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the Talisman
a student newspaper
senior issue
Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 41 Issue 7 June 7, 2006
Students celebrate with Springfest
Leadership planned many exciting activities for students to take part in by Nicole Leupold features editor
Springfest has been an end-of-the-year tradition at Sheldon for at least ten years. When started, the festivities took place for a week during an extended lunch period. Due to the lack of organization, Springfest was shortened to a mere three days. However, Springfest redeemed itself this year and was proclaimed by Leadership advisor Elyse Myers as, “The best one!” Springfest was held May 31 through June 2 during
lunch and each day featured activities such as basketball, cotton candy, ice cream, and face painting. In addition, each day also had its own surprises. Day one: The Gladiator! The Gladiator is an inflatable boxing ring where students attempt to knock their opponent off their posts and send them tumbling into the ring. Day two: Karaoke! Starring yoga instructor Nancy HenryMcChesney and junior Nori Rice, their song Louie, Louie, originally performed by The Kingsmen, was a big hit and, “A blast [to perform]!” said Rice. Day three: Battle of the Bands! Senior Matt Hartfikson couldn’t resist the music and, “Threw it down [during the Battle of the Bands].” “[Picking a favorite day of Springfest] is like picking a favorite child,” said senior Megan Butler who, “Enjoyed every day.”
Game sheds light on genocide A new online flash game puts players in the middle of the Darfur conflict in Sudan
Although Springfest was a big hit, there is always room for improvement. Rice suggested that there should be, “More free food, spirit points, and competition.” Senior Ian Bryson said, “The more people that go [to Springfest], the more fun it is.” Hartfikson believes that enough students participated and that this year’s Springfest was, “The best of all time.” There has been much debate over whether or not Springfest should continue at Sheldon. Yet students should have no fear, Myers is here to reassure all Springfestians that, “[Springfest] will be continued because it has become a tradition at Sheldon.” Sophomore Kelly Scoble agreed that Springfest should be continued because, “[Springfest] is a great school event and it’s nice to have a little time during lunch to have fun.
And the award goes to...
by Amanda Halford co-assistant editor A recent collaboration by interFUEL Interactive Design and Technology and MTV has brought the reality of the Sudan Genocide to life with a new flash game called “Darfur is Dying.” Though a relatively simplisticlooking game, it gives the crisis a real face, or several faces in fact. There are eight characters, with ages ranging from ten to thirty. Seven of the eight characters are playable. The “Forage for Water” segment has the player (the Darfurian) running 5,000 meters to and from the nearest well to get water for the camp. However, this forage is not easy. Along the way, the Darfurian must run and hide behind dead animal carcases, trees, and shrubbery to avoid being kidnapped, raped, and tortured by the Janjaweed militia forces that are killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of Darfurians. The Janjaweed are a bunch of Arab and African nomadic tribes that some reports have claimed were originally armed by, and collaborating with the Sudanese government back in 2003. They were “ordered...to attack villages suspected of harboring antigovernment rebels,” says Michael Clough, an L.A. Times reporter, and former Human Rights Watch advocacy director for Africa from September 2004 to February 2005. In the game, if the player is a young boy and captured, “Boys face abuse, capture, and possible death by the militia. A little boy is fast and agile, but carries less water than his seniors.” The game claims that if the player is a young girl, and captured, it reads, “Girls in Darfur face abuse, rape, and kidnapping by the Janjaweed. If she succeeds, the girl can bring more water back than a smaller boy, but less than an adult.” If the player is a woman, and captured, “Woman routinely forage for water, firewood and food. While an adult woman can carry a heavier load back to her family, she faces a grave risk of rape and abuse if caught,” says the game. The non-playable character, Rahman, age thirty, reads “It is very uncommon for an adult male to forage for water because he is likely to be killed by the Janjaweed militia. Choose another camp member to forage for water.” Unfortunately, the real crisis happening in Sudan is not a game. Although a recent cease-fire agreement has been made, the violence is still continuing. Furthermore, various reports estimate that over 200,000 people have been killed thus far, and that over two million people have fled into neighboring Chad. There are some local groups that have organized to bring awareness and aid to the conflict. Local groups such as the Lane County Darfur Coalition have helped bring awareness to the conflict by having several humanitarian projects such as collecting blankets, school kits (machine sewn bags filled with supplies), and bandanas for the people affected by the crisis.
Amanda Halford photo
Seniors Dane Olsen, Heather Whipple, Lauren Lamb, Katie Beasely, Melanie Louie, and Ian Bryson accept their ASB Officer awards at the Sheldon Academy Awards.
Levee break not only due to Katrina Levee failure in New Orleans may have occured because the city is sinking by Kate Carlson contributing writer According to a recent study, it was discovered that before Hurricane Katrina, parts of New Orleans might have sunk up to three quarters of an inch per year between 2002 and 2005. This surprising development leads to the conclusion that the levee failures may have been from weaknesses developed from the subsiding area
of land. In fact, New Orleans is not the only area that is subsiding; the entire Mississippi Delta is losing wetlands because it is also sinking, as verified by satellite photos taken post-Katrina. In most areas, the sinking will continue up to one inch per year, although analysts say that many parts of the area will only see a fraction of this depression. However, the long-term consequences will need to be taken into account as New Orleans is rebuilt. If this sinking continues, areas such as the lower Ninth Ward could be ten feet underwater after 50-100 years. This startling discovery will probably have an impact on the development and reconstruction plans for the destroyed areas of New Orleans.
Invisible Children Inc. helps children-turned-soldiers in far-off Uganda Junior Claire Renter brings attention to the Invisible Children organization by Emily Higgins editor-in-chief
For over twenty years now, there has been a civil war brewing in Uganda. At a time when students feel like they’re so far from the conflict, yet also feel the need to help, junior Claire Renter has become involved in Invisible Children. “Invisible Children, Inc. is a corporation... started by three college students who visited Uganda and saw...children being...forced to fight,” Renter explained. Renter raised awareness by, “Co-coordinating the
Eugene Global Night Commute (GNC). On April 29, in over 130 cities nationwide, there was a GNC. People... empathized with the children of Uganda. Up to 40,000 children walk to their city centers to escape being abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. During the GNC, all the attendees wrote letters. I heard about a man in San Diego who walked over twenty-five miles to his city center barefoot and when he arrived, he had to have glass and rubbish removed from his feet.” Renter also hosted a viewing of the movie Invisible Children. “I set up a movie night at Sheldon [and]...raised over $100.” “There are so many awful stories that coincided with Invisible Children,” explained Renter. “The rebel army is targeting children between the ages of five and twelve
to become soldiers. They are abducting children in this age group because they are easy to brainwash, are big enough to hold a gun or machete, and small enough to sneak into buildings and abduct other children...” “[The most rewarding part] is to see that people are sincerely interested in this cause. I love the feeling of knowing that I did something to help a crisis half a world away. Although I cannot directly see the difference I am making, I know that my efforts are working towards something much larger than I can recognize today,” said Renter. To donate money to Invisible Children Inc., please visit their website, www.invisiblechildren.com, or send a check to Invisible Children Inc., 1810 Gillespie Way, Suite 205, El Cajon, CA 92020.