February 2014 by Sentinel On Guard

ZOO ON 168TH

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SPORTS

2013 HIGHLIGHTS

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The Sentinel On Guard AN OPEN FORUM FOR STUDENT EXPRESSION SINCE 1982

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 2

WHY NOT US?

PHOTO CREDITED BY THEGRIO.COM

SPORTS

FEBRUARY 2014

CHAMPIONS: Seattle Seahawks Quarterback, Russel Wilson lifts up the Lombardi trophy after their dominating win over the Denver Broncos in Superbowl XLVIII. The Seahawks won the game 43-8. This was the first championship in Seahawks franchise history.

mr.pearce12@gmail.com The Seattle Seahawks won Superbowl XLVII, defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8. In the moments after the big win, Russell Wilson, told his coach Pete Carroll, “Why not us”? Russell Wilson could not have won without the team he had around him. His defense made big plays, and his offensive line held the Broncos defense. It was the first time in franchise history that the Seahawks won the championship. But, it been a while for the Seattle community to witness a championship. The last major championship that a team in Seattle won, was the 1979 NBA championship with the Seattle Supersonics. (That’s not counting the Storm, Sounders or other local teams) It has been 35 years since the city of Seattle has witnessed a championship title. The championship was long over due for the fans of the Seattle Seahawks. It is a good moral boost for the team, because even for young team, miracles can happen. But how can we, as Sentinels, correlate the big win to Spanaway Lake. The motto that Wilson shared with the world, “Why not us” was a sentimental message his father gave him early in his athletic career. What could this motto mean to the Sentinels? Could it mean that anyone has potential to win a Super Bowl? Could it mean that anyone in general could do something great, and make history? Why can’t it be our turn as a school to bring home a championship that is long overdue, in any sport? Our first biggest championship title was a Seamount League title in baseball in 1983 and again in 1984. On the last week of the season in ‘83, Spanaway Lake was ranked

#1 in the state. The first SPSL football title was in 2000, in a year they earned a rare victory over Bethel. The wrestling program won the 2000 WIAA State Championship led by 160 lb. state champion Dan Pitsch who repeated again in 2001. The girls’ fastpitch team won the last team championship in 2011. Spanaway Lake was a good contender back when the school first opened, but over the years has slipped into mediocrity. So why not us? Why not bring back a title with Spanaway Lakes name on it? The volleyball team made it to state this year, as did several individuals for bowling, boys’ tennis and others. What would it mean for Spanaway Lake to win a team championship in any sport? “I believe that a championship win will give our school something to be proud of and to show the school that we are just as good as everyone else,” said senior Jeremiah Curtis. In some cases, with a big win would give the school more respect within the district, and our community. But with that respect would come other things. “We need more school support and more people to get involved and care,” said senior Kyle Garrett. With more school support and more care from the student body, a title will be a good moral boost for the school and for that team that won the championship title. How would the students react to a title, and a big win? “I feel it would be the topic of discussion for quite sometime and maybe be a story that is always brought back up for years to come,” said senior Joseph Cangialosi. But the importance, besides the topic of the school, the student body, and the staff, would be that it would give the community a great opportunity to give the school

respect. A title could change the minds of the surrounding community and erase many years of negativity. “I feel the community will respect us more as a school, and the former (Spanaway Lake) alumni would be proud.” said Cangialosi. A title would not only help the community respect the school, but it would give alumni something to be proud of, and they would be thankful that they were Sentinels. “I think since our school (Spanaway Lake) has a reputation for being a ghetto school, the community will see that not all

students are bad and that most of us are good people,” said Curtis. With the reputation at stake at most cases it means that we will need to be something people can not expect anymore. So why not us? Why not do something big and win a championship title. Bring a good reputation back to where it belongs. Change the mind of the community to let them know that we are not “island of misfit toys.” Change it where people would give us a reputation, not the one that was given to our school a long time ago.

PHOTO BY DAKOTA PEARCE

BY DAKOTA PEARCE

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: In the gym of Spanaway Lake two banners show league champions. Spanaway Lake has a deep history of winning championship titles and it is only time when there is going to be more placed on these banners.

