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The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

Ritika Khanal

Ritika Khanal, Co-Editor-In-Chief

Co-Editor-in-Chief Ritika Khanal is in her senior year of high school and is a fourth year staff member of the Hawkeye. This year, she hopes to broaden her skills as a journalist and help tell the stories of those in the community whose voices are rarely heard. Ritika aspires  to become a mentor to other Hawkeye staff and help them discover their talents and passions, just as former editors did for her. Under her leadership, she hopes that the publication will continue to shine as one of the best in the nation and state, while also making a positive impact on the MTHS community. In her free time, Ritika enjoys reading, playing the mandolin and talking to friends.

All content by Ritika Khanal
Senior Izrael Carbajal measures the roof overhang of one of the tiny houses being built by the carpentry class.

Carpentry class gives students the tools to create change

By Ritika Khanal
May 31, 2022

When Office of Public Instruction (OSPI) Superintendent Chris Reykdal imagined the new CTE pathways in action, he imagined classes in which students could work hands-on and develop...

The fork in the road

By Ritika Khanal
May 31, 2022

It was an ordinary September night, and the house was quiet. Through the thin wall separating my brother’s room from mine, I could hear his gentle snores as he slept, and outside,...

Reichenbach reminisces on his time student teaching at MTHS with Christopher Ellinger.

Student teacher spreads his wings

By Ritika Khanal
May 16, 2022

Two days before his student teaching tenure came to an end, Jake Reichenbach was on the floor, competing in a push-up contest with a student while his class looked on. Early...

Butterflies lead to discovery

By Ritika Khanal
April 21, 2022

I distinctly remember being told that we had just run through our last packet of Craisins. Yet there I was, three days into spring break, kneeling on the kitchen floor with piles...

Don’t judge a book by its cover

By Ritika Khanal
March 29, 2022

Hi there, Hawks. Welcome back to my little corner of randomness, where today, we’re talking about labels. Now, why labels? Because simply put, the world has too many of them. Ever...

Instagram accounts set bad precedent

By Ritika Khanal, Co-Editor In Chief
February 9, 2022

Today, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms among students, and in recent months, over 20 accounts have been created with the school’s name in front of...

No. really, I don’t want to feel your face

By Ritika Khanal, Co-Editor In Chief
February 9, 2022

Hey there, Hawks. First and foremost, congratulations! We have officially survived a semester like no other. I know it’s been a crazy year so far. Yet, here we are, one semester...

Creating gender-inclusive classrooms

Creating gender-inclusive classrooms

By Ritika Khanal
January 20, 2022

For several years, the Edmonds School District has made an effort to work towards creating a more inclusive culture across the district, in buildings and in classrooms. This effort...

The magic of gift giving

By Ritika Khanal
December 17, 2021

Hello there, MTHS. Welcome back to my little corner, where I ramble about one thing or another every month. Before I go any further, I want to wish each and every single one of...

District's internet filter blocks LGBTQIA+ resources for students

District’s internet filter blocks LGBTQIA+ resources for students

By Ritika Khanal
November 19, 2021

As senior Emma Kerani was preparing for a current events discussion in their ethnic studies class, they began looking up the safest schools for LGBTQIA+ students in the nation....

Terrace grad elected to school board

By Ritika Khanal
November 19, 2021

After serving on the Edmonds School District (ESD) board of directors for 16 years, director Anne McMurray announced that she would not seek reelection to her District two seat....

Little actions, large impacts

By Ritika Khanal
November 19, 2021

It feels like just yesterday when I walked into the doors of MTHS for the first time, wondering how long it was going to take before I was swallowed whole by a school so big and...

Inclusion must be the norm

By Ritika Khanal
October 25, 2021

Hello there, MTHS. It’s Ritika, and for this issue, we’re talking about self-awareness. But, before we go any further on the topic, I should mention that, just in case I haven’t...

FACSE and AP psychology instructor Kristin Deven is starting her first full year at Terrace.

