2019 December Jesuit Chronicle by Dan Falkner

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

What should “merry Christmas” mean? BY SHAWNA MUCKLE, ’20

ecember at Jesuit is almost indisputably magical. Between extravagant Christmas-themed Food Drive assemblies featuring “Santa Clarke,” candy cane sales, and the Christmas Mass of Anticipation, the holiday season transforms campus in appearance and spirit. Curiously, however, Jesuit’s intensely Christmas-oriented festivities diverge from America’s cultural progression towards a more Christmas-neutral holiday season. As American society becomes more conscious of what it means to uphold inclusivity and diversity, some have questioned whether exclusively Christmas-based marketing and celebrations cause discomfort—or at least an intangible sense of isolation—for members of non-celebrating faith traditions. For the sake of appealing to a larger spectrum of beliefs, many businesses in the customer-service industry, most notably Starbucks, have embraced holiday-neutral slogans and memorabilia. In particular, the phrase “happy holidays” has become a neutral alternative to “merry Christmas.” Like most rhetorical shifts towards inclusivity, “happy holidays” has incited political controversy. In May 2018, President Trump declared, “we’re starting to say merry Christmas again... You notice a big difference between now and two or three years ago? It was going in the other direction rapidly, right?” (The Hill). According to a poll conducted by NPR/PBS in December 2018, among registered Democrats, 42% prefer “merry Christmas” compared to 47% who prefer the neutral greeting. In contrast, among registered Republicans, 86% use “merry Christmas,” and only 13% prefer “happy holidays” (NPR). The fact that Christmas

FINANCE

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF STEELE CLEVENGER, ’21

greetings are at the center of a partisan cultural battle raises a critical question: is the argument really about Christmas as a religious holiday? Or do the Americans holding onto “merry Christmas,” the politicians posturing over Christmas’s apparent decline in holiday marketing, simply cast Christmas as a religiously-detached American tradition? “We are in a co-opting fight [against Christmas’s commercialization],” Campus Ministry Director Mr. Clarke said. “When Black Friday sales are the ‘start of Christmas,’ you have to wonder whether the political fight is really about Christmas as we at Jesuit celebrate it.” If the alleged “war on Christmas” is less about religion and simply centered on a relatively commodified tradition, then the purported controversy surrounding “happy holidays” appears overblown. Though Christmas is deeply intertwined with many Americans’ cultural identity, attempts at avoiding offense with neutral holiday greetings don’t necessarily void America’s Christmas-steeped holiday

APPLE CARD STIRS CONTROVERSY: Apple launched a credit card service that critics say has perpetuated gender inequality. Learn more about why a New York teacher has opened a lawsuit against Apple Card for discrimination. pg. 3

SPORTS

aesthetics and Christmas traditions that remain prevalent. The shift towards “happy holidays” among certain Americans is neither a serious attack against Christian values or American values. Instead, like many cultural inflection points, the dispute over inclusive greetings during the Christmas season is simply another drop in the bucket of a “politically correct” terminology battle between progressives and conservatives, a rallying cry for those concerned with the erasure of what it means to be American via contrived means of inclusivity. It’s concerning that some politically reactionary Americans, including President Trump, would wield “merry Christmas” not as a genuine expression of religion or of holiday spirit, but as a taunting, incendiary response to increased efforts for inclusivity. Moreover, if the culture war over “merry Christmas” really is a co-opted dispute over Americans’ broad sense of identity, not over Christmas’s connection to a sacred biblical

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONSHIPS: Both the women’s soccer team and the women’s volleyball team have won backto-back state championships. Hear some insights from players on each team about how they achieved success. pg. 6

LIFESTYLE II

event, then Jesuit’s wholehearted acceptance of Christmas begins to make more sense. Jesuit’s status as a Catholic school deeply associates it with Christmas’s religious roots. The Jesuit community, however, doesn’t exist in an insulated cultural bubble. Many students are familiar with the battle surrounding the holiday season’s two standard greetings—a battle exacerbated by those who employ the more exclusive greeting for political purposes—making it crucial to consider what rationale should prompt “merry Christmas” and other Christmas-oriented traditions. “When I say ‘merry Christmas,’ it’s an expression of my faith and belief that Christmas is a holy day,” Mr. Clarke said. “I certainly don’t mean to offend anybody, and I’ve never been offended by ‘happy holidays.’” America’s celebration of Christmas is at its core meant to instill joy. For Christians, Christmas is a celebration of something even greater, a cel-

PORTLAND’S BEST HOLIDAY LIGHTS: Trying to find the perfect neighborhood to peruse some Christmas lights? Our staff shares some of their favorite places in Portland for late-night exploring this holiday season. pg. 11

PAGE EDITOR: Shawna Muckle

HOLIDAY

ebration of life, freedom from sin, and justice brought about by the birth of Jesus. Whether as an expression of faith or of general holiday cheer, “merry Christmas” should be used as a means of spreading that joy, not as a weaponized, less-PC alternative to “happy holidays.” For those concerned with whether it’s “okay” to still specifically reference Christmas, intent matters much more than specific terminology. If “happy holidays” truly inspires a sense of cultural insecurity for some Americans, that’s a sign that arguments over Christmas greetings are a proxy for an ultimately unrelated social conflict. Regardless of one’s manner of celebrating the holiday season, inclusivity is most enhanced by embracing the collective sense of fulfillment that the holiday season is meant to emphasize. Senior Alyssa Knudsen notes that with the way Jesuit honors Christmas, her Jewish faith doesn’t prevent her from appreciating the beauty of Jesuit’s Christmas celebration and the unity it inspires. “I love Christmas at Jesuit. With the lights strung around campus, walking down the halls, Christmas is really beautiful,” Knudsen said. “I think that as a Catholic school, it makes sense that we emphasize Christmas, because it’s so entrenched in the Catholic ethos and the American ethos.” With the religious reverence associated with its Christmas festivities, Jesuit seems to set an example for how Christmas should be celebrated. “Merry Christmas” at Jesuit doesn’t signify an exclusionary verbal weapon meant to minimize other celebrations of faith. Rather, it signifies a broad sense of community, love, and purpose that transcends artificial barriers between those who celebrate Christmas and those who don’t.

2000S HOLIDAY THROWBACKS: Looking to add more 2000s classics to your holiday watch list? Trying to find the perfect throwback gift? Check out our top recommendations for iconic 2000s holiday movies, songs, and gifts. pg. 15

NEWS

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIII

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

Math teacher Mr. Skokan deployed to Kosovo BY MICHAEL LANG, ’20

r. Skokan, a United States Army National Guardsman, is being deployed to Kosovo in Eastern Europe for a year, beginning in January of 2020. While Mr. Skokan’s role doesn’t fully entail the aspects of active duty personnel when not deployed, it does include training that occurs at least once a month and two or more continuous weeks a year. However, National Guardsmen complete the same training as active duty Soldiers, and attend the same Army schools as their active duty counterparts. This gives Mr. Skokan the opportunity to serve part time while still carrying out a civilian career. Additionally, this is his first deployment anywhere as a National Guardsman. “Five years ago, we were supposed to go to Afghanistan, but there was a draw down at the time, so our deployment was cancelled,” Mr. Skokan said. “This [mission] is a go.” As such, the federal government plays a part in allocating soldiers to certain areas where

additional support is needed. In the case of Mr. Skokan, Oregon Army National Guardsmen are being sent to Kosovo due to past turmoil in that country. Following World War II, modern-day Kosovo was established as a province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with Serbs primarily making up the ethnic group of the region. In addition, the predominant religion was Christian Orthodox, which conflicted with the Islamic religion of many Albanians, the former majority ethnic group that resided within the region of Kosovo. By the 1980s, many Albanians living in Kosovo rioted and called for the independence of the country. Albanian leaders organized a referendum, declaring Kosovo independent in 1991. Serbia responded with repressive actions and later conducted a campaign that led to massacres and expulsions of ethnic Albanians from their homes, displacing thousands. This further escalated to the involvement of NATO forces. In 1999, NATO began airstrikes over Serbian forces for 11

weeks until a peace accord was signed in June. Since then, tensions have begun to ease within Kosovo. However, sporadic violence continued to occur early in the 21st century with riots claiming the lives of several individuals. NATO forces have been deployed to Kosovo during the country’s recovery since then, including U.S. forces, including

the brigade Mr. Skokan is in, the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The entire mission for Mr. Skokan will begin on January 4th and, because of this, a few structural changes to the math department have been made. Mr. Cowal is now the head of the math department, taking on the former role of Mr. Skokan. Calculus classes have

also been shifted to different teachers in the absence of Mr. Skokan. While Jesuit will miss Mr. Skokan when he leaves, many students continue to respect the duties of teachers at Jesuit that have served. “I am honored to have teachers that have served us before and are serving us now,” senior Kyle Leglar said.

