The Viking Vanguard, Vol. 113, Issue 4, Feb. 7, 2025

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Viking Vanguard is an open forum for student expression. Student editors are responsible for determining the media and advertising content. The Viking Vanguard’s duty is to expand student perspectives, maintain community relations and act as a voice for students. Besides providing an opportunity for the exchange of viewpoints, The Viking Vanguard serves as an academic tool by which students can voice opinions as well as highlight issues facing students.

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The Viking Vanguard accepts unsolicited copy from the staff, students and community. Letters will be published as space is available. The staff reserves the right to edit any letter without changing its content. All letters are the sole opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Viking Vanguard staff.

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CORRECTIONS POLICY

The Viking Vanguard staff values accuracy and wishes to correct mistakes made in previous issues. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at thevikingvanguard@ gmail.com.

Editors in Chief

Sienna Hanson

Grant Huson

Coverage Editor

Emilia Lettiere

Design Editor

Autumn Pendleton

Managing Editor

Quinn Taute

News Editor

Evelynn Bernardino

Academics Editor

Layla Johnson

Features Editor

Kiona Pedebone

Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Editor

Ethan Barker

Student Life Editor

Patience Brown

Clubs Editor

Gloria Perez Cruz

People Editor

Maren Santiago

Digital Media Editor

Margo Hermann

Sports Editors

Neehla Gracia

Evelyn Beach

Staff

Lillian Bain

Audrey Carter

Yentl Charles

Kolten Clark

Casey Conor

Aubrianna Diga

Cameron Edgbert

Ernest Everett

Cash Ewing

Ayden Falkey

Mariah Geubelle

Roxanna Gonzalez

Dominic Haney

Henry Hannah

Jackson Kincaid

Cayley Mccart

Gavin McKethan

Samantha Mowery

Jack Murdock

Breanna Nelson

Roman Resseau

Zoey Salazar

Samari Simpson

Jared Smith

Khmera Swazer

Mekala Tailua

Leila Trammell

Lola Woodburn

Emma Zeitler

Adviser

Sandra Coyer, MJE

EDITORIAL

SUPPORT COMMUNITY

Community is a strong word. Your friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, the people who go to your high school, the people who live in your town.

The city of Puyallup is a historic town, created in 1877 by our first mayor Ezra Meeker.

It is easy to say community loosely on a daily basis, but in reality, Puyallup has a strong interconnected community.

The reason this town has been able to not only survive, but thrive for nearly 150 years is because of the support of our community. That’s why we believe it is crucial for our community to continue to support each other.

Anyone who has lived in Puyallup knows about the Farmer’s Market in Pioneer Park that happen every Saturday from April until October.

The market is a great way to not only get fresh goods and arts, but also support the local businesses around the area.

Checking out the local restaurants and shops around downtown Puyallup can show small businesses owners that you care about what they do. It is through our support that these businesses can continue to thrive, allowing business owners to follow their passions.

It is our hope that Puyallup can be a town where we support the passions of our local businesses to keep them alive and well.

Secondly, volunteering to support the community is an essential component of being a citizen. Although people live busy lives and usually don’t have a lot of time outside of work and their social lives, volunteering can really help

those who need it.

We can often take for granted what we have, not everyone is as fortunate as we are.

Taking a little time out of our day, every once in a while, to stop in and help others isn’t as hard as it seems. Showing up and doing community service for an organization who helps those in need can be self fulfilling, but more importantly it assists others. By elevating others, we elevate ourselves.

Showing support to volunteer organizations can have a huge impact on the strength of our community. We believe it is important for people to be involved in community service wherever they can, as it creates a better space for everyone in this town.

Some may argue that there is no real benefit to supporting the community. They believe that going out and volunteering your time, supporting the local businesses or voting for the bond to support the schools really has no personal reward or significance.

‘What’s in it for me?’ they ask. ‘I don’t have the time,’ they say. To that

“we say: you are not the only resident of this town; there are more than 40,000 people that call this place home. Puyallup is bigger than any of us. By supporting the community, you are contributing to something bigger than yourself. You are leaving a legacy behind of making things better than you found it.

If we continue this trend of helping others and supporting everyone, this place will only get better as time goes on.

