June 2018 (Graduation Edition)

Rogue News In This Edition: P8.

How the Seniors Found Their Way

P9.

P10.

P11.

P12.

Ready or Not, Here We Come

A farewell poem dedicated to the Class of 2018

P2.

Class Bashes P3.

Selling Organs P4.

Ready or Not...

P5.

A Year Abroad/Senior Superlatives P6/7. Grad Map

Trouble Paying for College?

Ellie Carter writes an editoral about the complexities of leaving Ashland.

see page 10

Volume XII, Issue IX

Sell some organs! Rogue News explores the fundraising opportunities within.

see page 4

see page 3

Gap Year/Alternative Post-High school Plans Tourism/Freshman Letters Grad Poem/Kip’s Quips ASB/Editors’ Goodbyes Grizzenstein

Sell some organs! Rogue News explores the fundraising opportunities within.

Trouble Paying for College?

see page 4

Ellie Carter writes an editoral about the complexities of leaving Ashland.

Ready or Not, Here We Come

see page 10

A farewell poem dedicated to the Class of 2018

How the Seniors Found Their Way

see page 3

June 1, 2018

special effects by Lillian Witnauer

THE WORLD CAN’T WAIT FOR THE CLASS OF ONE-EIGHT

Juniors

THE CLASS BASH

roast by William Burgess We whipped our way through freshman year with cringey dance trends and finessed our way through sophomore year with 60% in most of our classes. Now as juniors we are the masters of checking PowerSchool daily and still not turning anything in, but don’t worry, we’ll still complain about our missing assignments and unexcused absences. We may not be as hippie or fun as the sophomores below us, or as smart as the seniors above us who are actually going to be attending competitive universities, but we’re still Ashlanders right? We just don’t look like it. We have learned to make our friends through Snapchat because “the real world is scary” and making lunch plans in person is far less convenient. A common characterization of Ashland is that it’s a 7 square mile bubble of privilege, but it truly depicts the junior class. We don’t travel outside our comfort zone and we have no idea about the real world. We still have the mental mindset of middle school students and none of us want to get jobs, so senior year better last a long time or else we’ll need to brace for a sucker punch from the world.

Flexing our schedules at the beginning of every semester is what we do best, even though we aren’t going to go to those electives; we just want to show off our AP classes. We never go to detention or to in school-suspension, not because we go to class, but because we never get caught skipping, until we do, and then we still don’t go to detention. We like to think the world is a joke, not an oyster, and we get to rewrite that joke every day. We can barely call ourselves millennials because most of us were born in the 21st century, but you know we will. You’ll hear us say so; it’s the new “I’m a vegan.” Our generation has killed the radio and the whole “pop” genre as you can hear through our mumble rap songs from across the quad while we horribly show off our fake designer clothes because all of our favorite SoundCloud rappers wear them. Ashland may be healthy, but we aren’t. GMO’s or not, we’ll eat it because it’s food. And forget about sleep! We treat our bodies horribly because we subscribe to the invincibility complex almost as much as we subscribe to mind-numbing Youtubers.

Sophomores

roast by Emily Henkel and Jasmine Wallin

Life can screw you over, especially if you’re a sophomore. We make it even more of a bummer for ourselves by being antisocial and hiding in the bathrooms. We sit there staring at the wall, not doing anything remotely productive. But, I guess to some, it’s better than being in class. We hang out on the fringes of the quad or the back of the cafeteria. If we aren’t tucked away in a hole of depression, we’re running away from school to go to Safeway as often as we can.

We go there just to skip class and eat, or more often than not, for no reason at all. Almost every day you’ll hear a sophomore say, “I’m broke,” because we have zero concept of budgeting or a responsible way of spending money. We just spend it the second we get it.

How hard is it to not buy those overrated Shop’n Kart bags and leggings? And if you’re a sophomore, you have to be addicted to gum, even if you never actually bought gum on your own.

A sophomore will ask literally every single person that walks by for a piece of gum — especially if that person is already chewing gum.

On the other hand, boys in sophomore year have taken the train to Puberty Town. Pretty much every male sophomore has these disgusting, ingrown, super long, peach fuzz looking disgrace of what they call a “mustache” that makes our eyes bleed every time we glimpse it. And of course, the skaters just walk around with their backwards caps, beanies, red eyes and skateboards acting like they own the school because they try to show off their “sick” moves on the skateboard–free quad. Then there are the sophomores that are coo-coo for college credits who complain about their APUSH exams or Speech and Debate work every single day.

Although there are different groups of sophomores, we are invisible to all, mostly in our own worlds and blasting our playlists of Top 100 US hits on Spotify. Sophomores try to fit in so much, you’d think we were Cinderella’s stepsisters trying to fit into her upper classmen’s glass slipper.

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Seniors

roast by Lili Smith and Dan Noonan

For our final assignment as members of the Rogue News team, we were tasked with putting together a roast of the senior class. First, we tried our hardest to collect a list of all the ways that the senior class is terrible, but despite our best efforts, we couldn’t come up with anything. Initially we were confused––we said “There’s no way our class is perfect, right?” However, we then remembered that our parents have been telling us we are perfect for as long as we can remember. We started to put together the pieces of the puzzle: why there are silver spoons so far up our asses, why deadlines don’t seem to exist, why the consequences of our action don’t matter; it’s because we are perfect.

We think one of our class’s biggest strengths is that we always make the most sophisticated choices.

