December 2, 2009
Vol. IV Issue iv
Ashland, Oregon
Putting the ‘pal’ in principal by Anna Hume “All of our students have an With the twists and turns equal value,” Schlehct said, “We of this year, we Grizzlies have decided as a staff to support all learned to accept and even emof our kid’s needs.” brace the unexpected. But on With only eight months left, the morning of November 9, Schlecht still has a lot of work news that took everybody by to do, but he is beginning to surprise blared over the loud cope with the idea of saying speakers. As the class of 2010 good-bye to the school that has graduates, our beloved principal become his home. When asked Jeff Schlecht will be graduating what he will miss most he said from Ashland High School simply “the 100 little choices with us. I make each day to benefit the It is hard for staff and stukids.” dents alike to imagine AHS “This has been the most diffiwithout Mr. Schlecht’s cheercult decision of my life,” he said. ful presence. “It will be so weird “Every student of this school not seeing him around,” Junior feels like part of my family.” Lee Dodds said, “he really repThe feeling is mutual. “Mr. resents AHS to me,” it’s true, Schlecht has played such a huge Mr. Schlecht is an everyday part role in my high school experiPhoto by Grace Riley-Adams of high school. Whether he is Principal Jeff Schlecht reminiscing about his days at the high school ence,” Senior Emily Hand said . congratulating an athlete on a Just because he is retiring, “Jeff is one principal in 2002. big game or just stopping into doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect to see of the most sensitive and compassionate “When I started as an educator, I did a class to observe, it is apparent that Mr. people I have worked with in education,” Mr. Schlecht at school events or strolling Schlecht is involved in his students’ lives. not think I would end up principal of says Government teacher Matthew McK- around town. “I plan to stay in the city In fact, Schlecht has even won the Intra- AHS,” Schlecht said, “but boy, am I glad innon, “As a teacher, I appreciate how and support the district in any way they mural Ping Pong Tournament and his cer- I did.” need,” he said. Schlecht will be around Since Schlecht became principal, he much he looks out for the best interest of for years to come, as will the incredible tificate can be seen in his office among his has made countless positive changes. Be- his staff and students.” “Principal of the Year” awards. Perhaps even more impressive than the impact he has made. It’s not only AHS student and alumni fore his time, AHS had 60% of students statistics is the number of programs that Senior and Student Body President attend 2-4 year colleges post graduation. that have memories with Schlecht. Ashhave been implemented since Schlecht Noah Sohl spoke for all of us when he said, land High School is only one of the many In the last three years, that number has became principal. Classes like SAEJ and “Jeff ’s care will forever remain with me places he has worked. He has been a coach, grown to an astonishing 86%. Ashland Wilderness Charter School are continu- and the others he has guided and inspired a teacher and a principal in Oregon for 30 High School was also recognized this ously offered to students who seek an al- as principal of the Ashland Schools” years. This includes being the principal of year for the first time as “exceptional” ternative path to learning. Ashland High It is undecided who the next principal Briscoe Elementary for four years. He was by the ODE. But Schlecht is happy to Schools AP and SAT scores have always will be, but whoever is selected has some also Associate Principal of AHS for five share the credit. “The staff and admin- been high, but Schlect took it upon him- pretty big shoes to fill. Mr. Schlecht, with years, so he described it as “coming home” istrators at this school have always been self to make sure more than just the honor his compassion and good nature, makes when he was offered the job of head a perfect fit,” he says “We brought the students were living up to their potential. everyday a good day to be a Grizzly. best out in each other and the students.”
