Anthony Williams
Former MTHS Behavior Coordinator

The article states that several teachers, students, and other staff members complained about comments from Williams.

According to The Herald, an investigation by Edmonds School District officials revealed that Williams had omitted working at neighboring Northshore School District when applying for his job at Edmonds in 2009.

The article states that Williams resigned his position as an aide and coach at Northshore in 2008 under similar circumstances. An investigation revealed that he had inappropriate conversations with students including asking a student on a date and calling other students “hot.” According to the report, he also asked some students if they were virgins.

Williams denied any wrongdoing to school officials but admitted to some of what he was accused of, according to The Herald.

Williams resigned on Jan. 28 after being placed on leave from the Edmonds School District in December. According to the article, the district had already decided to fire Williams after the investigation.

HeraldNet: Coach was in trouble over sexual comments

Unlike most teachers at MTHS, Mr. X is not originally from Washington. He was born in Yuba City, California,

His father was a part of the military and was raised on the different military bases where his father was stationed.

From living in places as foreign as Japan and Germany (two of the countries he grew up in), it would be quite difficult not to gain the vernacular of the local life. Although he cannot recall any words or phrases, he was able to speak fluent Japanese by the age of five.

Like most young boys, he played football in middle school and high school.

While in high school, Mr. X had already started planning for the future. The classes he had taken were classes that would help him when he would get into college. He had taken Honors English and Social Studies along with his core classes. Similar to most high school students, math was his hardest subject. He was able to balance those classes, sing in the choir, do volunteer work for the Varsity Letterman’s Club, participate in football practice and help with the Special Olympics, all while maintaining a 3.48 average GPA.

For most people, there is a special someone or something that influences them to choose their careers. For Mr. X, it was his high school English teacher, Mr. Jenson. “He’s the reason why I wanted to become an English teacher. He was just the coolest guy, and made me want to be an English teacher because I wanted to be like him,” Mr. X said.

By the time  he was off to college, Mr. X had been accepted to the University of Oregon where he advanced to the UO football team. During his time at UO, he majored in English and graduated with a GPA of 3.1.

Mr. X had gotten a taste of the American dream by having the opportunity to be apart of the San Diego Chargers NFL team, although he never had to luck to continue on. “Getting the chance to play in the NFL was just a really great experience,” Mr. X recounted.

There aren’t very many jobs for people fresh out of high school and college. Lucky for Mr. X, one of the biggest industries in Oregon is cherries. He was able to find a job on a cherry orchard while working on a lumber mill during the summer as well.

After a while, he was able to put his English degree to good use when he moved to Washington in 2003, where he got a job at Shorewood High School.

When Mr. X found out about the open position at MTHS, he took hold of the opening and obtained the job.

He has been working with a great attitude and smile to go around for nine years now and enjoys it immensely. “One thing I like about my job is that every day is different and you just never know what you’re going to encounter,” Mr. X said

This year has been very eventful for him in both positive and negative ways. A few of the numerous accomplishments that have happened during this year were the football team making the playoffs, basketball team making it to state for the second year in a row and the music programs excelling as well.

Every person has their own opinion what they love about their job. For Mr. X, it’s the students. “I think this is one of the greatest student bodies, I mean they’re such nice kids. By and large this school is just a great school community.”

Like any great leader, he learned from a failure and a mistake. Although he hadn’t received the job that he had hoped for, he didn’t let it get to him. Instead, “It really made me reevaluate my job here, and helped me reinforce my decision that I don’t want to work anywhere else,” Mr. X said

Even if he were to be given the opportunity for another job, he wouldn’t take it.

“I think I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Mr. X said.

The majority of customers in the frozen yogurt industry are females who believe it’s healthier.

Cool Bliss is the newest self serve frozen yogurt shop in the mall. Employee Madison Osborn said, “I do think it’s healthier than ice cream but in moderation. I think the vanilla or [original] tart is healthiest with fruit.”

The serving size for frozen yogurt is only 3 ounces or 0.375 cups but many people go over and double or triple that amount. This is especially true at self-serve frozen yogurt shops where the customer has total control over the amount they get.

