Issue 6 of the Tomatalk

BREAKING NEWS:

JUSTIN BIEBER

Arrested

For alLegedly See Page 11 Hitting For Details Puberty VOLUME 35 • ISSUE 6• April 1, 2011 • KAMIAKIN HIGH SCHOOL • 600 N. ARTHUR ST. • KENNEWICK, WA 99336

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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8 I E I NS D 16 20 17 5

STAR SEARCH SHOWCASES KAMIAKIN TALENT

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Staff Adviser: Laurie Bender Editor-In-Chiefs: Natalie Elliott & Joey Flores

WORST SANDWICH EVER

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BOYS & ASB GIRLS TAKING BASKETBIG BALL STEPS IN FINISH W/ CHARITY GREAT SEASONS News Feature Editor: Kaelyn Cole Sports Editor: Joey Flores In-Depth Editor: Bond Henderson Opinion Editor: Natalie Elliott Entertainment Editor: Evan Ramsey

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

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Shenanigans Editor: Victoria DeMers Cover and Back Editor: Kylee Schwartz Photography Editor: Victoria DeMers Social Chairman: Cindy Gonzalez

PROM DRESSES OF THE AGES

Staff Reporters: Tanner Curtis, Kyle Davis, Marissa Lindholm, Mark Ingalls, Dalis McKenzie, Melissa Oser, Oscar Perez, Makenzie McKinnis, Marissa Rodriguez, Dylan Wilson, Christina Woodard, Zach Cook, Melissa Coppinger, Garrett

Doublin, Daniel Elliott, Brianna Harrod, McKenzie Kennedy, Amanda Lampton, Amanda Ling, Sadie Machart, Amber Maiden, Ashley May, Danielle Openshaw, Hailey Paine, Alex Peterson, Devin Schell, Jose Tapia, Ernhel Tatunay, Benjamin Yaden

Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

3 Student Spotlight: Alexis Almeida L

By CINDY GONZALEZ SOCIAL CHAIR-PERSON

ike everybody, Alexis Almeida has goals in life. Born in Libby, Montana in 1993, she moved here in sixth grade and attended Desert Hills Middle School. Now she only has two months until graduation, and she is making new plans for her life.

After senior year she plans to go to CBC for one year and then Spain to study Spanish to either become a Spanish teacher or a translator, anything that has to do with the Spanish profession.

Not only does Almeida attend school, but she also has a job working at Z Place Salon and Spa and does dance events with Elite. During the summer Almeida plans to visit Germany during one of her trips before starting college. Almeida also plans to live life to the fullest and make the most out of it. “I want to travel the world in a hot air balloon and live life,” said Almeida

Q:Craziest thing you have ever done? A:“I went to a foam party in México, where they fill a tub up with bubbles and dance in it . It was amazing.”

Q: What’s your favorite food?A:“I would have to say PASTA!” Q: What’s your favorite memory in life?A:“When I went on a canoe trip with my friend and got stuck in a southern tropical storm, that was crazy.”

Q:If you could be any animal, what would you be?A:“I would be an eagle so I can fly.”

Q:What is your favorite quote that you like and can live by?A: “Friends can grow separate without growing apart.”

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Kamiakin DECA Students Qualify for International Competition

By HEIDI WILSON DECA ADIVSER

Ten Kamiakin DECA students earned the right to represent our chapter and Washington State at the Washington DECA Career Development Conference in Bellevue on March 5. These students excelled in events that were aimed at their career interests.

This involved taking a comprehensive test and doing role-play situations and/or a presentation. They will now be heading to Orlando, FL for the opportunity to compete for scholarships and prizes. Below is a list of the award winners and their competitive events: Ashley Bronson and Breanne Short – Third Place Chapter Awards Project Nolan Earley & Zach En’Wezoh– First in the Western Region for H&R Block Personal Finance Challenge, Challenge 1 Sean Clausen, Nathan Brandhorst, and James Swinyard – First in the Western Region for Virtual Business Simulation, Challenge 1 Jared Haulk, Chris Murbach, and Max Shoop – First in the Western Region for Virtual Business Simulation, Challenge 2 Breanne Short was also recognized as the Washington State DECA Member of the Year!

Other students who received recognition were: McKenzie Kennedy, Ryan Kreig, Jaden Tschauner, & Rachael Wescott – Second Place Quiz Bowl Tori Roberts – First Place Role-Play, tenth place Quick Serve Restaurant Management Alexandria Miskho and Joanna Sun – Ninth Place Hospitality Team Decision Making Kaileigh O’Neill/Mayra Valdovinos – Ninth Place Public Relations Project Anna Seydel and Kaitlin Kontogianis – Ninth Place Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making Congratulations Kamiakin DECA! Good luck at the International Conference!

Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Van Eaton

By KAELYN COLE NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

You may have seen him walking through the halls or on the tennis courts and wondered who this semi-familiar face was; this ultra friendly man’s name is Jeff Van Eaton and his behind-the-scenes contribution to our school is invaluable. His position at our school is a special education endorsement called “the resource room”, which provides students help on their work from other classes in an easy-going and accommodating environment. Van Eaton primarily assists with math in the class, specifically with algebra, “because I like math. I like helping students understand skills they will need for college and beyond.”

Mr. Van Eaton attended school at Sunnyside High School and then went to Columbia Basin College to learn teaching.

“For awhile, I was just following in my brother’s footsteps; I was originally going to be a music teacher. I played the trumpet, but when I transferred from Columbia Basin College to Central Washington University, I decided to teach kids, which I always loved, instead. I started out working with elementary school aged kids but ended up working with high school students.”

Fortunately for us, he chose to harness his skills and teach here at Kamiakin. “Mrs. Donais was my mentor when I taught in Finley and when she left, she told me there was an open position here, along with a tennis coaching job available as well. I like it here; we have a good staff and a really Photo by Kaelyn Cole great student body,” said Mr. Van Eaton.

Not only does he teach a class here at Kamiakin, but he also is the girls JV tennis coach and also helps with varsity occasionally. “I enjoy working with students and teaching them a sport they can play for the rest of their lives,” Mr. Van Eaton said. As a former tennis student myself, I greatly enjoyed his experience and patience in teaching us the fundamentals of a new-fangled sport.

Around the Campfire NEWS & FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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School uniforms become requirement at Kamiakin in upcoming year

By DANIEL ELLIOTT STAFF REPORTER

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s of next school year, Kamiakin will join the 24 percent of schools in the United States that are mandated to wear uniforms. This was announced in a teacher’s meeting, and the whole school staff is in full support of the administration’s sudden decision.

Uniforms have increased test scores at many schools in Washington, and Kamiakin will soon be one of those schools. ”Corduroy bell bottoms and short sleeved plaid shirts

will improve academic achievement at Kamiakin,” Principal Chris Chelin said.

A poll taken in Washington showed that schools with uniforms had test scores that were 63 percent higher than schools without uniforms. This poll shows that Mr. Chelin’s hopes of improving academic achievement using uniforms aren’t that far-fetched.

Also announced at the teacher’s meeting was that the administration is not only going to give us required clothes to wear, but also control our hairstyles.

Mr. Chelin said, “We’re looking to establish a hair rule for

Where did you go for spring break last year?

By DALIS McKENZIE STAFF REPORTER

Freshman Kamren McKenzie

Sophomore Audra Triner

“I went to Montana. That’s “I went on a cruise to Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozu- where my family is from, and my brother goes to school mel with my family. On the way there so we like to visit.” back, I met Cameron Diaz.”

Junior Nathan Vinson

“I went to West Point and partied at the beach with a ton of friends.”

Senior Jonathan Axtell

“Cancun, ‘cause I can rage it up.”

Expires 4/30/11

2012 mandating that everyone has a mullet.”

This action is said to be able to increase how focused students are in school, seeing as if everyone looks practically the same, there will be a lot less distractions in class.

To notify all students and teachers not aware of the dress change, carrier pigeons will be sent out every fifteen minutes for the first week of school next year. Any students who want to volunteer to be pigeon caretakers can apply in room 633. All applications need to be in by the last week of school.

The Cavalcade of Authors

By HAILEY PAINE & STAFF REPORTERS

MCKENZIE KENNEDY

When coming to CBC in the early hours of a Friday morning, one feels the crisp air and the sense of eagerness among all the young people circling the school. Out of all these students from ages 11 to 18, they all got up and came to CBC for one purpose: Cavalcade of Authors.

Try picturing yourself as an 11 year old reading four different books by four different authors so you can travel to the local community college and see the characters you imaged brought to life by their creator. For any avid reader, this is a dream come true.

Having remembered the Land of Elyon series that came through the Tri-Cities when author Patrick Carman visited schools or when Ken Nesbit came to the elementary schools, reading to the children some of his stories, there was a different feeling at the Cavalcade of Authors.

Eleven authors: Mary Jane Beaufrand, Justina Chen, Mellissa de la Cruz, Kimberly Derting, Alane Ferguson, David Patneaude, Mary Pearterson, Lisa Schroeder, Terry Truman, Stephen Wallenfels, and Rick Yancey, have given up their day to be with their fans. They have come to inspire the kids to “Read, Write, and Imagine.”

“This is Kamiakin’s first year attending Cavalcade of Authors,” said Kamiakin librarian Linda Nobbs. Kamiakin had 25 kids attending, ranging from freshmen to seniors. Kamiakin also had around 15 National Honor Society members helping. There is room for 50, and Kamiakin is hoping to bring more next year.

“My favorite author was Melissa de la Cruz. I’ve read a few of her books and really enjoyed her session, even if it was via Skype,” said sophomore Seneca Sequeira.

Every author prepared a speech or something along that line that they presented to the students in three different sessions. Students were given a packet that said a little about the authors and had pages to take notes of the helpful blurbs. Mary Jane Beaufrand’s session was about science fiction novels, more specifically “tough magic”, trying to keep your book from being boring. “Make sure you know your genre that you are wanting to write in. You wouldn’t want to write a historical novel filled with something such as fairies,” said Beaufrand.

Most authors, such as Kim Derting have known that they have wanted to be authors for quite a while and had taken classes back in high school which really helped jump start their career.

Keynote speaker Alane Ferguson has published 32 books but didn’t want to be a writer in the beginning. While she was growing up, her mother strived to be a writer but couldn’t make it.

Freshman Megan Ladendorf said, “It was a good, interesting experience, but it’s not like I want to be writer.”

Students each went to three different sessions, a book signing, the keynote speaker, and an author panel, where students were able to ask questions to one or all of the authors.