AHS is “Exceptional” on average by Tim Borgerson Ashland High School students and staff don’t need a rating system to tell them that they are some of the best, but due to the No Child Left Behind Act, the state is forced to tell us anyway. On the latest report card from the Oregon Department of Education, AHS received an evaluation rating of “Outstanding.” Yet, this ranking is not indicative of Ashland’s progress because the rating system was recently revised. According to the ODE, if they had been using the previous year’s ranking system, AHS would have received the highest possible rating of “Exceptional.” This is an improvement over last year’s rating of “Strong.” According to the ODE, Ashland was the only high school in the valley to receive a rating of “exceptional.” A number of factors are used by the ODE to assess and rate a school. They include attendance and graduation rates, state testing results, as well as the dropout rate. Particularly impressive is that the high school’s already low dropout rate declined even more from 1.9 percent in 2007 to 1.7 percent in 2008. AHS Principal Jeff Schlecht credits the low dropout rate to the school’s well-developed safety net. “We have implemented a number of programs or interventions designed to make sure no one falls through the cracks. This, I believe, is what makes us an exceptional school.” Assistant Principal Don Valentini and Dean Glenna Stiles, for example, head the Student-Services Team, where staff members who problem solve
ways to help individual at-risk students one at a time. “It’s one of the best resources I’ve seen in my 30-year career,” Schlecht said. “We are able to help kids achieve a posthigh school vision.” Of course, AHS staff cannot take all the credit for the strong performance. “We have a wonderful K-10 program that ensures sophomores have a firm foundation when they take the test,” AHS English teacher Leeanne Wallace notes. However, despite the overall improvement, the recent report card raised some concerns. For instance, the number of sophomores that passed the state writing exam declined by 18 percent and the number who passed the science exam declined by 11 percent. The school’s failure to maintain its high place in the US News and World Report ranking of Best High Schools Is another disappointment for students and staff. In 2007, Ashland was honored as a “Silver Medal School,” ranking among the top 3 percent of public high schools in the nation. AHS failed to be recognized in the 2009 edition of the rankings. However, with its dedicated staff and diverse student body, Ashland High School continues to a provide quality education and to receive rightfully earned accolades. When asked what makes AHS exceptional in her eyes, junior Sophia Javna commented, “Despite the budget cuts, we still have plenty of opportunities to do what we feel passionate about. We are fortunate to have an administration that is mostly in touch with the needs and desires of students.”
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December 2nd, 2009
“It’s the greatest time of year” And the Winter Fine Arts Festival is here to celebrate It. by Calynn Jenkins An AHS tradition of the arts prepares for its fifteenth year of performances. Students are practicing, creating, and working hard to complete their works of art. All of this work comes together for one night, the Winter Fine Arts Festival. The Winter Fine Arts Festival (WFAF) showcases the talents of students in Ashland High’s Art Department.This includes band, orchestra, choir, theater, art, fine arts and film. The event is also a fundraiser for the Ashland High Arts Advocates (AHAA), AHS’s booster club for the arts. AHAA gives part of the proceeds to art department grants. Each art department teacher receives a certain amount of money and uses it for anything their class(es) may need. Last year, Orchestra teacher Gerry Pare used some of the money to bring the University of Oregon String Quartet to her orchestra classes. The other portion of the money raised at the WFAF goes to summer enrichment scholarships. These are given to students in an art department class that apply for a scholarship to use for an arts related summer program. Students have used the summer scholarships for music lessons, art classes and camps. Last year AHHA gave out $5,000 in scholarships to students for summer enrich-
ment programs. The film classes will be featured on a monitor in the lobby with student’s videos from the Video 1 and 2 classes. AHS artists will be featured in an art show, running from the lobby to the cafeteria. Fiber arts work will also be on display, along with projects from stained glass, jewelry and woodworking classes. Performing on stage are the jazz band, symphonic band, percussion ensemble and orchestra. Also, the new show choir, mixed choir, chamber singers club, OSF master class, and Suzanne Seiber’s dance class will perform.
“The joy and energy of youth in the arts is a pleasure to behold!” Betsy Bishop Students also enjoy the experience of participating in the WFAF. Kyanna Kuriyama described what she likes about the event, “I think the best thing about the Winter Fine Arts Festival is how it brings all of these incredibly talented students together to show off just how amazing they all are.” “I love this night! A cornucopia of creativity! Winter Fine Arts Festival gives the Ashland Community a sampling of the fine and performing arts students at AHS and a glimpse into the future possibilities as their talents are further developed. The joy and energy of youth in the arts is a pleasure to behold!”, Theater teacher, Betsy
Bishop said. The Winter Fine Arts Festival will be held on Thursday, December 17th at 7pm in the Mountain Avenue Theater. A silent auction and a sandwich and desert café will be open at 5:30pm. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. For more information email AHAA!@ashland. k12.or.us.
