By Lacey Lewis

A house set aflame,

Burning belongings,

A family evacuates.

Left behind things

Smoke in the sky,

Creates an odor of ash.

A mischief of mice scurry by, 

No more questions to be asked.

They lie and they sit,

Enjoying the warmth

Of the house set aflame,

That destroyed all that was worth.

The firefighters soon arrive,

Taking no shame in their duty,

As they protect what is soon to die.

Hoping to save the earth’s beauty.

They holler and yell,

Large boots stomping the ground.

The mice cower back,

Wanting to escape this hell.

The flames are put out.

Cold once again consuming the land.

The ground is wet, 

And so are the rodents

The family hug and wail,

Mourning the loss of their precious things.

The mice huddle together as well,

Trying not to freeze.

By Stephanie De Jesus Osornio

Q: Have you worked at any other school besides Waldo?

A: Yes, I have worked at many elementary, middle, and high schools.

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years? 

A: I would like to be teaching abroad and studying to teach abroad.

Q: What are some things that you like about Waldo?

A: I enjoy the students. They are kind, sweet, and great to be around.

Q: How do you feel about the students at Waldo?

Q: They are great. This is a lovely community and more interesting than other schools I have taught at.

Q: Do you plan to stay at Waldo, and if so then why?  

A: I plan to stay for as long as the exchange program continues.

By Addalynn Miller
Q: If you were to live in any continent, any country, any state, then where would you live and why?
A: I would live in Oceania, and I would pick Vanuatu Island. I don’t know what state, but I do know it's an island. I want to live there because it is an island that I want to learn more about.

Q: If you were to meet any celebrities, who would it be and why?
A: I’d love to meet either Donna Summer or Cher, because they have amazing singing voices and awesome styles.

Q: Why’d you become a teacher?
A: I became a teacher to teach students and have fun.

Q: What’d you major in and why did you select this major?
A: I majored in education and ethnic studies because I wanted to study history and learn about different parts of the world.

Q: Where did you graduate from college?
A: I graduated from Oregon State in June of 2021.

Q: When did you move to Oregon, and how old were you?

A: I moved to Oregon in 2000, and I was six.

Q: What does your last name mean?

A: I don’t know what my last name means, but I do know that it's an island in Spain. 

By Alejandra Herrera Mujica

Q :When did you start working at Waldo?

A: I started working here ten years ago.  🧑‍🔬

Q: What do you like about working at Waldo?

A: I'm comfortable with Waldo staff , our principal, and getting support. Also, my science lab is great because I'm able to teach students what science is about.  🧑

Q:  How did you become a science teacher?

A : I tried different types of jobs, and eventually I chose to be a science teacher. 🧑‍🔬

Q : If you weren't a teacher, then what would you be instead?

A: If I wasn't a teacher, then I would have a business. For example, I might run a coffee shop or help students with homework. 🧑

Q: Why did you decide to be a teacher?

A: I was a junior in high school and I joined career exploration.  🧑

By Addalyn Miller
Q: What goes through your head while writing poetry?
A: A lot of feelings and emotions.

Q: Who inspires you for poetry?
A: My dad has always been there for me, pushing me to my fullest potential.
Q: What’s your full name?

A: Sydnee Jenai Hurst
Q: How old were you when you started poetry?
A: I was 12 when I started writing poetry. I started a few months ago.
Q: Why do you write poetry? Do you want to impress somebody or do you write it for yourself?
A: I write poetry for myself. I’m actually writing a book right now.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: Graduating high school early and going to college. I want to become an author and publish my book.

Q: How far are you in your book?

A: I started it a few days ago, so I am not far. 

By Evelin Perez-Estrella

         Alexander Giannascoli (born February 3, 1993), better known by his stage name Alex G or, formerly, (Sandy) Alex G, is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He is 30 yrs old and was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania. 

At age 11, he learned how to play his brother's guitar that he gave him and began recording music While attending Haverford High School, Giannascoli made two albums that he shared with friends. Later, Alex G released nine studio albums and two EPs, as well as two live albums and a soundtrack album. Some of His most popular songs include “Gretel” “Miracles” “Gnaw” etc.

