Talisman vol 60 iss 3 February 2, 2023

The Evolution of Honors

Sofia Kokkino page editor

Academics are a core value for many students attending Sheldon. From Honors and AP classes to the IHS program, there are many options that can increase your chances of getting recognized by colleges and universities. Despite this, there has been discussion about 4j switching up one of our Honors classes. The class that would be altered would be the freshman Honors geography class. The idea is that the Honors geography class would be integrated into the freshman regular history class. Students and teachers would be severely impacted by this change and there is not much that anyone can do about it.

The idea of this plan is that students in regular classes would feel more encouraged to join the Honors kids because they are all in the same class. While the thought behind this plan would be to increase equity among students, there are aspects of this plan that would create more problems than solutions. Teacher Ms. Youngblood has been a strong voice surrounding the conversation of the honors class switch: “This change would only make things more difficult, especially for the teachers. Now, we will have to make two separate lesson plans and have to work with completely different demographics.” Youngblood raises good points that the administration hasn’t fully considered. If kids who are not in honors classes see their fellow classmates doing different, more rigorous coursework, in

theory, those kids would feel more encouraged to do honors. This is what the district believes would happen with the integration of the honors and regular classes. Junior Cooper Benson, who is in comprehensive classes, chimed in with his thoughts on this program integration: “It depends on who is taking the class. If my friends are taking the class, I might feel more encouraged to take a harder load, but if it’s people who I don’t know, I probably wouldn’t take it.”

The opinion that this might not be the best idea is a popular one among not only students, but also teachers. History teacher Mr. Riley has the same input as Ms. Youngblood: “The new form of this class would make tasks much harder for teachers along with students. Now, the teachers will have to write up different lesson plans and the students might not feel like they have the same community that they would in a class of either all regular students or honors students.” Overall, the school has the right idea, but maybe not the best execution. Next year will be a new wave of either increased overall success or a chaotic mistake.

Shifting to Semesters

Sydney Potter page editor

The trimester schedule has been utilized by Sheldon for ten years now. Recently, 4j has reviewed how this structure is working for students, and whether changes should be implemented to see an increase in success. The school district and the Eugene Education Association (EEA) have been collaboratively evaluating the common trimester schedule, and recently have revealed that the trimester system will be changed to semesters during the 2023-2024 school year. There are many different opinions among the students. Some think the switch will be “unnecessary,” while others are excited for the new change. Senior Ayoni Nunley said, “I think it’s going to be hard for the current junior class having to switch three years of trimesters to suddenly going to semesters, but I believe it’ll be a change they can handle.”

Students who plan to take Honors/AP classes next year are speculating if the workload will either change or stay the same as previous years. Many have fears that, because the class periods are being lengthened, the teachers will

assign extra work to keep their students busy. Junior Brenya Hegy said, “My friends that take AP classes say the workload isn’t that hard, but I would say having more homework than necessary being assigned could stray some people away from taking them.”

With Honors/AP teachers being accustomed to the trimester schedule, they too could have trouble with the change. Lesson plans that they have been using for years will need to be revised, which could lead to some confusion in the first year of the switch. “I don’t think it’s going to affect the students as much as the staff,” said Hegy.

With the surplus of opinions from all of the Sheldon students, it looks like the majority are not too excited for this switch. Junior Raegyn Miller said, “I don’t think this is a good change to make and it is going to be hard for students to adapt to it.” Based on the responses that the students provided, it can be inferred that the switch up from trimesters to semesters might cause more anxiety than necessary.

graphic

by Sofia Kokkino

photo illustration by Sofia El-Shammaa

Electives Wishlist

Will Haverland staff writer

Going into the 2023-24 school year Sheldon is moving from trimesters to semesters. This raises some questions among students, such as what new classes students want and how the new scheduling will work. Junior Seth McEwen said, “I think it would be cool to see classes related to woodworking and outdoor activities.” These types of classes could be very popular and a great new addition to the school teaching kids useful life skills.

As the Coffee Cart has gained lots of popularity this year, there is potential for an extension of the Cart to be more oriented around food instead of drinks.

Junior Ethan Matteson

loves the Coffee Cart and visits it often. Matteson stated, “I think food in the coffee cart would be really cool. They could serve frozen food as well as make some of their own.” The school could profit tremendously from this and it would be an exciting new class.

Finally, for students at Sheldon who are in advanced classes, what other College Now classes would students like to see? Senior E.J Peterson said, “I would like to see classes based around government and general knowledge of our country.” Sheldon needs these types of classes for students because they need to be informed about how the government works and other information around the topic.

Sheldon Budget Breakdown

Sofia El-Shammaa

For years, Sheldon has been known as a ‘sports school’ in the 4j districts. This year alone, Sheldon has made it to quarterfinals for girls’ soccer, the finals for football, and won the state championship for volleyball, with other schools in the district being knocked out in the first few rounds. Although Sheldon’s athletic prowess may be a point of pride for many students, some are concerned about the amount of money that is funnelled into sports programs-- or, more precisely, the lack of money being funnelled into arts programs, like theatre and choir.

This is not without reason. Sheldon has a budget of $227,841.64, according to the district. However, that does not include money for athletics. Sheldon receives a $217,438 athletic stipend; almost equal to the total discretionary budget. So, what about those arts programs? What about theatre? Well, most years, the theatre department relies heavily on donations. The exact amount, “depends on the show. This year we’re receiving a grant, which means I don’t have to worry as much,” said theatre director Megan Perdue. As for the support from the school? Perdue said, “We receive a small amount of money from the school every year.”

Other programs, such as the yearbook, newspaper, and printmaking combined make a fraction of the athletic stipend ($5,689.41). That is approximately 2.5% of the athletic stipend. However, it is important to remember that the athletic stipend covers all sports, not just three classes. To be fair, those classes run for more than a season, with newspaper and yearbook running all year, and printmaking being available for two out of three terms.

All of this, of course, is not including other fundraising efforts. Booster clubs are required to register as 501(c), or a nonprofit, and raise money for whatever organization or club they choose to sponsor. The choir is planning to start a booster club “because we’re expanding,” said Perdue.

