December 13, 2011 VOLUME 17 ISSUE #3

Auburn Riverside Student Voice

2 12/13/11OPINION

InFlight is compiled by the student news-paper staff at Auburn Riverside High School, 501 Oravetz Road, Auburn, WA 98092.

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InFlight policiesin fli htgStaff ReportersJaymes FleuryLisa GrayKelley Pickett

Guest ReportersMackenzie BrownDevon GonzalezCarley LikesCole LindellAlice Roup

Editor-In-ChiefShayla McGinness

Business ManagerLisa Gray

AdviserPatrick Swenson

Greetings from Newspaper

InFlight wishes you all an extremely happy holiday!

Cover IllustrationKelley Pickett

Reindeer, mistletoe, angels and bells are all symbols of Christmas but a Christmas tree can be the most important. A Christmas

tree is the symbol of Christmas regardless if it’s real or not, but when you cannot even take the time to get a real tree and experi-ence a true Christmas then you must be crazy.

“Going and getting a Christmas tree is a family tradition, but I don’t mind either way,” Principal Dave Halford said.

In my opinion there is nothing like the smell of pine trees, and if you don’t like a real tree you are not in the full spirit of Christmas. Ever since I was little I have always had a real tree. Every year my family goes together, picks a tree, and cuts it down. Yes, pine needles may be a little messy to clean up, but is that actually a problem when you can have the nice smell?

“I chose real trees because it is not Christmas without a real tree,” sophomore Jacob Lonergan said. “A fake tree, A fake Christmas.”

I totally agree with Jacob. Fake trees can be ridiculous, especially with all the weird things on them. Today you can find any kind of fake tree you can think of. Some trees can have that silly fake snow on them or the pre-lit trees that already have the lights on them. I do not really think that a Christmas tree should have snow on it if it’s inside. People can be lazy enough to not even put up their own lights, too. In my family, decorating the tree is a thing we do every year, not just to bond over the wonderful holiday, but to also to make our tree unique.

One problem that people might have with choosing a real or fake tree is deciding which tree is the more green choice. Real trees are the more green choice for many rea-sons. For example, a real tree can be used over again. When Christmas is over and we are done with the tree, it can be shredded into bark for our yard.

“Fake plants save money and trees,” freshman Ciara Weybrew said.

There is absolutely nothing people can do with a fake tree but throw it away or put it back in the garage for next year. No one wants to store a fake tree or have to go through the trouble and hassle of taking it out of storage each year and putting it away when you can just go get a new one.

Real trees look better, too. A fake plastic tree takes forever to assemble and does not look good. They have big holes in random places and plastic things all over. You don’t have to assemble a real tree do you? Plus, real trees are pretty inexpensive. Christmas trees can be bought for as little as 10 dollars, and a fake one can be from 35 dollars or higher. Fake trees are just a waste of money.

Wasting time, money, effort. Fake Christmas trees just don’t provide a solid replacement for the real thing. Therefore getting a real tree is the right choice for the holidays.

Grabbing the ladder and going up into the rafters of the garage to get the long dusty red, white and green box. Now in the family room, all

the kids gather around and start pulling out random green branches. Yes, this a fake Christmas tree. A fake Christmas is not always the popular vote, but the one time that I did have a real Christmas tree there were way more negative side effects than positives.

When you pull a fake Christmas tree out of the box it is clumpy and lumpy but within 15 minutes of spreading out the artificial twigs it can look big and bushy, just like a real Christmas tree, and stay that

way until Christmas is gone and it goes back in the box. But that is not the case with a real tree; a real tree is a pain to get on/in the

vehicle then getting it into the house and putting it in the stand. Shortly after getting the tree into the stand a vacuum has to go over the path from the door to the tree to pick up all of the pine needles that were left on the ground when the tree was carried into the house. But don’t put that vacuum away just yet be-

cause vacuuming at least once a day will become a necessity if you want to continue to see the color of your floor on

Christmas morning.Clearly the United States is in a recession and

everyone is trying to find creative ways to save money. Christmas is already expensive, with buying gifts and food

so why go and spend 70 dollars on a tree that will only be there for maybe two weeks. But, for not that much more money

you could get an artificial tree. It may not seem like saving money at first but in the long run it will. Artificial trees last

a minimum of 10 years and that is 700 dollars that could be put toward different things.

When asking around Riverside, the main reason why real Christmas trees are better than artificial trees are be-cause you don’t get the fresh pine smell in your house with

an artificial tree. Well there is a quick fix to that: option one is to get something like ancar air freshener . . . but actually a good smelling one and stick a few of those

around your tree as ornaments for an evergreen aroma. If that does not tickle your fancy then there is actually a spray you can buy and spray on your tree so that will make your tree smell treeish.

When the holiday season is over you take all the decorations off the tree and put them into boxed warped in old newspaper. But what do with your tree? With a fake Christmas tree you just take apart the tree, put it back into the box, slap some duct tape on it and it goes back into the garage. But

how do you get rid of a real Christmas tree? Do you have to take it to the dump or does the garbage man take it away? I am sure people have their own way of getting rid of their Christmas trees, but personally I

just think it’s a pain.Overall it is clear to me that fake trees

are better than real ones.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree . . .LISA GRAY

Staff ReporterCARLE Y LIKES

Guest Reporter...be real! ...be fake!

The tree in the main office is fake. What kind of tree do you prefer?

PHOTO BY LISA GRAY

312/13/11 OPINION

Walking in the bathrooms here is like a form of cruel punishment. The long standing problems we have to suffer through with them is getting ridiculously long. The maintenance of the bathrooms themselves have fallen rapidly over the years, and even though some little issues have been fixed, the ones that still continue to be a huge hassle outweigh them.

Dirty, filthy, unsanitary, barely functioning. Yes, all of these adjective describe our bathrooms. Despite the hard work put forth by the janitorial staff here, the unhygienic and sometimes downright destructive habits of fellow students here seems to overwhelm the attempt to keep them clean and in working order.

Some main issues with the bathrooms can be broken into three mains categories: cleanliness, function, and appearance. To be more specific, cleanliness as in how clean and hygienic the bathrooms are; function as in whether or not the bathrooms work as they should; and appearance as if them looking bad actually inhibits the defacing of them.

