InFlight May 2012

in flight

AU B U R N R I V E R S I D E S T U D E N T

VOICE

May 8, 2012 VOLUME 17 ISSUE #6

Time to lo o

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OPINION

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5/8/12

TARDY FOR LIFE?

Tardy policies examined and criticized

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KELLEY PICKETT Staff Reporter

emember the rowdy group of kids who spent their Saturday in detention, running the halls, smuggling drugs, swapping earrings and dissecting one another’s psyche? This eighties movie became the standard for detentions nationwide...so iconic, that people gasp and point in horror when you utter the words “Breakfast Club? I’ve never seen that.”

In case you happen to be one of the few sheltered movie-goers who are unaware of all that is The Breakfast Club, the movie shed a new light on detention, one that would forevermore be referenced by people throughout the world, (including yours truly) when talking about crimes punishable by detention.

Flashforward twenty-seven years. Detention is now twenty minutes of homework time and a half sheet of paper to fill out, date and sign in silence. Even for a first offense there is a consequence. “It is sufficient time to make up work missed due to arriving late to class,” Tom Adams, dean of students, states in regards to the twenty minute detention. No bonding, no character building, merely busy work to “make up” missed class time.

So, say you’re a straight A student and due to your work ethic, you stay up late cramming for a giant test the next day. You wake up late because your alarm doesn’t go off, or you’re sleeping so deeply you don’t hear the rooster’s crow. Your eyes flash open and you know, you just KNOW, that you’ve slept in. It’s 8:07 and you live fifteen minutes

in flight

Editor-In-Chief Shayla McGinness Staff Reporters Mackenzie Brown Danielle Chiriguayo Business Manager Jaymes Fleury Lisa Gray Devon GonzalezPhotographer Yoxtheimer Devon Gonzalez- Lisa Gray Yoxtheimer James Hornbuckle Karlee Johnson Cover Photo Dylan Johnston Kelley Pickett Kelley Pickett Adviser Mollie Ridge Patrick Swenson Alice Roup

away from school. There is no way you’re going to arrive on time. You call your parent or guardian or whoever it is that is willing to claim you, hysterical and frantic, begging them to excuse your tardiness. But they, being the morally upright outstanding citizens that they are, tell you no, they won’t lie for you and say you had an “insert vague appointment excuse” here. Why? Because. Life has consequences. They want you to remember this experience, and get this: they want you to learn something.

The Riverside Tardy Policy: “Students are required to report to their assigned class before the tardy bell rings. At the bell, students not in their correct spots must report to the attendance office. Four tardies are permissible per period. A fifth tardy will receive a Wednesday School, a sixth tardy a Suspension. If the student has been detained by a staff member, a note signed by the staff member should be given to the next teacher. Students who report to class more than 10 minutes late are considered absent. This will result in a detention and affect the attendance limit. “ Don’t get me wrong, I’m not arguing for more severe punishments for insignificant crimes such as being late by more than ten minutes (like a Saturday long detention similar to The Breakfast Club). I am, on the other hand, irritated that there is no leeway for us students (aside from a ten minute late policy, which sometimes doesn’t make the difference, unless Riverside is promoting speeding and endangering the lives of others). That we are unable to be honest the first time that we are late, and get a little bit of

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leniency, and just say “I woke up late” and not receive an immediate detention. I’m asking for the school to look at us as people, who make errors, not just as a group of cattle who must be prodded.

In college if you are late, you miss the class and waste your own money. They do not detain you and make you twiddle your thumbs for an allotted period of time, just to prove a point. I feel that high school should be setting us up for the real world, one in which you must decide for yourself how you want to better yourself. Because really, who does it hurt if you are late...besides yourself? What is the lesson? What do these detentions teach students? Adams has an answer to this. “If they want control of their time, to be on time to their classes,” he replies. So basically...it’s all just a ‘learn your lesson’ situation.

I’m not promoting anarchy, either. No detentions, no rules, no consequence, that sort of thing. I believe that there are lines to be drawn, but I absolutely feel that the lines being drawn are in the wrong side of the sand box.

The administration is choosing the wrong battle to fight, the wrong way to spend money, as Adams did confirm that teachers are paid to run detentions. What? Did I hear that right? Teachers make money after school by detaining us? I feel like there are other ways to allot the taxpayers’ dollar.

Like the programs we cut. But hey. Maybe that’s just me.

I guess what I’m trying to achieve by this, is to make everyone aware of the ongoings of Riverside policy, which we ignore until they affect us personally. Know that there is a price to pay for being late. That there are no warnings. And maybe, just maybe, every now and again we should challenge policies that Adams said are never challenged.

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Pants off to InFlight’s readership!

5/8/12

OPINION

Marijuana, do you wanna?

Is marijuana a misunderstood substance? Or is there truly harm in the drug?

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Facts or Myths?

All this information was gathered from norml.org

Myth: Marijuana is dangerous Fact: Research conducted by the National Acadamy of Sciences states that marijuana poses no threat to society and should not be criminalized.

Myth: Marijuana is harmless Fact: Inhaling smoke into your lungs can still cause respiratory problems.

Myth: Prohibition reduces the harm of smoking pot Fact: Prohibition of marijuana forces users to obtain marijuana in more convvoluted ways, which leads to less legitimate sources and sometimes leads to poisoning.

Myth: No one has ever died from smoking marijuana.

PHOTO ILLLUSTRATION BY ALICE ROUP, SHAYLA MCGINNESS & KELLEY PICKETT

DEVON GONZALEZ-YOXTHEIMER Staff Reporter

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et’s face it, you went to this page because it said MARIJUANA in the title.

It’s okay, everyone enjoys talking about it, either proclaiming the fascinating effects it has, or objecting and saying it is destroying lives. Even the politicians are talking about it, trying to decide whether to keep it criminalized or to make it legal. Bottom line is, everyone knows about marijuana, whether in a good, bad, or just neutral light.

“Marijuana is a very misunderstood drug,” senior Jonah Dubé said. “I really don’t feel that it is as terrible as many people believe it to be.” This thought is shared with many of the students at our school, including myself. After taking a poll of about 100 students, 48 students are for the legalization of marijuana, 40 are indifferent, and 12 students want it to remain illegal.

Marijuana has been around for thousands of years and has both industrial qualities and medicinal benefits. The strength of hemp (fibers of the stem of the marijuana plant) makes it an ideal fabric for durability and cost effectivity. Also, according to the Science Daily, Harvard had done a number of studies to determine the effect of marijuana on the growth of lung cancer and came to a surprising con-

clusion. They found that the use of marijuana cut the growth of lung cancer in half.

Now doesn’t it seem odd that such a useful plant would be criminalized by our government? What is it that makes marijuana so bad that we would rather ignore all the benefits and only focus on the negatives? Well, thanks to the “War on Drugs” started by Ronald Reagan, anti-drug programs around America have been teaching children and their parents about the “harmful” effects of the drug.

The DARE program is a perfect example of why marijuana is illegal. According to their website there is no medical use of marijuana and they even go so far as to accuse doctors who prescribe it as being either “a bad doctor” or “a doctor who is not familiar with the scientific medical literature on marijuana.”

However, after doing a bit more research on the laws surrounding medical marijuana in Washington, I found that this information is downright false. Chapter 69.51a of Washington state law states that there is medical evidence that some patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions may benefit from the medical use of cannabis including “cachexia associated with cancer, HIV-positive status, AIDS, hepatitis C, anorexia...severe muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and other seizure and spasticity disorders... acute or chronic glaucoma...and Crohn’s disease.” I find it par-

ticularly troubling that programs supported in our public schools are allowed to spew out lies to children too young to know the truth.

Currently, under the Controlled Substance Act, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning that “the drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. (And) there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” according to 21 USC § 812 - Schedules of controlled substances.

The punishment for using marijuana in a recreational setting can lead to some serious problems. According to RCW 69.50.4014, “Except as provided in RCW 69.50.401(2)(c), any person found guilty of possession of forty grams or less of marijuana is guilty of a misdemeanor.” A misdemeanor forces you to serve a mandatory sentence ranging from 1-90 days in prison, and a fine of up to $1,000 dollars.

