Trojan Horse
The
Your NOVEMBER Horse-O-Scope
Inside Cover
November 2014 No. 1
DJ
Comella in the house Pg. 2
Butterfield and Rizzo. Pg. 10 & 21
YOUTUBE
BEAUTY
GURUS Pg. 5
Which Teacher are you?
QUIZ pg. 12
WAS THE
BIKE LANE WORTH Pg. 16
IT?
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November
HORSE-O-SCOPE Aries
Libra
Aries: You will have a huge workload, so boost up your enthusiasm and don’t be scared to ask your homies for help to gain good study habits. If your family is being annoying and complaining that that they aren’t seeing enough of you, just explain that you are seizing the day and kicking a$$.
Libra: Your relationships have been awkward this month. Maybe it’s because of your busy schedule or maybe it’s because you’re over-thinking it. Relationships with your friends should not make you stressed, and if they do then maybe you should rethink whom you’re friends with.
Taurus
Scorpio
Gemini
Sagittarius
Gemini: You haven’t been doing anything productive this month. Throw yourself into your Gemini roots and become the social butterfly you are. Create the excitement you long for and end the dull streak.
Sagittarius: You have been slacking off in the Sagittarius department. Go volunteer after school and your slump will be over. You will find that that missing piece in your life has come back because being unhelpful isn’t you. You are a humble little sweetheart. So embrace it.
Cancer
Capricorn
Cancer: Stop being a cancer. Stop being so emotional, and don’t cry over what I just said.
Capricorn: Stop being so sensual this month. You need to focus on your ambitions and achieve your dreams. After all, you are one of the most focused, driven, and hardest workers out there; in the bedroom or in the classroom.
Leo
Aquarius
Leo: You are the center of attention, but school isn’t the moment to talk during a lecture, or plan a social event this weekend. SO STOP. You need to listen and learn so that you can expand your horizons in school and life. You need to become, dare I say, a nerd.
Aquarius: You are a strong independent woman who don’t need no man. If you are a man, you also don’t need no man. But your detachment from society is different than being independent. Make some more friends, join more clubs and put yourself out there. If you do, you might find where you belong.
Virgo
Pisces
Virgo: You have become very disorganized this month. Take some time off of your busy schedule and organize your life. This means, turn off that Netflix season you have been watching every waking hour, and make your bed, find the homework that was due last week, or organize your binder.
Pisces: You are very intuitive and spiritual. This month is your time to accept spirituality into your life and delve into your inner soul. Go meditate in a random field with your Taurus friends and relax. You will see that once you find yourself, everything else becomes simple, stupid.
Taurus: You have been saying, “Yes” too much the past couple of months. Forget being nice and helpful because now it’s time to say “No.” You need to become self-centered and take care of you. Go on a nature walk, listen to music, or meditate in a random field, and you will find that the stress that has plagued you for the past couple months is gone.
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Written by Tana Kelley
TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
Scorpio: Lets be real, you are not free and peaceful. You are stubborn. So embrace your Scorpio nature and fight for your beliefs. You have had an argument this last month that you decided to let go of, even though you felt passionate about it. This month, you need to use that passion and get into an argument because most likely you will win.
CONTENTS COVER
Tristan Comella
HORSE-O-SCOPE Tana Kelley
02 DJ COMELLA IN THE HOUSE Aidan Ormond
05 YOUTUBER BEAUTY GURUS Brooklynn Loiselle
10 ANDREW BUTTERFIELD Natalie Jenkins
12 WHICH WILSON TEACHER ARE YOU? Moni Kovacs & Quinn Vlacich
16 BIKE LANE Tana Kelley
21 PAUL RIZZO Lauren McMurray
Adrianne Nix Editor in Chief Senior
Natalie Jenkins Editor in Chief Senior
Keith Higbee Staff Advisor
Monika Kovacs Head of Design Senior
Tana Kelley Photo Editor Senior
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.