To begin, a thorough examination of the bathrooms are in order. A fellow newspaper staff member and I went into all the girls’ bathrooms and identified the problems within. The problems ranged in severity, and we noticed a similar theme to all of them. Here is what we discovered.

The first thing noticeable was the dingy and clogged sinks. There were smears of what I could only guess at on the mirrors, and litter on the floor ironically feet away from the trash can. Apparently, some students didn’t get the memo about the gray circular bins being used for trash. It was quite comical actually. I was afraid of opening the bathroom stall door and seeing whatever gross horrors lay within. It was like watching a scary movie, where you’re yelling at the silly girl for going upstairs towards the noise. When I did finally open them I was disappointed and grossed out. Never in my life would I have thought that girls — especially high school girls — would wipe their body secretions on the walls. I can only imagine what the thought process was: “Hmm . . . I wonder what this soft white tissue is for? Oh well, I’ll just man vs. wild it.” Almost like looking on the wall next to

the bed of a 9-year-old who picks his nose: horrific and something that could absolutely be left to the imagination. Not only that, but girls are bringing food into the bathrooms and leaving it in the stalls or strewn accross the sinks.

“Why would you bring food into the bathroom in the first place?” senior Jacqueline Forester said. “It’s really nasty.”

To boot, some toilets weren’t even flushed. Needless to say, these bathrooms are a health hazard. We may have janitorial staff to do basic cleaning and sanitizing, but it’s not their job to clean up after our disgusting messes. Also consider this before you smear something on the walls or whatever your method of defacing them is: would you do this to your own bathroom? And would you be embarrassed if someone saw you doing that? Let’s have a little class and be ladies inside the bathrooms as well as out.

Marian Sanchez agrees, “They’re disgusting.” When asked if it was the lack of cleaning from the janitorial staff or the girls who go here she also agreed that “it’s probably the girls here.”

The next category is function, a major issue with the bathrooms. In all of our bathrooms there was at least one appliance that had a problem or didn’t work at all. For example, in the bathroom by the library, it’s only cold water and in the process of writing this two of the broken faucets have finally been fixed, after a good month or two of being broken. In the bathroom by the gym someone ripped off one of the metal handles. They also have out-of-order stalls as well as the bathroom right above it.

The science hall bathroom is infamous among girls because only one sink works with only cold water, and the large stall is out of order. Also, there are two air dryers, only one of which actually works, and it only blows cold air, which takes a good three

to four minutes (besides the time of using the bathroom) out of class and/or passing period.

This is seriously pathetic. I’ve seen better bathrooms that actually work at bus stations. I would even go far as to say that Mountainview’s bathrooms are better than ours.

Not only that, but the bathrooms are out of soap more than half the time. When most of the sinks don’t work and the bathrooms are constantly out of soap, the logical conclusion is that girls aren’t washing

their hands. I’m sure the boys have similar issues as well. This mean that multitudes of students aren’t washing their hands they are spreading whatever bacteria or viruses they carry to unwitting students and staff. Granted, budget cuts are getting more and more common and severe every year, but this shouldn’t compromise the school’s ability to provide students with bathrooms that function properly and are hygienic.

The last — but not least — category is appearance. Our bathrooms are all the same bland color. Ranging from the light and bland brownish beige on the walls to the dingy off beige of the tiles and the bathrooms stalls themselves, which is the same color as you know what — fitting I suppose, since they enclose toilets. That being said, I have a theory. Maybe because the bathrooms look like poop, the students treat them that way. If we had bathrooms that were nice and bright and looked clean, we would actually take care of them. It would instill a sense of pride that our bathrooms are nice, which would make us treat them

better. A quickfew coats of paint would work wonders on the dungeon-like rooms, or even simply painting the stalls. Yes, that would be time-consuming and possibly expensive, but asking for donations is a simple fix. A fundraiser could also be held.

Our bathrooms are a serious problem. Appearance aside, the simple fact that students aren’t washing their hands due to a lack of the bathrooms being able to operate is a big health concern. Students should be able to use the bathrooms without fear because they are dirty and not functioning. It’s a two way relationship: students need to take better care of the bathrooms not only for themselves, but also for the sake of other people and the janitors or whoever is in charge of keeping the bathrooms functioning should do so when it comes to out-oforder stalls, broken sinks, lack of hot water and the like.

Bathrooms breed bad habits and health hazardsSHAYLA MCGINNESS

Editor-In-Chief

PHOTOS BY SHAYLA MCGINNESS

PHOTOS BY SHAYLA MCGINNESS

The girls bathrooms often look this way.

Many sinks don’t work right or are unusable.

This isn’t where students should find stir-fry.

4 12/13/11OPINION

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Prepaid credit cards—an easy alternative to gift giving. They’re quick to buy and they work almost everywhere. However, prepaid credit cards have difficulties some may not even know about.These cards are an overall waste of time and a waste of money.

Don’t get me wrong, prepaid credit cards have their perks. Like that they are available everywhere. “They’re easy to use and they’re easy to buy,” said junior Ashley Demoss.

Which makes total sense. And they can teach valuable lessons. “They teach kids how to be responsible with their money,” freshman Johnny Robertson said. “If they lose it, they probably won’t get it back.”

But these cards’ problems can easily outweigh the perks. When you’re buying a gift, you would like to get the most for your money, wouldn’t you? Too bad when you buy a prepaid credit card, you have to pay an activation fee. Sometimes it’s $5, sometimes it’s a percentage of the amount you got on the card. Either way, you’re paying for more then you’re getting.

For an extra $5 you could just give a gift of cash that’s worth more than the prepaid credit card, or give them what you originally chose to spend and pocket the extra cash. “The fact that you have to pay fees on them is stupid,” junior Alan Hernandez said. “I’d much rather give a friend cash.”

Extra fees only really serve as a frustration for the buyer. For those who receive the gift? Well, they might find themselves robbed of money as well. If you intend on giving

MACKENZIE BROWNGuest Reporter

Prepaid cards destroy christmas cheer

this gift to someone who is saving up money, I suggest you don’t.

After six months, whether you use your card or not, you lose, commonly, $2.50 every month. A $25 gift card could be gone after just 16 months.

