Vol. 97; Jan. 30, 2009; Issue 4

VANGUARD A

S T U D E N T

T H E

VOLUME 97

|

|

ISSUE FOUR

V O I C E

O F

P U Y A L L U P

H I G H

S C H O O L

The ills of guilty pleasures

V I K I N G

JANUARY 30, 2009

|

PUYALLUP HIGH SCHOOL

|

See page 14

105 7 T H ST. S W PU YA L LU P WA SH, 98371

PICKING UP THE

PIECES

As the national economy continues its downward spiral, education programs brace for funding reductions of historic proportions we examine everything’s on the table.”

Though acquiring sufficient state funds ashington Gov. Christine Gre- has been a perennial problem the situagoire proposed significant cuts tion this year is particularly dire, Apostle to state public schools in her says.

“We’re probably going to make budget tentative 2009-2011 budget Dec. 18, forcing school districts across the state to scale decisions greater than we’ve ever had in the history of this district,” Apostle said. back plans and eliminate jobs.

Gregoire’s budget looks to eliminate “We are in a position of moving from to $800 million in funding to K-12 education doing more with less money to doing less in hopes of reducing a projected $7 billion with less money and fewer people.”

As the district prepares to make major state budget deficit.

The Puyallup School District is currently cuts, both Apostle and Deputy Superintendent Debra Aungst projecting that the trickledown effect from the state- “ W E ’ R E P R O B A B L Y insist that they will GOING TO eliminate funding for wide cuts will ultimately MAKE BUDGET the classroom only as culminate in a $10 to $14 DECISIONS a last resort. Once Gov. million deficit for the DisGREATER THAN Gregoire released her trict, which operates under a budget of just under $250 W E ’ V E E V E R H A D . ” initial biennial budget, Apostle and his cabinet, million. Under Gregoire’s which includes Aungst new budget, teachers TONY APOSTLE and other high-level diswould not receive previSUPERINTENDENT trict administrators, beously promised Cost of Livgan discussing potential ing Adjustments (COLAs), saving the state more around $682 million. cuts for the 2009-2010 budget. In this early The proposed budget would also cut levy- stage, the Superintendent seeks counsel on matching funds to “property-poor” school potential reductions from various sources, districts—including Puyallup—by 33 per- including committees the district established on transportation, library services, cent.

District Superintendent Tony Apostle health services and special education.

“We begin with a process of analysis so has been analyzing potential cuts since Gregoire announced her new budget and that we can determine what the implicasays that the District has yet to rule out any tions of the revenue shortfalls will be, how deep they will be,” Aungst said. “We are potential cuts.

“We don’t know [what] will be reduced,” currently in a part of that analysis where Apostle said. “We can say for sure that as we are doing research.”

B Y D A N N Y S E R N A E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

W

T U R N

T O

PAG E

T W O

F OR

A

S U M M A R Y

NEWS

OF

I N

RO OM

I N

2 0 0 9

OUTSIDE JOBS EARN CREDIT

Interested in attending a college or university in the Puget Sound region? The University of Washington-Tacoma is hosting a college fair Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at William W. Philip Hall. Representatives from more than 22 local colleges will be present.

C RO S S

C OM I NG

|

110

If you’re a senior who has maintained steady employment, receives a pay stub and has completed two Occupational Education classes, you are eligible to participate in work-based learning. See Leo Bullock in the counseling center for more information. |

L OV E

SNOW

SP OR T S ?

C H E C K

OU T

IN SHORT: A brief summary of Gov. Christine Gregoire’s proposed $800 billion of cuts in education funding • Freeze salary increases promised to teachers • Remove 21 percent of I-728 funding designated to reduce class sizes • Reduce levy equalization for property-poor districts (including Puyallup) by 33 percent • Alter pension funding for retired educators • Eliminate lower-priority pilot programs

I N T E R E S T E D

I N

A DV E R T I S I NG ?

VALENTINE SALE BEGINS

Sales of Valentine Grams at the Balloon Factory is underway, and deliveries will occur Feb. 12 throughout the day. Candy Grams are currently being sold for $2 apiece, while Valentine Bears cost $5 and Valentine Boquets cost $5.50. Place orders during lunch.

Seniors who have completed two years in a Career/Technical Education program qualify for the WAVE Scholarship covering two years of tuition at a state university or community college. Applications can be found at www.wtb.wa.gov and are due Feb. 6.

LOCAL COLLEGES CONVENE

A L E X

C H A NG E S

WAVE DEADLINE APPROACHES

YOU CAN USE

C ON TAC T

T H E

During this analysis stage the District has held several study sessions with school board members and district administrators, according to Aungst. The District has also been in contact with interest groups directly impacted by the impending budget cuts, such as the teachers’ union, and has sought input from these groups. In June the Superintendent will present his draft budget to the School Board at a public meeting, at which point the district’s stakeholders will be able to register their opinions on the draft budget. After receiving community input, the District will reevaluate its draft budget and make any modifications deemed necessary before presenting it to the School Board for adoption in August.

None of this can happen, however, unless the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate agree to support a modified version of Gov. Gregoire’s budget. Senate Democrats unveiled their version of Gregoire’s budget Jan. 22 and added an additional 4.4 percent cut to legislative and judicial funding through Senate Bill 5460, which includes a freeze on state hiring and purchasing. Altogether these measures would cut an additional $400 million from the state’s biennial budget. The Legislature is scheduled to pass and adopt the new budget this spring.

But no matter what the Legislature ultimately decides, Apostle says that the District will continue to provide the highest quality education possible for all students.

COLLEGES REQUIRE MID-TERM Once semester grades have been posted, seniors planning to attend a four-year university should stop by the counseling center to send their mid-term academic progress report sent to colleges. Universities prefer receiving these reports by mid-February.

PAGE

2 0

FOR

MOR E

A B OU T

P OW DE R

PAG E

T W O

|

P U Y A L L U P

H I G H

NEWS

S C H O O L

|

I S S U E

F O U R

Flooding cripples valley The threat of record-breaking flooding prompts evacuation orders and District officials to cancel school B Y

E L L I O T T F I T Z G E R A L D R E P O R T E R

Recent flooding called for nearly 6,000 phone contacts to be made regarding emergency evacuations, according to Puyallup Emergency Management Director Merle Frank.

River water reached 29 feet 7 inches on the night of Jan. 7, just inches short of a 30foot flood stage.

“This was the largest evacuation in Pierce County history,” Pierce County Public Information Officer Sheri Badger said.

The city of Puyallup has been impacted by an estimated $1.4 million of damage.

“The banks near North Levee Road were eroded away and deposits of sand and silt damaged the road,” Frank said.

Flooding in November required repairs to 300 feet in the Carbon River Levee, a few miles upstream from Orting.

Pierce County Public Works and Utilities civil engineer Randy Brake works with the Surface Water Management Division.

“The river eroded the structure away,” Brake said.

The Mowich, White and Carbon Rivers are all tributaries that feed into the Puyallup River. The White and Carbon Rivers both have levee systems and the Mud Mountain Dam provides flood control along the White River.

“Our entire system along the Puyallup River is approximately 25 miles long,” Brake said. “All rivers within the Puyallup River Basin have levees and revetments and just a few weeks ago we had a flood event resulting in damages to the levee system.”

Flooding throughout Pierce County has led local authorities to improve flood control systems. The Lower Puyallup River Flood Protection Investigation is being conducted to address flood mapping related issues.

“This is phase 1 of the study and the cost is over $600,000,” Brake said. “In November alone, flooding cost over $4 million.”

The investigation is not all Pierce County is doing to reduce flood damage. The county tries to buy property in areas susceptible to flooding. Since January 1, 1994 Pierce County has bought 93 homes, ac-

cording to Badger.

Flooding in western Washington typically begins in October and continues through March, according to Brake. The main causes of flooding in the area are intense rainfall, jet stream intensity, and soil permeability.

“As precipitation increases, it runs off and concentrates in the river contributories,” Brake said. “When the river is overwhelmed with collected run off, people living in the floodplains will be impacted.”

Junior Nate Gosteli has lived near the Puyallup River for 17 years.

“We have an 8 • Flooding caused foot retaining wall in between my $1.4 million in backyard and my damage to valley lower property,” region Gosteli said. “River • 6,000 residents water has reached were urged to up to 2 feet from the top of the reevacuate taining wall.”

• Puyallup River Debris often acfell 5 inches short cumulates during of flood stage floods and even diverts creek and river flow.

“A lot of logs and trees get washed down the river,” Gosteli said.

In 2006, flooding washed out multiple sections of the Carbon River Road and rerouted the course of the Carbon River and Ipsut Creek. The road is currently closed to vehicles and multiple trailheads and campsites are no longer accessible.

“Numerous roads cross through floodplains,” Brake said. “Roads often go underwater.”

Multiple roads were damaged by the November 2008 flooding, according to Pierce County Emergency Management coordinator, Luke Meyers.

Road damage prevention is one aspect that the Lower Puyallup River Flood Protection Investigation looks to address. Hydrology analysis, existing levee integrity, river sediment and economic impacts of the river are also part of the study.

SUMMARY

|

J A N UA R Y

2 0 0 9

|

T H E

V I K I N G

VA N G UA R D

News briefs

Assembly rescheduled B Y S . K E L LY A N D D . S E R N A P R O D U C T I O N A N D C H I E F

Snow caused the cancellation of the Dec. 19 Alumni Assembly.

A power outage from the windstorm of 2006 caused the cancellation of the same assembly that year.

But the repeated cancellations because of Mother Nature haven’t dampered the connection alumni feel towards the school.

Even though the Alumni Assembly was canceled due to weather, approximately 30 or 35 people came to tour the school, according to Waunita Preston, director of the Alumni Museum and Alumni Assembly organizer.

“The class of 1937 was disappointed because they hold their meeting here at the school,” Preston said. “We sent out about 40 invitations to the class of 1937.”

Each year the Alumni Association presents senior scholarships to pursue any career of their choice. This presentation takes place during the Alumni Assembly, however since this didn’t happen the scholarships will be awarded at a spring tea for scholarship recipients.

“The administration considered rescheduling the assembly for the Friday before Spring Break but the traditional alumni said ‘we don’t do that’ because the Alumni Assembly has always been the Friday before Winter Break,” Principal Jason Smith said.

Along with the cancellation of the Alumni Assembly, Alumni Today, produced by sophomore journalism students, was not distributed.

Alumni Today is an annual publication dedicated to the alumni of Puyallup High School. The paper details special events that happened when the alumni were in school and also spotlight stories on what some of the alumni are doing today.

“I feel that Alumni Today might have been better if it has been distributed because it looked great but at least it can be used in our portfolios,” Kelci Zile, editorin-chief, Alumni Today said.

The administration has a lot to do with the success of the Alumni Assembly, according to Preston.

We’re changing the way people learn to drive.

Classroom now at Puyallup High School Next courses start: October 28th, T/W/Th 3:30-5:30 pm December 1st, M/W 6:00-8:00 pm

3 0 ,

“It’s important we don’t just say ‘once a Viking always a Viking;’ we actually mean it.” Preston said. “After being away from the school for 10 years people tend to get very sentimental and want to visit their school.”

Train derailing cuts city in two

A freight train bound for Tacoma, Wash. sustained damage to an empty flatbed which then derailed, forcing the train to a stop and blocking four downtown crossings.

Both the train tracks and one unoccupied parked car sustained damage during the incident, according to a press release from the Puyallup Police Department. No one was injured in the Jan. 21 incident.

The train halted after the flatbed derailed, preventing the flow of traffic over crossings at 12th Street Northwest, 4th Street Southwest, 7th Street Southwest and Meridian Avenue South. Though the Meridian Avenue crossing was reopen ed within a few hours of the incident, the 12th Street crossing was closed for the remainder of the day.

The exact cause of the freight car failure is under investigation.

Junior wins poetry competition

Junior Amanda Welch took home the top prize at the third annual Poetry Out Loud competition Jan. 27.

Poetry Out Loud requires entrants to recite by memory two recognized poems by poets both contemporary and Renaissance. Welch delivered “Solitude” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.

Welch will now travel to the regional Poetry Out Loud competition in February. Should she win there, Welch will compete at the state level. The state champion earns a $200 prize and an allexpenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the national finals. The runner-up at state receives $100. PHS has been represented at the state level for the past two years.

Seniors Hannah Miller and Savanah Jordan were chosen as alternates from the pool of a dozen competitors.

Enroll today for just $100.

The first 100 Students to enroll at our Puyallup Classroom will receive New Driver Training for just $100.

For more details call or visit us at 1-877-7SWERVE (1-877-779-3783) or www.goswerve.com.

Offer expires 12/31/08

T H E

V I K I N G

VA N G UA R D

|

P U Y A L L U P

NEWS

H I G H

S C H O O L

|

I S S U E

F O U R

|

J A N UA R Y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

PAG E

T H R E E

OUT WITH THE OLD...

In 2008 Americans faced history head-on, electing their first African-American president and coping with a recession of historic proportions. PHS faced serious changes, as well, through sports, policy and construction B Y

J E N N S H A F F E R R E P O R T E R

New Administrators Former vice-principal Jason Smith was appointed principal after former principal Mike Joyner was named the district-wide director of Career and Technical Education.

“It’s been a very good transition, but there’s been a lot to learn and I continue to learn something new everyday; the students and staff have been great,” Principal Jason Smith. “I’ve been busier than I’ve anticipated, but I feel I have a more global knowledge of education and how school systems work.”

