![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
“The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” is a long exciting story
The newest installment in the Hobbit trilogy delivers
Elves, dwarves, Orcs and most importantly hobbits are all the Middle earth creatures featured in the fan favorite “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.”
“The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” is the second prequel in The Hobbit trilogy. The movie starts where “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” left off with the dwarves’ and hobbit Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, taking a journey to reclaim the dwarves-destroyed city from the dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Much like any movie within the Lord of the Rings series, “The Hobbit” was at least 2 hours and 30 minutes long. It was a very condensed story but fortunately, nothing was too complex or hard to follow.
I enjoyed this Hobbit more than the first one because it was closer to the climax of the trilogy and introduced more elements and characters that connect to “Lord of the Rings.” The effects in the movie were ridiculous; every minute was an over-studioized scene of the New Zealand landscape or forest. Middle Earth is a fantasy world, but I doubt they have computer generated images. In one scene when the characters are floating down a river, the fancy camera cuts to one that looks like it was attached to a person going white water rafting.
Although some scenes were long and overdone, it was a really wonderful addition to the LOTR series. I really appreciated how it was a prequel and showed things that were in “Lord of the Rings.” It was a cute adventure story that featured a stellar cast. I give “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” an A-.
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While most high school students spend their free time hanging out with friends, Julia Mogen, senior, is out at concerts or the movie theater looking for...
