fli htJune 15, 2011 VOLUME 16 ISSUE #7

ginA U B U R N R I V E R S I D E S T U D E N T V O I C E

Good-bye Seniors! Class of 2011

earns 1.5 million in known scholarships.

2 6/15/11OPINION

InFlight is compiled by the student news-paper staff at Auburn Riverside High School, 501 Oravetz Road, Auburn, WA 98092.

The InFlight staff strives to maintain accurate and objective reporting for our stories. However, opinion stories are included. Any commentary which is signed by the author accounts for his or her opinion only, and not necessarily that of any-one else on staff. An unsigned editorial reflects the majority opinion of the InFlight staff.

InFlight accepts student, faculty, and com-munity member’s letters to the editor, artwork, opinions and comments. However, we will not print any unsigned letters or work. Please contact us in room 402, through e-mail at inflightnews@yahoo.com or by calling 253-804-5154.

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InFlight policies Greetings from Newspaperin fli htgStaff ReportersCharles Casady Jaymes FleuryLisa GrayJordan GreenBrianne KoppKayla SeamsterKyle Stocker

Editor-In-ChiefShayla McGinness

Business ManagerBrianne Kopp

AdviserPatrick Swenson

In current society, a problem exists in the realm of education. The problem: athletics vs. academics. These are two vital aspects in the educational system; there-fore, both should be equally assessed. The frightening thing is the lack of attention in academics and the overabundance and dedication in sports.

Both have obvious merits. Athletics teaches team work, responsibility, physical and mental strength. Academics teaches dedication, management skills, and other life lessons, such as how to be financially fiscal, and motivation to follow your own path and knowledge to expand your horizons, creating well educated adults. The advantages of one can also benefit the other but the problem is when a student only focuses on sports or

Letter to the Editor Athletics VS. Academicswhen our society glorifies sports and down-plays the importance of academic success. The importance of academic success is obvious: get good grades in high school, continue to college and get a job. The love of knowledge doesn’t even have to be in the form of success in school, but respect shown for the expanding and shaping of young minds is appreciated. What frustrates me is when people take school as a joke and don’t put in any effort at all. Granted, high school and college should be fun and they’re supposed to be the best years of our lives, but it also comes with the responsibility of doing work. Although sports may provide greatly valued benefits and opportunities, it should not be focused on over academics.

Academics provide a stable foundation for our country. We, the people, support and further our economy and culture; this begins with a good education.

his younger years, Bieber declined several offers to join Mozart’s chamber choir.

“I was determined that my solo career would take off soon,” said Bieber in a re-cent interview.

At this point, Bieber has written more symphonies than Mozart had written at the age of 17. Bieber has shown a lot of pride in his most recent symphony and brags about his strong staccato on the sixteenth notes and his subtle use of arpeggios.

Another of these music phenomena is Lil Wayne, who has been deemed one of the most amazingly innovative singers of all time—and a god amongst guitarists! Critics say that Lil Wayne’s guitar playing makes Jimmy Hendrix look like a beginner.

Last week, Lil Wayne performed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, sight read-ing Beethoven’s composition Spanish Guitar Solo. Wayne played the piece near flaw-lessly!

Afterward, Beethoven was interviewed about Wayne’s performance.

“He plays even better than I could have,” Beethoven said. “He sure knows how to make it rain on them [expletive deleted], as the kids might say these days!”

KAYLA SEAMSTERStaff Reporter

New musicians got “talent”

Dear Staff Reporter Kyle Stocker,After reading your recent InFlight article, “My undivided allegiance,”

I was appalled at the message you were sending out about the students at Auburn Riverside.

America is a country built on freedom and rights. Our freedom to speak. Our freedom to practice religion. Even the Freedom of Choice Act exemplifies our freedom to make decisions for ourselves. Having such a gracious country, in which you are able to make choices about the things you do in your everyday life, does not suddenly disappear when it comes to the flag salute in school. We students have the right to sit during the pledge of allegiance.

