Abby Cardenas 2016 Portfolio

Abby’s Portfolio 2015-2016

Self- Analytical This year has been way different from last year. As a full time editor, and the news editor at that, I realized that being in a leadership role isn’t the easiest role to be in. Editors have a lot of responsibilities, and they can’t do their job without articles for their pages, which in turn taught me to make sure I do a few things.

One, I made sure I didn’t take too much on my plate, and, two, to make sure my articles were always written. Those really are my two golden rules that I have learned this semester.

Being a nice leader is not really my thing. As you told us, there are many different kinds of leaders and I found that I don’t take crap from my writers, if the article isn’t finished, it isn’t getting used. And I also need to make myself a bit more available to my writers and if they have any questions I should be able to answer them because there is nothing worse than thinking your article is great when it isn’t and it doesn’t end up in the paper. I need to learn to give more critiques or criticism on my articles or the paper will never reach its true potential (last year’s was a prime year).

Deadlines and production skills go hand in hand. This year there really was only one deadline, and it was Monday after third period. And this tight deadline has improved my production skills because it forces me to make my pages and make them quickly. Even though we end up at production day for eight hours, our pages end up looking pretty, content shaky, but nice pages. Without the help from my fellow editors I don’t know how the paper would get done. There was serious teamwork between the editors this year, and I know that we all have a say on every page because we take time to help each other’s pages. But the connection didn’t reach the staff, and I really hope to change that next semester.

The one thing I do know about selling ads is that it’s really hard, and I really don’t like it, but without them we can’t print the paper.

I knew most of the journalistic ethics because of last year, but I learned something new every week being an editor. I could pick out what was wrong with an article right away because it had been drilled in my brain by my editors last year, and that’s what I hope to do to the staff this year so they can do it to the staff next year. This is an act of dedication itself. I put my best efforts into making the paper great, but it has to go two ways.

There is a lot more to being a leader than I thought. It’s stressful because I have to make three or four pages every issue, make sure articles are written for my pages, try and make pages with two pictures and three articles. It’s rewarding, but there is so much to do in so little time. I feel like my relationship with the other editors has become really strong and we all work well together, but I don’t have a relationship with most of the staff. I don’t think being an editor has caused any riffs to happen between me and the other people in newspaper, but I realized that editors stick with editors and staff stick with staff.

I will become a more aggressive editor. This semester I realized that I am way too lenient with the staff writers, and I can’t do that next semester. The first four issues were very hectic and haphazardly put together, and we can’t continue that way.

Reflection #1

My favourite spread that I did this semester were my December pages. While they were the hardest to get done, they turned out to be the best written and best designed pages that I have had all semester.

One reason I think it’s my best work is because it was difficult, and I only had four or five pictures to work with and most didn’t match the stories so I had to long caption most of them. And the articles weren’t very good so I was rewriting most of them or lecturing the staff writers to do their interviews and finish their stories, and I still had slim to nothing to work with. On top of that I thought I had three pages until the end of production day where I found out that I needed to design another page. It was a very low point and I honestly thought I was going to

throw Constance out of the window.

I didn’t get to work on my pages for a good portion of production week because I was busy working on editing articles and waiting for pictures and final copies. Basically, I started it the day before production day. So if I were to compare the first draft to the final draft, it went from zero to a hunna.

If I went back to the first issue I did in September, I have made a huge improvement design wise. My InDesign knowledge has expanded, and I now somewhat know what looks good and what can go where and how the picture should be connected to the story and how it shouldn’t. Also, Adamson has taught me how a long caption should be written and that my headlines suck, which I will work on next semester.

I learned that I need to manage my time better because being in class on production day for eight hours isn’t ideal, and I have to actually do homework for my other classes (especially Metcalf).

This issue was really the first issue that I had the most say in how the page looks because most of the time I come in on Monday and see that they aren’t my pages anymore, they’re Adamson’s. I got full control over my pages this issue, and maybe that’s because Adamson was done with us by that point, but I can proudly say that they are mostly my designs unlike my other pages.

REFER TO DESIGNS DECEMBER ISSUE

Reflection #2

The issue that I’m least proud of is probably the September issue, which is a really basic answer, but it was a rough issue for most of the editors, and the staff as well.

September was the first issue we put out, and the first issue that the staff had written for so it was inevitably the worst issue we would make. Little did we know the entire semester would be rough, but these were by far the worst pages I made.

This wasn’t my first time making a page with InDesign, so I had some experience but those designs weren’t very good. My pages in September were very haphazardly put together because I didn’t really know any design aspects, and it ended up being an Adamson page not an Abby page.

I have significantly improved since the first issue,

and if I could go back and redo the pages with the knowledge that I have now, I definitely would. There is a lot that could have been different. I wish I would have had more pictures, because even though I have the news pages, pictures are what make people look at stories and I really lacked in pictures for most of my issues.

The biggest problem with the September issue was that basically all of our staff was new, and they didn’t know how to write for a newspaper. I ended up rewriting almost all of my stories and cutting a majority of them. And a majority of the pictures weren’t very good which is why I only have two and a half pictures seeing that one of them was a cut out of a teacher.

I had the same problem with this issue as I did

with every other issue, which was that people don’t understand the concept of deadlines, which I am partially guilty of, but I didn’t get completed articles until a day or two before production day. So I was stuck doing all my pages in two days, and staying at production day until 4 p.m. which is the worst part.

It was a long process, but this issue was really a learning expeience for the entire staff, editors included, so that the following issues we know what we can and can’t do.

REFER TO DESIGNS SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Reflection #3 I took pictures for the paper, but none of them got published. Instead I’m using a picture I took while I was in Chicago. Keep in mind that I’m not the best photographer, but the picture I chose has some design aspects that are present, while they aren’t like Nicole Neri photos, I try and take the best pictures that I can.

I like this photo because it has elements of good composition. There is framing, where the tree and the bridge frame the river, making it the focal point of the photo. But the lights on the bridge also draws the person’s eye to that as well. I would say there is rule of thirds because there are a few different focal points depending on where you look. If the bridge is the main part of the photo, it is on the far left or the first third while if someone is focusing on the tree it is the far right. The river is framed in the center which could also make the person look there first.

The lights are what attract me to the picture because they take my eye from the bridge to the water because they reflect, to the tall buildings in the background, to the tree on the far right. It is the starting point of where my eye goes. I don’t take pictures often, but when I do I really enjoy it.

I feel like being an editor this year has been an asset to the staff. We ultimately pick and choose the best articles and photos, making the hard decision of what gets cut and what makes it in because only a select few make it.

Also, I made sure my articles were written because I am an editor and I need to set an example for the staff.

Almost all of the issues I had my articles in on time because I always felt bad for the other editors when they had so little, I know how they feel and it sucks. It also shows that even editors, who have a thousand things on our plates, have to do our articles or we get zeros.

There were also times when another editor wasn’t at production day or absent when edits to pages needed to be made that I helped finish their pages.

As for a specific example, on the most recent production day I had to fill in for Sonny, which I now know is no easy task, and worked on the front page and helped Adamson with page numbers and the occasional which pages should be black and white and which should be colour.

I am one hundred percent committed to the paper, while I should put other school work on the same level as I put newspaper, I don’t.

On production days I am one of the last people to leave the room, and usually take a copy of the paper to edit.

Which I try to avoid, but it happens regardless of my attempts to weazle out of it.

Articles also tend to be the first thing I do as well. Metty, much to her dismay, gets put on the backburner because I stay in class and fight with InDesign to make sure my pages are done and Adamson approves.

I don’t think I realized how much work I would have to do this year as an editor, but it’s so accomplishing to see the pages you designed in print.

I think being an editor has been my biggest contribution to the staff because, little did I know last year, being one of the editors is both great and horrible at the same time.

Reflection #4

Reflection #5

This first semester has been one giant mess, in the best possible way. We always end up making good pages, but getting to that Tuesday where we have only Bebee edits is an adventure, usually on a very bumpy road.

As for hardships, getting respect from the staff has been really hard. Without respect and effort, the paper seriously suffers, and we as the editors had a hard time getting quality articles from the writers because we were not assertive enough. It was difficult to get pages done because we did not get pictures or articles on time. It made me realize that getting articles completely done and polished by that Monday of production week was crucial. The biggest feat I faced was getting my pages done, or getting

the articles for my pages to be the best the could be.

Even though I really suffered this semester, I learned a lot. I learned that there is no room for laziness, no time for it. Without articles, you can’t put pages together, you are literally a sitting duck praying someone pulls through, and we have a handful of good people. I also learned that I can’t be a laid back editor, I need to have some authority or leadership over the staff because, like I said before, without the respect of your staff/peers, you have nothing. And that is how I am going to fix my problems from this semester, be a hard ass.

I was too laid back this semester, this was my biggest weakness and how I handled situations. I let the staff slack off on my pages articles which meant

that I had to rewrite them, taking more time from making my pages. I signed off articles which were no way near finished, and next semester that will not happen.

I also procrastinated doing my pages with the excuse that I didn’t have anything that I could use when I did. Next semester I can’t make excuses for not doing my pages, because I don’t want to be stuck at production day until midnight working. The best solution to this is to do dummy sheets so I have a brief outline that I can follow.

Designs

September Issue

lead on

news

STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, ALLI MAZELLA,

participates in the ribbon cutting in her newly elected position at the first home football game. Representing Cactus Shadows in blue and silver, Mazella sends a smile and a wave to the Nest.

Earlier this month, student body elections took place to choose a president and a vice president.

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By Erika Richwagen

§ staff writer

S SCHOOL kicks off, the competitive nature of student elections does as well. These elections determine the definite set of students who will lead their peers during the remainder of the school year and their activities.

Many students believe the notion that every school event is handled by faculty and staff. While the higher-ups do handle large portions of school activities, students take on a considerable amount of work to keep the wheels turning at Cactus Shadows. Peers elected into office help set-up and plan for Homecoming, spirit weeks, pep rallies, and a variety of sports events and fundraisers.

Cameron Bender, a Student Council adviser, emphasizes the responsibility students hold when elected into a position.

"Students immediately implement their ideas once they've been elected for office. All of our officers are unveiled at the first pep rally," said Bender.

Positions available for running include president and vice president for each class, as well as a student body president and vice president.

Orly Katz, a senior running for senior vice president, expresses that gaining recognition is all about spreading your name. "It's all about exposure. I'll have people wearing my t-shirts and giving out candy, and I'll have posters."

Katz decided to run to spread her ideas and visions for the school. "I really wanted a leadership role so that I could be present at Student Council activities and school events because I have some really good ideas for making this year better." Katz wanting the digital kiosks around campus to be more interactive for students is part of her campaign.

Lee Bardon, a junior in his second year of Student Council believes that students in positions of power allow ideas and opinions to be easily voiced. “I think student elections benefit Cactus Shadows because it allows the student’s voices to be heard about school-related things instead of faculty making all of the decisions.”

Running for a position in student council requires time, effort, and perseverance. Each position requires a dedicated attitude and mindset in order to gain recognition and votes, which leads to the decision of what students represent their class during the school year.

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news

District to offer free PSATs

BY KIERA RILEY

§ staff writer

This year administration decides to allow the entire sophomore class to take the PSAT, in October, cost free.

"Our goal is to get as many 10th graders exposed to the new test as possible so by the time they take it again as juniors, when it can also count as a National Merit Scholarship qualifying test, their scores are better," said Lori Dahne, a school counselor.

In the wake of the changes being made to the SATs, the entire sophomore class will have the opportunity to take the practice test for free. A total of 550 tests have been purchased with the majority reserved for all interested sophomores. Despite the focus being on grade 10, extras will be available for purchase for freshmen and juniors.

Study guides will be handed out the week of September 8. At this time, all students who decide to opt out of taking the PSAT must return their study guide to the bookstore so others, such as freshmen and juniors, can purchase them if desired. The exact date for the PSATs is either on October 14, or 28.

Students who are testing will be separated into different parts of the campus. All other students will have a regular school day.

“We want to encourage our students to take the PSATs because we believe there are benefits to it,” said Steven Bebee. This is why preparations for the SAT have become a priority for the school.

The test is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended that sophomores take advantage of this opportunity for test prep. One of the main goals behind offering the comple-

mentary tests to the sophomores as opposed to the juniors is all based on the timeline given for preparation.

By exposing sophomores to the material presented on the SAT tests early, they can begin to narrow down and gage their position on the concepts. Through the results, students can focus on the areas they struggle with and try to improve on the next practice test. This way students can find a solid stance on what to expect and what to study for the SATs. "It's smart because we are prepared for the real thing," said Meagan Multz, a sophomore. The aim for the emphasis on practicing beforehand is one of the main reasons behind funding the PSATs. A multitude of benefits are offered to the students along with the PSATs. Lexia Burns, a sophomore, commented that the PSATs were a good thing because the school is putting in a conscious effort to help students get better scores. Because of this extra push from PSATs, students will be more likely to get into and excel in the college of their choice.

Along with getting into a good college, there is the aspect of being able to pay to attend. With steeply rising tuition rates, more scholarship opportunities take a lead in importance.

"There’s no harm, no foul on a PSAT, especially when you take it as an underclassman because you aren't being evaluated for the National Merit Scholarship until you’re a junior," Dahne said as she strongly encourages the sophomores to utilize this opportunity.

CLUBS ON CAMPUS TO TRY Art Alliance: Marcia Lang Room 820 Wednesday 2-2:30

DECA: Louise Rochford Room 610 Wednesday before school at 6:30

Drama Club/Thespians: Andrew Cupo Room 144 Thursday after school Falcon Unified: Hannah Maroney Room 1006 TBD Fashion Club: Erin Wagner Room 314 TBD

FCA (fellowship of Christian athletes) : Mike Hudnutt Gym TBD

French Honor Society: Linda Dunbar Room 157 Thursday at 2nd lunch Literary Magazine: Lori Hart Room 609 Wednesday 2- 3:00

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES RELEASED FOR WINDOWS AND APPLE PRODUCTS

By Alex Laggren

§ Staff writer

Students and teachers who use technology on a daily basis can see how Microsoft’s and Apple’s updates can affect them.

Windows 10, Microsoft’s most recent operating system, has been released and the bugs and allegations of spyware are beginning to show. Apple’s new operating systems, iOS 9 and El Capitan, will be released late 2015.

“Anything that comes out new technology wise, I never get it right away, I always wait ‘till all the bugs are out and all the newer press releases come out saying they’ve

fixed and done critical updates and gotten rid of stuff that they didn’t do prior to the beta release,” said Matthew Scott, film teacher.

WINDOWS 10 APPEARS Windows 10 was released on July 29 for free to all who pre-ordered it.

The allegations are that the microphone connected to your computer will record and save anything you say when using specific applications. Data is also stored, and computer usage can be sent to family members without immediate knowledge. “Microsoft didn’t respond to requests for comments

about specifics of the privacy terms,” said Lauren Walker of Newsweek.

EL CAPITAN IN BETA El Capitan, Apple’s new version of OS X, was released as a public beta on July 9, the sixth update was released on August 31, and the final release date will soon be announced.

“It’s better than Windows 8,” said Alex Kropman, a junior, who has had no bad experiences with Microsoft.

Cortana, Microsoft’s version of Siri named after the A.I. in the popular video game series Halo, has been included in this newest Microsoft

operating system. Some see this addition as important, while others see it as a waste of data.

“I think Cortana is cool, but not really needed,” said Mathius Day, a junior.

Apple has released iOS 9 with a beta that is free to all who use it, and they have stated that because it is in beta, not everything is fully developed.

Many students have chosen to get early trial of this new operating system, but some choose against it.

“I don’t like Apple,” said Day and he does not plan on downloading the currently released beta or the final

4 ■ SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

version when it is released, because “updates take up storage and break things.”

Apple will be adding many new features to iOS 9, including new apps such as news, notes and carplay, an improved version of Siri, and features never before seen like the split screen ability.

El Capitan will also feature the split screen ability as well as apps that have been given a new look, like spotlight, mission control, and maps. An improved language support will also be added to the newest operating system.

Math Club: James Marando Room 908 Thursday 2:10- 3:00

Model UN: Steve Mitten Room 1116 Thursday 2-2:30

National English Honor Society: Amy Metcalf Room 313 Every other Tuesday 2nd lunch National Honor Society: Scott LaVigne Room 402 Every other Tuesday 2nd lunch National Technical Honor Society: Lynne Archer Room 305 TBD

Skills USA: Matthew Scott Room 202 Tuesday 2- 3:00

Teresa Hall–science

Sheryl Evenson–science

Soroptomist: Amy Metcalf Room 313 every other Wednesday 2-2:30

Kim Wallis-Lindvig–science

Spanish Honor society: Nasr/Raught Room 153 every other Wednesday 6:50

Student Council: Allison Zilka/Cameron Bender Room 1111/1106 Tuesday 2:15 Veterans Heritage Project: Steve Mitten Room 1116 Wednesday 2- 3:00

UBY ASHLEY WONG THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

§ staff writer

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

FRIENDS FROM ACROSS THE SEA Ella Marencic, a junior, and a student visitor from China, get through school together and with a

smile. They attended a gathering hosted by the school in order for the exchange students and their hosts to form better connections with each other. 4ASHLEY KRITZSTEIN

SISTER SCHOOL EXCHANGE

Exchange students from the Cactus Shadows sister school in China visit Cave Creek to get a feel for the Arizona life, heat and all.

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§ staff writer

exchange students visited from sister school No. 1 Senior High to experience America and get a taste of the Arizona culture.

These exchange students stayed with host families of the kids that attend Cactus Shadows, mostly with the students who are in the school’s Chinese foreign language program.

“My family just thought it would be really cool to experience the Chinese culture first hand,” said Joseph Britton who hosted two boys, Lee and Carl.

The four schools in the district that offer the Mandarin Chinese language programs have a sister school in China. Around 80 students, teachers, and administrators from China have visited the district since the beginning of this school year and 65 families from both Cactus Shadows and

Sonoran Trails hosted the visitors for their short stay of only three days.

Students in the Chinese program at school took advantage of this opportunity to practice speaking the language to other students their age who are fluent in it; such as Kalia Flanery who found it personally beneficial to host her exchange student, Nicole.

“I thought it would be cool to host somebody,” said Flanery, “and then, you know, kinda practice my Chinese.”

The exchange students shadowed their assigned student throughout school for two days, attending classes and meeting other students.

“It was really interesting to see them interact with the material taught in class,” said Britton, “because in subjects like math and science, they were far beyond our standards.”

On the weekends, they toured Cave Creek and other parts of Arizona, such as Sedona,

Bret Lineburg–social studies Bobby Magna–PLC Haley Vago–dance Michele Gorinac–foreign language Louise Rochford–CTE.

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Some new teachers get signing bonuses

ROM August 13 to 16, 31 Chinese

Evenson said.

UBY SARA WINDOM STAFF WRITER

SADD: Beth Udisky Room 150 Monday 2:30

Spanish Club: Doni Nasr/Jocelyn Raught Room 153 every other Friday 2:30

“I’m coming back. I’ve been out for six years, but I came back for a reason, I love these kids and the Cave Creek district.”

THE NEW TEACHERS Lorraine Burke–English

news

By Kaley Dodd

S nine new teachers of Cactus Shadows are pouring in, the knowledge is pouring out.

“This is my first year as a professional teacher,” Bret Lineburg, a social studies teacher, said. Lineburg is fresh out of college, having graduated in December of 2014. He did his student teaching at Corona del Sol. Lineburg teaches World History and AP European History and is getting plenty of practice as a new teacher, having a total of about 160 students. “My first period is 37 people,” Lineburg said.

Class sizes are increasing this year, see class sizes article on page three, so Lineburg has office hours everyday after school to ensure his students are doing well. “I’m totally fine with having big classes. But big classes make it harder for individuals to shine sometimes,” Lineburg said.

World History was not the only spot that needed to be filled. This year, the science department lost teachers in chemistry, AP physics, and biology. Sheryl Evenson, no stranger to the Cave Creek district, is a new chemistry/ biology teacher who worked at Sonoran Trails six years ago. This marks her 22nd year teaching students.

“I remember at Sonoran Trails, if it got up to 30 [students] it was huge, but now it’s 35 or 36 in every class,” Evenson said.

While Evenson has taught in the district before, there are still some things to get used to. “I think technology is a big one for me.

When you move schools, everything is new, the grading system is new.”

In Lineburg’s case, adjusting to the school is a challenge. “Getting used to the dynamic of the school is a very big one. All schools are very different,” he said.

Though both teachers are still adjusting, their experience overall has been great. “So far, I’ve been really happy. I’ve had a lot of help from other teachers and my kids are phenomenal, we’re getting a lot done,” Lineburg said.

“I’m coming back. I’ve been out for six years, but I came back for a reason, I love these kids and the Cave Creek district,” Evenson said.

Students seem to be adjusting to the teachers as well. “I guess it takes a while to get acclimated to the school, but they’re all nice, they’ll do a great job,” Brett Cernich, a sophomore in Lineburg’s AP European History class, said.

National Art Honor Society: Deborah Whales Room 822 Thursday 2:10

District uses incentives to reduce class size Arizona’s teacher shortage has forced some teachers to have larger class sizes than ideal for the 2015-2016 school year.

A ratio of one teacher to 205 students has become a reality for Erin Wagner, an English teacher, this school year. The Arizona teacher shortage may be to blame for this disproportionate student to teacher ratio.

“The teacher shortage is a real thing not just here but nationwide,” Steve Bebee, the school principal, said.

“We are a smaller school district, we can't afford to lose teachers. We can't get them to stay,” Danica Gianni, a senior English teacher, said.

To help lessen Wagner’s workload of 205 students, Gianni took 27 of Wagner’s juniors.

In a scramble to find qualified teachers, the school district approved a $4,000 signing bonus. Even with the signing bonus, the district still had issues finding teachers for its vacant jobs. Jamie Cochran, writing in the Arizona Republic, said that low salaries and lack of support for new teachers has caused the statewide shortage.

It is now a common occurrence to have classes with 35 to 40 students. One of the hardest things to deal with in a bigger class is keeping the students’ attention. Discipline is also challenging because it is a distraction to the educational process, Gianni noted.

