2015 16, issue 6

VOLUME 40 • ISSUE 6 • APRIL 1, 2016 • KAMIAKIN HIGH SCHOOL • 600 N. ARTHUR ST. • KENNEWICK, WA 99336

Around the Campfire

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

2 Every 15 Minutes heavily impacts seniors

Amber Perry was a participant in the Every 15 Minutes Program. Her obituary read the following: “Amber Perry was struck by a drunk driver after coming home from a skiing trip. She was born July 29th, 1998 in Kennewick to Rachel and Dale Perry. She was actively involved in Cross Country, Seminary, and countless clubs. Her love for people and deep abiding faith in Christ will be greatly missed by all.”

Photo courtesy of Brent Rust at TimeBox Photography

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I

n 1995, someone died from a collision caused by a drunk driver every 15 minutes. By 2016, that number has dropped to one every 53 minutes. There is obviously still a huge way to go, but this improvement has saved thousands of lives all across the world. This is thanks to the better engineering of cars, better medicine, and most importantly, better programs for the awareness of driving under the influence.

Kamiakin has participated in the Every 15 Minutes program for years. In this two day long program, 24 seniors are chosen by the security guards and on campus police officer to participate and show the rest of the seniors what repercussions driving under the

influence can have. Megan Schatz was one of these individuals to be a part of this important program. “Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve seen the impact this program has had on the students.

“

The Grim Reaper walks into teacher Tim Bisson’s third hour to collect another soul. Riley Santo was then taken after “being hit in a head on collision with an intoxicated driver.” Photo by Chloe Grundmeier

all happen. The senior assembly had a huge impact on all the students who attended. Many students had to leave campus because of how distraught they were after, and others had to step

I think this program is really important. Obviously we’re all underage, but drinking does happen when we’re in high school - it’s a fact of life.

Senior Jaret Maynard

I’ve had friends who’ve been in it and they’ve all explained to me how awesome and meaningful it is,” she said.

Every 15 Minutes is incredibly meaningful to all the students who take part in it and those who watch it

These crosses represented the lives of the seniors who were metaphorically lost for the Every 15 Minutes program. Photo by Chloe Grundmeier

”

out of class to regain their composure.

“I was crying so hard during the assembly that one of the security guards handed me a box of tissues,” Shiloh Bagley said.

This program is very important

to the spreading awareness of this epidemic to high school students who may not realize how dire the situation they may put someone else in could be. Jaret Maynard is another student to be directly involved in the Every 15 Minutes program, and he agrees with this.

“I think this program is really important. Obviously we’re all underage, but drinking does happen when we’re in high school - it’s a fact of life.

Not many of the people who drink are involved themselves in Every 15 Minutes but seeing this program in action can really be eye opening to them and they might realize how if they’re gonna drink, they definitely shouldn’t drive after,” he said.

This car had been involved in a collision caused by a drunk driver. Photo by Chloe Grundmeier

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

What are YOU going to do about it?

By EMILY BAER NEWS EDITOR

S

Scott Backovich spoke at Kamiakin’s March Gladness assembly. He also spoke with the ASB class and another group of students while he visited campus. Contact Scott Backovich at his social media sites.

Twitter: @ScottBackovich Instagram: @ScottBackovich Facebook: facebook.com/SpeakerScott Website: tweetscott.com Photo courtesy of twitter.com

cott Backovich is a youth motivational speaker who travels the world to let his message be heard. His love of public speaking began when he had the opportunity during high school to travel and speak to several different audiences.

That experience began a passion that led Backovich to the career he follows now.

On March 16, an assembly brought Backovich’s message to our ears. He captured the audience’s attention with his quick wit and humor, and everyone’s spirits were lifted as he described the different types of hand hugs.

Although Backovich is a very humorous guy, he can also discuss serious topics with ease. He talked about problems that are plaguing high schools all over the world, problems such as depression, domestic violence, extreme negativity

from peers, etc., and then encouraged students to do something to help stop these problems.

There were a lot of important things that Backovich said during his speech that needed to be heard. His messages were inspiring and uplifting. They encouraged everyone to step up and be a catalyst. A catalyst, as defined by the MerriamWebster dictionary, is “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.” Backovich ended his speech on the note, “The greatest gift you can give is courage.”

Students were touched by what Backovich had to say, and during the breakout sessions, students came up to him and thanked him for what he does. Backovich said, “One thing that inspired me is the realization that students don’t have as big of a voice as they should, and I got more of a fire and a

passion for what I was doing because of that.”

If there is one thing that students take from his message, Scott Backovich said, “If anything I hope that students take away that every person in this world has the opportunity to give something. Whether it’s kindness, whether it’s compassion, whether it’s friendship, whether it’s courtesy.

Everyone has the chance to give something.”

Look for opportunities to help and support the community, and as Backovich asks, become a catalyst for those who need it. Backovich, in his speech, said, “Don’t change your life.

Change someone else’s.”

If you want to get hold of Scott Backovich, you can contact him at any of his social media sites. Twitter: @ ScottBackovich. Instagram: @ScottBackovich. Facebook: facebook.com/SpeakerScott.

Website: tweetscott.com.

‘Stardust’: Drama Club goes out with a laugh

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As the final performance of the 2016 school year, the Kamiakin Drama Club’s production of ‘Stardust’ by Walter Kerr is sure to go off on a high note. This comedy in three acts is “an astoundingly funny show” according to junior Joe Pickard. “It starts off really weird but then you get used to it and then it’s just over the top funny,” he said.

This play follows the lives of the eccentric students under the method acting teachings of Mr. Bach, portrayed by senior Chandler James. Hilarity ensues when rising Broadway star Prudence Mason, portrayed by junior CharLee Bethje, is invited to star in the university’s production of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ as Cleopatra. Prudence breaks the assumption that she will be just as eccentric and kooky as the rest of Mr. Bach’s students by being incredibly down to earth.

Pickard takes up the role as Prudence’s no nonsense friend, Arthur Scott Jr. “I’m my own favorite part of the play,” Pickard stated. “All the

students are their own people. Even though they’re an ensemble, they are very individual. All of them are just so weird and then there’s me, Arthur, confused through most of the play.”

Junior Bailey Washam takes the allimportant role of the stage manager explained as “Mr. Hamilton’s job is to make sure everyone can act, and my job is to do everything else,” by a previous stage manager, Kamiakin graduate Noelle Wadlow, to Washam. She is incredibly glad that the seniors get to end on a happy note for their final performance as Braves.

“It’s kind of surreal that it’s the last play with this same group. I hear the seniors talking about ‘oh it’s the last rehearsal in February that I’ll do on this stage,’ and it’s kind of sad to think that I won’t get to work with them again.

It’s also a nice thought because they get to go out with a comedy rather than something dark,” she said.

Washam isn’t the only Drama Club participant with mixed feelings about the end of an era. Senior Emily Fiske portrays a student, Marion Phipps, in the spring production and agrees with

Senior Yzabelle Tow portrays Claire Carter in the drama club’s production of ‘Stardust.’ In this scene, Claire exaggerates the way Prudence, her good friend, should play the role of Cleopatra to the whole class of actors, including senior Devin Yoerger as Raimund Brown, senior Kayla Roles as Cynthia Keene, and senior Chandler James as their professor, Mr. Bach. Photo by Chloe Grundmeier

Washam.

“I’ve been a part of every single Kamiakin production since I was a freshmen, and it’s really weird knowing that this play marks the end of an important part of my life. ‘Stardust’ will be a great play to end on; it’s funny,

and it has a huge cast so I get to have my last hurrah with a bunch of my friends before we all go our separate ways,” she said.