On Guard Spanaway Lake High School 1305 168th Street East Spanaway, WA 98387 EDITORIAL BOARD.................................. Bradley Dean .......................................................................... Deanna Ellis ............................................................................. Alyssa Fox .......................................................................... Kyle Garrett ................................................................. Kushaiah Herrero ....................................................................... Dakota Pearce ........................................................................... Kilon Perez .................................................................... Sarah Thomann REPORTERS ............................................... Darryl Bunch ........................................................................ Mollie Callies ........................................................................ Jovanni Daep .......................................................................... Alex Houser .................................................................... Fanny Humbert ................................................................... Desarae Jackson ..................................................................... Carissa LePage ............................................................... Brandon McAuslen ............................................................................ Ugo Nnadi ......................................................................... Justin Reyes ...................................................................... Heaven Rivers ......................................................................... Kaitlyn Story ..................................................................... Amber Shifflett ...................................................................... Lauryn Stovall ....................................................................... Megan Taylor ........................................................................ Jada Thomas ................................................................. Shayla Thompson .............................................................. Vanessa Valdobinos .......................................................................... Skylar Webb ........................................................................ Victor Zuniga ADVISER ...................................................... Todd Keister

PRINTING INFORMATION The On Guard is printed eight times a year by the Snohomish Printing Company in Snohomish, WA. MISSION STATEMENT 1. First and foremost, the On Guard stands to inform and entertain the intellect of the student body, we shall at all times cover all stories with accuracy, integrity, and fairness. 2. The On Guard stands to obey all laws set forth and abide by the On Guard Code of Ethics. 3. The On Guard stands as an open forum newsmagazine. All students who submit an article, photograph, or artwork that meets all of the standards for publication and fits the tone of the issue shall be considered for publication. 4. All journalists shall respect the school and community by reporting with objectivity, honesty and accuracy. 5. The On Guard shall strive to exceed the highest standards of high school journalism. 6. To ensure accuracy, any corrections that shall be necessary will be printed promptly and neatly. EDITORIAL POLICIES 1. Letters to the editor are accepted, and shall be printed if they meet the following criteria; submissions must be 50-250 words in length, convey a defined opinion expressed with details, and signed by the author with a signature and a grade level 2. The On Guard reserves the right not to publish any editorial submission for any reason. The On Guard may also edit to condense submissions that do not meet the given 50-250 word limit. 3. All opinionated publications must meet the same standards of fairness, accuracy, and integrity as all other submissions. 4. The Op-Ed page shall always give credit to all contributing staff members, in the staff box. 5. Staff editorials reflect two-thirds majority opinion of the On Guard. The staff as a whole may appoint a specific person to write the opinion of the staff. CODE OF ETHICS 1. The On Guard shall abide by all laws. 2. The privacy of all students shall be protected. For sensitive information to be published of a minor, a student release form with the signature of his/her parent or guardian is required. 3a. In the event of a death of a student, the On Guard shall write an obituary including the name of the person, the birth date, cause of death (if public), date, time, and place of death; date, time, and status of the memorial services; the family survivors of the deceased person. 3b. The On Guard may also choose to run a story about the deceased person, cause of death, the life of that person, and any other information if deemed by the Editorial Board to be newsworthy. 3c. No opinionated article should be written about the death of the student, unless in the form of a letter to the editor. 3d. The immediate family or guardians of the deceased may request for any and/or all information to be withheld from publication, in respect to that family. 4. Never should any article contain information or dialogue that personally attacks another student, or specific member of the community. 5. Any material deemed offensive by an editor (in charge of that page) or the adviser shall be withheld from publication. 6. If the details in a publication are relevant to the material, they may and should be published, despite if the facts are offensive. The truth is more important than making sure that the person isn’t offended by the facts of the content. 7. To protect the integrity of the On Guard, the adviser and/or Editor-in-Chief reserve the “fire” any staff member for inappropriate or untimely behavior. The advisor and/or Editor-in-Chief also reserve the right to reject the entry of any student into the On Guard staff. 8. All ads are subject to the same standards of decency as all other news and editorial submissions. 9. The On Guard may reject the submissions of any advertiser, if the product is deemed offensive and/or harmful to minors. Advertising will not be allowed to influence news content. 10. What a staff member does in their personal life is reflective upon the On Guard. 11. Staff members should not accept gifts from news sources, as a matter of a conflict of interests.

