18 December 2014|Cover |1
THE
ALTITUDE VOLUME 15, ISSUE 3
Hanford High School | Richland, Washington 99354 | Dec.18.2014
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME MEET MORGAN Morgan did not grow up behind a white picket fence or in a brightly lit house. In fact, she was homeless for a large portion of high school. “I didn’t want anyone to know that I was homeless. When I was living on the streets, I didn’t want anybody to know anything about me,” Morgan said. continued on page 8 story by alisa chuang, mickey shin, caroline waring, shanta katipamula, and elisa apra photography by mickey shin
inside wishes 3 winter The process of granting student wishes is outlined by junior Kiera Lucas.
4
what does it take?
12
peppermint mochas
15
top priorities
Athletes comment on the requirements of competing in a winter sport.
Michelle Wang compares versions of this popular drink by different coffee shops.
Students priorities are compared in a data visualization.
2|News|18 December 2014
THE BUZ Z what have you heard in the news?
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A little African-American boy was shot dead by a white policeman when he was holding a fake gun.
ESTEFANIA COSSIO - 9
On Nov. 22 Tamir Rice was shot and killed by Cleveland police. The 12-year-old boy had been playing with a fake gun when 911 was called. The whole interaction was caught on a surveillance camera. The police officers asked Rice to raise his hands. Instead, Rice reached for the unmarked toy gun and was shot by the policemen on the scene.
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The Ebola fighters are the TIME’s people of the year.”
OWEN MCKINSTRY - 10
This year TIME magazine named the Ebola fighters in Africa as the People of the Year due to their efforts in the battle against Ebola. These men and women care for those who have the disease and try to slow the outbreak. These people put their own lives at risk to try and help the sick. Ebola is a virus that spreads through bodily fluids. There have been more than 18,000 reported cases of Ebola worldwide this year.
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On Black Friday there were protests and boycotts in Ferguson.”
ISABEL BARTHOLOMEW - 11
In cities all over the country, protesters from multiple equal rights groups organized boycotts of stores such as Walmart and Macy’s. They were protesting the grand jury ruling which chose not to indict Officer Darren Wilson after the death of Michael Brown. Many people are outraged by the outcome of the grand jury’s decision and are considering it a result of racism. The hashtag #BlackoutBlackFriday circulated the web on the nation’s highest retail day.
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The police officer in New York and the police officer in Ferguson were both not indicted by a grand jury.” In New York, police officer Daniel Pantaleo was not indicted for the death of Eric Garner. Garner was restrained with a chokehold by Pantaleo during arrest and died on the spot. In Ferguson, Missouri, another white police officer, Darren Wilson, was not indicted by the grand jury for the shooting that resulted in the death of Michael Brown.
KAITLIN SMITH - 12
mickey shin|photographer
Senior class council activities coordinator Haley Golden helps decorate the math hallway. All students involved in ASB had a hallway to decorate for the winter.
Dashing through the halls seaneller & naveenabontha
staff writer & news editor Every winter, each class council decorates a hallway to spread winter cheer. The sophomores had the history hallway, the freshman had the science hallway, the juniors had the language arts hallway and the seniors had the math hallway. The seniors chose to model their hallway off the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Hailey Golden, the senior class activities coordinator explained the theme. “The seniors decorated half the hallway because it shows how the Grinch stole Christmas, but as students walk down the hall, lights and other decorations show when the Grinch starts becoming nice – giving back the things he stole.” They drew candy canes and other characters from the story. They also hung up different types of ornaments and put up Christmas lights in the hallway. While the theme of the senior’s hallway was “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” the sophomores had a Winter Wonderland theme. “My favorite part is getting everyone in a good mood for the holidays,” said sophomore president Tatum Nielsen. “I wanted people to have something to look forward to every
day.” Unfortunately for the sophomores, their original plan for the hallway did not work out. “We originally wanted to do a Santa Buddies theme, but we didn’t have enough time for that, so we used our backup theme, which was a winter wonderland,” Nielsen said. “Even though we didn’t use our original theme, the backup theme still felt like we were welcoming winter.” The freshmen and junior councils both themed their hallway off of winter movies. The freshman chose the movie “Elf” and the juniors chose the movie “Frozen.” “My favorite [things] about decorating the hallway [were] the characters and the big silver bows that we used,” said junior council president Viviane Giurgiuman. “We all just love the hallways so much.” Freshman council activities coordinator Blake Danna says that her favorite part was staying late and hanging up the lights with freshman council president Ayden Busselman. “It`s good to see that the student body puts in time and effort to make the school a festive and welcoming place,” said senior Aydin Akyol. “ I only wish that there were decorations for Hanukkah and other winter celebrations.”
FRIENDSHIP BRINGS IN AWARD-WINNING BASS GUITARIST shibanidatta
humor editor
On Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, the jazz bands hosted artists Victor Wooten and Derico Watson. Both Wooten and Watson have visited Hanford before, but this year they are a part of the four-part Hanford Guest Artist Series. Each night different groups performed with Wooten and Watson. On Friday night, the jazz bands performed, and on Saturday night the Whitworth faculty also performed with the guest artists. Wooten is a world-class bass player and a five-time Grammy award winner. He continues to tour, teach and record. Watson is a renowned drummer and has toured the world with Wooten over the last 14 years and now teaches and records in Nashville, Tennessee. Watson is very much similar to our own Chris Newbury, both are avid drummers and teachers. What most people don’t know is that Watson and Newbury have been friends for over 10 years. Newbury saw Watson at a Victor Wooten show in Bozeman, Montana, and emailed him about his performance. From there their friendship flourished. They stayed in touch and a
year later they connected in person for the first time. When it comes to making friends, Watson suggested, “Find someone you like and you enjoy what you’re doing. Reach out to them and send them an email or Facebook. Most people are nice enough to respond and you just really have to step up. You go from there.” That’s exactly what happened between Watson and Newbury, and they’ve never looked back. Over the last 10 years their friendship has changed and evolved. It started because of their mutual love for music and drums, and now it’s about life. “It’s just been fun. Now we call each other and our conversations are less about drums,” Newbury said. “Before it was like ‘Hey man what are your practice strategies?’ and now it’s like ‘Hey man, where do you get your health insurance from?’” Newbury and Watson’s friendship was a major factor in bringing Victor Wooten here. “Music brought us together but it’s not the thing that will keep us,” Watson said. “Now having a friendship and having wives and children now, we have more in common. Music brought us together.”
mickey shin|photographer
Music teacher Chris Newbury conducts while special guest artists drummer Derico Watson and Grammy award winning bass guitatist Victor Wooten rehearse with the Hanford jazz bands. Newbury and Watson have been friends for over 10 years, since Newbury was in college.
18 December 2014|News|3
Restarting pingpong club
sawyer henry|photographer
Juniors Jordan Harris and Steven Joplin are the driving force behind Pingpong club. They had the idea to restart the club after it was ended several years ago. They took the plan for the club to teacher Jeff Crow, found a Constitution for the club, and got permission from the Physical Education department.
samuelmckinnon
features editor Pingpong has been on the minds of junior Steven Joplin and sophomore Jordan Harris. “Throughout the summer, we’ve been playing a lot of pingpong, and at the beginning of the school year we got the idea to start a pingpong club,” Joplin said. The planning for the club began in September, when Cameron Trader, Joplin and Harris asked teacher Jeff Crow if he would be the adviser. “I was willing to stay there with them while they would play pingpong,” Crow said. Joplin and Harris were also able to obtain a constitution from the old pingpong club. However, not having permission to use the pingpong tables postponed the launch of the club. “You can’t play pingpong without tables,” Harris said. The juniors waited a few weeks to hear from the Physical Education Department. “We need to get permission first. It’s taking a lot longer than ideal. We’ve been waiting a while,” Joplin said, before the plywood pingpong boards were secured. Last Friday, along with Trader and Crow, Joplin and Harris got permission from the Physical Education Department to use the pingpong tables for Pingpong Club under the condition that the club replace one board every year for the Physical Education
Department to also to use. “I’m sure we’ll take good care of them,” Crow said. “They are a little rough in spots, but they are the official size.” Besides replacement of tables, a small fee could be added to join the club to cover the cost of repainting tables. “When I say we’re going to fix them up, in my mind we’re repainting them. If we break any tables we’ll replace them,” Joplin said. All that is left for pingpong to begin weekly practices is to secure the east deck in the Falcon Gym for Tuesday after-school practices. “It’ll be fun to see all of [the students] playing,” Crow said. “[I’m] excited to give kids another thing to do after school.” Besides, he said, “It’s a fast-paced game, and you don’t have to be super athletic to play.” The new Pingpong Club is well on its way, with a good turnout at the first informational meeting. “I know there are more interested in joining, so it brings together a wide variety of people,” Joplin said. Harris hopes that the club will bring new people together. “People with differences can come together and have fun,” he said. He added, “I am excited about getting different talents and not just playing against [Joplin]. I beat Steven a lot, like three to one.”
winter wishes: behind the scenes 1
The Leadership class distributes and collects all of the Winter Wishes from the classes.
