2013 2014 issue 3

VOLUME 38• ISSUE 3•JANUARY 27, 2014• KAMIAKIN HIGH SCHOOL • 600 N. ARTHUR ST. • KENNEWICK, WA 99336

Table of Contents

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

If you would like to comment, write a letter to the editor, or submit a guest article, contact us at The Tomatalk: Kamiakin High School, 600 North Arthur, Kennewick, WA, 99336, (509) 222-7015, Laurie.Bender@ksd.org, or go online at www.tomatalk.com and comment there or take a poll.

Winter wishes huge success

Staff:

Adviser: Laurie Bender Editor-in-Chief: Zack Julian

News Feature Editor: Natalie Downard Sports Editor: Armando Antonio In-Depth Editor: Zack Julian Opinion Editor: Jordan Garner Entertainment Editor: Jacob Mclain Online E-I-C: Jordan Garner

Pg. 8 Basketball season begins

Staff Reporters:

Jackie Arnold, Madison Badgley, Oscar Bautista, Madeline Donley, Natalie Downard, Chloé Grundmeier, Andy Ha, Morgan Haberlack, Sabrina Heijmans, Taylor Marshall, Isaak Penisten, Maksim Shabak, Haley Softich, Kaylee Zuhlke, Taylor Reavis, Sabryna Savage

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Retractions:

We have no retractions. We write too good.

Top trends of 2013

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MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of the Tomatalk to to inform, entertain, and further educate the students at KamiakinHigh School and the surrounding community.

PUBLICATION POLICY: Content is determined by the staff. Students are protected and bound by the First Amendment of 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 has been established as a forum for student expression and as a voice in the free and open discussion of issues. The staff of the Tomatalk is expected to be professional, objective, truthful and accurate.

The staff will adhere to 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

Books are better as books

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, 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.

Pg. 18 Who’s that Pokémon?

Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk Kamiakin High School

Kind-hearted duo brings joy to Kamiakin

By NATALIE DOWNARD NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

S

tormie Spong was born with glaucoma. Her cornea burst when she was four months old, and now she is blind. And yet, she is always wearing a smile and sporting a positive attitude as she walks around Kamiakin.

Spong loves country music; particularly she’s a huge fan of Blake Shelton. Spong also loves to eat all kinds of pasta. Spong’s best friend is Alyssa Grogan, but she moved to Arizona at the end of their eighth grade year.

She has been making new friends since, and she has especially liked getting to know Emily Miller this year through a club she is involved in, FCCLA. Spong has participated in many FCCLA activities such as throwing a Halloween party for local children, preparing Thanksgiving dinner for underprivileged families, and wrapping Christmas gifts for others. Spong is also a member of Art Club.

It took Spong three years to learn Braille, a tactile writing system used by the blind and the visually impaired. She learned it through the Pasco School District. Spong’s favorite class is English. She has JoyceDonais this year who she thinks is really nice, and last year she had Jordan Anderson. The best story Spong has ever heard is “The Man Who Loves Clowns” which she read in sixth grade. “Stormie is a great student.

She always gets As,” Braillist and para-educator Kathy Gardner says. Mrs. G has been working with Spong

since she was in the fifth grade, a total of seven years.

Mrs. G grew up in Kennewick and graduated from Kamiakin in 1977. She married her high school sweetheart and they have been together 37 years. They have two children and four grandchildren. Mrs.G’s daughter, Jennifer Matthews, works at Kamiakin in Life Skills. Matthews’s daughter and Mrs.G’s granddaughter, Tatum, is a freshman, which makes three generations at Kamiakin this year.

Mrs.G loves to travel and has been to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Alaska. She also visited Kenya, Africa on a mission trip with her church, Pasco Christian, to make wells to bring clean water to the Turkana people.

She also loves to take her grandkids camping, and her whole family loves to visit the Oregon coast together.

Mrs.G worked in the district as a para-ed for 16 years before she started working with Spong. The job came open when Spong transferred to the Kennewick School District in fifth grade, and Mrs.G decided to take it. It took Mrs.G four years to become a Braillist through the Washington State School for the Blind. She then had to take five tests to get certified. This summer Mrs.G took online classes through Hadley University to extend her certification. Also, Spong and Mrs.G had to learn a whole other Braille for math, called Nemeth.

Spong has had to face a lot of challenges in life, but lucky for her she a supportive family by her side and a great aid to help her through school, Mrs. G.

Winter Wishes: It’s better to give than receive

By MADISON BADGLEY STAFF REPORTER

E

very year, as we get closer and closer to Christmas, we tend to forget that Christmas isn’t just about opening gifts. Christmas is about giving to others and seeing how much you can make others happy. To put the giving spirit into action at our school, we have winter wishes every year as a way of giving back to the students and teachers.

This year, ASB wanted winter wishes to make an even bigger impact and hold more meaning. Instead of just wishing something for themselves, students were encouraged to wish for something for a fellow student or a staff member. “We wanted to involve people more into the giving spirit, and we wanted people to realize that this time of year is about giving. We wanted to share that and make a bigger impact on the school,” sophomore delegate Ellyn Hamon said.

Many students came through and did just that. “I think winter wishes turned out really good this year because we got a lot of wishes granted and they weren’t just silly, fun wishes, but there were more important wishes that people wished for,” Hamon said.

Throughout the whole week lead-

ing up to Christmas break, students’ wishes were granted and members of ASB delivered them to different classrooms. On Friday, Dec. 20, we had our annual winter wish assembly. Some students were involved in a cookie eating and eggnog drinking race, and even more wishes were granted.

Senior Jori Perrins wished for a GPS watch for her team mate, sophomore Kaylee Sanchez. “I was surprised! I knew she was talking about me in the beginning, but I didn’t know what she was going to get. It surprised me and I was scared because I was like, ‘Oh what’s she going to do?’”

Sanchez said.

Another wish granted was from the seniors in the music department.

They all wished for a nice dinner for music teacher Keith Russell and his wife for working so hard all year.

Hamon says that most of the wishes were granted this year out many, many wishes. “It’s all donations.

We do whatever we can because we can’t spend ASB money. So it’s all ASB members spending out of our own pockets or we ask businesses for donations, and it was a mix of both,” Hamon said. It seems like everyone got into the giving spirit this past holiday season.

Brother and sister Tanner and Halle Owens hug after receiving a gift card for Wingstop,.Their mom was diagnosed with breast cancer so some of their friends, Taylor Bacon and Seth Price, wished that they could go out for a family dinner. Photo By: Jenny Lenz

Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

4 Emily Fiske: What a range

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER STAFF REPORTER

E

veryone has a song they love to sing in the shower, and everyone has a different one. Some would sing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, while others might belt out “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. Emily Fiske sees singing in the shower a different way. “It depends on the day! I don’t have one set song. I’ll find myself singing something we’re learning in choir or whatever pop song got stuck in my head!”

Sophomore Emily Fiske has loved to sing ever since the age of about 8. She was okay at singing until seventh grade, when she was finally able to join choir. She then realized how much she really did love to sing. In the past three years, her range has improved from barely satisfactory to brilliant. She is now able to sing almost any part she’d like to, from alto to high soprano. “I’ve definitely gotten better since taking choir,” Fiske said.

Favorite genres are hard for almost anyone to pick.

Some like pop and rock and roll, but cannot pick just one.

Some like old 80s rock and

much newer boy-band pop music, but again cannot pick just one. Fiske is the same way. After debating her favorite genre to sing for quite some time, she finally decided, too, that she couldn’t choose one genre as her favorite. “In choir, I love to sing in a foreign language.

When I’m on my own, I’ll sing almost anything. I’ll sing whatever currently strikes my fancy.”

Stage fright is something most singers have to deal with. Fiske said, “If I was singing alone, I’d definitely have stage fright. I think anyone would. But with choir it’s different. After practicing together for so long, it’s not as scary because you have a whole choir to back you up.”