Ignite JHS sparks student-directed talks BY JAMES MARTINI, ’20

Ignite JHS Organizers Eoin McDonagh (left) and Rishey Shenoy (right) introduce the event to the theater’s audience.

Speaker Yosan Tewelde speaks on the importance of spontaneity and how it helped improve her life and attitude.

PAGE EDITOR: James Martini

ou have probably seen the announcements: “[Ignite JHS is] a series of fastpaced 5-minute talks using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds”. Many are likely not aware of what what Ignite events look like in practice, though. Ignite events are similar TEDx events, but with shorter talks that are all constrained by the limitations of 20 auto-advancing slides. The subjects of the talks have no set parameters and speakers are able to speak about whatever they want to. Senior Eoin McDonagh and senior Rishey Shenoy organized Ignite JHS, which featured a set of six Jesuit student speakers, all speaking on topics relevant or important to them. “It’s used in a lot of businesses for presentations on different things like new products,” McDonagh said. One of the speakers, senior Yosan Tewelde, wrote in an email, “I wasn’t planning on participating in it at all until Eoin, one of the planners, assured me that the presentations could be really open ended and the formality was up to me.” One of the nice things about Ignite that drew in many of the speakers was how freely they were able to talk about their subject. “[T]here are not many opportunities to present on something we are passionate about that doesn’t have to be an argument or debate,” Tewelde said.

McDonagh and Shenoy took care to get a wide range of speakers who would help to bring out the unique nature of Ignite. “We wanted to have interesting speakers and people who have different things to share with the audience,” McDonagh said. Before Ignite at Jesuit, there were no other events that allow students to openly discuss a topic in this lecture format. If students wished to give a speech about something, they would have to go somewhere outside the school, like TEDxYouth or another larger event. From an audience perspective, Shenoy and McDonagh liked the short form speeches for keeping the audience’s attention. “It was better for the audience to keep up with what was going on,” Shenoy said. The smaller, faster paced talks helped to make the students more comfortable speaking on whatever they wanted without feeling pressured to have a talk relevant to those attending. “There was such a wide array of topics: from cancer research to playgrounds, from sports replay to bilingualism. It was really cool to see students’ personal interests and passions,” Tewelde said. McDonagh and Shenoy said that they hope to host more Ignite events in the future, including possible events next spring and in following years.

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3 DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIII

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

Apple faces controversy over Apple Card BY SCOUT JACOBS, ’21

n November 5, Apple was accused of gender discrimination surrounding the algorithms of the Apple Card. The Apple Card, a credit card specifically run through Apple, has been a target of allegations of gender bias. This issue of gender bias arose when tech entrepreneur David Hansson voiced through social media that his credit limit was significantly higher than his wife’s, despite the fact that she had a better credit score. The New York Department of Financial Services investigated these allegations, as not only Hansson, but multiple other voices spoke out about their similar experience with the Apple Card. There has been no definite affirmation or denial of the accusations due to the difficulty investigating discrimination in computer-based algorithms. Ms. Blumhardt, a history teacher and leader of Feminism Club, began her experience with credit by opening a line of credit when

studying abroad. With the topic of gender discrimination closely relating to Apple, the accusations highlight the ongoing struggle of gender inequality, pushing students to further widen their horizons surrounding gender inequality outside of Jesuit. “Everyone has Apple products, so to see a name that’s so familiar and something that everybody has in their pockets and associating that to gender discrimination is difficult,” Blumhardt said. “I think that it’s a stark reminder to females that the fight is continuing. For folks to say no it’s very equal and I have all the same opportunities as my male counterparts, I think it challenges Jesuit students to look outside the bounds of school and to realize there are still issues. I think the greatest examples of gender discrimination and inequality are within corporations.” The issue of gender discrimination has been relevant in numerous other tech corporations, such as Tesla, Facebook, and even Amazon. These issues of gender dis-

crimination were displayed in a range of forms, from unequal target advertising to employment and hiring discrimination. This discrimination may be due to the imbalance of gender employment within tech corporations. According to The New Yorker, studies have estimated that women make up only a quarter of employees as well as only 11% of executive positions within the tech industry. With the topic of gender equality consistently prevalent in not only the Jesuit community, but also in outside environments, informing students surrounding the topic in class maintains the overall awareness of current events. “I definitely believe there are wonderful faculty and staff who are here who keep their students updated on current events, but still encouraging that curiosity within our students is always really important,” Blumhardt said. “The worst thing that we can do is be stuck in a bubble, so the more that we try to engage ourselves with the outside community and on all

aspects, the better off we’ll be.” With numerous students soon leaving for college, and later entering the world of adulthood, establishing a good credit score is essential for larger purchases. Ms. Casey recently purchased a house, and she describes her tips for establishing a good credit score. “Keep your spending within your means,” Casey said. “Realistically, a lot of students are going to graduate from college with some student loans, [so] committing to paying those off as soon as possible, making sure you’re not accumulating credit card debt, [is] essen-

tial because that can really get you in a hole, and it’s hard to recover from that.” While students may be informed of the credit system, establishing a class surrounding credit could further assist students when beginning to build credit. “A recent addition in the last few years has been an online financial planning course,” Casey said. “I haven’t gone through it, but I think that’s a great step. It seems like a great idea if there was an opportunity to build more practical financial planning guidelines and approaches for students.”

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Student loan debt: modeling a disease BY JACK KELLEY, ’20

tudent loan debt is like a disease. While this simile might sound like a common statement regarding higher education financing, recent research conducted by senior Kavya Ravishankar has found a deeper truth to this statement through the use of a disease model. Ravishankar spent last summer at George Mason University studying the SEIR Compartmental Model of Epidemiology under Dr. Padmanabhan Seshaiyer. The model she studied serves to simplify the mathematical modelling of infectious diseases through dividing the affected population into four compartments: susceptible, exposed, infected and recovered. While looking at this model, Ravishankar began to consider potential applications outside the field of Epidemiology. That’s when she recounted a discussion on student loan debt that occured in Mr. Falkner’s English class and decided to explore the use of this disease model on this issue. “Most of the research that has been done on stu-

dent loan debt has been more data collection. We have an abundance of data on how many people and on how long it is taking people to pay [their student loans] off and things like that, but there isn’t really analysis on the data,” Ravishankar said. “This is a pretty unconventional method but I thought it would be interesting to look at it from this point of view just to see what else you could find out about [student loan debt].” The model was first created to research the bubonic plague and since then has been used exclusively in the study of infectious diseases, such as Ebola. The SEIR model categorizes those at risk into four categories: susceptible, exposed, infected and recovered. Ravishankar defined the susceptible as graduating seniors enrolling into college, the exposed as students who are paying off their loans as part of their original repayment plan, the infected as adults in severe debt as they try as they try to meet loan payments and the recovered as adults who have successfully paid off their loans. Ravishankar’s research demonstrated the parallels between student

loan debt and infectious diseases, concluding that, for a substantial portion of the US adult population, once they had “caught” the student loan debt, they remain infected for an extending period of time, about 21 years. With student loan debt therefore classified as a disease, Ravishankar believes that the solution to mitigate the disease is education. The overwhelming belief in the United States is that the benefits of attending college always outweigh the cost, but recent research has demonstrated that obtaining a college education is more of a risk than anticipated by the majority. The solution is educating susceptible high school students so they are aware of the risks they are undertaking by attending college, Ravishankar demonstrated. This fall, Ravishankar published an abstract and presented her research at a conference held at Illinois State University. After this presentation, she received the confirmation to write a research paper on the manner, which will be published in the SPORA Bioinformatics in mid-January.

