B rah Senator VOLUME 61 | ISSUE IV | MAY 16, 2017 | 6001 CASSIA ST. | BOISE, ID 83709 | BORAHSENATOR.COM | @THEBORAHSENATOR
Congratulations to the class of 2017! Check out pages 11-15 for senior quotes and senior staff letters.
Jerusa Arroyo | 18jerusa.arroyo@boiseschools.net
Junior Jerusa Arroyo sculpted a mixed-media ceramic animal skull. For more pottery and ceramic sculptures, visit Borah Bio on page 2.
The coupon you’ve all been waiting for is finally here... Check it out!
Special thank you to Roger Quignon from Alchemic Computers for making this issue possible with his generous donations. “The fact of the matter is: sexism is a learned behavior. Reversing it will be a challenge.” Page 6
Amber French | 17amberfrench@boiseschools.net
Lacrosse is a sport with a falling demographic, but Borah’s lacrosse team wants to change that. Read about player’s thoughts, page 20.
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Borah Bio
May 16, 2017
Staff
Junior potter, photographer experiments with media By Demi Manglona
17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net Using multiple media to express creativity is not an uncommon practice for many artists, and junior Jerusa Arroyo is not an exception. Arroyo has experimented with different art platforms throughout high school, but focuses on photography and ceramics. The appeal to each platform stems from the junior’s ability to interpret an ordinary concept into something bigger. As an example, Arroyo said if she is prompted to sculpt a vase, she adds her own twist by fixing on flowers or any-
thing she considers expresses herself. When she started ceramics, Arroyo said she was more critical about her work. Throwing away pieces and trying to fix small details seemed to be a common action, but the artist learned to restrainfrom doing so. “I’ve definitely gotten better with not freaking out when a piece didn’t go how I wanted to,” Arroyo said. Even so, she admitted she is still her own worst critic. “Art is a window into who I really am as an individual,” said the artist. “It is an expression of my thoughts, hopes, dreams and creativity.” She has featured photographs in the Boise Art Museum as well as Valley Visions, a district publication for high school artists.
Art photos by Jerusa Arroyo | 18jerusa.arroyo@boiseschools.net
By Demi Manglona
17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net
Melodee Sather | melodee.sather@boiseschools.org
Page Editors: Cover: Demi Manglona Borah Bio: Demi Manglona News: Baylee London, Demi Manglona Opinion: Juliann Daw, Phoenix Dunn Feature: Ariel Cordova, Phoenix Dunn, Hailey Hasenyager, Mosha Lopez-Covarrubias Senior Pages: Juliann Daw, Demi Manglona A&E: Hailey Hasenyager, Baylee London, Elaina Swanson C&A: Moses Rodriguez Sports: Aubrey Pulsipher Seattle: Brooke Kerley Fun & Games: Baylee London
Arroyo makes sculpted clay pieces. She said the bottom right piece is her favorite.
School nurse exhibits her pottery in art gallery
Nurse Sather’s pottery exhibit is at the Art Source Gallery in downtown Boise.
Head Honchos: Editor-in-Chief: Demi Manglona Photographers: Gabriel Abille, Juliann Daw, Phoenix Dunn, Amber French, Heidi Johnson, Brook Kerley, Baylee London Photo Editor: Heidi Johnson Illustrator: Gabriel Abille Advertising Team: Brooke Kerley, Baylee London, Demi Manglona
It’s typical to find tongue depressors, Ibuprofen and colorful bandaids in a school nurse’s office, and while Borah’s nurse is sufficiently equipped, students can still find Post-It notes of potential pottery sticking to nurse Melodee Sather’s desk, waiting to come alive. Nurse Sather’s passion for art began after taking Saturday pottery classes with the ceramics teacher at Timberline High School. Her ceramics supplies grew from one pottery wheel--given to her as a present from her son and husband--to two wheels and
five firing kilns, transforming her garage into a personal pottery studio. Sather used to be the health occupations teacher, but switched to being the school nurse to make time for her pottery. She said teaching, although she loved the career, inhibited her from pursuing her passion due to the time constraints. “[Being a nurse] allows me to leave the job at 3:30 p.m. and not have to correct papers, not have to make lesson plans--and I can go home and create.” Currently, she is intrigued by hand building and slabbing her pottery because it is new and challenging. Sather said her favorite art piece one day may not be her favorite the next, especially after finishing a new project. Due to her thirst for change, her approach to art varies, freeing her from a distinct style. “It usually looks like there’s about four or five different artists [displayed] at my pottery booth,” said Sather. “It looks like an artist coop, because I don’t really have a style.” The nurse’s art show opened May 4 in the Art Source Gallery downtown and will be on public display for the next month. The exhibit is titled “In Full Bloom: Season of Growth” and features her diverse art styles.
Staff Writers: Tai Boutviseth Corissa Campbell Emma Doane Mirela Tucakovic Skye Vialpando Brianna White Adviser: Michelle Harmon
News FCCLA students journey from district to state events The Borah Senator
By Moses Rodriguez
17moses.rodriguez@boiseschools.net Seniors Megan Patton, Corina Constantinescu, and junior Sophia Mellblom, attended the district FCCLA convention at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. This convention consisted of many competitions from culinary arts to family and consumer sciences. The FCCLA is a nonprofit organization for young adults in family and consumer sciences with family as its central focus. It stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. The FCCLA state competition was on April 5-7, and nationals will take place in early July in Nashville. Patton placed gold in the Culinary STAR Event. Patton was on the Renaissance Culinary team, which was a three-member team from Renaissance High School. Patton and her team were
given one hour to create one high-end meal and competed against other team’s meals. “For Districts, there were four other teams in my competition,” Patton said. “With state, there were about 20 teams in my competition.” She added, “At nationals there will be 50 teams, one team from each state.” Patton won a $1,000 scholarship to Johnson and Wales University and also has a chance to win a $40,000 scholarship at the national event this summer. Mellblom attained gold in projects for the child development competition and will be representing Idaho in nashville for nationals. “I was the only one in my competition, so I placed gold,” Mellblom said. Constantescu placed bronze in the cupcake competition against 12 other teams at state. “I made lemon raspberry cupcakes with a lemon raspberry curd,” she said.
Photo from FCCLA
Senior Megan Patton (middle) with Renaissance teammates win gold in Culinary STAR Event.
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News Science teacher receives grant after greenhouse is removed 4
May 16, 2017
By Demi Manglona
17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net During second semester, the decade-old horticulture greenhouse outside C hall was taken down with no plans to rebuild it. Its condition was in disrepair, and the cost to reconstruct the small establishment would cost the district roughly $20,000, excluding necessary equipment to regulate temperature. As a result, chemistry teacher D.J. Eberlin wrote a grant to the Albertson’s Foundation for $1,000, and upon approval, the science department was able to afford new plant boxes for the community garden between B and C halls. Eberlin also received new hoses, composter, and soil to complete the package. According to the chemistry teacher, the new garden boxes are resistant to rusting and are sturdier than the old ones. Over the fall, students in horticulture classes, taught by Jeremy Thompson, groomed the garden by prepping plant soil, adding cover crops, weeding, and watering. Both science teachers agreed that gardening is an important life skill that is essential to any community. By gardening, students are able to cut down on food spending and the consumption of unhealthy foods. “All students need to learn how to use healthy living, not eating a bag of chips,” said Eberlin. Thompson’s horticulture students play a large part in maintaining the garden. Students interact heavily with the lettuce, onions, spinach and other cold weather crops, which are all available to Borah’s community. “We wouldn’t be able to survive without [plants],” said senior Isabelle Robison, one of Thompson’s students. “We should learn about them and take care of them.”
Phoenix Dunn | 19phoenix.dunn@boiseschools.net
Horticulture classes set up the new gardening boxes between B and C halls.
Thompson and Eberlin will be visiting the garden throughout the summer in order to maintain the plants. “You plant it, and when everybody’s gone is when it needs to be taken care of,” Thompson said. The science grants were awarded by the Albertson’s Foundation, an organization that promotes healthy living and encourages students to grow healthy foods.
News
The Borah Senator
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Seasoned competitors, new faces dominate Economic Summit By Demi Manglona
17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net Borah took a heavy majority of the prizes at the April 26 Economic Summit, with a tie for Summit Champion. Both Team Mongolia and Team Swaziland took home the trophy for overall champion. Senior Natalie Willoughby, member of Team Swaziland, said her team did not expect to win the entire competition, despite its team winning last semester as Team North Korea. Senior Ellie Webber from Team Mongolia said her group was able to summon different strengths from each member to score well on quizzes, design the table display and costumes, as well efficiently negotiate during the trading sessions. Both Summit Champions are in AP micro/macroeconomics, meaning they competed in the EconSummit first semester. Each team claimed they relied on their experience and knowledge from the previous Summit to achieve a high rank. One team, Team Jamaica, was not in an economy class and were not required to participate in EconSummit. Instead, the team attended for enjoyment because of the energetic and educational atmosphere. They wanted to emphasize the positive effects the Summit brought them. Along with becoming Summit Champions, both Team Swaziland and Team Mongolia scored 100 percent on the geography test, with Mongolia also winning top costumes. Both Team Jamaica and Team Bolivia were awarded top lowincome country. Jamaica also received top table display, and Bolivia scored 100 percent on the geography test. China was crowned top middle-income country and also scored 100 percent on the geography test. Team Singapore and Team Netherlands shared the title of top high-income country. Team Iraq and Team Senegal took two of the three awards for top table displays. Special thanks to economics teachers Andy Ankeny, Chad Bleazard and Jason Willer.
