October 2010 Colony High School Volume 9 Issue 1

The Knightly News

On October 5th the people of the Matanuska Susitna Borough voted on Proposition 4, something for which residents have been waiting a long time.

“Valley high schools have been in need of turf fi elds and tracks since the schools were built,” said Col-ony High School senior Varsity soccer captain, Jamie Krediet.

It’s a $9,025,000 project that would have implemented turf fi elds at Colony, Wasilla and Palmer High Schools along with brand new tracks for all comprehensive high schools in the Borough, as well as supplying Su Valley High School with a new hockey rink. Therefore, according to the bond issue, Colony High School would have recieved a new turf fi eld and track if the proposition had passed. It would cost a total $2,388,300 to implement both a new track and turf fi eld at Col-ony High School.

“Anchorage schools have them and we should too, it would benefi t everybody in the Valley,” Krediet said.

Many people have spoken up about the proposi-tion, saying that it would not only benefi t the school sys-tem but it would also benefi t the community. At the same time many were upset by the potential rise in property taxes. If this bond had passed anyone owning borough

property would have an increased tax by roughly $3 for each $100,000 value of their home. For example, if one’s house had a $200,000 value the property taxes would increase by six dollars. Is it worth it? Tom Lincoln, a teacher and coach at Colony High School is in support of the proposed bond. “In our society we seem to be more reactive than proactive, we’re willing to put our money into jails over sports complexes or things that can actually

benefi t our community and the children who are our future.”

A bond issue can be proposed by the people by getting a petition, or through the assembly. Either way if it is happening in the Matanuska Susitna Bor-ough it must pass through the Borough offi ce and must be approved by Borough Mayor, currently Talis Colberg. Because this is a school sanctioned proposal, it must also pass through the School Board as well. Proposition 4 was brought to the October elections based on the number of responses the School Board received from members of the community. The school communities are greatly affected by the results of people’s decisions in the polls.

Not only would Proposition 4 have advance the community partner-ship betweend Valley residents and the local high schools, it would also benefi t the athletes who would be using these

resources. “By getting new tracks and turfs, it would decrease the total amount of injuries that occur during sports activities,” Lincoln later said.

Colony High School head football coach, Brian McIntosh also supported Proposition 4 being implement-ed. “I believe it will be extremely benefi cial to not only our school but the community as well.”

Proposition 4 was not passed on October 5th.

Turfs, Tracks and Needed RepairsBy Gabrielle Menard

Above: Facebook enthusiast and Colony Senior Matt Kelly enjoys updating his status after a long day of school.

The Colony football fi eld will continue to require extensive maintenance until a bond can be passed to resurface it with artifi cial turf.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (below) is the subject of the new movie “The Social Network”.

Facebook Unveiled October 1st marked the release of Columbia

Pictures’ “The Social Network”, a movie based on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s rise from everyday college student to multi-billionaire success story.

In its 6 years of existence, Facebook has revolutionized the way that our society interacts with each other. Indeed, whether it be used for telling friends what’s for dinner, or fi nding out who that stranger at homecoming was, Facebook is now becoming a social necessity. Colony senior Dominic Comerate fi nds Facebook useful for talking to relatives. “I like the fact you can fi nd family members, and interact with them on this vast social network.” Like many on Facebook, Comerate fi nds that it does have some drawbacks. “I am on here all the time for no reason at all.” Comerate muses. Six years ago, Mark Zuckerberg was nothing more than an average college student. Today, he is the 212th richest person on the planet, worth an estimated $4 billion. At the age of 26, Zuckerberg is also the world’s youngest billionaire. This 26 year-old phenom owns 24% of the company that he helped create, and stays active in its day-to-day operations as the company’s CEO. Zuckerberg today lives in Palo Alto, close to Facebook’s

headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley in California, coincidentally the same town in which Stanford University and Google’s Headquarters are located. Today, Facebook is by far the most popular social network on earth. MySpace gets 32 million views every day. Compare that to Facebook’s 530 million views every day, and there’s no contest. In fact, if a country was started exclusively for Facebook members, it would be the 3rd largest country on earth, behind only China and India. Approximately 1/14 of the world’s entire population is a member of Facebook. That number should only increase, as both China and India’s economies are growing, and computers are becoming more and more affordable.