“Having large class size does impact the effectiveness of learning,” Gianni said, “35 to 40 kids does not affect me because I go home and prepare what I have to do to keep their attention.”

Most teachers do not work the common 40 hour work week. Teachers have to make lesson plans, grade homework, and other class work.

Bebee noted that teachers should be paid what they are worth. “The work that we do in education is the most important work we do in the nation,” said Bebee.

With so many students in one small classRoom, it can easily be distracting to some students, but not all students are affected.

“It’s harder for me to personalize the learning experience in a large class,” said Alexis Burnette, a senior. “I personally do better in smaller classes because I get more individual attention with the teacher. You also get a better quality education in a class with fewer kids.

You can ask as many questions as you want for clarity.”

“Do I wish we had smaller class sizes, sure,” said Katie Doyle, a senior. “I don’t think we can have 20 kids per teacher for all classes in this school due to the amount of kids that go here.”

Student opinion aside, there is still a concern for the quality of education in the classRoom. “It is clear that in a class of say 11 kids we could go over more material than a class of 40 kids,” Gianni noted. “I would like to say that we could go at the same pace but we couldn’t.”

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National History Club: Steve Mitten Room 1116 Every other Thursday 2:00

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

By Elaina Rovenstine

NEW TEACHERS FLY INTO THE NEST

to sample the culture. The exchange students got a taste of the local restaurant, the Buffalo Chip, on Friday night were they ate with their host families and watched bull riding. Students from both schools noticed some similarities but also some differences between their worlds.

“One thing she said that surprised me was that she loved seeing the blue sky again,” Kayla McQueen said about Chole, the foreign exchange student she hosted, “because they have so much pollution in China, that their sky is a gray/brown color.”

There is talk about pairing up with other schools from different countries in the future.

“We want to get to know different cultures and different languages, ” said Yang Song, one of the Chinese teachers. He said that the foreign language teachers want the students to have the experience of communicating with people from a variety of other countries.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 ■ 3

October Issue

news

AMERICAN HORROR STORY TAKES CSHS

news Recent fossil discovery is ...

ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT FINDING FOR MANKIND

KATELYN REINHART discusses the long awaited theme and anticipation for the 2015 homecoming week.

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By Alex Laggren

FROM FRESHMEN TO seniors, students at Cactus Shadows are all getting ready for Homecoming 2015.

“I think it’ll be great. Last year’s Homecoming was fun, and people seem to be pretty excited for it,” said Andrey Carpenter, a sophomore. After a long wait, students have finally learned the theme for this year’s Homecoming: Falcon Horror Story.

Named after the popular horror television series, American Horror Story, this year’s Homecoming dance, which takes place on Halloween, is themed after the show, and is a blackout event. All students will wear black and dress casually.

Homecoming week goes from October 24 to the 31.

The week of Homecoming is filled with events such as a parade, movie night, basketball tournament, a musical performance, also known as Unplugged, as well as an assembly and football game.

Each day of the week before the Homecoming dance also has a theme.

Students are to wear their pajamas on Monday, and don their most childish clothes to dress like a toddler on Tuesday.

Homecoming is one of those things that people hear about a lot, but no one really knows what it’s actually like until they go for themselves. It’s pretty exciting, and

I’m sure this year’s homecoming will be just as great,” said Alexis Brown, a sophomore, reflecting on her homecoming experience last year.

With all of the buzz surrounding Homecoming, it is no surprise that some adults have their own opinion on the upcoming event. Gina Mure, a local in the city of Scottsdale, joked, “It’s great that Homecoming is on Halloween. They’ll all be busy with their dance. That means that there will be less teenagers in the neighborhood stealing all of the candy.”

The date of Homecoming has also caused some debate among students, with some complaints about the dance being on Halloween night. However, these complaints are rare, and students are overall excited for the event.

CAVE CREEK TEACHERS RECEIVE GRANTS The Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation gives out thousands of dollars to eight teachers all over the district. Two being from Cactus Shadows to Andrew Cupo, drama teacher, and Matthew Scott, film and T.V. advisor, The board distributed flowers and large checks to students and teachers.

4NICOLE NERI

HOMECOMING WEEK EVENTS Saturday, Oct. 24

Homecoming Parade at 10 a.m.

Monday, Oct. 26

Dress up- Pjs Movie Night Horror in the Quad at 6:30 p.m.

HELPING STUDENT COUNCIL PREPARE for the Falcon Horror Homecoming, Maddie Miller, a freshman, paints the boards that will go around the campus starting October 19. The boards varried from scary pumpkins and goblins to mon4LAUREN HAGGAR sters and the Grim Reaper.

§

opinion editor

Every year as homecoming week approaches, so does the announcement of the homecoming charity.

This year, STUCO has chosen the Ronald McDonald House Charity otherwise known as the RMHC. The RMHC provides families of sick children a place to stay while the child is being treated or recovering from serious illnesses.

While the families stay at one of the various locations nationwide, they are provided dental care, medical care, financial help, education services and daily meals.

“I am thrilled that the Student Council chose the Ronald Mcdonald House as this year’s homecoming charity because it is such an amazing program helping

families in need,” said sophomore Kalia Flanery.

In total there are 349 RMHC locations nationwide and the closest location to Cave Creek is in Phoenix near the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.“Part of the reason why we chose this charity is because it is the Arizona Association of Students Councils charity for the three year cycle, so not only are we supporting the Ronald Mcdonald House Charity, but also AASC,” said Cameron Bender, STUCO adviser.

“And another reason is that we also do a couple visits to the Ronald McDonald house every year.”

Although the school year has only been in session for two months, STUCO has already made their first visit to the Ronald

Tuesday, Oct. 27

Dress up -Toddler 3v3 Basketball Tournament

in the Blue Gym at 2:30 p.m.

Student Council donates to Ronny McDonny

By Lauren Haggar

§ staff writer

RCHAEOLOGISTS have made a surprising new discovery in Johannesburg, South Africa. A new human ancestor was discovered in what is believed to be a burial chamber.

On Wednesday they will be twinning, Thursday is animal print, and they can wear their Halloween costume on Friday.

“As a freshman it was really exciting to go, it felt like I was really in high school. I feel like

McDonald House. Before the group of students went, the entire student council prepared baked goods such as brownies and cookies.

“Helping the Ronald McDonald House has really touched me and made me feel like some kids and families really do get the short end of the stick even though they don’t deserve it,” said Flanery. “Ronald McDonald House helps those families by giving them food and a wonderful place to stay during their struggles.”

Students who helped families staying at the Ronald Mcdonald House were affected by the visit.

"Helping at the Ronald Mcdonald House was so amazing and really fun. It was a great experience and I was glad to share it with those who

went, because I was doing something small but it meant so much to the people living there,” said Tess Phillips, a STUCO member.

During homecoming week, students can make contributions to the RMHC by donating money into containers designated for the charity at the different events occurring each day.

“Last year the Student Council’s charity was a Soldier’s Best Friend, and we were able to raise enough money to have one service dog trained for a soldier that had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or brain injuries from being a veteran or being in the war,” said Bender.

This year, the Student Council is hoping for the same if not better results.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Dress up- Twins Unplugged at Dairy Queen at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 29

Dress up- Animal Print Feast and Fireworks at 6:30 p.m. in the Quad

Friday, Oct. 30

Dress up- Halloween Costume Football Game at 7 p.m

Saturday, Oct. 31

Dress Code- Black Out Homecoming Dance 7 to 10 p.m.

UASHLEY WONG OCTOBER 16, 2015 ■ 3

Veterans get a chance to share their stories

By Lauren Haggar

§ opinion editor

America today has thousands of veterans, many who go without recognition or a chance to share their story with the world. But a club that was started 12 years ago on campus is changing that problem.

Veterans Heritage Project, otherwise known as VHP, is a club that is changing the lives of those who fought to maintain our freedom. VHP is a club devoted to sharing veterans stories with the world.

“I think there is a lot of value in students having conversations with people they ordinarily wouldn’t run into about their lives experience, and I think it opens their eyes about things that have gone on in the past, and when you hear it from someone who has experienced those things it becomes a much more richer experience,” said Steve Mitten, VHP advisor.

The club members interview veterans, write a story based on their interview, and submit their articles to a book called Since You Asked, which is then published in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. VHP was founded in 2004, by now former history teacher Barbara Hatch.

Hatch founded this project in efforts to provide the students with a better background on our country’s veterans and the wars they fought. As of today, approximately 1,100 veterans have been interviewed as well as many student participants.

“Mr. Bombaci and I believe very strongly in the club being student-run and student-owned, and when people think of the club they don’t think of just the advisors, they think of all the club members; the people that are in the club, that are visible at all the

events,” said Mitten.

Currently VHP is averaging two interviews a week. The list of which veterans are being interviewed is quite long and is done by a priority basis. Those who are in failing health or who are just simply very old, are first priority and then other willing and able veterans follow suit.

Club members on week to week basis participate in interviewing the veterans, and also attend work days on certain Saturdays every month.

The club meets every Wednesday after school, in Room 311. Though many students cannot attend meetings on a weekly basis there are other ways they can help.

“As we start doing more and more interviews we are going to need more and more eyes on the essays to make sure to catch any grammatical errors, so the more eyes on a paper the better. So I definitely think that kids who can’t necessarily make the meetings but really want to help should consider this," said Jacob Bombaci, another VHP advisor. The twelfth edition of Since You Asked will be published this year.

Although the lives of veterans are changed after they share their stories, the same goes for the interviewers whose lives have been impacted as well.

“Hearing their stories opens up your eyes a lot and you learn to be humble," said Katelyn Finegan, vice president of VHP. "I think that’s been a big part of it and you hear about what all these guys deal with cancer, or war injuries, and what they went through during the war and compared to your problems, you problems are very small after that.”

THE PROCESS OF INTERVIEWING A VETERAN STEP ONE: VHP members pick a veteran they would like to interview. Once the student arrives at school they greet the veteran and then go to the VHP room where the interviews happen.

STEP TWO: Once the interview is complete the students write the stories, and send a copy of it to either the veteran or Hatch. Either way the veteran sees a copy of it.

STEP THREE: Veterans then edits the article, sends it back, then the members have a few work days to make the edits and changes.

STEP FOUR: The articles are then placed in InDesign.

Member edits and proof- read before finally being sent to the publisher.

STEP FIVE: Lastly, the books are printed, and VHP receives them at an annual reception in april where the veterans gather together and sign the book after the event.

ULAUREN HAGGAR

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

THE RACHEL'S CHALLENGE PRESENTATION

brings the audience to tears.

Moved by Rachel's story, Rachel Piontek, a senior, is among the many affected. Students then took to Twitter to spread the message Rachel's Challenge advocates. 4JULIA

DIEDE

Censorship continues to trouble educators

By Elaina Rovenstine

RACHEL'S CHAIN REACTION OF KINDNESS

T

assembly on September 17 sent a ripple across campus, preaching to students of the basic power of kindness.

“It’s important to sometimes remind ourselves of such a simple message,” said Beth Udisky, the school social worker.

This message of kindness has had an impact on students and staff alike since the Rachel’s Challenge assembly a few weeks ago. The organization exists to inspire students RACHEL’S CHALLENGE throughout the country to be kind STATISTICS by sharing the About 2.5 million people story of Rachel were involved in Rachel’s Challenge presentations in Joy Scott, a victim live settings in the Columbine More than 100 suicides shootings. This and other violent acts tragedy brought were averted in schools on grief and loss nationwide but instead of let3 known school shootings ting Rachel die were averted in vain, her fam17 million people have ily has shared her heard Rachel’s Story in live settings worldwide legacy with others.

Rachel’s Over 5 million more are exposed annually to the Challenge was story through internet news started shortly after the tragedy at Columbine

4 ■ OCTOBER 16, 2015

and continues to make an impact since then. Going to different schools around the country, the program pursues one main goal: to spread Rachel's message. This mass spread of compassion is advocated through small acts of kindness.

“I saw it four times… [and] I cried every time,” said Udisky.

REACTIONS VARY The assembly had different effects on different students. One part of the assembly that stood out to sophomore Reilly Krawzyck was when the presenter asked the entirety of the student body to close their eyes and imagine someone they had lost. They then asked students to remember all of the people they love in their life.

“I feel like it was the most important part because I felt a connection with everyone around me and I realized that we all go through the same thing, it’s kind of a universal truth,” said Krawzyck.

“What’s exciting about Rachel’s Challenge is it’s not over, we are going to continue spread the message throughout the school year,” said Udisky.

The upholding of the challenge will be presented in many different ways including advisory lessons, activities, and projects that incorporate the entire school. The assembly has already built a large amount

A BRIEF LOOK AT THE EVOLUTIONARY CHAIN OF MAN Ardipithecus ramidus - the oldest known ancestor to man Australopithecus afarensis - known for the “Lucy” skeleton

Homo habilis - believed to have lived 1.5 million years ago Homo naledi - recently discovered and of currently unknown age

Homo erectus - believed to have lived 1.9 million years ago Homo neanderthalensis - closest human ancestor Homo sapiens - modern day humans

UALEX LAGGREN

OCTOBER 16, 2015 ■ 5

news

THE RACHEL’S CHALLENGE

Homo Naledi has been, since its discovery, thought of as a missing link humans have been searching for. The fossils were found in what is believed to be a burial site, something that is not expected from such an ancient species.

“It’s pretty amazing how they’re able to find all this history through remains that most would see as unimportant but they’re able to make and retell the history,” said Devin Greene, a junior.

“It was one of those moments where every news outlet seemed to be pretty excited about it, and I was under the impression that it was a really recent discovery, and then when I looked back at it and put it in perspective, I saw that even though it's recent, it wasn’t just discovered,” said Robert Reisener, a science teacher. “They’d been excavating these things, these skeletons, for a while.”

While Homo Naledi was originally discovered almost three years ago, newer findings about this species has been released to the public, as well as the condition of the area the species was found in. Naledi means star in the Sotho language, and it is named this because the cave they were found in was called the Chamber of Stars. There have been more than 1,500 fossils found from

these caves, which is the biggest discovery to date.

“It may lead to more findings and discoveries about the new ancestor, which gives a whole other look on what really lived in the past,” said Kelly McElroy, a junior.

The most recently found species was discovered in extremely small caves, requiring the head of the archeological excavation, Lee Berger, to find smaller bodied cavers and archaeologists to fit in the confined spaces. After placing ads on social media sites, a team of six women were put together to explore the caves and are the only people known to have entered them to exhume the fossils.

“We found everything from infants to babies to toddlers to teens, young adults, old individuals. It is like nothing that we could have ever imagined,” said Berger to CNN’s David McKenzie. “Homo Naledi is already practically the best-known fossil member of our lineage.”

The skull of Homo Naledi is less than half the size of the human skull, yet the feet and hand bones are similar in many ways. The familiar structure of the feet lead scientists to believe that they were able to cover long distances on their hind legs.

“I definitely think it changes the way we view our kind because scientists found that the new species had a similarity to us that no other animal has had before,” said McElroy. “The main thing is when these creatures lived and where they fit into the picture of our evolution.”

of momentum and it is a priority to keep the chain reaction going.

“Anyone who has any suggestions should please come to me because this is something I don’t want to be just the school year, I want this to be the start of something,” said Udisky.

Although the majority of the student body took something from the presentation in one way or another, some students did not buy into it.

“At certain parts I felt like they were trying too hard to make her story powerful,” said Drew Ballard, a sophomore.

Ballard described the part about the teardrop drawing and the businessman as far-fetched as it made him a little skeptical.

“That kind of ruined it for me but I still took the message behind it,” said Ballard.

The presentation had different reactions from different people.

“I think it’s hard for people, especially teenagers, to separate what’s going on for them and… that outside possibility (of hope),” said Udisky.

Udisky believes that it can sometimes be difficult to get through to people.

Teenagers experience many different hardships of adolescence. Udisky believes that these internal problems can often fog the light of possibility.

§ staff writer

The battle between what is deemed school appropriate and First Amendment rights for teenagers is a common problem for school administrators, parents, and teens.

This last school year at a Connecticut high school, a teacher read a controversial poem about a graphic homosexual encounter to an AP English class. When parents heard, outrage erupted. The teacher resigned over the controversy. His goal was to encourage students to explore difficult themes. Others did not see it his way, though.

“There are things that should be taught, and there are things that shouldn’t,” said Lauren Manuszak, a senior. “Things are put in the school curriculum to help students learn about culture and other people.”

In the Tucson Unified School District, the Mexican American program was removed from the school curriculum by the TUSD board in 2012. As a result, TUSD removed hundreds of pieces of literature that had been part of the curriculum including a book that told the history of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement.

Students and teachers of the MexicanAmerican program sued the state, challenging the state on the grounds that the removal of the class is violating their First Amendment rights. As a result the TUSD is attempting to resurrect the program but it is still being examined by the Arizona Department of Education.

“There is a fine line,” said Dr. Steve Bebee, the school's principal. “I’m a parent too. I can look at things from both perspectives. It’s hard. Someone has to decide if it is appropriate in a school setting.”

Only a few years ago, there was a case of censorship issue here at school over a play that was being read in the drama program. Even though the play was not being performed, it had content that made some parents unhappy. As a result, the story made local headlines for days.

“The teacher that is presenting the material should be responsible to know what is school acceptable is or not,” said Chance McLaughlin, a sophomore.

“I take it upon myself to approve things as a preventative measure,” said Bebee. “The parents are always open to voice their opinion, but if it’s part of the curriculum adopted by the governing board, a student can opt out of the class or receive an alternate assignment.”

There have been many American classic books that have been banned. Some of these are read by students in English classes here, such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These books were banned by many schools across the U.S for the same basic principle that the Mexican-American studies are under fire in Tucson.

UKIERA RILEY THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

November Issue

December Issue

news

news

MULTIPLE 4.1 EARTHQUAKES SHOCK CAVE CREEK

A

By Kate Finegan

SEVEN DANCES FOR SEVEN DEADLY SINS

By Ryan Heiliger

RUMBLING in the earth on November 1 shook the Arizona community by its roots, and many students felt the aftershocks of all three earthquakes late at night.

“My literal first thought was that I was being abducted by aliens,” said Riata Wendt, senior. “I was like, oh my God, their ship just landed on my house. Oh my God, they’re taking me.”

While the ground shaking was indeed earthquakes and not a local alien abduction, people throughout the areas around Black Canyon City and Phoenix were baffled by the phenomenon.

Some slept right through the entire ordeal and woke to reports broadcast on the news.

“I was still awake, actually, I can’t go to bed before 12. I felt the first one. I got up, I went around.

§ staff writer

THE WINTER DANCE SHOW WAS on December 10 and 11 at the Fine Arts Center and sold out fast, following suit of previous years. The tickets were only five dollars, and seating was a first come first serve basis. The show was composed of the company dance class, the highest level of dance there is to offer.

“This dance show is pretty different from all the rest that were in the previous years. The theme is the seven deadly sins so it’s pretty interesting,” said Madison Mercer, a senior and four year dance student.

Although it is technically only a company level show, some boys who are in lower levels were brought up for this performance.

“I’m not in a dance class this year, but I was in beginner’s for one year,” said Ben Rodenburg, a senior. With females dominating the dance classes, there are few boys featured in the shows, but the main focus for the winter show was the boy/ girl dance. “It’s a lot more fun dancing with girls than it is to dance with guys,” said Rodenburg.

“We’ve been practicing our dances every single day during fourth period, which is company, and then we had a whole week of rehearsal leading up to the show,” said Ashley Ong, a senior and also a four year dance student. The dance show consisted of multiple dances all based around the theme the seven deadly sins.

“Every summer in the month of June I sort of calm myself, and I begin to let my mind open and come up with some sort of crazy concept,” said Elissa Ericson, ten year dance teacher at Cactus Shadows. “This year no reason in particular it just popped into my head; the seven deadly sins, let’s explore it, it could be fun,” said Ericson.

The seven deadly sins are pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Combining those seven aspects into one central theme is not an easy task, but the dance department is an experienced and talented field. “It’s gonna be a good show,” said Rodenburg.

As opposed to average high school dance productions, Cactus Shadows brings every genre possible together in their shows, and that was shown in this one as well.

their belts and face the decision of what programs and funding have to be cut.

“I think it [the override loss] will have the biggest impact where we need it the most,” said Cathlene West, senior. “There’s some new things in the classroom that we might need to improve how the teachers are teaching, or how the students are learning, [and] the ability to do more in class.”

Nicole Sargent, sophomore, was worried when she heard from a friend that they may be decreasing bus transportation.

“I started freaking out, and I heard that it was about the whole district,” said Sargent upon hearing the news. With less funding, decreased transportation might become reality for the district.

CCUSD: TOP PERFORMING DISTRICT Despite the lack of funding, Heather

Carter, State Representative said in an Arizona Republic article that “Cave Creek Unified School District is one of the top performing districts in the state.” Bebee noted this, acknowledging that Cactus Shadows does make good students without adequate funding, and accounts it as a possibility to why voters do not feel obliged to vote yes.

Richards also thinks that voters may not have voted yes because a bond was passed just last year.

DISTRICT TO FACE REPERCUSSIONS The rejected override has people hoping for better in the future. “The only way we are going to change in this state is when our employment infrastructure suffers to the point where employers cannot find qualified or educated enough employees to conduct business in the state, which is a problem

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

said Reisener. “So there was plenty of evidence that there was a fault there. What we didn’t know is that it was currently active, not just a remnant or a fossil of the past. Geology is alive and well in New River.”

LOOKING FOR FAULT Speculation arose about the possibility of more earthquakes following this string of three.

Seismologists have yet to pinpoint the exact fault responsible.

“It’ll be interesting to look back at it and see if anybody is able to figure out anymore about that fault. So it will be fun to let people do their research and then to see what they learn,” said Reisener.

Arizona escaped significant damage, and the hashtag #WeWillRebuild surfaced within the hour of the largest earthquake, interpreting these occurrences with humor as many wait for word of the fault in question.

ANNALEE BARNETT talks to adviser Amy Metcalf and sophomore Helen Lee to find out how the contribute to the community. S-Club is currently holding a used clothes drive to donate to Bobcats Closet.