Finally, we believe education is a crucial part of growing up. Learning new skills on how to enter society and continue the rest of your life, but these schools are aging fast.

Puyallup High School has a history of facilities not working properly and shutting buildings down.

Without a safe space to learn, how can we learn? By not voting yes now, the buildings are still going to need repair at some point in the near future or face closure.

We are firm believers of voting yes on Proposition 1, which would pass the bond. Many complain about property taxes going up because of the bond, but that isn’t the case this time. Property taxes stay exactly the same, and only positive things can come of this bond. If we wait to support schools, that cost will go up in the future. There’s nothing that should stop you from doing your civil duty of voting.

Think about it, what’s holding you back from helping others and supporting the community?

Go out and do what’s right.

Go the Farmer’s Market.

It’s easy to say community loosely on a regular basis, but in reality, Puyallup has a strong interconnected community. The reason this town has been able to not only survive, but thrive for nearly 150 years is because of the support of our community.”

Our View

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Go eat at a local restaurant.

Go shop at a small business.

Go volunteer some of your time at a soup kitchen.

Go out to the polls and vote for the schools.

Go help the community.

ZOO INVOLVEMENT CREATES CONNECTION

Grant Huson senior

Igrew up at the zoo.

While I wasn’t literally raised at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, I had such an attachment that it already felt like my home. I’ve been going to the zoo since before I can remember. My parents knew I loved the zoo so they would take me when they could.

It started out as me just thinking the different animals looked funny; now the zoo represented my desire to work in the marine biology field in my future.

As a kid, I would listen as the keepers would explain all about the animal and what they were like in the wild compared to captivity. All this seemed normal to me, but when the keepers told me the polar bears had names and liked to play, take naps and eat, something switched in my brain.

“Suddenly I realized these weren’t just animals in an enclosure; they were real living beings who had feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, hunger, boredom, just like I did. I realized that these creatures were more than just entertainment for humans; they were ambassadors for our understanding of other species and how they function in our current society.

to junior high, it wasn’t just a dream to work in the Marine Biology field anymore; it was a personal goal. Somehow, some way I knew I could get to that point, but I needed something to help me get there.

I started taking harder classes in school so that I could go to a better college where I could study marine biology. That culminated to me taking 11 AP classes while in high school and joining extracurriculars to boost my resume. But something was missing, if I really wanted to get to my dream college I needed some sort of experience in the field. I found out in early junior year that I could volunteer at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It seemed perfect for me, not only would I be working in zoology, which is adjacent to marine biology, I’d be working at the very place that inspired me to pursue this career.

I applied for it during winter, I then waited and hoped that I could get in, they called me in for an interview and I waited for another couple of weeks.

I got in.

Excited wasn’t a word that would properly describe how I felt.

My biggest wish is that one day I will inspire a kid so much that they will want to pursue zoology in the future, just like that zookeeper did to me that day.”

Grant Huson

As I started my training, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity for me. I was going to work with animals and teach others about them. My mom always told me that she loved when I talked about animals because she would learn so many niche facts that she never would’ve learned if it weren’t for me.

more than 1,000 pounds.

Helping kids learn to have empathy for animals is my favorite part of volunteering at the zoo. Yes, I am getting experience in zoology and marine biology and yes this will look nice on a college application, but teaching children how to love and care for species that aren’t our own is the best part about the zoo.

My biggest wish is that one day I will inspire a kid so much that they will want to pursue zoology in the future, just like that zookeeper did to me that day.

From the moment my brain switched, I knew I needed to do something in my life that wouldn’t just benefit people. I wanted to help all of the species this precious world has to offer.

As I grew up in an area that’s somewhat close to water and I had a natural inclination towards marine creatures, I decided I wanted to work in marine biology. When I decided this in kindergarten, it seemed like just another dumb kid wish of “I want to be an astronaut when I grow up” or “I want to be a police officer.”

But I kept pursuing it, bit by bit, I learned more than any kid should know about octopuses (yes that’s actually correct, technically it is not supposed to be octopi). By the time I got

I knew I was going to love getting to know the animals and learning new things about them, but I did not anticipate how much I would love teaching guests about the animals. There’s something special about telling an adult that a sea cucumber can throw up its intestines out of its body as a last-ditch effort to get away from a predator and watching their face light up with confusion and excitement.