There is also a short story contest, where first place gets a $40 Barnes and Noble gift card.

“I want to be a writer later on, so this was a perfect opportunity to learn and to get out of school,” said ninth grader Sara Naughton.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

Starsearch showcases talent of Kamiakin students

By KAELYN COLE NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

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very year, Kamiakin students, faculty, and parents pack into our auditorium to witness for themselves the awesome talent that is usually hidden within our school walls. The line to enter the show, even when prepurchased tickets were possible, stretched down the side of the science building, forcing hopeful audience members to huddle together to brave the harsh wind.

Once allowed to enter the auditorium, those present could see for themselves the sheer mass of bodies being forced in our too small theater. The anticipation of the audience could be felt. Thankfully, the show started on time, with a video introducing the night’s MCs, Kristyn Jones and Joey Jansen, dressed as Snooki and Vinny from the Jersey Shore. The entire night was threaded with jokes and references to the current television phenomenon.

The performances kicked off with the Michael Jackson inspired stylings of Kyle Davis. The show then moved on to a group comprised of Chelsea Kupitz, Joey Flores, and Jannae Piatt, with the unexplained name of the MGPs, who presented an original acoustic guitar and rap blend titled “Battlefield”. Then the audience was given a new view of a popular song with Wyteria Lyons’ acapella version of Kelly Clarkson’s song “Breakaway”. After that, the piano was pulled onto stage with the instrumental song, “Cristofori’s Dream” performed by Ryan Bergman, and Courtney Fuller’s piano and vocal rendition of “Brave” by Idina Menzel.

The show continued with the surprisingly powerful performance of Kaylee McClure’s rendition of “Listen” by Beyonce, a small girl showing off her big voice. McClure was quickly followed by the sophomore encompassed band called Seafish, whose members include Kyle Wyant, Lucas Longenbach and Ivan Roman, which performed “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by New Neutral Hotel. Then Sadie Gearheart sang Colbie Caillat’s “I Never Told You” with the accompaniment of her guitar.

The performance continued after a brief intermission with an inspired entrance of Paul Pierson’s piano performance of “Waterfall” by John Schmidt. The piano was then used once again by Adam Matthew Bates (stage name Adam “Baker”) to play “Eraser” by Thom York. The piano was then rolled

away to make room for Chelsea Kupitz and her guitar to play her originally composed song titled “The Hard Way”.

Then the Nards (Victoria and Nicole Renard) performed a choreographed dance routine, aplenty impressive with jumps and flips.

The auditorium was then presented with the return of the greatly loved performance by Kaelah Phipps and Thor Clegge, who this year performed the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, which was dedicated to Phipps’ mother.

The show was then doused with a healthy dose of laughter when Scott Foreman and Chad Vickery displayed the universal musical “tie”-in of every popular song of the last century. The show then moved on to Kaylee Brooks singing her original song, “Alive”, along with her guitar.

Then for the final performance of the night was the Jeff Raines Band, with members Taylor Edwards, Emery Boehkne, Ben Ostby, Garrett Dunn, Colton Spriggle, and (you guessed it!) Jeff Raines. The band played a wonderful rendition of “The Cave” by Mumford and Sons, during which a backstage hand accidentally leaned against the light switches, causing the whole auditorium to illuminate, but that didn’t interrupt the band’s concentration.

“Fun Fact: We played a show the very first day we were a band. We were jammin’ when a friend said they were having people over, too, so we went and played for them,” said Boehkne. When asked about the show itself, “It was exciting because we were ready. We knew we had a good act, and we’re best friends,” Dunn admitted.

Now that all the acts had performed, it was up to the judges to decide who the winners were. The jury was comprised of Todd Schumacher, Tim Bisson, Lucy Razor, Katrina Kutchkau, and Kristi Lakey. Their criteria for judging included a possible 15 points for technical ability, 10 points for stage presence, 10 for difficulty of selection or act, and five for appearance. With the all the performers lining the stage, each award was presented. The award for the variety act went to the MGPs, the best instrumental went to Paul Pierson, the honor of vocalist went to Chelsea Kupitz, and the credit of best band went to The Jeff Raines Band.

Something that seemed to be missing from the awards ceremony was an overall winner. “We

decided the quality of talent this year was so high that all categories deserved equal recognition and that one wasn’t better than all the others,” Shelly Crump, the ASB adviser, stated. “It won’t affect all-city; we get to send five acts and we will, along with our MCs,” she added with a smile to a nearby Kristyn Jones.

On March 24, the winners of our talent show moved on to the All-City talent competition. Performers from Southridge and Kennwick joined our champions in the Southridge auditorium to decide who was to be the best of Kennewick. All of the acts were remarkable and interesting, but Kamiakin’s acts were especially inspirational. All of our acts were at their peak performances and allowed us to showcase our talent to the rest of the community. By the end of this second show, the crowd’s anticipation was tangible—every student and parent hoping their beloveds would win the top prize. In the end, our school racked up two of the total five winners of the night. The winner for instrumental performance was our own freshman piano wonder, Paul Pierson.

And, finally the Jeff Raines Band won for overall best performance in the city of Kennewick! “It’s awesome to have such a good crowd response. It’s really an adrenaline rush,” gushed Raines. “We plan on continuing to make music and perform throughout the community,” Dunn proudly declared. They will also be participating in the All-Tri City talent show next month.

Tribal Games SPORTS

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Behind t he s c e ne s i n s p o r t s at Kamiakin

By KYLE DAVIS STAFF REPORTER

With the Ams going to the playoffs, the Fever season underway, March Madness progressing and our own spring sports commencing another (hopefully) successful season, do you ever wonder what is required to prepare for all this? I do, so I did some checking ‘behind the scenes’. A lot of the offseason camps and workouts are for the players to learn the playbook (if there is one), any changes to the rules to get in shape and promote team cohesion, but during the regular season, preparation really intensifies. Basketball and football do a lot of film studying. Football coach Scott Biglin said, “I stay up until 3 a.m. on Saturday exchanging film with other teams.”

When asked how he prepares, boys basketball Coach Brian Meneely stated, “I have people film opponents’ games.”

Some sports don’t do scouting. Volleyball head coach Mary Opitz said, “We usually don’t scout a team unless it’s at a tournament or we have a part in a tournament and have that team next.”

Athletes’ preparation for their season also varied. Junior Jessica VanValkenburg , who competes in track and swimming, said, “It would take me five minutes to get ready” whereas sophomore gymnast and cross country runner Michelle Fletcher said, “It takes 20+ hours per week.”

The average was about 10-15 hours per week across the different sports, with most of this being mental preparation. If they get nervous, many athletes switch to their ever so popular iPods/MP3 players to zone out. Others choose different ways to relax like just stretching, hanging out, playing ninja or even just talking to other competitors.

Another thing that goes on behind the scenes is dealing with injuries. Fortunately, not too many of our athletes get injured during the season, at least not seriously. Most of the time the injuries are fairly minor and can be handled very professionally and competently by head trainer Leo Combs and his most capable student staff. In addition to treating injuries on site, Mr. Combs also advises regarding rehabilitation and continued care in order to keep the athletes healthy and in the best shape to compete.

Keeping physically and mentally fit is really important for the kind of stressful and long days the athletes put in. In addition to the actual games/competitions and all that practice, there’s another issue. Think about this: If you think about doing homework, sometimes there is a lot of work. These athletes have to come home after a practice or competition, sometimes at one or two in the morning, and they still have to do homework. Remember, all the athletes have to meet minimum academic standards to compete. Teachers don’t let athletes off of homework because of sports demands, and coaches don’t let athletes off on athletic expectations because of homework. The coaches expect their athletes to be ready to play/practice hard every day. As Coach Biglin says, “I expect my players to practice at game speed so that the game seems slow.”

All this climaxes into the big Tuesday/Thursday night volleyball game/soccer game, that meet for cross country/track, that Friday night game for basketball and football, Saturday baseball/softball and soccer games, Tuesday/Thursdays wrestling with tournaments – the events the public gets to see. And that’s your look behind the scenes in sports.

Kamiakin boys and girls basketball finish with great seasons

By JOEY FLORES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The trip to Tacoma is a thought that every prep basketball player dreams of at the beginning of each season. Sixteen teams, eight boys and eight girls actually meet this goal of playing in the dome at the end of the year. Kamiakin made up two of those 16 teams sending both the boys and Lady Braves to the state tournament this year.

The Lady Braves, with a very young team, shocked everyone by making it to the state semis and ending up taking fifth place in the tournament. The Braves won their district title and went to state starting off strong, beating Glacier Peak in the quarter finals 55-50 in overtime.

Then the Lady Braves took on the undefeated girls from Prairie. The Lady Braves got down early and could never get the lead back, falling to Prairie 54-41. They then fell into a consolation game against North Central and lost that game 52-42 finishing in fifth place on the season. The Lady Braves

impressed all, finishing the season with an 18-9 record. The young Lady Braves have high expectations for next season but will miss their three seniors, Cassy Larson, Krysta Beach, and Gabby Kurz.

The 2010-2011 boys basketball team broke records, won titles and earned a state trophy. The Braves won their district title and went to state as the number two seed from our region. The boys team rolled past Seattle Prep in their first game 65-42 lead by Tyler Holle who had a game high of 25 points.

The Braves then took on Lakes in the semis. The Braves played hard but fell in overtime 54-48. The boys ended up finishing third at state, beating Glacier Peak 47-40 in the consolation game. In his last basketball game as a Brave, Garrett Anderson set a new career rebounding record with 584 rebounds over three seasons. The Braves will be graduating five seniors who will be missed: Case Rada, Tyler Holle, Shad Fletcher, Garrett Anderson, and Riley Hayfield.

Coach Brian Meneely cutting down the net after the boy Braves basketball team won the district title.

Photo by Paul Erickson of the Tri City Herald

Tribal Games SPORTS

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

7 Kamiakin Braves mens 2011 soccer season is off and running

By Daniel Elliott STAFF REPORTER

Yet another boys soccer season has come upon us Braves, and with two new lineups, we hope to have a much better season than last year. We have a new J.V. coach, Bryce Wager, who was previously the varsity girls coach at Kennewick High. Our varsity coach is returning Jeff Bennit.

Both teams had two exhibition games before the league games started. The first exhibition game was played against University High, from Spokane.

J.V., who had multiple ineligible players, lost 5-0, and varsity lost 3-1. Varsity’s only goal was scored by Mario Guizar. In

the next exhibition game against Mount Spokane High School, also from Spokane, J.V. tied 1-1 with a goal from Abdi Hirsi. Varsity won their game 3-1 with goals from Mario Guizar, Colton Brockman, and Colton Sullivan.

