February 12, 2009
See “Memoirs of a
www.roguenews.net
Ashland, Oregon
Vol. III Issue V
Gymnasium” p. 6
Teaching business skills to students The Transition Center’s Spice of Life program sells spice packets to business around town and teaches job skills. by Michael Deckleman
Photo by Phoebe Parker-Shames
Siobhan Carolan and Magdala Grahm help create spice packets.
Have you been looking for just the right flavor for your special upcoming dinner occasion? If so, look for Spice of Life packets made in our very own Ashland High School Transition Center. PRISM (Products by Responsible Independent Student Managers) Enterprises is sponsoring this program, which is the first student run business to come out of the Transition Center. Students are working hard mixing, packaging and selling a variety of spice packets to practice banking and other financial skills, as well as earning community service hours. The packets are being sold in local food stores around Ashland as well as at school. “We just got up and running the week before Christmas, so we’ve mostly just been selling to friends,” Kate Sullivan, the Transition Center teacher said. The packets can be purchased at Safeway, Shop N’ Kart and the Transition Center in TH-15. Over 50 packets have been sold so far. The students themselves are completely immersed in the business. They selected the
name, filled out a resume, conducted a job interview and trained for whatever task they were to perform. Some of these jobs are folding and applying labels, mixing the ingredients and filling the packets. “They really like the whole assembly line of putting the product together,” Sullivan commented. Although the students won’t be receiving their first paycheck until March 3, they are to be using a “SOS” budgeting system, adapted from a similar business run in Pheonix High School. The students will be putting 40 percent of the profits into a savings account, which is the first “S”, 10 percent into gifts for other classmates, so the “O” is for other, and 50 percent directly to the student, the second “S”, “This is a good way for the kids to learn about life outside the classroom,” Luna Bitzer, another Transition Center teacher said. Mexican and curry seasonings have been the most popular so far and the spices have complimented meals as far away as Boston. The students in the Transition Center soon hope to be supplying local restaurants and SOU. They plan to continue this project See Spice on page 3
AHS musicians honored at State Nine dedicated artists accepted to competitive OMEA All-State Conference by Phoebe Parker-Shames On January 16 through 18, nine Ashland High School music students were rewarded for their exceptional talent when they attended Oregon Music Educators Association All-State Conference. The students, who were selected on the basis of recorded auditions, spent three days in Eugene learning new musical pieces alongside peers from across the state in their various musical areas. “They’re in rehearsal the whole time,” Band Director Jon Soderburg-Chase said. “And they put together some really complicated songs with world-renowned instructors.” To finish off the weekend, the different bands, orchestras and choirs showcased their songs in a performance that stretched into the night. “It was awesome. It was really intense but fun and you meet people in a different way. You meet people through music,” Ashley Hoe, the only AHS sophmore to attend this year, said. The students have worked long and hard to receive this reward. “In this case it comes down to the dedication of those individuals. Hundreds and hundreds of hours that students have put into it,” Chase said.
Photo by Grace Riley-Adams
Four of the All-state musicians. From left to right: Deborah Silbowitz, Jake Gavin, Shea Pasche and Jane Excell.
“It was a joy to share our musical talents” -Shea Pasche Logan Shrewsbury was honored as the only drummer selected in the entire state. Jake Gavin and Shea Pasche both played horn for the full All-State band. Deborah Silbowitz participated in the wind ensemble, playing flute. Two AHS violinists, Ashley Hoe and Kaleen Jenkins, joined the All-State orchestra. In choir,
Maggie Witt and Helen Marcus sung soprano, and Jane Excell performed as alto. Each student took away something different from the experience. “This was a smaller group, so you got to know your band better. It felt more personal,” Gavin said. He explained that one of his favorite aspects of the conference was the conductor. “He was amazing. One of the most enthusiastic guys I’ve ever met. After fourteen hours straight, even at nine thirty at night, he was still jumping up and down. …It’s definitely something I’ll remember for a long time.”
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Rogue News
February 12, 2009
Memoirs of a Nostalgia permeates the walls of our beloved gym.
