April 2018
For junior Raven Potts (pictured above), “ ...makeup is ultimately another way to express yourself through a form of art!” Sophmore Lili Morrish (pictured left) agreed, “I think makeup is definitely a tool; mainly for art.” She went on to talk about her own personal makeup style.“ I think I sort of have an attitude because I started by doing theater make up before I started doing everyday makeup.”
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“I got this tattoo of a tree and the mountains together mainly because to me it represents how much I enjoy being outdoors and doing things like hiking, skiing, and camping, ” said senior Aaron Chandler.
photos by Henry Cook interviews by Alex Franklin 2
photos and interviews by Zoe Lishinsky
S O O T T A T Junior Kai Lerato-Burrows said “makeup is artistic expression to me. It’s a way to express my art, my style, and kind of who I am.”
“I got a tattoo of a lotus because it represents blossoming from a dark place. My family and I went through a really difficult time, and once it was over, we felt we needed to honor and appreciate what we are capable of,” said senior Grace Martin.
Senior Mumi Thiaw said she “...got this tattoo with my older sisters as a way to connect us together. When we were young and living in Senegal, our big brother would come home from school and teach us Arabic. I was born Muslim, so the significance is that it goes back to our heritage, and it ties us together and brings us back to our roots.”
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Woodshop At AHS by Will Burgess
Have you ever wanted to express yourself through a physical art? How about a piece of art that you’re proud of and doesn’t have to hang on the wall, but instead gets used every day? Many student starting woodshop will make cutting boards, pens and simple boxes for family members to cherish for years to come. Finishing a proj“All the art ect in woodshop that you are truly proud of is an I make in amazing feeling that all woodshop students should get to experience. portrays
my emotions.”
Milo Bertrand: Bertrand chose to take woodshop this semester because of his positive experience in the intro to manufacturing class that AHS offers for beginners. “The class combines art and usefulness.” Bertrand stated he believes working with wood is a great stress reliever. Malachi Duval: Malachi Duval has been taking shop classes since freshman and is very enthusiastic about the outcome of his projects. Shop is his first class in the morning, he likes to start the day creatively. Duval mainly likes to work on the lathe and he is currently about to finish a desk for his room. Duval says he enjoys shop because “all the art I make in woodshop portrays my emotions.”
Sophomore Milo Bertrand stands proudly by the shelf he created in the AHS woodshop class.
Woodwork by AHS woodshop students
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AHS Jewelry
by Jasmine Wallin
Sam Scharf has been teaching Jewelry Design at AHS for 5 years. Besides teaching, Scharf is a professional jeweler, selling his creations online and displaying them in shows during the summer. He has traveled to jewelry classes in San Francisco and North Carolina and has purchased jade, emeralds, and other gems from Thailand and Colombia. He has done shows all over the Pacific Northwest and is planning on doing shows in Idaho and Oregon this summer. In addition to the three levels of jewelry classes, Scharf teaches Drawing and Painting, 3D Design and Art Studio. He aims to teach students jewelry skills that will be useful out-
side of the classroom. “Jewelry, more than anything, teaches perseverance and patience. You can’t go to the next step until you’ve really mastered the first.” Along with teaching patience, Scharf says jewelry can also give you confidence when working with your hands. Since his students don’t generally take woodshop, Scharf ’s students are given the skills to create a variety of hands-on projects, similar to woodshop. “My dad once told me that if he could teach his hands how to make jewelry, he could teach his hands how to make a house.”
Adelaide Davis is a junior enrolled in Scharf ’s Jewelry Design 2 class. She has taken jewelry for 2 semesters and says she enjoys the class, even though it was different than what she expected it to be. “At first I thought it just sort of had to do with beads, like very simple, but once he (Scharf)
introduced us to it, I realized it was a lot more complex, a little like welding.” Davis’ favorite project she has made is a pair of leaf earrings for her mom. She has made 10 projects so far and wishes she could make more at home.
