Volume 43, Issue 1

TROY INVOICEnovember, 2012Auburn High’s Student Voice Since 1969

253.931.4880 │mwasserman@auburn.wednet.edu

The Auburn High School

Trojans barnstorm through playoffs“We da boss, so we let

the pads do the talking,” said, Auburn’s tight and de-fensive end, Kevin Shelton.

Auburn High School is back on track this season returning to the playoffs after last year’s upset and more ready than ever to demonstrate what type of team they have become.

According to senior T.J. Muao, it is not a shock that the football team is having the success they are having this year. “It’s no surprise. We’ve all worked for where we’re at and we can only go further.”

This year’s team has ad-vance in the playoffs after a regular season record of 8-2. They won their first playoff game against Olympia (41-38) and their second game against Eastmont (20-7). Now the Trojans face Mead this Saturday the 17th at 3pm. When asked where they see this year’s football team plac-

ing in state this year, senior Leroy Arnold said, “I see us being a state championship contender because all our players have a good leader-ship role and the mental-ity to win a championship.”

Shelton for one, embraces his leadership role. “I do my part and encourage others to try their hardest. If every-one does their own part and works their hardest, we can be unbeatable,” said Shelton. Ac-cording to Shelton and others, this year’s team has been suc-cessful because the team has been working together to get better and most important-ly working hard, a football team consist of eleven players out on the field, not just one.

“The seniors are being role models instead of just being players. We go out there try-ing to win, not just wanting to win, which helps control the attitude the lowerclass-men have toward the game,” said Leroy Arnold. He went

on to say it is the seniors take the game seriously, which helps the team to play better as a whole. The seniors are doing their part to support the team and that seems to help the rest of the team stay on track, with their grades off the field and their effort on the field. Without good academics there is no way a player will be allowed to play.

Even if the Trojans don’t make it to a state champion-ship, they have become a team with more experience and more dedication to win com-pared to last year’s upsetting season. The team has accom-plished big goals as a unit, from making Auburn the elite football team they once were, to returning the rivalry trophy from the cross town rivals, to making it back to the play-offs. Muao remarked, “We’ve definitely come a long way from last year. It was a good turnaround for the program and I’m definitely happy.”

Alan MunozREPORTER

Courtesy of Michael Atkinson

This coming December students and teachers in the Auburn School District are in for a change con-cerning Winter Break. Instead of having our last day of school be-fore break be on a Friday, this year our last day is on a Wednesday.

Students and parents across the district are wondering who decid-ed this change and why? Evidently there’s a calendar committee who decides certain dates throughout the school year. They submitted this calendar, along with a few oth-ers, to the Auburn School District who had the final say. The Auburn Education Association, which is the teachers union, was able to make suggestions about what the teach-ers preferred but the decision ulti-mately rested in the District’s hands.

Some students are concerned that this break may seem shorter be-

cause we lose a weekend, “Having a three week long winter break is well appreciated, it gives time for the holidays. Then once they are over, students have another week to relax and get ready to go back to school,” says Freshman Montel Smith.

The last three days of break are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, where we have no school. On Thurs-day January 3rd, students can return to school sleepy-eyed, begging for a few extra days of sleeping in until noon.

Mr. Zimmerman voiced his opinion saying, “I have seen [this winter break layout] work in oth-er districts, so I am excited to see how it works here.” It will be in-teresting to see how people feel when December rolls around.

Shopping for gifts may also pres-ent challenges, “I don’t think the 4ish days we get before [the holi-days] will be enough,” junior Mag-gie Elston says. People who use their winter break to get some last minute shopping done may hit a bump in the road this year.

Freshman Shane Benner says, “I

spend my break time with my fam-ily and now that it’s shortened… I don’t like that because I believe time with your family is important.” Break is cutting into students and teachers time with their families.

Especially if you have guests flying in, you may not get as much time with them as you’d originally hoped.

This year winter break starts on Thursday, December 20th, having

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes-day as school days. A weekend of winter break is lost due to break starting on Thursday. The second week of break is a full week of no school. The following week, or the

last three days of break, has Mon-day, Tuesday, and Wednesday as no school. On Thursday, January 3rd students return to school with only two days left of the week.

2012 winter break “breaks” break traditionJustina Brown

REPORTER

News…..............2Features..........3-6

Profiles...............7Opinion..............8INDEX

The calender represents our break over December and January this year.

