March 2015 by Borah Senator

Borah Bio

March 31, 2015

Cover artist enjoys drawing for people By Harmony Soto

hsoto@borahsenator.com Junior Reed Ellsworth has been drawing since he could remember. “I started when I was like 2 years old--I’ve always been painting and drawing.” Out of more than 200 students, Ellsworth was recently chosen as one of the winners of the Boise Art Museum’s Higher Ground contest for a special exhibit hosted by the museum itself. Although he’s proud of this achievement, he said this wasn’t his proudest

moment of his art career. He recalls a time in second grade when he drew a squid, only to find that it had gone missing a few hours later. “I put it on top of an armoire-cabinetthing, and I came back to it a few hours later to find it missing. No one had seen it and no one knew where it went, and I got so upset. It looked so cool!” However, Ellsworth finds himself a little bit different from other artists. He doesn’t use his art for personal expression, and instead utilizes it for something else. “Most of the drawings I do are gifts for other people, because it’s a personal and thoughtful thing and I usually have no idea what else to do,” he said. The birds showcased in this issue were commissioned by a friend who was planning a birthday party for someone who studied birds in college. Ellsworth also designed junior Chloe Fender’s student council election posters. Ellsworth finds inspiration from Ralph Steadman, a British cartoon artist known for illustrating several of Hunter S. Thompson’s books. “He’s got a super unique style,” said Ellsworth. “It never looks super technically talented, but it’s always a complete picture.” Ellsworth’s favorite medium to work with is traditional ink on paper.

Staff

Head Honchos: Editor-in-Chiefs: Harmony Soto and Joy Wilson Assistant to the Adviser: Jake Fletcher Photo Manager: Kassie Gillespie Advertising Manager: Amanda Wester Web Editor: Edward Dunn and Sage Rogers Assistant Web Editor: Aurora Wellington Graphic Designer: Joy Wilson, Edward Dunn Editorial Cartoonist: Monica Alder and Abigail Roundtree Page Editors: Cover: Joy Wilson Borah Bio: Ashley Sagrero News: Jake Fletcher Opinion: Madalyn Parrish and Harmony Soto Life: Ashlee Gillespie Double Truck: Harmony Soto and Joy Wilson Sports: Amanda Wester Fun & Games: Hana Krogness Writers: Carter Spjute and Wes Loertscher Adviser: Michelle Harmon

In memory of a ‘cool kid,’ Jared Ellis By Ashley Sagrero

asagrero@borahsenator.com Spread all over the table were his quotes, his pictures, some glue sticks, and construction paper. Guests were given the option to create their own memorial of junior Jared Ellis. The wake, a gathering of friends and family, was held Feb. 28 of this year and was open to anyone who wanted to pay their respects. Ellis was diagnosed with cancer his sophomore year in January 2014. He passed away January 27 2015. Ellis was an athlete who played football. Sometimes on weekends he would wake up early to go running or just the park to play football with a friend. “We would wake up at 7 o’clock on weekends,” explained junior Ocean Chavez. These activities slowly stopped as the cancer progressed.

Ellis was full of life and loved to joke around about everything. He saw most moments as one of opportunity. Chavez, a close friend for four years, explained how he once challenged an upperclassmen to wrestle, although Ellis hadn’t had much to any training for it. Chavez said Ellis wasn’t embarrassed or shy about talking to new people. Ellis once challenged Chavez at a BSU game to see who could get more kisses from girls, masking their identity by saying they were freshman at the university. Chavez also recalled a time when he, Ellis, and another of Ellis’ close friends, Jaime Armijo, taught a girl how to twerk in the mall, adding that Ellis “didn’t care what people thought about him.” It got harder for Jared to do simple things as the months passed. It hurt him to laugh, when it came to simple tasks

such as watching comedy movies. He didn’t like people to see him sad or upset. Chemotherapy was going well until the last appointment that messed up his lungs, according to Chavez. The doctors had to put a tube in to help him breathe, although it didn’t help much. He eventually passed away, peacefully. “He probably wanted to go out having sex, but peacefully was good, too,” joked Chavez. At the wake, Chavez was afraid that people may not show up but slowly a crowd was drawn in. The music was played was from his phone, and whatever played was not changed. Chavez teasingly suggested the gangster rap drove away Principal Tim Standlee. The school nurse, Barb Thomas, explained it as a place to go and gather with people that knew him to celebrate his life.