Marijuana should be legalized; there really is no point in keeping it illegal. By keeping it illegal the government is paying tens of thousands of dollars trying to stop potheads from smoking and putting them in jail, when that money could be used for something a lot more useful, such as lowering our deficit, or maybe even putting it towards our educational system.

Fact: All right, I’m fairly certain a lot of stoners enjoy throwing this myth around.

While it is true that smoking marijuana won’t actually kill you, you are still a potential hazard to yourself and the rest of the world. Marijauna affects judgment and impairs motor skills.

Myth: Pot is ten times more effective now than it was in the ’60s.

Fact: This is one of the big misconceptions supported by the DEA. Marijuana has remained at the same potency for years.

The reason why the DEA says it is more potent now is due to slanted testing. They compared marijuana from a police locker (which had been sitting there since the ’70s) to current marijuana. Since the potency of marijuana degrades over time, the results could be considered inaccurate. This information is backed up by NORML.

Myth: Pot kills brain cells Fact: Government offcials now admit that it doesn’t. This myth came from animal studies where the scientists exposed small monkeys to large amounts of smoke, then when the monkeys died, their brain cells were notably decreased. Eventually, when the study was redone, the monkey brains they studied showed that there was no correlation between smoke inhalation and a decrease in brain cells. In humans, there is no evidence of permanent brain damage, but there is evidence to show that short term memory is affected.

OPINION

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PROS

5/8/12

CONS

The time has come for seniors to make their final decisions for college. There are many aspects to be considered before the deposits are paid, the most important being the price tag. The cost of college has been skyrocketing for years, resulting in the “college affordability crisis,” a term coined by the Sallie Mae Education Institute.

COST

Anyone who has looked up the cost of atEducation-type tending college knows how shocking the increase has become. They know the feeling of looking at their dream school and then realizing there is no way they will ever be able to attend. There is something fundamentally wrong with this picture. Students are pushed from every side to go to college. Students are constantly reminded that they will be forever poor and unhappy if they don’t Legacy get a college degree. Even brainwashed to believe they will be failures if they don’t attend further schooling. But is the cost really worth it?

The problem? We have all heard the statistic that college graduates make $1 million more over their lifetime than those who didn’t get a degree. As it turns out, this isn’t even true! According to PayScale, the largest database of online employCOST ment data in the world, only 10% of colleges have delivered the promised $1 million.

And this is something to be considered with the price of tuition “[exceeding] the growth in family incomes and the Consumer Price Index” according to a report by the Sallie COST Mae Education Institute. According to the collegeboard.com “the average 2010-2011 tuition Majors increase was 4.5 percent at private colleges, and 7.9 percent at public universities. The tenyear historical rate of increase is approximately 6 percent. These figures are substantially higher than the general inflation rate. They are also higher than the average increase in personal incomes.”

The situation is only worsened by the trends in parental contributions. According to the Sallie Mae Education Institute one-third of parents hadn’t saved any college funds for their children by the time they were ready to go off to college. Another quarter were only willing to contribute $2,500 or less. This leaves a rather large group of students with the full responsibility of paying the seemingly unmanageable college costs.

Why is college so expensive? Some students, including myself, question why prices are even rising at all when no other factors seem to be changing as tremendously. The answer, as it turns out, is more complicated than it may seem. Sallie Mae Sports COST Education Institute says, “colleges raised tuitions to make up for shortfalls in other revenue sources, and to pay raising faculty salaries, defray administrative costs, increase institutional student aid and improve their programs, services, and financial conditions.”

And it’s not that colleges aren’t trying to help student either. In fact, the fastest growing expenditure for colleges is financial aid offered to students. This is both good and bad for students. It does open doors for students who wouldn’t have been able to pay much of Minors anything for college, since there is now a bigger fund to support them. But it makes it extremely difficult for families who are in the middle and lower middle class who aren’t considered as having “financial need” but still have difficulties paying for the large rising cost of college.

The response? (Or lack thereof...) It would seem that as colleges are increasing their financial aid funds, so would the government. This is unfortunately not the case. According to CNN.com “since 1992, the maximum available through government-subsidized student loans has remained at $23,000 for a four-year degree.” Not that taking out $200,000 in loans is really something that students want to do, but with college tuition increasing much faster than the income of their family, it is sometimes the only option. This means that after college students come out with and average bill of $23,186 according to FinAid.org.

This is an obvious problem for students, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority for government officials. According to the Sallie Mae Education Institute “there appears to be little resistance among state legislatures to continued tuition increases at public colleges, primarily because other demands on state revenue are considered more pressing.”

I find this particularly troubling since many European countries provide free University education and our country can’t even seem to make it affordable. Students have grown up in a country where a high school degree won’t get you very far and a college education will put you in a financial hole. The downturned economy makes it even harder on both those with and without a college degree to have livable wages. Paying off $200,000 in student loans takes a serious chunk out of paychecks and some people end up paying them off into their mid-forties or later. However, if you don’t fork up the cash and get a degree you may not be able to get a job at all.

As our youth become the adults of our society we need to remember that students are hard pressed to pay for college and we need to make sure we work for a solution.

College tuition cannot continue to grow at this rate; something needs to change.

Reputation

Location

Housing

Respect

COST

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Education’s pricetag too hefty?

ALESSANDRA ROUP Staff Reporter

Cost of college education increases, while average family income can’t keep up

5/8/12

OPINION

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The Tale of Two Cities DANIELLE CHIRIGUAYO Staff Reporter Evergreen trees, fresh air, and a whole lot of rain. That is Auburn in a nutshell. With a population of 70,180 people, Auburn is seen as “more than you imagined”: a decent-sized city, with a decent amount of things to do. But for a second, mentally travel a thousand miles south; enter Los Angeles, California. Sunny, southern California. With a population of 9 million, Los Angeles is without a doubt a very big city; one of the largest in the world.

To many, there may be no contest to which may be “better.” But,as a former resident of Los Angeles (born and raised!) and a current resident of Auburn, I ask: Is Los Angeles, or any large city for that matter, that much better than Auburn?

Almost instinctively my response to that inquiry would be an exasperated “yes!”, but surprisingly enough, there are in fact many differences between a relatively small place like Auburn, and a thriving metropolis such as Los Angeles.

Two cities, not alike in dignity. Each with their immense perks and definite downsides.

Los Angeles has come to be known as one of the centers of commerce in the United States, maybe even the world. It is home to the well-to-do elite of Beverly Hills, it is the focal point of all things Hollywood, and even boasts to being the birthplace of yours truly. There is even an endless amount of iconic sights to be seen, like Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

And with its influx of new culture almost daily, Los Angeles isn’t a town yearning for a good time. Locations such as Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Olvera Street not only cater to the soul, but to the wallet and taste buds.

“Big cities are culturally diverse through shops and restaurants, junior Jessica Ulmer said. “You see an Asian restaurant, an Indian restaurant, and an Italian restau-

rant all on the same block. Whereas in place like Auburn, they’re all spread out.”

But with all these upsides, how could a place like Los Angeles be seen as a bad place? Depending on who you ask, there may be certain qualities about big cities (like L.A.) that aren’t exactly commendable.

First and foremost, there are people to be seen everywhere in Los Angeles County. No matter the time or day: 6:10 on a Thursday night or 2:34 on a Sunday morning, there is always a living soul to be seen. A place like Los Angeles, with its nice weather and modern feel, is a perfect “getaway” for any small town girl (or guy).

For some, this vast amount of people may be alarming, especially if they are originally from a calmer place, like Auburn. Oh Auburn, I haven’t forgotten you in the glitz and glamour of the big city. As I mentioned before, these urban centers are not exactly the place for everyone.

When considering both sides, “both have great qualities, it just depends on the person.” sophomore Alexi Laishley said. On one hand, there is much more to explore in big cities. “Lots of things happen, especially unexpected things,” Laishley explained. But with small cities, she said there is less to do since they’re so isolated.

