the canine chronicle mbms nov. 2013

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H. Addsion [the the the] Canine Chr Canine Chr Canine Chr[ ]nicle nicle nicle Mount Baker Middle School, Auburn, Washington November 2013 Volume IV, Issue 1 MBMS Celebrates Twenty Years MBMS Celebrates Twenty Years With Twenty Features of Bulldog History With Twenty Features of Bulldog History

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Mt. Baker Middle School Auburn, WA

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Page 1: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

H. Addsion

[thethethe]]]

Canine ChrCanine ChrCanine Chr[[[ ]]]nicleniclenicle Mount Baker Middle School, Auburn, Washington November 2013 Volume IV, Issue 1

MBMS Celebrates Twenty YearsMBMS Celebrates Twenty Years With Twenty Features of Bulldog History With Twenty Features of Bulldog History

Page 2: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

Letter from the Editors

Bulldogs,

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 20th 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.

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!

Sincerely,

Aaron Baker Jonathan Casey Ben Geisen Alyssa Ferry Jalen Forward Hope Addison

Table of Contents] [2 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

Staff Editors Aaron Baker

Jonathan Casey

Ben Geisen

Alyssa Ferry

Jalen Forward

Hope Addison

Reporters Destany Abellera

Gigi Alcedo

Kyle Bates

Jeremiah Brown

Bella Coronado

Jasmine Dang

Maddie Feeney

Daniel Filovets

Ka’Sean Griffin

Kat Hamm

Ryan Hess

Reporters Kamalvir Jhajj

Samantha Leurquin

AJ Maas

Ysabela Manuel

Anna Maracich

Harrison Maurus

Colby Pretz

Daniel Shablevskiy

Cameron Shute

TJ Williams

Technical Support 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.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Teen Role Models 4

Teen Depression 5

Service Clubs Make Difference 6

Social Media Etiquette 7

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

Life 19

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.

MT. BAKER MIDDLE SCHOOL

620 37TH STREET SE

AUBURN, WASHINGTON 98002 PHOTO BY K. BATES

Page 3: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [November 2013 * 3]

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 wealth-

ier 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, espe-

cially 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.

Molen Orthodontics recently had their annual candy

trade-in on November 1. All three offices, Sumner, Enum-

claw, and Auburn, participated in the event to prevent

cavities and raise food to donate.

From 2:30-6:30 kids of all ages (with or without

braces) lined up to trade their candy, decked in their

scariest costumes and bright smiles.

For every one pound of wrapped candy they brought in,

they earned $2. This continued up to ten pounds. Also,

canned food items were collected. This earned them an

extra dollar for every two they brought in, same with

wearing your costume.

These prices made

trading a great way

to earn fast cash,

and let people help

out in a small way.

Sixth grader Raj

Cheema thought this

was a great idea; he

only wished it was

more money.

Kaytlyn Andersen, a patient at Molen, goes every year.

Kaytlyn said this is a great idea “…Because you don’t

need the candy. It’s bad for you. People in the community

that are less fortunate need it more than us.”

At this event, people were all smiles, while snacks were

served. Milk and cookies stained the fingers of witches,

villains, and superheroes all around the office.

If you are a patient at Molen, then just coming in and

turning in candy earned you ten “Molen Moolah” points.

Helpful to anyone who doesn’t enjoy those sweet treats

they’ve collected, but did enjoy the act of going out on

Halloween.

This event happens

every year, so even if

you missed it this

year, there’s always

next year to earn

cold, hard, cash

instead of sugar

highs and cavities!

Local Orthodontist Offers Cash for Candy

Even students with braces enjoy treats! PHOTO BY J. FORWARD

Do You Still Trick or Treat?Do You Still Trick or Treat?

Anna Maracich & Alyssa FerryAnna Maracich & Alyssa Ferry

PE teachers Mr. King, Mrs. Burkhalter, and Mr. Perman express themselves with their elabo-

rate, coordinated costumes every year. COURTESY OF A. BURKHALTER

Page 4: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [4 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

Teen Role ModelsTeen Role Models Behavior Sets Terrible ExampleBehavior Sets Terrible Example Bella Coronado

Do you have a role model? Students all around our

school look up to or admire a celebrity, but many students

have different opinions on the people who influence us in

today’s media.

Celebrities you may have looked up to in the past may be

totally different people by now. Some say it’s due to

“growing up” but others are disappointed in their actions.

Celebrities impacting students, as well as the media,

seem to come and go.

Sixth-grader Janalyn Lopez stated that Miley Cyrus has

been appearing around today’s media a lot most recently.

“She changed a lot,” Lopez said.