  One of his first songs was A “Pretend remix” and it has become popular. He started his career with DIY self-releases on Bandcamp and began building up an audience with his label debut, DSU (2014), released on Orchid Tapes to critical acclaim from various publications. One of my favorite songs is “Break.” The song is a heartfelt confession of addiction and dependency on a person or a substance. The lyrics suggest that the protagonist is trying to escape reality and the mental stress through drugs, or a relationship, or both.

  Another one of my favorite songs from him is “Advice.'' The song is conveying the message that it can be difficult to cope with life's struggles and to navigate through hard times. The song also advises to trust oneself and to resist the urge to give in to feelings of hopelessness. Lastly, “Nintendo 64” explores themes of emotional distress, escapism, and the search for solace in difficult times. The lyrics delve into personal struggles such as losing a pet, strained relationships with parents, and partners. There is also discussion of handling depression. I suggest checking out his music if you like indie rock.

              Here are the links to my favorite songs:

“break”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj6oW3dF9Gc

“Advice”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCvmgHYV5Us

“Nintendo 64”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcgx0dTAFso 

By Timothy Villanueva

Question 1. What do you do for a living?

1. I am a middle school teacher at Waldo Middle School and I have a side hustle. It's a full time job at being a mom.

Question 2. What is the average of a bisector?

2. Ms. Coffey doesn’t know what numbers are but she knows it is a math term.

Question 3. Why are you here?

3. I really like Waldo Middle School. I have a lot of good friends here, and good students, and parents. I don't want to go to another school.

Question 4. What made you come to Waldo?

4. I had a lot of time and I applied to a bunch of different schools.

Question 5. How did you graduate high school?

5. Both of my parents were teachers, so I always had to get really good grades. It helped me manage my time, and I graduated from high school.

By Adrian Joel Garcia

Korn is nu metal band that started the whole genre with them forming in Bakersfield, California, in 1993. The band includes Jonathan Davis as vocalist, David Sliveria as drummer, Reginald Arvizu or “Fieldy” as bassist, James Shaffer or “Munky” as guitarist, and Brian Welch or “HEAD” lead guitarist.

 One hit is “Follow the Leader” and another is  “Life is Peachy.” My personal favorite songs are “Freak on a Leash” and "Falling Away From Me.”

Overall, Korn is my favorite band. Check them out if you like metal music. You can find samples of their songs on YouTube.

By Alejandra Herrera Mujica

Fuerza Regida is a Mexican-American regional Mexican band from San Bernardino, California. The band consists of lead vocalist Jesús Ortíz Paz, backing vocalist and twelve-string guitarist Samuel Jaimez, rhythm guitarist Khrystian Ramos, sousaphone player José "Pelón" García and tololoche player Moisés López.

Composed of Jose Garcia (tuba), Samuel Jaimez (requinto), Jesus Ortiz (lead singer) and Khrystian Ramos ( six- string guitar), Fuerza Regida, which means “strength” and “govern”, officially became a group in March 2015. They have East LA flavor in their music.

Fuerza Regida makes Regional Mexican urban sierreño corridos tumbados banda pacific norteno mariachi. Also, Fuerza Regida has over 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

In November 2022, Fuerza Regida released a cover of the song "Chuy y Mauricio,” titled "Chrysler 300.” Days later, they released the single "Prefiero Empedarme,” which was released along with a music video uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel.

My favorite songs from this band are these:

Calle 24 x Chino Pacas x Fuerza Regida - Que Onda (Official ..

   Fuerza Regida - CRAZYZ - YouTube

Fuerza Regida, Manuel Turizo - UNA CERVEZA

The reason I chose these songs is because one day I opened Tik Tok and people use these songs. I saw how these songs are getting popular . Then in Spotify, I searched for the three songs. I was surprised when I heard these songs because I never heard songs that were bomb. I showed them to my friend and she also liked it. She and I were vibing to these songs.  In 2023/2024 a song came out that was popular . It’s called 

2:37

Tiagz, Fuerza Regida, El Alfa - Tacata (Remix

It’s now on the Billboard and people use this song often.  I definitely recommend Fuerza Regida for Mexican / Latin music.

