Grant Magazine: Senior Issue 2016 by Sarah Hamilton

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Senior Issue 2016

In this issue

The Next Step 18

Compiled by Charlotte Klein and Tess Waxman

Grant’s Class of 2016 graduates embark on a new chapter in their lives that will take them across the country and beyond.

Leaps and Bounds

By Dylan Palmer and Julian Wyatt

Self-taught gymnast Angelo Accus uses his family’s history, his religion and an active lifestyle to fuel his positive outlook.

Grant Magazine

The name’s the same

A RELIGIOUS DUTY

Four Grant seniors think back to how they looked as freshmen and what they’ve learned from their high school careers.

Growing up, Pauline Kalamafoni felt disconnected from her family’s Mormon faith. Today, things are different.

By Sophie Hauth and Bella Rideau

By Blu Midyett

Editors-IN-CHIEF

Eliza Kamerling-Brown (Photo/Content) Molly Metz (Business Operations/Content) Blu Midyett (Content) Sawyer Mongomery (Website/Multimedia) Bella Rideau (Design/Content) Lael Tate (Content)

DEsign Editor Sarah Hamilton

Photo Editor Cassius Pettit

Managing Editors Sophie Hauth Jackie Rath

Quick Mag Editor

on the screen By Molly Metz

After moving around a lot as a child and losing her brother, senior Alashia Flora has channeled her experiences into YouTube videos.

cosplay with a cause

By Joshua Webb and Eliza Kamerling-Brown

As a person of color, Kusaiyah Gibson is a rarity among the costume-playing community. He wants that to change.

Tess Waxman

COPY Editors Sophie Hauth Tess Waxman

Adviser

David Austin

Small Talk

We sit down with 10 seniors to learn about their time at Grant and find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in store for them after graduation. By Grant Magazine Staff

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@grant_magazine Editorial Policy

Photo by Finn Hawley-Blue

We encourage the community to participate in our publication. Grant Magazine accepts guest editorials, letters to the editors and corrections. Please include your name and contact information with any submissions.

Senior Issue 2016

Quick Mag - The Senior Edition saying goodbye

final words

Sending your sibling off to college has its ups and downs.

Grant’s principal is leaving for a new job.

By Toli Tate

By Carol Campbell

PROS

I guess I am graduating this year, too. After three years as the Grant principal, I have accepted a position as the Senior Director of High Schools. It is Grant Magazine file photo a bittersweet transition because of the amazing experience I’ve had at Grant. No one knows exactly what the future holds, but the Class of 2016 could be my last opportunity to hand out diplomas and send students on to their next adventure. I am proud to have served in this role and feel extremely grateful. To the Class of 2016, I say thank you. You have been great leaders and have significantly impacted Grant High School in ways that will continue to make this school welcoming, equitable and a community that strives for excellence. I will always be a General, as will the graduates.

CONS

• You get the bigger room

• Parents are sad all the time

• More space in the family car

• College plans become the

• Less time spent waiting to

center of every conversation

shower in the morning

• Losing your sibling

• No tattling when you

• They can’t drive you around

break the rules

anymore

When We Grow Up

The best schedule

Grant seniors had a new bell schedule every year of high school. A poll in government classes tells us which was most popular.

Seniors compare their childhood dreams to their current plans.

By Finn Hawley-Blue

By Joshua Webb

100

student votes

professional Guitar Player to Art Major

“I realized design wasn’t up my alley. But I still have a love for fashion, so I wanted to explore it from a different angle.”

Kennidee Teal

40 20

• Shorter tutorial

2012-13

2013-14

• tutorial only once a week

Fashion Designer to Business and Marketing Major

• long tutorial now called “flex” • short lunch

2014-15 2015-16

Million Sebhatu

no preference

NBA Player to communications major

bell schedule

procrastination at its finest Mady Hairston AP European History and U.S. History projects “I was up ‘til like 5:30. It was the worst thing of my life. I was like contemplating...literally what am I doing with my life? Should I even do this to myself?” The aftermath: “Honestly, my projects got good grades. I work really well under pressure; it’s kind of weird.”

“I think that being in a band is not necessarily a career choice; it can be something that I do as a hobby.”

Eli Roth

• 40 minute lunch

Grant Magazine

By the end of high school, everyone has put off an assignment or two ...or ten. Graduating seniors share an experience that stands out.

“Well, I wasn’t that good at basketball. Obviously, it takes a lot to be in the NBA...I like to talk about sports.”

Interviews by Sophie Hauth

Basil Allen

Lizzy Eng

Senior thesis on the similarities of cults and religions

English project on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

“All I had to do to finish it was fix some spelling/ grammar mistakes...but my thesis sat in my Google Docs 90 percent done for the week we’d been given to correct them and then another two or three.” The aftermath: “I am very glad (Ms.) Rodeback is so forgiving of late work.”

“I read almost the entire book for English and did the project on it, and like I finished at like 6 a.m. And I just stayed up, and I did all my finals on like no sleep.” The aftermath: “I stayed up the next day, too, so it was a really long time without sleep. I was getting a bit delirious.”

A condensed version of Grant Magazine that has almost nothing to do with just about anything else.

What part of graduation do seniors really enjoy?

regrets and reflection Grant High School teachers look back on the biggest mistakes they made during their first years in college.

Illustrations by Julian Wyatt

By Blu Midyett

the ceremony:

Jeremy Reinholt

Biggest mistake: Not knowing how to say no to social events Advice to seniors: “Don’t chase the night...when the clock hits 2 a.m., just go home ‘cause you’ve already had all the fun you’re gonna have that day.”

Jamin London-Tinsel

Biggest mistake: Attending college too early Reason: “A friend filled out my college application, and I was not ready to go to college.”

the all-night party:

Colin Oriard

Biggest Mistake: Partying negatively affected his basketball skills Exception: “I partied until 6 a.m. for an 11 o’clock game on Sunday. I had the greatest dunk of my entire career on like two hours of sleep.”

Jerry Young

Biggest Mistake: Joining a fraternity too early Why he did it: “I had it in my head that if I wanted more of a social life, I had to be in a fraternity.”

GHS Bummers: class of 2016 By Jackie Rath

SBAC test as a graduation requirement

Toga “day” (more like toga hour)

Uncertainty of CRLE status

Rain on prom night

Lack of school spirit on Spirit Fridays

Film and Lit only offered to juniors

By the numbers: graduation edition

A survey taken by 337 seniors at Grant tells us what next year will look like for them.

upside down

A Grant senior looks forward to adventures planned for next year.

By Tess Waxman

Grant High School

community profile:

289

Number of students that plan to attend college in the fall.

Grant senior Isabella Zehetbauer spends much of her time upside down, whether she’s hanging on silks or teaching children how to cartwheel. It’s because she has found her niche in aerial arts. Next fall, Zehetbauer will travel to Austria to teach and learn acrobatics in Vienna, while solidifying her German language skills. Zehetbauer looks forward to returning to the place her father grew up. Her plan is unique, but to Zehetbauer — who grew up visiting the country one or two months at a time every year — it’s something she’s always wanted to do. As a child, Zehetbauer would climb the light poles by the Grant tennis courts, which made her mother nervous. At age 4, she started aerial dance. “I think my favorite part about it is that I am strong because I know how to use my own body,” she says, adding that she’s learned a lot about creative problem solving through her company, The Echo Theater Company. “I like collaborating with people. So once it gets to the point where you’re not teaching them anymore,

Percent of students attending college next year that know what they want for a major.

66 Percent of students attending college that will stay in Oregon.

you’re collaborating and making new tricks and stuff; that’s what I would call a passion,” she says. Although acrobatics will stay constant through the move, Zehetbauer will have to adjust to living with her grandmother, who lives 45 minutes away from the city without cell service or wifi while immersed in an old-fashioned Austrian lifestyle. (“She still gets dressed up when she goes into town to buy groceries like she would in the sixties,” she says.) A life without regular access to wifi sounds unbearable to most Grant students, but Zehetbauer, who doesn’t plan to have a cell phone, takes it in stride.

Number of students that applied to more than 10 colleges.

Percent of seniors that say Grant has prepared them for life after high school.

Senior Issue 2016

In My Opinion

When you walk across the stage, walk away with more

Being in the next generation means using your voice.

he 2015-16 school year has proven to be one of the most socially active times regarding civil rights issues at Grant and across the nation. Transgender rights are at the forefront of national consciousness with the passage of North Carolina’s discriminatory House Bill 2. The law prevents transgender people from using the bathrooms that correspond with their gender. America’s discomfort with race relations remains in the national Blu Midyett spotlight as police brutality continues to threaten the lives of young black men across the country. And climate change is continuing at a fast pace, forcing the world to look at how it deals with pollution. While many of these topics have stirred controversy and varied opinions abound, the one thread that ties all these things together is the impact on the next generation. So who is the next generation? By definition, it’s all of us. Though people rarely look to high school students for answers on the grandiose issues that have the potential to impact our future, maybe they should. The “high school student” moniker that is inherently tacked onto us leaves expectations low and impressions less than positive. So for the more-than-300 Grant High School graduates stepping out of the role of “high school kid” and into adulthood, a new weight has fallen on your shoulders.

Grant Magazine

By Blu Midyett The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE

MACBETH

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

You’re going to be the people casting votes, paying taxes and representing the MODERN WORLD HISTORY next generation. We exist as the most racially diverse, gender fluid and sexually open generation in history. Because of what’s in store for us, social justice is inevitably going to be part of that representation. For the graduates, you have an opportunity to continue to make some big strides in social change. At Grant, that groundwork has been firmly laid. Student government hosted Speak Out Week which culminated in a school-wide assembly focused on LGBTQ issues. And the student equity team – with support from the administration – helped plan two school discussions specifically on how racism impacts the Grant community. At Grant Magazine, we devoted the entire March 2016 issue to exploring the history and meaning of the N-word. This year, we’ve covered the impact of Measure 11, written about the lack of knowledge around transgender students, brought to light how classism infiltrates the school cafeteria and highlighted how there’s a scarcity of women in the science classes at our school. We’ve learned a lot about taking a more socially active approach to some of the topics we cover. We’ve had conversations in class that make us all stiffen and covered stories about issues that would be easier to leave at arms length. And when those stories hit, we’ve watched the student body tense up, as if some big collision was about to happen. It’s a reaction I am familiar with myself. Coming to Grant three years ago, I wasn’t aware of issues of race, gender and class; they seemed far away and irrelevant to my ROMEO & JULIET

American Government and Politics Today PATTERNS OF INTERACTION

daily life. I described myself as progressive but chose not to recognize the role I played in a society that oppresses some and lifts up others. I pushed any doubt I had to the back of my head and refused to think about it. The reality is that these issues are not ours to let go. These problems cannot simply be pushed to the wayside because they will be constants through our entire lives. Sexism, racism, classism, homophobia – these forms of oppression will only be perpetuated if we choose to keep overlooking them. I’ve learned through my own experiences that the key to addressing these topics is through conversation and self-reflection. These moments of introspection are difficult, complex and uncomfortable. But, at the end of the day, they are vital in making the changes necessary. This year has been a preview for what lies ahead. The strides Grant has made prove there are few things more important – and that can have as much of an impact – as when students speak up with one voice. For the seniors embarking on their next chapter, carry this with you: You have now transcended the “high school student” label. From this moment on, you are the poster children for the next generation. You are the future. It’s on you to self-reflect and have those difficult conversations. And as the future waves of high school students inhabit the halls of Grant, know that they are looking to you to lead by example. As the next generation, it is your responsibility to create change. Blu Midyett is a junior at Grant and an editor-in-chief of Grant Magazine.