TROY INVOICE

EDITORIAL STAFF

Co-Editor ….......…..…................Holly LaneCo-Editor ….............. .…..…..Justina BrownAdvisor..........................Micheal Wasserman

REPORTERSLucky Backus

Stephanie Masterman

PHOTOGRAPHERAlan Munoz

REPORTING INTERNSSamara Chapman

Tylor CooperGabrielle DozierBrittany Estigoy

Aaron FoustAustin LaneJoey Crowell

Alicia PetersonThalia Kirst

EDITORIAL POLICYTo maintain a high standard of journalism, the Troy InVoice adheres all AP news writing standards. All members of Troy InVoice staff have agreed to this policy, and it will remain posted in the newsroom throughout the year. The Troy InVoice will strive toward excellence in every issue. It will aim to be a vital part of Auburn High School’s student body, and staff.

Auburn Senior High800 Fourth St. NE, Auburn, WA 98002

Newsroom: 253. 931. 4880 ext. 1309Fax: (253) 931-4701

Troy InVoice

news NOVEMBER 2012PAGE 2

On October 15th Auburn High students arriving on cam-pus were welcomed by the af-termath of vandals. Windows were shot out throughout the school, as were windows at the Auburn School District pool, located next to Auburn High. The Auburn Police Depart-ment believes that the dam-age was caused by pellet guns, as reported by Q-13 Fox News.

Auburn was not the only school involved. Also vandalized were Olympic Middle School, West Auburn High School, Pio-neer Elementary, Auburn River-side (suffering the worst, with 101 windows damaged), Mount Baker Middle School and Gildo Ray Elementary. The vandals also busted five District vehicles.

Trying to find the culprits has proven difficult, since none of the schools have nighttime sur-veillance cameras. In an email Chief Lee of the Auburn Police Department wrote, “Unfortu-

nately the case is still active. Although we arrested one in-dividual, the other known sub-ject is yet to be charged. The detective assigned to the case is still tying up some loose ends before charges will be filed.”

Police also believe that there is more than one vandal. “Sub-ject confessed and identified his accomplice, who at this time is still at large,” said Chief Lee.

The mischief cost the District $25,000. The windows that had to be replaced are on special or-der. The windows that have been fixed around the school are per-manent. “They are a double-pane glass, and it’s just a waste of time and resources,” said Deputy Su-perintendent Mike Newman, ac-cording to the Auburn Reporter.

Students at Auburn aren’t too thrilled about the shootings, ei-ther. Freshman Courtney Ferry said, “It makes me mad. It shows that we aren’t that great of a school. Without the vandalism we could be a pretty good school.”

This was echoed by a sophomore who wished

to remain anonymous. Another freshman Guillermo

Ortiz agreed and said, “It made me feel like this school is ghetto.”

There is a $1000 reward for any information leading to the accomplice. Students and staff are being urged to keep their ears

open for any information about the shooting or the other van-dal. “We hope to make an arrest soon,” Chief Lee commented.

The damage should take at least two weeks to re-pair. Crews are working hard to get this done on time.

Vandals shoot out school windows across district

lucky backusREPORTER

Advisory to transitionEvery senior here at Auburn

High School knows all too well that advisory has changed many times over the past four years. We’ve gone from having a requirement of forty-eight best works, to now needing only four total, two of which must jibe with our “career pathway.” And while it’s nice to have the load lessened, many students are still in the dark about what, precisely, they need to have for the final project.

This is no doubt exacerbated by teachers who are themselves con-fused by all the changes. Many don’t know what is required, or when due dates are for certain items.

“I feel like I don’t learn any-thing,” said senior, Maggie Ak-ervold, “They’re meant to be helpful, but I just get more con-fused.” Akervold went on to say that she isn’t sure where to find check lists for due dates, or even when the next advisory is.

This year the school has decreased the number of times students meet with their advisory teacher. This can be a further burden on struggling seniors. Having fewer meetings can make our students feel over-whelmed and stressed. Because stu-dents now only meet once a quarter, many students no longer receive the constant help some feel they need.

“The teachers know as much as the students, and they expect us to be on time with our work,” said Sami Balandar, a senior.

Some students feel as if their ad-visory teacher doesn’t really care if they pass or not, and that the teach-er is just trying to get through their check list of what to tell students. If teachers aren’t doing their best to help their students pass, it’s hard to see why students should care about actually doing well on their portfolio.

Almayeli Morales, a se-nior, explained that her advi-sory teacher is new to AHS. “She tries to help, but she doesn’t know anything yet,” she said.

And even some veteran teach-ers appear so out of the loop that they have no answers. So, they supply students with, “That’s a good question for your coun-selor” or “Go to the career cen-ter, Mr. Morrow should have the answer.” If the advisory teachers don’t know what they are sup-posed to be doing, or have no clue where anything is, it makes the stu-dents feel neglected and deprived.