A Mashallese fable retold by Netina Dawoj

   Lilileo is a place on the ocean side of Woja Island, in beautiful Ailinglaplap Atoll. In likileo, there once lived a good woman named Limokare who had no idea that one of her sons would become famous. Her first child was a normal boy. But when her second was born, it was a very strange baby indeed. It was a coconut.

Tobolar, the coconut, grew larger and larger. Soon, he learned to talk and to understand what people said. 

One day, the coconut told his mother, “The time has come for you to bury me under your window.”

His mother  was surprised.

“Bury you alive, my poor little baby?” she cried.

“Yes,” he replied. “I’m not going to die. I will live. I’II come back to you and stay with you always.”

 ‘“How can you come back, and how shall I know, you my child?” asked Limokare. 

“I’II be a tree,” Tobolar replied. “ I will have many parts. Every one of them will be useful. I'll have dozens of children and hundreds of grandchildren.”

One day, the mother saw a small green sprout. It was a leaf, folded around itself. She opened it carefully.

“How beautiful!’’ she exclaimed. “It looks like the wing of the flying fish.”

She gave the little coconut sprout a name, which was drir. The word drir means the leaf grows and spreads open.

People came from far and near to see the first tree in all the world. They called it ni,which became the Marshallese word for ‘’coconut.” 

The little tree became tall and beautiful and strong. It grew away from the window, high in the air. It provided shade for Limokaer. She often sat beneath the tree and wove mats from them.

By Jose Fuentes Arredondo

If you happen to visit Portland, don't miss out on the opportunity and have some fun! If you’re a sports fan, then you can go to the Moda Center to watch The Portland Trail Blazers or The Portland Winterhawks. If you are a soccer fan, you can go watch The Portland Thorns, or The Portland Timbers at Providence Park.

Not a fan of sports? You can also go to The Oregon Zoo to watch various animals in their exhibits and have a quick snack at the Aviary Cafe. If you like books, you could visit Powell’s Books, or head to Barnes & Noble to check out their bookshelves!

Want to see things you’ve never seen before, or do you like history? Head to some museums such as OMSI, Portland Art Museum, or Oregon Historical Society. You can also go to parks like Washington Park, Mt. Tabor Park, or Laurelhurst Park if you like nature and are on a tight budget.

In conclusion, there's something for everyone in Portland. If you ever happen to drive through Oregon’s largest city, then don’t miss out on these opportunities!

By Nicole Torres Romero 

Question: What is your favorite thing about Waldo?

Answer:  Getting to know students and making a difference in their life is my favorite thing.

Question: What do you like about wrestling?

Answer:  I like watching kids build confidence.

Question:  What made you become a wrestling coach?

Answer: I started wrestling in second grade. Wrestling gave me discipline, and I want to help others learn what I learned.

Question: What do you do at Waldo?

Answer: I teach 8th grade math and accelerated math 7.

 Question: What places have you traveled to?

Answer:  I have traveled to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Germany, Romania, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Question: Why did you travel to all these places?

Answer: I was in the Marine Corps, and all of these places were for the Marines except for Mexico. There was a war in Afghanistan.

Question: Are you married? 

Answer: Yes, I am happily married.

Question: How long have you been married?

Answer: I have been married for 20 years.

Question: Do you have a favorite grade that you like to teach?

Answer: No, I don't have a favorite grade.

Question: Do you love math?

Answer: I do love math. Math is logical once you understand it. Everything is all the same and there is no interpretation.  

Question: DId you finish college? 

Answer: I joined the Marines at 18 and they were the ones who sent me to school. That's how I got my degree. 

Question: Do you like Mr. Brasuell as a partner in coaching?

Answer: I like Mr. Brasuell. We compliment each other, and I think we make a good pair of coaches. 

Question: Have you ever taught at any other school besides Waldo? 

Answer: No, I have only taught at Waldo.

Question: How long are you going to work for Waldo?

Answer: I see myself working here until I am too old to be here.

Question: Why do you like Waldo and not other schools?

