Talisman vol 49 issue 2 october 31, 2013 issue

Lack of appreciation for custodians

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a student-edited newspaper Sheldon High School

Bobby Doerr: oldest surviving MLB hall-of-famer

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2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 49

Issue 2

October 31, 2013

New grading software elicits various reactions The new grading system has many glitches and is proving to be challenging for the teachers at Sheldon Noah Jang news editor Synergy is the new grading program at Sheldon High School.

Not only is it being used at Sheldon, but all other schools in the 4j district also began using it starting this year. Seven Sheldon teachers responded to questions regarding the system, and overall there seems to diverging opinions about it.

Ms. Standefer said, “So my main complaints are that it’s not very intuitive and it’s really slow… So it makes it really time consuming…when you’re trying to figure things out, because it’s not very intuitive, you have to keep working at it.” She also expressed that her biggest concern now is that ParentVUE, a way by which parents could view students’ grades, is not working yet.

When asked about the grading, Standefer answered, “It [had] really screwing up all of the grades, but it seems to be fixed.” When asked about a positive aspect in Synergy, she said that Synergy would be a lot better than its predecessor when it comes to progress reports and grades because she would not have to reenter the grades.

Ms. Torrence also said that the slowness of the system frustrates her. She mentioned that when she logs on, she is automatically logged onto the advisory section. To get to the grade book of a class she is actually teaching, she needs to switch the class also and switch from the attendance option to the grade book; she cannot go directly from advisory to the grade book. “If a student asks what their grade is, I have to switch it to two different screens before I can get to the screen that I want,” she said.

Another teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that she has been experiencing various problems with grading. The teacher shared one major error of Synergy by showing a snapshot of the grade book that the teacher took. On the snapshot one of the students has an 85.19% and Synergy marks it as a C; another student has an 81.48% and it is marked a B-; another stu-

Mr. Washburn logs onto the new Synergy grading and attendance website. dent also has an 81.48% but Synergy marks it a C. The teacher said that she is currently using Easy Grade Pro, the grading program from last year. A second anonymous teacher, who is currently using Easy Grade Pro, said, “I just find…that Easy Grade Pro is displaying my grades in a way that is more conducive to proficiency grading.”

When reporting grades, the teacher said it is easier to display what the teacher wants to report in Easy Grade Pro. To Mr. Washburn, there are many problems he is dealing with. He suggested that there is a reason for the longer time it takes to handle the grade book: there is more information provided to students and parents. “I’ve already had some positive feedback from parents and students on StudentVUE.” Washburn said that a strong point about Synergy is that he can upload grades wherever he wants, whether it’s at a coffee shop or at home, unlike last year when he had to be in the school building on his computer to upload grades using Easy Grade Pro. He then added, “But there was a lot of time I had to invest up front, almost like a day and a half before school started, just to get Synergy set up for my classes and learn how to use it.” However, he said that

photo by Noah Jang

many of the assignments and grade categories can be reused for the next term and even next year, which will lessen the time he needs to set up the grade book. “It takes some time to set up all the assignments in the system, but once I do it this year, it saves them and I can use them next year.”

Mr. Temple is in accordance with Mr. Washburn. He mentioned that he is not experiencing any major problems with the program. He suggested that time is what’s needed for teachers to get used to the program.

Mr. Peterson commented, “I’m struggling with it because it has a lot of glitches at this point, almost like Obamacare, but it looks like it’s going to be really good, so I’m hopeful for the future.”

Mr. Cedarlund stated, “It was a little frustrating at the beginning using it because it’s really a robust program with a lot of features, but we didn’t have all the training we need to use it all.” He later stated that the system has a potential to be good.

There are currently various opinions on the new grading system, and it will be interesting to see how they’ll change in the coming weeks and months.

iPads have arrived! Have they met expectations?

The new iPads are nice for students in science classes, but are they a good use of money?

Isaac Meyer staff writer iPads have come to Sheldon, but are they really worth the money? Amid the implementation of the new schedule and bug-ridden grading software, the last thing teachers need is more change. And the science department’s new iPads have definitely been a mixed blessing in that regard.

The new iPads, which arrived earlier this year, are allowing students in AP Biology and College Now Chemistry to experience learning in new ways. At the same time, repeated delays in receiving the iPads have made it difficult to plan lessons and forced students to use textbooks that were falling apart.

With school districts across the country jumping on the iPad bandwagon, problems have already arisen. For instance, many poor students in Los Angeles were unable to use iPads at home because of the lack of wifi access, leaving the Los Angeles school district scrambling to find funding to provide all students with high speed internet at home. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Board of Education is considering scrapping further expansion of the program after it was discovered that 300 students deleted web security filters to access controversial sites.

Here in Eugene, administrators are generally excited about the new iPad program, though some are concerned

about students hacking into the system. While the iPads are limited by district security filters, a few students have managed to hack the filters and download games. But vice principal Carey Killen expects most students to be responsible with the iPads: “The vast majority of our students are going to handle them just fine.” While a rumor has been circulating that the district can spy on students via the iPads’ webcams, Killen asserted that this should not be a concern: “4j has no plans to do any tracking of students.”

Students and teachers also have mixed feelings about the iPads. While most agree that it will be nice to have iPads, some question their necessity. Junior Aaron Mueller argued that with so many students having a large number of electronics already, the iPads might not prove very beneficial: “A smart phone can do the same thing an iPad can.”

On the other hand, the iPads couldn’t be more popular among students who have already received them.

The iPads replace heavy textbooks, some of which are sixteen years old and held together with tape.