by Athena di Properzio Rachel Feinberg has been taking jewelry at AHS for all of her high school career and is currently in Scharf ’s Advanced Jewelry Class. Throughout her 4 years in jewelry, Feinberg has learned to be more patient through little mistakes, but has struggled with being totally satis“[Jewelry] is fied with her projects. Feinberg thinks really different about jewelry for the future, and is looking into possibly pursuing it in colfrom most art lege. Her favorite things to make are classes berings, her favorite of which has been cause you get a silver ring with a green stone. Her jewelry has been exhibited in many art the final projshows, including Nimbus, a store in downtown Ashland. “I think it’s really ect and it is a from most art classes because piece you can different you get the final project and it’s a piece hold into foryou can hold onto forever.”
ever.”
by Grace Honeycutt
by Sasha Aazami 5
Poets of Chautauqua by Dylan Kistler
T
hanks to Chautauqua Poets and Writers, 24 nationally renowned poets and writers have graced the Rogue Valley since 2006. With the help of local schools, businesses, the public library, and especially the team of dedicated volunteers on Chautauqua’s board, the tiny town of Ashland has held the honor of hosting an acclaimed writer each fall and spring. Guest authors give an evening talk including samples of their work and insights into their writing career. Additionally, authors feature on Jefferson Public Radio and provide student workshops during their stay. The resources required to sustain these biannual events are significant - and the community members providing Chautauqua’s organizational gusto have decided they cannot continue their work after this year. On April 16, Richard Blanco will speak as the twenty-fifth and final Chautauqua guest author. Blanco was honored as Barack Obama’s 2013 Inaugural Poet - joining the ranks of American poets including Maya Angelou and Robert Frost. Blanco is the youngest, the first Latino and the first openly gay Inaugural Poet in American history. Respected for his powerful oral storytelling (in addition to decorated poems, essays, and memoirs), Blanco became a favorite in the community after his last visit to Ashland in 2013. Most recently, Blanco published a collection of poetry entitled Boundaries, exploring topics including ethnicity, gender, class, and race. Reserved seats for the April 16th event can be purchased at chautauquawriters.org, Bloomsbury, the Bookwagon, or the AHS main office for students. The immense contributions of Chautauqua’s volunteers include contacting authors, fundraising to bring the biannual guests, and organizing each author’s var-
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photos courtesy of Chautauqua.org and by Henry Cook
ious events in Ashland. “Chautauqua’s events open up the classroom walls for students and allow them to discover new perspectives,” muses founding member and retired AHS teacher Kathi Bowen-Jones. Many of the volunteer board members feel passionately about putting students first - so much so that the group could not gather collective support and fundraising for bringing Mary Oliver when the famous poet announced she would not be able to provide student workshops. Vince Wixon, who has been working along with his wife Patty to organize literary events in Oregon for decades, echoed the sentiment that Chautauqua puts students first: “That work—presentations and workshops for students—we regard as most important. Blanco will make five presentations besides his public reading on Monday, April 16. Monday afternoon he’ll meet with Oregon Writing Project teachers and student teachers at SOU; Tuesday morning he’ll meet public school students at AHS, and Tuesday afternoon he’ll meet SOU students on campus; Wednesday morning he’ll meet students at Phoenix High School, and Medford students in the afternoon. So, besides the crowd he’ll read to on Monday night, he’ll meet with 350 or so students during his stay in the Valley.” From theaters packed with listeners of all ages to small classroom workshops, Chautauqua’s guests have inspired the community at large for 12 years. Now, the Rogue Valley looks with expectation and hope to what might inspire a new generation of artists. Chautauqua leaves behind a powerful model for how a handful of volunteers can open a multitude of possibilities to youth.
