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TALISMAN a student-edited newspaper
Sheldon fights to be more green page 8
Time 4J: Vision 20/20 page 3 Fiction vs. Reality: HS Edition page 9 Sheldon High School
vol. 51│iss. 5│May 6, 2016
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Opinions
May 6, 2016
the Talisman
Balancing your school and social lives Isabella Bratland staff writer High school has been glamorized by movies to be the best experience of your life, such as High School Musical, Clueless, Mean Girls, and The Breakfast Club. In reality, it is nothing like that. High school is filled with all kinds of people who are from different backgrounds and are trying to find their place. High school can be seen as a place to play sports, be the most popular person, find your true love, or even just try to fit in. However, students sometimes set aside the fact that high school is a place to learn. What is more important, being accepted by your peers or having a good education? Senior Emily Wanichek said, “I feel like if you are not accepted it can be hard
because you’re stressed about other things other than your education. So, when you are accepted it makes it easier [for your education].” Some people would say that it is not much of a problem for them and they can manage both. Junior Lauren Miller said, “I am not letting my peers come before my education. I try my hardest to stay focused on myself at all times, to not judge others, and work on becoming a better image to fellow students.” Many students have said that they find themselves comfortable in school and have a good group of people who are their friends. Senior Annika Skaja said, “[Students] have a good image at Sheldon if [they] are nice to everyone.” Some say it is hard to balance school while maintaining friends. “It’s hard to balance school and social life, but both of them are equally important to me,” said Skaja. Trying to balance being accepted by others and getting a good education can prove to be difficult at times and can differ from person to person on how it can be archived.
The reality of today’s college education Ayla Bussel co-editor-in-chief I’ve wanted to go out of state for college for as long as I can remember. It’s not that I don’t like Eugene. I do. In fact, I love Eugene. The people, the food, the numerous opportunities to hike, bike, swim, and camp. Eugene, Oregon is without a doubt an incredible “city” to grow up, raise a family, and get old in. It’s just that I’m ready for a change. I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and experience new surroundings. I wanted to be challenged by a new place, new people, and a new lifestyle. Unfortunately these desires come with a price tag. My dream was to attend the University of California Santa Cruz… that is until I found out that for an out-of-state resident the total cost of attendance per year would be upwards of $59,790. It was very difficult for me to accept the fact that even though I had worked tirelessly throughout high school and had been admitted into my dream school, it wouldn’t be possible for me to attend. With the soaring costs of tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees at colleges and universities all across the country, it is becoming harder and harder for today’s students to pursue their academic dreams at the institutions they want to attend.
school because I thought I would get paid really well if I went somewhere prestigious. [That was] not true; now I know people that didn’t even go to college that do what I do. Then I moved to New York City because that’s where people in my career get paid the most and [I] found out that income based repayment doesn’t really take the cost of living in your city into consideration.” Karabibergian took out $170,000 in loans in order to attend her college. Karabibergian concluded, “I plan on paying the same amount for the rest of my life and hope it’ll go away one day… I loved my school and felt like I learned a lot, but I don’t think I understood how much debt I was getting myself into.” Initially, I did not consider the cost of college as a factor that would determine where I would end up. But for me, along with thousands of other current high school seniors who will begin their freshman year of college next year, the cost of attendance may in fact be the deciding factor. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the cost of college is going to be on the decline anytime soon.