Some students question the iPad program on financial grounds. While Apple supplies the iPads at a discount, the school district must still ultimately foot the bill, including the costs of repairs and upgrades. The iPads, along with other technology upgrades in the Sheldon science department this year, cost taxpayers $120,000. While this funding comes from a 2002 voter-approved bond measure, which legally cannot be used to add back teachers or school days, some students object to any spending on

the iPads given the current budget crunch that has produced nine furlough days this year – the most ever in 4j. “It was stupid to get a grant in technology when we already have so much [technology],” said junior Brian Chastain.

But considering how the iPads could improve teaching, he added, “Overall, they’re a good way to waste our money.”

As with any new technology, cyberbullying is yet another concern. But most teachers and students feel bullies will harass students no matter what technology is available. As science teacher David Whalley said, “The iPad doesn’t make you a bully.” And students damaging iPads has not proven to be a problem either: of the first 750 iPads rolled out across the district, only one was broken.

Indeed, the iPads may represent a leap into the future of education. Whalley said statistics have shown that when students are allowed to take their iPads home, “learning gains are extraordinary.” And agreements with e-book publishers allow textbooks to be updated every year to provide the latest information.

Sheldon was selected as the first high school in 4j to pilot the iPad program, a testament to the faculty’s willingness to incorporate new technology into their teaching. Killen said, “We should take pride… that Sheldon was selected for the rollout.” Next, the goal is to expand the program to provide an iPad for all freshmen, most of whom will have taken part in a similar iPad program in middle school. The iPads are also being rolled out at six other schools, and eventually, the district hopes to expand the program to all students.

“4j has no plans to do any tracking of students.”- Carey Killen

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News

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NSA wiretapping causes confusion in the public

Alleged wiretapping by the NSA results in suspicion across the nation Justin Duke staff writer

The United States government and other major telecom companies have been engaged in an all-out war against illegal surveillance of domestic communications and the communication records of millions of ordinary American citizens since at least 2001. The National Security Agency (NSA) is the main producer and manager of signals intelligence for the United States. Estimated to be one of the largest of the United States intelligence organizations in terms of personnel and budget, the NSA operates under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense and reports to the Director of National Intelligence.

In July, 2013, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) filed a lawsuit, First Unitarian v. NSA, based on the recently published FISA court order demanding the phone service company Verizon to turn over all customer phone records, including who is talking to whom, when and for how long — to the NSA. This information allows the government to track certain political or religious parties.

Although the director of National Intelligence has confirmed that the collection made by Verizon is part of a broader case, but they do not wish to go public with information between the two cases as they are not related. Verizon isn’t the only contender in this, AT&T is also being watched by the government due to claims they had earlier in 2006 when an AT&T technician, Mark Klein, showed the EFF that AT&T was cooperating with the illegal surveillance.

News reports first revealed that the NSA had been intercepting American’s phone calls and internet communications by Verizon and AT&T. They also revealed that the NSA was receiving wholesale copies of American’s telephone and other communication records.

Senior Korben Almeida said, “It’s ridiculous that the people we trust with our personal information such as Verizon & AT&T can do these things and sell out our information to the highest bidder.” There have been many allegations towards Verizon and AT&T, however they both deny all claims and suggest false information or that old workers that were laid off want payback.

Senior Chris McIntyre said, “The NSA should be taking more actions against private companies for stealing

information about United States citizens and releasing them to the highest buyer. It’s ridiculous that the government isn’t taking steps to eliminate this threat ASAP.” President Obama recently addressed the news reporters saying, “I don’t welcome leaks.” Senior Conner Dryden said, “The people in the government don’t really seem to care too much about what happens to the citizens of this country.

They need to take a step back and govern what really matters in this country and that’s our right to privacy.”

photo illustration by Noah Jang

Jihadist groups are thought to be plotting revenge against the U.S.

With the government back to normal after weeks of shutdown, tensions loom in the Middle-East Jarred Rogers opinions editor

Despite the government shutdown being the foremost concern of many Americans, the past few weeks have revealed that tensions are beginning to rise overseas as well. After a United States snatch operation in Libya, multiple jihadist groups are beginning to rally for some form of retaliation. The Libyan government is awaiting an explanation from the US government about what they (Libya) sees as a kidnapping. The United States,

however, insists that their operation was legitimate.

Initial threats seemed to spawn online, with many jihadists attempting to rally for revenge against the United States.

The proposed forms of revenge include kidnapping of US citizens, destruction of pipelines, or attacks on airways. There have even been conspiracies about the Libyan government working with the US on the snatch operation, although there seems to be no proof of this. Though the threats may have seemed to die down, they did nearly cause an extension on the government shutdown after Obama claimed there would be no negotiations until the threats were resolved.

The threats began after abduction of Anas al-Libi, a supposed high-ranking member of Al Qaeda. Al-Libi has been wanted for over ten years due to his possible involvement in bombings of American embassies in 1998. While jihadists are outraged, the American government insists the operation was legitimate, claiming, “whenever we put our boots on soil, it’s for a good reason.” Some, of course, would

disagree, citing our search for ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in the Middle East as an example of poor reasoning. As of now, there is very little information about the matter that has been released publicly, so al-Libi’s involvement will continue to be an international matter of debate.

After being brought to trial nearly two weeks ago, al-Libi has pled “not guilty” to accusations of terrorism. His current charges include assisting in preparations for an attack on a US embassy in Nairobi, where a truck bomb had been set off.

The damage was devastating, taking over 200 lives. He is also accused of participating in a second attack, also on a United States embassy - this time in Tanzania. Many personnel were killed there, as well. Court proceedings are going slowly, with al-Libi’s family trying to find him a suitable lawyer.

As court procedure continues, many are just eager to see the trial done and over with. Though no more mention of threats have been made, the United States government will likely remain on the side of caution.

Chinese state-run media slams Korean Samsung smartphones for alleged glitches Samsung apologizes to Chinese consumers after TV show criticized the company’s smartphones.

