Volume 46 Issue 4 - Jan.27, 2011

Myspace gets mowed over by Facebook page 3

Sheldon radio KRVM 91.9 page 4

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the Talisman

shstalisman@gmail.com Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 46 Issue 4 Jan. 27, 2011

Sheldon’s Got Talent showcases amazing students

Students show off their skills at Sheldon’s version of America’s Got Talent Cameron Ritchey news editor

people. It takes a lot of courage and confidence. After the show, Rassmansan, in tears, was so grateful. “It’s an awesome feeling knowing I did something really well.

I’m glad people liked it, and it was really nerve wracking to get up on stage, but I had fun.” The show itself was really fun and enjoyable to watch. Chasity Barnes was the show’s host, and when there were “technical difficulties”

she really pulled through and gave the audience the humor that they needed. Everyone over all did an amazing job.

We owe special thanks to the concession stand runners and backstage crew and lights crew. They make the show possible. Senior Luaren Murphy said “it was awesome to watch and I loved watching my baby sister pull off a really beautiful song with Daniel. I can’t wait till next years show.”

This years Sheldon’s Got Talent show was a blast! Once again our school’s students have shined more than ever.

With the year just starting, the talent show was a great way to kick off the New Year. Students had participated in a fun friendly talent show. Originally, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place were going to be awarded to the top three talents. How ever, the celebrity judges just couldn’t decide. So, there was one first place, two second’s and a special award.First was India potter who sang. The two second places were Samantha Little, who sang, and a group called the Sax Machines.

Third place was a comedy skit called “who’s on first”. The special award was given to Miranda Rassmansan. She sang a written song and was accompanied by a good friend on the guitar. All of the runner-ups did a great job too. So many talents were displayed too. From singing to martial art expeditions. In past years, Sheldon has had shows like this before. Like the 2009 variety show. Students have talents to share, and this was a perfect opportunity to do it. Even though this was Sheldon’s first actual competition show, the students did a great job “showing off.” When asked before the talent show, Daniel Chase said “I’m really looking forward to some friendly competition with the rest of the kids. Being in this year’s show should be really fun and amazing to watch. We’ve got some great talent. Most of which, are singers, but there are plenty of other cool acts too.” Chase’s act in the show was singing and playing the guitar with Erin Murphy on cello, with a song he wrote. He was a real heart throb. Every student Cameron Ritchey photo has something to show and prove to others, and it’s a pretty big deal to get up and do it in front of quite a few Sophomore Sora Boyd performs a guitar solo for the song Aeroplane during Sheldon’s Got Talent.

FAFSA aids college bound students with their finances Seniors are looking for ways to get through college, FAFSA can help Quinn Daniel staff writer The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, is an application that determines how much aid the government offers a student to attend college or a university. This free application has to be completely finished and all the information given must be 100% correct or else the application will not be accepted.

Many questions on the application have to do with the family/student finances. Senior Cason Cunningham said, “I

believe FAFSA will broaden my college options, but if you take the application in too late you might miss the boat.”

FAFSA has helped many high school students with loans to help pay for college. FAFSA shows scales on how much the government could help people with loans. It’s all up to the finances of the family or student. FAFSA has helped out many seniors and those who that have a G-E-D (General Education Diploma) to pay for colleges.

There are many hoops to go through to be able to finish and be eligible to apply for FAFSA but even though there are so many questions that require so many papers millions of applications go through every year. FAFSA does and can indeed help out, and rid of much stress. All of the options FAFSA can deliver through loans and other forms of financial aid help. There are many sources that fund money for colleges, but FAFSA is defiantly one of the best to use.

Anthony Rhoads photo illustration

FAFSA applications are availiable online, and printable too

Students voice their feelings about what should be done with the budget Students feel their opinions are very important when talking budget cuts Madison Baker centerspread editor With all the talk of budget cuts some students are wondering why they don’t really have any say. After all, it is the students who are gaining and/or suffering from these cuts. Some students believe that they have better ideas for the budget than the school board - sometimes that seems true.

What would happen if the budget was left to the students?

Allen Adams, the Technical Director for Sheldon Theatre, said, “[Whether students should have input]

depends on their intellect and maturity. As long as the student’s idea isn’t completely frivolous and unreasonable students could have a say in the budget in one way or another.” If students could step up to the plate with maturity the budget might not be such a controversy between what the students want and what they need and what the administration wants and feels they need.

The school board makes the final decisions on the budget that then goes to the administration at each school where they decide how that budget is used. The students don’t get the privilege of giving their opinion and having it be considered as an option. Junior Ayantu Megerssa said, “People on the school boards probably assume that students wouldn’t know how to make wise decisions regarding the budget.”

So if students have practically no say in what happens

with the budget, how are they affected by the cuts the administration thinks are the best? Adams said, “The quality of students’ overall high school experience could be greatly affected.” The budget for classes may be greatly affected but the extra-curricular activities are greatly affected as well.

To a lot of students, extra-curricular activities are their lives. Junior Laura Robertson said, “I think that the budget for each subject/extra-curricular should be split equally no matter what. [I am part of] theatre and GSA , so things like that are important to me.”

Whether its core classes, clubs, sports or theatre everything will be affected with the budget cuts. If students and the school board were to reach a common ground on fund allocation for school in general, the high school experience would be better for all.

2 January 27, 2011

News

the Talisman

Life on Mars: true, or an unrealistic idea?

Something we have all wondered.

Can there really be life on Mars?

Karl Kawders staff writer There is life on other planets. For a long time, that statement was debatable. This is no longer the case.

The NASA Viking explorer found an arsenic-based bacteria on the planet Mars. This discovery has sent ripples through the scientific community. The finding is expected to change our thoughts about the universe.

For years, it was a debate as to whether there was truly life out there. Now that we know there is, bigger questions are available. Is there intelligent life? Are we going to get invaded by aliens? Sophomore Maddy Woods said, “ Even though we now know about this, it doesn’t make me think any more that we are going to be invaded.

I do think that if we can easily find life on a place like Mars, we’ll probably find intelligent life [somewhere].”

This research is great for science, but there is a downside. The funding it takes to send rovers to mars is extremely high. Freshman Nigel McKinnon said, “If I had the money I would fund it because this is important research. The problem is that the U.S. shouldn’t be paying these dollars while we have this major recession going

on.” That is the general consensus among the public. It is also the reason these studies struggle to continue.

So what does this mean to high school students? Freshman Solan Megerssa said, “This matters to us because by the time this discovery actually has importance to us, we’ll be adults. Also, our generation will be the one that will have to get used to this new change to our perspective of the universe.” Although this information may not be something teenagers care about, it has already affected the scientific community. This discovery should become a scientific milestone that this generation will long remember.

This discovery is an important one, no matter how we take it.

It is something that our generation will live with, so even if you don’t care now these findings will most likely affect you.

the Pentagon’s report, government officials moved quickly to repeal so that the adjustment for the military could be more carefully done. The government also feared that the courts would suddenly change their minds about the repeal which pressured officials to push it along even faster.

DADT was created in 1993 to protect gay servicemen and women. But some people believe it has changed into a law of repression. Since the law was created, more than 14,000 service members have been dishonorably discharged with admitting they were gay. Sophomore Justice Nunley said, “I do agree [with it being repealed]. It wasn’t fair, it is a free country.” A lot of people believe that gay people serving could make others uncomfortable, and they are worried about love interests and where that may lead, on base or out in the war. The CRWG also found that most serving in the military and fighting do not believe that sexual orientation alters or impairs job performance.

One thing people may be wondering is if there will be

laws made for openly gay people in the military after the repeal is certified. “Despite their sexual orientation, they are just like anyone else. They should not have any rules that differentiate between them and anyone else,” said sophomore Jackie Jones. It is the view of most in the military that serving along with gay people is not an issue and that many politicians use to gain conservative voter’s support because of their views.

Paul Schultz, a teacher here at Sheldon and advisor of GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) believes that DADT was discrimination and the repeal was definitely the way to go.

Many people question what the repeal really gives us. “It’s equal rights to serve your country. Non-discrimination is an American right. The funny thing is most people in the military are for the repeal.” The majority’s opinion seems to be that the repeal should have been put into effect a long time ago. Regardless of the intentions this former policy, has changed from helpful to just discriminatory.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law has been repealed

Controversial policy of the armed forces have been revoked

Vanessa Hendricks staff writer On December 22, 2010, the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal was signed by President Barack Obama. The act to repeal has a long past, including several senate votes, polls, and reports undertaken in an attempt to convince government officials to vote yes to the repeal. The one problem with this repeal is that it has not yet been certified, and DADT still stands for now. In late November a report was released from the Pentagon’s Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG), that showed the repeal of DADT would, in fact, not cause a major disruption. After the release of

Bacteria found in California baffles scientists

MLK, Jr. assembly performance

This bacteria defies what scientists thought to be true because it uses arsenic as a component of life Hunter Anderson opinion editor On December 2, 2010, NASA (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) announced that it had discovered a new strain of bacteria, dubbed the GFAJ-1 strain, at Mono Lake in California. The significance of this find was that the bacterium uses arsenic, a normally deadly element, in place of phosphorus in its DNA. The general consensus of the scientific community was that three compounds make up DNA: deoxyribose and a phosphorus group make up the “backbone” of the familiar twisted-ladder shape, while a “base” is attached to the deoxyribose. In the GFAJ-1 strain, however, the phosphorous group is replaced by an arsenic group.

