WEST ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL
WHIRLWIND
ISSUE 1 APRIL
2021
After a year we’re all ready to leave behind, we’re looking forward, eagerly awaiting the bright future ahead of us
NEWS 4
Timeline: A year of C OV I D
6
Growing up in a pandemic
7
When teachers became students
8
How much of Gen Z is LGBTQ?
THE WHIRLWIND F R E S H S TA R T A year of isolation was a chance to try on a new hair style for these trend setters
Keep the spotlight on mental health
10
Staying safe this summer
12
School after Covid
14
Amazon is evil but convenient
20
Picking up new hobbies
22
How did fall sports go?
23
A decade of playing together
24
ARTS AND ENT What have band, choir and drama been up to?
27 28
Tr y i n g o n n e w l o o k s
OPINION 10
SPORTS Exercise and mental health
30
The rise of delivery jobs
31
Challenges, benefits of creating art in isolation
SPECIAL 15 16 17 18
The future of... doing stuff again education prom social action
R E A D T H E S E STO R I E S O N WA H S W H I R LW I N D. C O M
THE THRIFTING RENAISSANCE
ALPINE SKI R ACER GOES TO S TAT E
Three ways students are embracing thrifted clothes
Sophomore Justin Pohlschneider discusses his uncommon sport
2 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
REDEFINING ‘ C A N C E L C U LT U R E ’ Before we can have real conversations about cancel culture, we need to agree on what it is (and isn’t)
A CIVIL WA R OV E R A TRAFFIC LIGHT Gibson Hill Road traffic light elicits strong feelings from students
A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS IT’S BEEN ONE HELL OF A YEAR.
people who had never written an article before and didn’t know the basics of journalism, we I could use the phrase managed to produce a “unprecedented” or “tulot of high-quality stomultuous,” but frankly, ries about issues and those are getting a little topics directly relating worn out after being to our main audience — used in essentially every West Albany students. advertisement and news We contacted dozens of article written in the last sources, covered rele13 or so months — not vant events, and hopethat I don’t understand fully made the people why. Looking in the face that read our articles a of what we as the human little more knowledgerace went through, it can able. be hard to be creative at Of course, publishing times. Sometimes, it’s stories online isn’t nearnot always the worst ly the same as making a thing to use the same printed magazine. There words everyone else is something beautiful has been using. It saves about watching sometime, and it’s not exactF R O M (left to right) Sam Mattingly, Tori one read your article and ly like “unprecedented” Thorp, and Dezmond Remington behold a page you deor “tumultuous” are incorrect. The past year has definitely been both of signed. We may not get that experience this year, of seeing other students read about their peers’ those. Thankfully, creativity isn’t dead. The magazine accomplishments and what people have been doyou’re holding in your hands right now should ing this whole episode in time, but that’s not the be proof enough. Making this magazine wasn’t important part. We hope that by reading this magazine you get easy; even without a global pandemic, it always takes thousands of hours of total work and a lot something out of it, whether that’s a glimpse into of scrambling to report, design, and print it. Zoom an experience you never would have imagined or a classes, remote interviews, and rusty design skills new perspective on everything that has happened. Even though for the past year pretty much everydidn’t help. We are proud of our staff. On a team with many thing normal stopped, life didn’t. History didn’t. And the future is fast dawning on us.
WHIRLWIND S TA F F
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dezmond Remington To r i T h o r p MANAGING EDITOR Sam Mattingly COPY EDITORS Eleanor Peterson Nicole Williams BUSINESS MANAGER Eleanor Peterson ART DIRECTOR Coral CwmCwlamare AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT To r i T h o r p NEWS Brogan O’Hare OPINION Ethan Biersdorff SPECIAL Hannah Field SPORTS Melia Rasmussen A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T Brooklyn D’Alessio Ty l e r S ta c y S TA F F Gracie Balkema Emily Conners Gabrielle Emery Marshall Hamel Belen Hernandez-Escalona Hailey Miles Joe Wagner Zoey Zarkou ADVISER Michelle Balmeo T H E W H I R L W I N D I S A D E D I C AT E D STUDENT FORUM. CONTENT AND EDITORIAL DECISIONS ARE MADE BY S T U D E N T S TA F F M E M B E R S E X C E R C I S I N G THEIR RIGHTS AS PROTECTED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE OREGON STUDENT FREE EXPRESSION L A W ( O R E . R E V. S TAT. S E C . 3 3 6 . 4 7 7 (2007)). OPINIONS ARE THOSE OF THE W H I R W L I N D S TA F F A N D N O T W E S T A L B A N Y H I G H S C H O O L O R T H E G R E AT E R A L B A N Y P U B L I C S C H O O L D I S T R I C T.
Blue Level Sara Sass Nicole Peterson Shibi Murali Sarah Nicols Ron Rasmussen Amy Fandrem Jean Gritter Sandra Jane Marshall Mollee Cory
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS: Bulldog Level Gold Level Kathleen Balmeo Serena Lee Sharlene Hanley Tanner Hurt Jeff Trower Genee Tennent Rick Wagner Jr. Karen Rasmussen Marlane Zerby Celine Liong
Sheron Bradley Chris Swift Joan Rasmussen Dena Minato Danita Hamel Stacey Lary Parul Goyal Kriti Garg Malini Ramaiyer
Travis and Gina Remington Scott Colins Jaci Eiquihua Karl Grubaugh
THE WHIRLWIND 3
TIMELINE: A YEAR OF C
VID-19
A look back over the events of the last year of quarantines, lockdowns, and the pandemic that rocked our world BY Brogan O’Hare
M A R C H 1 3 , 2 0 2 0 . That’s the day our state, our nation, and our world began shutting down, due to 2019-nCoV., commonly known as COVID-19. The world changed a lot this past year, so here’s a look back over the events surrounding COVID-19 and 2020 as a whole. Here’s an ode, to COVID-19.
January 7, 2020 First cases of COVID-19 confirmed
April 8, 2020 Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces that all public schools in the state will remain closed through the end of the school year
“I was personally in a yucky spot and getting school cancelled took this insane weight off my shoulders, but it was so sad as well because of ‘Mary Poppins.’ ... I remember trying really hard to fight back tears and be reasonable about the entire situation, but when we all left the stage a lot of kids were crying and it was hard to keep it together after that.” K AT Y B A G L E Y J U N I O R
March 29, 2020
The White House makes a disaster declaration for Oregon. “This declaration is an important first step towards unlocking all available federal resources for Oregon’s March 23, 2020 state, tribal, and local Governor Kate Brown issues a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I appreciate executive order mandating a the responsiveness of Vice at-home policy for Oregonia President Pence and federal administration officials to our requests for aid,” said Governor Kate Brown.
April 8, 2020 OSAA cancels all remaining Spring activities, State Championships
July 27, 2020
“Honestly, I remember not minding [masks] much. I figured if the CDC said it would keep people safe, there was no harm in it.”
MEGAN DORN SENIOR
June 29, 2020 Mask mandate in Oregon takes place
4 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
A group of Oregon teachers and supporters hold a caravan protest in Salem, demanding that in-person classes be canceled until counties see a sustained drop in COVID-19 cases.
News
“Most likely, every student at West Albany remembers when the schools in Albany had to be closed for sanitation due to the outbreak of the Norovirus... Taking what
January 20, 2020
happened in the past and applying it to the
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States
present, sickness can spread very quickly.”
February 28, 2020
JUNIOR CORBIN CELLERINI IN THE FEBRUARY 2020 ISSUE OF THE WHIRLWIND
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in Oregon
March 8, 2020 Governor Kate Brown declares a State of Emergency for the new coronavirus in Oregon
March 13, 2020 Former President of the United States Donald Trump declares a national emergency
March 12, 2020 Governor Kate Brown orders the state’s public schools to cancel classes through March 31, 2020
March 12, 2020
ssues an ting a staygonians
OSAA cancels remaining Winter State Championships
March 11, 2020 The World Health Organization declares the novel coronavirus a pandemic
“At first I thought, this is a good idea, it’s safer, how hard can it be? But then we got into it... we were teaching classes every single day, and that got hard....I felt a little panicky, wondering if I could keep up, but I did, so it’s water under the bridge now. But, boy, at the time it was really hard.” M A R G I E G R AV E S E N G L I S H T E A C H E R
August 27, 2020
April 19, 2021
West Albany class of 2022 graduates in a drive-in ceremony
West Albany Students expected to return to in-person learning through Hybrid model
September 14, 2020 West students start Distance Learning for the 2020 - 21 academic year
Dates taken from official OSAA Website, letters from Superintendent Melissa Goff, and statements from Governor Kate Brown
NEWS / THE WHIRLWIND 5
BY Coral CwmCwlamare
How distance learning is affecting younger children
THE PA N D E M I C B R O U G H T new challenges
HAS
to the school system. Every child has to receive an education, but school also serves as a place for students to make friends. With distance learning making socializing much harder, how is the social development of primary school children impacted when they are separated from the world by a screen? “Children primarily learn through play during their early years,” child development teacher Shea Looper wrote in an email. Social development is children learning what is acceptable in society. “Through this, they develop their own individualism and differentiate themselves from others in their environment. Interacting with others allows children to develop in various ways including a better understanding of social cues[...] understand how to process their own emotions, and how to empathize with those around them.” Distance learning removes children from normal interactions that they would have in class and replaces it with screens. The use of technology has made it harder for students to socialize, as junior
Billy France-Bagwell has seen. His siblings in elementary school had their social interactions in class limited to the chat during class on Zoom. Outside of school, their main source of social interaction was through video games. Math teacher Alison Bryant has noticed similar changes in her own two young children. “My daughter is comfortable talking about her favorite cereal in breakout rooms,” Bryant said, “but she struggles in waiting in line for the bathroom and other skills you learn from interactions at school.” Motivational speaker James Clear broke down the process that it takes to form a habit into four steps in his book, “Atomic Habits,” which are a trigger, the desire for a result, the action, and the desired outcome. These actions once repeated become habits. People learn what is acceptable in society by observing and interacting with others. By mimicking what they see, they learn the action and repeat it until it becomes a habit. “It starts at home before they enter school[…] but as they get older, the social interactions they have at school and with peers impact their development,” Bryant said. Having social contact is also very important for a healthy mental state as humans are social creatures, but a lack of social contact affects people in different ways. “I feel like being on a screen for a year was long,” Bryant said, “It is hard as a teacher and for my kids, as
What is the best way to support children who don’t feel as comfortable with social interactions?
it lacks the social interaction that we often over look. My daughter has learned academically, she has learned technology that she wouldn’t have learned at age nine, but she is lacking socially.” Distance learning for all ages is done on a screen and there is much speculation about how healthy it is to be looking at a screen for long periods of time. In a study conducted by University of London lecturer on medical statistics and epidemiology Claire M. Nightingale found that children who spend more than three hours on a screen daily are more likely to show symptoms of insulin resistance, which serves as a factor in developing type two diabetes, when compared with their peers who used an hour or less. “With a decrease in play and an increase in the use of technology, we have seen various changes in children such as an increase in obesity and mental health disorders,” Looper wrote. “Although there are many negatives to using technology early, it’s important to note that we have also seen an increase in multitasking, problem-solving skills, and preparation for future tech careers.” With technology becoming a staple in classrooms there are both positive and negative consequences due to the changes, but primary school is now beginning in-person school for those who are choosing to, making children socializing with their peers just a bit easier.
