YANA
A SANDPOINT HIGH SCHOOL PUBLICATION
YANA
“ YANA ” Yo u A r e N o t A l o n e
Sometimes you may feel that you’re just a single drop in the ocean. Other times, you may feel like the whole sea. Whichever side of the spectrum you find yourself on, YANA is designed to provide resources for you to feel included and welcome at Sandpoint High School. Printing of this publication was paid for by Sandpoint High School and is an official product of the school. It was written, designed, and published by unpaid students at the school.
S TA F F Sarah Wells
Senior, Designer
Table of Contents
Cheri-lyn Darrah Senior, Writer
Kyle Hertel
Senior, Writer
Mitchell Rust
Sophomore, Writer
Ashley Samora Senior, Writer
Lauren Sfeir Junior, Writer
Nataya Thompson Junior, Writer
Approved by Sandpoint High School Admin and Counseling Dept.
1 Cover The cover and theme of YANA are inspired by the ocean. 2 Introduction & Table of Contents The introduction has information about YANA’s theme
3 4-6
and the students behind the publication.
Clubs & Activities
If you are interested in joining a club or would like to join a sport, check out page three.
Dear ______,
Read letters written by upperclassmen to the under classmen student body.
7-8 Tutoring & Volunteering Volunteering and tutoring resources are listed on pages seven and eight.
Clubs & Activities Here are some of the students involved in SHS clubs and activities that can help you get started as well!
ATHLETES
LOGAN FINNEY
Honor Flight Club President, Senior finney.logan@lposd.org “Honor Flight raises money to take veterans to Washington, DC to visit the memorials built in their honor. It’s a whirlwind trip to DC and back, and hearing the veterans talk about how much the trip means to them is really incredible.”
VIOLET PLUMMER
National Honor Society Officer, Senior plummer.violet@lposd.org “NHS encourages students to go out into the community and volunteer. It’s a great way for students to get involved both around the school and in the community and provides the rewarding experience of volunteering to students who apply.”
CALEB SAMSEL
Key Club President, Senior samsel.caleb@lposd.org
Interested in joining a sport, but not sure where to start? Make sure to check out the video announcements for important meetings or tryouts. If you’re unsure or worried about approaching a coach to ask questions about a sport, here are two student athletes who can offer their advice:
Key Club International is sponsored by Kiwanis International. Key Club allows students to both make an impact on their communities and support international initiatives as well.
JENNIE MADDUX
Interact Club President, Junior maddux.jennifer@lposd.org Interact Club is an extension of Rotary Club that allows high school students to get involved in helping their community, If you’re looking for an opportunity to build leadership skills and make a difference, check out Interact.
Jezza Hutto
hutto.jezza@lposd.org
BEN REICH
Human Rights Club, Senior reich.benjamin@lposd.org “Human Rights Club is a great venue to meet some amazing people. We specialize in taking on tasks that affect students and our community on a personal level. Join up and be part of an amazing change.”
Casey Randles
randles.casey@lposd.org
YANA Letters from Upperclassmen
to the underclassmen student body KYLE HERTEL
rust.mitchell@lposd.org
Kyle Hertel is a Sandpoint-native who is now a senior. He has devoted a lot of his life to soccer, including playing goalie for Sandpoint High School’s team. Kyle is also an avid skier, studio artist, and an upper-level math student.
Mitchell Rust is a junior and has lived in Sandpoint since moving from California at the age of two. He loves playing soccer and hanging out with friends during the summer, and enjoys skiing in the winter months. Mitchell is involved in Student Leadership, Cyber Patriot Club, and the Boys Soccer team.