After that weekend, varsity and J.V both had their first league games of the season. The teams played against Pasco High. J.V. lost against Pasco 3-1, with a goal on a free kick from Collin Moore. Varsity lost 2-1, with their only goal from Colton Sullivan.

Kamiakin’s next league game was against Kennewick High. J.V tied the game 1-1 with an amazing goal in the last seconds of the game from Reilan Leaumlnt. This game was lost 7-6 in a shootout after Reilan’s Goal. Varsity played hard and won their game 3-0 with goals from Cley Burns, Mario Guizar, and Colton Sullivan.

With a few wins under their belts, our Braves are looking at a strong season to come, with many more wins to be had.

Photo by Marissa Rodriquez Austin Davin dribbling the ball through defenders.

A mad mad march indeed

By TANNER CURTIS STAFF REPORTER

The 2011 NCAA men’s tournament is in full swing heading into the final four. The first three rounds saw plenty of upsets and buzzer beaters including the biggest seeding upset which came from the 13 seeded Eagles of Morehead State who took out the 4 seed Louisville Cardinals. Another bracket buster was the 8 seed Butler Bulldogs continuing their two year tournament dominance by eliminating the 1 seed Pitt Panthers.

The Sweet 16 included five teams seeded higher than 8 for the first time in tournament history. They are (8) Butler, (10) Florida State, (11) Marquette, (11) Virginia Commonwealth, and (12) Richmond. The Big East set a record with 11 teams making the big dance and have since died off with only two teams making the Sweet 16 (Marquette and Connecticut).

The Sweet 16 also saw its share of upsets including two more number one seeds getting knocked off, the overall 1 seed Ohio Buckeyes dropped to Kentucky and their extremely talented freshmen. Joining the Buckeyes in a fourth round exit was the tournament’s defending champion, Duke Blue Devils, who fell to the Arizona Wildcats after blowing a half-time lead.

Entering the Elite Eight, only one 1 seed remained, the Rock Chalk Jayhawks out of Kansas, but they didn’t last long, losing to Virginia Commonwealth and falling short of the Final Four. Also in the Final Four is UConn (3) who defeated the tough Wildcats out of Arizona. Butler (8) continued its sting of upsets by defeating the number 2 seed Florida Gators to reach the Final Four. The final team to make the Final Four was the 4 seed Kentucky who defeated the 2 seeded Tar Heels of North Carolina.

This is only the third Final Four in tournament history that doesn’t have a number 1 seed still in play and is the first time that all 1 seeds and 2 seeds have been eliminated

before the Final Four.

This year’s March Madness has been filled with so many upsets that of the 5.9 million brackets entered in the ESPN tournament challenge, only two of them have the correct Final Four. Photo: Tanner Curtis’s ESPN Tournament Challenge bracket which is in the 99.3 percentile. .

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Kamiakin basketball finishes strong

By TANNER CURTIS STAFF REPORTER

Five seconds left, a North Central player inbounds the basketball down by one. Two quick dribbles across half court and a sprint to the elbow, a flash of daylight and an open lay-up on the right side of the basket, count it. That’s how a “winner to state” basketball game ended for the Kamiakin Braves’ boys team on Feb 25 and although momentarily kicked in the stomach, the team had little time to rest with a game scheduled the following night against a strong West side team in Mercer Island.

When asked about that weekend, senior guard and defensive player of the year in the big nine, Shad Fletcher, had this to say, “It was a tough loss, but we knew we had to move on and get the job done the next day.”

That’s just what they did on Saturday night at Spokane Falls Community College, beating the islanders by a score of 60-44. Not only was it a good win over a quality team, but it meant a chance to play for the 3A title in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome, the same dome that Fletcher and teammate Tyler Holle had visited just three short months ago. “It was great experiencing it again for the second time in one year. When we left the dome for football, I felt we had some unfinished business there, and it made the basketball games that much more competitive,” Fletcher added.

Going into the tournament as a bit of an underdog and predicted by many Seattle journalists to get ousted in the first round, the Braves had a lot to prove. In their first game Thursday night against Seattle Prep, they silenced those same writers, winning by a 23 point margin. Shortly after the game, the team headed back to the court, this time only as spectators. They watched as their next two possible opponents (O’dea and Lakes) traded buckets back and forth in the closing minutes of the game. In the end, Lakes and their

six-foot-nine 300 pound center came out on top.

After a night of tossing and turning and little sleep, the team was ready to hit the courts being just one of four teams left in the tournament. The first half of the game went well and at half time, the Braves led by three, but in the second half, some shots that were going in the first, stopped, and the Lakes guards started hitting threes. Down by two with nine seconds remaining, the Braves held the ball. Fans of both teams watched in awe as senior guard Case Rada hit a long two to send the game to overtime. However, the game would end with a 7-0 run in favor of the Lancers. Although the game was over, the season was not. The boys hit the court for one last game on Saturday. After years of playing together, it was the seniors’ last hurrah. The game was close, but the team out lasted Glacier Peak 40-47 to win their final game and, more importantly take third in the state 3A playoffs.

Photo by Mckenzie Kennedy.

The Braves celebrating their district title win.

Kamiakin is livin’ life in the fast lane

By MARISSA RODRIGUEZ STAFF REPORTER

Who wants to run, sprint, and throw in order to knock out the competition of other schools and bring glory to the Braves’ name? Kamiakin students, your very own track team does. Since the first day of practice, Coach Cheryl Schauble has had the team huffing and puffing, getting everyone back in shape and ready to compete. Evidence of this hard work can be seen in the results of the first track meet of the season. “We were impressed with early marks in all events. The young athletes are competing well and adding depth to the team. We should be very competitive in the 3A ranks this year,” said Schauble.

In last year’s 4A division, the Kamiakin track team took a handful of varsity up to the State competition in Tacoma. In fact, Anthony Armstrong and Danielle Cuevas were the only Braves to make it to finals. Armstrong placed third in state for the 3200 meter run, and his time was an amazing 9:07.25 minutes. And Danielle placed 12th in state for the pole vault. Her jump was an incredible 10 feet.

Being in a smaller division (3A), the track team has high hopes for possibly more future state competitors. This year, Coach Schauble has the sprinters, and Coach Joyce Donais has the hurdlers on overload with training, making them fierce and intimidating runners. Coach Donais said, “To be a hurdler, you need to be fast, strong, and athletic.”

The long distance runners are a true inspiration to the team, due to their excessive amount of miles put in each day at practice. Coach Matt Rexus coaches his athletes with encouragement, and he can even be spotted running with them, announcing their times during intervals. “The distance kids are looking fantastic after the teams placed fourth and fifth at state in cross country last fall. They are athletic and enjoy being tortured—a

great combination for great distance runners,” said Rexus.

On the muscles side of the track team, Coach Chad Potter is also buffing up the throwers and preparing them for the competition. This coach is looking forward to this year.

He describes the throwers as “a mix of young and old, experienced and inexperienced.

They work hard and have great attitudes.”

Besides running and throwing, even long jumpers and triple jumpers are working hard on the runway. Excited screams can be heard across the track from Coach Patterson when he spots an amazing jump. “That’s the way I roll,” comments the energy-bound Patterson.

Participating in track can also take athletes in the sky. Pole vaulting requires extreme upper body strength, speed, and great technique. No matter what workout the pole vaulters are doing, Coach Todd Freitag is always running or lifting alongside his athletes. “We have a great group of pole vaulters, probably the best group anywhere. The sky is the limit,” said Freitag.

The coaches of the Kamiakin track team believe that the team will make it far in the 3A division. They push their athletes to the best of their ability, so performances at the meets will be successful. “Enuff said.”

Photo by Marissa Rodriguez Coach Duncan and track members at a track practice.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

By JOEY FLORES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Athlete Spotlight Drew Oord

Many athletes consider it an accomplishment to make varsity and play as a sophomore or junior, but few have the privilege to play varsity and start as a freshman. In fact Kamiakin baseball has never had a freshman start on their varsity team, until Drew Oord came to Kamiakin.

Playing in Kennewick Nationals Cal Ripken Baseball League, Oord was already known as a very good player. Oord was a part of one state championship team while he moved up a division to play with 12 year olds when he was 11. “ It was always fun knowing I was going against tougher competition. At first I felt a lot of pressure, but after a while I got used to it and just played the game without worrying about age,” said Oord.

Then halfway through his freshman season, Drew Oord was called up to play on the varsity baseball team. A couple games later, he was starting at third base and already had established himself as a great player for the Braves. His first two varsity hits were homeruns that he hit in Eastmont two years ago, and since then he has done nothing but exceed expectations. Oord helped the Braves get within two games of State before falling to University High School.

In his sophomore year, Oord picked up right where he left off, leading the team in runs batted in, and batting average. Oord was also selected to first team all CCBN Cascade division, and all-area second team. “It was really cool to get that recognition because all my hard work in the off season was paying off,” said Oord.

Oord helped the Braves take third place in the division, but their season ended with an early loss in playoffs to Southridge.

Oord then made the Twin-City Titans, a senior legion baseball team compiled of the best players at Kamiakin and Richland High Schools. Oord played great despite the fact that most of the players in that league are a year or two older than him.

In his junior year, Oord again started off on the right foot. A big help in the Braves’ win over the number one ranked team in the state for 4A baseball the Richland Bombers, Oord went 3-4 with 3 runs batted in. The Braves defeated the Bombers 6-5 on a walk off base hit by Jon Allen.

Photo by Brad Griffiths Drew Oord and varsity coach Ryan Carter talking during the Braves 6-5 win over Richland on Friday March 20.

Sports Quiz

By JOEY FLORES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

1. Who hit the ball that went through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the 1986 WS? 2. What 1995 World Series teams were both picketed by the American Indian Movement?

3. In hockey, what is the Hart Trophy awarded for?

4. Who won every Lacrosse World Championship from 1974 to 1994?

5. Who’s number 4 was the first number ever to be retired in MLB in 1939?

1. Mookie Wilson 2. Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians 3. league’s MVP 4. USA 5. Lou Gerhig’s

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10

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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11

Chief Legends IN-DEPTH

APRIL FOOL S

!

Got ‘cha! Hahahaha!