Around the Campfire NEWS & FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

4 Lending a hand to the school custodians

By RYAN FOLTA STAFF REPORTER

O

n Thursday March 3, ASB put on a janitor takeover day, asking students to come together and clean the entire campus after school. The turnout was a lot more than last year. With over 50 people attending, it took just over an hour to complete the job. After the cleanup, ASB provided free pizza for all the students who helped in the cleanup and for the janitors. ASB also presented a gold painted brush to the custodians for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week.

ASB’s goal for Staff Appreciation Week was to let staff at Kamiakin know that their work does not go unappreciated. The goal of the custodian takeover was to not only help out the staff for the day, but to show students what they go through on a

daily basis. There’s a lot of stuff on a custodian’s plate that students would never realize.

ASB’s plan of action was to have multiple groups of three to four people pair up and assigned a designated area or building to clean. There were around 11 groups, and each group was given window cleaning spray, garbage bags, and a broom or vacuum depending on the area’s floor. People who needed community service hours for TRIBE were rewarded for their hard work.

Juniors Shaylee Sullivan and Aaryn Frewing were the two people who were in charge of the event. They would personally like to thank all of the students who came together and helped tackle this big project.

Junior Alec Minor had been planning to participate in the takeover for a long time. “It’s a great feeling to

Students gather together to formulate a plan on how to help the custodians. Photo by Ryan Folta.

help out the janitors around campus.

We never really know how much work it really is to keep our campus clean. I had to clean out the garbage with my bare hands, and you won’t believe what I found in there. Every

little bit counts to make a difference. It could be as simple as throwing away your garbage at lunch, to wiping off your desks if you spill something on them,” he said.

conclusion, as Chen explained, is the mirror and amplifier of the hook.

Colleen Houck won over many students’ attention in her session through her humor and ability to connect with the audience. Houck discussed The Hero’s Journey and the outside forces that contribute to it.

There are 13 factors in the cycle that is the hero’s journey: known, unknown, the call to adventure, supernatural aid, threshold guardians, threshold, helpers, mentor, challenges, abyss/ revelation, transformation, atonement, and return. Each hero in a story has these components that build them up and weave the story into a success.

Leigh Bardugo taught her enraptured audience how to build a fantasy kingdom. She explained the two big challenges to this process: build-

ing your world, and introducing the reader to your world. Bardugo then went on to discuss the five big myths of world building: the magical draft, there’s only one way to do it, show don’t tell, you don’t need to do research, and it all happens at once. The best advice Bardugo could offer was to be patient with the creative process.

Each author had something unique to offer in their sessions and helped students learn how to improve their writing skills. Overall those who attended Cavalcade of Authors genuinely enjoyed the experiences they gained from it. Librarian Lucy Razor said, “I just love seeing real authors and students enjoying hearing them and students being excited about books. It makes my heart happy.”

Colleen Houck is the author of ‘The Tiger’s Curse’ series and the new ‘Reawakened’ series. Photo courtesy of twitter.com

Leigh Bardugo is the author of the Grisha Trilogy and the ‘Six of Crows’ series. Photo courtesy of leighbardugo.com

Cavalcade of Authors: where dreams are discovered

By EMILY BAER NEWS EDITOR

avalcade of Authors is a wonderful opportunity for aspiring authors to learn how to improve their writing. It occurs every year during springtime, and this year it fell on March 11. During this conference, students are able to attend sessions with some of their favorite authors and can ask them any questions they may have about either the authors’ books or questions about writing.

This year 17 authors attended the conference, each teaching a different topic during their sessions. Four of these authors were Tui Sutherland, Justina Chen, Colleen Houck, and Leigh Bardugo.

Tui Sutherland gave advice on how to create and develop charac-

ters. She suggested writing exercises that would help the creative juices to flow, the first of which was a worksheet with several questions about the character that would help the author to “get to know” them. The second exercise Sutherland suggested was writing a letter to the character. In the third exercise, one creates another character, and in the fourth the author describes how the two characters meet and what that interaction is like.

Justina Chen titled her session “You Had Me at Halo” and spoke about her experiences that led her to becoming an author. After describing her journey thus far, Chen discussed hooks and conclusions. She said that the first line of a story must capture the voice of the character and catch the attention of the reader. The

Tui Sutherland is the author of the ‘Wing of Fire’ series, and the co-author of ‘The Menagerie’.

Photo courtesy of wingsoffire.scholastic.com

Justina Chen is the author of ‘North of Beautiful’ and ‘Return to Me’ and has several other novels under her belt. Photo courtesy of twitter.com

C

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Around theNEWS Campfire & FEATURE

March Gladness: spreading

gladness and ending bullying around the student body

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, email tomatalk@ksd.org, or go online at www.tomatalk.com and comment there or take a poll.

Staff:

Adviser: Laurie Bender Editors-in-Chief: Chloe Grundmeier and Andy Ha News Feature Editor: Emily Baer Sports Editor: Sierra Reams In-Depth Editor: Chloe Grundmeier Opinion Editor: Madison Morgan Entertainment Editor: Andy Ha Shenanigans Editor: Amber Perry Online Editor: Rachel Soh Cover made by: Rachel Soh

Staff Reporters:

The March Gladness window full of inspirational posters and quotes, decorated by ASB. Photo courtesy of Marlee Briggs.

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

R

ather than spending a short week preaching anti-bullying to the student body and gaining few results, Kamiakin’s ASB program has revamped this week long event into a month packed with new ways to ‘spread the love’ rather than end the hate: March Gladness.

Junior Ryan Dearing explained his take on the switch from Anti-Bullying Week to March Gladness. “A huge chunk of the student body can relate to March Madness.

Almost everyone makes a bracket even if they aren’t into sports, and March Gladness kind of relates to that.

This year, March Gladness has had a bigger impact on the student body as a whole, not only because of the name, but also the fact that it’s a whole month long rather than just a week,” he said.

This program would not be

the same without an incredible motivational speaker.

This year, Scott Backovich talked to the student body and left a huge impact on the school. Senior Cory Dearing, self-proclaiming his weirdness, was impacted most by the “weird story of the Chicago Bulls kid.”

“I love hearing about weird things that actually work.

When the Chicago Bulls kid gave his lanyard to the little girl as a necklace, it was really weird but it worked. It was so great to hear that something so simple, but weird, had such a huge impact on that young girl,” Cory said.

After Backovich addressed the student body as a whole, the ASB class was given time to speak with him one on one. Ryan was affected most by a speech he received in this session.

The story, Backovich explained, focused on different comfort levels and how to grow by using these levels.

Anyone can grow if they

start comfortable, but once that individual has passed into panic-mode, growth is impossible. No two people have the same comfort levels; one person may be completely fine with addressing a huge group of people while another may have trouble looking just one other student in the eye. “The only way to help someone grow is by getting onto their comfort level,” Ryan said.

March Gladness has many purposes, as a whole and to those a part of it. “The whole point of March Gladness is to make the students want to come to school. March Gladness is trying to give back to the students so they’ll do just that,” Cory said. “But to me, March Gladness is being nice and glad just to be nice.

Nobody should be nice to gain the feedback. You’re not doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for everyone else.”

Alejandro Andrade, Kathy Farias-Guerra, Ryan Folta, Ronnie Henderson, Taylor Hunzeker, Madison Morgan, Kacey Owsley, TJ Roles, Staci Trivett, Kaylee Zuhlke MISSION STATEMENT:

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

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.

RETRACTIONS:

On page 3, junior Gavin Dunn was stated as a sophomore. On page 4, ‘takes’ was spelled incorrectly. On page 5, Kathy Farias-Guerra and TJ Roles were not listed as staff reporters. On page 9, ‘habits’ was spelled incorrectly.

Around the Campfire NEWS & FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Sp tlights

Byrd is the Word

By RONNIE HENDERSON STAFF REPORTER

J

Photo of Jenny Byrd in her classroom. Photo by Ronnie Henderson

enny Byrd is the math teacher for Honors Algebra 3-4 and regular Algebra 3-4. Byrd is also a former Brave. Five years ago Byrd was teaching at Kamiakin, but she moved to Colorado to teach for a while. She taught at Lake County High School and Summit High School. The reason why Byrd moved from the Tri-Cities to Colorado is because she wanted to live in the mountains. She came back to Kamiakin because she liked teaching here. “I love Kamiakin and if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t have come back,” Bryd said.