Gymnasium
by Zach Kitamura
Like a Phoenix rising from its ashes, the Mountain Avenue Gym will sprout from its degraded state and turn into a beautiful arena. However, the old gym held many memories of dunks, aces and other activities for over 50 years. There is something nostalgic about a gym in general. Students have spent countless hours on the court playing basketball, volleyball and other activities in the company of those who love the sport. Or they practiced alone, a tireless routine of hoisting jump shots and eyeing free throws. Watching games from the bleachers was also an integral part of experiencing the gym. It was a time when you could talk with friends or study the opponent’s zone defense. A gym can be a place of pandemonium or solitude, of hard work or relaxation. A gym is one of the few public places where the full range of human emotion can play. But the Mountain Avenue Gym’s age and history makes it stand out from the rest; the atmosphere was incredible. Students may recall many moments in the gym (known fondly by Mr. Gabriel as the Grizzly Fieldhouse), from their first few days at the high school until graduation. Some played basketball at lunch, even in dress clothes before a football game. Others woke up every morning before the sun even thought of peeking over the Cascades to go to practice at 5:30 a.m. By the time it was over, they were nice and sweaty for school to begin. It was always a grueling season, either losing every game, or fighting for a conference championship.
Photos by Jesse Smith
The construction of the gym has continued for about half a year. Top: Temporary beams that support the orginal walls of the gym while construction continues. . Middle: A construction worker sits on top of the beams that will support the roof of the new gym. Bottom: All that is left of the inside of the old gym.
Volleyball and basketball drew the biggest crowds, especially for the allimportant state playoffs. A playoff game at the gym meant the stands were completely filled, perhaps a fire code or two broken. Spectators stood all game whether they liked it or not. It was hot and packed with screaming fans. If a player dove out of bounds for a loose ball, he or she would have taken out at least dozen spectators. “My favorite part of the gym was how close everyone was to the floor,” Senior Kelsey McKinnis said. “It was so loud and the students were right there to cheer us on.” McKinnis has played varsity basketball for four years at AHS and has played in many memorable games at the old Mountain Avenue Gym. These include two victories against favored Sheldon and Franklin to reach the state tournament her freshman year and defeating West Albany Bulldogs in their final game at the Mountain Avenue Gym last season, taking revenge for a defeat by the same Bulldogs team a year before.
“Every home game was great because of the atmosphere,” Senior Garrett Tygerson said, recalling playoff games against St. Helens and Sherwood that broke gym attendance records. There was the large wooden “A” nailed to the wall with the flag hanging below it. Spectators turned towards the two hallowed objects as the national anthem was belted out; the newspapers
were “read” while the opposing team was introduced and cheers resounded as our starting lineup came onto the court. The student section chanted raucously as the minutes waned and the teams seesawed for the lead; they stormed the court after a win and were shocked into silence after defeat. See Gym on page 3
February 12, 2009
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Rogue News
SAT: slaving away tirelessly Survival tips and tricks for the Student Aptitude Test. by Jackson Santee Imagine the most stressful environment you could possibly be in, and put about 70 desks in it, each with their own student. Pencil lead breaking, hairs being pulled out, erasers constantly scraping the white sheet of the scantron you’ve been staring at for what seems like hours. Someone sneezes, sending you into the air. The room becomes a warzone; student against student. With the amount of stress you’ve been feeling for months, and the loss of sleep you experienced last night, this can only be one thing you’re doing – the Student Aptitude Test known as the SAT. The SAT is just one of the many steps taken to get into college, and nowadays, it’s tougher than ever. Schools are becoming increasingly competitive and their acceptance rates are decreasing each and every year. Every student hoping to attend a four year university has to go through the same journey, and here are a few reminders/ steps in the collegiate process. Beginning your choice of a college is very simple; define exactly what you want in a college. Think about the size, the climate, the student body and the academics of the school; see if you fit in. You’re going to spend four years there; you might as well enjoy it. Then construct a list of your top ten, maybe 20 colleges and pick the top five you will actually apply to. Keep in mind: this list has to contain a “reach school” ( a school you have a very slim chance of getting into, but still want to reach for) and some safety schools (schools you’re guaranteed to get into). Once this list is made, everything comes into place, and you begin to picture yourself at these various “dream colleges,” and your future begins to unfold. Next, is the nail-biting three hours described above. Register for the SAT on www.collegeboard.