Photo from Jared Ellis’s Facebook profile

Opinion

The Borah Senator

States are attempting to make U.S. history more patriotic Staff Editorial In the fall of 2014, Jefferson County in Colorado proposed to “censor” the history program in its schools. The purpose was not to get rid of AP U.S. history, but to ‘recall’ the U.S. history curriculum and rewrite it so that it doesn’t negatively reflect on the United States. Oklahoma on the other hand wants to totally ban AP U.S. history and prohibit public schools from teaching it. History and patriotism are relatable, but they do not go hand in hand. The purpose of AP U.S. history is to teach historical events in deep detail. If it was not taught in schools anymore it would not promote patriotism, instead, it would make students unaware of the true struggles and victories actually experienced by the country. History by definition is ‘the study of

Readers respond to Islamophobia article with mixed emotions All letters are left in the state they were recieved in Sergeant respectfully disagrees with article about Muslim stereotypes Greetings Madalyn, Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cadet SSG Trammell of Borah’s ROTC B Company. I am contacting you in regards of your opinion on “American Sniper” and would like to respectfully state for the record that I disagree. The opinion that American Sniper portrays Muslims as entirely evil couldn’t be farther from the truth. American Sniper was made with no intention other than to depict the events during Kyle’s military career, and followed his auto biography almost verbatim. As a person with military heritage and experience, I would like to state that, if any at all, the stereotype it portrayed is more along the lines of Muslims are generally good, except for a few extremist savages. I can back this up by the fact that in both the film and the book, Iraqi Muslim civilians were

past events,’ therefore it is counter intuitive to want to modify history to pertain to what is considered to be ‘patriotic.’ Patriotism is not defined by the amount of censorship that is placed on what is taught to students, but by the devotion one has to their country. The purpose of U.S. history is to teach students about events that have occurred in order to educate the youth. U.S. history already has a habit of leaving out small details in the favor of the United States, or just showing one point of view and twisting it to shine light on the ‘achievements’ made by the United States. However, this is not an effective way to improve one’s loyalty to their country. History is just what happened, including both good and bad. There is a lot to respect about the United States history, but banning it doesn’t promote patriotism. made out as a tertiary protagonist, and the Iraqi Muslims even thanked Kyle for his work in opposing Al Qaeda, Taliban, etc... Please know that I mean no disrespect to you, and I am simply trying to say that I disagree and why. Thank you for your consideration, and have a nice day. Regards, SSG Trammell Boise ROTC Battalion

Student was offended by some of the statements regarding Chris Kyle I read your article about “Islamophobia Is A Problem Due To Film’s Dangerous Stereotypes.” I was extremely offended and here is why. First off Chris Kyle is an American War Hero because like others he was defending OUR country from people who were threatening it, which happened to be Muslims. He also wasn’t just going around killing people because it was fun or because its like some new form of Call of Duty, he was doing it because he was a man of God and a man of OUR country, and if you read his autobiography (which the movie was based off of) you would have read that he doesn’t like killing them because they are people but it was either him and his crew or the drugged-up Al Qaeda members who would throw their six year old offspring in front of them

Cartoon by Monica Alder | malder@borahsenator.com

to be used as a human shield. I am not suggesting that all Muslims are bad, because not all are. I have really close friends that happen to be Muslim, and they are not the people that are causing this so called “Islamophobia.” The group of people that this fear is coming from are the ruthless ones who will stop at nothing to make sure their enemy is defeated, two perfect examples: ISIS and Al Qaeda. Let’s start will the less violent and ruthless one of the two Al Qaeda.Do you not remember who attacked first in this so called war? On September 9 2001 at 8:45 one of two planes flew into the World Trade Centers which in the end killed 2,996 innocent people WHO DID NOTHING. Which was the start of the War on Terrorism. That quote from the Quar’an pretty much states that as long as there is no killing on their land, they technically have justification to do harm to others on opposite land. ISIS has risen in the past year or so and have been making a really bad name for themselves by not only being a extremely wealthy terrorist group but also by their ruthless killings. 59 innocent people have been decapitated for no reason. They killed over 24,000 men and women, they use children as soldiers, and women sold as sex slaves, and here comes the best part: All for Allah. So you tell me is that bestselling book and movie the issue or the extremest groups? Sophomore, Brandin Pruett