Fiske explained how she loved Kamiakin’s good music programs and “the fact that we actually have them, unlike some other schools.”

Sadly, not enough members of the school pay much attention to the choirs. “More people should care about the music groups. We’re awesome! I mean, they’re awesome! You should come to the concerts!” she said.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Buddy Club Spotlight: Kaitlyn Smith

By TAYLOR REAVIS STAFF REPORTER

What is your favorite part of Buddy Club?

-“My favorite part is lunch and playing games” What do you do outside of school?

-“Ace spirit cheer, bowling, and Zumba” What do you look forward to in Buddy Club?

-“I get to see my friends” Why do you like Buddy Club?

-“I get to eat lunch with my friends” Are you excited about graduating high school? Why? -“Yes, because I get to work”

Terror escalating in the schoolhouse

By KAYLEE ZUHLKE STAFF REPORTER

School bells screech in our ears multiple times a day, interrupting the appreciated quiet that we students enjoy as another day drags on. Perhaps some days our schedules are a bit skewed by things like assemblies and practice drills, but nothing even remotely similar to a situation that would permanently stamp the rest of our lives with its imprint.

Feb. 27, 2012. March 19, 2012. December 14, 2012. October 21, 2013. Guaranteed “safe” education facilities broke their promises without any prior notice as chaos spread faster than Paula Dean piles butter onto her recipes. Starting mini-wars in so-called study halls, students hid in fear as their lives were threatened. Survival techniques were tested. Thought processes ran rampant. Guns erupted in the silenced air. The pulses of previously beating hearts were reduced to flat lines on a hospital screen.

Seventy-one young children were stripped of their lives in 2012. The Sandy Hook elementary incident claimed 28 lives alone. It’s absolutely surreal to think of what those lost souls could have made of themselves in the world

and all of the opportunities they’ll never get to experience that we all take for granted.

Not only is the family of Adam Lanza, the shooter, going to have to live with the burden of this situation on their shoulders for the rest of their lives, but the families of the children as well. “At times it feels like only yesterday, and at others it feels like many years have passed. I expect him to crawl into bed beside me for early morning cuddles before school. It’s so hard to believe he’s gone,” said Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son Dylan was killed.

If you look at a timeline of school shootings, you’ll realize that the amount has taken a significant jump in the past two years. 2012 had a yearlong total of 10 incidents, while 2013 boasted eight in the month of January alone.

Even if you’re unaffected by the situations that took place, who says your school won’t be next? Your sibling’s school? Your best friend’s? Would it matter then?

Flaring bright, flames of discussion are constantly ignited nationwide of the burning question at hand today: what is causing the sudden violence of today’s world?

It’s surely not the “guess-able” multiple choice answer

that some people make it to be. The common misconception seems to be is that it’s a result of either A, B, C, or D--video games, bullying, television, or social media. No single prediction can be proven correct, however, due to the fact that individuals control their own actions. The real reasoning behind those people’s outbursts of brutality can only be stemmed back to them and their actions alone, for they control themselves and cannot possibly be a stringed puppet manipulated by another human. With that said, just because one person committed a crime due to their past of being bullied does not signify that every future incident will be the product of bullying.

In history, it is a well-known fact that with time comes change, and with change comes difference. Maybe it’s our ongoing technological revolution to blame, with ideas of mayhem being spread from daydreaming criminals coastto-coast. Possibly, it’s the rising availability of illegally distributed stimulants, drugs, and weapons to our youth.

The possibilities could be considered absolutely endless.

There cannot be one single landmark reason behind this violence spike, but will the trend come to a stop?

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

Remembering Mr.Hoglen

By JACOB MCLAIN ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

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ver this past winter break, a terrible event took place at Kamiakin High School; Arlis Hoglen retired. He was the teacher of computer science, engineering and he was the adviser of Tech Club. He also used to teach the PC troubleshooting class; if you were ever in class and saw a student come in to fix a computer, it was one of Mr. Hoglen’s students.

Most students who had Mr. Hoglen considered him an amazing teacher. He always tried to push his students to do better, to work harder, and to strive for success.

When asked what he would miss about Mr. Hoglen teaching his class, senior Jesse Fisher replied, “His teaching style; the projects he did were unique and had personality.”

For instance, when Mr. Hoglen was teaching his engineering class, he created a project where students worked in teams to create working catapults. After creating their catapults, the teams also had to create capsules that an egg could be put into and launched without breaking.

Not only did the students enjoy the class, they also had a lot of respect for Mr. Hoglen himself.

Normally when a teacher leaves, the students will give off and

have no respect for the sub, but when Mr. Hoglen left, his students continued to work just as hard and diligently as they had when he was there. His students also liked his character. When asked what he liked about Mr. Hoglen, senior Calvin Buckley replied, “He knows his stuff, and he was very fun and casual to be around.”

Senior Jesse Fisher was asked to sum up Mr. Hoglen in one word; after a few moments of thought, he decided the best word to describe him would be “Jolly.”

After a short Q&A with Mr. Hoglen, it is easy to see that he will miss his students as much as they will miss him. Q) “Why did you become a teacher?” A)”I hate kids.” (For anyone who does not know, Mr. Hoglen liked to joke. A lot.) “My mother was a teacher, and I had a handful of teachers who really impacted my life.” Q) What did you enjoy most about your job? A) “The students, especially when I see enthusiasm, interest and especially genius. Q) What will you do now? A) After the shock of boredom, I will be riding my motorcycle more. I hope to ride in some foreign countries such as Vietnam. Q) Any final words for the students? A) “My belief is that every kid is gifted in some way. Find your strengths, what it is you like to do; discover your genius.”

Dancing to the beat of life

By KAYLEE ZUHLKE STAFF REPORTER

Born on May 21, 1998, this roaring Taurus isn’t as ferocious as he may seem. There are suspicions arising about him that claims that he spends his weekends adopting adorable, purring kittens and trying to once again master the “worm”, the infamous dance move in which he now mimics a “dead fish”. Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now introduce to you the skyscraper of a sophomore who is known to us as David Willingham.

Some may describe Willingham with words such as weird, tall, loud, and obnoxious.

Others may recognize him for his hair pick and other assorted accessories (paper airplanes, pencils) that he also tends to weave into his hair. However, most remember him as the main character in his ultimate moment of glory at the 2013 winter sports assembly.

Surging through Willingham’s veins like a stampede rushing the highlands, blood pumped exponentially. Willingham danced, screamed, and made himself known as an individual to a crowd of hundreds. An invisible spotlight shone upon him. Before the community of Kamiakin knew it, we were cheering Willingham on as he led us with continuous swings of the tomahawk.

“That was the best day of my life, hands down,” said Willingham. “I felt so pumped, powerful, and loved.”

“I love so many things about Kamiakin, particularly the people. There are so many cool people here. One of my favorites is Arthur Bautista,” stated Willingham. “Also, the

food. I like the food here; I don’t get enough of that.

Can I put in a special request for fried chicken?”

Outside of school, Willingham participates in football, basketball, and classic arcade games. “My personal favorites are Galaga and Space Invaders,” he said.

Willingham also claims that if he won a million dollars, “I’d take half of my winnings to make it rain on everyone. The other half would go to charity for hunger in Africa.”

You’ve heard it, folks. He’s outspoken, charismatic, caring, and hungry. We’d never be the same school without him. Nevertheless, who else would we thank for selflessly holding the door open for hundreds of students a week? Words of gratitude may just be the best reward to be given.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

6 Carnival of Braves!

Graduation Celebration–Senior Party Class of 2014 Saturday, June 7th 10pm – 4am

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

7

Tribal Games SPORTS

Cheer competition season

By SABRYNA SAVAGE STAFF REPORTER

Tis the season of jumping, dancing, stunting, and cheering. Cheer is a competitive sport and requires skill and dedication. These teams have practiced almost every day and work hard to get to where they are in competitions.

