Getting to know our staff: Michelle Sears

by SANDRA PEREYDA & C.A. GREEN

With our previous secretary Sue Wright gone, Mac-Hi has added some new changes. Mac-Hi has introduced Michelle Perez Sears as the new receptionist at Mac-Hi!

Mac-Hi’s new receptionist isn’t like any receptionist, Michelle has some hidden talents! She, in fact, is very creative and likes to do arts and crafts in her free time. “ I believe I am a Martha Stewart on the inside,” said our new receptionist. Arts and crafts aren’t the only thing Michelle likes to do. Additionally, she also likes to do cool effect makeup -- from gory gashes to realistic looking spiders. One might not think of zombie makeup and making table decorations as going together, but that's part of what makes Michelle interesting.
Michelle graduated from Mac-Hi in the class of 2006. She must have loved Mac-Hi because she also says that she is excited to come back and work for the school. When asked what her favorite part of the job was her response was, “I don't have a favorite part of the job! I like everything about this job!” 
Here are some more cool facts about Michelle: Michelle’s favorite genre of music is rap, and she doesn’t like the taste of coffee, so if you feel like bringing her a treat, she'll pass on a cup of Jo, but she loves sour candy.
We are very excited and grateful to have such an awesome receptionist such as Michelle added to our school! The student body thanks you and welcome back to Mac-Hi!

Pioneers to Take Flight to Visit Italy and Greece

by CAMILLE RILEY

What can shape an individual's life? According to Mrs. Holden, traveling abroad can be one of the most impacting and life-changing experiences for a human being. There are about 22 students from McLoughlin High School that have the opportunity to have that type of experience.

Emily Holden, who teaches a variety of classes including speech, greenhouse management, and various other classes at McLoughlin High School, is taking 22 students and various adult supervisors on a tour of Italy and Greece this summer, June 21st through July 1st.

There are many attractions that the students are going to visit and learn about, including but not limited to the catacombs, various museums, and the Vatican. Sandra Pereyda, a senior, is most excited to visit all of the old ruins. She also sees this as a wonderful opportunity to explore and have adventure before going off to college. While she is excited about visiting many different places, she also finds the idea of being able to walk in the footsteps of those before us both intriguing and inspiring. 
Brandyn Chaney is most excited about the aspect of traveling and learning about a whole other culture. He is also ecstatic about the overnight trip on a cruise ship. Brandyn yearns for the chance to try authentic Italian pizza, and is curious about the local traditions and folklore of all the places they will be visiting in.

The trip has been planned and researched for two years now and most of the students have been doing all sorts of fundraising since the beginning to raise the money needed to take full potential of this wonderful opportunity. The trip itself costs about $4,000 dollars per person with added costs for food and spending money. Any students going must meet specific requirements like taking a class from Mrs. Holden, going to the meetings, and fundraising.

Those people attending the trip will have the best souvenir possible, their memories that they can look back on with fondness.

FBLA Competes in Portland

by CAMILLE RILEY

Nine of our FBLA members placed at state competitions in Portland from April 6th through to the 9th. Our very own Jessica Ibarra qualified for nationals by placing 4th in intro to business procedures. Going to state for anything from choir to track has always been an exciting experience, but what is it like to go to state for FBLA? FBLA was started just last year, and yet they have already been to state two years in a row. Last year, only about 13 students went to state, however this year 20 students attended the state conference.

Not only were the members there to attend the state conference, but they also got to explore the downtown Portland area, and attended the Blazer game on Wednesday night. Various state attendees said that many of the workshops that they attended at the conference were both inspirational and provided great information. While all had fun at the workshops, they also had a great time visiting food trucks, shopping, and interacting with the locals.

Ms. Garcia, the advisor for FBLA, said “The State Business Leader Conference in Portland, OR, was incredible.  The members who attended were amazing in their representation of Mac-Hi.” She also said that she was impressed with how the students conducted themselves in respectful and responsible manners. Ms. Garcia concluded the interview with saying “ It’s a big deal to be able to participate in this event and I could not have asked for a better group of students to hang out with!”