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DJ COMELLA IN THE HOUSE
After stumbling upon his passion, there is nothing that can stand in the way of Tristan and his music 2
TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
Last year’s Winter Formal was an event like no other. Couples filled The Refuge, moving to the music and hoping the night would never end. In the midst of all of the festivity, one man stood alone: a silhouetted individual, no friends, no date, dancing alone. While this may seem like a scene out of a teenager’s nightmare, this guy couldn’t be happier. His music was touching everyone in the room. Many people were aware that the person DJing at the Winter Formal was actually Wilson High School’s own Tristan Comella. What most probably didn’t know is the level at which Comella has been exploring music and sound for the better part of three years. Comella has been playing music for most of his life. He started out with the guitar in third grade and has played many more instruments since then. He moved on to working with sounds and waveforms the beginning of freshman year. Now, he makes his own electronic music, which can be found on Soundcloud, a website where people can upload music that they have created, by searching “Fearsies”. He was first introduced to music making and DJing when he bought a microphone that came along with the DJing software Ableton. Comella wanted to record himself playing the guitar and singing, but after he used the software he couldn’t put it down. After he started to really get into making music, he used YouTube as a way to train himself. “YouTube is your best friend when it comes to tutorials,” Comella said. This put Comella on the path to making a different kind of music. Comella’s music is full of different sounds and ranges from instruments to highpitched frequencies. He currently has six completed songs on Soundcloud and is constantly working on more. On average Comella works on music for four hours after school. During the weekend he works for as long as eight to nine hours. It is important for him to improve his art every day and broaden his technique. He owns a number of tools to make his music, including his keyboard, laptop, and faders: a device for varying the volume of sound, the intensity
of light, or the gain on a video or audio signal. Comella likes to experiment when making music, often finding new styles and combinations. He also prefers to work on multiple projects all at once rather than working on just one song. “Making something that is truly your own is great, and when something else happens that you like too, you’re even more stoked,” Comella said. Comella has other plans and goals for his life, but right now his main interest is his music. This interest isn’t limited to electronic. He plays numerous instruments: the piano, mandolin, banjo, and harmonica. “I understand music to the point where I can pick up most instruments and be able to play them,” Comella said. Comella’s music ranges from hip-hop to folk, from very subtle and quiet to loud and hard, but one thing most of his music has in common is the electronic music woven in. Some of his music sounds like techno music found in modern electronic House music, while some of it is jamming to his guitar and singing. Comella even has a few folk songs on his Soundcloud. To make his music even better, Comella is always doing new things to spice up his sound. “He is always seeking to learn new methods and styles of music which has been fun to witness,” Comella’s mom, Kimberley, said. Comella also uses the instruments he plays on his music to add new sounds as well. Comella does other things, such as resampling acoustic instruments and doing synth patches, creating lots of different sounds by changing around the settings to a synthesizer. He also grabs sounds from places like YouTube and field recordings. “There are sounds everywhere. It’s pretty awesome,” Comella said. Listening to other music and people is a big step for Comella’s music making process. He gets inspiration from modern songs, which he then tries to create a similar piece of work. “A lot of times, I’ll hear a sound in a song and wish that it was more present, and a lot of times that inspires me
“I make music for me. I’d rather like it and a thousand people hate it than the reverse”
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to go make a song.” He is often inspired by other people on Soundcloud, like 3NTERPRISE, an anonymous artist on Soundcloud as well as old disco music and musicians like George Benson and Anita Ward. But Comella takes the most pride in his own creations. “It’s mostly just the idea of creating something. Something that’s unique and completely of your own making,” Comella said. Comella’s parents are supportive of his musical pursuits. They used to take him to see concerts when he was young, and bought him his first instrument, the guitar, when he was in third grade. The first concert Comella saw was Ben Harper at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend, which was followed by Modest Mouse, The Shins, and Death Cab For Cutie. Watching these concerts was instrumental in Comella’s songwriting. When he first started making music, his parents were not really aware of what he was doing. Comella would tell his parents about accomplishments and new songs he just made, but would be met with a nod of the head or a smile. These days, his parents are well versed in what he does and are behind him one hundred percent. “I have listened to almost every piece of music Tristan has created. I can always appreciate his work, even when it’s not to my personal taste, but most of it I actually really like,” Kimberley said. “I believe Tristan could make a living in composing music, but even if he is unable to, it’s an important creative
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TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
outlet that he should always practice for his own gratification.” Comella is not alone when it comes to creating music. He has two friends with him that also makes music: Bryce Eklund and Aidan McCutchen. These three friends don’t compete with each other, but rather work simultaneously. Though they work together, their music is not always alike. “We’ve both made vaguely similar songs, but there are definitely more differences than there are similarities,” Eklund said. Eklund tends to create his own sounds, where as Comella uses raw audio clips and tampers with them extensively. Both of these methods are respectable and both have their advantages. “He does some super whack stuff with sampling, resampling, and warping that creates a really fresh, cool, experimental sound,” Eklund said. Sometimes, they collaborate and make loops and small clips, but they have never actually collaborated on a track. Eklund and Comella both think highly of each other and their music. “Lots of big producers started out the same way he has,” Eklund said. As for the critics, Comella doesn’t let them bother him. “ I make music for me. I’d rather me like it and a thousand people hate it than the reverse,” Comella said.