From left to right, Summit Champions Amara Tariq, Ellie Webber, Joey Myers, Megan Kent and Dat Huynh representing Team Mongolia with teacher Chad Bleazard. The team also won Top Country Costumes and scored 100% on the Geography Test.
Team Jamaica returned for their second semester, particiapting in the Summit for enjoyment instead of a requirement. From left to right, Damien Dennis, Jordan Estey, Demi Manglona, Garrett Vander Meer and Jack Jacobson hold up their team flag, winning Top Low Income Country and Top Table Display.
Team Senegal won Top Country Table display with a running fountain inside their mosque. Senior Leena Rojas donned a shark costume during the competition. Team Swaziland, from left to right, Jared Harr, Ryan Kramer, Abby Robinson, Thomas Reisig, and Natalie Willoughby with teacher Chad Bleazard hold up a Summit Champion certificate for the second semester in a row. They also received an award for scoring 100% on the Geography Test.
All photos courtesy of the EconSummit Facebook page.
Team Iraq’s sand box arrangement won Top Country Table Display. Team members include Ariah Garza, Mason Haley, Bill Johnson, Hussein Madhi and Tucker Reusser.
Senator staffers receive certificates, cash awards By Demi Manglona
17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net High school journalism students from Borah, Coeur d’Alene and Timberline earned awards in news and yearbook categories from Media Network Idaho. Winners who placed first, second, third and honorable mentions received certificates. First place winners also won cash prizes and had their stories entered on a national level for a chance to travel to Birmingham, Ala. if their pieces are eligible for placement. Borah High School won first place for the Sweepstakes Award, meaning its newspaper publication staff won the most awards out of all of the schools. Adviser Michelle Harmon won first place in personality profile. Senior Brooke Kerley was named the Top Senior Student and gave a speech thanking Harmon. Among
other awards, Kerley also won first in feature story and second in sports. Other senior winners include Juliann Daw who won
Debra Chojnacky | debra.chojnacky@boiseschools.org
Borah Senator Newspaper staff pose with their certificates from Media Network Idaho.
first place in opinion story. Gabriel Abille received the first and only award for cartooning. Moses Rodriguez won first in news writing. Corissa Campbell won first in columns and blogs. Demi Manglona received third in opinion, second in news writing and an honorable mention in the columns and blogs category. Isabelle Robison placed second for feature story. Amber French won second place in sports photography. Junior Heidi Johnson won third place for news feature photo. Sophomore winners include Elaina Swanson who won second place in opinion, and third place in both news story and review. Ariel Cordova received third in feature story and first in review; her review story won second place on a national level. Baylee London won the first and only award for video feature story, as well as second in news feature photography and third in sports. Skye Vialpando won honorable mentions in sports and review.
Opinion Are derogatory comments a problem? 6
By Baylee London and Demi Manglona 19baylee.london@boiseschools.net 17deminicole.manglona@boiseschools.net
Blatantly checking each other out as well as saying things like “Do fries come with that shake?” to girls in the hallways are common. Some say such language are just “stupid things” kids say. However, it is also derogatory, demeaning, hurtful, discouraging, sexist… well you get the point. And you’re probably thinking, “Oh, my gosh, another female complaining about being uncomfortable with words.” There are high schoolers yelling slang for “breasts” and “butts” on school grounds, yet everyone seems to ignore the objectification of females implied by such phrases. The popular response to a complaint about vulgar language seems to label the complainer as “lame” or “radical” for an inability to share a laugh about any sexist “jokes.” Those making sexist remarks always tell us to stop being offended, but rarely consider that they are the ones using offensive slang. It has been suggested a campaign against the sexualization of our bodies be coordinated, but will that
really stop the insensitivity? When an issue like this happens, it is supposed to be reported so it can be acknowledged by the staff for disciplinary action. Will reporting the incidents really stop the issue? The fact of the matter is: sexism is a learned behavior. Reversing it will be a challenge. The idea that females exist primarily to serve the male gaze is so ingrained into our social norms, that we don’t even realize it’s happening sometimes. Sexism isn’t always a conscious choice. Not all men engage in objectification, and even females are part of the problem. Females call each other “sluts” just as much as men call them “whores,” but we cannot condone the encouragement of the “boys will be boys” mentality. Everyone has a choice to be kind. Everyone knows the difference between a compliment and a slur. Words can empower or sabotage. We must acknowledge that this is a problem almost everyone can be guilty of. It doesn’t just happen in the halls and classrooms, nor does it only happen at sports competitions. Males are not the only party saying these hurtful comments. The next step is up to students to decide whether or not sexism will be accepted in their presence.
Gabriel Abille | 17gabriel.abille@boiseschools.net
“Borah is known for diversity...in language.” Some students are baffled by offensive comments strewn around campus.
May 16, 2017
Senior’s ideas shift after viewing documentary
By Mirela Tucakovic
17mirela.tucakovic@boiseschools.net “180° South” is a documentary showing an expedition through Patagonia’s wilderness, and the content struck me. It didn’t provoke tears, but it did its job. It was beautiful, and sent a number of important messages. Lately, my concerns have been shifting. I worry less about trivialities, and find myself considering the bigger picture more often. There’s a Buddhist practice called decentering, which essentially means to think outside of oneself. Decentering teaches one to ditch narcissistic views, and I’ve felt decentered as well. I’m changing and developing as a person; I’m more interested in the various arts, the world, and science--much like when I was a child, fascinated with everything. The environment is something I’ve been studying, among other things, in my free time. It seems people misunderstand and neglect its meaning. The earth was not made for humans to use. Humanity is under the heavy delusion that it can survive and prosper without its environment--living selfishly and with no regard or deeper consideration. I feel this is due to detachment--which traces back to the film’s notes on connection to nature and the preservation of wildlife. Too many of us are no longer connected--or maybe were never connected in the first place--which has been causing an issue for centuries. Whether it’s selfish or entitled upbringing, city living, psychopathy or plain greed, we are taking the very basis of life itself for granted. And, as in the film once the environment is gone, we will be too. It seems unfortunately, that most of humanity is headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps, humanity was destined to die from the start--from the very conception of multicellular organic life. This brings to question another idea. Perhaps this is the reason we haven’t met intelligent extraterrestrial life; perhaps they did the same as we are doing, destroying each other and taking everything for granted--behaving more like a parasite within the universe than an honored and grateful occupant of the world’s marvelous contents.
Opinion
The Borah Senator
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Child’s show Teen series may cause audience harm introduces autistic role Julia, the muppet, is shown fitting in, doing things her own way By Emma Doane
18emma.doane@boiseschools.net It’s funny to think that a children’s TV show can help a high schooler understand autism. On April 10, “Sesame Street” introduced Julia, the first muppet with autism. The newest muppet does things a little differently while showing traits associated with autism: like social anxiety, sensitivity to noise, and high energy. Julia will help kids understand a little more, while realizing that autism works differently for everyone who has it. According to Dylan Matthews of Vox, “That’s a message that fits in well with ‘Sesame Street,’ but is miles ahead of autism representation elsewhere in TV and movies.” In Hollywood, there is little good publicity of autistics, so when “Sesame Street” portrayed Julia as fitting in, and most importantly showing that her friends are patient and understanding, it reiterates what people with autism have been saying for years. Those of us with autism are patient with others, because we know we’ll do it our way, the way we want to do it, the way it works for us. In our minds, and what the new muppet character shows, is that we’re very successful doing it our way. Growing up, I don’t remember hearing the word autism or autistic. All I knew was that I didn’t fit in, which may explain why Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” is my favorite princess. She didn’t fit in, and people thought she was odd and strange. Despite all those things, she still got her happy ending. Knowing what I know now and experiencing life, “Sesame Street” has helped me understand more, and is a step further toward displaying a positive environment and attitude towards autism.
By Juliann Daw
17juliann.daw@boiseschools.net “13 Reasons Why” splashed into the monster of teenage emotion, and people started binge watching the show. Many believe the show is a great way to bridge the gap between parents and their teenage sons and daughters. The show inspires conversations about suicide, mental health issues, rape and bullying among an assortment of other issues that teens face in schools every day. The whole show is about suicide.