3
2
Based on the price and obtainability, the Leadership students select wishes they can grant.
Students sell hot chocolate for $1 a cup to raise money to buy the presents.
4
The presents are delivered during the Winter Spirit Week and at the assembly! reported by srinithi suresh
Community in schools natalieschueddekopp
staff writer Melanie Cushing, a former paraeducator, is excited to be leading a new program in the Richland School District. Cushing is leading the school’s own branch of the agency Community in Schools, the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization. The mission of Community in Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. “I will be building community partnerships and organizing a comprehensive range of services to support the nonacademic needs of students so they can come to school ready to learn,” Cushing said. Community in Schools focuses on providing struggling students with resources they need, such as food, a warm coat and medical and dental services. Students that are in need of help are encouraged to contact Cushing. Anything told to her will be confidential, unless it puts someone in danger. Cushing has many ideas for the program, such as a food pantry and clothing closet that would help students. Cushing hopes to build a community of help in the school and have students
involved in the program. Her office is located in the counseling center, across from counselor Debbie Bell. “As a C.I.S. network, we are excited to be building relationships throughout Benton and Franklin counties that will impact the lives of students in Richland School District,” Cushing said. Students can get involved by continuing with the caring environment already established here at school. “Students that need something or are struggling in some aspect are encouraged to let me know, and I can help find resources already in the community to help,” Cushing said. Cushing also encourages students to look out for their friends. “Often you know when your friend could use a little help too. It takes a lot of courage for someone, especially a student, to ask for help,” she says. While there will be changes made, Cushing doesn’t think that there will be many big changes. “I am just going to be able to provide information that perhaps we were not aware of before. The only change is students will have another person here to help them be successful. I hope students will come in and ask questions and find out more about me and what I can do. “
4|Sports|18 December2014
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A WINTER ATHLETE reported by ellie mendoza
“Being a wrestler takes a lot of dedication, and you have to be mentally tough”
“You have to be able to deal with chlorine problems, holding your breath and a lot of hard work.”
“It takes perserverence because you always have to work hard and give your all.”
“The thing you need the most to be a bowler is consistency because that’s what puts you ahead.”
“You have to have a good work ethic or you won’t succeed”
jared shahan (11)
rhys mckinstry (12)
maddy bingham (12)
margaret lowman (10)
ben seaman (10)
sawyer henry|photographer
Sophomores Libby Graham and Shalynn Johnson wrestle at practice. The girls practice five days a weeek for two hours every day in the small Eerie Gym. Graham placed first and Johnson third at the Lancer Invite.
Girls conquer on the mat, placing at meets The largest number of girls wrestling to date take on the sport jourdanplante
staff writer
Traditionally, the wrestling team has been carried by boys, especially with last year’s 8th place finish at state carried by four of the wrestling team’s members. This year, however, there are new additions to the team – five new female wrestlers, as well as a new coach for the girls team. These girls are expected to give a competitive edge according to Coach Dom Duncan. “Four or five of our girls are sophomores, and when they will be juniors or seniors, they will be a great asset to the team,” he said. Sophomore Shalynn Johnson placed third in her weight class of 120 at the Lancer Invite and is one of the new additions who has wrestled previously and chose to take a shot at the sport once more this year. “I am confident this season is going to be my best season
yet,” Johnson said. “Wrestling for Hanford this season is great. I love being on the team.” The Lancer Invite proved successful for the girls’ team with Libby Graham placing first in the 125 weight class and Christine Wolverton placing second in her weight class of 235. According to the new girls coach, Holly Graham, confidence isn’t always the easiest to instill in the wrestlers she mentors. “When coaching the girls, self-confidence is a top priority. Developing this skill will help them be successful when they wrestle on the mat,” Graham said. Starting her career coaching at Ki-Be in Benton City, Coach Graham is prepared to lead the girls to the best of their ability with five years of coaching under her belt. “I love coaching girls’ wrestling,” Graham said. With the growing diversity of the team, team leadership has taken an important role in the devolopment. This
responsibility falls on the shoulders of team captain senior Caleb Brown. “As a team captain, it’s my responsibility to watch out for the less experienced wrestlers and act as a guide to them,” Brown said. Aware that he must act as a role model to his team, Brown demonstrates this by “setting an example on and off of the mat and always trying my hardest so they have someone leading them.” This change in the dynamic of the team has provided challenges as well as the opportunity to grow, and according to Duncan, will be worth the work. “It is a challenge. But it is also beneficial to have them for another four years, as they will be seasoned veterans by then,” Coach Duncan said. “It is a good thing for the sport of wrestling and a good thing for our school.”
18 December 2014|Sports|5
bryce logan
THE
BRYCE IS RIGHT The Playoffs
T
mickey shin|photographer
The girls varsity basketball team poses for a photo along with Coach Evan Woodward at the beginning of a weekday practice. The team is made up of seniors and juniors.
NEW TEAM AND NEW POSSIBILITIES A fresh start for a previously senior dominated team bencasas
staff writer New faces, new players and new teammates. This year’s girls basketball team is almost all new, and in their case, new has the potential to be better, according to Coach Evan Woodward. “The team this year is quite a bit different. Any time you lose six seniors, you’re going to have a new group coming through, but this group, it’s inexperienced,” Woodward said. The challenge, then, is to work hard and find a new rhythm, a new team dynamic. “I think the season is going to start off a little bit on the tough side because we are getting to know each other,” Woodward said, “and we are going to have to find our niche and kind of our style and then I think good things will happen to this group as the season progresses, including post season.” With young players, leadership may come
into question, but Woodward sees no problem. “We have Hannah Thompson and Holly Harris, who are two junior players and who are captains this year, along with Jacquie Deichman who is a senior, and each of them are fulfilling their leadership roles. They are learning, as you do throughout the season, but they’re doing a great job. We’ve got a good, solid group,” Woodward said. Having played on varsity last year, both junior Holly Harris and senior Maddy Bingham have felt the difference in teams, yet the element of teamwork and the goal of a great season has remained the same. “This year I feel like we are much closer as a whole. We also work better on the court as a team. The age of everyone has no effect on how we play,” Bingham said. “The team chemistry is great, even with a younger line up than we’ve had in the past. We all work together well and are friends both on and off the court. We’ve
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE A peek into the winter break of a varsity athlete
established what some would call a ‘team’ as our own family, and there is no doubt that it helps us play well together.” Leadership is not a question for Bingham or Harris either. “As a senior, I feel like leading comes naturally. I always like to help out others when they need it. I also like to lead by example,” Bingham said. Harris agrees. “As an older player, I have taken the opportunity to do my best as a leader,” she said. “I do my best to be an example, reach out to not only the girls on my team but in the program, and answer any questions. But honestly, the best part about being a leader is being surrounded with great girls and great friends.”
96
ATHLETES
12
DAYS
88.5
HOURS*
5,310
MINUTES
*total hours of all practices of all sports combined
SHOW YOUR SPIRIT @ BOYS BASKETBALL
WRESTLING
GIRLS BASKETBALL
BOWLING
BOYS SWIM & DIVE
12/19 @ Southridge 7:30 p.m.
12/20 @ TC Prep 10:00 a.m.
12/19 @ Southridge 5:45 p.m.
12/18 @ Go Bowl 3:30 p.m.