Money in the athletic stipend does not cover the money paid to the teachers for extra time, if they coach or advise an extracurricular activity like Associated Student Body, band, newspaper, etc. Those are included in the staff salaries.

Additionally, while $227,841.64 is the total discretionary budget, it

is not all of the money Sheldon uses. According to Lisa Fjordbeck, an operations coordinator at the superintendent’s office, “The school also gets other funds to pay for activities including student body funds, grants, private purpose trust funds, and donations. The total budgeted all funds funding for Sheldon HS is $9,894,464 for this fiscal year, the bulk of this being teacher and staff salaries/benefits.”

It’s a fairly common complaint that teachers don’t get paid enough. “I feel bad, because they work a lot and then don’t get paid anything,” said sophomore Morgan Lansing, who currently plans to be an English teacher.

On the low end, in 4j, a teacher who works 191 days can earn as little as $42,336. If that teacher

were the sole breadwinner in a family of three, that family would be under the 175% poverty line. While the 175% poverty line may seem passable, it’s not. Since individual states do not have their own poverty lines, this applies to all states - including ones with a substantially lower average income. Additionally, the family would fall under the Oregon Expanded Income Guideline, which is a statefunded school meal program that assists families who do not qualify for federal reduced/free meals. That being said, there are many factors that affect a teacher’s salary, including education level, if they participate in extra duties (coaching, advising, etc), and years worked. A teacher who participates in extra duties and works 194 days could earn as much as $84,457; nearly double the lowest amount.

photo editor

graphics by Natalie Kaiser

Why Gender Neutral Bathrooms are Important

Delaney Iddings staff writer

Gender neutral bathrooms are seen as a safe, accepting place for students who don’t feel comfortable using the women’s or men’s bathroom. Students at Sheldon should feel comfortable when using bathrooms that are provided and the gender neutral bathroom is a way that all students are supported in their identities and have a safe place to use the bathroom. Students shouldn’t have to be scared when they go to use the bathroom; they should feel safe enough in their identities. Students should not have to be harassed every time they decide they need to use the bathroom, they shouldn’t be scared to use their safe bathroom space, and they should feel that staff and students, as a community, support them within their identity.

Senior Sage Pomlee-Solar painted the gender neutral bathroom in the main building last year. Pomlee-Solar painted the restroom to make it feel more welcoming to people so they chose to do blue instead of the beige color it was before. They added a mini

mural and put their hand print on it as a signature but then started to add more handprints on the walls because the bathroom is everyone’s space.

Pomlee-Solar feels very strongly about the use of the gender neutral bathroom and feels that anyone should have access to it; however, because Sheldon only has one here, during passing periods it’s hard to use it. Pomlee-Solar said, “During the passing period, if I needed to use the bathroom, I would have to wait in a line of four people and there’s not an alternative to that. However, it is safer to use than any other place on campus for students.”

Pomlee-Solar does not feel that they are a target when it comes down to using the restroom, however, they have seen it happen: “Personally I’m known enough around the school as the person who painted the bathroom and someone who uses the bathroom regularly, so I haven’t gotten that, but I have seen it. People make comments like: ‘They’re waiting to use the gay bathroom’ and I will shut it down.” Throughout the past two years there has been a lot of abuse done to this restroom and people have graffitied the bathroom many times.

Pomlee-Solar said, “I think people who don’t see it as a safe haven see it as something to exploit by graffiti and the people who do drugs in this bathroom. However, this does happen in all of the bathrooms. I scrub the wet toilet paper off the ceilings and I scrub off the graffiti in the bathroom.”

Sophomore Bee Looper believes that they are safe in their identity when they use the gender neutral restroom: “I feel like having a place to go when you don’t identify yourself and are neutral in your gender identity is an easier place to use and you don’t have to explain yourself.” Looper used to use this restroom a lot their freshman year when they were figuring out how they identify themselves, but have stopped using it since then. Looper said, “I’ve only used it for the first

and once I started figuring myself out racking when people are around but

restroom.”

Senior Kai Zollman, who exclusively uses the gender neutral bathroom and believes this is a safe place for him to use during school. Zollman said, “The bathroom has definitely been great for me, ever since coming out and dressing more like a ‘typical’ man.” However, Zollman has had an experience that made him feel unsafe using this restroom: “On Halloween people were banging on the door and kicking the door and when I walked out it was a big group of people crowing the door. I had to push past them to get through but it was weird because they didn’t say anything and none of them went into the bathroom.”

This restroom has continuously been misused by students of all grades and it has been more prominent last year and some of this year. Zollman said, “The people abusing the bathroom aren’t even the people that need them; it’s usually students (cisgender) who use it to take shots for fifteen minutes during passing periods or to vape and stuff are getting in the way of people like me who really need to pee and go back to class.”

graphics by Natalie Kaiser

The Various Programs at Sheldon and How Students Feel About Them

Caedin Brown staff writer

Sheldon offers lots of programs to help students find their place. There may be other sorts of programs or opportunities that Sheldon doesn’t currently offer that students could want. Everyone feels different about the programs offered at Sheldon. Junior Ryan Borneman said, “They’re okay.”

Freshman Brielle Brown said, “I absolutely love Sheldon’s programs.” I think they are a great way to get involved in the community and the school as a whole. I like how they offer programs that meet all different kids’ needs and interests.”

Sophomore Eli Turanski said, “In my experience Sheldon does not have the variety of experience compared to other schools. Sheldon’s programs do not cater as much to individuals looking to enroll in a trade school or rather a higher education.”

Lots of students attend Sheldon every year and every

experience students have is different depending on the person. Borneman said, “I feel that I can get my needs met at Sheldon.”

Brown answered, “I absolutely feel like the programs do. I feel like they offer an outlet for kids in mental health but at the same time offer a voice into academic studies and clubs.”

Turanski said, “ Not really, the big decisions about scheduling [trimesters to semesters] and programs [IHS, Honors, SI] seem to be pre determined by the administration and board.”

It can sometimes feel as if it is a requirement to go to college, even though some students don’t plan on going to college. Borneman said, “I do wish there were more programs for people who don’t plan on going to college, but overall I don’t really care.”

