The Wilson Holiday Cards are Back!
November 2013
Help support Wilson while spreading holiday cheer! Contact Mr. Douglass for additional card designs, order sheet and information at mdouglass@pps.net $10.00 Package (5 cards)
*discounts for larger orders
C
No. 2
ONTENTS
1
“I Played Bass
Picture Perfect
and Smiled at Old People�
4 Groom Goes Global
Into The Woods
Run for Your Life
9
16
5
All Charged Up
19 Olivia Patton Editor in Chief Senior
Ellen Berkley Editor in Chief Senior
Monika Kovacs Head of Design Junior
Tana Kelley Photo Editor Junior
Keith Higbee Staff Advisor
Brian Chatard Principal
According to Oregon law, student journalists are responsible for determining the content of this publication, except under limited circumstances. The subject matter, content and views of the news, features and opinion sections in this paper do not reflect the views of Portland Public Schools or Woodrow Wilson High School.
November 2013
PICTURE PERFECT
WILSON’S NEW PHOTOGRAPHY TEACHER Since the day Matt Carlson walked into his photography class at Cardinal Newman high school, he knew he was in love with art. As a teacher, his goal is to ensure that feeling in his students so that when they come to his class they will be as eager to learn as he was. After Susan Parker, the former photography teacher, retired last year, Matt Carlson, once a substitute and now a full-time teacher, finally got his chance to step up and inspire teens. He is an experienced teacher, appreciator, and enthusiast of art such as ceramics, drawing, painting, printing, and, of course, photography. “I first fell in love with photography in high school, and I even built a darkroom shed in my backyard,” said Carlson. His father had some old photo equipment lying around in the garage and he was inspired to take it further. He always follows his interests. “My interest at that time was
1 Trojan Horse
print making,” Carlson said. “I really wasn’t thinking about a career up until I got into my later 20’s.” Carlson went to Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California. He was so close to Barney Doherty, his photography teacher that he played in a band with him. The band was named Skatz 007 and they played Ska music, a combination of Caribbean and American jazz/ blues. Their band played with well-known Ska bands such as Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Skankin’ Pickle. They toured a little around California in Santa Rosa, San Francisco and San Diego during the three years Carlson played in the band. He played the saxophone but admits he hasn’t picked it up in well over 8 months. During his high school experience Carlson realized a lot about himself, like his love for teaching. Matt Carlson first experimented with teaching
No. 2 through his senior service project. He taught a multicultural arts unit to third graders. “I taught them how to make Cambodian festival hats, because it is a region of the world students haven’t been exposed to,” Carlson said. After high school he forgot about his dream of becoming a teacher and went off to college, during which he worked at the Hilton hotel in California, waiting tables. He studied print making, and got a bachelors in fine arts and printmaking. During junior college Carlson saw an opportunity to both travel and pursue his love of photography: A semester abroad in Florence, Italy was offered to Carlson out of a list of countries. He chose Italy because of the Renaissance art there and because he was more interested in that country than any of the other ones offered. After college he had a dream about the Great Wall of China. Inspired by Asian art, music, and literature, he decided to go to Southeast Asia for four months for a change of scenery. “Traveling is the greatest educational experience,” Carlson said, “and even though I didn’t travel there with anyone, I was never alone.” He is still in touch with some of his traveling buddies. One memorable moment during his trip was when he rode an elephant in Northern Thailand. The tour guide mentioned to him that elephants
have one of the greatest memories of any animal and he said that if Carlson came back 10 or 20 years later the elephant would remember him. Carlson decided to get a tattoo of the elephant on his right arm so that he would remember the elephant as well. When he was done traveling, he moved to Portland because of a good friend and the memory of an enjoyable weekend in the city. In Portland, Carlson, motivated by his love for books, found work binding books. He worked on an assembly line to mass produce binders, books, and portfolios. As he got better at that job, they gave him more and more responsibilities such as riding a forklift and gold foil sampling book covers and book spines. He then started operating the gluing machines and learning about restoration. “The most exciting job for me was to hold books in my hand that were very old and to be able to kind of bring them to life again,” Carlson said. While the majority of this job was utilitarian, Carlson would stay after and make some artist books of his own which were put into art shows and given away as gifts to people to be used as journals. Carlson has long been really passionate about the arts. “Art has always been the thing that anchored me, that has inspired me,” he said. “It has been a huge part of my life and while I was
“Traveling is the greatest educational experience, and even though I didn’t travel with anyone, I was never alone.”