Not once have any of us ever skipped a class (especially not Econ), avoided our homework, or wasted hours by buying into the vicious cycle of social media, YouTube and Fortnite. No, no, no, it has been made clear to us that our classmates fully grasp the impact of our actions. It makes perfect sense really, growing up in Ashland has really taught us about the real world. This town has shaped us into confident, driven young adults, all who feel fully prepared to exit our safety bubble and face the world.

I’m sure it’s frustrating to go to high school with the best class to ever set foot on this campus. We apologize for our excellence, because we know it’s a constant reminder of your inferiority. Honestly though, not having us to look up to is going to be quite detrimental to all you underclassmen, and frankly, we’re not sure how’ll you’ll survive without us. As we continue transforming into the beautiful butterflies that we are meant to be, we’re not only excited for the class of 2018, we’re excited for all of you to get to watch our success from far, far below.

Freshmen

roast by Novia Wetzel

Freshmen: tiny gremlins entering high school with way too much pride and very noticeable voice cracks. Honestly, we walked into Ashland High School like we owned the place and looked down on our middle school friends like they are nothing to us, as if we’re the coolest thing since sliced bread. With the tantalizing privilege of off-campus lunch, we quickly forgot that we were in middle school just under a year ago. Oh how much we have grown.

We try way too hard to be edgy or seem cool amongst our peers. We dye our hair every other week and walk around looking uninterested (we are really just lost), because we think it is cool to not care. But in reality, we do care. We are constantly complaining and stressed out about the amount of schoolwork we get from Global Studies and how we are now expected to write an entire paper by ourselves.

Due to the fact that we’re the babies of the school, we have no clue what we’re doing. This is a art by Jade Bromley breeding ground for embarrassing mistakes. Some of us go to the wrong classroom, some of us accidentally walk into the boys’ locker rooms and some of us have uncomfortable misunderstandings with the upperclassmen.

Despite our efforts to be individuals, we end up doing the exact opposite.

More often than not, we are trying to copy whatever the upperclassman are doing or is high on the trending list. We have no chill whatsoever. We try to act chill because we think it is cool (and being cool is at the top of our to-do lists), but we are not very good at it. We are constantly involved in or stirring up petty drama that we will easily forget in a year or so. This is the social web of this hellish landscape called high school. We freshman have very little practice in navigating it. While the freshmen don’t have a social hierarchy, we are pretty cliquey. Ashland is a small town; most people have known each other since the early days of elementary school and have stuck together since. We have stuck together like glue and are fiercely attached to each other, leading to drama whenever anyone tries to breach a clique. We’ll try better next year.

Can’t Afford College?

Sell Your Organs!

by Taylor Kelly-McMahon

We all have dreams. We all have aspirations. Perhaps you want to be an economist and you can’t afford Harvard business. Enter Organ donation! These are actual dollar amounts you can get from selling your organs, and calculations of how much it would cost to go to certain colleges per year.

Kidney

Bone Marrow

You could afford to go to: Harvard ($67,580) Yale ($73,180) Princeton ($66,950) NYU ($68,128)

You could afford to go to: RCC ($3,564) KCC ($3,222)

Blood

You could afford to go to: Nowhere, but this could help with some school supplies!

Lung

You could afford to go to: Northwestern ($72,980) UC Berkley ($64,029) UCLA ($62,858) artwork by Jade Bromley

Eggs

You could afford to go to: SOU ($26,368) PSU ($25,311)

Sperm

You could afford to go to: Nowhere, but this could help with some school supplies!

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EDITORIAL

READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME

As seniors get ready to be out on their own, some begin to second-guess the next steps and their own ability to take them. Senior Ellie Carter explores the compexities of leaving Ashland and whether or not someone can ever be fully prepared to leave.

by Ellie Carter

In the opening scene of the movie Lady Bird––which follows 17-year-old Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson’s tumultuous senior year and subsequent move to college––Lady Bird sits in the passenger seat, complaining to her exasperated mother about how much she hates living in Sacramento. “I want to go to college where culture is,” she sighs, looking out the window. “Like New York... or at least Connecticut, or New Hampshire, where writers live in the woods.”

This should be a recognizable sentiment for Ashland students, since Lady Bird’s view of the rest of the world through rose-tinted glasses is a common sentiment. The scene is written as a kind of dig against precocious, jaded

high schoolers who have always seen greener grass wherever they were not, but it also does a good job of showing the genuine desire Lady Bird has to go and explore the world. I’m wellacquainted with romanticizing places I’ve never been, and the scene always makes me laugh because it’s so internally recognizable. For so long, my biggest goal was to “escape” Ashland–– to move as far away as I could for college. I assumed, of course, that I would not look back with very much fondness.

Now, as I’m getting ready to uproot and move to New York state in the fall, I’m feeling pangs of doubt and deep sadness. As the details and logistics of moving across the country are start-

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either. Those small things are the kind of things that contribute to the indefinable cloud of anxiety about moving out. The blessings of living in Ashland come at a price––for every time the community has provided safety and stability, there’s a time that we’ve been a little more shielded from the world.

I’ve acquired lots of skills, like selfadvocacy and general WikiHow savviness, that will undoubtedly be a huge help in college, but I am not prepared to go.

But if we’re defining readiness as about embracing the uncomfortable moments we’re undoubtedly going to run into as we stumble into adulthood, I feel a lot more equipped. By growing up in Ashland, I did not learn how to live in the rest of the world, but I certainly learned about myself.

And one of the biggest lessons I learned was how to appreciate a place I didn’t want to live the whole time, trying to be mindful that when I ran out of time I would miss it fiercely.

