Brooke Wagner
Advisor Imagine building a dream home full of secret passageways, loft nets, and a cupola. In 2020, Asher Montaño, staff writer for The Bonneville Buzz, and his family decided to begin building their forever home. The family has experienced a multitude of highs and lows over the last four years, but the home is guaranteed to be the perfect place for their ever-evolving family. Having moved from place to place, the Montaño’s have had their fair share of homes and apartments; however, each never truly fit their needs. The family decided to build a new home because they have lived in a variety of places that “didn’t agree with them.” Whether they needed more space, more access, or more options, pre-built never felt like home. Carina Montaño, matriarch and building designer, struggled with the idea of living in a busy, bustling community that did not meet her farm-without-the-farm idea. Avoiding the cookie cutter housing edition lifestyle, the family felt that building was the best option. After inheriting a plot of land in Idaho Falls after the passing of his grandfather in 2020, Asher Montaño and his family broke ground and began building their forever home. Having spent the last four years on the project, the family hopes to finish in the near future. Fortunately, the new build has given the family more opportunities and freedom to each have their own space. There will be bedrooms for everyone, including multiple master bedrooms and bathrooms. Mother Montaño stated she “would not go small” with the build. The family also plans to build separate-entrance apartments to rent as passive income. Besides space for everyone, the new home will feature secret rooms and secret tunnels! The second-floor bedrooms will have passageways to connect the bedrooms, similar to a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. According to Asher Montaño, there will also be a slide and possibly a hammock. In his room, there will be a one-way mirror that opens to Mother Montaño’s bedroom, so she can easily “bug” him from the comfort of her own room. With plenty of square footage and custom characteristics, each Montaño member can create their own haven. Although he is excited for the move, one of the biggest things Montaño will miss is “the neighborhood.” Although living in a more remote, isolated area can be serene, he will miss the sociable aspects like being able to walk down the road to a friend’s house. Although the last four years have been full of excitement and execution, the family has faced a variety of challenges while building their new home. According to Asher Montaño, one of the biggest hurdles has been using lumber purchased from local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot. The wood warps much easier than traditional construction lumber. Besides construction concerns, the family has faced some community backlash regarding the project. Building a new home comes early mornings and late nights full of equipment and supplies being used; some neighbors have complained about the noise. Besides that, Asher Montaño noted that his mother has received significant feedback from some community members about the project. According to Montaño, when people “see a woman trying to build her house,” his mother is often greeted by unsolicited comments and unhelpful feedback. Having moved from place to place, the Montaño family knew exactly what their dream home needed to include. Although building a new home comes with its own challenges, the family has made plenty of new memories in the process. Asher Montaño, having learned plenty from this adventure, claims he now has the skills and knowledge to build his own home in the future, but he would rather “get a job that makes [him] more money.” Although he understands he can “do hard things,” he would rather let this build be a one-time event. Like building this house, when facing challenges, Asher Montaño’s words of encouragement were“[you] just gotta keep doin’ it.”
