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ISSAQUAH PRESS INC. THE ISSAQUAH PRESS • SAMMAMISH REVIEW • NEWCASTLE NEWS • SNOVALLEY STAR P.O. Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027

425-392-6434

Three years ago, Editor Kathleen Merrill got teachers at each of the three high schools in The Issaquah Press’ coverage area to start submitting student-written columns to the paper so they could appear weekly on the Schools page. She believed it was important to have student voices in the newspaper.

This past summer, a local teen contacted Merrill and asked about having more space for teens in the newspaper. Both were convinced that having such content would increase teen readership of The Press, increase adults’ understanding of teen issues and give teens a voice where they previously had none.

The result was The Beat, a monthly full page written by teens about teens for teens. What started as a cool idea has caught on in a big way and as schools prepare to let out for the summer, plans are beginning for the next school year’s pages.

The Press now engages teens as readers and contributors in a way the newspaper had not before.

The Beat is only the second teen-produced newspaper section in the state of Washington.

Every month, there is a hard news story (topics covered have included the deadly choking game, homosexuality and health care reform); a feature from each of the three high schools, often about the same topic (recently featured were quirky clubs); an arts and entertainment piece (student bands, art projects, etc.); a how-to column; The Hot List (three things that are hot and now, including websites, books, music and movies); and Teen Talk, a man-on-the-street-type feature which asks students what they think about an important issue (a recent one talked about their thoughts on the health care law).

Since the page started in December, teens have flocked to read The Beat, and to participate in its creation. The Beat’s Facebook page has more than 400 fans! A student posts updates on Twitter as well. Students come to Beat staff members throughout the month with story ideas and opinions. Teen Talk features a diverse group of students from all three schools and includes their photos with their opinions.

The Beat is also changing the lives of the students involved in the project. Because of their new self-esteem, confidence and belief in what they’re doing, three members of The Beat staff recently attended a business plan competition at Seattle Pacific University, where they won $250. They were the only teens at the competition.

The eight student writers and three student photographers (Beat staff members attend all three schools) meet with Merrill each month to talk about the following month’s issue, so it’s planned weeks in advance, making sure everyone makes his or her deadline among all of the school projects and commitments they already have. The staff also learns a real-life journalism lesson each month. Merrill and Beat Editor Tiffany Xu meet once a month to edit copy and plan some design details of the page.

Another interesting feature is that people in the community, through grants and donations Merrill and Xu have obtained, pay for the page. This was done so the page doesn’t have to have advertising, giving the students the maximum amount of space available.

This project is growing and breaking boundaries. More people are reading and commenting on it all the time. People are already asking to sponsor pages next year. But most importantly, young people and adults are reading The Beat and talking about issues they previously didn’t discuss. And The Press is more relevant to more of its reader base.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 Page C6

The Issaquah Press section by teens, for teens, about teens

GET INVOLVED Natural Helpers Listening skills are the most important aspect a Natural Helper can have, according to Natural Helpers President Karen Lin.

By Michelle Dvorak The stereotype of the apathetic teen need no longer apply; in many ways, kids are seeking to destroy indifference and encourage awareness.

Motivated by tackling issues, such as suicide and depression, drugs, alcohol and eating disorders, Natural Helpers are the students nominated by their peers as the kids to talk to, the ones who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

Travel the tunnels of Skyline High School after school on a Wednesday, and you would find a group of students learning about major teen issues and putting together events for the purpose of awareness.

Natural Helpers are there to listen and inform. Recently, the club presented the Youth Suicide Prevention program, and through presentations in the classroom sought to enlighten their teens of the crises others may face.

“It's not just helping people. It's listening and understanding what teens go through,” Lin said. “Who knows, it could help yourself with some issues you possibly have.”

Natural Helpers meets Wednesdays after school at Skyline High School.

This is your RAKE-up call!

Families unite for Christmas, a universal season of hope, joy and light. Unnoticed stood a man huddled in the deserted streets on a

By Rachel Osgood frigid winter night. From her kitchen window, a woman caught sight of the man and gestured him inside for a hot drink.

The man hesitantly accepted, but hastily ate in her kitchen.

This random act of kindness changed the life of the woman, as acts such as this have inspired people universally.

Brianna Fowler-Linder, president of RAKE or Random Acts of Kindness Everyday club, brought the desire to perform acts of charity to Issaquah High School.

So, what is RAKE? The goal of the club is to improve the high school atmosphere through the unification of the student body.

The students involved seek to better their community on an individual and personal level.

Through minor gestures of kindness daily, these students are on a mission to “inspire change and acceptance through the exchange of love,” Fowler-Linder said.

The Random Acts of Kindness Everyday club meets Mondays after school at Issaquah High School. Learn more about upcoming events or becoming a member by e-mailing b.fowlerlinder@gmail.com.

The giving tree Every year, Liberty High School’s Key Club hosts a giving tree in the main office of the school, a tradition met with great enthusiasm by the student body.

By Daniel The tree was up Pickering from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, and the gifts received were given to five needy families in the Liberty area.

This year, student participation was high.

“We had tons of gifts, every tag on the tree was taken and there were tons of gift cards,” said Cari Fraley, vice president of Key Club at Liberty High School.

The giving tree is only one of the events the Key Club runs. The student organization is also planning a canned food drive for Martin Luther King Jr. week, and will donate the proceeds directly to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.

“Our main goal is to help out the community around us and make it a better place, and to inspire kids to get out of their daily routine and go help others,” Fraley said.

One step forward, two steps back A look at the future of gay politics t had been two months since petitioners against Senate Bill 5688 qualified Referendum 71 for the ballot. For two months, the

By Ehrik Aldana Washington LGBT community actively fought to extend the rights of same-sex domestic partnerships. After two months, their efforts paid off.

On Nov. 3, Referendum 71, the “everything but marriage” bill, was approved by Washington state voters 53 percent to 47 percent — a victory for Washington’s gay and lesbian community.

While domestic partners’ rights have been growing in steps since the creation of a domestic partnership registry in 2007, the passing of R-71 expanded the rights and protections of same-sex domestic partners to that of married spouses

I

— the ability to take family and medical leave when a partner is seriously ill, the right to workers compensation coverage, and insurance coverage and group policy rights.

While R-71 didn’t explicitly concern same-sex marriage, opposition to the referendum made this a primary tool in combating the measure. Currently, the U.S. federal government recognizes marriage as a legal union exclusively between a man and a woman under the Defense Marriage Law. Similar stances of opposition have been recently displayed on a state level. Also on Nov. 3, Maine voters rejected a ballot measure 53 percent to 47 percent, in turn repealing the legalization of same-sex marriage passed in May. Earlier this month, the New York state Senate rejected a measure that would have made New York just the sixth state to allow gay marriage, becoming the 31st state to reject same-sex marriage when put to a popular vote.

When it comes to the argument of civil rights for the LGBT community, decisions have not always been in their favor. But with a rising generation of teen voters preparing to mail their own ballots, America may soon see a shift in regard to gay politics.

BY STEPHANIE YI

Students at Skyline High School, above and at left, get together to talk about issues in a meeting of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. All three schools in the Issaquah School District have student GSAs. The clubs at Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty are among more than 3,000 such clubs at high schools in the United States.

Teens today are exposed to gay culture in a more positive and tolerant atmosphere than ever before.

Today, there are more than 3,000 U.S. high school gaystraight alliances — clubs intended to promote a safe and sup-

Thespians take the lead at One Act Festival or many high school students, theater is a very influential aspect of their life. The schools in the Issaquah School District have many talented performers, and the Bellevue One Act Festival is an opportunity for them to showcase their talent and dramatic creativity.

The festival is an all-day event at Bellevue College, where high

By Alex Tucker school actors come from around the state to perform one-act plays. The reason this particular drama event is different from other theater festivals is that One Acts are completely student-based.

“One Act performances are entirely student run,” said Issaquah High School Drama Club Vice President Sarah Meyer, a senior. “They are student-directed and acted. Some are even student-written.”

The festival lets students take the lead and unleash their creative genius by directing or performing a short play without adult influences.

A lot goes into putting together

F

BY ERIC CLARK

Alanna Redine, a senior at Issaquah High School and an actress in a play at the One Act Festival, rehearses with Sarah Meyer, also a senior at IHS and director of a play. a One Act performance.

It “takes about two months, because usually we audition in December and then we go on winter break,” Meyer said. “We have a few rehearsals over break, but it doesn’t really get intense until after break. We mostly rehearse in finals week.”

The festival typically takes place at the end of January. One Acts are popular among drama students, and the festival is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

They are “a tremendous learn-

ing experience as an actor and a director,” Meyer said. “The adjudicators give us tips about what we did right and wrong, and we can take that back and apply it to our future theater experiences.

Also, we get to see all of the other schools perform, so we can learn from that as well as from the adjudicators.”

Meyer is directing a One Act this year, and she has acted in them in the past.

“This will be my third year going, and I love it,” she said.

high school GSAs numbered only about 100.

With the youth of today currently breaking cultural boundaries between LGBT and straight communities, the political climate prepares itself for strides of change.

Here’s how to find the perfect gift on a budget The holiday season has become an increasingly difficult problem in these hard economic times.

Many of us

By Olivia Spokoiny lack the time and money to search for the perfect holiday gift for our family and friends — especially teenagers.

