Talisman vol 49 issue 6 mar 14, 2014 (g)

Sheldon students travel the globe

page 4

a student-edited newspaper Sheldon High School

opinion: broken education system

page 6

shstalisman@gmail.com

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

Issue 6

March 12, 2014

Calvyn “Shave the Babies” Villarino wins Mr. Irish!

Mr. Irish contestants and coordinators celebrate a successful pageant

angel” animal cruelty commercial.” Each pair of contestants and coordinators painted a platter and baked and decorated a cake, Villarino’s auctioned off for $200, which was the most McKinley Patrick money earned from 1 platter this year. Villarino really apbackpage editor preciated all of the hard work his coordinator put in and said, Mr. Irish was founded 22 years ago by “My favorite thing about my Sheldon student, CJ Martin and the tradition coordinator Sami, is that she has been carried on to many other Oregon was always so positive and enschools. This years’ pageant was a great couraging.” Villarino did not success on March 1st. The Mr. Irish contes- only gain a win from this expetants and coordinators participated in many rience though, and noted, “I did different fundraisers and events. All of the not know half of the guys before money they raised went directly to The applying for Mr. Irish, but now Children’s Miracle Network, which helped I can say we’re all really good babies in the NICU at Sacred Heart Hospital friends. We’re pretty much like at Riverbend. These students were selected brothers; make fun of each other, by the supervisors based on their academ- help each other out, give each ics, extracurricular activities, and of course other advice. I’m so blessed to their individual personality. Mr. Irish brings have been able to be a part of a group of high school seniors together who such a great group of guys.” may have otherwise The hard never connected, work every“I did not know half of the one put into this year’s due to different soguys before applying for pageant was outstandcial groups, classes, or activities. When ing and they surpassed Mr. Irish, but now I can they all come togethsay we’re all really good their fundraising goal of er to work toward $40,000 with a grand tofriends.” one common goal, tal of $45,333.There are they bond and grow - Senior Calvyn Villarino many others involved in new friendships. besides the ten contesCalvyn Villarino tants though, including was crowned Mr. Irish 2014 on Saturday, the ten coordinators, two junior coordinaMarch 1 with the help of his coordinator, tors, three dance coordinators, two program Sami Nero. Villarino performed very well coordinators, and lastly the two M.C.’s. and explained “I played my guitar and sang Dylan Malpass and Charlie Mundorff an original song. My video was a parody of were the M.C.’s for this years’ pageant. the Sarah McLaughlin “In the arms of an They were very much so apart of the team

Photo by: Curtis Diama

and really enjoyed the experience. Malpass said his favorite thing about being a part of Mr. Irish was getting to make new friends. Malpass also noted that he really enjoyed the basketball game and said, “I really liked getting to work with the Mr. Axeman Contestants as well.”

The coordinators also had a very fun and positive experience being a part of Mr. Irish.

Senior Kylee O’Connor was David Bellamy’s coordinator and said “My favorite part of being a part of Mr. Irish was meeting and becoming closer with all of the wonderful people.” O’Connor also mentioned the most

challenging part was managing her time wisely, as baby saving is a big commitment.

David Bellamy, who won Mr. Congeniality 2014, agreed with O’Connor when he said, “The best part of being in Mr. Irish was the friendships that were made.” Bellamy added, “My favorite part of the pageant was the dancing, especially our killer kick-line.”

This years’ Mr. Irish pageant was a great event and raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network to save the babies.

Virtual High School: conflict of interest questions arise A valuable program for Sheldon High School and 4j generates funding questions Isaac Meyer contributing writer For more than a year, students across the 4J school district have been able to take online classes through Massachusetts-based Virtual High School (VHS), which the school district voted to enter a contract with in 2012. But it turns out that the district is now potentially paying $50,000 per year to VHS, an organization that Superintendent Sheldon Berman helped found, one on whose board of directors Berman has served -- indeed, one which gives a share of its revenue to Berman’s former employer under a 2001 agreement. These facts potentially represent a conflict of interest, in which Berman’s former contacts are indirectly benefiting from the school district’s contract with VHS. In November 2012, 4J signed the contract for a pilot program with VHS, beginning to offer VHS courses to high school students

the following January. According to school board chair Mary Walston, the 4J school board did not vote on the contract with VHS, although the board was briefed about the program before the contract was signed and she believed the other board members were supportive. Walston wrote, “For smaller contracts the superintendent has administrative authority to enter into contracts,” but added, “Dr. Berman shared his thinking about VHS prior to entering into the contract.”

4J indeed received a one-time grant from the nonprofit Eugene Education Foundation (EEF) to pay for a VHS pilot project, according to EEF spokeswoman Molly Lajoie. Berman wrote that the EEF funds will cover the first three years of offering VHS at 4J. According to Walston, the district sends no money to VHS directly, but the district pays six teachers to teach online classes for VHS students across the nation.

Walston wrote, “Payment is for the teaching staff, not for the organization itself.”

However, as it stands, the November 2012 contract between VHS and 4J includes a clause requiring 4J to pay VHS an annual membership fee of up to $50,700 every year the school district participates in the program. According to the contract, the dis-

trict should already have paid VHS $25,350 for the spring 2013 semester, although 4J may have received a discount if teachers agreed to teach classes in high demand.

Under the current contract with the teacher’s union, six 4J teachers who choose to teach a VHS course receive compensation of $4,100 per course.

Or, teachers may teach a yearlong VHS class as part of their paid courseload in place of a traditional three-trimester class.

If 4J renews the contract and agrees to partner with VHS beyond the three years paid for by the EEF grant, the district will continue incurring the annual fee mandated in the contract as well as having to pay teachers who opt to teach VHS courses.

Massachusetts-based Virtual High School, which offers online classes taught by teachers across the country, was founded in 1996 with a grant from the US Department of Education. Hudson Public Schools (Hudson) collaborated with Concord Consortium to formulate the idea for VHS and begin work

on VHS. At the time, Berman was the superintendent of Hudson, and he took a key leadership role in initiating the program.