Proceed with caution, for there are spoilers The premise of the show is a young high school student Hannah Baker who kills herself and sends 13 tapes to 13 people who caused her to kill herself. Many find the suicide scene important. The TV producers show Baker placing herself into a bathtub and very violently and graphically slicing her wrists. In the book, she took a bunch of pills. While the suicide added many levels to the story, psychologists expressed concerns that her actions glorified suicide as revenge. Suicide is not a means to get revenge on those who hurt you. Baker’s television suicide also created fears of copycat suicides. School districts, principals, school psychologist and counselors have already seen an increase of behaviors from at-risk students (especially those in late ele-
mentary school and middle school) who experience a strong connection with this show’s protagonist. School officials throughout America have been sending emails out to teachers and parents to keep an eye out on at-risk students. Mental health issues should have been widely-discussed topic throughout every type that Baker recorded. She, like many of us, is surrounded by many teenagers with a wide range of mental health issues. The most common one we see is depression, but the issue with the show was that depression was never discussed. We see a few scenes when it seems we are going to get an actual discussion on depression: We see it a little bit when she records the tapes. We see it a bit when she’s trying to deal with her external conflicts. Other then that, they completely ignore mental health issues as a major cause for suicide. Bullying, sexual assault and rape is something that every high school student is in proximity of. Hannah Baker, in her short high school career, experienced everything from bullying and rape. Bullying is a huge problem in schools nowadays; according to the Nation Center of Education Statistics, about 14 percent of students report being bullied every year in schools. The other major factor Baker mentions in her suicide tapes is rape and sexual assault. According to rainn.org, one in every six women are victims of attempted rape or actual rape in their lifetime. Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Another element of this story everyone seems to be ignoring is the other students who were one of the thirteen reasons. We see two other kids go
through intense amount of suffering. Alex, who is on the first side of the tape blames himself throughout the whole series for mistakes that he made. We see him giving up on himself and everything around him with no one to rely on until he decides to shoot himself in the last episode. The other one we seem to injore is Tyler. Tyler is bullied from the moment we listen to his tape. In the last episodes, we seeing Tyler buying multiple guns and ammo. We completely ignore the pain these two characters suffer. It’s like the show wanted us to feel a sense of justice for Baker and telling us these characters got what they deserved--which should not have been the case. One of the major concepts of this show is Hannah Baker had no one to turn to. She had no one to help her with everything she is dealing with. She never went to her parents or even told Clay, the main protagonist, what was happening in her life. The one person she did ask help from, the school counselor, failed to console her. The counselor scene discourages teens to trust adults. As season two was announced, I can only imagine what Netflix will do next. Netflix wants to do something the fans love. Viewers are loving the idea of the new season starting out with Tyler losing his mind. The idea of a Columbine school shooting incident coming to life on tv can leave fans hoping for another season. Counselors, teachers, other adults, and students around you are here if you need someone to talk. If you are looking for someone who is unbiased towards your situation, callers at the Idaho Suicide Hotline (208-398-4357) are willing to talk and help at any time.
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Feature
May 16, 2017
Transgender high school students share their stories By Ariel Cordova
19ariel.cordova@boiseschools.net In the summer of 2000 I was born in Denver, Colo. as Axel Cordova, a biological male. Fast forward through many years of feeling out of place and abnormal because I liked makeup and Barbie more than monster trucks and video games, you get the current me, Ariel Cordova, a transgender girl and proud. From point A to B, there was a whole lot of “maybe if I act straight, I’ll be straight” and “maybe I’m just an effeminate gay” moments, none of which were by any means fun. They may have shaped me to become the person I am now, not afraid of anything or anyone, but it left me with issues, too. Internalized homophobia is a deep disregard for others’ feelings, including my own. Now, I am not saying homophobia as in I hate all LGBTQ+ people, just that I hate myself for being the way I am. Maybe it was being raised Catholic and being taught to have good morals and a love for God, or maybe it was thinking that had my father been there in my childhood I would have turned out “normal.” I might never really know. But I can tell you this, had I not had the experience as a person, my life would most certainly be a lot bleaker and a lot more ignorant. Growing up, I always knew I was different. My first crush was on that kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so that should have been a big sign. Sports weren’t really my thing and I only ever hung out with my mom or outside with the neighborhood girls. Eventually as I got older, I got a hold of a computer, and figured out I was gay. I proceeded to come out to my mom, who wasn’t really surprised. Even with that weight lifted from me, I still felt like something was wrong. Around 9th grade, my mother questioned
my intense femininity, and said, “You sure you’re not just a girl?” Then everything made sense, and clicked. We went to see a doctor to ask questions, and a week later I was put on T-blockers, and a week after that, hormones. My doctor gradually upped my dosage throughout the year. My mother found my new identity as trans more fitting, and my peers also responded positively. I even had my name officially changed in the school records! The following year after 9th grade was my first time stepping into an actual high school, and I was both ecstatic and afraid. I mostly wondered if I would even convincingly pass as female and if others would even like me. All that was easy to shrug off when the new crowd didn’t even notice. It felt exciting to have this secret almost no one knew about, but it of course went away quickly. Soon anyone who knew me knew what I was, but it wasn’t a big deal, it was just nice to be anonymous for once. Dating was something I dreaded, but had come to the conclusion that I wasn’t really up for dating. I knew the risks for the other person involved, but if the opportunity should present itself, I set a list of two rules: one being that anyone I date knows and fully understands me and what I am, and two, that the person be ready for the potential backlash. Other than that, my life has been that of a normal 16 year old. I go to class, try to get decent grades, have extracurriculars and electives that interest me and my passions, all just to show people that being trans is just a part of me, but it’s not my entire identity. I am not “Ariel the Transgirl.” I am a lot more. All one has to do is ask, and my words and story spill out faster than can probably be processed.
By Tai Boutviseth
17tai.boutviseth@boiseschools.net Everyone always questions themselves growing up. I was never the feminine type to wear makeup and dresses. I enjoyed looking at them on other girls, just not myself. By now a lot of people call me Tai; I’m 18 and I was biologically born as a female. At the age of 17, I fully came out to myself; I experienced continuous mental battles that kept holding me back. Most importantly, I realised I wasn’t happy at all being a tomboy lesbian. It’s a nice title, but it just didn’t feel like me at all. Before I fully came out to myself, I came out to a close friend of mine to see what their thoughts were. This person accepted me automatically and was so kind about asking me my preferences for name and pronouns. The stress I carried before was automatically gone now that I could be myself around someone who means so much to me. My next struggle was with my mother, who has always been there for me and raised me as a single parent. Even though I knew she would accept me, there was this constant mental barrier of my mother being disappointed in her only daughter going away. When I finally came out to her, the only thing she cared about and wanted from me was to be happy. After that, I started my full transition. Being a trans student at Borah has not caused me any issues compared to other schools. I’d say we have it the easiest
here. A lot of students don’t know what these types of students go through; it’s usually not a challenge for me, but sometimes it can be a struggle. To make myself feel more comfortable in my body, I use a binder to flatten my chest. Think of just a really tight sports bra you have to wear for eight hours. Everyday. It becomes painful, and gives me back pains plus chest pains. I do this so I don’t feel insecure about myself; it makes me feel better about myself and more confident than anything. Four months into my transition, I still struggle constantly with mental battles while at school, mainly bathrooms. No one told me I’m not allowed to use them, but everytime I need to use one anxiety builds up in me. “What if I am not masculine enough to go into the men’s bathroom? What if I am too masculine to be in the women’s bathroom?” I am fine going into the men’s bathroom in public places, because no one knows me. At school, I associate with a lot of guys, and I don’t want to make it uncomfortable between us. I don’t want my transition to be a burden to anyone, so I keep it to myself. High school is a struggle for a lot of trans students, especially in the dating department. Every student wants to find a high school sweetheart. But especially for a trans student, it can be difficult, because it’s often uncertain what your significant other will think. Transitioning hasn’t changed my personality; it has just helped me feel human.