Byrd grew up in Richland and went to Hanford High School. Then she went to Eastern Washington University. From there she moved back to Tri-Cities and was a student teacher for Katrina Kutschkau. Then she liked

Kamiakin so she taught for a few years at Kamiakin and then moved to Colorado.

“I plan on teaching in Washington for the school year, but in the summer I want to travel. I would love to go to all of the national parks,” Byrd said.

Other places Byrd would like to go to is the Half Dome in California, and Switzerland to visit her friend.

Byrd’s favorite class in school was math. Her favorite sport is basketball, but Byrd doesn’t have a favorite team. She just likes to watch all teams.

Byrd’s favorite football team is Broncos and her favorite holiday is Halloween. She likes to eat Italian food or meatloaf. “I love a loaf of meat,” Bryd said. Her favorite quote is “Not all who wander are lost,” by J.R.R. Tolkien.

While in Colorado Byrd learned how to ski, and her favorite type of

skiing is cross country. Also, Byrd’s favorite book is ‘Pride and Prejudice’

by Jane Austen. One of her favorite movies is “The ‘Burbs’ because it’s a dark comedy.

Some of Byrd’s favorite hobbies are hiking, biking, traveling, and crafting.

Byrd has a house mate named Quimby who is a Chihuahua Dachshund mix. “My favorite number is 182 because 82 was the year I was born. The eight has perfect symmetry and the two is even. 82 is too small, so it has to be 182,” Byrd said.

Allison Price: with dreams of happiness

By RONNIE HENDERSON STAFF REPORTER

S

ophomore Allison Price imagines everyone smiling when walking through the hallways because she thinks it would be happier. Price’s favorite color is either scarlet or maroon. Price started playing the piano at the age of 11 and is still playing today. She likes to go to church every weekend and likes making money. “I like making money by babysitting multiple times a month,” Price said.

Price enjoys her life at Kamiakin as well as most of her classes. “My favorite class is art because it’s a different academic class. You can do what you want as long as you get your work done,” she said.

Price’s favorite music is 80s

music. “I like it because it’s funny,” Price said. Also, her favorite movie is ‘Avatar’ made by James Cameron.

Price really has a lot of favorites. “My favorite food are sandwiches that are full and made with thick bread,” said Price. Prices favorite actress is Emma Watson and favorite book is ‘The Way of Kings’ by Brandon Sanderson. Price’s favorite holiday is Christmas.

“All the lights are enchanting and bright,” she said. One place Price would like to live is in the mountains, like a cabin in the woods.

“If I could be any animal I would probably be a tortoise because they live for a long time,” Price said. Price’s favorite place to go camping is on the west coast. Her favorite TV show is ‘Psych’ and one

sport she found interesting is precision walking.

If Price was stuck on an island, the three things she would bring are some type of communication, a water source, and a book on how to survive on an island. Price is interested in going to BYU, and her favorite type of trains are locomotives.

Price has lots of good memories from her time here.

“My favorite memory at Kamiakin so far is when a sub teacher brought in a giant bag of candy and three football players tried to get it open, but they couldn’t. So then I walked up with my scissors and opened the bag. Everyone was laughing,” Price said.

Something unique about Price is that she would rather spend time with her fam-

Sophomore Allison Price says that she likes teachers who take late work. Photo by Ryan Folta.

ily than anywhere else. One thing Price likes to do with

her family is watch TV with them and eat food.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Tribal Talk

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Print books vs. e-books: which is better?

Pro: Print books are the better way of reading

By EMILY BAER NEWS EDITOR

It’s a peaceful afternoon midJune. There’s a slight breeze rustling the grass, and a young teen is sitting beneath a tree at the park. They reach into their bag and pull out a copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ enjoying the faint smell of old books that tickles their senses. That teen has no idea that they are taking part in a battle with technology. As technology has advanced, bringing the invention of eBook tablets, the physical book has dropped in popularity. However, in recent years, the interest in preserving physical books has risen.

Nielson BookScan is a data provider for the book publishing industry, and recently it has found that book sales in 2014 went up 2.4 percent.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) conducted a study which observed that 57 percent of students prefer printed textbooks, while 21 percent prefer electronic textbooks. The war between printed novels and eBooks seems to be coming to a standstill, but as these statistics have shown, printed books are slowly

ascending in sales which could result in their victory against eBook tablets.

Junior Carissma Sartor said, “I prefer printed books because I love the feel of the pages and I feel that they give the story a little extra meaning because of the style of that particular book.”

There’s nothing like holding a novel in your hand, the way the author intended it to be read, and diving into its world of paper.

We are living in a technological revolution, and that revolution has brought eBooks to life. While there are benefits to owning an eBook, such as saving money on buying digital copies of books, and having a convenient access to any book you desire at any time; there are some setbacks.

One such setback would be the LED lights of electronics. By looking at an electronic device, or eBook in this case, before going to bed sleep promoting neurons are stopped because the artificial light activates arousing neurons. Those arousing neurons then keep an individual awake for a length of time.

Battery life is another setback of

eBooks. Paper books don’t have to be plugged into a wall every few hours in order to recharge so you can continue reading. While printed books last decades, eBooks have an unreliable lifespan. Just imagine being in the middle of a climactic scene in your book when all of a sudden your eBook dies, leaving you with a cliffhanger. A paper book wouldn’t do that to you.

Junior Alaina Ostler said, “I like the printed because of the way they

feel and smell. Also they don’t hurt my eyes as much as the artificial light does. I know it’s convenient to have so many books in your possession all at once, but I love the feeling a full bookshelf brings.”

Sleep deprivation and abandonment are only two of the heart wrenching cons to eBooks. The printed book is rising in the ranks; will you join its side?

The popularity of print books is on the rise among students. Photo by Emily Baer.

Con: E-books are the future of reading

By TAYLOR HUNZEKER STAFF REPORTER

With today’s technologies, people are able to read thousands of books at a touch of screen. E-Books have become popular in today’s society and

are also very useful. Having an electronic device that is very light compared to a hardcover book and is small enough to fit in a pocket can be a convenient.

With e-books, someone

can use up less room in their house to fulfill the task of storing their books. E-Books can be saved on a cellphone or tablet and thousands of books ranging from popular to unknown can be stored.

Books may smell nice and look nice on a shelf, but they take up space and can get ruined easily with their thin and easily ripped pages. Photo courtesy pixabay.com.

Books with more content and great stories take up more space in a room. Rooms of shelves can only hold so many books and can restrict someone from buying all the books they want. Also, when buying paper books, the cost of them can add up really fast. For example, buying the whole Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling in paper back on the Barnes and Noble website costs about $53.19, not to mention the last book in this series is 759 pages which means a much bigger book.

E-books also give readers the opportunity to choose from many different books.

The cost can become a concern, but not with e-Books.

On the Barnes and Noble website, the paperback book of ‘Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles’ by Marissa Meyer costs $9.99 and the hardcover costs $11.17. The

e-book costs less than both of these at a price of $7.09.

Also, e-books can be read anywhere at any time. With the option of recreating the font size and brightness levels of the screen, people can read their favorite books during a power outage or if they have lost their reading glasses.

Many thousands of trees are cut down a year to make paper for books. Cutting down the world’s ecosystems for entertainment in someone’s hand can be taken away in the future. With the continuity of making paper for books, more forests are destroyed and less amounts of oxygen are produced in our world.

E-Books are cheaper and more convenient when storing books and with the option of reading books at any given time and place, why would someone say no to e-books?