Student from Syria has a question about use of the terrorism label for Muslims Dear Editor: As a Muslim student at Borah High, I wanted to say thank you for recognizing and understanding that Muslims are not all terrorists. Muslims cannot kidnap or kill anyone as God said in the Qur’an, if a person kills another person, it is like they have killed all of the people. Terrorism has spread in many communities because certain groups read the Qu’ran and interpret in their own way to get power and it is dangerous. I know this; I had to leave Syria when I wasn’t safe because of all the fighting between the President and many groups. However, one thing I want to ask is why it seems that only Muslims are held responsible for terrorism. For example, on July 20, 2012, there was a terrible shooting in Aurora, Colorado at a movie theater, but he was never called a terrorist. Why not? More recently, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Craig Hicks shot three Muslim people, and still he was not called a terrorist. Why not? I believe it is because the killers were not Muslim; if they were Muslims, the news would all say terrorists. Like you said in the article, Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and really has nothing to do with terrorism. Thank you, Zerina Mohamed (Sophomore)

News

March 31, 2015

Photos by Kassie Gillespie and Wes Loertscher | kgillespie@borahsenator.com and wloertscher@borahsenator.com

ASB President: Mark Jerome

ASB Vice President: Tyler Goodsell

Senior President: Jake Paulin

Senior Vice President: Abbie Linford

The highest representative of the student body, Mark Jerome, is “looking forward to helping lead the school to another great year.” The ASB President oversees everything in student council and helps it run smoothly. Jerome is a varsity football player, a varsity basketball player. Mark enjoys the outdoors. If it’s camping, hunting or fishing, Jerome said he loves doing it. Between Mayo and Miracle whip, he prefers Mayo.

Tyler Goodsell is excited to be ASB vice president in next year’s student council. Goodsell will be running the student senate along with Borah’s winter spirit week. “We have great kids in student council that will make your years here at Borah enjoyable,” he said. Goodsell is also an athlete, ranked 4th in the state for two events in track. Goodsell’s two favorite things to do are sports and going to concerts. When asked whether he prefers Mayo or Miracle Whip, he chose Mayo.

As senior class president, Jake Paulin will be running class reunions as well as organizing assemblies and other fun activities for seniors. “This is my first time being in the student council and I’m excited to join the family,” said Paulin. He said he loves sports, camping and boating, and was a key individual for both the football and basketball teams. When asked whether he prefers Mayo or Miracle Whip, he went with butter, a different choice than his student council family.

Abbie Linford will help Paulin, the senior president, plan class reunions, senior shirts, and other senior activities. “I am super excited to put on school events and build the strongest school spirit in the valley,” said Linford. Linford said she loves to hike and be around her friends. Linford also said she is an avid photographer and loves taking pictures whenever possible. When asked whether she prefers Mayo or Miracle whip, she chose Miracle Whip.

Junior President: Nicole Jerome

Junior Vice President: Gabrielle Renteria

Nicole Jerome is the winner of the race for junior class president. Her main duty will be planning prom. “Some of the most memorable times of our lives will be in high school, especially prom, and I get to make those memories special,” said Jerome. Jerome is the Miss High School Idaho pageant winner and will compete in the Miss High School America pageant this summer. She also is a competitive dancer. When asked whether she preferred Mayo or Miracle Whip, she said she preffered Miracle Whip.

Gabriella Renteria is the new junior class vice president. The duties of her position are to plan next year’s Prom Expo and help the junior class president with prom. “Next year will be full of great fun, and I can’t wait to help make it possible” said Renteria Renteria is a soccer and track athlete. When she isn’t on the field or on the track, she said she is watching Netflix, and that she has a talent for finding new shows to obsess over. When asked to choose between Mayo and Miracle Whip, she chose Mayo.