GOT OPINIONS? SEND LETTERS TO ROOM 215 OR E-MAIL US AT TKEISTER@BETHELSD.ORG

ON GUARD

Op-Ed

FEBRUARY 2014

THE ON GUARD | EDITORIALS

Student Sound-Off

Who Knew There Was A Zoo On 168th St. BY ALY FOX cenizas14@yahoo.com Spanaway Lake which rests on 168th street has a neighbor who has made their presence known, and with a heck of a hit. Zebras? Camels? Since when were these animal in Spanaway? Let alone two blocks from our own school? In actuality, this place has been up and running for ten years, but only last year, in March, did they open their doors to the public. “Before that, we had rented out for parties and did goat rentals for brush clearing,” said Debbie Miller, the owners wife. This place has more then meets the eye. The entrance is a small dirt road that leads in to a large opening where over 20 free roaming fowl are. The first things you see are turkeys, geese, chickens and ducks. You might even be lucky enough to meet their family Antique turkey. “Shawn the camel is a real character,” said Debbie about their Bactrian camel. This is Don, the owner’s favorite animal along with Kenya the zebra. Debbie favors their soft, loving, Blossom the Yak. This place even has mix breeds like a zebak, a zebra mixed with yak which is pretty young. But, she’s not the only youngster on the farm, there are even Kune Kune piglets that are just overbearingly cute. This February, the farm will start giving lessons to become a volunteer. This is a great way to get those last bits of hours you need for your community service hours. However, those who want

to keep volunteering even after you get your hours, those people are even more appreciated. The farm will offer a week where they have farm camps where kids can experience being a farm/Zookeeper. They are always looking for volunteers. There are so many animals there they do not even know the total number of animals they own. There are sheep, goats, walaroos, peacocks, ducks, yak, zebras, camels, kune kune pigs, painted desert goats, llamas, alpacas, Mara’s, rabbits, and don’t forget Coors Light the chicken. This place has a great bunch of people and a friendly bunch of animals, even though they don’t get many visitors, they still work hard to be the best they can. I have to say even if I wasn’t on a story, I would have still gone here, The people here are so kind and willing to talk to you and even inform you about their animals. It’s really hands-on and that’s not just, because it’s a petting zoo.

SPANAWAY SAFARI: All the different types of animals at the Zoo on 168th gather together for feeding time. Animals such as camels, zebras, sheep, kangaroos, llamas, goats, rabbits, yak, pigs, dogs, turkeys, peacocks, geese and much more can be found at the zoo.

Bandwagoners vs True Fans BY SKYLAR WEBB swebb@bethelsd.org Bandwagoners. Truly irritating when they want to be for many reasons. Maybe it is because true fans know everything about their team, or their sport, or whatever, while bandwagoners don’t. Or maybe it’s because when you ask a bandwagoner why they like something they’re going on about, they give a really indirect answer, like, “because they’re AWESOME!” or, “just because.” Here at Spanaway Lake, we have our fair share of both true and bandwagon fans. “I am not a bandwagon fan for a few reasons,” said sophomore Liam Kerschner. “What’s the point of that if it’s all because of points or scoring, where’s the fun in that?” “I am a bandwagon fan,” said sophomore Olivia Bunch. “Because if I root for a team that keeps losing, they rub it in my face. True fans aggravate me

QUESTION: Do Sentinels prefer football or Basketball? Football Basketball

because they fawn over their team. Take Seahawks fans for example. They get all decked out in jerseys and other stuff, and then they get all obnoxious.” Many people have their own opinion of what being a bandwagon fan means to them, whether they are one or not. “True fans stick with a team, no matter what,” said staff member Gary Milbradt. “Bandwagoners are only for a team that’s really good.” Other people think bandwagoners are sports industries’ spirits of humor, because who doesn’t like watching people make fools of themselves? “Yeah, I guess you could call me a true fan,” said sophomore Jon Mills. “People like me are in it until the end, while bandwagoners, bless them, prance around teams like they’re leprechauns.”

Football

64 %

Basketball

36 %

*100 students are interviewed every issue for the Student Sound-Off.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Staying Fit All Year Round BY KYLE GARRETT

PHOTO BY ALY FOX

kgarrett@bethelsd.org About two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. The average American is 23 pounds heavier then his or her ideal body weight. In the past 20 years obesity has increased by approximately 7%. “Yes, America is overweight because of fast food restaurants,” said freshman Alex Howser. “Junk food is the cheapest when healthy food is expensive,” said junior Carissa LePage. What most people do not know is that in America, we do have a National Fitness Day, even though most people do not participate it is there. The national fitness day is September 28th and even though it has already passed this year, that does not mean people should just wait until next year to start working out. If we continue on this path, Americans will just continue to increase in size because the people around us affect us. Your chances of becoming obese rise by 57% if your friends are overweight and 40% if your siblings are overweight.

One thing that Spanaway can be proud of is that we do not have the highest obesity rate. That is held by Morristown, Tennessee. The people around us truly do affect us, for example imagine you are tall, tall enough to stand out in a crowd. You are probably aware of how tall you are, maybe even self-conscious about it. But imagine you are in a room full of basketball players; suddenly you don’t seem so tall anymore. You’re above average height feels normal. The same thing is happening except with weight.