The best thing we can do is empathize and support them to the best of our abilities. We are all in this together, and we all need time to adjust to something new, even if[...] returning to what was once deemed “normal”.
Shea Looper Child Development teacher
“As you try something new, it is very uncomfortable for everyone which people should remember.”
Alison Bryant math teacher
“I really like the idea of kids having small learning groups with a teacher watching over them[...] I feel like when kids have someone that understands them, [...] they could learn from the one on one socializing.”
Billy France-Bagwell junior CORAL CWMCWLAMARE
6 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
Teachers or Students? Teachers learn and adapt to distance learning BY Eleanor Peterson
ART BY Coral CwmCwlamare
NAME: Joe Meekins ROLE: Social studies teacher at Memorial Middle School EXPERIENCE: Eight years “Teachers have had an incredibly difficult time through this, as well as students. I see some of the ways that other teachers are teaching, and I’m just in awe of what teachers were able to do and how hard they are willing to work to make sure that students get educated to the fullest of our abilities.”
AT T H E B E G I N N I N G
of distance learning last year, Jana Pierce stared at her screen passively typing on her keyboard. By the time she was done, it had been eight hours since the onslaught of zoom meetings began. But Pierce isn’t a student — she’s a teacher and she’s spent the last year trying to learn the ins and outs of teaching online. “We didn’t know anything about Canvas,” math teacher Marcie McArthur said. “We didn’t know Zoom and then just all the parts of scheduling the period, like how long of a lesson can I teach? And how much homework?” These are just some of the issues teachers have had to juggle over the past year. From dealing with problems on Canvas to learning how to work around internet issues, teachers have spent the past year learning how to handle the unexpected problems that can arise from teaching online. “The biggest takeaway is that nothing’s for sure. Everything can change in a split second,” Memorial Middle School teacher Joe Meekins said. “Last year we were teaching a normal year and all of a sudden that got turned on its head.” Since starting school online, teachers have struggled with a variety of different issues, a huge one being the lack of interaction with their students. “The other hardest part was just not being able to make connections like you normally do,” Meekins said. “I think most of us got into teaching because we wanted to connect and assist
NAME: Jana Pierce ROLE: Second Grade teacher at liberty Elementary School EXPERIENCE: 15 years “I have seen my 2nd graders amazingly rise to the occasion. They’re able to manage their supplies, they’re able to manage their work, they get on themselves on time. So some of that self advocacy and that self independence has really come a long way, and we’ve seen amazing growth in a lot of these kids.”
NAME: Marcie McArthur ROLE: Algebra teacher at West Albany EXPERIENCE: 21 years “I think [it would be good] if more people would realize that whether or not you guys learned some of the content is less important than some of the other skills you’ve learned this year. That will be better for [students] in the long run.”
students with this time in their life, and this format made ality when there’s no interaction with them and it’s even it really difficult.” harder to know whether or not they’re struggling. Similarly to “We have to how many stuhave a kid show dents have been up to Zoom or struggling with there’s nothing we the lack of socan do to help,” cial interaction, McArthur said, teachers too have “so when kids struggled from a aren’t showing lack of connecup or showing up tion with their and not interactM AT H T E A C H E R M A R C I E M C A R T H U R students. ing, there’s noth“When we ing more we can teach in front of kids, we give all of our personality out do than what we’re already doing.” to you guys, but then we get you back, it’s a give and While this year has undoubtedly been tough on both take” McArthur said, “where with being on Zoom and students and teachers, McArthur has an interesting view most of the time cameras aren’t on, I think as teachers on the situation. we’re just giving everything of ourselves, but we don’t “I think that everyone has gained more in this sithave it coming back like our normal interaction with stuuation than they’ve lost,” McArthur said. “[Students] dents that we would have, so it’s exhausting and it’s not had to step up because there’s nobody else to do it for as fulfilling.” you. From the time you guys are in kindergarten, we Most teachers get into teaching in order to bond with hold your hand and do half of everything for you and and help students. Online teaching just isn’t a compatithen all of a sudden we just dropped you off on your ble format for that. It’s difficult to form bonds with stuown this year. People’s grades might not have been what dents when many of them never turn on their cameras. they used to be, but in the scope of life with the content According to Meekins, he found himself having never and the grades, I think what you have actually learned is seen some of his students who logged into his classes so much more important for the rest of your lives than everyday. It’s difficult to get a feel for a student’s personwhatever math class you didn’t get an A in.”
“When we teach in front of kids, we give all of our personality out to you guys, but then we get you back.”
NEWS / THE WHIRLWIND 7
ONE I N SIX One in six gen z adults Identify as LGBTQ+ and that nuber continues to grow as teens explore their identity.
A r t a n d S t o r y B Y To r i T h o r p
8 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
SOPHOMORE ALICE WHITESIDE
knew she wasn’t what
she was expected to be. She knew she would have to tell the world that she was something other than what it had always wanted her to be. She knew she wasn’t straight. As soon as she started dating her girlfriend, she realized that everyone else would know, too.
SEXUALITIES OF WEST The proportion of sexual identities at West Albany based on a survey sent out by email 72.4% Straight 11.8% Bisexual 6% Queer/Unlabeled 4% Gay 3.3% Asexual 2.6% Lesbian 1.8% Other “I feel like everyone should have to come out or no one should,” Whiteside said. “I did it, and however I feel about it, I’m out now, but there are a lot of challenges. It’s something that some people want you dead for, and it’s something that some people are going to disown you for, and it’s something that some people aren’t gonna want to be friends with you anymore for, and it’s not something that straight people have to go through.” In February of this year, a new in-depth study of America’s sexuality done by research company Gallup revealed that one in six Gen Z adults identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and that number is only expected to grow. The study surveyed over 15,000 Americans that were over the age of 18 and found that 15.9% of all Gen Z adults are not straight, with 78.9% identifying as heterosexual, and 5.2% having no opinion on the matter. This is the highest rate of LGBTQ+ adults in any generation since Millennials, in which 9.1% identify as LGBTQ+. In an average-sized class of 30 students at West Albany, according to Gallup’s study, at least five of those students will grow up to be an openly LGBTQ+ person as an adult. On-trend with the growing number of LGBTQ+ adults, more Americans are supportive of equal rights for all sexualities and gender identities than ever, which is one of the reasons experts at Gallup and other research organizations predict that more people feel comfortable living as openly queer. Junior Andy Craig has long been a supporter and ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and he feels that the progress society has made toward acceptance and equality is essential, but not nearly where we should be. “We are definitely advancing to a more progressive society,” Craig said, “but we’re coming from burning these people for feeling a certain way to being tolerant of them, and we still have a long way to go before there’s equality.” Support for LGBTQ+ marriage is up by 4% since 2019, according to a study done by Gallup that found that 67% of all Americans in 2020 believe that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid and with the same rights as traditional marriages, in comparison to the 63% that thought this was true in 2019. The acceptance rates for the LGBTQ+ community have been steadily increasing but have jumped to over half during the 2000s. The network of social platforms that are available to young people where they can freely explore and express their sexual and gender identity anonymously or in a community of online friends has also contributed to the influx of teens identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community. As more resources become available online, students are able to access more information that was at one time out of reach to them. This means, inevitably, more exposure to diversity of all types. Junior Sachi Wrigley began their journey of self-discovery on social media and continues to question through online platforms. “I wouldn’t have known anything about labels or sexuality or gender identity if I hadn’t been on social media because I come from a pretty conservative town so I never considered any of it,” Wrigley said. “I just knew there are gay people and there
are straight people, and I assumed I was a straight person.” Wrigley currently identifies as aro-ace and agender, meaning they have no relationship with gender and they don’t feel romantic or sexual attraction of any kind. The most common misconception Wrigley faces is the assumption that being aromantic and asexual is a sad, difficult thing. “A lot of people have a complicated relationship with their sexuality, and a lot of times I’ve had to tell people that me not experiencing attraction isn’t sad,” Wrigley said. “I can still enjoy life because it’s not all dependent on that one thing. As much as the misconceptions hurt, there’s a support system, and we have the internet at our fingertips, so you can always look for those people that will support you.” Although the internet is seen by many as a retreat to a more accepting community, there are also those online who don’t agree with the LGBTQ+ community living openly. “Anyone with an opinion can put anything out on social media,” Whiteside said, “whether that’s someone who is homophobic and saying gay people are going to hell or someone gatekeeping the gay community, telling people they don’t look gay or they do look gay.” The stereotypes for each sexuality have reached their peak due to the internet and the collection of memes, chat groups, and discussions that continue to build up in the archives of the web. As more stereotypes appear, others are shut down or even replaced. Regardless, the journey of sexuality and gender orientation that many teens have embarked on due to the internet and a more accepting environment is a long, occasionally stressful, and often controversial topic. Still, 15.9% of adults in Gen Z have found their way to living an openly LGBTQ+ life. “Questioning your sexuality is realizing that you’re not what you’re expected to be,” Whiteside said. “Maybe you find the perfect label on the first try, and maybe you don’t. There’s always going to be a community of people that will accept you for wondering and questioning, and it’s okay, and it’s normal.”
