June 10, 2017

McKenna Stallings interviews her brother, Derrick Stallings

Nayeli Ruiz interviews her older brother, Jose Ruiz

Dylan Quist interviews his mom, Marcy Knopf


"The person I interviewed is my mom, and I asked her about all her college experiences since she went to college when she was a lot younger than most people. She talked about her favorite parts and least favorite parts. She also explained why she went to college so soon. "




Alexander Acosta-Quesney interviews his mom, Sonia Acosta

"I talked with my mom about how I was when I was a child and how my mom's life was before she moved from Mexico to America." (en espaƱol)


Cassidy Hays interviews her mom, Pamela Hays

Dylan Carper interviews Mac-Hi English Language Arts teacher Gene Wilks

Tristan Brannan interviews Mac-Hi football coach Gary Robertson




"Gary Robertson is the head football coach for McLoughlin High School and a teacher here as well. He used to play football for the University of Oregon as a tight end then a linebacker. Next year, he will be the Athletic Adviser. Historically, Mac-Hi football has not been a winning team; however, Coach Robertson is trying to change that. Our football team is one big family, so everyone on the team calls Coach Robertson 'dad.' "

May 02, 2017

Crimson And Black Choir Goes To State

By Nayeli Anahi Ruiz

On Wednesday April 26 2017, it was announced by Mrs. Cunnington that our Crimson and Black Choir had been accepted to go to the OSAA choir competition in Newburg. The choir is set to hit the road the morning of Thursday, May 4th and return to Milton-Freewater Friday night. During their trip, they are scheduled to have a choir exchange with Hood River High School. A choir exchange is when two choirs (usually from different school districts) get together and sing for each other without the pressures of being adjudicated. They are also possibly performing at the Oregon State Capitol Building located in Salem. Wish our choir good luck!

April 05, 2017

Seniors Learning For a ‘Sustainable’ 21st Century



By Mckenna Stallings and Jessica Burks

The senior English teachers Mr.Lynn and Ms.Ashland have decided to change things up this semester by having the seniors do a sustainability project. The teachers want to help seniors in the 21st century learn and enjoy by incorporating documentary movies and independent research.
The video section of this project features documentaries where seniors will have to identify how they would help in that situation and what's wrong in that situation. One of the documentaries is called Blackfish, which specifically concerns Tilikum an Orca and the death of three individuals at SeaWorld.
After the video portion, they have started to research anything they want that has to do with environmental or social sustainability, such as how to reduce poverty, and how the idea of sustainability connects with career interests.  
Ms. Ashland wants to give seniors the freedom to learn on their own. “It will help students learn and enjoy what they are learning about,” Ms. Ashland claims. This project will help seniors learn how to make relationships and help them learn how to better understand problems in the community like interviewing some people in the community. This, she believes, will help them better their lives.  

Mr. Lynn says that the whole point of this is for students to learn how to research, which is very essential for their lives whether they go to college or straight to work. He believes that “ students should be filled with curiosity and know how to find reliable sources to answer what they are curious about.” This is the first time that they have tried this idea, and they plan on doing this again in the future with a few minor changes.

Mac-Hi teachers have mixed feelings on 8th period advisory



By Joally Vasquez

This school year, Mrs. Vaughn, the principal, thought of the idea of having an 8th period for students to get caught up with their work. I have surveyed 8 teachers from Mac-hi and they all had different opinions about how they felt about the new period that was made.

100% of teachers agreed that if we didn’t have advisory class our grades would be affected.However, they all didn’t agree if it should be graded.25% of the teachers said they that advisory shouldn’t be graded, but 75% of the teachers said that they would want advisory to be graded.

Teachers have listed numbers of reasons why they think it should be graded.One of the teachers , for example, Mrs.Burnham said “Students are required to complete assignments. Also,in my opinion,it’s an easy class and helps their GPA”. Another teacher anonymously said “I have found that students are more invested in doing the work at a higher level when it is graded. “ This teacher believed that most students knew that if it was a pass/fail class they wouldn’t put much effort.
         
          Although, most teachers agreed that we should have advisory, not all agree that students should get graded. 2 out of 6 teachers say that they don’t think that advisory should be graded. For example, a teacher said anonymously “Students are expected to finish full assignments, as long as you see and know that they're working hard than it shouldn’t be graded”.

