TROY INVOICEAuburn Senior High School Auburn, Wash. (253) 931-4880 Troy_InVoice@hotmail.com

Volume 39, Issue 4 April 22, 2008

UPCOMING EVENTS AT AHS: 4/30: ASB Meeting. 5/5-5/9: AP Testing. 5/7: Spring Blood Drive. 5/12: NO SCHOOL. 5/12-5/16: Camp Auburn Week 1. 5/20: Election speeches; Troy Crew Training; Senior Picture. 5/21: ASB Senate Meet-ing. 5/26: Memorial Day.

The change from regular soda and juices to diet beverages has caused Auburn High School an estimated loss of $25,000, according to bookkeeper Debbie Sumner. The soda machines, which used to take in $40,000 to $50,000, now only make $10,000 to $12,000 annually.

“It’s obnoxious how much we’ve been hit by that one,” Sumner said.

Due to the loss of money, after-school programs and clubs are being cut back. Instead of improving them, we now simply maintain them. As a

replacement for the money taken away from after-school activities, participants have to raise money by doing fundraisers. Recent fundraisers by both track and choir included selling cookie dough at $15 a box.

All ASB groups at AHS have had to become self-sustaining. Equipment and transportation for many sports is now the responsibility of the students participating in the program.

However, students and their families cannot afford all the costs the school used to cover, and teams have been forced to do without. Sophomore David Quezada said boys soccer has been waiting for new uniforms for more than a year now.

Junior Makailyn Mowder said she feels the effects of budget cuts. She has noticed that food prices in the cafeteria have increased. Food like teriyaki dippers, egg rolls and chicken nuggets, which are not part of meal deal, have risen 75 cents over the past year.

“Not everyone can pay that much,” Mowder said.

She also noticed the school does not have enough money to purchase new books for classes with textbooks that are falling apart.

Mowder and Quezada agree fundraising that involves the whole school working together instead of competitions between classes would be more effective in raising money to aid the budget.

School budget crunch afflicts programsBy SONJA THOMAS

STAFF REPORTER

Starting this year, student-led conferences will have a new meaning for sophomores and juniors. Last year, conferences consisted of students telling their parents and advisers what they had done in preparation for senior presentations. This year, in addition to doing a practice presentation for parents and advisers students registered for next year’s classes.

In previous years, registration was completed during students’ English classes. School counselor Boone Borden

said this new system is better. “This way, we’re not taking time out

of classes,” he said.The school experimented with this

system last May; some students entered their classes directly into a computer.

Other than the new registration process, conferences proceeded as they did last year. Students presented to their parents and advisers.

Kari Davis, mother of sophomore Kyle Davis, said the conferences help, but she thinks the new advisory link on the school Web site will help them the

Conference scope expandsBy NIKOLE “CELESTE” QUINCY

PHOTO EDITOR

Sophomores Micheal Paulston and Holly Framp-ton race in the 1600-me-ter run against Enumclaw on March 13. For more information on the track season so far, check out page 3.

Photo by Nikole “Celeste” Quincy

It came to eat Auburn whole

Photo by Sonja ThomasAudrey II threatens to consume audiences of AHS Drama Club’s winter production, “Little Shop of Horrors.” Flip to page 2 for a review of its run.

Rules tightenBefore two years ago, Auburn High

had a fairly run-of-the-mill system regarding tardies.

“All they (teachers) would do is mark you tardy and then you’d sit down, and class goes on,” senior Aaron O’Neal said.

Due to the high volume of tardies, administrators and staff crafted a new policy. In January 2006, at the start of a fresh second semester, tardy sweeps were introduced to a less-than-cooperative student body.

Though a broad array of students disagreed with the new policy, already instated at Auburn Mountainview, they found a way to comply; according to dean of students Roger Lee’s data, by December 2007, 88 percent of students made it to class by the tardy bell.

“My job is to improve attendance and punctuality,” Lee said. “I would like to see no one be tardy.”

In pursuit of this target, Lee worked with staff and fellow administrators to create a more effective supplement to the tardy sweep program. After discussion

with his peers, he unveiled the new policy, enacted Jan. 30, which states that after five tardies in a given semester, students would automatically receive detention. Every subsequent tardy would result in additional detentions, and/or Friday Night School, and other consequences as assigned.