Noah Jang news editor China’s Central Television, or CCTV, reported consumer complaints regarding Samsung’s faulty memory chips in smartphones and criticized Samsung’s way of making repairs for consumers. Right now China is the second largest economy in the world, and this has led many top global firms to seek market shares within China. As these firms are gaining more prominence in China, they have become targets for intense scrutiny by the government.

Recently in China, state-run media has been used as a way to criticize rising foreign firms.

With a market share of 19%, Samsung, the renowned South Korean conglomerate, is easily

the top producer of smartphones in the Chinese market. On October 22, CCTV aired a TV program featuring glitches of the Samsung glitches that several consumers were dealing with.

This program was aired a day after CCTV criticized Starbucks Corporation for apparently charging higher

prices in China than in other nations. Two days later Samsung Electronics posted on its Chinese website: “As far as management problems caused inconvenience to our customers, we offer our sincere apologies.” According to a report of Chosun Ilbo, a popular South Korean daily newspaper, Samsung judged it would be better to apologize now than go through a judicial process in

China, which will most likely make the problem even worse for Samsung.

Apple, Inc. experienced a similar situation in China earlier this year.

CCTV reported that Apple had been using a different warranty and customer service policy in China compared to other countries. This led Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., to officially apologize to the Chinese public.

It will be interesting to see how top firms from other countries would react if they face such situations the future.

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Entertainment

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October 31, 2013

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A Day to Remember releases new album The pop punk band’s new album Common Courtesy is a whirlwind of musical genres Daniel Halstead staff writer With the new album Common Courtesy, A Day To Remember is already enjoying a highly anticipated sold out tour across the country, as well as other parts of the world such as Australia, and parts of Europe. They have a wide variety of styles to their music, from very melodic choruses to very intense hardcore bridges and verses. They started out in 2008 and quickly rose through the ranks in the pop punk scene selling thousands of records across the world. They currently have four records released through Victory Records. Their record For Those Who Have Heart was their first record released through Victory and got them started on January 7, 2007.

Their next record Homesick was released July 9, 2009 and sold 225,000 records and gained them the majority of their popularity for their hit songs “The Downfall

Of Us All” and “I’m Made Of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?” What Separates Me From You was their third record release which sold 130,000 copies after being released on July 23, 2010. The album had a few hits as well including All I Want, 2nd Sucks, and All Signs Point To Lauderdale. Then, last but not least, Common Courtesy, their new record that is selling quickly and gaining recognition. Lately the band has been having major issues with their label Victory Records, getting to the point where they had to take their label to court to be allowed to release their new record Common Courtesy. The band mentioned they can’t leave their label until they have at least five records released according to their contract.

Senior Connor Dryden said, “I thought the new album was moist; it almost seemed like it was dripping.” He also said, “I love their diversity in their music.” Senior Calvyn Villarino said, “I was pretty blown away by the new album.

Like their other albums, it

“I love the diversity in their music” -senior Connor Dryden

illustration by Micah Tamasaka

was pretty dynamic and showed a wide variety of the different genres they’re known for mashing together. There was a good mix of hardcore, pop punk, and acoustic.”

Vilarino also said, “For me, Common Courtesy still isn’t as good as Homesick, but still one of my favorites.”

They both mentioned that their favorite song on the new album is “Sometimes You’re The Hammer, Sometimes You’re The Nail.” On October 8, Alternative Press rated Common Courtesy three and a half out of five stars.

Polybius: can the game be more than a myth?

The arcade game is rumored to bend the mind and create frightening hallucinations Trisdon Zepeda staff writer It’s that time of year again; the month of ghoulish frights is upon us, where we gorge ourselves on candy while indulging in scary stories and urban legends. But there’s one urban legend that has been circulating the internet for awhile now that has gathered quite a bit of attention, the tale of Polybius the arcade game. Named after the Greek historian who was known for his assertion that historians

should never report what they cannot verify, Polybius was supposedly an unknown arcade game released to the public in 1981 to several suburbs of Portland, Oregon. The game proved to be incredibly addictive, with gameplay similar to that of the classic game Temptress (according to popular belief). The many that played Polybius began to report very strange symptoms as a result, including amnesia, insomnia, nightmares, night terrors, hallucinations and even suicidal tendencies. Others had reported seeing strange disfigured faces out of the corner of their eyes while playing. Many began to believe Polybius contained subliminal messages that would alter the mind of the player. To make the matter even stranger these reports were followed by sightings of “men in black” who would collect unknown data from the games, allegedly testing responses to the psychoactive machines.

Several days later, Polybius machines were removed from all arcades, never to be seen by the general public again.

Carrie remake: thriller with a storyline The new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel modernizes the well-known horror story Kennedy Potts features editor On October 18, 2013, a film adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie premiered in theaters for the second time. The story, based on Stephen King’s first published novel, follows a high school girl who discovers she holds the power of telekinesis: the ability to move objects at a distance by mental power. Carrie White is tormented at school and lives at home with an overbearing and extremely religious mother. Her frustration collides with her supernatural abilities and ultimately brings about destruction at her high school’s prom.

For those who are looking for a good horror film over a formulaic slasher-flick, Carrie would be a good choice.

Rather than being a movie that exists solely to make the viewer shriek and jump, Carrie follows an actual storyline. Because of this, it is not the scariest movie you could go see this Halloween, but it is better rounded as an actual story than most typical horror films. Senior Rachel Kruska expressed her disinterest in the story when she said, “Scary movies aren’t really my thing anyway but I don’t think it looks very scary. The concept just doesn’t seem like it. Gory I could see, but not scary.”

This version stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her mother. It was directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), one of Hollywood’s more prominent female directors. While the remake does not introduce much new material in a thematic sense, it does contain some new aspects that differentiate this version from the last.