As children in elementary school, we are required by our teachers to stand and salute the flag. In middle school, we are expected to stand but less so expected to recite the words that go with it. In high school, we are not required to pledge our allegiance, or even stand at all. This is because in high school, we are practically adults, capable of making the choice for ourselves. And those of us who choose to sit during the pledge of allegiance should not be judged for our choice. We do not judge you for choosing to stand.

There are many reasons why students don’t participate in the flag salute each morning. And you are not expected to understand each and ev-ery one of those reasons because honestly, it’s nobody’s business whether I stand or do not stand. Many people in America have been wronged by our country. Many people have been ill-treated in the system, their needs ignored by the government. Neglected by God. Who are you to say that I am supposed to pledge my allegiance to a country that wrongly sent, say, my father to prison for a crime he did not commit? Who are you to say that I am supposed to praise a nation under God that took my mother from me at a young age? Who are you to say I have to support the government that sentenced my brother or sister to die in Iraq, to fight a war that many disagree with? Who are you to tell me that I should give the country my commitment when America pulls a Houdini trick with the taxpayers’ dol-lars and one out of eight children go to bed hungry each night? The cost of one missile could feed a school of children lunch every day for five years, and yet, our country is geared for violence and war, instead of helping its people. That is why I do not stand each morning in second period, because I am in awe with our country.

Granted, I agree that students should not be disrespectful during the pledge of allegiance by talking. But many of us just sit quietly for the two or so minutes, and after that go on with our day. It’s not fair to say that all the students who do not stand are disrespectful and are not paying “homage” to what the flag represents. I’m fairly certain that after the fourteen to eighteen years of living, most of the students have learned about the people who died for our country, and we respect them and all they sacrificed. It is not your place to tell us how and when to remember those people.

Suffice to say, I completely disagree with your stance on the flag salute.

—Kelley Pickett Junior

Rolling Stone magazine says that main-stream music is at an all-time high in tech-nicality. Mainstream artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Ke$ha, and Justin Bieber are the most innovative musicians of the past 50 years, and are even surpassing Mo-zart and Beethoven in talent.

Critics point out how much the teenage community values talent and strong compo-sition, and the latest pop and hip hop music does just that! After artists like Led Zeppe-lin and Pink Floyd dragged down the artistic image of mainstream music, many people were beginning to think mainstream music would never make a comeback.

They were wrong. “Music is at the top of its game these

days!” Rolling Stone music critic Ralph J. Gleason said. “It doesn’t get much better than drum machines and autotune to spice up your music.”

Musical geniuses electrifying the com-munity include Justin Bieber, who is at the top of his game. At only the age of 17 this kid is already working on his 33rd symphony! In

SHAYLA MCGINNESSEditor-In-Chief

36/15/11 OPINION

As many people know, Android has re-cently replaced Apple as the most popular phone. But “Why?” is a question many people have. The Android and iPhone both have dif-ferent features that make them unique, but some are better than others.

To start with, call quality is fine between both phones. There is no static or dropped calls and they both seem to perform as a smart phone should. Each have a sleek design and are almost the same size, the Android being slightly larger.

The texting on both phones is great. But the Android offers Swype which is the latest and greatest in texting. Rather than just typing each letter like on an iPhone, on an Android the user swipes between each letter, making the text much quicker and more ac-curate. It takes a little getting used to, but in the long run is well worth it.

Both phones are touch screens, but the iPhone screen is much better. The Android features a normal pressure-based screen that is very responsive, but the iPhone has a heat-based screen. This makes it much

JORDAN GREENStaff Reporter

Dueling smart phone companies duke it outmore responsive to touch, and when it is in your pocket, you aren’t calling anyone. The Android screen is much more vibrant and colorful, however. It also does not wash out in direct sunlight like the iPhone.

The main division between the phones is the operating system. Both are very similar, but the iPhone is much better. The iPhone has never frozen or bogged down, whereas whenever the Android is running more than one application at a time it freezes. But the Android is capable of getting much more ap-plications, whereas Apple phones can only run Apple applications.

