Lion’s Roar V II, I II

Volume II, Issue III

 

 

Welcome to The Lion’s Roar, Seattle Lutheran’s premier (and only) student-produced newspaper. Here, you will find coverage of the news from reviews to sports highlights, from editorials to exclusive interviews. The Lion’s Roar seeks to provide quality art and articles through the lens of Seattle Lutheran students. At The Lion’s Roar, we’re dedicated to serving YOU, the Seattle Lutheran community. As the author John Grogan said, “Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.”

Archives: Vol. I, Is. I,  Vol. I, Is. II, Vol. I, Is. III, Vol. I, Is. IV,    Vol. II, Is. I

Co-editors:

JT Gallant ’16 is a Senior at SLHS and enjoys participating in athletics, contributing to the Lion’s Roar and playing chess.

Avalee Fray-McCroskey ’17 is a junior at Seattle Lutheran High School. She likes to spend her weekends cheering, acting, writing things for the amazing school newspaper and changing into her alternate persona, an amazing punk rock SUPERHERO!! Every time she changes her hair she gets a new superpower!

Contributors

Ben Comer is a Junior,​​ ​new to the Seattle Lutheran program​,​​ who just learned that the keys on a keyboard make strange symbols appear on the monitor. He is in awe of this and has yet to write anything meaningful using this discovery​ ​instead writing some of what you see above you. His favorite pastimes are watching sports, swimming and yelling at Derrick Rose every time he gets injured (his throat is often sore).

Elizabeth Coy​ is a senior at Seattle Lutheran High School ​and this is her first year writing for the newspaper. She also plays volleyball, is in the Key ​C​lub, and the Sailing ​C​lub.

Zac Gorman, also known as “Gac Zorman​,​” this writer enjoys talking about the media​ ​such as the newest movies, interesting stories, and even reviews and​ ​opinions. He has respect for the film business as he wishes to one day​ ​write for Hollywood or low-key be a director of his own stories; bringing pen​ ​to paper, then paper to the big screen.

​​Alex Melchoir is a self​-​proclaimed bounty hunter and space cop from the Galaxy of Kerbal-49. He enjoys long walks on the beach with middle aged women who find investing in his endeavors worthwhile. Currently, he resides in West Seattle. Alex claims to be a protagonist in a movement to preach equity. He plans on building a globalized, monopolistic, empire and redistributing the world’s wealth rightfully.

​Aaron Pena​ is a seventeen-​year​-​old with the same carnal urges as the rest of you. He ha​s lived his whole life in Seattle, though he’s from a Mexican family (he even knows how to speak E​spañol). His hobbies include League of Legends, binge-watching Netflix, reading, figuring out how to make school more of a challenge through procrastination, and sitting. Aaron loves talking about controversial topics because it’s quite entertaining to see people all fired up.

Michael Scott​ is 14, a Freshy at Seattle Lutheran High School, his favorite hobby is​ soccer. He also has a fondness for Skittles as they are very rainbow-like, and who doesn’t like rainbows?! His favorite fruit happens to be pineapple, any flavor. Personally he doesn’t like being woken up on weekends by dad. (Does this ever happen to any of you?) ​H​e puts on pants one leg at a time and thinks the meaning of life is to interact, and lucky numbers are​ ​01,​ ​43,​ ​67,​ ​90,​ ​28.

​Rex Sears​ is a sophomore, and is not commonly seen outside of a coat. He really doesn’t do anything productive, despite all his free time. It is most common to see him complaining about politics, comics, creepy pastas, and really the most minor of daily complications. He is incapable of not injuring himself on something, and over-dramatizing said event, at least seven times a day.

Faculty Advisor Mr. Wilson

 

Is Valentine’s Day Overrated?

By ELIZABETH COY

Oh, Valentine’s Day. That day in elementary school where you give someone you may or may not “like like” a little card saying “Be Mine” or “You’re the Coolest” – Blushing furiously, you scamper away and hand out the rest of your cards to everyone else in the class. Remember when everyone had a Valentine? When you get older, however, it just becomes one of two things: Either, you are in a relationship, meaning that you go on a date, exchange little trinkets and generally just have a romantic day; or, you aren’t in a relationship, meaning that you are sad and lonely, and Valentine’s Day is just another day, except one on which you excessively eat candy, chocolate and ice cream while watching sappy romantic comedies, desperately wishing that you were Meg Ryan or Audrey Hepburn.​

Legend has it that Valentine’s Day was named after St. Valentine, a bishop who was imprisoned for holding secret wedding ceremonies for soldiers during a time when marriage was forbidden in the Roman Empire. While imprisoned, the jailer asked St. Valentine to heal his blind daughter. It was said that he had saintly abilities and helped the blind girl, but, regardless, Emperor Claudius ll ordered the execution of Valentine. Just before his execution, Valentine wrote a letter to the formerly-blind girl and signed it “From, your Valentine.” Awww, how romantic! Another story says that Valentine was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. He was said to have been executed on February 14, 270 A.D. Stemming from the death of St. Valentine, young Roman men began writing letters of affection to women they admired on the anniversary of St. Valentine’s death. February the 14^th thus became known as Valentine’s Day.