TERMS TO KNOW Useful words to know when discussing sexuality and gender Cisgender: Identifying as the gender that corresponds to one´s sex at birth. This is the majority of people, and is sometimes referred to as ¨Cis.” Heteronormativity: The belief that being straight is the default, normal, or most natural sexuality in society. This belief system can often be harmful to sexual minorities because it implies that they are lesser or unnatural. Non-binary: Not relating to or identifying with a male or female gender. Oftentimes, non-binary people use they and them pronouns or other non-binary specific pronouns, but non-gendered pronouns are not required to identify as non-binary. Queer: An umbrella term for anyone that does not identify as straight and/ or cisgender. Some LGBTQ+ people use this term as their label, and others use it in addition to another label. Transgender: Identifying as a gender that does not correspond with one’s sex at birth. Transgender women were assigned male at birth and transgender men were assigned female at birth. Transgender people often choose to go through hormone therapy or surgery to better reflect the gender they identify as. NEWS / THE WHIRLWIND 9
Opinion
We need to keep talking about mental health W H E N I T C O M E S T O H E A LT H , the first thing that most people think of is physical health, leading many to forget how important mental health is. Everyone has to focus on their mental health to various degrees, whether you have a mental health disorder or just occasional anxiety. We all experience it. Yet, as a society, we still struggle to talk about it. That needs to change. This is where COVID-19 came in as something surprisingly beneficial, as everyone began to become more aware of mental health problems as a whole — not just something experienced by a few of “those” people. Last year took a toll on everyone, and while we all had our own experiences, we began to discuss the stress brought on by the world we live in. According to nonprofit re-
Students who in the last year experienced some form of mental issue or struggle
Did not 40.8%
Did 59.2%
search and advocacy group Mental Health America, world issues increased conversation and led to more people seeking help, with 93% more people being screened for depression in 2020 and 62% more people being screened for anxiety using their screening tools. More people trying to get help is incredible, and while it is sad it had to be brought on by the wave of isolation, it was a necessary change. One in five adults
S TA F F E D I T O R I A L The opinion of the Whirlwind Editorial Board struggled with some form of mental illness before COVID-19, and that has likely increased since the quarantine began. Yet 24% of adults with a mental illness reported an unmet need for treatment, and that number hasn’t declined since 2011. There are multiple flaws in our mental health care system, from the difficulty in attaining care to the struggle to get good information. There is one simple solution to the flaws, and that is for everybody to reframe how mental health is viewed to be more accepted and treated on a wider scale. Progress has certainly been made over the past year, but now that we are easing our way back into society, we
CAUTIOUS FUN
BY Hailey Miles
Let’s return to the fun this summer, but stay safe, too SUMMERTIME
I S C O M I N G up in two months. Everybody is excited to go to the beach, the pool and to hang out with their friends. despite our desire to get back to normal, going places isn’t the best idea right now. People are so very anxious to get out of their houses and be with people, but it’s not safe, people have already been doing this, It’s getting better but our want to go out should stay low. Safety measures should be kept going, and it’s im-
10 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
portant because these rules make sure we don’t get sick . Wearing a face mask is crucial. Not wearing one can lead to the spread of germs you exhale out of your mouth when you talk, breath, sneeze or cough. Wearing one will make it so when you do some of the following, it will not spread to others. The absolute best way to keep away from COVID-19 is to social distance. If you’re on a run or on a hike, you should wear a face covering at least when people are with you, and try
cannot stop working, or even worse, begin to regress. Mental health care should be affordable and easily accessible for everyone, and that simply isn’t the case. Right now we are currently in a system of “need” and ”hope,” when what we deserve is “want” and ”get.” Our school has been doing an okay job of presenting options to those in need, but it should be more than that. Everyone gets stressed and frustrated with life struggles, and anyone that wants help should feel able to get it because they should be. While our school does provide options, they aren’t wide enough to reach everyone in need of help. When looking at the school website, it was somewhat difficult to navigate overall, with mental health resources not being easy to find. On the home page, the closest thing to mental health resources we found were “wellness videos,” which were just videos and websites that redirect you to breathing techniques and body scans, which anyone that has struggled with depression can tell you is only a small part of feeling better. You can click on departments and counseling, which has the counselors’ emails and phone numbers, and does lead to a very helpful Google Doc, but for those searching the website for the mental health care options and resources from the school it can be somewhat disappointing. On the Doc, they present more things like wellness and self care apps and tips, but while for some that may be enough, for others it is just not. They do have an app suggestion to help those struggling with self harm, and although it is hard to speak to the helpfulness of that
Those who felt they could get help if they needed it
Did not 27.27% Did 72.73% according to a sur vey of 282 students
to stay 6 feet away from others. When people do sports, it’s crucial to sanitize equipment and keep a mask on. Restaurants are opening back up again, but before going to any restaurant stop and think, does this restaurant enforce safety procedures to help lessen the spread of COVIDvvw-19?, most restaurants have been doing a great job at it. Others not so much. Make sure when you’re at a restaurant you wear a mask, obviously not when you’re eating, but if you’re around others or when the server is around, definitely wear a mask. Along with that, make sure to sanitize or wash your hands before and after eating at a restaurant. If you are vaccinated, it is significantly safer to travel than if you are not. The vaccines though aren’t perfect, you
without experiencing that particular struggle first hand, the effort is an important step. Other than that, there are crisis resources which can be helpful for those in crisis and the Trevor Project contact information which is an incredible resource for those in the LGBTQ+ community who need someone to talk to in a safe space. The issue is, for those who either need a small amount or a lot of help, the resources available are out there, but for those in between there just isn’t much to work with. The counselors do care and can help with issues like school stress. They can help with options like discussing college applications to make that easier, help if there is a scheduling issue giving you anxiety, or talking through a school problem that they have knowledge on and can sometimes directly help with. Unfortunately, as far as basic struggles outside of school and having to do with mental health problems, they can’t really do as much. The effort is incredibly important, but effort without the resources for everyone is not an effective solution When it comes to mental health affected by the school, they can do quite a bit to help, but outside of that, they offer to connect you to a therapist, which is a far more expensive option than just talking to someone the district employs. Therapy can cost anywhere from $60 to $120 on an hourly rate without insurance, and $20 to $50 on an hourly rate with insurance, with some outliers being a bit cheaper or way more expensive. This can be unaffordable for many families, and that isn’t even taking
into account that in Oregon if you are under 18 you need a parent’s consent to get therapy, and that just isn’t possible for some due to stigma surrounding mental health or the cost making some parents avoid therapy altogether. For anyone who has struggles with any form of anxiety, depression, or anything like it, you know how hard it can be to reach out. Although resources have been better publicized with the pandemic making so many lives harder, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to something as fragile as mental health, more has to be done. One definite fix is to offer clear explanation of exactly what the counseling center can and can’t do for students when it comes to mental health support so they know ahead of time what to expect. A lot of what the school does to support students is done behind closed doors for privacy reasons, but more of what can be done should be presented so students know what is available to them. Another thing that would help is more options presented for those students who need more than breathing techniques but less than crisis resources. The difficulty accessing things outside of crisis resources shows a big flaw in how our society views mental health.
It’s difficult to pinpoint one exact solution to this problem, but the oversimplified answer is that as a society we need to become more accepting of one another. We are sadly stuck in a scenario where not everyone that wants or sometimes even needs help can get it, but that can change. Everyone can do more, from the school we go to, all the way up to the state we live in, which is, according to Mental Health America, rated 41/51 out of all states and the District of Columbia in proportion of youth with mental health issues that are being helped. Care should be cheaper and easier to reach, and should have nowhere near as much stigma as it does. Mental health as a whole needs to stray from being a taboo topic, or something we only talk about during tragedies that costs people’s lives. Mental health conversation should be just as easy to talk about as a dentist appointment or a sports injury. Fortunately there is a way for anyone to help, completely free of charge. This is an issue that affects everybody, so there is an incentive for everyone to work together on this. It doesn’t matter if you have mental illness or not, everyone deserves access to reliable and
Mental health is viewed as something that gets addressed in extreme situations, not nearly as much through everyday stresses and difficulties. Everyone’s mental health needs to be viewed as more important and certainly not something to be ashamed of. Expressions of emotions need to be viewed as normal, not as a sign of weakness.
affordable care and currently we have a long way to go to get there, but the end result is worth the effort. For now, spread awareness and care for your peers. That’s it. Completely free and easy to do as long as you really care. Those two things alone can make a huge difference in how our society deals with mental health as a whole.
Have you ever tried counseling through the school system? Yes. It did not go well, it felt more like they were forcing me to do counseling, than it being my own choice. I tried once going to them for help when I had a panic attack in freshman year, and instead of asking me what they could do to make me more comfortable or help me calm down, they did the opposite and actually took me away from my friend who I said I wanted with me, and took me to an office away from where I had been calming down, which actually gave me more anxiety. They’ve several times called my mom instead of asking me if I was okay or following up on things they had assumed that I said or was feeling.
How did that make you feel? It made me disappointed in our school’s counseling system, and it frustrated me a lot. To me counseling, therapy, and things like that deal with very vulnerable emotions, and they shouldn’t be as public as they make it feel.
What do you believe should be changed about the system to be more effective for students? Instead of contacting a parent, I think that they should contact the student personally. It is the student’s wellbeing that they are asking about, so they shouldn’t be going to someone that’s not them. They should be trying to understand what’s going on before making assumptions about our wellbeing.
Q & A WITH JUNIOR IZZY HARWOOD
Illustrations by Coral CwmCwlamare
still have to wear a mask and practice social distancing. If you do vacation, it’s safer to do everything privately, private transportation, and private place to stay. Plan ahead, make your own food and don’t go out. Most people don’t even want to have visitors, many places outside of America still aren’t accepting of tourists bringing in the virus. Parties are the same, parties usually include 10 or more people and that’s super unsafe, even with masks on. You are purposely choosing to risk your health and others. If it’s a social distancing party, then that’s great. The question is, who’s going to throw a socially distanced party? You would think people would be smart enough to understand not to throw parties but you best believe it, people do it. It’s a super good decision to get tested for
COVID-19, if you are experiencing any symptoms. It doesn’t require anything like needles, which people hate. It just involves a little swabbing for people to test and within a day or two, you can get the results and know if you do or don’t have it. If it turns you out you do have it, that’s half good because then you know not to go out at all and quarantine until you heal. Regardless, it’s a serious thing. People are dying, and without following these simple rules, you could hurt yourself or others. If we all just stick together and do what we are supposed to do, COVID-19 will become weaker or even go away, then everyone can go back to being with their friends and family. It just takes patience and it will be worth it.
There have been 129 million cases worldwide of Coronavirus and 2.83 million deaths. Not taking precautions has a big impact on these cases.
