InsideDecember 19, 2014 Volume IV, Edition 2@mihsislander

byJane Gormley and Naomi Moorestaff writer and guest writer

MIHS boys golf season in reviewSports > Page 3

Holiday treat recipesSpread > Page 4/5

Mercer Island Public Library renovation controversyOpinions > Page 6

Nutcracker: A holiday classicA&E > Page 7

PAID

Illegal Adderall use increases at MIHSFeatures > Page 2

After you’ve finished enjoying this paper, please recycle it!

Ferguson: a call for understanding

Mer

cer Island School District

High school late start committee commissionedby Richard Chess

editor in chief

On Dec. 2, Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano announced the intention to study the impacts of a later start time for high school. For years, parents and students across the country have been re-questing later school start times. To this end, MISD and Bellevue School District are teaming to-gether to form the joint High School Start-Time Committee.

Between Dec. 2014 and Feb. 2015, the committee is respon-sible for compiling research regarding the effects on adoles-cent health with a later start time. Upon completion of the research, the committee will receive feedback from other stakeholders. By June 2015, the committee will compile the data, summarize its findings, and de-velop recommendations for pos-sible implementation in Sept. 2016.

One of the major issues with delaying school start time, and consequently school end time, is that athletic competitions would not coincide with the schedules of other local high schools. Juan-ita High School, for example, frequently competes with MIHS sports teams. However, its end time is 2:20 p.m. on most days. Currently, when competitions are scheduled after school, ei-ther Juanita athletes must wait

for MIHS to finish school and then travel to the site, or MI athletes must leave seventh pe-riod early. Clearly, pushing the schedule forward may result in further conflict for athletes and coaches.

Studies continue to indicate the importance of adequate sleep, especially in teenagers. According to a study conducted by the National Sleep Founda-tion, only 8 per-cent of students receive 9-1/4 hours of sleep, as recommended by experts. Fur-thermore, MIHS students, who undoubtedly re-ceive more home-work than other high schoolers, are often forced to stay up too late, or resort to drugs such as Adderall, as described in “Adderall: not just for ADHD anymore” on page two of this newspaper.

“Research suggests that high school students are not getting the sleep they need to be as ef-fective as they can be in class,” said Dr. Plano. “This could be one way to improve student learning by improving student health.”

When Edina High School in Minnesota delayed school start time from 7:25 to 8:30, the ef-fects were astounding. The dis-trict reported fewer episodes of depressive feelings, better grades, and among the top 10 percent in the class, SAT scores increased from 683 Mathemat-

ics/605 Critical Reading to 739 Mathematics/761 Critical Read-ing. The district could not at-tribute the increases to any fac-tor other than the delayed start time.

One study, published by the American Academy of Pediat-rics, recommends that all dis-tricts postpone school start time until 8:30 a.m.

“Chronic sleep loss in children

and adolescents is one of the most common – and easily fix-able – public health issues in the U.S. today,” said Dr. Judith Ow-ens, lead author of “School Start Times for Adolescents.”

“Our communities are inter-twined, so the Bellevue and Mer-cer Island schools districts are

working to-gether be-cause any s c h e d u l e c h a n g e s could have a regional i m p a c t , ” said BSD S u p e r i n -tendent Dr. Tim Mills.

M I H S junior Ella Green and f reshman P h o e b e Larson will be reach-

ing out to students

for input and will meet with peers from the BSD during the process.

On a typical school day, 20 percent of students across the country fall asleep during class. Hopefully, a solution can be reached that limits interference with schedules but provides ev-ery student with the realistic ability to receive adequate sleep every night.

Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. These names and the haunting realities they have forced into the spotlight have dominated our national dialogue for months. As residents of Mer-cer Island, the majority of us have the luxury of ignoring the very real problems of police bru-tality and racism by simply turning off our televisions or logging out of social media. How-ever, this apathy is unacceptable. These issues are not something we can will away be-cause they are un-comfortable or in-convenient. Unless we acknowledge and take action against police brutality and ra-cial injustice, these issues will continue to plague this nation.

The problems of police brutal-ity and racism are both intricate and deep-rooted, which is why it is so important to get educated and informed. One step in this process is an open and honest education on the sinister nature of Black History in this nation. Becoming educated is necessary for understanding why, and how, police brutality and racism still exist, and are prevalent, to-day.

During the practice of slav-ery in the United States, it was — on the most basic level — believed that black men were inherently violent, thus white men were tasked with supervis-ing them. Today, most people believe this idea is incredibly racist and outdated. However, prejudice and racial hierarchies still exist today, as evidenced by racial profiling, institutionalized

racism, and criminalization of black men and youth.We have been told that history repeats itself, and the only way to stop it is to learn from our past. Racism, and the host of accompanying issues, are no ex-ception to that rule. We must ex-amine the injustices, prejudices, assumptions, and stereotypes that are evident in our nation’s past and recognize their connec-tion to those that are happening now. It is impossible to take the most valuable lessons from his-

tory if we conveniently ignore the bad parts.

Racism remains dangerously problematic for ethnic minori-ties. This is especially clear in the context of law enforce-ment and criminal justice, as evidenced by practices such as racial profiling. The New York Times stated that, in Fergu-son, Missouri, “only three of 53 officers are black.” Moreover,

“Blacks account for 86 per-cent of the traffic stops on the city, and 93 percent of the arrests after those stops.” Racism, which ex-ists in many forms, often plays a role in how police interact with black citi-zens and this inconvenient reality is being highlight-ed in today’s media.

#CrimingWhileWhite took Twitter by storm on Dec. 4. Across the nation, people have been using the hashtag to share stories that expose the discrepan-

cies between white and black ex-periences with law enforcement. What is especially unique about this trend is that, as Jessica Dickerson of The Huffington Post writes, “instead of high-lighting incidents of prejudice against people of color, #Crim-ingWhileWhite [zeroes] in on white privilege.”

“Taken as a whole, [the tweets] paint a portrait that suggests a racial double stan-dard by American law enforce-ment,” writes Wilfred Chan, an

associate producer at CNN.Another trending topic,

#BlackLivesMatter, brings at-tention to the black community’s place within the movement to combat racial and social injus-tice, as well as police brutality. Some have expressed opposition towards the slogan, believing that it is exclusive and should be replaced with #AllLivesMatter. This misconception highlights the importance of understand-ing the origin and meaning be-hind the words.

“When we say black lives mat-ter, we know that all lives mat-ter. We’re not saying black lives matter more than anyone else’s,” said a woman during the Dec. 6 march in Seattle in support of Ferguson and Michael Brown. “This movement is about stand-ing up for the value of black lives, [and for those] who for too long [have] been silenced in the face of inequality, injustice, and inhumanity.”

Students and youth have his-torically been passionate and de-termined agents of change; our generation will be no exception. We, as today’s youth, have the opportunity to be today’s leaders and to shape the conversation.

