April 2007 - Spokane Public Schools

The Lewis and Clark High School
J ournal
TODAY IS ACE FREHLEY’S
BIRTHDAY!
Issue 6
April 2007
LC plays host to a host of
National Merit Finalists
PHOTO BY JACK SIDDOWAY
LC students make
their mark at State
Deca competition
by Kate Hellenthal
(MMS), quick serve restaurant
Staff Writer management series (QSRM),
Pictured here are LC’s National Merit finalists: Jeff Burckert, Teddy Newell and Dan Marciniak.
Not pictured are other finalists, Nate Robnett-Conover and Elliot Eaton. LC says congratulations.
school student and planning to
Carter,
Peter
Gurche,
Beryl
The National Merit Scholarship
Program
is
an
academic
competition for recognition
and scholarships that began
in 1955. High school students
enter the national merit program
by taking preliminary SAT/
National
Merit
Scholarship
Qualifying
Test
(NMSQT).
This is a test that servers as an
initial screening of approximately
1.4 million entrants each year and
by meeting published program
entry/participation requirements.
The entry requirements for the
Merit Scholarship are; the student
must take the PSAT in the specified
year of the high school program,
must be enrolled full time as a high
must be a United States citizen
or a lawful permanent resident.
Of the 1.4 million entrants,
some 50,000 with the highest
PSAT/NMSQT
selection
index
scores
qualify
for
recognition in the National
Merit Scholarship Program.
In late September, more than
two-thirds or about 34,000 of
the approximately 50,000 high
scores on the PSAT/NMSQT
receive Letters of Commendation
in
recognition
of
their
outstanding academic promise.
Of these 34,000 commended
students, eleven of them were
LC students. The commended
students of 2007 are Rachel
Alden, Hillary Benedict, Kyle
The News
in
Siddoway and Joseph Sullivan.
Then in early September about
16,000 students or approximately
one-third of the 50,000 high
scorers are notified that they
have qualified as semifinalists.
Semifinalist are designated on a
state representation basis, they are
the highest scoring entrants in each
state. To be considered for a merit
scholarship award, semifinalists
must advance to finalist standings
in the competition by meeting high
academic standards and all other
requirements explained in material
provided to each semifinalist.
In February, some 15,000
semifinalist are notified by
mail that they have advanced
to finalist standing. High
school principals are notified
and provided with certificates
to present to each finalist.
Of the 15,000 finalist, five of
them were LC students, Jeffrey
Burkert, Elliot Eaton, Daniel
Marciniak, Theodore Newell
and Nathan Robnett-Conover.
All winners of merit scholarship
awards are chosen from finalist
groups, based on their abilities,
skills and accomplishments. A
variety of information is available
for NMSC selectors to evaluate.
The NMSC selectors
evaluate the finalist academic
record,
information
about
the schools recommendation,
information about student’s
activities
and
leadership
and the finalists own essay.
The types of Merit Scholarship
awards are National Merit
2,500 scholarship, corporatesponsored Merit scholarship
award and college-sponsored
Merit
Scholarship
awards.
by Samantha Blehm
enroll full time in college no later Manning-Geist,
Chelsea
than
the
fall
following
completion
Momany,
Elise
Otto,
Simone
Staff Writer of high school, and the student Phillips, Romany Redman,
Jack
page 2: District budget
cuts present challenges
page 3: Conflict in Darfur
persists
page 4: T-Rex exhibit opens
at the MAC
page 5: MULCH shows off
student writing
page 6: LC Student dies in
motorcycle accident
page 7: The story behind
the dance cancellation
page 8: St. Patrick’s day
wrap-up
Brief
page 9: Baseball struggles
through season
page 10: Soccer gears up
for post-season
page 11: LC freshman competes in Junior Olympics
page 12: Boys golf prepares for season
page 13: Glenn Kotche of
Wilco rocks Spokane
page 14: Spring movie
preview
page 15: OC cancelled
page 16: Modest Mouse
finally disappoints
The State DECA competition
took place in the Bellevue
Convention Center the weekend
of March 10. 14 LC students
competed
in
12
events.
DECA is an association of
marketing students. According
to advisor Chantal Czarapata,
it is a “co-curricular, studentcentered organization specifically
designed to provide activities
that will motivate secondary/
post-secondary students to learn
marketing, management and
entrepreneurial
competencies
that will prepare them to become
skilled, employable workers
in the field of marketing.”
Czarapata said that the goal is to
“focus on leadership, community
service
and
understanding
the world of work, career
focus and soft skills.” State
was a test of this knowledge.
The twelve categories that LC
students participated in were as
follows: accounting applications
series (ACT), apparel and
accessories marketing series
(AAM), automotive services
marketing series (ASM), business
services marketing series (BSM),
food marketing series (ALFMAL), food marketing series
(ML-FMML), hotel and lodging
management series (HLM),
marketing management series
restaurant and food service
management series (RFSM),
retail
merchandising
series
(RMS), sports and entertainment
marketing
series
(SEM).
No students qualified for Nationals
in Orlando, FL, but junior Riley
Myklebust, who competed in
HLM, placed seventh, earning
the runner-up position because
the top six went on to Orlando.
Another student, senior Semir
Hasedzic, placed fifteenth overall.
“I won a medallion for getting
third place in one of my categories
which was a role play. I got to
go up to the podium and get my
medallion,” he said. But Hasedzic
felt that had he studied better, he
probably would have placed in
the top six and go on to Nationals.
But Czarapata feels her students
did well overall. “Looking at the
competition of 65, my kids gave
it a good effort and learned about
themselves and DECA,” she said.
“I was sad to see Riley Myklebust
get runner-up, but I know he will
be much stronger. Next year is
encouraging,” said Czarapata.
Czarapata plans on giving
students more opportunities to
qualify. Out of 39 possible events,
LC students only competed
in 12. “My hope is that Riley
gets to taste nationals and that
we, as a whole, know what to
expect which will improve our
odds for next year,” she said.
Nat’l. SAT/ACT
value reassessed
indicator of success and two: there
by Kate Hellenthal
is a belief that the tests are biased to
Staff Writer different races or types of students.
Two large universities in
Washington (Eastern Washington
and
Central
Washington
universities) are no longer
going to require SAT/ACT
scores as a part of admissions.
According to LC councilor Vicki
Jones, the SAT “is mainly meant
to give colleges a measurement
tool to be able to make admissions
decisions
for
students.”
The SAT, Scholastic Aptitude
Test, and its counter part, the
ACT, were initially hoped to be
predictors of success in college.
But according to Jones they did
not work because the tests did not
measure academic drive and desire.
The current argument against
these high-stakes test is that
one: they are not necessarily an
And so, as of this year, up
to 70 colleges and universities
throughout the country have
dropped the SAT and ACT
altogether. But, as a result,
these schools are now excluded
from the academic ratings that
are given each year by the
U.S. News and World Report.
“The message is clear.
Unless we are willing to be
badly misrepresented, we had
better send the information the
magazine wants,” said college
president
Michele
Tolela
Myers to the Washington Post.
Although there are now
many schools that a student can
attend without the SAT or ACT
and receive the same caliber
of education, students should
still consider taking the tests.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
News
PAGE 2
April 2007
Budget cuts
threaten schools
in less revenue for the district
by Nathan Weinbender
(approximately $1.6 million).
Staff Writer Unfortunately, this will most
District 81 is currently facing
Portrayed is the model of the future Rogers campus that will take several years to complete.
Rogers & Shadle prepare
for remodel projects
include: new field houses,
increased parking facilities,
updated classrooms, expanded
practice gyms with new locker
In March 2003, Spokane space and more spaces for
voters passed a $165.3 million community use. Northwest
facility
improvement
bond Architectural Company, a firm
which has since been used to that has done work in Seattle,
improve District 81 schools, Los Angeles, Spokane and
such as Shadle Park and Rogers Coeur D’Alene has taken on the
High Schools. When the district renovations of both schools, with
renovated LC from June 1999 to Garco Construction of Spokane
Aug. 2001, an example was set for overseeing the construction.
the rest of the District 81 schools. “Most of the schools that
“The school board conducted were re-built are over 50 years
a significant study plus held old. Some parts of Rogers were
numerous community hearings in 75 years old,” Benzel said. 2002 to set the 2003 bond program The bond has also gone towards
as the first phase of a 25 year minor renovations in other area
facility improvement program,” high schools, including Ferris’s
Superintendent Brian Benzel said. upgraded fitness facilities and
In both high schools being updates in North Central’s
renovated, SP and Rogers heating and parking systems. students will remain on campus, Upgrades were also made in
utilizing available facilities as local elementary schools, such
different parts are completed. as Arlington, Sheridan, Willard,
This is much different than Regal, Bemiss, Grant, Garfield
LC’s renovation, during which and Longfellow. Ridgeview,
students moved to the Holly Lincoln Heights and Lidgerwood
schools
have
Mason building for two years. elementary
Renovations for the two schools undergone entire replacements.
by Jack Siddoway
Photo Editor
Staff
Box
WASL sentiments
are negative
WASL. 66% of interviewees
by Connor Potucek
did not know why they were
Staff Writer taking the WASL, and the
For two weeks this year,
the
educational
processes
of
every
District
81
student
were
interrupted.
Students from every class,
even
teachers
and
staff
members were interviewed in
this exposition of what the LC
community’s experience with
mandated standardized testing.
Students answered objective
questions designed to determine
what students know about the
Opinions Editor
Robert Weigle
Features Editors
David Sheppard
Jack Siddoway
Advisor
Jennifer Showalter
Photography Editor
Jack Siddoway
Editor-In-Chief
Mac Smith
Ad Manager
Conor Wigert
News Editor
Emmily Eisenrich
Staff Writers
Garth Ahern
Sports Editor
Culley Grow
Through this bond, many
of the elementary schools
will have upgrades to roofing
and flooring surfaces along
with
technology
updates.
“This investment has and is
making a positive difference
in safety, air quality, and a
productive learning environment
for all students and staff,” Benzel
said. “Creating quality learning
environments
is
providing
quality teaching and learning. Having experienced deteriorating
facilities in other districts, I’ve
seen the delay and costs adversely
impact
student
learning.”
It is important to note that the
bond will only go towards the
maintenance of facilities, not
towards other district expenses. However, the money saved
through the new facilities will
adversely benefit direct education.
“Our investments for energy
conservation alone will preserve
limited educational program
dollars for direct educational
program support like teachers,
activities, and materials for
classrooms,”
Benzel
said.
numerous financial deficiencies,
according to the most recent
legislative
budget
update.
The update, which was released
on March 7, states that the
district’s primary goal is to support
a uniform public education. But
this is becoming more and more
difficult as Spokane schools are
strapped for money. The district
has had, with great trouble, to
become more discriminatory in
what special programs receive
money and which do not.
The district reportedly has a
debt, or “financial challenge,”
of $10.5 million. That value
may increase, however, due to
various external expenditures,
including levy costs of $300,000
and $800,000 of pension costs.
The budget for the 2006-2007
school year consisted of $285.9
million. The most amount of money
went to teachers and instructors,
as well as support services, food
services and transportation.
According to the district’s
financial update, the estimated
number of students for the
2007-2008 school year will
be lower than the current
enrollment rates. This will result
Alexandria
Bozman
Connyr Potlucek
Tucker Clarry
Alicia Ruggles
Liliana Elikh
Erik Walters
Kate Hellenthal
Nathan Weinbender
Erin Hostetler
Christina Huggins
Sarah Leonhardy
Brooke Lively
Zack Alexander
Vally Moua
Samantha Blehm
Riley Myklebust
likely result in the school’s
“non-mandatory expenditures”
being eliminated. These include
all extracurricular activities,
alternative learning curriculums,
band and art programs, as well
as the number of schools and
teaching positions in the district.
If the district follows their
plans, their reductions, as well
as restricting travel expenditures
and energy costs, will decrease
their deficit by a little more than
$12 million, which will bring
them out of the red. Still, making
the discretion of which programs
will get axed is a difficult one.
According to the recent update,
other areas of expenditure
need
further
consideration.
The necessity of various
schools, including Havermale
and the Libby Center, will be
analyzed, elementary music
programs may be reevaluated
and further elementary school
closures may be an inevitability.
The cuts could either jeopardize
the fates of various staff positions
or limit the potential of positions
for prospective employees. “By
increasing the staffing ratio,”
said district superintendent Brian
Benzel, “we will save […] by not
hiring teachers to replace people
on leave or who are retiring.”
remainder expressed views that
there were better, cheaper, and
more effective ways of testing
a student’s knowledge base.
Also, many students expressed
sentiment that they were coerced
into taking the test. “...I had to,
they told me I wouldn’t pass,”
said Junior Tiffany Jenkins when
asked why she took the test.
The Office of the Superintendent
of Public Instruction states that
the objective of the WASL is
to make sure students learn
“the foundational skills and
knowledge
that
educators,
parents and community leaders
say are important to their success
in life.” When students were
asked whether they thought
the goal was achieved, the
answer was a resounding “no.”
Another facet of the interview was
to determine whether the WASL
is biased, culturally, or otherwise.
Students agreed, that “life is
biased, people are all different.” Results were inconclusive
in finding bias in the WASL.
In addition, interviewees did not
think the WASL was an effective
use of time or money. English
teacher Jeff Reyburn said the
state should “allow each district
to certify their own graduates.” Jenkins said that students
could be “learning, or doing
something important with the
time it takes to do the WASL.”
Overall, the WASL is not well
received at all. Students and
staff find it generally ineffective
in the purpose it claims.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
News
PAGE 3
April 2007
Conflict in Darfur persists
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
PHOTO BY JACK SIDDOWAY
Spezza,” broke out in February
by Patrick Stagaman
2003, though rebel attacks
Staff Writer of
from factions such as the Sudan
The conflict in Darfur is one
of the worst crimes against
humanity occurring right now.
Unfortunately, it seems many
people do not know exactly
what is happening, or even
anything about the region.
Darfur is the western region
of Sudan, in central Africa.
Its economy is almost entirely
based on substance agriculture,
and Darfur itself is divided
into
three
federal
states,
North, South and West Darfur.
The conflict in Darfur, known
under the African title as the “Jason
Liberation Army (SLA) and the
Darfur Liberation Front (DLA).
Currently it is a fight between
the Janjaweed, a militia group
recruited from the tribes of the
Abbala (camel-herding Arabs) and
the non-Baggara people (mostly
land-tilling tribes) of the region,
including the rebel factions.
The Janjaweed militia constantly
and systematically targets several
of the ethnic groups living in the
region, and now, with a total of
approximately 400,000 deaths so
far, it has been defined as an act of
genocide (or “ethnic cleansing”)
on
the
Janjaweed’s
part.
The Janjaweed is not publicly
supported by the Sudanese
government.
However,
the
government has provided arms and
assistance to the militia, and has
even conducted joint attacks with
them; targeting Fur, Zaghawa and
Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur.
Indeed, the Janjaweed is one of the
government’s three original means
of combating the rebels, along
with their military and air force.
