Education Commons^™

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 44, Issue 01 - Fall, Lani Farley

Klipsun Magazine

Synergy has always fascinated me. The concept that two separate things, ideas or people can blend together and create something far more powerful than either one of the individual parts.

The concept can be seen as rather basic and easily understood, but I like to think of synergy as some sort of deeper, far more powerful occurrence than ourselves. Hidden elements blend together in unknown ways to produce something completely unique.

When things blend together they can have hidden repercussions and benefits. Something is as simple as blending a flying kite and surfing can lead to thrilling moments on the …

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 44, Issue 02 - Fall, Mindon Win

Klipsun Magazine

When I was growing up, my grandfather kept endless rows of boxes filled with National Geographic magazines along the far wall of his garage. Every time I would visit, I selected a box and meticulously combed through every page of the 20 or so issues before returning it and selecting another. I would stand in awe at his collection of cameras and look through the 92 years of history he had cataloged throughout his lifetime in photo albums that were curling at the edge of pages. My grandfather passed away several days before we began production of this magazine. I …

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 43, Issue 05 - Spring, Branden Griffith

Klipsun Magazine

I sometimes like to think of myself as clever. Yet I still find it nearly impossible to come up with a witty answer when asked, “If your house was burning down, what’s one thing would you save from the fire?”

Trying to imagine the walls ablaze around me, I close my eyes and scan the eternal mess that is my bedroom. My line of vision crosses my bike, heap of clothes in the corner, musical instruments and laptop, as I evaluate which of these things I wouldn’t be able to live without.

“Assuming my family is safe, I would throw …

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 43 Issue 06 - Spring, Lani Farley

Klipsun Magazine

I was always taught speed could be thought of as the rate at which an object covers distance. But my concept of speed has changed throughout the years. For me, it is about the progression of something or someone, the moments between the seconds.

However, I didn’t always see speed the way I do now. Growing up with an uncle named “Fast Mike”, who races cars professionally, speed was always about being the fastest. He would maneuver around the cones on the track in the blink of my eye, finishing first in a matter of seconds.

As I became older …

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 43, Issue 03 - Winter, Marissa Abruzzini

Klipsun Magazine

Viscous, egg-shaped blood cells encase spiraling strands of DNA, a drop of turquoise paint seeps through the spongy layers of a hand-painted portrait, and hundreds of dents are imprinted with black ink on a piece of paper.

These details, along with others, are missed because of their subtlety, but without these small pieces, the bigger picture wouldn’t exist. Even a simple chore such as typing on a computer involves a series of complex electric currents and muscle memory.

Many people don’t think about the in-depth mechanics of their computers as they rush to type up an essay the night before …

Klipsun Magazine, 2013, Volume 43, Issue 04 - Winter, Branden Griffith

Klipsun Magazine

Time to come clean. I’m afraid of flying. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this until the airplane I was on started taxiing down the runway, preparing to take me and my family to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland.

Heights are fine. I love to climb mountains, hike narrow cliffside trails, ride the glass elevators at the Space Needle and jump off unstable ledges into the lakes of Eastern Washington, but there is something about being unable to control my own rise and fall that gives me the willies.

What you are about to read chronicles stronger people than I. We …