Inside: Elyse Myers returns.............2 Singing’ in the Rain............3 Mr. Irish............centerspread Dance team off to State.........6 Comic contest winner.....backpage
t h e Ta l i s m a n New
semester...new
Talisman
your student newspaper
shstalisman@gmail.com myspace.com/shstalisman 2455 willakenzie Road, Eugene, Oregon 97401 volume 43 Issue 5 March 6, 2008 Sheldon High School
Drugs and alcohol spark dialogue Recent events have opened a new discussion of disciplinary policies by Jordan Eddy assistant editor Several weeks ago, the Talisman received an anonymous letter of complaint from a Sheldon student. The letter detailed the actions of three students who had been in some way involved with alcohol while on the Sheldon campus. It expressed deep disappointment about the decisions of the students, but its main grievance was directed at Sheldon’s administration. The note claimed that Sheldon is not cracking down hard enough on students who are caught with drugs such as alcohol at school. Figuring out if there is any truth to that assertion is quite an ambiguous task, but it begins with discovering just how big of a drug problem the school has. “I would say that it’s an issue that we deal with,” said Assistant Principal Mike Johnson, “It’s an issue that people deal with on every campus.” Similarly vague
answers were given by other Sheldon employees. Although everyone who was interviewed confirmed that there is drug and alcohol activity within Sheldon, none could attest to the actual size of the problem. That’s partly because students are unlikely to tell administration about such issues. This is exemplified by Sheldon’s recent gun scare. “About forty students,” saw that a Sheldon attendee was in possession of a firearm, according to school police officer Savage. However, none of them talked to a Sheldon employee about it— it was a parent that eventually reported a sighting made by a student. If students are failing to report problems like this, it is nearly impossible to accurately determine how big of a drug and alcohol predicament Sheldon is in. However, according to the letter to the editor, Sheldon’s consequences are the real problem. Sheldon’s punishments come off of something called the Memorandum of Understanding. It’s a checklist that helps assign “one size fits all” consequences for specific actions. For example, if a student is caught with alcohol on campus, he or she will probably be suspended for three to five days, as specified by the Memorandum. Officer
Savage also follows a checklist to dole out legal consequences such as fines and Minor in Possession citations. Savage believes that this method of punishing students might not be the best, “Some people, when you suspend them, I don’t think it’s much of a deterrent. Some kids don’t go to class anyway.” So perhaps there is some room for change in Sheldon’s punishment system. Johnson emphasized the importance of getting the word out about the dangers of drugs before students try them. This is something that the school has tried to do through visitations by organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Parents Against Alcohol. Campus supervisor Darin Henry agreed that punishment might not mean prevention, “We’re the only country that jails drug abusers rather than rehabilitating them,” he said. Maybe it’s time to completely rethink the way that we deal with students who are involved with drugs and alcohol.
Amazing Grace
School spirit? Maybe, maybe not Coaches see Irish pride, but others find that Leprechaun more elusive by Ashley Admire centerspread and photography Anyone who has attended a Sheldon Irish football game has seen and heard the large green congregation that is the student cheer section. These students come to the games decked out in the most Sheldon-friendly clothes they can muster up, and they do their best to support the Irish and loudly cheer them to victory. People around Sheldon, however, cannot agree on whether this pride exists elsewhere in the school. Whether for other sports, school events, or just the general community, some think school spirit is lacking. Coming out of the state championship for 2007, Sheldon’s football team can still boast of a large student cheer section at each game. Judging by attendance, students are not always as appreciative of other school sports, and activities outside of sports are nearly ignored. Sophomore Holly Cardwell, who described herself as someone with school spirit, does not think this has to do with the school itself, but rather how spirit is showcased. She stated, “Even though [Sheldon] is a great school, school spirit is most made known through sports.” She conceded, “Football is definitely cheered the most,” but acknowledged that last year’s state championship is the reason for that. Even in places where school spirit is often abundant,
some are noticing a decrease in pride and participation. Cardwell noted that, “Between last year’s seniors and this year’s seniors there is a bit of a difference.” She is unsure why this is, but stated, “I don’t think you can just improve school spirit,” leading to the assumption that some classes simply feel more spirited than others. Connie Minihan, who works in the scheduling office, disagrees. She theorizes that Sheldon can and should improve spirit, and she suggested that Sheldon “close campus and force students to stay for lunchtime activities that cheer kids on.” She is disappointed by the lack of rallies at Sheldon compared to when she attended high school. She also thinks that the assemblies can be improved some, asking, “Who cares about a pie in the face? We need someone on the floor to cheer kids on instead of us watching them fly through the air.” Basketball coach Ron Lampe and football coach Marty Johnson haven’t noticed an absence of all-around spirit. Lampe said, “Sheldon is successful at many different activities which gives the entire school a great sense of pride.” Both coaches have, like most, noticed the differences in attendance at different sports games, but neither are worried about the state of pride in any Sheldon sport. Johnson said that “certain sports are more popular than others,” but that “all of our activities at Sheldon are supported by our student body.” Lampe hopes that other sports will soon have as many in the cheer section as football, and stated, “I think as our basketball program continues to improve, attendance will too. Our football program is a proven winner and the stands are packed for every game. I am looking forward to that happening with basketball at Sheldon too.”
photo courtesy Sacred Heart Hospital
On February 22, Sheldon principal Dr. Bob Bolden and his wife Alisa welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Amazing Grace Alvalisa Amethyst Bolden. She was born at 5:55 a.m. and weighed eight pounds, fifteen ounces. Amazing Grace’s siblings include a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Lecxi and America.
Despite occasional violence, Sheldon students feel safe Gun incident arouses safety concerns by Lauren Scott staff writer The hallways of Sheldon flow and pulse like an artery. Students come and students go. Laughter, intense conversations, and slamming lockers fill your head as you make your way to your classes. But are confabulations and friendly encounters really all that are going on in this “home away from home?” Much concern has arisen about this topic at Sheldon High School after the recent event with the new student who carried a gun. He felt threatened here, thus resorting to a potentially violent solution. Luckily, he did not follow through with whatever he had intended. Consequently, faculty and students alike posed the question, “Do I feel safe at school?”
“Personally, I believe some form of violence happens everyday,” said sophomore Jandee Todd, “usually this is very small, though…the McDonalds parking lot is a major place for violence, with fights probably occurring at least once a month between Sheldon students.” In a recent survey of 100 Sheldon students, 86% said that they feel safe at Sheldon. On the flip side, 14% said they don’t feel safe. Obviously, something is going on that would make 14% of the students polled feel vulnerable at school. National studies found violence and harassment in high schools are mainly based on race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, and perceived sexual orientation. However, here at Sheldon, Officer Savage said most of the violence has something to do with talking trash, or more commonly, a relationship issue. Officer Savage commented, “I don’t think [Sheldon is] the worst as far as number of incidents. I wouldn’t say that we have any more or less than any other high school.”
Could the reason behind the violence be because of the mass media that constantly surrounds us, in the form of TV shows, music, and video games? After being asked this question, Campus Supervisor Darin Henry said, “I think it is absolutely true, because if you are familiar with pointing a gun at human images and are conditioned to pull the trigger, of course it will influence students. It’s old psychology, you know? It’s nothing new.” When asked why he thought students sometimes act out in violent ways, IHS teacher Wade Powell said, “People are seeking a false status among their ‘groups’…most bullies have been bullied.” In the end, a simple way you can make yourself feel safe is to make others feel safe. If all the students at Sheldon banded together to put an end to bullying and harassment, then no one would be the victim. That would make for a happy, healthy student body. The flowing pulse of the hallways would go on.