Pen & Ink

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Underneath

For students, caps and gowns are the focus of the day. Or are they? By Sarah Hamilton

Rebellious T-Shirt

Lady Gaga Bubble Dress

Leopard Leotard

Pajamas

Superhero Costume

Toga

Bikini

Nothing Senior Issue 2016

Small

Talk Adam Jones, 18

Family: parents, Kevin and Suzi Jones; sister, Maddie Jones What’s next: Berklee College of Music in Boston How long have you been a musician? I’ve been a musician for 10 years. Recently, I’ve been getting opportunities to be more creative...and it’s really helped me become not only more of a collaborative person, but also I started to fundamentally listen to music very differently. Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Ultimately, down the line I would love to run my own studio and have produced albums for lots of different types of people. I would love to still be in bands playing shows but also having the engineering and producing side as my professional aim. And then...I would like to start a record label and to sign bands. You play the drums, right? I play drums, but I also play guitar, bass, and...piano and synthesizer stuff. Who is someone that has inspired your love of music?

Seniors from Grant share their high school experiences and plans for the future Photos by Finn Hawley-Blue

Kevin Parker, who’s the lead singer of the band Tame Impala. He, too, has the engineering and the mixing and producing skills to be able to flush out an album all himself. Also, Mark Ronson is a huge influence on me as a producer. He just knows what he’s doing in that sense and can be kind of a Swiss Army producer, as I like to say. What’s something that people wouldn’t know about you? I am a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. I...have been out of practice for so long. As I started to dive headfirst into the music scene, I kind of realized that I wasn’t going to taekwondo that much, and it’s probably better that I devote myself to music. Where could someone go to find your music? I was in a band last year...called Argo. We’re on Soundcloud. And then the band I’ve been in the longest is Dad Rock, which is on Bandcamp... We have two albums out. I also have Rules of Motion, which is the more jazz fusion project. We’re on Bandcamp. We are going into the studio pretty soon, so...we’ll hope to have a new album out by the end of the summer. -- Interview by Finn Hawley-Blue

Mikaal Geenen, 18

Family: mother, Cassandra Tucker; siblings, Bobby, Latarra and Walter Woods, Isaiah Tucker and Tia Wilder What’s next: Portland State University Football is a passion of yours. Do you see it playing a part in your future? I mean it’s been a dream since I was young to play football at a professional level, but the reality of it is that’s not gonna last. And if that doesn’t work, then I still have my college degree. That’s why I am so excited about playing a sport that I love and yet still get(ting) an education. You can’t just put all your eggs in one basket and hope it goes well. You moved to Portland from Wisconsin at the semester. Why? I wanted to get in-state tuition, so I could go to Portland State. I was eligible for a grant because my aunt works here. I’m the only one out here. I had the realization, “How am I gonna get into college?” I had to make it work because

Geri Spillers, 18

Family: parents, Alison and Frank Spillers What’s next: Whittier College in Los Angeles I’ve heard that you moved around schools a lot during high school. What was that like? I went here freshman year, and I hated it. It was like the worst experience for me. I was really opinionated, and I would just say stuff that (my classmates) did not appreciate. I wanted to go somewhere like where I wouldn’t be shut down by my male classmates, so I transferred to St. Mary’s for sophomore year. And that was great until I got sick. I got mono my sophomore year. I transferred back out of St. Mary’s because I was so sick. Is it better being back at Grant now? Yeah, I like it a lot better here. It’s so much nicer, like now that I’m older and less of a brat. I like the diversity here of how many people there are. Like I meet new people literally every day. How would you describe yourself? I like to think that I’m pretty funny. I don’t know. I get a lot out of making people laugh. It makes me feel good. So maybe that makes me egotistical.

I didn’t really have the funds for it. The dots kind of just lined up. How has the transition been? Everybody’s integrated here, less judgmental I guess. I feel like everybody is just down to earth. In Wisconsin, it’s still like that hierarchy, like “You’re in sports; you’re the popular one.” It’s humbling to a sense, going from being one of the most popular, looked-up-to people at your school to having people say; “Who is this guy? He’s really quiet.” It’s just really nice to have a change in a role to see how others feel. What’s something that makes you happy? Just having family and friends around me, honestly. It’s really about the relations and connections you have with others that are loyal, and you can trust. And if you have that, then what else do you need? -- Interview by Finn Hawley-Blue

How would you say you’ve changed since freshman year? I was like really bossy and really opinionated and trying so hard to prove myself and nobody appreciated it. I guess now I have more of a respect for the community here. I understand now that we’re all in this together, to quote the infamous “High School Musical.” What advice would you give your freshman self? Chill out. Slow down, dude. But also, the cliché of like, “Cherish this time because it goes away really quickly.” And even though it feels like yesterday, it’s still so far in the past. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Preferably, in 10 years I would be like a journalist or a White House correspondent for something that’s more left-wing than the general news. That would be a good place to be. And hopefully to not be in debt. That would be a nice goal for 10 years. -- Interview by Jessica Griepenburg

Senior Issue 2016

Kobie Salmeri, 18

Family: parents, Shawn Salmeri and Tyice Williams; sisters, LaSandrea Salmeri and Timaya Hepburn; brother, Pierre Salmeri What’s next: I’m gonna find a part time job, anywhere really. I’m gonna try to go to a community college in Oregon because of the free thing. I’m broke. I don’t have money to go to college. So I was gonna try to stake out a community college for about two years. What are your goals after high school? To find out, really, what I want to do. To have sort of an idea really because right now I feel like I’m in a lost world. How would you describe yourself? Goofy. Entertaining. How have you changed since freshman year? I used to think that people wouldn’t really accept me for who I was. Like, the weird, crazy Kobie that I am. But then I realized that more people have things in common than I realized. What are some things you’re into?

Comedy. I like comedy a lot. I feel like I’m like a sub-par comedian. I try to make people laugh at school, and if someone has a bad day, I try to cheer them up. What’s the deal with the sunglasses? Waterbugs? So, what really happened was there’s this Viner... He made a Vine called “waterbugs” with glasses on. So I was like, “You know what? I’m gonna collect all the sunglasses and call them waterbugs and make it a movement at Grant.” I feel like it’s just a lifestyle. I have a private Instagram specifically for waterbugs. How do you want to be remembered? Really, I’d want not to be forgotten. I want (my classmates) to think, “Oh yeah, I remember that guy. He was really goofy. I remember Kobie with the waterbugs.” -- Interview by Sarah Hamilton

Rachel Peri, 18

Family: parents, Kristin and Mario Peri What’s next: Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon How would you describe yourself? I’d say that I’m interested in being sort of an activist and just being a kind person. I find that I’m most happy when I’m able to be the kindest person I can be, so that’s sort of what I want to continue doing. What kind of activism do you participate in? I’m definitely mostly involved in the LGBT community because I am a part of it. There are a lot of issues that I definitely care about. 90 percent of my friends are in the community as well. What does activism mean to you? Activism for me is like giving time to the

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community, volunteering at different events that will benefit LGBT youth. My activism – it always feels weird to call like making art activism, but I feel like it sort of is – has been slam poetry. Every year since sophomore year, I’ve done sort of politically-charged poems at the poetry slam that have messages about LGBT inclusion. What is something that most people don’t know about you? I watch “The Bachelor,” which I’m not proud of, but I’m not like ashamed of it, either. I feel like a lot of people are gonna be surprised by that. Especially being like a huge supporter of women’s rights. What’s something you would like to tell your freshman self now? I think I’d want to tell her just not to be so sensitive. Me figuring out who I was and where I was coming from like had to do with me being not fully comfortable with myself and also taking certain things really personally. Obviously it’s like, you can be defensive about that, but I feel like I was defensive to a fault. -- Interview by Jessica Griepenburg

Leslie Meneses, 18

Family: mother, Elsa Meneses What’s next: A job at Legacy Emanuel Hospital What are you looking forward to? I really want to travel with my mom. We want to go to Mexico and Cuba because we have family there. My goal is to get money and build my empire. I’ll do what I have to do. What will you miss the most about Grant? I’m gonna miss some of my friends. I’ve been here since freshman year, so many ups and downs. It’s like a test trial for real life. I’ll miss seeing everyone down in the cafeteria, asking how I am doing. So you work in the cafeteria? Yes, I’ve been working there since about 2013. How did that start? My mom wanted me to start working, and I saw a sign to hire for help. I told my mom, and she liked it. All I did was turn in the application. Then I started to get trained for about a week. It was really scary because my supervisor was standing right by me.

What is the best part about working in the cafeteria? People tell me how their day is. Everyone is very polite. I get to meet a lot of new people. One time, I was really upset, and people were asking me if I was OK and trying to make me feel better. I get to see new faces everyday, and I enjoy seeing them. Who is your favorite person at Grant? Ms. Yarne. I like her style. She’s so mellow and so chill. I’m her TA. I also really like Ms. Peoples. She’s got attitude, and people do as she says. What advice would you give your freshman self? Spread the peace. But also spread your hand across people’s faces when they try you. -- Interview by Bailey Hayes

Emma Baer-Simon, 18

Family: parents, Jeremy Simon and Jody BaerSimon; sisters, Britta and Flora Baer-Simon What’s next: Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland Why did you decide to go to college abroad? I used to live in the U.K., I spent my first 2 years of high school there, and when I left, I always kind of wanted to go back. When I was applying to college, I kind of threw it in there as a wild card and then ended up getting into Trinity, and I realized that I wanted to go back to Europe. How are you feeling about starting a new life in another country? I’m kind of scared just because it’s gonna be like 2,000 miles away from my family. But I’m really excited to go, and I think it’s gonna be really new and cool. It’ll be a lot to get used to and I think, because I’ve done it before, it’s going to be all right. You mentioned you lived in England for three years, including two of high school. What was that transition like coming to Grant as a junior?

