The Littering Problem

Over the last few years, littering has become more of a problem across not only the state, but the country. In Washington alone, close to 12 million pounds of garbage, paper, etc. is littered and thrown carelessly onto our highways and roads. Of those 12 millions pounds of litter, 40 percent is from unsecured trash flying off of moving vehicles, which then causes around 400 car crashes per year. Many people don’t even notice the litter scattered on their streets because they have adapted to the fact that there’s garbage lying almost anywhere you go, and they might not see it as a problem anymore, either. Not only that, but some people may even know the effects that littering has, but decide to do it anyways because they haven’t properly been taught the consequences they may go through, such as fines.

The first problem that arises is that some people might not know what to even consider litter. They could be innocently tossing a banana peel out the window, with the intent to feed hungry animals, but also not realizing that action is only making littering a bigger problem. Litter can be considered something as small as an unlit cigarette butt, to as big as a broken down vending machine rotting away. Although, technically speaking, littering is the act of purposely throwing any sort of litter on private or public property or waters without permission. Which leads us to our next question, what is so bad about littering? Why are there so many strict rules and fines regarding trash on the streets? There are many reasons why littering is illegal, including reasons that affect not only humans, but animals and the world as well. Any trash along the side of the road that gets washed into storm drains, and eventually leads out into bigger bodies of water and can no longer be used to drink or use. Along with that, trash floating along water could be a potential risk towards animals who may get tangled up in them. Another reason is because of the germs and potential diseases that may come along with it. If an animal mistakes the trash for food, it could easily be the reason a human comes in contact with a disease. The last big reason is because when all of our trash is on the streets instead of being recycled, it wastes our natural resources, resulting in more materials needing to be created from scratch.

The biggest reason people litter is because most of them don’t feel responsible for it, especially in public spaces that are already cluttered in garbage, such as parks and places outside their own neighborhood. In a public space like a park, people typically assume that someone like a maintenance worker is in charge of cleaning up after them. Or they figure that since it’s already trashed with garbage, a little more won’t do much damage. There have been many studies since the 1960’s that show that over the years, people have in fact gotten better about littering or recycling. In just 20 years from 1960 to 1980, there was already a significant improvement, and people were beginning to understand that it was improper to throw their trash around. Although, a psychologist from California State University, Wesley Schultz, noticed that even though there was a noteworthy amount of improvement, people were still just as quick to break that for ludicrous reasons, such as there not being a garbage can within walking distance. Schultz’s conclusion throughout his research is that a majority of people actually do care about the impact littering has, but they simply don’t care. Many people are quick to fall into new trends, so when they see others just tossing their garbage with no care in the world, it only sets that negative example for those around them.

Over time we have obviously seen how, even if it may be slow coming, we’re still making progress towards being litter-free. From the studies in the 1960’s and 1980’s, we’ve already seen a huge upturn in people understanding the negative effects that litter has on everything in the world. What could be responsible for that increase in a short amount of time is a nonprofit organization called Keep America Beautiful, as well as the Crying Indian public service announcements, which aired in the early 1970’s. Keep America Beautiful is an organization, founded in 1953 in Stamford, Connecticut. Their entire goal is to help people become educated on the subject, as well as end littering, improve how people recycle, and make America more beautiful. They even have a website including 10 easy tips to help reduce littering, with suggestions such as leaving a garbage bag in your car or reporting those who litter. It has even come to legal terms, and people could be fined up to $5,000 for something like a lit cigarette butt. Though if you have an unsecured load that may injure someone, you can be fined and spend a year in jail.

Since the 1960’s, we’ve made slow but important progress towards being litter-free. The first step towards this is bringing awareness and making sure people know what not to do when it comes to littering. This could be simple things such as talking to your friends about the laws regarding littering, or as big as cleaning garbage off of beaches so they don’t harm our nature and animals. The next thing to think about is why people litter, and what they get out of it. Found from studies, people typically do care about the effects of littering, but it’s that they’re too lazy and don’t care enough to actually clean up after themselves and keep the earth clean. Thanks to Keep America Beautiful and the Crying Indian public announcements, there was a significant improvement that might have even started to movement to end littering and improve how we recycle.
-Jordan Trussell

Life

Life might not be a place to play,  

but it will be fine as long as I pray,  

if I slow down all the grief will get in the way, 

focus on my goal and that's surviving today. 

