May 2011 Colony High School Volume 8 Issue 8

The Knightly News

What’s Happening? . . . . 2

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Students of the Month. . . 10

Staff Spotlight . . . . . . . . 10

INSIDE

TheofficialendofthesessionwasApril15th

forthestateofAlaska,butourgovernmentofficialsare still representing us in Juneau. A budgetwasnot decided upon leading to the Governor callingforanextrasession.MeaningthatallGovernmentrepresentativesandtheirstaffareonhousearrestinJuneauuntilthebudgetdecisionhasbeenagreedupon. “We’llbestayinginJuneauuntiltheSenateandHouseagreeuponabudgetthatgetsapprovedbytheGovernor.Untilthen,noonewillbeleaving,”statedStateSenator,LindaMenard. There’s a litany right now, from statespendingplans for thisyearandnext, toacoastalmanagement program at risk of disappearing ifit’s not extended, and a major piece of Parnell’slegislativeagenda:performancescholarships.

The Senate Finance Committee this past

week proposed a $2.9 billion capital budget, withan emphasis on school construction and energyprojects, as well as savings. But it also includedcontingencylanguage:Thebillincludes$465millioninenergyprojects,butthosearetomovetogetherasapackage,allornothing;italsomakes$100millionofthegovernor’sprojectscontingentupontheyear-to-dateaveragepriceofNorthSlopeoilexceedingawhopping $150 a barrel onOct. 1. ButParnell’sadministration, which sought an opinion from theDepartmentofLaw,andHouseGOPleadersworrythe language, creates separationof powers issuesandinterfereswithgovernor’sauthoritytoveto.

It seems that there is one area that theSenateisholdingfirmonandthereisoneareatheHouse is holding firm on. Unfortunately, they arenot the same issue,” stated Executive Legislative

Assistant MichaelRovito.

It was statedthat as of the 29thofAprilGovernor Sean Parnellhad removed himselffrom the situation,and will only be ablethrough the phone. Parnell promised not toabusehis vetoauthorityor to retaliate against individual lawmakers fornotpassingabillreducingoil taxes. He also said he

No Budget Decision, Leads to Extra SessionByGabrielleMenard

The2011-2012schoolyearwillbringlotsofnewthingstothetable.Theschoolboardwillsoonbe releasing their budget for the Mat-SuBorough school district. Making the cutsand levelingout themoneygiven is up toeachindividualschool. ColonyHighSchool isoneof themanyschoolsnot toaddress this issueofwhat orwho is going to be cut next year.Rather,waitinguntil thefinalschoolboardbudget tobe released. “Wedon’twant toputstressonanyoneoranything;wedon’tknowwhat isgoing tohappen.Sowewillmake all our cuts and decisions after wereviewthemoneythatwewillbereceivingforthenextschoolyear,”statedColonyHighSchoolassistantprincipal,MikeLooney.

Theamountofmoneyeachschoolreceivesisbaseduponthenumberofstudentsenrolled.That

number thenrelays intothe budgeteach schoolreceives andhow muchthey canspend on their school andtheir teachers. C o l o n yHigh Schoolcurrently has

about 1150students and is

expectingthenumbertogoupnextyear.“AtCHSwe’retryingtoabsorbasmuchof

thecutsaswecan through retirementsowedon’thavetocutanystaff;ultimatelywewillprobablybelookingatabout5-6lostpositions,”statedLooney.

There have been rumors that Elementaryschools will be losing their Physical Educationclasses,or that theywon’thaveasbigofa library.Thesethingswillbeaffectinglotsofstudentsacrossthedistrictaswellasparentsofthestudents.WhenaskedaboutBoroughcuts,parentofmiddleschoolerand elementary schooler Natalie Goode stated, “Ibelieveit’sashametohavethestudentslosingtheirextracurricular,butnotonlythat,losingtheteacherstheyloveaswell.Ithinkweshouldcometogether

School Board CutsByGabrielleMenard

Mission CompleteByMollySullivan

A picture of Osama’s mansion where he was shot and killed.

CHS student Kendra McPhail shows her objections to the budget decision.

Colony principal Cydney Duffin is go-ing to be one of the principals dealing with board cuts next year.

See Mission on page 9

Nearly a decade after 9/11, the hunt forOsama bin Laden was ended on Sunday, May 1,2011.KilledbyU.S.NavySEALSduringafirefight,theleaderofAlQaedaisnowdeceased.