As students we need to start getting more involved with com-bating these issues and it starts, once again, with educating our-selves. Education does not mean absorbing the opinions of others. Be willing to share and contrib-ute to the conversation. Look at

Students at MIHS frequently fall asleep during class or while doing homework.Photo by Laura Totten

Local residents protest on the streets of Seattle.Photo by Laura Totten

(continued on page 2)

2 FEATURES www.mihsislander.com

Overcrowding to be fixed Adderall: not just for ADHD anymore

Lily Clugstonstaff writerby

Corinne Wheelerstaff writerby

E-cigarettes replacing normal cigarettes in Mercer Island High School

Photo by Corinne Wheeler

Vaporizers are commonly used by high schoolers

Gabriela Vendittistaff writerby

E-cigarettes first started with actual electronic cigarettes, such as the brand blu eCigs, that uses a cartridge and produce no smoke other than what is ex-haled. Their sleeker black cas-es and electronic blue -lighted ends mimic normal yellow and white filter cigarettes. However, blu e-Cigs can be quite costly. In the past year, cost-efficient choices such as vapor pens, or vaporizers, have become a more popular choice on the market.

While blu eCigs and vapor-izers are both classified as electronic cigarettes, vaporiz-ers are slightly different. They spun off of the original idea of an electronic cigarette, using gas to create a cheaper product.

Vapor pens all work the same and include a rechargeable battery, a heating component and a cartridge with the oil or juice to smoke. Vaporizers are compact and discreet enough

that they are often easily mis-identified as fountain pens.

E-cigarettes and vaporizersdo not produce any foul smelling smoke that might disturb people around the user either. In fact, vaporizers can be used in some smoke-free places. While they still produce second-hand vapor, the vapor gives significantly less exposure to non-smokers than real cigarettes. The FDA does not regulate the pens and many to-bacco rules do not apply to them.

Cigarette smokers are delight-ed with this safer alternative be-cause, despite still having mul-tiple risks, vaporizers are safer than normal cigarettes. Some people believe that e-cigarettes even have the potential to help smokers stop smoking complete-ly, but no research supports this belief. However e-cigarettes are proven to contain virtually no de-tectable polycyclic aromatic hy-drocarbons, which cause cancer.

Users can also create a cus-tom-made blend out of various oils, waxes, dry herbs to try.

There are also flavored juices available. “I have vanilla and cola flavors for mine” says one Mercer Island High School user. Vapor pens are also trending among teenagers because of the cheap price and wide avail-

ability. “I like to use [vapor pens] because I used to smoke cigarettes a lot and vaping is way cheaper,” said an experi-enced user. “Also, I use it be-cause it is way more convenient and I don’t smell like cigs all the time...and it’s healthier.”

While companies promote the idea of a pure, clean smoking experience, one of the main rea-

sons why people use vaporizers versus regular cigarettes, con-troversies are popping up every-where that claim the opposite.

Numerous companies fail to disclose the exact ingredients of vapor pen cartridges, so there is no guarantee of an absolutely safe product. For instance, the FDA found that one package con-tained one percent of diethylene glycol, which is a toxic chem-ical used to make antifreeze.

While vaporizers do avoid toxic and carcinogenic by-prod-ucts, many of its products uses liquid nicotine which is lethal. Not only is it harmful if in-haled, but also if absorbed by the skin or ingested. The Cen-ters for Disease Control and Prevention says 60 milligrams of nicotine is enough to kill a 150-pound adult. Many refill packs have about 72 milligrams.

Some e-liquids were found to contain diacetyl, which, while harmless when eaten, is dan-gerous to inhale. Diacetyl can cause popcorn lung, or bron-

chiolitis obliterans, which is a permanent disease that scars the lungs and makes it impos-sible to breath regularly. Va-porizers still cause lung dam-age. Smokers cannot escape lung damage when smoking any sort of device. E-cigarettes can cause airway-resistance, decreased lung function, cel-lular changes and other signs of inflammatory that use of regular cigarettes also causes.

Since e-cigarettes just re-cently gained momentum as a popular alternative to reg-ular smokes, they are still in a gray zone in terms of laws and regulations. People fear that e-cigarettes might spark a comeback in smoking and pop-ularize or glorify it because of the numerous advertisements. They are also another poten-tial gateway drug for teenag-ers. Although, using vaporiz-ers is technically not illegal. With its good and bad attri-butes, to use an e-cigarette or not is up to each individual.

Several schools in the Mer-cer Island School District are experiencing great transition as long-overdue construction projects are underway. With the approval of the $102.6 million bond in Feb. 2014, three new construction projects have start-ed to alleviate the overcrowd-ing in the elementary schools, middle school, and high school.

While the total cost of the three projects are $102.6 million, $3.8 million will be matched by the state of Washington, bring-ing the total cost to the District at approximately $98.8 million.

The plans for reducing over-crowding include renovating Mercer Island High School and Islander Middle School, as well as building a fourth elementary school on the North Mercer cam-pus which used to be the Youth Theater NW. Since the largest increase in school enrollment will occur in the elementary schools, the $42.7 million cost of this new building solves the im-

mediate issue of overcrowding in K-5 schools. The $48.8 mil-lion cost of expanding IMS will add 14 new classrooms and lab spaces, a commons and cafete-ria, gymnasiums, music rooms and administrative space. MIHS will make similar changes with the addition of four labs and six general education classes at an estimated cost of $11.1 million.

Currently, MISD enrolls ap-proximately 4,120 students, but is over design capacity by 746 students. “All of our schools are overcrowded. The addition-al space will bring us closer to having sufficient classroom space to house all of our stu-dents,” says Dean Mack, Chief Financial/Operating Officer.

The high school class-room addition will be ready on Sept. 1, 2015 while the North Mercer and IMS will be completed on Sept. 1, 2016.

With these three improve-ments to the Mercer Island Pub-lic Schools, students will have a better learning environment that will help support their educational needs for years.

During the stressful time of finals, college applications, and testing, don’t you wish there were a way to stay up late to study? To focus on work and not feel the pull of procrastina-tion? To get things done in less time? When people illegally take pills for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and At-tention Deficit Disorder they ex-perience an energetic high that allows for these to come true.

In the last six years, there has been a 15 percent increase in children and teens diagnosed with ADHD. When an ADHD patient is given a stimulant, he drops dramatically to a state of understimulation for a few min-utes, then gradually reaches a baseline of normal stimulation that allows him to concentrate. When someone without ADHD t a k e s t h e m e d -i c ine , t h e b r a i n o p e r -a t e s at a b a s e -line of stimu-lation, s o ADHD medi -cation p u t t h e m in a s t a t e o f o v e r -s t i m -ulation, resulting in the rush that drug abusers seek.

When students who don’t have ADHD take the pills, they experience a high similar to the effects of methamphetamine. In recent years there has been an increase in use of Adderall and Adderall XR throughout the Mercer Island High School student body, especially around finals when ADHD pills are passed around like candy. Many students have prescriptions for ADHD medication and sell them for around $3, depend-

ing on the dosage of the pill.When an ADHD pill is ingest-

ed for the first time the side ef-fects can be shocking. Within an hour you begin to sweat, feel ir-ritable, become restless, jittery, have an increase in heart rate in addition to an increased focus.