Chief IN-DEPTH Legends

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

12

You Just Got Pu

By MELISSA COPPINGER STAFF REPORTER

Remember the American hidden camera practical joke series, Punk’d? It was a show hosted by famous actor Ashton Kutcher, where pranks were pulled on celebrities, music artists, and sports superstars. There were many fans who loved to watch the show just to see jokes being pulled on today’s celebrities. Unfortunately, the show ended in May of 2007.

The show has “punked” people like Kanye West, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and many more. However, some pranks have failed during the show.

“My favorite prank was the one when the garbage blew up and the guy from Lord of The Rings was on it,” said junior Drew Oord.

Oord was a fan of Punk’d and thought it was funny to see the person’s reactions when they were being pranked. But Drew said that some pranks did get old after being repeated a couple times.

“I didn’t like how, sometimes, they’d waste a lot of money on props that they ended up destroying,” said senior Kelli Gilbert.

Although Gilbert didn’t like how the show’s money was wasted at times, she still liked the show because the show gave her new prank ideas that she could pull on her friends.

She also liked how the people getting pranked reacted and didn’t get mad. Instead, they

[Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.

-- Thomas Reed

were just embarrassed and admitted it was a good joke.

Lately, it has been reported that the show might be returning. This time, though, the show will have a new host. The singer, Justin Bieber, will be taking the place of Kutcher, but Kutcher will remain as executive producer. Is Bieber being the new host of Punk’d a good idea? Should Kutcher still be the host?

Gilbert said, “I think it would be iffy, because Ashton Kutcher was known as a jokester and had a reputation from past character positions he played in shows and movies. JB is just a singer, and he needs a little background of pranks. Not saying he couldn’t, but it might be tough to get a diverse crowd. I do have respect for the guy, though. He can sing like no other and doesn’t get caught up in the celebrity drama. People shouldn’t be judging him when they don’t even know him. He’s actually a pretty cool guy and true with what he does. Check out his song “Pray”.”

Another student, junior Forrest Reading, said that he’d rather have Ashton Kutcher as the host because the way he acts fits the role that goes with the show. Oord said that he, as well, would prefer Kutcher to stay as the host. Either way, he would still watch the show, but for the pranks, not the host.

“However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire.”

-- Nicolas BoileauDespréaux

College students --masters of pranks

By AMANDA LING STAFF REPORTER

April Fool’s Day is a wide spread holiday and is celebrated on April 1 every year. And people who take part in April Fool’s are from every background and culture and from young to old…and as you would probably suspect, college aged. That’s right, colleges all over the United States have created some of the best and classic pranks. You’ve probably heard of pranks involving water squirting flowers, or cold showers, or even hiding in trash cans. But in college, pranks go to the extreme.

One of our state colleges, UW (University of Washington), has a timeless prank that they’re very known for in this part of the state. And it involves a time capsule. Students in the class of 1950 chose to place items into a capsule to help other people from later generations remember that specific time. But what the students from the 2000’s didn’t expect was what they would find in this capsule. Inside were adult magazines, an April Fool’s edition of UW’s student newspaper, clip-on ties, women’s underwear, and

petrified Twinkies. Department Chair Gerald Baldasty said at an Alumni event, “I just think this is a great college prank. We really just had a big chuckle over it.”

An even better story of college fun took place at WWU (Western Washington University). And this event consisted of a college student from Western and a news report gone bad. While Dawn Scott from KIRO was doing a live report on a serious case about a bomb threat, a student ran in the background screaming, completely unclothed, but with a ski mask. And this video has had 36,000 views on YouTube and is said by news crews to be one of the most recognizable pranks in college/news history.

And during the streaking, the only thing Scott could think of to say was, “Oh my goodness.”

So is it the age that makes people think of these insane prank ideas? Maybe so, but nothing seems to stop students from performing these acts. Maybe it’s for recognition or perhaps just for the fun of it.

Either way, it’s very entertaining for the rest of us and makes for some funny stories.

Global punking created

By MAK McKINNIS STAFF REPORTER

No one is quite sure where it first originated, but it seems that the m people in the world celebrate April Fools, and these countries definite true spirit of this mischievous holiday!

In Denmark, 1965, a Copenhagen paper said Parliament passed a l dogs must be painted white to improve roach safety so they could eas at night.

In Canada, 2008, WestJet Airlines claimed their overhead cabin bins of the best, and that they would charge $12 extra for passengers who use them as “sleeper cabins”.

Le Parisien, in France, said the Eiffel Tower was going to be dism reconstructed inside a new European Disney World in 1986.

In Taiwan, 2009, the Taipei Times said that “Taiwan-China relations w severe setback yesterday when it was found that the Taipei Zoo’s pan what they seem.” The newspaper said the pandas, which were a gift fr

April Fo

By ALEX PETERSON STAFF REPORTER

Traditions across

April Fool’s Day is celebrated around the world, but it is not a national h anywhere. April Fool’s Day is also known as All Fool’s Day in many places. I celebrated on the first of April everywhere. This day has the same theme arou world.

It is a day for practical jokes on family and friends, sometimes enemies o neighbors. In some places, the jokes only happen until noon. These are in co like New Zealand, Great Brittan, Canada, Austria and also South Africa. Peop play these tricks after noon in the above mentioned countries are called an Ap In other countries like America, France and Ireland, these jokes go on all day This day has been celebrated for a very long time, since 536 BC. It is one oldest prank day traditions still alive in the world today. In the French sp countries, April Fool’s Day is celebrated by attempting to put a fish made of on another person’s back without getting caught. This is slowly spreading t places like Italy.

In Belgium, there is a tradition where the children lock out the teachers o parents and they only allow them in if they bring them treats that day or prom bring them the next day.

In Poland, April 1 is celebrated in a big way. Not only do regular people on the jokes, but the media also gets in on the action. Serious stories are not u

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

unk’d!

Chief Legends IN-DEPTH

13 What Happened Today?

• 1665 The Great Plague hit London • 1778 Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans business man, created the dollar “$” sign • 1889 The first dish washing machine marketed in Chicago • 1913 Jackie Mitchell became first female in professional basketball • 1934 Bonnie & Clyde killed two police officers • 1938 Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, NY • 1947 Greece’s King George II died • 1952 The “Big Bang” theory was first published • 1964 John Lennon is reunited with his father Freddie after 17 years • 1990 It is illegal in Salem, Oregon to be within two feet of nude dancers • 2006 The Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the “British FBI”, is created in the United Kingdom

d some entertaining results

majority of ely have the

law that all sily be seen

were some o wanted to

mantled and

were dealt a ndas are not rom China,

were actually brown bears colored to seem to be pandas.

1987, in Norway, after being notified that the government was going to be giving away 10,000 liters of wine, hundreds of citizens showed up hauling empty bottles and buckets.

In Germany, 2009, BMW released an ad promoting “magnetic tow technology”.

The invention would allow drivers to turn off their car and get a “free ride” by locking onto the car in front using a magnetic beam.

In 2010, a local newspaper in Jahr, Jordan, said that UFOs had landed, carrying 10-foot-high aliens. The citizens’ reactions? Everyone fled the town.

One of the best pranks ever? 1957, BBC TV reported that Swiss farmers had a bumper crop of spaghetti. They pulled this off by broadcasting a three-minute report of workers cautiously harvesting strands of spaghetti from trees. Numerous viewers were bamboozled, and many called in asking how they could grow their very own spaghetti tree. The BBC told each caller to “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce, and hope for the best.”

ool’s Day!

s the world

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reported on that day. In Spain, April Fool’s Day is celebrated with the same types of pranks, but after they pull off their prank, they usually yell, “You innocent dove, you have been fooled!”

In Scotland, April Fool’s Day used to be called Hunt the Gowk Day, but now it is just called April Fool’s Day. The prank usually played in Scotland is to ask a person to give someone a sealed message that asks for help. They celebrate for two days, on the first and second of the month.

In Portugal, April Fool’s Day occurs on Sunday and Monday before lent.

People walk around these days throwing flour at their friends.

In India, April Fool’s Day means the celebration of the first day of spring.

No matter what your nationality is or how you celebrate April Fool’s Day, keep the tradition alive.

Pranks from the old days

By BRIANNA HARROD STAFF REPORTER

We think of our teachers as being studious and serious individuals for the most part. Well, the following stories from their youth show that at least some of these teachers were not always so.

Photography teacher Dave Speakes shared, “I finished high school at The Place Alternative High School in Yakima. Near the end of the school year, all the kids and teachers got to spend a weekend at a cool mountain resort called Holden Village. The three male teachers were assigned to the upper floor of one of the two story buildings, and all the male students were assigned to the first floor. When the teachers were at some meeting, I went upstairs and “short sheeted” just one of the teacher’s beds.

The next day, I overheard the teachers accusing, denying, and laughing about the prank. Each of the teachers who were not “short sheeted” suspected the other, and the teacher who was “short sheeted” accused the other two teachers. I innocently asked them what happened and what was “short sheeting” anyway? After explaining it to me, more accusations ensued. I asked how they knew a student hadn’t done it. With one of those adult looks on their faces , one of them said, “Students would have done all three beds.”

The smile on my face was slow in coming, and when I saw that they figured out who really had done it, I made a hasty retreat back downstairs! I do believe the guys’ laughter downstairs solved the mystery of who done it.

Years later, the teacher that was “short sheeted” showed up at my wedding riding a motorcycle.

He was wearing cowboy boots and a rent-

“A fool must now and then be right by chance.”

-- Cowper

ed white tuxedo. Tom Mullen wasn’t just a teacher. He was my best man.”

Shelly Crump, ASB/English teacher said, “We loved to tease our algebra teacher. He would frequently leave the room, so we started doing little pranks…One time we rubberbanded all of his desk drawers shut.

Another time, we completely reversed the room so when he came in, we all had our backs to him and the room was 180 degrees different. The worst was when we brilliantly thought super gluing all of the stuff on his desk TO his desk would be a good idea. He finally snapped on that one…..”

Teacher’s Assistant Christine Miller shared, “I went to a very small (and old) high school. The building was circa 1900, so each classroom had a “cloak room” in the back -- the place where coats were hung during class “in the old days.” In my French class, there was a total of six kids! We just thought we were so clever when one of us would write “French class canceled, today” on the blackboard, and then we would proceed to hide in the cloak room, having silent hysterics as we listened for the sound of Mrs. Kitt’s pumps clicking into the room, pausing, then clicking back down the hall. It really wasn’t rocket science as to where we could be, and I know just how “silent” our twittering probably really was!

The other thing that we loved to do is take my Volkswagon beetle up Mill Creek during lunch, put it in neutral and see if we could coast all the way back to school before bell.

