Sultan Turks Vs. Northwest (The House) Volleyball Game Written by: Logan Konicki, Javier Cerna-Sanchez, Kamryn Skeith, Ivan Acosta, and Kassandra Guzman
What you know about the Sultan Turks!?? Strictly W’s. This wasn’t the only time that Sultan has beat Northwest, but it has been a while since that happened. The last time that the Sultan Turks Volleyball team beat Northwest was in 2020, so going into the game there was some unfinished business. On September 8th, the Sultan Turks (Sultan, WA) volleyball squad prevailed over the visiting Northwest House (Seattle, WA), by a margin of 3-2. The game started right away with Sultan taking a 2-0 lead, but it soon then evens out and
the whole first set is pretty neck and neck. The Turks end up winning the first set 25-21. The second set starts out with Northwest (The House) scoring 2 quick points, but it does not take long for the Turks to spring into action and retaliate. This set is once again a neck and neck battle, but unfortunately the Sultan Turks could not pull through and ended up losing the second set 21-25. The third set is when the intensity really starts to pick up and when you can start to tell how much each teams wants to win. It starts with the Turks returning the serve and soon after the points began to pile up. Alongside the amazing energy on the court, the student section was also outstanding. The fourth and fifth set were just as competitive as the previous sets. The Turks blow The House out of the water in the fourth set with the score ending 25- 16. It was anyone’s game at that point and all depended on the last set which would only go to 15 points. The score was neck and neck with both teams at 15. Needing to win by two points, the Turks kicked it into high gear and made it happen. As soon as the last ball hit the ground on the Northwest side of the court, the whole room exploded with excitement. THE TURKS YET AGAIN TAKE ANOTHER WIN!! After a tough battle the Turks basked in victory. The girls could not have done it without the small but mighty student section cheering them on from the sidelines!
By Oakley
Over the last few years, vaping has been on the rise. A good amount of people using these products are youth and young adults, including high schoolers. According to pubmed.gov, “the estimated mean age of e-cigarette initiation was 17.50”. Most teens at this age are still in high school. Teens today will try to find ways to vape during class, most of the time going to the bathrooms to do so. I interviewed Ms. Melissa, one of the ladies working in the office. She
estimated that the sensors go off around “10-15 times a day”. The sensors are accurate, too. Most of the time, students can be caught shortly after the sensors go off. Some teachers close to the bathrooms have notifications on their phones, notifying them when someone is vaping in the bathroom(s). “It was getting worse last year, it’s been worse this year”, says Ms. Melissa.
Now, why should students care about this? Even those who don’t vape? Well, privileges that are available to everyone, particularly in the bathroom, can be revoked. Even though only a few students may be vaping in the bathrooms, everyone can be affected. It’s, “the simple privileges”. As a senior at the school, I have seen these privileges get revoked. For example, the mirrors in some bathrooms were removed due to bad behavior a few years ago. "Mirrors in the bathroom, getting to go to the bathroom during lunch”, are all examples of these simple privileges. All though simple, we can take these things for granted. So, even though a few students may cause an issue, it can affect everyone.
With this on the rise, it’s important to look at who is being affected and why. Even though a minority of students may be contributing to this, it affects everyone. We all “need to come together and support each other”.
Sultan Volleyball
Vaping in School and It's Consequences
Russia Suffers Losses After Ukraine Counter-Offensive
Love's Hill Drill
by: Keagan Aamold
Ah yes, it is back! The Loves Hill evacuation drill has finally returned after long and dreadful years of covid. Loves Hill is a long walk, but everyone did fantastically and got up the hill and down the hill in a blink of an eye. Although getting older and doing this quite a lot might seem like a drag, it’s for good measure just in case of an accident. If you didn’t know why we do this drill, a firefighter in a presentation to a class talks about a very big lake nearby that goes by the name of Spada Lake. He went on about how it started, noting that, “it started small, and became bigger, and bigger” due to the dam made up there a long time ago. Although saying it’s “indestructible”, he also said that people said that about the Titanic and looked at what happened. So, if that dam breaks, water from the lake will rush down the Sultan River and wipe out a good portion of Sultan. Brek Bush, Junior, is well known for his skills on the football field. Today, Brek was helping motivate some of the Sultan students from each of the three schools that attended. Brek stated, “I liked helping the drill and didn’t expect it to be this fun”. Way to go Brek! Brek Bush on the Loves Hill Trail before the drill preparing to help. One of the walkers today, Mason Santerre, a sophomore, had something to say; “The evacuation was a success, but at the same time boring”. Some people who have done this for a while think it’s boring, but the success was the great part about it.