12/19 @ TBD 12:00 p.m.
he college football playoff. It’s finally upon us – the answer to everyone’s prayers. No more arguments about whose team should be in the National Bowl Championship Series game, no more Twitter fights or angry tweets about how terrible the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is. The playoff is just the best four teams in the country playing for a spot in the big dance. No more controversy – right? Wrong. There is probably more controversy this year than there has been in the past five years combined. In the past, the top two teams played for the National Championship. Usually there is one team that could have, but didn’t get, the second spot. This year, five of the top six teams all had one loss. Alabama and Oregon each had one loss, but everyone already knew they were shooins for the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively because of their dominant performances since their losses. Somehow the Florida State Seminoles managed to stay perfect behind Jameis Winston’s incredible 17 pick season to wrap up the No. 3 seed. And now for the fourth team. TCU, Baylor, and Ohio State each lost one lone football game, and all were hoping for a bid. Ohio State suffered one early season loss but have been on a tear since and just blew out 13th ranked Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship game. TCU’s one loss came from Baylor by three points, but also played a pretty weak schedule. Baylor lost only to West Virginia, and they won the head to head matchup with TCU. All three of these teams had a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. So who would get the last playoff spot? I’m pretty sure the whole country knew Ohio State would – and their wrecking of Wisconsin kind of sealed the deal – but TCU or Baylor could have easily snagged the last spot because of their strong records. This whole college football playoff was supposed to make all of our dreams come true – and it seems to have accomplished a whole lot. A whole lot of nothing. Teams were still left out that could have been in and there were still upset Horned Frogs and Bears fans all across the country. Whether it’s the BCS National Championship or the College Football Playoff, both will blow so there’s no point in trying to fix it.
6|Features|18 December 2014
Playing in the pit sonali matta
staff writer You know that music you hear when you’re watching a musical? That’s from a pit orchestra. Pit orchestra is an advanced symphony orchestra comprised of students in all grades who are currently rehearsing to play the music for the next musical, “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” “I’d say pit orchestra is a lot more rewarding, because you have to audition to get in, so everyone there is pretty dedicated in what they’re doing. The literature is harder than what we would all usually be playing,” senior Julia Walker said. These advanced musicians rehearse as needed, directed by Kevin Swisher. They are a focused, structured group, and pit rehearsals are all business. The orchestra practices the songs with the biggest dance numbers and most challenging music first. Seniors in the orchestra become leaders during rehearsal to help out the many new freshmen
this year. “We have a lot of newcomers, and so far they’ve been holding up their own weight, which is really cool. Rehearsals have been pretty good so far,” Walker said. Pit players not only have leadership, but also the original Broadway scores for their instrument. This means they are playing the same music professionals would play. “In pit orchestra, you’re not as major of a part, so you have to know when to back off. The music is a challenge – I don’t know it all yet,” freshman Michelle Chou said. Chou, a violinist for five years, and Walker, a harpist for ten years, may be on opposite sides of the spectrum in pit orchestra, but both of them are looking forward to the learning they will get out of this opportunity. “I joined pit orchestra partly because I was asked to, but I also thought it would be fun and interesting. I have never been in a musical before, and it’ll be a good experience,” Chou said.
maxwell weil|photographer
Members of the pit orchestra practice after school under the direction of band teacher Kevin Swisher. They practice multiple times a week and then when the prodcution date draws closer, they join with the actors to rehearse.
Tolo: D.I.Y. style emily tan
calvin carr|photographer
Juniors Seth King, Maxwell Weil, Sajal Sanan, Daniel Dohnalek, Annika Lawrence, Ethan Laudisio, Amanda Andersen, Luke Geeting, Leigh Flaherty, and Josie Hansen gathered for a picture at their DIY Tolo. Because Tolo was canceled, the juniors threw their own Tolo together.
features editor The last-minute cancellation of Tolo didn’t stop a group of eager friends from having their fun. Tolo was scheduled as a school-wide dance. Juniors Sajal Sanan, Maxwell Weil, Annika Lawrence, Daniel Dohnalek, Luke Geeting, Seth King, Josie Hansen, Laura Meng and Leigh Flagherty decided to throw their own dance party in replacement. “We really wanted to go to Tolo, so we were disappointed when it got cancelled,” Sanan said. “Five of the girls called me the minute we heard the dance was cancelled and suggested we should still do something that night.” In fact, many were going to go with dates. “A lot of us already asked our dates and planned a before-dinner to Tolo,” Meng said. “So it gave us an excuse to hang out and take crazy pictures.” The party took place at Sanan’s house and included a dinner, bonfire and games. “Basically we had dinner and played “Just Dance 4” for a couple hours,” Weil said, “and I’m
undefeated.” “We actually made a bonfire and ate s’mores too,” Meng said. Creating the bonfire though, was quite the experience. “The boys literally chopped up my fence and thew it into the fire,” Sanan said. “They took an old axe and started hacking at the edges of the fence until parts of it came off.” To make the whole experience similar to an actual dance, they created their own photo booth for pictures. “We set up our own table and we made a backdrop for it,” Weil said. “Calvin [Carr] came and took photos for us.” The makeshift photo booth was one of the highlights of the night. “It was really fun because we didn’t have the pressure of just having to take one photo that looks good,” Meng said. “We could take a whole bunch of really bad ones – but we also took a couple good ones.” When asked whether they would do it again, Meng replied without hesitation, “I definitely think we’ll do it again, because it was a lot more fun than we had anticipated.”
Seniors sign for military seaneller
staff writer While many seniors are stressing college deadlines and waiting for acceptance letters, others are counting on another kind of deadline. They’re joining the military. Senior Katherine Henry plans on joining the Navy. The choice was easy for her. “My father was in the military,” she said. “I chose the Navy as the branch I want to go into because I’ve always loved the water, and I believe the Navy will allow me to travel and see the world while I serve,” Henry said. Senior Tanner Gustin also plans on joining the Navy. ” I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after high school. I thought the military would be a great way to pay for school and get some experience,” he said. It takes a lot to join the military and many standards have to be met. ”I’ve had to take an ASVAB test, plus pass a medical test; I’ve had to stay in contact with my recruiter making sure I stay healthy,” Gustin said. Henry also had to meet an education criteria to join the military. “I’ve made sure all my grades meet the standards of the
military,” she said. Senior Kyle Dey wants to join the Navy, and has also taken the ASVAB test. ”I’ve had to score really high on the ASVAB test, then be processed through MEPS,” he said. MEPS stands for Military Entrance Processing Station, a place known for providing applications for enlistment. ”I’m enlisting in the Navy, because it’s been a family tradition for a long time,” Dey said. Although there are a lot of requirements to join, there are also quite a few benefits. “I’m going into the Navy because I thought it was the branch that best suited me and the most benefits I could receive,” Gustin said. Serving also provides a transition to college and career. “I plan on going into law enforcement or firefighting as a career after the military,” Dey said. Taking time to find a job after the military can be hard, but the military pays for college. ”I plan on going to college during my time in the navy, so I can become an electronics technician,” he said.
maxwell weil|photographer
Seniors Matthew Kiser, Katherine Henry, Kyle Dey and Cameron Johns stand as they are recognized at the Veterans Day Assembly. These seniors have had to pass mulitiple examinations in order to enlist in the military, as well as deciding on their goals early.
18 December 2014 |Features|7
C L U B S P O T L I G H T : trending @HHS KNITTING CLUB #winterjackets “You can put it in a little bag because it’s down. Alieska Taylor junior
“All of the pockets. It’s got all of the pockets. Josh Pollard junior sawyer henry |photographer
Junior Elizabeth Reed poses wearing her half-completed hat. Reed started Knitting Club in an effort to share an acitvity that she enjoys with others. She hopes to revive knitting and convince other people that knitting isn’t just for elderly women.
valarie milbrath
staff writer On Wednesday afternoons, the Knitting Club gathers in Nikki Swanson’s room, 1405 in the Library. A selection of knitting needles, looms and yarns are laid out on desks to prepare for the members’ projects. The club was started this fall by juniors Elizabeth Reed and Valarie Tallman. “I’ve always wanted to start a knitting club,” Reed said. “I thought if I’d started it in freshman year [2012-2013], people would look down on me, saying ‘you’re just a freshman, what do you know?’ I was going to start at the end of [last] year, but the time for knitting and crocheting is fall and winter.” Tallman liked the opportunity to have students learn new hobbies. “I thought that it would be a good idea to start a club where we could have people make things and learn something new,” she
said. As club president, Reed teaches the other members how to knit, both on needles and looms, and also how to crochet. “[Reed] teaches other members how to knit and crochet, and then stitches the pattern they make calls for,” Tallman said. Many of these projects go to charity – something that club member senior Christine Appel Wolverton likes about the club. “We get to start a project and use the project to give scarves, gloves, or anything to foster children, or to other children who need scarves or gloves,” Appel Wolverton said. Currently, the club’s main goal is to make 15 purple baby hats to donate to the Click for Babies campaign, which spreads awareness of shaken baby syndrome and other forms of infant abuse. “We make the hats for babies, especially newborns that can’t
keep their heads warm. [The goal] is to raise money to fix the abuse,” Tallman said. In response to the idea that knitting is for old ladies, Reed quipped, “Do I look like a dead old lady?” Tallman added, “I think that [knitting] opens people’s minds to newer levels of creating something they like.” The crafts are also economically friendly. “People don’t have to go to the store to buy a fifty-dollar cashmere scarf. They could make it themselves for half the price,” Reed said. Appel Wolverton enjoys the versatility of knitting. “I love how you can learn how to do anything with knitting: make scarves, make sweaters, make gloves.” Tallman agrees that knitting is a valuable skill. “For people who like to have their hands busy, it is a good way to do that while making something useful,” she said. “Plus, it’s fun.”