By Wes Loertscher

wloertscher@borahsenator.com

See more news on BorahSenator.com

News

The Borah Senator

Anonymous donor gives Lion’s Closet $1,000 By Ashley Sagrero

asagrero@borahsenator.com It isn’t rare to be caught in a situation in which a classmate needs a change of clothes, whether it be the spilling of coffee, the tearing of pants, the realization that the clothes they’re wearing are partially see through once they’d gotten to school, the weather wasn’t what it said it was going to be so students freeze as they walk through the breezeway, or students just really don’t have enough clothes at home to keep them warm. Lion’s Closet is a place to go whenever there are any wardrobe malfunctions. Recently, an anonymous $1,000 donation was given to ELL Academic In-

nation and this donation will touch many students here at Borah,” Dennis explained in an e-mail. Lion’s Closet was opened two years ago. Before, if students couldn’t fix something with the clothes they’d worn ELL Academic Interventionist to school, they would just have to live with the discomfort Susan Dennis throughout the day. There were also people who didn’t have the resources terventionist Susan Dennis and social to buy a winter coat or a pair of jeans. worker Becky Woodland, both supervi- “There was a huge need for kids that sors of Lion’s Closet. needed it,” explained Dennis. “We are extremely overwhelmed by This was also around the time that a the generosity from the anonymous do- student brought in 300 pairs of shoes to

“This donation will touch many students here at Borah.”

donate to Lion’s Closet. Because there was no room to store them, all the shoes were set out in the new gym and anyone was welcome to take a pair. When asked what would be done with the anonymous donation, Dennis said although there is already a lot of clothing in the closet, there is always a need for shoes, jeans, backpacks, and winter jackets. An anonymous note to social worker Becky Woodland from the Boise Schools Foundation specified the money was for Borah’s Lion’s Closet. After receiving a crock pot and finding someone that put it to good use, any and all donations are accepted and can either be taken to the office or room 215.

Tech-savvy students design crafts in library By Kassie Gillespie

kgillespie@borahsenator.com Still shopping for prom? Perhaps the Borah Teen Tech Week team can help. Tech Week in early March inspired students to gather in the library at lunch to design and build electronic Prom wear. They are integrating LED lights into a dress and tuxedo to light up the dance. Anyone who wanted to be involved was welcome, but most came from the

Makers Time Tuesday, a time when students meet in the library for hands-on crafts and to check out books on such crafts. The project is scheduled for submission to judges of the competition April 6. They have also made stop motion films, squishy circuits, and products with a 3D printer, which happens to be one of the prizes of the team competition. The library has books about how to make all these cool crafts.

6 | March 31, 2015

April

Memorable pranks leave long lasting impressions

Similar holidays

“I put ketchup packets under the toilet seat. It didn’t work very well.”

By Ashley Sagrero

asagrego@borahsenator.com

Junior Gavin Marler

“I put mayo in my brother’s shampoo bottle. He didn’t even notice until I told him two weeks later.” Senior Kassie Gillespie All graphics from depositphotos.com unless otherwise specified

“My brother had a friend over one night when we were in junior high and, when they were in the other room, I heard them talking about doing the classic shaving cream feather prank on me that night. When I went to bed, I stayed up waiting for them to come in and when they did, I was ready. They put the cream on my hand and as they tickled my face with the feather, I smacked my brother in the face with the shaving cream.”

Holi- Although not necessarily all about pranks, Holi lies on a day that begins spring. During Holi, anyone can throw colored powder at any other person on the street, regardless if you know them or not. The day is spent with color and then in the night it is customary to shower, dress, and eat. This holiday is generally celebrated in India and the surrounding area, which is mainly Hindu countries.

Senior Dakota Duran

History of April Fool’s By Aurora Wellington

awellington@borahsenator.com

1582 Pope Gregory XIII decreed the adoption of the “Gregorian calendar” — named after himself — which moved New Year’s Day from the end of March to the first day of January. New Years was previously a week-long celebration ending on April 1st.

Graphic by Joy Wilson| jwilson@borahsenator.com

1700 English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. The holiday slowly begins to spread throughout Europe.