Cyrus started making appearances after her shocking

performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on

Aug. 25.

“It’s inappropriate, and she’s trying to change her im-

age,” eighth-grader, Hannah Kazlauskas shared.

According to The Huffington Post, Miley Cyrus, as well as

a few other celebrities, were named the worst role mod-

els. In a survey out of 2,407 parents, 58 percent said that

they don’t think celebrities should be used as examples of

positive role models for their children. Sixty-eight percent

said that Miley is the worst example, while 65 percent

considered Justin Beiber.

The former Disney star used to inspire a lot of students.

“I looked up to her when she was actually making a differ-

ence,” Kazlauskas stated.

Students also think that Cyrus’s “new look” is affecting

their past thoughts on her. Sixth-grader Maliyah Kim

shared that she thinks, “It’s inappropriate.”

Hannah Kazlauskas shared a different opinion and said, “I

think it’s unique and different, but it sends the wrong

message.”

Celebrities affect the way teens see themselves in

positive and negative ways. Almost every celebrity faces a

time in their life when they seem like they’re going down-

hill. It’s important for teens to choose role models that

set positive examples in their actions and inspire those

around them, but not all role models have to be some-

one famous. They can simply be just everyday people.

Role models have many qualities that make them

inspiring and show positive examples.

Seventh grader, Angelina Pogosian described a role

model as someone who is trustworthy and someone that

she can trust to do the right thing.

“My role models are my two best friends....because

they push me in the right direction,” stated Pogosian.

Today’s society seems like it’s trashing the way teen-

agers see themselves. Role models like Miley

Cyrus, have negative and positive attrib-

utes, but role models in our everyday

lives share unique interest and may

never fail to inspire.

The positive effect of negative influences is that they are

examples of what not to do. Even though you may not

follow in their footsteps, they still show a positive example,

just in a negative way.

Role models can affect

teen’s behavior to the

point that they start

fantasizing or doing

what their role model

is doing, whether it’s

okay or not okay.

People still make

mistakes, even role

models, but the

mistakes can teach

us and inspire us to

do better.

CreativeCommons.org

Teen Role ModelsTeen Role ModelsTeen Role Models

What do you th ink of celebri ty ’s new behav ior? Compiled by Alyssa Ferry & Anna Maracich

“[Celebrities] are doing stupid things for money.”

–Shari Nelson

Seventh Grade Science

“No one [respects] them anymore,

their attitude sucks.”

–Abbie Juth

Seventh Grader

“Sometimes [celebrities] are crazy, but

sometimes they are tal-ented.”

–Jayden Taylor

Sixth Grader

“[Celebri-ties] are being too

young, wild, and free.”

–Markus Maunder

Eighth Grader

COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Page 5: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [November 2013 * 5]

Depression Apparent in TeensDepression Apparent in Teens Harrsion MaurusHarrsion Maurus

Did you know that 20 percent of teens will face de-

pression 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 pro-

duces 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, mur-

ders, and even suicides.

Just recently in Florida, a twelve-year-old-girl com-

mitted 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 twelve-

year-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.

According to Teenhelp.com,

about five percent of teens suffer from depression at any

one time? PHOTO BY R. HESS

S i x t h G r a d e E l e c t i o n s

L e a d i n g N o w , L a t e r 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 self-

motivated, 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 com-

munity 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

Page 6: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [6 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

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 Mountain-

view High school on Dec. 14 that will encourage commu-

nity 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-or-

Treat 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, donat-

ing 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 hat ’ s Hap p en ing w i th

M B M S

C l u b s 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 Each week Art Club focuses on a new topic

Hoping to have guest artist’s visit soon EZA is making several strides and upcoming events at Baker (Above) while Builder’s Club (Below) participates and organizes a clean-

ing and build of Brannan Park on Oct. 19. COURTESY OF C. HUBBELL

Service Clubs Make Lasting Difference Aaron Baker & Kyle Bates

Page 7: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

Many students use a social media site daily at our school,

but are there any rules to acting or posting while on those

popular sites?

Etiquette is the customary code of polite behavior in

society or among members of a particular profession or

group. Teachers expect you to act a certain way when

you’re in class, your parents expect you to act a certain

way when in public, but are you expected to act a certain

way when online?

Since teens, on average, spend 31 hours on the internet

each week, it is important that the way they act is appro-

priate.

Recently a 12 year old girl in Florida killed herself from

the cause of cyber bulling. Over half of adolescents and

teens have been bullied online, and about the same num-

bers have engaged in cyber bullying and 25 percent of

adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly

through their cell phones or the Internet.