In a place like Auburn, there are definite upsides to being a citizen of these city limits. The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most beautiful sights, all naturally occurring, unlike the concrete jungle of the big city. Whether it’s a breathtaking sunset on a midsum-

mer night, or the morning after an intense snowstorm and all has settled.

And unlike the big city, a person is almost always met with warm smiles, remarks, and actions, not terrifying grimaces and creepy homeless people.

Of course, even the prettiest of places have their ugly sides. The city of Auburn, which is only a fraction of the size of the monstrosity that Los Angeles is, lacks the proper amount of activities to do keep the teenage population satisfied in comparison to the big city. Ask anyone, and their major beef with this area is the fact that there isn’t much to see and/or do. The only places of real interest are the Supermall and the movie theatre.

“I’m used to it,” said sophomore Mahaley Loma. “I’ve lived here half of my life, and you just get used to the fact that there’s nothing to do, and when there is, you’ve already done it.” Loma, whose parents work with thoroughbred horses, has moved around a bit in her life, living in places like Vancouver and Tenino, a small town with a population of 1,695.

Although there isn’t much to do here in Auburn, Loma enjoys the big town atmosphere, especially in comparison to the small town she used to reside in.

But many teenagers, myself included, aren’t so adept at living a calm life. Often times, the teenage populace (the ones who can drive anyway) are lured to the bigger city centers, such as Seattle or Tacoma on weekends, just to get away. To some, it’s the only way to get through daily life.

When push comes to shove, small cities and big cities alike have their amazing (and not so amazing) qualities.

Some are a bit more prevalent than others, but hey, different strokes for different folks, right?

And the next time you’re feeling a bit bummed out about the lack of activity here, look up at the stars. Here in small cities, “it’ll be impossible to mistake the stars for UFOs,” in the words of sophomore Kaiya Ide.

Pressure on teens inevitable Games shouldn’t take over life KARLEE JOHNSON Staff Reporter

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rugs, alcohol, sex and many more issues, are pressures teens go through on a daily basis. Teens are responsible for their actions, but what if saying NO isn’t an option? Teens do things because they want to belong, but all they’re doing is exposing themselves most of the time to unhealthy situations.

From experience, yeah, we can do some pretty stupid things. We’re exposed to so many things in this world, in high school and at home. They are things we can and can’t control.

If people are pressured into drugs or alcohol, it doesn’t make them a bad person. They aren’t the only people being pressured into things.

Pressures come from people who don’t really understand wrong from right. We were raised to be these perfect kids, making it so we can’t make mistakes. Trying so hard to be perfect can make us do things we normally wouldn’t do. It happens a lot and it’s a pressure that mostly comes from home or stress in general.

Why is it that teenagers have to go through pressures of middle and high school? Honestly, I don’t think anyone is going to have a good answer for you.

We are only human; humans were born to make mistakes. Yes, we will do things we regret, but if we never did them, life could be way different for people. It’s something we all have to go through even if we don’t want to. Nobody is perfect.

DYLAN JOHNSTON Staff Reporter

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our blinds are closed, no one is home and you are sitting in front of your TV screen playing that game you have been addicted to for a week now; and you think to yourself “How do I stop playing this game?”

We have all been addicted to a game at one point in our lives. Whether it be an app on the iPhone or a game on the computer it’s happened to almost all of us. I think video games are a good thing. They make video games for entertainment and they are works of art as well. But when you play them for hours on end... well, that’s another story.

I personally enjoy playing video games, but I don’t play them for hours and hours anymore. I used to play Combat Arms every day, and it was bad. I remember at one point I did not do anything but play this game. Then one day I was late to school because I stayed up too late playing it, and I slept past my alarm. That’s when I realized I needed help.

Here are some tips to help you stop playing that game you are addicted to.

1. Tell someone you know about your problem.

2. Try to stop playing the game completely.

3. Find a new hobby.

4. Sell the game you are addicted to, or give it to a friend and tell them not to

give it back to you.

NEWS

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5/8/12

Jocelyn Mitchell: A New Face for a New Year KELLEY PICKETT Staff Reporter

MACKENZIE BROWN Staff Reporter

This May 29-30, our school is graced with another spectacular experience. The chance to donate blood. The Spring Blood Drive will be hosted by Cascade Regional Blood Services for the second time this school year. It is open to all students over the age of 16, as well as all teachers, staff members and family members. First time givers need a permission slip, as well as anyone under eighteen.

From 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., students are able to take about fifteen minutes out of their day, get out of class, sit back in a chair and chat with a neighbor.

The cost is a pricked finger and a unit of blood, one unit that, teacher Chris Tucker says “can save three people’s lives.”

More specifically, the program offers students a chance to get involved in the community, as Tucker states that all of the blood donated stays within the city of Auburn.

The expected turnout is 230 people, though Tucker shoots for at least 250. One of the main reasons preventing donations (besides age) is that many are unaware of the blood drive occurring. Only 24 percent of students polled knew there was a May Blood Drive, leaving 76 percent who admitted they were not only of age, but hadn’t heard of it. Out of these people, 44 percent said that they were willing/ planning to donate.

Aside from being unaware, other reasons students opt out of donating each year are reasons such as the fear of needles and unlucky previous encounters with giving blood and having it drawn were reasons why they plan not to donate.

“I pass out when I give blood,” Principal Dave Halford confessed. When polled, he said he would not be donating.

People donating are encouraged to eat a large breakfast. They must be at least 110 lbs and have their driver’s license or ID upon entry, along with a permission form. The blood is tested to make sure those donating are in a position to donate, but Tucker refers to the pricked finger as quick and practically painless.

He refutes the rumors that student athletes cannot donate, and adds that, “Unless you’re going to do something extremely strenuous...like run for miles, you should be fine.”

Students can sign up in Tucker’s classroom (710), or by going through other students. Many of Tucker’s students are offered extra credit for rallying people willing to donate, or at least try. One thing to keep in mind: there is always free juice and cookies, as well as free T-shirts, which can be found on any given day, modeled by many students throughout school.

A couple of weeks ago, students watched as those running for ASB got up and gave their speeches in the hopes of being elected onto the ASB board. Just a day later, everyone voted on the next students to lead the school. For our 2012-13 school year, Jocelyn Mitchell will be the ASB president.

Mitchell hopes to bring many changes to Riverside, including bringing a positive and happy environment to all the students in order to unify the school. Having experience with ASB, this really isn’t anything new to Mitchell. In seventh grade at Mt. Baker Middle School, Mitchell served as the vice president. The next year she came back and served as president. Even when she came to Riverside she participated in ASB by taking the role of vice president in her junior year. Now, she’ll be leading our school as president.

Ever since freshman year, Mitchell has had the plan of running for president. “I’ve always felt like [running] could give me the opportunity to meet tons of people as well

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ-YOXTHEIMER

Newly elected ASB President for 2012-13 Jocelyn Mitchell will work side by side with principal Dave Halford.

as connect with them,” Mitchell said.

Although it was her drive and dedication that won her the election, Mitchell still has many people to thank. Her mom’s family and her dad’s family helped her by giving her love and support, while the students and teachers who voted for her encouraged and supported her.

Many students are excited to have Mitchell take the spot of ASB president. “I am

very ecstatic and thrilled, because Jocelyn possess the skills to take Riverside and guide it in the right direction,” sophomore Nicole Coppola said.

The hopes that Mitchell will bring changes to are very high among students.

Working alongside vice president Julie Pollard and school principal Dave Halford, Mitchell hopes to change the school for the better.

Romney chosen as GOP nominee DANIELLE CHIRIGUAYO

On April 25, Mitt Romney was named the Republican party’s presumptive nominee by the Republican National Committee. Although he has not received the full 1,144 nominees necessary for an official nomination, his victory in 5 different state primaries: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, allowed Romney to sweep towards the magic number.

According to CNN.com, Romney, who

who left his campaign.

His secret service protection ended April 26, because of the extraneous costs. As of deadline, Gingrich had not endorsed Mr. Romney, but he was expected to.