The Janjaweed soon gained the
upper hand in the conflict, looting
non-Arab villages and burning
them to the ground. Whole
villages have been depopulated,
while even 500 meters away,
a whole Arab settlement will
go untouched and function as
normal, proving the attacks are
prejudiced. Sexual violence
against women is also a huge
problem in the conflict and occurs
at extremely alarming rates.
The UN has attempted to
cease the conflict, such as
with the May 5 Agreement in
2006. Because two of the rebel
factions did not agree to it,
however, the fighting continues.
The UN also called for a 17,300troop peacekeeping force to help
the other small peacekeeping
forces already present (such as
the one sent by the African Union
Mission in Sudan). The Sudanese
government rejected the idea.
UN humanitarian groups that
have accidentally been caught
in the violence before are being
purposely targeted for supplies.
Whole compounds have been
looted and cars stolen. A small
amount of casualties have
amassed,
and
humanitarian
groups have had to evacuate
several areas in Darfur, as
they are no longer welcome.
If action is not taken soon to
help quell the violence, the
humanitarian groups may have to
move out of Darfur indefinitely.
This would be devastating to
the some 2.5 million refugees,
some who rely fully on the aid
groups for food and shelter.
Culminating Project
challenges future seniors
K-12.” The overall goal is for
by Kate Hellenthal
to think logically and
Staff Writer students
analytically and to use facts and
The newest graduation
requirement for the classes of
2008 and beyond is the Senior
Culminating Project. Students
are required to research a specific
topic, put together a portfolio and
presentation and then present
their work to a designated panel.
“About five years ago, the state
basically said, ‘Every student in
the state needs to do a culminating
project.’ They left it up to each
school district to determine
what that would look like. The
district formed a committee that
eventually created what is now
the CP,” said English teacher and
department head Eric Woodard,
who is also the head of the CP.
According to the Culminating
Project website, the CP is a
“capstone project completed by
the end of senior year on a topic
of each student’s choice” as
well as a “rigorous and relevant
learning stretch that challenges
students to apply knowledge
and skills acquired in grades
experience to create reasonable
judgments and solve problems.
The basic requirements for
the project include a paper that
reflects the student’s research,
some form of a product to present
to the panel, a portfolio that
includes all written documentation
of the research and an oral
presentation that encompasses
all aspects previously mentioned.
Details on how the presentations
will work are “still a little up in the
air,” according to Woodard. “The
requirement is that the student
present to a panel of at least two
people, one of whom must have
a teaching certificate,” he said.
The district has told each
high school to create their
own schedule as for when the
presentations will occur. Currently
the committee is working one
determining when would be the
best time for students to present.
But do not worry. No students
will be unprepared when it comes
to presentations. According to
the website, it “is a program
based upon the premise that
exiting high school students
should be able to actively and
independently read, write, speak,
think and do. It is not designed
as a barrier to graduation nor to
pose any last-minute surprises.”
Each school will have put together
a system of checks and balances
that should act as a safety net
throughout the year, which in turn
would ensure a student’s success.
There will also be support for
each student as they progress
through each benchmark. There
will be a teacher or advisor
within the school to help them.
LC sent around a list of classes
offered in the fall semester that
have now incorporated the CP
into their curriculum. Students
can also use their jobs as a basis
for research. But it is important
to know that a class or job alone
does not constitute as enough to
meet the guidelines of the CP.
For more information, visit
www.theculminatingproject.
com. The website includes detail
descriptions of each guideline, a list
of frequently asked questions and
their answers and a CP handbook.
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
Freshman Kevin Howard serves downtown Spokane at COH.
Students serve
over spring break
gaining something back, we did
this and we expected nothing,”
COH organizer Jeanette Harney
said. “We were just so excited
This spring break nearly 200 to serve no strings attached.”
teens from across Washington
“We had an outpouring of
state chose to devote their week support from hundreds of
to the service and outreach of volunteers who offered their time
Spokane in an event called and several businesses that offered
Conspiracy of Hope (COH). their resources,” Nydegger said.
Begun in 1997, COH was the
COH 2007 was motivated more
brainchild of high school students by relationships and participants
from
Eastern
Washington spent the entire week working on
who
desired
to
radically projects in the same general vicinity
impact
their
communities. in order to better connect with the
These student founders began individuals in the neighborhood.
with the idea for a partnership
“I’ve done COH for the past
that
involved
Washington five years and every time the
youth from across the state. experience just pumps me up,”
They managed to pull together a returning COH participant and
an event that continues to freshman at Gonzaga, Danny
thrive and grow each year. Mathews, said. “One of the best
After ten years of service, the parts is being able spend a full
COH Spring Break program has week with other people who are
impacted
passionate about
numerous
loving others.”
communities
While some
all
over
people
might
Wa s h i n g t o n
think spending
and worked in
valuable vacation
Spokane April
time to go fix up
1-6 for the
the community
second time.
sounds like a
This year’s
drag, Mathews
m a s s i v e
assures that the
a g e n d a
experience
is
included
a w o r t h w h i l e
projects that
one
because
infiltrated
participants go
the Spokane community with into COH with a good attitude,
an emphasis on the downtown, expecting to work hard and
Hillyard and West Central districts. have a great time together.
“We approached this year
“Just because you are working
slightly differently than in does not mean you don’t have fun,
years past,” Life Center Youth it just means you have to have
pastor Tim Nydegger said. “We the right perspective about what
were focused on connecting you are doing,” Mathews said. with and serving individuals.”
Mathews also confesses,
There was a long COH “To-Do” however, that COH is not
list this year that included graffiti ultimately about the fun or the
cover-up, yard maintenance, minor fellowship, but more about taking
home repairs, major trash pick- action and doing something
up crews, neighborhood block rather than just idly standing by
parties, and street evangelism. waiting for someone else to come
It was no surprise that an along and make a difference.
agenda jam-packed with manual
”We are doing what is in
labor and chores resulted in a our capacity,” Bradley said. massive amount of hard work. “Sometimes that means giving up
This led many to question why our spring break and other times
anyone, especially a teenager, it just means smiling at someone
would willingly give up their from across the hallway.”
spring vacation to go and serve.
“The highlight of the week
“It really is a crazy idea, the was serving down at House
fact that students sacrificed their of Charity and worshipping in
breaks to serve our community,” the plaza,” Shelbi George said.
Nydegger
said,
“especially “The people were so cool.”
because this is the age group that
Nydegger said. “It’s clear
is usually perceived as apathetic.” that these students understand
“In an age where most people something most people don’t
do things with the expectation of ‘life is not about me.’”
by Emmily Eisenrich
News Editor
“‘In an age where
most people do
things with the
expectation of
gaining someting
back, we did this
and we and we
expected nothing.’”
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
News
PAGE 4
April 2007
Eighth graders tour LC
PHOTO BY CONOR WIGERT
Junior Riley Myklebust gives eighth graders a tour of our
fine school on March 1 before they viewed the play, Grease.
by Zachary Alexander
The visit is a way of familiarizing
Staff Writer the incoming freshmen and to
On March 1 LC received a
visit from the future...of LC
that is. Eighth graders from
various schools around spokane
flooded the halls during class
time and had a chance to
marvel at our schools beauty.
The tradition of the future tigers
visiting the crazy jungle, we call
high school, started four years ago
with the seniors from this year
being the first. It was also a way to
“Preserve tradition with moving
back” says Brigid Kardong an
organizer for the visit and the art
department head as well as teacher.
help “them set expectations”
said Kardong and “to give
students a true visual of LC”
The operation includes Shaw,
Sac, and Chase Middle Schools as
well as the Odyssey program. The
visit is planned and carried out
Kardong, family and consumer
science teacher Nancy Jewett and
Assistant Principal Mike Mullin.
This year enough kids came to
fill the auditorium in an effort to
familiarize themselves with the
halls of LC. The future tigers
came off the bus and were greeted
by the juniors and seniors chosen
by Kardong, Jewett and Mullin at
around 9:30 am. During their visit
the eighth graders were given a
tour of the layout of the school.
Later they were funneled into the
auditorium for more information,
given by the counselors and some
of the administrators, about the
way the school is run. After their
minds were filled with information
they were entertained by the
cast of Grease who performed
small tid-bits from the play.
If you have questions as to
whether or not you will be eligible
for future consideration as a tour
guide then listen closely. Kardong,
Jewett and Mullin have a list of
previous guides and possible
guides that are recommended by
teachers. To be chosen as a tour
guide you must be on the list
and go to the meetings (if you
plan on missing a meeting you
must give notice before hand or
else you are taken off of the list).
A guide chosen for this year’s
tour was senior Cole Tanner.
According to Tanner when asked
about the condition of the eighth
graders he said they were “…a
little confused,” but ultimately
they turned out to be “awesome”.
Another tour guide, junior Alex
Gauper said that being a tour guide
“was fun,” and that his eighth
grade charges “seemed very shy.”
Looking back on his experience
as an eighth grader he thought
the tour was “…very informative
and relaxing.” Gauper said his
advice for future tour guides
is to “just have fun with it.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
The MAC will host a new exhibit, starting April 28, that will feature the “Sue,” the largest preserved T-Rex fossil ever found.
“Sue” is in Spokane
by Christina Huggins &
Sarah Leonhardy
Staff Writers
The exhibit “A T. Rex Named
Sue” opens on April 28 at the
Northwest Museum of Arts and
Culture. “Sue” is the biggest, most
complete, and best preserved T.
Rex fossil ever found according
to
northwestmuseum.org.
The exhibit not only showcases
the specimen itself but it also
explains how it was found and the
long process that many scientists
and workers went through to
put “Sue” together. The exhibit
even features interactive stations
to learn more about “Sue”
and her scientific importance.
The nick-name “Sue” does
not come from its gender as
the gender of the dinosaur is
unknown. Instead it comes from
the name of the archeologist, Sue
Hendrickson, who discovered
it.
The over 67 million year
old dinosaur is 13 feet tall at the
hips and 42 feet long from the
head to the tail and contains over
200 fossilized bones according to
fieldmuseum.org. However the
head of “Sue” is showcased in a
different exhibit because it is five
feet long and over 600 pounds.
The SUE exhibit is expensive
and they need sponsors to
back them up,” said Junior
Peter Thomas, who has two
dinosaur sculptures at the MAC.
The new T-rex that I’m building
will be there,” said Thomas.
The exhibit will be running
at the MAC Tues.-Sun. from
11am-5pm until Sept. 2. The
exhibit is $7 for adults and
$5 for students. For more
information go to fieldmuseum.
org or northwestmuseum.org.
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The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
Features
April
PAGE 5
2007
MULCH collects literature
PHOTO BY TUCKER CLARRY
PHOTO BY RILEY MYKLEBUST
by Vally Moua
Staff Writer
MULCH is a student literary
magazine where any student
from LC may submit a story
or poem to be published by
students from the Creative
Writing class. The magazine is a
student run collection of stories.
English and Creative Writing
teacher Andy Lang is advisor for
MULCH. “I try to stay out of the
project and mainly leave it for the
students to work on,” said Lang.
“I think it [MULCH] is a
great program and it is a really
neat way to see a students
name in print,” said Lang.
Lang has two Advanced
Creative Writing students running
the MULCH magazine by
themselves so far. Seniors Charla
Davidson and Eden (Micha)
Darling volunteered to run the
magazine this year. Later, when
the stories and poems start coming
in, he might ask a few students
to help with editing or typing.
According to the LC website,
the name MULCH was decided
by Lang’s senior Creative Writing
class six years ago after they were
“given the task of re-creating the
publication and giving it a name.”
MULCH means “a
combination, a variety, and
something that protected and
promoted growth and life.”
This magazine is opened for
any student from the student
body. More than 400 students
have already entered a poem
or story in the magazine.
The following are the
requirements for a poem. You
must include your name, the
title of the poem, and it has to
be typed. If a student would
like to remain anonymous, they
must type it onto their story or
poem as anonymous and include
their name at the side. The font
Andy Lang has been the advisor for the MULCH club since 1997.
has to be Times New Roman
and size 12. There is a 50 line
limit on the length of the poem.
Stories have a slightly different
requirement. The story is typed
and name and title must also be
included. The font and sizes are the
same as the poem requirements,
but since it is a short story, the
story must be doubled space. Short
stories can be up to ten pages.
The student should include
their
homeroom
teacher
and the year they are in.
The magazine only allows a
certain amount of work to be
published by every individual;
Students can only submit up to
three short stories and/or poems.
This is because there is a limited
amount of space the magazine
has for the stories. Most of the
works that are published are
funded by the students or certain
individuals who donate the
money for it. It is difficult for the
magazine to decide which stories
or poems to publish, so students
must turn in their work early.
According to Lang, he has
received six submissions; he is
not worried about the overall
outcome. He said there is usually
a slow start in the beginning,
but when the deadline comes
closer, a pile of stories and poems
starts to pour into their boxes.
Last year there was not a
MULCH magazine published due
to some difficulty with the work
so Lang is hoping for a better year.
Anyone can submit their story
or poem now to Lang in room
221 or Davidson and Darling in
the Japanese room on the first
floor. The student can also e-mail
Lang at andyl@spokaneschools.
org, but it must be in Microsoft
word.doc format. The deadline
of submission is April 13.
The students who entered their
works in the magazine will find out
if their story or poem is published
when the MULCH 2006-07 issues
is published, usually towards the
end of the year. The magazines
will usually be found in the library,
student office, public office or
district office. “They usually
disappear really fast,” said Lang.
“People are excited to get them.”
“Consider sending the magazine
what you feel is your best work,”
said Lang. “Take a chance.
Try something that most high
school students would not do.
You never know. You might
just see your name in print.”
Gearing up for Mother’s
Day? Here’s some help
all of your family members to a like his brother.What a coincidence.
by Liliana Elikh
photo studio at the mall and then
“You can do anything once
Staff Writer put the picture in a really pretty you’ve gone through childbirth,”
Mother’s Day is coming up
on May 14 and is a special day
when we honor our mothers
for all they have done for us.
A mother is an influential image
that serves as a role model for her
children. We often forget to give
her credit for all the things she
has gone through to make each of
us great individuals. It would only
be fair to let her know how much
you appreciate her for her love
and courage on this special day.
Gifts like chocolate and
perfume are not things that your
mother really wants this Mother’s
Day. These are ordinary gifts
that will not make her feel more
special than the other women.
If you really want to surprise
her, you may want to consider
something different, something
that she will remember for years.
Here is a gift idea that your mom
is sure to enjoy. A family picture
is about the greatest gift for a
mother, so you may want to take
frame. You will see the shine in
her eyes as you present it to her.
Another idea is to make a video
for your mother. Take interviews
of people who absolutely adore
your mother and tell them to say
the sweetest things about her. Then
add random clips of her, placing
in snapshots of her when she was
younger with pleasant background
music. A great way to present it
to her would be to invite all of
your relatives over to your house
and play it for everyone to see.
Now you should remember
everything that your mom has
given you, the best of which is
probably her nagging advice.
Here is what some students
at LC said about advice that
their mothers give them:
Sophomore Sara Jackson
said her mom always says,
“Don’t dance with short boys.”
Natalie Anderson, sophomore,
said her mom tells her “not to turn
out like her sister”, while Allen
Blanton’s mom tells him not to be
said Sara Coleman Campbell,
referring to her mother’s best
advice. “She said it’s the hardest
thing she’s ever had to do
but it’s the most rewarding.”