Facebook is also more and more an important component of the modern politics. Because it is such an easy and public way to have a personal connection with all types of people, many politicians have started to use Facebook and Twitter. Both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin saw the value of being able to talk to 1/14 of the world, and used Facebook extensively during their 2008 campaigns, and both still use Facebook as a way to explain their opinion directly to their support base. Sarah Palin as of the writing of this article had around 2¼ million followers on Facebook, an impressive following, but short of President Obama’s nearly 14 million. Sorry Obama,

you still have less than Lady Gaga’s 18,000,000.“The Social Network” stars Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg, and Justin Timberlake in a supporting role. Much to the chagrin of Facebook’s executives, “The Social Network” paints the world’s youngest billionaire in a negative light. Zuckerberg adamantly denies many of the events that take place in the movie ever took place in real life, and has been very outspoken against it. Since being released, however, “The Social Network” has been a smash hit, and has wowed audiences all over the world, and is sure to keep future audiences on the edge of their seats.

By Logan Basner

What’s Happening? . . . . . 2

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

Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Student Showcase . . . . . . 7

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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

Student of the Month . . . . 10

Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

INSIDE

3The Knightly News

October 2010

Features

October 4th marked a

momentous occasion at Colony High School for French III students. It was the day that they became parents; parents of baby snails that is.

“I am so excited to be a new mother and to really get into this project. Even though it’s going to be a lot of work, I know that it is going to be a ton of fun,” Junior and French III student, Malori Norton commented about the event.

After the adoption ceremony has ended the duty of being a full time parent sets in. Even with all of

the excitement of being new parents, the students still have work to do. The fi rst task the French III students are required to do is to create a home for their newborns. They must make a

house catered to the likes of their baby, which they learn at the adoption ceremony. Each snail comes with a paper that states all of the snail’s p r e f e r e n c e s , from favorite foods to favorite past times. After the homes are built the students have to correspond via email with “Le

Grand Escargot”. “Le Grand Escargot” is the mother of the

snails, who likes to check up on the babies often. In communication with “Le Grand Escargot” students utilize the skills they have learned thus far like verb usage in past, present, subjunctive, and future tenses.

Senior, Sarah Cucullu, who is a French IV student and mother of twin snails spoke of the escargot project, “It

was a fun way to further my French. Although it was a lot of work I believe that it paid off in the end. It really prepared me for the things I’ve run into in French IV.”

Aside from normal parenting duties, the biggest priority for the young parents is creating their baby book. The baby book is a two semester-long project that highlights the many ups and downs of being a new parent. The students use the book to practice the French skills they have learned over the previous three years. The students have to take a certain number of photos of themselves and their snails doing a c t i v i t i e s t o g e t h e r and write a description of each photo. They also must include ten essays, fi ve of their choice and fi ve of CHS F r e n c h t e a c h e r M a d a m e B o y d ’ s c h o i c e . The French students must

Surprises from the StorkBy Chelsea Halstead

compile all of this material into an aesthetically pleasing scrapbook. The baby book showcases the language techniques mastered by the French students.

“I chose this project about seven years ago to differentiate from the second and third year of French. I really liked the idea because when the students correspond with ‘Le Grand Escargot’ they can see the language working in real life situations. They aren’t just talking to me or one another anymore, they get to speak to an outside source,” Madame Boyd said.

The French 3 class showing off their new friends.

Where Are They Now?

As most colleges are underway some of our 2010 seniors from last year are fi nally on their own. This fall marked the start of a new chapter for many graduated seniors.

From Boise State, Idaho, Georgetown, and St. Mary’s to name a few, CHS seniors from last year are making a new name for themselves and having a good time doing it.

“College is, without a doubt, the greatest experience of my life. Meeting new girls, living without your parents, and just having a great time

in general,” says Chris Ray, who graduated from CHS last year and is now attending University of Idaho. “I’m studying virtual technology and design. If you decide not to apply and don’t go to college you’re totally missing out,”

he stated. Chris Ray is going to the

same school as other graduates: Mike Lanners, Alex Reimer and Sierra Hogdson. Although it’s only the fi rst semester, it seems as though they all love being Vandals, and enjoy all aspects of being in college.