Along with spending with the money you don’t get, simply losing your card can cost you. Prepaid credit cards can’t be returned to you if they’re stolen. That is, unless you take the time to write down the 16 digit credit card number. Even then, all you can do is report it stolen.

All in all, the prepaid credit cards are not an obvious choice for a gift. I recommend avoiding them and sticking with the classic gift card or, maybe even try giving a well thought-out gift.

Take a second to imagine this:Holiday cheer is in the air. Cookies and milk have been

set out for jolly intruders. A large nondenominational holi-day inspired tree is glowing, and beneath it are presents…so many presents…more presents than we Americans would like to admit to buying.

Whatever happened to one present? One present care-fully handcrafted, made with time and love. Specifically engineered with the giftee in mind? When has it become tradition—no, a REQUIREMENT—that children are showered with gifts upon gifts? Toys and gadgets that they often trash and only appreciate for the attention-span of a goldfish. Why are we younguns so focused on quantity and not the heart placed in a gift?

I would take a homemade present over a store-bought present any day.

Not to go off on a “consumer-driven-holiday” rant, but in all honesty, I feel that we should admit that this is what our Christmas has become. We live in a constant supply-demand world. Our wants constantly surpass our needs. We “need” a new cell phone, despite the fact that the old one works just fine. We “need” an 84 inch flat screen television because the picture’s not clear enough on the 62 inch. We “need” a giant house with 17 bedrooms, two family rooms, and six bathrooms (for a family of four, of course). We have mutated into needy beings who have “needs” that are no longer needs. We are surrounded by society’s expectation that we BUY BUY BUY! And sometimes, I feel like we don’t even realize it. Take a second and breathe that in.

How many times have you been sitting on the couch,

watching the latest episode of Jersey Shore, or Desperate Housewives, or whatever it is we kids watch nowadays, and caught yourself entranced by the infomercial blotching up the screen? Admit it. It happens to the best of us. The Magic Bullet replaces your fancy five-speed blender. Snuggies conquer blankets knitted by Granny. Fushigi Balls trample all over the plastic bouncy balls of the past. The new age is coming, with the force of a full-speed train.

We want it all. We want it now. We want the best money can buy. And our image of the holiday season has suffered because of it.

The winter season is no longer about getting together as a family to watch cheesy holiday movies, sip hot cocoa and exchange a small token of appreciation. It has been taken away by promises of iProducts and disappointment when we don’t get EXACTLY what we want. Kids are becoming spoiled rotten to the core.

My solution? The Year Without Presents.Don’t fret, I’m only kidding. The economy would plum-

met, and I will not be responsible for starting the beginning of the end. Rebellions would spur. Supporters of the Year Without Presents would be persecuted publicly for the hei-nous crime of the prohibition of presents (Yes folks, I rocked that alliteration like a boss). Executions, jail-time, factories in lieu of meltdowns, crazed shopaholics with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs and resort to crimes of murder and passion—for Prada.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. But the idea’s still there. Even one holiday season without the ability to buy an insurmountable number of gifts would be chaos to all involved. It’s ridiculous to think about how detrimental it would be for a simple holiday based on cherishing faith to just disappear…all because of presents.

You can see how ridiculous it all is. How much emphasis is put on what doesn’t matter. I want my innocent Christmas back. I want homemade gifts that I will keep for the rest of my life. I’ve lost interest in presents without meaning. I want to give and be given, for the sake of giving. Not for the sake of wanting.

Who’s with me?!

Show families love not empty walletsKELLE Y PICKET T

Staff Reporter

Have a problem? Need a question answered? Want to know the staff better? Just toss a note into lock-er #4070!

Ace ask ~The helpful mate

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW.FLICKR.COM

512/13/11 OPINION

COLE LINDELLGuest Reporter

Celebrities get off too easyThese days, celebrities can pretty much do what-

ever they want if it doesn’t involve murder. Some-times you wonder what are these people are thinking. Young celebs coming in and out of jail is not healthy. They should be enjoying their life and if they do make a mistake they need to do their time.

Why do our U.S. judges think that since somebody has a lot of money or is really famous that they should have as many chances to do the right thing as they want? In the news lately, Lindsay Lohan has been in and out of court just getting more community service. When she showed up late to the Los Angeles morgue she was turned away. When she returned to court for violating her probation, the manager of the morgue demanded that she should suffer the conse-quences any guilty person deserves by law.

“I think what she has done is outrageous,” junior Chris Boetcher said. “And she really needs to switch back to ‘our’ team and be a ginger once again.”

Personally I believe that if celebrities like Lohan keep getting away with things like this, then regular citizens are going to want to be treated the same way as Lohan or Paris Hilton. I mean this brings up the situation like “monkey see monkey do.”

“I hate this! I think this is an injustice,” freshmen Mi-chelle Sims said. And she makes a valid point.

Other kids disagree with Sims’ opinion and think she is doing the right thing. “Lohan is a smart girl,” freshmen Austin Tew said. Tew said who would want to do community service. Imagine our world without any rules that mean anything, because that is where this world is headed.

I think if you don’t show up for your court date or are late to your community ser-vice project you need to own up to your actions. But this will never happen until our judges have some guts and actually stand up to rich famous people.

Whatever you think is right, I think it is about time we have a change for once. I think if this judicial system changes, our world will be a lot better. The law is the law and I believe it affects all of us no matter who we are because if you never suffer the consequences, you will never learn.

Community service has always been my favorite way to give back to the community. Whether it is helping out my church, or cleaning up a community park, whatever it is, it makes me happy. There are many kinds of groups in our school that constantly try to help the community, like RAKE club, National Honors Society, KEY Club, and Raven Crew. All these clubs do community service to better the community.

A lot of people do not like doing community service because they just don’t know how to do it. Or there’s the classic “I don’t have enough time” excuse. Community service should be a sacrifice of time, and with the trade of time the community is bettered in the long run.

One of the benefits of doing community service is the good feeling people have afterwards. It can also get people in the holiday spirit! We have all seen Christmas movies where the hero does something for someone and it means the world to them.

Senior Ashley Badgley helps the community in many ways. One way she volunteers is at her church. “My church and I help the community,” said Badgley. “We volunteer at the food drive and the Blanket drive.” There are many reasons why people do community service, and Badgley does it because she enjoys helping people, which is always welcome in society. She also has received a scholarship for doing community service.

