MARCH 2020
News
Parent group advocates cell phone restrictions
By Halle Wyatt, Co-Content Editor
Cell phones have served as one of the most controversial technologies of the past decade. As the influence of cellular devices on both culture and society evolves, phones are prompting wider discussion regarding their effects on mental and emotional health. With the publication of new research investigating the impact of cell phones, a national campaign to restrict cell phone usage in schools has spread to...Read More
Students push for lunch improvement
By Wendy Axtelle, Reporter
In mid-February, a student-created survey was sent out asking for students’ opinions on school lunches. The survey reflected student interest in enacting change in the school lunch program. Though the answers of the survey mostly consisted...Read More
Danny DeVito shrine unites student body
Elias Canterbury, reporter
Last school year, current sophomore Blake Grossman got an idea. This idea resulted in him purchasing a cardboard cutout of Danny DeVito and installing it in the upstairs den. Just recently, the shrine was verified on...Read More
Students and faculty work to bring back paper towels
By Hannah Spranger, Co-Content Editor
On Nov. 25, principal Danny Rock sent out an email to the student body explaining that, due to frequent toilet clogging as a result of paper towels being stuffed in the toilets, paper towels would be removed from the bathrooms in order to avoid plumbing issues. After hearing student and health professional feedback, paper towels...Read More
Quick Updates
By Isabelle Spence, Editor-in-Chief
Graduation Walking Partners
This year, the administration has decided to change how walking partners will be structured. The change stems from an overload of last-minute switches and confusion that occured last year. Now, there will be a one-week sign-ups period for walking partners, from April 13-17. Seniors should sign up with Jenn Coe, the CTE office manager, at her desk near the counselors' offices or by emailing her at jcoe@vashonsd.org. After the one week period, anyone who...Read More
Arts & Entertainment
Susan Swan’s rise and grind
By Isaac Escovedo, Reporter
They say the early bird gets the worm, but I recently learned a new proverb: the early Swan spends half an hour running around the high school. Physics teacher Susan Swan likes to get her workouts in before school, which means I got to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to experience her fitness regime. We prepared for the run with a minute of stretching, where Swan dropped...Read More
The Sonic Movie speeds away with my heart
Aidan Janssen, Design Editor
Embodying its 1991’s source material, “Sonic the Hedgehog” races forward as a quick, enjoyable experience. Its use of cute and clever comedy makes it a great family movie even when it hits a few speed bumps along the way.
Directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Jeff Fowler, best known for his work on “Gopher Broke” and “Gilmore Girls,” “Sonic the Hedgehog” takes video game company SEGA’s most beloved character Sonic the Hedgehog and puts him on the big screen.
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) finds himself hiding...Read More
Standards based grading nightmare
By Marina-Rae Gill, Reporter
...Read More
English curriculum fails to inspire
By Amelia Spence, Reporter & Isaac Escovedo, Reporter & Bella Crayton, Guest Writer
High school English curriculums have remained mostly unchanged for years. Many of the books students read in their classes today are the same books their parents read when they were in high school. But do these classic books stand the test of time? For this review, we analyzed four...Read More
Feature
School community weighs in on effectiveness of feedback
By Isabelle Spence, Editor-in-Chief, Mari Kanagy, Publishing Editor, and Amelia Spence, Reporter
Listening to complaints heard around the hallways, students often make it seem as though the administration’s response to criticism is to simply turn their backs on the problem. Taking a deeper look at the process of giving and receiving feedback within the school, however, reveals that the advice of the community is more heard than what many would first venture to think.
Systems of feedback
The school gathers feedback in a variety of ways. First, the administration conducts a survey every two years to fully understand the students’ perspective on school climate, safety, teachers’ relationships with their students, and more. Additionally, they also...Read More
Editorial
Coronavirus leads to widespread fear
By the Editorial Board
Fears of the coronavirus have been spreading across both the nation and the entire world. The virus seems to be infecting new populations at an unstoppable rate, leading to rippling effects across the world’s collective economy and psyche. A wave of hysteria seems to be spreading even quicker than the virus itself, with terrible results.