Since competitions are so big, they require a lot of money.

Depending on the team, the price of everything could add up to $8,000. Fundraisers do take place, but to get up to that amount of money, pocket money has to be taken out which may be a hassle for some families. Usually competition teams do fundraisers throughout the entire season to pay for fees.

Freshman Kaitlyn Meyers is on the school’s competition team as well as helping out the Ace Spirit team. Meyers said, “We have been to one competition so far on Jan. 18 at Hanford.” If the team qualifies for State they get to go to Seattle and compete there. She has been on previous teams, too. “I did Elite, TC Elite, and All-American Cheer,” she

Ace cheer team praying before they compete.

Photo by: Staci Reavis

Ace cheer team walking out to the competition floor.

Photo by: Staci Reavis

said. Being on all of these teams in the past is an exciting achievement for Meyers. “It’s very exciting because you get that adrenaline before you go on and perform,”she said. “My favorite part of being on a cheer team is meeting new people and practicing really hard while preparing for competition.”

Senior Caitlyn Smith is on the ACE Spirit team. Spirit has been to two competitions so far this season. “We plan on going to three or four competitions this year,” said Smith.

Smith has only competed on Spirit team but does various competitions for other sports. “My favorite part of being on the team is that it is fun having parents there to watch you and being able to be with friends, “she said. This team practices very hard for what they do. They have practice once a week and compete with a smile on their faces.

Senior Melanie Clark is on Force cheer team. So far this season they have only gone to one competition in Portland.

This season the team is scheduled to go to six competitions. “I have been doing competitive cheer for about 12 years now,” said Clark. “Competing is by far one of my favorite parts of cheerleading. Getting all dressed up and our hair and makeup all done and performing what we work so hard for in front of tons of people is so worth all the hard work, “she said. Clark gets excited competing. “All eyes are just on your team, and it’s an amazing feeling during the routine hearing people get so loud for you,” said Clark.

Cheer is competitive. Not many people see all the hard work these boys and girls put into their routines.

Each and every one of these people have learned the skill of being dedicated which will be more useful later on in life. Sports give the athletes different types of skills, and each should help later in life whether it is being a leader, a better person, dedicated, or outgoing.

Ace cheer team taking a picture at competition Photo by Staci Reavis

Bars, beam, floor and more

By TAYLOR REAVIS STAFF REPORTER

This year our gymnastics team has won every meet they’ve participated in, including the international meet in Seattle. They went up against the team that won state last year and won. The team has a great chance to go to state and hopefully get that state title.

Senior Kelsey Jaquish thinks that this year the gymnastics team can make it all the way to state. “We beat last year’s state champions in an invite early this season, so I think we have a shot,” said Jaquish.

Jaquish has done gymnastics since she was in kindergarten. “This will be my last year--bittersweet,” said Jaquish.

Since this is her last year, she hasn’t been able to get her “head in the game.”

She says gymnastics is a love/hate relationship. “We strive to be perfect only to know we will never score a perfect 10,” said Jaquish. “Gymnastics is one of the hardest sports, with the most dedicated people,” she said.

Jaquish trains more than the average athlete. She usually trains six hours a day, but sometimes she ends up spending seven hours in the gym after school. “I try to train 25 hours a week,” she said.. She says she has been training hard and is ready to finish strong and win a state title.

Senior Danielle Brandon, another member of the gymnastics team, has been doing gymnastics since she was 9-years-old. Brandon also thinks the gymnastics team has

a chance to win state. “I want to win an individual state title as well,” she said.

Brandon may do gymnastics in college, but she would like to pursue track or swim and dive also. Brandon likes gymnastics because it is a mentally challenging sport.

There is always something to fix and always something new to do in gymnastics. “It’s not like baseball where you hit a ball, catch the ball, and run,” said Brandon.

Sophomore Saige Polanik plans on doing gymnastics the rest of her high school career. “As long as they keep the program, I will do it,” said Polanik. Polanik has been a part of gymnastics all of her life. She has always been in love with it. “If I could do one thing in the world I could do for the rest of my life, it would be to just flip around all day and tumble,” said Polanik. Polanik has done gymnastics for 13 years now, since the age of two.

On average, Polanik would practice five hours a day for her club team. Since she is now on a high school team, she practices about two and a half hours a day. Sometimes she practices at All American Gymnastics So far this year, Polanik has been doing really well. She placed second all around at a Southridge meet and first at the home meets. Everywhere else she has placed around third. “It’s hard to keep consistent when fighting through all my injuries, including my back, ankles and wrists. We

made a comeback to the team we lost to at state, but this time we beat them at the Seattle International Meet,” said Polanik. “When state comes around the corner, they better watch out because we are training harder than ever before and we will get that state title this year,” she said.

The gymnastics team has had a great season so far.

They have won every meet and have amazing athletes on the team. Hopefully this year the

Danielle Brandon working on the bars Photo by Taylor Reavis

Tribal SPORTS Games

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

8

Inside the ring

By SABRYNA SAVAGE STAFF REPORTER

Ultimate fighting, which includes boxing and mixed martial arts, is a challenging sport which sometimes leads its athletes to the edge. For one thing, these sports can be dangerous, but also athletes must maintain a specific weight. As a result, some may have an unhealthy diet, meaning they starve themselves to lose weight, or eat/drink exotic things to try to boost their immune system and become stronger. Drinking too many protein shakes with raw eggs or even the powder they use is dangerous. These things can be harmful to put into the body. These athletes take the chance of becoming very ill and may have an unhealthy life down the road.

Even though these athletes may have some health issues, they take their sport very seriously and it is a good way to interact with friends and be a better person in the community. Not only do people participate with their friends, but they also make friends along the way. Doing this sport also builds confidence. People will look up to these athletes and see them as role models.

Senior Brad Thompson participated in Kempo Karate. “I did Kempo Karate for six years.” He did this sport with his friends Nick and Andy Barham.

This sport could be a struggle for some if they don’t have the support from friends. Everybody has different reasons why they do things, and Thompson said he joined because of his dad. “I got into it because my dad was the one who taught it,” he said.

This can be a lot to put on someone’s plate especially with other activities involved. “I don’t have interest anymore because I play soccer all year,” Thompson said. He consid

ers the sport “very physical and competitive.”

Sophomore Michael Rathbun has been in an ultimate fighting championship for a couple of years now. “My dad introduced me to it and I got interested,” he said. He still has interest in it even after these past years. “It is a fun way to spend my time.”

Most people wouldn’t consider this a sport because it is just hitting and hurting people, but it is much more than that. It is an art and a sense of self-defense, protecting yourself and others. “I consider it a sport because it’s a lot more difficult than any other sport,” said Rathbun.

Junior Brian Kelly is in mixed martial arts, but he did tae-kwon-do for eight years previously. He has been in mixed martial arts for about a few weeks now. Kelly said, “I’ve always had interest in martial arts and it seemed like a good next step, so my friend introduced me to it.” Junior Devin Garza helped Kelly become involved in the sport, and he is his partner.

Kelly also believes martial arts to be a sport. “Of course I consider it a sport. These professional fighters are in better shape than almost any other sport.”

Each of these fighters has been introduced by a close person in their lives and they all enjoy the aspect of fighting in a controlled environment. Whether they have been in it for multiple years or a few days, they all share the same compassion for the sport and take pride in what they do.

Like everything else, this extreme sport requires balance. Even though it can result in injuries and eating disorders, it can be a fun sport, too. It is a great way to blow off steam and show off talent.