Spewing animals’ facts to adults is quite interesting because their childlike curiosity will come back if you tell them a cool enough fact. However, nothing matches telling a little kid about an animal. Seeing their eyes enlarge as you tell them an adult polar bear is nearly twice the height of me (a 6-foot-tall man) and can weigh

VIDEO PRODUCTION PRODUCES VIDEOGRAPHER

2022, first day of sophomore year, room 162

The room had very tall desks with tall chairs to match. On top the desks sat large laptops connected to mounted desktops.

Every inch of the class seemed to have something covering it, from pictures, plaques, magnets, postcards and a lot of WSU gear.

A large ESPN banner hung up in the back, with small writing in the corner.

Old yearbooks lined the shelves, with posters on the cabinets above. “Say your name and S P E L L it,” “Sprinkle in gold coins,” “Sometimes you have to kill the puppies.”

In the front corner stood a large safe-looking things with camera labels on the glass.

This classroom, with so much to look at, felt like candy for my brain. This was going to be my classroom, my place. My fifth period class, my first (non-required) elective class since seventh grade, video production one. This was the first class of this type I’d ever taken, but it was also the class I was most excited for. I didn’t know just yet what it would entail, but just being in that classroom made

me feel giddy for the year to come.

The teacher stood on a stool at the front of the classroom. She was loud as she explained what the class was and how the year was going to look. She was sincere and excited. This made me more excited. Behind her, a large purple banner was hung with yellow writing: “If they don’t tell you to move, you’re not close enough.

Coyerism #14.”

“

Something I realized, being a part of the media program, was that I don’t need words to create emotion.”

I thought about that phrase, those simple yet powerful 11 words. I wasn’t sure why this phrase spoke to me so much, but I knew it felt important and somehow life changing.

2024, first day of senior year, room 162

The bell rang signaling the end of homeroom. First period, Video Productions, (the second and third year students had a combined class, with the purpose of creating

our program’s show, Viking News Network). The title of co-executive producer had been passed onto me, and I was equally excited and terrified of my new responsibilities. Everything I learned in the past two years had led up to this point. My mind whirls with ideas, all the possibilities of things to create, storyboards drawing out in my head. The other executive producer and I wanted to produce two shows a week, a big step from what we accomplished last year.

Lola Woodburn

But I was determined.

The beginning of class starts, and I explained how we wanted a show out by Friday, and we don’t have much time; only three days. As everyone started working, I saw the potential we had.

I’ve never been good with my words. There are so many thoughts and feelings that are so hard to convey with words. Most of my

spoken sentences are a quick succession of words that maybe 50 percent of the time make sense, leading to them ending in “you know what I mean.” When I was younger, I wanted to be an author or a writer; the idea of making people feel something with my words fascinated me. I wanted to create something that when people read it, they felt a strong emotion. But, I quickly figured out that my writing skills were mediocre, and had little to no effect on people’s emotions (except for making me feel frustrated).

Something I realized, being part of the media program, was that I don’t need words to create emotion. Visual story telling is such a powerful thing that I didn’t know much about until I joined.

Doctors Without Borders

terests in the medical field is also an aspect of the club that Calhoun enjoys.

While most high school students keep their focus on their academics or local communities, sometimes students see a need to help the greater world community.

That’s what prompted senior Ellice Bledsoe to create a local chapter of the Doctors without Borders club at Puyallup High School.

“What my club does is support Doctors without Borders, which is an orga nization that goes into different countries that have been affected by some sort of conflict, or natural disasters, or any other sort of crisis,” President Bledsoe said.

Her first step towards creating this club at PHS was becoming a member in the organization.

“I contacted the corporate office in New York City, and they forwarded me over to the only chapter in Washington state, which is University of Washing ton, Seattle, then let me join their chapter,” Bledsoe said.

“I’m able to meet new people, and similar people who have passions for healthcare, and I think that’s really fun,” Calhoun said. Bledsoe wants the PHS Doctors without Borders to stick with the principals of the organization.

