InFlight Newspaper, Feb 2016 full issue

InFlight I N SI D E :

Pressure of Valentine’s Day. See page 11.

Auburn Riverside Student Voice Feb 9, 2016 • VOLUME 21 • ISSUE #4

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News

InFlight February 9, 2016

Robotics club expands popularity Dylan Grenz Staff Reporter The school’s robotics club has grown over the last few years, with the two programs putting together over 30 members.

“Robotics is varied in the amount of things they learned,” sophomore Kameron Markham said. “Basically all of the things you learn in school can be applied to robotics.”

Some particular categories used in robotics include programming, electronics, and public relations. Markham has had a love for these things his whole life, which caused him to join the club.

Teacher Bill Sumner, the adviser of the club, has been involved in robotics since the school opened 20 years ago, and loves being a part of it.

“At first, we did just about everything, even tearing apart RVs, but now we are definitely more advanced,” he said. “It’s sure a lot of fun.”

One of the robotics teams is VEX, which participates in smaller challenges, be-

ginning in October. This year’s competition theme was “Nothing But Net,” where each team had to make a robot that could launch balls into a net in whatever way possible.

Currently, they are improving their former robots to do better in competitions.

“The competitions are one of the hardest parts of the whole process,” Markham said. “We really have to know what we are doing.”

FIRST, the other robotics team, began their season January 9 when they went to Auburn High School, where next year’s theme was revealed. Many members were excited to find out that the next theme is “FIRST Stronghold,” a medieval-themed challenge. FIRST has been together for 2 years, and hopes to continue to grow as a program.

“It’s looking a lot more complicated than last year,” Markham said. “I’m looking forward to it. It should be a good challenge.”

The team will build until February 23, and then put the robot away.

Both teams are looking to improve upon their skills before competitions begin.

PHOTO BY JESSICA PEREZ

Both FIRST and VEX robotics teams have been working to improve their skills before competitions next year, skills that inlcude programming and electronics. They encourage anyone with those interests to join the club.

ASB strives for change, community betterment Hannah Kazlauskas Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY SASHA TERRY

At many early morning meetings like this one, ASB works hard to plan fun events for Riverside. Only ASB knows what the future holds for our school spirit.

Greetings from Newspaper

ASB is working to accomplish school change and positivity in students this year.

ASB hosted the Martin Luther King Junior assembly on January 15. Determined to see a change within the school, ASB is striving for concrete results. “We are going to continue with the positivity wall for Martin Luther King Jr.,” activities director Meri Benedict said, “as well as campaigning for change posters.”

With the approach of spring, ASB will be preparing for upcoming events hosted after school.

“We are starting to plan the TOLO dance,” Benedict said. The TOLO dance has not yet been made official, but ASB recently had a meeting to discuss it.

ASB is aiming toward keeping the focus on Martin

editor-in-chief Jessica Perez business manager Sara Koenig photographer Kayna Kliewer social media editor Jessica Perez cover Jessica Perez

YO YO YO greetings from the closet squad. We all wish you a happy Valentine’s Day!

adviser Patrick Swenson

staff reporters ZaReah Barren Dylan Grenz Hannah Kazlauskas Kayna Kliewer Kira Kopcho Sara Koenig Trevor Little Jessica Perez Sasha Terry Tashana Williams guest reporters Leon Barquet Kendall Simmonds

Luther King’s need for change concept. Students will be starting to notice the theme from the beginning of the year popping up a lot more.

“We’re going back to our theme That’s So Raven and picking up the theme #ARERA For Change,” junior YehSun Lee said.

ASB believes that this school can be better. They are not going to settle for less when they know this school can make improvements.

“Our ARERA is a time for our school to come together to make our school better by spreading positivity and love,” junior John Williams said.

ASB is positioning motivational posters around the school to encourage a stronger, united student body on the way to a revolution of change, and school betterment.

InFlight

InFlight Policies InFlight is compiled by the student newspaper staff at Auburn Riverside High School, 501 Oravetz Road, Auburn, WA 98092.

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News

Auburn Riverside High School

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Heart disease awareness spreads Kayna Kliewer Staff Reporter

ease. Heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Macy's has sponsored this cause and donated over $50 million to help people who suffer from heart conditions such as heart attacks, cardiac arrest, heart defects, and hypothyroidism.

Although the first friday of Febru-

ary is the official “Wear Red Day,” the entire month was declared American Heart Month by President Barrack Obama in Thirteen years ago, the American Heart 2015. “My Administration is committed to Association created National Wear Red leading a new era of medicine—one that deDay, held on the first Friday in February evlivers the right treatment at the right time— ery year to raise awareness about heart disand to ensuring Americans live longer, healthier, more productive lives,” Obama wrote in the annual federation proclamation.

The color red was chosen because it stands out and most eyes are drawn to it. Some people even say it is a confidence booster. It also happens to be the color of our hearts.

Heart disease is responsible for every one in three deaths in America, which is roughly translated into one death per minute. It also affects more women than men, despite rumors and myths.

Speaking of myths, it is commonly thought that heart disease is more likely found in older people, PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, YOUTUBE.COM which is not true. AcFighting heart disease is a battle of both heart and mind. This month is deticated to those going through the struggle of cording to the American dealing with heart disease.

Heart Association, “How you live now affects your risk for Cardiovascular Diseases later in life. Even young and middle-aged people can develop heart problems—especially now that Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other risk factors are becoming more common at a younger age.”

Heart Disease is not to be overlooked.

It often can be fatal, and 2,200 Americans die from some kind of heart disease every day. You can easily lower your risk for it, though, by doing simple acts such as daily physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and reducing your consumption of sugars found in sodas and sugary desserts.

Smoking should also be avoided at all costs, as roughly every one in five deaths from heart disease are directly related to it.

“It breaks my heart whenever I see a teenager smoking because I know that someday I will see them again as a patient,” Cardiology Nurse Practitioner Anneliese Weik said.

Simply put, lowering your risks of heart disease is individually easy, but making the rest of the country, and the world aware?

Not so much. Wear red all throughout the month of Feb to raise awareness for the largest killer of women nationwide.

February worth spending time, money on fun Tashana Williams Staff Reporter Despite the usual hustle of celebrating Valentine’s Day, Seattle has many other activities to offer to do with friends, family and of course a significant other.

Taking place February 13, will be a family basketball showing of Harlem Globetrotters at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Key Arena. This team is a mix of athleticism, comedy and theatre. There’s no time to waste. Tickets cost from $10 to $130, depending on where you choose to buy your seat.

Instead of watching basketball, there is a modern dance taking place Saturday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday Febuary 14 at 3:00 p.m. This festival will be located at the Theatre at Meydenbauer in Bellevue.

Also, award-winning dancers will be there to get their groove on with participants. Not to mention, the event is free.