Colorado is also another state that caught the eye of many seniors from last year. Katie Gonski, Nick Srebernak, Oliver Querin, Michelle Burch, and Alex Conrad all decided to go to schools in Colorado.

“I chose to go to school in Colorado because it has 300 days of sunshine but still has snow,” explained Katie Gonski, who’s attending Colorado State University and planning to earn a degree in engineering.

According to Colony High School documents 278 seniors graduated last year with diplomas. Of that roughly 40% decided to go to 4 year colleges and 20% decided to go to

2 year colleges. Not all transitions to college

where easy for graduates from last year, “The homework is a lot harder, and you have to be more self disciplined in studying,” states stand out basketball

player, John Palmer. Palmer received a basketball scholarship to Texas A&M International in Laredo, TX. “Basketball takes up most of my free time. If I’m not in the gym I’m in the weight room, if I’m not in the weight room I’m in mandatory study hall and if I’m not there I’m in a team meeting or studying,” he explains.

Although many students decided to travel outside of Alaska to get their college experiences some CHS graduates stayed right here in good ‘ol AK. Megan Bowker, Kayla

John Palmer, Chris Ray, Scott Herman, Mike Lanners and Kyle Kramer after graduation.

Miller, Taylor Campbell, Caitlin Skvorc, Marshall Farris, John Downs, Brittany Brown, Kyle Kramer, and Amanda Booth are all attending schools here in this Northern state.

“College is great. I didn’t expect to like staying in Alaska my fi rst year, but as it’s turning out it’s a lot of fun and was a smart decision,” stated graduate Megan Bowker.

Whether graduates decided to stay in-state or out of state they took the step in furthering their education and beginning new and exciting chapters of their lives.

Mrs. Boyd swears in the new parents of the baby snails.

By Kaitlyn Klapperich

Sierra Hodgson, Brittany Brown and Katie Gonski gather for one last time after graduation.

5FeaturesThe Knightly News

October 2010New Faces At Colony HighBy Kaitlyn Klapperich

The beginning of each school year brings excitement, enthusiasm, and foreign exchange students! This August Colony High School was lucky enough to welcome seven high school seniors from all around the world. “Colony is very warm and welcoming. When I say hi to my friends in the hall they all smile and wave back,” Chaiwat Teawsomboonkit, also

known as ‘TK’ said. He is traveling all the way from Thailand.

There is no such thing as homecoming or Prom in Thailand, and there are no after school sports

that are a staple of American schools. After high school, TK plans on studying political science and one day becoming a diplomat.

“There are so many mountains!” exclaims another new foreign exchange student, Benedicte Jensen. Jensen is visiting from a country not very different than Alaska; Norway. “The weather in Norway

is very similar to the weather here in Alaska,” she stated.

Jensen and TK aren’t the only new faces here at Colony. Other new foreign exchange students include: Vitaly Khomenko from Ukraine, Jan Lorse from Germany, Said Talamas Paniagva from Bolivia, Benjamin Wanner from Switzerland and Sireerat Palm Wasukhan from Thailand. “There are three organizations the exchange students

travel through: Rotary International, AYUSA and Northwest,” stated Mrs. Jo Ehman, who serves as their advisor and helps them transition to life at

Colony. All seven foreign exchange students arrived in August and will be graduating in May with the class of 2011. As a part of the foreign exchange program, students are assigned a country and school to attend. The classes they take here at Colony will be transferred back to their homelands where they will receive some credit. They then must finish up classes and credit requirements back home to receive their official certificates of graduation.

PE teacher, Tom Lincoln, who teaches Benedicte Jensen in his 3rd hour weight training class stated, “She’s a joy to have in class and is a very hard worker.” Not only are the foreign exchange students well liked throughout the student body and teaching staff, each foreign exchange student has the opportunity to participate in all extracurricular activities offered here at Colony. For example, they may try out for the basketball team, be a part of Battle of

Benedicte Jensen is excited about being at Colony High School.

Chaiwat Teawsomboonkit aka TK is enjoying his experience here in America.

the Books, Science O, Wrestling, etc. This provides an opportunity for them to experience new sports, teammates and an idea of some of the schedules many American high school students manage. The exchange students also bond with each other by sharing an advisory class and having lockers next to each other. These students try to blend in but get some attention by being introduced at assemblies. They are open to sharing their own cultures, and giving Colony a taste of what life is like where they come from.

