Issue one issuu

H O R S E HORSE

Volume 3 Issue 1 Volume 3 Issue 1

Contents The Amigos Program: Friends From Afar

Cultivating Cross Country Culture

Wilson students venture, with the Amigos program, into unknown territory for a summer exchange.

A reflection on how the cross country team reached the point of success they’re at today.

Bringing a New Spark to Spring Garden Park

Hydro Flask Hype

An update on the newest renovations to Spring Garden Park

A student’s take on the newest water bottle fad.

Purrington’s Cat Cafe: Review

Tour de Portland

An inside look at one of the city’s most creative, up-and-coming cafes with a cute and cuddly twist.

A sampling of some of Portland’s greatest treasures that are just outside your doorstep.

Brooklynn Loiselle Editor in Chief Senior

Kaya Noteboom Editor in Chief Junior

Keith Higbee Staff Advisor

Ian Morgan Copy Editor Senior

Cameron Brentlinger Photo Editor Junior

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.

OUT ‘N ABOUT

-Letter from the EditorsAs editors, we have discovered the value in having a theme for each issue. Our themes, although broad, will focus on a topic of interest to the entire Wilson community. For our first issue, we chose the topic Out ‘n About. To us, Out ‘n About represents what lies beyond the bubble of Wilson High School. Portland and its surrounding areas provide so many amazing opportunities for entertainment, yet, students and community members often do not go out and explore them. We hope that with this issue, the Wilson community will be inspired to go out and about to find their own adventures.

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The Amigos Program: Friends From Afar

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Senior Elizabeth Nguyen smiles with the children’s soccer team in Paraguay

n some parts of the world, a tile floor makes all the difference. With one glance at the ground below, a person could judge whether a home belonged to one of the few wealthy families in town, or the large majority that could only afford a house with dirt floors. Not often do Americans get a taste of this cultural divide, but there are a distinct few that have, and those would be the Amigos participants. This summer, students at Wilson who were involved in the Amigos program spent six to eight weeks working in underdeveloped countries. During that time, they worked tirelessly, refining their language skills and trying their hand at one of the hardest tasks of all, being a leader.

The Amigos program isn’t your typical summer 2

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exchange: a vacation type deal where you tag along with a family as they go about their lives as if there wasn’t a foreigner awkwardly lurking in the shadows.

When you’re a part of Amigos, you’re completely immersing yourself in their culture, and you’re working with the community.

Amigos participants are expected to carry out what is called a CBIP, community based initiative project, in order to instill values of sustainability and friendship within underdeveloped communities. Unlike many other volunteer groups that venture into impoverished countries, Amigos doesn’t just come in, do their job and leave, often oblivious of the locals.

The people of Amigos work alongside the locals, and not as visitors from a “superior” continent. Amigos

volunteers establish common ground and then get thing to do with the locals. “For them, I think it was a little bit of a realization that Amigos isn’t here to the locals involved in improving their own commuwork for me, it’s to work with me.” nities.

