January/February 2017
www.whswarriorword.com
Taylor says goodbye retirement brings the changing of the guard
Volume III Issue 4
Off campus courses open doors Kindall Rumbo
Mrs. Shari Taylor works on the finishing touches of cleaning her desk before turning over administrative assistant duties to Chrissy Mulneaux. Mrs. Taylor is retiring after 31 years of service. “I’ll miss the students and staff the most,” she said. (photo by Zach Griffin) Shyanne Massie A community is full of unsung heros. These people selflessly give their lives to better others, spreading kindness and compassion no matter the circumstances. Quietly, without fanfare or need for attention, for the past 31 years, Wasilla’s own unsung hero, Shari Taylor, has made Wasilla schools a better place. For six years, Mrs. Taylor has worked hard to help see Wasilla Warriors succeed and the records show it. WHS has raised graduation rates from 76% to 93% and has been awarded the title Capturing Kids Hearts Champion School. Accomplishments like this wouldn't have been possible
IN THIS ISSUE SPRING TESTING PG 4
without the dedication to success behind the scenes from Mrs. Taylor. “Students, families, and teachers may not even know that she is central to the quality school they have enjoyed. Shari is one of those behind the scenes, unsung heroes, who day by day puts others first, and contributes to the success of those around her,” former WHS Principal, Amy Spargo, said. Of her 31 years working for the Matanuska Susitna School District, 14 of those were spent alongside Spargo at both Wasilla Middle and High School. “During that time she has established herself as one of the kindest, hardworking, most trustworthy people I know. For fourteen years she was my administrative secretary, and a true partner in leadership at both
FAKE NEWS PG 5 & 6
Wasilla Middle School and Wasilla High School,” Spargo said. When asked about her accomplishments, Mrs. Taylor immediately turned to thank the others who helped in the process of them. Mrs. Taylor decided to forego retirement and stay on to help Principal Carol Boatman transition as principal when Spargo transferred to District office as the Executive Director of Education. “I have had the privilege of working directly with Ms. Taylor this year. She is such an amazing person! She has worked hard to establish positive relationships with students, staff and our community. She always stops her own work to meet the needs of others and her warm smile, kind heart and listening ear will be greatly missed,” Boatman said. Continued on pg 3
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS PG 7
From the culinary arts to veterinary assistants to wildland firefighting, off campus courses open doors in every direction. They prepare students for employment by giving them hands on experience, career exploration and in some cases, certifications. Eligible juniors and seniors, who are on track to graduate, are given the option to take district wide classes unavailable at their own school at other schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District. A wide variety of courses are available: welding and American sign language at Colony, Auto Mechanics at Wasilla, certified nursing assistant, private pilot ground school, and forest health and protection at Career Technical High School. While these courses offer opportunities, often times they come at a cost. Transportation is provided by the district, but the buses take students and bring them back at a certain times, leaving those who attend schools with differing block schedules waiting for the buses for up to an hour or more. For some the schedule conflicts seems to be a heavy burden, but others use the time as a study hall to get school work done. “It’s honestly helped me with my grades. Now that I have the extra hour, I get bored enough to actually do my work,” said Zachariah Griffin. Other scheduling problems arise because off campus classes take up to three class periods for just one or two credits. This is why only juniors and seniors on track to graduate with the credit wiggle room for these courses can take advantage of district wide courses. Continued on pg
SUN AND MOON PG 8
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I am Wasilla Zach Griffin takes on Brandon Stanton’s idea “ Humans of New York” with “I AM WASILLA: WARRIOR NATION ONE STORY AT A TIME.