Most teachers feel the need that since its high school and we have more homework , students need a class to get their work done. Teachers know that most students have sports to attend after school, which doesn’t give them the proper time to do their work. This is what most teachers feel about having the new advisory class, thanks to the principal, Mrs Vaughn, all students have enough time to get some work done.

Two Mac-Hi Students Chosen for Northwest Choir



By JASMINE SEARS

Two very talented students, Kyle Dygert and Matthew Cunnington, were selected to perform with the Northwest Choir in Seattle.This group is a large mixed choir that has 500 of the best singers selected from Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.  
In the audition for the choir, they sang  The Star Spangled Banner and some scales testing their range. Matthew said when they all sang together, “the sound was so large and full.” He continued, “It was the best sounding thing I’ve ever been a part of.” Kyle also said that the Northwest Choir was the best thing he had partaken in. “Our instructor was Dr. Anton Armstrong, one of the best conductors in the US, maybe even the world. He was incredibly harsh, but amazing and inspirational,” Kyle said.

Matthew claimed he didn’t have much worry; however, Kyle admitted he was terrified. In spite of their emotions, the experience was so great since it was something they have both wanted to do for a long time. Kyle has been wanting to sing in the Northwest Choir since he heard about it last year, but in Matthew’s case, he had wanted to do this since middle school when his brothers did it. They both said that they had a great time in Seattle. Matthew said that “even if you are just thinking about auditioning just do it,” and he also emphasized that it’s essential to also practice all materials provided beforehand.

Mac-Hi Students Honored at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute’s Artworkz Show



By Jazmyn Schmaltz

Students were able to enter their own artwork for the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute’s Artworkz show held January 28 through March 17 this year.
The art show had a few of our own enter and received awards: Sierra Breeding, Carson Chester, Paige Jones, and Nancy Hernandez.  Sierra took home first prize, which was a $50.00 gift card to their gift shop. She said she doesn't know how she is going to be spending it yet. She entered a painting of Indian tribal horses.
I asked her how she created the beautiful art. She said,  “I used acrylic paint, but I sketched it out in pencil first.” She went on to say, “ It took me about 45 minutes, which is a short time for me. I usually spend 4 hours plus on a painting.”
The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute is a museum and research institute, and you can find it on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon. It’s the only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail. So that explains her painting. The institute is focused on the cultures of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes. The main exhibit of the museum features a history of the cultures of the three tribes and of the reservation itself. The museum also has another wing for temporary exhibitions of specific types of Native American art, craftwork, history, and folklore related to the tribes.
This was not the first time Sierra has been awarded for her art. Last year, she entered at the 4-H fair and won a blue ribbon. In 4-H there are 5 main placings for ribbons: dark purple is grand champion, light purple is reserve champion, blue is first, red is second, and white is third. She said, “It was a very good feeling knowing that people who have jobs in the art world liked what I had done.” She  does some great art, as do Paige, Carson and Nancy. Great Job Guys.


Heritage Club: Helping The Community


By Nayeli Anahi Ruiz and Aiden Lozano

Valentine’s day is a fun holiday, and whether you’re in a relationship or not, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you stuffed your face with chocolate. Heritage Club, however, decided to sell $5 Valentines Grams (little gifts with a note) to students as a fundraiser to get money for their Thanksgiving Dinner, where they give ten different families a nice meal every year.
Heritage club doesn’t only make grams for Valentine's Day; they have also done this for Christmas and Halloween. The club had a recent event where eight students went to Grove Elementary School to help translate for Spanish-speaking parents at Family Game Night on March 16 from 5:30-7:00.  There were 4 stations with different crafts like making collage papers. “There was so much stuff to do, and so many people. It was chaotic- but the good kind; it was the best time!” said member Jenny Alva.
The Heritage Club is always putting their minds together to come up with new ways to help the community. Thinking of as many ideas as they can, and deciding which would be more fun and helpful is the way they decided to do this. They’ve helped by painting buildings, helping with school events and other tasks.
“If we see someone or something in need of help, we will come together and help out. Anything big or small, we will take on.” said club member Joulin Pureco. Whatever puts a smile on people’s faces is what heritage club loves doing.  
Heritage Club is a great club to be in, “It’s a place where you can be who you are. It’s a place about heritage and the community. How much better can it get?” said club member Tehya Clark.