With all of the CBIP hubbub going on, one might Elizabeth Nguyen, a senior at Wilson and an think that would be more than enough to keep Amigos participant, stayed in Paraguari, Paraguay someone busy for six to eight weeks. However, in the and fundraised to purchase and build a new fence absence of Wi-Fi and ubiquitous electricity, there to surround the community’s soccer field. The old, were enough dull moments to spare. For Gwen and tattered fence had been getting in the way of the Elizabeth, this was both a blessing and a curse, and beloved game and causing problems for some time. they often found themselves plagued by boredom Little kids getting caught in gaping holes while without the world of information at their fingertips. retrieving stray balls had become somewhat of a At home in the United States, stagnant moments day-to-day obstacle. In the process of refurbishing could be fixed with a quick flip the once hazardous and torn through their Twitter feeds, apart fence, Elizabeth gained but not here. When there was a ample support from local lull in between the hard work, adults in fundraising and orthere was stillness in the moganizing soccer tournaments. ment. This void is what Gwen In return, she was rewarded said she would miss most, havwith unique and impactful ing nothing to do but enjoy the bonds that could only be peace and calmness. found within an unfamiliar, “My partner and I would be foreign community. like, ‘Hey do you wanna go up Gwen Spalding, also a sethe street and get a little bit of nior and Amigos participant, ice cream?’ Little things like wasn’t exactly met with the A fence that Nguyen helped build in Paraguay that where we could do whatsame eagerness from the locals ever we wanted. It was freedom… It was nice.” where she stayed in Madriz, Nicaragua. This was the Free time and a sense of ease were abundant in first time Amigos volunteers were welcomed to stay these small communities. Not only could you be with them, so locals were unfamiliar with the role of freed from the fast pace of America, but you were the Amigos program. Some time before, a mission encouraged to explore the people within the comgroup from the United States had come to Madriz munity without fear of judgment or receiving a cold to build a big, fancy church. The group came, built shoulder. their place of worship and left. Interaction with the Elizabeth misses the people the most. “Being over environment and the lively civilization that inhabited there you could just walk into someone’s house and it was minimal, at best. With that experience in the they would be like, ‘Hey! Come sit and drink some back of their minds, the people of Madriz half exmatte with us!’ We [would] have a long conversation pected Gwen to do the same. for hours at this person’s house and [we] didn’t even Gwen, a tinge of frustration creeping across her know them… It was really nice the sense of commuface, said, “They didn’t realize that they had to be involved in the process, and so they were kind of like, nity they had.”

Community is a virtue ever present in these under‘Oh you guys will come in and do it for us.’” They developed countries. To Gwen and Elizabeth’s disbedidn’t expect that these foreigners would want any3

A bathroom in Paraguay

lief, many people had smartphones and a few even had Instagram accounts. In our society, we tend to make technology our scapegoat for behaving coldly to one another, but this isn’t the case in places like Paraguarí and Madriz. They use technology, but not to the point where they mask their emotions with it like Americans do. Internet access and cell service are available, but not as readily as in the United States, so they kind of get the best of both worlds.

They share the intimacy of face-to-face connection while occasionally gaining access to a whole world of information and virtual communication.

At the core of the Amigos program there is a vision. A vision of perceptive and astute, young men and women acting as catalysts of change in the world. With a program like Amigos, students might think they’re taking time out of their summer to help develop one little community. They might think they are initiating change on a small scale. However, they may also be learning how to fix their own communities.

Eventually enough people begin to inspire change 4 TROJAN HORSE NOVEMBER 2015

at home, and then, like dominos toppling over one by one, just a few communities becomes the whole world.

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” -Margaret Mead For more information on Amigos or to apply for a summer program, visit http://amigosinternational.org/

By Kaya Noteboom

Photos contributed by Elizabeth Nguyen

Bringing a New Spark to Spring Garden Park

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n 1999, the city of Portland handed over 4.65 acres of bare land to the Southwest community to turn into a community park. Unfortunately, the community did not have enough money to make it happen. So for years the park remained a field of grass, littered with nature’s feces such as weeds, fallen branches, and moss. Locals tried to use the land the best they could with stargazing nights and picnics, but quickly grew frustrated with its lack of outdoor play equipment for their children. That’s when Lori Howell decided to take matters into her own hands.

When Howell first moved to Southwest Portland in 2007, she settled in about four blocks from the park. “The park was this beautiful grassy property,” she recalled. A working mom of three, she wondered what was to be done about the vacant lot. So she contacted Portland Parks and Recreation, and they told her what many of the neighbors already knew.

The city simply could not afford its renovation. Once she heard that, Howell conceived a plan: “I decided that I would spend maybe two or three years working on the project to try to develop it into a fun place for people to hang out,” she said, “and now it’s been seven years.”

Originally, the park had really tall grass, deep dog-dug holes and dog feces everywhere. Relaxing in the park was practically impossible and parents were afraid of risking their children’s safety by bringing them there to play. Because the park laid practically abandoned, the children could easily hurt themselves by tripping over branches and holes, or stepping into dog poop. So the space was devoid of people, except for dog walkers, receiving proper maintenance 3-4 times a year at most.