GSA sponsored dance- “Gender Bender” by Mahkah Wu With each passing day, words like “gay” and “faggot” become more and more ingrained in the vernacular of the collective AHS student body. Although this may seem to be a benign occurrence to the typical heterosexual student, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Presidents Lucas Opgenorth and Willis Plummer draw a very different conclusion. “Using language associated with homosexuality in a negative connotation is homophobic because it creates an environment hostile to those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or
transsexual,” explained Opgenorth. But surely homophobia isn’t an issue in our exceptional high school, right? Not true says Plummer, “Homophobia is an issue that has been swept under the carpet at AHS, but it’s a serious problem. When kids see something that’s outside of their comfort zones, they are quick to criticize.” To fight the proliferation of homophobic sentiment and to make everyone feel more comfortable at AHS, GSA will be sponsoring a “Gender-Bender” dance at Science Works on December 12. The concept is simple: come dressed as someone of the opposite gender. Although gender
bending won’t be required, the presidents promise there will be a financial incentive to dress up. The gender bender is also a huge step towards GSA’s ultimate goals of eroding heteronormativity. According to Plummer, “heteronormativity is a desire to force everyone to fit the mold that has been dictated by society for thousands of years, and we need to break down the barriers in order to create an environment in which students feel comfortable to express themselves.” The duo expressed confidence that their dance will be a significant step toward this goal.
Besides being an outlet for positive social change at AHS, Opgenorth is also confident that the dance will have much better music then the typical AHS dance and has already begun work on the playlist which includes everything from Jay-Z to Michael Jackson. In addition to the dance, GSA was responsible for the recent candlelight vigil on the quad to show solidarity with victims of transgender violence and plans to develop additional programs to raise awareness within the community.
Rogue News
December 2, 2009
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Reduce, Reuse, Re-gift? by Wynn Michael
by Wilder Schaaf So it’s December, that time of year that is defined by heinously low temperatures, elves and presents. Gifts, specifically brand new ones that have yet to see the light of day, are the backbone of American society and the American economy. The idea that a gift should be able to be given again, a despicable practice commonly referred to as “re-gifting,” is not only absurd, it is fiscally dangerous. Presents and gifts in modern American society are not just tokens of appreciation; they are direct indicators of love. A gift allows the receiver to look into the presenter’s soul and discover how much the giver cares about him or her, kind of like another, more physical pastime of the American people. So then, taking a gift from one person with a false smile upon your face, and later sneeringly bestowing it upon another is essentially the Yuletide equivalent of committing adultery. From an economic standpoint, regifting is equally disgusting. Who are you to disregard consumerism’s gentle
When you think of the holiday season, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? If your answer was “spreading cheer and singing jolly carols” you sir, are a perfect human being. On the other hand, if you said anything along the lines of “presents,” your name is probably Scrooge. Anyone who has read “The Grinch” knows that Christmas is about much more than presents. This is why I have no qualms with receiving a present and promptly giving it to another person. Since presents are such a miniscule part of the holidays, I’m hardly fazed when someone chooses to “share” a present with me. In fact, it’s flattering to receive a re-gifted present because the best type of gift is the type you can share. The truth is, people who complain about re-gifts are the people who greedily feel entitled to expensive gifts. A price tag does not determine the quality of a present. If a gift comes from the heart, it doesn’t matter where it came from. In the words of the immortal Dr. Seuss, “he puzzled and puzzled till
edicts and avoid that wonderful tradition of stimulating the economy on Black Friday? In these times of economic hardship, this invigoration is especially important. If the act of regifting is adultery, then its outcome is the impregnation of the U.S. economy with an unwanted fetus of debt which weighs heavily on our fiscal well-being. “The act of re-gifting is not only wrong but amoral,” senior Alex Harris says. “It takes something given for your happiness and makes it obsolete by using it as another person’s gift.” Exactly my good man, the re-gifter is a moral drain on society and, as you can see from Alex’s forlorn sentiment, it weighs heavily on all our hearts. In conclusion, I leave you with these words of advice. ‘Tis the time of season to be jolly, not compromise your moral integrity by re-gifting the wrapping paper off of everything bestowed upon you. If you promote Nativity promiscuity by “gifting around”, you never know what you’ll catch.
his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!” In addition to the moral benefits of re-gifting, there is also the environmental aspect. The notion of buying a pristine new gift for every person on your gift list is simply absurd. Carl Gorbett, a sophomore at AHS, was eager to spread his Yuletide slogan, “Reduce, Reuse, Regift.” By adopting Gorbett’s green view on the holiday season we’ll be one step closer to a cleaner planet. With more and more presents slowly but surely clogging the arteries of Mother Nature’s delicate body, our generation will not likely see many more winters before the planet is drowned by cackling Tickle Me Elmos. So stop buying those materialistic presents. Dive into the spirit of re-gifting and find yourself a treasure in the trash. Heck, you can even use this here newspaper to wrap it. After all, it’s the thought that counts.