Spice
com, and study, study, study. You can do this studying by purchasing the “College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide”. And perhaps the most important study aide is reading, a lot. Reading challenging novels eases you into the world of writing in a way a textbook could never do. This test is almost always a large determining factor in the admissions process,
“It [the SAT] helps you in the end, but is not the determining factor.” - John Skinner and doing your best is tremendously important. Another factor of the SAT testing process is the SAT II Subject Tests. Many colleges require ap-
plicants to take two tests from different concentrations (for example, history and foreign language) requiring you to, again, schedule even more tests, and, again, study. After wrapping all of these tests up, you will likely feel a momentous wave of relief; the hardest part is over…well, almost over. You still have to find activities in school that distinguish you from the rest of the world applying to your choice universities. Begin to take part in clubs, and searching for leadership roles. Join a sport you love to do and clubs that describe your interests outside of school, and take part in them as much as you can. These are just a few tips for going through the process of getting into college. It’s a long and arduous journey, but it’s one almost every high school student will have to take. Good luck!
Continued From Pg. 1
next year. “We see this as a permanent business and a very important part of this classroom,” Sullivan said. The students have been enjoying
this program as well. “I’m proud of seeing the packets,” Matt Hock, one of the students involved, commented when asked how he felt about seeing packets he’d labeled
at local stores such as Safeway. Hock’s favorite spice is Mexican. Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean there’s no more need for spices in your cupboards.
Make sure to stop by room TH-15 and buy some delicious seasonings to complete that special dinner.
Continued From Pg. 2
There are many more memories other than basketball. Volleyball players jumped up to spike the ball, wrestlers grappled for position. P.E. 1 classes played Pickleball or Advanced Conditioning athletes warmed up. One A.C. class saw a window destroyed when a medicine ball crashed into it.
“I liked that it had a lot of history and stories,” Senior Kiley Pinder said. “I remember during JV games the varsity team cheering from the balcony; it was like they were cheering for those who were going to replace them.” The Mountain Avenue Gym was also a place where everyone in the school
convened for assemblies. Our class presidents welcomed us back each new year, the winter assembly held many surprising gifts in store and at the end of the year an assembly sent the senior classes into their first steps out of high school. Of course no one who was there could ever forget when all the fire
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Gym
Photo by Grace Riley-Adams
Eli Youngs studies for the big one.
drills we practiced actually paid off as (what used to be) the girls’ locker room burst into flames. The gym is now the skin and bones of what it once was. Of all the landmarks of the old gym, the blackened
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See Gym on page 6
Where did you go, sun? Don’t you remember? We lay under your glorious heat dosing on the sand-stone rocks one finger tracing meaningless patterns in the lethargic water it lapped at the shore weaving hypnotic lullabies Don’t you remember? it was green, so green there was flourishing life surrounding us we were dancing, running, laughing all in your joyous shining there were other colors too rich reds, deep magentas, loud oranges Don’t you remember? you would amuse yourself by tricking us making us believe that days would last forever claiming the hours without acknowledging the night scaring the wet, cold, and miserable away with your eternal fire Don’t you remember? -by MacKenzie Kitchell
“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” -T. S. Eliot
Foggy sea of winter thoughts Mist of hidden white Thoughts of amber spring time guesses Proven wrong tonight Twirling with one another Specks of snow sail down Waltz with wishful thinking Making not a sound It’s cold but I can’t feel it Standing looking up It seems too much like magic To let logic erupt Your hair traps flakes of snow Caught in a spider’s web A fleck rests on your eyelash As if laying down to bed Smiling shivering Don’t blink or I’ll be gone We can wait together Your hand Linked with mine Who knows how long we’ll be here But I don’t care what they say Let’s be foolish together And think our love will stay Wind bends down around us Like a current in the sea Silence is surrounding Don’t say a thing or it’ll leave Concentrating contemplating Are we both Thinking the same? Holding each other forever Lost in Love and time Would you go crazy at hearing that I want you to always be mine? I promise I’ll make it everlastingly Like an endless wintertime -by Jem Kloor