It is a common misconception that the “perfect gift” has to be something impressive, new or expensive. In fact, there are endless ways to be thrifty and creative.

Unique ideas ✔ Start with a photo. Decorate

it, frame it and add your own artistic flair. Handmade gifts are both meaningful and personalized, for they cannot be duplicated by anyone else. ✔ Throw a white elephant gift exchange. Invite your closest friends and family for a night of holiday fun. Everyone who brings a gift leaves with another, and also leaves with the experience of getting together with people for the holidays and sharing. ✔ Create a coupon book. Make a booklet of promises of evenings out and breakfasts in bed.

It is the little things that count and the most personalized gifts that people will remember for years to come. There is no better way to express kindness, love and appreciation during the holidays.

STAFF EDITOR Tiffany Xu, Skyline High School, junior PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Clark, Issaquah High School, senior

Movie: “Precious” is a film adaptation of the award winning novel “Push,” by Sapphire. ✔

Clareece “Precious” Jones is 16, illiterate, overweight and abused by her troubled family.

However, she finds hope in a school when a teacher helps her begin a new life. As she is pregnant with her second child, she learns a valuable lesson that “life is hard…short…painful…rich.

Life is Precious.”

✔

The Hot List

By Olivia Spokoiny

Stephanie Yi, Skyline High School, sophomore

Book: “Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations,” by Alex and Brett Harris. ✔

Through humorous real-life stories, Alex and Brett Harris are starting a movement that encourages youths to rebel against the low expectations of their culture by challenging themselves, and start a “rebelution” for a better future.

Album: “The Fame Monster,” by Lady Gaga.

The new “queen of pop” shares her deepest fears and discusses the dark side of being in the limelight.

Key Club meets every Tuesday morning in Liberty’s staff lounge.

portive environment for LGBT youth and their straight allies — that are registered with the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. These include GSAs in Issaquah, Liberty and Skyline high schools, as well as the Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus. In 1997,

REPORTERS Ehrik Aldana, Skyline High School, junior Michelle Dvorak, Skyline High School, senior Rachel Osgood, Issaquah High School, sophomore Daniel Pickering, Liberty High School, junior Max Smith-Holmes, Skyline High School, senior Olivia Spokoiny, Skyline High School, sophomore Alex Tucker, Issaquah High School, junior LOGO Carla Mokin CONTACT US Send your story ideas and suggestions to editor@isspress.com.

Comment on the stories and issues at www.issaquahpress.com.

Follow @issaquahbeat on Twitter. Or join The Beat on Facebook.

Press Editor Kathleen R. Merrill oversees the staff of The Beat.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Page C6

The Issaquah Press section by teens, for teens, about teens

H OW T O

KEEP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

By Alex Tucker Let’s face it. Not all of us have the best track record for keeping our New Year’s resolutions. We forget about them, put them off or give up entirely.

Keeping a New Year’s resolution is not an impossible feat, though. Here are some tips to help you be successful and reach your goal: Rewind Remember why you set your resolutions in the first place.

Keeping the end product of your goal in mind can be an amazing motivator.

Remind Keep constant reminders of your goal. Jot it down on sticky notes, set alarms on your phone and make time for it in your schedule.

Revise If you are not completely satisfied with the resolutions you made, revise them! It is easy to make goals that are unrealistic and overly ambitious. It is important for your goal to be challenging, but still within reach.

Reward Working toward your resolutions doesn’t have to be a grind. Reward yourself when you’ve made progress!

With dedication, hard work and your eye on the prize, you don’t have to wait another year to achieve your goals!

The Hot List

By Rachel Osgood ✔

Movie: “Dear John”

“Dear John” stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in a tragic love story set against the backdrop of war. It was adapted from the novel by Nicholas Sparks, author of “The Notebook.”

Book: “Half the Sky,”

by Nicholas D. Kristof ✔

Kristof documents the oppression faced by girls in Asia and Africa, and shines light on how educating girls can create opportunistic futures for society as a whole. Read the book that has inspired fundraising events on a global scale, and learn how you can get involved in “The Girl Effect.”

Album: “Battle Studies,”

by John Mayer ✔

John Mayer, the idolized artist of everything from soft rock to adult contemporary, described his fourth album in a June 2009 concert. It’s called “‘Battle Studies’ and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations and a little bit of advice. Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook."

Issaquah High School

Skyline High School

Robotics Society

Robotics Club

The Issaquah Robotics Society is in full swing as it gears up for its first competition in March in Portland, Ore. The robotics club has an impressive history of victories, and this year will likely be no different, due to the members’ enthusiasm and dedication. just had our kickoff where we found

By Alex Tucker out“We what this year’s competition game will be, so currently, we are prototyping for our competition robot,” said robotics member John Feiler, a junior.

A competition game is what each team must make their robot for.

“This year, it is like a weird version of soccer,” Feiler said.

FILE The club deElyse Edwards, Carolyn Adkins and Janella signs its robot Shu (front to back) check their robot’s collec- to be successtion and shooting mechanisms. ful at the game, but as Jared Fernandez, IHS robotics advisor said, the purpose of robotics is “to inspire youth to be interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields.”

Feiler agreed.

“It’s a good educational experience that can prepare us for future careers in science and technology,” he said. “Plus, it’s fun!”

The Robotics Society meets Mondays after school in Fernandez’s room.

Armed with a few dedicated members and a tight budget, the Skyline Robotics Club aims to leave its mark at the 2010 For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Competition March 25-27 at Key Arena.

They have just over a month to finish designing and building a robot capable of navigating through obstacles while playBy Michelle Dvorak ing a game of something like one-on-none soccer.

Club president Dominique Porcincula and team member Chris Schappell launched into an alltoo technical guideline of how to build a robot.

It involves Computer Aided Design, blueprints and math skills, but “most of it’s all hardware,” Schappell said.

The budget is CONTRIBUTED $8,000, just enough Constructing one of the wheels for a for a basic robot. robot are (from left) Sarah Steck, Supriya “We don’t have the Dublish, Tiffany Ng and Austin Atwood. resources to make something hover,” Schappell said.

The start-up kit alone is $5,000.

Club advisor Hearan Shim said the first robotics team made a great robot last year, but lacked members and resources. Upon arriving at competition, though, “Everyone’s crazy. It’s so fun,” she said.

With a larger team and three engineers as mentors, the team needs only financial support to build a killer robot.

Money matters aside, “What makes a good robot? Teamwork,” Porcincula said.

Robotics Club meets at Skyline every Tuesday after school.

Liberty High School Physettes The stereotypical image of a scientist is male. A quick Google image search is enough to confirm it.

Liberty High School’s Physettes Club strives to break that image.

“Physettes is a club that promotes feminism within the fields of science and engineering,” club president and junior Danielle Lemmon said.

Last year, the club took part in Washington State’s Cool School Challenge, a program that any school in the state can take

By Daniel Pickering up to increase environmental awareness among its staff and students.

The club is looking to do the program again this year.

“We audit teachBY NATHAN WILHELM ers on The Liberty High School Physettes Club stands in their energy usfront of the school’s new Solar Panel. age,” Lemmon said. “And the money that we help save goes back into [Liberty’s] budget.”

Physettes Club also hosted a science-tutoring program after school, for freshmen to study for finals, and members are planning to volunteer at the salmon hatchery this spring.

The Physettes Club is very eager to change that scientist image; the club has more than 30 members.

Physettes Club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school in science teacher Mark Buchli’s classroom.

2010: A Year for DREAMers? ntil he moved to Issaquah from El Paso, Texas, Josue Lopez crossed the Mexican border every day in order to attend El Paso High School.

Although a permanent

By Tiffany Xu resident of the United States, Lopez lived with his mother in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, because they could not afford the rent in Texas.

Every morning, he was dropped off at the Santa Fe Bridge, where he walked an additional 30 minutes to get to school.

“I’ve always appreciated my education,” Lopez said. “But my experience is nothing compared to what these kids have to go through every day.”

He is referring to the 65,000 undocumented students in the United States who graduate from high school every year. Children of parents who immigrated here illegally, such students cannot obtain permanent citizenship. Without Social Security

U

numbers, undocumented high school graduates cannot receive governmental financial aid for college. They also cannot legally find jobs.

The solution could lie in the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (deemed the DREAM Act), introduced to Congress on March 26, 2009. Part of comprehensive immigration reform, the legislation seeks to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants ages 12-35.

High school graduates of “good moral character” who entered the country before age 16 and lived in the country for five years are eligible to apply.

Once approved, students must pursue at least two years of military service or higher education. After five and a half years, they would be allowed to apply for permanent residency.

José Vasquez, of the Latino Community Fund in Seattle and recent University of Washington graduate, sees the DREAM Act as the path toward closing the achievement gap between Latino and other students in

WHAT DO STUDENTS SAY? “I’m afraid it might just cause more illegal immigration, which could have potentially negative economic effects.”

— Adam Cordova, IHS senior “I don’t think that students should be deported.

They should be allowed to finish their high

the state.

He said the 16 percent high school dropout rate for Latinos in the state is directly related to a large percentage of them not gaining permanent citizenship.

“They feel that there is no purpose in graduating from high school,” he said.

Vasquez said he believes passage of the DREAM Act would change their mindsets.

He’s not alone. With the influence of nonprofit student organizations, 10 states — including Washington — have passed bills to grant undocumented high school students in-state tuition for state universities.