Most Improved Wrestler: Nick Little

By ARMANDO ANTONIO SPORTS EDITOR

Nick Little was nominated as the most improved wrestler by wrestling coach Jordan Anderson. His last year record was 6-20 with 4 pins. His current record is 19-11 with 17 pins. When asked why Nick Little was chosen as the most improved wrestler Coach Anderson said, “His continual hard work has proven to be the backbone of his success. He comes to practice daily with the purpose to get at least one percent better.”

Without a doubt, Little has improved dramatically, going 4 pins last year to 17 pins this year. Getting pins doesn’t only help his record, but it helps the team as well.

Little weighs in at 230 lbs, but he is wrestling at 280 lbs. Wrestling isn’t easy, especially wrestling someone who is 55 lbs heavier. When asked what Little was doing different this year that is making him a better wrestler, he said he strives for greatness and continually puts in a little bit more to improve himself.

Little has proven himself to not only himself, but to others including Coach Anderson. Now he has been honored with the title of the most improved wrestler, and he is still going to continue to improve.

With Little’s work ethic, he has a great shot of making it to the state tournament and scoring points for the team. He is currently a sophomore and this year is his second year wrestling. His last year weight class was 220 lbs, and now he is wrestling at 285 lbs.

Nick Little trying to get up. Photo by: Daniel Hutchens

Athlete Spotlight: Lindsey Schauble

By NATALIE DOWNARD NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

Lindsey Schauble is a multi-talented athlete who excels in basketball, volleyball, and track.

She has been playing basketball since the age of 6, a total of 11 years. ”My brothers were athletes, too. I always looked up to them,” Schauble explains.

Schauble’s favorite part of basketball is her awesome team.

“I just want to be a team player, and do whatever’s best for the team,” Schaubles says, explaining her goal for this season.

“We want to get to state again,” she explains as her team’s goal.

Lindsey Schauble going for tweo as sunnyside

The team has lots deffense waches. of fun together. “For our shoot around, we always dress up. Last Saturday we were all in Halloween costumes, and there were some crazy costumes,” Schauble said. The team also has serious times. “We always do a prayer before games,” she said. She says this always gets her adrenaline running but she’s not sure why.

Schauble is a big fan of WSU. Her whole family is Cougs. She loves to read The Hunger Games series. Schauble’s favorite restaurant is Mizu, but she doesn’t have one favorite food. “I eat anything and everything,” Schauble says. She also likes to watch Modern Family and Family Guy. Schauble plays both post and guard for the team. This season has been going great for the Lady Braves, and they definitely see state in their future.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Chief Legends In Depth

9

James Avery was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the patriarch and attorney (later judge) Philip Banks, Will Smith’s character’s uncle, in the TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Helen Thomas was an American author and a news service reporter. She worked for UPI for 57 years, first as a correspondent and later as a White House bureau manager.

Lisa Robin Kelly was an American actress well known for her role as Laurie Forman on That ‘70s Show.

Hiroshi Yamauchi was a Japanese businessman who was the third president of Nintendo after joining in 1949.

We will remember

Nelson Mandela was a South African antiapartheid revolutionary, politician, activist, lawyer, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Julie Harris was an American stage, screen, and television actress who won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award.

R.I.P.

Cory Monteith was a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.

JJ Cale was an American singer-songwriter who was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound.

David Frost was an English journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and television host who rose to prominence in the UK when he was chosen to host That Was the Week That Was in 1962.

Joan Fontaine has won multiple Academy Awards and is the only actress ever to win an Academy Award for a movie directed by Hitchcock.

Paul Walker was an American actor best known for his role in The Fast and The Furious

Tom Foley was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Washington. He served for six years and was the first Speaker of the House since 1862 to be defeated in a re-election campaign for congress.

Ray Price was an American country singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose wide range baritone voice was praised as one of the best male voices in country music.

Frank Chamberlin was an American football linebacker who played a total of 57 NFL games, made 45 combined tackles, and two forced fumbles.

Tom Clancy was an American author and historian known for his technically detailed military science storylines set in the aftermath of the Cold War.

Chief IN-DEPTH Legends

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

10

Top 5 careers in 2014

Looking back

By ANDY HA STAFF REPORTER

Things we should leave in 2013

By HALEY SOFTICH STAFF REPORTER

T

he New Year is the time to start off with a clean slate, so why not take a look at some of the things from 2013 that we should leave behind as we move forward into 2014? Whether it is a popular word or a behavior, there are some things we just need to let go of and leave in the past.

Starting off with one of the most misused shortcuts, hashtags are supposed to help discover online posts of a similar focus. These are becoming more and more incorrectly used. Hashtags should be short and vague like “#gobraves” as opposed to “#thisisthecoolestgameever” because let’s face it, who else is going to be searching for that? It is pointless and just flat out hard to read, so why do it?

Not only are the hashtags unnecessary, but we have found weekly things to hashtag that frankly no one cares about. “ThrowbackThursday” is usually either a picture that was taken not that long ago or way too long ago.

Wow, you were a kid once? So was the rest of the world!! No one actually cares unless they are in the picture. Sadly, it doesn’t stop there. “WomanCrushWednesdays” and “ManCrushMondays” are something that needs to stop. It’s understandable and expected that your significant other would be your crush, but it doesn’t need to be shared with the rest of us every week.

The singles out there who participate in these man and woman crush days tend to alternate throughout the same handful of famous individuals. It is never new information, and a majority of people online just don’t care.

This new year should include new beginnings, so why not try adding some class to our actions and words? This means leaving behind all of the trashy things teens do and say. For starters, the word “ratchet” is just a new way to say “ghetto,” but teens are saying it more often and for the wrong reasons. It does not sound intelligent, and it is not usually respected by others.

Being classy does not mean wearing high heels on a regular day. Save the stilettos for prom or a special occasion. It hurts to watch young girls tripping and stumbling their way across campus. Be comfortable and happiness will follow!

We have always been told to be ourselves, but not everyone is following through with that. Stop caring about what others think and stop trying to fit in. Do what you want to do and if anyone tries to stop you, just keep being you. Be your own role model. You don’t need to try and base choices on

W

hat do you want to be when you grow up? Seniors and jun ably get asked more about their future career choice bec are so close to graduating and heading off to college. The changing constantly in the economy and workplace. Fin perfect career that appeals to someone and is able to pay the bills this day and age, especially now with the economy in the U.S potential work fields out there exist that need more wor U.S. News has done research and has looked at st see what the best careers are for the future.

The fifth best career, according to U.S a physician. There are many type sician careers in this field the choice to be a fam sician or a pe who helps for

others’ actions.

Discrimination is a thing of the past. Let people open up and try new things to express themselves. Calling someone fake does not even make sense. We are all people. We are all real, and everything we do happens for a reason.

In conclusion, 2014 should be rid of overused hashtags, immature words, and judgment of others.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

niors probcause they e world is nding the is hard in S. A lot of rkers. The tatistics to

S. News, is es of phyd. There’s mily phyediatrician s children, example.

The salary

varies by type of physician and area of the country. The lowest salary in the profession is $67,780, and that is still more than enough to make a living. With the type of physician career chosen though, an average salary can be around $180,000-$190,000.

Becoming a physician requires a lot of studying. All doctors have to complete at least four years at an undergraduate program, followed by four years of medical school. The employment for a physician is expected to increase by 24 percent between 2010 and 2020. The school work may be hard and expensive, but once the money starts to roll in, it’s all worth it.

The fourth best career is a computer systems analyst. The world is changing and technology is always evolving. So this should come as no surprise considering more businesses find success by working through computers, and figuring out how a computer system can help provide the best for a business is a main role of being a computer systems analyst. Most bosses look for workers with bachelor’s degrees like computer science in fields relating to the job. Some technical and complex jobs look for a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in information systems. The average salary is $78,770--not too shabby for an average salary now in these economic times. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 22.1 percent employment growth for computer system analysts between 2010 and 2020, so that’s about 120,400 jobs that will need to be filled.