Trojan Horse 2
November 2013 working at the book bindery I was also producing a lot of artwork, but I felt like there was a next step, so I reached out to a woman at Grant.” At Grant High school he gave a printmaking demonstration, and that’s when he saw the work students were creating, remembered the forgotten teaching passion from high school, and enrolled in Pacific University to get his Masters in teaching. Prior to coming to Wilson, Carlson worked as a substitute teacher for two years at Grant High School teaching ceramics. He even subbed for Parker a couple of times. After subbing, Carlson came to Wilson for the reasons most teachers do: its strong community, driven students, and great faculty. Being the new guy, students are expecting someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, but Carlson is ready to show them they’re wrong. “Whenever you have a transition, sometimes it might be difficult, especially in the footsteps of a teacher like Susan Parker who is and will always be a great teacher,” he said. “I believe the kids will accept me as a teacher after her.” Carlson wants to develop relationships like the ones Susan Parker had with her students, and work together with those students to produce meaningful artwork. “I think I’m done with gold foil sampling,” Carlson said, “I am at the next point, now I just want to be here and present every day. This is the most creative job there is because I have all of these young people who are in my classes that are capable of such amazing things. It’s a matter of me pointing them in the right direction and inspiring them to create beautiful pieces of artwork.” Students agree that Carlson has a ton of potential. One student, Hannah Peterson, a junior
3 Trojan Horse
at Wilson, said, “Mrs. Parker was like a mother to me, because she was always there, but you can tell that both of them really care about their students.” Hannah continued, saying that she was not worried about the new teacher at all. “He even asked for suggestions from us on what Mrs. Parker did.” It’s important for art teachers to remain artistic outside of class. Currently, he paints, draws, takes photos, and makes ceramics and prints. He is a member of Bite Studios, a print-making studio. At Bite Studios they make prints by applying ink on the surface of paper. The first Friday of every month they hold a show with food and drinks for anyone passing by. Carlson lives directly above the studios. It’s there that he does most of his artwork. “Daily practice is extremely important so when you have a ceramics wheel or press to us at your house, it is really great,” Carlson said. Teaching at Wilson is definitely not the end of the line for Carlson. He describes his life with one bumper sticker on the back of his car: “The beginning is here.” Carlson has found his new beginning at Wilson and doesn’t plan on going anywhere soon. “When I was younger I wanted to travel and document those adventures, but now I’m just trying to find beautiful images around me,” Carlson said. “I’m where I’m supposed to be.”
Tana Kelley Junior Photos by Erika Keaveney Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse
No. 2
“I PLAYED BASS AND SMILED AT OLD PEOPLE”
Henry Hakanson recounts his musical history of banjoes and bluegrass. wants to have a bass player.” I What instruments do you play When did your love for music also really like the violin because it and which is your favorite? I begin? At a young age my father sounds really soothing. play the violin, banjo, upright bass, played the mandolin in a blue and guitar. My favorite is probably grass band, so I watched him play Why did you choose the the bass because I feel at home music as I grew up and I guess banjo? One day my friend Max with it. It is the easiest to play and it really grew on me. Both of my called me and invited me over sounds really nice when you get older sisters started to play the to his house and asked me if I good at it. The bass also allows violin when they were 6 or 7 and was still interested in learning the me to play all sorts of different muI wanted to keep up the tradition. banjo. I said yes. When I got to sic that I like because “everybody When I was young we had a his house his sister came running family band that was really fun. I up to me and said, “You’re in our played the bass and smiled at the band now!” I was taken aback, old people. but agreed. That is when I started playing it and we have kept the What kind of music does your band going so I just keep band play? Our band plays blueplaying [banjo]. Also, not a lot grass. It’s a form of country music. of people play it and it almost I really like it because it sounds always brings a smile to the faces really light and makes of those I play for. you want to dance. Whenever I hear it, it reminds me of a party in the country where there is laughing and a lot of dancing. It really allows you to put all of your energy into your song and the more energy that you have the better it sounds. How is being in this band different from being in the family band? When I was in the family band I was younger and didn’t really do much. I just sat there and smiled at people. In [my current] band I play more, so I am a bigger part of the band I guess. Both of the bands are really fun and I enjoy both, but I like playing with my friends a little more.