“It was a huge surprisefor me. I hadn’t listened to theradiothatmorningorcheckedthenews,sowhenoneofmystudentsmentionedittomeIhadtomakesureitwastrue.Sureenough,allthenewsheadlinesreadthesamething: Bin Laden Killed,” said 7th gradeteacherDianaPhillips.

It came as a shock tomany, news of the hunt on binLaden had been minimal latelyand President Obama has beenattendingpublicevents,andeven

spentaneveningjokingaroundattheWhiteHouseCorrespondenceDinner. It came completely out oftheblue,andleftAmericaincelebration.

“Some family friends of ours are throwinga party! I know itsounds awful, tobe celebrating thedeath of another,but Americahas waited longenough for justicetobeserved,”saidSavannaNardi.

O s a m abin Laden wasthe leader of the

Islamic terroristgroup Al Qaeda,

meaning“TheBase”or“TheFoundation”.AlQaedawasfoundedbybinLadeninthelate1980’s.Theirfirst act against America took place in Somalia in1996whenAlQaedaattackedU.S.serviceman,andthenissueda“DeclarationofWar”againsttheU.S. “Bin Laden and his men have beenterrorizingtheworldfortoolong,itistimetoputanend to thisandkilling the leader is agreatway tostart,”saidsophomoreSimonRoot. It wasn’t until September 11, 2001 thatAmerica decalred war on Al Qaeda. Nearly threethousand Americans died a fiery death that day

See Cuts on page 11

See Budget on page 11

Ofallthecontroversysurroundingthe2012presidential election, one potential candidate hasrecentlyrisentothetopofnearlyeveryone’sradar.No, this candidate isn’t one of the conventionalfavorites in Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, or TimPawlenty. Donald Trump, his windblown hair, andhissupersizedegoarepoisedtomakearunfortheWhiteHousenextyear. Today,thenameDonaldTrumphasbecomesynonymouswithwealth and fame.He is both thechairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, areal-estategiantthroughouttheUS.HerunstheTVshow“TheApprentice”,ownsaresortcompany,andeventriedhishandatcreatingandmarketinghisownvodka,beforedeclaringitunprofitable.AccordingtoForbes,Trumpisworthupwardsof$2.7billion.Butfor all of “The Donald’s” successes in the field ofbusiness, there still is one thing that hehasnever

America, Prepare to be TrumpedByLoganBasner

tried before: politics.As of late though,TrumphasbeguntocallattentiontoapossiblePresidentialrunin 2012. “IhopeTrumpruns in2012,”saysColonySenior Hunter Fisher. “I don’t think that he has achance of winning, but he definitely makes thePresidentialcampaignmuchmoreinteresting.”Trumphowever,begstodiffer.Hehasbeenquotedsayingthathe’saspopularasanyonecontemplatinga2012campaign,andinaracewithoutaclearfavorite,hemightjusthaveapoint.TrumpimmediatelycalledoutPresidentObama, demanding thatObama releasehis birth certificate. Obama eventually complied,releasinghisbirthcertificate,towhichTrumpreplied,““Today I’m very proud of myself, because I’veaccomplishedsomethingthatnooneelsehasbeen

See Trump on page 11

2 Features 3 The fight for cancernever sleeps, and neither do themany participants of the 20 hourlong Relay for Life fundraiseron May 20th through May 21st.

“The Relay for Life is a 20hourwalksponsoredbytheAmericanCancer Society that previously tookplace at Colony but will take placeat Wasilla High School this year,”said Colony High art teacher andKey Club leader Melody Mann.

TheRelayforLifewasstartedabout 15 years ago byGordonKlatt,who is Colony’s sophomore, MollySullivan’sgrandfather.Klattdecidedtowalk20hoursbyhimselfaroundatracktoraisemoneyforcancer,andnowiscelebratedallacrosstheU.S.HereinWasillaandtheMat-SuValley,studentsfromevery school are encouraged tocomeandparticipateandoften timestheparticipantssetupcampandforma relaygroup then take turnswalkingaroundthetrackoverthetwentyhour

With summer quicklyapproaching many people arelooking for a way to get out andenjoy the great outdoors of Alaska.What better way to intake all of thebeautyAlaskaholds thanwithahike. “I love living in the valley.It seems like I could go for a hikeeveryday and never do the exactsame thing. There are so manyoptions,” said senior Abby Jahn.

