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A limited forum for student expression // Volume 106 // Issue Two // 105 7th St. SW Puyallup, Wash, 98371 // Oct. 27, 2017
NOMAKCHTEINSKY WINS side throughout the whole process. I was excited that I would get to continue with Daffodil as a Senior Micaela Nomakchteinsky was crowned princess,” Nomakchteinsky said. Daffodil Princess Wednesday, Oct. 11. Getting selected Along with eight other girls, as Princess is she competed for the title only the first of Puyallup’s 2018 Daffodil step in her WHEN MACIE ANNOUNCED MY Princess. This included Daffodil journey. NAME AS THE PRINCESS I WAS completing a pre-show Nomakchteinsky FLOODED WITH A MILLION interview, reciting will go on to a speech on EMOTIONS ALL AT ONCE. complete hours of her take on M IC AE L A NOM A KC H T E I NS K Y service along with SE N IOR this year’s the princesses Daffodil from other local theme high schools and “Traditions in Bloom” and will eventually compete for Daffodil Queen. answering an impromptu “As a princess, I am looking forward to the question relating to the many relationships I will get to build with Daffodil tradition. members in and outside of the Puyallup Daffodil Community through community service,” Selection is not a Nomakchteinsky said. one-night event, Each person involved in Daffodil brings Nomakchteinsky something different to the community. As a explains. Hours of Daffodil princess, Nomakchteinsky believes you preparation go into should be true and real to yourself. the actual show. “We all share many different backgrounds, “Throughout the month cultures, values and experience that could of September, the PHS benefit the community as a whole. We just have Daffodil Court spent two hours to be willing to share them with others and be on Tuesdays and Thursdays ourselves,” Nomakchteinsky said. practicing impromptu questions, Nomakchteinsky encourages everyone to grab memorizing speeches, [learning] onto chances and opportunities, just like she did how to form a resume and how to with Daffodil. hold conversations with strangers, “If you want to be a princess, go for it, do not interviewing skills, stage presence let anything or anyone stop you. We are given and many more life skills,” many opportunities in life, all we have to do Nomakchteinsky said. “The day is take them and give 100 percent effort and before the show we had a six-hour dedication,” she said. dress rehearsal. With the help of Lisa, Reflecting back on the experience, Jane, Cheryl and many others who Nomakchteinsky would like to recognize the dedicated their people that helped get time to the PHS her where she is. Royal Court, all “I would like to the ladies were IF YOU WANT TO BE A thank all the royal prepared and court members: Colby PRINCESS, GO FOR IT, DO NOT outstanding [Handley], Astrid LET ANYTHING OR ANYONE on selection [Vander Hoek], Katie STOP YOU. day.” [Seiberlich], Sydney Despite M IC AE L A NOM A KC H T E I NS K Y [Benning], Paris SE N IOR all the long [Kemmer], Sarah hours and [Barbee], Sophia hard work, it [Beamish] and Alexis was worth it, Nomakchteinsky says. [Olsen], as well as anybody who gave me words “When Macie announced my of encouragement when I got nervous. I would name as the princess I was flooded like to also thank my family for all the love and with a million emotions all at once. support. And thank you to Matt Slevin for being I was happy that all my hard work my escort and believing in me from day one of and hours of practice came down rehearsal,” Nomakchteinsky said. to this moment. I was thankful for all the ladies that were by my
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Table of Contents
News / Opinion / Focus / Features
Grading System Transformed // Page 5 Unsolicited Graffiti // Page 7 School Safety Examined // Pages 8 and 9 Pixar Inspires Week // Page 10 Green Amazes Yet Again // Page 13 Messineo Leaps Into WIAA // Page 16
A&E / Sports
an guard The Viking
E D I T O R -I N -C H I E F.......................................H A L E Y K E I Z U R M A N AG I N G E D I T O R ....................E M I LY VA N B E RG E Y K N E W S E D I T O R ..................................................M E G A N LY N N F E AT U R E S E D I T O R .......................NATA L I E E YC H A N E R O P -E D /A &E E D I T O R ..................................R AQ U E L A M AT O S P O R T S E D I T O R ................................M C K E N NA Z AC H E R M U LT I M E D I A E D I T O R ......................H A N NA H PA L M E R A D V E R T I S I N G M A N AG E R ........................J O R Y D U VA L L F R E E L A N C E M A N AG E R ...........SA M A N T H A S P R AG U E C I R C U L AT I O N M A N AG E R .........M E G A N N K I N S E L L A S TA F F........................................................................A S P E N B O C K ...........................................................................M I C H A E L C U S T E R .................................................................................R I L E Y D O M A N ...............................................................................A N D R E W F LU R Y .....................................................................................TAY L O R F R E Y ...........................................................................JA I M E G O L D B E RG ................................................................................ A L E X I S H O L M E ..............................................................................M E G A N JA M O R A ................................................................................N O B I J O H N S O N ..................................................................................G R AC I E LU C A S ....................................................................................K AT E LYC H I K .............................................................................LU C I A M O N T E R O .................................................................................K AY L A M O R R I S ......................................................................................A NA M E Y E R S ..........................................................................JA S M I N E N I C H O L S .........................................M AC K E N Z I E N O M A KC H T E I N S K Y ....................................................................A N G E L I NA R I C H A R D ..................................................................................A M Y S C H U L E R .................................................................... M A RC U S W I N D H A M ....................................................................................JAC O B W YAT T A DV I S E R ................................................SA N D R A C OY E R , M J E E D I T O R I A L P O L I C Y:
The Viking Vanguard operates as a limited forum. 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.
HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY
Reflecting back on the past month, it seems there from them. was not a day not plagued by blaring headlines, We encourage you to not give up faith in society announcing tragedy after tragedy, disaster after and faith in the world. Although our world is disaster. Terrible news struck our region, country plagued by people who cause mass shootings, there and world, leaving many shocked and without are many good people in the world. Do not live in words to comprehend what was happening. fear of society or fear of each other. We live in a world where, the second we hear we Be safe and alert in your actions, at school, at home, are going in a lockdown, anywhere. Make sure you panic spreads, eyes get report suspicious activity wider and people rush to and do not pull ridiculous the closest room. There is no stunts that make you look DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR OF doubt that the issue could be suspicious. SOCIETY OR FEAR OF EACH serious. There are also many OTHER. On the morning of places where you can Oct. 2, Americans woke up help those affected by OU R V I E W to the news of the worst recent attacks and natural mass shooting in the U.S. in disasters whether it is modern history. donating money, time or Major hurricanes made landfall throughout spreading the word about fundraisers. September and October: Irma, Harvey, Jose, Maria Despite all that has happened, The Viking and most recently, Nate. Vanguard strives to follow through in our mission Forest fires swept across Canada, Washington and statement, to report truthfully and professionally. currently, California, destroying everything in their We will not let the world’s evil reign victorious. We path. urge our student body and community to do the The Viking Vanguard urges our students to take same. these unfortunate situations and learn and grow
Editorial Cartoon
L E T T E R P O L I C Y:
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 its 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. A DV E R T I S I N G P O L I C Y:
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Stupid, gross and pointless. Those were the adjectives I would have used at the beginning of my sophomore year to describe dating in high school. I would complain about seeing couples holding hands in hallways, sitting and cuddling together at lunch, basically anything considered PDA. Relationships are more than just posting pictures together and going to dances with each other. Being in a serious relationship for almost two years has completely changed my perspective on a lot of things. A lot of people think that being with someone means that you have to be intimate and do everything with the person you are in the relationship with, spending every minute with them to make it count; defining the relationship by the number of minutes, not the quality of the time. I disagree.
