in fli htA U B U R N R I V E R S I D E S T U D E N T V O I C E

gMarch 16, 2011 VOLUME 17ISSUE #5

Recovering addict comes clean. See page 2.

2 3/16/11OPINION

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InFlight policiesin fli htgStaff ReportersCharles Casady Jaymes FleuryLisa GrayJordan GreenBrianne KoppKayla SeamsterKyle Stocker

Editor-In-ChiefShayla McGinness

Business ManagerBrianne Kopp

AdviserPatrick Swenson

“Hi, my name is Kayla, and I am an addict.” I announced at my first Narcotics Anonymous meeting; a twelve step program to support and help people with their ad-dictions.

As a young person I did not come to Narcotics Anonymous looking for a new way of life. I was just tired of living the way I had been. I spent a lot of my time feeling angry, lonely, hurt, or scared. And getting high was the only thing that seemed to fix that, but drugs quickly began to make my life harder. I was tired of the pain and confusion, but I didn’t want to consider it was drugs that were making my life worse. I always contemplated stopping in the back of my mind, but the thought never lasted long.

If any of this sounds fa-miliar, you might be like me. I wasn’t too young to be an addict, and I wasn’t too young to get clean.

I grew up in a normal home. I had amazing, loving parents (who stuck with me despite everything I put them through) an older broth-er and sister. Everything I needed was provided for me.

I had been to two rehabs by the time I was thirteen years old and was still unable to quit. When I finally had a moment of honest reflection about the severity of my addiction, I’d already been through the loss of relationships, friends, esteem, and personal morality. I was experiencing deep chaos within.

I asked myself, “Whatever happened to all of that joy and happiness I used to feel?” All I could feel anymore was sorrow and self pity. Every day had become a chore. I’d go to bed hoping I wouldn’t wake up the next day.

An addict is usually described as some-

one who is dependent upon drugs. To me that definition means nothing. Addiction is a part of me. It’s more than just being a slave to drugs; it’s the inability to cope with life on life’s terms. I used drugs as a solution to life. I numbed my feelings with them and blocked out the world around me. I lived to use and used to live.

I remember a time where I was headed to a concert—Smashing Pumpkins to be ex-act. I was so excited, it was a once in a life-

time show for me. Of course I had to get good and

drunk before. I was so wasted I was anx-ious and had to pee the entire time. I was missing the enitre show...only hearing instead.

This is a dis-ease. I know that’s hard to believe, but addiction is lit-erally an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. I’ve been asked several times is addic-tion a real disease or just a mental disorder for the weak willed? I know many addicts whose veins in their

arms and legs are so damaged, that they in-ject themselves in their eyeballs. Because go-ing without their high is a far worse option.

Addicts have plenty of will-power...it’s just focused in the wrong direction. Recovery teaches us to refocus energy.

“I don’t feel happy anymore,” a student at Riverside said. “I hate myself and the things I have to do. I hate hurting my family even more, but I just can’t quit. I’ve tried—believe me. I’ve lost my friends, all of my hope, and dignity.” She asked me to reveal her quotes anonymously.

She told me about a time she was sup-posed to be going on a vacation to Portland with her family. “I was so loaded the entire time I can’t remember any of it. I spent

most of my time trying to find some oxy and withdrawing from pills. I thought it was going to be a grand adventure, but it turned out to be a hunt.”

There is little sympathy for people with drug addiction. Many in society believe that the user is to blame.

Addicts are viewed as walking on the dark side of life, and those addicted to street drugs are viewed with a disdain reserved for felons. They are not viewed as people suf-fering from a “disease.”

The reasoning for society not being sympathetic to the addict is simple: People get hooked because they choose to take the drug in the first place. It’s their fault!

Addiction is a disease, not just a state of mind. Nobody chooses to be a drug addict.The problem for the addict is that society has attached a stigma to the disease. Bad people are drug addicts. Weak people are drug addicts. Undesirable people are drug addicts.

People become addicts; good people, nice people. The well-educated, the blue collar, the rich, the poor, all colors and types are all potential addicts. No one is exempt. This disease does not discriminate.

I’m not here to tell you drugs are bad, or you have to quit now. I’m just telling you that there is a solution to the endless days of misery, and addicts aren’t bad people.

Thankfully, I’m part of the 5% of young addicts who have found recovery and stuck with it—and for that I am eternally grateful.

My life is a blessing today. I wake up in the morning and am grateful to be alive. I love hearing the wind blow, the birds sing, and the rain fall. Life is a gift for me. I am no longer living a selfish, self pitied, miser-able life.

Just for today, I have my whole life ahead of me. By staying clean, I’m free to become who I want to be.

I get to share my experience, strength, and hope with addicts all over. I speak at schools and rehabs all over Washington. I help show kids that there is a way out.

Not everyone is an addict. Some people can drink socially. But if you’re like me and one is too many and a thousand is never enough, if you can’t just have one drink, if you feel helpless over drugs, if you use so you don’t have to feel—I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to live like that anymore.

Throw away the cardboard, the left over food from breakfast or lunch, recycle the sheafs of floating binder paper, the tons of pop bottles and energy drink cans, com-post the...what? Even though composting is just as necessary and critical as recycling, it is not as widely used to say the least, which is unfortunate because composting creates vital products such as fertilizer and bio fuels.

A hot topic in the news often is the constant remainder of the huge loss of nonrenewable fossil fuels. America, in particular, uses about 17 million barrels of oil a day. America is the top user of oil and according to Kenneth Deffeyes, a Princeton University geologist, the United States “burns a quarter of the world’s oil.” This is a worrisome situation, especially with talks of how much oil is actually left.

A way to create fuel instead of relying heavily on fossil fuels and other quickly depleting supplies of energy is to compost. Composting is the decaying of organic ma-terial which in turn creates biofuel. This biofuel can be used in place of other fast depleting wells of energy.

Compost can also be used to make fertilizers. Since compost is made up of organic material, it leaves the ground more moist and natural. Not only that but com-post provides uses for the tons and tons of animal waste produced from zoos and farms in the United States. This protects the ground from having unfiltered hazardous waste thrown in it that could potentially taint water sources.