From healing wounds to shaping minds

By Ritika Khanal
October 6, 2021

Kristin Deven wanted to be a nurse. At least, she thought she did. “So, Kristin, what do you want to do when you grow up?” people would ask. From the age of seven, she...

ReCONNECTing with freshmen post-COVID

ReCONNECTing with freshmen post-COVID

By Ritika Khanal
October 6, 2021

Another school year has begun, and while the flurry of nerves and excitement are similar to any other year, the circumstances are not. After over a year of isolation, routines...

Feeling heard and being heard

By Ritika Khanal
September 14, 2021

I’ll never forget the excitement coursing through me this last year as I sat and listened to “Avatar: The Last Airbender” on Netflix using audio description. A majority of...

Six classes taught over Zoom due to potential COVID-19 exposure

By Ritika Khanal
September 13, 2021

Students in six classes were told to stay home from school as a result of potential exposure to COVID-19 in their classes on Sunday, Sept. 12. This call came after the school was...

Inslee announces statewide mask mandate and vaccination requirements for educators

By Ritika Khanal
August 19, 2021

Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Wednesday that all Washington state residents five and up, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks indoors starting Aug. 23. Following...

Gov. Inslee to require K-12 schools to provide in-person instruction

By Ritika Khanal
March 12, 2021

All students in the state of Washington will return to a form of in-person instruction by mid-April of 2021, Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Friday, March 12. This proclamation comes...

A most unusual start

By Ritika Khanal
November 16, 2020

Normally, the start of a school year would be a flurry of activity, with freshmen figuring out how to navigate the transition between middle and high school,and others learning...

MTHS to follow six period schedule

MTHS to follow six period schedule

By Ritika Khanal, Co-Editor-in-Chief
September 2, 2020

Following a staff meeting, MTHS has chosen to continue following the six period schedule with 25 minutes designated to each period followed by a 15 minute advisory. Traditionally,...

Edmonds School District chooses model for 2020-2021 school year

Edmonds School District chooses model for 2020-2021 school year

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
July 9, 2020

The Edmonds School District (ESD) has chosen to move forward with the AA/BB hybrid model for the incoming 2020-2021 school year. Students will be divided into two groups, with...

A class of 2020 graduate pulls up to the school as they step out for their photo with principal Greg Schellenberg.

Class of 2020 participates in first virtual graduation

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
June 12, 2020

Nearly 300 members of the class of 2020 participated in the filming of MTHS’s first ever virtual graduation ceremony on June 3. In order to comply with the social distancing...

Counselors offer webinars helping families navigate COVID-19 challenges

Counselors offer webinars helping families navigate COVID-19 challenges

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
May 26, 2020

The Terrace counseling department will be hosting a webinar series starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27 to provide guidance for parents and students facing challenges due to...

District details plans for extended school closures

By Ritika Khanal and Nolan DeGarlais
March 16, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world and has resulted in over 4,000 confirmed cases in the United States, of which approximately 1,000 are located within Washington...

Former wrestler and Terrace alumnus Norm Buntting kneels on the wrestling mats in the Terraceum with his service dog Charlie. The pair are a common sight at wrestling matches, cheering on the current generation of competitors.

A Hawk grappler for the ages

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
March 10, 2020

Norm Buntting, a 1971 Terrace graduate, still deeply loves wrestling 49 years after his time representing the Hawks. In fact, at every MTHS wrestling match, he and his service...

Celebrating the healing power of music

Celebrating the healing power of music

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
March 10, 2020

I recently marked my 10th year of attending the Wintergrass Youth Academy at the Hyatt Hotel in Bellevue. The academy is part of the Wintergrass Festival, which is an annual bluegrass...

Terrace’s dynamic diamond duo

By Ritika Khanal, Op/Ed Editor
January 17, 2020

In 2009, two fierce, passionate and driven twin brothers graduated from MTHS. Though admittedly not always the best academic students throughout their time in high school, Ryan...

