Class of '06 says goodbye - My High School Journalism

Seniors 13
ON GUARD JUNE
By: Pamela Kouassi
Feature Editor
The fi rst thing you hear when you talk
to him is “what’s up”, which tells you
that he likes to get to the point. With
his senior year of high school coming
to an end, Senior Nathan “Nate”
Douville is looking forward to the
future. Before moving into the next big
chapter of his life he plans on leaving
his mark behind here at Spanaway
Lake. With an accumulative GPA of
3.0 Nate has struggled and succeeded
in making sure that he still remains
true to the one thing that separates
him from just being another honor
student. Using his long, fast legs, he
has made it his goal to outrun any one
on the track fi eld and in cross-country.
By: Robert Dunham
News editor
You may see him in the hallways;
you may see him after school, but today
he is one of the few selected, letting us
know what his year has been like.
If you had not spoken to him you
would not see a philosopher, but an
old fashioned type of guy. If you did
not know him, you would laugh at his
personality and “greaser- like” hair. I
was given the privilege to interview this
senior before our leave, a man of choice
Jackie Voshell.
Nate realized that he wanted t o
run in the sixth grade at a
track meet. He saw the
runners and thought it
would be fun to join
the team.
Since
t h e r e
were no
try-outs, he
made the team.
From there
he fi gured,he
should do crosscountry.
It’s
similar to track
h o w e v e r involves
r u n n i n g longer distances.
Nate has made it his goal to keep
a 3.0 G.P.A. He enjoys video games
and likes to tell jokes. When asked If
he likes to play pranks on his friends,
he responded by saying “pranks are
for noobs” which is understandable
b e c a u s e
he’s always
running from
someone trying to
embarrass him in the halls.
“ I always think I’m right and I hate
people who talk without reasons” he
says. Douville realized that he has
to learn how to compromise from
past experiences because as he
says sometimes you have to
“deal with ignorant people”
s o he tries to tolerate most of
t h e m . That is one of the reasons
2006
Douville takes attitude and running shoes to Highline CC
Jackie Voshell tells all in interview with On Guard
“What is in your wallet?”
“Let’s check here, 20 bucks, bank
cards, discount cards, library cards, a
yearbook receipt from the beginning of
By: Caitlin Turner
Guest reporter
Senior Caitlin Turner used this essay to win
the Daughter’s of the American Revolution
Good Citizen Essay Scholarship.
William Wadsworth once wrote,
“What we have loved, others will love,
and we will teach them how.” We want
to teach children about the love for
this country. We want to teach them
about the founders who walked here
fi rst and discovered the land that we as
Americans can proudly say we walk the
land of the free.
As Americans, we have the
responsibility to preserve our American
heritage because it is a prime example
in portraying our gratitude to those who
stood up to make a difference so we can
have an American heritage. Pinpoint
explanations like the sewing needle
Betsy Ross used to make the American
the year, and a phone book.”
Equipped quipped for his daily needs,
Voshell works and goes to school
saving for a new car stereo.
Like many, he balances the two
along with a home life
and girlfriend.
“What do
you think of
yourself?”
“I’m honest,
generous, caring, weird
and fun.”
Born in Seattle, he grew up
in Tacoma and now lives
in Spanaway. As a child
he was messy, quite curious, and very
quiet. He has two siblings, Jake 22 and
Krystal 16. He loves football, tennis,
and volleyball.
“What was your most
embarrassing moment?”
“I mooned my ex-girlfriend,
by putting my butt
against my bedroom
window. I pushed
too hard and I
shattered it. I
have 12 scars from it. It was
very diffi cult explaining it to my
parents.”
“Why are you unique?”
“I think differently then people.
I look at things differently. I study
everything not because I am bored
why he lives by the Golden Rule: treat
others, as you want to be treated.
With a role model like Steve Prefontaine
who’s had many glory moments before
dying in 1975, Nate is sure to accomplish
a lot in track and cross country. High
school was like a comfort zone but now
he has to face the “ Real World”. That
day has fi nally arrived for good old
Nate. Hopefully, Nate’s strong enough
to accept life’s little challenges and
learn from them. He plans on attending
Highline Community College to major
in physical education because he wants
to be a P.E. teacher. Douville’s taken a
lot of P.E. classes to help him prepare
for his career. He also hopes that
when he’s ready to teach he will have
a spot for him here at Spanaway Lake.
but because I am visual. I believe I am
everything in a small package. I give
my time to people, and I am the same
at work, school and home.”
True to his word Jackie Voshell is a
“guy’s guy”, knowing the right car part,
and the woman to go with that car. He
is into classics and the good old imports
imports.
“Anything you want to say before
you leave?”
“Yeah…best things happen to those who
wait , this year is going by to fast, and
there is no real time to do anything.”
Jackie Voshell is pondering several
options. He may work at Jenkos,
attend truck-driving school, or go to
Bartending School. Whatever pursuits
he decides to follow we wish him good
luck in them as well as in life.
Preserving our American Heritage through responsibility
fl ag all the way up to a larger explanation
like the signing of the Declaration of
Independence. These are all artifacts
that are monumented to show how we
got where we are today as, “One nation
under God.” This nation has come a long
way since Christopher Columbus fi rst
discovered it in 1492. From the signing
of the Declaration to becoming a free
country, from the Gettysburg Address
to the women’s right’s movement, all
the way up to the attack on September
11, 2001. Yes, we have come a long way,
but on that way, we as a UNITED Nation
stood together and went across the
rocky roads side by side by conveying
dependability, service, leadership and
patriotism.
As a citizen and knowing our
American heritage, we have not only
the responsibility, but the obligation in
pursuing to preserve our heritage and
keeping it well known.
Dependability, leadership, service,
and patriotism are all qualities that
every citizen should convey to teach
others about what it means to be an
American citizen. If we are going to
teach our children about our American
heritage, we must fi rst teach ourselves.
As a child, there is the responsibility
to learn about preserving. As an adult,
there is the responsibility to portray the
qualities that come with preserving. As
a teacher, there is the responsibility
to teach, but also re-learn about the
American heritage. And, as an American,
there is the responsibility for pursuing
it further and making it certain that
as an American, you are dependable,
you serve, you are a leader, and you
are patriotic. As an American, these
qualities show an intelligent amount of
punctuality to an outstanding degree.
It is hard to imagine that through
the eyes of a creation, everything the
eye sees refl ects back to make you think
that somethin so real can seem so fake.
Our country, the sweet land of liberty, is
put together like a puzzle. Although it
seems so hard to put together in times of
grief, if it is given enough gratitude and
enough effort, it can become whole. It
can become united and it can become so
beautiful that it seems as if every piece is
free and independent.
Our forefathers put this puzzle together
and made it whole. This puzzle is the
reason for many things. It is the answer
to all the questions. It was put together
by the ones who abide the saying, “Ask
not what your country can do for you,
but what you can do for your country.”
We cherish our nation and we are
proud to call it ours. The generation will
go on and they will now understand why
it is their responsibility to preserve it as
well.