Sara Childers, mother of three, is a part-time science teacher and container gardener (she grows plants in jars and various other containers instead of the ground). She lives three blocks from the park, and moved to Southwest Portland in 2008. When she first moved here, it was just her, her husband, and her puppy. “My dog was my family and my highest 6 TROJAN HORSE

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need child, so we’d go to the park every day,” she said.

Although she had her first son shortly after, she only really used the park for her dog back then.

In 2008, Howell and a group of neighbors rekindled the parks committee called Friends of Spring Garden after they discovered that Portland Parks and Recreation had a master plan available for them.

The master plan was a process where Portland Parks helps a community create a park that fulfills their needs. Howell served as the first chairman and in 2014, Childers along with member Carine Arendes took over as co-chairs. The group was crucial to the park’s current success. They kept it active by hosting various activities such as movie nights and annual ice cream socials. By the time the park development conversation began, it was easy for them to get feedback because they had built such great relationships with the Southwest community.

They banded together and kept applying for grants to improve the park. In November of 2011, a nature play consisting of various logs and a wood chip pit was installed in the park as collaboration between Portland Parks and Recreation, the Umpqua Bank in Multnomah Village, and the park’s committee. The community was thrilled.

“At Spring Garden, it’s pretty fascinating to watch [the kids] make up games,” Childers said about the parks temporary installment. “My son calls the down log in the wood chips ‘the whale,’ and he thinks he’s climbing on a whale. It’s just a stump, but he can turn it into whatever he wants it to be, and that’s kind of neat.”

Now that something seemed to be working for them, the committee and various members of the community began working tirelessly to convince Portland Parks and Recreation to improve their park.

They applied for various grants wherever they could, and finally Portland Parks and Recreation gave their approval for renovations and granted a budget of $3.4 million from the city.

Travis Ruybal, a SW native who worked as a capital project manager and landscape architecture for

Potential building grounds for Spring Garden Park

Portland Parks and Recreation, was assigned the park alongside Hun Taing. Taing, a community coordinator and mother of three, was on maternity leave, so Elise Scholnick was hired as her replacement. Ruybal’s job was to get community input and design the park. Scholnick’s job was to get the community to engage in the process of building the park. Scholnick, Ruybal, and Taing have all had experience working with various other parks in Portland. Scolnick created the project advisory committee to help get the neighbors’ opinions about the park. Howell and Childers both are members of the committee.

There are lots of issues regarding the creation of the park, but the two most significant ones seem to be the dog or no dog argument as well as the teen outreach problem. The leaders Ruybal, Scholnick, and Taing all have similar opinions on the matter.

“Our job is to get opinions not to have one,” Scholnick said. Childers, is on the no dog side. She understands that for some people, dogs are their family and the community needs to serve them, too. However, as a dog owner and a mother, she chooses to take her dog to the Lake Oswego off-leash area for fear of her dog being a risk to kids. “Dogs pee, they poop, they lick things, and I don’t want my kids to accidentally touch woodchips or grass that is dirty, [or] to put [it] into their mouths and become sick.”

The issue of teen outreach also seemed to be an unsolvable problem. Many of the project advisory

committee members were stuck on how to make the park welcoming for people of all ages. Kids could play on the playground, and adults and seniors enjoy walks or stargazing, but they were completely stumped on what teenagers would want. A general survey was sent out asking what people would like to have in the park, but not many teenagers completed it. When one member of the committee, Carole Davis, who has a junior at Wilson High School posted an invitation on the school’s webpage asking teens to give their feedback at an open house, no teens attended, leaving the “teen problem” unsolved.

Regardless, the park’s plans are thriving. On the 29th of September, the advisory committee held their second open house. Ruybal had created three designs of the future Spring Garden Park with the help of the project advisory committee. Before submitting a final design, the committee wanted community input.

Many guests showed up and everyone participated.

Construction on the park is expected to begin winter 2015 and if there are no stops due to bad weather, it is set to be finished spring 2016. The Friends of Spring Garden Park’s hopeful dream seems to be turning into a wonderful reality If you’re interested in having your voice heard, there is a final community gathering on January 7th at the Multnomah Arts Center.