“It’s camouflage. I’m a redneck. Gage Boyer sophomore
“It’s from my boy-
friend. It’s full of love; it’s wrapped in love.
Adventures Underground www.AdvUnderground.com books@advunderground.com
Estefanita Perez senior
1391 George Washington Way Richland, WA 93954 Open 10 a.m. -10 p.m. Every day
1.509.946.9893
New & Used Books, Comics, Music, Art and Games
reported by caroline waring
bookmark cafe 13 cookies for $4.62
955 northgate drive lobby of the richland library richland, wa 99352
Buy 2 large bubble teas, get 1 free
8|Home|18 December 2014
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
“When I was living on the streets, I didn’t want anybody to know anything about me. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was homeless.”
18 December 2014|Home|9
HOMELESSNESS BY THE NUMBERS HOMELESS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
9,487
317,081
Total number of homeless high schoolers in Washington (2012-2013)
Total number of homeless high schoolers in the United States (2012-2013)
Washington statistics taken from Washington State’s 2012–13 Homeless Children and Youth Data Report.
National statistics taken from Education for Homeless Children and Youth Consolidated State Performance Report Data for 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13
STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES 247 Hanford students were surveyed on their own personal views and exposure to homelessness. The results are presented here.
Do you know any teens who have been homeless? IDK 9%
NO 42%
YES 49%
Do you know any teens who are currently homeless? IDK YES 18% 12%
Are you aware of the homeless teen population at Hanford? IDK YES 12% 14%
NO 74%
NO 70%
Do you consider homelessness a problem at Hanford? YES 17% IDK 39%
NO 44%
HOMELESS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE TRI-CITIES KENNEWICK
= 10 students
PASCO
RICHLAND
This data reflects the number of homeless high school students in the Tri-Cities during the 2012-2013 school year. The Richland School District’s total numbers for homeless students more than doubled between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015, due to the McKinney-Vento survey now being sent out to all students. Therefore, the numbers presented here may not accurately reflect the actual number of homeless high schoolers in the Richland School District in the 2012-2013 school year.
10|Home|18 December 2014
HOMELESSNESS:
the story behind the stereotype Establishing a safe haven Daisy Vargas, now in her early 20s, first became interested in homeless teens when she was a senior at Pasco High School. Vargas was looking for a project that would fulfill the project requirement for graduation. Curiosity drove her to ask, “How many of my peers are homeless?” After talking to the Student in Transition Coordinator at Pasco High School, Vargas was shocked to learn that there were around 200 homeless teens at her school alone. Since then, she has dedicated her time to helping homeless teens. Vargas is now the shelter supervisor at My Friends Place, where the goal is “to provide a safe nighttime residence for individuals that don’t have any place to go.” She finds her job rewarding, despite some of the inherent difficulties that come with the job. “My favorite part is being able to help someone self-discover their journey in life and where they want to go, where they want to head, and how I can help them along that,” she said. Vargas enjoys being able to “help someone pick themselves up from the ground, literally.” Teens can end up at the shelter in multiple ways, including self-reference or references by counselors or police officers. The McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness under Washington state law, which in the words of Vargas says “any minor who has an unstable nighttime residence is considered homeless,” also results in teens attending the shelter. Teens don’t always approach the shelter for help right away, which is a problem according to Vargas. “Generally, when someone becomes homeless, it takes them about two years to come out and seek shelter and services and help.” In that time, anything
can happen. “They can end up killed, they can end up in prostitution, they can end up drugged,” Vargas said. Vargas’s goal is to teach the community that being homeless is not a bad thing and to empower those who are homeless to seek help. The shelter relies on donations, especially during this time of year as the shelter strives to give their clients as normal a Christmas as possible. In addition to serving a Christmas dinner, putting up a tree and handing out presents, the shelter also strives to let homeless teens not in the shelter experience Christmas. “We know of their situation, so sometimes we’ll do home deliveries on Christmas Day for kids that we know can utilize our facility but don’t have the courage to come in yet,” Vargas said. As part of her job, Vargas works on case management for clients who stay. She looks to meet their basic necessities such as employment, doctor and dental visits and mental health evaluations if necessary. “Any basic necessity that they need, we would be able to link them with other agencies so that they’re meeting, and that they’re becoming independent, and they’re being able to work towards stability in their life.” The most difficult part of working with homeless teens is having to turn them away, Vargas said. Reasons for turning them away include drug habits and lack of motivation to help themselves. “We don’t enable any clients to stay here to continue bad habits,” she said, adding that “exiting a kid for them not accomplishing their goals and things like that is one of the hardest things that I would have to do.”
Supporting the students When one asks staff about homelessness, the McKinney-Vento Act invariably comes up first. This law ensures all homeless students are immediately enrolled, and given “a stable education.” At Hanford, this means they are given free breakfast, lunch, a bus pass and a referral to the local homeless teen shelter — My Friends Place. More than that, however, the staff acts as a support system, accommodating students when the situation calls for it, from providing computers to finding potential student homes. According to Counselor Diana Patitucci, the school is very supportive. “I think that Hanford is very accommodating, the students and the staff, and so we like really work hard to find a place for them to stay, and work with them to get through their situation.” Assistant Principal Tory Christensen agrees. “With the support that we have, we can still help those kids be successful, be fed, be warm — we have a very generous staff,” he said. “If you just email out to the staff and say, ‘Hey, we have a student that needs this,’ we’ll have an overwhelming response. And it happens all the time here as well.” This year, Christensen believes the support system for homeless students is doing well. “I think this year it’s pretty solid. I think in the past we’ve had some work to do,” he said. “This year we’ve really got it dialed in to where if a kid comes in, we ask the right questions. And that’s really the key. If somebody comes in to register, we ask the right questions to make sure they’re getting the support and services that they need.” Christensen elaborated on what the “right questions” were. “What’s your address?” he listed as an example. “If they write down an address — usually the key is, they come in without a parent. And that’s one of the keys. But they come in with a parent, it’s a little more difficult.” But more than just asking the questions, you have to look at the student’s situation. “You kind of have
to be skilled at looking at the registration form when they write down all their information, and they have an address, and a home, and stuff like that, then we consider them not homeless, so that’s when that McKinney-Vinto form steps into play and they can fill that out,” Christensen said. Patitucci explains. “We talk about their situation,” she said. “And then I go and talk to the lunch ladies, and we get them free food, for breakfast and lunch, every day. And then we can get them a free bus pass, and then I try and help them get through the situation, and try to find a place for them to stay. And then I check back up on them – see how they’re doing.” Most cases the school sees involve students moving from place to place, staying in a friend’s home or sleeping in different couches from night to night. The causes vary — some involve runaways or parental difficulties, others, simply poverty. “We have kids that are staying in trailers on people’s properties. We have kids that just get a place every night. We have kids that stay with nice, generous folks that are friends, parents of friends, that are also considered homeless — and they’d be happy to have a hot meal every day,” Christensen said. “When something is needed, response is excellent. We don’t just go right out and tell,” assistant principal Tory Christensen said. “We don’t want them to be any different than anybody else.” And if students ever find themselves homeless? “You can tell any of the administration, whoever you feel comfortable telling — a teacher, a counselor – just let somebody know, because it’s not a negative thing when you let people know,” Christensen said. Even if it’s not you, personally. “If people hear of homeless students, we need to know as counselors —or as administrators,” Patitucci said. Christensen explained the school’s motivation for helping students. “We want students in here being successful, being educated—homeless or with a house, either one, right?”
