Yakima Herald-Republic Unleashed

07/29/2025

Each year, a group of students from La Salle High School get to attend a Blackfeet Immersion experience in Montana. Unleashed's Jasper Holman was part of that trip earlier this year, and shares his responses -- as well as those of his fellow La Salle students from that trip -- in this article:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/la-salles-annual-blackfeet-immersion-visit-is-an-impactful-experience-for-students/article_8e6f86bb-daef-408c-a622-be72ad975422.html

Back in January, I went on a weeklong service immersion with some of my fellow members at La Salle High School to the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, Mont., located on the Blackfeet Reservation. Our school at Union Gap offers this visit for about a dozen La Salle students each year.

Our service there was to provide mentorship for the elementary and middle school kids attending that school, and to immerse ourselves in the culture of the Blackfeet Tribe.

This immersion really showed my peers a different culture and different struggles, specifically the struggles faced by American Indians on the Blackfeet reservation. This immersion was very informative and impactful for my fellow students who went on the trip.

I interviewed some of those who were part of that immersion trip to Montana. Here are some of their takeaways from that experience:

• Hallie Tunstall, 2025 La Salle senior: “This immersion made me more aware of how Native Americans are still a significant minority in America and how that’s not fair and not right. I also learned how Native American cultures are still very much alive, and that a lot of Native Americans on the Blackfeet Reservation are Catholic. Even though Catholic Churches had a negative impact on their culture, in [boarding] schools, but they don’t blame the religion.”

• Violet Bukowiec, 2025 La Salle senior: “I think I gained a lot more respect for the different people and different cultures around the world that I never really learned of before. And I feel I gained a lot of respect for the teachers and people around me that I never really recognized as much as I should have. I gained more respect for teachers, more respect for people, more respect for the world around me.”

• Vincent Santucci, 2025 La Salle senior: “The Blackfeet Immersion helped me realize the struggle kids come from, and just realizing that not everybody picks up on subjects the same way somebody else would in education. Another takeaway is when tutoring the students to be patient and to explain subjects in different ways until I found a method that clicked and worked. Also, I think our fellow La Sallian school functions well and smoothly, similarly to our school”

As for myself, I feel this trip last January was very significant. It was a very relatable experience to see American Indian culture and to exchange my own experiences with my culture with the people at the Blackfeet Reservation.

I think every one of my peers who went with me also were very impacted. The annual Blackfeet immersion experiences offered La Salle are very meaningful and informative for all who have taken part in these to learn more about education, other cultures, and our La Sallian values.

• Jasper Holman is an incoming junior at La Salle High School and is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation.

07/27/2025

The headline below says it all, so we're going to also say it right here: Congratulations, Reporter of the Year Carson VanEaton (East Valley School District #90) and Photographer of the Year Cameron Pelson (Selah High School)!

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/news/congratulations-to-unleasheds-reporter-and-photographer-of-the-year-honorees/article_6d72fd75-7010-4722-827f-a9f0fa40c146.html

Two recent high school graduates have earned some additional honors this past week from their senior year.

Carson VanEaton was named Unleashed's 2024-25 Reporter of the Year, while Cameron Pelson earned the title of the program's 2024-25 Photographer of the Year.

Both were among the high school students during Unleashed teen journalism program's annual awards meeting held July 21 at the Yakima Herald-Republic building.

VanEaton, a 2025 graduate of East Valley High School, generated a program-high 24 articles that appeared on the Unleashed page between July 2024 and June 2025. He also earned the award for Year's Best Story for his piece about the East Valley High School senior class water wars competition that was published on March 29. VanEaton has been a member of Unleashed for the past three years.

Pelson, a 2025 graduate of Selah High School, produced 16 photos that collectively appeared on the Unleashed print edition or web page between July 2024 and June 2025. He also won the award for Best Photo Feature for his pictorial essay of New York City that was published May 24. Pelson has been with the Unleashed team for the past two years.

Individual awards for all of the 2024-25 Unleashed team members will be posted in the coming weeks at the Yakima Herald-Republic Unleashed page.

Yakima Herald-Republic

Two recent high school graduates have earned some additional honors this past week from their senior year.

07/25/2025

Unleashed's Emily Madrigal from Highland School District 203 offers some insights into a 70-year-old short story that she thinks is worthy of your reading. As a bonus, her approach with this review is a pretty good piece of literature itself. (So mayyyybe you'll see Emily's article referenced again on here when we start up our posts about this year's Unleashed Award winners....!)

