The best Christmas present ever

By STACI GOHL
WEST VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
This Christmas rivaled all other Christmases.
That’s because I got something I had been asking for more than a year. I got a Gibson Les Paul.
Now it’s only a Studio and not a Standard or Custom, but it’s still a Les Paul. And it sounds great.
I wasn’t really expecting to get anything too exciting this year, but I still joked around with my mom, asking her to buy me a guitar.
I didn’t think she was serious, but she listened to me go on and on about this guitar. We looked on the Internet, and I found one on eBay that I kept going back to.
It was wine red with chrome hardware, just like I had wanted, and in excellent condition. While I was away, my mom put a bid on it. My parents and I had worked out a deal that they would pay for half, and I would come up with the rest.
Naturally, I was wary of buying a guitar on the Internet without even playing it, but the deed was done. My mom was corresponding with the seller, and he was more than helpful. I was impressed, and I knew I was going to get a quality guitar.
He sent me an mp3 of a song he wrote, produced and recorded on my guitar. I’m picky when it comes to music; I know what I like and what I don’t. His work was quality. His voice was easy to listen to, and I could tell he loved making music.
We talked to him on the phone, and he answered all of my questions. He told me a little about his family and his 3-week-old son. I was definitely sold.
There was no way I was going to let someone else outbid us, so I made sure to keep close tabs on the online auction. When we won, I was ecstatic. I called all of my friends who play guitar. They seemed just as happy as I was.
The guitar arrived via UPS in mid-December. My mom let me check it to make sure it was in top condition, then took it away until Christmas.
But I was too excited. From that day, I’d been sneaking my guitar out of its hiding place in the closet while my parents were gone and playing it loud. I was hooked.
Every morning since Christmas, I’ve woken up and looked at my guitar and thought about how much I love it. It’s absolutely wonderful the way the light reflects off those classic curves.
I plan on giving it a name, but I’m waiting for it choose its own. The previous owner called it Red, but I’m not sure that fits something so aesthetically pleasing.
I’ve been playing guitar for three years almost exactly now. I actually got my first guitar three years ago for Christmas. I took lessons from Joe Browning at Taylor Music for about two of those years. He always said he could see me playing for the rest of my life, and I hope he’s right.
I plan on playing this guitar for a long time.

— Staci Gohl is doing a job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic as part of her senior project. She attends West Valley High School.

Staci hearts punk

By STACI GOHL

WEST VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

It may be beaten, bloody and bruised lying in a gutter, but surely punk rock isn’t dead.
At least, it isn’t dead to me.
It’s loud and aggressive and offensive, and to me it’s one of the most important things in the world.
Punk isn’t just about running around without any direction causing trouble. It means much more than that. It’s a sense of community and a sense of freedom.
A drum kit, bass and electric guitar is all you need. Well, that and a singer, who can or can’t sing — it doesn’t matter.
There’s an alluring quality in the simplicity. It is raw emotion, and I can feel it every time I play one of my favorite records, like “Energy” by Operation Ivy, “Lower Class Crucifixion” by the Unseen, and “Let’s Go” by Rancid.
It’s an expression. That’s why it’s so wonderful.
Here, the rules of everyday life don’t apply. Just like in the song “Radio” by Rancid: “When I got the music, I got a place to go.”
Punk is a place to run from the stress and frustration of everyday life and the growing obsession with celebrity. Here, there are like-minded people, who may not always have the same opinion, but still respect the right to think for yourself.
There is a sense of camaraderie among these people, people who understand each other, even when the rest of the world doesn’t. Punk is a place to call home.
It’s about standing up for yourself and speaking up when you see something you don’t agree with. It’s a sense of confidence and a motivation and a source of inspiration. Punk is a way to overcome.
And while apathy and the use of drugs and alcohol are closely associated with the punk-rock lifestyle, that’s not what it’s about. It’s not a fashion statement. Punk is a state of mind. One of openness and acceptance. One of breaking the rules. One of out-of-the-box thinking.
Although many people claim to be punk or whatnot, those claims are not something I usually pay much heed to. True punk rockers know that at the end of the day, it’s not about the label, it’s about being at peace with yourself knowing you’ve stayed true. Which definitely isn’t always easy. Punk takes work.
Past all the talk about what punk is or isn’t and all the elitist and trendy kids, the heart of rebellion lies. There are times when I sometimes get lost in all the talk, but there are moments where I am reminded why I fell in love with it in the first place. And those moments are beautiful. They’re what keep me coming back for more.
Punk will always have my heart.