Teachers need to be told exactly what is required, and have the right training so that they can actually have the answers to their students’ questions. The more teachers know, and the more teachers motivate their students, the more the students will get done, and the better they will do.

Samara ChapmanREPORTing intern

Courtesy of The Seattle TimesMany of the school’s windows were shot at, including these leading to the gym lobby.

A number of cars, buildings, and other property compromised

Troy InVoice

featuresNOVEMBER 2012 PAGE 3

School bond passes; new school in the works

In 1950, the build-ings that house Auburn High School were brand new. Now, 62 years later, the school is in desper-ate need of a revamp. Time has not been a gen-tle friend to the school’s structure and facade.

Earlier this year in February, Auburn was ex-tremely close to having a new high school, but with only 55.2% yes votes on the bond issue, it fell just short of the required 60%. This November, thanks to the dedication of those that believe the community de-serves a new and improved AHS, the modernization and reconstruction bond returned to the ballot, this

time passing with just over 61%! approval.

It came just in time.

Everyone knew that AHS was falling apart, but in 2011 when black smoke started to stream out of the boiler room, the re-placement of the school became more of a press-ing reality. The billow-ing smoke caused all of the students to be evacu-ated from the building.

In the mean time, other malfunctions have happened, and continue to happen. The heating and cooling are so archaic that it’s leaving students to shiver and freeze dur-ing the winter and to overheat in the summer.

Outdated fire sys-tems and leaking roofs don’t

help either. These problems are not just annoyances; they are safety hazards to our students and faculty.

Keeping AHS going is “sucking up money,” said district officials, as quoted in the Auburn Reporter.

Last year, Auburn School District Superin-tendant Dr. Kip Herren told the Auburn Reporter: “Right now, we spend more on just maintain-ing Auburn High School than we do all of our other high schools combined. We don’t have good en-ergy efficient systems, the walls were not built for in-sulation, and the windows aren’t of the factor to save energy.” The maintenance bill is about $250,000 more than any other school in the district. The entire recon-

struction will cost around $110 million, and this plan, according the Auburn Reporter, will include:

• Replacement of all of the buildings on campus except for the Performing Arts Cen-ter (PAC) and Auto Shop (those will expe-rience modernization.

• Improvement of heating, cooling and ventilation.

• Two points of entry vs. the current 81 and all under one roof. This will im-prove safety.

• Improved access for the disabled.

The above are just a few of the improve-

ments slated for our be-loved but aging school.

C o n s t r u c t i o n will begin in 2014, and be completed in 2016.

When Principal Zim-merman was interviewed by The Auburn Report-er shortly after the levy failed, he said, “We were really hoping that we would be able to start mov-ing forward right away. But we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see more of the results come in.”

“I think it would be filthy to be the first class to grad-uate from the new school!” said freshman Glenna Leau.

Another freshman, Ka-mila Duell agrees. “I just moved here and I can tell the school needs help. It would be cool to graduate from a brand new school.”

Lucky BackusREPORTer

Voters say yes to a new Auburn High, with 62% approval

Facebook. Good or bad? Even though Facebook is the most popular internet com-munication website, but there are some downsides to this social site. And benefits too.

Millions have already cre-ated a Facebook account. And for what reasons? Maybe to advertise a business or per-haps a phone might be too expensive. Here, Facebook would be the best place to com-municate because it imme-diately puts you into contact with dozens, maybe even hun-dred or thousands, or people.

There are many interesting features to Facebook. You can create events to invite people to birthday parties and meetings. It is a lot easier than having to call or email twenty people or more; you just send a mass mes-

sage via Facebook and only the invited can see. Another fea-ture of Facebook is that you can share your thoughts about a certain topic and learn a lit-tle more about someone’s life.

Facebook is a good re-source because you can catch up on the latest sports news, like which player got traded to what team, or what hap-pened to a certain actor/singer.

Mr. Telford, the Auburn High School Jewelry Teach-er, uses Facebook to connect

with people he does not get to see. “I have friends in Argen-tina and it’s not like I’m going to make a phone call,” he said.

Of course Facebook is in-teresting, but there are still flaws to this social site.

According to senior Taylor Samountry, a lot of harassing happens via Facebook. “The main reason people get on Face-book is to harass people and be stupid and talk s***.” This type of behavior can lead to fights at school or people getting in-

volved in unecessary problems. This happens “Mostly because

we are nosy and we just want to know what other people are doing,”says senior Becci Galati.

A lot of the time people are on Facebook just to see what a certain person is doing or what they have said about some-thing that has happened. It is human nature to be nosy.

Seniors Taylor and Becci both admitted to using Face-book at least one hour a day total, nonconsecutively.

Mr. Telford, with his busy schedule, said that he uses Face-book at least one hour a week.