If we didn’t, we’d just keep on coasting through town, and on out the other side. My penmanship was exactly like my mother’s... communication between parents and administration wasn’t what it is at KaHS -- and we had a jolly old time skipping the day away.

Sigh. I’m humbled looking back.... but we thought we were brilliant!”

Chief IN-DEPTH Legends

PRO

By DANIELLE OPENSHAW STAFF REPORTER

Pranks are just a practical joke people pull on one another to be funny, friendly and grow in a friendship, or relationship. Most people plan for a prank to be something that can be laughed at later in life.

Many seniors enjoy playing pranks on the freshmen to welcome them to Kamiakin.

Although other people may see it as bullying, the freshmen may look at it as “the seniors are actually paying attention to me,” and seniors look at it as “I remember being that age not feeling welcomed at all because no one was fun and played pranks on me.”

“I don’t think pranks should be an issue as long as pranks aren’t taken too far and people get hurt,” said junior Anthony Hill.

People intend for the prank to go back and forth like tag. Once one pulls a prank, it’s up to the other person to come back with something better and so on. It’s all in fun. There are those few that can take it too far but more often than

14

Are pranks worth the possible punsihment? not, they learn from it. Pranks should not be banned from schools because they are fun, and it makes people grow in a relationship or within them.

“I think pranks should be allowed. My brother and his friends seran wrapped his friend’s car just as a funny joke, no harm in it,” said Brittney Mellema.

Pranks are fun and should be allowed in school. As long as people can be mature and not take it too far, it shouldn’t be an issue.

By SADIE MACHART STAFF REPORTER

By MELISSA COPPINGER STAFF REPORTER

It’s a good feeling to all the class pranksters in the world when April Fools comes around. It’s the time of the year to go all out on your parents, friends, or just anyone who comes too close. But it’s one of the worst feelings when your prank goes bad. You know at that point that it’s either time to run or just give up. It’s never easy admitting defeat, but sometimes it’s just the better way to go.

“Our team tried to pull a prank on our assistant coach last year; we stole her blueberry muffin right before a competition. And when she started to yell and get really mad at one of our seniors, we knew it was time to give up.

Otherwise, something bad was going to happen,” commented sophomore Bekkah Alvarez.

Sometimes the wrong can be as easy as just stealing a muffin, but sometimes it can be much worse.

Sophomore Ricky Stricklin had this to say, “I tried to pull a prank on my mom once. It was really funny and going well. Until my mom truly thought that I was never allowed back at school.

When the tears started to come and all my stuff was being taken away, I thought it best to tell her it was April 1.”

There are some kids out there who plan their jokes all year just waiting for that special day in April to come. “It’s my favorite day of the year. What’s better than being able to pull some of the best jokes whether they go great or terrible, and you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble for them!” explained junior Austin Richards. “It’s a good day to get frustrations out of your system.”

The jokes being played on this special day are all in good taste.

When worse comes to worse and your plan falls through, it’s good to know the person can laugh with you in the end and know that all is good in the world.

“Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.”

-- Mark Twain

CON

To most people, a prank is a thrill, playing a hilarious practical joke on a friend not thinking of the possible consequences that follow. Pranksters think pranks will cause no harm; they are just a moment of excitement, but the fact is that pranks can be harmful; they can lead to people getting hurt, legal problems, the ending of friendships or even suicide. In 2004, a high school student from New York committed suicide after two of his friends played a prank by leaking out that he was gay. The two friends were unaware that this statement was actually true, and when the student found out, he felt so ashamed he committed suicide in his bedroom.

Pranks can also lead to health prob-

“He who lives without folly isn’t so wise as he thinks.”

-- François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Pranks gone bad

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

lems. For example, on Nov. 1,, 2010 in Washington, 67 year old Tom Fawcett suffered a heart attack while driving when two teens pranked him by egging his car.

The man suffered from a 72 hour coma.

Some pranks can have a lasting effect on people’s lives forever. Recently in Florida, three teenagers died in a car accident after three other teens removed stop signs at an intersection. The three teenagers were convicted of manslaughter.

Also, public embarrassment and humiliation is a consequence that many people may have a hard time dealing with. Depending on the type of prank, if the person already has a low self esteem or emotional problems, embarrassing him in public could have a lasting effect.

People out there need to think before any prank is committed. They need to understand what the person receiving the prank will feel like after the prank is over. Pranks can be fun for awhile, but they can go wrong very quickly.

The best and worst student pranks

By DANIELLE OPENSHAW STAFF REPORTER

Top Two Best Pranks: Top Best Prank: By Danielle Bjorklund “While my brother was in the shower, I took his white towel and got it somewhat damp. Then I sprinkled a blue-raspberry kool-aid sugar packet on one side, then put the towel back in a way he was not able to see the blue kool-aid. When you get out of the shower, what is the first thing you dry? Your face, right? My brother came out of the shower, dried his face and was blue! This isn’t the easiest stain to get off.”

Second Top Best Prank: By Riley Bacon “I put clear seran wrap on my friend’s toilet without him knowing. A little later, he tried to go to the bathroom, and you know the rest….”

Top Two Worst Pranks: Top Worst Prank: By Chris Murbach “After I got done hunting, I headed home. I went in the door of my house, and I still had my shotgun on me. My mom didn’t hear me come in the door, so I snuck up behind her and cocked my gun really loud, told her not to move and to give me all her money or she would never see her family again.

Bad idea.”

Second Top Worst Prank: By Zane ScarGorough “Buttering the floor and watching someone who doesn’t know the floor is slippery walk across the floor and fall--It’s so funny.

Initiations don’t have to be horrible

By DEVIN SCHELL STAFF REPORTER

An initiation is a rite of passage into a club or group. Initiations have been around schools for a long time.

They used to be harmless pranks that older students would play on freshmen or other younger students.

They would do things like chase students with water balloons.

Some of the biggest places that these kinds of initiations have gone on are the sport teams and in Greek fraternities. They do a thing called hazing. Hazing is when the older students do something to the new freshmen. There have been many reports of people getting caught doing these hazings, but the stories of the people that get caught are the ones that go too far.

For example, there was a baseball team that on their way back to Wilson County from a game that was in Niagara Falls, the varsity players grabbed the junior varsity players that were 14 at the time and sexually assaulted them. Afterwards, three of the players and two coaches were faced with charges. This just goes to show how far some people go for these things that used to be harmless.

Some people have actually been killed because of these “pranks”. At the University of Texas, a boy was pledging for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He fell from the fifth story window of a room. Prior to the fall, he was given large amounts of alcohol. Some of the other pledges reported that they were being beaten with bamboo and shocked with cattle prods.

Not all initiations go as far as people dying though. When most people go through some sort of initiation, it is usually something harmless and fun. Most people never really heard about these kinds of initiations because they are harmless, so no one gets hurt and it gets no publicity. For example, math teacher Katrina Kutschkau said that at her old school, the soccer team would wake up the new players early in the morning and make them go into town in their pajamas and do errands. This just goes to show that not all initiations have to be mean or dangerous; they can just be funny and humiliating.

Tribal Talk

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

15 Open your eyes and see others’ perspectives

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Students need to take a chance and see something outside of their bubble

T

he war on terror has been going strong for almost 10 years now, over half of my young life. This is the longest war in United States history, and in many opinions has gone on for too long. Now I’m not saying whether we should or should not be in this war, but it is just one example of us as Americans not necessarily knowing all that we should.

In the Middle East, children don’t have a choice when it comes to witnessing violence.

In Palestine, kids going to school walk along side Israeli soldiers carrying assault rifles and machine guns. In Egypt’s recent revolution, children walked alongside their parents protesting the government, demanding a change.

Here in America, most go their whole lives without witnessing a riot or a bombing down the street.

“The people who live in places like south-central LA, they could probably relate easily to a Palestinian,” said Renee Lewis, a Tri-Citian who lived in Palestine for two years. “They know what it’s like to be arrested or harassed by the authority for no reason. They hear gunshots reguBy NATALIE ELLIOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

larly...but most Americans would never run into that kind of thing.”

Renee Lewis is a graduate of Hanford High School, who after graduating from University of Washington didn’t want to start her career right away, so she chose to go abroad and volunteer. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was one of the biggest topics of interest in her major, which is why she chose Palestine to live. She received an internship as a reporter for the Palestine Monitor (PalestineMonitor. org), where she gained a whole different perspective on the Middle East. In America, we mostly hear the Israeli side. Our media is biased when addressing the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. While she was there, Renee also had the opportunity to experience the injustice to the Palestinian people first hand.

“I learned how to live in a radically different way compared to our lifestyle in the U.S.,” said Lewis. “I lived without [running] water for weeks because there wasn’t enough water for everyone. Electricity would be cut for days.”

By going through these hardships first hand, Lewis also said that she learned that there are limits to what we should consume on a daily basis. In the U.S., we aren’t confronted with the world’s limited resources, but in other countries,

it is very obvious how limited they are.

Lewis added that living in the Middle East for two years really opened her eyes to a lot of other things, too.

She learned that not all Muslim girls were forced to wear headscarves, and Muslim men can be affectionate and loving towards their families, not controlling and stern as the American media might lead you to think.

It can be hard to look past media bias and to search for the truth, but the real key to stopping this fear is to simply stop. Stop letting our “everyone hates America” mindset get in the way of you stepping out and seeing the world.

Don’t be afraid to widen your views. Get out there and prove that a 16 year old high school kid can care. The best way to do this may be traveling, and though an average high school student doesn’t have the means to do this, there are opportunities to meet people of other cultures right here in the Tri-Cities.

“There are many ways to get involved in new organizations like Citizens for Peace groups, Inter-Faith potlucks which are held at different churches, synagogues, and mosques around the Tri-Cities, things like that,” Lewis added. “There are many opportunities to attend lectures and presentations at places like WSU Tri-Cities, CBC, TriTech, etc.”

The cost of college rapidly multiplying: Can students keep up?

By CHRISTINA WOODARD STAFF REPORTER

For seniors and juniors, it’s that time of year to start looking into colleges. Some students already have their college picked out, but others are hopelessly confused. As prices for the tuition of college are rising, it may be even harder to figure out what their ideal college is. The cost of college can prevent students from going to their dream college.

One of Obama’s goals when he was running for president was to make college affordable for students who couldn’t afford it, so why has it now become so unaffordable? Loans are becoming harder and harder to get for students who are 18, besides bank loans which have unnecessary fees, and parent loans which some parents refuse to get for their child because they also can’t afford it. To be fair, there is more financial aid for the lower class, but what about the middle class? We need money for college as well!