“We do progressive discipline,” principal Paul Harvey said. “Since we implemented tardy sweeps, we’ve seen a big impact. But we still had kids in the tardy line.”

Often, one of these kids is junior Alanah Breland. Since moving to Auburn from Mississippi at the end of January, she said that she had been recorded as late 14 times, almost always to second period. Shocked, she discovered the number on her progress report; prior to that, she had had no idea her tardiness was that extensive.

She said that while the staff and administrators are adamant about “sweeping” tardy students and sending them to the main office, they aren’t always rigorous about the consequences.

By REBECCA NELSONNEWS EDITOR

Administration attacks tardies

SEE TARDIES PAGE 2

SEE CONFERENCES PAGE 2

NEWS/FEATURES April 22, 20082

UPCOMING EVENTS: 4/26: As I Lay Dying @ 7 p.m. @ Showbox, Seattle. 4/30: Duran Duran @ 8 p.m. @ WaMu Theater, Seattle. 5/2: Colin Meloy @ 8 p.m. @ Showbox, Seattle. 5/3 Devotchka @ 8 p.m. @ Showbox SoDo, Seattle. 5/6: The B-52s @ 8 p.m. @ Showbox, Seattle. 5/15: Kids in the Hall @ 8 p.m. @ WaMu Theater, Seattle.

• The Hokey Pokey: Gaining popularity in the 1950s, this dance craze was created by Larry LaPrise, Charles Macak and Tafit Baker. Originally intended as entertainment for an Idaho resort, it later became a popular dance around America. • The Time Warp: Featured in the 1975 musical movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” this jive dance is one of simplicity. You can sing along with it as well as follow the lyrics to master this dance. This is a group dance in which anyone can participate, no matter how horrible of a dancer you are. • The Electric Slide: Barbecues, weddings and senior birthdays are not complete without the Electric Slide, originally named “the Electric Boogie.” Catching on in 1989 with its re-release, the dance got its name from the line, “it’s electric.” The dance was created by American dancer Ric Silver.• The Macarena: This Latin pop dance caught audience’s attention in 1995 when Los Del Rio was discovered by a Miami disc jockey. The song is about a woman named Macarena and originally had no dance. The moves were later created by choreographer Mia Frye. • Crank Dat Soulja Boy: Popularized by Soulja Boy’s song which shares the same name as his dance, this dance phenomenon caught on nationwide. If you don’t know it, you can learn it by watching his instructional dance video on YouTube.com.

If today is your birthday: People are looking down on you; don’t fret. You will be taller than the world.Aries (3/21-4/19): Your energy is strong, and restless. Settle down; focus the energy on something worthwhile.Taurus (4/20-5/20): Friends are in jeopardy; keep those that mean the most close.Gemini (5/21-6/21): Money is fine now, but don’t go crazy.

You’ll need more soon.Cancer (6/22-7/22): Nothing seems solid. You need to think things over and find out the truth. Leo (7/23-8/22): Telling your feelings to a friend won’t jeopordize anything of importance.Virgo (8/23-9/22): Being in a group can be nice, but sometimes you have to be single.Libra (9/23-10/22): Something is lingering in your head. It will clear up soon.

Scorpio (10/23-11/21): Put yourself before everyone else for once. Don’t feel guilty.Sagittarius (11/22-12/21): Sit with someone special this evening. Take time to bond. Capricorn (12/22-1/19): Planning your entire life will make things boring. Take a chance and go with the flow. Aquarius (1/20-2/18): Somebody needs to be convinced to make a change. Pisces (2/19-3/20): Lies make things hurt more. Don’t put your life on hold.

Horoscopes to brighten the dayBy ROBIN BALLSTAFF REPORTER

“The Little Shop of Horrors,” a highly renowned Broadway musical and Oscar-nominated film, was performed by the Auburn Actors Guild. Though the opening night consisted of the customary bumps and bruises, the actors quickly picked up the pace with an exceptional performance the following night.

“We took on a very technically challenging play,” director and teacher Warren Kerr said.

The play consisted of four pod puppets, three different views of the shop and 10 individual microphones, not to mention the lighting cues and making a 10-person show into a cast of 20.