Perhaps how much time one spends on Facebook depends on the person and how busy their schedule is. Now comes the question is Facebook a good or bad thing? I’ll let you decide.

Facebook: like, share, post, poke, comment?

-Alan Munoz

Courtesy of Alan Munoz and The AHS Project WebsiteThe current Auburn High School building (left) in comparison to the plans for the new building (right).

Turkey and gravy, and all the fixins’

Turkey Spinach Salad with Cran-Raspberry Dressing

Ingredients for Dressing:1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry

sauce2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar2 tablespoons seedless rasp-

berry jam1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup olive oil

Ingredients for Salad:8 cups fresh spinach, torn 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and

sliced, divided 1 cup fresh raspberries, divided 1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry

sauce 2 cups diced cooked turkey

breast 3/4 cup coarsely chopped

macadamia nuts, toasted Directions:• 1. In a blender, combine the

cranberry sauce, vinegar, jam and salt. Cover and process until smooth. While processing, gradually add oil

in a steady stream. Refrigerate until chilled.

• 2. To serve, combine the spinach, half of the kiwi, 1/2 cup raspberries and cranberry sauce in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup dressing; toss to coat. Transfer to a serving

platter. Arrange the turkey, maca-damia nuts and remaining fruit over top; drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home magazine, November 2011

Thanksgiving equals lots of food and lots of food means leftovers. Sometimes it lasts a few days and it can be boring to eat the same thing over and over again. Here are some creative dishes you can make with your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

-Thalia Kirst

Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Ingredients for Sauce:3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk 1 cup water 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon onion powder Ingredients for Casserole:2 tablespoons butter 1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix 1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.3. In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture.4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.Recipe courtesy of Allreciepes.com

Turkey Sandwhiches with Cranberry Relish, Stuffing and Gravy

Ingredients:4 thick slices French Batard bread5 tablespoons mayonnaise10 ounces sliced turkey breast1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper8 tablespoons cranberry sauceLeftover stuffing6 ounces grated Emmenthaler cheeseLeftover gravySweet potato chips for servingDirections:Preheat the broiler.

Black Friday DealsEvery year after Thanksgiving

people all around the country par-ticipate in Black Friday. This is a day where malls (the Super Mall included) have amazing deals. Prices drop; items go on sale. In an informal, non-scientific poll of 100 people here at AHS, one in four people take part in Black Friday, in-cluding staff and students.

“My family and I are willing to get up as early as 3:30 A.M,” said Mr. Zimmerman. “We had to get up at 3:30 A.M. to arrive in Olym-pia, Washington by 4:30 A.M.” he added. He believes the savings are significant enough to warrant getting up before the sun rises.

“Most Black Fridays we wake up around 5:00 A.M,” said Renee Dayrit, a freshman. One reason her family tries to get an early start is because they feel the sales are so huge that stores’ stock on a lot of things go down very fast.

“About $150 goes to Black Friday. Some of my fa-vorite stores to shop at would be Rue 21, Zumiez, and Spen-

cer’s,” says Dakota Mounts, a freshman here at Auburn High.

There are a multitude of stores you can go to on this big day including Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Aeropostale, and Burl-ington Coat Factory, and so on.

“A few stores I like to shop at on Black Friday are Wet Seal and Rue 21. They have great deals,” said Renee Dayrit.

Mr. Zimmerman add-ed, “We usually shop at Best Buy, Fry’s, and Macy’s. We spend well around $500.”

“Black Friday sales are ev-ery year. So every year my family and I go to the mall and buy extra school clothes or things we may need later on in the year. I love it because I know that everything is so much cheaper. It’s a great way to save money and think ahead” Says Alexis Kilger, a freshman.

Overall, Black Friday is a per-fect day to go Christmas shop-ping or even just to get amazing deals on expensive things. It’s a great way to save money on Christmas shopping, birthdays, and many other things. You never know what you might see on sale.

Brittany estigoyREPORTing intern

Its that time of year everyone! Thanksgiving is coming! You know what that means? Lots and lots of food. I mean lots. Families feasting on turkey and hot, deli-cious dinner rolls. You can almost taste those dinner rolls and the scent of the huge juicy turkey. Lots of people celebrate for certain type of reasons, but most fami-lies celebrate Thanksgiving by spending time with their family or friends.

First off, It would be cool to find out who celebrates Thanks-giving what their traditions are. Cameron Tsosie an Auburn high School Freshman said “It’s a good time to hang out with your fam-ily and get some peace and quiet with them. Also I like watching NFL Football. I like to watch lots of football games”. Thanks-giving is about spending time with your family and talking about stuff you don’t usually talk about and of course enjoying lots of good

food. Secondly, wouldn’t you

like to figure out what people do with all those thanksgiving left-overs? Cameron Tsosie says “our family eats all the thanksgiving leftovers in the next couple weeks, and I mean all of it”. It’s a huge waste if you don’t eat any of the food you didn’t eat on Thanksgiv-ing Day. I can’t stand people who waste stuff.