Another student who volunteers is freshman Natalie Mendel. She also enjoys doing community service. “I enjoy seeing the impact I make when I help out,” Mendel said. “It is not particularly hard to do, but is actually really easy.”

The school district also wants to see students participating in community service and has required that all high school students have to acquire a mini-mum of ten hours. Principal Dave Halford supports this, for it allows the students who leave to hopefully

become better people. Doing community service also gives you memories.

A couple of years ago I volunteered at my church to help landscape a shelter for abused families. My group and I had to pull the weeds and repaint the duplexes for the families. It was an extremely hot day and it was hard work, but it was worth it in the end when we saw the little kids peeking through the windows. And when we were all done the kids came out and we played soccer with the massive tape ball we made. It was a lot of hard work, but the look on the kid’s faces was well worth the work.

Helping people isn’t the only way people can volunteer either. Simply recycling helps our community, and in turn protects the environment. Sophomore Nicole Coppla always tries to recycle when she can. “I always take the top off of water bottles and the little tab things from cans,” Coppla said. “I’m just trying to do my part for the environment.”

Community service is not a hard thing to do. People should stop making excuses and do it, and I will guarantee that you won’t regret helping someone.

DE VON GONZ ALEZGuest Reporter

Students improve community

I love Toms! These shoes are appearing around our school more and more. However, unlike most fads, these shoes actually have a purpose. For every pair of Tom’s shoes we buy, one pair is given to a child in need.

When pondering how many people live their lives without even the simplest of comforts, the idea of paying to help give someone shoes isn’t so difficult to justify. I try to buy Toms whenever I need a new pair of shoes because I know that people are really benefiting from my small gesture.

I saw first hand last summer when I went to Nica-ragua and visited a school. Most of the children were barefooted, but a few were fortunate enough to have received a pair of Toms. These shoes protect children from soil transmitted diseases and injury.

Secretary Marilyn Jenkins understands the true purpose of these shoes. “Those children need our assistance”Jenkins said. “It’s nice not to see corporate greed.”

Why aren’t all shoes made this way? Obviously the business model works and people are susceptible to the idea. Think about it. Instead of buying sweat shop made shoes from China you could be helping those who are un-able to buy their own shoes. With the wealth of America vastly outweighing that of the countries we can help, we have a moral obligation to help those in need.

Apart from being beneficial to humanity, these shoes are quite fashionable and come in a number of different styles. Freshman Daisha Campbell said her favorite kind is the “Plain gray; they go with everything.”

There are classics, botas, wedges, and wrap boots in a variety of colors. They have even come out with a wedding line. All you could need in a pair of shoes you can find in Tom’s shoes.

Now, it is often girls who wear these shoes, but there are men’s styles as well. Senior Reed Guisinger is skepti-cal, saying “I have no problem with girls wearing them” but “only a select few guys can pull them off.”

While these shoes do tend to be a bit on the feminine side, I don’t think guys should really be that concerned with their masculinity. Honestly, if a pair of shoes is the only thing protecting your “manliness” then you have bigger problems.

Toms shoes are a great way to help support the global community and do what we can to buy responsi-bly. Buy Toms!

Toms shoesSaving the world, one pair at a time

ALESSANDRA ROUPGuest Reporter

Never fear! Toms are here!

PHOTO BY DEVON GON-ZALEZ

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, BLOGSPOT.COM

Seniors volunteer their time to raise money.

6 12/13/11NEWS

Clubs featured

this month:

Club Bulletin BoardWant to learn how to break dance? The new Break Dancing Club meets every Wednesday, Friday, and some Mondays. The purpose of the club is to teach the students of Riverside how to dance. Also, to improve the skills of those who already know how to dance. If you have any interest in break dancing, go check it out! They practice at 3:00 under the stairs by the bus zone, and occasionally in Ms. Stowe’s room.

Ping Pong Club is a fun, exciting place for any students who like to play ping pong, or if they are interested in learning how to play, or just to have a great time. It’s an excellent way to get to hang out and play ping pong. This club is competitive yet a friendly way to have fun. Ping Pong Club meets every Wednesday before school at 7:30 a.m. in Ms. Anderson’s room. All you need to bring is a paddle and a ball.

National Honors Society

The Occupy Seattle protest has just been evicted from their spot on the Seattle community college cam-pus. Protests had been escalating for this branch of the worldwide social upris-ing is made up of “A diverse group of Se-attleites” according to OccupySeattle.org.

The reason for the general Occupy pro-test has been the “undue sway over deci-sions” big businesses have over political decisions and “to focus elected officials and the voting public on the majority’s desire to take our government and coun-try back from the big money interests.”

Opinions on the movement vary within our school and the greater com-munity. Some focus their attention on the favorable aspects such as Principal Dave Halford. He appreciates the fact that it shows “that we live in a country where people can express their beliefs.”

Other students disagree with the way the protesters are trying to in-cite the change. Senior Taylor Raw-son said “I agree with the fact that there is corruption in the banking system and corporate leaders. But I don’t think they should be removed.”

Negative sentiments in Seattle are also on the rise. Something called an “Oc-cupy fatigue” according to Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur. People are getting tired of the constant presence of

ALESSANDRA ROUPGuest Reporter

Occupy Seattle Evicted protesters as the months draw on. Ultimate-ly resulting in the eviction of the protestors. However, some also feel that these pro-tests are also trying to incite change in the community and nation. Junior Zane Nuttal disagrees, saying that he does support the message of the movement. “I really am hop-ing [the system] will change,” Nuttal said.

Although protests have been suspend-ed there are plans to shut down the Port of Seattle on December 12th. The nation watches as Occupy tries to raise its voice.

Break Dancing Club

Club D.E.C.A is a club where students can learn much needed business and leadership skills. It’s a great club to have on a résumé. D.E.C.A meets about twice a month in room 201 after school, and everyone is welcome. Their goals for this year including getting more products than last year to sell.

