Oliver
by Diesel Messenger

Oliver Keeffe, a sophomore hockey player, is still unsure of the exact path he will take in life. He enjoys the outdoors. When he was little, he used to alpine ski, but he quit that to pursue hockey and has been playing for the last eleven years. “I like the challenge,” Oliver says. “Hockey helps me figure out things and pursue my goals. I’m really bad with people and hockey helps me with that.” He finds great pleasure in hockey and loves its physicality. However, he does not intend to fight, having already quit football because he finds it too rough. Oliver says, “The other day, we were playing with a pretty big team. I got hit and fell, bruising my ribs. It hurt, but then it kinda didn’t. Then, I got back and went and scored.” 

Oliver believes that happiness is more important than productivity, and says that school can be very deleterious to his mental health. Oliver says he might want to be a psychologist: “I’m really good at listening, except for in school; I like to see how people think and I’ve always thought about why they think that.” He seeks authentic passion and satisfaction in whatever job he chooses. At the moment, Oliver has a very abstract plan for his future, “I eventually want to go to college,” he says, “but right now I don’t really have an idea of exactly what I want to do.” 

Oliver feels very lucky to have the parents he has. “My mom works really hard and my dad does too. When I talk about something I want to do, they will help me in any way they can.” Oliver says that even when his family disagrees, they are good at moving past their fights. He says, “This morning, I said something to my dad I shouldn’t have said and I apologized over text and he said he didn’t even remember it.” Oliver also respects how his parents have transcended their own conflicted childhoods. He says, “My parents’ fathers were never really there for them. My mom never wanted that to happen to her children and even though she had that influence, she was never that way to me.” Oliver is passionate about improving himself, overcoming obstacles, sports and the outdoors. While he does not yet know where precisely he is heading, he has no shortage of motivation to do good in the world.

Gratification
by Sadie Berry

            Everyone wishes for the secret to happiness, but obtaining that goal is different for each person. Sophia Rire, a fifteen-year-old McCall sophomore, reveals what gives her the most sense of gratification. “One thing I look forward to the most,” she says, “is knowing in the future I will travel the world.”
Sophia’s proudest moment comes from having lived abroad. She reflects, “immersed in a different culture and completing school in Germany made me so proud of myself, feeling like I could do anything.” Sophia finds that starting and completing small goals makes her feel content too. She says, “even doing small things, like cleaning my room, brings me joy.” Discovering  hobbies plays a major role in enjoying life. “My favorite thing to do is read,” Sophie says. “It’s like watching a movie in your head that you can take anywhere. It feels like a little escape from reality.”
This year, organization has helped Sophie stay on top of her schoolwork, which allows her to do the hobbies she loves. “I’ve started making a checklist everyday,” she mentions. “This helps me stay on track because I know what to expect and what should be expected of me.” Organizing her life has helped Sophie not feel so much chaos and allows her to enjoy more of her hobbies. Happiness comes in many different forms; focusing on minor facets of each project makes every step more enjoyable for Sophia.