The general look and flow of the Android is much better than the rows of apps on an iPhone. On an Android, different styles of apps can be downloaded rather than the run-of-the-mill boxes on an iPhone. The mov-ing live wallpapers of the Android also add another lever of customization to the phone that the iPhone does not have.

Overall, I would choose Android over the iPhone because it is much more customizable and can support many more applications. Although it does freeze every once in a while, I would choose it over an iPhone any day.

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.COM/ANDROIDVSIPHONE

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

Users wrestle over search-enginesThe internet has an infinite amount of

websites hosting a variety of topics. Thank-fully, some of these sites are dedicated to filtering through them. A handful of reliable search engines exist out there, but which one should students use? Every single day students will jump online, and their first instinct is to get onto their favorite search engine. Two engines have been in competi-tion for a while now, but is it even worth a debate?

It goes without saying that the two big-gest internet filters are Bing and Google. One claims to be more precise and accurate, while the other runs on experience and an arsenal of useful tools. These two go head-to-head, yet Bing is the only one trying to gain a public foothold. So while Bing fights an uphill battle, Google contently sits at the top.

With today’s day and age, any question can be answered on the internet. Where do most of us go to hunt for said answers? Google.com. Why? Because we’ve been using it for years, it has better and cleaner gad-gets, and it’s simple. On the other hand, we have Bing.com. First reactions will be “Ooh, what a cute animal!” or “Oh great. Microsoft has their own search engine.” These initial reactions are pretty much a perfect examina-tion of Bing. It happens to be just a flashy, Microsoft gimmick.

Here’s an assignment. Go to Bing and

find directions to some destination from another. Now do the same on Google. If this doesn’t scream case and point, then you should get your eyes checked. Bing’s map function is so bland and dull, until you fumble through its laggy settings. Google’s is accurate foot-by-foot and has smooth aerial photos. But this is just one tool! Bing has a handful of tools left, while Google has an entire factory. Under Google’s “more” tab, it holds almost 40 options. Bing possesses almost 30.

I took a quick skim through the library every day for a week to see what search

engine people were using. Only once did I see a screen with Bing’s website on it! Was I surprised? I guess what was most shocking was that anyone was using it at all. When I asked their reasoning behind such madness, their reply was simply; “I just want to see the cool pictures.” Stifling a laugh, I just nodded and walked away.

Ever since the whole “Windows Vista” fiasco, Microsoft has tried to resurrect their credibility. (Saying that, I hope my PC doesn’t hate me.) With a new ad campaign, Microsoft has been attacking Google, accus-ing it of spreading the “search overload”

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/ANDROIDVSIPHONEdisease. Google users are found in this ad with symptoms including, blank stares, social awkwardness, and inconsistent bab-bling. Though the ad is pretty witty, I feel that Bing is trying too hard to emphasize its narrowed search. Yes, Bing does come up with fewer results than Google on any given search. But neither engine can be 100 percent sure on what the user is actually looking for. So sometimes, a broader search is just as useful.

So think twice before picking a search engine. One may look better on the outside, while another can be twice as good. Google is still the reigning search engine champion, while Bing warms the bench.

Android and Apple fight it out in an epic battle of smart phones.

4 6/15/11NEWS

UPDATEASB

Shakespeare in the ParkA Midsummer Night’s Dream

Riverside Drama will be performing William Shake-speare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Roegner

Park on the 15th and 16th of July, at 6 PM. There will be a green show before the performance, where various talents will be displayed around the park, including sing-ing, dancing, and the magic of Michael Wong. There is absolutely no cost, but there will only be two opportunities to see the show, so students and staff should make to find time to attend before it’s over.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s most accessible show,” senior Aaron Bales said, the actor playing the role of Nick Bottom. “The fact that it will be performed outside makes it even more so. It’s easier to find, the audience doesn’t have to work as hard to invest in the world of the story, and it allows me as an actor to have a more direct relationship with my character.”

KYLE STOCKERStaff Reporter

Gas prices rise above averageKAYLA SEAMSTER

Staff Reporter

The national average price for a regu-lar gallon of gas hit $3.83 on May 18, ac-cording to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

With the rates of crude oil increasing up to $109.13 a barrel, the public can only expect gas rates to keep increasing.