Academically, the schools there are very differently structured. Also, the school that I came from was really small, and I had a lot of one-on-one relationships with my teachers and my peers. Then I come to Grant, and I was really freaked out. It was so big, and I actually had a really hard time making friends at first. How has that experience shaped you? I think I’ve had to learn to be good at adapting. What are some of the other ways you’ve changed since freshman year? I’m definitely more confident than I was when I was a freshman. I’m always worried about what other people think but less so now than I was back when I was a freshman. I think I’m more willing to be my own person rather than waiting for people to tell me what to do. You play the violin. Has music been a big part of your life in high school? Yeah, definitely. When I moved to Portland, I immediately decided I wanted to be in the youth orchestra, so I got that. And I’ve been in the Grant High School string orchestra, which is basically my life. It’s like my favorite class, and I’m in a chamber group right now at Community Music Center. Music stuff is pretty important. -- Interview by Callie Quinn-Ward

Senior Issue 2016

Connor Onitsuka, 18

Family: parents, Cathy Kato and Sean Onitsuka; sister, Sara Onitsuka What’s next: Hendrix College Who is your favorite teacher at Grant? Mr. Mandell has been really fun this year. I never thought government could be interesting, but he managed to make it interesting. How would you define yourself? I’m a little bit indecisive. Did that make choosing a college hard? I visited around eight schools, and I was able to narrow those down easily. But I actually just flipped a coin for the last one.

Jenny Van Mechelen, 18

Family: mother, Nan Van Mechelen; brother, Jacob Van Mechelen What’s next: California Polytechnic State University What are you most looking forward to at Cal Poly? They have a really nice rec center. It’s the biggest on the West Coast. They have an Olympic-sized pool, a regular pool, a wave pool and like a vortex swirl pool, so I think that’s what I’m most excited for. What are you planning to study there? I’ll be majoring in biology. I really want to go to med school, but I don’t want to do pre-med just because if I don’t get into med school, this way I can find another job with an actual degree. Did you participate in anything during high school to prepare yourself for being a doctor? I took anatomy last year, and then my teacher actually got me into this program this past summer called the National Youth Leadership

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It was between two: Wooster College in Ohio, which is where my sister went and Hendrix College in Arkansas, so neither of them were close. Are you happy with the result of the coin toss? I didn’t really care either way; I couldn’t really make a decision, so I was like, “You know what? A coin can do it.” And I was fine with that. What has been the best part of your high school experience? I found a lot more friends outside of my Japanese group of friends, so I think that was really great, and I was able to get closer to a bunch of people. What is your biggest high school regret? I wish I had played more video games. That sounds strange, but I stressed too much about school, and video games are relaxing and fun. -- Interview by Jackie Rath

Forum: Medicine, which was a nineday trip down to California all about medicine. I met with med students, residents and doctors, and I got to go to a cadaver lab. It was awesome. What is it about practicing medicine that excites you? Helping people and their families but also when I got to do hands-on stuff, I really enjoyed it, and I just thought: “Wow, this is so cool.” Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I should be out of med school by then. I would like to be a surgical oncologist, but that’s a long ways away. What are your plans for your first day of summer? Binge-watching a ton of shows on Netflix and waiting for June 17th when “Orange is the New Black” season four comes out. -- Interview by Jackie Rath

Madelaine Piazza, 17

Family: parents, Leila and Peter Piazza; brother, Joey Piazza What’s next: Portland Community College Do you know what you’re going to study? I really want to be involved in the music industry. My dad’s a musician, and it’s always been an influence in my life. I recently realized that I was really passionate about it, and so I want to maybe produce music or be a manager. What’s your senior year been like? When I think about my whole time in high school, every year just goes by faster and faster. But it was pretty good, like I went to the dances, and I went to some games. I tried to have that senior experience. You’re finishing high school in three years. What made you decide to do that? My brother kind of talked me into it last year, and at first I was just wanting to have a really easy senior year, but I’m definitely happy I’m graduating this year. I’m just kind of ready to move onto that next step. Has it been difficult? It’s been really stressful the whole year because there’s no guarantee that I’m actually going to graduate early. I do have to pass my classes, and I’m taking a night school class that I’ve been in the whole year, and I’m also working this year. It’s

kind of hard to find a balance. How are you feeling about the end of high school? I’m just so happy and so relieved. As soon as I walk the stage, all of this weight will be lifted off my shoulders. What are your plans for this summer? Go swimming and get as tan as possible. What was the highlight of your high school experience? High school was definitely not my thing. I would have graduated in two years if I could. I don’t think I connect with people really well my age. There’s just always kind of been this barrier, I guess. So I think it’s the unexpected things like when I actually connect with a person really well or a teacher or a class when I wasn’t expecting to. There were some people I didn’t think I would have anything in common with, and then we ended up clicking. I learned my snap judgments aren’t always right, and it’s important to get to know someone before you assume what their deal is. -- Interview by Callie Quinn-Ward

Senior Issue 2016

the

optimist Senior Angelo Accus proves that keeping a positive mindset and staying fit can help you overcome any hurdle.

Story by Dylan Palmer and Julian Wyatt Photos by Tess Waxman

ngelo Accus grips a plastic water bottle in his hand. The 5-foot-6-inch Grant High School senior takes a running start toward a nearby basketball hoop and leaps into the air, effortlessly stuffing the bottle through the rim, 10 feet off the ground. Standing nearby is Russell Tillery, a member of Grant High School’s varsity basketball team who is known for his dunking ability. “Dude, what are you working out when you work out?” Tillery asks. “Because I need to start doing that.” Whether it’s dunking or doing flips around campus, Accus, 17, is different than other athletes for more reasons than just his height. He is self-taught and because of his family’s history and faith in God, he approaches everything in his life with a positive outlook. He tries to stay optimistic, despite some of the challenges that have hit him and his family – his father leaving, a learning disorder and cancer.

Grant Magazine

“I don’t think of my challenges as challenges,” he says. “I just think of them as small barriers that I just need to work hard to get over.” Accus was born in Portland on July 21, 1998 and grew up in Northeast Portland. “Back then, it was much more diverse than it is now,” he says. “I was surrounded by all types of kids: Russian kids, Romanian kids, Vietnamese kids.” Accus is the youngest of three children. His half-sister, Ami, is the oldest, followed by his half-brother, Shawn. As a child, Accus was primarily interested in getting out and being active, so he never needed toys. He spent a lot of his time going on outdoor adventures with his friends. One way they had fun was climbing trees. “We’d just climb up them, and then we’d see nests and stuff like that,” he recalls. “And then we’d just keep on going up and up and up until we (could) see the entire neighborhood.”

His acrobatic nature made him well suited for jumping and climbing. He remembers playing with friends who would try to jump onto the backs of moving vans for fun. Accus was heavily influenced by the values of his mother, who came to the United States from Port-de-Paix, Haiti, seeking refuge. “It’s not easy,” says his mother Maritide Bonami, who left her life and country behind in 1994, eventually landing in Portland. She says she could no longer take the abuse by the Haitian military that she had faced for years. She will never forget how she lost her house in Haiti. One day, while sitting at home, she noticed a few mysterious men dressed in camouflage uniforms standing outside her window. Bonami quickly left. When she returned, the house was burning, and all of her belongings were destroyed. In the search for a new life, Bonami, who was pregnant with Accus’ brother at the time, met a sailor who provided a small boat for her and other refugees to reach the United States. Once in America, life wasn’t much easier. She had to find a home, raise a family and get a job, all without being fluent in English. But her story of struggle and perseverance left a powerful imprint on Accus. “I’ve learned a lot,” he says. “I’ve learned that stuff doesn’t come easy. I learned that you have to earn everything you get. You gotta work hard.” In the third grade, Accus’ father left the family. It was hard at first, but Accus says after a while, the departure didn’t have a negative effect on the family. “By that time, I was about 8 or 9, and I was smart enough to know what to do and what not to do,” he remembers. The Christian church also had a hand in shaping Accus. He remembers going to Bible study and participating in activities at his church. “It’s not like sitting there, actually studying a Bible,” he says. “There were actually lots of arts and crafts and games that we did, and then after all that they’d say, ‘Oh, the reason we did that is (because) that’s just symbolism for compassion.’” But to Accus, Christianity is about more than just compassion. It’s a state of mind. “I feel like my faith and my religion helps me; it just keeps me moving forward,” he says. “That’s probably what keeps me on the bright side.” As Accus got older, he developed a growing interest in gymnastics. In fourth grade, he joined Irvington school’s tumbling team. He had found a place to hone his skills. But after a few months, he was kicked off the team when a teacher accused him of threatening a fellow classmate. “She didn’t tell me (I was) in trouble,” he recalls. “She didn’t tell me to go to the office. She instantly made a call and then told the principal that that happened. So I just feel like that’s very unfair.” From then on, Accus dedicated himself to learning gymnastics all on his own. “I watched a few YouTube videos, and then the rest was just pure discipline,” he says. He exercised as often as he could, never using the same workout routine twice. Accus climbed, jumped, flipped and ran all the time.

He would engage in explosive training, which includes quick movements where muscles exert maximum force, also known as plyometrics. The “gainer” flip was one of his personal favorites, a flip where the acrobat does a backflip while running in a forward motion, going the opposite direction of momentum. When Accus arrived at Grant High School in 2012, his athleticism stood out. The word spread about his impressive flips that he did around campus and his ability to dunk on a full size hoop. But while his flips and tricks mesmerized people at Grant, Accus struggled in the classroom. He says he has a learning disability in math. “It’s hard to focus in class. Like...someone with dyslexia in English class,” he says. “I can pay attention to the teacher and still not get a clear idea of what exactly they’re trying to instruct. But I just have to persevere through it, and I will pass that test; I will pass that quiz.” His academic skills teacher, Mary Flamer, has noticed his dedication in the classroom. Despite his disability, she says that “He’s just amazingly focused...he’s one of the most focused of the seniors that I have,” she says. Last November, Accus was hit with another challenge. One day when he was returning home from school, his mother called him with some frightful news. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After comforting her over the phone, he remembers immediately sitting down to start his homework, still surprised. “I was shocked,” he recalls. “(And) the shock doesn’t really wear off; it just stays there.” But he went on with his normal schedule, trying to not let bad thoughts consume him. Liam Guthrie, a senior, is one of his closest friends. He said Accus told him about his mom’s condition, but that didn’t change how he carried himself. “He just stayed positive,” Guthrie says. “He honestly didn’t change much. He was obviously always going home to help out his mom, and he seemed like he was spending a lot of time with her. But I think the biggest thing (is)...he just kept a very positive outlook, and I think that really helped, probably his mom, too.” “What was going through my head was that I can’t let this stop me from doing what I do,” he says. “I can’t let this stop me from becoming what I want to be or developing into the young man that I’m going to be one day...If anything, it was only symbolism for me to push forward with life.” Bonami has had to undergo surgery and months of chemotherapy since November to treat her cancer, but Accus says his mother has been steadily recovering with treatment. “She’s just changed from when she first started getting treatment,” he says, noting that doctors say her prognosis is good. “She knows that she has to push harder than she ever has.” Today, Accus continues to stay active as it keeps him happy. Even though he doesn’t compete on a team or belong to a gym, he makes sure to always find time for fitness. “Every chance that I

"I've learned that stuff doesn't come easy." -Angelo accus

Senior Issue 2016

"I feel like he's laid back, but at the same time he has like a lot of energy. He's kind of always got a good outlook, and he's always positive. And he's just a good guy to be around," says one of Accus' best friends, Liam Guthrie.

get, I’ll exercise,” he says. “I’ll never turn down a physical activity because that’s my happy place; it really is. Like climbing and stuff like that. Gymnastics, that’s what helps me find myself.” Grant English teacher Mary Rodeback says Accus' energy is captivating. During one of his class presentations, she recalls how he moved some desks aside and actually did a flip in the classroom. “He’ll do that kind of thing every once in awhile,” she says. “He’s completely like the model student; quiet, organized, always on task, but then these things come out of him that’s like: ‘You’re incredible.’” Accus hasn’t spoken to his father in about 2 years. His father has moved back to Haiti, and their communication hasn’t been regular. Accus’ friends say he speaks well of his dad but doesn’t mention him very often. He prefers to stay positive about it. “He’s always been like a very heroic figure in my eyes,” Accus says. “He always just encouraged me to be friendly and just be nice. He always taught me that education is key.” Accus doesn’t go to church much, and he hasn’t kept up with Bible study. But Accus says his faith remains. It’s helped shape his perspective. Currently, Accus works at Nike and, after high school, plans to attend Portland Community College where he’ll study kinesiology, the study of the human body’s physiological reaction to exercise. “That would just be a perfect fit for me,” he says.

