The Panther Press
Editor: Davina S.
Asst. Editors: Faith R., Hannah F.
- …
The Panther Press
Editor: Davina S.
Asst. Editors: Faith R., Hannah F.
- …
The Panther Press
Editor: Davina S.
Asst. Editors: Faith R., Hannah F.
BY STUDENTS
FOR STUDENTS
ABOUT STUDENTS
Mental Health Among Teens
A Feature Article
Parker B., Hannah F., Naomi R.
Mental health among teens is a huge concern for many around the world. Oregon is currently ranked extremely close to last in regards to mental health for young people (NPR). If you or someone you know is struggling, we encourage you to read this and reach out for help.
Dealing with poor mental health is a battle many teens around the world struggle with. It can come in many different forms such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, and alcohol and drug use.
Who?
All around the world, one in seven 10-19 year olds struggle with poor mental health. Anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders are the leading causes of mental illness among teens. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for 15-29 year olds. (who.int)
How?
Certain mental disorders are hereditary, meaning you can get them from your parents. But most form from different things like stress, media influence, pressure to do well, and violence like sexual assault or bullying.
Signs of poor mental health
According to healthychildren.org and mayoclinic.org
- Noticeable changes in sleep, eating habits, or weight.
- Loss of interest in things they love (quitting sports, activities, etc).
- Withdrawing more than usual from friends, family and community.
- Academic struggles that seem different or more intense.
- Thoughts or worries that won’t leave you (or them) alone.
- Signs of drug, alcohol, or other substance abuse.
- Signs of self harm that they can’t explain like cuts, bruises.
- Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate.
- Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt.
- Extreme mood changes of highs and lows.
- Inability to cope with daily problems or stress.
- Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people.
Effects of poor mental health
Taken from: healthychildren.org
Poor mental health is not something that has only one effect on people and can be very difficult to live with everyday. These struggles are things such as, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, alcohol or drug use, and so much more.
Some other effects are:
- Unhappiness and decreased enjoyment of life
- Family conflicts
- Relationship difficulties
- Social isolation
- Problems with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs
- Missed work or school, or other problems related to work or school
- Legal and financial problems
- Poverty and homelessness, Self-harm and harm to others, including suicide or homicide
- Weakened immune system, so your body has a hard time resisting infections
- Heart disease and other medical conditions
How to help
If you are a parent of a struggling teen, counselor Grace Parson says the best thing for you to do is support your kid, and be there to listen and openly communicate with them. The difficult thing, according to Parson is, “that needs to start before they’re teens,” meaning it's harder to talk to them if they don’t already know they can trust you. To parents with kids younger than teens, she recommends beginning to open up that trust with them.
If you are a teen yourself and want to help your friend who is struggling, Parson says the best thing you can do is just be there to listen, “A lot of times, people just want to be heard.”
Resources
If you are feeling down or just not like yourself, here are some resources to help you, the 988 hotline, your school counselor, your friends and family, one community health and the Oregon.gov “get help now” page.
News & Sports
Hood River's Wyeast and HRMS Ski Bus Takes Students to Mount Hood Meadows
Ryan M., Jordan K.
HOOD RIVER- The Wyeast and HRMS ski bus started on Thursday, January 25th.
Ski bus is an after school activity where a bus takes kids up to Mt. Hood Meadows to ski or snowboard for three hours. It’s about a forty-five minute drive up to the mountain, so the bus leaves after school from HRMS. One of the buses picks up Wyeast on their way to the mountain.
Hood River Middle School ski bus started in 2008 with Mr. Michael Becker and Mr. Eric Cohn.
“My favorite part of ski bus is that we are getting kids up to the mountain who have never had the opportunity to participate in skiing or snowboarding,” Jennifer Wilson, a former teacher at HRMS said. She did ski bus when she was in middle school and loved it.
She went on to have a career on the 1980-81 Freestyle Ski Team as a “Moguel Specialist (Skier)”. “I was one of the kids who would not have been able to learn to ski without my middle school ski bus,” she stated proudly.
After students get to the parking lot, volunteers drive up skis, snowboards, and bags. They grab their belongings and then go to the north lodge and head out and ride. At 6:30 pm, skiers/snowboarders have to check in, otherwise students won’t be able to go up the next week.