4 Features

So far this year, the Conference Championship winning, Colony High School varsity football team has found great success in their back up players. Fortunately, so have the Superfans. “I basically believe the reason why there are so many fans this year is because our school spirit has totally increased,” said Jon Bryant, proclaimed by the student body to be the official Superfan president. Thanks to a successful

football team, a talented, youthful cheerleading squad and a marching

Vuvuzela: The Superfans Weapon of ChoiceBy Eddie Lee

band that sounds at its best in years, it only makes sense that the Superfan sections at varsity football games have tripled in size since just last year. But with new members comes new innovative ways to express the Superfan fever. Enter the vuvuzela. “The vuvuzela helps a lot in the Superfanning stands. They are extremely loud and people love them,” said Bryant. The vuvuzela, which is originally from Africa, is an instrument traditionally made out of wood.

The vuvuzelas of Colony Superfans are green and made of plastic, and when blown, can reach an amazing 120 decibels of sound. “The only people who should complain about the vuvuzela are the teams that are losing, because we superfans are for sure, the 12th man on the field,” Bryant humbly boasts.

The vuvu, the vuvuzela’s

nickname, made its debut at Colony

during the annual P o w d e r p u f f game. The senior class had ordered 50 vuvus, but had sold out in the two days between the Powderpuff and H o m e c o m i n g games due to their high demand by the Superfans, especially since they were sold for only $10.00. “ T h e vuvu is paying for graduation. It’s awesome that the senior class is making money while also spreading school spirit,” stated Jason Murak, co-vice president of senior class, who masterminded the entire idea. While the Superfanning isn’t limited to just football, it isn’t known if the vuvuzela will be allowed for indoor sports that entail superfanning, such as basketball and hockey. Administration has already banned the vuvuzela from all volleyball matches. Colony senior class historian, James Meaney, who had originally been a key member in

An army of Superfans sport their vuvuzelas.

Trey Farber demonstrates using the vuvuzela.

pushing the vuvuzela agenda forward as a fundraiser for the senior class said, “They might go on to other sports, but they can be annoying because they are extremely loud and can distract athletes, so the parents and coaches will complain, and thus will remove them. While they’ve done wonders for football Superfanning, I think school spirit and assemblies will have to do most of the work for other sports.” Even though the football team lost in round two of the playoffs, it is without doubt that the Superfans, with aid of the vuvuzelas, helped them get there.

7Student ShowcaseThe Knightly News

October 2010

6 ActivitiesThe Knightly News

October 2010

By Chelsea Halstead

The Commons were full of commotion on Thursday, the 16th of September, during Advisory. Waffles, orange juice and senior entertainment were what the freshmen were served for breakfast.“I remember the senior/freshman breakfast from my freshman year, so I was really excited to see if we could meet those standards. It’s a tradition that I think we completely lived up to, and I’m glad to have started to build a relationship with the freshmen,” said senior and Link Crew member Jamie Krediet.The festivities began with the seniors collecting the freshman from their

classes and engaging in conversation as the seniors brought the freshman up to the cafeteria. As everyone sat down and started to enjoy their breakfast the activities began with senior Jason Murak emceeing. Murak wore a suit in an excellent shade of orange to grab the attention of the freshman and lighten the mood. All of the seniors wore crowns signifying their senior status. Since it was spirit week, seniors and freshman alike were sporting togas.“The breakfast was superb. I noticed that many of the freshmen were really enjoying themselves. Link Crew is a great way for upperclassmen to reach

out to freshmen and integrate them into the high school lifestyle. Freshmen are getting out within our school a lot more; they’ve been seen superfanning and coming out to many events. I attribute some of this to the connection made in Link Crew,” Murak said.Samantha Savage and Siretha Criss kicked off the festivities by singing a song to three lucky freshmen boys. The ladies sang “You ‘Studly’ Thing” to the handpicked freshman. Next each table sent up their most charming young men for a pick-up line contest. The boys had to give their best line to senior Oreanna Powell. It was a tough decision for Powell, but in the end Trevor Murray was crowned the smoothest freshman.