Composting is a critical and important step towards a world with healthier water sources, crops and less dependence on oil. It also saves millions of pounds of organic material from going into landfills. Compost-ing sites would also create jobs and profits and save thousands of dollars in garbage dump fees.

Riverside recycles, which is awe-some, but composting should be the next step. It’s necessary and vital for a better and cleaner society. It’s irresponsible to waste an opportunity of putting natural and organic materials to good use, that’s environmentally conscious.

Compost Commandos

Previous addict comes cleanSHAYLA MCGINNESS

Editor-In-Chief

KAYLA SEAMSTERStaff Reporter

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHAEL HUSON

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!Greetings from Newspaper

33/16/11 OPINION

School lunches are an everyday thing most teenage kids go through. Sometimes they are the grossest, most disgusting things on this planet, but for us it’s the total oppo-site. Our two lunches have improved things in our school far beyond food preparation time. Switching from three lunches to two could be one of the best things that has happened to this school in a while.

We look at the lunches like they are a bad thing, but we don’t realize what good they actually are. No food and more class time are not on the up-side in our daily conversation, but are important subjects in our daily school lives. We take all the improvements our school does for granted and we complain about them. We need to look at the up-side of this change instead of denying it and complaining.

With the two lunches we have gained more class time. More class time means less work at home and more hands-on learning rather than it being on your own learning. When we leave school Monday and go home, who honestly wants to start doing hours of home-work with no social time to hang with our friends or start our extra curricular activities? Most students at our school can’t drop everything after school just for more homework, so longer class periods are a lifesaver.

With two lunches we have more people in each lunch. Sure this could be a problem for some people but more people means more of the people you know and love. We all have someone to sit with and socialize with at lunch. I know what you’re thinking: more people, no space. When you look at the big picture there are a lot of tables and plenty of space for people to sit. Just because you can’t run a mile around your table doesn’t mean there isn’t enough space. Also the lunches are longer so we get more time with our friends and we are able to get the things done that we need to during lunch instead of class.

Longer lunches means less food? Wrong. The lunches have provided an in-between period so the workers in the cafeteria can make more food and not run out like we did in third lunch. With more food, we all get that special thing we wanted rather than running out of food during the last lunch.

With the new lunches we also have no separation between fourth period. It gives us the constant learning we need to remember the curriculum and learn accordingly. When we had fourth period separated by second lunch, we all forgot what happened in the first part of the period. Teachers had to waste precious class time in order to review what they had taught originally in the first part of the class.

Who are we kidding though? The lunches

are bad. There’s too many people and we can’t find a place to sit. We have longer classes and we get bored with an hour of the same class. All the good food is gone because of all the people in the previous lunch. This is blown way out of proportion and we need to quit complaining and look at the pros instead of the almost nonexistent cons.

The three lunches before were shorter and really hectic. We had to run to our classes due to the crowded hallways when students were going to and from class. It caused more tardys and made life for our attendance office far more busier, creating stress between students and faculty. More Thursday schools were given, making stu-dents angrier and far more disrespectful.

The fact is, when we had three lunches life was far more difficult in school. Classes were inturrupted and we couldn’t remem-ber half the stuff we did due to the interim between periods. It affected our

homework and caused m o r e l a t e work that changed our grades that didn’t reflect our true potential. Also, when par-ents went to drop off food for their kids they had to make multiple trips just to get each of them their food. Now their kids most likely have the same lunch and they don’t have to worry about making seperate trips. Lunch can be eaten hot and without confusion.

Lunch is a time for students to chill and relax. It was to hard to get to class with crowded hallways in between the two lunches and way harder to concentrate with a fourth period. Lunch should be eaten with-out confusion or discomfort.

Two lunches have affected and changed our daily school life. For the better, more or less. In reality, it has helped us more than we recognize. We get more time to finish homework and a better understanding of what we are actually learning. We see more of our friends and have more time to eat. It gives us more time to do what we need to do during lunch instead of missing class. Two lunches is so much better than three.

Two lunches better than three Two lunches lack in flavor

In an attempt to prevent skipping, an important part of our schedule has been removed. Our beloved third lunch.

For almost two months now, we have been reduced to a first and second lunch. But the only thing that this overhaul has done is create problems. And a lot of them. Ask any of our students about the two lunches, and nine times out of ten you’ll hear the same answer: “I hate them.”

Some will ask “When are they going to bring back third lunch?”

But it’s not just the students who despise this dilemma. The janitors are hit just as hard if not harder. They are running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to take care of the garbage and spills. Then afterwards they get to reset the commons for second lunch. And once again their heads are elsewhere while they’re cleaning our numer-ous messes and organizing the lack of chairs

and tables.

One group who has been hit particularly hard is the culinary arts department. With an approximate 1,750 students in the building, three lunches divided us into a nice bunch of 560 students per lunch. Now that we’re down to two, they must make meals for about 860 students a lunch. Many students complain about the lack of food. Their argument be-ing that, first lunch takes most of the food, leaving the scraps (and whatever can made between the lunches) for second. The culi-nary students do have more time than normal to make the food but now there is just too much food to be made in too little time.

With 300 extra students to a lunch, finding room can be difficult. The fact is, we don’t have enough tables, chairs, or enough room. Some students have come up with their own solution: they leave their class earlier to get in line. But once that

bell finally does ring, the halls explode with students. The main hall is jammed from the gym to the ART, moving at crawl. By the time the Commons is in view, the line is practi-cally looping around the room. All the while, moving like a slug. But finally, you’ve made it into the lunch room. The food is sparce and you grab whatever is left. Once you’ve payed some strange sum for a mix-match tray you’re finally ready to eat.

Now with stomachs growling and time ticking by, students wolf down their food and run to class. By the way, this isn’t very healthy. All of our time is eaten away by wait-ing in the halls and in line and then trying to scour the room for a spot to sit.

“It’s frustrating that our third lunch was taken away because of skipping students,” senior Lauren Mendez said. “It punishes even us who don’t skip school.”