Relationships are not about spending every waking minute with someone. A relationship should be based on trust, love, honesty and faithfulness. According to a 2015 study by Pew Research Center, 14 percent of high school students consider themselves in a serious relationship. I am among the 14 percent and my relationship has made me a better person. I have become nicer, I have been more open, I have gone out and done things I would not have done if I was single and overall I have been happier. Relationships are a part of getting older, whether they are friendships or romantic relationships, they help build who we are as people. We are constantly growing up. It does not matter if we are 13 years old or 43 years old, we are all learning and changing every second of every day.
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News
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INTERNATIONAL LOCAL NATIONAL
YOU CAN USE
LOCAL OLDEST BELLEVUE BUILDING HIT BY CAR
NEW PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS
Oct. 27th, 2017
UW Tacoma is employing a new program based off of text messages. It is a successful way to remind freshmen students about important upcoming deadlines. .
PSD TEACHER RECEIVES RECOGNITION PHS football coach Ray Brassard has received recognition for inspiring his players with stories about previous medal of honor recipients..
An 1883 house built by a civil war veteran has been driven into by an unidentified driver. The driver left his vehicle and has not been found since.
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SCHOOLS CLOSE DUE TO HEAT San Diego schools are being shut down early due to excessively high temperatures. Minimum day schedules are being implemented in dozens of schools as temperatures continue to rise.
BOY SCOUTS TO ACCEPT GIRLS Leaders of the boy scouts will meet to discuss the admission of girls into the group. The discussion will be based off of accommodation of family’s needs.
NATIONAL FLAGS THROWN AT PRESIDENT Tiny Russian flags were thrown at President Trump by a protester insisting the president conspired with Russian Agents. Trump responded by giving a thumbs up.
INTERNATIONAL MOVIE ‘MATILDA’ SPARKS OUTRAGE A movie based on the last Russian Czar’s affair has been received with hostility in Moscow. It is called a blasphemy against the Czar, who was regarded as a saint, yet it will still be premiered. .
PRINCE MOHAMMED PROMISES MODERATE ISLAM The crown prince of Saudi Arabia has promised to eradicate the extremist ideals and replace them with more tolerance and moderation. He wishes to coexist better with the world and to keep up with development.
Las Vegas mourns tragedy
GR DING SYSTEM TRANSFORMED B Y
A M Y S C H U L E R S T A F F
One letter grade. A transcript to determine the next chapter of your life. But it is up to the work put in-- after all, it is your grade, your transcript. It is the end of the semester and your grade is half a point away from where you want it. Last year
THERE SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT A GRADE MEANS AND WHY WE GIVE CERTAIN GRADES. M YC H AL L I M R IC T E AC H E R
you would have had to work up the courage to ask your teacher to round up, retake and turn in late work but this is a new year with a new policy. A new rule regarding grade rounding, reassessment and missing and incomplete work will go into effect this year. Furthermore, the common scale has been shifted to include half points, reassessment is allowed up to one hundred percent and zeros will not be assigned for missing summative work. This has not been the first revision of the rules and the policy (policy 2420R) is labeled as ‘under construction’ and the initial publication date was back in 2011. The main objective of the new policy has been stated to be to support students in their learning and achievement. Counselor Michael Sanchez explains where this change was rooted and the time it will take to
learn the impact it makes. “Whenever change happens it comes from a district level and it can be a challenge absorbing what exactly it means,” Sanchez said. “People that create the rules like this new policy really try to fine tune what they are saying in what they create but it is not until a bunch of eyes look at it that you start to see what the issues and conflicts will be.” Sanchez acknowledges that the act of rounding up grades has been teachers’ own personal preferences for many years. “[The policy] is about how to establish norms in the classroom, our veteran teachers have been doing this for a while and they have a process in place to get the students where they need to be by the end of the semester,” Sanchez said. “This new system will have to be incorporated in their long-term process, which creates challenges.” Pre-AP Sophomore English and AP Junior English teacher Sara Waters can confirm this uncomfortable shift. “[It is a] pretty dramatic rounding. I can understand that we need a consistent system for rounding; having consistency for all teachers can be good but I am just not sure,” Waters said. Waters gives reasoning as to why she has not rounded up her students grades in the past. “When there is a certain amount of assignments that you have to do and a certain percentage you are supposed to achieve and you have not achieved it, I do not know why
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you would say ‘well, you are close enough, go ahead,’” Waters said. Waters takes the position as a student. She describes how her feelings would differ if she were the student and not a teacher. “As a student I would have loved it, it would have been great to be slightly below but still achieve [my desired grade] but when I look at it as I teacher I think ‘why do we say you have to earn a certain percentage to get a grade but we do not really mean it, we mean something slightly below it,’” Waters said. AP U.S. History teacher Mychal Limric further explains the teacher perspective of this policy. “A lot of districts are going to this so it was not a surprise to me,” Limric said. “As a new teacher not only am I open minded but I also try to look at the benefits and challenges of things at the same time.”
WHY DO WE SAY YOU HAVE TO EARN A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE TO GET A GRADE BUT NOT ACTUALLY MEAN IT? SA R A WAT E R S T E AC H E R
Limric says this policy will affect the Puyallup School District specifically. In his class he clarifies the exact standards he hopes of his students but there is much to discuss as a whole, he says.