Senior Ryan Ayala, who plans to attend Oregon State University in the fall of 2016 stated, “Society only lets the ones with money actually succeed and leaves the rest in debt for years… Nowadays competing for a job like teaching at a community college requires more than one masters degree and more than four years of school, all for getting a job that might not pay off one’s loans for more than a decade.” Students who are able to go out of state for college usually must rely on scholarships or loans to assist with the financing of their education. However, everyone comes from different backgrounds with different economic statuses and financial situations therefore making it easier for some students to have more options in terms of continuing on to post-secondary school. Senior Rebecca Kammerer, who plans to attend Chapman University in the fall of 2016 commented, “I didn’t really worry about the cost of college because I have the luxury of not necessarily having to. My parents wanted me to be happy and go where I wanted to, so I definitely thought about the cost but it didn’t end up playing a huge role in my decision. I wanted to go somewhere that could accommodate my different interests and that ended up being a private school in California.” Many college websites will tell students that they have a number of “options” to pay for college. Scholarships, grants, and student loans are among the most common. However, debt is a very complicated and dangerous option. Many students or families who take out loans will have to pay them off into their 20s and beyond. Art Center College of Design in Pasadena graduate Sara Karabibergian stated, “I decided to go to an expensive
Illustration by Gracie Thompson
Politics
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Politics on the brain Maya Dickinson entertainment editor Politics is a subject most frequently associated with adults. However, in the digital-age, teens are voicing their political opinions and beliefs via social media. With a new gateway of political information available through the internet, teens now have the ability to research a political topic in a matter of seconds. Social media also welcomes political debating. Political debating through social media can cause more tension than face-to-face debating because debaters are behind a computer screen.
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There are a variety of sources for political information available to teens now, including; television news, newspapers, radio shows, social media, and more. Freshman Carson Walter said, “I get the majority of political news from social media and the TV.” With the vast majority of Americans having access to computers, smart phones, and televisions; social media and TV news have the ability to reach out to millions of people.
Junior Cadence Webber said, “Teens tend to be a lot nicer than adults though on social media, which is kind of funny.” In Webber’s experience, teens have the capability to handle politics on social media in a more mature way than adults. The maturity and political understanding of teens today suggest that social media contributes to teens “growing up faster”. With an increased interest in politics among teens, politics could be a potential subject to be taught in schools. Junior Emily Ayala said, “We should learn about the history of politics because knowing the past will teach us about our mistakes [as a nation], so we prevent them from happening again in the future. [However], for current politics I believe it should be taught in school to an extent. We should learn about current international relations and what’s going on in the world, but there comes a point where it turns to opinions instead of facts and that messes up education.” Ayala’s opinion with politics in education focuses on educating students with the information they need to know. With the provided information, students will have the ability to form their own opinions. illustration by Gracie Thompson
4J gets its eyes checked for 20/20 Logan Mertz staff writer The 4J school district is very successful, as it provides a solid educational system that prepares students in our community for a bright future. However, just like any school district, it is not perfect. In fact, most students, staff, and parents in the 4J school district could easily point out a couple problems: over-sized classes and classroom time spent on state testing. That is why the 4J School District, under the guidance of its new superintendent Dr. Gustavo Balderas, has initiated a “vision” to improve the 4J School District called 4J Vision 20/20. According to Balderas, in his article, “Share Your Insights: 4J Vision 20/20 Survey,” 4J Vision 20/20 is a “strategic visioning and planning process to develop a roadmap for the next few years.” What Balderas wants to see as a result of this process is a “three to five year guiding plan that will reflect what our community wants our school system to look like and where limited resources should be targeted to best support student success.” To make the beginning of this planning process successful, Sheldon’s secondary assistant principal Beth Richardson said that one of the biggest priorities of this process is to have a large community involvement. This is because, as Richardson stated, “Ultimately, 4J public schools are educating the future citizens of our community; these are citizens who are going to be contributing to the job force, making decisions about our community and shaping that community.” Overall, the more input the community gives, the better. Richardson added, “The more input the community provides and the more points of view that are shared means that there’s a better chance that the goals established for the school district are
representative of what people hold to be important and valuable.” A huge reason why community input is crucial to 4J Vision 20/20 is so that the community can learn about problems that exist in the district and give their ideas on how those problems can be improved. In our district, there are no elementary or middle school libraries that have certified teacher-librarians, which is a huge problem. Sheldon’s librarian Kori Kunz said, “The volunteers and the classified staff, who are assigned to our district’s elementary and middle level libraries for a handful of hours a day do their absolute best, but the inconsistency of their skills and their lack of training in the field of information literacy means that our youngest students are not being provided with the excellence they deserve, and we are squandering the promise of their enthusiasm.” Since reading is a necessary part of everyday life and learning to read is one of the most important aspects of a kid’s education, it is crucial for there to be proper library systems. That is why Kunz, along with other school staff members, wants to educate the public about the problem in order to make sure libraries are functioning in the best and most exciting way possible. Balderas and the rest of the 4J school district wants to hear about some of the largest problems existing in the district, and so it is very important for the school district and its community to hear about the problem addressed by Kunz. Her belief that “reinvesting in elementary librarians across the state would be a big step in the right direction,” displays just what the district wants: logical input from knowledgeable community members from our community who care about the future of the 4J school district and its students.