This find is significant because it goes against one of the most commonly accepted aspects of biology: the structure of living DNA. This proves that life could flourish in places where we would think it impossible, such as planets with toxic atmospheres.

“NASA was interested in bacteria living in extreme environments here on Earth,” said Ms. Wingard, one of Sheldon’s science teachers. “They did this with the thought that other life forms on different planets can be referenced against this one. NASA normally looks for life with carbon and phosphorous when they should be looking for things with different elements.”

GFAJ-1 isn’t the first organism on Earth to substitute one crucial element for another. Some arthropods and mollusks use copper instead of iron for carrying oxygen. However, the substitution of arsenic for phosphorous is rare; in fact, it is completely unheard of. No other organism known to science has broken away from the aforementioned rule of DNA structure.

“The reason arsenic is so deadly,” disclosed Ms. Wingard, “is because it’s so similar to phosphorous.

The body believes it to be arsenic, and tries to use it. The unstable arsenic falls apart, and the body dies.” All in all, this discovery shakes the basis of science as we’ve been teaching it since Watson, Crick and Franklin diagrammed DNA.

Anthony Rhoads photo

The Sheldon steppers club performs at the Martin Luther King, Jr. assembly on January 13, 2011.

Lake Eerie cancer found in water A very potent toxin in the water and in fish threatens nearby residents Alex Rosen staff writer Have you heard about the cases of cancer around Lake Erie? There are a lot of people coming up with explanations why, but by far the most accepted reason is that there are toxins in the lake. Fish in the lake are ingesting the toxins. When we go out, get the fish and eat them we get poisoned. What is this going to do to the lake, the population around it, and the fish consumers?

The Lake Erie cancer is not well known. sophomore Maddy Woods said, “We should use solar power to lessen the pollution in the world.” There is a possibility that the fish will contaminate other populations of fish. Woods also said“To decontaminate the lake we

should kill all the fish and filter the water.” So far officials haven’t done anything to clean the lake.

Freshman Solan Megerssa said, “A good idea to help [reduce] the number of cancer cases is we should get rid of pollution and radiation. The amount of pollution in the lake has been getting to be more and more every year. If we don’t do anything to stop the pollution it will completely kill everything in the lake.” Megerssa continued, “To clean the lake we need to put in a filtration system and stop putting pollution into the lake.” People don’t know where most of the pollution is coming from.

Freshman Nigel McKinnon’s idea to stop polluting the lake is to “stop throwing trash and other harmful waist in to the lake.” Usually, to help an environmental disaster, the public raises money for the situation. For Lake Erie we need to stop putting harmful things into the water. We should stop going out in boats because that leaks oil into the water.

“We are demanding too much from the lake and if we just stop polluting and stopped putting other harmful thing in to the lake it will help with the cancer issue,” McKinnon said.

Entertainment

the Talisman

January 27, 2011

3

What happened to Myspace? Did it disappear from Earth?

The once-famous social page has lost much of its popularity over the years Shyanne Church entertainment editor Just one year ago, Myspace seemed to be THE way to socialize with friends. After school, on the weekends, and late at night when your parents didn’t know, Myspace was where it was at. Currently though Facebook has all the popularity with practically every generation and Myspace has seemed to have lost it’s “cool factor.�

Although some people believe Myspace is the newer of the two social networks that is false. Facebook was released to the public in 2004, and Myspace in 2003.

Recently Myspace has lost a high percentage of its users although most of them had no exact reason behind deleting their account. “It sucks,� said sophomore Erick Pearson, and freshman Emily Ota said “I have absolutely no idea why people stopped using Facebook they just did.� Myspace is much more personalized to its user, and Facebook is more generic, though Facebook has games and quizzes, “I like Facebook more because of its entertaining

Madison Baker photo illustrations

The current 2011 Facebook (right) and Myspace (left) icons are familiar to most. games,� said sophomore Gianna Tolbar. Starting off, Facebook wasn’t nearly as popular as Myspace, and was initially made for only certain college students to interact.

Over the years, people just grew tired of Myspace, and wanted to try something different. Though people still have a Myspace page, they tend to rarely get online.

Don’t miss Elton John in Eugene, Oregon One of the most successful rock and roll artists will preform at Matt Court Lauren Davies staff writer Elton John is one of the most successful artists of the modern era. John ďŹ rst came into fame in the seventies when he completely dominated the rock world. He of course made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also, John beat Elvis Presley in statistics such as having the most consecutive years of Top 40 hits on Billboard’s singles chart. The Elton John Band included guitarist Davey Johnston, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson. Who would have ever thought that they would be taking the stage at our own Matthew Knight Court on February 17th, 2011?

Junior Mari Chester said, “My mom is going to the concert in February. I wish I could go, I love his song ‘Benny and

The Jets’!â€? Many people across Oregon are attending this very exciting event with tickets that were sold out the ďŹ rst day they were available. Not only will we have John here performing for us but many people will get to see the new arena that was ďŹ rst open for viewing on January 13.

John has played in nearly 3.000 concerts since his career launched in 1969. Now Eugene will be included in those numbers. Parent Diana Davies said, “Yes I am very excited to go to the concert. I have been a fan of Elton John for the longest time. I’m also very excited to see the new arena!�

People of all ages are going to see this music legend.

Whether its adults or teenagers everybody seems to be excited. Sophomore Blake Schauer said, “Even though I’m only fourteen I still really like Elton John’s music.â€?

You can truly tell that John is a real music icon when all ages are fascinated by his music. It will be interesting to hear about the comments on the concert next month.

After all, Elton John is one of the biggest music icons in the world, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing amazing reviews!

Tron is loved by old fans but also gains new ones

Highly-anticipated Tron: Legacy was released on December 17 Preston Johnson sports editor

In the 2010 ďŹ lm Tron: Legacy, Sam Flynn, a technology savvy 27 year old has grown up haunted by the fact that his father, the world’s leading video game developer Kevin Flynn, vanished when the son was little. He gets suddenly pulled into an out of the universe and visually stunning world that his father had created and has been trapped in for 20 years. Along with a friend, Sam and Kevin battle through amazing life-threatening situations to ďŹ nd their way out of the digital world. “It was a good movie,â€? said senior Michael Ordway. “The special effects were by far better than the ďŹ rst movie although Jeff Bridges (actor in the movie) looked a little animated. But I have to say that Cora was my favorite character‌she’s a babe.â€? Special effects are made to give the movie taste and make it more realistic and entertaining for

the audience. But the main factor that makes a movie is the acting. “The acting was good. [The director] couldn’t have gotten better people,� said senior Alex Page.

Tron is the kind of movie that when seen, will split the audience in half. There will be the half who fall for the visual effects and buy into the plot and those who can’t. Unlike movies such as Avatar, which has both stunning visual effects and a moving plot, Tron has okay visual effects and a very weak plot. The movie is rated PG which means it is a kid-friendly movie although students would recommend it more for teens. Freshman Cesar Landrum commented that “the plot was pretty generic.

And the plot and graphics and characters were not very realistic.� Despite its review though, Landrum said he would buy the movie.

All together, students around Sheldon gave the movie an average of six out of ten stars.

All of them would also recommend seeing the movie despite their disappointment.

YouTube sends talented people world-wide Stardom has become easier to achieve Tatiana Hasan staff writer It’s the talk among most Americans. YouTube stars are sweeping the nation with funny videos that catch people’s attention. Everything from performances to t-shirts to appearances on popular T.V. shows have been turning these normal people into celebrities. Who knew a two minute video could give an average person the fame of a national celebrity?

YouTube was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Harley, and Jawed Karim. Google soon found the site and offered to buy it for 1.65 billion dollars. The three guys took the offer and not too long after being under Google’s wing, YouTube became very popular. At one point in 2006, 100 million videos a day were being posted on to the site.

Many people talk about the new video of the week. “I’m on YouTube almost every day,� said junior T.J. Busby. The most popular videos get views that range from a few million to a few hundred million. Many popular music singers have had their musical talents discovered on YouTube, such

as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and others.

YouTube’s rise seems like it will never fall.

It has become a great source of entertainment for people and also a great way to see what is going on in other parts of the world. “Personally I think YouTube is one of the best ways to get entertainment. Type anything up and its there,� said senior Christian Massey.

YouTube has become so popular that many talent scouts go to the most popular videos to ďŹ nd their next big star. Some for singing careers, some even for acting careers. A few well-known people have become famous off of YouTube by being themselves or accidently doing something funny. One sentence can become a famous well known quote, such as “Hide yo kids. Hide yo wife,â€? a quote from the very popular video about a news story in a poor neighborhood.

Millions of people from all over share all types of videos. From the looks of it, the YouTube epidemic won’t be ending any time soon.