Cave Creek residents reject $4.3 million override

Of the 28 school districts that passed their bonds and overrides in the Phoenix Area, CCUSD is not one of them. On November 3, CCUSD proposed a 4.3 million dollar override, achievable if the average homeowner gave around 24 dollars per year. With 43.69 percent of people voting yes and the remaining 56.31 percent voting no, the override failed to pass.

“The district is going to be in a severe financial bind next year,” said Ron Richards, ninth grade English Honors and IB World History teacher. Steve Bebee, principal, noted that even though no strict plans are in place, programs, classes, and administration may have to be eliminated next year to deal with the loss.

Poor funding for education coupled with low tax rates causes the district to tighten

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT The most potent earthquake shook Arizona residents and homes at 11:29 p.m. Two more earthquakes were reported with lower magnitudes, one around 9 p.m. at a 3.2 magnitude, and another following the largest 20 minutes later with a 4.0 magnitude. All three were just a few miles beneath the surface of the

Earth.

“I only felt one of those episodes, but what’s exciting about it is that we’ve gotten a little bit of a glimpse about what’s happening underground up in New River,” said Reisener. “And there’s a fault that no one has paid attention to… and it’s just cool, to know that there’s one in our backyard somewhere.”

“I was like, either someone just drove into my house, there’s a crazy storm, or out of some crazy reason or happening, there’s an earthquake,” said Wendt. “I didn’t really fall asleep after it, because that was definitely an earthquake, and I was just weirded out for the most part.”

Wendt went on to say that she went online and searched for any reports on the earthquake she felt, and found out about the two other earthquakes as well.

“There’s actually a big valley in New River, and it’s really no surprise because valleys form along faults,”

Soroptimist Club rallies to aid the local community

every day during fourth period. The boy/girl dance is one of the featured dances of the show. 4 NICOLE NERI

AVE creek votes no.

Everyone was asleep,” said Veronica Blascoe, senior. “I was like, did you feel that?”

Blascoe discovered the confirmation of the 4.1 magnitude earthquake like many others in the Valley; according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred seven miles from Black Canyon City, and 49 miles north of Phoenix.

Robert Reisener, a science teacher who instructs Geology class, woke to shaking and what sounded like a compression wave, or a sound that was similar to a sonic boom.

THE SOROPTIMIST CLUB UNITES Cactus Shadows students and women of the community. The clubs work together to aide the Scottsdale and the Cave Creek communities by such activities as feeding the hungry, supplying the needy, and bettering their community. Amy Metcalf and Alexis Hunter-Wilson discuss the upcoming events. 4 ANNALEE BARNETT

COMPANY DANCE STUDENTS have prepared for their deadly dances

C

§ staff writer

YOUNG GIRLS OF CACTUS SHADOWS team up to feed the hungry, supply the needy, and better their community through volunteer service. Soroptimist Club is a group of girls who provide their help in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area.

“S-Club is a club that does community service around Cave Creek and is sponsored

by Soroptimist,” said sophomore Helen Lee. Soroptimist is an organization of women who volunteer and orchestrate charity events for those who need help.

“Soroptimist group, which is a women's only organization, branched off S-Club to move their organization to the younger girls and kind of get that out there,” said sophomore McKenzie

already in the state,” said Richards. “I think people do not want to change until they are forced to change, that is human nature.”

Whether or not another override will be passed next year is difficult to say.

West and Sargent both say it depends on the state that CCUSD will be in the following year, while Richards does not believe an override would be passed if proposed.

CCUSD’s predicament is made even more frustrating given that the lawsuit that occurred in an attempt to gain money lost during the past several years.

Richards said that the State of Arizona is still refusing to release the funds to the schools even though the Department of Education legally won in court.

Shinsako, president of S-Club.

Groups such as Bobcats Closet benefit from the service of S-Club. Bobcats Closet is a retailtype shop located at Black Mountain elementary school and was started by Soroptimist international.

“We work with like food banks around the community or we can help the school. We help with Bobcats Closet a lot, which is kind of like a little thrift store for people who don't have a lot of money. [They] come and get clothes,” said Shinsako.

S-Club is a group that is meant for girls, however there have been exceptions over the years.

"We had a boy member a couple years back. Boys are welcome, they just usually aren't interested,”

said Amy Metcalf, adviser of S-Club and English teacher.

Girls in S-Club not only help others, but they are benefited themselves. “It’s good for volunteer hours. It looks really good on college applications,” said Shinsako.

Funding for the club comes from many different places and is hard earned. “I know one of our biggest funding things are our spaghetti dinner, that's where we get the majority of our money and I think we get some money from the club fees and stuff that goes towards us,” said Shinsako.

The S-Club at Cactus Shadows is a part of the Saguaro Foothills chapter. There are about 15 chapters in every state.

6 ■ DECEMBER 11, 2015

LIT MAG DEDICATED TO SPOTLIGHTING TALENTED FALCONS KATELYN REINHART discusses the process of deciding what pieces make it into the literary magazine.

Pencils eagerly meet paper in order to tell their stories and artists scramble over their paintbrushes in an effort to submit their work to Literary Magazine, a school club.

Led by Lori Hart, the yearbook, newspaper, and creative writing teacher, Literary Magazine is a club dedicated to the submissions of student artwork and literature. These student works are then published in the school literary magazine, which is designed and created by students in the club. “The end goal is to pick the very best photos, stories, artwork, from our community in school and put it all into a book for creative expression in our school,” said Hart.

“I expose the kids to a lot of different literary magazines, ideas, designs, and teach them how to critique, but they do all the work, really. I just sort of train them,” Hart said. During the critiquing process, club members view the artwork, poem, or prose, and judge them on four different categories.

The written pieces are judged based on originality, craft, organization, and voice. For art, the process is a bit different, looking at technical and aesthetic things in order to get a score. Each submission is given a score, and anything at or above a 32 gets in.

The number of students in Literary Magazine vary per year, but the kind of students drawn to it remain the same. “Students that are creative and enjoy art and literature,” said Sam Kotowski, Editor in Chief of the club. Many of the students who are in the club also contribute with submissions of their own.

“We usually get around 100 to 120 submissions a year,” said Kotowski.

To keep the critiquing process fair, everything is kept anonymous.

“It’s kind of funny, because you have no idea if the writer or artist is in the room with you. It’s exciting,” says Sofia Hunley, a member of Literary Magazine. Meetings take place on Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Hart’s classroom room number 609.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

U ALEX ARIAS § STAFF WRITER DECEMBER 11, 2015 ■ 3

news news

YEARBOOK PARTICIPATES IN ITS FOURTH ANNUAL SECRET SANTA Four years ago, Yearbook began a tradition that would carry out for many years to come. Secret Santa is a common event where people randomly pick names of the participants, and give them a gift anonymously.

The Yearbook class has three different gifts that are spread out over three weeks.

“The first week you give a food Maddie Jones, yearbook gift, the seceditor in chief. ond week you re-gift an item, and the third week you give a gift between five and ten dollars,” said Maddie Jones, Yearbook editor in chief.

THE FIRST GIFT OF THE THREE is the homemade good. Emily Watkins received a snowman jar There are two favoured aspects of particfilled with treats. 4 CHRISTINA FANKHANEL

“The first week you give a food gift, the second week you re-gift an item, and the third week you give a gift between five and ten dollars.”

ipating in Secret Santa, giving and receiving.

Alysa Velez, Yearbook design editor said, “I made Nicole Toomey a duct tape wallet one year and when she got it she was so excited, and she didn’t know it was me so that was pretty cool.” As for receiving gifts, Velez said, “one year I got this set of nail clippers, and a file and I use it all the time.”

Yearbook teacher Lori Hart has a different take on why she loves the Secret Santa.

“I just really love the holidays, and everyone gets some little present, and it really gets me in the mood for the holidays. Also I think it’s really great for team building.”

Yearbook faces some minor challenges; some being with participation. Hart said, “If someone doesn’t do it that’s really bad. Also probably getting the present to the person without them knowing who it is, is pretty difficult.”

Jones said, “I think the re-gift is really hard because every year I feel like I’m giving away such garbage.”

U BY LAUREN HAGGAR

Student discusses decision to seek another gender identity

By NICOLE NERI

WHILE

§ photo editor

SOCIETY

HAS

become increasingly accepting of the LGBT community in recent years, the “T” (transgender) part of the acronym is by far the smallest and least understood faction.

Although public figures like Chaz Bono and Caitlyn Jenner have brought the issue into the spotlight, it is still often viewed as somewhat distant from the bubble we live in. In reality, the issue hits closer to home than most students realize.

The dictionary defines transgender as follows: denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

Molly Gum, English teacher and facilitator of the LGBT support group on campus, said that people need to understand that “gender and sex are two different things.

Sex is biological, gender is not.

There are different notions of what it means to be male and female in every society, and so gender identity is something separate from biological sex. Gender identity is a social construct, meaning that it’s something defined by society, not by biology.”

Wearing loose jeans, dark flannel, and flat-soled shoes, the uniform of most guys at school, Junior THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Thomas Anderson’s (name changed for confidentiality) look is easy and casual. But what’s behind it has not been so. Quietly confident and subdued, slightly shaggy hair brushing the tops of his glasses, Anderson is a biologically female student who identifies as male.

The road so far has not been easy for Anderson. “I feel like I was kind of on the cusp of female and male my entire childhood. I liked playing with dolls, but I really liked going out and falling out of trees and roughhousing with the guys,” said Anderson.

“I don’t think I really thought of myself as male or female until I was older and then I realized...I guess I’m not what I thought I was. It’s hard to explain and express with actual words,” he said, laughing.

HARDSHIPS OF COMING OUT Early in middle school, Anderson went through a period of intense denial. “I was like ‘there’s no way, it’s impossible,’ just general self-denial,” said Anderson.

This sparked an “ultra-feminine phase, with Anderson telling himself things like, ‘this is impossible, I’m just gay.’ “It was literally the most depressing part of my entire life,” said Anderson.

Coming out as transgender can be extremely complicated and emotional. Anderson’s case is no exception.

“My mom was actually the one who asked me before I was exactly ready to tell her,” said Anderson.

His mother was unwilling, at the time, to accept that he was transgender. “I don’t think she actually expected me to say yes. I think she just wanted to get her doubts out.

It’s difficult to explain, but before she’d even asked she had made certain comments like, ‘you’re female, you’re biologically female, you are a woman.” It was kind of weird, like ‘ok, mom’,” said Anderson. “She’s upped those comments a bunch since I tried to tell her.”

PHASE OR REALITY The validity of claims to being transgender are often called into question. Some look at it as a phase, an attention ploy, or a bandwagon to jump onto.

Recently, however, studies have been conducted on the brains of living transgender people who have received no physical or hormonal treatment.

According to the Journal of Psychiatric Research and the Wall Street Journal, the white matter in the brain of a transgender person, especially one in a female-to-male transition, is nearly identical to that of the person’s gender identity. In other words, while Anderson is biologically a girl, his brain would far more closely resemble the structure

of a man’s brain than a woman’s.

One of the most influential steps toward the legitimacy of transgender was taken by the American Psychiatric Association. Medically, being transgender used to be classified as a mental illness called “gender identity disorder.” In 2013, the association renamed “gender identity disorder” as “gender dysmorphia.”

This may seem like a small change, but through an important detail, it was ground breaking for the transgender community.

From 2013 forward, transsexuality would not be treated as a disorder. Instead, the disorders potentially caused by gender dysmorphia--anxiety and depression, for example--would be the only things treated as a medical issue, medically validating transsexuality.

FINDING ACCEPTANCE “It’s really cool when you get into the actual science of it. It’s not like, ‘oh well, you know, it could just be a phase.’ Do you want to see how much of a phase this is? Take a scan of my brain and see,” said Anderson, back to his default lighthearted sarcasm. “Being trans is a lot more than your gender identity, it’s who you are. Gender doesn’t make you as a person, but it sure does help.”

Despite the rocky progress with his mother, Anderson has found

acceptance in his sister, his friends, and his dad “probably already knows at this point, and he’s really chill about it.”

Anderson plans to come out officially to his father sometime next school year. He wants to begin transitioning in senior year, and to visit a GIC (gender identity clinic) when he turns 18 and would no longer legally need parental approval.

Anderson said that outside of the people in his family, most around him have “actually been really, really supportive,” which has been “so cool.”

“The more people see the LGBT community around them, in personal lives and in the public eye, I think it helps us see that we’re all just people,” said Gum. “People are afraid of what they don’t understand. When they see that there’s LGBT people everywhere, and they’re just like everyone else, it’s humanizing. So I think [exposure] is so important.”

Both Gum and Anderson said that understanding is the key to the acceptance of the transgender community.

Anderson said that he just wants people to “be tolerant. You don’t even have to be accepting, just be tolerant. Just don’t be [mean],” he said, smiling.

AzMerit takes the place of the AIMS test

STUDENTS PROTEST RACIAL ISSUES

ELAINA ROVENSTINE discusses the results of changing tests last minute.

T

HE attempt BY the Arizona

Department for Education to prepare kids for the new wave of standardized testing missed the mark according to the new AzMerit test scores. The scores show that a large number of students scored not or “minimally” proficient.

“Part of the problem was we were preparing for the common core test but then we moved away from it,” said Steve Bebee, school principal. The AzMerit scores reflect the fact that students and teachers did not have enough time to prepare for the change.

“If the board of education keep making new tests with new material the teachers and students are not going to know what's on the test,” said Catie West, a senior. “There are a lot of people who just don't like taking test. The fact that the test did not affect the upper class men at the time means that people probably did not take the test seriously, so the test scores might have been worse then they should have been.”

According to the results, 74 percent of 11th graders scored minimally or partially proficient in English and even worse 71 percent of students scored below proficient in Geometry and Algebra Two. “There were some questions that

made no sense or we simply did not have time to learn the material in class,” said West.

The exam is built off the common core standards which focus on criticalthinking skills and less on memorization making it much more difficult than the old AIMS test. For example the exam has more complex reading passages and math problems including a short essay to explain how students got the answer to the problem.

AzMerit was made intentionally harder than AIMS. The test measures students’ mastery of the 2010 Arizona College and Career Ready Standards, which are more demanding than the standards measured by AIMS. Research has shown that AIMS gave a false picture of the number of students who are ready to start college after high school.

Arizona students got lower marks based on national standards.

“I like the new standards but I’m against standardized testing in general, I think it’s terrible. Standardized testing is a cookie cutter method to see how much a child has learned but kids are anything but cookie cutter,” said Molly Gum, 10th grade English teacher. “The only way to improve the overall test scores is it needs to start earlier on in the education process from the bottom up.”

By Kiera Riley

W SOURCE: SURVEY FROM ARIZIONACENTRAL.COM CONDUCTED ON AUGUST 8

SENATOR HEATHER CARTER TALKS TO GOVERNMENT CLASSES about education and

redistricting. At the end of the presentation the students registered to vote. Seniors Ella Asterino and Ashley Danahy visited Carter after her speech. 4 NICOLE NERI

DECEMBER 11, 2015 ■ 5

4 ■ DECEMBER 11, 2015

§ staff writer

Increasing racial tension, including racial slurs and anonymous comments, has caused students across the country to stage walkouts and protests.

"I think it needs to be discussed more by teachers and students who are educated on the topic. Oftentimes, people say hateful and racist things simply out of ignorance," said Blake Bradshaw, a freshman.

Earlier this year, at Berkeley High School in California, a student used one of the computers in the library to display a message using racial slurs and threats of violence targeted at the students of color on campus.

In light of these actions, the BSU (Black Student Union), staged a walkout. Members of the BSU and their allies gathered the next morning and walked from the school to city hall and through the UC Berkeley Campus.

"Racism like this, whether it was a joke or not, is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. We also wanted to address institutionalized racism, and as allies (non black supporters) that we believe that black lives matter," said Gus Gebhart, a student at Berkeley High School.

Using chants and signs, students showed support for the Black Student Union. “They kept it calm while proving a point and that’s exactly how it should be done,” said Bradshaw.

While racism exists everywhere, hidden prejudices are also a concern.

"Those are the subtle thoughts and comments that often go overlooked but have a way to creep into an otherwise accepting campus culture,” said Geoff Johnson, a history teacher.

Most agree that keeping up a dialogue about race is important.

“The best thing I think we can do is to continue to get the word out about things like this that happen every day, and go unnoticed or unreported,” said Gebhart.

Overt cases of racism are often brought on because of a lack of knowledge.

“The best way for students to involve themselves is to arm themselves with knowledge. You must understand the facts, and then understand how both sides of any issue, interpret those facts,” said Johnson.

Although this incident is resolved, the Berkeley High School students anticipate more race driven conflicts.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Tear Sheets

September Issue

Kayla CHRISTENSON, Kaley FINEGAN, Lauren HAGGAR, AGGREN, Rebecca MEJIA, WAGEN, Kiera RILEY, Elaina S, Devan WILLIAMS, Sara ca WROBEL

s published by the Journalism chool. The newspaper serves Shadows High School and as ommunity. to publish a factual, informaand to provide a forum for the

sed do not necessarily repreon, the adviser, or all CSPress online, at cactusshadowsc-

o reject any material that is mediate and material disrupnt.

EMAIL YOUR LETTER TO

rom its readers. If you have g you had read, please write t to cspress.opinion@gmail. han 100 words in length and s the right to edit for length. that are obscene, libelous or

ene, misleading, or illegal to SPress reserves the right to an ad, contact the adviser or 575-2493. of the Columbia Scholastic cholastic Press Association, ociation, and the Arizona

: Issue 1

ers. It is great that students can express themselves through the clothing that they wear, but this is a place of education, not a frat party or a fashion show.

That being said, there are parts of the dress code that are subjective, and not completely

to the student body and get their input on what is appropriate and not appropriate to wear, the resulting dress code policy would be easier for students to accept. Perhaps the students could even form a committee to help administration with the dress code.

The EDITORIAL represents the consensus view of the members of the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board members are Sierra Galindo, Abby Cardenas, Lindsey Murphy, Nicole Neri, Lucas Akin, and Rees Bixler.

ABBY CARDENAS

DDA (DISGUSTING DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION) “I get it, you are in a relationship and want everyone to know, but, c’mon.”

Public displays of affection, commonly referred to as PDA, is present in most high schools. While administration is cracking down on dress code, PDA is being wrongly overlooked. When it comes to choosing between seeing a couple making out or seeing a bare shoulder, the latter is more school appropriate and less disruptive to the pursuit of education.

Let us start this with a short narrative. A person just got out of fourth hour and is walking up the steps to get into the cafeteria. Said person is prepared to eat their body weight in food when they see something that completely ruins their appetite. That something is a couple standing right in front of those double doors playing tonsil hockey. End narrative.

We all know the stereotypical relationships. There is the couple who is barely a couple, the average couple who maybe hold hands when walking across campus, then there are the couples who maul each other between passing periods. All of these couples have different boundaries for the physical side of their relationships, either really strict or really relaxed.

There are boundaries that should not be crossed when in a relationship and on school grounds. Couples who find

it necessary to cross these boundaries need to keep the other students around them in mind. While some may not mind these public displays of affection, others find it uncomfortable.

Do not get me wrong, a little PDA is fine. The couples who hold hands or hug before going to class are not the subject of this article. Discretion goes a long way, and those couples who demonstrate it are more respected.

Rather, it is directed at those couples who cannot separate themselves long enough to let people pass through the cafeteria doors.

People, please. There is after school, before school, weekends, week nights, plenty of time (and places) to be affectionate to your hearts’ content. School, though, should not be one of those places.

Now I get it, you are in a relationship and want everyone to know, but, c’mon. Do you really need to go that far? I guarantee that having a sense of discretion will get the message across just as well. Plus, it makes walking through the hallways much more comfortable for the rest of us. A little PDA is not necessarily a bad thing, but a little discretion goes a long way.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Opinion, page 6, Sept. 21, 2015

October Issue

HIGH SCHOOL JOBS CAN AFFECT YOUR ACADEMICS

WORKING IN HIGH SCHOOL GIVES REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE High school is all about learning. Learning the Pythagorean Theorem, why Shakespeare is the God of English teachers, and what the hundred years war was. Yet two of the biggest lessons we learn are not in school, we learn them through real world experience. Responsibility and accountability are two characteristics that we acquire through having a job in high school.

For six hours and five days a week, we sit at desks while the teacher lecture about a subject like math or English. And that is all they are, subjects. Subjects that the state of Arizona requires for us to graduate, and what most colleges require for admission. We do not learn about how to open a checking account or how to be responsible with money, things we will need once graduation comes and goes.

I found that having a part time job has helped me figure out all of these essential skills. Filling out the paperwork once hired asks about what you have to pay in taxes, if any, and once that first pay stub arrives you see the amount that Uncle Sam takes out of each paycheck. Not to mention that there is actually money in your bank account that you had to open to get the job.

Now, the counselors try to help us with what the real world will be like, but that is all theoretical. When the money rolls in and the schedule comes out, these skills come into play. Employers expect their employees to be at work on time, to dress professionally (or in uniform), and to do your job right. They do not cut teenagers slack because we are young, if we want a paycheck we have to do the job correctly.

School should be a priority in our lives. College comes up quickly and grades have to stay up, so school should not be put on the backburner. Having a job can occasionally shift the balance between the two, but it does not have to. My parents only told me to “not bite off more than you can chew.” Without the balance between school and work, problems will arise.

If things become overwhelming, work less.

Employers are not as mean and scary as the movies make them out to be, they can shorten hours to fit your needs. And if one cannot, another will be able to accommodate to the teen’s schedule.

Getting that first paycheck, proof that you can earn your own money, is a rite of passage where you do not need your parents for money. Even if you only have to pay for gas, that is still a responsibility that will help later in life.

Working teaches students skills that school cannot. Economics might help, but it is still a scenario based course not an experience. It is a rite of passage for a student to have to earn their own money, and to fill up their tank of gas on their own. With a balanced school and work schedule, it is easy to do both.

“Yet two of the biggest lessons we learn are not in school, we learn them through real world experience.”

ABBY CARDENAS and DESTINY SERVISS take on the effects of high school jobs on teens

SEE IT MY WAY

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Opinion, page 7, Oct. 16, 2015

Some kids get in high school, and immediately want a job, but having a job on top of homework could affect your academics.

During high school, your primary focus should be school work. You should not have to worry about having a job on top of school responsibilities. When you have a job, you spend a lot of time at work and getting ready for work, and end up doing homework during the passing periods.