The Center for Applied Special Technology, or CAST, another nonprofit for which Berman is a board member, states on its website, “[Berman] was the developer and co-principal investigator for the federally funded Virtual High School Collaborative.” Berman also wrote that he was one of the writers of the grant used to launch VHS. In the 2003 VHS Annual Report, Berman wrote, “[Concord Consortium founder] Bob Tinker and I first talked over coffee, in 1995, about creating the Virtual High School.”

In 2001, VHS transferred from being a partnership between Concord Consortium and Hudson to being its own nonprofit entity. Berman served as chair of the VHS board until 2003 and continued to serve as a board member after that. In

“I never received any personal income from VHS.” - Superintendent Berman

VHS continued on page 4

2 March 14, 2014 the Talisman News Australian missionary detained in North Korea, then released 75-year-old John Short is deported after being detained for 13 days Jack Forrest staff writer Kim Jong Un and his country North Korea have been involved in many controversial topics and actions. They haven’t gained any sympathy from other countries and leaders and they are at it again. North Korea recently arrested a 75-year-old Australian Missionary, John Short, for reasons related to his religion. He was there to speak out against the poor treatment to citizens merely because of their race, gender, and spirituality

and had previously been arrested in Hong Kong for closely-related reasons. North Korea has already been involved in other cruel, hatred acts against others; the list goes on and on.

Many wonder why and how North Korea was formed. Korea was split up shortly after World War ll when the Soviets and the United States wouldn’t get along about how to vote and such, so the Soviets made their northern territory that they had occupied a Communist state. Both states claimed sovereignty over the whole of Korea. That is when the Korean War started. After three to four years of fighting, the Koreas separated for good with a demilitarized zone splitting them up.

The North Korea everyone knows now is lead by dictator Kim Jong

Un. Kim Jong Un is the son of Kim Jong il who was the leader of North Korea shortly before his son; however, Kim Jong Un seems to be more directed towards violence than his father. The reason many think this is that he has already threatened the U.S. with nuclear weapons for no reason other than that we are in his words, “war maniacs” and also likely, that we see him as a bad leader. North Korea has already shown that they have the means of obtaining nuclear technology by testing their missiles three times since 2006. However, many don’t believe this to be much of a threat. This was a great example: “I get a lot of contacts from people in the U.S. freaked out about it.

I asked my undergrad American politics class if they were worried, and the class erupted in laughter,” said teacher Steven Ward at a South Korean college.

On the other hand, North Korea has kept true to many of their threats. Just this month, an Australian missionary was arrested. He was last heard of while traveling in North Korea to share his religious beliefs with the citizens of North Korea when he was detained by North Korean officials for secretly spreading Christianity at a Buddhist temple and on a crowded train. However, North Korea has recently released Short, most likely due to his age, which is a huge relief to everyone. Short wrote an apology to North Korea for his actions: “I now realize the seriousness of my insult to the Korean people on February 16 because I made the Korean people angry and for this I truly apologize.”

Short is now back in China with his wife, where he resided before.

Demonstrations continue in Ukraine: Russia tries to get involved Deadly clashes between protestors and police injure and kill many Jonah Jellesed staff writer The region has had a history of violence and civil unrest, and another chapter of this country’s dark story is unfolding right now. Currently in the Ukraine there is a lot of civil unrest over the country’s need for financial assistance from the European Union. The citizens of Ukraine want this because they believe that this will restore balance to a country in turmoil.

The three-month-old conflict in the Ukraine escalated very recently in the killing of dozens of police officers and citizens. A temporary truce that was in place for a few months has been broken, and the main area of conflict is in downtown Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

This area in Kiev has become a warzone with up to one hundred dead civilians layed down side by side in the square.

Recently, the President of the Ukraine fled the capital of the country to Eastern Ukraine vowing that he will stay in power even though most of the country has wanted him to be removed from office for some time. Russia, the United States, and Europe are all involved in this political crisis because the country of 46 million is a very crucial area for that part of the world. After a temporary peace deal was reached on Saturday, February 22, Russia publicly spoke out against the peace deal saying the opposition force in the Ukraine isn’t doing a very good job of holding up its side of the treaty.

Now, since tensions have not been lowering at all between the different political groups in the Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that 150,000 Russian troops be moved to the western border of Russia which borders Ukraine in response to the rising tension (Hannah Strange, The Telegraph).

A new prime minister has just been appointed in the Ukraine who is in support of the west, which has caused Putin to place fighter jet patrols along with troops on the Ukraine-Russia border. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the new leader of the Ukraine, said that Ukraine’s future depends on the European

Union (Fox News.com). This country is still very much divided, and it will be crucial that in the near future a country from the west needs to step in to help keep this conflict from escalating to war.

Now the Ukraine is in a stale mate with Russia, and this in its worst case scenario could potentially lead to war which the Ukraine would lose because of the lack

of man power. Putin is saying that it is crucial for Russia to invade Ukraine in order to keep the peace and stability that hardly exists in the Ukraine as of now.

The West is denouncing Putin’s claims of trying to keep peace, and saying that there is another unknown motive that is unknown for Putin to invade Ukraine (Pierce Nahigyan, Nation of Change).

photo illustration by Noah Jang

North and South Korea: Families reunite after more than six decades of separation Long-awaited emotional reunions held at the Diamond Resort in North Korea Noah Jang news editor The Korean War that lasted from 1950 to 1953 divided the Korean peninsula between a communist north and a capitalist south. Many families became permanently separated, as they are banned from visiting each other, or even exchanging letters, phone calls, or e-mails. Two rounds of rare

three-day family reunions were held at the Diamond Resort in southeastern North Korea; the first lasted from February 20-22, and the second from February 23-25. According to The New York Times, the two governments agreed to the family reunions as their first serious move towards rebuilding trust after years of high tensions. Many of the South Korean participants were so old and weak that they had to make the trip across the border in wheelchairs. At the reunions, aging sons and daughters hugged and collapsed in tears on the

Eugene Eyewear

We Have the Latest Fashions in Eyewear

*Versace *Juicy Couture *Christian Dior *Dolce & Gabbana *Giorgio Armani *BCBG *Vera Wang *Candies *Prada *DKNY *Coach *Nine West *Ray Ban *Kate Spade We bill most insurances including Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Pacific Source, VSP, Eyemed, Providence, North West Benefits, ODS, OEA Choice, and many more.