Coral CwmCwlamare
OPINION / THE WHIRLWIND 11
DIGITAL DOWNGRADE:
the future of
EDUCATION
“Working online has been easier for me because I have fewer distractions and I can work at my own pace.” FRESHMAN OWEN ROBERTS
Where is the education system is going after a year of chaos, uncertainty and screens? BY Emily Conners
On top of lower acceptance rates, many With the ongoing pandemic, students students may not have the grades to get are starting to sweat. The pandemic has into colleges due to the struggles some affected our lives in a lot of different are experiencing with online classes. ways. For some people it has set their Overall, a large sum of college freshlives on a completely different path, for men are or will be off to a rocky start. better or for worse. On the other hand, This may cause some to drop out of colsome have simply hit pause on life and lege or not start at all. Globally, 2 milsome day soon they’ll have to continlion students drop out of college every ue on their path. For students who are year. This rate is unacceptable. School at the beginning of that path, it’s still should be challenging but not so hard unknown what the long term effects of you have to drop out. In 2020, 30% of this year will have on their futures. students dropped out of school. Students aren’t just missing out on There’s also the emotional prom or athletic events. StuTHE toll of the pandemic that will dents are missing precious affect many going to away time for figuring out LEADING colleges. Most have been who they are, building CAUSE FOR trapped inside with their lifelong friendships, DROPPING OUT making memories OF HIGH SCHOOL IS families and only seeing and so much more. NOT KNOWING HOW friends socially distanced. For some students it may All the while stuTO READ. become a culture shock to dents are missing out be away from home for so on scholarships, college long after being at home for income is low due to the the past year. At the same time, lack of dorm, dining and genothers may see this as an opportunity eral campus usage. Colleges are strugor a breath of fresh air and take some gling with their own budgetary issues time to themselves in a whole new enafter an unpredictable year in which the vironment. pandemic sent campuses into chaos in On the other hand, there’s been an March 2020. While the same federal fiexpanded discovery in the use of technancial aid options still exist, the availnology for remote learning. Schools ability of institutional aid for students can take advantage of the knowledge will vary across colleges. we now have to advance teaching and For example, the acceptance rates learning techniques to better educate in the 2018-19 school year at Oregon students. Many students who thrive in State University were at 84%. This year person have been struggling online and they’ve gone up by two percent. This can’t wait to get back in classrooms. means 18 out of 100 young adults are However, there’s been an increase in missing out on a chance at University.
12 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
“The social aspect of school was always my favorite part. Getting that taken away has taken the fun out of learning.” FRESHMAN G R E TC H E N M O R G E N ST E R N
“Online school has been a struggle for me because I feel like I’m not learning the material I’m supposed to be getting.” JUNIOR H A I L E Y WA D L I N GTO N
AC C O R D I N G TO U N I V E R S I T Y O F K A N S A S
success of students who usually struggle with most aspects of in person schooling. If colleges, universities and high schools are able to continue to offer online learning options in addition to their pre-pandemic programs, it will help students who would usually struggle to be successful. The pandemic has lasted over a year and now with the vaccine, the future is getting brighter. The question is, how long will it take higher learning institutions that depend on tuition, fees and proceeds from sporting events to keep their programs running, to recover? While colleges depend significantly on tuition to run their programs, the vast majority of colleges depend on their sports programs for a substantial portion of their budget. With the lack of sporting events due to social distancing, students haven’t had the opportunities to be scouted nor do the schools have the funding to give scholarships. Nothing but time will repair what we’ve lost. On the bright side, It is predicted that college admissions will rely less on SAT and ACT testing scores, making some
of the more prestigious schools more attainable to students who previously would not have qualified. While schools may still choose students with better SAT and ACT scores, they won’t be as rigorous as they would pre-pandemic. Hopefully this will offer an even playing field for students of all kinds. With that said, there are still issues with the school system going back to “normal”. Many have found that they have been thriving not just in school but in their daily lives. Those who are thriving fear when they go back to school, which is often draining and stressful, they may fall back into old habits. Schools have been offering more mental health support over quarantine and that momentum must be maintained when students go back to school. Though Covid is not done with us yet, there is an end in sight. The pandemic has been long, but recovery will be longer. However, with this recovery we will come out of the hardship with more knowledge and gratitude than ever before; holding out hopes for the education system to have a speedy recovery. OPINION / THE WHIRLWIND 13
COMFORT AT A COST How one of the biggest monopolies has won over the world BY Nicole Williams
Aliexpress is a Chinese retailer with extremely aires donate a portion of their wealth WORKERS SCURRY LIKE cheap prices. However, you get what you pay for. to charitable causes. Also according to M I C E from left to right, spreading themselves thin as they try to complete orders correctly and on time. Meanwhile, a multi billionaire relaxes upon his throne, ready to replace employees faster than an Amazon Prime delivery. Amazon, the largest online retailer in the world, has become a monopoly. Other companies have been swallowed up by Amazon’s greed, putting them into bankruptcy and out of business. Amazon’s intelligent business model saves consumers time and money, but it’s corrupt ways ruin any chance of competition, destroying any chance that more creative and sustainable small businesses have in the marketing world. The corporation’s sales have skyrocketed over quarantine. The inability to safely enter malls caused a lot of people to turn to online shopping, with Amazon being the first choice. According to Forbes, one in three Americans now have Amazon Prime. The Heritage Mall was once filled with As one enters a mall, they can see that there are multiple gaps that stores once filled. In the Heritage Mall, stores like Famous Footwear are disappearing and are now covered by gates and “For Lease” signs. Behind the scenes of Amazon’s warehouses, workers replace the bustle that malls once had. Where cars once filled the parking lots and streets of towns, Prime trucks dart around cities. The bustling mall culture is dying and being overtaken by dishonorable Jeff Bezos. This company provides efficiency and quality. With two day shipping and low prices, consumers are showing loyalty to their online presence. However, this puts a lot more strain on already overworked employees, especially during the holiday season where families are supposed to spend time with family. Competing online stores such as Aliexpress and Flipkart are not well known by the general public, nor have the quality that Amazon provides. Amazon pushed those retailers into the dirt as they grew.
the New York Times, workers have been trying to attempt to unionize and raise the minimum wage with no success. Small business owners like sellers on Etsy or Depop are famous for their dedication to their work and are much more excited about a customer than Amazon is. They put the time and effort into their work, often adding little gifts or handwritten notes in their packages. Small businesses truly care about their customers, but they struggle when their prices are undercut by Amazon. Along with small businesses being harmed, Amazon workers are known to be mistreated in the workplace. They work long hours in unsafe conditions that barely meet the standards required in a workplace. Workers describe their time with Amazon and treatment of employees as being “treated like robots,” according to Time. They work long hours and can be fired for even just calling out the company for the lack of sympathy for the working class. One Amazon employee who had worked at Amazon for five years, Chris Smalls, was fired after speaking out CORAL CWMCWLAMARE against the incorrect precautions taken to contain Covid-19. He reported cases of Small businesses that have competition with Amazon have also been negatively affected by fatigue and sickness to Human Resources, but they quarantine and the increase of Amazon uses that did nothing. He was fired after going to the general came with it. Switching from in person sales to manager, who ignored his concerns, according to online has not been easy. In order to sell their The Guardian. In the end, the cons outweigh the pros. The treatproduct, they must join forces with Amazon and advertise themselves under their name. Portions ment of workers and downfall of small businesses of their sales go to the corporation instead of their to support this multi-billion dollar corporation is not worth it. Although it is necessary in some cases, it’s own label, which can bring them down. Jeff Bezos’ corrupt behavior shows that he only better to find more sustainable options where owncares about his own wealth. Out of the four most ers actually care about their work force. Consumers wealthy people in the world, he has not joined the must find other ways to support sustainable means Giving Pledge, according to news site AOL. The of production. Giving Pledge is an organization that has billionMany of these items take weeks, if not months to arrive. These items can also be lower quality. The only way to prevent this is to read the reviews, and consumers who do their research can spend five extra minutes to find the right product with pristine quality.
There are multiple small businesses to support in Albany, which are a smart alternative to Amazon. Lolita’s: An Asian-owned shop in the Heritage Mall provides tapestries, clothes, jewelry, and so much more.
Albany Antique Mall: Looking for some vintage decorations for your room? Look no further as the downtown store holds everything from quaint lamps to license plates.
Urban Ag Supply: A shop with sustainable goods and garden tools provides everything a plant connoisseur would ever need. It is also possible to order online.
14 WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
Everyone’s tired of the past year, so we’re taking a look at the FUTURE of our world
TO R I T H O R P
THE FUTURE OF
DOING STUFF AGAIN
How are students planning to make the ‘20s roar? BY Marshall Hamel
T H E P A N D E M I C H A S had tremen-
dous effects on students, but as summer gets closer by the day, students are making plans.“As an extrovert I’m usually out with my friends, but Covid has forced me to spend more time by myself,” sophomore Erik Forsyth said. “I look forward to meeting new people and being able to go on trips again. The pandemic has really made me miss the small things in life.” Forsyth isn’t the only one who’s looking forward to the return of many things we once took for granted. Many students have been longing for the days past since Covid first hit. “I’ll be a lot happier when we go back to the norm,” said junior Billy France-Bagwell. “I can’t wait to go to concerts again. I need my fix. I’d love to see Megadeth and Metallica.” Although people are excited to return to the way things were, some changes won’t be so easy to adjust to. “Walking around without a mask is gonna be really weird for me,” Bagwell said. “It’s been
so long since I’ve been able to do that. Honestly I don’t know how I’ll adjust to that.” It’s no surprise that many people, especially teens, are eager to finally spend time engaging in their hobbies for the first time in what feels like forever. As the number of cases falls, and the state begins to open up, people have their eyes set on escaping the nightmare that the pandemic has been. However, some students, like junior Andy Craig, have bigger plans. “The pandemic totally impacted my life. It changed everything. Craig said. “But I’ve got big ambitions. I’ve been doing a little modeling, and once we open up there will be a lot more opportunities. And I’ve also got a band. I’m hoping to play some live shows in front of actual people.” While lack of ambition plagued many young people throughout the pandemic, a wave of hope has spread among the youth. As the air begins to lose the sting of cold and the sun begins to shine, the future seems closer than ever before.
Q+A WITH SOPHOMORE PA D G E T WA S H KO BY Gracie Balkema
We’ve been in quarantine for almost a year now, are you ready for it to be over? Wow, [It’s been almost a year] I would love for it [the pandemic] to be over. I’d like to go outside and do things, the worst part about this is the fact that I went to that yogurt extreme place where you build your own ice cream, and you can’t make it yourself anymore… I always feel so bad it’s like “Can I have more chocolate?”