“While there are always technical glitches, it still has the look of a fine show,” Kerr said.

He is very proud of the actors because, for the most part, he left it to them to rehearse and perform the show. They underwent three-hour rehearsals, four to five days a week, for two months.

The actors received positive feedback from people who, Kerr said, usually wouldn’t say anything at all.

“I don’t think anybody was disappointed who came,” he said.

Kerr was frustrated with one aspect of the play: “The audience turnout was terrible considering what we were offering.”

He heard excuses such as not knowing the times, not having enough money and even not knowing there was a play. He found this to be exceptionally contradictory since it was announced over the bulletin numerous times and posters were placed around the school.

Sophomore Devin Jackson, who played plant shop owner Mr. Mushnik, said, “The audience turnout was

pretty good compared to what we usually have.” Even though the number of ensemble members

seemed to be few, the music had a rocking beat and fast-paced rhythm.

The music wasn’t the only captivating feature of the production. Kerr said “the whole story is about the plant.” Indeed, the plant quickly stole the stage and became the star of the show.

Everyone wondered if the plant, Audrey II, played by senior Thaddeus Wilson, could match up to the thundering voice that was presented in the movie. The bigger question was how exactly the theater production was going to move Audrey II and enable the plant to grow.

Not only did the plant realistically grow from a tiny seedling to a gigantic monster, but Audrey II had a voice larger than life itself. With rock ’n’ roll roots and a gruff undertone, Audrey II shook the PAC.

The rough voice of the plant Audrey II was well matched with the sweet, squeaky voice of Audrey herself, performed by sophomore Mary Dusek. The high-pitched squeal of Audrey managed to crawl past the boundaries of annoying and into the field of comedy by using a tone of sweetness.

Seymour, the main character and also Audrey’s admirer, was the true sweet-hearted nitwit. With his red hat and slouched shoulders, the audience couldn’t help but love and sympathize with his situation. Junior Luke Storaasli and senior Mario Lemafa fulfilled the spirit of Seymour with their own styles while keeping the main character’s fashion.

All together, the lighting, music, plot and most of all the plant provided an exciting, artistic and clever mixture of deception, love, humor and entertainment.

Top dance tracks to get jiggy with

By KELSIE SMITHSTAFF REPORTER

‘Little Shop’ isn’t a horrorBy SALENA HILLEDITOR IN CHIEF

“I’m on almost my third time they’re supposed to come tell me (I have a detention),” she said. “And I haven’t heard anything from them.”

Senior Aaron Benson was notified, and the flaws in the developing policy reached him in a different fashion. During the first week of the plan, Lee said he decided to raise awareness by publicly informing unruly offenders of their detentions.

“He came into class and stopped the whole class

just to announce that I had a 30-minute detention after school because of having five tardies,” Benson said. “It was a violation of privacy.”

Perceiving Benson’s frustration, he said his teacher updated Lee via e-mail. Lee apologized in Benson’s sixth period later that day.

“I like working with kids, and I like to help kids correct any problems they have,” Lee said. “It was never my intention to embarrass anyone.”

Lee acknowledges the faults and remains committed to finding a better solution.

“I’m not happy with the general process,” he said. “I’d like to see what we can do to streamline it and to increase the effectiveness so it benefits everyone.”

While the program undoubtedly has errors yet to be ironed out, punctuality among students has increased. Through the end of February of second semester, 91 percent avoided tardy sweeps.

“We just want students to acknowledge that promptness and on-time behavior are good traits,” Harvey said. “We want them to know that before they leave high school.”

TARDIESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

TROY INVOICEAuburn Senior High School

800 Fourth St. NEAuburn, WA 98002

To maintain a high standard of journalism, Troy InVoice adheres to the following editorial policy. All members of Troy InVoice staff have agreed to this policy, and

it will remain posted in the newsroom throughout the year.Troy InVoice will strive toward excellence in every issue. It will aim to be a vital

part of Auburn High School. The Troy InVoice staff will strive to:1. Report news accurately, objectively, fully and in-depth.2. Provide leadership. 3. Meet professional journalism standards.4. Provide a forum in the school for the free interchange of ideas. Letters to the

editor and reader contributions will be accepted. The written views of students must be responsible, in good taste and must not attack anyone in a personal manner.