New Year’s deserves a resolution or two
“One of the best resolutions someone can make is volunteering more. Working without pay is just one of the best things you can do.” -Devin Johnson
Ring in the New Year with a resolution or two Raina Lewis
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“My mom had a News Year Resolution to lose weight, and she used to be really big. Now she’s a size medium. So, I just take a lot of pride in that because my mom’s been trying to lose weight since 2007, and she finally lost it all.” -Aspen Bakner
Warrior Word Staff Advisor: Emily Forstner Managing Editors: Alanna Christianson, Shyanne Massie, Kayla Schierholt, and Janee Wilson Photographer: Zach Griffin Graphic Editor: Alice Lee Webmasters: Tim Raska and Skyler Morgan Reporters: Kindall Rumbo Emmanuel Asher Aspen Bakner Hannah Gilbert Jase Clingman Samantha Hettrick Devin Johnson Courtney Johnson Raina Lewis Olivia McAnulty Makayla Meinhardt Skyler Morgan Timothy Raska Kalon Shampine Callie Adams Jakylah Beeching Dora Wilson Jesslyn Zahrt
The Warrior Word is available online at www.warriorword. com bi-monthly. Articles also appear in the weekly Schools Page in the local Frontiersman newspaper and the semi-annual newsmagazine The Mat Su Gazette. Follow the Warrior Word on the Wasilla High School Facebook page and online at whswarriorword.com and Twitter @ warriorwordak 352-8271
701 E Bogard Rd. Wasilla, AK 99654
ew Year resolutions, a popular tradition, is anything but new. According to History.com, this long lasting belief dates back to over 4,000 years ago, and is assumed to be a custom Babylonian people made to offer promises to their God. In return for keeping their word, they would be granted favors. A practice identical to it appeared in Ancient Rome after the forming of the calendar and January 1 was set as the date of the New Year. The habit carries into the present day and serves as personal motivation. Ranging from notions to more workouts, being more involved with family and community, the possibilities for resolutions are endless. Making resolutions helps many with starting the New Year and having a better foundation for the next 12 months. • So raise your glass to make merry, and cheer the new beginnings. • Keep it sweet and simple, but dedicate yourself to it. It doesn’t have to be awe inspiring if it just means something to you. • Make room in your schedule. There’s no point in doing something to improve your lifestyle if it conflicts with other matters. • Do it. • Celebrate the completion of your resolution. Maybe make another one, there's nothing to lose. •
Teen Resolutions for 2017
• “My New Year’s resolution is to be more involved with my friends and my community.” -Ronnica Peppers • “Complete high school and go to Job Corps.” -Zack Groshong • “Improve my archery skills.” -Aurora Duskin • “Bench 150.” -Hailey Hotchkiss • “Every year I say my New Year’s resolution is to go to the gym and eat clean. Just like most of the people who say that, I don’t commit and end up stuffing my face until I can’t possibly eat anymore. This year I decided I want to achieve something greater. I don’t want to focus on myself. I want to try and befriend people who don’t have friends, I want to help others who need it, I want to be the person that stops and does their best to help out and make everybody feel like a somebody. I want to make people laugh and smile if they’re having a bad day or even just someone they can talk too. This year I decided I want to step out of my comfort zone and really help others. I feel doing so it will not only help others but help with my own happiness.” -Sadie Jones
LET US SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS The Warrior Word is Wasilla High School’s public forum newspaper. The Word publishes digitally, www.whswarriorword.com, and in print copy every six weeks. We reach 1000 or more readers and dozens of businesses. Your business card can serve as an advertisement graphic, or the Word Ad staff can design one for you. Ads running on the digital site only are $25 per month. (Advertise in the semi- annual collaborative Mat Su Gazette and receive a FREE Warrior Word ad. The Mat Su Gazette is a Frontiersman insert reaching 70000 readers. The Gazette runs semi- annually.
