Canine Chr[ ]nicle nicle

[the
the]
the]
Canine Chr
Chr[[
Mount Baker Middle School, Auburn, Washington
]nicle
November 2013
Volume IV, Issue 1
MBMS Celebrates Twenty Years
With Twenty Features of Bulldog History
H. Addsion
Table of Contents]
[2 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Letter from the Editors
Teen Role Models
4
Bulldogs,
Teen Depression
5
Service Clubs Make Difference
6
Social Media Etiquette
7
This year is certainly one to be remembered! Not only do we have a large amount of brand new students filing their
way into our school, we are also celebrating Mount Baker’s 20 th anniversary. All of the staff of The Canine Chronicle
wishes to not only welcome all of the new sixth graders, but also honor the history of Mount Baker itself. In order to do
this, we have decided to dedicate a few articles each edition to news that was relevant to 1994-95 school year, as well
as shed some light on how the school has changed since that time of its opening.
Locker Issues
8
Homework Management
9
20 for 20: Stories Year One
10
‘Gravity’ Review
13
Locker Lottery
14
What Grinds My Gear
15
MBMS Fast Pitch
16
MBMS Football
17
MBSM Sports
18
Sincerely,
Life
19
Aaron Baker
Fall Photo Essay
BACK
COVER PHOTO: To commemorate the rich twenty-year
history of Mt. Baker Middle School, the TCC staff has
started a new feature for our fourth volume. Over our
seven editions for the 2013-2014 school year, we will
color our storied past with twenty unique features about
school history and pop culture history from 1994-1995.
The Canine Chronicle has been a tradition here at MBMS for three years now. Our ultimate goal is not to beguile you
with tales of fiction or report on the problems of the outside world, but rather we wish to give you a voice. The Canine
Chronicle is your work; your history! You are the voice, we are the messenger. We want to hear your voice, which is
more important than anything else. We cannot wait for you to see what we can do just as we cannot wait to see what
you can do.
We hope that through The Canine Chronicle you can learn more about the school and November be even have some
fun along the way. This year’s paper will be extraordinarily exciting as we hope to offer you an example of not only what
school is like this year but also what it was like 20 years ago. All of us on the Canine Chronicles staff certainly have our
work cut out for us! Last year’s paper was spectacular and it will certainly be hard to meet the standard they set for
this year’s staff.
We certainly hope that you enjoy reading the newest issue of The Canine Chronicle!
Jonathan Casey
Ben Geisen
Alyssa Ferry
Jalen Forward
Hope Addison
MT. BAKER MIDDLE SCHOOL
620 37TH STREET SE
AUBURN, WASHINGTON 98002
Staff
Editors
Aaron Baker
Jonathan Casey
Ben Geisen
Alyssa Ferry
Jalen Forward
Hope Addison
PHOTO BY K. BATES
Reporters
Reporters
Technical Support
Destany Abellera
Gigi Alcedo
Kyle Bates
Jeremiah Brown
Bella Coronado
Jasmine Dang
Maddie Feeney
Daniel Filovets
Ka’Sean Griffin
Kat Hamm
Ryan Hess
Kamalvir Jhajj
Samantha Leurquin
AJ Maas
Ysabela Manuel
Anna Maracich
Harrison Maurus
Colby Pretz
Daniel Shablevskiy
Cameron Shute
TJ Williams
Jay Kemp
Adviser
Peter Warring
Mission: The MBMS Journalism 8 class produced this limited-voice
newspaper with intent to ethically report events accurately, without
bias. As a public forum for students, all decisions made on content
are made under the guidance of the advisor, with intent to uphold
students’ First Amendment rights.
The opinions presented in articles are provided to represent the
views and perspectives of students and individuals in our diverse
student population, not necessarily the whole of the advisor, faculty,
and administrators. Any material that would cause a disruption to
the educational process like libel, invasion of privacy, or copyright
infringement will not be published The Canine Chronicle is produced
using Microsoft Publisher. Photographs not taken by students have
been utilized through a Creative Commons and Microsoft license.
School portraits are licensed though Dorian Photography.
[News & Features]
[November 2013 * 3]
PE teachers Mr. King, Mrs. Burkhalter, and Mr. Perman express themselves with their elaborate, coordinated costumes every year. COURTESY OF A. BURKHALTER
Do You Still Trick or Treat?
Anna Maracich & Alyssa Ferry
Halloween just passed, and the age for trick-or-treaters
was a common subject among the student body; among
other traditions and precautions for families.
“Trick-or-Treating” is a common Halloween tradition that
has been celebrated by American culture since 1951. It
used to be practiced when poor people would visit wealthier houses and receive pastries in exchange for a promise
to pray for the home-owners dead relatives. The holiday
was later taken up by children in what we know as trick-or
-treating. While some view Halloween as an excuse for
scares and tricks, others only think of the bag of treats
they collect.
Our student body had many different views regarding
what age you should stop trick-or-treating.
Sixth grader Camden Hielborn said, “I think you should
stop trick-or-treating in tenth grade because ninth grade
is your last year of fun then high school gets so serious.”
Yet seventh grader Griffin Cummins thought the age of
responsibility was 21 years old.
The members of Builders Club this year still carried on
the tradition in a unique way. They trick-or-treated for
UNICEF as community service. Instead of knocking for
candy, they went door to door asking for donations that
could save a mother and her child’s life.
Many parents were concerned for their child’s safety. A
couple solutions parents used for their children to trick-or
-treat in the dark include using flashlights, reflective tape,
and glow sticks. This way your child stayed safe, and had
fun.
Both Coach Jason Brown and Camden Heilborn believed
you should trick-or-treat in your neighborhood, so you can
get to know your neighbors.
Jacob Pepe said, “[The best places to trick-or-treat are]
the big houses by Haggen because they give you pop and
full size candy bars.”
The Lakeland Hills community sponsored their annual
Halloween house decorating contest. The judging took
place during the week of October 21 and they determined
the top eight spookiest houses. The houses were decked
out with witches, ghosts, and ghouls.
Wild Waves’ annual Fright Fest added an additional 3-D
clown house, which wasn’t as frightening to most, especially compared to the Chamber of Souls haunted house.
Kannen Kilstrom said, “I don’t think either of the houses
were scary, but my favorite part was when I turned
around and I didn’t see my friend behind me!“
Whether your tradition was staying inside and hiding
when people knock on the door, like Coach Brown, or you
loaded up on candy, like Jacob Pepe, Halloween was a
frightening and fun fest for all the monsters out there.
Local Orthodontist Offers Cash for Candy
Molen Orthodontics recently had their annual candy
Kaytlyn Andersen, a patient at Molen, goes every year.
trade-in on November 1. All three offices, Sumner, Enum- Kaytlyn said this is a great idea “…Because you don’t
claw, and Auburn, participated in the event to prevent
need the candy. It’s bad for you. People in the community
cavities and raise food to donate.
that are less fortunate need it more than us.”
From 2:30-6:30 kids of all ages (with or without
At this event, people were all smiles, while snacks were
braces) lined up to trade their candy, decked in their
served. Milk and cookies stained the fingers of witches,
scariest costumes and bright smiles.
villains, and superheroes all around the office.
For every one pound of wrapped candy they brought in,
If you are a patient at Molen, then just coming in and
they earned $2. This continued up to ten pounds. Also,
turning in candy earned you ten “Molen Moolah” points.
canned food items were collected. This earned them an
Helpful to anyone who doesn’t enjoy those sweet treats
extra dollar for every two they brought in, same with
they’ve collected, but did enjoy the act of going out on
wearing your costume.
Halloween.
These prices made
This event happens
trading a great way
every year, so even if
to earn fast cash,
you missed it this
and let people help
year, there’s always
out in a small way.
next year to earn
Sixth grader Raj
cold, hard, cash
Cheema thought this
instead of sugar
was a great idea; he
highs and cavities!
only wished it was
Even students with braces enjoy treats! PHOTO BY J. FORWARD
more money.