Many students share the same opinion. Students who skip class should face harsher punishments instead of punishing not only the students, but the whole building. It’s just...unjust. Students will skip regardless if there are two lunches or three. The only

thing the two lunches have accom-plished is to make the students an-

gry and cause mass confusion and chaos.

This unfair pun-ishment has gone

too far. It not only goes against our school’s attempt to be healthier, but it also hin-ders our staff

and students. It causes mass confu-

sion throughout our schedules. The only temporary solution

is to either bring your own lunch and find ei-ther a corner or some-

one’s lap to sit in.

CHARLES CASADYStaff Reporter

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, SCHOOL.DISCOVERYEDUCATION.COM

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4 3/16/11NEWS

It’s late at night, there’s a dark figure in the alleyway. He jumps out and holds a gun to your head. Then, a flash of yellow and he’s on the ground held down by a man named Phoenix Jones. But before you thank him, he’s gone. These masked vigilantes have been cleaning the streets of the Lakewood-Seattle area of all crime and keeping the citizens safe.

Real life superhero Phoenix Jones is the leader of a group of vigilantes called the Rain City Super-heroes along with Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catas-trophe, Thunder 88, and Penelope. They all arm themselves with non-lethal weapons such as tazers or mace. They then patrol the streets of the Lynwood-Seattle area.

Dressed in a Gold and Black skin-tight suit with a bullet-proof vest underneath, Jones is their leader. No one knows their true identities; they are the modern day Marvel superheroes. “Everyone on my team either has a military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we’re well aware of what its costs to do what we do,” Phoenix Jones told KOMO.

Real Life Superhero:The PhoenixJORDAN GREEN

Staff Reporter The Phoenix is best known for keeping

a man’s car from being stolen. One night in Lynwood, a man named Dan came back to his car and it was being broken into. Before he could call 911, The Phoenix appeared and chased him away.

“From the right, this guy comes dash-ing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away,” Dan said. However, Jones was not able to catch up to the car thief.

Jones said that he started his super-hero movement nine months ago and has been stabbed, and had a gun pulled on him. Luckily, he has not been severely injured, according to KOMO.

The Phoen i x has discovered a whole new way to fight crime. He has started a movement

that is spreading throughout Washington and encouraging people to fight back.

“I symbolize the average person who doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing,” Jones said.

He has shown that one person can make a difference in society. He is the new era of Superhero.

Ready for Spring Tolo?

PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE COMMONS

SHAYLA MCGINNESSEditor-In-Chief

PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE COMMONS

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

Nerds, fans unite atEmerald City Comicon

This year, Riverside will be having its first Tolo dance in over four years. The dance will be held on March 25 and the theme is “Decades.” Tolo or Sadie Hawkins is a reverse dance in which girls must ask the guys out instead of vice versa. The fee to get in will be $5 and it’s from eight to ten pm. According to Mrs. Benedict, Tolo was “earned back by dancing appropriately.” The deal the administrators made in the beginning of the year, was if the freshmen and Homecoming dances went well in regards to appropriate dancing, then dances taken away in previous years would be allowed once more. Apparently, this dance is another sort of test run. If students are appropriate in behavior and dancing again, then more dances will be planned. Started around Homecoming, the dance code contract will still be in effect. Plans are to have every student who is attending fill and sign out a new dance contract. The

wristbands will be required as well. The rules regarding dirty dancing still stand with one offense being a warning and so on. Tolo will not be a formal dance like Home-coming or Prom. Because of the “decades” theme, students are supposed to pick a decade, like the ’80s or the ’90s, then dress like that particular decade. Unlike Homecoming and Prom, administra-tors have said no to allowing guest passes. Not all students are happy about this. “Not allowing guest passes is not fair to the students who have friends who attend other schools,” sophomore Marissa Brook-heart said. “Especially if they go to a school in the same district.” ASB, however, is very excited for this dance and the prospects of future dances. They have been working extremely hard and planning a lot for Tolo. According to Public Relations officer Toni Sanseri, “it’s our main focus.” The administrators and ASB hope for more dances and for everyone to have a safe but fun time.

Hello Riverside Ravens,The Auburn Food Drive competition

was an absolute success. We raised so many canned food items along with money, and to think that all of what we raised is going to helpless people in need. It was so great to see people, students, and teachers getting involved and coming together for a good cause. Congratulations Auburn Riverside. We won’t find out the results of the competition for another couple of weeks, so we’ll let you know when we find out. I sense a bright outcome.

Now that the Auburn Food Drive is over, it’s time for ASB to start figuring out details about Tolo. I know it’s been on your mind. The dance will be on March 25th, 2011 and the

theme is “decades.” So ladies, it’s your turn to ask someone to this dance. It’s from 8pm to 10pm. Plan something fun and exciting!

I have heard many people asking if the dance is formal or informal. The answer: informal. You will not be allowed to invite guests outside of school. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but let me tell you, this dance is going to be so fun. Come with a good mindset and you are guaranteed an eventful and crazy night!

ASB is taking our tasks one step at a time. Our main focus is Tolo. Be prepared for a wonderful, fantastic night! ASB is very proud of our school, and keep up the good work!

Special thanks to Key Club, FCCLA, and all the other people who so greatly volun-teered their time to the Auburn Food Drive. Flip the switch!

TONY SANSERIPublic Relations Officer

UPDATEASB

This March 4th, 5th and 6th, Seattle was filled with people across the country. Every able-bodied geek, dweeb and nerd attended the 9th annual Emerald City Comicon.

For three short days writers, bloggers, art-ists, and actors were in our backyard to show off their wares. Actors such as William Shatner, (Star Trek’s Captain Kirk) John Noble, (Fringe’s Dr. Wal-ter Bishop) Sean Flanery and Norman Reedus, (The Boondock Saints’ Connor and Murphy McManus) and so many more made appeaarances to see their fans.

For those who don’t quite know all about Comicon, it’s a pretty simple idea. A giant convention where fans of all kind can see their favorite writers, artists, actors, etc., and buy all sorts of artwork, comics, and memorabilia. Attendees can also get autographs, pictures and interviews with their favorite actors/vendors.

It is always fun to see the interesting people at these kind of conventions. Many more “hardcore” fans take their love for comics to the next level.

