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Oregon Paw Print Janurary 2015
Oregon High School Students honored at Milwaukee Art Museum
By: Brenna Burke
In February, the Milwaukee Art Museum will be hosting the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Samantha Girard, Madeline Knaack, Nathan Krenz, Rosie Phillips and Alexa Uselmann have all entered works to be featured in the show to compete for a variety of awards, and will find out if they will be entered in the show on January 13th. The exhibition starts on February 7th and ends March 22nd, and the award ceremony itself is held throughout the day on February 14th.
By: Mitch Condon The Oregon High School home construction crew is making steady progress on their yearlong project house to meet their goal of completion before the end of the school year. This month, students can expect to learn interior finishing skills including dry walling and mudding, and exterior finishing skills such as soffit, fascia, and siding. A program like this benefits students by giving them a realistic work environment, where they work with
In order to prepare for the show, the students touched up several pieces of art, and created new pieces as well. Most students only submitted one or two pieces; however Alexa is submitted a portfolio to the show. The portfolio consists of portraits of her friends and family, and she organized them to show the progression of her art skills. This is the first statewide art show that Alexa will participate in, and she said that she decided to participate in it because “it is a wonderful opportunity to expand my artistic career in a state-wide art event.”
Mrs. Coutre, who teaches several art classes at OHS, states that “it is important to get the students involved in events like this because they get recognition for their work, it helps to build confidence, and they can see other student’s work from other schools as well.” The Milwaukee Art show is the biggest show that students at OHS will be participating in, however students will participate in several other art shows, including the Badger Art Conference in March and the OHS art show in April, which will feature all students involved in the art program at OHS.
Home Construction actual contractors, face deadlines, and explore trades/careers involved with construction. The course is also beneficial for students who do not plan on pursuing a career in construction by teaching skills useful to a future homeowner. Mr. Prahl, the course instructor, plans to have completed siding around the structure by spring, and hopes to finish dry walling by the end of January. He also plans on having contractors such as Sheldon Plumbing, Four Seasons HVAC, and
Custom Home Services, who have helped during the rough stages of the building process, return and help out during the finishing stages. These contractors have made a difference in the progress on the house so far, and have given students an opportunity to explore trades and careers in areas including electrical, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and plumbing. Students spent a full school day out on the jobsite and worked side by side with these contractors,
in order to learn what it is like working in the trades for a living. Other contractors/suppliers that have helped out with this years project include Par Concrete, Berts Roofing, Dorn Hardware, and Stoughton Lumber. The construction crew this year consists of hard-working students who all work well together. On top of the physical skills, the students are learning leadership and cooperation skills to prepare for future occupations.
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Janurary 2015
Fun Facts! Odontophobia is the fear of teeth. In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator. Isaac Asimov is the only author to have a book in every Dewey-Decimal category. The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction was $1.3 million. 1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue. The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache. Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old. On average, there are 178 sesame seeds on each McDonald’s Big Mac bun. Minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The elephant is the only animal with 4 knees. Source: http://www.cs.cmu. edu/~bingbin/
Staff Journalsitc Writing Hours 4,7 Paw Print Members: Bridget Corcoran Ian Schultz Brenna Burke Lauren Brown Brooke Ballweg Design: Nick Adler Advisor: Ms. Greiner
DECA Districts By: Griffin Wagner
Oregon high school DECA students made a visit to Sun Prairie high school on January 10th to compete in the DECA District Career Development Conference. The students applied their marketing knowledge in a competitive situation, and competed against fellow DECA members. The ultimate goal of DECA events like Districts is to offer students an opportunity to new experiences to help them become academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders.
In the 2013-2014 Districts more than 30 Oregon High School DECA students qualified for the state event, garnering a total of more than 60 medals. This year more than 35 Oregon students qualified for the state competition. “I am extremely proud of all that my students accomplished,” says DECA advisor John Curkovic. In addition to the many students who qualified for state, Oregon DECA students earned a total of more than 80 medals at the event. DECA members and Oregon seniors
Alex Tucker and DECA partner Sean Hynek were two Oregon students who qualified for state after placing first in their competitive event, Business Law and Ethics, at the district event. “We spent a lot of time preparing and studying for this event and our hard work paid off, #Blessed” says Alex. Alex and Sean are now starting to prepare for the DECA state event which is going to be held in Madison WI, at the Concourse Hotel, where they will compete against other District winners for a spot to compete at Nationals.