Tardy Policy
By Brianna Benavidez
Imagine you are running late to class after waiting in the long bathroom lines during passing time. You then hear the bell ring and now you are late for class. Now you can’t head into the classroom because now you need to get yourself a tardy slip from the office. Some SHS students think the new tardy policy will only make students miss out more in class, while others believe it is a great way
to get students to class on time. The new tardy policy was created by Mr. Vanzant (dean of students) and Mrs. Whitmire (principle) this year in efforts to persuade students to get into class on time. And even though the rule of having to need a valid tardy slip every time you show up to class late seems new, it turns out that this policy has already been in the student handbook. “Tardiness without a valid permit from another teacher, counselor, principle, or assistant principle will be considered unexcused” (Student Handbook, pg.10).
IS THE TARDY POLICY WORKING?
“We’ve already seen a change in how many kids are being late from the beginning of the year until this point of the year, which is only 4 weeks in” says Mrs. Garry, who works in the office. “It is already changed dramatically, from a whole bunch of kids being late to being early.” These words confirm that this enforced policy is helping the problem of roaming students in the hallways, therefore more students are not missing important instruction time.
Russia is suffering a unwavering loss of land and equipment as the war rages on, thanks to corruption, lack of proper equipment, and low troop morale Ukraine just might have a chance at surviving longer, or maybe even winning the war. Russia is losing hard-fought ground in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, this represented a rare successful counter-offensive against Russian forces, Russia had “previously managed to capture most of the city”, Sergiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk region said in a televised address, The Guardian reported, “but now, our military pushed them back”. This whole time Russia has been gaining ground and this successful counter-offensive has proven that there is still hope for the Ukrainian troops and people. Oleksandr Stryuk, the head of the city’s military operations, said that Ukrainian forces were able to build a line of defense in Severodonetsk, according to The Kyiv Independent. Both sides of the war have claimed to have inflicted huge casualties in the fighting for the city — a battlefront that military experts believe could determine which of the two countries has the momentum for a
prolonged war of attrition in coming months. Haidai — who oversees the territory where Severodonetsk is located — said “I expect the new supply of US-made weapons to help in gaining back control of the city”. “They are moving forward step-by-step. They are simply destroying everything with artillery, aircraft, mortars, tanks. But as soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry, they will just run.” Said Haidai Overall Ukraines counteroffensives have mostly been effective, they have gained back territory in less than a week that took the Russians months to obtain. Ukraine is pushing, and its pushing hard, Russian soldiers are under armed and underfed, some would say that due to Russia’s corruption, they are losing.
Instead of buying state of the art weapons, they are buying the cheapest weapons and equipment and pocketing the rest, There are many people that oppose the war, even in Russia there are so many people protesting that the war needs to stop, which has resulted in many arrests. The Russians have suffered so many losses that they have even called up their reserves. Overall, the situation in Ukraine is still very dire, we can only hope the war ends soon and that Russia is just bluffing when it comes to using nuclear weapons
Resources: The Kyiv Independent on Twitter: "Official: Ukrainian troops aim to regain full control of Sievierodonetsk. Oleksandr Stryuk, the head of the city’s military administration, said that Ukrainian troops had regrouped and managed to build a line of defense in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast." / Twitter US supports international inquiry into war crimes in Ukraine – as it happened | Ukraine | The Guardian Russia losing ground in Sievierodonetsk: official (nypost.com)
By: Jose Pacheco- Cabrera.
Queen Elizabeth’s death consequences in UK and the rest of the world.
Queen Elizabeth passed away on the 8th of September in the Balmoral Castle at 96 years old. She was queen for more than 7 decades, her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female sovereign in history. She inherited the throne on the 6th of February of 1952 after her father George VI passed away at 56 years old.
Prince Charles is now the King of England but how will this affect the UK and the rest of the world?
Media: The media released their pre-prepared stories, films and obituaries. Comedy was cancelled in television until after the funeral.
Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Commonwealth, this included 54 countries spanning Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific. After her death the position of Head of the Commonwealth will not automatically pass on King Charles but is likely to be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth Heads of the government. Many nations may choose to become Republic with their own head of state.