Vice-principal Eric Hogan joined Puyallup High School this year, after being a vice-principal at Ballou Junior High and the principal at Franklin Pierce High School prior to that.

Policy Changes Along with the new school year came the addition of some new policies.

PHS joined the rest of the Puyallup School District, at the start of the 2008 school year, in becoming a closed campus.

This change was one of the bigger things that a lot of students were worried about, ASB president Christy Choi said.

“At first I think it was difficult because change can be hard, but the students have been awesome and I really appreciate them and respect them for that,” Jason Smith said. “It just becomes a part of what

we do.”

Having a closed campus created three lunches, one of which split up fourth period classes.

“In terms of leadership class, it’s a lot easier to put on events and advertise the things we’re doing,” Choi said. “Also, I see friends who normally don’t see each other if they don’t have a class. If you have lunch together and you’re pretty much confined to this one place in the cafeteria, you get to socialize more. I like it, I don’t feel rushed.”

A new tardy policy also was put into effect Sept. 10.

According to the policy, after one tardy a student receives a detention, another offense earns them a Tuesday school CHOI and a third results in a suspension.

“We’ve cut our tardies in half, more than half; students are getting to class,” Jason Smith said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s better than what we were doing before so I’m happy with the students and teachers.”

Construction The new building took the place of the old tennis courts. When finished, it will include a new automotive shop, an architecture and drafting room, a digital photography shop, a lighting studio, a video pro-

ductions room and a culinary arts center.

“I was there to break the ground,” Choi said. “I felt really good to be a part of it because I know 10 years from now, students will still be coming to Puyallup High School thinking that it’s always been there, but it hasn’t.”

New tennis courts started behind schedule but were opened this past September in time for the boys tennis season.

Sports Several sports teams took SPSL championship titles and had the chance to compete in state last year.

“I think our sports teams are outstanding,” said Jason Smith. “Every year the SPSL gets together and they tally points and add them all up. [Last] year Puyallup High School had the most points out of any school in the SPSL South, and we were second in the SPSL overall right behind Kentwood. I’m proud of the coaches and the student athletes.”

Last winter, the gymnastics team took second in state against Woodinville. The girls basketball team had a 14-1 season earning them a spot to compete in state but weren’t able to take the title.

In the spring, the girls tennis team went undefeated, sending several players to districts and league; Chelsea Bruno and Becca Robbins made their way to state as a doubles team.

The boys baseball team and the girls fast pitch team also had chances at state; the boys came up short in the quarter-finals

and the girls made it to state with a 10-3 record. The boys soccer team made it to the championship game at state, but after overtime failed to declare a winner, it came down to penalty kicks and Bellarmine claimed the win.

In the fall, the girls volleyball team placed eighth at state. The boys tennis team finished first in the SPSL South, third in the SPSL overall and Coach Brooks Hazen received the Coach of the Year award.

“Our sports teams were stellar, we were placing at state level,” Junior AP English teacher Toni Pursley said. “The sports teams just did a magnificent job.”

Election The election of 44th president Barack Obama, Nov. 4, sparked excitement in many students and left others upset and angry, according to social studies teacher Jaime Smith.

“I think whether you are a Democrat or Republican it was nice to just see people involved and knowing what’s going on,” Jason Smith said. “That was the neat part, to see people involved in politics, and have conversations about politics, regardless of party affiliation.”

Obama won the race against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had years of military and political experience under his belt, while Obama was a first-term senator from Illinois.

This past election was without a doubt the biggest happening in 2008, Pursley said.

...IN WITH THE NEW

The new year has brought with it new laws and regulations at the state level. The state minimum wage is on the rise, and new regulations on technology and food services look to move the state toward the future B Y

A S H L E Y WA R D R E P O R T E R

The year 2009 has brought several changes to Washington State. Among the nation-wide changes, like Barack Obama coming into presidency, there have been state and country-wide changes in the areas of minimum wage, health concern in food establishments and television transitions.

Starting New Year’s Day, restaurants in King County were required to include nutritional information to customers through their menus.

However, these rules apply only for eateries that are a part of chains in 15 or more locations.

“At full-service restaurants, nutrition information must be printed in one of five formats: On menus, in an appendix to the menu or in a supplemental menu, in a menu insert or at an electronic kiosk at each table,” the Covington Reporter said.

Fast-food establishments, however, have different rules.

“At fast-food establishments, the information initially must be posted inside only. Drive-thrus are exempt until Aug. 1, 2009,” the Covington Reporter said.

Food establishments and eateries who violate this requirement won’t be given much leniency.

“There will be site visits done by food inspectors with the Environmental Health Division. There will be a maximum five point violation,” The Center for Science in the Public Interest website said.

Having nutrition facts available when ordering is said to help people looking to be healthy make better decisions about what to eat, possibly decreasing the obe-

Even though minimum wage has risen sity rate, which is one of the goals of the greatly in throughout the decades, the raregulation.

According to the Center for Science tio between that and the cost of living has in the Public Interest, 719,000 adults in remained the same.

“When I was a teenager, minimum King County and Seattle are overweight wage was $1.65. That was in 1969 and or obese.

“Informed choices can make a differ- gas was only 17 cents and I had more of a ence,” said the Center for Science in the disposable income,” Wall said. “Teens get excited, but they don’t understand that Public Interest.

Another change is the minimum wage when wage goes up, they still might get increase that took place in Jan.1. It rose less. Just because you’re making more an hour doesn’t mean you’re making more from $8.07 to $8.55.

Washington State has the highest mini- money.”

An additional change is beginning in mum wage in the United States, with California following close behind with a June, television stations will transition to minimum wage of $8. The wage increase an all-digital system.

There has been much speculation as results from an initiative 10 years ago to what “going digital” actually requiring the Demeans for both customers and partment of Labor “TEENS GET cable companies. and Industries to EXCITED, BUT “What TV going digital means adjust the state THEY DON’T is that the bandwidth is changminimum wage UNDERSTAND each year accord- T H A T W H E N W A G E ing,” Gerald Green, computer technician coordinator for the ing to changes in GOES UP THEY a national cost- S T I L L M I G H T G E T district’s Information Technology Center, said. “Stations will of-living index., L ESS.” be moving the frequencies they according to The MAGGIE WALL operate on higher.

Seattle Times.

BUSINESS TEACHER The digital transition, acMaggie Wall, cording to Green, will be highly business and marketing teacher and interior design teach- beneficial and more entertaining for cuser, doesn’t particularly support increasing tomers.

“As more things go digital, the qualthe minimum wage.

“Minimum wage increase makes prices ity goes up, resulting in a better picture,” Green said. increase. It’s a vicious cycle,” Wall said.

As for the cost factor, most customers In fact, a minimum wage increase could potentially cause employees to make less won’t have any monetary responsibility for the inevitable change. money.

“Images will have costs, but the com“With costs rising, how the economy is and how sales are down, there’s a loss panies are charging advertisers for the of money in businesses. Small business cost of that and the transition. If you have owners may have to cut back on peoples’ a TV 10-plus years old, you may have to buy a converter box,” Green said. hours,” Wall said.

what’s to come Feb. 17: The Federal Communications Commission will require all full-power televisions stations to transmit their signals digitally March 5: NASA will launch its Kepler Mission to search for extrasolar planets April: Albania and Croatia are slated to join NATO July 17: Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince will be released in theaters across America September: The Burj Dubai in Dubai will be completed and open for business, becoming the tallest man-made structure on Earth October: The United Kingdom will open its first Supreme Court as ordered by its 2005 Constitutional Reform Act Oct. 2: The host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be announced at the 121st meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen

pag e

F o u r

|

p u Y a l l u p

h i g h

B y

TruTh :

s C h o o l

Snow days generate confusion

news

|

i s s u e

F o u r

|

J a n ua r Y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

yours, mine, ours t h e

V i K i n g

The 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly held Jan. 15 allowed students an opportunity to to express themselves through song, dance, spoken word and slam poetry Far left:The Step and Krump team performed an original step in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 2009 assembly. The team mixed modern and traditional stepping moves in the step. The team is a collaboration of sophomores, juniors and seniors. The team is led by adviser Cherokee Ainslie.

S a m W o o d S r e p o r t e r

While you were having fun in the snow, teachers involved in after-school clubs or activities and coaches for sports teams had to cancel meetings and practice due to the weather conditions.

When school is cancelled, puyallup is also forced to cancel after school activities and sports. basketball, wrestling, and school concerts were all cancelled when the snow hit on the week before winter break. the cancellation of the games caused a frenzy because the games have to be rescheduled. “students involved in Viking ladies and Knights didn’t get to have participation hours they had signed up for due to the cancellation of alumni assembly,” Viking ladies and Knights adviser elizabeth heckman said. the Key Club’s toy drive was delayed because of the lack of school before winter break. puyallup’s winter choir concert, planned to be thursday, dec. 18, was also called off. “the choir was disappointed to hear that we would not be able to perform at our concert,” junior Coner Framke said. due to the missed school days from the snow and flooding, puyallup will be making these days up in may and at the end of the year.

“We will be making the missed days up may 22 and June 17, 18 and 19,” puyallup school district spokeswoman Karen hansen said. since school was “the snoW daYs cancelled a total of Created more four days this year three game so far the end of first WeeKs, WhiCh semester will change. is hard For “First semester will students With be extended to Jan. busY sChedules” 30,” hansen said. many of the sports Jason smith prinCipa l teams were affected by the snow. pre snow days girls basketball had a game Wednesday, dec. 17 at emerald ridge high school. girls and boys basketball games were cancelled due to the snow; therefore they must make these missed games up with saturday games. “the snow days created more three game weeks, which is hard for students with busy schedules,” principal Jason smith said. puyallup teachers were additionally affected by the weather conditions when it came to lesson plans. “my classes got the whole break plus an extra three days after break before the collection of their essays which were originally due before break,” heckman said. once school was officially cancelled, teachers couldn’t come into school because of the roads but most of the staff arranged alternative ways to post their grades. students could go online to the home access Center to check their mid-second semester grades if they wanted to . “teachers have done great; some came in during the weekend and some worked from their homes,” smith said. though the semester has been elongated, senior’s final months will not be altered. “graduation day for seniors will not be changed,” hansen said.

Va n g ua r d

Near left: The ASL club performed along with “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer. The nine girls each took a turn turning a verse and signing the chorus together. The end of the song came with the girls holding up signs saying “deaf people can do everything hearing people can do but hear.”

K e l s i e

C a g a m p a n g

| V a n g u a r d

K e l s i e

C a g a m p a n g

|

V a n g u a r d

K r i s t o p h e r

F a r r e l l

|

Y e a r b o o K

Above and beyond: Junior Aaron Berryhill performed “I Rise,” a poem by Maya Angelou put to music by Ben Harper, acoustically during the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly. “Performing was such an incredible feeling, at some points my legs would go numb. I just wanted to reach out and grab people the best I could,” Berryhill said.

T H E

V I K I N G

VA N G UA R D

ADVERTISING

|

P U Y A L L U P

H I G H

S C H O O L

had sex…..got questions…..

We Can Help All�services�free�and�confidential!� �

��

Pregnancy�Testing��

��

STD�Screening�

��

Support�Groups�

��

Ongoing�Support�

24�hour�helpline�support�

253�770�8697� www.pregnancyhelppierce.org��

�

1�800�395�help�(4357)�

� � Sunrise�Medical�Center� ����11102�Sunrise�Blvd�E�� ����������������Ste�107� ��������������� � South�Hill� �

Pregnancy�&�Family�Services� of�Pierce�County�

� Youth�Investment�Center:� �����������115�2nd�St�SE�� ���������� Puyallup�

|

I S S U E

F O U R

|

J A N UA R Y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

PAG E

F I V E

YOUR AD HERE Contact Alex Cross in Room 110 for more information

opinion AwAreness: Y pAG E

|

S I x

p u Y A l l u p

H I G H

S c H o o l

|

I S S u E

F o u r

|

j A n uA r Y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

T H E

v I k I n G

vA n G uA r D

Society often opens its mouth without opening its mind

ou hear the phrase almost every day.

Something unfortunate happen?

It’s “gay.”

Someone’s acting out?

They’re so obviously “gay.”

Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would say that. It’s offensive and degrading, as well as ignorant.

The word “gay” is the most frequently used term of abuse in schools, according to the British Broadcasting corporation (BBc). Even though Washington is one of the 11 states with safe school laws that protect students on the basis of sexual orientation, I don’t think it’s taken very seriously. I walk around these halls almost every day, lurk at people, eavesdrop on their conversations; many times, I hear the same thing: people using derogatory terms, trying to sound smart or superior somehow, but in reality when I hear it, it makes me think less of them. recently, a new campaign has been launched called Think Before You Speak. With their clever infomercials, endorsements from celebrities like Hilary Duff and Wanda Sykes, and the clever connection they make with the audience, they inform about the negativity the phrase “that’s so gay,” among other homophobic and degrading remarks. The campaign is attempting to “raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-lGBT

bias and behavior in American schools.” on their website, thinkb4youspeak.com, they explain how the origin for words commonly and ignorantly used as insults have changed over time.

