the PINNACLE

Web ExclusivesFebruary 10, 2021Leave a comment

Mt. Bachelor: Parking Reservations Gone Amok

By Jess McComb, Features Editor It was a Tuesday morning, Mt. Bachelor had received some much needed snow the night before and I was jonesing for that Northwest Bowl powder. Of course, a parking pass is the modern equivalent to gold for local ski enthusiasts and by that standard, my trek to the mountain was not made alone. Accompanying me in the cramped space of … Continue reading Mt. Bachelor: Parking Reservations Gone Amok

Sports

Online Learning: The Positive Effects on Mental Health of Students

By Ella Messih, Staff Writer It’s a Wednesday morning. I roll out of bed to check my phone, and the clock reads 10:30. I slowly make my way out of bed with ease, not a care in the world. Life is good. How could I complain with the current online school climate due to Covid-19, when what used to be my biggest challenge and anxiety … Continue reading Online Learning: The Positive Effects on Mental Health of Students

Web ExclusivesFebruary 4, 2021Leave a comment

Web ExclusivesFebruary 4, 2021Leave a comment

Club Activities: For Passion or for Resume Padding?

By Brooke Leggat, Sports Editor With the surging tension of the college application season, many high school students feel compelled to stack their resumes with a top-notch GPA, unsurpassable standardized test scores and remarkable college essays. For decades these three pillars have carried the academic weight for college applicants across the country. But, increasingly, high-school students are expected to be well-rounded. Colleges and universities, moved … Continue reading Club Activities: For Passion or for Resume Padding?

Web ExclusivesFebruary 1, 2021February 1, 20212 Comments

Kevista: Coffee with a side of Covid-19

By Julia Burdsall, Editor-in-Chief New to the scene, Kevista Coffee, widely known as “Kevista,” joined the Westside’s coffee community in 2019. Nestled between Dutch Bros and First Interstate bank and housed in the old Skjersaa’s building on Century, Kevista captured one of the most prime locations in Bend—making them the new hot spot for locals, tourists and evening workaholics with a crippling caffeine addiction. The … Continue reading Kevista: Coffee with a side of Covid-19

Web ExclusivesFebruary 1, 2021February 4, 2021Leave a comment

Lil Storm: Behind Summit’s SoundCloud Scene

By Barbara Norton, Editor-in-Chief In the mid-2010’s, teens made the switch from DIY duct tape wallets to DIY hip-hop, thanks in part to the popularization of music-sharing platform SoundCloud. Characterized by its complete lack of gatekeeping, SoundCloud gave any humble hopeful the chance at a golden ticket—instead of touring the Chocolate factory, though, they’d get a record deal and worldwide fame. For SoundCloud’s early success … Continue reading Lil Storm: Behind Summit’s SoundCloud Scene

Web ExclusivesJanuary 29, 2021February 4, 2021Leave a comment

The Age of Virtual Theatre: How Summit theatre is adapting to Covid-19 restrictions and a virtual environment

By Emma Andersen, Staff Writer Amidst a devastating pandemic, schools across the U.S. have tried adapting their online platforms to support a virtual theatre experience that keeps participants engaged and learning—but it’s proved to be a struggle. Despite the difficulties, Summit’s theatre club and various classes have successfully adapted to create a slew of events and opportunities that allow students to further their techniques while … Continue reading The Age of Virtual Theatre: How Summit theatre is adapting to Covid-19 restrictions and a virtual environment

Web ExclusivesJanuary 29, 2021Leave a comment

Trashy Volunteering; When Doing Good Isn’t So Great

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

Health

COVID: Stop the Judgment and Look for Hope

By Lucy Jones, Crest Editor “Take off those silly things,” said my 80 year old grandmother, a woman who beat severe pancreatic cancer only a year ago. My family and I, masked up, were seeing grandma at her house for the first time since the pandemic began. It seemed absurd that she did not take our caution more seriously. But, from her perspective, all she … Continue reading COVID: Stop the Judgment and Look for Hope

Web ExclusivesJanuary 27, 2021January 29, 2021Leave a comment

Features

Doomsday: Earth’s Seven Year Countdown

By Emily Orman, Sports Editor In 7 years, 86 days, 12 hours, 13 minutes, 20 seconds, the world’s new “climate clock” will hit zero. That’s how much time we have left until Earth’s doomsday: the day in which climate change becomes irreversible. On September 17th, the famous Metronome clock in New York City began to flash a new message, far more daunting than the typical … Continue reading Doomsday: Earth’s Seven Year Countdown

Web ExclusivesJanuary 11, 20211 Comment

Web ExclusivesOctober 23, 2020Leave a comment

Defunding Planned Parenthood? Might as Well Say Taking Away Our Rights

By Ellie Skjersaa, News Editor Orange leaves line the sidewalks throughout the city of Bend and Trump and Biden’s dueling campaign signs stand proudly in people’s front yards. The year is 2020—the year of a worldwide pandemic, the year of the Black Lives Matter campaign, and hopefully the year we get a new president. Trump has recently announced that, if reelected, he plans to defund … Continue reading Defunding Planned Parenthood? Might as Well Say Taking Away Our Rights

Features

Student Spotlight: Living with Coronavirus

By Barbara Norton, Editor-in-Chief As the Coronavirus continues to spread both globally and locally, infection is on everyone’s minds: Are you feeling feverish—or just warm? Is that cough because of allergies… or something more deadly? Though symptom lists and death rates dominate everything from neighborly conversations to the national news cycle, few people know what it’s like to actually be sick with Coronavirus. We sat … Continue reading Student Spotlight: Living with Coronavirus

Web ExclusivesOctober 23, 2020Leave a comment

Web ExclusivesOctober 23, 2020Leave a comment

The Rise of Videogames During Quarantine

By Viansa Reid, Editor-in-Chief My friends and I whip out our phones, log on to “Among Us” and start the game. I’m an Imposter. So is Iz. We corner people to kill them and vent to stay unsuspected, but someone has found a dead body. Already? Who are people suspecting? Kai says Mel and everyone agrees. I follow Quinn into Storage, pretending to do tasks … Continue reading The Rise of Videogames During Quarantine

Web ExclusivesOctober 21, 2020Leave a comment

Covid Conscious Consignment: How Covid-19 has Changed Thrifting

You hear the ding of a little bell on the door handle as you step inside, the smell of the old clothes not quite reaching your nose, as it once did, due to the mask encircling the better half of your face. You head into the aisle on your right, making note of the bright orange arrows on the floor directing the flow of traffic. … Continue reading Covid Conscious Consignment: How Covid-19 has Changed Thrifting

Web ExclusivesOctober 20, 2020Leave a comment

How Will Coronavirus Shape the Future of Standardized Testing?

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?

Web ExclusivesOctober 20, 2020Leave a comment

Into the Night; How One Junior Team Raced for 24 Hours Straight

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

Features

A Love Letter to RBG

By Julia Burdsall, Editor-in-Chief Each day since your passing I have seen signs of your legacy in my life—signs of the footprints you made in the world you left behind. It was those footprints that blazed a trail for women like me and for that I am eternally grateful. For most of my life I knew not the power of your name; I wish I … Continue reading A Love Letter to RBG

Web ExclusivesOctober 16, 2020October 19, 2020Leave a comment

Web ExclusivesOctober 15, 2020Leave a comment

What You Need to Know About Mail-in Ballots This Year

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