Turanski said, “My brother John Turanski struggled to find a program that catered to his personal desires but eventually discovered Future Build program through LCC”. The future build program is a program that

primarily focuses on students who want to work in the construction field in the future, teaching them skills and giving them experience in that field.

Students all have different skill sets and levels of being involved with school. Borneman’s overall involvement with school is, “not very much; just in the standard school experience.”

Brown said, “I would consider myself very involved with school; I’m currently involved in Art Club, Key Club, ASB and I enjoy spending my time in honors classes.”

Turanski said, “Minimally, I am very busy outside of school hours and have very little time to complete homework and my daily activities.”

There’s lots of programs already at Sheldon but there could be more specific programs to help more students from all backgrounds and also pathways that they plan to go down in the future.

The History of Sheldon High School

Laela Dawson staff writer

In 1963 Sheldon High School was built. It was the third high school in the area. Business teacher Les Phillipo started his high school years here at Sheldon. He matriculated in 1987 and graduated in 1991. Before the mid 80s, Sheldon used to only have three grades 10th, 11th, and 12th. Around the time Phillipo started, the transition from three grades to four grades had begun.

On the topic of change, Phillipo said, “This place has changed, it’s changed a lot. Our student population is a lot more diverse now. But we have become really good at certain things, you know, everything has an ebb and flow to it and ups and downs.”

Phillipo said that he wishes there were some things done differently. He said, “I think we could do better overall with some stuff like safety, security, mental health and stuff like that. And unfortunately, I don’t think we do as good of a job as we could or hopefully can soon.” He feels we’re making steps in the right direction.

“The way life is now is different from what it used to be. I still think we have been improving on things, culturally

and inclusivity and diversity wise, but I think there’s some things that we still need to make some strides and it’s going to take some time.”

Phillipo feels technology has advanced a lot, therefore improving Sheldon. Phillipo said, “Back in the day we had small labs of a few computers here and there, and that was it. So technology has come a long way and that’s a neat deal. But technology also causes some distractions and problems as well. So that’s both good and bad.”

When Philipo attended Sheldon, the football team did not play home games because Sheldon didn’t have a proper field. They finally had their first home game in 2000. “2002 is when we had our first state championship After playing 57 pro league games in a row and losing a state championship in 2001.”

When English teacher Jeremy Washburn started working here in 2001 the principal was Doug Smith, who stayed for one whole year, and then Dr. Bob Bolden became the principal. He was the principal for seventeen years until he retired.

Washburn said, “Sheldon is better than it used to be. The school was a lot smaller when I started here. And the classes

were really cramped, like teachers couldn’t even stay in their classroom for a prep period. They had to go somewhere else because their classroom had to be used.”

Washburn said, “When we built the science wing, it turned a lot of our other science classrooms into regular classrooms and created a lot of new space for us.” According to Washburn, that made spacing problems a lot easier for the teachers, and students.

Tyler Martell started at Sheldon High School in 2004 as a student. Funny enough, Mr. Jeremy Washburn actually taught him. Martell graduated in 2008 and started coaching for Sheldon right after that. Martell was only a coach at Sheldon until 2014, when he was offered a teaching position. After that he continued to coach and teach.

Martell feels that it’s hard to pinpoint changes in Sheldon, he said, “The nature of our world is always changing.” Martell said that, “COVID stuff definitely puts a wrinkle in everyone’s nature of school and themself.” Yet he feels that now we’re kind of getting back to that kind of “normalcy.”

Martell feels that the demographics at Sheldon have changed in a good way from before. which he feels is a good thing. Martell said, “If you look back to 15-20 years ago, Sheldon was kind of quote ‘the rich white

school,’ which I think is not a good thing.” Yet he thinks that Sheldon is a lot more open now that it’s one of the most diverse schools in our area.

Martell said, “It’s more of an inclusive place than it used to be.” He feels that Sheldon used to be more, “cliquey and kind of separate.” He feels that it has improved in their culture and does a better job of trying to get everyone a place where they feel safe and comfortable.

Sheldon Celebrates Black History Month

Natalie Barnett staff writer

Black History Month was created in 1986 and congress decided February would be “National Black (Afro American) History Month.” The person who made Black History Month was Carter G. Woodson. Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia, and died April 3, 1950, in Shaw, Washington. He was an American historian , author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. With Woodson’s dedication to showing the contributions of Black Americans, in 1926 he started Negro History Week on the second week of February. 60 years

later Negro History Week turned into Black History Month.

Sophomore Westley Johnson thinks Black History Month is important not only to point out the fact that Black people have done good things like any other race, but it also “reminds people that yes, racism is still a thing that happens in the world.” With there still being huge issues like this, it is important to acknowledge the faults of those issues. For example, 53% convicts who were found guilty, convicted, and later proven innocent were black. This percentage is nearly four times bigger than the population of Black Americans,

which is 13.6%. Johnson also said, “The racism that happens in the world cannot just be ignored.”

Social studies teacher Mary Youngblood-Lee thinks that it is important for people to know about different ethnicities, and to know “information about contributing members of society from varying backgrounds.” As of February 2023, there are laws in some states banning or limiting talk about race and discrimination in schools. 37 states have introduced measures for this, and 14 states have actually placed laws for these restrictions. This has caused some teachers to either quit, be fired, or walk on eggshells for fear of being terminated. While Oregon is not one of the states,

Youngblood-Lee wasn’t aware that states were having this limitation. She went on to say, “If we are doing our jobs correctly, which most teachers do not, we would focus on all groups, skin colors, etc. as it deals with the subject matter they are teaching. But as long as we have teachers who don’t see an issue teaching things like ‘pros’ of slavery and refer to non-white skinned people as the ‘losers’ in the world, I guess things like Black History Month will be necessary.”