The lack of Myspace usage has caused a large decrease in Myspace’s income which therefore has caused a huge staff cut, nearly half of their workers have been laid off. And at the same time .

Is being PC good or bad?

What is political correctness now a days?

Andy Conrad staff writer

Nowadays, phrases have been coined for just about anything you can think of, from “big boned� to “redonkulous.� With that, the attempt of being “politically correct� comes into the spectrum.

Questions like “How far will being politically correct go until it gets old?� have been raised.

Senior Sydney Phillips said,�Political correctness is bad because it hinders our ability to get the Junior Lucas Gomez stated, “Being politically correct makes it harder to get the point across quickly.�

Senior Eric Robinson said, “I like a little bit of political correctness, just a touch.�

Everyone has his or her personal thoughts about what being politically correct means, but what is too far?

When should fabricating words and phrases stop?

Senior Sydney Phillips also said, “There’s a time and place for it, but saying things that aren’t direct and take too long to get across is not good.� `Right or not, being politically correct has changed how we think and how we speak. Has it changed for better or for worse? We might never know.

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4 January 27, 2011

Features

the Talisman

Sheldon radio plays a great variety Being near Sheldon Sheldon’s KRVM is a radio station where students are a large part of on-air production Tim Alley copy editor

and is on the air almost every day. KRVM is willing to accept and play CDs from local and indie artists frequently on their shows. “Most commercial stations don’t consider local artists important enough for an interview or to have them in the studio,” Martin said.

Students in radio broadcasting have plenty of time to catch up on work for other classes when they’re not taking turns voicetracking—recording lines to be said in future broadcasts. “The class is really laid back. One or two people voicetrack at a time; everyone else hangs out and does homework,” said junior Chasity Barnes.

McFarlane added, “I would recommend this class for two reasons: one, it helps with public speaking skills, and two, you’re pretty much guaranteed an A, haha.”

The radio broadcasting class is a good and fun experience for the few who are in it every term.

It offers a rare exposure for high schoolers to the inner workings of a radio broadcasting station that only five high schools from across the nation offer.

KRVM-FM is a radio station operating out of the H building behind Sheldon, doing justice by their slogan of “keeping real variety in music.”

KRVM is non-profit, meaning they operate solely off of listener donations. KRVM also contains no actual advertisements, allowing more time for music. Even though KRVM operates out of a relatively small area next door to the video production room and employs less than a dozen people, it broadcasts to as many as 20,000 people at any one time across the Eugene-Springfield area.

Inside KRVM, students in the radio broadcasting independent studies class learn about radio waves, how frequencies and broadcasts work, what goes into a transmission to get it on the air, and even get to become a radio jockey and be live on the station.

KRVM started in 1947 and remains the only noncommercial radio station in the Eugene-Springfield area. However, since KRVM cannot gain revenue from advertising and the school supplies no funding, the station runs on donations. “Our average listener gives us nearly $100 a year,” program director Ken Martin told. “The students are not the intended audience. We need to depend on adults because much of our funding comes from listeners.”

KRVM sticks by their slogan, airing a wide variety of shows that often have no equivalent on other local stations. “If I had to guess, I’d say there’s upwards of 5,000 CDs here. The walls are lined with them Tim Alley photo and we have an attic completely full of CDs,” said senior Tyler McFarlane, who is employed part-time Tyler McFarlane talks on the air for Sheldon’s KRVM. as a jockey through the Work-to-Study program The station has a wide variety of programming.

Student band not well known at Sheldon Not many Sheldon students know about the talented student band Gus and Us, but they are gaining popularity quickly Vanessa Tshionyi staff writer The student band Gus and Us is quickly becoming popular here at Sheldon. Gus and Us is made up of junior Dylan Campbell, senior Elliot Fromm and junior Cameron Lister.

What makes them so irresistible to people? Playing sold out shows and practicing every night makes them skilled at their craft of playing good music. Being in a band must be difficult, but they manage to be excellent students. Band member Dylan Campbell maintains an A average, while in the band and in IHS. Walking around Sheldon, some of the students interviewed have heard of Gus and Us. Junior Erick Pearson said, “I have heard of them and I think they are really good, maybe one of the best student bands that I have ever heard of.” Other students, like junior Jesse Edmundson said, “I have never heard of the band, although I am friends with many of its members.” Despite the lack of popularity at Sheldon Gus and Us still continues to make music for their fans outside of Sheldon.

Junior Dylan Campbell, a member of the band, said, “Our band means everything to me and the rest of the guys in it. We are proud of the music we make and play. I mean you can hear us on Myspace.” Senior Elliot Fromm, another member of the band said, “We have played shows at the WOW Hall, which makes it

feel really surreal and makes it feel like we are an official band.” Many bands have leaders, but according to the guys of Gus and Us, they each share a role in leadership of the band. “I feel like I’m Bono, making hits and wearing my leather pants. I started making music when I was in eighth grade, but I never dreamed that I would be playing on a stage for people,” said Campbell.

Fromm, Campbell and Lister all agree that making music and playing shows is the best thing that they’ve ever done.

The student band Gus and Us is rising in popularity here at Sheldon, but Campbell, Fromm and Lister continue to stay humble about their new-found fame and success.

High School: what the businesses think Sheldon’s location puts tons of students within walking distance of nearby shops.

How do students affect business?

Marina Ross staff writer

Burger King, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, oh my! These are only a few of the many businesses surrounding Sheldon that are popular with students. It is because of the open campus that students are free to buy food wherever they please. Not every business can be in close range of Sheldon. So how does being near Sheldon contribute to the adjacent businesses? “[Sheldon students] have a positive influence here,” said David Pemberton, the manager of Market of Choice. He said that he enjoys having the students as customers and that they are like the “icing on the cake” to the business. Pemberton makes it a point that he truly appreciates the students who come into the store, and that the great majority are very respectful.

He said, “We are building future customer relationships and the students are becoming more involved in the community.”

The expectations are for students to conduct themselves as fine young adults and to be respectful, and the effects on the business are really nothing but positive ones. However, it is said that business actually increases when school is not in session.

Tommy Lay, the manager of Dairy Queen, said that they also like having the students as customers. “They give us a ‘challenge’, that is, when the lunch comes, we always challenge ourselves to get the food out as fast as we can. It’s kind of like a sport for us.” He said that most students are polite, so it’s good all around. Lay said, “The high school is a great part of our business,” and that it also gives them an extra boost during the week because of the lunch rush. The most popular items bought there are the Macho Meal and the Chicken Strip Basket.

Lay said that he would definitely prefer to stay by the Sheldon area, and that “it makes a big difference” being where they are.

One of the employees at Ron’s Island Grill, Brittney Walner, agreed that she would prefer to stay in the Sheldon area. “We enjoy being by the school. It makes shifts go by faster and there is more business,” she said. Walner estimates that it is a couple hundred-dollar difference of income during the school days than in the summer. However, it is busier during the night in the summer. She said that the students do make a difference in Ron’s business, and that the positives of having students are that “it brings more business and makes the atmosphere more friendly.”

It seems that businesses closer to the school tend to get more Sheldon customers than other choice places. All of the businesses interviewed said that they enjoy having the students as customers, but there is one drawback. There seems to be a small, rowdy percentage of students who can be loud and make messes. It is a little unappealing to other customers, but it is not enough to deter the employees from encouraging the Sheldon students to patronize the surrounding businesses.

Are Power Balance bracelets a scam?

The makers of these bracelets claim they improve coordination, but many feel they are not worth the money Tiwanna Hamilton staff writer

Power Balance bracelets seem to be the new thing these days, but are they a scam or the real deal? Power Balance is based on the idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow. The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body. It was founded by athletes, and claims to improve your balance, improve synaptic function in the brain, enhance muscle response, and increase stamina and flexibility. “I used to own a Power Balance bracelet but I saw no improvement in balance or flexibility. Basically, there was nothing significant that benefited me by wearing the bracelet, so I just gave it away,” said sophomore Alyssa Lanz.

According to the web site, “Power Balance’s Mylar Holographic Disk (the same substance used to keep static electricity from damaging electrical components) has been imbedded with an electrical frequency that restores your body’s electrical balance, promoting a free exchange of positive

and negative ions and align your body’s energy pathways. The high density Disk acts much like a switch, resonating within your system and turning on your energy field while it clears the pathways so the electro-chemical exchange functions like the well-tuned generator it was designed to be. When the static Power Balance Hologram comes in contact with your body’s energy field, it begins to resonate in accordance with each individual’s biological, creating a harmonic loop that optimizes your energy field and maintains maximum energy flow while clearing the pathways so the electro-chemical exchange functions like the well-tuned generator it was meant to be.”

After pressure from the Australian government, Power Balance has admitted to being a scam and having no credible scientific evidence that it is effective at all. “I think Power Balance Bracelets are pointless and it’s all just psychological thinking,” said junior McKenzie Graham. Power balance has apologized to those that were mislead by their promotions and are offering a full refund.

“Sure, Power Balance bracelets looked great on famous athletes and all, like David Beckham for example, and that’s most likely why they got so popular. But they definitely don’t work, and I’ve always believed that even before they admitted that they weren’t real,” said junior Jesse Edmundson.