D.E.C.A Club

Ping Pong ClubNational Honors Society meets the first Thursday at every month at 7:45 a.m. in 406 (Mrs. Neu’s room). The president is senior Will Cadra, vice-President is senior Jillian Stanphill, vice-president of communications is senior Katie Alexander, public relations is senior Brooke Hanson, secretary is senior Alix Butt, and treasurer is senior Jessie Moden. To join the club you have to have a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, OCCUPYCVILLE.ORG

Two and a half weeks ago, on Friday November 25, Jeremiah Carter, a math teacher at Auburn’s Mt. Baker Middle School was searching up near Mt. Rainier National Park for the perfect Christmas tree when he lost his footing and fell 40 feet to some snow-covered rocks.

It all started with an original family tradition with ten of his relatives, cutting a Christmas tree down out in the forest. Carter finally saw the perfect tree on a rocky ledge. Carter, with his brothers Aaron and Tim, were successful in cutting down the tree.

A couple of seconds later, Carter lost his footing and plummeted to some rocks covered with snow. Luckily, Aaron had emergency preparedness training and a general idea on how to handle the situation. The family was able to move him to an area where the paramedics could treat him.

The paramedics made a quick decision to have Carter airlifted to Harborview Medical Center from a nearby airstrip.

Beloved teacher hospitalizedCOLE LINDELL

Guest Reporter When he got to the hospital, the doctors determined he had broken four vertebrae, punctured a lung, and broke some ribs.

The next day Carter went into a seven hour surgery which fused together four of his vertebrae, sealed his lung, and stabilized his broken ribs. After surgery Carter was not able to move his body from the waist down, but had some partial feeling.

“I am surprised at the exponential growth of [my healing],” Carter saids “My body has healed so quickly from the accident.”

Mt. Baker Middle School had a day called Caps for Carter. If a student or teacher brought at least a dollar, they were allowed to wear a hat all day long. Caps for Carter raised a total of $1,033.76. All of this money will go to benefit his family. This will help pay for the cost of his medical bills.

Carter now has a website where you can see his story and make tributes to him at www.caringbridge.org/visit/JeremiahCarter15.

PHOTO COURTESY JEREMIAH CARTER

712/13/11 FEATURE

MACKENZIE BROWNGuest Reporter

Winter is upon us. This also means that the holiday season is in full swing. With Christmas only a few short weeks away, businesses are busily hiring to keep up with customer’s demands, and specifically teens are desperately searching to supplement their wallets.

According to simplyhired.com, seasonal jobs sky rocket around the middle of Octo-ber and rapidly fall during the latter half of January. These fourth months seem to be the busiest and expensive consecutively for teens. From Halloween and Thanksgiving to Christmas (or other holiday), and New Year’s, these months are bank account drainers. The rush particularly starts to pick up around Christmas though.

“Between 25% and 50% of total annual retail sales take place during the holidays,” Alison Doyle, at About.com Guide said.

If finding work soon is a major issue, here are some possible seasonal jobs, which include but aren’t limited to retail, food industry, and outdoor activities.

Because the holidays are a time of buy-ing, retail is a prime target to look for jobs. Stores, particularly at the mall, are hiring exponentially to supplement the onslaught of holiday shoppers. A great place to look would be clothing stores because they’re a popular item for Christmas and also electronic stores since the newest technological gadget is on most people’s lists. The easiest way to find work is to actually go into the store and fill out an application; this may also provide the

Winter holiday jobsopportunity to meet a manager which could help in acquiring the position available. Hit as many stores as possible; the more the better chances are of being hired.

The food industry sees a rise in custom-ers since a majority of people are out shop-ping during the winter months. Places to look, besides fast food, would be restaurants around busy shopping malls and other places of shopping that get busy. Besides being able to be fast and alert, minimal skills are needed for these types of jobs.

Another line of work that hires extra helpers during the winter months are ski resorts. This is a pretty obvious one since the resorts are only for skiing, snowboard-ing, and tubing during the winter.

The two big mountains around here are Crystal and Snoqualmie. Both ski resorts are looking for lodge attendants and lift operators. To find out more information or to apply go to www.crystalmountainresort.com and www.summitatsnoqualmie.com.

The holiday season can be very expen-sive so finding a temporary job can be in the best interest of many, particulary teens.

back in demand

It was a month long celebration in which men and women didn’t shave. Those who participated believed that this “celebration” had many causes, but this month long event had more of a meaning then just a time to slack off on personal hygiene.

Did you noticed a group of kids with beards walking around the halls of Auburn Riverside? According to senior Michael Hickey, there was a certain look to behold. “I like to embrace the lumberjack inside me,” Hickey said.

While some kids participated in the faux holiday for fun, or to embrace another side of them, some students actually did it for the purpose it was meant for. While UrbanDictionary.com says it’s “a time to celebrate masculinity,” No-Shave November is actually a time to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

The time is for everyone, not just men. Most girls prefered not to celebrate, however. “Why not?” said junior Kristjan Kay. While it was a month not to shave, most people were confused on its purpose. Luckily, Kay knew exactly what it was about. “I do it to raise awareness, for prostate cancer.”

SHAYLA MCGINNESSEditor-In-Chief

No-Shave November became hairy situation

Because of the nature of these er, hair photos, the ladies remain anonymous.

Many kids at Riverside have participated in the event for many years. For senior Reed Guisinger, it wasn’t his first time trying, yet it was his first time reaching success. “I’ve done it other years, but I’ve never been able to go all the way. I usually shave mid-November. I figured it’s my senior year, why not go for it,” Guisinger said.

So what was so wrong with it if it was a purpose? To freshman Jenna Caneva, nothing. “Some people don’t really look good with beards,” Caneva said. “But I guess if it’s for a purpose, it makes more sense.”

No-Shave November, also called Movember (because you’re supposed to be making an attempt to grow a mustache), has charities, including the Movember Foundation. The Movember Foundation believes that No-Shave November should be used to help men’s health issues.

Although the holiday may allow some people to look grotesque, it’s a holiday for a cause. People shave because they care.

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ

PHOTO BY KELLEY PICKETT

Many guys had grown beards by the end of November.

8 12/13/11

Figure skating can be done as an individual, a pair, or in groups. There are many levels of ice skaters, ranging from a beginner all the way to an Olympic level, otherwise known as a senior. All levels can skate for local, national, and international competitions.

Sophomore Patrik Kosyuga is a figure skater here at Auburn Riverside. Kosyuga started skating when he was only 11 years old. The first time he touched the ice was when he went to a friend’s birthday party.

“I instantly fell in love with it,” Kosyuga said.

