azettethe royal

volume xxxvii, issue i, october 29, 2010g

haunted6-7 bullying4 crosscountry11 dogs5

olenkazambranoSTAFFREPORTERA memorial service to honor the

life of LHS teacher Susan Hillard was held October 24 in Redmond, Washington.

Hillard, an LHS Life skills teach-er, will be missed by the entire LHS community.

Before becoming a teacher, Hil-lard worked for over 30 years in the world of furniture, lighting, and rugs. Always an entrepreneur, Hil-lard opened Appleby Fair in the Pike Place Market in 1975, offering natural cosmetics, oils, and hand-made beauty products.

While the reconstruction of the Market and change of location spelled the end for her first venture, Hillard was not to be deterred. She opened Pike Place Interiors in 1978 on the new Lower Level, offering imported furniture, baskets, and decorative elements of all kinds.

But it was after Hillard’s son Jor-dan passed away short of his 21st birthday that Hillard decided to

enter the field of teaching. Suffering from complications of muscular dys-trophy, Jordan inspired a life change for Hillard. Her son’s absence dev-astated Hillard and she decided to leave the retail world and devote her life to working with children like her son.

After graduating from Highline High School in Burien, Hillard re-ceived a degree in education from Western Washington University in 2002 and began working as a spe-cial education teacher at Lynnwood High School in 2003. Previously she worked at Maplewood, where she began in 1996.

Hillard is survived by her ex-hus-bands Jean Orns and Jim Anderson, her many step-grandchildren, her siblings Ed Hillard, Barb Olmstead, April Phinney, David Hillard, and Marybeth Hillard, and many nieces and nephews.

Donations can be made in her name to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

jordynbergGAZETTECO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEFLooming, gray clouds didn’t stop

people from showing up on October 9 to the 2nd Annual Street Strut. This year’s 5k took place in Edmonds and was dedicat-ed to the memory of former LHS teacher Dr. Vic Bennet. Bennet was also an avid runner and coached the LHS cross coun-try team for three years.

About 60 p e o p l e f r o m LHS par-ticipated in the event, organized by the Edmonds Public Schools Foundation. One person who came to run was junior Shannon Davis.

“I came out to support,” she said. “I think it’s really important, espe-cially for Lynnwood kids to come out and honor Dr. B.”

LHS principal Dave Golden was also out and running. This was

Golden’s first big run in about 10 years. “[I came out] to honor him and show my support,” he said.

Catherine Smith, world his-tory teacher at LHS, played a major role in organizing the Street Strut. “We got a committee together and made posters and t-shirts,” said Smith. “Then, it was about getting support.”

The turn-out was i m m e n s e . “It was fan-tastic,” said Smith. “We had over 500 people show up.

There was great spirit and enthusiasm.” Dr. B, not known much for his

sentimental side, would’ve been moved by this event according to Smith. “I think it would’ve been a tear-jerking moment for him,” said Smith. ”I think he would’ve been a little embarrassed to have this about him. For him, it was really all about the kids.”

sidneyshea & katieenoARTEDITORSThis school year marks the one-year anniversary of being in the new

Lynnwood High School. However, it also is the final farewell to the old Lynnwood, which is currently being demolished.

Crews are working from the far side of the building to the area for-merly known as the Little Theater. The school is slowly being torn down.

“We just did the lunch room, then the main office will be last,” said Skyler Waldal, the estimate manager for DMSL Construction Inc., who is part of the demolition.

Lynnwood High School has been around for 40 years. Kids once learned inside of those now-crumbled walls. Students once walked the now-pulled down hallways. To say that the effects of seeing the old Lyn-nwood High School destroyed doesn’t affected anyone would be a great misstatement.

“It was sad,” said Rhonda Hampson chef teacher at Lynnwood and also a 1987 graduate of Lynnwood High School. “The school had per-sonality.”

The vacated space was often vandalized. “Security is our main prob-lem,” said George Marschall, maintenance manager for the Edmonds School District during an interview last June. “So we decided to board up the lower windows.”

Delays in the demolition have occurred due to problems such as asbes-tos. “Demolition could not get underway until the asbestos was removed,” said Debbie Jakala, Edmonds School District community relations man-ager.

While removal of unwanted parts of the Lynnwood was underway, many in the LHS community were concerned about the good things that were left behind.

During the bids for the demolition project last spring, tours of the building were held and concerns were raised. As of last summer, there were still white boards, desks, lockers, and even a few text books left be-hind.

“Most of it went to salvage stores,” said Waldal, “We also put things up on Craigslist and EBay.” According to Waldal, the most common buyers for Lynnwood’s old bits and pieces were other schools and a day care that came to get white boards, desks, and chairs.

DMSL also recycled a lot of the building. According to Waldal, all of the wood, brick, steel and concrete were taken care of properly.

Just because the school is being torn down though, doesn’t mean that the memories will be gone. “There are a lot of good memories,” said Hampson. “When it’s your school there are a lot of memories--your teen-age years, spending time on the softball fields, and all the homecomings.”

”“I think it’s really important, especially for Lynnwood kids to come out and honor Dr. B.

LHS struts for Dr.B Life Skills teacher passes away

Hillard’s lifeBorn in Chicago in 1948.

Graduated from Highline High School in Burien.

Gave birth to her son, Jordan, who suffered from Muscular Dys-trophy.

Opened an interior de-sign shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Paraeducator at Ma-plewood Center and got Harley, her adored Yorkshire terrier.

Began working at LHS and graduated from UW.

Passed away at her home during the sum-mer of 2010.

Susan Hillard, 1948-2010

Razing the past Demolition at LHS continues despite minor setbacks

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madisonbinghamSTAFFREPORTERThe new and improved Lynnwood High School is so popu-

lar that people are being denied enrollment. Does that really shock you though? We all don’t realize how fortunate we are, but if you took a step back and looked at this beautiful school, you would appreciate it more. If you don’t, there are plenty of people willing to take your spot.

“Since June until now, I have denied seven students enroll-ment to this school,” said Lynnwood High School’s Registrar Denise Kieneker. Kieneker said the seven were not in the LHS attendance area. “I have accepted 13, most of them were grand-fathered though.”

For those who don’t exactly know what grandfathered means, it’s pretty much saying that one person has seniority over the other.

For example, a junior who moved out of the area but went to LHS their freshman and sophomore years woud have prior-ity over a student who had never attended LHS but wanted to do so.

Being accepting to LHS is a long process. “You would have to submit a form to be accepted to this school,” said Kieneker. “Every transfer that I do, it has to be approved by the district. There are multiple district offices though.”