Answer: Waldo is where I first started teaching, and I feel like this is the place that I need to be. 

Question: Do you think you will remember us if we ever come visit you?

Answer: I will always remember my students, but I always forget names. 

Question: What time do you usually arrive at Waldo?

Answer: I usually get here at 6:30 am and quickly set up lessons then set up for wrestling practice.

Question: Do you like walking in nature?

Answer: I like walking in nature. I like having company. I like looking for wild mushrooms in the forest as a hobby.

Question: Would you like to travel again?

Answer: Yes, I would like to travel again. I’ve been wanting to travel to Italy because of the history there.

Question: How many times do you want to travel?

Answer: I would want to travel as much as I can afford.

Question: Would you want to go on a cruise?

Answer: No, I’m never planning to.

Question: Why do you not want to go on a cruise?

Answer: Because I was deployed on a ship and I didn’t see land for seven months during the Iraq war. The job that I was doing was fixing broken pieces of helicopters. I would fix them and put them on the boat that brought them back to land. 

Question: How long were you in the Marines?

Answer: I was in the Marines for 22 years. 

Questions: Do you like dogs?

Answer: I love dogs.

Question: Do you have any dogs?

Answer: I had a dog, but I had to put my dog down last year. 

Question: What type of dog did you have?

Answer: My dog was a pit bull and my dog was 15 years old. 

By Stephanie De Jesus Osornio

Abenemar Ramirez (better known as Benny) is one of our three Campus Safety Monitors at Waldo Middle School. Stephanie De Jesus Osornio sat down with him to learn more about how he helps keep our building safe and secure every day.

Q: How long have you been working at Waldo? 

A: I have worked at Waldo for three years.

Q: How many schools have you worked at? 

A: Two schools, but we can be switched whenever another school doesn't have enough security guards 

Q: What made you want to  become a security guard?

A: I had interest in this career field and I also worked at juvenile justice. It is a good experience to list on my resume.

Q: What's one piece of advice that you would give students who have a hard time with school?

A: Think about what's hard and ask your teachers for help. 

Q: Do you enjoy your job? Why or why not?

A: I enjoy my job because I get to meet new people, and it's really fun.

By Linette Garibay Maravilla

Antonio Herrera Perez is singer-songwriter mostly known for his corridos tumbados. Antonio was born on the 23rd of april in the year 2000. He is from Cerano, Guanajuato, Mexico and he lived in Guanajuato until he was 15. 

He and his family moved to Utah and he got a job working as a cook at Wendy's. Antonio started to get interested in instruments and started learning how to play accordion and guitar. He started practicing watching videos on youtube and following along with the videos.

Antonio ended up writing music and singing it, but since he was young and shy he never released any of it in fear of getting made fun of. One day, he decided it was time to upload a song on youtube using a fake name so no one knew who posted the song. He ended up picking the name “Junior h.”

The first song he ever released under junior h was “No eh cambiado”. The song blew up one day while Antonio was at work, then he had more than 2 million views on it. Junior started realizing the potential he had and started taking music more seriously. 

On February 1, 2019, Antonio released his first album called “Mi Vida En Un Cigarro'' with nine songs in the album including “No eh cambiado.” Because Antonio was just starting his music career his audio quality wasn't as good as it is now, so he decided to invest in a better microphone.

 His second album was “Atrapado En Un Sueño” in 2020. “Atrapado En Un Sueño” was released because Antonio got signed to “Rancho Humilde”. Antonio was still in highschool when he got signed, so I imagine it was hard to balance school with his music career but he managed to do it. 

Since he's been signed to Rancho Humilde, he has released seven albums including “$ad boyz 4 life II”. Right now Junior h has 27,431,733 monthly listeners.

 One of his songs is top nine in Mexico with 133,373,399 streams. He is going to announce his next tour soon, and a lot of people including me are excited for it. If you want to get into listening to junior h, then I would recommend listening to one of his songs called “1004 km” . This song is about missing his mom. Another song that I would recommend is “el hijo mayor” or you can listen to this playlist full of junior h’s most popular songs. 