Seventh graders Makenna Price and Karoline Zvonenko thought people at school act

acts differently in school than on social media.

Zvonenko said, “I know 5-10 people.”

Price said, “I know about 30.”

On most social media sites there are options for private accounts and for hiding cer-

tain posts from certain people.

Recently, Facebook made it so users age 13 to 17 are allowed to post their statuses and

photos publicly.

On Instagram, you have the option to make your account

private so other users have to ask for your permission to

look at your pictures, but if you choose not to make your

account private anyone on the site is able to browse your

pictures freely.

If you use Twitter, you can also protect your posts (or

tweets) by simply clicking a button.

When on social media you are allowed to post anything

you feel like. For example, on Facebook many profiles post

statuses like “Just woke up!”, or “Eating my fav chips!” .

Some people even misspell words on purpose. For exam-

ple, teens seem to type “yu” instead of “you”, “ur” instead

of your, and “lk” instead of “like”.

Also, some users randomly capitalize letters in sen-

tences. They take a birthday wish to “hAPPy BiRtHdaY”.

Sixth grader Jocelle Pham said she tried to follow any

grammar or spelling rules, but she gets a little help.

She said, “I fix my spelling in school, but there’s autocorrect on my phone when I’m

posting.”

What is socially acceptable on social media?

On social media, the most frequent practices that no one does are; not judging right

away, be respectful, don’t react right away, and being nice.

Some tips you could use are to know the website you’re on, make sure it is a safe site

to be on, treat each user kindly, as you would want to be, and be careful when chatting

with other users, you never know when they could be faking.

Taking in these tips will allow you to have proper etiquette will browsing your news

feed.

Social Media Etiquette: A r e T h e r e A n y R u l e s ? Destany Abellera

CreativeCommons.org

T e c h n o l o g y E t i q u e t t eT e c h n o l o g y E t i q u e t t eT 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

“If you are depend-ent on social net-work, middle

school students tend to forget their real life from their

cyber life.”

-Ms. Utu

Counselor

“No one knows who they are, they act like

different peo-ple.”

-Angelina Pogosian

Seventh Grade

“Yes, because they seem to not be aware

of who’s around them.”

-Jaden Taylor

Sixth Grade

“Yes, be-cause they’re

scared to be who they really are.”

-Dylan Ostler

Eighth Grade

Facebook and Twitter are some of the top most used social media

sites. PHOTO BY D. ABELLERA

[News & Features] [November 2013 * 17]

Page 8: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [8 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

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 direc-tion.

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]

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 inconven-ient [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, push-

ing your backpack all the way to the back, and memo-rizing 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 does-

n’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.

Lockers: ‘Nobody Goes There Anymore, Too Crowded’ Kamalvir Jhajj & Jasmine Dang

Many students’ lockers are overcrowded with contents often

spilling out. PHOTO BY J. FORWARD

Locker TricksLocker TricksLocker 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

Page 9: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[News & Features] [November 2013 * 9]

You’re sitting at your desk, struggling with your assignment. Yawning, you look up at the

clock, 10:30! You’ve just realized that you have spent three hours working on homework. Is

this too much?

Historically, heavy doses of homework became standard procedure in the U.S. after the

Russians launched Sputnik in 1957, prompting a panic for making kids in American schools

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 home-

work 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 behav-

iors.”

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

this hard work will pay off in the future.

Homework Management: How Much is Too Much? Colby Pretz & Cameron Shute

Do you think that heavy backpacks are a big issue?

Millions of kids a year walk, bus, or ride home with super

heavy backpacks that cause them pain. The average backpack of a sixth grader is from a range

18.4 to 30 pounds.

Adding and carrying a heavy backpack for a long time,

carrying the pack on one shoulder instead of two, and going up and down stairs with the heavy pack can increase the

problem.

Seventh grader, Hailey Harp said, “[I think my stack of books weighs about] 20 pounds.”

Harp carried three books, including her binder.

“Yes, [I think you can lighten the weight of the binders or back packs] by like a Kindle to where it has all the books on

there you need,” said Harp.

American Academy Pediatrics recommends that a kid’s

backpack should weigh no more than ten to twenty percent of the weight of the child. A heavy pack is a strong contribu-

tor to low-back-pain in children.

Girls and shorter kids are more likely to get back issues

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.”

Many physicians say they are beginning to see some

symptoms of back problems stemming from carrying a heave back pack.

A study in the Journal Spine, a magazine, shows that

carrying backpacks that weight on average twenty pounds is likely to cause back pain in children.