The restrictions in states, such as states like Idaho and Alabama, will only make it worse. This isn’t going to help with the racism that is still a major problem and this also restricts kids and teens from learning about Black history.

photo by Sydney Potter

Sheldon in 1999

Sheldon today

Miss Indigenous Pageant

Ivy Davis staff writer

University of Oregon senior Angela Noah of the Apache tribe was crowned the university’s Miss Indigenous in 2020. She has held this position since then and will remain crowned until this spring, when they plan to pass along their title to another indigenous woman at the third annual UO Miss and, recently added, Mr. Indigenous Royalty Court. Noah explained that pageants have been a significant aspect of their life due to growing up with tribal pageantry organized by her family members. They clarify that indigenous pageants are much different from standardized beauty pageants, such as Miss America. American pageants are predominantly white and contestants are judged based on physical appearance, while indigenous pageants are more culturally focused: “They have categories where you’re judged based on how well you know your language, how well you can speak it, if you’re culturally informed and if you know the stories told within your tribe.”

When asked to define the message that Noah’s community is trying to convey, she explained that her community has been greatly affected by the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). They say that many people in their community know someone who was a part of the MMIW and that it is a very sensitive and personal topic. Noah expressed that people typically only want to start paying attention to indigenous women after they’re gone. A goal of hers is to amplify indigenous women’s voices, in order to engage people with indigenous communities and raise awareness of MMIW. One way that Noah motivates people to pay indigenous women greater attention is through the display of her culture throughout campus. Noah said, “I will wear my camp dress and moccasins and I’ll walk into a room and I can immediately see everyone perk up, and I like that because I feel like they feel the power of my people and they know that an Apache woman is here and present.” This powerful message has brought more attention to her cause and community.

Noah and their peers at the university’s Miss Indigenous Pageant have organized many functions to uplift native voices. However, they consider one of the most impactful events to be the protest against the pioneer statues that stood on the U of O campus three years ago. The thirteen-foot-tall pioneer statue known as “the father” was located in front of Johnson Hall and “the mother” statue was located behind that building. The pioneer father statue depicted a man holding a whip in his right hand. This statue was built with the intention of commemorating the land that was found and the history of how the campus and Eugene as a whole came to be. Noah said, “It was completely whitewashing and disregarding indigenous history.” This statue failed to acknowledge the original founders of the land, which in this case was the Kalapuya tribe.

There were protests between classes to demand that the statues be taken down. Noah recalls that she was getting ready to attend a riot protesting the statues when she was notified that the statues had been knocked off of their pedestals. The father pioneer had been chained up and dragged up the steps to the entrance of Johnson Hall. This was deliberately done to convey a message to the university that they shouldn’t have ignored the native students’ protests. These influential actions have significantly improved the native American experience on the university campus.

Elite Oregon Girls Exposed

Brady Rust page editor

On December 5, 2022, Eric Watkins stepped down from his position with Elite Oregon Girls, an organization founded on highlighting and publicizing teenage girls’ sports within the state of Oregon. The company he founded and worked for up until then, EOG, uses three words to describe their purpose: “Inspire, Motivate, Support.” Despite this promise, they permitted Watkins, a man in his late 20’s, to utilize his connections with the company to engage in inappropriate conversations with teenage girls. Watkins was banned from a school district in Salem in May of 2022 for making parents and students uncomfortable, but other schools in Oregon took no action. By allowing Watkins access to schools and encouraging communication between him and minors after concerns were brought forward, the EOG and various Oregon schools seem to be “inspiring, motivating, and supporting” child predators, rather than the young women they pledged themselves to.

Although Watkins said he was inspired to cover high school sports for girls due to the little representation they get in media, his motives were sadly fueled by his unprofessional interest in teenagers. Within his farewell article, Watkins wrote, “It seems that many have forgotten it is a lone person holding up the forefront for girls sports coverage.” This lack of coverage on women’s sports created an opportunity for Watkins to gain a following and, unfortunately, use his position to make connections with young girls. In response to this excerpt from Watkins’ article, junior Sheah Yi, who has played for the Sheldon girls lacrosse team in the past, believes that, “It is incredibly disappointing that there will be a rare chance of someone covering Oregon women’s high school sports because they genuinely care about our representation.” The result of Watkins’ actions lead Yi to think that Watkins has caused far more harm than good in our community, and that all we can do is hope he receives the punishment he deserves, or any punishment at all.

Watkins made many controversial media posts prior to the creation of EOG, and these posts should’ve prevented his platform from even gaining traction in the first place. Watkins said his mission was to help young women in sports, but he is against women’s rights regarding abortion. These posts made by Watkins do not support girls or give them a voice, which contrasts the whole purpose of the EOG. Noting Watkins’ background, junior Alexa Burger, a member of the Sheldon Colleens, said, “ I think school districts should direct more safety measures towards female sports in high schools. Having background checks for anyone who wants to photograph or record women’s sports could make the players feel more comfortable.” It is evident that the school districts of Oregon could have done more to protect their high school athletes, a simple social media search could’ve prevented the disaster that EOG has become.

The aftermath of Watkins’ actions has left many female athletes scared for their safety within their sports. Junior Olivia Gilhuber said, “This situation alone would not deter me from playing high school sports, but it would make me more wary of who is attending these games and events.” Watkins’ use of his power and voice to manipulate young athletes tarnished the reputation of Oregon media publicity surrounding high school girls sports and negatively affected the many young athletes he came into contact with. Watkins still has his media credentials and could continue his ‘work’ in another state where his past actions would be unknown. The safety of young athletes around the country is at risk as long as Watkins is able to continue his work regarding high school sports.

Students Who Make Music

Kamani Melton-Winger staff writer

A lot of people dream of being an artist, but most people don’t ever get the chance to make music. That is different for junior Tyler Minson, who has been making music since the summer of 2020. Artists that inspire Minson are J. Cole and Baby Keem because they are legends to him. Minson just does music for fun as well as to relax and be creative. “My music is a mix of real and not; I won’t say what’s what,” said Minson

about his lyrics being real.

Minson’s style of music is Rap/R&B and he first started making music when he was fourteen. Minson’s favorite song that he has made is “YouKnowMyBody.” “It is so iconic,” said Minson. A concert is something Minson would love to do in the future when he gets better and releases more music. He has no music videos but he would like to make some. Minson records from his friends’ houses using a setup he and his team carry around.