“We support the club through educational or informational events, so people know about the organization, and how to support them, and were

Community Service Heroes

When funding for the United Way program was cut, the Puyallup School District picked up where United Way left off.

That’s how, today, students are offered the opportunity to collect 150 volunteer hours in exchange for a varsity letter in volunteer service.

Shelley Jellison, occupation information teacher, shared some insight about the letter. Jellison believes that the district works hard to get information out to students about volunteer opportunities.

“Most of the time, Puyallup has the most students that are qualifying, and that could be for a variety of reasons. We are really intentional about getting the information out to students, but I know that students have been impacted by qualifying for different scholarships based on their volunteering,” Jellison said.

Senior Katie

Warwick has been vol unteering frequently for multiple years. She has been awarded a varsity letter in volunteering once in her sophomore year, once in her junior year, and is working to get two varsity letters this year.

“I am involved in a nonprofit organization for girls called the International Order of Rainbow for Girls; we focus on community service and leadership op portunities for young women, and I do a lot of my service through them,” Warwick said. “I have been president of the chapter in Puyallup for a year and a half, nonconsecutive.”

Warwick believes that doing service for others can change people’s perspectives on different aspects of life.

“I worked with three to one buddy, which helps people with Down syndrome, and I volunteer at their community center a lot,” Warwick said. “I got a volun teer at a bounce house during Meeker Days and that was fun.”

Getting 150 hours of community service is no easy task, so Warwick sets out goals for how often she will volunteer to get enough hours.

to be each month, and then I just try to fit the goal,” Warwick said.

Community service isn’t the same for everyone, Warwick believes there is place for everyone to volunteer.

“I think that all areas could always use more volunteers,” Warwick said. “There’s always different opportunities for different people.”

Different people volunteer for different reasons, Warwick volunteers because she can help others by being involved in community service.

“I do community service because I believe the com-

may come from things students are already doing in the community.

“It’s not that students are necessarily like, ‘I’m gonna volunteer because I want this varsity letter.’ It’s, ‘I want the varsity letter because I’m already doing all of this volunteer work,’” Jellison said.

Jellison says that there is a spot on the school district website that links to a spreadsheet where students put in all of the hours and describe what the hours are. There is also a spot, according to Jellison, for the 250word reflection.

Varsity letters are not reserved just for athletes, Jellison said, but a student can also earn one with commu-

“[Lettering in community service is] another way to be more inclusive for earning varsity letters,” Jellison said. “This is just one more way that we can celebrate

Jellison says that she would encourage students to reach for that 150 hours and apply for their varsity letter

Viking Knights & Ladies will run the elevators during events and guide people where they need to be, just be a “helping hand” at events at school, says senior Sam Wieman. This helps in other similar situations within

“For my church I will either direct the live stream or run a [presentation] for the pastor,” Wieman said. Wieman has received one varsity letter his junior and is planning to letter again this year. The main reason he volunteers is because he says he likes seeing people happy while he is working an event, typically because they have someone to talk with.

“Sometimes they have trouble getting where they are going, but I’m able to get there with help and it’s really nice to see them,” Wieman said.

Wieman says that oftentimes, Viking Knights & Ladies have to make a lot of decisions on the spot.

“There’s usually no adult to tell you what to do, besides at the very beginning. You have to make the judgment calls on what you need to do,” Wieman said. One thing that needs to be improved, according to Wieman is the information for the community, which

“There’s not a lot of information about what’s happening in the community,” Wieman said.

ROBOTICS: INNER WORKINGS

Sienna Hanson, Co-Chief

Texas, international robotics organizations, light bulbs and machining.

These are the unlikely topics of conversation in room 108, after the final school bell has rung, while Robotics Club, also dubbed the Horns of Havoc, is meeting. There are layers to every club, sport, and class, so of course Robotics is no different. From the sci-fi aspects of competitions to cutting their own metal parts, second-year mentor and STEM teacher Robert Kroker sums the club up best as “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”

Though students join Robotics for numerous reasons, most know little about the nature of Robotics itself.

Whether they enjoy programming, cutting custom parts, or planning the precise inner workings of a robot, all members develop skills they didn’t think they would.