Adderall counteracts ADHD and narcolepsy through the re-lease of adrenaline, the increase in heart rate and the flow of blood to the muscles improv-ing focus, sport performance, and inducing feelings of eupho-ria. These effects have made its illegal use as a recreational drug more popular. Short term users can experience difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, headaches and when the drug is wear-ing off can users can become irritable, depressed and tired.

The two dealers willing to give an interview to the islander will

be referred to as Student A and Student B for privacy reasons. Student A is a junior at MIHS and has a perscription for 10 mg and 20 mg Adderall pills. Stu-dent A sells her pills for $3 to $5 to people she does not know but gives them to friends. She deals because, “Word on the street is it gains you popularity and is a good way to get yourself known. Sometimes I do not use it and I would rather have someone else use it for good purposes than throw it away or have it sitting

around.” Student A has dealt about 200 mg worth of pills and has distributed to about 10 dif-ferent people. Student B is a sophomore at MIHS, and has sold or given 20 mg Adderall pills to about 30 people, result-ing in a $150 profit since the be-ginning of 2014. Student B now mainly gives away her pills, but sells them for $3 each to stu-dents she is not friends with.

Adderall is a common ADHD medication, and in countries where it is available for pre-scription, it is recognized as a drug with high potential for abuse because of the similar ef-fects to methamphetamine. In the U.S. adderall is considered a Schedule II drug which means it has high potential for abuse that may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, and currently accepted for controlled medical use in the United States.

In some c o u n -t r i e s , s u c h as Tai-wan and S o u t h K o r e a , the con-cern over Adderall abuse is so high that it is b a n n e d f o r A D H D t r e a t -m e n t .

Adder-all’s side e f f e c t of in-

c r e a s e d heart rate can lead to cardio-vascular problems such as high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. Similarly, long term Adderall use can lead to men-tal health issues such as para-noia, hostility and depression. Although the medication and help in the moment, the end the risks can be fatal and in some cases lead to suicide. Before popping a few ADHD medica-tion pills to improve studying, remember the physical and psy-chological harm that can follow.

New resource officerCorinne Wheelerstaff writerby

This year Officer Mike Sei-fert replaces Officer Chad Schumacher as the new School Resource Officer.

Previously, Seifert worked as a patrol officer in the Mer-cer Island Police Department. The job of SRO rotates out ev-ery four years to give other of-ficers opportunities and when the job became available at the end of last year, Seifert applied.

Seifert’s job is to bridge the gap between students, teachers and regular patrol officers “He is a resource, he provides support if there is an incident involving some of our students in times that police have more informa-tion than we have. We are able to collaborate with them to help support students. They have protocols, we have protocols so its not exactly an open lens of information sharing. It is an op-portunity for him to check in on students and how they are doing here and vice versa” Says Asso-ciate Principal Jamie Prescott.

Seifert helps students see po-lice officers as a resource and

less of somebody that ruins a good time or writes speeding tickets. Seifert helps officers work more closely with juve-nile cases as opposed to treating them the same as criminal cases through working and assisting the school, families and stu-dents in a more personal way.

After graduating high school, Seifert first attended the Uni-versity of Montana, then Cali-fornia State University where he graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences. Seifert then served in the Army and went back to school to earn an Associates Degree in Kore-an Language. Finally Seifert earned a Masters Degree in Security Management from the American Military University.

Officer Seifert’s favorite part of working at MIHS has been getting to meet kids on a per-sonal level, as opposed to in his time as a patrol officer, where meeting kids meant they were in trouble. Seifert’s office is located in the lower commons. “I’m here and people can come talk to me anytime they want,” said Seifert.

Photo by Isabella MurilloAdderall pills are abused as focusing drugs among students

3SPORTSDecember 19, 2014

Winter Sports PreviewGirls Basketball

After finishing fourth in King-Co last year with a 10-4 district record, the Girls Basketball team is off to a strong start this season. With decisive wins over both Seattle Prep and Issaquah, the team has won its first two non-conference games. Senior captain Julia Blumenstein said that, “something that I think ev-eryone wants to see is a banner up on our wall.” This year, just like every other year, the team’s goal is to be successful in their league and make it to state.

Boys WrestlingSenior captain Evan Condon

says that Mercer Island Boys Wrestling is “looking to win their sixth consecutive KingCo crown” this upcoming season. This year, the team will have lost some valuable competition with Mt. Si having moved into 4A. While this may raise the team’s KingCo title hopes, it also takes away some of the valuable learning experiences that come with wrestling athletes of a high caliber. Though the lack of com-petition can breed a false sense of security the wrestlers will strive to get better every day.

Girls GymnasticsAccording to senior captain

Emily Menz, the goal for Mercer Island Gymnastics is to “keep a positive and encouraging atmo-sphere.” This attitude seems to have worked as the team beat Lake Washington in their first meet in the season. The team plans to focus more on the cur-rent season than the post season as they have the past. “We’re a really new team, so we’re chang-ing our strategy this year,” says Menz. Changing the complete strategy is a daunting task, but Menz is confident that the team will take the challenge head on.

Boys BasketballSenior captain David Eman-

uels is not discouraged by the Mercer Island Boys Basketball team’s first two losses. He said that the team is “striving to take it one game at a time, continu-ing to play better basketball and to become closer together as a team each game.” After finish-ing second in KingCo last year with a district record of 11-3, the team is motivated to do even better this year. Junior captain Andrew Pickles said, “we believe that we have the potential to win KingCo, and make it to the Tacoma dome.”

Boys SwiveMercer Island Boys Swim and

Dive has an impressive record. They have been state champi-ons since 2006, and as senior captain Ian Caldwell said, “we would like to continue our dy-nasty and keep the state trophy on the rock.” This goal goes hand in hand with the team’s other main goals. One is to “set up the program with a continued fu-ture of dominance.” Another is to “improve with every meet we swim.” As the season progresses the boys team will strive for yet another KingCo title, as well as state title.

Jane Gormleybystaff writer

After a trying season, Mercer Island Boys Golf finished off their season with high hopes and exceeded expectations. The boys team proved to be a formi-dable force in battling for the KingCo crown, finishing third overall. With four over-all wins and two losses the MI Golf team came just short of clinching the KingCo crown, with Liberty and Samma-mish tied at first with five wins and one loss each. Though the team did well overall, the objective of every sea-son is to get players to state. When it comes to state qualification, golf, much like cross-coun-try, turns into quite the individual battle. Each player has his own individual score, and state births are very difficult to earn. High School golf scoring is different from the pros because rather than play a full 18-hole course they only play the front nine holes. Senior captain William Mansfield elaborated on the process, saying, “To make it to state you have to shoot 78 or lower at the KingCo tourna-ment. Then you must shoot 78 or lower at the District tourna-ment. If you shoot at or below those scores you are almost guaranteed a birth to state.”