H A L E Y K E I Z U R C H I E F
The U.S. was struck by a tragedy, a mass shooting, the evening of Oct. 1; one of such high caliber that it has been deemed the worst in U.S. modern history. Shortly after 10 p.m., the sounds of music and 22,000 concert-goers singing along were overcome by sounds of gunfire and screams. For around 15 minutes, Las Vegas was filled with gunshots and people ducking for cover, running to safety and helping rescue those around them. Police soon arrived on the scene and located the shooter in a hotel room nearby. Despite being alive when the police first made contact, when officers made it into the room, the shooter was found dead, surrounded by 23 weapons. The shooter was identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock. He was a retired real-estate investor who had moved to Nevada from Florida in 2016. He lived with his girlfriend, who was out of the country at the time of the attack. Paddock has no known association with a terrorist group, leaving an open debate on whether the act is considered terrorism. It has caused many Americans, who are hoping to place a title to define this attack, to speculate what terrorism means. As a result of the mass shooting, 59 people died and more than 500 were injured. Millions were impacted by the loss of a loved one or the shock of the event. Across the country, flags were brought down to half-mast, including at PHS and memorials were held to honor the victims. Paddock’s motives are still being investigated but steps are already being taken to recover from this shooting and prevent another.
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N e w s // Oct. 27, 2017
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Opinion Oct. 27, 2017
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MASSACRE BREAKS SILENCE
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n Oct. 2, 2017, I they are. If it does not affect amendment reads. In the 228 years since woke up up to the us personally, we do not do this was written into the Bill of Rights, dreadful wailing of anything about it and that needs our country has changed a lot. No longer my alarm, just as any other to change. does this amendment apply. With a day. I turned off the alarm I was in sixth grade when superior professional military force, we and started to scroll through the Sandy Hook mass shooting are no longer counting on citizen militia the uncharacteristically happened. I remember coming to keep us safe. abundant news alerts I home from school that day and Guns have also evolved unmistakably received during the night. seeing my mom cry and hug since the time of the founding fathers. M . Z AC H E R “At least 20 people are my brother and me tight. I did The general public has access to semiS P O R T S dead and more than 100 not fully understand what had automatic weapons, long range scopes injured in a shooting on the Las Vegas happened or why but I knew it was awful. and bump stocks, which when attached Strip,” my CNN notification said. Five years later, it is appalling to me to a semi-automatic rifle, allows for fire “Country music festival targeted in that we still have not cracked down almost as rapid as that of an automatic attack,” another read. on guns. Twenty children, no older weapon. These kinds of firearms were A panic rushed over me as I suddenly than seven, were killed because of developed and intended to be used remembered my cousin had posted about incompetence and by trained being in Las Vegas at a country music nationalistic pride. soldiers in the festival. Many theater of war, Thankfully, I came to find out she was advocates for gun not for hunting IN MY LIFETIME, I HAVE HEARD okay and had flown home before the ownership point or shooting THE PHRASE ‘DEADLIST MASS attack that night. But I could not shake to the Second targets in a SHOOTING’ A FRIGHTENING the thought that someone I love had Amendment, backyard. Our AMOUNT OF TIMES. come that close to being a victim of this which gives most sacred shooting. American citizens rights, those of MC K E N NA Z AC H E R SP ORT S In my lifetime, I have heard the phrase the right to bear life, liberty and “deadliest mass shooting” a frightening arms. After the pursuit of amount of times. Each time, the country thoroughly happiness, are reacts in horror and shock, politicians researching both sides of this issue for undermined by our love of guns. spin the tragedy to fit a political agenda weeks, I truly believe the only way we can Now, I am not saying we should take and the gun control debate rekindles. reduce gun violence in the country is by away all guns. But I am saying we need For a few days, the news cycle is eliminating the sense of entitlement we to strengthen our gun control laws and dominated by debate after debate on guns have towards guns. To do that, I believe repeal our sense of entitlement towards and their “right” to be in this country. we must repeal the Second Amendment. guns and I am not alone in my opinion. And then, nothing. The horror and The part of the Second Amendment that Sixty-four percent of voters favor activism rescinds and typical debates on specifies “the right to bear arms” is not increased gun control, according to a healthcare or immigration resume. the full amendment, which so many gun POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. The United States has become numb advocates fail to acknowledge. to mass shootings. A mass shooting is “A well regulated Militia, being To continue reading this story, visit a daily occurrence in today’s America. necessary to the security of a free State, vikingvanguard.com The frequency of these tragedies has the right of the people to keep and bear desensitized us to the sheer monstrosity Arms, shall not be infringed,” the full
Vegas shooting brings back debate
According to the FBI, an event is considered a mass shooting if four or more people are killed due to gun violence. In the past decade there has been a number of mass shooting all across the United States, the most recent being in Las Vegas, Nev. Of course, this has brought the debate on gun control to the surface. There are many conspiracies on why it happened, how it happened and what caused it to happen. There are a lot of reasons for someone to carry out this kind of violent crime. The most common reasons that comes to mind are mental illnesses and bullying. According to a research by the National Institution of Health, the most common myth about mass shootings is that they are caused by mental illnesses, diagnosed or not.
Did you know that a gun. The United States’ almost anyone can Federal law states that walk into Fred Meyer someone with a felony and purchase a gun? on their record can Of course, they would legally own a gun, but have to have a concealed not possess the gun. In weapons permit and need most states, a convicted to meet a list of other felon has the legal right to requirements, but that list restore their gun-owning is not as long as I think it privileges. R . A M AT O should be. The Children’s The only issue that O P I N I O N Hospital of Philadelphia I can see happening if Research Institute studies show that people were not allowed to purchase there are approximately 113 guns for guns due to their criminal history every 100 people, and one in three would be the black market. There homes with children have at least one are quite a few ways one could get gun. Having a gun in the household ahold of a gun and the black market does not provide an argumentative has a big role in the gun industry. reason for why mass shootings The more weapon laws there are, happen. the more weaponry is distributed I think someone should be able to illegally through the deep web and pass a background check with little underground businesses. All someone to no charges. If they are a convicted would have to do is know the right felon, I do not think they should be people and the right places to look. allowed to legally own or purchase Making a background check for
7%
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Q: What is your stance on gun control? Against
7% 32%
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*66 people were surveyed purchasing a gun stricter and harder to pass will make it harder for someone to obtain a weapon. If they had a criminal record with a felony, they would have to resort to going underground for a gun, breaking even more laws.
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Unsolicited graffiti is illegal in our state, and can result in fines up to $1,000 and an order to complete over 100 hours of community service. Staffer analyzes how graffiti can beautify the cities in Washington.