By Andrew Alvarado

Ready or Not is a game where you are part of the fictional police department of Los Suenos and serve as leader for the SWAT team. The people on the SWAT team can either be AI bots or real players. In Ready or Not there are 18 different missions.

 Each mission’s objective varies: One mission could have you stopping a gas station robbery and one mission could have you stop an active threat, but they are mostly the same. You have to bring order to the situation and secure the civilians. However, there are some different objectives such as arresting a specific suspect, defusing bomb threats or securing incriminating evidence. 

In this game, it is encouraged that you take down the suspect with non-lethal force using pepper balls, beanbags, and a Taser. Ready or Not is a slow paced game so that means you are not rushing rooms and jumping around corners. You are going to have to move slowly, checking what's behind you, around you and checking your corners for anything.

This game will test your sound awareness, your reaction time, your patience, and your precision. This game is pretty controversial due to the game not shying away from major issues in the real world and the fact that it’s seen by some as “cop propaganda.” The graphics in this game are amazing; they are on par with modern game graphics. If you like slow-paced, realistic, tactical games, then I believe you might like this game. 

By Valeria Hernandez-Zamudio 

Q: What made you want to start working here? 

A: I'm studying to be an elementary school teacher, and I went to school here.

Q: If you could do anything other than working here, where would you work or what would you do?

A: I would be a lawyer because I love arguing especially if I know they’re wrong.

Q: How long have you worked at Salem-Keizer?

A: This is my second school year here.

Q: If you could work at another school, then where would you work?

A: Washington or Chavez because I went to school there.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, then where would you go?

A: I would go to Europe because of the food. Italy would be great, for example, because I really like pasta. I also like food from Spain.

By Alejandra Herrera Mujica

Q: How  did you become a health teacher ?

A: My mom was a teacher and I decided to join the teaching business because my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer and I wanted to learn more about health.

Q: Was it easy to get your diploma for health?

A: It took a lot of hard work, but it was worth it because I enjoyed my experience.

Q: What are some things that you like about Waldo ?

A: I like the staff and students because we care about our community. I also like that we have students from all over the world at our school.

Q: How many years will you stay in Waldo?

A: Whatever the future gives me.

Q: Do you love teaching students about health ?

A: I do because health is the most important subject in my opinion. It has a lot of topics that relate to students’ daily lives.

Bonus Question: When did you marry your wife?

I married my wife in 2014, we have been together since 2007 in high school.

By Jose Chavez Acosta

Q: When did you start working at Waldo Middle School?

A: I started working here during 2021.

Q: What’s your health routine?

A: Eat right, sleep good, and workout 3-4 days a week. 

Q: How old are you?

A: I am currently 41 years old.

Q: Are you going to do an advanced weights class?

A: I am trying to set one up and I am finding students to join advanced weights class.

Q: Who chewed more gum last trimester? Sedin (Daniel) or Estevan?

A: Sedin chewed more gum than Estevan.

Q: Have you traveled anywhere outside of Oregon?

A: Yes, I have traveled to Utah, Hawaii, California, Philadelphia, Washington, and Arizona.

Q:Squatting or deadlifting? And what’s your max on the one you prefer?

A: I prefer squatting, and my max is private information.

By Evelin Perez Estrella

             Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Canton, Ohio. White is of Native American, African American, and Irish ancestry. He began releasing mixtapes and videos that would eventually lead him to viral Internet success and a deal with the Universal-distributed label Strainge Entertainment.

Trippie Redd's first song “ThyRod'' was released on December 23, 2014, which is not on YouTube. His first album was “A Love Letter to You.” It was released on May 26, 2017, by TenThousand Projects and Caroline Distribution. It consists of 12 songs.

My favorite songs from that album are “Love Scars” by Trippie Redd. It is about the pain and struggles that come with a failed relationship. In the verse, the speaker reminisces about the good times in the relationship where both parties were in love. 

However, as the relationship progressed, things didn't work out and the speaker was left with emotional scars. “Romeo and Juliet” by Trippie Redd portrays a love story between the artist and his significant other. The lyrics mean that only they can heal each other, such as only love each other. A lot of  people love this song because they  can relate to it .

