November 6, 2008
Ashland, Oregon
www.roguenews.net
Vol. III Issue II
Pretty in pink every Monday by Žena Shelton
port no matter what.” Wearing pink first For the office staff began when Tess at Ashland High Razzano, the RegSchool, wearing pink istrar, bought all every Monday isn’t the office ladies just a fashion statepink breast cancer ment; it represents bracelets, and from something much there it escalated more sentimental. into Pink Mondays. Sheila Holtey, a Holtey believes secretary in the that medical technolmain office, was diogy has made it easiagnosed with breast er to detect cancer at cancer in November earlier stages, thereof 2007. She had fore giving people just begun worka higher chance of ing at AHS when, at survival. one of her regular She would like to mammograms, the remind all women to doctor found some have regular exams suspicious bumps. A with their physicians, biopsy later showed not to smoke, to eat one breast posihealthily, to exercise tive for cancer, and regularly and to be an additional MRI aware if women showed cancer in Photo by Phoebe Parker-Shames in their families both breasts. The office ladies, from left to right; Jennifer Grisham, Karen Stewart, Callie Mercer, Glenda Walsh, Sheryl Walters, Amy Hopkins, have a history At first Holtey was Tess Razzano, Sheila Holtey, Michelle Gordon, all wear pink to show their support for Holtey’s battle with cancer of breast cancer. shocked, in denial, tally gone after undergoing chemotherapy, wearing pink to show their support for As a final note to and then felt afraid, for both her- radiation and taking Herceptin to combat Holtey while she was receiving treatment. her battle with breast cancer, Holtey self and her family. But later she the HER2 protein in one of her breasts. Karen Stewart, an Educational Assistant, would like to thank the AHS comhad “an intense desire for knowl- But she won’t know for sure until she has said, “We didn’t want to keep asking her munity for all the kindness. “We’re a edge on what to do and who to see.” follow-up tests in November of this year. [Holtey] how she was doing, but we wanted family here and we all support each Holtey hopes that her cancer is toThe ladies of the main office started to have a visual way to say that she had sup- other.”
Li-Young Lee: “a modern day philosopher” by Jeffrey Star
Poet Li-Young Lee speaks about his approach to writing at a luncheon held in his honor.
Photo submitted by Cathy DeForest
By 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, there was not an empty seat in the Mountain Avenue Theatre. A crowd of chattering students and community members alike, from all backgrounds and of all ages, eagerly awaited the man who had brought them together that evening, uniting them in their love of one art form: poetry. Li-Young Lee, the man of the hour, walked softly onto the simple stage amid torrential applause. His black hair was pulled back into a messy knot above his head, revealing a handsome, sensitive face. “Thank you all for your generous attention,” he began in a gentle voice. The audience chuckled, feeling the apparent irony of his statement. But for Li-Young Lee, the 51-year-old Asian-American poet, it wasn’t irony. It was the humility he lives and writes with always. One might think, for instance, that the man who has written four critically acclaimed books, and won numerous awards for his work, would consider himself fairly knowledgeable about poetry. Lee, instead, feels that his education is just beginning. “The more I write, the less I understand. The less I
know what I’m doing,” he said. Thanks to the efforts of the Chautauqua Poets and Writers, an Ashland foundation, Lee shared his wisdom and poetry with the local community over two whirlwind days. He began in the morning of Thursday, Oct. 23 on Jefferson Public Radio, then attended a luncheon held in his honor at the Ashland Public Library, ran a workshop with Ashland teachers, and closed out the day with his poetry reading in the Mountain Avenue Theatre. The next morning, he gave another 90-minute seminar at the Hannon Library, attended by about 30 students from AHS and SOU.This was the 6th poet that has been brought to Ashland by the Chautauqua foundation, previous artists including Ted Kooser, Robert Pinsky, and Naomi Shihab Nye. For Kathi Bowen-Jones, an AHS teacher and member of the Chautauqua board, Lee’s appearances were the culmination of a two-year process of fundraising and organization. She works to bring poets to Ashland to enhance the education of both students and the community. “What better teachers can we have?” The event, she said, fulfills the original purpose of Chautauqua societies: to “bring the community
together for communication and conversation.” Wherever he went, Lee spoke about his unique view on writing and poetry. “Poetry is a proposition on personhood,” he told the students at the workshop. “Writing poetry is giving up all interest in yourself.” Students were inspired and enlightened by his words. “It was interesting, just to hear a modern-day philosopher think about life,” said senior Max Parker-Shames, who introduced Lee at the poetry reading and has managed Chautauqua’s website for the past two months. “He’s an unassuming person, but he has a lot to say.” “He’s a very deep thinker,” agreed Ford Murawski-Brown, a freshman who attended both the reading and the Friday morning workshop. Li-Young Lee’s deep thoughts flowed freely to the attentive audience on Thursday night, on everything from writing (“Poetry is a negotiation between randomness and probability”) to being (“In order to get along in society, we function as a small bandwidth of who we really are”). For that hour, at least, everyone could see the world as he sees it – “like a giant poem.”