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alking These small, seemingly unimportant The Tacoma graffiti garages would be a around the details are like a breath of life to the small prime example of this. Hilltop area community. As for tagging, when walls are covered in in Tacoma, my eyes are Artists legitimate art it is not drawn to splashes of struggle, that is a unusual for taggers color around the drab fact. themselves to leave and otherwise povertySOME OF THIS ART CARRIES A Most of the the work alone. stricken neighborhood. STRONG MESSAGE: time, they cannot Graffiti is frequently Murals. END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. make a living off used as a medium of Beauty. K . LYC H I K of doing what expression and a way Art. S TA F F they love. to promote important K AT E LYC H I K Graffiti. Passion does not causes. STA F F When graffiti equate to success. It is a way to is mentioned, minds may wander to the So why not help showcase cultures, to stereotypically ugly words scrawled over them? bring attention to whatever it is you want some old, abandoned building hidden My own sister loves art, she paints, to convey. partially in the shadows, vandalism and ill draws and she teaches art at a high school. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, graffiti has been intent. I often hear her vent her frustrations to made legal. Graffiti is still illegal in our grand state of me, that she wishes she could have more Art and murals line the city with colors Washington but perhaps it should not be. time to simply do art. bursting through the streets. The simplest argument to be made in Unfortunately, she has to make a Some of this art carries a strong message: support of legalizing graffiti is that it can living so her passion gets pushed aside end domestic violence. Women in the city be used to brighten up and make bland frequently. paint murals advocating their cause and areas more beautiful. Why not give these artists a means to bringing a spotlight to this important issue. I live in Tacoma, I walk around the make money off of their Art does not have to be about just looking downtown area art? pretty. and other lessHire them to create Art can carry varying emotions and tell wealthy areas beautiful murals that stories in a way that speech sometimes fails [GRAFFITI] CAN BE USED of the city liven things up and to. TO BRIGHTEN UP AND frequently. bring a smile to others’ So, why should we ban it? I will use the MAKE BLAND AREAS MORE faces. Why must we prevent those stories from Hilltop area BEAUTIFUL. Some might argue reaching our eyes and touching our hearts? specifically as an that graffiti is an issue I believe we should paint the world, let K AT E LYC H I K example. STA F F for reasons such as those colors run vibrant and free. It is dreary artists painting over Let those voices be heard and those and bleak, property that does not stories be told. rundown buildings and houses with belong to them or gang related “tagging” [a Allow for the legalization of graffiti. boarded-up windows abound. signature]. Yet, while traveling through this These problems may be resolved through neighborhood, certain spots will stand out. the means of business owners working Color to break the monochrome. alongside artists to have their art displayed A mural painted over what was once an or similarly, artists working with the city to old, ugly building. use specially ordained places.
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SCHOOL SAFETY EXAMINED B Y
E M I L Y VA N B E R G E Y K M A N A G I N G
Las Vegas. Orlando. Virginia Tech. Sandy Hook Elementary School. These names, forever ingrained in America’s memory, represent the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history. And names like these are appearing in the news more and more frequently. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been 291 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2017 alone, resulting in 363 deaths.
A Nation Responds
How has the nation responded to the rise in mass shootings and how has Pierce County worked to prevent such tragedies? “I think the specific trainings around the threat of an active shooter or imminent threat of an individual have definitely increased over the last 10 years due to the increased frequency of those situations. High schools and the public school system [are not the only ones training for the eventuality of an active shooter]. Colleges and businesses are doing THERE HAVE BEEN 291 MASS active shooter trainings now, because it could happen at SHOOTINGS IN THE U.S. IN any time, in any situation,” 2017 ALONE counselor Michael Sanchez said. “Every year [the E M I LY VA N B E RG E Y K M A NAG I NG protocols] are changing. We train, we revise and we train again. The more trained we are the more... natural and organic [it is] for us to address a real threat.” As gun violence increases nationwide, preventative measures against mass shootings take top priority, according to School Resource Officer Ketter. “Here in Pierce County we have been making changes for years. Puyallup and Pierce County are so far ahead of other places, not only in the state but around the country, that we started a new national trend...what we are doing in the schools won a national award a couple of years ago because of how far ahead we are. Two summers ago I was flown down to florida to speak at the national homeland security conference and talk about what we are doing in Puyallup and further in the Pierce County schools,” Ketter said. The key to the innovative techniques in Pierce County is expedited communication, Ketter says. “We have branched out in pretty much every direction we can to help...We reached out to make sure that every one of our partners is getting the same training we do in order to better our common goal rather than just being reactive to it, because we know it is so much bigger than just the police department,” Ketter said.
A Team Effort
One of the most revolutionary aspects of new trainings centered around how the fire and police departments interact. “Usually fire departments will stage until the police department says it is safe and then they come in. The problem we ran into with that was that before the police department can secure a scene the fire department cannot get in and tend to those who are injured. The longer that takes, sometimes people do not make it, so Central Pierce Fire now goes to active shooter training with us,” Ketter said. “They have gotten all-new bulletproof vests and tactical gear, they actually go in with us now, they do not wait anymore.” According to Ketter, the benefits of the new joint trainings do come with added risk on the part of the fire department. “From a fire department standpoint, they are putting a lot of faith in us. You have a group of firefighters who are basically unarmed, going into a place where there is a threat, hoping that we take care of it. So for them that is a huge, huge step that they take and all the respect in the world to [the fire department] for
The United States has had but how does that happen
doing that,” Ketter said. “But now they are treating patients in minutes, where it could have taken hours. For them to get in that much sooner and to provide lifesaving treatment, they are saving more lives than they could before.” Just as the fire department has adapted their protocol for active shooter situations, so has the police department. “It used to be that police would secure the area and then fire department would come in and provide their medical. Now the fire department has given the police department a ton of training. [The police force] participates in TCCC [Tactical Combat Casualty Care] training which is basically emergency first aid training,” Ketter said. “We carry ‘go bags’ now, which usually the fire department carries. They are basically full of emergency medical supplies. We no longer just stand there and watch the fire department as they are trying to do something, we can get in there and start doing treatment with them. The more that I can do to help the fire department, the more lives we can save.” These integrated trainings and shared skills have combined the police and fire departments into a single response unit, Ketter says. “In addition to working with the fire departments now almost yearly, if not more often than that, we are training directly with the fire department. We now move as a group, so that they understand our movements better and we also understand their movements better,” Ketter said. “Police and fire are very different when it comes to how we respond, and now we are training together more so we have become way more familiar with each other, which helps. We have become a policeand-fire blend with an overlap of responsibilities.” Schools have also been integrated into the response network, Ketter says. “We are also bringing that training into the schools for the staff..the police department, the fire department, and the school district are all training together now to become one big emergency response unit. The faster we can get help and the more people are working together, the more lives we can save,” Ketter said.
A Standardized Response
The benefit of the schools’ integrated training is standardization of training, procedures and response, which expedites response and eliminates the risk of miscommunication, according to Ketter. “All schools in Pierce County now have the same lockdown procedures, so if I show up at a school that might not even be
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multiple mass shootings in the past decade. Keeping students safe is a school’s top priority, with coordination of law enforcement and other organizations in times of stress? in Puyallup, they know what to expect of me, I know what to expect of them. This takes out all of the communication in the beginning so that we can just go in and do what we need to do to secure the school,” Ketter said. According to School Security Officer Jim Jenkins, school resource officers provide the key communication link between the police department and schools in providing added security. “School resource officers are the bridge between the police and the schools. They do threat assessments, make sure more doors are locked and ensure that response is faster,” Jenkins said. Ketter outlines how school resource officers work with schools to ensure safety. “We have been doing a lot of what is called crime prevention through environmental design. There are what are called ‘soft targets,’ which is basically easier places for people to come and do bad things. Schools are one of those places, so we have been going around and trying to think how we can make our school safer,” Ketter said. “That is everything from doing lockdown drills to walking around our campus to try to think of how we can make our campus more secure but at the same time not make it into a prison.”