Common Apprehension
by Ella Riley-Adams A teen sits on the quad, head in hands, choking back tears. “What’s the matter?” is the first question on a concerned friend’s lips. The answer to that question is one word: college. Senior year is a time for last hurrahs and
future plans. However, especially first semester, the festivities seem to be few and far between as our time is consumed by the mountain of college and scholarship applications. As we fill in the plethora of blank lines and memorize our social security numbers, one question continuously echoes: Am I good enough? Junior year, we wonder if we’re good enough for National Merit Scholarships. “What did you get on the PSAT?” is the question du jour. Then it’s the SATs and AP tests in spring. Scores are compared and the starting gun is fired for the matriculation marathon. Some students go so far as to post their test results on Facebook, fueling the fire of comparison. “I do feel like it [the college process] is a really competitive thing. It’s often taken as a
Editorial Board
Editors-in-Chief............Anna Hume, Arthur Lawniczak, Ella Riley-Adams ...............................................................................................Jackson Santee Front Page Editor..............................................................Arthur Lawniczak News Editor..............................................................................AJ Bottimore Opinion Editor...................................................................Ella Riley-Adams In-Depth Editors.........................................................................Anna Hume Feature Editor......................................................................Taylor Patterson Sports Editors................................................Mason Costantino, Niki Small Backpage Editor...........................................................................Jacy Mairs Managing Editor......................................................................Adam Pavlich Photography Editor........................................................Grace Riley-Adams Chief Designer.......................................................................Hannah Sayles Production Manager....................................................................Jesse Smith Business Manager…….…..…..................................................Heather Case
reflection of who you are, how smart you are and where your priorities lie,” senior Eliana Pool said. We’re under pressure, and Queen concurs: “it’s the terror of knowing what this world is about.” The college acceptance letter a student receives will open doors to their future. Dreams are built as applications are painstakingly written and a letter of acceptance is the final piece of the post-high school puzzle. Perhaps this footrace to the future is healthy. After all, once we enter “the real world,” we will constantly be competing for not only academic, but financial and personal success as well. The college contest is simply a preliminary step that will prepare us to fight for jobs. We will become practiced at listing our positive
attributes. Ashland High counselor Steve Smith said, “the most important thing to remember is to keep a balance. Give it your best shot but don’t invest your whole self-worth in the outcome. At this time, before the letters arrive, it’s tense. But at the end of the day, it all works out.” So it’s tense. We are competing with students from around the world, but more importantly, we’re competing against our friends. “Frenemies” are a dime a dozen as they casually inquire as to if you’ve finished your Common App, slyly weighing their chances of success against yours. But soon enough, it’ll be over. We’ll get our letters and decide on our destinations. Senior class unity will ultimately prevail. When we toss our mortarboards into the air, we will be grateful for the hours of toil devoted to college applications. The next chapter of life is nearly upon Rogue News is published by the newspaper classes of Ashland High School, 201 South Mountain Ave., Ashland, Oregon 97520. (541) 482-8771 ext. 195. The edithe seniors, and the rest of Ashtorials written by the Rogue News express the opinions of the editorial staff on issues land High School will soon relevant to the staff, the school and the community. begin considering college. So if Personal columns do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff and are written as the opinion of the individual author. Letters to the editor, which should be a senior friend is crying on the under 250 words, are encouraged. They can be dropped off outside of Room 202, put quad next week, give them a in Mr. William Gabriel’s box in the main office or emailed to RogueNews@ashland. hug and remind them:we’re all k12.or.us. No letters will be printed without a verified signature. in this together, and together Letters received in the second week of production will not appear until the next issue. The Rogue News staff reserves the right to refuse to print any potentially libelous we’ll make it through.
Rogue News
or obscene material, anything that would invade the privacy of others, or anything that could cause a disruption of the school environment.