People also talk about how thanksgiving is their favorite holi-day. Well Alex Fischer a another High School Freshman student said “ I don’t like thanksgiving because you don’t get free gifts, but Christmas you do, that’s why I like Christmas better”. Presents are things you deserve when you have been honest.

Lastly, thanksgiving is still a good holiday. It’s a good time to spend with your family too. Peo-ple mostly celebrate thanksgiving so they can see a relative they haven’t seen in a while and spend some valuable time with them.” I like to visit my family and kids on thanksgiving the most”, said Mrs. Reding an office staff member.” Also I like to make turkey soup with my thanksgiving left overs”. So go have some fun and have a good time and don’t forget to feast on food.

Turkey TraditionsAaron FoustREPORTing intern

Turkey and gravy, and all the fixins’

Turkey Sandwhiches with Cranberry Relish, Stuffing and Gravy

Ingredients:4 thick slices French Batard bread5 tablespoons mayonnaise10 ounces sliced turkey breast1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper8 tablespoons cranberry sauceLeftover stuffing6 ounces grated Emmenthaler cheeseLeftover gravySweet potato chips for servingDirections:Preheat the broiler.

Lay the bread on a work surface and spread a little over 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on 4 slices of bread.Place turkey slices on the bread and season with salt and pepper. Spread the cranberry sauce on the turkey slices. Pile some stuffing on top of cranberry sauce and top with some grated cheese.Place under the broiler for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the open-faced sand-wiches are heated through and the cheese is bubbling and golden.Meanwhile, heat the leftover gravy.Remove the sandwiches from broiler, ladle some gravy over top and serve immediately.Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril’s Food of Love Productions, 2008

For many students here at Au-burn High “getting involved” means joining one of the many clubs on offer here. These stu-dent led groups provide a way to connect students to school in other ways besides being in class.

For example, DECA (Dis-tributive Education Clubs of America) offers students the op-portunity to use business and mar-keting skills as they learn them.

First Nations club promotes and shares tribal cultural differences and experiences in order to raise awareness of Native cultural tra-ditions among the student body.

The GSA (Gay/Straight Al-liance) club brings students together to overcome ho-mophobia and create a school environment free of harassment.

Key Club is a student-run community service program.

Robotics Club a.k.a. TREAD (Technology, Robotics, Engi-neering, and Design) has the mission of fostering young people’s interest and participa-tion in science and technology.

This is to name just a few. The

majority of these groups gather either weekly or daily, before or after school, in designated class-rooms or facilities on campus.

Every few years new clubs sprout up. This year, Auburn High’s rookie clubs include the Har-ry Potter Club, Manga Club, Teen Book Club, Green Club, and an up-coming club called Youth Rising.

The Harry Potter Club, say its members, is for all types of fans, but especially the obsessed ones. They meet to discuss their wizardry infatuation and also more worldly concerns, like fun-draising. Their ultimate goal, said club advisor and science teacher Mrs. Cockcroft, is to raise enough money to take a trip to Florida during Spring Break and experi-ence the thrill of the Harry Potter theme park! Mrs. Cockcroft also mentioned that they are plan-ning to set up an interactive Harry Potter movie night in the PAC.

“Students should join the Har-ry Potter Club because it’s awe-some!” said junior and club mem-ber Lena Wilson. She eagerly pointed out that the club was in-clusive. “Our club has a comfort-able environment so kids don’t

have to feel embarrassed. Plus, you get free food!” she added.

And they’re a bit short on guys. “The only guys who come are boy-friends who are dragged along.” After all, Hogwarts is a school for witchcraft and wizardry.

Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Recycle: the four R’s of Auburn High’s newest club addition, the Green Club. Green Club mem-bers are our very own eco-friend-ly busy bees, working to keep our AHS environment clean.

Students of Green Club have a passion for clean and healthy liv-ing. To make use of that passion they aim toward one major goal—to spread awareness throughout Auburn about the importance of recycling. The most critical thing, for them, is to know how to recycle correctly. The president of Green Club, Samm Stanley, said, “My fa-vorite part about Green Club is in the name. GREEN. To me, green means a breath of fresh air, the smell of rain that’s just fallen. Green means green trees, green plants, green food. Green means clean living and nature that is alive. We need to keep it alive!” If eco-friend-ly living suits your interest, see club

advisor Mrs. Owens about joining.Maybe you want to start your

own club? AHS says “go for it!” There are certain steps that come into play. 1) Come up with an idea and bring it to Bob Jones. 2) You must have an adult advisor to supervise the club. This adult doesn’t have to be a teacher; it can be anyone you want. 3) Write a constitution. The constitution states all the rules of the club and how it’s going to run. 4) Approval. The constitution will be presented to the ASB senate for approval.