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In addition to reinventing prevention efforts, the Puyallup School District has adopted new response procedures to drastically alter communication in the eventuality of an active shooter scenario or other emergency. “The Puyallup School District was the first that I know of who brought in ICS (Incident Command System). Police, fire, other emergency response groups, hospitals, all run on this certain structure and now the school district is also doing that...so now we are all [communicating] on the same level,” Ketter said. Jenkins explains how ICS has been adapted to work in schools. “Incident Command System ICS is a way to manage big incidents. It was originally developed by the forest service for wildfires but now our school has adapted it as a blueprint for if something happens. Typically in ICS someone will say ‘I am in command’ as soon as they realize what is going on. That person will be the incident commander,” Jenkins said. “Incident commander will usually be Mr. Sunich, if he is in the right place when something happens. Incident commander keeps everybody in communication. There will also be an operational commander,
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who is in charge of directing people.”
A Lesson for All
The administrators are not the only staff members involved in ICS, Sanchez says. In the event of an emergency, staff members with a class take charge of their students while any staff members not in charge of a class would jump on board. “A staff member is generally responsible for their classroom at that moment. Administrators are coordinators and [the counselors] are secondary support. If all the administrators are here, then they play a lead role. They have a command station and they take care of everything. If they are unavailable then the counselors step into that leadership role and have to take command of an incident,” Sanchez said. In addition to the training change of adopting ICS, the school district has used state grant funds to improve technology, according to Jenkins. “The school district has put a ton of time and effort into upgrading our technology here at school to help emergency responders get in here faster with the mapping that they are doing, with the numbering that they are doing with the buildings, with the camera systems that they are putting in,” Ketter said. The clearer numbering system and technology is intended to aid first responders who may be unfamiliar with the school when navigating the building, Jenkins explains. “We also have the room numbers on both sides of the doors now so that police officers and [firefighters] can know where they are. The doors are recessed for fires, so before you could not know where you were and you could not know what was down the hall until you were right on top of the room numbers,” Jenkins said. Nearly as important to school safety as clearness of communication is quickness of response, Ketter says. “The faster I can get all the information and get here, the more secure the school is, the better trained the staff and the kids are, the amount of casualties that we may have [will be dramatically reduced],” Ketter said. However, all the preparation in the world is fruitless without threat awareness. Threat assessment and reporting is a key part of keeping schools--and communities--safe, says Ketter. “The threat assessments that the school and staff are starting to do with incidents that cause concern are also preventative,” Ketter said. Sanchez details the procedures in place at PHS for threat assessment and THE FASTER I CAN GET ALL reporting. THE INFORMATION AND GET “If a red-flag situation HERE, THE MORE SECURE THE pops up in which we need to do a deeper investigation SCHOOL IS of a student, of a comment, M A R K K ET T E R a threat, we have a series S .R .O of things that we have to do. We do threat analysis of the situation, we pull in a bunch of people to discuss the situation, we bring in a police officer. There are times where we have to involve law enforcement or the district office; we inform them that we have a credible threat but we need more guidance on what to do,” Sanchez said. “There is definitely an increased line of communication between us and law enforcement and all the key stakeholders in those kind of situations: our security personnel here at the school, the district office and then the sheriff’s office.” According to Sanchez, all the prevention in the world could not eliminate danger completely. However, the precautions already in place do an admirable job. “I do not think that there is a cut-and-dry [solution to] what a school district should do to avoid an active shooter situation. I think there is a lot that we can do to keep students safe, and we are really good about reporting things that we need to report--to each other, to our community, to our law enforcement--so we react very quickly to any threat, which definitely helps to prevent [active shooter situations.] And we are also really good about screening our students...but I do not think that we could ever be 100 percent safe, unfortunately.” Sanchez said.
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up with advertisements for it. [Leadership has to figure out] how to get everybody involved in trying to make our school feel like it is more spirited,” Carlson said. Spirit week is based off of the theme Pixar. According to Carlson, the spirit days start out easy and get harder throughout the week. “There are not very many [Pixar] movies. We went from what we think people could do from what we think would be hardest for people to do. We started with one that was easy, wear all white and we ended with one that was a little bit harder but it is still spirit day,” Carlson said. Altogether, leadership is in charge of planning the dance and the events leading up to homecoming. “[Leadership] is responsible for anything that has the homecoming name on it. Making sure there is stuff for the homecoming game, making sure the homecoming royalty is done, decorations. That is a big part of it, is making sure all the decorations are done. And then spirit week,” Loomis said.
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Puyallup High School will be hosting their Pixarthemed homecoming Oct. 28, 2017 at the Tacoma Convention Center from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ASB treasurer and secretary Brynli Loomis is tasked with setting up the assembly Friday, Oct. 27 and the dance itself. “[My job is] getting the venue set up and making sure everything is ready for that. So we had to get the DJ, the venue and the decorations for the venue all set up...now we are just working on the process of getting the assembly planned and getting the school decorated for that,” Loomis said. ASB president Ethan Carlson has many jobs when it comes to leadership. “I supervise everyone and make sure everyone is on task...and usually I am the leader of whatever group I am in,” Carlson said. Carlson has an important role in getting ready for homecoming. “I am in charge of the group for spirit week, so we came up with the days and we came
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PIXAR INSPIRES WEEK
College for students possible
Both Advanced Placement classes and Running Start offer high school students college credit. The Viking Vanguard takes a look at the benefits of each. A M Y S C H U L E R S T A F F
College applications are the future, the now and the past for all high school students. For some, their college years have started due to the opportunities offered in community colleges, who provide classes for the various levels of learning determined by placement tests. Another path students have the opportunity to pursue is in taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered at high schools across the state. These classes offer the college experience but within the high school setting. AP Psychology and Government teacher Matt White compares what the credits obtained by each course and the mindset when choosing which to take on. “It is really about the student’s goals and what they want to get out of it. A student can graduate out of PHS with basically the same number of credits in AP courses that they would get if they were in Running Start and have gotten their AA,” White said. “It should not really be about the
IT IS REALLY ABOUT THE STUDENT’S GOALS AND WHAT THEY WANT TO GET OUT OF IT. M AT T W H I T E T E AC H E R
saving the dollars by doing Running Start because though it does save money, passing AP exams saves money and AP exams are cheaper.” AP classes can be questioned as to if it meets the standard college class, such as at Pierce Community College. White explains the standards that are held for the AP classes and how their success is measured. “An AP class has to be acceptable by any university in America so that creates more rigorous teaching and work for the students whereas community colleges don’t have that rigor because they teach at where they think is difficult,” White
said. “The credits are compared and questioned to ‘What did they learn?’ and that is when colleges want to see your AP scores because between AP kids and kids that didn’t do anything it is clear, statistically speaking, of what is predictive.” White says that PHS specifically has had success with the pass rate on the AP exams. “This last year on average at PHS over 62 percent of the students[at PHS] passed the AP exams which meets the University of Washington average,” White said. “So you go ‘well, okay, we seem to be meeting what is going on at the university level; a lot of students are meeting the college credit,’ therefore I would say yes, the teachers [at PHS] are doing a pretty good job by and large.” White recognizes the opposing benefits of Running Start for students who know their future plans.