Oregon Improv By: John Lopez
The OHS improv group, Silence of the Hams, began at OHS last year. This year, the group has new captains, and many new members. This is the groups second year, and they are hoping to be just as successful as last year. On top of that, the improv team raised money last year for Gilda’s club, which provides cancer support for entire families. Anyone who came to watch the Silence of the Hams last year helped in supporting Gilda’s, as well as their fellow peers on the stage. Kyle Barron is the head captain, with cocaptains Sean Bull and Breanne Paddock, and with the new members and existing members from
last year, this year seems to look promising. Erica Meier, OHS junior and part of the improv team, says that “it’s definitely going to be different with seniors leaving and new group members coming in,” but Meier also stated that. “It’s fun because you can be totally weird and it’s completely acceptable and embraced.” Obviously, the members of the improv team are all accepting, but there is more to say about how much they practice, and how they prepare for a show. To start off, the improv team practices two days a week,but more days may be added on as a show approaches. Some people usually wonder why an improv team would even
bother practicing if it is all made up on the spot, but according to Meier, basically the team focuses on learning the rules of a game, and how the different roles work. This way, everyone can have a basic understanding of what was going, and what to do. Last year, the improv team donated around $900, to the Gilda’s Club. Admission for the improv show was $5, all of which would be donated. This year, they will also be donating the money they earn to Gilda’s Club. The improv show is basically a win-win situation: great entertainment, and raising money for a great cause. They will be performing halfway through March.
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News January 2015
New Year’s Resolutions By: Andre L.
When someone makes a New Year’s Resolution it can be for many reasons; they want to change something about themselves, complete a goal, or even break a habit. People are always looking to start the New Year off by doing something that can improve themselves. The real question is, how long do people stick to their resolutions? How do they see them through? And where did they originated? According to History.com, New Year’s Resolutions date back to around 539 B.C. The Babylonians would make promises to their gods that they would return any borrowed objects and pay off any debts they had. The
Romans would begin each year by making a promise to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the medieval era, the knights would take the “Peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year to reaffirm their commitment to chivalry. At the end of the Great Depression, about 1/4 of American adults formed resolutions. At the start of the 21st century, about 40% did. A comprehensive study commissioned by Australian comparison website finder.com.au in 2014, found that 42% of participants set themselves a New Years’ Resolution; however, most failed at their goals. In fact, the study showed that almost two in
three people (62%) didn’t succeed. Interestingly, out of those who did achieve their resolutions three in four participants (76%) believed that sharing their goals, helped reach them. The most common reason for participants failing their New Years’ Resolutions was setting themselves unrealistic goals (35%), while 33% didn’t keep track of their progress and a further 23% forgot about it. About one in ten respondents claimed they made too many resolutions. We asked several OHS students were asked about New Year’s Resolutions. OHS student Kyrie Heath says, “New Years Resolutions don’t seem to last longer than a few weeks unless its something like losing
weight or something that is very easily obtainable.” Senior James Lemke says he has never made a resolution. He stated that “I have never felt the need to make one or ever thought much about it.” Some students however have made resolutions so they can be better people. Riley Peckham says “He is going to try to stop being mean to some of his friends so that he can be a better person.” Many high school students don’t seem to put much thought to them, where as adults tend to go back and forth. In the end, most people give up on their resolutions after a few weeks but those out there who do stick to them and take them very seriously and see them till the end of the next year.
What are YOUR New Year’s Resolutions? “To make no mistakes. I’ve had the same resolution since 2001 and we’re going strong.”
“To use my phone, and technology in general, a lot less.”
“To be happy in my new chapter in life after graduation.”
“To be more organized and get better grades.”
“To get a 5 on the AP test!”
“To spend more time with my kids.”