There are many differentoptions for Alaskans interested ingoing for a hike, especially if you’reinterested in sticking close to home.Beingnestledinavalleyofnumerousmountains there are many differentoptions forallexperience levels.Oneof theeasiestbutmostpopularhikes

time period. Others simply walk thetwentyhoursbythemselves,non-stop.

“The goal of the relay isto raise money for people fightingcancerand research toend it. Italsois extremely beneficial because itraises more awareness in general,”stated Colony senior Caitlin Templin.

All of the money raised willstayintheValleyinordertohelplocalcancer patients “celebrate anotherbirthday” which is this year’s theme.Thewalkcelebratesallthebirthdaysofcancer patients becauseall too oftentheyaredeprivedofmanymoreyearsofhappybirthdaysand their livesareshortened.Whilewalking,contestantscanpurchaseahappybirthdaybagforpeoplethattheywanttorememberand/orpeoplethathaveovercomecancer.

“GoingtotheRelayforLifeisdefinitelyoneofmybestexperiencesin my high school career by far. It’sextremely fun to participate in andyou know you’remaking a difference

in someone’s life,”Templin continued.

T h r o u g h o u t the 20 hour time period,there is always somesort of entertainmentgoingoninordertokeepeveryone awake andwalking. There is a DJplaying music non-stop,karaoke contests, wettee-shirt contest,and theMad Science guy. Therealso is an hour called“cancer sucks” wherelollipops are given outtoeveryone.Toend thegreat relay, a breakfastprovidedinthemorning.

“I’ve neverbeen to Relay for Lifebefore,butI’mexcitedtogoandhavefunandIknowit’sforagoodcause,”Colony freshman Rob Lozanoff said.

The Relay for Life is

istheButte.Locatedjustsevenmilesoutside of Palmer the Butte is easilyaccessible. There are two sides thatcanbeclimbed,onebeinganicewidepath and the other a straight shot up. Thishikeisrecommendedforallages.

“I climb the Butte everysummer on multiple occasions. Iremember last year I sawa class ona field trip up the Butte. I think it’sawesomethatit’saclimbforanyone,”commentedCHSAlumJessicaParker.

For a little bit more of achallenge the next step is thealso very popular Lazy Mountain.Located just outside of Palmer onClarkWolverineoffoftheOldGlennHighway. Five miles round trip,thismakes for a great day hike. The

beginning of the trail is the toughest,but if youcanmake itpast thesteepstartit’snothingbutspectacularviews.

For a long and challenginghike thereareplentyofoptions.BothReed Lakes and Pioneer Ridge Trailare popular among hikers. ReedLakes is located down ArchangelValley Road in Hatcher Pass. Thetrail leads you to Bomber Glacierwhere you can see the wreckageof a B-29 bomber that crashed in1957. This trip is a great overnightexcursion,butcanbedoneinonefullday.PioneerRidgeTrailheadcanbefoundat thebaseofPioneerPeak. Ifdriving fromAnchorage, take the exit

a event worth participating inbecause it helps so many peopleout and evenmay fund the researchthat would end cancer forever.

before the Knik Bridge and followuntil signs for the trail head appear. This is another long but rewardinghike taking 8 to 12 hours. Once atthe topviewsofKnikGlacierand theChugach Mountains may be seen.

“Last year I started PioneerRidgeTrail, but didn’tmake it all theway up. This year I’m determinedto finish it. It’s such a beautifulhike,” said senior Jason Murak.

Asthesunstarts toset laterand later there are more and moreopportunitiestogoenjoyallthatAlaskahas to offer and get in touch withMotherNature.Hikingmaybeanewpassion,butyou’llneverknowunless

Colony High School art teacher and Key Club leader, Mrs. Mann, is an active partici-pant in the Relay for Life fundraiser here in the Mat-Su.

The vast view from the top of the Butte, located in Palmer. The Butte is a popluar climbing spot for many residents in the Valley.

A different view from on top of the Butte, spring 2011.

RelayforLifeByAliRiggan

Take a Hike!ByChelseaHalstead

A health teacher at Colonysincetheschool’sdebut20yearsago,DawnBrettrager isfinally retiring,buttheschoolhasnotseenthelastofheryet.

Brettrager first beganteaching at Palmer High, where shestayedforalmostnineyears.Then,assoonasColonyopened in theValley,BrettragerswitchedovertobecomeaKnight. She began helping studentsfulfill their government-requiredsemester of Health from the veryfirst year, when only freshmen andsophomorespopulatedthehalls.

