Sports Star, Fashionista, and Snapchat Champion: Kayla Casillas

by JAE HAGAR

You may have seen her at school or on the basketball courts. During softball, along with soccer in the fall, you can find her on the field. In her free time she likes to dance to anything and everything. She has a basketball “trio,” and they are seen doing the dab whenever a Pioneer makes a shot. The members include McKenna Yensen (MK), Brianna Hernandez, and Kayla herself.

At home, Kayla is called Kaylita, and the name has carried over to her school friends. She likes her chicken alfredo because she says it goes well with breadsticks. Kayla watches Netflix because she says it has good shows, including Vampire Diaries and romantic movies-alone. Sadly, she was one of those singles on Valentine’s day. Come on boys! She was the only Freshie that went out for basketball, and she’s really good!

When asked what she would say, if Justin Bieber asked her to a dance-off, her answer was, “I would probably faint when he tries to talk to me, so I wouldn’t have a response.”  That just proves that Kaylita has… Bieber Fever. Overall, this freshie has a free pass into the cool realm, through basketball, and just being herself.

In case you were wondering, Kaylita is the younger sister of senior, Abel Casillas. She has to grow into his shoes because he is so famous at this school. Kayla’s other siblings are step-siblings, all younger than her except one sister, living in California with their dad. This is something you may not know about her, and there may be others. If you haven’t met her yet, you should give her a “Hey,” and a high five!

Mac-Hi’s Girls Varsity Shoots For the Stars

by JAE HAGAR

The Mac-Hi girls varsity have been shooting for greatness this basketball season. For the seniors, Brittney Erb, Abi Biggs,Kitanya Crisman, Shannon Carter, and Sam Tveidt, this has been the last season that they can make their shots as Pioneers.  Coach Brooke Garton, who also teaches science, anatomy, and crime scene science at Mac-Hi, took this job on, despite her many other obligations. 
The team kept a third place spot in the Greater Oregon League. On Tuesday, February 16th they took on Ontario at home. The game was important to the players, so they made sure to play their best.  
Nearly every play was executed with ease, and the Tiger’s defense and offense were no match for the Pioneers. They had numerous turnovers. Of those,  many were caused 5’2 senior, Shannon Carter. She runs the court like a basketball ninja, and can jump higher than most, which is how she causes so many turnovers. The Pioneers’ defensive arsenal is full of great surprises.
The Pioneers beat the Tigers 37-22, making them eligible for the GOL playoffs against Baker on the 17th. The Bulldogs hosted the Pioneers. For Mac-Hi’s seniors, this game potentially determined if they would play any more games as Pioneers. If they had won, they would have played La Grande on Friday, and even though they lost, they qualified for a play-in game for state. 
A groggy team, including coaches, managers, and supporters of the program boarded a charter bus on Friday, February 26th. Heading to Beaverton, the team was pumped up, and ready to take on the Valley Catholic Valiants. The Pioneers stopped at Multnomah Falls on their way to the game to stretch and take selfies.
With the loss of Sam Tveidt, a point guard, the Pioneers struggled to make forward plays. Their defensive tactics were no match for the Valiants. Yet, the fact that they made it this far is amazing considering they hadn’t made a play-in game since 1987. The Pioneers played their best, so the score doesn’t matter. Even though they knew they were going to lose, the Pioneers didn’t give up. These ladies have GRIT, and they played “Valiantly.”

The silver lining is the team accomplished the goals set at the beginning of the year: “Shock the World” and “Make a Play-In Game For State.” The community is on the edge of their seats to see what Brooke Garton will do next year with this team. GO PIONEERS!!

Four Years of Basketball Has Paid Off for Seniors

by JAE HAGAR

This has been the last season for the seniors, when it comes to High School Basketball. This year's lady seniors include: Shannon Carter, Brittney Erb, Abi Biggs, Sam Tveidt, Kitanya Crisman, Kylee Fite, and Jenny Field. This season has been bitter-sweet for all of them. After losing to the Baker Bulldogs on Wednesday, February 17th,  Abi Biggs said, “I probably won’t play basketball again, if we don’t get a state play-in game.” Biggs, along with the majority of the Varsity girls team are softball players. Basketball is just a time passing sport for them, and only Erb plans to play in college.

Mac-Hi Seniors: Top row left to right: Kylee Fite, Kitanya Crisman, Brittney Erb, Sam Tveidt, & Abi Biggs.
Bottom row: Jenny Field & Shannon Carter

Field played the first few games, but had to quit due to family problems. Field has been an active member of the basketball program in the past, and is very passionate about the sport and the team, as well as the players. Crisman told me that Field would have played the whole season if it had not been for the family problems. The team missed Field, and hopes she will be active in the softball season.