‘Tis the season 1000 houses in Ashland, once every 2 months, and bringing them to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. On the most recent pickup, the When the typical Ashland High School stuAFP collected over 8,500 lbs of food, an amazdent thinks of people going hungry, they probing quantity considering that the Project is still ably think of Uganda or a similar impoverished in its infancy. country. However, For those interested in there are many fami- Many people seem to forcontributing to the Food lies in Ashland that Project, simply go to ashconstantly face the get that there is a need for landfoodproject.com and threat of going hun- food all-year-round... contact a local coordinator. gry. For this reason, Then, collect non-perishconcerned citizens able food and, on pick up days, leave the food have established organizations like the Ashland on your porch. The next pickup will be DeEmergency Food Bank and The Food Angels cember 12th. to fight hunger on the local level. UnfortuWhile the project is still young, it has exnately, these organizations receive the majorperienced amazing successes. Over the past ity of donations around the holidays and don’t five months, AFP has collected around 20,000 have enough food to last the entire year, espelbs of food, and six percent of the local popcially with the added stress from the recession. ulation has become involved. “We know it is Many people seem to forget that there is a need working because people are waiting for us now. for food all-year-round, plus they consider it a They thank us,” said Mark Jaynes, one of the hassle to donate food when there is not a food original test canvassers. Everyday, the organizadrive. This is exactly why the Ashland Food tion expands and the dozens of hard-working Project (AFP) was founded. volunteers multiply. New houses and neighborThe AFP is a non-profit organization, hoods are added everyday, and the program has founded by Ashland residents John Javna and recently been expanded to parts of Talent. Paul Gian Carl, along with a few friends, to “As far as we know, there is no other project help ensure that food is always available for like this in the country. It is the first neighborthose in need. hood based, door to door food collection sys“Anybody who is part of AFP isn’t doing it tem,” said Javna, “Because it is so new we are, for themselves, they are doing it for the comwe are still experimenting and learning how to munity. We want something that can become use the extraordinary recourses of this compart of our fabric of our community and can munity, that includes the high school. We are be duplicated by other communities in the fuopen to all suggestions that any individuals or ture” Javna said. The AFP also makes it easy to clubs might have about how they want us to donate by picking up bags of food from around incorporate us into what they are doing.”
by Elias Opgenorth
Photo by Rogue News Staff
Alison Johnson and Ashley Fitch lend cans and hands
Feed the hungry: Uncle Food’s Diner by Taylor Patterson Every Tuesday night, there is a small miracle that takes place at the Methodist Church next to Briscoe E l e m e n t a r y. This miracle is Uncle
Food’s Diner a “community meal,” as it has been explained to me many times. Uncle Food’s is not specifically for the homeless of Ashland, though they do make up most of the mess hall. Everyone is welcome, and as host of
Photo by Rogue News Staff
the organization Vincent Muolo, puts it, “It is literally a ‘community meal.’” Muolo has been in charge of Uncle Food’s for three and a half years, a volunteer for about two years and loves every minute of it no mat-
ter how stressful it may be. He is a 55-year-old originally from New Jersey with only the best intentions for the weekly phenomenon. The organization makes healthy food only with fresh produce and even has medical supplies for the needy. “Uncle Food’s Diner is about one of the best things you can do on a Tuesday night. It embodies the definition of a community,” Will Regnery said, a steadfast vounteer. Regnery provided an interesting conversation about the goings on in the diner in terms of donations and lack thereof. He stated that Sodexho (check spelling), a regular provider for SOU’s food courts has recently cut off their donations. This instance illustrates the
hard times of the diner and that it is slowly going under. The diner as a whole has many volunteers, and many high school students participate. It is strictly volunteer based, and the only one person that gets paid is Muolo. The influx of volunteers shifts as different holidays come around. When asked why he took over the diner, Muolo stated, “I had a mother who had Alzheimer’s. It seemed to have started there.” On top of his weekly conquests for the diner, Muolo works as a chef for Lark’s below the Mark Anthony. Uncle Food’s Diner is a worthy cause and deserves more attention and support. For any who wish for more community service hours, a fun time and some engaging conversations with strangers, this is the place.