Representative of Texas Ron Paul still has not withdrawn his candicacy. He has 141 delegates, but he is not projected to be in contention in the race.

Rep. Paul, who is currently on the road, is PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, FLICKR.COM visiting states who have yet to vote in a primary.

This fall, presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney will take on Two weeks prior, on President Barack Obama, who is fighting for a second term in office.

April 10, Rick Santorum, a rival in the GOP race for presidency, suspended his campaign.

He was the last roadblock to Mr. Romney’s currently has 841 delegates with 14 state campaign. Santorum, who had 273 delprimaries remaining, is projected to become egates, was the closest threat to Romney the party’s nominee. in his quest for presidency.

Former speaker of the House of RepreRomney has yet to pick a vice presisentatives Newt Gingrich dropped out of the dential running mate.

Republican race last Wednesday. Gingrich [Obama or Romney? Or a third party had 76 delegates. candidate? Take the online poll at our CNN.com reported that Gingrich dropped website: www.arhsinflight.com.] out due to logistical reasons, some of which may be in part due to the amount of staffers

5/8/12

FEATURE

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Scott Patterson: Brony Pride ALESSANDRA ROUP Staff Reporter Scott Patterson: we all know him as one of the most outspoken “bronies” at school. His love for the ’90s children’s show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has led him to go from watching episodes to becoming involved in fan fiction.

Although most people don’t understand why a teenage boy would watch a show developed for tween girls, he isn’t the only one. The basic plot-line of the show is a group of six ponies, each personifying an aspect of friendship and their adventures in the land of Equestria.

“There are many aspects that I like,” senior Scott Patterson said. “The animation is awesome, the voiceovers are supreme and I love the songs.”

Now, one might wonder how a teenager would come across such things, but actually, the show has become quite popul a r. A c c o r d i n g t o knowyourmeme.com “the series became a popular subject of threads, reaction images and image macros on 4chan.”

Scott first became involved with the show after his cousin, a fellow brony, convinced him to watch an episode. He fell in love with the show and he now has a favorite pony: Rainbow Dash. This character is athletic, energetic, and a leader at heart, all characteristics that Patterson admires.

However, Patterson does do more than watch MLP. He is also a guitar player, sings in the choir and likes to draw. Next year he will be attending UW in Seattle and plans to get a degree in pre med. Although he isn’t sure what his future holds, he hopes to go into oncology.

Another aspect of Scott is the fact that he is the only student in a wheelchair. He was

LISA GRAY Staff Reporter

Senior Scott Patterson is a proud “Brony,” and idolizes the ’90s show My Little Pony. His favorite pony is Rainbow Dash.

born with cerebral palsy, which is basically an umbrella term for a group of disorders having to do with the cerebellum. This has resulted in short term memory loss, lack of motor skills and a spastic right arm. He has to go through physical therapy and although the elevator is slow, Patterson said “it hasn’t hindered his experiences.”

Scott Patterson is really a unique person to know and we should all appreciate what he brings to our school, ponies and all.

Everyone has a story, and junior Baely Rowe is no exception.

Rowe’s older brother and sister (Bree and Kelyn) would do gymnastics classes for fun, and Rowe would always watch and try to do everything they did. When Rowe was 3-years-old, her parents put her into classes at Auburn Gymnastics Center.

“I wanted to join gymnastics because I always loved being upside down and it was really fun,” Rowe said.

Rowe practices about 25 hours a week, 4 and a half hours a day, 5 days a week, and about 3 hours on Saturday. Rowe is a level ten and her competition season goes from the middle of January to the end of May. Since Rowe comes from a soccer family she played soccer until freshman year for Reign and Crossfire.

“It was stuff to balance both soccer and gymnastics,” Rowe said. “But as gymnastics got harder I had to give up soccer.”

Rowe has always looked up to her brother and sister because they both played sports at a high level and have both gone to college on a scholarship and have been successful. Rowe’s older sister Bree just graduated from the University of Oregon, and she played soccer for them. Rowe’s older brother Kelyn played soccer at UCLA and now plays soccer for the New England Revolutions as a Pro. In mid-September of her junior year, Rowe got a full ride scholarship to the University of Utah for gymnastics. Rowe actually had a few different options and Utah wasn’t her first choice, but then things didn’t work out with the other schools. But since the beginning of freshman year, the University of Utah has been interested in Rowe. In September 2011 she decided to visit the college and ended up loving the campus. The gymnastics team is now like her family and they have great academics.

“There were also many things to do outside of campus and what I really liked is that they get an average of 13,000 fans a meet,” Rowe said.

She also wanted to go to a college that will be a competitor at Nationals, and the University of Utah has gone and placed in the

PHOTO COURTESY BAELY ROWE

Junior Baely Rowe shows great gymnastic skills on both the floor (top) and on the bars (bottom).

Rowe will attend the University of Utah on a full ride scholarship.

top ten at Nationals for the past 34 years.

“The decision was tough and stressful,” Rowe said. “So in the end, it was a great fit and I’m glad I made the decision,” Rowe is not sure what she wants to study in college yet, but she knows she wants to go into some sort of business.

Rowe definitely has a bright future ahead of her.

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Williamson: 15 years of joy, laughter, teaching MOLLIE RIDGE Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ-YOXTHEIMER

Social Shutdown?

KARLEE JOHNSON Staff Reporter Facebook: the number one website in the United States. On an average day, how much time do you spend on this massive website?

Facebook is all some people spend their time on. What if the rumor about Facebook shutting down [now proven false] had been true? It might lead to very unhappy people.

If it did shut down what would people do? What would be the new Facebook? If the social media didn’t come up with something else, the internet world would kiss many people goodbye.

“Facebook can’t be deleted, because it’s where everything happens and if it disappears everyone will be upset,” freshman Robbie Rudolph said. Many other students agree.

Students have strong opinions about this. Some thoughts come from people whose whole life is Facebook. Being informed with the actual truth might actually keep things laid back and understandable.

As a society that uses Facebook every day, it can’t go away. What will we have to do? Go hang out with friends instead? Sometimes that’s impossible to do.

Growing up in Puyallup with one younger sister, English teacher Karyn Williamson has always had a passion for her family. Some of her favorite memories are from her dad; he was a teacher and a cross-country coach at Puyallup High School. A lot of the days she would spend the day after school in her dad’s room playing on the computer.

Although her father was the crosscountry coach, she decided on a different sport. “A lot of people said that I could be a runner, but I’m just not. I love tennis, not running.”

Williamson is a very loving person.

She has two dogs, and her youngest (Enzo) happens to be her screen saver so all her students can see him.

Williamson graduated from Western Washington University with an English De-

gree, and went right to Riverside for student teaching. She’s been teaching for 15 years.

She became a teacher because “It just felt natural; both of my parents were teachers.”

Since the second year Riverside was open she has been here, whether student teaching, or teaching in general.

Williamson, who teaches 9th grade Language Arts, is more than talented, she’s a comedian. “I can touch my nose with my tongue!” she said.

Working hard with her students and athletes, Williamson hopes that her students become stronger readers and stronger writers. She also hopes that her tennis team comes to love the sport and keep playing well into high school and college.

As well as being a teacher, on the side she is also a wife and the JV tennis coach.

She’s been married for four years to Peter Williamson, and is recently hoping to adopt a child to become a mother.

She loves to see joy when she’s with people. “I like it when people around me are laughing,” Williamson said, “and when they’re filled with joy. My husband and I are always laughing.” She often says laughter is the best medicine.

Many teachers here act like a family. Williamson said that her idol is history teacher Megan Ellis Sumner. They even went to Europe together twice.

“She’s a lot of fun to be around,” Sumner said. “We’ve been friends since the school opened.”

A trustworthy friend, surrounded by people who adore her, Williamson is definitely going to stay a hit.

The importance of Memorial Day SHAYLA MCGINNESS Editor-In-Chief Memorial Day is coming up and because of it, students get a much appreciated day off from school. Even better than just a day off, it will be a three day weekend. Besides the obvious title of the holiday, what is Memorial Day really celebrating, and why is it even important?