PAGE EDITOR: Michael Lang

FEATURES l

4 LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

Sinstas provide online “diary” for users BY ANNIE LANDGRAF, ’21

ith most teenagers already on social media, sinstas become a way for high schoolers to share more personal information with close friends. Sinstas, which is the compound of “second” and “instagram”, is another added instagram account, popular with high school students . On a typical sinsta account, people will share more personal information that shows the followers a more authentic side to them. “I like that I can be more of myself because it’s people that I trust and people that I know I can just be myself around,” junior Em Beaton said. “I know I won’t be judged by them.” A sinsta account will not have many followers attached to them due to people sharing more daily personal experiences. “A lot of my close friends and people that I think would share the same humor as me follow me,” junior Mackenzie Convery said. A sinsta is a place for users to be more of them-

selves, which has caused a shift for a main instagram account to be edited so users can reveal a perfect image for their followers. “On my sinsta, I am goofy and post whatever and it’s fun and silly because I know everyone on it,” Beaton said. “I don’t really think about my posts and I don’t edit them or anything. On my main, I try to be the best person I can be, even if it’s not who I really am. Since I have so many followers on instagram, it is hard to post funny, authentic photos, because I don’t know every single follower.” People will also use a sinsta as a social media diary to vent about any struggles going on in their lives. “Some day’s if I’ve had a bad day or took a hard test, or whatever, I will post something on my sinsta,” Convery said. “It can be a place where I can just vent and let my followers know what is going on in my life.” This use of a sinsta being a “diary” can invite the opportunity of drama. “People can say bad things about each other or talk about people behind their backs on their sinsta posts,

and you might think it’s about you or not,” Beaton said. “[This] could start a lot of drama.” This begs the question: is having a sinsta beneficial or hindering to highschoolers? “Having a sinsta has helped me in high school connect with my close friends about things happening in my daily life, whether it’s something funny, serious, or fun,” Beaton said. “I am able to post something about my life that is either good or bad, and have my close friends look at it and respond with no judgement.” Others don’t see any benefits or disadvantages of having a sinsta. “I don’t think it affects me,” Convery said. “It doesn’t make me better or make me worse. It is just something to laugh about with my friends and look back at.” A sinsta is private for the user and touches on normal issues that are common to teenagers like tension with parents, anger with school, or fights with friends. As a parent, this could be troubling knowing that their kid is letting emotions out into the “social media world.” “I told my mom that I

had a sinsta,” Beaton said. “I told her it was just a second instagram account to connect with close friends and post funny pictures. Even though I told her I had a sinsta, my mom does not follow it because I don’t want her seeing all my posts.” Even though most parents or authoritative figures know about sinstas, it is uncommon for them to follow a teenager’s sinsta, mainly because it is followed only by

close friends of the user. With a sinsta being popular with mostly teenagers, it also brings up the question: Does a sinsta stays with teenagers until they become an adult or are they temporary accounts? “As of now, I don’t know if I will have a sinsta in five years or so,” Convery said. “I feel like older people that I know don’t have one, so I feel like when I get older, I will use it less and less and eventually stop using it.” COURTESY OF PIXABAY

f S o a n d t a Clarke n e g e l e Th

For the past five years, Santa Clarke has been a major component of the Jesuit Christmas celebration. But a very small group of people actually know who he is and what his origins are. Students were asked what they think about the origins of Santa Clarke. “Santa Clarke manifested himself. He transcends all things secular and rules all things divine. He is time and power, personified by America’s vivaciously aggressive attitude towards Christmas. In other words, you’d better watch out,” said senior Jonathan Ulrich. “Santa Clarke arrived a long time ago from deep underground and shows up again every Christmas season to do two things, spread cheer and acknowledge 8th grade shadows,” said senior River Flamoe. Santa Clarke was first asked to appear at the 2014 Food Drive Assembly by Jesuit’s very own Campus Minister, Don Clarke, who shares a last name with the famed holiday hero. Santa Clarke is contacted every year around the beginning of December by Mr. Clarke to come to Jesuit once again to jumpstart the Christmas spirit. He doesn’t arrive to Jesuit in costume though--he had a custom suit provided by the Campus Ministry office to wear during the Food Drive and the corresponding assembly. In a statement given by Santa Clarke, he says that he has lots of fun every year playing the role at Jesuit.

In the first year of his appearance the hashtag #santaclarke was created in his honor. Within more recent years, more activity has presented itself to Santa Clarke, with him being invited to play the part of Santa in Jesuit’s 2017 play, Elf Jr., starring juniors Krish Adyta and Alannah Connolly. When asked on his feelings of the pressure of becoming Santa Clarke, he answered that he, “has started to feel more nervous now that more and more high school students are starting to question his reality.” He originally found it tough when he was asked to sit and listen to smaller children. But he found that the children look to him with such honesty and joy in their eyes when they tell him what their wishes are for Christmas presents. Although he is not the one and true Santa Clause, Santa Clarke finds it profound that the children tell him what presents they want, and he does his best to deliver the word of each child’s wishes to the true Santa in the North Pole. He shared exclusive information with the Jesuit Chronicle about the most asked for Christmas presents in which he stated, “collectible bracelets, iPhone X’s, unicorns, and way cool headphones and of course, Taylor Swift Albums.” Santa Clarke has brought holiday cheer to Jesuit High School for the past 5 years and will continue his involvement for the many years to come, so long as students keep up their holiday spirits.

BY TRISTAN ROBBINS ’20

PAGE EDITOR: Virginia Larner

5 DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIII

FEATURES II

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

Political donations complicate engagement BY SHAWNA MUCKLE, ’20

s the 2020 presidential election cycle edges nearer, solicitations for campaign contributions from various candidates have become unavoidable. Between targeted social media advertisements, spam emails from party affiliates, and conspicuous “Donate Now” redirects on candidates’ pages, it’s hard to imagine that most students haven’t at least considered the concept of political donations in the last few months. At the same time, the amount of students who have spent their own money to donate to a particular policy organization or candidate likely number far fewer. For related reasons—a lack of monetary independence and a lack of voting eligibility—significant political engagement among high schoolers is rare, let alone a desire to spend their limited money on a political campaign. Even among young people of voting eligibility (ages 18-29), only 9% report ever donating to a political candidate or party, according to a Pew Research poll conducted in 2017. Conversely, 32% of voters aged 65+ report donating to a political organization, campaign, or party. Irrespective of whether young people choose to donate to campaigns, however, individual, small-dollar donations are often portrayed as insignificant compared to multimillion dollar investments by donors such as corporations and lobbyist organizations. The notion that larger, more influential organizations convince politicians and candidates to act against popular will has lead to increased clamoring for campaign

finance reform. Generally speaking, campaign finance reform involves enhanced restrictions on the amount of money individuals, corporations, and outside political organizations can contribute to parties or specific campaigns. Currently, federal election law prohibits corporations or labor organizations from directly contributing to federal campaigns. Individual donations are also capped at $2,800 per election cycle for a particular federal candidate or party organization. However, corporations and unions may establish Political Action Committees, which can collect from individual donors to raise large sums of cash with which to distribute to candidates or parties (Federal Election Commission). The NRA, for example, has a PAC called the Political Victory Fund. PACs are subject to federal contribution limits, capped at $5,000 per federal election year. For the 2020 election cycle, the Political Victory Fund has spent $165,100 on direct contributions to candidates’ campaigns— but overall, the NRA’s expenditures total $1.4 million (Open Secrets). Despite the seemingly restrictive limitations on individuals and PACs, federal election law leaves a gaping loophole open for corporations and other unrestricted political organizations, known as superPACs, to influence elections. Due to a ruling in the controversial Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC, the federal government may not restrict independent expenditures in support of a particular candidate or party. As a result of the Citizens United ruling, organizations like the NRA may spend unlimited amounts of money on political advertising

as long as those donations aren’t directly contributed to a campaign. Additionally, superPACs may raise money from individual donors and corporations without restrictions, allowing superPACs to subsist solely on mega-dollar donations and avert federal contribution limits by using independent advertisements (FEC). This major monetary loophole in federal election law helps explain how the NRA and other politically-affiliated organizations manage to invest massive influxes of cash each election cycle in spite of strict contribution limits for PACs and individuals. Further complicating how campaign contributions are limited, federal contribution limits only apply to presidential and congressional races. For state races, including governor’s races, states determine contribution limits for organizations and individuals. In Oregon, campaign finance will be a closely watched issue in 2020. Oregon’s state constitution specifically precludes the state government from obstructing contributions, making it one of five states with absolutely no contribution limits for individuals, corporations, unions, and PACs. The state legislature has placed a constitutional referendum on the 2020 ballot, allowing voters to determine whether they want to open the door to financial limitations in state politics (Portland Tribune). Given the ever-present loopholes that independent expenditures and superPACs invite, some students question how Oregon’s attempt to equalize the playing field for political donations will actually counter the impact wealthy organizations have in politics. “If I’m a corporation and I