The lowest rate within the past five years for regular gas per gallon was $1.65 in December of 2008, and the high was $4.08 in July of the same year, according to the MadisonGasPrices.com website.

Many students and parents agree that if prices of fuel continue to increase, there will be major cutbacks in things such as going out to dinner, movies, and family events.

“If fuel prices continue to increase, I will need to get a job even closer to home,” said Theresa Unger, parent of sophmore Zoe Unger. “I drive an older car which consumes more gas than any newer car. I can’t afford driving 50 miles to work and back every day and running my house-hold.”

Gas prices are predicted to hit $5 per gallon this summer, which may put many people in a hard position for money and work.

“My vehicle only gets about 18 miles per gallon,” sophomore Delaney Mccaus-land said. “With gas prices today it would cost me about $70 to fill up my gas tank completely.”

If gas prices rise this summer to $5, as some experts predict, it will cost her about $95 to fill her 19-gallon gas tank.

Due to the rising gas prices, those in the middle class either need to give in and get a more efficient vehicle or find a job closer to home in order to make ends meet.

Neil Gragg, a truck driver for Conway, drives 100 miles to work and back each day and drives a vehicle that hardly gets 18 miles to the gallon. Gas costs him about $20 each day, amounting to $140 a week strictly on gas, and $560 each month.

“That’s almost 25 percent of what I make in a month, which I would much rather spend on groceries or things for my kids,” Gragg said.

BROOKE BENEDIC TPublic Relations Officer

Juniors-mICHAEL HICKEY

-JUDO LATA

Sophomores

SeniorsI’m looking forward to

helping seniors become more involved with our school, and increasing school spirit.

Class Presidents

I’m most looking forward to getting people’s ideas and making them happen.

I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to make each individual’s life better, and giving a reason to go to school.

What are you most looking forward to next year in office?

As ASB winds down for the year of 2011, our new class representatives and Executive Board members prepare for the beginning of a new school year.

We recently had our last student coun-cil meeting of the year, in which our new members were introduced. The new mem-bers are as follows: Sam Millang (President), Emeka Egwuatu (Vice President), Tauri Woodworth (Secretary), Brett Lee (Trea-surer), Brook Benedict (Public Relations), Alice Roup, (Senior LASC Representative), Jocelyn Mitchell (Junior LASC Representa-tive), Jocelyn Patterson (RSVP Chair), and Kim Coon (Spirit Chair).

The new Executive Board had the Moving-up assembly to honor the class of 2011. Over the summer we will meet and plan for next year’s events, such as service projects, the Welcome Back assembly, and other awesome things like that.

The Executive Board for 2011-2012 is very excited for the coming year!

56/15/11

FROM 2007 TO 2011

Over the years..

School Days

Homecoming

Spirit Days

Sports Prom

Seniors

Ravens taking flight for next year$ Taupule

Atafua

Malia Mason

$ Ariel Esterbrook

“Both my parents graduated from PLU, it’s close to home, and they have a great educa-tional program.”

“I’m looking forward to the college

experience, meeting new people

and the independence.”

“It’s close to home.”

Class of 2011

Megan Amis

“Living on my own and being independent.”

Brigham Young University

Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University

University of

Washington

$76,000

$60,000

$40,000

Congratulations!

Sarah Vatne

Jeff MilesCal Poly

“It’s in the sun, it’s in California, and they have the program I’m interested in,

connectology.”

Western Washington University

“It’s close to home, but

not too close.”

What made you decide to choose this college?

Ravens taking flight for next year Brooklynn Hinkens

“It is a well-respected university.”

“It was just a perfect fit.”

Class of 2011

$150,000

$64,000Seattle University

Megan AmisBrigham Young University

California State University at Bakersfield

Congratulations!

Taylor HansenOklahoma State University

“The southern charm thing.”

What made you decide to choose this college?

“I really like where

the program is go-

ing, and the coach-

ing staff.”