1860 People throughout London received the following invitation: “Tower of London: Admit Bearer and Friend to view annual ceremony of Washing the White Lions on Sunday.” By noon, a large crowd had gathered outside the tower, only to find that there weren’t any lions there.

The Borah Senator | 7

Fool’s

When pranks are not funny By Harmony Soto

hsoto@borahsenator.com Humor is a strange thing. There is absolutely no unified sense-of-humor standards in society, so what’s funny for some people may not be funny for others. Because of this, it can be a little tricky trying to pinpoint exactly when a prank crosses into hurtful territory and is no longer a harmless prank. If you’re planning to go all out on April Fool’s Day this year, here’s two questions to ask yourself first: 1. Does the prank use any tactics that specifically make fun of a certain group of people? If so, does it deal with race, gender, or religion, for example? 2. Can the effects of the prank be easily reversed? In 2003, Stetson University in DeLand, Florida made the decision to suspend the publication of their student newspaper and fire its entire editorial staff for publishing a series of disparaging jokes in the newspaper’s April Fool’s Day edition. The jokes included several racist jokes, and an entire column advocating rape and domestic violence against women. Obviously, these kind of jokes are never okay in any context. If the antic is meant to be edgy and shocking, this is not the way to do it. This type of humor, known as disparaging humor, “denigrates, belittles, or maligns a person or group,” according to psychologists Thomas Ford and Mark Ferguson, who examined the topic in-depth for their research paper, “Social Consequences of Disparagment Humor: A Prejudiced Norm Theory.” High school students can be some of the worst perpetrators when it comes to such humor. Go out in the halls today, and likely someone can be found

s in other countries Dia de los Santos Innocentes- This holiday is generally celebrated in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries. Celebrated on Dec. 28, the Day of the Innocents is similar to that of April Fool’s day: people tell jokes, say absurd things, and play pranks. Just before people play a joke, they reveal themselves and recite a poem that, when translated, says this: “Little innocent dove You have let yourself be fooled Knowing that on this day You should lend nothing.”

April Fish- France is said to have been the country in which April Fool’s originated. When France moved their calendar to begin in January, there were people who didn’t want to change it. They were thought to be fools, so people would pin pictures of paper fish on their backs and sometimes even real fish. Now the practice is just to pin fish on a person’s back until they notice, and, when they do, the victim is to yell “Poisson d’Avril,” or “April Fish.”

1915 In the midst of World War I, a French aviator flew over a German camp and dropped what appeared to be a huge bomb. They discovered it was actually a large football with a note tied to it that read, “April Fool!”

1996 Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell.

making a joke about shoving Jews into ovens, casually throwing out racial slurs such as “chink eyes,” and making comments about how all women belong in the kitchen. Little do they know, the frequent use of disparaging humor promotes the use of stereotypes among different groups of people and reinforces the idea that these perceptions are socially acceptable. The prejudiced norm theory states that this omnipresent usage of disparaging humor normalizes discriminatory ideals. Ferguson and Ford even proved it, when they showed a group of men a series of sexist jokes and later asked them to determine how funding cuts should be allocated to different organizations. Those exposed to the sexist humor approved funding cuts to multiple women-based organizations; and it was discovered that, in the presence of sexist humor, the participants believed that others would agree with their budget decisions. However, disparagement humor is not the only thing to watch out for this April Fool’s Day. Also consider the aftermath of the prank: clean-up. Attorney Jennifer King in her article titled “April Fool’s Day: When Does a Prank Go Too Far?” states that a prank crosses the line when they involve the police, injure others, create a panic, or damage property. When a prank hurts people, that’s the line at which the joke ends and harassment or worse begins. No one wants to pay a fine for vandalism (seniors--take note for the senior prank this year.), and no one wants to be saddled with someone else’s hospital bills. Accidents happen, but they can be avoided with careful and mindful planning.