“up PVC pipes. They’re a foot long, four and a half inches in diameter. We have to pick them up and put them on these poles that are sticking up. There’s four different levels, from a couple feet to I think six and a half feet in the air,” Nelson said. “We also have dodge balls, 16 inches in diameter, that we can put in a hole in a wall, or shoot into a net that’s eight feet up.”

After some strategic analysis, the team decided the best strategy would be to focus on the PVC pipes.

It’s not something I even knew existed until I saw it. These competitions happen every year, and there’s so many of them around, but I never even knew about them until I started.

“Normally, I see more improvement in the students in the club than I do in my own classes,” Kroker said. “They have a bigger motivation to do the work, to learn the stuff. It’s really cool to be part of something that’s bigger than yourself.”

As a mentor, Kroker shows the students the lesserknown aspects of machining, handles paperwork, and occasionally helps with building.

“My biggest goal in life is to collect light bulbs, when people have that aha moment, that sudden realization,” Kroker said.

And seeing as the program has been to the World Competition twice in the past, light bulbs haven’t been hard to collect.

Senior Colin Nelson is captain of the team, and throughout his time with the team, a number of those light bulbs have blinked to life over his own head.

“I came in as a programmer, so I was expecting to be programming the whole time, but I ended up doing all these random things,” Nelson said. “I really enjoy machining, because it’s not something I ever thought I would do, since I’ve never taken a class on it or anything, but it’s a fun skill to learn.”

The season begins with an announcement of which challenges the robots will be expected to perform in competition.

“The challenge that we have this year involves picking

Colin Nelson senior

“Our primary season goal was to finish faster than last year, because last year we were working on our robot all the way up until our first competition,” Nelson said. “We wanted more time to practice with it and make sure that everything was working well.”

Once their robot is finished, they’ll be off to Snohomish and Bonney Lake to compete and possibly make their way to Cheney, where they can qualify for the World Championship in Dallas, Texas.

“Anyone in Washington, Oregon [and] Idaho can compete, and there’s events scattered all over those states,” Nelson said.

The competition itself is reminiscent of a blend between Star Wars, Hunger Games and the Maze Runner.

“There’s six robots on the field, which is like a tennis court-sized area. Three robots per team, [or] alliance is what they call it, and then they try to score as many points as possible, and whoever gets the most wins,” Nelson said. Rankings are determined by a points system. Match wins, and specific accomplishments during the matches, are combined to determine the final standings.

“There are usually 30 teams at a competition, and from that the top eight are picked to be Alliance captains. They pick other teams to join their alliances, there’s a double elimination bracket, and a group of three teams is crowned the champions of that event,” Nelson said.

Without most students being aware of it, this world of futurism and science fiction is running in time with the rest of the Puyallup School District. The only school without a team is Rogers.

“It’s not something I even knew existed until I saw it,” Nelson said. “These competitions happen every year, and there’s so many of them around, but I never even knew about them until I started. I thought it would just be [putting] something together and going to a couple local schools to compete, but it’s really a lot bigger than that.”

The problem-solving facet, as well as the interconnected

community, are sophomore Matthew Barker’s favorite aspects of the club.

“I feel like my experience as a first-year member is different because right now, I’m getting taught and instructed on what to do,” Barker said. “I learn how to work on the machines, and how to do the manufacturing and building itself.”

Even the smallest problem with manufacturing can sometimes lead to major consequences.

“I feel like something that we do that surprises other people is the amount of planning and problem-solving that we have to do. If there’s one small issue, sometimes we have to redesign the entire thing,” Barker said. “It can just be as small as swapping one piece.”

But despite the roadblocks, the team sticks together through thick and thin.

“Especially right now, as we’re in build season, it’s a lot of a team effort. Some stuff are you’re sent off to do individually, but if you need help, it’s perfectly fine to ask,” Barker said. “It’s a lot more of a team effort than an individual.”

MLK Assembly Entertaining, Enlightening

The Black Student Union organized this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly, Jan. 17.

Senior Sigourney McWilson, who was one of the main planners for this event, says that the goal of the assembly was to reconnect the core message of the holiday while incorporating diverse elements.