Looking back convincing myself not to stay

forging my own path, 

making my on way, 

once I leave in the night, 

I will fallow the lights along the highway.

-Jake Crystal

Thoughts on Crossroads

Crossroads High school is an alternative high school where they teach 236 wonderful young minds and help them grow and learn every single day. They offer a huge variety of different teaching styles and different ways to receive special support when you need it and not just for academic issues. The teachers at Crossroads are very friendly and will treat you like one of their own not just like a student. The kids here always do their best to be nice and treat everyone with respect. Since all of these amazing things happen it gives crossroads a specific feeling. The feeling is so welcoming and accepting of who you are and so full of support it is what truly makes it not just a school, but makes it a family.

 Crossroads is normally judged negatively because it is an alternative school and people see that as a bad thing, but I see it as a positive and here’s why. Kids are more engaged and willing to be at school because the atmosphere and energy at school is so much more pleasant than your traditional high school. Kid’s feel safer and love the feeling of the family aspect in the schools culture. They also enjoy having close relationships with friends and staff members throughout the school. We don’t have school on Fridays and school is an hour shorter witch makes kids more adapt to showing up and staying the whole time. Of Course I could go on and on about the things that make this school great, but the three words “It’s a family” sums it up really well.


Crossroads is a school unlike any other, the school has lots of features and principles that gives it an unfamiliar yet welcoming flavor. A good example of this is our bathrooms that have positive Murillo and sayings painted beautifully on the walls by students. Yet the only way to understand why little things like make such an impact on our students is too look deep inside our school, our culture, and most importantly our student body. No reporter could walk into our school and understand how or why these little things help, because to understand this school, you must be a part of it. Until you are, you will most likely look at Crossroads and its student body differently in a negative way, like most do. But once you a part of it you will see how truly special of a place it is.
I could go on and on about all of the amazing things about this school. The kids, the teachers, the energy, and even the environment that we are located in. But i'm not gonna go on and on because if a crossroads kid read this they would know what i'm talking about. By now if you don't know what I'm talking about then clearly you aren't a part of this crossroads family but we would love to have you.

-Jake Crystal

Though there are 1000’s of schools in the U.S., none compare to this little alternative school in the mountains of Western Washington. Crossroads takes pride in making sure its students are comfortable, with assemblies to bring the students together, some of the kindest staff in the state and all of the inspirational posters lining its halls, the campus has a loving atmosphere for all of its students no matter their background. Another thing that makes Crossroads a unique place is its small numbers yet wild diversity. Seems like every classroom is home to a large variety of students, making the place seem even more welcoming.

Crossroads has a reward system in place for their students as a way to have every student strive for excellence. Open campus lunch on Thursdays and no school on Fridays to those who have good grades are great incentives to inspire students to push themselves to work harder and really do their all. Staff at Crossroads are very clear that they care about their students and want them to live successful lives, having teachers be as loving as parents really makes students feel more comfortable and act like themselves. A very big problem in high school is students feeling like they have to act different at school and around teachers instead of being true to themselves, which Crossroads does a great job at eliminating this problem.

Having a truly safe space for students and have them be learning about real world things as well as state mandated things is a great combination that creates results. Crossroads has turned lives around for many. Crossroads is a sanctuary for students that couldn’t fit into the guidelines of public schools: teen moms, dropouts, troubled students, homeless students, victims of heavy bullying, and anyone else that feels that regular schools are not working out for them. Crossroads has something regular schools could never have: a family, staff and students united to show the district and the rest of the state that alternative schools does not only work. It works even better than anyone could ever imagine.

-Xavier Swanson

The people at Crossroads are like a family. Nobody is ever discriminated against or treated poorly. The students and staff in Crossroads really care about things other than GPA and tests. They care about your real life situations. They do things differently. This school was made for those kids who just didn’t fit right at a regular High School. The staff and students work hard and take pride in their work. Crossroads started with some pretty great people who wanted to make a difference in children's lives. They wanted to help and show that school isn’t just learning, so they took things into their own hands.

School starts at 8:10 am and goes until 1:50 pm. The first week of school is a critical week that starts off the year. How you look at it is on you. The first two days you go into small groups called check and connects that will be your first period for the year. You learn a lot about the other people in your group while doing a school beautification project. Each group does something to make the school a better learning environment. Then one day of the first week the school has a day dedicated to learning about others and knowing what it’s like to really be in another persons shoes. You learn a lot from people during that day.