Kieneker said whether or not one can attend LHS basically comes down to where you live.

“Your address is the defining factor of which school you’re going to attend. I cannot deny anyone who lives in [the bound-ary area],” said Kieneker.

If a person wants to go to Lynnwood High, the best hope is moving close to the school. Another way to be approved is if you’re a freshman and you have siblings in an older grade.

Because enrollment is at 1,589, up 75 students from last year, there just isn’t room for many more students. “I won’t be able to accept many more people,” said Kieneker. “The only way to get in this school as of now is if the student is grandfathered, or if one of our original students requests to go to a different school.”

Math teacher Jennifer Pullen has noticed the increase in stu-dents and feels like the climate of a big school can be difficult for students. “It can be hard to get students involved when it is hard to know where to go and who to talk to,” said Pullen. But Pullen feels LHS does a pretty good job getting the word out.

LHS population explodes

noraselanderEDITORIALEDITOR Lynnwood High School students were

shocked when new signs were posted at their favorite place to buy lunch, the Agora’s a la Carte station. The signs said that hot water now costs $.30 and utensils and condiments cost $.05 each.

Students were outraged. “I think it’s ridicu-lous because water is free,” said freshman Bai-ley Showstead.

Most people these days are trying to cut costs and bringing lunch instead of buying is one way some students cut down on expens-es.

Sophomore Rhett Day likes to bring a Cup O’ Noodle for his lunch. With the current pric-ing system of 30 cents for hot water and 5 cents for a fork, each meal costs him an extra $.35. If Day was to bring his own Cup O’ Nooodle to school every single day for the whole year, that adds up to $63 a year, not including the cost for the actual Cup O’ Noodle or anything else Day would buy with his lunch. That $63 a year

is total profit for Edmonds School District be-cause water is free.

“These charges aren’t right,” commented junior Erik Engstrom.

According to Anita Matheny, manager of the LHS Cafeteria, the charges are labor costs. “It takes time to prep a Cup O’ Noodle,” said Matheny. “We charge for labor time.”

Even though students are complaining a lot this year, these charges aren’t new. “The charges were in effect last year, the signs just weren’t up,” said lunch worker Julie Williams. Williams said these charges are at every high school in the district.

In addition, charging for condiments seems silly because on top of buying the food, a stu-dent must also buy condiments. Even teachers are not immune from the charges.

“Teachers must pay for utensils if they want to have class parties or eat anything in class,” said lunch worker Terry Slater. “We charge so that they won’t stockpile the condi-ments in their classrooms. We also have to pay for them so it’s only fair.”

anastasiafunsethSTAFFREPORTERLynnwood High School would never be

featured on an epi-sode of CSI, but, like any high school, we do have our share of criminal mischief.

Of all the crimes that have occurred in our school, according to School Resource Officer Becky Lewis, theft is at the top. The most popular items to be stolen are cell phones and iPods.

“They’re small and easy to steal,” said Offi-cer Lewis. With each generation of phone and music player getting smaller and smaller, it’s no wonder why they’re stolen so much.

“People don’t keep track of them because they’re so small,” said Lewis. Even though owners watch their technology like a mom

watches her newborn, theft of these items still occur even when precautions are taken. Ac-cording to Lewis, at least once a day a report

about a stolen elec-tronic item is filed.

Lewis has some advice on keeping electronics from walk-ing away. “Don’t bring them number one,” said Lewis.

Everyone, however, knows that is not going to happen.

According to Lewis, there are other ways to prevent your things from getting stolen. “If you choose to bring it, keep it secure,” said Lewis. This means keep your items with you and know where they are. “Lastly, write down the serial number so when it is stolen we could track it and possibly return it to the owner,” said Lewis.

>>>beckylewis”“...keep your items with you and know where they are.

Protect property from prying eyesTempers rise over hot water fee

Freshman Ashley Evanger stands in the Agora as students mill around her. LHS’ student body has grown by more than 100 students in the last five years, and is now the second largest school in the district.

Since 2007 (at left) enrollment at LHS has increased by more than 100 students. Prospective students are being turned away as LHS reaches capacity.

Crime Watch

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g3opinionoctober 29, 2010

sidneysheaSPREADEDITORMath book, history book, English

book, science book--how many more books can we take? Well, our backs can-not take too many more.

According to the U.S. Consumer

Product Safety Comission in 2008, 7,000 injuries were caused from heavy backpacks, not counting all of the neck, shoulder and back pain that went unre-ported.

Nine years later it seems we’re in a dif-ferent world.

The books are heavier, and it seems that with no lockers to store the books, all the pressure is being put right onto our backs.

However, if we had lockers at the new Lyn-nwood High School, would we use them?

“At the old school less than 50 percent of students used the lockers,” said Dave Golden, principal at LHS. “Lockers are just too expen-sive to keep up.”

Lockers would seem to help though, con-

sidering the ACA also said that most kids are carrying half of their body weight in their backpacks.

As for me, I strained my back and having to carry around a heavy backpack is not helping my recovery one bit.

“We often tell people with back pain to not carry heavy things,” said Alethea Nelson, a physical therapy assistant at Edmonds Or-thopedic Therapy. “Try not to carry as many

heavy books, and especially carrying things over the shoulder doesn’t help.”

Seems easy but it’s not that simple to say no to your chemistry teacher and tell her that you just can’t bring your book to class because of your bad back.

There are some things that have helped me though. I have been learning ways to help my back pain during my three months of recovery. These back-friendly tips I am using include:

Watch the posture.•Take off the backpack whenever you •have a chance to relieve the pres-sure.Get a supportive backpack (It seri-•ously really helps!).Give your feet a break and wear good •supportive shoes once and a while.

christinemartinGUESTCOLUMNISTWhen I was a teenager, I did not know that I would even-

tually become fluent in Spanish, or that I would teach Span-ish. I took Spanish 1 in ninth grade. I was planning to go to

a four-year university, so I chose Spanish for my foreign language credit. I took three years of Span-ish in high school. I enjoyed the classes, but it was not evident at this point that I wanted to con-tinue with my Spanish studies.

As an undergraduate at the University of Washington, I declared English as my major. I continued taking Spanish classes and decided to minor in Spanish. I knew I wanted to become a teacher and that Spanish would be useful. During my senior year, I decided to change from a minor in Spanish to a double major in English and Spanish.

Even with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish, I wasn’t fluent. I could read and write well, but I wasn’t a confident speaker.

This bothered me since I had worked so hard in all my Spanish classes. Shortly after graduation, I began looking for a program in a Spanish-speaking country where I could live for several months.