When I feel conflicted about leaving town next year, I try to remember that my judgement right now is clouded by nostalgia and a fear of the unknown. I know that the natural state of wanting what you can’t have must be fought, and I could have done a better job of being content where I was. But I’m also inclined to believe that it wasn’t a mistake, because it was something I chose to do without facing the uncertainty head-on, and a little bit of fear usually means you’re going in the right direction.

... If we’re defining readiness as about embracing the uncomfortable moments we’re undoubtedly going to run into as we stumble into adulthood, I feel a lot more equipped.

Other Perspectives

“I feel ready not because I’m going to be totally fine, but because you just have to leap into it eventually.

I’m scared to not have the same support system, but I also want to move on next year. I’m hoping to rely on myself more.”

-Tess Gibbs

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ing to come into focus, the fairytale is slowly being replaced by more harsh realities of what I’m doing. It seems as though the phenomenon of senioritis operates on a ”you-always-wantwhat-you-can’t-have” principle––the second you don’t have high school (or Ashland) to complain about is the second you want it all back. Juniors at this point in the school year moan about somehow surviving another year in Ashland, while seniors look back at their year and gloss over the frustrating parts.

So which one is the real feeling? Is it the longing to discover a new place–– anywhere but here, it sometimes seems–– or is it the fear that we’re not ready to go, a newfound appreciation of a town that really is wonderful? I’ve watched a lot of seniors recently grapple with this question.

We made our plans earlier in the year, when they were still theoretical, and as they get closer to reality we start to panic.

I didn’t ever really think about whether or not I was capable of moving to the other side of the country; I just decided to do it.

It’s only now that the people around us are starting to prod each other with questions about whether or not we’re ready to live on our own. Do we know how to clean a bathroom? Do we know how to properly cook chicken?

Do we know how to open a bank account?

If readiness is defined by those things, then I am absolutely not ready at all, and I don’t think anyone else is

“Since I’m adopted, I’ve dealt with a lot of separation anxiety because I was parted at birth and left parentless for almost a year. So, separating from a parent again triggers that same emotion sometimes. I feel ready to move on, but the infant deep in me is fearful because of that trauma.”

-Grace Martin

STUDENT FEATURES

Valedictorian Claire Pryor: Words From Abroad I don’t pretend that my exchange in Chile has made me wise, or anything close. But here’s what it has given me: a newfound appreciation of school uniforms, a love for avocados, and—most importantly— a year of experience with change. Not the little, everyday, maybe-I-should-part-my-hair-differently kind of change, but the up-ending, world-shaking kind. And no matter what our plans are for the years to come, this is the constant that unites every member of the class of 2018: change. We have grown up in a world that is evolving and shifting at breakneck pace; from the Blackberry to the iPhone X, from George Bush to Barack Obama. So you’d think that by now we’d be pretty accustomed to change. But next year, we all face the biggest change yet.

I know that not all of us are like me—born and raised in the same little house in the same little neighborhood in the same little town for all eighteen years of my life. But no matter how crazy your life has been up to this point, the fact remains that graduation brings something completely new. So, I thought I would offer what I’ve learned while spending a year away from the United States in the hope that it makes it a little easier to deal with the massive change ahead.

1. Accept it: Señor Sam’s makes the best burritos in the entire world. The sooner you stop fighting it and hunting for a replacement, the happier you’ll be.

2. When you don’t understand what’s going on, smile and nod.

Unless, of course, your host mother is trying to tell you that her dad had died that morning, in which case this is pretty bad advice. But, on the other hand, being willing to accept life as it comes has led me to Tarzan-style vine swinging, cheerleading, and midnight swimming in the Pacific Ocean.

3. Look beyond differences. My year in Chile has been filled with changes, from a distressing lack of peanut butter to an excess of obscure slang words. Even time is perceived differently: a party at ten o’clock means no earlier than midnight, and a “hard deadline” means “sometime in the next two weeks.” But differences aren’t always this evident, this glaring. As we head out into the world, we will cross paths with people who are separated from us by everything from hometowns to political beliefs. Accepting others despite those differences is hard, for sure. But it’s also necessary. Because in a world this divided, it’s up to us make a difference. It’s up to us to be the change.

Senior Superlatives

*Daniel Noonan and Ian Shibley-Styre – class clowns *Ellie Carter and Dylan Kistler – most likely to become presidents *Jade Gaston and Alaneya Niemann – best meme accounts *Emily Belcastro and Aanisah Clark – most likely to lead a revolution *Jack Diab and Sienna Ross – best laugh *Adam and Curtis Jones – best friends *Leo Duetz and Grace Honeycutt – cutest couple *Olivia Gower and Lauren Pauli – cutest couple that never happened *Irie Browne and Quest Sapp – most likely to be on spotify *Max Longshore and Jaxon Witters – most likely to be seen with a Yerba Mate *Joe Holden and Nur Shelton – biggest flirts *Lili Smith and Katya Gustafson – the most school spirit *Mya Elder-Hammond and Ian Rinefort – most likely to be Olympians *Emma Glatte and Zach Adler – most likely to survive the apocalypse *Alex Dobry and Ari Albertson – most likely to be Mr. Huard *Gabe Kraft and John Corder – most likely to break all the bones in their body *Hannah Haptonstall and Navon Encarcion – best hair *Mumi Thiaw and Jack Kleen – best smile *Jahnoi Hall and Rojelio Perez – most likely to be social media famous *Zoe Lishinsky and Barritt Reynolds – most likely to drop their phone in toilet