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Janurary 2015
Falling Gas Prices Benefit High School Students On Budgets By: Tasha Martin Approximately 180 students park in the
OHS parking lot each day says Mrs. Shackleton the secretary in charge of parking as OHS, and at least 100 more park along the streets nearby. The distance each student drives varies from less than 1 mile, to some driving over 30 miles. Many students carpool, give rides to practice, and go out to lunch. Some students find themselves going through 1-2 tanks of gas a week. According to Gasbuddy gas prices have averaged from $3.57 per gallon in July of 2014
down to $2.12 in January. In the past month the national average of gas prices has fallen 48.6 cents. That’s a lot of extra spending money for students that spend much of their salaries on gasoline. Out of 20 randomly selected OHS students 13 out of the 20 pay for their own gas. The minimum wage in Wisconsin is currently $7.25 per hour. A student earning minimum wage, while paying for their own gas is immediately seeing that they save 20% more of their hourly wages each time they fill up their tanks. So what is the
reasoning behind this decline? The biggest reason gas analysts at GasBuddy are finding is the increase in US crude oil production, more energy efficient driving and more fuel efficient cars. Experts also see a correlation between Europe’s struggling economy and the US dropping gas prices. As Europe can’t afford to purchase as much crude oil that they used to, that leaves it in circulation for the rest of the world. Though the reasoning behind the fall in gas prices may not interest everyone, the worry that they will spike back up
might. Don’t worry, gas prices are expected to continue to fall, and stagnant throughout 2015. Due to different taxes on oil among states, prices range from an average of $1.76 per gallon in Missouri to $3.42 in Hawaii, though most states rest around $2 per gallon according to AAA fuel reports. Nationally falling gas prices has been exciting for most Americans; the trend of the price of crude oil falling is comforting as well as beneficial, and studies show it will last for a while.
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News January 2015
Boys Basketball Off To A Good Start leaves Oregon right in the middle of the conference The Oregon rankings. Now is the time Panthers boy’s basketball however that teams are is off to a fast start to this start to pull away from season, with a win/loss the rest of the conference ratio of 8-2 overall and to be in the running to a conference record of win the Badger South title 2-2. They beat the Milton because about half the Red Hawks 57 to 49 season has been played. and had the first of their So far the team seems to two losses in conference be on the right track but come by the hands of need to show up in future the Mono Grove Silver games against Mono Eagles 45 to 52. The Grove and Stoughton. other by conference rival When talking to Stoughton Vikings which Coach Nedelcoff about was a heartbreaker with a the rest of the season he final score of 70 to 42. agreed that the future MG With only a few and Stoughton games conference games played will be crucial and says, by each team currently By: Garrett Maier
“If we have any hopes of winning conference it will all be in the hands of the players and how well they play together as a team will determine their fate. However the team suffered a big loss losing one of its starting senior forwards Junior forward Alex Duff, who normally comes in off the bench as the sixth man, is in the starting lineup and is being looked to make up difference in points. So far he has done what has been asked of him being one of the team’s leading scorers with an average of 10 points per game.
Lady Panthers Take On Rivals By: Kari Bertler The girl’s basketball team is going strong through their season. Returning varsity players are seniors Kelsey Jahn, Riley Rosemeyer, Raegan Tervort, Juniors Leah Koopman, and Cassidy Nikoli. At the beginning of their season, Cassidy Nikoli was out for a good three weeks with a sprained ankle which was a loss for the team. She is now back up on her feet and playing again. These girls have started out with a pretty strong season and have
a record of 4-5 but more games to come. Head Coach Corey pushes these girls hard in practice and makes them do a lot of conditioning. While watching the girl’s games, people can tell they push themselves to the limit thanks to their coach. One of the team captains Kelsey Jahn explains how the team has been pretty good so far this season and it has been very competitive. Jahn’s favorite game was definitely Edgewood. Edgewood has always
been one of their biggest competitors. It was a very exciting and intense game for the girls and they came out with a 4536 win. “After winning against Edgewood we knew our season was going to be great,” says Jahn. Another upcoming game against Stoughton is on Tuesday, February 10. Their first game against Stoughton had not gone as planned and came out with a score of 42-51. The girls are preparing to take on Stoughton for
Besides Duff some of the other leading scorers this season have been Junior Forward Charlie Soule who leads the team in points with 13.2 a game and Senior guard Mitchell Morhoff averaging 10 points per game. It seems that when the team faces their more difficult opponents they are lacking depth and rely on their top three scorers.
the second time and come out with a win. Upcoming games are on January 24, January 27, January 31, and February 2. Their last game is on February 19 and depending on how the rest of their season goes will determine what position they have going into playoffs.