Pacific University

$44,000

$ BRANDON

HAND

Ben

Klontz

“It’s a good business school and it’s far enough away but not too far.”

Montana State University

Collin Klontz

Boston College

Kat Cooper

“It put me in the best position

to play WNBA, and it’ll give me

an amazing education.”

8 6/15/11Seniors

Quoth the Raven“What is the one thing you will miss most about Riverside?”

“The friendships.”

—Meghan Marty

“Seeing friends every day,

the sports experience.”

—Josh Keller

“Bro’in out with Aub-dawg [Mr. Aubert], and the DECA studs.” —Anna Marshall

“The involvement of clubs

and activities, and the

teachers.” —Tony Sanseri

“Friends.” —Dalin Panjakane

Pros Cons

Flip the •switch!PLC days•Michael Wong •as PresidentPrincipal, Mr. •HalfordWe made it!•

No Mid-Winter •breakSeniors don’t •get out earlyGuinea Pigs for •everythingTwo lunches•5 minute pass-•ing periodsWrist bands at •prom

Of 2011

96/15/11 A & E

Everyone has a story, and senior Ean Zelenak is no exception. Zelenak has amazing abilities in video production and design. Everything in Zelenak’s filming career started when he

was eight. His dad had this camera that Zelenak started using and filming with. Zelenak’s dad always had a cam-era on him, always filming him, making videos, creating memories. Zelenak started using his father’s camera like a drug. Zelenak went through his filmography blue period. a blue period is when you get all these ideas at once and don’t know what to to with them.

When Zelenak was between the ages of nine and eleven, his dad gave him full reign with his camera. Zel-enak started filming friends. He received his first camera at the age of thirteen. This is when Zelenak realized he wanted to be a director.

Zelenak truly started his videos when he went into middle school. “We were doing a lot of nothing,” Zelenak said. “Nothing high production, just random films.”

Zelenak realized at the end of his middle school

CHARLES CASADYStaff Reporter

career that filming was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. During the Future Freshman night, Zelenak saw the video table in the Viscom room and decided he had to take the class.

Halfway through Zelanak’s freshman year he got word about the film festival; this was the second annual film fes-tival. Zelanak got the idea for Sketch. Sketch was one of his weird films. Zelenak wanted a three minute film of something that you probably had never heard or seen before. He wanted the audience to be awed by the emotions in the film.

Nervous, Zelenak waited for the other films to finish. “My favorite part of the film festivals is watching other peoples work,” Zelenak said.

Honestly, Zelenak didn’t think he was going to win, but when they called his name for first place he felt like someone had slapped him in the face. Zelenak describes his first win as “enthralling.” Throughout the rest of the film festivals, Zelenak came out on top with films like Club Soda, Isolation, and King.

Though some would let all of these wins go to their head, Zelenak is different. “I hate it when people expect themselves to win,” Zelenak said. “I don’t want to be the

It seems funny that a lot of the music programs are being cut back and losing funding across the country. Funny, because music, specifically band, helps with academics in a very direct way.

Music offers a plethora of benefits, according to Music Learning, an informational pamphlet that promotes musical participation; these include but are not limited to: commitment, positive self-worth, and academic success. Students have mandatory requirements in performing, such as concerts and class practice. They must practice at home or on their own time to improve; it’s necessary for students to learn almost everything about their instruments and, of course, the music itself.

Music is especially helpful when it comes to academics, specifically band students, who receive the highest grades, and the best scores in standardized tests. Band students also make for the best AP/Honors students.

“I believe it increases my intellectual capacity and helps in all classes,” sophomore Jordan Munson said.

Compared to sports, one might say that music is the lesser activity. This is not true. Music provides extraordinary mental benefits. It promotes positive brain function and actually stimulates connections in the brain that cannot be replicated any other way. Also, band is a place where everyone is welcome. Although sports is useful and beneficial, it is not for everyone, due to the physical aspects that cannot be reached by everyone. In music, each individual participates, unlike in sports where not everyone is put in the game or gets an opportunity to play.

Music is clearly beneficial not only in personal achievement, but also in academics.

