December 20, 2019: It's the LIST year in the decade

Lewiston High School, 1114 9th AVE., Lewiston, ID, 83501

THE

Bengal’s Purr

Since 1927

Vol.92 N0. 3

List

It’s the last year in the decade!

• Remembering Malcom Thorson, page 5 • Worst fashion trends of the decade, pages 10-11 • Grinches of LHS, page 17 • Erika Pepper reflects on life with new lungs, page 6

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

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THE BENGAL’S PURR

Opinion

Similarities of 1920 shine through in current events

By Isaiah Schmidt Sports Editor A new decade is on the horizon: the 2020s. To venture into such an era unprepared could prove disastrous, so it’s certainly necessary to be ready for a sort of Y2.2k. And, as a time traveling genius, I am perfectly qualified to prepare you all.

Media consumers should be prepared for an onslaught of references to “20/20 vision” from ads, even if they have nothing to do with glasses.

Also, it will start to become acceptable to refer to the previous decades (2000-2019) as historical periods, though humanity will have just barely passed through them.

Though currently nameless, even the youth will start mentioning the “twenty-teens” like experienced old pros. The new generation will start disassociating themselves from the ancient Millennials, but forgetting they have been alive for not very long comparted to the average American. “OK, Boomer” is evidence of a new generation emerging to combat the ideas and norms of those that came before them.

But as much as one can predict, it is essential to look back to the past to see what may happen in the future. So what happened in the 1920s that can be used to predict the future?

GOOD THINGS: A resurgence of jazz music During the 1920s, jazz was a new style of music created

As the 1920s icon Jay Gatsby, actor Leonardo DiCaprio toasts to the New Year. Photo courtesy of indiewire.com.

by mixing European and African styles. Believe it or not, jazz was considered rebellious during this decade. More realistically, the 2020s will bring about a new style of music for the rebellious teenagers to embrace, only to become the next classical music 50 years later.

Incredible new technologies Admittedly, the radio, telephone and cars from this period wouldn’t exactly impress today. But at the time, these were marvels of human innovation, improving connection across the country, and even the world. Hopefully, the 2020s will carry this trend, ideally resulting in the achievement of flying cars that many have been waiting for.

A leap in life expectancy The average life expectancy in the 1920s was 54 years old, according to Berkeley.edu.

That sounds bad, but it was better than the 37 years one could expect 100 years earlier than that (from Our World in Data). Right now, the U.S. has

a 78.69-year life expectancy, (according to Our World Bank) so hopefully by 2120 it’ll be somewhere in the 100s.

Social reform In 1924, the U.S. government passed a bill that made all Native Americans citizens of the United States. Equally important, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. Hopefully, such improvements will be prominent in the coming decade.

BAD THINGS: The rise of racism Unfortunately, the social reform was counterbalanced by the creation of the K.K.K., who gained prominence in the 1920s, according to ncpedia. org. Hopefully, this does not have any implications on the coming decade.

A second Great Depression Up until 1929, everything was going great for the economy. But that did not continue -- it did the opposite. Similarities to that economic situation can be found even today, such

as a more constricting central bank, and a low but rising inflation, according to MoneyWeek. Good luck, Wall Street!

Rising income gap The 1920s saw a sharply rising inequality gap. The industrial system made a bunch of regular people’s lives miserable while the rest of America got to live in an Scott F. Fitzgerald novel. This, besides being unfair, also contributed to the Great Depression.

Prohibition Not being allowed to purchase alcohol legally is also not ideal now. Then again, in the 1920s some people were constantly intoxicated, even at work in factories, which is why the prohibition movement gained so much traction.

Also, during Prohibition bootleggers were selling poisoned alcohol without regulation.

Let’s hope that doesn’t make a resurgence.

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Opinion 3

Celebration timeline War on Christmas used as under scrutiny device to pull people apart

By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas every year. Christmas may be one of the most popular holidays, but how early is too early to start celebrating?

While some people to choose to begin the festivities before Halloween, others wait until Christmas Eve. Before anyone can decide when to start celebrating Christmas, they should first define what marks the celebration of the holiday. The majority of people consider hanging up lights, setting up a Christmas tree, and playing Christmas music the marks of, arguably, the biggest holiday of the seasons. A downside to a very early celebration is not letting Thanksgiving have a chance of celebration. The holiday season is to have things to look forward to, and if you glaze over the other holidays, it drags out the winter.

The other major downside to the early celebration is holiday burnout.

Once it hits the middle of December, t h o s e Christmas bops just don't hit as hard as they would have if you would have waited, and it loses the hype by doing that. Overexposure makes the novelty and festivity of having lights and a tree up lose its spark and meaning.

When done correctly, one begins celebrating Christmas no earlier than Dec. 1 and no later than Dec. 15. This is the sweet spot for Christmas music to build up excitement that maintains itself without feeling too long or too short. By putting up the trees and lights up earlier, it makes the shorter time more special and meaningful.

“The holiday season is to have things to look forward to, and if you glaze over the other holidays, it drags out the winter.“

A lighted sign reading “Happy Holidays“ glimmers on Fleshman Way in Clarkston. Photo by Jazmyne Hartogh.

With the holiday season in full swing and Christmas coming up soon, many ask themselves: Is there a war on Christmas?

Following President Trump’s election in 2016, he promoted the renewal of the phrase “Merry Christmas” because of an alleged War on Christmas.

On Dec. 24, 2017, Trump tweeted, “People are proud to be saying Merry Christmas again. I am proud to have led the charge against the assault of our cherished and beautiful

phrase. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!”

This “assault on Christmas” is attributed to the growing diversity surrounding holiday culture in the United States.

Retail chains such as T.J. Maxx or Walgreens have made the switch from advertising with the phrase “Merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays,” according to the Liberty Counsel, and many view this as an attack on the Christian holiday.

However, the War on Christmas started long before Trump’s election. The Liberty Counsel, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom and the sanctity of life, has coordinated a “Friend or Foe” Christmas campaign for 16 years to “make sure that religious viewpoints are not censored from Christmas and holiday themes.”

Liberty Counsel views the phrase “Happy Holidays” as an attack on the Christian faith.

In reality, anyone who says “Happy Holidays” is not trying to eradicate one faith, but to

Regarding marching band: In our Oct. 31 issue, an article titled “Racism resurfaces at LHS following band incident” was published that stated untrue occurences regarding the LHS marching band. The Bengal’s Purr spoke with LHS Band Director Brendan Burns to clear things up. More on page 4.

Regarding Hot Shots: Many of our readers are upset following a negative review of the Hot Shots Cafe, was published in our Oct. 31 issue. Our intent when writing reviews is never to cause any harm, nor do we wish to bring bad reputations to local businesses, especially those who are gracious enough to support our school. Howev-

er, we have an obligation as journalists to report the truth, and the review that was written was an honest account of a staff member’s experience at Hot Shots Cafe. To edit a writer’s opinion would be censorship, which is against our ethics as journalists.

Regarding remembrance stories: As seen on page 6, The Bengal’s Purr has published a story in remembrance of LHS alum, Malcolm Thorson. When remembrance stories have been published in the past, people often ask The Bengal’s Purr why the stories are as short as they are. Many feel it is disrespectful not to write more about people who have passed away. For these stories, reporters follow a strict space

By Josie Hafer Opinion Editor

include many beliefs in their holiday celebrations.

Many major religions all over the world celebrate their respective religions in the winter season. On Dec. 21, 2019, the people will celebrate Winter Solstice all over the world, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. Hanukkah begins Dec. 22 and ends Dec. 30, and the eight-day Jewish celebration is marked by the lighting of eight candles held in a menorah. Christmas will be celebrated Dec. 25, as always, and the African traditions of Kwanzaa begin the following day and last until Jan. 1.

These are just a handful of various celebrations that occur during the holiday season.

Saying “Happy Holidays” is an acknowledgement of those who celebrate differently than oneself; it is an acknowledgement that the existence of different beliefs are not grounds for discrimination based on religious belief.