ON GUARD

News

FEBRUARY 2014

School District Passes their levies BY KYLE GARRETT kgarrett@bethelsd.org Earlier this month, voters in Spanaway voted yes for two levies to help the district with technology. With these two levies, the Bethel School District will earn approximately $3 million a year for four years. The money will be funding to upgrade the schools technology and infrastructure improvements. The levy will also pay for educational technology tools such as, but not restricted to, student mobile devices, improvements to the network infrastructure (the wifi), professional development, additional training, and support for staff and students. According to the Bethel Pride, “The four year levy would authorize $4.5 million in taxes to be collected annually from 2015-2018 at an estimated rate of $0.54 to $0.57 per $1,000 of assessed property value.” The levy will benefit students in multiple ways such as improving and increasing instruction allow students to use technology for support, allow students to use technology that they will use in the future and allow students to use technology on a regular basis. Thanks to the voters who helped pass this levy. The students at Spanaway Lake appreciate it.

VOTE: Posters like these were put all over the district to help remind voters what was going to be on the technology levies that were being voted on. Thanks to all the reminders, voters passed both levies earlier this month.

The Loss of Nelson Mandela BY VICTOR ZUNIGA South Africa did not just lose a man,The world lost a leader. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th 1918 into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, Transkei. Mandela was not just a man, but a father to the nation and a great inspirational leader to the rest of the world. At age 12, his father died. He looked up to the same idea of contributing to the freedom of his people. During the time, South Africa was under Dutch rule. Segregation to the left, segregation to the right. This was the main problem for South Africa. As for Mandela, he did not want to be ruled anymore, he wanted a free nation. In 1940, Mandela was expelled for joining a student protest at the university college of Fort Hare. Nelson Mandela was involved politically since 1942 joining the ANC (African National Congress) in 1944 and helping the youth league. In 1944 he married his first wife Evelyn Mase, they had two sons and two daughters, the first of whom died at infancy. By 1955, Nelson and Evelyn officially divorced. In all of South Africa, Oliver Tambo and Nelson were part of the first black law firm. In 1955, Mandela was arrested in a countrywide swoop leading to a treason trial in 1956. Twenty-eight men and women were accused and acquitted in 1961, including Mandela. In 1960, police killed 69 unarmed protestors leading to the nation’s first state of emergency, banning the ANC. Nelson and his other colleagues were among those who were detained. While detained and imprisoned, Mandela began planning underground for a national strike for three days. He was soon asked to lead the armed struggle for South Africa to become a Republic.

Using the name of David Motsamayi, Nelson secretly leaving from the country traveling around Africa and even England

country illegally and telling workers to strike. Mandela was sent to five years

MANDELA SPEAKS: South Africa, and the world, both lost a great man and leader when Nelson Mandela passed away earlier this month. The leader of South Africa was a major voice in the fight against apartheid.

to look and gain support for the armed struggle. On his return, he was arrested and that was when he told the ANC president about his journey. Later, he was charged for leaving the

imprisonment where he was served prison locally. Within a month, the police raided a secret hide-out used by the ANC and other activists and his comrades were arrested as

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP PHOTO ARCHIVE

vzuniga@bethelsd.org

well. Imprisoned at Robben Island, Nelson joined ten others on trial for sabotage giving his ‘Speech from the Dock’ where he said: “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Yet again Mandela was arrested sent to life to prison back on Robben Island. In 1988, Nelson was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, spending three months in a hospital and then three more months in another hospital. He was transferred to Victor Verster Prison spending another 14 months in prison. After the unbanning of the ANC, he was finally released in 1990 even before he rejected three early releases. He included himself in official talks to end white minority rule. Being elected president of the ANC and soon winning the Nobel Peace Prize and for the first time, he voted. On May 10th, 1994 he was inaugurated and elected South Africa’s first DemocraticElected president and the first black president of South Africa. Stepping down after his first term as president he still continued to work with his children’s fund and established the Nelson Mandela foundation. “The greatest glory in living, lies not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”

4 ON GUARD

ALLS H E H ALK T AIN W N E M E AG K A FRESH L Y NAWA A P S F O E

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PAT DAVIS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

BASEBALL BREAKS 54 GAME LOSING STREAK

2013 YEAR “It’s Well s: in W y m m ra G re acklemo

Deserved”

Brutal attac k in Mexico ends life of expatriate fr om Seattle

Marijuana bill passed

Mariners sign NY Yankee 2B Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million contract

Sonics fans denied as NBA keeps Kings in Sacramento Seattle’s Big Bertha starts drilling tunnel

Nirvana gets elected in the rock and roll hall of fame SEAHAWKS LOSS FIRST HOME GAME UNDER RUSSELL WILSON DEC 22