Firstly, it is important to keep the facts in mind when dealing with the coronavirus. This disease is not as fatal as one might be led to believe from headline skimming. For most people, the virus will essentially present as a bad flu. In fact, 80 percent of coronavirus cases are considered mild. Many people can have the disease and not even know it, which is part of the reason...Read More
Opinion
Life 360 puts a divide parents and teens
By Catherine Brown, Photo & Business Editor
In a modern age, parents are finding new ways to track their kids. This leads to distrust between parents and their kids. Life 360, along with related apps like Glympse, provide a location monitoring service, which allows families to track each other’s location at any point in time. However, rather than fostering an environment of communication among families, parents are given the opportunity to open an app...Read More
U.S. and Iranian tensions reach a pinnacle
By Chancellor Mentink, Reporter
The assissination of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian top official and head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, will have many repercussions for the U.S.’s future in the Middle East. Soleimani became a military war hero in both Iraq and Iran after stopping ISIS’s advance into Baghdad, almost single-handedly. Soleimani was assassinated near Baghdad, Iraq on Jan. 3 by an American drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump. Because of this order, Iran and the U.S. have come the closest to being at war that they have been within the last decade. There are many new...Read More
People
Mike Kirk honored by fire department
By Halle Wyatt, Co-Content Editor
The island is well-known for its tight-knit community filled with familiar faces at every corner. Although many say that they know everyone on the island, this seems actually true for the island resident of over 50 years, Mike Kirk.
Kirk has served as a teacher, principal, local historian, and volunteer firefighter throughout his tenure. For his service to the fire...Read More
VHS alumnus finds success in new experiences
Chick Green, Reporter
From playing on Stanford University’s basketball team for four years to hiking the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail, to being involved in a technology startup, Vashon alumnus John Gage has checked off many experiences that are on some people’s bucket lists. Gage is now shifting his focus to the technology industry and taking advantage of the opportunities that...Read More
High school alumna says namaste to yoga
By Hannah Spranger, Co-Content Editor
Alumna Sydney Spencer is working to bring clarity and reduce stress in the lives of high schoolers. During late arrival mornings from March through June, Spencer is offering yoga classes for high school students looking for a low pressure physical activity.
The classes are from 9-10 a.m. at Core Centric Elite...Read More
Dawson sets stage for performing future
By Mead Gill, Reporter
When Gabriel Dawson started performing on stage at the age of three, the island didn’t know to expect the college-bound actor, singer, and dancer he is today. A senior at the high school, Dawson has worked for over a decade on improving his performance skill set through island programs such as Drama Dock and VCA Youth. With graduation on the horizon, Dawson is striving to continue his passion beyond his high school years.
As a child, Dawson often performed with his older brother, who he credits to sparking his lifelong love of...Read More
Sports
Golf gets off to a swinging start
By Chancellor Mentink, Reporter
Golf is a sport that most mainstream fans aren’t very knowledgeable about, glossing over it in favor of more fast-paced games such as football and basketball. Despite this neglect, many high school students have found a passion in the sport. Golf has quickly gathered steam at the high school, with many showing up for the team’s interest meeting. For the first time in several years, girls have joined as well. This renewed...Read More
UMO finds their voice through theatre
By Marina-Rae Gill, Reporter
In 1989, the UMO ensemble was established as one of the country’s first physical theatre ensembles. Created as a way for people to express themselves from the perspective of their bodies, UMO has evolved from a small organization, to a community hearth which encompasses a performing arts school for young artists.
Elizabeth Klob, who runs the UMO school, has been a part of the ensemble for nearly...Read More
Wrestling on the podium at State, Basketball season concluded
By Katherine Kelly, Reporter
Boys Basketball:
This year, the team had three seniors, Jeremiah Bogaard, Finbarr Anderson, and Issac Patchen, all of whom hoped to advance to Yakima for the state competition. Anderson has had the opportunity to play with past seniors who exemplified what is important in being a team and has played with the team since he was a freshman. He believes that the team has come together in a way this year that made them particularly...Read More
Students and staff to compete in fourth annual game
By Milo Carr, Reporter
For the past three years, students and staff have come together for an epic basketball face-off. Each year the staff team, headed by government teacher Jason Butler, has stood triumphant over the student team. This year, however, the students are coached by senior Jeremiah Bogaard, and they are optimistic that this will be their year to take home a win for the for the upperclassmen.
The Staff:
Jason Butler, Matt Tilden, Karah Weber, Kara Sears, Per Lars Bloomgren, Anders Bloomgren, andHeather Jurs.
The Students:
Coaches: Jeremiah Bogaard, Logan Prouse, Ella Wheeler...Read More
Local
New coronavirus causes global, local panic
By Elizabeth Lande, Managing and Copy Editor
Due to the quick-changing information in this article, this news is accurate as of Monday, March 9, 3:00 pm.
Throughout the month of January, leaking into February, and now continuing into March, national and global news has consisted of largely political buzzwords such as caucuses and primaries, and tragedies, namely Kobe Bryant’s untimely death and the Australian bushfires. However, competing for...Read More
Teens Leading Change works to stem underage drinking
Alexander Wolf, reporter
Recently, Vashon stores have begun introducing stickers in their alcohol sections advising adults not to provide teens with alcohol. This campaign is the latest project headed by Teens Leading Change in their campaign to prevent teens from using illegal substances. Facing the prospect of an increase in teen drinking, this student organization aims to combat this issue in the local...Read More