Nick Carr said that his mom tells
him that “cheap make-up is just
as good as the expensive stuff.”
Most students appreciate their mom
greatly. “She’s extremely nice,”
said sophomore Greg Wilson.
“She’s always been there for
me and I love her for it,” said
sophomore Topher Rounsville.
Samn Zabawa said, “My
mom is my best friend.”
For some, on the other hand, moms
do not always seem the greatest.
“This morning my mom yelled at
me for buying a t-shirt because I
put her over her credit limit,” said
Artemis Nicolayesen. “Of course,
mothers are not always kind.”
No matter what your mom is like,
she still deserves the attention.
Give her something nice and thank
her for all that valuable advice.
After all, mom is always right.
Senior Jack Lally campaigns to help the community of Darfur.
CWA holds first
Darfur meeting at LC
During the first meeting students
by Sam Blehm
discussed ideas on how they
Staff Writer could fundraise for Darfur and
Darfur has been embroiled in a
deadly conflict for the past three
years. At least 400,000 people
have been killed; more than two
million innocent civilians have
been forced to flee their homes
and now live in displaced-persons
camps in Sudan or in refugee
camps in neighboring Chad.
“Our government doesn’t
want to talk about it,” said
senior Tracey Vang on why
Darfur is not well known. “They
would rather discuss Iraq.”
The conflict began in the arid
and impoverished region early
in 2003 after a rebel group
began attacking government
targets, saying the region was
being neglected by Khartoum.
The
rebels
believe
the
government is oppressing black
Africans in favor of Arabs.
This conflict is between
the rebels on one side and
the
Sudanese
Government
and the government backed
Janjaweed militia on the other.
“I first heard about Darfur
in Mrs. Petek’s CWA class
when we were discussing the
topic in class,” said Vang.
On March 2, LC held its first
meeting on the topic of Darfur and
what it is the LC community can
do to help in the efforts to save
Darfur. 32 students showed up to
room 123 during lunch, with Mrs.
Petek as their classroom advisor.
which organizations they would
like to donate the money to.
“We talked about fundraising
ideas, like a dance for
Darfur,” said Vang. “We are
still deciding on what to do.”
LC isn’t the only high school
getting involved with helping
Darfur; U-High has also made it an
effort to raise 10,000 dollars from
selling original t-shirts in hope of
during their part to help Darfur.
“U-High actually raised
26,000 dollars through their
fundraising,”
said
Vang.
The students involved in
this project have also decided
to use a video clip showing
genocide that U-High had
used during their fundraiser in
order to spread the word about
what is happening in Darfur.
“I’ve heard a lot about Darfur
and it sounds really horrible and
I want to do whatever I can to
help,” said junior Molly Oakley.
Some suggestions made during
the meeting for fundraising were a
dance, going around during lunch
time to collect money and having
a second period competition.
This is new, so it still
needs to be verified with the
school before it can continue
on setting up more events.
“This is a great opportunity, it’s
my senior year and I would like to
leave with something fun,” said
Vang. “In other words it’s a great
accomplishment as a senior.”
ISSUE 6
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
Features
PAGE 6
April 2007
LC Data Match fundraiser a
resounding success
PHOTO COURTESY OF TUCKER CLARRY AND INTERNET
PHOTO BY ALICIA RUGGLES
Flag Day is a holiday that should be
celebrated nationwide.
Flag Day preview
arrangement of the colors; the
by Zack Alexander
red and white stripes make it
Staff Writer seem like a candy cane. Candy
Senior Jack Lally and junior Katherine Merck took part in the 2007 LC Data Match fundraiser.
and
inspirational
quote. participate in the fundraiser wished
by Alicia Ruggles
According to McNutt, the Data that they would have. “I never
Staff Writer Match fundraiser was quite a got mine, but I wanted to,” said
LC cheerleaders sponsored the
Data Match fundraiser during the
months of February and March.
Cheerleaders sold the match results
during lunch March 5-8 for $2.
“The cheerleaders wanted
something
that
everyone
could participate in and have
fun with,” said cheerleading
coach
Lori
McNutt.
On Tuesday, Feb. 13, LC students
filled out and turned in their
Data Match forms and awaited
the arrival of their results. “The
information was sent away and
calculated via computer,” said
senior cheerleader Laine Kellman.
Each student’s compatibility
report included a list of the
15 most compatible boys and
girls, along with a fortune
success this year. “We’ve done
it once before, and we had twice
as many sold this time,” she said.
McNutt attributed the success
to the overall excitement
created by the fundraiser.
“There is just a novelty in
finding your match,” she said.
“It was definitely a great
success,”
said
Kellman.
“Everyone got excited to find out
who their true love could be.”
Despite criticism from a few
disappointed buyers, overall, LC
students enjoyed the fundraiser
and hope that LC can do it again.
Senior Renee Ballou had a great
experience with Data Match. “My
number one match was actually
my crush from first grade,” she
said. “I would love to do it again!”
A number of students who did not
senior Connor Potucek. “I think
it needed more advertisement.”
The fundraiser brought in
more than $400, which will go
towards the LC cheerleaders.
“The money we earned will help
pay for a cheerleading camp
this summer,” McNutt said.
The Data Match fundraiser,
along with a Tiger cheer camp
for young girls and the mixer
that was held in October, helped
to pay for Rubber Chicken
costumes and a number of other
cheerleading expenses this year.
“People would be surprised by
all of the expenses we have for
cheerleading,” said McNutt.
“The school had a lot of fun
with this and we raised a lot of
money, so the plan is to do another
Data Match next year,” she said.
Senior Brandon Hansen
dies in motorcycle accident
by Vally Moua
Staff Writer
LC senior Brandon Hansen’s
funeral service was held on
Friday March 23, 17 days
after Hansen passed away
from the motorcycle incident.
According to the Spokesman
Review,
Hansen
was
“struck by a minivan at the
intersection
of
Madison
Street and Maxwell Avenue.”
Hansen was driving a minimotorcycle
while
going
to a store around 10 p.m.
The driver of the minivan
fled the scene after hitting
Hansen.
The
newspaper
said the police eventually
caught up with the suspect
and started interviewing him.
Hanson was quickly taken
to a nearby hospital but was
“pronounced
dead
upon
arrival,” said Spokane police
spokesman
Michal
Carr.
Hansen was a wonderful
boy who was loved by many
students at LC and has made an
impact in their lives as a friend.
Seniors Justin Manuel and
Justin Rogers have been friends
with Hansen ever since meeting
each other in elementary school
at Stevens Elementary. Their
friendship grew as they started
to hang out with each other
while attending the same schools
and learning about what the
others personalities are like.
They attended Shaw Middle
School and then came to LC.
On the night of the incident,
Rogers and Hansen were at
a friends’ house, hanging
out and listening to music.
Rogers said he remembers
Hansen showing off his bike to
everyone and just having fun.
“He [Hansen] like to hang
out, party and have fun.” said
Rogers. “He was always doing
something
stupid.”
He did not participate in any
sports but sometime he would
pick up a basketball and shoot
some hoops. Hansen was a
very outgoing guy who loved
to spend time with friends.
Manuel and Rogers have
many fond memories of Hansen
from a long time ago. To them,
every minute with their friend
was just as precious as the rest.
“He’s one of your friends,” said
Manuel. “You can’t really just think
of one fond moment with him.”
“If you don’t have a friend and
you are just sitting, he would
just say ‘what’s up’ and he
would say it to everybody,” said
Manuel. “He knew everybody.”
It is hard times for the Hansen
family, Manuel and Rogers. “I’m
just trying to deal with it. I still can’t
believe he is gone,” said Manuel.
“It’s getting better though,”
“It’s like a process,” said Rogers.
Senior Gareth Heizer was also a
good friend of Hanson. “He was a
good guy and was one of the nicest
guys I knew,” said Heizer. “I never
saw him being mean to anybody.”
Heizer says that it is weird to not
have Hanson with them any longer.
Even though Hansen has passed
away, he has left his friends and
family a loving personality and life
that they will always remember.
I come to you my readers with
a preemptive strike against the
atrocious behavior of American
Citizens on the day known as
Flag Day. Flag Day was declared
an official holiday but is only
celebrated in Pennsylvania as
a state holiday. Why is this
strange non-remembrance of
our nation’s flag occurring?
That is what I intend to find out
through careful self-exploration.
I think it is safe to assume the
US flag is awesome…but is it too
awesome? I have found through
extensive research that the
awesomeness of the flag makes
it worth forgetting to celebrate.
So no, it is not too awesome but
just awesome enough so that the
Pennsylvanians love to celebrate it.
So let’s examine some of the
few redeeming aspects of Old
Glory. Well, the colors of course
are a huge factor considering that
they are completely stationary.
The fact that the colors of the
American flag don’t care enough
to run makes them cool, kind of
like the kids who like to lean on
stuff (a la James Dean) (Such
Amazing
Nonchalantness).
Another factor may be the
canes, as we all know are already
celebrated with Christmas which
would make the American
flag seem snobbish to all (but
Pennsylvania which is the only
state that can truly appreciate the
differences between the two).
The American flag also differs
so much from every other flag
on earth that other countries such
as France or Great Britain would
see it as an act of defiance and we
would have to yet again defend
the honor of the great country.
Admittedly we could take both
of these countries in a street
brawl but a full out war would
totally leave us demolished
because of our refusal to move.
If you are from the twentynine states that cannot tell the
difference from candy and flag
or are just from a state that
is completely dazzled by the
nonchalant manner of the flag,
then it is understandable as to
why you would run rampant on
June 14 with no thought of the
American flag but if you are
from a state that reveres June
14 as a holy day of flags, then
there is no reason for you to not
try and inspire those around you
to celebrate this Nation’s flag.
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
The state of Pennsylvania celebrates Flag Day each year.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that celebrates
the holiday annually. Above is the Pennsylvania state flag.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
Features
April 2007
PAGE 7
Once on This
Island: preview
Famous Couples
Dance?
you lose money,” said Grigsby.
by Samantha Blehm
student body must buy
Staff Writer theirThetickets
before hand to
be played by juniors
by Brooke Lively
Noël Wamsley and
Staff Writer Blake
Kennedy,
The LC drama department has
begun rehearsal for the spring
play, “Once on this Island.” It
will run from May 31 to June 2
and features a cast of only 14.
“It’s a Romeo and Juliet type
story about lovers from two
different worlds,” said drama
teacher and play director Greg
Pschirrer. However, the story is
not told in a conventional way.
“There is little to no dialogue,”
said sophomore Ceilan HunterGreen, a storyteller in the play. “It’s
all done in song,” said Pschirrer.
Also different is the setting.
“It’s a Caribbean retelling;
like “The Little Mermaid,”
without
the
mermaids.”
The lead character, Ti Moune, is
portrayed by junior Mia Yoshida,
opposite
sophomore
Zach
Wymore playing the character
of Daniel. Also, the other main
characters, the four Gods, will
senior Elliot Eaton,
and
freshman
Madison
Martin.
“It’s a really talented
cast,” said HunterGreen. “We all work
well together and I
think we are really
making progress.”
Two seniors,
Eaton and Kyle
Carter have been
involved in every
musical production
of their four years at LC.
“The cast members are all
experienced, and have worked
together before,” said Pschirrer.
Although the play may be
a classic love story, it also
addresses other issues within
society. “It deals with all types
of relationships and differences
in cultures,” said Pschirrer.
The advanced drama class is
also putting on School House
Rock around the same time.
“We have one showing only,
Friday May 11 at LC,” said
Pschirrer, who will actually be
acting within the play as an Elvis
impersonator. The class will
also be performing for the local
elementary schools, who will be
bused into LC for the production.
“We really hope people
come to the show even
though not much is known
about it,” said Hunter-Green.
On Friday, March 16, the junior
class was to have put on the famous
couples dance, but was later
cancelled due to lack of ticket sales.
“The dance was cancelled
because the student body did not
buy enough pre-sale tickets,” said
Anecia Grigsby Special Education
Teacher and Class of 2008 Advisor.
This is not a new thing to
LC, just last year dances were
cancelled due to students not
buying their tickets before the
dance. And depending on ticket
sales at the door is too big of
a risk, according to Grigsby.
There were only 20 tickets sold
for the famous couples dance. “A
group doing a dance must sell
enough tickets to at least break
even,” said Grigsby. “And make
sure they do not lose money.”
The proceeds of selling dance
tickets pay for security officers,
decorations and a D.J., and
all after that should be profit.
“If people don’t buy tickets,
ensure that the dances are not
cancelled at the last minute.
“If there is a dance, buy
tickets! Don’t just say you’re
going to buy them, just do it,”
said Grigsby. “It’s frustrating
to be on a committee that puts a
ton of work into something that
does not end up happening.”
There are no other dances
scheduled for this year besides
prom. “We have to depend on the
student body and that’s what hurts
the most,” said Grigsby. “The
problem lies in the dances, no one
is sure if they will go through.”
“In all, we were very disappointed
about the cancellation, but learned
a ton about trust, what to and not
to do,” said Grigsby. “As well as,
what needs to happen in order
for an event to be a success.”
“I have never seen a group
of kids worked on something
(the dance) so passionately
before,” said Grigsby. “I
appreciated that the most.”
May week Preview
PHOTO BY TUCKER CLARRY
of kiddos spearheading this event,
by Connor Potucek
lined up an array of great food
Staff Writer has
vendors, five in number (for those
Every year, for a while now,
the LC community has observed
“May Week” at LC. This year,
May Week is the last week of
May. May Week is characterized
by different bands, food vendors,
fun activities and competitions
between classes. The location,
as always, will be the courtyard.
An added benefit of May Week
to LC students is the extension
of lunch, with a few restrictions.
All trash, litter, waste, et cetera,
must be picked up for this to
happen, although the lunch
period was extended last year,
the chances of that happening
again are sketchy, Junior Tiffany
Jenkins said, “At LC, kids have
a real problem with picking up
after themselves,” as can be seen
all over school after lunch ends.
Initially celebrated at
Cambridge, May Week is a
pagan ritual. Despite its immoral
background, the LC community
has embraced it with open arms.
ASB officer Abigail Doerr said
“May Week is the one activity
that everyone at LC enjoys.”
The leadership class, the group
of you who didn’t pass the math
WASL, that is one food vendor for
each day of the week). Vendors
this year include the infamous
Chicken N’ More, among others.
Here at Lewis and Clark, May
week has been celebrated for a
good, long, while. At least as
long as anyone can remember.
Doerr declined to comment on the
actual period of time Lewis and
Clark has been celebrating it for.
Last year, May Week was
running smoothly, until on
Friday, the last day of May Week,
it rained, cancelling the last band.
According to junior Christina
Huggins, “It made LC real sad.”
Bands for May Week have not yet
been selected. “We are accepting
applications now,” said Doerr.
If you want your band to
participate in this event, or
you know of someone else
who would be interested,
applications are available in
Mr. Eastman’s room, number
three hundred and nineteen.
Included in the application
must be a recording of your band
playing, either on CD or cassette
tape. Sorry, folks, no LPs accepted.
