Boys soccer took MHS fans for a rollercoaster ride,
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23RD
2011
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claiming league championship,
falling 1-0 in Semi-finals
so close. See Boys Soccer, B3
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BULLYING
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VOL. 92 NO. 2
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MHS not immune to rampant national crisis among high school teens, administration begins dialog to address prevalent issue
55%
of MHS students surveyed last spring reported being bullied or harassed on our campus
87%
“It’s gotten better, but it’s definitely present.” Cory Eklund, MHS SCIence teacher
of MHS students surveyed last spring said that verbal attacks were common
IN THE PAGES
ON THE TABLE
Superintendent Russell throws seven period day option OUT for discussion
#twitter strikes Mac high
Senior Connor Farrell dishes on the new craze of Twitter among students here in McMinnville
by JACK ANDERSON Teachers from McMinnville High School met on Nov. 18 with principal Kris Olsen and superintendent Maryalice Russell to discuss the benefits and limitations of transferring from the block schedule to a seven period schedule. This change would be because of economic cutbacks that the district may be faced with in the future. Several MHS faculty members spoke to the benefits of the current schedule. They mentioned that the block schedule has been a useful system for many teachers and students. Students are given more time in class to study the subject and teachers are given more prep time. This leads to more structured classes and more one-on-one time Please see SEVEN, Page A3
RYAN CORNELISON / The Bruin The seven period day discussion was started because of the overcrowded classes.
please recycle this BRUIN © Copyright McMinnville High School 2011
OPINIONS, A5
TAKING ACTION
MAGGIE ELLINGSON / The Bruin
Social Justice Club raises funds to provide help to African women by ALEXA TOTH According to the Leftist Publication, 17 years’ the war in the Congo has left 5.4 million people dead, and more than 200,000 women and girls have been the victims of rape and violence. The conflict has proven to be the planets deadliest struggle since WWII. Out of all the people in the Congo, the women have undergone the most pain. Individuals from McMinnville, including many McMinnville High School students have made efforts towards helping the women that are suffering in the Congo. These people have formed the Social Justice Club, a club trying to help the women in need. “I really enjoy giving to those less fortunate. I have grown up with such blessing and it feels good to be able to help others,” said sophomore Emily Lucas, a member of the Social Justice For more photos of the event ‘Soul Sister’ look online at:
mhsbruin.com
Junior Allyson Ulbricht sings a solo for the event Soul Sister. The event raised $2,000 for women in need
group. Lucas’ mother, Sandra, is the leader of the group and is currently in Africa conducting workshops with the women and giving them loans to help them become independent and support their families. In Goma, Congo which is known to be “the rape capital of the world,” the women are raped and then viewed to be worthless and impure to their husbands. “The reason women get raped so often in the Congo is because that is how the men in the military assert their power over the communities,” said Lucas. “When these women are raped they not only get sexually assaulted, but many cases happen when parts of the body are cut off, women are killed, and family members are killed or threatened,” said sophomore Allison Lake. Because of this the women in Congo live in constant fear for their families and themselves. “The original idea was to send our support and hope, every cent we made was just more that we Please see WOMEN, Page A3
princess & the pea preview A&E, A6
mr. ben wade Math teacher, student mentor, and a kid at heart, Ben Wade leads by example FEATURES, A8
Thommy Small / The Bruin
Assistant principal Judi Dickey spearheads plan to address bullying issue that many students don’t report by OLIVIA NILAND It’s no secret that the prevalence of bullying amongst adolescents has risen sharply in recent years. What once was simply a “rite of passage” or “part of growing up” has now become an aggressive, even fatal, epidemic for many young victims. With the rise in popularity of social networking sites amongst increasingly younger kids, bullying has rapidly become more high-tech, vicious, and, worst of all, often imperceptible to adults until it is too late. Fortunately, at McMinnville High School, many students and staff members have spoken up and tak-
en a stand against bullying. “I made it a goal this year to work on bullying,” said Judi Dickey, MHS Assistant Principal. “The idea is to spread the word that this issue is serious. Whether [administrators] see it or not, it still affects kids.” Dickey has worked for several years with students who are victims of bullying and harassment at MHS. She says that much of the harassment reported is targeted at students who are physically different; specifically minority students and those with physical and mental handicaps. Please see BULLY, Page A2
Food Bank provides local needy families assistance Donations needed to keep going by BRAD GALE For many people in Yamhill County, the holidays are a time spent with family and friends, accompanied by lunches or dinners. But this year, the percentage of families needing food has been on the rise, and it’s up to the Yamhill county food bank to supply these families in need. Yet, many ask, how are they able to help lower the rising needs? Every Thursday, the Yamhill County Food Bank is greeted by a supply of food from the Oregon food Bank located in Portland. The food from the Oregon bank is one of the major sources that supply
the McMinnville Food Bank, but even with the supply of foods, there is still a need for more donations. These donations are obtained from the schools in every district and are a vital source to supply the individuals b a n k , benefited from a l o n g food that the w i t h Food Bank gave c o m - them last year munity support. Recently, the McMinnville food bank has moved to a new location, offering a bigger warehouse to store an increased amount of goods for the 26 agen-
17,000
Please see FOOD BANK, Page A3