Many sympathize with these DREAMers, who had little say in their parents’ deci-

school and college education here, but the government should not provide special financing for illegal immigrants.”

— Allison Bolgiano, LHS senior “I think it’s a good idea to increase the educated working class, but the DREAM Act could also negatively increase illegal immigration. It’s hard to say what is beneficial in the long run.”

— Emma Myers, SHS senior

sions. Opposition views the legislation as encouraging further illegal immigration and robbing legal U.S. students of education assistance and opportunities.

“A lot of people are saying the DREAM Act provides amnesty for people who have broken the law,” Vasquez said. “Instead of punishing individuals for breaking the law, why not analyze the broken immigration system and see how we can fix this system?”

The debate over the DREAM Act and immigration reform continues in Congress. But the legislation’s outcome could be life changing for hundreds of thousands of undocumented high school students who will no longer attend school in vain.

Will the 2010 Oscars take a bold new direction?

In 2009, moviegoers played witness to floating mountains, alien apartheid, levitating houses, time-warping

By Ehrik Aldana red matter and at least three incarnations of George Clooney — those of which included a hippie and a talking fox.

Another year of film is over, and the movie awards season is creeping up with Oscar gold just around the corner. Of the 274 films eligible for the 2009 Oscar race, 10 — an adjustment from previous years’ five — will receive nominations for the Best Picture award.

Many professional associations, such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the American Film Institute, the Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and countless critic groups across America, have chipped in their two cents as to what films they feel should be regarded as 2009’s best.

T EEN TALK “What is your pick for best film, best actor and best actress?

Issaquah High School Best Film:

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Best Actor: Will Smith in ‘Seven Pounds’ Best Actress: Rachel McAdams in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ — Derrick Brown, sophomore

The contenders include widely acclaimed films that range from: Oscar-friendly dramas — “Up in the Air,” “The Hurt Locker” and “Invictus.”

Obscure indies — “A Serious Man,” “An Education” and “Precious.”

REPORTERS Ehrik Aldana, Skyline High School, junior Michelle Dvorak, Skyline High School, senior

STAFF

Rachel Osgood, Issaquah High School, sophomore

EDITOR Tiffany Xu, Skyline High School, junior

Daniel Pickering, Liberty High School, junior

Best Film:

‘Avatar’ Best Actor: Taylor Lautner in ‘New Moon’ Best Actress: Rachel McAdams in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ — Lauren Peterson, junior

Liberty High School Best Film:

‘The Hangover’ Best Actor: Clive Owen in ‘The International’ Best Actress:

Family-geared animated fea-

tures — “Coraline,” “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Up.” And blockbuster science fiction films — “Avatar,” “District 9” and “Star Trek.”

Then, there are those that can hardly be classified into a particuMax Smith-Holmes, Skyline High School, senior Olivia Spokoiny, Skyline High School, sophomore Alex Tucker, Issaquah High School, junior PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Clark, Issaquah High School, senior

Sandra Bullock in ‘The Proposal’ — Sean Callahan, senior Best Film: ‘New Moon’ Best Actor: Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in ‘The Proposal’ — Mollie Cooke, freshman

Skyline High School Best Film: ‘Avatar’ Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in

‘Nine’ Best Actress: Meryl Streep in ‘It’s

lar genre, like Quentin Tarantino’s World War II spaghetti western — “Inglourious Basterds.”

While 2009 may not have been regarded by critics as one of the best years for the traditional Oscar spread of drama, it certainly was one of the most diverse in quality

Complicated’ — Jamie Klavano, sophomore

Best Film:

‘Inglourious Basterds’ Best Actor: Morgan Freeman in ‘Invictus’ Best Actress: Gabourey Sidibe in ‘Precious’ — Abby Whitaker, sophomore

and will have a lasting impact on the standards to which sci-fi, animation and other genre films will be held.

Nominations for the 82nd annual Academy Awards will be released Feb. 2. The ceremony is March 7, and will be broadcast on ABC.

Stephanie Yi, Skyline High School, sophomore

PAGE DESIGN David Hayes

Nathan Wilhelm, Liberty High School, junior

CONTACT US Send your story ideas and suggestions to editor@isspress.com.

Comment on the stories and issues at www.issaquahpress.com.

Follow @issaquahbeat on Twitter.

Or join The Beat on Facebook.

Press Editor Kathleen R. Merrill oversees the staff of The Beat.

LOGO Carla Mokin MANAGING EDITOR Kathleen R. Merrill

The Issaquah Press section by teens, for teens, about teens

The staff of The Beat would like to thank this month’s sponsor, the Liberty High School Parent Teacher Student Association, for its generous support of this issue. Learn more about Liberty PTSA at www.LibertyHighPTSA.org or e-mail LibertyHighPTSA@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Page B7

By Ehrik Aldana ✔

The Hot List

E XTREME CLUBS

Olivia Spokoiny

Clay time

Movie: ‘Shutter Island’

Touted as filmmaker Martin Scorcese’s first venture into the horror genre, “Shutter Island,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, follows a U.S. marshal’s venture onto an island for the criminally insane. The film is adapted by the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, author of other novels adapted into film, including “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone.”

Book: ‘Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime,’ by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

✔

Despite bloggers, journalists and pundits who seemingly exhausted the wellspring of gossip from the 2008 presidential campaign, “Game Change” shows that there are still surprising stories and behind-the-scenes accounts of the then-candidates to be explored. ✔ Album: ‘Contra’

By Vampire Weekend

Two years following the critical acclaim and commercial success of its debut album, Vampire Weekend returns with “Contra.” The album — featuring Auto-Tune, Ivy League lyrics and catchy world beat-influenced grooves — put the Columbia University indie-rockers in a genre of their own.

H OW T O

EMBRACE YOUR FACEBOOK ADDICTION Facebook addictions are difficult to cure. Unless you’re about to resort to services such as Web 2.0 SuiBy Tiffany Xu cide Machine (hand over your account information, say a few last words and watch your virtual profiles be erased within an hour), it’s time to fully embrace social networking.

Here are five tips for how to put your Facebook to better use. Who knows, they might temporarily alleviate your feelings of guilt and inadequacy as well.

1. Forget Doppelgänger Week and Favorite Pokémons. Start a new trend and show your political savvy by changing your profile picture to reflect the candidate you support (be it someone in the local, national or school government).

2. Statuses like “I should be asleep by now” and “FML” only add to your guilt. Instead, treat status as prime real estate for inspirational song lyrics and wise reflections about life. They will for sure reap dozens of “likes” and comments.

3. Become a hardcore activist!

Now, you too can call yourself a humanitarian by helping end illiteracy and poverty in Third World countries, just by clicking “join group.”

4. Gain widespread Internet popularity through lobbying for events, such as “International Skip School Day” and “Talk Like Sarah Palin Day.” 5. Brush up your About Me section: Load on the impressive extracurricular activities and list all the classics you haven’t read.

These days, admissions officers are roaming the site, too. Now, you’ll not only impress your peers, but also colleges.

BY JORDAN RIXON

In a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, Allen Suner and Doug Dietzel fight for the Quaffle as (from left) Aseem Chipalkatti, Max Sherman, Sam Schneble, Erin Hoffman, Sam Stendal, David Zhong and Joseph Choung look on.

‘For the love of Harry Potter!’

Skyline High School’s Harry Potter Club is the largest (and certainly the quirkiest) club that the high school offers this year. Juniors Erin Hoffman and Erin Pazaski, founders and “Head Mistresses,” said the idea evolved over the past summer.

At the first meeting, more than 150 Skyline students were sorted into houses — Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw — according to results from surveys created by the Head Mistresses.

The students show remarkable pride for their houses, and are eager to participate in meeting activities, which exclusively revolve around the Harry Potter saga. The club meetings, every other Wednesday, consistently draw about 50 attendees.

The houses compete to earn the most points throughout the year, and creativity counts. The Hufflepuff house was recently rewarded with points for making a mascot entirely out of duct tape. Points can also be earned through trivia, spell-dueling and Quidditch matches.

Despite the rivalry, the eclectic group is brought together for one reason and one reason only, according to Hufflepuff Elaine Pazaski, “It’s all for the love of Harry Potter!”

The outlandish phenomenon sweeping its way through Issaquah High School will surely recapture your childhood fancies. Clay Club, a unique gathering for the Play-Doh-obsessed, gives students the chance to satisfy their artistic whims every other Friday.

Shannon Chen and Grace Wu, juniors By Rachel Osgood and current presidents of the club, were asked by the founder to carry on the tradition. The rapidly expanding club has since cultivated a group of about 10 regulars.

Members eagerly embrace the light-hearted pastime.

“Clay Club is my favorite part of the week,” said senior Spencer Hilde. “I’m always looking forward to those two Fridays every month, during which I can hang out and learn how to make creations ranging from roses to lollipops.”

Clay Club is a unique place for socializing as well.

“I love going to Clay Club to visit with my friends and cultivate my skills with clay,” said Amy Bear, a senior and a regular club member.

Certainly one of the most unusual clubs offered at Issaquah High, Clay Club is open to anyone looking for an entertaining way to meet new people while appreciating the art of clay.

BY NATHAN WILHELM

Members of the Japan Club actively engaged in a game of ‘Jeopardy!’

Japan Club: Not your average kurabu

BY RACHEL OSGOOD

Spencer Hilde (left) and Christian Osgood show off their unique clay creations.