On one side of the crowd you can count a dozen Stormtroopers and a Wookie

or two, while on the other side there are Spock impersonators mingling with Spider-man. If you’ve seen him or her in a comic strip, they were idolized somewhere in the Washington Convention Center.

With the Internet swallowing every-thing paper, many comics have moved to an online base, which has built a more modern genre: the webcomic. There are

thousands of webcomics today, and one of the most popular artists/writers were there.

Writers such as Ryan Sohmer and artist Lar De Souza who produce both Looking For Group and Least I Could Do were kind enough to have a quick interview. Lar had some interesting words of wis-

dom for our school’s budding artists. “Don’t just draw one style,” Souza

said. “It’s not [about] how long you’ve been drawing, it’s when you’ve stopped.”

He explained that we have all been drawing at an early age and the ones who excel are the ones who enjoy and keep doing it.

This year was the first time the ECCC has gone on for three days. An estimated 25,000 people attended, but next year is estimated to hold even more. In 2012 the Emerald City’s Comicon will reach its tenth year. It may even be opened for more than three days and host even more stars.

53/16/11 FEATURE

While trying to get that summer body ready, eating right is a crucial part of get-ting slim, and some foods may seem like they are healthy but in reality they can be the exact opposite. And according to msnbc.com and foxnews.com there are many food that shouldn’t be eaten when trying to loose weight.

Rice cakes, for example, are low-fat, low-cholesterol, and virtually tasteless. So they must be good for you, right? Wrong. Just one lightly salted, large-sized cake contains 40 to 50 calories. A downside of this food is that the taste is light and airy and it has no nutritional content. One of the more nutri-tious parts of it is that it has whole grain kernels. There is also that option of getting a flavored rice cake but that is just adding extra unnecessary fat. If you must have a rice cake then get a plain rice cake and put some hummus and sliced vegetables on top, or some peanut butter that can add protein.

Another food that could be potentially hurting the waistline could be muffins. A rea-son why they might look healthy is because they could have bran or berry varieties, the illusion of a nutritious breakfast, but in real-ity the muffins are way bigger than necessary and a muffin averages 500 calories and 20-plus grams of fat.

If a muffin is part of the morning routine and breaking that routine sounds impossible, then try a whole-grain English muffin with a light layer of peanut butter on a toasted half, and then top with fruit. That alone sets you back about 150 calories, but if you have to have a baked good, then picking a small

muffin is the best choice. Or, spilt a huge muffin with a few friends. Picking a muffin with fruit or whole grain fiber is also a good choice, not the muffins coated in sugar.

Something to add to the list of unhealthy foods are granola bars. Just like rice cakes, from the outside they look nutritious and can slim the waist line. In reality, most granola bars are dipped in sugary syrup and are packed with chocolate chips. Highly processed or artificial ingredi-ents aren’t much better than high-calorie candy bars.

A healthy alter-native is to make a homemade trail mix with whole-grain, ready-to-eat cereals, such as shredded wheat, with whole nuts, seeds and chunks of unsweetened, dried fruit. Other-wise, stick to bars with a short ingredient list, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds and real fruit. Pick ones with four or more grams of fiber, less than 150 calories per serving and no more than six grams of added sugars.

Another common misconception is tea drinks. The tea leaves can lessen the chance of heart disease and stroke and they can also calm inflammation in the body and may slow the growth of cancer cells. But the downside is that tea drinks are not the same as brewed tea leaves. Many teas that come in a bottle

or a can contain little brewed tea leaves, but plenty of added sugars that enough to rival soda. But if tea is an obsession then buy tea bags at the store and make tea at home it will have less sugar and can save you some cash. But if you need a tea on the run the try to choose a tea that has brewed tea as the first ingredient and no more than four grams of added sugars per serving. Also, try

flavoring the tea with lemon and not that much sugar.

Fruit snacks are one of the biggest misconceptions. The

packaging leads you to be-lieve colorful fruits lie

within and the extra vitamin C (some of-fering 100 percent of recommended daily amount).

The first ingredient listed is a fruit, but

it’s often a concentrate made from boiled-down juices fairly rich in sugar and lacking the vitamins

found in whole fruits. Added sugars overwhelm any

of the fruit benefits. Plus, you’ll find plenty of additives, artificial ingredients and even corn oils, or trans fats, rounding out the list of ingredients. There is not a substitute for whole fruit other than itself, but dried fruit can a good food to eat if a case of the munchies takes over.

When in a hurry in the morning and need a breakfast on the run many people turn to instant oatmeal. That seems reasonable because oatmeal lowers cholesterol, is high in fiber and is packed full of whole grains,

Healthy food options not always what they seem

Some Awesome Lunch IdeasMini Sub Sandwich Ham & Turkey WrapSalad Sandwich on a Stick~ 1 Hoagie roll~ Shredded Lettuce~ American Cheese~ Ham or Turkey~ Condiments

Spread desired amount of condiments on hoagie roll. Add ham or turkey on bot-tom bun. Top with cheese and lettuce. Wrap in foil to keep cold.

~ 1 flour tortilla~ Shredded cheddar cheese~ Salsa~ Ham or Turkey ~Broccolini (Shredded broc-coli, carrot, and cabbage)

Lay out tortilla, place desired meat in middle. Top with cheese, broccolini, and salsa. Roll like a burrito and wrap in foil.

~ Lettuce~ Dressing~ Chicken / Turkey~ Croutons~ Salt / Pepper~ Carrots~ Tupperware Bowl

Place lettuce in bowl, top with chicken, croutons, carrots, salt and pepper. Place dress-ing in separate container. At lunch, drizzle dressing over salad.

but instant oatmeal is not that healthy. Even though instant flavored oatmeal is low in fat and cholesterol, it is higher in sugar, calories, lower in protein and lower in fiber. A good way to get your daily fiber and protien is to wake up a little earlier and make a pot of steaming warm oatmeal.