Where do you see yourself going with your music in the future? I don’t really know. I would like to play through college and play for people at concerts and have an agent. That would be really cool. I also think it would be fun to teach others music and give people the same love for music that I have. Then if I have kids I would teach them how to play and they could make their own band one day.
Orlando Lorang Junior Photo by Cory Root Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse
Trojan Horse 4
November 2013
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE A JUNIOR GIRL GOES THE EXTRA MILE
No. 2 still considered to be a good
Stein’s parents saw from an
state cross-country meet, junior
time. In her first meet this year
early age that Olivia was not
Olivia Stein knew that she was
she nearly broke 20 minutes, a
like the other girls at her school.
about to have to break through
huge barrier for girls, and end-
She had an internal drive and
a wall. Her heart was racing,
ed up with a season PR of 18
an incredibly focused person-
her legs were on fire; she knew
minutes and 38 seconds. Stein
ality that led her to being the
at this point there was no going
has done better than anyone
successful cross country runner
back.
expected her to, including her-
she is today. “We provide her
With two minutes left in the
with the necessities of it
Stein had been pushing herself through extensive training, and after the rigid workout schedule she followed in the summer, which amounted to an average of forty to fifty miles a week, she is now one of the top runners in the state.
-- running shoes, running
Stein’s parents saw from an early age that Olivia was not like the other girls at her school.
clothes -- but ultimately the fierce desire to run is all coming from her.” Many high school athletes will have professionals that they look up to, someone who inspires them or drives them to do better.
“She showed some specific characteristics that we
self. “My goal at the beginning
However, Stein looks for her
look for in elite runners, even
of the season -- this is going to
role models in other places. “I
when she wasn’t running elite
sound ridiculous -- but it was to
don’t have as many famous role
times,” head cross-country
break 21 minutes,” Stein said.
models, like some of my teammates do,” Stein said. “There’ll
coach Thor Esbensen said. “She
Steins parent’s Joanie and
did a great job doing all of the
David Stein, are supportive of
be girls in the district who I look
things that we asked of her. She
her daughter’s success. As we
up to…like Emma Wren. She’s
did everything right, and it paid
sat in Stein’s brightly lit living
so nice, and she’s always top
off.”
room, listening to Simon and
of the district, no one can touch
Garfunkel, we talked about
her.”
All of the hard work she put in has amounted to an incred-
Olivia’s amazing performance
ible season. Her times have
this cross-country season.
improved an impressive amount
“We like to call her our race-
Much of Stein’s success, as well as the success of the entire team, can be attributed
in just one year. During the
horse,” Stein’s parents said. “We
to the coaches in the Wilson
2012 season her PR was just
don’t pressure her into running,
cross-country program. “I think
under 22 minutes, which was
but instead support her.”
we’re really lucky to have
Trojan Horse 6
November 2013 coaches like Mr. E,” Olivia’s
cross-country community have
make sure that they are doing
younger sister, Elle Stein, said. “I
also started to hear about
a good warm up run and that
mean, when I go to some of the
Stein’s incredible season and
they have enough time to do all
other meets I’ve seen how crazy
ask her about it. “It’s really cool
the drills and stretches that they
some of the other coaches are.
to go through the hallways at
need to.
At the state meet there was
school and hear things from
this coach that was standing
people I don’t know, like, ‘Hey
“I think she is the poster child of what we want in terms of a
on top of a fence
focused, committed
just foaming at the
athlete, and the
mouth, screaming
cool thing about
his head off at his
Olivia… is that she
runners. But Coach
is such a cool per-
E will just give you
son,” Olsen said.
advice during your
“You know, she’s
race instead of
not at all arrogant;
screaming at you.”
she wants success for everybody but
Despite all of her
herself.”
success, Olivia still
Running is a very
remains the same person she was
mental sport, and
before joining the
staying motivated
team. She is incred-
can often be a
ibly humble and
Stein and the other state Champions from the Portland Interscholastic League
challenge. For Ol-
sees the success of her team-
Olivia, how’d you run?’” Stein
ivia, skipping a day of training
mates as being even more im-
said.