After contributing to theschoolforsolong,Brettragerislookingforward tobeingable todowhatevershewantstodoinretirement,namely

The Penultimate GoodbyeByEvaColberg

travel. Last summer she went toAustralia,andwouldliketoseemoreoftheworld.Beforeshegoesanywhere,though, she will stick around Colonyforalittlewhilelonger,substitutingandcontinuingtocoachtheschool’sswimteam. Without any classes to worryaboutshewillhavemoretimetocoach,butonlyintendstodosoforonemoreyear.Shewantstostayuntilherniece,swimmer Saige Stefanski, graduates.Once Saige graduates, there is theslight possibility that Brettrager willremain teamcoach,butcurrentlysheintendsforthiscomingyeartobeherfinalonewiththeteam.“I’llseehowitgoes,butI’mnotplanningonitatthemoment,”shesays.

Brettrager will miss many

parts of her life in the educationsystem, especially the people. Whenshe leaves, theonly teacher fromtheoriginal years remaining at Colonywill be math instructor Mr. Bowker,so in effect shewill be heralding theend of an era. She fondly recollectsthe excitement of the first year theschool opened, and reflects on thedifferencesbetweenthenandnow.Atthe beginning, therewere only about400students total in theschool.Nowthe number is more than four timesthat amount, and size isn’t the onlychange. From scheduling to advisoryperiods,shesays,“Theyfinallyfiguredoutwhatworks.”

In fact, she has beenteaching forso long thatmanyofher

former students now have careers oftheir own.FellowCHS teacherKristyJohnston was actually in Brettrager’sclassatPalmer,andtheirroomshavebeennexttoeachotherforthepastfewyearsatColony.Johnstonevenhelpedorganizeagoodbyetributeduringthelastschool-wideassemblyoftheyear,inwhichallretiringCHSemployeesaretraditionally“knighted”bytheprincipal.Johnston’s Leadership students andtheotherphysicaleducationinstructorsput together an acrostic poem usingthe words in Brettrager’s name tosay all of their favorite things abouther. The assemblywas an emotionalone, as most students have been inBrettrager’shealthclass,andshewillbemissedwhensheleavesforgood.

FeaturesFeatures 54

On Tuesday, May 17th the Senior class of 2011 will beembarking on one last monumentalstepping stone together; graduation.Theceremonywillbe takenplaceatthe Curtis Menard Sports Center at7pmwithopendoorstothepublic. For the past few yearsColony High School’s graduationceremony has taken place at theSports Complex just off the ParksHighway. With a large class size ofapproximately 230, and an increaseinattendeesovertheyears,themulit-purpose sports arena makes for anideallocationforsuchanevent. “It’s the only facility largeenoughtoholdthenumberofpeoplethat attend Colony’s graduation,”stated senior class treasurer BrianRichtarcsik. The 2011 ceremony willstart off with an introduction fromCHSprincipalCydDuffin.Throughoutthe evening there will be speechesgivenbyastudentselectedfromtheclassof2011,GarretPace, and thevaledictorian, Kelly Moran, key notespeaker which will be Coach BrianMcIntosh,andtheguestspeaker;JohnCarpenter.Followingthespeecheswillbe the recognition of graduates andreception.

This year’s graduation willalso be streamed live via theColonyHigh School website. This wayrelatives, familymembersand friends

out of state will be able to see theirloved ones receive their high schooldiplomas.

“The live video streamingwill beextremelyhelpful becausenoteveryone can afford a plane ticket toAlaska these days, but thisway theycan still watch graduation,” stated

Graduation…AGrad Blast

seniorclasspresidentEddieLee.Immediately following the

graduation ceremony a bus will betaking the graduates into AnchoragetoparticipateintheannualGradBlastcelebrationatH2Oasis.From10pmto4amstudentswillhave toopportunityto swim, dance, consume excessive

amountsoffoodandicecream and win tons ofneatgive-aways. “I’mgladweareableto plan a fun night for ourkids’,it’sreallycometogether nicely and Ihope everyone enjoysthemselves,” statedGrad Blast organizerand parent volunteerYvonneSolano. Suchincentivesandprizesinclude:giftcards,electronics, money andevenan iPad.ADJhasbeenhiredandasundaestationwillbesetup.

Grad Blast isan evening intendedto be fun and as somewould say to be ‘onelasthoorahhoorah’,butstudieshaveproventhatbyprovidingkidswithastructured event aftergraduation eliminatespartiesanddrinkinganddriving.