Letters from the editor

guideline of 4 columns by 5 in. All photos and text are to fit in this space. The Bengal’s Purr set this standard in 2014, working with the school district social worker, to ensure fairness among all articles of this nature.

Regarding Post Malone: At The Bengal’s Purr we encourage our readers to contact us about questions or concerns they have about our publications. Terrianne Blegen, the LHS administrative secretary, reached out to us because she felt unsatisfied by the Sept. 27 review of Post Malone’s album. Due to space limitations here, the full text of her letter to the editor is available at bengalspurr.com.

-- Josie Hafer, editor-in-chief

4

News

Senior editors’ statement of correction

By Abby Bower, Josie Hafer, and Skylar Raymond Senior Editors

student in uniform was seen giving a Nazi salute before the Battle of the Bridges game on Friday, Sept. 20.

On Thursday Oct. 31, The “There’s no room for anyBengal’s Purr published a story thing like that in the band titled “Racism resurfaces at or at LHS. It’s definitely part LHS following band incident.” of a bigger problem,” Burns In this story we stated that said. kids in band uniforms were The Bengal’s Purr works observed hard chasing a Send any questions, to only minority repor t s t u d e n t concerns or letters to truth in while yelling every the editor to offensive issue. bengalspurr@ slurs.

U n In recent fortuweeks it has lewistonschools.net. nately, come to light someupon certain developments times things slip through that this statement was false. the cracks. No one on The Our research has yet to prove Bengal’s Purr staff takes this any other aspects of the story issue lightly, and we deeply to be incorrect. regret that any unnecessary In an interview with The harm was caused. We are Bengal’s Purr, LHS band working hard to make sure director Brendan Burns that nothing like this hapconfirmed that he received a pens in the future. report that at least one band

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Teachers battle for food drive

By Wendy Guo News Assistant

Every year around the holidays, LHS students and staff hold a food drive to donate to those less fortunate. This year’s food drive began Dec. 2 and ends Dec. 20, with new changes made to how and where students donate food.

The ASB leadership class created a competition between two teachers each week, and they’re given the responsibilities of collecting canned foods.

The teachers competing are: • Mike Jones vs Jordan Lockard for the first week, Dec. 2-6 • Brendan Burns vs Julie Burke for the second week, Dec. 9-13 • Mary Ann Funk vs Scott Funk to end the drive, Dec. 16-20 Two boxes representing the rivaling teachers went to each classroom, so students could choose to give canned food to their favorite teacher that’s in charge of that week.

Each pair of teachers then relays their donations and points

Lockard and Jones compete for the win. Poster courtesy of Ari Feucht.

to the next set of teachers for the following week.

The winners and losers will be announced at the Holiday Assembly Friday, Dec. 20, and the losing teacher has to kiss a pygmy goat.

The goal of this change is to create a fun way to participate in the drive, said Ari Feucht, who serves in LHS leadership as Senior Scrapbook Assistant Coordinator. She said it’s

a chance tp give back to the community in a light-hearted competition among the staff and students.

“I really hope the student body gets into the competitions between the teachers so we can bring in as much food as we can to help families and individuals in the valley,” Feucht said. “It’s all about helping and giving back!”

By Kimberly Neri Features Assistant

form, staff can specify what kind of beverage they want, and how much of additional cream or sugar they prefer.

They can order beverages as much as five days a week or once in a while with a call or email to Stone. To start, the students will deliver drinks between 8:30 and 10 a.m.

In addition to the order form, staff members will have a coffee punch card that the students would keep track of. The cards cost $10 for 10 punches, or 10 beverages.

Currently, only teachers have been invited to purchase drinks because of the limited number of students participating. There are two students each for making the coffee, deliveries, collecting mugs and washing dishes.

Life Skills students deliver coffee to LHS staff

Two Life Skills students (left) help prepare coffee for a teacher as a part of the new coffee cart service. Photo

by Kim Neri.

The students of the LHS Life Skills class are starting a daily coffee cart delivery service to the LHS staff. Organized by Robin Stone, a special education teacher, students take coffee, tea or hot chocolate drink orders from any LHS staff member. The program started in December.

The Life Skills students are doing this activity to raise money for their future cooking classes and class outings.

“It’s kind of a win-win for everybody,” Stone said. “Teachers can get coffee, and our students learn functional skills, work-type skills, and appropriate socialization.”

With their Bengal Beans order

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

News 5

LHS Thorson remembered for his strength, spirit students help fundraise

By Kimberly Neri Features Assistant

By Cade Trumbo Reporter Lewiston High School students beat Clarkston High School students in the Salvation Army Kettle Clash Thursday, Nov. 14.

The contest was part of the Lewiston Salvation Army’s Kettle Kick-off, raising funds for people in need.

The LHS students participating were Ari Feucht, Logan Hunt, Morgan Moran and Gabby Trigsted. According to Kevin Driskill, LHS principal, it was a fun experience for them while supporting a great cause for the Lewiston -Clarkston Valley.

On Oct. 30, 2019, Lewiston High School alum, Malcolm Thorson, died due to a rare form of cancer, non-rhabdo soft tissue sarcoma.

Thorson was well-known by the staff and students of LHS for his seemingly permanent smile and his strength in facing everything head-on. Tai Bausch, a senior at LHS and one of Thorson’s siblings, said that he loved everyone and everyone loved him. Molly Hendrickson, a teacher, said she remembers Thorson everytime she wears her favorite “Fri-yay“ shoes.

Thorson received a standing ovation when he graduated from LHS in 2019.

In a recent interview with Thorson’s mother, Kassi Smith said that he was a joker.

“He was always making jokes about my age,” she reminisced.

“He had an awesome person-

ality.”

Despite the many obstacles he faced because of his disease, Thorson had set plans for the future.

“He wanted to be a lineman and travel the world,” said Smith.

Smith said that Thorson would want his family and friends to remember him by his personality and his collection of hats.

“He would want to be remembered not as the kid who died of cancer, but the as the kid who fought cancer, who loved to hunt and hang out with friends,“ said Bausch.

“There was just something about him,” she added.

A Celebration of Life for Thorson will be held Friday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. at Valley Christian Center in Lewiston. A gathering will immediately follow at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston.

Smith urges everyone to purchase hats at the gathering.

The hats are in honor of Thorson and have his tattoo printed on them. The hats will cost $20 each and all proceeds will go to the Idaho Fish and Game department to help young

children with hunter safety classes.

For more of the interview with Thorson’s mother, visit bengalspurr.com.

Malcolm Thorson was known for his smile and his strength. Photo courtesy of Kassie Smith’s Facebook.

Local veterans speak

Two veterans shake hands after the Veterans Day assembly at Lewiston High School Nov. 7.

Photo by Kim Neri.

By Elsa Munster News Assistant Lewiston High School welcomed several visiting veterans at its annual Veterans Day assembly Nov. 7. Veterans Day is to honor all those who have made sacrifices for the country, according to defense.gov.

Harrison Smith, ASB president, started off the assembly by acknowledging and thanking all of the veterans who spoke with LHS leadership students during their recent visit to the Lewiston Veterans Home. Smith named off all the veterans who joined the assembly, followed by speeches from veterans Doug Welch and Dan Byer.

Welch, who is now retired, graduated from LHS in 1972. He joined the Navy and served for 42 years before he retired only four years ago. Welch said that every veteran has unique stories, and he encouraged people to ask to hear those stories. He explained that many Americans have family members who might have served, since about 7.6% of the population has served in the military, according to ncsl.org.

Welch also spoke about the 70-100 local events for veterans, such as the annual Veterans Day Parade in Lewiston, and the annual project to make Christmas packages for low-income families. He encouraged students to join the veterans in these local events.

Byer has been retired for 25 years and served in the Army. He also was an officer for a veterans group in Florida before moving back to Idaho three years ago. Byer said he wants people to support and visit veterans, and he encouraged high school students to look into enrolling with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He also explained some military benefits available, such as the GI Bill, which helps military members to get an education and medical benefits. According to vfw.org, veteran benefits also include exclusive insurance programs, financial and medical services and many retail discounts.

