Alutant Student News Magazine Oct 3 2018

Alutant

Ellensburg High School’s Newsmagazine Volume 47 Issue 1 October 3, 2018

Seniors welcome the Sun

Vaping - a New Problem on Campus

Page 11

Page 5

Learn about a new D & D club at EHS

Different takes on advisory

Page 3

Page 7

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October 3, 2018

Kavanaugh Guilty?

Alutant Staff Editor-in-chief: Micheal Allison Associate editor: Imani Alexander Staff Reporters: Olivia Anderson Miguel Cruiz-Lopez Drew Drexler Jada Godwin Jared Gomez Jeremy May Ethan Noble Maxime Pierce Faith Simcox Ava Stuart Steven Szombathy Adviser: Jon McClintick Affiliations Washington Journalism Education Association National Scholastic Press Association Quill and Scroll Honorary Society Special Thanks Lyle Hancock and Beth Brunson of ESD Printing Services Alutant is an Old English word meaning “bulldog.”

The Alutant is a public forum for student expression. Content is written and produced by and for students and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of EHS or the school district.

ELLENSBURG HIGH SCHOOL 1203 E. Capitol Avenue Ellensburg, WA 98926 alutant@esd401.org

Cover photo: The Football team takes the field in September 7th game.

By Max Pierce

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A letter from the editor.

Micahel Allison Editor-In-Chief

Brett Kavanaugh was nominated on Tuesday, July 12 2018.

Kavanaugh is currently 53 years old and has his Bachelors from Yale University in American history and is currently serivng as a jursit for the United States Circuit Court. Kavanaugh has been nominated to fill the role as the ninth justice for the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has been without a swing vote justice for some time now and the position is far over due for a ninth justice.

Kavanaugh has been questioned for multiple days in the last month to whether or not he is the appropriate candidate for the job. Kavanaugh has drawn a lot of controversy due to the fact that he tends to vote with the right more often then the left. Many believe that Kavanaugh is not the approriate candidate for the jobh because of his political views.

One of his main controversies that he has brought upon himself is his stance on abortion. CNN reported that when Kavanaugh heard of a teen who was being detained (By ICE) was asking to have an abortion he wrote the Supreme Court saying, “The government has permissible interests in favoring fetal life, protecting the best interests of a minor, and refraining from facilitating abortion.”

Kavanaugh has recently also been brought up on rape allegations of a woman named Dr. Christine Basely Ford.

This has brought up whether or not he is trustworthy enough to aid in running our country. There was a senate hearing for Dr. Ford to find if her alligations are true.

The hearing begun at 10:00 A.M. EST on September 27, 2018.

Both candidates have had their lifes turned upsdie down. In a last minute interview with Fox News Kavanaugh attended while clearing showing that he is upset. He was accompianed by his wife and she also spoke on his behalf.

Dr. Ford has made an effort to avoid the media a lot more than Kavanaugh has but in an interview with USA Today she said, “They had thier fun at my expense.”

Dr. Ford and Kavanaugh are both struggling to get thier lives back on track but they are emotionally drained and feel that between death threats and hatrated form the country/media they may never be able to fully restore thier lives to the way that they once where.

I believed that there is no way to say that if he should or should not be sworn in due to the fact that the alligations have not been confirmed or denied. If found innocent we believe that he should be sworn in because the country at this point in time needs a ninth justice to help keep the senate running smoothly. On the other hand if he is found guilty; President Trump needs to quickly nominate another candidate for the position. We are hoping for a quick and fair hearing for the both of them.

Have an opinion you’d like to share?

Write us a letter to the editor and email it to alutant@esd401.org.

Or leave us comments online: Facebook: /alutant Instagram: @alutantnews Look up our webpage for past issues and a full-color download of this issue.

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October 3, 2018

Bulldogs Head Into the Dungeon

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Ellensburg High School has been in need of some sort of games club for some time now and it is finally here. A new Dungeons and Dragons (also known as D&D) club began on Friday, September 28th at 3:15-5:30 in room E225 and people are excited.