18 December 2014|Home|11
Volunteering for a cause Some students have found themselves to be on the other side of the spectrum; they aren’t homeless, but they help students who are. Senior Devin Sprenkle began volunteering to help homeless students through a community group. “I was involved in an interfaith youth group, and we fundraised multiple times for My Friends Place, which is the area’s only teen homeless shelter,” Sprenkle said. Sprenkle attributes her activism to the influence of her parents. “My parents have always taught me to help your neighbors who are in need, and I think homeless is something that people need to be more aware of,” she said.
Sprenkle believes that society is under false impressions, especially about the types of people that the homeless are. “Not all homeless people do drugs or are alcoholics, but that’s very much a possibility,” she said. “Sometimes, the reason why a person is homeless is that they don’t get along with their family, [their] parents are drug users or alcoholics or the teen is gay.” “Homelessness in the Tri-Cities is something that goes unnoticed,” Sprenkle said. “I think it’s important to address this problem because they’re our friends and peers who we go to school with, and it’s up to us to help them out when they are struggling.”
Living the conflict Born to a single mother who was hooked on drugs, Morgan endured a difficult childhood. “My mom had two men that could’ve been my dad, so automatically my life was crazy from the get-go. My step-dad was very abusive growing up and my mom was a drug addict,” Morgan said. “She was constantly into [drugs]. She had neglected her children.” Morgan’s mother’s addiction didn’t just leave Morgan neglected. “My mom had me selling drugs for a long time. I’m horrible at doing stuff like that because I have asthma. My mom had me sell marijuana and at one point, she tried to get me into smokes some and I was wheezing,” Morgan said. “She was like ‘you’re being dramatic’. Not only did she do that, she did more intense drugs as well.” Her mother’s addiction also left Morgan homeless. “At the time, she would lock me out of the house and she would just leave me,” she said. “There was a whole period of time—about a year— where I was living on the streets. I had nowhere to go.” Desperate to find safe places to sleep at night, Morgan found sanctuary around local apartment complexes. “I was that one person sleeping in the park, near the convenience store, wherever I could find a nice place,” Morgan said. “When I was homeless, I would go and find the green boxes on the side of the road called transformers. When it got cold, I used to go and sleep next to one of those. I remember there was this one place where there was a tree over [the transformer] and if it was snowing or raining, it would block out the snow or rain,” Morgan said. While taking full advantage of her surroundings, she struggled to make ends meet. “There was a convenience store not too far away, so I would go there in the morning and get cleaned up, and then I would go to school,” Morgan said. As for meals, she relied on the free lunches from school. “I would go to school and get my meal and over the weekend I would not eat. I just waited until school got back to eat again.” The difficulties of living homeless weren’t just limited to food and shelter for Morgan. “I felt so lonely. Homeless people are one of the loneliest types of people out there. You just want your mom to be able to come up and wrap you up in a hug while telling you everything is going to be okay,” Morgan said. “When you’re sitting down in the dirt and haven’t taken a shower in a couple of days, you feel really helpless.” Her living conditions affected every aspect of her life, from wearing clothes to seeing clearly. “Just having nice clothes to wear is a blessing. You want to look cool and have nice clothes to fit in. I didn’t have any glasses and I had contacts,” Morgan said. “When I ran out of contacts, I couldn’t even see. I had a pair of shoes that, on the bottom, there was a hole in the heel. I would walk around and things would poke my foot.” For Morgan, the feelings of helplessness were frustrating. “You don’t realize how secluded someone who’s homeless is. No one wants to go and talk to that person who is laying down by a transformer,” she said. “People take homeless people and put them at the bottom. They treat them like animals and assume they don’t have
any feelings. Obviously that’s not true since every person has feelings.” In school, no one knew about Morgan’s situation. “I was so scared to tell people because people make rude comments like ‘hobo’ or ‘loser’. One time my friend and I were sitting down next to a store and just hanging out and someone that drove by yelled ‘hobo’ and I automatically got so mad,” Morgan said. She explained that her friend didn’t know that she was homeless. “He asked me why I was freaking out and why I was so mad. I started crying and I still haven’t told that person until this day why I was crying.” She had a social life – but when it came down to it, there was never anybody for her to rely on. “I wanted to seclude myself from everyone and
i felt so lonely. homeless people are one of the loneliest types of people out there. you just want your mom to be able to come up and wrap you up in a hug while telling you everything is going to be okay. morgan
I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I used to be the person where everyone just knew me, you know, but no one actually knew me,” Morgan said. Ironically, her popularity made it harder to talk to people. “It was so lonely living that way since no one was actually my friend.” For about a full year, Morgan was homeless on the streets. She then referred herself to the local teen homeless shelter, My Friends Place. “Once I got to the shelter, it was so weird because I realized how little stuff I had. I was able to get up in the morning and I was able to lay down in a bed; that was just amazing. I was able to get up and take a hot shower in the morning rather than trying to clean myself up with paper towels,” Morgan said. “Now, I live with a family. It’s just so strange to have people around me that are like family. They actually cook a meal for me! This was a huge stepping stone. It was incredible.” Since then, Morgan has been able to get jobs and currently lives with a family. “I came from having absolutely nothing; I was dirt poor. All I had was a couple pennies in my pocket. I would have to go in front of stores and look for money since people always drop money. I had to pick up pennies and quarters out of the dirt.” Now Morgan is planning for her future. “I plan on becoming a youth pastor. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do for years. Right now, I’m working so I can pay for my education,” Morgan said. “I’d like to marry people.” She also has a message for teens: “Homeless teens are still teenagers: we still have all these emotions going on, we still want to have friends, we’re just like everyone else.” Morgan has given the Altitude her express authorization to let her name be written publicly in this article.
12|A&E|18 December 2014
WINTER DRINKS
michelle wang
I’ll admit it; I have a slight coffee addiction problem that only manages to increase with the holidays and the return of holiday drinks, namely: Peppermint Mochas. That being said, I took the opportunity and excuse to visit each of the main coffee shops in Richland to compare each different store’s take on the classic holiday drink.
Starbucks - $5.36 for 20 fl. Oz. What better drink to start off this review with than the iconic Peppermint Mocha in a red cup from Starbucks? The flavors of dark chocolate and peppermint are strong and distinguishable, but the actual espresso is a bit overpowered by them. This is definitely more on the sweet side as the bitter taste of coffee is practically nonexistent. My drink was a little gritty from the coffee not being mixed too well, and the drink was definitely not hot enough for my liking, but overall Starbucks never manages to disappoint. However, the main downside: the price. As much as my stomach loves anything from Starbucks, my wallet certainly doesn’t.
Roasters - $4.50 for 20 fl. Oz. Maybe the barista messed up and forgot to add it in, but I couldn’t make out a single taste of peppermint in my drink. That being said, I was surprised (in a good way) to find out that the coffee base itself was so strong. The drink wasn’t as sweet as the ones from other places, and it actually tasted like real coffee instead of 2 percent coffee and 98 percent sugar/milk/cream/flavoring, which was a nice change. Props to Roasters for that. Overall, the Peppermint Mochas from here were definitely delicious, though lacking in the peppermint department.
Sharehouse - $5.76 for 20 fl. Oz.
SCOTT LIEN
KARISA LUERA
ECHOSMITH “COOL KIDS”
J. COLE “WORK OUT”
“I’m not a fan of this song. I don’t really like the beat either. I usually like hip-hop and rap and all of the classic ‘50s music, so all that new pop music doesn’t apply to me. The [band] Echosmith sings about kids attempting and just wishing to fit in so they can be like the kids they see as “cool.” People should just be themselves and not change that because they feel unnoticed or not up to the standards of what media or society sees as “cool.” If [you’re being] yourself, you’ll always stand out, whether you’re a big nerd, jock or the quiet kid. You’ll be noticed for being you – and that’s what’s really cool.”