Cohen D. is a 6th grader who does ski bus. Cohen said he was enjoying ski bus for the first time and loves the bus rides with his friends. He skis but wants to try out snowboarding sometime. Cohen also said he likes the park run Fireweed. When Cohen was asked what trick he would like to accomplish, he said “I would like to do a switch 180 or just a normal 180.”
Brynn H., an 8th grade student, loves hanging out with her friends while skiing and eating the food at Sahale. “My favorite run is either Two Bowl or Apollo,” she said. She took her friend, Bryar H., on Two Bowl and they both laughed as Bryar went cartwheeling down the hill. Brynn said she was sad that this is her last year doing ski bus, but is still going to keep skiing in high school.
If you want to sign up next year, you can go to hoodriverparksandrec.org and maybe invite some of your friends to sign up with you!
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Layla W., Phe H
HOOD RIVER - After a week of no school due to a plethora of snow days, students have started to take interest in how delays and cancellations work.
Perhaps most importantly, they’ve been wondering what’s going to happen to the end of year schedule. The Hood River Middle School Newspaper team decided to reach out to Kyle Rosselle, the director of safety and transportation to answer some of these burning questions.
Mr. Roselle is in charge of delay and snow day decisions. Here’s the lengthy process on how he decides: Starting off by waking up at 3:45 am, Kyle drives approximately 70 miles along I-84, Dee Highway, Highway 35, Parkdale, and multiple other streets in and around Hood River. As he drives, he’s checking for snow depth, ice, and how easily bus drivers could drive on the roads. He drives until 5:00 am, and then makes a phone call to the Superintendent and discusses the current and forecasted conditions. They make the final call at about 5:30 am.
They spread the word of a delay or cancellation on multiple platforms, including FlashAlert notification throughout local media, website posts, Facebook, phone calls, emails, and text messages that go out to all students, staff, parents/guardians, and substitutes. It’s safe to say they spread the word everywhere they can.
There are five main options for inclement weather updates. The options are: 1. buses put on snow routes, no delay. 2. One hour delay. (Added this year) 3. Two hour delay. 4. One hour early release. 5. Full-day closure. These options make sure students stay safe, while still going as often as possible, despite the weather.
As for the end of the school calendar, this year we are hoping our last day is June 14. The built in snow days are an attempt to pre plan for the inevitable snowstorm that rages through Oregon every so often. Some years there are more snow days, and some years there are less.
And before judging the weather inclement calls, remember that even if there is no snow or ice nearby, there might be snow or ice in other parts of Hood River County. Hopefully now everyone can sleep in peace knowing that hopefully summer will not be put on hold. Stay safe and stay warm!
Kindness Among Students
Gracie W., Jezzeireya K., Faith R.
HOOD RIVER - HRMS Kindness Week took place during the last week of January.
Kindness Week consists of three parts: The Kindness Challenge, an assembly, and an all school social.
The principal of HRMS, Mr. Hayden, brought kindness week to this school because he believes it's important to be kind in a world full of negativity. “...there would be a lot less suffering if people just recognized both the empathy and kindness that there is in the world,” he said. Hayden got this idea from a counselor at his former school.
The Kindness Challenge is a sheet given to the students that consists of 50 kind acts they have to try to complete during the week. Students were given prizes like bracelets, a stylus-pen, and a custom beanie when they bring their sheet with them to the cafeteria. When completing the Kindness Challenge sheet, they turned it in for a fudgesicle during the social.
The assembly involved a guest speaker to talk about and encourage kindness among schools. Brian Williams came to HRMS to teach not only the students here, but also 5th graders from May Street, Westside, Cascade Locks too. He provided videos, pictures, and games to keep the grades entertained and invested.
Lastly, the social was held that Friday and for the students to enjoy and have fun with in-school activities. In many rooms and sections of the school, a different activity takes place, such as volleyball, basketball, facepaint, and so on.
This week at HRMS was a much needed break for the students.
HRMS Girls Basketball Finishes Off The Season Strong
Davina S.
HOOD RIVER - After a snowy start, HRMS girls basketball finally tipped off.
Due to snow days, girls basketball missed 2 of their games and a whole week of practice. There were around 20 girls from each grade on the four total HRMS teams.
The 7th grade was coached by Andy Holmes this year, and had a varsity and junior varsity teams. Mr. Holmes reported that he loves coaching basketball, after coaching for 3 years.