n to be giving The invisible children Helping the children of Uganda
by AJ Bottimore
What if we told you that on a daily basis, innocent children were being abducted from their homes, taken into the forests of Uganda and trained to kill? What if we told you Ashland was standing up to help? Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), and the Government of Uganda (GoU) have continued the longest war in Africa where blowtorches, rape, and genocide are aspects of everyday life. Two million people have been caught up in the middle of this
war, a war that has claimed the title of the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world. Kony has successfully kidnapped more than two thousand children. Invisible to the world these children need to be brought out of the forest and into the light. Last week, Invisible Children, an organization represented by Becky Dale and Claire Warne, spoke to Ashland High School of this tragedy and offered the AHS community a solution. They have presented to communities
all across the Pacific Northwest and were astonished by the
enthusiasm they received from Ashland. “People here have a drive for a cause for people they have never seen, never met, and are all the way across the world,” Claire Warne said. Ashland High School continues to act with care and passion for the greater good. Through the “Schools for Schools Club” Ashland High School is raising money for Anaka, a school in Uganda. Ashland has three weeks to make a difference in these lives and has three weeks to raise awareness
and money for the beginning of construction for schools and libraries. Help these children by donating small amounts in the boxes spread around campus. If everyone donated a dollar a day, a dollar a class, we could truly make a difference. For more information about the Invisible Children visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com and contact Claire Dawson at (541) 7789054 about Ashland’s “Schools for Schools Club”. Together we can change the world for these children that only want to be children again.
by Megan Ganim Knitting is an art form we all know about. It’s origins trace back to Egypt where the earliest known examples of knitting have been found. The art spread to Europe through Mediterranean trade routes and then to the Americas with European colonization. It finally made its way into the minds of young artists in the school systems. Here at Ashland High School we are fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to experience Knit Wits, the schools knitting club. Students can take a break from their usual social scene and visit Knit Wits on Thursdays during lunch. People of Photo by Grace Riley-Adams all levels of experience are welcome. Knit Witters Cal Popp, Elias Opgenorth, Andrea Scherrer, Breilyn Bigham, Josh Harris, Lyric Randall, Camelia Mayfield, Carl Knit Wits’ most recent project is to make at Gorbett, Jillian Moehle and Jane Eisenberg displaying hats made for Dunn House least 50 hats for Dunn House. So far they have knitted over 40 hats. Knit Wits says. High School Knit Wits club or are just interested in The Dunn house provides service to women, men, For every hat that you knit, you will receive ten supporting Dunn House, you are more than welcome and children who are or have been victims of domestic hours of community service. All hats are due in by De- to knit a hat or more. These head-warming and heartviolence and/or sexual assault. cember 7 and will be greatly appreciated by each mem- warming gifts will brighten someone’s holiday season “It’s really rewarding making gifts for people who ber of Dunn House. and have an impact that will last long past the cold truly need them more than I do, even though I won’t Whether you are interested in joining the Ashland weather. ever get to meet them.” Lyric Randall, Co-President of
Yes you “canned” Ashland High organizes the annual canned food drive If you don’t have the time to volunteer, you can still make a difference this winter. Ashland High School leadership is sponsoring a canned food drive all through December. Cans can be dropped off in the Main office and the Library. All cans will go to the Ashland Food Bank. Some requested items are soups and canned beans. Show your spirit and lend a paw! Every can counts.
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Rogue News
December 2,2009
Let’s get it in Ink by Elle Swarttouw
Hauling the pumpkins away
Photo by Grace Riley-Adams
by Alexa Wood and Elizabeth Westmoreland
On November 1, 2009, the senior class surprised their fellow student body by adorning the quad with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Seniors had spent the wee hours of the morning rolling pumpkins across the quad and maneuvering them into trees, ledges and the roof. However, little did the seniors know that when they would arrive the next morning their hard work would be put to shambles. The class was frustrated as to why their prank was not left up the whole day for everyone to admire. Junior Rihana Piddington said, “They (the staff ) should all chill out. I mean it wasn’t illegal; the pumpkins were pretty harmless.” Ashland High’s principal Jeff Schlecht said, “Maintenance was already there when I arrived. They were beyond busy, thinking ‘lets clean this up as fast as possible.’ Nevertheless, it was well done. I liked it.” Although this year’s senior class thought their pumpkin prank was pretty ingenious, Ashland High School has always displayed creativity and strong camaraderie in its senior pranks. Back in 1986, the seniors began
the tradition of the Senior Sleepover, which at the time was a prank in it of itself. Onlookers admired the students’ prank, describing it as “tent city.” Another great senior prank was the Grizzly Mascot painted on the gym, which is still admired today. Mark Schoenleber remembers when the whole quad was covered with pine trees, from the half-moon to the cafeteria. Smiling, he recalled, “It was surreal, it smelled like Christmas!” There have also been some less successful senior pranks. Last year’s desk-on- the-quad shenanigan proved to be a little too over the top for the school’s staff and community’s liking. When choosing a prank, AHS’s faculty stresses that you choose to do something that is safe for the whole community. Schoenleber remarked that, “It’s one thing to be funny, but another to cause destruction.” “Look at it as a fun time together to build a great memory and entertain the whole student body,” Senior Mckenzie Maddigan said, ”It’s like we’re creating a legend for ourselves.”