Many probably don’t know the history or importance of this National Holiday. The original title of this holiday was actually Decoration Day, observed on May 30 to celebrate those who fought in the Civil War. In 1971, Congress made Memorial Day a national holiday.

Many veterans including former Marine Edmund Valentin feel this was a beneficial and wise decision. “It’s a great way to ponder those who have fallen,” Valentin said.

This holiday is not to be confused

with Veterans Day, which is celebrated on November 11 and is to honor all veterans, living and deceased.

Being informed about things such as this day not only helps us to be wellrounded citizens of the United States but also instills a sense of pride for the hardships our country and citizens have endured.

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Mirror Mirror ALESSANDRA ROUP Staff Reporter

TITANIC KARLEE JOHNSON Staff Reporter When we think about treasures under the sea or the parts where the ship was lost, we all think the Titanic. Right? Well the movie is in theaters again but in 3D, to give people that feeling as if they were a part of the crash too. The Titanic is one of the most memorable ships in the whole world. Why? Only because it was the first ship to have the title the “UNSINKABLE ship.”

Titanic is based on a true story. It’s about the biggest ship ever made and only the “wealthy” could get on. It also happens to be your basic love story where a young maiden girl and a young poor boy meet and instantly have that spark filled with love. It was meant to be, as their voyage began they secretly started sneaking off, but it just so happened that the girl was already promised to someone it made their love even more impossible.

This movie in 3D gave me the feeling as if I was actually on the boat.

It is a very touching story, but I think the movie really shouldn’t have been in 3D. If I could barely sit through the regular version of Titanic, it was obviously hard to sit and watch it in 3D. Movies in 3D are super hard to sit through, because your eyes hurt or in this case the movie was becoming boring. I love Titanic, but if I had the option of watching it in 3D or not at all, it would be an easy choice.

Overall, I think that Titanic should have been left the way it was made; I don’t think it should have been in 3D. It is a great movie and if had just come out in the theaters not in 3D I would have loved it. It’s just one of those movies that can’t be changed to be cool or have those effects that make it look better. Titanic is a serious story, something that shouldn’t be messed with.

Snow White has been a traditional fairytale for generations past, and now, the remake Mirror Mirror is out in theaters.

We all know the basic plot of the story, but there were a few points where the movie deviates from the original plot line.

The biggest difference is the dwarves. There are still seven, but they aren’t the nice old dwarves we all know. They are first introduced as bandits who steal from unsuspecting travelers by dressing up as giants. They are also called by different names. Instead of the traditional Happy, Grumpy, etc., the dwarves are named in a rather eclectic list of names including Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub, Grimm, Wolf, Butcher, and Chuckles.

The movie overall is more mature and darker than the original. I really appreciated some of the complex symbolism and unique visuals of the film. These aspects make it entertaining for both parents and children.

The greater meanings of the movie range from age old monarchical corruption to current day problems. Many movies portray the evils of unjust governments and this is no exception. The queen taxes the people of the kingdom to pay for her lavish parties reflecting the British

government’s oppression of the colonies.

Also, the queen, in preparation for a ball, goes through a series of odd and somewhat unpleasant beauty treatments. This is much like today’s over the top weightless or beauty treatments that girls go through.

The fact that it is so overdone in the movie helps to expose the true ridiculousness of the lengths that girls go to be attractive.

All these themes and meanings did make the movie worth watching, but the best part of the movie was the visuals. The palace interior is absolutely exquisite and is full of all kinds of unique and luxurious furniture.

However, the design pales in comparison to the costumes. The queen especially had dresses so out of the ordinary I was almost awestruck to see the odd designs.

I liked everything about the movie except for the rather large eyebrows of Snow White. I’m not quite sure why they are so abnormally large, but the first scene where those caterpillars are revealed was a bit of a shock. However, as the movie goes on I did get used to them, but I still would have preferred normal sized eye brows from the start.

Overall, I would give this movie two thumbs up. It is appropriate for both a family outing or even a date movie.

PROJECT X

KELLEY PICKETT Staff Reporter

Project X. A comedy produced by the director of The Hangover, this movie follows three friends, portrayed by Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, and Jonathan Daniel, as they try to make history and gain popularity with a simple birthday “soiree.”

Funny from the opening line, this movie takes partying to a whole new level. Starting as a vague movie preview that looks, I admit, slightly trite and uninteresting, my expectations of the movie were set so low, so deep into the ground that they could probably touch some tree roots. Thomas Kub, J.B. and Costa, though...they stepped it up. They said things, and did things, like regular teenagers.

They used the best kind of humor, unforced, sometimes crude, but mostly just...normal.

Not to say that the humor was subpar, they rocked the big screen like a hurricane. The jokes they made were realistic and didn’t seem to be scripted. Their lines did not sound overly-rehearsed. They just seemed like three regular humorous teenage boys.

Lacking filters, tact and regard for each other’s genitals.

The gist of the plot: Thomas’s parents go out of town for their anniversary, which coincidentally lands on his seventeenth birthday.

His two best friends decide to throw him a party. They send the word out and the party happens. Girls happen. Trouble happens.

Then the consequences ensue. The end.

The movie tangled so many different twists and unexpected turns, from tasing and flame throwers to illicit drug filled gnomes.

Therefore, it’s hard to explain the plot without giving away the most amazing aspects of the movie. The surprise. So I’ll leave it at a quick plot summary, that is as mysterious and vague as the previews were.

Despite shaky cameramanship, which at times made my head spin, there was not much that I disliked. There was a fair amount of nudity, which could have been cut down, but at the same time I do understand that it was a party, and parties involve...well, nudity.

It was unique and put a fresh spin on party movies, and I would recommend it to anyone of a decent age. Overall I’d give it a solid 4.5 stars.

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The Metropolitan Grill SHAYLA MCGINNESS Editor-In-Chief

Art, Film Festival showcases creativity LISA GRAY Staff Reporter Between 6 and 8 p.m. on Thursday May 17, the ART, the hallway by the ART and the 500 hall will be filled with students, parents and judges looking at the different forms of art in the 8th Annual Auburn Riverside Art Show and Film Festival.

“It gives Riverside students an opportunity to shine,” jewelry teacher Wendy Woldenberg said.

Artwork needs to be turned in to Ms. Woldenberg in room 509, Ms. Lobdell in room 507, Ms. Sandland in room 348, or Mr. Lewis in room 504. There are nine categories: Black and White drawing, sculpture/3-D art, mixture media/ 2-D design, painting, photography, jewelry, advertising/layout, computer art and color drawing.

There are also some entry requirements. Students are limited to only two categories and only one artwork in each category. Also 2-D art must be matted and ready to hang.

The Art Show and the Film Festival are both free and anyone is welcome.

The entry deadline for the film festival is May 10 and entry forms are on the ARHS club SWIFT page. The films for the film festival have to fit in the following cateogries: animation (includes claymation), drama (includes horror and romance), fantasy (includes Sci-Fi), comedy, action, sports, documentary, commercaials (includes PSA), cltural/foreign, or staff. If the submission is deemed unsafe, inappropriate for school, contain copyrighted matierials, or is deemed to be disturbing, it will be disqualified. There is no minimum or maximum length requiements, but the panel of judges will not view more than five minutes of an entry.

One of the many people who received an award last year was junior Stephanie Alvarez. She scored an honorable mention for a black and white art piece called “Things I Like.”

“The art show is a great opportunity to show people your talents,” Alvarez said. This year Alvarez is entering two pieces in the art show: a painting and a mix media drawing.

For the past eight years Riverside has been giving students an opportunity to show their artwork to professional artists in our community.

put on that stuff, even in a butter crab smoothie, it was still gross. Realistically, it wasn’t that bad. But it has a distinct seafood taste I do not appreciate.

Ironically, by the time we finished our appetizers and rolls that came with dinner, we were so stuffed we only ate a handful of bites of our dinner, which was perfect because I love having leftovers.