Pretzels are a a common misconception about being healthy. Even when they are unsalted they are still unhealthy. Pretzels are nutritionaly empty. Pretzels are lower in fat than chips but compared to chips are not that much healthier. One serving or pretzels is nearly a quarter of of the sodium a person needs each day. But because pretzels are basically bland, the flavored types just add to the calories, sodium and fat content. But if pretzels are a treat impossible to break, then try whole wheat pretzels or a handful of nuts instead. Seeds are also a good munchy snack such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Also an option is getting a veggie stick with some zesty dip.

Energy Bars are usually eaten before a workout but an energy bar is not always the best choice. Energy bars are filled with with high fructose corn syrup, added sugar, and artery-clogging saturated fat. Some even have over 350 calories; it is a good fuel up before a work out but it is just way too many calories. Instead try a trail mix or some low-fat cheese with a few bite size crackers, that way the workout will be more effective.

When buying food and looking at the nutritional facts the calories may only per serving; that’s a way food companies fool many buyers.

Eat healthy, eat right, but keep an eye out for misleading information!

~ French Bread~ Ham~ American Cheese~ Cherry tomato~ Lettuce~ Shishkebab

Rip off small chunks of French bread, spear on one end of Shishkebab. Spear next let-tuce, cheese, ham, tomato, cheese, and then ham. Spear other piece of bread on other side. Wrap in foil.

LISA GRAYStaff Reporter

PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW.FLICKR.COM

6 3/16/11FEATURE

Fluffy Key-lime Pie

1 package (.3 ounce) sugar-•free lime gelatin1/4 cup boiling water•2 cartons (6 ounces each) •key lime yogurt1 carton (8 ounces) frozen •fat-free whipped topping, thawed1 reduced-fat graham •cracker crust (8 inches)

1.) In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Whisk in yogurt. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into crust.

2.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set

Ingredients:

Directions:

Corned Beef and CabbageIngredients:

3 pounds corned beef brisket •with spice packet10 small red potatoes•5 carrots, peeled and cut into •3-inch pieces1 large head cabbage, cut •into small wedges

Directions:

1.) Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender. 2.) Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.3.) Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

The winter has been long and hard, but alas! its end draws near. In Irish folklore, Beltane (or May 1st) will mark the beginning of one of the liveliest of fairy festivals, in which the Sidhe (or “fairies”) feel the spring even more intensely than we do. Great bonfires will mark a time of purification and transition, proclaiming the hope of a good harvest later in the year.

Irish Folklore

What do you think of when you imagine March? The spring, weird weather, basketball…

How about Saint Patrick’s Day? Many people just take this holiday as an excuse to pinch people, skip calls, and get completely wasted. About 75 percent of our

nation claims to be Irish, but very few actually know the origins of this festive holiday.

A Roman Britain saint known as Saint Patrick was pretty well known in the 4th century. On one fateful day Patrick (at age 16) was kidnapped by Irish raiders. He was stuck in Ireland for many years as a slave, when one day he had a vision.

In this vision, God told him to flee to the coast, board a ship, and return to Britain. In complete awe

of his vision, Patrick immediately fled and boarded the first ship to England. Some speculate that as a way to

thank God, Patrick joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.

Years later, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland, but this time to be a bishop in order to help convert them from their polytheism (the belief in multiple gods). And this is where the clover comes into play. While explaining the Christian Trinity, it is said, Saint Patrick would let each leaf represent the Father, the Spirit and the Holy Ghost.

How to Catch a LeprechaunThings you’ll need.• Quiet Shoes• Night Vision• Good Luck

Look for a little man wearing green clothes and 1. a shoe maker’s apron. Stay open minded.Look around rainbows and follow the sound. 2. Look and listen.Proceed with caution. Leprechauns think 3. of humans as foolish and greedy and will hide their gold on the first sight of us. The only way to obtain a leprechaun’s gold is to succesfully capture one, and that alone is extremely difficult. When the leprechaun is spotted, try to catch 4. him really fast. Leprechauns are speedy little devils and will run away as soon as they spot you. According to legend, when the leprechaun is caught 5. he will promise you wealth if you let him go free. Lep-rechauns carry two coins with them. A silver coin that will return to him if it gets taken, and a gold coin that as soon as the leprechaun leaves will turn to leaves. Hold the little guy down and make him give you his pot of gold, but be careful; if you let him go he can vanish in an instant.

The Story of Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick’s Day

73/16/11 FEATURE

Every teacher has a story to tell and science teacher Phil Myka is no excep-tion.

Myka became a teacher because he really enjoyed science when he was in high school and he really wanted to share it. When Myka was in high school his favorite classes were biology and language arts. He liked biology because it had a lot to do with the outdoors and language arts was his other favorite because he enjoyed reading and writing. When he was a stu-dent he was mischievous but received decent grades.

Myka went to high school in a school just south of Buffalo, New York called Hamburg. For college he went to the state of New York in Oswego, New York. For his master’s degree he went to Syracuse University.

When Myka is not at school he likes to go snowboarding or skiing with his son Paul or hiking or kayaking. He loves to travel, and has visited many places outside the United States, such as the Bahamas and Costa Rica.

“I want to go to new Zealand,” Myka said. “Home is just the place to sleep,” he added.

When he was a kid he wanted to be an outdoor writer or a vet. Growing up he played hockey, wrestled and played lacrosse.

Myka is married to his wife Tammy, who is a 3rd grade teacher at Illako El-ementary. Myka used to coach JV tennis at Riverside but stopped when his son was

born. His son Paul, age five and a half, is in kindergarten and loves it.

When asked what his favorite food was he wasn’t able to answer because he loves food.

“I like to cook Thanksgiving dinner from scratch,” Myka said. “There’s no such thing as a dry turkey at my house.”

Just like he loves a variety of foods, he enjoys a variety of music. He enjoys just about all of it...except country.

In Myka’s class students will come in contact with many animals such as fish and a snake. The fish aren’t named, but his famous snake by the door is female and her name is Sid. Myka has had Sid since 1989.

If Myka could change one thing about himself it would be that he would be in-dependently wealthy.

But that’s his story.

CHARLES CASADYStaff Reporter

Everybody has a story. Our past tells our story. It makes us who we are and it establishes who we become in the fu-ture. It builds our morals and it gives us strength to overcome the obstacles in our lives. For Senior Emily Bittrick, it’s a story of overcoming what gets you down.