One cup of French vanilla frozen yogurt from Cool Bliss contains about 180 calories, 23.7 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and about 22 percent calcium for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Compared to one cup of French vanilla ice cream that contains 280 calories, 28 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of total fat, 9 grams of saturated fat and about 20 percent calcium for a 2,000 calorie diet, according to Breyers Ice Cream company.

Although frozen yogurt is manufactured differently, on average the nutrition facts show that frozen yogurt does have fewer calories, sugar, total fat and saturated fat than ice cream.

Frozen yogurt also has a larger amount of calcium. However, these facts don’t include toppings, a major part of the frozen yogurt experience.

There are a lot of toppings a customer can choose from. The toppings include fruits, nuts, chocolate, candy, cereals, etc. The most popular toppings include: strawberries, low-fat granola, dark chocolate chips and Oreos. Per tablespoon, about half the serving spoon in the topping bars, strawberries totaled to 3 calories, low-fat granola to 24 calories, dark chocolate chips to 50 calories and Oreos to 71 calories.

Regular yogurts naturally include healthy probiotics, a “good” bacterium that helps with digestion, aid in nutrition absorption and offer protection from harmful bacteria.

Katherine Zeratsky, certified dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association, states “Probiotics are found in foods such as yogurt.” According to Red Mango, probiotics also help with the immune system, allergies, obesity, urinary tract and reduces lactose intolerance.

However in frozen yogurt, the probiotics are hard to receive the benefits from. “Shelf-life, manufacturing processes, stomach fluid and [particularly in the case of frozen yogurt] extreme temperatures can prevent probiotics from surviving and getting to where they can do the most benefit,” says Marshall Fong, vice president of marketing at Ganeden Biotech, Inc.

Some frozen yogurt manufacturers, such as Red Mango, are taking better strains of probiotics that can survive through the challenges other bacteria has.

Frozen yogurt stores usually offer non-dairy, gluten-free, low-carb, vegan, sugar-free, nonfat and low-fat options.

Osborn, from Cool Bliss, states: “I’m lactose-intolerant so I eat the non-dairy [options], and I also usually eat the fruit [options].”

Although not all frozen yogurt stores have special options, a majority do, which helps people with special diets like kosher or diabeties, enjoy an occasional frozen treat.

With just a 53.4 percent vote in favor of Prop. 1, it fell short of the 60 percent requirement, as it has twice before.

If the bond measure had passed, it would have supported a combined city hall and extended police department, new community center, and funding for the library and other buildings. The proposed bond was $25 million, a $12.5 million reduction from the original bond proposal in 2010.

Erika Fisher | Hawkeye

Though it wasn’t successful, chair of the YES for MLT Prop. 1  Campaign Linda Rogers said, “I don’t know what we could have done differently so that the proposition would have passed.”

Rogers suggested it failed due to misinterpretation of the campaign’s message.

“I don’t think the general public really understands what was being asked for and, as best we tried, they just weren’t listening,” Rogers said.

Opponents claimed the proposition failed simply because it wasn’t right for the city.

“A lot of people voted no because they don’t trust the city, or because it was too costly,” NO Campaign supporter Leonard French said.

Opponents also said the proposition included too many additional expenses.

“I’m not convinced that we need a senior center or a community center. What we need is a city hall,” French said.

MLT City Councilman Bryan Wahl said, “I don’t think the NO Campaign was opposing the city hall, just the price and the package. We need to have a collaborative conversation to find compromise. Then we can find the permanent solution that we can all move forward with, together.”

Before a permanent solution is reached, however, the city must find funds to continue renting the interim city hall.

“The immediate need, beginning in 2014, is the continued rent for [the interim city hall]. This is necessary to be able to continue providing community services,” reported city manager John Caulfield.

According to Wahl, rent would probably only be needed for the next two to three years, at $500,000 per year. Meanwhile, the city council must figure out the next steps in acquiring its own city hall.

One of the potential solutions under consideration is requesting a levy lid lift. This would temporarily raise property taxes about $60 per year to provide funding for the city to rent the interim city hall. Passage for this solution would only require a vote of 50 percent plus one.

If the levy lid lift were to fail, the city would have to make some even harder decisions. To find savings within the budget, officials may have to cut services and lay city employees off. Police services and maintenance, among other things, potentially could be cut back to comply with the interim city hall rental.