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/reviews/good-country-people-a-short-story-with-lasting-questions-about-kindness/article_fdf68917-9b61-4b50-afa3-f9662953f8f7.html

During high school, I had the opportunity to take a college-level class called introduction to literature. That class opened my eyes to the power of poetry and storytelling, the way words can carry layered meanings and leave readers searching for their own interpretation.

I was fascinated by how the emotions and experiences of others could become a form of art, allowing us to decode and connect with feelings that weren’t our own.

I don’t usually read for pleasure anymore, at least not since middle school. But some pieces of literature manage to stay with you.

One that stayed with me is Flannery O’Connor’s short story "Good Country People," which was published in 1955. Anyone who has read it will understand why. And for those who haven’t, I almost envy them as I wish I could read it again for the first time.

What spoke to me most in O'Connor's story was the character of Joy Hopewell, who sees herself as unlovable. She shuts out people before they have the chance to hurt her, building walls to protect herself from rejection. But then a man enters her life, seemingly offering the kind of attention and kindness she has long been without.

What follows is a powerful and unexpected ending that left a lasting impact on me. I felt deeply for Joy and for "Hulga," the name Joy gives herself and the person she believes herself to be. The story made me think about how important genuine kindness is and how often people can misuse it for their own gain.

O'Connor's story made me ask this question: How can people be expected to open up and shine when they’ve only ever seen kindness used as a tool, not as something sincere?

O’Connor doesn’t offer readers comfort. She offers truth. A harsh, but necessary one: That not all kindness is genuine, and not every heart is as open as it seems.

But in that discomfort, I found understanding. I’m not sure if literature can change a person completely, but it left me thinking. It left me wondering.

I still don’t fully understand how, or why someone would use their kindness as it's portrayed in "Good Country People." But maybe that’s the point. Maybe some stories stay with us because they don’t give us answers. They give us questions we’re still learning how to ask.

And that’s the beauty of literature to me.

• Emily Madrigal is a 2025 graduate of Highland High School.

07/24/2025

Unleashed Thereon Clements of A.C. Davis High School shares some information about recent discoveries of life-supporting conditions on a far-off planet called K2-18b:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/space-telescopes-data-shows-us-some-life-signaling-compounds-on-a-distant-planet/article_2263be2f-6b95-4cb9-ad05-00f12dae6017.html

Earlier this month, I learned that potential signs of life were discovered on an exoplanet called K2-18b, which is 120 light-years away from Earth.

This is a discovery that could reshape our understanding of life beyond Earth. Astronomers announced in April that, using the James Webb Space Telescope, they have found evidence pointing to an abundance of dimethyl sulfide, also known as DMS, on K2-18b.

The potential detection of DMS on that exoplanet is a particularly intriguing find. On Earth, DMS is only known to be produced by living organisms, primarily by some marine algae. Wikipedia calls DMS the most abundant biological compound emitted to our own plant's atmosphere.

K2-18b is an exoplanet that is more than twice the size of Earth and is located in the constellation Leo. The planet was discovered in 2015 by the Kepler space telescope, NASA's first planet-hunting mission. According to the NASA Exoplanet Archive, K2-18b has become a place of interest due to its size as well as its position within its star's habitable zone.

A NASA press release from September 2023 had earlier reported the presence of carbon-bearing molecules being found within the atmosphere of K2-18b. This discovery was part of an ongoing investigation into the planet's atmospheric composition and potential to support life.

Locating the carbon-bearing molecules on K2-18b was made through infrared spectroscopy. This method allows researchers to determine what gases are present in a planet's atmosphere by studying the way light passes through it.

As published in 2023 by The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a study led by Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge showed that data from the space telescope showed signatures of methane and carbon dioxide. These gases are often associated with organic processes, and are a possible but tentative signal for DMS.

As Madhusudhan wrote back in that 2023 article: "If confirmed, DMS would be the first biosignature detected on an exoplanet."

K2-18b is considered a “Hycean” planet, a term coined in 2021 by Madhusudhan and his team. It describes exoplanets that have hydrogen-rich atmospheres and possible sub-surface oceans, which make them compelling candidates for hosting microbial life. These planets are typically larger than Earth and may support temperate environments beneath dense cloud layers.

According to a 2021 study also led by Madhusudhan that was published in Vol. 918, Issue 1 of The Astrophysical Journal, Hycean worlds could significantly expand the range of planets considered potentially habitable. K2-18b orbits within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, where surface temperatures could support liquid water, a key requirement for life as we know it.