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Grisel Gonzalez
Editor Ashlynn Morgan, who participates in musical theater, choir, and the Bonneville Buzz, is a freshman at Bonneville High School. She expresses her desire to attend any college in Oregon near the ocean after graduating, but also states that staying in Idaho would be cheaper since it is in state and she would not have to drive as far to visit family. Attending college directly after graduating is her goal, as taking a gap year would not be beneficial for her because “[she] would want to keep taking year breaks.” To avoid falling into a gap-year cycle, Morgan has decided to study to become a couple’s therapist or a psychologist to help people with their mental health issues. If she were to pursue a career in therapy, she would be on the fence about staying in Idaho or moving somewhere like Oregon since she “hates the cold weather.” Although Morgan is unsure where she will end up, she is eager for new opportunities and exciting adventures. Morgan mentions that she is excited for college and her future because she wants to become more independent. She is looking forward to living on her own, buying her own food, and cleaning her own place. She does plan on keeping a job while attending college, as she says, “I’m probably just going to work at a random fast food place.” Morgan mentions that during the summer before college, she wants to spend her time camping and hanging out with friends as much as she can. Aside from her excitement, she is nervous about making her own food and states, “I’m not a good cook, not at all.” She talks about getting easily distracted and almost burning herself when using the oven. Hopefully Morgan will eventually learn how to cook in all her time spent in college. Morgan sees herself still attending college in five years. She mentions, “I’m not very sure how many years I’ll be in college for the job I want, but I know it’ll be more than four.” For Morgan’s specific career route, schooling can typically last seven to ten years. Morgan plans on getting ready for the many years of college ahead of her by “taking classes to prepare [herself] for college.” Classes Morgan might have to consider to become a therapist include Greek and Latin roots, lifespan development, abnormal psychology, statistics, anatomy and physiology. Morgan is thrilled to attend college to become more independent, experience new things, and meet new people. Although at times she may have her doubts, she has an amazing future ahead of her! Ash Merritt
Assistant Editor Laramee Minor is a high school student at Bonneville High School. She has three choices: go to college, find a job, or do both. Many seniors know what they want to do after high school, that includes Minor. Furthermore, students use high school habits after graduating and some know that they will use the habits and tasks before they graduate. Journeying from high school to become an adult can bring new experiences and opportunities. Laramee Minor expresses that high school “has taught [her] to persevere more than anything else. Minor has been taught in her schooling years that she can balance personal life, athletics and academics all at the same time which in her opinion are “definitely important skills to go off into the real world with.” One of the most important classes, according to Minor, was math because they taught her that she "can do things even if they're hard." Even though math classes were some of the most challenging, Minor expressed that those classes taught her beneficial skills for the workplace. Many seniors choose to pursue college to obtain their dream jobs. Minor does not have a specific college she wants to attend; however, some “dream schools would be Jacksonville University, Clemson University, Duke University, and Boston University.” When obtaining a degree, she would choose to pursue Journalism. Minor explains that she “love[s] writing and reading.” With the addition of she has “always known that that’s what [she has] wanted to pursue.” Including that she “would absolutely love to become some sort of journalist for something like the New York Times or Washington Post.” Minor might “own [a] blogging website.” She wants “something in the journalism News and Pop Culture world.” Minor plays lacrosse and is hoping to pursue lacrosse in college. She would prefer to “play Division 1 lacrosse” to be “able to end up at a college that [she] love[s] and play the sport that [she has] played for years, along with meeting new people.” Minor’s parents have “always been super supportive of [her] and [her] dreams;” however, she “know[s] that they would probably prefer for [her] to stay closer to home, but if [she] ultimately end[s] up choosing a school across the country they will support [her] no matter what.” Minor explains that she “really love[s] the East Coast” A few of her friends and people she is closest to live out on the East Coast. Minor adds that the possibility of moving somewhere else will be “a completely different place than Idaho so [she] think[s] [she] also would like to experience something new.” Minor expresses that her “best friend goes to college in Florida” she is hoping to end up somewhere near her. In short, high school students have three options after graduating, and they will pursue their passions and keep doing what they do best. Minor has sought out colleges to help with her plans to pursue journalism and lacrosse after high school. Minor knows that she writes well, and that she can be able to do what is needed to handle hard tasks that combat her in life later on. Elliot Kidd