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

KaHS Editorial Board Chloe Grundmeier & Andy Ha, EICs Emily Baer, News & Feature Madison Morgan, Opinion

9

Tribal Talk

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Sierra Reams, Sports Amber Perry, Shenanigans Rachel Soh, Online EIC

What we think...

“

For sports, you are working out and practicing almost, if not, every day for at least an hour. You’re doing the same for P.E. So why not make sports a P.E. credit?

”

Why sports should be counted as a credit towards Graduation

O

ver seven million high school students play sports across the nation, according to a study in 2011 by U.S. News.

Sports are deemed an important part of the high school experience and are huge for school spirit. They require dedication, hard work, passion, time, and fitness. Sports are very physically enduring and definitely help students become more fit.

Physical Education is a requirement by schools for graduation.

In Kennewick School District, it is required for students to take three semesters’ worth of Physical Education and one semester of Health. It is mandatory for students in order to help them learn how to be healthy and how to get into shape properly.

Some students put lots of time into their sports both in club sports and school team sports. So why aren’t sports counted as P.E. credit?

Wouldn’t it make sense being able to get P.E. credit for playing a sport?

Students are putting in the work, the time, the effort, and dedication for the sport. Sports help teach how to properly become fit and teach how to live a healthier lifestyle through students’ participation.

So why is it, if one is playing a sport, they are still forced to take P.E. to graduate? In sports, players are working out and practicing almost, if not, every day for at least an hour. They’re doing the same for P.E. So why not make sports a P.E.

credit? It would only be logical. Doing P.E. and playing sports can get tiresome, so it would be sensible to make sports count as P.E. credit.

Not only does it make it more fair for athletes who are currently participating in sports, but it also encourages more students to participate in sports, and having more students participating has them more involved in school and keeps them busier.

It will also help students learn what a P.E. class doesn’t teach. By making sports count as a P.E. credit, it helps boost students’ self-esteem and confidence, as well as teaches them how to work together as a member of a team and how to be a leader. It also helps develop and better their cognitive skills playing sports.

It would help everyone involved.

Students will receive credit while actively participating in school, schools gain more athletes who are playing and see more school spirit and turn out at games, and parents will see their kids more involved with school and preoccupied.

Overall it would make a positive impact on everyone to count sports participation as a P.E. credit, obviously not giving a full credit or all the P.E. credits in one sports season, but making it half a credit per season like how P.E. is half a credit per semester. This would be reasonable and would be a win-win situation.

School administration feels it is their right and responsibility to look for any threats to safety on students’ social media. Photo courtesy of http://blog.eddirect.com.

Should social media be under the supervision of school security?

By KAYLEE ZUHLKE STAFF REPORTER

For reasons varying from social media threats to cyber-bullying to engaging in illegal activity, many school administrations have taken an extra step towards school security: looking at the online accounts of students.

Some students claim that this is a violation of their privacy – what happens on their own time doesn’t affect the school and therefore should not be subject to discipline on campus.

“Social media is a personal form of communication. The only time schools should interfere with a conflict on social media is if it’s on their page or directed at the school, or a school employee by a student,” said senior Vivian Thieleman.

Quite a few students seem to agree with Thielman.

“Depending on the student, if they have a bad track record, their accounts should be watched but other than that, the school administration shouldn’t be looking,” said freshman Anna Villa.

School security argues that moni-

toring social media is not only right, but responsible.

“If someone says they’re going to go blow up something or hurt another student, that’s something we want to know about so we can react,” said security officer Carl Hamilton.

Administration also claims that it’s important for reasons beyond just safety – it also comes down to professionalism.

“In high school, we’re preparing kids for adulthood. Their future employers can just as easily see the information that these students have put out to the public,” said security officer Audelia Dobin. “Basically how we get started is someone will complain about another person being mean and we’ll look into it. Nothing is private. NOTHING. Not even your Snapchat. Be careful!”

In essence, school security doesn’t investigate social media to be creepy – they do it because it’s their job to ensure the safety of all students alike.

If you don’t like your stuff looked at, put it on private, or don’t post anything you wouldn’t want them to see.

Tribal Talk

10

OPINION & EDITORIAL

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Q&A… IF YOU COULD HAVE A NATIONAL HOLIDAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

By KAYLEE ZUHLKE STAFF REPORTER

Name: Laura Nicoara Year: Sophomore “A day for weightlifting. I’m a weightlifter. It’s a way to get fit. It should be celebrated on my birthday (Aug. 22).

Photo by Madison Morgan

Name: Alaina Fillafer Year: Sophomore “National Coffee Day. If there’s already one, there should be a second day. It should be celebrated sometime during the summer, all day, and coffee chains everywhere should just load everyone up with drinks for free.

What reason do you need besides just... because… coffee?”

Photo by Madison Morgan

Name: Nick Olsen Year: Senior “Cute Underwear Day! Wear your cutest underwear. It makes you feel better about yourself. Participation is optional, but if you do, you win at life! Let’s celebrate it on my birthday (April 21).”

Photo courtesy of Nick Olsen

Name: Chloe Scott Year: Sophomore “National Running Day. It would be in September. That’s when cross country season starts. There would be 5K races around the nation to celebrate! Running is pretty underappreciated and doesn’t get the attention that it deserves.”

Photo by Madison Morgan

Risky YouTube videos could cause physical or emotional harm

By SIERRA REAMS SPORTS EDITOR

Nowadays, everyone watches YouTube and makes videos to become an overnight sensation. But how far is too far? Some YouTube stars, like Jeremy, Jason, and Mike-also known as TwinzTV-and JoeySalads, have been making some risky decisions by doing things a little differently with their channels.

From social experiments like “How to Catch a Predator” and “MONEY over a LIFE,” the YouTubers take things to

the limit even when knowing someone could get hurt.

Even though these are the types of videos that these YouTubers are set to make, they could potentially end in disaster. When JoeySalads did the video, “How to Catch a Predator” with TwinzTV, they had one of their friends pose as a young girl on a social network to see how many guys were older and tried to hit on her. When a guy wanted to meet up, they went to a hotel and set up a plan. While the

Screenshot of “MONEY over a LIFE” by TwinzTV and JoeySalads.

four guys hid in the bathroom, the girl would let him in and the guys would catch him on camera and report him to the police. But things took a turn when the “predator” barged in and tackled her on the bed. Luckily the guys were there to protect her and get the guy off of her in time. But what would happen if they hadn’t been there to protect her? She could have gotten seriously hurt.

In “MONEY over a LIFE,” one of the guys from TwinzTV or JoeySalads

goes up to an unsuspecting person asking if they can call someone. After they agree, JoeySalads calls the unsuspecting person back, telling them to pick up a tablet under a pole or bench.

Once picked up, the tablet shows a video of three guys, with masks on, holding a little girl. One guy proceeded to say, “Take the money, she dies; leave the money, she lives.”

The unsuspecting person would then have to make a choice of $100,000 or a little girl’s life. Unfortunately, one guy took the money and was later confronted by all four of the guys asking one simple question: Why? To which the guy replied along the lines with, “I don’t know her, so why should it matter?”

So, are these videos taking it too far? Or are they just putting real world issues on display for the whole world to see? Some may think they are taking it too far, and they are for the most part. These YouTubers are putting the world’s problems on blast and showing how the world is a dangerous place. They should be able to continue these videos and take the necessary precautions to make sure no one is injured.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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Are “ManM Buns” the next trend?

Chief Legends In Depth

The man bun is the next trend to sweep the nation.

By KACEY OWSLEY STAFF REPORTER

By MADISON MORGAN STAFF REPORTER

en have hopped onto the ‘Bun Bandwagon’ and have now created the age of the Man Bun. The man bun is literally a hair-do that is sweeping the nation at an impressive rate.

Male models are posing for pictures in the up-do. Many students have commented on how much they like or dislike the hairstyle and who can really rock the ‘Do’. Senior Zoran Djuric said, “Only certain people can pull it off.”