School district announces plans for making up snow days



By Suely Ramos

Over the last three months, we have had seven school cancellations and three late starts due to bad weather. At the school board meeting on February 13th, they decided on the dates that we would have to make up the time we missed.
It was decided that they would eliminate spring conferences on March 6 and 7. Friday, April 14, which was previously a teacher work day will be a school day with an early release.
We also will have school Friday, May 12,  which was previously scheduled as a day off for Junior Show. June 1st will be the last day for seniors, and the last day for students K-11 will now be June 13th, which will be a half day.
June 14th is on the calendar as a teacher workday, and students will not have school. When interviewed, most of the students I asked said that they agreed with the dates chosen to make up the snow days. Some said that it would have been better if we would’ve had Fridays be full days and just made up the days that way instead of adding extra days and having the last day be on June 13th.

With the addition to those days, the district will meet the requirements of the Oregon Department of Education, and it will provide the educational opportunities to the students of Milton-Freewater.  

Pin To Win


By Dylan Quist
This winter, Mac-Hi began its new wrestling season. The team had a pretty solid amount of people spread out between the different weight classes.
In the beginning of the year, they faced a couple setbacks, such as when the weather caused the team to miss Muilenberg, a large tournament, and stay extra days during the Rollie Lane tournament. However, it was clear sailing once the Pioneers got to the middle of the season and the beginning of the dual meets.
At the duals, the team had a strong start with a win over Ontario. Next, the Pioneers had a strong lead over La Grande but in the end, La Grande pulled off a comeback. Lastly, the Pioneers finished the season with a home dual versus Baker.
Finally, it was time for districts. The Pioneers had a strong showing at districts with Jesse Jones, Riley Chester, Kaden Kilburg, Josh Torres, Spencer Wells, and Donnie Clark taking first, Brandyn Chaney taking second, and Patton Wright taking third.
These Pioneers went on to state, the final tournament of the year. At state Donnie took 6th, Jesse took 5th, Riley took 3rd, and Spencer took 2nd. All in all, every wrestler can agree, this was a great wrestling season that we hope to repeat next year.

Students stay home on “Day without immigrants” protest


By Alex Quesney
On February 16, many Mac-Hi students protested the treatment of immigrants. On the day of the protest there were 146 students not in school, more than double the average of 66 or so kids missing. Immigrant parents around the country kept their children home from school in protest. At Grove Elementary school 81 students, more than one-third of all the students in school, were absent .
Even though Donald Trump has talked about about a reform bill that could possibly grant legal status to thousands maybe millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. , if we look back at his first speech before he was president, he showed a lot of hatred towards Mexicans. He said "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. ... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," So many Latinos are mad with him for so many reasons Trump always seems to talk trash on twitter; on July 4 2015 he was jabbing at a fellow GOP (Grand old Party) candidate because his wife is Mexican. Trump said in his tweet “#jebBush has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife,” which pretty much meant Bush likes illegals because his wife is Mexican.
Trump said that their followers were “passionate” even though in about mid August a 58 year old man reported to the police saying that two brothers decided to beat up a 58 year old homeless man. They broke his nose and decided to urinate on him, which just isn't right in any way. When the police caught them, the two guys said that they targeted him because of his ethnicity, and they later added,  “ Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported.” After the attack, a fellow GOP candidate told trump about it, but he later defended his followers as being just “passionate.”
After saying that, he tweeted that he would  never condone any type of violence even though he continued to defend his supporters’ passion after that attack. He assumes some immigrants are nice, but he also thinks most are just horrible and nasty people. In reality, most immigrants come for work or for a better home for them and their child/children because they might live in a bad neighborhood or are just too broke and want to see how it would be for them in here in the United States.
It's a good thing for immigrants to stand up for themselves because if they just let the president do whatever, sooner or later he will start doing things the country will regret later on.
On the day of the protest, Mexicans and people who supported them didn't go to work in order to show how much the country needs immigrants because if there weren't any here, there would sure be jobs open and not enough people to keep everything going in classrooms, orchards, restaurants, stores, and more.