It’s sad to know that another word that references a person’s sexual orientation once had the meaning “an embankment that holds and controls water,” which was something helpful, but now its meaning and feeling have both changed into something negative. people may say that they use A. WA rD the word “gay” because it has carried rEporTEr over from the original meaning of insulting one’s sexuality to meaning something more along the lines of “stupid,” but that doesn’t make it right or unprejudiced. organizations like these are the only things that give me hope, because people are most likely not going to care in the least what I have to say. But do you see all of those Hilary Duff fanatics? They care what she has to say.

They’re going to listen to her. Hopefully, then a new trend will arise of noT calling things “gay”. obviously, the misuse of the word makes our generation look absolutely foolish. plus, we should know by now that

we shouldn’t say these things and degrade people for who they are.

I mean, does history rEAllY have to repeat itself again? rallies in the streets, protests, fighting for common civil rights; sound familiar? It’s happening at this very moment, especially now that proposition 8 passed in california. clearly, we learn history for a reason; to not repeat the awful things.

Yet we always do. look at the recession; failed banks, stock market crash, people losing just about everything. You think we would’ve learned to have some backup or a plan b.

And then there was the Holocaust, which was fueled by simple remarks equivalent to the “gay” remarks of today. jews were blamed for everything. Everything was probably called “jew” instead of “gay.” I really wouldn’t be surprised.

So next time you say something’s gay, think of Matthew Shepard, who was brutally murdered because of his sexual orientation.

Think of lawrence king, who was shot in the head at his school in oxnard, calif. for being openly gay.

By now, we shouldn’t have the audacity to spew such insults and we should be massively more sensitive and respectful about it.

Make-a-Wish provides life-changing experience

Y

ou have those times when you enter some contest to win a

of breath very easily.

So at first, I had a hard time deciding what my wish should be. But I ended up just choosing a trip to Hawaii with my family.

After I made my wish, I looked up on the Internet what other wish kids had wished for. A few kids my age had a chance to go to Europe, many girls went on shopping sprees and I saw a YouTube video about a girl who met Ellen DeGeneres.

I could’ve had a wish to go on a shopping spree, or go to Europe or meet Ellen DeGeneres.

I was, in fact, surprised by the wishes I saw. I thought they were “better” than my H. vu WEBMASTEr wish. But I knew in the back of my mind that going to Hawaii and not worrying about the financial need is a once-in-alifetime experience.

In Hawaii, my family and I stayed at the

trip to an exotic place. You doubt you’re going to win but you just give it a try. Well in a way, I won an all expense paid seven

days and six nights trip to Hawaii. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well, that’s what I thought.

I really didn’t win this trip to Hawaii from a contest. Heck, my dad doesn’t even believe in those. You know the ones; you fill out your name and information and they draw a lucky winner from a pool full of names? And they pick one winner and get an all expense paid trip?

Yeah, my dad thinks they’re scams.

It’s kind of hard to make my dad believe in those things. Any thing with the word “free,” my dad ignores it.

This time, my dad had nothing to ignore. He couldn’t reject this trip because it was sponsored by the Make-a-Wish Foundation. And as I come to think of it, my life-threatening condition has granted me a wish.

The Make-a-Wish foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children age two to 18 years who have lifethreatening medical conditions. children are impacted by the lifetime experience of having a wish, disregarding any financial considerations. The foundation receives many donations from their sponsors and families.

I, myself, didn’t realize I was eligible for a wish until my heart doctor had sent me information about Make-a-Wish.

I was born with a heart condition called congenital heart disease. I take the elevator to get to class because accompanied with my condition is my physical limitations. If I walk long ways or walk upstairs, I get out

yadda!

A r E

Y o u

u p DA T E D

o n

T H E

o S c A r S ?

S E E

ya dda ya dda

pAG E

17

|

S E E

T H E

c H A n G E S

o F

2 0 0 9 ,

Marriott Hotel in Waikiki which, of course, was near Waikiki Beach. It was one of the fanciest hotels we ever stayed at. our hotel did not have enclosed walls, so we felt the air breeze in the hotel lobby. out of 35 floors, our room was on the 32nd floor and we had a very nice view of the ocean.

I knew it cost a fortune to have two rooms with three ocean views but I enjoyed every second of it. not just the hotel, but Make-a-Wish paid for our activities we went, which included a submarine ride underwater, a luau and a dinner cruise around the bay. And it gets better. They even paid for the rental car, with gas refills, included tips for bus drivers and housekeeping, a whole week’s worth of food and souvenir money for the wish child.

What I’ve experienced in Hawaii was life changing. Even though Hawaii could count as some typical family vacation, this one was the special one. Why? Because my family didn’t have to pay for it. It took the stress off our backs and we could actually enjoy of vacation without dealing with financial issues. pAG E

T H r E E

|

r E A D

Q: How do you protect yourself on the Internet?

“I Don’T GIvE ouT MY AcTuAl I n For M AT Ion.”

“I onlY TAlk To pEopl E I k noW.”

“I Don’T uSE M YSpAcE or FAc E Book .”

“I Don’T Do STupID STuFF lIkE puTTInG nAkED pIcTurES oF M Y SE l F on l I n E .”

“I TAlk To pEoplE T H AT I k noW, noT T H AT I Don’ T k noW.”

HonEST Y IrAHETA SEnIor

pAul BrAnTlEY SopHoMorE

MrS. SHErrY EnGlISH DEpArTMEnT

A lY S I A lo H M A n junIor

pAT T I G I TA k A SopHoMorE

A B o u T

Y o u r

p E E r S

W I T H

S T r A n G E

T A l E n T S

o n

pAG E

13

|

S E E

pAG E

19

F o r

I n F o r M A T I o n

A B o u T

H o c k E Y

T H e

V I k I N G

VA N G UA r D

|

P U Y A L L U P

opinion H I G H

S C H O O L

|

I S S U e

f O U r

|

J A N UA r Y

uNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP FOUND

H

e stood towering over me, less than a foot away

from where I was standing in the hallway trying to decipher what my friend Alex had said to me before

she bounded off toward Mr. Seger’s class, leaving me there.

A few long seconds passed before I realized I was facing this guy, who I’d barely ever talked to, staring up at him with an unintelligent expression on my face.

It took me a few more moments to process the fact of how uncomfortably close we were, and to send me into a state of unease, before I realized I should have followed after Alex.

Instead, I just stood there wondering if I should act like I had purposely stopped there to talk to him, or if I should casually walk away. I felt like I needed to say something and before I could rethink it, I opened my mouth to speak. I knew it was a little too late to just walk away, but apparently I didn’t care. I tried to compose myself, hastily turned my head to look elsewhere and then just as stiffly, I turned the rest of my body and walked away.

It definitely didn’t help that I had a class with him, and I would be seeing him the next day.

It could only be a matter of time until I would set myself up for another one of these undesirable encounters. I thought it lucky that we sat on opposite sides of the room, and I hoped I would be fortunate enough not to have a repeat of the other day.

As the bell rang, I plotted my safe escape.

I picked up my backpack and headed towards the door, I saw him making his way down the aisle and thought I could make my way past him easily. Or so I thought.

But no, instead, I ended up slamming into him and knocking him unconscious with a swift blow to the head with my overstuffed backpack. I heard the slap of his body hitting a desk before flopping to the ground like a rag doll. Not wanting another uncomfortable confrontation when he regained consciousness, I stepped over his limp body and left the classroom.

A few days passed without incident, and I figured amnesia had wiped our slate clean. But all good things must come to an end.

Storm clouds were gathering outside and by the end of advisory, it had begun to pour.

Water was gathering on the warped old roads, forming giant puddles.

I knew making my J. SHAffer rePOrTer way to social studies would require quick wit and agility. I made my way across the street, dodging as many raindrops as I could, until a puddle obstructed my path. I leaped over it, looked up in midair and there he was, I knew it was too late.

In less than a second we would collide, leaving him two choices; catch me, or get plowed over. He went with the obvious; he

stepped aside to avoid impact and let out a cry of terror before calmly walking away. I shrugged my shoulders at his odd behavior and continued on my way considering how many more times this would happen.

Once is awkward, twice is just weird, by the third time you start to wonder if it’s still coincidence and by the fourth time, well…

I placed the hall pass back on the board and discreetly took my seat in the back of class. I pulled out my notebook to begin taking notes; I faced the front and realized it wasn’t the teacher I made eye contact with. It was him. from his seat in the front, he had turned around and was now staring at me. He continued staring, a situation uncomfortably similar to our first encounter, and I tried to break free of his gaze.

I avoided looking at him for the rest of the lesson, and before I knew it, it was time for partner work. He called back to the guy I was planning to work with, and stole him away. realizing this, he suggested we all work together.

“There’s going to be a party up here,” he tried to entice me to join them, flashing a smile and wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, feeling it necessary to decline. I wanted to spend as little time with him as possible, for fear of another incident.

We all have those moments when time seems to be moving embarrassingly slow, and were glad when they can be over with and forgotten.

It’s a little different when they happen over and over, leaving no time to be forgotten, especially when the subject of your awkwardness is the same person every time. either way, you never know when an inconvenient run-in can end in an unlikely pseudo friendship.

Excited and enthusiastic

Sister acts as number one fan O

kay, I have to admit it. I’m one of those people who go crazy in the stands at wrestling meets.

People who know me are probably gaping in disbelief right now. Quiet, little Alex, a crazy in the bleachers? Passive, peaceful, little Alex, a wrestling fan? Yup. It’s true – it’s all true.

I cheer, I holler, I wave my arms frantically. I don’t have a split personality or alter ego or anything. It’s just that my louder side comes out every time my younger brother steps out onto the mat.

This is my brother’s second season of wrestling. He wrestled as a seventh-grader, but spent most of his time on the team goofing around. He was the kid dancing on the JV sidelines while most people watched the matches.

But he has really stepped up this year. He’s wrestling varsity and already has two pins for the season.

That first pin was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced. And probably one of the most embarrassing things my friend Jennifer has ever experienced, because she had to sit next to me and my family. To say we had been excited and enthusiastic would definitely be an understatement.

The whistle had barely blown to start his match and my mom, dad and I were already calling out encouragement. The match started out pretty calmly, so we were pretty calm. Things got a little more exciting, so we got a little more excited. Then my brother got control, and started getting the guy on his back, and all restraints disappeared. You could say we went a little ballistic.

My dad was frantically hollering advice, I was shrieking like a madwoman and even my mom, who doesn’t like wrestling because she used to be a nurse and always wants to make them stop, was cheering and clapping when she wasn’t shielding her eyes with her hands.

And Jennifer was trying to scoot down the bench and act like she didn’t know us.

When my brother did get the guy on his back, my dad sat up like he had been electrocuted and bellowed more loudly and shriekingly than I had ever heard before, “HALf! rUN THe HALf!” I’m

pretty sure my mom was praying, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I started screaming mindlessly.

“Calm down, Alex!” Jennifer whispered, looking around and trying to keep a low profile.

“Calm down!” I exclaimed, not able to tear my eyes away from the match to look at her. “Do you know how exciting this is?! How can I not cheer – my little bro’s about to get a pin!”

“Yeah,” she said, “but you’re not even making sense. You’re just screaming unintelligibly.”

But I was already gone, lost in my brother’s match again.

Man, oh man. If Jennifer thought my family and I had lost it during the match, I can only imagine what went through her mind when the ref slapped the mat, signifying my brother’s pin. The home side of the stands roared and my dad cackled like a maniac and shook me by the shoulders. I was clapping and laughing and kicking my feet, delirious with joy and little light-headed from all my screaming. My mom was clapping and laughing too, absolutely thrilled.

A. CrOSS “I’m embarrassed for your brother,” said ADV erTISING Jennifer.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because he’s got such a crazy cheering section.”

“Whatever,” I said. “Just be glad you weren’t sitting in front of my dad. He probably would have shaken you too.”

And I went back to celebrating.

I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about the sport of wrestling and seeing my not-so-little, little brother out there on the mat. Quiet Alex goes away and Crazy Sister in the Stands takes over. I think that’s just how it goes, a law of nature. It can’t be helped because I’m so proud of him – win or lose.

As long as my brother’s around, I’m going to be his number one fan.

And it’s going to be crazy.

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

PAG e

S e V e N

Newfound philosophy

Student gives new insight on war, love, peace W

ar. What is it good for?

To instill peace, wellbeing and prosperity in a community?

Don’t you find this just a l-i-t-t-l-e counterproductive? And when you think about it, if we were to wage wars on all dictatorships, all terrorists, all “enemies-of-the-state” our forces would be so very outstretched we couldn’t even protect the home front.

After all, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

G. WeSTON rePOrTer I’m not saying Osama Bin-Laden is a hero, I don’t like him in the least, but our opinions shouldn’t infringe on other people’s lives.

If you ask me, we should focus purely and strongly on our own country. Of course we were attacked Sept. 11, I don’t believe it was a government setup but we should strengthen our forces at home, we should watch the skies better, instead of putting a platoon of soldiers in every Iraqi town (a nation who is, after all not our own) why don’t we put two air marshals in every U.S. aircraft? We have the greatest army in the world, but that doesn’t mean we should flex our muscles every decade.

That’s a shame!

We should set an example, to any other country with a strong military, that with conscious thought and care for human lives we can use our forces for peace.

It’s only recently that I’ve discovered my passion for human life, for each and every one of our brilliant minds. All my life, I’ve met people from all walks of life, different opinions, different strategies and different ways of dealing with situations. I’ve met people from all around the world—the art they create, the music they compose, the absolute brilliance in their literature—and I feel the human mind, when committed to creating things greater than itself, is the most beautiful thing in the entire world.