[News & Features]
[4 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
Teen Role Models
Behavior Sets Terrible Example
Bella Coronado
Do you have a role model? Students all around our
Students also think that Cyrus’s “new look” is affecting
The positive effect of negative influences is that they are
school look up to or admire a celebrity, but many students their past thoughts on her. Sixth-grader Maliyah Kim
examples of what not to do. Even though you may not
have different opinions on the people who influence us in shared that she thinks, “It’s inappropriate.”
follow in their footsteps, they still show a positive example,
today’s media.
Hannah Kazlauskas shared a different opinion and said, “I just in a negative way.
Celebrities you may have looked up to in the past may be think it’s unique and different, but it sends the wrong
Role models can affect
totally different people by now. Some say it’s due to
teen’s behavior to the
message.”
point
that they start
“growing up” but others are disappointed in their actions.
Celebrities affect the way teens see themselves in
fantasizing
or doing
Celebrities impacting students, as well as the media,
positive and negative ways. Almost every celebrity faces a
what
their
role model
time in their life when they seem like they’re going downseem to come and go.
is
doing,
whether
it’s
Sixth-grader Janalyn Lopez stated that Miley Cyrus has hill. It’s important for teens to choose role models that
okay
or
not
okay.
been appearing around today’s media a lot most recently. set positive examples in their actions and inspire those
People still make
around them, but not all role models have to be somemistakes, even role
“She changed a lot,” Lopez said.
one famous. They can simply be just everyday people.
models, but the
Cyrus started making appearances after her shocking
Role models have many qualities that make them
mistakes
can teach
performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on
inspiring and show positive examples.
us and inspire us to
Aug. 25.
Seventh grader, Angelina Pogosian described a role
do better.
“It’s inappropriate, and she’s trying to change her immodel as someone who is trustworthy and someone that
age,” eighth-grader, Hannah Kazlauskas shared.
she can trust to do the right thing.
According to The Huffington Post, Miley Cyrus, as well as
“My role models are my two best friends....because
a few other celebrities, were named the worst role mod- they push me in the right direction,” stated Pogosian.
els. In a survey out of 2,407 parents, 58 percent said that
Today’s society seems like it’s trashing the way teenthey don’t think celebrities should be used as examples of
agers
see themselves. Role models like Miley
positive role models for their children. Sixty-eight percent
Cyrus,
have negative and positive attribsaid that Miley is the worst example, while 65 percent
utes,
but
role models in our everyday
considered Justin Beiber.
lives share unique interest and may
The former Disney star used to inspire a lot of students. never fail to inspire.
COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES VIA CREATIVE COMMONS
“I looked up to her when she was actually making a difference,” Kazlauskas stated.
Teen Role Models
What do you think of celebrity’s new behavior?
Compiled by Alyssa Ferry & Anna Maracich
“Sometimes
[celebrities]
are crazy, but
sometimes
they are talented.”
“No one
[respects]
them anymore,
their attitude
sucks.”
“[Celebrities] are
being too
young,
wild, and
free.”
“[Celebrities] are
doing stupid things
for money.”
CreativeCommons.org
–Jayden Taylor
Sixth Grader
–Abbie Juth
Seventh Grader
–Markus Maunder
Eighth Grader
–Shari Nelson
Seventh Grade Science
[News & Features]
[November 2013 * 5]
According to Teenhelp.com,
about five percent of teens
suffer from depression at any
one time? PHOTO BY R. HESS
Depression Apparent in Teens
Harrsion Maurus
Did you know that 20 percent of teens will face depression before they reach adulthood?
Or did you know that 1.6 per 100,000 of kids will
commit suicide?
Causes of depression can be too much stress from
homework, trouble at home, peer pressure, or even
just a natural chemical imbalance.
Mr. Vatne, a Mt. Baker counselor, agreed that teen
depression can be a very serious problem.
According to Mayoclinic.com, signs of depression
can be eating and sleeping too much or eating and
sleeping too little. Other signs of depression can be
feeling constantly angry, mad, or irritable.
A sure fire way to tell if someone is depressed is if
they start talking about suicide or have thoughts
about committing suicide. If you experience these
signs talk to an adult. They have most likely been
through what you are experiencing.
According to WebMD.com, a way to fight depression
is by exercising. When you exercise, your body produces chemicals called endorphins. These chemicals
can trigger a positive feeling and can reduce pain.
Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress,
ward off anxiety, and help you sleep better. Exercise
can be a treatment for mild to moderate depression.
A common point of stress at Mt. Baker is homework.
Sometimes too much school work can cause kids to
feel helpless or overwhelmed. Too much pressure
from school work or from peers can cause symptoms
of depression.
Bullying may also be a cause of depression in teens.
Depression, in general, can cause people to act in
ways that they wouldn’t normally.
For example, it has caused school shootings, murders, and even suicides.
Just recently in Florida, a twelve-year-old-girl committed suicide after being bullied by an older girl at
school and on Facebook. This just goes to show that
what you say or do can seriously affect the rest of
others lives.
Depression from bullying has also caused kids to
take out their anger at school.
An example of this was in Sparks, Nevada. A twelveyear-old boy brought a gun to his middle school and
wounded two peers and killed one teacher, before he
shot and killed himself. Police are speculating that the
boy did this because he was being bullied by his peers.
Depression can also cause you to make choices like
taking part in a gang or participating in drugs. People
can become interested in things like these because
they are looking for something to feel good about or
that will make them “feel good”.
Depression can be harmful, not just to you, but when
not treated carefully, to other people also. Depression
can be helped if you take the right steps.
According to Mr. Vatne, “The problem is that kids
don’t come forward and admit that they are feeling
depressed.”
If you are feeling depressed please see someone
you trust, and they will most likely be able to help you.
Sixth Grade Elections
Leading Now, Later
Jonathan Casey & Ben Geisen
Friday morning, Oct. 18, 303 talkative sixth graders in one
room, finally silent as they attentively listened to eight
speeches prepared and presented by our very own sixth grade
ASB candidates.
At the end of the day, the announcement spoke to the whole
school, introducing our new sixth grade candidates: Taylor
Unger, Noah Sergis, Tiana Troncoso and Lily Scheschy.
Well, we recognized they have been elected, but what did they
have to accomplish to obtain their position?
“Should I run for ASB?” or, “What do I have to offer the
school?” These frequently asked questions fill the halls and
students’ minds before the campaign of each candidate begins.
Taylor Unger said, “I’m running because I like to help people
with their problems.”
Although some of this year’s candidates are completely selfmotivated, several of our running officials have someone of
inspiration they look up to.
Noah Sergis said, “I wanted to get involved in the school
[because] my sister [Katy Sergis] was.”
According to StatisticbBain.com, 74 percent of the United
State’s population suffers from glossophobia or “the fear of
public speaking.”
Getting elected for ASB is more of a challenge than most
students believe.
One of the requirements that must be accomplished to run
for office is to arrange a two minute speech which is presented
to all of the 300 sixth graders.
Once elected, the new ASB officers may begin to participate in
several types of assemblies and school oriented activities. One
type of assembly is the pep assembly that takes part at the end
of each quarter.
The ASB schedules, creates and runs all the activities and
procedures that take place during pep assemblies.
Although many kids believe that ASB seems to be “all fun and
games,” the ASB also takes part in organizing the school community along with the organizing school fundraisers and making
decisions on the school’s budget.
The new sixth grade senators (from left to right):
Noah Sergis, Tiana Troncoso, Taylor Unger and Lily
Scheschy. PHOTO BY J. FORWARD
[News & Features]
[6 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
Service Clubs Make Lasting Difference
Aaron Baker & Kyle Bates
Many students at our school this year have decided
to step up and make a difference at not only Mount
Baker, but in our community as well by joining and
participating in the two service clubs available to our
students, the End Zone Academy and the Builders Club.
The End Zone Academy, or ‘EZA’, was started by sixth
grade teacher Ms. Winter three years ago. EZA focuses
on providing community service and assisting services
such as the Terry Home and the local food bank.