is not an option. “I like to think
Cross-country runners notice
about what Mr. E always says,
a meet, and, you know, she
leadership qualities emerging
‘Pain is temporary, but pride is
finishes like second and gets
in Stein through her success.
forever,’” Stein said. When run-
a PR, and the first thing out of
She makes sure that her team-
ning a race, Stein always tries
her mouth is, ‘Did you see how
mates are doing all they can
to run her hardest, knowing that
good Sydney did?’,” cross-coun-
and are ready to perform at
no matter how slow she goes
try coach Aaron Olsen said. “It’s
their best. Before every race she
she’ll still feel tired afterwards.
like, ‘Yeah she did great, but
can be found leading her fel-
dude you just killed it.’”
low varsity girls in the warm up
son, Stein has started to think
routine. Stein does her best to
about running at the college
portant than her own. “We finish
People outside of the
7 Trojan Horse
After such a successful sea-
No. 2
Stein running at the state meet.
level. “Me and Mr. E are going
meet that she qualified for with
hardest. “It’s all the little things
to talk about finding a school
her state time. This meet is a
that count; don’t go out too
that’s appropriate,” Stein said.
chance for the best runners in
hard, but when you get to that
Oregon and Washington to
point where you’re tired, don’t
going to a smaller division one
come together and put down
give up.”
school that would give her the
their fastest times. “I’m excit-
opportunity to run and improve,
ed about being part of Team
while not letting her get over-
Oregon,” Stein said. “I don’t
shadowed by other athletes.
know what Washington’s going
Stein has been receiving per-
to bring to the table but they
sonal letters from schools such
always seem to be pretty darn
as Gonzaga and Concordia,
good.”
They both like the idea of her
both of which are schools she’s interested in.
As someone who has had so
Ellie Harper Senior
Natalie Jenkins Junior
much success this cross country
For now, though, Stein is
season, Stein’s advice to new
focusing on the Border Clash
runners would be to try your
Photos by Ellie Harper and Thor Esbensen Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse
Trojan Horse 8
November 2013
PUNJAB, PAKISTAN Groom visits the Sikh Golden Temple
BALI, INDONESIA Groom goes sailing
No. 2
DELHI, INDIA Groom gets his daily shave
November 2013
M
ost students assume that their teachers don’t have lives outside of school. They take for granted the fact that the teachers here at Wilson are fascinating people with stories worth hearing. Tracy Groom is a perfect example. He is an explorer and has a world’s worth of experience and is, without a doubt, the most well traveled person in this building. I hear that you have a passion for traveling, how did it all start? My father was always an adventurer. I remember he would drive our family in our station wagon off road into the mountains in Eastern Oregon and we would just explore. I loved it. We camped and sailed in Central America (Mexico) and Canada and so I became really interested in seeing new places and meeting new people from a young age. My first time traveling alone was when I rode my bicycle across the United States from Oregon to Washington DC and then up to Montréal, and then I took a train back across Canada. I was 24 and it was right after I graduated from the University of Oregon. I wanted a big adventure after I graduated. I also didn’t want to find a job and wasn’t ready to work yet or attend graduate school. This trip got me really interested in exploring places that were completely
11 Trojan Horse
foreign to me. . Wow, tell me about the bike trip! It was right after I graduated from college and I was looking for an adventure, so I started in Salem, which is where I am from, and traveled across Oregon into Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky, Virginia. I was gone for 4 months, alone on my bike. I slept in cemeteries, city parks, beaches, campgrounds, and ditches. I would mostly camp, but sometimes I would stay in a cheap motel, somebody’s house, a YMCA full of old men smoking cheap cigars, or a youth hostel. What were the most memorable parts of your bike trip? Definitely going through the South. I remember in Kentucky, it was a time when coal was very important to the region, and 24 hours a day these coal trucks would be barreling down the roads. There were dogs everywhere and they would end up getting hit by the trucks, and I remember riding along the highway with bloated dead dogs scattered along the highway. It wasn’t pretty, and it seemed that whenever I had to fix a flat tire there was a decomposing dog near by. I remember riding my bike through Missouri and people throwing tangerines from a
car at me and yelling, “Go home, you dirty hippy.” In Vale, Oregon I was trying to sleep on top of a picnic table in the city park one night, when a policeman pointed his flashlight in my eyes and made me get up and move to a place down under a bridge. In Washington DC, I waved at President Reagan in his helicopter, but he didn’t wave back. How many places have you been to since then? Hmmm. I’m not sure, but I have probably been to well over 50 countries, and some of them several times. That’s incredible! Tell me about the history of your trips. It wasn’t until my early thirties that I began to travel abroad. In 1989, I took the standard European trip for a month or so, hitting far too many countries in far too little time. I don’t remember much because I was trying to see too much and was exhausted most of the time. I was young and stupid. And then a year or so later I flew to Bangkok and wandered around Thailand for a month or so. In 1992 I arranged to take leave for six months from my job as an economist with the Bonneville Power Administration and flew to Katmandu, Nepal. I trekked around the Annapurna mountain range for three weeks, climbing from about 2,000 feet
No. 2 How do you choose the places you go to?