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Features

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Erika Pepper reflects on recieving lung transplant

By Skylar Raymond Features Editor

Erika Pepper, a former Lewiston High School student who graduated in 2013, has battled cystic fibrosis since she was born. But she recently received a lung transplant after years living with the disease.

Pepper was one of the first babies in the Northwest to receive a CF diagnosis in the womb. It happened because of a fluke when doctors saw something abnormal during a routine ultrasound and ended up doing further testing, she said.

“I never thought of myself as the ‘sick kid’ because that’s just the way I was born,” Pepper said. “It didn’t really affect my everyday life, except for the treatments I did to help my lungs.”

Pepper lived a normal childhood in Lewiston and was a very good student. Although she was battling a disease, not many people at school knew that she was even sick.

“I had a really great support group with my family and close friends, but around people at school I didn’t usually bring it up because I didn’t want people to treat me any differently,” Pepper said.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, CF is a genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time.

This means that even the common cold can be dangerous for a CF patient because it goes straight to the lungs.

During her senior year of high school, Pepper got very sick and ended up being out of school for an entire month.

“There was talk for a while that I may not even be able to graduate,” Pepper said. “That, to me, was devastating because I was a good student and this wasn’t something I could control.”

With the help of all her teachers and the administrative staff at LHS, Pepper was able to walk at graduation and get

her diploma. Her friends and family were there in support.

“My teachers and [the administrators] were very helpful during this process. They made sure that I would get that diploma and get to go to college,” Pepper said.

She lived a relatively normal life up until she turned 18. That’s when she moved out on her own, and when respiratory therapy and inhaled treatments started to take over her time in college.

“I just wanted to be independent. I took care of myself all by myself for the first time in my life,” Pepper said.

She studied at Lewis-Clark State College for elementary education. After graduating college, Pepper moved to Seattle to teach first grade. This is when her lung function percentage began to decrease Erika Pepper sits in her hospital room after months of recovery from a lung transrapidly. plant. Photo courtesy of Pepper.

“The normal person’s obviously knew I was sick. ” ined needing an organ donor, lung function can be anywhere After months of oxygen and but when her lung function from 90-106% based on how IV treatments, Pepper still kept dropped into the 30s, doctors much you can breathe out, her hope to recover. began to talk to her about opand by this time I was at about “I just always said to myself, tions.

50. I ended up getting the flu ‘One more treatment and this “I saw my doctor and he said, one day and was the sickest I could be the one.’ But after ‘I think it’s time we have a talk had ever been,” Pepper said. finishing teaching the school about the donor list because After being in the hospital year in Seattle, my doctors told you are not getting better’,” in Seattle, her doctors moved me I couldn’t teach anymore Pepper said. “I sat there in abher home to Lewiston, where because I was so prone to in- solute shock because I never she could be closer to the doc- fection.” thought I would get to that tors who worked with her CF The year 2018 was full of point.” in Spokane. She began treat- changes and illness for Pepper After an evaluation process ments that were more fre- and she said she felt “dead- with rigorous testing Pepper quent and more rigorous, but sick to the world” because she met with a transplant team in her lung function kept drop- couldn’t even walk up stairs or Seattle. ping. go grocery shopping.

“The evaluation process was “It just kept getting worse “My now-husband was so a week from hell. I had tubes and worse to the point where supportive during this process down my throat, needles my lung function was now in because we have been togeth- poked in my heart, scans done the 30s and I needed to start er since I was 18,” Pepper said. and multiple blood labs,” she being on an oxygen tank 24/7,” “He saw me go from this some- said. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyPepper said. “I went from hav- what healthy girl to becoming one. It is not a fun process at ing this invisible illness to now very sick, and he had to take all. I was absolutely miserable.” carrying a huge oxygen tank care of me.”

After all of the tests were with me at all times. People Pepper had never imag- processed and reviewed, they

went to the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). She expected to wait months before she could get her name on the donor list. But it only took one month.

“I got a call from UNOS and they told me that I was going to be put on the list, and I was in awe. It was all happening so fast and I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I was sick enough to be put on the donor list,” Pepper said.

The next step was to wait for an available transplant.

“Once you’re on the list you can expect that call at any time. It’s like you are getting ready to have a baby because you need to have a hospital bag ready and to be prepared for that call.”

Pepper expected to wait for months, if not years.

But after being on the list for just 18 hours, Pepper got the call.

“I answered the phone at around 10 p.m. and I just paced around my house and slowly grabbed all of my things. I called my mom and my husband and they came home and we just waited for the next call to start driving,” Pepper said.

When UNOS gets a donor for lungs, the donor could living or deceased. The person receiving the lungs doesn’t know much about the donor, Pepper said. Then they do all of the testing and sizing to see who the lungs can go to. A patient has to have a perfect fit for the new lungs, and they must be in a healthy condition. When these lungs became available, testing found that Pepper was the only person (out of three patients) who the lungs would fit.

Pepper and her family drove to Seattle for her surgery May 25, 2019.

That day Pepper had all of her family to support her and calm her nerves. But as they were prepping her for surgery,

Cont. on page 9

Wednesday , Dec. 18, 2019

Features

7

Christmas traditions shine bright across the world

By Kimberly Neri Features Assistant People around the world celebrate Christmas in multiple ways. For example, there are giant lantern festivals in the Philippines, a 13-meter tall Yule goat in Sweden, Kentucky Fried Chicken Christmas dinners in Japan, and an annual Cavalcade of Lights in Toronto.

Christmas, as it is known around the world today, is a religious holiday and worldwide cultural phenomenon.

Christians celebrate Christmas Day as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Regardless of religious beliefs, families of different cultures and traditions celebrate the holidays in their own unique ways. Popular Christmas traditions include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, going to church, sitting down to eat with family and friends and -- in some form or another -- awaiting the arrival of Father Christmas or Santa Claus.

At this time, LHS has two foreign exchange students and various others with different

cultural backgrounds. Here are some of their accounts of celebrating Christmas around the world. ¡Felíz Navidad!

Alvaro Rodenas de Lucas, a junior foreign exchange student at LHS, is from Spain.

He said stores in Spain start selling Christmas products in October, and people start celebrating Christmas early in December. Some of their traditions mirror more western traditions, such as waiting for Papá Noel or Father Christmas.

“I like eating dinner with [my] family and receiving gifts,” he said.

Turron, or almond nougat, is one of his favorite foods that he and his family eat on Christmas. They celebrate Christmas until Jan. 7, the Feast of the Magic Kings.

Meri Kurisumasu!

Liliya Admire, an LHS junior, is Japanese-American. According to Admire, Christmas traditions are not family-based in Japan.

“It’s more for couples and friends,” she said. “Friends will have their own little parties

The Phillipines celebrating Christmas with a beautiful lightshow. Photo courtesy of media.npr.org

and couples would go on cute little dates.”

Christmas is not as important to her Japanese mother as it is to her American dad, Admire said. Their Christmas celebrations in Lewiston have slowly been dying out, now only consisting of a meal her father

United States celebrates Christmas season by decorating trees. Photo courtesy of worldholidaytraditions.

cooks and exchanging small presents.

“We only celebrated it because it was such a big part of my dad’s life growing up,” she said.

Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan! Stephanie Ho, a sophomore foreign exchange student, is from Taiwan. According to her, people in Taiwan don’t really celebrate Christmas.

“We only celebrate Chinese New Year,” she said.

During the New Year celebration, everything is red, she said. Her family is traditional and adheres to customs that other families in Taiwan don’t necessarily follow, such as worship.

“I asked my friends if they do the things my family does for Chinese New Year,” Ho said.

“They don’t -- my family is just really traditional.”

Maayong Pasko!

In the experience of this writer, who grew up in the Philippines, people there try to celebrate Christmas for as long as possible. Big businesses and stores start decorating for the holiday as early as September.

The more religious holiday

customs start Dec. 16 with the Misa de Gallo, or early morning mass, which ends on Christmas Day. Catholics believe that when one attends all nine masses, a wish will be fulfilled.

