By Ellie Skjersaa, News Editor Tanner Wescott and his friends prepare to enjoy a day of powder and face shots on a beautiful day of backcountry skiing. They make sure to grab their beacons, probes, shovels and radios in case of a potential avalanche. While there are resources available to assist in anticipating possible avalanches, it is always necessary to bring survival tools because of … Continue reading Backcountry Sports: Mortality Rates Rise as the 2021 Season Takes Off

By Elliana Bowers, Staff Writer Bend has no shortage of iconic structures, no doubt the historic Old Mill smokestacks come to mind. But another cherished nostalgic gem, The Les Schwab Amphitheater, is getting a face lift. This structure is known for hosting laid back artists like Jack Johnson and Modest Mouse, as well as being a fun hangout spot with close proximity to the Old … Continue reading New Les Schwab Amphitheater: Hopeful to Host Summer Events

The Oregon Coalition for Student Covid-19 Immunization group comes under fire following the release of their mission statement which aims to prioritize student vaccination. By Jess McComb, Features Editor As the Summit community recovers from a recent Covid-19 outbreak, questions arise concerning the nature of and response to an outbreak. With the virus spreading among Storm students after only two days of in-person learning, and … Continue reading OCSCI Advocacy Group Creates Commotion Following Covid-19 Outbreak

By Bailey Martin, Staff Writer After 10 months of quarantine and a world of constant adaptation, Summit clubs needed to find new ways to keep students involved. New clubs, such as the Science Bowl Club, were founded while school has been online and have shown huge growth in student participation, whereas older clubs have seen a small decrease in engagement all together. Virtual limitations hindered … Continue reading COVID-19 Causes Clubs to Adapt

By Thomas Schwiebert, Opinions Editor Gathered rather unceremoniously on a Webex call populated by some 20 members, the Bend-La Pine School District’s School Board discussed the fate of almost 20,000 students, teachers and staff on Jan 12. Despite the unyielding Covid-19 pandemic, schools around the country have grown increasingly anxious to get students—specifically younger learners—back into an in-person educational environment. During the nearly four-hour-long board … Continue reading Return to in-person learning: How the district plans to send students back into the classroom

By Viansa Reid, Editor-in-Chief The Diversity and Equity Club (DEC) focuses on helping students feel accepted at Summit, emphasizing the importance of including people of all backgrounds and identities. Because Bend is predominantly white, it can be difficult for people of color to feel welcome, the  DEC reasoned. “I think [the club] has become more of a comfortable place for people to just hang out, … Continue reading Diversity and Equity Club: Critical Connections for Our Community

By Natasha Visnack, Crest Editor Over winter break, homeless camps across bend received cardboard boxes of food. These boxes, filled with raw potatoes, onions, and other perishable foods requiring kitchen appliances to prepare, were left by a mysterious philanthropist, who—inspired by the holiday spirit—decided to feed the homeless. Despite the fact that most of the people living in these roadside camps struggle with hunger, the … Continue reading Trashy Volunteering; When Doing Good Isn’t So Great

By Wesley Gilbride, Staff Writer Standardized testing and the college admission process can now be added to the growing list of procedures and norms that have been upended by the coronavirus. High schoolers, already drowning in stress and existential crises are now questioning the future of the SAT and the ACT as these tests pertain to the college admissions process.  The pandemic has caused many … Continue reading How Will Coronavirus Shape the Future of Standardized Testing?

By Natasha Visnack, Crest Editor (Left to right: Curran Jacobs, Jack Billowitz, Reid Farmer, Will Fogarty, Quinn Farmer, Jenna Raymond) In late September, a group of unassuming middle and high schoolers completed what many adults would never dare attempt—a 24-hour mountain bike race. While parent volunteers looked on from the team campsite, five junior competitors raced together through day and night for the Oregon 24 … Continue reading Into the Night; How One Junior Team Raced for 24 Hours Straight

By Thomas Schwiebert, Opinions Editor Throughout this election season, President Trump’s administration has repeatedly called into question the efficacy and fairness of the 2020 election. With Covid-19 eliminating the possibility of a number of polling stations across the United States, many states are turning to mail-in voting: the primary target of contestation by President Trump. Despite the tirade of attacks against this long-proven system of … Continue reading What You Need to Know About Mail-in Ballots This Year

By: Ellie Skjersaa On Tuesday, June second, Bend Oregon had the biggest protest that it’s ever seen. Thousands of individuals from across the community came together in support of the movement, black lives matter. It was truly amazing to see the passion people had in their voices and in their hearts. During a time where police brutality is still present and where black people across … Continue reading Bend Protests Peacefully to Support the Black Lives Matter Movement

By: Brooke Leggat With the end of our eventful school year approaching, the Bend-laPine school district has opted for a collaboration of both virtual and “drive through” concepts of graduation ceremonies, generating a plethora of mixed feelings from students and parents in its wake.  The original blueprint for this year’s graduation had been conclusively virtual with strict state guidelines set in to equate social distancing, … Continue reading Virtual Graduation: Pandemic Protocol

By: Hannah Kenneth The Bend Oregon summer: Bonta Gelato (famed for fun flavors and wafting scents of vanilla waffle cones), guitar strumming from a concert in the nearby Old Mill, hippies congregating in Drake Park and the smell of burgers and beer emitted from the famed Deschutes brewery. Not to mention California license plates scattered throughout from those visiting the growing town and its businesses. … Continue reading A Summer Without Tourists

By: Viansa Reid Storm students and Thunder contestants are hard at work raising money for Tytan Neff, this year’s Storm Sparrow. But what happens to the other families who applied to be a Sparrow but weren’t selected? “[The families that aren’t selected] are very few and far between,” said Nancy Childers, the Regional Director of Sparrow. “I’ve been with Sparrow for a total of almost … Continue reading How Are Sparrows Chosen?

By: Madison Chambers In a sea of black blazers and white button downs, only one group of students represented Central Oregon at the State Mock Trial Competition. Those students were Summit’s Mock Trial team, who previously won first place in the Regional Mock Trial Competition. Summit Mock Trial dedicated countless hours to preparing for the State level of competition. “State was definitely a higher level … Continue reading Mock Trial Storms State

By: Thomas Schwiebert A devastating tornado swept through northern Tennessee early on Tuesday, March 3rd, leaving the city in shambles, with at least 24 dead and 38 missing.  According to AccuWeather, this tornado is the most deadly since 2013, when 24 people were killed in the small town of Moore, Oklahoma. While tornados of this magnitude are a rare tragedy, scientists say that we can … Continue reading Natural Disasters: Expect to See More

By: Parker Meredith At this point, everyone has heard of Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The virus that is believed to have started in an open-air market in Wuhan, China, has begun to spread rapidly. Scientists are unsure of the total damage this disease could bring, however some people have drawn comparisons between it and the Bubonic Plague. Just about three months after it was … Continue reading What Else is COVID-19 Killing?

By: Viansa Reid What do you think about students not wearing lanyards? We never really enforced it to begin with, we wanted to test it out and see how it would go. Part of this thinking was: Can we try this, let’s see what this is like, how much of a safety issue is it for our school. One of the things that we want … Continue reading Lanyard Follow-up With Principal McDonald