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He hopes to transfer to Portland State University and finish out his undergraduate education. Beyond college, Accus has noble aspirations. “I want to pursue a career that is either in the medical or social field,” he says. “I want to help people that don’t really have like an equal opportunity. Because I just feel like everyone should get a fair chance whether they have a learning disability or whether they just have it hard at home." To see Accus in action, visit grantmagazine.com/tricks

"I don’t think of my challenges as challenges... I just think of them as small barriers that I just need to work hard to get over.” - Angelo Accus

Transformations

When graduation arrives, change isn’t hard to recognize.

Interviews by Sophie Hauth and Bella Rideau • Photos by Finn Hawley-Blue

Taylor Skye

How has your mentality changed since your freshman year photo was taken?

“I got a lot more confident...I’m still shy, but I talk to people. I have a lot more friends now. I started thinking more positive of myself, like I’d start being nicer to myself and giving myself compliments, and that kind of like slowly built up to like a much better ego. And then when that happened, I got more comfortable talking to people because I was comfortable with myself.”

D’Shawn Lampkin

What were your thoughts coming into Grant as a freshman? “I thought that I wouldn’t develop as a person. I thought Grant was going to be really, really boring. Honestly, it was a lot different. There were more opportunities to do things that I was interested in.”

Sprout Chinn

How do you want to be remembered at Grant?

“If I’m remembered for one thing, I would just like to have made some sort of positive change at Grant, however small that is. If that’s helping one person feel more comfortable with their sexuality or speaking up for that one student who was bullied, that matters to me. In any way that I can, I want to be remembered as someone who makes a positive change to the world.”

Ethan Paul

How have you changed since your freshman year?

“My hair’s a lot longer now. I kinda stopped doing what people told me to in regards to my appearance, I guess. If my mother had her way, I’d get a haircut every week. I haven’t had a haircut for like two years. I’m definitely way more comfortable in my own skin than I was. As a freshman, I was in like jazz band stuff, and I still love jazz, but now I’m like in a punk rock band. It has made me accept people for who they are.” Senior Issue 2016

Oregon

Central Oregon Community College Tristan Chester Chemeketa Community College Jack Wolf Concordia University Scott Inahara Dual enrollement Portland Community College and Portland State University Claire Wheeler George Fox University AJ Atherton Lane Community College Elliott Chase Kinsley Daniels Spencer Ebert Austin Holt Thomas Hope Calvin Scott linfield college Jacob Andrews Naomi Kincade Jocelyn Sten Jordan Stoeber-Galindo Mt. Hood Community College Andreas Markantonatos Jehdah Walker Oregon Institute of Technology Alexander Ferere University of oregon Matan Alter Drew Brenner Kyleen Carter Lexee Chau Ann Curtis Alex Dana Maya Date Mark DeKay Arthur Delarosa Eva Emter Chris Fernandes Hailey Gammon Fernando Garcia-Nunez Keely Gilbert Michael Koukoumanos Hans Krause Kacie Mackey Molly McGraw Akayla Mckenzie-Park Gabriel Metzler Collin Mitowski Emmett Montgomery Torin Nicholas Lucas Quenton Ezra Rapaport Elijah Roth Henry Schoonover Logan Sennett Cullen Sharp Jackson Smith Will Stutesman Finn Topelmann Will Torresan Henry Wiant Haven Williams Tristan Zeryck University of Oregon Clark Honors College Jacob de Vries Rennie Kendrick Isabel Moore

Rachel Peri Alexander Vischer Oregon state University Basil Allen Nicholas Barrett Ian Clark Libby Clark Noah Cooke Jessica Dowdy Valerie Duncan Margaret Elliott Henry Enders Lily Epstein Emily Frase Sean Gillen Evan Harvey Mira Herrick Greta Hieggelke Cole Hollands Fischer Jemison Daniel Kelley Skyler Korn Maddy Kuhn Sonny Le Eli Mandel Shinpei Mori-Gilles Emma Palin Lillian Peters Maclaren Peterson Ethan Shields Amira Smith Race Stewart Joshua Webb Oregon state university honors college Richard Smith Pacific Northwest College of Art D’Shawn Lampkin Noble Williams university of portland Morgan Mealy portland Community College Bryttany Abramson Angelo Accus Davis Almgren Andrea Alvarado Jerad Anderson River Anderson Dominique Arredondo-Mejia Jasmine Barber Kaden Brooks Asa Bross Isaac Byrd Hayden Churchill Juwan Curtis Kyrah Dines Abby Emer Monya Fitz Kaetlin Fleming Daker Foulk Emma Frome Lisa Garcia Jillina George Ella Gibson Kusaiyah Gibson Kyree Hargrow-Tooson Jack Harlow Zoë Hernandez-MacDonald Jonah Higgins Cameron Hilman Nicholas Hoffer Rahsaan Islam Kaz Leffel

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Kyle Leslie-Christy Cole Madore Audrey McBride Brady McCollom Siobhan McGrath Tiahntae McNair Leslie Meneses Miah Middlebrook Reagan Mims Sofia Paredes Sydney Parno Ethan Paul Madelaine Piazza Robert Richardson Jovanie Rivera Victor Santiago Irene Santiago Chávez Sam Seacrist Million Sebhatu Andrew Spencer Lily Stabler Zach Stegall Mathias Thelus Diego Thomas Nahjee Thomas Eleanor Tietsort Fletcher Tilghman Ella Timmons Brooke Wagner Sara Whitney Jordan Williams Willem Winter Portland state university Robert Armontrout Mason Ashmore Gabriel Bader Julian Baumgardber Conrad Clemans Sara Cook Waylon Cude Ali Fladwood Mikaal Geenen Edward Green Malique Griffin Liam Guthrie Cait Haley Clayton Harley Liam Jemison Alejandro Morales Kyle Nerheim-Chereck Erin Nolan Liam Posovich Caleb Putnam Sam Schrader Lane Tobey Ariahna Ulbricht Zachary Zalin Southern Oregon University Erinn Blessinger Olivia Bozarth Bethany Coleman Tess Kelly Haven Riffel Jazmin Shaffer Taylor Skye Zoe Stadler Kenna Tyler Johannes Venegas-Baer Warner Pacific College Yaislenis Herrera Estrada Western Oregon University Amber Haslinger Hayden Holt

washington Clark College Kento Oudomphong Everett Community College Anna Hekker The evergreen state college Ruby Weinstein university of puget sound Ellie Newell Max Tapogna Aaron Thompson Seattle Pacific University Sam Malloch seattle university Thea Foulk Milo Hart Kali McCollister Jessie Ray Owen Van Valkenburgh University oF Washington Taylor Ishida

Washington State University Lili Adams Jarod Herrera Jerry Marins-Wadsworth Sr. western washington university Travis Cowan Kirsten Dodge Emily Nims-Fournier Grace Peyerwold Emilija Thorburn Whitman college Jayden Dirk Benjamin Ward-DuBois

california The American Academy of Dramatic Arts Kyra Orr University of California Irvine Sprout Chinn California Polytechnic State University Jenny Van Mechelen Chapman University Lily Bourquein Sawyer Montgomery Stella Wallace City College of San Francisco Russell Tillery Claremont McKenna College Shanti Dubey Loyola Marymount University Cassius Pettit Pomona College Mirenna Scott San diego state University Avery Schilling Olivia Wolfe University of San Francisco Kincade Ayers Eliana Meyers Scripps College Claire Bacon-Brenes Stanford University Ella Donaghu Whittier College Geri Spillers

hawaii hawai’i pacific university Maddie Casey

Arizona

Northern Arizona University Sunshine Bender Adrian Galash Samantha Soumokil

colorado Colorado State university Naveen Pradhan University of Colorado, Boulder Bibi Powers-McCormack University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Thomas Nilan University of Northern Colorado Isaiah Zimmerman

senior Map 2016

montana

Carroll College Allison Riggs Montana state university Rachel Cole

North dakota University of North Dakota Luke Hutchinson

Minnesota university of minnesota Zofia Mathews

Next year, students from Grant's class of 2016 can be found all across the country.

Compiled by Charlotte Klein and Tess Waxman

Iowa Cornell College Kamryn Hogan Dylan Menche University of Iowa Emily King Iowa State university Edie Foulk

illinois

University of Chicago Theodore Carlin depaul university Collin De Kalb Loyola university chicago Jenna Lester

ohio Case Western Reserve University Daniel Weidman kenyon College Ellie Corser University of Miami Ohio Nathan Bradford Xavier University Kaitlin Yotsuuye

Massachusetts Berklee College of Music Adam Jones Hampshire College Anna Bosworth harvard University Pieter Quinton Mount Holyoke College Mika Stanard

Connecticut University of New Haven Olivia Abbott Wesleyan University Joshua Hicks Yale University Dylan King

New york

texas baylor university Luke Davis

arkansas University of Arkansas Harrison Schrage Hendrix College Connor Onitsuka

Tennessee

Virginia

University of Tennessee Madison Hairston

hampton university Alashia Flora

georgia

florida

Georgia State University Kennidee Teal

University of Miami Quin McIntire

Bard College Beth Thomas Columbia University Bella Rideau Lael Tate Eugene lang College , The New School Eliza Kamerling-Brown School of jazz at The new school LĂŠna Bartels Marist College Janelle Arnold marymount manhattan college Jessica Barr Fashion Institute of Technology Anatalia Bianchi

Senior Issue 2016

ALTERNATIVE and international PLANS ireland

Canada

Trinity College Dublin Emma Baer-Simon

quest university Sadie Ainsworth Anna Shaff university of british columbia Jackie Rath Kate Tandberg

City Year Kate Grenham Joe Reiber Community Transition Program Silas Crabtree Amelia Dale Dominic Flesey-Assad Kahla Hicks transition center Noah Dufresne Dance and Workstudy Madeleine Chow

GAP YEAR Kristina Arella Jordan Corder-Swanson Lena Grover Eva Haykin Maya Holiman Miranda Karson Addison Loda Jenna Richards Ian Shriner Amelia Ulsh Traveling Emily Braaten Lizzy Eng Caroline Williams Lauren Wood Joining a conservation corps Eli Hacker

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WORKING Samantha Chastain Cameron Copeland Eva Fulayter Skyler Gearing Ryne Johnson Brenden Jorgensen-Behurst Jaida King Tufutele Mohulamu Grace Reed Cora Rios Tav Ritter Davidrae Stigler Nate Sutter Kyran Vandercruyssen Isabella Zehetbauer 2 year Church mission Felisiano Kalamafoni

18 Month Church Mission Pauline Kalamafoni Exchange Students returning home Betul Borazan - Turkey Rafaela Mascarenhas - Brazil Lara Meinssen - Germany Zelia Naefen - Switzerland Undecided Holden Bock Quintin Colantoni Noah Evans-Kluthe Richard Hodge Justin Robinson Kobie Salmeri Kayonna Turner

Time with...Angie Payne

Finishing up

The principal’s secretary talks about her retirement after a lengthy career at Grant

“There is so much in this job to love.”