Such a wonderful thing should never be wasted bashing opinions in such a petty, petty thing as war.

Wouldn’t it be a shame if Vincent Van Gogh, widely accepted as one of the most brilliant painters of all time, a virtuoso of the brush, had died in a meaningless struggle over land with his neighbor? Take Beethoven, a man who could make such sounds as to awaken some inner-angel, or demon and make the passion or fury flutter out of your soul with such explosive force that one can’t begin to describe it to someone who’s never experienced it. The human race would be doing itself such great wrong if it had never allowed that flower to bloom.

We can do better than war, better than fighting. We’re not children anymore; it’s time for the world as one, to mature.

It’s time for us to turn over a new leaf, to experience peace, understanding and kinship. We don’t have to throw a fit every time some one disagrees and we don’t have to throw a punch every time someone pushes us around.

opinion

Illness brings family together pag e

e i g h t

l

|

p u y a l l u p

h i g h

S c h o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

ately i have been thinking about all the things people take for granted or how they regret a certain event in their life. have you ever stopped and thought about the possibility that

the events that occur in your life could be your defining moments? that those moments of regret are the parts of your life that writes your book, that makes your story, that makes you who you are as a person. Why take them back? those regrets may make you something other than what you are today. to some, that may be a good thing. i, myself, have had regrets; but thinking about it, the good and the bad have brought me to where i am now.

But this is not an advice column. i’m in no position to judge. i’m not here to tell you how to live your life. just to help you learn from how i lived mine. it all started in third grade in Mrs. hyink’s classroom. i had gotten a call from the office. i had no idea what for. just that i was to come straight home after school. the first thought that went through my head was that dad was taking my brother and i on another adventure. Maybe this time we were going to the zoo or to the Seattle aquarium. i arrived at home, excited. “Where is mommy?” i asked. i looked around the house. She was fast asleep in her bed. i crawled in.

“Mom, Mom, wake up,” i said, obliviously and enthusiastically trying to wake her. “leave her alone, jaycie, she needs her rest,” my grandmother said to me. that morning a monster unleashed a full attack on my mother. it’s not the kind of monster that everyone thinks of, green scaly skin, large teeth and horns, but a monster that will attack at any given moment and there

is nothing you can do to stop it. this monster is just like the one that jon franklin explained in his 1979 pulitzer prize winning article “Mrs. kelly’s Monster.” tears of sorrow and pain fell from both my mother and my eyes that afternoon. a few months later, we found out that she had an avM arteriovenous Malformation.

Mom was born with it and over time it grew so large that it caused an extreme pressure in her head. Because of j. redinger this she suffered from reporter migraines as a child but no one ever knew it was a result of an avM. in january 2001, she decided brain surgery would save her. if she hadn’t chosen this she would have faced a sacrifice as cruel as death in the years following. the doctors explained that her brain would be the equivalent of a baked potato. as of the age eight, i taught my mother everything that she learned since birth all over again. We were closer than ever. a child raising a parent. i was teaching her life all over again: to dress, to walk, to use a fork, life all over again.

My brother and i had vivid memories of

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

being in the kitchen cooking, my mother falling with faint weakness and blackouts. a sickness that forever overwhelms her.

But forever thankful she remains; this is a moment where responsibility takes part. come home from school, take care of Mom, go to sleep, get up in the morning, take care of Mom, eat, go to school, come home, take care of Mom. the cycle that continued for years. although she still has her moments where she forgets how to use a fork.

But never have i been overwhelmed or in hatred of the selfless gift i have given to my mother. for how much respect and love she has shown to me, i have given back in return. it was Sept. 6 of this year when i decided to take my mother to a tattoo shop in kent. i explained to her that i was going to get a tattoo, and i was not telling her what it meant until i was done. and on the back of my neck lies a permanent thank-you letter to my mom.

My tattoo of love, strength and hope, imprinted in such a way, full of tasteful art that i designed myself, upon my skin.

When i finally told her the meaning, she asked me if she could get one on her ankle to show me how thankful she is of me in return.

We both held each other and cried. i didn’t quite know what it meant but we connected one more time in our life, a moment we both will forever cherish for the rest of our lives.

She made me who i am. and i will do anything in return for her. My mother, my flesh and blood, my hero and my soul. She is my motivation and inspiration, the main reason my heart is beating right now. the first step of thanking her has begun.

Trip abroad elicits thought

Teens misplace value system

t

he other day Sarah Bully, a peace corps volunteer who spent two years in Mozambique, gave a speech at a key

club meeting about her experiences there and the difficulty of living with limited resources.

She talked about how she had to be creative as a teacher there with very little supplies and one desk to use for around 95 students per class. after i heard Sarah Bully’s story, i thought about the mission trip i took last summer to Mexico with my c. angeline church reporter and the poverty we saw. i remembered thinking, “how can people live like this? i could never live without my ipod, and i know my family could never live with only one car.” our group collaboratively made a set of rules that we had

to follow while we stayed there and one of the most difficult rules was “no complaining”.

While we were on the worksite, the heat and the strenuous labor created perfect opportunities for complaining, but we couldn’t.

When i got home from the trip, the “no complaining” rule was non-existent; as the first week progressed, i realized how much i complain, and i started noticing how much the people around me complain. how can we sit here and complain about nothing being on tv when there are people who can’t even afford cable, let alone a tv? it amazes me how little they have and unlike many people in america, they’re not constantly begging for more. they were more than willing

to give up their time to help us with something we’re doing for them.

Bully mentioned in her speech things that she missed from her home in america that are often taken for granted, such as a sink in the bathroom. her vivid descriptions of her stay there made life in america look so effortless. in america, we typically don’t have to go get our water for the day out of a well, or walk uphill both ways to get food, and we don’t have to sit on the ground everyday at school. usually, we don’t have to worry about taking care of our younger siblings because our parents are dying from disease. i can’t believe how i complain every day about it raining when people in Mozambique endure 100 degree weather and drip with sweat the moment they walk outside.

Bully’s presentation about the poverty of Mozambique made me think of what i had seen in Mexico. the way they live there wasn’t as limited as the lifestyle as the people of Mozambique, but it was nothing like our life in the u.S. their water is only clean

sometimes, their plumbing systems are terrible, and their homes don’t even come close to meeting our standards. despite their unfortunate situations, they were some of the happiest people i have ever met.

When we built them a new home to live in, it had no electricity, no plumbing, and it was not even the size of an american classroom, and yet they were so moved by what we had done, it brought them to tears.

We had merely provided them a place to stay. nothing more than a 12 foot by 12 foot stucco hut with a front door and two windows. they told us it was an answer to prayer and meant the world to them; i wish that i could be as humble as they were in that moment. it doesn’t bother me all that much if people complain about things that are really important, and i admit that i whine a lot about things that are of no importance.

But when i thought about what i’d heard from Sarah Bully, it brought me back to that mindset where complaining wasn’t an option, where i had to stop thinking of myself.

|

t h e

v i k i n g

va n g ua r d

Uncertain future

Childhood friendships leave lasting impressions

t

he next four years are going to be the best of my life. i can’t remember the number of times that i’ve heard that ancient cliché passed down by parents, older siblings, teachers, friends and anyone else who has anything to say about college. it sounds so fun, whether their referring to the parties, the degrees, the dorm life, the camping trips or the unlimited meal plans. it’s hard to imagine the best years of my life without the friends i’ve grown up with. understanding that each individual will ultimately take an independent journey without the accompaniment of their friends is an idea i’ve grasped awhile ago. as i slip deeper into the stages of discovering myself, the people close to me will be doing the same. i’m going to meet so many people and i’m sure i’ll make some new friends but it’ll be different from the years spent with the people i surround myself with. difference leads to changes, and changes won’t be the same without my friends e . rf ei tp zogretre ar l d there.

My friends have been there for everything. i’ve shared countless memories and have learned so much. letting the months pass by, internally growing with my friends has influenced who i am now and how i interact with people. Spending summer evenings at the park playing hours of frisbee has shaped my friends and i in a certain way. the shared junior high memories we retreat to offer an escape from anything wrong. and the struggles endured throughout multiple friendships kept me patient and ultimately made me a better friend.

Since i was a child, i’ve developed relationships with so many individuals. the people who accept me for who i am understand my past and drive me to pursue a future that i want. as i relocate to a town 120 miles away, i will have to restart the process of freely expressing myself in front of random piers. and i’m honestly excited as ever for it. But without any doubt, i will miss my friends that i spend my days with now. i’ve noticed that when it comes to adults and their friends, things lack consistency.

My friends will be flying in and out of my life and my dependence on them will shuffle around throughout the years. as i leave high school, i plan keeping so many phone numbers, writing pages of e-mails and venturing out on as many reunion camping trips as possible.

Worrying about finding time to spend with old friends should be the last things on my to-do list but it’s all i think about anymore. and maybe this is a concept that life will naturally take care of. it comes down to knowing if i’m ready to control my own life. time management, staying true to myself and my attitude are all factors that will affect how i’ll keep my friends. a different school and a few hundred miles is no reason to lose the people closest to me.

T h E

v I k I n g

va n g ua R d

|

p u y a l l u p

opinion h I g h

s C h o o l

|

I s s u E

f o u R

Editorial

Wisdom remains at premium while regrets, mistakes abound

y

our head hurts, your body aches, everything seems your sports team. a little too loud and there’s a screen clouding the at the time, you feel invincible. events of last night. but the next day, reality hits you like a brick wall and Events flash back into your mind and pieces begin to you’re plagued by the consequences of the actions you fall into place. Text messages flood your inbox. all your don’t remember. friends posted pictures that you don’t remember taking.

To go to the root of the problem and stop the night beoften, when we do something, we disregard the con- fore it has started is the most foolproof plan. however, as sequences at first. but the next day, recalling the night we all know, learning from experience is an unfortunate before—attempting to see through and highly common occurrence in high the haze of drunken decisions—regret school. after all, the purpose of adoles“yEs, you Can floods us. cence is to learn to discern the positive h av E f u n I n The pictures on the World Wide Web, from the negative, the good from the hIgh sChool. the ones in your sent mail, they’re imposbad, in hopes that we will all one day jusT plEasE sible to completely erase. somewhere, in grow into mature, upstanding, responConsIdER ThE the Cyberworld, they’re floating around. sible citizens.

ConsEquEnCEs Waiting to be found. but wouldn’t you rather keep your bEfoRE aCTIng found by your mother. your employer. good reputation? Maintain the respect R a sh ly.” your dream college. of your peers and the trust of your parand suddenly that night of juvenile ouR vIEW ents, keep your job and your spot on freedom turns into a permanent prison. the team? be accepted into that college We all know that mistakes will be made. that happens to check Myspace, the very Things will be said. pictures taken. actions regretted. and college that can see every single picture posted from last sometimes, it’s hard to prevent. The only true prevention night and judge you based on your drinking habits and is to refrain from indulging in that night. not your academic merits? backtrack to that first beer. The first puff from that first Refraining from that night seems like social suicide at blunt. one little sip, one little inhalation, could lead to the the moment. but if you stop and think through its potenruin of your reputation. The loss of your classmate’s re- tial path of destruction, wouldn’t you rather face missing spect. The demolition of your parents’ trust. being fired out on a stupid night than missing out on a successful fufrom your job. Rejected from your college. kicked off of ture?

|

Vanguard

j a n ua R y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

T h e

|

pag E

n I n E

V i k i n g

E dI ToR-I n- C h I E f........................da n n y sE R na ManagIng EdIToR.......................bECCa haRRIs gRaphICs EdIToR.....................sydnEy jEnkIns spoRTs EdIToR......................fylICIa kREhbIEl pRoduCTIon EdIToR....................saRah kEllEy pRoduCTIon dEpa RT MEn T............ChEl sE a gR ay ..............................................ERIn sWEnson ad ManagER..................................alEx CRoss WEbMasTER.......................................hIEn vu CIRCulaTIon ManagER..................ERIn fosTER gR a phICs & phoTos..............k ElsIE C aga Mpa ng ..............................................MaddIE haMEl a RTIsT..................................k y l E paT TERson REpoRTERs..........................l auREn andERson ......................................CouRTnEy angElInE ............................................jEssICa aRMouR .................................................saM babbITT .........................................MaRIssa EdWaRds ......................................EllIoTT fITzgERald ..............................................Elyssa paya nT ..........................................joRdan REdIngER ..............................................shaWn sERvEn .........................................jEnnIfER shaffER .............................................bR andI WalkER ...........................................gaRRETT WEsTon ...................................................saM Woods advIsER.............................sandRa CoyER, MjE publICaTIons polICIEs: EdIToRIal polICy:

The Viking Vanguard’s duty is to expand student perspectives, maintain community relations and act as a student publication advocating voice. besides providing an opportunity for the exchange of viewpoints, The Viking Vanguard serves as an academic tool by which students can voice opinions as well as highlight issues facing today’s students. lETTER polICy:

Editorial cartoon

Pop culture steals spotlight

The Viking Vanguard accepts unsolicited copy from businesses. only signed and dated letters with addresses and phone numbers from community members, or grade level from students will be accepted. letters must be limited to 350 words and will be published as space is available. The staff reserves the right to edit any letter without changing it’s content. all letters are the sole opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Viking Vanguard staff. letters to the Editor may be submitted by E-Mailing them to thevikingvanguard@gmail.com, or mailing them to The Viking Vanguard c/o puyallup high school advERTIsIng polICy:

The Viking Vanguard publication staff accepts advertisements for most products available to the public. however, the staff reserves the right to reject, edit or cancel any advertisement at anytime. advertisements shall be free of implications that the staff deems offensive in light of normal public standards (WIaa 18.20.0 and 18.20.1) and will not be accepted. The staff will not accept advertising for products or groups which are racist, sexist or illegal for high school students. advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views, endorsements and/or positions of The Viking Vanguard, student body, faculty, administration or school board.