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May 6, 2016
Student Highlights
the Talisman
Mission accomplished! Melissa Berry & Kenadie Kucinski politics & opinions editors Spring break 2016 had many students traveling across the country and around the world. Others just enjoyed the week and a half off in their homes. As for students attending the First Baptist Church, they had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mexico that takes place once a year during spring break. Many students who went on this extraordinary trip attend Sheldon. The mission trip took place in Mexicali Valley, Mexico. The people who went on the trip took a charter bus from Eugene to Burbank, California. From Burbank to Mexicali Valley, they traveled in many white vans while others rode in cars. There were four villages that the students stayed in: Oaxaca, Victoria, K-39, and K-57.
where they had the opportunity to hang out and play with kids. Lindsey stated, “The mission trip impacted me in a positive way and I look at life in a better way. In my personal opinion, my relationship with God has grown closer.” Junior Mckenzie Davis also went on the mission trip. Davis said, “[We saw] that the little things we take for granted here are big things down there for the kids. Like getting a new shirt, or even clean water.” A trip to another country with a different style of living is important for students to experience because they get the opportunity to appreciate the little things that are essential for a healthy and happy lifestyle. Sophomore Lauryn Nero said that she was shocked when she arrived in Mexico. “Everything is so different. It almost makes me want to cry seeing all the things the students have to go through. Things are just a lot less accessible and it really makes you question all the benefits that we get as far as getting water and access to food.” Going to a country that has different surroundings can be culturally shocking, but it’s good to experience what other cultures are like.
Sophomore Breanna Lindsey is one of the Sheldon students who went on the mission trip. Most of the time, she stayed in Victoria where her host family lived, but she also got to travel to other villages for fun Photos courtesy of Breanna Lindsey events. During the trip, she and other students helped paint a church and other buildings. They also did Vacation Bible School This trip was a great lesson for the students because they had the opportunity to experience a new culture and help out in the less fortunate communities they visited.
Sheldon Highlights
the Talisman
May 6, 2016
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Sheldon is more helpful than you’d think Bailea Nance green editor There are many students who don’t know that Sheldon has tools that can help them every day. Things like the scholarship board, which is located in the career center. The scholarship board is there to help students with scholarships to the schools that they are interested in going to or maybe is just one of their top choices. Teachers and counselors are here to help. It might be hard to just go in and see them, but they will help when they are needed. They can help with questions or other things, including personal issues sometimes. Another good tool that could help students is Sheldon’s website shs.lane.edu. There is a lot of information that someone could get from it, including teacher information. On the website there is a link for the library that can also be useful to the student who can’t stop into the library during the day. The page has a renew function so that someone with a busy schedule can make time to renew their books. The library itself is also helpful because there is a shelf of binders, locker shelves, pens, and notebooks that students have left behind over the summer. Campus supervisor Darin Henry said, “Students leave behind all illustration by Gracie Thompson
The closing of the Coffee Cart Hayden Brooke & Cassidy Logan staff writers
Many people have said that they are devastated that the Coffee Cart is closing. Sophomore Nikkie Wagoner stated, “I go there almost everyday and I’m very sad that it’s not going to be here anymore.” The Coffee Cart has been a fun place to work and the people who work there brighten up other people’s day. Students often ask if the Coffee Cart will return to Sheldon, but as of now, it is undetermined. The Coffee Cart has been open for four years and now it’s closing because people say it’s products are “unhealthy.” The Coffee Cart as of now is working on a healthier menu that meets the nutritional requirements of the Oregon Department of Education of having less than 60 calories. Technology teacher Les Phillipo said, “The requirements make it extremely difficult to meet these requirements.” The Coffee Cart will have to be reduced to drip coffee, Americano, Latte with no flavor, and Italian Soda (with light flavor). The Coffee Cart will be forced to sell only sugar free syrups. Phillipo said, “It will be difficult to keep the Coffee Cart financially viable with the reduction in sales.”