The third best is a pharmacist job. The educational requirements are longer than the standard four year college plan. It usually begins with two years of professional study at a college or university before beginning a doctor of pharmacy program at a college of pharmacy that generally takes four years to complete. Then pharmacists have examinations that they need to pass and possibly have some residency programs before heading into the career. The pay is where it makes up for all that hard work. The median salary is $113,390, and at lowest, the salary is $84,490 which can definitely get those bills paid. There’s a solid employment growth and high median salary that makes the career one of the best careers to have. The projected growth of employment is 25.4 percent by 2020, which means 69,700 more jobs in this career.

The runner up profession is a registered nurse. This career has more than 2.7 million workers that are specialized in certain areas. Nursing has a solid employment growth and a variety of job prospects that make the career one of the best careers. The education minimum requirement for an entry-level nursing job is a bachelor of science degree in nursing, an associate’s degree, or a diploma program administered by a hospital. Exams need to be passed to become certified, and other tests vary by state. The average salary is $65,950 but could be higher depending on area of expertise and location. From 2010 to 2020, there is a projected employment growth of 26 percent, which in part is because of the higher health care demand from the people who were born during the post-World War II Baby Boom.

The best ranked career is a dentist. Obviously, a dentist deals with dental hygiene, and with this career, preparation should be done before college. If being a dentist is a possibility, focus more on courses such as chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy, and mathematics. Then when in college, a Dental Acceptance Test (DAT) is required to be taken and passed. The salary is great as well. The average is $142,740, while the lowest is $74,490. It depends on the location and whether the job is in private offices or alongside health practitioners. It is predicted by The Bureau of Labor Statistics that the employment growth will be about 21 percent between 2010 and 2020.

There are many work opportunities in traditional dentist offices and health practitioner offices. More than 25,000 new job openings are estimated in the next eight years.

Interestingly, the best occupations seem to be in the healthcare field, but that does not necessarily mean that other jobs are not good options. If blood makes you queasy and the prospect of a medical career seems unlikely, there are still many other options as well.

Top Twitter trends of 2013

#SfBatkid

#RoyalBaby

#BostonMarathon

#Superbowl #Oscars

#bostonstrong

Looking Forward

4

11

Chief Legends In Depth

Chief Legends IN-DEPTH

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

12

How to keep Heading into 2014 without your New Year forgetting 2013 resolutions

By ANDY HA STAFF REPORTER

By MORGAN HABERLACK STAFF REPORTER

O

nly four to eight percent of people achieve their goals for the New Year. This very low percentage of people includes even fewer teenagers.

A brilliant way to keep a New Year’s resolution is making it a social activity. If someone is able to turn something they do not like into something fun with friends, the chances of you keeping a New Year’s resolution are higher. Junior Andre Paul Bungat has a New Year’s resolution “to become a better singer by going into the choir room at lunch and after school with friends.” If he does this, he is making it known that he has a goal that he is trying to achieve which is a fantastic thing to do. This causes people to help him be accountable, and they can have fun singing together.

A very common New Year’s resolution among most of America is to lose weight. A determined Kamiakin student is “trying to lose weight.” This is her second year; the last time she did this she was “quite successful.” There is one important thing needed to accomplish this goal and that is patience. To have a healthy body, eating healthy is a huge part of the equation, which can be extremely difficult in today’s world. It is easy to eat healthy one day, but sticking to the new diet and having plenty of healthy recipes is a completely different story. Then, there is the need to carve out time in a schedule to work out.

This may mean not watching a show, going out to a party, playing that video game. Those hours can be put into working out; a half hour of working out instead of your favorite TV show is a great start.

In today’s world with all of the technology available to us, we have trouble making any type of resolution. We sit on the computer, smart phone, or tablet looking at all of the things we want to be, but we don’t do anything about it. We have far more resources than any other generation. All we need to do is take a step in the direction of success.

It is a brand new year. Several events are set to happen in the next 12 months, everything from events here at Kamiakin and the local community to events that the entire world will be watching. There are a lot of things to look forward to in 2014, such as The Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, several music tours, and the Academy Awards, just to name a few. There were also a lot of things that happened in 2013 that will be remembered.

Several trends began or were popularized in 2013, some that will forever be remembered and others that people have already forgotten. There are a few trends that some people think will continue into 2014. Junior Lexzi Brever thinks that twerking will stick around for a while longer, which is not much of a shock considering the dance was and still is so popular that the English Oxford dictionary provided an official definition for it. Other things that Brever believes will remain a trend into 2014 are the fashion trends that everyone seemed to hop on in 2013 such as wearing skinny jeans and beanies.

Junior Tyler Matney agrees with Brever; the twerking train will also continue into 2014. He also thinks that pop singer, Miley Cyrus, and the “White girl and Dutch Bros. or Starbucks” trend will continue as well.

There are trends in 2013 that some think will proceed in 2014,

and then there are trends that some want to see keep going into 2014. Whether they are trends in Hollywood or trends on social issues, there are some that several people want to see continue this year. Brever wants to see the Hollywood trend of having good TV shows such as The Walking Dead and NCIS on the air, and having good music like Paramore on the radio and for sale in stores.

Kamiakin gym teacher Amy Whitemarsh, wants to see trends on social issues such as having support for our military increase.

“The U.S. sacrifices a lot and liberal media and politicians have their own agenda and undercut the military and their families while the U.S. continues to have and gain more support,” Mrs. Whitemarsh says.

She follows up on that saying, “The trend should continue and the liberal media and politicians need to get with it and keep this trend going.”

Matney wants to see more acceptance from people to the LGBT community and to one another.

Now having looked at what happened in 2013 that people want to see continue, let’s see what they hope will go away. Matney thinks that the hate and bad mouthing that was seen in 2013 should not continue in 2014 while Brever wants Justin Bieber’s attitude on stage and Miley Cyrus’s performances to stay in 2013.

Mrs. Whitemarsh thinks the

“trend” for the U.S. to be what they consider cool should be left behind. Another thing that she thinks should stop is secularism, which is the principle of the separation from a person from religion.

Even though 2013 had some exciting events, 2014 contains even more promise. There are many events that people are excited about this year. The raves or in other words, EDM shows, in Washington State is what Brever is most looking forward to. There usually is one each month that will have underground DJs and sometimes local DJs hosting.

Something that Matney is excited about seeing in 2014 is Kamiakin’s adaptation of the play MacBeth, which will be performed on February 6, 7, 13, and 14. The play, Matney says, will be a bit more modernized and given a more mobster feel.

While those are some things here at Kamiakin and in Washington, Mrs. Whitemarsh is most excited about seeing the Seattle Seahawks going to the Super Bowl this year, which most of the country is also excited to see as well. She is excited about it because she is a born and raised Seahawks fan. She says she has been and always will be a huge fan.

This is just a small sampling of what people would like to see stay and go away during this next year.

Only time will tell what this new year has in store. The possibilities are endless.

Everything Ends:Bands and TV shows that ended this year

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER STAFF REPORTER

Endings. They can be great things, or those one may dread the most. They can wrap everything up with a bow on top, or they can drop everything off a cliff with no explanation.

Television shows end, sometimes tying everything together leaving no questions, but sometimes causing their audience to ask “What just happened? It’s over?” Bands break up as well, sometimes splitting up after years of success and a huge tour to go out with a bang, and sometimes drama will pull them apart and the band will be no more just like that.

Everyone loves television. Everyone loves to fall in love with the characters. Everyone loves to watch the bad guys get what they so desperately deserved. Everyone loves to root for their favorite romance to work out. Nobody wants to watch their favorite show end, but at some point

everyone has to watch a dreadful ending.

In 2013, a total of 154 television shows ended or were cancelled. Among these were The Office, Deception, CSI: NY, Smash, Fringe, and many others.