After spending a weekend seeing and participating in dancing, visit another performing arts event, such as a musical. The musical 9 to 5 will take place from February 13 to March 13 at the Seattle Musical Theatre. The musical is based off a hit movie

about a terrible boss who the workers momentarily get rid of and run the office themselves. With the tickets costing $20, anyone could go see it.

A contest for yo-yo’s is another activity to do during February. This contest is free as well, but a participant must be registered by the night of February 17. Seeing others compete at the Armory’s stage at the Seattle Center isn’t a bad idea. Just show up with a yo-yo, and a goal from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on February 20.

If making the first musical wasn’t possible, there is another play being put on. Located at the Everett Civic Auditorium, The Big Friendly Giant is the next play. There will be two showings on February 28. The first will be at 2:00 p.m. and the next will be at 4:00 p.m. This play is family friendly, so bringing younger siblings wouldn’t be a problem. The Big Friendly Giant is about a vegetarian giant who meets an orphan girl.

Together they team up and try to convince the carnivore giants to stop eating innocent children.

Spend February being active with the various activities Seattle has provided.

PHOTO COURTESY BY CREATIVE COMMONS

The Harlem Globetrotters, Modern dance, Yo-yo competitions, and plays are all possible activities to to during February. These activities can be spent with family, friends, or a signigicant other. Getting out and around in our community is a way to be aware of what goes on in the world.

InFlight February 9, 2016 Opinion Poaching puts ecosystem at serious risk

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Sara Koenig Staff Reporter Hunting is a sport designed to balance the ecosystem. Poaching is a crime against animals and humans alike.

To give a brief summary as to what hunting today is, you have to think about what people did to protect their farms way back on the frontier. Many farmers killed wolves and bears because they would kill their livestock but once they had diminished the population of the predators then the population of the prey would destabilize.

The way hunting licenses in the United States and especially in Washington State are distributed are designed for the benefit of everyone, allowing the hunters the opportunity to hunt and eat whatever they kill, the ecosystem to be balanced and the government to get a paycheck. Hunters are held to a lot of rules and regulations. Poachers are those who break those laws, especially the ones who hunt illegal and endangered game.

Poaching is a crime that is heavily penalized across the world. These penalties are meant to protect endangered species. In the past, people would often be hanged or sent to Australia for poaching unless they were royalty. Nowadays in America, there are heavy fines, and in some states jail time. In 2005,

the fine was as high as $120,000.

Tens of thousands of already heavily endangered elephants die from poaching every year. Which is why ivory has been banned from many countries for years, including the United States. Record numbers of rhinos were poached in South Africa last year. One rhino was killed every eight hours according to savetherhino.org. You might have known that elephants and rhinos were being poached for the ivory in their tusks and horns, and that Tigers are heavily poached for their skins and false medicinal properties.

Recently, the narwhal has also been heavily poached. Recently, two Tennessee men pleaded guilty for trafficking over 100 narwhal tusks worth between $1.5 and 2.1 million according to the US Department of Justice. Also, sharks are being killed at devastating rates, which are quickly destroying reefs and ocean ecosystems. There are now 201 species of endangered sharks according to shark.ch. Many shark poachers will catch a shark, slice its fins off to use in shark fin soup, and then throw the still-alive shark back into the water to drown. If you can imagine someone grabbing you out of your bed, chopping off your arms and legs and then throwing you in a bathtub, you might understand how wrong that is.

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, FLICKR.COM

Many species including elephants lives are constantly becoming more and more endangered each day.

Just because you don’t necessarily want to go hunting yourself, don’t hold uneducated views on hunters based off of Bambi. Bambi is wonderful and I love him too, but there are

too many Bambi’s and not enough wolves.

However if you want to knock some poachers over the head with a baseball bat, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.

Dylan Grenz Staff Reporter

cines save lives. This much is undeniable.

According to Shot@Life, it is estimated that over 2.5 million children are saved globally each year. That’s equivalent to 285 children alone each day. Again. Children ALONE are saved 2.5 million times each year. This number would be even greater if some parents just stopped being stupid, and vaccinated their kids.

On top of this, getting vaccinated can save parents both time and money. Just think about it. Less sickness means less time parents spend at the doctor, or time wasted staying home from work to take care of a sick kid. If you aren’t at the doctor, then you aren’t spending money on appointments or antibiotics. Basically, stop killing your child and just get them vaccinated.

There have been many stories shared of vaccines protecting all people. Just recently, Mark Zuckerberg was in the news for a photo in which his child was getting vaccinated, spreading awareness of the importance. Many other celebrities have also taken time to spread the message.

The bottom line is this vaccines are extremely important in maintaining health, and should be used by everyone. Anyone who says differently is ignorant. So parents, please get your kids vaccinated as soon as possible. If you don’t, they may not be around much longer.

Vaccinations raise controversy, opposing views

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, PUBLICDOMAINIMAGE.COM

Parents need to stop being ignorant and vaccinate their kids as soon as possible. If they don’t, the kids can become vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses. Many parents who have refused to vaccinate their kids, have caused their children to be prone to sickness and many children have died from preventable diseases. Parents should never let their children die from a disease that is extremely preventable because of their selfish ignorance. In the last three years immunization rates have fallen 5.2 percent. They should be rising not falling in order to keep kids healthy.

Vaccinations are very important in maintaining health, and everyone should get them. Plain and simple. However, despite massive amounts of scientific research, others believe that there are too many downsides and that vaccinations don’t even work.

These nimrods need to accept the truth; vaccinations are extremely important in preventing illness, and should be used by people everywhere.

Now, most people who oppose vaccines don’t use them because there are too many downsides. They argue vaccinations include harmful or immoral ingredients, or that they have too many side effects.

Both of these are partially true, but only partially. The “harmful” ingredients, in small doses, are not harmful at all. In fact, children are more exposed to ingredients such as aluminum in breast milk than vaccines.

On top of that, hardly anybody experiences serious side effects. It is estimated that just one in one hundred people that get flu vaccines experience any serious side effects.

Basically, you’re most likely not going to have side effects, so stop worrying about it and just get vaccinated.

Now we get to the positives, the real reasons why vaccinations were made. Vac-

Opinion

Auburn Riverside High School

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Busy work annoys bright minds Trevor Little Staff Reporter Having pointless projects or busy work can be a pain, especially during a time when students have been going through a lot of stress and they would just like to take a break.

For example, one of these many times students could be testing, such as the SBA, the PSAT, or the SATs. Personally for me when a teacher says “Be sure to bring a book to class so you have something to do after the test,” I always cringe or sigh because whenever I’m done with a test I just want to sit around and do nothing. I just spent forever on a test and don’t really want to have pointless work afterward that isn’t worth anything and is just a waste of my time.

I can understand why the teachers give you this busy work. I also understand that they give you this so that you don’t talk to other people during these big tests.