High school is about getting the grades you need to get accepted into the college you really want to go to. The college you get into will determine the job you end up with.

Students tend to stress a lot during high school, especially when you are a junior and a senior because you are getting close to figuring out what college you want to go to. When we get jobs, we will stress more about when we will get our homework done or that test we still need to study for. Working should not cause more stress in your life.

One thing teens love is sleep. Once you have a job it tends to run a little late and once you get home, you just want to sleep, but you cannot because you still have homework to do. The next thing you know, is it is past twelve o’clock and you just finished homework and you have to get up at five in the morning.

We all have to go to school for a certain amount of time and then if we have work, we would not have any free time.

Students should have some time to relax after coming home from a long day. Most of the teenage population is not good at time management which is another reason many of us should not have a job while we are in high school. Most people work on the weekend and that leaves you with less free time to hang out with your friends and we all know how much we enjoy our friends’ company.

Some people need to work during high school to save money for college, or to help with family expenses. If that is the case, of course, they will have to get a job.

Also, some students say they want the job experience, but we should all enjoy our high school years while they last. We will be stuck with a job for the rest of our lives, so why not enjoy not having to worry about school and a job? High school is about having the time you need to get your homework done and keep your grades up.

Most of us want to be successful in high school, and get into the college we choose. We need to make the choices that will lead to success, and one of those choices should be to not work.

“We will be stuck with a job for the rest of our lives so why not enjoy not having to worry about school and a job?”

OPINION

THE REPORT CARD Video announcements With plenty of wit and on-screen “acting” that elicits chuckles all around the classroom, announcements deliver prompt information and some irrelevant side stories that prove their worth with amusement.

The video shots are great, but the news crew might want to work on capturing clear sound and less muffled voices.

B+ Rachel’s Challenge assembly The uncanny spirit of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre, lives on across the nation in the form of a challenge to schools: spread kindness and start a “chain reaction” of benevolence.

The presentation was moving and evocative, no doubt resonating with many in attendance.

Cactus Shadows has an opportunity to be a link in the chain, starting with this presentation.

A+ Fire drill While the organization can be commended, the method of evacuation is put into question: if it were an actual fire drill, the top priority should be to put distance between students and buildings. Every person flocking to one field, cramming through tight hallways and compact gate openings in a real emergency could cause more catastrophic consequences than its worth. It would be difficult for students, in danger and under pressure, to be “calm and orderly” when they smell smoke or see flames.

C-

U KATE FINEGAN OCTOBER 16, 2015 ■ 7

he cost of Penn State n 1957 was $1,270

hat is 25 percent of a amily’s income

he cost of Stanford University in 1957 was 1830

hat was 36 percent of family’s income

he median family ncome in 2015 is 55,000

he cost of Penn State n 2015 is $35,000

hat is 64 percent of a amily’s income.

he cost of Stanford University in 2015 is 64,000.

hat is 116 percent of family’s income.

class sizes will fluctuate no matter what school you attend.

Large universities are typically able to expand and maintain their facilities more easily than a smaller university because they have more students and more alumni, resulting in more money for the school. With improved facilities and learning centers on campus, students can expand on their knowledge and skills more easily. Most sizeable universities are funded by the state, which results in lower tuition costs for students. The majority of these universities are located in an

specific field or sanction, larger universities offer more options for students to specialize in specific fields.

Due to this, students have more opportunities to excel in different areas of their studies and can consider other majors when applying to a larger school.

Regardless of size, larger universities can still maintain a decent student to teacher ratio in the classroom, and can provide the right amount of attention for students in the classroom and during office hours.

small can be good too While small colleges do not have the brand names that large universities commonly have, they provide just as much, and more, without the hype. It is a misABBY CARDENAS conception that because there is a smaller school base the options are limited, potential students need to dig deeper when looking for a college right for them.

Small schools fly off the radar when students sit down to start applying to colleges. They are often overlooked for those that has a cooler reputation or has a larger student body, because those are the schools that are talked about more often. Small universities will provide the same benefits as a large one, but with a few extra.

In a large university, class sizes tend to be larger because they need to accommodate for the overload of students. This means that the professor might not have the time to personally engage with each student about their progress, or problems they may be having. At a small college, the classes will be smaller allowing the additional help that students may need, as well as having a better relationship with the teacher.

This is one of the reasons why I decided on a smaller university, because I will not have to sit with a hundred strangers in a big room. I can be in a smaller setting with a professor that

is able to sit with their students and help when needed. That and I realized that small colleges have the same sporting events and parties that large colleges have but on a smaller scale.

Schools that tend to be a quarter of the size of another will have a better community aspect because it is in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nothing is a secret, which could be a good or a bad thing. While you still might have to see enemies from high school when going to a small college, it would be significantly smaller than if you attended a large college and saw a majority of the people you went to high school with, again a good or a bad thing.

Going to a large college will give you the college experience that everyone talks about. It has the hype and everyone on Twitter and Instagram raves about how incredible their school is and their sport. And these are the majority of college posts that you will see because these schools have a name to live up to, and everyone that goes to these schools are going to make sure that the people who do not are missing out.

Everything that a large college has, a small one has the same. Even more so because the people who attend these colleges go for the education, not because the name of the university is branded into their minds. We all go on social media and see the obvious schools, but when looking into which college to attend go a little deeper because less is sometimes more.

OCTOBER 16, 2015 ■ 11

Features, page 11, Oct. 16, 2015

November Issue

Features, page 12, Nov. 13, 2015

Creeker, page 16, Nov. 13, 2015

December Issue

WILLIAMS, Ashley

hed by the Journalism he newspaper serves s High School and as ty. sh a factual, informaovide a forum for the

itives. For one, it is difficult to measure things like imagination since there is no real way to test it. Likewise, test scores are an easy tool for school administrators and teachers to measure things. For example, low scores can prevent

one... But unfortunately not every child is exactly the same.

Therefor there has to be a better system, and less importance laid on testing. The whole idea of school is for a child to flourish and grow, not to have them struggling.

The EDITORIAL represents the consensus view of the members of the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board members are Sierra Galindo, Abby Cardenas, Lindsey Murphy, Nicole Neri, Lucas Akin, Rees Bixler, Lauren Haggar, Annalee Barnett, Alex Laggren and Sara Windom.

ot necessarily repredviser, or all CSPress

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SCIENTOLOGY

at cactusshadowsc-

any material that is and material disrup-

While doing my research, I found that people want, let me repeat that, want, to pay money to find spiritual freedom.

YOUR LETTER TO

readers. If you have ad read, please write ress.opinion@gmail. words in length and ght to edit for length. obscene, libelous or

leading, or illegal to reserves the right to ontact the adviser or 3.

Columbia Scholastic c Press Association, , and the Arizona

4

ABBY CARDENAS Scientology has recently taken a spot in the limelight, and has been made out to be cult-like, following a caste system.

We usually see what is on E! News or on Stars magazine, we do not see what they actually do or how the religion is run.

These past few weeks, all I have seen in the news is the bad side of Scientology, and how the system is corrupt or how they pick on members who do not follow the pack. What I have not seen is how the people on the inside feel about their religion. There is a little thing called the First Amendment, which clearly states that people have the freedom of religion - if they want to follow Scientology, it is no one’s business.

Scientology was created by L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote a science-fiction novel. He thought that people could find spiritual release through a clear and precise path. Scientology addresses the spirit, not the body or the mind, but the total man. According to scientology.com, there are three prime fundamentals that they follow: Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized. To find salvation they need to follow the rules of Scientology.

While doing my research, I found that people want, let me repeat that, want, to pay money to find spiritual freedom.

They do not mind telling on other members of their society when they did something wrong, because that keeps the mass of them in check.

There are rules in every religion, some are loose rules like no sex before marriage, which is seldom followed. Scientology is a strict religion, but people choose to stay and they choose to take the reprimands and continue on with their lives.

Now Scientology is not my cup of tea, so I do not follow it.

I believe that it is a scary religion. Nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors. It has been labeled one of the most secretive religions, and has had a bad history, but most religions do. Even though some have had rough histories, they never have to endure what Scientology has.

However, they are protected under the First Amendment just like all other religions. They have the people to back the practice, they will not be going away anytime soon.

It is a matter of choice. If someone thinks that Zenu, the God of Scientology, is real, let them. If someone wants to pay thousands of dollars to reach complete spiritual freedom, good for them. We should not have the freedom to make a religion look bad when we do not even know what they follow.

Scientologists believe that by following their moral codes, they can live peacefully within their religion, and in a way, ensure that they are living to their fullest, most honest selves.

They do not just do whatever they please and tattle on each other when they are pissed at one another. It is an organized religion, and should get at least a little credit for their organization and all they do to keep peace in their sanctuary.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Opinion, page 8, Dec. 11, 2015

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s of now, there is no known reason why someone becomes a serial killer. Some thought that their environment growing up triggered the characteristic while others assumed that a part of their brain made them that way.

“There was a researcher and he had been paid to be a forensic psychologist and when serial killers were on trial he would come and talk about how the frontal lobe of the brain was not functioning well on the MRIs of these people. As a result he would say that this demonstrates that child was actually born as a serial killer. He continued his work and his research until he took a scan of himself, and what he discovered was that he had a serial killer's brain,” Chris Dodrill, a psychology teacher, said.

This researcher had proved at one point that it was not the person's fault they were a serial killer, they had been born with a birth defect making them that person, but with his brain being the same as these murderers, he found that it could not be true because he had not killed anyone nor had the intentions to. He had then taken a different course of action to find whether their childhood had triggered that part of the brain, or activated, the serial killer in them.

That realization led to the question of what does make a serial killer the way they are with one of the only other options being their childhood, the people who influence them. “The most famous [experiment] was when a guy named Vandura who did experiments with a punching doll, and adults punch the doll and little children watched it, and sure enough the kid, given the same circumstances would punch the doll and say the same things and stuff like that. So that’s where some of that social learning theory and early research on behavior and how when a child observes the behavior, we tend to mimic that behavior, copy it,” Dodrill said.

A child is easily influenced by their surroundings, they do not know right from wrong until taught the difference. “Children are generally born innocent, but there are a few isolated cases of kids just being born bad. There are signals that show up in these children like abusing animals or being really socially isolated. But ultimately their environment shapes who they become, but you’re born the way you are,” Lizzy James, a senior and former psychology student, said.

As the child grows into adulthood, these smalls signs could lead them to partaking in worse activities than hurting animals. There is an aspect of hurting or killing that excites them or relaxes them, because while they know that it is wrong they cannot help it. Dodrill had said that having the urge to kill is like wanting to eat. Eating makes people feel good after they do it, this relates to why serial killers continue to kill people, it makes them feel good. “I think there is an aspect of killing that they enjoy,” Alex Nieminen, a senior, said.

There are reasons on both ends of the spectrum of which could ultimately be the reason a serial killer kills people, but both lead to how the child grows up. If they have the wrongly functioning frontal lobe, it is a matter of whether it is activated or not. If they do not, it could be because their childhood had been traumatic or they were influenced by parents or people they look

up to.

UNSOLVED SERIAL KILLINGS CAPTURE PUBLIC IMAGINATION

Features,Whether page well 12,known Dec.or11, 2015unsolved crimes make people on edge, none arguably more than serial obscure, killer murders. Perhaps the most well known, besides Jack the Ripper, is a murderer called the Zodiac Killer.

“The Zodiac Killer is an anonymous man… he dressed in a black executioner’s costume and he would slaughter his victims in any way, but in an area around them he would draw a symbol,” said Makenna Espinoza, sophomore. “On his clothing was the same symbol, and the symbol was the Greek symbol of Death, also known as the theta.” Some people believe theta means thought or life, but it directly translates to Thanatos, the greek god of death.

The Zodiac killer not only murdered seemingly innocent people, but sent letters to media outlets, particularly the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Vallejo TImes-Herald. “Anonymous letters started coming in, but they were all in code,” said Espinoza. “What they are is the Zodiac Killer telling the officers about him, like who he is, where he lives, everything about him.” All known confirmed murders of the Zodiac Killer happened within a span of one year, 1968 to 1969, and took place in Northern California.

The Orange Sock Killer, a more obscure tale, also remains unsolved to date. “Girls who would be walking home or something… this guy would come and kill them...and the one girl he murdered, by the scene they found an orange sock, and then a few months later, they found another murder that paralleled with it, and there was also an orange sock,” said Anastazia Facco, sophomore.

At first, the killer was thought to be the first victim’s husband, Jeff Oberholtzer, but after passing a polygraph test, or a lie detector test, he was found innocent. The Orange Sock Killer has not committed any more murders in this fashion since.

Unsolved crimes sometimes live on in the form of copycat killers, the act of imitating a murder, usually carried out by young men according to www.psychologytoday.com. “You see copycat serial killings, and that’s the ultimate flattery, usually,” said Geoff Johnson, an American and World History teacher.

Heribertu (Eddie) Seda, a copycat of the Zodiac Killer, attempted to kill people according to their zodiac signs and get through the whole greek alphabet. He also sent coded letters to the media and police much like the Zodiac Killer. Caught on June 18, 1996, he was sentenced to prison for life at Attica Correctional

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About Me

Cover Letter

Resume

Self-Analytical I know this is only supposed to be from this year, but I’m going to review my whole newspaper experience. It has been two years of hands on learning (and tough love) that will help me one way or another in my future, whether in college or the real world.

Last year I learned to be a part of the team. I learned how important it was to, even though I was not an editor, be at every production day, to offer my assistance wherever I could, and to step up when tough situations arose. For example, our editor-inchief graduated early so I stepped into a full time editor position and began to learn how my senior year would be as an editor.

Learning how to be a staff writer, and seeing the other staff writers from last year, set my expectations high for this year as my final year in the publication. While it really did not meet my standards, I learned to work with it and figure out what I could do to make the staff better with deadlines and writing skills along with learning how to be an editor myself.

My short time as an editor in my junior year gave me the chance to get a feel for InDesign, which was more beneficial than I thought it would be. Even though last year I didn’t know InDesign liked to be moody and delete things (documentation of my mental breakdown thanks to Nicole Neri) it allowed me to understand what the basics were.

Regarding this year, we had a challenge after challenge regarding both editors and staff writers. We began this year with an entirely new staff, and editors who had never touched InDesign before. In the process of putting out issues of the paper, we had to teach an entirely new style of writing, and deadlines, to a class who was half interested in journalism and half interested in the easy A, we all heard about. Newspaper is not an easy A, something we had to learn the hard way, it takes time and dedication.

I dedicated hours of my time (skipping classes, coming in on the weekends, staying after school) to get my pages done, as well as work on other commitments to you and lit mag. The main reasons for these longs hours stuck with Constance was because a lot of the stories for my pages weren’t done by the time final drafts were due. I rewrote articles, got last minute pictures, and tried to design pages with gaps. Trying to make the paper in time was hard when we really weren’t working as a team.

We weren’t a unified team this year, which put a strain on the relationship between editors and staff writers. Last year we were so put together and we worked so well together that working with this staff was almost like a culture shock. Editors, and few staff writers, ended up making the paper a majority of the time. I guess I learned to pick up the slack of others, and how to get people to write for my page. Nobody likes writing for news (even though it’s a newspaper), but with the right person and story my pages, although last minute, were done and looked beautiful, thanks to Adamson’s assistance.

I intend to use everything I learned these past two years in the future, college and beyond. It was not just journalistic writing and InDesign, we learned leadership and teamwork. I learned how to be a team player and how to lead a group and how to make deadlines efficiently. It was not just journalism, it was life lessons all in one.

Reflection 1

My most significant pages were probably the features pages for the May issue. I waited four years to finally be featured in the senior section of the paper, and I was able to design the spreads myself. It was stressful (there are A LOT of seniors at Cactus Shadows, little did I know) because there were a lot of surveys to go through, and a lot of people who needed to be written down in excel and people who needed to be photographed and interview for top ten. It was fun to do with my fellow senior editors, as we all waited for this issue with a lot of anticipation.

They were not the most beautifully designed, as it is kind of a pre-set design, but it was one of the more fun pages to work on. I traded in news for the senior section for my final issue of working on the publication. And although I did not design a lot of it, it was more work than I was expecting. It was also really hard to complete because I had to balance working on this portfolio while trying to get my pages done in time. Which also brought the issue of prom on production day, and none of us wanted to be there until 4:30. So, it was difficult for me to balance the two tasks as one needed to be nicely designed and the other just required an obscene amount of attention and work.

I don’t regret trading in news for the senior section as I was really excited to work on these pages, and I felt a senior should do the spreads instead of a junior. I see it as a right of passage for the seniors. I really enjoyed working on my last spreads ever in newspaper, and it is by far my favourite spread that I have put out.

Refer to designs May issue

Reflection Two

The pieces that really could have been improved were the first issue pages that we did this semester. And I know that’s a cliche response, but it’s true. We had just gotten back and needed that first month to get back into the swing of the things, and I feel like if the writing and photos are bad the pages have no chance. The pieces for the first issue were really rough, and it showed because we had little time to design.

Honestly, I learned my lesson when it came to trying to design things without pieces and pictures in the beginning of the year so this was nothing new. These are the issues that we really heavily rely on Adamson to design our pages, and that is what happened this time. He went home and made our pages beautiful, but editors pages without him when we have so little don’t turn out the way we hope.

For the May issue, I had all that I needed in the beginning of production week so I had plenty of time to design and think of headlines. It was really nice to be honest because I also wasn’t stuck at prodution day until 4 (I left at noon man).

If I had the time it definitely would have been more my work rather than Adamson’s work. But I didn’t because of editing articles, so it wasn’t really my page. This didn’t happen too often this semester, but the first issue is bound to be a little rough and that’s exactly what happened. It sucks when the pages aren’t mine, and I would definitely try and get finished pieces before production week because having the whole week to design really helps once production day comes and the pages are my own.

Refer to designs February Issue

Reflection 3

I, once again, evaded taking pictures for the paper this semester. And, yes, I know that in the real journalism world I would have to take a few pictures in my career, but I just didn’t have the time this year. I worked more on becoming a better investigative journalist.

For the sake of the reflection, I chose a picture that I took in New York.

The picture you’re currently looking at is a picture that I am proud of for the most part, and found has the most photographic elements.

I really liked the symetry of the picture because the cars line one side of the picture and the benches the other. There are a lot of leading lines which I really didn’t realize when I took it. It allows you to notice the little things like the person in blue in the back. They lead you to the focal points of the picture.

The serenity of the picture is what attracts me to it the most, it’s a calming photo and that helps bring me back to when I took the picture.

I liked the cool tones of the picture as well. There are small bits of warm colors, but for the most part I like the atmosphere of the picture, and it depicts what that specific day was like (really cold and dreary).

I will work on making myself take more pictures because it is necessary in journalism to take pictures and be decent at it, but as of this year I typically took on too much to take a photo, so I had to resort to using a picture that I took on my phone.

Reflection 4

I feel like this year I was a pretty big asset to the staff. While I know that people did not like me because I wanted my stories in on time, and they weren’t doing what they were supposed to. I did the best I could to make beautiful pages, with great content, and to lead the staff as a senior editor should.

While I did not write my articles for a few issues, a majority of the time I did my work and most of the work for my pages as well writing wise. It was a tough position to be in as nobody wanted to write for news, and I had to make pages with good articles not just a pretty design.

You, Sierra, and I ended up completely rewriting articles because without them I would have large gaps on the page.

I skipped many classes (sorry Metcalf and Zilka) in order to try and finish my pages so I could go home early on production day, which usually did not happen. Production day for me was 8-5 and then Monday and maybe Tuesday trying to tie up loose ends and finish my pages. I dedicated a lot of my time to making my pages the absolute best they could be, and I feel that that was my biggest asset to the paper. I dedicated so much of my time to make sure the paper was gold crown worthy, and I expect nothing less with the newspapers we put out this year.

Reflection 5

What hardships did I face this year? There were a lot of challenges that we, as returning editors, had to face. We had to teach an entirely new staff how to be journalists, which is still a work in progress. As well as teaching new editors how to be editors, as most of them were first years. We really struggled with getting writers to write their articles, or write them correctly. It was really frustrating and honestly I thought I was going to punch some of them.

It taught me to be a, pardon my language, a bitch. I needed to be authoritative and stern when it came to my pages or absolutely nothing would be done. I think we got through to most of the writers, and for the people that come back next year will be prepared as editors to know how to manage an unruly staff. And most of the writers stepped up, minus a few of them, and wrote not great but decent articles. These issues that will be submitted to Columbia will win gold because the effort we put into making good writers and beautiful pages will pay off when we are holding a gold crown.

I know I wanted to kill myself every production day, kill someone when they didn’t write an important article (which we ended up writing ourselves), or just get depressed when I even thought about production week. But I don’t think we would have had the impact we did if we ran the class the same way as last year. We had a staff of quick learners where we could run newspaper the way it was supposed to be ran, but in the circumstances we had we handled our hardships really well. The effort we put into the paper this year was all worth it for the gold and all of the future golds that will entail.

I feel we did a great job handling the situation. We improved all of the writers, created great editors who will bring the paper to a whole new level next year because of all we did this year, though crazy and scrambled. It was a year of learning and a whole ton of teaching.

Reflection 6

I had plenty of weaknesses this year publication wise. I had horrible time management, first semester I didn’t handle how the staff wrote very well, and I really didn’t teach like I should have. I thought of only myself most of the time, not helping the staff, which was ultimately my biggest weakness.

Most of the time I really only thought about writing my articles and getting my pages designed. I didn’t tell the writers why something was wrong, I changed it myself. I didn’t talk to the people who wrote for my pages, I did things on my own. This all should have been changed, you even talked to me about explaining not just doing, but I didn’t listen. I was a selfish editor and I may not get the chance to redeem myself with the staff, but I realize what I did wrong and wish I had done things differently.

I should have sat down with the writer who was having a hard time and discussed what they could do to make their article better, who they could have interviewed to make the article come alive, why I made changes or why it needed changes. I should have been more helpful, and made the staff aware that if they needed help that I was available. I shouldn’t have been a selfish editor only thinking about winning gold, when the goal is to also help people become journalist.