In order to reach a permanent solution to the civic center issue, the city is requesting public input and community involvement.

“Nothing has been decided. The right answer to me is what the community comes back and tells us what they want. I won’t know what the answer is going to be until then,” Wahl said.

Whatever path the city council decides to take will not go into effect anytime soon. The 2013 budget is already in place, so the soonest there will be any differences in property taxes, funding, or services will be in 2014.

It was a season filled with success – including an 8-game winning streak – as the team earned a record of 12-10 during the regular season, and then lost their first two district playoff games to get knocked out of the postseason.

Junior Daniel Theis got the nod to start the playoff game against Stanwood. He did well through four innings, only allowing one run on three hits, even stranding the bases loaded in the second inning.

However, Theis gave up a ground ball in the 5th inning that freshman shortstop Drew Serres couldn’t handle and then gave up a double and a two RBI single.

Arshia Kiani | Hawkeye
Junior Wyatt Allemann slugged a triple inning against Stanwood to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead on May 7.

Theis was then taken out of the game, with three earned runs credited to him. His replacement, senior Connor Clausen, gave up a fielder’s choice that scored another run. He gave up a walk, an RBI single, another fielder’s choice and another error on the same play led to another run.

Overall, Clausen left the inning having given up 3 runs of his own. By the end of the 5th, the score had flipped in the Spartans favor at 6-5.

On the Hawks offensive side, they got off to a quick start thanks to an RBI single by junior Chase Perez that drove in sophomore Jason Shevenko. A throwing error made by the Spartans catcher that sailed over the third baseman’s head, allowed junior Dominic DeMiero to score, who had walked earlier in the inning.

The next scoring outbreak from the Hawks occurred in the 5th inning, in response to the Spartans 5-run inning.

Junior catcher Wyatt Allemann contributed the most, hitting a 2 RBI triple driving in junior Elliot Nebel (courtesy runner for Theis) and senior Lucas Pope who had singled and walked earlier in the inning.

Sophomore Ben Reijonen, Allemann’s courtesy runner,  scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from Perez.

The Hawks didn’t score again until the bottom of the 7th, when it was their last chance to save their season.

They entered the inning trailing 9-5, and were able to score two runs, but eventually came up short and the final score was 9-7, knocking the Hawks out of the district playoffs and ending their season.

However, the Hawks had a season to be proud of, putting together a respectable record despite losing 12 seniors to graduation last year. A young Hawks team stepped up and now has a bright future ahead of them for next year as they graduate just six seniors from the squad – Forest Hussey, Jordan Yoshida, Torin Webster, Quintin Barnard, Lucas Pope and Connor Clausen. Of those seniors, Barnard had the most playing time as a position player and Clausen was the only senior pitcher on the club.

Ferndale – who beat the Hawks 2-0 – Meadowdale and Glacier Peak earned trips to the 3A State Tournament.

All these senseless crimes must have a point of origin though, right?

But it can’t be any fault of America.

See, in America, it is never any fault of our own, the search for a scapegoat begins and it has found its latest target. Video games that have violent content have been under scrutinizing eyes and have been wrongly accused, because America’s search for the root of all evil has turned into a witch hunt.

Kyra Dahlman | Hawkeye

Anything that can be remotely related to this increase in violence, especially among younger people, must be the source.

After the recent events of the Boston bombing and the Sandy Hook elementary shooting, video games have been examined. “Call of Duty,” “Battlefield” and pretty much any game with a gun is now considered at fault, but contrary to popular belief, you will not become a murderous sociopath from playing these games. Studies have actually been conducted to show that video games actually improve your mind. It has been shown that since 1990, violent crime among the young has dramatically decreased.

And during that same time, the amount of video games played has increased exponentially. This information from the University of Washington website creates a correlation that directly contradicts the statement that video games cause violence.

Some people are still not convinced, though.

Lately, video games have become more violent, and parents have caught on. They complain about how violent their young child’s M-rated game is and expect some sympathy, but none will come. One of the main safeguards against video games becoming a problem for young people was the creation of the ESRB. The ESRB’s job is to judge games based on content and give it a rating to classify it for a certain age group.