COURTESY OF BULLETIN.REPRESENT.US

The largest donors in each U.S. state are often major corporations or unions.

can’t donate money, then I can just go online and create a self-sponsored ad for that candidate with that money,” senior Cole Crystal said. “There’s always going to be workarounds... you’re not going to change how the rich and how corporations influence the candidates they want to win.” Though campaign finance reform remains a major pillar of many 2020 Democratic campaigns, the actual complexities of finding a foolproof way to contain independent expenditures—at least while Citizens United exists—make it more difficult to imagine a path forward for limiting money’s influence in politics. AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher Mr. Flamoe, however, suggests that the rise of social media and alternative means of advertising offers some optimism for alleviating the need for money in campaigns at all. “Most people are getting their political information through non-traditional means,” Mr. Flamoe said. “They’re not necessarily going to be seeing political ads on the ma-

jor news networks. They’re going to be getting those ads in their social media feeds. Now that you can micro-target populations of voters [with social media], it almost seems that if you have really good information, you can have influence on the target population you’re trying to reach without those large sums of cash that were once necessary.” For civically-minded students feeling disillusioned by the seemingly intractable influence of mega-organizations in politics, social media also offers a forum to engage with a campaign without the same inequities that monetary contributions involve. “I don’t think that one should feel like their financial solvency and their ability to donate to campaigns is the only thing that can legitimize their passion for a candidate,” senior Ria Debnath said. “There’s other ways to express your support: you can share what [a candidate] says on social media, you can attend [campaign events] they hold. Affluence doesn’t have to be the only deciding factor.”

Fast fashion accelerates during holidays BY SCOUT JACOBS, ’21

ith the approaching holiday season, consumerist ideals promote the production of fast fashion. Fast fashion, the production of mass produced, cheap, and unsustainable clothing, is typically unethically sourced and produced in sweatshops. Throughout the holiday season, companies promote their products with the allure of sales, influencing customers to buy even more. With increasing sales in these fast fashion shops, such as Forever 21, the production of cheap clothing that harms the environment and factory workers increases. Mrs. Kuenz, Associate Director of Ecological Justice & Global Networking, discusses how students can break this cycle. “I think it takes a conscious effort,” Kuenz said. “We talk about inertia in physics and it carries over to other things. The natural momentum is to buy and if we see something on sale it’s a good deal, like why don’t I get it? But then you get home and it’s like where do I put it? What do I do with this? Do I actually need it?” Along with breaking the habit of supporting fast fashion

companies, shopping locally or from second-hand clothing stores impacts the environment in more than one way. The rate of discarding clothes has increased significantly as the average consumer bought 60 percent more clothes in 2014 than in 2000, but kept garments for half as long (World Resources Institute). Activities such as participating in clothing swaps and doing research before shopping at a store are simple ways high school students can make an impact. Ms. Case became interested in the topic of fast fashion by researching affordable yet high quality clothing. This exposure to information about fashion led to

her learning about human rights violations that fast fashion companies perpetuate. “Second hand shopping is awesome,” Case said. “Consigning old clothes instead of giving them to Goodwill [helps] because Goodwill only takes 10% of what we donate, and then everything else is shipped overseas to typically poor countries in Africa. What ends up happening is that clothing comes in and it’s so cheap that it ends up destroying the local people who are making clothing. We are destroying their economy by doing this, and we’re sending cheap stuff that doesn’t last.” According to the World Resources Institute, one gar-

PAGE EDITOR: Shawna Muckle

bage truck of clothes is burned or landfilled every second. While fast fashion also has unethical impacts, numerous fast fashion companies are geared towards high school students due to their low prices and trendy styles. Anna Dellit, a member of Green Team, hopes to further inform high school students of the effects of fast fashion. “I don’t think students know enough,” Dellit said. “I think the way that students can learn more is by putting up posters in the school, social media, and what helped me is having teachers talk about it. I think just getting awareness out about it because our generation wants to make

change, but without the education or knowledge to do so, they aren’t aware of their responsibility.” While fast fashion is typically advertised for younger consumers, fast fashion also appeals to numerous other consumers, as buying fast fashion further promotes the habit of doing what is easy and simpler. “I think that there is such a push to fit in fashion-wise and so I think that drives students to shop at the same places,” Case said. “I think...generally we have a tendency to do what’s easy and what’s popular, and so I think that steers students typically away from sustainable fashion because of what is publicized, affordable, close by, and what’s easy.” With the holidays further promoting consumerism in the form of gifts and presents, Kuenz stresses the importance of relationships during the holidays. “As we enter into this season, what most of us need is not more stuff, it’s relational time with people,” Kuenz said. “So it’s making that shift in our minds [because] it doesn’t seem like that same sort of a gift, but it really is the most important one; having opportunities and experiences.”

SPORTS

6 Soccer and volleyball win championships

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIII

BY GWYNNE OLSON, ’21

tate championships are a big deal at any school, as they reflect a team’s skill and dedication. While back-to back state championships are not unheard of at Jesuit, they certainly are not common. Recently, two Jesuit teams have won back-to-back state championships: women’s volleyball and women’s soccer. The women’s soccer team is known for being premier, but their three consecutive state championships are not just from luck. Every day this season, this team worked hard and pushed each other to get better. With some significant players graduating last year, the team knew this season would be different. “Coming into the season we were pretty confident we could do really well,” head coach Steve Fennah said. “But we knew it was a new team, with new personalities, and new leadership roles. So, there was a great deal of apprehension but also a great deal of confidence that the new players would step up and get things done.” The women’s soccer team had a flawless season winning nineteen of their twenty

games, their only non-win a tie 0-0 with West Salem. The team scored a tremendous one hundred and six goals, letting in only six. In the state championship game, the women’s team faced Mountainside, a team who they had previously beaten 6-1. “Going into a third state championship game was very exciting but at the same time a little nerve racking. We knew that mountainside was a very good team, and that they were going to give us a tough fight,” junior Maddy Koleno said. “As a team we had worked so hard the whole season, and knew if we left everything out on that field at the end of the game we would come home with the win.” Mountainside came out strong, nearly scoring three times. But Jesuit brought the heat and they brought senior Callan Harrington. Callan Harrington, a University of Washington commit, is a striker and one of the star players on the team. Coming into the game, Harrington had scored a total of 53 goals during her high school season and would score another two in this championship game.These

two goals not only greatly contributed to another state championship but also claimed a new state record for Harrington. The record of most goals scored during a high school season was set in 1990 by Tiffany Milbert and Harrington passed it by one goal Sophomore Taylor Krueger scored another goal, assisted by Harrington, making the final score 3-0 with a victory for the Crusaders. “It’s always a great feeling winning a state championship,” coach Fennah said. “People always ask the question ‘does it diminish with time?’ and no it doesn’t. It’s always a new season with new players and new faces, so it is always satisfying when things come together.” In the last three years, the Jesuit women’s soccer team holds a 58-0-1 record, having only tied a single game. For the second year in a row, the team has been recognized as the number one women’s soccer program in the nation. The women’s soccer team was not the only team to bring home a back-to-back state championship this year. The women’s volleyball team also came together and claimed a ti-

tle against Central Catholic. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The women’s volleyball team dominated last year. With a winning streak of 25-0, they were tournament champions, league champions, and state champions. With a starting lineup consisting of six seniors, the loss was very impactful. The team did not let their loss shake them. They may have had almost completely new faces on the court, but their work ethic stayed the same. “During this season it was really fun to see all of the younger players step into these big roles and have such a big impact,” junior setter Alison Buccholz said. “Finishing the season by winning a state championship really proved to ourselves that our hard work paid off and proved everyone who doubted us wrong.” Going into the state tournament there was no one favored team. Jesuit would face teams they had lost to in the past such as West Linn. Head coach Theresa Zimmerlee wasn’t deterred. “I always think we can win, it’s just something you have to believe,” Coach Zimmerlee

said. The championship game against Central Catholic was a nail-biter. The Crusaders took the first set 25-21 but Central came right back winning the second set 26-24. The next two sets were just as close ending in 27-25 Jesuit and 25-23 Central. Central may have fought hard, but we fought harder winning the final set 15-13! Four players from the women’s volleyball team were selected as all state players. Junior outside hitter Maddy Dowdal and sophomore libero Maisie Alexander were selected to be on the second all tournament team. Junior setter Alison Buccholz and sophomore middle hitter Tess Masingale were selected to be on the first all tournament team. Tess Masingale was also selected as the state championship game MVP with 16 kills. “I believe you get about 2 weeks to enjoys a state championship, then you begin work for the next season,” coach Zimmerlee said.“There are some pretty good teams for next year’s competition. That’s the exciting part, there are no guarantees and you always have to put in the work if you want to be on top.”