“I like the song. I’ve heard it before so I’ve gotten an idea of how it is. It has a good beat and the only thing I don’t like about it is that sometimes it’s pretty slow. Other than that, it’s a pretty good song. The beats are really good – it makes you want to get up and dance. It’s really motivating and a good workout song. It’s not something I’d listen to on a daily basis – it’s very different compared to his regular style.”
reported by shibani datta photo by mickey shin
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this drink. There was a subtle yet noticeable hint of peppermint in the drink, which was quite nice, and the taste of chocolate was delicious as well. There was a bit too much milk and cream and too little coffee for my liking, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. Downside is yikes, I didn’t realize how pricey Sharehouse was. However, they’re nonprofit, so technically I should feel better about myself for spending almost six bucks on a drink there – right?
Dutch Bros. - $4.50 for 20 fl. Oz. In terms of peppermint, my Peppermint Mocha from Dutch was really lacking. It just tasted like another plain mocha to me. However, it was a pretty dang good mocha. It was a bit creamier than the one from Roasters, but nowhere as creamy as the one from Sharehouse or even Starbucks.
CON N ECT WI T H U S ! Instagram: @hanfordstudentmedia
FalconsToday.com
18 December 2014|A&E|13
‘POKÉMON OMEGA RUBY & ALPHA SAPPHIRE’: GOT TA CAT C H ‘ E M A L L AG A IN
I
s Pokémon still cool? I’ve been playing on-andoff for years and have spent zachary pawlowski many a math class discussing the finer points of ‘Catching them all’. Whoever figured out how to play Pokémon on a TI-nspire is a genius and a lifesaver. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (commonly referred to as OR/AS) are remakes of the 2002 GameBoy Advance games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Overall, the remakes stay close to the concept of the originals, but with many new features. The most obvious of which is the improved graphics, which you would expect from a game made in 2014. The plot is slightly changed as well. In addition, basically everything introduced in last year’s Pokémon X & Y returns, most importantly the online features. Now that there are over 720 Pokémon in existence (Over 300 more than were in the original Ruby and Sapphire), the old goal of catching every single one is a little more difficult to obtain - but still not impossible. The online
features of the game allow the player to easily trade or battle players from all over the world. Completing the Pokédex or defeating children with your perfect team has never been easier. My personal impression of the game was that it was very fun, which couldn’t be said of other games I’ve played recently. I spent hours at a time nonstop training my Pokémon – the gameplay was engaging and rarely tedious. However, there was the classic problem that afflicts all Pokémon games – they are all
i spent hours at a time nonstop training my pokemon-the gameplay was engaging and rarely tedious. basically the same. On one hand, there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken; on the other, you’ll get pretty much the same experience no matter which game you play. Is this game for you? If you’ve played Pokémon in the past, especially the original Ruby and Sapphire, you will probably enjoy this game. If you haven’t played Pokémon, but are into RPGs, X & Y are probably a better place to start.
‘THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING’ E VEN GENIUSES NEED LOVE “The Theory of Everything” is a part-biography, partromantic drama of the life of ryan wang Stephen Hawking, from his beginnings at the University of Cambridge in New England to the end of his marriage with Jane Wilde. The film itself is partially based off a memoir written by Jane Wilde. “The Theory of Everything” is incredible. This is due largely in part to its nonfiction, biographical nature mixed with strong direction in nearly every scene of the movie. The former provides the quaint, peaceful, and tantalizing semi-modern setting of late 1900s England along with an appropriately sized cast of original
characters. From my experience, too many films suffer from a superfluously large cast composed largely of one-trait characters. There were also many rising and falling actions throughout the
hawking’s character stays charmingly witty and headstrong even in the later scenes where he has little control of his body. movie, all of which were natural and emotionally moving. In life, there are no happy ends. You get what you get and then you move on. Both tragedy and fortune are bound to hit you. The fortune in this movie encompasses Hawking’s rise to the top of the scientific world and his marriage to Jane Wilde. The tragedy creeps in as their mar-
riage progresses. Hawking slowly loses his ability to walk, dress, eat and speak, leading to the deterioration and eventual destruction of their marriage. However, what impresses me most about “The Theory of Everything” is its incredible acting and direction. Every scene of the movie has something to say. Even the comedic scenes work well to develop character personality and relationships, though much of that is a consequence of the superb acting. Hawking’s character stays charmingly witty and headstrong even in the later scenes where he has little control of his body. “The Theory of Everything” manages to do right what so many other films do wrong today. It is a gem in a sea of mediocrity and mindless entertainment. I would recommend anyone and everyone go watch it.
Coming Up... DECEMBER 19 “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” DECEMBER 25 “The Interview”
‘WE WERE LIARS’ a lot of hype; not much substance
A
re you a fan of mystery? A fan of romance? A fan of overmedicated, rich teennaveena bontha age girls? If you said yes to any of those three questions, then “We Were Liars” should be on your to-read list. Now, as much as I’m a fan of mystery and romance, this book was a miss for me. The best thing this novel has going for it is the plot. The main character is this 17-year-old named Cadence. Every summer, Cadence goes to her rich family’s island, where they do typical rich family stuff, like fight over who gets what in the inheritance and throw wild and crazy parties. The kids, who are all cousins, form strong bonds with each other. Their summers are passed in a frenzy of excitement until one summer, when a mysterious accident happens. After this accident, the family dynamic changes and everyone begins to quietly hate each other. The main character starts to show signs of mental illness, and immediately her parents hospitalize her. They give her a cocktail of pills to take each day, keeping her in a constantly foggy state. After several years of not going to the island, a big event has Cadence and her mom returning back to the island where her cousins are. Slowly, through weird dreams and hallucinations, Cadence begins to remember the
terrible event that occurred. The plot really keeps you hooked until the last page. The writing is beautiful. The author has mastered the use of prose, and because the narrators mind is so fogged up, you get these haunting, wispy descriptions of places. However, the characters needed a little help. It seemed like the author sat and watched the Kardashians, then modeled her characters off them. They all fit the model of rich and spoiled, with no hidden depths, like the classic bad-boy rich-boy character. The only character that seems real is the narrator. My main complaint here is the romantic interest. The author decides that rich white people are too common, so she decides to insert this random Indian guy named Gat. Now, I like it when authors blend different cultures in their books, but the character of Gat was total overkill. Gat and his Indian heritage pop up in nearly every scene he is in. Not a moment goes by without him giving some big life lesson with a curry metaphor. Also, Gat is rude. He’s not the classic bad-boy rich-boy with hidden depths. He’ s just a mean person who gets too much importance as the romantic lead. All in all, this book was pretty good, and the mystery was one that I could not put down. As long as you don’t depend on this book to become your next favorite book, it’s a pretty good story. Well done, E. Lockhart.
DECEMBER 25 “Into the Woods”
JANUARY 6 Premiere of “MasterChef Junior Season 3”
JANUARY 7 Premiere of “American Idol Season 14” JANUARY 9 “Taken 3” JANUARY 19 “The Pale Emperor” - Marilyn Manson JANUARY 20 “Resident Evil HD Remastered” JANUARY 20 “American Beauty/American Psycho” - Fall Out Boy JANUARY 27 “Reflection” Fifth Harmony JANUARY 27 “Grand Theft Auto V” For PC
14|School&Career|18 December 2014
beauty makes bank elisaapra
design editor
screenshot of elise later’s blog
Senior Elise Later has a photography blog which she updates on a weekly basis. She’s been taking pictures since she was 11, but got serious about a career in photography her sophomore year.
She’s got a passion for pictures whitney kieffer
staff writer “I always called [photography] kidnapping time,” Later said. “It’s really cool to take a moment in time and make it yours.” Senior Elise Later has been taking pictures since she was 11 years old. Her interest in photography first began when her mom would to let her borrow their old camera. It wasn’t until her sophomore year that she started getting serious about photography. “I took photography [and] I actually started getting good at it,” she said. “People wanted to get pictures done with me.” Since then, she has been working on improving her photography
skills. Later has a blog named “L8R Photos” that showcases her talents. “I take pictures, I work on them, I edit them, and then I have a blog where I post all of my credentials so that people can look and see if they want to use my photography.” She borrows creative ideas from Pinterest, where she has a whole board dedicated to photography. Many of Later’s pictures display her siblings posing in creative ways. “When I’m out taking pictures, I just try to think about what looks good with the background, what they’re wearing, what they’re doing,” Later said.
