By Athena Henson

I spoke with Head Coach Kersti Bury about the great season Waldo volleyball players are celebrating.

 Q: What led to your victory to get to the top two?

A: Really it was the fundamentals of bump, set, spike.We had good teamwork, and a lot of the girls played all year.

Q: Who were some of the players who contributed the most?

A: Our team captains Alexis and Jaslene were great leaders. Everyone worked really well together, and they represented Waldo really well.

Q: Was there anything that you could have done better?

A: We didn't get to practice a lot of rotations.

Q: How far did you guys get in the tournament?

A: We made it to the semifinals.

Q: You said this was one of the best seasons you had. Why was that?

A: We won a lot and we had no drama. We all worked really well together. Our record was the second best in the entire district.  We were really close to first and narrowly missed it by just one serve at the end of a match. Very exciting!

Q: Why did you step down from head coach?

A: I broke my hand and it seemed like a good time to stop. 

I also spoke with Team Captain Alexis about the team’s success.

Q: Who do you think had the best servers?

A: Jaslene was one of the best. She did overhand serves and she put a lot of power into her serves. They are hard to receive.

Q: Who was one of the best players? 

A: We all played really well, and everyone was there for each other.

By Zhanna Shevelenko

Zhanna caught up with her classmate, Athena Henson, to learn more about Yearbook, News Production, and the rewards of student publications at Waldo Middle School.

Q: Why did you decide to redo this class for a second trimester?

A: Because I thought it was cool that you could make a yearbook and that you could design the yearbook.

Q: What are you currently working on in this class?

A: Right now, I'm trying to set up an interview with Mr. Bowles and also the layout clubs and events.

Q: Would you recommend this class to other students?

A: Yeah, if anyone likes to write or they are interested in taking pictures, I think it's a good class for them.

Q: Did you ever wanna quit this class?

A: At the beginning I was thinking about it because I didn't like talking to people, but then I found out that it's not only interviewing. You could do reviews or pictures, so I thought it was cool and decided to stay.

Q: What advice would you give to a starter student?

A: Write questions that aren't one word answers. If you are going to try to get a longer interview, you want it to be a longer response.

By Zhanna Shevelenko

Reporter's note: Not only does Ms. Smoll teach Digital Music Technology, but she also teaches choir, guitar class, and an after school ukulele club.  

Q: What is DMT class about?

A: It's about making music in a really accessible way. On Chromebooks we use the program Soundtrap, which is the student version of what professionals use. 

Q: What career path can this class lead to?

A: Students can become audio engineers or producers or they can even create their own music if they’re a songwriter. 

Q: Did you come up with the idea for this class and if you did what gave you the idea?

A: No, but I thought it was a great opportunity to get kids excited about music.

Q: What assignment do you think is the student favorite? 

A: I think students really like to put loops together to create songs and also they like the assignment where they put sounds together to make a soundscape. I've had students make projects that sound like you're sitting in an airport, zoo, or even a haunted house.

Q: Do you think this class is a success?

A: I do, and I'm learning more every time I teach it to make it better for other students.

By Helena Navarro

Blink-182 is definitely a band worth checking out, particularly if you like a certain type of music. This band is within the pop-punk genre, so if you like bands like Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day, you'll most likely enjoy Blink-182. One great thing about this band is the wide discography of songs they have, and most of the songs range from the genres pop-punk to emo, and some great rock songs. 

One great song I would recommend if you're just starting to listen to Blink-182 is probably “I Miss You” from their 2003 self-titled album "Blink-182”. The song has strong undertones of a failed relationship, but it could be interpreted in many different ways. Overall, it portrays a sense of someone longing for their former lover.

Two good albums to start off listening to are the 1999 “Enema of the State''. Some great tracks on there are “All The Small Things” and “What's My Age Again?” , and Cheshire Cat, with the latter having great tracks like “Wasting Time” and “M+M's”. 

Though this band isn't for everyone, there are some more new age sounding songs in their 2019 album, Nine. Nine has its ups and downs, but my personal favorite tracks off the album are Heaven and No Heart to Speak Of. The albums genre is still way more heavily influenced by punk rock and they definitely have those grunge type vocals, though. 