To continue reading this story, visit vikingvanguard.com
E G E L L O C R E N R CO S N O I T ICA Y L P P A A S GE E S L E L L O C NA R O O S F R E S EP TIP H T D AN
TAKING ON THE APPLICATION
1. Read ALL instructions carefully. 2. Be honest, truthful and be yourself. 3. Fill out all required information. 4. Take every essay and short answer seriously. Have at least one person look over everything. 5. Proofread everything, then proofread again before submitting.
TOP 10 TIPS
1. Give yourself plenty time of time to complete the application. Do not wait until the last minute. 2. Schedule out when you are going to complete each part of the application. 3. Plan to submit your application at least one or two weeks early. 4. Consider applying for early action or early decision but know the difference between the two. 5. Know the application requirements of each school and make sure to complete them all. 6. Take on one college application at a time but figure out what essays and information you can use for multiple applications. 7. If you need letters of recomendation, talk to your recommenders early and give them plenty of time to complete it. Do not forget to send them a thank-you card after. 8. Allow enough time for test scores, transcripts and letters of recommendation to be submitted. Do not test the deadlines. 9. Proofread everything. Then, once submitted, confirm everything was sent and made it to the college. 10. See if your college offers interviews, whether at the college or through representatives coming to the area.
ADVICE FOR THE PERSONAL STATEMENT
1. Your personal statement or essay should clearly represent you and only you. If you dropped it in the hallway and someone picked it up, they should know it is yours. 2. Avoid using clichĂŠ or overused topics, such as divorced parents, death of a family member and mission trips. 3. While the topic is the most important, use proper grammar and spelling and try to write with a high grade level. 4. Use your voice and tell a story. This will engage the reader and best represent you. 5. Answer the prompt completely.
Check out last month’s edition of College Corner to get the tuition, acceptance rate and deadline for seven Washington schools.
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F e a t u r es / / Oct. 27, 2017
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DO COLOR-CODED NOTES WORK?
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nyone who has taken a class with AP Psychology and Government teacher Matt White no doubt remembers the neurons hanging from the ceiling, the jokes and dreaded color-coded notes. Sophomores and seniors alike have pushed through pages of notebooks, cycling through a rainbow of pens to finish their notes. Is the effort worth it? White is well known for his system. He developed the note-taking strategy over 20 years ago and little has changed in the format. “[An AP presenter] and I sat down and had a discussion about Cornell notes and brain research at the time--what would be an effective way to organize notes for students,” White said. “Cornell notes have been around for ever and we went ‘why do we not colorcode them?’ Over a week we sorted the thing out and got everything together.” White had taught his first AP class, Psychology, a year before he developed his color-coded notes. “That year my students’ scores were punishing,” White said, with a smile. “That summer after the first year, we developed the notes, and when I came back the next year my averages went up 25 percent.” While the notes clearly helped White’s classes, how do they compare to national averages? The national average pass rate for AP Psychology over the past five years is 65.5 percent and in White’s classes the five-year average is 64 percent. In AP Government, however, the difference is massive. The national pass rate for Government is 50.2 percent, but White’s pass rate is 68 percent. Among AP classes at PHS, White’s classes have a 66 percent fiveyear pass rate, compared to the school’s average of 56 percent. But White is not overly concerned with the scores and averages. “Students need to be taught a system for collating large quantities of information. Just saying ‘here are Cornell notes’ did not seem enough--you have to teach the concepts THE POINT IS TO TEACH of why you do something,” PEOPLE HOW TO LEARN White said. “The colorSOMETHING. THAT SKILL IS coding makes it an easier TRANSCENDENT. study tool for focusing M AT T H E W W H I T E on vocab or questions or T E AC H E R summaries. For the kids who continue to try and continue to work on it, [the notes] are a skill that goes on to help them be successful at the next level. The point is to teach people how to learn something. That skill is transcendent; that is the thing you take with you.” Kelsey Massey, one of the PHS AP Biology teachers, adopted White’s color-coded notes last year. The learning curve for some of her students was steep but Massey believes the notes are worth the effort. “A lot of kids do not know how to take notes and they get overwhelmed, so having a strategy to start with is important,” Massey said. “And requiring them to read the textbook is helping their test scores.” Massey, like White, believes that the benefits of of color-coded notes go beyond test scores. “Having some sort of strategy, will make [students] better prepared for college,” Massey said. “Whether it is color-coded notes or...whatever works for them, in college you have to learn to take notes from a textbook.” The student perspective echoes this sentiment. Deepa Bajwa, a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley, graduated from PHS last year and still uses color-coded notes for her
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AP Psychology AP Pass Rate (%)*
White’s Classes
National Average
AP Government Pass Rate (%)* White’s Classes
National Average
Total AP Pass Rate (%)*
White’s Classes
PHS Classes
classes. “I still use it or a variation of it,” Bajwa said. “And for all the [high school] classes I was most successful in, I used them.” Bajwa admits to the difficulties of color-coding notes, especially the resources. “They use up a lot of paper and a lot of time,” Bajwa said. “And it can be hard to manage so much content. They force me to study early and create a mental map of what I learned. For some people it does not work but everybody should at least try it.” *Data from Totalregistration.net and Matthew White
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Turtles All the Way Down is soon to capture the hearts of avid readers across the world. It sure captured mine. This novel by John Green depicts 16-year-old Aza Holmes, whose life is overrun by symptoms of anxiety and OCD, and her encounter with a mystery. Aza is just trying to get through high school while coping with her father’s death from years back. Her first encounter with the Picketts was at a grief camp, where her and Davis bonded over the loss of a parent. Davis Pickett’s life sounds like the dream: billionaire father, huge mansion, expensive private school, multiple servants and workers. But, when his dad, his only living parent, commits a crime and disappears in the middle of the night, his life is flipped all the way down. Aza, after remembering her childhood hangouts with Davis, running around his backyard and exploring an island in the river that separates their houses, decides to go explore with her best friend, Daisy, and see if the family still has their old