Dr. Steve Jung, Optometrist 207 Coburg Road, Suite 105 Eugene, OR 97401 Ph:541-388-4844 M-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-3 Located next to TJ Maxx

participants of these reunions through a lottery system. For the first round of the reunions, 82 South Koreans from a waiting list of about 72,000 were given the privilege to According to The New York Times, Lee meet their relatives in the North. For the second round, 88 South Koreans Beom-ju, 86, said, “I am sorry, I am so met 357 North Korean relatives. sorry,” to his younger brother and sister It’s not known how North Korea in North Korea when they finally met selects participants for the reunions. during the family reunions. Mr. Lee is The Gurdian reported, “It was only a South Korean citizen who fled North through the application process that Korea in 1951 during the Korean War. Mr. Lee had not seen his family since that South Korean Kang Neung-hwan, 93, even realized that he had left a time. He said to his sister, now 72, and son behind when he left North Kohis brother, now 67, “Grandfather told me to run, run and go to the South, away rea during the war. Kang Jong-kuk, now 64, had been in his mother’s from the war, because I was his eldest grandson,” explaining the reason that he womb at the time, and his father had not been aware that she was had to leave them behind. pregnant.” When they finally met on Kim Seom-young, 91, arrived at February 20, Kang said to his son, Sokcho in an ambulance on Thursday, half-teasing him, “You look old.

February 20. Sokcho is a town in northCome give me a hug.” eastern South Korea where South Korean When it came time for the famiparticipants gathered before they crossed lies to bid farewell, many of them the demilitarized border together. “Even were filled with tears. 93-year-old if I die, I will die in the Diamond MounSouth Korean Park Un-hyeong tain,” Mr. Kim was quoted as saying by tried to cheer up his North Korean the South Korean News Agency Yonhap. daughter as she wept, before boardHe made the trip and met his family. ing a bus that took him back to His North Korean sister Yong-ok said, South Korea. For Park and many “Please stay alive until reunification [of other participants, it is likely that the two countries].” they would never be able to see The South Korean government chooses their separated families again. laps of their parents. For many of them, though, the long-awaited reunions will be the last time they’ll ever see separated loved ones.

Entertainment

the Talisman

March 14, 2014

Homosexuality in entertainment More and more celebrities in the industry are coming out Taylor Marvel staff writer Celebrities like Ellen Page, Neil Patrick Harris, and Ellen Degeneres are all well-known celebrities who are openly gay. Although homosexuality within the entertainment industry isn’t an unheard of thing, there are only a few celebrities who have come out over the past few years.

Hollywood has shown its support for homosexuality for decades. The movie Brokeback Mountain has brought people to tears for its sympathetic portrayal of a doomed, gay relationship, and it was nominated for an academy award for best picture in 2005. Also, the hit TV show of the 90’s, Friends, aired an episode including a lesbian wedding in 1996. Fox’s musical comedy, Glee, takes reign over all with their support of homosexuality, constantly giving

anti-gay bullying messages in almost all of their episodes.

Hollywood isn’t the only place where people are trying to normalize homosexuality. All over the world, people are doing their part when it comes to promoting gay rights. There are several states in the U.S. that have legalized same-sex marriages: Washington, Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. Although there aren’t many, other states are also considering passing equality bills to legalize gay marriage.

As the years pass, it seems that the entertainment industry leans farther and farther towards supporting gaymarriage rights. However, while this may be true for the people in and closely surrounding the majority entertainment industries, people both within and outside of the industries have different views. A lot of people in the general public have shared their criticisms against gay rights.

In the end, coming-out in the entertainment industry has always been a huge risk and has always been met with criticism both from within and outside of the indus-

3

try. However, in the future, the hope from the majority of people seems to be that the criticisms will become close to nonexistent when people find the strength to come out.

photo illustration by Ben Ely

The vast world of streaming Such services as Netflix and Hulu provide a wide array of TV shows and movies which have led some to “cut the cord” Ben Ely entertainment editor It seems like nowadays, media is more available to people than ever before. With services such as Hulu, Netflix, Roku, Yahoo Screen, Amazon Prime Instant Video, anyone can watch just about any TV show or movie, anywhere, anytime.

TV via the Internet has become so popular, that providers and channels are beginning to partner with streaming companies to further expand their already vast television empire. For example, Comcast, the nation’s largest provider, is teaming with Netflix to add an app on cable boxes so customers can

access their accounts directly from their Comcast modules.

According to Forbes.com, the official announcement released by Comcast on February 23 stated: “Netflix receives no preferential network treatment under the multiyear agreement.” Could partnerships like these become more common in the future? Or will the world of streaming TV shows and movies dominate cable/satellite television?

Netflix, the world’s most popular streaming company, was founded in 1997. It then started its subscription-based digital distribution in 1999, and by 2009 had more than 10 million subscribers. As of September 2013, 40.4 million people worldwide were subscribed to the streaming service, 31.2 million of those being in the U.S. Hulu, one of the newest streaming services, was established in 2007, and has yet to catch up to Netflix with only 4 million subscribers. The only difference between the two is that Netflix supplies movies, while Hulu only features TV shows. The long list of channels that have partnered with Hulu shows that most networks are jumping on the band-wagon of Internet streaming. Fox,

NBC Universal, Walt Disney Company, A&E Television Networks, and the Food Network are just five of the fifteen entertainment companies that Hulu subscribers can access. It seems as though these worldwide corporations are beginning to trust such streaming companies as Hulu to boost their viewership, and no longer look solely to cable and satellite television to publicize their programs.

Many households are now abandoning cable and satellite for streaming, a term known as “cutting the cord.”

According to Forbes.com, a recent study found that five million U.S. homes have “zero TV.” The study also found that young adults are more likely to live in “zero TV” households than people over 44, and that cost was a factor for 36 percent of these homes, while 31 percent simply cut the cord because of a “lack of interest.” While ditching cable or satellite for streaming services may be more cost efficient, there are advantages to having live television. For example, most sports events are not available to stream, and other live events, like the Oscars, are also not available.