“[EZA] is fun,” said seventh grader Shae Fairchild,
who is enrolled in EZA, “It’s a good experience and it’s
good to help people out.”
EZA owes its roots to a humble leadership club in the
school. Since then, it has become much more.
“[EZA is about] learning to work together to live a life
you love,” said Winter, “EZA is a service club, but that is
a very simple answer.”
“[EZA] is about helping people”, stated sixth graders
Sophia Randall and Rayna Ojas, “It’s about helping the
community.”
EZA plans on participating in an event to raise 10,000
dollars to help build a school in Latin America.
They also are holding an event at Auburn Mountainview High school on Dec. 14 that will encourage community service and celebrates the accomplishments in the
community of all participating students.
For more information on how to help or join, students
are prompted to contact Ms. Winter in room 309.
Builder’s Club is alive and well at Mt. Baker. So far
this year the club, led by Mrs. Hubbell and Mrs.
Carnahan, has built a new playground at Brannan Park
and has been conducting a fundraiser called Trick-orTreat for UNICEF”, which benefits an organization that
focuses on child education, survival, and equality in all
parts of the world.
“[Builder’s Club] is a good way for people that have
fewer things to do to help the community,” said seventh
grader Tommy Nelson.
Some students take a more conservative view of the
club and worry about the financial difficulties brought
on by them.
“There shouldn’t be that many clubs; they cost money
to the school,” commented seventh grader Isaiah Shin.
However, service clubs raise their own funds, donating to the community.
The club is also meeting with Auburn Riverside’s Key
Club the last Wednesday of every month to ‘Make Mt.
Baker a greener school.’ The Key Club is a community
service club based at Riverside.
Look for Builder’s Club and End Zone Academy to be
doing their part in and outside school this year.
W h a t’ s Ha p p en in g w ith
MBMS
Clubs
AJ Maas
Builders Club

Trick or Treat for UNICEF in Lakeland Oct.
30

Oct. 19 playground building a playground at
Brannan Park

Attempting to make Mt Baker a “green”
school

Held Trick-or-Treat with UNICEF fundraiser
from Oct. 21-Nov. 1 raised over $1300
End Zone Academy

Coin Drive to try to raise $10,000

Dec. 14 is the Celebrate Change assembly
at Mountainview High School
Art Club
EZA is making several strides and upcoming events at Baker (Above) while Builder’s Club (Below) participates and organizes a cleaning and build of Brannan Park on Oct. 19. COURTESY OF C. HUBBELL

Each week Art Club focuses on a new topic

Hoping to have guest artist’s visit soon
[News & Features]
[November 2013 * 17]
Social Media Etiquette:
A r e
T h e r e
A n y
R u l e s ?
Destany Abellera
Many students use a social media site daily at our school,
On Instagram, you have the option to make your account
but are there any rules to acting or posting while on those
private so other users have to ask for your permission to
popular sites?
look at your pictures, but if you choose not to make your
Etiquette is the customary code of polite behavior in
account private anyone on the site is able to browse your
society or among members of a particular profession or
pictures freely.
group. Teachers expect you to act a certain way when
If you use Twitter, you can also protect your posts (or
you’re in class, your parents expect you to act a certain
tweets) by simply clicking a button.
way when in public, but are you expected to act a certain
When on social media you are allowed to post anything
way when online?
you feel like. For example, on Facebook many profiles post
Since teens, on average, spend 31 hours on the internet
statuses like “Just woke up!”, or “Eating my fav chips!” .
each week, it is important that the way they act is approSome people even misspell words on purpose. For exampriate.
ple, teens seem to type “yu” instead of “you”, “ur” instead
Recently a 12 year old girl in Florida killed herself from
of your, and “lk” instead of “like”.
the cause of cyber bulling. Over half of adolescents and
Also, some users randomly capitalize letters in senteens have been bullied online, and about the same numtences.
They take a birthday wish to “hAPPy BiRtHdaY”.
Facebook and Twitter are some of the top most used social media
sites. PHOTO BY D. ABELLERA
bers have engaged in cyber bullying and 25 percent of
Sixth grader Jocelle Pham said she tried to follow any
adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly
grammar or spelling rules, but she gets a little help.
through their cell phones or the Internet.
She said, “I fix my spelling in school, but there’s autocorrect on my phone when I’m
Seventh graders Makenna Price and Karoline Zvonenko thought people at school act
posting.”
acts differently in school than on social media.
What is socially acceptable on social media?
Zvonenko said, “I know 5-10 people.”
On social media, the most frequent practices that no one does are; not judging right
Price said, “I know about 30.”
away, be respectful, don’t react right away, and being nice.
On most social media sites there are options for private accounts and for hiding cerSome tips you could use are to know the website you’re on, make sure it is a safe site
tain posts from certain people.
to be on, treat each user kindly, as you would want to be, and be careful when chatting
Recently, Facebook made it so users age 13 to 17 are allowed to post their statuses and with other users, you never know when they could be faking.
photos publicly.
Taking in these tips will allow you to have proper etiquette will browsing your news
feed.
T e c h n o l o g y
E t i q u e t t e
Do you think people act different when they can hide behind a screen?
Compiled by Alyssa Ferry & Anna Maracich
“Yes, because
they seem to
not be aware
of who’s
around them.”
“No one knows
who they are,
they act like
different people.”
“Yes, because
they’re
scared to
be who
they really
cyber life.”
are.”
CreativeCommons.org
-Jaden Taylor
Sixth Grade
-Angelina Pogosian
Seventh Grade
-Dylan Ostler
Eighth Grade
-Ms. Utu
Counselor
“If you are dependent on social network, middle
school students
tend to forget their
real life from their
[News & Features]
[8 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
Lockers:
‘Nobody Goes There Anymore, Too Crowded’
Kamalvir Jhajj & Jasmine Dang
It is a Monday morning and you walk to your locker.
You see kids crowded all around you. Finally getting to
your locker, you start getting elbowed in every direction.
Jammed lockers, crowds, dropping books on others,
being too short or tall, deliberately closing lockers,
packed spaces, learning combinations. The list goes on
and on.
Why do lockers cause so many problems?
According to Mrs. Lindell who’s in charge of lockers,
and she often has to go help students, “About six to
eight times a day. [The most common problems are]
Many students’ lockers are overcrowded with contents often
spilling out. PHOTO BY J. FORWARD
straps, or clothes hanging out, they get caught in
lockers below. Also books or backpacks pushing on the
inside of lockers prevent it from opening.”
A problem sixth grader Karla Nacis had was “looking
for the numbers [on the dial because] it’s hard to see.
Nacis continued, “I [solve this problem by] go on my
tippy toes or I ask my friend.”
Eighth grader Colby Tong stated,“It is very inconvenient [when the person above you is opening their
locker]. It’s hard to reach your locker when the top
person is using theirs. Sometimes you get bumped by
people in the hallways. I just wait for the person to
finish with their business. I just try to make switches
between periods faster.”
How can we solve these problems?
Some suggestions are not sharing lockers (yes, so
many people still do), making sure your backpack
straps are inside before shutting your locker, pushing your backpack all the way to the back, and memorizing your combination.
Following these simple rules cannot only make
yours, but everyone else’s life a lot easier.
It can also be quite a commute if your locker is in a
different hallway than all your classes. Why does this
happen? We don’t know, but a crowded hallway doesn’t help this situation either.
Crowded hallways, groups standing in the middle of
the hall doing nothing but talking and being in your
way, slow walkers preventing you from getting to
your class on time, and pushing or shoving to get in
front of you, only to walk slowly again. Also people
tripping you for their entertainment, simply causing a
train wreck. All of which lead to not using or being
able to reach your locker.
Whether you have a top or bottom locker, there is
no denying that we all have problems.
Therefore, think about your decisions before you
make a mistake.