Features

the Talisman

The New Year in Xinjiang - a time of fellowship and friendship The variety of traditions in celebrating the New Year make Xinjiang’s New Year a time of cultural interaction Noah Jang opinions editor

January 27, 2011

5

Moss walk is lichenly to be unique and unforgettable

Field-trips are rare at school, but this one is different for many reasons, namely because it focuses on moss Kyle Radley staff writer

Have you ever heard of the moss walk? It’s a fun walk that takes place on Mt. Pisgah. On this walk, you explore the wonders and glory that moss has to offer. Ever wondered how moss grows, or how it survives with little sunlight? On this walk you got the opportunity of a lifetime to be guided by a moss expert named David Wagner! This walk started on January 1, 2011. Also if you had Mr. Sanderson as a biology teacher, you could attend this walk for bonus points!

“Moss is a plant. It doesn’t make seeds, but instead makes spores and that’s how they reproduce,” said Mr. Sanderson, one of Sheldon’s science teachers. When asked what the difference between lichen and moss, which is a common misconception, Sanderson said, “Lichen is not a plant. Rather, it’s a symbiotic organism. Kind of like algae and fungi.” Sanderson constantly mentions moss is his lessons and off topic discussions. Also, when asked if he owns a moss lawn at the moment, he replied, “I had a moss lawn at one point, but the grass keeps pushing out. I now have to weed the grass out so the moss can grow.”

Sophomore Nick Dunphy thinks moss is cool, having said, “Moss is cool because it’s natural.”

It inspires “happiness because it nice to feel and know that there is still nature in the world.”

The moss walk itself involved walking through miles of beautiful moss and learning the deep dark secrets that moss has. On this trip, students looked at various types of moss, including Dragon Tail moss, Palm Tree moss, and other types of moss. “The moss walk is a walk that focuses on the mosses,” said David Wagner, the moss expert at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. “I started the walk about 20 years ago.” He does this moss walk “because I like to use natural education as entertainment. Not enough people appreciate moss.”

The next walk hasn’t been posted on the official Mount Pisgah Arboretum website, but it is a very fun and entertaining experience that you should go on.

The New Year in China is celebrated by a variety of traditions. In fact, there are 56 official ethnic groups in China, and most of them have their unique way of celebrating the New Year. The diverse nationalities of China make this holiday more colorful and beautiful.

One of the most varied places in terms of cultural circumstances in China is Xinjiang, an autonomous region in the northwestern part of China that borders Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, etc. Made up of over forty-six ethnic groups, Xinjiang is one of the most beautiful places in China both culturally and physically.

The Hans, which make up about 90% of the entire population of China, are a major ethnic group in Xinjiang. The others are the minority groups. The Uyghur is the major group among the minorities. Kazakh, Kyrgiz, Uzbek, and Xibe are also noticeable groups in Xinjiang. Since they each have a distinct cultural value, the holidays that they celebrate are displayed with much diversity.

The Hans are the most widely known. They have the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, as their New Year holiday.

From the end of December to January 15 in the Chinese lunar calendar, Hans from all across Xinjiang visit friends and relatives for a reunion. Because the Chinese New Year usually falls at the end of January or the beginning of February, the weather is cold.

Hans, therefore, eat the hot Chinese dumplings on New Year’s Eve so that their “ears don’t get frozen up”. Each family gathers around the table for a reunion dinner. On New Year’s Day, other ethnic groups are invited also. In the trans-nationality invitation, the Hans usually pass out red packets containing money and other small gifts.

The Uyghurs are a Central Asian ethnicity, and most are Muslims.

The Qurban feast is characterized by a lot of dead sheep lying on the fields in front of houses. It is the 100th day from the Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. On their New Years, Uygur families get together to kill a male sheep for the feast that lasts three days. During the three days, many Uyghurs visit each other and give blessings for the upcoming year. They share the meat and enjoy the fellowship of friends and family. The Hans and other nationalities are often invited, too. Uygurs dance and play traditional instruments, such as the Dongbur, to them.

The Kazakhs, Kyrgiz, and many other nationalities cherish their long-held traditions for the New Year.

Although they are on different dates and months, and the traditions vary greatly, there is one thing that all of them have in common- it is a time of fellowship, a time when the family unites to bless each other and wish for a good year. Most of all, it is a time when separate groups come together for a true understanding of other nationalities and a chance to develop friendships.

2011 holds many lovely new attractions

The New Year is always a promising time, but this year especially has the promise of many new and exciting things Elizabeth Davis backpage editor

Goodbye 2010, hello 2011!

It’s a new year with new expectations, hopes, and dreams. Anything could happen. From new movie releases to new styles, 2011 holds the keys to new ideas and opportunities. We may be able to know what new movies are coming out next month, but who knows what this holds for family trips or financial stability.

It’s another year of mystery and excitement, waiting to unfold as the days go by.

“A new start,” said sophomore Elsie Cruz when asked what the New Year meant to her. Many people agree. For her, 2011 holds lacrosse, a possible trip to Mexico, and Transformers 3; one of many movies coming out this year. Getting her permit and a job is also high on her list of things to do this year. Who knows what else is in store for her?

Freshmen Isaac Bothman and Daniel Halstead have other hopes and expectations for this year. Green Hornet that came out on January 14. So how is this year going to be different for Bothman? “I have to remember to write ‘2011’ if I’m dating a paper,” Bothman responded.

It’ll be a struggle for the majority of people. While Bothman hopes to pass his permit test this year, Halstead hopes to get a cat. “I want to get a cat and name him Mittens,” said Halstead.

What else can we expect 2011 to bring? A few new movies to look forward to: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, premiers May 20; The Hangover 2 comes out on May 26; and Final Destination 5 on 9/25/11.

For the Ducks football team, their first game for the upcoming season is playing LSU on 9/3/11 at Arlington, Texas at Cowboy stadium. Get ready to support your ducks again! For Eugene, Mayor Piercy said 2011 will be the year that old projects like the downtown revitalization project come to fruition. Who knows what else that will be exactly, but great things can be expected for our city. In the electronics area, one thing is that Verizon will be getting the iPhone! It’s been a long time coming.

Many more things can come out of this year; some that people can save the date for or things that just happen suddenly, like a new addition to a family or job opportunity! Whether you are looking forward to spring sports or getting older, 2011 is the year to start working toward your goals and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Noah Jang photo

Uyghur women, dressed traditionally, walking on the streets of Yinning, Xinjiang

The Top Tens of 2010 Hangout Places

• Saturday Market • 5th Street Market • Valley River Mall • Alton Baker Park • Market of Choice • Off the Waffle • Voodoo Doughnuts • U of O Campus • Amazon Park • Eugene Public Library

Movies

• The Social Network • Winter’s Bone • The Fighter • Inception • True Grit • The King’s Speech • Toy Story 3 • Easy A • Black Swan • The Town

Songs

• Firework - Katy Perry • Dynamite - Taio Cruz • Grenade - Bruno Mars • Raise your Glass - P!nk • OMG - Usher • Break your Heart - Taio Cruz • Airplanes - B.o.B. ft.

Hailey Williams •Love the Way You Lie Eminem ft. Rihanna

Websites

• Facebook • YouTube • Wikipedia • Amazon • Craigslist • Ebay • Tumblr • Blogger • Twitter • Myspace

T.V. Shows

• Fringe • Glee • Lost • Mad Men • Friday Night Lights • Breaking Bad • True Blood • Wipeout • The Bachelorette • 90210

8

January 27, 2011

Opinions

The iPhone vs the Droid Two competitive phone brands face off for cell phone dominance Gabby Bernhardt staff writer

designed by Motorola. Features of the Droid are WiFi networking, a 5 megapixel lowlight capable digital camera and touch screen. It also includes micro SDHC support with bundled 16GB card, free turn-by-turn navigation from Google Maps, sliding QWERTY keyboard, and Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 processer.

“I think there are more apps on the iPhone, and thats why I like it better. Sometimes I get bored and want to find new apps and there are lots,” freshman Madeline Zerr said. With the iPhone having 93,200 apps and the Droid having 20,000 the iPhone defiantly out does it on this one.

So many things to choose, from apps to the network which one did you choose? If you have or are planning to have the iPhone or the Droid why exactly did you choose it? Make the switch or stick with it. Your favorite might be different now.

the Talisman

History of the JDRF

Juvenile diabetes is a disease that is always growing yet foundations look for cures Clavin Everitt staff writer

Many people read the newspaper, but few know its inner workings

Sheldon is home to a variety of students, all with their own book preferences

Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation better known simply as JDRF, is an organization dedicated to finding the cure for type one diabetes. It has been around since the mid 1990s and has never given up hope for kids who are forced to deal with the disease and it continues to fight for an easier future for those involved. Diabetes is an autoimmune disease that makes the body attack the islet cells that feed the rest of the body. The islet cells are a necessary part of the body to “unlock” the cells so energy can be passed through the other cells. Without a steady dose of insulin produced by the islet cell the body goes into a high state where the cells of the body are basically starving to death from lack of energy.