When the Japanese language class is not enough to properly immerse oneself in Japanese culture, look no further than Liberty’s Japan Club.

“The goal of it is to get more people to see past the stereotypical anime stuff and see how rich in culture Japan is, and how unique they are,” club treasurer and junBy Daniel ior Amanda Howard said.

Pickering Instead of having a central focus or mission, the club breaks off into smaller groups. At a typical meeting, several things will be happening at once.

“Half the club will watch anime and half the club will do something random, like learn to draw manga, or origami,” club member and junior Lisa Perry said. “There are also some people who aren’t in Japanese class that the club has taught some Japanese language to.”

“Not too many people from the actual class are in the club,” Howard said. “And those that aren’t in the class now want to be, thanks to the club. It’s really helped to get more people to take the Japanese class.”

Japan club meets every Monday and Thursday in Matthew Harvey’s classroom from 2:30-4 p.m.

A band of free spirits The best part about being in a band, Nick Luempert said, “is jamming with friends.”

For Neil Gregerson, it’s making music and “figuring out how to put the pieces together.”

The two seniors started their band, Masters and Johnson, during the summer of their sophomore year at Issaquah High School. You can catch them playing at a number of music venues, including the Old Firehouse in Issaquah, and at art galleries, such as the Ursa Minor in Seattle.

Masters and Johnson draws from “crazy jazz drumming,” “punk music, ’60s under-

ground” and “Captain Beefheart and Sonic Youth,” the members said. The result is eclectic yet distinctively Seattle, a bit of punk and some Indie for the underground scene.

By Michelle Dvorak The two say they like messing around with different instruments. Gregerson sticks with guitar and vocals, but is also a drummer at the Chilladelphia in Seattle with roots in vi-

MASTERS & JOHNSON PHOTO

Neil Gregerson (left) and Nick Luempert perform at a recent gig. ola. Luempert plays the drums, but started out on bass guitar and piano. They had only a few months of classical lessons, but felt

there’s more freedom in self-teaching.

In the various garages they play in, experimentation reigns. Gregerson fiddles with the drums, tunes his strings alternatively and mashes up 30 parts for one song.

They change patterns, sounds, even instruments. The music, Luempert said, “just evolves.”

Both have hopes of attending Evergreen State College, where they could study history, sociology or even library sciences.

“It’s hard to see where the arts and music come in,” Gregerson said.

But music is not something either of them will give up. A place to practice on campus without drawing complaints from neighbors would be ideal.

“I feel the most natural doing music,” Gregerson said.

Class helps parents overcome teen misconceptions Any teenager is aware of the misconceptions parents have about them. Parents share stories and fears with

By Max Smith-Holmes one another, creating the illusion that certain issues are more prevalent among their children, while ignoring other potentially harmful ones.

In January, the Issaquah School District PTSA presented a series of educational seminars for parents, entitled “What Are Teens Really Doing Today?”

For three weeks, the seminars were presented at each of the district’s high schools. The seminars were based on the PTSA Parent Education’s handbook, “Parent & Teen Survival Guide.”

Inside the guide are a series of suggestions for parenting a modern teenager. Most of the advice is already in any parent’s repertoire, things like having a child check in whenever the plans for his or her night have changed or,

when going out of town, to leave a neighbor with all health information.

“I think that parents just have to be involved with their children in order to keep them from making bad decisions,” said Jeff Stillwell, a Skyline High School senior.

But some of the district’s Parent Education advice fosters an unhealthy environment of suspicion regarding teenagers’ activities. The book gives the impression that teenagers will seize any bit of free rein given to them in order to break the law or engage in dangerous behavior. Most teenagers have respect for their parents and their parents’ boundaries.

For certain teens, a bit of suspicion might be necessary. Parents don’t need seminars or survival guides to cultivate a sense of trust; they just need to be connected with their child and alter their rules to deal with what makes the most sense for their teen.

“It really just depends on what kind of kid it is,” said Daniel Guo, another Skyline senior. “Some get

REPORTERS Ehrik Aldana, Skyline High School, junior

STAFF EDITOR Tiffany Xu, Skyline High School, junior

Michelle Dvorak, Skyline High School, senior Rachel Osgood, Issaquah High School, sophomore Daniel Pickering, Liberty High School, junior

T EEN TALK What is the biggest misconception parents have about teens?

Liberty High School “The student’s potential.”

— Austin Tracy, junior

“That we are irresponsible.”

— Jennifer Gaidjiergis sophomore

into trouble more than others.”

One thing is certain — teens

Issaquah High School

Skyline High School

“That we are bad drivers.

Many of us are, but not all of us.”

— Kenny Hitchings, senior

“We are always thought to have no knowledge of safety. But in reality, we live in a year that knows so much about how to handle ourselves.”

— Stephanie Ellis, sophomore

“Most adults view teens as irresponsible.

Quite a few of us are more responsible than they like to think.”

— Dee McConnell, senior

“We have more common sense than they usually give us credit for.

Parents always ask their kids about where they are going, who they are going with, what they're going to do and when they're coming back. We just want to hang out.”

— Lindsey Brown, sophomore

want to explore their boundaries.

But that does not always neces-

sarily mean they will make poor decisions.

Max Smith-Holmes, Skyline High School, senior

Stephanie Yi, Skyline High School, sophomore

PAGE DESIGN David Hayes

Olivia Spokoiny, Skyline High School, sophomore

Nathan Wilhelm, Liberty High School, junior

Alex Tucker, Issaquah High School, junior

LOGO Carla Mokin

PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Clark, Issaquah High School, senior

MANAGING EDITOR Kathleen R. Merrill

CONTACT US Send your story ideas and suggestions to editor@isspress.com.

Comment on the stories and issues at www.issaquahpress.com.

Follow @issaquahbeat on Twitter.

Or join The Beat on Facebook.

Press Editor Kathleen R. Merrill oversees the staff of The Beat.

The Issaquah Press section by teens, for teens, about teens

The Beat staff would like to thank this month’s sponsor, the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah, for its generous support for this issue. Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah at www.issaquah.kiwanis.org. Want to support teen journalism and The Beat? E-mail editor@isspress.com.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Page B7

By Max Smith-Holmes ✔

The Hot List

Web site: Google Wave

Google Wave, the next generation of e-mail, combines real-time chat and document sharing into a single experience. Wave was kept incredibly exclusive by Google, with membership limited to 100,000 until November 2009, when a preview became available to the public through an application process. Get your invitation at https://services.google.com/fb/ forms/wavesignup.

Event: Sasquatch! Music Festival (May 29 -31)

✔

This year’s festival features local talents and world-renowned artists. Hear from the likes of African electro-pop trio The Very Best, Portland dance/grunge sensation YACHT and the ‘90s one-hit wonder band Ween. ✔

Band: She and Him

Also playing at Sasquatch!, She and Him features (500) Days of Summer star Zooey Deschanel. The band’s combination of jazz and classic pop music is accented by Deschanel’s sultry voice.

Don’t miss their “Volume Two” album, just released this week.

H OW T O

MAKE THE BEST OF APRIL FOOLS’ DAY It’s that time of year again — and there are ways to make it through the day with plenty of laughs without getting Olivia Spokoiny grounded. As long as your pranks are goodhearted, your April Fools’ Day should be memorable. Here are some that will do the trick: 1. Give a friend an Oreo cookie, but replace the cream with toothpaste. If you think about it, it’s a nice gesture. You’re giving him or her a cookie, but you’re also telling him or her that you’re concerned for his or her dental health. Maybe he or she will thank you one day for this.

2. Take a print screenshot of a friend’s desktop background with all the icons on it. Delete the icons, and set the screenshot as the desktop background. Next time he or she gets to the computer, it will appear to be frozen. As if he or she really needs to log onto Facebook every five minutes. You’re doing him or her a favor.

3. Replace salt with sugar. The food won’t taste too good, but it might sweeten someone up a bit.

4. Glue a penny to the sidewalk when your friend isn’t looking, and then tell him or her to pick it up. He or she will try, and struggle, and it will be hilarious, but he or she won’t succeed. Look at this way: It’s your attempt to help your friend become a penny richer — so, it’s the thought that counts.

5. Change all of the clocks in your house to an hour later than they are supposed to be. Everyone in the family will wake up an hour late, but at least they will be well rested.

The best way to go about April Fools’ Day is to look on the bright side and hope everyone has a good sense of humor like yourself.

What better way to show you care by going out of your way to amuse your friends?

‘That Swedish guy’

E XCHANGE STUDENTS

By Rachel Osgood

Say YES to Morocco Katie Cohen, a sophomore at Issaquah High School, recently returned from a semester abroad in Rabat, Morocco. Through the program Youth Exchange and Study, Cohen stayed with a host family and attended a Moroccan school.

“Morocco was one of the three countries the YES program offered, and it interested me because they spoke both French and Arabic,” Katie Cohen Cohen said, “I attended a Frenchspeaking school, which used the French system. There are two-hour lectures and then tests, no movies or worksheets like in American schools.”

Cohen discovered that education wasn’t the only cultural difference.

“During meals, families eat from a communal plate, using three fingers of their right hand,” Cohen explained, “The most commonly eaten food is couscous with veggies and meat.”

Life in Morocco offered Cohen a different perspective.