It is safe to say that the FBLA state conference was a huge success for our school, our chapter of FBLA, and our community. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve your goals, and that is exactly what the McLoughlin FBLA chapter did

Tennis Rivalries Heat Up This Spring

by KAREN STEELE

This April has been a busy month for the Pioneer Tennis team, with the record having four matches in a four school-day long week. Despite this, the teams have prepared over the last two months of conditioning and are getting their swings back into shape. With the guidance of Biology-and-Art teacher Michelle Snyder and former player Danny Sanchez as their coaches, the singles and doubles teams are armed and ready to ace their biggest competitors.

Each individual team (be it one person or a team of two) has their own rival, someone from another school  who they’ve played against for years and whose skill has always matched their own. Sometimes the rivalries are inside of Mac Hi’s home courts, like Rigo Ponce, a senior, and Deazen Zerba. Zerba is Coach Sanchez’s stepson and a sophomore, and the two of them are constantly fighting to stay in the number-one singles’ slot. Although Ponce is armed to the teeth with years of experience, Zerba slaved away all summer at the country club practicing his serve.

Among the other ace seniors is Elise Griffith, one of the most dedicated athletes on the team, participating in cross country and track. Griffith practices hard every day to trump Umatilla’s number-one singles player, Sidney Webb.

According to some other people (*coughcough* Lieuallen *winkwink*), tennis is not a “real” sport, but many disagree, including players on this state-winning team. Among these believers is Sandra Pereyda, a senior at McLoughlin and a third-year tennis player. She believes that tennis can be a great stress reliever. “I love tennis,” states Pereyda. “I especially love it when you almost hit the other opponent with the ball, although not too hard.” She continued, “I love Snyder as a coach. She’s amazing, she’s understandable, and I think that she’s one of the best people in the school.” As not to be exclusive, Sandra added, “Coach Danny is pretty rad as well. He can be scary, but a good scary.”

The team has been busy, traveling everywhere from Stanfield to Umatilla, or just a hop-skip and a jump to the brand new College Place High School, where the Pioneers performed wonderfully and patiently against the brand-new team. Next year, College Place’s  coach promised their players will have more experience and be more prepared after getting their first taste of playing against another team.

Snyder, who started on as an assistant coach in 1998, is excited and looking forward to the results of this year’s tennis season.

Key Club to Host Talent Show - Last Year's Winners Prepared

by MARCOS SALDANA

    Well, folks, It’s here once again. The annual Mac-Hi talent show has returned. Every year, McLoughlin High school Key Club hosts a talent show for all of its student body to participate. Whether you’re interested in watching someone sing, dance, tell comedic jokes, or drop a few sick verses, all are welcome to watch our contestants show off their talents at this coming talent show on April 29. If you don’t know yet, the talent show will be held in the Mac-Hi Auditorium at 6:00.

    As we’ve seen last year, there were quite a number of singers that showed off their harmonic voices. One man that stood out was none other than Diego Romero, who took first place with his own original song. Diego had been in the works with this song for quite a while. Once it was completed, he figured it was something good he’d want to share with his peers. Unlike most of his music, Diego’s original wasn’t exactly labeled in the blues genre. He wanted to do something different, so he changed it up for the year. That was definitely a bold move that paid off. This year, though, we’ll expect to see something upbeat, but still similar to his usual work. And, yes, Romero says it’ll most surely be another original piece.

    The humble Diego Romero really loves musical work he does. It was actually the main reason why he entered the talent show. He clarifies that he wasn’t in it for the money or fame, though those were a nice bonus. Really, he says he just wanted to go out there to do what he does and have fun. Like most people, Diego was pretty nervous when he went on stage. Though, it only takes a moment for him to forget the fears, enjoy the show, and just get lost in the music.

    One of the other contestants from last year, Sandra Pereyda, also had her fun on stage. She very much enjoyed the rehearsals as well because other contestants “were so much fun to look at and kind of know what people are doing. That way, you can be BETTER THAN THEM!...Just kidding,” but she really did like being a part of the talent show. Even being on stage, she says she felt more excited and nervous because she felt thrilled to be up there and being able to go up there to present her poem about gender and society, which was co-written by Samuel Donovan Miller. This poem and their empowered delivery won the two were able to take second place last year. We will expect to see Sandra Pereyda presenting some more of her rather moving slam poetry.