CoRRECTIons:

The Viking Vanguard staff values accuracy, and wishes to correct mistakes made in previous issues. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at: thevikingvanguard@gmail.com.

The following Mistakes were made in the nov. 26 issue of Vanguard: • sam babbitt’s name was misspelled “sam babbit” on page five • Frivolous was misspelled “firvoluous” on page five • Reputation was misspelled “reputatuion” on page five • Kelsie Cagampang’s name was misspelled “Kelsie Camgampang” on page 16.

Letter to the editor

Latest policy 3220R afflicts entire school a

s junior Editor of the puyallup high school yearbook, I must say that the Vanguard gets better and better every time I pick up and issue on my way out of señor Constantine’s class. although I must say in the first issue of The Viking Vanguard, there was an article that had a headline that said “policy change” with a sub-heading that stated “puyallup school district clarifies…” this article made me think. I realize that this letter is coming later, but better now than never. back to subject, the article mentions

nothing about the fact that is doesn’t just concern The Viking Vanguard but it also affects the yearbook staff as well. In fact this greatly affects the whole school in general. What the student body does not realize is that along with meeting deadlines and sending pages to our printing company we, the yearbook staff, must also get everything approved by Mr. jason smith. That includes surveys, flyers, and pages. The major thing that concerns us is the fact that if those pages are not in our hands by 24 hours later, the

whole page has to be redone with a new layout, pictures, captions, and stories. If this happens that means we don’t meet deadline, which then leads to the student body not getting their 2008-2009 yearbook on time. The thing is that the student body does not understand this. In The Tacoma News Tribune, The Viking Vanguard was mentioned, but what about the yearbook staff?

We put as much times and energy into this project as possible. Rachel Turner and I spend more time here than the regular

student. This classroom is like our second home. This 258 page book that the student body relies, a book that captures their high school memories. We may not put out an “issue” every month but we work just as hard as The Viking Vanguard does.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and listening to what I have to say.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact either Rachel Turner or myself. k r i s T o p h e r Fa r r e l l y e a r b o o k e d i T o r

Page 10 |

The v ik ing va ngua r d

|

Pu ya l luP high school

|

Focu

10 5 7 T h s w. P u y a l l u P, wa s h . 9 8 3 71

|

It’s the information age. A time when infinite sources are readily availabl digital world in which private information can quickly become public. In 21 percent send nude photos

Risque texters risk jail time they have done it more than once. kearny says that a lack of awareness is the reason behind the growing number of teens sending the illicit snapshots. it texts. “a lot of people don’t know it’s against it can play music. the law,” kearny said. “awareness is the key. it can surf the web. and occasionally, it can even make calls to People just don’t understand that what they are doing is illegal.” others. one misconception some students have what is this device? well, it’s the cell phone, and as of last year 16 million teens in about the sending of nude photos via text message is that it is okay as long as a person the united states have use one.

But along with the fun and games of this sends it of themselves.

But while around 80 percent of people age of instant communication has come the ability to share more with the world than surveyed said that they do not send nude ever before, including some not so legal photos of themselves, 63 percent reported they know someone who does. photos. junior heather nelson thinks about 35-40 washington state law (rcw 9.68a) defines child pornography as the distribution percent of people at Puyallup probably send of sexually explicit content of minors nude photos of themselves. nelson says that she chooses not to send (individuals under the age of 18) which can include matter that reveals the minor revealing photos of herself because she feels participating in a number of sexual acts or that sending photos around, even to just one the exposure of their genitals or a female’s person, is disrespectful to one’s body, their families and the people they send them to. breasts.

“Those photos can get sent anywhere,” while most people are aware that child pornography is illegal, 34 percent of high nelson said. “[The people who send them] school students are not aware that it is are just trying to get attention. in my opinion against the law for a minor to willfully take it’s always better to keep someone guessing a sexually explicit photo of themselves than to really show everyone everything. self and send it to another minor or an adult, respect is better than self exposure.” along with receiving the felony for being according to a recent survey of 140 Puyallup caught in possession of illicit photos of high school students. school resource officer rob kearny minors or sending them comes social says that there are different degrees of consequences. a student in the Puyallup punishment, but if a person is caught in school district charged with a felony would possession of child pornography he or she be in great risk of losing the privilege of will be charged with either a second or third- involved in after-school activities such degree felony, regardless of age, which will as sports, according to Psd’s athletic regulations. go on his or her permanent nelson also thinks that record. “awa r e n e s s i s “The sentence is case by T h e k e y . P e o P l e the worst consequence would be if a person’s case,” kearny said. “The court jusT don’T family found out about the will decide by looking at age, undersTand amount of pornography, the T h a T w h a T T h e y nude photos.

“People who look down nature of the photos, how it are doing is on nude photos could was obtained, and so on.” i l l eg a l .” find out and be angry or kearny sees age as a roB kearny disappointed,” nelson said. concern for Puyallup resource officer “Parents could find out, or students because he says worse: grandparents.” there is a good possibility according to the survey, of the minors who that some 18-year-olds at Puyallup could possess illicit photos of peers who are a year sent illicit photos of themselves, 46 percent regretted doing so. fifty-four percent who or two younger than them. “if some of the 18-year-olds Puyallup were don’t necessarily wish they could take back caught with [explicit] pictures they could be their actions. whether one sends nude pictures or charged as an adult and go to jail,” kearny said. “even minors with a strong criminal doesn’t, kearny simply warns about the dangers of strangers receiving the pictures. record could be charged as an adult.” “i’m more worried about predators and kearny says that the only way he or other sros will know about explicit photos of sex offenders getting a hold of the photos,” minors going around on cell phones is if kearny said. “you need to be careful of who you allow to see your photos and know someone reports it.

“The only way i can do anything about where it is going. once it gets out, a lot of it is if someone makes a complaint. if this times anyone can get to it and there isn’t happens we will start an investigation and really a way to control it.” kearny recommends that if a student does seize the device the pictures are on,” kearny not know if what they are doing is illegal he said. and while kearny says that he only receives should come ask questions for clarification. “i believe that ignorance of the law is not about three to four of these cases per year, 21 percent of teens ages 15-17 said they a defense,” kearny said. “it will always be have taken a nude or partially nude picture much better to ask before you do something of themselves on their cell phone and sent it then to find yourself in trouble because you to someone, with 64 percent of those saying didn’t know the consequences.”

B y

L au r e n a n d e r s o n r e p o r t e r

Washington law RCW 9.68A.050 regarding child pornography reads: “A person who knowingly develops, duplicates, publishes, prints, disseminates, exchanges, finances, attempts to finance, or sells any visual or printed matter that depicts a minor engaged in an act of sexually explicit conduct is guilty of a class C felony.”

RCW 9.68A.011 defines sexually explicit conduct as “actual or simulated sexual intercourse...masturbation...exhibition of unclothed genitals or unclothed pubic or rectal areas of any minor, or the unclothed breast of a female minor, for the purpose of sexual stimulation of the viewer.”

E R E V O

Information lingers in c B y

s a m w o o d s r e p o r t e r

have you ever changed your mind about a photo you posted to your Myspace profile and decide to delete it? how sure are you that the file actually got deleted? once a file is deleted into the recycling bin on a computer it is flagged as unusable but isn’t overwritten until other files need the space. This process makes it impossible to recover the file after a certain amount of time. “how quickly deleted files are over written depends on how much you have written to your hard rive since deleting the files,” web

strategist jeremiah owyang said.

The Pew internet and american report concluded from recent researc in 2008 alone 58 percent of all teens the united states have profiles on networking sites. “i have both a Myspace and a Photob where i upload photos often, its po among high school kids,” junior B Barrett said. after several online studies ow found that facebook was the fastest gr demographic attracting web surfe years and older. “facebook increased their user ba

us

a sTudenT voice of Pu ya lluP high school

|

issue four

|

ja nua ry 30, 2009

|

Page 11

le at any moment. But this unlimited access has created a new n this realm, Puyallup students are becoming...

Online profiles jeopardize futures Students are often open in sharing scandalous photos, but for some, the consequences can be severe B y

D E S O P X E s y d n e y

j e n k i n s

a n d

h i e n

v u

|

v a n g u a r d

cyberspace after deletion

n life ch that across social

bucket opular Brooke

wyang rowing ers 25

ase by

55,000 new accounts in 2008,” owyang said. uploading pictures and blogging confidential information is common activity to online networking sites. although there are privacy settings available to set on a profile, are online pictures and information 100 percent safe. it is not uncommon for surfers to delete a picture off of the internet only for it to show up on the site a couple weeks later. “one time i sent an embarrassing video to a friend on Myspace and thought they had deleted it but, they hadn’t and instead forwarded the message to multiple other

users,” junior hailey johansen said. after uploading a picture to the internet users have the ability of right clicking on the image and saving it to there documents.

This shows that even though the file is deleted, users may still have access to it. also, most networking sites, such as Myspace and facebook, have the default setting of saving a username when a user signs onto their account. Myspace privacy settings options tells users that one way to ensure the users profile does not get tampered with by others is to sign completely out of the profile username and making sure the password is not saved.

i

s a m B a B B i t t r e p o r t e r

magine yourself. intoxicated. naïve. caught on camera. what you thought was a night of innocent partying can just as easily become the highlight of tomorrow’s gossip. a single distasteful or incriminating photo or posting can result in long term effects if discovered by an employer, an education administrator or legal officer. for junior ciara Powell, this nightmare became a reality –a reality in which she has had to face the consequences of her actions every day. earlier this year photos of her engaging in illicit drinking surfaced on Myspace. several of Powell’s friends supplied a community member with the photos; the individual ultimately presented the evidence to Puyallup high school’s administration. initially, Powell was suspended from cheerleading for the entire football season. subsequent to deliberation within the administration, her punishment was curtailed; she was prohibited from cheering for four football games the entirety of september, but has since returned to cheering for viking athletic teams.

“Because i told the truth about my actions my punishment was reduced; telling the truth paid off and ended up working to my advantage,” Powell said. although Powell is now permitted to cheer for Phs, she continues to face ramifications.

“My parents, teachers and cheer coach no longer trust me,” Powell said. “The younger cheerleaders used to look up to me and now, because of my actions, i feel like they don’t anymore. i wasn’t a good role model for them.”

Powell’s situation is hardly rare. disputed Myspace activity comes in many forms, whether it is the use of illegal substances, threats involving violence or posting provocative pictures on profiles. The administration deals with several incidents on Myspace each school year and the issue of internet postings and photos are on the rise, according to Principal jason smith.

“People make mistakes. it is unfortunate, but we are also obligated to hold the students accountable,” smith said.

“The staff does not hold it personally against the particular student.” when Puyallup high school is informed of illegal or potentially harmful activities online the school works in a joint effort with the police to further investigate the claim.

The Puyallup Police department has the technology and authority to hack into any private social networking page.

The perpetrator will then receive punishment through school administration and legal authorities, according to smith. school resource officers often create Myspace and facebook accounts to interact with other students. Most of the time these students have no idea that their latest online acquaintance is actually a school resource officer whose objective is to obtain information about illegal activity, according to king county Police captain Michelle Bennett. internet postings and picture on social networking sites in high school can have future repercussions on college applications, as well. Questionable postings on the internet can decrease a student’s probability of acceptance to the college of their choice. one in 10 college admissions officers out of the 320 admission officers surveyed consistently scrutinize potential students’ Myspace and facebook pages. of those surveyed, 38 percent of officers found the college applicants’ social networking pages reflected negatively upon their admission applications, according to a 2008 kaplan study. “never put something on your Myspace account that you would not want your parent, future employer, future college adviser or the front page of the newspaper in your school or community to see,” Bennett said. “guess what, most future employers and colleges look up your Myspace accounts before deciding to hire or accept you. Parents are also pretty savvy and have means or can figure out a way to look at your account.”

pag e

1 2

|

p u y a l l u p

H i g H

features

S c H o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

|

J a n u r a r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

t H e

v i k i n g

va n g ua r d

After what seems like an interminable period of economic strife with no relief in sight, many Americans are asking the same question: are we...

Spiraling towar

d dep res

sio

n?

1.9 million people have become unemployed in the last four months.

62 percent count Social Security, SSI or 51% of food bank customers choose unemployment as a main source of income bebetween food and paying rent. cause of the high unemployment. of unemployed people have Unemployment rose from 6.8 to 7.2 to40choosepercent between food and rent. percent just in December. k y l e

p a t t e r S o n

S t a t i S t i c S

B y

G a r r e t t W e s t o n r e p o r t e r

the dow Jones industrial average dropped 777.68 points, Sept. 29, a record plunge topping the 1987 economic slump that brought the average down 508 points. “i’ve worked at the port since 1976, and i’ve never seen anything like it,” conrad Spell, president of ilWu local 23 said. “the 1980s economy was bad, but what sets us apart now, is this is a global problem, it’s not just in the u.S.” people in Washington are lucky because they export high quality goods (such as produce, and items from companies like Microsoft and Boeing), to nations like china thus opening a constant exchange of goods, helping the local economy, according to Spell. “i’ve seen the effects firsthand, one container on a ship represents one house in items like plumbing, and electronics,

things we don’t make in the u.S.,” Spell the consequences, but when the economic said. “and i’ve seen less and less containers strength drops, they realize some of the risks are situations they didn’t want to put recently.” the housing market has hit a rut, themselves into.