More and more tattoos are popping up on campus as Ashland High School seniors are turning 18 by the dozen. But is it irresponsible to get tattoos at such a young age? Even students under 18 are so inclined to have tattoos they do it themselves, like senior Konstatin Farell, who tattooed himself old-school-style using a pencil, India ink and a needle and thread. A word of advice from Farell: “Don’t do anything your going to regret.” Something to keep in mind when debating pros and cons about tattoos is that they have been a part of human civilization dating back centuries upon centuries. The act of tattooing began in Japan during Neolithic times, and they were seen as a sign of strength when on the faces of Japanese warriors. Traditions of tattooing ranged from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dye. Western culture stumbled upon tattooing from Poly-
Casey Jillson’s tattoo
nesia. This Polynesian trend became popular among European sailors and ultimately spread to the remainder of the West, all according to Wikipedia. Despite the historic aspect of tattooing, some still object to the idea, “I think tattoos are degrading and serve no purpose,” junior Adrian Groth-Accetta said. Others see tattoo’s as an art form, “Both of my parents have multiple tattoos and I think it’s a really cool way of expressing yourself,” senior Zoe Smolden said. How about the pain? After all, it is a needle sliding under the skin and inserting pigment, that’s got to hurt, “On a scale of one to ten, a four, not bad at all, and it was surprisingly relaxing,” Senior Jordan Cox said, who recently got a tattoo on the back of her neck. The age factor of tattooing is important because tattoos are forever, unless you want to spend a lot of money and feel a lot of pain getting them removed. Is the age of 18 too young? How is one to determine what will remain poignant to them 50 years from now? “If it’s something extremely meaningful and you know you’ll want to keep it forever, than it’s ok,” junior Riley Smith said. Tattos are more than just barbed wire or “I Love Mom” these days; it seems the possibilities are infinite. Like almost anything in life, if done with thought, safety and respect tattooing is a justified right of initiation into adulthood.
Photo by Ila Sturges
Rogue News
December 2, 2009
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Grizzlies’ biggest stars moving on
Photos Submitted by Grace Riley-Adams, Larry Stauth Jr, and Kelsey Reynolds
Niki Small, Allison Gida and Ian Kendall finalized their futures by signing their National Letters of Intent on Tuesday afternoon at a press conference hosted by AHS. The three will all be playing Division 1 collegiate sports: Small for volleyball at Northern Arizona University, Gida for basketball at University of Utah and Kendall for baseball at Oregon State University.
Fall 2009 Team Honors Boys Water Polo Oregon 5A Champions Girls Water Polo Second in State Volleyball Third in State Football State Sweet 16 Boys Soccer SSC Champs Girls Soccer SSC Champs Boys Cross Country Second in State Girls Cross Country Fourth in State
Goodbye to the Southern Sky by Steffan Westerberg and Angus Stewart On October 26, the OSAA executive board made its final verdict, placing Ashland High School in a new hybrid league for the 2010-2014 time block. The new league consists of: 5A teams Ashland and Eagle Point, and 6A teams North Medford, South Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg, and Crater. When asked how he thought the Ashland Grizzlies would perform in the new hybrid league, Junior football player Talen Heater replied, “It will definitely be a big change, but if we are all committed to the program, I think we can fare well against our new oppo-
nents.” For the Ashland Grizzlies, to projected decrease in enrollthis will be a comment at AHS pletely different in the years to experience comcome. When New League: ing from a league asked about 5A Ashland which hasn’t had his opinion 6A Crater much competion the boards tion, to playing verdict, Kem5A Eagle Point against schools per had this 6A Grants Pass much bigger and to say, “I’m 6A North Medford more competitive not sure how than their previI feel about it 6A Roseburg ous opponents. yet.; however, 6A South Medford Previously in I would have the year, Athletic preferred Director Karl things to stay Kemper had requested Ashland be the same.” This new deplaced into a 4A classification due sign won’t affect the class of 2010,
yet future classes will have their hands full with this new classification. Sophomore soccer player Rinchen Thomas stated, “It was already going to be tough losing several key senior players, but now on top of that, we have moved into a tougher league.” The State Championship Committee is hard at work trying to create a playoff design that is reasonable for all parties involved. Despite all the challenges and battles the Grizz will face in the next four years, whatever the case, they will always show up to play.