ISSUE 6
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
Features
April 2007
PAGE 8
Saint Patrick’s Day is a blast
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
St. Patrick’s grave, currently located in Downpatrick, Ireland. If you like the holiday you should go here
which way the shelter is. But of
by Sarah Leonhardy
on St. Patrick’s Day, if
Staff Writer course,
you drunkenly tell someone that
Every St. Patrick’s Day when
I walk down the street from my
small humble home, I end up
running into various numbers of
inibriated teenagers who think that
it is Independence Day. This just
proves that there is really no point
for St. Patrick’s Day other than
getting extremely intoxicated,
rolling around your friend’s yard
exclaiming how Irish you really
are, and eventually throwing up.
In other cities, large parades
with happy leprechaun floats
are seen throughout the day.
Sometimes the water is dyed
a brilliant green, and everyone
dresses up. In Spokane, drunken
people think they are in parades
dressed up as leprechauns.
On any other day, if you were to
tell someone how Irish you were,
they would really not care. In
fact, they would most likely give
you a disgusting look, present
you with a nickel, and tell you
you are fourth generation Irish,
they will embrace you shakily,
congratulate you in an overly
loud voice and then fall down.
St. Patrick’s Day is fun for
most people, but for me it is
simply depressing. Like all other
holidays I will be alone. I will
sit in my room wearing green
waiting for the friends I don’t
have to giggle and pinch me.
I can forget about St. Patrick’s
Day dinner with my family,
because as we all know, most of
them have either disowned me
for my pitiful attitude towards
life, or they have died from
cancer and various other diseases.
I will have no one to laugh
with; I will finally use those
fake shamrock tattoos that I’ve
been keeping in my drawer since
last St. Patrick’s day, and will
probably end up watching the
parade on T.V, eating some week
old Twinkies and wishing that I
could be having fun with others.
Why don’t people understand
that all over the US there are
morbidly obese people attempting
to stretch a green shirt over
themselves while sitting alone
in their Lazy Boy recliner eating
stale popcorn and wishing that
they had someone to share the
moment with? Why don’t people
understand that if they took the
time to notice this unknown, they
might be able to change their
lives? But of course, no one
really cares. On St. Patrick’s day
they will be getting drunk and
leaving these poor individuals
to wallow in their own self pity.
I will eventually start crying
because of this thought, and
begin to feel increasingly sorry
for myself when the friends that I
don’t have, and my relatives (who
obviously don’t love me) send me
sparkly cards in the mail. Soon I
will realize that my life is pointless,
and that the only real motivation I
have for living is my 98 year old
neighbor who sometimes talks to
me when I change her bedpan.
David Frankenfield: Pilot
by Liliana Elikh
Staff Writer
David Frankenfield, an
LC running start student,
is on his second year of
education to becoming a pilot.
Frankenfield began flying during
his freshman year, quit, and then
started flying again his senior year.
His grandfather inspired him to
choose a career in aviation. “My
grandpa flew a lot and he was
interested in it because my grandpa
talks about it a lot,” said John
Frankenfield, David’s brother.
D. Frankenfield currently
takes classes necessary to gain
his credits and complete his
graduation
requirements
at
Eastern Washington University;
these classes do not involve any
flying practice or aviation lessons.
This is his second year out of four.
His practice flights take
place at Spokane Internation at
a section of the airport called
Spokane Airways. “I am flying
for my Private Pilot’s License,
and I am a little over half ways
towards achieving that license,
with about 25 hours of flight
practice,” said D. Frankenfield.
Having now received his
Class 1 Medical certificate,
D. Frankenfield can now
complete solo flights without a
flight instructor, which he has
already done several times.
“After I graduate from high
school I plan to go to Big Bend
and earn other licenses such as
my commercial and multi-engine
ratings,” said D. Frankenfield.
Big Bend is a community college
in Moses Lake, WA that has a
good flight program available.
“I have already been accepted
there,” said D. Frankenfield.
Owning a personal plane can
get expensive, so D. Frankenfield
does not plan to purchase his own
at the time. After completing
his education at Big Bend, he
plans to begin flight instruction.
“My goal is to fly business
jets,” said D. Frankenfield.
The reason he chose the aviation
career field was because of how it
makes him feel. “I can go anywhere
and all I see is the horizon. I
suppose I enjoy flying most
because of the sense of freedom I
get out of it,” said D. Frankenfield.
“I love to fly and this is what I plan
to do for the rest of my life,” he said.
Other than flying, D. Frankenfield
enjoys a variety of different
activities. He enjoys cycling,
video games, music, hanging out
with friends and playing games on
he computer. In addition to that,
he also attends a meditation class.
PHOTO BY GARTH AHERN
Senior Conrad Sykes got a job after hacking his Freshman year.
Student lands job
Word got out about Sykes,
by Emmily Eisenrich
who designed the program
News Editor at the tender age of 16. The
Spokane Schools recently
hired LC senior Conrad Sykes
as a computer programmer
for
the
district’s
online
class
system,
Blackboard.
Sykes job description is
colorful and
varies from
assisting teachers in designing
their courses to troubleshooting
web
problem
areas.
“Basically my job is different
everyday,” Sykes said. “That is
what makes it so interesting.”
Sykes landed the job after a rather
impressive programming history
that began his freshman year with
introductory computer courses.
By sophomore year, Sykes
had developed his own website
called Bad Dog, which allowed
students to bypass the district’s
Internet content filter (Bess).
Sykes
originally created Bad
Dog because “Bess”
was
hampering
students research
ability. Bess is a
rather restrictive
because it filters
sites based on
key/closelyassociated
w o r d s
rather than
on
URL
or content.
Such
restriction
r e s u l t e d
in
widespread
student
frustration,
thus
Sykes
developed
Baddog.
Looking back Sykes deeply
regrets the incident and refers
to it as “one of the worst
choices I’ve ever made.”
The Bad Dog website
experienced over 3,000 hits before
school officials shut it down and
suspended Sykes. In addition
Sykes’ former computer teacher,
Wes Marburger has full faith
in Sykes ability as a computer
engineer and wishes him all the
luck in the world in the future.
Sykes said, “I would not be the
student I am today without him.”
regional media publicized the
issue and Sykes’ imfamous
achievement became the topic
of even the Seattle newspapers.
“Now that I know the
consequences of Bad Dog, both
good and bad, I would still
take it all back,” Sykes said.
Fast-forward two years and Sykes
“By
sophomore
year, Sykes had
developed his own
website called Bad
Dog, which allowed
students to bypass
the district’s Internet
content filter (Bess).”
now commutes after school
to the district office
building
downtown
to put in
his
15
hours
a
w e e k .
The
best thing
about the
job is the
opportunities
t h a t
accompany
a
computer
programming
j o b
at
18.
“The
entire job itself is
really an opportunity,” Sykes said.
Sykes plan to attend Eastern
next year to pursue a Computer
Programming
degree
while
participating in a works study
program that will enable him
to maintain his current job.
This opportunity has prepared
him well for the future.
Who knows perhaps one day
Sykes will be as ingenuitive and
vital to technology as Bill Gates.
And in return, as vital as Bill
Gates is to the real estate industry.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
Sports
PAGE 9
April 2007
Baseball struggles to find
success in dismall season
been coaching
for 16 years now.
Varsity assistant
coach Geoff Kellogg is coaching
for his third year.
Baseball season started out
their
season
with two games
against NC on
March 15 and
16 followed by
a match against
Mead. When LC
competed against
NC on the first
day, they lost 10. The next time
the Tigers met
the Indians, they
defeated them
with an outstanding score of 8-2.
PHOTOS BY VALLY MOUA
The Tigers
could not howSenior Drew Harper works on his swing practice. ever defeat the
Panthers
and
lost to Mead with a score of 11-2.
by Vally Moua
didn’t hit really well,”
Staff Writer said“We
junior right-fielder Marcus
The LC baseball team is hoping Vogt, playing on varsity for the
for a spot in this year’s play-offs first time. He injured his shoulwith the help of eight returning der and had surgery on it during
varsity members and the new in- middle school which stopped
dividuals joining the team. The him from being able to try out
leaders of the team are senior cap- for the team his freshmen and
tains Pete Arneson and Andrew sophomore year. So this is a
Harper. They lead the team with new year for Vogt and he hopes
the help of seven other seniors. that it becomes a great season.
Varsity head coach is English
“I really enjoy our team,”
teacher Dexter Davis who has said Vogt. “We are a very tal-
ented group and we hope to surprise a lot of people this year.”
LC had another chance at playing
against Mead on Thursday March
22. However, they did not beat
Mead and lost with a score of 9-2.
According to Vogt, they could
always look forward to a hard
practice to get better at the game.
On Friday March 23, the Tigers
played a very close match against
Ferris but ended up losing the
game 5-4. They lost their second
match with Ferris on March 27.
The schedule for the baseball
team shows them playing each
school two games in a row and then
they will play a different school.
March 27 and 29, the Tigers played U-High but did
not win in either match.
Their next opponent was Rogers on April 3 and 4. However,
the Tigers could not pull through
on this match and also lost.
On April 10 played EV and
lost the game 12-1. The second
time the Tigers faced EV, they
fought and pull through to win
the game with a score of 6-5.
Four out of the 18 boys on
this year’s Varsity team are
freshmen; Connor Halliday,
Cameron Poland, Taylor Kellogg and Donaciano Santos.
“We are a pretty good team,”
said Halliday, looking forward
to a chance to make the playoffs.
“We would love to have out
fans there to support us.” said
Vogt. “Any game you can come
to, we could use your support.”
Josh Heytvelt returns to GU
“I believe in second chancby Tucker Clarry
es with provisions that
Staff Writer must be absolutely met. If
As Josh Heytvelt and Theo
Davis made that crucial car ride
home on February 9th, to Spokane, WA from Cheney, their marijuana and mushroom laced car
gave them a ticket to certain court
proceedings, being the only court
they’d be invited to for a while.
Skeptics and analysts depicted
the incident as the worst thought
process used in the history of the
new nationally known program.
Some say to give him a break, like
you have not made poor decisions
in your life; others say this is a
black eye for the program, either
way Heytvelt is coming back. On
March 12, 2007 Heytvelt plead
not guilty to drug possession
and was placed into a diversion
program where nothing would
go on his record if he stayed
clean for one whole year and
240 hours of community service.
Mixed results occurred after
people found out about the news.
One teacher from a fan site named
guboards.com, who is a Gonzaga
loyalist said, “I don’t think reinstating Josh or Theo says the right
thing about GU. I think it does
show favoritism. I say this for this
reason. When I attended GU, Josh
and Theo would have been asked
to leave immediately and told not
to come back. And with that ending their time on the basketball
team. I am all for second chances, God knows I make mistakes,
but GU needs to be consistent.”
Another Zag loyalist on the
same fan site on other hand said,
they are, I will support Josh
and Theo coming back.”
Mark Few hopes that
the boys will come back
saying to Andy Katz that
he hopes the boys do all
that they need to come
back and that the team
will move on from there.
He also goes on to say that
he was disappointed in the
boys for mainly not having
the competitive spirit. He
felt that they should have
been in bed or preparing
for one of the most crucial game of the seasons,
which they lost to Santa
Clara, also ending their 50
game home winning streak
and their chances of being
in the Top 25 in rankings.
Heytvelt was Gonzaga’s leading rebounder
and second leading scorer
and would have helped in
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
their now less dangerous
front court, with first year Josh Heytvelt before his suspension,
division one player Ab- from which he will be able to return.
duli Kuso and Senior Sean
Mallon, who has been playing likely be the main offensive tarwith a bad ankle, slowing down get for a team that is losing its
his already tortoise-like speed. main scorer in Derek Raivio and
Heytvelt was a main component other big man, Sean Mallon.
in Gonzaga’s victories over North
Heytvelt’s community service
Carolina with Tyler Hansborough will hopefully be a morality wake
and Texas with Kevin Durant, he up call says one guboards.com
also could have helped against poster hopes, “that most of Josh’s
Gonzaga’s first round opponent community service is speaking
Indiana, who was predominately to teenagers about the dangers of
full of front court playing threats. drug use. Hopefully he’ll make
Heytvelt next year will have an impression on someone so that
to face the critics and will most they do not repeat his mistakes.
PHOTO BY BROOKE LIVELY
The boy’s track team practices running their for their next meet.
Boy’s track starts
season out strong
erhood and friendship that is
by Brooke Lively
brought up a lot,” said junior IsaStaff Writer iah Day who competes in the 100m
The boy’s track team has had
a strong start this year. They began the season by participating in
a jamboree with NC and Rogers
on Mar. 14. For the 400m, freshman JT Melgren and sophomore
Ryan Spilker placed in the finals, while junior Kaleb Fergin finished high in the 800m.
The team is led by health and
fitness teacher Andre Wicks,
who also coaches boys cross
country, along with several
other coaches for the 16 events.
The first GSL meet was held
March 28-29 with U-High
and EV, in which LC defeated both of those teams, starting the season out strong.
Although the team is fairly large,
the coaches still focus on teambuilding. “We have a meeting before practice and then we run our
warm ups together before we split
into the different events,” said junior and pole-vaulter DJ Harrison.
“We also have ‘Brothership’
which is a combination of broth-
and 200m and the 4 by 1 relay.
Even though the season
is still fresh, Harrison says
the team is strong. “According to the other schools, we
are the biggest competition.”
“We are undefeated at this
point, beating U-High, Shadle, G-prep and EV,” said Day.
“I think we have a chance
to really do well this year.”
Trainer Danielle Price seconds
that motion. “No one has had a
serious injury, and that’s good.”
The first home meet will be
April 19-20 against Ferris and
Rogers, where the boys will face
one of their main competitors.
“The three schools we have
to worry about are Ferris, CV
and Mead, but we have good
athletes and as long as we train
and compete well, we should be
able to hold our own,” said Day.
The championship meet at
the end of the year will be held
at Hart Field. With the homefield advantage, the team is
hoping to come out on top.
Boy’s tennis finds
early success
tough competition in the GSL
by Alex Bozman
be G-Prep and Mead.
Staff Writer will On
Mar. 29 LC defeated
The boy’s tennis team has started strong this season. So far they
are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in league.
In their first match on Mar. 13,
they defeated Medical Lake 43. Senior Nick Johnson played
number one singles and defeated
his opponent 5-7, 7-5 and 6-1.
At their second match on Mar.
14, they defeated Lake City 52 even though both the number one singles and the number one doubles were defeated.
On Mar. 26 they played CV
and defeated them 7-0. Johnson defeated his opponent playing number one singles 6-3,
6-1. Seniors Peter Gurche and
Jeff Burkert played number
one doubles and won 6-0, 6-2.
LC suffered their first loss to
Ferris on Mar. 28 6-1. Head
coach Tobin Phelps said, “Ferris is the top dog on the block.”
He also said that their other
Mead 4-3. Burkert and Gurche won their number one doubles match 1-6, 6-2 and 6-4.
Phelps said that their win was
an impressive one. “The easy
response to losing 6-0 in the
first set is to hang your head and
simply give up, but these seniors
displayed the mettle and moxie
necessary to grit out the win.”
In their next match on April
10, LC defeated Shadle 5-2.
