The Mariner Compass

By Akane Fujimura

The first ski meet took place in Homer, Alaska on December 2nd and 3rd. Each skier raced Friday in the classic ski race, and on Saturday skied in the skate ski race.

At the classic ski race, Emily Schmidt, a senior, started the race, and accidentally broke her ski. “At first when I fell over, I didn’t know that I broke my ski. When I found out that the binding part was broken I wasn’t panicked at all, because well, there is nothing you can do, you know. I just asked everyone for the other skies to race with at that time and I was able to borrow a pair from one of the skiers and it was just fine. It all worked out.”

Jan Spurkland, head ski coach, said “Most of the time, if the skiers have accidents like breaking their skies at the start they usually quit the race, because it will take a long time until they started the race. It will affect their time, but she didn’t and it was very impressive.”

Tian-En Liu, a sophomore on the ski team, just started to learn how to ski a month ago, yet took 4th place at the JV classic ski race and 6th place at the skate ski race. “It was an awesome meet. I thought in my brain, I’m going to win, before the race and that I actually could take those places.”

Overall, the boys and girls varsity teams earn 1st place respectively at the ski meet.

The skiers are waiting to start.

By Jacob Mayforth

For those of you who don’t know, the movie Breaking Dawn is the fourth installment of the Twilight “Saga” starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson that follows the teenage angstings of Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen; only this time she is getting married to the hundred year old vampire and they elope to a romantic tropical island where Bella “catches the pregnancy”.

© 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

To be completely honest, I don’t know what to say about this movie. Anything I could say has already been said a million times. If you have read the books by Stephenie Meyer then you are going to go see it no matter what I say, and if you haven’t read the books then odds are you won’t be attending. However, if you are a member of the third party that has not yet heard of the Twilight series and might be interested in spending five dollars to see what it is all about, then take my advice and don’t. Better movies already exist and will be at the theater soon. Movies like Immortals, Sherlock Holmes, and the Muppets are already coming. If you are lucky enough to have no idea what Twilight is then simply let this movie, all the movies before it, and the whole Twilight experience pass you by.

To the fans that are already going to this movie no matter what, I simply say, have fun. This is exactly what you want and this movie is sure to fulfill your Vampire/Werewolf needs.The best of luck to you all and happy holidays.

            By: Tabitha Drover

Everyday at Homer High school students start school at 8:30 and get out at 3:15. The school district wants students to start school at 7:50 am or 8:00 am and get out around 2:30 pm or 2:40 pm.                                                              But why are we changing the schedule now? Dr.Gee, Principal, said “If we do not start earlier at the high school, elementary schools could potentially begin school at 9:00- 9:15 AM and end around 4:00 PM.”
    But some are not happy about this change. They feel that getting up early could ruin the rest of the day and make them grumpy. It would be harder to function. Megan Garoutte, sophomore, said “No one would show up at 7:50 am everyday. We have a big enough problem trying to get people here at 8:25.” Taylor Gonzales, another sophomore, said “I get up at 6 as it is and I barely make it out the door in time. I heard they want to shorten passing times too, that’s ridiculous! I barely make it to class with 5 minutes!”
    Some in the district, however, feel it will help students, it will limit the cost that we spend on buses every year. Dr.Gee also added,
“According to Mr. Dave Jones, assistant superintendent, this two-tired system would possibly eliminate at least two or three bus routes in Homer, thereby creating a more efficient system. In a two tired system, a school bus driver would pick up middle school and high school students in most likely a longer route thereby getting more students. The driver would then drop students off at their schools. Secondly, the driver would then return to the same route and pick up elementary students.”
    Dr.Gee also added, “Dave Jones, assistant superintendent,is going to schedule public comment periods for the parents, teachers, and students to put in their opinion. The question is not are we going to do the two-tired system, we are going to, the question is how are we going to change the schedule?”            

By Jacob Mayforth

This past weekend from the 17^th to the 19^th of November, Homer High sent more kids  than any other school in the district to All-state Honor Choir for the tenth year in a row. Twenty-six choir students traveled to West High to perform, two of those students, Kirsten Swanson and Mariah Stewart, achieved first chair soprano and alto respectively.

With 27 years as a choir director and countless years studying music, Marc Robinson has proved time and time again his ability to carry his concert choir of 93 through several countries in Europe and 21 years worth of musicals. Amy Christianson believes “The consistency is what carries the choir. The same teacher has been teaching for almost three decades and I have been teaching for three years, that’s why the band isn’t as developed as the choir, and every year at the same time Robs makes audition tapes for borough and all-state. ”

“It’s less about consistency and more about the openness,” said Owen Duffy, “Robs always keeps his teaching style open and really tries to learn how to improve it, so each year the program gets better. It also has a lot to do with the community. Homer has always been artistic, and most everyone I know plays some kind of instrument. When kids walk into the classroom they have a pretty strong understanding of music.”