The presence of dimethyl sulfide on K2-18b would represent a historic milestone: the first potential biosignature detected on a planet outside our solar system. The discoveries made about K2-18b are renewing interest in studying exoplanets and pushing the boundaries of our search for life.

With advanced tools like the James Webb Space Telescope and future projects such as the European Extremely Large Telescope (which is expected to be completed in 2028 in Chile), the coming years may finally answer humanity’s age-old question:

Are we alone in the universe?

• Theron Clements is an incoming junior at Davis High School.

07/22/2025

We had another GREAT night on Monday during the presentation of the annual Unleashed Awards that recognized the best contributions by the students in our 2024-25 program! Then, afterwards, we took a group photo outside the Yakima Herald-Republic building with everybody who was there. (A special thank you to Maia's dad for snapping the photo!) Sometime during the next couple of weeks we'll start running some posts here of each student from 2024-25 and the awards they won. And ... mayyybe there's a chance you'll see a photo of our 2024-25 Reporter of the Year and our 2024-25 Photographer of the Year in this weekend's print edition of the newspaper! Pictured here from the back: Emily Madrigal (Highland School District 203), Jasper Holman (La Salle High School), Cameron Pelson (Selah High School), Carson VanEaton (East Valley School District #90), Mallory Keller (Selah School District), Annaka Yockey (Eisenhower High School) -- and, at bottom row -- Unleashed Awards host and otherwise program coordinator David Goehner, Ellie Suhm (Eisenhower High School), and Maia Pham (West Valley High School, Yakima).

07/21/2025

Mallory Keller of Selah High School (Selah School District) takes you on a hike to Colchuck Lake ... and offers some useful tips if you want to hit that trail yourself sometime:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/the-colchuck-lake-trail-a-physical-challenge-with-unforgettable-views/article_58546dd2-ea2c-4e65-b162-f587ea79af08.html

During the summer months, one of my favorite activities is to go hiking. Hiking provides a getaway from civilization, as well as breathtaking views of nature and landscapes.

During the first weekend of July, my family and I went on a hike to Colchuck Lake. I had seen parts of this hike on social media multiple times and decided it would be a worthwhile hike to partake in.

Getting to Colchuck Lake's trailhead involves a 13-mile drive southwest of Leavenworth that takes around 30 minutes. We woke up at the crack of dawn in order to reach the trailhead around 8:30 a.m., since it was a drive of a little more than two hours from Selah.

The challenging hike took us through the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest until we reached the blue waters of Colchuck Lake. The scene at our destination was even better in person than what I was expecting. Although this hike took up most of our day, the amazing views of the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks definitely made it worthwhile.

Here are some tips for an enjoyable hike to Colchuck Lake:

• The earlier the start, the better.

This hike was a total of 8.7 miles long and took my family and me roughly six hours to complete. In order to finish this hike within one day, and also have some time to spend at the lake, I would recommend starting the trek around 8 a.m. at the latest. An earlier start also helps avoid the afternoon heat during summer months. Lastly, parking spaces at the trailhead are limited, so make sure to beat the rush by getting there in the morning.

• Bring plenty of food and water.

Since this hike is so lengthy, it is crucial to bring more than enough water, as well as a full meal to eat to maintain good energy levels. My family and I were able to reach Colchuck Lake around noon, so we enjoyed a nice lunch surrounded by the water and mountain peaks.

• This trail is not for beginners.

If this is your first time hiking, I would recommend starting with an easier trail. Although the first mile of the Colchuck Lake Trail seems pretty mild, the trail becomes unclear, uneven, and extremely steep in some areas. So, if you enjoy a challenge, this hike is the one for you!

• Mallory Keller is an incoming senior at Selah High School.

During the summer months, one of my favorite activities is to go hiking. Hiking provides a getaway from civilization, as well as breathtaking views of nature and landscapes.

07/18/2025

Unleashed's Theron Clements introduces you to 2025 A.C. Davis High School graduate Alex Urbina, who's was in the auto collision program at YV-Tech and is now working with his dad at Original Auto Body Repair:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/news/recent-davis-grad-now-brings-his-skills-to-dads-automotive-body-repair-business/article_a74e141d-19a9-4878-a404-ea423d134b1e.html

Located in 613 N. Seventh Street in Yakima, Original Auto Body Repair is more than just a family-run shop. It’s a story of passion, hard work, and craftsmanship being shared by father and son.

