November 2014

Volume 92, Issue 4 | december 2014

a year in review

as the year comes to a close, here is a look back at what happened around the world in 2014 Preston Cole | Editor-in-chief The 22nd Winter Olympic Games were held in Sochi, Russia. 12 new events were added.

Sarah Wells | business manager

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A flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China went missing over the Indian Ocean with 11 crew members and 227 passengers on board. No debris has been found thus far.

The uary r b 12 year-old e f age minimum was removed by parliamentary vote, allowing terminally ill children with parental and personal consent to be euthanized.

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foreign exchange page 4

april 1

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276 school girls were abducted from the Government Secondary School in Nigeria by the terrorist organization Boko Haram.

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The Ebola virus broke out in West Africa, and as of November, a total of 19,098 cases had been reported.

ISIS begins a campaign through Mosul and Tikrit, Iraq, eventually creating a caliphate. President Obama announced government action against this movement.

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Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The confrontation sparked intense protests in Ferguson.

Brazil hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup, with 32 teams in attendance.

Germany won 1-0 to Argentina.

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Pakitobe c o stani activist Malala Yousafzai became the youngest recipient at age 17 of the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggles against the suppression of education.

a closer look page 8

december Dates to remember

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senior expo plc early release day

For the first time in history, a probe (Philae), landed on a comet.

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hashtag highlight

twitter.com/shscedarpost

compiled by | Preston Cole

pill, two pill, red pill, blue #failedchildrensbooktitles “one pill” - Sarah Wells to grow facial hair” #crapsuperpowers “inability - Cooper King the fleek on my sweater?” - Delia #momquotes “is Boyd

issuu.com/cedarpost facebook.com/shscedarpost instagram | @cedarpost

Real vs fake trees holiday season brings differing views on trees Madi Sleyster | Photo editor

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ith Christmas An additional reason families may turn just around the to artificial trees is for the convenience. corner, families are “Set-up and clean-up are a lot quickstarting to take out dec- er with artificial trees, since it is not orations and prepare alive and [the tree] can be stored in a for the holiday season. box for the rest of the year,” Martin said.

A common ChristAfter cutting live trees down and bringmas staple is the tree; ing them inside, it may be difficult to keep the whether or not fami- tree looking fresh. The heat from inside and the lies go and cut a real tree or pull lack of adequate wateran artificial one out of the box ing may cause real trees is up to personal preference. to dry out quickly and Senior Tanner Jacobson is drop their pine needles.

• 10.9 million artificial trees were an employee at Crowell’s Tree “When watering your purchased in the United States tree, use equal parts waFarm during the holidays. in 2012.

“Six to seven foot [live trees] ter mixed with equal parts • There are more than 15,000 7-Up or Sprite. It extends cost from $50 to $55 and the 11 to 12 foot [trees] cost Christmas tree farms in the [the tree] life almost dou$95 to $100,” Jacobson said. ble if you had only used United States alone.

This cost can accumulate water,” says Jacobson. from year to year, often causAlthough cleanup ing fake trees to appear more reasonable. may be easier with artificial trees, many stu“[The fake tree] costs about dents believe the traditional, live Christ$30,” senior Lily Martin said. mas tree adds to the Christmas season.

Considering artificial trees are often stored “You get more of the Christmas for subsequent years, spending less on an ar- feel with the real tree,” Jacobson said. tificial tree may be a financially sound decision.

“I do miss the smell of the real tree,” Martin said.

NEws

68% REAl Tree

DID YOU KNOW?

Moose madness preview M

23% Fake Tree 9% no tree

2014 moose madness season fast approaching Madi Schoening| Staff member

oose Madness has been a tradition at Sandpoint High School since January of 2009.

It is a school-led function that is centered around a boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball game against Bonners Ferry High School.

In addition to the basketball games played throughout the evening, the event consists of several spirit and crowd engaging competitions for fans to participate in.

“Moose Madness is an extremely valuable event and provides a safe place for students to participate in. It unifies the school as a

whole and is truly a unique experience for those students who might not typically involve themselves in school activities,” said Athletic Director Kris Knowles about what he believes to be most important about the event.

Moose Madness will be held on December 19 at Bonners Ferry High School. Each year the event alternates between schools.

“It is neat to do something like this with another community, and it is worth it to have that environment for studentathletes to play in,” Knowles said.