I traveled to Argentina with the Amity Institute. I lived with a host family for five months and was an assistant teacher at a bilingual school. While living in Argentina, I finally became fluent in Spanish. My confidence grew as I used the language every day.

Today, I am still in contact with my host family from Argen-tina, and I’m teaching Spanish 1 at Lynnwood this year. I’ve studied Spanish for over half my life.

I know that my Spanish will never be perfect, so I continue to ask questions and learn new words. Spanish has opened many doors for me. I have used my Spanish skills in my work since I returned from Argentina. My host sister from Argen-tina now lives in Spain, so I visit her whenever possible.

If you are taking a foreign language class, or thinking about taking one, consider the following quote from Confucius: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Who knows how your new language might change your life!

World language opens doors

kelseyparkerASBPUBLICRELATIONSLooking ahead, I can see a lot of fun things coming up for

ASB. With the stress of Homecoming over, we’re moving on to new projects like Macho Volleyball, PPP, and Hoops for Hu-

manity, but we can’t do it alone. We rely on student participation to make these things work. Espe-cially with new activities, we need students to step up and branch out. One of our biggest goals this year is to include as many people as possible. I encourage students

to ask ASB any questions, keep your eye out for posters, and get your friends together to go to a sports game, a play, or just sign up to participate in a new club!

ASB plans busy year

Can your homework cause back pain? It might be your backpack

Need some good advice? Ask Cody

codyholm

ADVICECOLUMNIST

Q: Why do we have to go to school so early?

A: According to Principal Dave Golden, it’s a bus issue.In the Edmonds district, the

same busses are used by el-ementary, middle, and high school students. In order for the elementary students to go to school at their time, we have to go earlier.

Since we obviously can’t use busses at the same time, we

use them first, and then the middle schools use them, and then the elementary schools.

Golden said school could start later but we would then be in class until four or five in the evening.

Q: How do you get on the good side of teachers?

A: Although some teachers are different than others, I’m sure all will appreciate you coming to school prepared, do-ing your work, being nice, and always wearing a smile.

Marketing teacher Mr. Don Ide appreciates a bit of posi-tive energy. “I always love a student who comes to school with a smile,” said Ide.

Most teachers would agree. It’s all about attitude. Stu-dents don’t have to have a smile for the whole year, but if they do for the first couple days, it will stick in the teacher’s mind and they will see you as a happy student for the rest of the year.

Have a question or need advice? Just ask Cody. Contact Cody through The Royal Gazette. Place your question in Ms. Wright’s mailbox or send an e-mail to wrights@edmonds.wednet.edu.

Try not to carry as many heavy books, and es-pecially carrying things over the shoulder doesn’t help.

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One of our biggest goals this

year is to include

as many people

as possible.>>>kelseyparker

ASBPUBLICRELATIONS

>>>aletheanelsonEDMONDS ORTHOPEDIC THERAPY

See your name on this page! Write to The Gazette

“ ”>>>sisterofvictim

One day kids decided that he was the one who needed to be picked on.

You always hear teachers say, “Bullying is bad,” “don’t be a bully” and as you sit there lis-tening to the stories, you remember that one kid who you never helped out, maybe that one kid you bullied, or maybe even that kid who bullied you.

When you think back, you just think of that one person. You don’t think about their family or friends or others who have been affected as well. The brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers also feel the stress of dealing with the bullying and worry about their family member who is go-ing through something unimaginable.

I feel it. I have been through it, playing the role of the sister who is the support system for her brother who is being bullied in school.

My brother is bullied. It’s hard to admit it, but it’s true. It’s not something schools can hide behind and say it could never happen at their school. I used to believe that bullying was just something teachers talked about. I never thought it happened. Well here is the reality. It is.

My brother plays sports, is okay in school, loves hanging out with his friends, yet one day

kids decided he was the one that needed to be picked on. I live each day with my brother. He is terrified to go to school. I am terrified for him to go to school. I don’t know what the bullies’ next move will be.

Each time something new happens, I want to break down. I want to take care of the kids my-self, have them be made fun of for being beat up by a girl. I want to them feel something for once and have the tables turned on them.

On the other hand, I want to cry my heart out. But can I? I am his support, so no I can’t. I am his go-to person, the person to distract him and make him focus on something better. I have to show him to never, ever give up hope--the hope that something better will come from it. The thought that maybe these kids will stop. I want to believe that karma will work its magic. I pray that something will work my brother’s way.

My brother has been through more than I have ever experienced. Being there for him through it all is the worst thing I could have ever gone through. But I look up to him because of it. I personally don’t think I could ever handle be-

ing bullied.If you are going through this, I know what

you are going through and I feel for you. Bullies don’t get that it doesn’t just affect the victim for

their lifetime, but their family as well. I would never wish what I have gone through, what my brother has gone though, what my family has gone through, on anyone.

As the sister of a victim of a bully, it is our family’s worst nightmare.

g 4 editorialoctober 29, 2010

nikkinguyenSTAFFREPORTEREntering your first year of high school is very frightening. It is a new

school, new environment, new people, and new teachers.“I was nervous my first day...it was really different than what I’m used to

and was weird for me, especially since I was at the same school as my sis-ter!” said freshman Kelsey Dumo. “And the fact that I was going to school with 18 year olds was crazy. But anyway, my first day was actually kind of boring but it got better as the week went on!”

Going from middle school to high school is a big change. But if Dumo had to choose between high school and middle school, she’d choose high school.

“So far I think high school is better,” said Dumo. “If I had to choose be-

tween going back or staying, I’d stay because the activities we have in high school are way better than middle school. I like the overall environment better. I like the freedom we get. I also like knowing that all the hard work I do counts, unlike last year.”

There are lots of memories that are made in middle school, and leaving it behind was tough for Dumo. “I miss a few of the teachers and some of the friends I made,” said Dumo. “I also miss how involved I was, because this year I’ve been pretty low-key and haven’t really participated in much, but hopefully that’ll change.”

According to Dumo, the best thing about high school so far was home-coming week and the homecoming assembly. “My first homecoming was amazing!” said Dumo. “I especially enjoyed the assembly. I loved the school spirit!”