Feature
The Borah Senator
9
Beauty, fashion is in the eye of the high schooler
Phoenix Dunn | 19phoenix.dunn@boiseschools.net
From left to right: Senior Corissa Campbell models her favorite summer outfit. Junior Lauryn Egderton, senior Hope Griffin, and junior Mahalie Benson pose with each other in their summer styles. Campbell puts her denim jacket on display. Seniors Taylor Thompson and Selma Skeledzic stand together showing their beautiful smiles. By Corissa Campbell
17corissa.campbell@boiseschools.net All of you are likely sitting and contemplating whether you can really pull off that beautiful summer cardigan or those high and bold stilettos. Some of you are confused whether something looks cute or not. Your friends may come back and reply to your picture sent via text; that your outfit is ugly and that you should just thrift it right away. Some of you may not even care what you look like and couldn’t care less of what people think about your daily outfits and styles. Or you’re like me, a confused senior who is trying to write and finish this story by the due date, a girl who really loves fashion and aesthetic looks that are pleasing to the eye, a girl who is just a little late to class every day due to early morning catastrophes and closet disasters. If you can relate to any of these situations, I suggest you keep reading. If you don’t care about any of these circumstances (or even this whole story in general) I suggest you just turn the page. This year is my final year at Borah. I have spent most of my high school career investigating my style and critiquing it to be absolutely perfect. It was a huge slap in the face when an outfit did not turn out how I wanted it to. Although I am no fashion guru, I have decided to write this story in hopes of helping people better understand the
I have always been told that life is like walking on a stage. meaning of being beautiful. The definition of beautiful is: pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically. It is simply an adjective that means so little, yet when it is said towards someone else, it can mean so much. As a current student in high school knows; “beautiful” is a girl. I know what you are thinking, “beautiful” is a word not a living thing. However, if you have ever come in contact with this word in person, the word turns into a feeling and then that feeling can become a person. No, this is not biology class, my people. I am definitely not going to open textbooks and explain to you the many cells that make up the word beautiful or lecture you on how a person or thing can become beautiful. It is so much more than that. Maybe he dumped you because he thinks you are ugly. Maybe you dumped him because you think he is ugly. Or maybe, you’re both ugly. Shhhhh! Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell. I’m only a piece of paper that you are blankly staring at and judging. Now, before you totally freak out about how a piece of paper just called you ugly, don’t. That is not what I said. Well, it is what I said; but that is not what I meant. Everyone is so set on how someone looks that we tend to forget what’s really inside; unless you happen to have taken anatomy. What is inside
of a person is what truly matters. Too bad we can’t see that though. However this is not a sob story, this is a story of confidence. If you have ever heard the term “confidence is key,” then you are in a pretty good place. If not, you are now, because you just read it silly! You probably don’t feel very different though; and I don’t blame you. In order to feel confident, you have to believe it. Confidence ties into everything that you do, from the clothes you wear to the shoes you walk in. For all of my life people have come up to me exclaiming how tall I am. With my eyes rolling due to the absolute obvious statement they just said, they ask me, “Corissa, do you play basketball or any sports?” The answer to that is no, I do not. Honey, I don’t have the correct personality to do so. Confidence plays a great part in sports. You have to be confident in yourself to succeed. Well, me...I just stand there in the middle of the court waiting for the ball to come to me. The reason I brought up sports in a fashion/beauty story is because, if you can relate to that confidence you have on the court, field, or track, then you are already halfway there to knowing how it feels to feel comfortable in your own skin. If you don’t play sports, don’t worry! I’ve got good things to tell you! You my friend, are going to have to find that con-
fidence from within yourself and bring it out. Being tall, it has always made it hard for me to gain that confidence. I always felt like I was born in the wrong body. My personality is shorter than my height. But that is not true after all, because I found that confidence; and I express it with the clothes I wear and how I present myself. Now that we have gone through the confidence stage, we can get to the fun stuff! Fashion and beauty comes from within. Yes, I cannot see what is happening inside of you and you cannot see what is happening inside me. Fashion gives us the chance to bring what is within to the public stage of your life. I have always been told that life is like walking on a stage. You are showing off to everyone your bright smile and what you have to offer the world. Then, I would always reply back with “Might as well do it wearing something cute then!” Just as the young people of our world are the future in labor and work, we are also the future in fashion. Discovering our own unique styles and sharing them with everyone around the world keeps fashion alive and is a way to express yourself. Expressing yourself is beautiful; because you are beautiful. That is all that it is about. There are no doubts or questions about it. Being true to yourself and expressing it is what makes you beautiful.
10
Feature
May 16, 2017
10 German girls spend two weeks in Boise By Skye Vialpando
17skye.vialpando@boiseschools.net “The Germans are coming!” Frau B., or Mrs. Barbara Beautrow, German and creative writing teacher here at Borah High School, exclaimed excitedly to her third period German class. 10 girls from an all girls school in Bamberg, Germany visited. With their arrival, they brought a new perspective to not only our school, but to the typical day-to-day American life — including thoughts on our cars, food, and stores. Firstly and most importantly, they actually didn’t bring up our infamous obesity rates until the very end. Until that point, the only things they noted as big were American supermarkets, cars, and “especially the ice cream,” said Leoni Pflaum. The American’s love of guns was also noted by Hannah Schauer,
“[American teachers] are a little bit more fun, and they are not so [strict].” -Henrike Schrott, German high school student who also, as the others, remarked that the two countries aren’t very similar besides mundane tasks, like being on cell phones in class. As for our differences, excluding American stereotypes, a majority of the German exchange students said we are much nicer than their people, more open to the unknown-our friendliness was their all-time favorite, which overall made them
Picture from passerby on cellphone
German exchange students stand near Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.
less nervous about coming to Boise after previously being in San Francisco: “I was in San Francisco before we went to Boise and there were so many nice people, and if you ask someone something…they always try and help…that’s pretty cool,”
said Hannah Schauer. She, being the only one to say her dislike, said that she unfavored president Donald Trump--she otherwise has not met an unfriendly person and appreciates the country just as the others do. Our differences also extended to the way we and our German partners run schools. While students here go from class to class, the Germans have their teachers come to the students. The Germans also perceive the way we are taught as easy. Johanna Gottwald said, “I really like the school…they are not so strong like in Germany. They don’t have so many hard rules and so on. Everything is taken easier.” “It’s more stressful and not so easy,” Henrike Schrott added on. She then goes on about the American teachers and said, “They are a little bit more fun, and they are not so [strict].”
Storage locker provides food, supplies for campus By Mosha Lopez Covarrubias
18mosha.lopezcovarrubias@boiseschools.net It has been two months since Principal Tim Standlee set up a food locker at the front of the main building for Borah students, their parents, and the Borah community. Standlee thought that this could help the students to eat healthy and not go hungry after school. It’s also available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. The locker is not only filled with food, but also supplies for those who can’t afford them, such as deodorant, toilet paper, paper plates, soap, hygiene kits and so on. This project worked for many of the students who have needs but have no one else to help them. It started out simply and with almost no food. Teachers were asking for help but it seemed to not work at all. They decided to announce it and students, parents and Borah community came together for this cause and filled up the whole locker in a couple of days. At first, students were hesitant about it and asked themselves “Is this really
for everyone and is this really free?” Standlee wanted to fix this problem and was concerned with every single students health and life. “A simple fix for simple problems” says Mr. Standlee about the current problem that the school was facing. Once everything was set up, staff decided to wait and see if students would use this opportunity. Many students were skeptical about it at first but grabbed what they needed or wanted and enjoyed what the school and donors had to offer. People took all type of things that were in the lockers. For example, shampoo, detergent, cereal, food cans, for example. Fortunately the food locker was almost empty and more donors showed up to give what they thought people wanted. Donors included students, parents, staff members, and Borah community members. Again, people grabbed more food and supplies for themselves. It was truly an act that had to be made for Borah students now. We ask for everyone to donate usable and edible items in our Borah
Food Locker, which is located in front of the main building, if donating just
open the locker and put your donations in the appropriate spots!
Phoenix Dunn | 19phoenix.dunn@boiseschools.net
Counselor Gail Barker shows donations that the Borah community has placed inside the food locker.
Senior Quotes
The Borah Senator
11
Malia Vineyard
Tyler Estes
Kyle Stern
Abigail Boesiger
Natalie Wiloughby
Lance Owen
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
“Yip Yip”
“People can change..”
“Hasta la pasta”
“Play more Zepplin.”
“Ask me why my pants sagging? Because bank rolls in it.”
-Marilyn Monroe
-Said every person ever
Alejandra Ramirez
Terran Blackstone
Katherine Walton
AbdirahmanMohamed
Jeremy A. Petrain
Jesus Vargas-Lopez
“Don’t judge those who try and fail, judge those who fail to try”
“Whatever you do, make it funky”
“Real smarts begin when you quit quoting other people...”
“Pass the AUX cord Fam”
“If you want to do something right, do it right the first time.”
“I had to put my grades up for adoption because I couldn’t raise them.”
-Me, Myself, and I
-Casey Lindenburg
-Chuck Palahniuk
-Darth Vader
-Tyler Palmer
Carissa Wahl
Demi Manglona
Brooke Kerley
Isabelle Robison
Austin Pearson
Aubrey Pulsipher
“I am where I am meant to be and at last I see the light”
“24.”
“No Ragrets”
“There’s hope out the window, so that’s where we’ll go. “
”Be a duck.”
“I’m not weird, I’m limited edition”
-We’re the Millers -Twenty One Pilots
12 | May 16, 2017
Bethany Scott
Trevek Welch
Sean Murphy
Juliann Daw
“Don’t let others judge you, be who God wants you to be.”
”Makin’ bacon pancakes”
“Hey, Beautiful!”
-Jake the Dog
“Senior year is a great time to talk to old and new friends, and have fun. Strive to be the very best you can be. Never lose focus. Follow your dreams. Good luck future seniors.”
“If you can’t do it right the first time, do it right the second time.” -Vanessa Williams
“There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.” -Aragorn, Lord of the Rings
Geno Lunsford
Scarlette Bell
Carol Johnson
NicholasGageMatchen
Grace Rita Safari
Alexa Green
“The faces of people may not stay the same, but the memories we’ve made will never fade away.”
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
“Wow. Much Gradute. Very diploma. Such Senior”
“We’re going to skate to one song, one song only.”
“Just because you are trash doesn’t mean you can’t do great things. It’s called garbage can, not garbage cannot.”