Aidan Ormond Sophomore
Photos by Aidan Ormond
YOUTUBE BEAUTY GURUS BEAUTY FASHION AND MORE How three Wilson girls made it big on Youtube Three friends share their love of fashion and beauty with the world Sunlight shone through the large, glass window into one of the old, dirty, brick stairways of Wilson. During a passing period, it would be the scene of a traffic jam with many frazzled students attempting to push their way through in order to make it to their next class on time. However, in the morning or at lunch, these hallways are deserted like a rundown city, that is except one on the second floor where the lighting is best. There, three girls dressed in the most recent trends take turns posing in front of a camera, showcasing their school attire. They may receive a glance from those few, stray students who happen to be navigating the staircase, but they just pause and wait for them to pass. Once the hall is vacant again, they return to their filming. It’s a daily process that the three are now very accustomed to. To an onlooker, this may seem pointless, but the reality is 20,000 people have been waiting all week to see this. Sophomores, Sara and Emma Pardy had always been fans of YouTube. For years, they iconized fellow beauty
gurus Alexa Losey, Lauren Elizabeth, and Andrea Russett, and fan-girled over the boys of our2ndlife. “We were really bored in the summer, and we would just always watch Youtube videos,” Emma said. They saw how much fun these people were having and wanted to have a similar experience sharing their love for fashion and beauty online. The summer before their seventh grade year, the twins finally created their own channel. Anyone who watches YouTube channels knows that no one has a good channel name. Frequently, Youtubers regret the name that they give their channel, and this was no exception. “We wanted to be like beauty guru people, and they have the weirdest names. We’ve changed it now, so now it is more normal. It used to be beautyinfection797, which is an embarrassing name we made in middle school,“ Sara explained. Now, their channel is simply labeled by their names,
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“Sara Emma Rylee,” which is what the three would prefer their channel be referred to. But it was not until summer heading into their eighth grade year that fellow sophomore Rylee Hilligross joined in on their channel. However, she came with experience. Rylee along with another friend had started a channel, which consisted of random, fun videos. Unfortunately, her friend abandoned the channel and Rylee. Already interested in makeup and beauty, Rylee instantly clicked with Sara and Emma. This left no doubt that Sara and Emma, who also had a friend leave their channel, would invite Rylee to join them. “I am pretty sure we just decided in a day [that I would join them], and that night I uploaded to the channel. Emma and Sara took me in under their wing,” Rylee said. From that moment on, their channel began to grow and mature as the girls did. Unfortunately, they had to learn the hard way to watch what you post online. There have been two distinct videos that have been put on “private” on their channel. Private in the YouTube world means to make a video no longer available for public viewing. Only the user who posted the video can view it.
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The first of these videos was a Q&A where the girls answered questions from their subscribers. The second video was a TAG started by a YouTube comedian, entitled ‘The MirandaSings Tag.” In this video, the girls dressed up as Miranda, a self-confident, tone-deaf singer, and imitated some of her unique quirks. The video was made in fun nature, but the girls were immediately taken back by the negative reaction of their peers the following school day. People said that they were making fools of themselves, and when the girls returned home, they were quick to private the video. Looking back now, the girls admit that the video was embarrassing, but they do believe that it would be more accepted now due to the fact that MirandaSings has drastically grown in popularity. Such experiences have helped the girls learn to deal with harmful, degrading comments left on their channel. If you were to view one of their videos and scroll through the hundreds of comments, the majority are very positive, but there never fails to be at least one person who persists on posting hateful, unnecessary comments on the videos, picking apart their every minuscule flaw. “We normally will block them [negative comments] or
confront them. We aren’t trying to pick a fight, but some people’s feedback doesn’t make any sense. It’s pointless,” Emma said. “We try not to get too defensive, because other people in the comments think that we are trying to fight back. Really, all we are doing is defending ourselves,” Rylee added. “I do sometimes [get hurt], which is bad, because I don’t even know these people. It is coming from a screen. I try not to let myself get hurt too much. Every time we upload a video, I always wonder what they are going to say now.” Comments are made about anything and everything. From their choice of attire, to school, to the way they talk; the girls have dealt with it all. Fortunately, their subscribers reply and protect the girls, often before they even have the chance to react to the comment. At just over 20,000 subscribers, the channel has a large, diverse audience. Their collaboration channel appeals to many teens, because it has so many varied opinions. Viewers of all different ages and styles can relate to at least one of the three girls. Some of their more recent videos include a “Freshman Advice” video in which they give incoming high school freshman tips on how to survive and prosper in their new