“Even though we hear the same stuff every year, it’s still important to be reminding students and building it up,” McWilson said. “So, this year, we wanted to feature ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ which was one of the songs they sang when they would do their marches protesting racial discrimination.”

Many students find these assemblies to be boring because they often involve sitting through speeches and historical recounting, which might not sound entertaining to most.

definitely hit the goal set by BSU.

“I think that this year was more interesting just because it was more interactive, and it wasn’t all just sitting and listening,” Panek said

While BSU wanted the assembly to be engaging, they also hoped it would have an impact on students, and McWilson says she believes they accomplished more of an impact.

“I think we’ve been consistently honoring MLK, but definitely I think we had a lot more engagement with this assembly,” McWilson said. “We were featured on the school district newsletter, so I feel like it’s had more of a reach, and therefore, I guess it’s had more of an impact.”

There was a lot of parts of the assembly that really just kept me thinking about social justice and how [MLK] really helped so many people.”

Lucas Panek

sophomore

Meanwhile everyone connects with Martin Luther’s message in their own unique ways Brobbey says it was important for her to help spread the message of MLK.

Black Student Union kept this issue in mind when organizing the event.

Sophomore and BSU member Mirabel Brobbey was a part of this process.

“I feel like encouraging people to take notes and do trivia related to him was a great idea to get people to know about him and even think about him on the day off,” Brobbey said.

Sophomore Lucas Panek says the assembly

“I feel like I really wanted to help out because it’s such a momentous moment for Black history in general,” Brobbey said. “I also wanted to be part of helping make a change.”

Panek says that the assembly this year was more entertaining and that he paid attention and learn something.

“There was a lot of parts of the assembly that really kept me thinking about social justice and how [MLK] really helped so many people,” Panek said.

Over the past few years, Hollywood has seen a flood of movies, television shows, and even a theme park land based on the classic cast of Universal Monsters. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man have all made their reappearance on screen with remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings galore. We’re taking a look at three main eras: the originals from the 1930s and ‘40s, the British remakes from Hammer, and the modern re-imaginings from the past five years.

Ethan Barker, ACE Editor

The Universal Monsters had their first gasps of breath in the 1920s, with the release of 1923’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and 1925’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” both starring Lon Chaney, known as the Man of a Thousand Faces due to his skill with makeup.

Later, the 1930s saw Universal release films based on the novels “Dracula,” “Frankenstein,” “The Invisible Man,” and many sequels and crossovers between these characters. Perhaps the most famous films to come out of Universal’s early studio output are 1931’s “Dracula” and 1935’s “Bride of Frankenstein.”

“Dracula” was put into production after the success of a stage version on Broadway, and Universal purchased the rights to the novel and stage play to produce the film.

The film is anchored by Bela Lugosi, who played the character on stage. His performance is one that has been imitated and parodied so many times that it feels like a cliché now. Even today, his performance is still effective enough to unsettle, with Lugosi’s thick accent and stiff grasp of the English language contributing to, rather than detracting from, his performance. 1931’s ‘Bride of Frankenstein is another classic of the monster movie genre, and another that has been imitated throughout the years. It’s a sequel to 1931’s “Frankenstein,” though a wonderful movie on its own.

The film starts directly after the end of the first movie, revealing that both Frankensteins, monster and doctor, survived the end of the last movie. As the doctor is nursed back to health, his mentor reveals his want to create a mate for the Monster.

Near the end of the film, when the Bride is finally brought to life, she’s terrified of the Monster and rejects him. Elsa Lancaster, who played the Bride, made a lasting impression on the horror genre in her very short screentime, the image of her shocked eyes and towering hair becoming one of the most iconic images in film. Karloff, as the Monster, is likely in the top five most iconic monster designs in film history. Under all of that makeup, he’s remarkably expressive, with his confusion and sadness about the Bride’s rejection one of the most heart-wrenching performances in the film.

Hammer Films, a company based in Britain, opened the doors for horror to jump into the age of the 50s, combining classic stories with modern, pulpy filmmaking techniques.

Their first horror film, “The Curse of Frankenstein,” was released in 1951 and was one of the first films to introduce on-screen violence into the horror genre.