Usually I hate doing those pointless projects or the busy work because they don’t count for anything when it comes to my grade. When I do something I want it to count for something and some teachers are

good at having it count for something but most of the time it does not count at all. I don’t understand what some of these teachers think when they come to the conclusion of “Oh hey, let’s just keep these kids busy with some random work, that ends up staying in their binders forever.”

Though pointless projects can be annoying, they can also be really helpful sometimes. For example, a project that can be fun or entertaining could help pass the time while you are waiting for the class to end.

Some of the best busy work is busy work that helps students practice their work, such as math, doing warm up problems.

Sometimes homework can be busy work. Homework is the form of busy work that is probably the best for you because it gives you something to study and also gives you work to practice on. Other good busy work are things such as study guides, that are like homework and can help you prepare for tests in that certain subject.

Some of the best busy work, in my opinion, is the busy work that requires you to do something with friends. Some other busy work that can be fun is busy work that allows you to be on your phones or other

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, CALICOSPANISH.COM

Students complete worksheets instead of being taught verbally, or work in groups. Some students tire of this same routine day after day.

electronics. Most of the time the busy work yes? A bit more, yes. Work us to death when or pointless projects that teachers give you it means something. Otherwise, give us a break. A nice big one. don’t require a partner and or electronics.

Looks like we need a conclusion here,

Getting Vaccinated

83%

The Fifth Wave movie

78%

Students at Riverside seem to have taken a liking to Cassie, Evan, and the Others. Perhaps the second movie will be just as popular as the first.

Pro-choice

60%

Pro-life or pro-choice? Students seem to believe it is the personal desicion of the woman in question.

Valentine’s Day

70%

Girls and guys at Riverside seem to be content with having a date, or eating candy with friends.

Finals Week

80%

The late start during finals week was not enough to make the suffering students at Riverside happy.

New TV Shows in the New Year

94%

Shows like Shadowhunters, Pretty Little Liars, and New Girl have convinced the masses that TV shows are addicting.

t

Students share their opinion on current topics and pop culture

Getting vaccinated is not a choice if you value the health of your fellow students.

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Opinion

Jessica Perez Editor-in-Chief I am pro-life for the simple reason that abortion is murder. The claim has been made that a fetus is not a living being, so abortion cannot be murder. Let me just say that claim is completely false. According to the Cleveland Clinic, in the first month a heart tube has already formed in the fetus and it beats 65 times every minute. If this growing fetus—notice I said growing because only living things grow—was not indeed living, it would not have a heartbeat.

I believe abortion is wrong because no human being has to the right to take someone’s life, whether it be a developing child, or an adult. If a women does not want the child she is giving birth to, she should put the child up for adoption, not kill him.

I understand most people won’t agree with me because of the whole “what if she was raped” thing, but think about it: is it really the child’s fault that their father is a good-for-nothing coward? The mother shouldn’t blame the child for this, because —I cannot stress this enough—the child is innocent. If she does not want to keep the child for obvious reasons, she should look at all her options, not resort to abortion right away. According to American Adoptions agency, “Planned Parenthood’s most recent report states that from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012, the organization performed 327,166 abortions and only 2,197 adoption referrals.” Most women chose abortion without even considering adoption. That is the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard. Plenty of people out there are not able to have children of their own, and I’m sure would be happy to adopt the child you don’t want, and instead of murdering him, Disputes concerning the actual state of life of a fetus vary wildly. While some argue that fetuses cannot experience life as we know it and therefore aren’t technically living, others assert that a growing child, no matter their size, is a living being that should be subjected to the same laws that we follow.

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, FLICKR. COM

InFlight February 9, 2016

would give him a future.

According to Guttmacher Institute, three-fourths of the women who have abortions cite that they don’t want to be responsible for another individual or that they cannot afford a child. Meaning only one-fourth of women have abortions because of rape or other reasons. So the majority of women having abortions are just thinking of themselves and not even taking into consideration the life that is growing within them. That’s why the majority of arguments pro-choice people come up with are not reasonable.

Abortion is also very damaging to the woman’s body. According to Livestrong. com, “damage to the cervix, scarring of the uterine lining, infection or sepsis, and perforation of the uterus [occurs after an abortion]. Although death from abortion is rare, any surgery is potentially fatal.”

Most women are aware of the risks before they have the procedure done, but do it anyway. Let me ask you this: is it really worth damaging a healthy body because you don’t feel ready to have a child? No one is ready to have a child. There is no perfect parent and everyone has concerns.

That does not mean you kill the child.

Abortion is a very serious thing and most women don’t take into consideration the life they are taking away when deciding to get one. 50 percent of women immediately regret their decision. I am not asking you to agree with me on my pro-life position, but I do ask that if you know someone who is thinking about an abortion to encourage them to look at all the options and not resort to abortion right away. A fetus is a growing child, and whether you disagree or agree, that’s not going to change.

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, FLICKR.COM

The child above is a product of a choice that a woman made to have a baby. It should be a woman’s right to choose to have a baby, not the government’s.

Sara Koenig Staff Reporter Pro-choice means that you stand for the freedom to choose not to have a child for whatever reason. Reasons include things such as: it could kill you; because you can’t afford to raise a child; you don’t have the time for one; or aren’t you ready to be a parent for whatever reason.

Taking away the freedom to say “no” to a child brings up a litany of issues. Does the government help the parent raise the child that they are forced to have? What will you do if the mother is guaranteed to die if she carries a child? Not allowing women the choice to opt out of an unwanted pregnancy is guaranteed to have mass fallout.

I don’t ever want to have children, but if I got pregnant with a guy I trusted, at a reasonable age, and I was financially stable enough to support a child, then I would have a kid. If I got pregnant now, as a teenager, without a job or career, without even having graduated high school, I don’t think I would be capable of having a kid.

To some people, the solution is foster care, but only 50,000 kids got adopted in 2011 out of 400,000. The probability is that your child will not get adopted and will have an unstable life bounced between families.

That’s not the kind of future I want my kids to have; I’m sure it’s not the kind you want yours to have either.

Many women now-a-days are dying during childhood because they’re not treating abortion as the option it was created to

be. The maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the last few decades during live births. 18.5 women die to every 100,000 live births in the United States. While that may not sound like a lot, it equates to 727 deaths a year.

We live in a country meant to stand on freedom, and yet, many are fighting to take away the simple freedom to decide when to have children.

If you choose to believe that a fetus is the equivalent of a baby, and should be treated as such, then that is your right. However many people though, are resorting to vile, violent, and ungodly tactics to get their point across.

On Nov 29, 2015, there was a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic that killed three people and left several injured. There was also a Planned Parenthood vandalized and another intentionally set on fire in 2015. According to the National Abortion Federation since 1977 there have been hundreds of attacks, 4 dead, 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault and battery, 13 wounded, 100 butyric acid attacks, 373 physical invasions, 41 bombings, 655 anthrax threats, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers. These were all meant to stop abortions.