Locker Tricks
Daniel Filovets & Daniel Shablevskiy
Do you ever come to your locker, and you can’t open it. Or you
open it, and something that is valuable to you is missing?
You are not the only one. Here are some helpful tips on how to
keep your locker from jamming.
Yuliya Filovets, a seventh grader, has jammed her locker
twice this year, and she said, “I go to the a teacher for help or I
keep on trying to open my locker.”
Some of her tips for her locker not jamming were to stuff all
of her things into the back her locker and make sure no laces
or zippers stick out.
Arthur Melnichuk, a sixth grader, had his locker jammed three
to five times this year and usually asked a teacher for help.
He said he stops his locker from jamming is to put all his
things to the back of his locker.
A way to keep your locker from getting broken into is when
you close your locker pull the handle to see if your locker
opens, if your locker opens spin the combination wheel and pull
the handle and see if it opens.
Do not tell other people your combination and don’t tell people
if you have valuable items in your locker because then people
may want to steal it and they may know the combination to get
into your locker.
These are some ways to prevent locker problems.
The eight grade Lockers at Mt. Baker Middle School which
is where some locker problems occur. PHOTO BY H.
ADDISON
[November 2013 * 9]
[News & Features]
Heavy Books Lead
to Back Problems
because they have a smaller structure, so there for the
weight is going to affect them more than in guys.
Dr. David Siambanes, an orthopedics doctor, stated “This
study is truly alarming. Research has shown that adults
with sever back pain problems often had pain as kids. You
can suffer all your life from this kind of injury.”
Kat Hamm
Many physicians say they are beginning to see some
symptoms of back problems stemming from carrying a
Do you think that heavy backpacks are a big issue?
heave back pack.
Millions of kids a year walk, bus, or ride home with super
A study in the Journal Spine, a magazine, shows that
heavy backpacks that cause them pain.
carrying backpacks that weight on average twenty pounds
The average backpack of a sixth grader is from a range
is likely to cause back pain in children.
18.4 to 30 pounds.
Eighth grader Teri Reynolds-Wolvington stated, “[The
Adding and carrying a heavy backpack for a long time,
heaviest books I have to carry are my] math or social
carrying the pack on one shoulder instead of two, and going studies book.”
up and down stairs with the heavy pack can increase the
When Wolvington was asked if she thought there was a
problem.
way to lighten the load of your back pack or binder, she
Seventh grader, Hailey Harp said, “[I think my stack of
said, “Yes, yes I do. By letting [the students] download our
books weighs about] 20 pounds.”
books onto e-readers”.
Harp carried three books, including her binder.
Some tips to lighten the load of your backpack are to use
“Yes, [I think you can lighten the weight of the binders or rolling backpacks.
back packs] by like a Kindle to where it has all the books on
When choosing back pack don’t just choose a color; pick a
there you need,” said Harp.
good quality backpack with padded straps, and try the pack
American Academy Pediatrics recommends that a kid’s on to make sure it fits well.
backpack should weigh no more than ten to twenty percent
Wear the pack over both shoulders not just one so the
of the weight of the child. A heavy pack is a strong contribu- weight is even and not straining on one shoulder. Pull the
tor to low-back-pain in children.
shoulder straps snug, so the weight is on the upper back,
Girls and shorter kids are more likely to get back issues not hanging down. Load the heaviest books towards the
Millions of kids a year suffer from big heavy backpack induced
back pain. ILLUSTRATION BY KAT HAMM
back. Lift the backpack from the ground by bending at the
knees, not at the waist.
Keep your backpack clean, only carry the books or items
you need.
Sixth grader Faith Nerhen said, “Yes [there are ways to
lighten your binger load, for example] in social studies, Mrs.
Winter would give us packets she had copied out of the book
so they are lighter and fit in our binder.”
Keep an extra set of books that you need for classes at
you house so u don’t have to bring the books back and forth.
Homework Management: How Much is Too Much?
Colby Pretz & Cameron Shute
You’re sitting at your desk, struggling with your assignment. Yawning, you look up at the Historically, heavy doses of homework became standard procedure in the U.S. after the
clock, 10:30! You’ve just realized that you have spent three hours working on homework. Is Russians launched Sputnik in 1957, prompting a panic for making kids in American schools
this too much?
more competitive.
According to Dr. Jane Bluestein “high school students can have up to 4-6 hours of
homework on an average night. With other demands besides school work, this puts a lot of
stress on many students and their families.”
In the article “Homework: What Does the Research Say?” by Scott King-Owen, he
stated, “The longer it takes the student to complete the work the less benefit.”
He also stated, “Middle school students should not have more than 90 minutes of homework per night.”
Seventh grader Kathryn Carstens stated, “It takes me about 2 hours a night to do my
algebra homework.” She was also asked if she thought this was too much homework,
“Sometimes, but I am learning from it, so I can’t complain.”
Research has found that the amount of homework students have does not correlate
with performance on achievement test, but others argue the benefits of homework helps
develop achievement motivation. Researcher Janine bempchat asserts,”… homework
provides students with the training they need to develop achievement beliefs and behaviors.”
According to, eighth grade math teacher Mr. Carter, “Homework is practice. You need
homework to get better at what you’re doing. Just like in sports, you need to practice to
get better. The more repetition you do the better you get.” He also felt homework was
getting you ready for high school and beyond.
“Absolutely, knowledge comes from practice, and that is what homework is, practice.”
was Mr. Carter’s response when he was asked if homework was necessary.
Some people think homework is horrible but it’s a necessary evil. If you find yourself
doing homework for two hours or more just step back take a breath and think of how all
ZAP during lunch is used to help students get their homework done. PHOTO BY CAMERON SHUTE
this hard work will pay off in the future.
20 for 20
O r i g i n a l
S i x
Compiled by Jonathon Casey, Ben Geisen, Ryan Hess, Colby Pretz, Kyle Bates, Harrison Maurus
Mt. Baker has been teaching students for a whole twenty years now, opening at
the opening during the 1994-95 school year.
Taking a cue from ESPN, who celebrated their 30 year anniversary with 30
prominent news features, The Canine Chronicle will be writing 20 articles with
news throughout the last 20 years; such as popular trends and historic events.
We are starting with the “Original Six” a feature that tells the story of the six
staff members who have worked here since the school opened, and have stayed
with us through the years.
We interviewed Mr. Perman, Mrs. King, Ms. Holt, Mrs. Millang, Mr. Jacobs, and Ms.
Debolt, asking about their favorite memories from their first year at Mt. Baker, and
the biggest changes in the last 20 years.
This will be an ongoing feature in every edition of The Canine Chronicle this year,
featuring movie reviews from 20 years ago and styles trending in 1994.
A lot has happened in 20 years, and these teachers have been here with Mt.
Baker to witness it all.
Ms. Millang
Mr. Perman
Mrs. Debolt
Ms. Millang, who teaches
sixth and seventh grade
math, was another member
of the Original Six staff
members of Baker. In a
recent interview, we asked
Ms. Millang several questions about her first year at Mt. Baker.
When asked about what she remembered most from her
first year, she stated, “How empty the halls and classrooms were. We had no sixth graders that year and the
kids seemed very big because I had taught elementary
before Baker opened.”
She also talked about her favorite moments from that
year.
“Mr. Perman, who taught Honors Reading, would walk
into my room every Monday, clap his hands and say, ‘What
are we learning today?’ It was always very funny.”
We asked her one more question, which was if she had a
special story from her first year.
“When all my kids were searched for my missing set of
keys. We were trying to get to a pep assembly, but Mr.
Price, who doesn’t teach here anymore, insisted that we
find the keys first. We never found them at first but later
that day Mr. Price found them in his pocket protector and
never told me about them. The next day he dropped them
off and blamed the kids. He never apologized even though I
found out about him having them from a different
teacher.”
The well-known, wacky P.E.
teacher Mr. Perman has been
working at Mt. Baker from day
one. A surprise to a lot of people Mr. Perman wasn’t only
teaching P.E. he also taught
“Honors Reading”.