“With the checks and balances with according to Mark Merriman, manager of investments in the stock market and the tacoma longshore credit union. increased banking “We’ve seen a drop in investors,” Merriman said. “ i ’ v e n e v e r S e e n regulations i think it would be very difficult “people took loans to buy anytHing like to fall into another houses worth more than it...tHiS iS a what they were paying, g l o B a l p r o B l e M , depression like the one in shelling out big bucks i t ’ S n o t J u S t t H e 1929,” Joe Munizza, owner of american embroidery because of the strong u.S.” said. “a recession for an economy, but before extended period of time they knew it the housing conrad Spell is, i think, more likely.” prices dropped and they ilW u MeMBer recessions are always would lose money selling corrected by an increase in a home, thus they had no spending, in both government and private way to pay off the loans.” according to Merriman, people will take industry; this puts more money in the more risks in a strong economy, thinking economy and allows people to buy more it will pay off better and they could handle goods and services. if more goods and jobs

|

v a n g u a r d

c o u r t e S y

o f

W W W . B l S . g o v

are needed, this is the main ingredient to exit a recession, said Munizza. “if we don’t fix the situation, and we do go into a depression, it would differ greatly from the great depression,” Merriman said. “like one car rear ending another, in one case the car could’ve slipped on ice, in another the brakes could’ve gone out. they’re both car wrecks but for different reasons.” the effect on businesses is ever present. “companies have laid off part and full time employees,” Munizza said. “Since our business is company clothing, this diminishes the purchases of our products we would normally sell them.” one projected solution is the inauguration of Barack obama as the newest president of the united States. “obama understands we need change, he understands we need to do something,” Spell said.

features

hidden talents T H E

v I k I n G

vA n G uA R D

|

P u y A L L u P

H I G H

S C H o o L

Students pass one another every day, often unaware of the unique and rare talents that lay inside. Vanguard has decided to feature several of these students in a series format. First up: senior Zac Walston, a contortionist.

H I E n

v u

|

|

I S S u E

b y

f o u R

|

j A n uA R y

j e n n s h a f f e r r e p o r t e r

As he arched backward and his feet met the top of his head, he looked up with ease and gave a little smirk.

Senior Zac Walston is a contortionist.

Walston discovered this talent when he was very young, at age three or four.

“I kind of just fell and my legs came all the way up to my chest. So from there I started playing around to see what I can do,” Walston said.

He’s never been told by a doctor why he is able to contort his body; he was just born more limber than most kids, according to his parents, Martha and Eric Walston.

“I’m pretty sure I’m double jointed in my hips, because if I go to put my foot by my head, my hip will pop,” Walston said.

According to Walston, being able to contort his body is, for the most part, a natural ability but also needs to be maintained.

He can go without doing stretches for a few weeks and still get right back to doing things; however it does help to stretch regularly.

“It actually feels good, it’s like stretching for me; other people see it as really weird,” Walston said. “If I’m really sore all I have to do is do a back bend and touch my chin to the floor and hold it there for a little bit and I feel better.”

He gets mixed reactions when people find out about his ability to contort h i s body.

“It’s pretty split, some people are like ‘ah that’s gross’ and some people are like ‘show me,’” Walston said. “They’re

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

PAG E

13

just amazed that I’m not in a wheelchair.

Some of the stuff I can do is pretty weird looking. I can put my feet behind my head, I can do a backbend and touch my chin in between my toes, and I can grab both my feet and put them up to my chest.”

Randi Sherman, senior and friend of Walston, remembers meeting him in their 10th grade photography class. Her first time seeing him put his talent to work was in the following summer at a tae kwon do competition.

“He’s really funny; he’s an amazing person, whenever you’re down he just cheers you up,” Sherman said about Walston. “The first time I saw him do it, it was kind of weird, I was like, ‘oh my God, how do you do that?’”

Walston spends time outside of school at tae kwon do classes in Bonney Lake.

He’s been involved in tae kwon do since he was six years old, and there, he is able to put his talents to use and continually challenge himself.

“At tae kwon do, I have a student, her name is Megan, she’s nine now,” Walston said. “She and I are the only two who can [contort]; she’s just as good as me. We actually help each other, she’ll figure out something she can do and I’ll see if I can do it, and I’ll do something new and I’ll see if she can do it.”

When people find out that he has this ability, they ask him to demonstrate and he’s not afraid to show off what he can do.

“Some people think it’s weird, I think it’s cool, not everyone can do it. It’s one of those things that you really have to be born to do,” Walston said. “Every time someone finds out they’re like ‘can you show me?’ and I do, because I don’t have a problem with doing it…Most people that have asked have never seen someone do it, so it’s more of a curiosity kind of thing.”

His parents never thought a child of theirs would be able to do something like this, but they think it’s interesting to see him do things most people can’t do.

“The only thing that came to mind was ‘wow, that can’t be natural,’” Eric Walston said.

Walston has thought about trying to get into Cirque Du Soleil, and says his parents would be supportive of it. His mother was the one who started him in tae kwon do and she thinks that if he can make a living by pursuing his talents he should go for it.

v A n G u A R D

Mike and Terry wish the Puyallup Vikings a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Pag e

14

|

P u y a l l u P

H i g H

Features

S c H o o l

|

i S S u e

Tanning risks outweigh benefits B y

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

T H e

V i k i n g

Va n g ua r d

Feeding their minds?

B r a n d i wa l k e r r e p o r t e r

She rolls her eyes as her parents show her yet again another dozen pictures of people plagued with the consequences of tanning. leathery skin. Bloodshot eyeballs. Sun spots. did it ever occur to them that after a long, strenuous day at school, tanning might give her 20 minutes of relaxation? “i started going tanning in ninth grade for the ninth grade dance,” senior amy Self said.

Self used to go tanning two to three times a week. “it started off as innocent but then tanning became a routine,” Self said.

Spending 25 minutes, two to three times a week in the tanning bed was mostly a relaxation method, according to Self. “at the end of a long, hard day it can be nice to lie down, be warm and sleep,” Self said.

To most people, tanning is a confidence boost, according to Self. “i just feel prettier when i’m tan; as soon as i see that i’m starting to get pale, i am eager to jump into the tanning bed,” Self said. although it causes many positive psychological effects such as relaxation or the way one feels about his appearance, tanning has many more negative effects than positive, according to dermatology nurse Melanie Tison at cascade Skin and eye center.

Sunlight contains two types of ultraviolet (uV) light: uVa and uVB. uVa rays consist of longer wavelengths that penetrate deep into the dermal layer of skin. limited exposure to uVa rays causes skin to tan; however, overexposure to uVa can lead to other longterm skin damage. uVB rays wavelengths are much shorter, affecting the outermost layers of skin. uVB rays are known as the “burning rays” and are considered more dangerous.

“Tanning beds and sun lamps generally emit 93 percent to 99 percent uVa radiation increasing the benefits of achieving a tan. This is three times the uVa radiation given off by the sun,” Tison said.

While many people believe that tanning bed rays are much healthier and safe than natural sunlight rays, this is not the case, according to Tison. “uVa rays penetrate deep into the skin, they destroy skin fibers and damage elasticity,” Tison said.

Wrinkles, discoloration and dry skin are only the minor side effects of tanning beds, according to Tison.

Skin cancer is the most dangerous possible side effect.

“The rays in tanning bed bulbs are more prone to cause skin cancer than the natural sunlight’s [rays,]” Tison said. forms of skin cancer due to tanning beds come in a variety of different types.

“Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer linked directly to overexposure to sunlight,” Tison said. other forms of skin cancer include squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. carcinoma, similar to basal cell, is common but it can potentially spread throughout the body if it is “iT STarTed off not treated early on a S i n noce n T, Bu T in the process.

THen Tanning “it usually is BecaMe a located in exposed rou T i n e .” skin areas such as the face or neck,” aMy Self Tison said.

Senior Melanoma, in contrast, is not as common as other skin cancer types and is most damaging. it can potentially become lifethreatening depending on how deep the cancer is within the skin.

“Melanoma is becoming increasingly more common these days, especially in teens,” Tison said. according to Stedi Pierce, an employee at desert Sun Tanning salon, lying in a tanning bed may also cause damage to the eyes if wearing goggles is not taken into consideration. “you must always wear tanning goggles when you tan or you take the risk of becoming night-blind,” Pierce said.

The cornea and lens of the eye absorb uV radiation. exposure to natural sunlight activates the defense mechanism of the eyes such as constriction of the pupil and squinting reflex, which minimizes penetration of the sun’s rays into the eye. When a person is exposed to uV radiation under controlled conditions such as a tanning bed, the body reacts in such a way that the defense mechanism of the eyes will be minimal. researches show that uV radiation levels to the eye is 100 times greater in a tanning bed than outside in the sun. “if you use the appropriate before and after lotions and always have a pair of goggles, tanning side affects are less prevalent,” Pierce said.

f o u r

S y d n e y

j e n k i n S

|

V a n g u a r d

Though the quick fix to hunger might be nice, frequent consumption of junk food can have detrimental consequences long term B y

s h aw n s e r v e n r e p o r t e r

How often do you overindulge in guilty pleasures that don’t contain healthy alternatives and nutritional value?

Millions of teens across america enjoy junky foods that can lead to high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes later in life, according to an article by january W. Payne “Teen diet isn’t all junk food,” oct. 31, 2006. indulging in foods can be a bad thing but for some reason people feel like it needs to come naturally, like human nature. People are normally drawn to junk food because of its simplicity factor. grabbing chips or candy is easier than making the decisions that are associated with having a better diet.

“People tend to gravitate toward the foods that taste better rather than the foods that contain real nutritional value,” Susan Mcreynolds rd, cde, nutritionist, said. a large part of the problem is that junk foods can cost less than the foods that will benefit health. “i eat junk food the most at school because i find it convenient and it doesn’t cost much,” junior abbey randall said. not just teens, people all over the world are lacking the nutrition they need because it is too expensive and inaccessible.

“Probably a good percentage of teens eat unhealthy foods because it’s easier and cheaper, those foods normally contain lots of cholesterol and sodium which is a leading factor to diabetes,” Mcreynolds said.

The majority of teens aren’t motivated to make choices that will benefit them in the future. Partially because they don’t know the facts and partially because they don’t care or think it’s too far away to affect them.

“Motivation is key. for some kids it’s not the fact they don’t care, it’s that they were never shown good examples of a well-balanced diet, it’s all they’ve ever known,” Mcreynolds said. eating from the food pyramid can help balance the amount of nutritional items consumed. The food pyramid was created in 1941 to help people figure out whether they are receiving a well-balanced diet with foods from all food groups including bread, dairy and fresh fruit.

Making a life change can be necessary in order to maintain a healthy life. “i’ve had patients with eating problems come and see me and all they have to do is wake up one day and realize that they need to make the changes necessary in order to live in good health. it is possible. i’ve seen it happen,”

Mcreynolds said.

Various eating habits have been used by students; senior olivia Sund has been a vegetarian for the past three years but admits to her slip ups with junk food. “i love being a vegetarian because i feel like i’m helping a cause that s bigger than myself,” Sund said.

Being a vegetarian means having to pay more attention to what is being consumed. Vegetarianism may also require taking supplements and vitamins for that lacking nutrition from meat. “i take calcium, iron and fiber pills so my nutrition is all balanced. even though i take supplements, i still try to make sure i eat lots of vegetables, oatmeal, peanuts and beans which are all high in iron which is what i need as a vegetarian,” Sund said.

Practicing healthy alternatives that support a wellmaintained diet around school could help balance the nutritional scale. “i think i eat healthy, i eat small meals throughout the day. i want to eat healthy, but time constraints make it hard, so i sometimes eat bad food,” Sund said. off campus lunch was another subject that affects the eating habits of a teen. going to fast food everyday isn’t healthy but neither is some of the food in the cafeteria. “now that we have no off campus lunch people aren’t eating as bad of food as they used to because now their forced to make choices rather than just grab some fast food,” Sund said, “going to fast food everyday isn’t healthy but neither is some of the food in the cafeteria.

Hamburgers and fries aren’t the best,”. now that teens aren’t eating fast foods they’re still getting their fix in the cafeteria and out of the vending machines. “i don’t think the school food is better, i think the school is just as equally as bad,” randall said. overindulging in junk food is something everyone does, but do people really know the consequences?

Tips to control your appetite • Drink water • Eat several small meals • Eat whole grains or high-fiber foods • Eat slowly • Get adequate sleep • Don’t skip meals

T h e

V i k i n g

Va n g ua r d

|

Features

P u y a l l u P

h i g h

S c h o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

Pag e

15

Stepping past perceptions Junior Chris Bisiar lives his life as an everyday teenager in high school.