Groom with his class in Delhi
up to 17,500. It was incredibly difficult, and there were times I didn’t think I’d make it, but I survived. From there I flew to New Delhi, India, and wandered around India for a couple months. Then I flew from Calcutta to Singapore, which I hated, and caught a boat to Sumatra. After traveling there for a few weeks, I took a boat to Malaysia and bussed up into Thailand. At that point I was tired of traveling so I took a boat to a little island in the Gulf of Thailand, rented a bungalow on the beach for a month, and wrote poetry while hanging out on the beach. The poetry was later published in a book. I met a “forest monk” and arranged to take tai chi lessons with him for several hours every day. Then I traveled back to Bangkok and flew home. I came back from that trip and realized I didn’t want to work for the government
anymore. The genie was out of the bottle. Sitting in a government cubicle and staring at a computer just wasn’t very exciting. So within a couple of years I had quit my job, rented out my house, and was on flight to Argentina. For 6 months I wandered around South America, traveling through Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia backpacking and working. For a while I worked at guest ranch owned by an Israeli couple in the jungle in southern Ecuador, doing everything from cleaning toilets to cooking meals to cutting back brush. During that trip I also hiked in the Torres del Paine national park in Patagonia, the Lake District in Chile, and the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After six months of traveling, I was exhausted and so spent the last month on the beach in Venezuela before flying home.
I really like developing countries, where I think as Americans we can learn a lot about other people’s values and lifestyles. I am far more interested in that than I am in first world countries. I find that they are much richer in many ways. The food is great, traveling around is inexpensive, the people are interesting, the culture is fascinating, and the sights are often beautiful. Wandering around ancient streets for hours is fascinating, and I always carry the business card for the hotel where I am staying to give a taxi driver in case I get lost. I remember walking around all night in Kathmandu when I first arrived with a huge smile on my face. I had never been happier. I like to go to places where I am challenged, where it’s risky. What is your preferred means of transportation while traveling? I love to travel by train and have taken trains through India, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Traveling by train allows one to really get to know other travelers. I have found that people who travel by train are much more interested in the experience of traveling and not just as a way to get somewhere. You just don’t get that when you’re sitting next to someone on a plane for an hour or so. I have ridden plenty of tired
Trojan Horse 12
November 2013 old busses, but if there is a train available I’d rather take it. Busses in developing countries can be very dangerous. When I was teaching in India I would usually ride the school bus with the kids, and take a motor rickshaw around the city..