Owned by Guillermo Urbina and operated alongside his son, Alex Urbina, the shop combines over 35 years of experience with fresh energy and vision for the future.

Alex, a 2025 graduate of Davis High School, got his start in the family business early, helping his dad in the shop when he was around 11 years old. What began with small tasks like removing parts and masking cars grew into a love for painting and full-body work.

“What really interests me is seeing what I can do with my hands,” Alex said. “Turning something broken into something beautiful, that’s what I love.”

During high school, Alex doubled down on his passion. He enrolled in the auto collision program at YV-Tech, where he gained deeper technical knowledge and hands-on experience. His dedication paid off during SkillsUSA competitions, where he placed fourth at regionals and second at state in his senior year, a major milestone that pushed him to keep improving.

Since then, Alex has worked on a range of projects, including a 2013 Ford Focus, a 2000 Honda Civic, and several RVs. His favorite so far has been a full restoration of a 1981 Dodge Ram.

“That truck was a challenge,” Alex recalled. “It was rusty and rough, but watching it turn into a head-turning piece of art was unforgettable.”

The foundation of the business was laid by Guillermo, who started working on cars when he was just 14 years old while living in Compton, California. After moving to Washington in 1981, he split his time between working the fields in the morning and fixing cars in the afternoon. By 1996, he had opened his own shop in Wapato, Original Auto Body.

Guillermo has worked on everything from muscle cars and lowriders to fiberglass RVs and boats. He’s mastered a range of painting techniques, from single-stage and dry coats to base coats and candy finishes like House of Kolor.

One of elder Urbina's most memorable projects was a full restoration of a 1969 Chevy short box, painted in a rich candy apple red.

For both Guillermo and Alex, auto body work is more than a job, it’s a form of expression. And the father and son's shared dedication is visible in every care that leaves the shop.

“To us, it’s like art,” Guillermo said. “Watching a project come together and seeing the customer’s reaction, it makes all the effort worth it.”

• Theron Clements is an incoming junior at Davis High School.

07/17/2025

Maia Pham of West Valley High School, Yakima (West Valley School District #208) takes you into the annual M.A.S.H. Camp that Pacific Northwest University presented during June 24-26 for youths who are interested in healthcare professions:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/attention-all-personnel-teens-explore-health-care-fields-at-pnwus-mash-camp/article_940daf1f-4ddd-4de8-a1a5-094f5b2f7336.html

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the annual M.A.S.H. Camp -- the MultiCare Academy for Students in Healthcare -- that was held at Pacific Northwest University during June 24 to 26. About 30 high school students attended through a competitive selection process for this free camp.

The experiences at M.A.S.H. Camp helped me explore my potential job interests in nursing through hands-on learning, plus it gave me the opportunity to shadow an actual health care worker at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital.

The three-day camp offered many unique experiences throughout. Some of the most memorable include learning about wound care, radiation therapy, and even the integration of virtual reality into health care education. We also got hands-on experience in suturing (and were even able to take our own suturing kit home) and stapling wounds, as well as in intubation on a medical dummy.

Professionals in the health care field also gave presentations on topics such as the benefits of working for MultiCare and medical jobs in the military.

On the second day, we were able to shadow a department of MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital to see firsthand what a day in the life of a health care worker entails. I was assigned to the pharmaceutical department, and all the workers we met were friendly and knowledgeable as we toured the office area and went on rounds.

The camp also included a career fair at the university, where we were able to meet professionals from different schools and organizations offering a path to health care careers. Though many of the students there were interested in careers such as nursing or being a physician, the camp's organizers made sure to help us explore other health care career options as well. As one example, were able to use a virtual reality machine that simulated drilling the cavity out of a tooth, allowing us to experience the field of dentistry.

At the end of the three days, a small ceremony was held during which we were able to graduate from the 2025 M.A.S.H. Camp with certificates of achievement.

Unfortunately, the experience is one time only for each attendee, since those who have already graduated are unable to participate again. However, to anyone looking for some summer experience, I would highly recommend it when this is offered again. M.A.S.H. Camp gave me a sense of direction and shaped the way I see my future.

• Maia Pham is an incoming junior at West Valley High School.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the annual M.A.S.H. Camp -- the MultiCare Academy for Students in Healthcare -- that was held at Pacific Northwest University during June 24

07/14/2025

Unleashed's Carson VanEaton takes a look back at the phone policies for high school students that were enacted at East Valley School District #90 this past school year:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/news/evhs-students-adjusted-to-changes-in-school-cell-phone-use-during-2024-25-school-year/article_6da2f264-6375-4b00-8c2b-39b614d014ae.html

Across many high schools, there’s an issue that is being addressed that would not have been much of an issue 20 years ago. That issue is the use of phones at school.