Sadie Hawkins 2017: Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can Dance



By: GISELLE PEREYRA
Sadie Hawkins is a school formal dance hosted by the Varsity Club. Instead of the boys asking the girls, it’s a dance where the girls get to ask the boys. This year, 2017, Sadie Hawkins was originally scheduled for for February 4th; however, because of the bad weather conditions, it had to be pushed back to February 18th. The weather conditions made the roads very icy and snow began to fall.
It was hosted in the cafeteria at McLoughlin High School. The theme this year for  Sadie’s  was the NFL Super Bowl. Why the Super Bowl? It is because the Friday Sadies was  originally going to be on was the NFL Super Bowl weekend.
The Varsity Club decided to just stick with the theme for the new date. There were around 70 people that attended Sadies. “There were a lot people, and it was crowded in the cafeteria,” said Cassidy Hays, one of the students who attended. If you missed out this year on Sadies, there is always next year. Don’t miss out if you love dancing and spending time with friends.

Testing: What’s the Point?



By Karina Lua

As you should know by now, the second week of March, sophomores and some freshmen took the science part of OAKS, Juniors will take the Smarter Balance for English in April and math in will be in May.
Some students might feel overwhelmed with lots of tests, but Principal Vaughan says, “We have to take OAK’s testing because it's a requirement for the state, and [state education officials] have to know how the teachers are doing teaching the students.”
She says it benefits students because it shows whether they have essential skills; it helps with applying for college, and it shows students’ “strengths and weaknesses in the subject they are learning.”
Principal Vaughan also says it benefits the staff because it shows how much the students have grown in the subject. These tests only affect students’ grades in terms of participation because that's what teachers grade.
Ms. Vaughan emphasizes that students should try their best on these tests because it shows them how much they know about the subject. She likes the testing because it shows how well or how poorly the students are doing, and it helps teachers know what to work on more with the students.

Principal Vaughan says it's good to try on state testing because it not only makes you look good , but it also makes the school look good. Instead of stressing out, just try your best, and DON'T FALL ASLEEP!

Choir Hosts Mr. Mac-Hi

By Cassidy Hays

          Crimson & Black Choir hosted our school’s first ever Mr. Mac-Hi event on February 28, 2017 to raise money for an upcoming trip to New York. This event is similar to the idea of Miss America Pageant. The boys in the running for Mr. Mac-Hi performed in a series of events, such as interviews, a talent portion, dancing, and much, much more! Our contestants were: Eduardo Corona, Miguel Garcia, Connor Humbert, Landon Warne, Dillon Rhoads, Mark Lua, Riley Chester, and Keaton Smith.
          As we all waited for the first annual Mr. Mac-Hi to start, music was playing, Aaron Duff was talking about our contestants, and we were all getting so excited to see what was coming. Seven o’clock came, and the contestants were called up to the stage one by one along with their beautiful escorts: Micha Fortune, Cynthia Flores, Kaitlyn Slusarenko, Sydnie Richwine, Lizbeth Lara, Camille Riley, Mariela Garcia, Alexxus Shelton.
          The competition began with Mr. Aaron Duff, principal of Freewater Elementary School,  telling the audience what each of the boys’ favorite colors were, their favorite songs, favorite movies, accomplishments, what they plan to do after college, etc. After he introduced the boys, they had to turn to their escorts and say their favorite pickup line. We all laughed as the boys began telling what they were.
          After they were done being introduced, they then went backstage and began to get ready for the talent portion. Oh boy, that was interesting. Each contestant had his own unique talent. Some were funny, some were interesting, and then there was Landon Warne, who actually chose to do something very outstanding. He sang an original song called “I’m Still Yours.”
          After the boys performed in the talent portion, they did a group dance. The song for their dance was Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” All of the boys walked out onstage, struck a pose, and then the music began. The boys started dancing and then ran off stage to pick a person from the audience to take on stage and dance with them. After their hilarious group performance, the boys went backstage to change out of their dance costumes.
           They then came out one by one with their escorts to answer a “would you rather” question. The questions were unique, just like all of the boys’ answers. After that portion, the five judges went away to decide who would be our first annual “Almost Mr. Mac-Hi” and our winning “Mr. Mac-Hi”.
          While the judges were deciding, the boys were awarded with sashes titled Mr. Fitness, Mr. Congeniality , Mr. Musical, Mr. Personality, Mr. Outgoing , Mr. Vain, Mr. GQ, and Mr. Competitive.  The boys looked pretty happy with their awards. Then came the two big awards of the night: Mr. Almost Mac-Hi, and the big one, Mr. Mac-Hi. A big congratulations to Miguel Garcia for winning “Mr. Almost Mac-Hi,” and to Riley Chester for winning “Mr. Mac-Hi.”
          You were all hilarious and did an amazing job!
          There are also DVDs for sale. You can purchase them for $10. Also they had an auction for three gift baskets. The first basket was a “Date Night” basket with coupons for babysitting, popcorn, candy, a gift card, everything you would need for the perfect date night. The second basket was full of hair products. It had shampoo, conditioner, styling products, combs, etc. Finally, the third basket was full of “World’s best chocolate.” It had fifty pounds of chocolate in one basket.
          The money raised from the baskets, the DVDs, and the admission fees will help the Crimson & Black Choir compete in New York.