“Being a developing country, the rhythm of life was slower,” she said. “I felt like I was sipping tea and eating cookies for an entire semester. Also, life is more centered on family and school.”

Looking back on her journey, Cohen reflected, “My favorite part of the experience was seeing the different ways people live, and my least favorite part was that American social skills didn’t apply, such as a sense of humor, making it more difficult to meet new people.”

From Tohoku to Liberty

From Tohoku High School to Liberty High School, junior Ai Ito has had quite the transition, though it has been made easier by the ease at which she has found friends.

“I think American people are very friendly,” she said. “Japanese people are so shy.”

By Daniel While high school does generally Pickering start later in Japan than it does in the United States, Ito hasn’t experienced that big of a difference.

“I got up at five in the morning in Japan,” she said.

“The high school is far from my house, so I have to leave pretty early. I take the train to school, and it takes about two hours.”

Despite a starting time difference of almost two hours (Tohoku starts at 8:30 a.m.), Ito has adjusted well to her new surroundings. There are other changes that she finds odd, however.

“There’s no eating or drinking at all [at Tohoku]. Not even water bottles. And teachers change classrooms as the day goes on, but students don’t,” Ito said. “There are different classes every day of the week, and each day ends at 4.”

Ai Ito Ai returns to Japan at the end of the school year in midJune.

What is the most memorable prank you have ever experienced?

T EEN TALK

Choking is a deadly ‘game’ There are many activities that high school students are told to abstain from. Teens are advised against smoking, doing drugs, skipping school and other destructive behaviors.

One dangerous trend that is not often covered, though, is a deadly activity teenagers have

By Alex Tucker dubbed ‘the choking game.’

This is the practice of cutting off blood flow to the brain to achieve a natural high. The key is for the person to release pressure from their neck just before they pass out. But too many teens have died from not freeing themselves soon enough. This ‘game’ is often played with friends and, even more risky, alone.

This ‘game’ has been going on for many years, but the recent use of bonds such as ropes or ties has contributed to its growing fatality rate, in addition to more kids doing it alone. The organization Games Adolescents Shouldn’t Play, also known as G.A.S.P., estimates that between 250 and 1,000 teens die each year from the choking game, but statistics are hard to track, because many are reported as suicides.

A place that has experienced firsthand the deadly effects of the choking game is Issaquah High School.

On March 30, 2009, the choking game took the life of Issaquah sophomore Kevin Tork. As a student with good grades and a dedication to learning, his death came as a shock to many students.

“I sat next to him in math, and when I came into school one day to find that he was gone, it just blew me away,” junior Hayley Vickers said. “It was very unexpected, because he was the last person I would

In Sweden, David Hermansson biked or took the train to school. Here in Issaquah, he mooches rides off of friends.

In his hometown, Hermansson attended a high school with a hybrid focus on skateboarding and social studies. At Skyline High School, he’s had to adjust to a more rigid schedule and “a lot of

By Tiffany Xu rules.”

Hermansson, a 17-year-old from Göteborg, Sweden, has spent the past eight months in Issaquah as a Rotary Exchange student — or, as he’s known at school, “that Swedish guy.”

“I feel like I have changed so much since I came here,” he said. “More mature.”

Hermansson applied for the exchange to gain some new perspective.

“I was tired of the life there,” he said. “I did the same things every day. I skated, partied, hung out with friends.”

What he discovered in America was surprising.

“Kids are pretty much the same everywhere,” he said.

Indeed, Hermansson could pass for an American teenager.

He likes Qdoba, skateboarding in Seattle and, yes, Swedish Fish.

But far from being sucked into the college admissions mania here, Hermansson has a much more laidback attitude.

David Hermansson “I want to take a gap year before going to college. Maybe go work in Australia,” he said. “I want to be a clothing designer when I’m older.”

Looking back on his exchange, David said, “It’s been a rollercoaster. I’ve never really missed home.”

Liberty High School “I hooked a nut onto a string and put it up against my sisters window, so that in the middle of the night, I could pull on it and it would rattle across her window.”

— Nolan Palzer, freshman “I moved a friend’s new BMW around the back of the building he went into. When he came out, I told him that some guy stole it.”

— Tyler Snook, junior

Issaquah High School ever think would go that way.”

Perhaps the most frightening part of this growing trend is easy access to instructions. Sites such as YouTube explain in detail how to play the choking game, and the lightheartedness shown in the videos only encourages teens to try it. The videos do not discuss the immense risk and danger of it; they only portray the choking game as being fun.

The choking game is not an activity to be taken lightly, and the consequences of participating in this immensely dangerous ‘game’ can be devastating.

“I convinced my friend that it was Friday and we needed to go to school, but it was actually Saturday. He went to school before he realized it was Saturday.”

— Ramon Santiago, junior

Make room in your schedule for Fit for Hounds Fresh from their victory at Issaquah High School’s “Rock for Haiti” Battle of the Bands, Fit For Hounds is becoming one of the most

By Ehrik Aldana popular high school bands on the Eastside.

In March alone, the band played shows at local venues, including the Ground Zero Teen Center in Bellevue, K.T.U.B. in Kirkland and the Old Firehouse in Redmond.

The quartet, from Skyline High School, is made up of Bill Doerrfeld (vocals/synthesizers), Scott Sherman (bass guitar), Alicia Doerrfeld

(guitar) and Zach Barokas (drums).

(The Doerrfelds are siblings.)

Fitted with the ingredients for a traditional rock group, Fit For Hounds manages to uniquely incorporate elements of dance-rock beats, post-punk aesthetics and power-pop hooks into their music to create a definitive style.

“Everyone in the band sort of throws their own spin on the tunes,” Bill Doerrfeld said.

On the band’s recording “Horrorshock,” an echoing guitar and drum beat serve as a foundation for the dance-rock track, while his vocals range from cool deliveries to edgy punk yells.

To put a song together, the band experiments through a trial-and-

REPORTERS Ehrik Aldana, Skyline High School, junior

STAFF EDITOR Tiffany Xu, Skyline High School, junior

Michelle Dvorak, Skyline High School, senior Rachel Osgood, Issaquah High School, sophomore Daniel Pickering, Liberty High School, junior

Fit for Hounds takes a break in the recording studio.

CONTRIBUTED

error process.

“I figure that the more I make, the more likely it is that we'll find

a gem, so I'm recording a lot of new material quite often,” Bill Doerrfeld said.

“I tied my friend’s shoelaces together without him noticing and when he got up, he fell on the floor.”

— Vince O’Reilly, junior

Skyline High School “One day, Mr. Rosemont pranked his sixth-period class that there was a test when there really wasn't. I remember all of his lastperiod students were studying, panicking about this test that really didn't exist.”

— Teresa Lin, senior “I remember there was a kid I didn't like in eighth grade.

We didn't like each other, and he kept bothering me. I didn't want to get in an actual fight, so I got mineral oil and mixed it with his milk when he wasn't looking. If you don't know what mineral oil is, just know that it's made out of laxatives. I shook it up and put it back on his tray. He was missing from all of fourth period.”

— Ian Melendez , sophomore

GET INVOLVED Fit for Hounds hopes to play on the Warped Tour 2010 circuit through an online Battle of the Bands competition. Vote for them at www.battleofthebands.com/fitforhounds.

Fit for Hounds has played shows at a number of events, including the 2008 Sammamish Teen Festival and the 2009 Seattle Folklife Festival.

“As a band, I know we all have so much fun performing and aren't looking for this to end anytime soon.

So, hopefully our future will be a bright one,” said Alicia Doerrfeld.

You can follow Fit For Hounds at www.fitforhounds.com or catch the band at its next scheduled show at The Old Firehouse on April 24.

Max Smith-Holmes, Skyline High School, senior

Stephanie Yi, Skyline High School, sophomore

PAGE DESIGN David Hayes

Olivia Spokoiny, Skyline High School, sophomore

Nathan Wilhelm, Liberty High School, junior

Alex Tucker, Issaquah High School, junior

LOGO Carla Mokin

PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Clark, Issaquah High School, senior

MANAGING EDITOR Kathleen R. Merrill

CONTACT US Send your story ideas and suggestions to editor@isspress.com.

Comment on the stories and issues at www.issaquahpress.com.

Follow @issaquahbeat on Twitter.

Or join The Beat on Facebook.

Press Editor Kathleen R. Merrill oversees the staff of The Beat.

The Issaquah Press section by teens, for teens, about teens

The Beat staff would like to thank the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah and Liberty parent Imelda Dulcich for their generous support for this issue.

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club at www.issaquah.kiwanis.org. Want to support teen journalism and The Beat? E-mail editor@isspress.com.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Page B7

By Ehrik Aldana

The Hot List

S CHOOL FEATURES

By Alex Tucker

Everyone wears Bepser ✔

Web site: formspring.me

This new Internet hot spot allows users to create profiles for the sole purpose of answering questions posted — often anonymously — by random people. The never-ending virtual interviews are both revealing and addicting.

Warning: This is not for the easily distracted. ✔ Book: “Beatrice and Virgil,”

by Yann Martel

The author of “Life of Pi” returns with an epic and thoughtprovoking narrative told in his unique style of featuring animal characters. In this more autobiographical work, Henry, a writer, tries to find ways to retell the events of the Holocaust. In doing so, he comes across a strange taxidermist, as well as Beatrice the donkey and Virgil the howler monkey.