these supplies at the end of the year and I take them [notebooks] and tear out all the used papers and put them [unused papers] here for the students to use.” Henry later added, “After the seniors have graduated, I put a box out that says ‘caps and gowns’ so that the seniors can put them in the box for me to have for the seniors next year. This way I will have more and they aren’t going to throw them away where they are just going to sit in the landfill for many years.” Sheldon has many tools to help students, the main office is also one them. Senior Ryann Baimbridge said, “The front office itself is a helpful tool; the office has a bulletin board with the daily announcements, upcoming school and local events, and the bell schedule.” The office is there to help those who need it but don’t have the time to talk to a staff member. Baimbridge later added, “The front desk in the office will usually hold information packets for upcoming events and tryouts for sports.” Sheldon has the tools to help students, whether for school reasons or personal reasons, and those tools are there for the students when they are needed.
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Sheldon Spotlight
A little party never killed nobody Jack Forrest Sheldon highlights editor Prom is one of the most anticipated events in high school, and has been for two centuries. Although Sheldon doesn’t go to nearly the lengths of some other schools, it is still a beloved tradition. Prom has numerous aspects that make it what it is. One of these traditions is asking the dates. For some, this is no easy deed. Naturally, the askers tend to be hell-bent on outdoing each other for the best “promposal.” Junior Sophie Saraceno said, “If there is someone who is really outgoing then there is a lot of pressure for them to be asked in a really big way.” Although some feel a lot of pressure to do this, it is usually a very fun part of prom. For most people, the prom itself is the best part. Putting prom together is the job of junior leadership and involves a lot of work. This year’s theme for prom was The Great Gatsby. The venue was decked out with old fashioned centerpieces and even an old car. Junior Tanner Barrong said, “The theme was super fun. I liked it better than ones I’ve heard of from other years.” This year’s prom was also filled with a few changes. The venue was different from the previous year which was at Studio 5, but most people welcomed the change to Venue 252. This venue had in-house bathrooms, a balcony to overlook the dance floor (perhaps for Gatsby himself to watch over the festivities), and more space to dance in. The second change was the DJ. Junior leadership decided to change it up a little with a new disc jockey and the majority of dance-goers were satisfied. Junior Mason Dallegge said, “The music was much better this year. There were way more songs you could dance to.” Overall, prom 2016 was a success with its promposal traditions and improvements from last year. It will be interesting to see what changes will be made for next year.