The glory that is the man bun has become a sign of unity. The unisex hair-do is making men and women equal and many believe that the long hair pattern is a great way to unite guys and girls everywhere.

According to a buzzfeed.com article, ‘Man Buns: A Chronological Hairstory’, man buns originated in the six and seventh century BCE in Asia. Man buns were popular in

Man bun trend too strange to stand test of time

By AMBER PERRY SHENANGIANS EDITOR

A

n incurable disease has struck Kamiakin, and this time it isn’t the flu. It is the attack of the Man Bun. Hundreds of boys desperately walk the halls cowering when one is in sight; jealousy strikes and the confidence crumbles. Principal Chris Chelin discussed the internal conflict. “I hate it when I do my (Man Bun) and I see someone else’s and it’s like wearing the same dress at Prom. Really embarrassing.” Not only does it affect the male population but the female as well. The Man Bun is so overpowering and galvanizing that the woman has been aroused to strange feelings. “I find them attractive as heck, I dunno!” said junior Alex Cesca. This disturbing problem certainly must be messing with their cognitive ability as well.

Other side effects include relatively long and greasy hair. Men just can’t handle the strange lengths their hair discovers, and so con-

Asia among ancient samurai warriors. . Even Buddha was known to have sported the look.

Celebrities such as Harry Styles, Jared Leto, and Brock O’Hurn have introduced the man bun into main stream media.

“I actually like man buns. It’s a good way to maintain long hair on guys,” said sophomore Allie Castañeda. Casteñeda feels that because men don’t have many options when it comes to hairstyles that man buns are a suitable choice for those with longer hair.

Popular man bun styles are the samurai, inspired by the Asian warriors, the top knot, in which the sides of the head are shaved, and the man bun, in which hair is put up to resemble a cinnamon bun. “…if you look good in a man bun, wear one. If you don’t look good, don’t wear one,” said sophomore Naomi Heuer.

Others will say it is a very alluring attraction feature on a male.

Senior Sierra Wilde said, “If done right, a man can look pretty attractive with it; not going to lie.” The man bun is a glorious addition to the many male features that women go crazy for; what will men do next?

fine it in the threatening grasp of the Man Bun. Simply they’re “... overdone,” as sophomore Andrew Crawford said. It’s impossible to not try and save the poor male head by severing the Man Bun. The urge can be felt whenever the Man Ban is present. One may plague your view perching on the top of its victim at an assembly, or one may threaten you in the hallway. The sickening conditions are endless. This disease also seems to be parasitic.

Apparently, according to senior Kaden Enriquez, there are certain *tricologic conditions for the Man Bun to survive. “It’s gotta be long and curly,” he said. But “…girls pull it off better,” said junior Emma VanEaton.

Decisively, the Man Bun is an obscene, crippling diseased bandwagon that has been foreseen to crumble and die. Senior Melanie Price felt that the lifespan of the Man Bun is “a fad, like (the) perm.”

The disease may somehow morph into dreadlocks, mullets, or even the perm may have a comeback; the true outcome is unforeseeable.

Simply put, “I don’t want to be mean, but it rhymes with Tool,” said senior Phillip Fishburn.

Donald Trump isn’t the only politician to sport the Man Bun. Photo courtesy of thecelebrityauction.co

Chief Legends IN-DEPTH

it ” n I s A “ xer x a V

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

12 12

Vaccinations should be required to attend school.

By CHLOE GRUNDMEIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Vaccinations should not be required to attend school.

By ANDY HA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

H

umans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. We have lived through many disease outbreaks, discovered many cures, and advanced in so many ways in the field of medicine and health. One advance that we have made is creating vaccines for fighting these diseases.

While humans have been on this earth for hundreds of thousands of years, vaccines have only been around for a few hundred years. Being vaccinated is required in all 50 states for children to attend public school, but there are no federal laws that require it. With that fact known, why enforce it?

For thousands of years, humans relied on natural remedies to heal the ill, and we still use some even to this day. It is something that has been around for a long time and will stay around.

A junior at Chiawana High School agrees with anti-vaccinations as well.

“It shouldn’t be required because there are religious people who don’t want it. There are also people who just don’t believe in vaccinations. It just doesn’t make sense because if you’re sick, you wouldn’t be going to school to begin with. The school shouldn’t be deciding for the kids.

The parents should,” she said.

Esther Irwin, a local member of our community, believes that vaccina-

n 2012, an outbreak of almost 50,000 cases of pertussis (leading to 20 deaths) affected Americans. This was the largest outbreak of whooping cough since 1955. In 2014, a huge outbreak of 667 cases of the measles swept America nationwide. This outbreak countered the idea that the measles had been completely wiped out in America in 2000.

These outbreaks of incredibly deadly viruses are because of one thing: the Anti-Vaccination Movements. These self-proclaimed ‘anti-vaxxers’ refuse to have their children vaccinated for reasons such as “Oh! Vaccines lead to autism!” False, proven by the CDC in 2013; and “Vaccines are filled with harmful ingredients that can kill my child!” False-the amount of possibly ‘harmful’ ingredients is so low it can cause zero repercussions to the child.

Kamiakin’s nurse Pam Kirkpatrick has had to deal with anti-vaxxers in the most respectful way possible. “The problem happening now is the people who proclaim themselves to be anti-

tions should not be mandatory. “I think the decision to or not to vaccinate should rest with the parents. Some children have medical issues and some parents have issues with what is being injected into their children,” she stated.

Irwin further explained why not to use vaccines. “Vaccines are not as safe as people would have you believe. Children have been injured and killed before by being vaccinated.

Do I think vaccines can help? Yes, to an extent. But I also think the human body has a tremendous ability to heal itself given the chance and the proper tools,” she reasoned.

As stated, there are also no serious diseases that threaten the United States. The United States’ environment poses no serious problems.

Most of the diseases that have become epidemics in the U.S. come from outside sources. In specific cases, it comes from people who left the country, came into contact with the disease, and brought it back with them. They then would pass it on.

A better solution on this controversy would be to have more control of vaccinations for those who travel in and out of our country instead of those in our country trying to get an education. The state should have no say in situations where a parent should be in control. If parents choose to vaccinate their children, then okay, but if they choose not to, children shouldn’t lose their right to an education.

vaxxers haven’t seen Polio or the measles for many generations and don’t remember the devastation and all the people who are disabled or have lost their lives because of these diseases. These ‘anti-vaxxers’ don’t believe in these horrible diseases; they aren’t real to them,” she said.

Since 2014 when the anti-vaccine movement really took off, many of these ‘anti-vax moms’ have changed their opinions completely, but almost all have waited until it was too late to keep their child completely healthy. Tara Hills, a Canadian mother of seven, changed her anti-vaxxer views after all seven of her children contracted whooping cough. In her blog post titled “Learning the Hard Way: My Journey from #AntiVaxx to Science,” she told her story.

“Emotionally I’m a bit raw. Mentally a bit taxed. Physically I’m fine. All seven of my unvaccinated children have whooping cough, and the kicker is that they may have given it to my five month old niece, too young to be fully vaccinated,” Hills wrote.

“My feeling on immunizations as a parent and a school nurse is it’s my job - especially as a parent - to do everything I can to prevent my kids from getting diseases that could potentially kill them,” Nurse Kirkpatrick said.

5

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1

29.6% of bo 80% of girls prefe

creamy peanut butte

39% of students’

names are spelled wrong at Starbucks

By the numbers taken from a random sample of 28 Kamiakin students.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

13

Chief Legends In Depth

The Election 50% of girls have “

cried within the last 6 weeks

14% of students want a National Sleep Day

oys dislike man buns

er er

’

s

I support Ted Cruz because he’s not Trump, Sanders, or Clinton.