I was independent, and that was how I learned. Last year, I only followed the edits because I understood what I had done wrong, I knew what the editor was saying. And now I realize that some of the staff had absolutely no idea what was wrong, and it was my job to tell them so they would be better journalist.

If I had to pick anything that was my biggest weakness, it would be that I just wasn’t the best editor to the staff. If I could change things, I would have told them that I could explain anything if they needed or helped with anything they were struggling with. I let the staff down, and if I could change it I would.

Reflection 8

My portfolio last year was in a binder with really crappy reflections and a few mediocre articles that I wrote. I have improved immensely since last year. I know how to use InDesign, I can write an article in half an hour (a good one at that), and I learned, very last minute, how to be a leader.

I think the place I grew the most was my InDesign skills, how I design pages. Last year, I only had two issues to work with InDesign which were helpful but didn’t allow me to really design pages. It wasn’t until this year, or first semester portfolio and lit mag, where I learned how to design. I found that it’s something that I’m really actually passionate about and have really loved doing.

My writing has also improved since last year. I was only testing the waters, getting a feel for what I really liked to write about. I found that features and opinion are some of my stronger sections. I like the hard hitting topics, like the body dismorphia spread that we did. I went to an eating disorder location and talked to someone who worked with people who had eating disorders everyday, I even met people suffering with such. It was a truly rewarding and eyeopening experience that I could only get from newspaper. And the information I got from Rosewood really helped my story.

I became a great investigative journalist. I found that I liked going on the inside and finding out what limited people know. I liked going out of my way to get good interviews that would really improve my articles. This was something I really never did last year because I was new and really hadn’t found my footing. But thanks to the fears features spread, where I first interviewed the school psychologist, was when I realized that I wanted to get more interviews like that.

Talking to people was something I improved on as well. Last year, I noticed in my articles, that I stuck to my questions and didn’t stray. I ask questions to fit my preconceived angle when that was the worst thing I could have done.

This year I have found that interviewing has gotten easier, and the quotes fit so much better in my articles, they aren’t formatted to fit my already written article.

Going between last year’s and this year’s portfolio, I have seen amazing changes in myself regarding the publication. I became a better designer and a better writer because of what I learned in newspaper, and this year I have grown so much more than I thought I would have. If you were to look at the pages I made junior year (which was mostly Adamson), to the pages I made this year (some Adamson assistance) they are my own. I actually gained design skills and didn’t heavily lean on Adamson to work his magic and make beautiful pages, I could do that on my own. And my articles were some of the best that I’ve written.

I made great advancements in my journalism career, and even though I’m not following it in college, I took lessons out of it. I now can be aggressive and determined to get the details right, even if I have to talk to the president or mafia leader, thank you Mrs. Hart. And if I ever need to make a poster, it’ll be the most beautifully designed poster out of everyone’s, and thank you Adamson. My life will forever benefit from what I have learned in newspaper.

designs

February

news

news The food rules change after two in the afternoon at the school store

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Ronny McDonny learns Spanish RYAN HEILIGER delves into what Spanish Club participates in, and how they spread culture.

The Spanish Club on campus allows students to explore the unique culture of Mexico without actually needing to know any Spanish. Any student interested in the Spanish culture are able to join, and are encouraged to do so.

The club participates in cultural outings and organizes volunteer work to complete as a group as well. “Spanish Club helps me meet lots of kids from other grades, because it’s pretty well spread out across the four grades of high school,” said Gabrielle Payne, vice president of Spanish club.

The biggest focus of volunteer work is the Ronald McDonald House, a place for families with children who have serious diseases. The house is an apartment style building for families who live 50 miles or more away from a hospital, so they are in close proximity to one if they need it.

“We go down and cook for the families, maybe a big Mexican meal, and they can come in and get it or if we’re still there we can serve them,” said Doni Nasr, a Spanish teacher and the Spanish club advisor.

This club has been around for over 20 years at Cactus Shadows, and has made a lasting impact on students, even encouraging some to learn more about the Spanish culture and language.

Abby Steward, Spanish Club president, started out her schooling taking French as a foreign language. After learning more about the Spanish culture, Steward decided to take Spanish and is currently in AP Spanish, the highest level.

“We plan dinners and nights out for the club, but also volunteer work,” said Steward. The Spanish Club has their share of recreational events but also contributes to society with charity work. “We did a volunteer event where we got people to donate PJ's and books for an organization, and then we made Christmas cards for the kids we were donating to,” said Steward.

DECA GOES ROGUE AFTER TWO P.M.

HALEY EHMANN, JUNIOR AND JOCELYN RAUGHT, SPANISH TEACHER meet twice a

month in Doni Nasr's class at 2:30 p.m.. At the meetings they go over possible volunteer opportunities and lessons on the Spanish culture.

THE STUDENT STORE sells cookies, cups of ramen, and more after school while they stick to healthier options before school and

during both lunches. Davis Levy, a senior, and Stefan Gustafsson, a junior, work the student store to make money for DECA fees and competitions. 4 RAMINA MALEK

4 ALYSSA GROVE

NEW SPANISH TEACHER TAKES UP PERMANENT RESIDENCE

By LAUREN HAGGAR

§opinion editor

BEING THE “NEW KID” IS not just a title reserved for students.

For teacher Alex Burghardt, who is new to the school, this is just the beginning of sharing his passion for Spanish.

Born and raised in South Dakota, Burghardt took Spanish classes and continued to study Spanish into college. Burghardt attended Augustana University and moved to Arizona in July of 2015.

“This is my first full time teaching job and it's a big change, especially for me coming out to Arizona being from South Dakota and not knowing anybody at all,” said Burghardt.

The Spanish department was in need of a teacher due to the absence of a consistent teacher for the past two years. “The staff I work with are awesome, because the entire Spanish department has been so helpful,” said Burghardt.

Students over the past two years have experienced difficulty with an unstable classroom environment. “I

ALEX BURGHART haven't had a stable Spanish teacher for two years… and I have to say for someone who wants to take Spanish and learn, it sets you up for such a disadvantage, especially when you want to learn and you aren't taking it for just a requirement,” said Lauren Finley, a sophomore.

One of Burghardt’s main goals is to provide his students with a stable environment where they are able to flourish.

“I am looking forward to offering someone who is a steady teacher because what I have heard it’s been really tough on the kids,” said

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Burghardt. Students and staff across campus are fortunate to have a certified Spanish speaker who understands the language.

“Mr. Burghardt has been awesome, he came in and told us, ‘this is your classroom and I’m just here to teach you in it, and that set up a huge respect between him and his students,” said Finley.

For kids who are struggling with the revolving door of teachers, Kaley McCann, a sophomore said, “Keep going, keep doing what you're doing because it will get better, and just because it’s hard now doesn't mean it won't get better in the future.”

In addition to Burghardt’s passion for teaching, he also enjoys traveling to Spanish speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico.

He recalls his trips being “one of the greatest experiences of my entire life.”

When he's not traveling or teaching, Burghardt could also be found riding his Harley Davidson, fishing, or hunting.

Model UN finally gets under way at Cactus Shadows

by KATE FINEGAN

§ staff writer

After three years of falling short of her goal, Abby Walker, a senior, initiated a new club on campus, Model UN, dedicated to debating the world’s issues by representing various nations.

“It feels amazing,” said Walker, who is the president of Model UN. “I’ve wanted to make this happen for so long and now we have a solid group of people who want to be a part of the club, which is really rewarding.”

This year marked the first year of Model UN on campus, as well as the first competition students participated in at Mesa Community College on February 6.

The nations Model UN represented are Panama, North Korea, and Lithuania.

“It’s progressing very nicely,” said Steve Mitten, history teacher and advisor of Model UN. “The students who initially started with 20, 25 plus, now winnowed down a little bit to a solid core, as it usually happens when you have competitions where you have to speak in front of people.”

Students prepared for the competition

by meeting every month until November, when meetings were increased to twice a month. In recent weeks, the club has met twice a week to practice procedures on how to address the board, committees, and moderators of Model UN competitions.

Meetings depend on which section of procedures the club decides to address, including confronting other “nations” over issues that are raised. Many topics brought into question include human rights and international affairs. Natalie Nabaty, a junior and the vice president

“It’s kind of like pregame jitters,” said Walker.

“Everyone’s worked so hard to prepare and we’re about to see it all pay off. said Abby Walker, a senior about the Model UN

of the club, with five years experience in Model UN, stated that they were as prepared as they could be for the first year.

“It’s kind of like pre-game jitters,” said Walker. “Everyone’s worked so hard to prepare and we’re about to see it all pay off. At the conference, I want us to grow confident and gain experience. Next year we’ll be going to at least one competition, and I want everyone to know what it’s like and see that their work is important in the Model UN community.”

Nabaty commented that she is happy to be a part of Model UN, and that the issues they discuss are real-world issues that should be discussed.

“It’s so important to be opened minded and aware, and not just to be aware, but to problem solve and persuade others to choose your solution,” said Nabaty.

Once the competition is over, Walker stated that the group will set up fundraisers to prepare for the coming year.

Walker hopes that everyone who is interested in joining Model UN will have the ability to, without money hindering any potential members.

ITH Michelle Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Act, the student store is more restricted on what they sell… that is, until 2 p.m.

“Last year, we encountered those new food laws… Michelle Obama’s initiative to have students across the country eating healthier, and if a state abides by these rules, they get extra funding,” said Davis Levy, a senior and manager of the student store.

The new law states that schools who serve healthier food choices than from those in years past they will receive a six cent increase in reimbursement money.

This is only during school hours, however, and the student store has found their loophole.

“We decide what we can sell during the day and what to sell after school, so candy, and anything that exceeds 150 calories has to be sold after school right at two,” said Levy.

Their most popular items are often the only-after school options as well.

“Our most popular items are Icees and Cup of Noodles. Soda and candy are also popular… [they] are sold a lot after school,” said Matt Wang, senior and student store worker.

The money the student store makes during the year all circulates back to funding DECA, a marketing/business club at school designed to, “give the students an opportunity to participate in a lab experience that emulates a real world career opportunity,” said Louise Rochford, Marketing teacher.

The store buys wholesale goods so cheap that they make around a 45 percent profit which in turn helps fund the supplies needed to stock the store, and allows the staff to have the money in case a repair or replacement of the equipment is needed.

“A large amount of the profits are used to fund DECA activities and offset the DECA Student Competition fees and cost of our trips to International Competition,” said Rochford.

On a typical Monday through Thursday morning, students like Levy and Wang can be found working the store. Wang described a typical day as, “pretty quiet and the smell of fresh baked cookies wafts through the air. A few people come in and buy something or to get warmth from the cold weather and have a chat with their friends.”

Students like Levy and Wang who work the store before and after school get paid, because it is not time during school and it is not within their curriculum. However, students who work during their lunch period do not.

4 ■ FEBRUARY 12, 2016

USARA WINDOM

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 ■ 3

news

Cave Creek sends prayers overseas

"When I was a teenager, a lot of my friends were killed in the Vietnam War. Unfortunately there was really nothing I could do about it. Over the years, my sister’s husband and his brother also fought in the Vietnam war, and they had a lot of problems because of the results of the war” Sue Wofford of Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

group based in Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church makes and sends cord rosaries to soldiers overseas. As the ministry grows, the Phoenix branch is in need of volunteers to help bring peace to the people defending the nation.

Sue Worford of Our Lady of Joy founded the local branch four years ago.

“I wanted to do something for our troops.

This thing has grown so much that not only do the Catholic brothers and sisters ask for the rosaries, but also our non-Catholic brothers and sisters,” said Worford.

As the program expands, Worford said that the group has started to struggle to meet the demand. The program is always in need of volunteers, regardless of creed or personal beliefs.

“It sounds like a good opportunity. It’s an easy way to get credit, and also to give back to the community,” said Jordan NashBoulden, senior member of NEHS, “This is a great cause.”

Receiving a rosary has had a tangible effect on some of the troops. Worford said that she receives letters sometimes from the soldiers, some with just a few lines, sometimes with page-long letters.

“We do get some thank-you notes from the kids,” said Worford. “I call them kids, you now, because they are. They’re kids. It’s very heart-wrenching.”

F

SUE WORFORD, FOUNDER OF THE PHOENIX

BRANCH, makes rosaries at the Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church. With the help of church volunteers they make over 600 per base per month for the soldiers.

4 NICOLE NERI

“I had a testimony from a retired major.

There was a chapel by his base and he was given one of these rosaries. He said throughout his whole tour in Afghanistan, he had this rosary with him. He said that he found great comfort from the rosary and saying the rosary, but he also found great comfort because it was something from home. It gave him a sense of normalcy, which they don’t have over there.”

Worford has seen the effect that war can have on soldiers. She said that she wanted to do something to give back to them because “when I was a teenager, a lot of my friends were killed in the Vietnam War. Unfortunately there was really nothing I could do about it. Over the years, my sister’s husband and his brother also fought in the Vietnam War, and they had a lot of problems because of the results of the war,” said Worford. “I knew the boys and girls were struggling over there. I wanted to bring some peace to their lives.”

The impact of receiving a rosary is “enormous” to a soldier. The feedback the ministry gets shows this. “There’s a lot of power in a rosary. These boys and girls out there, it’s just…they’re just kids...It’s very sad and anything I can do...that’s the best I can do, it’s like a calling,” said Worford.

The ministry is struggling now to meet demands as it grows. This year, Worford’s branch serviced three bases. Each base requests 600 rosaries per month.

Dancers in control

KIERA RILEY talks to company dancers about the upcoming student choreography show, and the process behind creating the dances.

NICOLE NERI talks to a local about their services towards soldiers.

Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church started the branch, and watched as it expanded sending over 600 rosaries a month to military bases all over the world.

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The ministry is in need of both volunteers and monetary donations for supplies.

Worford said that when money is tight, somehow the ministry pulls through.

Once, Worford said that she was almost out of supplies and entirely out of money. “I said, ‘blessed Mother, I do not have any more money here and we’re down to one roll of twine and I don’t know what to do.’ I’m telling you, two days later, I got a check in the mail from a private donor who I don’t know, have never seen before, wouldn’t know her if I saw her face-to-face,” said Worford. “Things like this happen all the time. It’s incredible.”

There’s no pressure when volunteering for the charity. It takes about three to four meetings to understand the process of rosary tying.

Once the process is mastered, volunteers work from home, and once a month a shipment is sent to the distributor. “There’s no pressure, I don’t care if you make one, that’s one more then I had yesterday,” said Worford.

“Anything that you can do to get out into the community and help is awesome,” said Amy Claire Abel, NEHS co-president.

“Anything that inspires you or that you’re passionate about, and that can get you hours for too, I say go for it.”

To donate or for more information on volunteering, contact Sue Worford at suzybell@ outlook.com FEBRUARY 12, 2016 ■ 5

ROM beginners to experts, dance students prepare their self-choreographed numbers for the show put on February 11 through 13 at the Fine Arts Center.

“It’s really cool to have a bunch of people all participating in the same thing, and everyone’s there for one reason, because they love it,” said Tatum Updegraff, a senior and dance student.

Student choreographed dances is an assignment for all dance students.

In this five week project, dancers are required to create their own dance demonstrating a clear theme and exemplifying the choreographic elements.

Although all students participate in the assignment, auditions are only mandatory for advanced students. Beginning and intermediate students are given the option to audition but it is not required.

Students are given an outline which assists them in designing their dance.

The planning sheet formats the beginning, middle, and end of the dance.

Another requirement of this project include students creating a concept.

Along with the planning, students are required to do a concept artifact assignment. The dancers, using their chosen concept for their piece, bring in something that relates to their theme either factually or emotionally. An example of this would be bringing in statistics or poems.

They then choose the music to accompany their dance and once it is approved by Elissa Ericson, dance teacher, they can begin graphing their music. Graphing is a process that requires students to count out the rhythmic patterns in the dance.

“The hardest part about choreography is picking movements that match your concept,” said Ashley Biondo, a senior performing in the show.

These routines are performed in groups. In the beginning and intermediate classes, individuals are allowed to choose their groups. In advanced, the groups are selected by Ericson, dance teacher. “Typically I choose students that have different skill sets or strengths and I put them into groups,” explained Ericson.

During auditions, there are a few key points that the instructors look for when choosing who makes it into the show. The dances should have an evident beginning, middle, and end, as well as a clear theme or concept. It is also important for the dances to be well executed and technically sound because they are going to be performed in front of an audience.

After the dances are chosen, students meet with lighting designers from the theater department and stage craft class. This way, the dancers can choose the mood they want to create through both the lighting and the dancing.

“You have to talk with your group about what lighting you would wanna see, like if you had a dark piece you wouldn’t want super bright lights,” said Updegraff.

Supervisors and teachers put the numbers in order and create playlists, but the performances are still primarily directed by the students.

“This is completely student driven, so although Ms. Vago and I are there… we’re really just there to supervise,” said Ericson.

On February 12 there was a student matinee, meaning that classes signed up to go see the show during the school day. There was a required class fee of $20 . This money goes towards costumes for the May show and the dance program as a whole.

COMPANY AND ADVANCED DANCERS auditioned and are now preparing for the student choreography shows on February 11 through 13. Ariana Heiner, a junior, is practicing her group's dance for other students and teachers.

4 NICOLE NERI

CTE advisors face decision to stay on campus or move CAREER AND TECHNICAL Education (CTE) students may be in for a change of scenery in the coming years as space opens up at Desert Arroyo Elementary School.

The decision may be made to move several classes to a spacious and upgraded room.

The CTE program includes a wide spectrum of courses available to students and with the possibility of a move to a larger and separate campus, more courses may become available for students to take.

6 ■ FEBRUARY 12, 2016

“We’d be able to add hospitality and hopefully add culinary in the future because there is a cafeteria over there,” said Louise Rochford, marketing teacher and CTE director.

However, the new site is a considerable distance from Cactus Shadows main campus and this could lead to several problems. “I wanna stay in the high school and be one with the high school,” said Katie Inman, a sophomore. Inman is involved with the Digital Journalism

class taught by Luke Scott.

“I think there are pros and cons.

Being in our own separate building altogether as a group would be nice, but I think the amount of time it would take students to walk back and forth would be time consuming,” said Scott.Although the other site is a couple minutes walk, there are many benefits to the move such as more space, new equipment, and more privacy. “It’s a lot of space for the activity that we do,” said Sierra Fluegel, a sophomore and student in

marketing.

As a CTE teacher herself, Rochford would be very affected by the department moving to another building. “It has to go to the board for approval. Right now, it is just in the early planning stages. A lot of it is just going to depend on what happens with the vote that is taking place in May,” said Rochford.

If the move is approved of by the school board, then production would begin on making a clear path to Desert Arroyo. “One of the

things we’ve been looking at-we’ve been discussing with the architect company, is looking at what type of lighted cover pathway that we could build that would actually connect the two campuses,” said Rochford.

Construction of this path would be necessary for students to cross in between in case of rain, mud, or an absence of daylight. Parking would also be available for juniors and eniors that were taking part in the CTE program.

U ANNALEE BARNETT THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

March

news

news

AZ ELECTION HEATS UP

CACTUS SHADOWS STUDENTS MEETS DON GIOVANNI

ELAINA ROVENSTINE informs readers about the upcoming elections and how they can sign up to participate. The rules and regulations can be found online at Service Arizona EZ Voter Registration.

ON MARCH 22, CITIZENS OF ARIZONA will participate in the Presidential Preference election. In this election, registered voters for the two main political parties, Republicans and Democrats, cast their vote for which candidate they want to be president.

The Presidential Preference election only has presidential nominees appearing on the ballot, while the primary election deals more with state elections.

TWO ELECTIONS

“In Arizona, we have a Presidential Preference election and a normal Primary,” said Allison Zilka, a government and economics teacher.

“The Primary election is open to all voters and is more for local office positions. The Presidential Preference election is for people to voice their preference for Arizona to voice their delegates.”

It is important to know that, when registering to vote, independent voters cannot vote in the Presidential Preference election. People who want to vote in these elections will have to pick a party or there is the option of changing party affiliation.

“I registered as an independent,” said Isabelle McDade, a senior.

“I can’t vote in the Isabelle primary but I want to. It’s McDade, a senior. frustrating. I was going to switch parties to vote, but I think I’m too young to put all my hope into one party and party hopping does not look good if you ever go into office.”

“I registered as an independent.

I can’t vote in the primary but I want to. It’s frustrating."

Shadows students took in a dress rehearsal of the Mozart opera.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

“Ideally, before people go to vote, it would be good to be well-researched on all the candidates and what they stand for,” said Zilka.

There are three ways to register to vote in the elections. The most popular is registering online at Service Arizona EZ Voter Registration. All it takes is an Arizona driver license or a state issued ID card, verification of voter eligibility, and a social security number.

The other two ways to register are to go online to ask that the registration be mailed out for people to fill out at home, or one can visit the County Records Office and fill out a registration form in person.

“I think that it is very important to vote,” said Josie Flanery, a freshman. “It is, after all, our job as being Americans. Voting helps decide what the fate of the country will be for the next generation.”

Most people also find it helpful to have early voting ballots, which means voting ballots are sent through the mail to be filled at home before voting starts at the polling place. To request an early ballot, contact the County Records Office to be placed on the permanent early voter lists.

LEPORELLO BEGINS

THE STORY of Don Giovanni by telling the audience about all the women he slept with. This was the beginning of the three-hour dress rehearsal. 4 NICOLE

DEVAN WILLIAMS explains the risks and the possible treatments for the recent outbreak of the Zika virus. The Centers for Disease Control advises people to travel with caution around the area where the virus is commonly found.

EVER SINCE THE ZIKA VIRUS OUTbreak last May, in South America, there has been a great deal of concern. The virus can have a number of effects on pregnant women and infants.

It started off as a tropical disease spread by infected “yellow fever” mosquito. The virus has recently had an outbreak in the Americas, and it is now estimated that millions of people, mostly in the areas around Brazil and Mexico, could be infected.

“So many people are traveling, it could easily spread. Mosquitoes are everywhere,” said Tabby Balvin, a senior.

MARCO RUBIO “I would probably choose Marco Rubio. I think he’s the most stable candidate, and that’s not something you can say about most of the candidates. I don’t support Trump so I hope Rubio wins the Republican primaries.”

Brad Reins, senior

U KATE FINEGAN

Spring breakers must beware of Zika virus outbreak in Mexico

WHICH CANDIDATE DO YOU PREFER?

