![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 Mock Trial Team is off to compete on an international stage. The team left Oct. 18 for the Empire City Invitational, held in New York, N.Y. The competition began on Thursday for the Lions, when they scrimmaged opposing teams from Alabama and California.
“These scrimmages will probably give us a pretty good idea of how we will do, but we also never really know until we are in trial mode,” Camille Bradshaw, senior, said. “Our team has been practicing since August, and we are confident in our roles, but like any other sport, we have to wait and see how the other team is playing.”
Joining Bradshaw on the team are seven other senior girls. Ailish Duff, Elena Myre, Emily Axelrod, Tatianna Jungerman, Hannah Beth Gilbert, Carolyn Cruze and Katia Farnbach are all members of the team, led by head coach Matt Kellogg, social studies teacher.
West Linn will see teams from around the world; the Invitational has hosted teams from four different continents and six different countries. Along with the experience that comes with facing off against top notch competition, the team will also gain experience in another area, according to Bradshaw.
“Only a few of us have been to New York, so not only are we competing but we are taking a few days to explore the city as well,” she said.
The Empire City Invitational will run from yesterday to Sunday. Updates will come as they are reported.