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.

The 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!