environment. One of their helpful pieces of advice was to find all of your classes prior to the first day of school. They suggest attending freshman orientation if offered or visiting the school on a day before school year begins. This way, there is less of a chance of getting lost on the first day of school, a common fear for all new students. Videos like this are commonly searched for just before the school year begins, which can help a channel gain exposure and subscribers. Such a growth in subscribers helped the channel catch the attention of StyleHaul, a partnership company tied with beauty videos on YouTube. The company has signed some of the biggest names in the beauty community on YouTube including Zoella and Tanya Burr. Agreeing to the contract, they are now networked with the company and are able to make a decent profit from their hobby. Every few months, the girls are reassigned to a new channel manager due to their growth in subscribers. StyleHaul has helped the girls receive promotional deals with other companies such as Flat Iron Experts. They were sent a new hair straightener in hopes that they would love it, feature it in a new video, and sell their subscribers on the product. Other fashion and
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beauty companies have also contacted the girls about future promotions. The money gained from promotions has helped pay for giveaways for their subscribers once they hit a specific channel milestone as well as pay for personal wants and needs. Although they are legally restricted from releasing the amount of money they make from their partnership with StyleHaul and other companies, they can confirm that it does help cover the costs such as music, editing programs, and filming supplies for their channel as well as their shopping addictions. Anytime they go on major shopping sprees, they feel obligated to film a haul video for their subscribers, highlighting their recent purchases from Urban Outfitters, Sephora, or any other of their favorite stores. Their Canon Rebel T3i camera is carefully positioned on their tripod and focused in on their backdrop of a black-and-white printed chevron curtain. The girls meticulously apply each step of their makeup routine, making sure to correct any errors and flip their styled hair over their shoulders just before they begin filming. Often, the girls watch other Youtubers’ videos in order to get inspired and come up with video ideas. They then take those video ideas and put their own spin on it. When they are finally ready to film, they click record and start talking. The girls usually have a general idea of what they want to say and just go from there. Having a real conversation without a script is important when it comes to filming, because subscribers are truly able to feel connected with the person they are watching. The filming process does not consume the majority of the time spent on their channel. Rylee estimated that a typical video takes her around twenty minutes to film. What does take up most of their time is editing, which Sara estimated around two hours per video. Videos have to be imported to iMovie for editing, then exported, and finally, imported onto Youtube. Depending on the amount of footage, this process can take hours. Some of their
videos like those in their Outfit Of The Week (OOTW) series take longer to edit, because it combines footage from multiple days. Their OOTW videos also require them to dress nicely for school every day, because they feel obligated to always show their subscribers cute, stylish outfits to wear to school. The lazy I-don’t-want-to-try days of sweatpants and a hoodie are over, but it is a sacrifice well worth it. The girls have also sacrificed their free time for their channel. With cheerleading and academic responsibilities filling up a majority of the week, the girls have given up relaxing weekends doing nothing in exchange for hours of editing, responding to comments, and managing their channel. “Over the summer, we spent a lot more time [on our channel] than we have during the school year, because we have a lot of homework and just not that much time,” Emma explained. “We are supposed to upload every three days, but it’s turned into once a week. It’s been so stressful,” added Rylee. This does not stop the girls from filming them, though. Their OOTW series is loved by the subscribers and is what the girls are most popular for on YouTube. Their top four most viewed videos are all from this series, with the top video coming in at just about 80,000 views. Subscribers also enjoy watching videos featuring the girls’ friends from school. Rosy Quinn, Jessica Paige, and Carter Van Vleet are just a few of the Wilson sophomores that have been introduced on the channel. Carter, in one his début videos, had to undergo a makeover. A tube of lipstick later, his final look was revealed, and it was anything from glamorous. “It’s just like your talking to a camera. It’s fun,” Rosy Quinn said. “I actually found out [about their channel] before I met them. I went to St. Clare for middle school, and I was at one of my friend’s house. She said, ‘Have you seen this YouTube channel?’”