This forces the body to begin to destroy its stores of fat before going after more hardy cells like muscle cells and lung cells for nutrition to feed itself.

This was the case until the year 1922 when having diabetes might as well have meant that you were guaranteed to die before your time and even when the disease was finally able to be managed. It wasn’t much better until artificial insulin was made available to the public in the mid 80’s thanks to the use of insulin from animals ended the recipients getting an allergic reaction.

Our own Mrs. Merfeld is a parent of a diabetic child and she had a few words to say about it. “It’s a bad disease; it’s manageable, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Sheldon’s nurse practitioner Carol Matner said of JDRF, “I’ve heard of the organization and while I’ve never really dealt with it, I find it is a very helpful and generous to kids with type one diabetes.”

The JDRF is one of the biggest and most successful juvenile diabetic charitable fundraiser and advocate in the world. It organizes huge walks that go directly to research for the cure of diabetes. They have given over 1.5 billion dollars for research in the 2010 year, but they still need more to continue to do what they do and hopefully find a cure in the near future.

Dominic Travis staff writer

Alex Kalen staff writer

Censor Tom Sawyer?

The Talisman is a well-oiled machine. The Talisman is an ongoing student newspaper here at Sheldon that has a complex way of working. With many positions of authority, the Talisman has a good operating system.

The Talisman is a fun class to take and an even better experience to have.

I think that the Talisman is a great extracurricular activity. The Talisman has a great atmosphere full of excitement and fun. People are talking about different things and the room is very casual. We work on computers all the time and when you are finished you can play games or surf the web. I like the Talisman and I consider it to have few negative aspects.

The Talisman requires interviews of different people that go into the article as sources. I would have to say this is probably the worst part. The class does also require you to meet due dates. This isn’t necessarily always fun but its part of the class, you don’t have a choice. Over all the class doesn’t really have a lot that’s not great about it. I enjoy the class very much One of the best parts of the class is “the opportunity to practice working as a group,” said sophomore Jackson Darland. He also said it “gave [me] an opportunity to learn how to talk to people I didn’t know when interviewing and to look for resources I wouldn’t normally use.” I’d have to agree with these statements. You get the chance to work in a real working newspaper which gives you office-like experiences. You also get to have fun in an appealing atmosphere. Overall the Talisman is a great activity and class that gives you real worldexperiences with other people.

Freshman Cameron Reese said, “I wish I was in the Talisman; it looks like a lot of fun.” Over all the Talisman is a great way to work on real-life activities in a work-like environment. I would certainly recommend it. Staff writers only have to show up to class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you are an editor though you have to go every day.

It is a fun-loving and exciting class. The only thing I don’t like is I once got an article I didn’t really want to write. I love this class a ton though and would defiantly recommend taking it to any person, whether they enjoy writing or not. The class is still worthwhile. It would certainly benefit you or anyone else that took it.

Do you have a favorite author or a favorite book that you enjoy reading? What do you enjoy about your favorite book? Many students have their own opinion on who their favorite author is and what book they enjoy the most. Others may have many books they enjoy reading and may not be able to choose just one book they like the best. There are a big range of books that are favorites to students.

Many students at Sheldon have their own personal style of what they enjoy reading. Freshman Laura Murphy said her favorite books to read are adventure books. I have to agree with Murphy because adventure books can make a story more interesting. Her favorite book she has read this year includes some adventure. Murphy said her favorite book that she had read this year is Lord of the Rings. However, she also said what genres of books she dislikes, which are non-fiction and biographies. If Murphy could meet any author she would meet Suzanne Collins. Murphy explained she wanted to meet Suzanne Collins because, “[Suzanne Collin’s] writing is really interesting.”

Freshman Madison Zenke said when she chooses a new book “[ I look for] recommendations from friends and reviews.” The Christy Miller Series is her favorite series to read. This series of books is also written by her favorite author who is Robin Jones Gunn. I have also read the Christy Miller Series and it is my favorite series to read. Zenke said when she enjoys a book, “[The book is] interesting and has a good storyline.”

“My favorite book to read is Thirteen Reasons Why because it never has a boring part,” said senior Amber Craviotto. I have also read that book and it has a very interesting storyline. If Craviotto had a chance to read any book it would be Waves. She said, “It is one of my favorite books.” If I could only pick one book to read I would choose the fourth volume of the Christy Miller Series because that has always been my favorite volume from the series.

Twain scholar revises a copy of Tom Sawyer, drawing outrage from critics

Forget about Team Edward or Team Jacob. During the past months, the biggest match hasn’t been between a werewolf and a vampire: it’s been between the Verizon Droid and the Apple iPhone. Many would say to pick your network before you pick your device, but sometimes we love the device so much we will put up with lousy or limited networks. Are you involved with the competition?

Would you put up a fight for your phone?

With Verizon signing the deal with Apple to get the iPhone, does it make Verizon number one? A short while ago, Verizon’s Lowell McAdam took the stage with Apple CEO Tim Cook and announced that a CDMA (code division multiple access) version of the iPhone 4 will be available for pre order starting on February 3 and in stores on February 10. Pricing is the same as it is on AT&T with the 16GB model going for $199 while the 32GB iPhone will be going for $299.

“I like the droid because it has a keyboard,” junior Kaleb Stubbs said, “but when the iPhone comes out for Verizon I will get that.” “You can also multitask on the droid but not on the iPhone,” Stubbs added. In most cases you pick a phone that your carrier has, even if you want a device from another user provider.

The iPhone is a line of internet and multimedia smart phones designed by Apple. The iPhone has video calling, consumption of media such as books, movies, music, games and basic web and email access. The iPhone 4 has a front facing VGA camera and a 5 mega-pixel rear facAnthony Rhoades photos ing camera with an LED flash.

Two compteting brands, iPhone (L) and Droid.

The Droid is an internet and multimedia smart phone

Inside the Talisman Sheldon’s favorites

Hunter Anderson opinions editor Many of us are familiar with Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Published in England in June of 1876, Tom Sawyer is the story of a young boy growing up in the small town of St. Petersburg along the Mississippi River. It is believed that Twain, a highly acclaimed author of the 1800’s, wrote it to be an assault on slavery and racism. The taboo term “nigger” is used many times (219 to be exact) throughout the course of the novel. Recently, a Twain scholar, Mr. Alan Gribben, reissued the novel so that the 219 racial slurs are replaced with the word “slave.”

Although “slave” is more politically correct, I feel that replacing the word is a failed attempt at trying to destroy a part of our history. You can’t unmake something that already happened, and rewriting a famous historical novel is just ridiculous. Besides, how are we supposed to learn from our mistakes if we erase them every chance we get? Ever heard of the movie Song of the South? No? That’s because it’s no longer in production, because it was seen as racist, yet another attempt at covering up our history.

Gribben justified this act by saying, “This move was taken to make the book more suitable for a classroom environment.” I think that we shouldn’t be censoring what we teach our children, in order to make our past seem more favorable. I mean, I got to high school without even knowing what the Montgomery Bus Boycott was!

1% of United States residents are illiterate, making us the 21st most literate in the world. Our English teachers should be devoting their time to teaching their subject, not re-writing a perfectly good, well-loved novel of the 19th century.

All in all, I believe Mr. Gribben is in the wrong. You can’t erase history, and attempting to do so is wrong.

Opinions

the Talisman

January 27, 2011

9

A day in the life of IHS and Honors classes Sheldon IHS student tries Honors classes for a day

Sheldon Honors student tries IHS classes for a day

Maggie Schmaedick features editor

Hope Zima assistant editor

My evil alarm buzzed, startling me awake. Why in the world am I awake at this ungodly hour? I asked myself. Oh yeah, I’m going to zero period today. I rolled over with a groan and reluctantly got out of bed.

For my Talisman article this month, I decided to explore a day in the life of an IHS student. Every Sheldon student thinks their program is the best, so naturally, as an Honors student, I am biased towards Honors. But how are students qualified to decide which is better if we have never experienced the other side of things? By spending a day in IHS classes, I will be able to make a reasonable decision: which program really is the best?

The zero period class I attended was Ms. Hammons’ Global Literature class. She began class with a hearty “Good mornin’! Let’s do some school!” Class started with a lively discussion, after which we broke into groups for a “group quiz.” One difference I noticed between the programs was that in IHS, almost all class activities happened in groups, and there was very little, if any, individual work. I loved the lively discussions this fostered, but personally, I feel like I learn better individually.

Next, I went to Mr. Powell’s Global History class, where again class started with a thoughtful discussion. When I talked to Mr. Powell later, he said that he feels both programs are equally effective, just in different ways. In regards to Honors, he said, “I think it’s wonderful.” Honors is a great program because of dedicated teachers, and a source of motivation for the students by being with a lot of other high-functioning students, according to Powell. But the point he continued to make was that the same is true in IHS. “It’s almost the same group, just a different style,” Powell said.

Colleges all over the world recognize IHS classes as being challenging and culturally diverse. Sophomore Elsie Cruz said, “We learn about different places of the world in every subject.” A big part of class is discussing current events and their effects on the world and its people. I definitely noticed an emphasis on humanities and social studies in the IHS classes, even in the literature class. In Honors the focus is more on the reading and writing aspect. This is not better or worse, only different, and every student has a style he or she prefers.