Dear Freshmen,
Y
MITCHELL RUST
hertel.kyle@lposd.org
ou may feel small in the world as you are just leaving eighth grade where you were the top of your peers. When you enter high school, you get hit with the shock that you are now in a school full of 3 classes that are progressively older than you (some members of which are even considered adults.) The media and many movies impress upon you that in high school, the senior class is going to bully you just because you’re new. Fortunately, all of these things are not true. The upperclassmen are human beings just like you, and they make mistakes too. It’s all a process of learning that each and every person in high school goes through. They may seem tough and scary, but they have emotions just like you and have been through the challenges that you will soon go through. Their confidence is a result of getting through the trials you are soon to face. High school isn’t meant to be easy: it’s very possibly the hardest challenge you will face until you become an independent adult, but this is so that you are prepared for real life. It is meant to give you the skills to be on your own, and once you face the challenges it brings, you will be ready to face the next steps. I am here to tell you though, that you can get through these challenges. You will find emotional stability, you will find confidence, and you will become successful no matter what grade you get on your test or how stressed you get from finals. A grade is just a scale of judgment, it’s not who you are, or what your future is. Everyone is unique and everyone is capable of their own success story, it’s what makes you who you are. A person is a person no matter how small, and you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. I know you have this power within you. Just don’t give up.
Dear Sophomores,
Y
ou’ve begun your trip into high school, you’ve taken that first step of transitioning to freshman year. Now it’s time to focus on reaching on the end result: walking up to the principal in cap and gown, shaking their hand, and receiving your diploma. With your first step, you entered unknown territory, hesitant and unsure on how to handle what could lie ahead. It also set you forward on the rest of your journey for high school. As you take the rest of your steps toward finishing high school and the rest of your life, you need to focus on the fact that it’s never easy to get to where you need to be, but when you get there, nothing else will feel greater. Every year as you near the destination of receiving your diploma, you are going to be challenged, but when you get there, you will realize how good it feels to have gone through the ups and downs. To make the trip possible, figure out what makes you happy and pursue it. Talk to someone new and make a friend, join a club or sport, or volunteer somewhere. Do something that will make your high school more than just a bunch of test scores because that isn’t what is supposed to define you. Yeah, school is tough, but it helps prepare you to get through the path of life. Sometimes the journey is very difficult, but that is what makes the destination so much more special.
Dear Freshmen,
W
hen you stepped through the doors of Sandpoint High on the first day of school, you experienced a lot of “new.” New, teachers, new classes, and new opportunities to get involved. More specifically, though, you probably noticed a lot of new students who you had never met before. You may have wondered who they were and what they liked to do. Speaking from my own experiences, I can tell you that the best thing you can do to get to know other people is to connect with them. During my freshman year, I was proactive in creating new connections and making new friends; friends who I continued to appreciate and trust throughout my first years of high school, and still do today. You can boost your success in high school by having the right group of friends who are there for you when you need them most. The connections that you make now can be the kinds of friendships that will last for decades. These friends will be with you through the good and the bad, joining you as you take on life in full stride. That’s a friendship worth having. You may think, “it’s too late to meet new people, the school year is in full swing and everyone has already found the groups of friends that they want to hang out with.” But the best part about connecting with others is that it’s never too late to start. So take that chance. Reach out to someone new, someone you believe is worth getting to know. I promise you’ll be glad you did, because connecting with others is worth the risk.
Dear Sophomores,
A
s I’m sure you’ve already begun to realize, high school comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Freshman year and the summer that follows breeze by, and before you know it, it’s the first day of sophomore year. This is an important time to begin thinking about ways to better manage your time. Learning to manage your time wisely will allow you to be your most successful self throughout high school. Maybe it’s starting to get easier to put homework off until the very last minute, or to decide that an assignment just isn’t worth doing. This is starting down a path you do not want to be on. High school already creates a lot of stress for students with enormous homework loads and pressures from your peers. Procrastination will only add to this stress, and it puts great strain on both your physical and mental health. It’s important to get a jumpstart on assignments or projects as soon as possible, and then you won’t have that worrying thought in the back of your mind of if you’ll get it done or not. Maybe you’ll choose to stay home and study for that big test instead of going out with friends on the weekends. It’s not the end of the world! You will have so many more opportunities to go out and have fun, and when you do, you won’t be stressed out. These kinds of decisions, the kind that allow you to be worry-free and without stress, will set you up for the most success in your education and in life. All it takes is one decision where you choose not to let high school get the best of you. From that moment on, you will feel happier, healthier, and will experience life in a greater capacity than ever before.
YANA Letters from Upperclassmen
to the underclassmen student body ASHLEY SAMORA
NATAYA THOMPSON
thompson.nataya@lposd.org
samora.ashley@lposd.org
Nataya Thompson is a junior. She is involved in Key Club and HOSA in school, and out of school she enjoys both Swine and Horse 4H. She loves anything outdoors and believes that there’s always something to smile about.