2008 The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. Many believed the what they saw in the video.

Arts & Entertainment

March 31, 2015

Life

The Borah Senator

Seniors share why they chose annual paper topics

Junior maintains 5.0 GPA while taking part in extracurricular activities, sports By Hana Krogness

hkrogness@borahsenator.com “My senior research paper is about misinterpretation of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in the media. I chose this topic because I’m really interested in psychology, particularly mental disorders.” Miranda Lahn

Lahn “My paper is about the increase of adolescent depression. I chose this topic because depression is an illness that strikes a little too close to home. Having dealt with it first hand and having my friends struggle, I understand the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of the ailment.” Tyson Hoyt

Hoyt

“I chose to write my senior paper on schizophrenia and how you can live a life with that disorder if you get the recommended treatment and medicine. Most people don’t think it’s possible, but it very much is.”

Forrest

Kaylynn Forrest

Phillip Cathers, junior, has a 5.0 GPA on a scale of 4.0. His classes are made up of AP U.S. History, AP Calculus, AP Language, CNA, AP Biology, AP SpanCathers ish, and AP Physics. His high GPA is due to his ability to manage his time, prioritize daily homework and hobbies. Cathers participates on the school’s varsity baseball team. “I always have three to four hours, sometimes five hours of homework, plus baseball practice. Really it’s just putting time in at home,” said Cathers. Last year, he also balanced a job with school responsibilities, but had to stop working at the end of the summer because of this year’s class schedule. “I’ve always believed that life is

about opening doors,” said Cathers, “and by doing well in school I am just opening doors for my future.” Cathers wants to become a cardiovascular (heart related) surgeon, and would like to attend Stanford, Princeton or the University of Washington. His choice for medical school is John Hopkins School of Medicine, which is a well-known college that focuses in the field. His dream of becoming a surgeon is not only about the salary, but also about his desire to help people. He said he could also pursue baseball, but would rather dedicate his time to using his knowledge and skills to help people. Prior to his pursuit of becoming a surgeon, he was interested in pursuing engineering -- math being a big part of engineering that intrigued him. The positive side of always having some type of homework is that Cathers is never bored. Cathers’ said he believes his dedication to work now is laying a foundation for himself that will set up a path for a successful future.

May 2, 2015 Time: 7 - 10 p.m. Theme: Jailhouse Rock Location: Old Penitentiary Date:

Junior-Senior Prom 2015

Directions from Borah 1. Turn right on to Cassia 2. Turn left on to Curtis 3. Turn right on to I-184E toward City Center 4. Turn Left on to Broadway Ave. 5. Turn right on to Warm Springs Ave. 6. Turn left on Old Penitentiary Rd. 7. This will lead to 2445 E. Old Penitentiary Rd.

Buy Tickets In advance $35 / couple $20 / single

At the door $50 / couple $25 / single

Sports

March 31, 2015

Q&A Gatorade player of the

year, soccer player Josh Szuch By Amanda Wester

awester@borahsenator.com Senior soccer player Josh Szuch spent his last season on varsity soccer scoring 23 goals with seven assists. He was named the GatoSzuch rade Player of the Year for 2015 and will be granted the award at the Senators choice assembly April 3rd. Question: What/who has influenced your soccer career? Answer: Having older brothers created a desire for me to play. Q: Do you feel pressure from your brothers when playing? A: My brothers are my best friends and biggest rivals. We always make each other want to be better and challenge one another, but always support each other no

matter what.

the first to get it.

Q: What do you think makes a great athlete? A: Great athletes aren’t born. Great athletes make a choice to push themselves to new limits and work outside of practice to get better to give themselves an edge on the competition.

Q: You’ll be playing for BYUHawaii -- why did you choose them? A: It’s a great environment, great school, and a high level of soccer.

Q: What was it like finding out you were the Gatorade Player of the Year? A: Getting Gatorade Player of the Year wasn’t a surprise, but I felt honored that I got it. I give props to those who believed in me and pushed me to be the best I could be. Brothers, coaches, and most of all my mother, who I know still watches and lifts me. Q: What benefits come along with it? A: I get some Gatorade stuff, recognition, and best of all bragging rights in my family because I was

Q: What do you hope to accomplish after college? A: I may strive to go professional, but most likely I’ll start a business and start a family. Q: Why is soccer your passion? A: Honestly, soccer isn’t my passion. I love to play, but it’s my competitive attitude and my passion to win that keeps me on the field. Q: Finally, do you do anything for luck? A: Before each game, I say a prayer and dedicate the game to someone important. And, yes, I have a ritual. I have to put my gear on in a certain way.