Besides the food being superb, the service was spectacular. Our server was extremely polite, even though dinner did take a bit of time. She kept coming to our table to make sure we were satisfied and assuring us our food was on its way. We weren’t worried a bit; enjoying the atmosphere and letting our bellies settle was much appreciated. Even the bus boy, who would repeatedly refill our water and take our plates, was very nice. Coming to an expensive five star restaurant, this is to be expected, but watching the servers was kind of eerie. They were so on point and polite, like a new well-oiled car.

The Metropolitan was an excellent restaurant, especially for Prom, even with our check being $220, tip included. The food was exquisite and the service on par. I’m so happy this was recommended to me because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a high class restaurant, particularly for a special occasion, and on the upside, you’ll be the fanciest even among the well dressed!

upcoming

ADMIT ONE

Deciding where to go for prom dinner was excruciating.

The list was endless, and the criteria specific. My date and I knew we were going all out. Our motto: go big or go home.

We were looking for an upscale restaurant, preferably with valet, near the EMP. After numerous Google, Where and Yellow Pages searches as well as simply asking around, we finally decided on The Metropolitan Grill.

It was a match made in heaven; valet parking, delicious menu, close to our destination.

Arriving to the restaurant was an experience I would not like to repeat. The streets of course, were all one way surrounding it. We drove around the restaurant about four times until we were able to park in front. The first two times we couldn’t even find the place, and when we finally did find it, two taxis were dropping people off on the restaurant corner, which meant we had to drive around again. With stress levels comically high, we finally pulled up to the corner, a polite gentleman ran to open my door and we were quickly swept inside.

Stepping into The Met was like walking into a strange new atmosphere. Unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The air was thick with happy chatter and pleasant aromas. The gilded furniture and fixtures gleamed and shined as they lay against the lush green upholstery. The host led us to our corner table; we had a great low level view of the street and were relatively close to the kitchen.

Now seated, we were given a few minutes to look over the menu. We both ordered these yummy virgin drinks, a Citrus Mojito for myself and a Bloody Mary for my date.

Following our drinks were the appetizers: calamari and a blue cheese iceberg salad. The calamari was light and crispy, paired with sweet cherry peppers, and saffron-roasted pepper aioli. It was slightly spicy but the crispy buttery taste and texture was a perfect pair. The salad was to die for;

this wasn’t just any ordinary salad. The wedge was drizzled with Rogue River Blue cheese, sprinkled with gala apples, diced tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts, and Kurobuta bacon.

Being a strong anti dairy and fruit advocate, this really threw me off. But I dove right in, and took a bite with all those delicate ingredients and it was an epic explosion of flavor.

The textures though were my favorite: the crisp juicy apple, crunchy bacon, creamy dressing. Definitely, the best salad I have ever had. And to those who think you can replicate this at home, you’re wrong. I thought this too until I actually thought about the steps needed in order to do so; it was really comical how disgusting it would probably turn out.

When ordering our appetizers, we also ordered our entrees. I had the 13 oz. Filet Mignon ($64) accompanied with a twice baked potato. My date ordered the Alaskan King Crab, one pound of Alaskan King crab legs with butter and served with steak house fries. We also ordered asparagus with Béarnaise sauce to share. My anticipation built as they brought tray after tray of our surrounding tables’ orders.

Mouth watering and eyes glazed over, they finally served us.

It was freaking amazing. I had this juicy medium well steak just begging for me to dig into it, and a massive twice baked potato with an oven-roasted top. Biting into my steak was, well, for lack of a better word, a foodgasm.

It was topped with a salty au jus broth which made it even better; you know it’s a great steak when steak sauce isn’t necessary. The potato was very yummy as well, creamy with a nice soft spreadable texture. The cheese crisp on the top was superb. We also had the asparagus, which was delicious with the béarnaise, but I prefer my asparagus a little softer than crunchy.

Trying my date’s dinner was a completely different story. I hate seafood, and unless it’s deep fried cod or other white fish, or the occasional shrimp, then forget about it.

Everyone always says how delicious crab is, especially when it’s drenched in butter. I don’t care how much butter you

CONCERTS Bassnectar May 12, Qwest Field

Death Cab for CutieMay 13, Paramount

Xperience (Jimi Hendrix tribute band) May 12, Showare Center Rammstein May 14, Tacoma Dome

Kottonmouth Kings and Twizted May 19th, Studio seven

005250

KISW metal shop May 30, Studio Seven

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Artist of the issue: Hayden Stanko LISA GRAY Staff Reporter

Throughout Riverside, many students are captivated by the art of ceramics.

Without art teacher Paul Lewis’ preliminary training, junior Hayden Stanko may have never found his passion for art. Stanko took ceramics his second semester of his freshman year and then again in his first semester of his junior year.

“I guess you could say Mr. Lewis helped me find a passion for art,” Stanko said, “I didn’t know I liked it until after his class.”

Stanko’s favorite piece is the Bonsai Tree he made his junior year.

“The Bonsai Tree is my favorite because it was the biggest challenge,” Stanko said. “I had to constantly check it and add on layers of clay and build it from the bottom up like a tree actually grows because it was the only way to keep it strong.”

At the end of last summer Stanko made a little workplace in his garage. He doesn’t have a pottery wheel, so he can’t make pots, but he likes to make sculptures more

anyways. He also likes to make his pots have a water theme.

His art-related regret is not using all the time in ceramics as well as he could have because he didn’t get to make everything he wanted to.

When Stanko is outside of school he works on ceramics, does martial arts, cycling and volunteers for his brother’s lacrosse team.

His favorite classes are Advanced Placement physics and calculus, so he tutuors math four days a week.

“My dad pointed out that I might be a good engineer with his interests in math and science,” Stanko said.

Stanko traveled to Japan the summer after his freshman year and he made a lot of friends there. “My friends from Japan give a bit of my interest in Japanese culture,” Stanko said. “So I dicided to make some pieces for that.”

When Stanko graduates he wants to go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology

PHOTOS COURTESY HAYDEN STANKO

“Bonsai Tree” at left is one of junior Hayden Stanko’s favorite ceramic pieces.

(MIT) or go to Cal Poly.

“They are both great schools, and I want to travel outside of Washington for a new experince,” Stanko said.

Stanko’s least favorite part of ceramics

is having to destroy a project because he messed up.

“It’s really diappointing to see a sculputre going so well and then your hand slips or something and it’s too disfigured to repair,” said Stanko.

With his training in ceramics class, and his math and science backgrounds, Stanko can certainly calculate the time needed to try, try again for that perfect ceramic sculpture.

Game ending creates debate DYLAN JOHNSTON Staff Reporter

Join us online! www.arhsinflight.com

Mass Effect 3, a game we have all come to know and love. But is it worth it to buy this game?

To me yes, I think this game is worth the $60. It has a good storyline, as well as the the great character development.

But opinions differ on video games and some people hate this game because of the ending. There are three ways you can end the game: 1. Shepherd controls the reapers and the mass relays blow up.

2. Shepherd combines human and synthetic life together, and the mass relays blow up.

3. Shepherd destroys reapers and all synthetic life, and the mass relays blow up.

Now tell me that these endings don’t make you angry one bit. To me the ending I got was very confusing and made little sense to me. I do think that they should have focused more on the single player

rather than the multiplayer because Mass Effect has always been a single player game.

There are many theories for the ending of Mass Effect 3. For example the Indoctrination theory: some people think that when Shepherd got hit by Harbingers laser, he went into indoctrination and you have to win the war in shepherds mind aka. destroying the reapers with the crucible, which makes Shepherd wake up, and then you can actually beat the game.

I think EA may have rushed Bioware a little too much. Bioware could have made this game really great but, EA rushed them to make it.

I honestly think this was a good game but they should have spent more time on the single player.

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So who’s next? Over the last few years Marvel and DC have made out with a laundry list of super movies. Some new movies perk our interests and excite the masses, while others remind us of their predecessors who left that awful taste in our mouths.