    For those that feel they have a talent of any kind they’d like to show but are feeling a bit uneasy to go out there, listen to these fellow talented people and what they say about expressing yourself. Diego Romero feels that you just need to “ Get your butts up there and do it. No one’s ever gonna know if don’t go up there and try.” Simply going up there and giving it a shot takes balls. Sandra Pereyda had something similar to tell students thinking about entering the Talent show. Quoting one Shia Labeouf, she says to, “ Just do it.” But she also says she’s more than willing to lend a hand to those too shy to try it out. Speaking from her past, Pereyda understands how it is to be a shy kid. Like her, you can grow out of that and become a more forward and empowered person. From us here at the Crimson and Black Press, we wish you contestants and talented souls good luck.

My Experience with Asperger’s

By Jae Hagar

Last week I watched the movie Temple Grandin. The movie is about a woman who is autistic and her life. By the age of four, she had not yet begun to talk, and of course her mother was worried. Because this movie was based in a different time, the doctor explained the reason for Temple's autism was “a lack of attention from the mother.” We now know that this is not a reason that autism occurs. Throughout her life, Temple struggled a bit to find out who she is. She went through high school, college, and then she changed the cattle industry. Everyone was surprised that someone with autism had the ability to do that, but because of her autism, she was able to think like the cattle to figure out what would help them and make the slaughterhouse operate more smoothly and more humanely. Temple now is a professor at Colorado State University. My favorite quote from the movie is, “I am different, but not less,” describing how she relates to people.

Just like Temple, I am aware that I am different, but I am also not less. I can’t really say that I don’t have autism, because by definition, I have Asperger's, which is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum.

I know that you’ve heard about autism, but maybe not Asperger's. So let's start with the basics. All of you probably have met someone who is on the autism spectrum or has Asperger's, but you may not know what it means. I bet you probably didn’t know that it was a spectrum. Autism is characterized by a lack of social cues, repetitive behaviors such as swaying or rocking, and special interests in certain things. People lower on the spectrum may have difficulty understanding emotional cues or communicating. Some are barely able to speak. But, being autistic doesn’t make someone stupid. A lot of geniuses are on the autism spectrum, including Bill Gates and Tim Burton. There are even many historic figures like Einstein, Michael Jackson, Abe Lincoln, and Beethoven who probably were on it as well, so don't call people on the autism spectrum "retarded,' just saying.
This is really hard for me to write because it's personal. Having Asperger's is different than being on the low end of the autism spectrum in many ways. First, people with Asperger's want to fit in but don’t know how (Hey, that's me!). Most people with autism don’t really care about fitting in. I want to fit in and interact with others. If I have ever called you my friend, and you called me the same, you might understand this. I used to do whatever I could to fit in, or get peer attention because I feel that I don’t get enough. I have always felt different, but really, doesn’t everyone? 
See? I don’t really know because I’m not everyone. I will reiterate that this is very hard for me to write because making the right kinds of connections with people (which writing comes down to) is my weakness. The movie Temple Grandin, which I mentioned earlier, inspired me to do great things. Just because I am different, doesn’t mean I can’t accomplish the things I set my mind to. (Bill Gates, Lincoln, and Einstein sure accomplished many things!) I have been told, countless times that I am going somewhere with my writing, and maybe, I will. My Asperger’s does not define my life. I define my life.

I shared my story so that you would understand, and hopefully, you do. I try really hard to be “normal” and to fit in. These things don’t come easily to me, and sometimes I try too hard. I am still learning about Asperger’s and autism. Hopefully, I will be able to write more about these topics to educate all of us more. A lot of these disorders (I hate this word) go undetected, and I feel like the world needs to know. This is why I am starting small, by teaching you. Hopefully, someday I can educate more people, maybe even the world.