Last year, Bittrick moved here from Puyallup. She moved for a fresh start but started dealing with depression and had to be transferred. “The past years have been really hard for me,” Bittrick said.

When Bittrick first started dealing with depression she felt unappreciated and she couldn’t see the good in herself or things. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t see a future for herself. “I never wanted to be depressed or depressing,” said Bittrick, “I wanted to get better.”

During the past summer Bittrick was enrolled in a depression rehab. She was able to get away from life for a while and said it made her realize the good in things she had.

Depression affects many of us. Bittrick is one of the many people who fell prey to depression. It made her feel like she didn’t matter and put her in a downward spiral. She found her way out though. She fought to see the good in the everyday things that would not matter to some people. The things that make an individual the things that make her feel like herself. For some people it’s soccer or music. Bittrick found inspiration to get better through Harry Pot-ter, music, writing, making people laugh, math, family and school.

Bittrick found her way out of depres-sion. She found the good in the things in her life. Bittrick conquered depression and finds her inspiration in everything she does.

“I always knew I had potential,” Bittrick said.

She found her way out and is living a happy life.

PHOTO COURTESY: CHARLES CASADY

Staff ReporterLISA GRAY

BACKGROUND PHOTO COURTESY CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW.BORNEOTOURGIGANT.COM ... PHOTO BY CHARLES CASADY

PHOTO BY: CHARLES CASADY

8 3/16/11FEATURE

Miss Auburn Pageant teaches confidence and poiseThe 2011 Miss Auburn

Scholarship Pageant not only marked its 49th year this past February, but it also welcomed five of River-side’s young women: seniors Elisa Rosin, Kyra Frederick, Melissa Gustafson, Salina Ellison, and Jacqueline Guyette. They competed alongside 20 other contes-tants in various phases of competition, including Tal-ent; Lifestyle and Fitness in Swim Suit; Evening Wear; and Onstage and Private Interview.

The Miss Auburn Schol-arship Pageant is designed

to further young women’s educational aspirations and to equip them with essential life-skills. It is an amazing oppor-tunity for young women between the ages of 17 and 24.

First place winner and current Miss Auburn 2011 Daniela

Ferrell said that “The Miss America organization prides itself on being the #1 provider of scholarship dollars to women, and the Miss Auburn program is able to boast about giving away the most money for school out of any local pageant in the United States. With a community like Auburn where there is a wide range of economic backgrounds, so many women benefit from the scholarships.” Ferrell has received over $6,500 through the Miss Auburn program.

The contestants rehearse every Sunday from November to February, during which they get to establish memorable relationships with one another. Prior to the Pageant each contestant is interviewed privately by an adjudicator, where they are ranked according to their intelligence, style, emo-tional control, and overall first impression.

First Runner-up and senior Elisa Rosin said that the Miss Auburn Pageant really helped her mature. “The whole interview process was really intimidating and daunting at first,” she explained, “but through practice it became natu-ral and organic for me to have defined opinions on current events; which I was able to back up and explain in front of the judges.” The Pageant itself is put on over a period of two nights—in which the contestants compete in front of judges in various categories, including Talent (in which con-testants have the opportunity to show off their personality and technical skill-level in a talent of their choice. This is also the highest percentage of the overall score); Lifestyle

Serve our communities with a smile

and Fitness in Swimsuit (in which contestants express their physical fitness and overall physique); Evening Wear (in which contestants are judged according to their sense of confi-dence and attractiveness); and On-stage Question (where contestants have a final chance to express their personality, richness of voice, and sincerity to their platform).

“The Swimsuit and Evening Wear competitions seemed silly at first,” Rosin said, “but I realized that the point was for us to be more comfortable in our own skin, and to have self-confidence on the outside.”

Senior Kyra Frederick said that the Miss Auburn Pageant taught her a lot about how to represent herself and to be-come a better person by helping out with charities. “It’s an awesome way to meet new people and get ahead in life,” she said. “And not to mention the fantastic scholarships!”

Senior Jacqueline Guyette has been in the pageant for two years in a row. “It is great for any young woman to be a part of,” she said, “because it’s really immeasurable; the amount of confidence and interview skills formed in one’s life over the five month process. One is given qualities they can utilize for the rest of their life.”

There are five Runner-ups beneath the crown, all of which walk away with something extra.

“No one leaves the Miss Auburn program empty-hand-ed,” Ferrell said. “Everyone leaves with scholarship money, but what’s just as important is that everyone leaves more polished and confident.”

We all need ten hours of it. Some of us love to do it while others loathe it. But the people who are affected by it greatly appreciate it. Community service shouldn’t feel like a chore or assignment, it should feel like an accomplishment to go out and help others. People are surprised at how much can be done for their com-munity and the vast number of ways they can fulfill it.

Students don’t need to tackle some gargantuan project to get hours of com-munity service. Students only need to willingly give some of their time to their community. Anything from telling someone their shoes are untied (not jokingly) to helping someone push his car across the block counts as legitimate service. This place would be so much happier if all of us pitched in to help one another.

An average student at our school has received less than their assigned ten hours. Yet some have greatly exceeded them. They are the ones who make the biggest difference; they actually enjoy going out of their way to help others. This, arguably, is the best feeling in the world.

Our school even has multiple clubs that dedicate some of their time to give our community a hand. Obviously our Key Club is the most dedicated to our com-munity. It’s an excellent way to get those elusive hours in and feel good doing it.

“It was really fun, and I liked what we were doing,” sophomore Bailey Brooks

said. Brooks attended Key Club last year and received plenty of service hours by writing signs and picking up trash along the side of the road.

Other ways to get service hours are ev-erywhere you look. Elementary schools need high school students to read with them, the sides of the roads are covered in filth, local shelters are in need of helping hands, and so much more!

One popular way is to become some kind of camp counselor. Recently, a good number of students signed up to be camp counselors at Camp Auburn. Go figure: a local and amaz-ingly fun way to get service hours during the summer! What else could you ask for?