State qualification is not eas-ily achieved. This calendar year only senior captain William Mansfield, and junior captain Zach Evens were able to con-quer such a feat. The challenge of making it into the state tour-nament may have been grasped by these two, but along the way there were some bumps. Not only for Mansfield and Evens, but the whole team as well. When asked, Mansfield said, “Our biggest struggle this sea-son was the fact we were such a young team. We had a lot of young guys who were a little inexperienced when it came to really competitive golf so it took them a while to get comfortable and settle into their groove. However, once they settled in we became a very solid team. I think that even though I will not be here next year, I believe that the team will maintain its com-petiveness now that the younger guys know what they are do-ing.” When looking at the team’s roster no one can disagree that youth and inexperience may be a harmful factor. Of the 13 players on the roster only four of them are seniors, and the majority of the rest are either freshman, or sophomores. Despite the multi-

tude of young players, the team competed toe-to-toe with every KingCo team and led another successful season.

As the season progressed many of the athletes started to feel the weight of every expecta-tion, and the strain of mental pa-tience that golf commands. Indi-

vidual expectations are heavy in golf, especially considering one has no one but one-self to rely on. Mansfield says the best piece of advice he received this year, and the best advice he could pass down to his fellow team-mates would be that, “Though there may not be an exact key to getting into and winning the state tournament, do not stress out. You should simply think of it as another tournament. You should not think of the KingCo, District, and state tournaments as some big important events, but rather another tournament. This way your mind is not la-bored by huge self expectations and pressures.” This should not be viewed as the key to success, but as another tool with which you can add to your arsenal to improve your game.

The season was taxing on the whole team, and each player had demons to battle. Mansfield said that like many others one of the greatest hardships was that, “to-wards the end of the season my ball striking started to deterio-rate so it was hard to stay confi-dent. I dealt with it by working hard every day and staying men-tally tough. I knew that as long

as I maintained my work ethic I would be able to grind and reach every one of my goals, even if my strike was not on par.” From the golf perspective the mental game is the keystone to every round of every match. Mans-field may have not been play-ing at his best but that did not

faze him when going into the KingCo and District tournaments. Mansfield says that, “basically if you break 78 then you make it to state. Personally it was a little harder than an-ticipated because I was not playing my best. I struggled on the front nine and had to really buckle down to make the cut.” This determi-nation to buckle down was shared by every-

one on the team making each teammate a rival when it came down to individual scores. Although every opposition and teammate pushed Mansfield to his limit Mansfield says that, “personally my toughest com-petition was Evens. He was in-jured for a short while at the be-ginning of the season, but once he returned we competed head on to see who would finish #1.” Mansfield added that though the other players and teams were good competition, the one on one friendly battle with Evens proved to keep his competitive spirit up.

Every season has to come to an end, and the golf season is no exception. On top of fin-ishing third overall in KingCo and birthing two players to the state tournament, the golf team claimed even more hon-ors. Both Mansfield and Evens received KingCo League Honors for total league points scored. Mansfield was fifth, and Evens tenth. Though Mansfield may be graduating, Evens and all of the up-and-coming youth show great promise for the future of the Mercer Island Boys Golf pro-gram in years to come.

Mercer Island Boys Golf shoots above par-fect seasonSean Bender

bysports editor

Gabriela Vendittiby

staff writer

Sounders shoot for the starsNearing the end of the 2014

Season, the Seattle Sounders soccer team impressed their fans with one of the most suc-cessful campaigns in Sounders club history. The Sounders cap-tured first place in the Western Conference with a total of 64 points, edging out rival Los An-geles Galaxy by three points. The team’s record consisted of 20 wins, 10 losses, and four ties. The Sounders also won the U.S. Open Cup championship and the Supporters’ Shield trophy.

After an early playoff exit last year, Sounders owner Joe Roth improved the team’s chemistry by removing players such as Ed-die Johnson, Michael Gspurn-ing, and Mauro Rosales. The club then added Stefan Frei, Chad Marshall, Chad Barrett, Gonzalo Pineda, and Marco Pap-pa. These new players have been essential in improving the team dynamics, and have contributed heavily to this year’s success. New players Chad Barrett, Mar-co Pappa, and Gonzalo Pineda all rank in the top six players for the 2014 Sounders season sta-tistics. These three players have

competed in the majority of the games for the team this year, playing in more than 25. The Sounders success this year can also be credited to star player Obafemi Martins who joined the Sounders in 2013. ‘Oba,’ as he is affectionately called, leads the team in the most goals scored with a total of 17, and the most assists with 13.

The Sounders’ tie against Dallas on November 10 secured their spot in the Western Confer-ence Finals against the LA Gal-axy. In the Finals on November 28, the Sounders earned a 2-1 win. However, the LA Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup be-cause of the league’s away-goal tiebreaker rule. The Sounders suffered from disappointment as they were shooting for their first ever MLS Cup as well as attempting to be the first ever team to win the U.S. Open Cup, the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup in the same season. While the 2014 season ends in disappointment for the Sound-ers, fans are now looking for-ward to next season in hopes of cheering their team onto their first MLS Cup Championship in club history.

Photo courtesy of www.fcdallas.comtop row (left to right): Clint Dempsey,Gonzalo Pineda, Jalil Anibaba, Chad Marshall, Leo Gonzalez, Stefan Freibottom row (left to right): DeAndre Yedlin, Micheal Azura,Obafemi Martins, Osvaldo Alonso, Kenny Cooper

As many students pack their suitcases with thick winter jack-ets and ski pants, preparing for ski resorts in the area, Caleb Fenton gears up for another sea-son of an often-belittled sport – ice hockey.

Cast off as a “Canadian sport,” most people in the Seattle area are not aware of the small com-munity dedicated to the game of people flying across the ice while maneuvering a small puck.

Fenton started playing hockey at the age of six in New Jersey. “My dad played back in high school and I thought it was re-ally cool so that’s why I start-ed young. From there on I just wanted to keep playing,” said Fenton. The larger fan base on the eastcoast may because of the close distance between the teams and fans. “There were lots of global NHL teams there, such as the New Jersey Devils

and the New York Rangers,” said Fenton. If Seattle were to get a NHL team, hockey might become the next “big thing” in the area. “Out here, hockey’s not really popular because Seattle doesn’t have a hockey team,” said Fenton. Considering how close Seattle is to Canada, it is surprising how few people play hockey compared to other sports.

One of Fenton’s favorite mem-ories was his journey to Nation-als. “During my first year play-ing in Seattle, I played for the Thunderbirds, and we went to state in the Tri-Cities. We got to the state finals, which decided who would go to nationals, and where we won 3-1. We flew to Connecticut and played teams from all around the U.S. It was so fun,” said Fenton. With the exiting promise that hockey may return to Seattle, Fenton hopes that both the culture and sport will continue to rise in popular-ity.