The comedy television show The Office ended after airing for nine seasons, 201 episodes, on NBC. The early seasons of The Office were loved. They won several awards, including multiple Primetime Emmy Awards. The later seasons, however, dropped in quality and were criticized because of this. Low ratings were to blame for the show’s cancellation.

Deception, a prime time soap opera from NBC, was cancelled in March of 2013 after airing for only one season.

Low ratings were also to blame for Deception’s canceling.

The one and only season ended on a drastic cliffhanger, leaving viewers to ask, “Wait, what about the rest?”

Everyone has a favorite band, whether it is a boy-band, an alternative band, or a band composed of just one

person who plays all the necessary instruments. A few beloved bands broke up this year, causing heartbreak and sadness to many. My Chemical Romance split up after a long 12 years and four albums. “Like all great things, it has to come to an end,” Gerard Way, the band’s front man, said.

Girls Aloud also said an emotional good bye to each other after their anniversary tour. Cheryl Cole, a member of the girl group, decided she wanted to pursue a solo career, breaking up the group. The split caused a bit of cattiness between the other members toward the end of their final tour.

Everything has to come to an end, but obviously there are fans of everything who hope for the inevitable ending to never come. Or maybe for the cancelled show or broken up band to rise from the dead and rock the world with their greatness again.

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk Kamiakin High School

13

Tribal Talk

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Should soda be sold in the vending machines?

Pro

By JACOB MCLAIN ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Over the last few months, the “soda” machines have been holding less soda and more healthy choices. What is happening to our soda? As of now, the only sodas in the vending machines are just a few diet sodas, and there are a lot of people who would prefer their soda regular over diet.

Personally, I love soda. Before I go to drama rehearsal, I like to get a soda from the vending machine, and I am not the only one. Tons of students love to get soda before, during, and after school; getting a soda has become a regular habit for many students. The school district is trying to encourage us to live healthier, but did they have to take away all of the soda? Why not offer both healthy choices, such as Vitamin Water, Fuze, Powerade, etc., and soda?

This way, the students who want to lead a healthier lifestyle can have their drinks, and the people who just want a soda can have what they want? It is not fair that because a few students want to drink healthy means that the entire school is forced to partake in the healthy experience.

The option to live a healthy life should be open for everyone. Students should never be forced to drink only healthy items if they do not want to. I also understand that the students can choose to leave campus and buy soda at a store, but that option is not always available or convenient. If a student had only ten minutes to grab something to drink, then a soda would not be an option.

They would have to spend their money

on a healthy drink, use a water fountain, or just do without. For quite a while, Kamiakin has offered soda as a choice, but now we have to drink healthy, and we do not even get a say in the matter.

This is only the beginning.

Starting next school year, a new federal law goes into effect where there cannot be anything over 200 calories in the vending machine; that eliminates all chips, candy and cookies. There are a ton of students who go to the vending machines on a regular basis, but now what are they to do now that their favorite choices are gone? For instance, Drama Club students visit the vending machines before and during rehearsal; they practically live o f f o f those machines, but now they are losing their snacks because they were deemed too unhealthy.

It is extremely unjustified that the students are losing their soda and snacks without even having a say in the matter.

Con

By JORDAN GARNER OP-ED EDITOR

The first thing a lot of people think of when they hear ‘vending machine’ is sugary junk. Why? Over the years most students have grown up accustomed to seeing only sugary sweets in vending machines.

Recently it has been discussed to start subtracting some of the junk, in this case soda, and to start adding in some healthier options.

Some students aren’t a hundred percent on board with this idea, but the question is why not? It’s not as if there won’t be anything at all offered to students.

It’s not as if only good tasting drinks are filled to the brim with sugar and other additives. Also if a student doesn’t want to buy the healthier drink offered, nobody is going to force them to.

There are water fountains offered around campus, or you could bring your own drink from home.

Health wise, by replacing a soda a day with a water a day instead can make a big difference. Dehydration is a huge issue.

It can cause lightheadedness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps.

It’s important for everyone to stay hydrated; especially at school where we are placed in an environment we need to use our brains for most of the day. Just by replacing the soda with other beverages such as juice and water, schools all over including our own could take a good first step towards being just a little bit healthier.

People often associate healthy food with tasting bad. This isn’t necessarily true.

Sure, there are a few healthy choices out there that are hard to swallow, but that doesn’t mean that is the case always. It goes both ways. Not all junk food tastes amazing either.

A new vending choice is a new manufacturer called ‘Vend Natural’, a healthy and organic vending machine.

They carry a variety of healthy drink choices including different juices, teas, waters, milks, and all natural sodas. The biggest issue people have with accepting the idea of healthier vending machines for schools is that they have a closed mind. They think ‘healthy’ means no variety, bad taste, and a waste of money when in reality, there is a ton of healthy options that taste great and will give you a better bang for your buck than buying a soda.

So why not get healthier vending? It doesn’t mean limited choices or even a ban on soda. There are different sodas offered that are all natural, taste just as good or even better, and are healthier.

The difference between student’s grades and learning

By HALEY SOFTICH STAFF REPORTER

School and learning are two things that just go together, but are we actually learning in school? It seems that the most important thing in school is to get good grades whether information is being absorbed or not.

Failure is something to be learned from, but how can we learn when we are being punished for failing in the first place? It just doesn’t seem fair. It is more important to get a good grade on an assignment and learn nothing than it is to do poorly on an assignment but learn from the mistake. The most key thing about school should be to learn what is being taught. Sophomore Melanie Price said, “Students and teachers put more emphasis on passing or getting good grades, but school is supposed to be about getting a good education.”

Over time, mankind has learned just how different each individual is. It has been theorized that everyone has a different learning style, so why is this not being applied to our education system? There are three popular learning modalities that are often used to describe different people’s learning styles. These learning modalities are visual, auditory, and tactile. Learning modalities have the ability of occurring independently or in combination, changing over time, and becoming integrated with age.This is not the only model showing different learning styles. There are many more models and theories

that describe the many types of learners out there. If everyone is expected to complete a task in the same way in the same amount of time yet we all do things differently, then it is completely unequal and unfair. “We are all given the same assignment and you can ask the teacher for help, but everyone is taught in such a uniform way,” explained Price. This is why some students understand what the teacher is saying while others don’t.

With this pressure to do well academically, some teenagers are taking the short way out.

They are cheating. People say that when one cheats, they are only cheating themselves.

This may have been true at one time, but it seems to no longer apply to education.

Students who cheat and get away with it tend to feel little to no guilt, so why are they cheating themselves? So much pressure is built up that when students cheat, stress is lifted off of their shoulders and there is more of a gain than a fall.

So in theory, learning is no longer the most important concept in school. Everyone has a different way to learn and these are not being reflected in the education system. These faults build stress in teens resulting in cheating and feeling that it is okay to cheat.

Tribal Talk

OPINION & EDITORIAL

14

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Never judge a book by its movie

By ZACK JULIAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“The book was better.”

“They left out half the book!”

“I don’t get it. What happened?”

“You have to read the book to understand.”

Without fail, every time you go see a movie based on a book, you will hear at least one of these comments. Movie book hybrids have become part of the culture of modern Hollywood. From Harry Potter to The Great Gatsby, movie adaptions of books have filled the box offices of late. But should they? Should books which have captured the hearts and minds of many readers be made into movies? The answer is no, they shouldn’t.

Books are just too wonderful. Movies do not do justice to the engagement and the complexity of books. The book is always better than the movie.

For a book to even be considered movie material, it has to have a few qualifications.

First, it needs a large reader base. If no one read the book, then no one is going to go see the movie. Second, it needs a plot that would make a good movie. No one is going to go see The Silmarillion (written by J.R.R. Tolkien) movie because its plot is just too large and complex to be made into a movie. It would take at least 10 movies to make it work.

Film adaptions of books also need a good film crew and actors to be successful.