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hidden camera. She discovers a time yourself within one of the carefullystamp but is caught by the yard worker crafted characters. and is taken to Davis. While Turtles All the Way Down Long story short, as Davis and Aza does not have the literary merit to recall their past friendships and learn make it eligible to write about on an more about each other, they begin to AP test, nor is it the most spectacular, fall for each other. eye-opening, adventure story, it The story is defined by Aza and rooted itself deep in my heart and my Davis’ bookshelf. nonchalant It outshines relationship, Looking for I ADORED THIS BOOK FROM the drama Alaska and THE FIRST TO LAST PAGE AND I that comes Paper Towns with being in and although RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE. high school I do not think and the it will ever be H ALE Y K E I Z U R struggles of as popular as C H I E F dealing with The Fault In mental illness. Our Stars, it John Green covered mental illness is a classic book that I foresee myself in a professional and real manner, as rereading over and over again. many of Aza’s quirks were based off I adored this book from the first to Green’s own experience with OCD. He last page and I recommend it to anyone created characters that were relatable who is looking for an easy read with and vulnerable, characters that you poetic metaphors, a teenage romance want to learn from. and engaging characters. Turtles All the I see myself mirrored in Aza’s Way Down will leave you with swirling situation and her thoughts, although thought spirals of revelations and the living a completely different lifestyle desire to explore the unknown. but I also see myself reflected in Daisy. It is not difficult to find a piece of
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Looking for Alaska by John Green is an awe-inspiring, heartwarming adventure with an event on every page, that takes you into the life of a teenage boy who just really happens to like this girl named Alaska. What I liked about the book was that from the moment you opened it you were launched into the world of Miles, aka Pudge, and the story shows you the connections he makes. This allows you to relate to your own friendships in at least some way. I personally had a hard time finding something to dislike; this book had everything I needed--quotes, plot twists and memorable moments. I found myself physically putting the book down to process what I just read. Looking for Alaska overall was an intriguing read; I would recommend it if you have read other John Green books or like mysteries. This novel both broke and warmed my heart. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green holds charisma, a dash of heartbreak and romance all tied together in a nice package. The main character, Colin gets dumped for the nineteenth time by another Katherine and with quick thinking, he and his best friend Hassan take a wild road trip for the summer. What I liked about this book is how much I related to the author playing out the events of Colin’s life, from every heartbreak to every joke with his friend. I personally loved how I could picture this even happening to me and my friends. The only negatives in the book involved all the puzzles, which became overwhelming at times, and some tangent graphs. I think An Abundance of Katherines is a spectacular book if you are into funny, charming heartbreak kinds of books.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a beautiful love story between a teen girl named Hazel Grace, who is stricken with a life-threatening sickness and a boy named Augustus Waters who likes to live life to the fullest but suffered from cancer in the past. What I liked about the book was how it captured the struggles people with life-threatening diseases are faced with. It showed me what it might feel like to be in her life. What I disliked about the book was that by the end of the book, you definitely needed a box of tissues. Overall I think The Fault in Our Stars is by far an outstanding book that captures the little things in life.
We asked our twitter followers which John Green book is their favorite. Here is what they said:
Paper Towns 30 percent
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The Fault in Our Stars 27 percent
Looking For Alaska 31 percent
An Abundance of Katherines 12 percent
26 people were surveyed
BASTILLE’S DIVERSE SOUNDS IMPRESS
it a fantastic song to jump up and down to. As the album goes on it displays their senses of different tastes. From songs starting slow Bastille is back at it again with their and melodic with a couple piano notes to stucksophomore 19-track album, “Wild World.” If in-your-head worthy choruses with electronic anything, this album captures the essence of their elements, this album has it all. The bubbly vibe non-conforming sound. of the synth carves The first song on the many of the songs into record titled “Good Grief” something new. BASTILLE’S SOUNDS ARE SO opens up with a Kelly Most of the songs DIVERSE ON THIS ALBUM, AND LeBrock quote from the contain quotes from THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS ONE 1985 film “Weird Science.” films, which give the With this first single record layers of texture. SO GREAT. from the album, Bastille A well-known favorite, M EGA N JA MOR A never fails to give a a single called “Glory,” STA F F catchy tune, along with is a song that sounds the melancholy lyrics. like it belongs in a far The next song, “The Currents,” is fresh and has a away land where no troubles lie. A feeling of melodic tone. The low sound of the guitar makes nostalgia is given by the deep soul-sounds of the B Y
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strings. This song is a reminder of home. Other highlights include “Two Evils,” the subsequent song. It radiates a feeling of eeriness Given, the minimal use of instruments and the raw vocals in this song definitely add an edge never seen before. “Fake It” emits a catchy R&B/Electronic vibe with the heavy use of vocals and keyboards, definitely making it a big hit. And the following song, “Snakes,” is another one to jump up and down to. With the lyrics “‘Cause I know, ‘cause I know, ‘cause I know / Life is simple when I can just ignore it all” shows the distractions that are needed to escape from the chaotic world today. All in all, Bastille’s sounds are so diverse on this album, and that is what makes this one so great. The next one will be greatly anticipated, expected in early 2018.
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Have you ever waited so long for something that the moment it finally happens, it is absolutely surreal? That was my experience when I saw Ed Sheeran at the Tacoma Dome in July. I had been a fan for five years but had never been able to see him live. But those years of agony, years of hearing stories from friends that had seen him and watching YouTube videos of his concerts, were all worth it when he was 35 feet in front of me. After completing his “Multiply” tour at the end of 2015, Sheeran took a break from public life and social media. It was not until exactly a year later that he posted a simple blue photo on Instagram. The following month he released the first two singles from the “Divide” Album, Castle on the Hill and Shape of You. The complete album was released March 3, blessing the ears of young and old, all around the world. I have had it on repeat in my car ever since. Watching each of the songs live was a completely different experience than anything you could hear on the radio or see on TV. His voice seemed to carry around the dome and it just reassured me how truly talented he is. This concert was unlike any concert I had ever seen. Unlike fellow artists Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars or Katy Perry, who all had backup dancers, singers and instrumentalists, Sheeran was on the stage by himself
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the entire set. Just a man, a guitar and a loop pedal. The most incredible part was that the stage never felt empty. Whether that was because his passionate personality and musical talent extended past his 5’8” stance or the screens behind him made it look like a lot more was going on, he seemed to fill up the stage. He also kept the audience on their feet for the entirety of the show, an impressive feat for any artist, especially one with a lot of slow songs. I found myself singing and dancing to Photograph and Galway Girl, to every song in between. I have been to quite a handful of concerts and I think the true sign of a concert well done is the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to leave, even with aching feet and a hoarse throat. As soon as Sheeran belted his last note in You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, I was struck with post-concert depression. So much so, that after the concert, my friends and I stayed a couple hours outside his tour bus, screaming our favorite songs and hoping to catch a glimpse of the red-headed legend. Overall, Sheeran’s concert was an experience that I never want to forget and I hope that every fan gets the opportunity to see him in all of his glory.