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Warrior News
ESSA tests begin in spring Shyanne Massie
OPINION-The No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB), signed by President George Bush in 2001, has long been blamed for an increase in standardized testing and schools being unrightfully labeled as failing. That federal education reform law expired in 2007, but it was eight more years until it was replaced with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA works to insure that every child will have an equal opportunity to succeed in school. “[NCLB] set a goal that 100% of students grades 3 through 10 would be proficient, that didn't happen because the metric was unattainable,” Education Policy Coordinator for Alaska's Department of Education, Susan McCauley said. ESSA expects all students to reach proficiency, but it gives states more latitude on how to achieve it. Currently states are submitting accountability plans to the Education Department. The plans created by the states must provide an assurance that the state has adopted challenging academic content standards and aligned academic achievement standards which will apply to all public schools and public school students in the state. The new ESSA plans start the 2017-18 school year. “Our state's plan is to create something that makes sense to teachers and parents and doesn't force the schools to place all their energy into passing a test. We need to leave room for more
STANDARIZED TESTING
State wide testing returns this spring with the new standardized test. In years past, tests were on paper and took three days to complete. The new test is computerized and shorter than the older tests. (photo by Zach Griffin) than that,” McCauley said. By housing a goal that was unattainable by a large majority of schools, the NCLB Act turned turned a teacher's lesson plan into one that would “teach to the test.” In other words, some teachers only educated their students on topics that are going to show up on standardized tests in the future. “We need to reconsider methods in which we are teaching. We need our students to critical consumers of information, to do so we have to create a system that allows for
that. Reading, writing and math are important, but they aren't everything,” McCauley said. The State Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) asks five questions when it comes to our state's education; What do we want our students to know and do? How will we teach them? How will we know if they learned it? What will we do if they do not learn it? And what will we do if they already know it? To answer these, the state uses standardized testing. A student's test scores are
Taylor retires after 31 yearsCHANGING OF THE GUARD
Chrissy Mulneaux works with Mrs. Taylor as she prepares to take over as the new administrative assistant. Mrs. Taylor’s last day is January 31. “ She [Mrs. Taylor] finds joy in every situtation,” WHS nurse Marne Kenshalo said. (Photo by Zach Griffin) “I will miss the students and staff a great amount. The staff has been so kind and the students. have been so respectful,” Taylor said. Born in Oregon, her family moved to Anchorage in 1959. Wanting a smaller community to raise a family, she and her
husband moved to Wasilla in. Mrs.Taylor started in the MatSu Borough School District in 1986 as a recess monitor, then was a special education assistant, a registrar, and has finished the last of her esteemed career as an administrative assistant to the principal
continued from pg 1
Chrissy Mulneaux, the current counseling secretary, will be replacing Mrs. Taylor. “Those are big shoes to fill. She has a long relationship with Wasilla High School, I can't ever replace those shoes because she is an irreplaceable person.” “She’s the queen of administrative secretaries,” front desk secretary Christie Wilbur said, “Of all the administrative secretaries, she knows her job inside and out unlike anyone else.” “She never has a bad word for anyone. She always says the nicest things about the worst people. The funniest time was we had Secret Santa gifts and she received a jar of cellulite cream and we laughed so hard.. She finds the joy in every situation. Even vendors and custodians are sad to see her go,” WHS school nurse Marne Kenshalo said. Nurse Kenshalo and Mrs. Taylor started working together at Wasilla Middle School in 1997. “Twenty years we’ve worked together, isn't that crazy? Time flies when you're having fun,”
objective measures of their learning. They represent the areas a school needs to focus on and emphasizes the areas it does well in. It’s appropriate to highlight student performance because these test subjects are the building blocks for success, and far too few students attending public schools today adequately possess these basic skills. Alaska canceled the Alaska Measure of Progress test (AMP) in April 2016. Parents and schools felt a lack of importance with the scores given through AMP resulting in several schools opting out of the test altogether. The state announced December 2016 that they had selected Data Recognition Corp. (DRC) as the vendor for statewide student assessments in writing, reading, math, and science. The first standardized test through this vendor will be administrated spring 2017. It’s far too easy to take the anger felt against NCLB and attach it to the new ESSA. But, if we really want to see public education improve we have to establish data that measures that. It’s a fine line to walk between testing too much and teaching too little. But, it is worth the effort to embrace the new test this spring. If the test does what it is designed to do, then schools will be the wiser on what is working and not working.
Off campus courses... continued from pg 1
Despite the difficulties many students believe it to be worth it because of the hands on experience and the certifications. WHS junior Phoebe Christiansen takes Intro to Fitness Professions offered at Career Tech. The course covers the different athletic fields such as physical training, personal training, physical therapy. At the end of the semester students completing the class will be certified in first aid, sports official training to be referees, ski patrol and rock climbing belay. Christiansen will leave the class job ready experience and the ability to apply for jobs in the field she wishes to pursue right after graduation. “We have kids who have graduated from high school that are certified to be CNAs or EMT 1, which is the lowest level. But then they can go up through that rank or become certified as a vet tech. So that’s an actual license they have and a real skill set that they can go apply to jobs with after graduation,” Wasilla High counselor Beth Smart said.