At eighteen, Hailee Dunn was an athlete and, in her words, “the farthest thing from a beauty queen.” After seeing a friend compete in the Miss Washington Outstanding Teen program, though, she decided to give the pageant a shot, eventually becoming the 2014 Miss Washington. While many may consider pageants frivolous beauty contests, the Miss America program is actually the biggest provider of scholarships for women in the world, providing over $45 million in scholarships every year. Over the course of three years, Dunn earned over $30,000 through Miss Washington. “I was able to complete college debt-free due to the amount of scholarship money I was awarded,” Dunn said. The benefits that Dunn received from participating in Miss Washington didn’t just extend to
She photographs her siblings flying like superheroes, smiling while standing side-by-side and even photoshopping a picture that shows one sibling standing in the palm of the other. Later spends several hours every week working on her photographs and updating her blog. As of now her customers consist of friends and family, but she hopes to expand her blog and reach a larger number of customers. Later plans on pursuing photography in college and is saving up for a nicer camera. “It’s always been a goal of mine to be a photographer,” Later said. And she is well on her way to achieving this goal.
scholarships. “[Miss Washington] has opened so many doors that I hadn’t even imagined possible for my career,” Dunn said. Being able to meet with so many people in the sports industry has been a huge boon for her, due to her interest in working in the sports industry later on in life. Students interested in Miss Washington scholarships should visit the Miss Tri-Cities website, where a list of requirements and an application form can be accessed. Only seniors who will be at least 17 years old by graduation this spring are eligible to participate in the regular Miss Tri-Cities program; younger students can apply for the Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen program. To those who are unsure about entering the competition, Dunn says, “Do it! Crown or no crown, I promise you will walk away from this experience having grown.”
TEST PREP RESOURCES Interested in taking the ASVAB, PSAT, or SAT? These exams can be intimidating for many students, and proper preparation can make a big difference in your final score. You can get access to free test preparation materials for these and several other exams through Hanford’s subscription to WOIS. Simply log in to your account at wois.org and click on the Test Prep tab for the full list of resources available. If you don’t yet have a WOIS account, or don’t know the site key for access to WOIS, visit the Career Center for help.
SCHOLARSHIP REPORT LOCAL ROBERT RICHARDSON
AMERICAN JUSTICE ESSAY CONTEST
MARY LOUISE SMITH MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT
Due: Jan. 10 (to Mrs. DePeel) Amount: $2,000 for 3rd; $3,000 for 2nd; $5,000 for 1st. Requirements: Three stages: music portfolio; interview; recital (competition). Get information packet from Kevin Swisher.
Due: March 13 Amount: 2 @ $2,000 Requirements: Produce a PSA or write a 700-800 word essay on the prompt; each year a new topic will be chosen, based on Washington State Association for Justice’s mission statement ideals and dealing with advocacy in the American justice system, and related issues.
Due: Feb. 2 Amount: 7 @ $3,000 Requirements: Min G.P.A. 3.00; $5 fee; applicants are selected based on the following criteria: leadership/service; financial need; and scholastic ability.
N ATION AL
987-1697
YOUNG PATRIOTS ESSAY CONTEST
NATIONAL STUDENT NURSES ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP
BMW/SAE ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIPS
Due: Jan. 5 Amount: 3 @ $2,000$5,000 Requirements: Applicants must submit an essay on a given topic related to economics and public policy.
Due: Jan. 5 Amount: 7 @ $500$10,000 Requirements: Applicants must write an essay on a specified topic related to political courage.
Due: Jan. 15 Amount: $1,500 Requirements: Career interest in Engineering or Computer/Information Sciences; Min G.P.A. 3.75 and rank in 90th percentile on ACT composite or SAT I (Math and Reading); Transcript.
Have more questions? Contact the Career Center or Counselling Office for help.
18 December 2014|Opinion|15
Thinking again about homelessness
W
hen people think of homelessness, there’s a negative image. There are preconceptions we hold about the homeless – lazy, desperate, crazy, incompetent, living off the government’s welfare. But as with most stereotypes, there’s more than what meets the eye. In order to learn more about teen homelessness, we started with people who had seen the issue and are trying to help. We met Daisy Vargas, the shelter supervisor of My Friends Place, and learned that My Friends Place was the only teen shelter for teens 13 to 18 in the Tri-Cities. Before its establishment, a homeless teenager looking for shelter in the Tri-Cities had nowhere to go. We also met senior Devin Sprenkle, an interfaith youth group member who had
raised funds for My Friends Place. We moved closer to home with our own staff member, Melanie Cushing, who will be leading a branch of the agency Community in Schools – the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization. Finally, we met Morgan, a teen who had worked her way out of homelessness. She gave us insight into the embarrassment, loneliness and worries of her past situation. The homeless aren’t just “the homeless.” They’re people. Just like everyone, they have their own problems, they have emotions. We tend to forget their humanity when we’re avoiding the ragged strangers on the street. We don’t think we could know them. More important, we don’t think they could know us. But like Daisy Vargas, we could learn
WHAT’S YOUR PRIORITY? Students responded to a survey asking them what their main priority is. Their responses fall into several common categories; the results are presented here.
THE
ALTITUDE
about the homeless teens in our high school. We could volunteer at shelters and provide basic necessities. Like Devin Sprenkle, we could participate in the fundraising opportunities with a youth group. Like Melanie Cushing, we could partner with an organization that helps provide teens with a supportive community. Most of all, we could lend emotional support and a listening ear –things Morgan and other teens may be too afraid to ask for. Teen homelessness is a real problem that exists in an environment where people don’t care. We can care.
issue 15.3
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF mickey shin
EDITORS
alisa chuang, copy ryan wang, business manager elisa apra, design naveena bontha, news ellie mendoza, sports srinithi suresh, career emily tan, features samuel mckinnon, features zach pawlowski, a&e caroline waring, opinion shibani datta, humor
PHOTOGRAPHERS
calvin carr, sawyer henry, maxwell weil
The staff editorial is the concensus of the Editorial Board.
STAFF
ben casas, olivia coppock, sean eller, whitney kieffer, bryce logan, sonali matta, valarie milbrath, jourdan plante, natalie schueddekopp, shelby schumacher, diana wang, michelle wang, raelynn webb
OTHER 14%
ADVISER
nancy e. smith
HOMEWORK/SCHOOL 26% EXTRACURRICULARS 17%
FRIENDS/FAMILY 30%
FEEDING A PET 4%
18 December 2014
reported by olivia coppock
EATING/SLEEPING 9%
Editorial Policy: The Altitude is an open public forum for the student community at Hanford High School. The paper is published by Hanford Student Media, informing and entertaining its audience in a broad, fair, and accurate manner. The reporting and opinions published in the Altitude do not represent views of the Richland community, school board, administrators, faculty, or student body of Hanford High School. Advertising Policy: The Altitude accepts advertising for most products and services available to the public. Advertising which promotes illegal products under Washington law, opposes any religion, is written in bad taste, or which includes false statements will not be accepted. The Editorial Board has the right to refuse any such ad. Letters to the Editor: Signed letters to the editor will be accepted and published. The staff reserves the right to edit the letters for poor taste, space, libel, and grammar. Memberships: WJEA, JEA, SPLC Printing by the Daily Sun News, Sunnyside, Wash.
Define your own beauty Let Twitter be shallow Redefining Beauty. That was a campaign set up to try and drive confidence into girls of all ages by encouraging them to not wear makeup and be proud of how ellie mendoza they look. Personally, the vibe I got from the campaign was a negative attitude towards makeup. Now I’m not a big makeup wearer myself, but I have friends who are, and frankly, they look great in it. My big question is this: Why take away something that makes people feel better about themselves? If anything, the campaign should redefine beauty into something that is exclusively found on the inside, reflecting character traits like kindness and compassion. See, most of these campaigns coming up online and in magazines are pushing for something superficial, whether they say it upfront or not. It’s all about the way a person looks. According to modern media, the way you look is what defines you. If you’re skinny, you’re happy, and the volume in your hair
is a direct correlation to the self-respect you feel towards yourself. But none of that is true. Just because someone works out, or chooses not to wear makeup, or gets up earlier every day to do their hair doesn’t make them any happier, kinder, or more confident than someone who doesn’t choose to do any of those things. When someone tells anyone that they’d look better a different way, they are doing the equivalent of blatantly telling that person that they’re not okay with the way that person looks. They’re telling a person that they’re not good enough the way they are, and to gain their acceptance, they need to change. Most people don’t think of it that way, but that’s exactly how it feels to be told that “you’d look prettier if you did something different.” What we need is to encourage people to do and wear what makes them happy, and support them with whatever they choose to do as their peers. If a face full of makeup, or a few extra pounds, or coming to school makeup-free makes someone feel happy – let them be happy.