Batman: the man behind the mask Everyone’s favorite super-hero has made an impressive leap into popularity Jarred Rogers opinions editor He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman. Few fictional characters can claim the same success and cultural impact the Dark Night has had. Originally making his debut in DC comics #27, Batman has since made a successful leap into pop culture, spawning his own critically acclaimed television shows, movies, and videogames.

Despite a shaky film appearance in the near future, Batman has and always will be a standard-bearer for quality story-telling and characters.

During his initial conception, Batman was rather different from how most know him today. Perhaps the most prominent example is his willingness to actually kill criminals. Indeed, while to many fans the notion of Batman killing someone is absurd, originally the Dark Knight had no qualms with it, even threatening to kill the Joker in the goofy Adam West adaptation of the mythos.

Although the Adam West adaptation has retained a cult following over the years, it could be argued that Tim Burton’s Batman film was the first time the Caped Crusader really broke into the mainstream. Combining both dark and humorous elements with a superbly chosen cast and clever writing, it is generally agreed that Tim Burton’s first film about the Dark Knight was not only one of Batman’s greatest cinematic portrayals, but one of the best films of all time. But because it’s followup, Batman Returns, didn’t quite reach the same level of success, the film series was handed over to Joel Schumaker.

The tragedy that followed was swift but devastating.

While Batman Forever is agreed to be a ridiculous film, its successor, Batman and Robin, is quite possibly one of the worst films ever made. It was, for a time, the favored method of torture for the Soviet Union in the beginning of the cold war. Although this might seem impossible given the movie’s release date, shut up and stop questioning me.

Despite the atrocities committed by Schumaker, Batman still lives on. Some of the franchises’ continued success can be traced to Batman: The Animated Series, one of the most iconic and well-written cartoons of all time. The Animated Series didn’t just bring phenomenal writing and voice acting, but it also introduced several fan-favorite characters,

such as Harley Quinn and Lock-up, as well as giving Mr. Freeze a new and more sympathetic back story that has gone on to serve as canon in many incarnations, be it comics, games, shows, or even… sigh… Batman and Robin.

By this time, Batman was enjoying a success not known by many other franchises. His comics were becoming darker,

his image was much more well-known, and his rogue’s gallery housed some of the greatest villains of all time. Yes, as nearly any fan will tell you, Batman wouldn’t be where he is today without his wide cast of antagonists, including recognizable foes such as Two-Face, Ra’as al Ghul, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and of course the Joker, The Caped Crusader has faced off against some of the greatest villains of all time. Over the years, even more have joined the Batman universe, such as the deranged serial killer Victor Zsasz, the psychotic Harley Quinn, or the badass vigilante Red Hood.

More recently, Batman has found more cinematic success with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Despite a few miscasts (Liam Nielson as Ra’as al Ghul) And Christian Bale’s annoying Bat-voice, the trilogy is a welcome addition to the franchise, being very well done overall.

There is also the wonderfullydeveloped Arkham videogame series, which gives players a chance to don the suit and experience the dark world of Gotham first hand.

The years have undoubtedly proven that the Dark Knight is not only one of the greatest superheroes of photo illustration by Ben Ely all time, but one of the best fictional characters period. Although many people may not hold him to the heights of Jay Gatsby or Holden Caulfield, Batman remains one of the greatest franchises of all time, and a staple in our culture.

Features Questions about who benefits from VHS funding VHS continued from page 1 2007, he moved out of state and became superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Louisville, Kentucky.

References to Berman’s connections with VHS were absent from his official 4J biography as of publication. It contained only the vague reference “Dr. Berman is the author of ... numerous articles and book chapters on … virtual education, and education reform.” Also as of that date, Berman’s LinkedIn profile made no reference at all to VHS or virtual education beyond a single third-party endorsement for “E-learning” and a broad reference to “innovations in … computer technology.”

Berman asserted, “I have never received any personal income from VHS.” VHS spokeswoman Carol Arnold confirmed that Berman received no pay for his position on the VHS Board beyond travel reimbursement. However, the proposal to create VHS, co-authored by Berman and Tinker, included a provision that Berman commit 15% of his paid time at Hudson to developing VHS. And a 2009 opinion piece for Louisville blog Page One Kentucky argued that compensation is not the issue regarding Berman’s connections to VHS: “It’s not about making money for yourself.

The appearance of impropriety exists because you scratch your friends’ backs and they scratch yours in return.”

Indeed, Berman’s former employer, Hudson, continues to obtain significant special benefits from VHS based on a 2001 agreement. For example, Hudson can receive VHS services free of charge. Hudson also holds rights to many of the intellectual resources used by VHS, and should VHS ever dissolve or be liquidated, Hudson will receive at

least one-third of VHS’s assets. The agreement even gives Hudson a percentage of VHS’s revenue, a figure which increases for every school district that joins VHS. According to VHS intellectual property receipts, in the last four years alone, Hudson has received over $32,000 from VHS. Hudson is also able to appoint a member of the VHS board. According to a story by the Hudson Sun, when Berman transferred to JCPS out of state in 2007, the Hudson School Committee voted to continue having Berman on the VHS board. The Sun quotes School Committee Chairman Thomas Green as having said, “One of the hopes is he’ll be presenting VHS to Louisville and presumably to other people in Kentucky.” The article continues: “Green said [the 2001 agreement in which VHS pays Hudson] is another reason the School Committee voted to keep Berman on the board -- so he can introduce VHS to Jefferson County and potentially boost its revenue.”

In 2009, two years after Berman arrived at JCPS, the JCPS board voted to enter a contract with VHS. According to a legal opinion by attorney Francis J. Mellen, JCPS also payed VHS to provide online classes to students in the district, as well as having several JCPS teachers teach classes to be offered on VHS. According to Berman’s own account, he left the board of directors in 2007 at the same time as he took the job at JCPS. Arnold wrote, “Dr. Berman left the Board of Directors because he took another job out of state.”