Crisman and Fite have also not been able to play the past few games due to injuries. Fite has a bad shoulder that she knew about when the season started, but it wasn’t going to stop her... until it did. She helped with team management though. Crisman went out with a foot injury and also helped out with team jobs. Both help with stats, and still call themselves part of the basketball program. Tveidt was injured during the game against Baker but will hopefully be able to play the spring sport that she likes, tennis.

The team took on the Valley Catholic Valiants, without Tveidt, and fell, valiantly. The seniors played their best, knowing it could be their last game. When they realised there was no hope, they did not give up. The graduating Varsity girls basketball players will miss their coach, Brook Garton, and the younger members of the program. If you see them, congratulate them for making it to a play-in game, because it had been a long time since the Pioneers made it that far, and wish them luck in their future endeavors. GO PIONEERS!

Comic - Voting

by C.A. GREEN

Different (a poem)

The other day I was ricocheting slowly

off the blue walls of the room,

Wondering if I would ever be like them.

I walk differently, talk differently, think differently,

but most of all, I feel differently than they do.

I recall the fact that this style of wondering

started a long time ago.

I knew when I was about five

that  I would never be the same,

I would never fully belong.

As I sit on this bus, pondering the force,

that causes me to be an outcast,

I hear the conversations and the joyful

laughing of the other girls,

the ones that I will never be like.

I start to shiver and feel alone,

for they never seem to notice me

when starting their pointless conversations.

Oh, how I long to be included,

if only for a second.

by Jae Hagar

College Tuition Getting You Down?

by ALICIA WALTER

Do you think the cost of tuition for college is too much? Well, think again. There are multiple resources at your disposal, according to our high school counselor Jeff Bockert.

Money isn’t an easy thing to find, but filling out the FAFSA is a step in the right direction. The FAFSA offers free money, and all you have to do is fill out a tax report for either yourself or your parents. If you haven’t filed your taxes, or your parents haven’t, then you can put in the information from last year’s taxes. Once you get your new tax forms back, then you can update the information. Do it fast because you only have a couple more weeks left.

Filling out the OSAC is another step you should take. There are great scholarships you can receive if you enter all your information from volunteering to personal statements. It may be a long process, but in the end, it couldwill benefit you on your college journey.

If tuition is still a problem, Oregon is starting the Oregon Promise. The Oregon Promise means that you can potentially go to college for free at any community college. There are, however, requirements that have to be met.

• You have to have graduated from an oregon high school, or received your GED in oregon.
• You have to have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Be an Oregon resident for 12 months prior to enrolling.
• You have to enroll within 6 months of graduating.
• When you enroll you need to have at least 6 credits worth of classes.

There are many other tools for you to use to help with your college tuition, such as apps like Scholly, and websites like Fastweb. While there may be a lot of paperwork to fill out, this is free money, so don’t miss out!

Mac-Hi Rocks FBLA Regionals

by CAMILLE RILEY

    The Mac-Hi FBLA club went to La Grande to participate in the regionals competition on February 4th . 27 students of the McLoughlin high school FBLA chapter attended the event, and 14 students placed in various events at the competition. A total of 15 students will be attending the State FBLA competition in Portland from April 6th to the 9th.

Ms. Garcia, the advisor of the Mac-hi FBLA club said, “I was amazed at how well the kids did!” She is extremely proud of the students and amazed at all the hard work and effort that they had to put forth to place at the competition.

   Sandra Pereyda is a senior and is the president of the FBLA chapter at McLoughlin High School. Pereyda, who got 10th place in Impromptu Speaking said, “I didn't think that I would place because my points weren't clear, but I did place 10th, which is better than 11th place!”

Karen Steele, a junior, who was also at the competition and placed 2nd in Help Desk said, “The event was so much fun. We got to hang out at the EOU campus, and, despite it being a competition, it was very relaxed, so I wasn't very stressed. I surprised myself by placing 2nd, and I was so proud of my friends for placing as well.”

FBLA, which stands for Future Business Leaders of America, is a business-oriented, focused, driven club that welcomes all students. FBLA is a national club and has chapters everywhere, and the McLoughlin chapter is just one of many. People join FBLA for many different reasons. Some join due to the fact that it looks good on college applications, some because they would like to go into business in the future, and others to see if business is right for them before studying in college.

       There are many things that people can experience and learn from when participating in FBLA. One of the many events that we can learn from and build off of is Regionals and state. Regionals are a competition for all chapters in eastern Oregon, while state is for the whole state of oregon. At both Regionals and state FBLA, members have a chance to compete against each other in various categories, as well as meet new people and network.