JON STENSON

Every student has a story and it turns out there’s no exception when it comes to teachers. Choir teacher Jon Stenson is now completing his fourth year teach-

ing at Riverside. He was married last August to his wife Rikki and he has no kids.

“I do have an awesome dog named Truman,” Sten-son said. “Truman is a terrier mutt that was going to be euthanized before my wife and I adopted him. We think he is about two years old.”

Stenson went to Central Washington University to get his Bachelor’s in choral education. But he was born into a family of Oregon State University Beavers, so he roots for both schools.

At the age of ten, Stenson wanted to be an Olympic sprinter, when he was 12 he wanted to be a Navy Seal, and he wanted to be a choir director when he turned 15.

“When I was in school my favorite classes were Symphonic Choir and Southernairs (choir classes), Band, IB European History and Weight Training.”

Stenson played basketball (badly), hockey, soccer, and ran track in high school.

“I also played lacrosse in college at Central Wash-ington University,” Stenson added.

When he is not in school, he loves to play and coach lacrosse, build things, and, of course, he loves to play music. He can play the trombone, piano, drums, bass, guitar, and he has also dabbled in some Irish punk ac-cordion.

“The first instrument I learned to play was the piano, but the trombone a few years after.”

Music is one of Stenson’s biggest passions in life and he feels very blessed that he has made it his career.

“I like to think that I am making a positive difference in some student’s lives. It makes me feel very fulfilled to help people discover who they want to be and how to get there.”

Stenson adds, “I also feel very lucky to be able to teach a subject like choir that is so unbelievably awe-some!”

LISA GRAYStaff Reporter

Music is academicSHAYLA McGINNESS

Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY CHARLES CASADY

evil douche who walks in and expects everyone to bow.”In the end, Zelenak has never actually expected to

win. People tell him that as soon as he’s gone everyone else will have a chance to win the film festival, but Zelenak disagrees. He looks at the film festival as a big presenta-tion of everyone’s work. “I have never entered the film festival as a competition,” Zelenak said. “I enter because it’s what I love, and I like seeing other people’s ideas up on the screen.”

In the end, its not what he does, but what he loves. Passionate as he is about what he does, he expects he will always succeed. Zelenak’s story is his success no matter what.

PHOTO BY CHARLES CASADY

10 6/15/11A&E

JORDAN GREENStaff Reporter

CHARLES CASADYStaff Reporter

Artists have an amazing knack for what they do. When they create their art, they put all they can into it. Junior Jade Swepston is one of these artists.

Jade Swepston start-ed playing piano in 1st grade and has continued it throughout her life. When she entered 5th grade, she joined band and started singing. She played trum-pet until 7th grade when she switched to French horn; she still plays her trumpet for marching band every year.

Freshman and soph-omore year, Swepston played in Symphonic Band, but this year, as a junior, she has played in Wind Ensemble. She has competed in solo ensemble and received excellent ratings in her woodwind quartet, and a superior this year in her french horn quartet. Last year, she and the rest of the french horn quartet went to State Wind Ensemble.

Swepston also participates in drama. She started acting in second grade in an after school program. Whackadoo Zoo was her first play and she played a professor. In the summer of 2007, she performed in Peter Pan as Wendy. Swepston performed Peter Pan through Broadway in Tacoma Star program.

In 8th grade, she starred in Captain Bree and her Five Lady Pirates as Shawna who falls in love with a boy dressed like a woman. In high school, she played a fairy in Shakespeare in Hollywood, Amaryllis in Music Man, a teenager in Our Town, and Lowbutt

in HONK!. This year she starred in Once Upon a Mattress as Winnifred and will star as Helen in a Midsummer Night’s Dream this July.

Swepston started her singing in the fifth grade when she sang “Amazing Grace.” That summer she competed in Tacoma Idol and lost. The next year she went back and competed in the Jr. division and re-ceived second place. In

seventh grade, she competed again, except she went to Auburn Idol, and placed second again. Her eighth grade year, she took first and received a hundred dollars cash for win-ning, and also performed in Uniquely Auburn. She’s performed in numerous talent shows, the most notable being the past talent show where she sang “Dream On.” Jade also per-formed during the homecoming assembly.