photos by Lia Moe and Ethan Bennett

*Autumn Nidalmia and Jade Bromley – most likely to be best-selling authors *Kai Cheval and Merlin Sky – most likely to break a world record *Maya Davis and Gabe Neimark – most likely to find a cure for cancer *Madi Vann and Dyami Mann – most likely to be a CEO *Izzy Duval and Curtis Jones – most likely to be a famous artist *Ben Feinberg and Garrison Briggs – most likely to get rich or die trying *Killian Niewald and Jaden Hawse – best hugger *Kip Parowski and Sasha Aazami – most likely to be late to graduation *Ian Shields and Kasper Albert – most likely to win lottery and lose the ticket *Zaida LaRose and Olivia McMonagle – most changed *Alex Crane and Ethan Doty – most likely to be on “My Strange Addiction” *Lila Goldman and Javier Mitchell – most likely to win Nobel Peace Prize *Kyle Storie and Sierra Milburn – Most likely to win an Oscar *Ellie Campbell and Dexter Reid – worst case of senioritis *Olivia Gower and Luke Richmond – best dressed *Tia Wilhelm and Josh Shroy – best eyes *Olivia Sallee and Laurana Steele – class parent *Clover Hall and Emmanuel Senter – most likely to rule a small nation *Preston Mead and Audrey Cirzan – be on SNL *Max Carroll and Chad Andrews – worst driver

5

Lili Smith Ian Rinefort

(Western Washington)

Amann, Ivy Franklin, Jeffrey Hinkley, Declan (Seattle University) Glatte, Emma Noonan, Daniel (U of Puget Sound)

Adler, Pyle, S (Whitm

Lewis and Clark University Reynolds, Barritt Webb, Alex

George Fox University

Rogers, Rox

Portland State University Portland Community College Richmond, Luke Kleen, Jack Longshore, Max

University of Portland

Willamette University

Hall, Brooke Jones, Adam Jones, Curtis

Hawse, Jalen

Linn-Benton Community College Titus, Isiah

Linfield College

Oregon State University

Roberson, Maisie

Central Oregon Community College

Lane Community College University of Oregon

Klamath CC

Rogue Comunity College

Cloud, Cameron

Southern Oregon University Imani School of Cosmetology

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE CLASS OF 2018?

(UC Davis) 11

Doty, Ethan 11

(Universal Technical Institute - Sacramento)

Duetz, Julius

(U of San Francisco)

Honeycutt, Grace 19

Shelton, Nur Joss-Bradley Carly (Stanford U)

(NationalHolisticInstitute)

Chappell, Kendall Dobry, Alexander Rice, Julian (Cal Poly SLO)

Thiaw,Mouminatou TessGibbs

Laughery, Detlef (Cal Poly Pomona)

(Scripps College) 13

Castanon,Xavier (LA City College) 14

20

Alavezos, Caleb

18

Lucero, Benjamin Ross, Sienna (Pitzer College)

Hall,Jahnoi

(UofCalifornia-SanDiego) 15

Baratta, McKenzie (AmericanAcademyof DramaticArts)

18

Rooney, Sophia

Oregon Institute of Technology

Steele, Laurana Corder, John Alford, Chancellor

Albert, Kaspar ( Folsom Lake CC)

Mellon, Isabelle Irvine, Nikki

(Santa Clara University)

19

Weston, Lars (UCLA)

Sutherland, Cloe

20

Inspire House

Detweiler, Zahra Owens, Justin

6

ABROAD

LaRose, Zaida United Kingdom (University of Edinburgh)

MILITARY

Haptonstall, Hannah (Air Force) Ordonez, Gabriel (Navy) Senter, Emmanuel (Army)

Chandler, Aaron Kimbrough, Kadyn Leib, Amaya McIntyre, Carsyn Sanford, Emma Speilman, Joseph

Aryeff, Kamala Belcastro, Emily Lowery, Dylan McMonagle, Olivia Nicolier, Isabelle Onesti, Bianca

Starkweather, Makalyn Canada (Vancouver Film School)

Boucher, Jade Cotton, Virginia Feinberg, Rachel Hamik, Sailor Mason, Claire Mitchell Vargas, Javier Mussell, Amani Snipes, Avery

Bertrand, Starlie Boyd, Zoey Bromley, Jade Cirzan, Audrey Diab, Jack Duval, Isabella Goldman, Lila Gustafson, Katya Maude, Oliver Milburn, Sierra Reynolds, Ariana Stubbs, Hunter Swanson, Anthony Van Ausdall, Solana Hogan-Qualkinbush, Oliver

(American Film Institute)

13 14

Crane, Alexandra (Santa Barbara City College)

15

Elder-Hammond, Mya

(Easter Washington U)

Zach Sinead man)

Sapp, Quest (Western Michigan U) 16 Harrison, Daphne (Grand Valley State U)

Storie, Kyle (Ithaca College)

Browne, Irie

(Kalamazoo College)

Davis, Maya Laurenson, Julia 16 (Northwestern University)

South, Samuel (Pennsylvania State U)

Powell, Kelsey (Hillsdale College)

4

Cook, Henry Shumway, Madeline (Brigham Young U)

(Colorado State U)

10

21

67 8 17

Carter, Ellie (Vassar) 1 Albertson, Ari

Gower, Olivia (George Washington U)

Tagui, Jacqueline (Case Western U)

Cobb, Henry Kahn, Emma

1

92 5

Neimark, Gabriel (Carnegie Mellon U)

(Wilber Wright City College - Chicago)

Pauli, Lauren

3

(Brandeis U)

2 Ferguson, Ana (Smith College)

Nidalmia, Autumn (Antioch College)

(U of Colorado - Boulder)

3 Harleman, Leander

(Lafayette College) 4

Andrews, Chad Sallee, Oliva (Northern Arizona U.)