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Rogue News
November 6, 2008
AHS redesign prepares for future By Phoebe Parker-Shames Change is coming to Ashland High School. As the signs of low enrolment darken the financial horizon of AHS and the global world is stretching so flat it threatens to invert, the Ashland School District has a plan of action for the changing future. The Ashland School District is forming a Redesign Task Force (RAD) to restructure AHS in preparation of declining enrollment and to provide students with 21st century. “We are recognizing that we’re in a new century and the skills that kids need in the future require a different education than in the past,” Amy Patton, school board member and member of the Design Committee, said. Consultants Rick Lear and John McGean from Coalition of Essential Schools Northwest/Small School Project were hired for around $30,000 at the beginning of last summer to facilitate the redesign process. “This is the kind of thing most people won’t look at until it’s a day too late,” Rick Lear said. “I’ve found that the finest school districts are the first to say they need help,” McGean said. The redesign team is currently in a research phase.
Student focus groups were conducted at the end of September. During the week of Oct. 6, students, parents and faculty filled out surveys about the high school. An in-service was held Oct. 10 for the staff to begin evaluating the research.
Graduate Outcomes • Effective Communicators • Creative Problem Solvers • Involved Citizends Who Value Diversity • Stewards of the Natural World • Healthy, Active Community Members • Appreciators of the Arts • Self-directed Learners “I really hope they actually listen, because there was actually some good advice given,” Ryan Mills, a sophomore who participated in one of the focus groups,
said. The data collected from the surveys and focus groups seem to show a well-off, high-achieving student body that feels prepared to learn. However, there are other data that seemed to surprise many teachers during the in-service. For instance, 82 percent of the student body and 72 percent of the staff have witnessed an incident of academic dishonesty or cheating. Using this and other data, Research and Development (RAD) teams covering assessment, personalization, teaching and learning and supportive services will be put together. They will consist of interested staff, community members and students with the final goal of creating a list of recommendations that will be presented to the school board and the community in June. The school schedule has even been changed this year to accomodate time on Friday mornings for the RAD teams to meet. One of the ultimate goals of the redesign process is to provide graduates of AHS with a set of outcomes. If all goes as planned, current freshmen and sophomores will experience the change during their Junior and Senior years.
What Is Your Ultimate Educational Goal?
Survey Taken October 8, 2008.
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 Editorin-Chiefs or newspaper advisor. -Attempt to cover school events fairly and evenly Rogue News is published by the newspaper class of Ashland High School, 201 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland, Oregon 97520, (541) 482-8771 ext. 195.