River’s Edge Track Meet

by ALICIA WALTER

     The River’s Edge Track and Field Meet was held in Umatilla on Friday April 8th, 2016. The Umatilla meet is geared towards Varsity Athletes, so they only take the top three people from each school for each event. 
     Our school was allowed five girls into the Javelin event because our top five girls all have thrown over 90 ft. This is an exceptional feat, considering most schools only have one girl who can throw in the 90’s. Most schools range in the 80’s. 
     Mike Odman placed 5th in the Triple Jump with a jump of 37-03 ft. Landon Warne took 1sr place in Discus with a throw of 138-10 ft.  Donald Clark placed 4th in Discus with a throw of 119-02 ft. Donald Clark also placed 6th in Shot Put with a throw of 38-08.50 ft. Mike Odman also placed 8th in the 100 Meter Dash with a time of 12.07 seconds. 
     Delaney Karrels placed 7th in Triple Jump, with a jump of 26-06 ft. Alicia Walter (yours truly) placed 5th in Pole Vaulting with a height of 7-00 ft. Delaney Karrels also placed 6th in High Jump with a height of 4-04 ft. Amber Wells placed 7th in Javelin with a throw of 99-08 ft. She also took 1st place in Shot Put and Discus. In Discus, she throw 104-09 ft, and  32-11.50 ft in Shot Put. 
     The Girls 4x400 Relay placed 5th with a time of 5:01.54 minutes. The girls who ran it were Cynthia Flores, Bianca Garcia, and Kaitlynne Jensen, and Celeste Moreno. The girls 4x100 placed 5th with a time of 56.63 seconds. The girls who ran it were Londin Warne, Cynthia Flores, Bianca Garcia, and Kiara Brinkley. Elise Griffith in both the 3000 Meter run, and the 1500 Meter run. Her time in the 3000 was 12:39.20 minutes, and her time in the 1500 was 5:43.02 minutes. Kiara Brinkley placed 3rd in the 200 Meter Dash with a time of 28.89 seconds. 
     Keep in mind, there were lots of other athletes that placed in their events, or made a seasonal personal record. These were only athletes that were made the top eight. 19 schools attended the meet, and provided great competition for our Mac-Hi Pioneers.   

Annual Carnival of Speed Track and Field Meet

by ALICIA WALTER

    On April 1st, Mac-Hi held its annual Carnival of Speed meet. No, it wasn’t a joke. Our Pioneers strived to make new personal records, and score higher than the other 26 teams from Oregon and Washington that were in attendance. While we only compete at Districts with Ontario, LaGrande, and Baker, it’s great to have some competition that you don’t always see.

    As always, teams are praying for good weather, and like every other year, the temperature rose to the high 70’s. It was a beautiful day that allowed the athletes to perform well, and compete at their best.  

    Athletes want to strive to make the top eight in each event. Making the top eight means you receive points. Getting ten points in a season means you automatically make varsity, and we had quite of few athletes either making that mark on the second meet of the season, or getting really close to it.  

    We’ve had multiple athletes from our Track and Field program who placed in their events. Michael Odman placed second in triple jump, with a distance of 38-01.50 ft. Cole Skramstad placed third in Javelin with a throw of 148-10 ft. Landon Warne placed 1st in Discus with a throw of 136-7 ft. Donald Clark placed 3rd in discus with a throw of 123-06 ft. Landon Warne placed 6th in Shot put with a throw of 39-07 ft. Austin Leonetti placed in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 48.95 seconds. Those were all the boys who placed in the top 8 in a meet with 26 attending schools.

    For the girls, Delaney Karrels placed 8th in High Jump with a height of 4.02 ft. Amber wells placed 1st in Javelin, with a throw of 109-08 ft. Alicia Walter (yours truly), placed 5th in Javelin with a throw of 96 ft. Mindy Harmon, placed 7th in Javelin with a throw of 94-10 ft. Amber Wells placed 5th in Shot Put with a throw of 31-01.25 ft. The girls 4x400 relay girls placed 8th with a time of 4:58.96 seconds. The girls who ran it were Cynthia Flores, Bianca Garcia, Brianna Hernandez, and Celeste Moreno. Candelaria Maguregui placed 6th in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 54.96 seconds. She also placed 6th in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 19.05 seconds.

    Mac-Hi has a strong athletic department for all sports, not just Track and Field. We lost a lot of senior boys last year, so if you are a guy and are interested in Track, you should come out next year. More girls are welcome too. It’s a great place to make new friends, and push yourself to the limits.  

National Honor Society Banquet

by ALICIA WALTER

    On March 31st, Mac-Hi held its annual National Honor Society Banquet. The banquet is an annual representation of how well the students of McLoughlin receive good grades.This is an desert banquet, so students bring store-bought and homemade goodies.  At the banquet, scholar students who have maintained a 3.5, or higher, receive a certificate and possibly a pin.