Ava Stuart A Producer Feature

Brittanie Wyler (formerly Whitaker) has taught at Ellensburg High School for four years. She loves reading, fishkeeping (underwater gardening), renaissance fairs, and Magic the Gathering (a card game). She is a dedicated English teacher as well as the passionate advisor of the Cover to Cover book club, Sophomore ASB, and soon-tobe advisor of a new D&D Club.

Each year she has been at EHS, a student has requested some type of gaming club to Wyler, but have not followed through with the paperwork and logistics of creating a club.

Wyler is enthusiastic about the upcoming D&D Club because it will be a place for high schoolers to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons, and they will get to build characters and worlds. It also has the potential to branch out into other RPGs (role playing games).

The idea was first pitched a few weeks ago, a freshman named Taylor Boyer asked if Wyler would be willing to advise a D&D Interest group. Since then, she has already had multiple students in her class who have come in before school to work on their D&D character sheets, talk about their characters, or use their free writing class time to flesh out what their character may be like or do.

“It is already stretching the imagination of some kids and I think that is really fun”, Wyler said.

Wyler’s favorite aspect of a D&D Club, in general, is that D&D, as well as other RPGs are incredibly fun. She believes that they are extremely versatile.

“You can play the same type of

character each time. You can play the game consistently for 20 years and never have the same boring experience two times in a row,” she explained.

While Wyler knows that it could ruin it for some people, she also thinks that RPGs are great learning tools. Although she also believes that they don’t make it feel like education. Reading and writing are involved because you have to read about armor, weapon status, different creatures in the world and different characters. There is writing because you need to think of some kind of a story of who your character is, what they are doing, why they are doing it and etcetera. A decent amount of math is involved in the game as well, but because it is so fun, it usually doesn’t feel like the same basic work that teachers make you do against your will, according to Wyler.

Dungeons and Dragon gives an opportunity for kids and adults a chance to break out from their regular social routine. In reality, you can be a nice law-abiding person and a completely degenerate person in a game which is nice because nobody is harmed by that since it is in a game. Someone could be single or poor in real life, but be given the

chance to have a romantic interest or be fabulously wealthy in the game. In the game, people can explore new worlds that they don’t have the opportunity to do in real life.

Wyler believes that Dungeons and Dragons can be a very fun game.

“You get to sit around, usually with pizza. And you get to go on an adventure without actually hiking up a mountain. You get to encounter magical creatures that don’t exist in real life. You aren’t there pushing buttons and letting somebody else to the work or tell the story for you. You get to do whatever you can put your imagination to. There are relatively few limits to what you can accomplish”, which she thinks is quite cool.

The first meeting was in Room E225 at 3:15-5:00 on Friday, September 28th. They will be held every friday although the meeting time is subject to change in the future depending on club members’ needs. If you missed the first meeting, there will be plenty more to come so don’t let that stop you. Talk to Wyler if you would like to join the club and have any questions. It sounds like a club worth trying so I hope to see you there.

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October 3, 2018

Ellensburg High School Takes On Car Safety

Miguel Cruz A News

Staff Reporter

Make your High School experience priceless, not expensive! Most may not know, but there are new parking lot policies. If one disobeys, they may see heavy fines, that they would rather not experience. These fines can cost a lot of money for a non-spoiled brat.

Reckless Driving (RCW 46.61.500): “Any person who dries any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. Violation of the provisions of this section is a gross misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to 364 days and by a fine of not more than $5,000. If you are speeding, burning out, or racing, including in the EHS parking lot, you can be arrested for Reckless Driving.”

Speeding (RCW 46.61.400) Exhaust (RCW 46.37.390):

Myca Swanson, 12th

“Driving at a speed greater than reasonable and over the posted limit. In a School zone the penalties increase. Speeding is dangerous for you and others. If you speed the ticket could be costly! Going 10 MPH over in a school zone is a $246 ticket.

Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise. No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the engine. A ticket is $136.00” There are some of the of the new policies, in case you didn’t know. This year, there has been things the school has done that made students at EHS upset.

Here are the opinions of some students that gave their thought on the new policies.

the new parking lot policies?

“I think it is excessive if it has a loud exhaust. My truck has a loud exhaust. Am I going to be sent to jail for 364 days and fines $5,000 for it?”

2) Do you believe these new rules is good for everyone? Or a waste of time?

“Not good for anyone. As much as you try to tell people who burn out, my truck has a loud exhaust. A good majority of kids burn out to have fun, not cause harm.”

Student: Nathan KasselisSmith Grade: 12th What do you think about the new parking lot policies?

“I Think some are fair, like reckless driving. Disagree with searching cars without a real reason.”

2) Do you believe these new rules is good for everyone? Or a waste of time?

“I think rules of revving is good but searching peoples cars is not okay, without warrants.”

Student: Myca Swanson Grade: 12th What do you think about

Posted speed limit in EHS parking

Nathan Kaselis-Smith, 12th

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October 3, 2018

Vaping Isn’t All That What does every normal high school student do that we all have been victims to? Trends!! We all love to follow the latest trends, however some aren’t always the best trends out there.

Vaping has been a rising trend within our school hallways. Why not? The liquids used for vaping smells amazing! And how about those cool smoke tricks people are able to pull off when they vape?

Pretty legit, right? Well... Not really.

While vapes are being targeted towards teenagers, they aren’t really seeing the health factors.

“I think vaping is a dangerous road to go down, because it is a gateway to other drugs,” says our assistant principal, Mr. Musser. Which he isn’t wrong. Vaping is a tobacco product that is more commonly being found to be laced with marijuana. And we all know that teenagers like to explore new things, but keep in mind that the legal age to own any sort of tobacco product is 18 and owning marijuana products in the state of Washington is 21.

“The rapid spread of e-cigarette use was cited a 900% increase use by high school students from 2011 to 2015,” (according to CNN’s article “Almost 1 in 11 Students Has Vaped Cannabis).

Which makes sense. Teenagers are easily being targeted by the tobacco industries. They hire “professional psychologists to study the teenage brain where it’s most vulnerable and then they market the vapes to those vulnerabilities,”

says Mr. Musser. But adds aren’t just what gets kids into tobacco products, other students do. We look to our peers for influence, and if we don’t always look to the right influencers, we can wind up down a path where we are experimenting too with vaping products.

But what is vaping? Vaping is “the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device,” (according to center on addiction). Vaping has different shapes and types as well.

They can contain nicotine and/or marijuana by your own choice.

As we all know, it is your own choice to do what you want, but there are consequences within the school if you are caught with any type of vaping tool.

If you open your student hand

5 book to page 29, you will see under “Tobacco Products” that the 1st offense is a 2 day in school suspension and a completion of the Tobacco Intervention Packet, 2nd offense is 2 days out of school suspension, 3rd offense is 5 days out of school suspension, and it only gets worse.

Keep in mind that if one refuses to complete the Tobacco Intervention Packet, it is viewed as another violation and can lead to a short term suspension.

Mr. Musser would like to say, “be your own person. Vaping like other drugs and other behaviors is very much a follower type of behavior. And it’s not really showing your own potential leadership. So rather than follow a crowd and do everything everybody else is doing, do you, and if doing you means you’re not really interested in vaping, then don’t do it.”

Faith Simcox AFeature Staff Reporter

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October 3, 2018

Yearbook: A Call to Action

Assosciote Editor A Imani Alexander

The great staff of the Klahiam Yearbook, has some announcements for EHS.

Taya Bugni: Head Editor

bugnitay000@esd401.org Ray Avila: Photo Editor

avilaray000@esd401.org Christine Roux: Advisor

christine.roux@esd401.org

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Starting off, to all senior students and parents, the deadline for baby pictures and senior pictures is December 7th.