Interview by Toli Tate • Photo by Molly Metz

You’re retiring. How long have you been at Grant? I’ve worked here for 16 (years), and it’s a great job. I’ve worked for four principals. I’ve worked for the district for 26 years. It’s been a great 26 years. So why are you retiring now? Because I’m old. My husband retired in November, and so now it’s my turn. We have an 8½-acre farm, and we will have no trouble keeping busy. The commute is super hard, and that’s one reason I’m retiring. Are there things you experienced as a secretary that you didn’t expect? There’s a lot of things you don’t expect. Nothing is ever the same. Every day is different. I’ve seen kids hurt to where I’ve seen bones. I’ve seen kids get full-ride scholarships. I mean you know, huge, huge differences. What exactly will you miss? Probably the routine. I’m a very routine-oriented person. I probably will miss not having an agenda for every single day. It will be different. There are a lot of people that I will really miss. That will be the hardest thing. There is so much in this job to love. What are you looking forward to? Do you have a lot of plans? I’m looking forward to gardening. I’m looking forward to swimming in our pool during the day instead of at night when I get home from work. I’m looking forward to using our boat that we probably haven’t used in 10 years. I’m looking forward to spending time with my husband. We love to remodel and do stuff like that. Working with animals. I don’t think I’ll have trouble keeping busy. What animals do you have?

Oh, we have cows, goats, turkeys, chickens, pigs, geese. Do you have a favorite? I like working with chickens. I’ve got an incubator, so I like to incubate the eggs and watch them pop. They’re pretty low maintenance. For a senior prank, (the seniors) threw a chicken in the upstairs hallway, and everybody was kind of excited about it. And I said over the radio, “Bring it down to the main office. I’ll put it in a cage and take it home.” And that’s how we got started with chickens. Did you grow up on a farm? Nope. I grew up in Northeast Portland; went to Madison High School. So moving to a farm was a huge adjustment then? Yeah, we’ve lived there almost 17 years. We saw this ad in the paper, and it said 8½ acres out there in Colton, which is where my husband grew up. And he said, ‘Let’s go look at it!’ And I said, ‘I am not living out there.’ And then he said to me, ‘You can have any animal you want.’ And he knows I love animals. So I said, ‘OK.’ We actually bought the property and the house without me ever actually going in the house. The house was crap. It must’ve been a big project. What was it like? We ripped up carpets. We painted floors because people had let their dogs pee on them and all that stuff. So it’s a work in progress. Most people who own houses are never done, and we probably never will be, either. We need a new kitchen. We built a new barn. It’s just something we love doing. We like to work with our hands.

Age: “Age is just a number.” Hobby: knitting Preferred organizational system: files, marked one through 31 for each day of the month Favorite food to make: cheesecake

Senior Issue 2016

A Quest of Faith

Pauline Kalamafoni found security in the Mormon church. Now, as she leaves high school, she wants to share her faith with others. Story by Blu Midyett • Photo by Finn Hawley-Blue

t was a Sunday morning when Pauline Kalamafoni had her faith put to the test. She sat alongside her family, two aisles from the front of her Mormon church in Lake Oswego. The room was silent, filled with people who hailed from the same Tongan culture as the Grant High School senior. They spoke the same language, and a sense of togetherness flowed from the group. In her mind, though, Kalamafoni had images of hateful messages geared towards herself and the other churchgoers of the Portland temple. The holiest building in the Mormon community was surrounded by protesters, angered by the homophobic values of the religion. Kalamafoni was awestruck. At her church and in her own belief, gay love and marriage was completely acceptable. Unique in Mormon culture, her congregation accepts gay couples. So that morning, Kalamafoni says she expected to hear a message of hostility to the people that had disrespected her temple. But the bishop of the church delivered a message of acceptance: “Ai ke lahi ho ‘ofa he ‘oku ikai ke nau ‘ilo ko ha me’a ‘oku nau fai,” he said, Tongan for: “Love them because they don’t know what they’re doing.” Caught off guard, Kalamafoni was forced to reassess her view, something she’s had to do on occasion when confronting the rules

of her religion. The Mormon church – formally known as the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – has always been a constant in Kalamafoni’s life. Her Tongan culture also shares similar values to Mormon beliefs. Family first, community solidarity and lending a helping hand are essentials. “In the Mormon faith, part of the mission is knowing where every person is emotionally, physically, spiritually...and my culture is the same way,” she says. “If you have a cousin’s cousin’s wife that needs help or something, everyone knows about it, and everyone is there willing to help.” Despite key cultural ties and a welcoming community, until her junior year in high school, Kalamafoni hadn’t fully connected with the religion. The Sunday church service had become a burden for her by the time she reached high school. Mormon practices, she felt, became obsolete. But after her older brother, Wesley, left to the Philippines to perform missionary work in 2014, she had a change of heart. She recently decided to follow in his footsteps and embark on an 18-month missionary trip starting this summer. The expedition will limit virtually all contact with outside friends and family and requires extensive 12-hour workdays. But for Kalamafoni, the love and security the church has given her is more than enough to

Pauline Kalamafoni (left) and her mother Fasihengalu Kalamafoni together in their home, a luxury the two will lose after Pauline leaves for an 18-month mission in September. “High school is all about learning what works for you, learning what you want — who you are as a person,” she says. “I think that a mission is the biggest...test as to whether you’re ready for the real world or not.”

convince her to spread the Mormon faith. But a stark change in her older brother’s attitude towards religion “Religion was my main source of security that never changed,” forced Kalamafoni to look inwards. She had to make a change. she says. “I mean, family always changes. Your life changes “It was crazy to see that transformation. My brother went from continuously, and so that’s...made it easier for me to be like ‘OK, breaking all these rules, and then he was like, ‘Yeah, I believe in this is true. I believe in this.’ And because of that, I chose to serve God, and I’m gonna go preach about it.’ I feel like that’s what kind a mission on my own.” of switched it on for me.” Born Sept. 12, 1997, in Portland, Pauline Kalamafoni grew up Now, she says her faith is strong, and her religion goes beyond the third youngest of six siblings. Her earliest memories date back just praying to God. For her, it’s about community. “It’s always to long days at their local church as her father, Viliami Kalamfoni, been the community was just like family,” she says. “They’re there was appointed to bishop when she was only two years old. It was to, like, help us and be of assistance or whatever we need, and so the highest leadership role within the church. I feel like we had that support system with us for so long it’s like, In her family, the Mormon religion and Tongan culture were you can’t go back and be like, ‘There’s no use in going to church.’” heavily instilled as both parents grew up in Tongan-Mormon Back at home, she also makes community a priority. Her households. siblings will quickly point to her as the caring and heartfelt one Her parents were adamant about having their children of the family. With three of her older siblings gone, Kalamafoni is understand where they came from. They chose to speak Tongan in often looked to as the caregiver and planner. their house more often than English, and Tongan art was plastered In September, she will have to leave for 18 months to an unknown around their home. They often visited the Polynesian island when location. As of now, she could find herself in almost any country in the kids were toddlers, but a trip back when Kalamafoni was 9 had the world. The ultimate decision is up to the Prophet – the reigning a heavy impact. leader of the Mormon church – and his many counselors for where While there, the family helped each missionary will serve their build houses in the small town that time. her mother grew up in – most didn’t While on her mission, Kalamafoni have electricity or indoor plumbing. will only be able to call her family For her mother, Fasihengalu twice a year: once on Christmas Kalamafoni, the exposure was vital and once on Mother’s Day. Aside to their understanding of Tongan from that, the program allows for life. 45 minutes a week to send emails to “We try to make sure to take them family. Her day will typically begin to see how we used to live because at 6:30 a.m. and end at 10:30 p.m., we didn’t have much on the island,” filled with walking door to door and says Fasihengalu Kalamafoni. “We preaching her faith. tried to show them so they can For her, the work is inspiring. appreciate what they have over here “There’s always gonna be someone right now.” across the world somewhere going Coming back with a new sense through the same thing,” she says. of cultural ownership, Pauline “So if you can help them out by - Pauline Kalamafoni Kalamafoni realized the importance telling them something about of holding on to her ancestry. “In a religion, why wouldn’t you?” way, the culture dies if you don’t carry it on with your kids and While the intensity of the mission doesn’t scare her away, she’s your kids’ kids. Eventually, nobody has remembrance of what that still nervous about the uncertainty of the trip. “I take my biggest was, and then you just become like little dust in the wind,” she fears, like getting stuck somewhere,” she says. “I have no idea says. about the people, no idea about the language. That’s kind of what In the fall of her seventh grade year, just after her father was scares me the most.” released as bishop to their church, her life was turned upside down Upon her return, Kalamafoni will attend either Central when her parents divorced. “The first thing I thought was, ‘What Washington State or Brigham Young University and plans to major are other people going to say about it?’ Because divorce really is in education with a focus on child development. Her only worry frowned upon in the Mormon community,” Kalamafoni said. moving ahead is, once again, losing motivation in her faith as the She started to feel more alone and she used religion as a crutch. stress of life increases. The biggest deterrent for her is, “really... She says: “I dove into church, and people at church kind of helped just the worldly pressures,” she admits. “This sounds really bad, me so...in a sense, God was helping me because there were so but the laziness of (not) wanting to go to church on Sunday.” many people available through religion that helped me move past But Kalamafoni is confident that the next 18 months away will it and be where I am right now.” give her the passion to stay true to her faith. But when high school started, friends and parties became “The mission’s really important to me because I’ve spent all this a bigger priority, and church fell to the wayside. Kalamafoni time, 4 years of high school, searching, like, is this true?” she says. remembers often pretending to be sick just to get out of a Sunday “Do I actually believe in this or am I doing this just because of my service during her freshman and sophomore years. She also started parents? So now I think that I have a confirmation that I do believe disobeying house rules, staying out 3 hours past her curfew just to in it for myself. It’s the ultimate test.” get a rise out of her parents. Her distance from the church started To hear more about the Kalamafoni family, visit to drive a wedge between her and her family. grantmagazine.com/faith

“The culture dies if you don’t carry it on with your kids and your kids’ kids. Eventually, nobody has remembrance of what that was, and then you just become like little dust in the wind."