Editors-in-Chief..........................Phoebe Parker-Shames, Žena Shelton Managing Editor.........................................................Ella Riley-Adams Front Page Editor.................................Arthur Lawniczak, Žena Shelton News Editors...................................................................Zach Kitamura Feature Editors..............................................Abbie Deal, Erik Peterson In-Depth Editor.................................................Phoebe Parker-Shames Sports Editor....................... .........................................Trevor Hilligoss Back Page Editor.............................................................Hannah Sayles Graphic Designer/Ad Designer.............................................Jesse Smith Advertising Managers.........Anna Hume, Adam Pavlich, Jackson Santee Distrubution Manager.....................................................Nicholas Dake Technical Advisor....................................................Max Parker-Shames
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Rogue News
November 6, 2008
Ashland High theatre goes wayward By Michael Deckelmen Ashland High School’s fall production, “A Company of Wayward Saints,” written by George Herman, is truly special this year because it is the fifteenth anniversary of AHS’s partnership with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as the tenth anniversary of the Mountain Avenue Theatre being built. “We’re excited about it because it’s one of those shows where the actors really must work together as an ensemble,” Betsy Bishop, the show producer, commented. The play is truly unique because it’s a play within a play. The production is under the “Commedia dell’Arte” genre, a form of improvisational theatre that was developed in sixteenth century Italy. The first act is comical, while the second has a more profound meaning, as the play revolves around a troupe of actors who are on tour performing Commedia dell’Arte acts, but have lost popularity and money. In the play, they act out various scenes through human history and mythology attempting to acquire the necessary funds to
return home. G. Valmont Thomas, an OSF actor, director and teacher, directs the production with the assistance of Jamie Peck, an actor, artist and skilled mask craftsmen, also from OSF. The show stars Charlie Bass as Arlecchino, Aubrey Bauer as Scapino, Pheobe Knowles as Pantalone, Uriel Wolf-Blank as Dottore, Daniel Burt as Il Capitano, Emma Harding as Isabella, Drew Woods as Tristano, Isabella Pribyl as Colombine, Helen Marcus as Ruffiano, Zoe Heald as Happy and Jeffrey Star as Grumpy. Max Kiss, the stage manager, keeps all of the above together, which includes giving cues, being at every rehearsal and being blamed for everything. The preview will be on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m., tickets are only $5. Opening night is November 6, also at 7:30, which will cost you $10. The show runs November 7, 8 and the 13 through the 16. A matinee performance will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased from the AHS Main Office, Paddington Station, Tree House Books, The Music Coop, or online at http://tickets. ahstheatre.net. Left to right: Charlie Bass, Uriel Wolfe-Blank, Phoebe Knowles and Bella Pribyl.
Photo by Anna Barth
Are you feeling SAD? By Anna Hume
For most, the transition from summer to fall is a time of exciting changes and fun back to school frenzy. It is a time to take advantage of the new school year and participate in many school sponsored activities and events. But for some, with the falling of the leaves, also comes the downfall of their happiness and the change of the seasons just leaves them in a slump. Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD, also known as
Seasonal Depression is a mood disorder that may occur each year around the same time, usually starting in fall or winter. People afflicted with SAD, who ordinarily have normal health throughout the year suddenly suffer from symptoms of depression. Anxiety, appetite changes, change in sleeping patterns, and fatigue are usually the first signals of seasonal depression. In the later winter months, most commonly January and February, the symptoms grow worse. SAD can cause feelings of worthlessness and guilt, lack of concentration and appetite, inability to live one’s normal life, and even suicidal thoughts and actions. Between four and six percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, and while the exact cause of this condition is unknown, the influence of location on SAD suggests that it is caused by changes in sunlight. Researchers have found that bright light alters the chemicals in the brain. This