CARLE Y LIKESGuest Reporter

Kosyuga has been skating ever since then. His love for the ice is his inspiration, and every time he goes skating it feels like the first time again. A couple people who inspire Kosyuga are a pair team, Jessica Dibe and Bryce Davidson. Jessica and Bryce have been skating together for a long time and they are a great pair.

Being a figure skater takes a lot of time. Because of this disadvantage, all of Kosyuga‘s free time is spent practicing. “I miss a lot of school from all my morning practices,” he said. There are fewer guy figure skaters so it’s easier to get known in the sport or to become placed in a higher rank.

This could be one of the main advantages.“There are more advantages

then disadvantages,“ Kos-yuga said.

Figure skating is known for the lifts and jumps. One of Kosyuga’s favorite tricks is the Double, which is a jump with two full rotations or 720 degrees in the air. Through all of the tricks, he picked the death spiral as his most difficult that he has done so far. The death spiral is a trick where the girl is on her deep edge with her body close to the ice and her skates are in a circle around the guy who is down in a low pivot position holding her by the arms.

Kosyuga is a hard working figure skater with a passion to skate and is willing to give the time and effort to make it big.

The sweet nectar of the Winter season. Delicious both warm and cold. As I consume this god-like libation my stomach screams “YES!” but my arteries scream “NO!” What’s that, stomach? Those arteries are dumb? High-five! Of course, I am speaking — nay, I am praising — Eggnog.

What can possibly be better than the perfect mixture of frothy eggs, milk, and spiced nutmeg? And yes, only those above 21 should be praising the addition of either rum, whiskey, moonshine, or other alcohol of preference. This creamy and rich drink has an even richer past and tradition. But nothing can compare to

Combine eggs, milk and a lot of other sweetening products and what do you get? You get a really gross Christmas drink that looks like the color of sandy milk, also called Eggnog. Personally, as someone who doesn’t like milk unless it has two or three squirts of chocolate in it, I did not have high hopes for the holiday drink.

But as my friend brought the pink Minnie Mouse cup filled with Eggnog closer and closer to me, I started to turn toward the door, my only escape from the evil cup, but the door was blocked by two big people. The cup was placed into my cold hand, and I realized I had no choice. With everyone’s eyes staring me down, I brought the toddler cup up to my nose and got a huge whiff of cinnamon. It was now or never. Time to separate the children from the men . . . well I guess

LISA GRAYStaff Reporter

Eggnog debacle creates colliding noggins

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

Pro Nog: Con Nog:its hearty taste.

Ever hear the saying “use your noggin?” Let’s just say that the term “noggin” meant something a bit different in the 18th century. A noggin was a small carved wooden mug used to serve alcoholic drinks in taverns

(opposed to tankards, which were larger and served by the fire). Often served in this noggin was a drink called egg-and-grog. What’s grog? Well, alcohol was very expensive to obtain in colonial America at the time, so a cheap rum

was bought. This rum was known as grog. So, what do you get with egg-and-grog served in a noggin? Eggnog.

Eggnog is definitely a love or hate drink. For starters, one should know wheter or not they enjoy egg products before consuming this beverage. Next, one must not simply chug eggnog. No, one must

savor every ounce, every sip, of this wonderful glass of winter joy. Only then can one truly enjoy the righteousness of eggnog.

women. Tilting the cup back was a mistake. The holiday drink went flying out of my mouth as quickly as it went in and the yel-low substance sprayed the people watching me with anxious eyes. All the wonderful things I heard about this heart-warming drink

were wrong. It tasted like over-cooked milk someone tried to hide with a combination of spices.

My prediction of me hating that awful liquid was correct. It is a thing you either love or hate.

Everyone’s taste palate is different, so it is definitely just one of those drinks you have to taste for yourself. So go out to a store or rob a friend’s fridge and try EggNog. Just remember, you have been

warned.

PHOTO BY JAYMES FLUERYPHOTO BY KELLEY PICKETT

FEATURE

912/13/11

The Raven RulingInFlight staff votes on culture

35 7

1

Ugly Sweaters White Coke Cans

Family HolidayPhoto

4444

Real Trees

If taken correctly, these photos can be fun for the whole family, but if done incorrectly, then prepare yourself for the embarrassing Christmas cards.

Gotta love that real tree smell, but no one enjoys the mess. Real trees were the original Christmas tradition but fake trees are the new Holiday fad. We’re split right down the middle of the tree trunk on this one.

We all have one of those Crazy Aunts who loves to embarrass us with knit sweaters. They are made from the bottom of the heart but it chaffes your pride.

This limited editon Coke can caused some consumer confusion, even though it was in support of polar bears in the Arctic. Coke pulled the cans, but we still love ’em.

FEATURE

Auburn Food bank helpswith busy holiday season

SHAYLA MCGINNESSEditor-In-Chief

The Auburn Food Bank is currently look-ing for Christmas toys and food to restock shelves for the fast approaching holiday season. According to Debbie Christian, the ex-ecutive director of the Auburn Food Bank, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for all food banks and any donations are very much appreciated.Since bills and such increase in the winter, “money runs short for food, so they have to use the food bank more often,” Christian said. The Auburn Food Bank distributes Holiday Baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas. “We try to make our Holiday Baskets full of everything a family would need for a traditional Thanksgiving/Christmas meal,” Christian said.These items include turkey or ham, potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes, flour sugar, butter, eggs, rolls, pumpkin, canned fruits, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce and stuffing. Over one thousand families are served with these Holiday Baskets. Peanut butter, pasta and hygiene items

are in short supply and are needed as well as food for the Holiday Baskets. The Holiday Baskets were distributed from Holy Family Church located on 17th St SE, on November 23rd and the upcoming date of December 21st. Besides helping families with the Holi-day Baskets, they also have a Christmas Toys donation. The Valley Regional Fire Au-thority and the Auburn Food Bank partner up to provide gifts to children twelve years and younger who live in Auburn. Children must be registered at the Auburn Food Bank by December. “Unwrapped, new gifts are welcome and can be dropped off at any fire station here in Auburn . . . or here at the Auburn Food Bank.” Christian said. According to Christian, as the struggling economy stretches on, the need for Food Banks is increasing. Families who used to donate regularly are now finding themselves in the Food Bank line. “Standing in our line is not fun. It’s an incredibly humbling experience,” Christian said.