G r a d u a t i o nandGradBlastarethelasttwomajorevents that will tie seniors to ColonyHighSchool.Afterfouryearsofclass,athletic events, extra-curriculars,boyfriends, girlfriends and all othermemories created from being in highschool, it’shardtorealizethat in lessthanamonththejourneywillbeover.

The 2011 seniors will be missed by all Colony High School students and staff.

ByKaitlynKlapperich

Sports 7 Saturday, May 7th markedthe 10th annual Curtis C. Menard Jr.5k Run and Walk at Colony HighSchool. This nationally recognizedand sanctioned run brought hun-dreds of individuals to remember thelate Curtis Menard Jr., and partici-pate in this highly competitive race. In years’ past the run washeldneartheWasillaSportsComplexthroughoutChurchRd.Therunitselfisfivekilometersorroughly3.1miles.Al-though,thisyeartherunwaschangedtobeingsetuparoundtheColonyHighSchool track and Midtown Estates. “This change allowed formore efficient traffic flow and apromptness to race schedule timesand organization,” stated leaderand organizer of this years racecommittee, Linda Jo Klapperich. The Curtis Menard Jr. Raceis a run for all ages. It is set up in nine agegroupsforbothmenandwomen;tenandunder,eleventofifteen,sixteento nineteen, twenty to twenty-nine,thirty to thirty-nine, forty to forty-nine,fiftytofifty-nineandsixtytosixty-nine.This years’ overall winner, David Ki-

plagat in the age group of twentyto twenty-nine, had an impressivetime of 15minutes and 10 seconds. The Curtis Menard Jr. Runwasorganizedaftertheavidcommu-nityleaderandvolunteerpastawayina plane crash inAugust of 2001.HewasPresidentofRotaryClubofWasil-laandservedasamemberoftheVal-leyCrisisPregnancyCenter.Hemar-riedDr.CaroleBrodeurinMayof1992andhadfourbeautifulchildren:Gabri-elle, Tanner, Harrison and Sullivan. “OurfamilyisalwayshonoredtoseeallthepeoplethatcomeouttosupportTheMenardRun,”statedGa-brielleMenard.“It feelsgoodthatmydadhadsuchastrong impact in thiscommunityandthathislegacywillal-waysberememberedthroughthisrun.” The event is not only forstrollers andwalkers but is a nation-ally ranked run that professional andavid runners can use as miles toadd to their overall race repertoire. “IlovethecompetitivenessintheMenardRace,”statedrunner,andCHSsophomoreAudreyMichaelson.“Not to mention the run usually falls

on a beautiful May day,whowouldn’twanttorun?” Theevent isalsoa fundraiser for the Wasilla RotaryClubandafundrais-ersetup inDr.CurtisMe-nard II”s name. Becauseit will be the tenth annualrace, the commemorativeT-shirt featured a pictureof Menard much like thefirst year race T-shirts. Another key partof the event is the schoolchallenge, which awardsthe local school with themostrepresentativesintheracewithatravelingtrophy.ColonyMiddleSchoolcap-turedthetrophywithmorethan 200 students and teachers that participated. Inthewisewordsof the late Curtis Menard,“Embrace life, serve yourcommunity and practiceyourfaithenthusiastically!”

Curtis C. Menard Run

Now that the 2010 foot-ball season has come and gone itis now time for next year’s varsitylineup to get into shape and strap their helmets for next year season. “Wehaveplentyof talent fornextyear,theonlythingwe’remissingis experience.Not everyone has hadthechance to start at theJV levelor

getabitofplayingtimeat thevarsityspots.We’regoingtohavetoputfortheverybitofeffortwehave toachieveour goals at a state championshipnextyear.”saysjuniorDerekMcEwen Earlier this year, during the2010 football season,several seniorsfilledtherostersfortheKnightsfootballteamwho led themselves to thesec-