Inspiration doesn’t come easy. It’s taken from many things but it’s not an easy thing to find. Jade Swepston is inspiring people every day, and that is what the definition of art is: inspiring people to do extraordinary things in an ordinary place.

The two main helmet cams in the busi-ness are the Contour and the Go Pro. The affordable well marketed Go Pro, and the more expensive Contour go head to head, but which one is best?

The Go Pro offers many different fea-tures. The unique on top of the head mount, and all the accessories, 3D video, plus it is very competitively priced at 300 dollars. The Contour offers many other features such as HD video, GPS and Blu-etooth.

The Go Pro is the new competi-tor in the helmet cam game. They are marketed extremely well, but how great are they? The battery on a Go Pro can hold up to two and a half hours of video and nine hours of standby. It can also take still photographs with the click of a button. They also come with a waterproof housing.

The Contour is the latest and greatest helmet cam. It is a bit more pricey at 500 dollars, but with many more features. It can hold up to two and a half hours of video. The new Contour+ features GPS, Bluetooth, live streaming and a wide angle lens. The

GPS feature allows the user to track where they are, their height from sea level, and their speed.

After uploading their video to Contour.com, there will be a virtual map showing the progression of location and speed throughout the video. The Bluetooth allows live video to be streamed to the user’s smart phone, so they can adjust the camera before dropping in to get the best experience possible. The wide angle lens allows for more video to be captured, expanding from 135 degree angle to a 170 degree angle, the Contour can cap-

ture the peripherals that no other camera can.

It is also 100 percent waterproof up to 60 feet underwater. The contour may be a bit more pricey, but it

has many more fea-tures. Both cameras feature

awesome websites with many stories and a sleek inter-

face that is very user friendly. They both make it easy to share

the user’s most extreme experiences with both friends and the public.

Overall, the Contour is the way to go. Even though it is a bit more pricey, the features are much better and the camera is overall better quality. But for someone that is on a budget, I would recommend the Go Pro.

Contour cam wins out Artist of the Issue:Jade Swepston

PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE,

PHOTO COURTESY CHARLES CASADY

WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/CONTOUR

You’ve heard the stories your parents tell about how boring their drivers ed used to be. Well, unfortunately those classes are still out there. So at SWERVE, we decided to take another approach...why not make drivers ed interesting? Why not get you involved instead of just lecturing at you?

At SWERVE, you learn how to be a great driver and it’s actually kind of fun. We make it a team effort between you, your parents, and your instructor. And guess what, it works!

SWERVE drivers consistently rank #1 in driver safety. SWERVE parents consistently rank #1 in peace of mind, which means they give you the keys more often. Check us out!!

12 6/15/11

She has been playing for over three years, and has made a lot of friends from the water polo team. Wondering

who this could be? It is junior Katia Pawlak; she has been playing water polo since she was in 8th grade, before practicing with the Lady Ravens water polo team. Her goal for the season was to become a leader and the best player possible.

“My friends and teammates inspire me,” Pawlak said. “They inspire me be-

cause when I see them working hard, that makes me want to work hard

too.”Pawlak has always loved the water and

had been on the swim

team

5th through 7th grade. Pawlak’s mom suprised her when she said said that she had decided to sign her up to practice with the water polo team.

“My mom randomly picked out and handed me my suit and goggles,” Pawlak remembers, “I was really scared the first year, but when I came back freshman year, I loved it.”

When Pawlak is not in school she likes to participate in choir. She also likes to read, swim, weightboard and hangout with friends.

If Pawlak could describe her water polo season in one word it would be “awesome.” She hopes to play water polo in two years when she goes to college.

“My goal for this season and beyond is to become a leader and the best player that I can be.”

Even though Pawlak’s mom got her into the sport, her sister plays for the Bonney Lake team, so for Pawlak, that is one way that she can relate to her.