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Janurary 2015
Concerts Coming to The Rave
By: Abbey Armstrong
The Rave hosts some of the biggest musical stars in the world. The Rave is located at 2401 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Being so close to a musical center such as the Rave is a blessing to many, especially young adults. The cost for musical performances is relatively cheap, making the Rave even more appealing.. The tickets begin around $20 dollars for each concert. The parking is also an average price.
The price for parking starts out at $10. All ages are allowed to attend the performances. This allows socializing with people you would have never met before. The Rave is like a melting pot in many ways. It brings all different people to the performances and it welcomes all people. Some upcoming concerts include artists such as Wale, Logic, Party Next Door, and Kalin and Myles. All of these performers are well known in many
different communities. Seeing these rising stars would be an exhilarating experience for many people. Wale will perform on January 17th at 8 p.m., if buying one ticket another ticket will be available free of cost. Logic also starts performing at eight on January 31st. Party Next Door starts their concert at 8 p.m. on March 13th. Last but not least, Kalin and Myles start at 7 p.m. on April 4th. All tickets are sold at http://www. therave.com/concert_
tickets.asp. Be sure to preorder tickets. Shows are often found to be sold out either in advance or at the doors. If any questions come up the phone number provided by the Rave is (414) 342-7283. The Rave offers young adults the opportunity to listen to other cultures through music and in a great, fun atmosphere. If planning to attend a concert at the Rave, you’re sure to have fun.
Mock Trial: By:Court is in Session Zach Jensen It’s that time of year again, and Oregon Mock Trial is gearing up to get back to being lawyers, defendants, and witnesses. Under the tutelage of coach Brian Towns for the last 3 years, Oregon was able to take regionals by storm and go on to state to take 6th place overall last year. Now, “What is Mock Trial?” one may ask. Mock Trial is a yearly series of competitions hosted
by the Wisconsin State Bar. They write a case and distribute it to the schools that compete. Each school is given the same case and must both prosecute and defend the case. They must create a defense that they have to use to hold back another team’s prosecution. Following this they swap roles and attempt to sink the other team’s defense. As Coach Brian Towns puts it, “[It is] a mix of applying legal concepts, courtroom decorum,
and a fair share of theatrics… Lawyers conduct direct and cross examinations, as well as make objections; and witnesses answer questions as they take on the character portrayed in the witnesses’ statement”. This year, the agenda for OHS Mock Trial is to learn. While Victoria LaBrosse, Lindsey Jaeggi and Kim Gehrman have previously participated in Mock Trial, there
are several newcomers participating in it this year. The biggest goal for this year is to familiarize the newcomers with the courtroom and everything that comes with it. That being said, Coach Towns believes that “we have enough experience and skill to push for the regional title.” So good luck Mock Trial, may the gavel swing ever in your favor.
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News January 2015
Things to do To Cure Your Winter Blues By: Hannah H Winter can seem long and depressing if there is nothing to do and sitting at home to avoid the cold and winter weather cuts you off from the outside world. Outside activities can be fun for some people but what about the people who do not like the cold and snowy conditions. Luckily there are many fun indoor activities in and around Madison to do with your friends and family if you know where to look. Vitense mini golf is a great option. They have a fun winter themed 18 hole miniature golf course open every day of the wee. If you are trying to save some money this is the place to go because they have a variety of food deals as well as Badger and Packer games specials which include your choice of three activity options for $11. Some activities offered
are miniature golf, foot golf course, remote control boats, arcade, and so much more. Another great activity is going to Fast Forward Skate Center located on Verona Road in Madison. They are open every day from 104. Admission costs $6, roller skates cost $2, and roller blades cost $3. If you are not a person who likes physical activities there are options like going to the movie. AMC in Fitchburg is a great place to go and has a variety of shows for any genre of movie you would like. Tickets cost $10.35 on nights and weekends and cost anywhere from $5-10 depending on what time of day you go. Earlier movies are always cheaper so if you are looking to see a cheap movie the morning is the best time to go. Some movies that are coming
soon to the theatre are Fifty Shades of Grey which comes out February 13th, Taken 3 which comes out on January 9th, Blackhat which comes out January 16th and The Duff which comes out on February 20th. Other movie theatres in Madison include Marcus Point Cinema and the Marcus Eastgate Cinema. Both of these theatres have deals including early bird specials, 5$ Tuesdays, $5 student Thursdays and Midnight Madness deals as well as deals on food. All information about these deals can be found on their websites. Bowling is also a great family or friend activity to do in the cold winter months. Ten Pin Alley in Fitchburg is one of the best places to go. Open bowling is offered every day of the week. On Mondays from 11am to midnight it is open and only costs $1.50
per game and $1 for shoe rental. All the other days from 11am to 6pm it costs $3.50 per game and $2 for shoe rental but kids get to play for cheaper and Friday and Saturday they are open until 1am. They also offer many deals for parties. Not only do they have bowling but you can also enjoy volleyball, their sports bar and grill, pro shop, and arcade. More information about events and deals can be found on their website. Although the winter months are long, you can find countless things you can do inside to stay out of the bitter cold. Madison is a place with tons of activities from movies to rock climbing to laser tag to mini golf and also countless places to eat and shop. If you know where to look you can find thing to keep you busy and make the best of the winter months.