Important to consider before bringing your idea to Bob Jones is: will your club fit with the dis-trict guidelines of safety and in-surance? Risky activities such as skateboarding or skiing will not jibe with the district guide-lines because our school’s insur-ance won’t cover any accidents or injuries. It is unfortunate for us because some other school dis-tricts do have the insurance cov-erage for these types of groups.

Another important thing to ponder is how to raise money for your club. Auburn’s ASB does not have enough income to give money to every AHS club, so fun-draising is usually the most popu-lar way to get money for clubs.

The expectation for all clubs is to be open to anyone. Bob Jones says, “My job is to say yes.” The activi-ties directors have no bias when it comes to approving clubs. They want as many students as possible to engage in school activities, so what the students want, they get (unless, of course, the club has limitations).

Clubs can really impact the out-come of your time here. “The #1 thing is the more kids involved, the better” says Bob Jones. A number of studies show that kids who are involved in school activities have better attendance and grade point averages. “Our reward is seeing that more kids want to be and be a part of the school,” Jones added.

Troy InVoice

featuresPAGE 6

Hunter Sigman died January 17, 2011. He was 17 and was in his last year of high school. He was also my friend. He commit-ted suicide by sliting his wrists and somehow also \ managed to hang himself. He had a drug problem and that may have been a contributing factor. Often when people commit sui-cide they’re not thinking about how that one act will impact their family or their friend’s lives’. They’re only thinking about them-selves and how desperate

they feel at that moment. When Hunter commit-ted suicide he was letting drugs and his emotional problems overwhelm him, and now that he is gone, I miss him immensely.

On the website Cen-tral Wyoming Counsel-ing Center, Natalie Staats Reiss and Mark Dombeck, counselors at the cen-ter state that,” Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults from age 15-24 while heart disease and cancer are the first leading cause . Between 1970 and 1990, suicide rates for ado-

lescents (ages 15 through 19) nearly doubled. Since 1990, the overall suicide rate for this age group has stabilized at approximate-ly 11 deaths per 100,000. ”

And while these numbers give us a sense of the larger picture of adoles-cent suicide, it’s important to remember that suicide is a local issue as well.

An Auburn High School sophomore, who preferred to remain anonymous, spoke out about her bout with suicide. “I was bullied really badly when I was thinking about committing suicide. No one was there

to help me, I was called fat, ugly, stupid, and untalent-ed, “she said. “ I enrolled in extracurricular activities after school, and the people in the groups made me feel supported and they helped me get out of my depres-sion. Now I am doing fine”. It’s also important to know that there is help on cam-pus if you need guidance.

Mrs. Herrera, one of the school consular’s, states” The protocol for when a student comes in and tells us that they are think about suicide is, we must determine if they are in a great risk and by

asking them a series of various questions to de-termine if they are really serious about committing suicide. If we determine from the answers that the student is at a great risk then we can call their parents or the police.”

If your feelings of self worth have plummeted and you are contemplating, then please contact the 24 Hour National Suicide Pre-vention Hotline because no mess is beyond cleaning up, no problem is insoluble.

The 24 Hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide a real concern for many adolescents alicia peterson

REPORTing intern

NOVEMBER 2012

Auburn High School club options multiply Stephanie masterman

REPORTer

Troy InVoice

ProfilesNOVEMBER 2012 PAGE 7

Have you ever won-dered what it would be like to be autistic? Well there is someone at this school that lives it every day. His name is Tyler May. Most people would think that being autistic would crip-ple that person’s ability to become great at things, but Tyler May has shown us that this is not the case. He is the number one varsity golf player. He has won the special Olympic golf tournament four times. These accomplishments are amazing feats, and he doesn’t just stop there. He also says “I enjoy learn-ing about trains and I like bowling.” He has a lot of different skills, including a good memory. In Mr. Cleary’s Communicative Arts class he remembers almost everything talked

about such as music, art-ists, films, and quotes. Whenever Mr. Cleary

asked a question to the class he would say “Tyler I know you know this but let others answer”. Most people can’t retain infor-mation as well as Tyler

May can in that class. He can recognize almost any song or film clip instantly.