Junior Robbie Jones

“

”

I support Bernie Sanders because he will help us get out of debt.

Senior Andrew Perkins

”

Chief IN-DEPTH Legends Apple should not let the FBI monitor the text messages and information on iPhones.

By MADISON MORGAN OPINION EDITOR

T

he FBI has challenged Apple’s refusal to create a backdoor to iPhones by citing the All Writs Act of 1789, which “… gives federal judges the power to issue orders to compel people to do things within the limits of the law,” according to www.smithsonianmag.com.

By using the Act, the U.S. Government has pressured Apple to create an operating system capable of retrieving an iPhone’s remote data, a capability which Apple itself does not have.

“We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook

14

in a letter addressed to Apple’s customers.

With the creation of this new iOS, the probability of iPhone hacking increases. “Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge,” said Cook.

Apple was asked to provide the FBI with a bypass code to the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorists so the government agency could retrieve the terrorists’ information. When Apple said no such technology existed, the FBI requested Apple modify its operating systems.

“While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect,” said Cook.

The U.S. government may want Apple to build a backdoor system, but at the cost of American privacy, getting into one iPhone is not worth compromising the security of millions.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Should Apple let the FBI monitor iPhones?

Apple should allow the FBI to monitor the text messages and other information on iPhones.

By KACEY OWSLEY STAFF REPORTER

T The FBI has tried to create a backdoor so they can access previously private information through Apple products. Many are completely against this because of privacy rights while others wish to do everything to keep America safe. Photo courtesy of Flicker

ech giant Apple Inc. was recently ordered by a federal judge to modify their current operating systems to create a backdoor, which would allow the FBI access to the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorists. CEO Tim Cook says that while it understands the FBI’s point of view, Apple cannot modify their iOS without compromising the security of millions of iPhones nationwide.

Apple should only violate their contracts with customers if government officials need to access impera-

tive information. For instance, if the police were working on a case and they have reason to believe that the person has broken the law on a certain level like drug dealing, murder, kidnapping, rape, or another serious crime, and they come up with valid proof, then they should be able to violate the contract.

“If it’s illegal, then yes, government officials should be able to get that information,” said senior Logan Foster.

The government is supposed to be able to keep order, and those who violate the law shouldn’t be able to have the same rights as everyone else because they have abused their freedom by taking advantage of it.

The government is here to set rules and when rules are broken, the law officials have to break some rules in order to bring justice to our world, but not everyone feels the same way.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Tribal Games SPORTS

15

Junior Kara Newcomb during a tennis match against West Valley. Photo by Sierra Reams

Springing into Tennis

By TAYLOR HUNZEKER STAFF REPORTER

T

ennis is a sport where everyone is invited to try out to be part of the team. The experience of fun practices and competitive games are what some students love to experience during their spring season, and being able to be out in the sun and playing with friends is something that many students enjoy.

Sophomore Katie Schweiger is on the JV tennis team, and this is her second year of playing. She plays doubles with her partner, freshman Jaylee Vergara. When asked about

what prompted her to try out for tennis she said, “I started playing last year, but my dad intrigued me to start playing.”

Schweiger started out by playing with her dad and brother, but now she likes to play tennis competitively with people she knows at school.

Schweiger likes both practices and games and thinks they are really fun.

When asked what was her favorite thing to do with her team mates on games days she said, “I like hanging out, talking, and getting to know each other.”

Schweiger loves playing the

sport but also likes hanging out with friends, too.

Junior Nicole Turnbull plays doubles with her partner, junior Alex Cesca on the JV team. When asked what she likes about tennis she said, “Hitting the tennis balls at the other team and winning the point.”

She likes being able to hit the ball a lot at practice and getting good lobs in games. Having fun at practices and games adds up with the fun she has with her partner on the court Sophomore Kahlea Sullivan plays on the JV team and plays doubles with her partner, sophomore Emma

Washburn. She loves playing the game queen of the court during practices and kicking butt in games. The thrill of winning and achieving goals on the court makes Sullivan happy when playing tennis. “I like that it’s different from any sport I’ve played before,” Sullivan said.

JV games are at 3:30 or at 4 p.m., and varsity games are at 3:30 or 4 p.m. unless the games are on the weekend, and then games are between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

New sports need to be formed in the school district

By RYAN FOLTA STAFF REPORTER

In the fall, the student body loves to gather in the evening and watch the football team play. In the spring, baseball, soccer, and track bring a huge following. There are many Braves who go without representation or recognition because their sport is not associated with the school.

There are more than just a handful of students who want to see their sport adopted into the program. The process of creating a school team is a very difficult, stressful, and time consuming ordeal, and to make matters more complicated, if a student wants to bring a sport to the school, it has to start out as a club.

First things first, a discussion with Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Casey Gant is required to see if it is even possible for the school to support the sport. If yes, a piece of paper with

50 signatures from students who will support the club and attend a meeting or event, as well as four signatures from a staff member must be collected.

One staff member has to be chosen to be an adviser for the sport. When all of those steps are completed, students must return to Gant with the paper in hand. It is then up to Gant to approve or reject the sport. If it is approved, then the sport will become an unofficial club that is associated with Kamiakin.

For it to become an official club or sport, it needs to be brought up to the board of directors of the Kennewick School District and can be either moved or passed.

There have been multiple attempts by a few students to add a Kamiakin hockey team and all attempts have been unsuccessful. Students have also tried to get a Kamiakin lacrosse team, but were also unsuccessful. The main reason why the teams failed to form is because of liability. If students wish to play lacrosse though, Southridge has a lacrosse team

Photo Courtesy of sportcenter481.com

that Kamiakin students can play on.

With that in mind, if the Kennewick high schools work together to come up with teams for the desired sports, chances are the idea of new school sports can become a reality.

TRIBAL GAMES SPORTS

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Sports Wrap-Up

By SIERRA REAMS SPORTS EDITOR

G

Girls Basketball

irls basketball had an exceptional season finishing with 10-10 overall in the Mid-Columbia Conference.

12/4 - Home - Hermiston - Loss 61-64 12/18 - Home - West Valley (Yakima) - Win 80-72 12/11 - Away - Pendleton - Win 61-56 12/12 - Home - Sunnyside - Loss 51-55 12/15 - Away - Eastmont - Win 78-48 12/18 - Home - Pasco - Win 76-52 12/19 - Home - Southridge - Win 52-40 12/29 - Away - Moses Lake - Loss 39-78 1/5 - Away - Hanford - Win 63-28 1/8 - Away - Kennewick - Win 77-46 1/9 - Home - Richland - Loss 54-57 1/12 - Home - Walla Walla - Loss 61-62 1/15 - Away - Chiawana - Loss 42-76 1/19 - Away - Pasco - Win 74-49 1/22 - Away - Southridge - Loss 48-49 1/23 - Home - Hanford - Win 70-34 1/29 - Home - Kennewick - Win 64-50 1/30 - Away - Richland - Loss 53-66 2/2 - Home - Chiawana - Loss 53-62 2/5 - Away - Walla Walla - Loss 53-54 The girls ended up making it all the way to state and finishing fifth overall.

G

Gymnastics

ymnastics took it all the way to state earning a total of 181.70 points in the team competition. The team won the 3A regional title for the third time in a row. Also, the team had a three-peat at state winning first overall for the third time in a row. State also claimed three Braves for some top ten spots. Senior Saige Polanik got third, freshman Abby Winstead tied for fourth, and senior Halley Gillen took tenth overall.

T

Boys Basketball

he boys basketball team had a strong season this year going a total of 15-5 overall. For the entire conference season they lost five games and won a total of nine.