If you can’t trust a woman with a choice, then how can you trust them with a child?

Empower us to make responsible choices— and learn to respect the choices we make.

My uterus my decision, her uterus, her decision. But in no way shape or form should it be her uterus, the government’s decision.

Opinion

Auburn Riverside High School

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Body modifications cause discrimination Kendall Simmonds Guest Reporter For many years there has been conflict on whether or not tattoos and other body modifications are acceptable in various situations. Some might say that body modifications are tacky, unprofessional, and just plain wrong. On the other end, people love body modifications and believe they are a way of self-expression. Then of course there are those who are neutral. Usually they believe body modifications are enjoyable but only certain kinds and in certain places. The main issue with all this disagreement is that people seeking employment with body modifications have a harder time actually landing the job than those without, and some currently employed workers are getting fired for the changes they make to their bodies.

The discrimination of those with tattoos and other body modifications should be made illegal. If the way you dress doesn’t change how one works, neither do tattoos nor piercings. Body modifications do not make people slackers or criminals, they’re simply a way of expression and telling a story.

A recent school-wide poll shows that 78 percent of students believe that body modifications are not unprofessional. “It’s freedom of expression and you should respect what others like,” senior Frida Zuniga said.

It’s difficult to understand why it’s not okay

to deny somebody their privilege to hold a job because of their sexual preference or because of their skin color, but it’s just fine to write off those with body modifications. “No one should be discriminated against for the way they look,” Zuniga said.

Ink, metal, or purple hair doesn’t change the hard-working characteristics and skills of anyone who has them. “It’s not unprofessional; it’s just a way to express yourself in an artistic style,” girls basketball coach Derek Pegram said.

The negative connotation with body modification seems to be shrinking and the acceptance of them is growing, which means now is the right time to make the switch for it to be illegal to turn someone away due to the changes they have made to their body. “There is an ever changing feeling that has now made us begin growing in the acceptance of body art,” principal Dave Halford said. With the number of people with these modifications growing, it’s becoming less of a problem to employers to seek those without. “When I go to hire teachers I look for someone who really cares about the kids, no matter how they look,” Halford said.

As the popularity of tattoos and other

COMIC BY KENDALL SIMMONDS

body modification grows it becomes a more and more pressing issue whether or not it should be made illegal to deny a potential employee a job, or even fire those who have already been hired because of the artistic

changes they have made to their bodies.

Society keeps pushing forward to leave behind the idea of judging a book by its cover, and this is the next step.

Tampon taxes anger women, cause riots Jessica Perez Editor-in-Chief Here in the United States, 45 of the 50 states have a tax on feminine hygiene products. Most of these states tax tampons and pads as “luxury items,” as if women say “oh my goodness I am spoiling myself ” when buying tampons. The “tampon tax,” as it has recently been nicknamed, is sexist and unacceptable. Women shouldn’t be taxed for buying essential items when condoms are handed out for free.

Taxing feminine hygiene products is a huge PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Lately, women have been protesting the tampon tax in the streets, trying to make a change. Many petitions have also been started in attempt to get rid of the tampon tax. The tampon tax is a huge gender injustice and an effort is being put in by women everywhere to put an end to this discriminating tax.

gender injustice and shouldn’t happen period. Women can’t control whether or not they bleed, and i’m sure if we could, no one would want to. Menstruating sucks: it comes with horrible cramps and backaches, and when we run out of feminine products, we have to go to the store and buy stupid pads for a stupid body function we can’t control, when we don’t even want to leave the house, and on top of that, THERE IS A STUPID TAX ON THE PADS. Instead of getting taxed on our feminine products, the boxes should come with coupons for ice cream or chocolate.

The tampon tax has had quite an impact on feminists and many movements have been started. One of these being the Free Bleed Movement, where women protest by not buying pads or tampons and bleed freely. Honestly, I find that really gross and unsanitary. There is no reason women should feel the need to protest against something natural, but this tampon tax has made it so.

Washington state does not necessarily tax feminine products as “luxury items,” but

does put them under sales tax. That leads some people to believe that just because it’s sales tax, it’s okay to keep taxing them. Well it’s not. How would you feel if you were taxed on food? Pads and tampons are just as essential in the life of a woman as food is to all living beings.

Many people in states such as California and Chicago have started a petition to stop the taxing of these essential items. The petition has has over 560,000 signatures. With many people protesting the tax and starting petitions to get taxes removed on feminine products, hopefully some change will come along soon. The ideal thing would be for the tax to be completely removed, but if that’s not possible, it could at least be reduced.

The tampon tax is a huge gender injustice. It is ridiculous to tax essential items such as feminine products and hand out condoms for free. Our state should spend less time on legalizing stupid drugs and spend more time on what’s actually important, not taxing the bare necessities.

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Opinion

InFlight February 9, 2016

Video games don’t promote violence Leon Barquet Guest Reporter

COMIC BY LEON BARQUET

As a gamer I hear the constant arguments from elderly people saying that video games are destroying America and that if I shoot someone in Grand Theft Auto I could shoot someone in reality, because that’s how rational thinking works. The idea always seemed flawed to me. How could something fake cause so much controversy? Yes, there are some cases such as the Columbine shooters and the game Doom, but those kids had a lot of problems not caused by video games alone. A new report from an American Psychological Association task force showed that playing violent video games can lead to an increase in aggression; however, even after more than 20 years of studies, the APA says there still isn’t enough research to show whether games cause actual criminal violence.

Video games don’t cause violence, crazy does, and that’s my opinion, and it’s correct.

“I believe that some games may have the ability to desensitize the public, but not specifically cause violent behavior,” principal Dave Halford said.

Investigative journalist Giovanni Albanese Jr, believes there’s a definite link to increased aggression in children who play violent video games. “But whether that correlates with criminal violence or juvenile delinquency remains unknown.”

Many students agreed with this quote about youth aggression and video games.

“Young kids playing games is not good,” sophomore Oscar Schaften said. “I feel like it could make them more violent.”

A common idea throughout students was that early exposure can have an effect on students.

“Being exposed at a young age to ultra violent games could have a significant impulse on a child’s aggression,” junior Lilly Wood said.

“Video games don’t cause violence,” senior Kayla Hettinger said, “it’s just an excuse for politicians and parents to put a blame on something they buy for their children, and it’s a safety net for all their children’s problems.”

Sophomore Annalisa Hand agrees.

“Video games don’t cause violent behavior.

Lag does, though. However, there are numerous things about the benefits of gaming.”

Playing video games, even shooters, can boost children’s learning, social skills and also reaction time according to a review of research in American Psychologist. “Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills,” the authors said. The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year, according to a 2013 long-term study published in The American Psychologist.

There are many benefits to gaming proven by science; however, video games do not cause violence. They do cause a rise in aggression, and aggression does not always lead to violence. It is more of a scapegoat for the problems of the youth instead of adults taking responsibility for their actions and failure in bringing up a decent human being.