Christmas celebrations continue until the first Sunday of January, the Feast of the Three Kings.

Merry Christmas!

Allison Bennett is a senior at LHS. She has lived in Lewiston all her life and she mainly spends Christmas with her family.

“We have a tradition of watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve right before going to bed,” she said.

What she enjoys most about Christmas are the traditions that she and her family have -- just hanging out with them, she said. She also enjoys how Lewiston celebrates the holiday season.

“I like how we have the lights strung up on trees by the North Lewiston bridge, and the tradition of people driving down Candy Cane Lane to see all of the lights that people decorate their houses with,” Bennett said.

8

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Sports

Bengal varsity basketball season commences

By Isaiah Schmidt Sports Editor

December has arrived, and that means basketball is ramping up for Bengal varsity teams.

Under head coach Steve Lear, the girls team already has four games under its belt. The Bengals girls team’s record is 1-5.

Here is a quick season recap: • Lost to Mt. View, 23-66 • Lost to Boise, 50-66 • Lost to Timberlake, 42-51 • Won over Moscow, 28-23 • Lost to Timberlake, 38-63 • Lost to Shadle Park, 44-47 For the girls Dec. 17 game, results were unavailable at press time.

The next game for the girls team will be Dec. 19, playing at

Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene.

“We’re definitely looking forward to our league games and Golden Throne,” said Sammi Grant, a senior guard for the varsity girls’ team. “Our coach is still fairly new, so [we’re] definitely just still building the program.”

The boys season started Dec. 3, with a win against Timberlake High School, 71-36. For their second game, the boys’ team also won against Shadle Park.

“It’s exciting to see the potential and talent we have as a team, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season,” said George Forsmann, a junior and a center for the boys’

varsity team.

With head coach, Jayson Ulrich, the boys team will host Moscow High School at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19, in Booth Hall.

Both teams are eyeing the ultimate prize -- the Golden Throne title against Clarkston High School. The rivalry game will take place Jan. 24.

George Forsmann focuses on dunking the ball during a daily practice Dec. 12 at Booth Hall, preparing for an upcoming game against Shadle Park. Photo by Isaiah Schmidt.

Fall sports all come to a close as the 2019 year ends

By Isaiah Schmidt Sports Editor Fall sports have all finished their 2019 season in Lewiston.

The LHS swim team sent four qualifying swimmers state-level competition. Qualifiers were Adrian Denton, Haden Keener, Luke Mastroberardino and

Mitchell Reese.

Also of note, Haden Keener, a junior, managed to dislocate his shoulder while competing in the 50-yard freestyle event.

“I definitely did feel worse when I looked at my shoulder and thought, ‘That’s not right, it’s not supposed to look like that,’” Keener said.

Even worse, he said, was not being able to truly compete at something he had put much time into.

Meanwhile, varsity football finished its season 3-6, unable to make it to playoffs. The team’s last game was Oct. 25 against Lake City in Coeur d’ Alene, which the Bengals lost,

28-52.

The varsity volleyball team lost a regional-level game against Post Falls, 2-3, on Oct. 22 in Post Falls.

For cross country, the Bengal boys team placed eighth for the NXR Northwest Regional Championships Nov. 16 at Eagle Island State Park. Caden Byrer lead the team, placing sixth overall. The Bengal girls team was unable to qualify for their championships.

Haden Keener stands, arm in a sling after dislocating his shoulder in the 50-yard freestyle event at the swim team’s state-level competition.

Photo by Isaiah Schmidt.

News

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Erika Pepper, cont. from page 6 Wrestlers begin

Erika Pepper rests moments after recieving her lung transplant. Photo courtesy of Pepper.

anxiety overtook her.

“There’s a chunk of the whole process that I do not remember,” Pepper said. “I started hyperventilating and saying I wasn’t able to do it. Finally after my mom calmed me down I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready to be knocked out now’.”

After the surgery, Pepper woke up with her family by her side. Doctors woke her in small spurts because so many things happen within the body after a transplant.

“When I woke up I had a tube down my throat to help me breathe and my arms were

tied down so I wouldn’t rip [the tubes] out when I woke up,” she said. “The first thing I remember was how uncomfortable and agitating the tube felt, and I wanted it out.”

“I couldn’t talk because of the breathing tube so they gave me a whiteboard and first I wrote ‘breathe.’ Everyone started crying because they were like, ‘Wow, this is so beautiful!

Yes, you can breathe now!’ And I was like, ‘No, get this tube out of me. I can’t breathe!’”

Weeks after the breathing tube was out and her body was healing, Pepper was able

Yearbook staff seeks photos

By Katelyn Hernandez Reporter

Students from the class of 2020 can now submit their favorite pictures online for the yearbook.

The yearbook staff seeks photos of community events and student life outside of school as soon as possible. Photos of winter sports are due before Feb. 15, and spring sports before March 13. To submit a photo, first go to yearbookforever. com. Find Lewiston Senior High School and click “Shop the Store.” Then click on “Community Upload” at the top of the page and it ask for an access code, which is “Bengals.”

Each photo should be 300 dpi or a higher resolution.

Not all of the photos can or will be used. Anyone who has questions can contact Jennifer Stubbers, yearbook adviser, at jstubbers@lewistonschools.net.

to leave the hospital. But she couldn’t go home to Lewiston while she was still recovering, so she rented an apartment in Seattle for a few months.

Now that she has a new pair of lungs and is in the perfect condition of health, Pepper’s life feels like “complete perfection,” she said. Although she is able to work, teaching elementary students will not be an option because she is still prone to infections. Pepper takes her dog on walks every day and hopes to become an online English teacher for children coming to America.

“Whenever someone asks me, ‘What are you going to do now that you have new lungs?’ [they] always expect some profound answer like, ‘Climb Mt. Everest.’ But I’m just living.

I’m just doing what I love to do, that I can [do] now, and I really value that,” Pepper said.

For updates on Pepper’s progress, or to donate to help with her medical bills, follow Erika Pepper’s New Lungs on Facebook.

9

new season

By Abby Bower Co-Managing Editor Lewiston High School wrestlers are off to a strong start for their 2019 season.

From Dec. 6-7, the team competed in a tournament at Capital High School in Boise. This tournament was a duel tournament, meaning they competed and placed as a team. Bengal wrestlers placed second overall.

This year, three of the team’s seniors, Owen Hemphill, Logan Hunt, Damon Shaw, are excited to compete in their last season of wrestling. All three of the boys have been wrestling since at least freshman year, with Shaw wrestling an additional nine years.

“This sport teaches you a lot of lessons that can’t be learned anywhere else,” Shaw said about sticking with the sport.

A team captain is chosen at the end of each season, and

last year, Hunt was picked for the role.

“It was definitely cool to be seen as a leader on the team,” Hunt said.

The wrestling team hosted a meet Dec. 17, with results unavailable at press time. Their upcoming home meets will be Jan. 22 and 29, and Feb. 5. They will also host a tournament in Booth Hall Jan. 17-18.

Logan Hunt

10

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Lists of the decade!

11

Lists of the decade!

Terrible fashion faux pas condemned to 2010s In 2019 it’s time to party like it’s 1999... or not

By Abby Bower Co-managing Editor

Throughout this decade the United States has gone through some crazy trends -- from “What Does the Fox Say?” being on the Hot 100 charts to killer clowns and people eating Tide Pods, the 2010’s have been a wild ride. Fashion choices have been no exception. Here are the ones that are most likely to shock future generations when they look through old pictures.

10) Mustaches: One morning, everyone woke up and decided that it would be a good idea to put pictures of men’s facial hair on everything they owned. Looking back, this is possibly the worst trend that has come and gone.

9) Low-rise jeans: Thankfully, as high-rise jeans come back into style, more and more people agree that lowrise jeans are not something that should ever be worn.

They aren’t cute and they aren’t comfortable, and those are, like, the only two rules to follow when picking out clothes.