ondroundofthestateplayoffsbeforefallingtotheServiceCougars.Nownextyeartherewillonlybeonesinglereturningseniorfromthe2010varsitysquad.TyFarberwilllooktofillhisbigbrother,TreyFarber’s, shoesashe takes the fieldwith a newsetofstartersbyhisside.The2010foot-ball team set some standards prettyhigh for next year’s group of kids.TheKnightswalkedawaywithmanyawards from the Coach of the YearawardforCoachBrianMcIntoshtothehighestaccumulativeGPAaward.It’snodoubtthatthisupcominggroupofplayerswillhavetorisetotheoccasionnext year and face much adversity. “I can’t wait for the seasontostart, I justwant togetouton thefieldandknicksomeheadsaround.”SaysjuniorBrandonManiaci. Preseason had begun backin late October of 2010 when theseasonhadjustcometoanend,andplayersarestill in theprocessoffill-ingsomeroughedgesfornextyear’steam.Allstartingpositionsarestillupfor grabs and nobody is guaranteeda starting spot on either side of the football. But the big question iswhowill be running the Knights new of-fence?Wehave yet to seewhowillbequarterbackandleaderoftheteam

onandoffthefield.Somecandidatesthathavebeenseenaroundtheweightroomandatconditioningincludeprevi-ousJVplayersRobertLorenzandJer-emyCompton,andfromthefreshmenbunch is a young gun slinger BryceNiver who has strong potential alongwithatall,lankyDanielBilafertofinishout thecompetitors.TheprevioussetofKnightswentthroughthreeQuarter-backsduring theentireseason,allofwhomhad their own injuries.MitchellSlater, the original starting quarter-backwhoplayedinthefirsttwogamesagainst Diamond andWest went outduetoapulledACL.PaytonMcCann,whofinishedout theseason,hurthisshoulderintheopeninggameagainstDiamondandAnthonyBrickersufferedabrokencollarbonetocrosstownri-valWasillaHighSchool.All eyeswillbeopentoseewhowillbecallingthecadence for the upcoming season. Withthelackofseniorscom-ing into this next season people are probably wondering if this is a build-ing year for theColonyKnights.Wellby the looks of it thatmay seem so,but these boysmay be able to showeveryoneupandgivealloftheteamson their roster a run for theirmoney.

The New Boys of FallByAnthonyBricker

ByKaitlynKlapperich

A Menard family photo from 2002.

Coach McIntosh talking with the Colony boys of the 2011 P.R.I.D.E. Camp.

Alongwithall of thespringsportmadness,Colonygirls’softballteam seems to hit it off pretty well.With their record currently sitting at2-4, all the Knights can do is workharderandplayevenharder.

“The girls are doing great,we justneed tostepupourplayingand go out there and show thoseother teams that we came here torunhardandhitharder.”SayscolonyseniorKarliDreyer.

Colony’s varsity softballteamfeaturesalineupofsixseniorsoutof14players,threeofwhicharefreshmen,SadieWillardson,Cassidy

Softball Team Hitting HardBy:AnthonyBricker

Evans, and Faith Nelson. The girl’sstartersincludeKarliDreyer,1stbase,TeannaPallas,2ndbase,DevanClark,short stop, Sage Stefanski, 3rd base,Olivia Martin, pitch, Sam Everett,catcher, Mikki Anderson, right field,CassidyEvans,center,RachelSmith,leftfield.TheirrecentgamesincludedvalleyrivalsPalmerMooseandWasillawarriors. The lady Knights defeatedthePalmerMoose,butlaterfelltotheWarriors3-0.

“Last year we had awfuloffense with hitting, but this year wecameinwiththeideatohaveahealthymedium of offense and defense. Weneedconsistencyinordertoplaytoour

potential,”saysjuniorDevanClark. The Knights didn’t start out their season so well against EastAnchorage high school for the firstgame of the season, the knights fellto the hardened defense of East. It seems this year Colony is going tohave a tough time defeating mostanchorage schools. Colony has losttwooftheirfourlossestoAnchorageschoolsand theother two toWasillahere in the valley and Lathrop fromFairbanks.Thegirlslooktotagmorescratches into their win column astheyadvancethroughtheseason. “This season is really fun

andI’mgladIhavehadtheopportunityof playing with this team this year,”saysColonyforeignexchangestudentBenedictJensen. LastyeartheKnightssoftballteam finished .500 and fourth in theRailbeltconference.The ladyKnightsevenqualifiedforstateanditlooksastheyareplanningtomakeanotherrunuptostatethisyearaswell.Withtheirgreat senior leadership and playingability there is no doubt that we cansee more tremendous plays comingfromthegreenandblack.