Cash and Coins: In the UK all cash and coins have the face of the queen, after her death new cash will be created with the face of the King.
National Anthem of the UK: The National Anthem of the UK is sung in honor of the queen with lyrics: God save the Queen. It will revert to the version for a male monarch, with the pronouns within the words changed to the male version.
Passports in UK: All the UK passports state: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concerns to allow the bearer to pass freely.
Media: The media released their pre-prepared stories, films and obituaries. Comedy was cancelled in television until after the funeral.
Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Commonwealth, this included 54 countries spanning Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific. After her death the position of Head of the Commonwealth will not automatically pass on King Charles but is likely to be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth Heads of the government. Many nations may choose to become Republic with their own head of state.
Cash and Coins: In the UK all cash and coins have the face of the queen, after her death new cash will be created with the face of the King.
National Anthem of the UK: The National Anthem of the UK is sung in honor of the queen with lyrics: God save the Queen. It will revert to the version for a male monarch, with the pronouns within the words changed to the male version.
Passports in UK: All the UK passports state: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concerns to allow the bearer to pass freely.
Media: The media released their pre-prepared stories, films and obituaries. Comedy was cancelled in television until after the funeral.
Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Commonwealth, this included 54 countries spanning Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific. After her death the position of Head of the Commonwealth will not automatically pass on King Charles but is likely to be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth Heads of the government. Many nations may choose to become Republic with their own head of state.
Cash and Coins: In the UK all cash and coins have the face of the queen, after her death new cash will be created with the face of the King.
National Anthem of the UK: The National Anthem of the UK is sung in honor of the queen with lyrics: God save the Queen. It will revert to the version for a male monarch, with the pronouns within the words changed to the male version.
Passports in UK: All the UK passports state: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concerns to allow the bearer to pass freely.
Media: The media released their pre-prepared stories, films and obituaries. Comedy was cancelled in television until after the funeral.
Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Commonwealth, this included 54 countries spanning Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific. After her death the position of Head of the Commonwealth will not automatically pass on King Charles but is likely to be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth Heads of the government. Many nations may choose to become Republic with their own head of state.
Cash and Coins: In the UK all cash and coins have the face of the queen, after her death new cash will be created with the face of the King.
National Anthem of the UK: The National Anthem of the UK is sung in honor of the queen with lyrics: God save the Queen. It will revert to the version for a male monarch, with the pronouns within the words changed to the male version.
Passports in UK: All the UK passports state: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concerns to allow the bearer to pass freely.
Media: The media released their pre-prepared stories, films and obituaries. Comedy was cancelled in television until after the funeral.
Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth was the head of the Commonwealth, this included 54 countries spanning Africa, Asia, America, Europe and the Pacific. After her death the position of Head of the Commonwealth will not automatically pass on King Charles but is likely to be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth Heads of the government. Many nations may choose to become Republic with their own head of state.
Cash and Coins: In the UK all cash and coins have the face of the queen, after her death new cash will be created with the face of the King.
National Anthem of the UK: The National Anthem of the UK is sung in honor of the queen with lyrics: God save the Queen. It will revert to the version for a male monarch, with the pronouns within the words changed to the male version.
Passports in UK: All the UK passports state: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concerns to allow the bearer to pass freely
By: Nekane De la Fuente.
