The Talon Journal

By Heidi Collins

Birth of a Salesman won 6 "Besties"

The Cedar Park sanctuary was transformed into a dazzling red carpet hall and grand stage on Saturday night to name the winners of this year’s Besties. This glamorous event was well attended by Cedar Park students and families, anxiously anticipating the naming of these awards.

For those unfamiliar with Besties, these are Cedar Park’s distinctive and prominent awards recognizing excellence among the actors, actresses, and directors in the drama department’s One Acts. This year the awards were presented in a formal ceremony hosted by our very own Mr. Shorb, along with special guests and Cedar Park alumni, Dan Loudon and Mark Iancu.

The winners of the 2012 Besties in the acting category are as follows: Best Contrast Performance - Joseph Heindel. Best Comedic Performance - Michael Potter. Best Dramatic Performance - Joseph Heindel. Best Fight Scene - Detention Tension. Most Funny Moment - “I don’t know if we’ll be able to get out” and the handcuff breaks, from 39 Steps. Best Dynamic Duo: Dominic Finseth and Joel Hanson. Breakout Performance - Alex Rodarmel. Best Actress in Supporting Role - Megan Duffy. Best Actor in Supporting Role - Joel Hanson. Best Actress in Leading Role - Christina Nelson. Best Actor in Leading Role - Dominic Finseth.

The Director’s Awards, given by the director to a commend one member in their cast, are as follows: “Take it from the Top” directed by Andy Hislop - Donny Neary. “Detention Tension” directed by Megan Duffy - Lauren Setzer. “Wait wait I can explain” directed by Matt Glover - Nicole Penrose. “Birth of a Salesman” directed by Jake Kragerud - Dominic Finseth. “The Hotline” directed by Sally Larson - Hannah Nelson. “That Was No Lady that was a Private Eye” directed by Kaylee Dickerboom - Christina Nelson. “A Mad Breakfast” directed by Hannah Sullivan - Olivia Nelson. “39 Steps” directed by Aly Circeo - Garret Parker.

Finally, the two most prestigious awards were handed out at the end of the night. The first of these, Best Director, was awarded to Andy Hislop, who both wrote and directed his one act, “Take it from the Top.”  Finally, the Best Overall One Act was awarded to “Birth of a Salesman” directed by Jake Kragerud and written by Dominic Finseth.

The remainder of the night was filled with Red Carpet photo shoots of the glamorously dressed actors and students, along with delicious homemade refreshments. The night was wrapped up with uproarious laughter during the improv show “Laffter Hours.”

Reviewed by Michaela Ammon

Set in London in the 1930s, “The 39 Steps” tells the story of Richard Hannay (Tim Merrill), a man caught in the middle of being accused for murder after meeting agent Annabella Smith (Katerina Estrada). Hannay must prove his innocence and solve the mystery of the 39 Steps, with the help of the lovely Pamela Stewart (Chelsie Prentice). From riding a train and encountering meddlesome women (Emily Nastase and Sabrina Ghazal), from traveling through different countries to possibly falling in love, Hannay has his work cut out for him.

Directed by Aly Circeo and awarded “Funniest Moment” at the annual Besties Awards with Tim Merrill’s impromptu line to Chelsie Prentice, “You’re not getting away that easy,” “The 39 Steps” was a hit that engaged the crowd from beginning to end. The chemistry between Tim Merrill and Chelsie Prentice made the one act a great success.

Cast: Katerina Estrada, Sabrina Ghazal, Marisa Jackson, Tim Merrill, Emily Nastase, Chelsie Prentice, Abby Shane, Matt Stubson, and Faith Teebken.