Crossroads has some pretty amazing staff members. The staff are a vital part of every school and to learning, but the crossroads staff is different. They’re like parents to the students. They understand and take into consideration what problems and obstacles you may have. They make their work flexible so that everyone can get what they need done and graduate.

Crossroads also has some extraordinary students that attend. The students understand each other in a way many people wouldn’t. They all get that there are challenges and bumps that come along in life and they help each other through it. And that’s what makes Crossroads High School the place to be.

-Laura Grissom

Crossroads High School is a place like no other. Hugs are given on our bad days freely. Support is always found somewhere. It is a place of safety and love, unlike any other high school. In most schools students are left in a jungle. They are the prey, the hunted. Classes swallow them like snakes swallowing an egg. Bullies tear into them like a panther's teeth. In Crossroads, students are the predators. They are Bengal tigers, rare and beautiful. There is nothing coming to hunt them here because they are finally done being the prey.
       Coming to this school can be heard. Students expect so little from the staff and students. They expect kids to be mean and outrageous, either pregnant or considered bad. Yet when they relax, Crossroads swaddles them with love. When life has been so hard and school seems meaningless, this school brings the meaning back. The kindness is spread thick like icing on a cupcake. Students gifting each other drinks from the coffee stand is a regular. Compliments are given freely.
      Relationships form in the best ways. Due to the school's small size, students often have the same teachers until the graduate. It makes connecting to people easier when there's opportunities to see them again, year after year. Familial connections with teachers form, when you’ve never had anyone care. Teachers get to really know you. They remember you when your gone and are happy to see you when you visit. Everyone has a little piece of you in their heart!
       When a new student comes here the first person they meet is usually Lori Hanson. She’s super kind and will help you get set up. She leaves you feeling welcomed. Our principle is Bridgette McVay. She’s sorta silly and wild, in a super great way. You can always talk to her. Jen is our counselor. She’ll be there for you and help you out whenever you need. She’s genuinely a very kind and giving person. Mrs. Roberts is our crazy fun teacher. She’s super silly. There are forks in her ceiling and her hair is usually a bit out of control. She cares for us and treats us like her family. She’s our version of Mrs. Frizzle. Miss Land is our history teacher. She’s everyone safe place. We’re able to just go and sit with her on our bad days because she cares. Mr. Rose is rad. He’s Jewish, so us as students get to actively learn about his experiences and religion. He tries so hard to connect with us and it shows.
       Mrs. Orr is everyone's mom, especially Miss Land's as that's her daughter. She’ll take you under her mommy bird wings and help you get stuff done. She teaches us things we’ve never done before. Mr. Nelson is new this year. He loves dad jokes and he’s pretty silly like us. We have this awesome class called theater makeup too, taught by our Mrs. Roughton. She’s a pretty righteous teacher, and with her experience we all could learn a thing or two. Mrs. Carlson is our art teacher. She’s a chill relaxed lady who wants you to express yourself. She rocks. Mrs. Munn is incredible. She always has snacks if you're hungry and will give you the warmest hugs! Our business teacher is Mrs. Stark and she’s really smart with making money. She teaches us some really cool things and helps us get ready for the real world. Plus she’s chill. Everyone’s father figure is Farley. He’ll bear hug you when your mad and help solve your problems. He’s super cool. Now, saving the best for last, our janitor Jim. He’s incredibly caring, and loves us all, no matter the work we make for him. He gives his all for this school and it means a lot to us.
   
  Crossroads is our safe place. Everyone really loves and cares for our students. When we have to traverse the jungle, we know someones got our back. Crossroads is our pack.

-Jude Jackson

My niece Sydnee

I remember going to the walk-in clinic because my sister had an awful sunburn and was sick only to find out that she was pregnant. We were so excited to tell everyone the big news. Watching a mother go through her pregnancy and birth is a beautiful thing. Women work so hard to bring new life into this world every day. I was lucky enough to witness that beauty myself. My sister Hannah went through nine hard months of pregnancy. From growing and being self conscious, to morning sickness and to being sore every day of her pregnancy. I was at school when my mom called to tell me she was coming to get me to go to the hospital cause my sister had gone into labor. She picked me up and we rushed to the hospital. We sat in the room for a while until they told us she wasn’t dilated enough and needed to start walking around. We walked around the hospital garden together while doing squats and taking deep breaths. I jokingly said it would be funny if she went back eight centimeters dilated instead of four. Sure enough we got back to the room and she was 7.4 centimeters. My mind was blown over how much walking helps with childbirth. Hannah went on going back and forth between the bed and the shower trying to get her water to break. Eventually they had to break it manually. She went almost her entire birthing experience with no epidural but unfortunately she had to get one or there would've been problems. After the epidural she took a break and then sure enough it was time. Sydnee was born on the night of February 25th 2019. A beautiful experience and one I will never forget.
-Laura Grissom