Breonna Eggleston
February 8, 2023
Behind the scenes- tech for the musical
“a peak into the musicals inside jobs”
Lights! Camera! Action! Sultan high school’s musical production has been put into action again for the first time in over 3 years. The classic “Beauty and the Beast” musical is now being acted out by students in the classes of 2023-2027, and along with them, their very own tech crew is working hard behind the scenes. Between moving sets, adjusting props, helping actors read lines, and sometimes even painting, the tech crew has many responsibilities, without them, things wouldn’t run so smoothly. Lucas Dominguez, the manager of tech says, “The best part of tech is being able to help the school out in such a large production.” Another tech worker, Ella Croshaw, says specifically her favorite part of tech is “The few times she was asked to stay behind and help paint sets with the other actors and workers.” Addy Roland says her favorite part of tech is definitely, “Seeing all of the actors costumes. Costume helper Brooke Jacksons’ favorite part of tech is, “Being a part of the play but not having to work in front of other people (audience)” Tech is a job of fun, to push others, make new friends, and help others exercise new roles. But it’s not always the most fun, there’s many times that its full of hardship and complications. “I’d say the worst part about tech is probably us sitting around like 70 percent of the time and only working like 10 percent.” Says Ella Croshaw, Lucas Dominguez adds on by saying his least favorite part about his job is, “Having to claim responsibility for people that aren’t being responsible” “But if I was asked to work in the musical again, I’d say yes, it’s pretty fun even if we sit around most of the time, I like the group that I work with and I’ll always remember all the silly conversations we’ve had backstage.” Tech is definitely a job of ups and downs, and it requires a lot of flexibility, but through the small moments of hardship, there is mainly large amounts of fun. Some moments that tech will always remember are the times when Lucas was walking around too much on his tired feet and tripped and almost fell on his face, or on Friday February 24th 2023, while performing the bench beauty and the beast went to sit on broke, right on stage, causing the audience to have a good laugh, or that one day Lucas went home sick and rehearsal was a complete disaster, curtains getting stuck on pipes on the ceiling, actors tripping over wires on the floor, sets almost falling over, microphones breaking, and people running back and forth across the stage, but in the midst of chaos, tech powered through and pushed the actors to be the best that they could be, at the end of that day everyone went home tired but proud, with a slight feeling of accomplishment, and that’s what the tech workers are here for, to power through the hard situations and set up the best performances an actor can perform. “Tech is the musicals support group.” On Saturday, February 25th 2023, In tears cast and tech members had preformed their last performance of “Beauty and the Beast.” The night ended with a celebration party at the Sifferman family’s house, there everyone cheered, danced, laughed, sang, and eve cried a little more together, no musical member will ever forget the memories that were made in this years musical “Beauty and the Beast.”
TNT Music Review
By Cameron Campion
Last time I wrote a music review, it was about the song Fallen Kingdom. Well, I’m back with a brand-new addition! I am writing about another song about Captain Sparklez, a famous YouTuber with almost 4 billion views on YouTube. He wrote a song called TNT on February 26th, 2011, which is a parody of Dynamite by Taio Cruz. The parody got well over 110 million views on YouTube. I interviewed V Sherman and asked them a few questions. I asked them if there was anything that they liked and if anything in the song sparked them. “Yes, I like TNT. TNT is very sparky, especially if you spark it right. It is very catchy; it has a nice tune, bass line and rhythm. Almost everyone can hum it. If I could, I would listen to the parody all day, 24/7. While I’m doing homework, while I’m eating food, and while I’m sleeping” Music notes are the building blocks to music. If you had some bad sounding music, you probably won’t listen to it. But TNT to V is a very good song (and I would agree!). This information then sparked another question. I asked V if they liked the original song. “I do not like the original song; it does not talk about pigs and swigs. It also doesn’t talk about Minecraft. I also think that the lyrics are better with the parody.” Lyrics are an important part to most music. If they aren’t good, who would listen to the song? And according to V, the song TNT has good lyrics, and yet again, I would agree. All in all, TNT has some pretty good lyrics along with some beats and rhythm. Both V and I really enjoy this song! V would rate this song 10/10.
Avatar: The Way of Water Movie Review
By: Sarah Lor
ASTONISHING, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE you name it. This 13 year wait since the first Avatar was released has left many people thrilled including me. I watched Avatar the Way of Water in theatres the day it was released, and I would pay to rewatch it again anytime. I’m not one to exaggerate but this movie is living rent free in my head now, it met my expectations in every possible way. The Way of Water is a 3 hour and 12-minute movie with a roller coaster of emotions from beginning to end. Currently the movie has 4.4-star rating online and will hopefully continue to get all the love it deserves. The Way of water is an epic science adventure film that tells a story about the Sully family and all the trouble that comes their way, the film shows all the great lengths the family would do to keep each other from the danger that awaits for them. Pandora home of the Na’vi is a place where no humans can enter into without wearing an oxygen mask due to so much carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, humans entering without protection can die as quickly as 4 minutes. Doesn’t that just seem so interesting? The Way of Water was directed by James Cameron whose made many big award-winning films such as The Terminator and The Titanic. If you’re looking for some entertainment and, in the mood, to get emotional The Way of Water should definitely be on your watchlist. Some fun facts about this movie is that Kate Winslet who played Ronal in this film, set the new world record among the acting industry for holding her breathe underwater a total of 7 minutes and 15 seconds when training underwater, beating Tom Cruises record of 6 minutes during his film for “ Mission: Impossible” Winslet quoted in an interview she did with Total Film Magazine “ I have the video of me resurfacing saying, ‘Am I dead? Have I died?” then questioning her time. She wasn’t intending to hold her breathe for 7 minutes, she just wanted to set a record itself. Even if you’re not interested, why won’t you give the movie a chance? I promise you won’t regret it.