BASICALLY

SPEAKING

What is your favorite part about Elani williams| Senior moose madness? “i like Beating bonners

BILLY WEBBER | Senior

“I like dressing up, ferry in the basketball screaming, and fungame, and the support draising for a good we get from the crowd” cause”

life skills class gives back

recycling program gives special ed classes the opportunity to benefit school sarah wells| business manager or the past two months, the Sandpoint High School Life Skills program has been collecting classroom recycling after teacher John Hastings piloted the program last year. The students involved in this program pick up all of the paper products that are recycled by staff and students during the school day.

“The reason why I wanted to take [the recycling] over for our students is because in Life Skills, we are working on being a contributing member of the community,” said Renee Lorden, a director of the Life Skills program.

Life Skills students are primarily focused developing realworld skills, and the recycling program allows them to learn to follow a step-by-step process independently from start to finish.

“The recycling program [is for] our students who are not yet old enough or don’t have the skills to work in the community, and so this is a step to-

wards a community work placement,” said Lorden, “the goal is to teach the student an independent skill set [of] following a task list from start to finish.”

Ultimately, this program aids in preparing students for a vocational or other post-high school career.

Another benefit of the recycling program is it allows Life Skills students to interact with classroom students and teachers as well.

“Some teachers have their bins set out in the hallway, and others want us to come into the classroom. We love to be able to go into the classroom because it promotes appropriate social interaction,” said Lorden.

The recycling program is both environmentally friendly for the school and beneficial to the Life Skills students at Sandpoint High School, allowing them to develop important skills for future success.

photo by| sarah wells

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recycling: life skills students pick up recycling during periods 3a and 4b.

our

VIEW

the Yik Yak Attack new social media app takes shs by storm

opinion

jackson russo | Staff member

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to call out their classmates because they are able to hide behind their computer screen with no possible repercussions.

“Real people, real pain.

The things that were being said about some people on Yik Yak, or whatever it is, it’s really easy for me to type them, it’s really easy for me to put up there, especially when it’s anonymous, but still it’s a real person that I’m talking about,” said Scott Fitchett, the sociology teacher at SHS. When Fitchett learned about the app he taught his classes a powerful lesson on how words can hurt people down to the core. After Fitchett’s lesson, the app was mostly deserted by students.

“Yik Yak was fun until people started to make it personal and attack each other,” said Carlos Col-

skiers

lado, a junior at SHS. Most of the posts you will see now are from returning college students saying things like “I miss college yik yak”.

All good things come to an end, even for bullies, as people started to get

bored of reading all the hate they started to leave the app and now its almost empty. Instead of a new hate post every few minutes there is a post from a returning college student every few hours.

Cedar Post EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Preston Cole

Alex baker | staff member

n the fall of 2014 an app called Yik Yak took over Sandpoint High School by storm. High school fads come and go like the wind, but this one left a lasting impression that will be remembered for a long time.

The Yik Yak app allows people to post on the app anonymously and was designed for college students to find out where the upcoming parties were. What the app wasn’t developed for is a small town high school like SHS. As soon as Sandpoint students got a hold of the app it turned into a hate forum. They took the opportunity to take cyber bullying to the next level.

The app was filled with horrible name calling and it got out of control.

Students all of the sudden had the confidence

NEWS EDITOR

Sadie Nitcy OPINION EDITOR

Jackson Russo SPORTS EDITORS

Hailey dunn Darbey Scrimsher LIFESTYLES EDITORS

Jordan GarreTt Caroline suppiger yak attack: new app rams through SHS, leaving hate wherever it goes

boarders

COPY EDITOR

SaraH Almeida PHOTO EDITORS

Cooper king Madi sleyster SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Austin Laiche

jake betcher | Staff member

S

kiing is by far one of the most widely known sports in the world. It's so well known for a good reason, skiing has been around for hundreds of years and has brought all snow sports to the level of where they are today. Skiing is a sport that never stops improving, the list of tricks that you are able to do is constantly expanding and moving forward with what is available. Unlike snowboarding, the rider is able to eject from bindings upon falling, making it much safer, whereas with snowboarding, you are unable to eject, causing a higher risk of injury.

Snowboarding was created from the idea of skiing, and is just a cheap copycat of a real sport. The vast majority of people in the world ski for a reason. It is the obvious choice for millions of people everywhere.