One association that has been around for about a century now has opened the doors to multiple students here. The Boy Scouts of America is almost completely based around helping others. In fact two students here have achieved over 300 hours! They coun-seled at Camp Hahobas for two weeks each and were even given service hours while they were sleeping.

But to get service hours you don’t need to be part of a historical organization. You can just have a hobby. Just like our very own Alex Vandenberg who taught snowboarding lessons at Snoqualmie Mountain for a full 48 hours.

Evidently, service hours shouldn’t be and aren’t a chore. Those hours should be our minimum time to be helping our community. It is so incredibly easy to get hours and it can be fun in many ways. Some people even do it in their sleep.

KYLE STOCKERStaff Reporter

JAYMES FLEURYStaff Reporter

Senior Elisa Rosin competed in this year’s Miss Auburn Pageant and won 1st Runner Up.

93/16/11 A & E

Richard Bach is a well-known author. His first bestsell-er, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, became a classic of the 1970s, expressing the feelings of the times. Since then he has writ-ten many more novels. A Bridge Across Forever is his autobiography of his search for the perfect woman. Instead, he finds a friend who would be-come the love of his life and his wife.

This is his story from his post-divorce days as a barnstormer pilot to published author to bank-rupt activist. He meets Leslie Parrish briefly on a movie set, never guessing the importance she has later in his life. He talks about his thoughts, his feelings, his apprehensions, and his idiocies. While this story tells her love story, too, it is told from his perspective.

The first third of the book is dumb, in my opinion. He is this wandering man, always looking for his “perfect woman.” Every woman he lays eyes on he asks ‘Is she the one?’ The idea in his mind is an unobtainable person. At one point he acknowledges to himself that he doesn’t even meet all the criteria of the perfect mate for him.

As he gets away from this discussion and moves into the relationship with Leslie, the book improves. He is straight-forward about his feelings and how they changed without him realizing. He shows his insensitive moments when he almost lost her as well as the special, joyous moments they have. Why she stayed with him after the heat stroke incident is still a mystery to me.

While I enjoyed their story, the book never quite clicks with me. He describes his trouble with bureaucracy and the government that finally led him to bankruptcy despite the millions he had made on his early books. He describes an environmental battle they had with the local state government. All

this winds together as their relationship solidifies and grows.

The book is informative about the issues, and makes me realize how stupid

“government” can be, but does not push that button to make me passionate about the

problems. Their story is touching. At the end, though, the book is ruined as he goes back into New Age type philosophizing about his life and his relationship.

This love story was adored and inspired many people all over the world, until the story was shoved away as pretentious when the fairy tale marriage with Leslie Parrish fell apart after 22 years. His ideas were questioned, and

his beliefs were mocked. Richard explained that love transcends the concepts of marriage, physical-

ity, and time. Agree or disagree, this book has way to much beauty and

hope to let go of for the author’s own discrepancy. It is filled with lovely moments and is sincere in wishing you true love. And somewhere along these pages, you are sure to find your-self meeting with the same bright hopes, beautiful dreams, and possibilities that The Bridge Across Forever is all about. Cheesy, I know, but well worth the read.

A Bridge Across Forever

KAYLA SEAMSTERStaff Reporter

A journey to the heart and soulPulling into the parking lot of Andies Restaurant can be

a difficult task on a weekend morning. Usually most of the locals in Auburn have already flocked there for their morning meal. The parking lot was full when my parents and I pulled in, barely grabbing a space to park in. I proceeded to walk into the homey little diner. Not only is Andies a restaurant, it’s also a sports bar. It’s not like IHOP or Denny’s; you seat yourself, which is nice if you aren’t in to a hyper waiter or waitress jabbering early in the morning about nothing really important in particular.

The thing that makes Andies special is that it’s not a coporate restaurant chain. The food is high quality and not manufactured to taste the same at every location. It’s the same kind of food that makes one think of their mom’s good ol’ home cookin. The products they use are the same ones anyone can find in a local grocery store, now that doesn’t mean one can easily replicate it because the cook’s at Andies create magic when they cook their food.

I ordered the egg’s beni, which is short for eggs benedict. Not sure what the name comes from but it was fantas-tic. Eggs benedict is a poached egg on top of a toasted english muffin with a slice of ham, cheddar cheese and a delicious holandaise sauce. It’s generally served with crispy hash browns.

Another great thing about Andies is that everything on the menu is under ten dollars and the food portions are huge. The atmosphere is wonderful as well. The custom-ers are mostly of an older generation, which provides for a relaxing atmosphere. That’s nice on an early weekend morning when you just wake up. Another plus is the bath rooms are really clean and well kept. Andies, famous for its breakfast, is a relaxing restaurant to eat any meal of the day at. The prices are awesome, as are the portion sizes. I recommend it in a heartbeat, especially over IHOP or Denny’s.

Andies RestaurantSHAYLA MCGINNESS

Editor-In-Chief

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

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oolspotte

rs.com

10 3/16/11A&E

Microsoft has yet again revolutionized the video game experience. How, do you ask? With the release of the Xbox 360 Kinect. This release will change the way we play and interact with video games forever.

The release of the Xbox Kinect is not like any other gaming experience. Why? Because this game does not require a controller. In the Kinect, you become the controller. From navigating Menus to playing against your friends, everything is done controller free.

How is this possible? The Kinect is a hori-zontal bar camera connected to an Xbox 360 that uses an RGB video display mixed with an infrared camera to detect depth and movement. In other words, it watches you, and the character on screen matches your move-ments. The Kinect sensor opens up a lot of new possibilities for future gaming experience. Motion gaming is the wave of the future.

Most of the games so far are simple Mini-Games. Such as Kinect Sports, in which you can play soccer, boxing, table tennis, track and field, and much more. The games so far for the Kinect have been somewhat disappointing. They amaze at first with the initial “wow” factor of motion gaming, but quickly lose interest. Mostly because the games are somewhat repetitive and easy, such as sprint, where you run in place, or table tennis where you just swing your arm back and forth. No games have come out yet that have harnessed the full potential of the Kinect system. In the future, however, I can see many amazing games being produced with this new found amazing technology.