Nappy Hair
artwork by Mouminatou Thiaw
Identity Through Art
Age 4: I sit at the bathroom sink My tightly wound hair Damp from my nightly shower the smell of coconut oil and shea butter Invades my senses Running across the hall I race into my room And hop into my bed across from my sister’s She’s already there. Soon after my mama walks in She’s holding our favorite book ever It’s called ‘Nappy Hair.’ I struggle to contain my excitement Which is hard for four-year-old with ADHD. Tonight’s my night to have my mama on my bed I snuggle close to her I breathe in her scent To me and my four-year-old ways I am convinced she uses the same hair products as me Even though she doesn’t have the same hair as me, my sister And my favorite character Brenda But to me and my four-year-old ways I wasn’t aware of how different we were To me she smelled just like my sister and I Coconut oil shea butter and nappy hair. My sister joins us on the other side of my mama, She opens the book and in a sense, opens a new world for me My heart pounds in my chest with excitement As a little girl of colour I joined my favorite character Brenda Dark skinned and smart as whip with her nappy hair That broke every straightening appliance known to the Black community and beyond I knew her hair smelled like mine and was just as curly And was just as thick too When I was younger I wanted to be exactly like Brenda Penny Proud was cool but she didn’t have the same hair as me It was as curly as Brenda’s And little Bill- well he was bald. And I didn’t want to shave off my hair. No I wanted to be like Brenda, Brenda had the naps like me, And she was smart like me, Brenda made me proud to have nappy hair, She still does. -V.M.
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Reviving Retro by Taylor Kelly-McMahon
M
odern technology has exploded over the past decade, making reality out of things only dreamed up in books and movies. FaceTime, drones, virtual reality and so many more advancements are now used on the regular basis. However, even with the continuous advancements of modern technology, retro technology has made a comeback, and one of the most prominent comebacks is the return of film and Polaroids. Because of their instant printed pictures and retro aesthetic, Polaroid cameras are in high demand. Especially with high school and college students, it is not uncommon to see a student’s dorm walls to be covered with Polaroids and printed pictures. Along with this, the entertainment industry has also been affected by the comeback. There has been a surge of films made with film in the past few years rather
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Polaroids by Lily Annen and Sophia Wiencek
...retro technology has made a comeback, and one of the most prominent comebacks is the return of film and Polaroids.
than with digital. For example, the 2012 Oscar nominee “War Horse” was shot on color film, as well as the 2012 Oscar winning film “The Artist” that was shot on color film and then transitioned into black and white during post production. Along with these films, the 2016 hit Golden Globe winning movie musical “La La Land” was shot in CinemaScope, which is a type of film mostly used in the 50s and 60s that allowed filmmakers to shoot widescreen movies. It was known for giving the subjects and scenery a softer look, which is often more desired than digital film because digital creates a very crisp look. Even with the advancements in technology, retro photography and film is desired more because of its classic look.
The Tables have Turned
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by Uma McGuire
t has always been common for younger generations to be inspired by the generations that came before them, and the current generation is no different. Young people have embraced all things analog from typewriters and film to vinyl. The flood of retro technology has excited the younger generation almost as much as when it first debuted on the market, continuing the popular belief that history repeats itself. Unlike new age technology which is all on a cloud, there is something about retro technology that feels much more real than any new electronics because it’s tangible. According to Nielsen Music, a sales tracking system that began electronically tracking music sales and data in 1991, yearly vinyl album sales hit
$14.32 million in 2017, up 9% from 2016. It is unlikely that the growth will stop as 2017 marks the 12th year of consecutive growth. Vinyl is said to create a richer and high-quality sound, but the old-school aesthetic alone is enough to convince a 14 year-old in an Urban Outfitters to invest in this hip way of consuming music. Even typewriters have been rediscovered as an old school way of creating written art without the distractions the internet has to offer. This wave of retro technology enthusiasm makes sense as sensory-feedback deprived youth of the 21st century move away from the tired, soullessness of digital technology; the typewriter’s weighted “thwok,” the light touch of a needle, the flash and whirring of a polaroid camera romanticized by nostalgia goggles. While floppy disks have yet to make a comeback, it appears these gadgets are here to stay. 9
Aanisah Clark
Cruz McNamara
Charlie Burr
AHS Art Walk Althea Moyer
Ian Rinefort
Olivia Gower