Winter Wonderland Dance Comes to Oregon By: Taylor Martin Lately there has been talk of a so-called “winter dance.” And still many are in disbelief that OHS might be hosting a dance this winter. Well believe it or not the rumors are true. This winter OHS is having a “Winter Wonderland Dance” thanks to the hard work of student council
and the executive team of OHS. It has been roughly eight years since OHS has had a winter dance. Project Manager, Jessica Jacobs, says “This year homecoming was so early, and prom is late, so we wanted a winter dance so the students have something to look forward to.” Every student of
OHS is invited to attend an evening of dancing and fun in the OHS commons Saturday, February 7th from 8 pm to 11 pm. The cost of the dance will be $10 and all proceeds will benefit the junior prom and the senior class party so every student is encouraged to attend! Thanks to the student’s votes, the dance will be formal/semiformal; the
theme will be “Winter Wonderland.” There is even going to be the new DJ, Music and Motions for the dance and he is very willing to take song requests from the students, so don’t miss an evening filled with great music along with winter wonderland fun and dancing!
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Janurary 2015
Horoscopes Aries March 21- April 20 Your luck is changing, January will bring you great excitement and rekindle old friendships. There may be some rough patches towards the beginning of the month, but as the month progresses you’ll find great joy.
Taurus April 21- May 20 This month is all about learning. You will discover many new things about yourself and find yourself experiencing new things, have an open mind and be ready to take on whatever comes your way, you will find yourself happy with the outcome.
Gemini May 21- June 21 This month will bring all sorts of new beginnings, find yourself being open to new things.
Cancer June 22- July 22 A great deal of change is coming your way this
month. You will find yourself breaking habits you may have gotten used to. You may experience some struggles along the way, but the outcome is for the best.
decide to do, you will be best to keep your good deed to yourself and not made public, this will make you feel best about what you have done for them.
Leo
Scorpio
July 23- August 23
October 24November 22
Start something new! Make time in each day to begin something, but haven’t made time for. If there is something in the way of getting things accomplished, talk to someone about it, they will be happy to help.
Good news is coming your way! Take time to reward yourself. Do things a little differently this month and you will be noticed. A positive attitude will allow you to have a greater impact on the people around you.
Virgo August 24- September 23 Someone new will come into your life this month. Open up to them and experience new things with them. You can never have too many good people in your life.
Libra September 24October 23 This month see if you can go out of your way to make someones day and see who will return the favor! Whatever you
Sagittarius November 23December 21 Pay attention to the little things this month and you will be surprised with what you will find. Appreciate the things you have and more good will come your way. Tale charge of things and you will have more control over your future.
Capricorn December 22January 20
Focus on yourself this month instead of your duties to everyone else. Keep your goals in mind, it will be a productive month. Dont let others stand in the way of accomplishing your goals. You can be far more productive if you keep your life simple and don’t interfere with the people around you.
Aquarius January 21- February 18 This month is all about discovery, you will find out new things about yourself or others that you may have never known before. Take time to listen to their story and you will find others to be very interested. New things are coming your way.
Pisces February 19- March 20 This month will bring surprises and good health. Instead of dreaming about a possible escape in the future, embrace the beauty of present moment find happiness in the here and now.