There’s so many. The concentration camps in Germany, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Patagonia in Chile and Argentina, the Massai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the Roman ruins in Turkey,
You have been to so many places; what part of the world have you found to like the most? Asia. More recently, I have become really interested in Southeast Asia. I love the people, the culture, and it’s just beautiful. It’s also quite cheap. I have traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos a couple times now, and I love it. Next summer, my wife and I are going back to South India. I figure that when I Groom hiking on the Great Wall of China am old I can go to Petra in Jordan, the Dead Sea in the more easy to get around to Israel, The Great Wall in China, places like England and Europe, the Annapurna mountain range and my wife can roll me around. in Nepal and Tibet. But overall Until then, I want to keep going the most incredible places are in to the places that are more chalIndia—Varanasi is an important lenging.. and fascinating Hindu religious site on the Ganges River, the Sikh Which trips have been Golden Temple in Amritsar, the most significant to you? Rajastan desert near the Pakistan
13 Trojan Horse
border, and the Taj Mahal. Do you speak the languages in the places you travel to? When I was in South America, I spoke Spanish fairly well, but I’ve lost it since. I spoke some Hindi in India, but not much just because English is commonly and widely spoken there. What are some of the major cultural differences that you have noticed on your trips? Oh God, in India it’s never ending. I don’t know where to begin. As Americans it’s so easy to become isolated and think that we are the center of the universe and that our way is the best, but through travel you discover quickly that people have entirely different ways of doing things and living. And they are just as important as how we see things, and it’s really important for us as humans to see that and to experience different places and different ways of thinking. A lot of my students that I have had over the past 15 years have traveled the world and kept in contact with me, and it’s so good to see how they’ve grown through it. I really encourage my
No. 2 students to travel because I have learned far more about the world and myself while traveling than I have sitting in a classroom, and I have sat in plenty of classrooms. I know students who travel will come back more worldly, focused and thoughtful. I am not saying for kids to quit high school and travel now, but taking a year off to travel before college can be really good for many before starting college. Traveling really forces us to get to know our own culture, because we really don’t know our own culture well until we’ve been to places where we’re not immersed in it. What is the craziest thing that has happened to you while traveling? Being thrown in jail in Venezuela. Nothing very serious. I was out walking one night and I didn’t have my passport, which was required. Two motorcycle cops stopped me. The police there can be really corrupt, and they see Americans as having a lot of money and vulnerable to being bribed. In this one city where I was staying their scam was to arrest an American or European and see if they have drugs on them, and if they do then they take a bribe, and then they take the drugs to a disco and sell them. I didn’t have any, of course, but they still cuffed me and threw me on to the ground and tried to get a bribe out of me. I was
thrown in jail until my girlfriend, who was back in our hotel room, showed up and got me out. How do you have the time and money to do all of the traveling? As a teacher, I have summers off and just know I need to be back at the end of August. As an economist, I would take six months off without pay so I could be gone for as long as I wanted. When I was in South America, I rented my house out for a year so I could be gone for an extended amount of time. As for money, I have invested well and married well. But, this type of traveling actually isn’t all that expensive. The most expensive part is the airline ticket. If I spend a month or two in Southeast Asia during the summer, I spend less money there than I would in Portland. People think it’s expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. What is most bizarre thing that you have seen while traveling? God, India…it’s like every time you look around you see something crazy! I have seen some really bizarre things, some of which probably are not appropriate to share! Let’s see, outside my apartment in Delhi, I looked out my window one morning and there were elephants going by, and across from the apartment there were extremely poor
and homeless people literally living on the median of the highway where they could easily be begging for food. Through the winter I remember a woman with her baby living on the sidewalk below my window. The poverty in some of these places can be very overwhelming. I just had to face the fact that as an American I am extremely privileged. I am very thankful for what we have here. What were the people like where you went? That’s difficult to say. There’s such a wide range, but I have had positive experiences with very few exceptions. When you read in newspapers or watch the news about these countries, you can easily get frightened, but everyone I have gotten to know has been so genuine and good. I’ve always found it ironic that often countries with the strictest and most oppressive regimes will have some of the kindest and sweetest people in the world. In Bali, in Indonesia, the people are so happy and yet they own or have so little. It makes me wonder about the relationship between happiness and money. Poverty forces people to come together. Here in America, it is clear that some of the unhappiest people are the wealthiest, but in many developing countries the happiest people are often very poor. In these countries, the people rely on family, community and friends.