Senior Issue 2016

Building a Foundation

Alashia Flora stays grounded by her family as she embraces her passions for makeup and beauty.

Story and photos by Molly Metz

n a recent Saturday evening, Grant High School senior Alashia Flora walks up the steps to the altar of Maranatha Church in Northeast Portland and gets her stole. She looks out into the audience and sees the big crowd that has shown up to support her and the other high school graduates. That night, the community came together to celebrate the accomplishments and the graduation of 70 black seniors as they move forward to college in the fall. “It was really just a great moment for me,” Flora recalls. “It was nice just seeing like all of the black graduates...It was very

Grant Magazine

empowering. And then to have my family there as well, it was just a very proud moment for me because they just kind of helped me through it.” Since moving from North Carolina to Oregon to Washington and back to Oregon, Flora’s race has become more apparent than ever. And in Portland, a mostly white city, Flora has felt isolated as a person of color. She says having a constant change in scenery hasn’t made things easier. She’s switched households a number of times over the last nine

Left: Alashia Flora sits in her room behind her camera and LED ring light as she records a new video for her YouTube channel.

years. And in that time, she has come to know the stereotypes and obstacles she faces because of her appearance. Flora also knows the rush of overcoming such judgments and proving her critics wrong. In the classroom, she’s at the top of her game. With a small schedule, she only attends Grant on A-days. She fills her days off and weekends working at Old Navy and creating videos for her YouTube channel, “Alashia Allure.” The YouTube channel, she says, has helped her find her voice and gain independence; it’s proven to be a place of solace where she can interact with people outside the bubble of Grant High School and Portland. Flora was born in Portland on Aug. 8, 1998 to parents Patrice Flora and Yolanda McCowan. As a child, she was energetic and active. Her mother, Patrice Flora, says: “Anything that was basically athletic she liked to do as a kid; she was always a good kid.”

At just a few months old, her parents separated, but Flora says it hasn’t strained her relationships with either parent. “It’s pretty normal for me,” she says. “Like I don’t feel like sad or anything. Just because they are really good co-parents, like they are pretty much friends...It’s been pretty much the same as if they were together.” After her parents’ separation, Flora spent the majority of her time living with Patrice Flora, her older sister, Shawntavia, Flora and her older foster siblings, Ravell Sterling and Shalisa Jackson. Flora attended Faubion Elementary School where she spent her days in the classroom, glued to the arts and crafts table. Her afternoons were spent planted at the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods After School Program playing basketball, running track and taking cooking classes. She gained independence and was in charge of herself. But soon after, Patrice Flora’s position of 18 years at Kaiser Permanente was eliminated. So she and her 9-year-old daughter packed up their things, randomly picked a location and headed to North Carolina. The move was tough for Alashia Flora and her mother. Shawntavia Flora and her foster siblings stayed in Portland, leaving the duo on their own in a new place. For Alashia Flora, there was an added hardship leaving her other mother, Yolanda McCowan. “It was a sad moment for me. It was a sad moment because it wasn’t agreed upon that she would go there (and) stay with the other parent,” says McCowan. But it was also in North Carolina that Alashia and Patrice Flora formed the strong bond that they have today. On the weekends and days off from school, they would go out to get ice cream, go to the movies or more often than not, stay at home watching competitive cooking shows or HGTV. “I was able to actually spend some time with her…for the first time in my life,” says Patrice Flora. “I was able to take her to school and pick her up from school...We were able to sit down on the weekend and do some fun things without me being too tired from having all of those foster children and running here and there, so we became really close the entire time we were in North Carolina.” Additionally, Flora noticed a significant change in diversity. “It’s kind of like flipped; here it’s predominantly white, and there it’s predominantly black and Mexican,” says Flora. “I kind of feel that people there are more supportive…they kind of want us to succeed.” After seventh grade, Alashia and Patrice returned to Portland because Patrice needed to adopt Shawntavia’s son, Mahlik. But a year later, Flora was on the move again, this time to Tacoma, WA. There, she began her freshman year at Curtis High School. But the social aspect of school in Tacoma was difficult for Flora, says Patrice Flora. The students had formed strong cliques that excluded her daughter. Alashia Flora was alone. “Having to adjust every time I moved, it’s kind of like I would get used to something, and then it’s like OK we have to pack up and go. Having to adjust was difficult,” says Flora.

Senior Issue 2016

“I was really enlightened through the whole thing,” Alashia Flora says of the 2016 Black Baccalaureate ceremony, “The whole community is just very proud of Black graduates.”

So after a year in Tacoma, Flora decided to return to Portland to live with her other parent, Yolanda McCowan. “It was devastating, but at the same time I had already built the foundation. I had already set her foundation and helped form her habits and what’s right and wrong,” says Patrice Flora. “You know I had to just have faith that what I had instilled in her from birth through the 10th grade, that she was going to put it in place, and now she has to fly.” For the first time, Flora would not be living with Patrice. “It was really hard. I was really depressed,” Flora says. “She kind of supported me and told me, ‘It’s gonna be alright,’ and, ‘It’s for the best,’ and it’s not like I would never see her again. It was really hard, because coming from seeing my mom every single day to not seeing her every single day, it really had a big impact on me.” Dionne Flora, Alashia’s aunt says: “Her unselfishness in the fact that her mom has adopted her nephew...and how Alashia stepped up unselfishly and helped the family and never complained; that just shows who she is. She does anything for her mother and her family.” For the last move, Flora returned to Portland and began her sophomore year at Grant. Flora spent her free time watching videos about makeup, hairstyles and fashion. The following year, she created a YouTube channel. She was inspired by YouTube content creators Raven Elise and Alisa Forever and aspired to make a living off videos. The first video she posted (although it’s been taken down since) was a step-by-step tutorial of her eyebrow routine. Flora’s YouTube channel has been an outlet for expressing herself; her videos range from makeup tutorials to clothing hauls to video-blog style conversations with her audience about her experiences at school and her next steps toward college. “It’s pretty intense just standing in front of a camera. You just feel weird,” she says. “But I feel that it’s kind of boosted my confidence a little because I’m like pointing out my flaws, and I’m no perfect person, and people can relate to that. It’s just me. I want people to see me for who I am and understand that nobody’s perfect.” Senior year came with its assortment of anxiety-ridden tasks: a

job, the growth of her YouTube channel, the college application process and the waiting game that comes with it. But on Feb. 5, her world took a turn. While at work, she received multiple calls and texts from Patrice Flora. Her mother kept saying, “He’s dead; he’s dead.” Flora was left in shock, crying in the bathroom. That day, her foster brother, Ravell Sterling, was shot and killed while walking into a store on Southeast 174th Avenue and Stark Street in Portland. Ravell was the closest in age to Flora of any of her biological or foster siblings. “Alashia had never experienced death...and she never experienced the death of someone who is close,” says Patrice Flora. “So to hear that someone killed him was very difficult for her.” As Ravell had gotten older, he gradually grew apart from the family, eventually moving to Gresham to live with his girlfriend. “He was just kind of like distant, so that’s probably another reason why it hit everyone so hard because they didn’t get those last memories,” says Shalisa Jackson, Flora’s older foster sister. After Sterling’s death, Flora shut down. “For me as a parent, that was very alarming because this is a person who is a go-getter; this is a person who gets to class, a person who is very active. But she shut down from everyone and everybody in her life,” says Patrice Flora. Alashia Flora was riddled with panic attacks, and going to school or work became difficult. She took a trip to see Patrice Flora in Tacoma and to get away from everything in Portland. There she was diagnosed with anxiety. “They helped her with her anxiety and encouraged her to go back to school and told her the number one thing she doesn’t want to do is give up,” says Patrice Flora. Her mother Patrice says her brother, “wouldn’t want her to give up; he would want her to go back to school and see her excel in school.” “It really like changed my whole attitude,” says Flora. “It just like pulled me out of this like dark cloud and like when I came back to school, I was more motivated.” Flora went back to school and caught up on the work she had fallen behind in, and now she’s making YouTube videos again. With more than 900 subscribers and 38,000 total views, Flora’s YouTube channel has grown tremendously in just over a year. She has plans to vlog her college experience and keep her audience updated on her life. She hopes she’ll get the chance to include more videos on cosmetology, beauty and fashion. Although she didn’t get into her dream school, Howard University, she was accepted into Hampton University in Virginia, as well as to Hampton’s 5-year MBA program. She says it was a nice surprise because although Howard University has the name and the legacy that she wanted, Hampton is a better fit for her goals of starting her own business. She’s excited to be attending a historically black university, “Just the thought of being black and being empowered and again just being a woman, as well,” Flora says. “Overall, I just wanted to go somewhere where I was accepted and where people can relate to me.”

“I want people to see me for who I am and understand that nobody’s perfect.” - Alashia Flora

Grant Magazine

Moments

A Year(book) in Review

Grant seniors reflect on how they’ve grown in 4 years. Interviews by Callie Quinn-Ward and Jackie Rath Photo by Callie Quinn-Ward

Reagan Mims, 18 “We were looking at everyone’s pictures, kind of laughing about how everyone has changed since the beginning of the year and how we’re about to be done with school. It’s crazy to see not only the physical changes, but how everyone has matured and how people aren’t into the things they used to be interested in and vice versa. It’s bittersweet leaving a school I’ve made many friends and memories with. Grant High School is definitely something I will never forget.”

Jehdah Walker, 18 “I was just thinking of how far we’ve come. All three of us are ready to graduate. It’s all surreal in a good way. My photo was pretty nice. I got Class Clown. I’ve made new friends, and I feel like I’m leaving high school with a strong backbone. I’m looking forward to the next adventure. I’ve grown as a person. I think everyone has.”

Jovanie Rivera, 19 “What was going through my mind was the drastic changes I’ve seen from the front of the book to the back. Just looking at everyone and everything, I see the change, and I feel it in the inside. I just got here this year. I came from Florida. It was easy to connect with people, easy to get around. I never had a problem. I like Grant. It was the one school I didn’t want to skip. I like the people, the teachers, the way it functions, everything. Of course, I’m excited for starting a new beginning, a new journey.”