5. Cooperate with staff and student body in supporting projects and give hon-est evaluation of such projects.

6. Give full credit for any material that is not original.7. Acknowledge any mistakes and frankly correct any major errors that are

brought to the attention of the staff.8. Use the most effective style of expression. 9. Endeavor to create a valid expression of the concerns of Auburn High School

students and staff.10. Ensure no photograph will be altered in any way. Troy InVoice will not endorse political candidates or accept political advertising.It will reserve the right to refuse any advertising illegal or inappropriate for

high school students.Paid advertisements that are libelous, inappropriate, advocate an activity

illegal for students or are judged to be in poor taste by the editors and adviser will not be published.

EDITORIAL STAFFSalena Hill, Editor in Chief

Rebecca Nelson, News EditorAndrew Brockmueller, Opinion Editor

Jacob Carroll, Sports EditorNikole “Celeste” Quincy, Photo Editor

Anna Marshall, Adviser

STAFF REPORTERSRobin Ball

Mandy BrooksJeanina Gomez

Susie HomanKayla Markwell

Kelsie SmithSonja Thomas

most. “It’s very well organized. It looks like we

could do this at home,” Kari Davis said.After the presentation the students and

their parents went to the computer lab and they entered their request for future classes. The counselors were there and signed off on all classes entered into the computers.

“We’ll be able to give more attention to each student and more academic counseling,” counselor Judy Lutton said.

The counseling office is usually full the first

days of the semester because some students want or need to be in different classes.

“This way, we’ll catch problems before they happen,” Borden said.

Another reason for the new system is to get more parents involved in helping choose their children’s classes.

“They (the students) will have to explain to their parents where they are at and why they want to take those classes,” Borden said.

Student-led conferences will now serve two important purposes: for senior presentations and for class registration.

CONFERENCESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SPORTS 3April 22, 2008

UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS AT AHS: UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS AT AHS: 4/22: JV/Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Enumclaw @ 5:15 p.m./7:30 p.m. @ Enumclaw. 4/22: Varsity Girls Tennis vs. Enumclaw @ 3:30 p.m. @ Auburn; Girls Water Polo vs. Bonney Lake @ 3:15 p.m. @ Sumner. 4/24: Track vs. Moutainview @ 3 p.m. @ Mountainview.

TennisThe tennis season has

begun and despite a rainy start, the girls are dominating the courts.

“I think we have a very strong team this year. We’ve got eight girls with great tennis and athletic ability. I’m anticipating a successful season,” head coach Crystal Wisness said.

Even after being rained out for four straight games, the girls came back strong by overpowering Mountainview and Sumner.

Seniors Breann VanSteen-voort, Juliann Conklin, Nya-reu Thong and Lizzy Wroe, juniors Mariah Siemion and Kristi Holley, sophomore Sandy Dennett and freshman Peyton Prothero are the current varsity players. Boys Soccer

Last season was not a good one for the boys soccer team, finishing 3-9-4.

This year, after starting the season with wins against Kentridge and Puyallup and a 1-1 tie against Sumner, they

have a record of 2-6-2.Head coach John Yorke

plans on making sure his team does well this season. “I have a young, hard-working team,” Yorke said.

Seniors Matt Sencenbaugh and Jared Kanda and junior

Justin Arreola are the captains of the varsity team this year. Water Polo

With sports under way now, water polo has begun. This game is by far one of the most intense sports.

“I love to play water polo because it is a high-intensity sport,” senior Kellie Wietstock said. “It requires a lot of work, and I like how everything done under water that isn’t seen is legal.”

Although the girls had a rough season last year, they are working hard on picking up the pace.

“We lost a lot in the beginning of the last season, but this season should be a lot better,” Wietstock said.

So far the Trojans have lost the other four games, but have overcome obstacles and have put forth all their energy. Baseball

The boys baseball team started their season under the leadership of new head coach Brian Embery with a win of 5-2.

However, the boys ran into

some difficulty when they lost a close game to Franklin Pierce, 5-6.

They also lost their next game against White River, with a score of 1-7.