The 7th graders are enjoyed themselves too. Player Diyora K. says that basketball is very fun, and that “it’s something to do after school,” and player Layla Y. answered that basketball is her favorite sport and that “I love working with a team”.
8th grade was coached by Vernadean Dean this year, and also had a varsity and JV teams.
Player Josie F. reported that “Though we struggled in the beginning because of our delayed games, I think we are starting to grow, and kind of mesh as a team.”
Naomi R. says that basketball is fun, and that everybody is very supportive no matter what.
For more information on HRMS basketball games and schedules, visit this link, and for more stories like this, visit PantherPress.org.
Boys Wrestling Takes Down The Competition
Riley M., Isabella M.
HOOD RIVER - Boys Wrestling
HRMS Boys (and 3 Girls) Wrestling began their season in January.
There are 25 athletes on the Boys Wrestling team including three girls. There are two coaches, Mr. Peterson and Mr. Rolen. Mr. Peterson is a teacher in Parkdale, and Mr. Rolen’s wife teaches at Hood River Middle School.
Mr. Peterson enjoys coaching and is passionate about the sport. “I've been coaching for four years. Wrestling has had a big impact on my life, and I want to give back to the people who are also interested in wrestling.”
When asked about how the season is going, Peterson said “Good, this is probably the best year I’ve coached, and they probably have the best drive out of all the teams I’ve coached.”
There are three girls on the boys wrestling team. Coach Peterson comments on this. “So yes, there is a girls wrestling team. During the boys season, the girls have an opportunity to wrestle and to go to qualifiers. Some girls choose to continue and currently choose to only wrestle girls at meets which is ok. They're getting competition and that's fantastic.”
Coach Rolen also helps lead the team. “This is my 37th year coaching. I fell in love with it in high school, I think it's the best sport in the world.”
8th grader Rowan B. was asked about what he liked about wrestling. “Hanging out with friends and missing school".
8th grader Wyatt B. was asked what his favorite part of wrestling was and he said, “The adrenaline rush when wrestling.”Mia B., an 8th grade girl, was asked about how she felt being a girl on the boys’ wrestling team. She answered, “I think it's pretty cool it gives girls a good opportunity .”
The wrestling team wrapped up its season in Hillsboro at the Regionals Competition. Although, no one qualified for state, the Panthers put up a great showing there.
Athletes of the Early Winter Season
Boys 8th Grade Basketball
Tyven Wimmers
Tyven was the leader of our team this year. He would lead the team in warm ups for practice, and was a positive voice in every huddle during games.
He was always on time and would encourage our players to do their best and practice, and during games. When the shooting sleeve came out, you better watch out cause Tyven would be cooking from 3!
Boys 7th Grade Basketball
Kase Sietstra
Kase is the kind of teammate a player and a coach can depend on. He practices and plays hard, he isn’t selfish and shares the ball when it’s best for the team, and he doesn’t give up.
In one of our games against The Dalles, he led the team by creating plays with others like Enzo, Ezra and others.
Lastly, his responsibility is amazing; one way he showed this was by leading the team in warmups so that at start time the players were always ready to practice. He will be a great addition to the 8th grade team next year!
Girls Wrestling
Lily Cook
Despite being brand new to the sport, the youngest and smallest of the team, and not always having a partner her size, Lily showed up in full force this season. She came out ready to learn, ready to have fun, and ready to wrestle regardless of what any of her teammates were doing.
Sometimes it was frustrating that Lily didn’t have more partners to practice with, but she was never discouraged, and wrestled with any of her teammates with determination and a good attitude.
She made it to every competition, didn’t make excuses, and was always a joy to coach and to be around. Whether she won or lost, she was kind and encouraging to everyone around here; teammates and competition alike. It is wonderful that she has two more years to develop her skill as a middle school wrestler. But more importantly, it’s exciting that she will have those years to share her perseverance and joy with everyone who steps foot in the HRMS practice room.
Student Life
Tweet Cute
Layla W.
I’ve read Tweet Cute two times, and both times I read it was such a sweet and comfy read.
It follows two characters, Jack and Pepper, who both run their families company twitter accounts. The two companies, Girl Cheesing and Big League Burger start a twitter war, which Jack and Pepper are both in charge of. The catch is, Jack doesn’t know Pepper helps run Big League Burger, and Pepper doesn’t know Jack helps run Girl Cheesing. So as they grow closer in real life, through water polo, college decisions, and an anonymous communication app called Weazel, they’re picking each other apart online.
