On January 10th 2025 the Polson High School swim team held their senior night at Mission Valley Aquatics. At the beginning of the meet, the team celebrated their three senior athletes: Joshua Reed, Dixie Montgomery, Lachlan Sloan, as well as the senior team manager:  Taylor Crick. These athletes are the first members of the swim team to have participated in the sport through all four years of high school. They have also all attended the state championship swim meet every year. Both Sloan and Reed helped the boys team achieve a second place trophy at state for the past two years. During their last home meet the boys team ended up placing first overall while the girls team placed third overall. Junior Teague McElwee placed first in the 200 meter individual medley and the 500 meter freestyle, sophomore Amelia Stene placed fourth in the 100 meter butterfly, and junior Grace Olson placed third in the 100 meter backstroke. Students from PHS attended the meet sporting tropical outfits in support of the swim team. The Booster Club and community-owned businesses, Oak’s Korean Kitchen and Bayside Riser helped put together a raffle basket for any student that attended the meet to attempt to win. In the end, PHS students helped give the team their first real student section at a swim meet. Freshman Brinley Ricks said, “It made the meet environment more positive. I really enjoyed having it because everyone came together to support us.” 

For the past couple of months TikTok has been about the only thing that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.  

On Saturday night TikTok went dark.  A message popped up on users' screens stating, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok now.  We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.” 

This message seems paradoxical to many Americans due to President Trump’s first term when he made little steps to ban TikTok.  In the recent months up to the election President Trump created an account on TikTok to “attract the youth voters.”  Trump quickly grew his following to 15 million surpassing his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris with her following at 9.2 million.  

On Sunday afternoon Americans were able to log back into TikTok.  The “welcome back” statement from TikTok read, “Thanks for your patience and support.  As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”

At Trump’s “Victory Rally” in DC the night before inauguration day, Trump said, “as of today, TikTok is back.  We frankly have no choice, we have to save it.”  Trump credits his mass following on TikTok to helping him win the youth vote by 36 points during the 2024 election, causing Trump to flip his opinion on TikTok and presumably give an executive order sometime today allowing the platform more time to divest, or work out a solution.

Momentum began to pick back up for the ban of the app in March 2023 when Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) introduced the SAFETY on Social Media Act.  The bill required a total divestiture of Tiktok’s parent company, ByteDance.  Cotton along with many other members of congress believe ByteDance is in cahoots with the Chinese Communist Party and is collecting Americans' data.  The bill first went to the house of representatives which passed undeniably with a vote of 352-65 with members of both parties voting for a ban. 

When the bill passed the house it made its way to the senate where senators had a hard time bringing it to the floor.  The bill was brought into a filibuster with a deal to send $95 million dollars to Ukraine as well.  The filibuster passed the senate with a overwhelming bipartisan vote of 79-18. After the bill was passed in both the house and the senate it was off to former President Biden’s desk to be signed.  After Biden’s signature TikTok appealed their ban to the United States Supreme Court.  

At SCOTUS, TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco argued three main reasons why a TikTok ban is unconstitutional.  His first and biggest argument was the first amendment right.  A ban on TikTok would censor multiple opinions on TikTok and also hurt over 7 million users who use the platform to make money.  Francisco also felt there was no valid reason to ban TikTok.  And lastly, the ban only applied to user-generated content, which is the algorithm TikTok uses and single handedly only is directed to TikTok.  After a lengthy hearing, last Friday SCOTUS unanimously voted to uphold the law, stating it is a divestiture of TikTok not a ban in the app itself.   

Opponents of the ban believe a ban of the platform hinders the first amendment right due to the immense number of Americans who have accounts on the platform.  Over 170 million American users are on the platform which makes about 60% of the population of the United States.  