Post-Mortem
by Sophie Ririe

            “Has anyone heard of the Chernobyl accident?” Our 9th grade science teacher, Mr. Daniels, enthusiastically scans bored, blank faces. I shift in my seat, anxiously waiting for someone else to raise their hand. For a transient moment, an internal conflict makes me hesitate before slowly raising my own.
“Ah yes, go ahead, Sophie,” he nods. A few kids turn in their seats to glance back as I quickly think through what I want to say.
“Well, my mom was actually from Ukraine. She was a teenager when the accident happened and I’m pretty sure she was near it when the explosion occurred.” I clear my throat and Mr. Daniel’s surprised face encourages me to keep talking.
“She was telling me about it when I was younger. Apparently it was really bad and people who weren’t even near the accident suffered a lot. One of her friends lost a brother, maybe it was her uncle, to radiation poisoning,” I sink into my chair a little and Mr. Daniels begins asking questions, wondering what city she was in when it happened; if she herself had suffered any of the horrible consequences.
Suddenly, he says: “You know, I’d love to meet her. She sounds very interesting and that story is fascinating. It must be really amazing to hear her tell it.” I nod my head and smile.
The classroom is suddenly completely silent. All side conversations have died and the kids in my class look at me as if expecting something to explode. They expect me to react to Mr. Daniel’s mentioning my dead mom. I feel like bursting out laughing at the awkward situation, but choose to sink lower into my chair, my face burning.
Every once in a while, I meet another kid who has gone through a similar experience. I knew one guy who had lost his dad in an airplane crash and a girl whose parents both died in a car accident. One thing we all agree on is that we are comfortable talking about our experiences. They concur that people always tend to react the same way -- shocked faces and awkward stares -- which truly makes a conversation worse than the actual topic.
People’s general beliefs about what it must be like to lose a parent at a young age are completely inaccurate. Death is an awkward and uncomfortable topic, one that people think will cause insufferable pain whenever mentioned. However, adults do not realize that it is actually a topic I like to discuss; one that I often find humorous, especially after the countless hilariously-awkward experiences I have had discussing it.
When my mom first died, I remember talking to a friend about her memorial, which I was helping my family plan. I shared my inner thoughts: “Honestly, it’s so boring. I have to help organize all the guests and plan out what food is going to be served at what time and by whom.” I pause and smile, wanting to make a joke about how convenient it would’ve been for her to just not die and cause me all these horribly dull hardships.
“Wow. I’m so sorry. You must be so sad and tired, if you ever need help or just a shoulder to cry on please let me know. I’m always here for you, don’t forget that.” She looks at me with sorrowful eyes. I force myself to bite my tongue and nod sadly. She means well, but I can barely contain myself from bursting out laughing.
People generally never know how to react after someone’s parent dies. Of course, some kids do not like to share their stories and relive certain memories, but most are open to talking about their experience. It is best when others are comfortable and don’t avoid asking questions or laughing at dark jokes. Grief comes in many forms, and humor is one of them. When people try to talk to me about my mom’s death, I tend to feel uncomfortable because rather than listening to what I have to say, they try to interpret my feelings and emotions.
When the memorial was still being planned, I had a chance to have a long conversation with my aunt while we were cleaning and preparing for my family to visit. “So, how you’ve been?” she asked, the calm and easygoing tone in her voice immediately putting me at ease.
“Oh, I’ve been better,” I dragged out my sentence sarcastically, making her laugh. These types of conversations are very casual and normal, in contrast with the uptight avoidance that I usually encounter on this topic. It’s relieving when I can make jokes and laugh without feeling like I will offend someone or cause someone else to feel uncomfortable about how I am dealing with my own grief. Everyone has a different experience with pain. Although I can relate to other kids whose parents have died, I can never truly relate.

Hunters as Conservationists
by Tristen Stoll

“HEY KID! Don't you have to be with an adult? Don’t be so irresponsible and murder those animals!” Shocked, I whipped around to see a very angry lady as I carefully managed my shotgun barrel. “WATCH where you point that thing! You could have shot me dead right there! Where are your parents?”
“Sorry ma’am, I was watching my barrel.”
“Don't you ma’am me young man!” “I saw you shoot those innocent birds out of the sky! Is that even legal?”
“Oh yes, it's duck season right now.”
Walking away in rage, the lady screamed, “How heartless!”

          Hunters make up the majority of members in leading groups for wildlife management and animal conservation. Like the woman I encountered at the lake, many non-hunters believe that hunters are simply ruthless killers who just kill for pleasure and hobby. In fact, hunters would much rather see wildlife populations flourish, because a healthy population fuels the hunters like myself and others who hunt them.
         Hunters enjoy the ambient sounds of the woods and wildlife in natural environments. By creating and managing healthy habits, they get to keep hearing and living in the woods they enjoy. Many people do not realize how much of the environment that they love to listen to and walk through is created with the help of hunters. The National Deer Association (NDA) says, “We are hunters from all walks of life who share a passion for wild deer. We believe it is our responsibility to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. As the authority on all things deer, we blend the art of hunting with the science of management to create better deer and better deer hunting.”

Most ethical hunters kill to eat and enjoy the traditions of our past ways of hunter-gatherer mentality. “Many hunters enjoy the great outdoors while enjoying the past tradition of our forefathers,” reports an Idaho Fish and Game article on its official webpage. “We set the rules and they help manage our wildlife populations.” Hunters lead the cause in protecting wildlife because, without sustainable populations, hunters are left with nothing. 

Hunter-founded groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Ducks USA, Panthera, and the NDA preserve and expand wildlife habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife such as deer. Many people who enjoy the large populations of waterfowl, such as the woman at the lake, would be shocked to learn how hunters who manage and take care of the birds provide healthy, stable, ever-growing populations of waterfowl.

Following the ancient traditions of hunting, most hunters are taught that when they take care of Mother Nature and its animals, hunters will be rewarded with plentiful food. Hunters keep the cycle balanced, harvesting unhealthy populations, keeping predators in check, and restoring and even building new wildlife habitats for future generations.

Quack, phft phft phft. Ducks’ wings whistle overhead. Thin crisps of air stutter at each wing beats. Hundreds of duck loft into the pond. “Wow look at all those ducks!” a little girl says as her family watches thousands of migrating birds enter the area. I spot a sign:
                        Thanks to our Sponsors: Ducks Unlimited Inc.
       Wildlife management area since 2019, housing fifty-five thousand waterfowl

Endnotes:
https://www.ducks.org/
https://www.deerassociation.com