“Smile” (2022): Is making us all do the opposite.
By Cecilia Young
On the list of creepier, more recent horror films, sits Smile (2022) directed by Parker Flinn. The movie is based on the short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept” made by Flinn and uploaded to YouTube in 2020. The short film stars Caitlin Stasey as Laura Weaver, a young woman experiencing vivid, terrifying nightmares who seeks out a therapist who tries to get to the root of the problem, only for the sessions to reveal a horrifying truth. The 11-minute short was later adapted into a movie following the same plotline, only with another character. The later movie follows Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist who is working to relieve her inescapable childhood trauma, who finds herself helping a disturbed and scared young woman named Laura Weaver (an ode to “Laura Hasn’t Slept”), who is telling her she is being haunted by a spirit taking the form of random people and smiling at her. Laura rambles about what it says to her, only to then use pieces of a broken vase to kill herself in front of Rose. A shaken Dr Cotter is questioned by the police but has no rational explanation other than she was mentally ill. After seeing this traumatizing event, her life begins to unravel and the same happens to her. Desperate, she searches for answers. However, you will have to watch it to know how it ends. To get into the nitty gritty of this movie, I will start with a simple sentence. As seemingly silly this movie seems, it holds decent scares, and the story holds strong. It has distinctive characters, and a delightful cat named Mustache. However, regardless of the entire vibe of the scary creature thing that is bothering traumatized people, there is nothing to smile about. I made the poor mistake of going into watching this film thinking it would be silly and stupid and would make me laugh, but oh how wrong I was. This movie is creepy. It touches on some difficult and harsh subjects, and pairs it with a fear every person who experiences trauma responses has; to be labeled as crazy. I would have to say, for such a silly idea, this movie has a lot of deeper meaning and holds some valuable lessons.
Fall Senior Night
By Kassandra Guzman
As the fall sports seasons came to an end, each sport celebrated their seniors. A lot of emotion comes with senior night because it represents their last high school home game and for certain kids, it's the last time they will ever play that sport for a team. For girls' soccer, most of their season was postponed due to smoke, and senior night was sadly not an exception. After some rescheduling, the girls played Oct 24th against Forest Ridge. There were 7 seniors on the team that will leave a massive hole to fill for next year. That same day, shortly after the soccer game, volleyball senior night started. With the team going to playoffs, this would not be their last home game ever, but it was the last league game. There were only 3 senior girls but that did not make it any less special. Tears were shed from parents, coaches and teammates. Football had 8 seniors. Many of which have played on the team together since freshman year and one being their manager. This year the Turks had a winning season and crushed their last game 28-6 against Bellingham High School. Let’s not forget the 2 wonderful senior cheerleaders that have supported every sport. Their energy is unmatched and we will be seriously missing them on our sidelines. As sad as senior night can be, it also means new beginnings and just honoring what the seniors left behind including the impact on their teammates and coaches. Go class of 2023!!!!
Grace and The Gentle Giants
By Kegan Thomas Aamold
Note: My girlfriend is so pretty, and I love her.
Grace Plummer is a very smart, elegant, overachieving, and awesome person. She participates in sports and clubs at this school, does running starts, and makes incredible pancakes that can give Gordan Ramsey a run for his money.
Grace is also my wonderful girlfriend, and she makes me happy every day I’m with her. Getting to know her was an amazing journey and is probably one of the most inspiring people I have ever met in my entire life.
One thing about my loving girlfriend is she loves the “Gentle Giants” (aka Giraffes). These beautiful creatures stand around 14-17 ft. tall for females and 16-19 ft. tall for males.
Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals, thanks to their towering legs and long necks. A giraffe's legs alone are taller than many humans—about 6 feet. These long legs allow giraffes to run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances and cruise comfortably at 10 miles an hour over longer distances.
Giraffes only need to be drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat, I don’t recommend that for humans, a quick disclaimer. Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time.
Grace loves giraffes for how cute they look and the silly things they often do. Gentle is a great reason for my girlfriend to love giraffes along with how strong they are. This animal won’t take anything from nobody, a giraffe would win a fight against a lion. Notice that we said one giraffe would win against a single lion if they were both fully grown.