Gurche and Burkert defeated
their opponents again as the
number one doubles 6-2, 6-3.
LC defeated EV 6-1 on
April 12 in which Johnson defeated his opponent 6-0, 6-3.
The team is optimistic for the
post-season. Phelps said, “Our
team’s goal this season is to
win the league championship.”
Junior Jason Vanleuvan said,
“Another goal we have is to maybe place in state, we usually do.”
ISSUE 6
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
Sports
PAGE 10
April 2007
Soccer prepares to play
well into the postseason
by Riley Myklebust
Staff Writer
PHOTO BY BROOKE LIVELY
The girl’s track team goes for a jog during one of their practices.
Girl’s track shows
strong potential
many, who is a distance runner.
by Culley Grow
Grigsby expressed her exciteSports Editor ment for the season to come,
As of the Thursday, April 12
meet, the girl’s team record was
2-2 after their first two meets
and a preseason jamboree.
Hurdles coach Anecia Grigsby
said of the jamboree that it was
“a great time to see a little bit
of competition and it allowed
our younger team to compete.”
In their first meet at U-Hi, the girls
beat U-Hi and lost to EV. Then at
their second meet at G-Prep, they
beat Shadle and lost to G-Prep.
The team’s top returnees include juniors Eleanor Siler,
who competes in the 400 meter
and relays, Brittany Kennedy,
who does the long jump and
relays and senior Chelsea Mo-
saying that she is “excited to
get the started. It is good to
get out there and compete.”
“There are lots of strong runners,” said Grigsby. “They work
well together.” Some of those new
runners include freshmen Megan
Bech, who does the hurdles and
relays, Richelle Signer, who does
the 400 meter and relays and Lexie
Greenwood, is a distance runner.
Commenting on the team dynamics, Grigsby said, “The
girls adjusted really well to
some preseason disruptions.”
The girl’s next meets were scheduled for April 19, 21 and 26, two
of which were at home, in which
Grigsby said, “We’re gonna frickin’ dominate at home, dawg!”
LC boy’s soccer, led by second
year coach Casey Curtis and senior captains Evan Gaul, Michael
Master, and junior Galen Gorski,
expect to do well this year. Curtis
said that his, “boys got a taste of
success last year and want to build
upon it,” Last year the team made
it far into the season, and then lost
to CV in the district semi-finals.
“Our experience should help us
along the way,” he said. 16 of the
19 varsity players have varsity experience from last year .Although
Gorski agrees the experience is a
big plus, he believes, “getting our
immense amount of talent to work
together to put the ball into the net
is going to be our highest hurdle,”
the junior captain said, after a 13 pre-season loss against Pasco.
Curtis also commented on the
team’s chemistry, saying that
they have constantly talked about
the concept of “WE over ME,”
said Curtis. “It basically symbolizes that each player needs
to put the team before themselves,” he said, and when they
do that “they will be successful.”
Another problem area was, “our
mid-field, they also had some
trouble controlling the ball in our
first three pre-season games,”
said Gorski, “But with how
much we played together over
the winter, combined with our
strong defense, I’m not worried.”
Despite the early concerns the
team is doing great. They are 6-2
and were even sitting alone atop the
GSL, until their 0-1 loss to Mead.
Curtis did not want to make any
specific predictions about the season, but he could guarantee a win
PHOTO BY JACK SIDDOWAY
Soccer captains senior Evan Gaul, left, and junior Galen Gorski, right, hold their fellow captain senior Michael Master.
against Ferris. On March 30, Curtis held true to his word; his boys
pulled out an exciting 1-0 victory at their home turf, Hart Field.
“The JV team is also doing well,” said sophomore
Brad Zentz, who hopes to
swing to varsity for playoffs.
English teacher, Ryland Huff, is
the JV coach again this year, but
his assistant is a new addition to
the team. Phil Koestner, a Spanish teacher and administrative
intern here at school, is assisting Huff for the first time. “I just
love the game, and I am learning every day,” Koestner said.
“Ashley and Daisy Burke, as
well as Galina Price were also
very helpful trainers,” said Curtis.
Although the team was forced
to make cuts this year due to a
large turn out, Curtis encourages
everyone to try out. “As it is with
any activity… students need to
actively practice and participate
in order to get better,” Curtis said.
Curtis has two more requests, the
first being: if anyone has access to
landscaping equipment please let
Curtis know, because the Hart soccer field is in need of renovation
this summer. The second: come to
games and be loud, like the 6:30
game tonight at CV, or as Gorski
said, “Come out and watch the
games, paying special attention to
the existential motifs represented
metaphorically in the midfield.”
NCAA Tournament provides exhilirating finish
tering the draft and is expected
by David Sheppard
an early second round pick.
Features Editor to beThe
other three teams who
The 2007 NCAA Tournament
was as exciting as ever. Opposed to the last several years,
there were not nearly as many
upsets in the opening weekend
of the tourney. The Florida Gators repeated as National Champions, becoming the first team
to win back-to-back championships with the same five starters.
Although, Florida went through
a rough stretch in the middle of
February, losing three out of four
games to SEC opponents, they
were clearly the most talented
team in the entire tournament.
Junior guard/forward Corey
Brewer was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player,
after leading Florida to victory in
wins over UCLA in the National
Semifinals, and over Ohio State
in the National Championship.
Senior Lee Humphrey and
juniors Al Horford, Joakim
Noah,Taurean Green were the
other four starters returning from
the 2006 championship squad.
All four were instrumental in
helping Florida repeat. Noah,
the 2006 Tournament’s Most
Outstanding Player, took a lesser
role on this year’s team with the
emergence of Horford and Brewer. All three are expected to be
drafted in the first round of this
June’s NBA Draft. Green is en-
came up just a bit short in the Final Four, Ohio State, Georgetown
and UCLA all had excellent seasons, coming up just short. Ohio
State center Greg Oden found
himself in early foul trouble in
several early round games, but
the rest of the team picked up
the slack led by Mike Conley
Jr. and Ron Lewis. However,
Oden was Ohio State’s go to guy
in the National Championship.
They could only ride Oden so
far against the depth of Florida.
Georgetown rode juniors Jeff
Green and Roy Hibbert to the
National Semifinals only to come
up short against Conley Jr. and
Ohio State. Both Oden and Hibbert were in much foul trouble
throughout the entire game.
Analysts rarely consider UCLA’s
player for player talent to be comparable with other national powers. Ever since Ben Howland
took over the UCLA program,
they have always defended well
and played as a team. Those are
the key reasons that UCLA made
it to the Final Four the past two
years. UCLA will likely return
sophomore point guard Darren
Collison to lead this team even
deeper than the past two seasons.
There were many exciting moments from the early rounds all
the way through the National
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET
The Florida Gators celebrate their victory as Ohio State mourns.
Championship. On the first day
of the Tournament, there were
relatively few upsets. The one
main upset was when Virginia
Commonwealth shocked Duke
after guard Eric Maynor hit several key shots down the stretch
including the game winner.
On the first Friday of the
tournament, the biggest upset
of the day was when eleventh
seeded Winthrop edged Notre
Dame behind a big day from senior forward Craig Bradshaw.
Two local teams made the tournament, but each bowed out earlier than they would have liked.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs chose the
worst day of the season to showcase a poor performance, losing
70-57 to the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana went on to lose to UCLA in
the second round in one of the ugliest games anyone has ever seen.
The Washington State Cougars,
who were projected to finish ninth
in the Pac-10 Conference, ended
up finishing second in the conference. This earned them a three
seed in the NCAA Tournament,
and a date with Oral Roberts.
Oral Roberts played the Cougars
tough for a half, but Washington State’s defensive prowess
and consistency proved to be too
much for Oral Roberts in a 7054 victory. In the second round,
the Cougars played an underrated Vanderbilt team. In a game
filled with too many storylines to
list, the Commodores edged the
Cougs 78-74 in double overtime.
Both Gonzaga and Washington State had good seasons, with
high points and low points. For
Gonzaga, losing sophomore forward Josh Heytvelt and freshman
forward Theo Davis to season
long suspensions had to be the
low point. With that said, winning this season’s WCC Championship and advancing to the
NCAA Tournament with all
the complications and distractions of Heytvelt and Davis’s
situation is remarkable in itself.
The Cougars, who were expected to be cellar dwellers throughout the season, had arguably their
most successful season in the history of the program. First year
head coach Tony Bennett was
named National Coach of the
Year by numerous publications.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 6
Sports
PAGE 11
April 2007
Boy’s golf combines skills
of returners and freshmen
ers and in
by Riley Myklebust
their case it
Staff Writer is only six.
“We will improve because we
have some good freshman that
will be on varsity along with
great returning varsity players,” said junior Connor Moran
who has been on varsity since
he joined the LC golf team as
a freshman, and is the teams
prospected number one player.
“Nine returning golfers, four
who are returning for varsity,” said
ninth year coach Jim Travis, who
also expects the team to improve.
Not only does he believe
his team will improve, but he
also said, “They can be competitive to win each match.”
“Several golfers had great
summers with Washington Junior Golf, said Travis,” which
should add to their chances for a successful season.
Junior, Grady Boswell, seniors,
Nick Lavelle and Mats Penberthy,
along with Moran are the four varsity returners that hope to play up
to their coach’s expectations this
season. World history teacher,
Dave Hughes, is also a returnee,
although not as a player, but as
Travis’ part time assistant coach.
“Compared to other sports, it
is much more of an individual
effort,” said Moran. Golf like all
other sports though, only allows
a certain number of varsity play-
There are ten
other Tigers
who make up
the JV team
this year, and
no one was
cut due to
the fact that
the perfect
number tried
out, although
this is a rare
occasion.
Moran
and Travis
both encourage people
to come out
for the team.
“Those that
already play
golf
and
love it,” are
the ones the
team is looking for said
Travis, “The
PHOTO BY RILEY MYKLEBUST
team
will
even
sup- Junior Connor Moran returns for his fourth year
ply you with on varsity, along with four other varsity returners.
clubs
for
the season, if you are good to practice in the off season.
enough to make the team.” Even when it’s cold here you
LC’s home course is Indi- have to go some where warm
an Canyon and that is where to play,” said Moran, “Adam
the team practices four days Scott is my favorite player, and
a week, from 3- 5:30pm. expect us to win the GSL, were
“The key to getting good is coming out with the furry.”
Freshman Morgan Black
skis in Junior Olympics
by Vally Moua
Staff Writer
LC freshman Morgan Black
has qualified for the downhill
skiing Junior Olympics for the
second time in her life and will
be going for the third time this
year, hoping for a medal. The
Junior Olympics will be held in
Wyoming where Black’s parents
will be joining her while her siblings stay in Spokane for school.
“I’m really excited,” said Black,
who is no rookie when it comes
to competing in a tough sport.
Black has been skiing ever since
she was two years old. Her family enjoys the sport but Black
has the passion for downhill skiing. She kept skiing after her
siblings stopped. “My sister quit
last year and my brother never
really got into it,” said Black.
“I was about six when I first
started a little racing program
for kids and from then on I
started to compete in higher
and higher levels,” said Black.
According to Black, in order to
qualify for a place in the Junior
Olympics, the competitors had to
compete in at least two qualifying
matches and make it in the top 21.
“I was fifth on the list of 15-19
year olds,” said Black, after competing in two qualifying matches.
Black participates in
four events: the super “G,”
downhill, GS and slalom.
“I train every weekend,” said
Black, “and sometimes on Thursdays and Fridays.” Black usually
PHOTO BY ALEX BOZMAN
The fastpitch softball catchers work during a team practice.
Softball sports new
coach Paul Neff
by Erin Hostetler
to overcome some injuries and
Staff Writer ineligibility issues. We’re going
The fastpitch softball team
looks to improve on last year’s
performance. Science teacher
Paul Neff is the new coach. The
team captains are senior Taylor
Bemis and junior Ashley Ormsby.
Fastpitch has 5 returning varsity members who are taking
charge of the team. Also, five seniors play on this year’s squad.
The rest of the team consists of
juniors, sophomores and two
freshman, one of whom swings
between varsity and freshman.
The seniors are Taylor Bemis,
Jessica Weber, Kelsi Swenson,
Maria Mackin and Teanna White.
Alexis Deater, Kristina Modica,
Kendall Pavey, Rachel Binger,
Kayla Horton, Tashi Eldore, Rachel Head, Brittney Stout, Tiffany Jenkins and Ormsby are
the rest of the team members.
Ormsby said, “We’re a lot
more spirited this year, better chemistry. [I’m] excited for the season to come.”
“We’re improving. The girls
are working hard. [We’ve] had
to turn things around,” said Neff.
Members of the team currently
having a good year are freshman pitcher Pavey, Bemis, Jenkins and Eldore who is playing
catcher for the injured Ormsby.
The other coaches this year
are Zig Pavey, who is helping with varsity, Ross Rhodes
for the freshman and Sarah Brown for junior varsity.
In upcoming games, they face
Rogers, Ferris and Mt. Spokane
against whom they will hopefully
be competitive or get a few wins.
Neff also said that their defense is doing well but the team
is struggling at bat so that is what
they are working on at practice.
The freshmen team this
year is really strong and hopefully this team can stay together and move up together.
The team is concentrating on this
year but the future looks good and
there are over 40 girls participating.
As for the rest of the season,
Bemis said their goals were
“just to play better as a team
and hopefully get some wins.”
Drill Team places
second at state
“We were really happy with our
by Conor Wigert
showing last year but were not
Ad Manager happy with the results. It is good
PHOTO COURTESY OF MORGAN BLACK
Freshman Morgan Black races down the snow-covered mountain.
hits the slopes up at Schweitzer.
Black’s experience in the Junior Olympics has made her
ready for this years’ event. “Last
year I did well and it was fun,”
said Black. She was the top seed
out of 4A region. Black is looking forward to the competition.
Even though Black has skied
ever since she was little, she is not
sure about how she will do at the
Olympics. “It’s kind of hard to
say because there are some people
who come from other places that
I haven’t seen yet,” said Black.
“I
hope
I
do
well.”
Black is not the only student
at LC that will be competing
in the Junior Olympics. Junior
Laura Brooks did not qualify for
the event at first, so she ended
up becoming an alternate mem-
ber. Then Brooks received the
news that she will actually be
competing in the Junior Olympics after all and is going to the
same event Black will be at.
“I’m glad I get to go,” said
Brooks, “but I’m really surprised.”
Last year LC had another student
who competed in the downhill skiing Junior Olympics. Sophomore
Kristen Lindsey qualified and participated in the Olympics and at the
same time played tennis for LC.
Black loves to ski, but she is
not sure about whether or not
she will continue to do so. “I’m
thinking this might be my last
year,” said Black, but she is also
keeping in mind the world cup.
“Skiing is a great sport and
you get to do a lot of things you
never really dreamed of doing.”
The Lewis and Clark Tiiiiiiggggger Drill Team finished up their
year March 24 in Yakima at
the state dance competition.
The 28 member team finished
with superiors in both pom and
drill, placing second in pom and
fourth in drill. Each teams score is
determined by five judges and is
out of 500. A “superior” is when a
score greater than 450 is achieved.
“A superior is the highest score
you can get,” said sophomore
Mary Brothers. “It is like an A+.”