The thin machete cuts through grasses and vines that block the trail from below and from above. Bromeliads hang heavy on titanic trees like so many jewels or leeches: ornamenting colossal trunks, slowly sucking their life-blood until the gems become sick with their own weight and crash to the ground. Small swatches of red and blue and pink relieve the oppressive greenness. Something crackles underfoot— an old wrapper carelessly tossed aside, left to mar the forest floor. The bright blue of the outside could be a carapace or feather, but the inside shines with an insidious silver. I pick it up and push it thoughtfully into my pocket. -by Forrest Wells
For the rest of the poetry from the contest visit www.roguenews.net
I sit in darkness and in warmth Gently, softly, the flames call out to me They reach for me with tiny, glowing hands Their warm breath against my flesh is soothing It seeps down into my bones Into my veins And like hot tea it fills me up from within Spreading outward from my core through my cold and weary limbs to my fingertips and toes and nose I am content, I am quiet, I am still My heavy, dreamy eyes calmly watch the fire The flames caress their nightly feast Slowly the firewood is consumed Charcoal edges crumble away and smolder in the dust Playfully, delightedly, the flames flicker from behind the glass Occasionally they glance up from their meal and crackle happily And then they swoop down on the log again Swaying, moving, dancing Like orange and red silk they flutter Thin as a whisper Soft as the air They are mesmerizing I am quiet, I am deep Behind me, midnight rain hisses against the windows Soothing sounds to my ears Like distant train-calls and wind I am silent, I am still‌ The black coals glow faintly A dim echo of fire A ghost of flame With a final, shuddering breath, they fade away and the trance is broken -by Lauren Koppel
The winners of the 2009 Rogue News Poetry Contest
Rogue News
Page 6
February 12, 2009
Editorial: condensing love into one day Love is a complex emotion with many different facets in which February 14 continues to mock. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, love is “a feeling or disposition of deep affection or fondness for someone, typically arising from a recognition of attractive qualities, from natural affinity, or from sympathy and manifesting itself in concern for the other’s welfare and pleasure in his or her presence; great liking, strong emotional attachment.” Valentine’s Day does not do this emotion justice. Love is not a box of chocolates, a red valentine or a candy heart with the message “be mine” etched into it. In my opinion, the idea of
Illustration by Brenna Heater
Gym
love cannot be pinned onto one day of the year, because there is no common strain of love that exists between everybody. Different experiences and opinions are going to shape what a person thinks love is. Trying to describe a universal idea of love is like trying not to eat the whole box of chocolates that your boyfriend just gave you with a side of “cookies ‘n cream” ice cream, pecans roasted to perfection, whipped cream from a can and savory caramel sauce all atop a warm brownie all in one day. It simply cannot be done. Valentine’s Day mocks love and ridicules those who have found true love. I find the stereotypical idea of love offensive because a heart-shaped box of chocolates does not scream love to me. Little candies that taste like chalk with a hint of frosting does not make me feel good. And pink makes me nauseous. Love is an intricate feeling, and to put a universal stamp of what hallmark believes love should be is wrong.
Continued From Pg. 3
walls of that locker room are one of the few that remain. Bulldozers and port-apotties welcome you to the former front steps of the gym, though the graffiti Grizzly still rises ominously over loaders and dumpsters. Outside the building, insulation and PVC pipe litters the ground. The walls inside are naked with nothing but beams and old paint. The space where the boy’s basketball teams would get pumped up before making their grand entrance before the game now holds the gym plans and tools, nuts and bolts. Pipes jut out of every wall and concrete pours
into the abandoned old home of the gym’s feral cats. Perhaps the most shocking sight is that of the gym floor, left unprotected from the elements. The hardwood is caked with mud and the finish is peeling. Some of the boards are jammed against each other, forming small peaks of wood. A crane stands where the mid-court Grizzly once roared out of the floor. “It’s hard to see the old floor sitting with pools of water on it,” Former basketball player Paul Kitzman, who holds the record for most points in a game at AHS, said.
Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief.................................Phoebe Parker-Shames, Žena Shelton Front Page Editor......................................................Phoebe Parker-Shames Quadlife Editors....................................... Arthur Lawniczak, Žena Shelton News Editor................................................... Jackson Santee, Sadie Shelton Opinion Editors......................... Arthur Lawniczak, Phoebe Parker-Shames Twin Plunges Editors....................................Morgan Hall, Trevor Hilligoss In-Depth Editor..........................................................................Abbie Deal Photography Editor.....................................................................Jesse Smith Back Page Editors.............................................Anna Hume, Hannah Sayles Graphic Designer/Ad Designer...................................................Jesse Smith Managing Editor................................................................Ella Riley-Adams Advertising Managers.............Brenna Heater, Adam Pavlich, Alex Quadrini Distrubution Manager...........................................................Nicholas Dake
A few things are being preserved. The foyer is intact and the wall of fame will still display the star Grizzly athletes of yore. A painted bear’s head and the word “Grizzlies” remains. The seats are all covered with tarp. The new gym will be a great part of the AHS campus, with brand new weight and band rooms, two practice courts and a much-needed makeover. It will be a much better facility than the old one. Future generations of Grizzlies will soon make memories of their own, with buzzer beaters and aces, wrestling pins and assembly antics.
But for generations of Grizzlies up until now, we will always remember the gym as it once was: a place that was both beautiful and ugly; a place where perspiration and blood flowed. When the game or match was done there was not an ounce of strength left to play; life became fixated on every dribble and 20 seconds was an eternity, the ballet of bodies posting up and making runs towards the basket in an infinite loop, the ball released in a final desperation as the crowd counts down 3, 2, 1…
Rogue News
-The Rogue News will strive to practice professional journalism at Ashland High School. It will aim to be a voice for the student body, and an important contribution to the school and community. In order to achieve this goal, the Rogue News will attempt to do the following to the best of it’s ability. -Report accurate and objective information -Uphold all journalistic ethics and standards -Provide an outlet for voices within the school through letters editor and editorials. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the staff, all others are signed. Letters to the editor must be signed unless extenuating circumstances warrant a students name being withheld, as decided by the Editor-in-Chiefs or newspaper advisor. -Attempt to cover school events fairly and evenly.
HE H T E I
L B U O D
STO RY
Photo illustrations by Trevor Hilligoss, photos provided by Terry Skibby
by Morgan Carne
doubled as a skating rink. In addition, pinball machines and a jukebox provided an arcade feel to the atmosphere. If watching the action was sounded better than being a part of it, a balcony around the pools could seat 500 and serve as a place to watch professionals perform.
able plastic cover was made for the pools. However, shortly after on January 8, a vicious windstorm hit that “It was a place to get looked at,” recalled AHS caused a shingle to be blown off a roof and pop the humanities teacher Jane Claussen when asked if she cover, thus ending the reign of winter swim sessions. remembered much about the days when Twin Plunges When 1977 approached, the Willstatters were forced still sat in the hub of downtown Ashland. “Everyone to face the fact that Twin Plunges couldn’t hold out went; it was a social gathering for all much longer. Insurance costs, unwantages.” ed levels of public exposure and fatigue for more photos go to www.roguenews.net The water park, which experienced from the heavy amount of people that its heyday throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, flooded the water park each day all but was once the place to spend your summade up their minds for them. And so mer, hanging out by the pool to show it was with heavy hearts that the couple off your new bathing suit or taking sold the property to the Heritage Bank daring leaps off the two diving boards after the initial offers to the city and into the water below. Diving off the county were turned down. high dive, especially, was a way to show Demolition of the Plunges was no off your “athletic prowess,” Claussen easy process. The amount of rebar said. When you got hungry, the snack alone destroyed at least two pieces of bar was always open, serving hot dogs, equipment, and an artesian spring along popcorn and sodas to swarms of ravwith two wells provided additional obenous teenagers. But now, much to the stacles. Still, despite these pitfalls, the dismay of its past residents, all that reone-time