“My friends have always been supportive and come to the games,” Pawlak said.”Also, most of my friends have made end up on the water polo team; it’s great because we have become a big group of friends and sisters.”

On game days, everyone on the water polo team dresses up, and to get pumped up for the game, Pawlak listens to music.

“Right before the girls warm up for their big game, they line up, hold hands, then jump into the pool as a team,” Pawlak said.

Pawlak has a lot on her plate. She is currently in four Advanced

Friends and family support

LISA GRAYStaff Reporter

A new breed of skater has been growing in population as of late. One can’t go down a hill without seeing at least

one. They’re everywhere!I am talking about longboarders. These

overgrown skateboards are becoming ex-tremely popular and are about to explode, now that the sun has made an appearance. Longboards come in a variety of types and everyone is different; these boards are unique down to the very last bolt.

Skateboards and longboards are two completely different worlds. Skateboards are much shorter and lighter than longboards, but longboards aren’t really meant to do sick and crazy tricks. Observers or skaters will know that skateboards are generally the same shape and length, while longboards come in dozens of lengths, weights and shapes. Each varying longboard has a specific purpose and style of riding. Styles include carving, (a basic swaying motion from side to side) sliding, (the rider leans over their board and uses special gloves to slide) downhill, (self explanatory) and even dancing (yes, people dance on these boards while going over 30mph).

Speaking of longboard speeds, the fastest land speed record achieved on a longboard is around 80 mph. This speed would terrify any hard core long-boarder. At this speed, speed-wobbles would throw anyone right off their board and into the asphalt.

Boards like these are generally made out of heavier woods (oak, maple, mahogany, etc.) and are lower to the ground. This design gives the board more forward momentum and more mass, so gravity pulls it even harder. Different designs will consist of lighter woods (bamboo, pine, mahogany) and more rounded shapes. These boards are meant for anything but downhill be-cause their tendency to get speed wobbles. The infamous wobbles are like ridding on an earthquake, and riders just pray that they’re not thrown into a car or a nice piece of asphalt. But the first thought to be tossed through a boarders mind during a crash is: “I hope my board makes it!” This is simply because these boards are not cheap. In fact their price range is between 90 and 300 dollars. Ouch.

Here in Auburn there is one perfect spot for longboarding. Lakeland Hills. Why? Because it’s basically a giant hill laden with long roads and bountiful turns, everything a longboarder craves. Students here have their own favorite spots on the hill. One very famous spot is regarded as Suicide Hill. This

hill separates the men from the sniveling pulpy mess that used to be your friend. The infamous slope can be found by Lakeland Hills Park, in the new housing development on Evergreen Way SE. Beware of student drivers and wear your brain-buckets. This place can get pretty crazy.

Nearby Top Foods atop Lakeland Hills there are a couple of calmer hills. In the semi-new development called The Estates there are wide streets plentiful with turns and quick hills. This area is perfect for carv-ing and even a little downhill. North of Top Foods is another fresh housing area with an entire grid system of hills and turns. The best part about this area is that hills vary in size. There are hills for just about any kind of board in such a small area.

Longboarding is becoming just as popu-lar as skateboarding (or more) and this is just a heads-up. More and more people will be riding these contraptions as summer ar-rives. As our streets and hills become over-run with boards, just try to resist the urge to join them.

Longboards fly through summer Pawlak’s love of water polo

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

InFlight staff member Jaymes Fleury shows off his longboard.

PHOTOS BY: KYLE STOCKER

Placement classes. “With my homework load and water

polo I kinda lost my sanity,” Pawlak said, “but I had the support of my friends, so I got through it all.”

Pawlak would also like to be involved in swim and dive in the fall, but she usually participates in school plays instead. If she can compete on the swim team, she swims the 200 IN (Individual Medley) and the 100 Butterfly.

“It’s hard balancing being a jock and a musician,” Pawlak said. “It makes it impos-sible to do everything.”

When she gets out of high school she wants to go to college and take psychology. Most likely, she’ll be balancing even more hard work in her post-high school years ahead.

SPORTS

PHOTO BY: CHARLES CASADY