Now that we got the lesson history out of the way, here are my thoughts. Honestly, I think it depends on what perspective you have. Like I said before, if you are in a relationship, then you have a reason to love Valentine’s Day as it is a day that you spend with someone you love. However, if you are single, then you most likely think that Valentine’s Day is dumb and likewise should not exist. Personally, I think that every day should be a day in which you show your love for someone. Maybe the original message from St. Valentine has become scrambled over the course of time, but the thought behind the day remains pure. That is why I do not think that Valentine’s Day is overrated.

 

Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

By AVALEE FRAY-McCROSKEY

Animal rights are a thing people either like to ignore or pretend to care about. People love their cats and their bunnies but rarely seem to think about the animals being sacrificed for their favorite products. Searching for the perfect products is hard enough, but what do you do when you find out your perfect foundation was tested on thousands of animals? You probably just brush it off and say that all companies are doing it. Many people think that animal testing is a thing of the past, when in reality, most major companies still test all of their formulas on helpless animals. Why? To test the “safety” of the products. What these companies refuse to admit is that there are other—more humane—ways to test reactions to the products. Testing on animals is more expensive and less efficient than testing on human cells or tissue. Millions of guinea pigs, rats, mice, and rabbits are killed each year for animal testing.

The growing number of cruelty free companies on the market shows that there are alternatives to animal testing. Popular brands that are cruelty free include: Lush, ELF, NYX, Sugar Pill, Too Faced, Physicians Formula, Wet n’ Wild, Manic Panic, and OCC. The European Union, Norway, Israel, and India ban products made in their countries that have been tested on animals, but testing done in other places is still legal. Animal rights bills have been drafted in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. China is the only country that requires all cosmetics sold to be tested on animals. There is progress being made but it will not continue if people refuse to care. When you say you care about animals but you continue to throw your money at companies that make fortunes off of abusing our furry friends, you are only feeding the problem.

Some people are going to extreme lengths to show their dedication to animal rights. A German girl named Jacqueline Traide volunteered to have some of the tests that they perform on the animals done to her. The testing took place in a glass box outside of a Lush store on Regent St. Jacqueline was shaved, poked with needles, force fed and tied down during the process. She was mute the entire time and made it clear that her pain was not an act. The display was a protest by Lush to show why they chose not to test on animals.

With a little bit of research, you can find thousands of affordable cruelty free products. PETA has a website and you can look up any brand to see if they test on animals. There are hundreds of vegan and cruelty free blogs and YouTube channels dedicated to showing people the best cruelty free cosmetics. Many companies save money by not testing on animals and are able to sell their products at a cheaper price than companies that do test on animals. Animal testing does not only apply to make-up, it applies to deodorant, shampoo, lotion, shaving cream, and perfume. Anyone can help in ending animal testing by supporting cruelty free companies and by spreading the word.

 

Movie Preview 2016

By ZAC GORMAN

Suicide Squad

Don’t worry, this movie isn’t as depressing as it sounds. Based on the DC Comics by the same name, Suicide Squad actually focuses on the villains for a change. This adaption features many characters that will be new to the film world; such as Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and even a new Joker along with a new Batman. Comic lovers as well as movie lovers should probably keep an out for this movie.

 

Finding Dory

A sequel to Finding Nemo, the long awaited Disney movie so many of us grew up with. This film has been pushed back so many times and it’s good to see a hopeful release in late 2016. Old actors will be returning for this too, which is always good to see with these delayed sequel movies.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Film

Apparently a new Star Wars is destined to come out around the end of 2016. While no trailers have been shown yet, the plot doesn’t focus around where “The Force Awakens” left off. Instead it follows a group of rebels who attempt to steal plans for the Death Star, leading me to believe this might be a double prequel. Nonetheless, I’m still very excited considering the success of the 7^th installment last winter. It’s good to see the series being brought back to the big screen.

Assassin’s Creed

For a long time rumors of an apparent A.C. movie have been spreading, well now the rumors are true. This adaption of the long-running video game series of the same name will star Michael Fassbender, as the Assassin. Many people are worried this might just turn out to be a bust, considering the recent failure in game-to-movie adaptions. The director says that he will do his best to appeal to a wider audience than just fans of the series.

Why Do I Love Donald Trump?