Brooklyn Bogart

Hi my name is Brooklynn Bogart. There’s not that much about me. I love doing things to make this world better than the day before, I try to pick up trash when I can, which is really hard considering how much trash there is on the sides of the roads. It hurts knowing that this is our world and our animals’ world and this is how people decide to treat it. I don’t want to be one of those people who complains about pollution or global warming, I'm going to be someone who changes it. I want to wake up every day, knowing that I have made the world a beautiful place for not only me and my future, but for the futures of all the species on this amazing planet. I would love to pursue a career in my near future on making plastic free packages. I'd preferably want hemp made products. I just hate plastic, it's just so convenient for today's society. My mom told me stories about how at grocery stores there used to be canisters where you could get your cereal or anything and put it in a mason jar back when there was little to no plastic. I would love to somehow make all stores go back to that, or somehow get them to end their carbon footprint.

I can’t believe I am graduating this year, finally and on time thanks to my amazing teachers if I didn't have them I would have failed all my classes and I'm nervous about this year but I know I will pass with flying colors and I will make myself proud. I'm in culinary this year which I'm really excited about. I love making food it is one of my favorite things to do. I'm thinking about maybe pursuing cooking as a career also. I'm honestly not sure what I want to do yet. I just know that there are things that I love doing but I don't know what I want to spend the rest of my life doing and being dependent on that for my income. I hope that by the time I graduate I'll have it figured out, I remember thinking that in middle school. How the time has flown by, it seems like just yesterday I was starting my freshman year anxious about how these four years were gonna go by to slow, and here I am, a senior.

Aiden McNeil

I absolutely love music. I’ve been playing the drums since I was about one or two but the farthest memory I have is me playing on a tin bucket with whatever I could find for drumsticks and play along with a live Green Day concert. I would play it over and over and just try to copy what the drummer was doing. I grew up on mainly hard rock and metal. As baby I remember listening to bands like Slipknot, Pantera, Avenged Sevenfold, etc. I don’t listen to any other genres besides anything metal or rock related. I still play the drums to this day and when I was about 12 I got into guitar and recently I just got into piano. I’m trying to work on vocals as well. 

One thing I do a lot second to music is gaming. I’m on the PlayStation side and I stick around FPS games. Other than that, I love to hike, explore new places, go to restaurants and coffee shops, working out and helping people. I am big into grooming and cosmetology. I’m considering being a barber after high school if I don’t do music and also start a grooming company that sells beard and hair products and eventually I’ll hopefully grow into products outside of grooming like candles, wood workings, etc. I want to take after companies like Cremo and Hawk + Hatchet but also just do my own thing. 

Another thing I would like to start is an organization that’s dedicated to help people mentally and physically. The idea would be to motivate and inspire the pursuit of happiness and becoming the best person you can be and learn about life together as a whole. I’m hoping this organization will really take off and there’s a lot I’d like to do with it down the road. I’m hoping the same for everything else too, I like to keep myself busy. Overall I’m pretty laid back and I typically enjoy having time for myself, I’m not very social. I’m contempt with playing music and games and work on anything else I need to.  Honestly, I’m just ready to get out of high school and start it all!

Jude Jackson

I’m Jude! A sixteen year old boy with massive dreams. My family is full of non graduates. None of my siblings made it through highschool, and my mom and dad were both drop outs. It feels like I’m expected to make a mistake and not make it too. But I believe in myself! My birthday is Nov. 16, so I’m turning 17 in a couple months. It’s pretty exciting because as I age, more opportunities open up to me, which makes the vast future in front of me a lot brighter. 

My mom and dad are in their late 50s and 60s, so it's hard for me to feel understood. Being a boy who wasn’t born correctly is hard, and it’s even harder when they don’t understand and aren’t very willing to try. The newer generations are more likely to understand but being myself is a struggle. That’s why I’m so glad to be at crossroads. They try harder than any other school I’ve been at! 