Has the pandemic changed your perspective on life? Well because of the pandemic it’s been a lot easier… I’ve gotten to do a lot more reading and have [got caught up] in the state of the nation, which has been interesting especially because of the pandemic from seeing the response from local governments, national governments about how to handle this had been very eye opening.
Did you have any plans before the pandemic? Oh yeah, my family and my uncle’s family were going to go to California to the redwoods, or some other national park. SPECIAL / THE WHIRLWIND 15
THE FUTURE OF
Schooling
How this past year will affect the coming school years BY Sam Mattingly
TO R I T H O R P
What Do You Hope Changes Next Year?
Junior Sachi Wrigley
“I’d like everyone to more understanding of other’s learning styles. We’ve definitely gotten to see how different environments affect different people, and I think we can apply that to an in person classroom setting, too.”
[We] should take to heart the power of voices from minorities and the majority... Individuals of minorities have viewpoints and stories to tell that are unique... However, this doesn’t mean the majority should have their voices silenced, either. For WAHS to be an inclusive environment, all voices will need to be heard.”
Freshman Ming Wong
TO R I T H O R P
THE
E N D O F A N E R A is fast approaching, with schools moving from comprehensive distance learning, or CDL, to hybrid, a mix of online and in person. However, just because online learning is coming to a close doesn’t mean that this year will be completely forgotten. Because of this year, GAPS, or Greater Albany Public Schools, is a 1:1 technology district, meaning each kid gets a Chromebook like they would a textbook and bring it to classes as well as home. This means that things like snow days, excused absences, and homework expectations could change. For snow days, if there’s more than two or three days missed due to weather, schools are likely going to do online lessons in order to lose a minimal amount of time. As for excused absences, if a student is gone due to traveling, they can still attend school virtually so long as there’s an internet connection. Giving students the option to attend school online when they’re unable to physically attend, however, does have possible problems. 16 THE WHIRLWIND / April 2021
“I think that it probably could contribute to a very casual attitude regarding the importance of attendance and the importance of actually being here,” English teacher Blain Willard said. “There’s just an anti-social aspect to it that concerns me.” As for the logistics of being back in school, Willard doesn’t see things being too different. “I fully expect to once again see my students coming in the door shoulder to shoulder and holding hands and being with and enjoying one another,” Willard said. “I think that affection is so integral to human emotional health.” According to a survey of 280 West Albany students, kids from all grades are split on what they think may change in the future. Nearly just as many students see everything changing as those who see nothing changing. Then there’s another third who only think certain things will change. A few specific predictions include masks being required on school grounds, spacing out kids in the classroom so they’re not so close to one another, and in general just being more cautious around each other. However, outside of the external changes, the need for internal change has exposed itself.
“[This year] has confirmed my viewpoint...on how little we really are teaching about life,” U.S. History teacher Kyle Hall said. “We’ve been forced to cut a lot of curriculum stuff, and that’s showing that we don’t need it.” Hall also noted what he does to help kids enjoy their learning environment more, saying “I’m hoping...I can help other teachers realize it’s not too hard to just take a step back and really relate to you guys, and really try to just make sure you guys know that [school] is a very safe place.” There are numerous lessons learned from this past year, and everyone has been impacted in different ways. Some are hesitant to be around others, while others can’t wait to see their friends again. It wouldn’t be surprising if more restrictions were put into place to prevent the spread of illnesses because of this year, yet it wouldn’t be surprising if hardly anything changes. The bottom line is that we made it. And, as Willard said, “We are resilient. We are flexible. We can do hard and difficult things and be successful.”
What Do Students Think Will Change? THESE ARE THE MOST COMMON ANSWERS BASED ON A SURVEY OF 282 STUDENTS, WITH THE SIZE OF THE Q U O T E R E L AT I N G T O H O W C O M M O N T H AT A N S W E R WA S .
“Nothing, everything’s gonna stay the same.”
“Less homework and more understanding teachers”
THE FUTURE OF
“We’ll probably be required to wear masks for awhile.”
“I don’t think anyone really knows yet”
Prom
“More utilization of technology”
“More cleaning/ sanitation in classrooms”
BY Belen Hernandez-Escalona
YOU SAID
We asked for your ideas about how to make prom happen. Here’s what you said. At the staduim with the field lights
“Mask”-urade prom
A parking lot prom, outdoors and distanced
The new building where the doors open into the courtyard
W I T H A N E N T I R E LY
different perspective for the future, some people wonder if dances, specifically ones with bigger crowds like prom, will still exist or become a type of tale. Of course, some people want parties and dances the way they used to be before a nationwide pandemic. While it is another highschool milestone that would get possibly missed by this year’s juniors and seniors, there is a priority to keep the health of students first. Now that the U.S. is slowly but surely coming out with hopes of life returning to normal again, people want those bits of happiness back. Parties and dances bring never forgotten memories and stories to tell loved ones abouthat you tell your loved ones. Prom is planned by a group of juniors in leadership. They spend weeks on it, from finding the perfect theme to budgeting decorations, looking for the perfect place to throw prom, and finding ways to follow CDC guidelines. It can be possible to plan the perfect party without adding negatively to the pandemic. Especially now with new dates on returning back to in person school, the dreaming of dances should be wished on. Dulce Reyes, a senior this year, remembers prom fondly after being asked her sophomore year by a junior.
“Getting ready and dressing up for prom was fun,¨ Reyes said. ¨But going to the party, taking pictures, and dancing with friends was a whole other deal. Those are memories that I’m happy to keep forever”. While Reyes would love to go to prom one last time, she understands how scary the consequences can be if not planned properly. The main concern is protecting students, staff, and parents from contracting COVID-19, or causing an outbreak. Protection like masks and social distancing would automatically be put into place. Students must distance themselves from the people they did not come with. Masks must be worn all throughout the night. Some suggestions include that prom could be held in an outside environment, or in a spacious building. Both ways create great air circulation. Prom could also be separated into two events, allowing even less risk of exposure between the juniors and seniors. Chaperones would keep an eye out just like at any regular prom, but it would also include mask and distancing supervision. With these rules kept in place, it would allow such activities to start up again. With responsibility, it would allow the class of 2021 and 2022 to feel hopeful for the possibilities of a memorable prom. SPECIAL / THE WHIRLWIND 17
O V E R A D E C A D E A G O , modern apps began to make their debut. Facebook began the rise of social media, followed by Twitter, Instagram, and now Tiktok. These apps began as innocent hubs of social interaction and photos shared between friends. Since then, they have grown into enigmas of arguments, movements, political messages, and propaganda. They seem to have a life of their own, evolving to increase engagement and keep the eyes of viewers glued to the screen for as long as possible. Information on every topic you could dream of is available at a few clicks of your mouse, whether it’s true or not. This spread of political conversations among social media users sparked one of the largest movements America has ever seen: Black Lives Matter. In June of 2020, policeman Derek Chauvin killed a black man named George Floyd. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck until he suffocated from lack of airflow after Floyd attempted to use an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill. Immediately, the video of Floyd’s death was uploaded to social media, where it became one of the most polarizing subjects of 2020. Black Lives Matter, often shortened to BLM, was the conversation that grew to
Students were asked if their interest in protests and social action had increased in the last year.
53.2% SAID
YES
Everyone’s learned so much about issues and how to find valid research. The internet’s a crazy place. I think it’s gotten better, I’ve noticed just a lot more people are posting about things, which means that more people are aware. Spreading awareness has gotten a lot better.
a larger scale around the time of Floyd’s death. The idea that the policing system in the U.S. is an outdated, racist practice spread as progressive citizens began to arrange protests for Black Lives Matter. Opposers of Black Lives Matter took to the internet, beginning the opposition to BLM, All Lives Matter. All Lives Matter is the concept that no one should be killed, and while most BLM activists agree with this sentiment, it is believed to ignore the disproportionately large number of black men and women that police kill, which the phrase Black Lives Matter is meant to draw attention to. Online activism and the sheer number of informational posts found on any social media apps continue to grow as people see the influence that they can have on their followers by reposting an infographic or two. Despite the internet’s way of blowing things up and creating viral content in less than a day, there are doubts about the momentum of social action slowing down. As soon as COVID-19 vaccinations are widespread enough to be back to normal life, things may not expand as they have during the pandemic. The unknown future of activism is not predictable, but looking forward, the internet seems to have made itself a permanent influence on the political views of Americans across the nation.
A HOPEFUL TOMORROW Students share their hopes for the future
46.8% NO
“The best thing that we can do to continue the momentum is to bring our activism outside of social media. I think once we are back to in person gatherings, people will set activism aside because they have other things to do. If we make it a physical thing, like protesting and gathering and raising awareness in-person and outside of just social media, I think the momentum will continue.”
53.2% YES
- Senior Emily Ray
OF SOCIAL ACTION A r t a n d S t o r y B Y To r i T h o r p W I T H H a n n a h F i e l d
Last year, there were nearly 155 million voters that voted in the U.S. presidential election.
86.9% No 13.1% Yes Students were asked if they had been to a protest in the last year.
JUNIOR Amy Sisson
JU 18 THE WHIRLWIND / A PN R IEL 22002211
13.1% SAID YES
2020: 155 million voters 2016: 139 million voters Compared to 2016, when nearly 139 million voted in the presidential election.
THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO MORRIS The long-time history teacher’s perspective on social action moving forward Q: What are some of the events from this year that you predict will end up in history books?
JUSTICE
!
“[We need] more change, more topics, more discussion, more things are being exposed to people, so we know everything that’s going on, and then also change with those discussions.”
- Junior Amy Sisson “I hope we can still make time for social justice and social action. Even when we don’t have as much free time, because with the massive amount of free time we have it’s been a lot easier to commit time to work for social change, but as that time goes away social action events still need people to commit their time. “
- Senior Abe Bartholomew
The New York Times reports that there was an average of
140
BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS A DAY SINCE MAY 2020 While it’s true that social media isn’t a good replacement for news, it’s a gateway for being aware about certain topics and getting surface information that you can then do further research on. SENIOR Emily Ray
A: I hope that the Black Lives Matter protests, especially the really powerful ones in Portland in June of last H i s t o r y Te a c h e r J u n e M o r r i s year when thousands of people knelt on one of the bridges, and all the other peaceful protests make the history books. Those far outweigh the protests that got unruly and violent and destructive. I hope the insurrection makes the history books as well, but as a history teacher, I am really concerned about how in the future these events will be depicted in history books.