So the answer: which program is better? After doing this comparison, I feel like this really isn’t a fair question. “Students who navigate either program successfully are well-prepared for college,” said Sheldon counselor John O’Donoghue. Both programs are equally effective. The only difference is they function in different ways. IHS is a very successful program that produces lots of excellent students. As for me, I’ll stick with Honors. I like the individualistic style and the emphasis on reading and writing.

And the best part? We never have zero period.

Settling into the desk I looked around and was surprised by how many faces I recognized. Being an IHS student intruding on an Honors class I had thought that I would be alone among strangers, but upon arriving in the class I realized that I had other classes with these people. Honors kids are everywhere!

As a morning IHS student, I am well aware of the rivalry between the Honors program and the IHS program. Naturally, each program thinks that they are the best to be in. However, since I have never been in the Honors program, I really can’t compare the two accurately, so I decided to do some research and attend two Honors classes, to get an insider’s perspective of what they are like. I imagine that I will remain loyal to IHS, but I think that Honors has its highlights and benefits as well.

Freshman Courtney Carman is a member of the Honors program. She has set high goals for herself, namely going to college and graduate school thereafter. She said, “I chose the Honors program because I wanted to be challenged.”

‘Challenged’ is certainly a good word for it. Throughout the sophomore English class, taught by Ms. Kate Tierney, I was impressed by the difficult questions asked by both teacher and students. I was also surprised by how loud the class was- loud in a good and, overall, productive way. Going into Honors I guess I had expected strict formatting, long lectures, and crabby teachers. Therefore I was floored when kids were allowed by Ms. Tierney, who is far from crabby, to discuss and even call out in class! IHS allows for that kind of creative freedom in classes, but I never expected it from a program whose very name inspires honorability.

Honors English 10 teacher Ms. Tierney said, “I enjoy when students surprise me with unique understanding in their assignments.” She certainly didn’t seem to mind when students would take the discussion to a completely new area. In her opinion, the best part of Honors as far as college preparation goes is, “the way it encourages critical, unique thinking and independence.”

However, there are many arguments for IHS being good college preparation as well. School counselor John O’Donaghue certainly seemed to believe that both were equally good for preparing students. He said, “Yes, both are equally good.

Students who navigate either program correctly are bound to do well in college.”

The difference comes in the student’s learning abilities and where they shine.

O’Donaghue said, “Honors is very purposeful in teaching reading and writing while IHS is more project-type work.” I feel that that holds true, and that I personally learn better doing projects, but I can no longer say that IHS is “better” than Honors.

Public displays of affection are not appreciated by most PDAs around the campus can be an irritation to many Sheldon students and staff Kristina Tamburrini staff writer

In the hallways at Sheldon, many couples have been spotted engaging in public display of affection. Many students could agree that the PDA isn’t appropriate in the halls or anywhere around the Sheldon campus. Some could say it should stay behind closed doors. PDAs don’t just upset students, they also upset the staff. To what extent should PDAs be stopped or allowed?

Junior Jasmine Creighton-Manis stated, “I think it’s okay if it’s a peck, but if it is more and they are all over each other, then it is gross.” People in the school show PDAs from a simple hug to making out in the hall without a care who is around. “I think a little is okay, as long as they aren’t going overboard and clogging up the hallways to the point where you can’t walk through, then it gets annoying to me,” said junior Karen McGhehey.

I feel the same as almost every student asked and I think it’s okay to an extent, but when you’re walking to a class or just around and you see couples everywhere showing more than just a kiss, then it shouldn’t be allowed. Even in public places besides school I feel it is wrong. Even if they are in love it still shouldn’t be shown outside the home or private space.

Even though PDAs are something many people do at Sheldon, the people who engage in them need to realize it bugs some people. Junior Rachel Milstine agreed, “Though I do it a lot I realize I should probably keep it to a minimum of just a quick kiss, because it does bother me seeing people around that are all over each other.”

PDAs are all over the place and everyone I asked agreed it was gross and it should be toned down by some people.

No one really likes it but it’s really nothing that you can make someone stop unless rules are made or adults get involved. No matter what, PDAs cannot be ignored.

A message from the Talisman The Talisman is run by students for students. The views expressed in the Talisman are not necessarily those of the Talisman staff, those of Sheldon High School, or those of the Sheldon community. If you have any letters to the editor, please e-mail the Talisman at shstalisman@gmail.com, or drop a letter in our box located in the office. We kindly reserve the right to edit all stories we print.

Talisman Staff Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Centerspread Editor Features Editor Features Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Backpage Editor Entertainment Editor Opinions Editor Opinions Editor Frontpage Editor News Editor Ads Manager Photo Editor Copy Editor

Anthony Rhoads Hope Zima Madison Baker Maggie Schmaedick Hope Zima Drew Haugen Preston Johnson Elizabeth Davis Shyanne Church Hunter Anderson Noah Jang Anthony Rhoads Cameron Ritchey Anthony Rhoads Madison Baker Tim Alley

Staff Writers Marisa Aiello Gabby Bernhardt Ben Chamberlain Andy Conrad Quinn Daniel Lauren Davies Calvin Everitt Henry Fowler Lucas Gomez Tiwanna Hamilton Tatiana Hasan Andrea Haxby Staff Advisor

Vanessa Hendricks JJ Juilfs Alex Kalen Karl Kawders Danielle Peterson Kyle Radley Lindsey Ragsdale Alex Rosen Marina Ross Kristina Tamburrini Dominic Travis Vanessa Tshionyi Greg Cantwell

10 January 27, 2011

Sports

the Talisman

Major league teams acquire new players Off-season additions have fans talking Ben Chamberlain staff writer The 2010 MLB season ended with the San Francisco Giants shocking the world by winning the World Series.

When the Giants made the playoffs at the end of the regular season, no one expected them to go all the way.

After the drama of the playoffs, we entered the off season with the high excitement of the free agents entering the market. Names like Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter, Adrian Beltre, and Carl Crawford highlighted the available free agents. As the off season continued we quickly saw these names fly off the board. Boston and New York have been winners so far, as expected with the kind of money the teams throw at these top players. But as we

continue on, we’re seeing some teams make some serious moves to counter the spending of the primer teams.

One of the biggest signings so far this offseason has been the signing of Carl Crawford with the Boston Red Sox. It was a great deal for the Red Sox, for seven years and 127 million dollars. Another large signing was Cliff Lee, a deal worth five years and 100 million dollars with the Philadelphia Phillies. But the largest deal came as a surprise when the Colorado Rockies re-signed Troy Tuloiwizki to a six year 120 million dollar contract.

“I think that the best deal for a team was the Philadelphia Phillies signing Cliff Lee. He is the best pitcher in the MLB,” said senior Nathan Langan. The Phillies now have one of the best pitching rotations in the league with Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt. They are the early favorites to win the 2011 World Series. “I think that the Red Sox had the best offseason this year by signing Carl Crawford

and Adrian Gonzales,” shared sophomore Zach Manley.

The Red Sox stacked their roster and have a chance to beat the Yankees for their division. A team that has played very poorly the last couple years made some big moves this year also. The Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth for seven years and a 126 million dollar contract making it one of the highest paid contracts this year. “I was surprised when the Nationals spent so much money on Jayson Werth; I didn’t really even know him,” said sophomore Sam Jaffe.

Some other big signings this year include Derrek Lee signing a one year 7.25 million dollar contract with the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankee’s re-signed Derek Jeter to a three year 51 million dollar contract. The Texas Rangers signed Adrian Beltre to a five year 80 million dollar contract. There were many other free agents signed so far but these are just some of the big players who will be playing for different teams and for more money next spring.

Ducks fall three points short of BCS title goal Oregon’s BCS dreams are dashed by Auburn after fourth quarter comeback Drew Haugen sports editor The snap was good, the hold was good, the kick was good. Auburn fans and players rushed the field, engulfing their heroic kicker as confetti rained down over the University of Phoenix turf. On the opposite sideline, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and his team scanned the pandemonium, thinking about the three points that separated them from their first national championship.

Oregon earned a berth to their first BCS title game after capping off an undefeated regular season with a win against archrival Oregon State in the Civil War. Auburn swaggered into the national championship ranked number one in the BCS and with Heisman winning quarterback Cam Newton at the helm. For weeks all eyes had been on these two programs; the Ducks with their flash and speed, Auburn with their size and physical style of play. “I will remember all the hype leading up to the game,” said junior Caitlin Castillo. “All the videos and songs on YouTube, the new Duck gear, and the overall excitement; they made for a great pre-game environment.” Despite the hype, both head coaches kept their teams focused, preparing diligently.

Finally January 10 arrived and Glendale, Arizona, became the country’s college football capital. “I was very nervous before the game,” continued Castillo. “I was anxious the entire day leading up to kick-off.” After almost a month of preparation, speculation, and anticipation, the biggest game in either team’s storied history was going to be played.