Oddly, however, VHS annual reports as late as 2009, when JCPS finally did enter the contract with VHS, still

listed Berman as a board member. Also, Mellen’s legal opinion states, “The Superintendent currently is an Exofficio member of the Board of Directors of VHS.” JCPS school board member Linda Duncan wrote, “Our board requested that he not serve on [the VHS] board if we were considering a contract with VHS. He removed himself from that board. There never was a conflict of interest.”

However, Duncan’s comment also suggests that the reason Berman left the board may have been to allow JCPS to consider the contract with VHS in the first place, thus bringing more revenue to VHS and, by extension, Hudson.

Berman’s contract as superintendent of JCPS was allowed to expire in 2011, after which Berman accepted the position at 4J. In response to Talisman email inquiries, Berman stated that he recommended VHS to 4J because when he came to Eugene he discovered that opportunities for online coursework were highly limited.

He added, “I suggested that principals and teachers take a look at the VHS course offerings and program to see if there was interest.” He then wrote, “As a superintendent, you can’t simply bring a program to a district, even a good one. There has to be sufficient interest from a broad cross-section of people in order to get it off the ground.”

Senior Clay Whipp’s amazing exchange program in France Ayla Bussel copy editor Many students at Sheldon have been going on some pretty exciting travel adventures lately. Senior Clay Whipp spent a year in France through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Sophomore Ryan Ayala traveled to Spain and France for spring break 2013 with Sheldon’s program. It’s important for kids to start traveling early on in life so that they can expand their horizons and develop a wider outlook on life. These traveling adventures will surely help Sheldon teens grow in the future.

Ayala went on the trip as one of the only freshmen in the group, but he said that he was still able to enjoy himself and, “It was fun even though there were no kids my age.”

Ayala also said, “I liked the culture, history, architecture, and art from both Spain and France.” Ayala added that his experiences on the Spain and France trip make him want to see Italy and Germany when he gets older. He was able to see lots of Renaissance art, cathedrals, the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral. “I think it’s important for teens [and adults] to travel and experience different cultures because it gives you a more open perspective on the world and different cultures than your own.”

Whipp said of his year in France, “I just heard about an exchange in France through Rotary on the Sheldon morning announcements and it sounded interesting. I always wanted to travel as a kid.” Whipp added, “I remember the exact dates of the trip. I left

on August 28, 2012, and returned to Eugene on July 10, 2013.” Whipp said that he went as one of the only kids from Sheldon, let alone Eugene. “Traveling is important because you get to meet new people and have exciting adventures.

Regular life is boring! Traveling to new places is like a breath of fresh life! Also, you get to eat new [types of] food, and food is a big part of traveling and visiting new places.”

Along with living with a host family in France for the duration of the year, Whipp got to visit Italy, the Czech Re-

Senior Clay Whipp enjoying his time in Europe

public, London, and Belgium for a few days each. Going to France (or going abroad in general) gives you “the travel bug” as Whipp called it. “I’d like to go to Argentina, Japan, Europe, and maybe Australia someday. On exchange, you do the most interesting things and you meet the most interesting people that you will ever meet probably for the rest of your life. I would absolutely say that going on the exchange has been one of the best things I’ve done in my lifetime.

People in their 30s and 40s will tell you that going on an exchange to a different country is one of their biggest accomplishments in life.”

“Don’t get me wrong, though. To go on exchange, you have to be a certain kind of person. You have to be flexible and willing to try new things. You also have to have a certain level of maturity,” Whipp concluded.

These experiences and memories will surely influence Ayala and Whipp as they go on to have many travel adventures throughout their lives. Sheldon students seem to agree that traveling is very important and can be a big influence on how you live your life and what decisions you make as you grow older.

photo courtesy Clay Whipp

Features Food Reviews: Toadstool Cupcakes Kennedy Potts editor-in-chief

With popular shows such as Cupcake Girls, Cupcake Wars, and D.C. Cupcakes showing up as of late, and even our very own Cupcake Club at Sheldon, there’s no doubt that these tiny confections have become increasingly idolized over the last few years. If you find yourself drawn to the cupcake craze of popular culture like most of America has been, Toad-

stool Cupcakes should adequately satisfy your need to feed.

With two locations in Eugene, one in the University area and one downtown, Toadstool Cupcakes is ready to brighten its customers’ days with a little bit of sweetness. However, these cupcakes aren’t only good for eating. They also serve as beautiful, edible pieces of art. They sit in a display case on a bed of plastic grass, resembling tiny Super-Mario-style mushrooms.

Toadstool Cupcakes sells three varieties of cupcakes: the “Tiny Toadstool,” “The Garden Variety,” and “The Toadstool.” They all sport some arrangement of delicious cake, creamy filling, and ganache topping. Flavors range from classic favorites such as caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate, all the way to more adventurous tastes like lavender, pink champagne, and rosewater. They even offer both gluten free and vegan cupcakes, so that those with dietary restrictions can still enjoy one of their delicious treats without reservation.

The cupcakes can be a little pricey ($2.00, $3.50, and $4.50 respectively for the aforementioned types), but this can serve as a good preventer of cupcake overdose. Because once you get a taste of these treats, overindulgence becomes a very real possibility.

If you’re having a rough day, need a reward, or are simply working towards becoming a cupcake connoisseur, Toadstool Cupcakes is the ideal destination for you.

photo by Kennedy Potts

Students indulging in Toadstool Cupcakes’ sweet treats

Senioritis strikes again Micah Tamasaka graphics editor

photo by Holly Ford

With the frustrations that often accompany senior year, a bunch of students have contracted a disease known as “senioritis.” It’s quite the frightening experience in which the students break down and become insanely frustrated and stressed about what they are going to be doing after high school. Some seniors don’t have this experience, though, and that is quite an amazing thing. However, there are those who are hit so badly with senioritis that it leaves them not wanting to do anything and end up just dropping out of school or becoming terribly depressed and extremely lazy.

This is a yearly epidemic where pretty much every senior has a huge freak-out and then won’t be able to participate in most of their classes; the loss of interest in most subjects is also common. Most of the time people just grit their teeth and move on with their lives as though nothing has happened to them. However, it is extremely imperative that if

you are suffering from such a disease please go see a doctor.

If you don’t, you’re putting yourself in a very bad situation.