A well-known student entrepreneur at Issaquah High School is junior Ben Wright, cofounder of the clothing company Bepser.

The halls of IHS are full of students sporting Bepser’s comfortable hoodies and T-shirts, recognizable by the signature cloud design printed on every item.

Wright, 16, and his older brother Spencer, 20, officially Ben Wright started Bepser in 2009. The company’s unique name is derived from “a combination of Ben and Spencer,” Wright said.

Production of Bepser products takes place at home.

“We have a screen-printing studio set up in our garage,” Ben explained.

Each item is manufactured with individual care, undoubtedly one of the reasons for the company’s growing success. Their most popular item is the cloud outlined sweatshirt, but Wright’s personal favorite is “the new crewneck.”

As for the future of Bepser, the brothers are working to extend the market to bulk sales for people in need of custom shirts, as well as to local retailers and vendors.

“The best part about co-running Bepser is moving forward … creating new products, and growing in the overall industry,” Ben said. “It is great to see our ideas go from our minds to T-shirts, and people wearing our ideas.”

Judging by the Wright brothers’ enthusiasm for the company and Ben’s innovative ideas and creations, this is only the beginning of Bepser’s success.

To order a Bepser item or learn more go to www.bepser.com.

✔

Movie: “Kick-Ass”

Some describe it as outrageously entertaining. Some describe it as morally reprehensible. And some simply just regard it by its name.

Regardless of the opinion, “KickAss” is one of the most talked about films to be released this year, sporting some of the most controversial violence since “Kill Bill.” The plot deals with a teenager attempting to dish out vigilante justice in the style of his comic book heroes. The film is adapted from the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar.

H OW TO

GREEN YOUR LIFE Reducing the size of your carbon footprint can be overwhelming. Here are six easy lifestyle changes for teens who want to be more

By Max environmentally Smith-Holmes friendly, but don’t know where to start: 1. Eat locally. Reducing the distance your food travels eats up less gasoline and helps strengthen connections between communities and farmers. Try visiting the Issaquah Farmers Market.

2. Whenever you can, check out books, movies and CDs from the library instead of purchasing them.

3. Start a garden in your backyard. Experiment with growing your own vegetables without the use of pesticides and enjoy the tasty joys of working outdoors.

4. Remove your name from junk mail lists, especially colleges you’re not interested in.

5.Drive less frequently. You can take full advantage of the public Metro system by investing in a bus card. Issaquah is also a wonderful city to walk around and bike in.

6. “Simplify, simplify, simplify,” Henry David Thoreau said. Decluttering your life is the most effective way to live a greener and healthier lifestyle.

To get green lifestyle tips, go to www.conservation.org/act/live_gre en/pages/ecofootprint.aspx and discover the size of your carbon footprint, as well as more ways to reduce your negative impact on the environment!

Point guard leads math team to new directions

Ever heard of Lithuania?

If you were asked to locate the nation of Lithuania on a map, could you? Unless you’re junior Evelina Vaisvilaite, there’d be a good chance that you couldn’t.

Evelina is a citizen of both the United States and Lithuania, though you’d never guess it.

By Daniel She was born in Vilnius, the capital of Pickering Lithuania.

“We moved when I was just 1 year old, because my parents won the lottery green card, which allowed us to immigrate to America,” she said.

Moving at such a young age has not immunized her against the culture of her home, however.

“I know Lithuanian, Polish and English, of course,” she said of the languages she speaks. “At home, I usually use Polish, though, because my grandma lives with us and she doesn’t understand Lithuanian or English. But sometimes, we’ll use all three languages in one sentence. If I can’t think of a certain word in Polish, I will just switch to English or Lithuanian. It’s useful.”

Dual citizens like Evelina and her family are typically very keen on taking advantage of their status in both countries.

“I don’t go back [to Lithuania] nearly often enough,” she said. “I wish I could go lots more. I went once two years ago, and I’m also going back again this spring, which should be fantastic. I am also considering going back there for a year of college.”

The conundrum with having more than one home, however, is deciding which home to settle down in.

“I definitely am planning on going back [to Lithuania] for visits as often as I can when I’m older, but I’m not sure about permanently moving back yet,” she said.

“I’m pretty content with where I am for now. But then again, I might change my mind in a few years. We’ll see.”

Evan Shieh is passionate about mathematics.

The 17-year-old is the founder of the Washington Math Student Association, a student-run organization aiming to “create a supportive community in Washington for students to pursue math

By Tiffany Xu as a hobby, not an obligation.”

Shieh’s love for math is evident in the way he describes the subject.

“There is something inherently enjoyable about doing puzzles,” he said. “Math is an art form.”

His unique perspective led him to start math clubs at the Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus and Skyline High School, whose math team has earned awards at several regional competitions.

Yet, Shieh said he realized that no organization existed in Washington that provides a complete database of math resources for high school math clubs.

Thus, in August 2009, Shieh decided to establish such a nonprofit. Currently, the association’s website features thousands of past competition problems and a 27-page start-up guide for math club coaches looking for practical advice from students themselves. Besides maintaining the website, Shieh also leads monthly math practice sessions, which are available to the more than 70 registered members of the association.

The self-described “point guard” of the team, Shieh has met his fair share of association skeptics. Yet that hasn’t stopped him from trying to gain 501(c)(3) status and further funding for the association.

“Obama once said to Jay Leno that the world needs more engineers,” Shieh said. “Well, the basis of engineering is math.”

Although Shieh hasn’t decided whether he will attend Stanford, Yale or UPenn yet, one thing is certain. He has left a legacy in the Issaquah math community.

The website for the association is www.wastudentmath.org, although it may be down for maintenance.

What health care reform means to us A lot of talk has surrounded the recently signed health care bill, and as it waits finalization by the U.S.

By Michelle Senate, the bill has raised as Dvorak many questions as it has answered. But the basic need for a plan — and the effect of it on teens today — is relatively unambiguous.

The need for health care over the past decade has become apparent as prices of basic health care climb and the costs of deal-

ing with disease become unreal.

New and expensive asthma medications can cost $50 per prescription. For youths with diabetes, the annual cost of medications has doubled from 2001 to 2007, while the number of children with diabetes has been steadily increasing.

According to the American Diabetes Association, treating the disease cost the average patient $6,649 in 2007. As said by Time magazine, such things as growth hormone deficiencies have staggeringly high costs and the annual bill for parents can exceed $20,000 — doctor’s visits, tests

and hospitalizations not included.

So, what is a teen to do? These prices are too high to be sustainable when one is taken off of their parents’ plan and expected to work to pay for their basic treatments, let alone for school and living expenses. Even for healthy youths, the cost of doctor’s visits and tests push many to put off getting basic health and dental insurance.

For youths leaving high school and entering college, the health care bill is aimed to make insurance more affordable and prevalent among students. In all states,

“It is going to force me to pay for something I don't want.”

— Jason Murray, freshman

T EEN TALK

Liberty High School Issaquah High School

“With government regulating health care, they’re setting up a new socialist at the same time. I don't know if I’ll be affected much, because the reform isn’t specifically targeted towards us.”

— Kevin Purdy, junior

Skyline High School “I personally don’t know much about the health care reform, but seeing how the teens in my community are equally

“I don't really know much about this bill at all.”

— Neel Rijhwani, sophomore

ents; companies are banned from rejecting young applicants with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes. From President Obama, the bill will give more options for youths. As said in The Economist, the estimated cost to the government ranges from $940 billion to $1.6 trillion, but the value of coverage for 100 percent of Americans is not lost.

Teens entering the world as newly independent may find good health a little easier to obtain.

unaware, I don't think that I will be affected much.”

— Warren Chang, sophomore

“I think it’s great that the bill has passed. I can stay under my parents’ plan until I am 26 now.”

— Sawyer Mittelstaedt, sophomore

How do you think the health care law will affect you?

“It is a good thing for young people, because it assists them by helping them acquire health insurance.”

— Nick Antonio, senior

Skyline High School math club

those in college will be able to remain on their family’s plan until the age of 26 (even if married), a measure that will help those whose parents have premium coverage already, as well as those who fare the worst —uninsured youths between the ages of 19-29. Coverage will be easier to get from employers when adults leave school, as larger businesses are to be fined if any employee needs to get government-subsidized health care.

Insurance itself will not necessarily be what it was for our par-

If it’s spring, it must be time for car shows

By Nathan Wilhelm As the days get longer, the forecasts sunnier and the temperatures warmer, I start noticing these gleaming old machines passing by me when I’m in my old maroon BMW 2002. To me and thousands of car enthusiasts in Issaquah, that means the Triple X Rootbeer Drive-In is opening its parking lots to classic cars, trucks and motorcycles from around the Puget Sound area.

After waking up early to wash my car and throw on a fresh coat of wax, I promptly leave the house to acquire a prime spot in the lot — usually near other European cars — so I can grab a deluxe

burger and sit in my lawn chair enjoying the event.

Once my car is parked, I walk around looking at the other cars and introduce myself to the many unfamiliar faces. Typically, I know a handful of people at each show.

Alex Paradis, a friend and Liberty High School junior, owns a white 1979 Triumph TR7 convertible. His grandfather and him restored most of the car; he regularly accompanies me to shows.

