By Julian White-Davis, Photo and Publishing Editor Thrett Brown, a young man of seventeen years, walks through the streets of Tacoma, Washington, after moving from Louisiana with his mother and sisters. It’s the mid-nineties, and Brown is immersed in the gang scene. The war on drugs is in full swing. Now, nearly two…
Author: Riptide Editor
Embedded honors lacks many of the benefits that regular honors and AP classes offer
By Clara Atwell, Business and Associate Editor or maybe the Editorial Board (See Feature article, “Honors classes to be introduced, continued,” page 8) Every member of this editorial board has taken advantage of the Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered at the high school, in particular the social studies classes, from freshman to senior year. We…
Honors classes to be introduced, continued
By Elizabeth Lande, Reporter & Designer At the beginning of second semester, the administration reintroduced the honors program to VHS. In the past, senior students had the option to take honors English, but the classes were discontinued in the 1980s. Other English electives, including an AP English course, took its place, eventually leading to the…
School creates program to combat hunger
Sam Chowning, Reporter A new program is being developed to combat issues of student hunger at VHS. Under the name “The Pantry,” the program aims to offer support to students by providing free care packages filled with daily necessities. They contain not only food, but also shampoo, soap, feminine products and even cosmetics to…
“A Quite Place” leaves viewers speechless
Samuel Knight, Reporter Every so often a movie comes along which introduces a new subsection of a genre, and becomes a mold from which subsequent films are formed for years to come. “Indiana Jones” is commonly referred to as a classic action film, “Saving Private Ryan” as a defining war film, and “The Dark Knight”…
“Infinity War” elevates MC universe
by Calder Stenn For what is quite possibly the greatest amount of hype a blockbuster will receive this year, “Avengers: Infinity Wars” certainly meets these standards. Unlike some of the earlier Avenger movies, Marvel’s latest box office buster, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, possessed a much more pampersome plot — despite the fact…
Local rowers aim for national team
By Samuel Knight, Reporter Four island rowers have been invited to a camp this summer to determine whether or not they will represent the United States in the Junior World Championships this summer in the Czech Republic: junior Connor van Egmond, sophomore Katherine Kelly, and freshmen Roslyn Bellscheidt and Gabrielle Graves. The rowers…
Opinion: Racism in the South is subtle, not gone
By Elizabeth Lande, Reporter The American South is very, very old. It seems to breathe history, with every square harboring its own secrets of the Antebellum era and beyond. Live oaks draped with Spanish moss pose beside stately town houses that have sat on their foundations since long before the Civil War. It’s an effortlessly…
Girls lacrosse dominates the competition
By Katherine Kelly, Managing Editor The Vashon girls lacrosse team, coached by Larry Dubois, has had a successful season. The Valkyries, named after the female warriors from Norse Mythology, practice five days a week at the Vashon Elementary School field, next to the Harbor School. This season, the team played 10 games, with…
McMurray math program faces revamp
Mari Kanagy, Reporter & Designer Over the past several years, the math program at McMurray Middle School has changed to fit the district’s goals of creating a more inclusive environment, yet the changes have not been beneficial to all students. The sixth and seventh grade math classes used to consist of both standard and advanced…