“Ms. Millang and I ran the bulletin boards,” he said in an
interview about the first year at Baker.
His favorite part about the first few years was “empty
halls”.
He continued, “There were only 400 students at Baker
and only two grades, seventh and eighth. The halls were
virtually empty compared to today.”
Unlike today, we didn’t have a lot of coaches for sports.
We had teachers willing to coach but that doesn’t mean
they were experienced.
Perman added, “I was the athletic director back then, I
hired coaches that hardly knew anything about the game.
The girls basketball team was actually braiding their hair
most of practice every day.”
He told us chuckling, “But a surprise to us all , we took
the league title in football the first year of Baker being
open.”
We asked Mr. Perman where he taught before Mt. Baker
opened.
“I taught at Olympic and at other elementary schools as
P.E. teachers.”
When interviewing
Mrs. Debolt, our
school health technician, we found out
that she has been
working for the Auburn School District for 23 years.
Debolt actually started as a Math/LAP paraeducator working at Evergreen Heights and Alpac elementary schools.
In 1993, the district started using health technicians in their schools. That was the year Mrs.
Debolt started the pilot program here at Mt.
Baker.
When asked what was one of the most memorable experiences in the health room, she replied, “When a student had taken such a large
bite into an apple it ended up getting stuck in her
mouth.”
PHOTO BY J. FORWARD & H. ADDISON
Mr. Jacobs
Mrs. King
Mrs. Holt
Mr. Jacobs was one of
the remaining original six
staff members. He was
hired to teach at MBMS
since day one.
He started his teaching
career in California before
he came to MBMS.
He originally wanted to become an architect but his
professor recommended teaching kids woodshop.
His favorite moment at Mt. Baker was when the
woodshop room was under construction. He could go
out to the room but his students couldn’t.
There is one student that Mr. Jacobs remembers
the most, and her name is Kasey McAbee. After finishing school, she returned to MBMS to become a
student teacher.
Though Mr. Jacobs is the woodshop teacher, he has
had other interests. Mr. Jacobs currently teaches
Viscom and
manages the yearbook staff.
He also remembers the time when there were only
700 students, instead of the 950 kids we have now at
Mt. Baker.
Mrs. King: Office attendant, Green River community college graduate,
proud maker of the Spirit
Stick and one of six staff
members who have been
at MBMS since its first
day open.
Although being an office attendant doesn’t seem to
allow too much extra fun, Mrs. King recalls a favorite
memory from several years.
She said, “I would like to tell you about the time I
put the cardboard mannequins in the staff bathrooms. My neighbors worked for Cinema 17 and
[were] transferred to Charleston, South Carolina. She had two mannequins from the movie Wild
Hogs. [They were] Tim Allen and John Travolta. One
night I brought them to Mt. Baker and put them behind the Main Office bathroom doors. It scared so
many people. I could sit at my desk and hear the
screams from the bathroom. I never laughed so
hard.”
Mrs. Holt, library assistant and para-educator,
has been working at Mt.
Baker since it opened in
1993.
Mrs. Holt originally applied for a job elsewhere
but the school district asked her to come and work at
Mt. Baker.
She was originally supposed to do detentions for
the school, but the school district forgot to hire a
librarian so she received the assistant position. She
has always had the position and has never taught
anything else. Before she worked for Mt. Baker she
worked at Lea Hill Elementary School on recess duty.
One of her least favorite memories of Mt. Baker is
when she had to wear a turtle neck, mittens, and coat
to stay warm in the library at Mt. Baker. The reason
for this is that there was no baffle valve on the heating system, and the cold air flowed directly into the
library.
Congratulations to Mrs. Holt for staying with the
school.
ALL TEACHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIFE TOUCH
[Arts & Entertainment]
[12 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
20 Facts, Movies from ’94:
20 Years Ago
Kamalvir Jhajjj
1. The Scandal: Michael Jackson was accused with inappropriate behavior with younger fans
2. Teachers from back then until now at Mt. Baker: Mr.
Jacobs, Mr. Perman, and Mrs. Debolt
3. Famous teacher at Mt. Baker from then: Mrs. Stonack
(now a substitute)
‘Forrest Gump’
Runs into Theaters
Ryan Hess
4. Famous and Fashion: Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson
5. Sports: Michael Jordan retires for the first time
6. 93’s Fashion: JanSport backpacks; Crimped hair; Jelly
Shoes; Bandanas; Bucket Hats; Scrunchies; Butterfly
clips; Shell necklaces; Tattoo chokers; Slap bracelets;
Overalls; High-waisted jeans; Carhartt jackets; SKORTS
7. Beanie Babies are introduced
8. Popular Songs: “I Will Always Love You” - Whitney
Houston and “Hero” - Mariah Carey
9. Tragedy: World Trade Center Bombed
10. Interesting Fact: Milli Vanilli (was an R&B pop and
dance project) was forced to give back their Grammy
after they were found to be fakes by using other singers/ lip syncing someone else’s song
11. Popular names; Jessica (girls), and Michael (boys)
12. Miss USA: Kenya Moore [Michigan]
13. Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys, and Presents:
Power Rangers Action Figures, 1850’s Southern Belle
Barbie, Barbie Batgirl Gift Set, and, Magic: The Gathering
role-playing card game
14. Best Film Oscar Winner: Schindler’s List
The movie Forrest Gump, directed by Robert
Zemeckis and produced by Paramount Pictures,
follows a friendly, simple-minded man who finds
himself in the middle of nearly every major event of
the 1960s and 70s.
Forrest Gump was produced in 1994, so not many
kids know about this movie. There isn’t really another film that compares to this movie. The storyline of this wonderful movie was very interesting to
watch. You could never tell what Forrest, played by
Tom Hanks, was going to do or where he would end
up in his exciting life.
Forrest starts off as a strange kid in leg braces
who had an IQ so low he couldn’t be put into school,
but with the help of his persistent mother, he is
allowed to join school. When he befriends a schoolmate named Jenny, played by Robin Wright, a lifelong friendship occurs.
The performance of Forrest, throughout the
movie, was very humorous. He becomes a college football star, a
15. Car Brands Introduced: Infiniti, Saturn, and Lexus
16. Health: World Health organization estimates fourteen
million people worldwide infected with AIDS virus
17. Jan. 15: a 7.5 earthquake strikes northern Japan killing
2 people
18. The Game: Magic; The Gathering Collectable Cards
19. Jan. 20: Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd US President.
20. Most Popular TV Shows: 1. 60 Minutes [CBS] 2. Home
Improvement [ABC] 3. Seinfeld [NBC] 4. Roseanne [ABC]
5. Grace Under Fire [ABC]
COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES VIA CREATIVE COMMONS
decorated soldier in Vietnam, a Ping-Pong champion and a folkloric jogger-hero, just by following
simple instructions. He meets presidents and celebrities, he travels the world over, he honors a
promise made to deceased war pal, named Bubba,
to run a shrimp boat and he takes care of his former lieutenant, a man painfully embittered by his
war experiences.
The story was understandable. Forrest narrates
parts of his early life, pointing out major details
and other things that the watcher may not see at
first.
There were not a lot of special effects, but there
was one scene that showed Forrest’s lieutenant
who lost his legs in the Vietnam War. Everything
that was under the knee cap was unable to be seen.
The music was usually lively and happy, except in
some parts where something depressing happened.
This movie is extremely worth seeing. I would
rate the movie 9/10 because it combines happy,
sad, and funny moments to create an excellent
movie that warms your heart and makes you laugh.
[Arts & Entertainment]
[November 2013 * 13]
‘Gravity’
Xbox One vs. PS4
Falls Short
Jeremiah Brown
Aaron Baker
COURTESY OF MICROSOFT LICENSE
It’s pretty sad if you are able to sum up the plot of
a movie in one sentence. Unfortunately, this was the
case with Gravity…”My bad day in space.”
Gravity features two astronauts, Ryan Stone
(Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney)
who were disconnected from their spaceship due to a
freak accident involving space junk, rockets, and
Russians.