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEFjordynbergmahlialinmaynor

NEWSEDITORSjordynbergmahlialinmaynor

FEATURESEDITORkhirenchavda

EDITORIALEDITORjocelyno’donnell

OPINIONEDITORnoraselander

A&EEDITORSalexacraigpaigemorgan

SPORTSEDITORelijahbruington

SPREADEDITORsidneyshea

UPDATESEDITORsamanthadawnpickering

PHOTOEDITORSkatieenocollincastorchelseazirbes

ARTEDITORsidneyshea

BUSINESSMANAGERchelseagoodright

STAFFREPORTERSmadisonbinghamanastasiafunseth dylanganscodyholmrachellockhartshilohmartinezadammillernikkinguyensofiasbaicarlyvoganolenkazambrano

ADVISERSstacywrightmarkisakson

jocelyno’donnellOPINIONEDITORA superstition can be defined basically as an

irrational belief triggered by the existence of un-seen forces, usually related to evil spirits. These spirits and beliefs are thought to control an outcome of events or someone’s fate, usually in a nega-tive way. This is not always the case, however. With some super-stitions, actions are taken to pro-duce a positive outcome.

During this time of year, it seems like everyone is a little bit more superstitious than usual. It is as if our senses are at their height.

A little voice in the back of the average student’s mind says, “May-be that is possible.” The things we may consider just “nonsense” still make us wonder this time of year.

Black cats crossing your path, breaking mirrors, opening um-brellas indoors, stepping on cracks: how did all these negative superstitions come about? One may ask.

Black cats crossing your path came from an-cient Egyptian times. They represent the Egyp-tian goddess Bast, who, with her dark hair, was recognized as a black cat. She was considered to be a demon. Therefore, a black cat crossing one’s path would create evil in an unsuspecting per-son’s life.

One’s reflection in a mirror is considered a representation of someone’s spiritual state, therefore, breaking a mirror was thought to bring damage to your soul.

Opening an umbrella indoors dates back to when people used umbrellas to block out the

sun. Some believed that if you were to open the umbrella inside, the action would offend the sun gods.

Stepping on a crack also originates from an-cient times. It represents the fear of letting your

soul out of the four corners of a square, which represented the body. During ancient times, the four corners were a symbol of bodily perfection and balance. This superstition is probably con-sidered one of the most common of our time. Who hasn’t heard, “Step on a crack; break your mother’s back”?

“I’ve never stepped on a crack in the sidewalk before, but in 8th grade, I stepped on a crack to prove to my classmates that it wasn’t true; that your mom’s back wouldn’t break,” said senior Jeremy Monarch. “A week later, my mom had se-vere pain in her back and had spine surgery. I felt

so stupid afterwards.”Sophomore Lisa Lima is also superstitious.“One of my major superstitions is conspira-

cies, I guess,” said Lima. Despite so many negative and unlucky super-

stitions, there are also ones to prevent bad luck, such as knocking on wood.

The idea of knocking on wood originates from the ancient Greek belief that if someone was to touch an oak tree, they communicated with Zeus, who would pro-tect them from misfortune.

Although this Greek be-lief and most superstitions in general are very old, a more modern practice would be making a wish at 11:11.

“Making a wish at 11:11 is really common, I think,” said sophomore Christian Fran-zwa. “I know a lot of people who make a wish at 11:11

every day.”The number eleven is

thought to possess the qualities of intuition, spirituality, honesty, patience, sensitivity, and idealism.

“I believe in 11:11,” said sophomore Ramil Koeing, “None of my wishes have come true yet, but I still believe because of faith I guess.”

For some people, however, 11:11 wish-ing has made some financial wishes come true already. “It’s like every time I wish at 11:11, it comes true,” said Monarch. “But only at 11:11 pm. Once, I wished to find money and then a few days later, I found a scratch ticket on the ground and it was a winner.”

gthe royal gazette

Old superstitions bring both the good and the bad luck

A message written by the sister of a bullying victim...

The superstitious think opening umbrellas indoors brings bad luck.

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A day in the life of a new Lynnwood High freshman

The Royal Gazette’s duty is to expand student perspectives, main-tain community relations, and act as a student publication advocating voice. Besides providing an oppor-tunity for the exchange of view-points, The Gazette serves as an ac-ademic tool by which students can voice opinions as well as highlight issues facing today’s students.

5featuresoctober 29, 2010

paigemorganA&EEDITORGoing into high school, or any grade for that matter, we all say we will be true to ourselves. That may be true but have you

ever realized that a new school year sometimes changes the way you dress, your look, or even your attitude?“I feel more shy this year,” said freshman Desirae Duncan. It’s hard to go from a school where you knew everyone to being

the youngest in a huge school. “I came to a new school and I don’t really have [many] friends,” said Duncan. The best thing to do is to branch out of your comfort zone and talk to new people and make new friends. For all you know,

the next person you talk with could end up being your new best friend. Changing who you are every year can make you feel like you don’t know who you are at all. “I have accepted myself for

who I am,” said sophomore Becca McDowell, who did not make any drastic changes before school started. This is probably one of the best things to do. Stop trying to please everyone and just please yourself. Don’t listen to what others think and just go with your gut feeling.

Not all of us are social butterflies, but it’s not a bad idea to think a little more out of the box. “I was new last year but then I joined band and softball,” said junior Karina Morel.

Joining activities outside of school can really help a new student make friends. Sports are good to join because teams become like families and you spend a lot of time with them. They really get to know who you are.

For seniors who will graduate this year, there’s nothing like showing off a positive attitude. “I feel on top of the world,” said senior Brooklynn Barlett. Having an upbeat attitude will really make you seem like a likeable person. Don’t be afraid to have fun and be silly around people. It’s a nice quality to have. Just don’t take it to the extreme and act too weird. That might make people shy away.

katieenoPHOTOEDITORAround the school you have probably seen a new member of the staff walking around with our new drug and

alcohol counselor Mr. Steve Londino. He has a lot of hair, wears a vest with a rainbow, and wags his tail. Did I men-tion he has four legs? His name is Ari.

Some students are surprised that a dog of Ari’s size is a working dog.“I think that the typical service dog would be a Labrador, or something, because they are good companions and

are very helpful physically,” said sophomore Soren Steelquist.Ari is an Icelandic sheepdog and has the role at LHS of a service therapy dog.“It’s easier for people to talk to me when Ari is around,” said Londino. “He has a calming influence on people.”The job of a therapy dog is to provide people with comfort in stressful places and situations. Ari has been known

to come into classrooms before big tests to help the students focus. When Ari is around, the atmosphere is less stressed. “Some people describe him as a chill dog,” said Londino.

Ari has lived with Londino since Ari was three months old. Londino said Ari was working by six months. “He worked with me at Glacier Peak and Snohomish high schools,” said Londino. “The kids love him. He’s a good dog.”

sofiasbaiSTAFFREPORTERThere are all kinds of cultures, traditions and backgrounds

at LHS. Diversity is what makes Lynnwood High School unique.