Athlete of the month: Sara Christianson By Wes Loertscher

wloetscher@borahsenator.com The athlete of the month for March is cross country runner and track athlete junior Sara Christianson. Ever Christianson since her freshman year, when she started running, it was obvious she would stand out. She has had an impressive running career and plans to make it even better. Christianson is a long distance runner. “My races are the mile, 2-mile, and the 800-meter, as well as the 4x800 and the 4x400.” Not only does she run all those, but she is ranked in the top ten for most

of her races. She also holds the record for the 4x800 relay along with juniors Emma Lee Thomas, Kiana Courpus, and Kaitlyn Powell. During her junior high years, Christianson’s dad started running to keep in shape. Every once in a while he would ask her to come run with him. After several weeks of asking, she finally agreed to run with him as long as they only go a mile. “Now my favorite race is the two mile, and I can leave my dad in the dust!” For someone who is ranked in the top six best athletes in the state of Idaho for multiple events, Christianson says winning is not her goal. “I just love being able to improve myself and get better,” she explains. Christianson also loves all the friendships that are made and

strengthened while running with her teammates. The team as a whole is very strong including all the coaches. Running for two miles is a long time to be running. Eleven minutes and twelve seconds to be specific. The amount of strength and endurance needed for such a race is incredible. Christianson works and said that training is tough. Christianson said she is in season almost year round. “I start the school year in the fall with cross country, during the winter I run indoor track with the YMCA Team Idaho, during spring I have regular track, then summer I run with the YMCA again!” Even though she is always competing, she still finds time to run in some fun runs every once in a while.

Obscure sports people can play around Boise By Sage Rogers

srogers@borahsenator.com In some sports, fantasy becomes reality. Yes, there are the more common sports such as basketball, football, tennis, and so on. However, these sports don’t allow your inner knight or wizard to come to life. On the Borah Belegarth unit and the Boise State Abraxans quidditch team, fantasies that can usually only be lived in the movies, become real games of sport. Both Belegarth and quidditch are nationally recognized sports played throughout the nation. Kym Couch is the Northwest Director of United States quidditch, as well as the coach of the Abraxans. The team started in October 2012, and was formed by Couch’s friend, Stew Driflot. Couch said that Driflot had never heard of quidditch as a real sport before, “I asked him if he knew if Boise State had a quidditch team and he had no idea what I was talking about.” Couch explained that at first she got involved with the team because she liked Harry Potter, but now she is involved for the love of the sport. The team regularly competes against other teams in the Western and Northwestern regions, and, at the moment, the “team is doing extremely well,” said Couch. She added, “Although we had a shaky start; we just returned from the Northwest Regional Championship where we were 3rd in standings and beat out every other attending team we played.” For senior Collin Clohessy, Belegarth is the sport for him, he said. He described Belegarth as “foam sword fighting.” Clohessy clarified that Belegarth is a physically exerting sport, and is not role-playing. Belegarth is also a sport that is played all around the United States, and has many competing factions in most cities. There are different games to play with Belegarth, but most of the time it’s “survive to win.” The group practices on Wednesdays after school he said, and usually play in good weather. They host their official games at Julia Davis Park. Clohessy said he joined the sport because it looked fun. “It’s really fun. I can actually get into it.” There are several Belegarth groups in Boise, but they are still trying to raise awareness for the sport and compete with more schools, he said.

Sports

The Borah Senator

Wrestling triumphs, takes third place at state By Carter Spjute

cspjute@borahsenator.com The Borah wrestling team had 11 wrestlers qualify for state tournament this year. Of the 11 that qualified, seven placed. The team placed 3rd overall. With an exceptional season, the team was proud of their overall experience. Coach Bill West said, “I am very pleased for this team taking 3rd at state -- we finished 6th in districts, but beat everyone in our district.” The Lions had three wrestlers win state championships in their individual weight classes. Senior Dorian Sapien placed first in his weight class (120 lbs.) for back to back state titles. “It felt like any other tournament: I was very happy,” Sapien said. “I expected to win, but my main goal was to beat the pin record.” Another senior that won a state title in his weight class (160 lbs.) was Taylor Owens. “My expectations going into state were high because I knew I had worked harder than anyone else at my weight, so anything short of a state title wouldn’t