Trojan Horse 14
November 2013 The people seem so content and happy. It’s probably because they are much more connected to their families and communities than here in the United States. Entire families live in the same house and community for generations: grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In Vietnam, I love the people. I traveled there expecting them to hate us because of the Vietnam War, but they’ve moved beyond that far more than we have. The cultures are very old and they have to learn to put things behind them in order to survive; they really don’t hold grudges against Americans. I think Americans are more hung up on what we did in Vietnam than the Vietnamese are.. Who do you think you would’ve been if you hadn’t traveled? I probably would have been sitting in a government cubical some place, gaining weight, depressed and counting my days until retirement. I began writing a lot when I was traveling by myself as a way to “communicate” with my world, and this lead me writing as a career and then to Lewis and Clark College to become an English teacher. How has traveling influenced your thinking about teaching and education? I’ve come to realize how incredibly lucky we are in the United States. Life is so much easier here than in many areas of the world, especially the developing world. I can become frustrated when some American students do not take advantage of our excellent schools, when many young people around the world would do almost anything to get the same opportunities. I taught at a school in India in which I could literally see starving and homeless kids sleeping or begging on the sidewalk through the classroom window. My students had a constant reminder of how lucky they were. I become even more frustrated when I see adults in the lives of American students indulging their every whim and not pushing them to work harder. Some students clearly need extra assistance and time or other
15 Trojan Horse
changes, but probably not nearly as many as some adults might think. I believe young people are much more resilient and capable than what many adults, or even the students themselves, assume. Lastly, if you had one piece of advice to pass onto students who might be interested in seeing the world, what would it be? Don’t let anyone’s fears or horror stories about a country or region get in the way of your experiencing the world. You’ll likely hear a million reasons not to go to someplace, but, more than likely, none will be good enough. There is nothing to be afraid of. Trust yourself. You will return a different and better person, and it will be a learning experience and education that cannot be gained at any university. Get a passport, an airline ticket, a Lonely Planet guidebook, and go. Stay for as long as you can. Travel to “poorer” and developing non-Western countries; you’ll be able to travel longer and the experience will likely be much richer. Americans can usually find work teaching English in many non-English speaking countries of the world, and this is an excellent way to extend your stay. Resist the temptation to come home early when you become homesick or when the traveling becomes difficult. Find other travelers to travel with along the way; those experiences will live with you for the rest of your lives. Just go..
Ellen Berkley Senior Photos provided by Tracy Groom Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse
No. 2
Into the Woods Photo story by Olivia Patton Cover photo by Sam Reed
As kids settle back into the rhythm of school, a post goes up on the bulletin board outside the Wilson drama room. “Come audition for Wilson’s ‘Into the Woods!’” Students scramble to prepare 36 bars of music from a classic musical, compete against one another through several sets of callbacks, and finally the cast list goes up. The following months flicker past in a flurry of intense rehearsals, set building, light hanging, and costume designing. The young actors pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the production, literally. But then opening night comes and it’s all worth it. There is nothing quite like the thrill of hearing the live orchestra’s clash of tuning as the lights go down right before a show, and no sound like that of the final chord followed by the thundering of applause. This is the world of Wilson drama. This is what it’s like to go “Into the Woods”.
Trojan Horse 16
November 2013 Daniel Crumrine and Sydney Yeagers paint the production’s set. Cast members attend tech builds to work on the technical aspects of the show, giving them a new set of skills beyond acting. “I know what a screwdriver is now!” Yeagers said. “[Tech builds] make the cast respect what the techies do a lot more than before.”
Connor French uses his downtime between scenes to study lines and music. Consisting of two and a half hours of music, speaking, and movement, cast members are required to spend a considerable amount of time on the show outside of rehearsal. “[The show] is something you have to dedicate time to,” French said. “It’s a musical, and it’s not an easy one, so it takes a lot of work.”
17 Trojan Horse
No. 2
After a motivational talk with director Paul Angelo, Erin Magill, Babek Gasimzadeh, Calvin Porterfield, and Connor French show their appreciation of each other in a round of hugs.
The cast warms their voices up for a run through of the show with musical director Andrew Bray.
Emma Iverson, Zoe Stuckless, and Daniel Crumrine pass the three hours between the end of school and the beginning of rehearsal together. “Everyone has been [at rehearsal] almost every single day,” Iverson said. “If it’s not working on scenes with the directors, it’s working in the drama room with your scene partners. We just want to put on a great show.”