The seniors then moved onto the last game of the morning; Senior Trivia. Each senior involved came up with an obscure question about themselves. The freshman were asked these questions and had to match them with the correct seniors. Many of the freshman came out victorious in the game show, while others couldn’t seem to figure the riddles out.“I was a little unsure about the breakfast going into it, but it ended up being a lot of fun. I was really excited to have won the pick-up line contest. Hopefully there will be more cool events with the seniors like this one.” freshman Trevor Murray said of the whole event.

By Christeena Solomon

Props go out to Colony High School’s National Honor Society (NHS) for trying to diversify the tediousness of a normal school day with wacky themes for each month. “We are trying to do more activities to raise our profile, but in the end it is more important to do for the school than to get recognized for it,” stated NHS Co-Advisor Prudence Plunkett. Although the members of NHS may not get the credit they deserve, their work is most definitely noticed throughout the year.

There have been many projects that have been heard of but not recognized as the work of NHS. For example, there was St. Baldrick’s

day last year, when kids and staff of Colony High gathered pledges who volunteered to shave their heads to raise awareness for cancer research.

In the end, enough money was raised so that even CHS principal Cyd Duffin agreed to go bald and donate her hair to Locks of Love, a foundation that makes hair pieces for cancer patients. They also ensured that every student with a respectable GPA get a moment to shine by placing stars around the hallways with their names on it at the end of the 2009-

2010 school year. As well as previous accomplishments, there are present NHS works in progress. For example, the members are offering their time to students who need extra help in school by tutoring them. Tutoring is available

for any class and is 100% free. Sign up by talking to the teacher

for the class causing struggle, or NHS advisors Ginny Boyd and Prudence Plunkett.

Have You Hugged Your Elephant Lately?

Jason Murak leads the freshmen in a competition for the best pick-up line.

Kayla Andersdon, a junior at Colony High, and a first year member of NHS

The signs about Elephant Day are strewn about the school, but does anyone really know the brains behind this crazy idea? “NHS is a group of students trying to obtain a sense of fun at school and throughout the community.” explained senior Kelly Moran, the NHS president. Later, Moran went into further detail and told two of the future themes there are to look forward

to such as Bring Your Teddy Bear to School

Kelly Moran, the President of National Honor Society

Eggos, Orange Juice and Laughs

The Freshman and Seniors got to know each other during a breakfast provided by the school.

Day in October and Elf Appreciation Month in December.

There are a few requirements that need to be fulfilled before becoming a member of NHS. One has to have to have a 3.5 GPA by the end of 1st semester, be in at least 10th grade, and have the ability to attend meetings every other Thursday after school in Mrs. Boyd’s room. Each NHS student is also required to fulfill a certain amount of community service time. They have done volunteer work such as helping at the local recycling center, or doing bake sales to raise money for different projects such as the St. Baldrick’s day fundraiser, and this year they provided each new teacher with a welcoming gift basket. All 34 members are hard working both in school and the community. Keep up the good work NHS!

9OpinionsThe Knightly News

October 2010

8 SportsThe Knightly News

October 2010Going Big - Not HomeBy Gabrielle Menard

Colony High School 2010 Boys’ Basketball season officially begins with tryouts on Wednesday, November 29. Currently, first year head coach Tom Berg is preparing his team for tryouts with a hard core voluntary preseason. Mr. Berg says “They’ve been working really hard so far. We’ve got some new faces and some new names but our seniors will help lead the way.” Mr. Berg has been coaching basketball

at Colony High School for eight years. Focusing on speed and power the boys work hard for 90 minutes for three days of the week and on top of that have open gym once a week. Once season starts they will be practicing for more than two hours daily. Sophomore forward, Hunter Eisenhower who was the only freshman on Varsity last year says,“Out of all the teams in our region, Wasilla is our biggest threat.” Last season Wasilla placed first in Region Championships, with Colony following close behind with second. Colony got third in State and Wasilla got second, while first place was won by West High. “This year I am most concerned about Palmer’s team, they were good competition last year and I can’t wait

to play them this season,” says sophomore Chase Farrell. Chase played guard on c-team last year and hopes to make junior varsity this upcoming season. He hopes to make it on the “Travel Team” by his junior year. Later this year, Mr. Berg will be taking eleven players to Phoenix, Arizona for a national competition. Every year the “Traveling Team” travels