“True terror is to wake up one morning and discover your high school class is running the country.” -Kurt Vonnegut
-Thomas A. Edison
Chantale Niyonkuru
-Blades of Glory
Emma Smith
Victoria Mata
Adaira Dunn
Hope Galindo
Corina Constantinescu
Nicklaus Neser
Quinn Underhill
“Opinions are like mixtapes; I don’t want to hear yours.”
“The damage is Dunn.”
“Honestly how did I graduate?”
“Driver picks the music, shot gun shuts their cake cakehole.”
“A mind is like a parachute. It only works if it’s open.”
“I talk fast so no stinky haters can understand me, or teachers, or students as well...”
-Dean Winchester
-Frank Zappa
The Borah Senator | 13
Hunter Chapman
Tanner Chapman
Elizabeth Barnett
Nora Harren
Sean Kearney
Natalie Moore
“I am a Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it. LDS.org”
“Real G’s move in silence like lasagna”
“Never let a compliment go unsaid.”
“It’s not what you have done, it’s what you can do.”
“Always call someone by what you want them to be. Not by what they are. If they are only called one thing they will never change. Change starts with you.”
“Giving up doesn’t always mean that you are weak. Sometimes it just means that you’re strong enough to let go.”
Halima Hamud
Maria Erskine
Trevor Harshman
Casey Jones
Mikayla Neff
Austin Blanton
“When I was young, I thought the world could hold hands and sing the Barney theme song together. I guess not any more.“
“Don’t make me drop kick you!”
“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
“My wildest hope and dream is to meet willy wonka and try that three course dinner chewing gum and then turn into a giant human blueberry.”
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”
“The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car it’s the one who refuses to lose.”
-Lori Deschene
-Dale Earnhardt
-Lucia Bennett
Garrin Miller
Hunter Bennett
Brian Bishop
Destiny K. Winn
Taylor Scott
Nicholas Clohessy
“01100111011010010111010001100 1110111010101100100”
“One day I’m just gonna get off the bus and I’m gonna run into the woods and never come back. And when I come back, I’m gonna be the knife master.”
“I’m not inclined to resign to maturity.”
“National Geographic will know my name.”
“The hardest thing about being transgender isn’t the funny looks, it’s finding women’s pants that have pockets.”
“Well, we tried--Wait, we won? Hey! I always knew you had it in you!” -Robert Taube
-Psych Theme Song
14
Senior Quotes
May 16, 2017
Savannah Armstrong
Roland Wagoner
Alex Jorgensen
Kyla Langenwalter
Caleb Hart
Mirela Tucakovic
“It’s fine.”
“Dazzling confidence, remarkable incompetence.”
“I meant to work on my procrastination, but I never got around to it.”
“kawaii desu? more like kawhy are you such a desuppointment”
“Bing Bong”
“yo u mind if i care about the environment real quick”
Nickee Brumbaugh
Ahmed Abdullah
Brolen Gumb
Alexis Douglas
Selma Skeledzic
Ian Lockhart
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
“Music relieves your heart of malice.”
“I can always guess how many jelly beans are in a jelly bean jar, even if I’m wrong.”
“Oh yes the past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it”
“You can’t make everybody happy...You aren’t a jar of Nutella.”
“Viam inveniam aut faciam.”
-Brick Tamland
-Rafiki, The Lion King
-Mark Twain
Nicoli Calderon
Garrett Vander Meer
Chaylee Nelson
Brandyn A. Tuft
Gibson Greenlee
Lucas Greenlee
“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”
“I’m not an angry guy, it’s the brows I swear!”
“She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.”
“I Would Rather Be A Nobody, Than A Evil Somebody.”
“Where my hug at”
“Are you guys twins?!”
-Mark Twain
-Abraham Lincoln
-everybody ever
Seniors
The Borah Senator
15
Senior staffers say their goodbye to the Senator “I originally joined Borah Senator simply because my mother, who was on the staff herself, thought it would be a good idea. I liked the idea, and enjoyed writing. I never really saw it taking me anywhere; there wasn’t ever really this great drive or passion for writing unless it was fictional--that is until my junior year when I was placed behind a camera for the first time. I fell in love with cameras, whether it was shooting videos or taking photos. The idea of capturing a moment in time and letting the one moment tell the story thrilled me. I loved the idea of controlling everything the audience was seeing but at the same time controlling nothing at all. Borah Senator really gave me the opportunity to play with cameras and begin my journey with them.” -Juliann Daw, staff writer “I am so thankful that I joined newspaper this year because it has opened more doors and opportunities that I could have imagined. I loved writing to begin with, but this program has allowed me to excel beyond just writing. It has helped me realize how much I love journalism and I was fortunate enough to attend national conferences, win writing awards, and pursue a newly found passion. Looking back at the beginning of the year, I never thought I would call the people on this staff some of my good friends, but throughout the year I got to know each individual and all of their different personalities, which always kept the classroom interesting. I can confidently say I have enjoyed each one of my staff member’s quirks. Walking away from this program is going to be difficult because it has been so good to me, but I am excited for the future. The friendships, the stories, and the expectations are all the reasons of why I am pursuing journalism as my major at Washington State University. I owe all my accomplishments to this newspaper, and can’t wait to see where I end up.” -Brooke Kerley, staff member “What has newspaper taught you? It’s such a broad question that has many possible answers, but there’s only one for me. Being a part of the newspaper has taught me what it’s like to be a part of a team. When I was younger I was a fairly
work out, then I would just get started on another story. Newspaper can be such a stressful class, and it can also get pretty hectic when everyone is running around, yelling across the room to talk and typing away--but that’s the beauty of it. There are always good vibes spreading in this class and everyone gets along fairly well. We are like a family and I’m thankful for being in this class and recommend it for lower classmen.” -Moses Rodriguez, staff writer
Baylee London | 19baylee.london@boiseschools.net
Fromlefttoright,JuliannDaw,BrookeKerley,DemiManglona,MosesRodriguez,andAubreyPulsipher. shy child. I didn’t like going out of my way to make friends and I was that awkward kid that sat in the very front of class and rarely talked. When junior high and high school came around I got a lot better about communicating with people and getting out of my comfort zone to be more friendly with everyone, but most of my friends had sports and outside activities that allowed them to be part of a team. I’m not an athletic person so I never had the same experiences. Being a part of newspaper has given me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than a classroom or being on the outside of sports teams. It has allowed me to become more involved with my school and it has allowed me to build a bond with a group of people that became almost like a second family. If there was one thing that I could say to underclassmen, whether you are going into your final year of high school or you’re an incoming sophomore. Enjoy your years in high school. Once you are a senior, the year flies by quicker than you can imagine. Everyone grows beyond belief. The time flies by. By the time you can stop to catch your breath, the year is over-you’re receiving your cap and gown, walking across the stage and receiving a piece of paper that recognizes your hard
work throughout the years. Cherish the years you have left in high school because they are almost over, but even when you’re done, you’re always a Borah Lion.” -Aubrey Pulsipher, staff writer “Going into Newspaper, I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to be in the class. I always felt the urge to be a writer but I never took or cared to take a class that was focused on writing stories. I took journalism in 10th grade and when registering for my junior year, newspaper didn’t even cross my mind. Finally, my senior year, I saw that newspaper had openings, so I went for it. It was good to see some people that were in my journalism class from my sophomore year, and many other people that I knew who were in the class as well. Starting out in newspaper wasn’t the easiest. I had to get used to meeting my deadlines for my stories, and constantly looking for more stories to write. Newspaper taught me a lot about responsibility and accounting for my actions. There would be sometimes where I would start a story and halfway through, I just didn’t know what else to say. It was either because I didn’t have enough info, or it wasn’t a good story to begin with, but that never stopped me. If a story didn’t
“I’m going to be honest. Newspaper isn’t a class you should take if you want an easy A. It seems that’s what some people think, and maybe why they considered the class. If I’m going even more honest, that’s what I thought when I enrolled for journalism sophomore year. Of course I took it because I love writing, but at the time my style was already locked down for creative writing. As I learned more about journalism, I realized how incredibly hard professional journalists work, and if I ever want to get on their level I would have to work twice as hard as a high schooler. I fell in love with every element of reporting. Junior year was the first year I actually contributed to the Borah Senator. We were a small and quiet staff, but we pumped out some great issues. Walking into my senior year, I didn’t expect to lead the class as editor-in-chief. I had no idea what I was doing, and being a leader is not something I’m familiar with. I didn’t expect to get this close to my staff. I didn’t expect my staff to even interact with me because I didn’t know how to interact with them. If I’m going to be super, super honest, I still don’t know what I’m doing, but I do know being editor-in-chief was the most effective and helpful learning experience I’ve had in my three years writing for the Senator. To anyone carrying on the legacy of the Senator or even considering newspaper, my only advice is that it’s not always a bad thing to not know what you’re doing. It’s something everyone experiences more than once in their life, so understanding the effectiveness behind taking one step at a time is an important part of growing as a person. Knowing this my last issue for Borah makes me tear up, but the only thing left to say is: go forth and conquer. -Demi Manglona, editor-in-chief
Clubs & Activities Six go to DECA nationals 16
By Brooke Kerley
May 16, 2017
Junior debater nationally qualifies By Demi Manglona
17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net DECA is an international association of high school students and teachers with the goal of learning marketing, management, entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service. The organization prepares leaders and entrepreneurs for their future careers. Borah’s DECA team sent six qualifiers to nationals this year. Senior Joe Becker, junior Zak Eytchison, senior Brooke Kerley, senior Evan Magnusson, junior Brennan Toth, and junior Lincoln West attended the conference in Anaheim, Calif. The group spent five days in the busy city near the convention center. This year was the largest number in attendance for nationals at roughly 19,000 contestants. “It’s kind of intimidating at first because everywhere we went, people were dressed very professionally and took the competition super serious,” Kerley said. The Borah students spent most of their time at the convention center competing in their different categories. “I was looking forward to meeting new people and learning,” Becker said. Every member of the group either placed 1st or 2nd at the Idaho State DECA Competition in March, but didn’t place at nationals. “Even though nobody from Borah won anything, it was a pretty cool exposure that opened my eyes up to a lot,” Kerley said. “I joined DECA because I love business and I plan on becoming an entrepreneur,” Magnusson said. “Beyond that, DECA prepares people for a career in anything.” The students didn’t bring home any medals, but they brought home new knowledge and gained experiences that will carry on with them throughout the rest of their careers.