BERNIE SANDERS

but I liked the teleprompter. That helped.”

Metcalf explained that the challenge of understanding Don Giovanni is that it is a very convoluted opera that does not fall into a single category.

“It is not a comedy opera, and it’s not a serious opera, which is one of the reasons that for years it was considered the finest opera ever written, because it does span categories,” said Metcalf. “But it makes it difficult, sometimes, to follow along with, even though it’s funny enough that I think most students do.”

Despite the length of the opera and the Italian lyrics, students followed the story of Don Giovanni (Morgan Smith) and his servant Leporello (Joseph Barron), who carried Giovanni’s record of conquests that included 1,003 women in Spain, 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, and 91 in Turkey.

“My only dislike was that I didn’t know how long it was going to be, so that was kind of hard being on a school night. But I thought it was really good,” said Madelynn Shuler, a senior. “It was a different experience hearing Italian… the actors were really great… even without the translation, they were good actors that you can kind of tell what was going on.”

Three performances of Don Giovanni were held from February 26 to February 28 at Symphony Hall. Two more showings were held in Tucson on March 6 and 7.

NERI

W ELAINA ROVENSTINE

“I like his stance on foreign policy and all the things he wants to do for our country economically. If I had to choose between Bernie and Hillary, he’d get my vote.”

On February 24, students attended the Arizona Opera’s three-hour dress rehearsal of Don Giovanni at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. Amy Metcalf, an English teacher, provided her students, and members of National English Honors Society, with the opportunity to watch the 7 p.m. viewing for six dollars per attendee.

“I love the opera… I used to live in Manhattan and always went to the Metropolitan Opera, and so I found out, maybe 10 years ago, about Community Night at the [Arizona] Opera, where they would allow school children to come for very reasonable rates for the final dress rehearsal. And so I’ve been doing it twice a year since then,” said Metcalf.

Don Giovanni, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787, has been in circulation since the middle ages, first published in 17th century Spain as Don Juan.

The Arizona Opera’s production of Don Giovanni, directed by Tara Faircloth, brought the Italian courtyard and each character to life on stage by a combination of orchestra, voices, and stagecraft.

It was a learning experience for students in attendance. According to Amy Abel, a senior, the language barrier was a confusing aspect of the opera, as the entire performance was sung in Italian.

“It was much more interesting than the last opera we went to; it was more uplifting and comical,” said Abel. “The fact that it wasn’t in English caused some problems,

“The elections should be open to allow all people to participate no matter what their views are,” said Zilka. “It puts young people at a disadvantage. Young people do not want to pick one party.”

The next deadline is October 10, which is the last day to register to vote for the general election. The general election is where all or most of the members of a political party are chosen for their term of service. This includes the president, vice president, all members over the House of Representatives, and members of the U.S. Senate.

The general election will be held on November 8, and any registered voter can vote no matter what their political party affiliation is.

BERNIE SANDERS

MARCO RUBIO

RISKS OF THE ZIKA VIRUS

“I support Bernie because I think politicians up to this point haven’t been working, and he has ideas that are out there and I think he can really make a difference.”

“I would go with Marco Rubio because I feel like in this election we’re picking the least of all the evils and he’s the least.”

The virus itself does not cause serious harm for most people, and has no lasting effects, but can cause a form of paralysis for some, and more profound problems for preg-

Abby Walker, senior

nant women.

“It’s scary because it affects unborn children,” said Cecilia Hoffman, school nurse.

A birth defect that the virus has been suspected of is microcephaly, a defect that causes babies to be born with unnaturally small heads. There can also be a negative impact on a baby's brain development.

In normal people, the virus causes mild problems, such as a fever, rash, or pain in the joints. Recovery time is around seven days.

Because of how mild the infection is, there is no medical exam available to check specifically for Zika virus, although blood tests can help detect any symptoms or traces.

There have been some cases of Zika in the United States, but caused most in people who had recently traveled to areas impacted by the virus.

“It is [a problem] but not in our region

in terms of North America, I don’t think we should be worried, but South America should be a little worried,” said Dominic Rafie, a junior.

One of the ways to avoid the virus is to avoid the mosquitoes that are carrying it, and to stay away from heavily infected areas of the world, such as Brazil or Mexico.

NO CURE

CDC WARNS

Scientists have suggested that any pregnant women who have visited areas where the virus is common should consult a doctor or get a blood test, even though the virus itself is hard to diagnose. There is currently no vaccination or cure for the virus, yet possible solutions are being researched.

“I don’t know about a vaccine, but they’re trying to work with mosquito, trying to make it sterile so they can’t have offspring,” said Hoffman.

“I think that couples who are trying to get pregnant should stay from countries that are infected,” said Balvin.

“The CDC sent out warnings of where to travel, so stay away from areas that have Zika virus, if you're traveling just be cautious,” said Rafie. "Wearing long sleeved pants and shirts, and using insect repellent can help to avoid mosquitoes."

Scientists still do not fully understand the virus. For example, the link between microcephaly and the epidemic, and the ways it can be transmitted, is still being researched.

Even though Zika is not deadly compared to other diseases like Ebola, the long term effects and the exact symptoms of the virus are still unclear.

4 ■ MARCH 11, 2016

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Alana Gleghorn, senior

Brianna Serviss, senior

4 SIERRA GALINDO U

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

ABBY CARDENAS

MARCH 11, 2016 ■ 3

Fairies and fire and everything medieval

Test offers chance to prove biliteracy

By LAUREN HAGGAR

SIERRA GALINDO reviews the annual Renaissance Festival which showcases comedy, stunts, drama, and crafting. It occurs every Saturday and Sunday until March 27.

THE RENAISSANCE FAIRE SHOWCASES odd ancient acts. Some are, more or less, historically accurate and some are just for fun. Fire eating was not a mainstay of 15th century life, but is still a curiosity for any audience. 4SIERRA GALINDO

F

OR 28 years, the Arizona Renaissance Festival has been entertaining people from all over the state.

Covering over 30 acres of desert, with a jousting arena, banquet hall, and 13 stages all offering a variety of shows from comedy, stunts, tutorials, crafting, and drama, the fair attracts an average of 250,000 visitors each year.

“The best part about the festival was how you could walk around the entire place as many times as you want, and you would still never run out of things to do,” said Chase Critcher, a senior.

Some more known acts include The Ded Bob Show, featuring the tiny talking skeleton named Bob who picks on and taunts audience members. Hey Nunnie Nunnie!

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

is another comedy show featuring Sister Philomenia and Mother Redempta, who poke fun at old Catholic traditions and bible stories. “[Hey Nunnie Nunnie!] was really funny in ways I didn’t expect,” said Critcher. “A lot of the humor ended up being puns, but as the show went on they got more creative with it.”

An Artisan Marketplace is the main attraction, offering over 200 types of handcrafted items such as jewelry, journals, art pieces, candles, and clothes. Services such as blacksmithing, glass blowing, hair braiding, tarot reading, and psychic readings are also available.

“At the Renaissance Festival, the audience is a special guest in another place and time,” said Sanja Malinovic, festival media

manager.

Twig the Fairy, a well known character across most Renaissance faires, has her own shop with books and fairy bottles full of glitter.

She walks around the festival, taking pictures with people, blowing bubbles, and spreading glitter all around.

“It’s always fun to see the people who go all out and dress up,” said Conner Bijak, a senior.

Another event that guests can attend is The Pleasure Feast, which is a five course meal offered with live music and a comedy show. The feast is all you can eat and comes with a free souvenir.

The Renaissance Festival is every Saturday and Sunday, and runs until March 27.

news

§ travel editor

A major factor that connects people is being able to communicate. The Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages or AAPL ensures that language is paramount for all high school students.

AAPL is designed to test Spanish, French, and Chinese students proficiency in their specified language. The test assesses the ability of a student in listening, reading, listening and writing combined, and writing. Each part of the test is separate and can be taken all together or piece by piece.

“I think it's really good because not only can you take it multiple times if you get a certain score you get a cord or medallion and also get a seal of biliteracy,” said Alissa Hafezi, a sophomore.

Not only does the test help to determine proficiency, if a student scores intermediate or higher they receive the seal of biliteracy on their high school diploma, given that they stay in that language all four years. All themes of the prompts given to students ahead of time. Students also have access to practice tools.

This year the reading theme is about being able to understand things related to school registration, the writing theme is about discussing things you like about your school as well as things you do not like, the listening theme is an audio and video clip from a phone, and lastly, the listening and writing combined section is about discussing eating habits and describing places of travel.

In addition, the teachers and schools are in charge of picking a date and administering the test to all students.

Demonstrations about how an adequate performance should look are located on APPL’s website, and teachers can also help prepare students.

After the test is taken, certified AAPL raters grade and assess each test. Then, scores are distributed to students, who can then know what level they are at in their specific language. Students who stay in a language all four years of high school and meet the requirements will graduate with the seal of biliteracy either in gold or silver, depending upon the score.

“The test gives specific feedback that, to me, is a positive because the student knows what they excelled on and what they need to improve on,” said Doni Nasr, a Spanish teacher.

Proving biliteracy is something that can greatly affect college acceptance. Students who score highly can place into higher college levels without taking a placement test.

“In my opinion the AAPL test is very beneficial especially when applying to colleges because it basically proves your fluency in a language, which is good to have in today's society,” said Kate Rosenbaum, a sophomore.

The test cost a total of $20 and is available to all students level 5/6 and above. Students can pay at the bookstore and will take the test at a date to be determined in March. Once the results are, in the students can then take the test again the following year and continue to take it until they achieve the level that they need to get the seal of biliteracy and cords at graduation.

MARCH 11, 2016 ■ 5

news Resurface parking lot

59 new parking spaces

sports fields to see major changes

Repurpose existing visitor locker room New 2000 seat home bleachers and press box

Four new tennis courts

Remove existing rest rooms New field house New softball field

189 new parking spaces

New sidewalk and lighting

New 150 seat bleachers and press box

New 150 seat bleachers and press box

`JIM BEANER

S

By RYAN HEILIGER

Other major improvements include the home side bleachers and the tennis courts. The rather small bleachers will be replaced by a 2,100 seat home section, able to comfortably fit the large student section as well as families and other fans.

§staff writer

TARTING midMarch, the Cactus Shadows sports complex is being expanded and improved upon greatly.

About 15 additions and improvements will be added to the stadium area, the baseball fields, and the tennis courts.

Changes range from new resurfacing to completely demolishing some structures.

The money for this extensive project comes from the bond that was passed last year, Fund 631, which covers the estimated $7 million cost.

The changes that are being made include new parking, bleachers, sidewalks, tennis courts, shotput and discus area, press boxes, softball field, and field house. The biggest addition of them all, the field house,

is a completely new entrance for the stadium which will be on the southeast side as opposed to the current north side.

ENTRANCE IMPROVED The architecture of the new entrance will be the same color, shape, and overall look as the front entrance to the school.

“We really want to say that whenever you’re there, you’ll know you’re at Cactus Shadows because it’ll look the same,” said Steve Bebee, principal.

Other major improvements include the home side bleachers and the tennis courts. The rather small bleachers there now will be replaced by a 2,100 seat home section, able to comfortably fit the large student section as well as families and other fans.

NEW TENNIS COURTS The cracked, weather-dam-

aged tennis courts will be completely resurfaced, and four new courts will also be put in.

“I’m really excited because we will actually be able to play our home games at home, instead on playing at Winfield,” said Alyssa Suddreth, a junior on the varsity tennis team.

Both boys and girls tennis teams will now be able to practice at Cactus Shadows and host matches here, something that has not been possible before.

In addition to the primary additions like the field house, new parking and fields will be available. It is estimated that all construction, demolition, and resurfacing will be completed by the first football game of the 2016-2017 school year.

“I’m glad they’re building a spectator area for shotput and discus, throwers usually get the short end of the stick but now

people will be able to watch us,” said Sadie Thompson, a junior who throws shotput and discus on the track and field team.

These changes and improvements to our athletic complex are expected to be highly beneficial. The student section will have much more room for football games, no one will have to veer into the visitor side bleachers again. Tennis players and track athletes will have better facilities and playing areas.

“We have been continually trying to make this campus what it needs to be for our students,” said Bebee.

The motivation behind this massive project is based on the student body and what they deserve. “As a complete campus, we want to have a state of the art school and we want what’s best for our students,” said Bebee.

HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING SENDS SHOCKWAVE ACROSS ARIZONA SCHOOLS

By DESTINY SERVISS

§ staff writer

In an apparent murder-suicide, two 15-year-old girls died on February 12 at Independence High School in Glendale, Arizona.

Although the motives are unknown, the two girls were in a relationship.

According to friends, the girls had been dating for two years. In a statement released to the public, Glendale police said, "Information gathered by detectives reveal the two girls were very close friends, appearing to also be in a relationship."

6 ■ MARCH 11, 2016

Detectives states that it appeared that one girl shot the other before taking her own life.

“I would think that if she [student shooter] were more tolerant or accepting of the fact that things are over, then it would have made the situation better,” said Sheryl Evenson, a chemistry and biology teacher.

According to CNN, there was a single gunshot wound in each of the girls and a weapon and suicide note were located near one of the bodies. The gun was provided by another student, a 15-year-old boy

who was not involved in the shooting. In the suicide note, the shooter said she lied about why she needed the gun, and said she needed it for protection.

“It’s sad to think that she was in so much pain that she ended up killing the person she obviously cared so much about,” said Maddie Jones, a senior.

AZcentral has said that the school is offering counseling to the students. A crisis mobile team was dispatched to the Walmart parking lot Friday to assist students and par-

ents. Crisis Response Network has also set up a 24-hour crisis line for those impacted by the event. The district has also brought in social workers to counsel students.

“It’s scary to think about something like that happening here,” said Jones. “I’m glad the students [at Independence] are getting together to talk about what happened.”

Questions about school safety are once again cropping up as a result of this latest incident. Steve Bebee, the Cactus Shadows principal, said that he is always working on making the campus safer. “The latest

lockdown occurred during a passing period so we could practice our response should something happen between classes,” said Bebee.

Students are also concerned about campus safety. “One thing that I would do to make the school safer is add more counselors to help talk to students that need help,” said Taylor Geare, a sophomore.

“Another thing would be to add more security on campus to make us feel safer.”

Police said that no one else was hurt in the shooting.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

April

news

news

Luke Sees Double

Mad Dash of Color NICOLE NERI talks to students and faculty about the district's first color run. Students donated money to participate in the event, in which all of the funds collected go to the Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation.

T

HE desert surrounding Sonoran Trails Middle School will be brightly stained for some time following April 3rd’s

TWO OF SIX THUNDERBIRDS FLY IN FORMATION OVER LUKE AIR FORCE BASE and crowds of thousands of people. The

5k Color Run, where district members ran and were doused with color to

event took place on April 2 and 3, and had activities for all ages. 4 KATE FINEGAN

raise money for the Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation.

The CCUEF was founded in 2008 to raise money

KATE FINEGAN attended the Luke Air Force Base aviation show which celebrated 75 years of air power and featured the F-35 Heritage Team. The event included air shows, gift sales, food stands, and the chance to explore military aircraft spanning all generations. The night ended with a large air show featuring all of the aircraft shown at the event throughout the day.

M

ILITARY AIR POWER thrilled crowds at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale during the bi-annual Luke Air Days hosted on April 2 and 3.

“You’re going to see a lot of acts, a lot of static displays from both the past and the present, and you’re going to have a chance to interact with the great Airmen that call Luke Air Force Base home,” announced Staff Sergeant Travis Downing over the speakers. “On behalf of everybody here at Luke Air Force Base, thank you very much, and welcome to the air show.”

Gates opened at 9 a.m. for the 2016 air show, which celebrated 75 years of air power and featured the F-35 Heritage Flight Team. The F-35 Lightning II is the U.S. military’s newest 5th Generation aircraft, and one of these jets took to the skies beside a World War II-era P-38 Lightning as a part of the Heritage Flight portion of the show.

Before the start of air demonstrations at 11 a.m., visitors milled between gift sales, food stands, food trucks, and participating organizations with informational booths dedicated to veterans and service members. A Kid’s Zone featured toys, bounce houses, and small carnival rides.

Crowds that numbered in the tens of thousands also got the chance to walk into the cargo hold of a C-17 Globemaster II, and speak with the pilots of various aircraft, which included the F-16 Falcon, KC-135 Stratotanker, and F-35 Lightning II, on static, or sedentary, display.

A refurbished and fully operational B-17 Flying Fortress sat gleaming in the sun, as well as a B-1 Lancer, a long-range conventional bomber in service since 1985, capable of carrying a load of 75,000 pounds.

Shadows cast by the static displays served as shade for families and visitors who set up folding chairs beneath the aircraft as the time for the air show approached. Around 11 a.m., eyes turned up towards the sky as the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army Parachute Team, leaped from their C-31A adorned with the trademark colors of the Army: gold, white, and black.

One parachutist jumped with an American flag, trailing red smoke. The National Anthem was played. With that, the air show had begun.

Pilot Kirby Chambliss of the Red Bull Demonstration Team, a member for 21 years, twisted and rolled through the air. Four Chinese Nanchang CJ-6 trainer aircraft, flown by former fighter pilots and known as the Desert Rats, streaked the horizon above the Arizonian mountains with smoke and a brevity of spoken radio communication.

The event continued with a demonstration of low flying and agile precision of the T-33 Ace Maker, named for it’s reputation to train aces, flown by Gregory “Wired” Colyer; a reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, entitled “Tora Tora Tora,” followed. Refurbished Japanese Zeros flew in above the crowd, pyrotechnics reverberated in people’s chests, and air raid sirens blared as the B-17 “searched” for a place to land and an American P-40 Warhawk gave chase to a Zero.

After the black and white smoke cleared, an F-35,

for the Cave Creek school district, which is especially crucial after the budget and funding cuts the district has faced in recent years.

Kari Workman, head organizer of the event, said that the dash was a "successful first attempt," with a turnout of nearly 200 participants and over 20 volunteers.

piloted by Major Will Andeotta, and a P-38 took off and flew side by side, which created, in Master Sergeant Samuel “Sam” Smith’s words as he narrated the demonstration, “A unique visual representation of Air Force history from the days of the Army Air Corps to the present.”

The 56th Fighter Wing, comprised of F-16 fighter pilots, demonstrated Close Air Support tactics used in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of ground troops. They were followed by aerial stunts performed by the Red Bull Demonstration Team and the Golden Knights. Jack Kind’s Screamin’ Sasquatch performance of a biplane with a jet engine drew dizzying smoke trails in the air.

Perhaps the most anticipated demonstration of the air show, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, comprised of F-16s and their pilots, kept the crowd waiting as they completed pre-flight checks before taxying down the runway.

Then, one by one, all six Thunderbirds launched into the sky, met with a cheer from the crowd below.

A haze of white smoke lingered as the Thunderbirds flew in tight formations, arched through the air, shocked with both intense speed and a controlled slow pass, flew three miles straight up in a matter of seconds, and drew a heart in the sky to a clip of the song “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons, in dedication to loved ones with deployed service members.

Gates closed both Saturday and Sunday around 5 p.m. as visitors made their way back home after a day of thunderous sound and patriotism abound.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

The foundation uses events like the Color Run to directly put funding into classrooms, with an emphasis on technology, music and art, international learning, and health and wellness.

After the completion of the race, several buckets of colored powder were thrown into the air at once, which is tradition at every color run.

“It was like you were submersed in a cloud of color, no lie. I literally look like a rainbow puked on me, ” said Alli Workman, smiling through a multicolored face.

“Imagine just like a thousand Pixie Stix exploding,” said Hannah Schmitz, a sophomore, similarly colored and equally excited.

The success of the event means grants for teachers in the district should be in the near future.

PARTICIPANTS OF ALL AGES

RUN in the first annual, district wide color run event. Volunteers waited at each checkpoint with buckets of colored cornstarch, throwing it in the air after someone ran past them. During and after the race, and color explosion, food was available for the runners. 4 NICOLE NERI

4 ■ APRIL 15, 2016

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

APRIL 15, 2016 ■ 3

news

Mad for the mag

news

Cactus Shadows seniors run for senator

SHOULD CURSIVE BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS? Arizona Governor Doug Ducey vetoed a bill that would have required students to be taught cursive handwriting up until the fifth grade, and then cursive would no longer be taught after that. Ducey said, while he is strong supporter of students learning to read and write in cursive, he told the state Board of Education that he wants to update the standards rather than pass a separate law.

Columbia instructors inspired Lit Mag members to bring home fresh ideas in order to create an award winning magazine.

ELAINA ROVENSTINE talks to government teachers and students about annual project of running for senator. Four students group together, each taking separate roles, and run against each other for the sole spot of class senator.

LITERARY MAGAZINE EDITORS SAM KOTOWSKI AND LOGAN LARKIN, decide the final design of the publication and work to finish the spreads. After the trip to New York, members brought back design ideas and critiques from judges, giving them the opportunity to make it gold crown worthy. The final product will be available to students and faculty on May 10 at the release party at Janey's Coffee House.

W

FOR THE FIRST TIME, a student team, The Shadowslayers, wins the community spelling bee. Yearbook students: Mia Valenza, Ashton Seep, and Alysa Velez won the bee with final word malleable.

4 NICOLE NERI

ITH

the award-winning Shadows Literary Magazine scheduled for release in May, members of the club gather to put finishing touches and prepare the magazine for printing.

WHAT MAKES AN AWARDWINNING MAGAZINE Lit Mag has won several national awards, with their most recent being a Silver Crown from Columbia Scholastic Press for last year’s magazine, Echo. The magazine has won three Gold and one Silver crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and three Pacemaker Awards from the National Scholastic Press Association, making it one of the top ten magazines in the country.

Awards are presented in March of each year, at a high school journalism convention on the campus of Columbia University. Students from all three school publications have attended this convention for the past eight years. For the past four years, the CS Press newspaper has been awarded a Gold Crown.

“To create an award-winning magazine every year takes a tremendous commitment from the staff,” said Lori Hart, club adviser. “These students work diligently to ensure the magazine is filled with works that are both technically sound and thought-provoking.”