during Christmas break and have gone to places such as Hawaii, W a s h i n g t o n , Texas, and Wyoming. They also take a trip every summer, and they usually stick to the West Coast for that. Most of the players attending are varsity but some junior varsity have made it on the

team. The travel allows the boys to experience competition with nationally-ranked teams and exposure to scholarship

programs, It also starts the season off getting the team all pumped up for upcoming games. The trip is also a fun team building experience. Other than Mr. Berg, the coaching staff this year consists of Seth Magner, junior varsity, Kurt Seamons, C-team, and the varsity assistant coaches, Jon Coon and Greg Gray. All of them are returning coaches except for Coach Gray, who has assisted with basketball in the past but this will be his first year as an official coach. Basketball takes a lot of dedication and hard work but these guys are in it for the fun. “I like the competitiveness of this sport,it is really awesome when we win!” says freshman, Isaiah Woodall who has been playing

A Swoosh Ahead of the GameBy Molly Sullivan

First year head coach, Mr. Berg, directs athletes from the key during an open gym.

for eight years, and will be trying out this season. The season officially begins on November 29, 2010 with tryouts but the first game isn’t until December 11th, the Valley Jamboree. Season ends with State Championships on

March 17th, 18th, and 19th in 2011. Mr. Berg is expecting anything form 30 to 36 total players this year, varsity will have about 30 games and junior varsity and c-team will have 12-20. Good luck boys!

October 1st the Colony Knights took the field for the first round of the State Championship playoff not only brought together as a team but as Conference Champs.

“We practiced throughout the week before the game to finish what we’ve started. We’re all a big family on the team, and I think it’s starting to show in how we play,” said senior football player Nate Wolfe.

Going into the game the Knights were on a six game winning streak with all intentions to keep it going. It was a match between Colony and Dimond, teams who had met up during the first game of the season and witnessed the steadfast progress of each other throughout the duration of the season. Although the first meeting resulted in a loss for Colony in Overtime; this Friday night, it was a different story. The Knights overtook the Lynx 27-14 to place themselves into the Semi-finals. It was the battle of the toughest players on the gridiron and Colony was proving it was meant

to go far in the State tournament. “I think we really had a shot at State, we gave it our all, ” said senior Connor Weihs, the starting wide receiver for the Knights.

Colony is ranked first in the Railbelt Conference with a 6-0 record and is ranked 6th in the State in the 4A conference going into the State tournament. Starting senior running back, Skye Rench has an impressive 1134 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns which leads the team so far this season. Rench relished on his team’s accomplishments throughout these past few months. “Everything we do is a team effort, the fact that I’ve been given the opportunity to help my team while setting records is awesome.”

Dimond’s starting line-up consists of lead rusher Nathan Stephens who has run for 446 yards in the regular season along with quarterback Dwayne Carter who has 380 total passing yards under his belt.

Dimond is 4-4 overall and is ranked 8th in the State going into the playoffs.

When looking at Colony’s history in the State tournament, one would see that Colony has a high

attendance. In 2008 Colony tied for fifth place with Dimond and Bartlett. In 2009 Colony also tied for fifth place in the State with West and South. In 2009, Bartlett was the team that reigned s u p r e m e winning the State title. Colony has made it all the way to the

c h a m p i o n s h i p game twice in 2000 and 2006

only to fall short both times. But Colony students’ haven’t given up hope yet; everyone has their fingers crossed for next year.

The football team rallies together before the open-ing kickoff of the Homecoming game.

For the Colony Knights football team the year has been a spectacular race, but for their first year head Coach Brian McIntosh, it has been a marathon. Coach McIntosh has endured more than close calls in games; he has come close to losing his life as well. During the month of May 2010 Coach McIntosh found himself being treated

for a grade three tumor, or medically known as anaplastic astrocytoma. As soon as he knew about this he knew he had to do something unforgettable.