17deminicole.manglona@boise Speech and debate can act as a vessel to sharpening technical and critical abilities. For some, debate is a hobby. For others, debate is a sport that will lead them to success. Under debate instructor Donald Drobny’s fifth year of advising, junior Brian Del Toro is the first student who has qualified for the national debate tournament run by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). He will be competing on a national level in June. In order to compete on a national level for the NSDA, the competitor must be part of the top three debaters in their state. Along with being a national qualifier, he also won at state and regional competitions. Early in his debate years, Del Toro claimed he was a quiet and shy student with a lot to learn. As he progressed in Drobny’s debate class, he gained what he lacked in communication skills, as well as persuasive abilities. “It’s that cliche where the debate kid gets very vocal,” Del Toro said. “I started to speak better, speak clearly, use more hand gestures and become more convincing on my audience.” The junior believes the reason for his im-
School’s first podcast on SoundCloud By Brooke Kerley
17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net Exciting news hits Borah towards the end of the year by introducing its first ever podcast called the Borah Pridecast. The idea took off when AP Language and Composition teacher Chuck McHenry started listening to NPR’s Politics podcast, and saw an opportunity. “I really liked the format of short segments and different hosts,” McHenry said, “I thought, it would be cool to put together a podcast like that at Borah.” An idea became a reality when the English teacher approached coworkers and students with his vision. Teachers Pat Rose, Jen Boyd, Laura Johnston, and Rod Wray, jumped right in on the opportunity, and have worked alongside with other Borah students to record and edit material all semester to get it ready by the end of the year. Borah’s Pridecast is the only school podcast in the Boise School District, and the creators
have high hopes for next year. “This first episode is mainly to introduce the idea, figure out the process, and to get all the bugs out so the next one can be much smoother,” English teacher Rod Wray said about his part in helping with the audio technology. The first episode is named, “A School Full Of Weird People,” and is composed of a 20-minute program, including different segments having to do with what kinds of students are here at Borah. The Pridecast’s mission statement states: “Our goal is to explore and celebrate all the cool aspects of this high school. We have great, interesting, exciting students, teachers, and staff and we hope to share many of their stories with our listeners. We think Borah is a special place and we hope this podcast offers our listeners a glimpse into why it is so special. These are Borah voices.” The Borah Pridecast can be found on SoundCloud, under the username Borah Pridecast.
provement and success come from his years of experience. Del Toro has been in debate for two years and plans to continue as a senior. “At the beginning of the year, I was losing a lot. I went without a win on a couple of tournaments and I went with one win at a few others,” Del Toro said. “I realized I needed to learn more about not only myself as a person and a debater, but also doing more research and doing more debate-related tasks.” As a student taking three AP classes, the junior claimed his main drawback against debate is his schoolwork. Debate students occasionally have to miss school on Fridays for tournaments, which can span the entire weekend. Luckily, according to Del Toro, there are lengthy waiting periods between rounds during which students can catch up with their homework assignments. “There’s so much waiting [during tournaments]. You might as well put it to good use,” said the debater. Drobny said Del Toro’s efficient work ethic, team communication, and skills Del Toro exhibits are signs of a dedicated student, which translate into “any life path.” “You won’t get there at the click of a button,” Del Toro said, giving advice to novice debaters. “You won’t get there easily.”
Arts and Entertainment
The Borah Senator
17
Reader wants more after first of author’s trilogy
By Elaina Swanson
19elaina.swanson@boiseschools.net All 393 pages of Estelle Maskames book, “Did I Mention I Love You?” grips the reader from beginning to end. The end doesn’t let you go either, as it is only the first of three in the Did I Mention I Love You (DIMILY) series. It makes the reader need the next the book. Eden Munroe is from drama filled Portland, Oregon. She lives with her mom and hasn’t even heard from her dad in three years. Then suddenly she has her own room in sunny Santa Monica, California. Instead of her mom, she has five complete strangers whom she is living with. Three of them are her stepbrothers, one
her stepmom and finally dear old dad. Tyler Bruce’s green eyes attract trouble and girls. He’s the oldest stepbrother and is only a year older than Eden herself. When they first meet he doesn’t make a great first impression. He has a few things going on in his life, but he is “handling” it. He will do anything he can to distract himself and keep up his bad boy facade. Spending the entire summer in a strange place was not Eden’s plan. Now she must make friends and find things to do which has made it a bit easier when she attends the neighborhood BBQ on the first night. She meets Rachel, which is great, but she is the best friend of Tyler’s girlfriend, Tiffany.
Rachel is Eden’s chance at having a more she realizes she is falling for the summer that might be fun. Though that one person she shouldn’t be falling for. means hanging out with Tiffany, and Will she be able to resist his green eyes Tiffany means Tyler--the one person and make it through the summer? Eden wishes to avoid because she just can’t stand Tyler and his choices. Eden is trying to understand what Tyler’s problem is. From the moment she met him, she gets the feeling he hates her. Maybe he just hates the world, after all he drinks, smokes, does just about anything to escape it. Phoenix Dunn | 19phoenix.dunn@boiseschools.net The more Eden tries The reviewer reads the second book in author’s trilogy. to understand, the
Second of Maskame trilogy makes love difficult By Elaina Swanson
19elaina.swanson@boiseschools.net 352 more pages from Estelle Maskame continue the story of Eden Munro and Tyler Bruce. “Did I mention I Need You?” brings us from a big city in California to a big city in New York. Eden Munro has counted all 359 days since she last saw her step brother, Tyler Bruce. She has waited for summer to arrive and when it does she is on a plane to New York. Her mom on the other hand isn’t super excited, she’s more anxious than anything. Dean, Eden’s boyfriend is not happy that she chose a summer in New
York over a summer with him. Tyler Bruce has finished his tour and is waiting in New York for his step sister, Eden’s, arrival. When she gets off the plane and looks around she finds his green eyes and literally leaps into his arms. The leaping part is not what Tyler expected, but he is just as excited to see Eden. Things in New York start with driving through the tunnel from New Jersey, to New York. The apartment Tyler is staying in with his roommate, Snake, is what Eden would call a man Cave. The first activity of the night is dinner. The topic of Eden and Tyler’s relationship is brought up by Eden over dinner.
Not wanting to have the discussion at the moment Tyler tells her they can discuss it later. Later ends up being on the roof of Tyler’s apartment building and the news Eden gets is not what she was expecting. Tyler is in no way over Eden, but Eden is with Dean. She loves Dean, but she also loves Tyler and not in the step sibling way. Things are definitely complicated. Snake and Tyler take Eden to her very first baseball game, Yankees vs Red Sox. There a deal between Eden and Tyler is struck. If Derek Jeter scores a home run, then Eden is going to have to break the rules.
As luck would have it, close to the end of the game, Derek Jeter scores his home run. Now things are really complicated, but as if they aren’t complicated enough, Rachael arrives with two unexpected guests. Dean, wasn’t suppose to show up in New York. He has no idea what has or is going on between Tyler and Eden. Tiffani is the girl that neither Eden or Tyler want to see. She is willing to step on anyway and do anything to get her way. Broken, is the word to describe Eden when everything goes wrong. Though now she has Tyler… Or does she? Telling their parents might just ruin things even more.