Starring Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and the imposing 6’5” Christopher Lee as the Monster, the film was a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original novel, rather than retreading the movie.

The film also focuses much more on Frankenstein’s descent into madness while creating the creature, rather than the rampages of the Monster, who isn’t brough to life until roughly 50 minutes into the movie that is less than an hour-and-a-half long.

Seen today, the film is somewhat dated and low budget, but has a dark and gritty atmosphere that is undeniably chilling.

After “The Curse of Frankenstein” was a hit for Hammer, they greenlit the production of “Dracula,” known as “Horror of Dracula” in the United States. This time, since the plot hewed much more closely to the 1931 film, Hammer worked out an agreement with Universal.

Again starring Christopher Lee, this time as Dracula, and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, the film codified aspects of Lugosi’s Dracula and introduced more of its own: fangs, red eyes, and the premade wooden stakes.

The film condenses the plot of the book and original film, turning Jonathan Harker, the hero of the original, from a real estate agent who survives the events in the original to a vampire hunter who doesn’t make it out of Dracula’s castle.

Lee also brought a much more overt depiction of the sensuality of the vampire myth, and more overt menace than Lugosi’s subdued version. Like his Monster, Lee’s Dracula has very little screen time in the film, but here he looms over the plot as the incentive for the story.

One of the biggest influences of Hammer’s horror films was their introduction of more overt violence and gore to mainstream cinema. This indirectly paved the way for other horror films, including slashers like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th”, plus other titans of the genre, to break their way into the mainstream market.

In recent times, with the waves of reboots and remakes, it’s inevitable that studios would look to update the classic monster films. These remakes draw in audiences who might have seen the original movies on reruns or late night showings as kids, and often update the story for modern audiences.

The most well-regarded of the remakes was 2020’s “The Invisible Man,” which changed the source of the man’s invisibility from a mysterious potion to a high-tech suit covered in cameras.

However, the biggest change was updating the story from a man bent on a reign of terror to a woman named Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) being stalked, gaslit, and emotionally tortured by her abusive ex.

The sound design, cinematography, and acting in this movie are all top-notch, creating a sense of terror and suspense that rarely lets up. One terrifying scene features the Invisible Man fighting a group of security guards as his suit glitches out, giving us and the guards only brief glimpses of his whereabouts. The film is perfectly suited to terrify a 2020s audience.

Another praised remake, while not officially a “Universal Monsters” film, was 2024’s “Nosferatu.” The original, released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of the original Dracula novel, with the names changed to avoid legal issues.

Unlike other remakes, much of the original storyline is kept in place, though characters are more fleshed out. Ellen Hutter (Lily Rose-Depp) is now the driving force of the story, being the one who accidentally summoned the vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard). Their performances anchor the whole film, with Rose-Depp planting herself as an accomplished actress with her fanatic, possessed performance.

Skarsgard’s voice is perhaps his greatest feat here, and the theater walls seemed to shake with every line he spoke. The makeup team is not to be overlooked, creating one of the most impressive and unique vampire designs in film. His look echoes the original Orlok from 1922, but crosses that with a period-accurate Transylvanian nobleman that truly looks rotting and undead.

Director Robert Eggers has created his most fleshedout world yet, a feat considering his past films are incredibly highly regarded.

Deep Look into Unified Basket-

Kiona Pedibone, Features

Unified Basketball is more than just a game, more than just a sport.

It’s about building a community and a family.

It’s about breaking down barriers and fostering unity, says Unified Coach John Anderson.

Anderson has been in the district since 2006, working with special needs students 18-21 years old in the Gateway and Advanced Program. He has coached Unified Sports at PHS since 2009.

“it; it’s a big deal,” Anderson said.

Anderson says that his main goal for his students is to succeed as athletes and for their future. Everyone gets treated the same and no differences are allowed, Anderson says.

“Leave any disabilities or disbeliefs at the door when you come onto the field—whether it’s a soccer field or the basketball court— leave it all at the door because I’m going to treat you like it were anybody else and don’t say, ‘no, I can’t do that’ because I’m going to show you how you can do it,” Anderson said.