In addition to releasing Nine, they have released some songs, the most recents being in 2022. Those two songs are Edging and Punk Rock Cliche. These songs, in my personal opinion, aren’t that good. There are songs that are a million times better. Edging just doesn't have that classic Blink-182 sound that you would obviously look for in a Blink-182 song. I feel like it's much more polished than a lot of their other songs. Overall, Blink-182 is a great band if you like that sort of music. They have a variety of songs to listen to, great vocals and instruments, and lots of relatable stories behind their songs.

By Ileana Gutierrez Saldana

As part of a series on career exploration, Emily Reverman and Aaron Harada came to Waldo Middle School recently and talked to us a bit about the school district. Emily is a public relations specialist and Aaron is a communications manager.

There are 65 schools in the district and about 40,000 students in Salem and Keizer. They manage information for all schools in the district. The communications department has nine people and each one of them does something different.

 February  is the national CTE month, and they are preparing information about this currently. CTE stands for Career Technical Education. Emily and Aaron let student Tony and Helena learn how the videos are made by having them read from a teleprompter while being filmed. Everyone did a great job.

They said that they like how everyday they do something different and they meet new and wonderful people. I enjoyed their company and learning something new about the school district. It was pretty nice and cool to see how things work. I think it would be pretty cool and nice to have a job like that. 

Would you want to have a job like that?

By Emireth Herrera Orta

Q: What year were you born?

A: I was born in 2002.

Q: What is your favorite type of food?

A: I love Italian Food, such as any type of ravioli.

Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies? 

A: Reading, drawing, and baking.

Q: Do you speak any other languages?

A: Yes, I speak fluent Spanish.

Q: What is your favorite part of reading?

A: I love reading because, “You can dive into another world."

Q: Why did you decide to be a librarian?

A: Growing up I didn't enjoy reading as much, but during college I started to gain a passion for reading and literature which made me want to become a librarian 

Q: Do you enjoy working here at Waldo?

A: I love working here! I love the community.

By Nina Mejia

Exocoetidae fish can fly

They can jump out of the water

They have lovely wings while

Soaring through the air

So colorful, catching the light

Purple and blue majesty

Escaping the predators

Fly away fast!

They are the size of a palm

Small in size, but big in adventure

I would like to keep you

But I know you should be free

By Helena Navarro

Have you been trying to get into older music? Maybe just looking for a change in style?

Well, you might be interested in The Cure.

Formed in 1978, The Cure has around 13 albums and over 30 singles.

The first song I heard from them was one of their most popular songs, “Boys Don’t Cry” from their 1979 album, “Three Imaginary Boys' '. While the song doesn't have one definite meaning, one of the more popular interpretations of it is it being almost an apology to a lover for maybe being a jerk to them. Another popular interpretation is that it's about the societal pressure on men to not show emotion and not cry, which is pretty easy to see why people would think that given the title. I personally enjoy this song because of the lively tune and instruments, while the lyrics are more on the depressing side. This is kinda a common theme in their music, being that their main genre is goth and emo music.

One great album to listen to if you're just starting to listen to them would probably be either “Three Imaginary Boys' ' Or “Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me”, released in 1987. “Three Imaginary boys' ' has great songs like “Boys Don't Cry” and “Fire in Cairo”, and “Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me” has some like “Just Like Heaven” and “The Kiss”.

While they do have some great hits that are undoubtedly classics, they also have some not so good songs that i would say only a very niche audience would enjoy. The Cure’s self titled 2004 album “The Cure” is a good example of that. Most of the songs on the album are already pretty bad, trying to be alt-metal while also trying to maintain The Cure’s gothic music style. Though, the one that stands out to me as possibly the band's worst song is “Never”. It's repetitive, only changing a few words here and there; A good example of Robert Smith’s lazy songwriting. The instrumentals on this song are just also unbearable, the guitars and drums try too hard and are extremely loud to the point where this song is bad from the first few seconds. This can be said for the entire album as well, the production is horrible and is honestly a disgrace to The Cure’s discography.

