As campus students embrace the relief of summer vacation, The Feather will also halt operations until the beginning of the 2009-10 school year, August 17.
Throughout the year, the staff reported on many events and issues that impacted the student body. From homecoming to teacher layoffs, The Feather has captured the highs and lows of another school year in more than 470 articles.
After the departure of long-time principal Gary “Papa” Schultz last year, vice principal Jon Endicott took up the position with English teacher Molly Sargent becoming the new vice principal.
In addition to administration changes, three new teachers joined the faculty: Maria Adame began teaching foreign language classes; Brianne Vogt taught junior and senior English; and Jane Gillespie was the latest addition to the math department.
The start of the 2008-09 school year also unveiled a new lunch system, which offered food choices from several local restaurants.
For homecoming, the student body tackled different music genres for the class floats. The king, queen and princess nominees participated in pageants that included the anticipated king dance.
The seniors dominated the Night of the Stars (NOTS) formal, taking away the majority of the awards, including Best Picture and the Parents’ Choice Award. For the first time in campus history, the sophomore class did not recreate a movie for NOTS.
At the annual Battle of the Bands , “Five Guys on a Bench,” a group composed of five junior and freshmen guys, took the title of champions. Student leadership also reintroduced Spirit Week this year, which consisted of five dress-up days and a carnival at the end of the week.
The girls’ basketball team provided a sports highlight for the year. The group progressed to the CIF Central Section Division V Valley Championship at Selland Arena for the third year in a row, but lost 44-42 to Coast Union, March 6.
The golf team also excelled in their pursuits, winning the North Area Division II Championships, May 11. In contrast to their completion, the varsity football season ended early because of a lack of players due to quitting and grade ineligibility.
After forming a super squad for the first time, the cheer team went undefeated in their first several competitions, and placed 9th at USA Nationals in Anaheim.
In addition to campus events and athletics, the fine art programs gained many distinctions throughout the year. The choral groups won top awards at the Heritage Music Festival in San Diego. The concert band also took away a silver award.
After switching drama teachers halfway through the year, new director Brianne Vogt supervised productions of Tartuffe, a Shakespeare compilation and Ever After Happily. Several art students were recognized at festivals and competitions throughout the year, including the ACSI International Art Festival in Sacramento, April 27.
The highlights of The Feather Online’s opinion coverage include a controversial column by sophomore writer Hannah Joseph, which tackled the topic of inappropriate dancing after NOTS. A staff editorial recognized senior Scott Orcutt as Student of the Year for his social and spiritual leadership.
Webmaster Andrew Rurik and assistant David Casuga have added many features to the newspaper’s Web site throughout the year, including daily comics and a Dashboard Widget.
In addition to covering student life through opinion pieces, The Feather kept tabs on campus news, features, sports and entertainment. For its efforts, the newspaper was awarded with a Silver Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Staffers also won several individual distinctions in mail-in and on-site competitions at the San Joaquin Valley Scholastic Press Association’s annual conference.
For the fourth year in a row, The Feather was also named an Online Pacemaker Finalist by the National Scholastic Press Association. Next year, editors Suzanna Quiring, Austin Ward, Spencer Lee and Elizabeth Grossman will return to lead the staff.
Check back for more articles when schools begins, August 17.