Q: How has this year had an impact on how people view social action as a whole? A: We tend to surround ourselves with people who think and feel the way we do, so I think that amongst my own circle of friends and family and people that I collaborate with professionally, people have been really encouraged to engage in social activism. Of course, we are very ununited as a country and there are so many diverse opinions that people have started viewing social action differently. I think some people found energy in being engaged in politics and protests, but I also saw that a lot of people saw a different way to be engaged by posting false information.
Q: What are some aspects of activism and politics that were permanently changed by this year? A: I really hope that how engaged and interested people are in politics sticks around. The diverse ethnic politicians, women politicians, and transgender politicians elected this year are a great step forward, and I hope we get to see that trickle down to Albany, Corvallis, and Philomath. Our own local area.
Q: Going into the future, how do you think the teenagers of today will progress with social action as they get older? A: I had a really great conversation with a few members of the Cross Country team earlier this week, we were just standing around and somehow we managed to start talking about politics, and I was really impressed with how interested and involved they were with what was going on. I’ve been seeing TikTok videos which I dismissed last year, but what I’ve noticed is that TikTok is a new method of communication. Corporations, politicians, and poitical parties are using it to tailor a quick short message to teenagers. So, I think that if our students are connected to social media they are going to be drawn to messages of social action if we continue to tailor that message to their interests. SPECIAL / THE WHIRLWIND 19
A HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY Exercise has been one of the few outlets people have turned to throughout the pandemic to provide a sense of normalcy and control BY Gracie Balkema and Dezmond Remington
S T U C K . S T U C K I N Y O U R house, stuck with a mask, just, stuck. What do you do to pass the time? For girls soccer coach Erik Ihde, exercise has been a huge part of his daily life, or at least it was before COVID-19. “My active life exercise has definitely decreased a lot. I played a lot of indoor soccer, at least two leagues at a time, but lately I’ve played a lot less,” Ihde said. “I have still been able to play some with my team, and I still run, so I’ve been able to get a decent amount of exercise, but It’s definitely changed a lot.” Exercise habits have been disrupted and shaken up for
THE TOP
3
REASONS STUDENTS DO THEIR SPORT IS TO GET OUTSIDE, FOR FUN, OR JUST BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE SPORT. the past year, which has been a significant contributor to weight gain. Walking around school all day and racking up steps had been a significant part of Ihde’s daily life. “I have a very active job. I get a lot of steps in, if you will. I’m just on my feet, and up and down the hallway, then out to practice and events,” Ihde said. “Lately though, I’ve just sat. I’ve sat around a lot. It’s weird to teach from my chair.” Sitting has been a common theme throughout the pandemic for teachers and students alike. Another part of the pandemic and mainly quarantine has been the separation of friends and family, and after a period of isolation it is easier to slip into depression. For many people, including Ihde, physical wellness and mental health are very
20 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
closely related. “For me [mental health and exercise] go hand in hand. I’ve definitely had some stretches where I struggled a bit with my mental health and staying positive,” Ihde said. “The more that I was able to get out and exercise, and just to have that outlet of sports, is big. When that
“When that dropped, I saw a similar drop in my positivity and overall mental health.” ERIK IDHE, SOCCER COACH
dropped, I saw a similar drop in my positivity and my overall mental health.” Exercise is important, especially in the pandemic. While exercising, your body releases endorphins, which are seen as natural pain killers. People have made synthetic endorphins, such as morphine, but according to Physical Education teacher Don Lien, exercise is the best way to get those endorphins. “It’s so hard for people to deal with the internal and external effects on the body and exercise. If I go and work out, I can see the physical effects on my body, but people are less aware of the mental changes until you get a runner’s high,” Lien said. “It doesn’t happen the first time you do it, but when you sense it, your body recognizes those things like a drug, and it can become addicting.” Many people want the fastest result, they want to reach an end goal as soon as possible, but exercise isn’t something to take lightly. It can have good effects on the body, but overuse and wear and tear, can overpower the benefits of working out.
“If you look at society right now, the amount of alcohol sales and use of things that give you a quick fix feel, that’s gone rampant in COVID,” Lien said. “As people, we want the quick fix, we want this to happen right away.” The promise of future competition was a big motivator to keep exercising for many athletes. For senior Emily Stefan, the idea of possible track meets (where she runs the 100 and 200 meters) was a large help. “It helped me to have something to look forward to everyday because I really like working out,” Stefan said. “So being able to do that helped me take my mind off the fact that everything got cancelled and [losing] my season and everything like that. I think it was really good for me to stay in shape because even though everything got cancelled really early on, there was still a possibility that things might come up, which they did.” The things that came up for Stefan were a meet in Montana and several other meets in Oregon. Actually competing, as opposed to just the idea of competing, was even better for Stefan, allowing her to run fast enough times to get noticed by college coaches when
THE MOST POPULAR SPORT AMONG STUDENTS SURVEYED WAS TRACK AND FIELD, WITH
14.8% OF RESPONDENTS SAYING THEY COMPETE IN IT. most of her competitors were not able to, especially considering she didn’t have a full season before those meets and thus wasn’t at a peak. Even just exercising without the thought of competition was a boon to Stefan. “I definitely think being able to train, because I have a gym in my house, and being able to do that was the only thing motivating me, and getting me to still stay active,” Stefan said. “I think if I didn’t have a gym or all the tracks were shut down—that would have been terrible for me mentally. Working out and training has definitely helped a lot...staying in shape and having something to do everyday really helped me. And that’s something I look forward to.”
*all responses from a survey of 282 students
W H AT A R E W E S T A L B A N Y S T U D E N T S D O I N G T O S TAY H E A LT H Y ?
SPORTS
Emily Stefan’s
54.3% OF WEST ALBANY STUDENTS HAVE PLAYED A SPORT IN THE LAST YEAR
M O N D AY
RUN
Speed endurance/overdistance work Example workout: 6x200 meters, with a 50m gradual buildup, 100m of holding that speed, then a gradual finish over the last 50 meters
T H U R S D AY
LIFT
Different lifts than Tuesday Example workout: Snatches, 3x3, 2x2, 2x1, with each decrease in reps steadily getting more intense Bench press, one set of 4, then 3, then two, then one Tray squats, 6x6 at 50% of bodyweight Core Exercises
TRAINING SCHEDULE
T U E S D AY
LIFT
Example workout: Full cleans, 6x2 Bench press 4x4 Back squats Explosive half squats Core workout
F R I D AY
RUN
Conditioning Example workout: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, with 30 seconds of rest for every 100 meters ran
50.4% OF WEST ALBANY STUDENTS ARE PLAYING OR PLAN ON PLAYING A SPORT THIS YEAR
W E D N E S D AY
FORM
Example workout: long jump technique work 3x20 meters 3x30m 3x40m 3x50m, every rep focusing on running mechanics and good technique
THE WEEKEND
R EST AND R E COV E R
SPORTS / THE WHIRLWIND 21
STAYING IN,
PLAYING OUT For many, the pandemic has brought extra time. These students have used this time to try out a variety of new sports and hobbies sophomore Kyleigh Barksdale
BY Zoey Zarkou
FOR MANY STUDENT
athletes, sports are a key
aspect of their lives. Despite the sudden halt to practices, caused by the coronavirus, juniors Megumi Ludlow and Bella Hoffert-Hay have continued to stay active this last summer in quarantine. Ludlow, while training for cross country, had her parents tell her they were nervous of the long hours she was running alone. Quickly, Ludlow came up with an idea. “I asked my friend Bella [to come with me], because she bikes a lot,” Ludlow said. “I started asking her every other day, then I started asking every day. At this point, basically everyday we would wake up at 6 a.m....and then we would just bike.” This past year has provided an extra amount of time for a lot of students. For some, this time was utilized to learn new skills, try out new hobbies, and increase their training for sports seasons. Ludlow and Hoffert-Hay used their bike-run to not only get exercise and stay healthy, but to spend time with each other. “Megumi [and I] are super close, and not getting to see each other everyday was really hard,” Hoffert-Hay said. “Biking was an easy way to see her and get to talk to her.” Sophomore Kyleigh Barksdale has been training in swimming for nearly eight years. Yet, as the opening of the pool has been on and off, practicing in the water has become junior Megumi Ludlow more difficult. Barksdale says that she is drawn to other sports, and athletic hobbies, including swimming.
“I have always wanted to do [roller skating],” Barksdale said. “You always see it and [the skaters] look amazing. It wouldn’t be easy to get into it right away, but I think it would just be fun to try it out.” Including biking, Hoffert-Hay also tried new athletic hobbies. “I went backpacking last summer a couple of times, and I’ve never done that before,” Hoffert-Hay said. “We went up to Mount Hood and it was just beautiful there. You see everything for miles and miles around, and there are all these wildflowers if you go there in Used with permission of Jason Hay August.” Although a difficult August of 2020, junior Bella Hoffert-Hay hike while carrying 20 pounds on her back, and her younger sister freshman Madeline Hoffert-Hay says that it was worth it for the Hoffert-Hay backpack near Mount Hood. Wildflowers bloomed in the nearby fields sight at the top of the mountain. as Hoffert-Hay backpacked for the first “I’ve discovered more and more that we need time. all of these things to help keep us sane, and kind of grounded,” Hoffert-Hay said. “There are so many things in life that can give you purpose, everything you ever do, you have to have a purpose for that. I used to take that for granted.”
“There are so many things in life that can give you purpose, everything you ever do, you have to have a purpose for that. I used to take that for granted.” J U N I O R B E L L A H O F F E R T - H AY
39.1% of students started a NEW athletic hobby or event in the past year. according to a sur vey of 282 students
22 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021 22 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
What’s the Score? Fall sports were the first to play a season this spring. Here’s how it went BY Spor ts Staff
C R O S S C O U N T R Y,
football, soccer, volleyball. Sports traditionally played at the beginning of a new school year, the first teams to begin the season. During COVID-19, they’ve been postponed until winter, not until February of this year were students able to begin practicing. Competitions in the next few weeks would be test running the new safety guidelines. Though amidst the pandemic and the doubt from coaches and players alike in the beginning, athletes were able to have their seasons and play the games they loved. With fall sports coming to a close to make way for spring sports, coaches and players look back to see how the athletes performed during a limited season.