Social Media Manager Baylie Kress, a long-running member of The Buzz Newspaper, is going off to college soon, these next few years. This is a farewell and good luck to Miss Kress. Miss Kress’ choice of college is Idaho State University(ISU) in Pocatello, Idaho. She plans to follow the footsteps of her brother and sister where they went to college, ISU. Due to the 53-minute drive down to Pocatello, Kress was [thinking about] driving down for school while still being at home. After discussing her possible plan with her parents, Kress decided to move to Pocatello full-time to avoid the commute. One of the major points her parents pointed out was her “gas money if [she] keep[s] driving down.” Her current plan is to stay in a door room on campus and have a roommate. Kress chose this college due to the fact she is still close to home while still being able to have her own space. Her college plan is to gain a major in elementary education. Her goal is to become a teacher, specifically for preschool/kindergarten. This goal will take a considerable amount of work. There are multiple parts of ISU teacher education courses. As ISU education focuses mostly on early childhood, elementary, special, and secondary education. However, college funding is no exception for Kress, ISU tuition ranges from $7,872 (in state) to $25,326 (out of state). Luckily, Kress lives in Idaho so it would be on the lower side. Kress was additionally thinking about taking a gap year to work for college. She is thinking of working in a “restaurant or somewhere close in town.” Kress's plan for taking the job is to pay for all of her tuition, without taking out a loan. Although, if life has other plans for Kress other than college. She plans to “just work and work” preferably at a daycare or restaurant. Kress believes the biggest challenge she has to face in college is “staying away from home and [school] work.” Mostly due to procrastination as any other high student deals with. Kress is taking a step forward in her future, so farewell and good luck to Kress on her journey at ISU! Eric Perez
Editor-in-Chief Emory Anderson, a student at Bonneville High School is prepping and preparing for her senior year. Anderson has taken many classes and put in tons of work to be where she is now. She has put in three years of work and has had many social interactions with students, and teachers who have all helped Anderson be an excellent student. A member of the Bonneville Buzz was given the honor of asking Anderson some questions about her post-graduation. After high school Anderson plans on going to college because “[she] kind of wants the experience.” She wants the full college experience, “living on campus, going to parties, and doing stuff [she] wouldn't normally do in high school.” Anderson is planning on attending college and wants to major in Law School, she has also had thoughts on Medical School. because those are “things [she’s] learned in high school” She has had experiences with law and medical things in her school life. Anderson took Debate and said it “would help [her] argue and there are some things that she is extremely interested in. Along with different science classes, they got her interested in medical school. Anderson prefers to go somewhere “In state because it's cheaper and I'm not about to spend that much money in college.” Her decision to stay in-state could help Anderson save quite a bit of money. She was asked how high school has prepared her and she mentioned that it has prepared her “with my math and prepare me for jobs in the future” With the preparation Anderson receives she can figure out the financial aspect of college. She has learned hard work ethics that will help push her through college. All the preparation Anderson receives has helped her in countless ways. Beyond academics, Anderson has been a part of the Bonneville Buzz for two years. Having found a passion for writing, she “Really enjoy[s] the class as [it is] the only class [she’s] stuck with for three trimesters.” Anderson has been attending Bonneville High School since her freshman year. Anderson believes that attending Bonneville has prepared her for the future because “It has given [her] the resources to help [her] in the future.” Some teachers at Boneville that she really likes are Mrs. Wagner, and Mrs. Aterburn of the English department. The last thing Anderson was asked was what her biggest challenge in life is. Her biggest challenge to her is “Getting my drivers license.” Anderson has had her permit for two years and just needs to go take the tests. She states “It's a struggle for [her].” because Anderson does not have the time. Anderson states she is “Procrastinating going and getting it.” She does not have time on the weekdays and her only time “is on Sundays'' when the DMV is closed. Anderson has many years ahead of her, and a bunch of options for her future. She has a solid plan for still being in high school, and has put in the work in highschool to have a good future in college. Lia Hendrix
