartments and condos. Also aiding in the conversion from Seattle’s authentic Northwestern character to Amazon’s sleeker futuristic aesthetic.

The new housing primarily consists of boxy condos and apartments scattered throughout the city. Even with the building of all this new Cartoon by Peter Brown housing, Seattle’s prices continue to rise.

According to Glassdoor, the average The cost to rent an apartment Amazon worker makes $110,000 a downtown has averaged out to about year. $2,400 a month, meaning that the So not only has the restaurant average resident would have to be business attempted to make itself making $96,000 a year to afford it. more appealing to Amazon, but seemingly the real estate market as well.

As the price of housing continues to rise, people who can’t afford to live in Seattle are forced to move to a cheaper area, leaving more space for the Amazon workers to settle in.

According to Amazon’s current workforce data, 58.3% of the workers are minorities and 38.9% of the workers are white. While this makes Amazon appear diverse on paper, the statistics they don’t put out into the world show that the company is just as discriminatory as any other tech company.

In 2015, Amazon sent out a diversity report that revealed the details of Amazon’s workforce diversity. A report has not been released since.

Although white people do not make up the majority of the Amazon workforce, as of 2015, 64% of the workers with high paying executive, technical and administrative jobs at Amazon were white and 23%

Amazon’s effect on Seattle has become so drastic that it affects where we go out to eat at lunch. If Dick’s is torn down, Seattle won’t be Seattle anymore.

percent of the workers were Asian.

The diversity laid in the number of low paying warehouses throughout the country, where about 24% of the employees were African American and 12% were Hispanic.

Assuming that the statistics have remained somewhat constant, this means that the ever growing population of Amazon employees is an ever growing population of white men.

Seattle was already white, Amazon seems to only be making it whiter.

Does all this destruction and conquering of an entire city come with a reasonable cost? Apparently not.

This last year Amazon paid an astounding zero dollars in federal taxes while gaining over $11 billion in profit.

While Donald Trump sent out an enraged tweet commenting on Amazon’s continuously declining state taxes, Amazon’s ability to avoid paying taxes is actually due to corporate loopholes in the federal government.

For the price of annexing our city, Amazon has made a $128 million 2018 federal income tax rebate, making it’s tax rate -1%.

Amazon has chosen Seattle to be its home, it is not leaving and neither will the effect that it has left on the city.

19

OPINIONS

October 25, 2019

ballardtalisman.com

Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

What prevents freshmen from joining our community

Making the effort to consciously include our incoming students would benefit us all Elliot Armitage A&E Editor

I

’ve been to four homecoming assemblies, stood in all four corners of the gym and picked out gray, white, red and now black clothes.

I’ve changed a lot since my freshman year, but Ballard has stayed pretty similar, especially in the case of one phenomenon I’ve never liked: booing the freshman class.

It seems almost natural to make fun of the freshman class. Almost every high school and college has a hazing tradition or is at least rather hostile towards freshmen; it’s basically embedded in the American Cartoon by Peter Brown high school experience.

I’m not attacking upperclassmen it’s intentional or unintentional, for booing and intimidating freshmen. upperclassmen intimidate new Even if it seems small and rather students, which leads to most meaningless, I think our school as a freshmen staying within their own age whole could benefit from being more group, and not fully interacting with positive and inclusive to freshmen. the rest of the school community.

As a freshman, you’ve just come Since freshmen are relatively from a middle school of a few separated from the rest of the school hundred people to busy halls of nearly in this way, they don’t pick up many 2,000. Seniors are basically adults, of the same habits and tendencies and upperclassmen are not exactly that upperclassmen have. The social welcoming to freshmen. Whether norms inculcated into us just aren’t

passed on as clearly until sophomore year, because if freshmen aren’t truly part of the culture, how would they be able to adjust to it?

This is why freshmen are “annoying.” They haven’t adjusted to our school’s community norms in the same way that sophomore, juniors and seniors have. If we made a conscious effort to communicate with freshmen and include them in the school’s community in a bigger way, they would be less “annoying.”

Freshmen act in this way because they’re thrown into a stressful new environment without much instruction for how to act, so they try to stand out, which we interpret as “annoying” behavior.

I am by no means saying that everyone at our school should act the same, or that being different is annoying; I have always pursued individuality over conformity, and it’s important that you all do too.

However, individuality is different

from knowledge of social norms.

Individuality is built off of choice, and to make choices in a community, you first have to know the norms of that community.

During my freshman year, I dove headfirst into kazoo playing. I brought a litany of kazoos to school every day, hidden away in my backpack, and I made a habit of playing little kazoo numbers in the hallway during passing period — not very quietly, either. I certainly distinguished myself as an individual, but I was undoubtedly annoying.

I probably still would have played kazoo if I had been sooner accepted into the school’s community, but I may have contained my musical talent inside my own home if I hadn’t felt as much of a need to stand out and be accepted.

This issue is rather insignificant, especially in the context of recent events, but it’s a helpful philosophical exercise. Striving for a more inclusive attitude can positively impact all aspects of our community. *Disclaimer: Just as with any issue, not all freshmen are the same; if you are a freshman, I am not implicating you directly. I mean to speak about freshmen as a cohort.

Instituting due dates wrecks the quality of our work

What we need to consider about strict deadlines and how they affect our mental health Lukas Ramakrishnan Staff Reporter

W

hen you ask a student how their day is going, the response tends to be a mishmash answer: tired, stressed, and upset. You don’t need to go far to see the effects that school work can have on our students.