Julianne Moore delivers a particularly convincing portrayal as Carrie’s mother. Her role as a religious fanatic and mentally ill mother spurs the viewer to have more sympathy for Carrie, which is one of the more interesting features of the story. One does not typically feel for the character in a movie who creates the destruction. The fact that one can feel pity for Carrie, even understand her

breakdown, gives the story an unusual and unique edge.

While both Moore and Moretz deliver good performances, many of the supporting actors and actresses fall short. Their acting seems a bit forced and it is hard to be moved by their character as a result.

The pacing of the story feels slightly uneven at times.

Much of the film is spent calmly working its way towards the climax, yet the bloody prom scene seems to escalate too quickly. Rather than having appropriate dramatic build up before the climax, it feels like the plot simply kills time until the end suddenly erupts in gore. However, the scene of Carrie’s breakdown at the prom is done quite well. Viewers looking for horror and gore will be able to find them in these last scenes of the movie. These moments still have more meaning than just to induce terror, though. They demonstrate Carrie’s sadness and the pain she has experienced throughout her life, and how those have brought her to destruction.

A successful feature of the film is its relatability. While Carrie may be an extremely sheltered, telekinetic girl, many teenagers may be able to relate to the bullying and ridicule she faces from her peers. Pierce’s choice to set the story in modern day further allows today’s teens to connect, and the topic of bullying is arguably more relevant now than it was in the mid 70s. One critic, Matt Zoller Seitz, commented on this. “Where Brian DePalma’s 1976 version of Stephen King’s novel was a teenage girl’s nightmare as seen through the eyes of a straight male voyeur, this one looks through a wider lens, and strikes more universal notes of sympathy.”

Through this relation, the film almost becomes a different story from the previous one. While the first adaptation of Carrie was undoubtedly a horror film, this version verges on tragedy. This is part of what makes it a mostly successful remake, rather than a butchering of a classic that many horror film remakes turn out to be, and what many students are wary of watching Carrie for. Senior Tristan Mehlhaff said, “I like horror movies but I tend to be turned off by remakes.”

Contrastingly, senior Annie Beckstrand sees being a remake as a possible advantage. “Since movies are more well made now with better special effects, it’s cool to see them more modernized. But you also have to appreciate the original.”

While Carrie’s remake is not one that introduces colossal changes, or shakes up the classic story we know, it does succeed in modernizing a classic for today’s teens (and does it well).

On March 20, 2006, a man by the name of Steven Roach made a post on coinop.org claiming to have been involved with the creation of Polybius and attempted to lay to rest the stories behind the game. He claimed to have been working for a South American company that wished to promote a new approach to computer graphics. The game was claimed to be very inventive and addictive, but the graphics, through mistake rather than design, were dangerous and prompted epileptic fits. After a child succumbed to an epileptic seizure, Polybius was recalled, the subcontractors (Sinnesloschen, a German games publisher) were disbanded, and the program was lost. Although Steven Roach’s claims seem to be much more likely than the majority of myths floating around the internet, Roach’s claims have yet to be proven. If the stories have peaked your interest in the game Polybius, you can try a recreation of the game at sinnesloscheen.com, but play at your own risk.

Talisman Staff Editors-in-Chief

Holly Ford Kennedy Potts

Frontpage Editor News Editor Entertainment Editor Features Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Backpage Editor Graphics Designer Copy Editors

Holly Ford Noah Jang Ben Ely Kennedy Potts Jarred Rogers Ethan Hauck Micah Tamasaka Micah Tamasaka Ayla Bussel Sam Fox

Staff Writers Justin Duke Daniel Halstead Jonah Jellesed Kayla Wilbur-Bash Trisdon Zepeda

TJ Barber Ryan Enos Sam Holmen Isaac Meyer Noah Savage

Staff Adviser

Greg Cantwell

A message from the Talisman The Talisman is run by students for students. The views expressed in the Talisman are not necessarily those of the Talisman staff, those of Sheldon High School, or those of the Sheldon community. If you have any letters to the editor, please e-mail the Talisman at shstalisman@gmail.com, or drop a letter in our box located in the office. We kindly reserve the right to edit all stories we print.

Food review: Papa’s Pizza Nick Hetrick contributing writer

Advisory commitee gives voice to student opinions

2013 has brought quite a few new changes to the 4j district. From our new three-by-five schedule to the new proficiency grading system, every student has been affected this year. To hear how the new systems are working for the students, the superintendent put together a group of students from each high school in the district, which he named the Student Advisory Committee. “We discussed the new three-by-five schedule, grading system, technology; whether more or less [money] should be spent on it, and where our money should go,” said Senior Clay Whipp, current member of the committee, on activities of the first meeting.

“It’s just a group of kids from Churchill, North, South, and Sheldon [high schools] who give their opinions to the superintendent,” says Whipp. With monthly meetings which started on Tuesday of last week, the group will work with the superintendent and other schools in the district to make sure that everything runs smoothly and to ensure that improvements are made where they are needed.

Although there has only been one meeting, Whipp appears to be hopeful about what the committee will accomplish in the future. When asked what he was most looking forward to discussing with the superintendent, Whipp replied, “Everything, really. Our mission is really to improve the

high school experience for kids.”

Applying for Whipp’s position was relatively simple. He said, “I applied.

There was an application [mentioned] on the announcements. I basically just showed up and showed interest.” The Sheldon High School Committee consists of senior Clay Whipp, senior Kennedy Potts, senior Brianna Sifuentes, and junior Paul Wilson. Each school provided around two to four students to give their opinions and support their schools.

A few other subjects that will be discussed in future meetings include the accessibility of the virtual high school, the broadening summer programs, the expanding college course opportunities in classes, and the topic of how well each school prepares their student body for the careers and college paths they have chosen.