Added into the scoring
mix
is
ordinales.
“With ordinales, each judges
‘places your team,’ such as first,
second, third, or fourth depending
on what they think you deserve,”
said sophomore Emma Tennafoss.
“Then they add up each judge’s
ordinale and the team with the
lowest ordinale score gets first.”
The Tigers placed fourth according to the ordinale, but their
score was the third highest.
“It is really exciting that we went
from sixth place in pom last year to
second this year,” said Tennafoss.
to get some recognition this year.”
The team is coached by English
teacher Jen Springstead and former member Hannah Lindberg.
Leading the Tigers were the senior captains Katie Bresnahan,
Marissa Hagney and Beta Hsu.
The drill team finished with
13 performances in all, including
four
competitions.
At their first competition at
Mt. Spokane they placed first
in pom and received the highest
score in the whole competition.
In their next competition at Mead,
they again placed first in pom and
drill, beating the home dancers.
Also, for the first time in LC
drill team history, Tennafoss
won the “drill down,” a competition before the awards are announced in which individuals
follow a series of commands.
Before they went to state, the
Tigers had a home court advantage at Districts, where once again
they placed first in pom, but feel
to Mead by a few point in drill.
The Tiiiiiiiigers ended yet another successful season, and are expected to do well again next year.
ISSUE 6
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
Sports
PAGE 12
April 2007
Mariners look to improve
upon a dismall 2006 season
in the Minor
Leagues
and
was one of the
trade baits the
Mariners were
falsely advertising. The question will be if
the
Mariners
split ties with
Johjima and go
for the young
Clement, who
by scouts was
called a potential Ivan Rodriguez, and is
one of the few
catchers
who
have power and
bat left handed.
They have
problems in their
rotation, with
Jeff Weaver and
Felix Hernandez
The Mariners look to 2007 to build a more successful season than years past. as their aces.
Their rotation
looks as though
two for their roster to be complete. it will be Weaver (1), Hernandez
by Tucker Clarry
have a below average pow- (2), Jarrod Washburn (3), Horacio
Staff Writer erThey
outfield, with Raul Ibanez being Ramirez (4) and a yet to be deterThe Mariners finished their their main power hitter, who is a mined fifth starter. But then again,
2006 season with an under- mediocre power hitter, seeing as anybody could be better than
achieving 78-84, and are trying he had 33 home runs, and struck their previous inconsistent pitchto correct last season mistakes. out 115 times, with a batting av- ers, Gil Meche and Joel Piñero.
After being last in the Ameri- erage of .289. Ichiro will only
The Mariners look set to right
can League West, the Mari- stay if the team is in the upper what they did wrong, but the probners finished tied for the fourth half of their division and spoke lem is their current slump, of beworst record in the American of his discontent about being ing 1-7 in Cactus League Spring
League. Seattle signed the most the bottom dweller of the ALW. Training play. It is easy to see the
free agents for any team this off
Another problem is the need Mariners either being first or last
season, with those being head- to trade to gain a good or qual- in their division, seeing as the
lined by World Series Champion ity team, but do not want to trade Oakland A’s and Los Angeles in
Jeff Weaver and former Atlanta any of their top prospects for an the City of Anaheim Angels have
Braves pitcher, Horatio Ramirez. opportunity to be a decent team. reloaded with prospects and free
The Mariners also have players Kenji Johjima and Jeff Clement agents. As the likely speculation
fighting for starting jobs. In the are the catchers that give an inter- heats up as to where Ichiro will
outfield, Ichiro Suzuki, Jeremy esting problem to the team. Kenji be, look for the Yankees to offer
Reed, Adam Jones, Raul Ibanez Johjima is 30, and is turning 31 in high, seeing as they will likely
and Jose Guillen battle for their June, and will be facing wear and get rid of Bobby Abreu due to his
right to play. The battle between tear because of his new adjustment unnecessary cost. All in all, the
Jones and Reed for the Right Field from playing one and half as many Mariners will be a young, inexpeposition heated up and the Mari- games then he did two years ago. rienced team that will grow on its
ners will likely trade one of the
Clement is in his second year way towards the end of the season.
PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERNET AND TUCKER CLARRY
PHOTO BY JACK SIDDOWAY
Seniors Erica Ehlo and Lyndi Seidensticker practice their swings.
Girl’s tennis starts
with multiple wins
by Tucker Clarry
LC’s next win was against
Staff Writer Shadle Park, where Elis Otto
Spring is here, and so are the
rackets, but the season has not truly come with ease, due to the off
and on precipitation, which greatly affects practice capabilities.
LC’s girl’s tennis team has
been off to a successful season, with victories over Central Valley, Ferris, Shadle Park,
East Valley and University.
LC defeated CV with the help of
doubles team Erica Ehlo and Lyndi
Seidensticker, with games ending
6-2 and 6-0, and Brynn Hand winning her singles sets 6-3 and 6-1.
won 6-0 and 6-0 and Ehlo and
Seidensticker continued their
success with wins of 6-1 and 6-0.
The Lady Tigers then went on
and defeated East Valley with Ehlo
and Seidensticker winning 6-1
twice. Then they defeated University, with Otto winning 6-0 and 61 and Ehlo and Seidensticker winning in a close match, 6-4 and 6-3.
Otto has been highly regarded
as one of the best singles players in the city and even the state.
Last year, Otto placed third in
State Singles and looks to have
another strong run in state again.
Girl’s golf takes
first in early meets
Grafos is excited for this years’
by Vally Moua
team and waiting to see how their
Staff Writer season will play out. After their
Spring sports had a slow start
to their season due to the weather, but the LC Girls’ Golf team
is not discouraged. Girls’ Golf
coach Michelle Grafos had not
allowed the girls to start tryouts in the bad weather and has
prayed that the weather would
finally cooperate with them.
The golf team is made up of 15
girls this season led by seniors Katrina Bech, Courtney Alfaro and
Kathleen Flynn. “There are a lot of
young kids this year,” said Grafos.
The girl’s first tournament was
in Clarkston on Monday March 12
at the Quail Ridge Golf Course.
They received first place as a team.
Their second meet was the
Jim Traver invite and the
team received first place.
Freshmen Chessey Thomas
played outstandingly at this
tournament and received first
place overall in the tournament.
Their first GSL meet was on
March 28 at Liberty Lake Golf
Course. Grafos said the first GSL
meet is a very important match
for LC. The Tigers ended up receiving first place at this meet.
One of the Tigers biggest competitors will be Mead who usually
comes out with a strong team. “We
will be head-to-head with Mead
this year,” said Grafos. “The whole
league is expecting we will.”
In the first three meets that LC had
been in, Mead has also competed
and both times, LC ended up first
while Mead took second place.
results from the first two invites,
Grafos feels that the team has a
very good chance this year at state.
On April 10, LC participated
in the second GSL match. The
Tigers rallied from behind towards the end of the game and
ended up beating Mead after they
trailed behind. “We didn’t really
hit that well at the beginning,”
said Grafos. The Lady Tigers are
now 2-0 in GSL league matches.
Last year, the Girl’s Golf team
captured the GSL Championships
for the third year in a row. They had
a great season and Grafos is hoping
to capture another title this year.
LC Girl’s Golf has always been
a strong competitor in the league,
receiving fourth in state last year.
The Tigers compete as a team
through the GSL season but once
the regular season is through,
it becomes an individual sport.
Districts begin on May 7 at
Esmeralda and State will be
held in Bellingham, WA this
year at the Avlon Golf Course.
Grafos is looking forward to
sending some players to state.
She has been coaching the
girls’ team for two years now
while Fitness teacher Jim Travis coaches the boys. She herself
has had experience in the game
of golf and is very skilled at it.
“I played at the University of
Washington and I graduated
there,” said Grafos. With Grafos
experience in golfing, she is hoping to help her girls improve their
skills and knowledge of the game.
Girl’s basketball wins state
for second year in a row
aged 30pts a game going into the mer, spring, winter and fall,” said
by Riley Myklebust
playoffs, but in the champion- Seidensticker “Our coach gives
Staff Writer ship game Redmond held her to us all the basketball we can hanOur lady Tigers did it again!
They brought home the 4a girls
state basketball championship
trophy, for the second year in a
row, after defeating the Titans
of University High School 3934. The girls went 26-3 this year
and were ranked only fourth going into the state tournament.
They had actually played University Titans, of Spokane Valley,
four times this year before they
reached the championship game.
LC’s girls won the first two
games, and then U-High won
the next two, but the better
team, the team with the most
heart finally took it in the end.
The Seattle Times attributed the
girls win to starting LC guard,
senior Katelan Redmon, denying
Titan leading scorer, All-American Angie Bjorklund, a clear look
at the basket. Bjorklund aver-
just 3 of 19 made field goals and
0 of 8 from the three point line.
Bjorklund finished the night
with only six points; her lowest of the season by ten points,
reported the Seattle Times.
Although Redmond agreed,
she did not attribute the shut
down of Bjorklund to just herself, but her whole team. “We
all played tough defense and
shut her down. It frustrated the
team because no one else knows
what to do,” said Redmond.
Redmond, on the other hand,
finished with 18pts, senior Lyndi
Seidensticker, 10pts; junior Kiki
January, 5pts; Brittnay Kennedy, 4pts; and Ula Taula, 2pts.
“It feels really good knowing that our team is the best,”
said Redmon, “all of the long
hours definitely paid off.
That is exactly why the lady
tigers are so good, they play all
year around. “We play in the sum-
dle.” Both seniors said all of the
girls grow really close as a team,
because they play year around
with each other, it really helps
them when they get on the court.
Though the two girls were excited about their win, both are sad
that they will be graduating. “My
crazy fun team mates are going
to be hard to forget and it’s going to be weird not being around
them,” said Redmon. While Seidensticker said, “Although it’s
a great way to end the season
I will be sad to leave the great
friendships and great coaches.”
Along with Seidensticker
and Redmon, Katrina Bech,
Ula Tauala, and Cambrie
Marks will also be leaving
the team to graduate this year.
“Keep playing traditional Tiger ball and always have fun,
you guys will be great,” said
Seidensticker to those Tiger
ladies who will still remain.
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
ISSUE 4
Opinions
PAGE 13
May 2007
“What We Talk
about When We
Talk About Love”
by Garth Ahern
is named after is a perfect
Staff Writer example of the exquisite writing
Raymond Carver is a genius
at compounding a variety of
short stories into a single idea
describing the world in which
we live. Carver does it again in
“What we talk about when we
talk about love.” The world he
so skillfully paints is not a utopia.
It is a
damaged
w o r l d ,
populated
by tortured,
emotionally
scarred people
trying to cope
with life. The
short stories
that
make
up the book
in question
portray these
people
in
their search
for what love
is, and how
to acquire it.
When you
first begin to
read, you will
inevitably
take the stories at face value and
assume that each story in and of
itself has a message of its own.
The book as a whole functions
just as well, if not better, as
any one of his short stories.
When you finish reading the
compilation, you realize that
together, the book of stories is
a portrait of Carver’s world, the
complexity of which can only
be achieved through Carver’s
specific method of writing.
The story for which the book
that only Carver can create. By
his own omission, his style is
heavily based of the conservative
word-sparing writing style of
Earnest Hemmingway. It has
been stripped of everything
that is unnecessary. His writing
is self-described as, “Inclined
toward brevity and intensity.”
The story
portrays two
couples:
one younger
with a more
idealistic
view of love.
The other is
older,
and
has
grown
pessimistic.
As they talk,
their views on
the subject are
revealed and
so is a sense
of alienation
from
each
o t h e r .
One woman
believes that
a
former
boyfriend
loved her even though he
physically abused and beat
her.
Her boyfriend cannot
reconcile with this fact and is
unable to understand. The story
ends, as with so many other
Raymond Carver stories, without
almost any kind of conclusion.
It is bittersweet at best.
Do not start this book unless
you are set on finishing it. It is
meant to be a cumulative affect
and each story furthers the main
idea of the work as a whole.
Summer Vacation ideas
By Sarah Leonhardy
Staff Writer
Over summer vacation, most
everyone is excited about the
things that they plan to do.
Many people have formulated
some kind of eventful retreats
into their mind weeks before
summer vacation even begins.
Although there are many unique
and seemingly exciting ideas for
summer vacation, I feel that we
should recognize those whose
summer vacations will not be
filled with wild beach parties
and red convertibles.
These
people have different ideas for
summer
vacations,
because
they must find things to do by
themselves, without any friends.
1. Sit on your couch, eat
McDonalds
and
watch
the
cooking
network
and work your way to
becoming morbidly obese.
2. Feed
homeless
people;
this might make your
feel better about yourself.
4. Spending the whole day
with your animal. Pack a
romantic picnic or maybe
stay home and watch a movie
since animals aren’t really
allowed in a public theatre.
5. Since you probably don’t
have enough to write
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
about to actually complete
an
autobiography,
read
someone else’s, but make
sure that they did something
important with their lives.
Make sock puppets and put on
a show in front of the mirror.
Go to the swimming pool,
and attempt to make friends.
You might not achieve
this, so see number 8.
Lather yourself with tanning
oil and Crisco and sit
seductively at the pool and
attempt to make friends.
Pluck your eyebrows, because
God knows you need it.
Play Go-Fish with your four
year old cousin, and cheat.
See how many gallons
of milk you can drink
before
passing
out.
Call the poison control
center, and tell them that
you took too much Stratera.
Read Highlights magazine.
See how many crackers
you can put in your mouth,
then look in the mirror
and laugh at yourself.
Read the nutrition facts on
the back of your cereal box.
See how long you can
brush your teeth for.
Practice making yourself cry.
Think about how much better
the world would be without
you.
Glenn Kotche dazzles
from the performance from percussive but I’m expanding
by Erik Walters
hearing his recordings, there was on sounds I’ve used in duos,
Staff Writer a heightened sense of curiosity like the vibraphone, hammered
Local coffee slash concert
house, the Empyrean, has done
a good job of hosting extremely
talented touring acts in such a
small capacity venue since its
reopening a few months ago. Its
patrons were recently treated to
the experience of experimental
drummer Glenn Kotche, whose
performance was mind blowing,
emotionally inspiring, and flat
out unimaginable all at once.
The small concert room
was packed full for Kotche
and talented local support,
Danny
Webber.
Everyone
in the room was assumedly
awe struck by was Kotche’s
drum kit, which encompassed
the entire area of the stage.
It looked daunting with
its myriad of unusual mallet
instruments, including crotales,
a kind of pitched cymbal;
orchestral bells, homemade
percussion items, a fruit basket,
automated crickets and various
cymbals (one in particular that
spiraled to the ground in an
almost
whimsical
fashion),
not to mention an elaborate
electronic looping contraption.
Just looking at the elaborateness
of Kotche’s set was intense, and
though I knew what to expect
floating throughout the room.
“People aren’t really exposed
to solo percussion, outside of the
conservatory or a drum solo at a
rock concert,” said Kotche in an
interview with Isamu Jordan (The
Spokesman Review), “and that’s
different because I don’t show off
my chops, I’m playing music.”