Illustrations above by Olivia Barnhart Left bottom: photo by Josiah Darland Right bottom: photo courtesy of Gracie Thompson
Community Spotlight
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Students play the lottery to attend Sheldon Brady Hazelton & Harrison Nabors staff writer & student highlights editor Sheldon has many differences and diversities within the student body and one of the factors that differentiates students from one another is where they live. Many of us know friends who live outside of the Sheldon attendance area; in fact, according to registrar Jan Gordon, 197 out of the 1442 (7.32 %) kids in our student body reside outside of it of it. Inconvenience can ensue for those living in such circumstances. Sophomore Jonathan Kemple, who lives in the North Eugene attendance area, has to take two busses to get to school: “I have to get up at 6:00 to make it to my busses.” Kemple also said, “It just takes longer [to get places] to hang out with friends and get to school.” Freshman Madison Rogers, who lives in the North Eugene attendance area as well said, “It is really time consuming, driving back and forth. I also have extracurricular activities, so [it’s] a lot of driving.” South Eugene student and bicycle modification enthusiast (who lives in the Churchill area), sophomore Phillip Bindeman said, “As a Russian, I am lucky to get up at 9. [This is] also, because I don’t have a first period.” However, attendance was still an issue. He still mostly maintains his positivity on living outside the district, “As a daily biker, if I lived close by, I would most likely be part of the ‘72% of Americans’ are fat statistic.” 4J’s policy on kids living outside the school attendance area is that kids living outside their desired school attendance area have to enter and be drawn in a lottery in order to be enrolled. Priorities are given for various kids who have gone to the school the year before, siblings, low income kids for specific schools, and programs for specific schools. Many are critical of such policies, in the sense that school choice should be unconditional and decisive. However, school choice on an individual level could lead to issues, such as over-crowded classes which can further lead to an unstable environment and less focus on kids individually, a necessity that can’t be absent. Sophomore and Coburg resident Cass Egbert said, “[students] should attend the school in their district (attendance area) because Sheldon has too much people. The classes are too full!” Living out of the area from one’s school may be an inconvenience, but everyone has inconveniences in life in one form or another. Also, getting the best education is key to getting to a life destination, but this needs to be in balance so that Sheldon won’t have 10,000 kids in the future.
Class of 2016 suffer district experiments Sam Fox co-editor-in-chief In the past four school years, the class of 2016 has seen some stuff. Ask any student, if you can stop them from rushing head-first towards graduation, how their experience as a high school student in the 4J school district was, and they’ll probably tell you, like senior Lina Cruz said, “[The district has] thrown so many things at us and changed so much.” From the 2x4-to-3x5 schedule change at the beginning of sophomore year to narrowly missing the iPads given to the freshman, this year’s seniors have struggled endlessly throughout high school. At the end of their freshman year, just as the class of 2016 had settled into their new lives as high schoolers, the schedule completely changed and disrupted the entire system that the students had hardly had time to adapt to. Senior Kaitlyn Illustration by Gracie Thompson Schauer said, “The summer between freshman and sophomore year a lot of us tried to get the district office to keep the 2x4, but I don’t think they took much notice of the stuff we and other people did… I thought [the 3x5] was really awful and kind of rushed, and I didn’t like the uneven class numbers.” Suddenly, doubling up in a subject wasn’t an option and school was starting earlier than anyone was used to. Classes were shorter and everyone was irritated. On top of all of this, class names and structures began to change. Freshmen were no longer required to take classes like Science Foundations and similar classes had wildly different names. The class of 2016 has been at the forefront of all types of new things. One thing that they narrowly missed was the new, and supposedly easier, SAT. Sure, they had the chance to take the test, but the scores wouldn’t come out until they were unusable to apply for colleges and scholarships. And when the students who took the first practice version went in, they had to wait an hour before the start of the test that had no affect on them. One of the most stressful things that happened to the seniors was the Smarter Balanced testing. While admittedly, the testing wasn’t at the fault of the district, but rather the state, it was still something that shook most of the graduating class to their core. Senior Alondra Mejia said, “Smarter Balanced was unfair and stressful, for no particular reason. [The district] should have told us that our SAT scores could make up for us taking the test. [So] YES, [class of 2016] has had it harder because of Smarter Balanced.”
: Class of 2016
4J D is Guin trict: ea P igs
Photo courtesy of Sam Lawson
Schauer said, “[The school] gave us the impression that we would not be able to graduate without passing the test, and I think it caused a lot of unnecessary stress for a lot of juniors. Especially with the fact that we did not find out if we passed or failed for several months after the completion of the test.” Students in the class of 2016 were having full-on panic attacks and meltdowns, believing that if they went into this test and failed, they wouldn’t get to graduate with the rest of their friends. As for the testing this year, it’s not much better. As Schauer said, “[The schedule] seemed really confusing… I remember being really excited about the week of late starts [for Smarter Balanced testing], but they changed it this year so that it could be incorporated into school, and that sucked.” The class of 2016 has been through a lot. They have dealt with change after change, with little to no time to learn and adapt. As Mejia said, “We are the district guinea pigs.”