Characters that are beloved by so many need to stay relatively the same. Who else besides Alan Rickman would be able to play Severus Snape? Many books have been ruined by poor writers and actors. Percy Jackson and Eragon are just two of many examples.

But the main problem with books being made into movies is that they eliminate personal interpretation. The stories are interpreted in millions of different ways by millions of different people. No matter what you do, your interpretation will not be the same as anybody else’s. It is yours. You are not confined to the director’s, actor’s, and producer’s

product. If you watch the movie before you read the book, you lose the privilege of developing your own personal interpretation.

To the more intense readers, books are sacred. They are a place for you to live a different life. Books are where you can be a hero. Your own story should not be destroyed by the movies. Books should not be made into movies. They are too important to be ruined.

Editorial: Don’t be afraid of failure It’s okay to fail. I know that’s a revolutionary concept, but it’s true. Failing is a natural part of life. We do it every day. From failing to brush your teeth to not turning in homework, failing is part of normal life. The thing is though our failures determine who we are. Human beings are culminations of their failures. Every success is just is just a bunch of failures stacked on top of each other.

Just ask your parents about trying to potty train you.

Now that was probably a huge failure. The first time you rolled over, the first time you walked, and the first time you talked were a bunch of failures stacked on top of each other until you finally succeeded.

Those of us who are graduating soon are about to face a seemingly insurmountable amount of failures--not being accepted into the school you want to go to, failing college classes, and running out of money. Adulthood is full of mistakes and college is where we first really face our mistakes

on our own, without help. College is where you begin to learn who you really are. Many of us do not know what we plan to do with our lives.

But, in order to find out, you have to be willing to try new things. You have to be willing to take risks.

You have to be willing to fail.

Failing is the only way to find out what you are best at.

Failure is okay as long as you accept that you failed and move from it. Dwelling on failures will hold you back. People have had huge failures and grown up to be great successes. Steve Jobs was fired from his own company and he ended up as a multi-billionaire. J.K. Rowling was turned down by seven publishing companies. She went from having almost nothing to being one of the most famous authors of our generation.

Don’t live your life afraid to make mistakes.

Mistakes are what make us human. Failing is a natural part of life. Just make sure that you take your failures and learn from them.

5 out of 5 Editors agree

Tribal Talk

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

15 Hempethics: Time for a green future

OPINION & EDITORIAL

By JORDAN GARNER OP-ED EDITOR

Coming with the start of the New Year also comes the beginning of a new meaning to ‘Going Green’.

Fuel, health food, medicine, paper, and biodegradable plastics--these are only a few of the things that can be made using the fibers of the cannabis plant, more commonly known as hemp.

Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Franklin Pierce, Zachary Taylor, and George Washington, all respectable individuals, not to mention all former presidents of the United States, grew hemp. Jefferson even owned one of the first paper mills in America which processed hemp. In fact, refusing to grow hemp in both the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law. You could even be arrested and placed in jail in Virginia from 1763 to 1769. Taken from George Washington Writings of Washington, Vol. 35, pg. 72, he said,“What was done with the seed saved from the India Hemp last summer?

It ought, all of it, to have been sewn again; that not only a stock of seed sufficient for my own purposes might have been raised, but to have disseminated the seed to others; as it is more valuable than the common Hemp”.

Joining in on the increasingly popular ‘Green’ movement, hemp is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, requires very little to no pesticides and produces oxygen. It can be used to replace many potential threats

to our environment, for example the usage of trees for our paper. The processing of making paper from trees uses chlorine bleach, which then creates the waste product dioxins. This is a large contributor to deforestation as well as plastics and cosmetics that don’t decompose easily. The strongest chemical needed in order to replace paper with hemp is a non-toxic hydrogen peroxide, which is used only to whiten the already light colored paper. Hemp paper is longer lasting than that from wood, stronger, acid-free, and chlorine free. Chlorine is estimated to cause up to 10 percent of all cancers. Hemp paper can also be recycled seven times, while the paper we use now can only be recycled a small number of four times.

There are more than 25,000 uses known for hemp. Almost anything made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be replaced and made by using the plant. So why is the right to grow hemp illegal, and the idea of using a cheaper, more efficient, environmentally friendly resource still frowned upon? The simple answer is that there is no logical reason for it to still be. It’s a new year, for new things, and new changes, the start of a better and green future, taking

Is zero tolerance for weapons too strict?

By TAYLOR REAVIS STAFF REPORTER

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER STAFF REPORTER

After an 11-year-old boy drew a picture of a gun and was suspended for a day from his middle school, the question raised is: Are schools taking weapon tolerance to whole a new level?

Senior Brandon Whitehouse thinks public schools are doing well on safety. “Weapons are dangerous to our community. We should be strict about them,” said Whitehouse. He considers anything that could seriously hurt someone, such as a knife or a gun, a weapon that should be banned. What about pencils and staplers, those could be used to hurt someone too, should those be taken away as well?

Whitehouse thinks students like weapons because they think they are cool to look at, and they can’t be threatened. Whitehouse does not feel weapons are appropriate in public places. “Someone could get hurt,” he said.

Other states are thinking about rewriting the zero tolerance weapons ban. Students who forget they left their pocket knife hidden in their back pocket or a hunting knife locked in their trunk have been suspended and even expelled for just this

small bit of forgetfulness. “If they don’t harm you or anyone else, they should be fine,” Whitehouse said.

Senior Jose Anguiano has a different opinion on weapons and school safety.

He thinks schools are going too far with weapon safety. “They consider anything a weapon these days,” said Anguiano.

He says anything that can kill you is considered a weapon. Anguiano thinks “Students like weapons because they’re fun when someone knows how to use them safely.”

Weapons are such a big problem today because of how people treat them. Too many people believe waving a gun around will provide them with safety instead of what they’re really faced with. Anguiano said “I think if people didn’t use them to kill each other so recklessly, weapons wouldn’t be such a problem.”

better care of our Earth and using our resources in a healthier and beneficial way.

The Trading Post closing?

By MORGAN HABERLACK STAFF REPORTER

Hot Pockets. Tea. Teriyaki bowls.

Chicken bakes. Hot chocolate. Chips.

Fruit snacks. Arizona teas. Little round pizzas. Pretzels.

These are just a few of the many items that are sold at the school store, also known as the Trading Post. The Trading Post has been around as long as Kamiakin has. Hundreds of students have been a part of running the school store.

Every lunch period, students line up outside the store and wait for the Trading Post to open so they can purchase their lunches. Inside three to five students and a teacher scramble around to feed the hungry students. Here at Kamiakin, students either choke down the cafeteria lunch, go off campus, or get lunch from the school store and vending machines (which are also a part of DECA).

All of these fine young students who

serve in the school store are a part of DECA. They choose to work in the school store by signing up for the Marketing and Operations class. Students in the class this year did not have to pay their DECA dues because it was covered.

They got to take the Food Handlers test for free for their first try. These students now have work experience, a food handler’s card and experience on the cash register to mention in their resume.

With all of these benefits of the school store why would it not be open next year? “At this time the only reason it wouldn’t be open next year is because we aren’t able to find enough product to sell,” said marketing teacher Olivia Clizbe. This means if everyone apart of running the school store is not able to find new healthy foods to sell, there will be an online school store.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Cool trends can keep you warm

By MADISON BADGLEY STAFF REPORTER

A

s the weather gets colder, the trends get hotter. Beanies and knit headbands are all the rage this season. Winter brings all things warm and furry, like boots, big coats for those snowy days, and we cannot forget the accessories to keep our heads and ears warm! Knit headbands and beanies can make for a cute, warm, and simple something to add to any winter outfit. Also, if you’re feeling lazy or having a bad hair day, these are perfect!

This winter more and more girls have been seen wearing knit headbands and beanies, and they have become a very fashionable trend. There are many different ways to style these items than just putting them on your head.