Helena Shieldby

features editor

Mansfield strikes the ball in hopes of landing it on the putting green

Photo courtesy of Susan ChristoffersonMansfield and Evens discuss the course before

Photo courtesy of Susan Christofferson

Caleb Fenton: a man of ice

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Red Velvet FudgeIngredients:12 ounces of cream cheese

1 tablespoon of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 fourth of a teaspoon of table salt

1 pound of powdered sugar

1 cup of white chocolate pieces

2/3 cups of milk chocolate pieces

1 bottle of red food coloring1. Cover an eight-inch square pan with parchment

paper and coat with cooking spray.

2. Beat the cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract, and

table salt with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix

the sugar in one cup at a time.

3. Melt the white chocolate by placing it in a glass

bowl over steaming water and beat into the cream

cheese mixture.4. Melt the milk chocolate as described above and

stir it into two thirds of the cream cheese while add-

ing the food coloring

5. Pour the milk chocolate into the pan and freeze

for ten minutes6. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture over

the fudge chill for at least four hours.

7. Remove from pan, cut into squares and enjoy!

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

12 ounces of semisweet chocolate

1-1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract

1 pound of white chocolate

5 crushed candy canes

1. Melt the semisweet chocolate by placing it in a

bowl over steaming water for about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in three fourths of a teaspoon of peppermint

extract, then quickly pour the chocolate onto an

aluminum-foil-covered baking dish.

3. Melt the white chocolate the same way the semi-

sweet chocolate was melted.

4. Stir in the other three fourths of a teaspoon of

peppermint extract and quickly stir it into the

melted white chocolate.

5. Quickly pour the white chocolate onto the semi-

sweet chocolate and spread it evenly.

6. Immediately sprinkle the broken pieces of candy

cane all over the white chocolate and gently press

them in.

7. Let it set for about an hour.

8. Munch away!

Homemade Peppermint OreosIngredients:1 box devils food cake1 egg1 stick of butter softened1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered suagar1 Tbsp milk, or heavy whipping cream

1/4 ts vanilla extract1/2 ts peppermint extractCrushed candy canes1. Combine the egg and softened butter in

a large bowl. Pour in cake mix and mix until

smooth. Roll out batter onto a floured surface

and cut circles out of the dough.

2. Put cookies on a lined cookie sheet and bake

at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Remove from

rack and let them cool completely.

3. For the frosting, mix the unsalted butter, milk,

vanilla, and peppermint extract. Slowly add the

powdered sugar in and beat fluffy.

4. Frost one cookie on the bottom and then

sandwich another cookie on top to make frost-

ing spill out. Dip the sides in crushed candy

canes. 5. Enjoy!

Instant Mocha MixIngredients:3/4 cup sugar3/4 cup dry creamer1/2 cup instant coffee1/2 cup dry milk powder1/3 cup cocoa powder1 tsp. salt1 tsp. cinnamonMarshmallow bitschocolate sprinkles

1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender or

food processor until completely combined.

2. Add various toppings such as mini marshmal-

lows, sprinkles, etc. 3. To brew: Add one and a half tablespoons to

eight oz of hot milk or water

Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients:

Two cups of water

One and a half cups of sugar

Two teaspoons of ground ginger

One half teaspoon of ground cinnamon

One half teaspoon of vanilla extract

One half cup espresso

8 ounces of steamed milk

Whipped cream

Ground nutmeg

Here are our favorite home-made holiday treats...

HAPPY HOLIDAYSHomemade Peppermint OreosIngredients:1 box devils food cake

1 egg1 stick of butter softened1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered suagar1 Tbsp milk, or heavy whipping cream

1/4 ts vanilla extract1/2 ts peppermint extractCrushed candy canes1. Combine the egg and softened butter in

a large bowl. Pour in cake mix and mix until

smooth. Roll out batter onto a floured surface

and cut circles out of the dough.

2. Put cookies on a lined cookie sheet and bake

at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Remove from

rack and let them cool completely.

3. For the frosting, mix the unsalted butter, milk,

vanilla, and peppermint extract. Slowly add the

powdered sugar in and beat fluffy.

4. Frost one cookie on the bottom and then

sandwich another cookie on top to make frost-

ing spill out. Dip the sides in crushed candy

canes. 5. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients:

Two cups of water

One and a half cups of sugar

Two teaspoons of ground ginger

One half teaspoon of ground cinnamon

One half teaspoon of vanilla extract

One half cup espresso

8 ounces of steamed milk

Whipped cream

Ground nutmeg

Melted Snowmen Cookies

Ingredients:

24 sugar cookies

8 cups of confectioners’ sugar

4 egg whites

24 large marshmallows

1 tube of black decorating gel

1 tube of orange deocorating gel

Any other color of decorating gel you

would like

1.Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer

while slowly adding the confectioners’

sugar.

2.With the sugar cookies arranged on the

baking tray one inch apart from each other,

pour and spread the icing onto each cookie

so that it resembles melting snow.

3.Microwave a marshmallow on a greased

plate for about 25 seconds.

4.Immediately place the marshmallow onto

the wet icing so that it looks like a melting

snowman. Repeat with each cookie.

5.Use the tubes of decorating gel to draw

eyes, nose, mouth, buttons, arms, and

scarves onto the snowmen.

6.Fin.

1. Mix the water, sugar, ground ginger, cin-

namon, and vanilla extract in a saucepan.

2. Bring the syrup from step one to a boil,

then lower the heat and let it simmer for

about 15 minutes without a lid. After the

syrup has finished remove it from the heat

and place a lid on it.

3. Add one fourth of a cup of the syrup to the

half cup of espresso. Then add the milk and

stir.4. Add whipped cream and nutmeg on top of

your latte5. Enjoy!

Here are our favorite home-made holiday treats...

Compiled by Lily Clugston and Helena Shield

6 @mihsislander

Gabriela Vendittistaff writerby

Lily Clugstonstaff writerby

opPOOM

...history. Read articles. Talk to people around you. Be open and be willing to have an in-formed opinion. However, keep in mind that discussing is differ-ent than arguing; real progress comes from being open to other views.

As the Aboriginal activist, Lil-la Watson, famously said, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting our time. But if you have come because your libera-tion is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Being a part of this movement is about recognizing injustice done to one of us is injustice done to all of us.

Bus system gets cutOpinions

Building or burning BRIDGESMercer Island High School’s

Building Relationships In Di-verse Groups to Empower Stu-dents and Staff program is an often polarizing conversation topic. Some parents, students, and staff argue that the pro-gram is not effective, and the use of school time should be uti-lized for academics. On the oth-er hand, advocates for the pro-gram see the time as a chance for students to connect with one another and make the high school more inclusive. As the program has evolved, BRIDGES has continually been reevaluat-ed and re-calibrated. The be-ginning of the 2014 School Year launched the revised BRIDGES program under Curtis Johnston and David Willecke.