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May. 6, 2016
Green
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Waste audit: let’s get green Hayley Mercer & Alexis Hall photographers
To lesson Sheldon’s environment impact, students can pick up trash, recycle, and reuse, all instead of wasting. But what most students don’t know is that some of the plastic cups, water bottles, and food containers that they use aren’t recyclable. For example, wax paper, pizza boxes and Starbucks cups, even though they might say they’re recyclable, aren’t. Senior Sunshine Navarro, a member of Green Club, said, “Look at your trash before you throw it away! And make sure it can’t be recycled.” On Wednesday, March 31, about 40 students from Sheldon got together for a waste audit and sorted through the day’s trash to see what’s getting thrown away every day. The goal for this event was to clear away the amount of waste Sheldon produces on a daily basis. Freshman Spencer Tuski, one of the volunteers at the event, said, “It’s great for our environment,” and sophomore Dimetria Hathaway commented, “It’s great for our school and, even though it’s hot, I feel that the whole experience is worth it.” Tuski said that he was doing this for our school and our environment. A few things he noticed while cleaning were the amount of dog poop people throw away in garbage cans around the school property and how much recyclable materials the school doesn’t recycle daily. “It’s a problem,” said Tuski, “we don’t recycle as much as we should.” He realized not only was there a lot of trash, but also that more students had needed to volunteer at the event, since there were hardly enough to sort through all the trash. Tuski noticed that the school doesn’t recycle enough and he realized that recycling does matter. Recycling plays an important role in our daily lives and will help Sheldon to become a green school. The goal of the activity was, as Tuski said, “To see how much students recycle.” Apparently recycling isn’t as easy as we think it is. Sheldon is throwing away more recyclable items than non-recyclable items. Senior Emily Bolivar thought Sheldon did well on recycling, but not with some things. Bolivar decided to volunteer because her friends invited her and she thought it would be an interesting activity to do. She noticed a lot of paper that could have been recycled but was actually thrown away. Bolivar said, “I hope people will be aware of what they recycle.” Bolivar was shocked to see that a lot of paper that could have been recycled was thrown away instead. Bolivar would do this activity again if she was offered the chance, and thought that it would need to be more organized next time. She learned many new things at the event starting with what could be recycled and what couldn’t. Bolivar is going to apply more recycling to her life to help keep the school and her life green, because the activity not only made her realize that there is a lot of trash, but also that recycling is important. She
said, “Be aware of what you’re putting in the trash.” Campus supervisor Darin Henry was shocked to find out that many students didn’t know what recyclable and what wasn’t. He found some unrecyclable items like wax paper and dirty pizza boxes, which were placed in recycling containers. This year was small and different since this was his first year for the waste audit. For the second waste audit coming up in a year, Henry said, “It’s going to be a hundred times better next year.” The goal was to manifest the amount of waste we produce on a daily basis which they achieved, and to see where we, as a school, are and where we need to be for sustainability. Henry met the requirement to make Sheldon become a certified green school by running the waste audit this year, and he plans to use the $500 to get signage on educating students about what’s recyclable. He said, “It’s not very simple. Just because there’s ‘#1’ on it, doesn’t make it recyclable at Sanipac, who does most recycling in the area.” Our school throws away about 246.76 lbs of trash every day and 31,098.32 lbs every year. Henry said, “If it’s not sustainable, (as in our lifestyle) then what is it?” Photos by Hayley Mercer
Entertainment
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Superhero movies Kobe Mitchell and Tyler Coombs staff writers
Superheroes are a rapidly-growing industry with Disney buying one of the biggest comic companies known to man. Toys and comics are being made like crazy, 2016 alone has had over five highly-anticipated films that are expected to hit theatres by the end of the year. Junior Brandon Burns said, “I don’t like superhero movies; they are for kids, [but I] can’t wait for another vampire movie to drop.” Burns added, “I like Deadpool because he is the only known pansexual superhero,” pansexual meaning not limited in sexual choice with regard to gender. Sophomore Jesse Christofferson is a fan of superhero movies and prefers Marvel over DC. Christofferson said, “Deadpool being rated R is cool and it just makes [the movie] funnier.” This topic of the recent anti-hero movie being rated