Some of you guys may know my girlfriend, and some might not know her, but either way, you learn about something very important to her and what she loves about these “Gentle Giant’s”.
From Drawing to Painting
By: Oakley Haney
In the last issue of Turk Times, we discussed the difference between woodshop and advanced woods. This issue, we will look at the differences, and similarities, between drawing and painting.
Now, the name obviously states what the classes are about, but what is involved? First, let's look at drawing. Drawing focuses on the basic principles of creating art. From learning general knowledge to applying your skills, there is an array of things to learn. Practice is one of the most important things about drawing. Some people are naturally better than others, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. You have to “put effort into it” in order to succeed, says one student. Next, let’s look at painting. Painting is “probably my favorite” out of the two classes. They are very similar. Most of the basics you learn in drawing can be applied to painting. For example, “you have to draw your paintings before you paint”. Besides the obvious, the classes are very similar. Even when grading, “there is no difference in the grading criteria”.
What can students do to get the best grade possible? Well, making sure your painting has “lots of value” (making sure things such as shadows and light things are visible) as well as simply putting in effort will help your grade. As long as you spend time working on and improving your paintings/drawings you will get a good grade. Make sure you complete your work on time and do everything to the best of your ability. If expanding on your creative skills by creating drawings and paintings sounds interesting to you, you should consider taking these classes! (Note that you have to complete and pass drawing before you can take painting.) If you have any further questions, you can ask students who have previously taken the class as well as the teacher, Mr. Anderson!
Turkey Spirit Week
By Jacqueline Limon-Carrillo
The month of November went by fast, the week before thanksgiving break had a spirit week dedicated to thanksgiving! On Monday the 14th students had a family themed day, seniors were senior citizens, juniors were mid-age, sophomores were tweens and freshmen were toddlers. Some seniors went all out this day and had their grandma and grandpa outfits with wigs! Tuesday was a fun mismatch day! Students were seen wearing different shoes, different socks, outfits with colors that don’t coordinate. So many students dressed up for this day and it was so fun seeing everyone in their outfits. Wednesday was dress like a movie or show character. Staff and students both participated in this day and went all out. Ms. Gary dressed up as Mimi Bobeck and even Mr. Grady went all out and went Dwight Shrute. Thursday was dress like your type.
So many people had fun with this day, students dressed like their significant others or as people they would typically go for it. Casey Sifferman even wore his girlfriend’s dress! Students had so much fun on this day and their creative skills really came out. Friday was class color day! Freshman are purple, sophomores are orange, juniors got yellow and seniors are green! Juniors and Seniors are currently tied in points for this week. Overall though, Juniors are in lead with 240 points. Many students agreed that this spirit week was fun. In case students may not know, the class with the most points spirit week points for the first semester will receive Crumble Cookies! So, students, don’t forget to participate so you can enjoy a nice delicious one-of-a-kind cookie.
Staff Spotlight!
Angela Heath
By Maria Vazquez
As soon as we wake up and go to school there are things that come up throughout the day that can be quite unpleasant and make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. Sometimes we’ll walk into school not knowing what new book to read or we simply just have issues with our laptops. However, we are so incredibly lucky to have someone who works relentlessly everyday and shows kindness to absolutely everyone that come up to her. Everyday Mrs. Heath works so incredibly hard to ensure kids have what they need to get their stuff done. She writes down computer problems and reports them, organizes books, fixes problems, and is just all around a role model to every single individual that crosses her path.
Students are even allowed to go in during their lunches and eat or hangout in there, which in most cases is a big no-no from other librarians but NOT for her. She is kind and I’ve heard from others around that she’s understanding of kids and has intentions of helping them in any given way that she is able to. While I was asking her a few questions about her job you could see how incredibly passionate she is about her job and although it comes with various, harsh obstacles, she is so amazing that she views and pushes past those obstacles and turns every one into an opportunity for growth and development.
Shed mentioned that she “absolutely loves that she gets to help so many different students every single day”. Keep in mind that all I asked her was what do you like about your job and without hesitation she included a response that expressed how much she loves working with students everyday while she had this huge smile on her face. I also asked her the hardest part of her job is and she could have said so many things, but she mentioned that there simply” isn’t enough time in a day for her to do all that she wants to do to help our school and our students”. Other students have always mentioned that Ms. Heath is like our “school mom” because she treats us with so much kindness and respect, she understands that we are teenagers and have hard moments at times, so she gives us so much liberty and flexibility even when some kids aren’t being very nice.