Ashley Samora is a senior and a varsity cheerleader. She describes herself as “sweet, kindhearted, good at listening, and [with] enough potential to accomplish anything I set my mind to.” Ashley loves to be there for people and always tries to look on the bright side of every situation.
Dear Freshmen,
I
have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you. And they will carry you far, farther than you will ever imagine. High school is your first big step into the rest of your life. For many, it’s terrifying. Lots of new people, different schedule, wanting to fit in. Feeling like you’re alone. We’ve all been there, believe it or not. It’s okay to not know where you’re going in life. Many people have changed what they wanted to be, including me. My message is to encourage you to take your path with great strides. I want you to take the unexplored path, I want you to conquer the “unconquerable.” Don’t fear your limits, because you have none. Miracles won’t show up at your door knocking, the core of miracles is you. Hard work, persistence, and determination are all tools for your own little miracle. You are in control of your own path and outlook on life. One footstep will not make a trail on the earth, just as one thought will not make a pathway in your mind. To make a deep mental path, you must repeatedly think the kinds of thoughts you wish to dominate your life with. So I inspire you to fly high. Use your wings, create a path for yourself. I believe in you.
Dear Sophomores,
A
lan Alda once said, “you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing, but what you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.” When I was a sophomore, a lot of things changed in my life. I had lost a long time boyfriend, gained some new friends, lost an old friend, got another boyfriend, and lost some more friends. In that short year, there was a lot of people in and out of my life and it made me overwhelmed. I was too fixated on what was going on in the outside world to have dedicated much attention to myself. It took me a long time to realize that life is more enjoyable when you find your own self, rather than someone telling you who you are or who you need to be. There are some things in life that you cannot change, but one thing is for certain: you can always make changes to yourself. You have the power to change yourself, and the more positive you make yourself, the more positive your life will be. Instead of saying “I’m going to be late for work because I got a flat tire,” you can change your outlook and say “well this would be a good time to get fresh air, stretch my legs, and practice changing a tire.” Same scenario, different outlook. For every negative thought, change it to be two positive thoughts. It’s hard seeing a shadow when your face is always towards the sunshine.
Dear New Students,
T
hroughout my freshman year, I didn’t have the typical schooling: I transferred schools three different times. My moves weren’t short distances either. I’m talking states away, starting over, not knowing anyone, or knowing few. I started my freshman year in Roscoe, Texas at a collegiate high school. I was scared my first day because at this high school you start taking college classes and by the time you graduate from high school you have an Associates Degree. I felt like I wasn’t good enough and I was constantly being bullied. Soon, I transferred to Sandpoint High School where I lived previously. I knew people, but during the time I was away, all my friends changed and started becoming their own different versions of themselves just like I had. I found myself still holding onto all my old memories and all of my old friends. All the old people I had once been friends with now had their own groups of friends, so I found myself shuffling from friend to friend, still constantly feeling alone. I felt like I didn’t fit in and that I was always trying to live in the past. I then ended up in a foster home and felt like my life couldn’t get any worse and that I couldn’t be more alone, but then it did. I found out I was moving back to Texas. After I moved back, I started going to a different school in Sweetwater. Here, I still felt very out of place and all the moving really started to show. I stopped trying to make friends, trying to fit in and trying to do well in school. I felt like there was no point anymore for trying to do any of these things because I would just have to up and leave yet
again to go live with another family member. I was always moving and it made me feel like I had to try to grow up quicker so that I could perhaps control something. I understand the whole ‘not fitting in’ and constantly being the ‘new kid.’ I know when you’re new sometimes things go great, you make friends and everything is better than you expected. But, sometimes you feel out of place and all forces are against you, pushing you down. When you feel this way just know that things always seem as though the grass is greener on the other side, but the struggles of feeling hopeless and rock bottom are truly what makes you stronger. It’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay to struggle and feel helpless, just know that it’s making you stronger and wiser in the long run. Perspective is the key. Let me leave you with this: “sometimes we all feel like we’re in the gutter, but some choose to look at the stars instead.” Be the person who always looks at the bright side. Be the person who doesn’t let the struggles define them, but instead embraces them realizing they make you stronger, wiser and unstoppable.