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

The trip consisted of 28 students who spent five days in New York City to both attend classes at Columbia, and to explore the city. Over 350 classes were taught by professional journalists, photographers, advisers from other schools, and a few professors from other universities.

The classes that were offered were broken down into categories for news, yearbook, magazine, digital media, law and ethics, and advisers. There were also classes that taught journalism students how to fund their publications, and how to design spreads.

“In New York, I took a lot of design classes because I really didn’t know how to use InDesign and Photoshop, and when I came back I knew how to do a lot more than I did before. I learned a lot about aesthetic and what looks good in a magazine,” Sam Kotowski, Editor-in-Chief said.

HOW TO: FUNDING AND DESIGN Despite a lack of funding from the school, Literary Magazine has combatted financial difficulties with fundraisers, activities, and sponsored events to raise money towards the publication of the magazine. Students who went to New York, brought back ideas regarding how to raise money in time for the release of the magazine.

The magazine is made entirely by students, and includes all student artwork

THE ANNUAL FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY Foundation’s Spelling Bee took place at the Fine Arts Center on April 6 and, after five rounds of intense spelling, the Shadowslayer team took first place. For the first time in six years, the winning team was entirely students.

The Shadowslayers, including yearbook staff seniors Mia Valenza, Alysa Velez and Ashton Seep, took the top prize, beating out all other contestants.

“I wanted to win really badly, but I didn’t think we had a chance because of all the competition,” said Valenza. “It felt really good and it was very unexpected.”

This was the second year that the Shadowslayers competed as a team. Last year, they made it the championship round, but lost to the Desert Foothills Community theater team.

The contest consisted of five qualifying rounds, with the winners from each round advancing to the final Championship BEE round. A total of 25 teams competed in the event, which was hosted by the Foothills Community Foundation to raise funds to support local students and teachers through Teacher Vision Grants. These grants enable teachers to pilot and adopt sustainable and transferable educational innovations that advance learning in the arts, communications, information technology or the environment.

“I was extremely excited that we won,” said Velez.

Teams were made up of three people and the cost to participate was $300 per team. Many of the teams were sponsored by local businesses.

The Shadowslayers won for spelling the word malleable correctly. They were the only team to spell it with two L’s while everyone else spelled it with one L. “I spelled it with two L’s, while Mia and Ashton spelled it

MAKING THE FINISHING TOUCHES As the publication date of the magazine approaches, the publication party, which is scheduled for May 10, will take place at Janey’s coffee house in Cave Creek. All writers, photographers, and artists whose work was chosen to be in the magazine are invited to a party celebrating the magazine.

Hart has overseen the entire process of creating a successful literary magazine.

“The kids do most of the work. I oversee everything, but it's all their ideas and hard work,” said Hart.

U KATELYN REINHART AND SIERRA GALINDO

4 NICOLE NERI

Shadowslayers slay all other district spellers

and literature. All submitted works are put through a grading system to determine whether it will claim a spot in the magazine.

“We put everything into categories and score it for originality, craft, stuff like that. From there we get a number and that number determines whether or not it gets into the magazine,” said Kotowski.

Lit mag meetings can involve anything from critiquing art and literature to putting the spread together on the computers.

“We use InDesign to actually put the stories with their corresponding pictures.

It’s easy if you know what to do, but it’s actually kind of difficult to do at first,” said Sofia Hunley, a member of the club.

4U DESTINY SERVISS APRIL 15, 2016 ■ 5

6 ■ APRIL 15, 2016

with one, and I trust their judgement,” said Velez, senior.

The BEE Grand Championship team will have their names inscribed on the Paul “Buzz” Schilling trophy. They also received gift certificates. “I won two gift cards, one ten dollar card to Walmart and one 50 dollar card to Harold's,” said Seep.

Superintendent Debbie Burdick judged the event.

Other teams from the high school who made it to the championship round included the Highway To Spell team, consisting of teachers Lori Hart, Amy Metcalf and Lori Kurtz-Larkin, and the To BEE or not to BEE team, including seniors Isabella Bingaman, Thaddeus Timbrooks and Regan Anderson.

U ELIZABETH BENNETT

MOST COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS

BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Download a free QR Code Reader on your phone and scan to find out what words high school students misspell most frequently.

Students in the government classes of Allison Zilka and James Carrick got to try their hand at campaigning to become part of public office. The project is a fitting assignment to do to with this year being an election year, and most students will be able to vote for the first time.

“This year was the first time I introduced the project to my classes,” said Allison Zilka, Government and Economics teacher. “Mr. Carrick showed me the project and I liked it because it is a group project but everyone has their own role so no one is doing all the work.”

The classes were required to get into groups and divide the project into four jobs, one person was the actual candidate running for office, advertising and public relations, planner and researcher for the political platform.

Each student candidate had to create a speech to be recited in front of the class for a grade about their political platform, where they stood on the issues and why they should be elected to represent the people.

The team member in charge of advertising and public relations was responsible for making a logo, social media web site, political ad and or commercial with the candidate. Most students preferred to make a fake social media site and a political commercial.

“I was in charge of doing all the advertising for my group,” said Reagan Davis, a senior. “I had to draw a logo, make a witty slogan of some kind and the make a poster, but I also helped the other people in my group.”

Students with the job of campaign planner were responsible for doing research on deadlines for real life presidential nominees, plan out debates with other candidates, donation events, and support rallies. Then, all the dates had to be put on a calendar stretching from the start of the election year to the end of the election year.

The students with the job of the political platform had to work in conjunction with the candidate to talk about important topics that affect the future of the country, like policies on foreign trade, immigration and many more. Candidates have to come up with a few points on what they would do on each topic if they were elected and why.

“At first when I heard about this project I was not happy, but after I saw how all the jobs were split up it was not that bad,” said Braydon Rusynyk, a senior. “We had an extra person in our group so I just helped everyone and made sure everything got done.”

Everything is then printed out and presented to the class and given to the teacher for one big group grade. At the end of the presentations students vote for the best candidate.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

May

2016 TOP TEN

feature

feature

The top ten seniors part from Cactus Shadows with advice to the underclassmen

“I never really sat down and said I wanted to be valedictorian. It was more to just do the best I can, and pass all my classes. And I tried to take the most challenging classes I could for the weighted credits versus unweighted credits, which helps.”

“Initially, it probably wasn’t a goal of mine, but once we got the unofficial class ranks, and I was up there, I was like, oh it would be kind of cool to be up at the top of my class.”

NICOLE CURNUTT

“When Mr. Delgrosso threw Casey’s phone across the room and shattered it.”

“Sophomore year because I felt more confident about myself and more comfortable in high school. I also wasn’t too stressed academically during my sophomore year.”

MAYA GLICKSMAN JACQUELINE BENSON

“I think that sleep and having fun are more important than school, and that if you have a balanced lifestyle then just do your best. It doesn’t have to make you go crazy just to get good grades because, if you hate your life, then what’s the point.”

What is your funniest memory from high school?

What was your favorite year and why?

Matt Sill “When an anonymous student convinced Brad Rein to stick a paperclip into an outlet. For five dollars he singlehandedly shorted the whole library electrical grid.”

Neaco Fox “Senior, because I won’t come back to high school.”

Quinn Kelso

Madelyn Garcia

“The time I found a starfish in the toilet.”

“Senior year because I was the most involved and I really enjoyed it.”

“When it started snowing during one of our runs.”

Patrick England

Barrett Elletson

Jake Lockett

“Sophomore or senior year. Probably senior because I went on adventures with my friends, won homecoming queen (lol), met many lifelong friends, and found my passion.”

“I’m proud for sure, it’s definitely validated four years of really hard work in school. I know it’s really difficult for us as high school students who have so much going on right now in our lives to take out the time of day to open up a textbook or review our notes, but it really helps.”

“Take stuff that you’re good at, if you’re going to take a weighted class, an advanced class like AP or IB, make sure that it’s something you can enjoy doing cause if you can’t fully invest yourself into a class, then obviously you’re not going to be able to do as well in it.”

“When a mom flipped her car in the parking lot.”

Greg Ketter “All of freshman and sophomore year because looking back I laugh at how I thought I knew what I was doing but didn’t. So much has changed.”

Mia Valenza “Junior, because I was involved with sports and became friends with lots of new people.”

Madison Mercer “My dad telling me I needed a job and me being employed six hours later.”

Evan Diaz

Jordan Nasr

BAILEY BROWN

RYAN LAMBERT

CORINNE QUERREY

“Put the time and the effort into it, it wasn’t impossible, obviously. There is a wide variety, it’s not just IB kids or AP kids or smart kids, it’s the kids who put the effort into it.”

Do you have any advice for next year’s seniors?

“Mr./Dr. Bebee’s smiling face.”

Carlo Paoletti

“As Michael Scott said, I knew exactly what to do, but in a much more real sense I had no idea what to do. So, I guess you can say it was pretty cool.”

“Just give it your best. I think if you make a few mistakes here and there, the holistic view is much more important than one year and one screwup. So, it’s definitely never too late to try to make top ten.”

“The lack of bills to pay.”

Tabby Balvin

Cody West

GREG BURGESS

Davis Levy

“Being a teenager, not having to worry about growing up.”

Connor Musick

“You know Mrs. Dodd as ‘Sherba’.”

Erin Conway

“Apply for as many scholarships as possible.”

Allie Capozello

“School in general. I’m going to miss the school routine, heck, I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

Malana Russo

“You remember how much better 1:55 is than 2:00.”

Rachel Bianchi

Nick Antrim

Christina Paluscio

“The support team I have with my teachers and counselors.”

“Go to every school event and participate with enthusiasm, even if it feels dumb; being excited about everything and everything makes it so much more fun.”

“You remember the bomb threat.”

Joey Wintermeyer

Brandon Sinani

“The class of ‘17 thinks they are part of the class ‘16.”

“Football games and then sleepovers at my house.”

Corinne Querrey

Natalie Hunter

Samie Clark “Lit mag.”

“You were in the freshman mean girls meeting.”

Samantha Kotowski

Morgan Easterbrook

“It goes by way faster than you’d expect.”

Hannah Belcher

ROSE CAPIN

“You remember merging both DAMS and STMS.”

Madeline Jones

Kaylin Harding

“Go to everything (you’ll regret it).”

SAMANTHA KOTOWSKI

14 ■ MAY 13, 2016

Veronica Blascoe

“Lori Hart.”

“At least try the first semester.”

“Enjoy it because you’ll be crying in May.”

“I just took classes that I wanted to take, and it just kind of happened.”

“You’re lucky you got out of school before budget cuts decimate our districts educational system.”

Carter Robinson

“Your senior grades still count, don’t let them drop too much. But have fun, lots of it!”

ELI OZAKI

“It was only a goal of mine so I could be featured in this section of the newspaper.”

You know you’re from the Class of ‘16 if...

What will you miss most about high school?

“Don’t feel special, you’re not.”

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

where is the class of 2016 going?

COMMUNITY COLLEGE/ TECH SCHOOL

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Laura Accardo undecided Alec Allen computer science Hannah Belcher business Evelyn Bencomo international communications Rachel Bianchi environmentalist Hanna Boehlow undecided Ashley Branson nursing Bailee Bridge cosmetology Raymond Buchanan business management Savannah Busbee business Michael Carpenter business Allie Caswell nursing Samantha Clark nursing Gavin Cortez undecided Abigail Daley business communication Madelyne Dingus biology Alexander Exum aerotical Hans Flaschentrager undecided Sierra Galindo journalism Trevor Gannon paramedic care Kalleigh Gibadlo physical therapy Lexi Greenway nursing Quentin Gunning personal training Stephen Halstead undecided Amanda Harrison physical health Justin Hemauer criminal justice Dylan Hipschman computer science Corydon Johnson finance Alexandor Karsay undecided Kyle Kelleher undecided Gage Kenne undecided Emma Kritzstein undecided Brooke Lavalette criminology Michael Maloney sports medicine/ sports marketing Valori McPherson veterinary sciences Madison Mercer communications McKenna Millsap nursing Zoe Monroe criminal justice and psychology Teresa Murray pre-vet medicine Morgan Nollette emergency services Dayton Overby business Megan Paul pharmacy/chemistry Taylor Pedersen kinesiology Haley Raether business Alicia Ramirez undecided David Redmond undecided Desirae Reese sports therapy Allanah Reill special education Bradley Rein communications and sports management Benjamin Reiners undecided Kayla Rosinski occupational therapy Kyle Rouse marine biology Braydon Rusynyk business management Jake Seaton special education Brandon Sinani logistics Lauryn Stevens undecided Bailey Sylvester business Jarod Tuffelmire civil engineering Mia Valenza associate’s of applied science Jakob Van der Steen music engineering Nikolai Volkov business Adam Wareing undecided Taryn Waterman science Riata Wendt geology Cathlene West english/creative writing Mia Yates associates in science Cameron Young music production

Gabriella Asterino business law Nicole Beckstrom nutrition Jacqueline Benson sports & media business Kelsey Black design Rachel Boubel psychology Hovag Boyadjian business Taylor Brown business communication Alexis Burnette chemical engineering Amber Burnette medicinal chemistry Connor Calderwood business Frank Caloroso business Richard Cantarella business Kynlee Chapman pre-med Zachary Clark computer engineering Daniel Coleman business Alyssa Cruz business Reagan Davis business Luke Dicksion aeronautical management technology Alexander Doughty business law Patrick England graphic design Sydney Ferry pre-med nutriton Katelyn Finegan journalism Neaco Fox biomedical engineering Ryan Giovale business technology Jared Goodman sports media studies Kourtney Graf marine biology Cameron Gramlich chemical engineering Presley Groh nursing Jacob Hames business finance Kaylin Harding journalism Matthew Hill software engineering Joseph Hoffmann business management Brock Jensen physicians assistant Bailey Keaveney business Quinn Kelso accounting Bobbi Kerr business/music production Amanda Kinert biological sciences Logan Kloss undecided Jack Mancuso business Isabelle McDade psychology Bailey Moya education Liza Murray business Jordan Nash-Boulden kinesiology Natalie Neri pre-med Nicole Neri photojournalism Trevor O’Brien business management Ashley Ong physiology/biology Elijah Ozaki biomedical engineering Madison Pennisi art/multimedia Marietta Perkins business law Catherine Pierce business Rachel Piontek business Nicholas Potthoff biology Troy Ralston management Ashley Ramirez architecture Erika Richwagen filmmaking practices Autumn Rostowsky communications Bryce Russek aeronautical management technology Ashton Seep journalism Brianna Serviss nursing Benjamin Shearer astrobiology Maxfield Smith entrepreneurship Jake Sonnenburg mechanical engineering Christiana Steele marketing Nina Stowers computer science Justine Toner biological sciences Alexandra Vaughan business entrepreneurship

16 ■ MAY 13, 2016

Arianna Vitale biological sciences Abigail Walker global studies Matthew Wang supply chain management Ryan Whitten electrical engineering Jack Wilson business Krista Wysolmierski kinesiology

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA Amy Abel biology Emmerson Allen business Nicholas Antrim engineering Maverick Arnold journalism Ashley Biondo mathematics Abigail Cardenas biochemistry Erin Conway undecided Keegan Cook engineering Dillan Crosswhite physiology Timothy Dabrowski philosophy Daniel DeBarr physiology Evan Diaz architecture Joseph DiBella computer science Nicholas DiBella pharmacy Barrett Elletson broadcasting/physiology Madelyn Garcia pre-med Jacob Horn business management Natalie Hunter nursing Madeline Jones engineering Claire Kappler business Victor Kelly chemical engineering Kevin Lambesis undecided Jake Lockett aerospace engineering Brendon Long physiology Ryan Mackiewich criminal justice Rachel Majka undecided Camryn Mayer human science Evan Miller economics Lindsey Murphy physiology Connor Musick computer science Jordan Nasr aerospace engineering Casey Nidds business Hayden Nobis geology Christina Paluscio undecided Spencer Patton engineering Corinne Querrey pre-med/physiology Carter Robinson linguistics Malana Russo physiology Joseph Wintermeyer business Brian Young computer science Alexandra Nieminen law Matthew Sill biomedical engineering Ryan Tipton pre-physiology Gabrielle Windsor communications

NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY Elizabeth Andersen business Juan Arias engineering Amanda Aronson health science Sandra Baker physical therapy Natalie Beckstrom journalism Rees Bixler nursing Ethan Bondurant civil engineering Brooke Busbee nursing Allison Capozello special education Natalie Curatola criminal law Caroline Frisone dental hygiene Kaitlyn Gallen undecided

Kelsie Gates international affairs Hunter Haddock nursing Charles Haycraft McKee criminal justice Reagan Heath environmental science and conservation Brett Inman criminal justice/criminology Logan Kirkes business Samantha Kotowski strategic communication Ryan Lambert engineering Jakob Layton mathematics Davis Levy business management Nicolette Olivera biology Carlo Paoletti finance Elaina Rovenstine undecided Timothy Sammons undecided Matthew Scragg undecided Thaddeus Timbrooks mathematics Barbra Werner business and leadership Justin Woods undecided Tanner Yeck forestry

GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY Jenna Bunch healthcare/psychology Christopher Dimarco information technology Zachary Doughty business Brooke Fraser biology Ella Keinanen digital film Delainey Nguyen occupational therapy Mia Rousu nursing Megan Sefcik pre-med Heather Sexton pre-med Justin Zeigler business/hospitality

feature CANADA HAWAII

Kenneth McDonald work in England, horse trainer

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Carlee Turner University of New Hampshire, biomedical sciences

MICHIGAN MINNESOTA

OREGON Riata Wendt Portland Community College, geology Alysa Velez Portland State University, engineering Gregory Ketter University of Portland, computer science Matthew Stevenson Lewis and Clark, political science

ENGLAND

Hayden Sissingh Concordia University, international business Carmen Brown Simon Fraser University, business

Emily McAtee Brigham Young University, hotel management & tourism

WYOMING

Joshua Hoffmann University of Northwestern-St. Paul, health science

Annie Deininger Casper College, nursing/pre PT

Alan LaBov Cornerstone, University business Orly Katz University of Michigan, biochemistry Lauren Manuszak Western Michigan University, biomedical sciences

RHODE ISLAND Maya Glicksman Brown University, neuroscience

NEW YORK

IOWA Benjamin Meils St. Arose University, computer science

Michelle Skarbek American Musical and Dramatic performing arts, performing arts Aric Aybar City University, business/ finance Emily Larsen New York University, biology

IDAHO UTAH Cassidy Pearson University of Utah, chemical engineering Jacob Hancock Utah Valley University, undecided Robert Decker Westminster College, financial marketing

Madelynn Shuler Brigham Young University, criminal justice Quinten Meyers University of Idaho, public relations

PENNSYLVANIA Harrison Maxwell Saint Joseph’s University, biology

WASHINGTON D.C.

KANSAs COLORADO Tracee Balvin Colorado State University, health and science exercise Morgan Easterbrook Colorado State University, hospitality management

Military Daniel Blackstock engineer in the USMC Gregory Burgess electrical engineering Anna Ford Marine Corps Andrew Hulett Air Force pararescue Austin Jones Coast Guard Sean Long PACT Airman Christian Raines rifleman Matthew Reagen business/entrepreneurship Frank Philipp Scholz Navy corpsman

MAY 13, 2016 ■ 15

Isabella Bingaman American University, political science

Jordon Feilbach University of Kansas, business management

TENNESSEE Rose Capin Vanderbilt University, chemistry

MISSOURI

CALIFORNIA Madison Garrigus San Diego State University, marketing Nicole Curnutt University of San Diego, biochemistry Ashley Branson Palomar Community College, nursing

Gabriella Griffin Lindenwood University, journalism

ALABAMA

Ashley Dahlen University of Alabama, business law

other arizona destinations Amanda Chamberlin work in AZ Tyler Hillukka work in AZ Spencer Longman work in AZ business owner/trade Cole Molina work in AZ Ninna Sogaard work in AZ printing copies Cody West work in AZ software engineer

TEXAS Valori McPherson Weatherford Community College, veterinary sciences

AUSTRALIA Sydney Lee University of Tasmania, nursing

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

MISSISSIPPI Cole Parker University of Mississippi, business

FLORIDA Tatum Updegraff University of South Florida, marine biology Aubrey Barnett Southeastern University, ministry

MAY 13, 2016 ■ 17

tear sheets

February

OPINION

I

N the December issue, I wrote a brief

ABBY CARDENAS

SETTLING IN WITH SCIENTOLOGY While I still do not fully understand the religion, and why people join, I still stand by my previous statement about people having the choice to practice whatever they please.

Take Anne for example, she has been with Scientology since 1974 and will stay with them for the remainder of her life.

overview about the most secretive religion, Scientology. With only the internet aiding me, I did not get the bulk of what I needed to write an in depth article. This time, I took it a step further and went to the church itself to get a closer look.

This was not the first time I had been to the Phoenix Church of Scientology, so when I got there, I saw a familiar face, we can call him Adam. He was excited to see me, and quick to help me get started. First, I had to pay a 50 dollar “donation fee” (which really is not a donation if I have to pay), and then he took me to the second floor where my seminar was held.

On our way up, I had asked Adam, “so, this is noncommittal, right?” feeling anxious that I would be roped in. “Of course,” he replied, “you can leave whenever you’d like.” If I did decide to stay, I had to sign a legal form saying that I would not turn around and sue the church (this had happened a few times before). That silenced me until we reached the classroom.

The teacher, we will call her Anne for the sake of the article, was an older woman. She was dressed in a suit and had pearls around her neck and a few Scientology pins. She informed me during our break that she has been with Scientology since 1974, and her mother knew L. Ron Hubbard personally.

Hubbard was the founder of the religion, he wrote a book about Dianetics, which is a set of ideas and principles regarding the connection between the mind and the body. Saying that her mother knew him personally means she had a stronger connection with the religion, and how devoted she was to him and his ideals. The one thing that really stuck out to me about Anne was how strongly she felt about Hubbard. She mentioned that he was generous and selfless, that he would even help the gardener if he was looking a little down. I learned all of this in just a five minute break.

The class itself lasted for about three hours, and it felt more like a therapy session than an

actual class. We went through one of Hubbard’s books, The Problems of Work, which was about how to apply Scientology to the workplace.

Another person and I were both meant to be in the class, but due to scheduling, I was alone.