may explain why people only start experiencing SAD when the days get darker and shorter. Another cause could be lack of vitamin D, which your body gets directly from the sunlight. Mild cases of SAD are more common than one might think. While junior Laurel Cullen doesn’t suffer from clinical depression, her moods are definitely affected by the colder months. “I think everyone experiences a level of SAD on especially gloomy days, so I just try to spend as much time as possible outside or in front of a kindling fire,” Cullen said, an avid soccer player and horseback rider. “Although my mood can be down in the dark months, as soon as spring hits, I’m super happy and energetic.” So how does one dispel SAD? The only way to deal with this depression is exposure to plenty of daylight or by light therapy. Light therapy is administered by a device with white fluorescent tubes that are covered with a plastic screen to block out ultraviolet rays. The patient does not need to stare directly into the light. As long as they are within 2-3 feet of it, it is thought to be just as effective as a day on a sunny beach. For less severe cases, spending as much time outdoors as possible will do the trick. Vitamin D supplements or products containing vitamin D such as fish and milk are also a great help. If you feel that you are experiencing some of the symptoms of SAD, talk to a parent, a counselor, or any other trusted person. Although SAD can be easily treated, it is still a scary and a confusing disorder that should not be handled alone. Cartoon by Hannah Sayles
Homecoming The AHS dance tea
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Senior Amanda
Photo by Max Parker
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his sister V
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Freshmen Lillian Thomas and Jessica Tye
Senior Michaela Nuss
Photo by Phoebe Parker-Shames
g 2008
Photo Test
In this issue, the Rogue News is playing around with our photographs! When our issues are sent through the printing press, microscopic drops of ink hit the page and soak in. Different colored inks soak into the paper in different amounts, which means that when we adjust the amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow and black in a photo, images will appear differently on the printed page. The only good way to know exactly how adjustments we make before we print will affect the final result is to try different adjustments and see how they look! In that spirit of experimentation, here are some different versions of the same photograph, with slightly different levels of colored inks- we’ll use the results to make our photos look even better in the future.
Max Parker-Shames
Photo 50 percent midtones set at 10 percent
Set at 15 mes oebe Parker-Sha
Photo by Ph
At 20
At 25
Photo by Phoebe Parker-Shames
Max Defrisco, Lauren Koppel, Kristen Baker, Amanda Adams, and Ryland Karllvich
At 30 The cheerleader team during the homecoming assembly
At 40
Photo by Max Parker-Shames
Rogue News
Page 6
Have you painted your fish lately?
November 6, 2008 Karen Berman: Renaissance Woman
Photo by Abbie Deal Karen Berman helps Jesse Powers and Dylan Fisher in the kitchen
by Sophie Javna
Above: examples of Ron Graham’s Fish Prints. Photos submitted by Ron Graham
by Sadie Shelton Who knew that you could take a freshly killed sea creature and turn it into a piece of art? Ron Graham did, and he now has hundreds of fish prints. Last year Graham, a math teacher at Ashland High School, took a one year professional development leave and moved to Hawaii with the hope that he would find a teaching job. He decided to teach in Hawaii because his wife wanted to live somewhere tropical for a year. It was there that he learned the techniques of fish printing. “I’m an amateur taxidermist, but this has become too expensive, so now I document the fish I catch by printing them,” Graham said.
Fish printing has long been an art known to the Japanese as gyotaku, which means “fish rubbing.” It is a delicate procedure that begins by first painting the fish with black ink and then placing a piece of paper over the fish. The next step is to rub the paper around the fish to define the points that you want to emphasize. However, not all the body parts show up, for example, the eye and the definition of the fins. The missing details are painted in with watercolors afterward. “The original print gives you the general shape of the fish,” Graham said, “but the watercolor is what brings the fish to life.” The Japanese used their prints at the market to show what their fish looked like without having to actually bring their daily catch
to the market. The prints would also allow the vendors to tally what types of fish people were interested in and how many they wanted of each kind. After Graham makes the prints he scans them into the computer and uses Photoshop to enhance them. “I scan them in and combine prints to make different themes,” Graham said. For example, he might combine big and small fish to make a school of fish on one print. Graham currently has a website at ronsgyotaku.blogspot.com, where most of his fish prints are displayed. Graham hopes that this website will not only be a way for him to show his prints, but also a way to sell them to the public.