By Ihsaan Mohamed Photos by Brooklynn Loiselle 7

Purrington’s Cat Lounge: Review

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ince first grade I have grown up with cats. mood for something sweet, the cafe partners with a My parents had grown up with cats, and local bakery to bring you cat shaped cookies. I didn’t my grandparents had grown up with cats. try any food, but did enjoy a mug of jasmine tea. The Suffice it to say, I’m not new to the world of tea was a little too expensive for the small mug, costcats. But even I was shocked to find out that there is a ing $2.50, but for a unique cafe like this I’m actually cafe that doubles as a cat shelter in our city. The idea glad it didn’t reach the level of being ridiculously was so cool I just had to check it out. Purringtons Cat expensive.

Lounge is run by Kristin Castillo and is based in NE But no one comes to Purrington’s Cat Lounge for Portland. They partner with the food and beverages. At a The Cat Adoption Team and place like this it’s all about the a local bakery to bring you cats. The space for the cats was adoptable cats and yummy a little cramped feeling, kind of treats. like the counter area in the main The moment I walked room. Worse, I don’t think there through the door I was were enough cats for the amount shocked by how small it was. of people there. It felt like you The counter took up most of had to wait in line to pet one of the space in the cement room, the cats,which range from kitleaving no room for any sort tens to adults. of line inside.This could be a That being said, I enjoyed my problem now that rainy seatime with a cat named Kiara. She son has hit. Besides the lack had a lovely light grey fur and of space provided to stand, it was wonderfully soft. She, like was quite a pretty sight, with the other cats looked healthy a window built into the wall and happy, and had a nice space allowing visitors to look into One of the adopted cats from Cat Adoption Team to live. If you want to play, cat the room where they kept the toys are provided; you can’t bring cats. The space has an industrial feel, with a muted your own. My time with the cats, though feeling a color palette that I found aesthetically pleasing. If little brief, was a definite blast and worth the $8 per you don’t want to eat with the cats, there are some hour you have to pay for the experience. dedicated tables in the back of the cafe.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Purrington’s Cat The cat area has large windows letting in plenty Lounge. Everyone working there was helpful and of natural light. Cool paintings of cats in space are polite, and the beverages and atmosphere were wonon the walls, which brings a sense of fun to the mix. derful. Of course the crown jewel, the cat part, was In general the atmosphere felt warmer inside the cat lovely, despite the inconvenience. If you are in the room. area, and wanting something different, it is definitely If you’re feeling hungry, Purrington’s Cat Lounge worth a stop. also has a small bites menu, with items like deviled eggs and chips with salsa. I was personally excited

By Helen Fick to see that they offer nachos for $7.00. It’s not every Photos by Cameron Brentlinger & day you find nachos at a coffee shop. If you’re in the Brooklynn Loiselle 9

Cultivating Cross Country Culture

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he timer overhead continues to run, marking each passing second. A sea of green athletes line the final stretch of the torn field, waiting. Many of their competitors have already begun to pack up their belongings and load into their buses. For them, the race is over.

However, the crowd of athletes in green rain slickers continue to wait. The general hum of the lingering parents’ conversation halts as the group of athletes erupt into a roar. In the distance, a lone runner glances up to see his teammates encouraging him by name and finds the strength to kick for the final stretch of what has been a challenging race.

Knowing that the sport could handle any number of athletes, Esbensen encouraged his athletes to reach out to friends and siblings, and to invite them to try it out. Esbensen also added Aaron Olsen, a health teacher and basketball coach, to the coaching staff in 2012, and Del Gerber, a retired cross country coach at Wilson, in 2013, both of whom assisted with recruiting as well.

In order to make cross country more appealing to the student body, Esbensen decided to model Wilson cross country after his own high school team, which meant appealing to one group in particular.

“One of the ways we went about changing the per-

From an outsider’s ception of cross country is “Many people think, oh, cross perspective, it would we really actively recruited, seem like this athlete country, it’s an individual sport. honestly, the kids in leadwas the lead runner due Once you start running, you can ership as they are a strong to the excited cheers voice for the school, so they really tell it’s not.