Senior Issue 2016

Fish Out of Water

Grant senior Kusaiyah Gibson has immersed himself in the cosplay community. But with a lack of representation of characters of color, he’s had to start creating his own. By Joshua Webb and Eliza Kamerling-Brown Photo By Kali Rennaker

Kusaiyah Gibson models a costume that he made for an event he went to at Peninsula Park. “I want to be able to visualize actually being that character. These are fantastical beings...we’re just humans but in these instances I get to be a different person and at the same time be myself,” he says.

usaiyah Gibson sits on the edge of a pool, arms propping him up on a small platform. In front of him, a long shimmery gold tail replaces where his legs would be. He turns to smile at his mother, whose own tail glints in the afternoon sun, as small kids and adults walk by and gawk. “I am so comfortable right now,” he thinks to himself. It’s September 2015, and Gibson and his mother are at the Faerie World Festival in North Plains, Ore. While such an event might be foreign to some, for Gibson and his family, it is nothing out of the ordinary. Raised by two parents who are self-described nerds, Gibson grew up reading comic books and graphic novels while most of his peers were out playing sports. “Part of the reason I’m so nerdy is because of my parents,” he says. “They have always been a part of my life (with) nerd culture.” As a family, the Gibsons have spent the last 7 years traveling to different cosplay conventions and festivals throughout the Northwest. “It’s our family trip,” says Gibson’s older sister, Shona Curtis. “People take trips to the Bahamas, but we take trips to Comic Con.”

Grant Magazine

For Gibson, cosplay – a subculture where people dress up as fictional characters – is an opportunity to bond with his family and others over shared interests that aren’t historically representative of minority communities. “If you don’t see characters or different things to attach or relate to,” he says, “then it kind of makes it harder to live in the rest of the world because you don’t have something to anchor yourself to or to build off of.” Gibson’s parents recognize the added weight that comes with being one of the only families of color participating in the cosplay conventions. “I feel like it’s really important for us to be out there, not just for us, but for everybody,” says Thandiwe Gibson, Kusaiyah’s mother. Her husband, Anthony Gibson, adds: “It’s interesting, especially being a person of color being into (cosplay)...How represented are we in these comics and in the industry? What pool do you have to pull from that you can identify with?...There’s the Blades and the Storms and the Icons and the Static Shocks “That type of representation helps, not only for us – people of color – but for people in general, because it gives them a positive

representation, something besides stereotypes, so that when they When his family returned home from the festival, Gibson see us...it’s not this thug image people have or this negative, poor wasn’t as excited as his mother had hoped he would be. Fearing image people have.” that she was losing his interest, Thandiwe Gibson encouraged her While Gibson shares his parent’s views, he says he tries to son to look up ‘Steampunk’ (a subgenre of science fiction) on the focus on the parts of cosplay that he loves most: being in costume Internet. and bonding over characters with other cosplayers. “Instead of He says what he found changed his life. “The first image on concentrating on the fact that I’m not surrounded by people of Google I saw was this black guy with this vest,” says Gibson. “He color,” he says, “I’m surrounded by nerds...which I’m also not had the old doctor look; the vest had super interesting patterns... surrounded by…all the and I was just enraptured by time. I get to look at it like this picture. The fact that that and have fun.” it was a black guy first just Kusaiyah Gibson was solidified me wanting to do born March 18, 1998, in this...it made me want to Oakland, Calif. His parents represent this community.” met through a mutual friend Gibson immediately and were drawn to each began designing his own other because of their shared costume to wear to the interest in nerd culture. next year’s festival. He When Gibson was 6 broke apart an old clock years old, his family moved and superglued the gears to Portland to follow his to a hat, which still sits on mother’s job. He attended a shelf in his room. Later, Winterhaven School in Gibson went thrift shopping Southeast Portland before and convinced his mom to transferring to Alameda buy a $50 vintage red vest Elementary School in third to complete the look. Then Gibson first began dressing as a mermaid the summer after his grade. he spray-painted an old Nerf sophomore year. His mom began costuming as a mermaid at Immediately, he stood out gun to match his aesthetic. Faerie World and recommended that he join her. from his peers. While most Since then, Gibson has Photo courtesy Anthony Gibson kids spent their afternoons made nearly all of his own being shuttled from soccer games to basketball practices, Gibson costumes. His mother is proud of the way he has embraced the could be found reading a comic book in his room or researching cosplay community. “With Kusaiyah, I think he’s taking it to a a scientific theory. “When everyone asked, ‘What do you want to completely different level,” Thandiwe Gibson says. “I see him, and be when you grow up?’ I was like, ‘I want to be a zoologist,’” he can make his own character so easily, and it jumps boundaries... says Gibson. “Of the first 12 years of my life, the only thing I ever He does direct himself towards brown characters, but he’s more wanted to be was something that ended with ‘ologist.’” into making his own thing, and that kind of transcends what I’m From a young age Gibson’s parents encouraged him to explore doing, which is beautiful.” their extensive comic collections in hopes that he would one day Each year, the Gibsons make an effort to attend at least two share their passion. As he grew older, his love for science and comic conventions, including the Rose City Comic Con, which reading only intensified. takes place in Portland, and the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle. During the summers, Gibson attended camps at the Oregon Thandiwe Gibson says that over the years, cosplay has helped Museum of Science and Industry, eager to learn all he could about her family grow closer. “It’s just a way to keep us together,” she how the world works and other scientific methods. But, he says, says. “When you’ve got on a costume, you are that person inside those activities often came with a cost. of you. We all have superheroes inside of us, and for all our family More often than not, Gibson found himself as the only person to express those people is really empowering. That’s something of color in camps and activities related to his interests. “Since I we’ll have forever.” was young, no matter what activity I was into, I was the only black Though Kusaiyah Gibson enjoys cosplay, he knows it won’t be kid,” says Gibson. “I just kind of did my thing at home, and I didn’t a lucrative future career. Instead, he wants to channel his love of really need friends to talk about it with because I had my family.” reading into becoming an English teacher. “I really want kids to In 2011, Gibson says he found his niche for the first time. One read more because kids don’t read enough,” says Gibson. “I want summer morning, Thandiwe Gibson decided to bring her family to to get good books and have great discussions. English just feels the annual Portland Pirate Festival in the St. Johns neighborhood. like the perfect thing for me to be doing.” Walking in, Gibson saw hundreds of people dressed in intricate Still, Gibson knows that cosplay will always be a part of his life. pirate costumes. Sailors slashed at each other with swords, people And he says he feels charged to be the sort of figure he rarely saw laughed as they toasted to a good day and in the harbor, gigantic reading comic books or going to conventions growing up. “If you ships blasted their cannons. don’t feel represented, then you don’t feel like what’s important Gibson enjoyed his time at the festival but something didn’t to you is being put out there,” he says. “I want to be someone quite click. “I didn’t feel that a pirate was the right fit,” he says now. who, especially for people of color, can identify with and be a role “Whenever I dress up for something, I want to feel a connection to model. Someone where they can see that it’s OK to be nerdy and it. I don’t just want to put something on just because it looks cool.” it’s OK to like books; you can get by with that.”

Senior Issue 2016

Senior Wills I, Sunshine Bender, will Lucy Aldisert my upper body strength and artistic eye! I, Haven Riffel, will Blu Midyett the musical influence of H-dogg to spice up The Castaway Kids. I, Sadie Ainsworth, will Christina DePinto more boyfriends than she can handle, the best prom night and lots of luck in leadership. I, Caleb Putnam, will my drawing abilities to my litter sister, Olivia Putnam. I, Eliza Kamerling-Brown, will Tess Waxman a good night’s sleep, Bailey Hayes her own live TV show, Finn HB the key to the photo cabinet, Toli Tate the power to keep Dave in check, Molly Metz CH.FH.CL., Blu Midyett a kickass year, some common sense & a straight jacket, Mackie Mallison my fullest confidence & a good old Grant Magazine BAM! and the entire 2016-17 staff my phone number. Call anytime & much love! I, Sprout Chinn, will Finn Hawley-Blue Speak Out Week. I, Emma Baer-Simon, will Britta BaerSimon the opportunity of being the only Baer-Simon sister at Grant and to the string orchestra, too many music puns to HANDEL. (They will come BACH to haunt you). I, Lena Grover, will Rebecca France my throne as editor-in-chief of yearbook. And I will Annabella Finn and Aujai Webster sass masters of Grant High School. I, Anna Hekker, will Nina Radford all my sweatpants to add to her collection. I, Lauren Wood, will Sydney Hutchins and Jandy Cox the title of the “Pied Cow Coffee Kids.” We, Amira Smith and Lena Grover, will the spirit of the Green Guru onto Maggie, Eva and Truman.

Grant Magazine

I, Milo Hart, will Kana Endo my lifelong passion for staining. I, Andrew Spencer, will William Krause the back table of Blind Onion Pub & Pizza for the rest of your high school days. I, Anna Shaff, will the power of supreme leader to Molly Metz, and the ability to talk above a loud whisper to Greylund Hekker. I, Madelaine Piazza, will my soul to the highest bidder. I, Joshua Webb, will Mackie Mallison my spiffiness, Nick Dickson my heat (you can’t actually have my clothes), Dylan Palmer my roasting skills, Kali Rennaker my dopeness, Blu Midyett, you’re swell enough without willing anything to you and Callie Quinn-Ward my left sock. I, Hans Krause, will the back table of the Blind Onion to the regular wiseguys. I, Collin Mitowski, will Ashton Schrage pizza. I also will him my power and strength to achieve his dreams, because don’t let your dreams be dreams. I, Bella Rideau, will Miles Rideau my on-point wrecks and, together with Cassius Pettit, the CBM meme feed, carpool to Max Alvord, some selfcontrol to Blu Midyett so Dave doesn’t kill you next year, the confidence and curiosity of Dana Scully to Molly Metz and the full rights of Gloucester MT Extra Condensed to Sarah Hamilton. Call me beep me anytime if you wanna reach me next year. xoxo I, Sawyer Montgomery, will Liam Montgomery a shirt. Please wear it. I, D’Shawn Lampkin, will my knowledge and skill of my dancer capabilities to Eileen Conley and Keeshawn Bullitt so that they will someday challenge me because I’m setting the bar so high. So who’s trying

to climb to get it? Better do it while I’m alive. Oh and whoever wins gets my mixtape muahaha. I, Gracie Reed, will Ben Cadwell the legacy of the Hip-Hop Club and Jolie Riffel my undying passion for the Grant High School Girls Varsity Golf team. I, Emily King, will Sophia Muhle Bruce my copious amounts of swag and a bag of carrots. I, Sam Schrader, will Lucy Aldisert Grant Memes. May Frog have mercy on your soul. I, Tess Kelly, will Dominik Weinstein beautifully rounded chocolate chip pancakes hot off the griddle. We, Unit 6, will next year’s U6 740+ emails, the sacred Sunday meetings, a lifetime’s worth of civic engagement, and the cookies and wisdom of Shelley “Claudia” Larkins. You guys got this “On Locke!!” I, Cole Hollands, will Dominik Kolonia a 32oz Dutch Bros smoothie delivered by Katlyn herself. I, Geri Spillers, will Gina Boon my punctuality. I, Jackie Rath, will my Hydro Flask straws and vein intensity to Finn Hawley-Blue, the power of milkgirl101 to Molly Metz, the correct way to hold up her middle fingers to Sarah Hamilton and all my love to the 2016-17 staff <3. I, Cassius Pettit, will my taste in movies to Finn Hawley-Blue, the best memes of the year to Sarah Hamilton, my passion for filmmaking to Mackie Mallison and Sam Selis and my love for good food to Cassin Wright. I, Kate Grenham, will Andrew Finkelman my leg hair and time management skills. I, Rachel Peri, will my mom friend powers to Adi Staub and my mediocre suburban dad qualities to Mikala

Capage. May you two effectively parent your respective friend groups with pride. I, Elliott Chase, will Ashton S. the power and strength to fulfill his dreams. I, Ruby McGehee Weinstein, will my body hair and general hesitance to conform to gender norms to Audrey Barrett. I, Samantha Soumokil, will Katie Davidson and Rachel Ha my witty humor, sarcastic nature, and superior fashion sense to make it through their senior year without me. I, Zoe Hernandez-MacDonald, will the aa group chat to Ellory Schrepel and Téa Johnson. I’ll also be willing my illiteracy and sass to May Stemple.