Kotche introduced the audience
to a new piece currently in
progress, and followed it with
several of his masterful and
remarkable pieces from his most
recent album, “Mobile.” Kotche
explained in an interview that he
attempted to create a new concept
for “Mobile” that he hadn’t
tried on his previous albums,
“Introducing,”
and
“Next.”
“During ‘Introducing’ I
was dealing with coincidental
rhythms. On ‘Next’ it was
accidental rhythms so there was
more improvisation. [Mobile]…
is dealing with negative rhythms,
so I’m borrowing themes and
flavors from one song to be
mobile across the record and
appear all over the album.”
“I think people are more open
minded because they expect it
to be something different than
they are used to,” explained
Kotche. “I set parameters so
that everything on the album is
dulcimers, piano, tuned cow
bells… I wanted to vary the colors
and I didn’t want it to become
monotonous on the record.”
Though it only lasted for a little
under an hour, his performance
was an intimate concert experience
that made an impression on
everyone in the room. Kotche’s
“Clapping Music Variations” and
the three movements of “Mobile”
were also audience favorites,
and left the crowd speechless.
However, the most inspirational
and
emotionally
triggering
piece was undeniably “Monkey
Chant,” which told an elaborate
love story by assigning various
sections and areas of his drum
kit to specific characters. Kotche
pulled wires and springs through
his snare drum to create unique
voices and personalities that
applied to those characters, and
created a dynamic that clutched
at everyone’s sleeves, drawing
them deep into the performance.
Glenn Kotche, whose most
noted credentials reside with his
involvement with the Grammy
award-winning Chicago outfit,
Wilco, has appeared on over 70
recordings to date, including
performances with Jim O’Rourke,
Loose Fur and On Fillmore.
“Closely Watched Trains”
By Robert Weigle
Opinions Editor
When we think of Czechoslovakia,
the words “booming film industry”
rarely follow very closely.
However, a few directors from
this diminutive eastern European
country have made a name for
themselves in foreign film circles.
One such filmmaker is Jiri
Menzel, and perhaps his finest
work is “Ostre Sledované Vlaky,”
or “Closely Watched Trains.”
The plot of this classic revolves
around young Milos, who, at the
beginning of the movie, is going
to work for the first time as a
dispatcher for the village railway
station. He is anxious, for he has
a family legacy to live up to:
everyone up through his greatgrandfather was a master at getting
paid for doing absolutely nothing.
As tedium rapidly sets in,
Milos begins watching the Nazioccupied world pass by, and
begins noticing certain things. Of
particular interest is the ease with
which fellow train dispatcher
Hubicka seduces women. Milos
soon begins his own quest to
lose his virginity, aided by his
female companion Zdenka’s
willingness and encouraged
by Hubicka’s gentle needling.
However, things do not go
exactly as planned, and Milos,
with nowhere else to turn,
attempts suicide. After this, Milos
is very soured and uncertain
of his relationships with other
people, and his boyish longing
soon turns into angst-ridden
desperation. Milos decides to
accomplish his task, or die trying.
Being created in a Sovietoccupied
country,
“Closely
Watched Trains” is behind
the movie technology curve
for a 60’s film. However, it is
stylistically decades ahead of
its time. The use of wide-angle
still shots set to narration is
reminiscent of a Wes Anderson
flick, and many unique camera
angles are employed that won’t
be widely seen in mainstream
cinema for years to come.
“Closely Watched Trains”
is thematically very complex
for a movie of this period. The
consequences of occupation,
modernization, and resistance
fighting are all explored, as well
as the human urge to fornicate.
This movie isn’t all straightfaced
seriousness,
though
– “Closely Watched Trains”
has a dry, crackling humor
throughout, and many parts leave
the viewer laughing out loud.
This unique humor and quirky
style set “Closely Watched Trains”
apart from nearly every other
film of that period, American or
otherwise. Considering its subject
matter, it has a maturity that is
almost unheard of in today’s
movie industry. If you can get past
the poorly translated subtitles,
“Closely Watched Trains” is
accessible to anyone, even
people not used to the sometimes
odd style of most foreign films.
ISSUE 4
Opinions
May 2007
PAGE 14
Rodriguez/Tarantino continue to thrill
dancer girlfriend Cherry Darling for British shock films, and It recreates the female revenge the edge of your seat in giddy
By Nathan Weinbender
(McGowan), and pretty nurse Eli Roth’s devilishly clever genre, where women seek anticipation, you’re probably
Staff Writer Dakota Block (Marley Shelton), “Thanksgiving” is so depraved vengeance for crimes committed not paying any attention.
Back in the 1970s, independent
movie studios were cranking out
cheap odes to sex, drugs, violence
and more sex. They would cobble
them together in a matter of days,
using inexpensive, inexperienced
actors and little or no cinematic
expertise, showing them in
trashy double features in seedy
theaters all around the country.
“Grindhouse” perfectly apes
the feel of those exploitation
movies, with busty women, fast
cars and plenty of blood, bullets
and octane. The film is scratchy,
the audio track filled with pops
and crackles and entire reels tend
to be missing. It also captures
the act of going to those movies:
It’s a double feature, complete
with fake trailers and mock
ads for local greasy spoons.
The two features are directed by,
respectively, Robert Rodriguez
and Quentin Tarantino. They’ve
written and shot their films with
broad, energetic strokes, their
vastly contrasting personalities
dripping from every frame.
Considering Rodriguez shot “El
Mariachi” for $7,000 and Tarantino
spent most of his childhood in the
back rows of grindhouse theaters,
you can tell they’ve wanted to do
something like this for a long time.
“Grindhouse” begins with
Rodriguez’s segment, “Planet
Terror,” a zombie flick that
exists in a universe where bullets
never run out, cars explode for
no particular reason and Rose
McGowan has a machine gun for a
leg. After a noxious gas is released
in a small Texas town, it begins a
fast-spreading epidemic that turns
people into flesh-eating ghouls.
Among the survivors is
troubled auto mechanic El Wray
(Freddy Rodriguez), his go-go
whose psychotic, zombified
husband (Josh Brolin) wants her
dead because she’s
having a lesbian
affair behind his
back. They lead a
band of outsiders
to the outskirts
of town, where
they
encounter
a
contaminated
military troupe who
imprison our heroes
with
hopes
of
finding an antidote.
The movie
is
ridiculously
disgusting—
testicles are lobbed
off, people are
ripped to pieces,
brains are scooped
out, armies of
zombies shot full
of
holes—but
Rodriguez’s tongue
is firmly in cheek.
He mimics the style
of a long-gone era
of splatter films,
from the off-kilter
cinematography
to
the
thick,
synthesized musical
score. It isn’t far
from
something
George A. Romero
or Lucio Fulci
might have done
thirty years ago.
Following “Planet
Terror” is a series of
terrific mock trailers
helmed by various directors. Rob
Zombie’s “Werewolf Women
of the S.S.” features a hilarious
cameo by Nicolas Cage as the
evil Fu Machu, Edgar Wright’s
“Don’t”
brilliantly
satirizes
repetitive
advertisements
that it defies proper explanation.
Next is Tarantino’s “Death
Proof,” which is less of a
grindhouse movie than it is a
Tarantino movie. His characters
sit around ala “Reservoir
Dogs” and talk about nothing
in particular, but the dialogue is
typically fresh, funny and clever.
against them by piggish men.
Kurt Russell is pitch-perfect
as our villain,
Stuntman
Mike,
whose skin is as
thick as leather and
hair as slimy as an
oil slick. He drives
a fast car and likes
to run women off
the road with it,
which is apparently
the only way he can
become aroused.
Our heroes are four
pretty
ladies—a
makeup
artist
(Rosario Dawson),
an
actress
(Mary
Elizabeth
Winstead)
and
two professional
stuntwomen
(Tracie Thoms and
Zoe Bell, who was
Uma
Thurman’s
double in the “Kill
Bill”
movies).
The girls find
an ad in the paper
for a 1970 Dodge
Challenger
that
resembles the car
from “Vanishing
Point.” They decide
to take it out for a
test drive on the
open roads and end
up
encountering
Stuntman
Mike,
which results in
one of the finest
car chases ever
committed to film.
Movies have been relying on
CGI far too much lately, and it’s
refreshing to see a chase scene
as real as this. It’s far removed
from “The Fast and the Furious,”
and if you’re not hanging off
Stuntman Mike is one of those
movie killers who really have no
motive except to put the story
in motion. He’s “death proofed”
his cars so that, in the case of a
nasty fender-bender, he can walk
away with a few cracked ribs
while female hitchhikers in the
passenger seat might lose a limb
or two—if they’re lucky. Russell
has been playing the good guy
ever since his late ‘60s Disney
features, and he approaches the
bad guy role with great zeal.
Both “Planet Terror” and
“Death Proof” suffer slightly at
the hands of their running times.
Rodriguez’s film feels a bit too
long—although it’s consistently
entertaining, it’s hard not to be
a tad repetitive when making a
zombie movie. Tarantino’s feels
strangely clipped. The film’s set-up
is strange, with the script placing
too much emphasis on early
scenes that have little importance.
Another problem is Tarantino
himself, who has cameos in
both films. To say he can’t act is
being far too nice—his presence
is distracting and unwarranted.
Perhaps they should have called
in some B-movie veterans to
pop up unexpectedly in his roles.
“Grindhouse” is an imperfect
movie, but it’s a whole lot of
fun. It gets its kicks from paying
tribute to the bygone exploitation
flicks that Rodriguez and
Tarantino regard so dearly, and
there’s a certain sense of fondness
present in the twisted mayhem.
If you have sweet memories of
“Women in Cages,” “Hannibal
Holocaust” or “Hell’s Angels
on Wheels,” gather up your
loved ones and spend a night at
“Grindhouse.” It’s not so much
a movie as it is an experience.
Spring movie lineup shows lots of promise
by Christina Huggins
Staff Writer
Although March has some
promise in terms of potentially
good movies like “Zodiac,” “The
Wind
that
Shakes the
B a r l e y, ”
“Blades of
Glory” and
“Reign over
Me,”
the
full spring
season packs
a punch with
some very
promising
thrillers,
comedies
and dramas.
I have
chosen not
to talk about
the possibly
bad spring
m o v i e s
because
if I had to
sit
down
and
write
an
article
talking about
the upcoming films “Are We
Done Yet” and “Pathfinder,” I just
might have to drink some arsenic.
Anyway, I will therefore highlight
certain films that either I or mass
populations are looking for.
The drama/thriller “Lonely
Hearts” starring John Travolta,
Salma Hayek and Jared Leto tells
the true story of a homicide case
in which two murderers would
lure
their
victims
through the
personal
ads. I would
personally
see it just for
Leto but the
cast looks
promising
and
the
story
is
intriguing.
It releases
to
select
theatres on
April
13.
The
dramedy
“Year
of
the
Dog”
starring
M o l l y
Shannon
and John C.
Reilly tells
the
story
of a lonely secretary (Shannon)
whose only true friend and
companion, Pencil (her dog),
dies and Shannon’s character
embarks on an emotional journey
that will transform her. With
an actress like Shannon this
movie promises to be both heart
wrenching and gut busting. “Year
of the Dog” releases on April 13.
May is definitely the
month
of
the
“Thirds”:
Well here it is the one that
most people have been waiting
for (At least those with a pulse),
“Spider-Man 3” releases May
4 to all theatres. The action
film stars the handsome Tobey
Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and
shows the hero, Spider-Man,
fighting two feared villains, his
ex-friend, a competitor for his girl
MJ (Dunst) and himself. It looks
very exciting and could possibly
surpass the previous two not only
in the box office but in approval.
The next “3rd” is “Shrek the
Third” which is released on
May 18. The comedy starring
the usual Mike Myers, Cameron
Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio
Banderas follows Shrek while he
tries to find an heir to the throne
of his wife, Princess Fiona’s
throne before he will be forced
to take it and leave his swamp. I
certainly hope that it lives up to
the previous two and I am sure
it will be at least a bit funny.
The final “3rd” of May is “Pirates
of the Caribbean: At Worlds End”
which opens to all theatres on
May 25. The action packed film
follows Will Turner (Orlando
Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira
Knightley) and Captain Barbossa
(Geoffrey
Rush) as they
frantically
try to save
Captain Jack
Sparrow from
the clutches of
“Davy Jones’
Locker.”
I
hope it does
not disappoint
considering
the
sequel
broke
box
office records.
The third
installment of
this series of
films “Oceans
Thirteen”
promises to be
as funny and
well done as
the previous
two. With a huge cast that works
so well together like George
Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt
Damon, how could you go wrong?
A very promising comedy and
sequel “Evan Almighty” releases
on June 22. The hilarious looking
film follows Evan (Steve Carell)
as his life is flipped upside down
when God (Morgan Freeman)
shows up and asks him to build
a giant ark. Carell is always
hilarious and the film should be
at least close as funny as “Bruce
Almighty”
w a s .
Some other
possibly
noteworthy
films of the
spring
are
“Goodbye
Bafana”
starring
J o s e p h
Fiennes
(releases
April 27 in
the
UK),
September
D a w n
starring
Jon Voight
(releases
May 4), “The
Ex” starring
Zach Braff
and Amanda
Peet (releases on May 11),
“Rescue Dawn” starring Christian
Bale (releases on May 25 to select
theatres), “Knocked Up” starring
Katherine Heigl (releases June
1) and “Mr. Brooks” starring
Kevin Costner (releases June 1).
For more information on any of
these films go to aceshowbiz.com
or use a reliable search engine.
ISSUE 4
The Lewis and Clark High School Journal
Opinions
PAGE 15
May 2007
Fincher continues his legacy with “Zodiac”
The Zodiac Killer committed a
by Nathan Weinbender
string of seemingly random crimes
Staff Writer in the San Francisco Bay area
Hollywood loves the serial
killer. In a way, serial killers
are the most terrifying villains
a filmmaker can rely on: They
are merciless and cold-blooded
monsters, yet, above all, they are
humans, and nothing is scarier
than seeing the potential of human
evil. Serial killers are fascinating
specimens, yet they are difficult
to categorize or portray honestly.
David Fincher’s “Zodiac,”
based on the real-life crime
spree of the infamous Zodiac
Killer, is brilliant because it is
not about the murderer or about
his crimes, but rather about the
investigation surrounding it all.
At the same time, though, it’s more
than a simple police procedural,
occasionally tapping into dark
psychological territory that hasn’t
been rendered this effectively
since “The Silence of the Lambs”
or Fincher’s masterpiece “Seven.”
in the late 1960s. He taunted the
police and various members of the
press with letters and cryptograms
for several years, taking credit
for nearly 40 crimes (although
he was only positively linked to
seven victims). The identity of the
killer remains unknown, and the
case has been in various stages
of development since the ‘70s.
The film is based on two
nonfiction books by Robert
Graysmith, a former cartoonist
for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Graysmith is one of the movie’s
centerpieces, played effectively
by Jake Gyllenhaal as a
submissive newsroom rookie
who gradually evolves into
the Zodiac’s prime researcher.
Gyllenhaal’s understated
performance is nicely contrasted
with the effortless pomposity of
Robert Downy Jr. as Paul Avery,
a haughty, alcoholic Chronicle
columnist. And Mark Ruffalo,
usually reserved for thankless
supporting roles, is excellent as
David Toschi, a police inspector
who
becomes
responsible for
the
premiere
investigation
of the Zodiac
c r i m e s .