Teens choose career, not parents decision Sasha Terry Staff Reporter As teens step into their high school lives, they try to figure out which career they would like to have. This is where the issue comes in. Some parents believe their teen should work at the same job they are working at, which becomes a struggle for the teen to learn, in college and go to a job every day that they might not like.

I believe that teens may have different interests and which may lead to a different career from their parents. If a teen’s parent is an engineer, and the teen is really good at language arts but they struggle with learning math and the parent forces them to be an engineer, then most likely they will not try in college. Then they might flunk out of college within the first quarter because their major is too hard for them. If they didn’t flunk out of college, and ended up working as an engineer, it could be boring for them, and they could struggle with their work.

I think parents should guide their teen to choose a good career before senior year, to narrow down what they would like to study in college or go straight to work. The parents should not directly choose a career for their children. Then parents should help find a college that fits the interests that the teens enjoy and fits their career options.

Everyone in the world has different interests and it is hard to find someone with the exact same interests as another person.

A teen’s career choice should be reflected off of their personality and hobbies.

I think parents should help teens get experience with the job they want to pursue after high school or college. This experience will give them a chance to think, if the job is what they are interested in doing or if it’s not the right job for them.

In an article about career choices from The New York Times, Joan E McLean stated, that if a teen “wants to be a professional singer, he or she might shadow a singer or a voice coach to see what that person’s life is

like,” McLean said.

Once teens get experience, they may like what they are learning about, and they will love going to work. Teens have their own lives ahead of them and they are not supposed to be controlled by their parents on what they can and cannot do after they turn 18. They should be able to make their own decisions and choose whatever career they would like to work for.

Although parents would like to see their children follow in their footsteps and choose the same career as them, it may not work too well for the teens, because of their different interests.

I think parents should help their teens find a good career and help them choose a college that fits that career choice.

PHOTO BY SASHA TERRY

Junior Boone Tate is deciding what college to go to after high school. Students have to make these decisions along with their career choices.

Feature

Auburn Riverside High School

Who’s behind locker #...

9

Angelina Pogosian

Chris Villarreal

Makena Metje

Spencer Hochwalt

7098

7081

6023

8102

InFlight: On a scale of 1-10, what were your stress levels for finals?

AP: Zero.

InFlight: Would you rather have a date or be single?

AP: I’m single, guys.

InFlight: What is your favorite Valentine’s Day candy?

AP: Hershey’s Kisses.

InFlight: Opinions on the presidential elections?

AP: Ted Cruz all the way.

InFlight: What is the longest you’ve been without sleep?

AP: 48 hours.

InFlight: How many languages do you speak?

AP: Three languages.

InFlight: Who is your idol?

AP: Jesus Christ and Eminem.

InFlight: Are you more organized or messy?

AP: Organized.

InFlight: What is your favorite kids’ cartoon?

CV: The Powerpuff Girls.

InFlight: What is one character trait you’d use to describe yourself?

CV: Over-critical.

InFlight: Who is your favorite music artist right now?

CV: Toby Fox. InFlight: Are there any new movies you’re excited for?

CV: Suicide Squad.

InFlight: What is your favorite social media platform?

CV: Twitter.

InFlight: How many pillows do you sleep with?

CV: Two. InFlight: What is one thing that should be taught at Riverside?

CV: How to be a Jedi.

InFlight: How do you typically spend the weekend?

MM: Sadly, with Angie.

InFlight: What is your favorite Valentine’s Day candy?

MM: Chocolate. Is there anything else?

InFlight: What is one thing you wish was taught at Riverside?

MM: Piano.

InFlight: Would you rather have a date or be single?

MM: Have a date, but it has to be with the right person.

InFlight: On a scale of 1-10, what were your stress levels for finals?

MM: An eight.

InFlight: What is the longest you’ve been without sleep?

MM: Three days.

InFlight: Do you play any sports?

MM: I run cross country.

InFlight: What’s your favorite color?

SH: Green.

InFlight: Do you have any pets?

SH: No, not currently.

InFlight: What is your favorite class?

SH: Physics. I have an extreme passion for science.

InFlight: What is a book you have recently read?

SH: Unbroken; it was good.

InFlight: What would be your idea job?

SH: Prosthethic designer or bio engineer.

InFlight: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

SH: I would go to Antarctica and do research. It would be cool, no pun intended.

10

Feature

InFlight February 9, 2016

Birds mating season means Valentine’s Day craze Trevor Little Staff Reporter Valentine’s Day is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It is celebrated on Feb. 14 every year.

It is celebrated around the world in many countries although it is not a public holiday in most of the countries.

Students such as freshman Matthew Soderquist are looking forward to Valentine’s Day this year. “I actually have a date this year,” Soderquist said.

Others such as freshman Diego Alison-Silva are also looking forward to Valentine’s Day, “just to do something different because I haven’t done it for two years,” Alison-Silva said.

Valentine’s Day was made a day of romance because in the middle ages February 14th was the beginning of the birds’ mating season in France and England, so it then became associated with love.

In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart.”

Saint Valentine supposedly wore a purple amethyst ring, customarily worn on the hands of Christian bishops with an image of Cupid engraved in it, a recognizable symbol associated with love that was legal under the Roman Empire; Roman soldiers

would recognize the ring and ask him to perform marriage for them.

Soderquist thinks the holiday is worth the trouble. “You have a good time,” Soderquist said.

Alison-Silva also has similar thoughts.

“It’s not troublesome,” Alison-Silva said.

Soderquist also thought that Valentine’s Day is not overrated. “Everyone is having a good time,” Soderquist said.

Alison-Silva believes it’s only overrated because other people think it’s overrated.

In the 18thcentury England, Valentines Day evolved into a occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (Valentines).

Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have give way to mass produced gretting cards.

Paper valentines became popular in England in the early 9th century when factories assembled these cards.

Valentine’s Day symbols that are used

today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged cupid.

In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine’s Day is known simply as “Saint Valentin,” and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries.

In Greece, St. Valentine’s Day in Greek tradition is not associated with romantic love.

In the United States, about 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, not including the hundreds of millions of cards school children exchange.

Additionally, in recent decades Valentine’s Day has become increasingly commercialized and a popular gift-giving event, with Valentine’s Day themed commercials encouraging spending on loved ones.

In just the United States the average Valentine’s Day spending has increased every year.

In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is called “Day of Hearts,” and is celebrated in much of the same manner as in the west. It is usually marked by a steep increase in the price of flowers, usually red roses.

Valentine’s Day has a lot of history that can be seen across time and many Western European countries.