When Karen Berman was in her third year as a retired teacher, she started thinking about getting out of the house and finding a new job—something fun and different from her previous teaching experiences that would still let her work with kids, but in a more relaxed environment. Well, she got what she wanted—the Foods 1 class at Ashland High School turned out to be her dream job, and she’s been happily teaching kids how to cook for five years. Mrs. Berman has led a very interesting life. People who know her would probably be surprised to learn that she was born in Spain, and lived there until she finished fifth-grade in 1954. “It was very poor, very third world back then,” said Berman. “Kids knew I had American parents and, assuming I was rich, would beg me to spare them some change or buy them some chewing gum or chocolate. Living there really influenced me—it shaped my consciousness and awareness of poverty.” After elementary school, her family moved to London, where she finished her schooling. “Half of the block where I lived was still bombed out from German attacks in World War II. It was a fascinating time in Europe.” By her sophomore year of high school, she had already figured out that she wanted to teach for a living and by senior year she had decided to go to college in America, although she’d never been there. The only person she knew was her aunt who lived in Arizona, which was where she ended up going to school. The culture shock and homesickness were hard to get over, but she toughed it out and graduated college as a political science and history major, ready to go into the world and make a difference as an educator. One of her jobs after college was teaching at a bank’s education program that helped bring minorities into the business world. “These kids would have to empty their pockets before they came in to make sure they weren’t carrying any weapons,” Berman recalled. “I was glad there were older and more experienced instructors around, because that’s a hard thing to handle on your own.” She also worked with an outreach program for prisoners and found it “surprisingly uplifting to witness these people who have bad consequences, the worst conditions, and are struggling to survive, yet can still retain their hope.” One of her proudest life achievements was meeting her hero, Robert Kennedy, whose presidential campaign she planned on joining before he was assassinated in 1968. She went on to teach many different subjects, including English, Spanish and History and worked at schools all over the country. After she got married, her husband suggested they move to Ashland because he thought it would be a good place to raise their kids. Now, five years and four grown-up daughters later, she is working part time in the Ashland High School Foods department and loving every minute of it. “I love teaching this class because all the students are so supportive and seem to have a lot of fun. I’ve realized that connecting with kids around a kitchen table and schmoozing is much more personal than being in a classroom, intellectualizing.” And that’s what she does during class—connect with students. “As soon as you meet her, you know she’s different,” said Morgan Ginsberg, an aid in the Foods 1 class. “She’s someone you can hang out with, not like a normal teacher.” Noon Kajanakaset, another Foods student, avidly agrees. “She’s easy to get to know. When you see her you feel like you can tell her anything.” When she’s not teaching Foods, Mrs. Berman works as a college counselor, meeting with students and their parents to discuss post-highs school options including four-year colleges, vocational schools, community colleges and online degrees. So, how is Mrs. Berman changing the world through Foods class? “Well, I really love the kids. And I figure you can never have too much love in the world these days, can you?”
Rogue News
November 6, 2008
Page 7
Snowboard team excels
Wa
by Abbie Deal
Current Walter A. Phillips Field (left) and a projection of the planned turf field.
Photo by Justin Aziere Photo illustration by Trevor Hilligoss
Facelift, big time by Trevor Hilligoss
At 7:00 p.m. every Friday night in fall, thousands of fans flock in droves to a green Walter A. Phillips field to watch the Ashland Grizzlies take on and bring down any other team that dares to come into our house. And although the domination by Ashland athletes will not change in the near future, the field on which the competitions are played will. As of September 20, the Ashland School Board approved private funding of more than $1.35 million dollars for the field, raising it from the originally proposed $850,000 turf that the board reasoned unsafe on grounds of trace amounts of lead being found in the rubber padding. Thus cementing the idea of a new all purpose field in the minds of Ashland residents, fans and general taxpayers alike. So what does this mean for Ashland athletics? According to Athletic Director Karl Kemper, quite a bit. “Its more than just Ashland athletics. The whole community will be able to use the new field.” Permanent lines for not only football but also soccer parameters in yellow and possibly track lines for discus
Sports Wire Pick’em
College FB: Stanford at Oregon The Ducks quarterback committee will defeat the Cardinal in the Autzen Zoo and stay in contention for a conference championship
throwers will be part of the layout planned for the turf field. This means that the entire athetic community in Ashland will have access to a clean, mud-free field year round. In addition to choosing a different turf for the new field, the board also approved a new provider. Instead of being bought from Field Turf International, the new turf will be purchased from Mondo Turf, which offers a “completely safe alternative to leaded rubber infill.” Mondo Turf works like a layered cake; the first layer, the substructure, is made from cement. This first layer helps keep the field flat and increases its lifespan. The second layer, made of polycarbonate rubber, is thin and helps protect athletes from injury due to impact. The last two layers are partially combined; the artificial grass is created from hard rubber for texture and cryogenic rubber for additional padding. The bottom line for Ashlanders this football season is that on November 1 of this year they will experience the last home football game with the same Walter A. Phillips field, because by this time next year, it will be a whole ‘nother ball game.