While there is no for sure “best song”, I would say that the best one in my opinion would no doubt have to be “Pictures of You” from the 1989 album “Disintegration”, which is possibly one of their best albums. According to Songfacts, “"Pictures Of You" was based on an essay by Myra Poleo called The Dark Power of Ritual Pictures. Smith says that after reading it, he destroyed his old personal photos and many of his home videos in an effort to wipe away his past. He came to regret the decision a few days later. “What I like about this song the most is the emotion it comes with. The lyrics portray such a strong sense of sadness and bitterness, but Smith’s voice just puts a softer edge on it that goes so perfectly with the bass riffs and synths. I absolutely love the way that the song's meaning is open for interpretation. While having no definite meaning, what it does have is an overwhelming sense of loss in a relationship or just in life that is so relatable and beautiful.”

Something that's certainly unique about The Cure’s music is that most of it isn't based on Robert Smith's own romantic experiences; Smith was lucky and found his soulmate, Mary Poole, When they were teenagers. Also according to Songfacts, “...Smith's heartsore songs are often inspired by literature or observations.”

While some may find The Cure’s music hard to enjoy, I personally love them and their music and they are one of my favorite bands of all time. They have around 225-230 songs, so plenty of variety to enjoy for anybody.

By Tasha Langimeo

  Ms. Heldart is a Newcomer Teacher at Waldo Middle School as of 2022. She likes Waldo because it is very welcoming, and she also likes the diversity. Ms. Heldart does not officially have a classroom yet, but when next trimester comes she is going to have her own classroom.

Whenever she comes to Waldo she feels hopeful and determined to be here at school. She says teaching can be easy and hard. Sometimes it's easy for her because she knows what she is teaching and knows her students very well. It’s hard because she's the only Islander teacher. She also can’t get answers because she is new here, but some staff are helping her figure things out.

She didn’t originally plan to teach Waldo, but educators at Waldo asked Ms. Heldart if she could teach here. She was glad to start a new adventure. Back in Pohnpei, Ms. Heldart used to teach at the high school level. She was a case manager at IRCO, which is the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (a nonprofit agency based in Portland) before working here. She was invited to start teaching at Waldo because there are a lot of Islanders here. She also likes learning new things.

    Q: What part of Chuuk are you from?

    A: I am from Houk Island and the Nema Island in Chuuk. 

    Q: What is your favorite food?

    A: My favorite food is tuna sashimi.

    Q ; Do you have any siblings here in Oregon? 

    A ; Yes, I have two sisters and a brother here.

In Islander club students and staff learn more about cultural identity and value. We also play games or sports. Lastly, we practice cultural dances and songs. We don’t exactly know which days Islander Club will be later in the year because it isn’t verified yet, but we usually have them each Wednesday. Islander Club is fun because we get to mingle and play with fellow Islanders who share the same culture and have the same values.

By Tasha Langimeo

 Mrs. Sotelo has worked here at Waldo Middle School for two years, and she is a cadre here. She helps students who need specialized assistance. She likes Waldo because she likes to get to know the students by talking with them.

Recently, she took a trip to Mexico with her family. She said it was a long drive because they drove 50 hours from Keizer to Mexico, so it was about 5,000 miles. 

      Although she likes most things about Waldo, her least favorite part of her job is going to meetings because she wants to be with the students. She does like some meetings, however. Mrs. Sotelo's favorite hobbies are taking care of her house plants, cross stitch, and she's learning how to roller skate.

     Mrs. Sotelo wanted to work at a middle school and she got what she wanted. She also wants to be with other students who need support outside of their classroom. She likes Waldo because of the diversity with different students and staff, and she also likes the different cultures here at Waldo. Mrs. Sotelo started working at a school district in 2008 when she was in high school, and came back in 2018, so she has been working in the district now for 5 years since her return.

Ms. Douglass enjoys students, science, and mint chocolate chip

By Zhanna Shevelenko

Recently I spoke with Ms.Douglass about science class and working with middle school students.

Q: What are you learning about in your 7th grade classes?

A: We just finished cell organelles and are starting photosynthesis.

Q: What do you think is the student favorite assignment in this class?