Reader sees the unfolding of a fairytale in the finale By Elaina Swanson
19elaina.swanson@boiseschools.net “Did I Mention I Miss You” is the final book in the “Did I Mention I Love You” series by Estelle Maskame. All 335 pages of the novel keeps a reader gripping the pages as the final chapters of Eden Munroe’s and Tyler Bruce’s story unfolds. Heartbroken Eden Munroe is back in California and she is trying to deal with the mess that Tyler Bruce and her created on her own. Though it’s nothing new, her dad seems to hate her, even more so now, and her second oldest step brother Jamie wants nothing to do with her. Her
third problem, the one that broke her heart and is nowhere to be found, is Tyler Bruce. Eden is stuck spending every other week at her father’s house. He doesn’t seem to want her there and she really wishes she was at her mom’s. Their notso-great relationship only worsens the second Tyler appears. Tyler Bruce left Eden to go find himself. He has been staying in Eden’s hometown of Portland, Oregon. He’s back, and he thinks Eden is just going to jump into his arms and forgive him. Though after returning none of her calls or texts for a year, Eden’s sworn to stay away from him.
Ella, Tyler’s mom and Eden’s step mom, has had enough of everyone fighting. She decides she is going to fix the problem and is going to do so by forcing her entire family on a vacation to Sacramento.
“Unfortunately, nothing goes as she planned.” Unfortunately, nothing goes as she planned. In fact it only gets more tense between Eden and her dad, and Eden’s dad wants absolutely nothing to do with Tyler.
Eden and Tyler can’t handle Sacramento anymore ,and even though she doesn’t really want to go anywhere with Tyler, she agrees to go to Portland with him. Tyler has created a life in Portland, a great one. Seeing it makes Eden see Tyler differently, and she can almost feel herself falling. Tyler has fixed his life and basically started over. Eden and Tyler’s fairytale has had many bumps, and both have gotten some bruises along the way. A new chapter of their fairy tale is unfolding. Will their fairy tale chapter in Portland last?
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Senior Gifts
May 16, 2017
Seniors give back by leaving gifts on campus
All photos by Phoenix Dunn The graduating class of ‘80, the start of senior gifts, gave this poster depicting a lion.
The class of ‘92 had a banner made to hang above the entrance of B-Hall, stating “Home of the Lions” in the school’s colors: green and yellow.
The class of ‘95 gave a garden dedicated to Evan E. Walt, a former science teacher here at Borah who died tragically in a plane crash.
The class of ‘91 raised money to have a mosaic added to the main hallway, in the school colors. It has “Carpe Diem” written out in tile, and is referred to as the Carpe Diem wall.
The class of ‘94 gave a rock for the entrance of the school. The rock was moved to the New Gym in ‘06, and a memorial was made for William E. Borah and Troxell.
The class of ‘97, added a vibrant mural above the entrance to the Main Building. It depicts a Lion and other jungle animals with very colorful plants and flowers surrounding the Mascot.
The class of ‘98 collected items from previously graduated teachers and staff to display in a case of Borah memorabilia, which is now showcased in the cafeteria.
The class of ‘99 raised money for months to construct the Lion Fountain behind the principal’s office. In the spring this fountain is running and the perimeter is covered in bright tulips.
Borah has memorials dedicated to many deceased faculty and staff. In ‘o2 a memorial dedicated to Brandon T. Titus, was placed in the E. Walt Garden. It was later moved to the Senior Garden.
The class of ‘09 made a collage out of pictures of themselves from their past three years at Borah, in the shape of the Lion mascot.
The seniors of ‘15 donated a memorial and tree to beloved science teacher Darin Zarbinsky.
After the retirement of former teacher Kali Kurdy, who worked here for over 30 years, the Senior Garden was named in memory of her in ‘03.
Arts & Entertainment
The Borah Senator
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Student presents on Autism Awareness nights about creatures during the age of the dinosaur
Sophomore Adam Felton speaks at The Aquarium of Boise on the corner of Cole and Franklin. By Brianna White
19brianna.white@boiseschools.net Sophomore Adam Felton presents on Autism Awareness Nights at the Aquarium of Boise every three months. He usually teaches 15 to 20 people. A year before he started presentations, he volunteered at the Aquarium to give tours. Tabitha Felton, Adam’s
Gabriel Abille | 17gabriel.abille@boiseschools.net
Sophomore Adam Felton takes an art class at Borah High. He also takes ceramics where he creates prehistoric animal sculptures. mother, encouraged him to do a presentation. “He was eager to get everything for his first presentation perfect… and of course it was perfect. “Adam doesn’t let autism define who he is,” she said. “Adam defines autism
and lets the world know that.” Felton’s first presentation was about dinosaurs. On these nights, he teaches others about ice age and sea creatures, and prehistoric animals around the dinosaur era.
Felton likes the Aquarium because of the animals inside. His favorite at the facility are the sharks and stingrays. Felton also loves dinosaurs and creatures during that era. “I like dinosaurs because of how long they’ve been around on the earth, and the fact that they have the same instincts that modern day animals have. I like dinosaurs because they are the most famous prehistoric creatures of all time.” Outside of teaching others about dinosaurs, Felton has a passion for art. He currently takes an art class at Borah High. When asked why he chooses to teach others about these animals, he said, “So that their brains can grow bigger, and they can become smarter as they learn more about something that they want to learn.” Felton wants to educate people who are interested in this topic, and spread awareness for autism. “Adam’s love for educating the public on the animals is a true passion for him and he loves doing it,” Ms. Felton said. “He has stepped outside his comfort zone so much over the past year,” she added. “It’s an amazing feeling as a mom to see your child do the things doctors told me he wouldn’t.”
Student awarded in city street sweeper art contest By Brianna White
ing. And I think she just she sees the world as her palette to paint with.
ent ideas that I put up on a little piece of paper figuring out which one I wanted.
Of the 65 entries into the Ada County Highway Department’s Sweeper Art Contest, sophomore Amber Robison’s graphic art design was selected along with four other students. The Senator interviewed Robison and her teacher about her award.
Senator: What does Amber’s achievement mean to her? Michael: That’s a good question. I don’t think she does her artwork for acknowledgment. I think she does it to kind of express herself. And I think her accomplishment is that she followed through with something and people are congratulating her for it. Building her self-esteem up.
Senator: How did you feel when you got your award? And why? Robison: I was actually surprised. There were a lot of other people doing the competition as well so I just thought it would be fun to make a painting and send it over there.
19brianna.white@boiseschools.net
Michael
Borah Senator: What kind of qualities does Amber possess that allow her to stand out? Teacher David Michael: She’s very bright, she’s very artistic. Her brain works with pictures and problem solving with art that I think most people don’t understand or get. She’ll channel her emotions sometimes into draw-
Borah Senator: How long were you working on your art piece? And how did you decide? Amber Robison: It took around a few weeks to a month... deciding what to paint and deciding how I was going to paint it. I had differ-
Robison
Senator: I saw your painting, did it get put on a truck? Robison: It was put on this big street sweeper. And they put it on both sides of the street sweeper, because they said it looked empty. Senator: What do you like best about art? Robison: I like all the things that you can do. You can make anything you want. You can make things you can’t make anywhere else but in art.
The Borah Senator
Arts & Entertainment
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Sports
May 16, 2017
Borah softball loses six players for 2018 season By Brooke Kerley
17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net Borah’s 2017 Varsity Softball team held 15 players this year, including seniors Amaya Bentley, Lily Gregory, Aubree Hessing, Brooke Kerley, Emily Wilde, and Lexi Wilson. The six, along with nine other players, had an emotional season of wins and losses in different categories. The team finished with a 4-13 record, a number that doesn’t represent Borah Softball at all. “We had a rough season if you look at the numbers, but as a team we won more than just games,” senior Brooke Kerley said. “We always improved from the last game, so I think our season went pretty great,” senior Amaya Bentley said. “I’m going to miss the family that I made and playing the sport my team and I loved.” After a win or loss, regardless of the
score, Coach Missy Wheeler always addressed the fact that Borah is a blue collar school that has to work for every ounce of success in any category. Money doesn’t come easy, unlike the white collared schools. “It is much more rewarding to be a part of a team that has to fight for their spot rather than having everything given to you,” Wheeler said, after the loss of the district play-in game against Timberline. Senior Lexi Wilson said, “The fact we bonded outside the field connected us as a team, and we were all pretty good friends.” She added, “I think that is what I will miss the most, the friendships and the feeling that everyone has your back on and off the field.” The team was the biggest varsity softball roster Borah has had. “At first I was kind of skeptical about having 15 girls on the team,” senior Emily Wilde said. “I was worried that
some girls wouldn’t get playing time.” “Every player worked hard the whole season,” senior Lily Gregory said. “We were more than just teammates, we were a family that used our diversity to carry us through the season.” “This team holds a special place in my heart,” assistant coach Cassidy Tipton said. “I am going to miss the seniors and the personality they brought to the team.” With six seniors graduated next year, coach Wheeler looks forward to meeting new players and getting to know their personalities. “I love being able to continue to work with talented and dedicated student athletes at Borah,” Wheeler said. Wilson said her “advice to returners and incoming players is to take what we have already and run with it.” She also said, “We built a strong foundation for success, it just needs walls and a roof.”
Amber French| 17amber.french@boiseschools.net
Players gather to finish senoir night with a game ending cheer.
