The Pioneer Woman’s Tequila Lime Chicken:

Note: during the cooking process, the alcohol is burned out, making this an excellent recipe for all ages.

Ingredients:

4 limes

1 cup tequila

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

5 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, sliced

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups grated Monterey Jack (optional)

Method:

Slice open the limes and squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender. Add the tequila, olive oil, salt, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. Blend the mixture until totally combined. Add the chicken to a large plastic bag and pour in the lime-tequila mixture. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill it over medium-high heat. Rotate the chicken 45-degrees on both sides to create nice grill marks, and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Melt the Monterey Jack over the top of the sliced chicken breasts (optiona).

Slice the chicken and serve it on a plate topped with the sides.

Ideas for sides:

Corn tortillas

Flour tortillas

Grated Monterey Jack

Pico de gallo

Jalapeno slices

Lime wedges

Avocado slices

Sour cream

Sweet&Spicy BBQ Sauce:

2 (29 ounce) cans unseasoned tomato sauce

1 cup unpasteurized unfiltered cider vinegar

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

to taste kosher salt

Method:

Mix everything but the salt in a non-reactive pan and heat on medium low until reduced to desired thickness, anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.

Taste and add salt if needed.

BLT Pasta Salad:

12 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta

1/2 cup milk

12 ounces lean bacon

3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens

5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Method:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.

These recipes are sure to be a hit at your next cookout.

The two athletes that take first and second at the district meet will go on to the state meet and compete against Oregon’s best in the division. Some “State” hopefuls are Kelsey McKelvey in javelin, Brandon Vaughan in pole vault, and Victoria Lawton-Diez in the pole vault. Kelsey McKelvey currently leads the district with a personal record of 124’ 5” and Brandon Vaughan is fourth with a vault of 13’ 6”. Although these athletes are the top of their class, they will have to perform their best to make the state meet.

Friday and Saturday will prove to be an exciting couple of days for all track athletes. Even if they don’t win at the district meet, athletes will have the opportunity to miss a day of school and compete with athletes from other schools. For most, the district meet will be the end of the season, but the best of the best will continue on. Those who don’t will always have next year to look forward to.

8:00-9:30 AM – Review and Study Session

9:30-11:00 AM – Period 5

12:00-1:30 PM – Period 7

1:30-3:00 PM – Review and Study Session

Wednesday, June 5th

8:00-9:30 AM – Review and Study Session

9:30-11:00 AM – Period 1

12:00-1:30 PM – Period 3

1:30-3:00 PM – Review and Study Session

Thursday, June 6th

8:00-9:30 AM – Review and Study Session

9:30-11:00 AM – Period 2

12:00-1:30 PM – Period 6

1:30-3:00 PM – Review and Study Session

Friday, June 7th

8:00-9:30 AM – Review and Study Session

9:30-11:00 AM – Period 4

The main character, Jack Dawson is a police officer for New York. When Jack sees the corpses of the two men he instantly thinks that the cause of death is supernatural. I found this unrealistic because cops have to look at the evidence and find a plausible cause of death. In the end he was right but because he knew this it made the story completely predictable. I’m not against supernatural theories but because it was his first thought I found it to upfront and blunt. If Koontz slowly introduced the idea of supernatural beings it would have added more to the story.

When Jack family becomes a target for the murderer the style of writing changes. There is much more dialogue and less description. I liked this better than the style before it kept you reading. You finally got inside the characters heads and could see the fear rising in Jack.

Darkfall was full of those suspenseful moments where people walk into a trap or are being chased . The book was so scary that I couldn’t read it in the dark. The description of each demon was bone-chillingly detailed, however some of the description took away from the story. The gory moments were a lot to handle because Koontz described them so clearly. You could picture every cut and gash because it was so descriptive.

The relationship between Jack and Rebecca, Jack’s assistant and love interest, gets confusing sometimes.They are complete opposites and argue, but then they start kissing and being all lovey. Throughout the novel, they are either at each others throats or making out. I find this confusing and irrelevant to the story itself. The book hinted that the duo had a deeper history but it was very vague and never explained fully, which also was confusing. The romance between Jack and Rebecca ruined the premise of the book. I wanted to read a horror/mystery but instead got romance.

Though the beginning of Darkfall is slow,  the pace quickens as the story progresses. At first, I thought that it was just going to be another “wannabe” horror book that might be a little scary. But I was wrong. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good scare and is open to some romance. But be warned: you might want to keep the lights on while you read.

In 1995, Mark started a small program that grew into Fresh Start.  “Fresh start has helped me as much as the kids. It’s given me confidence and purpose.” Mark will continue running fresh start alongside Mrs French and Mr. Chase. The new AHS co-presidents want to make more Fresh Start kinds of events. Mark says he plans to help out on those events, possibly as a consultant.