A: The organelle wanted posters! Come see them displayed in the hall outside room 507!

Q: What do you like most about being a teacher?

A: I like seeing when students understand a new or challenging topic. It's fun to see student brains make connections and understand the world around them.

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?

A: Hmmm... I'm not sure maybe tutoring or going to school to get my Master's degree more full time -- since I am also doing my Master's right now too.

Q:What are some jobs that you could get in the science department?

A: In science specifically, there are lots of options. I could work in the field collecting data or I could work in a lab or I could be a researcher doing both. I could also go get different certifications or degrees to work with animals or in hospitals with people

Q:What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

A: Mint chocolate chip!

By Emireth Herrera Orta

A place that I could tell people to visit is Salem, Oregon, and this is a place that I would suggest because it is a great place to go out and enjoy the wilderness. One restaurant where they could eat is Applebee's and that would be a good place to go to because Applebee's is a really fun classic place. It's also a great family restaurant too, and not only that but they have great food!  

A fun activity at this place would be to go hiking because Salem, like I said, is a great place to go out and enjoy the wilderness, and have walks around a park. For example, a great place to walk around and enjoy the wilderness is Riverfront Park. Riverfront Park is a fun place to walk around and do many activities for adults and children.The park has a playground where children can play, and a little area where children can get wet in the summer and they also have a carousel. You can also go on walks over the bridge and bike rides too!      

Another great  place to go out and explore the wilderness would be Bush’s Pasture Park. It's a great place to go on a walk, run, and it has and you can also have a fun picnic there! I would give this place five out of five stars as somewhere to visit because in my opinion I feel like Salem is a calm and great place to do some fun activities and to enjoy nature. 

By Ezran Crain

Cypress Hill is a legendary rap group from South Gate, California, notable for pioneering their own style of music. They were the first major hip-hop group to include Spanish and Latin slang in their lyrics, so if you have never listened to their songs, then you should check them out. 

They started in the year 1988 and they are still performing to this day. The group has three members: Louis Mario Freese, Senen Reyes, and Eric Correa. Some of their past members are Ulpiano Sergio Reyes and Lawrence Muggerud. 

   Cypress Hill made their first big break in 1991 with songs such as "The Phuncky Feel One.” In 1992, Cypress Hill attended the Billboard Music Awards and won the top rap song for their song "The Phuncky Feel One.” In 2019 they participated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were awarded the star award for dedication in the category of recording, and they've been nominated for many other awards. 

Cypress Hill has released 15 albums. The first album was called “Cypress Hill” in 1991, and their most recent album is “Back In Black". It was released in 2022. I recommend Cypress Hill to people who like rap and hip-hop. If you listen to Delinquent Habits, House of Pain, or Easy-E, you should listen to Cypress Hill.

By Valentina Mellan

Hawaii is a good place to travel during the break or summer. In the summer, people love to swim in the beach and take pictures of the view. The reason why it is the best place to visit is because it has the best food and people love to relax on the Waikiki beach . 

While you're in Hawaii you get to see the Hawaiian people do their hula dance and setting up the fire. One restaurant that people love to visit is Jollie Bee, and the dessert they could eat is ube ice cream. Ube ice cream which can be found in the store or the mall. 

An interesting fact about Hawaii is that it has beautiful beaches and Hawaii also has great weather. I think Hawaii is a good place to visit because it is relaxing and has the best food and good other things to do. Target is a good place to shop in Hawaii for all of your vacation needs. 

By Tasha Langimeo

Oahu, Hawaii, has many cool places to go to and one of the places you can go to is Waikiki Beach Information - Oahu - Hawaii. Another place you can go is Mama's BBQ. This restaurant is very delicious and I would recommend going over there.

     Honolulu is the third largest Hawaiian island and is home to over 125 beaches, many hikes, natural beauty galore, the bustling city life of Honolulu, and famous world-class surfing. The windward coast is on the east side of the island. It was a far drive when my family drove over there because we were on the north side. This is Oahu's biggest beach town.