FEBRUARY 2013 5

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KENYAN MALL SHOOTING

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CHINA ROVER LANDS ON THE MOON

PHILIPPINE TYPHOON KILLS THOUSANDS

GTA V COMES OUT

IN REVIEW OBAMACARE MOORE, OK TORNADOS TRAYON MARTIN FEBRUARY 26 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RAVENS WIN THE SUPER BOWL CLEVELAND KIDNAPPINGS WASHINGTON DC NAVY YARD SHOOTING OBAMA INAUGURATED FOR SECOND TERM JAN 21 JACK HOFFMAN 69 YARD TOUCHDOWN JUN 5 GEORGE ZIMMERMAN IS FOUND NOT GUILTY IN DEATH OF TRAYVON MARTIN BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING APRIL 15 DETROIT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY MIAMI HEAT WIN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

FEBRUARY 2014

A&E

ON GUARD

ALBUM REVIEWS

Frozen: Worth Melting For BY SARAH THOMANN greenfish113@yahoo.com

Once again, Disney has come up with a beautifully designed and extraordinarily plotted film. Frozen, originally based off of “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Anderson, but modified in many ways, is the tale of Elsa and Anna, Scandinavian princess sisters who were close as children. Elsa has magic powers which she can not control. After she accidentally hurts Anna, Elsa must grow up in isolation in her room. At Elsa’s coronation as queen, she and Anna get into a fight over Anna’s desire to marry a prince she had just met. This movie is not a typical boy-saves-girl kind of movie, and it really questions many of the traditional Disney princess morals. First of all, doing a character analysis, Elsa is the older sister of Anna and the queen to be for Arendalle. She is smart, independent, capable and strong-willed. Her fears of her powers drive her into isolation and away from what is left of her family. She could be happy alone, being herself, rather than a unhappy and around her sister. While many would argue she is the antagonist of the story, the Snow Queen indeed has a heart of gold. Her younger sister, Anna, just as intelligent and strong-willed as her sister, is an easily amazed, slightly naive and desperate little girl. After having her memory erased of all of her magical sisterly adventures, all she wants to do is be close to Elsa again, without avail. As for the sense, most Disney songs in films like these are corny and trail away from the story, but the songs in Frozen were done just right. With beautiful, meaningful, and intense sounds and lyrics, the songs fit right into the movie. As for graphics, Frozen shows many of the newer 3D graphics and a lot of detail and depth, which I am sure a wide variety of audiences can appreciate. Many critics have called Frozen “the first feminist Disney movie” or even “ the first story without the need of a prince to save the day.” However, movies such as Lilo and Stitch and Mulan make better candidates for those titles. Frozen is one of those movies for the entire family, and is guaranteed to make you tear up. Be sure to bring tissues while seeing it.

BY KILON PEREZ perezkilon@gmail.com

Going On Patrol BY KUSHAIAH HERRERO kushaiahherrero671@gmail.com

I attended, watched and somewhat enjoyed the movie Ride Along. I have to admit it was pretty funny at some points, but as it got into the middle parts it seemed kind of dull. I personally expected more from the famous actor/stand up comedian Kevin Hart and actor/singer Ice Cube. They are two actors that are knee-slapping, stomach hurting, can barley breathe funny actors, especially when put together. Personally it was a ‘can this get to the point already?’ film to me. The theme was something anyone could take from watching Ride Along and apply it to their everyday life, with every encounters of a new people that walk through their lives. For me, the theme that I got out of it was, “ you never know who’s going to have your back.” I chose that theme because during the movie, Ice Cube takes Kevin Hart for a “ride along” with himself to patrol the streets as police officers. However, it was all a prank to get Kevin Hart to quit and never attend the Police Academy he was accepted to. It was all a set-up until the real criminals came into action and Kevin Hart had Ice Cube’s back when Ice Cubes “real friends” betrayed him. It just shows that you never know who to trust, and who to not trust. All in all, I gave the movie a 3.5 out of 5

Katy Perry released another great album. The Fireworks singer had originally planned for this CD to be “darker” than her previous material however it missed the mark a bit. The entire CD is upbeat and will put you in a good mood, assuming you don’t mind pop/ dance music. With three singles, 2 making the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Prism has great themes of relationships, living life, having fun, and self-empowerment. “Roar”, the most popular single, oozes selfempowerment. This CD has gotten many mixed reviews. While some praise the CD for its mature and vulnerable feel, others deem it forgettable. Personally, I think the CD is lovely but it still doesn’t really touch her previous material but at the same time does feel more mature. Regardless, I would still love to hear more from Katy Perry in the, hopefully, near future.