The last thing I asked was how she managed to balance her work and personal life with so many things she has going on and she replied with “she doesn’t get enough sleep very much”. But although that’s the case she’s told me she loves what she does, and it makes her happy because she’s helping others.
Ms. Heath is only 1 of the many teachers in this school that makes school fun and helps students feel comfortable to ask for help. This was only a slight sneak peak of what she likes to do and why she chooses to do it and help students. Please feel free to go into the library whenever you have a chance and thank Ms. Heath for all she does!
Cross Country Season 2021-2022
By Logan Konicki
The first thing that needs to be noted about the cross-country season of 21-22 is that the kids progressed a ton from the first practice to the last meet. The short time that I spoke with Jeff Brumley (the coach) he said that some of the kids might not be the greatest runners but they most definitely improved and showed great perseverance throughout the season. Brumley said that a couple kids to note were Michael Knoop and Gavin Lasby. These two are both seniors and they were also the most improved throughout the season.
The season/meets were going good and steady until that was unfortunately interrupted. The Bolt Creek Fire which started Sept. 10. This fire brought unwanted smoke and ash into the air which then started to lead to canceling practices and then eventually the meets started to get postponed. Even though the meets got postponed, most of them went on to just get canceled entirely. Due to the fact that cross country is a strictly outdoor sport it was hard to relocate these practices. When I spoke with Brumley he briefly mentioned holding these practices in the gym but he said that would just be simply impractical. He also mentioned just having practice anyways but only if the runners wanted to and obviously not force them to run in the unhealthy conditions.
To wrap up the season there wasn’t much that we could really do. The air quality was just too poor to go on. We did have a few Turks that did make it to districts. That is the good news though and there is not much of that. The seniors did not see much of a season as their last year of cross country and the freshman also didn’t get to truly experience what SHS cross country is like.
WHAT’S COOKING IN THE KITCHEN?
Written by: Kassandra Guzman
The food in the SHS cafeteria has been seeing some changes and everyone is noticing. In the past it seems we have had the same rotation of food cycling throughout the year. This year we have seen some new things such as the baked potato bar and Mediterranean pizza. The delicious food is not limited to lunch, at breakfast time, kids line up to receive freshly baked, warm muffins. “I have really been enjoying the changes and am excited to see what other things they pull out that kitchen” said Ivan, a high school lunch enthusiast. Ms. Flores, Bradley, Sherrill, and Steele have been working hard in the kitchen to provide for all of us, so next time you see them, say THANK YOU!
Christmas is Around the Corner
By Kamryn Skeith
Christmas is coming up really, really soon! There are only a couple days left before Winter Break. Winter Break is one of the longest breaks of the year where we get to leave school for two whole weeks and enjoy spending time with our families. But there's more, you don’t just get to spend time with your family, but also your friends outside of school in the snow “do you wanna build a snowman, doesn't have to be a snowman” Anna from Frozen, for those who don’t know, this is the iconic phrase in the song. As the days pass by it comes closer to the 25th of December which is the best time of the year because it’s Christmas! Which is the day we all love because of presents and food. Especially those Christmas cookies! After getting all your new things from Christmas, there is another holiday coming, New Year's which is the holiday we get to say goodbye to this year and hello to the new year we hope to be better than the last. But before we can enjoy this lovely break; we have to finish these last couple days of school so let’s power through and get It done. Happy Holidays!
Kegan’s Fun Facts: Holiday Edition
1 in 3 men wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping.
The word 'Hanukkah' means 'dedication' The holiday celebrates the triumph of Maccabees in reclaiming their temple after it was desecrated by Syrian-Greeks.
"Jingle Bells" was the first song played in space.
Doughnuts Are the Most Popular Hanukkah Treat in Israel.
Kwanzaa is a weeklong holiday of African heritage and culture in the African American community in the United States that is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
Kwanzaa can be celebrated in different ways, but celebrations often include storytelling, songs, dance, and a large meal.
In Ukraine, spiders are considered symbols of good luck at Christmas.
Hanukkah is not a major religious holiday in the Jewish calendar.
Kwanzaa is reportedly celebrated by millions of people of African descent each year.
Ask Alex
Need Advice?
By: Ivan Acosta
Q: How do I get better grades in school?