He just has to live it with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes chronic muscle weakness. Though he and his mother ventured as far as China to search for the cure, the journey has thus far been fruitless B y r e B e c c a h a r r i s m a n a g i n g e d i t o r

disease, Md doesn’t change personality. junior chris Bisiar doesn’t like haircuts. “[Patients with myotonic dystrophy] are not any “The barber would yank on my ears,” he said. “it different from the rest of us, same feelings and was not an enjoyable experience.” his hair trails down his back, passing his shoulders emotions just like you and i,” robinson said. “They and touching the arms of his wheelchair. although his have the same feelings; they just have some physical defiance of public standards began as an objection to limitations.” getting around campus can be difficult with a an ear-tugging hair stylist, chris Bisiar now views his long locks as a social experiment on human reactions, wheelchair as a constant companion. Moving from class to class takes more time which limits flexibility generalization and stereotypes. “i don’t want him to have any more burden than he of going places on a whim, according to chris Bisiar. already does. like his long hair,” his mother, nancy however, PhS’ campus isn’t too hard to navigate for Bisiar said. “other parents would force their child chris Bisiar.

“The second floor of the gym is out of the question to cut their hair but that’s the least i have to worry for me but everything else is fine,” chris Bisiar said. “i about.” chris Bisiar has a rare type of muscular dystrophy once had to switch out of an aP biology class because (Md) that has symptoms close to minicore myopathy. i couldn’t get to the second floor.” chris Bisiar’s Md isn’t the enemy, though. according Minicore myopathy is a congenital myopathy, a group of conditions that cause muscle weakness and wasting, to nancy Bisiar, the complications are what she has to according to Wendy robinson, associate director of be afraid of. “it’s not the dystrophy, it’s the complications— international Mytonic dystrophy oranization.

Md is a rare disease but minicore myopathy is pneumonia and getting sick are huge concerns,” even more uncommon, according to the research nancy Bisiar said. “When he was little, we couldn’t department at the Muscular dystrophy campaign. have a babysitter because he would fall a lot. When it affects every one in 544,000 people. according to he fell, he’d bump his head. Most babysitters aren’t chris Bisiar, he is one of two people being tracked in familiar with muscular dystrophy and wouldn’t know how to react.” the nation with his specific condition. nancy Bisiar couldn’t work while There are different types of her son was young because of myopathies in which blank spaces “MyoTonic known as “cores” are found in muscle d y S T r o P h y r u n S the Md. When he is sick, it is an emergency situation because of his fibers, according to Margaret Wahl, in faMilieS. condition. The lack of babysitters can the Medical and Science editor of the iMagine Being be hard on many families, according Muscular dystrophy association. diSaBled and to robinson.

“The origin of these cores is unclear h aV i ng To Ta k e “one of the big needs that families and probably multi-factorial, but care of your have is a caregiver because myotonic a variety of symptoms—mainly PhySically weakness—are associated with them,” d i S a B l e d c h i l d . ” dystrophy runs in families,” robinson said. “imagine being physically Wahl said. “These are genetic diseases. disabled and having to take care of They are generally not progressive.”

Wendy roBinSon dySTroPhy eXPerT your physically disabled child.”

Wahl recognizes one of the large When nancy Bisiar first found out distinctions between “core” diseases her son had Md, she described her and other muscular dystrophies is that Md is usually genetic, progressive, degenerative only emotion as crushed. She and her husband tried everything to help their son but there is no cure for muscle diseases that are generally well-understood. although it does not get progressively worse, chris Md. “i took him to therapists here and to china because Bisiar’s rare disease has been a part of his life since no doctors could find any treatments,” nancy Bisiar birth. But to him, his Md is not much of a handicap. “it’s not terribly limiting,” chris Bisiar said. “Sports said. after lots of medicine from specialists in china and are generally out of the picture but that’s about it.” chris Bisiar usually walks every day at some point. in america, chris Bisiar still has had to have many it’s not pride, more like ability. his wheelchair is for corrective surgeries. Because myotonic dystrophy convenience and to carry his books, according to his and all other types of Md are very rare, there aren’t mother, nancy Bisiar. although he is able to gradually many funds available, according to robinson. funds improve his walking, carrying a heavy load of books go towards research and some clinical trials are in progress, including a trial on the drug iPleX. for a long period of time is too much. “iPleX is a new drug, they have actually seen “[chris’] grandparents live on the sixth floor and he had to climb because they have no elevator,” nancy some positive results in treating symptoms but there Bisiar said. “it was very hard because of the stairs, it is nothing even remotely close to finding a cure,” robinson said. took forever but he was able to do it.”

Though Md is not very well-known, there are ways from the feet he walks upon his to his long hair, chris Bisiar is just like any other high school student. to help if one is unable to donate funds or commit he spends his time accumulating information, likes time. “educate yourself,” robinson said. “This is a very to play the violin, plans to pursue an education in technology and doesn’t let anything hold him back— devastating disease that affects families and the more we can educate people and the more we ourselves especially not his Md. “My muscular dystrophy is not something that most become educated, the more we are compelled to do would outwardly notice unless i have to do something something.” chris Bisiar stands. at the border of my physical abilities,” chris Bisiar he walks towards the front of the classroom, down said. “generally, if i’m not in my wheelchair and i the stairs, past his peers. don’t tell them, they don’t know.” his wheelchair sits idly by the door like a child’s Though myopathies affect cognitive skills, Md is a varied disease. according to robinson, a family could plaything tossed aside. it looks so fundamental, so consist of a brother who does not have the disease, vital, so necessary, yet his steady step proves it wrong. not submitting to his Md but rather adapting to a mother who is fully functioning excepting a small disadvantage like cataracts and a mentally-disabled it, he sits in his neglected chair and his arms begin to child with life-threatening Md. it is hard to put into rhythmically force him along the linoleum floor. “it’s not that bad,” he says. categories. however, no matter the severity of the

k e l S i e

c a g a M P a n g

|

V a n g u a r d

Pag e

16

|

P u y a l l u P

H i g H

S c H o o l

|

A&e

i S S u e

f o u r

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

t H e

v i k i n g

va n g ua r d

Consider your phone searCh over Apple iPhone 3G (AT&T)

RIM Blackberry Bold (AT&T)

Best SmartPhone

www.att.com/wireless

B y

l Au r e n A n d e r s o n r e p o r t e r

When it comes to Smartphones (cell phones that are basically little computers) the riM Blackberry Bold is the cream of the crop.

What sets it apart is its superior email support and document viewing capabilities.

With a full QWerty keyboard and individual buttons, emailing and typing in general is easy and efficient. and not only are Microsoft Word, excel, and PowerPoint documents available for viewing, but editing as well. the display is sharp and video picture is amazing. the design is a little bulky, but in general it’s not a bad looking phone. unfortunately the web browser isn’t the easiest to navigate, but it does the job well enough. and although the price may be high, for a phone of its caliber it’s worth it. overall the Bold is perfect for anyone who needs to do work on the go and unlike some business phones it doesn’t sacrifice style.

Price: $300-$650

With its quick, fluid movement from screen to screen and an abundance of features, the apple iPhone 3g wins as the touch-screen phone that can do it all.

But just calling it a phone is an understatement. With at&t’s Wi-fi and 3g network browsing the internet is unprecedented on apple’s Safari browser.

But what’s selling the iPhone is the number of applications, or “apps,” which can be conveniently downloaded right onto the phone. the wide variety of apps include everything from facebook Mobile, restaurant recommendations from urbanspoon or the Pocketguitar that, you guessed it, gives you the ability to play guitar. other cool features include a built in gPS, an iPod and the itunes store, e-mail and a 2.0 megapixel camera. the sound quality is loud and clear, and video quality is superior. However, one downfall for the buyer could be the price which ranges from $200-$500, depending on model and at&t plan. also the battery isn’t going to last all day if used on a regular basis. overall the iPhone is in impressive piece of multimedia technology that’s hard to beat.

Price: $200-$500

Best Touch Screen Phone www.apple.com

B y

l Au r e n A n d e r s o n r e p o r t e r

Price: $250-$500 Price: currently $65

Best Camera Phone

www.sonyericsson.com

Sony Ericsson K850i (No Carrier)

B y

l Au r e n A n d e r s o n r e p o r t e r

for those who want to spend a little less money but still want some cool features on their cell phone, the Samsung Slash is a good pick. the Slash, which slides up to reveal several more buttons under the main phone body, is equipped with a decent 2.0 megapixel camera, text and multimedia messaging, Bluetooth capability and a wireless Web browser. it may not be too fancy, but with a fairly low price and virgin Mobile’s versatile payment plans, the Slash is a solid cell with a bit of an edge over the standard flip phone.

for those who yearn for cell phone pictures that actually contain some degree of quality the Sony ericsson k850i is here to the rescue. the sleek and shiny device holds a five megapixel camera that holds its own against some more basic stand-alone cameras. equipped with a super bright flash, four resolutions, two quality settings, autofocus, a selftimer, panoramic mode and red-eye reduction among other features it feels as though the ericsson is more camera than phone. one of the coolest features was the Bestpic that allows one to take nine quick consecutive pictures of their subject and then choose their favorites to save. a superior camera isn’t this phone’s only attribute though. the ericsson also boasts a second camera specifically for video messaging, an fM radio, a decent MP3 player, Bluetooth, email and many other basic phone features. Besides the camera there isn’t anything too spectacular, and the price may be a bit hefty.

However, if you’re one for snapping tons of photos and want high quality, the Sony ericsson is a great choice.

g r a P H i c S

Best Value Phone www.virginmobileusa.com

Samsung Slash (Virgin Mobile)

B y

H i e n

v u

B y

l Au r e n A n d e r s o n r e p o r t e r

A&E

Oscar Options

T h e

V i k i n g

Va n g ua r d

|

P u y a l l u P

h i g h

S c h o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

Pag e

Doubt

The Wrestler

B y d A n n y s e r n A e d i t o r - i n - C h i e f

B y d A n n y s e r n A e d i t o r - i n - C h i e f

john Patrick Shanley’s film “doubt” more closely resembles its stage roots than its cinematic cohorts, and i love it for that. “doubt,” a screen adaption of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, utilizes no major special effects and instead relies on the strength of its four powerful lead actors to drive the plot and captivate the audience, to great success. “doubt” tells the story of a conflicted young nun, Sister james (amy adams), an energetic eighth grade teacher at St. nicholas School in new york city. constantly brooding over Sister james is the school’s principal, the severe, shrewd, old-school Sister aloysius (Meryl Streep). Though Sister james greatly admires Sister aloysius, she finds herself drawn toward the affable new priest, father flynn (Phillip Seymour hoffman). This newfound affection, however, is all but severed when father flynn calls a young boy in Sister james’s class, donald Muller--the only african-american student in the school--to the rectory during class. upon his return Sister james notices a marked change in his behavoir and detects alcohol on his breath, a finding she promptly reports to Sister aloysius. Sister aloysius immediately assumes that father flynn has committed a very grave sin, and a battle begins between Sister aloysius and father flynn, with Sister james caught in the crossfire. i am a big fan of raw drama and because of this found “doubt” wholly intriguing. it contained a shocking number of conflicts beyond Sister aloysius vs. father flynn, my favorite being the battle between Sister james’s naive moral compass and Sister aloysius’s tested moral compass. To reveal how this battle comes to fruition would reveal far too much about the film, but i assure you that it’s a potent conflict. if you are not a fan of cold, hard drama, i have such doubt (pun intendend) that you will not be a fan of “doubt.” at times Streep and hoffman can be extremely dramatic, an intensity which i found appropriate but others may deem unecessary. aside from that, “doubt” was a stellar, thought-provoking film that combines questions of race, gender, sexuality and religion into one powerful package. i highly recommend “doubt” because of its superior acting and character development--i have no doubt (again, lame pun intended) that it is the best film i’ve seen in a long time.

“The Wrestler” failed to meet my expectations in the best way possible.

When i first saw the trailer, complete with images of sadness, rejection and ultimately redemption, i automatically assumed that “The Wrestler” was little more than another cheesy flick starring an athlete-with-a-heart-of-gold type who despite his many flaws overcomes the horrible monotony of his current existence with a glorious return to his sport. i was wrong.

“The Wrestler” explores themes i never entertained as i entered the film. central to the film’s plot is the life of randy ‘The ram” robinson, a washed-up former star wrestler whose life atop the american wrestling circuit, which culminated in a headline match at Madison Square garden, has disintegrated into shambles. his sole comfort comes in the wrestling arena, where he truly is a star--video games and action figures confirm this, and his fellow wrestlers treat him with particular reverence. “The Wrestler” is a flawlessly-crafted docudrama concerning the lasting implications of brokenness. Both ram and cassidy (Marisa Tomei), an aging stripper to whom ram has taken a liking, are forced to deal with the collapse of their lives, and both emerge from their respective struggles changed permanently. at the core of “The Wrestler” is its stellar cast. Together, rourke, Tomei and evan rachel Wood, who plays ram’s estranged daughter, create a devastatingly powerful acting trio that shakes the screen, creating a film with great impact. rourke and Tomei are both fully deserving of their oscar nominations and i expect both of them to take home the prize. Simply put, acting in “The Wrestler” is the best i’ve ever seen.

The sole drawback of this film is its violent and sexual passages. certain wrestling scenes involving staple guns, barbed wire and sheets of glass can only be described as cringe-inducing. “The Wrestler” is absolutely not a date movie and should not be treated as such. anchored by rourke, Tomei and Wood, “The Wrestler” delivers potent drama and a riveting storyline that moves in a direction at marked variance with the expected athlete-with-a-heart-of-gold angle. Though it failed to earn a Best Picture nod from the academy, “The Wrestler” is easily one of the best films of the year.