I have lots of siblings, but I’m the baby. Sisters all 25 and older, with one brother who is 30. I feel like the odd one out but they still care for me. It’s just hard when they're old enough to be my parents. I have two dogs! Oscar Myer Weiner, my dachshund, and Poncho, my chihuahua. They’re the sweetest dogs. I have one cat as well, even though I’m rather allergic. Her name is Say-Say Summer. She’s a tortoise shell kitty.

Hobby wise I really enjoy art! I draw a lot. My dad thinks I inherited it from him. He’s a painter. I think I made it my own. My art is... silly. It is happy drawings of boys in the sky or me at my first day of school. It is cartoon-y and not a thing like realism. It is mine. I also write, as you can tell. It’s something that I can get lost in, but I don’t have the skill to carry all my ideas yet. I hope to make something wonderful someday. 

At the moment I’m trying my best. It’s not always enough. Yet my best is what I’ll give, no matter what. We all have different situations going on. Different things we have to deal with. I have so much that I’d never tell someone what’s going on. Even though, Crossroads makes me want to try my best, even if my best isn’t always enough for anyone else. I hope to one day have a ‘best’ that’s very strong. That trying my best is better than today. That I can fight harder for others and I can bring more joy than I do now. Only time will tell, but I’m excited to grow into myself! Just watch me, maybe one day I’ll be larger than life.

Xavier Swanson

At the beginning of summer I asked if I could move to Granite Falls and live with my dad. I moved around a couple of times but Sedro was my home for the longest time. Since my parents got divorced in 7th grade, it seems like Sedro has been getting less and less welcoming and more and more estranged. 7th grade to 10th grade was very dark time for me, often times there were days where it felt like I wouldn’t see tomorrow, but after moving to Granite during the summer I can say for a certainty that I haven’t been this happy and productive in a very long time.

Often times I focus on the negative things and my life will seem hellish, but in reality my life is balanced. I’ve got some good and some bad but who doesn’t? Life is what you make it and if you make it bad then guess what it’ll stay bad. A balance between realism and optimism is the only way to live, pessimism takes control over your thought process and senses so you only experience bad.

I don’t have any biological siblings anymore but I am a proud older brother to 5 step-siblings and I have one older step sister. I have 3 step siblings at my dads house, 2 that switch from my moms house to their other moms house, and one in Alaska(if you couldn’t tell my family situation is nice and complicated). My younger and more dramatic siblings live with my dad: there's Kennedy who is the youngest at 5 years old, and she is the cutest goddamn thing on the planet she just melts my heart everyday. There’s Kara; 8 years old and tries to act like a 14 year old, she’s super head strong and just like her mom. Kaden who’s 14 and the most sarcastic kid I have ever met this guy is really smart, whitty, and clever in all the right ways.

The two that sometimes live with my mom and the one that lives in Alaska are by far the ones I have the closest relationship with, they were with me right after my real brother died and they mean a lot to me. There’s Johni who’s 12 and is very wise for someone her age(no that is not a typo her name is Johni), she grew up on the rez and was taught by the reservation elders about shamanism and communicating with the dead, she’s unlike any 12 year old I’ve met. Lily is 14 years old and she’s a hoodlum just like her older brother, but is also extremely musically talented and one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met.

Then last but not least is CC, who originally lived in Alaska then she moved to Washington cause her guardian wanted to move down here to be with her boyfriend family but then was forced to come back to Alaska by order of OCS. She’s 17 years old and she is super caring towards her family and loved ones, just like me would do just about anything for her family.

Hobby wise I have all the teenage cliches: listening to music, scrolling through social media aimlessly, and walking around town but the one thing I am very passionate abouT is being with family. If you’re someone I care about I will fight for you and do everything in my power to make sure that you are safe. Being a protective big brother is something I take very seriously.

During the week after school I usually spend my time either lounging or working. I got my first job at 10 years old at my grandmothers's pet shop and I worked there for 6 years. Since then I love putting in as many hours as I can so I can get the most out of my job, plus those nice big paychecks. Weekends are my days of rest and freedom, sleeping in and doing whatever I want  is priority number one. Besides being very passionate about being a family man I do love me some freedom. I take very serious pride in being independent and being unrestricted because the land of the free really isn’t that free so doing things my way and doing what I want when I want is very important to me. Because if you aren’t free you're not experiencing life to the fullest, and if you don’t live life to the fullest then what’s the point?