A: If you want to succeed in school, you should make sure you have time for your homework and be paying attention in school. Don’t procrastinate your work, put your phone down every once in a while, and give yourself the quiet space and time to do so.
Macron In D.C.
By Cai Neigel
December 1st, 2022, Emannuel Macron, and his wife travelled to Washington D.C. to meet with President
Joe Biden and the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden for the first state visit of their presidency. Between tours of
various sites in D.C, Biden and Macron had many issues to discuss. Chief among the problems had to do
with discussions regarding the end of the war in Ukraine, and how that shall be negotiated. Both nations
have different policy with Biden planning to wait for Ukraine to make the first move, while Macron
intends to push for peace as soon as Ukraine’s terms are set. The two leaders also had room for praise for
each other with Biden claiming France as, “an unwavering partner” and the United States, “oldest ally.”
Which in turn led to remarks by Macron praising the current administration’s foreign policy with regards
to climate change and health. Also floating in discussion is the two nations' plan to coordinate issues in
the Pacific like human rights abuses and global issues like climate change. Not all talk was positive
though. Macron was strongly critical of the benefits the Inflation Reduction Act provided for American
EV manufacturers, which provided billions in subsidies. Macron claimed it as, “protectionist” as the law
serves as an incentive to purchase exclusively American vehicles. In response, Biden explained that there
were, “some glitches” in the law but that it’s open to change. Following this the Macrons’ toured D.C.
and New Orleans before heading back home to France.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/01/politics/biden-macron-state-visit/index.html
Winter Sports have Begun:
By Kamryn Skeith
Now that the winter season has begun things are now on the role for all our wonderful winter sports
teams. As all our teams have had their first games and tournaments these past couple weeks, they are
cruising along. The Girls Basketball team had a rough start to their season this year with two losses so
far against Kings and Cashmere. The Boys Basketball team has had a great start to their season this year
with a win against Cashmere. The Wrestling team had a good tournament on December 3rd where they
took 7th which was their first tournament of the year. As all our winter season sports continue this year,
we hope to see the Girls Basketball team get out of their slump, Boys Basketball continue to win their
games and see our Wrestling team improve every tournament they go to. But we also hope to see you
there, to cheer them on at every home event there is for all our winter sports this year. Go Turks!
SNOW IN NOVEMBER
By Maria Vazquez
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOWWWWW!! Oh yes Washington state, the state that says you’ll get a sunny day and not even 2 hours later BAM! Rain, or the weather forecast says its going to rain and then BAM! You get hail, but something never heard of is Washington state having SNOW IN NOVEMBER?!! Tuesday November 29th, we began to see the snowflake icon pp up on our weather app and small itty-bitty flakes fall early in the morning. However around like 9:40am we started seeing HUGE FLAKES start hitting the ground and people going out to play in the snow going to 3rd period. All you could see were the huge smile and laughs filling the air with the joy and happiness we all felt seeing these huge indicators that Christmas is right around the corner falling from the sky and sticking to the ground, it covered the ground with a slight coat of snow and even the slightest coat was able to put the brightest smile on all our faces. As you walked around and came across all these students playing with snow and having these huge smiles on their face it makes you realize that Christmas is right around the corner and the snow in the air makes it all come together like a puzzle. While walking around the next day I had the chance to ask some of my classmate’s questions such as “how does the snow in November make you feel”? I had one classmate that came all the way from California say that it was “quite bizarre and rare to see any type of snow in California until later on so he was happy and excited to see that there was snow on the ground”. He also mentioned that once the snow was following on the ground he went outside with friends and began to build snowman’s and have snowball fights. Snow in November is unheard of here in the evergreen state and being able to have snow around this time of year is such a blessing, especially for those who are new to our evergreen state or are just visiting. Although we don’t know if we’ll get more snow later but, in the meantime, we are all super excited to see all this beautiful snow on the ground and are crossing our fingers for the snow to stick around for a little longer to give us a white Christmas. Although the snowstorm we got in November made it impossible for us to take our cars out and drive safely it made even the people that dislike the holiday seasons feel a little bit warmer inside. The gingerbread houses, putting up or trees, decorating, spending time with family, and snow are all part of the holly jolly Christmas spirit and its made us come even closer together as a community because now we are focused and determined on making more winter drives given the cold winter season to ensure that almost every person has at least a warm winter coat to spend time with during these cold time.