Once retired, he plans to go traveling abroad , run some businesses in Ashland and do more Fresh start Events. As a final wish, he wants to see the school still functioning well and people working together. It will be hard to say goodbye to Mark but, hopefully, we can use the skills and advice he taught us to get over this difficult farewell.

For some guys, Coach Hall is taking a team to Japan to play in the Pacific Rim Bowl once again. They won’t be doing any camps this summer, but Coach will keep the guys playing before season begins again in the fall. There isn’t anything scheduled for guys through the other sports here at the high school, but there are other ways. The YMCA usually has clubs that guys can get into and play throughout the summer and into the fall.

For girls, there is a summer basketball team that will be traveling to some summer tournaments. This will be during the first month of the summer, and then the girls get the rest of the summer to themselves. Volleyball will put two teams together to travel down to Anaheim and play in a large volleyball tournament there. The coaches will also be putting on a few camps for both high school girls and those wanting to start playing and who are already playing in middle school. Summer is also the time for softball to really kick in. High schools around the valley put ASA teams together to play local games, along with the possibility of traveling around the state and nation to play in tournaments. They may even have the chance to participate in college exposure tournaments and be seen by college coaches around the nation. There are plenty of camps to go with this sport as well, from colleges and even local high school camps.

For those who are looking for a way to continue playing their favorite sport(s), go and talk to your high school coaches and find out if they have any information. They may be able to direct you somewhere to continue activities throughout the summer.

 2. Study: This is one of the most important tools for success, second only to clothing choice. If you put in the time and energy the weekend before, it really takes a huge weight off your shoulders. When you feel that you know the information you’ll be tested on, you’re sure to be more confident strutting your stuff into the classroom.

3. Be fully rested and recharged: There’s nothing worse than falling asleep during a test because you were cramming late the night before. Do all your studying ahead of time so that you can get that beauty sleep and feel calm and collected the morning of your first test.

4. Budget your time well: Make a plan to study for the upcoming tests as they happen so that you’ll be on top of it. If it helps you, get a group of friends together that are all in the same class and quiz each other; after all, you can have some fun and not have to study all weekend.

5. Hope for the best and don’t panic: If you have done the best you could, then there’s no point in stressing until you get the results. Enjoy the few extra days you get off and just relax. Finals are over and life can go back to normal.

The preparations for this trip up north are being made. The drill team is practicing about three times a week and Janssens is spending as much time as she can preparing. For this kind of a trip, it’s all about making sure your horse is in shape and all your equipment is ready. These five individuals and their coach are really looking forward to this trip to the state tournament once again.

The toga, once common garb in ancient Rome, have now taken a new ethnic orientation at AHS. The misinterpreted garment is now paired with last weekend’s Prom theme, “Grecian Getaway”. This mistake crudely identifies the student body as ignorant and ethnocentric and underlines the obvious fact that our education is simply flawed.

If only the state dedicated more funds to its education budget so schools could include a greater Grecian lesson, we would not be in this awkward and embarrassing situation. In the end, this all comes back to the fault of the government and the taxpayer. Whereas the government has its own economic fallacies, the stubbornness of the taxpayer to sacrifice his or her share for the good of the country is absurd. In general, this mistake of the students at AHS is an obvious metaphor of the declining US education system.

As well as a flawed education, it is apparent that students at AHS are culturally indifferent. The most popular AP class at AHS is AP US History. On the opposite end is AP World History, with the least amount of students enrolled of any AP class. This is a clear statistic for the attitude of students at AHS, how a majority of the school would rather learn of their history rather than of others, contributing to more ignorance among citizens.

AHS is supposedly in the top 3 percent of public high schools in the nation, so why was this mistake made? Because as a nation we have failed. We have installed a egocentric ideal in the minds of our children and have not provided enough support to their education. This attitude we have is similar to before both world wars. We cannot risk to make this mistake again.

What is Pollen?

Weeds, trees, flowers, and plants release small reproductive cells that we call pollen. Pollen is small enough and light enough to be blown in the wind and carry for miles. Pollen is everywhere this time of year, it can even follow you inside!

The Facts

• One in seven Americans suffer from pollen allergies
• 75% of all pollen in the air comes from Ragweed
• Allergies tend to run in families. If a parent has allergies their child has a one in four chance of having the same allergy.
• There is a link between when someone is born and whether or not they have allergies. People born between January and May are more likely to have grass allergies.
• A sneeze can throw snot six feet in the air at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

• During the day, warm air currents take pollen high into the atmosphere. Once the sun goes down and the air cools down, pollen falls from the sky, creating a pollen shower late in the evening.

I hope that these few cool facts will miraculously cure your allergy symptoms, but most likely that will not be the case. Anyways, the allergy season will be over soon, so hang in there.