Kistler, Dylan (Vanderbilt University)

Kelly-McMahon, Taylor

Gruber, Elise (JohnsonandWalesU)

(Emerson College) 5

21

Lishinsky, Zoe (Fordham U)

Clark, Aanisah (Adelphi U) 6

17

Hall, Clover (U of Texas - Dallas)

Morey, Drake (Columbia U)

Pryor, Claire (Harvard U)

Encarnacion, Navon (Alabama State U) Pare-Miller, Francisco (GeorgiaMilitaryCollege)

7

9 Rauch-Moore, Liam (Wheaton College) 10

Neimark, Abraham (The New School) 8

WORK OR TRAVEL

Honors College*

Cochran, Enya Cochran, Evan Dreyer, Gabriel Ehlers, Anna Gottschalk, Aspyn* Jones, Noah Loutzenhiser, Julian Moore, McKenzie* Niewald, Kilian Page, Ethan Shibley-Styer, Ian* Shields, Ian Skuratowicz, Berkeley* Wilhelm, Tia Wimmer, Samuel Witnauer, Lillian Yan, Galong

Andreeva, Anastasia Artikaslan, Asya Ash, Abigail Bohn, Adriana Feinberg, Benjamin Fung, Madison Gaston, Jade Graumann, Frida* Holden, Joseph Inada, Sam Iriawan, Kevin Knouse, Lilliana Lasoff, Elijah Loewenstein, Gemti Markowski, Weston Martin, Grace Patterson, Elena Vann, Madison* Voskes, Alie Winicour-Freeman, Rhythm Witters, Jackson

Aazami, Sasha Blacklidge Carty, Briggs, Garris Clark, April Deckelman, Rachel Draper, Khai Graham, Mardochee Jessup, Sonora Kosct, Garrick Kenerly, Korrin London, Mary Lampert, Hannah McCarty, Dakota McRae, Jackson Mclennan, Victoria Parker, Haley Patterson, Vance Parowski, Kipling Mead, Preston Weaver, Jade Werner, Hayden West, Olivia Holmes, Lydia Houk, Madison Lucas, Owen Murray, River Duval, Aiden

Armstrong, Madoline Abel, Dawson Aikins, Katherine Boyd, Troy Benton, Kameron Burgess, Benjamin Buckley-McGinnis, Taylor Carroll, Maximus Coster, Gemma Cronin, Lilly Cheval, Timothy Engle, Marina Hajje, Sophia Haldane, Mikala Head, Isabella Hollensbe, David Johnson, Jewel Jack, Grace Jones, Mia Kraft, Gabriel Kirtz, Amber Lear, Keith Le Fay, Lhianess Lineberger-Scholl, Quinn Mann, Dyami Miller, Jennesy Mais, Avry Olsen, Eliana Perez-Coria, Rojelio Riendeau, Ethan Rosewood, Avram Russell, Rachel Reid, Dexter Sky, Merlin Serres, Uma Shroy, Joshua Smith, Isadora Spellman, Catherine Staley, Elliot Stark, Ralph St. John, Salvatore Thompson, Evan Velasco, Max Villagrana, Felix Walker, Lisa 7

STUDENT FEATURES

Exploring Gap Year

by Kamala Aryeff

Tori McLennen - is graduating ear-

ly, and wanted to take a gap year because she doesn’t feel comfortable alone on a college campus being under 18. She stumbled upon a program called Service Year when she was scrolling through Instagram, which is essentially a paid opportunity and part of AmeriCorps. The specific program that Tori has enrolled in is called City Year, where the applicants go around the city of Sacramento to underfunded

by Lara Rivera Rodriguez

Leah Dacus

- AHS alumn Leah Dacus decided to go abroad for a year before beginning college in Bend. She was involved with an organization called Work Away where one creates an online profile in order to find host families in the country

by Lara Zoe Lishinsky

Kaya Van Dyke

- There are numerous paths to take when navigating your post high school career. Some want to go off to college and some decide to stay in their hometown. Kaya Van Dyke chose another path, and decided that she wanted to take a gap year before attending college. “I decided to travel post high school because I wanted

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schools and tutor kids in subjects such as math, reading, English, and science. Over the course of her 11 months of service, she will receive a bi-weekly stipend, pre-planned time off, exclusive scholarships, an education award, health insurance and localized benefits at her site. Only ⅓ of applicants are accepted, and Tori was lucky enough to get into both the program in Sacramento and one located in Boston.

She chose Sacramento because that is where she is from, and the state dropout rate before high school

is higher than both the state average and the national average. Because of the high dropout rate, a lot of the kids are more likely to be incarcerated or become gang affiliated. Tori joined this program to become a positive influence on young people like this, and show them that they can get a better education. After she finishes the program, she will receive a $5000 grant for schooling, and will have helped educate children at the same time.

(or countries) they’re interested in going to. Prior to beginning the trip, the person is able to Skype their host family to make sure the family is safe to live with.

Dacus decided to go to Austria, Germany, Spain and Portugal for a year. She mainly worked as a nanny with her host families and then worked at a Bed & Breakfast in Spain along with other people her age. Dacus found that it is not necessary to have any work experience but it is helpful to let the families know what experience you have. Language wasn’t much of a struggle for her in Germany since she speaks German fluently and did a six-month exchange in Germany her junior year of high school.