State budget cuts and declines in philanthropy and endowments helped push the cost of college tuition up much higher than general inflation across the country this year, amounting to an increase of 7.9 percent at public campuses and 4.5 percent at private ones, according to a new study by the nonprofit College Board.

Senior Cristal Apolinar said that she will be paying for college by “working and hopefully getting a lot of scholarships.”

Tuition and fees for the current school year average $7,605 for state residents at public four-year colleges and $27,293 at private institutions not including room and board. Room and board added an average of $8,535 at public campuses and $9,700 at private schools.

At the University of Washington, the cost of college averages to $8,973. Room and board is $8,169, plus fees for books and supplies which averages out to be as much as $1,008. In Washington, there has been a 14 percent increase in the cost of college in the last two years.

Apolinar said the cost of college is “scary!

I’m afraid there’s going to be a point where I will have to drop out because I’ll run out of money.”

Some students are protesting the price of colleges, including a sophomore at the University of Colorado, Nic Ramos, who paid his entire spring semester tuition in 14,309 dollar bills, a 50 cent piece and a penny.

A lot of students are out of luck when it comes to the price of college. Students and parents need to take action before this bump in the road affects too many students. The cost of college has become an outrageous amount of money, and hopefully this one step will influence others to speak out and show them what the cost of college really is before it’s too late.

Apolinar said, “I couldn’t apply out of state because it’s more expensive, and so I have to stay in state.”

In order to change the already rising price of college, we as students need to make a change, and this is my call to action.

Courtesy of CollegeBoard.org

Tribal Talk

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Our View: ASB taking big steps in charity

16

Texting taking over students’ lives at school, home, and elsewhere

By DANIELLE OPENSHAW STAFF REPORTER

A

SB is put in place to better the school and create a sense of belonging for all its students and staff. Led by their adviser Shelly Crump, the ASB staff has done just that.

ASB is in charge of many things at Kamiakin, putting on all dances, coming up with themes for them, finding a DJ and coming up with all the decorations. ASB also puts on Star Search, selecting who gets to compete and judge while also taking care of all the equipment and sounds. But that’s not all. Assemblies are another thing that ASB puts on, doing decorations and planning for all assemblies except one (The Battle of the Sexes assembly was put on

by Link Crew). “I like planning the cool events. It’s fun to be in them but behind the scenes is more special,” said senior ASB President Scott Foreman.

ASB is also in charge of putting on events to help others in need.

The recent jeans drive started Feb. 7, and Kamiakin students donated well over the set goal of 500 jeans by donating nearly 700 pairs of jeans. ASB also put on Operation Christmas Child where students made shoe boxes filled with necessities and toys to send to children overseas who don’t get a Christmas. Other events that students love to participate in that the ASB puts on are stud volleyball, Winter Wishes and the Dodge Ball tournament. Kamiakin ASB also helped out with Coats for Kids and Toys for Tots this year.

A huge event on the list of things Kamiakin’s ASB has done for the school this year is bringing David Garibaldi to perform his show Rhythm and Hues. The ASB brought Garibaldi to Kamiakin as the senior gift, providing the students with an inspirational speech and watching Garibaldi paint masterpieces in a matter of minutes.

Senior Abby Bare led the team of seniors in getting Garibaldi to perform at Kamiakin. Garibaldi painted Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein, while taking breaks to explain the hardships he went through and how he overcame his struggles. The senior class chose the Albert Einstein painting to keep as the senior gift.

Some upcoming events that ASB will put on are this year’s Prom on April 30. The theme is Drops of Jupiter. Also, the Block Party will be coming in May. We would like to thank this year’s ASB for all the positive experiences they have provided for Kamiakin.

Do you notice how much you text? Do you notice how it affects you? Most students don’t. In the fourth quarter of 2008, American teens had sent 2,272 messages per month. Students of Kamiakin and Southridge all know they are not allowed to text during class, but most teachers are okay with it as long as the teacher is not giving a lecture.

Kamiakin’s rule: To preserve an appropriate learning environment, radios, CD players, MP3 players, cellular phones, etc., may not disrupt learning. CELL PHONES must be turned off and put away. If the phone is out, it may be confiscated. “Class time should be dedicated to academic activities bell to bell. When students take part in non-academic

By MARISSA RODRIGUEZ STAFF REPORTER

The purpose of the Tomatalk is to inform, entertain, and further educate the students at Kamiakin High School and the surrounding community.

PUBLICATION POLICY:

EDITORIAL POLICY

Editorials are the opinions of the individual members of the Tomatalk staff and are not intended to express the opinions of the administration, staff, nor students of Kamiakin High School, nor the advertisers in this newspaper. As a forum for student expression, the Tomatalk will publish letters to the editor. All letters are due one week before the next publication date. The staff reserves the right to edit or omit submissions as necessary. All letters must be signed by the student submitting them. However, if a student prefers his/her name not appear in the publication, his/her name may be withheld. All letters to the editor must be 300 words or less. In cases involving political or controversial issues, staff members are encouraged to solicit all points of view.

activities such as using computers inappropriately, breaking dress code, and cell phone usage, they are not following expectations set by the class before them,” said Mr. Chelin.

Should teachers allow it even if it isn’t disturbing the class? At both Kamiakin and Southridge, over 80 percent of sophomore students text either during the teacher’s lecture or work time. Sophomore year has been proven to be the hardest year of high-school. This has only caused one more distraction that can lead to student failure. Many students can’t even put down their phones to walk across a street safely. Not only do they walk and text. They drive and text. Over 100,000 people have been killed by texting and driving. “I think students should be allowed to use their cell phones as long as the teacher is not talking and it isn’t disturbing other students’ education,” said Rebecca Alvarez.

Does texting affect students’ education? Many students text so much that their thumbs start to hurt. Students force themselves to stay up just to finish their texting

conversation. Many teens are now sleep deprived and are beginning to not do so well. Grades are slipping. Some students have been caught cheating on tests. One student would send a message to another student with a question on it and the other would reply with the answer. This is not okay.

Researchers have also proven students get so used to texting, they start to write their school essays in texting slang such as, “becuz, n’, 4ever, btw, plez, ur, u, thnx, wat, wth, omg, w/, and more.”

This slang is difficult for teachers to read, and students get docked points for not using proper grammar.

Who pays for your bill? Eighteen percent of Southridge’s students and Kamiakin’s students pay for their own cell phone bills. The other 82 percent are given their phones by their parents, and the parents pay the bill. Should there be a stop to the amount students have their phones out? What will it take to get the phones glued off the students’ faces? When will the teens notice the world through their own eyes, not through their phones?

Pressure on students to succeed: Is it too much?

MISSION STATEMENT:

Content is determined by the staff. Students are protected and bound by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various court decisions relative to student publications. The Tomatalk would like to be a forum for student expression and a voice for the free and open discussion of issues. However, currently, we have prior review, and sometimes prior restraint.

The staff of the Tomatalk is expected to be professional, objective, truthful, and accurate.

The staff will adhere to the Washington State Law (WAC 180-40-215) which prohibits the following material to be published: 1. Potentially libelous material 2. Malicious attacks on an individual’s character 3. Material which is excessively vulgar or obscene 4. Material which encourages illegal activity

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

If you look back about a little more over than 50 years in time, homework, tests, and the ability to learn is not nearly as aggressive as it is today. The grandparents of today’s youth weren’t even offered the AP and challenging courses that exist in high schools today. The AP/honors programs were first adopted by public schools in 1956 to keep high-performing senior students from being bored. Even middle schools are attaining pre-rigorous classes such as algebra. Students these

days are expected to think about their lifelong careers while being underclassmen in high school.

High school students need to worry about signing up for scholarships and preparing themselves for college. And the thing that worries a majority of students?

The thousands and thousands of dollars needed to spend on college admission, books, classes, and everything. They have extreme pressure on their parents to sign up for scholarships for college.

The money comparison is increasing from back in the day to now and at an astonishing rate.

For example in this economy, college students pay around $10,000 in tuition per year. To go to college in 2026, it is estimated future students will be paying around $16,000 per year.

College costs directly relate to the amount of work completed in high school, which puts pressure on our students who want

a promising future. This is so because those students who put effort into their work are the ones who are most likely to receive full-ride scholarships. And grades aren’t the only thing that goes through the radar, so does school involvement. Students are encouraged to join school clubs and activities, whether it’s sports or something like drama and maintain 4.0’s. This is a lot of work for the minds of young adults.

Yet, without this kind of pressure, what would students learn?

Life itself is not easy, and in order to prepare them for their independent future, students need to be pressured. America actually has one of the most laid back educational systems in the world.

Compared to Finland, China, and other world countries, America’s students have it “easier”, due to harder classes being introduced later. So, pressure is needed in order to make students well prepared for life.

Peanut Butter and Jelly is the Worst Sandwich of All Time

By VICTORIA DEMERS PHOTO EDITOR

What is all this bogus about how much we loved PB&J’s when we were younger? I think it’s time for us all to admit the truth. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are the worst. What is up with all the choices for jelly: apricot, strawberry, or grape? How about we use no jelly because it is full of those chunks that we can’t prove are actual fruits? And what about that lumpy peanut butter we called crunchy? Is it really made out of peanuts or did they just put peanuts in to trick us into thinking that?

In all honesty, if you really want the real peanut and fruity sugary taste, here is what I suggest.

First, instead of using bread because it doesn’t fill us with the protein we need, get two pieces of raw meat. Keeping it extra rare is the key. You want lots of red when you cook it on

the grill. Instead of peanut butter, let’s put some real nuts on there: almonds, peanuts, and cashews.

But let’s not stop there. Cut some fresh fruit up, such as pears, apples and strawberries and make sure to delicately put them between your two small sized steaks along with your nuts. You might ask how you get the nuts and fruits to stay on the steaks and not fall out. Well, there is just one more ingredient: Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. You want to make sure to put a thick amount on each steak before you sprinkle your nuts and fruits on there and smash it all together.

Once you have made this delicious sandwich, you will be saying Peanut Butter and what?

There is nothing like it in the world. In all seriousness, April Fools.

Hackers taking over PS3 gaming world

By ZACHARY COOK STAFF REPORTER

On Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3 (Playstation 3), you can almost never get into a game without running into at least one hacker.

Ridiculous right? I know. A hacker is a person who has bought hacks or hacks directly from a website. Basically, hacking makes it so that the hacker can do whatever they want, and there’s nothing you can do about it. There is a web site called Redvolocity.com and the kids that do hack can help you or hurt you.