And lastly purchase a yearbook! It’s curThe Klahiam produces 180 pages per year and rently $45.00 and $50.00 for a personalised thats a lot of content to fill. book, and prices are rising!

So, do you go to school events like sports games or dances? Do you take pictures when you attend these events?

Send your work to the yearbook! They would love to have you: EHS students more involved in the process of creating the yearbook.

If you’re interested in submitting your work, email the following:

Photo of KlahiamYearbook Staff

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October 3, 2018

Advisory, Is it Used Effectively?

Ethan Noble Staff Reporter

Lots of students use the 25 minutes before third period, otherwise known as Advisory, effectively and work on assignments from other classes or chat but there are some who disrupt other people while they are working. Some students think Advisory isn’t useful but Advisory is a time where students are able to catch up, whether in the form of chatting with friends or working on work which is due that day or even in the future.

When advisory started it was called Bulldog Bonus which as Principal Jeff Ellersick said, “we wanted to create a program which rewarded kids for having good grades.”

It’s successful because it made students who had good grades be able to have an extended lunch time thanks to that but it had to stop. Some students who were failing ended up not being held accountable for their grades and still had an extended lunch.

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“Internally there was no way for us to track the kids in the Skyward system because teachers’ roster would change all the time” and when peoples’ grades did drop” Ellersick said “there was no way to go into the Skyward system and add bulldog bonus back as a class.”

Advisory was meant for homework and CCR alone but now it has become more. But is advisory effective?

Trent Campbell, junior responded “For homework students didn’t get done it’s a good place and a good time for them to do it but it’s also a good place for people who don’t have homework to just kinda chill out in between classes.”

It’s now more than just a place to do homework, it’s a place where people can be relaxed at school and do what they want to do as long as it doesn’t negatively impact other students.

Some students don’t always use their time effectively and tend to not have good grades.

“There are some students who

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don’t care about their grades and don’t use it effectively” said science teacher Dave Hodges.

Multiple teachers think this way. History teacher Marco Bicchieri added, “the class of kids I worked with didn’t use it very well without me sort of forcing them to and that was tiring.”

Not all kids use it effectively by themselves and sometimes require additional help to focus.

Students study in the commons. - by Ethan Noble

There’s No Place Like Home Jada Godwin Staff Reporter

Ellensburg High School’s own Fall Play is putting on a production of The Wizard of Oz! Come to the Morgan Theater on November 1, 2, 3, 9, and the 10th at 7pm or the matinee on the 10th at 2pm to see the performance!

Starring Briana Lubinski as Dorothy, Alice Miller as the Scarecrow, Jared Gomez as the Tinman, and Avery Dean as the Cowardly Lion, the cast is full of memorable actors.

Toto, Dorothy’s pet terrier, is expected to be played by an actual dog, though who that will be is still to be decided.

Fall Play’s director, Maria Manning, combined two scripts to create this year’s production.

Adapted from the original play and the original book, be ready to

EHS Fall Play Begins Rehersal

see new characters and a new stage design.

The play is split into two concurring stories, one of King Pastoria and his lover Trixie, and the other of Dorothy and company.

The old ruler of Oz, King

Pastoria, runs around Oz at the front of the stage while Dorothy’s story plays out behind him.

While this may sound confng, instead be ready to see an adventurous new take on The Wizard of Oz!

A group of students waiting for their individual auditions for the 2018 Fall Play, The Wizard of Oz. - by Jada Goodwin

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October 3 2018

Music Review: Attention Attention

Shinedown’s 2018 Album Steven Szombathy A Staff Reporter Music review

On May 4th ,2018 the rock band Shinedown dropped their latest album titled Attention Attention. It has 14 songs in all.

The first song I listened to was “Attention Attention.” Like all Shinedown, it’s loud and unique in the sense that it makes you think. It’s like a different version of the singer grabs control of his body and he begins to talk about how crazy he is with the voices in his head. The whole song just screams CRAZY. I give it 3 Attentions out 5.

The next song I listened to was Pyro. The song has the same “I’m crazy” that Attention Attention had, but a different kind of crazy, saying how both him and his father are pyromaniacs.