Nicole Mullen
Ginny Cotton
Izzy Duval
Riley Gaston
Meredith Granger
Jade Bromley
Indi Reynolds
Taylor Monroe
Reuben Fellman
Rachel Feinberg
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Contemporary Art Pro
by Zaida LaRose
We live in an unusual time; an era of fluidity, of rapidly changing values and mores, of relative ethics and aesthetic subjectivity. As in any era, the art being created around us reflects the thinking of the people. Today, a “classical” or modernist approach to art would fall short of capturing contemporary thought. Instead, we have shifted into an epoch of postmodern creation, which, although unconventional, is necessary in responding to and reflecting society’s shift away from things like “grand narratives” and the concept of absolute truth. Indeed, postmodern art emphasizes impermanence and subjectivity. David Bowie, a postmodern musician, captures this in his iconic song Changes: “I watch the ripples change their size but never leave the stream of warm impermanence....” Later in his career, Bowie donned his superstar alter ego, Ziggy Stardust to play the role of a rock god, and in doing so, actually became one. Bowie worked closely with Andy Warhol, a postmodern artist whose entire repertoire was built on making art out of already popular people or objects; this was an almost heretical social critique, carrying the message that all culture
La Gerbe by Henri Matisse
is equally valid. Where Bowie transformed himself into a star by deliberately toying with the consumerist attitudes of the era, Warhol transformed mundane objects of consumerism into forms of high art. It is this bridge between “high” and “low” culture that makes postmodernism so important. One does not need to be a fan of David Bowie or Andy Warhol to understand the significance of their work; they, and many other contemporary artist like them, from Picasso to Matisse to Basquiat to Pollock, use art as a way to criticise and expose the values which drive society today. Postmodern art serves as a commentary on the state of the times, and depicts, sometimes rather bluntly, our fixation on individualism, consumerism, and scepticism in today’s world. Any other art created with the intention of capturing contemporary thought would fall short of its aim. Although it is not fixated on “beauty” in the typical sense, the purpose of postmodernism goes beyond pleasing the senses. And really, if we humans are going to attach value to anything, we should measure its worth by the deeper truths it possesses, not just how pretty it is to look at.
Con
For some, art may be less about the product and more about the process, but no one is remembered for their works-in-progress. Society, and the remembrance of it, is built upon completed projects. For me, art’s value comes from its ability to show the culture of the era and society in which it was created. It should leave something for future generations, as well as be relevant to the members of the society in which it was created. Unfortunately, I can’t see this in much of current (post-modern) art. When I look at past art, whether that be cave paintings from prehistoric times, reliefs from Ancient Egypt, mosaics and frescoes from Ancient Rome, pottery from Ancient Greece, paintings, statues, and murals from the Renaissance, etc., it shows who was commissioning art, what was valued, what the purpose of the art was and what resources were available. This is lacking from today’s art. I don’t see these things when I look at pieces by artists such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, or Jackson Pollock. What insights about us exist in a banana, a soup can, colorful, misshapen people, or a splatter painting? Just as old age and tradition does not in and of itself make something
by Maisie Roberson great, newness and novelty does not inherently make something valuable. It seems current art is often considered great or impressive simply because we are told that it is. Art should be representative of most people in a society, not just some, and should be understandable by all. Even if the art is not specifically about an individual, they should still be able to understand what the piece is about and what it is supposed to evoke in the viewer. In Italy, there have been multiple times in the last several years where art installations - supposedly worth millions of dollars - were thrown away by cleaners who thought that they were trash. To me, this means that they weren’t art. If “art” isn’t understood by the general public, if it needs an explanation, it’s not art. Art requires meaning, which is clearly lacking if an explanation is required. One sole person’s opinion on what qualifies as quality art should not be what selects the pieces remembered as representative of an era. The people in a society agreeing that a piece is art because of its representation of cultural values and resources is what should be the determining factor. 11
Keona Hajje Lukaiel Reece-Sullivan
Student photographers at AHS were challenged to submit photos capturing their interpretations of:
BLUE
Lukaiel Reece-Sullivan
Ian Rinefort Liam Pette
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Averi Snypes Autumn Nidalmia
Ian Rinefort
Emma Kahn
Autumn Nidalmia
Livi Gower
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Body Positivity Through Figure Drawing by Lara Rivera
