Teens imitate Into The Wild
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a student-edited newspaper Sheldon High School
Sexism in Mr. Irish
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shstalisman@gmail.com
2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 49
Issue 3
November 22, 2013
New community trail benefits XC team New trail for cross country runners proves to be a positive new addition, not just for the team, but for runners’ performance as well Holly Ford co-editor-in-chief This summer, various private donors such as families and friends of cross country runners, Rexius Forest Products, Imagination International, and Dairy Queen started a project to build a running trail near Sheldon. It was meant for the Sheldon Cross Country team, bikers, and pedestrians. This generous gift was received with merriment and thankfulness. Now the cross country team will have a safe running area; its own form of a “home turf.” Four-year member, and state qualifier senior TJ Wright said, “South Eugene has the Amazon trail right across the street from the track where they are able to train on a soft surface. SHIRT (as we call the trail, Sheldon High International Running Trail) is our way to bridge the gap between the advantages South has over us.” Running on asphalt or cement can be harmful to the body because of the nature of its hardness. Multiple athletes suffered from injuries that occurred from running on a surface that doesn’t absorb impact. These injuries prevented athletes from performing to their best ability, even in some cases not letting them compete at all. For cross country members who still have another season at Sheldon, this trail will provide a safe and enjoyable vicinity to train on for future seasons. A younger member of the cross country team, junior Tristan Carpenter said, “I feel it will expose kids to cross country, which is great because as an incoming freshman I had no idea it existed.” The fact that Eugene is known as Tracktown, USA, makes it imperative that high schools within the city have a functional cross country running course, as well as a functional track and field. Sheldon, already having a fantastic track and field, now has the trail to give long distance runners a better training tool – something the track cannot efficiently provide. Originally, the athletic department at Sheldon agreed to fund part of the trail, but later decided not to. This led the Darland family – a family whose three out of
four children have participated in cross country – to host a fundraiser at their house in efforts to raise the money not provided by the school. This dinner fundraiser opened an opportunity not only to raise the money, but to give different students a chance to earn volunteer hours for helping set up the event, working at the event, or cleaning up after the event. Sweet Life Patisserie, Noisette Pastry Kitchen, Hideaway Bakery, and Oakshire Brewing catered the event, and the dinner was $50 a plate, however many people donated more in addition to the flat fee per plate. The fundraiser was successful and ended up bringing in most of the money. However, some money is still owed. Even previous Sheldon Cross Country runner Jackson Darland attended the fundraiser and gave a speech. Darland stated, “It also gives the team something of their own – something that encourages routine, which is imperial to a runner’s training.” Later Darland concluded, “As a Sheldon cross country alumn, I can really appreciate what this trail means for the athletes.” The new trail improves the sense of community around the Sheldon area, not only among runners on the team, but the Sheldon community as a whole.
The community trail has two different routes varying in length and helps the cross country team train on a soft surface.
photo by Hillary Darland
Oregon officer shot responding to house fire In an interesting swing of events, an officer is shot by a home owner while responding to the owner’s own house fire Jarred Rogers opinions editor Amongst all the reports of violence in the media lately, there is one case that stands out from many of the rest. An Oregon police officer was shot while responding to a house fire on Sunday, November 3. His assailant? None other than the owner of the burning house. Amidst the confusion and panic, the officer was successfully flown to the hospital, where his condition was reportedly stabilized. The suspect, however, was later found dead in his own home. There has been no official statement regarding the cause of death. The fire was started sometime before 1 p.m. on Sunday. A neighbor saw the flames and attempted to caution the man who
owned the house, only to be informed the man set the flames himself. The man reportedly waited on his porch until the officer arrived, then drew a gun and shot him. After the officer was evacuated, neighbors fled into their homes. The authorities brought the situation under control shortly afterwards. While it is reassuring news that the officer was not only escorted away safely, but also stabilized, there are many unanswered questions regarding this case. After the officer’s departure, officials began to evacuate a few of the neighboring families to safety. Once the situation had been contained, crews moved in to put out the fire. For all intents and purposes, this should have been the end of things. In a normal case, the suspect would have been apprehended shortly afterwards, and brought to trial. This is not, however, a normal case. After the fire had been put out, the shooter was later reported to be found dead. There are currently no details concerning his death that have been made publicly available- although the various spokesmen have assured the public that an investigation has indeed been launched. What makes this case so disturbing is that, we can never quite be sure why anything like this happened. The motiva-
tions that drive a man to burn down his own home and then attempt to kill those who try to help him are, at best, a mystery. Although it’s theorized that he set the fire to lure victims to him, and given the circumstances this seems likely, the truth is we’ll never know. The minds of psychopaths have, and always will prove to be near impossible to read. In the end, we should be relieved that the officer made it out alright, and the shooter was unable to harm any more innocents.