8) Fingerless gloves: It’s definitely time to make Claire’s pay for letting us buy these. Either wear gloves or don’t. Punk-rock guitarists and motorcyclists get a pass on this one, but there’s really no reason for an elementary/junior high-age girl to be walking around with fingerless gloves on.

7) High-heel tennis shoes: Not only are these atrocious, they’re the least functional thing on this list. Putting a

heel on a tennis shoe defeats the purpose of both shoes!

It’s half a heel, so it’s no good for running, and it’s half a tennis shoe, so no one can wear it to a fancy event!

6) Long-back skirts: Skirts are a power move -- no one can deny that. But anyone who thinks it’s OK to wear one of these in 2019 needs to reevaluate. Adding a floorlength back to a perfectly good short skirt is shameful and everyone should be able to see this by now.

5) T-shirts with comic bookish drawings on them: It feels like somebody wore one of these every day from 4th to 6th grade. They are poorly drawn, poorly designed, and the jokes aren’t even funny.

4) Any clothes with unnecessary fur: No one is saying

that a cute jacket with a fur hood is a complete fashion mistake. But faux fur is definitely hit or miss. Some fur items from the early 2010s that belong on the miss list include: sandals, phone cases, tank tops and shawls.

(And the list goes on and on.)

pair of Converse at one point.

But knee-high Converse? Not only are they not cute, but they take at least five minutes to put on because of all the shoelace holes. There is no reason anyone should need a written article to tell them not to wear these.

3) Thin scarves: A scarf can make or break an outfit. Unfortunately, from 2005 to 2009 they did mostly the latter. Sure, everyone saw Ashley Tisdale kill it with her T-shirt and thin scarf look at every Disney Channel red carpet event. Thankfully, looking back, almost everyone can agree that a thin scarf paired with a short-sleeve shirt is not cute.

1) Plaid Bermuda shortsProps to anyone who can say that they never wore a pair of these when they were growing up. These shorts practically scream, “I’m making a mistake!” But it’s a mistake that a lot of people made, so at least there’s some solidarity.

2) Knee-high Converse: Converse are cute shoes, and just about everyone and their dog currently has or has had a

Dabbing among decade’s worst trends

By Krystal Barber Opinion Assistant

Loom bracelets: Especially in 2013, loom bracelets were very popular and every 5ththrough 7th-grader could be seen wearing them at any given time. These were the worst because everyone thought t h e y were the coolest t h i n g t h e y owned, and wanted to show everyone how cool their bracelets were.

The Harlem Shake: In the early parts of the 2010s, the biggest trend was a dance by the name of “The Harlem Shake.”

This involves leaning as far back as one can and basically imitating a fish out of water.

Fidget Spinners: In 2017, fidget spinners took over the lives of children, middle-schoolers, and high-schoolers everywhere. Teachers began banning them from classrooms due to the distractions they caused to the students. Instead of doing their work, kids would play with their fidget spinners and show their friends the “cool tricks” they could do.

Bottle flipping: In 2016, a teenager posted a video of himself throwing a water bottle in a

flipping motion in order for it to land upright. Once this video went viral, people around the kitchen began doing this in an attempt to impress their peers.

Dabbing: Dabbing was one of the worst dances to ever come into modern popularity, only surpassed by flossing. This is where someone leans t h e i r h e a d d ow n a n d throw their arms across their face in a moment of victory. It quickly became old and annoying as it was when people would “dab on ‘em” meaning that you did something superior to another person.

Social media influencers: With the rise of social media in everyday life has also come the birth of social media influencers. These people have quickly gained traction with

fame and even money. They often are caught in the midst of scandals involving racism or another form of inappropriate behavior. However, they are never made to learn from their mistakes and they continue getting the support of their followers.

Riding on suitcases: For some reason in previous years people took to riding on suitcases in airports rather than just dragging them behind as people had always done. It just looks lazy and causes the people nearby to be irritated when people ride along, not caring about other people’s space.

Flossing: Here is the only dance worse than dabbing.

A flosser quickly moves their arms side to side while also alternating them in front of and behind their body. Don’t do it.

(Left) The character Squidward dabs in a meme that grew popular in 2016. Image courtesy of bing.com.

By Krystal Barber and Josie Hafer Opinion columnists

As we approach the next decade, it is important to look back on the past. Translated for modern times, the lyrics of Prince’s classic “1999“ (released in 1982) give some hints as to what to expect in the here and now. {Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you I only want you to have some fun} JH: At the time, this lyric probably seemed light-hearted and playful. It can be seen as someone trying to con-

vince the wallflowers at a party to come and join in the fun.

KB: Today this lyric sounds very creepy. This sounds like someone trying to coerce somebody into having sex with them. Today this line may as well be written as, “You can trust me, I can make you feel good.”

{So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s nineteen ninety-nine} JH: Parties were the place to be in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and no party was complete without a boombox blaring the top hits!

{But life is just a party and parties weren’t meant to last War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight So if I gotta die I’m gonna listen to my body tonight} on this section} KB: Millenials and Generation Z have high depression rates, so they often party to deny that anything is wrong.

{If you didn’t come to party, don’t bother knockin’ on my door, oww I got a lion in my pocket and baby he’s ready to roar, yeah hey} JH: this line was probably about just letting loose and

having fun. It wasn’t meant to sound creepy.

KB: Now it could almost sound like if you don’t want to go along with whatever somebody wants to do, there is no point in coming around. {Everybody’s got a bomb, we could all die any day, oh But before I let that happen, I’ll dance my life away, oh ho} KB: This sounds almost political, like with the constant threat of public danger with shootings, or specifically here, bombings, which are also an occurence we see far too often in out society.

Prince

Top 10 crazy celebrity moments of the decade, ranked

By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant 10) Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez break up -- The two singers dated on and off beginning in 2011, but broke it off completely in 2014. Although Gomez is still looking for the one, Bieber happily married his wife Hailey Baldwin in 2018.

9) One Direction becomes a band, and then splits -- Simon Cowell created the group in 2010 during the seventh season of Britain’s X-Factor. The boy band would grow to become one of the biggest of its kind in the world. Unfortunately for all young women, the group broke up in 2015. No one has fully recovered.

8) Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial -- Model Kendall Jenner starred in a controversial 2017 Pepsi commercial. In the advertisement Jenner stops a photo shoot to go join a protest, where she confronts police officers with a Pepsi, ending police brutality. After initially standing by the commercial, Pepsi pulled it one day afterward due to the extreme criticism and backlash.

7) Ariana Grande licks doughnut -- In July of 2017, Ariana Grande was caught on security camera footage at an LA doughnut shop where she licked a doughnut on a tray. She then went on to say, “I hate America,” and criticize the doughnuts. The popular singer quickly released an apology but as INSIDER says, “the Internet never forgets.”

6) Travis Scott falls off stage -- During a Drake concert in London in 2017, rapper Travis Scott was brought out on stage as a guest. While calling out to the crowd Scott fell through a hole in the stage.

In many audience videos, he can be heard yelling, “London, yeah!” in auto-tune as he flies off stage.

5) Logan Paul vlogs in Japan’s suicide forest -- In January of 2018, YouTube star Logan Paul kicked off the new year with a shocking vlog from Japan. In the video, Paul and some friends go into a Japanese forest known for suicides, and procede to film and post footage of an uncensored dead body. YouTube quickly took the video down, but the damage was already done. Overnight, Paul virtually ruined his career before making a few apology videos. He is still vlogging to this day.

4) Justin Bieber gets arrested -- In 2014, Justin Bieber’s mugshot was released to the world. He was arrested on a DUI after street racing, driving drunk and high, driving without a license, and resisting arrest. Best of all, the star pop singer was released from jail only an hour after the judge set a $2,500 bond.

3) Miley Cyrus twerked at the VMAs -- Miley Cyrus forever changed her public image after twerking on Robin Thicke during a performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Sporting a nude spandex two-piece costume, the former Disney star shocked the audience with her dancing and sexual gestures.