BY KILON PEREZ perezkilon@gmail.com

ALL ME: Aubrey Drake rocks out on Tacoma’s very own stage, singing his number one hits that his fans know and love.

WE ARE ONE: Drake plays ball with the Seattle Seahawks after his Tacoma concert. In an interview with Seahawks.com, Drake said, “I’m such a fan – Golden Tate, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman and obviously Russ Wilson. So it’s just so great to come out and see them in person, especially at practice.”

Drake invades Western Washington BY LAUREN STOVALL stovallsawesome@gmail.com

October’s very own Drake, also known as Aubrey Drake Graham, hit the stage Wednesday night, December 4th at the Tacoma Dome and shut Tacoma down. People came from all over from Seattle to Tacoma to see the young rapper. Even with the cold weather, thousands of people waited in line to see Drake. Throughout the evening, “Drizzy” said he planned to stay in town for two more days and have a good time in Seattle. At the end of the show, he said it was one of the best nights of his life. “I feel really good tonight”, Drake declared. “I just got a massage, lets do this!” The crowd went crazy. It was a night to remember. The opening acts for the show were Partynextdoor, a new rap artist. Then, Atlanta rapper Future hit the stage and got the crowd “Turnt Up” with his hit song “No Games.” Pop star Miguel also hit the stage and had everybody on their feet with his hit song, “Adorn”. My favorite song of the night was “305 to my city” because during that song, Drake really interacted with the crowd as he

walked around a huge circle that was in the air right over the crowd. That’s what really got the crowd hyped. The stage was filled with bright lights and smoke that would occasionally come from the ground as Drake performed. The stage was very bold and colorful. The crowd was unbelievably loud. The thousands of fans were on their feet all night. That’s how you know Drake put on a show for Tacoma. The show could have been held anywhere Seattle, Bellevue but he chose to come to Tacoma. As the night went on, Drake realized that there were a few Seattle Seahawks players in the crowd and gave a huge shout out to quarterback Russell Wilson. Tacoma definitely let Drake feel at home as he said that he would for sure come back to the Pacific Northwest on his next tour. The thousands of fans loved Drake and he loved them. Overall Drake showed Tacoma that he really did appreciate them and all the love they were showing him. The next day, Drake posted several Instagram photos hanging out at the Seattle Seahawks practice facility and throwing after their practice with quarterback Russell Wilson.

Queen Bey proves why she still deserves this title once more. Her new, self-titled CD was released on iTunes, with no prior announcement, on December 13, 2013 and still crashed iTunes. Not only did she do this, but when she recorded the album, she was on tour and still found a way to make a visual album as well with 14 music videos. Being the first CD she released after having her baby, Blue Ivy, and being married for almost six years, Beyoncé’s music is filled with darker and heavier topics than before, such as postnatal depression, the insecurities of womanhood, and sex. However, she is still the same Beyoncé we all know and love. Overall, this is probably my favorite Beyoncé CD so far.

ON GUARD

Features

FEBRUARY 2014

Valentine’s Shout outs!

BY CARISSA LEPAGE & SHAYLA THOMPSON

snipps015@gmail.com and sharyannthomp@gmail.com

FROM: Anonymous

Chris Long! So, I just wanted to wish you a happy Valentines Day and let you know that I really like you <3 Anonymous FROM: Cody Stevenson

Heather Tracy: We didn’t know each other in the beginning of the year and look at where were at now, the way you caught my attention is a day I will remember. Curled hair and beautiful eyes. Every day since then has been nothing but happiness and many more to come. I love you. FROM: Malina Vejar

Brian Maroney, You’ve been my best friend since 2011 and I still think your the greatest boy on this side of the world. Happy Valentines day !XO

FROM: Malina Vejar

Kilon, Bri, Sarah & Mariah, My main squeeze - Happy Valentines day! XO

FROM: Malina Vejar

Emily Longshore, Elaina Vlahas, Amanda Coria, Jessica Applonie, Maria and Virginia- You are all so beautiful. I’m glad we’re friends, Happy Valentine’s Day! XO FROM: Nessa

St. Valentine’s History!