One of the most infamous culprits being the Spider-Man series. Most will remember the difficult slope this franchise was built on, and its inevitable crash n’ burn known as Spider-Man 3. But wait. There’s more. Our friendly neighborhood Spidey is back with this year’s web-blasting film The Amazing Spider-Man. It better be.

Let’s not forget last summer’s ungodly failure: Thor (couldn’t resist). I’ll try not to delve into the aspects of its strange cast, overdone effects, or lack of quality dialogue, or even its failed attempt to introduce Hawkeye. Yeah, he was there.

Perhaps the god of thunder will sort out his family issues in November with Thor 2.

R E P U S

One last nagging complaint. Michael Bay, our action

addict, is at it again. The much rumored movie has finally came out of its shell. All four of them. But Bay has taken some liberties with this edition of Ninja Turtles, potentially changing the whole story. Our teenage turtle ninjas are now from space. Yup, welcome from the new TMNTS. But hey, more power to Bay with an attempt to make a decent quality Ninja Turtle movie. I would rather see excessive explosions and CGI reptiles than a re-attempt at big and clunky animatronics.

Never fear movie-goers. For there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. The future of super movies is looking pretty bright (excluding TMNTfromS). Last weekend was the premier of The Avengers. ’Nuff said.

Some may recall the anger, frustration, and wtf-ness during X-Men Origin: Wolverine. I am of course speaking of the less than acceptable intro of the Merc With A Mouth, Deadpool. But our cries have been heard! Ryan Renolds will be taking on the monumental task of becoming everyone’s favorite mercinary some time in 2014.

There is a video floating around on Youtube, showing what was left of Deadpool after his battle in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with his headless body retrieving said head.

S E I V O M Possibly one of the most anticipated films of the year, The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled to arrive July 20th, so mark your calendar because it’s going to be amazing. Director Christopher Nolan has agreed not to film in 3D, and for that I thank him. Instead he will be focusing on image quality itself. He set the bar pretty high, considering the fact that his sequel almost out-did the original. Some wouild even argue that The Dark Knight was better than Batman Begins. Either way, predictions for the next sequel are looking up.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has been removed from this article due to EXCESSIVE expletives. You’re welcome.

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the Hunger Games may the odds be ever in your favor MOLLIE RIDGE Staff Reporter The famous book trilogy has been changed into a movie. The Hunger Games came out on March 23, and theaters

common besides the dark skin they shared. Along with that,

out so they didn’t start a nuclear war with Panem.

Katniss had black hair and gray eyes in the books; in the

Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss. Peeta is played by Josh

movie she had brown hair, and dark eyes. Just because she

Hutcherson, and the “amazing” Gale is played by Liam Hem-

doesn’t look like you pictured her, doesn’t mean you can

sworth. I belive personally that Cato stole the show from

be biased.

Gale and Peeta. Alexander Ludwig played Cato, who many

were packed tight. The Hunger Games is a book series by

The movie shows Seneca Crane, the primary game

Suzanne Collins, while the movie was directed by Gary

maker, being killed by having to stay in a locked room with

Ross.

only poisonous nightlock berries. Although in the book it

Most people were unsure of some of the District indus-

This movie shows some extreme special effects, from

never says how he was killed, we assume he was hanged be-

tries, so just for them: District 1: Luxury/machines, Dis-

fire bursting out of Katniss and Peeta’s clothes, to the fire

cause of Katniss’s picture she paints for the private showing

trict 2: Stone, weapons, makes trains and other supplies,

balls being thrown in the arena. The special effects are

with the Gamemakers in Catching Fire.

District 3: general electronics, District 4:Fishing, District 5:

done well, but they could’ve done a little better with the

think was the best male actor. I have to agree. He brought on the bravery and the arrogance portrayed in the book.

The main point of this movie was to show that the

power, District 6: transportation, District 7: lumber, Dis-

Districts were afraid of the Capitol, even with the uprising

trict 8: productions of textiles, District 9: grain, District

A lot of people have been saying that Rue in the books

that had happened years before and destroyed District 13.

10: Livestock, District 11: agriculture, District 12: Coal/

is not colored. Get with the program people, she is. In the

If you don’t know, the Capitol ruined District 13 to prove to

mining, and District 13 as you all should know is nuclear

book, when the author was describing what the tributes

the other Districts that they could do that to them with a

warfare, weapons.

look like, Suzanne Collins specifically said that Rue and

simple flip of the wrist. District 13’s industries were mining

Thresh shared dark skin; they didn’t have anything else in

graphite, and nuclear science. The Capitol whipped them

flaming capes.

Overall, the movie and the book are amazing, and I would strongly recommend you read and see them!

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The Lucky One crashes and burns MACKENZIE BROWN Staff Reporter

Logan, and his best friend are driving in a

has no story and no straight info as to where

dramatic that I actually was convinced the

military vehicle and it explodes. Logan makes

he came from, yet they give him a job. Why

movie was good. However, I look back on it

it out alive with a few scratches, and his

you would give a stranger a job at your fam-

and I realize how pointless and unrealistic

Yet another Nicholas Sparks movie came

best friend dies. That’s not just something

ily run-business is completely beyond me,

it actually was.It’s not a movie I will watch

out in theaters over the weekend, and much

that seems strange; logically that makes

but they did.

again and for those who haven’t seen it,

like the others, The Lucky One was a bust.

absolutely no sense. It really is not possible

As if it wasn’t bad enough how unre-

Its overly dramatic plot line and strangely

that two people in the same vehicle could

alistic it was, the casting was just—off.

casted characters led to another movie that

be in the same explosion, yet the one closest

Zac Efron seemed too young to play

wasn’t worth seeing.

to the engine makes it out fine.

Logan, whereas Taylor Schil-

The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron and

Later, when he returns home from

Taylor Schilling, tells the tale of a Marine

Iraq, he decides he wants to find the girl in

play Beth. Taylor Schil-

who finds a photo of a woman on the ground

the photo that he believed kept him safe.

ling is a young actor,

while serving in Iraq, then proceeds to carry

Somehow through a tiny lighthouse in the

but in the plot she

it around with him as it “keeps him safe.”

background of the photo he found, he was

had been married

When returning home, he goes out to find the

able to find where this girl lived. Out of fifty

and divorced with

woman in the photo, and ends up working at

states, it seems unnatural that he could just

a seven-year-old

her dog kennel.

jump on Google, type in “lighthouse,” and

son, which threw

Like the other movies based off of

find her exact location. It would have taken

me off.

Nicholas Sparks’ books (A Walk to Remember,

years to look at every lighthouse online to

The Notebook, The Last Song), The Lucky

find the exact one in the picture that he

saw the movie, so

One was overly cheesy. Many parts of it didn’t

found.

much was going

make sense. Like when the main character,

Then when he shows up to the barn, he

ling seemed too old to

Now, when I

on and it was so

there are much better options in theaters.

5/8/12

SPORTS

15

Patterson loves game of tennis MOLLIE RIDGE Staff Reporter Jocelyn Patterson, tennis star and senior, will be a new student to the University of Washington-Tacoma this fall.

Pa t t e r s o n has played tennis since her freshman year.

She fell into the sport, having never played before. History teacher Cheryl Moyd encouraged her to try out for the team and she hasn’t looked back since.

Getting interested in tennis wasn’t that hard, especially when Moyd gave her that extra push to try out for the team. Nor was getting her parents to support her; they gave her their support and encouraged her to play. Patterson also hopes she’ll improve on her serves next season. Despite her family’s encouragement and support, no one has ever showed up to every one of Patterson’s matches. “I don’t like people watching me play,” Patterson said. “It makes me more nervous than I should be.” She credits Moyd as her inspiration for playing tennis.

Patterson and her tennis partner, senior Jillian Stanphill, have played as the number one varsity spot for several matches. Devoting at least three hours a day to tennis, Patterson has found herself attached to the sport. To get ready for a match, Patterson and Stanphill talk and keep each other calm.

Learning to work together, Stanphill and Patterson are still getting used to that as they play pairs in tennis.

Growing up in a family that has been strong Husky fans, Patterson fell in love with the school herself and applied for to attend her dream school in the fall. She hopes to play for the UW tennis team next spring.