Some advice Minson has for anyone trying to make music is to “start messing around on GarageBand and see what you can come up with, and to have patience because it takes time to get right.” Minson has thought about expanding genres, but still staying with Rap/R&B. He chose his rap name “Lil TyTy” because when someone first called him that he knew it represented him very well. Minson only releases music on Soundcloud, but is working on expanding to more mainstream services in the future.

graphic by Natalie Kaiser

Conspiracies & Coincidences

Kayla Barber staff writer

Ghosts, spirits, coincidences, and conspiracies are conversation starters for a specific group of people. Senior Omar Nashawi stated, “I don’t think ghosts exist in the way we think about them, and I don’t think there are any in the school.”

As of August 30, 2022, 59% of Americans do not believe in ghosts so Nashawi’s skepticism is well justified.

Senior Josiah Flug believes in spirits, but not ghosts. He claims that he has “felt the presence of a relative who has passed away.” This is a very common feeling most people have after a loved one has passed away. Is it the person’s presence the mourning feel, or is it a coincidence? That is up to the person who felt it.

On the topic of conspiracies, Nashawi said, “I do not believe in coincidences. I don’t think that anything happens just because of luck; there are always going to be factors that influence any situation.” Conspiracies are a very sticky topic; some people believe that everything happens for a reason and some people believe the complete opposite.

So, are ghosts real or fake? Theater director Megan Purdue does not believe in ghosts but she does follow the “ghost light rule.” She claimed she doesn’t “know why I do it, but I do because it is a universal theater thing.” Almost every theater has a ‘ghost light’ - a single light that only comes on when nobody is in theater and all the other lights are off. The reason people do this is because people believe it keeps ghosts away.

Sheldon’s Car Culture

Victoria Wolf & Noah Steeves copy editor & staff writer

If you’ve ever walked to lunch and heard a car racing past, there’s a good chance it’s a student who is part of the car community. Sheldon’s car scene is a small community of students who take driving a car to school to a whole new level. These students take a basic car and add performance modifications to make their cars run faster, better, and louder. Some keep it simple, while others go full out and create a car they’ve only dreamed of driving.

Senior Kelsi Reents has been part of the car community for over two years. She used to drive a stanced, static 2018 Honda Civic. A stanced car is lowered so much the frame drags and the suspension has negative camber. Reents explained that her car “was mainly stock, lowered on BC Racing Extreme low coilovers, catback exhaust, three piece VsKf wheels, and lots of other small things that made it look/sound good.” She had fun with having a stance car, but has since switched it up. “After much cringe of scraping the ground and the stress of always trying to avoid potholes I cracked my oil pan and decided that stance was really not what I enjoyed.”

Since her days with the Civic are over, she now focuses on achieving the car of her dreams. Reents said, “I fixed the car in my garage and decided to get something new If you know me, you know I love BMW’s and going fast on back roads, so what better than to get an M3? So that’s what I did, I sold my Honda, financed an E46 M3, and oh man do I love it.” Through cars, Reents has matured to find what she wants to build instead of building what the internet wants to see.

Like many others, Reents agrees that social media has a toxic role in the car community. Reents said, “A majority of the car community is building their car based on a fear of hate. I think a lot of us have forgotten why we are even into cars in the first place and it’s easy to lose motivation or to really be happy with where your car is at, regardless if it’s finished or not.” Social media is projecting the idea that cars have to be showroom ready and perfect all the time. The idea of perfection that social media presents of cars is

what makes people not enjoy their car, even if they are still in the process of building it. Continuing, Reents said, “Social media has not only divided our community, but it’s also actively destroying it.”

Senior Ty Heinze prefers a more classic style of car. Heinze is a Datsun purist, and starting in November of 2021, he got into buying old, rusted 280zs and restoring them back to stock. He was led into the easy misconception that old cars are easy to work on, “I’ve never worked on old cars before and I’ve always heard they were super easy to work on. So I thought. I soon learned that is not the case.” Nissans, especially old ones, are some of the hardest cars to work on, but that didn’t discourage Heinze.

Even with this love-hate relationship with his Datsuns, Heinze still enjoys them. “I personally just love driving them and enjoying it for what it is.” As fun as cars are, they create a lot of issues and hard work for the owner. Heinze said, “And as far as how I got them, it is from working hard and having a lot of debt.” Even with the ups and downs of owning a classic car, Heinze will always come back to his Datsuns.

Like Heinze, Senior Owen Oliver also enjoys retro cars. He daily drives a 1996 BMW 328is that he purchased in 2021 and has been building ever since. He has worked hard to update crucial parts in his car like overhauling the entire cooling system because BMW’s are “known to overheat,” according to Oliver. Oliver paid $7000 for his car, but it was ultimately worth it thanks to his vision of a drift build. “I’m building my car for myself because I don’t care about other people’s opinions or cars for that matter. I just like making my car drive the way I want it to,” stated Oliver.

Owning a car can be an investment, but to some Sheldon students, every penny is worth it to drive a car that they love. Next time that you hear a car racing down Willakenzie Street, just remember the work and devotion that person driving it has put in. Sheldon’s car scene will continue to grow, as long as there are new drivers who love to drive their cars, no matter what others think.

Senior Ty Heinze’s Datsun 280Z.

photo courtesy of Ty Heinze

graphic by Natalie Kaiser

LtR: Victoria Wolf’s Mazda 3, Kelsi Reents’ Honda Civic, Noah Steeves’ Honda Civic.

Discussing Sexual Harassment at Sheldon

Anica Smith page editor

Sexual assault and harassment occurs more often than people would like to think, especially in high schools. This issue is present across the world, including in our very own Sheldon High School. Sophomore Alexandra Kubu said, “I know too many people who have been sexually assaulted at Sheldon and we can’t keep ignoring the problem.” She included the fact that the victims she knows of are all girls. Elaborating, she thinks the problem at Sheldon isn’t dealt with as effectively as it could be, particularly pointing out that there hasn’t been serious consequences given to those responsible for assault or harassment. Junior Ulises Ruiz Lopez stated, “I would like the administration to respond to the issue immediately because if we don’t do anything about it immediately, it could get more out of hand and keep happening, and it would

just get worse and worse.” The issue of sexual violence is not something that can continue to be brushed aside, especially in a high school setting. About one in six women are victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime and for men, it’s about one in thirty-three, making it undeniable that women experience more sexual violence than men, at least based on given reports. But is there a reason why so many women are targets of sexual violence? Kubu stated, “Girls are especially seen and viewed, and unconsciously viewed as weaker I guess, so people can think it’s easier to take advantage of them.” Likewise, senior Kenna Drews expanded on the issue of targeting girls at our school, stating, “...there’s a lot of sexualizing of women and girls by a lot of the guys here. I hear guys calling girls names and cat calling them in the hallways.”