BY ALY FOX

Cenizas14@ yahoo.com

We all know Valentine’s Day as the day of romance love and passion. To spend the day with the one you cherish to your hearts core, but where did this lovey dovey day even originate? I mean yes , we shouldn’t question such a “ nice” day for couples. But, for someone like me I just have to wonder why? Why do we celebrate this holiday every February, just to buy expensive flowers, chocolates, and fluffy teddy bears and announce to the world that we are truly in love with this girl or boy and not afraid to show my feelings. So, I did some digging. Apparently there’s tons of different reasons for this day of love and goosh. Some say, that the Emperor Claudius II banned marriage from his kingdom. Yet, there was a priest named “Valentine” who continued to perform marriage ceremonies in secret for young lovers. But, one day the king found out, he sentenced Valentine to death. Only for him to fall in love with a girl. She might have been a follower or the prison guards daughter, but all that history knows is that she visited him every day. Then, the day of his execution fell upon them. So, he wrote her a letter professing his love and signed it, ‘From your Valentine,’ This is where History.com says we the holiday from. The festivity, like all other holidays,

may have been from a pagan festival that commemorates the death of Valentine. Later, it was Christianized and turned into a ‘fertility’ festival. Lastly, there was the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. This is when seven men were shot with machine guns, pistols, and

shot guns against a white-washed brick wall . This happened during the Al Capone era, alledgedly by men dressed in police uniforms during a gang bust. This happened on February 14th 1929, when the pagans had celebrated the holiday on the 15th. So any way you see it, all these stories and legends hold some part of the day of love in them. So, I leave you with this, many people died on this day, and yet we celebrate it with love. History took ‘make love not war’ to a whole new level. Happy St. Valentine’s Day every one!

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Manny-Manny you’re so perfect and adorable, I love how you’re such a sweetheart. You are my favorite junior in the school. I love you bby!

FROM: Emily

FROM: Chad Austin

Edwin Cruz- Happy Valentines day! I am so happy to call you mine after being together for more than two years! I love you

Charissa Wong, Happy Valentine’s day babe! These past 4 1/2 months have been the best of my life,I love you! -From your boo. FROM: Skylar Webb

Marissa Perkins, hope you get this reference, babe. You might regret what you let slip away like the geek in the pink. Love you babe!

St. Valentine’s Poll of Love!

FROM: Brooke

Steve McRavin; Hay babe, I just wanted to let you know how much I love you and how much you mean to me .You’ll always own my heart. Happy Valentine’s day. Love Brooke. FROM: Selena

Hay Brianna Chargualaf ,I think your really sweet and a nice person P.S. Did I mention cute :)

40% :) 60% :(

Sports

FEBRUARY 2014

ON GUARD

JACOB DAEP jacob512373@yahoo.com Recently, Spanaway Lake hired three new head coaches. One for basketball, wrestling and baseball. For basketball, the head coach is Dominic Batten, the wrestling head coach is Christopher Chambers, and the newly named head coach for baseball is Todd Keister. Batten has spent the last three years as an assistant to head coach Ken Leise. This season was his first as a varsity head coach. “I felt very excited and I felt very thankful,” said Batten. “You know I went to Spanaway Lake High School, so I was part of the basketball program here. I always wanted to come back and help out. With the knowledge and the experiences, and what I have encountered in my basketball career, and its not really necessary basketball, I mean you can learn a lot from playing basketball, but I also teach the guys how to be leaders, how to play on teams, work ethic, commitment, teamwork, and discipline.

MOTIVATION: New wrestling coach Chris Chambers speaks to his wrestlers before their match. Chambers has several wrestlers heading to the state tournament this season.

So just anything you can bring back, and you know, teach through basketball, its been my philosophy.” The players feel comfortable about having Batten as their coach. Basketball can help shape things in individuals such as teamwork, discipline, work ethic, and learning to be a leader. Batten mentions before games and practices, that his team does not really work on winning or losing. “I try tell kids, you know you play your hardest, everything you do, play hard, try your hardest and then winning will take care of itself and again you know. I like to use basketball as a way for life, and I think anything you would have to try your hardest and be committed.” Christopher Chambers is now the new head coach for the Wrestling team. Chambers last year was the assistant coach for Coach Grady. “Well you know I was pretty excited and last year I was the assistant here, so I felt like I had unfinished business. I was just really ready to take over for the kids. I really like the kids last year and felt that

BY JADA THOMAS

greenfish113@yahoo.com

jthomas@onguard.com

PHOTO BY KILON PEREZ

BY SARAH THOMANN

For the 14th year now, Spanaway Lake has competed in the exciting sport of bowling. With nineteen enthusiastic and driven girls, nothing can stop them. The Lady Sentinels have faced off their rivals and won eight games, and have competed in districts. “Bowling is fun, it’s a good way to get to know people,” said team captain, senior Kaila Norton. The team is very close-knit and enjoys one another in and outside of practice. They always find a way to have fun even during the dullest of days. Many of the girls have been bowling for a long time or even have it as a family passion. Carolina Snowden, freshman, is the team’s highest bowler. She has been bowling for 11 years and it has become her passion. Her highest score is a 286. “Its mostly a strength sport, I like throwing something down the lane,” said

Snowden. She even owns her own bowling equipment; two 14-pound balls, and a 15- pound ball and her own bowling shoes, such as many of her teammates. Spanaway Lake is one of the schools in the SPSL with a Varsity, JV, and C team due to the amount of members. Brooke Wilkinson has been coaching bowling for many years now and has high hopes for this years team. “They are a fun group, I like them a lot. We have lost a few matches closely, but we have been working on a lot of things.” With the season almost over, many of the players say that this year has gone well, and many freshman, sophomores and juniors are excited to compete again next year. “I love my teammates, I love Wilki as a coach, and I love just hanging out with friends and having fun,” said senior Brianna Chargualaf.