I also always bump into one guy who has driven everything from a hearse to a muscle car. We met at the very rainy 2009 Mega Cruz, where a whopping 14 cars showed up. Everyone won an award and a door prize at that show, and we enjoyed

REPORTERS Ehrik Aldana, Skyline High School, junior

STAFF EDITOR Tiffany Xu, Skyline High School, junior

Michelle Dvorak, Skyline High School, senior Rachel Osgood, Issaquah High School, sophomore Daniel Pickering, Liberty High School, junior

some good conversation during those wet hours.

As the day winds on, I move around talking to different people who share stories behind each one of their unique vehicles.

In turn, I do the same, and as the day comes to a close, awards are handed out and goodbyes are said. We didn’t know when we’d meet again.

On May 16, the Triple X Spring Opener will be held. It is the biggest and most assorted show of the year, and brings everything from trailer queens to rusted out rat rods. So, if you are in the mood to see hundreds of stunning cars, make your way down to Triple X and enjoy the gorgeous pieces of art.

CONTRIBUTED

Nathan Wilhelm (second car in the line and the author of this story) drives his 1976 BMW 2002 through Seattle streets at an annual BMW meet.

Max Smith-Holmes, Skyline High School, senior

Stephanie Yi, Skyline High School, sophomore

PAGE DESIGN David Hayes

Olivia Spokoiny, Skyline High School, sophomore

Nathan Wilhelm, Liberty High School, junior

Alex Tucker, Issaquah High School, junior

LOGO Carla Mokin

PHOTOGRAPHERS Eric Clark, Issaquah High School, senior

MANAGING EDITOR Kathleen R. Merrill

CONTACT US Send your story ideas and suggestions to editor@isspress.com.

Comment on the stories and issues at www.issaquahpress.com.

Follow @issaquahbeat on Twitter.

Or join The Beat on Facebook.

Press Editor Kathleen R. Merrill oversees the staff of The Beat.

The Issaquah Press

A4 • Wednesday, February 24, 2010

OPINION

School tax change bears consideration PRESS E DITORIAL

A

proposal in the state Senate that would shift property taxes from local districts to the state in order to fund education has the seed of good public policy, but must be explored further.

The bill (SB 6858), co-sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Pflug, generally proposes that local school districts have their levy lid decreased, meaning less local school taxes. In exchange, the state would increase its property tax rate by a corresponding amount.

For the average taxpayer, there would be precious little difference. A different government agency would be taking about the same amount of money from the same pocket.

However, there are some obvious benefits. First is that the state would finally begin to live up to its responsibility to fund education. The extra funding might even be able to jump-start last year’s effort that redefined basic education but did not identify funding for it.

Second, it could reduce local school districts’ dependence on passing a levy every few years just to be able to pay their teachers.

While voters, at least in King County, have been generous, it would only take one failed measure to cripple a district.

We imagine that most school districts would welcome knowing that they have a stable, reliable funding source instead of having to go out hat in hand every third or fourth year.

But the idea also raises some questions. First, how much of the money sent to Olympia would actually find its way back here?

When the state is battling a once-in-a-generation budget problem, it might be tempting for legislators to use some fiscal tricks to help fund other budget priorities.

There is something to be said for keeping money local.

Pflug says that almost two-thirds of districts would receive more funds. What about the other third? We’re not sure how the math works out that such a large proportion of districts would get more money without someone, somewhere getting less.

Pflug’s bill could be a good step toward the state taking responsibility for its share of funding, but the devil is in the details.

O FF T HE P RESS

Help to ensure that The Beat goes on

D

arn teenagers nowadays. You never know what they’re up to.

That’s the sentiment of a lot of people.

You’ll hear them say things like that if you bring up the topic of teens.

Well, I can tell you what some of them are up to. Some of them are doing their best to improve our world, in their own ways, and with their own goals and projects.

In this newspaper on a regular basis, and in our Living magazine this week, you can read about young philanthropists who are gathering books for children who have none; helping fund relief efforts for earthquake victims in Haiti; and walking, jogging and running for any number of causes. They do these things because they care about someone besides themselves, contrary to popular belief. They really want to make the world a better place.

And it isn’t only teens doing such things. Back when I was in grade school, I was playing and doing any number of little kid things. Elementary school kids today are collecting items and funds for people and organizations that need assistance.

But back to those pesky teens.

One came to me last year, telling me she had an idea for a teen section in The Issaquah Press.

And she had even written a proposal and gotten a Kathleen grant to help R. Merrill start it.

Tiffany Xu, a Press editor Skyline High School junior, said she felt teens weren’t being adequately represented or viewed fairly, and she wanted to do something about it.

I agreed with her, but it had taken me more than a year to get a student column started once a week on the Schools page, and I knew that someone had to have a well-above-average commitment to come through with more than that. I took a kind of waitand-see approach to her idea, while doing some of my own research and watching to see if she could follow through on some starting tasks I gave her.

Of course, having been a newspaper editor for years, I could’ve See THE

BEAT, Page A5

Math curriculum

textbooks in our schools, the controversy isn’t new, nor is it surprising. Math is and has always been a challenging subject to teach and to learn. In the late 1960s, I chose to teach it.

Two math teaching approaches came into vogue during this post-Sputnik era. One was the new math, which had instructors teach math using an abstract concept called set theory, which many school teachers had trouble understanding themselves. The other was guided discovery, which proposed that students were more likely to remember concepts they discovered on their own instead of memorizing a rule they were likely to forget.

I can still recall the first time I used the discovery method to teach my high school algebra students how to divide fractional expressions.

After spending what seemed like an inordinate amount of time guiding the students to the correct solution, I heard a voice from the back of the room shout out, “Tell us the rule. What is the rule?”

That year, I learned that guided discovery worked for some, but not all of my students.

Being a pragmatist at heart, I taught using the textbook’s guided discovery approach, but whenever a student in the class didn’t get it, I’d reteach the topic using a traditional approach or whatever else worked.

New math was abandoned by the end of the 1960s, and guided discovery has come in and out of use ever since it was first introduced. Although I don’t know the best way to teach math or whether a single approach would work for all students, I do know that each time a school district changes its math curriculum and math textbooks, it puts an incredible burden on its faculty. The change requires teachers to teach out of new math textbooks using new approaches they have barely mastered themselves. And the students are caught in the middle.

Shelly Hawkins Issaquah

RAPIDRESPONSE What benefits and problems do you see regarding the coming Swedish Medical Center campus?

Isn’t it ironic a recent letter writer assumes that Michael Barr is an atheist, simply because he believes in the separation of church and state? As someone that has known him for more than 20 years, I can assure you he is not an atheist. He simply doesn’t feel it necessary for anyone to force their religious beliefs on others.

Lynn Stuter completely misses the point of Barr’s letter — that we all have a right to exercise our beliefs as we choose, so long as we don’t impact others who may have different views. The Pledge of Allegiance, with its reference to “under God,” does not show tolerance for the views of all Americans, and when recited at government and school functions, contradicts the notion of separation of church and state.

Like it or not, our country is a collection of many different cultures and religions. If we are truly going to be tolerant and accepting, let’s be tolerant and accepting of all, not just those we understand or agree with.

Darryl S. Hamilton Sammamish

All religion needs to be out of governing I am not an atheist, so why then do I support the removal of "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance? Because I do not want my government driven by religious beliefs, especially if it represents the majority of the people (mob rule), and I do not want my religion polluted with the corruption of politics.

We see the results of religious fundamentalism, such as the Taliban, Islamic terrorists, evangelicalism (killing doctors to stop legal medical procedures) and thousands of years of Catholic Church rule as a governing body. While democracy allows all religions to flourish, religions do not allow freedom to flourish. Our founding fathers understood that so clearly, that they rightly put a wall between the two.

Protestant Christianity is losing its place as the majority. Soon, Catholicism will overtake it,

How can the city best spend tourism tax dollars?

Reinvest in things that attract conscientious tourism — not simply more traffic. The chamber of commerce probably has tons of specific recommendations.

Mark Bowers, Issaquah

All benefit — no drawbacks. In addition to the facility and 170 hospital beds, it will draw more medical and care providers to the community.

Fred Nystrom, Issaquah

Pay down our debt so citizens are not taxed so much.

Bryan Weinstein, Issaquah

I see only benefits from the arrival of a hospital within easy reach of most of Issaquah.

Rick Fournier, Issaquah

Why should they spend any? What is wrong with saving tax dollars?

Ken Sessler, Issaquah

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and then other religions. Will those in the majority now then be happy to sit by quietly as the good behaving minority as other's beliefs are forced upon you? I sincerely doubt it.

That is why I support keeping all religion out of government and government out of religions, and so should any other religious person. This approach truly supports free will and freedom at the same time and that is the whole point of our great country's system.

Michael T. Barr Sammamish

Triple X car shows

Come support these events that are true, community gatherings The car show season has started even though the weather isn’t cooperating and the Spring Opener isn’t until Sunday, May 16, 2010. The Triple X Rootbeer Drive-In brings many visitors to Issaquah, and as the weather improves there will be more and more car aficionados showing up for the scheduled Sunday shows.

In addition to the Sunday events, car builders and owners show up on Saturday evenings to eat, visit and display their “works in progress.” It’s a more informal gathering with a wide variety of marquees showing up and quite often a better opportunity for conversations between owners.

The Triple X car shows are truly community events, since the Triple X itself and the neighbors along East Gilman Boulevard support the events, Sunset Highway Cruisers (a local car club) set up and clean up for each event, and the profits from every scheduled event benefit the local charity Life Enrichment Options.

