January 26, 2016

Interview with Caande

by KAREN STEELE

Candelaria Maguregui is a foreign exchange student. Becky Hammill, one of our writers, interviewed her in the beginning of the year, and we took this opprotunity to catch up with her towards the end of first semester. In this first installment of our video interviews, Caande touches on sprinting in track, staying with her host family - the Harmons, what it's like being away from home, and her expectations of America. She also talks about the Oregon weather, American food (cookies!), skiiing for the first time, and why she wanted to visit the USA.

Transcript available:

Sue Wright to Retire This Month, Introducing Theresa Gonzales

by ALEX HUNTER & DIMITRI IVIE

Sue Wright has worked for the school district for 31 years; she could have retired last year, when 30 years were up, but she wasn't ready at that time. Now, she is going to be a grandmother for the 7th time in February. She has four grown children, so to be able to hang out with her grandkids whenever she is needed is very enticing for her.

What she will miss most about Mac-Hi is working for the kids, staff, and being able to interact with the community by giving them awareness of the education at the schools and the requirements for graduation. These things are always changing, and she worked to update the community because she believes, as a community member, you should know what the school requirements are, especially when deciding the bond issue that coming up. “What I won't miss is getting up out of bed at 6 in the morning to be at work,” she remarked.

Some of the best moments during work were assisting students and their families outside of school when they were new to the community. Anytime there was a new student, she would help them get acclimated to and involved in the school as well as the community.

One of the people that she will never forget during this experience is Judy Chesnut. Judy was the principal at Freewater school when Sue was hired. They worked together for 17 years when Sue was her secretary. Judy taught her a lot of what she knew, and they became very good friends over the course of time. Another great memory was when fourth graders would have their field trip around Oregon, learning about history and being able to visit places that they wouldn't necessarily go to. Sue loved the fact that the field trip not only allowed students to learn but also to discover the excitement of seeing new places, like the beach, in our wonderful state. Sue has been a fixture at Mac-Hi for many years, students and staff will miss seeing her face in the office.

Replacing Sue will be Theresa Gonzalez, whose face you have probably seen in the office already. She used to be a dental administrator, which means that she kept the office running correctly as she scheduled appointments and handled billing along with coding. She liked her old job quite a bit, but she was looking for a change.

Theresa was born in Walla Walla, and she grew up here. She graduated from McLoughlin High School. A large portion of her family lives here, so she doesn’t feel alone, and she likes to spend time with them. When she came back for her job, she was nervous and scared because it was a new experience, but everyone here was very welcoming and nice she said. It helped that she already knew most of the staff from when she was a student here.

She likes getting to know the students and seeing how each of them have their own personalities. Some of the challenges that she has faced since coming here include learning all of the students’ names, and that the students didn’t know her very well so they walked past her to talk to Sue. She is happy to be here and excited to watch all of the students grow and progress in their lives as she grows in hers. Theresa adds, “I am looking forward to being here a long time and getting to know everyone better.”

January 15, 2016

Oregon Promise Offers FREE Community College

by MARIA ORNELAS

According to our school counselor, Mr. Bockert, starting this year with the graduating class of 2016, graduating students with be eligible for a free two years of tuition at a community college. This is called the Oregon Promise, and only one other state (Tennessee) in the United States of America has this program. This opportunity is not available to everyone there are a few requirements of course. Here are some of the requirements:

You need to graduate from an Oregon High school
Must have at least a 2.5 GPA
Have lived in Oregon for 1 year (so if you live in Washington you can’t decide to just go to a community college in Oregon. You have to be living in Oregon already for a year or for longer)
Must enroll into a community college in Oregon within 6 months after graduating

You have to enroll into an Oregon Community College; you can’t go to Walla Walla’s Community College it HAS to be an Oregon College even though WWCC is closer. Despite this, it’s still free tuition for two yours, and you can still transfer after the 2 years are up and enroll in a university such as Oregon State, Stanford, or even Harvard and get your 4-year degree. If you have any more questions about this you can visit Mr. Bockert.

January 13, 2016

New Opportunities Sprout for Future Doctors and Electricians

by ALEX HUNTER & SAMUEL MILLER

There will be two new classes taught by Mrs. Groff next semester. The two classes will be an electronics class and a medical terminology class. These classes will be taught during seventh period next semester. Groff decided to take on these classes when she was asked to come up with electives to help students who plan on going into vocational schools.

The purpose of these classes is to give students another way to further learn about occupations they might have in the future. These classes can assist students in the transition into vocational training. They can earn two college credits from the medical terminology class. The goal in this class is to help students get a career in the path that they want.

Mrs. Groff hopes that these classes will be available next year in addition to this year. She continued with “I think that there is a good chance of them staying around, because they are free and they don't cost any real resources.” She goes on to say that the classes will be easy for diligent students. She also feels that it will show how effective students are with an online class. The classes will be a trial run.

January 12, 2016

Boys’ Basketball: Patience is the Key to Victory

by JOANNA LANDA

Second-year coach, Jordon Poynor, is very excited for this year’s basketball season. With new and returning players, he feels, “very confident on what we can accomplish this year.”

Some of the players to look out for include Hunter Yensen and Adrian Zaragoza, who as Seniors, are by far, the most experienced.

Coach Poynor's strategy is to slow things down and take time off the clock. He encourages his players to “get a great shot, not a good one.”