Staff Writer High school is a time that is filled with memorable moments, new opportunities, and personal growth. Aaliyah Garcia, a sophomore at Bonneville High School, was interviewed about her experience at Bonneville High School. Garcia loves going to football games and assemblies. She commented, “They’re really nice and they get us out of class.” She enjoys seeing people playing games and participating in activities that Hope Squad or Student Council has planned. Garcia additionally loves the football season because she loves all the school spirit and energy. She looks forward to going to all the games she can with her friends next season. Her friends play a massive part in her high school experience. She stated she loves her friends because they influence her to come to school everyday and get her to improve her grades so she can hang out with them more often. She also loves different spirit weeks too. She enjoys how she can go around with her friends and do all the different activities, like getting ice cream or getting fake tattoos. Beyond enjoying everyday high school life, one of her goals is to graduate with some college courses already finished. While she is currently unsure which career path to choose, Garcia is looking forward to exploring her options and choosing beneficial classes. Despite that, one of her favorite classes is Reading for Enjoyment, she never has time for reading at home. She finds it relaxing to have a class where she can just focus on reading. Besides her favorite classes, Garcia also has had some teachers who have helped her along the way and prepared her for life after high school. One of her favorite teachers at Bonneville has been Mrs. Joyner. She commented that Joyner was the first teacher that “actually helped [her] understand math,” by making fun little games or sayings to go with the equations. She additionally helped as a teacher’s aid for Joyner in 8th grade a couple of times and wants to do it again in highschool. A teacher’s aid is a student who helps teachers grade papers and just help the teachers in whatever they need. She loves how Joyner is so friendly and nice. One of the hardest things for Garcia is when she procrastinates. Garcia is a hardworking student with good grades; however, like many other students, sometimes when she procrastinates, the work gets harder. Throughout the trimester,“even though [she] procrastinate[s] … [she] still [has] good grades.” Garcia has had an incredible high school experience so far and can not wait to have more amazing experiences and opportunities. Emory Anderson
Staff writer Eric Perez, known to some as Ed or Chimi, is a senior at Bonneville High School (BHS) and a member of the Bonneville Buzz was interviewed about his time playing tennis. He has been in Journalism since his freshman year. He is currently on the school's varsity tennis team. He currently plays doubles with Gael Narcizo, another senior on the Varsity team.He has been playing tennis since his freshman year of high school, and before that he played football during his freshman year. BHS has an assortment of extracurricular sports to choose from, and one of those activities is tennis. The school's tennis team is made up of 47 individuals that build two groups: junior varsity and varsity. The school's varsity team is mostly made up of juniors and seniors. Perez did not really have an interest in playing tennis until he talked to one of friends. His friend talked to him about trying out for tennis as a spring sport, which was not something that Perez had ever considered before. This is a sport the Perez did not have an interest in, but now he “feels like tennis is an extremely fun sport that could be play[ed] for [a long time]” While first starting to play tennis, one of the biggest challenges to overcome was "the learning curve." According to Perez, he struggled with hitting the ball too hard and only aiming to get it over the net. Once Perez learned how hard to hit the ball, he was able to work on ball placement, which is when someone has control over what part of the court the ball lands on. One thing Perez does for his ball placement is he switches which side of the court he serves to. He does that as a way to confuse the opponents on where he is planning to hit the ball next. During his time playing tennis, Perez has found two players to look up to: Roger Fedrerer and Serena Williams. Williams has won more grand slam titles (23) than any other man or woman during the open era and went pro in 1995 when she was 14. Federer has a record for 20 grand slam titles in singles and became Switzerland's junior champion at 14 in 1998. These individuals have both numerous awards in both singles and doubles and have both won gold at the olympics playing doubles tennis. Eric Perez is a senior on the BHS tennis varsity team and has been since his freshman year. Tennis is a sport that according to Perez could be played past the high school level. Tennis is a sport that can give people to look up to and be able to look up to. Perez is graduating soon and will take the world by storm. Eden McIsaac
Staff Writer Allyson Wilson, a staff member of The Bonneville Buzz, is a freshman on the basketball team at Bonneville High School (BHS) during the winter season. She plays post, a defensive position, on the basketball team. Although this year is Wilson's first season with the team, she has already created enough memories to last a lifetime. Wilson joined the BHS basketball team because she was inspired by her best friend as she watched her play in basketball games. Wilson decided to try basketball, mainly since it looked enjoyable when her friend played. Wilson remarked that this was her first year playing; before this year, she never had any interest in playing basketball. She additionally commented that she has enjoyed the season, learned many things, and gained more teamwork skills. Before stepping on the court, Wilson “would write a different quote on the whiteboard before every game.” The quotes were to encourage the girls before the games. Wilson further mentioned that her team's word for the season is “fight” because it encourages the girls to give it their all throughout the season. The only position that Wilson has played in basketball is post. Wilson states that posts are not a huge part; however, they are still important. The post is in charge of trying to capture the ball and shooting the ball if possible. The hardest opponent Wilson team faced this year was Rigby. Wilson mentioned that they were better at shooting, their