Tweet Cute talks a lot about family pressure, as well as the harm online battles do. Pepper and Jack are the perfect pair for when you need a laugh, a smile, or just want a cute story to read.
It’s about a 7-9 hour read, but it flies by really quickly once you get immersed. This book is definitely a 5 star read, and is one of my favorite young adult books to read.
Wingstop On Top
Jezzireya K. and Gracie W.
Do you like chicken and fried stuff? Then make a stop at Wingstop.
Wingstop is a chain of restaurants serving a multitude of things, but wings and fries are their most popular. We may not be lucky to have one in Hood River, but there are many different locations in the Portland area. They have a variety of sodas, wings, fries, and combos, though they have limited amounts of veggies and deserts.
There is a mix of reviews about Wingstop; some would say it is good and has an amazing flavor, but some also have said it is not the best because it is sort of oily or sometimes even too dry.
However, we think it’s delicious. My personal favorite flavor is Mango Habanero. It stays true to its name as the mango forms the sweet base, but then the habanero delivers all the tangy spicy complexity. Another amazing flavor is Hawaiian. It is a sweet and tangy blend of island citruss that is balanced with richly flavored wings.
Wingstop is a delicious, easy, and filling choice if you are ever in need of an amazing bite to eat.
Shooting Stars
Isley L.
Shooting Stars is a Made for TV movie, starring LeBron James played by Marquis Cook.
Based in Akron, Ohio, Shooting Stars is about five friends who play basketball. They all come from different backgrounds with different challenges but share a love of basketball. They call themselves the Fab Five.
There was a good coach at the private school and they thought they could learn a lot from him. The friends took a chance and applied to this school instead of their local school. They had to convince their families to go there and apply for scholarships. The Fab Five made it happen and started at Saint Mary’s Academy.
The Fab Five were on the bench until the coach saw their skills and teamwork and put them in. The movie follows their high school years.
Shooting Stars is the story of friendship, hard work and love of basketball. I liked this movie because it shows the family and friendship around basketball. You can watch it on most streaming platforms this winter!
Mean Girls Musical
Naomi R.
The new Mean Girls Musical is about a new girl at school named Cady Heron. She is invited to sit with “the plastics” at lunch, and as she falls in love with Regina’s ex, she finds herself ruining Regina’s social status.
This movie showed a new view of Mean Girls, as it uses songs and fashion sense. Every character has unique makeup that definitely makes them stand out.
The movie itself was alright, and was worth watching once. The movie kept the same plot as the first, but just added songs along with it.
In my opinion it wasn’t as good as the first but it was still fun to watch.
Day in the Life
by Isley L., Isabella M., Jordan K., and Riley M.
8th - Presley P.
Are you ready for high school?
I'm so ready.
What piece of advice would you tell someone?
Never give up.
Who is your favorite artist?
Kanye West.
If you started a tv show what would you name it, and what would it be about?
I would name it Pickle Lord and it would be about Fortnite.
What's a small thing that encouraged you?
My mom told me to never give up.
What's your favorite part of school?
Lunch because I get to eat.
8th - Mia H.
Are you ready for high school?
Yes, because I get to see my old friends from elementary school.
What piece of advice would you tell someone?
To be nice.
Who is your favorite artist?
Ivan Cornejo.
If you started a tv show what would you name it, and what would it be about?
It would be about clothing and makeup and it would be called Riley and Mia’s World.
What's your favorite part of school?
Recess because I get to hang out with my freinds.
7th - Brek F.
Are you excited for 8th Grade?
Yes, because I get to go to high school the next year.
What time do you usually wake up in the morning ?
6 o'clock because I need to get ready for school.
What do you eat for breakfast?
I eat a big bowl of Captain Crunch.
What's a small thing that encouraged you?
Smile at others and be positive to make others feel better and happy.
7th - Mia S.
Are you excited for 8th Grade?
No because it's not gonna be any different.
What time do you usually wake up in the morning
It depends. Usually at 5:30 when I go to my dad’s but at my moms like 7:30.
What do you eat for breakfast?
I don't eat anything for breakfast.
What's a small thing that encouraged you?
To be kind.
Do you have a pet?
No.
What's your favorite part of school?
Hanging out with friends I guess.
6th - Manny C.
Do you have a pet?