Trojan Horse 18
November 2013
ALL CHARGED UP ONE STUDENT’S RACE TO RICHES
Omar Rasheed was looking out the window of his parents’ car when he saw it: a shiny and sleek 2006 Dodge Charger turning the corner of the intersection. Rasheed was speechless. He whipped his head around and followed the car as it drove away. He searched the back of the car, desperate to find its name, but he couldn’t get a good view. Rasheed craned his neck and lifted out of his seat trying to get a peek when he finally found it; one brief look at a silver series of letters that read, “Charger”. At home he rushed to the computer and began researching what would soon become his obsession. Eleven-year-old Omar Rasheed was in love. Not with a girl but with a car. There was only one problem: how would he ever find the money to make this car his own? He began to dream about driving around town in a brand new Charger. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he needed
19 Trojan Horse
that car. And that’s when Rasheed made a decision which most eleven-year-olds would never consider making; He dedicated himself to a single purpose: making money for the car. His motivation was simple, but the process would be hard. Rasheed soon got a job in the Jackson Middle School cafeteria. He worked every day, missing his own regular lunchtime. Although he was making more money than most kids his age, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He was saving up hundreds of dollars when he needed thousands. So as soon as he got into high school, he looked for ways to make even more money. He signed up to work at sporting events. While this increased his cash flow, he knew he needed even more. “I always cut hair for my friends, so I had an idea,” Rasheed said. After investing in some trimmers, Rasheed began to offer five dollar haircuts after school in
No. 2 the locker room. He slowly grew his business and earned a reputation for his style, which is famous for its “fades” and clean lines. “My haircuts are special, and they got better. I mean at first they were five dollars and now they’re fifteen. I guess that speaks for itself,” Rasheed said with his famous grin, which stretches across his face. His smile is sly, but also inviting -a signature characteristic for Rasheed that helps him seem so relatable. For the majority of his high school career, Rasheed worked day in and day out to save up the money, all $10,000 of it, that he needed to get his dream car. He had to sacrifice many things to make his dream a reality, but he never lost focus. “Omar is an extremely hard worker,” junior Sterling Baraquio said. “He never gives up! Omar has had the chance to give up multiple times, but in the end he never did.” Rasheed never doubted that he’d get his car, but as the years passed, he felt the clock ticking. He would look at Dodge Chargers every day, and he just got hungrier to achieve his goal. While few people understood how hard Rasheed was working, many just saw him as “haircut kid” or “the guy who works at Wilson games.” But Rasheed didn’t care. Another job he took was in a local auto-body and detailing shop, Auto Detail GT. Rasheed knew that after one more summer of working he would finally have the funds he needed for his dream car, so he made the final push. After a summer of looking at cars, eight years of saving up, and a lifetime of dreaming, Rasheed was finally ready to buy a car. On one sunny and hot summer day in July, he stepped onto the dealership floor at Wilsonville Dodge. He was sweaty, not from the heat, but from the
pressure. He had been dreaming of this moment ever since he was a little boy. Full of shiny exotics and glimmering American cars, it only took him a second to find what he was looking for. “I was so nervous going into it because I didn’t know if today was gonna be the day I was finally gonna get my car. But when I saw [the Charger] sitting there, I knew it was my baby. It was love at first sight.” He bought the car with his parents and family in full attendance. While Rasheed’s journey to getting the car was finally over, anyone who knows it’s really only the beginning for him. His brand new Dodge Charger sits in the parking lot of Wilson, the white pearly paint shimmering in the sun and the black racing strips casting a stealthy and menacing aura. Even though it is finally his, Rasheed still looks longingly at it. He has already put hundreds of dollars into getting new subwoofers, rims, sound system and speaker deck, as well as blacking out the tail lights and grill, and fitting a new exhaust. “I have already customized so much, but more is coming,” Rasheed said. He then strode off and entered his beast. Pausing only to turn on some bass-heavy rap and give the engine a few loud revs, he drove out of the parking lot in style. Rasheed knows that no one has worked as hard as him to get a car, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Perry Taylor Junior Photo by Daniel Brown Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse
Trojan Horse 20
November 2013
@WHSTrojanHorse Front cover: Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Groom riding on an elephant in Laos. Back cover: Holy Man in Varanasi, India. Photos contributed by Tracy Groom
back cover
LEGAL Local Civil Rights inquiries Brian Chatard, Title VI, IX Coordinator (503) 916-5280 Maude Lamont, 504 Coordinator (503) 916-5280 District Title vi, ix, & 504 inquiries Carolyn Leonard, Compliance (503) 916-5280 Room 227 - BESC American Disabilities Act Contact Maureen Sloan, HR Legal Counsel (503) 916-3025 Human Resources - BESC