PHOTO BY DAKOTA PEARCE

there was enough talent in the room and just you know overall, the kids really truly just made me want to stay.” The boys’ baseball team was one of the prouder programs when Spanaway Lake opened. They won the first two league championships at the school and were ranked #1 in the state during their best season. But the team has gone away from its deep roots, and the program wants to get back on track. The program hired their JV head coach Todd Keister to be the head coachfor the varsity squad “Well I think it is going to be very exciting, I’m looking forward to the challenges of being the varsity head coach here at Spanaway Lake and I think there is not a lot of difference between JV and Varsity, except the expectations are higher.” Keister said there will be some changes in the way things go for the team. “There is not going to be many changes, but some of the biggest changes are just going to be discipline. I expect my players to work hard and to be at practice on time,

work hard at practice and to work hard in the offseason. I expect my players to be the best Sentinels they can be.” Keister had some thoughts on the upcoming season. “We play in one of the most competitive leagues in the state, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us.” said Keister. The SPSL South is historically a difficult league. They have had several teams in the past four years place in the top four at the state tournament. “I feel that with the work that the boys have put in last school season, over the summer and fall, and during the offseason, with workouts and practices that they have been holding their own,” said Keister. “That they are going to get up and surprise some teams in our league. This is probably one of the best teams that I have had here at Spanaway Lake in terms of spirit and being a team. I have not seen a group work harder and prepare as much as this team has. With this new season coming up the team should be ready for anything that comes.

Mr. Kobe Bryant

Right Down The Middle

GETTING A STRIKE: Freshman, Carolina Snowden getting a strike during a match Bethel defeating the braves 3-2 on January 14.

PREPARATION: Todd Keister the newly named varsity head coach for the boys baseball team prepares for a new season, with high hopes of making a good impression.

Kobe Bryant was born August 23,1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets right out of high school, then shortly after, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he still plays to this date. With the Lakers, he has won five championships, and became one of the leading scorers. Bryant was named after a Japanese Steak house, and is the son of a former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. In 1998, he was voted to the All-Star game and became the youngest All-Star in NBA history. Kobe then married a 19-year-old Vanessa Laine in April 2001. In July of 2003, he was charged with one count of sexual assault on a 19-yearold female hotel worker in Colorado. Bryant said he was guilty of adultery, but not guilty of rape. The case was dismissed in 2004. In 2008, he led his team to the NBA finals where the Lakers were defeated by the Boston Celtics. Then, the following year, his team returned for part of the memorial service to honor Michael Jackson. On April 12, 2013 Kobe had a fracture on the lateral tibia plateau in his left knee. That injury happened on a Tuesday night during the 96-92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. “All I can do is the work and do everything I can do be back at the highest level,” said Bryant. To ESPN, Kobe had played virtually the entire game despite hyper-extending his left knee. While playing against the Golden State Warriors, with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bryant made a crossover against his opponent, Harrison Barnes, and while Kobe pushed off his left planted foot, he felt a pop in his foot. He thought someone had kicked him.

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PATIENCE: Coach Dominic Batten sits left of his assistant coach Russ Leslie. Batten watches his players play defense against Curtis High School, and hopes that his team will steal the ball and take it to the rim.

PHOTO BY HEAVEN RIVERS

PHOTO BY UGO NNADI

Welcome To Our New Head Coaches!

BLACK MAMBA: Kobe Bryant, a 35 year old Shooting Guard for the Los Angeles Lakers is making an impact on coming back from his injury that he had suffered by tearing his Achilles tendon when he played the Golden State Warriors in April in the 2013 season.

Kobe was fouled and tried to get to the free throw line, but he did not think what was bound to happen next. He had torn his Achilles tendon in his left foot. Usually, this type of injury would end basketball players careers possibly ended Bryant’s career for good. Everyone thought he was done, but Kobe was going to prove them wrong. Kobe took the whole off-season to get better. He then returned the following season, as a new basketball player. Playing like the champion type of player that we are all used to see.