Parents can still buy games for their children that are not classified for their age, but they need to approve it. So why do parents buy a game clearly labeled for a 17-year-old for their 12-year-old, then complain about the violence? Had a person from the correct age group for this game come and bought the game, no fuss would be made.

By 17, you are not as impressionable, and capable of making good decisions. This doesn’t mean you won’t become a terrorist, just that by this age you are usually pretty set in your ways and may buy certain games without parent permission.

It isn’t good parenting to buy your young child a game you don’t think is appropriate for them. If you had been a good parent, and judged your child’s ability to be mature enough to handle a violent game not intended for their age group, this entire problem would not exist, bringing us to another point.

We’ve established that video games do not cause violence, but some people still say they have a negative effect on society.

These people may be right.

Though video games do not cause the violence, but in no way do they aid in reducing it. No one is saying that violent video games are helping solve the problem, yet critics are in desperate need for a scapegoat, so they fixate on violent video games so intensely it seems as if they are a massive problem when they really are not.

What they don’t know is some of the other benefits that video games bring to the table. Studies from medicalnews.com have shown that, “individuals skilled in video game-playing have a more efficient brain network for controlling movement that includes the pre-frontal, pre-motor, primary sensorimotor and parietal cortices.”

That is fancy talk that means the brains of gamers can tell their hands or other body parts what to do a lot better than non-gamers.

The next wave of brain surgeons are disguised as kids playing “Call of Duty,” so not only do video games not cause the violence we see today, but they may help cure the victims of said violence.

America just cannot accept that it might be its own fault for the violent terror that has happened over the past year.

Video games have become this scapegoat that took the place of the problems we caused. No one looks to our underfunded education system, or our foreign policy that makes people hate us so much. We have to find something to blame before – god forbid – someone does find out it’s our fault.

Sadly, now, a fun American pastime enjoyed by millions is under fire for actions it didn’t make people commit.

The college readiness test, taken by over a million high school students each year, will include the same content as found on the pencil and paper test with four sections – math, English, writing and science. However, the computer-based tests will require students to perform virtual tasks that would not be otherwise possible on a standard pencil and paper test.

The announcement, made last week, comes as many states are beginning to move end of course assessments and exams to computers.  States are aligning their requirements with the Common Core State Standards including Washington state. MTHS students piloted the Smarter Balanced Assessment in April using computers, instead of the traditional pencil and paper.

The ACT plans on phasing in iPads, laptops and desktop computers to improve the testing experience for students.

The College Board, which administers AP alongside the SAT, states that, “The AP Program is a global academic program, currently offered in more than 100 countries around the world. Taking AP courses and exams provides you with a recognized academic credential, wherever your college plans lead you. More than 600 universities in more than 60 countries outside of the United States recognize AP Exam scores for admission, credit and placement.”

“It’s a very challenging test, but it is worthwhile in your high school career to take that for future educational plans. They should come rested and prepared the day of. I think that it requires a really good attitude, and a goal that you’ll do well in it,” School to Work Coordinator Barb Brister said.

Exams measure high school students’ mastery of university-level course content. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the country offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores.

The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5, with the latter as the highest. These credits can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars worth of textbooks and tuition.

Also, through high scores, AP students can stand out in the college admission process by taking the most rigorous courses, challenging themselves with college-level coursework and expectations, and earning college credits.

Senior Lina Rickels shared her thoughts about the exam, “It was hard. It felt like the longest test in my life. I just couldn’t understand most of the problems on the AP Calculus test. I could understand what our teacher taught us, and I got a good grade on the practice test, but when it came to the exam, I feel like I maybe got a zero.”

There are currently more than 34 AP courses available, and MTHS offers 11 this year with plans to add a new course next year.

Next year MTHS is offering several AP courses including: Language and Composition, Literature and Composition, European History, U.S. History, American Government, Psychology, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and a new one – Computer Science.

Recently, AP teachers at MTHS had a meeting and discussed a number of things including: offering extra credit to students who take the test and if classes include more preparation for the test.

“I think AP testing was hard. If I could take the class again, I would try harder and practice,” senior Thanh Huynh said.

According to its website, starting in July, “AP will provide a new online score reporting system where you’ll be able to view, download and print your AP score reports and order and pay for score sends.” Students will need a College Board account and an AP or student ID number to access their scores.