Joining a staff with a wide range of talents and skills, Billy Seago is an ASL teacher who spent a good part his life as a working actor.

Seago just wasn’t just any actor, however, he is a well-known deaf actor who performed in TV shows, movies, and plays. Seago has acted in so many plays and movies that the list could go on forever. He has also traveled all over the world performing. He has acted in a TV movie called And Your Name is Jonas, a TV program titled “The Sign of our Times” and has performed in the Seattle Children’s Theatre produc-tion of Stella Luna.

In addition to teaching and acting, Seago is a lecturer and a storyteller.

Seago said he became interested in acting 30 years ago. Seago said while he is now enjoying teaching, he misses the acting. “I wish I could continue acting, but there are not a lot of jobs, it’s very limited,” said Seago through his interpreter Cindy Porter. “I was fortunate to act/teach. But, I had to find something more stable.”

This year Seago joins Ms. Heidi Oshie as an ASL instruc-tor.

Seago teaches fourth-hour ASL at LHS and one period of ASL at Mountlake Terrace High School. In addition, he is also an instructor at North Seattle Community College.

Seago is enjoying his time teaching. “It’s been wonderful to see the students work and their growth at ASL,” said Seago.

alexacraigA&EEDITORTrends are made and trends fade. New trends come and old trends come back into style. While Silly Bandz have

swept across schools everywhere, becoming the fall’s big, new trend, the friendship bracelet is back from the past.Silly Bandz are those stretchy rubber bands that come in almost any shape and size. “My favorite is a purple

kitty,” said sophomore Alley Hill. Silly Bandz are the new thing.

When you take them off your wrist, they turn into different shapes, basically anything you can think of. When you put the Silly Band on, it looks like a funky bracelet.

Some people wear a lot of silly bands to express creativity, while others just wear ones they like. “I usually don’t wear a lot like people do,” said Hill, “I wear them to match my clothing.”

Sophomore Ashley Armato said the bands are social. “Silly Bandz are cute,” said Armato. “I like all the different shapes and colors. It’s fun to trade them and give others a few.”

Unlike Silly Bands, which are bought in stores, friendship bracelets are made using string.

There are plenty of reasons why people make bracelets and who they are made for. “I make them for all my friends that want one,” said Armato. “Actually, anyone who asks,

I’d probably make one for them. They are fun to make and I like making other people happy.”

“I have made one for my driver’s ed instructor,” said sophomore Becca McDowell. “He says he will wear it until it falls off.”

To different people giving and receiving friendship bracelets is a big deal and means a lot. “It means that you are my friend,” said McDowell. “[It is] fun to say that you have them from different people.”

Armato agrees. “It makes me feel special,” said Armato. “That person took time out of their life to make something for me.”

For Armato, giving a friendship bracelet feels better than receiving one. “I like it when people say thank you and that they like it,” said Armato.

A good gift for a friend is a friendship bracelet made with love. “I like to make them for people’s birthdays,” said McDow-ell.

Dog year: Ari comes to Lynnwood High

Ari the Dog

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This year Silly Bands and friendship bracelets adorn the most fashionable wrists. Giving and trading bands is popular.

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New year, new youFall can inspire fresh start and fresh outlook

Popular actor joins LHSMeet Billy Seago

Bracelets band students to each other

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g6october 29, 2010

HOW SCARED ARE YOU?rachellockhartSTAFFREPORTEREverybody looks for a good scare on Halloween,

but this year instead of braving the Field of Screams, try bringing your search a little closer home. It turns out you can find some pretty hair-raising stuff right here at LHS.

From losing cell phone service and dropping calls to full-on hauntings, LHS has it all. But where does high school end and the supernatural begin? You might want to start in Ms. Schou’s photography room.

“The windows will be closed, no air blowing in the room, and then the door will slam,” said Donna Schou. Nothing seems out of the ordinary until you

realize that nobody has entered or left the room. “Maybe it’s the ghost of famous photographer Ansel Adams,” joked Schou. If a mysterious slamming door isn’t spooky enough for you, how about a haunted theater?

Behind the curtain there are blue lights. The lights allow the actors to see back stage without disturbing the production. But it’s not the actors you need to worry about. “The lights turn on and off randomly,” said LHS sophomore drama student Lydia Klein. Any applied production student can tell you that some-thing seriously weird is taking place. “You will go to turn the lights on, but right as you are about to, they come on by themselves,” said Klein.

Door slamming and flickering lights still haven’t got you spooked? Try your luck in Mr. Chan’s room. Mr. Clint Chan has been dealing with hauntings ever since he moved into his new classroom last year. His

lights will cut out at random times during the day, and, if you listen really hard, you can hear a howling coming from his vents. Is it the wind or perhaps, a pesky poltergeist? “I will be sitting at my desk during class and in my peripheral vision I will see a student raise their hand, but when I turn, the student is not there,” said Chan.

If your legs still aren’t shaking, you can brave the second floor corridor. The northwest hall at the far-thest end of the school seems to be the epicenter of all the supernatural activity. Richie Stevenson is the night custodian for that hallway and he has experienced things that would make your hair stand on end.

One night while he was cleaning, he heard a bath-room stall slam. When he went to check it out, the bathroom was completely empty. “The girls’ bath-room is also unusually cold and the farther in you are, the colder it gets,” said Stevenson. According to Ste-venson, lights in the boys’ bathroom and in the semi-nar room will randomly come on after he has turned them off. “There are light sensors, but I am pretty sure they don’t work through walls,” he said. More recent-ly, Stevenson has witness that every evening at 9:00 pm, the same chair is pulled away from the table in the upstairs northwest hallway to exactly the same spot.

According to Debra Born who was the project manager for the construction of the new LHS, she is not surprised to hear about the spooky occurrences. “During construction the crew always felt a supernat-ural presence,” said Born.

LHS has always been known for their spirit, but could we be known for our ghostly spirit too?

A NEW SCHOOL BRINGS NEW HAUNTINGS

Many legs mean many fears

SOPHOMORE CHRISTINA BORSAN IS AFRAID OF SLUGS

ENIGLISH TEACHER LINDSAY HUNTER IS DEATHLY AFRAID OF BIRDS

g 7october 29, 2010

HOW SCARED ARE YOU?jordynbergCO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEFIndiana Jones isn’t the only one afraid of

snakes. Senior Nate Schmidt is too. For about 10 years, Schmidt has had a fear of the slither-ing, slimy creatures.