In Spain she struggled more because she does not know Spanish. She elaborated that she had to use Google Translate frequently, especially when giving directions. Some good phrases to know, Dacus says, are “la cuenta” which translates to “the bill,” as well as knowing how to say “where, what, and when” in Spanish. Coming back to Ashland was strange. She said it was more of a culture shock coming back than

going out of the country was. The jet lag and the difference in culture affected her most. She claims that people are “way more friendly” in America, while people in Europe are more “real” and straight-tothe-point. Dacus also noticed that it was common for Europeans to know two or more languages. The daily attire was different, especially in Spain. They dressed up for weekend activities, spending approximately two to three hours getting ready, as opposed to the West Coast where everyone dresses casually.

However, changing her clothing routine was not much of a problem.

One of the things she has taken away from her year abroad was increased confidence and a changed perspective on life. Dacus warns people considering doing this exchange to “learn spanish” because not many people in Spain know english. Another idea Dacus had was to keep a journal and write in it every day to be able to look back on it later. Dacus believes that everyone should do this to experience differences in culture around the world.

some time to rejuvenate and gain some more experience before I went back to school for 4 years.”

Van Dyke called the preparation process “daunting”, however she promises that whoever chooses to take an exchange trip won’t regret it. She started her journey by researching exchange programs and committing to one called Global Citizen Year. This program offers exchanges in Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Senegal. Van Dyke says that she initially had a say in where she went, but a lot of it was based upon conversations and interviews, which led to her decision of doing her exchange in Brazil for 8 months.

“I lived on a farm in a small town in southern Brazil with a huge family of 11 people. We had two 2-year-olds, a 9-year-old, a 16-year-old, a 19-yearold, and a bunch of grandparents and aunts and uncles. They were super sweet and super crazy. Van Dyke exclaims that she loved having so many host family members of different ages because she had different things that she would do with each of them.

She says it helped her connect with them more. “I think a really big thing for adapting to life in a new country is to disconnect from your old life as much as possible. I really tried to not call people from

home when I was having a hard time and to speak as little English as possible. This really helped me adjust faster emotionally and language wise.” When asked about the most surprising thing that she saw or did, Van Dyke says that she was surprised at the differences between work and education compared to the US. “People go to work and school for 3 hours a day and no matter how far from home you work, everyone is always at home for a family lunch. My host family spent most of their time at home and were shocked at how much I left and how many activities I was doing.”

Trips like this often come with challenges, and Van Dyke says that the most challenging thing for her was staying present where she was, and trying not to miss home too much. Nevertheless, one of her biggest necessities for her travels are photos of her family and loved ones.

If Van Dyke has any advice for people thinking of going on these exchange trips, she says to do it! “While in the country, say yes to everything. Do things and hang out with people you wouldn’t normally find yourself with and you’ll learn so much about yourself and the world.”

COMMUNITY

The Ashland Tourism Checklist

by Gemma Coster

T

his year, families of AHS seniors will descend upon Ashland to see their seniors celebrate this momentous milestone in their lives as well as explore the town in their spare time. During this occasion, seniors should show their families the aspects that make Ashland such a unique tourist attraction by revisiting the places that made their childhood special or even acquiring new experiences of their own.

Lithia Park- Lithia Park is a peace-

First Friday Art Walk- On ev-

ful and tranquil spot for people to have picnics in the park while listening to musicians singing or playing an instrument in the background. Families can wade barefoot in the creek, find hidden corners, and explore the beauty of the Japanese and Rose gardens.

ery first Friday of each month from 5 to 8 pm, art galleries in both downtown Ashland and the railroad district invite locals and tourists to view art pieces, listen to music, and taste regional food and wine. This experience gives families the chance to casually stroll through Ashland, shop at their favorite stores, and have a relaxing night out.

Lithia Artisians Market-

OSF- The height of Ashland’s tour-

The Lithia Artisans Market truly offers a taste of Ashland’s unique outdoor arts and crafts with over 35 booths to visit. In May to October, Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-5 families are encouraged to ramble along the creek and discover photographic prints, hand-crafted jewelry, decorative pottery and many other forms of art. This also gives relatives a chance to purchase memorable souvenirs that will always be a reminder of their visit to Ashland.

Sincerely, Me

by Dylan Kistler

ist season is defined by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). This season offers a wide array of plays from Romeo and Juliet to Sense and Sensibility to Destiny of Desire, as well as a few others. OSF also allows the audience to get an insider’s peek into the world behind the festival through backstage tours, post matinee discussions, and preface sessions.

O

n the pull-down projector screen in Jamie Hirsh’s English classroom, pictures of freshmen scrolled by. In one photo, the spritely 9th graders roast marshmallows as a class. In another, the class hosts a full-fledged trial to determine the culpability of Abraham Neinmark’s having tossed a Pringles can at Ms. Hirsh.

Four years later, those same students watched their freshmen faces on the projector, relished in the memory that each picture unearthed, and awaited the main event of the reunion: opening letters they wrote as freshmen addressed to themselves as seniors.

In the spring of 2015, Hirsh’s class set down the sentiments of their freshmen year and expounded on their hopes for the future to be saved until just before graduation. Sealed deep in Hirsh’s desk for 6 long semesters and 3 braindraining summer breaks between, no one knew what to expect from the paper time capsules they left behind.