Eighth grader Teri Reynolds-Wolvington stated, “[The

heaviest books I have to carry are my] math or social

studies book.” When Wolvington was asked if she thought there was a

way to lighten the load of your back pack or binder, she

said, “Yes, yes I do. By letting [the students] download our books onto e-readers”.

Some tips to lighten the load of your backpack are to use

rolling backpacks. When choosing back pack don’t just choose a color; pick a

good quality backpack with padded straps, and try the pack

on to make sure it fits well.

Wear the pack over both shoulders not just one so the weight is even and not straining on one shoulder. Pull the

shoulder straps snug, so the weight is on the upper back,

not hanging down. Load the heaviest books towards the

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.

Heavy Books Lead

to Back Problems Kat Hamm

Millions of kids a year suffer from big heavy backpack induced

back pain. ILLUSTRATION BY KAT HAMM

ZAP during lunch is used to help students get their homework done. PHOTO BY CAMERON SHUTE

Page 10: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

Ms. Millang 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 ques-

tions 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 class-

rooms 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.”

Mr. Perman The well-known, wacky P.E.

teacher Mr. Perman has been

working at Mt. Baker from day

one. A surprise to a lot of peo-

ple 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.”

Mrs. Debolt When interviewing

Mrs. Debolt, our

school health techni-

cian, we found out

that she has been

working for the Au-

burn School District for 23 years.

Debolt actually started as a Math/LAP para-

educator working at Evergreen Heights and Al-

pac elementary schools.

In 1993, the district started using health tech-

nicians 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 memo-

rable experiences in the health room, she re-

plied, “When a student had taken such a large

bite into an apple it ended up getting stuck in her

mouth.”

2 0 f o r 2 0 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.

Page 11: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

Mr. Jacobs 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 fin-ishing 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

Mrs. King: Office atten-

dant, Green River com-

munity 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 bath-

rooms. My neighbors worked for Cinema 17 and

[were] transferred to Charleston, South Caro-

lina. 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 be-

hind 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 Mrs. Holt, library assis-

tant and para-educator, has been working at Mt.

Baker since it opened in 1993.

Mrs. Holt originally ap-plied 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 heat-ing 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

PHOTO BY J. FORWARD & H. ADDISON

Page 12: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

20 Facts, 20 Years Ago Kamalvir Jhajjj

1. The Scandal: Michael Jackson was accused with inap-

propriate 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)

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 sing-

ers/ 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

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]

[Arts & Entertainment] [12 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

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 an-other film that compares to this movie. The story-

line 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 school-mate named Jenny, played by Robin Wright, a life-

long friendship occurs.

The performance of Forrest, throughout the movie, was very humor-

ous. He becomes a col-lege football star, a

decorated soldier in Vietnam, a Ping-Pong cham-

pion and a folkloric jogger-hero, just by following simple instructions. He meets presidents and ce-

lebrities, 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 for-

mer 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.

Movies from ’94:

‘Forrest Gump’ Runs into Theaters Ryan Hess

COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Page 13: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

Xbox One vs. PS4 Next Gen Consoles Debut in Nov.

Jeremiah Brown

The battle between next-gen consoles has been extra-

neous 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 control-

lers 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 mil-

lion 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.

[Arts & Entertainment] [November 2013 * 13]

‘Gravity’ Falls Short Aaron Baker

Halo is the #1 franchise of Microsoft, so expect big, big things from the new Xbox on the Halo series. PHOTO BY J.BROWN.

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 basi-

cally 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 hallucina-tion 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 wonder-

ing how did they even pull that off? I really have to tip my hat to the cinema-

tographers for creating such a hos-tile and yet beautiful environment.

Honestly, the whole movie was

basically Sandra Bullock float-ing 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 meta-

phors 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 metaphori-

cally dies in an escape pod and comes back up

through the water after landing on Earth. The very thing that she has been lack-

ing throughout the movie (self-assurance, hence “Gravity”) is

then returned to her. In my opinion,

the movie de-

serves 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.

COU

RTE

SY

OF

MIC

ROS

OFT

LIC

ENSE

Page 14: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

November

Locker

Lottery

Ysabela Manuel, Maddie Feeney, Samantha Leurquin

Locker Lottery was created as a way to fea-

ture students’ opinions at MBMS. They are se-

lected completely at random, like the lottery.

Several students hit the jackpot, providing

their perspectives on multiple issues. Sixth

grades Alinah Horne and Joshua Abbott, sev-

enth graders Alondra Lomeli-Salazar and Reis

MacNeill, and eight graders Jadynn Strickland

and Trent Miller were selected.

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 every-

day.