We learn that Ryan Stone is completely ignorant to
everything concerning space and isn’t very good at
being an astronaut. This leads to Matt Kowalski basically allowing her to piggy-back on him until his
tragic (and completely predictable) demise.
Ryan Stone spent the rest of the movie floating
about with a sad face until she ran into a Chinese
Space Station that was conveniently abandoned. She
loaded herself into an escape pod, had a hallucination involving Matt Kowalski, and landed on
Earth.
Gravity is, to be fair, visually stunning. I have
yet to see a movie that grabbed my eye more so
than Avatar. The overall cinematography was
absolutely spectacular and left me wondering how did they even pull that off? I
really have to tip my hat to the cinematographers for creating such a hostile and yet beautiful environment.
Honestly, the whole movie was
basically Sandra Bullock floating in space. That’s the whole
“plot” of the movie; Sandra Bullock
floating in space. Eventually she
was floating in a different part
of space. Now she’s floating over there! Now she’s
floating in a Chinese Space Station! Now she’s having
a hallucination about George Clooney who is also,
coincidentally, floating in space.
Now to be fair, there are a few interesting metaphors interwoven throughout the story. We learn that
space is an inhospitable environment where one
mistake can lead to major consequences. This is later
made apparent when Stone speaks of her daughter,
who was killed in a freak accident over the tiniest
mistake.
SPOILER ALERT: When it comes down to it, even the
name of a movie was a metaphor. Stone metaphorically dies in an escape pod and comes back up
through the water after landing on Earth.
The very thing that she has been lacking throughout the movie (selfassurance, hence “Gravity”) is
then returned to her.
In my opinion,
the movie deserves a 7/10.
The two things I
would have to mark
down are the fact that
the whole movie was
based on Sandra Bullock
floating and the fact that
the movie was not what was
advertised.
Next Gen Consoles Debut in Nov.
The battle between next-gen consoles has been extraneous and agitating. Friends arguing with friends about
what console will be better, the Xbox One or the PS4.
The release date for the PS4 is Nov. 15 (US) and will
cost 399$The Xbox One’s release date is Nov. 22 (US)
and will cost 499$.
The Xbox One has a 500GB hard drive and the PS4 also
has a 500GB memory and both have Dual shock controllers too.
When the Xbox One was at E3, Microsoft had a lot of
trouble presenting it and explaining its policy’s. At E3,
PS4 and Xbox One went head to head and the outcome
was surprising. At E3 the PS4 got an “A” grade and the
Xbox one got a “C”.
People all over the nation are ecstatic for the new wave
of consoles. It has been four years since a new Xbox
(Microsoft) or PS (Sony) has been made entirely new.
Eighth grader Dylan Ostler rated both, “[The] Xbox One
[a] seven and the PS4 [a] one.”
Seventh grader Jalen Jackson rated both too, “[The]
Xbox One [is] a ten and the PS4 [is] a seven.”
Some of the most popular games are GTA 5, Call of
Duty: Ghosts and Titanfall. These games are the highest
ranked release titles.
Ostler said enthusiastically, “I will definitely get GTA 5
because of the racing [driving] and the action.”
Mr. Cowan stated, “Not sure what game I am most
excited about. I will probably leave that up to my kids.”
At the multiplier release for COD: Ghost, over 100 million people watched.
Eighth grader AJ Maas exclaimed, “I will be getting
Battlefield 4, because I enjoy it and it is fun.”
Undoubtedly, many people said they are getting them
for Christmas because the release dates are close.
Xbox One has a special edition “first day’ design for
people who are getting it on release day.
Halo is the #1 franchise of Microsoft, so expect big, big things
from the new Xbox on the Halo series. PHOTO BY J.BROWN.
[Mount Baker Barks]
[14* Volume IV, Issue 1]
November
Locker Lottery was created as a way to feature students’ opinions at MBMS. They are selected completely at random, like the lottery.
Several students hit the jackpot, providing
their perspectives on multiple issues. Sixth
grades Alinah Horne and Joshua Abbott, seventh graders Alondra Lomeli-Salazar and Reis
MacNeill, and eight graders Jadynn Strickland
and Trent Miller were selected.
Locker
Lottery
Ysabela Manuel, Maddie Feeney, Samantha Leurquin
What sport should we add to this school?
JS: Rugby, it’s similar to football and is a fun
sport to play.
TM: Synchronize swimming for men.
ALS: Swimming, because it’s a good exercise.
RM: Soccer.
AH: Tennis.
JA: Hhockey.
What are you going to be for Halloween?
TM: A hotdog or a girl.
ALS: A cat girl.
RM: A zombie guy.
AH: A witch.
JA: Harry Potter.
When is it too old to trick or treat?
JS: 16
AH: 12, 13, or 14.
JA: Yes, 14 and 15.
Do you think heavy books are big issues?
JS: Yes, sometimes your shoulder will be like
messed up and you carry your books everyday.
JA: Yes, the heavy books are really hard to
carry around.
What do you think about the new movies
this year?
JS: They can’t improve to the story line of
the movies.
AH: Horror movies.
If you could get money for Halloween
candy would you why or why not?
JS: No, I would take the money back.
RM: Yes.
AH: Candy.
What sport do you play?
TM: Soccer because it’s fun.
RM: Soccer.
AH: I don’ play a sport.
JA: Soccer.
What do you like about your grade?
ALS: I have new friends.
RM: Nothing, it’s not the last year.
AH: It’s fun.
Are you excited for going to high school
or do you want to stay in middle school?
ALS: High school.
RM: Going to high school.
AH: Go to high school.
JA: Stay a kid mainly.
What is your favorite thing about school?
ALS: I learn everyday.
RM: P.E. and sports.
AH: Lunch.
JA: Math.
If you could change anything about Baker,
what it would be?
ALS: The rules.
RM: Cell phones between periods.
AH: The paint.
[Mount Baker Barks]
[November 2013 * 15]
GRINDS
My
GEARS
Bella Corronado, Ben Geisen, Gigi Alcedo, AJ Maas,
Disagree? The segment ‘What Grinds My Gears’ is
presented as opinion and does not express the views
of all MBMS students or The Canine Chronicle. If you
would like to express your opinion, write us a letter
and you November be published in our next edition.
You know what really grinds my gears? When you
are texting someone and out of the blue they decide
they should just not tell you where they are going
and proceed to disappear for a few hours.
understand that people have things to do and
aren’t glued to their phone 24/7, but you could at
least tell me that not leave me wondering of all the
terrible things that could have happened.
Were you kidnapped? Were you hit by a car? I
immediately think of the worst when someone
mysteriously stops texting me. When they come
back they always make a lame excuse like “Sorry my
phone died”.
THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT BEFORE IT DIED?
OR SIMPLY PLUG IT IN?!
I get that sometimes you might not want to talk to
someone, but at least tell them that you have to go
do something, don’t just leave them waiting for a
response for hours and hours.
If people could be more considerate when texting
their friends then the
world would be a
happier place.
Just be honest with
them. If you don’t want
to talk to them, then
don’t text them in the
first place or tell them
to stop texting you.
Do you want to know what reaaaally grinds my gears... Those
bathroom hand sensors!!!
Our whole lives we’re told to
always wash our hands but these fountains barely
do the job.
They spray all over our cloths so most kids stop
washing their hands right then and there. Honestly...
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSE TO WASH OUR HANDS WHEN
WE’RE GETTING SOAKED?!
It’s bad enough our hands are not clean, but now
our pants are now wet in a very unfortunate location.
Some fountains have way too much water pressure and then in others it’s almost like nothing
comes out at all. Also, it seems that no matter what
angle I stand in I always seem to get drenched. The
water also seems to be either super cold or super
hot. It doesn’t happen too often but when it does,
what am I suppose to do?
I mean, I think it’s pretty cool how Mt. Baker has
hand sensor hand washers, but it’s not so cool how
they get us all wet.