Even though most of the senior population will suffer from senioritis, some of them will be free from such a case and will be entirely unaffected by it. Those are the so-called elites of our society who won’t buck under the pressure of failure. We should all look up to these people and learn from them. If they were in charge then we wouldn’t have to worry about our society as a whole falling apart, which it is.

Writing so many essays for College Now Writing can really get to seniors like Dylan Malpass.

South Pacific preview Katelynn Allen staff writer

The newest premiere in Sheldon theatre is coming up this May. This premiere is called South Pacific. This play is based on a musical composed by Richard Rodgers. In 1949, the work premiered on Broadway and was an immediate hit. Rodgers believed that he and his workers could write a musical based on the work of James A. Michener, an American author with more than 40 titles, that would be successful and would send a strong progressive message on racism at the same time.

The plot centers on an American nurse who is stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II, who falls in love with a middle-aged French plantation owner, but has troubles accepting his mixed-race children. The issue of racial prejudice is sincerely explored throughout the musical.

Sophomore Takayla Johnson said, “The main character of South Pacific is Ensign Nellie Forbsush, who is played by

Shirlana Mock.” Ensign Nellie Forbush finds herself thrown into life as a military nurse on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. On this island she must tend to the wounded soldiers and keep herself and her friends entertained through the days. Johnson later added, “May 9, 10, 11, 16, and 17 will be the days that this musical plays. It will play here at Sheldon High School’s auditorium and is seven dollars for students and seniors and for adults it is ten dollars.” Takyla Johnson is a part of theatre and has been for two years now; she loves being on stage and being able to become another person.

Sophomore Alicia Froehlich is not a member of theatre but has been to a Peter Pan play before, but not for Sheldon High School. Froehlich said, “I like theatre because it is fun to watch. I think that theatre is a good way to express and experience you as a different character.” Later,

Froehlich said, “I am not interested in being in theatre due to stage fright, but I enjoy watching it. If I was interested in theatre I would probably go to more premieres and such, but I’m not as interested in it as I could be. I would love to become more interested by going to this premiere.”

This is the last premiere and musical of the 20132014 school year for Sheldon High School, so come watch and have a good start to your spring season!

6

Opinions

March 14, 2014

the Talisman

The death of net neutrality Internet freedom is yet again held in jeopardy Trisdon Zepeda staff writer I am sure most of you reading this use the internet in one form or another, being able to freely read, watch, listen to and visit any website you want to without having a big name broadband company breathing down your neck and bottle necking you into only viewing sites they want you to see while censoring the rest. Now, with Net Neutrality regulations officially dead as of last month, this is all going to change.

For those of you who don’t know, Net Neutrality is the principle that states that internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication. This essentially makes the entire internet a level playing field for every user, but companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T want to oppose this. They want to be able to control the quality of websites they don’t like (especially ones that provide any competition) and/or websites that are not willing to pay a gigantic fee to be unaffected.

Imagine the internet as a series of pipes with information and content traveling through

them. Broadband companies can provide the service of the pipes, but they are not allowed to affect the content within the pipes. Killing Net Neutrality means that companies are capable of creating information highways reserved for extremely rich website owners who are willing to pay that gigantic fee, leaving the rest of us in the slow lane. This also gives them the power to constrict the speed of individual websites, or block them all together if they can‘t afford the fee. The company Netflix has spoken out against this practice, saying that if Netflix is forced to pay more to maintain its website; it will have to increase the cost of its services. Not only will websites and other companies be screwed over, everyday people like me and you will be too. Netflix is just one of the thousands of websites that can and will be affected.

With the FCC backing down from enforcing Net Neutrality, it will be up to everyday people like me and you to stand up for what is right and defend the freedom of the internet.

No one should be allowed to completely own or regulate the internet and we need to fight to keep it that way.

Downfall of the American education system Is our education really preparing us for the world?

Ethan Hauck sports editor The American Education system is broken. “Scientia est potentia,” is a Latin phrase that means “knowledge is power.” Clearly, we have taken this statement too literally. In a system where most people don’t know how to fill out tax forms, balance a checkbook, or change a tire, we are being taught things that are, for the most part, useless. The day that as a lawyer, doctor, or mechanic, I need to analyze Robert Frost’s poetry, find the third angle in a triangle, or find when Janice’s car will hit Robert while traveling at 57.5 miles an hour is the day that hell has frozen over.

America is an extremely powerful country, yet we place far below where we should in math and science testing. A report by the Council on Foreign Relations said, “The United States invests more in K-12 public education than many other developed countries, yet U.S. students remain poorly prepared to compete with global peers. And according to a recent report by the nonprofit testing organization, ACT, only 22 percent of U.S. high school students met ‘college ready’ standards in all of their core subjects.”

Standardized testing is a commonly used tool in the American education system. Many people, students and others, have complained recently that the idea of standardized testing either doesn’t work or isn’t useful for their plans. English teacher Mr. Washburn said, “There are plenty of kids who leave Sheldon and have highly successful careers. But then there are some kids who are failed or forced in a box, so even if they were part of a

Security policies make visiting other school campuses difficult Safety protocol upsets teens who wish to visit friends who attend other schools

Ryan Enos staff writer

I have always wondered why Eugene high school students aren’t allowed on the campuses of high schools other than their own. The answer is that campus security rules are in place to prevent it.

I believe the policy should be different because it makes it much more difficult to visit friends at other high schools. Sophomore Abby Stock from Willamette High School expressed her frustration with the policy when she said, “I don’t like this rule because my friends cannot visit me from other schools.”

Junior Anthony Charter explained his displeasure regarding this ordinance. Like many Sheldon students, he has friends who attend other 4j schools and often has a hard time seeing them during his lunch hour. Charter said, “This policy makes it hard to visit my friends at other schools.”

Personally, I see why some people would not think it is a good idea to have this rule, but I also see why people would be in favor of it. A possible reason this rule was put in place is to ensure school safety. Junior Corben Huffman said, “I would like to see some leniency on this rule because not everyone is going to shoot up the school. I would be fine with campus supervision checking my ID, but not necessarily kicking me out.”

Junior Nick Larson said, “I can see why they would want to keep tight security on campus.”