Sports8 Opinions The school year is almostover and students look back on theiryear with fond memories. However,the school year is not yet and finalprojects continue until the beginningofsummervacationonMay25th 2011. “You would think thatsince it’s almost the end of the yearclasses would start to wind down,but insteadwearebeing loadedwithway too many different projects alldue around the same time,” saidColony freshman Natassja Ralph. Though thereareonlya fewdays left of school many teachersare assigning large and importantprojects and study guides in orderto prepare for finals. Students takefinals at the end of semester.

“I’mactuallylookingforwardtotakingtheendoftheyearfinalsbecauseI have learned quite a bit throughout the school year and finals are agoodwayofshowingeveryonewhatIknow,” freshmanBaileyMeier stated. Thepointofdoingfinalsatboththemiddleandtheendoftheyearistoallowstudentstoshowcasewhattheyhavelearnedthroughoutthecourseoftheschoolyear.Itallowsthestudentsto prove that they have retained theinformation they have been taught. “I actually think that I willreally miss the challenge of schoolduring the summer, butmost of all, IthinkIwillmissallofthedifferentsportsColonyhastooffer,”Meiercontinued. Colonyhasanexcellentarrayofdifferentsportsfromfallallthewayto spring. Colony has a strict policythat students must maintain a 2.0GPA in order to insure that Colony’sstudents stay academically strivingfor success. There are also sport

trainingduringthesummerforcertainsports like football and cross-countryrunning. Those are also a good waytonotonlystayinshape,buttomeetnewpeople,andhangoutwithfriends. “I won’t miss school toomuch when it’s summer becausethe only thing I would miss are myfriendsand Iwill beable tohangoutwith them a lot over the summer,”Colony freshmanTobbieZookstated. Summer is a great breakfrom those long school days andhours spent. Students often hang out with their friends and relax. It allowsstudents to let their mind rest a littlebeforestartinganotheryearinthefall. “As I look back onmy year,the one thing that I would changewouldformetobemore organizedbecause I lost alot of my paperst h r o u g h o u t the year. So,next year I willdefinitely usemore organizers,folders,and Iwillkeep my lockermore organizedbecauseitwasn’tthe best,” CHSs o p h o m o r eS a m u e lOuellette said. Organization is an important key tohaveagoodandsuccessful year.It’s importantfor students to look back ontheir year and

It’s The EndByAliRiggan

Cuts continued from page 1withacommongoaltomake

our district better for our studentsseeingastheytrulyareourfuture.”

At Colony High School,the administrative staff show thatstudentsaretheirnumberonepriority,throughoutalltheirdecisionstheyarekeepingthestudentsattheforefrontoftheir thinking. “Funding for individualdistricts comes from the FederalGovernmentandtheAlaskalegislaturealongwith the local contribution fromthe Borough Assembly. Until thesedecisions are finalized we can’tnecessarilymakeabudgedecision,itislikeasnowballaffectwaitingforthelegislature,thentheborough,andthenwecanknowourbudget.Sorightnow

wehaveabarebonesbudget-whattheworstcasescenariomightbe,”statedColonyHighprincipal,CydDuffin.

Duffinalso talkedabouthowMath and English were priorities onthe list for keepingdue toNCLBandAYP. “Ifwemust cut teachers, itwillmost likely be outside the core, inelectiveprograms,”statedDuffin.“ThesoonertheLegislaturegetsthebudgetdone,thesoonerwecanstartmakingdecisions about our individual schoolbudget.”

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Back Page 11 The last Thursday ofApril was a big dayforColonyHighSchoolseniors.Thursday,April28th marked Senior Fun Day which took place at bothCHSandChuck-E-Cheese. “Itwasnicetojustgettohangoutwithotherseniors all day. Iwas glad everyone got a chanceto signyearbooksandbreakfastwasanawesometreat,”commentedseniorKarliDryer. The day started out with breakfast in theCHScommonsprovidedbytheseniorclassofficers.Seniors were distributed both yearbooks and theirclassof2011t-shirts.Thet-shirtswereprovidedfreeofchargewithadecalgarnishingthefrontthatwasdesignedbyoneoftheseniorclassofficers.Seniorswere then given plenty of time to write some finalwords in their friend’s yearbooks. Next, it was offto thebasketballcourts inbetween themiddleandhighschoolstotakeaclassphotointheshapeofaneleven.After thephotoseniorswereasked to splitamongthreebussestoheadtoChuck-E-CheeseinAnchorage. “Ithoughtitwassweetthatwetookaclassphoto inmatchingshirts. It’ll beawesome tocomeback and always be able to see that photo,” saidseniorTeannaPallas. Once at Chuck-E-Cheese, everyone wasgiven thirty free tokens and two slices of pizza.TherewasaphotooptwiththeoneandonlyChuck-E-CheeseandachancetowatchaperformancebytheChuck-e-Cheesehouseband.Studentsweren’ttheonlyoneswhoenjoyedthemselves. “IhonestlythinkMr.O’Neilspenttheentiretimeononeofthesimulatorgames.Helookedmore