Yes, I have a dog.
What piece of advice would you tell someone?
If you want to buy something without looking at the price tag, you have to work without looking at the clock.
If you started a TV show what would you name it, and what would it be about?
I don't know what it would be called, but it would be about comedy.
What's a small thing that encouraged you?
Keep running and don't look back.
6th - Maggie L.
Do you have a pet?
No, but I want a dog.
What piece of advice would you tell someone
You won't get anywhere until you try.
What is one thing that encouraged you
Your instinct is almost always right.
Whats your favorite part of 6th grade?
I like a lot of classes and it is definetly more interesting then last year.
Who's your favorite teacher in the 6th grade?
Definetly Ms. Norton or Ms. Douglass.
Dear Arnold
Dear Arnold,
How do I help a friend who is struggling with their mental health? I’m worried about them.
Sincerely,
Caring Companion
Dear Caring Companion,
I’m sorry to hear your friend is having a difficult time. My first piece of advice to you would be to have a conversation with them about how they are feeling. It can be scary but it will help you understand what they are going through. If they do tell you what is going on, or even if they don’t, advise them to go to a trusted adult, teacher or counselor. Most adults will be able to help more than a friend can. Make sure to check in with them when you can. Sometimes even just knowing that someone cares will help them. I wish you the best,
Sincerely,
Arnold
Dear Arnold,
Can you give me some tips on how to improve at sports? Any sports really.
Sincerely,
Your Sporty Friend
Dear Sporty Friend,
If you put time and effort outside of your sport, you will get better. At home, you can search up muscle building and skill building exercises on the internet for your sport specifically. It’s always good to have someone to practice with, whether that’s a friend, neighbor or guardian. Statistics say, if you practice something for eighteen minutes a day for 100 days, you’ll be better than 95% of the world in that practice. So, if you take some time at home to catch, dribble, or pass you can excel in that sport. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Arnold
Have a question for Arnold? Submit it HERE.
About us
Jordan K.
Jordan is in 7th grade and likes hanging out with friends, skiing, lacrosse and basketball. In his free time he likes listening to music.
Ryan M.
Ryan is an 8th grade newspaper student who loves to read and hangout with friends in the outdoors. She loves playing sports and doing physical activities. She’s on the 8th grade volleyball team and is doing wrestling and basketball in the winter.
Phe H.
Phe is a 7th grade newspaper student who likes listening to music and crafting in her free time. She is also on the volleyball team and loves to dance, play lacrosse, bike, and ski. She finds much fun in swimming with friends and loves adrenaline boosting activities such as zip lining and bungee jumping.
Layla W.
Layla is a 7th grade newspaper student who loves reading, listening to music, and dressing up her dog in costumes. She is on the 7th grade volleyball team and is a huge Taylor Swift fan.
Faith R.
Faith is an 8th grade newspaper student who enjoys listening to music, texting friends, football, and art. They often relax alone in their room, but make time for friends too.
Jezzireya K.
Jezzireya is an 8th grade newspaper student who likes listening to music, taking her cat for walks, and eating ice cream. She also likes to swim in the Hood River.
Gracie W.
Gracie is an 8th grade newspaper student who likes to listen to music, hang out with friends and enjoyed playing football at her old school.
Hannah F.
Hannah is an 8th grader newspaper student who likes to dance, write, and paint. In her free time, she loves listening to Taylor Swift, dancing ballet, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Parker B.
Parker is an 8th grade newspaper student who loves to dance, make art, and read in her free time. She enjoys boating with her family, spending time with her friends, and playing basketball. Her dream career would be an interior designer or professional ballerina.
Naomi R.
Naomi is an 8th grade newspaper student who enjoys listening to 80-2000’s rap, making art, and spending time with friends. She enjoys playing volleyball and basketball.
Davina S.
Davina is an 8th grade newspaper student who plays volleyball, basketball, and loves skiing. She likes spending time with her friends, and having fun. When she is older, she wants to become a journalist.
Riley M.
Riley is an 8th grade newspaper student who loves to play Roblox, watch TikTok, go to the beach, and hang out with friends. Her dream career is to be a nurse or a hair stylist.
Isley L.
Isley is an 8th grade newspaper student who likes to play basketball and ride horses.
Isabella M.
Isabella is an eighth grade newspaper student who likes to do makeup and hair. She spends her time hanging out with friends and listening to music.
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