As of this school year, the Polson High School Key Club has brand new advisors. Together, Carrie Lapierre, Stacey Ellis, Amanda Ramesar, and Lori Dickson help facilitate the club's meetings. In Key Club students are able to volunteer in their community and develop leadership skills. Recently, seven members of the club volunteered at the local Elks Lodge for preparation of their annual Thanksgiving feast accumulating over twelve hours of service. They helped with preparation for over 1,300 free meals for pick-up or delivery. In December, they spent three days setting and cleaning up for the annual winter dance Spree. Vice President Chloe Bowen said her most memorable moment was “the moon dangling from the ceiling, and how she almost banged her head.” The dance was successful with more than 200 attendees. In the near future they will host a blanket and towel drive during home basketball games so that they can donate them to the Mission Valley Animal Shelter.  

Kris Kelly, special education teacher, has begun a new way of building relationships within her classroom. On Tuesdays, during her 3rd, 6th and 7th period classes, she asks students to form a circle. This circle represents safety and an environment that is free of judgment and helps to build trust among students and teachers. Sophomore Rosie Edge shares her opinion on circle time, “That’s what I like about circle time. It gives you a chance to say what you want to say and also debrief your thoughts.” Within the circle, they dive into subjects consisting of school policies, feelings of adulting, and any other worries or thoughts they may have. Kelly, who has been learning about Indigenous culture while obtaining her masters degree, learned of native culture using circles to better understand themselves and those around them. This made her want to incorporate this into her students' lives. 

Residents of Jette Lake should be aware of wildlife activity in the area. Residents have spotted a Bobcat around Ridge View Circle, while bears frequently rummage through trash cans. To prevent this, keep trash can lids securely locked and store food indoors. Tobias Becker, a local in Jette Lake, says, “I saw a bear walking down the road near the mailbox. I’m glad I saw it because it was right on the road.”. A mountain lion has also been seen on properties, and three large bears recently tried to break into a garage. To protect your pets and home, avoid leaving pet food outside and secure garages and sheds with strong locks. If you spot a bear or mountain lion, make noise and slowly back away, never approaching the animals. Stay vigilant and take precautions to keep both yourself and your animals safe. 

On December 6, 2024, Polson had its annual Parade of Lights, parade. Although the parade had fewer floats than in past years with only 27 floats, it was still very successful in getting people out into the community. The Polson Parade committee puts on this parade every year. Joslyn Shackelford, one of the head coordinators of the parade, said, “The parade was cheery and bright and a great start to the Christmas season.” There are four categories for best float; Best of Parade, Best of Lights, Most Creative, and Most Humorous winners are chosen by the committee members. Parker Hendrickson, a junior at Polson High School won the best in the lights category for having the most lights.   

Residents of Jette Lake should be aware of wildlife activity in the area. Residents have spotted a Bobcat around Ridge View Circle, while bears frequently rummage through trash cans. To prevent this, keep trash can lids securely locked and store food indoors. Tobias Becker, a local in Jette Lake, says, “I saw a bear walking down the road near the mailbox. I’m glad I saw it because it was right on the road.”. A mountain lion has also been seen on properties, and three large bears recently tried to break into a garage. To protect your pets and home, avoid leaving pet food outside and secure garages and sheds with strong locks. If you spot a bear or mountain lion, make noise and slowly back away, never approaching the animals. Stay vigilant and take precautions to keep both yourself and your animals safe. 

Residents of Jette Lake should be aware of wildlife activity in the area. Residents have spotted a Bobcat around Ridge View Circle, while bears frequently rummage through trash cans. To prevent this, keep trash can lids securely locked and store food indoors. Tobias Becker, a local in Jette Lake, says, “I saw a bear walking down the road near the mailbox. I’m glad I saw it because it was right on the road.”. A mountain lion has also been seen on properties, and three large bears recently tried to break into a garage. To protect your pets and home, avoid leaving pet food outside and secure garages and sheds with strong locks. If you spot a bear or mountain lion, make noise and slowly back away, never approaching the animals. Stay vigilant and take precautions to keep both yourself and your animals safe.