“I’m excited about working with the superintendent to improve [the experience at school] for kids, and teachers as well.”

Clean up your act; custodians do Holly Ford editor-in-chief Imagine trash covering every surface of the school, sticky pieces of gum clinging to the bottom of your desk, windows covered with dirt and dust so thick it’s hard to see through them, and bathrooms that have graffiti all over the walls and reek. This is an atmosphere nobody would voluntarily be in.

Jobs that go unnoticed are usually jobs done well. Custodial jobs commonly serve as an example of this. When custodians or cleanup crews clean an area after others, it becomes so regular that the community barely acknowledges the kindness of the action.

Rarely do students even pause to thank custodians or do anything else to express their gratitude. Do they in fact stop and return a favor to the custodians? Senior Russell Gieger said, “Other than saying thank you? Probably not.” This kind of response is widespread throughout the student body. Senior Courtney Johnson said, “I throw my trash away where I’m supposed to, but no not really.” This isn’t just a senior problem, but extends into all high school grades. Sophomore Abi Nelson said, “I don’t really know what else to say…I mean I pick up my trash.”

Sheldon’s janitors work a strict 40 hour week and students habitually see them taking care of Sheldon’s environment. Fred Barnett, daytime custodian at Sheldon, said his hours are 6:30a.m. to 3:00p.m., Monday to Friday (including a lunch break). Barnett is one of many custodians at Sheldon who is here to make a difference In fact, there is a lot to be grateful for. Brett Holden, a campus supervisor, stated, “[Students] don’t clean up after themselves.

They leave their trash wherever they sit and leave big messes.” If there weren’t custodians keeping the school environment orderly, the school would be in disarray. Later Holden added, “Fred is the daytime custodian and he leaves just before I do, but he works really hard all day long... I do think we need more [custodians], because there just aren’t enough of them to cover this big school.”

Every day, faculty members and students see other members of the Sheldon community leaving trash behind and not picking up after themselves. When leaving their garbage, students don’t think about who will be the one who has to pick it up; they only know it will be gone the next day (if they even consider at all where it disappears to). Barnett stated, “There’s probably 90% of the students that are fine. It’s the 10% that drives you crazy.” Later Barnett added, “It’s the ones that litter the parking lot, and leave trash out on the tables, and make a mess on the floor just for something to do.”

Barnett concluded, “I appreciate that I have a job and that I do something that matters … It would make the job a lot easier [if students were to be more grateful].”

Differences in schooling between generations Ben Ely entertainment editor Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go to school. The basic daily school routine hasn’t changed over the years, but academics are different today than they were for our parents’ generation and their parents’ generation. Past generations didn’t have computers to track their grades and academic success; they simply put them down on paper. Computers were not brought into schools until the 1970s, when Apple, Inc. began donating Apple 1 model computers to schools, mostly colleges. Therefore, past generations did not have Naviance or myLane. Although it’s inevitable for academics to change in schools, does our generation have it harder than past ones, or do we have it easier?

One of the biggest differences between generations’ schooling is the option for students to take online classes or virtual high school.

And it’s not just high school, colleges and universities offer online classes and degree programs, too. So why are online classes becoming increasingly popular? Some enjoy the ability to learn in a self-paced environment, while others enjoy the ability to learn in the comfort of his/her own home. Before the computer age, schools would track academics with pen and paper, which, to some, seems more reliable than a computer.

Along with virtual classes, our generation has more access to information. With the invention of the internet, today’s students have the ability to search for anything and get an answer instantly. However, this phenomenon has flaws. When a student searches for something via the web, he/she doesn’t retain that knowledge, and just figures that the information will be there later whenever he or she needs it. Officer John Savage said, “I think of all the records and stuff that are now just scanned and put in hard drives. You upload your pictures and you think, ‘Oh, they’re there forever; I can erase these.’ But all it takes is some other snafu and you can lose all kinds of data and records.” Before the internet, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books were used more often. Once a book is published, it always exists. Savage later added, “As much as I like the modern way everything is I also think we get too reliant on [technology]. If something breaks down or gets wiped, it’s gone. But with pen and paper you can put it in a file and you can know where it is all the time.”

The utilization of computers has drastically changed the way that academics are presented in schools. This modern age brings many advantages to classrooms, yet there are cons. Students can go further with their education and can take online classes, but the academic tracking systems may not be the most reliable system for some people. Today’s education may be different than past generations’ schooling, but in the end, school will always have the same goal: to educate for the future.

Features

Features

Kayla Wilbur-Bash staff writer

The restaurant I am reviewing is Papa’s Pizza on Coburg Road, an all-youcan-eat pizza joint that is underutilized by Sheldon Students. For $5.99 students can get all you can eat pizza, breadsticks, salad, and a bottomless soda.

The Pizza buffet is always stocked with many varieties of pizza, including cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, taco, and if you so choose, vegetarian. I tried five slices of pizza.

The pizza has a very good cheese blend, and the crust has a nice bite to it, which isn’t too thin or thick. The kind of crust that a cook goes with can make or break a pizza and I look for a crust that isn’t so thin that the slice of pizza can’t be picked up without falling apart, or so hard that the pizza verges on being a cracker.

The toppings all had good flavor and the sauce was on par with other pizza places around town. It was nice to see that the employees were continuing to stock the buffet all throughout lunch to provide a variety of pizzas to the customers.

The atmosphere is typical of a pizza parlor, with lots of tables and televisions which are all tuned to a sports station. It is also clean, which is important and not all pizza restaurants value this as much as they should.

While not many students take their lunch time to visit Papa’s Pizza, they should take the opportunity to enjoy all-youcan-pizza, as there is nothing else like this around Sheldon. While the walk to Papa’s may takes some time, students should be able to make the round trip with time to spare before fourth period, though I would recommend driving to give time for eating more pizza.