Tim Merril and Chelsie Play off each other in 39 steps and bring the house down with laughter

"Nick" blows off his potential date(Kelsey Sandburg(, as he worries about winning his sales contest

Cast of Best One Act, Birth of a Salesman

Review by: Heidi Collins

The final One Act this semester was “Birth of a Salesman” directed by Jake Kragerud. Awarded “Best One Act” in Besties this Saturday, this hilarious show was uniquely written by our very own Dominic Finseth. The storyline is a young salesman (Dominic Finseth) who has been unsuccessful thus far in his sales in the toothpaste company. When his boss (Alex Rodarmel) announces a contest among his employees to sell the most toothpaste, he originally feels he has no hope against his competitive and arrogant opponent (Joel Hanson). However, after he is visited by a boisterous and intense salesman trainer (Meghan Gallagher), he becomes determined to win the contest. Between strenuous training, violent fight scenes, and subtle romance, he becomes a master salesman and the contest winner. This clever and uproarous crowd-pleaser won numerous awards at Besties including Best Dynamic Duo, Breakout Performance, Best Actor in Supporting Role, Best Actor in Lead Role, and Best One Act.

Wait, Wait, I Can Explain was the 150th One Act Directed by Matt Glover

Alex Marth, Grant Leibel and Christina Nelson in That Was No Lady, That was a Private Eye directed by Kaylee Dickerboom

A Mad Breakfast with Daniel Tang, Olivia Nelson, Akio Namioka and Sarah Martin

Birth of a Saleman directed by Jake Kragerud

Cedar Park Christian High School celebrated their 150th one act under the direction of John Shorb. Almost 100 students participated as actors and directors of the shows, as Cedar Park parents and students watched, laughed at eight one act plays. Actors and directors of the shows  have been working for weeks memorizing scripts and the cast has been busy designing sets, picking costumes, music and setting stage direction. The One Acts give students a chance to know what it’s like to be in a real play and the finished product is as good as any full high school production anywhere. The “Besties” is a formal  awards event taking place this Saturday the 28th at 6 pm where students will be awarded with Best Acting trophies and the Improv team will perform. Students and parents are invited and should dress formally.

    It snowed and snowed and the school closed, but Coach Lynch had the Eagles varsity boys make their way to practice every day anyway, and it payed on off  this Monday, January 23 rd when Cedar Park plowed effortlessly over Overlake. Cedar Park dominated the whole evening with great defensive rebounds and several three point buckets. Overlake’s star Cameron Lui put up 13 while teammate Dean Poplowski’s 21 was still not enough to beat the Eagles, the eagles winning with a final score of 72-57. Cedar Park’s Evan Scholten scored a game high 23 and star sophomore Trey Drechsel put up a solid 16 points. Cedar Park plays Northwest Friday in a effort to bump up their conference record to 7-2 but  at 6-2 are still sitting in a good spot for seeding time. They  need to beat Bellevue Christian next Tuesday, who is ranked number one to be in good standing for playoffs.   

Brett Kelly proves that he can twist his arm inside out

By Jamie Cantero

Recently, the Talon spoke with several Cedar Park students, and quickly learned the lesser known but highly interesting traits that are within this student body.

Nicole Penrose: “My fingers can pop to sound like a heartbeat… It’s realistic and kinda creepy”

Brett Kelley: “My entire arm twists around in a full circle and beyond” (refer to picture)”

Grace Payne: “I can make dolphin calls”

Faith Teebken: “I love playing my ukelele. I even bring it to church and worship with it”

Ashley Howell: “I can lick my elbow! No, it’s not impossible”

By Melissa Minnick

If you see someone screaming in Burger King as though he is at a Justin Beiber concert, it might be Tim Merril. If you hear someone talking in English, then Russian, then German, and then Spanish, it might still be Tim Merril. With such and interesting guy walking down the halls of our school, The Talon sat down with Tim to find out a little more about his way of life:

Talon: What brought you to CPCS?

My parents are home from Russia, where they are missionaries, and I needed a Christian school for the year.

Talon: What school did you attended before CPCS?

I attended Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. It is a boarding school that I attended because there were no American schools in Russia.

Talon: What are some of your talents?

I am very good at mimicking a Russian accent.

Talon: How many languages do you speak?

Well, I speak English and Russian and some Spanish and German.

Talon: What is your best childhood memory and why?

My brother coming from Germany to Russia for Christmas. This happened right before I started going to the same school as him. This is such a great memory for me because the entire family was together once again. Up to that point, I had been staying with my parents in Russia while my brother was attending a boarding school. It had been a long time since I had last seen him, so it was great to get together again that Christmas.

Talon: What is your worst memory?

Oh boy, my worst memory was saying goodbye to my friends in Germany, because some of them will graduate and leave before I return to Russia.