By JT GALLANT

Such a complex man, full of paradigms and idealistic saturations; more misunderstood than Putin with a lisp; desperately craving the attention of an AD-HD nation. His hair cascades around his brow in a flowing mane of limitless hair gel and bleach, withstanding anything the elements could possibly throw at it. Donald Trump is a great man. I have uttered these six words on numerous an occasion, and have likewise sparked incredulous stares. In fact, one of my best friends and I actually had a falling out because of my refusal to rescind my absolute support of Donald Trump. Well, screw him. Donald and me are best friends! I am sure you have heard all the blasphemy decrying Donald Trump as an ignorant, racist misogynist. Well, it’s a good thing you don’t what misogyny is! Because Donald Trump most likely is guilty of that particular conviction. What is racism, anyways? Is Donald Trump actually racist? Or are we just perceiving his actions as racist? I know he has explicitly said on numerous occasions that he wants to build a wall to keep out “those damn Mexicans,” but is it not possible that we have misconstrued Donald’s intentions. Complex as he is, is it not fathomable that Mr. Trump merely had a traumatic experience with Mexican cuisine as a child and is simply dealing with his feelings in a healthy and constructive way? As I am currently taking AP Psychology, I can assure you that not only is this possible, it is probable. All ridiculous defenses aside, I actually do have a reason for loving Donald Trump. He is the messiah. Is it not completely ridiculous that people are taking Donald Trump seriously? Is it not completely hilarious that people want Donald Trump as president. They seriously do. God, I love Donald Trump.

 

League of Legends – How the Game Works

By AARON PEÑA

Over the next few weeks, I will be mapping out the changes for season six of League of Legends. Before we go into that, I need to explain what League of a Legends actually is. It is categorized as a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). There are a total of ten players on the map, five on each team. On each team, there is a “top laner,” “mid laner,” “jungler,” attack damage carry (adc), and support. The end goal of the game is to destroy the nexus, on the opposite side of the map that’s yours. Each goes in their designated place on the map, and the adc and support go together in the bottom lane. In order to secure the win, players must have control of map vision, objectives, and teamwork (which we will explain soon). Often, to win, you need to have a lot of communication within your team to win. There are two types of game mode that are most often played. There are blind pick normals, and draft pick ranked. Blind pick normals is where you are grouped with nine other random players around North America. Draft pick ranked is exactly the same, except for the fact that it is part of the ranking system in North America. It is a competitive mode, you could compare this to playing soccer with friends vs playing soccer on your schools team (with random people). League of Legends also involves a lot of hand eye coordination, planning, and quick thinking.

Every year there are seasons. Every time a new season comes, big game changing updates come to the game. This year, season six ended on November 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM. After we go through game play in the next few articles, we will learn about this year’s big changes. This might sound like a lot to take right now, but here’s crossing my fingers that you’ll understand soon. See you next time (hopefully).

 

The Magical Origin of Lil’ Donald

By REX SEARS

Donald Trump walked off the stage, his face clearly displaying his attractiveness and honest heart, as always. The sound of the stupid reporters asking him hard questions from the crowd caused him to pucker his lips even more, and his face scrunched up, like a balloon that had been filled with air for a long time. Well, Donald thought, this balloon was filled with only a hatred for common decency political correctness, and the same, strong, iron will that had tried to bulldoze homes for a casino parking lot! Lil’ Donald smiled a gorgeous, dazzling smile to his adoring fans, before moving his fair, muscular, elegant form into his limo. Taking out his revised “presidential to-do list” scrawled on a hundred dollar bill, he graced his Donald Trump Pen™ with his Trumpy touch, and crossed out “tawk too dum peepole” from the list. Temporarily content, Donald was about to lean back and watch some television about himself, but suddenly, the car began to fly into the clouds. Confused, mostly because the clouds were, in fact, not cotton candy as he had been promised by his father, Donald made a quick note to shield America from the deceitful sky by creating an airtight barrier between them. As for the official reasoning… eh, he could make something up. Just as he’d shoved the dollar bill back into his pocket, the car plummeted, directly into a lake. Now, this lake had been a victim of Donald’s pollution. No, not from his companies, but sheerly from the ignorant crap he himself spewed. As the polluted water filled Donald’s lungs, his body began to become bird-like in nature, yet, at the same time, still retaining human qualities. His clothes became molecularly realigned into a sailor’s outfit, and, before long, Donald had become a white, feathered, sailor-suit-wearing bird that swam in the water. Furious at his transformation, but more so, that people weren’t paying attention to him, Donald opened his mouth to try to speak to them, but all that came out were incoherent quacks. However, it caught the people’s attention, so Donald did it again. They couldn’t turn away, whether it was due to his ever-radiant Trump Charm, or because they were in such awe at the splendor of the creature before them. Eventually, the press caught wind of the crime against nature, and thousands of reporters and photographers across the globe were sent to document Donald. Now labeled “Lil’ Donald,” Mr. Trump spends his life marketing stores, making headlines, and fighting off the government by throwing gold-foil-covered chocolate eggs at the White House.