College FB: Oregon State at UCLA The Beavers will overcome their struggles on the road and pull out a win against the hapless Bruins at the Rose Bowl.
FA Premier League: Manchester Utd. at Arsenal “The Gunners” will look to defend their home ground, but Manchester’s front line will over power their defense.
The leaves are changing color and students can see their breath each morning on the quad. Winter will be here soon and it will bring more than just cooler temperatures. It’s time to start thinking about winter sports. The State-winning Ashland High School Snowboarding team had their first informational meeting on October 7. Matt Faurot, the coach, expects there to be around 45 students on the team this year. Students on the team are required to have their own equipment. This includes their own snowboard, boots and binding, helmets and the proper attire for the winter environment they will be practicing in. “Dry land” training for the team will start November 13, and will continue two days a week until Mt. Ashland opens. Dry land training is comprised mostly of conditioning to get ready for the winter season. When the mountain opens, practice will happen once a week. The team practices freestyle, boardercross training and riding rails (among other things). For those of us unfamiliar with snowboarding terms, freestyle is when snowboarders use features in the terrain like boxes, rails, jumps and half or quarter pipes to perform tricks. Boardercross is a race where a group of usually four snowboarders start at the top of a course and attempt to cross the finish line at the bottom first. There are obstacles like turns and drops to test a snowboarder’s ability and control. Faurot mentioned that this year he would like to see some of the newer kids on the team be able to start learning tricks and technique from the more experienced members. Due to the unique terrain their sport requires, the team often has to face some challenging weather. “We have to compete in really nasty weather,” Faurot said, “we compete in driving snow and rain and it can be really difficult sometimes.” Icy weather, he adds, is especially hard on the team members. The competitions that the team attends every year include slope style, half-pipe, boardercross and banked slalom. Slalom is when boarders race downhill through a series of gates. This requires a large amount of technical skill. Last year, both the boys and the girls team won State Championships, and everyone is optimistic about this year’s team. However, to succeed once again the boys and girls of the slopes will need a lot more than optimism.
NBA: Houston at Portland Blazermania hits Rip City as the Trailblazers keep developing their young lineup aginst the Rockets.
Running over their competition by Trevor Hilligoss The Ashland Boys and Girls cross country teams have been in the “running” for state championships for the last four years. The boys team boasts a ranking of third in state, as of this writing and the state championships having been run this past weekend. Most of the team consists of returning harriers from last year. Ryland Karlovich, Paul Schwarzer and Wilder Schaaf ran at the state championships after placing at the district meet.
In contrast, the girls team was somewhat depleted due to graduation of most of the varsity squad. However, not to be discouraged, the Ashland girls hit the ground running, climbing the ranking ladder to second place late in the season. “I think that our girls’ team has exceeded the expectations for the season,” remarked Natalie Knight, a junior on the team. “We didn’t really know what kind of a team we were going to have, so we all just stepped up and made the season we wanted.” The team placed second at the district meet, so they are eligible to send
an entire team and compete for the state title. Seena Frantz, Camelia Mayfield, Marshall Miller and Alex Kiesling finished in the top ten at districts. To be sure, the cross country teams have both really stepped up to the proverbial plate and hit one out of the park. They’ve not only made a successful season out of one they thought they would never have, but the Ashland runners have brought a new hope of a state championship to a school that has a tradition of excellence. The Ashland runners have continued the strong winning tradition laid out by coach Bob Julian Jr.