In the new age of social media, texting, and surfing the web, phone usage in the classroom has been a problem. Back during the 2023-24 school year at East Valley High School, students using phones in class was a regular occurrence. Whether or not to enforce the phone policy was at the teacher’s discretion.

But during 2024-25, a new policy was in effect.

East Valley’s Student Handbook says: “Electronic devices are never to be used during class time without the explicit, direct permission of the teacher.”

The high school established some consequences for phone usage. The consequences range from a warning to in-school suspension. During 2023-24, teachers were lenient with enforcement, but this past year became more strict. During the fall 2024 semester, 324 individual students had a referral for phone usage, resulting in 607 referral incidents overall.

With this policy and its consequences becoming routine, opinions from students have been fairly common recently.

Interviewed this past semester, 2025 East Valley senior class member Tucker Schuld said he believes people who use their phones in class can be a distraction from learning. He also believes there are downsides to the policy.

"People are finished with their work and therefore have nothing left to do while in class,” Schuld said. “In these situations, the cellphone policy actually harms people.”

Schuld added that, because of this policy, there’s one less reward for being done with work.

"If there's nothing to do, what's the problem with people using cellphones?” asked Shuld.

Jonathon Barney, a junior this past semester at East Valley, had a similar opinion to Schuld’s.

“I can see why the phone policy is there, to stop any distractions during class,” he said.

But Barney feels that the policy had some drawbacks, too.

“I think the phone policy can be bad because we need brain breaks from class after class back to back to back,” he said.

While the high school does permit phone use during passing periods, Barney believes more access to phones should be allowed.

Although many believe that phones can be a major distraction in the classroom, there’s still dispute over whether they shouldn’t be allowed at all at school. The new cellphone policy from this past school year may have seemed more noticeable to East Valley's students than during prior years.

But East Valley's students can still at least use the devices during certain times of the day when they don't impede learning. That's still quite a difference from some other high schools in the state that have banned the use of student cellphones entirely.

• Carson VanEaton is a 2025 graduate of East Valley High School.

Across many high schools, there’s an issue that is being addressed that would not have been much of an issue 20 years ago. That issue is the use of phones

07/08/2025

Unleashed's Clara Zeilman of Eisenhower High School offers some tips about taking your college tours this summer ... including having the right-for-you tour guide. Read on:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/taking-your-college-tour-consider-the-impact-of-having-the-right-tour-guide/article_6994cffd-a538-44da-ae00-b1029f86f660.html

As they approach their senior year, many high school students are currently exploring where they might be going to college after they graduate.

In this college search, going on tours of college campuses can be very helpful. These tours can help students figure out if the colleges they are interested in are a place where they can see themselves living and learning.

College tours generally involve a student from the college or university showing around a small group of people who are interested in applying to the school. Some of these schools have multiple students leading tours, which provides an option of who you might want to be directing your tour.

I find that this option works out well. The person you chose to lead will likely be someone with similar interests and who, therefore, has insight into the culture and studies you would likely be interested in.

In my recent experiences with college tours, I found that they can really affect the thoughts and feelings of the student toward the school. A very well done tour with someone who has similar interests to you will likely make you more excited about the school.

However, if the weather was bad, the tour guide wasn’t engaging, or the guide was focused on studies differing from your interests, you might feel more negatively about applying to the school. Because of this, the tour should not make or break your decision to apply. Take into consideration what made you feel negatively and then decide if this school could work.

Overall, college tours can be extremely helpful during a college search. Every college tour can be beneficial in either showing if it is the right fit or not.

• Clara Zeilman is an incoming senior at Eisenhower High School.

07/05/2025

Call this "Mr. Pelson Goes To Washington." Unleashed's Cameron Pelson of Selah High School offers a pictorial visit to our nation's capital for your 4th of July weekend...!

Continue the festivities of your Fourth of July weekend by taking a patriotic journey through some of the historic scenes in our nation's capital. Cameron Pelson, a 2025 graduate of

07/03/2025

Take a moment to enjoy this four-item photo gallery titled "Wildlife of Yakima County," as provided by Unleashed's Liam Tran of Highland School District 203:

https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/news/wildlife-of-yakima-county/article_d0887c45-11da-478e-ae36-ff86cc87f48a.htm

Click here to view this article from yakimaherald.com.