Skiing is and always will be the best choice for snow sports, being that it is much more safe and natural to learn compared to snowboarding.

Snowboarding is a sport that will soon be overcome by the ever-rising popularity of skiing.

VS

BUSINESS MANAGER

Sarah Wells

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WEB DIRECTOR

Greer Cole | Staff member

Galen May

nowboarding is better than skiing. There’s absolutely no way around it. Snowboarding has so many more positive aspects than skiing that they are in no way comparable. Snowboarding was born from the inferior sport of skiing. However, it is much like a son sharing the same name as his father, and, upon google search, shows a much higher level of achievement than his lackluster creator. Skiers pride themselves in the two sticks beneath their feet. It is common knowledge that snowboarders, with just one stick supporting their entire bodies, have been able to accomplish just as much if not more than skiers. To do more with less? The skier relies upon yet two more sticks in their hands to keep their balance. What is the worst aspect of skiing though? The ugly and uncomfortable boots skiers allow to touch their feet.

Snowboarding boots carry a similar style to popular shoes that people wear everyday. Ski boots look like a piece of cheap plastic strapped to someones leg and can cost up to a thousand bucks. A top of the line snowboarding boot costs roughly half that. It’s obvious, the sport of skiing can no longer compete with the rapid advances snowboarding continues to experience.

Skiing is soon to die.

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Christian Crossingham STAFF MEMBERS

Dylan Kuzmich Jake Betcher Delia Boyd Oakley Pettit Ben Bristow Madi Schoening Mikayla Brennan Greer Cole Alex Lantz Erika Kingsland Taylor Martin Alex Baker

EDITORIAL POLICY

Parking Lot Results How the new parking lot rules T

his past summer, Sandpoint High School changed its parking lot completely around.

It caused outrage among some SHS students. A few months into the school year and it turns out it might not be so bad after all.

“The parking lot traffic is about the same,” said Paul Mares, Sandpoint High Schools’ campus Security Advisor. “If there is any difference, there seems to be less of a rush just before school starts, which may be made up for by students getting here a little earlier to get a better parking spot.”

Photo by | cooper king

jackson russo | opinion editor

One of the biggest issues with SHS parking over the past few years has been the traffic. The way the school handles the parking lot is no longer an issue, it’s the way the parking lot is set up.

With winter approaching, the snow is going to be the biggest test that the new Parking mayhem: SHS’ new parking lot system still shows little improvement parking has faced so Mares is hoping that to park in because the snow far. this parking lot set up will will no longer cover up “As the winter season be better for the winter parking space numbers and arrives with more snow, we months. He is hoping that cause people to park in the will better be able to comthere will be no confusion wrong spots. pare,” said Mares. regarding on which spaces

The Cedar Post is governed by the same legal rights as the professional press. Under the First Amendment, we reserve the right to free expression and freedom of the press. The student newspaper of Sandpoint High School is an open public forum for the students of Sandpoint High School and the community of Sandpoint, Idaho, with its editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents; it is not subject to prior review by administration, faculty, or community members.

Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor must be signed, although the staff may withhold the name upon request. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all lettersaresubjecttolaw-governing obscenity,libel,privacyanddisruption of the school process, as are all contents for the paper.

Opinions in letters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should an opinionexpressedinapublicforum be construed as opinion or policy

SHSCEDARPOST.COM CEDAR POST 410 S. DIVISION STREET SANDPOINT, IDAHO 83864

A Home Away From Home Meet the 2014-2015 foreign exchange students

lifestyles

As in previous years, Sandpoint High School once again has the privilege of hosting foreign exchange students. This year, 11 students have made the move to Sandpoint and now call the small town ‘home,’ at least for a little while. Here is an introduction to this year’s foreign exchange students, so take the chance to get to know these students in their home away from home. jordan garrett | Lifestyles Editor sarah wells | business manager

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“I really appreciate imo l that my n a bar a host family has opened up their home for a stranger and really tried their best making me feel like home.”

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“Yeah, I reefa s ally like ni kowalew being here, I like the nature and the snow. ikl At the same time, as kiewar I’m really afraid of the snow because it’s November and there’s snow, and in Germany, we have hardly [any] snow ever.”

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“The school life was very different to me. [There are] seven students in my classroom, so it’s very different for me.”