Unfortunately, the stigma and

stereotypes that surround sexual assault and harassment are unavoidable. What we learn, hear, and talk about, not just at school, but in our households, with friends and family, social media, etc., is having a huge impact on our views of crucial issues in the world. This can make it difficult to address and discuss the seriousness of sexual violence, but providing more education on the topic could be helpful. Ruiz Lopez voiced that, “...we need to get more educated on the topic because it’s a big issue going on in general, around the world.” Talking more about Erin’s Law, consent, and just sexual violence in general throughout the school year could possibly help break the stigma revolving around assault and harassment and help to raise more awareness.

Sheldon as a whole, including the staff and student body, should strive to create a safe environment for

Incorporating Inclusive Sex Education

Mia Steinbaugh staff writer

Although it should be, sex education is often a class that is not taken seriously. It is a class that should be implemented as a part of every health curriculum. The content has grown over the years, but it is still focused predominantly on heteronormative interactions and excludes a large part of the population who identify as LGBTQ+. Not including this group leaves this demographic at a disadvantage and more at risk. During these courses these students may feel like they are the minority within these class discussions.

A common complaint regarding sex ed curriculum is that it is very biased and only touches on heterosexual sex. As an anonymous source stated, “Gay sex is always made into a joke.”

This Sheldon student said they feel left out and uncomfortable during the class. They described the classroom environment as “being very straight sex oriented.” They also added, “A lot of times in class, people make fun of gay sex and make many hurtful jokes about it.”

Additionally, within the curriculum,

abstinence is typically pushed, instead of how to stay safe. In some schools and households, religion plays a big role in this topic. This same source shared that in their household, sex is a taboo topic that is avoided and “religion does play a role, in which abstinence is always the main message. It affects how people think.” This is a problem in society because if the topic of sex is avoided and is viewed as a negative thing, young people may not be prepared to keep themselves safe when the time comes. While sex ed has evolved in positive ways over the years, it has a lot of room to grow. Consent is a subject that needs to be added to the curriculum. This same student added that stigma around this topic needs to be reduced so that people are not emotionally isolated or harmed. When discussing concepts that should be included in the curriculum, they said, “Stigma needs to be reduced. I would also like to see the district add queer or more welcoming and understanding teachers.” The class is very surface level and needs to be a bit more in-depth, especially in topics that are non-heteronormative. Finally, they touched on the fact that contraceptives other than male condoms are not talked about or offered at Sheldon.

survivors of sexual violence. Kubu said, “Students as a collective should be calling other students out who are in the wrong, involving the issue of assault and harassment.” Additionally, being considerate of how victims could possibly respond to their experiences is important because as Drews opened up about her story and voiced that she’s a victim of sexual assault, she stated, “... it’s one of the hardest things to come back from.” Drews also said, “A lot of the time it affects [victims’] mental health and how we think of ourselves.” Putting in effort to create a safe space for the victim to talk, being there for them when they need it, and providing resources for students and survivors, could potentially benefit the school environment and reporting process. However, it is crucial to understand that every victim’s experience is different; sexual assault and harassment is anything but universal.

Sheldon teacher and GSA facilitator Kate Tierney built on this and said, “I have never heard about condoms being available to students. Around 2007, we used to have a functioning health department as part of the school and this was a place students could go to get sports physicals, prescriptions, STD testing and condoms, but now I don’t know who students would go to if they needed support.”

Even though sex education has room for improvement, it has evolved significantly over the years. Tierney described her personal experience

during the 90s very negatively: “We just learned that girls were victims. Although I don’t know what is currently taught, I would hope that safety is the main message and there is an understanding that students should not feel pressured into having sex when they are not ready.” In schools’ education about sex, sex is often viewed as a bad thing, but as Tierney stated, “It should be about empowerment and affirming people’s experiences and desires and normalizing sex. It should also be about respecting other people’s bodies as well as your own.”

graphic by Brady Rust

Junior Savannah Crawford Competes in Rowing

Natalie Kaiser editor-in-chief

This year, junior Savannah Crawford competed at the one of the world’s largest three-day regattas: Head of the Charles. The event takes place annually, dating back to 1965. This year over thirty countries participated; filled with youth, collegiate athletes, and professionals. The race consists of three miles of rowing on the Charles River in Boston, Massachussettes. Boats are sent in flights, meaning that they leave fifteen seconds apart and race against the clock. The race consists of five different bridges, one having the hardest turn in racing and another famous for boat crashes. “We [Eugene Rowing Club] placed 20th,” said Crawford.

Events that are high-stake, like the regatta, require many days of preparation and hard work. The team started preparing during the summer, while waiting for an invitation. Crawford said, “We trained six days a week and did a lot of studying the course.”

Crawford began rowing only a year ago, after her coach asked her to try out, yet her hopes to continue in university are big: “We’re training for regional championships this spring and hoping to qualify for the national championship in June!”

Rowing at an event filled with so much excitement may interest people. Crawford said, “There’s plenty of opportunities. If someone is interested in rowing they should definitely try out a free trial and see what it’s like. The team environment is super welcoming. The team is great and it’s so fun to meet new people.”

What it Takes to be a Sheldon Wrestler

As the wrestling season is midway through and coming to our last home match, the members of the team have been reflecting upon the best moments that they had during their season. Senior Cole Meyer, who is on the Sheldon wrestling team, said, “This season has been good for me and the team. We have developed a good relationship amongst each other and we all like to have fun and work hard. And most of this is due to the coaching staff and the leaders in the room.”