Oregon won the coin toss and elected to receive. Auburn teed up the football and kicked it deep down the field to Oregon’s Kenjon Barner who gained minimal yardage before being swarmed by the cover team. Darron Thomas and the Duck offense then took the field for their first

drive of the game. After a short completion to senior receiver Jeff Maehl on first down, the Tiger’s defense rallied and forced Oregon to punt. Cam Newton and the Auburn offense had no more success moving the ball than the Ducks and went three and out after only one first down. The two quarterbacks then threw interceptions on successive positions, halting their teams’ drives. With the first quarter winding down, Oregon’s offense got the football back and was finally gaining ground. However, as the first 15 minutes ticked off the clock, the nation’s top two offensive teams had yet to produce any points.

Oregon kicker Rob Beard ended the drought early in the second quarter with a short field goal to put the Ducks up 3 to 0. Cam Newton came back with an impressive drive of his own capping it off with a touchdown throw to the converted quarterback Cody Burns. The scoreboard read 3 to 7. On the ensuing kick-off, Chip Kelly pulled out one of his trademark trick plays attempting a reverse. However, the Auburn coverage team was ready and stopped Oregon inside their own 10 yard line. Even in the shadow of their own end zone, the Ducks offense wasted on time with Darron Thomas completing an 81 yard strike to Maehl.

“The long pass play to Jeff Maehl was a game changer,” said senior Kristain Tharp. “It gave the offense momentum and good field position.” That big play set up a LeMichael James touchdown catch to make it 9 to 7. With momentum on their side, Oregon called a fake field goal and the kicker, Beard, bulled his way into the end zone for a 3 point lead. On the following Auburn possession, Oregon’s defense held the Tigers on fourth down and goal to get the football back. But, after a holding penalty, James was tackled in the end zone for a safety, cutting the Oregon lead to 2. With the ball and the crowd on their side, the Auburn offense lead a furious charge down field in the half’s final minutes that ended in a touchdown pass from Newton to receiver Emery Blake. With the extra point the score was 11 to 16. As the teams went into the locker room at half, it was clear the BCS Title game was not going to be the offensive shootout many predicted it to be.

The crowd erupted as Oregon and Auburn took the field for the final half of college football in the 2010-11 season. Clearly building off the momentum gained in the first half, Cam Newton led his team into Oregon territory, both passing and running for first downs. But, after sputtering at the Oregon 28 yard line, they settled for a field goal, which made it 11 to 19. The third quarter then turned into a defensive slugfest

with both teams generating offense but failing to turn it into points. The Ducks had many big plays including a fake punt conversion inside their own 43 yard line; however, they continued to turn up empty. Going into the final quarter, big plays would be needed by both sides.

For the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, neither defense yielded. After many changes of possession, it was Auburn’s ball with just under 4 minutes to go; the Ducks needed a stop. Senior linebacker Casey Mathews stepped up to make that stop on second down when he striped the Heisman winner Cam Newton from behind. “Mathews played outstanding,” continued Tharp. “His key forced fumble got Oregon back in the game.” The turnover provided Chip Kelly and the Ducks with hope for a comeback. Darron Thomas and the lightning quick Oregon offense were going to get one more chance. The Ducks led a gusty dive down the field, with catches from Maehl, D.J. Davis, and David Paulson. After two first downs and a fourth down conversion, Thomas shovel passed the football forward to LeMichael James who walked in for the go ahead touchdown; it was 17 to 19 Auburn. Thomas took the snap out of shotgun and rolled to his right.

Looking back to his left, he threw to the senior Maehl who came down with the catch as the stadium erupted.

With the two point conversion the score was tied at 19.

Oregon kicked off to the Tigers who took the ball down to the 25 yard line. 2 minutes and 27 seconds were all that separated the teams from the second overtime in National Championship history. Newton threw for a first down to the 40. On second down, Auburn’s freshman running back Michael Dyer took the handoff and ran the ball to the 45 before being wrestled down by linebacker Spencer Paysinger, or so it seemed. As Dyer was dragged down, he rolled over the top of Paysinger without touching the turf. He then got up and counted running before being tackled at the 22 yard line. “The run by Mike Dyer was the defining moment in the game,” said junior Tyler Osborne.

“It moved Auburn into field goal position.” Before the Duck’s defense could catch their breath, Mike Dyer ripped off another big run down to the middle to the 2.

The Tigers let the clock tick down to 2 seconds, and then called on senior kicker Wes Byrum for the game winning field goal. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick was good. The final score read Oregon: 19, Auburn: 22. “I think this year’s experience will help the Ducks next season,” said Osborne. “The team has a lot of great young players who will make an impact next year. They’ll be back.” Every Duck fan will be looking forward to it.

School and club sports played at Sheldon Both school and club sports give students athletic experience Danielle Peterson staff writer There are many sports involving Sheldon students that go on outside of Sheldon. They are called club sports. There are many different club sports that go on. They range from volleyball to petanque. Between school sports and club sports there are sometimes small or big differences depending on the sport. For instance, softball is a spring sport at Sheldon but club softball can be played all year long.

One of the club sports that students do is swimming. Some sports are very competitive and strict but also nice. Junior Anissa Chin said the coaches for her sport are “nice and strict; they are nice but want us to do well.”

Chin likes school sports more than club sports.

Chin said she likes sports “because with school sports you can get to know the people you go to school with.”

Football is a very popular sport. They have club and school football. Junior McKenzie Graham said she likes football because it is intense. She likes it as a school sport because “the students can come and watch and know who they are cheering on.”

Swimming is another sport you hear about these days.

Senior Kassie Stevenson has done swimming as a school sport and club sport. Stevenson said, “School sports are better than club sports because club sports get too competitive to the point that you won’t make a lot of friends.” I believe a lot of people would agree with her because club sports are very competitive and they put a lot of pressure on people.

People these days think that coaches are too tough.

In reality, they really aren’t. Stevenson said, “They are here to push us and make us better and more confident in ourselves.” Graham said, “If the coaches aren’t tough, then you won’t get the job done.”

Many people feel differently about school and clubs sports. But over all they are both excellent sources of sports.

Sports

the Talisman

January 27, 2011

11

Coach Marty Johnson retires after 14 years Head coach Marty Johnson steps down to support his son in Montana JJ Julifs staff writer Fourteen years ago a young assistant at Willamette High was offered the head coaching job at Sheldon. Sheldon that year had had another one of what was a typical mediocre season. The team practiced on a pothole-ridden grass field and used outdated equipment because there was no money for anything better. Enter Marty Johnson. Under his regime, Johnson lead Sheldon’s meteoric rise to become one of the premier football programs in the state amongst the likes of Jesuit and Lake Oswego.

This past winter Johnson officially stepped down as head coach. “ I just felt like it was time for somebody else to have a turn, and it allows me to go watch my son Jordan play at Montana and not feel guilty about missing anything,” said Johnson. Though he is no longer head coach, he would like to still have some coaching involvement ,but that will depend largely on who is hired to replace him. “I think if the coaching change goes well, the kids won’t even be able to notice a difference,” said Johnson.

As arguably one of the best high school coaches in Oregon history there are many things to be proud of, but in his humble eyes he’s “just glad to have helped build a program that the community, parents, coaches and mostly the kids can be proud of,” said Johnson.

As people on the outside of the program look in it is inevitable they will wonder what black magic Johnson has used to have such tremendous results. It’s no magic at all, “The consistency of the coaching staff while I was here and simply the great athletes we’ve had are what have been huge to our success. We’ve probably had more than our fair share of incredible athletes during my time,” said Johnson in his typical fashion of sharing credit. It is blatantly obvious after spending any amount of time in Johnson’s company that Sheldon football was much more than a job to him, it was a passion. “Sheldon football is something I thought about 365 days a year. I don’t know what 365 times fourteen is but it’s a lot,” said Johnson. As one era ends and another begins in the life of Marty Johnson, without a doubt he will carry his focus, dedication and energy into whatever new endeavors lie ahead.

Former Sheldon football head coach Marty Johnson is unique. There never has, nor ever will be another like him. Someday another coach may come along and make his 137 wins-27 losses record, nine league championships, and three state champion-

ships seem diminutive (though that is HIGHLY unlikely), but there will never, repeat never, be a man quite like him.

Preston Johnson photo

Johnson set records which may never be broken.

Review on the intense 2010-11 bowl season The 2010-2011 bowl season was filled with excitement and disappointment for many across the United States Henry Fowler staff writer The 2010-2011 bowl season was exciting and filled with close games. There were a lot of upsets, which makes the games more interesting to watch. There were also controversies over whether some teams should have been in better bowl games, or whether some deserved to be in less-competitive games. Two of the BCS bowl games this year were blowouts which led people to think that some of the teams playing should not have been in a BCS bowl.

TCU was an undefeated team that was not in the national championship. Considering it won its bowl game, it makes us wonder on whether they should have made the national championship over the loser of the that game, Oregon.

The bowl games are probably most people’s favorite part of college football, but some think that there should be a different system. Junior Jo Bando said, “I think there should be a playoff system. And I don’t like the BCS because all good teams should have a chance to play at the national championship.” Even people who think that a playoff system should replace the BCS still like to watch the bowl games. There are many great college football fields that the games are played on. Bando said, “My

favorite field to watch a bowl game on is the Rose Bowl.”