Baseball Team Hosts Comedy Night

By Adrien Anderson

This year, the baseball team thought it would be nice and switch up this year's fundraiser and host a comedy night on March 4th.
266 people came, and all the money is going to improve the baseball field and program.
The baseball team hired David Crowe to perform. David Crowe is a comedian from Seattle who also was on Comedy Central.
Comedian-David-Crowe.jpgThe drama students also performed one of their skits, “Chatter Box,” starring Abby Richwine, Grace Merritt, and Yaneli Cisneros. They also played, “The Big Flirt,” starring Miguel Garcia, Tyra Chester, Matt Cunnington, and Julie Nymann Rasmussen.
David Crowe first took to the stage with an alternate ego: a nerdy coin collector. He talked about what was on the quarters representing different states and commented on what should really be on the coins. After he was done with his alternate ego the drama kids went up and did a skit, and David Crowe came up and started doing his stuff.

Out of the 266 people that went to the comedy night, most of them seemed to have a nice time and had a good laugh. The Coach,Michaud was very pleased with Mr. Crowe’s show and said if any other comedian comes to Milton that the standard will be high because of David Crowe.

Lady Pioneers too legit to quit

By DYLAN CARPER

The Mac-Hi girls basketball team is a great group of athletes, but they didn’t do so well this year; with only one win and 18 losses it was a bit of a tough season. A lot of the games were super close and could have ended up both ways.
Team member Sydney Richwine said, “ I’d say as far as success goes, we’ve seen better days. But the team as a whole had an extremely tight bond and seemed to want to make each other better, which should be helpful for the underclassmen as they progress throughout the next few years.” Sydney is now moving forward and planning to play for George Fox University.
The team is losing 4 seniors but will have many returning players next season. Among the departing seniors are Sydney Richwine and Brooke Smiley. The Lady Pioneers have plans for lots of basketball in the off season , including open gyms and camps to continue improving their game for next season.
Coach Garton said , “Our goal is to get better everyday that we take the court and to work hard in the offseason to improve our record for next year !”
 Let’s hope they come back next year better than ever!

March 09, 2017

College Week: The Beginning of Student Debt



By EMMA SCOTT and ELIZABETH LANCASTER

So, we know what you are thinking, why the weird headline? Well, to answer your question, we will start with something you all should know: college is the beginning of a long road of debt. However, that all depends on what you do while on your way to college. That is why you must get good grades and be wise to what colleges you wish to go to.
Having good grades could also mean that you might try for a academic scholarship. If you are in sports and you think you are really good, you can apply for a sports scholarship. College Week is a week where different colleges come to school and kids get to check them out. ATTENTION: ALL CLASSES can go to this!!! Even though you might be a freshman, it is still good to go and at least narrow your choices to, two or three. Even having four choices is okay. We hope you took this opportunity to help your decisions. This could really help you if you needed it.
We talked to the Vice Principal of our school, Jay Rodighiero, and he said, ”The point of college week is to promote a college-going culture, kids can start to understand that it is available and that they don’t have to limit themselves on money for college.”
“During 8th period, classes decorated their doors. Also during that week, there were dress up days like homecoming week. On Monday: Step up to success, dress the college you love! Tuesday: Dress for an interview. Show us what you would wow your new boss with. Wednesday: Neon, future is bright! Shine! Thursday: Go for green, scholarship support. Be glad for scholarships! Friday: College starts with Mac-High success, Mac-High colors! It’s a great day to be a pioneer!” -Said on posters around school. Also on Wednesday, the neon day, Juniors and Seniors could go to Pendleton High and attend a college fair. You had to sign up at the office. We hope some of you took up the offer!
We asked Mr. Rodighiero what the intention was of this college week, in his words, “The point of college week is for the students to realize that with a little practice that they can get to the colleges that they want. They can investigate other, possibly better options. And as we do this throughout the years, it will get easier every year so by the time they are seniors it will be easy-peasy. Seniors can take advantage of the financial aid forms; parents get called in to help their children with this. That way not too much pressure is put into paying for college.”