Knit headbands make any outfit look so much comfier, and a little bling or flower really ties everything in. These can be worn any way you want, really! You could maybe wear your hair down and curled with a cute knit headband over your hair. Or you can wear your hair in a ponytail, braid, or bun with a knit headband.

Beanies are an accessory anyone can wear, and there are a range of different styles.

Neff has beanies in mostly every color, and they are simple and very comfy. They can be found at Zumiez. Beanies come in a range of designs, anything from rhinestones on the front, to logos and sayings, to little furry poms on the top. Beanies are very versatile and can be worn in many different ways. You could wear them away from your forehead with hair coming out the front. You could wear them covering your forehead like a regular hat and any other way you find!

You can find knit headbands and beanies in almost every store. Asos. com carries a wide variety of different kinds of beanies and Target has many cute knit beanies, too! Craft Warehouse even has knit headbands. Beanies and knit headbands can range anywhere from $10 to $20 depending on the material and design used. But if you want to get crafty, you could make your own. Knitted headbands are very simple and easy to make, and this way you can make one the way you want it. There are many different designs on Pinterest, and Wikihow gives you eight easy steps to knit a headband. Beanies are simple and easy to make on a loom circle, too. So get creative and have fun with this trend this winter!

GT

Super smash A D AV L Bros.

ZE Are Videogames getting better or worse? SKYR IM

By SABRINA HEIJMANS STAFF REPORTER

The video game franchise has gone from the old Nintendo to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Video games are nothing like what they used to be. Now days there are games out that are rated T for Teens, M for Mature, whereas back when the Nintendo was the big thing, there were nonviolent games. Our society has changed; the best known game to the Nintendo was Donkey Kong. Now? Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto are the most played games across the U.S; they are also both rated M for Mature. So why are these games the most played games?

The Social Psychological and Personality Science Foundation said, “Teenagers crave excitement and the rush they receive from

hunting down random computerized figures.”

Video games are exciting, indeed. They also help with eye-hand coordination. Junior Gabe De Vore said, “Video games are very addicting and entertaining. They provide an escape from reality; games with a lot of freedom such as Skyrim and GTAV (Grand Theft Auto 5) allow teens to have that escape. Both games are played the most probably because they are the most realistic. They have really good graphics.

Also, both of these games are part of a series, so people who enjoyed the previous games would enjoy the newer ones.”

The two most played games, Skyrim and GTAV, have gone through the roof with ratings. Both have received five stars for best graphics and best story line. Former

graduate Erika Amos said, “I play Skyrim almost every day. It’s an addiction for me.

I would most definitely choose this game for people to try out. They would love it. It however does have cuss words and blood, but it’s not as bad as it could be. It has outstanding quality. It’s just a really great game all in all.”

Video games over the years have obviously improved, taking Skyrim and GTAV into consideration. Don’t be surprised if in the next couple of years the video game industry grows more than it already has.

Skyrim and GTAV have clearly pointed out that even if a game isn’t necessarily “appropriate”, it still can make the top rated list and be played more than any game.

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Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Macbeth: The Scottish Tragedy

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER STAFF REPORTER

W

hen someone thinks of the 1920s, they usually don’t think of Shakespeare, or more specifically Macbeth. They think of the mafia, mob bosses, violence instead of words. Drama and English teacher Chris Hamilton has effectively combined both the 1920s and Shakespeare’s Macbeth in what is going to be an unforgettable show.

Macbeth, no matter what time period, includes excessive violence. With the three major fights, just the actors trying to fake it themselves wouldn’t do the scenes justice. Professional help was obtained. Anna Newbury is a professional fight choreographer who works with high school students to make their performances look more real.

“I like working with high school students because if I hadn’t had people who were professionals work with me when I was in high school, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now. It’s an opportunity to invest in youth and share my passion with them,” Newbury said. “While violence may not be our most shining moment, it’s found in every story ever written and I’ve found in everything, there’s violence that needs to be choreographed.”

The other members of the cast love working with Newbury as well. “Oh, I love it. She really knows her stuff. She has a strong vision and she’s really good at making it show

through,” senior Justin Smith, the actor who is portraying Macduff, said.

Fighting is one extremely hard aspect of acting, but getting into character seems to be another one that a few actors have a hard time with. Each actor has a different way of getting into their part and letting the character shine through. Junior Britt Henderson, who will be acting as Macbeth, said “You just gotta do it! Like Nike! Just do it!”

One half of Lady Macbeth, senior Caeleigh Rieger, explained, “You have to think the way the character would. Like with Britt!

He’s a great friend, but when I’m getting into character I think of him the way Lady Macbeth would think of Macbeth. ‘He’s such a weakling! I have to control everything he does!’” The second half of Lady Macbeth, senior Lauryn Meacham disagrees with both.

“You shouldn’t have to get into character.

It’s not you just saying the lines. It’s letting the character shine through and take over.”

While each individual has a different way to get into character, they all agree on one thing: they love Macbeth being set in the 1920s. “It’s effective and works well with the whole mafia idea. There’s a king, the mob boss, and everyone beneath him,” Mr. Hamilton said. The language is much easier to understand as well. “It’s a good medium.

It’s scary how well everything works so incredibly smoothly,” Rieger said. All of the cast members agree that Macbeth set in the 1920s is “completely awesome!”

Britt Henderson starring as Macbeth

Justin Smith starring as Macduff

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’s y a g! e l p in ear e sp h e h t hak T S

Caeliegh Reiger (left) and Lauryn Meachem (right) costarring as Lady Macbeth

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Pokemon of the Month

Dialga, the temporal pokemon type: Steel, Dragon height:17’09” weight:1505.8 lbs. area: Sinnoh

PokeDex entry:This Pokémon completely controls the flow of time.

It uses its power to travel at will through the past and future. It was introduced with Giratina and Palkia in Gen. IV of the seires.

Frozen #1 2013 animated movie

By JACOB MCLAIN ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

In 2013, Disney put out quite a few movies and most of these movies that were rather disappointing. For instance, Planes and Turbo were some of Disney’s floppers this year. Both were remakes of the movie, Cars (which was an amazing movie). Planes was decent, but Turbo did horribly in theaters. Aside from these animated failures, Disney created an amazing animated movie this year called Frozen.

In this movie, Princess Elsa struggles all her life to control her powers over ice.

When she ascends the throne, her powers get the best of her and she ends up trapping her entire kingdom in an eternal winter. It is then up to Elsa’s sister, Anna, to save the day. Along the way, Anna teams up with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf in order to save the kingdom and Elsa.

Frozen has a great storyline, and is a lot like the more classic Disney movies, such as Mulan, the Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. Like the classic Disney movies, Frozen has a lot of singing and music in it. The singing was very well done by the actors, and one interesting thing about this movie is that Santino Fontana, the

voice of Prince Hans, is from the Tri-Cities and had a song from the movie. With singing, good animation and hilarious characters, Frozen will definitely become a Disney classic.

Frozen has been in theaters for over a month now, but it is still attracting scores of people to go view the movie, or even go for a second time. The movie critics also liked Frozen; IMDB gave Frozen an 8.1 out of 10, and Mr. Movie gave it 4 out of 5 stars. At the box office, Frozen has earned over $763.4 million and is ranked 50 for world-wide gross box office. In addition to the great ratings, Frozen also won a Golden Globe for the best animated feature. So you see, many people agree Frozen is great Disney film.

The only problem Frozen really had was that it left a few unanswered questions, such as how Elsa got her powers, or why didn’t the king and queen have someone look after Elsa to make sure she learned to control her powers after they left? Aside from that, Frozen is very good and should be treated like a Disney classic and definitely the number one Disney movie of 2013. I give this movie 4.25 out of 5. Frozen is still in theaters now and is showing at Carmike and Fairchild.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School