Everybody’s from the crowd. A could really sway some of spectator would never important. Everybody has their that [popularity]. We had suspect that he was in a very scripted recruiting own place on the team.” fact the last runner to attack,” Esbensen said. finish. Wilson’s cross country team prides itself on The coaching staff also worked on actively reencouraging and cheering for every racer, regardless cruiting natural athletes who could be playing other of their time and regardless of their affiliation. For sports, but instead, might be swayed to run cross many teams, this is a goal that is far out of reach due country — a no-cut sport. to the unpopularity of cross country, but for Wilson, “Our action number [of runners] was 100. We it is just part of their established culture. thought 100 athletes was where we should be in order The transition began in 2010 when Thor Esbensen, to get to the levels we wanted, and we blew through known by all his students and athletes as Mr. E, took that pretty fast, Esbensen said. over the cross country program at Wilson. The proFor the 2015 season, there are between 160-170 gram had already experienced success in the 90’s and runners signed up for cross country, placing Wilson was known for having a star runner, but Esbensen in the top three in the state for its size. Athletes of all wanted to take this group of 45-55 runners and exabilities attend practices five days a week and compand it to a strong core group of runners. pete at meets on Wednesdays.

“We wanted to bring in more and more runners In order to accommodate the numbers, the team and get the positive messages of health and running, was divided into three groups based on training teamwork and leadership, and really push that to a paces, and each group was assigned a coach. These lot of kids,” Esbensen said. groups, however, were not formed as a way of sep11

Alex Slenning celebrates placing 8th at the state meet. The boys team placed 3rd, taking home a trophy for the first time in 32 years.

arating the elite from the average, but to give every opportunities to bond with students whom they may athlete the attention they deserve. not have gotten to know were it not for cross country.

“Our biggest fear is that kids are going to feel like One of these friendships is between junior Elsa they don’t belong in that larger grouping,” Esbensen Douglass and sophomore Noreena McCleave, who said. were placed in the same running group this season.

In order to prevent this from occurring, Esbensen “We are all teenage girls going through the same makes sure that individuals feel included in the mass stuff. We talk about teachers, sometimes, school stuff, by stressing the importance of family. dances, jobs, boys, all that stuff. Through sports, it’s “Many people a different kind of “Right when you’re starting to get think, oh, cross counfriendship. You’re down on yourself, there’s somebody there through strugtry, it’s an individual there in a Wilson uniform like ‘Come gles that are differsport,” senior Chase Howard said. “Once on, Chase! Let’s go!’ And you’re like ent than ones you you start running, experience through alright, let’s just keep going.” you can really tell it’s friendship, a physical not. Everybody’s important. Everybody has their own vulnerability,” Douglass said. place on the team.”

From these bonds comes a sense of respect for all For many students, cross country provides a platof the athletes, regardless of their abilities. form to reach out to students of different interests “Some of our elite kids… understand that some or grade levels. With so much down time during the kids are trying to break thirty minutes for the 5k. span of a season, athletes are provided with countless They understand those kids are putting their heart 12 TROJAN HORSE

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and soul into that and they’re racing for almost twice as long and to [the elite runners], that’s insane,” Esbensen said.

Athletes respect the importance of individual goals and encourage one another to push on to achieve those goals.

“When you’re racing, you get to that point where it’s like, ‘Oh I don’t want to do this anymore. This sucks. What am I even doing?’ And then you just come around a corner and right when you’re starting to get down on yourself, there’s somebody there in a Wilson uniform like ‘Come on, Chase! Let’s go!’ And you’re like alright, let’s just keep going,” Howard said.

This, however, can also serve as a positive for varsity runners, because it allows them to not dwell on the past, or a bad race, and instead, focus their attention on something greater and of more importance — the team.

The essence of team is sure to be a constant in the future of Wilson cross country, but due to the size of the group, changes are in the works in order to sculpt the program into the ideal model for runners.

“When we first started doing the volume of runners, we were much more loose about come one, come all. We are changing the language now that we have volume. The culture is changing again to where

Wilson runners go the extra mile by learning the names of every member on the team in order to create a greater sense of unity. It also helps runners in knowing that they specifically are cared for by everyone on the team. As it turns out, care has a reciprocal effect.