Reading the change you want to see in the world

By Ritika Khanal, Op-Ed Editor
December 26, 2019

From the minute I had each letter of the braille alphabet under my fingers, I wanted a book. Not merely a picture book or a short story, but a “big kid” book. So, I started...

Bailey shares his love of music

By Ritika Khanal, Op-Ed Editor
December 4, 2019

If any of his friends or family were looking for him, they might find MTHS graduate Luke Bailey on the roof, in a tree or climbing a balcony. The second oldest of nine children,...

Unique, circuitous road led principal to terrace

By Ritika Khanal, Op-Ed Editor
December 4, 2019

From Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, kids grow up reading about authoritative figures such as headmasters and principals. In...

Coach Sood talks to the Hawks men's basketball team during a time-out in the Terraceum during the 2015 season.

The teaching career meant to be

By Ritika Khanal
October 30, 2019

For business teacher and head men’s basketball coach Nalin Sood, it all began with a conversation he had in his twenties with his predecessor, coach Roger Ottmar. After graduating...

Supt. Kris McDuffy: One for the books

Supt. Kris McDuffy: One for the books

By Ritika Khanal
October 30, 2019

Dr. Kristine McDuffy, after 37 years involved in public education in Washington state, 17 of which were spent as a superintendent, announced in August that she would be retiring...

Hey, are those eyeballs real?

Hey, are those eyeballs real?

By Ritika Khanal
October 24, 2019

It all began in seventh grade, walking through the doors of Brier Terrace Middle School on that somewhat cloudy day. I was a nervous wreck, wondering how I was going to make it...

Brier Terrace Middle School placed under lockdown

By Ritika Khanal
October 7, 2019

On October 7 at around 1:45 p.m., the Edmonds School District announced that Brier Terrace Middle School was under a lockdown.  According to a letter from Assistant Superintendent...

Think before you speak

Think before you speak

By Ritika Khanal
September 9, 2019

On Sunday, July 28, I woke up to headlines of a shooting at a garlic festival in California that had killed three people and injured at least 12 more. After the Garlic festival...

Jacob Knight steals the show at Hot Java Cool Jazz with his surprise solo performance.

A new chapter begins

By Ritika Khanal, Op-Ed Editor
June 10, 2019

Throughout his four years of high school, senior Jacob Knight had the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of people, participate in an MTHS theater production of “Little...

The Big Bad Budget

By Nolan DeGarlais and Ritika Khanal
June 3, 2019

Facing a $17.7 million budget deficit for the upcoming school year, the Edmonds School District Board of Directors voted 3-2 to approve a cost-cutting budget that led to an equivalent...

With new technologies, freshman Ritika Khanal is able to type and use voiceover commands with more ease.

Life as a visually impaired student

By Ritika Khanal
March 27, 2019

Imagine one day, you wake up to find the world has been stripped of all color and shape. All you are left with is the light of day, the darkness of night and the outline of a person...

There's a sidewalk under that mound of snow, and it's a popular route for students. (Caption and photo courtesy of the Edmonds School District)

School district responds to “snowpocalypse” concerns

By Ritika Khanal and Annika Prom
February 13, 2019

The Edmonds School District (ESD) announced all schools and related programs will be closed Thursday, Feb. 14, due to unsafe weather conditions. This closure marks the ninth...

MTHS counselors Julianne Petterson, Brad Serka, Tanya Benvenuti and Allison Hong sit outside of the counseling center during lunch to talk with students about their academics and post-high school plans without appointments.

Options after MTHS

By Ritika Khanal, Hawkeye staff
November 20, 2018

Once high school begins, so does the conversation about a student’s future, and, of course, whether a student wants to attend college. For many people, the idea of college...

Being eco-friendly is not as deadly

Being eco-friendly is not as deadly

By Ritika Khanal, Hawkeye Staff
October 19, 2018

According to the U.S. National Park Service, 500 million plastic straws are used and thrown away nationally every single day and eventually find their way into our oceans, harming...

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