Leave any disabilities or disbeliefs at the door when you come onto the field-whether it’s a soccer field or the basketball court--leave it all at the door because I’m not going to treat you like it were anybody else...”

Unified Basketball involves three athletes with a developmental disability and two Peer Partners, or Unified Partners with non-disabilities. They play against other teams in the community from around the South Puget Sound are.

Anderson said that the goal of the sport is to unify together to make the athletes feel incorporated into the world.

“People that don’t have a disability put up borders when they see somebody they don’t know anything about, they just kind of blindly judge,” Anderson said. “So it’s very important that comes down.”

Anderson says that Unified sports clears up the idea of a disability because, he says, you see athletes and peer partners working together.

“

“You can sometimes see the physical disability; you may not see the brain part of it,” Anderson said. “When you see a person with a disability, a mental disability, you may not notice when they walk right by you.”

Anderson says that [Unified sports] builds unity in the school, because athletes or unified partners are kids that just want to be involved.

John

Anderson

coach

Anderson started with Special Olympics in 1981 when he was taking care of a friend’s son who has Down syndrome.

“We drove out to Fort Lewis, and watched some activities and he enjoyed it,” Anderson said.

Anderson says that when he first came to Puyallup in 2006, he became the football coach until his predecessor, who worked in Special Education Department, introduced him to the department.

“We don’t just do basketball; we have fall bowling, then the winter sport is basketball, and we have soccer as well,” Anderson said. “If you ever want to see how good we are, go into the gym and look at the banner, it shows every one of our State championships, from 2000, 2008 and forward.”

Junior Sofia Wilson joined Unified basketball due to a friend’s encouragement, and says she values the community and support it offers outside the classroom.

“[My friend] said that it was going to be really friendly and it was a good experience to go into,” Wilson said.

Unified basketball is important because it allows them to have a community outside of their classes that they can experience support from the district and schools during Pack the Gym.”

Sofia Wilson junior

Wilson says that the importance of Unified basketball is the teamwork and support within the community.

able to step up and help them out,” Wilson said.

A memorable experience Wilson says was when they won their first game and she was able to lead some of her team.

“It was really cool to see how they could work together on the court and be able to win,” Wilson said.

Anderson says that the annual Pack the Gym event was created in 2011-2012, gathering students and athletes to support those playing.

“It filled the gym like it was a regular boys basketball team and people from Special Services came and from the district office, our superintendents came, and they followed

“Unified basketball is important because it allows them to have a community outside of their classes that they take here, and they can experience support from the district and schools during Pack the Gym,” Wilson said. “It was really cool to see the support that the student section brought.”

Wilson says the team works really well together.

“I think they’re all very supportive of each other and they help each other to stay on task and if someone’s lost, they’ll always be

“When we learned that we won, it was such a shock. We didn’t know exactly how to feel. It was something we hadn’t even thought we could do. For me, it means such a big growth in my skill. Being a part of this team and being able to get to state, that’s such a big moment.

Allison Johnson Junior

Wilson says there isn’t any special treatment, that the athletes are treated like any other athlete.

“You don’t really need to be soft with them; they’re pretty up to par. They know what’s going on and they’ll understand. They’re also really friendly and they’ll start conversations with you and make sure that you’re doing okay. So it’s really cool to play with them,” Wilson said.

Wilson says she would encourage others to volunteer, with spring coming up, and Unified soccer starting soon.

“We always need volunteers, so if you can and if you want to [even] if you’re just thinking about it and not sure, you should, because

everyone’s really friendly and supportive, and they’ll definitely appreciate having you on the team,” Wilson said.

Senior Cheyanne Thompson says that Unified has had an impact on her life.

“I really like [and] enjoy it because it gives me something to do. I like to meet other people and make new friends,” Thompson said.

Thompson says that her most enjoyable part about playing is being able to support a good team and her favorite moment she shares is receiving support and lessons from her coach.

“When I was able to not play very well and then my coach taught me how to play basketball really well, so I’m very lucky to be on his team,” Thompson said.

Thompson says she supports her teammates both off and on the court by being nice and supportive.

“It just makes me feel happy and makes me feel good enough to do something,” Thompson said.