Warrior Word News
Fake news and how to avoid it
Emmanuel Asher and Alanna Christianson ake news can travel fast, especially in this day and age when news can reach people quickly through social media. A significant amount of fake news on the 2016 Presidential election came from teenagers in Veles, Macedonia profiting off readers who believed the fabrications. In an interview with the BBC on December 5th one teenager said, “After copying and pasting various articles, he packaged them under a new catchy headline, paid Facebook to share it with a target US audience hungry for Trump news and then when those Americans clicked on his stories and began to like and share them, he began earning revenue from advertising on the site.” In just one month he earned €1,800 ($1900.44). When NBC News traveled to Veles they interviewed a teenager who said that the most popular headlines he made were “BREAKING: Obama confirms refusal to leave the White House, he will stay in power!” and “JUST IN: Obama illegally transferred DOJ money to Clinton campaign!” One fake news story that released after the election was about anti-Trump rallies in Austin, Texas were bused in. The tweet was posted by one individual with 40 Twitter followers and quickly went viral over the course of three days. The post was shared on Twitter over 16,000 times and 350,000 times on Facebook. It was soon discovered that these buses were being used to move more than 13,000 Tableau conference attendees, not protesters. Another fake news story that went viral on Facebook was that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump. Fake news has also been a problem in foreign elections especially in countries which social media outweighs political influence.
“PIKACHU SIGHTING”
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Shortly after the 2016 Presidential Election former president Obama said, “If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems.” FAKE NEWS AND TEENS Studies show that a range of ages cannot distinguish fake articles. According to a Brooke Daniel on the Stanford University website from the article Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online Stanford Graduate History Education Group (SHEG) conducted a study on student’ ability to recognize fake news. SHEG tested middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students on their ability
to distinguish between fake and real news. With each age group they tested appropriate to their age. Middle schoolers were tested on the basics skills of credibility. An article about financial planning written by a bank executive and sponsored by a bank was used to test the perspectives the trustworthiness of articles and tweets. One of the assessments SHEG asked high schoolers to evaluate two Facebook posts announcing Donald Trump’s candidacy for president. One was verified by Fox News, the other that looked similar to Fox News. Only a quarter of the students recognized and explained what the blue checkmark is used for - an indicator for people reading that the information given to them has be verified and is legit information. Over 30 percent of
students believed the fake account was more trustworthy than Fox. The college students had an expectation to give a more complex reasoning when doing a Google search on Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, and her stance on state-sponsored euthanasia. The results showed students believing many fake or non credible sites that gave false information on the subject. With a total of 7,804 students responses from 12 different states,Professor Sam Wineburg, lead author of the report and founder of SHEG said the next step to the research is to help educators use these tasks to track students understanding and to adjust instruction.
Identifying fake news is the first step in protecting yourself against vitriol propaganda • Checking the url of a website is a good way to determine whether or not the website is fake and or copying another website. • The About Us section should be fairly straight forward and even some fake news sites may say that they are satire. • Pictures should be similar to what a story is being written about, and fake news articles usually don’t take their own photos. Right-clicking on an image and clicking on Search Google for image will usually point you to what other websites have used the image. • Use fact checking websites as well as read beyond the headline since the headline doesn’t always tell the whole story • Check the source since fake news usually will cite official sounding sources • Make sure the news that is being reported isn’t satire • Is the quote in a article traceable?