10 12/13/11A&E

One word: intense. The players of Riv-erside’s drama department had a perfor-mance that was nothing short of fantastic. Their adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank really shined light on how sus-penseful and frightening it must have been in that tiny annex.

I have to begin this review with the stage itself. Because the families in the annex never re-ally went anywhere for two whole years, the stage was a permanent setting. A full reconstruction of the annex, slightly bent to fit on the stage. Each room had walls, but each wall was carved away just enough to say “hey, I’m a room. But I’m also a window!” I thought it was extremely well done. Every time characters went into their rooms, you could still see what they were doing and how they were interacting.The annex was complete with working doors, staircases that lead to an attic, and a water closet (bathroom).

Now onto the real meat of

the play. There were two different casts. Each and every member was able to cause intense situations or whimsical ones with a snap of the fingers. Their arguments were genuine (a very hard thing to do on stage), so the audience could not help but feel sympathetic for the hidden family. Espe-cially for the children growing up around

Cast, set, message impressive in ‘Diary’ productionJAYMES FLEURY

Staff Reporter the feuding adults at such a fragile time of their lives. Both Peter and Anne grew into young adults over the duration of the play, starting as excited children to an age much older than 15.

The performance went on just long enough for the entire audience to be-

come attached, which really made the ending hit home. Seeing those Nazis creep up the steps to the annex door made me want to stand up and shout “Look out!” Yet the Nazis still swung open the door and shattered the lives of the families with their screams of “Go! You Jewish dirt!” They were pushed shoved and hurried out of the annex within a matter of a min-ute with plenty of shout-ing and screaming.

Then — immediate silence. Both on stage and in the seats. The scene is still, ambient sounds can be heard in the background. Moments

Talented sophomore artist

KELLE Y PICKET TStaff Reporter

Auburn Riverside’s halls are flooded with artwork. Thoughtful artwork is plastered throughout the school, covering the walls and any other available surface, ready to be appreciated by the mass globs of students, staff and visitors. Each year Riverside gains new artists, who throughout their years here, make for a colorful splash.

Get ready because here comes Taylor Wega. Wega is a quiet, independent sophomore delving deep into the world of drawing this year. She’s a talented girl with a sweet smile, attempting rigorous techniques and mastering them swiftly and thoughtfully in the Advanced Art class taught by Kathy Lobdell.

Recently, Wega won the highly coveted Blue Ribbon Award at the Puyallup Fair Juried Youth Art Show for her piece titled “Mom’s Memory.” This award was featured in the Auburn Reporter. She also rocked the Auburn Riverside Art Show of 2011, stealing First Place in the Color Drawing category as a freshman, which is no small feat.

“I was very surprised and ex-cited about it,” Wega said about her awards. With a nervous laugh, she added, “I just love art!” She spe-cifically enjoys landscapes and farm

scenes, which she describes as interesting as well as fun to portray. Currently, her piece, “Mom’s Memory” is set up in Riverside’s Main Office.

“I’ve always loved to draw,” Wega said.

“Last year I decided to stick with it and took Drawing 1 and 2.” Art teacher Kathy Lobdell is happy to have her in the art room, where she works studiously, and quietly.

Wega is a member of National Honor Society, and she also plays mid-field for the Lake Tapps Lacrosse Team. Her role models are her parents and grandparents, who are all hardworking and supportive of her pursu-ance of the arts.

She is continuing next year with art, and even hopes to incorporate it into her career after college.

DE VON GONZ ALEZGuest Reporter

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ

later, Otto Frank (Kyle Stocker) appears in the annex once more, a few years after his experience in the concentration camp. Otto gives a tear jerking monologue, giving some detail of the concentration camps and the death of his and the other family members. The lights dim, the curtain closes, and the play is over. But not a single soul dared to clap right away. Who would cheer for such a deeply sad ending? But when the curtain finally re-opened, with full cast taking their bows, the audience finally erupted in well-deserved applause.The audience was then invited to participate in a moment of si-lence to remember the victims of the Ho-locaust. The Holocaust is obviously a dark subject, and the story of the annex is only a glimpse into the difficult time. The cast members did a fantastic job respecting the victims of the horrific event. They have set the bar extremely high for themselves and I await their next play with much anticipa-tion. Auditions have already passed for the next play and the cast has been chosen.

This play hit my standards for an ex-cellent production. The set was amazing, the cast even more impressive. I left this plat wanting more and with new respect towards the drama department and all of their hard and quality work.

PHOTO COURTESY OLIVIA BIDLEMAN

Enough talent in the drama department allowed director Karla Seman to field two unique casts to perform on different nights.

wins coveted juried awards

Sophomore Taylor Wega and “Mom’s Memory.”

Elder Scrolls ‘Skyrim’ a winner

It has come. Prepare yourselves. Skyrim has arrived and is here to stay!

11/11/11 was marked by all true role playing gamers as the day of one of the most anticipated RPG games this year, and it did not disappoint its fans. For those who don’t know, Skyrim is the next game in the Elder Scrolls series. The previous game, Oblivion, was a huge success, receiving praises as being the “RPG game of the year” in 2007. Now, four years later, Skyrim has been receiving praise from many acclaimed sources such as Game Stop, Gamesradar, Joystiq, and IGN.

In the game, players start off as a prisoner on the way to the ex-ecution block, but then make their escape when a dragon destroys the town the player starts in. After that initial beginning, the game is for the players to explore and conquer. Either continue the storyline and learn what it means to be a “Dragon Born” or explore the massive world of Skyrim and immerse yourself in hours upon hours of role play-ing goodness.

If the hours of possible game play still aren’t convincing, the graphics in the game are phenomenal. The dragons look like dragons, mammoths look like mam-

moths, and the artwork is noticeable in everything.

But even though this game is amazing, flaws are still to be expected. There are still small, noticeable bugs, such as rocks not fully created and flying mammoths (when you first see it you will be amazed). Also, the characters’ faces still do not show much emotion when talking.

These little bugs really do not hinder the game in any way, and the characters’

faces really aren’t that big of a deal because you will be too absorbed

in the conversation to notice their faces.