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Austin Richard Post, most commonly known as Post Malone, is climbing the charts in today’s pop culture. Post Malone is a 22-yearold rapper, singer, songwriter and producer who specializes in hip-hop and R&B music styles. He currently has four songs on the Spotify top 50: Go Flex, Congratulations, Rockstar and my personal favorite Fall Apart. Post Malone is a modern up-to-date artist and when it comes to his writing style critics have described it as a sort of “melting pot.” He includes elements and styles of many different types of music, which I think is something that is very hard to do successfully. He includes R&B, rap, rock and even some elements of country. Post Malone can be passionate in his writing. He also can be somewhat aggressive in his music, showing this
by using some profane language Personally Post Malone is not among my top pick when it comes to the music I listen to. I do enjoy his song Fall Apart. This is one of his deeper and more personal pieces. He writes about a breakup that he has gone through. He sings that he has felt as if he has fallen apart “down to his core.” He talks about how he feels as if he made a deal with the devil and that he has been fooled by her twice. I think it is respectable how he opens up about something so personal to him and that he does not shy away from the difficult subject matter. He makes his audience feel like they can relate to him. Post Malone’s music style is not my favorite choice because I do not like all of the music behind his lyrics. I don’t enjoy all the beats that lie behind his music. But I do enjoy some of his stylistic choices and ability to be vulnerable in his writing.
NFL players have been kneeling in a show of protest during the ‘Star Spangled Banner’. Staffer shares opinion to show the players side of the matter.
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FL players have recently been protesting by sitting or kneeling during “The StarSpangled Banner” and tensions have been rising between J . W YAT T players, fans and S TA F F even the Donald Trump. This has now brought on the debate of, should NFL players be allowed to sit and kneel or stand? I believe that NFL players should have freedom to do what they want as long as it is appropriate. People have blown the protests out of proportion with claims of disrespect. These protests were never meant to be about hating the United States. These are peaceful protests to bring to light the injustice African-Americans are exposed to on a daily basis. When Colin Kaepernick started to kneel in August 2016, he was silent in his protests. Even when people began to lash out at him, he stayed humble and did not fire back. In an interview with the NFL media about the protests, Kaepernick said that the issue went beyond the field. “This is bigger than football,” Kaepernick said.
He is trying to show these protests charged shootings and racism in general are not about his career or the sport of that have been in happening alot recently football; he only used football to get his in the United States. message on a national stage. His protests have affected his life in I understand how people could think more negative ways than positive; he this is disrespectful. was released from the 49ers, has reported Kaepernick is being unpatriotic about receiving death threats and has had a lot the flag and is not showing patriotism of uncalled-for backlash against him. one of the foundations of the United This situation is beyond football. States. The players are attempting to bring However, he is exercising his First awareness to current-day topics that Amendment right of freedom to protest, affect all of us as a country. something he is guaranteed as a citizen in Being able to have these difficult the United States. conversations in a way that allows people The right to protest is something to express themselves is an important everyone in this component country should be of being an able to relate to. American. PEOPLE HAVE BLOWN That is all So why THE PROTESTS OUT OF Kaepernick is not let these using-- his right to players do PROPORTION WITH CLAIMS OF speak how he feels what they DISRESPECT. about the state of believe in? JACO B W YAT T this country. Being able to STA F F In a country speak up for where it is okay what you feel to be in hate groups such as the KKK is right and speak against what you feel and Neo-Nazis, is it really that bad for a is wrong it is part of being in this great group of people to peacefully protest for nation. what they believe in? People need to realize Kaepernick did not start this protest as a way to get attention; he wants to bring attention towards all of the racially-
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PLAYERS KNEEL FOR AWARENESS
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MESSINEO LEAPS INTO WIAA
activity, which includes athletics, as well as band, ninth through twelfth grade but they are awesome choir, orchestra and drama. I am in band, swim, and they go to state every year,” Messineo said. ave you ever wanted to be a part of basketball and track,” “Everyone is just something bigger than yourself? Bigger Messineo said. making the most than your school? Messineo says she wanted out of what their This is an opportunity that senior Tabitha to be a part of it to meet new community is like and YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE Messineo jumped into when she joined the people and get ideas from they are just getting DIFFERENT BUT EVERYONE Washington Interscholastic Activities Association around the state to make everyone involved.” MAKES THE MOST OUT OF (WIAA) LEAP her sophomore year. PHS better. As a part of the LEAP (Leadership through Education, Activities WHAT THEY HAVE. There are also many things committee, Messineo and Personal Development) is a student leadership TA BI T H A M E S S I N E O that she can take away from attends meetings at group made up of student leaders from WIAA SE N IOR this experience. the WIAA office in member schools throughout the state. “My biggest takeaway is Renton and gets to Student leaders get to be involved with WIAA becoming a better leader and partake in a plethora events, meetings and community projects and are gaining information about other schools as well of other WIAA events. the voice of Washington’s nearly 230,000 student as learning how to create stronger relationships She recommends that sophomores apply because participants. with my peers,” Messineo said. “I can take away of the unique experience it offers. “I got involved sophomore year. You had to leadership skills and apply those skills every day “You can apply when you are a sophomore, make a video of what is so special about you and no matter who I meet.” around the end of the year. You get a $500 your school and what you are involved in and you Acceptance and scholarship, you get to meet people from around had to write an essay,” making the most out the state, you get to go on a retreat over the Messineo said. of what you have is summer, you get a ton of cool shirts, you get to PHS is so special another skill Messineo take over their Instagram YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE because of all of the rich has learned from this and you just get to represent DIFFERENT BUT EVERYONE traditions and pride in the experience. people from around the MAKES THE MOST OUT OF school and community, “I have learned that state,” Messineo said. Messineo says. WHAT THEY HAVE. no matter what high Out of about 150 TA BI T H A M E S S I N E O school you go to, your To continue reading applicants, eight around SE N IOR circumstances are this story, visit the state were chosen. different but everyone vikingvanguard.com Now they talk about makes the most out issues around the state and it is just a big network of what they have. One of my friends on the of student leaders, Messineo says. committee has 30 kids in her schools and it is TABITHA MESSINEO “To be involved, you must be in any WIAA
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Sports / / Oct. 27, 2017