Talon: What is your most embarrassing moment? How and why is it embarrassing?

The second time that I was in America, in 2006, my brothers and I were freaking out because we were at Burger King in Seattle; they had root beer and free refills. I had only had root beer once or twice before, so, after knowing that they had free refills, we started screaming really loudly from excitement, and people were staring at us. It was very embarrassing!

Talon: What is the biggest difference between Russia and the United States?

That is very hard to say because the countries are different in almost every way, but I guess the language is the biggest difference, because they use the Cyrillic alphabet, which looks very different than English.

By Dominick Tavitian

Cedar Parks boy basketball team fell short of a win Tuesday night against Bellevue Christian. Despite a 11 point halftime lead the Eagles lost by two in the closing seconds 50-48. Cedar Park plays BCS one more time this season in a competitive conference race. Cedar Park now falls 3-3 in the Conference trying to string together a couple of wins to put them into state qualification. Cedar Park plays Northwest in a must win to start soaring towards the top of the conference.

By Melissa Minick

One of the sessions during Wednesday’s forum  featured a presentation on community college where several students learned valuable information about the options concerning two-year college programs.

Community college may be the perfect choice for students who are indecisive about their future and what they want to study. These schools help one save money while providing more time to contemplate career futures. Community college also gives one more time to take a job, and save money without taking out loans right away. 

For those interested in attending community college and then transferring to a four-year institution, they must make certain that they have sufficient credits to be able to transfer easily. Administrators and advisers are available to work with students as they go through this process. Representatives from the community college and from four-year colleges and universities can help students work out their schedules to ensure a smooth transfer.

Community colleges are much smaller with more intimate class sizes. Students have more opportunites to talk to their professors than they would at large state schools. That being said, students must be prepared for a new kind of experience no matter where they go, whether it be community college, vocational school, or an internship training.

    By Michelle Mayer

 Cedar Park alumni Erica Christianson accomplished what few women  in college do: she completed the engineering program at Seattle Pacific University. Erica is currently working at Beoing   in the cock pit and tests  airplanes and then adds designs and incorporates them into the plane. She really encouraged most every women who is interested in science and math to pursue a career in engineering because since there is an influx of men in the industry and they are looking for women to add to the company. Erica  was very informative and she encourages men and women especially to join in the career of becoming an engineer.

By Heidi Collins

Last Wednesday Mrs. Bettinger planned a very special and unique opportunity for the students at Cedar Park to learn directly from CP alumni different aspects and tips for the college experience. One such aspect was how to pay for college, a crucial aspect to understand. It can be frightening when you first looks at the overall price for their college, especially since the numbers are usually in the tens of thousands per year. However, this is probably not going to be the amount you are going to pay. There are three different methods in which you can obtain money to significantly reduce the sticker price.

Most aid will come from federal aid. Students can recieve federal financial aid by filling out the FAFSA (Free Applicaton for Federal Student Aid) online. How this works, is the application will analyze the amount of money you need based on your family’s financial situation, and calculate an “expected family contribution” (EFC) for colleges to consider. The alumni present recommended that everyone should fill this out, and no one should assume they will not recieve money, because they may just be surprised. There are other ways to recieve financial aid, such as through the CSS Profile. Some schools are also willing to give out financial aid on an individual basis.

A second method to obtain money for college is through scholarships. These can be recieved either through a school, or separately. Individual schools will give out scholarships, so it is imortant to look on your school’s website and determine how to apply for these. You can also find local scholarships online such as on fastweb.com, in which you can use your academic and extracurricular strengths to determine elegibility for certain scholarships. There are millions of dollars in free money you can recieve through these scholarships, so don’t hesitate to research some of these opportunities.

A third way to recieve money is through loans. Unlike scholarships and financial aid, loans are not free money, but borrowed money that you will have to pay back. Loans can be an effective method, but it is important to not take out huge loans you know will be impossible to pay back.

Using these three methods will help you gain much of the money, if not all, that you will need for college. There will probably be some money left over you will have to pay, in which it may be important to have a job to earn this money. However, don’t let the sticker price of a college scare you, as you most likely will end up paying a small fraction of this price if you take advantage of these aid opportunities.