Quoth the Raven VALENTINE'S DAY PLANS

“For Valentine’s day I plan to Netflix and chill with a teddy bear and go out to dinner with my family.” , -Sabrina Smith

“For Valentine’s day I plan to hang out with my girlfriend and go out to , dinner.”-Pedro Mendoza

“For Valentine’s day I’m going out with a friend to dinner and watch , -Sydney movies.”

Nesler

“For Valentine’s day I’ll be a , bum at home.”

-April Gulchuk

Feature

Auburn Riverside High School

11

Valentine’s peer pressure prominent Kira Kopcho Staff Reporter Valentine’s Day rolls around every year and some people are spending it with someone while others fly solo. As people look around the hallway or talk with friends, however, the reminders of having a date puts pressure on some students.

“I feel like when it comes to peer pressure it’s not direct,” sophomore Angeles Morales said. “You look around and you see all these people with dates and you kind of forget that you don’t need someone to be happy.”

Some students say that the peer pressure barely affects them while others silently take note of it.

“On a scale of one to ten [for peer pressure] probably a five,” freshman Kassidy Lindville said. “One, I don’t care about peer pressure, and two if I do care, it has very little influence on me.”

Some students do want to have a date for Valentine’s Day, saying that it would be fun or that they’d enjoy spending time with someone.

“It’d be great to have a date,” junior Noit Manochamnong said. “It’s a lot better than being lonely like my friends. All of my friends are lonely.”

Other students also would prefer a date, but are waiting to meet the right person. These students would rather wait for

someone special.

“It’d be nice to have a date, but I haven’t met someone special, so for now I’m fine solo,” Morales said.

Students have mixed opinions about age differences in relationships in high school.

Some see the age difference as strange while others don’t mind it.

“I think it is their choice,” Lindville said.

“If they’re happy, let them be happy.”

Most students brought up the point that the age difference won’t matter outside of high school.

“I don’t know exactly,” Manochamnong said. “If they like each other, sure why not. If you think about it in a high school perspective, it’s a bit weird.”

Sometimes people have been known to date as a status symbol or just to say that they’re dating.

“That’s kind of silly,” Morales said. “If you’re trying to be cool it should be because of something you did. You should actually care about someone if you date them.”

Most students agree that dating just to say that they’re dating someone is mean to do to that person. They believe that there should be actual feelings involved to say that the person is in a relationship.

“It’s not right,” Lindville said.

Couples on Valentine’s Day are going to be inevitable, but it all depends on personal preference to decide whether to date on Valentine’s Day or not.

PHOTO BY TREVOR LITTLE

Peer pressure at school can cause students not currently involved in a relationship to feel upset. However, finding a significant other should be something truly felt, not something pressured to feel. Valentine’s Day can be more difficult for some students due to their lack of a relationship.

12

Arts & Entertainment

InFlight February 9, 2016

Fifth Wave intrigues wide audience ZaReah Barren Staff Reporter The 5th Wave was an amazing, actionpacked movie with a lot of heart. The main girl, Cassie, is only a sophomore, and suffers greatly through the five waves sent down by the “Others.” They want Earth, but not the people who inhabit it. Cassie and her family go to a refugee camp where they think they are safe. They live in Ohio, and the Ohio military come to take all the kids back to the base. Cassie gets split up from her brother, Sammy, and spends the whole movie going out into the dangerous world where anyone could be an “Other.” The “Others” inhabitat human hosts making it hard to decipher human from alien. They are going out to get her brother from the military base before he is sent into combat with the “Others.”

I loved the plot and the story itself, and as someone who has not read the book, the movie makes me want to read it. There is a classic romance in this movie, but with many new twists. Evan Walker saves Cassie from being killed and they go together to get her brother. Their romance is pretty straightforward, but there were a lot of question marks

from me surrounding their romance. He says in the movie he has a scholarship to go to some college, so that would make him eighteen. I realize it is the end of the world, but I’m pretty sure it’s still illegal.

Cassie has another love interest in this story, and they see each other at the end of the movie, which I thought was going to be awkward. In one scene, both love interests were there, which was really awkward and cute at the same time.

There are scenes that show her brother’s life at the military base, and they were all about the preparation for going into combat with the Others. The military are preparing the kids of all ages for this, and Ben, Cassie’s crush before the world started to end, is the squad leader. The eventually talk about their past lives, and figure out Cassie is the mutual standing point. The whole squad has some very funny scenes, along with some very emotional as well.

I loved the parts of the movie with them because even though they know their fate, they still manage to smile.

The ending to this movie was something I had never seen done before, which left me yearning for five more minutes. I

hope there is a part two, because it was so good. Overall, this movie was one of the best apocalypse movies I have seen in a really long time.

Chloe Grace Moretz

Nick Robinson

Kids cartoons: not just kids enjoy them Kira Kopcho Staff Reporter Cartoons; we enjoyed them as children and we still enjoy them today. Today, the new cartoons are cherished by both teenagers and children. Old cartoons often invoke a sense of childhood whimsy in people when they watch them. One thing is apparent though: kids cartoons aren’t just for kids.

Some of the most popular kids cartoons today not only appeal to children, but also to teenagers. These cartoons draw in a variety of age ranges due to many factors such as interesting story arcs or relevant topics.

A new cartoon that is popular is Steven Universe. This cartoon has become popular for its art style, PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, DEVIANTART.COM story, and cast of characters. This show has a quirky attitude, but also Gravity Falls is one of the many kids cartoons that young adults are attracted to, with an interesting plot and tends to touch on subjects in life that conspiracies it keeps a wide audience interested. aren’t normally presented to media intended for younger audiences like diverse multiple audiences is Gravity Falls. This themes include cartoon violence, especially families and sexuality. For example, Steven show has gained mass popularity due to its surrounding the story arc of the character Universe features an openly lesbian couple, interesting storyline and unique characters. Bill Cipher. The mystery surrounding the Ruby and Sapphire. This makes the show Gravity Falls’ main audience is intended storylines, and the draw to create theories, for children, but the show has many darker attract a lot of people to this show. more relatable for multiple audiences.

Older cartoons bring back fond memoAnother new cartoon that appeals to themes that appeal to older audiences. These

ries for many people. The joy of watching these cartoons as children often pull people into watching these shows again. Some examples of these shows are shows like Invader Zim, Kim Possible, and Hey Arnold. Although these cartoons may not still be airing new episodes, reruns are enough to send us back to the Saturday mornings we spent in front of the TV. Some of the older cartoons have been rebooted, but they aren’t the same as they used to be. One of the notable examples of this is the reboot of Teen Titans. The original cartoon was very story driven, and the characters had a solid objective. In the reboot, Teen Titans Go, the show seems to appeal more to comedic effect. For older fans of the series, this has created a mixed response.

There are even whole channels dedicated to airing reruns of old cartoons, such as Boomerang or Nicktoons. Boomerang airs old cartoons from Cartoon Network like Loony Toons and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Nicktoons has cartoons like Invader Zim and My Life as a Teenage Robot.