With the lightning speed that Twitter’s 140 character messages spread around the world, it’s no surprise that new things become trendy every day. From celebrity gossip, Zach Pawlowski to short-lived jokes, to civil rights issues, there’s always something new on Twitter. Someone tweeted an inspiring message? Retweet that. Someone made a relatable joke. Retweet that. Someone wrote some deep and personal inner thoughts? Retweet that. Someone said something mundane that you don’t care about? Go ahead and retweet that too. Twitter is an indiscriminate sea of human thought and feeling. For every impassioned plea to help the unfortunate, there is a whiney complaint from some superficial hack. For every beautiful piece of art there is some lazily filtered picture of someone’s breakfast. Most baffling of all are the seemingly random trends that appear on the app.
Most recently there has been a “starter pack” trend on Twitter. A “starter pack” consists of three or four images of items that will help you become or do something. Notable examples of the trend include the “you can beat me up but my dad will sue” starter pack, the “I smoked weed once” starter pack, and the “tough white guy who tries to start fights” starter kit For someone out of the loop it’s easy to simply regard these trends as the low-class rubbish of a phone-obsessed generation. The more attentive may despair over the frivolous use of something that could or should be utilized meaningfully. Eventually, the overexposure of these trends mixed with the mentioned objections to their existence garner hate for the trends. But who’s to say that Twitter is obligated to be the savior of the new world? The site is built in a way that’s meant to entertain, not to educate. If you have such a problem with the content on the service, then go make your own and structure it to have more relevant content. For everyone else, Twitter can continue to be a mixed bag of superficial entertainment and meaningful content.
16|The Back Page|18 December 2014
Parents: stick to LinkedIn Real reality television
C
an you
naveena bontha
imagine your parents on social media? I can, and I’ve got to say:
it’s not very pretty. Bear with me as I lead you through a variety of fantastically fun scenarios depicting our life-givers on our favorite social media. Number One: Snapchat. You are at your friend’s house taking that “OMG look I have friends” picture. Once the picture is taken, everybody crowds around it and deems it acceptable to be posted on a Snapchat story. Within seconds of posting the picture, your phone starts to vibrate to let you know that you have 17 new snapchats. Seventeen snapchats – not from the cute guy in your history class who you gave your snapchat to or your favorite BFF who couldn’t make the party. No, these 17 snapchats came from your parents. You open the first one, and a badly taken selfie of your dad fills the screen.
The caption states, “Why wasn’t I invited?” You keep opening the snapchats, and the quality of the selfies start to go down. The captions start to describe your parents’ evening. (They had a very nice time gardening. Later, they decided to watch the new Madagascar movie.) After they describe their evening, they decide to start asking questions. “Why are you wearing that sweater. Do you purposefully want to look like a punk?” “Why is your face all smushed up. Couldn’t you have just smiled nicely?” “What are those double peace signs. Are you in a gang or something?” Number Two: Twitter. Just thinking about this one gives me the creeps. You log into your Twitter account, and suddenly your timeline is filled with tweets about the importance of eating an egg every morning and studying hard every night. You decide that you’ve had enough of the day and tweet something along the lines of “I’ve just had enough of this day.” Not even a second goes until you get the notification that someone has started responding to
your tweet. You open the app and to your surprise, it happens to be your parents. While your dad tweets you funny pictures of small hedgehogs doing the Macarena, your mom lets loose the Spanish Inquisition. “Why are you on Twitter when you said you were going downstairs to do homework?” “Is this ‘Twitter’ the reason that you got a D on the last chemistry quiz?” Sadly mom, Twitter is not the reason I failed that last chemistry quiz. Number Three: Tinder. SWIPE LEFT IMMEDIATELY. Can you imagine having your mom next to you as you embark on seeing the world of online dating? Let’s stick to social media for the time being, parental units. I think my worst fear isn’t the mere fact of my parents on social media, but the fact that they’d probably have like 22.4K followers on each site. I mean, who needs Alex from Target when you can have Gus from the accounting firm?
I
nnocently, I turned on the TV last Saturday morning to check what was shibani datta on, and unknowingly I got sucked into a black hole. It wasn’t your regular black hole. It was much, much worse. It was the black hole known as reality television. It started out with a half an hour, and then an hour, and soon I realized that six hours had gone by, and I was still in my pajamas. Not only had I wasted an entire day on this atrocity, but crazily enough, I actually liked it. I like watching rich, beautiful (hello, Lord Disick), fabulous people argue about the most unimportant and useless issues while sounding like spoiled brats. You could call it a hobby. At times I’m forced to imagine how my life would be through the lenses of reality television: 6:30 a.m. DATTA KITCHEN I walk into the kitchen expecting a nice warm breakfast, but what I see isn’t nice. At all. My mom is at the stove flipping pan-
cakes listening to Ariana Grande and smiles at me. “Hey, girlfriend, take a seat.” She sets down a plate in front of me when I see it. Yes, there are pancakes on my plate, but the most essential part of them is missing. “MOM, WHERE ARE THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS? YOU ARE LITERALLY BEING SO RUDE RIGHT NOW.” The day starts out with this event, and it continues on to a whirlwind of drama. Some other quotes from the day would include: “Where’s my other sock? It is literally being so rude right now.” “That teacher didn’t call on me. That is not okay.” “I am hungry, but we’re out of bagel bites. I cannot do this.” “My dad didn’t laugh at my joke. Who does he think he is?” Given that the people in these so called “reality” shows are millionaires who spend their days arguing about which mansion to live in and what magazine photo shoot to do, it might be unreasonable to expect them to have the same daily struggles as I do. This being said, I’m glad that reality shows are of the rich spoiled people and not my life. Nobody would want to see that show.
THE BANTER
The 12 days of Hanukkah
I
valarie milbrath
apologize to all of those who are Jewish that live in our non-Hanukkah ellie mendoza acknowledging society. It must suck to have all of these hallways decorated with “Frozen” characters and the Whos of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and not a single dreidel or menorah hanging anywhere. I’m sorry that we don’t have a school-wide Hanukkah break, or that Starbucks doesn’t sell any festive latkes or gift cards mentioning your holiday to give to your friends. On the bright side, at least you’re not celebrating one of the many holidays that are never even mentioned, like the Zoroastrian holiday Yalda or the Pagan festival of Yule. I don’t think anyone knows what those are. You probably see Christmas as being quite overrated, but even I, an avid Christmas lover, am aware of that. Malls laden with tinsel and aggressive mothers, pushing through the crowds in attempt to buy the latest gaming console for their children who will forget about it within a matter of days. Screeching children sitting on the lap of an eerie mall Santa while their parent waves a sticky candy cane, trying to make their whaling stop to no prevail. Even the seemingly neverending drone of 80s Christmas music playing in every store and restaurant must get to you sometimes. Speaking of holiday tunes, I think it would benefit us all to expand our horizons with some
festive Jewish chimes. Maybe something like: “Moses baby, please leave me my 9th present tonight” Or we could do a nice spin off of 12 days of Christmas, for example: “On the 3rd day of Hanukkah, Abraham gave to me, three spinning dreidels, two crispy latkes, and a menorah just lit up for me” That’d be pretty cool right? Anyways, you guys really deserve some recognition. I propose the idea that as a school, we can all come together and sing and eat to celebrate the joy and spirit of Hanukkah.
twas the night before Hanukkah, and all through the house, not a dreidel was spinning, not a candle put out. We will eat our potato pancakes and watch as the principal lights the candles of the menorah as we sit at his feet, listening as he reads “twas the night before Hanukkah, and all through the house, not a dreidel was spinning, not a candle put out.” It would be quite the sight to see. So this Christmas season, make sure to take a moment and acknowledge that Christmas isn’t the only holiday being celebrated. There are lots of other great holidays worth taking part in too. Happy Yalda!