The genesis of BRIDGES in 2004 was sparked by sever-al Healthy Youth surveys, the results of which demonstrat-ed a universal feeling of stu-dent alienation. MaryMargaret Welch, the original chair and founder of BRIDGES, along with approximately 35 students and teachers created a connec-tion committee that studied the data from the surveys and con-ducted research on how other local schools were addressing similar concerns. They spent more than one year studying lo-cal and national data and differ-ent schools’ models to help solve the issues revealed in surveys. The name BRIDGES stemmed from the idea of building rela-tionships at MIHS, especially between younger students and upperclassmen. BRIDGES was “created by young people for young people” and focuses on “the empowerment of youth to make a difference,” says Welch. Supporting the needs of the school based on what the stu-dents felt was important was the original intent of BRIDGES.

“The hope was for the students to take the role seriously…but\over time, organizations can be-come complacent,” says Welch.

With all the changes BRIDG-ES has undergone over the years, the original focus of BRIDGES has perhaps been lost. “At its core, the goal of BRIDGES is to bring all of the different people in the school together around things we have in common and goals we have in common,” says Willecke.

However, the BRIDGES pro-gram has been the focus of much criticism. Many question the importance of the program, spe-cifically whether the 45 minutes of allotted time every Wednes-day should be used for more academic purposes. Consider-ing the lack of attendance and participation, some individuals view the program as an overall failure. Senior Naomi Moore has a more optimistic view about the program: “I think that the idea behind BRIDGES and the vi-sion for it is a good one. It gives people an opportunity to talk and get to know members of the school community from different ages and grade levels.”

“I think that the number one problem we are dealing with is a lot of misperception in the com-munity and just generally about what we do in BRIDGES. There is a lot of really good stuff hap-pening there, and I think that finding a better way to convey what we are doing would be re-ally helpful,” says Willecke.

With the restructuring of the program this year, Johnston and Willecke believe they have made several improvements to the program. The installment of the advisory days helps stu-dents and teachers relieve stress by setting up times to meet and complete work. The communi-cation and distribution of infor-mation to the students and staff has been streamlined so stu-dents and teachers receive ma-

terial quicker and more clearly. Willecke notes, “Just talking to the staff, one of the things that they feel is the most important is using time in BRIDGES to handle [issues] like state cur-riculum, surveys from the dis-trict, and things that we have to do in a way that doesn’t off-set the amount of time spent on classes so that things run really smoothly. I think that’s a really important function of BRIDGES that has widespread support.”

Supporters of BRIDGES see the program as serving the needs of the students where peo-ple have a chance to meet and in-teract with others from different grade levels. Welch believes that everyone needs at least one ad-vocate in their life, and BRIDG-ES is a program that advocates for student empowerment and makes the path through high school easier to travel. Simi-larly, “Coming together to talk about some tougher topics when we have that many people all fo-cused in the school at the same time we can really carry a big message. It is probably done bet-ter that way than trying to get teachers to individually deliver messages in a classroom,” says Johnston.

While the focus and applica-tion of BRIDGES has changed drastically since its formation in 2004, the program as a whole will continue at MIHS. At the end of the year, students will take a survey about BRIDG-ES to gather information about what students thought about the program this year and see what other improvements can be made. Mark Zmuda, the asso-ciate principle, athletic director and co BRIDGES coordinator states, “I am hoping, with this partnership [with Johnston and Willecke] to improve BRIDGES even more and make it worth-while for all the kids at MIHS.”

Jane Gormley andNaomi Moorestaff writer and guest writer

by

The King County Library Sys-tem’s plans for the renovation of the Mercer Island Public Li-brary could use some renova-tions themselves. The current plans seem to spend copious amounts of money upgrading the library’s aesthetic instead of simply upgrading the function-ality and longevity of the public space which so many people use. The library is due for a reno-vation, but only if it takes into consideration the needs of the residents of Mercer Island.

As of now, KCLS is planning to spend $3.4 million on signifi-cant changes to architecture and design of the building. The lay-out of the library will remain the same but it will be redesigned to have a much more modern style. This is to allow for greater vis-ibility and increased natural light.

The problem here is that the style of the library is fine just as it is. KCLS’s idea of what a library should look and feel like is very different from that of Mercer Island residents. The library should reflect the wants and needs of the people who use it; therefore it would only make sense for KCLS to allow resi-

Some students might have noticed the recently changed bus schedules and signs and, while the bus cuts may cause hindrances to more local ar-eas, such as Mercer Island, they were necessary to make up for the lack of sufficient funding. However, King Coun-ty should not cut any more bus routes, but instead focus on improving the popular routes.

King County’s Metro system has struggled to bring in a rea-sonable profit for years now: “In the absence of new fund-ing, Metro had to cut service levels to balance our budget,” says a representative from King County’s Metro system.

When the temporary funding for the Metro system expired this year, the public had a chance to preserve the soon-to-be cut bus routes as part of the new 2014-2015 budget plan. However, this November, Seattle voters decid-ed to cut local transit to avoid the proposed plan to increase the city sales tax by .1 percent and an additional $60 car-tab fee.

The new bus programs cut out most late night services, low rider routes, 61 and 62, and include rerouted bus sched-ules, 204, to make up for the cut routes. Many of the previ-ous routes only had one person on board the bus, which was the driver. The new $9 billion budget for 2015-2016 fully fi-nances the new metro system.

Metro lost 151,000 service hours, or 4.3 percent total. They

Jane Gormleystaff writerby

Library undergoes construction

Ferguson (cont’d)

dents much more control in the design plans.

It’s also frustrating that this renovation is scheduled to take upwards of seven months. With such a small amount of useful change being made, it is un-acceptable for the building to be closed for so long. Instead of spending ex-tra time and money on a renova-tion people do not want, KCLS needs to simplify the project.

During the renovation there will be a temporary library available at the Congregational Church.

As described by KCLS, the space “will include space for holds pickup, computers, brows-ing collection, tables and chairs for study near a fireplace and a room for children’s story time.”

While this space will help to ease the inconvenience of the renovation, I do not believe that it is adequate on its own. The high school library should con-sider lengthening its hours to allow students another place to work.

“There’s no other place to

go that’s convenient, semi-qui-et, and has that atmosphere,” explains sophomore Leah Pa-borsky, a student who tutors

at the library twice a week. “A temporary library would only work if it can provide all that in a big enough space for the people who need it.”

Already tak-ing one step in

the right direction, on Nov. 19, KCLS agreed to postpone the renovation until further notice and take this time to, as they say on their website, “re-engage with the community on the re-model plans”. This postpone-ment however will only be effec-tive if KCLS actually listens to residents; they cannot just use it as a way to claim that they have listened to the opinions of the community.

This remodel is one that could potentially greatly benefit our community if approached the right way. There must be some sort of compromise; KCLS must listen to the ideas and needs of residents and the residents themselves need to be open to change and some inconvenience.

Being a part of this movement means demanding respect for the value of all human life.

We are all members of the United States of America and, collectively, we are responsible for what happens in this na-tion. This movement is about exposing and tearing down our nation’s long-standing systems, beliefs, policies, and institutions that continue to undermine his-torically disadvantaged groups. Only then can we rebuild society on the foundation of true liberty and justice for all.