Kids cartoons, love them or hate them, make good quality TV when you’re in the mood to watch.This just goes to show that not everything in the world has to be realistic to be enjoyable.

Feature

Auburn Riverside High School

13

The Shannara Chronicles sparks adventure Sara Koenig Staff Reporter Watching the first episodes of the new series The Shannara Chronicles left me excited, intrigued, and in need to binge watch the entire series all at once. Since it’s just begun, I wasn’t able to do so. I was left disappointed and yearning for more.

The Shannara Chronicles is a sci-fi fantasy drama, based off of the books written

by Terry Brooks. It centers around several intriguing characters whom are out to save a tree called the Ellcrys. The tree is protected by the elves. This isn’t just any tree. This tree protects the world from horrible demons.

In the first episodes, the tree beginning to die and main characters, Eleesidil, Eretria, and Andrew Eleesidil, must save it. Whoop whoop, cue a quest!

Several thousand years into the future Earth has five major species: elves, humans, gnomes, dwarves, and trolls. There are many important characters, three of whom are involved in the quest to save the Ellcrys and two more who are helping on this quest, including, Austin Butler who plays a halfelf, half-human character named Wil Ohmsford. He is also the last of the Shannara bloodline who has magic, but doesn’t know

how to use it yet. He possesses three elf stones inherited from his father and which are the key to his magic. You may have seen this actor previously in Glee, Life Unexpected, The Carrie Diaries, or Switched at Birth, or in those super cute photos of Vanessa Hudgens doing a dance around him. Now he’s stepping out of his typical tawdry dreamboat guy in a soap opera role for something with a little more substance. He is still a super dreamy guy, only now with superior super powers.

The other four main characters are Amberle Eleesidil, played by Poppy Drayton, a break-out actress, this being her first major role. She plays an elven princess and the last of the tree’s protectors called the Chosen.

This sass-queen who isn’t up for distractions is the one who leads their quest to save the tree after the rest of the Choosen are killed by demons. A human thief named Eretria is played by Ivana Baquero, also a fresh face to Hollywood stardom, a wonderful actress who portrays her abused and looked-downupon character believably and with great interest. Manu Bennett, a New Zealand actor for most of his career has stepped onto new turf with this series as he plays the last druid, a human that possesses magic.

Lastly is Aaron Jakubenko as Ander Eleesidil, an elven prince and uncle to Amberle. He becomes an increasingly important character as the storyline unfolds.

The plot constantly keeps you on your toes and surprisingly I’m not totally hating the special effects, because I am extremely critical of effects. Sure it doesn’t look very realistic, but this is a magical world of elves and trolls and demons we’re talking about; nothing is realistic. The ratings so far have been average but the number of viewers has been around or above one million for all four of the new episodes that have aired. I am anxiously awaiting the next episode of this series.

Artist of the Issue: Leah Kerbs Tashana Williams Staff Reporter

DRAWN BY LEAH KERBS

Other works of art Leah has created: 1. Welcome to the City 2. African Queen 3. One of a Kind 4. Monument Valley 5. India

Born and raised in Auburn, Washington, our fellow Raven Leah Kerbs has grown to become an amazing artist. In fact, one of her pieces was published in Smudges last year.

Kerbs, a self taught realistic artist, started drawing more seriously in sixth grade because she thought it was something creative to do. She prefers to draw people in the black and white style.

Despite all the artwork she has created, she doesn’t necessarily have a favorite. However, she does prefer to draw people.

My favorite drawings by her are her charcoal pieces. I like how she changes the photos so that the black is more dominant than the white piece of paper.

Although she is a talented artist, she also participates in sports such as varsity cross country and track.

She also plays the piano and the bass on the side and plays for her church’s choir.

Overall, Leah Kerbs is a well-rounded person with many talents and I’m looking forward to seeing more art from her.

14

Sports

InFlight February 9, 2016

Girls hoops has undefeated season

Sasha Terry Staff Reporter

The varsity girls basketball team is confident and the players are ready to play in the playoffs, and to make it to State. Their defense has been strong this year and they’ve been scoring tons of points at each game.

Junior McKenzi Williams was interviewed by The News Tribune after scoring 19 points at the game against Bonney Lake on Jan. 26. That night, the team won 50-24 and became one of the top teams in our 3A league. Williams believes that the team has earned the spot at the top of their league.

“Well deserved and we’ve been working for it,” Williams said. “I played the same game and I look at every game with the same mind set: win!”

Williams believes that she wouldn’t be as successful with her skills without her teammates by her side.

She contributes to the team by “playing hard and leading by example,” Williams said.

Coach Derek Pegram has been coaching the team for three years and he believes that the team is ready to compete in the playoffs this year, and make it to State. He hopes that the team will keep improving defensively with more assists and turnovers.

“We will get better as a team and we will get deep into the playoffs,” Pegram said. “I would like to see the team win the 3A league.”

Pegram liked the team’s performance against Bonney Lake on Jan. 26 and he believes that Williams worked hard during the game.

“She plays big in big games and I’m extremely happy, being the SPSL champions two years in a row,” Pegram said.

Junior Faith Turner contributes to the team by rebounding and blocking on defense in the center. She hopes to finish off the season with a ton of rebounds and assists. She also believes that the team is ready to play in the playoffs.

“We are confident in our plays and skills,” Turner said.

The girls also believe that they are on track to play in the playoffs with little PHOTO BY SASHA TERRY imrpovements in their skills each week.

The girls basketball team won against Lakes 62-22 on Feb. 2. Junior Jhordin Prescott is about to pass Sophomore Taylor to post junior Olivia Bethea.

Smith plays as a shooting guard. Her goal this year is to make it to State with her ball in the post position. She gives her best effort in games teammates. by working hard in practice to improve in games.

Smith contributes to the team “by working hard and “I’m never giving up,” Bethea said. “Finishing my last being aggressive” on the court. two years, hard and strong.”

The girls are excited to play against different teams in The girls are looking forward to playing in the playoffs and outside of our conference this year. and wining State this year. On Feb. 2, the team was 19-0, Junior Olivia Bethea helps the team by rebounding the and playoffs begin Feb. 11.

Wrestling improves, stays positive Kira Kopcho Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY SASHA TERRY

Freshman Kaitlyn Packer (left) prepares for Riverside’s next girls wrestling meet paired with sophomore Mikah Fathers (right). Grls and guys alike competed, showing their skills on the mat.

The wrestling teams have had a decent season, winning some games and losing some. The athletes fought hard, and most of them agreed that throughout the season, they became a family.

“I liked the sense of family we had,” junior Mercedes Sosa said.

“I liked getting to know the guys and girls, and getting to build experience.”

Most students agreed that their teammates were a supportive, close knit group of people. They all cheered each other on, and supported one another throughout the tournaments.

“I liked how we could come together as a family,” freshman Peyton Scheschy said. “We all supported each other at tournaments and duals.”