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] [14* Volume IV, Issue 1]

Page 15: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[Mount Baker Barks] [November 2013 * 15]

WhatWhatWhat

GRINDSGRINDSGRINDS MyMyMy

GEARSGEARSGEARS

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.

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 hon-estly 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 Insta-

gram 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 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.

—BG

Do you want to know what re-

aaaally 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 loca-tion.

Some fountains have way too much water pres-

sure 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.

—GA

You want to know what really grinds my gears?

When you forget your passwords. It’s just so annoy-ing 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 e-

mail account that you didn’t actually need.

Then the computer asks you make your security

question which is a question that sounds like some-thing 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

All g

raph

ics

in f

eatu

re c

ourt

esy

of M

S C

lipar

t

Page 16: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[Sports] [16 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

Bonds on the Diamond

Anna Maracich

Fast pitch players finished their season with a smile on their face. COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK

“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, competi-

tive, hard-working bunch of girls.

Although they weren’t champions, their bond as a team

made them the real winners.

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 encour-

aged 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.

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.

Page 17: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[Sports] [November 2013 * 17]

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), Olym-

pic (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 to-

gether. 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 defen-

sive 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 re-sponsible 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.

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.

Varsity Football Varsity Football Varsity Football Finishes Seasons Strong Kyle Bates & Jalen Forward

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

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 tack-

ling.”

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.

Page 18: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[Sports] [18 * Volume IV, Issue 1]

Seventh and eighth grade boys and girls are welcomed to play soccer for Mt. Baker’s first ever soccer team. The coach for seventh grade is Mr. Decker, and

Mr. King is coaching eighth grade varsity soccer. Varsity boy’s tryouts started on Monday, Oct. 28.

Seventh grader, Francisco Gonzalez, stated that he is excited for soccer to

come because he wants to, “get no-ticed.” Many other students are excited

to have a new sport added to our school.

Mr. King said he was excited to coach varsity.

“Everything’s new, like the equipment

and uniforms, and we get to represent Mt. Baker,” stated Mr. King.

About 25 seventh grade boys are playing soccer this season, and about

28 boys are trying out for the varsity team.

Since soccer at our school is only available for seventh and eighth grad-

ers, many students in the sixth grade are disappointed that they won’t get to

play this year. Five out of thirteen sixth-graders interviewed said they are disappointed about

not being able to play soccer. Gonzalez said that he has been playing soccer for three years, and that it’s

about time our district adds the sport. Mr. King added, “A lot of kids here

have wanted soccer for many years.” Trying out for the varsity team does

consist of some cuts. Just because a student gets cut, doesn’t mean that

they are a bad athlete. Making the team requires skill, and good sportsmanship.

Seventh graders playing soccer this

year, will get pointers for what to ex-pect when they are in eighth grade, and

want to try out for varsity. “Cutting athletes is always a difficult

decision and choice. The boys are work-ing hard to make the team,” said Mr.

King. The seventh and eighth grade girl’s

soccer will start in the third season, as well as girl’s basketball.

Soccer Debuts at MBMS Hope Addison & Bella Coronado

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

ball handler on the team and he can cross over any-body.”

Meanwhile on team two, Trey Callero played point guard on Mrs. Brown’s team.

Trey Callero said, “I really enjoyed the way my team

played.” Trey Callero thought that Tyler Pisha and Parker

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.

Sixth Grade Ballers Play as Team

Ke’Sean Griffin

Mr. Brown and Mr. Lewis photo bomb sixth grade basketball

players. PHOTO BY J. FORWARD

Soccer brings more athletes out to the field and hopefully will raise the grades of our students PHOTO BY

B. CORONADO

Page 19: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

[Life] [November 2013 * 19]

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 un-

der construction, and you really have to go to the bathroom, so you…[use your imagina-

tion].

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.

N o v e m b e r H o r o s c o p e s & P u z z l e s Maddie Feeney, Daniel Filovets, Daniel Shablevskiy

Effects of Government Shutdown 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?

What does the fox say? 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?

‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Catching Fire is the second movie in the Hunger Games Tril-ogy. 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?

Outlet Collection of Seattle 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?

Second Season Sports 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, gymnas-

tics, and, our new sport, boys’ soccer . Sixth graders can

also participate in gymnastics. Are you going to play a sport

this second season?

YouTube Obsession Millions of people use YouTube to view the new viral video,

tutorials, or just to watch vlogs. With roughly 30 million us-

ers, 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?

The Canine Chronicle Staff Debates Trends in Pop Culture

Jasmine Dang & Destany Abellera

Page 20: The Canine Chronicle MBMS Nov. 2013

COURTESY OF MBMS YEARBOOK, J. FORWARD, H. ADDSION