Lacrosse combines popular sports By Brooke Kerley
17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net
Amber French | 17amber.french@boisescoolhs.net
Senior Clayton Berlinguet readies to attack the opposing team for a win.
Since the 1970s, football, baseball, and basketball have dominated the sports industry with popularity. Now in 2017, the rate of participation in traditional team sports has fallen in the early elementary demographic, according to the Wall Street Journal. American athletes have more options than ever to choose from a variety of sports. In turn, today’s athletes are opting out of the mainstream careers and looking for something more diverse that can bring them a better chance at success. According to the NCAA, lacrosse is the fastest growing sport with more than 36,000 athletes playing at the college level just between 1998 and 2008. “I think it is getting so popular because it’s a fun sport that is made up of a bunch of other sports that athletes already play,” said Borah’s senior lacrosse team captain, Clayton Berlinguet. “You get the aspect of football, soccer, and hockey all in one game.” Junior Jose Soto said, “It requires a lot of different skills that will help you in other sports.” He added, “It helps me with my speed in the off season for football and also lets me spend more time with my brothers.” Berlinguet started playing lacrosse when he
‘I love how you can get the physicality of contact sports, but without the concussions.’ - Seth Rogers, senior was in 6th grade. “When my cousin asked me to play lacrosse with him, I had no idea what it was. I had to YouTube it and it looked high paced and resembled a lot of other sports I played, so I signed up.” Now he plays on a travel team called True, and is the team captain of Borah Lacrosse. “Our season for high school starts in the spring, and my travel team usually practices year round and starts competing in the summer.” Berlinguet said. “I love how you can get the physicality of contact sports, but without the concussions,” senior Seth Rogers said. The NCAA reported that Lacrosse has less head injuries than football, which might explain why families are preferring their kids play lacrosse over other injury prone sports.
Sports
The Borah Senator
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Golf worked hard towards districts By Aubrey Pulsipher
17aubrey.pulsipher@boiseschools.net As most people know, golf is a sport that is the exact opposite of every other one. Being both a solo sport and one for which you try to get the lowest score instead of the highest, golf is mistaken as an activity more than a sport. Not only that, but there is a possibility to play the game two different ways. You can play in a set of nine holes or double it and play 18. The Borah Lions play a set of nine during a normal match day, but they spend the entire day at the course and play all 18 while competing against other schools during tournaments. “On the course it is individual because you’re playing for your score but off the course it’s a team because you rely on each other to play well so that your team score qualifies you in tournaments and competition” senior and varsity 1 player Matthew Vermeer said. Everyone that plays golf has a different view on what course is their favorite and which one is the most dreaded to them depending how the course has an effect on their game and their performance throughout the
day. A lot of Lion golfers prefer the home course Hillcrest Country Club over the beginner level Indian Lakes Golf Course. “How many times your club makes molecular contact with the ball is what your score comes out to be” said Vermeer. For those of you that don’t have a knack for science, that’s loosely translated to: “Your score is determined by how many strokes over or under par you get on every hole,” said junior and JV 1 player Noah Collins. Golf is also deemed a game that you can do nothing but improve on. Since the game is played solo, you really only have to worry about your personal score unless you are in a tournament or district competition. Most of the team agreed about on who improved the most throughout the entire season, as well as none other than senior and varsity three John Shockley. “I believe I have improved the most this year since in the past I have played baseball during this time,” Shockley said. The team goes through various amounts of practice tactics in order to better their game for upcoming events, such as matches and tourna-
ments. They are mainly able to do whatever they please when they are out at practice because the coaches trust their players to be adults on a high-class country club course. Whether it’s going to the driving range to practice on their long swings, going to putting green to practice chipping and short hits, or playing a round of 9 with the entire team. The team has become a bond and a friendship more than something the players are forced to do. “I think the bonding factor between teammates this year has been the most influential out of the three years I’ve been on the team. While playing may be solo, the influence the team has on your experience is huge” said junior and varsity 5 Conner Pierce. Even though districts were played during the early May AP tests this year, making it challenging for the higher academic students, that didn’t stop these players from playing their best and hoping to improve their chances in districts and eventually state. “I hope to be playing at the top of my game and I hope I qualify for districts and then move onto state” said junior and Varsity 2 player Kyle Pogue.
Heidi Johnson | 18heidi.johnson@boiseschools.net
Senior Matthew Vermeer takes a few pratice swings.
Tennis a team sport that requires total mental focus By Brianna White
19brianna.white@boiseschools.net The tennis team, about eight matches into its season, is diving into competition for 2017. As a team, it’s experienced wins, losses, and ties. But tennis is more complicated than just a win or loss. Tennis players defeated Kuna and Mountain View, but many individual wins have taken place as well–the girls team defeated Nampa, Meridian, and Centennial. Sophomore Paytin Snowball has participated in several sports, including basketball and volleyball, but she enjoys the independent competition that tennis offers. “It’s a team sport but you’re not really playing as a team,” Snowball said. “You’re playing by yourself. So having that one other person there… I like it better.” For sophomore Carson Bird, one of his expectations for the season is being able to play a travel tournament. He wants to play teams that Borah doesn’t usually get to compete against.
“There are a couple but we’re not sure when,” Bird said. “That might be this year or next year because we kind of had a busy game schedule this year.” Bird said another his goal was for the team would be to win the majority of their matches. “That’s my expectation, we wanna win,” he said. Both Snowball and Bird agree that this tennis season went very well. The coaches work with the players during practices and even on weekends. There are two assistant coaches along with a main coach, which allows each player to get more individual help. Although the team has experienced a lot of success this season, Snowball also mentions that tennis may not be getting the support other sports teams are receiving. Despite this, the team still has aspirations to compete with other teams and win as well. Bird believes the competition at Borah continues to increase and opportunities are opening up for the team even more.
Heidi Johnson | 18heidi.johnson@boiseschools.net
Sophomore Carson Bird practices his skills on the tennis court.
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Seattle Conference
May 16, 2017
Journalism students travelled to Seattle for conference By Brooke Kerley
17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net Every year, the JEA (Journalism Education Association) and its partner the NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association) prepare hundreds of practical and professional learning sessions and workshops at a national convention for students interested in journalism. This year, the national conference was held in Seattle where seniors Gabrielle Abille, Brooke Kerley, Demi Manglona, and sophomore Baylee London were able to attend. Newspaper adviser Michelle Harmon, who led the trip, said “I love this trip because I attend membership and leadership meetings, and also love seeing innovations in journalism.” Before the trip, the four students knew each other as other members of the newspaper staff, but once at the airport, it was apparent that the adventure to Seattle would bring them closer. After a long day of delayed and cancelled flights, the group finally arrived in Seattle during a windy and rainy April evening. The tired students were easily uplifted when Harmon opened the door to a grand suite room. “I wanted to keep it a surprise, because I knew it was really special,” Harmon said. The group lucked out because the original reservations had only king size beds
Skyline views from the Sheraton Hotel suite the group stayed in during the trip. instead of queen size beds, which would have been a better accommodation for three girls and two boys (one from Coeur d’Alene). When Harmon called to see if any queen rooms had become available, the hotel offered up a an upper floor, three-room suite, which was normally $900/night, at the conference rate. “That was probably the greatest sur-
prise ever,” London said. “We were very fortunate to be able to stay in such an upscale place.” The rooftop pool, easy access to Pike’s Place, and endless shopping outlets were all major distractions, but the students were eager to attend the famous workshops in order to improve journalistic skills. “I attended one photoshop workshop
where I learned how to manipulate images more efficiently,” Abille said. “I really loved visiting UW (University of Washington) and learning about professions I would fit into in the journalism world,” Kerley said. “I’m so glad I went because it was my last year to be able to go and I wanted to get the experience,” Manglona said. “I have always felt confident in my journalism skills, but this conference made me realize that there is so much to improve on all the time.” Seattle opened up a lot of doors for the students, including a top 20 ranking in a national quiz bowl, and a national writing competition. Abille received honorable mention in editorial cartoon, Kerley received an excellent in sports writing, and Manglona received an excellent in review writing. There were many moments of learning during the trip, but there were also many filled with laughter. “My favorite part of the trip was when Demi, Gabe, and I stayed up super late watching Jimmy Fallon, and ordered bread sticks. Brooke woke up at 3 and ate the rest of the breadsticks and went to bed. It was pretty funny until we had to wake up early the next day.” Experiences like these never fail to create new friendships, unforgettable memories and bring students together. “I will never forget this trip, and I am sure my peers feel the same,” Manglona said.
The four journalist students patiently wait for the buzzer round of the quiz bowl to begin.
Baylee London | 19bayle.london@boiseschools.net
Brooke Kerley poses next to fresh flowers at Pike Place Market.
Awards:
The four get ready to attend classes.
Brooke Kerley | 17brooke.kerley@boiseschools.net
Demi Manglona and Baylee London stand smiling in front of the famous Gum Wall after adding to the collection.
Gabrielle Abille: Honorable Mention Brooke Kerley: Excellent Demi Manglona: Excellent
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Fun & Games
Brain Teasers
May 16, 2017
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