“Every time we upload a video I always wonder what they are going to say now”
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They were finally introduced to each other at the Hillsdale Starbucks their first day of freshman year. Now, Rosy can’t imagine them as anything other than her best friends. “I think it’s weird when people are like ‘Oh! Those are the girls! Sara Emma Rylee!’ I’m just like eh, yea,” she giggled. Although these times have provided for great moments brought by their channel, the most memorable is perhaps what occurred a few weeks into this school year. The girls, who are all on Wilson’s state championship winning cheer team, were at Wilson’s football season opener in Silverton. While the game was far from satisfying (Wilson lost 0-27), the girls left with absolutely no regrets. Two Silverton students, who looked to be the same age as them, hesitantly approached the girls during a break in the action. One of them asked the question that they had been waiting so patiently to hear: “Are you the girls from YouTube?” “We were just talking about it like two days before that. We were asking each other when we thought we would meet a subscriber, and we jinxed ourselves. It happened. It was pretty cool,” Rylee said. It was not the first time the girls had been spotted in public, but it was the first time that a viewer actually approached them. Emma revealed that the girls receive comments frequently on social media like Instagram saying, “I’ve seen you.” This was most likely the first of many encounters with subscribers, due to the fact the girls have just over 20,000 of them. “That’s like more people than our school, and I already think that our school is huge!” Rylee said. It’s actually more like the size of a college; the girls have more people following them than Oregon State has students. Fortunately, the number does not scare the girls. In fact, they would love to get closer to and learn more about their subscribers, who are located all over the world. Just the day before I interviewed them, Sara informed me that they all received a direct message from a subscriber in Germany. Subscribers look up to the three as role models and contact them to just express how much they enjoy their videos. Some messages, however,
are more serious. Often contacted through Tumblr, they receive messages from subscribers about how to best handle some of life’s most difficult problems. “They tell us about how their grandpa died or their friends are leaving them. They’re like ‘What do we do?’” Rylee said. The girls frequently reply to these messages and attempt to give their subscribers the best advice for the particular situation. In the future, they plan on opening a P.O. box as a way to safely connect with subscribers once their numbers grow more. As for goals for their channel, the girls are uncertain. “I am not really sure. I think just to be successful and have people keep watching our videos. We try really hard,” Rylee said. They are open to any opportunity and are excited to continue this journey at least through their high school careers. “I want to try [to continue our videos in college], but it just depends on what happens,” Sara added. As for now, the girls are content with where they are, but they are not complacent. They are eager to continue to gain more subscribers and become a well-known beauty channel on Youtube. With over a million channel views, the girls have a developed a large platform as well as a significant following that could help them in whatever they decide to pursue in the future. It is obvious in just a few minutes of discussing their channel with them that this is their passion. This is what they want to do, and they are willing to make whatever sacrifices it takes in order to make their dream a reality. It helps, too, that they have their two closest friends with them to share all of the bumps and beautiful moments that come along. To all the students at Wilson, the girls only have one message that they hope that you’ll spread to your family and friends. “Subscribe!”
Brooklyn Loiselle Junior Photo by Brooklyn Loiselle
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Introducing Andrew Butterfield Trojan Horse: Did you always want to be a teacher? Butterfield: In high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and when I finished high school I thought ‘I’m gonna be an engineer.’ Then when I got to college I had to take a math class that first term and I thought if I’m doing math that’s gonna be hard I’m gonna take a drawing class too. I realized I hated the math class and I loved the drawing class and engineering was gonna be all math. So I decided I’d just go with being an artist, and I took all art classes from there. TH: So did you major in art in college, or something else? B: I went to Lewis and Clarke and I majored in ceramics. I studied in Indonesia for about nine months, and I studied mask carving and painting and music and dance. I took that skill back and did masks for my college thesis. TH: What was it like living in Indonesia? B: Indonesia is amazing because the ideals there are different than ours here. Making money, having a big job that pays a lot of money is important here, and there being an artist is the best thing you can be. So anyone who’s an artist is given special recognition and privileges and everything else. TH: That would be so different from here where everything is about practical career choices. B: Yeah here everyone says, ‘you’re gonna be poor if you’re an artist.’ Which is true, but maybe being poor of spirit is worse than being poor of money. TH: So before here, where did you teach?
B: I taught at Da Vinci for seventeen years, I taught at Jefferson for a year, and I taught at Marshall for a year. TH: Why did you decide to come to Wilson after all of those schools? B: For the last seventeen years at Da Vinci I thought I’d never leave. But I started feeling like at the end of the year I was just getting to the point where the eighth graders were doing really exciting stuff, but then they would leave and go to some high school teacher who would do fun things with them. So I wanted to go and do that and work with high school students who had the ability to do amazing things. TH: Did you grow up in Portland? B: I grew up in Denver. When I was eighteen, I came up here to visit schools and when my dad and I stepped on the plane and it was an ugly, rainy day, typical of November. And I breathed in and I really felt air. In Denver it was really gross and you held your breath and I held my breath for eighteen years, and so I breathed in and decided this was the most beautiful place ever. TH: What do you want to bring to Wilson, and add to the mix of the school? B: I want to help students achieve quality work in their ceramics and not just get good skills but get good voice in their pieces. I want them to get excited about making pieces that were sculptural or meaningful in some way that I think High School students are gonna be capable of. TH: How would you describe yourself as a teacher? B: Easygoing and really mean [laughs]. I like to be really efficient in pushing forward and making sure every minute counts. There’s not a lot of just sitting around and waiting. So I wanna keep it moving, but make it feel like anyone can be a success.
Natalie Jenkins Senior Photo by Tana Kelley
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? u o y re a r e h c a e T n o s il W h ic h W *answers on next page What was your favorite subject as a student?