Anne started out by telling me about the pens she bought from OfficeMax. I am guessing it was to help me feel comfortable, so I readily joined the conversation. She reassured me that if I was free to interrupt with questions any time, it was a class after all. The class was basically watching short videos about each chapter and discussing it. The videos were

roughly ten minutes long, and most told of a struggle within someone, a reason why they were struggling (usually their character/attitude), and a solution (usually something to do with coming in and taking a class).

GETTING TO WORK After the clip, it was time for me to get to work. Anne asked what I was struggling with and how the lesson would help me fix those problems. For each worksheet (which she kept for my student file), I wrote something about connecting with my family or talking to the customers more at work. She seemed satisfied with my answers and replied, “very good” to every sheet I turned in.

Halfway through, we took a five minute water and muffin break. I took the chance to look around the second floor, which was empty.

Auditing rooms lined one of the hallways, and offices lined the other. I was surprised there were not a lot of people there. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, I assumed they would be busy with interviews and other classes. After roaming the halls, I found Anne, and she began to talk about Hubbard again and all the books he wrote. Everywhere I turned, there were bookshelves of DVDs, books, and pamphlets for sale.

After the break, we talked about church and Anne mentioned that they had Mormons and Christians who attended classes. I was con-

fused because I thought Scientology was a religion. Anne replied, “We don’t have a spirituality.

We just help you get through life, and do better as a being.”

I nodded my head, but I kept thinking that she contradicted herself, because one minute she was talking about the eight dynamics, which mention reaching a spiritual dynamic or a spiritual state, and then said they had no spirituality.

The class ended an hour and a half later, and I was exhausted. It took everything in me not to fall asleep during the clips. I was somewhat disappointed. It does not seem like there is any “Big Truth” to discover about Scientology.

Everything that Anne taught was common knowledge. We all know that we have to communicate and that sometimes we get depressed or angry.

We went back downstairs in search of Adam, who had wanted to see me after to discuss the class. Anne walked me to the room with the rows and rows of books and TVs. While we waited, she pointed out books that could help with my problems (to which I replied “oh, that’s convenient”), and she just smiled.

After about five minutes, she realized that I was not going to be able to see him.

She said he would call me, and we said goodbye.

While I still do not fully understand the religion, and why people join, I still stand by my previous statement about people having the choice to practice whatever they please. Take Anne for example, she has been with Scientology since 1974 and will stay with them for the remainder of her life. She had the kindest words to say about her practice, and the founder, and did not once push her faith onto me, she only suggested things that she knew herself would help.

She honestly surprised me, as I expected some young person to push Scientology in my face, but Anne truly believed that this was the only way to reach salvation, and that is what religion is all about.

Opinion, page 7, February 12, 2016

A

LOVE SHOULD NOT BE CONFINED TO JUST ONE DAY

S the fourteenth of February rolls around again, people begin to save up their money to buy gifts for their significant other. Valentine's day is the one day of the year dedicated to love and relationships. However, we do not need a specific day of the year just dedicated to love and being in a relationship.

Valentine's day is commercializing love.

According to U.S. News, Americans spent a mind blowing 18.9 million dollars on Valentine's day in 2015.

If that statistic does not scream commercialization, I do not know what else will. In fact, the two most responsible for the modern day image of Valentine's day was a clever entrepreneur trying to make some money. Esther Howland had THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

the idea to mass produce Valentine’s day cards, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Valentine’s day is making love seems as if it is something that can be bought. In truth, you cannot buy love, no matter how hard you try to.

It is something that must be felt by somebody regardless of if they receive a ridiculously overpriced Tiffany necklace for Valentine’s day or not.

I read an article about Valentine's day on a website called Business 2 Community, and that article opened with this, “Valentine’s Day… the one set day a year that we get to show appreciation to the people we love.”

We should respect and show appreciation for loved ones every day of the year.

Valentine's day should not be a specific day

where you treat everyone around you better and with more love just because it is a day with a label.

Yes, I realize that having a holiday including overpriced candy and the expectation of receiving a gift from your significant other is hurting nobody.

Maybe it is hurting your wallet, but hey spend your money how you wish.

However, it is the idea that there needs to be a specific day to show this love that is ridiculous.

Instead of setting aside a specific day for love, show love to those close to you every day, not just the day that you feel obligated to.

The only redeeming factor that this holiday has to offer to us is the extremely cheap leftover Valentine’s day candy in the stores the day after.

Lindsey Murphy discusses why Valentines Day should not be considered a Hallmark Holiday.

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 ■ 7

Another plus for the diner is that the food is not very expensive. The cinnamon roll, the tuna sandwich, and the pita chicken roll were only $8.99 each.

Because of the relaxed atmosphere, reasonable prices and good food, I would give The Summit Diner four stars out of five.

The Summit Diner is open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. I would give The Summit Diner four out of five stars.

UDESTINY SERVISS

ADDICTED TO THE BREAKFAST JOYNT A hole in the wall business, with a steady stream of customers, The Breakfast Joynt is a breakfast and lunch diner hidden in DC Ranch. They offer a wide array of foods for a desirable price that keeps the customers coming back for more.

The Breakfast Joynt is situated in DC Ranch off Pima road, and hidden between two restaurants. It is inviting with a rustic feel, as most of the buildings were made of metal and there was a rusting sculpture right behind the diner.

Going inside, the atmosphere instantly felt inviting with the yellow and blue walls and almost every table was filled. There are plenty of seats inside, but the restaurant also has a patio off the back with umbrellas. The walls were covered with Chicago landscapes, and the Chicago Cubs banners hung up all over them.

I went with four of my friends, and we had a hard time finding somewhere that would fit all of us, but were assisted almost immediately by the host standing by the door. The service in general was outstanding. Our waitress was at our table every five or ten minutes either refilling our glasses, or asking how the food was.

Every time I go to The Breakfast Joynt the service is always quick, and inquisitive (they actually wanted feedback rather than a larger tip). The quality of the food is always at its best, and I have yet to be disappointed by the diner.

The Breakfast Joynt had typical breakfast and lunch items, like short stack of pancakes or a grilled cheese with tater tots. They had a surplus of options to choose from (breakfast and lunch served all day), there was a light menu in both the breakfast and lunch sections which are equally as good as the normal menu items.

This time I got the grilled cheese, and it was incredible (tater tots are my weakness, and they killed it). While two of my friends got swedish pancakes, which are another solid recommendation (you cannot go wrong with pancakes, let alone swedish pancakes). My other two friends got short stacks, and were pleased with their plates. Their prices range from six dollars to 15.

Overall, I would give The Breakfast Joynt five stars out of five because their food is fantastic and reasonable, and their service is quick and lively.

UABBY CARDENAS THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Food, page 17, February 12, 2016

B

an UYING fancy bottled water has been espe- di

cially popular this year. During a blind taste test it was decided by price, marketing and taste ruled out a clear winner. In the blind taste test the waters that were used included Voss, Fiji, Evian, and Smart Water. The prices of these items varied from high of $3.95, to a low of $1.98. To begin the taste test, all waters were placed in pink identical cups labeled A, B, C, and D. Water A, which was Voss water was not a fan favorite by any means. Upon initial taste, the water tasted very mineral rich, and the aftertaste was not appealing at all.

After swallowing the water, it left a bitter, and tangy trail behind. On a rather positive note though the packaging of Voss is very appealing.

Then came water B, which was Smart Water, and was definitely better tasting. Smart Water had a less mineral rich and more pure taste then Voss. In addition Voss

water is an artesian water from Norway, and elements such as magnesium, calcium, chloride,

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WHEN COMFORT FOOD ISN’T COMFORTING ANYMORE

By ABBY CARDENAS

§ news editor

ONSIDER THE FOLLOWING STAtistics compiled by the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness: 1 in 5 women struggle with an eating disorder or disordered eating. Eating Disorders affect up to 24 million Americans and 70 million individuals worldwide. An estimated 10 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. 90 percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25. 11 percent of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. 40 percent of male football players surveyed engaged in some sort of disordered eating behavior.

The most common behavior that will lead to an eating disorder is dieting.

According to a recent study, over half of females between the ages of 18 and 25

would prefer to be run over by a truck than be fat, and two-thirds surveyed would rather be mean or stupid. And yet, despite this overwhelming evidence, eating disorders are often brushed under the rug and dismissed as a choice rather than a serious illness.

Eating disorders come in many different forms. There is anorexia nervosa, one of the most commonly known, where people are normally underweight and have a fear of gaining weight, which can lead to unhealthy weight loss. Bulimia is the act of eating and inducing vomiting afterwards. Binge eating involves eating a large amount of food in a small period of time. New eating disorders are on the rise, such as orthorexia, which is an obsession with eating organic or very clean food.

There is a number of causes for eating disorders. For some people the cause is trauma, where they were abused or

14 ■ MARCH 11, 2016

Features, page 14, March 11, 2016

put down for their weight. Another large factorin developing an eating disorder is when someone has low self esteem and can feel that, if they are thinner, they will be more well liked, and will then feel better about themselves.

“There are a lot of differences we see, a lot of anxiety and depression. It could be genetics, if mom or dad had an eating disorder the kid is more likely to be exposed to that,” said Erica Trocino, the primary therapist at Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders, a treatment facility located in Wickenburg.

Body image problems are not the only way an eating disorder can begin. There are circumstances such as income, where parents or the patients themselves cannot afford to buy nourishing foods, or it could be that a child does not like the way they look. Social media has also had a large impact on how people view themselves

and how eating disorders may begin.

“I think things like thinspiration and other stuff on Twitter can make you feel obligated to be thinner, or bigger… It can pressure you, but it can also help depending on how you’re taking it,” said Riley Roads, a senior.

In high school, students are required to take one semester of health, which lightly covers what eating disorders are. This lack of education contributes to why eating disorders often go unnoticed.

“I feel like we should teach about eating disorders in a different way, because [currently] it’s just the facts. They should teach about eating disorders so people know that it’s not cancer, it’s a mental disorder and can be treated, it isn’t something people should be scared of,” said a student who wished not to be named who suffered from anorexia.

see DISORDERS on page 15

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

April

CSP Find out more about the

Lauren HAGGAR Travel Editor

Go into a sock hop with Ellen Degeneres SEE page 3

Rees BIXLER Spotlight Editor

6 MAKING THE MAG A look at how this year’s edition of the Literary Magazine.

OPINION 10 TRUMP 2016 Two students discuss whether or not Donald Trump would be an ideal president.

March 11 , 2016

Lucas AIKIN Creeker Editor

A review of the air show that was hosted at Take pictures of the canals in Venice Luke Airforce Fence with Daniel Craig Base.

Nicole NERI Photo Editor

CCUEF’s first color dash.

DOWN IN THE DIRTTravel throughout Europe

Learn more about the sport of dirt Paragliding Sara WINDOM Stylebiking.

Editor SEE page 27 Alex LAGGREN Features Editor

9 SCOTTSDALE REDNECKS WWW.CACTUSSHADOWSCSPRESS.COM A writer discusses the issue

Kiera RILEY Opinion Editor

of being a faux redneck.

Katelyn REINHART Trending Now Editor

CREEKER 21 WHO LET THE DOGS OUT voting booths An inside look at the Hunter their respecCanine dog training facility.

RIZONA RESIDENTS went to the n Tuesday, March 22, to choose tive candidates for president. What they did not FEATURES expect was to find the number of polling 15 places TIME OUT to be cut significantly or to be turned away last Learn more about time manminute, resulting in calls for a revote andagment, accu-multitasking, and the sations of multiple counts of voter fraud.history of time.

Following the results of voter turnout FOODIE four years ago, Helen Purcell, the County Treasurer, 11 BOWLING FOR decided to cut more than 70 percent ofSMOOTHIES votLearn about the health bening booths. Purcell and her elections direcefits of smoothie bowls. tor, Karen Osborne, had underestimated the amount of people who they believed SPOTLIGHT would 16 FOLLOW THE LIGHTS come out to the polls. In Maricopa county, Reviewing the Bruce Munro’s the amount of polling locations went from 200 Sonoran to Lights now on dis60, with 1.25 million registered voters. As a result, play at the Desert Botanical people waited in lines for over six hours to castGardens. their vote. Some did not get the chance to turn their17 balMORE AT THE MIM lots in before the winners of both parties had been Learn more about the exhibits at the Musical Instruments announced on multiple news stations.

Museum.

“I think it was based on past experience. We’ve had very low turnouts, and because it is a closed primary 24 CHIPOTLE CULTIVATE preview of the free show hapand only Republicans and Democrats can vote,Athe problem is very justified. I don’t think there waspening anyat West World. ulterior motive,” Margaret Meils, former government SPORTS 25 DOWN IN THE DIRT teacher, said.

Learn more about the sport of dirt biking.

PARTY CHANGES NOT ACCOUNTED FOR

Arizona has had very low turn out in the past27 GIRLS GOT (TENNIS) BALLS regarding elections, so many see the cut as justified.

Taking a look the girls tennis Another problem added to the long wait was that many team and their season so far.

Independents waiting in line, or Independents who had recently switched to Democrat, were denied a ballot.

Volunteers had to weed through and allow only registered voters in the system to vote, which meant the Independents who had switched parties could not vote because the system had not updated.

“They said that I wasn’t registered, or that I was registered as an Independent, but if you’re2 ■ FEBRUARY 12, 2016 Independent, you can’t vote in the primaries. I had my card and it said Democrat on it, but they said I was in the system differently, so I had to do the provisional ballot,” Nicole Beckstrom, a senior, said.

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Presidental preference polling places limited

closed is where Independents can vote alongside the three main parties. In 2010, Arizona had semi- closed party primaries, allowing Independents to vote, but now they hold a closed primary.

“I think that everyone should be allowed to vote, regardless of their party.” Beckstrom said, “Primaries should be open elections.”

BALLOT INACCURACIES

Another problem affecting the long lines was an issue with mail-in ballots. Because the ballots were mailed early, many candidates printed on those ballots had subsequently dropped out of the race, which caused more people to show up to vote at the booths. Also, there was the fact that Arizona made this primary a closed election, so many Independent voters had turned up when they were not allowed to vote, which had slowed down the process.

Some voters believe that people were trying to keep minorities or lower class voters from the polls, as most of the locations that were cut were in places most populated by lower class citizens.

“They cut them [voting booths] in mostly lower income areas, and there were some districts that had zero places to vote. I think they were cut kind of intentionally to silence voters,” Cole Parker, a senior, said.

Arizona had been in the preclearance regimen in 1975 for not having bilingual ballots three years before the federal government required them. This means that every election change made

by Arizona, regardless of how minor, has to be submitted for approval. In 2013, Section Four of the Voting Rights Act was shut down, resulting in Arizona being let loose from the tight reins around its neck. Arizona has been in the dugouts before, so with the decision to cut the number of polling locations, there are speculations of foul play, specifically discrimination and suppression.

“It seemed really suspicious to have that many cut. Everyone had to wait more than five hours and some of them weren’t even counted. That seems too suspicious to be an accident,” Beckstrom said. The latest poll to close in Arizona was North Hills Church on 19th Avenue, which closed at almost one in the morning.

UPSET VOTERS DEMAND A RECALL

Some angry residents are now calling for a revote, as 20,000 provisional ballots had been thrown out because of problems with voter roll, which is what tells the people running the booths if they are registered Republican, Democrat, or Green Party. This resulted in many people saying that they should have been on the Democratic voter roll and wanted their votes to count.

It was not a matter of who won the primary, because the final count also factored in the delegates and superdelegates votes. People wanted to exercise their right to vote, but a large portion of ballots had been tossed, leaving a number of voices unrepresented.

According to ABC News, many upset voters and activists spoke at a State House hearing the following Monday, only to result in protesters being dragged out in handcuffs by State police.

Protesters believed that Purcell’s actions were done to suppress voters, mainly towards the Democratic voters who are considered the minority party. As a result of the uproar, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice will be investigating how the Maricopa County primaries were managed and upheld. There is also talk of calling for a change in law which stops the election results from being announced before all the ballots are turned in.

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CLOSED V. OPEN PRIMARIES

A question that has been of concern to many Arizona voters is whether or not Independents should be able to either vote in the primaries, or switch parties so they are able to vote in a closed primary.

There are three types of primaries; open, closed, and semi- closed. An open primary is where anyone can vote regardless of their party. Closed is where only Democrats, Republicans, and Green Party members can vote in the presidential preference election. Semisee PRESIDENTIAL on page 2

4NICOLE NERI

Front Page, pages 1-2, April 12, 2016 4

NERI NEGAN n HAGGAR n REINHART

NEGAN, Ryan HEILIGER, HART, Erika RICHWAGEN, , Destiny SERVISS, Devan ne HOWARD

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EMAIL YOUR LETTER TO

om its readers. If you have you had read, please write to cspress.opinion@gmail. an 100 words in length and the right to edit for length. hat are obscene, libelous or

ne, misleading, or illegal to Press reserves the right to an ad, contact the adviser or 75-2493. the Columbia Scholastic holastic Press Association, ciation, and the Arizona

7

out, and our musicals/plays are packed every show day, yet they are still put on the back burner and forgotten about.

The bond money that voters approved of last year included a significant amount to go to the sports facilities. We should not be putting sports on such a high pedestal when there are

AS WE SEE IT THE EDITORIAL

It is not all sports, but football is put on such a high pedestal that there is no room for other sports or arts programs to compete. We should be prioritizing by which needs the money the most, not just putting all of it into one thing and expecting everyone to be overjoyed.

The FAC, and many other clubs that need funding are overlooked when discussion of what needs the most help is brought up. We should be fair about where the money goes, and to stop putting it where it is not needed.

The EDITORIAL represents the consensus view of the members of the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board members are Sierra Galindo, Abby Cardenas, Lindsey Murphy, Nicole Neri, Lucas Akin, Rees Bixler, Lauren Haggar, Annalee Barnett, Alex Laggren, Sara Windom, Kiera Riley, and Katelyn Reinhart.

ABBY CARDENAS

MINIMUM WAGE RAGE “There are too many problems that could rise with a raise in minimum wage...It is an idea not a solution.�

Before you bite my head off, hear me out. People who want minimum wage to stay at $8.05 are not heartless, they are realistic. Raising minimum wage to $15 would cause a surplus of problems that we cannot afford.

One of the problems that raising minimum wage poses would be that people would work less hours. This is a problem that Seattle is facing currently as they made minimum wage $15 an hour. The people protesting and requesting for minimum wage to be raised are usually on welfare programs, and, because they are making more money, they are risking losing subsidies provided to them. Said employees are now asking their employers to work less so they can continue to receive help from the government.

Another issue brought up is that employers will hire less people, and require a higher standard of productivity of the employees that are hired or that survived cuts. An employer is not going to want to have fifty employees, where half are doing mediocre jobs, if they are paying them $15 an hour. Half of those employees are going to lose their jobs and the other half is going to have to step up their game because employers expect more from people who are making above average pay.

It will cause less jobs to be available ultimately raising unemployment rates higher than ever. $15 an hour would kill small businesses. This is the biggest issue raised regarding whether or not to raise minimum wage. Small business owners argue that if they are forced to raise their minimum wage then they are basically being compelled to close their doors permanently, as their profit mar-

gin is already small as it is, or raise their prices significantly.

There are some benefits, like it would be a living wage and people could support their families. As well as people could pay more taxes if they made more money. But in this situation the bad outweighs the good. People would no longer have jobs, small businesses would go out of business, unemployment rates would skyrocket, and inflation rates would raise as well.

A solution that I recently discovered is that if there were more career path jobs, we would not see so many people working minimum wage jobs. Say college is not for you, having something to do with your future, a job that accepts only a high school diploma, would allow people who do not attend college to have a chance to make a living. We should not just jump to the automatic response of raising minimum wage when it is the absolute last thing we need to do. People need jobs, and having more places that accept a high school diploma as their highest form of education available would give these people what they need.

I am not saying people should not eat or have a bed, but minimum wage is low for a reason. It is not a living wage and should never be a living wage. It is a matter of, would you rather have a job that pays little or no job at all? Minimum wage provides jobs, raising it would cut them in half. We need to look at all of the options we have before settling and ultimately taking a stab at the economy and raising unemployment.

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

Opinion, page 8, April 15, 2016

May

2016 TOP TEN

feature

The top ten seniors part from Cactus Shadows with advice to the underclassmen

“I never really sat down and said I wanted to be valedictorian. It was more to just do the best I can, and pass all my classes. And I tried to take the most challenging classes I could for the weighted credits versus unweighted credits, which helps.”

“Initially, it probably wasn’t a goal of mine, but once we got the unofficial class ranks, and I was up there, I was like, oh it would be kind of cool to be up at the top of my class.”

NICOLE CURNUTT

MAYA GLICKSMAN JACQUELINE BENSON

“I think that sleep and having fun are more important than school, and that if you have a balanced lifestyle then just do your best. It doesn’t have to make you go crazy just to get good grades because, if you hate your life, then what’s the point.”

“I’m proud for sure, it’s definitely validated four years of really hard work in school. I know it’s really difficult for us as high school students who have so much going on right now in our lives to take out the time of day to open up a textbook or review our notes, but it really helps.”

“Take stuff that you’re good at, if you’re going to take a weighted class, an advanced class like AP or IB, make sure that it’s something you can enjoy doing cause if you can’t fully invest yourself into a class, then obviously you’re not going to be able to do as well in it.”

BAILEY BROWN

RYAN LAMBERT

CORINNE QUERREY

“Put the time and the effort into it, it wasn’t impossible, obviously. There is a wide variety, it’s not just IB kids or AP kids or smart kids, it’s the kids who put the effort into it.”

“As Michael Scott said, I knew exactly what to do, but in a much more real sense I had no idea what to do. So, I guess you can say it was pretty cool.”

“Just give it your best. I think if you make a few mistakes here and there, the holistic view is much more important than one year and one screwup. So, it’s definitely never too late to try to make top ten.”

ROSE CAPIN 14 ■ MAY 13, 2016

GREG BURGESS

ELI OZAKI

“It was only a goal of mine so I could be featured in this section of the newspaper.”

“I just took classes that I wanted to take, and it just kind of happened.”

SAMANTHA KOTOWSKI

THE CACTUS SHADOWS PRESS

About Me Part 2