FARMER’S WEEK : A Week of Cattle and Corn



By ELIZABETH LANCASTER and EMMA SCOTT

We know, we know, us and our crazy headlines. We have also written: College Week : The Beginning of Student Debts. This time we are here to talk about Farmer’s Week. Farmer’s Week was from 2/20-2/24.

Ms. Holden said, “It is important for our students to understand the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives. Without it, we wouldn't have food to eat, energy to heat our homes, clothes to wear, or any of the other daily necessities that we rely on agriculture to provide us with, whether we realize it or not.”

Obviously, agriculture is really important; agriculture is one of the foundation blocks in America. If you know a farmer, we challenge you to thank them.

If you don’t know a farmer or agricultural worker, find someone that works with food or a wind turbine worker; thank someone that has done a lot for the agriculture world, or someone that has done something to make a giant impact on the way we live. Thank a farmer, they work really hard.

Mac-Hi Seniors are Winning Scholarships


By Jasveer and Cynthia                                                                 

For Mac-Hi seniors, there is only one semester left until the  the end of classes. Time is passing very fast. Some seniors have already been accepted into some colleges and universities. Some of them are getting scholarships, so CONGRATULATIONS to all of our seniors who are getting the scholarships!!
Mallory Copeland has been accepted to the College of Idaho. She is getting a scholarship for softball. She got $7000 because of her leadership skills, her grades, and SAT scores from the College of Idaho. She also participated in the Kathryn Albertson scholarship competition and won an additional $2000.
There are some other students too who have received  scholarships. Cynthia Flores got a scholarship for $2000 from the Pacific University. Jasveer Sandhu got a scholarship for $1350 from Walla Walla University for her leadership skills as co-editor of Crimson & Black Newspaper.
Camille Riley received the presidential scholarship from the University of Montana. It is for approximately $8,000. She is also receiving Western Undergraduate Exchange. It is a program waiver allows students throughout the western United States, the Pacific Island US Territories and freestanding states to enroll at a reduced tuition rate while seeking their first undergraduate degree.
It is great that many students at Mac-hi are getting scholarships, but do not forget that there is still a lot of money available for you, students. If you have not applied to any scholarships yet then you can go to Cappex, Fastweb, Scholarships.com, Scholarshippoints, Unigo, Course hero, College board, Scholarship Monkey, and Questbridge. There are tons of scholarships, so go for it and see if you win any money. Deadlines for the scholarships are approaching, so apply RIGHT NOW.
We hope that you will definitely win some money and go so far in your life and will make some big achievements. We are sure that one day you will definitely make Mac-Hi proud of you.  


A Senior’s Fight For Graduation Location

By ABBY RICHWINE
Graduation is coming soon and the location is still somewhat unknown. Chelsey Holford has petitioned to have a graduation outside. When the school board decided on holding graduation inside because of tradition, Holford got to work on convincing them to change their minds. She had actually made a powerpoint to include everyone’s point of view, so everyone can have a say.
download.jpg “It’s our Senior year, it should be our choice,” she says. “I think we can break this tradition because last year it was held outside because of the reconstruction of the bleachers.”
When taking a petition, Holford counted 68 students for an outside graduation and only 1 for the inside. The last conflict to deal with was over who would be setting up and taking down all the equipment outside. “I already have a list of people signed up to set up and clean up,” Holford said.
Parents are very upset with the recent decision in holding this year’s graduation in the gym. Not only are the seats limited, but the heat of the gym in the past has been humid and tight. When graduation was held outside last year, it was very hot, but a cool breeze brought just enough relief for everyone to survive the graduation ceremony. Having the event later in the afternoon, or even evening, could solve the heat problem. Two meetings have been held in order to make a final decision, and the next one is on the March 13th.
Parents are leaning towards outside while the school board prefers an inside graduation. Many parents are hoping and voting for another graduation ceremony outside since the gym has been re-done, causing the seating capacity to change. Before the bleachers were constructed, 1,000 seats were offered to those who attend graduation and sports games. Now, the bleachers have been limited to 800. Unfortunately that makes it harder for more family members to attend. Hopefully whatever the final decision is, graduation will be an enjoyable event.