Remember the next time that you decide to change the channel to something more lighthearted that some people do not have that option. We must recognize the problem and understand our responsibility to be a part of the solution. The question is: What

will also lose 2 percent of its rid-ership which is 2.3 million of the 119 million boardings every year. Current riders will also have to deal with more crowded and lon-ger bus rides and longer waiting times. The Seattle mayor, Ed Murray chose to spend $553,000 to preserve the 82, 82, 84 late night shift buses until February 2016 because “late night work-ers lack other alternatives.”

Despite riders suffering from the new changes, especially in places such as Mercer Island where we get minimal bus ser-vice due to lack of ridership, in a broad view, these bus cuts were the best choice. In a struggling economy, King County could not afford to fund the numerous use-less bus routes that were run-ning. There is no point in wasting precious tax money, especially given that the sales tax would need to increase by .1 percent, to sustain deserted bus rides.

King County does not need more routes, but instead they need to focus on making the key, busiest routes more effi-cient. Most people outside of Seattle do not use the bus fre-quently. Therefore, it would make more sense to improve the routes in the city where they need public transport the most.

If King County works on a more efficient system with bet-ter usage of their new budget and planning and do not make any more dramatic cuts, then it could help public transport climb out of its struggling fi-nancial hole that it has been in for the past few years.

A King Country Metro bus pulling up to a bus stop. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Protestors of construction stand outside the library.Photo courtesy of NW

(continued from page 2)

7A&EDecember 19, 2014

Snowflake Lane continues to bring holiday cheer to the greater Seattle areaJane Gormley

by staff writer

Samantha Philippby A&E Editor

The Mercer Island holiday tradition: “Excerpts from the Nutcracker”

Photo courtesy Jamie VanderwallDancers performing a scene from “Excerpts from the Nutcracker

Top Holiday Movies

As the only all youth Nut-cracker performance in the Seat-tle area, Island Youth Ballet will continue this Mercer Island Hol-iday tradition with their show “Excerpts from the Nutcracker.” For 18 years, this ballet insti-tute has continued this perfor-mance and the show has been loved by Mercer Island residents for just as long. Artistic Direc-tor Susan Valencia and Chore-ographer, Jennifer Coles have worked hard to carry on this experience.

With auditions held in late Septem-ber, the dancers have been rehearsing since early October to pre-pare for their roles.

Jamie Vanderwall, who shares the role of Dew Drop with Shea Kelsay, and is a Ju-nior at Mercer Island High School, states, “Our studio is relative-ly small in comparison to other studios around the Seattle area, so we all have good op-portunities to get roles. Usual-ly dancers expect to be in one or two pieces, but since we are an all youth company, we are basically in every other piece.”

All 41 of these dancers, includ-ing Mercer Island High School students Evan Condon, Kiernan Coles, and Henry Mansfield, have been practicing their danc-es profusely. Most of the dancers will attend their rehearsals dai-ly for two to six hours, with more scheduled during weekends.

During this time, rehears-als are balanced out with tech-nique classes to ensure precision with the dancers’ Pointe work. In these classes they will prac-

tice supporting all of their body weight on the tips of their fully extended feet. Many of these dancers will be performing principle roles. Usually these roles are played by profession-al ballet dancers, meaning that these dancers skills will be put to the test when executing dif-ficult steps of choreography in this Mercer Island performance.

Although rehearsals are in-tense for these hardworking dancers, this tradition still sparks enthusiasm among all of them.

Shea Kelsay, who plays the

role of Dew Drop in this perfor-mance, and is a Senior at Mercer Island High School says, “Each new nutcracker season brings more time commitment and more roles, but this just makes it [the show] all the more exciting. The quick costume changes, the dra-ma, the sweat, and the mistakes add together to make each year its own, memorable experience.”

This performance will cer-tainly be breathtaking. With its unique storyline and choreog-raphy that sets this show apart from the typical Nutcracker show, this special performance will not fail to impress the au-dience. The show features all of

the main dances in the original “Nutcracker” while following the story of Marie who receives a Nutcracker. The majority of the dances present original choreog-raphy, making the show unique and special to Mercer Island.

The special effects, including a fog machine and the use of a snow machine during the dance, “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” will create an exciting Holiday en-vironment. The costumes, cus-tom made for each dancer, are elegant and colorful only adding to the already beautiful dances.

After dancing in this Island Youth Ballet performance for 11 years, Kelsay said, “The Nut-cracker is a re-ally fun, festive holiday event to go to. It is espe-cially entertain-ing because so many MIHS stu-dents are in it! It features kids of all ages, and is all in all a really enjoyable way to get into a festive

spirit and support your fellow peers! Come see the Nutcracker!” “Excerpts from the Nutcrack-er” will be performed at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Dec 20 at 2 PM, and Dec 21 1 PM and 5 PM. Tickets can be purchased online at the iybnutcracker-com for the price of $22 for general seating or can be bought at the door, which in-cludes student discounts with a student ID. Come support your fellow Mercer Island High School peers and local commu-nity to enjoy Island Youth’s Ballet amazing performance of “Excerpts from the Nutcracker!

In this holiday classic Kevin McCal-lister (Macaulay Culkin) finds himself in quite a sticky situation. In the rush to pack and prepare everything for their holiday vacation, the McCallister fami-ly forgets nothing, except Kevin. Kevin makes the most out of this opportuni-ty, and so do two house buglers. These crooks target the McCallister home, and Kevin, still un-phased, makes this a Christmas to remember. This ranks top of the list not only because of hilar-

ious hijinks and overall cheerful mood of the movie, but be-cause of the family and friends appeal.

Home Alone

All Buddy (Will Ferrell) wants for Christmas is to connect with his father, a cold-hearted New York business tycoon. Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York after finding out his father is on the naughty list; his goal is to spread Christmas cheer. Along the way Buddy encounters many obstacles including; snowball throwing bullies, a midget with a short temper, and a fake Santa Claus. This journey of finding oneself, and adjusting to different places while making the best of it is universal, especially during the holidays. Every second is heartwarm-ing and funny making it a must see during the holiday season.

Elf

An American Tail: During the holidays the most important thing to be thankful for is your family, whether they be distant or close. In this animated classic Fievel Mousekewizes (voiced by Phillip Glasser) and his family emigrate from Russia because of the abuse of the Cossacks. Along the way Fievel is separated from his family and in the journey to follow, surpasses every obstacle

thrown at him to get back to his family. This story stresses the importance of family and necessary lengths needed to take to spend time with them.

An American Tail

Sean Benderby Sports Editor

Citizens of the greater Seat-tle area see only an average of 5.9 inches of snow every winter, which leaves many really dream-ing of a white Christmas. Luckily, there is one place a little closer than the North Pole where the snow doesn’t show signs of stop-ping. Every winter for the past ten years, it has taken nothing short of a Christmas miracle to transform Bellevue Way into the winter wonderland that is Snow-flake Lane.