    Students won’t get a pin until their second year making honor roll, so freshmen have to wait until they become sophomores. Second year honor roll student get a certificate and a silver scholarship pin. Third year honor roll students get a certificate and a gold scholarship pin.

    Seniors who have managed to make this mark for four years receive a certificate and a gift card. This year, the gift card is to Ohana Frozen Yogurt because Mrs. Esser wants to “support a local business.”

    We had 120 kids in total who received a certificate this year. The award is based off of the first semester of each new school year. Remember to do your best the first semester so you can possibly receive your certificate. This looks good on college applications.

Time for a Change: School District Pushes for a Bond to Upgrade Schools

by BRIANNA FOX

Thursday, April 7th Milton-Freewater held a bond rally at The Gathering Place in front of McLoughlin High School, at which the community could ask questions and find out why they should vote yes for the school bond. There was a huge turnout of teachers, students, and parents from the M-F school district and surrounding school districts to show their support for the bond. It has become so important to the community that seniors of Mac-Hi are urging the community to vote yes for the bond. High school senior and moderator for the rally, Jenny Field stated, “Being a part of the softball team for 4 years, I know how important it is to make sure the athletics programs are supported.”

Milton-Freewater City Manager, Linda Hall urged students to spread the word about the bond. “People moving to a new city look for schools, infrastructure, and recreation. We have the infrastructure and recreation, and this will help make our schools great.” She urged students interested in helping to talk to their families, neighbors,  and people at church. “You are the future. Don’t throw away $19 million. That’s pretty easy math,” Hall said. This is an opportunity that doesn’t just happen every day and to let it go to waste is a shame.

The $12.5 million school bond will help make a huge difference in the Milton-Freewater community. If the community votes yes on passing the bond, it would qualify the district for the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation Grant of $15 million and $4 million from the state of Oregon.

If passed, the district plans to build a new K-3 elementary school to be named Gib Olinger Elementary School, after a former civic stalwart of the Milton-Freewater community. They plan to build the school on the old cannery lot and will be demolishing the old warehouse located on the lot. The building will take energy efficiency into account to keep it environmentally friendly. A gymnasium will be built that will include a full size wood floor, sparse seating, and locker rooms. Outside, there will be playing fields, restrooms, and a concession building.

Both the Freewater and Grove campuses will be vacated. Grove will be developed into a sports complex. It will include two regulation soccer fields, measured walking/jogging path, parking, seating, concessions, and restrooms. It is still unclear what will be done with the Freewater Campus.

Ferndale is set to become a grade 4-5 facility and money will be allocated to upgrade technology and make repairs to the building. Money will also be allocated to Mac-Hi and Central to upgrade the HVAC system.

If you will be 18 by May 17, don’t forget to register to vote before April 26, so you can vote yes on the May 17 ballot for Milton-Freewater schools. Help make a difference in the community before the chance is gone.

Mrs. Esser’s Climb to Stanford

by C.A. GREEN

Steffany Esser, Mac-Hi’s current Government and Foods teacher, has officially made plans to attend Stanford in Palo-Alto, California, for a Seminar this summer.

Thanks to her skills in college, during which time she became a Gilder Lehrman Scholar, the Gilder Lehrman Institute sends her information on such opportunities, which is how this one came her way. This being the first seminar she applied for, she’s slightly unsure how the experience will change her teaching methods and career, but is all smiles nonetheless and can’t wait to meet all of the many teachers from around the country that are going to be there.

She plans on taking a trip to one of our country’s most highly esteemed campus on July 24-29 and says she is ecstatic to see what the seminar has to offer. Being one of the 30 who was accepted to go to this seminar, Esser says that this seminar will focus specifically on the United States Supreme Court and how the court grew to have such a central role.Seminar participants will go back through historical court cases, such as Marbury V. Madison.

She explained how happy she was, saying that Stanford's campus sounds exciting and the topics have always interested her. She hopes to use what she learns in the classroom setting. From this experience, she said she hopes to gain “a deeper understanding of the role of the court in today’s society and how I can apply it in the classroom.”