 

School district announces plans for making up snow days



By Suely Ramos

Over the last three months, we have had seven school cancellations and three late starts due to the bad weather we had. At the school board meeting on February 13th, they decided on the dates that we would have to make up the time.

It was decided that they would eliminate spring conferences on March 6 and 7. Friday, April 14, which was previously a teacher work day will be a school day with an early release.

We also will have school Friday, May 12,  which was previously a day off for Junior Show. June 1st will be the last day for seniors, and the last day for students K-11 will now be June 13th, which will be a half day.
June 14th is on the calendar as a teacher workday, and students will not have school. When interviewed, most of the students I asked said that they agreed with the dates chosen to make up the snow days. Some said that it would have been better if we would’ve had Fridays be full days and just made up the days that way instead of adding extra days and having the last day be on June 13th.

With the addition to those days, the district will meet the requirements of the Oregon Department of Education, and it will provide the educational opportunities to the students of Milton-Freewater.  

Key Club: Matchomatics and Friday Food Pantry


By SOFIA OLIVA
Matchomatics was a fundraiser held by Key Club. They have ran this fundraiser for 3 days. Matchomatics is a survey students filled out to see who their “lover” is, and if they wanted to see who they got matched with they had to pay $3 to see who your “lover” is. The $3 went to a good cause. The money if for good causes, they use money to get supplies for families in need.
Key Club has been running a food pantry and a fundraiser. Key Club’s food pantry is staffed by community volunteers, and no Mac-Hi staff are able to volunteer for personal reasons. It is located in the old teacher's lounge by the computer lab going from 7th period to 1:30. It is available to ALL Mach-Hi students. They have 3 categories of food they serve, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast they serve cereal, oatmeal, and peanut butter, and for lunch/dinner they have soup, chili, pasta, and canned tuna or chicken. They also have snack items; crackers with peanut butter or cheese, sometimes some fresh fruits of  apples and oranges, and to give you some protein, they give out protein bars. The maximum you can get it 2 items per category (breakfast, lunch, dinner_. No paper work is needed to go be aloud to get food from the food pantry so if you are hungry or need food to fill you up over the weekend, head down and grab items of the good food they give out.


Basketball Banquet Honors Players



By Sebastian Hernandez
Getting recognized for accomplishments on the court can be an exciting moment for an athlete, especially when your family and coaches are there. Many athletes were recognized for their participation in this year’s basketball season with a certificate, when the basketball season wrapped up Wednesday, February 22.
Each team voted for a teammate for a special award. For the girls C team, Julie Rasmussen was voted by her team MVP.  Most Inspirational was given to Tuva Storstrom, and Suely Ramos was given the award for Most Improved.
For Girls’ Junior Varsity, Kayla Casillas was voted “Most Inspirational” on her team. The award for “Most Improved” was given to Bianca Garcia, and she was also voted MVP.
For Girls’ Varsity, Sydney Earls was voted Most Inspirational. Most Improved was given to Kayla Casillas who also played in Vasrsity and JV, and the award for MVP was given to Sydney Richwine.
For Boys Junior Varsity, Carson Chester was voted by his teammates to be Most Inspirational. Armando Ruiz received the MVP award.
For Boys’ Varsity, Robert Wilks was voted Most Improved. The Most Inspirational award went to Alex Delgado.  This year’s Mr. Basketball award went to Alexis PIo.  



2016-2017 Awards
Girls
C-Team
Julie Rasmussen -MVP
Tuva Storstrom - Most Inspirational
Suley Ramos - Most Improved

JV
Kayla Casillas - Most Inspirational
Bianca Garcia - Most Improved
Bianca Garcia - MVP

Varsity
Sydney Earls - Most Inspirational
Kayla Casillas - Most Improved
Sydney Richwine - MVP

Boys
JV
Carson Chester - Most Inspirational
Armando Ruiz - MVP

V
Robert Wilks - Most Improved
Alex Delgado - Most Inspirational
Alexis Pio - Mr Basketball