What is your spirit animal? a. Badger b. Fruit Bat c. Bear d. Lion e. Cat, duh f. Gecko g. A Mutt h. Battletoad What is your favorite genre of book? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Non-fiction Post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy History Realistic Fiction Sci-fi Fiction Fiction - contemporary Fantasy
What is your favorite color? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Orange...it is the new black Black Blue Red & Yellow Midnight Blue Purple Trojan Green (I am a Trojan, right?) Green
Who is your favorite band/favorite genre of music? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Talking Heads Ana Tijoux Beatles/Blues U2 Indie alternative The Grateful Dead 70’s rock, Bruce Springsteen & Dire Straits Iron Maiden (heavy metal)
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NOVEMBER 2014
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Social Studies Math History American Sign Language English Drama Typing Band...obviously
Who is your celebrity crush? a. Olivia Newton John...I may or may not have written her a letter b. Gael García Bernal c. Cookie Monster d. My Husband (significant other) e. Kate Winslet f. Jennifer Aniston g. James Franco h. Belinda Bedekovic If you were trapped on a deserted island, what are three things you would bring? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Soccer ball, music (Ipod), drums Sunscreen, bow & arrows Food, books, change of underwear Machete, espresso machine, a firend My cats, a water filteration system, multi-purpose knife Books, music, my wife (significant other) A book, diet coke, chocolate and dental floss A cowbell, a pair of cowboy boots and my album collection
What is your favorite TV show? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Big Bang Theory/Seinfeld Walking Dead & Game of Thrones The last of the Summer Wine Breaking Bad It’s always sunny in Philadelphia Breaking Bad Freaks & Geeks Game of Thrones
What weather do you prefer? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Fall Weather Sunny & cool Sunny Warm sunny day at the beach Sunny, low 70’s Sunny Cool & sunny Overcast
What is your favorite movie? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
A tie between, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly & The Warriors Aliens (1986) Lord of the Rings Into the Wild The Matrix Fargo The Graduate Conan the Barbarian (1982) What is your dream job? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Drummer in a relatively famous band...but not too famous Owning a hostel in Patagonia Teaching Teaching students while traveling around the world Board game designer Teaching at an embassy overseas Truck or bus driver I have it now
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Ethiopia!!! A beach in Costa Rica Milan, Italy Italy! Iceland Papa New Guinea Greece or New Zealand Estonia
How old do you feel? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
What do you do in your free time? a. I’m a family man first, but I also play drums in a band and producea show called “Mortified”! b. Being outside c. Learn German d. Playing with my family & friends e. Run, bike, watch movies f. Traveling & Sailing g. Cook, bike, camp, family, pets, ya know…organize things! h. Settlers of Catan, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords
Not a day over 41! Some days I feel 19, others 45 30-ish 28 33 Not so old, depending on the day 80 When I wake up, 86. By 9:00 am, 18.
If you could eat / drink anything right now what would it be? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Pumpkin curry from that food cart near Wilson. I’m obsessed! Sushi Chocolate chip cookies Double tall, extra hot, vanilla latte & a cheeseburger with grilled jalapeños and bell peppers. Fritos Fudgsicle Yellow curry with tofu!! Coffee, as black as my soul What is your favorite brand of clothing?
When you were a kid what type of games did you enjoy playing (favorite toys)? a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Star Wars figures (personal favorites: Hammerhead and Boba Fett) Cabbage Patch Dolls & ghost in the graveyard Avalon hill board games Atari and card games with my family GI Joe Monopoly Chatty Cathy Doll, kick the can, flashlight tag, ping pong, badminton GI Joe and Nintendo
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Brooklyn Industries Cheap Lands’ End Used Gap Levis Is Nordstrom a brand? I don’t give a hoot about brands
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Count w hich let ters you the mos chose t t o find out W ilson wh teacher you’re m ich ost like !
A
Mathew’s AWESOME collage of all the things he likes and his
E YOU AR S! MR. MATTHEW
doppelgänger Shaggy!
You are dedicated to anything you put your mind to. Enthusiasm and optimism are some of your best qualities. You are loyal to your friends and family and have a strong passion for sports. An ideal day for you would be spending time with good friends, listening to good music and good laughs. You’re a great person and make everyone in the room smile with your goofy demeanor.
YOU ARE
C
is for cookie
K! MR. RABCHU You stand up for what you believe in and are always able to make your voice heard. You have a deep appreciation of foreign cultures, and are interested in global exploration. You are intelligent, hardworking, and love to help people. You love to travel, but your overwhelming passion for chocolate chip cookies trumps all.
ERES
B
PROFE COLEMAN!
You’re energetic, fun-loving, and accepting. You love to travel and learn about different cultures. Although you’re young at heart you are capable of shouldering responsibility when you need to. You love the outdoors and have a deep appreciation for nature. You’re a great person who is accepting of all people and cultures. There is always have a smile on your face, and people are always looking forward to seeing you.
D
YOU ARE MRS. LUTHER!