While this season came with many triumphs, there were some obstacles that followed as well. Sophomore Nathan Mellow described some of the challenges that he faced in this season: “One of the biggest challenges I’ve come across would have to be cutting weight. It’s a really big component of wrestling so I have to make sure to stay on top of it.” He followed up with also making sure he’s still eating enough to maintain it.

Despite any other challenges of the season, senior Owen Oliver had some pretty big achievements: ”One of my biggest accomplishments was going 5-0 at a tournament this season; it was a great moment for me and I was glad to spend it with the rest of my teammates.”

Sheldon Students Hit the Slopes

Tennen Balikian staff writer

Snowboarding and skiing are very popular among the students at Sheldon High School for many different reasons. One of the reasons is because no matter if you are very good or going for the first time, it’s almost guaranteed that you will have a lot of fun. While snowboarding and skiing are very expensive sports, people who do not want to or aren’t able to buy all the gear can also rent everything they need for a lot cheaper, giving most people the opportunity to try it.

Junior Rylan Vaughn has been skiing for eleven years. Vaughn’s dream place to go snowboarding is, “Niseko, Japan, because they get crazy amounts of snow in short storm cycles and it would be really cool to ski down the Annupuri mountain.”

There are ski resorts all over the world to travel to with some of the best scenery and parks available, but you can also go snowboarding and skiing just a few hours away at ski resorts such as Mt. Bachelor, Willamette Pass and Hoodoo. Junior Grace Schade likes to ski. Schade has not been skiing for very long but said, “My favorite ski resort I have been to is Willamette Pass because there is a good variety of runs to go on and it’s not too far away.” If Schade was given the opportunity to go skiing anywhere in the world she would choose Colorado because of how much snowfall the state offers and it has some of the best views. There are many different types of snowboarding you can try. Some people enjoy free riding down the mountain while others like to go for jumps and tricks. Senior Ayoni Nunley enjoys snowboarding both ways but said, “Sometimes I like free riding, but I think hitting jumps is more fun.” Nunley also said his dream place to snowboard would be Snowpass in Aspen, Colorado.

photo courtesy of Savannah Crawford

Jyce Jones staff writer

Savannah Crawford rowing in the river.

photo by Sofia Kokkino

Sofia Kokkino snaps a pic at Mt. Bachelor waiting in a lift line.

Do Students Follow Their New Year’s Resolutions?

Bella Reniff staff writer

For some, New Year’s resolutions and the holidays are the best time of the year, but for others it can be hard. Junior Molly Dahlager said, “ I don’t have any New Year’s resolutions; I think that if you want to do something you shouldn’t wait ‘till New Year’s to start it.” Dahlager said she doesn’t think you can have too many resolutions, but if you plan to have a lot it can be overwhelming and end in failure. Deciding between Christmas and New Year’s can be hard, but Dahlager said, “I like both Christmas and New Year’s for different reasons. I think spending time with family and friends is super fun at Christmas, and for New Year’s it can be a lot of fun to be with your friends and spend time with them!” Dahlager also mentioned she won’t make her kids have New Year’s resolutions, but if they want to have one then that is great.

Sophomore Ava Pineda agrees with Dahlager. Christmas brings her a lot of joy and is one of her favorite holidays. Pineda said that her most enjoyable time at Christmas time is setting up the tree and being with family. Pineda said, “ My New Year’s Resolution is to talk to more people in 2023 and just live life without caring what others think about me. In my past, I have not followed my resolutions for more than at least a month so I am not sure how long this one will last, but I have been doing pretty good; I think that it is a reasonable one for me also.”

Dahlager and Pineda have the same option on their kids having

New Year’s Resolutions. Pineda said, “I am not going to make my kids have resolutions, but I will love it if they do and will definitely talk to them about it.” Christmas has always been more fun than New Year’s for Pineda because she gets a more exciting feeling.

Junior Cooper Benson said that his New Year’s Resolution is to get better at his favorite sport, golf, and play a lot more this year: “I think that my resolution will last all year because I enjoy golf, and it doesn’t seem like a chore to me. I have never been good at following them after I make them, but it was because they’ve always been surrounding things I didn’t enjoy but this is different so I will stick to it.” Benson said that he thinks Christmas is more important than New Year’s because spending time with family is really important, but New Year’s is more of a friends’ holiday and party time.

graphic by Sofia El-Shammaa New

Valentine’s Day: Hit or Miss?

Gabby Steele staff writer

For some, Valentine’s Day is an anticipated day. For others, it’s a dreadful lovey dovey day. Despite it being her first year with a significant other, junior Ashlyn Martin says she’s always enjoyed Valentine’s Day. On an average Valentine’s Day, Martin typically receives a card from her mother with flowers, or a stuffed animal on her bathroom counter. Martin says she’s excited for this year because she gets to spend it with her significant other, sophomore Asher Olson. Her ideal Valentine’s Day is spending the day with her S.O. and receiving flowers as a gift. Even without an S.O., Martin still thinks spending the day with friends is a good idea: “I think it’s a cute idea to gift your close friends small presents.” Martin feels like Valentine’s Day is an enjoyable holiday, but understands how it could seem controversial to some people.

Olson agrees with Martin on Valentine’s Day being not controversial. He associates Valentine’s with being more feminine because men tend to get the women gifts rather than men being gifted. If Olson were to be gifted any gift for Valentine’s Day, he would prefer chocolates. His dream date on Valentine’s

Day is dinner with his girlfriend. Olson said he enjoys VDay, and is “very excited because I have a girlfriend.” His standard on Valentine’s Day is usually receiving small gifts and flowers from his mom.

Senior Maria Vega agrees with Valentine’s Day being more feminine than masculine, and said “I feel like girls get more excited about it than guys, and [girls] also receive more from the holiday.” Vega’s plans on Valentine’s change every year. This year she’s planning on going to dinner and hangout out with her significant other.

Before Vega spent Valentine’s Day with friends and significant others, she would spend time with her family and go out to dinner.

Depending on your relationship status, Valentine’s can be a toss of emotions, but even without a significant other, the day can be celebrated with close friends and family.