Is there some way they could change the angle the
water come out of, or make it so it’s not spraying
too much water?
Maybe we just need to hang a rain jacket next to
each fountain that every kid can put on before
washing their hands.
—BG
—GA
All graphics in feature courtesy of MS Clipart
What
What really, really,
grinds my gears is
when I’m scrolling
through my Instagram
feed, and all I see are
50 different post, in a
row, by one person.
Seriously, I don’t want
to see a spam of your selfies on my screen.
There should be a law or rule on Instagram that
you can only post up to about two pictures a day.
Overusing the app just gets annoying, and I honestly don’t need a picture of every detail in your day.
It also makes me not want to use Instagram.
I check my Instagram a lot during the day, and I
would really enjoy and appreciate if I could see a
variety of pictures posted, instead of a spam of
photos from one person.
Some people just don’t understand what Instagram was originally made for.
If you want to get a bunch of likes on your photos,
then don’t post twenty pictures in a row!
I’m just getting tired of all the Instagram posting.
I’m fine if you spread your pictures out throughout
the day or maybe linger them through the week, but
please, just save the constant posting of photos for
Twitter.
—BC
You want to know what really grinds my gears?
When you forget your passwords. It’s just so annoying when you get so bored you go onto a website you
haven’t been on in forever and you forgot your
password and the computer says, “WOULD YOU LIKE
TO REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD!?!?!??!?!?!?”
…You just sit there and say “….Yes… please…
uhhhh, why am I talking to my computer?” Then you
click on that little patch of words that ruins your
day.
Then all of a sudden it asks you the most insipid
question known to man… THE SECURITY QUESTION.
This question is created to make you scream.
FLASHBACK 5 YEARS when the Wii was cool. You
were sitting at the computer and created your email account that you didn’t actually need.
Then the computer asks you make your security
question which is a question that sounds like something along the lines of what’s your favorite pasta
sauce.
Then 5 years in the future you try to log on to your
e-mail, and the security question just stares back at
you like I bet you can’t
figure me out I BET YOU
DON’T KNOW WHAT PASTA
SAUCE YOU LOVED IN 2008.
And that’s what really
grinds my gears.
—AM
[Sports]
[16 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
Bonds on the Diamond
Anna Maracich
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a
catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw
something back,” said famous writer Maya Angelou
That’s exactly how Mt. Baker varsity fast pitch team
played.
Coach Koenig agreed that they were a strong, competitive, hard-working bunch of girls.
Although they weren’t champions, their bond as a team
made them the real winners.
Seventh Fast Pitch
Focuses on Improvement
Samantha Leurquin & Gigi Alcedo
Richard David Bach, best selling American author once
wrote, “That's what learning is, after all; not whether we
lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed
because of it and what we take away from it that we
never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a
curious way, is winning.”
The seventh grade fast pitch team struggled this year
with ten out of thirteen brand new to fast pitch and only
winning one out of eight games, with Rainer’s forfeit.
Talia Samuelsson said, “It wasn’t fun losing most of the
time but we still enjoyed the game and improved a lot in
our friendships and our skills.”
According to the team, Talia Samuelsson, Lexi Allan,
Payton Coleman, Trinity Jenkins and Rebecca Spear had
multiple hot hits this year.
When asked about some highlights from this season,
Coach Duca replied, “Talia Samuelson catching 2 fly balls
in one inning and putting out a runner at first to make the
third out, Alexandra Kimbriel throwing her first strike as
a pitcher, Rebecca Spear stealing home and pitching a
1,2,3 inning, and Talia Samuelson, Trinity Jenkins and Lexi
Allen putting on the catchers gear to catch a few games
when our catcher was unavailable.”
Many players improved in different situations, like
Amaya Kelley with her pitching skills, as she struck out
several batters in a game, and Elizabeth Harvey, Katelyn
Andersen, Natasha Naimo, Peyton Coleman getting their
first hit by believing they could hit the ball also, Julissa
Cisneros remembering to cover third base when she
needed to.
“All in all, more girls should come out and play fast
pitch,” said Coach Duca.
In an interview with the team, most of the seventh
grade girls agreed that they can’t wait to play again next
year for Coach Koenig.
Ashleigh Wilson said, “We had an awesome team. We
weren’t the best; we weren’t winners, but had the most fun
and stayed positive.”
The Bulldogs finished with a five-hundred record, both
winning and losing four games. The team made a great
bond encouraging each other through their hardest
games.
Mrs. Koenig said, “My favorite part of the team was their
camaraderie.”
The Bulldogs had some tough losses against Rainier and
Cascade, but still managed to stay in the game exampling
their hardworking and unstoppable spirit. They also had
magnificent wins against Olympic and North Tapps, using
their talented skills and undeniable teamwork.
Members of the team agreed that one of the greatest
plays was the battle for the pop fly between Samantha
Leurquin, the pitcher, and Gigi Alcedo, the catcher. The ball
soared above the foul line past first base; both girls could
taste the ball. As the ball neared the ground, the girls
collided: Samantha got the catch while Gigi got a bunch of
dirt in her mouth. The bulldogs got the out and no players
were seriously injured!
Fifteen girls showed up at tryouts, all making the team,
but only thirteen continued playing. Ashleigh Wilson said, “I
was a little nervous for tryouts because there were a lot
of girls.” Luckily no one got cut and they had a great team.
Catcher Gigi Alcedo and pitcher Jordyn Judge worked
there hardest to keep the team strong throughout the
season.
These players couldn’t have done it by themselves,
Outfielders Autumn Conners and Nicole Naimo made
some star catches, shocking the crowd.
First basemen Calley Hielborn made outstanding plays to
lead the Bulldogs on to victories but most of all encouraged them to stay positive.
If the Bulldogs made a mistake on defense, they were
sure to make it up on offense. That’s what made them the
great team that they were. They showed lots of pride
throughout their whole season setting a great example for
future teams.
Fast pitch players finished their season with a smile on their face. COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK
[Sports]
[November 2013 * 17]
Varsity Football
Finishes Seasons Strong
Kyle Bates & Jalen Forward
Led by coaches Bethea, King, Vatne, and Brown, this
year’s Varsity Football team has played four well-fought
games so far with victories against Cascade (7-6), Olympic (20-0), and Olympic again (35-28). The team was not
able to play Rainier this year due to a scheduling conflict
with the referees and then no opportunities for a make-up
game.
They also suffered a tough 22-18 loss against North
Tapps in the annual Bulldog vs. Bulldog game, finishing
with a 3-1 record. This year’s team achieved the title of Co
-Champions (along with Tapps).
Coach Vatne, commented about this year’s success and
players.
He said, “We've improved; we've learned to come together. Despite losing a game, we have stepped it up.”
He cited several factors in their victory, saying, “Both
the offensive and defensive line is very good. Our defensive line is really the strength of the team.”
The team started practices and conditioning late in the
summer before school had even started up yet. The first
turnout started on Aug. 27, and practices went through
the start of school and officially ended Oct. 25.
To make the team, players as always must be passing at
least 5 classes, as we were reminded by Coach Vatne in
our interview.
The coaches made clear at practices and on the Mt.
Baker website that they wanted their players to be responsible with grades and behavior at school. To ensure
that the athletes were the best they could on and off the
field, coaches cut out practice time if a student was
struggling in a class to help with their work and study.
This year, the team was given two great opportunities,
to play under-the-lights at two Auburn High Schools. The
first of such games included the annual “Battle of the
Bulldogs” game, where Mt. Baker plays North Tapps Middle
School at Auburn-Riverside.
The bleachers were packed and both schools fans were
anxious, but a North Tapps opening kickoff Touchdown
return gave Tapps some momentum.
Several photos of this year’s Varsity team, featuring a group meeting during practice and several action shots in a 20-0 victory over
Olympic. COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK
Baker fought back to score 18 points in a losing effort.
The game ended 22-18 in favor of North Tapps, resulting in
the only loss of the year for Baker.