But why is this?

Stress is synonymous with being a student. The combination of being in high school and the workload that comes with it can be too much for many to manage.

Enforcing deadlines only add to this. By forcing students to complete work in a certain time frame, it also causes them to make compromises on both the quality of their work and their mental health. This is true for a lot of students, like senior Maddy Greekas.

“With extracurriculars and homework, it becomes a lot on my

plate,” said Greekas.

The work itself can be completed if the student has proper time management, but at some point it just becomes too much to manage.

Erin Gibson, an intern at the Teen Health Center, elaborates on the issues currently affecting students.

“Teens are already going through a tough time trying to be more independent, baseline stresses only compounds this. Different people have different coping methods, and for some, that is putting aside work,” said Gibson. pundits starting to shift their ideas Constrained time to complete tasks Cartoon by Peter Brown and poor time management can often lead to critical oversights in work flow, on deadlines, and how more efficient allowing for mistakes to go through guidelines for work can be created. into a final product.

“Students are already stressed, Greekas currently co-captains just by nature of how their brains the dance team. Balancing that with are developing at this age. They are student life sometimes affects her balancing their social lives with school work. and other things and it adds up,” said “Especially if they are around the Gibson. same time. That’s two deadliness I Reducing the necessity of deadlines have to worry about at the same time,” allows for more flexible work flows, where students are more readily able said Greekas.

These realizations have led to many to showcase their creative ability.

Simple policies such as adding a “no questions asked” extension can allow students the flexibility they need in an already stressful time to create better work, which not only helps their grade but also their learning.

But making the deadlines easier isn’t the only way to help students ease stress. Teachers can also work to build closer relationships with students and allow for more personal excuses. Student’s lives don’t always have the flexibility that teachers sometimes perceive. Many unforeseen emergencies can barricade students from completing work. Knowing that they can go to their teachers with the presumption they will be understanding could be extremely helpful for students.

Of course, there is merit to the idea of a deadline, because it teaches time management. But to what extent should we be forced into arbitrary deadlines? Work that is assigned to students should account for pressures already faced by those them, and not create an unmanageable pile of work.

20 BEAVERTAIL

October 25, 2019 Ballard High School (Seattle, WA)

ballardtalisman.com

BEAVESDROPPING

HEARD IN THE HALLWAYS: WE’RE NOT FUNNY ENOUGH TO MAKE THIS STUFF UP “I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t let my lab goggles fill up with tears” “How are you such a boomer? You’re sixteen.”

“I got some pretty cool stuff in my big brown bag”

“I was assigned clown at birth.”

Dude, this is peanut butter flavored Red Bull

“I won’t take sass from someone who writhes in the sewers for fun.”

“Don’t ghost your mother.”

“You are not underwater! You are texting me!”

“Your scent has changed.”

“Do you think I should start selling feet pictures?”

“What? What are you talking about?

Just eat your beans.”

“Tell naked mole rat man that I send my regards.”

SATIRE: DON’T SUE

“You’re so lucky, I store lots of bananas in my car.”

My tour of Bezos’ Balls: sneak peak inside the most coveted globes in Seattle

Samantha Swainson Features Editor “I’m not the sort of person women fall in love with. I sort of grow on them, like a fungus.” - Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

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othing says “I’m a nerd with a lot of testosterone and too much money” quite like three enormous glass balls gushing with multiple hemispheres and hundreds of plants. Bezos’ Balls are the pinnacle of modern design — a new age architecture admired by all, a type that displays the most vulnerable part of oneself out in the open. Obviously, Uncle Jeff has unprecedented strength.

Luckily, I was able to get up close and personal with them using an anonymous mole. Under cover of darkness and away from the prying eyes of any Jeffbots, my contact managed to break control for a few precious moments to conduct a hush hush interview. Her report detailed our local overlord desiring a different location for his magnum opus. “I heard he got his balls on discount, that this location was second choice.”

Since his balls dropped, they’ve been a topic of controversy to the Seattle area and Seattlites are tired of choking on them.

Bezos has trickled wealth and tech into the city, and the represucussions seem to

outweigh the benefits.

Though, it seems if Seattlites are really as tired of gagging on his orbs as they claim, then they would stop feeding their material greed via the omniscient and omnipotent Amazon empire. The more we depend on Uncle Jeff, the more his divine right is asserted.

Upon first entering the globes, visitors are knocked back; I was lost in a haze of muggy heat when my guide smiled sympathetically, “he takes a lot out of you the first couple times.”

Clearing the fog from my mind, I was able to register the intense musk that saturated the balls. I was surprised by the amount of techbots that radiated unease as they swam through the swampy environment that inhabited the spheres— although I understand Amholes wanting to remain close to home.

The largest package in Seattle is hairy with epiphytes on the walls and various plants from around the world sprouting from tree trunks and the floors. Each floor was overwhelmed with techbots communicating forbidden launch codes and the secrets to world domination.

The Pied Piper (AKA Bezos, king of gluttony) murmured into the ears of each

member of the geek squad; he sang diddies about the colonization of space, whispered seductively about crushing all resistors, and cried out orgasmically about Prime Day. Jeff’s Balls cast a large shadow over the City of Seattle and few can dare hope to step out into the sun. However, they make for a beautiful sight surrounded by towering skyscrapers and disgusted pedestrians.

Next time you happen to stop by the Seattle Spheres, feel free to show a little love, lord knows the last time they were caressed.

Cartoon by Sam Rainville