Senior Fun Day- Where a Kid Can Be a KidByChelseaHalstead

entertained than any of the kids that were there,”statedseniorJamesMeaney. The seniors can all thank Mrs. Duffin forthe senior fun day idea.WhenMrs. Duffin startedworkinghereshenoticeda lackofsenioractivitiesattheendoftheyear.TheAnchorageschoolshadalwayshadaseniorfunday,soMrs.DuffinwantedtobringthefuntoCHS.Seniorclassofficerschosethelocationofseniorfunday. “The first year we did it, it was a littlechaotic. Itwassortofa randomskipdaywithonlysomeparticipation.I’mexcitedaboutthewayithasgrown and involves decisionmaking by the seniorclassofficers.Ithinkseniorinputisveryimportant,”saidMrs.Duffin. Seniorfundayisadayfullofopportunitiestomakelastingmemories.Itisoneofthelastwaysforseniorstohaveagoodtimebeforethecrazinessof graduation sets in.

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Theteamwhokilledhimwascomposedofspecially trainedU.S. troopsandCIAagents.Theyfirst received their leadonbinLadeneightmonthsago but as they zoned in on him they becamemore sure of his location.Although no informationwasconcrete,Obamagavetheteamthegoaheadto give it their best shot. Everyone present whenObamagavetheorderswasonedge,rememberingback to “Black Hawk Down”, they were all hopingthisnightwouldn’tendinanotherdisaster.Theonlymalfunctionof thenightwasahelicopter thatwentdownduetotechnicaldifficulties.Thesituationwashandled well and no one was severely injured orkilled.

OsamabinLadenwasborninSaudiArabiaonMarch10,1957andwaskilledonMay1,2011.Althoughnothingisforsure,itisbelievedthatAymanal-Zawahiri will be his successor and take overAlQaeda.BinLadenlivedthelastdecadeofhislifeontherunfrommillionswhowantedhimdead.Hehada$25millionrewardonhisheadbutwaseventuallytakenout byhismortal enemy.Thecountrywhomheharmedand scarred yearsago, finally got their

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The Senior T-shirt style being sported by Colony senior Gabrielle Menard.

wouldfairlyevaluatecapitalprojects.May 1st marked the 13th day of the 30-

day special session, with the House and Senateadjourning earlywith no bills to vote on.Membersof the House Finance Committee — some ofwhom are frustrated with the pace of the sessionand press coverage — were preparing for a triptoAnchorage and a hearing on certain aspects ofthecapitalbudget, including theattorney general’s view that Senate contingency language within thebill is unconstitutional. At the same time, Senaterepresentatives and Finance Committee membersarealsocomingbacktotheirhometownstogatherinformationforthebillsaswellasvisitingAnchorageformeetingsandconferenceswiththeirhometowncommitteesandgroups.

The Legislature as well as the Governorcan call for a second session if the decision hasnotbeenmetbytheendofthe30dayfirstspecialsession.The operating billmust be passed by theendofthefirstsessionbutthecapitolbudgetcanbeoutstanding,althoughitwouldn’tbegood.

The Senate and House are currently stilltrying to resolve their conflictswith the capitol andoperating budgets. Hopefully it will be completedsoonbecause their30dayspecialsession issooncomingtoaclose.

abletoaccomplish.” Out of all the people and industries that are benefitting from Trump’s recent interest in politics,fewhavemademorenoisethanAmerica’slate-nighthosts. “Donald Trump showed his birth certificateto reporters.Who cares about his birth certificate?I want to know if that thing on his head has hadits vaccinations!” said Craig Ferguson, referring

to Trump’s eccentrichairstyle.Butforallofthegrief that Trump gets forhis hair, his marriages,andhisshow,reminiscentof a soap opera, Trumpis still a very legitimatecontender with deeppockets who will haveto be taken seriously byhis opponents should he decide to run. “TheDonald” is expected toannounce his decisiononthefinalshowof“TheApprentice”inmid-May.

Donal Trump, one of the very likely candidates for the 2012 election.

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