- Mariana de ar azeveda iana zeve de a

“The first part is that we do not have Thanksgiving, so we only have Christmas...but we have three weeks of Christmas.” -

- Ida Keszler

- Stefani kowalewski

photos by | cooper king & Sarah wells Not Pictured | POL STEMPER I ROS

student Spotlight: Laura schmid laura schmid traveled from switzerland to sandpoint, idaho to be a part of the exchange student experience Caroline Suppiger | Lifestyles Editor

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photo by | sarah wells

oving from Switzerland to Sandpoint is no easy adjustment. The culture, the people, the school system, and many more aspects are completely different. The moving experience could be described as a culture shock.

Laura Schmid shared her experiences of the move from home to Sandpoint, and her favorite aspects of the holiday season in Switzerland.

Schmid’s favorite aspect of the holiday season in Switzerland is spending time with her parents and grandparents. Her family shares a big dinner together on Christmas Eve, and they open all of their presents together on Christmas morning. A unique aspect of her Christmas experience is her family

typically exchanges presents with each other every other year versus every Christmas.

In her home away from home, Schmid said she was looking forward to Thanksgiving in the United States and all of the food the holiday has to offer.

Not only are the holidays different from country to country, so is the community. She explained that a major difference between Sandpoint and Switzerland is the people. She said the people in Sandpoint are much more inviting and friendly than back home. The close-knit community at Sandpoint High School is not hard to take notice of. Schmid said she doesn’t know all of her neighbors very well, but

knows many people that she goes to school with. Sandpoint is a larger town than the village Schmid lives in, but she says it seems smaller.

In Switzerland, it only takes her five minutes to walk to the neighboring town and she is able to see 10 towns from her balcony due to their close proximity. Sandpoint is rather isolated compared to the area dotted with cities.

One of the hardest aspects of moving for most people is, of course, missing home. However, Schmid shared that when she first moved, she wasn’t homesick, but rather she was excited for the new experience. Schmid said it didn’t take long for her to feel like she belonged in Sandpoint.

no-shave november shs students participated in no shave november Caroline Suppiger | Lifestyles Editor

Lifestyles

Photos by | cooper king

Ben bristow | Junior

Jackson Diercks | Junior

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very year thousands of people all over the United States participate in No-Shave November, Sandpoint High School being no exception.

Even though many high school males may not be able to grow a full beard, it doesn’t stop them from trying.

From beards to mustaches, the males well represented the high school this year in na-

tion-wide No- Shave November. Spotting females participating in no shave November may not be as easy. However, that in no way means that the participation was lacking for the girls in the Sandpoint High School halls.

No-Shave November is the perfect excuse for girls not to shave their legs. The weather is changing, and in northern Idaho not too many peo-

paul sundquist | Junior

ple want to expose their legs to the outdoors so No-Shave November is an opportunity to stop shaving for a whole month.

After being made fun of by his peers for only being able to grow a neck beard Jackson Diercks replied with, “A wise man once said to ignore the naysayers. That’s what I did.”

As many can see, No-Shave November is easy to partici-

pate in no matter how much hair one can grow.

After being asked why he participated in NoShave November, Paul Sundquist replied with, “I did it all for Bart.”

So, if one participated for the excuse of sheer laziness or for the infamous Bart Hutchens, No-Shave November can be seen as a success in the Sandpoint High School halls.

jordan garrett | Lifestyles Editor

Comet

December 5

While this movie looks like the perfect, romantic love story, warping space and time, this movie may be one you want to wait for on Netflix. Comet seems like a classic boy chase girl, girl gets mad at boy, boy desperately tries to win her back and does, movie; except they’re flying through space, or something. This movie does look like a unique twist on a love story, but personally I am not jumping up and down to get my ticket for this one.

Wild

December 5 Galen May | Web Director

there’s something for everyone this North Idaho winter...

Reese Witherspoon tackles a 1,100 mile hike in this movie.

But she doesn’t play the innocent character we are used to seeing her as. She seems to be a heroine addict who has lost her way in life, and embarks on the trek of a lifetime to find herself. The movie seems to depict her struggles in life, and how the journey helps her to find her way. This movie seems edgy and unexpected, and a journey worth taking. This movie may not be worth going to the theaters, but perfect for a Red Box movie night with friends.