It’s often preached to wait until marriage, but how can anyone really know when the right time is?

The media often conveys teens having sex whether it’s in movies like “Project X” or the popular MTV show “Awkward.” Many teenagers and students here look up to celebrities as role models, but if they’re all having sex, does that mean you should be?

With sex being embedded into our everyday culture, students need to make their decision of when to have sex based on what they have been taught about the risks and their personal beliefs and values.

In a recent survey given by the Hawkeye, 56 students  of all grades responded voluntarily and anonymously to several questions all related to the topic of sex. The survey showed some very surprising results.

This day in age, many people consider it a little old fashioned to wait until marriage before having sex, however exactly 50 percent of students said they believe in abstinence.

Additionally, 32 percent of students say it’s not okay to have sex in high school, and 68 percent said students should wait until after high school’s over.

Coming into high school it may seem like “everyone’s doing it,” but there’s no need for that to make you feel pressured into having sex before you are ready. Our survey showed that 59 percent of students are virgins.

These results are fairly similar to a research project conducted for Kimberly Nelson’s AP psychology class in 2010. However, the results from just three years indicated that the percentage of virgins at our school was just 40 percent.

Although, the Hawkeye survey found 41 percent of students have had sex, just 21 percent of students said they participate in sexual activities on a regular basis.

Nelson’s 2010 survey also found that the average age to lose virginity is 15.5 years old.

When asked, “What is the appropriate age to have sex?” the answers varied from 14 to waiting until marriage, according to the Hawkeye’s recent survey.

If choosing to participate in sexual activities, it’s important to protect yourself and your partner from contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or becoming pregnant.

However, a shocking 29 percent of students responded that they do not use protection when having sex. This may have something to do with the 27 percent of students who said they know someone who has had an STD.

Asking someone if they have had sex or not may seem simple enough, but the Hawkeye also found that students have different opinions on what sex actually is.

A considerable 35 percent of students consider oral sex a way to lose your virginity, while another 25 percent say hand sex, “hand jobs” or “fingering,” is another way. Nearly half said anal sex is considered sex, while many people said they thought this is a way to avoid losing their virginity.

Sex is a very sensitive topic, personal beliefs and values may strongly differ but it’s important to remember that not everyone in high school is having sex.

It is up  to every individual to make the decision of when to have sex  based on their own beliefs.

There is no right or wrong decision, no one should ever feel pressured into doing something they may not want to or engage in sexual activities with out being mentally and physically prepared.

The job fair, organized by the Mountlake Terrace Business Association (MLTBA), ran from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mountlake Terrace Library.

The flagship job fair was created to “help businesses find potential employees and for the community to get their resumes out to the local businesses that are hiring,” according to MLTBA President Ayesha Sheik.

The MLTBA wants local business to get out and interact with citizens seeking employment.

Also, attendees who are looking for a job were able to ask employers questions that they might have about the process of looking for a job, from applications to interviews.

Sheik, who is also the General Manager at Studio 6 Hotel, said the job fair was created for the purpose of lowering the unemployment rate in Mountlake Terrace.

Many local businesses were present at the job fair, including Homestreet bank, Red Onion, Edward Jones, Premera, Office Depot, Studio 6, Merrill Gardens, Creekside Church and Worksource.

High school students were encouraged to attend the job fair and apply for a job if they want. They can apply for any of the jobs there.

“Students are the workforce for tomorrow, so  I encourage all students to apply with all the employers that will be there. You never know when a job can turn into a career,” Sheik said.

Local burger joint Red Onion was one of the many businesses which participated in the job fair. Red Onion Owner Seaun Richards said he needs more help running his business.

Richards is reopening his old Red Onion which had burnt down.

“I need more employers for the new Red Onion which is currently running, and 10 more for the old one that I am reopening,” Richards said.

With four teens already working at the Red Onion, applicants to the Red Onion must only be 16 years or older.

Another business which was looking to possibly hire teens is Office Depot. The office supply chain’s MLT location is looking to hire one or two employees, which also must be at least 16 years old.

Right in time for summer job hunting, the job fair offers countless opportunities for all people to seek employment from businesses close to home.