NEW MOON PHENOMENON
The Twilight series has built an empire of loyal fans who rejoiced at sequel’s premiere
Photos by Grace Riley-Adams
Anticipatory fans waiting for midnight showing
by Lucas Opgenorth
It was in search of a first-hand experience A fan for three years, Staples has noticed a of this phenomenon that I ventured out to the significant rise in the number of bandwagon Many, if not all, of the readers of this publication have been in some way subjected to Ashland Street Cinemas on the brisk, 35 degree “Twilight” readers. “There are definitely a lot of night of November 19. The sky was dark, the air people who like ‘Twilight’ because it’s the cool the latest sparkle-skinned, fang-toothed craze was cold and the excited voices of teenage girls new thing” Staples said. that is the Twilight franchise. Whether one has rang through the parking lot as I approached on I needed to go no further than to a group of seen it on the television, heard about it from my bicycle. Dedicated fans sat along the external middle school girls in the rear end of the line a fanatical friend, or developed a profound wall of the theater draped in heavy blankets and, for evidence of this claim. “I don’t read,” said personal affinity for this epic saga, anyone from a distance, I could one as her friends shrieked who has not been living the lifestyle of Chris make out the imposI’ve only read, like, two about which of the movie’s McCandless knows that vampires are the new ing silhouette of a life characters is the most attracblack. The four book series tells of a forbidden books in my life so I’m size cardboard replica tive, “I’ve only read, like, romance between a high school girl and a stunof “Twilight’s” vampire two books in my life, so I’m pretty much here for the ningly beautiful, mind-reading vampire, finally hero, Edward Cullen, pretty much just here for the providing readers with the ingenious fusion of accompanying the line social scene.” social scene Attender Degrassi’s teen angst and Nosferatu’s mysterisitters while they waited However, in the sea of ous lure that has been lacking in literature for in eager anticipation of “New Moon” movie goers, far too long. “New Moon”, the second chapter of the “Twione could not help but notice that a specific de It all began on June 2, 2003 when the conlight” saga. mographic was being greatly underrepresented. cept for a vampire love story came to Mormon housewife Stephanie Meyer in a dream. While it At the front of the line sat AHS senior Alyssa After a short search, I managed to locate the Staples who had been waiting since around 2:30 lone male in attendance: AMS eighth grader Jomay have taken Leo Tolstoy about seven years that afternoon. The motivation for her 10-hour seph Hearn. “I’m extremely attracted to Edward to write War and Peace, within three months, wait in the cold was simple: “They’re good Cullen,” Hearn said. But while he may be a mishe had hammered out the first Twilight manubooks, and I’m hoping that this movie is better nority, he is no less a fan because of his gender, script, which hit national bookshelves in 2005. “I’ve had my ticket in my pocket for a month,” In the subsequent three years, Meyer worked at than the first.” Hearn said, who, since being turned on to the constructing a powerful media empire, penning books by his older sister, has fallen in love with three more installments of the series, which Twilight’s vampire battle scenes. have sold over 70 million copies worldwide, As is the case with anything successful, shattering New York Times Best Seller records, the Twilight franchise has not been without its and signing multi-million dollar movie deals. critics. Even the book’s fans, such as Staples, Other outlets, such as clothing store Hot Topic, acknowledge validity in criticisms of Meyer’s have jumped on the merchandising end of the writing style and patriarchal portrayal of gender craze which has propelled Twilight into every roles. But in the author’s defense, the books area of American pop culture. The author’s anaren’t completely void of literary merit. Meyer nual earnings now exceed $50 million placing has said in interviews that she has loosely modher at #5 on Forbes Magazine’s “Hollywood’s eled each novel after a different masterpiece, Top Earning Women” list and giving new mean“New Moon” being based on Shakespeare’s ing to the classic Malcom X quote “Romeo and Juliet”. Regardless, the unstop “You show me a capitalist, and I’ll show pable machine rolls on and “New Moon” is now you a bloodsucker.” the highest grossing autumn movie opening in Hollywood history. The movie has also received astounding praise from Meyer’s fan base. “It was so good that I actually cried,” said senior Molly Davis.
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Photo by Grace Riley-Adams