To see what all-state is like, videos of last year’s honor choir can be found on YouTube, search Alaska Allstate Honor Choir to see the concert.

By Akane Fujimura

The HHS ski team started practice on October 31st. For some of them this is their first experience with cross country skiing and for others, it is their first experience with snow.

On the first day of ski practice, actually on snow, Lertkiat Kuanmongknlert (Neung), a foreign exchange student from Thailand was trying to balance on a ski, this was his first time to ski. “I’m from a hot country where it doesn’t snow. So I never saw snow before and I wanted to challenge new things. This is the reason why I chose skiing this winter,” said Neung. He enjoys the snow and is looking forward to becoming a good skier. “I want to learn basic things about skiing this season. That’s my goal.”

After a couple of days of ski practice, Lennert Von Schlichting, a foreign exchange student from Germany, who never cross country skied before, got used to skate skiing. “I have downhill skied before, but I never did cross country skiing. And it is a lot of fun and I love snow. My goal? Maybe to finish a race as number fifty out of one hundred. Well, I want to be able to just finish a race first.”

For these two skiers, each are practicing hard every day for their own goals.

By Michael de Moura

Ides of March centers around a Democratic Presidential campaign — the candidates, interns, coordinators, reporters — that masterfully evokes the nature of politics.

George Clooney’s fourth directorial venture closely follows the footsteps of an experienced junior campaign manager, Steven, through his ideological travails.  Steven, played

by Ryan Gosling (The Notebook and Crazy, Stupid, Love), works in a hypocritical business where tenacious loyalty is beyond virtuous.. It’s all important.

To say the least, Ides of March has an awe inspiring cast of experienced actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and of course George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven, O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

Beneath the controversy and contempt, lies a script drenched in a fascinating political ideology, originally contributed by the playwright Beau Willimon.  Grant Heslov, Clooney and Beau Willimon adapted the play, Farragut North, into a screenplay for Ides of March.

Apparent theatricality emphasizes the profound plot and extraordinary acting.  By circumventing audiences’ unfaltering expectations of late, portrays a captivating story without the use of green screens. Exclusively filming in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Sometimes simplicity is effective.

Isabelle De Armoun

Students might have noticed the “Life Mobile” from the Blood Bank of Alaska In front of the high school on November 11th. The Life Mobile is a mobile bus that allows blood donors to come on board and give blood in a safe and sanitary way.

The Blood Bank of Alaska says that community blood drives provide more than half of Alaska’s blood supply; Homer High got to play a vital role in keeping Alaska’s blood supply at a safe level. There were a total of overall 31 donors registered to give blood and a total of 17 pints were collected, which means Homer High students gave the potential to save 51 lives.

Lindsey Seniff and Megan Shover donated their time and effort into putting the blood drive together and having it run smoothly. 

Principal Allan Gee said he was proud to see Homer High students wanting to donate their time and their blood to help save lives. The blood drive turnout was very successful and he would like to see the blood drive here again next year.

Headstart daycare center is renting an old building on Oceanview drive and is currently renovating it for better use. The art teacher, Ms. Jannetta, who’s daughter is in HeadStart, is now taking her third period art class to the newly renovated building on Oceanview by car to have her third period art class paint the inside of the building.

About half the class, eight students, go on the trip because the other half of the students are suspended or out of the class for one reason or other. Since so few were present, Ms. Jannetta herself drove most of the class or had them drive themselves to the headstart building instead of renting a bus.

The project of painting the inside of the Headstart building is to both to increase the students skills with practical painting and give the young children a nice environment to spend their time in. Although no clear image of what the class will paint has been conceived yet, naturally, the paintings have to convey simple and childish-like images like the plaster alphabet going onto the walls.

Two art periods weren’t enough to get much done beyond painting the window frames, but over the course of about a month the third period art class will work on designing, painting, and creating plaster decorations for the space.

By Michael de Moura

Unlike the last couple Shrek movies, Puss in Boots delivers consistent laughs.  New characters bring color to a series that, after its third and fourth reprisal, was so very bland.

Dreamwork’s Puss in Boots acts as a prequel to Antonio Banderas’ role in Shrek 2 (and onward), showing the origins of this furry protaganist.  Finding willing and talented voice actors never proved troublesome for Dreamworks Animation Studio, the creators of Kung Fu Panda, Antz, Madagascar and many other animated films.

Like its predecessors, Puss in Boots is full of witty fairy tale, movie and pop culture references.  An obvious goal in past Dreamworks’ productions was entertaining parents.  Parents taking their kids to the movies or any older audience members can laugh to themselves, while young’ins remain oblivious.

Puss in Boots’ use of Spanish phrases and nouns, interwoven with English, adds hints of Spanglish and furthers the theme.

Zach Galifianakis’ (Hangover, Due Date) conniving, inventive Humpty Dumpty, Salma Hayek’s (Wild Wild West, Desperado) role as Kitty Softpaws and other cast members make this comedy of epically furry proportions fantastic.