Senior Jack Diab’s freshmen letter kicks things off full of bravado, with “Hey there, sexy beast.” Several others pandered to the assumed glory of their future as a senior. “I’m sure you’re a heck of a lot cooler than I am” was an introduction representative of many freshmen letters in the class. Some letters went on to immortalize profound

freshmen experiences, such as Taylor Kelly-McMahon’s vivid retelling of how she sighted a cute guy in the burger joint Flip, considered talking to him, and instead settled for naming him Shaun and viewing him from afar. Others, like Jade Boucher and Anthony Swanson, opted to gift a little of their boundless freshman wisdom to their senior selves: don’t party too much too soon, remember the value of school, and keep up your dedication to athletic success. As silly as these letters might seem, the preservation of goals and priorities at one moment in time allowed these seniors to reflect on high school as a comprehensive journey.

Kelly-McMahon smiled as she recalled how much her self-confidence blossomed, both Swanson and Boucher nodded appreciatively at having set high expectations for themselves, and Diab got a good laugh out of his younger sense of humor. More has changed than the quality of handwriting since these letters were written.

The brief four years spent at Ashland High School can change someone in innumerable ways, but the maturity to appreciate the breakthroughs and embarrassments of one’s past has been one of the most salient for Hirsh’s community of once-freshmen, now seniors, soon to be graduates.

9

ARTS

How the Seniors Found Their Way

by Zaida LaRose and Liv West Every freshman in high school liked classes a lot But the seniors, who’d been there for ages, did not.

They hated the High School, they just couldn’t bear it If you’re needing a reason, we’re happy to share it…

And they did hear a sound drifting over the quad It sounded familiar, yet also quite odd The sound of nostalgia, of sweet moments passed Deep down, each one of them hoped it would last

It could be the lights were a bit too fluorescent Or the odor of Axe on each post-pubescent But we think the most honest answer of all Is that all of them knew things would change in the fall.

Graduation really is coming! It’s here!

But now everything seems a little more clear And the seniors, thinking back on their fun Thought “could it be so? Is it really done?”

Whatever the reason, the lights or the smells They stood on the half moon, ignoring the bells, Focused on Fortnite, blowing off Econ Their effort and care was virtually gone

There’ll be no more bagels at crowded group lunches No more Hips Don’t Lie and grinding in bunches No fighting the sophomores for best parking spots No more Jamie Hirsh…and that sucks a lot.

They laughed at the juniors, and all of the rest Who worried and toiled o’er standardized tests “Our grades do not matter” they’d chuckle and sneer “Today’s graduation, it’s literally here!”

They were ready for change, they craved something new, But decided not to be so quick to pooh pooh, The years of their lives when they changed the most The time had come for a sweet honey roast.

They moaned and they groaned with lack of school spirit And they did it all loudly so others could hear it.

“Pooh pooh to it all!” they’d savagely chatter, “They’ll all realize soon that none of it matters!”

“Maybe high school,” they thought, “wasn’t really so poor.”

“Maybe high school...perhaps...meant a little bit more!”

They barbecued and pranked, ditched class for a reason Had a quad-lake day, the summer was teasin’

“Each class, club, and test, will make them feel blue!

Then each rising senior will cry out “Boo hoo!”

“That’s a noise,” grinned the seniors, “we’re eager to hear!”

So they paused, each one cupping a hand to their ear.

Then all of the seniors, they stood up, revived, They walked off the bandshell, and into their lives!

Design Board

Editors In-Chief: Maise Roberson, Zaida LaRose, Liv West, Ellie Carter, Lili Smith, Charlie Burr.

Editors In-Training: Uma McGuire, Nicole Mullen, Ayla Prusko, Eliza Strong, Marcus Mullen Creative Director: Kip Parowski

Front...................................Lillian Witnauer, Garrick Kosct Page 2..............................................................John Corder Page 3................................................................Lily Annen Page 4................................................................Ty Johnson Page 5....................................................................Lia Moe Indepth............................................................Charlie Burr Page 8..........................................................Ethan Bennett Page 9............................................................Dylan Blisard Page 10.......................................................Simon Dirienzo Page 11............................................................Elijah Smith Back....................................Lillian Witnauer, Garrick Kosct 10

INSIDE AHS

ASB Hello

ASB Goodbye

by Rylan Rodgers and Elijah Retzlaf

Yeah, they wishin’ and wishin’ and wishin’ and wishin’ They wishin’ on me, yuh [Verse 1] Ashland High School is the bomb, don’t try to argue with me, But it’s got its issues, that’s apparent to see, So we are making a system, you better believe, That will improve communication and transparency, I don’t wanna walk to Safeway for rice krispies, We need a Snack Shack convenient for you and me, We need bathrooms that aren’t junky, So i don’t feel gross when I gotta make a pee.

[Chorus 1] Baba’s plan, Baba’s plan We won’t hold back, nah we won’t, ayy, no We will be clear, not speaking code, ayy, no We hope all issues will be mowed, ayy, mowed Might go down an A.S.B., yeah, wait We gon’ work on Grizz Academy, yuh, wait We make sure that community is sweet [Post-Chorus] And still Great things It’s a lot of great things That we bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ We bringin’ as A.S.B. Great things It’s a lot of great things That we bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ We bringin’ as A.S.B. Yuh, ayy, ayy [Verse 2] We said, “Is school perfect?” they tell us, “Only partly” They only love their friends and freetime,

by Ellie Carter and Kip Parowski

I’m sorry Fifty Dub, we wanna hear your issues 81, we’re gonna make next year a party And you know us We gonna make assembly’s funny, dog With a little help it will be sweet Imagine if we had fun assembly’s [Chorus 2] Baba’s plan, Baba’s plan We won’t hold back, nah we won’t, ayy, no We will be clear, not speaking code, ayy, no We hope all issues will be mowed, ayy, mowed Might go down an A.S.B., yeah, wait We gon’ work on Grizz Academy, yuh, wait We make sure that community is sweet [Post-Chorus] And still Great things It’s a lot of great things That we bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ We bringin’ as A.S.B. Yeah, yeah Great things It’s a lot of great things That we bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ and bringin’ We bringin’ as A.S.B. Yeah

photo by Lily Annen

When we jumped into our new roles as ASB Co-Presidents at the beginning of September, we were both hesitant to make lengthy to-do lists full of promises for things we knew would never happen. Instead, our goal was always to improve communication between the students and their school, trying our best to rework logistics and functionality in the hopes that when the next presidents came, their footing would be a little more solid. A little bit of progress can take a very large amount of work, and thanks to a wonderfully supportive group of peers and teachers, we feel proud of what leadership accomplished this year and the ambitious projects we executed.