I, Léna Bartels, will Errol Bartels any album in my room so you no longer have to listen to tool, that 35 bucks I borrowed in Junior year, the strength of 1,000 men to run to the library every day and every sunny GHS moment. I, Zofia Mathews, will Aili Laurila the position of honorary ballerina in advanced dance class. I, Ren Scott, will the future of Grant Key Club to Annabella Mendola-Finn and my wonderful mentee and mini-me, Georgia Greenblum. I, Lael Tate, will Molly Metz and Blu Midyett the best senior year ever. I will Sophie Hauth lots of rest, Toli Tate all my extra clothes and boots so she can be a little taller and title of only Tate sister at Grant. And to Sophie and Toli, I will lots of free time to watch Gilmore Girls. I, Taylor Ishida, will my love of physics, some vegetables, and the daily morning dog duties to Kent Ishida, and my wicked cool hallway fist bumps to Julia Tai. I will infinite note cards, binders - yes, plural binders - filled with handouts, the drive and determination to kick stinkin’ Lincoln’s butt, and the best year of your lives to next year’s Con Team! I, AJ Atherton, will Sawyer Medlin the mound. And Zachary Leonard my republican views. And finally, for the graduating Grant Mag seniors who have dedicated their year to bring you the magazine.

To the seniors who have spent so much time, energy and passion to produce Grant Magazine, I, David Austin (head cheerleader for this Magnificent 7 and adviser for Grant Magazine), leave you all with a plethora of salutes. May you carry them with you as you head off to make the world a better place. To wit, they are as follows. Eliza Kamerling-Brown: You are a beacon whose light shows so many others how to find their way. Watching you teach the young ones this year was such a pleasure to see. And the work ethic you continue to show toward everything you touch is unmatched. Your words, your photographs, your journalistic core – they are all inspirational. Your three years on Grant Mag have provided such scaffolding for the future of this publication. In every sense, you are a tremendous gift to us all. You got to New York City. I knew you’d find a way. Stay off the mat. Sawyer Montgomery: Four years… and you survived. You came in a glossyeyed freshman, the first one ever to join the ranks of Grant Mag. You leave at the top of my list of the most cherished students I’ve ever had the pleasure to work alongside. When I think of your accomplishments in this class, it’s hard to hold one up as the best. They are all great. You, sir, make it all worth it. I will miss the hell out of you because you provide such steadiness to the magazine in every way. I’m excited to see what your accomplishments will be at the next level. Don’t forget: Score goals! Cassius Pettit: My, how you’ve grown since I first met you so many years ago. Your photography and your willingness to do whatever it takes have helped solidify the magazine as a visual force. You always manage to capture the one picture that pushes us over the top. I also appreciate how your energy and care for your teammates keeps us honest and real. You can easily take this photography thing to the next level. Work hard and grab every opportunity. It’s yours to take. Jackie Rath: Remember that first story we worked on two years ago? You attacked it with such energy and force,

shaping every part along the way to deadline. Remember that feeling as you go off to college. Recognize that you are a force. You also bring such a positive light to the newsroom, and you always do whatever it takes to help others. I owe you big time for all the fundraising work you put in that got us to New York. Your sister was right: You were a perfect fit for magazine. Bella Rideau: Nothing this year has made me more proud than what you have accomplished on Grant Mag. Your evolution – from being scared of your own shadow to becoming a bold, black young woman who takes on every challenge – is set in stone. You leave as, arguably, the most complete Grant Magazine journalist in history. Your stewardship of the biggest stories of the year proves that. Your intelligence permeates every classroom discussion. Your drive and dedication are remarkable. Keep going. Never forget: Columbia…BAM! (dropping of the mic). Lael Tate: So much that you have done in this class makes me proud. You established such a strong voice. Your leadership – by example – has opened doors for others. Your warm spirit and your drive make you a role model. Your written words resonated loudly for our readers. You taught others how to persevere. I’m so glad you stuck with Grant Mag because we couldn’t have done what we did this year without you. One thing I’ll miss is the discussions we had about race and culture as you developed your “Afterthoughts” stories. I expect more big things from you, sister! Joshua Webb: I knew to expect big things from you when you first came to the Grant Mag class. You said you were worried about fitting in, but you tackled things right away and made a name for yourself amongst the seniors. As you move on to the next level in your education, don’t ever forget what we talked about when it comes to your responsibility as an African-American young man. Be proactive. No excuses. Make things happen for yourself. You have what it takes, so now move forward and don’t look back. Senior Issue 2016

Afterthoughts Excuse me if I expect more The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE

MACBETH THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

ROMEO & JULIET

American Government and Politics Today

MODERN WORLD HISTORY PATTERNS OF INTERACTION

The erasure of Native Americans in our education is an embarrassment. How hard is it to be more inclusive, especially in school? By Lael Tate Illustration by Bella Rideau

he question made me cringe. A student in my government class asked: “Are Native Americans allowed to vote?” My teacher was unsure how to answer, and I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I raised my hand and felt all the eyes in the room turn toward me. My dad – a proud member of the Navajo Nation – votes, and I’m planning on voting; we follow the same laws as everyone else. If we’re not citizens of the United States, what are we? Some “other” group? The answer was obvious to me. But I held back my distaste of the situation and just said, “Yes.” This exchange followed me through the rest of the day. I feel similar to my peers in many ways, but this instance made it clear that I am different. I was the only person in the class of nearly 30 people that seemed to know the answer. In the past, I haven’t let myself get angry by things like this. From the outside, I don’t think I stand out as Native American. I don’t feel I am judged like someone with darker skin might be. I can’t name any tangible moments of discrimination, so when I do get frustrated, I brush it off. I tell myself it’s not my place. But as I’m leaving Grant, I recognize that I have to speak up. Few of my peers share my family’s history. Few have relatives who were forced onto reservations where their names and experiences were pushed to the edge by European and American ambition. Few walk through the school with the same feeling as I do. At Grant and in most schools, education around Native culture is an afterthought. In the last four years, I have read one novel by a Native author in class and only one unit

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in one year of history focused on Native Americans. And this reflects the collective ignorance and apathy that I have seen at this school when it comes to Native Americans. It hurts me when I hear students complain about my dad, who is a math teacher at Grant, for being too quiet when I know that they couldn’t possibly understand how Navajo culture respects listening, encouraging fewer words and more action, while American culture praises loud voices and in-your-face opinions. And it infuriates me when teachers tell me that incorporating Native culture into education is a lot easier said than done. It’s not a lofty wish to read a Native author in an English class. There’s no way I’m in the wrong for demanding representation. Like my dad, I’m Navajo. From a young age, I’ve had an interesting relationship with my culture. I grew up knowing very few people like me but visited the Navajo reservation in Northern Arizona every few years with my family. I loved playing tag with my cousins in the dry desert afternoons but got nervous when mutton stew was served; I knew I couldn’t chew the grisly parts of the meat. In Portland, my culture was a point of pride. I loved it when people asked: “What are you?” and I could respond: “Navajo.” I remember my dad telling me stories about his life as a kid. He went to an allNative boarding school and only came home on weekends. Every Sunday when his mom dropped him off he used to cry because he didn’t want to leave home. Years later, he left Arizona and moved to Portland where he got his master’s in education. He remains rooted to his family on the reservation; they are his cultural base. My dad’s history adds to how I see and

experience things, and it’s offensive to see it ignored in education. I find it ironic that from his perspective the only time colleagues ask him for help is when they want help teaching a lesson on Native culture. And I don’t see an effort being made to change anything. Next year, “Living in the USA,” an alternative history class that teaches American history through a more diverse lens, and ethnic studies will be combined into one course. But that’s my point. To me, reserving certain classes for minority perspectives continues to make non-white groups seem “other” and “less than.” Rather than adding classes to complete a diversity checklist, we need to incorporate Native authors and points of view into standard and required classes. Don’t get me wrong: I walk down Grant’s halls and feel like I belong. But it’s in the moments like my government class where I’m singled out as different. It’s when teachers brush aside criticisms on the lack of diversity in curriculum that my body stiffens. It’s in the whispers of privileged students about my dad where I can’t stand the subtle racism anymore. I’m leaving Grant, but I have two younger sisters who will continue to be affected by the culture of this school for several more years. I want them to see themselves in their education. I want them to expect more from their teachers and peers. I want them to know that their voices are heard. But most of all, I don’t want them to be afraid to feel different, because it’s something to be proud of. Lael Tate is a senior at Grant and will attend Columbia University in the fall. She is also an editor-in-chief of Grant Magazine.

Congratulations on another year of excellence in journalism! Congratulations to the seniors and best wishes for their future success!

Dr. Stuart Montgomery Dr. Stuart Montgomery Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon Fellowship-Trained in Sports Medicine Fellowship-Trained in Sports Medicinea full array of orthopedic Stuart M. Montgomery, MD, provides Stuart M. MD, of provides orthopedic services. HisMontgomery, specialty areas interesta full are array sportsofmedicine, services. His specialty areas of interest are sports medicine, arthroscopy and shoulder surgery. Dr. Montgomery received his arthroscopy and shoulder surgery. Dr. Montgomery received orthopedic training at Northwestern University in Chicago, with anhis orthopedic training at Northwestern in Chicago, with an added fellowship in Sports Medicine University at the prestigious Hughston added fellowship in Sports Medicine at the prestigious Hughston Clinic. In 2003, Dr. Montgomery helped staff the Women’s World Clinic. In 2003, Dr. Montgomery staff the World Cup Soccer tournament in Portlandhelped and along withWomen’s his partners Cup Soccer tournament in Portland and along with his partners continues to cover local sporting events and high school teams. continues coverhe local andphysician high school teams. The last two to seasons has sporting served asevents the team for Grant The last two seasons he has served as the team physician for Grant Varsity football. A collegiate soccer player, he is an avid cyclist Varsity football. A collegiate soccer player, he is an avid cyclist and skier and has first hand sports knowledge which assists him in and skier has first sports knowledge assists him in treating his and patients. “Ashand a Grant parent it is mywhich privilege to help treating patients. “As a Grant parent it is my privilege to help sponsor thehis Grant Magazine.” sponsor the Grant Magazine.”

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