“They don’t have legs,” said Schmidt. “It’s not natural.”

When Schmidt was younger, he found a snake in his backyard. “I thought it’d be fun to hold it by the tail,” he said. In the end, fun wasn’t how Schmidt felt about the situation.

rachellockhartSTAFFREPORTERMost kids can’t wait to turn sixteen to finally

have a license in their pocket. But LHS senior Chloe Johnson can think of a thousand things she would rather do than be behind the wheel. She has driving phobia.

Chloe was on her way home from the Royal Rally last year, when she was sideswiped on 164th St. “It totally came out of nowhere,” she recalled.

Chloe hasn’t driven since. “I was actually a pretty confident driver,” she said, “but when that happened, everything just went down the toilet.”

Chloe’s fear also reaches beyond her own

khirenchavdaFEATURESEDITORWith their small crawling legs and squirmy

bodies, bugs are some of the most common fears for teenagers. It isn’t hard to find someone scared of spiders, but one student at Lynnwood High School is scared of bugs with more than eight legs. Aaron Wong fears millipedes.

The proper name of this fear is myriapodo-phobia.

People who fear bugs usually scream and

SSSUPER SSSSSLITHERING SSSNAKESS

DRIVING DEATH ON WHEELS

Many legs mean many fears

He’s not the only one who’s afraid of snakes. Although science teacher Mike Caesar is known around LHS for having some in his class, there was a time when he did fear them.

“I’ve had [the snakes] for 19 years,” said Cae-sar. “A student teacher needed a place to keep them.” And he’s had them ever since.

Although Schmidt and Caesar have both been scared of snakes, only Caesar has over-come the fear and has advice for Schmidt.

“Fear is good,” Caesar said. “I think he should expose himself to his fear to overcome it.”

driving. It is hard for her to ride in other cars as well. “I have to look away when they are merg-ing,” she said. “It makes me jumpy.” However, someday Chloe does see herself trying to find the confidence to get behind the wheel once again.

That day may be closer than she thinks. With a little help, anything is possible.

Driving can be scary but if you do your best to be safe, it becomes a lot easier. “I always wear my seatbelt and obey the speed limit,” said ju-nior Jessica Thornberry. “As long as I make good decisions, I feel safe.”

Everyone has something they are afraid of, but when you find the courage to face it, fear will just have to take the back seat.

run, but for Wong it’s a different case. “I start to twitch,” said Wong. He has had spiders and other bug encounters, but millipedes are his worst fear.

Student Maquel Spiegleberg doesn’t find milliipedes scary at all. “They’re harmless,” said Spiegleberg, a junior at Lynnwood High School, “and you can kill them instantly.”

Spiegelberg said she has advice for comfort-ing sufferers of myriapodophobia. “Don’t wor-ry,” said Spiegelberg, “you are more powerful.”

Junior Cooli Sledge is afraid of clownsns

Sophomore William McKnight is afraid of all things in water

Tell us how your halloween went!FIND US ON TWITTER@LHS_GAZETTE

g 8 featuresoctober 29, 2010

HOMECOMING WEEK

Who: Senior Annalise ParryQ: What was your favorite day of

Spirit Week?A: Black and Gold Day because

everyone participates; it shows your school spirit.

Who: Senior Jonathan Peña Q: Why is school spirit important?A: Because it brings everyone to-

gether; we are all connected to the school.

Who: Junior Lashaye RolandQ: What was the most memo-

rable part about homecoming?A: The first day of it. It was a

nice way to start of the year.

Who: Freshman Kylee DateQ: How do you think home-

coming went this 2010-‘11 school year?

A: It was great. This school has a lot of spirit!

Who: Freshman David WoodyQ: Do you like dressing up for

Spirit Week?A: Yeah.Q: Why?A: Why not?!

Homecoming Q&A shilohmartinezSTAFFREPORTER

Top: Seniors celebrate after they win the coveted spirit boot. Left: Junior class during the homecoming assembly. Bottom: Se-nior Pa’akiha Piilani per-forms during the homecom-ing assembly.

chelseazirbesPHOTOEDITORAs any student at Lynnwood High School will

tell you, there is one prize that every class wishes to possess--the Spirit Boot.

A little gold spray paint trans-formed an old work boot into the most-coveted award at Lynnwood High School.

This year when Mr. Golden an-nounced that seniors had won the spirit boot, the class celebrated and now it’s going to cost the class of 2011.

“When the seniors won the boot they were overcome with emotion and ran into the Agora with celebra-tion,” said senior class adviser Lindsay Hunter.

Because of the senior celebration, three cafeteria tables were damaged.

“The seniors jumped up on 10 tables,” said Head

Custodian Dale Landry. “They’re lucky only 3 were broken.”

Originally, the senior class was told that the tables would cost 2,000 dollars each to fix. Earlier this month a representative from the manufacturing company assessed the tables and we won’t know for

another month the tr ue cost. Landry said two of the three

broken tables might be able to be repaired. “On two of the tables we may just be able to replace the legs,” Landry said. “But one is so damaged we couldn’t even roll it away.”

Landry also had a message for the senior class. “I want the seniors to know I’m not trying to

gouge them,” said Landry. “I’m sorry it happened but we need those tables.”

Booted and brokenSenior celebration damages tables

”“...one is so

damaged we couldn’t even roll it away.

>>>dalelandry

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Dave’s Burgers19509 44th Ave. West, Lynnwood

(In the Highline Plaza)

CALL-IN ORDERS WELCOME!(425) 672-1470

$5 Meal: cheeseburger, fries and a small sodaHalf off of one menu item with ASB card!

samanthadawnpickeringUPDATESEDITORHorror films have been around as long as the onset of

films themselves, and as time progresses, audiences seem more difficult to shock. There are a couple of films, however, that have survived the test of time and serve as templates to newer generations of horror films.

Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock’s classic slasher film, is one of the most well-known horror films ever produced. The movie was inspired by Robert Bloch’s novel of the same name, based on the life of Ed Gein, one of the most legend-ary serial killers. Psycho revolutionized and changed the hor-ror film industry forever. “Psycho is wonderful,” said science teacher and movie fan Peter Bonifaci, “It’s black and white and creepy.”

Though there have been many films made as attempts to recreate the classic slasher flick, the horror films of this century will only be able to touch the surface of Hitchcock’s masterpiece.

“The most frightening thing in [a] movie is when it’s about things that could happen to anyone,” said sophomore Ryan Kuan. “I would say The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would be my favorite horror movie because it showed pain in a kind of torturous way and it seemed like it could happen to any-one,” said Kuan.