12/4 - Home - Hermiston - Win 85-59 12/8 - Home - West Valley - Win 71-41 12/11 - Away - Pendleton - Win 64-40 12/12 - Home - Sunnyside - Win 64-53 12/18 - Home - Pasco - Win 72-43 12/19 - Home - Southridge - Loss 47-52 12/29 - Away - Stanwood - Win 47-42 12/30 - Away - Squalicum - Win 55-45 1/5 - Away - Hanford - Win 88-54 1/8 - Away - Kennewick - Win 55-50 1/9 - Home - Richland - Loss 70-72 1/12 - Home - Walla Walla - Win 46-36 1/15 - Away - Chiawana - Loss 60-74 1/19 - Away - Pasco - Win 62-28 1/22 - Away - Southridge - Win 70-35 1/23 - Home - Hanford - Win 47-43 1/29 - Home - Kennewick - Win 66-39 1/30 - Away - Richland - Loss 52-58 2/2 - Home - Chiawana - Win 57-48 2/5 - Away - Walla Walla - Loss 45-54 The boys worked hard this season to accomplish all they did. They had an exceptional season and have more to come.

T

Wrestling

he wrestling team this year had a lot to prove and proved it well. They ended the season undefeated and won the Battle of the Bone.

12/9 - Away - Hanford - Win 57-22 12/16 - Home - Pasco - Win 38-30 1/7 - Away - Chiawana - Win 35-27 1/14 - Home - Kennewick - Win 69-9 1/21 - Away - Richland - Win 46-22 1/26 - Home - Walla Walla - Win 50-17 1/28 - Home - Southridge - Win 50-12 Two Braves, sophomore Riley Gurr and senior Nick Little, were State Champions and the team placed fifth overall at state for the 3A class. At the end of the year, Coach Jordan Anderson was awarded the Coach Of The Year. When asked how he felt about winning this amazing award he said, “It’s an awesome accomplishment. It’s nice knowing that people are taking note of what’s going on.” Anderson also commended his other coaching staff for all they do. “I like helping kids,” Anderson said about why he became a coach, “I enjoy teaching them through wrestling. I enjoy the character that wrestling builds.” Also, Coach Anderson would like to teach his wrestlers that accompanies the sport.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

17

Month in Movies

2016 Oscars: still so white after 88 years

By ANDY HA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

S

o many amazing films were released in 2015.

So many of them were nominated for the Oscars, and many of them were snubbed. The main thing though with this year’s Oscars is that it is still so white after having been around for 88 years.

The 88th Academy Awards had many exceptional films and incredibly talented actors, writers, directors, and producers were nominated.

Comedian and actor Chris Rock was this year’s host and he did a fantastic job. His timing with his jokes were perfect. He made jokes on the twitter trend #OscarsSoWhite. He stated that he was told that he should quit and contemplated but then decided against it. He further humored the audience, talking about actress Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars and how she shouldn’t be boycotting because she wasn’t invited.

Several talented actors won their first Oscars this year. Brie Larson won Best Actress for ‘Room,’ Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for ‘The Danish Girl,’ and Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Bridges of Spies.’

Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar after six nominations, He won Best Actor for ‘The Revenant’

and received a standing ovation. He gave an empowering speech on climate change and how the world needs to work together to better the planet.

Sam Smith won Best Original Song for ‘The Writings on the Wall’ from ‘Spectre.’ He beat out the likes of Lady Gaga and The Weeknd, who were nominated for ‘Til it Happens to you’ and ‘Earned it,’ respectively.

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ received the most awards of the night, winning 6 Oscars out of 10 nominations.

‘The Revenant’ won 3 awards out of 12 nominations, and ‘Spotlight’ won two awards out of six nominations.

Other memorable moments from that night included Lady Gaga’s empowering performance of her nominated song, where, in the end she brought out survivors of sexual assault. Chris Rock also had his daughters come out to sell Girl Scout cookies to the nominees in the audience, which ended up earning them $65,243. The biggest moment of the night that had everyone talking on social media though was the reunion of Jack and Rose (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) from Titanic. In the end, some won and some lost, but they had fun and are still making millions.

88th Academy Award hosted by Comedian and Actor Chris Rock.

Photo courtesy of Oscars.go.com

‘The One I Wrote For You:’ a new type of competition

By SIERRA REAMS SPORTS EDITOR

Searching for a good movie is hard, but the search is over. This movie is on Netflix. ‘The One I Wrote For You’ is the story of a singer/ songwriter by the name of Ben Cantor. He writes music for his family and in the past for fame; but once he got married and had a daughter, things changed. Ben gave up his life goal of becoming a singer to take care of his family by working at a coffee shop.

This is definitely a feel good type of movie, and helps you to learn about what family means to you and how fame can change

Photo courtesy of Christiancinemas.com

you. It seems as though you can relate to almost every character in one way or another. It has all the components of a good quality movie. It has the loving family, the old friend, and then new friends with different stories to tell.

One day, Ben and his wife, Alicia, and daughter, Gracie, were watching the TV when a commercial came on for a new reality show that features new and upcoming singers. It starts with a competition to see who the top singer is and then they get to go on a national tour with the two previous winners; after that, a winner is chosen. Gracie signs her dad

up to be in the competition without his knowledge. Then when Ben loses round one, he will do whatever it takes to become number one, even if that means losing everyone close to him and even losing himself.

If you want a feel good movie and one that puts life, love, and family into perspective, then ‘The One I Wrote For You’ is definitely the movie to watch. It shows you not to take the things and people in your life for granted. And no matter how hard things may be, family and friends will always be there for you.

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

18 Kristina Webb: the internet’s young artist

By TAYLOR HUNZEKER STAFF REPORTER

T

wenty-year-old Kristina Webb is an internet famous artist. When she started her art account, @ colour_me_creative, on Instagram is when her inspiration and creativity started to touch the hearts of people all around the world.

Webb was born Sept.

8, 1995 in Tauranga, New Zealand. She started drawing when she was only 2-years-old and this is when her love for the colors and creativity of drawing began. Webb has always loved drawing, and in 2012 she finally decided to show her art to the world, online. She started posting on her Instagram and in the first two years she has gotten over 1.7 million views.

Today she has about 1.8 million followers.

Webb’s artwork has also been noticed by very famous figures like Cody Simson and Ed Sheeran and by well-known Youtubers like Tyler Oakley and Bethany Mota. She has even been able to work with Starbucks with fundraisers and designing their cups. Webb has been interviewed on Epic Read and on The Erin Simpson Show and even got to publish her own book, ‘Color Me Creative: Unlock Your Imagination’ in 2015. Webb was able to go on a book signing tour through the United States and was able to meet her fans and sign thousands of books.

Webb’s goal in life is to inspire as many people as she can, and that is exactly what she is doing through her artwork.

Webb often uses real online social problems in her artwork to commu-

nicate to her followers.

She has drawn with the themes of anti-bullying, self-harm and suicide prevention along with many others. Webb wants her artwork to touch others’ hearts and put a smile on people’s faces.

Kristina Webb is a girl who loves drawing, taking pictures and hiking with her sister and friends to see beautiful views of her home in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Webb still to this day is a popular artist on Instagram and has now been nominated in the Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award under the category ‘Favorite social media star’. With her amazing talent and love for the people around her, Kristina Webb will continue to inspire people.

‘Red Lips’ art print by Kristina Webb. Photo courtesy of colourmecreative.com

Toms ‘One for One’ mission: the art of giving back

By ALEJANDRO STAFF REPORTER

Toms is the company who is impacting lives in a positive way. Helping others is just what they do. Photo by Alejandro Andrade.

ANDRADE

Toms is a company where giving back and helping other struggling communities is what they’re about. For every shoe that is bought, they donate a pair to a child in need. This brand is mainly about helping others and giving back.

Toms has been receiving some good attention. The Paseo mid top sneaker for guys is very comfortable. They consist of a leather insole that goes perfectly with socks. It allows your foot adequate wiggle room. It’s a casual wear. Throw them on with any outfit and they will look good.

Toms has a variety of fabrics.