I t ’s no secret that the media has created an ever-changing “ideal” body for women to strive for, resulting in lifetimes spent restricting, over exercising, and at the root of this, self hating. In an effort to counter this message that’s been blasted at us from such a young age, a group of girls from AHS sat down together to break down their insecurities, and find comfort in the fact that their peers all struggled with similar things. We drew our own figures, focusing on the details of our bodies without judging them. By looking at ourselves as pieces of art, we were able to turn the objection that’s torn us down into a positive confidence booster. Now is the time to reclaim our bodies. To find beauty in our unique shapes. To appreciate the rolls, cellulite, muscles and pimples. It is time to eliminate the labels of “good” and “bad” bodies, and love ourselves for the art we are. 16
How We See Ourselves: Body Image at AHS
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Music Percussion Art is expressed in many forms, and every artist dreams of opportunities to showcase their creativity at the highest possible level. After a top-scoring performance at the Solo and Ensemble Festival, Jackson Williams and Gabe Neimark of the AHS Percussion Ensemble were given a chance to do just that. On April 27 and 28, both Williams and Neimark will travel to Portland and participate in the state percussion competition, a prestigious event at which the most advanced high school musicians compete. In order to qualify, Neimark and Williams had to play their piece for the Solo and Ensemble Festival held at Ashland Middle School. This local festival was directed by Southern Oregon University (SOU), and the quality of the students’ performances was judged by
by Marcus Mullen
Terry Longshore, the Professor of Music at SOU. Top scorers at the Festival were chosen to represent AHS in the State Percussion Competition, and each student is extremely excited to display their own musical talent. Williams described how his love for percussion blossomed from his innate desire “to hit something and have a cool sound come out of it and then turn those sounds into music.” For the State Percussion Competition, Williams and Neimark will be performing a marimba duo called 2+1 by Ivan Trevino. “It’s a very unique piece,” said Williams, “because while Neimark is playing on the correct side of the marimba, I play on the opposite side. So I basically play the marimba upside-down during the entire piece.” In addition to the unconventional style of the piece, 2+1 requires advanced musi-
cal technique, as both marimba players performs with four mallets. In years past, such a unique piece of music may not have been an option for the percussion ensemble students. As recently as last year, they were paired up with either Symphonic Band or Wind Ensemble classes, limiting the amount of time students focused exclusively on percussion, but this school year, a class focused solely on percussion is offered. “Now that we have our own class, we have the opportunity to learn all different kinds of percussion music that we wouldn’t have had the chance to learn otherwise,” stated Williams. With skills honed by the Percussion Ensemble class, Williams and Neimark hope to stun the judges of the State Percussion Competition.
Choir by Kamala Aryeff
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photos by Izzy Nicolier
During her first year of teaching choir at AHS, Nancy Martin is already fully immersed in the fun and challenging aspects of choir. She has voiced that her favorite part about leading choir is getting to spend more than an hour every day absorbed in fun, riotous, or sublime music, with incredibly talented and spirited musicians. Performances are exhilarating for her, too. The choir has enjoyed traipsing around campus delivering singing telegrams to students and teachers in their classrooms on Valentine’s Day, and they recently had a choir concert on Tuesday, March 20. They traveled to AMS to perform, and will head over to some local clubs and retirement centers this spring as well. Their last concert of the year is May 22. What has made choir different from other musical programs at the school is that you can do your at-home practicing in the shower, and it doesn’t ruin your instrument. It’s also easier to perform a photo by Marcus Mullen spontaneous flash mob if you’ve been in choir.
Dance
Dance Works by Lily Valenta
One avid dancer at AHS is sophomore Siena Wand who, not long ago, had the opportunity to perform on Disneyland’s main stage with Ashland Danceworks. Accompanying Wand were AHS students Jada Perry, Anabella Ross, Katya Gustafson and Elena Patterson. This group of girls had the opportunity to see the backstage side of Disneyland during their three day trip to California and experience the inner workings of “the happiest place on earth” before their performance. Wand’s favorite part of the trip was the workshop with a former Disney cast member and professional dancer/choreographer, who started dancing at Disneyland at 16. “It was nice to see someone else in the industry really thriving,” said Wand. This experience will be one not soon forgotten by any of the dancers from the high school or Ashland Danceworks.