2) Kanye West called slavery a choice -- During a 2018 TMZ interview, rapper Kanye West made many claims. The most outstanding of these was his stance on slavery. West said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” He also said that, “You were there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all. It’s like we’re mentally imprisoned.” After shocking the nation, West later apologized in a radio talk show.

1) Lady Gaga’s meat dress -- Lady Gaga kicked off the decade with her iconic meat dress on the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet. Surprisingly, the dress was not thrown out but “jerkied” and displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

12 Entertainment

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Last Christmas is worst holiday movie of 2019

By Ellie Hafer Entertainment Co-Editor

When it comes to predictable Christmas movies, Last Christmas is the winner; meaning it’s the most predictable, which makes it the worst.

The movie, which is written by and stars Emma Thompson, can be summarized by just listening to the 1980s song that inspired it. Released Nov. 8, the movie flops with a terribly predictable plot, awkward writing and an unnecessary Brexit subplot.

This film does a real disservice to Wham!’s classic holiday hit by the same name.

Its writer, George Michael, is probably turning over in his grave. And if he were alive to see this disaster of a film, he’d probably wish he were dead.

Last Christmas follows Kate (Emilia Clarke), a wannabe singer with an unrefined lifestyle. She works as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, where she meets the mysterious Tom (hello, clichés!). Tom

only rides a bike for transportation, doesn’t have a phone and disappears for days at a time. Because this is a terribly cheesy holiday film, Kate doesn’t find any of this odd.

If this movie were any bit realistic, Kate would have put a restraining order against Tom the first chance she got.

Kate’s favorite song is George Michael’s “Last Christmas,” which she listens to multiple times throughout the movie. This explains the title.

The story reveals that Kate used to be very sick, and a year before, she had received a heart transplant. She tells Tom that she hadn’t felt whole after her surgery until she met him. If that doesn’t completely give the ending away, the story later brings to light that Tom died the year before in a bike accident.

Kate received his heart in an organ transplant.

So Tom is a ghost. This explains why Tom always rides a bike, doesn’t have a

Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke star as Hallmark-esque couple Tom and Kate. Photo courtesy of IMDb.com.

phone and doesn't interact with anyone but Kate.

If that isn't unappealing enough, the writers sneak in a thinly veiled Brexit subplot.

(As the BBC explains it, “Brexit” is the term for actions that Britain is taking to secede from the European Union.)

Thompson casts herself as a depressed Yugoslavian immigrant, also the mother of Kate. Thompson’s Eastern European accent is awful.

There could have been ways

to work political undertones (that is the purpose of media, after all) but thizs misses the mark by a long shot.

The film version of Last Christmas is a total trainwreck, like some terrible Hallmark Channel reject.

Instead of wasting money on this film, go watch Home Alone. Now that’s a Christmas classic. To sum it up, Last Christmas is a holiday film no one should ever have to watch. From the terrible writ-

ing, ridiculously obvious plot, and terribly orchastrated poltical message, Last Christmas deserves a 3/10.

Kate talks with her boss, who is called Santa (Michelle Yeoh). Photo courtesy of IMDb.com.

Wednesday Dec. 18, 2019

Entertainment 13

Top five best albums released this decade

By Eli Thomas Co-Entertainment Editor

As the years go on, many can agree on the defining albums from each decade. As the second decade of the 21st century winds down, many are discussing the music that defined these years the best. Out of the thousands of albums that have come out, here are my picks.

5. Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma (2010): Flylo started out the decade by giving the world a mind-altering, face-melting mix of jazz and electronic music. This mixture has led to a very abstract sound that not many artists can match or even replicate. His skills as a producer are evident with moments like “Galaxy in Janaki”, “Zodiac” and “Nose Art.” 4. David Bowie, Blackstar (2016): The rock legend’s 25th album came out two days before his death from liver cancer. The lyrical content of this album is chilling as most of

The covers of the top five albums of the decade, from left to right: Cosmogramma, Blackstar and To Pimp a Butterfly. Bottom row: Some Rap Songs and A Moon Shaped Pool. Images courtesy of Genius.com.

them deal with themes such as death and the afterlife. Bowie’s album also takes on a jazzier, more experimental sound.

3. Earl Sweatshirt, Some Rap Songs (2018): This album is

much more than what the title suggests. Earl manages to cram both beautiful songs, like “Azucar,” with darker moments, such as “December 24.”

This 25-minute album flows

like one cohesive piece. It is an emotional rollercoaster that never gets old, and it’s backed by some of the most unique instrumentals of the decade.

2. Radiohead, A Moon

Shaped Pool (2016): Not a lot of bands over the past 30 years have pushed the boundaries of rock as far and as well as Radiohead has. They continue to prove their status this decade with one of their most emotional albums yet.

1. Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly (2015): Kendrick Lamar released a decade-defining masterpiece in 2015. This masterpiece came in the form of a concept album based around a poem that Lamar wrote to the late rapper Tupac Shakur, with jazzy, funk-infused instrumentals. Few songs capture raw emotion as well as “u” and “The Blacker the Berry.” Few songs discuss social justice as well as “Alright” and “i.” Few albums achieve what this one does.

To complain about either of these lists, email bengalspurr@ lewistonschools.net.

Top five worst albums released this decade

By Eli Thomas Co-Entertainment Editor

While the last 10 years have delivered some of the most well-written and cutting-edge music of all time, they have also produced a fair share of throwaway garbage that is an embarrassment to the music industry as a whole. Here are the top five worst from the decade.

5.XXXTENTACION,17 (2017): Nobody played a bigger role in bringing emo-flavored hiphop to the mainstream than the late X. This album solidified his position as one of the most influential rappers of the decade. But that is pretty terrible considering that this album is filled with pathetic songs with no real emotion at all. The song ideas are underwhelming, with some so short they can’t even tell what they want to be. Examples include “Save Me” and “Orlando.”

4. Chance the Rapper, The Big Day (2019): The Big Day sounds like an exciting title, but this makes it even more disappointing . It is essentially Chance telling the listener about his new wife and their amazing marriage over half-hearted beats. The song “Hot Shower,” for instance, is an atrocity to hip-hop alone, due to the awful lyrics and lack of musical substance.

3.

Blink-182, California (2016): Blink-182 continues the attempts to update its sound from 20 years ago, just like any washed-up band would. And like with most washed-up bands, these attempts fall flat, creating some of the most headache-inducing rock music of the 2010s.

The song “Los Angeles” might be the worst song about California ever, and that’s saying something. When will this

band realize it is time to move on?

2. Linkin Park, One More Light (2017): For anyone who wants to hear a disgustingly sanitized, overproduced album, look no further. One More Light is part pop disaster, part lifeless rock, part commercial nightmare. Every song sounds like a horrendous attempt for the band to land a radio hit that might bring them some relevance for the first time in 10 years.

1. Kanye West, Jesus is King (2019): When Kanye is making gospel music about Chick-fil-a, you know he has lost it. ‘Ye’s first album as a born-again Christan (or someone just off his meds) is laughable to say the least. This is not because of the Christan theme itself, but because Kanye somehow still makes the album all about himself, backing it all with lifeless gospel-flavored instru-

Chance released his album in July. Photo courtesy of Genius.com

mentals. It is hard to take his praise of Jesus seriously, considering some of his lyrics on albums like Yeezus and The

Life of Pablo. It is hard to believe the same man who gave the world College Dropout made this.

14

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Entertainment

Frozen II doesn’t top original Christmas lights

come to the valley

By Wendy Guo News Assistant

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Sven gather together to plan their journey. Image courtesy of Disney.com.

By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant Being one of the most anticipated movie releases of 2019, Frozen II had a pretty high bar to reach. Six years after the original animated film, Disney finally released this sequel Nov. 22. Although mainly targeted for a younger audience, it appeals to all age groups.

This film picks up where the first left off. The original characters join Elsa in a magical forest after magical spirits call her there. Although it’s mainly Elsa’s storyline, the main characters from the original play a big part in keeping the movie entertaining as well as in moving the plot forward.