Some of the features on the Kinect are team play, headset-less party chat, and fa-cial recognition. While playing Kinect up to

two people can play at once, which is very fun. Like boxing, for example; two players can box each other, making for a very in-teresting and yelling-packed game. Or even better, Kinect can be played over Xbox Live, making it possible for two players to box each other or play table tennis when they are not next to each other. Kinect also does not require a headset to speak in a Party. It uses noise cancelling technology to cancel out the background noise of your game so the person on the other end doesn’t hear it. Kinect also offers facial recognition. So if you’re worried about little sister playing on your profile, worry no more. Because now all she does is make her own profile and the Kinect Sensor will recognize her face and sign

you out and her in. Crazy, right?

With Kinect’s Dance Central,

you are taught a dance then per-form it and generate

points on how well you match the moves. This is a very fun game, especially because you can have dance battles with your friends. Kinect Sports is a basic sports game where you participate in track and field, table ten-nis, boxing and much more. This game is fun at first but loses interest quickly.

Kinect is also a great workout because you are up and moving rather than just sit-ting with a controller. I have to admit while boxing I started to breathe very heavily; it gets your heart pumping. There are also Kinect workout games such as EA’s Active and Active 2.

Starting at $149.99, Kinect is a great value for the price. The technology is amaz-ing and I highly recommend it. In the future I see many games that will harness the full potential of the Kinect. The Kinect has revolutionized the gaming experience and I recommend any gamer to get on board with it now.

JORDAN GREENStaff Reporter

Art defines and shapes us and gets our thoughts flowing. It gives us images that inspire people to do great things. It takes a lot of time and patience to create a work of art that can give

inspiration to people. Junior Sena Sprague is one of these artists who can do this.

Sprague’s drawings incorporate the tiniest of things that would go unnoticed. Sprague was in Drawing 1 first semester. She wants to continue to study art and is always drawing different things.

Sprague thinks art is addicting and fun. “Whenever I start drawing I keep

going and it doesn’t feel like I can stop,” Sprague said.

Sprague also thinks it’s challenging if you don’t know what your drawing. “When your main pastime is staring at a white wall, you’d better hope you have an active imagi-nation to keep you company.”

Sprague draws a variety of things: Shojo Manga (girls comics), Shonen Manga, (boys comics), Realistic, Cartoons, Quick-Sketches, American Comic Styles, People, Animals, Landscapes, Monsters, Mythology Characters—basically, the works. She draws in both black & white and color.

When Sprague is trying to decide what to draw next she goes into a long thought and then says, “Okay, I’ll draw that.”

Sprague describes her art as detailed and definite. She is always proud of her art, but on the other hand says if she isn’t trying it’s like, “here take this.”

Art defines Sena Sprague and in return, she inspires us.

Artist of the IssueSena Sprague

CHARLES CASADYStaff Reporter

9

The Raven RulingThe InFlight staff votes on culture

4

62 8

0

53Justin Bieber 3D Movie

Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Community ServiceSaint Patrick’s Day

Recently released, this movie is about the ups and downs of Justin Bieber’s life. It also shows Bieber’s struggle to become famous.

This new number one hit from the pop sensation Lady Gaga tells about how everyone needs to be themselves, rather than what people want them to be.

People offering their time to help out the commu-nity. Doing what’s right for no pay.

St. Patrick’s Day is a reli-gious holiday celebrating St. Patrick’s vision of God and escape from slavery. This holiday is usually celebrated by the Irish, and tradition tells to pinch people who aren’t wearing green.

PHOTO COURTESY: CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE, WWW-BGR-COM.

Microsoft Kinect Review

Junior Sena Sprague includes small details like dragons and fire balls in a city scape drawing.

PHOTOS BY CHARLES CASADY

4

Junior Sena Sprague

Refer a friend and you both get rewarded! Go to goswerve.com

to �nd out how!

Limited time o�er so hurry!

UPCOMING COURSES

12 3/16/11SPORTS

Talented senior Hannah Melick signed for a full-ride scholarship to University of Oregon in November last year, committing to play her next few years of softball on the Oregon Duck’s home field.

Making the decision was easy, as Melick puts it. “I liked the campus and it’s close, so my parents can come catch me play.”

Having her parents’ support was a much needed factor in where Melick decided, as that is the root of her inspira-tion.

“My dad is my inspiration. He always believes in me and wants me to be the best I can be,” Melick said. Of course having her mom there cheering her on, is just another mo-tivator to keep Melick on her A-game.

At a young age, Melick tried every sport she could. Making her way through each one, she picked them all up with ease. However, softball stood out the most. Although stumbling across it by chance, Melick has made a promising future for her college career.

Melick will continue her 9th year of softball with the Ravens as the Varsity captain. She has high hopes for the season, and a readiness to be the leader she needs to be out on the field.

“I would like to go to state extremely bad,” Me-lick said, “but we are going to have to work harder than we ever had, to make it there.”

This will be Melick’s second year as captain, and a high hope to receive her 3rd first team award as a Raven this season.

Raven softball isn’t the only team Melick spends her time with. Melick also holds a spot on the Washington State Ladyhawks Team.

Granted, softball isn’t her whole life; in the win-ter of this year Melick also played on the girls basket-ball team, where she started and helped lead the team to the state playoffs.

Always active and al-ways playing sports, Melick keeps in shape by taking Dave Gothels’ class, going to the gym whenever possible, and to her practices that usually run 7 days a week.

Catching a break just never seems reachable; however, the hard work and dedication is all worth it. With excite-ment to fulfill her years to come, Melick is not ready to say

Raven today, Oregon Duck tomorrowBRIANNE KOPP

Staff Reporter

PHOTO COURTESY LKJHBJFDJ

Going for a slide, Melick receives the ‘safe’ call against Kentwood last year.

PHOTO COURTESY HANNAH MELICK

goodbye to the Ravens just yet. With her last season barely started, Melick plans to make the most of it.

In the future, however, players are looking to fulfill Melick’s spot someday.

“Always have fun and work your hardest a 100% of the time.” Golden advice to take from fastpitch senior Hannah Melick.

Senior Hannah Melick