WEST ALBANY
LEAGUE SCORES - 5A
Volleyball Wins
Football
Losses
8 - 0 Wins
Wins
Soccer Losses
Losses
43 - 0
Ties
4 - 2 - 2
“The best part of the season is how we have all come together and really pushed through some obstacles. Volleyball is a very mental game to play and you have to be mentally tough, but my team is great at doing that.” VA R S I T Y V O L L E Y B A L L J U N I O R G R A C E N E A LY
“Often we do not have a lot of information prior to a meet this season, but the team has risen to that challenge magnificently. Flexibility has been key this season. If we all keep that in mind, we can focus on the running part, and that’s why we’re here anyway!” HEAD CROSS COUNTRY COACH JUNE MORRIS
“At the beginning, I was only planning on attending practices, not competing in meets. However, as the season went on, the team really motivated me and made me comfortable enough to handle my race anxiety... I’m excited to see what I’ll be able to do next season and especially what my teammates will be able to do!”
“I think our team performed really well given the time line and just getting our act together quickly. I was really impressed with how the team played against some of the top teams in the state.” VA R S I T Y S O C C E R S E N I O R M E G A N A D A M E C
“I think [the team has performed pretty well considering all of these circumstances. It’s a pretty labor-intensive sport. It requires a lot of effort by a lot of people. I’m proud of our staff, I’m proud of our athletic director for getting things set up so we could put these kids in the position to actually play the game.” H E A D VA R S I T Y F O O T B A L L C O A C H B R I A N M E H L
C R O S S C O U N T RY J U N I O R M A RY N C H A M B E R S
SPORTS / THE WHIRLWIND 23
10
“No matter what, I will always love the game, but being able to fail and have someone you have known for 10 plus years pick you up just makes it that much better.”
A DECADE OF DEVOTION
SENIOR PRESLEY JANTZI
For these senior athletes, playing softball and basketball together is more than convenient — it’s having your best friends by your side for almost your entire life. BY Melia Rasmussen
KIDS ARE PUT ON SPORTS
teams usual-
2
ly at random, either through club or school location. Sometimes practices are the only times they see each other, and other teammates may go to the same school. Some leave the sport, others move teams, the chances of seeing the same teammates each year consecutively is not usually high. But seniors Ellie Babbitt, McKenzie Kosmicki, Riley Ramirez, and Presley Jantzi have played with each other every softball season since they were eight years old. Babbitt, Kosmicki, Jantzi and Carley Robb have also played basketball with each other for the same amount of time. Whether it’s little league, parents coaching them at the field, or the Boys and Girls Club, it’s been a decade challenging and supporting each other in the sports they love to play.
CAPTURE THE MOMENT
1: 2019, seniors Ellie Babbitt and Riley Ramirez do their personal handshake after striking out an opponent. 2: 2009, Babbitt laughs as her next-door neighbor Ramirez tells her to look at the camera. 3: 2014, Ramirez (left), Babbitt (center), senior McKenzie Kosmicki (right) celebrate after winning a game. 4: 2015, (from left to right) seniors Presley Jantzi, Carley Robb, Babbitt, Kosmicki, and junior Kendra Kosmicki win state championships. 5: November 2020, Jantzi (right), Babbitt (center), and Ramirez (left) sign their National Letters of Intent to play in college. Photos used with permission of Babbitt, Robb, and Kosmicki.
1
“We all really push each other on the field to be better. Ellie and I especially get competitive whether we are playing basketball or softball.” S E N I O R M C K E N Z I E KO S M I C K I
“Having my best friends with me... over the years was always quite convenient. Whenever one of us is struggling, we always have someone with us and we know how to motivate each other.” SENIOR ELLIE BABBITT
24 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
3
“My love for the game...has grown a lot getting to play with my best friends. I get to make a basket and high five the same girls I always have since being seven years old.” SENIOR PRESLEY JANTZI
THROUGH THE AGES All of their families are close, competing in everything they do, whether it’s on the field, court, or playing corn hole or Guitar Hero at one another’s house. A few played basketball at the Boys & Girls Club from seven to 10 years old. They started their own team called the Lady Bulldogs from 10-13 years old. Jantzi and Robb played together since they were three, shooting toddler hoops. They started softball at the same time, practiced with their team on the WAHS softball field. The girls joined traveling teams and decided to stick together as they played. Kosmicki and Jantzi are both pitchers, creating friendly rivalry.
“Playing with friends like them always makes it more fun and easy because... we flow well together. We know how to pick each other up when we fail and we know what we are all capable of together.” S E N I O R M C K E N Z I E KO S M I C K I
4 “I got to play with my best friends and it made it so much more fun. I couldn’t wait to go to practice growing up because I would see them.” SENIOR CARLEY ROBB
5 SPORTS / THE WHIRLWIND 25
With accommodations, band students were able to play toghether instead of the alternative of playing over Zoom. Students used masks with a slit in them so they could play and still be safe.
THE FULL LOOK AT WEST ALBANY
U S E D W I T H T H E P E R M I S S I O N O F ST UA RT W E L S H
BY Enter tainment Staff
Performance groups make it work during a year of distance learning P L AY I N G I N A
band over Zoom is not possible, but it’s also not possible that Stuart Welsh, band teacher at WAHS, would just give up. Over the course of online school, the band program has found new ways to create music in a synchronized way. Whether it’s recording the instruments separately or playing in small groups while under harsh weather conditions, they aren’t stopping. “There were some days when it was either blowing too hard or snowing, that we couldn’t even use that outdoor facility [the courtyard],” Welsh said. Potentially more challenging than being able to play together is recruiting new members. “What we are really worried about is this next incoming class, because of the numbers of kids that we see in the middle school programs right now, “ Welsh said. “When the middle schools come back the band and choir classes are still going to be online. They aren’t coming back.” Cate Caffarella is WAHS’s jack of all trades. She simultaneously works as the director of WAHS theater, improv, and the choir program, coordinating each of her classes to function online in spite of COVID-19. With Caffarella’s extensive experience in the performing arts, she has not stopped loving the subject and continues to work hard to direct her students amidst a global pandemic. “I think we are doing the best we can,” Caffarella said, “but it’s a little frustrating because I feel like we’re nowhere near the amount of progress that we would nor-
mally make.” Students have been working from home trying to improve their skills in various ways. Attending Zoom classes, acting out scenes, and in choir’s case recording their voices. Under certain circumstances, a couple programs have even been able to meet in person. “We’re doing once a week in person rehearsals, with my small group, Rhythmix . . .” Caffarella said.
er performing arts. For many teens, improv is a way to connect with peers while simultaneously honing acting skills; but with the onset of the pandemic, many important aspects of the program have been altered significantly. “One of the things I think that’s hard as opposed to normal years, or two things, is consistency with attendance...the more you do it the better you get at it, right?” Cafferella (the school’s drama director and subsequently the WIT’s presiding teacher as well) said, “The other thing that is very different is that... acting is something that is very physical. You use your whole body to do [it], and when you’re doing it on Zoom, that whole physical thing is just more challenging.” But the WIT is already planning for the future, looking forward to times where there might be a greater sense of normalcy as the school shifts to hybrid learning. New students comfortable with attending in-person schooling would be able to experience some aspects lost along the way with D R A M A T E A C H E R C AT E C A F F E R E L L A internet based activities, and Caffarella hopes to be able to carry out a real intramural improv event “I’m really grateful that the students have been willing by the end of the year with fewer Covid-19 restrictions. to accommodate and change with me.” Even without the advantages of physical schooling, the West Albany Improv Troupe, commonly shortened to group has been inviting those from Memorial middle WIT, is an extracurricular club activity closely connected school once a month to attend meetings with the highwith the drama program. It’s been drawing the attention schoolers, hoping to spark a sense of interest in next of students for years, especially those interested in othyear’s incoming freshman.
“Acting is something that is very physical. You use your whole body to do [it], and when you’re doing it on Zoom, that whole physical thing is just more challenging.”
26 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
A + E
BAND
Sophomore and french horn player Grace Peña and 50 or so other band students have had a difficult time with their over Zoom practices “It’s actually been quite difficult because when we’re playing in our rooms It’s hard to understand when other people’s parts are,” Peña said. “It’s also difficult to tune with one another because well, you’re by yourself.” But for now, that is all they can do.
IMPROV Senior Noah Pross is one of four senior student leaders of the West Improv Troupe, otherwise referred to as WIT. As a student leader, Pross is sort of a professional when it comes to the club; he’s been attending meetings and events for years now, and in recent months he’s been helping to lead the meetings themselves. While his last couple years’ encounters with the troupe haven’t been the most orthodox, he’s still learned a lot from the experience and will miss his time being a part of it. “Everyone usually starts off pretty timidly on their first few sessions of the club....but over time I love to see everyone coming out of their shells and feeling free to just be silly with everyone else!” Pross said. “We always try to ensure that there’s a really safe and welcoming atmosphere for anyone that joins, and seeing [the group members] feel comfortable in the club is just proof that it’s working.”
CHOIR
A freshman who’s never been in the school they go to is already crazy, but being in a choir at said school is even crazier. Olivia Contry is that freshman. “It’s an awkward experience because there are a couple of people going into class that you know,” Contry said. “Then there’s this whole bunch of people that you have to be comfortable around but you don’t know them.” Olivia isn’t only struggling with singing in front of people, she’s also struggling with being a freshman. “I think it’s hard being in a new school, but also not really being in that school,” Contry said.
DRAMA
Sophomore Spencer Madsen is a member of the theatre at WAHS with a lifelong experience in acting and performing. He started out his career in acting when his parents had him put into a few plays, which he originally disliked as everyone was older than him. Madsen’s older sister was a large part of the reason he kept up with acting. Rachel Madsen was very interested in theater and singing, “Watching her do a great job was incredibly cool. If you could make something as interesting and amazing as that you feel good.” When watching his sister perform he realized how much he enjoyed performing for the joy of others Madsen said, “It was a huge motivation to create something that people would enjoy.” As Madsen aged he realized how many interesting people were in the program around him and part of the experience of theatre was meeting all the new people.
E N T E R TA I N M E N T / T H E W H I R L W I N D 2 7
NEW
HAIR DO YOU BY Ty l e r S t a c y
“I just kind of experimented with my hair. I was aiming for a man bun, but I never BEFORE could really do junior it” Nishant Vishant
28 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
“I bleached my hair completely and dyed it purple at the ends. I plan BEFORE on eventually senior shaving my Issac head.” Pierce
BEFORE junior Tori Gibbs
“I realized we weren’t going to be in school for a long time, so I decided to do it because I wanted to do something with my hair.”