By Nathan Pillay

On Wednesday,  January 4, about thirty students entered  Mrs. Raynor’s room to gather  information about graduate school. Featuring two alumni from the Class of 2003, Brendan Bettinger who attends Pepperdine University in California, and Matt Hackel, who is looking to pursue a study in medicine at the graduate level, this very productive session left students with further insight about the process of graduate school as well as more information on what they can expect.

The session hit two major points. The first concerned preparation for graduate school. Brendan advised students on the steps they should take in their undergraduate career, and encouraged students to get good grades, be involved, and find something that they are passionate about. Matt, who is currently in the interview process, briefly explained the application process and the tests that one must take to enter graduate school.

The second point, and probably the most prominent of the session, concerned the issue of paying for graduate school. Both of the alumni warned students of the heavy costs of post-baccalaureate studies, but encouraged them not to be scared of sticker prices. Some of the options mentioned included working part time, finding private scholarships, and participating in research projects that help fund graduate-level education.

The graduate school presentation was yet another successful session in Cedar Park’s highly productive first-ever college alumni seminar.

By Daniel Calhoon

During the college seminar week Cedar Park students had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and listen and ask some questions to some CPC colligent alumni. The alumni that spoke to us about sports in college were: Zach Keene (Azusa Pacific University-NAIA, Track and Field, Class of 2008), Haley Abbot (Northwest Nazarene-NAIA, Volleyball, Class of 2008), Tim Abbot (Liberty University-Division 1, Track and Field, Class of 2010), Meg Greenfield (Southwestern University-Division 3, Track and Field/ XC, Class of 2010), and Lucas Chadwick (Biola University-NAIA, Soccer, Class of 2010). Colligent athletes  gave  students an idea of how practice, team activities run at college, the differences between NCAA and NAIA,  and  how to manage grades and sports. The students also got a small grasp on how athletic and academic scholarships work, and how being on a team affect the social life of a college student. The common thread introduced by the panel is that to participate in  colligent athletics the student  truly has to  have to have a passion and a love for the game they play.

By Michaela Ammon

Cedar Park alumni invaded the hallways and classrooms of Cedar Park on Wednesday, January 4, for the College Seminar. Alumni were around two periods before lunch to offer advice as well during lunch to interact with the students. From study abroad to Greek life, every high school student experienced a little part of college that day.

About fifteen alumni occupied the stage in the sanctuary answering questions about everything college for the college pannel portion of the event. Alumni strongly encouraged students to work hard in high school now with challenging preparation, stressing the importance of taking advantage of the opportunity to grow now, rather than waiting. Alumna Emily Greenfield talked about the importance of seeking and having good friends that will keep you accountable in college, and, even at a large, public university, you do not have to conform to what everyone else is doing. You can still be a Christian and keep your faith. Alumni Andrew Dedo told the students how there is no “Mr. Ian” in college, to take full advantage of all the help the teachers are willing to give you here. He warned students that they may have to be persisistent when asking for help from their college proffessors. Alumnus Josh Potts talked about the benefits of living at home in college, and how he has enjoyed his experience at a small Christian school.

All in all the college pannel was full of valuable insight into the world that follows after high school. The information shared was invaluable to the students currently attending Cedar Park, and the alumni’s advice should go a long way in helping our students as they look ahead to their future.

David Bissell, April Hall Jamie Cantero, Katrina Estrada enjoy placing at the Forensic Competition

By: Jamie Cantero

The Cedar Park Forensics team continues to grow as members add numerous trophies to the award case.  

Success is not only measured by trophies. Many novice and senior members are improving their speaking abilities, gaining confidence, making friends, and having fun. The team welcomes all students- the only requirement is a willingness to work hard. Congratulations to the team so far, and best of luck in the upcoming tournaments!