by Hannah Sayles
W
grew up a little.” While the solo is an “ hat was said important time for the and done is all that we students, being together hold on to….” as a group and learning The voices sang in perfect unison, resonating to respect everyone’s difthrough the straw-bale ferences is equally imclassroom like a practiced portant. Coming back to society, after two weeks choir. Students of the Wil- of intense backpacking, derness Charter School is a huge culture shock open themselves to the for all of the students. community with songs, There is no slow alterapoetry and journal en- tion between the wild and tries at a group potluck sophisticated. Instead, the to celebrate their adven- students are thrust back tures. The two week trek into the every-day system, they embarked on before forced to face the realizastarting school made their tion of how wasteful our bonds as strong as family. culture actually is. From “It’s hard to explain to this experience comes others who weren’t there, knowledge. WCS promotes itself all the amazing things that as a safe place where the happened.” Anna Knorr, group can talk about anya senior in the Wilderness Charter School, said. thing in complete confi“I have so much uncon- dentiality, and learn how ditional love for all of to make a difference for the earth. There are very them.” Wilderness Charter few limits to the creativity School (WCS) is a year- of assignments given to long program for stu- WCS students. If they feel dents in grades 11 and an assignment does not fit 12 who are interested in their learning needs they sustainability, preserving can modify it in a way that the earth and alternative helps them remember energy. During the two- or understand it better. week backpacking trip Katherine Holden, the through Trinity Alps, stu- teacher of the WCS prodents have a 24-hour solo gram explained that durhike where self-discovery ing the year the students takes place in the hours experience a connection to nature, they learn about of silence. “In a way I feel like I sustainability, living better, gained wisdom during my building community, they solo, I mean how often gain self discovery and do people spend 24-hours partake in internships. “Charter School makes alone anymore?” Zhawen Wahpepah, a junior in me more aware of huWCS, remarked. “In the man destruction,” Noah middle of the night when Sohl, a WCS student, said. you feel scared and there “Normal public school is no one there to com- seems so conformed in fort you, you ARE alone. comparison.” WCS students don’t When I realized I could get through it by myself, I follow the Hum-Drum
Half the WCS group growl in the Trinity Alps. From back row, left to right, Nino Foley, Shale Pagel, WCS guide Brennan, Noah Sohl, Caitlin Code, Zhawen Wahpepah, Anna Knorr, and Sofia Stott. Front row; guide Zack, Luke Estes, WCS teacher Katherine Holden, Rayna Hagie, and Lucy Way.
schedule that public school students work in. After starting the morning with a fun “warm up” they plunge into the science of the environment, they study permaculture, and have class discussions about the subjects being learned. Field-trips are every other week and vary from plastering strawbale houses to rafting a wild river. Commitment is a huge part of WCS; you have to be present. Mentally and Physically. A walk around the property reveals the garden, rainwater pond, diameter pole, papercrete shed, greenhouse and cob oven. A few times a month the students have a property work day where they shovel, lift, and clean weeds to help new plants develop. The grass was wildly overgrown and Casey Schein explained
why. “With permaculture, you let things grow and support the growing of other things.” She dismissed the idea that WCS is for struggling students, a common misconception at AHS. “Some of the smartest kids I’ve ever met are in this program,” she said. 22 students get in each year through a selection process involving essay writing and personal interviews. Grades are earned; not given, by turning in assignments, having good attendance and fulfilling objectives outlined on their self written contracts. At the end of the year the group packs up again for another two week trip, this time to symbolize a rite of passage and celebration of completion. “Charter school has made me a different per-
Photos submitted by WCS
Zhawen Wahpepah and Anna Knorr
son, and I’ve changed… for the better.” Wahpepah said. Holden invites anyone interested to pick up an application in January for the outdoor program. At the potluck Wah-
pepah finishes singing a song she taught to the group during a campfire; “If you go, love, I just want you to know, love; you’ve saved me in more ways than one…”