Jake Crystal

Hey I’m Jake. I enjoy a lot of different things such as playing football for the High school. I also enjoy running, soccer, photography, video creating and editing. Writing and creating music, Playing the piano, keyboard, ukulele and guitar.  Above all, I enjoy sitting around being lazy binge watching Netflix with a tub of ice cream. You will never see me without headphones in my ears cause I’m constantly listening to music, it's what I practically live for. I really dislike school for I was a middle school drop out in seventh grade. Not because I was a bad student, I had a 4.0 GPA all years of middle school. It was because I got bullied and picked on so much. After a while I couldn't take anymore and I dropped out and took that time to do home school and teach myself what I was interested in such as photography, poetry, and the environment. 

  This is officially my first year playing football and I really like it so far. I play Corner, punt return, outside wide receiver, X, and H. If you Don’t know much about football, let's just say I’m the guy who catches the ball when it’s thrown and then just book it to the endzone. Surprisingly I’m taller than most guys on the team and more aggressive even though I’m one of the youngest. Ever since I’ve been playing my bench press went from 125 to 185 and I’ve become better and better with every practice. You may notice that all the positions I’m play in football involve a lot of running. That is because I played select soccer for 7 years and I played outside mid and they never stop running, so I’m used to running for long periods of time. To help maintain that I try to run 10 miles per week in my own time. 

Photography is my passion and what I’m best at out of all the things I do. I always have my camera with me, any money I get it goes towards camera equipment or one of my many other hobbies.  Photography has always stuck with me because the only limits are your imagination and my imagination is freaking bonkers! I’m constantly looking for the next amazing picture and noticing every little detail that could turn an amazing picture into a spectacular one. I will sit and wait hours and hours and try and try over and over to get the perfect shot or the perfect angle. Sometimes people ask me if it gets boring editing photos but it never does, I just put on some good music and make the best of it! 

            Video Creating and editing is one of the many things I do. I use the same camera for photography as I do video, it’s a canon T6i mark III. It’s an amazing camera and has so many great features. I use it for everything I do that involves photography, video, and audio. Video creating and editing isn't easy and it’s EXPENSIVE! It takes a lot of time and money and patients to make good video. I should just be glad I have nothing better to do with my time. I do all my editing on a Macbook pro that’s connects to my monitor so I have a 34 inch 4k screen instead of a 13.2 inch  screen to see what I’m doing so I can see any flaws possible.

            Writing and creating music is one of my favorite things to do because once again the only limit is my imagination. Me and my friend Casy are always making beats and lyrics for songs and just having fun with it. He’s almost 18 and we have always been the best of friends since I was 7 and I love him like a brother. He’s quite a good rapper and I’m very tech savvy so the two of us make a good team when it comes to writing and producing music. Most nights in the summer we are up till 2 a.m. making music and just chilling. During the school year we cut it back too and only work till 11 p.m.. We don’t really take it seriously but we try our best and have fun in the process.

          I love music, I don't know how else to explain it. If there's an instrument I wanna learn it, if there's a beat I wanna make it, if there's lyrics you know I wrote them. I've been playing the keyboard and piano for a while now, I’ve played the ukulele since I was little, and the guitar for three years. Every second of learning, playing, and creating I've enjoyed it. It is an escape for me, I’ll just lock myself in my room for hours and screw around and accidentally make something awesome. I just tune out the rest of the world and do my thing and enjoy my own company. Every once in a while I stop what I'm doing and go on a walk or clear my head so I don't work myself to death. Even though it’s fun its still work, just like this paper and if you do too much you will burn yourself out and crash hard. I’ve crashed hard before and I fell into a deep depression and basically did nothing with my life and made some bad choices that I now regret.

Somedays I just check out and watch Netflix all day and lay in bed and eat junk food and just relax. Like a fat cat laying around well its owners out of the house. I guess you could say I have a lazy day to give my crazy mind a mess. I normally do this on the weekends because it’s not a lazy day if you have to go to school and do work. My mom really hates it when I do this and that's because I eat the whole entire pantry and fridge and then she has to go buy more food. Then I stay up super late doing the same this because I'm not tired because I didn’t do anything all day long. When I finally fall asleep I don't wake up till around 1PM the next day. It is hard to do this though because I constantly have football and it takes up time so I always have to get up early for school or football.