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Warrior Word’s Voice Fake news threatens us OPINION-
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nconsistencies in life are almost unavoidable. But the onslaught of fake news recently is neither inconsistent or unavoidable. The huge concern is how intentional misinformationfake news- is spread around and believed as truth. The consumption of fake news by the general public can range from quotes attributed to people who never said them to false news articles being published on purpose. The publishers of fake news often profit from the lies and in the end cause people to mistrust both the media and the government. Some fake news includes the recent conspiracy “pizzagate”. The conspiracy supposedly started on Wikileaks, announced that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was involved in the running of a child prostitution ring hidden in a pizzeria. This lead to a shooting at a D.C pizzeria by a man armed with an AR15 assault rifle claiming he was “investigating” the location. Fake news like this example isn't only shady, when it's relied on as truth it can be dangerous. In some extreme cases, fake news could be compared to
gaslighting. The term gaslighting refers to a form of psychological abuse that causes the victim to doubt their own memory, perception, and sanity. It refers to a movie appropriately titled ‘Gaslight” (1944) that tells the story of a woman driven mad by her manipulative husband. Her only grasp of reality is a dim gaslight in the dark. The term may seem extreme when
absorb it. The general public usually doesn't spend much time verifying each news site they visit or article they read. Many only read an article's headline and perhaps skim the rest of the story. And, we mustn’t view fake news as satire. There is a
it refers to a few false articles. But the repeated act of fake news being taken as fact should be just as scary to us. Just as scary as if someone was ‘gaslighting’ us and trying drive us mad. The need and ability to have information in the palm of the people's hands is both a blessing and a curse. The public has instant access to information, but they don’t have time to
difference between news published for satire and news that is painfully false. Websites like The Onion and Private Eye are known for well written articles. Satire doesn't worry about things like ethics and fact checking precisely because the news is reported as fake. Aside from a somewhat outlandish headline and disclaimers, a convincing satire article can be read as fact, but its intent is to use humor to form opinion. Fake news’ intent is to spread a lie. The consumption of fake news is not limited to one person on
simply grew across Syria and Iraq, and set propaganda across the world through social media which has led to numerous lone-wolf attacks in America and elsewhere from the shooting at a homo-sexual nightclub in Florida, a truck running over crowds in southern France on Bastille Day, to the most recent attack at Ohio State University where a Somali
man ran over and stabbed nine people. Al-Qaeda did not do use social media in the 1990’s and nor have they ever been known for doing so. You were correct in your depiction of the atrocities in Mosul, but forgot when ISIS began and why it is distinguished from its Al-Qaeda counterpart. It began in 2012 by committing terror like any other group, but
Letters to the editor D ear Editor,
Your article about the violence in Mosul, Iraq was for the most part well written and, in my eyes at least, an accurate depiction of the travesties occurring in not just Mosul, but all over the Middle East. Also, I am glad to see that our school’s media is looking and discussing the larger problems going on in the world. Though most of the piece is well thought your biggest mistake is within the first sentence. Your introduction starts with naming the subject, ISIS, and then names its other names, “known as ISIL or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant outside of Syria,” the screwup occurs immediately after this. You said that ISIS started in 1999 as a part of Al-Qaeda which makes sense; when Al-Qaeda took over Saddam Hussein they operated in Iraq and Syria like the Islamic State. ISIS as the organization that functions today, the same one in Mosul, rose to power much later than the turn of the millennium. ISIS started its organized rule in western Iraq near the beginning of President Obama’s second term, and this was when Obama coined the term “They are just JV” and this is where they
a social media site. It is also picked up by major news outlets like Fox or MSNBC. News outlets exclaim how much criminal fake news is, but they sometimes end up promoting such news. This makes the consumer unsure of any information and in time cease to trust any news at all. Checking multiple news sources can be time consuming, and it isn't a thing that most people on the go can afford to do. But if fake news is so prominent, if we don’t stop to consider facts and truth, how will we be able to correctly educate ourselves and others? Each and every fabricated detail is a part of a bigger scheme to discredit our reality. Fake news causes mistrust. Fake news causes miseducation. Fake news causes lies to become truth. And with something as vast and unfathomable as the internet aiding in the process of spreading fake news, our desire for the truth and diligent research maybe the only way to keep our sanity. We need to slow down, read carefully, and value real news. Janee Wilson is a Journalism II student
used social media to radicalize the populus outside their occupation which established themselves as a separate organization. Sincerely, Wyatt Wallis
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Warrior Nation Good Things School Board votes yes Olivia McAnulty
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tudents! Prepare to grab your car keys. On December 6th, at the Student Advisory Board meeting, Palmer High School presented an informal resolution for off campus lunch throughout the district for high schools. The plan showed unanimous acceptance from all the high schools in the Matanuska-Susitna School District. The first reading of the resolution occurred on December 7. The School Board discussed the merits and disadvantages of the proposal. Alice Lee, the vice president of the Student Advisory Board, said, “I think it’s preparing you for the work force. You need to have a set time to be back and be ready to work, it’s holding you responsible.” Now the proposal goes before the School Board. The district website has a Off Campus survey collecting public opinion before a final decision is made. The final vote for off campus high school lunch occurs during the December 21 meeting. WHS students are excited that Wasilla High is considering them new rights and responsibilities. Some, however, are more concerned, such as senior WHS student Devin Johnson. “If you let kids leave, then what’s going to stop everyone else?” he asked. Off campus lunch would only
OPEN CAMPUS PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
be open for upperclassmen in high school who have a 3.0 GPA and parent permission. Schools have the ability to opt out of open lunch, but the principal of Wasilla High, Carol Boatman, said that WHS students who perform excellent in school would have the opportunity and benefits that Open Campus lunch offers. “I am excited for the opportunity good students with good grades will have. Students
earn the right (Open Campus lunch), it’s a privilege for them to have it.” The advisor for Student Government and the Student Advisory Board, Anthony Jensen said, “I think in some ways off campus lunch would be a good idea. This will give students more opportunities for lunches and the ability to take care of stuff at home. But when students are at school, we have some measure
of control, but when they leave we don’t.” Opinions on this student proposal vary, but according to Andrea Wagner, the student representative for the school board, “Off campus lunch has been a topic within our schools for the four years I’ve been in high school, and I’m beyond excited it’s finally moving forward.”