“We’ve been working out really hard,” senior David Olson said. “We take every game really serious in that every game is a step toward our goal.”

The players get along really well, Olson said, but “it doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work hard.”

Senior Garrett Rutledge agrees with Olson and said the team works as hard as possible.

“We can always get better,” Rutledge said.

He said the losses help the boys “learn to lose as a team and work harder.” Fastpitch Softball

The girls fastpitch team season has begun. Although many of their games have been canceled due to rainy weather, the girls are working hard.

“We’re coming together a lot better,” junior Alexis Burt

said.Last season was rocky for

the girls, but they are starting the season off well.

The team’s record is 6-5; their next game will hopefully be April 24 against Bonney Lake at Game Farm Park.

This year, the team is being coached by Charlie Frampton.Track and Field

Although the team’s first meet against Enumclaw didn’t go as expected, the team has been working hard all season.

Head coach Gregory Isham said the two girls that stood out were junior Erin Williams, who won the triple jump and high jump, and sophomore Sonja Thomas, who won the long jump, as well as the 200-meter.

Although the boys lost this meet, seniors Shaka Shaw and Drew Neal stuck out to Isham. Shaw won the shot put and Neal won the pole vault.

—Compiled by Robin Ball, Andrew Brockmueller, Mandy Brooks, Jacob Carroll, Salena Hill, Kayla Markwell, Rebecca Nelson, Nikole “Celeste” Quincy, Kelsie Smith

Varsity Sports Record Head Coach Season Highlights

Boys Basketball 23-4 Ryan Hansen

Winning 22 games in the season and winning the league championship. Seniors T.J. Stafford and Ryan Snowden shared the title of Most Valuable Player for the SPSL.

Girls Basketball 19-9 Ed Bender“The girls had a great season. Nineteen wins was the most since 1997,” head coach Ed Bender said.

Boys Swim/Dive 0-5 Scott McLaughlin Senior Jayme Ball placed third in districts and 12th in state.

Gymnastics fourth in SPSL Katie Henry

Seniors Hailey Johnson and Ashley Parries, juniors Bailee Jo Johnson and Amanda Hainer, sophomore Taylor Wilson and freshmen Korinn Delagoon and Alexis Moore all went to state.

Wrestling 8-2 in duel meets John Aiken Eleven wrestlers went to state, and

junior Jake Swartz took first.

Warm up for spring sports

Photo by Jacob CarrollFreshman Peyton Prothero warms up for her doubles match versus Sumner.

Winter season ends successfully

4 OPINION April 22, 2008

Every day, many students rely on the school’s vending machines to fulfill their hunger needs. Many are disappointed that their money has been taken away

or their choices have been limited in the process. Because the lunch line is so long, vending machines seem more accessible, but if they’re unreli-

able fewer students are tempted to try them. We have to worry enough about the more important concerns that school brings; food selection shouldn’t be one of them.

If the school is going to have vend-ing machines available, then why not make them functional? It seems to be that the vending machines are more of a problem than a solution. Day after day, there are more reasons to wait the extra 15 minutes in the lunch line and pay more money than needed. Although vending machines do have

downsides like fatty foods with a lot of sugar, when you are about to be buried in books and homework the last thing students care about is nutri-tion.

Some solutions that you could use to heal the vending machine blues are to bring a lunch or buy something from the DECA store (which is cheap and tasty!). If you really need the vending machines then write a letter to principal Paul Harvey, asking him to spend a little more time into trying to get someone to fix them. Or why

not just take time to make your own lunch or utilize any of our other op-tions?

If the vending machines never work then why do they take up space that we could use for something else?

Vending machines will never work 100 percent of the time, and the problem is inevitable. But realistically, if you know that the vending machine is most likely not going to work, then why chance it? Save your money for something that is guaranteed not to eat your money.

4/22: Earth Day Benefit @ 7 p.m. @ Benaroya Hall, Seattle. 4/30: 1968 - Year of Revolt! panel/forum @ 7 p.m. @ Se-attle Central Community College. 5/1-5/4: Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival @ Johnson Hall, UW. 5/22-6/15: Seattle International Film Festival. 5/23-5/26: Northwest Folklife Festival @ Seattle Center.