Most students said that the season went well, and some returning students said that this season went better than the last.

Overall, the students had a positive outlook.

“This season went better than last year. It was better overall,” sophomore Arthur Troncoso said.

Not all students said that the season went well. Some of the students agreed that the season could’ve gone better, but overall, there was no real negativity.

“We had a lot of practice and we had an awesome new coach,” Sosa said. “It could’ve been a better season though.”

Some athletes had strong goals for the season. Not everyone made their goals, but some of the athletes did manage to achieve the goals they set.

“I achieved maybe one or two of my goals, but I’m still working,” Scheschy said. “My goals were to get better at wrestling in general and also to work harder.”

The wrestling team had a sense of sportsmanship and comradery this season, which has led them to a good standing for the year.

Sports

Auburn Riverside High School

15

Gymnastics thinking about State Kayna Kliewer Staff Reporter The girl’s gymnastics team has nearly finished their season and gained lots of skills and knowledge for the sport along the way. Most of the girls have found things they personally love about the sport, aside from the team.

Freshman Megan McArthur likes how she can do her own thing in practice and meets, besides competing alongside her teammates and friends. “This is my first year being on a school gymnastics team and I plan on doing it next year.”

The first meet was not the best for this team, but it was only one stepping stone in the season. In that meet there weren't any floor springs, and so the team was forced to improvise.

“In our most recent meet, our last away meet, we did really good and it was fun,” McArthur said. The girls placed second at Auburn High, with Mount Rainier getting first.

Although the team has only won one meet, the girls hope to improve before the season is over.

As on any typical sports team, there are a handful of standout players. This team does not stray from this rule.

“Luba is really good and she gets a lot of points for our team,” McArthur said.

The team’s captains, seniors Amanda Bunger and Maddy Thompson, are also well liked all around, for being generally encouraging and helpful to the girls.

“I like how the captains push us to do things even if we don’t want to. They're really supportive,” junior Sarah Ly said.

The girls are very close and are like a family.

“Being close with the team makes me feel more sup-

ported and confident,” McArthur said.

Apart from gymnastics being an individual sport, the team dynamic is stellar as well.

“I like being close with the team because I feel supported and confident,” Ly said. The team supports each other and cheers the others one while competing in meets.

The coach also has supportive words for the team. “She says to focus on the things you’re struggling with and need to work on more,” McArthur said. “You get skills you never knew you could get.” She uses the advice when she is competing in meets.

They are going to regional championships on the Feb. 9 at Mount Rainier, and plan to make it all the way to State.

The girls gymnastics team may have its ups and downs, but keeps going strong for the ultimate purpose of competing and gaining new skills. This experience has let them make new friends, and become part of a team. The girls all look forward to being a part of this team next year.

PHOTO BY JESSICA PEREZ

Amanda Bunger scores high on her floor routine and motivates her teammates to keeping working towards their goals.

Boys basketball aims towards improvement Trevor Little Staff Reporter

PHOTO COURTESY KRISTIE REID AYERS

Isaiah Prescott, jersey number four, looks for an opening to shoot. The boys basketball team has had a decent season and look to move forward.

Check out boys swim and cheer stories at

www.arhsinflight.com

The boys basketball team is 11-8 with their wins against Mount Rainier, Franklin Pierce, Sumner, River Ridge, Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, Central Kitsap, Lakes, and once again Enumclaw.

The boys losses came against Timberline, Auburn MoutainView twice, Todd Beamer High School, Peninsula twice, Auburn High School, and losing to Sumner once.

With the season almost being over, many of the players have favorite highlights of the season: “When I scored 16 points against River Ridge,” senior Dennis Beard said.

Along with Beard, senior Quintin Bethea also has had a favorite highlight. “Just building a team chemistry and building more of a brotherhood, and also getting dunks in the games,” Bethea said.

With the team only 11-8 [as of press time], there is something they could do to improve. “I think we need to work on our defense more and rebound more,” Beard said.

Beard thinks the team is doing pretty well despite the 11-8 season so far. “I think we are doing good, but I think we can do better though,” Beard said.

Bethea also thought the team can work on some things to improve. “[We need to] come focused and ready to play every game,” Bethea said. “Play with the intensity that we started with the whole game and play a whole 32 minutes.”

When athletes play a sport they often have some sort of inspiration. Bethea points to his dad. “Coming up, I wasn’t the greatest athlete, and my dad always told me to do something that makes me happy, and when I first played basketball I fell in love,” Bethea said.

Knowing what the team can do to improve, Bethea believes the team will finish strong. “As a senior this year and captain of this basketball team, I will do everything I can to make sure we finish strong and accomplish our goals,” Bethea said.

Beard has similar beliefs to Bethea when it comes to finishing strong. “I think we are going to finish strong because I can see we are improving day by day,” Beard said.

According to Bethea, the boys are hoping to have accomplished all of their goals and have improved even though their season is nearly finished.

16

Sports

InFlight February 9, 2016

Shaw motivated toward victory Dylan Grenz Staff Reporter Junior O’Darious Shaw is doing his best to represent our school, stepping into a leadership role on both varsity basketball, track, and football this year. However, his history of sports extends beyond his high

school years.

“I’ve been playing all kinds of sports since I was four,” he said. “As a kid, I couldn’t really do much inside, so I went out and played all the time.”

Shaw played sports for fun to start, but is more serious about it now.

“Sports really helped me stay busy and out of trouble early on, and kind of kept me off the streets,” Shaw said. “Now I’m much more competitive about it all.”

Shaw has been playing varsity football for two years, basketball for two years, and track for one year. Outside of school, he plays basketball for the NW Allstars.

Every athlete has some sort of motivation, and Shaw has a special person he plays for. “I really just play for my mom,” he said.

“She’s always been there for me, so I want to pay her back for all that she’s done.”

After high school, Shaw hopes to repay his mom by playing football at Oregon Uni-

versity, and possibly play professionally after that.

Shaw has made many memories over the years, but there is one that stands out above the rest to him. “My favorite memory was when I scored seven touchdowns in one

helped him grow as a football player in later years.

Shaw has also made many memories on the basketball court. Among these was being a part of the first ever Riverside team that swept Auburn last year.

This year, the team is looking for him to help contribute to another winning season. He hopes to make more memories on the varsity squad both this season and next.

Shaw is continuing to work hard, in hopes of helping his team in whatever way he can, and hopes to be able to play the sports he loves at the college level.

O’ Darious Shaw, junior He also will countinue to play to make his mother a very proud woman.

However, even if he can’t reach college level sports, they will still continue game against Rainier,” he said. Shaw was an be a major part of his life, and O’Darious eighth grader playing for Mt. Baker Mid- Shaw will keep inspiring his teammates to dle School at the time, and said that game work hard.

“

She’s always been there for me, so I want to pay her back for all that she’s done.

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