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Warrior Nation Good Things
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Readers ready for battle Battle of the Books -a clash of readers
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iming for victory, WHS skills. BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TEAM readers prepare to astonish opponents. (BotB) Battle of the Books training officially began on October 23. Wasilla will take three teams to the district wide competition on Jan 29th at Mat-Su Central school. Librarian Shelly Logsdon oversees and helps prepare students for the event. Logsdon encourages readers to join this Alaskan reading motivation and comprehension program. “Students have the chance to get involved in school, make new friends, and read some good books,” Logsdon said. Battle of the Books is a statewide competition that originated from a radio program sponsored by the Chicago Public Library in the early 1940’s. A Chicago librarian brought BotB to Alaska when she moved to Battle of the Books teammates take time out of practice for a pose in front of the library. Wasilla Kodiak and started teaching there. BotB has spread since High fields three teams this year. Their district battle was held on Friday, January 27. Back row: Olivia McAnulty, Gabrielle Martin, Samantha Ward, Katelin Minder, Ashlee Voorhis, Casey the 1980’s to 46 of of the Taylor, Briar Hahn Middle Row: Jo Ellen Weaver, Ginger Shepardson, Cassidy Weaver, Perrin Britt 52 school districts that do Front Row: Alora Walkemeyer Not pictured: Micayla Hitchcock, Jessica Hackett, Laelle Robison, battle. Winning teams from Kristina Andrushko (photo courtesy of Shelley Logsdon) each district participate at state in an interschool The books for the competition UPDATE: audio-conference battle. The are chosen by a committee number of participating districts Senior student Gabrielle of librarians who pick from fluctuates from year to year, but Martin is excited to once again WHS placed first at the recommended lists of novels for enthusiasm for BotB remains participate in BotB, district-wide Battle of high. “I joined Battle of the Books so each grade level. The librarians Books competition. Out of then vote on whether a book Librarian Shelly Logsdon wants that I could have something to the three WHS teams, one students to “enjoy and read a do after school and to participate should be used for BotB. The team grabbed first place. librarians involved in BotB are book out of their comfort zone.” with my peers.” They will compete at the then provided a grant from the Students prepare for battle by During the competition, all state contest on Februray State Library for expenses. reading the books, discussing questions will begin with “In 23rd. This is the first This year, 10 books have been them with each other, and which book…” so the answer will district blue ribbon for chosen for high schoolers, the engaging in quizzes that answer always be the author and title. amount being less than last year WHS since 2004. Winning questions about the books. The teams are made up of in order to lessen the pressure Training for BotB promotes three students each, and a team members are Olivia teamwork, a lot of reading, and school can only bring up to three on readers. McAnulty, Jessica Hackett, comprehension and memory teams to the actual competition. and Briar Hahn
In the eye of the battle- a vignette T
he moderator asked a question from the table at the front of the large room in Matsu-Central school during the 2016 Battle of the Books meet. It was a dark, windy morning. The wind forced the trees’ branches against the windows, making them scrape past like claws. To be honest I can’t remember what she asked. But my team and I had done this many times before. And this wouldn’t be the last. As the words were coming out past the moderators lips, my brain began the almost instinctual analysis. Remember the question. Remember the books. Key words? Anything that would help bombarded my thoughts in the 30 seconds we
had to answer. Around us, teammates huddled close, careful not to let their answers slip. Tension knotted in their backs as they hunched over their desks. Scribbled our answer. Threw down the pencil. Time’s up. My team sat there, breathless and smiling. Time is a fast runner but this time we were ahead. We wait for the other schools to give their answers. Colony. Palmer. Redington. Teeland. Wasilla. Finally, it's our turn. We waited a century for this moment. And the moments we will have after this one. We’ve prepared so much and trained so hard to answer these questions. I rise up like a calm wave, it's