Women’s Volleyball team after defeating Central Catholic in five sets!

Women’s Soccer team after defeating Moutainside 3-1!

Fall Sports Wrap WOMEN’S XC

WOMEN’S SOCCER Key Players: Callan Harrington ’20, Jaiden McClellan ’20, Mary Votava ’20, Madeline Koleno ’21 Overall Record: 19-1-0 Metro League Ranking: 1 State Ranking: 1 National Ranking: 1

Key Runners: Naya Wrenn ’23, Maggie Bennet ’23, Claire Cooney ’23, Chloe Forrester ’22, Molly Grant ’20, Alexis Kebbe ’20 Metro Leauge Ranking: 1 State Ranking: 2 National Ranking: 11

VOLLEYBALL Key Players: Tess Masingale ’22, Maise Alexander ’22, Maddy Dowdal ’21, Alison Buccholz ’21 Overall Record: 25-4 Metro League Ranking: 1 State Ranking: 1 National Ranking: 25

MEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S XC

FOOTBALL

Key Players: Aidan Azevedo ’21, Remey Grayson ’20, Nathan Gewant ’20, Truman Delaney ’20

Key Runners: John Schuler ’22, Caden Hildenbrand ’22, Ryan Shumacker ’21, Declan O’Scannlain ’20, Sam Curran ’20

Key Players: Charlie Pickard ’21, Lucas Christen ’20, Seth Welsh ’20, Logan Horton ’20. Shea Brooks ’20, Campell Brandt ’20, Kade Wisher ’20

Overall Record: 14-2-1 Metro League: 1 State Ranking: 6

Metro Leauge Ranking:2 State Ranking: 1 National Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 10-3 Metro League Ranking: 1 State Ranking: 8

PAGE EDITOR: Gwynne Olson

OPINION

7 DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

Transportation raises questions at Jesuit BY JAYLA LOWERY, ’20

early 500,000 school busses travel to and from schools on a daily basis, bringing over 25 million kids to school each day (www.74million.com). Passengers range from kindergarten to high school seniors, and classic yellow school busses are a common symbol of school for many students across the country. Jesuit does not currently have a bus system available for all students, and since students come from a range of areas, a bus system would be challenging to create. “The practical reality of Jesuit is that students come from around 30 different zip codes areas,” Principal Paul Hogan said. “It would be difficult at best to have any sort of equity in transportation for all students.” But what are the effects and implications of not having a reliable bussing system at Jesuit?

Jesuit’s History with Bus- Effects on Environment Why Not a Bus? The Future of ses and Current Student With so many rea- Transportation at JHS When it comes to Transportation With the existence carpooling, the question of sons to create a bus system, it

Currently, Jesuit has a small school bussing system in the form of the St. Andrew Nativity bus, which transports alums of the middle school back to Northeast Portland. But besides the Nativity bus, Jesuit has not had an all-school bus system since the ‘70s. With students living as north as Vancouver, Washington and as west as North Plains and Forest Grove, Jesuit students come from far and wide on a daily basis. Such distances make it difficult for many students to find transportation in the first place. The most popular and common form of transportation to Jesuit is cars. Most students catch rides with their parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, or drive themselves. Senior Anna Niedermeyer frequently carpools to and from school despite living less than 10 minutes away. Other students like Jaedina Bayking live far from the school, and often rely on public transportation to get to and from school.

environment friendliness is unavoidably raised. Without a school mandated bus, students spend large amounts of time in cars and in traffic. While clean energy vehicles exist, students without energy-efficient vehicles emit higher levels of carbon into the atmosphere. “Our biggest carbon footprint by far is the driving and parking,” Hogan said. “Idling is a big issue. There’s a large backlog on Beaverton-Hillsdale highway,” said Jennifer Kuenz, Associate Director of Ecological Justice & Global Networking and Physics Teacher. Further, not all students have the resources or privilege to transport themselves to school via car, or even leave directly after school ends. Students without cars may have to wait up to forty minutes for a public bus or stay at school for hours waiting for a parent or other ride to pick them up.

would seem like an easy decision— but it’s not that simple. Securing Jesuit busses to transport kids to and from school would be expensive for students and be difficult to procure for the mass array of extracurriculars and distances. For private schools like OES, which has a bus system for students, families pay upwards of 1200 dollars to fund school busses. “The cost of trying to serve all the areas students are in are huge and would definitely cause tuition to go up,” Hogan said. The sheer amount of different cities, events and activities Jesuit students live and participate in decreases the likelihood of a bus system that could encompass all students. But even despite these complications, should Jesuit employ an all-school bus system at Jesuit? The answer is unfortunately complicated, and any solutions are challenging.

of the St. Andrew Nativity Bus, and the Beaverton Transit center right down the street, faculty have come up with potential ideas for alternate transportation for students without cars. “It would be great if we could get a regular shuttle somehow going to the Beaverton Transit center,” Hogan said. For the time it takes to realize some of these ideas, there are many ways students and faculty can work on more environmentally conscious, such as biking or walking for Jesuit members in the neighborhood, carpooling, or taking the bus or other forms of public transportation. Advocating to administration about more trasnportation options would help make ideas a reality. Shifting transportation methods in order to be more environmentally friendly is an important step towards reducing Jesuit’s carbon footprint.

Jesuit’s carpooling map shows some of the different areas students live in, from Forest Grove to Gresham. The variety of locations students live in can make transportation difficult.

PAC cell phone area closed during lunch

BY VIRGINIA LARNER, ’20

n early December, changes were made regarding the rules of the cell phone area between the PAC and Smith Gym. The area is now closed during both lunches. The change has come as a response to the overcrowding of this space during break and lunch periods. The space is still open during the rest of the day, but is officially closed during both lunch periods. The school still offers the outside area near the student center as a cell phone area at all times. The overcrowding has been significant since the beginning of the school year, and the administration noticed that mostly freshman congre-

gate in this area during break or lunch. “We thought that maybe as freshman got to know each other or the weather changed it would taper off, but it didn’t seem to do that so we decided to be more proactive about it,” Vice Principal for Student Life, Mr. Scott Powers said. This year, the space has become overcrowded and can be difficult for adults or other students to walk through during break or lunch periods. The overflow of students utilizing the area also became a problem for adult supervisors to manage. “When I’ve come in to school at break I can barely walk through that area, because there are so many students,” senior Ella Nelson said.

While revising the rules, administrators looked closely at the school’s Technology Policy in the student handbook. “Technology during the day is for educational purposes,” Powers said. “Sitting on your phone snapchatting with a friend or playing a game isn’t an educational purpose.” Last year, the rules regarding cell phones and lunch in the Knight Lobby were also altered as a response to overcrowding and cell phone usage. In the last two years, cell phone use at school has become a more significant issue. “I don’t remember having this problem at all as a freshman,” junior Taylor Godfrey said. “I think my class just likes to talk to each other during break and lunch.” PAGE EDITOR: Jayla Lowery

Upperclassmen speculate that the problem has heightened as new classes arrive. It seems that rather than spending time in the student center or library during break or lunch, freshmen were connecting with classmates in this area and taking advantage of the allowed cell phone use. “I don’t know if I have ever used that cell phone area, but it seemed like it was the main place where freshmen hung out together,” Nelson said. With technology being such a significant part of young people’s lives, it seems hard to escape at school. “From my perspective, I think it is very hard for a student to have a cell phone in their pocket and not check it,” Powers said.