photos courtesy of Dance Works
Ballroom by Lily Valenta
Ballroom dance may seem like an old-fashioned pastime, but an interest in waltzing like Cinderella has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years. Alex Ourant, a sophomore at AHS, has been ballroom dancing since he was 8 years old. Over two generations of his family are dancers so dancing has always been an integral part of Ourant’s life. His favorite aspects of dance are socializing and expressing himself through the different styles of ballroom dance. “You could be really excited and choose a fast, upbeat dance like swing,” he said, but Ourant’s favorite dance is Viennese waltz because it is graceful and also involves a lot of technique. Recently, Ourant competed in the exhibition round for the Southern Oregon Youth Ballroom Competition. After participating in this competition for many years, Ourant and his partner were finally awarded first place with a jazzy foxtrot choreography to Michael Bublé.
photos by Lily Valenta
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W
hen I was a b o y, gardening evoked in me images of an 86 year-old woman named Gertrude, wobbling about her front yard with a watering can while sprinkling her petunias with water laced with organic fertilizer. I thought of middle-aged couples, anxiously watching the height of their meticulously crafted rose plants and the vibrancy of their marigolds. The day I bought my first succulent, that all changed. I took home with me a small and
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The Secret of Gardening by Daniel Noonan art by Jade Bromley
delicate living organism that I was tasked with caring for and keeping alive. It was intensely gratifying to watch my plant collection grow and thrive as I watered and replanted and fertilized. My collection of plants is one of my proudest achievements. It represents the amalgamation of my care, time and love. In hindsight, it seems as though my little garden gave me much more than I ever gave it. As famous author and plant enthusiast Jenny Uglow puts it: “We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s really our garden that is nurturing us.” In the spirit of spring, I decided to see if I could find any of my peers who have found as much joy in gardening as I have. Joseph Spielman, a senior at
Ashland High School, and my good friend, says, “I can’t remember a time when my family didn’t have a garden.” His family grows pumpkins and cherry tomatoes, and Spielman himself has a small terrarium filled with succulents in his room. For Spielman, “harvest season is probably the most satisfying time of my life, [because] I get to see all of the hard work come to fruition.” On the value of aesthetic gardening, Joseph says smaller succulent gardens are “like a little civilization that’s just in the palm of your hand,” and adding that he finds enjoyment setting up these small little ecosystems. While gardening provided both Spielman and I with gratification and aesthetic fulfillment, to Joseph gardening was also “a good outlet.” “Some kids turn to drugs,” said Spielman, “but I turned to pumpkins.”
Art and the Future The Role of Young Artists as They Inherit the World by Kip Parowski
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shland is a town rich in opportunities for aspiring artists in many fields. As a high school student, I have been able to admire talent and collaborate with creative minds in everything from our music scene, to fabulous theater productions, to art events and classes, including the cartooning for this paper. But as a senior, I began to question what the future looks like for someone taking an artist’s path. What role does an artist play in society? Through a collection of conversations, I began to flesh out the role this new generation of artists will play as they inherit the earth and shape the next chapter of artistic history. Sam Scharf, an art teacher at Ashland High School, says that “artists are the cog that holds everything together.” Travis Modison, AHS director of bands states that “they are and always will be so important because artists have a unique ability to challenge the norm, reflections of their environment, current reality, and often serve as critics of the political or social environment they find themselves in.” What separates this generation from previous ones, according to Scharf, is that “this generation is bombarded by stimulation, and
artists are the problem solvers that will move the world forward.” Miles Inada, an Art Educator at Southern Oregon University, suggests that, “the role of the artist is changing rapidly as technology changes, and increasingly, we see the world almost entirely through our technology. As our media evolves, artists have to learn these new tools to stay in the public eye.” The modern artist must work hard to understand the most efficient ways to spread their art, but it’s important to keep that up because, as Inada adds, “art is a place for subjective truth to speak, where the joy or suffering of one voice can be amplified and become culturally significant.” Inada hopes that artists can be a “voice for the human in an increasingly technological world.” Art teacher Alan Parowski describes art as “a response to the world around us, and an attempt to interpret things too complex and powerful for words.” Technology or not, Parowski laments that this generation “has plenty to do sorting out the chaotic mess they’ve been handed.“ Art just might be the way to do that.