I’m not sure what to expect, a lot of frames of Reese Witherspoon walking or a plot line that tells a story. Either way, this seems like a must see.

The Imitation Game dECEMBER 25

Personally, I would go to see this movie just for Benedict Cumberbatch. With a name like that, the movie must have something promising in store. The movie is all about the English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, and how he helps crack the Enigma Code during World War II. Now, I’m not exactly sure what the Enigma Code involves, but I’m intrigued to see what the movie is all about.

peppermint bark make your bark better with every bite delia boyd | staff member

1. Line a 9x12 pan with parchment paper 2. Melt the dark chocolate stir until you have a smooth consistency

3. spread chocolate in pan until it’s about 1/3” thick 4. Melt the white chocolate, using the steps above

Total Time | 20 Minutes Prep Time | 10 Minutes Cook Time |10 minutes Crushed Peppermint Candies | 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips |12 ounces White Chocolate Chips | 12 ounces

5. pour the White chocolate on top of the dark chocolate - try to make the layers the same thickness 6. put pepperMints into a heavy duty ziplock bag. Use a hammer to crush the mints then sprinkle on top of chocolate 7. Let the chocolate harden in the refrigerator for two hours then break into pieces and enjoy!

Photo by| madi sleyster

a HEart for BAsketball sports

JAKE AGUIRRE SHARES HIS PASSION FOR BASKETBALL Oakley pettit | staff member

s many SHS students have noticed, junior Jake Aguirre has a great passion for the game of basketball.

Jake is a new student to SHS this year, coming from Clark Fork High School.

He moved from Clark Fork to the Ponderay area so that he could attend SHS. This was mostly so he could participate in more competitive basketball. He wanted to be in a new environment in which he could play with players who would push him and compel him to be a better player.

He always seems to have a basketball with him, whether he is in class, walking down the hallway, or sitting at lunch.

Anytime he is left with a few moments to spare, he practices his shot form, dribble moves, crossovers, and other exercises.

“I just like dribbling the basketball, that’s really the only reason I always carry a ball with me,” said Aguirre. “I know people think it’s annoying and teachers hate me for it, but it’s just so fun for me.”

Jake will be playing point guard for the varsity team this season. He is a very quick, physical player who has phenomenal ball handling skills and great driving ability. He always seems to have a great sense of positivity about him, and appears to have a constant hunger for improvement and is never satisfied with his past triumphs and achievements.

“Jake brings some speed and quickness to our team,” said varsity head

Cooper king| photo editor

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coach Kent Leiss. “He also brings a very good work ethic, and is a decent 3 point shooter. Not many players work harder on their skills than Jake Aguirre.”

Through summer workouts, open gyms, and the start of winter practices, Jake’s teammates have already gotten a lot of work in with him. “He brings speed, physicality, and a great defensive mindset that makes the rest of the team play harder in every situation,” said senior varsity player Cooper Spalding.

With Jake’s considerable speed and quickness, admirable work ethic, and en-

| Biography |

Cooper king| photo editor

boys Basketball

Dec. @ Kellogg High 9 School | 7:00PM Dec. @ Lake City High | 7:00PM 12 School @ Bonners Ferry Dec. High School | 8:00PM 19 MOOSE MADNESS

Girls Basketball Dec. @ Kellogg High 9 School | 5:30PM Dec. @ Lake City High 12 School | 5:30PM @ Bonners Ferry High Dec. School | 6:00PM 19 MOOSE MADNESS

compiled by | hailey dunn

| What is your favorite wrestling move?|

Preston Bunty is a sophomore wrestler who works My favorite move is the hard everyday to achieve his goals and make his team blast double leg. |WHo is your biggest proud.

sports calendar wrestling

Dec. @ Timberlake High 10 School | TBA Dec. @ (Bonners Ferry, 15 Kellogg @BF) | TBA

ergetic defensive intensity, he makes a great addition to a varsity roster that already has a great deal of talent. Added in with Liess’s intensive non-stop coaching philosophy, and a great field of players, the boys’ basketball program is sure to have an impressive season in store.

“Basketball has been an escape,” said Jake. “It’s something where I can go on the court and play, where it’s nothing but basketball. It’s the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had. Everything disappears except for the sounds of the dribble, [and] the swish.”

| What do you do before inspiration and why? | My teammates because you wrestle? |

they push me hard and they To pump myself up I listen make me better. to hip hop music and jump to the music to get my body |What do you do to cut

Preston BUnty

weight? |

warmed up.