Administrators recognize that entering a new school could be daunting for freshman. Technology could act as a social crutch, and the area may have been a safe place for the students. They hope that the changes made help encourage students to connect in a more face-to-face way with their classmates, and will emphasize the correct use of the areas. “[The cell phone area] is a place where you could send a quick text or a phone call, but it is not meant to be a place where you could just hang out,” Powers said. The cell phone area outside of the student center remains open at all times, and since the change in rules this area has yet to encounter similar issues.

THE 2010s

Billboard’s Top Performing Singles by Year 2010: “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha 2011: “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele 2012: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye, Kimbra 2013: “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis 2014: “Happy” by Pharrel 2015: “Uptown Funk” by Mark Robinson, Bruno Mars 2016: “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber 2017: “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran 2018: “God’s Plan” by Drake 2019: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X

A DECADE IN POP CULTURE Biggest Box-Office Grossing Movie by Year (Worldwide)

2010: Toy Story 3 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 2012: The Avengers 2013: Frozen 2014: Transformers: Age of Extinction 2015: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens 2016: Captain America: Civil War 2017: Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi 2018: Avengers: Infinity War 2019: Avengers: Endgame

2010

October 2010

Photo-sharing app Instagram was first relased to the App Store. Nine years later, the app has over 1B monthly users.

September 2011 Originally released as Pica-boo, Snapchat is introduced to the world

JJ Gray’s MVPs of the Decade by Sport Basketball: LeBron James lead his team to eight straight final appearances with two different teams. Football: Tom Brady won three Super Bowls this decade and won the AFC East Division each year this decade. Baseball: Mike Trout won three American League MVPs and made eight All-Star Game appearances. Track: Usain Bolt won the 100m and 200m races in both Olympics this decade and he is considered by many to be the greatest sprinter of all time. Women’s Soccer: Megan Rapinoe has three World Cup wins and won the Golden Boot Award for the most goals scored in both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. Men’s Soccer: Lionel Messi has won six La Liga titles and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Men’s Tennis: Novac Djokivic has one 16 grand slams this decade and is thought of as a top five ever to play the game. Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams 12 grand slam wins and has a win rate of 89%. Golf: Rory McIlroy won two majors three tour player-of-the year championships. Hockey: Sydney Crosby averaged 1.27 goals per game and won back-to-back NHL championships.

January 2013

The app Vine was released, entertaining users with 6-second loop videos before the app’s discontinuation in early 2017. Page

January 2016

Video streaming platform Netflix becomes available worldwide (excluding of Syria, N. Korea and Crimea).

Editors: Jack Kelley and JJ Gray

Summer 2016 The Pokémon Go App swept the nation, with millions playing the augmented reality game.

July 2017

The videogame Fortnite was released and quickly became one of the most popular games in the world.

2019

THE 2010s

A DECADE IN POP CULTURE Biggest Box-Office Grossing Movie by Year (Worldwide)

2010

October 2010

Photo-sharing app Instagram was first relased to the App Store. Nine years later, the app has over 1B monthly users.

September 2011 Originally released as Pica-boo, Snapchat is introduced to the world

January 2013

The app Vine was released, entertaining users with 6-second loop videos before the app’s discontinuation in early 2017. Page

January 2016

Video streaming platform Netflix becomes available worldwide (excluding of Syria, N. Korea and Crimea).

Editors: Jack Kelley and JJ Gray

Summer 2016 The Pokémon Go App swept the nation, with millions playing the augmented reality game.

July 2017

The videogame Fortnite was released and quickly became one of the most popular games in the world.

2019

LIFESTYLE I

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

10 LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

SAD impacts many as winter approaches BY JAYLA LOWERY, ’20

ith winter just about to kick in, Oregonians are about to face the state’s darkest and rainiest season. For some, this weather comes with a toll on their wellness, particularly in the form of SAD. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a depression disorder and is activated due to a lack of sunlight, typically beginning in late fall and carrying through the winter. Around 10 million people in the US experience it every year. “Seasonal affective disorder is common in a lot of places in the northwest,” said Health teacher Mrs. Kaempf. “People will have mild to extreme depression during the wintertime. People might sleep all the time, or overeat, or have a hard time concentrating.” Seasonal depression has the same symptoms and effects of typical clinical depression. People with SAD are often left with low energy, losing interest in activities, having mood swings, insomnia, and general feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. While clinical depression typically lasts throughout the year, symptoms of SAD are tied to one or two specific seasons. Senior Bella Small faces acute tiredness and

minor depression during late winter. “Winter after the holidays, it gets easier for me to get stuck in sadness or depression when its cold and dreary every day,” said Small. “Every day feels more routine and monotonous.” However, SAD does

tertime, science finds many possible causes of seasonal depression. Changing melatonin and serotonin levels contribute to symptoms of depression from people experiencing SAD in the winter. “Melatonin is the natural hormone our brain makes that induces us to

during the fall and winter. But what can students who face SAD do to help themselves? One thing experts suggest is light therapy, which comes in the form of UV lights that expose the body to rays that help regulate its internal clock. The

10 million people EXPERIENCE SAD EACH YEAR IN THE US not just occur for winter and fall. “There is actually a summer version of SAD that occurs,” Health teacher Ms. Asp said. “It’s definitely not just winter and fall.” For almost 10% of people who experience SAD, summertime might bring on symptoms of depression due to longer and warmer days. A combination of disrupted schedules, body image anxiety, and heat contribute to summertime seasonal affective disorder. For those who experience SAD during the win-

feel tired. During the winter months, where we’re not getting enough sunlight, our brain will secrete more melatonin, which makes people extremely tired,” Kaempf said. “The serotonin in your brain drops during the winter too.” Research also cites a disruption of the body’s biological clock due to a lack of sunlight as a common cause of SAD. Heading into the bulk of winter, students experiencing SAD can have a hard time juggling school, jobs, family and friends, and activities

light mimics outdoor light and can help regulate moods and promote sleep for those facing SAD. Other healthy behaviors, such as exercise, a balanced diet, and having a steady schedule can help ease SAD symptoms. It is also encouraged to see a doctor or therapist about your SAD symptoms. “Find someone to talk to,” Asp said. “With depression, it can be hard to go to your friends. If they can’t wrap their head around it, they might say something like “it’ll get better.” But for

a person who’s depressed, they really can’t believe that. Talking to one of our school counselors here is a really good place to start, and they can provide you with options and further help.” With a large stigma on mental health, and especially on SAD, it can be hard for people to ask for help. But experts uphold that speaking to someone about feelings experienced from SAD are one of the best ways to ease symptoms. “Friends are really the best way to get out of that depression for me,” Small said. “Don’t feel any shame about it. We stay so quiet on mental illness because we think we should be able to overcome it,” Asp said. “Many people go through it, and if we are able to talk about it more, it begins to take away some of that secrecy and shame.” SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline: 1-800-622-4357 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741 More on seasonal depression at: https://www.helpguide. org/articles/depression/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad. htm (HelpGuide.org/SeasonalAffectiveDisorder)

Holiday magic evolves alongside age BY ROSA MADDEN, ’21

rom a child to a parent, the Christmas spirit seems to never fade, even if the presents do. From a young age, Christmas is often associated with hot drinks, homemade cookies, and an abundance of presents around the tree. Children’s smiles and eyes light up at the happy thoughts of waking up to see a pile of presents and stockings stuffed. Sophomore Grace Mayfield explains how her dad would read her books about the birth of Jesus and spreading love, but instead of her interest lying in the stories, she focused more on the presents behind him. “When I was younger, Christmas was all about getting presents. I’d always write the longest wish list, [which was] all this stuff that I didn’t even need,” Mayfield said. However, as children grow into teenagers through

middle and high school, the emphasis on receiving presents fades, replaced with reuniting with family and loved ones. Spending time with family members starts to become rare as people grow older, so the holidays become the time to reconnect with everyone’s lives. “Now it’s all about seeing my family, because all my siblings are in college so I only get to see them once a year,” Mayfield said. As holidays become a time to reunite with family, it also creates an opportunity to discover the joy in giving presents opposed to solely receiving them. Seeing people’s genuine excitement and happiness when receiving a gift is very special and wholesome. “After a while most of the stuff I was given didn’t last very long, but the smiles, the things I was able to give to other people is something I can remember for a lifetime,” senior Chris Beardall said. A study done by