For instance, I was playing one day and I backed out of a match and I looked at my classes to find I had all my guns and I was level 70. Sweet!!!!! But then, after another match, I looked and lost all of my guns. I was furious.

Now even on the new game, Black Ops, they are finding out how to do new hacks. Some hacks include running super fast, jumping super high, and shooting at anywhere and hitting someone automatically.

Hacking is illegal, but people are stupid and do it anyway. If you get caught, you get a huge fine and put in jail. The people that made the game don’t watch for the hacks in Modern Warfare 2 anymore, so it’s pointless to complain.

In Black Ops, the hacks are expensive to buy, so only rich kids have them. Kids who hack are stupid and should get a life.

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STAFF OPINIONS

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Tribal Talk

OPINION & EDITORIAL Should teachers be allowed to use cell phones in class if students can’t?

By ALEX PETERSON STAFF REPORTER

E

very classroom has a set of rules; we are told from the first day what they are. Students usually don’t have a problem following the rules.

But if a teacher won’t follow the class rules, why do they expect the students to follow those same rules? Cell phones are allowed to be used during “down” times in some classes but not in others, and that is fine. What doesn’t seem fair is when a class has a no cell phone policy, but the teacher still uses his/her cell phone during class. Junior Kyle Martens said, “We can’t use phones because they are disruptive, but to me it is no different if a teacher stops teaching a class to answer a phone call.”

A classroom rule should apply to everyone in the classroom. All the students I talked to agreed on that. But when I tried to interview the teachers, they all felt it was too touchy of a subject to comment on. Junior Sam Gamache thinks “they shouldn’t be allowed to have them just like us-only emergency calls.”

Cell phones and technology in school is not a bad thing. They are not ever going to go away, and there do need to be rules about when they can be used. That being said, every person in the classroom, including the teacher, needs to follow the same rules. Junior Dallin Oakes thinks that “It depends on their purpose. If it’s for a reasonable cause, it’s okay, but if it’s just to text, I think it’s unreasonable.”

Cell phones should not be banned from class, and they should not be used while a teacher is teaching.

The only acceptable time for cell phone usage is during down time.

Rules for any type of technology are there to help keep order in the classroom. If there are a set of rules in place, everyone should have to follow them.

Should Facebook and YouTube be blocked in school?

By OSCAR PEREZ STAFF REPORTER

A

s most of you know, whether by word or by experience, Facebook and YouTube are blocked at school.

At first it may seem like a good idea, but put more thought into it.

Isn’t Facebook like email? If email is available at school, shouldn’t Facebook, which is basically the same thing, be unblocked? So you can send messages, view pictures and chat? Oh no, this is so inappropriate! Not. We do these things on a regular basis through texting, picture messaging, or just regular face-to-face conversation. Email makes all these things available to us. Why not just let us have Facebook?

Sure, YouTube and such can be

a distraction for students during class, What if each teacher had the power to unblock YouTube when it is necessary right from their classroom computer? Many teachers have been held back from showing educational videos that make learning more fun than just reading out of the boring old text book.

Assistant Principal Mark Pickel explained to us that this issue is not a “no, we’re not going to let this happen” but that it’s just something that the school district has been reviewing and that over time, he believes will be allowed.

“There are very valid things that come out of YouTube,” he said.

When asked about how long it will be before YouTube and Facebook will be unblocked, Mr. Pickel responded, “Probably not this year. It’s all about giving it time.

The district has bigger concerns, and school website censoring is a lower priority.”

Let’s face it, (no pun intended), technology is the new way of learning. I’m not saying let’s replace the teachers with robots. I’m just saying let’s think twice about website censoring in school.

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Nelly and 3 oh! 3 Rock K-Town

By JOEY FLORES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Toyota Center in Kennewick holds some of the biggest events in the Tri-Cities, but few are as big as the event that happened Friday March 11, as Nelly, 3oh!3, and Cali Swag District came and performed. The concert started around 6:30 and lasted until 11 p.m. and kept fans on their feet throughout the whole time.

The line up started with a relatively unknown artist, Big Reeno, performing his hit single “Brush it off”. Big Reeno stayed on stage for another 30 minutes performing a few other songs before calling it a night and giving way to Cali Swag District.

Cali Swag District came on with four back up dancers, and the crowd erupted as hit singles such as “Kickback” and “Teach Me How to Dougie” came on. CSD performed a

few other songs that kept the crowd rocking for the time they were on stage until they had to give way to the next performer.

3oh!3 was next on the set list and rocked the crowd for over an hour. Coming out to their first hit single, “Richman”, the fans knew they were in for a great show. After

Richman, 3oh!3 rocked the crowd performing “My First Kiss”, “I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby”, “Double Vision”, and “Don’t Trust Me”. “3oh!3 was sick. Anyone who says they weren’t is dumb,” said senior AJ Griffiths.

Last but definitely not least was the main performer of the night, Nelly. Nelly came out performing all of his hits from “Country Grammar” and “Ride Wit Me” to “Hot in Here” and his newest hit song, “Just A Dream”. Nelly had the crowd going crazy as he pulled up fans from the front row to perform songs with him, dance with him, or strut across the stage. “It was tight how he brought people up on stage and had them sing and do stuff with him. Especially the guy that got to sing “Over and Over” to his girlfriend,” said senior Riley Hayfield. There was never a dull moment in the concert as the Tri-Cities got to see one of Hip-Hop’s biggest performers and a few up and coming artists.

Android Mysteries Revealed

By OSCAR PEREZ STAFF REPORTER

What is Android?

You might be wondering this after seeing many Motorola commercials or basically any Verizon commercial. You also may have seen a little green alien dude somewhere, or maybe you have heard someone’s phone go off saying DROID! In smart language, Android is an open-source software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware, and key applications run by Google. A what what what?

To make it simpler, Android is a type of phone or tablet software that runs on selected models of phones or tablets.

It is open sourced, meaning that anyone who can develop an application (app) whether it’s a game or just a regular app, does not have to go through a multiple step process in order for it to be approved and put on the market where it could just be rejected for lack of professionalism (like Apple). This allows for more variety of apps to be developed and different ideas to be created. Android is a much simpler and easy to operate version of an iPhone due to its friendly, easy to operate UI (user interface) and main menu. It is available on all the networks; this is why

android is now beating the iPhone in sales.

Each Android software update has its own delicious name. The first update was named Android 1.5 Cupcake, the second was Android 2.0 Donut, the third one was Android 2.1 Éclair. The second update was Android 2.2 Froyo, and the newest one was Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Android 3.0 Honeycomb was released only for tablets. The average price for an Android phone is $179 with a two year contract. The average price of an iPhone is $250 with a two year contract. If it is possible, I suggest that Android is the way to go.

In Loving Memory of Boy/Girl Bands

By EVAN RAMSEY ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

During the 1990s,when Twilight geeks were barely out of diapers, the world was infested with a pop culture that has taken a back seat to today’s gallery of reality television shows and the potentially deadly social disease, Bieber fever. I’m talking about the musical groups made out of multiple members of the same gender with limited musical talent, and zero instruments. Yet they produced a fan base of billions worldwide and sold more albums than any other genre of m u s i c out there. The boy/girl bands of yesteryear have been long forgotten, but they left a big economic shoe to fill.

Which side, boy or girl, left the biggest imprint on our society? That is a question

that is answered with a lot of bias by loyal fans from that era. Bands like Backstreet Boys, Pussycat Dolls, and Nsync have a tremendous fan following. There’s possibly a reason for group bands like these to have past their prime.

Maybe people are sick of having to concentrate on multiple people. Perhaps the hypnotized generation of boy band followers grew up and moved onto bigger and better things. The members of these roaming bands of teen heartthrobs have certainly moved on. The only past boy band member that has grown up to show any merit is Justin Timberlake of N-Sync. Every other boy band member is now probably too old to use a smart phone. Without boy bands we wouldn’t have Justin Timberlake, and that should be enough to convince anyone that boy bands were a blessing.

As quickly as you can, say out loud every girl band you’ve ever heard of. STOP. Now how far did you get? Not that far. This is because the girl band is much rarer than the boy band. Aside from the Pussycat Dolls, there are very few successful girl bands. The Disney channel gave it shot with the Cheetah Girls and produced a band, movie, and concert tour. But thanks to a few scandals involving certain group members, they are no longer with us. It’s not a surprise though that boy bands rule over the girl bands.

Screaming teenage girls don’t go to concerts to hear girls their own age sing. They go for slightly older boys that lip sing and dance provocatively. But the boy band is far from extinct. Record companies always find a way to sell sex to teenage girls. The Jonas Brothers are the best example out there. With unoriginal lyrics and zero talent, the popularity of boy bands seems to survive off the shallowness of the teenage girl.

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Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Wolverine vs. Superman

By EVAN RAMSEY ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Earth has known a life long struggle that entangles man and beast. For the past few centuries, man has thrown its weight at the animal kingdom and won effortlessly. Today we have big game hunting for the most extreme individuals, but it’s still child’s play compared to the most ferocious and angry animal of all, Wolverine.

The fact that most wild animals are capable of overpowering a normal human tells us that we have a distinct disadvantage; we’re easily killed by larger animals.

But what if a lion encountered

the man of steel, a.k.a. Superman? You would find that a lion is as dangerous as a house cat for him. So if the biggest and strongest man in the world took on the biggest and strongest animal in the world, who would win?

Wolverine is a character seen in marvel comics and was part of a military experiment, in which he received one of his powers. Wolverine, born James Howlett, was born as a mutant, meaning his DNA had genetic mutations that gave him certain abilities. These abilities include animal like senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retractable bone claws in each hand, and a healing factor capable of healing any wound very rapidly. The military experiment is what gave wolverine his iconic metal claws in each hand. His skeleton was coated in a metal called adamantium, including the bones making up his claws.

Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent, is a native born to the planet Krypton, which was destroyed right after he was

shot to earth in a rocket. Superman’s powers include flight, super-strength, invulnerability to non-magical attacks, super-speed, super-hearing, super-breath, and vision powers that include x-ray, heat, telescopic, infra-red, and microscopic vision.

So far this is shaping up to be a significantly epic battle. Wolverine fans will argue his invulnerability and indestructible, razor sharp claws will be too much for Superman. A Superman fan would acknowledge his invulnerability and superior strength. These two could simply bare-knuckle box for as long as they wanted since Wolverine would just regenerate and Superman would take no real damage. The only way for Wolverine to beat Superman is with kryptonite, which is virtually unachievable. In a given scenario, I see no way for Wolverine to compensate for inferior strength and ability. Superman throws Wolverine into the sun, game over.

ing to think of is “Where should we go?” Well, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will probably shut down Interstate 82 south of the Tri-Cities and all of U.S. Highway 730. Therefore, evacuees will either head towards Yakima and Seattle, Moses Lake, or Spokane.