YANA Letters from Upperclassmen
to the underclassmen student body LAUREN SFEIR
CHERI-LYN DARRAH
sfeir.lauren@lposd.org
darrah.cherilyn@lposd.org
Lauren Sfeir is a junior this year. She recently moved to Sandpoint from the Middle East. Lauren practices her love for photography by working with the Cedar Post and Monticola. She is also involved with the French Club, Interact, and National Honor Society.
Cheri-Lyn is a senior and has lived in Sandpoint since she was two. She enjoys basketball and softball year-round. She loves being outdoors, excels at writing lyrics and poetry, and is a great person to talk to or get advice from. Cheri-Lyn believes that everyone has something unique to offer.
Dear Freshmen,
M
y experience as a freshman was very different than most. Since I went to school in the Middle East, 9th grade was still considered middle school. Although I was still technically in middle school, I experienced the same pressures that American freshmen face, too. Even as an A student, I found myself constantly struggling to keep up with the expectations of teachers and other students. I used to study for hours after I got home from school and would sometimes cry myself to sleep. I found that the level of maturity and new forms of teaching had put me under a lot of stress. Additionally, I had participated in after-school basketball, which led to late nights where I would find myself sometimes studying until 1:00 a.m. Studying that much caused me to lose sight of the importance of friends and family. I had become so consumed in meeting all the expected standards that I barely had time to communicate with anyone. At one point, the stress had started to show up in the form of headaches and I was ready to break until I learned that I would be moving to the U.S. Ever since that moment, I decided to turn my life around. I became more engaged with family and friends by managing my time better. I gave each class a specified amount of time and would draw the limit to studying at 11:00 p.m. I would try to finish as much homework at school in order to have more free time at home. I would also have a specific amount of hours that I would keep aside for relaxing. I found these new strategies very effective, as I was able to spend more time with friends and family before I had to say good-bye. These strategies for staying focused on what’s really important can be beneficial to any student, and I hope they’re helpful to you.
Dear Sophomores,
I
had just moved to Sandpoint during my sophomore year and had only met a few SHS students over summer. I wasn’t too sure what to expect and was really nervous. It was really different than my previous school, but everyone in my classes seemed to be welcoming. I was able to create lasting relationships with a few of my teachers. By creating those connections, I felt like I could tell them anything. I often did confide in some of my teachers and was able to get some very valuable advice. Having those role models at school was very vital because it allowed me to express myself to knowledgeable people, during school hours. Sometimes, it is hard to tell other people how you feel, whether you are mad or sad. I made the mistake of hiding my sadness behind a smile until I found myself feeling empty inside. One night at the end of my sophomore year, I finally broke and expressed to my mother everything that I had been feeling for the past year. She hugged me and gave me very valuable advice, which has helped me move along. My teacher also talked with me about some of the situations that I had been going through. Without those vital connections, I probably would not have made it to my junior year. So build relationships and talk to a friend, family member, counselor, or teacher. Hiding your emotions won’t benefit you; isolating them will only hurt you.
Dear Freshmen,
H
appiness is hard to find. It’s definitely the one thing everyone looks for the most when they are in high school. As a senior almost out of the high school, I finally found happiness. I found it not within the people around me or getting an A on my final grade. I found it in myself, and what I am capable of. I found happiness when I remembered that I need to be who I am. I looked to find friends a lot throughout high school: those friendships didn’t last very long. The more I stopped looking for others to surround myself with, the more true, real friends I found by my side. My advice to you is to stop looking, and be yourself. Be that person you would want to be friends with. Smile at someone in the hallway, you never know, maybe they need that. Inviting someone to sit with you at lunch can make someone’s day. Giving kindness is a gold medal. You will feel like you have reached cloud nine when you find that person who will love you and want to be around you no matter what you like or who are. So just remember, when you walk through Sandpoint High School on your first day of high school, everyone has something in common: you all want happiness. And for everyone to achieve happiness, you have to be nice to each other.