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R has been a hot topic among mothers who saw the movie without the parents being aware of its vulgarity. Despite the movie’s high ratings and multiple awards, some find that the movie was a little too much with its constant euphemisms and cursing. Deadpool was recently named the highest money earning rated R movie of all time. There are superhero fans, and there is sophomore Josiah Kersey, who some call the comic book kid of Eugene. Kersey said, “I love superhero movies; I think they're epic because they show a sense of wonder in a usually bland world.” Kersey also said, “I loved Batman vs. Superman. Sure it has its ups and downs,but the action and special effects make up for it all.” Kersey owns the Marvel Phase One box set and is planning on buying box set two upon release. These movies may seem nerdy or dumb to some, but to the fans they are a lifestyle. People from all around the world crowd theaters to see the latest installment in the Marvel cinematic universe. Parents and kids bond over seeing two people in costumes beat each other up for two and a half hours. Most of all these movies give us a couple hours to sit back and forget about life for a while.
High school: fiction vs. reality Rachel Barnhart entertaiment editor Growing up, kids are surrounded by all types of media that offer them glimpses into the chaotic world known as public high school. Schoolthemed movies, like the infamous High School Musical, have come to define a generation. If Sheldon was like the high school movies of Hollywood, the halls would be teeming with singing basketball players and spontaneous dance routines. How many high school students grew up with different ideas of high school because of these movies and TV shows that they are immersed in as young, excitable kids? Freshman Olivia Barnhart said, “I had no concept of what school would be like besides the shows I watched. That led me to think that the only thing that really happened in high school was prom, boys, love triangles, and secret identities.” Junior Dylan Gates said, “I thought high school was going to be a much more hectic place than middle school.” Gates later added, “High school turned out to be actually easier than I expected and more fun than ever!” Some of the most memorable fictional high schools have been created and produced by the Disney Channel. If our students had their high school careers immortalize as a cheesy Disney channel movie, what would they be about? Freshman Carson Walter said, “Maybe [I would call my movie] “Cereal, Boys, and Boxes of Hair Dye. Or like A Girl Out of this World!” Gates said, “[Mine] would be a musical called So… That Just Happened!” Gates also said that he would be played by the internet superstar Tyler Oakley. High School Musical is arguably the most famous high school inspired story of our generation. Most high school students today can say that they grew up watching
the group of Wildcats bop their way to the top. While the cliques and friendships shown in the movie aren’t exactly realistic, sometimes kids can see themselves reflected in aspects of the lovable, familiar characters. Gates said, “I see Ryan Evans as the character that represents me the most. I love his personality and spark of energy that he gives off in his performances.” Walter, on the other hand, said that she saw herself more in the lead of the movie. “I related more to Gabriella in the series… because I don’t need no man.” Barnhart said that some of her friends had imagined that high school would be a lot like High School Musical. Sheldon would certainly be a lot different if the jocks sang spontaneous duets during practice and the whole assembly broke out into dance, but maybe that wouldn’t be so bad!
The Giulietti sisters practice their math and singing skills while they bop to the top.
photo by Hayley Mercer
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Variety
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Offensive
Bretton Lloyd & Sam Lawson staff writer & variety p.11 editor
jokes
Jokes are funny until someone gets hurt. Jokes begin to become a problem when they are targeted towards a minority in a population. Some people have noticed this problem while others haven’t. Campus supervisor Darin Henry stated, “I don’t think it’s a problem and if it is, it is underlying and [than the people telling the jokes] don’t tell me the jokes.”