The lead singer / songwriter of the band Brent Smith said My mother was a burnout and his dad was a pyro. Smith also went on to say his father was his main life teacher. I give it 4 Attentions out of 5. The next song is called “Special.”

The song is written in the perspec-

tive of someone who is changing themselves for the better, but the whole song is written ironically as the chorus says “Your not special”.

The point of the whole song is not to put other people down. Instead of being negative you should lighten up your mood and outlook on life I give it 5 out of 5 Attentions.

The next song “CREATURES” explores the theme of becoming a better person and shedding the shackles that held them in such a negative place. You also have to shed the animal instincts and stop repeating the same stupid mistakes so you can move on from this dark and terrifying place. 5 attentions out of 5.

The whole album is kind of a redemption story where the first songs are loud braggy and dark with lines like “ You’re a shiny new penny, I’m a hundred dollar bill” or “the voices in my head are legendary.”

It slowly Song List: gets better Devil 3:28 and lightBlack Soul 3:23 er toned Attention Attention 3:51 where the Kill Your Conscience 3:52 songs start Pyro 3:51 saying “Get Monsters 4:08 up, get up, Darkside 3:53 Creatures 3:56 get a move Evolve 2:57 on, get up, Get Up 4:06 get up, ain’t Special 3:44 n o t h i n g The Human Radio 4:09 wrong.” I Brilliant 4:34

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like it I think it’s a great listen.

The best part of the whole album is that none of the songs sound the same, they all have their own distinct sound. I loved listening to the album for a couple reasons. for one thing it’s just really catchy. All the songs just have a really great sound to it that’s kind of hard to explain.

The second reason is the fact that it makes you think good music should make you think. Songs should be more than just “look how great my life is with my fancy car and big house.” It would be more than that and Shinedown did exactly what I think should be done with a lot of songs to near perfection.

I give it 9 attentions out of 10 attentions because the songs are catchy, well-written and make you think. If you’re into rock, or Shinedown, check it out.

The band Shinedown

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October 3, 2018

Food Review: Monster Melts Sandwich Shop

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Olivia Anderson A Layout Editor Food Review

Monster Melts is a not too well-known holein-the-wall sandwich shop. It is possibly my new favorite hang out site in Ellensburg. They have a large variety of sandwiches (duh), a neat upstairs hangout spot, a fish named Crush, and they serve coffee and tea.

I’ve only been there a couple of times, both times I ordered their philly cheese steak and chai tea. Possibly the best philly cheesesteak I’ve ever had, and its chai tea is relatively good as well.

They add a decent amount of chai to their tea and it is much stronger than most of the tea served in Ellensburg that I’ve had (and I LOVE me some chai tea). I will say that it is just a tad too strong for my absolute liking but I’d rather have my chai tea too strong than too milky.

The only issue I currently have with them is that I cannot find a detailed online menu. I have no idea what ingredients they have on their sandwiches, and in-shop you don’t have a clue either unless you ask the barista working. Which is not a bad thing, because the service is amazing.

The layout of the shop is incredible.

Most shops with upstairs seating usually have visible stairs to the upper deck but not Monster Melts. You have to go through the back room and the stairs to the upper

seating which are behind a wall to the left. Their aesthetic is very interesting: the downstairs being an indie, modern, reggae aesthetic, the upstairs part having a reggae vintage vibe. Though it may sound strange, they execute the idea very well.

And a successful restaurant has to have a mascot. You don’t notice him (or her) at first, but tucked away in the corner they have a small tank with a goldfish in it. The goldfish’s name is Crush, named after the turtle in Finding Nemo. The fish is also accompanied by a snail who has no name.

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October 3, 2018

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When Will The Smoke Kill Us?

And Why Is Smokey the Bear To Blame?

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Jada Godwin Staff Reporter

This year over 7 million acres were burnt in the United States.

Washington state currently has 13 major wildfires, with over 130,000 acres brunt. One acre is about the size of the high school building.