You enjoy warm days while relaxing with a vanilla latte in hand. Spending time with your friends is great, but family always comes first. You aren’t one to let people down, and people can always count on you. Playing games is a favorite pasttime and you almost always have a smile on your face. You’re a happy person and enjoy life thoroughly.
Rabchuk holding a chocolate chip cookie!
14 TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
Higbee’s special “maneki neko” lucky cat mug!
CD! ateful Dead Groom’s Gr
E
E YOU AR MR. HIGBEE!
You are probably the sassiest cat lady at this school. You enjoy making people uncomfortable with your of sense of humor.You might be a little bit of a social outcast and geek but are perfectly fine with that. You are prone to melodramatic outbursts that you think are funny, even if nobody else understands. You know that food is the way to peoples’ hearts and do your best to always keep snacks on hand. Meow.
F
YOU ARE MR. GROOM! At your core you are a hippie who loves travel, sailing, and adventure. Seeing the world once isn’t enough for you, instead, you plan to keep exploring until the day you die. Despite your free spirit, you know that some things, like MLA Format, need to be taken seriously and aren’t open to interpretation.
d his Caldwell an n flag! de ai M rad Iron
YOU ARE
G
ND! MRS. DIAMO You’re the type of person who can see the comedy in any situation. You are responsible, but also able to kick back and watch a James Franco movie when the mood hits. Loyalty to your beliefs is important to you, but you are open minded to all opportunities. Family is really close to your heart. You might be the funniest person in the room, but it is often hidden by your laid-back approach. You’re a great example of what it means to enjoy life and all the humor it has to offer.
H
YOU ARE MR. CALDWELL !
You’re snarky, easy going and love to mess with people. You have a strong appreciation for the past, but also love the innovations of the future. Although you enjoy being with people, you find it relaxing to be by yourself especially after a stressful day. Music is a huge part of your life and you couldn’t imagine life without it. You are a great person and are passionate about the things that matter most to you.
15
“DO YOU KNOW
HOW HARD IT IS
TO FIND PARKING
ON VERMONT ST
16 TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
TREET
...?”
17
OPinionatED Do you know how hard it is to find parking on Vermont Street ever since the intrusive bike lane was added? This disruptive lane blocks a whole street that could be used for parking, and for what, so that a few bicyclists can ride on a street they barely even go on. This terrible decision inhibits parking, and is despised by many students, including me. This has become problematic for both sophomores and upperclassman. Junior year sucked because I didn’t start driving until half way through the year and didn’t have the $40 to pay for four months of on campus parking. Teachers aren’t complaining because they have designated spots in the parking lot that they don’t have to pay for, but for students, with the addition of the bike lane, space for parking on the street has decreased by half. What I want to know is, was the bike lane really essential or necessary for bicyclists? Sure, many bicyclists use their bikes as a form of exercise or transportation, but they can EASILY go through the neighborhoods, with the added benefit of setting more exercise, and still arrive at their destination.
why s car of
Why push cars onto one side of the street so that a few bicyclists don’t have to go the “long way” through the neighborhoods? Let me tell you, it is way easier for bicyclists to go through neighborhoods then for our cars to find parking there. If you’re wondering who’s to blame, it’s a bunch of people. “This project is in response to community-identified safety needs. The Bureau of Transportation conducted outreach during the SW Illinois-Vermont Neighborhood Greenway, and with the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market, SW Trails, and the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association,” the City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation stated in an email to Principal Brian Chatard. What I don’t understand is why the surrounding community agreed with putting in this bike lane. When they were FULLY aware that Wilson students might have to park outside their houses. Why would they want that? No clue. But apparently Chatard has already gotten a few complaints from the homeowners in the summer about people parking outside their houses. Unable to do anything about it, we all have stand around with an unnecessary bike lane that few use.
H S P U E SIDE
N onto O t so a ee r t s e h t
s t s i l c y
c i b f e w o go the
?