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Different Spokes For Different Folks
Students across campus are getting creative with their modes of transportation, from modding out their cars to building motorized bikes and custom skateboards. As the car community grows we begin to see students and staff taking on projects for their daily drivers and custom race cars. Other motorized modes of transportation have also made an appearance recently as shop classes have allowed more freedom and creativity for students to build motorized bikes, go carts and much more. Interconnected with the car community is another group making a huge appearance around campus: skateboarding. Skateboarding has grown in popularity over the years, giving many students not just a mode of transportation but a way to skate away life’s struggles.
Ethan Doty Q How much time have you put into your project? A I’ve put countless hours on this project. Since the night I bought it, it’s been an ongoing project. I’ve devoted a lot of weekends and weeknights and even summer, winter, and spring breaks to fix the car when it had it’s issues.
Q A Q A
What motivates you to keep putting in time and money? The simple fact is, it’s what makes me happy. I’m spending money on my passion. I’d rather be spending my time and money on something I can show for, something I can enjoy, admire and hold on to. I don’t care what it’s worth in financial terms, it’s worth so more than the resell value. What is the biggest challenge you have encountered with your car? The biggest challenge I’ve has with my car is how old it is and the brand. I have a 1989 BMW 325IX. You can’t really find parts for this car because BMW only made 2647 IX’s between 1988 and 1991. If you do ever find parts for and old e30, they’re usually expensive but very reliable. So it’s hard but it pays off in the end because you have a classic car that is still running 30 years after it was made.
Chase Tiffany Q What inspired you to build the car? A It started out as a daily driver, but people started
hyping it up a ton even though I didn’t think it was that sick at first. Then I started adding stuff to it and adding stuff and it kind of became an addiction, to the point where I put all of my money into it. Now everyone knows it.
Q A 22
What makes it all worth it to you in the end? Driving it around downtown or just going in the backroads and up Toleman. Going to different places where you can actually hug the road and go fast is just entertaining.
Gabe Kraft Q What is some advice for beginner skaters? A Some advice for beginner skaters is to be confident no
matter where you are riding. Don’t feel self-conscious about your riding ability because that’s going to prevent you from progressing and everyone has to start somewhere.
Caed Folkestad Q What got you into skating? A I had a skateboard when I was a kid, I never really picked it up, but my friend bought one when we were in middle school.
Q A
How many times a week do you skate? I try to do it every day because it’s like exercise to me, and it’s sort of like muscle memory, so you need to do it often and practice.
Liam Pettee Q What inspired you to build your motorized bike? A I had the bike frame for several years and it just looked
like a motorcycle. So when I joined the class I thought of bringing it in.
Q A
What materials did you need for your bike and what did you have to pay for yourself? Mr. Britt gave me an old engine that we had to fix. I had to buy a chain, clutch, and engine.
Mr. Britt Q What makes it worth it to you to customize this car? A People love to come look at it when we go to races, everybody wants to check it out because it’s just kind of bizarre. That’s the joy of customizing; you get the finished product and if it turns out then it’s really neat to have, and also other people recognize all the work you did and appreciate it that makes it all worthwhile.
Q A
What inspired you to make and customize it? I had the goal to make a weird engine swap on this BMW chassis because I had the car but the engine that was in it was no good. I didn’t want to just put another BMW engine in it; I wanted to do something unique. I started looking at what engines would fit in there, and what engines came out of rear wheel drive cars, and I wanted something turbo charged. So we narrowed it down to a couple different choices and I’d worked with volvos before, so I started looking for a volvo engine and wound up getting that. 23
A Day in the Life: Ben Spillman With the rise of color printing, photojournalism has become a valuable way of showcasing stories in a way that words can’t always capture. The goal of this photojournalistic student feature was to convey who Ben Spillman is by photographing his everyday life. photos by Simon DiRienzo