Psychology researchers Ed O’Brien from the University of Chicago and Samantha Kassirer of Northwestern University reveals why humans eventually tend to enjoy giving more than receiving. When one receives something good, they set themselves up for less happiness because gifts can be easily comparable, therefore desensitizing the experience. However, when one gives, comparison becomes less important and the focus shifts to giving as a unique and personal event (Big Think). As a parent, instead of receiving high amounts of gifts, they get to give presents to their children. Parents watch their own children experience the same joy they had when they were young. “[Christmas is] much more about how can I make my kids’ day and how can I teach my kids that Christmas goes beyond you,” Theology teacher Mrs. Barry said. “That Christmas is supposed

PAGE EDITOR: Virginia Larner

to be about how Jesus loved you so much that he came into the world, and how can you continue that love and give it to other people.” Barry also recognizes that some people can’t afford many presents for their loved ones or maybe some don’t have family to celebrate Christmas with. Because of

this, she donates clothing to the Portland Rescue Mission and brings her family to sit at St. Andre Cafe. Barry also has her kids write letters to people in their life who matters, to enforce that the holidays are also about figuring out how they can love others and show gratitude for those people in their lives.

LIFESTYLE II

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

Fun and festive places to go in Portland COURTESY OF SKIBOWL.COM

COURTESY OF PORTLANDDESIGN.ORG

Best Places for Lights Peacock Lane Zoo Lights The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights

COURTESY OF REDTRI.COM

Best Places for Best Places for Christmas Trees Christmas Activites Christmas Tree at Pioneer Sqaure Providence Festival of Trees Winter Wonderland at Portland International Raceway

Cosmic Tubing at Mt. Hood Holiday Express Christmas Fantasy Trail Mt. Hood’s Railroad’s Train to Christmas Town

Advice from Charlie C. Stale Relationships Stress and Anxiety

BY STEELE CLEVENGER, ’21

Dear Charlie, I am a sophomore enjoying my classes, and my teachers are intelligent and helpful. However, my social life seems to have disappeared. I have some friends who I see in the hallways and eat lunch with, but I don’t feel like any of them know me. My relationships with my friends are fading, and the loneliness is affecting everything I do. Please help! Signed, Lonely

Dear Lonely, If you feel your relationships are stale, scripture teacher Christina Barry recommends writing down your feelings in a journal, as well as talking out your problems with a trusted friend. “If [you] surround [yourself] with healthy relationships and positive people, it will affect who [you] become,” Barry said. English teacher Konrad Reinhardt said teachers, coaches, and parents are quick to jump in and solve problems instead of listening. He said allowing students to talk about their problems and then deciding how to solve them on their own empowers them. Talk to a trusted adult about your feelings of loneliness, whether that be a teacher, counselor, or coach. Perhaps in talking about your problems you can devise a solution to help manage the situation, or the person you talk to may be able to provide advice on how to cope.

Dear Charlie, I am a senior, and I strive to receive above-average grades. But with college application due dates approaching, I can’t help but feel anxious. I am in the process of writing college applications, but I often feel sick when I write them. What if I don’t get accepted into the college I want? What if this application changes the course of my entire life? I just want to feel relaxed when thinking about my future. What should I do?

Signed,

Dear Stressed and Depressed, I know it can be hard to complete a task when you feel stressed; everything becomes dull and dismal, leading you to feel unhappy. When talking to biology teacher Lara Shamieh about student stress, she said, “Kids are always pressured to do too much. There’s no time for kids to just be kids and have fun anymore.” Said Shamieh, “Write down five things each day about [yourself] that you are thankful for,” a technique used to cope with stress and feelings of insufficiency. “It’s pretty amazing, when you [ask] someone to look for the good in themselves, how much they can find.” Scripture teacher Christina Barry also suggests positive self-talk to determine future happiness and success. “[There is] this pressure to be the perfect version of yourself, which doesn’t exist. Notice the voice of truth in [your] life instead of listening to negative voices that [get you down].” Remember to be kind to yourself and let life run its course. Everything will work itself out in the end. Signed,

Charlie

Stressed and Depressed

Charlie

Charlie encourages you to talk to a counselor or trusted adult if you have questions or concerns of your own. PAGE EDITOR: Annie Landgraf

ARTS

LIVE NEWS UPDATES @ www.jesuitnews.com

December 2019, EDITION LXIII

Revisiting “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in 2019 BY VIRGINIA LARNER, ’20

s temperatures begin to drop, and the scent of pine fills the air, it is only natural for one to turn on their radio to the Christmas station and hear the sweet strains of holiday classics. During a season in which people crave tradition, in 2019 it may also be a time to rethink some of these songs. The song, “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” originally written by Frank Loesser in 1944 as a duet with his wife for Christmas parties, has once again been the subject of recent controversy. Last year, the song was banned by various radio stations nationwide for it’s lyrical ties to date rape. This year, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson have remade the holiday tune, changing lyrics in an attempt to keep the spirit of the song while eliminating harmful ideas. With original lyrics such as “What’s in this drink?” and interactions involving one character saying no while the other persists,

the song has been deemed by many as no longer appropriate. “The song diminishes the importance of clear consent,” senior Molly Colombo said. “It’s dangerous that people still defend this song today.” The lines of the song emphasize specific gender roles and the pressures put on both parts to act a certain way and maintain a certain reputation. “I don’t think there is any way to look at the male lines in the song and not see them as sexist,” English teacher Ms. Mathes said. Controversy surrounding the song began in 2004. However, people had a sarcastic and joking tone. In 2007, controversy spiked due to increased use of social media platforms such as FaceBook and in 2018 the hashtag #MeToo. “The guy is being coercive in the song and doesn’t let the woman be in charge of herself,” senior Isabella Persichetti said. “I think it’s harmful how romanticized

and normalized this song has been.” After the ban by many stations last year, angry listeners argued that the song had been unreasonably interpreted. Many note that at the time the song was written, women were expected to say no to a man even as they flirted. It was considered extremely scandalous for an unmarried woman to be alone with a man, defenders of the song point out that the woman was just worried about her reputation and felt socially obligated to say no. “The female voice all throughout the song is consistently aware of social norms and boundaries that she is transgressing,” Mathes said. “She is hyper-aware that just by being at this guy’s house she is crossing a lot of boundaries.” Colombo notes the response she gets when voicing her opinion on the lyrics of the song, and how some seem to get offended. “Certain people get angry or offended when I tell them I don’t like the song,”

Colombo said. “Some can take it very personally.” Proponents of the song enjoy it for various reasons, and it could provide them the feeling of their childhood Christmas. “I never underestimate the power of nostalgia,” Mathes said. “If you grew up hearing the song played at parties or in your house, the song is going to be part of your Christmas memories. Hearing people label the song as bad and sexist or insisting it be banned is not just an attack on the song, but it’s an attack on the memories and nostalgia people attach to the song.” This November, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson released an updated version of the song with lyrics to reflect more modern ideas. The singers have altered lyrics such as “Say what’s in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there)” to “If I have one more drink? (It’s your body and your choice)”. While the artists just wanted to give listeners another version of the song to choose, Dean Mar-

tin’s daughter, Deana Martin, argues that the rewrite is exaggerated and even more sexual than the old (www. forbes.com). The new version, co-written by a comedian, seems to overtly call attention to today’s societal norms, however not much has changed in the interaction between the characters of the song. “The thing that really interests me about the new one is that nothing has changed for the woman,” Mathes said. “She is still hyper aware of her reputation and public opinion. It’s amazing to me that that aspect of the song didn’t change between 1944 and 2019, and that I think is tremendously telling.” Examining the lyrics sung by Clarkson, it is clear that the female role of the song is still preoccupied by what others will think of her interaction with this man. While the man is very sure of what he wants, the woman is still questioning her decisions because of her reputation.