Horror films strive to evoke the feelings of fear, curiosity, and terror from audiences. While a lot of people squirm un-comfortably in their chairs while watching scary movies, we can’t seem to get enough of them.

“There are two kinds of movies,” said Bonifaci, “the kinds today make you jump and are gross. The best movies get in your head and mess with your mind; you get paranoid.”

Others like the suspense. “I think the scariest thing about horror movies is when you feel like you know something creepy is going to happen but you don’t exactly know when,” said freshman Kailey Martell. Horror movies are perfect jew-els to satisfy our anxieties.

Other classics like John Carpenter’s Halloween and Wil-liam Friedkin’s The Exorcist do a great job at scaring the wits out of their viewers. Halloween, a very well-known suspense/slasher, is most known for its eerie theme music and sus-penseful killing scenes, something that many movies today lack.

“I think we still pretty much have the same fears as people in the past,” said Kuan. “We’ve always had a fright for things we don’t understand and I think that is one of the most com-mon reasons for horror.”

Friedkin’s classic movie The Exorcist was and still is con-sidered to be one of the most terrifying horror movies of all time. The Exorcist cleverly plays off of people’s emotions and deepest fears.

The first Saw (2004) movie, directed by James Wan is one of the many newer horror films of our generation’s making. The story focuses on two men who awaken bound captives in a decaying bathroom and are given instructions by their kidnapper to help them escape. The Saw films are guided by different directors and have similar plots. Known for its grue-somely creative plot, Saw is definitely a must-see.

Thrills, chills, and see spooky filmsg9

You’ll have a divine time at Lynnwood’s Five Guys Burgers and Fries

khirenchavdaFEATURESEDITORCycling, playing soccer and classical guitar, and working hard to become a mechanical engi-

neer are several parts of senior Sam Mariga’s busy life. But these aren’t the only interests he has. Along with these activities, Mariga is in the photography club and is enrolled in AP photogra-phy.

Sam Mariga is an ordinary seven-teen year old but has a unique back-ground.

Six years ago, Mariga immigrat-ed to the United States from the country of Kenya, Africa, where the culture definitely differs from the American culture.

Ms. Donna Schou, the teacher of AP Photogra-phy, believes that this culture has made Mariga a unique photog-

rapher and graphic designer. “He’s great at graphic design and has this quiet confidence,” said Schou. “He always challenges himself.”

Schou also thinks that Mariga has a unique way of looking at things, which can be the rea-

son why his favorite type of photography is abstract photography. Though Mariga believes that shooting abstract photos is challenging, he also believes that the result is extremely rewarding. “It compels one to pause and study the photography because of its obscurity,” said Mariga.

Becoming a photographer at a young age takes a lot of dedication and skill, but one person who Mariga believes has mastered the art of becoming a young photog-rapher is George Williams, a free-lance automotive photographer. “I look up to him because I love his photographs but also because he has achieved a lot of success as a teenager,” said Mariga. “He represents how a young photogra-pher can achieve success with hard work and deter-mination.”

Though Mariga doesn’t plan on basing his career on photography, he will surely inspire other students with his incomparable creativity and motivation. In the future, Mariga plans on studying mechanical en-gineering at the University of Washington.

g 10 a&eoctober 29, 2010

alexacraig & paigemorganA&EEDITORSWe recently tried the new burger joint Five Guys Burger and

Fries, just opened on 164th St. SW in Lynnwood. They have de-licious food, a family-friendly feel, alll with an old 50s diner set up.

We both had little burgers which are the size of a normal burger. The restaurant’s regular burger has two meat patties. We also shared a regular-sized order of fries. On Alexa’s burger she

had the bacon burger with lettuce and barbeque sauce. The ba-con was nice and crispy and the splash of barbeque sauce gave the burger a nice zing.

Paige had the little cheeseburger with lettuce, mayonnaise, and ketchup. It was very fresh tasting and not too greasy.

The french fries were the freshest-tasting fries we’ve ever had. They tasted like fresh potatoes. There was enough in a regular-sized fry order to feed three people.

While you’re waiting for your food to be cooked, there are

around-the-clock free peanuts in a box. You can serve yourself as many peanuts as you please. The only drawback to the meal was the music. Music is nice to have at a restaurant as back-ground noise, but their music was a little too loud. It was hard to hear each other.

Sophomore Adel Barnes is also a fan of the restaurant. “I went there and the burgers were really big and yummy,” said Barnes. “I also liked the iced tea.”

We suggest that you go and try Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

His pictures are worth a thousand words

Above and left: Senior Sam Mariga’s photographs often explore automotive and mechanical themes.

g11Sportsoctober 29, 2010

elijahbruingtonSPORTSEDITORGil Gamble, a much-loved teacher At Alderwood Middle

School and coach for girls’ volleyball at LHS is fighting cancer.According to Nate Krahn, fellow Alderwood teacher, Gam-

ble’s cancer, which started in his lungs, is responding well to chemotherapy. “Anytime I see him,” said Krahn, “he’s just the

same old Gamble.”According to Krahn, it is nearly impossible to dampen Mr.

Gamble’s spirits. While he is not teaching or coaching now, hopes are high that he will be back to teach and coach students this year. “He’s got this semester as a medical leave and they will evaluate and see how he is for second semester,” said Krahn.

mahlialinmaynorCO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEFIt used to be that the LHS cross country team had plenty of

room to run at practice but this year, with so many new mem-bers, practices have gotten a bit crowded. Five years ago our cross country team consisted of about 13 runners; today we have 32 runners.

“[A larger team means] that we actually have a full Varsity and JV team,” said cross country assistant coach Mick Chris-tiansen, “ten freshman, eight sophomores, twelve juniors and two seniors.”

Cross country head coach Ryan Bartell said recruiting has been the reason for the increase in numbers. “My assistant coach and I said we needed to get together with Alderwood Middle School,” said Bartell. “So the next couple of years we started. We got kids interested.”

With the team’s top runners including junior Kayla Ortado, sophomore Pamela Ferraz, sophomore Alex Ashenbrener, and freshman Kaleb Decker, the LHS cross country team is hoping to make it to State. The likelihood of state is good with Kayla

Ortado, who runs the 5K in under 20 minutes. “We’re half way done and we have five meets left, which de-

termine who goes to state,” said Christiansen.Regardless of their growth, the team is still extremely close.

“Cross country is a team sport,” said Coach Christiansen. “A bigger team means a better team. In cross country everyone

does the same events and practices to-

gether, it’s a very family environment like you would have on a basketball or volleyball team and it’s one of the only sports that’s co-ed.”