players were faster than BHS players, and their defense had better coordination. During the 2023-2024 basketball season "they did not have a full team." Sometimes JV players were moved to join the freshman team. In total, Wilson's team had 11 girls, three girls played in the defense position, and the rest played offense. Wilson’s team had several bonding activities over the season including dinner and hanging out. She mentioned that the team often ate at Pizza Pie Cafe after their games. Another team bonding activity that the team did was they went over to one of the player's houses and relaxed in a hot tub. Wilson and her team often listen to music before their games. Wilson mentioned, "The music is not provided by the school." If the team wants to listen to music, they need to bring their own. Wilson’s teammates usually bring speakers to the games, to listen to music. The team listens to rap or Fortnite music to pump the team up for the game. Another question asked to Wilson was what has been the biggest improvement this season for herself and her team. Wilson’s biggest improvement this season was her mindset, as well as her speed. The team improved on communication and signals by watching how each player moves. The team feels like a family because they “know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” The team additionally worked on maintaining “the winner mindset” to maintain optimism. Baylie Kress
Staff writer One of Bonneville High School’s many art students, Elliot Kidd, is a junior at Bonneville High School. She is a staff writer and Social Media Manager for The Bonneville Buzz. In middle school, Kidd did not take art because she was told that the teacher was too intense; however, her experience in high school has been far different. When it was kidd’s freshman year, there was a display of different students’ art that they did in the commons of the school. Kidd met Mr. Jason Coles, one of Bonnville’s art teachers. Mr. Coles encouraged Kidd to try out his art class because he knew she would enjoy the class, and he thought it would be beneficial for her. When Kidd started art class, she said Mr. Coles was very chill and he joked with the other students while they were doing their project and being productive. Along with keeping class excited and engaged with humor, Mr. Coles also taught the class how to use a variety of methods and tools. The tools that kidd used in art class were brushes, kneaded erasers, pens, pencils, sketchbooks and paint and oils. Some of her preferred tools are pencils. Mostly as it is used in the beginning of art to draw while later on they use it more than they use paint brushes. If she was on island by herself and she can only bring 2 times that she would bring on a backpack that is empty and she wants to bring something home from island and that is very awesome from the island and then kidd would also bring a pencil and notebook so she can doodle on it if she was board. If she had any plans for after high school she doesn't know yet she said she was probably going to work and practice more of her art at home. Ashlynn Morgan
Staff Writer Grisel Gonzalez was interviewed about what she wants to do after high school. Gonzalez is a sophomore at Bonneville High School, and she has been a member of The Bonneville Buzz for (how long). She used to play soccer, specifically in a soccer club team called PFC (Palacios Football Club). After high school, one of her goals is “to become an X-ray tech.” An X-ray technician, or radiologic technologist, is someone that performs medical exams using X-rays on patients to create a specific image of a part of the body. These images are often used to monitor a disease or a diagnosis. Gonzalez acknowledged her mom was the one who inspired her to aim for this job. Before settling down, getting married, and having children, Gonzalez’ mother wanted to become a traveling radiologic technologist, but then she got married and was not really able to travel. Because Gonzalez's mom did not have that opportunity, she wants her daughter to have that. Gonzalez was asked if she was planning on getting married and having kids. She said she is planning on getting married, but it will be later in her life so she can fulfill her mom's dream. To help prepare for her education, Gonzalez is taking many dual credit classes, so she “can have those core classes finished” by the time she starts her freshman year of college. She is currently taking dual credit communications. Next year she is planning on taking college writing and dual credit history. These can prepare her by getting more college credits done so she can graduate college faster. Beyond choosing specific classes, Gonzalez is also planning how to pay for her education. She is planning on getting a job where she can, but she would prefer a job at Orange Leaf because “it's a cute job.” Although Gonzalez has a few schools in mind, she is still unsure where she will end up for school. She is considering the College of Eastern Idaho because some of her friends are planning on attending there, but she is leaning towards Idaho State University. If she had the opportunity to go to any college, she would want to attend New York University. In the end, Gonzalez is planning on staying in Idaho because it will be cheaper than going somewhere out of state. Grisel Gonzalez is a sophomore at Bonneville High School who is preparing for college at College of Eastern Idaho or, hopefully, her dream college, New York University. There she can fulfill her mom's dream of becoming a traveling radiologic technologist. Wherever she ends up, The Bonneville Buzz wishes her a successful and optimistic future. |
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