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Opinions

October 31, 2013

the Talisman

Is U.S. economy headed for another dark age?

After sixteen days of the government being in a grid lock we can now breathe a sigh of relief as the final decisions about Obama’s Health Care Plan have been passed. But this brings up a few questions, one of which being why did this happen in the first place? Is there something wrong with the system that has been in effect since the Great Depression? Economics Teacher Bill Temple explained, “[What we should do to stabilize the economy is] use a Flat Rate Tax. [With this tax,] everyone pays the same percentage and no matter what the person’s income is, they will have to pay 20%. Mathematically speaking every citizen would be doing their job as a US citizen and be paying the same amount [of what they can afford].” I believe that if we do this it will allow more people to actually be happy about paying their taxes.

Instead of paying their tax of 22%, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but with only the people who are getting a high income paying, it would raise a question what about people who don’t get paid a lot. Temple informed me, “People with a lower income should also be taxed. They should also be paying the same 20% as the rest of us because right now they are just free loading off the government.”

The national debt is about 17.8 trillion dollars but with the rising of jobs in the U.S the national debt has been decreased by 15%, which brings it down to roughly 16 trillion dollars. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but it actually is quite an amazing decrease. So, the final question, are we going to be heading into another depression?

In my opinion no, if we just look at the debt that the nation has incurred, then we would see that it’s slowly decreasing. From that we can infer that there are more jobs, and since there are more jobs, there are more people that can be taxed on their incomes, which is where the government gets most of its spending. However there are some people that disagree, sophomore Faolen Cosgrove said, “[In my opinion,] yes we should start saving money and starting food storage.” If we do this then the next time that the government has one of these ‘shut downs’ we will be able to be a little prepared.

With the government’s recent actions, the economy may have taken a hit we won’t soon recover from.

Micah Tamsaka backpage editor With the government being shut down for a few weeks, some would argue that we’re heading towards another depression, and we can see why with the government furloughing their employees to save money; it has put millions out of work. However, I believe that they will still receive an income check at the end of the week. The reason I say this is because we are still paying these outrageous taxes, and the treasure almost ran out of money because of the shut down that occurred.

With all of these people being put out of a job on the account of the government ‘saving money,’ one would start to think that they are actually trying to start some kind of a government conspiracy. Those people are probably going to try and save money which will cause the economic market to take a hit due to the fact that money isn’t circulating. Senor Sam Schulttpelz said, “We will have an apocalypse, because we will be poor and won’t be able to buy anything.”

Without the circulation of money the economy will come to a halt and this will cause other countries to halt as well. Employers won’t be able to pay their employees and this will cause them to lay them off, which in turn will cause this circle of money stopping to continue and get worse.

Texting while driving: would you put someone’s life on the line to send a text?

Sheldon students should know texting while driving is as lethal as it is stupid Ayla Bussel copy editor No text message is worth putting someone else’s life at stake. According to textinganddrivingsafety.com, “55% of young adults claim it’s easy to text while they drive.” Hundreds of teenagers die each week due to accidents from texting while driving. I hate seeing people in their cars on their phone because it’s so extremely dangerous and distracting. It’s more important to buckle up and focus on driving than to check your phone for your latest notifications.

Many people have been affected by accidents due to distractions from phones.

Sophomore Kristen Meyers said, “I was in sixth grade and I was in the back seat of a car driven by my aunt. My sister’s dad was sitting in the passenger’s seat. We were driving on a highway and there was a car trying to merge into our lane. The driver of the car was texting and in that moment [when they were looking down at their phone], their car collided very hard with our car. My aunt was killed in the crash.” Meyers said that she was very sad and also angry at the other driver for texting instead of paying attention to the road. “I’m going to get my license next week and I think that [the experience I had in sixth grade] has made me more cautious as a new driver. I would never text and drive,” Meyers concluded.

Sophomore Courtney White said, “If you text while you’re driving it causes distraction and you could not only kill yourself but you could claim the lives of other people as well.” White also added that when her older sister is driving she keeps her cell phone close by so that she can play the radio on it because the radio from her car is broken. “When she starts to reach for her phone if she gets a text or something, I’m just like, no!”

Sophomore Kaitlyn Schauer said, “What I would say to Sheldon students [about using your phone while driving] is that you should go look up some of those commercials about teenagers texting and driving. They are really

illustration by Micah Tamasaka

depressing and they’ll make you think twice about texting and driving.”

Overall, there are many Sheldon students who think that using your cell phone while operating a vehicle is an extremely dangerous and bad idea. However, that does not mean that everyone thinks this. Some people argue that when you’re at a red light or you’re stopped in traffic then it is okay to use your phone for just one short moment.

But that one short moment that you glance down to look at a text from your best friend can be the exact moment that you claim another human being’s life. I think that especially for new drivers it is highly important to put your phone on silent in the backseat, turn your radio down, and focus all of your attention on the road.

Today’s youth need to work more, say some Sheldon students Many students agree about the benefits of having a job at a young age Ryan Enos staff writer From what I see, kids today do not know the value of a dollar as much as they used to. They think working is for older people only. Actually, you can get some sort of job at a much younger age. I am fifteen years old, and I work every weekend, and occasionally after school. I do a number of things that require a quick learning curve. Working at a young age teaches a number of important skills needed later in life such as work ethic, and various responsibilities.

Senior Cody Koch said, “Kids that are able to should get a job and pull their own weight.” Junior Jedd Crothers said, “I don’t see enough kids working today

like they should.” Working to me is a good way to grow up. Even easy jobs are better than nothing.

They still teach you responsibilities like showing up on time.