Tyler does concede au-tism comes with drawbacks “Being autistic makes it harder for me to connect with my teammates” he said, adding it “Being au-

tistic makes me shyer than normal.” Tyler gets made fun of for his achievements instead of getting recogni-tion for them. He has to deal with being autistic and still gets these achieve-ments and yet people have the nerve to make fun of him even though most people wouldn’t be able to accomplish the tasks he does. People should not be making fun of Tyler for winning the Special Olym-pics, because if anyone else accomplished some-thing of that standard like wining state or something like that they would get so much respect and recogni-tion but what does Tyler get? He gets made fun of because he completed a very hard task? Not only that but he already had to try even harder to ac-complish these tasks due to being autistic so let’s

give him some recognition! A few other people think

Tyler May is an outstand-ing person, such as Jeremy Sagel, the coach for Au-burns golf team. “I think Tyler May is an excellent player, he has come a long way and has definitely proven himself on the golf course.”I also interviewed Nathan Kruger, the senior captain on the Auburn Golf team; he also thinks Tyler is an interesting person. This is what he had to say about Tyler, “He is a great player and I am happy he is on the team.” These people have given Tyler May the credit he deserves. Instead of just a few people giving him the credit he has earned, let’s make it so everyone does. Think if someone won an award equivalent to the Special Olympics they would get recogni-tion, why doesn’t he?

Senior Tyler May, anything but subparTylor CooperREPORTing Intern

Band is something everyone knows about at Auburn High. They play at the pep as-semblies, at the varsity games. You’ve seen them before. But what if there was no band? What if there was no other sound from the stands at the varsity football and basketball home games other than the student section? Have you ever thought about no music at the pep assemblies? What about the teams? How would the varsity teams feel with no sound, no music, and no emotion?

“I think the band is good when they play at the football games because they pump up the student section” said freshman Cameron Link.

What about the 1980’s? Our band went to perform in the Rose Bowl parade, in 1989,

possibly the highest level performing stage for a marching band. Will we ever be back to that prestigious level for a high school band? It’s not just about the instruments, the drum line, and the band. All this can’t happen without someone to guide the students in the right direction. One man here at Auburn is determined to get our band back to the level it was years ago, our band director, Mr. Paustian.

“I would want the program to build to at least 200 students, with three concert bands, two jazz bands, a percussion ensemble, a marching band and every student in the band program practicing every day. No matter how good the teacher is, a student won’t learn if they aren’t willing to.”

Mr. Paustian has put his heart into band for years. He has taught Private lessons over

10 years in Auburn, teaching bass, clarinet, and saxophone. He taught seven years, as a marching band consultant at Riverside, one college course for a jazz combo concept class. and now is here at Auburn High.

You could say Mr. Paustian caught the band bug early. “When I graduated from high school I wanted to teach band, so I went to college to pursue that, and the future of this country is our children, and my high-est profession is to teach the next generation of our country,” said Mr. Paustian. He’s the first to admit it’s not easy. But students here at Auburn High should know that Mr. Paus-tian, a graduate of Auburn, went on to do ex-actly what he wanted to do with his life. Mr. Paustian is an all around hard worker and if a student ever needs help with something in band, he is the person to go to.

New band teacher drums up enthusiasmAustin Lane

REPORTing Intern

Most Teachers, who retire normally go home, make a cup of coffee, sit back and say “Finally! It’s over!” However; for former teacher Largo Wales, this is not the case.

Wales retired from the Auburn School District in 2000 and still subs at Mt. Baker Middle School. She is also currently working for the Auburn City Council, our Mu-nicipal Services, Finance, and Les Grove Community Campus.

“The most rewarding part of my job on city council is work-ing with ‘like’ people who want to do good things for Auburn,” Wales said. “I also like the learn-

ing opportunities that are provided. I am learning about city budget, municipal services, and legal sys-tem and much more,” she added.

At Washington State Univer-sity she earned her Bachelor’s, at Uni-versity of Puget Sound she earned her Master’s, has her PHD from Seattle University, her Associate’s from Highline Community College.

She decided to run for the city council because of her daughter. She wanted her daughter to run for student government, “I decided that I had to walk the talk and do what I had been encouraging her to do.”

Local government isn’t all that keeps Wales occupied. She spends her free time quilting, land-

scaping and making jewelry. For example, she commonly makes earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

She even has time to give advice for anyone who wants to run for local government in the future. “The advice that I offer to others who want to be effective in any type of government is to be focused, hon-est and maintain a true course. Sur-round yourself with good thinkers.”

“While she is still early in her four year term, if the first year is any indication, Auburn is in for a great ride!” said Deputy Mayor Nancy Backus. Wales’ enthusiasm and dedi-cation to the community is an inspira-tion. It seems Auburn is very fortunate to have such a great council member.