This year there was controversy over some of the bowl games that teams were in. Some think that TCU should have had a chance to play for the national championship, while others thought that they shouldn’t and were overrated. Freshman Marcus McGovern said, “I think they deserved a chance to play for the national championship, but I don’t think they could beat Oregon or Auburn.”

There are many great bowl games, but some of them aren’t as fun to watch. McGovern said, “My least favorite to watch was the Cotton Bowl, because LSU blew out Texas A&M.” There were quite a few blowouts in bowl games. LSU beat Texas A&M 41 to 24, Oklahoma beat Connecticut 48 to 20, Stanford beat Virginia Tech 40 to 12, Mississippi State beat Michigan 52 to 14, and Alabama beat Michigan State 49 to 7.

The BCS national championship might have been the most exciting game. Both teams had potent offenses and it was expected to be a very high-scoring game. The start of the game didn’t go as most people expected. Oregon received the kickoff, and punted after three plays. Auburn followed that with three plays and a punt of their own.

On Oregon’s next possession quarterback Darron Thomas threw an interception. On Auburn’s next possession Heisman winner Cam Newton threw an interception.

Oregon got the ball back and once again Darron Thomas threw an interception. On Auburn’s next possession they were forced to punt. On their next possession Oregon made a 26 yard field goal and went up three to zero.

Auburn came back with a 35 yard touchdown pass from

Cam Newton to Kodi Burns. The score was then seven to three, the Ducks score a touchdown and converted a successful two point conversion. The score was now eleven to seven for Oregon. Auburn drove down to the one yard line, but failed on a fourth down conversion. Two plays later, LaMichael James was tackled in the endzone for a safety. The next possession Auburn scored on a thirty-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Emory Blake. The half ended with a score of sixteen to eleven for Auburn. The third quarter was not very exciting with only a field goal scored for Auburn. At the end of the fourth, Oregon scored a touchdown and successfully completed another two point conversion and the score was tied. Auburn drove down and on the final play Auburn made a field goal to win the game.

Freshman Solan Megursa said, “The national championship was my favorite game to watch. It was exciting, even though I wanted the Ducks to win.” Auburn ended up beating Oregon and won the second national championship in Auburn school history. The win moved the SEC to 7-0 in BCS national championship games which makes it seem like they are the best conference.

Also, after having teams with the Heisman winner struggle in the national championship the last two years the teams have won. The Heisman winners on these teams were Alabama’s Mark Ingram and Auburn’s Cam Newton.

There is question now on who will start next season ranked number one. Megursa said, “I think that Oregon will.” It will be interesting to see whether the Ducks, Tigers, or maybe someone entirely different will be number one.

Effects of winter conditioning on Sheldon athletes As spring sports season grows closer, athletes must prepare for their sports Andrea Haxby staff writer Spring sports are coming up and athletes are getting ready. But, is the cold weather affecting the way they prepare for their sport? The cold weather has a known effect on people. It may affect the ability to practice. Preparing for sports isn’t always easy. Athletes get the challenges of conditioning that will push them to their limits. Conditioning varies from sport to sport, but all athletes go through some type of preparation.

There are many sports that workout during the winter. The cold has an effect on some athletes, but not all. Some say that if it gets too cold out they will go to the gym and workout there. Dylan Johnson says he would rather workout in the winter than the summer because it’s not as hot. Some athletes say that the cold does not affect their workout.

“Our school offers great programs to help you train for your sport; the coaches are very helpful and we have a great weight room,” Junior Nicholas Rea said. Preparing for spring sports is just like preparing for any other sport. They have all winter to get ready and be in shape to do their sport to the best of their abilities. They will have tryouts, and then once they make the team, they will continue to condition and practice to get bet-

ter day by day. Winter workouts will help the athlete make the team and get their bodies in shape for victory.

Winter weather is very unpredictable. When being involved in a spring sport, atheletes may have a practice or workout session held in the rain. Does the cold weather affect athletes? “The cold weather does

not affect our training because we stay warm by running and practicing,” sophomore Cole McLloyd said.

The cold weather may have an effect on the athletes but the coaches are very good at warming up their athletes and keeping them warm by keeping them moving and conditioning throughout the practice.

Preston Johnson photo

Weight lifting is one of the many ways that people train in the winter to become stronger.

Backpage Superstitions Continue to Haunt Sheldon A unique tradition Sheldon has is kissing the blarney rock, while other superstitions students have are more common Marisa Aiello staff writer

The Start of a New Year

There are many superstitions that are known to Sheldon students. Most of these superstitions, however, are from the theatre; but there are some that are outside the theatre. Just like any high school, Sheldon has many unique superstitions and traditions. Although some are well known, there are a few specific to certain programs.

Some students know many of the Sheldon superstitions, but some do not. Among these superstitions is the ‘kissing the blarney stone.’ Junior Amanda Willson said, “The only superstition I know of is the kissing of the rock.” Nancy Anderson, Sheldon choir and drama director said, “The only superstitions that I know of are the ghost light, dark spots, that there is a ghost in the theatre, and the kissing the blarney stone.” Sophomore Maddy Woods commented, “As far as I know the only superstition is kissing the blarney stone.”

Some students participate in these superstitions, depending on what they believe. “I think the reason that students believe in the ‘kissing the rock’ superstition is that it gives them a mentality that if they kiss the rock they will have good luck throughout the entire year,” Willson commented. “Most people believe in black cat crossings, walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella indoors, and throwing salt over your shoulder,” said Anderson. Woods said, “Most Most people start off with new people need something to believe in. For some it’s a religion but everyone believes in superstition.” goals for the year, but where do they There are superstitions and traditions for end up? every school, family, and person. Some are the same, some aren’t, but evThe ancient magic Lindsey Ragsdale eryone believes in something.

staff writer

One thing that comes with a new year along with partying and fireworks are the New Year’s resolutions. Almost everyone makes them, but after a few weeks most of them are forgotten. Many people’s resolutions revolve around weight, personality, work, school, and other personal activities. What does it take to stay loyal to New Year’s resolutions? Why are some of them so hard to keep? These questions depend on the person’s personal choices. “[My New Year’s Resolution is] to get my back handspring,”said freshman McKenzie LeClair. She is working very hard on her resolution and will keep working hard on it until she gets it down. “I want to get onto varsity cheer,” said LeClair.

There are many popular New Year’s resolutions, but being able to back handspring is not one of them. “To lose weight is one of the most popular,”said LeClair. There are many people across the country who want to lose weight, and resolutions involving personal appearance are always really popular.

“I want to get better grades this year,” said sophomore Maria Stefano. “I realized that my brother had better grades than me so I am going to start working hard on my homework.” School involved resolutions are very popular amoung students.

Grades aren’t as important to adults. “My New Year’s Resolution is to do my best to be nicer to other people,” said Michelle Taube, a scheduling office worker here at Sheldon. “I am going to really focus on what I say to others.” She is still true to her resolution after a month.

Some resolutions are harder to keep. “Those that involve food [are also the hardest to keep]” said Stefano. Food ones are not the only hard-tokeep resolutions. “Quitting smoking is really hard,” said Taube. Stoping bad habits is very challenging because sometimes people do them without noticing.

Although not very many people (“maybe 25 percent,” said LeClair) keep their resolutions, they are rewarded in the future. Sticking to resolutions can help change people into who they really want to be, so those of you who are still working on your resolutions, keep up the good w o r k !

The Power of Talismans

of a keepsake still works its magic in some people’s lives Anthony Rhodes editor-in-chief

The word talisman has been around for a long time. It is derived for the Greek verb teleo meaning to accomplish or bring into affect. Nearly all religions in human history have had some sort of talisman, or lucky charm that ranges from having healing properties, protection or success. Talismans very often are taken from sacred geometry.

The term “sacred geometry” is used by archaeologists, anthropologists, and geometricians to encompass the religious, philosophical and spiritual beliefs that have sprung up around the symbol. Sheldon librarian Mrs. Kessinger said, “I don’t think they have magic or anything, but it’s more of a concrete symbol of faith, and it’s if I think I can then I can.” The ancient Egyptians had several talismans such as the scarab beetle, the ankh, and the heart. Christian talismans are the cross and the fish. Jewish and Kabbalah talismans are the Star of David, the Hamsa, the five metals ring, and the tree of life. Buddhists have mandalas, OM, and the Tibetan knot.

Many people have different ideas on talismans and their ‘powers.’ Sophomore Emma Catalano said, “No, I don’t think they have magic, because magic doesn’t exist.”

Many cultures have had different ‘magic’ views; the power of these talismans is vast and mysterious.

Some people see talismans as not only objects, but as heritage as well. Vice Principle Mike Johnson said, “I am not superstitious but I like to think that my Irish heritage gives me good fortune, and that my Native American heritage gives me the determination to make my fortune.”

Talismans are still in people’s lives, either if it’s an object or someone’s heritage, talismans give a sort of comfort for people. The ancients believed in the power of fortune.