• Staci Gohl is doing a job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic as part of her senior project. She attends West Valley High School.

Job shadow gives behind-the-scenes look at jobs in journalism

By STACI GOHL

WEST VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Beginning sophomore year, students are bombarded with stories about the infamous “senior project.”
These are long-term, very involved projects that students must complete in order to graduate.
And now, for my class, the Class of 2009, it’s our turn to grapple with them.
This column is part of my project.
I chose to do an extended job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic with Adriana Janovich, reporter and Unleashed coordinator.
To be honest, I really didn’t know what to do, so I kind of just chose something. I knew I was a decent writer, so I just went with it, and in the end I learned more than I ever thought I would.
The following is a journal of the 20 hours I logged.
• Oct. 10, 2008 — This was my first meeting with my mentor. When I arrived, she briefed me on the code of ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists and how the newspaper and her job work in general.
We talked about the First Amendment and what it means to a journalist. She showed me around the newsroom and then we set out on my first interview. I didn’t really know what to expect at all.
We pulled up to Yakima New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Terrace Heights and walked in.
Adriana proceeded to interview the pastor and church secretary who were both organizing an outreach program to feed the homeless and hungry in Yakima. I got my first taste of reporting. This was an easy transition into something I’d never done before.
• Oct. 18, 2008 — During this meeting, Adriana and I went to the fourth annual Wapato Tamale Festival, where she interviewed some of the vendors, coordinators and others participating in the event.
This was decidedly more fun than our previous meeting. The people were friendly and the conversation was a little more light-hearted. Once we arrived back at the newspaper, she began writing the piece for the next day’s newspaper. She had me copy the tamale recipe for the newspaper’s Web site, and we did some obituary writing as well. This was really my first view into the process of how an interview becomes a story and the craft that is present behind it.
• Oct. 23, 2008 — This interview was especially entertaining. We went to the Yakima’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 289 to do an interview and tour the building. The people we interviewed were eager to talk to us and show us around. It showed the kind of people you might meet while working in this profession, which could really be just about anyone.
• Nov. 11, 2008 — This time I met Adriana at West Valley Church of the Nazarene. She was interviewing a pastor who was retiring from his church to go do other things. This was another in-depth look at how to properly interview someone and the kinds of questions to ask. This interview was a bit long — an hour and a half — but it was a good learning experience.
• Nov. 19, 2008 — I went to an Unleashed meeting where I got a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper’s teen program. Herald-Republic city editor Craig Troianello talked to us about his job and what he does. I sat through the meeting just like any member of the Unleashed team would, and I got to be around some other high school kids who are interested in journalism.
• Dec. 17, 2008 — Today was another Unleashed meeting. This time, I saw a presentation on photojournalism and learned a bit more about it and how it can be done. Sara Gettys, a Herald-Republic photographer and the Unleashed photo mentor, explained the importance of multi-media in the changing times and how newspapers must stay relevant by utilizing this trend.
This was a very sobering experience because most of the media she showed us was actually very heavy and depressing. She showed us photo projects on a dying man, the mentally ill in prison, and residents of a mobile home park that was going to be developed. At the end of her presentation, everyone was quiet and no one was quick to break the blanket of silence that lay over the room.
• Dec. 29, 2008 — Closing in on the end of my project, this was one of my last meetings with Adriana. I talked with Herald-Republic photographer Kris Holland and watched him upload the pictures he just captured in the field. The top story was the weather, and he showed me photos of a man shoveling snow and kids jumping into snow piles. I also watched him choose one and pull up an archive photo for another story on a wrecking yard in the Lower Valley.
At 2:45 p.m., I sat through the daily budget meeting, where I got to see how editors choose stories for the daily paper. They talked a lot about story and photo placement.
The rest of my time was spent in front of a computer writing this column.
Overall, as far as I can tell, the whole senior project hype is just that, hype. I don’t know about other students, but I found out that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it really has been a stretch in learning, which is the purpose of the cumulative project.
Looking back, I’ve gained some experiences I would have probably never had. I’m going to get to see my writing in print. I’ve been forced to go out and talk to people I would have never dreamed of talking to. Even though I don’t really see myself with a burning passion to pursue this profession as a career, I would definitely say I’m satisfied with my project and have enjoyed the ride.

— Staci Gohl is a senior at West Valley High School. She is completing a job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic for her senior project.