Dear Sophomores,
D
oing what you love is a huge part of finding yourself in high school. Playing sports is something I love deeply. I’ve played basketball for 10 years, and coming into high school I knew I wasn’t going to be the best player. I was put on JV 2 my freshman and unfortunately my sophomore year as well. I worked very hard to make sure that I wouldn’t be on JV 2 my junior year, and I wasn’t! I was put on JV, but it was hard knowing I was the oldest girl on the team with basically all freshman and sophomores. This year, my senior year, I am on varsity. I made it! I went through a lot of people always telling me that I would never be good enough for it. I wanted to prove them wrong, and I did. When someone tells you that you can’t do something, don’t listen to them. Work harder than them for it. Push yourself, get up earlier than them, and stay up an hour later. Mark your priorities and work on them. Most importantly, know what you want and never let someone take that away from you. Give everything you have toward what you want to be and do when you’re older. Most importantly, never lose sight of what you want for yourself. Never give up on yourself.
Academic Help Need some help with one of your classes? While your teachers are a great resource for help during ACCESS, if you would like help from one of your peers, here are some students who offer tutoring in certain subjects and mentoring advice.
Spanish
French
Looking for another subject?
English
Check with your teacher or Mrs. Auld in Room E2 to see if they can help you find a tutor.
Mentoring If you are looking for advice or just someone to talk to, these upperclassmen are great people to reach out to:
Quinn Donnelly
donnelly.quinn@lposd.org
Katie Bruhjell
bruhjell.katelyn@lposd.org
Sarah Wells
wells.sarah@lposd.org Pre-AP English I & II, AP English 11/12, English 101, and English 175
Nick Holland
holland.nicholas@lposd.org
Olivia Moore
moore.olivia2@lposd.org
Liz Marshall
marshall.elizabeth@lposd.org
Gabriel Burns
burns.gabriel@lposd.org English I & II
Math/Science
Charlie Crane
crane.charles@lposd.org
NOT PICTURED
Abby Kassa
kassa.abigail@lposd.org
Nina McDonnell
Lauren Sfeir
sfeir.lauren@lposd.org
NOT PICTURED
Chloe Bailey
bailey.chloe@lposd.org
Dakota Lynn
mcdonnell.nina@lposd.org
lynn.dakota@lposd.org
Makenzie Tillberg
Gabriel Burns
tillberg.makenzie@lposd.org
burns.gabriel@lposd.org
Mrs. Auld’s room (E2) has a sign-up sheet for tutors. Check the sheet periodically or talk to your teacher about finding a tutor who is knowledgeable in explaining these more complex subjects. Here are some students who are currently signed up to tutor:
Gabriel Burns
Janice Aylward
aylward.janice@lposd.org
NOT PICTURED
Abby Shepard
shepard.abigail@lposd.org
Alicia Tompkins
tompkins.alicia@lposd.org
burns.gabriel@lposd.org English I & II, French I & II, Algebra I & II
Sofia Kriz
kriz.sophia@lposd.org Algebra I & II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus
Lindsay Guthrie
guthrie.lindsay@lposd.org Algebra I & II, Geometry
Sandpoint High School’s counselors are also more than happy to assist students with academic, emotional. and mental support.
Mrs. Auld (E2) Mrs. Auld helps facilitate NHS volunteering, so she is a great resource for finding volunteer opportunities.
Mrs. Hawkins (W10)
Volunteering Volunteering is a great way to boost your spirits. Helping other people and causes is not only a huge help to Sandpoint’s community, it can also help you feel included and vital to the wellbeing of others.
Mrs. Hawkins frequently has volunteer ideas and resources to help students find an opportunity they’re interested in.
Bonner County Youth Court READY! For Kindergarten
If you’d like to participate in Youth Court, see Mr. Smith or Gabi Goldworm. The schedule is posted in Mrs. Hawkins’s room (W10).
READY! For Kindergarten is an early childhood literacy workshop that needs volunteers. Contact Mrs. Hawkins in Room W10 if you would like to help this cause.
Saturday, Jan. 17 8:40 a.m. - noon
3rd Tuesday of the Month October 2015 - May 2016 3:00 - 5:30 PM Sandpoint Soup Kitchens Sandpoint Assembly of God (Monday) | 208-263-2676 Agape Cafe (Tuesday) | 208-2633648 Gardenia Center (Wednesday) | 208-265-4450 Methodist Church (Thursday) | 208-263-4232 St. Joseph Catholic Church (Friday) 208-263-3720