“Mr. E told me, ‘Make sure you don’t get nervous about [the race]. Make sure you’re focusing on your teammates and getting your teammates to the line, so you don’t have to think about getting yourself to the line,’” Emerick said.

It is moments like this that create a sense of belonging and purpose. Athletes buy into this idea of family before self and become something more than just themselves when they are on the cross country team. It’s what inspires students of all abilities to return to cross country each season.

For varsity athletes, who are seen as a representation of the team’s effort as a whole, the task of performing well and being the focus point of such a large platform can be a bit daunting, but the same message of team is still taught.

“You have to keep your feelings in check, kinda not show how you really feel about a situation. You have to put a mask overtop, so you can be inspiring to everyone and make sure everyone’s ok,” Emerick said.

it is directed at the sport. I don’t think that we would ever, in the real sense, become a cut sport, but I think that we will continue to develop the dedication model and that if you’re out here, you are truly out here for the sport, and to better yourself and, more importantly, better the team,” Esbensen said.

The hope with changes like this is that athletes take cross country as seriously as they would any other sport. Practices cannot be ditched. Athletes need to be dedicated in order to truly see all of the benefits from the sport, and having a group of dedicated athletes will lead to a deeper sense of family throughout the entire team.

But for now, coaches are pleased with the progress the sport has made in the last couple years and proud of all of their runners. And if one was to look at the team as it is now, they would see a wide cross section of the Wilson student body from wrestlers to baseball players, from drama kids to computer science enthusiasts, from chess players to, of course, members of leadership.

by Brooklynn Loiselle Photos by Cameron Brentlinger 13

Is HydroFlask All Hype?: Review

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taying hydrated is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. In the summer of 2014, I worked as a lifeguard in Sunriver, Oregon; as I stood under the sun for hours on end, I quickly realized that my plastic water bottle just wasn’t cutting it. Looking to my coworkers for advice, I was lead to the bottle that would quench my thirst, the Hydro Flask. Three Hydro Flasks later (RIP 64 oz.) here I am, telling the world of my stickered love. Every morning, I fill my flask with ice and water and head to school.

When 3:15 comes around and Wilson is boiling because there is no AC, I still have ice-cold water all

with cold tap water placed in a room temperature environment. 24+ hours later, the liquid inside remained satisfyingly cold.

Having hot or cold beverages that can be kept at an enjoyable temperature can serve, in many ways, beneficial to the active lifestyle of many high school students. Whether you need a piping hot flask of tea to get you through your early morning classes or a refreshing flask of water for any after school activities, the Hydro Flask is the way to go.

Now, when I am snowboarding at Mount Bachelor in the winter or lifeguarding under the sun in the summer, I have a beverage ready at its optimal

to myself. The Hydro Flask advertises that it can temperature. keep liquids cold for 24+ hours, and, quite frankly, I believe every word of it.

Made in Bend, the Hydro Flask is growing in popularity among Oregonians, and is now competing with the elites of the water bottle market like Contigo, Camelback and Nalgene. If you are unfamiliar with this product, take a look around Wilson High School and you will see students sporting the bottle with its distinguishable logo. Although the sticker price of a Hydro Flask, ranging from $21.99 to $54.99 can raise a red flag, the investment is truly worth it.

The company prides itself on the ability of its product to keep liquids cold for 24+ hours and hot Two Wilson students’ HydroFlasks for 12+ hours. The Hydro Flask does this with its HydroFlasks’s prices range from $21.99 to $54.99 and can be purfood grade stainless steel and a double-wall vacuchased from local sporting goods stores, Amazon, or from Hydroum insulation that keeps temperatures steady. Its Flasks’ website. plastic lid is also BPA free.

Skeptical of the advertised level of functionality, I decided to experiment with a 40 oz. model myself. Testing the product’s abilities, I brewed a flask of tea and found that, sipping it throughout the day; it remained at pleasurably warm temperatures, reinforcing the company’s 12+ hour guarantee. I

By Ian Morgan mirrored this experiment, but with a flask filled Photos by Cameron Brentlinger 15

Tour de Portland

A skyline view of Mt. Hood

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ortland has been rated as one of the most livable cities in the world, with many activities and fascinating things to do, yet many of the students at Wilson don’t travel beyond the familiar reaches of the southwestern suburbs. We aim to be your Portland Sacagawea, your local Rick Steves. We are here to show you all the coolest places the city has to offer.