The team started off strong, and although they have struggled a little bit, they hope to turn the season around. They’ve won twice against Helix, once to Culver and again to Pilot Rock. Unfortunately, the Pioneers have lost 10 times, once to Walla Walla Valley Academy, again at Connell, Pilot Rock, The Dalles, Irrigon, Riverside, Umatilla, DeSales, and thrice to Waitsburg.

Adrian Zaragoza believes “we have a good chance of taking 2nd place in our league and getting a play-in game.” His teammate, Bailey DeBord, states, “I think if we get the best effort out of everyone we can make a push.”

Coach Poynor constantly reminds his players to “give 110%” and to play as a team. For example, one of his favorite mantras is “We over me.” The team hopes for lots of support from fans during their home games as they strive for a winning season.

*Photo Caption--#34 is Luis Garcia, a sophomore.*

Due to Popular Demand: Garton Opens Up New Period of Anatomy/Physiology

by BECKY HAMMILL

Coming to Mac-Hi second semester is an anatomy/physiology class being taught by Ms. Garton, which is good news for students looking to go into the medical field or students just wanting to get a better understanding of the human body. There was a lot of student demand for the class, so the administration opened a second period.
“It should be very similar to last year’s class where we will study the different systems in the human body and how they work,” said Garton. She explains that it is a great class for students to take who are interested in going into a medical career field. “The class should allow students to become more sound in their fundamental knowledge of the human body and the science of how the human body works,” she said. Garton then added that anyone thinking of going into a career in a health or medical field would benefit from this, as most colleges and vocational schools require students to take some form of a human anatomy course as a requirement for a degree or certification.

This class will be offered 4th and 5th period, so - if you want in, you’d better get in fast before the classes are filled!

Want to be a Mechanic? Check Out Mac-Hi’s Newest Club

by DIMITRI IVIE

Here at Mac-Hi, at the start of February, you can bring in your car and learn new auto skills, such as maintenance, repair, and you can discover new information about your vehicle. Sign ups are available in Tami's office. Mr. Martinez is the head of the new club, and he is ready to teach students everything he knows.

The shop in the Ag Building is where the work will be done on cars that you bring in. There will be general tools provided to use at the shop.There is no fee to use the building, but you will need to bring in replacement parts as well as specialty oddball tools.

Mr. Martinez said that one tool they is an electronic diagnostic machine, which is used to detect electrical mishaps in newer cars. If anyone has one they can use, please contact him. It will be greatly appreciated.

Painting cars will also be available in the future when the building will be sterile of dust and other obstructions that can get in the paint. This club will be a good addition to Mac-Hi, because it not only provides students with a resource for working on their cars, but also can help build useful skills for the future.

January 11, 2016

The Lady Pioneers Continue Making Baskets

by KAREN STEELE

Brooke Garton is taking over the position of head coach for the Lady Pioneers Basketball team. As a 4A team in the Greater Oregon League, the Varsity Team’s overall record is 8-5, and are ranked #18 in the OSAA. Among this year’s returning seniors are Shannon Carter, Kitanya Crisman, Kylee Fite, Jenny Field, Brittney Erb, Samantha Tveidt, and Abi Biggs. The next home games are:

01/23 at 3pm against Baker
01/26 at 6pm against Athena
01/30 at 3pm against Ontario, and
02/08 at 6pm against La Grande.

If you haven’t been out to watch the Lady Pioneers play yet, you have four more chances to get out there and show your Crimson & Black spirit!

January 08, 2016

WWCC Tour for Seniors - Coming Soon!

by DARBY FRESKE

Attention, seniors! If you are thinking about going to Walla Walla Community College, then you’re in luck. Mac-Hi has decided to take all seniors on a tour to WWCC, most likely on a Wednesday. Administration is planning to break the tour into two trips so that there will only be 60 kids at a time. It will be during school, and you will go with your advisory class and teachers. This trip will only be for seniors; on the bright side, the school might also be having a trip for juniors in the spring.

However, please keep in mind that this is still being talked about, and that the dates aren’t set in stone, so keep an eye out for more information.

January 06, 2016

Mac-Hi Needs More Language Classes

by CASEY HALE

Students have no choice when it comes to learning a language, they only have the option of Spanish. Many of the students at Mac-Hi are of Mexican heritage and can fluently speak Spanish. Mexican students learning Spanish is like English students learning British; redundant.

Besides the fact that students need to be learning while at school, another reason we need more than one class is because students deserve a choice, many students want to learn German, French, Latin, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, or any of the other 1,000’s of languages in the world. If a student is not allowed the power to choose which language they learn, they may despise the language they have to learn. Because of their possible lack of passion for the language, the student might not do as well as they might had they chosen the language.

It is true that Spanish is a very important language; it is the second most commonly spoken language and it has significant historical value. However, it is illogical to limit students to only one language, no matter how important it is, because one language can not accommodate for the needs of all the students at Mac-Hi, such as the Mexican students.

The gap in education can be filled with new language classes. A good example is Mandarin Chinese, the most frequently spoken language. Chinese also opens many opportunities because it is the most spoken language in international business.

Another language we can consider might be Sign Language (called ASL by those in the know), it helps solve the problems of miscommunication between deaf and hearing people. Personally, I long for a German class because of my future career path and simply because it is interesting and useful.

A decision needs to be made on whether or not we will have more language classes and, if so, which ones. This decision, however, is not mine to make, it is the school’s decision. I can only suggest that we should have more language classes.

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