One day when I went to a high school to visit my friend, I was told by campus security that I was not allowed on campus. I thought this was unfair because not all classes are allowed off campus. Since I was not allowed in and my friend was not allowed out, I could not see my friend that day. Even though I can understand the reasoning behind the rule, I would much prefer that it be removed so that situations like these will no longer be an issue.

successful education system they won’t succeed in college anyway. Sometimes it’s just not what they’re designed to do, or it’s not who they are as a person – they don’t want to go to that four year college.”

And he’s correct- not all people are designed to succeed in college, so why should they be forced to act in school as if they are going to college? Washburn continued, “That’s the main problem with standardized testing; you take it so that you can move on to the next level of education, but that’s under the massive assumption that you need to go on to that next level.”

Many students are dissatisfied by how and what we’re taught. Junior Jarod Bays said, “Instead of being taught how to do very simple and important things like doing taxes and filling out tax forms, or balancing a checkbook, we are taught how to analyze literature and read poetry for college credit.”

The American education system forces a college preparation system upon everyone, despite the fact that not all students will go to college. Out of those who do go to college, few will actually get a job in their degree field. Knowledge does not trump power, knowledge does not trump common sense, and knowledge most certainly does not trump the ability to support yourself. Knowledge is not power.

Talisman Staff Editors-in-Chief

Holly Ford Kennedy Potts

Frontpage Editor News Editor Entertainment Editor Features Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Backpage Editors

Holly Ford Noah Jang

Graphics Designer Copy Editors

Ben Ely Kennedy Potts Jarred Rogers Ethan Hauck Dylan Malpass McKinley Patrick Micah Tamasaka Ayla Bussel Sam Fox

Staff Writers Katelynn Allen Ryan Enos Jonah Jellesed Taylor Marvel Brooklyn Spencer

Austyn Cassano Jack Forrest Tanner Mitchell Noah Savage Trisdon Zepeda

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.

Sports

the Talisman

March 14, 2014

7

Crossfit- What is it?

An explanation of the popular exercise program Dylon Malpass backpage editor

Photo by McKinley Pattrick

A set of weights and exercise equipment

In a highly competitive world, athletes look for any ways they can to get ahead of the competition.

Many have turned to the revolutionary exercise routine known as CrossFit. CrossFit was invented by CEO Greg Glassman in 2000, and has grown to become a multimillion dollar international corporation with more than seven-thousand affiliated gyms across the United States. CrossFit is comprised of difficult and sometimes awkward movements, along with Olympic weight lifting techniques, gymnastic skills, and cardiovascular exercises. When

combined with high repetitions and placed on a time limit, these workouts can be killer.

Well known Sheldon CrossFit athlete Tyler Strong commented, “CrossFit is different from any other type of workout regime by the sheer fact that it is harder.” CrossFit pushes participants to the extreme both physically and mentally. This rigorous exercise gets results quickly, and creates muscle that can be utilized in everyday life. However, this level of exercise does not come without risk. Like every other sport or workout, CrossFit is not risk free exercise.

However, many injuries caused by CrossFit are due to participants performing incorrect technique.

The goal for many CrossFit athletes is to be the best they can be in multiple different areas of work.

CrossFit trains athletes to be able to lift heavy weights,

Spring sports kick off

March Madness

Highly-anticipated basketball tournament Holly Ford editor-in-chief

Many spring sports begin very soon Brooklyn Spencer staff writer Sports in general are a big deal at Sheldon, especially spring sports! Spring sports which incorporate a wide range from baseball and lacrosse to horse-back riding and pétanque, which is a sport commonly played in France. Some get more press than others, but they’re all equally important when contributing to Sheldon.

The equestrian team is made up of Anna Baird, Carly Nunez, Erika Schaulfer, Josie Burk, Daylyn Gould, and Amanda Millman, head coach Kristy Clark, and assistant coach Shelli Schaufler. They do things like showcases and compete with other schools’ equestrian teams. The equestrian team competes in things like team penning, English performance, western performance, working pairs, grand entry, drill, and jumping. The team competes mainly at the Oregon Horse Arena.

Pétanque is a sport similar to boules, where you toss heavy metal balls in order to get yours to go the farthest, but they have to roll on the ground. Pétanque is a life sport-you can play it your entire life. “The practices and competitions start after spring break.

The games generally take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they run from 4:00 to 5:15. The team plays two home games and four home games against South Eugene and Marist. Practices take place on the JV softball field,” says head coach Angela Barley.

March Madness officially begins on Sunday, March 16. It’s known as Selection Sunday and it’s the day when the NCAA College basketball tournament participants are placed, seeded according to their record and strength of schedule, and announced. Additionally, ESPN also covers selections for the woman’s tournament live on Selection Monday. 32 teams (which are division 1 champions) automatically make it into the single-elimination bracket through their specific seedings and matchups. 68 men’s teams make it into the original selection, and 64 women’s teams do as well. Most of the teams consist of ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the Pac-12.

The East Regional semifinals and finals will be held in Madison Square Garden on March 28 and 30. It has been 63 years since the tournament games have been held in New York City.

The National Championship will be aired on CBS, and the other games will be aired on various channels. Jose Alonso, teacher of Multicultural Studies, stated that he’s hoping for either a PAC-12 team or Wichita State to win it all. Alonso thinks Wichita State has a good chance at winning because they are undefeated, but at the same time he would like a team closer to home to take away the win.

The finals will be held on April 7 when the top two teams battle it out for the title of the best team in college basketball.

Sheldon swim team’s strong season finishes Thanks to coaches and skilled athletes, the Sheldon team has done well this past season Josiah Darland contributing writer For many people, football is the first to come to mind when thinking about the most successful sport at Sheldon High School; however, this idea is incorrect. For the past four years, the Sheldon swim team has won the Special District One title, while also not losing a single dual meet in the past four years.

And even more impressively, they have won more state titles than any other athletic team at Sheldon.

The district swim meet, held February 15 was

but also to be able to perform body weight and gymnastic movements. A common motto of CrossFit is “out-run a lifter, out-lift a runner.” This mentality creates athletes who are well rounded and are capable of performing almost any physical task. CrossFit creates athletes who are genuinely fit. Senior Sarah Price said “I do sports, so I wouldn’t want to double up on physical activity.”