Wrestlers who placed Senior Taylor Owens: 1st place Senior Dorian Sapien: 1st place Senior Eric Thrift: 1st place Senior DeVaughn Sapien: 3rd place Sophomore Peter Huntsman: 3rd place Sophomore Ben Thomsen: 3rd place Junior Shea Randall: 4th place

have satisfied me,” said Owens. This was Owens’ last state wrestling tournament for Borah. “To win state is a feeling that I won’t ever forget,” he said. “I always looked up to guys who were winning state when I was young, and to be a part of that group of state champions is really incredible.” In the 126 lb. weight division, senior DeVaughn Sapien (Dorian’s twin) fin-

Photo from Pam West

After placing 3rd as a team at the state tournament Feb. 27-28, the wrestling team stood together. ished 3rd in after defeating fellow team member, junior Shea Randall, in the placement round. Sapien wrestled with a torn UCL. “It was really uncomfortable to wrestle with it; I had to wrestle through a lot of pain,” he said. Sapien added, “It was going to be tough with my elbow, so I knew I had to play through the constant pain.” Sophomore Ben Thomsen won 4th in

his weight class . “This was my first state tournament and I was nervous about it at 220, since it’s such a tough weight class for lower class men, but I knew it was winnable,” said Thomsen. “We performed well as a team,” he added. With two more seasons of eligibility to wrestle, Thomsen plans to improve his “strength and take down skills.”

Underlying pressures of three sport athletes By Ashlee Gillespie

agillespie@borahsenator.com Being an athlete comes with a great deal of pressure. Practicing until you perfect your desired goal, exercising to your limit, and wanting to excel at any position you play. Imagine being a three sport athlete. The pressures have now tripled and all your focus goes towards excelling at each one of them. For senior Jojo Williams, being involved in three sports is more than just being active all the time. “Being a three sport athlete is strenuous on my body and mind but it also makes me a better person,” he said. “I also mostly do it to keep in shape and to become a better athlete.” Senior Kayla Bryant enjoys being a part of three different sports because of her passion for each one, “Being a three sport athlete is a lot of work and sometimes tiring, but it’s worth it because I

“...It taught me about being a better person, athlete, and student.” Senior Jojo Williams love sports.” Along with being involved in multiple sports, the athletes are also students. While making sure to show up for practices and games, they also have to maintain their grades, social life, jobs, and any other extracurricular activities they may be involved in. “Doing homework, having time for friends, and still participating in extracurricular activities becomes difficult when we are all still expected to accomplish everything, “ said Bryant. Williams agrees, “The pressures from

doing everything builds up because you always have to keep a certain standard and expectation for the other athletes around you.” To athletes involved in multiple sports, one sport must stand out the most to each individual. “My favorite of the three is wrestling because it taught me more about myself and about being a better person, athlete, and student,” Williams said. Basketball is Bryant’s preferred sport, “I love all of the sports, but my favorite is basketball. I love shooting and driving to the basket.” When involved in various sports, the athletes get the chance to be involved with different teammates and different dynamics. “I enjoy being involved with three teams because I meet new people and have so many teammates. Three sports is a lot but I decided to do all three because each are so different,” Bryant said.

Graphic By Edward Dunn | edunn@borahsenator.com

Fun & Games

March 31, 2015

If QR code does not work answers are also available on BorahSenator.com

Bring this coupon in for a FREE 21oz. drink with a purchase of any sandwich! Good only at: Cole & Franklin 208-377-0688 Expires: April 28, 2015

Delivered 4/16 & 4/17 Order a 6â&#x20AC;? sandwich, cookie, and choice of a side (chip, apple, yogurt)

for $5

Subway order form available in your 4th period class (or at the business office) Checks payable to Borah High School

4th period room # _______ 4th period Teacher _______ Student Name: __________________ April 16, 2015

4th period room # _______ 4th period Teacher _______ Student Name: __________________ April 17, 2015