Sometimes it’s hard to to show your gratitude for your teachers. That’s why teacher appreciation week exists. The week of Monday, May 6 to Friday, May 10, is National Teacher Appreciation Week: a week dedicated to letting teachers know how thankful we are. For teacher appreciation week you could write a letter, give a hug, even say a simple “thank-you” to show your teachers you care; because they certainly do. To say thanks, Ashland High School leadership is planning projects and activities related to teacher appreciation week.

Leadership hasn’t yet decided what they are going to do for Teacher Appreciation Week, but in past years there have been many activities. In 2012, advisories wrote letters to teachers and Ashland High had  an assembly dedicated to the teachers. Other schools have had parades, gift card drives, and teacher appreciation luncheons.

Teacher Appreciation Week is a great cause, but it shouldn’t end on May 10. The appreciation and gratitude for teachers should continue through the end of the this school year and into the next. Teachers play the biggest role in the education system, so why not be thankful? Teacher Appreciation Week reminds students to be thankful so that our teachers can keep on teaching with enthusiasm.

The spring fashion show will include the creations of student work produced in the advanced fiber arts throughout the school year.

“The collection mostly consists of dresses and skirts, but this year we have two onesies!” designer Grace Geislinger spills. Student models will be wearing the garments made by the following designers: Holly Walden, Ella Smith, Bailey Robinson, Grace Geisslinger, Elizabeth Hearn, Savannah Johnson, Kreshana Belais-Baker, Paris Fox, and Aubrey Hassel.

“I am so excited to show off to the people of Ashland. I’ve put in a lot of time and effort into making garments for the show, I can’t wait to see my hard work pay off,” designer Robinson says. Knowing it was going to be a lot of work, Minor and Kosct started planning for the event starting in March. “Its been a long process, and at times stressful, but in the end I know it will be worth it,” Minor says optimistically. For the past decade the spring fashion show has been a successful, inspiring, and fun event for all ages. Come check it out, fashionistas!

If prom just isn’t for you, consider spending the whole day enjoying the outdoors.

The 2013 Ashland High School Prom is just around the corner, but not everyone is excited for the night of Saturday May 4.
For those who aren’t keen on dancing the night away in ancient Greece, here are some ideas to try instead.

1.Catch a show.
If the grecian theme still appeals to you, you could attend the theater. Theater is such a greek tradition that the words comedy, drama, and theater itself come from the greek language. The Shakespeare Festival currently has four shows listed for May 4. You could also take a more modern route, and check the showtimes at the local cinema.

2.Go out to eat.
Hungry? No need to buy a ticket into the dance just for the snacks. When food’s all you want, a restaurant is probably your best bet. Go out and enjoy your date’s company, or even just your own thoughts. Filling up on punch and cookies isn’t healthy anyway.

3.Read a good book.
Maybe staying out until late into the night is more excitement than you’d like. Stay at home then. Turn on your tableside lamp, and crack open a good book to pass the time. Whisk yourself away into the literary world and celebrate the way Socrates would have wanted.

4.Hang out with friends.
Do you want to see all your friends but not in a crowded hall filled with people and noise? Hold your own gathering! Whether it be board games, video games, movies, or just laughing with your buddies, go and have a night to remember without all the dresses and suits.

5.Go outdoors.
Tired of the city itself? Need a break from the school, downtown, and even your own neighborhood? Escape prom, and civilization as well by packing some gear and going out for a weekend in the woods. You can enjoy the fresh air and towering trees in person, and leave your school troubles behind for a couple of days.

For some people, prom is not a big deal. Not everybody has to enjoy dressing up and dancing. If you just enjoy solitude there’s nothing wrong with staying home with your thoughts.
So go ahead. Dance on your own, watch the stars, or even just go to bed early. We’re approaching the end of the year, everyone deserves a good break.

Q: First off, how did it feel to win last year?

Hanna:  It was completely surreal to win last year. Definitely was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and a great end to a great season

Vika: Yeah, getting to win together, as a team, made it even more special I think.

Q: After winning last year, what did you do to prepare during the off-season?

Hanna: We’ve been training really hard to maintain the level of play we need for state.

Vika: During the off season, we went to a group in Medford Tuesday through Thursday. We would also hit on the weekends every now and then. The work is definitely paying off. I think we both are playing a lot better than last year, in fact, we’re undefeated so far.

Q: What were your expectations coming into this season?

Vika: I think we both expected to get to state this year, our main goal is to win again as defending champs. We don’t expect it to be easy, but we’re gonna try our best.

Hanna: At this point, we just have to keep training and hope that we can play to the best of our ability.

Q: What would it mean to be back to back champions?

Hanna: it would mean that all of our hard work, during the high school season and off season, has paid off. Personally, it would be one of the highlights of my high school career, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.

Q: After already achieving so much in High School, are you looking to pursue Tennis after you graduate?

Hanna: Yeah I do plan on continuing to play. The schools I’m looking at are Division three, so that’s the current plan.

Vika: One Hundred percent. I’m hoping to play division one or two in college.

Thank you Vika and Hannah for sitting down with us, and good luck!