Unlike the first movie, the cinematography and editing with Frozen II take the spotlight over the writing. The scenery and digital magic are captivating, even when they hold no weight to the storyline. The animators outdo themselves with

imagery that adds enough to the movie that it wouldn’t be the same without it.

The plot, though, is where the movie is mainly lacking.

The storyline tries to follow a theme, and while it offers some underlying lessons, there’s little sense of inspiration or emotional weight at the end of the movie. A good portion of the themes covered in the film are also featured in the original, which feels redundant.

Although the sequel makes an attempt to refresh people’s memories of what happened in the first movie, some things are left out. This makes the story confusing for some of the youngest viewers who don’t remember the first movie or for those who never saw the original.

Perhaps the most significant difference between the original and its sequel is the use of music. Surprisingly, the original movie has three more songs than the second, but the

Anna gives Olaf his stick arms back. Image courtesy of Disney.com

filmmakers use them in very different ways. The original uses music to move the plot forward (i.e., Elsa’s “Let it Go”) while the second film feels more like a musical, with songs that do nothing for the plot.

None of the new songs stand out, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoyable.

Anna, Elsa’s sister, is a beloved character in the original but comes across as an annoying hindrance in this edition. She sets back the plot numerous times and is almost whiney, lacking all confidence that her sister can do what she needs to do.

Considering Frozen II as a whole, it isn’t outstanding.

But it is still a very enjoyable and recommendable movie. It is worth the watch in the theater, even if it doesn’t meet the high bar set by the original.

For these reasons, Frozen II deserves a 7/10.

The 33rd annual Lighted Christmas Parade began its festivities Saturday, Dec. 7, on Sixth Street in Clarkston. From LHS, the marching band bundled up to perform in the parade.

“I always enjoy playing [the mellophone] at the holiday parade,” said Luke Purcell, a junior. “It does get cold out, but once we get moving, you don’t notice it.”

Another junior, Colt Christie, also loves performing for the marching band, but doesn’t feel the same about weather.

“It’s cool seeing all the kids smiling and decorating our instruments,” said Christie, who plays the saxophone. “But I’m

not a fan of the cold and it’s hard to play our instruments.”

The parade was free for everybody to watch and to be surrounded with holiday cheer. It wasn’t just for the children or elders to enjoy.

This local holiday tradition happens every year on the first Saturday in December, hosted by the Lewis-Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce.

This year, the theme was “Christmas Memories.” Dozens of floats, ATVs and marching bands brought out the excitement of the holidays that lit up the streets. For the first time this year, KLEW streamed the parade live at klewtv.com. The following week, it was broadcasted on Channel 3 - KLEW, according to lcvalleychamber. org.

www.bengalspurr.com

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Entertainment

15

Locomotive Park continues to be town favorite

By Wendy Guo News Assistant

interest and they met over a business breakfast. According to the Lewiston Tribune, Kop The Lewiston-Clarkston czynski sketched the idea of community gathered illuminating the 90-ton engine Saturday, Nov. 23, for the on a napkin. He explained to annual tradition of the lighting the Tribune that his intentions ceremony at Locomotive Park were a bit selfish. “If you have on Main Street in downtown ever been at the park on a FriLewiston. Dancers from River day night and see the joys on City Dance, Dance Dynamics people’s faces, there’s nothing and Footnotes performed as more rewarding.” well as Gold Voices from LHS For the first year, lights hung for the community before on only a dozen trees along lighting. with the locomotive. 20 to 30 This event has been a electricians worked, laying fundamental part of the strings in plastic pipe to get community’s winter holiday power to the engine. traditions for over two decades. Since then, the Winter Spirit “My family always enjoy organization puts all donated walking through the park and proceeds to the lights, looking at the lights,”Gabby equipment or the electrical Trigsted said of Lewiston. “This bill. event in my household is the It’s the best way to get in kickoff of the Christmas spirit!” the holiday spirit with family Hosted by Winter Spirit, a or friends by seeing hundreds nonprofit organization, this of vibrant lights illuminating tradition began from humble the trees and pathways. Not beginnings. Over 20 years ago, to mention, all the fun photo Larry Kopczynski, a licensed opportunities! electrical engineer, saw the po- According to winterspirit. tential of Lewiston parks after com, volunteers began setting viewing a holiday light display up lights in late October and in Tacoma. This peaked Lewis- will remove them after the first ton Chamber of Commerce’s weekend of January.

The lighted trees at Locomotive Park glow brilliantly for the community of Lewiston to enjoy.

Photo courtesy of Winter Spirit.

LHS Drama Christmas play tours Lewiston schools

By Jazmyne Hartogh Business Manager

The cast of “A Holiday for Wanda” smiles happily after their performance at the Juvenile Corrections Center in Lewiston. Photo by Ellie Hafer.

The annual LHS Christmas play toured local schools this month, ending with a performance at LHS on Dec. 20.

Senior Ani Galeano wrote and directed this year’s Christmas play titled “A Holiday for Wanda.” Junior Trinity Weigand helps assistant direct “Last year, I was a junior, and I was assistant director I kept thinking about what I was going to do this year when I wrote it. I just wanted it to be inclusive, I incorporated a lot of different aspects,” said Ani Galeano.

The play is about a group of young animals arguing about which winter holiday is the best, after the discovery of the literal key of Christmas. A wise walrus named Wanda, who has

traveled all around the world and celebrated many different holidays, helps settle the argument between the young animals.

“A Holiday for Wanda” featured an all-senior cast. The cast consisted of: • Eve Schmidt as Wanda the walrus, • Krystal Barber as Felix the fox, • Kari Wilsey as Rosie the reindeer, • Max Galeano as Hoppy the hare, • Ellie Hafer as Pepper the penguin, • Ray Littlejohn as Santa.

Eve Schmidt explains what she found most exciting about the play.

“I’m pretty excited. I think it’s really cool given the theme. I love going on the Christmas tour,” said Eve Schmidt. the Christmas assembly.

16 Entertainment

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Henry Pals wins Mr. LHS title for class of 2020

By Jazmyne Hartogh Business Manager

Henry Pals won out of seven of Lewiston High School’s senior boys in the Mr. LHS competition Nov. 21 in the school auditorium “I had a really great time. It was super fun just doing stupid stuff in front of the whole crowd. They were really responsive,” said Pals.

The fun-filled night brought in almost a full house, beginning with the introduction of the boys, followed by fitness, swimwear, talent, interview and composure, and ending with awards.

With Pals, other winners included first runner-up, Logan Hunt, and second runner-up,

Dylan Horak. The winner of the fitness category was Hunt, and Kooper Baldwin won in the swimwear category. The talent award was granted to Pals for his tumbling act. Composure was awarded to Horak while interview was awarded to Hunt.

The final award of most spirited went to Donovan Hammond.

“I thought it was a lot of fun.

I have wanted to do it since I saw it sophomore year,” explained Baldwin.

The senior cheerleaders and coach hosted the competition and put on a spectacular performance. From the community, 39 businesses sponsored the event. Funds raised from Mr. LHS go toward the cheerleaders competition funds.

Henry Pals stands above his competition during Mr. LHS on Nov. 21. Photo by Jazmyne Hartogh.

Downtown coffee shop begins to impress customers

By Sophie Hunter Entertainment Assistant Tucked away on Main Street, Blue Lantern is a hidden gem in downtown Lewiston. This coffeehouse and wine bar serves various espresso drinks and baked goods. The items

discussed in this review are the peanut butter chocolate chip scone and a vanilla latte.

Even before entering, one is met with a small section for outdoor seating decorated with hanging flower pots. As customers walk up the stairs, they can marvel at the mas-

sive marble pillars that frame the elevated glass of the cafe.

Walking in, the space has a rustic, homey feel. Scattered with greenery, different types of seating, and artwork displayed for sale, the cafe offers a laid back feel where one could get work done on their laptop or share a drink with a friend. The area was cleaned and kept neat throughout customers coming and going.

One of the best seats in the

house is the tables by the window. Since the building is elevated, customers have a great view of Main Street, which is notably more scenic during night time with all of the lights.