my job to present our answer. I proclaim the title and author in a clear, strong voice. We could be wrong but I won't let the countless eyes watching believe that. I plunk down, my heart pounding in my ears. We are one step closer to figuring out if we were right. My teammates smiles disappeared. We sat on the edge of our seats as the moderator looked down at the answer sheet. To be honest I can't remember what the answer was. Whatever it was though, we got it right. Points went up on the board like ropes on the gallows. The game is getting close but right now we are safe. We are free to smile for the
next few minutes as we begin the agonizing process again. We are doing our best. And right now, that's all that we can do. All that matters. Katelyn Boswell is a freshman and a former Battle of the Books team memberw
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Backpage Pokémon introduces Sun and Moon 20 years later- Gotta catch them all Devin Johnson
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he new Pokémon Sun/ Moon is an interesting take on the main series of Pokémon, taking a break from challenging eight gym leaders in favor of Island Trials. Sun Moon definitely fits the Hawaii theme that the game has going on and overall it’s pretty cool, making the wait well worth it. The new Pokémon introduced maintain a level of creativity in design, types and abilities. A few new and incredibly useful features introduced include the removal of HMs in exchange for the Poke Pager, a device that calls Pokémon to fill
in the place of the missing HMs. This feature is incredibly helpful and relieves players of forcing themselves to have a water or flying type just for Surf, Waterfall and Fly, or a completely different Pokémon all together for the rarely used Strength or Rock Smash. Also, there are no tiny trees that get in your way, making you have to teach a Pokémon in your party Cut, aka the move no one likes. Another addition is the Poké Refresh, which replaces the Poké-Amie from the previous generation. The repetitive mini games are gone and instead,
players just pet and feed their Pokémon. Players can also clean it after battling and restore the Pokémon of any status condition it may have gained from the battle. This makes status condition medicine items almost useless. Another new feature for players allows them to check stat alterations in the battle itself as well as the game. This tells players which moves are effective against the Pokémon they’re up against, making it incredibly helpful for new players as well as forgetful veterans. The game's locations are quite
Friends. Family. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm® has a long tradition of being there. That’s one reason why I’m proud to support Wasilla High School. Get to a better State®.
Mike Devine Insurance Agcy Inc Mike Devine, Agent 2200 E Parks Highway Suite A Wasilla, AK 99654 Bus: 907-373-4959
1211009
State Farm, Bloomington, IL
nice as well, perfectly fitting in with the game's theme and the many characters are filled with personality. They’re so good that players often wonder what the characters’ backstories are. However, there are a few flaws with the new Pokémon. The fact that the game is based on Hawaii and has few chances to actually be in the water irritates most players. And while no one should mind the change in Island Trials, the Totem Pokémon battles are incredibly irritating with the introduction of wild Pokémon being able to call for help. Not only does this stack the odds against the player, but it makes catching wild Pokémon a hassle and facing the Totem Pokémon almost a guaranteed loss. The Island Trials idea fares well, but gym battles will be preferred for their action. The loudest complaint is about the difficulty in finding the new Pokémon. If the Pokémon don't have a five percent chance of being found in the wild, they evolve in a specific place more than halfway through the game. Players will love the idea of Alolan forms, a change in type for past Pokémon that makes them more interesting to use. Still, the variety is low and limited to generation 1 Pokémon. Several of the Pokémon are missing from the game, making players transfer from the Pokémon bank to get them. Z-Moves are also a new introduction to the game. At first use, it appears they were meant to compare/compete with the Mega Evolution idea, but Z-Moves don’t seem essential to the game. Trainer customization returns, but it's incredibly dull compared to X & Y. The change of pace for the games wasn't a bad idea, however, players can only hope it doesn’t become the new normal. Overall, Sun and Moon was definitely worth the wait. Various fixes make playing the games much easier and the new ideas are not bad. The new Pokémon are amazing and creative and the story is much more interesting and filled with a lot more amazing characters compared to the last few generations. So go get your own copy of Pokémon Sun/Moon and catch them all.