I eat super healthy and work extra hard in practice.

FEATURed STUDENT ATHLETES

| Biography |

Grace Kirscher is a freshman who displays ideal basketball skills that encourage her teammates and push them to excel.

Cooper king| photo editor

| What goes through your mind when there is large crowd? |

It’s really nerve wracking,

| how has your experi- but I get pumped and I ence been so far being a am determined to not let them down. freshman on varsity?| | What’s your favorite My experience has been basketball move? | phenomenal. Beating Lake

My favorite move is when City and Coeur d’ Alene as a they “break their ankles.” photos by| cooper king freshman was awesome.

SCREAM and shout

Grace Kirscher

Fans are no longer allowed to use artificial noise makers at any school sporting event Ben Bristow| Staff Member owbells ring, drums beat, vuvuzelas hum.

These are just some of the things you might hear at an Idaho high school sporting event.

Most sports organizations have banned noisemakers because they often take away from the overall experience of the game. In special cases where they are allowed, the crowds go all out. For example, a Seattle Sounders game is one of the loudest sporting events you can attend. The songs, chants, and drums drown out every other noise around you.

On the contrary, noisemakers have gotten to be out of control in certain cases, such as the South Africa World Cup, where vuvuzelas overpowered every other noise in the stadium where they were later banned from all World Cup events.

As the IDHSAA (Idaho High School Activities Association.

C

states, there are no noisemakers allowed at any playoff or IDHSAA sanctioned game. As a rule of thumb, the Sandpoint High School administration tries to follow these rules. Although, noisemakers are an option. Schools can either choose to allow or prohibit them as long as the sport is in an outdoor environment during the regular season. No noisemakers are ever allowed in indoor environments.

Pep bands and cheerleaders are only permitted to make noise when the game is not in play.

“We are going to continue to follow the Inland Empire constitiution and the IDHSAA rules, “If it were up to me I would allow noisemakers so we could have our games be as aloud and as rowdy as possible in a fun and positive way.” “[School spirit] is lacking in most

sporting events. Not enough people attend these games and the people who are there are usually too quiet. Noisemakers would be a huge benefit to the atmosphere and I think they aren’t too distracting to the participants if they are being used correctly.” said Conner Baranski.

ESCAPE TO SCHWEITZER find the perfect run for you

sports

Graphic by|Sarah Wells alex lantz|staff member

3 2 4 5 1 Green Circle (Enchanted Forest)

1 3

Blue Square (Ridge Run)

For someone looking for a nice easy run next to a few trees, this is for you. It starts at the village and easily descends to the lift.

2

If you are looking for a run with a view, this run is what you want. It starts at the top, isn’t very difficult, and it is one of the longer runs on the mountain.

Black Diamond (Pend Oreille)

Double Black Diamond (South Bowl Chutes)

Orange (Terrain Park)

Getting adventurous is fun, and Pend Oreille has a steep grade for cruising downhill. Watch out for slow skiers though.

If you seek a shaded run featuring dense trees, steep pitch and technical chutes. Your skill level should be advanced to expert in order to navigate these runs.

For those looking to expand their horizons, the park offers rails and jumps.

Look before you leap.

4

5

PHoto by| Alex lantz

Winter sports preview A look into Sandpoint High School’s winter sports darbey scrimsher|Sports editor PHotoS by| cooper king

Wrestling

| SPOTLIGHT |

Coach | Mike Randles Key Wrestlers | Scout Nash, Mahonri Hunsaker, Tanner McNelley, Tyler Presser, Tyler Brown, Jake Williams, Casey Randles and, Owen Stebbins

Outlook | “As always we simply expect to do better than the

previous year. If each of our key kids improves by two percent than collectively we will improve by 16%,” said Randles.

Team Motto | “Love the fight” Team Goal | “Our team goal for this season is to work everybody”

Boys BasketBall Coach | Kent Leiss Key Players | Matthew Timothy, Dylan Kuzmich, and Carlos Col-

Student skier, Erin meek Alex Lantz| staff member how long have you been skiing?

“I have been downhill skiing since I was three, but I’ve done nordic (cross country) skiing since I was around 10.”

how long have you been skiing on Schweitzer?