When questioned about CrossFit, senior Bennett Peters said, “From what I understand it is a very extreme form of working out.”

Many people are intimidated by the overall mentality of CrossFit, and would never attempt it because of the difficulty level. However, for athletes looking to push themselves to the limit, or anybody just wanting to improve fitness, CrossFit is a great method to get fit and have fun.

condensed from being a six to seven hour meet to a two hour meet due to power outages in Willamalane pool, however the meet was able to be completed, and an overall winner was declared. Sheldon boys and girls both placed first overall, continuing Sheldon’s streak of district title champions.

Junior Curtis Hubbard stated, “It was sort of a bummer that the meet didn’t play out the way a high level district event should have, however a test of who could roll with the blows was a major part of the meet and we pulled it out, which was pretty sweet.” Hubbard won the 100-yard breast-stroke and was a key part in his multiple relay victories.

Sheldon swim team ended its year with several swimmers going to the state meet and quite of few placing top ten. The following years look to be promising as new swimmers come in and Scott Kerr remains at his position of head coach.

Backpage What’s up with WhatsApp? Facebook looks to regain its popularity by purchasing a new app Tanner Mitchell staff writer On February 20, 2014, Facebook purchased an application called WhatsApp for an extraordinary 19 billion dollars, which is the most any company has bought an app for. Given Facebook and WhatsApp’s strong international presence, there are many ways this move could be perceived. Some parties think Facebook was trying to expand its brand. Others think, given Facebook’s loss of popularity in the U.S., Facebook bought a popular company to regain popularity themselves.

According to CNN, WhatsApp’s users send a total of over 600 million photos per day. Facebook would be very interested in the users of WhatsApp, because, according to Business Insider, Facebook users only upload a total of just over 350 million photos per day. This acquisition also provides a great opportunity to make more money.

Facebook also eliminated a competitor.

WhatsApp is an application that shares much in common with Facebook. With WhatsApp, you can send messages to multiple people at once, upload photos, and share

your location. WhatsApp is basically another company’s attempt at creating Facebook.

Senior Chris Dunphy said, “I haven’t really heard about this. I use Facebook, and I guess my favorite feature is chat.” Surprisingly, not many people have heard about Facebook purchasing WhatsApp. Given the seemingly enormous price tag, one would think this would be a widely known move.

Statistics prove that WhatsApp has move active users than Facebook. Now that WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, the question on everyone’s mind is: will Facebook be

able to make a comeback as the number one social networking site in the world?

Many people have set up accounts on sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and others, along with WhatsApp. Some people have accounts on Facebook, but aren’t very active on the site. What remains to be seen if WhatsApp can give Facebook a lift they have been very much longing for.

Fashion trends come back from previous eras Recent trends turn out to be more dated than one would guess Sam Fox copy editor

High-waisted shorts, cut-off shirts, and pegged jeans; these are just a few of the fashion trends that are beginning to pop up again. However, these trends aren’t new in any way. A lot of trends that have been seen around recently have been used from previous eras, such as the 80s pegged pants and highw a i s t e d shorts and the 70s maxi dresses and animal print jackets.

Trends from different eras have a way of repeating themselves, but there aren’t a lot of people who understand why they repeat.

Junior Kaelin Kane, “Converse used to be huge back at my middle school, then suddenly nobody was wearing them anymore.

[That was] when Vans came into style. Now, [Converse] are [becoming popular] again, along with bohemian styles that used to be popular in the less watered down version that we have now.”

Fashion has changed both significantly and insignificantly over the years, and nowadays fashion can be drawn from previous eras. Junior Hollie Irwin said that her favor-

ite fashion era was “the roaring 20’s! I love the dresses the flapper girls wore at parties, like the ones in The Great Gatsby.”

Of course, style often changes depending upon where you live. For some people on the East Coast or on the other side of the world, fashion trends may never change or never repeat themselves. Irwin added, “I’m not sure [about fashion in other places] since I’ve only ever lived in Eugene, but in places where it is warm all the time, I would assume that there, warmweather fashion is more developed than it is here.”

Fashion can be different for different people even living in the same area. Irwin said, “I try mostly to make my own style; like instead of having white converse, I have purple ones. Or instead of wearing a flannel with a jacket, I’ll wear a graphic t-shirt.”

Sophomore Mary Calhoun said, “Fashion is an expression and I feel that a lot of people have lost sight of that.

Fashion is attitude. Fashion is your personality. You’ve got to walk the walk to talk the talk.” Calhoun later added, “Fashion is for people who don’t play by the rules.”

“Fashion is an expression and I feel like a lot of people have lost sight of that.”

-sophomore Mary Calhoun

Students show off different footwear trends.

Photo by: McKinley Patrick

Bieber may have crossed the line for the last time The pop singer’s latest offense may be getting him a one-way-ticket back to Canada Noah Savage staff writer The Canadian singer Justin Bieber is a 20-year-old from Canada and has recently been allegedly involved in a lot of illegal activities. There are many people who want him arrested; others want him deported.

Sophomore Jacob Zoller has heard of Bieber, but doesn’t really care what happens to him. “People want him deported because he’s an idiot,”

Zoller said. Bieber is an idol in the opinion of many people, but recently he has been involved in a lot of trouble and has been a bad influence.

There is an online petition asking that Bieber be deported. Sophomore Josh Meiners is not a big fan of Bieber. “Yes, I signed the petition,” said Meiners. “I think he is a bad influence because he is leading young people to believe that crime is okay,” said

Meiners. A lot of people are staying loyal to Bieber even after all the trouble he has gotten into. “He should stay in prison until he learns [to act better],” concluded Meiners.

Sophomore Chris Alben is not too big of a fan of Bieber; “He is a bad influence because he has been arrested many times and gotten in trouble [a lot].” Alben later added, “I do think he should get sent back to Canada because of all the trouble he has caused.”

In conclusion, many people think Bieber should be sent back to Canada. The online petition already has 200,000 signatures and counting.