Fincher is a
director
who
is known for
his
over-thetop
approach,
and “Zodiac” is
much different
than his slick
thrillers
like
“Fight
Club”
and
“Panic
Room.”
This
film, penned by
James Vanderbilt
(the author of such dead-inthe-water fare as “Basic” and
“Darkness Falls”) is deliberate,
slowly-paced
and
strictly
narrative driven. Those expecting
a typical Fincher film, replete
with bizarre editing techniques
and
wall-to-wall
violence,
will probably be disappointed.
But the fact
that
Fincher
has pacified his
typical
manic
style is a godsend
of sorts. Such
material could be
easily exploited
or turned into
forgettable
Bmovie schlock,
and
Fincher’s
distinctive
(sometimes
distracting)
directorial
techniques could
have caused the
film to implode.
The film is
reserved
and
thoughtful, and its meditation
upon violence and the human
psychology makes the story all
the more fascinating. There are
moments of genuine suspense,
however, reminding us that,
although the film is on slow
burn, it hasn’t forgotten to
keep the audience hooked.
This is, above all, a movie
about obsession. The Zodiac is
enamored with his own killing, in
love with the publicity his crimes
get him, whereas the cops and
reporters are infatuated with the
very enigma of the Zodiac. And
there seems to be a strange mental
connection between Graysmith
and the Zodiac that adds an
element of uncomfortable intimacy
between a man and a monster.
The movie’s reservations speak
volumes, and the final scene,
despite a complete absence
of dialogue, is one of its most
effective and chilling moments.
Fincher has finally hit his stride,
proving he’s more than a former
music video director who can
conjure up kinetic images
and exaggerated characters.
“Zodiac” is 2007’s first great film.
Grade:
A
The birth of bossa nova
“Getz/Gilberto,” is sparing in
by Robert Weigle
instrumentation and musical saying that they understand the
Opinions Editor complexity. What does make other perfectly in the musical
The OC finally ends
OC royalty, the Cohen’s. After
by Connor Wiggert
a rough start and an unexpected
Staff Writer pregnancy, you would think his
FOX ended an era on Feb 22
when the final episode of the
ever-so-loved “OC” aired at
its usual 9:00 P.M time slot.
After four seasons of pure
excellence the show went out on
a happy note, with the wedding
of everybody’s favorite geek
boy Seth Cohen and Orange
County hottie Summer Roberts
and a view into main man Ryan
Atwood’s successful future.
Many may argue that the
show died when Ryan’s chick,
Marissa Cooper passed away
in the final episode of the third
season, while others argue
it died after the first season.
The OC started out as one of
the most popular shows of 2003,
but slowly dwindled after that.
This does not mean, however,
that it did not have its diehard.
“I watched the OC all the
way through,” said sophomore
Michelle Duskey. “It was the
perfect ending for the show.”
Throughout the duration of the
show we watched the characters
experience extreme ups and downs.
We started out with the troubled
Ryan Atwood coming from the
wrong sides of the track and
being taken under the wings of
drama would be over, but they
kept it coming all four years.
Personal favorite opening of
the final season: cage fighter.
We watched as Marissa went
through Luke, Ryan, Oliver,
Ryan again, Alex (her lesbian
lover), Ryan again, Johnny,
Volchok, and Ryan once again,
all before her tragic death at the
hands of her final lover (before
Ryan again of course), Volchok.
Spending most of his life as
a loner, comic book geek, Seth
found a new start with his new
brother, Ryan. The addition of
Ryan to his family brought him his
elementary school crush, Summer.
Summer started out as your
typical “plastic,” but after she
began to date Seth we say the
softer side of her, ending the
show with a campaign around
the country to save otters.
Then there were the parents that
began to occupy the show more than
the kids (thus the drop in ratings).
In the end we saw a happy ending
for all of our characters (except the
smaller characters, and of course
Marissa who died). Although the
final season was less than stellar
(I cannot believe they killed her
off!) it was a good ending to the
show that changed lives forever.
Everyone has heard it: wafting
down the frozen food aisle of the
local supermarket, playing in the
filthy men’s room at The Cathay
Inn, or soothing businessmen in
every elevator the world over.
The Girl from Ipanema. You
just can’t get away from her. But
believe it or not, this nauseatingly
smooth song’s origins lie in some
of the most cool, stylish music
ever played in the 20th century.
In the late ‘50s,
the
American
jazz scene was
stagnant. Musicians
were losing touch
with their roots,
creating
difficult,
theoretically
complex music that
left no room for
improvisation, the
heart of jazz since
its
beginnings.
Audiences
began
losing interest in
jazz, turning to
other
distractions
like rock ‘n roll.
But in Brazil, of
all places, local
musicians
had
become fascinated
with classic jazz
sounds
from
America.
They
sought to fuse this
fascinating music with their
traditional
Brazilian
vibes.
Meanwhile, a handful of forwardlooking American jazz cats were
searching abroad for new sounds to
revive their lackluster scene. The
most notable of these individuals
was tenor saxophonist Stan Getz,
and he happened upon Brazil.
What soon emerged was a meeting
of the minds, of sorts. Getz teamed
up with noted Brazilian musicians
Joao Gilberto (guitar), Antonio
Carlos Jobim (piano), and Milton
Banana (drums) to create a fresh,
groundbreaking album. What
they ended up with was a whole
new style of music: bossa nova.
Their album, simply titled
it shine is the subtle interplay
between these seasoned musicians.
They create a tight groove
with a laid back sense of ease,
never breaking the cool, surreal
atmosphere with unnecessary
notes
or
needless
speed.
“Getz/Gilberto” is neatly
structured with softly strummed
Spanish-style guitar, plaintive
jazz piano, softly straining sax,
and sparing, subtly syncopated
percussion.
The
melodic,
reserved vocals fit perfectly with
the cool accompaniment, sung
in Portugese by Gilberto and in
English by his wife. “The Girl
From Ipanema,” unrecognizable
to most people without the cheesy
flute and ‘80s synth organ we hear
in the arrangement today, opens
the album, immediately creating
an atmosphere similar to one
you would find in an after hours
open-air cocktail bar on the beach
in Rio. This mood is present
throughout the entire album.
Due to the language barrier,
Getz was never able to
communicate verbally with his
Brazilian counterparts. However,
both sides have been quoted as
realm. Getz made several more
recordings with this group of
musicians, often inviting other
Brazilian jazz luminaries for a
guest spot. However, good as they
are, none of the follow up records
achieved the legendary status
that “Getz/Gilberto has claimed.
Still, the core lineup featured on
all of these collaborations has
gone down in history as one of
the best jazz combos of all time.
Unfortunately, due to record
companies’
overzealous
desperation
to
market “the next
big thing,” bossa
nova soon became
merely
a
fad.
Scores of mediocre
musicians sought
to imitate Getz and
Gilberto’s
fresh
sounds, and were
eagerly snapped up
by labels looking to
cash in on the latest
craze. Before long,
bossa nova music,
tainted by the overt
sentimentality
of
Getz imitators, was
ridiculed by critics
and
audiences
alike.
Then
it
began its slow,
downward
slide
into the genre we
now call elevator music.
Despite the abysmal reputation
bossa nova has as an art form
today, those first recordings are
unarguable timeless pieces of
music. “Getz/Gilberto” regularly
appears on top-albums-of-alltime lists, and is often cited by
prominent musicians of all genres
as an influence of their work. The
classic bossa nova sound can
still be heard in contemporary
music, from the acid jazz scene
in London to several Yo La Tengo
songs. So if you happen upon
“Getz/Gilberto” or any other early
bossa nova recording in your local
record store or your pirated music
website of choice, give it a listen.
ISSUE 6
Opinions
April 2007
PAGE 16
Modest Mouse: set the
controls for mediocrity
Bjork, Interpol, Sarah Silverman and The Arcade Fire love hanging out with Bigfoot. They party on weekends and watch VH1.
Sasquath Festival;
worth the dough?
Modest Mouse frontman, Isaac Brock, says “ahhh” for the crowd at a show in Vancouver: 2006
by Mac Smith
Editor In-Chief
The tumultuous life and times
of Modest Mouse is one of the
most harrowing stories in rock
and roll history. Plagued by nearbreakups, substance abuse, bad
tempers and the host of personal
demons haunting enigmatic
frontman, Isaac Brock, the sheer
fact that Modest Mouse has
stayed a band for the last fifteen
years is a feat in and of itself.
And not only has Modest Mouse
endured, but risen to the top of
the indie rock genre to become
arguably the most important
and
influential
American
band of the last 20 years.
One would expect a hit-andmiss relationship with a band
characterized by such volatility and
inconsistency. However, Modest
Mouse has thus far released five
full-length albums and a host
of EPs that have spoken loudly
to their ability to consistently
grow and develop as a band.
On March 20, the band released
their sixth full-length album,
“We Were Dead before the Ship
Even Sank,” arguably their
most creatively succinct and
certainly most musical effort to
date. But is this a good thing?
The songs don’t suck. Many are
absolute gems in the Modest Mouse
catalog. Including the dance-hall
stomp frenzy “Fly Trapped in a
Jar” or the manic nautical carnival
romp “March into the Sea.”
Also though, the songs aren’t
great. Many fans are quick
to decry the album for its
universality, but this has been a
forgone conclusion since 1999
when the band sold several songs
from their breakthrough album
“The Moon and Antarctica”
to beer commercials and car
companies. This full awareness
of their own idiosyncrasies
has actually been key to the
band as they have gradually
become increasingly successful.
Case in point; a now famous
NPR interview in which Brock
responded to charges of “selling
out” with the tongue-in-cheek quip,
“I’m f-ing rich… next question.”
The album is not mediocre
because of its pop appeal. It
is mediocre because the songs
are just not that good. They are
often meandering in structure,
blatantly
over-polished
and
(my largest personal qualm
with the record) composed
of
formulaic,
nonsensical
similes disguised as lyrics.
Nearly every song contains
at least one “diamond” of a
line such as “like a rickshaw
being pulled around by another
rickshaw,” or “like trying to keep
and ice cube from the cold,” or
“like trying to hide the daylight
from the sun,” or “like a joke
laughing at another joke,” or “our
ideas held no water, but we used
them like a dam.” As you can see,
it gets repetitive and gives one
the impression that Brock really
isn’t trying that hard anymore.
Furthermore, when coupled with
multiple references to a drunk
named Gary and sickeningly outof-character love song dribble
such as “I can see it in your
eyes / like I can taste your lips /
and they both tell me that we’re
better than this,” a great deal of
faith in Brock as a lyricist is lost.
The drum sound has been watered
down to a level reminiscent
hair-metal, and the gang-vocal
that once made the band unique
has now become something
closer to an old Kansas record.
I believe it was only a matter
of time before Modest Mouse did
something unjustifiably mediocre.
That time has now come.
Girl Scout cookies: delicious
confection or devious con?
by Christina Huggins
Staff Writer
So we all know that early
spring is the time when those
little overachieving girls from
the Girl Scouts frolic around
in order to sell their amazing
cookies for which we all prance
outside from our dark rooms
to see those over eager faces
holding those colorful boxes.
Anyway, every Girl Scout
cookie season I force my mother
to go out and stock up on Thin
Mints before they go away for
a year. I usually tell her to get a
few boxes which are supposed to
last me for at least a few months
but really they only end up lasting
me like one weekend. I truly look
forward to eating my 7 boxes of
Thin Mints in one weekend as
it is a very therapeutic time for
me and it is also a time when I
get to be my true self, a total pig.
However this year as the Girl
Scout cookie season is winding
down I have realized that I did
not see any Girl Scout cookies or
Girl Scouts themselves. Therefore
I did not get any Girl Scout
cookies and I am therefore going
through Thin Mint withdrawals
and I could snap at any moment.
I have heard of some people
getting Girl Scout cookies and I
ask you to please help me find them
before they are no longer available.
I did not find them at any
grocery stores within a 30 mile
radius of my house (There are at
least five) and no Scouts came
to my door to try to sell them.
All of this has convinced
me that there is some kind of
cookie shortage or at least a
Scout shortage. Either way
this is a problem and must be
stopped before these cookies are
wiped from the face of America.
To sum up Girl Scout cookies
are great and I realize that this is
a rather pointless article. I know
that as the writer I should probably
know what I am talking about but
I have honestly not been able to
find Girl Scout cookies anywhere.
Please excuse my stupidity and
help me if you can unless you
don’t have Thin Mints in which
case you can just forget it. The
desperation is growing still. I may
be forced to settle for Samoas,
but we all must make sacrifices.
by Mac Smith
Editor In-Chief
The Sasquatch Festival, held
every Memorial Day Weekend
at the Gorge Amphitheater, has
become a tradition of sorts.
Everyone seems to have that
one burgeoning hipster friend
who whenever concert-going
comes up in conversation feels
obligated to mention how
“awesome Sasquatch was!”
It is unavoidable that by mere
association, every young person
seems to know every band that
has played in the festival for the
last three years. The concerts
are legendary, the after-show
festivities even more so. This
year promises to be no different.
Last year, Sasquatch took
place over the course of three
days, with bands performing
simultaneously on three different
stages. This year, the event has
been trimmed down to two days
to accommodate a begrudgingly
less
impressive
lineup.
Main stage acts last year
included Beck, The Flaming Lips,
Death Cab for Cute, Ben Harper,
The Shins, Nine Inch Nails, TV
on the Radio and Sufjan Stevens.
This year, Sasquatch will host
fewer big-name artists but will do
so in two days instead of three.
Main stage acts on Saturday
include Manu Chao, M.I.A.
and The Hold Steady. The
day’s frivolity will culminate in
performances by The Arcade Fire
and Bjork (a live experience worth
the price of admission by herself).
Sasquatch ends Sunday with
a performance by Beastie Boys
following the likes of Interpol,
The Polyphonic Spree and Spoon.
Also worth noting is the return
of some Sasquatch veterans like
Aqueduct, Smoosh and Neko
Case (whose set last year was cut
painfully short by an onslaught of
rain and hail). D.C. punk icons,
Bad Brains will also be making
a triumphant return to musical
relevancy following the cringinly
out of place Mix Master Mike.
Fear not though, Sasquatch
remains true to its Inland
Northwest roots by hosting the
likes of Seattle indie favorites,
Minus the Bear and Citizen Cope.
Yet another addition to the
Sasquatch lexicon is that of
comedians. Sarah Silverman will
be MC-ing the main stage while
Michael Showalter of “Wet Hot
American Summer” fame will
be holding down the second
stage. These acts will help fill
in the mind-numbing amount of
time between performances (this
means you, Ben Harper) and
keep the crowd from tearing apart
the concession stands in a rage
over the $8.00 chicken strips.
Although the integrity of the
live performances themselves
has been somewhat marginalized,
one thing remains certain: if
you don’t go to Sasquatch, you
will be forced to hear about it
non-stop for at least six months.
You-Do-DJ
Professional DJ Sound System connected to your
iPod or laptop for your party or event.
Cost: $175.00
325-5163
inpronw.com