                    Since I’m a teenager I naturally dislike and love school at the exact same time. It’s kind of like receiving a gift and a curse at the same time. I hate getting up early but I’m used to it so it’s not that bad. I like school because of the teachers and I love to learn. I don't mind school work, I actually enjoy it. The only problem I have with school is the kids. There are good kids and bad kids, weird kids, annoying kids, funny kids, rich kids, poor kids, and popular kids. I don't care if your skinny, fat, tall, short, gay, straight, trans, be who you are but one thing I have zero tolerance for is kids being mean to other kids and belittling them for no reason. There is never a good reason to be bullying because crossroads has a zero tolerance for bullying. No matter what they have no right pick on someone. The reason this upsets me so much is because I was one of the kids who got picked on and ripped on for no reason. All the way through first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grade.

You may be thinking what about 8th grade, well let me get to that. In the middle of seventh grade year I dropped out of school because I got bullied so much and did home school. Well I was homeschooling I took an online collage photography course. And got certified as a photographer. In 8th grade I came back strong and did let anyone get to me and kicked butt!  This is just a little bit about me and how I got to where I

am today, and became the person I am today. I hope you all enjoyed reading.

Faith Court

Even after 12 years, I can still remember my first day of kindergarten at Sunnycrest Elementary. I switched schools a year later because there was no bus route for where I lived to attend that school. I spent the next 9 years within the Lake Stevens School District, when I finally decided I needed a change. I came to Crossroads in November of 2018, and have loved it ever since. The teachers are amazing and friendly and actually care about the students and what is going on within their lives. I have never experienced such love within a school and it has made me excited to learn and excited to come to this building. 

            I love, love, love animals and mostly spend my time with my kittens and my dog when I’m not with friends. My animals manage to keep me sane even when it feels like I ́m going crazy. I like riding my longboard and bringing my dog with me on the Centennial trail. I like painting, occasionally. And, I like spending my time in nature. I like being able to go outside and smell the fresh air.

            I have three sisters, all older than me and all of them have moved out of the house and are doing grown up things. My oldest sister (Shelby) just moved to Oklahoma a few weeks ago to get into the Police Academy down there and pursue her dream of being a cop. My second oldest sister

(Jessica) owns her own spa down in Portland, and has been an aestheticism for a few years now. My other sister (Beth) just got married last month and is currently pursuing her way to be a teacher. She’s currently a student teacher in the Marysville school district. 

            I live with both of my parents, they’re both usually working so I’ll be out and about, just driving around in my car. I like my alone time, but I don’t like being alone all the time. I’m independent but still likes some company here and there, if ya catch my drift.

   I have two dogs and three cats. One dog is part Chihuahua and Dachshund (her name is Minnie), the other is a big old chocolate lab, and his name is Rocky. I have one cat named Bella, who is 12 years old, I’ve had her since I was a kid! She’s come a long way. I recently got two kittens about 4 months ago, their names are Oscar and M.J. They are very playful animals and the kittens get along with Minnie! It’s fun to watch them play with each other.

Bettering Our Town

      Most days I am trolling around town with my friends I just think about how this place could get any more boring. Other towns such as Lake Stevens or Marysville have fun places to go, such as a nice skate park, a bowling alley, a trampoline park or cool hangouts like Taco Bell.  Our small city requires us to have an imagination away from classic McDonald's. Although it isn't even a good quality food, buns be all soggy, meat patties looking more processed than easy cheese in a spray can. I know other youth individuals have strong feelings towards the way our city is structured.
      More recently the town has been converting into a more modern looking area. The lake had a whole reconstruction with parking spaces and rocks and trees. Which is nice and all, but the fact that fields of grass and trees gets torn down for newer and more expensive homes. More than half this town is below poverty line. Or scraping money for bills just to get by. It may seem as if they're trying to make this place a better community, which is quite possible, but they're doing it in ways it doesn't bring everyone closer.
     Putting in more restaurants, clothing stores, material shops and other things that could be more involving. I've seen the new City Hall next to the Sheriff's station, and although it is beneficial to some, it's quite a big space taken up. When they've burnt and torn down a house next to The Boys and Girls Club, supposedly putting in an undercover basketball court. That project was started in my freshman year of high school, still not completed in my senior year of high school. This isn't just a simple complaint, it can be put into retrospect of an ideal lifestyle. My window has the whole view of my neighbors cracked out trailer park with a pin full of yappy chihuahuas.  The only other thing I see is the Boys and Girls Club children running around inside and around the building, that's one of the most beautiful sights, is togetherness.
-Alysa Manuel