Freshman Marvin Hassled, said, “kids need to make good use of their time and get a job and earn money.” I think that child labor laws really make things hard for kids to get much of a job. A lot of jobs make it so you cannot work until you are at least 18. Some people have bills to pay before then and need money to pay them. Some people think kids need to wait and that they shouldn’t work until

they are 18. I think it should be lowered to 14 because some kids need to work to support their families.

Taxes also make it hard for kids and adults to earn any money. Taxes should be less of a percentage on kid’s paycheck under the age of 20. Also, the government should be more conservative on their spending. Koch agreed and said,” Child labor laws make it super hard for kids to get a steady paying job and work more than a few hours a week.”

All in all there is a lot this country should look over in terms of kids working. They should make it easier for kids to get jobs and allow kids to work more hours per week.

Sports

the Talisman

October 31, 2013

Sheldon cross country prepares for state meet

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Athletes are readying for the intense competition at Saturday’s meet Jonah Jellesed staff writer Running is a very basic human instinct that people have acted upon for many years. Even today, people choose this as their sport, and over time it becomes his/her passion. At Sheldon, the cross country team is centered around the idea that running is the best way to stay happy and healthy. The best part about this sport is that no one gets kicked off the team, or experiences discrimination because of his/ her physical attributes. The runners of Sheldon cross country run to both stay in shape and to be happy. Freshman Jantzen

Mazziotti said, “Cross country is fun, and it gives me something to do.” This is probably how most people feel about cross country, and the bonds created between fellow runners will last throughout high school. The cross country team is currently doing very well, and they have a strong chance of making a big run at state this year.

This cross country team goes through vigorous workouts every day to train for state, which is at the end of the season. The reason that they train so hard is that this is the mark they will leave on Sheldon High School, and this is their chance to impress scouts for colleges throughout the country. For example, Jackson Darland is a former Sheldon cross country runner who runs cross country currently for the University of Oregon and is currently on scholarship at the U of O for academic excellence. The state meet is also a great opportunity for young athletes to just have fun running in a large competition.

Freshman Solomon Faulkner said, “I am very excited to have a good chance to win this year.” This is the same attitude that most of the team has towards the tough road ahead. The freshmen at Sheldon are very excited for their

first experience of running in the state meet, but are not the only people who feel this way.

Faulkner’s older sister, senior McKinley Patrick said, “We have a really strong team, and a lot of great underclass athletes, so the future is very bright.”

There is a very talented senior class that is ready to take the state by storm. There are plenty of athletes that run cross country at Sheldon, and many runners who can’t wait for state, which is this Saturday, November 2 at LCC.

A Boston baseball legend lives in Junction City

An interview with Hall-ofFamer Bobby Doerr Ethan Hauck sports editor The crack of a bat, the roar of a crowd - these sounds made America what it is today. America’s favorite pastime was bigger than any other sport could have been until football came into its stride in the 1970s. Still now, baseball and football make similar amounts of money nationally, and that will most likely never change. Names that are the best known of their era are those of baseball- Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Jackie Robinson.

As the sport of a nation from the early 1900’s in the Depression, all the way to the 1960s and beyond, baseball served its purpose- something to distract Americans from the horrible things in life with a simple, beloved game. Now, the oldest living MLB Hall of Famer, Robert “Bobby” Pershing Doerr, prepares for his 100th birthday this upcoming year.

The first thing people notice when they meet Mr. Doerr is his air of strength, despite his age. When shaking his hand, it’s stronger than most men in their prime. He is carefully positioned in his chair, most likely watching Oregon football or Boston baseball.

But he is extremely quiet, embodying the “true man” of the late 1930’s and

1940’s – quiet, speaking little, and only doing so when necessary. He is a man who seems to radiate confidence, yet seems kind, affirming his reputation as the most genuine baseball player you could meet.

Mr. Doerr has an extremely impressive history. When he was fourteen, he played on a team with George McDonald at first base (11 out of 18 seasons in Pacific Coast League with the San Diego Padres), Mickey Owen who had 13 seasons in the major leagues, and Steve Mesner with six seasons in the National League, and that was just the infield players. When he was sixteen, he moved on to play for the Hollywood Stars, who would eventually become the San Diego

Padres, and at eighteen he was signed to the Boston Red Sox in 1937, where he played fourteen seasons, including the 1946 World Series.

Despite his legacy in Boston, Doerr has always been humble. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986, he was still dumbfounded, “ It was really something to think that my number one would be mine, forever. It was quite an honor.” He now lives with his wife in Junction City, Oregon, living a quiet and happy life. He, “watches Sox games when he can,” and enjoys life.

Every Summer, Junction City hosts the Bobby Doerr Classic, which last year had over 300 baseball teams of kids show up and compete. As a Boston legend, he will always live on in baseball history as the “Silent Captain of the Red Sox.”

Snowboarding and skiing start soon, Sheldon braces

Sheldon students prepare to hit the slopes T.J. Barber staff writer Everyone assumes that when winter starts, all the fun comes to a screeching halt. They are so wrong. W h e n the snow starts, so does the skiing and the snowboarding. It doesn’t even matter how killer you are at it. Everyone says that you need to be a master before attempting it, but you don’t. They have lessons on the mountain for you to learn or improve!

“Whether you’re going to Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood, Willamette Pass or Hoodoo; it’s fun everywhere,” senior Blake Schumacher said. “My favorite place to go is either Mt. Bachelor or Mt. Hood for skiing. The way the slopes are made, you can take your time or just point and go like I do.” Later,

Schumacher said, “If you are committed enough, and have a good instructor, it can take as little as two hours to learn.”

When asked why he preferred skiing over snowboarding, he said, “[In my opinion], skiing is better because you can go faster, and there is more skill required while skiing.” He also said, “When you are looking for skis, if you want some of the top quality, I would go with Solomon brand.”

“I have been skiing since I was about five,” Schumacher said, “no matter how many times I go, there is always a time when you will fall.