Artist of the Month: Alyssa Knudsen Courtesty of Alyssa Knudsen

BY STEELE CLEVENGER, ’19

enior Alyssa Knudsen, a member of the Art Four class, has always been fascinated by art, one of her favorite subjects in school. “I remember when I was in kindergarten, we had an art class once or twice a week, and, as all kids did, [I drew] the sky at the top of the page and the sun in the corner. That was my first memory [of doing art].” Inspired by the beauty of nature and the human body, Knudsen uses her artistry to evoke curiosity and fascination from viewers. “The way that light dances and plays and reflects on the human body and on water means a lot to me because it represents the interconnectedness of my actions.” Knudsen especially strives to emphasize female confidence in her work. “One of the reasons I focus so much on the female body is to counteract my own perceptions of my body. I have struggled with body image before, so I want to create beauty in every single woman so that they realize even if they are not holding up to whatever standards they think they should be, there is grace and beauty in how they look.” Knudsen’s faith, Judaism, is a driving force for her artistic decisions. Her most recent art project, an enormous self- portrait created using mainly acrylic paints, was the perfect PAGE EDITOR: Jack Kelley

way to further explore her religion. “I have been using [this project] as an opportunity to explore my identity as an American Jewish woman. There is a lot of symbolism in the painting.” “She’s part of our Art Four family,” said Art Four teacher Sascha Manning. “She has been a wonderful addition to the culture of this school.” Manning says she is inspired by Knudsen’s ambition. “[Alyssa is] verbally articulate, and she strives to be visually articulate as well. She’s really selective in all of the choices she makes; she does not settle for mediocre.” Knudsen’s younger sister, sophomore Hayley Knudsen,

agreed with Manning when she said Alyssa was a hard worker. “She’s always going after what she wants, and she’s such a hard worker, especially when it comes to school. I strive to be like her [because] she is such a good role model.” Hayley recalls that though they had the usual sibling tensions when they were younger, she and her sister now have an unbreakable bond. “When [Alyssa] turned 16, she really wanted to take me out driving, just the two of us, with no parent in the car. I just remember how excited she was to just have me in the car with her and spend some quality sister time [together],” said Hayley. “[She is] my best friend.”

To see more of Alyssa’s art, check out jesuitnews.com

HUMOR

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DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

Surviving Cuffing Season BY JJ GRAY ‘22

IMAGES COURTESY JJ GRAY

Faculty Naughty List BY STEELE CLEVENGER, ‘21

If you’re feeling lonely, make yourself some hot chocolate ...

A list of the funniest, most outrageous JUGs the Faculty and Staff of Jesuit High School has ever given!

1. Student drinks Snapple right in front of teacher right after she had told him not to eat or drink in the library (Ms. FB) 2. Student eats sandwiches in the library every day for the whole school year, and receives a JUG at least twice a week for it (Mr. Lum)

Tell your cat your problems ...

3. Four students play hide-and-goseek in the library (Ms. Schick) 4. Student answers phone call with his dad during a test (Ms. Schick) 5. Girl who wants a JUG wears inappropriate clothing to school (Mr. Moore)

Make a Christmas list for Santa ...

6. Three female students “would not stop singing ‘I’m Kissing You’—thus, would not stop assaulting the well-being of every individual in the room” (Mr. Villareal) 7. Student receives a JUG for cheating on a test for using Morse code to communicate with others in the room (Anonymous) 8. Student throws a snowball, hitting a Dieringer Center window (Mr. Maxie)

Build a fort, and just sit in it ...

9. Students wear nose rings to school, then claim the nose is not a part of the body (Mr. Maxie)

Go outside and pogo stick. Now you’re ready to crush Cuffing Season! GRAPHICS COURTESY STEELE CLEVENGER

PAGE EDITOR: Steele Clevenger

COOKIES AND PUPPIES

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DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIlI

Pudding Cookies by Mrs. Kuenz

“I am listening to smooth jazz while eating this cookie.”-JJ Gray, ’22

Caramel Cookies by Irena Lizier-Zmudminski, ’20

“I could eat a million of these.” -Virginia Larner, ’20

Butterscotch Cookies by Jack Mustonen, ’21

“It’s like eating sweet ice.” -JJ Gray, ’22 “It tastes like Caramel Christmas.” -Jayla Lowery, ’20 “It just tastes like carmel and oats.” -Virginia Larner, ’20 “It’s not like a cookie, it’s like toffee.” -Annie Landgraf, ’21

“It’s a Christmas office party in my mouth.” -Mr. Falkner “It’s super rich, so I could only have one, but I really like it.” -Virginia Larner, ‘20

Want to bake these at home? The bakers offered their recipes, which are available on jesuitnews.com

Cutest puppies in the cutest Christmas outfits

Ollie Amann, courtesy of Ellie Amann, ’21

Oslo Khouri, courtesy of Sean Khouri, ’23 and Kean Khouri, ’21

Miko Ferriso, courtesy of Siena Ferriso, ’21

Tod and Ron Langer, courtesy of Lily Langer, ’20 PAGE EDITOR: Annie Landgraf and Scout Jacobs

Delilah Choruby, courtesy of Maddie Choruby, ’21

Earle Streu, courtesy of Mirabel Streu, ’23

HOLIDAY

DECEMBER 2019, EDITION LXIII

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Christmas in the 2000s

As the 2010s wrap up, celebrate the holidays the 2000s way with these Christmas classics

Christmas with Weezer - Weezer (2008) Weezer, one of the biggest bands of the modern era, released their Christmas EP in 2008. While certainly a shorter set of songs, this EP features some of the same tracks as other famous Christmas albums while retaining Weezer’s signature sound of the early 2000s.

The Coolest Kidz Bop Christmas Ever - Kidz Bop (2007) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) While the 1966 animated film is a classic and a new Grinch film was just released last year, Tim Burton’s contribution to the Grinch mythos in 2000 remains one of the wildest, funniest, and most underrated Christmas movies of all time. Jim Carrey gave a classic Carrey performance with exaggerated actions, speech, and emotion, and Burton created the movie to compliment the actor’s unique style.

No discussion of the 2000s would be complete without mentioning Kidz Bop. The infamous child collective known for creating kid-friendly covers of popular music burst to popularity in the 2000s decade and, of course, made a Christmas album in 2007. Be sure to check this one out for some all-ages fun.

A 2000s Christmas wouldn’t be complete without some fitting gift ideas to spread the Christmas spirit:

Beyblades Their catchphrase, “Let it rip!”, is one of the most iconic phrases of the 2000s, immediately identifiable by anyone who grew up in the decade. A great way to memorialize the 2000s for someone is gifting them the product that classic line was designed to sell.

Pogo Sticks

Robosapiens

A child of the extreme sports craze, pogo sticks came into and fell out of popularity all in the span of a single decade. Everyone has used a pogo stick at some point, and many could likely reminisce on days in their childhood where they were the undisputed champion, so why not get them one now so they can make their claims into legend?

Everyone remembers seeing the commercials for these, even if they couldn’t remember what they were called. Not to worry, “Robosapien” is their name and they were born out of the time when everyone still thought that robots would take over the world by 2020. What better time than now to gift one to your once-robot-crazed friend?

PAGE EDITORS: JJ Gray and James Martini

BACK

DECEMBER ISSUE 2019, EDITION LXIII

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Sader on the Street Best Christmas present you’ve received?

“My German Shepherd, Bodine.” -Sofia Wills, ’20

“A bike.”

“An American Girl doll car.” -Emma Jaderholm, ’22

-Bridget Albers,’22

“A new gaming console.” -Vinh Pham, ’20

“A tiny, plastic drivable car for kids.” -Eva Ravelo, ’21

COURTESY OF STEELE CLEVENGER, ’21

Staff Box Chief Editors: Virginia Larner, Shawna Muckle Associate Chief Editor: Jack Kelley Managing Editor : Scout Jacobs, Annie Landgraf Social Media Director: Annie Landgraf Assistant Social Media Director: Gywnne Olson Moderator/Teacher: Mr. Dan Falkner

Staff Writers: Virgina Larner, Shawna Muckle, Jack Kelley, Scout Jacobs, Annie Landgraf, James Martini, Jayla Lowery, Michael Lang, Gwynne Olson, Tristan Robbins, Rosa Madden, JJ Gray, Steele Clevenger

PAGE EDITOR: Rosa Madden