Year’s Eve Ball Drop

The Evolution of Streaming Services

Nathan Witherspoon staff writer

It’s a cold winter evening in 2016. Mom just finished making dinner and Dad just got home from work, carrying in groceries and a couple movies to watch this weekend from Redbox. You sit on the couch with your family for dinner and Dad grabs the remote and turns the TV on and tunes it to CBS, and it’s partway through an episode of Jeopardy!. This was the norm for most families locally and across America to sit in front of the tube and watch network television from CBS, NBC, and Fox, but it’s not the same anymore. Nowadays, families flip through streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, or Paramount+ to find a specific movie or to pick up where they left off in Grey’s Anatomy. Why have families made this drastic switch from watching network television to streaming any movie any time?

The year is 2007: Windows Vista is the newest computer operating system from Microsoft, Steve Jobs introduces the very first iPhone at Macworld Expo 2007 in San Francisco with his famous “an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator” introduction, and the movie rental company Netflix

announces its very own streaming platform. Since 1998, back when the “information superhighway” was dominated by Windows 98 and Netscape Navigator was the Google Chrome of the era, Netflix worked like every other movie rental company at the time. Like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, Netfix rented movies, but with more convenience. Movies were ordered and mailed to your home on DVD, a video format still in its infancy at the time, with VHS being the top dog. Netflix was a major innovator in the way we consume movies and TV. It wasn’t the first movie streaming service, the first being iTV, which was a project released in the late 90s out of Hong Kong that was “far ahead of its time,” according to producthabits.com. Due to the painfully slow dial-up method of internet connectivity, especially through America Online (AOL), iTV faded into obscurity since nobody had the technology to use it worldwide. However, by 2007, many advancements in the consumer technology market occurred. 2001 marked the release of Windows XP, the first Windows operating system with built-in support for wireless networking. Apple also released

its very successful OS X operating system, which redefined what a Mac is, so much so that many of the UI elements are still in modern versions of macOS all the way to the 2022 release of macOS Ventura. 2007 had the technology to make movie streaming a reality, and Netflix became the first streaming success story, operational in 130 countries as of 2016. For years, network television and streaming services worked alongside one another. People kept tuning into Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on network TV after school or work. People watched network TV when they couldn’t find anything on Netflix. People used streaming services when there was nothing good on network TV. People usually only had one streaming service subscription. All that was up until 2020. At the time, Netflix and Hulu were still the two top choices for movie streaming, but all that was about to change. Disney+ launched the year prior, and HBO Max, Discovery+, and Paramount+ were in the works. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, network television showed a major shift in its layout. Television stations couldn’t pump out new television shows anymore due to state “stay at home” mandates, and any new shows were entirely reformatted. Many talk

show hosts did their show in their living rooms, garages, home offices, or home studios. But most other shows resorted to constant re-runs of the same shows to fill in their time slots.

Now in a post-lockdown world, the world is slowly returning to normal. TV shows are being made again, talk show hosts are returning to their sets, and everything seems well and good, but with a major hidden twist. Because COVID forced consumers who didn’t want to watch re-runs into streaming services, most new, non-generic TV shows are exclusive to these platforms, locking them into those platforms to keep watching new shows. Most talk show hosts returned to their normal Hollywood sets, but those shows are all dead and dying. Other hosts, like Conan O’Brien, noticed the success during COVID with the different style of entertainment. After eleven years, his late-night show, Conan, finally came to an end, ending Conan’s twenty-eight-year career as a late-night host. He invested more time into his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and is currently working on a new series for HBO Max.

graphic by Sofia El-Shammaa

Around 100,000 different albums by different artists are released each year, and by 2022 we received a wide range of genres. Sophomore Lux Yamamori listened to a decent amount of music that was released last year, with their top three favorite songs being “Thérèse” by Maya Hawke, “Sweet Nothing” by Taylor Swift, and “Sunshine” by Steve Lacy. Yamamori said, “I like these songs because they fit well into my playlists and I listen to them a lot.”

On the other hand, sophomore Atlas Ellingsworth didn’t listen to a lot of music released last year, with his top three of 2022 being “Pass The Nirvana” by Pierce The Veil, “Settle Down” by Ricky Montgomery, and “The Foundations of Decay” by My Chemical Romance.

Three of Yamamori’s top songs on their Spotify Wrapped

were “Tea Errors” by Jack Stauber’s Micropop, “Dr. Sunshine Is Dead” by Will Wood and the Tapeworms, and “The Real Slim Shady” by Eminem. Their top artists were Jack Stauber, Jack Stauber’s Micropop, MARINA, Will Wood and the Tapeworms, and Maya Hawke. Ellingsworth, on the other hand doesn’t have Spotify, so he didn’t get a wrapped this year, but his favorite albums that were released this year were Inside by Mother Mother and It’s 2016 Somewhere by Ricky Montgomery. Yamamori’s favorite albums that were released this year were Moss by Maya Hawke, Beatopia by beabadoobee, and Gemini Rights by Steve Lacy. Yamamori feels that the worst song that was released this year was “abcdefu” by GAYLE, and Ellingsworth didn’t have a negative opinion about any music released this year. Overall, a lot of music was released this year, and both Yamamori and Ellingsworth listened to a lot of different types of music.

Avatar Sequel Releases

India Mohiuddin & Sofia Kokkino staff writer & page editor

There have been many amazing movies that have come out this past year. Out of all of them that have been released, one of the most anticipated movies would be the new Avatar movie. Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Many Sheldon students watched this movie and were big fans of it. Sophomore Tate Templeman was one of them: “It’s an awesome and very well made movie with an original, exciting, and well thought and structured story, charged with action scenes with crazy and spectacular fights.”

With the hype of this movie, there

are some people who have a lot to say about it. Junior Damon Uribe is one of them: “I have recommended this movie to multiple of my friends and have hyped it up a lot. I loved the plot and Neytiri. I’d definitely watch it again.” Not only was this movie incredible, there were also moral lessons to be learned from the film. There were many hidden messages about love and family that touched the hearts of many. Junior Colby Parosa noticed these themes and it meant a lot to him: “When I watched this movie, I was so heartwarmed by Jake Sully’s love for his family. It made me want to go and hug my mom.”

Overall, this movie has not only killed it with the box office earnings, it has also impacted the emotions and feelings of so many.

Laura Stanton staff writer

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