Sophomore Ryan Polter has a different view on offensive jokes, “Nothing is really offensive if you are with the right people [be]cause if we take things like racism seriously all the time we are never going to get over it.” Polter sees a brighter side of offensive topics, by not taking them too seriously and letting them flow freely without restraint. Polter added, “No one is going to get over it if we look at it as a problem and not a joke.”
Most people address these jokes solely because they know it isn’t right and others don’t realize what they are doing when they tell these jokes. Henry later explained, “It gives this subliminal message to people that are going along with the joke that they somehow are better [than the person they are targeting].”
Though he may think taking these topics less seriously would help bring the problems they cause to a stop it seems that speaking carefully could do the same. “I think, in this life, if there is a chance to not spread offense or hurt people’s feelings then we should choose to be kind,” expressed librarian Kori Kunz; “there are some jokes that are silly and there are some that are just wrong.”
However, there are others who feel that this is a problem. English teacher Jesse Lawton said, “I feel like racially, people still feel that it is okay to make jokes or have stereotypes about other ethnic groups.” Lawton has experienced situations where offensive jokes have been tossed around freely. “I don’t think there was any hatred in them or desire to see anyone persecuted, but they were sort of cracking a joke based on stereotypes,” expressed Lawton.
Photo by Alexis Hall
Jokes can become a problem once they are taken too far and when you are not with the right people. Many people can take certain topics in a different way than others and learning what is comfortable with the people you are surrounded by can be key to making sure no one gets hurt. On the other hand, if someone tells an insensitive joke tell that person it is not acceptable to tell such jokes and that will make the world a better place.
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the Talisman
Variety
May 6, 2016
11
Seniors skip towards graduation Gracie Thompson variety p.10 editor Senior Skip Day has been a very common tradition amongst schools for many years. Many seniors are starting to think about Senior Skip Day, and what they plan to do, and what day it is actually going to happen. Senior Emma Combs stated, “ I am excited about Senior Skip Day because I get to skip school and hangout with my friends.” She later added, I’m sure the staff aren’t thrilled about it, but to threaten to not let us walk is unfair; they should just count us absent for a day.” Senior Claire Leach said, “On Senior Skip Day I plan to go to the beach or go boating with my friends.” Leach added, “I think the staff understands the concept of Senior Skip Day, and they probably are really happy to get rid of us.” Senior Nalani Ho-Watkins mentioned, “No one has made any plans yet regarding Senior Skip Day. No one seems to know when the day will actually occur.” Ho-Watkins later added, “I would probably like to spend Senior Skip Day with my friends at the coast, my lake house, or Wild Wood. I think the staff are used to Senior Skip Day because it’s tradition. They probably are happy because they don’t have to deal with the seniors’ shenanigans.” Senior Skip Day has been a very popular tradition amongst the graduating classes over the years. Although there aren’t any apparent plans set for this exciting day, most seniors of Sheldon have started considering fun locations to ditch school. The mass exodus of students shown here choosing to skip the prom assembly on April 29, 2016 to go to Market [of Choice] is a typical occurence. Photos by Alexis Hall
Run by students, for students. Managing editor & co-editor-in-chief Ayla Bussel Features editor & co-editor-in-chief Sam Fox Opinions editor Kenadie Kucinski Politics editor Melissa Berry Student spotlight editor Harrison Nabors Sheldon spotlight editor Jack Forrest Green editor Bailea Nance Entertainment editor Rachel Barnhart & Maya Dickinson Variety 10 editor & artist Gracie Thompson Variety 11 & social media editor Sam Lawson Photographers Alexis Hall & Hayley Mercer Staff adviser Greg Cantwell Staff writers Isabella Bratland Hayden Brooke Tyler Coombs Brady Hazelton Bretton Lloyd Cassidy Logan Logan Mertz Kobe Mitchell
cover photo: Hayley Mercer back grelfie: Sam Lawson
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