Competition is high this year and the runners are ready to face anything. “As our team grows,” said Coach Christiansen, “we get more competitive.”

XC team growsTeam doubles in size

AMS girls’ volleyball coach fights cancer

Player Profiles

Sophomore Andrew Basham is a varsity football player at LHS. The positions he plays are defensive tackle and offensive left tackle. He plays first string for both of these positions, which means he’s almost always out on the field. He deserves the spot because he is the team’s lead tackler.

Andrew has grown up his whole life loving the sport of football. Basham said his dad would always tell An-drew to play football and over the years, he’s progres-sively gotten better.

Other football players like varsity player sophomore Corey Newman believe Basham will be a college foot-ball player. “He’s our leading tackler and really helps our offense at executing plays,” said Newman.

And with being a 6”4 football-playing machine, there shouldn’t be anything stopping him.

Junior forward Sara Sbai is a varsity girls’ soccer play-er and has played this sport ever since she was in fifth grade. Sara is known as an aggressive player on the field and she is known as a good teammate. “I just wanted to try it,” said Sbai about joining the LHS soccer team. Sbai quickly moved through the teams and is now an essen-tial varsity player.

Varsity tennis player junior Christian Burress is known by teammates for having an outgoing personal-ity and his support for the younger tennis players. “He’s good and he supports the team,” said sophomore tennis player Andre Huang.

Burress plays second-string singles, which means he plays one versus one. Burress has played tennis for about two years now and loves the sport. Burress decided to take tennis up as a sport is because it’s something new, and he can play it no matter how old he gets. Burress would like to pursue tennis after high school, perhaps playing in college, or just in local tournaments.

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Sophomore Dan McBrayer leads the pack during a meet hosted by LHS. The Cross Country team has grown from a mere 13 runners five years ago to as many as 32 this season.

”“As our team grows, we get more competative.

>>>MickChristiansen

Division Overall W L W LGlacier Peak 6 0 7 1Everett 4 2 5 2Meadowdale 4 2 5 3Shorecrest 4 3 4 4MtLk. Terrace 3 3 5 3Oak Harbor 3 3 5 3Shorewood 1 6 2 6Lynnwood 0 6 1 7

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Division Overall W L W LMeadowdale 7 1 7 5Shorewood 6 2 8 4Everett 5 3 8 4Oak Harbor 5 3 8 4Glacier Peak 4 4 5 7Lynnwood 2 6 4 6Shorecrest 2 6 2 8Mountlake Terrace 1 7 3 9

Division Overall W L P W LGlacier Peak 12 0 35 13 0Everett 8 4 24 9 4Shorewood 8 3 24 8 5Meadowdale 8 5 23 10 5Shorecrest 7 6 23 7 8Mountlake Terrace 3 9 8 3 11Lynnwood 2 10 6 3 11Oak Harbor 1 11 4 2 12

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carlyvoganSTAFFREPORTER

KUBE 93.3 Haunted House5000 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98134 Hours: 7pm-midnight Friday and Saturday; 7pm-10pm on Sundays and Thursdays;also open from 6-10pm Wednesday, October 27th. Ticket prices:Regular price-$15.00; VIP speed line-$25.00; Sundays $13.00 when you donate 3 cans for Food Lifeline.

Field of Screams 10622 Airport Way, Snohomish, WA 98296 (360) 568-7391.Hours: Booths open 6pm-10pm Saturday and Sundays.Ticket prices:Outdoors haunt-$15.00 per person; $5.00 extra for VIPNon-haunted corn maze-$10.00 per personCombo special (corn maze and Field of Screams)-$20.00

Wild Waves Theme Park- Fright Fest36201 Enchanted Pkwy S Federal Way, WA 98003Hours: Open Fridays and Saturdays 5pm–10pm; open Sundays, October 24rd and 31st 5pm –11pm ( Timberhawk closes at 10pm )Tickets: Main gate-$39.99; online-$29.99 + tax(Ages 3 and under free).

Kiss 106.1 House of Terror 19802 Hwy 99, Lynnwood 98036Hours: Thursday-Sundays; Thursdays: 7pm-10pm;Fridays/Saturdays: 6pm-midnight; Sundays and October 28th 6pm -10pm Tickets:$15.00 per person; $13.00 when you donate three cans to Food Lifeline ; $25.00 VIP

What to do this weekend:Scare up spooktacular fundylangansandnoraselander

STAFFREPORTERSEdmonds School District recently changed

their policy pertaining to animals in the class-room. The policy, which states that animals with-out a direct link to curriculum will no longer be allowed in school, saddens biology teacher Mike Caesar and his students. Caesar, known as a top-notch science teacher, must find new homes for his snakes.

“Presently I only have 3 but I have had 9 dif-ferent snakes since 1993, not including the 20 ba-bies that were born in my 4th period biology class four years ago,” said Caesar. “Pepper is the only snake that I saved from the clutch that was born in 2006. He is the offspring of Nacho, one of the other snakes that I have.”

Caesar said Nacho has been part his biol-ogy class since 2005. “An old chemistry teacher named Mr. Pader left LHS and went to go teach in Alaska and could not take him along,” said Caesar. “Nacho is probably about 8 years old.”

Nichole, Caesar’s one female snake, will also have to find a new home. “I have had Nichole since 2003 when a student’s mom approached me and asked if I would take the snake since she did not want it and the college her daughter was going to did not allow pets in the dorm,” said Caesar.

Anyone who has had Mr. Caesar knows that the snakes are a staple in his classroom. So now the question is posed, what will happen to Mr. Caesar’s snakes? “Under the new policy they will not be allowed to remain in the room that I use

here at LHS.” said Caesar. “I will first ask my stu-dents if there is anyone who is interested in having one of the snakes as their pet, with parent permis-sion. If I cannot find anyone who I feel will make a suitable home for one or more of the snakes, I will put them up for sale on Craigslist.” Craigslist would be a sad option for animals that were once an incredible addition to the classroom.

Even though having animals in the classroom is a unique learning experience, Edmonds School District must be careful with what is in the class-room because the district would be held account-able for any injury or illness in the classroom caused by the animals.

But Caesar’s students will be missing out on a good learning opportunity. “It is not every day that one can see a 10 foot boa feeding in real life, 3 feet away,” said Caesar. “I am sorry that my students will no longer be able to witness these unique experiences. I agree with the idea that there has to be guidelines for any pet that is on school district property. I have had many animals in my classroom at LHS over the last 13 years and have never had a single safety concern.”

Caesar’s snakes seek shelter