The cashier was very friendly, and the service was quick but not rushed. The drink was served in a mug and topped with latte art, while the scone was neatly plated. The scone was a little on the dry side, but the delicious drizzle helped

with the crumbliness. It had the perfect amount of chocolate chip to dough ratio, which paired perfectly with the vanilla latte. The milk was steamed to perfection, and the coffee itself tasted fantastic. One can tell that thought was put into making sure that the shots were not too burned or undercooked, as it would easily show in a drink that wasn’t heavily flavored. For these reasons, Blue Lantern gets a 7/10.

Holidays for music department

By Ellie Hafer Co-Entertainment Editor

Vanilla latte from the Blue Lantern Cafe. Photo by Sophie Hunter.

The holiday season is one of the busiest for the music department at Lewiston High School.

On Dec. 17, the bands and choirs held their annual Christmas concert in the LHS auditorium. Various holiday classics were performed, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Gold Voices and the LHS Drama Club will perform the annual Christmas tour Dec. 18

and 19 at all Lewiston schools and other locations in the community. The Christmas play is a short play written by LHS senior, Ani Galeano.

Gold Voices and Drama Club are performing at the LHS Christmas assembly Dec. 20 before students are released for Christmas break.

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Features 17

“Grinches” known to walk the high school hallways

By Jazmyne Hartogh Business Manager Even though the LHS hallways are filled with joy this month, not all staff and students find the holiday season a wonderful time. In fact, a few of them fall into the category of a grinch.

The Grinch is a fictional character, first seen in Dr. Suess’ book How the Grinch Stole Christmas and then later adapted into multiple movies.

One of the most commonly referenced films is from 2000, starring Jim Carrey.

The entertaining film tells the story of a grumpy green man, the Grinch, and his dog.

The two live on the outskirts of Whoville. The goal of the Grinch is to ruin Christmas for the Whos. However, at the end of the movie (SPOILER ALERT), the Grinch finds joy in Christmas and helps the Whos to restore what he once ruined, as explained on IMBD. com.

To understand what it takes to be a grinch, one must begin by celebrating Christmas. This may seem ironic, but if one does not celebrate a holiday,

then no opinion of hate or love can be formed based upon the holiday. Continuing, the word “grinch” is hard to define precisely, but the Merriam-Webster Dictionary does a fantastic job at it. A grinch defined is a grumpy person who spoils the pleasure of others.

Many self-defined or unknowing grinches roam the school day after day. A few of these people are our beloved teachers.

One of the science teachers, Kristen Delp, is usually a delightful person, but she happens to be a low-key grinch during the holiday season.

“Absolutely no Christmas music before Thanksgiving.

But I have low-key watched a few Christmas movies,“ said Delp.

Although Delp has dabbled with a few Christmas films, her dislike for Christmas music as early as November puts her on the list of grinches. If it weren’t for her dislike of the catchy Christmas tunes, Delp would be classified as Cindy Lou Who. Cindy Lou Who is the protagonist of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, while the Grinch is the antagonist. She

is defined as joyful and has a very kind heart according to thegrinchiah.weebly.com. A Cindy Lou Who is somebody who embraces the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas varies; however, it all ties back to the joy of the holiday.

Another one of our school grinches is Mike Jones. Jones explained how he is a reformed grinch.

“Instead of kids getting what they wanted and being happy, I saw the kids that didn›t get what they wanted and were sad,” Jones said. “I was really down on Christmas for a long, long time, simply because of its commercialization, its lack of true meaning.”

But his outlook changed when he had kids of his own.

“I realized that I got to redo my childhood basically through my kids. We got to develop traditions of our own,“ said Jones.

Jones is a wonderful example of the Grinch in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch is a mean one for the majority of the film, leading up to the holiday of Christmas.

After Cindy Lou Who helps the

The Grinch ventures out to go take away Christmas. Photo courtesy of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Grinch see the best of Christmas, he then changes his mind and enjoys Christmas after all.

If Jones is the Grinch, then his daughters are his Cindy Lou Whos.

Math teacher, Dave Cornelia, acts like a grinch out of love.

“It’s hard not to be a grinch when my wife goes overboard… It is mostly the number of gifts she wants to buy our kids,” Cornelia said. “Part of my grinch is -- some of it’s an act. I’ve got to tease her, because if I agree with her with everything, I wouldn’t have any money.”

The list of grinches is not narrowed down to teachers only.

Senior, Evan Potter, indeed

has pronounced himself as a grinch.

“I hate all the (Christmas) movies.

Any romantic Christmas movies -- I want to punch them in the face,“ said Potter.

While Potter has strong feelings about the entertainment surrounding Christmas, he has one holiday weakness.

“I like sitting around with people and drinking eggnog,“ he admitted.

For Potter, if there were no saving grace for surviving this holiday, life would be miserable, although eggnog is the one thing that keeps him going.

The Grinch shows his unhappiness during Christmas. Photo courtesy of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

18 Variety

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Bells

Gingerbread

Candycane

Hot Chocolate

Caroling

Mistletoe

Chestnuts

Nutcracker

Chimney

Ornaments

Cider

Presents

Coal

Reindeer

Cookie

Snowman

Eggnog

Sledding

Elf

Tinsel

Fruitcake Across: 6. The month of Christmas 9. These round items are placed on trees for decoration 11.This company makes cheesy holiday movies 12.This is what presents are covered in to keep it a suprise 15. This holiday falls on December 25th every year 17. The singer of All I Want for Christmas is You 18.This treat is used to build fun little houses with candy for decoration 19.This famous snowman’s name 20.This is where Santa’s Workshop is located Down: 1.This is decorated with lights and ornaments.

2.When a lake freezes over you can put on skates and go ...

3.A delicious treat decorated with red and white stripes 4.Santa’s sleigh is pull by these animals 5.These socks are hung above the fireplace 7.Santa’s little helper 8. When it is cold outside these white flakes fall from the sky 10.This holiday drink is warm and sweet 13.When two people stand under this they are supposed to kiss.

14.This holiday drink is made with raw eggs 16.When snow is on the ground, kids will hop on a sleigh and go ...

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

Meet the Staff

Variety

How do you give gifts?

By Elsa Munster Features Assistant With Christmas coming up, it’s important to realize the type of gift givers friends and family might be like, according to their star sign.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Waits until the last minute and impulsively buys the first thing they see.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Gets people restaurant gift cards in hopes that they will take them out to eat.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Buys the most trendy item for their friends.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Gives thoughtful and meaningful gifts with emotion.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Goes broke to spoil their friends.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Gives people useful gifts.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Gets their friends a lot of gifts in hopes that they will get gifts back.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Does not give gifts unless explicitly told to do so.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec 21) -- Gets exactly what their friends told them that they wanted.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) -- Won’t buy friends expensive gifts so they can save money.

Aquarius (Jan. 2 -Feb. 18) -- Gets their friends weird, funny joke gifts.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Creatively makes their own gifts for others.

Editor-in-Chief..............................................................................................Josie Hafer Managing Editors..........................................................Abby Bower, Skylar Raymond News Editor.................................................................................................Abby Bower

Entertainment Editors...............................................................Ellie Hafer, Eli Thomas Sports Editor...........................................................................................Isaiah Schmidt Copyeditors...................................................... Abby Bower, Wendy Guo, Josie Hafer, Elsa Munster, Skylar Raymond Business and Distribution Manager................................................Jazmyne Hartogh News Assistants.........................................................Krystal Barber, Jazmyne Hartogh, Taysia Mendenhall, Lindsey Sexton Features Assistants.................................Elsa Munster, Kim Neri, Taysia Mendenhall Opinion Assistant...................................................................................Krystal Barber Staff Reporters........................................ Wendy Guo, Sophie Hunter, Isaiah Schmidt General Assignment Reporters ..................................... Intro to Journalism students Adviser.....................................................................Charity Thompson Egland

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Answers from page 18

Features Editor....................................................................................Skylar Raymond Opinion Editor..............................................................................................Josie Hafer

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Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019

THE BENGAL’S PURR