MANDY BROOKSSTAFF WRITER

Machines munch on our money

SALENA HILLEDITOR IN CHIEF

In the past four years of my high school

experience I have found strife when going to see some AHS staff for help. Although I managed to acquire the right amount of credits each year, it never came easily. I constantly switched my schedule to fit my needs but recently found that most of these decisions didn’t work out to my benefit.

After finishing a year of my second foreign language I found that I wasn’t learning much, and continuing with something that did not profit my well being was time wasted. Going to get help from my counselor was quite the trip.

The first suggestion I received was not to switch if I was planning on attending a four-year college. And although it was meant well, the next comment was “you’re not going to college” – not exactly a self-esteem booster. Since I don’t like to waste time, I dropped the class anyway.

Teacher help can be hard to get as well. Many times I have come in after and before school to get assistance or to take a test, and teachers find it OK not to be there.

According to the Negotiated

Agreement that faculty members agreed to, “The workday is defined as 7.5 (hours) inclusive of a duty-free lunch, which is not less than a period of 30 continuous minutes. Certificated personnel are required to be at their respective schools for the benefit of the pupils and patrons at least 30 minutes before the opening of school in the morning and at least 30 minutes after the closing of school in the afternoon.” Yet this doesn’t always happen. Why agree to a contract if you’re not going to abide by it?

It’s understandable if there is a family emergency and you have leave, but when you’re just leaving because you’re sick of being here, well, join the club, but that’s part of having a job. Besides, what kind of example are you setting for students? When you don’t feel like doing your job, just leave?

I won’t speak for the entire student body when I say that the faculty hasn’t always been the most helpful when it comes to high school success. I can only hope that this will be a wake-up call to students to fight for what you want when it comes to class and school in general. Only you can determine your future.

Students gypped of opportunities Washington

state has a goal. Policy makers and legislators want students to read, write and communicate effectively by the end of their senior year in high

school. They also expect students to know and apply the key concepts of math, social studies/history, the sciences, civics, geography, the arts, and health and fitness. Legislators plan to achieve this by making sure they teach each concept using the EALRs (Essential Academic Learning Requirements) and their corresponding GLEs (Grade Level Expectations). EALRs dictate what students need to learn and the best ways to learn it; GLEs simply tell them what skills should be emphasized.

Mastery of writing EALR 1.5 and GLE 1.5/1.5.1 demonstrates that a student “publishes in formats that are appropriate for specific audiences and purposes.” It also states that students should be allowed to select from a variety of publishing options including publishing their works on a blog. However, school computers block blogging Web sites.

Web sites such as Blogger, Live Journal, Facebook and Bravejournal are forbidden for student use. How

are students supposed to publish in a variety of forms when a vital option is closed to them? In fact, Googling the word “blogs” or “blog” also sends you to an “Access Denied!” proclamation. It is hard to learn to publish your essay or presentation on a blog when you are not allowed to reach the site.

Perhaps you are required to create a portfolio that can be viewed through the Internet. Some computer tech classes such as World Wide Web Publishing, require that students make a Web site on a specific topic. Is a blogging site no longer a choice for this assignment? Blogs are listed in state education standards for a reason and should be available to students.

Although Washington state wants students to be able to publish in various formats, the Auburn School District disregards that privilege. The reason may be that they don’t trust us enough to allow us to access blogs. They feel that by blogging our projects we would be less likely to work. But a blog is easier for visual learners to look at than a plain, typed essay. They probably think that they are “protecting” students from awful, scary stuff that lingers behind the doors of each Internet site. That would be understandable if we were still in middle school. High schools students no longer need blinders. If we must learn to write and publish in a multitude of ways, blocking our options is not the way to do it.

District denies students access to state-recommended blog sites

HOTor

NOT

big bags

peacejoining

newspaper

wisdom teeth

wisdom

fast cars

toy carsfightingeverything

elsefanny packs

Compiled by and photo illustrations by Jeanina Gomez and Kayla Markwell

Junior Jessica Morgan,future Troy InVoice staffer

Social studies teacher Joe McCuistion

Sophomore Madisen Dixon and junior Justin Callender

free speech

censorship

Senior Caleb Valdovinos

SONJA THOMASSTAFF WRITER