I encourage everyone to support these events.

Pick up a schedule (available at the Triple X) and visit a car show of your choice. Show up for the car shows, ogle the beautiful vehicles, do some people watching and enjoy the food.

Lee Woods Issaquah

LETTERS WELCOME The Issaquah Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subject, although we reserve the right to edit for space, potential libel and/or political relevance. Letters addressing local news will receive priority. Please limit letters to 350 words and type them, if possible. E-mail is preferred. Letters must be signed and have a daytime phone number to verify authorship.

Deadline for letters is noon Friday for the following week’s paper.

Address: Fax:

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The Issaquah Press

Roll

Call

Y = Yes, N = No, E = Excused, X = Not Voting Senate Bill 6130, which passed the House 51-47, would temporarily repeal provisions of the voter approved initiative 960 until after July 1, 2011. The Senate, which previously passed ESSB 6130 26-22, will now reconsider the bill as amended by the House.

5th Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) — N 5th Rep. Jay Rodne, (R-North Bend)— N 41st Rep. Judy Clibborn, (D-Mercer Island) — Y 41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell, (D-Renton) — Y 45th Rep. Larry Springer, (D-Kirkland) — Y House Bill 2912, would require the

City Council OKs agreements to build I-90 trail connector A pedestrian connector designed to bridge Interstate 90 will move ahead, after City Council members approved important agreements for the project Feb. 16.

The project aims complete a trail about 1,600 feet long, between the end of the state Route 900 boardwalk at the eastbound I-90 off-ramp on the south side of the interstate, and the Sammamish Trail on the north.

Transportation officials said the project should improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists along state Route 900. Critics encouraged planners to build the crossing at another location, to no avail.

The agreement between Issaquah and the state Department of Transportation shifts the requirement for maintenance of the connector from the agency to the city. The pact also

P UBLIC M EETINGS Feb. 24 Central Issaquah Plan Advisory Task Force 5:30 p.m.

Pickering Room, City Hall Northwest 1775 12th Ave. N.W. Human Services Commission Agenda: Tent City 4 and human services campus updates, 2010 work plan 7 p.m.

Cougar Room, City Hall, 130 E. Sunset Way

hotel-motel tax in King County to be deposited into dedicated accounts once the obligations for current stadium debts are paid. It passed the House 53-45 and is now before the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

5th Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) — Y 5th Rep. Jay Rodne, (R-North Bend)— Y 41st Rep. Judy Clibborn, (D-Mercer Island) — Y 41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell, (D-Renton) — Y 45th Rep. Larry Springer, (D-Kirkland) — Y

sales and use tax at a rate not to exceed 0.1 percent for the purpose of public safety. It is now before the Senate.

5th Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) — N 5th Rep. Jay Rodne, (R-North Bend)— N 41st Rep. Judy Clibborn, (D-Mercer Island) — Y 41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell, (D-Renton) — Y 45th Rep. Larry Springer, (D-Kirkland) — Y

Senate Bill 6051, which passed the Senate 28-19, extends the expiration date related to heritage and arts program funding from the hotel-motel tax in King County. It is now scheduled for public hearing before the House Finance Committee.

5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug, (R-Maple Valley) — N 41st Sen. Randy Gordon, (D-Bellevue) — Y 45th Sen. Eric Oemig, (D-Kirkland) — Y

House Bill 1572 would require that all counties in the state conduct elections by mail. It passed the House 57-41 and is now before the Senate Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

5th Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) — N 5th Rep. Jay Rodne, (R-North Bend)— N 41st Rep. Judy Clibborn, (D-Mercer Island) — Y 41st Rep. Marcie Maxwell, (D-Renton) — Y 45th Rep. Larry Springer, (D-Kirkland) — Y

House Bill 3179, which passed the House 51-47, allows a city to impose

Senate Bill 6562, which passed the Senate 29-19, gives the governing

allows the city to use some of the state right of way for the link.

Another agreement approved by the City Council deals with construction of the connector.

The project location — at a busy interstate interchange — requires the DOT to manage construction.

City Public Works Engineering Director Bob Brock wants to put the project out to bid within 60 days, and begin construction on the connector by summer. A city inspector will work alongside the DOT during construction.

Most of the $6 million price tag for the project will be funded through grants, including $400,000 from Sound Transit.

The city contributed about $341,000 toward the link.

Plans call for a separate 12foot-wide pedestrian bridge across the westbound I-90 onramps and modifications to the existing state Route 900 overpass to install a 10-foot-wide pedestrian crossing.

March 1 City Council regular meeting 7:30 p.m.

Council Chambers, City Hall South 135 E. Sunset Way River & Streams Board 7 p.m.

Pickering Room, City Hall Northwest 1775 12th Ave. N.W.

March 3 Development Commission 7-9 p.m.

Council Chambers, City Hall South 135 E. Sunset Way

Plan to resurface city streets hinges on grant money City planners took the first step earlier this month toward repairs for sections of Front Street North and Northwest Sammamish Road.

City Public Works Operations crews plan to grind two to three inches of pavement from the streets and replace the surface with new asphalt. Money for the project hinges on a grant. If the city receives funding, construction could begin by summer.

Crews plan to resurface Front Street North from Sunset Way to Gilman Boulevard and Northwest Sammamish Road from the Lake Sammamish State Park to the western city limits. The project would not increase capacity for the streets.

Planners approved a shoreline exemption permit for the project Feb. 5. The project requires the permit because work will take place near the East Fork of Issaquah Creek, Lake Sammamish and other wetlands.

Because the project repairs and maintains existing roadways, the work is exempt from State Environmental Policy Act review.

boards for the University of Washington, Washington State and Western Washington the authority to set tuition and fees for resident undergraduate students. The bill, which also requires adoption of performance agreements to coincide with the tuition increases, is now before the House Education Committee.

5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug, (R-Maple Valley) — N 41st Sen. Randy Gordon, (D-Bellevue) — Y 45th Sen. Eric Oemig, (D-Kirkland) — N Senate Bill 6754 would make available as public records the names, addresses and signatures of persons who sign a petition for initiatives or referendums. It passed the Senate 28-20 and is now before the House.

5th Sen. Cheryl Pflug, (R-Maple Valley) — N 41st Sen. Randy Gordon, (D-Bellevue) — Y 45th Sen. Eric Oemig, (D-Kirkland) — Y SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org, a free, non-partisan Web site to find plainEnglish explanations of bills and a record of each legislator’s votes.

Trash FROM PAGE A1

Factoria Transfer Station, where workers sort and compact trash hauled from Issaquah. Officials want to open a new facility by 2015, though the plan hinges on the ability of the Solid Waste Division to shift Issaquah trash to other facilities during construction.

The new transfer station would incorporate more space for recycling, and workers would make use of “green” standards and technology in the construction.

Gaisford said the county built most of the transfer stations in the 1960s, and the facilities are not set up for modern-day trucks or recycling programs.

The transfer stations operate under the interlocal agreement Issaquah and 36 other cities negotiated with King County through 2028. The agreement forms the framework of the regional waste transfer network. Bonkowski said the regional network “makes it cheaper than each city running their own transfer and disposal facilities.”

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 •

The Beat: Received with enthusiasm FROM PAGE A4

just taken the idea and run with it.

But I was with her and agreed with her vision that having a section strictly for teens, by teens and about teens would be worth much more, especially to the teens who we hoped would read it.

Well, we continued to work on planning and the next thing you know (although this is the short, easy version of the story) The Beat was born. We’ve now published three issues of the page, including the one in this week’s paper on Page B7, and it has been received with enthusiasm and joy on the part of the teens who work on the page and those who read it.

As a type of sponsorship, The Press has given the staff of The Beat a generous discount on printing costs of the page, to keep advertisements off of it in order to give the teens the maximum amount of space possible. I am donating my time to the project without pay.

With a fundraising goal in mind, Tiffany and I have tirelessly sought funding from various groups to cover the minimal cost of the page each month. We have so far secured funding from Youth Venture, the Liberty High School PTSA and the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah. But we need more to keep this page running through the end of the school year. And

A5

this is where you can help.

We have a fund set up at the Jolkona Foundation, where you can help sponsor one article or a whole issue of The Beat. The minimum amount you can give is $50. It would take 10 such gifts to cover one month, or $500.

When Tiffany and I first started hashing out how this teen section would get done, we were both hoping it would be a great project. I can tell you it has turned out to be so much more than we thought it would be. We have writers and photographers from each of the three high schools in the district — Issaquah, Liberty and Skyline. We get as many teens as we can involved with the page each month. We have a Facebook page with more than 200 friends. We have a Twitter account @issaquahbeat where we are working on building a similar following.

These students amaze me each month when we meet to learn and teach and brainstorm for the coming issue. I have been surprised by their knowledge, their enthusiasm and their capacity and hunger for learning this craft. They juggle multiple commitments, including jobs in some cases, but continue to put out some of the finest youth writing I have ever seen.

I hope you will help me support them and the page by donating today. The site is www.jolkona.org/projects/64. Oh, and you get your name on the page as a sponsor when you donate.

Support teen journalism through The Beat. You don’t need to have children to care about them. After all, today’s teens are tomorrow’s leaders.

Help them learn and grow.

Kathleen R. Merrill: 392-6434, ext. 227, or editor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.