Kemper Freeman, the owner of the Bellevue Collection, formu-lated his idea for Snowflake Lane after witnessing the holiday light and music show hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. His desire to bring the holiday spirit into the heart of Bellevue, Wash. has been growing annual-ly since 2005, and each year the show continues to bring smiles to the faces of its 300,000 visitors.

Freeman’s idea has been brought to life by over 200 teen-agers who sing, dance, and drum along the sidewalks as they are accompanied by a m a g i c a l snowfall and exhil- a r a t i n g light and music show. Most locals have experienced this holiday magic but what they do not know is the amount of work that goes

into producing this caliber of performance.

Auditions for the different parts, which include drummers, dancers, costume characters, princesses, stilt walkers, major-ettes, technical staff and a hol-iday dance crew take place in late September.

Even though the performers are teenagers, the audition pro-cess is similar to ones they would go through at professional au-ditions. Greg Thompson, the producer for Snowflake Lane said drummers “audition in a small room.” The judging panel consists of staff members of the University of W a s h i n g t o n Marching Band, the All-City Drum Line, and the Seahawks’ Blue Thunder Drum Line. “The applicants must sight read a piece of music and play it per-fectly to join the Snowflake Team,” says Thompson.

Nam Dang-Luong, Mercer Island High School senior and first-time Snowflake Lane par-

ticipant described auditions as “extremely nerve racking.” Thompson said that these Jin-gle Belle Dancers, “audition to a dance combination set by an award-winning choreographer and Member of the Broadway Roundtable Hall of Fame.” Af-ter being selected, these dancers

“are given a choreography video with ‘counts’ to which they will rehearse for four weeks on their own.” Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the dancers at-tend group rehearsals and work “with the Snowflake Lane Dance Captains to polish up the dance routines.

Preparing for Snowflake Lane is arduous and time consuming. Busy teenagers take countless hours to learn their parts and then commit to performing ev-ery night for an entire month. It is clear that they are up to the challenge as around 50 percent of performers choose to return

and audition again every year.

When asked what it is like working with such young p e r f o r m e r s T h o m p s o n notes, “We hear so much about kids these days having a bad attitude but after work-ing with 200 of [them] each year my view has changed.”

T h o m p s o n ’ s view on the

teenage performers is not the only thing that has changed with Snowflake Lane over the years. From the show’s small start ten years ago with only 75 performers it is amazing to see how the show has transformed into, what Thompson describes as, “a shut down the street, full

blown production show” with over 230 dancers, drummers, and holiday characters which draws over 300,000 visitors each year.

Snowflake Lane’s incredible success has also caught the at-tention of many corporate spon-sors, but according to Thomp-son, “This is Kemper Freeman and the Bellevue Collection’s holiday gift to Bellevue and the Eastside. Snowflake Lane is very personal to Kemper and my feeling is [that] he’s not going to change that anytime soon.”

In the future, along with the expansion of the Bellevue Col-lection, Thompson hopes that Snowflake Lane will grow as well. He some day hopes to have a parade, similar to the one that already occurs the day after Thanksgiving, only every night.

“We’re trying to add some bit of holiday cheer to the season,” he said. “We want to remind people that it’s not just about the sales, the holidays have al-ways been about family.”

Whether it’s your first visit or your tenth, Snowflake Lane always leaves its audience with a sense of wonderment and hol-iday spirit. This magic cannot only be found in the cold, snowy nights of the performances but in the hard work and dedication of those who put it together.

Photo courtesy Jane GormleySnowflake lane performers rehearsing for the parade.

ISLANDERISLANDER9100 SE 42nd Street

Mercer Island, WA 98040mihsislander@gmail..com

@MIHSISLANDERFACEBOOK.COM/MIHSISLANDER

Staff Writers: Lily Clugston Mithril Hugunin Jane Gormley Gabriela Venditti Jessica Waller Corinne Wheeler Adviser: Chris Twombley

Editorial PolicyThe Islander accepts and welcomes feedback from its readers. Anyone wishing to submit to The Islander must e-mail his submission to mihsislander@gmail.com or deliver it by hand to Chris Twombley. All submissions must be submitted two weeks before the next publication date, which can be found at any of our distribution boxes. All handwritten submissions must be signed to be considered for publication. No submissions will be published anonymously. All submissions become property of MIHS Islander.

Editors in chief: Richard Chess Isabella MurilloFeatures Editor: Helena ShieldSports Editor: Sean BenderSpread Editor: Collectively complied by all editorsOpinions Editor: Isabella MurilloA&E Editor: Samantha PhilippBack Page Editor: Isabella MurilloPhoto Editor: Samantha Philipp

PurposeTo the Mercer Island High School student body and members of the sur-rounding community in a manner that accurately reflects the readers’ interests

AdsTo print an ad in a future issue of The Islander, contact Business Manager Richard Chess at mihsislander@gmail.com for rates and more information.

Holiday DIYS, Oh my!

1. Place the tin can in a saucepan full of boiling water2. Add wax (essential oil optional for scent)3. Cut a piece of wick so that it is longer than the height of the teacup. Tape one end to a pen/pencil4. When the wax has melted, pour the wax into the teacup and place the wick in the wax with the pen/pencil resting on the top of the cup5. Cool for two to three hours, then cut the wick6. Voila! Enjoy.

Materials:−2 candy canes−1 big sized kit kat bar−10 mini hersheys−hot glue gun

1. Glue the candy canes hook facing upwards to the back of the kit kat bar2. Glue the 10 mini hersheys in a pyramidal shape, 4 on the bottom, 3 on the next level, 2 on the next, and 1 on the top3. Add any other decorations you want!

1. Glue the letters together to make the a word2. Using the saw, cut the scrabble stands so that it is just the right length for the word you made3. Drill two holes in the middle of the word4. Hot glue the ends of the ribbon inside the two holes5. Voila! Fin.

Candy Sleighs

Teacup Candles

Materials:-scrabble letters (wooden)-scrabble stands (wooden)-saw-hot glue gun-drill-ribbon

Scrabble Ornaments

Materials:-wax-wick-tin can-teacups-tape-scissors

1. Fill one jar with marshemellows, one with the hot choco-late powder and one with peppermints2. Place soft velcro on the bottoms of the marshamellow and powder jars, and the hooked side to the tops of the powder and peppermint jars3. Using the paints, draw buttons on the chocolate jars and snowmen faces on the marshamellow jars4. Stack the jars marshamellow on top, chocolate in the mid-dle, and peppermints on the bottom5. Cut the spare cloth and wrap the “neck” of the snowman (the lid of the chocolate jar) like a scarf6. Tightly wrap the marshamellow lid with black cloth7. Place a scare piece under the lid of the marshamellow jar to make the brim of the top hat. Use rubber bands to prob it up if sagging8. Enjoy!

Materials:−3 baby food jars−marshamellows−hot chocolate mix powder−peppermints−small velcro pieces−spare pieces of cloth (for the scarves)−black cloth−black and orange paints

Snowmen Jars

Compiled by Helena Shield and Lily Clugston