Here is a snapshot of recent successes:

Snohomish Panthers Invitational (Nov. 11-12)

Nathan Pillay/Josh Klassen- 1st place Novice Public Forum Debate

Tahoma Golden Bear Classic (Nov. 18-19)

Christine Brodie/Jamie Cantero- 1st place Open Public Forum Debate; Christine Brodie- 1st place Novice Impromptu; Jamie Cantero- 2nd Place Open Oratory

Renton Speech Tournament (Dec. 1)

Christine Brodie- 3rd place Dramatic Interpretation, Bid to Tournament of Champions; Jamie Cantero- Finalist Open Oratory

University of Washington Memorial (Dec. 2-3)

David Bissell- 1st place Interpretive Reading; Christine Brodie- 1st place Dramatic Interpretation

University of Puget Sound (Jan. 6-7)

April Hall- 1st place Open Dramatic Interpretation; Katerina Estrada- 2nd place Novice Dramatic Interpretation; Dalton Combs/Nathan Pillay- Quarterfinalists Open Public Forum Debate; Clara Cannon/Jacob Farrell- 3rd place Speaker Points Novice Public Forum Debate

Federal Way Invitational (Jan. 13-14)

David Bissell- Finalist Open Interpretive Reading; Jamie Cantero- 2nd place Open Oratory, Bid to the Tournament of Champions

******

By Mikayla Massad

The Cedar Park Eagles played against University Prep  Tuesday night. Rachel Staudacher and Madison Parmenter’s strong chemistry on the court was shown in Parmenter’s first home game of the season. Parmenter accounted for 13 points all coming from Staudacher’s assists. It was a slower game then the team is used to but the Eagles came out hard and won 53-23, continuing their season 8-4. Coach Dickson commented,” It was great to see the kids work the ball around the floor and really focusing on improving their defenses.” The Lady Eagles next games are on Friday at home against Bush, and on Saturday at home against Overlake.

by Dominick Tavitian

Tuesday was quite the game to attend against University Prep; a hard fought battle to the closing seconds. University Prep hit a string of  three point shots to start off the game, but slowed down towards the end of the first allowing Cedar Park to get back in at the start the second quarter. The second quarter was a back and forth pull between the two teams. If CPC would hit a shot, University Prep would answer back .The first half concluded with what looked like was going to be a low scoring affair with a CPC lead of 18-17 CPC. At the beginning of the second half, Cedar Park looked to start pulling away finishing the third quarter on a run and continuing that run into the fourth, pulling ahead by 10, which was the biggest lead in the game. U-Prep had 5 minutes left to come back and they did just that by hitting a 3 and intercepting an in-bound and scoring off that to make it a 5 point game. At the last minutes of the game,  CPC struggled by missing multiple lay-ups and letting U-Prep come back in it  by being down  only 1  popint with 18 secs left. U-prep missed a lay-up and Evan Scholten snatched the rebound and was immediately fouled and put to the line with 3 seconds left  as he hit both hit shots. U-prep had a little less than 3 seconds to make a three pointer and missed.  Isaiah Penchion, a Sophomore, started for his first time and commented, “We played hard got the win but now we have to got back to practice and fix the little things like missing lay-ups and being more consistent.” Evan Scholten was  the high scorer with 15 points. CPC plays Bush Friday in another chance to push up the conference record onto state.

     It’s been years since the Northwest School District had so many days off  of school for snow.  42% of the students at Cedar Park School said they had lost power at some point during the snow. Nathan Pillay interviewed 100 students and asked how many hours students wasted on Facebook during their days off :

18% said 4 hours or less     

63% said 4-8 hours

20% said 8 or more hours

Here’s what some other students did with their time off in the snow:

Jessica Moore: I watched way too much Netflix and played with my animals. Unfortunately, I also had to go to work twice and it was a little scary driving in the snow. By the end of the week I was very ready to get back to school and see my friends again.

Mimi Ammon: My friends and I made a huge snowman and then threw it off a bridge.

Lisa Mothersbaugh: I went sledding and skiing in my street. I also made a snow penguin with Jessica Leathers.

Amanda Knutson : I lost power for three days. It was fun for the first day but it got really cold after awhile. I also went sledding on the hills by my house.

Sarah Walker I made snow forts and snowmen with my brother

Ashley Howell: I stayed inside, watched TV and slept!