Mental ObstaclesBy: Anthony Bricker

On a website called CaringBridge.org he found himself his own spot where he could write down journals and keep track of his memoirs and thoughts. He first began his entries on Monday May 17th and still keeps it up to date to this very day. Many members of the football team have showed Coach McIntosh as much support as they

possibly can; it will all come down to how strong of a will Coach has. He wrote in a story overview “You all know me and know that I am a fighter”, Coach McIntosh will prevail in the end whenever that is. He continued to do workouts over the summer with the team all the way up to the first game. Even though he knew the hardships of being treated for his tumor in May, Coach McIntosh was able to guide his team through summer workouts and multiple football camps including the annual All Alaska Camp held at Colony High and the Champions Camp held at Chugiak along side with the Mustangs Football Team. He was on the sidelines coaching his team from the very start. He was there for everyone as everyone was there for him. Many Colony High School

students have also made attempts to help out coach McIntosh as best as they can by creating fundraisers and keeping people up to date

on coach McIntosh’s status. Almost everybody that knows coach Mac has showed him as much appreciation and respect they can, everyone has

donated their time and money towards helping him recover from his surgery which removed that dreaded tumor. Some fundraisers and support groups include a huge Rummage Sale held by Student Government as well as a bucket being passed around during all home football games to raise a few

extra bucks. Coach Mac will recover; he will also have many memories to share along with his scar. He will have all of his football stories about how his first year being head varsity football coach was such a success. The team has recently won the Conference championship and was able to make it to the Semi-final round of the State playoffs before being

knocked out by the Service Cougars; the team has made history multiple times and will look to continue on their trek for the themselves and Coach McIntosh. McIntosh and his wife Stacey look to focus on his records and surgery post-plans without the burden

of financial needs. Meals prepared by the community offer them the time to focus on their family which includes their two young children, Riley and Bridger. No matter what Coach McIntosh endures, he should always know that the community will always be there lift some of the weight and offer as much aid as possible.

Many people showed up to wish Coach McIntosh well before his opperation took place, including Colony High principal Cyd Duffin.

The Colony High School football team surrounds Coach McIntosh before his surgery to show their support.

A Glitch in TimeBy Molly Sullivan

Daylight savings is coming, get ready to set the clocks back one hour because on November 6th we will be “falling back” to gain an hour of daylight, and conserve energy.

Sophomore Candice Elrod and junior Melanie Schuerch both agree that Alaska does not need to observe or practice Daylight Savings, which is currently in practice in 48 states. “I think it is stupid because we get a lot of sun in the summer and we barely get any in the winter,” protests Schuerch. “Daylight Savings is an unnecessary change of time that only confuses people’s schedules,” claims Elrod.

Daylight Savings was first adopted by the Germans during WWI to conserve energy. Gaining an hour of daylight meant less people would burn coal to heat and light their businesses and homes. The United States first began saving daylight on March 19, 1918. In Alaska, the land of the midnight sun, there is plenty of sunlight in the summer but in the winter DST cuts out an hour of valuable morning light.

“If we gain nothing from Daylight Savings then what’s the point? It’s not like we don’t have enough stress in our lives, the hassle of changing all the clocks and changing our sleep plans just doesn’t seem worth it,” says sophomore Samantha Wallace. In March 2009 the Alaska House of Representatives passed the fifth bill to abolish DST in Alaska. In April 2010 it was defeated by individual legislators acting as committee chaperones, just like the ones before it. There was one person standing in the way of this law getting passed. Donald Olsen, an Alaska State Legislator is against this bill for reasons he will not and by law he is not required to explain. Alaska’s representatives presented the congress with three main arguments. The first that they are separated from the rest of the country, meaning our weather and sun-cycle is different. Second, it can affect

the health and academic performance of their citizens, and finally, no Alaskan utility claims a saving of energy by use of DST.

The main reason people are reluctant to change Daylight Savings is because it would confuse the business schedule between us and the lower forty-eight. Nowadays technology has become so advanced that anyone can be in contact with almost any country in the world at anytime.

Neither Hawaii or Arizona observe Daylight Savings. Alaska, like Hawaii has it’s own time zone and has a much different pattern of daylight than the rest of the country. During DST, Alaska’s noon is nearly two hours behind in some parts of the vast state. Alaska is almost as large as the mainland of the United States, and it is all in one, very large time zone. These factors make abolishing daylight savings seem extremely convenient to the people of Alaska. It is a huge possibility that Alaska will attempt to pass another bill to abolish Daylight Savings in state.

Maybe in the future Alaska will get what they’ve been asking for, but for now, be prepared to change the clocks this coming November and back to where we are now in the spring.

Above: During the summer, Alaska gets twice as much sun as the rest of the country.