Former teacher Largo Wales on city councilLucky Backus

REPORTer

Courtesy of http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/pamphlet

City Council member Largo Wales

Courtesy of Isaac HowardTyler May golfing at the Auburn golf course

“Man it’s hard getting class to class in five minutes,” says Auburn High School sophomore Dillon Williams. Do you have trouble getting class to class in five minutes? It seems many kids waste their time socializing in the hallways and spend too much time somewhere else.

“You should always plan ahead,” says office staff member Mrs. Ray. If you plan ahead you will have more time to get to your next class and not be tardy. (By plan-ning ahead I mean thinking about what you’re going to do to not be tardy. Think before you

do something and don’t make bad choices) Do students need lockers anymore?

Should we just get rid of them? “Yes said Wil-liams I have never used a locker here at Auburn High School the whole time I have been here and I won’t use it the whole time I’m here.” Maybe we shouldn’t use lockers anymore it is a distraction for the students.

In addition to this,” kids like to congregate in the middle of the hall-ways. The kids have lots of time to get to class in five minutes,” says Mrs. Ray.( I mean how you get through a huge crowd like

that. It’s not impossible but it’s very hard espe-cially if the students are right in the middle of the hallway.) I hate it when kids push and shove it’s hard to get through the hallway like that.

Another thing is if you had auto shop and then you had to go to the 500 hall for band and if your locker is in the 100 or 200 hall you would make it to class but if you had a locker in the 300 or 400 hall there would be

no chance of you getting to class on time. Finally, passing time should be extended

to 1 or 2 minutes. Yes you could extend it a little more so you can take care of what you need to do and not be tardy for class. That’s what I think

we need to do is extend the time. If we didn’t stu-dents would be getting tardy almost every day.

Ode to a ConstantBy: Anonymous

My lonesome sighs are unmuffled, and I turn to see you.

You’re always there for me, even when no one else is.

When I’m lonely and sad, you’re there to help keep me busy.

When I’m tired after a long day, you’re there for me.

You give me a reason to work hard and stay alive.

When I’ve had enough of you, you don’t mind it at all.

You always have something to keep my mind going.

You’re the constant in my life.

You

Are

My

AP Euro Packet.

Troy InVoice

opinion NOVEMBER 2012PAGE 8

AARON FOUSTREPORTING INTERN

Caught by the bell: is passing time too short?

Do you feel like you fit in with your friends or are you an outsider? Are you popular or just another kid at Auburn High School? Do you get

good grades or are you too busy worrying about what people think of you? Did you know that every one in four high school students gets bullied? This is because either they stand out from everyone else, or maybe they just don’t fit in with a certain “clique”. Does anybody

realize what this “clique” drama does to ev-eryone? Maybe you can think of a time when a certain clique hasn’t accepted you, or may-be you haven’t accepted someone into yours.

People believe cliques ruin people. Some-

times you get all caught up in this cliché drama and realize, wow I have changed. Maybe your friends think the same thing about you. Person-ally, all this clique talk is overwhelming. We have quite a few cliques here at Auburn High School. There are the popular people, the Gothic and Punks, the nerds, the band geeks, the cheer-leaders, the football players, the ones who don’t talk to anyone, the list is constantly growing.

“Cliques judge you. They start by building your confidence up, allowing you to think you fit in, just to talk behind your back,” says Alexis Smith a 9th grader. It’s true. You can be in a clique and everything will be just fine. In the next day or two half of those people are mad at you. “Cliques are demeaning and hurt peo-ple,” adds Mikelle Howard another 9th grader.

Most people say most cliques either make or break you. If you get up in the morning

and worry about who might pick on you to-day, stop. Face it; people are supposed to go to school to get an education. Everybody should just learn to be their selves. Mason McInerny a 9th grader adds, “Cliques can be scary to join. Confronting a clique you don’t fit in with is like facing your biggest fears.”

“I don’t like cliques, I just like hanging out with my friends,” says Max Callero a 10th grad-er. So take a moment and think to yourself. Are you in a clique and pretending to be something you’re not? If so, there’s always a chance to be the person you really want to be. Don’t be what others expect you to be. So don’t let not being in a clique ruin you. They are over rated and not as cool as you think. Cliques hurt people, and take others down paths they don’t want to go. Just give up on all this clique drama. We are in high school now. Be your own person.

Students encouraged to break from the pack

Trojan Art:

BRITTANY ESTIGOYREPORTING INTERN

Have your own poem,

cartoon, or other work of art

you’d like to show off in the

Troy Invoice? Submit it to our email at

trojanman@troyinvoice.com!

The picture below is by senior Linda

Karout, the picture to the right is by

an anonymous student.