BEFORE junior Luke Hayes
BEFORE junior Maryn Chambers
BEFORE
“My hair is long, curly, and brown. It’s also a bit blonde from chlorine because I do swimming. It keeps my head warm, and it’s kind of fun to mess with.” “It’s currently short with bangs and a undercut. It’s also dark and black. I just like changing my hair because it’s the one thing you can actually change.”
junior Izzy Harwood
How a year of pandemic isolation has led some to experiment with their identity and express themselves in new ways BY Brooklyn D’Alessio
T H I S Y E A R H A S B E E N insane to
say the least. So much has changed, some of which includes how people express themselves. Some have done this by getting a whole new look with makeup and creating pieces of art or changing their room around because they finally have the chance to do so. Because of quarantine, students have been reinventing themselves in many different ways. Senior Sierra Nelson has been creating new makeup looks during the pandemic. “[It all started] in middle school,” Nelson said. ¨That’s when I feel a lot of girls start experimenting with makeup.” Nelson posts on her Instagram showing off her makeup talents with captions quoting song lyrics she enjoys. “I could make my eyebrows fuller and I like the dimension that eyeshadow gives, but then I realized it can do more than just accentuate your facial features, you can actually have fun with makeup and create art,” Nelson said.
Junior Megan Hedgpeth’s bedroom has gone through many changes lately. “I live in my attic and the insulation was uncovered,¨ Hedgpeth said. “We had been wanting to get it covered for awhile, and my grandma and her husband who used to work on things like that said they would help.” With nothing but time and the energy to do so, they started working on the room. “If it wasn’t for quarantine, this definitely wouldn’t have happened. If we weren’t in quarantine, my grandma and her husband would probably be traveling,” said Hedgpeth. ¨They probably wouldn’t have had time to just stop everything and do this for us.” Over days of work, Hedgpeth and her family painted and decluttered the attic room. “I guess you could call it a positive impact,” Hedgpeth said. ¨It’s made being up there more enjoyable.”
“I grew my hair out as a joke... My friends love it and my parents think it’s just ok.”
junior Juan Garcia
BEFORE
SELF EXPRESSONIST
“Before quarantine, my hair was brown and past my shoulders. Later I cut all my hair and dyed it purple. After, I grew it all out again.”
“This one took me the longest. I’d say it took me like 4-5 hours just because I’m a bit of a “This is my favorite perfectionist when it comes to line work.” look. I think it’s a Photos used with permission of clean look with solid Sierra Nelson and Megan lines. It took me Hegdpeth about 2 hours.” senior Sierra Nelson
The after picture of junior Megan Hedgpeth’s room transformation. E N T E R TA I N M E N T / T H E W H I R L W I N D 2 9
MANY FORMS OF B U S I N E S S H AV E BOOMED DURING THE PA N D E M I C Here are a few, according to “Businesses “That Are Booming During The Pandemic ,” by Forbes. Delivery Businesses have seen an increase in profits. Amazon is an amazing example.
Many fitness companies have sold out on equipment. Some stores have seen a 600% increase in workout equipment sales. Many fitness companies can’t keep up with demand.
DRIVING THE ECONOMY
uSED WITH PERMISSION OF CALEB HART
Senior Caleb Hart finds himself succeeding in the food delivery service at a time when businesses are at their worst
Purell had reported a 300% increase in sales of hand sanitizer in one week alone.
BY Joe Wagner
S E N I O R C A L E B H A R T is a delivery
driver for WeDeliveryEats, a delivery company based out of Wilsonville. The company operates like other delivery companies such as Grubhub or DoorDash, where a customer submits their order to the app or website and a driver picks up food to deliver. In a time when many people are struggling to pay their monthly bills, student level jobs have taken a hit. Many jobs are becoming less available to younger people still in school and giving them an opportunity to make money and gain experience. There are jobs, however, that have seen an increase in profit amidst the pandemic, like delivery driving. There are many great perks to the job. “It’s nice, I get to set my own hours, which is the most important thing to me. I needed a job that’s flexible,” Hart said. “Depending on the night I can make $20 an hour or only make 10 bucks in a night. My most was $130 in five hours.” Because Hart’s schedule is so flexible, he gets the opportunity to work whenever he wants. There are certain days that are almost too good to pass up, as consistently more orders get sent in. “Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl are probably the busiest days out of the year.” Delivery driving can be a surprisingly lucrative job nearly only restricted to those with a vehicle. To keep the job, an employee only needs to work
30 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2021
once every 30 days. Hart managed to get the job through his mom’s boyfriend. “He worked for the company. He told me they were the only company that would hire people under 18.” To no surprise, driving for delivery can rack up a lot of miles on your vehicle. Occasionally Hart will receive orders from restaurants in Corvallis, or drop off food in Jefferson. Hart said, “It’s probably about 60 or 70 miles [per night]. It’s been over 100 before.”
“[One customer] asked for 20 sides of butter.” CALEB HART SENIOR
Placing an order using the website is a simple process. A customer places an order directly to the site, which the restaurant of choice can see. Then Hart waits for the order to be ready and he delivers it shortly after. For the most part he has very little interaction with the customers, apart from occasionally calling the customer to verify something on their order. “In person all the talking I really do is give them food at the door and maybe talk about their order for a second,” Hart said.
Customer service can be notoriously difficult, though, and delivery is no exception. Hart had one customer who fit the script, “This one lady ordered KFC, she asked for 20 sides of butter and a bunch of sides, plus some popcorn chicken.” When Hart arrived at KFC to pick up the order, one of the cashiers offered to upgrade the meal so the customer would receive more popcorn chicken for less money. “She wasn’t happy about it. She was mad because there weren’t enough sides. And she said that I had told KFC that it was okay to give her ripped up chicken strips, which wasn’t true — I told them popcorn chicken.” Hart then took a trip back to KFC to get her more popcorn chicken and sides. The customer remained mad after he made his trip back to drop off the food again. Hart later found out that she had gone onto Facebook to complain. “She posted about me and was complaining and posting pictures. Then she said that I was three hours late when the order had taken me less than an hour.” In extreme cases, certain customers can be banned from the service if they act inappropriately toward delivery drivers or a driver can refuse to pick up orders from customers that left a negative impression, as to protect drivers. So with just a form of transportation someone can find a comfortable source of income and flexible hours.
ME, MY ART, AND I The ups and downs of pandemic-based art in AP Art Studio class
“What the Little Things in Life Are” by junior Lilianna Ashburne
BY Gabrielle Emer y
J U S T O V E R A Y E A R A G O , junior Liliana
Ashburne was able to sit in a classroom dedicated to nothing but creativity. An abundance of materials were quite literally at her fingertips; brightly colored paints, invitingly blank canvases, and malleable clay were all regular parts of the room, just as common as a calculator might be in a math class. If she needed it, Ashburne had an experienced teacher right in the room with her, ready to give feedback and point her in the right direction. Now, with the rise of a global pandemic, the Ashburne creates in her own home. The materials she has to work with are now limited to what’s on hand in the house.W And while her teacher still does her best to provide the same sort of direction she did in the pre-pandemic classroom, it’s not so easy to get the same level of assistance with the distance of online learning. Drastic changes in both the classroom and the world have led to personal shifts among students as well, especially when it comes to an individual subject such as art. “[Art is] a way for me to vent my frustration I’ve been having with my ADHD since online school started,” Ashburne said. “I’ve been having issues feeling confused and overwhelmed with everything, being pulled in different directions and losing some parts of myself...I’ve never really felt this intensity of school related stress until this year.” Almost all programs had to seriously rethink the teaching process as school shifted to online learning. Advanced Placement Studio Art, taught by Babette Grunwald, was one such class. As internet-based education fostered a sense of disconnect between students and teachers, both figuratively and literally, the amount of support Grunwald could offer each individual student decreased dramatically compared to previous years. Art is a subject based around using the five senses, and when the majority of classes are spent with nothing but black boxes on a screen, the mentor is blocked out of assisting with that creative process.
U n t i t l e d b y j u n i o r To r i G i b b s
“Without art I think I’d drive myself crazy.” J U N I O R R AY M C K O R M I C K
“Birth of Eden” by junior Ally Willard
“The hard thing is I don’t see what my students are doing,” Grunwald said. “I can’t walk around and say…‘How about put a little bit more value over here?’ or ‘How about put a little bit more value over here?’...I don’t see anything until they turn things in.” It’s not to say this interruption in the school year has had solely bad consequences. While dealing with the isolation of quarantine is undeniably tough, a new routine in everyday life allows high schoolers to create art under unique circumstances, opening up a gateway to a smoother creative process for some of West’s artists. “[I’ve] had less embarrassment around my art process,” Ashburne said. “It can look ugly, I can get messy, and no one has to see it until I’m done. I love it, honestly.” Art has proven to be a way for students to deal with the stressors of the new elements brought on by online learning. “Sometimes when I struggle in classes I’ll draw something related to that struggle...Like, I drew a vampire posting about hating math. It made me feel better,” junior Tori Gibbs said. “In general, I use [art] to get away. When I get tired of my reality I just make another one up and draw parts of it. It’s really therapeutic.” Grunwald also believes that the unprecedented schooling environment has had many positive aspects. AP Studio Art involves students from a wide range of classes, from photography to different types of advanced drawing. Having a single small online class to teach various forms of art has allowed students to connect together in a way that might not have been possible while attending physical school. “You know, I don’t think it’s been all bad,” Grunwald said. “I think people have had time to slow down a bit and find what’s really important to them.” As AP Studio Art comes to close with the end of third quarter, the artists will continue to create regardless of their situations. For these students, art is so much more than just a class; it’s a form of ever-changing self expression. E N T E R TA I N M E N T / T H E W H I R L W I N D 3 1
A PANDEMIC TIME CAPSULE Fill in the blanks to detail your pandemic experiences and hopes for the future to look back on To describe this last year in one word, I would say __________________ This was the year I learned that I _________________ I started _______________ over the quarantine to keep myself occupied. A hobby I started over quarantine was ____________________ _________________shaped my beliefs more than anything else this year. My favorite album from the year was ____________________ My comfort movie/ show this year was ____________________ A place I want to go when quarantine is over____________________ I honestly hope that schools never go back to _____________________ In the next 10 years, I am hoping to accomplish ___________________ I hope that people learn ____________________ from this year Something I’ll never take for granted again is ____________________ The thing I most want to do when the pandemic is over is ____________ I want to spend more time focusing on _____________________
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