The most important thing is to get back up.”

Schumacher added, “The best time of day to go is the early mornings, when the trails are freshly groomed, and not many people are out and about.”

On the other side of the story, Talon Barber, a seasoned snowboarder said,

“If you can skateboard, then you can snowboard.”

-Talon Barber

“The first thing you will need is the proper gear. You will need a good jacket, some waterproof pants, and some sort of layering. I like Oakley gear, and for the layers, I like Under Armor. For your board, you’ll want one made by 2K if you want top quality.”

“Hard packed powder is the best snow you can get,” said Barber, “The resistance is better, so you can take more rides on a trail.” When asked why he preferred snowboarding over skiing, he said, “Snowboarding takes less balance and you don’t have to worry about both of your feet, so you have better maneuverability.” Later Barber said, “If you can skateboard, then you can snowboard.”

When asked what the difference was between goofy and regular stances, Barber said, “Regular is where you have your left foot forward, and you steer with your right foot, and that’s what I am.

Goofy stance is the inverse, your right foot is forward, and you steer with your left foot.”

Don’t let the start of cold weather bring your fun to a halt, get out there and start skiing or snowboarding!

photo by Robert Binz

Berg’s Snowboard Shop is a popular shop in downtown Eugene.

Understanding the traditions of Halloween Some people like to dress up, while others like to watch scary movies. What do you like to do on Halloween?

Sam Fox copy editor a little while or [if I’m not babysitting], I go to It seems that almost everyone has Halloween parties.” Later Glass some sort of Halloween tradition, said, “[This year for Halloween] I but not all of them are the same. For am going to a Halloween party.” This some people their tradition is to dress pokes at the controversial question of up and go trick-or-treating. While for whether or not teenagers should be allowed others, they simply stay inside and to trick-or-treat and at what age people watch scary movies all night with either shouldn’t be allowed to go out on a Halloween family or friends. Some people believe night. Sophomore Gabriela Hernandez said, that dressing up is ridiculous and should “People should stop trick-or-treating at the be reserved for younger children. Other age of 16, because I think that 18-year-old people swear that they will dress up and trick-or-treaters are creepy.” Glass added, go out trick-or-treating and will continue “I honestly think that it depends on the to do so every year until the day they die. person. I don’t think there’s a certain Sophomore Jada Glass said, “I usually age you hit and then you have to babysit and [the kids] always want to stop, it just depends on who go trick-or-treating, so we go out for you are.” When asked the same question,

freshman Natalie Dean said, dress up at “Having fun shouldn’t school], and if I do then have an age limit.” There are it will be in my horse mask.” tons of traditions on Halloween other Another tradition that is often than just trick-or-treating, including ones that are less controversial. A tradition celebrated on or before Halloween is that a lot of people participate in is dressing the carving of pumpkins. Hernandez up as a goofy or scary thing. When asked if said, “I do [carve pumpkins.] My she would dress up at school on Halloween, family has the best competition every Glass said, laughingly, “Probably not,” but year. I will carve anything from witches she will dress up that afternoon. “It’s fun to and skeletons to a traditional jack o’ dress up! It’s that one time of the year that lantern.” Continuing, Hernandez said, you can be absolutely crazy and that’s why “It’s not just [me and my parents]; some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins I love it so much!” Similarly, Hernandez play too. We send pictures of our said about dressing up at school, “I’ll pumpkins to [our] grandparents be wearing an orange shirt that says before midnight on Halloween ‘this is my costume’ in small, and they choose the winner.” black print.” Dean said, “Maybe [I will

Stay a little while on the

Backpage

Lone Pine Farms corn maze Tread lightly when you enter the Lone Pine Farms corn maze; you can never really trust the corn.

Noah Savage staff writer

Screams at night and laughter by day, the annual Corn Maze at Lone Pine Farms is an amazing adventure for everyone! This event has been an annual tradition for families and friends all across Oregon. There is plenty to do around Lone Pine Farms such as a visit to the pumpkin patch, or visit the Haunted Corn Maze. This is what most people are looking forward to. So grab some friends and come down to Lone Pine Farms for a great time and fun activities.

Sophomore Josh Meiners is a big fan of the corn maze and goes almost every year Meiners said, “The most festive thing about the maze, in my opinion, is the way that the design and props change every year.” A lot of people like the corn maze for different reasons, such as, hanging out with friends and family but Meiners has fun in another way: “My favorite part of the corn maze is getting lost and having to retrace your steps to find the right way.” Everyone who visits the corn maze regularly has a funny story to tell people.

Meiners has a story that

is way out of the ordinary, “One time I visited the maze and we saw a new rule that said, Keep hands off of people unless they touch you first, so during the maze we were walking and I felt a hand placed on my shoulder, so I turned around and punched the clown square in the face.”

Sophomore Skyler Mazet is an annual participant of the corn maze. “I go every year.” A lot of people think some of the props they use to scare people can be dangerous, but Mazet thinks differently, “The props they use are not dangerous; they take the chains off the chainsaws so it’s okay.” A lot of people like the corn maze for many things, Mazet has one to share: “My favorite part of the maze is the spinning tunnel.” Many people who visit the corn maze can

recount a multitude of different stories. Mazet has one he’d likely share; “When I went into the black hole tunnel, I had a hat on; when I left the tunnel my hat was gone.” After leaving the tunnel Skyler said that he could care less about losing his hat because he was having too much fun to care.

Sophomore Josh Harris has only been to the corn maze a couple times but still has a lot to say about it. Harris says, “People visit the corn maze a lot because it’s a fun place to hang out, and it’s very fun to scare people.” A lot of people think the corn maze is a very festive activity to participate in. Harris has a different view: “The bus is the most festive part in my opinion. The look and feel of it is cool.”