“I have been skiing at Schweitzer for about 9 fabulous years.”

lado

Outlook | “Sandpoint has great athletes that work and practice hard and I believe they have a good chance of doing well this season. They are already doing well and I love working with them,” said Leiss.

Team Motto | “Be relentless in everything we do”

What is your favorite run at Schweitzer?

“I really like Siberia and [K-Macs.]”

Team Goal | “My expectation is to go to state without question and win some games at the state tournament”

Girls Basketball Coach | Duane Ward Key Players | Madi Schoening, Elani Williams, Lily Martin, Morgan Bluemer, and Aislynn Robertson

Outlook | “We want to compete hard, be competitive, and play

DO you compete? If so, what do you do?

“I only compete in nordic skiing and I practically ski in the PNSA (Pacific Northwest Ski Association) region and race in qualifiers that can qualify you to go to Junior Nationals. I ski about a 2-5 kilometer course.”

and work as a team. I believe that will result in some wins,” said Ward.

Team Motto | “Play hard, smart, and together” Team Goal | “My overall goal is to win our league and take these kids to state”

WHy do you ski?

“I ski for the thrill of it. I also ski because I love it and I have a passion for it.”

Post script

A Closer

Look.

Cooper King | Photo editor Sarah Wells| Business manager

WE ASKED ANONYMOUS SHS STUDENTS

“what was the most difficult thing you struggled with in the past year?”

“I use substances almost every day to put myself in a better mood”

“Diagnosed with terminal cancer. Grades slipped. Lost a lot of friends...”

“Applying for colleges and deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life”

“Issues with my physical health (being hospitalized etc.)”

“Lately I’ve really struggled with my selfimage and confidence in my body” “My parents fight a lot, and I stress about them getting separated ”

“I attempted suicide; my parents do not get along”

“I have struggled with being genuinely happy”

“I feel like if I don’t do well in sports, my future opportunities are very limited”

“My dad left when I was 9 and the last year he was around he told me I was fat and ugly”

Editor’s Note: The editors of this page felt that these interviews, surveys and quotes shall remain anonymous out of respect for the privacy of the interviewees.

SHSSURVEY:

we Asked 58 Students

the same question in an anonymous online survey to broaden the perspective mental health

was the most often reported difficulty among shs students

H

What we cannot see

igh school isn’t easy for anyone. No part of being forced to wake up early and sit still for nearly seven hours--and do homework and extracurriculars on top of it all--is easy. No part of having to make monumental decisions about our future at sixteen, seventeen or even eighteen is easy.

So why do we, as students who are all experiencing similar difficulties, not treat each other with the highest amount of respect and kindness possible?

It is not just school itself that causes stress.

Sometimes the greatest battle we fight as adolescents is with ourselves. We wonder if we are pretty enough, handsome enough, smart enough, fit enough, brave enough--if we are simply enough to deserve to be accepted and appreciated. Perhaps we wonder these things because of rumors

we hear, or because our family members do not approve of our choices, or perhaps it is simply a cause of being too young to fully understand who we are and what we want to be. Whatever the reason, you need to know something.

You are not your failures or the things that you do not like about yourself. You are not the bad grade on your test, or the misguided comment from a parent, or words of the boy or girl that teases you. You are brave and wonderful, no matter who you are and what you have done and what you have yet to be. Simply because you are here and you are breathing and you are reading this, you are a success. The beauty of humans is that we are a very survivable creature.

Our bones can be broken and our skin can be

bruised, yet we can heal and continue to live, and what pains us mentally and emotionally is also of the same nature: painful, but not permanent.

Whatever you are struggling with may hurt now (and it is okay for it to hurt!), but it gets better. Imagine where you might be in five months.

Five years. Five decades. This moment and any moment in the past is simply a point on a very long roadmap that you are only just beginning as a teenager. If anything, perhaps this page has allowed you to understand that you are not alone and perhaps it has inspired you to be kinder and more compassionate to those around you.

We as students have the power as individuals to make a difference in the culture of our school, and now, more than ever, we need that change.

Merry Christmas from MAY

THE FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT

We create community!

We connect people!

We build trust!

2014

LIVING LOCAL

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Photo by Jessica Herbig May 2014 | Sandpoint Living Local

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