Movie Review

Movie Review

One Star: Poor, Two Stars: Fair, Three Stars: Good, Four Stars: Excellent

One Star: Poor, Two Stars: Fair, Three Stars: Good, Four Stars: Excellent

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button B y

17

Slumdog Millionaire

m A d d i e h A m e l r e p o r t e r

B y

m A d d i e h A m e l r e p o r t e r

“Slumdog Millionaire” is this year’s underdog that is winning big in every way, including four golden globe awards and academy award nods. directed by danny Boyle, “Slumdog” stars dev Patel as jamal Malik, a poor indian teen who is a contestant on an indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” jamal surprisingly reaches the final question and is then accused of cheating. after all, how could a mere slumdog have all the answers that seemed to evade gifted intellects, physicians and lawyers? flashbacks to jamal’s past show how he knew the answer to each question asked on the game show; both his childhood experiences and luck in selection of questions contribute to jamal’s unlikely success on the show.

The rags-to-riches storyline is interesting and compelling as well, providing a look into a meaner, harsher india. Visually dramatic, “Slumdog” is fast-paced, reflecting the hectic chaos of Mumbai where the story takes place. delivering a heartfelt performance as jamal, dev Patel brings a quiet strength and perseverance to the screen. While heartbreaking, “Slumdog” is an uplifting cinderella story with a poignancy that leaves the audience rooting for this underdog even more. however, while the cinderella-story feel of the film is what creates some of its magic, it can seem more than a little clichéd. at times, the story is unrealistic, with jamal astonishingly triumphing over every obstacle – highly improbable in real-life. The flashback nature of the film can also be a bit choppy.

Both heartbreaking and uplifting, “Slumdog Millionaire” is a winner that truly delivers. a must-see, “Slumdog” genuinely merits the acclaim it has so far received, and most certainly will continue to obtain.

loosely based on the short story by f. Scott fitzgerald, “The curious case of Benjamin Button” is a tale about the life of the title character, Benjamin Button, a man who ages in reverse.

Throughout his backwards life, Button, played by Brad Pitt, meets a variety of intriguing characters, discovers life’s joys, loves, and sorrows and what truly lasts throughout time. directed by david fincher, “Button” is a beautifully filmed story that explores life, love, and loss – and learning to come to come to terms with it all. Part love story, part sweeping epic, “Button” is one to stand the test of time.

Benjamin Button is born in 1918 an infant displaying all the signs of advanced age. he proceeds to grow up and age in reverse, appearing younger with time. a cinematic marvel and directing feat, fincher pulls out all the stops and creates a modern masterpiece.

While “Button” certainly delivers in cinematography and technique, it is very long, with a running time of two hours and 47 minutes.

The plot doesn’t plod, but this is definitely a film that takes up a lot of your afternoon or evening.

Predicted to be one of the darlings of the oscars, “Button” is leading the pack with a total of thirteen nominations. a must-see for any film buff, “Button” is a stunning motion picture you’ll be glad to have spent your time on.

Movie Review One Star: Poor, Two Stars: Fair, Three Stars: Good, Four Stars: Excellent

S y d n e y

j e n k i n S

|

V a n g u a r d

One Star: Poor, Two Stars: Fair, Three Stars: Good, Four Stars: Excellent

Pag e

18

|

P u y a l l u P

H i g H

Sports

S c H o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

T H e

V i k i n g

Va n g ua r d

Lady Vikings look to repeat past success

Shooting for post-season play

k e l S i e

c a g a M P a n g

|

V a n g u a r d

|

V a n g u a r d

After winning the SPSL South title in 2008 under veteran senior Tabitha Tomlinson, the 2009 girls basketball team looks for similar team dynamics B y

W

F y l i c i a k r e h B i e l S p o r t S e d i t o r

ith a 7-6 standing overall and a 6-3 in the SPSl (South Puget Sound league), the girls varsity basketball team’s season is comparable to the ‘07-‘08 season that earned an 18-9 standing.

The team has solidified their chance at post season play with their third placing in the SPSl. differences in physical size, age, experience and practice time have given the team weaknesses and strengths in their game play.

The team has not played emerald ridge yet, has lost against rogers 32-38, defeated Bethel 52-45 and defeated Beamer 46-25.

There are still four more conference games against all of these teams before they get into the tournament games.

Two seniors carry on last year’s legacy, among them is captain lauren Picha. With 174 scoring points so far in the season, lauren Picha leads the team in offense.

“We need to be a team with more balanced scoring by improving rebounds and passing,” coach dan Picha said.

The team’s game points are comparable to past years. in the ‘07-‘08 season the team defeated gk 49-41. This year they were close to that record with a 45-50 loss early in the season and a later 37-47 loss.

“We have good team chemistry and will continue to improve and hope to move on to post season play,” dan Picha said.

although players this year have the individual experience to succeed they have not received the time they need to practice as a team. due to weather they have lost five practices. This loss has affected their teamwork, chemistry and focus within their game play. “in a lot of our games we get a lead in the first half and then slow down in the second,” junior forward Mandy Malkuch said. “We need to play hard on defense and not get flustered, because when the other team pulls ahead it starts to bring our game down.”

The team is made up of two seniors, eight juniors and although they struggle with youth, they have advantages when it comes to size. Players range from 6 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 6 inches. “although we only have two seniors and are a fairly young team, we make up for that with our physical size in height,” dan Picha said. last year the team had a .66 win percentage at the end of the season and this year has a .54 win percentage. The team is confident that they can work together to move into the post season play. “each player works to meet their individual goal so that the goals of the whole team will be met,” dan Picha said. “every player contributes in their own way in order for us to meet our goals.” all the players are very athletic and competitive. The whole team plays to win, according to lauren Picha.

B r y n n

f l e T c H e r

Above: Junior Heidi Boettcher scored a 3-point shot and contributed to the defeat of the Bethel Braves, 52-45. Senior Regan Picha ran past Bethel’s number 22 to ready herself for the rebound. Senior Lauren Picha also lead the team on Jan. 13 with 24 baskets.

Bottom right: The Vikings played the Grahm Kapowsin Eagles Dec. 5 and lost 4550. Junior Alexis D’Hondt went up for a 2-point shot while Lauren Picha, junior Mandy Malkuch and Heidi Boettcher waited for the rebound. This loss placed the Vikings in third place for the SPSL (South Puget Sound League) title.

COURTSIDE:

•Tomorrow at Todd Beamer, 7 p.m.

•Feb. 3 at Bethel, 7 p.m.

•Feb. 5 home against Rogers, 7 p.m.

Sports

Rink Rat: T h e

V i k i n g

Va n g ua r d

|

P u y a l l u P

h i g h

S c h o o l

|

i S S u e

f o u r

|

j a n ua r y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

Pag e

19

Junior Nate Gosteli travels across the United States to compete with his team, the Puget Sound Tomahawks. b y e r i n S w e n S o n p r o d u c t i o n t e a m

c

ompetitive guys gliding on razor sharp blades at massive speeds with a stick can be a little intimidating for some. not for junior nate gosteli. gosteli has been playing hockey around the united States since the age of three. gosteli plays defense for the Tomahawks, a team third in their division. hockey runs in the blood of the gosteli’s, having a father and two older brothers that also play hockey. “i remember playing with my brothers when i was younger; it was fun,” gosteli said. gosteli practices two or three days a week and has games every Saturday and Sunday. in the summer nate gosteli

would spend six hours at the skating rink someone before,” nate gosteli said. cross checking is where a player body everyday practicing and skating for fun. “nate would be someone we would call checks an opponent while holding his/ a rink rat because he was there so much,” her stick in both hands without any part of the stick touching the ice. hockey coach Steve Videto although body checking is said. allowed, the referee can give hockey isn’t always fun. the player a penalty according it takes a lot of hard work to the intensity of the cross and effort to become a wellchecking. rounded player, according to hockey can be a pretty nate gosteli. dirty game with lots of blood, “When nate plays he has cursing and knocked out a shot that is very hard and teeth. like most hockey teams, always gives 100 percent,” Tomahawks teach their players nate’s father, ken gosteli said. how to respect each others’ nate gosteli likes to listen to goSTeli opponents. angry music before he skates “hockey has taught nate a lot out on the rink and says he about life skills,” Videto said. turns into a whole different person. nate gosteli’s father says hockey has “Sometimes i get too aggressive. i have been kicked out for cross checking helped him a lot with his maturity and is

Registration for ‘09-’10 begins soon...

Wanna be on Vanguard?

Please see Mrs. Coyer, Room 216, for application Spots are limited

an all around amazing kid. nate gosteli’s defensive partner aaron Ward is his favorite person to play with. nate gosteli said his greatest achievement so far is when their team won first place at a match in Vancouver, canada. having a social life while having a demanding hockey schedule, nate gosteli doesn’t have time for friends. he has teammates that are like brothers who love to skate and travel together.

Traveling to 10 or 15 different places a year the memories stack up.

“My favorite memory is when the team would make bets on how much nate was going to eat at the next meal,” Videto said. nate gosteli says he has set a lot of goals for himself and his future with hockey. he wants to further with hockey and become a junior hockey player.

PAG E

2 0

|

P u Y A l l u P

H I G H

S C H o o l

As passes continue in full swing, the ski lifts hurry up the mountain and stores begin to clearance winter gear, boarders and skiers alike prepare for one final shred.

|

Sports I S S u E

f o u R

|

J A N uA R Y

3 0 ,

2 0 0 9

|

T H E

v I k I N G

vA N G uA R D

As snow falls...

mountain calls

get away and chill with friends.”

Stark started skiing at the age of six, and began snowboarding in the fourth grade.

He finds snowboarding easier to do than skiing.

“When I skied, I would always end up doing the splits,” Stark said. “It’s easier to inter has come which means senior Brennan Beede and other Puyallup students will not only be returning to the slopes, but to a love, a culture. A control what you’re doing when you’re snowboarding. I also think it’s easier to do tricks.” powder complex.

Stark focuses on using his available resources to offset the high prices one must pay Beede, who snowboards, can’t wait to hit the slopes once again. in order to participate in the sport.

“It’s the whole experience,” Beede said. “I love it.”

“I already have all my gear and I’ll be carpooling with my friends,” Stark said. “I have Beede started skiing at age six and began snowboarding at age eight.

“When I first started, it was a bragging right,” Beede said. “I could do what others my pass and the price of gas is going down so that should help out too.”

Stark’s favorite place to snowboard is at the Whistler Blackcomb Resort located in couldn’t. But it quickly became a lifestyle. You snowboard for the love of it, the Whistler, B.C., Canada. experience.”

“It’s so big and there’s so much to do,” Stark said. “There’s no Beede tries to snowboard every other weekend, weather permitting. way I could do all the runs in one day. And there’s a lot of black He enjoys snowboarding at the Summit at Snoqualmie because of the “EvERYoNE diamonds too which is great.” cheaper prices of passes in comparison with other resorts in the area.

SHoulD TRY Trail ratings in North America are denoted by colored shapes to But while skiing and snowboarding may be two of Washington’s most To GET SoME indicate a run’s difficulty. The trails become progressively difficult beloved pastimes, they are also some of the priciest.

TIME oN THE A season pass through the Summit at Snoqualmie costs $279 for teens S l o P E S . . . I T ’ S A N beginning with a green circle, increasing to a blue square, black ages 13-18 and provides season-long access to Summits West, Central, E x P E R I E N C E Y o u diamond, double black diamonds and ending with triple black diamonds at the highest level of difficulty. and East anytime they’re open.

WoN’T foRGET.” Junior Christian Henson prefers skiing to snowboarding. He “The high cost doesn’t prevent me from snowboarding,” Beede said.

DEl STARk began snowboarding in sixth grade and switched to skiing in “But it’s always on your mind. It makes you feel guilty for spending so JuNIoR eighth grade. much.”

“Everyone snowboards, so I like skiing because it’s different,” Senior Nichole Gunia, a snowboarder, enjoys the sport for different Henson said. “I find it easier and more fun. It’s also more convenient if you get stuck.” reasons.

The high costs of skiing have had an impact on Henson’s favorite recreational “Well first of all there’s the snow which I love,” Gunia said. “But then there’s also the fact that there’s no pressure to either limit yourself or expand your skills. If you want activity.

“I don’t own as many skis as I’d like because it’s pretty pricey,” Henson said. “This to go on the bunny slope, that’s cool. But you also have the option of going on a black year I’m also going to Snoqualmie instead of Crystal to ski because it’s cheaper.” diamond trail. The entire culture is so laid-back.”

Crystal Mountain offers season passes to those 18-69 years old at $1,799.

Gunia’s favorite place to snowboard is at Henson usually skis every weekend (sometimes as much as twice a weekend) starting the all-terrain park in Steven’s Pass.

“There are so many different around Thanksgiving to the end of the season. Henson has also hiked to Camp Muir things to do,” Gunia said. on Mount Rainier during the summer in order to ski.

“This year the snow is late, so I’ve been going crazy waiting,” Henson said. “Hope “You have a lot of fun.”

Junior Del Stark, also for snow.”

Snowboarders and skiers alike can agree to the a snowboarder, is anticipating a new necessity of trying one of the sports at least once. season.

“Everyone should try to get some time “I love carving through the on the slopes,” Stark said. “Whether powder,” Stark it’s skiing or snowboarding, it’s an said. “It’s fun to experience you won’t forget.”

B y

M a d d i e H a M e l r e p o r t e r

W

k Y l E

P A T T E R S o N

|

v A N G u A R D