The second under-the-lights game against Olympic in
Auburn Memorial Stadium had a much different outcome,
with the game resulting in a 35-28 win for Baker. The
game was much closer than expected, but the team pulled
through to get a tough win.
Seventh Football
Hits Field
TJ Williams
Bam! Bam! Go the pads as Mt. Baker seventh grade
football attacks their opponents. Put down your cell
phone because the bulldogs are here.
Seventh grade football didn’t have a great season, but
they put their entire might into it.
Griffin Cummings said, “There was too much arm tackling.”
Noah Elwell felt comfortable with the way his team is
playing because they got better.
With a winless season, the Bulldogs still kept their head
held high and never gave up until the final whistle blew.
This team was lead by Spencer Tyson and Maxwell
Parsons, according to multiple players.
Noah Elwell said Tyson and Parson were, “the only
reason [they] got any points”.
Griffin Cummins described the team’s leaders by saying
they “led by example”.
According to our sources, Noah Elwell and Spencer
were two of the better players.
The Bulldogs didn’t have enough players on the team to
scrimmage at practice but there were 24 talented young
men on the team.
Coach Brown and Coach Kemp tried there hardest to
give every single one playing time in the games.
According to Noah Elwell, “Spencer Tyson was the
hardest hitter” on their team.
Peyton Curry-Watson said, “Cody Rose wasn’t very
good at the beginning of the season, but he improved and
know he is a starter”. Peyton Curry-Watson’s favorite
part of the season was getting “playing time”.
Griffin and Cummins said Connor Pennycook was the
fastest on the team.
Like many players on the team, Curry-Watson played
football because he liked playing the sport.
[Sports]
[18 * Volume IV, Issue 1]
Sixth Grade Ballers Play as Team
Ke’Sean Griffin
They shoot and they scored. Did you just see that
360 layup? That was so amazing!
That’s what it was like in the crowd when you see
the sixth graders play.
They have big shoes to fill, since past years have
been great.
The boys had a fantastic season. They played with
pride and passion.
On the first day they had 37 talented people try out,
making three successful teams.
On team one, Giovani Parascondola played point
guard and enjoyed it.
Giovani said, “I think Sam Erickson was the best
Mr. Brown and Mr. Lewis photo bomb sixth grade basketball
players. PHOTO BY J. FORWARD
ball handler on the team and he can cross over anybody.”
Meanwhile on team two, Trey Callero played point played.”
guard on Mrs. Brown’s team.
Trey Callero thought that Tyler Pisha and Parker
Trey Callero said, “I really enjoyed the way my team Cacatian were the best leaders on the team. He also
thought that Mrs. Brown was an awesome coach.
On team three, Javon Forward said, “Out of the six
years I have been playing basketball, this year was
the best.
He also said ‘’Keegan Yorke is a lights out shooter;
he can make it from anywhere”.
Also the girls had a very good season. The girls
played aggressive and with integrity.
On Mrs. Burkhalter’s team, Siera Brown said,
“Jackie was an awesome player to play with, she is
one of the best players on the team”. She liked that
they scored a lot of points, and that it’s just not one
person scoring all the time.
On Mrs. Swanson team, Emily Converse thought
Alexis O’Neal really improved the most on the team.
All coaches agreed, we will have some very good
seventh grade basketball teams boys and girls next.
Soccer Debuts at MBMS
Hope Addison & Bella Coronado
Seventh and eighth grade boys and girls are welcomed to play soccer for Mt.
play this year.
Baker’s first ever soccer team. The coach for seventh grade is Mr. Decker, and
Five out of thirteen sixth-graders interviewed said they are disappointed about
Mr. King is coaching eighth grade varsity soccer. Varsity boy’s tryouts started on not being able to play soccer.
Monday, Oct. 28.
Gonzalez said that he has been playing soccer for three years, and that it’s
Seventh grader, Francisco Gonzalez,
about time our district adds the sport.
stated that he is excited for soccer to
Mr. King added, “A lot of kids here
come because he wants to, “get nohave wanted soccer for many years.”
ticed.” Many other students are excited
Trying out for the varsity team does
to have a new sport added to our
consist of some cuts. Just because a
school.
student gets cut, doesn’t mean that
Mr. King said he was excited to coach
they are a bad athlete. Making the team
varsity.
requires skill, and good sportsmanship.
“Everything’s new, like the equipment
Seventh graders playing soccer this
and uniforms, and we get to represent
year, will get pointers for what to exMt. Baker,” stated Mr. King.
pect when they are in eighth grade, and
About 25 seventh grade boys are
want to try out for varsity.
playing soccer this season, and about
“Cutting athletes is always a difficult
28 boys are trying out for the varsity
decision and choice. The boys are workteam.
ing hard to make the team,” said Mr.
Since soccer at our school is only
King.
available for seventh and eighth gradThe seventh and eighth grade girl’s
ers, many students in the sixth grade
soccer
will start in the third season, as
Soccer brings more athletes out to the field and hopefully will raise the grades of our students PHOTO BY
are disappointed that they won’t get to B. CORONADO
well as girl’s basketball.
[Life]
[November 2013 * 19]
The Canine Chronicle Staff Debates Trends in Pop Culture
Jasmine Dang & Destany Abellera
Effects of Government Shutdown
Outlet Collection of Seattle
On Oct. 1, Republicans and Democrats of Congress couldn’t
agree on a funding plan for fiscal cliff year 2014. Millions
were affected. After sixteen days of debating, Congress
finally passed a temporary solution on October 16. Were you
affected by the government shutdown?
Formerly known as The Super Mall, the new mall has been
opening up new stores since they started redesigning it.
Since the innovations, it started the new stores, Michael Kors,
J. Crew Factory Store, Nike Factory, Brooks Brother Factory,
LOFT Outlet, H&M and Sketchers. Do you like this new mall
better than the old one?
What does the fox say?
Second Season Sports
This viral video was actually a mistake. Norwegian brothers
Vegard and Bard Ylvisake, who perform as Ylvis have a talk
show about back home. They assisted a well-know music
production corporation and asked for a favor in return, so
they could tell their spectators they were unsuccessful after
having a colossal opportunity. But their prank backfired. Do
you like the viral video?
The first sports season has been a great season, now it’s
time for second season sports. For seventh and eighth
grade, the sports coming up are boys’ basketball, gymnastics, and, our new sport, boys’ soccer . Sixth graders can
also participate in gymnastics. Are you going to play a sport
this second season?
‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’
YouTube Obsession
Catching Fire is the second movie in the Hunger Games Trilogy. This science-fiction adventure film is to be released on
Nov. 22. Do you plan on watching the new movie Catching
Fire from the Hunger Games Trilogy?
N o v e m b e r
Millions of people use YouTube to view the new viral video,
tutorials, or just to watch vlogs. With roughly 30 million users, 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one
hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second. Do you go
on YouTube often?
H o r o s c o p e s
Maddie Feeney, Daniel Filovets, Daniel Shablevskiy
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - You will find your special talent while doing the tango.
Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) - A cowboy will buy you an ice cream sundae at Baskin Robins.
Aries (Mar. 21-April 19) – Your tongue will get stuck to a pole this winter when your
friends dare you to lick it.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) - You will be chased down the street by a husky while eating
a corndog.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) - You are going to go to McDonalds and the bathroom is under construction, and you really have to go to the bathroom, so you…[use your imagination].
Cancer (June 21-July 22) - While hanging out with One Direction backstage, they will all
trip and break a leg.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) - You will get bitten by a zombie on Halloween night.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)- You will find one million dollars at the mall, offered a full
scholarship by your dream college, and get a 2013 white truck for free.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) - A monkey at the zoo will throw a banana peel at you that he
found in the trash.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) - You will get noticed by the person you like when you trip
and fall on your face.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) - All your Halloween candy will get stolen by a witch.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) – You will find a $50 bill on the ground, but when you go to
pick it up, it will be pulled away by a fishing line.
&
P u z z l e s
COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK, J. FORWARD, H. ADDSION