The discography of American rapper and singer Trippie Redd consists of five studio albums, two deluxe albums, six mixtapes, eight extended plays and 31 singles (including 15 as a featured artist). I do recommend this artist if you're into hip hop/rap.

By Aurorah Cherry

Q: When did you start working at Waldo?

A: I started teaching at Waldo last year.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: I have been teaching for 16 years.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a teacher?

A: I actually wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger.

Q: What college did you go to?

A: I attended Humboldt State for undergrad, then Sacramento State.  For my teaching credential and master’s degree, I went to Portland State.

Q: Have you ever wanted to quit because it was too much for you?

A: No, I actually really enjoy my job.

By Linette Garibay Maravilla

1. Question: Did you ever get anxious before or during games? 

Answer: No, I never felt anxious.

2. Question: What helped you get better at goalkeeping?

              Answer: Training and confidence helped me improve.

3. Question: Would you have liked playing another position? If so, then why?

              Answer: No, because the team was already at 100% with me as goalie.

4. Question: What was your least favorite part of being goalie?

Answer: Playing with an injury was my least favorite part.

5. Question: What was your favorite part of being goalie?

              Answer: Watching the opposing team struggle to get past the defense was my favorite part.

6. Question: When did you start playing soccer?

              Answer: I started playing soccer when I was seven years old. I stopped playing for a while, but got back into the sport once I got into high school.

               7. Question: How did you feel when your teammate scored in the last five seconds and got your team into the state championship match?                

Answer: It felt amazing. The moment didn't feel real at all. Everything was on the line. 

Organizers at Marion Polk Food Share currently are seeking students ages 13-18 who are willing to commit 12 hours during spring break towards learning about farming. Students will develop leadership skills and basic knowledge needed to harvest their own gardens. Successful participants will be invited to apply for a summer program at Chemeketa with stipends ranging from $500 to $1,200 upon completion. For more information about how to become involved this March, visit the organization's Youth Farm page.

By Frank Tolento Garcia

Warning: 20-25 minutes spoiler!!!

Coco is one of Pixar's best movies; it tells a story about a young boy whose name is Miguel. He really wants to become a musician and looks up to Arnesto Dela Cruz, the most famous musician he knows of!

He sometimes goes to a hiding spot where he then watches some old VHS tapes of Dela Cruz.  Famous quotes, movies, and most especially his music are present. This is where he then says he wants to become like De la Cruz one day and that music is his passion. 

However, his family hates music, so he has to keep it a secret  and not tell them he really wants to become a musician like he always dreamed. One day, he decides he wants to steal a guitar belonging Ernesto de la Cruz located near a museum. He makes a plan to sneak out at night and use his guitar. 

He enters and grabs the guitar and plays on it, but it makes a sound opening a portal that takes him to the World of the Dead. But he doesn’t realize that yet. That's when he sees through a window on the left that he must’ve triggered the alarm. He is scared. 

Miguel hears  guards and cops break the door and he starts to think to himself he is about to get in so much trouble! But the guards could not see or notice Miguel. As he starts to panic he rushes out running to his family, but no one can see or feel him so he starts getting even more scared. 

He sees a lady and sprints to her to try to talk to her but as she turns her head around Miguel screams in horror. It's not a human, but a dead relative who passed away long ago. 

Because I don't really want to spoil the movie, I will just give opinions:

 1. What I like about this movie is it takes its time to build up an incredible story with a family and backstory. 

2. It makes you feel as if you were to step into a story that has already happened.

 3. The animation is great! It makes you feel like it has history before the movie ever started or before it even began. 

4. The music is really great in my opinion, The guitar and the singing also sounds very beautiful, which makes it a great movie.

5. On a scale from 1/10, I would give it a 9 because there is a twist at the end. Like most of Pixar's movies, it has a good ending but this one has a good AND bad ending.

6. It's also very detailed, and there were shots of city structure and streets which made it look and seem nearly realistic, I think that's really cool considering the fact this movie focuses on Miguel and the places around him. 

7. In summary, I liked this movie. What do you guys think?