Sheldon students go to national chem competition
Possible Sheldon Community Pool closure
Hardcore parkour is on the rise
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Prom ‘13 Sheldon’s 50’s theme prom had students dancing to a different beat on a special night Grant Schmaedick staff writer
Steve Klump photo
Seniors Nathan Klump and Hunter Turner smile for a picture before heading to the dance where they were voted king and queen.
Chrome-plated flip-tops cruised in from all directions. Dates dressed to the nines were swingin’ to the poppin’ jams. Okay, enough crazy talk. It was prom. The chocolate fountain, authentic 50’s décor, and prom court were all present. But did it live up to expectations? Prom is insignificant to some but extremely important to others, which begs the question, was it the incredible night that many expected? Freshman Michael Young thought so. As a first-year prom attendee he was one of the many uninhibited dancers that attended. “I went hard in the paint,” he exclaimed jokingly. Dance floor antics were a common theme this year according to junior Tanner Harrel, who described the scene as “pretty crazy” especially when “David Bellamy jumped on Marcus McGovern’s shoulders and started dancing.” What inspired Bellamy to do so remains a mystery; however, a large circle of dancers formed around them and motivated them to continue. When asked about the music that was played at the dance, Liam Talty stated his approval, saying that songs such as “I Love It (Icona Pop)” and “Get Low (Lil’ John)” made the dance a success. The chocolate fountain that has been present at every year’s dance was yet again a success, although many chose not to partake in order to avoid staining their elaborate attire. Plans for before and after the dance are always an important component of the prom experience. Before the dance, girls often go to each other’s houses and “get ready together” and guys generally “hangout.” Next, groups of attendees mingle in yards or houses and pose for a seemingly-endless stream of pictures for the scrapbooks of parents; dates awkwardly meet parents, and appetizers are often enjoyed to break up an uncomfortable silence or a cautionary glance offered by a protective father to a nervous boyfriend. After the dance, however, the variety of activities is astounding, often free from the constraints of parents and/or campus supervision. For instance, a large group stopped by the popular Yogurt Extreme on the University of Oregon campus, while countless others attended parties around town and at prom-goers houses, lake houses, etc. The Sunday after prom (and the Macklemore concert at Matthew Knight Arena, which occurred almost simultaneously and was a huge success), was a day of reflection upon the night prior. The feeling of coming-down from the excitement and festivity hung heavy over the heads of prom-goers and concert attendees. Another prom is in the books, and it can only be remembered by the pictures and the experiences that made it a unique and special night.
Education forum
Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 48
Issue 7 May 10, 2013
Community talks about the future of education Jackson Darland editor-in-chief
On May 2, 2013, between 7:00 and 9:30 in the evening, a group of 60 people, including students, parents, educators, and elders concerned with the future of education, participated in a public discussion at Kelly Middle School. Kelly Middle School Principal Jose Desilva, and Edison Elementary School Principal Thomas Horn led off the energy-filled forum. “We want to help kids find their true passions so that they can be productive citizens and continue to inspire others,” said Desilva. Similarly, Horn stated, “We want students to feel empowered to affect the world in a positive way.” Soon after the introduction, all of the participants split into groups of three in order to share ideas about the current state of education and generate questions that would be used to prompt further discussion. Nearly two hours of the event were dedicated to an evolving fishbowl style conversation with a central circle of eight individuals and a large ring of active listeners around the perimeter who eventually moved towards the inside. The idea was to get everybody involved with fresh thoughts and perspectives pulling along the conversation. There was a strong consensus among attendees that education is becoming increasingly corporatized in the sense that standardized testing has forced educators to focus more on numbers and less on individuals. One participant brought up an interesting point when she commented, “We are not alone in our thoughts, but society creates a space where we feel isolated.” Within the public school system, students can easily feel as if they are against teachers, and teachers often feel separation from administrators who feel pressure from government officials. One individual in the fishbowl went as far as to say that the system is “fear mongering.” The forum worked to open communication between teachers, students, and administrators, and it was apparent that there was agreement on almost every issue discussed.