Out of this amazing game, only one thing really bugs me. You would think that dragons would be the fiercest and scariest things outs there in Skyrim. And once you kill a

dragon you feel amazing. But there is one creature I fear even

more than a dragon . . . and that would be the Giant. A normally

peaceful creature . . . until either you get too close or you mess with its

mammoths. Then it will chase after you and with one hit with its club send you flying 900 feet up into the air.

But all in all, this is a fabulous game that any video game player should get as soon as possible!

1112/13/11 SPORTS

Senior Danielle Robinson is flipping her way into success. As an Auburn Riverside Gymnast she is flexible, strong-willed, and just plain fierce. She has been a gymnast since she was eight, when her mother, now the Riverside Gymnastics Coach, encouraged her to try gymnastics. She did Club Gym until the sixth grade, and then switched to school-ran gym-nastics. She has been doing school gymnastics ever since, and is currently participating on Riverside’s team.

During the winter season, Robinson spends about thir-teen hours practicing for gymnastics each week. She goes from school to gymnastics practice at 4:30 to soccer and then home for homework. Needless to say, she’s crunched for time. With family and friends and other obligations, how exactly does she manage to fit everything into the day?

“I stay up a lot and I give up my sleep,” she admits, “I have to stay prioritized”. It’s a balancing act, maybe even harder to balance on than the beam itself. She has to work hard to maintain her grades as well as make time for her friends. It’s a lot to ask of a high school student. Quite a bit of sacrifice. Even though being a dedicated athlete has its setbacks, Robinson still loves the sport for many reasons. “Being able to see myself improve from where I started and being able to work with all the great girls on the team is my favorite part,” Robinson says. It makes gymnastics worth

the while. Her least favorite part, she says, is that she gets frustrated with herself, a small price to pay for her stellar talents.

Robinson is a versa-tile athlete, although she excels in gymnastics, her focus is soccer. Robinson is also a defender for varsity and club soccer, and plays outfield for varsity softball. She will not be continu-ing gymnastics after high school, but instead she has received a scholarship to Eastern Oregon University to play soccer for the year of 2012. She would like to major in the health field.

Gymnastics has also taught Robinson quite a bit. “It’s been good,” she comments about her experience with the sport, “Challenging because I’ve hit some rough spots but I know everyone does, and is okay.” Robinson was one of two girls from Riverside to make it to districts last year, and out of seventeen girls on the gymnastics team this year, we have high hopes she will make it again.

Robinson balances gymnastics, soccer, prioritiesKELLE Y PICKET T

Staff Reporter

A very small percentage of high school football play-ers actually make it into the National Football League. It is even less likely that a former Auburn Riverside football coach is coaching him. Yet against these odds, receiver Max Komar and offensive coach Shane Day are in the NFL for the Chicago Bears!

Former student Max Komar graduated in 2004, and played wide receiver for the Ravens. By the end of his high school career he had successfully completed 113 passes for about 930 running yards. Komar also had seven intercep-tions.

His career in football didn’t slow down there. He con-tinued to excel in football, playing for the Idaho Vandals.

In 2006 he completed 17 passes for 313 running yards as part of the Vandals’ re-ceiver rotation, and in 2008 he played all 12 games, starting in two.

This performance got Max Komar noticed by the Arizona Cardinals, where he played eight games with a total of 117 receiving yards in 2010, during which, the Cardinals had a 4-4 season.

Then, this year Komar was traded to the Chicago Bears. Although not techni-cally playing for team yet, Komar is in the line up, preparing to be a receiver for the Bears. Komar is ready to prove himself and make Riverside proud. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Previously mentioned Coach Shane Day also has an interesting history. After coaching at Riverside, he went to coach for the 49ers for three years until he was taken on by the Chicago Bears in 2010. Day is still coaching for the Bears and teaching new quarterbacks. Max Komar and Shane Day, are both now representing Riverside in the NFL.

DE VON GONZ ALEZGuest Reporter

Senior Danielle Robinson is a gymnast, but she will focus on soccer at Eastern Oregon next year.

Max Komar, Shane Day together as Chicago Bears

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, ZIMBIOI.COM

Riverside grad Max Komar played eight games with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010.

Max Komar Shane Day

PHOTO COURTESY DANIELLE ROBINSON

Senior Danielle Robinson

PHOTO BY DEVON GONZALEZ

12 12/13/11SPORTS

The girls basketball team is off to a good start after its first two victories of the year against Edmonds-Woodway and Inglemoor, winning 55-51 for the first and 56-52 for the latter. This year’s captains are Jalea Crump, Karina Gee, Kendall Foster, and Erin Bang. The goals for the year are to tune their skills and of course make it to State, coach Terry Johnson said.

“We have a new, young team, so we want to make sure we have improved by the end of the year.”

Sports Update

Two weeks ago the team had their Auburn Invitational meet and finished in fifth. Our teams placed well individually. The varsity team had multiple teammates place: 1st place taken by Edward Yakim-chuck, 2nd by Keaton Dalfrey and Spencer Cowlishaw, 3rd by Nate Mead and Dylan Ghetian, and 4th by Landon Stockton and Michael Ajeto.

Last Wednesday the wrestling suf-fered a tough loss against Kentwood High School. Our team won 5 matches, had 4 pins and 1 forfeit. The ending score was 11-51.

Wrestling

The beginning of the season started on the 14th of November, with returning players Jaray Bates, Prince Ligon, and Bridger Harlington.

The team has had a rough season so far, by having their game stolen during half time against Decatur, and then a last second loss against Kentridge where Jaray Bates had 15 rebounds with 15 points.

There are still plenty of games to come; the next home game will be on the 3rd of January against TJ.

Boys Basketball

So far the swim team has had a great start, with their first meet on the 1st. Eight swimmers qualified for the 200 medley and 200 freestyle district relays.

“The whole team swam well,” Coach Patrick MeKeehan said. “I was very pleased.”

These eight swimmers are Drew Ridge, Michael Baber, Mitchell Bredl, Sean Caldwell, Luke Andrews, Thomas Henline, Eriik Snyder, and Adam Bena-bid.

There was speculation of where the team would be this year though.

“We graduated a lot of seniors last year so I wasn’t sure where’d we be competively,” MeKeehan said.

They are hoping to finish in the top three or four this season.

Girls Basketball

Boys Swim