“My family has always loved the UW, and I grew up going to the football games,” Patterson said.

Along with tennis, Patterson also belonged to the Lady Raven Swim and Dive team her freshman year. Although swim team was fun, she never found that same passion she found that she had with tennis.

Outside of sports, Patterson is constantly helping in ASB. “It’s a big part of my life,” she said. She also has a busy life outside of the tennis team. She enjoys hang-

ing out with her friends and when not doing that, she works part-time at Nordstrom Rack in the Supermall. Her favorite things in life are spending time with her family and her dog, Calli.

Patterson has made tennis her sport for her four years here, and her devotion to the team shows the amount of practice she puts in and the results she sees in the matches.

Even with losing her last match, Patterson still believes that her team is doing an excellent job keeping up with the other teams in their league. “It’s an intense sport sometimes, and it takes a long time to learn even the game itself.”

A new set of students will root for her at the UW next fall, just as AR students have done, and Ravens can soon look forward to hearing about her exploits on the UW Tennis team.

Lacrosse gains popularity Freshman enjoys early DANIELLE CHIRIGUAYO Staff Reporter Lacrosse, “the fastest sport on two feet.” It has been dubbed by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, as “the best of all possible field games.”

Holding the title of being one of the oldest sports in North America, Lacrosse was a sport originally played by Native Americans.

According to usalacrosse.org, the earliest recorded information on lacrosse dates back to the early 1600s, when French Jesuits and other explorers came across the Native tribes playing this sport. Back then there were three basic forms of lacrosse, each indigenous to separate tribes and regions: the Southeastern, Great Lakes, and Iroquoian.

Although this version of the ball and stick game was more simplistic in comparison to today’s standards, the Native American versions were a stepping stone to today’s known game, allowing it to become the ever expanding sport it is today.

So what exactly is Lacrosse?

“I’ve heard people try to beat each other on purpose with sticks,” answered

junior Aeron Reddy.

To clear up any confusion, lacrosse is most definitely a real sport. According to junior Josh Davenport, lacrosse is a mix between hockey, soocer, football, and rugby.

It is a contact heavy sport, like football and soccer, and like soccer, a lacrosse field is nearly an exact duplicate.

Scoring has similarities to soccer. The player’s goal is to, while using their lacrosse sticks, throw a small rubber ball into a goal that looks a lot like a soccer goal.

On any given day, a number of students, including senior Javan Chow, can be seen sporting one of the picturesque lacrosse sticks. Often times made from hickory wood, a lacrosse stick can range anywhere from 6 to 10 feet long, and has a mesh pocket where the small rubber ball in which you score with is held.

Unlike some sports, such as golf, lacrosse is a fast-paced game.

“I’ve played many of the other sports, like football and baseball. But lacrosse is the most addicting and fun sport I’ve ever played,” said Chow.

Having more of a following on the East coast, lacrosse has recently gained a newfound popularity here on the West coast. Schools around Washington, Oregon, and especially California, are adding the game to their roster of sports available, although Riverside has yet to add it to the list of ones here.

Even though it’s been a long journey, lacrosse is slowly but surely making its way into the spotlight and onto fields around the country.

success with AR soccer MACKENZIE BROWN Staff Reporter Although he’s only in ninth grade, freshman Jordan Loomans has already become a starting player for the varsity soccer team. Helping the team to achieve victory, he’s been a leader to the team throughout the season.

From a young age, Loomans has played soccer for fun, and competitively. At the age of only 8, he started playing select soccer. Currently, he plays for the select soccer team Impact.

He still plays soccer today not only because he has talent, but because he enjoys the competition in the sport. To continue improving, Loomans practices two hours every day, whether it’s for school soccer or if it’s outside of school.

Growing up, even his older brother played soccer. But that wasn’t his only inspiration; he also looks up to a famous soccer player on the Argentina team, Lionel Messi.

“He’s my favorite player and he’s one of the best players in the world,” Loomans said. He values Messi’s skills and hopes to play like him someday.

Although the team has taken a hit, Loomans has been working to help the team improve. “We’ve been struggling a little bit,

but we’re starting to learn what it takes to win,” Loomans said. Currently, their stats are 5-8-2, which they’ve worked hard at all season to constantly improve.

In order to play soccer in college, Loomans works hard to keep his grades up.

He hopes to get a scholarship so he can go to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma where he wants to study sports medicine.

The first game the varsity team won was against Tahoma back at the end of March.

“In the first half we scored but we knew we had to continue fighting,” Loomans said.

“No matter how hard the other team fought, we kept fighting harder and brought it.” This was the game that made Loomans feel like the whole season was turning around.

Being a freshman on a varsity team may not always be easy, but according to varsity coach Robyn Saarenas, he’s kept up really well. “He rises up to the challenge and does a great job,” Saarenas said.

Other players on the varsity team appreciate what Loomans contributes. According to senior Mason Norgard, Loomans is hardworking, dedicated, positive, and always looking to score a goal.

Loomans’ soccer career is greatly supported by his family, who show up to every game. “[My family members] always dress up in my team’s colors and cheer me on,” Loomans said.

Until he graduates, Loomans’ primary focus will be school work and soccer. Then, hopefully, he’ll be able to follow his dream by studying sports medicine at PLU.

SPORTS

Sports Update

16 JAMES HORNBUCKLE Staff Reporter

Boys Soccer The varsity soccer team has been playing their hearts out in their past games and have been doing pretty well. The record is currently 5-8-2, and 5th in the SPSL North. They have many skilled soccer players on the team such as Gio Gonzalez, Mark Kavanaugh, Mason Nogard, Dillon Vickers and more. Their last game against Auburn was a victory for the team when they beat them 2-0.

Fastpitch The Riverside varsity fastpich team’s season is almost over and it has been fun for them to play against some of the top teams in the state.

Their record is 4-9 and although they lost the last game they played, they played hard and didn’t give up. They came together in the end as a team and played well. Some great softball players this year include Alyssa Jarman, Brianna Clarke, and Daniel Robinson. Because they are all seniors, they will be gone next year. Their season ended on May 4.

Track and Field

5/8/12 Girls Tennis

Boys and girls track are both doing very well this year. The boys track record is 2-2 and the girls record is 2-2. The boys track team has many great athletes on the team. According to coach Bill Sumner, the top athletes are Korey Krotzer, Eduard Yakimchuk, Trevor Love, Joe Miles and Mar’yea Harris. The boys’ last game was against Todd Beamer and they only lost by a few points, while the girls won by 16. The girls team has also been doing well this season. Their top athletes are Brandi Williams, Ali Rodseth, Rachel Atwood and Rachael O’Neil. “The team is capable of doing better for the season, but unfortunately there were lots of injuries,” Sumner said. Despite all the injuries, the girls team is on their way to hopefully earning the state title.

The varsity tennis team finished the season with a record of 5-5. The Varsity team had many great players this year such as Jessica Lancaster, Sara Suznevich, Jocelyn Patterson, and Jillian Stanphill. The tennis team had lots of new girls this year. They all had a fun playing the sport they love. “Our season went amazing and we had a blast!” said varsity tennis player Jillian Stanphill. Sadly, they will be losing seven seniors from the team this year, but more freshmen will be joining next year.

Baseball

The varsity girls water polo team is getting back up off their feet after a tough season.

Leading the team are senior captains Kate Wallen and Katia Pawlak. Looking forward to an intense game with Auburn Mountianview on Thursday, these girls are getting ready to go to State. “It’s a tough sport and it takes a lot,” senior Katia Pawlak said. They took back a tragic loss against Peninsula, and beat them 14-6. They lost in OT to Enumclaw, 6-5 just before press time.

The varsity baseball team has a record of 10-7 overall this season, and 8-7 in league, putting them in the middle of the pack. On April 21, they defeated Auburn, thanks to the skills of senior pitcher Michael Rucker as well as other players on the team. They recently had victories against Kentlake and Kentridge. A game was scheduled for last Friday against Emerald Ridge, just before press time.

Girls Water Polo