” y a g w ood
et v t a ’ h n do thr
18 TROJAN HORSE
“oulgoh tnhe neighborh
NOVEMBER 2014
According to Gabe of “Safe Routes for Schools”, there is a way to voice our concerns: “As the project was originally run through the neighborhood association for approval, I’d encourage folks who are frustrated to get involved with the SW Neighborhood Association to have their voices heard on this and future projects.” How were we, as students, the ones who are most affected by the bike lane, supposed to have any say in the matter? Most of our students do not live in the Hillsdale neighborhoods, and the students who do can easily walk to school. But the students that live outside of the neighborhood and are more likely to drive, don’t have a voice, and are the ones actually parking on the street. It’s great that Gabe is telling us how to address our concerns, but we shouldn’t have concerns in the first place; we were safe without those bike lanes. I have seen that there is already a good established route on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway and there are many other ways to go that are easier and more efficient than adding a bike lane on Vermont Street. It’s not like riding their bikes on Beaverton Hillsdale has caused any students to get injured. Besides that bicyclists take the Beaverton Hillsdale Highway route anyway because it’s faster and already well known. Students who bike to school might use the Vermont Street bike lane, but the few of them who actually use the route are way less than the cars trying to park there. Now this is just a guess, but I’d say the total ratio between student cars and bikes about 1 for every 15. This should’ve been considered before adding
that bike lane. Now that there’s no space for parking on Vermont Street, kids are going to want to start parking in the school’s parking lot. Sophomores aren’t even allowed to have parking lot privileges, and what about those upperclassman who still have to park on Vermont Street? Sometimes students don’t have $40 to blow on parking pass, or only occasionally borrow their parent’s car to drive to school, or are already scrounging up money for gas. I’m just saying that the bike lane restricts a lot of parking, and if the Wilson parking lot is too much for students or is too restrictive, where are students supposed to park? In the neighborhoods? The best solution to this problem is to park in those neighborhoods, until community member who have a voice in the neighborhood association see the error of their ways and take steps to revoke their original decision and get rid of that stupid bike lane.
WE, s t suppo u d e n sed h to av t s , e any sa in y the m
how wer e as
atter
?
What do you think? Tweet us @WHSTrojanHorse with your opinion on the matter.
Tana Kelley Senior Photo by Lauren McMurray
19
20 TROJAN HORSE
NOVEMBER 2014
Introducing Paul Rizzo Trojan Horse: How did you end up at Wilson?
R: My big job was that I was a stay-at-home dad for my kid. What was neat about my job as a videographer was that I could just freelance and my hours were just my own to dictate. But when this job was presented to me… there’s this thing in life called a sine wave, you know in math? And the freelance sine wave was this: I’m working,
Rizzo: I have a daughter that goes here, and when she
I’m not working, I’m working, I’m not working. This kind of
started thinking about coming here in eighth grade, I met
smoothes it out a little bit. I still have a business on the side
Mr. Chatard and volunteered to help in any way I could.
that I work on when I’m not here. The clients have been
My expertise is in video production, so I ended up helping
asked to give me a couple of months to get up to speed
in a couple of projects, and I helped in the video club.
before I can get back to what they need done.
When the opportunity to make a video production class came up, and Mr. Chatard asked if I would like to teach
TH: What kind of stuff have you been working
it, I said, “Oh heck yes.”
on in class?
TH: Did you teach at any other schools beside
R: All kinds of things. Video production nowadays is this
Wilson?
combination of technological skill and creativity, so there’s an awful lot of technical things students need to know
R: No, this is my first time teaching ever. TH: So how do you like it so far? R: I’m not just saying this, but I’ve really got a great group of kids. I mean of course there are a few who want to know where my irritation level lies, but that’s to be expected. I don’t really see a lot of bad hearts. You’re either a good heart or a bad heart, and I see a lot of good hearts in the room. I like to create an environment where you can feel like you can be a good heart. I think it’s a neat room, and it’s our first year as a class, and we’re only four weeks into this. TH: Are you getting a good response from students about video production?
about computers and the cameras. Even though you can just press the button, record the picture, there’s still a fair amount of technology to master there. I’m teaching Premiere Pro, that’s our editing software, and that’s a rather large, potentially intimidating software to learn. I’m teaching ideation, how to think things up, ideas, what’s the beginning to a story? That can be pretty intimidating for some people who are not used to being creative. You know, there’s been growing pains, but it’s been fun. TH: What’s something you like about Wilson? R: I like the way kids treat each other; there’s lots of courtesy. I love what I’m hearing. You know, of course teenagers are teenagers, but within the latitude of teen behavior, I see courtesy to other students.
R: Yeah, I’m getting a good vibe. I try to talk to students the way I want them to talk to me, which is polite and mature, and I seem to be getting that for the most part. I’m an un-
Lauren McMurray Freshman
usual person; I’m coming into this late. I’m in my mid-fifties, it’s my first time teaching. But, I did start in media-business as a photographer. I did lots of commercial photography.
Photo by Moni Kovacs
TH: So before you came here, what were you doing?
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@WHSTrojanHorse Front cover: Tristan Comella Back cover: Alexa Losey, Lauren Elizabeth, and Andrea Russett Photos by Aidan Ormond & Brooklyn Loiselle
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 INQUIRIES Greg Wolleck HS Regional Administrator (503) 916-3963 DISTRICT 504 INQUIRIES Tammy Jackson, Director, Student Services (503) 916-5460 AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT CONTACT Maureen Sloan, HR Legal Counsel Human Resources - BESC (503) 916-3025
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NOVEMBER 2014