Last year, Ellensburg High School was closed down for two days due to the amount of smoke in the school’s ventilation system.

This summer the smoke reached the very unhealthy category on the air quality index, which is 201 to 300. In this category, everyone is affected by the smoke and are recommend to stay inside.

And next year the smoke is supposed to be even worse.

This started years ago, when the US was pulled into World War II. In response to Japanese

bombings along the Pacific Coast, the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) program was created. The hope was that if the public took measures to prevent fires, there would be less to worry about at home during the war.

After leasing Disney’s Bambi characters for a year, people began to pay attention to the campaigns’ objectives. Smokey the Bear was created to give the CFFP their own spokes animal, based off a rescued bear club with burnt paws.

The program was renamed to The Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign, which is now the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history.

So why does Smokey matter? He prompted the public to pay more attention to the forests. And careless forests fires went down.

But then the public wanted

A map of current fires in the United States as of September 21st of 2018 from the EPA’s AirNow website.

Air Quality Index Chart from smogspotter.com

to stop clearing target areas of forests, which led to an increase in dry, dead areas. This created the acres of tinder that is easily sparked by lighting strikes or a tossed cigarette.

After several years, the dead wood reached a breaking point.

Major fires began to break out and the country wasn’t prepared.

Now we have thousands of fires across the nation every year.

Originally Smokey’s catchphrase was “Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires.” and in 1947, it became “Remember... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires”.

States have began to prepare for the fire season better, placing more bans and clearing more dead areas.

But the smoke is still a problem.

Smokey now says that “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”.

October 3, 2018

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Let the Sunshine In!

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Seniors celebrate at chilly Senior Sunrise

Drew Drexler Staff Reporter News

Conspiracy Corner

Where the strange meets the wierd...

THE MOON IS FAKE!?

Steven Szombathy A Staff Reporter Conspiracy Theory

Have you ever looked up at the moon and asked yourself, “was the moon landing faked?”

WELL GOOD NEWS, PAL, CONSPIRACY THEORISTS EXIST! Moon landing conspiracies have been around since the moon landing itself. What most theorists believe is that most, or all, parts of the moon landing were faked and that NASA does Apallo 11 launch? their best to cover it up including destroying documents and murdering people who threaten to expose the truth.

Even people from the flat earth society claims that the moon landing was faked and the footage was made at walt disney studios. The reason people think the moon landing was faked was so NASA could avoid humiliation. In 2009 the American patriot’s friend claimed the government faked the moon landing so they could avoid shame from the Russians.

Some of the “evidence” the conspiracy theorists have involve seeing wires in the old films of the landing or saying how there were no stars in the old even though the cameras were not strong enough to see the stars. All and all the moon landing conspiracy seems to have some loose strings that need to be tied up. Most of the evidence the theorists had has been debunked through eye witnesses and closer looks at the videos.

The senior sunrise of 2018 was once again a bunch of seniors watching the sunrise on the bleachers of the football field on September 14. There were donuts, blankets, and bonding.

The Senior class was bundled up in blankets being one big family watching the sunrise.

A majority of the seniors thought this was cool to unite with our whole senior class at once.

“It was a cool experience to be with my friends watching the sunrise even though it was pretty cold outside,” said McKenzie Egan, senior.

The cold was a problem for many people.

The tradition is well loved by many seniors, who were glad to be a part of this tradition.

“It was fun, but too early for me. It was sweet to be with our senior class watching the beautiful sunrise. Overall it was a good way to start off the senior year!” Riley Seed said.

The senior sunrise had a very good turnout. There was 100 plus seniors there also all of Senior Class ASB! The sunrise started coming up around 6:15 am with a beautiful red, orange, pink with a little bit of yellow coloring coming over the mountains on the east side of Ellensburg.

Senior Sunset is also another tradition that the seniors do towards the end of the year when everyone gathers at Craig’s Hill and watches the sun set on their final year at EHS!

Keeping warm together.

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October 3, 2018

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