center of Ashland’s social mains of Twin Plunges are the memoscene was at last wiped from the face ries of those who so loved its slides of the town never to be seen again. and the hours of freedom from sumNow instead of two pools adorned mer boredom it offered. with slides and springboards, the corBack in 1909, when Ashland was ner of First and A Street is marked by a small lumber town dreaming of be- A crouded twin plunges on a hot aummer day in Ashland. the Ashland Food Coop. Where the coming a major spa city, the cataclyswater park’s storm drains once ran A mal discovery of Lithia mineral water was made. After Shortly after its opening, the Natatorium was re- Street Marketplace now sits. Long gone are the days so the owners refused to give up the rights to the original named Twin Plunges in accordance to its two Olympic- many remember with a smile, of ice cream by the pool spring, another was found, and the Ashland Mineral size pools, and its amount of visitors only increased. and exhilarating jumps off the high dive in the sumSprings Natatorium was born out of the city’s hopes People came not only from the entire Rogue Valley, mer heat. However, the memories of those who knew for worldwide fame. but even from the northern California towns of Mon- and loved the Plunges are enough to satiate them, and 35 men at a time dug out the pools and tanks, using tague and Hornbrook. To accommodate this change, will have to do for the unlucky ones who never got the only shovels, according to the Natatorium’s most re- the Plunges was closed and remodeled into an outdoor chance to spend a day in paradise. cent owners, Al and Edith Willstatter. As Edith retells park reopening in 1931. in a story based on Daily Tidings articles, the pools As the years went by and times changed, so did what finally opened on a Saturday in October of 1909 after went on at Twin Plunges. Beauty contests and fashion several months of arduous labor. For only 25 cents, shows began to take place, and in 1958, it was decided patrons were granted access to two pools, slides, div- that revenue was needed during the winter months in ing boards, trapeze rings and a maple dance floor that addition to all the other seasons. To fix this, an inflat-
pear cake with g n i t s o r f t u n l haze Photo by Hannah Sayles
Patty Groth, chef and owner of Morning Glory, satisfies her sweettoothed customers by giving them a delicious dose of equally fresh and filling foods. This pear recipe came to her from friend Michelle Sampson; she simply added the frosting on top the delicious cake. A sure-to-satisfy dish with savory fresh flavors and moist insides.
Pear Cake 4 cups grated ripe pears 5 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 cup pecans 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup oil 2 eggs
Frosting: 1 cup cream cheese ½ cup butter 1 cup powdered sugar ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup hazelnut liquor
1. Preheat oven at 350 °F 2. Whisk eggs and oil together; add rest of ingredients and mix to combine.
3. Grease a bundt pan and pour in batter. 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour,
testing with a toothpick to make sure it is done. If the cake is golden brown on top, but not finished in the middle, just cover with foil and continue baking. Let cool for about 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges and flip onto plate.
5. Mix frosting ingredients. After cake is completely cooled, frost the cake and sprinkle with 1 cup toasted, hulled, and chopped hazelnuts. Serve and Savor!
Homemade Coco The cold season calls for a warm drink. Say goodbye to Nestle and Swiss-Miss as you make the perfect cup of steaming hot coco-entirely from scratch. ½ c. sugar ¼ c. cocoa dash of salt 1/3 c. hot water 4 c. milk ¾ tsp. Vanilla extract Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt in saucepan; stir in water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk and heat (DO NOT BOIL). Remove from heat; add vanilla.
r e n r o c g in k o o c Granach’s
He lly. tera …li ing chef with a taste for originality and zest Senior Gabe Granach is an up and com Kitchen, exs son’ land including The Peerless and Ally has worked in various restaurants around Ash y Rolls have been sampled and adored by man esy Che ious delic His ge. wled kno ary culin panding his says, “ My . To put it in the simplest terms Granach of his peers and have left all tasters satisfied r favorite delectable, but they can be painted with you Cheese Rolls are like a canvas. Alone they are savory flavors.”
Cheesy Rolls
1 sheet frozen puff pastry 2 ounces Parmesan cheese grated (1 cup) ¼ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay the
Photo by Arthur Lawniczak
puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper. Top with another sheet of parchment press the cheese into the dough with a rolling pin into a 10-inch square.
2. Remove top layer of parchment and cut the dough into ¾ inch wide strips. Gently twist each strip, transfer to baking sheet
3. Bake until rolls are fully
puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool for five minutes before serving. Eat and enjoy!