We both see ASB as something that helped us more clearly define who we are and what matters to us. Senior year appeared like it would be

carefree and casual, but it often takes becoming a senior to realize the magnitude of your actions; you’re forced to answer questions about what you want, what you need, and how you can get there. We learned the power of clear communication and conversation, how important your surroundings can be to your development, and how lucky we both are to have a community like this to support us through our mistakes.

The daunting job of ASB was infinitely less challenging for us this because of the motivated students and administration we worked with. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be a part of your high school experience, and can’t wait to see what the future brings––both for the departing seniors and the students inheriting Ashland High School.

photo by Elijah Smith

A Fond Farewell from the Rogue News Editors

photo by Lillian Witnauer As the school year, and our time at AHS, comes to an end, there is a mix of emotions that we are experiencing: a feeling of relief that it’s finally over, a feeling of excitement for what’s to come, and a feeling of loss. The Rogue News has been a significant part of our lives during our time in high school, and it will continue to hold a special

place in our hearts.

During our time as editors, we have spent countless hours working on the production of this paper, both inside and outside of class. Many afternoons have been spent, bleeding late into the evening, fine-combing editions of the paper to make sure they were as good as possible before sending them off to press.

At the beginning of this school that they will put as much effort into year, we said that our goal was “to el- keeping the flame alive as we have. As evate the quality of all that we oversee we depart, our words to next year’s edand to inspire and encourage our staff itors are this: good luck, remember to to produce the best pieces that they laugh and have fun, practice facilitacan,” and that we hoped to “to run the tive leadership, communication is key, Rogue News with kindness, compas- uphold our standards of journalistic sion, inclusion and efficiency.” Our integrity and continue to produce exstaff members would have to be the cellent newspapers. ones to truly determine if we accom- Sincerely, plished those intentions, but we are optimistic that we did. Over this past year, we have refined our page designs, worked with designers and writers alike in order to facilitate the accomplishment of their vision for the piece, and fine-tuned some of our processes Zaida LaRose during the creation of our newspaper.

Maisie Roberson From here, we move out into the world on separate paths, leading to different destinations. We no longer Liv West have the ties that once bound us toLili Smith gether. However, the experiences we had in Rogue News will benefit us all in our future endeavors.

We must now pass this torch onto Kip Parowski Ellie Carter someone else, and we can only hope 11

Grizzenstein

Adam Jones – Right Hand: Varsity player his junior and senior years, Jones’ right hand expertly delivered 3-point shots.

Aspyn Gottschalk – Right Forearm:

As an early graduate, Gottschalk spent her final year playing as a right hitter for the varsity volleyball team. She enjoyed representing AHS and the grizzlies for one last time.

Drake Morey – Right Bicep: After 4 successful years as a grizzly football player, Drake Morey will continue to demonstrate his immense football talent as he goes on to play at Columbia University in the fall.

Katya Gustafson – Heart:

A high-powered athlete, Katya Gustafson has danced for Dance Works almost longer than she can remember. She was voted “most school spirit” by the senior class.

Nikki Irvine – Core: Irvine

was on the wrestling team all four years of high school. She went undefeated in her weight class her junior year before she was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Emma Glatte – Right Thigh:

Glatte led the Rogue Rowing women’s varsity lightweight coxed four to a competitive finish at NW regional championships in May, missing qualifying for nationals by mere seconds. Glatte is team captain and has a state medal in the Varsity women’s pair.

Mya Elder-Hamond – Right Foot: Accepted to

Eastern Washington on a soccer scholarship, Elder-Hamond’s prowess in the midfield intimidates her competition.

April Clark – Left Hand: Clark has been playing AHS Softball for 4 years.

This year she was voted team captain and played outfield.

Rhythm Winicour – Left Forearm:

Winicour has played baseball all 4 years of high school. His athleticism and work ethic makes his throwing arm perfect for grizzenstein.

Izzy Nicolier – Left Bicep:

Nicolier’s devotion to Water Polo throughout high school led her to become team captain her senior year. Izzy’s fine-tuned reflexes allowed her to tend the goal during matches of the notoriously demanding sport.

Sierra Milburn – Throat:

Milburn had leading roles in numerous AHS theatre productions, including Jeanie in Hair and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeny Todd.

Frida Graumann – Hips:

Frida Graumann’s love for skiing allowed her to succeed in the AHS alpine skiing program.

Just this past year, Graumann placed 26th individually in Slalom and 1st in Girls Team Slalom.

Madoline Armstrong – Left Thigh: Armstrong has been an

outstanding member of the varsity cross country team, and ran a marathon for her senior project.

Ian Rinefort – Left Foot:

Rinefort’s innate athleticism allowed him to succeed in the AHS track program. In this year’s state championship, Rinefort placed third in the 400m. His personal record in the 400m is a time of 50.48.