Those of us who are braver will stay in the Tri-Cities and try to ward off the combatants, so where should those people go? Well, after driving around town, I have realized that, unless you live in a fancy house with a brick or cement wall built around it, you will need to find a new location. It appears that the best places for this would be Kamiakin High School, Richland High School, and Clover Island. Why these locations? Well, both Kamiakin and Richland have thick metal fences surrounding them which will keep the zombies out. Also, both schools have areas large enough for helicopters to land and deliver supplies from cities like Boise, Yakima, or Portland. These high schools have high places for snipers to shoot at zombies and lots of room for people.

Clover Island is another good place because there is only one way on or off the is land which would be sim-

ple to close off. There is a harbor which would allow for marine shipments to come in from Portland, Lewiston, and pretty much everywhere that has access to the Pacific Ocean. We would also be able to have supplies come in from the air as there is a quarter-mile long road that covers the entire length of the island allowing for small planes to land, and there are many parking lots on the island that can serve helicopters. On the island, there is a hotel which will be able to house many along with a lighthouse which can serve as a lookout tower, a coast guard base, a restaurant, and a Port of Kennewick facility.

Once you get to one of these locations, persons in leadership positions will explain to you what to do and how to do it. No matter how you choose to take care of you and your family, make sure that you have a carefully put together zombie plan ready for when that fateful day finally arrives.

What To Do In Case of Zombie Apocalypse

By MARK INGALLS STAFF REPORTER

Okay, so we all know it’s going to happen. There’s just no avoiding it. I mean, come on now, the Hanford Site could possibly explode and all of us will become zombies headed for the next major city, Spokane, to chow down on some flesh. In that case, we have nothing to worry about except for how we’re getting there. However, there is another threat to our area: the Umatilla Army Chemical Depot near Hermiston, Ore. If too much of the mustard agent which they are working to destroy gets out, it could infect up to 25,000 from that area. Of course, the nearest major city to that area is the Tri-Cities and they will undoubtedly be able to smell flesh from the almost quarter of a million people that live here, thus beginning the zombie apocalypse for the Tri-Cities.

The first question people are go-

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Reviews:

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Perfect Chemistry Trilogy

By NATALIE ELLIOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

By CHRISTINA WOODARD STAFF REPORTER

Teenage lust, forbidden romance, and… gangs? Perfect Chemistry

by Simone Elkeles has a roller coaster ride of emotion with original characters with heartfelt problems. Perfect Chemistry is the first book in the series revolving around Alex Fuentes and Brittney Ellis. Rules of Attraction, the second book in the series, explores the love life of Carlos Fuentes, Alex’s younger brother and the girl next door kind of girl, Kiara.

The third book in the series, Chain Reaction, explores the lives of the youngest Fuentes bother, Luis, who isn’t a rebel like his brothers and a girl he shouldn’t fall for, Nikki, who is.

Brittney Ellis’ life is perfect. She’s blonde, beautiful, head of the cheerleading squad, and smart too. She has money and is dating the quarterback on the high school football team. Perfect, right?

Not so much. Brittney harbors secrets that she guards with her life and doesn’t want anyone, not even her best friends, to know about. As if that isn’t enough, in her senior chemistry class, her teacher pairs her up with the hot

rebel, who is just her opposite, Alex Fuentes. You know, perfect girl with a not so perfect situation.

Alex Fuentes is a Latino gang member from the bad side of Chicago. Secretly, Alex is really smart and very protective of his family. He has to take care of his family because his father died in a gang related situation, and Alex doesn’t want any of his brothers to end up in a situation like him.

You know, a good guy in a bad situation.

As a bet between friends, Alex makes a deal that he can get Brittney to fall for him, but his plan goes wrong when he in turn falls in love with her. Alex and Brittney get a peek into each other’s chaotic lives, and they end up falling for each other. Alex tries to get Brittney to let herself be more genuine and less perfect, while Brittney tries to convince Alex that he can have a better life.

Alex and Brittney start out as stereotypical characters in the beginning, but as the book goes on, the characters become more real.

Everything about the book people will love, from the cheesy lines to the secondary characters, Isabel and Paco. I give this book.

The name Ernest isn’t very prevalent now days, but in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, it seems to be the name that everyone wants. Kamiakin and Kennewick drama departments put on the play March 17 - 19 with three performances.

Jack Worthing (senior Joseph Phipps) is the protagonist of the play. Jack has created an alter ego, his brother named Ernest, so he will be able to go into the city without ruining his good name. “Er-

Left: Senior Malin Zillar of Kennewick High School joined Kamiakin Drama in the production of the play.

nest” makes friends with Algernon Moncrieff (junior Hunter Spurlock), who has found a name for someone who leads a double life, calling Worthing a “Bunburyist”. Algernon also falls into this “Bunburyist” lifestyle and with Jack’s help, they lead both Gwendolen Fairfax (senior Samantha Wilson) and Cecily Cardew (senior Malin Zilar) to both fall in love with someone named “Ernest”.

With The Importance of Being Earnest written back in 1895, some of the comedy could go over some high school students’ heads, but in the end it turned out to be an entertaining and well done performance.

Above: Joseph Phipps and Samantha Wislon are pictured above in the school play “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

Both have shared the spotlight in multiple Kamiakin drama’s.

Right: Taryn Meacham is pictured playing Miss Bracknell, one of the leading roles in the play

The Pact: A Love Story

By KYLEE SCHWARTZ STAFF REPORTER

In this book of friendship and love, the author Jodi Picoult brings out every parent’s worst nightmare in one single terrifying moment.

In this book, the main families, the Hartes and the Golds, have been neighbors for 18 years. They were close, sharing meals, sickness, and carpooling for each other. The parents are best friends along with the children.

When high school hits, the children, Chris and Emily, become teenagers and their friendship becomes something more. Midnight hits one night, and the call from the hospital comes in. No one

knows the frightening truth. Emily is dead at only 17 from a gunshot wound straight to her head. All that is known is that Chris took his father’s gun from his father’s gun cabinet and tells the police the gun and the bullet had been for him in his own suicide attempt. The police have a different theory.

The Pact: A Love Story gives an image of families in distress and confusion as Chris is accused of murder against the one girl he’s ever loved. In this romantic drama, Jodi Picoult breaks into a teenage romance under pressure and propels us into the confusion of one teenager’s mind. This book was hard to put down. Even after finishing, you’ll be wishing there was more to read.

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Shenanigans Randomosity to the max!

If I ran the circus

By CHRISTINA WOODARD STAFF REPORTER

Across: 3.Chocolate 5.Sound 7.Zipporah 10.Jersey 13.Lemniscates 15.Aglet 16.Mercury 17.Hanging 20.Pittsburgh 21. Laika 22.Deltiologist 23.Tennesse Down: 1.Mosqitoes 2.Set 4.Copper 6.Fur 8.Wedding 9.Flags 11.Watermelons 12.Hiccups 14.Enchanment 16.Martha 18.Spat 19.Chad

By KAELYN COLE NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

Across:

3. In the movie Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, ____________ syrup was used as blood in the infamous shower scene.

“Doing little odd jobs, he could be of some aid…

Such as selling balloons and the pink lemonade.

I think five hundred gallons will be about right.

And THEN, I’ll be ready for Opening Night.”

From If I Ran the Circus

By Dr. Seuss Circus McGurkus Pink Lemonade If five hundred gallons sounds like a tad too much, then try this version and make just enough for you.

If you decide you want more, then double, triple, or quadruple everything to make a big batch. For different tastes and shades of pink, use other fruit choices, like raspberry, strawberry, or even cranberry.

Ingredients 1 tablespoon sugar or ½ to 2 tablespoons light honey 2 tablespoons hot water 1½ cups cold water Juice of 1 lemon, strained 1 tablespoon black cherry juice Directions 1. Combine the sugar or honey and the hot water in a tall glass and stir until the sugar or honey dissolves.

2. Add the cold water, lemon juice, and cherry juice and stir.

MAKES 1 SERVING This recipe and many more can be found in the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook written by Georgeanne Brennan and Frankie Frankeny.

Down:

1. Research shows that __________ are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

5. A whip makes a cracking sound because it moves faster than the speed of _______.

2. In the English language, the word with the most definitions is the word _____.

7. _____________ was the wife of Moses.

4. Pennies are made of 95 percent _________ and 5 percent zinc.

10. In New ________ it is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon.

6. Cinderella’s slippers were made out of ____ in the original story but were later changed to glass by a translator.

13. The infinite signs are called _____________.

15. The plastic tag at the end of a shoelace is called an ________.

8. A poem to celebrate a ___________ is called an epithalamium.

16. The sayings, “as mad as a hatter” or “the Mad Hatter”, were called such because in the 19th century, many hats contained ___________ causing the wearers to go insane and have massive mood swings.

11. _______________ are a popular gift to bring to a host in China or Japan.

17. To this day, the penalty for stealing a horse in Florida is death by ________.

20. _____________ is the only city where all major sports teams have the same colors: black and gold.

21. A dog named ______ was launched into space aboard the Russian spacecraft Sputnik 2 in 1957.

22. A _______________ is someone who collects postcards.

23. In ______________, it is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.

9. A vexillologist is an expert in the history of _____.

12. A man named Charles Osborne had the __________ for approximately sixtynine years.

14. New Mexico is known as the Land of ____________.

16. The only woman that has ever appeared on a U.S. paper currency is _________ Washington.

18. A baby oyster is called a _____.

19. The little circles of paper that are cut out after a paper has been hole punched are called a _____.

(Advice: Look it up!)

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

50’s

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60’s 70’s

Photos by: Evan Fletcher Starring: Haley Green (50’s, 80’s, & 90’s) Alexis Green (60’s, 70’s, & 90’s)

Prom dresses of the ages.

By MARISSA LINDHOLM STAFF REPORTER

The senior prom is an American tradition that

Tribal Amusement SHENANIGANS

80’s

90’s

Pokemon of the Month

began in the 1920s as a way to bring high school students together. Over the decades, prom dresses have changed immensely. Some are off the shoulder, others have lots and lots of tulle, but each decade has their own style with our decade taking a little bit of each to form our own.

Trapinch

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School