Cargo Imports

81 SE Yamhill St. Portland, OR 97214

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ne of the hidden delights of Southeast Portland is a large Asian imports store called Cargo Imports. You know that scene at the end of “Raiders of The Lost Ark”, where the artifact guy wheels Indiana Jones’ found ark in a cart, and the camera pans out and there are a billion artifacts? That is Cargo Imports.

The place is amazing to walk through. They have old Chinese sedan chairs, pots from India, Tibetan streamers, and Cultural Revolution era proletariat manuals courtesy of Mao Zedong. They have everything. If you want to take an exotic adventure from the comfort of your own city, just put on some 16 TROJAN HORSE

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headphones, crank up the “The Warehouse” from “Raiders of The Lost Ark” soundtrack, and wander through the aisles. A word of advice however: skip the more touristy upstairs section and head for the basement. That is where the real gold is.

Oaks Park Roller Skating Rink 7805 SE Oaks Park Way Portland, OR 97202

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hen people go to Oaks Park, they usually go for the loud, intense, and exciting rides. Off to the side of the park however, there is an oft forgotten enclave, where you are whisked back in time. Established in 1948 and with a total floor area of 20,000 square feet, the Oaks Park Roller Skating Rink is always a delight to experience. An old, massive Wurlitzer machine hangs from the ceiling.

Groovy retro tunes play as you wobble unsteadily across the smooth wooden floor, polished from thousands of visitors making their way across the glossy boards. A tall mustachioed man dressed in all black visits the Rink every Sunday to the delight of many.

His graceful swanlike skating abilities are a gift from the heavens. He is the best of the many Roller Skaters that frequent the Rink. Overall, the Roller Skating

Umberto Remelli, Aaron Grimshaw, and Henry Hakanson explore downtown Portland.

Rink is a good place to meet with friends on a slow rainy weekend.

Washington Park Walk

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1715 SW Skyline Blvd. Portland, OR 97221

ashington Park is a beautiful and refreshing place to visit after the hustle and bustle of downtown.

Walking straight up Broadway from the waterfront, you climb up from the bustling streets of upper Southwest Portland into the cool, leafy shade of the Washington Park overlook. You can visit the Rose Garden, moving on up to the Japanese garden, and finally finish at the Portland Zoo. You can do this all in one day, it is a fun walk to do whether with friends, or rolling solo.

You can start your journey at the Rose Garden, where over seven thousand international roses of more than five hundred and fifty varieties are tested each year for color, fragrance, disease resistance and other attributes. From the top of the Garden, you can look over the entire city; I’d recommend waiting for when the sunset throws an orange hue on the tallest buildings.

From the Rose Garden, it is less than a two minute

walk to the Japanese Garden. The garden is a cool place to sit and listen to music or do homework. A calm relaxed vibe permeates the dark greens of the semi-tropical plants and the orange splashes of the Japanese Maples. The two most popular features are the Koi Pond and the Zen Garden. Of those two features, my favorite thing to do in the garden is feeding the giant Koi fish, some of which can grow to be as large as 25 pounds.

From there the next stop is the Hoyt Arboretum, a dense super-forest. The Arboretum is approximately a 2 mile walk from the Japanese Garden. Get ready for a lot more hiking, because the Arboretum, with over 12 miles of trails, has a lot to offer, including the “Dawn Redwood, one of only a few known deciduous conifers. The species was once thought extinct and known only in fossils, but was rediscovered in a remote valley in China in the early part of the twentieth century.” I would recommend the Hoyt Arboretum section of the Washington Park walk to anyone who likes nature and is ok with a longer or more intense walk.

“Hoyt Arboretum Official site”. Retrieved 2015-11-10.

By Aidan Grimshaw Photos by Jasperi Wirtanen 17

Featured Artist: Idit Cahana

Name: Idit Cahana Grade: Senior Art Class: AP Art Favorite medium: acrylic

18 TROJAN HORSE

NOVEMBER 2015

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