Reviewed by Danny Calhoon

Written and directed by: Andy Hislop, junior         

Andy Hislop won Best Director for his tale about a high school student named Ian who is tired of his mundane day-to-day routine and the fact that no one knows his name. To assuage these difficulties, he tries many different foolish stunts. These stunts start off as small accidents, but end up being a major things that everyone notices - he has finally accomplished his goal - to get everyone to know him… or, has he? Take it from the top is a flashback of events in the past two days, as Ian is recalling the story to the officer interrogating him. In the end Ian learns that being noticed by everyone is not exactly as cool as he thought it would be. Cast: Drew Mattocks- Ian Collision, Donny Neary-Jordan, David Yourzak-Mr. Robinson, Sydney Parker-Brittany, Megan Duffy-Lucy, Jacob Field-Mark, Jacob Landes-Chaz, Zack Orlando-Officer Wallace.

Drew Mattox's character tries to find his way at school

  Seattle Academy 58, Cedar Park 52

   Hopes were high, but the energy was low as Cedar Park Eagles let Seattle Academy’s Yaniv Shier score 33 points in what was a devastating loss for the Eagle’s chance at clinching the League championship on Saturday, January 28^th .

     It was a battle from the start, but the Eagles led in the first quarter with a series of 3 point shots from Trey Drechsel and Evan Scholten and three offensive put-backs by Jake Kragerud. Cedar Park stayed neck and neck with Seattle Academy in the second quarter until the poorly-defended Shier made a series of three point shots in the last few minutes and was up by five at half time.

   The Eagles needed to come back from half time with the energy and confidence to win, but instead they looked sluggish and tentative as they continued to let Shier shoot from the three point line almost undefended. Seattle Academy scored 12 points in the third quarter unanswered before Trey Drechsel responded with  a field goal from the right side.  Seattle Academy continued to dominate offensively and was up by seven points at the end of the third quarter. Cedar Park ran out of steam in the fourth and was down by as much as 10 points until Scottie Lin answered with a three point shot with only a few minutes to go. With less than a minute to go, the Eagles finally picked up some steam, but it was too little too late and they lost their League title opportunity by only 6 points.  Jake Kragerud, Senior, stated that “we will need to win the next two games and three away district games in order to make it to the finals. It will be hard but we can do it if we believe in ourselves.”  Trey Drechsel led the team with 17 points and Evan Scholten had 16.

     The Eagles play Bellevue Christian on Tuesday, for a chance to redeem their pride against a previous loss.  

By: Jamie Cantero

Many Christians dare not dabble with the idea of joining a sorority or fraternity. Does going Greek mean abandoning  our Christian values? Despite the stereotype, many Cedar Park Christian alumni say, “No.” At the recent college workshop, high school students of every grade level packed the one Greek life seminar offered. At the seminar, Alumni Matthew Rickman (Pepperdine), Alison Wert (Eastern), and Jordan Bettinger (Pepperdine) offered their insight into the truth behind Greek world.

The alumni encouraged new experiences. Jordan Bettinger stated that college is the time to ”step outside your comfort zone, and try new things.” Many sororities and fraternities add to the college resume, with community service and minimum grade point requirements. In addition, sisters and brothers benefited from bonuses such as mandatory study hours, and personal chefs. However, there was a necessary warning speech. “Not everyone in your sorority/fraternity will be a Christian. Many houses stand for a variety of core values, and the types of people in each house differ radically. Be aware, and be on guard, to join the right group” said Alison Wert. On one point, the alumni stood united: the Greek lifestyle is a great opportunity to witness for Christ. In order to be an influence, we must sometimes take courage, and delve into situations where we can make a difference. Thus, although the Greek life may not be for everyone, the alumni certainly offered that it is a choice worth consideration.

By Mikayla Massad

The Lady Eagles played against the Overlake Owls at home on Monday, January 23.  The team came out strong and played very aggressively . Since the Eagles were so far ahead at half time 33-4, it gave the underclassmen a chance to get more minutes in. Leading scorers were Senior Rachel Staudacher with 17, and Sophomores Laura Goodnight with 7 and Madison Parmenter with 11 points. The Eagles dominated the Owls with an ending score of 56-11.  Head Coach Alan Dickson commented,” In this game it was very important to me to get the younger girls playing out on the court and get them prepared for next year. And I loved how the girls were talking and working hard on their defensive game.”