They have leather, denim, suede and many more. They run true to size. Since they are made from material that is a little looser, it molds easier to the foot. The

addition of a rubber sole was promoted on the shoe for traction purposes. The shoe is durable and can handle most conditions.

In the December 2015 Toms annual report, Toms and Toms’ giving partners have helped communities living in poverty.

Fifty million pairs of Toms have been given to children. They helped restore sight to more than 360,000 people and have given over 250,000 weeks of safe water.

They are a non­profit organization meaning that they do it for the people. They are always helping people in need and participating in events and fundraisers that give back. They are still trying to further their “One for One” mission.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Photo Courtesy of gamefiles.pl

Offical poster of ‘Fuller House.’ Photo courtesy of Episodetube.com

‘Fuller House:’ A nostalgic experience

By ANDY HA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After ending in 1995 and living through syndication, ‘Full House’ has made its return through Netflix; and its return is even fuller. ‘Fuller House’ follows the original show up with the same layout and similar plot line but with the gender roles reversed. And all the old cast members return to play their respective roles except the Olsen twins.

The show revolves around DJ Tanner, now DJ Fuller, a new widow, raising her three sons while working as a veterinarian. Stephanie Tanner, who has become a DJ, has taken time off from work to move home and help DJ. Also, DJ’s best friend, Kimmy Gibbler, an event planner and mother of one, moves in as well to help her out.

The show has its own quirks and is a cute family-oriented show, which is something not seen often anymore.

It is a throwback to many people’s childhoods and the 90s’ TGIF nostalgia. All the beloved characters are where they should be in life. DJ is still protective as always, Stephanie is still witty as ever, and Kimmy is

still Kimmy.

Though the show is well written, it does have some issues. The main one is that the viewer would have to watch the original series to understand the new one. There are many references to the original show and it would be confusing if the viewer hadn’t watched the old show.

Also, Michelle is not on the show and mentioned way too many times.

It gets a little overbearing. The mentions are hilarious but are slightly overdone.

Another issue is that it doesn’t have a set foundation. The show heavily relies on its predecessor to lift it up. And because of that, it is not certain whether it’s geared towards kids, or those who grew up watching ‘Full House.’

It is a great show. Obviously, due to it being the first season, it has some issues. It is doing a good job at modernizing the predecessor into a new format, but it falls flat on originality. It is good show. Having grown up watching it, those who did as well will love it. Those who didn’t might not enjoy it as much.

‘Undertale:’ Modern throwback

By T.J. ROLES STAFF REPORTER

‘Undertale’ is a roleplay game (RPG) that takes its graphics back to the classic styles, such as Nintendo’s ‘Legend of Zelda.’ This game follows the story of a character that the player names as he finds himself trapped below the world we currently inhabit. This subsurface world contains all the monsters who were banished to this underground realm after they lost a war with the humans.

CreatorToby Fox came up with the idea of a game where the participant can choose whether or not to kill their opponents. It’s unusual to have that choice, but it affects the outcome of the game.

The game features three play styles such as the True Pacifist run, where the player chooses to befriend their opponents instead of killing them. The Neutral run allows the player to both befriend and kill characters. The Genocide route is where the player kills everyone.

In the game, players are accompanied by various characters on their journey back to the human realm, characters such as Papyrus (datable character), Sans, and Flowey. Befriending characters can also have an outcome on the end result of the game.

This game comes packed full of surprises and is overflowing with unique objects and things to explore. Although not as popular as triple A games being released today (games with high budgets including games such as ‘Call of Duty’ and various other ones), it still is a game loved by its growing fan base.

This PC exclusive game is purchasable on Steam. Even though it’s only on PC, it comes with controller support for those PC games which have either an Xbox controller or the new Steam Controller, which allows various ways of playing for those who enjoy exploring new ways of playing their favorite games.

Released in September of 2015, the first few months it’s been out has given it enough time to grow in the hearts of its many player who can join in on the fun and impacting game for a different experience that strays from the normal shooters played today.

Hopefully in the future there will be more games by developer Toby Fox that are as good as, or better than ‘Undertale.’

Tribal Reviews ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

20 Tomatalk’s

Book Club Passenger

Gone

BY: Alexandra Bracken

By EMILY BAER NEWS EDITOR

Time travel, a mysterious murder, a seemingly impossible quest with a deadline, and romance are factors that make ‘Passenger’ by Alexandra Bracken a book that readers cannot put down.

Etta Spencer is a violin prodigy who just wants to make her debut as a musician, but secrets from her mother’s past come back to haunt Etta and flip her life completely around. After discovering a family gift, Etta embarks on an adventure that will change who she is and what she believes.

First & Then BY: Emma Mills

By EMILY BAER NEWS EDITOR

This coming of age novel follows Devon Tennyson through her senior year.

Several unexpected changes occur in her life. One such change brings her cousin Foster, and the other one brings football star Ezra.

She learns that life never goes the way you expect it to, and that might just be a good thing. Witty and sarcastic, this book is one that will make you laugh and fall in love with the characters.

Passenger and First & Then.

Photos Courtesy of Goodreads.com

BY: Michael Grant Tomatalk Certified

The Thief Lord

BY: Cornelia Funke

By AMBER PERRY STAFF REPORTER

Stepping foot into Venice, neither Prosper nor Bo could’ve imagined the result. Running away was a last resort, a desire to escape the horrible life that was home. Boyhood never was as good for them.

Until they realized the horrid truth of being runaways- no place was home. At the abandoned theater in Venice overthrown by the Thief Lord Scipio, mystique and magic meet.

Fueled viciously by his desires to become older, The Thief Lord leads children through petty crimes across Venice, hoping only to be taken seriously. Hungry to be understood by the adult world, he steals without remorse.

Before long, runaways Prosper and Bo are swept into the adolescent smuggling ring by force. Unable to stand up to the Thief Lord, they succumb to the fantasy of thieves, selling goods to the Conte, Ernesto Barbarossa. However, this time Barbarossa doesn’t just want pocket change. And there’s a catch, or rather a catcher on the trail: Victor Getz, a detective in search of Prosper and Bo. In the middle of a match between the infamous Barbarossa, Victor, and The Thief Lord lies the conflict.

A mystical tale of a merry-go-round which can change a person’s age. Who will stop the Thief Lord before making his greatest mistake?

Funke weaves a rich tale of frantic chases through canals, islands, orphanages, and through the torn heart of an abandoned boy. The theme of deep abiding question of quiescence to growing up is portrayed in each character. Will suffering in childhood be ended in adulthood? Will the stifling life of a man be ended with childhood?

By T.J. ROLES STAFF REPORTER

‘Gone’ is an interesting book by Michael Grant in which everyone in the small town of Perdido Beach, Calif. over the age of 15 vanished one day.

None of the young people understand what’s going on, and they had best act quickly as people turning 15 are mysteriously vanishing. Sam is almost 15 and must find a way to not vanish to ensure the safety of everyone, for they all look up to him. Then people start gaining these weird powers, like Sam and his ability to shoot light (that burns whatever it touches).

Scared and alone, kids from a boarding school down the street from Perdido Beach emerge and take over the town, unleashing total anarchy. For a unique read, look no further than the ‘Gone’ series by Michael Grant.

Caught in the Act BY: Peter Moore

By T.J. ROLES STAFF REPORTER

‘Caught in the Act’ is a book by author Peter Moore that follows high school dramatic arts actor Ethan Lederer and his interactions with the new student of his school, Lydia. The story is from the perspective of an honors student who, by the “help” of a new entity, breaks away from the mold of a straight A student. He learns about the interesting side of life and how different everything is. A good read for anyone looking for a good book.

Gone. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com Caught in the Act. Photo Courtesy of Goodreads.com Photo courtesy of wallpaper222.com

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

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ADVENTURES WITH TORODO

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School

BY: ERICH RIEGER

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FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 The Tomatalk • Kamiakin High School