Jackson Darland photos
Participants, including school board member Jim Torrey (center), breakout in threes to discuss education.
An empty chair invites a new perspective as Oregonians cycle through the evolving fishbowl held May 2.
Of those issues, one that was acknowledged was that, over the past twenty years, state funding towards education has been slowly decreasing, while more and more standardization has been implemented. Although the negative effects of a reduced per-student budget have been felt since the beginning of the trend, in recent years, the connection between funding and the actual experience of kids can be seen with numbers—it’s obvious. The educators at Thursday’s forum talked about the bad combination of reduced resources and the expectation that the classroom should be about teaching kids to meet standard levels of proficiency. Because of House Bill 2220, a new system will be enforced in September 2013 that requires teachers to grade solely on proficiency, which means that tests will become even more central to public education than they have been in the past. As curriculums are narrowed to meet specific state and nationwide expectations, many educators stated that it is increasingly difficult to meet the actual needs of diverse, individual students who often have very different backgrounds. Several students from the University of Oregon touched on the issues of social injustice felt by minority groups that need the public education system to adjust to their unique situations. Towards the end of the forum, the group kept going back to the idea that education should be about engaging the human condition. Professor Greg Smith from the Lewis and Clark graduate school of education emphasized the necessity to connect kids to their communities. There was no specific plan of action presented that would address the problems with the current education system and the direction it seems to be headed, but several attendees mentioned the need to continue free communication.
Beauty & the Beast opens Sheldon theatre has its first showing of Beauty and the Beast tonight at 7:30pm Marin Radloff staff writer Students and staff all around campus are buzzing about the school’s upcoming play Beauty and the Beast. The play closely follows Disney’s movie Beauty and the Beast, but also has its own creative twist on things. The skilled actors and actresses have put all their efforts together to make the production spectacular. Senior and newcomer to Sheldon Theatre, Sophia Roberts, has worked especially hard at the lead role, Belle. The play is much more than a few students acting for a few nights; it has taken blood, sweat, and tears to turn it into the wonderful production it will be opening night. The drama crew started with auditions. “Auditions were brutal and nerve-racking,” said senior Jackie Jones. “It was hard seeing people audition for the same part, and knowing they have a lot of talent.” The audition process lasted for four days. One day dedicated to the girls auditioning, the next to the guys, then everyone auditioned on the third day. The fourth and final day was call-backs. After call backs the actors and actresses waited, some for hours, to see what part they got. No time was wasted to start rehearsals in early February. The actors and actresses learned lyrics, harmony, when to sing, and how to sing. Next they learned the choreography and the major scenes of the play. “The rehearsals are long. There’s a lot
of stopping and starting, and we have to redo scenes a lot,” said chorus member Jones. On average, the drama crew spent about eight to ten hours a week at the long rehearsals. The actresses and actors ran the play all the way through, beginning to end, just two weeks before opening night. With each rehearsal the drama crew got closer and closer to the opening of a wonderful production. “I am freaking out for opening night,” said Sophia Roberts. “There’s a lot of pressure to perform well, plus I have to kiss people.” Roberts has always loved musical theatre, but hasn’t been apart of it in high school. “I realized it was my last chance to do it at Sheldon, so I went for it,” she said. For the past four months the drama crew has been working extremely hard to have the best performance possible by opening night (May 10). The expectations are set high for these young actors and actresses, and students are excited to see the production. “I’ve never been to a Sheldon play before, but I’m excited to go to this one,” said freshman Abigail Nelson. There’s a lot more to theatre than just the actors and actresses. There are the generous volunteers who have to make costumes, find props, construct the sets, and do hair and makeup. “Most of the hard work comes from the techies and the crews. They do a lot of work for the show and don’t get much recognition,” said Roberts. The entire production is much more than entertaining the spectators for a couple hours. It takes memorizing hundreds of lines, learning lyrics, making props and sets, and overall putting the show together piece by piece. The entire drama crew should be extremely proud of the hard work they’ve contributed to make the production Beauty and the Beast spectacular.