Retiring Staff
2009 Senior Spots
page 3
centerspread
Gypsy calls it a wrap page 10
the Talisman shstalisman@gmail.com
a student newspaper
Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 44 Issue 8 June 10, 2009
Farewell, Class of 2009
Greg Cantwell photo
Seniors Macy Bothman, Kendra Desler, Natalie Boring and Megan Swenson smile wide for the senior athletes photo in the courtyard. This was one of the last group moments for the seniors before graduation. They are ready to end their high school lives and begin their new adult lives.
Springfest activities energize Sheldon courtyard The annual three-day-long festival in May brought unsurpassed fun and activities to the Sheldon student body by Jamie Burns opinions editor Every year, to celebrate spring and school spirit, Sheldon holds the annual Springfest, which lasts three days. The event is organized by leadership members, who work hard so that students will have a memorable and enjoyable time. Senior Parker Alberts said, “I love everything about Springfest. The free Jamba Juice last year was the best.” The celebration consists of longer lunches, snacks for students, and various exciting activities. Springfest is held near the end of the school year. This year, the festival was held from May 27 to the 29. Students are not required to stay on campus to attend the event, but it gives them a chance to have fun together and show their school spirit. Springfest has a variety of outdoor activities, designed to entertain students. Junior Samira Lobby said,
videogames, jump roping, face painting, and ice-cream in the courtyard. Leadership students were in charge of giving out ice-cream, running activities, and cleaning up. Sprague said, “I was surprised; there were really a lot of students there. I didn’t expect so many, but it was probably crowded because the weather was pretty nice.” A popular activity among students was the Pitch Burst, which gave students a chance to throw a ball at a target, and dump water balloons on the heads of staff members, such as Michael Voss. The second day of Springfest had an even greater turnout than the first day. Students enjoyed the warm weather., while some chose to play on a blowup obstacle course, hula hoop, play foursquare or participate in the activities that were also set up the first day. There was also a barbeque in the courtyard available for students, so they could eat while experiencing other Springfest events. On the third day there were new activities to catch students’ interest. Along with events from the first day, the third day consisted of a fitness corner, a cupcake walk, a graduation table, Jamba Juice for sale, and Italian sodas. There were also performances by two Sheldon bands, the first a ska and punk band, and the second Greg Cantwell photo an alternative group. Parker Alberts also performed. Overall, Springfest was a huge success, with great weather, Counselor Michael Voss gets all the hydration he could ask for at the Pitch Burst at Springfest. a large number of students, and many enjoyable activities. “Springfest is for celebrating spring and enhancing the happiness of the season.” Not only were there interesting activities and games, but there were also music and refreshments for students who attend. Junior Sarah Sprague said, “I usually just go off campus during Springfest because I like having a long lunch, but sometimes I like to go to the courtyard because there is always a barbeque, and I really like snacks.” Springfest had different activities for students. On the first day of Springfest students enjoyed bubbles, dancing,
Peer mentors ready to pave the way for Class of 2013
Next year’s juniors and seniors have been called upon to be leaders and mentors to incoming freshman by Stephanie Barnes awards page editor
Every year on Freshman Orientation Day, incoming ninthgraders are greeted at the school by an excited bunch of juniors and seniors, ready to make the new freshmen’s high school experiences as pleasant as possible. These juniors and seniors are hand-picked by the school’s counselors and teachers. Their task is a difficult one. They try to calm down an antsy, nervous group of kids, when some want nothing more than to be at home. But instead, they are in a new, frighteningly-huge and mysterious place. Lucky
for them, peer mentors are there because they actually care about what they’re doing as mentors, which is part of the reason that they are chosen for this job. “I chose peer mentoring partly because my counselor encouraged me to, and I also remember coming in on Freshman Orientation Day and seeing the mentors. I thought that it would be fun to be one of them,” said junior Blair Galick. Many freshman remember their first day as a frightening experience, which was somewhat alleviated by the older, wiser juniors and seniors who accompanied them. They remember their first day as being nerve-wracking for the first few minutes, but once they got going with their peer mentors, their tension began to ease. Some juniors and seniors aren’t as enthusiastic as others about it, though. Junior Jesse Wilson said, “[I don’t think I’d do peer mentoring] because it’s my senior year, and I’m pretty much done with school.” Others have a lot of work in the coming year, and are anxious about that, so they opt not to participate in peer mentoring due to their other extracurricular activities, or simply because of schoolwork.
The peer mentor program has been in place for about eight years, and was started by Carey Beneke, a former Sheldon counselor. Its goals are to help freshman students transition into high school, as well as to help juniors and seniors in the program to learn leadership and mentoring skills. On Freshman Orientation Day, they help with the big welcome assembly, take the freshmen on a tour of the campus, help them with their schedule, and show them where their lockers are. They also help throughout the year in advisory, eighth grade forecasting, some tutoring, and new student tours. To prepare for this, they have to take a few training courses on what it is to be a mentor, as well as learn how to run activities and be aware of diverse needs. Counselor Katie Reed, who is in charge of peer mentoring, said, “I really look for peer mentors from all different student groups because the incoming freshmen are a very diverse group, and it’s good for everyone to be represented.” This year there are going to be about forty to fifty peer mentors, ready to help our school community in the coming school year.