The best time to travel to Oahu is summer time because that is when it’s very hot and it’s the time when your friends or family members have no school. Another good time to travel to Oahu is when you are planning a vacation, and it depends on where you’re going and what you’re going to do over at Oahu.

Oahu is a place where you can hang out with your friends or your family, you can go with anyone just because it’s the best place to have a vacation. I love the Walmart at Oahu because it has two stories and it has anything you want. Another awesome place you can shop at is Ala Moana Center. I recommend this place because it has so many stores. You can look for clothes and things you want to buy. Oahu is a place you can always remember and would probably want to go over there again! 

By Helena Navarro

Waldo Middle Schools wrestling team is one of the teams with the biggest group of girls in the district, having 23 female wrestlers and three team managers. Every athlete has the team’s best interest on their mind. During the first meet this winter against Judson, team captain Erika got all the girls together to raise their spirits.

Because wrestling is largely a male dominated sport, the girls might not feel connected with the boys. It might feel intimidating to them. Usually, there's so many more boys than girls, and the thought of it being a male sport might make girl wrestlers think twice. However, it could also mean that girls may feel like they don't relate with any of their male teammates. Seeing that Waldo's team had so many girls, Erika and Ayliah used the opportunity to make the girls feel comfortable and united.

“Just because you are going up against a boy in wrestling doesn't mean you shouldn't try because you think you are going to lose. It doesn't mean that you're bad,” Erica said when asked if she had any advice for girls involved with wrestling. “One thing we like to tell the girls before their matches is that once they get on the mat, do not worry about who is looking, and don't worry about the coach or the people that are hyping you up. Focus on your match.”

A lot of girls are discouraged when they join wrestling because they may think that they'll never be as good as their male teammates. Erika and Ayliah make sure they encourage the girls specifically during meets and practice to help them avoid dropping out or not achieving their full potential.

“Some of the girls do goof around in practice, but a lot of them do not,” Erika said. “If your team is goofing around and another school comes to your school, then it doesn't make your school look good and it makes your team look like crap. So that's why we have to keep the girls focused, and the whole team must stay in check because we don't want that.” 

Spectators may notice that the Waldo girl wrestlers wear pink socks during their meets. Erika and Mrs. B thought of this idea.

“I talked to Mrs. B about it and she came up with wearing pink socks to our meets. We thought it would make the girls stand out more and it would be a way to represent them. That's not all the pink socks stand for though. They also represent strength, unity, happiness, and healing.” 

Regarding the large number of girl wrestlers on the team, Ayliah said,

“I think our team has more girls because our girls are super talented and aggressive. There are a lot more than other schools. Some teams have like one or two girls, but almost half of our team is girls. I definitely think our team of girls is the best.” 

“Sports, not just wrestling, they help you with real world skills,” Erika said of why athletics are a positive choice for students. They can help you with problem solving and teamwork. Being in sports can also help you open up to other things. It can inspire you to do things you wouldn't do normally.” 

Of course, both Erika and Ayliah had their own motivation for joining wrestling as well. 

“Honestly, I wanted to try something new and my sister did it and she was able to stay dedicated to it,” Erika said. “It pushes me to try harder and I learn from it. I can improve the longer I do it. It helps me build stamina and helps me learn to stay dedicated and keep persevering.”

“I joined because of my talent. It helped me do a lot of other things,” Ayliah added.

One of the things that was brought up by a few people was that the majority of the girls that join the wrestling team quit halfway through the season. Erika and Ayliah were asked what they think about the girls who do quit, and the challenge they face with the criticism of others saying how they'll probably quit.

“Those people who don't try, and give up early, if they have a goal then they're never gonna reach it. Like if they wanna go to state wrestling they're never gonna make it if they don’t try hard,” Ayliah said. “You can't really force anyone to keep trying.”

“All of these girls who do give up, they still tried and they still should be proud of themselves for that,” Erika commented.

Both captains agreed that you have to want it for yourselves.

So far, none of the girls on the wrestling team have quit. They all have a strong bond with one another and are as close as sisters thanks to Erika and Ayliah's efforts. They all try hard and are getting better everyday. They represent everything vital about the Mustangs athletic spirit of giving it all each time they are on the mat.