Volume 44 Issue 4 - January 29, 2009

Harry Potter Club

Bush Death Toll

page 3

page 3

NCAA Bowl Games page 7

the Talisman shstalisman@gmail.com

a student newspaper

Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 44 Issue 4 Jan. 29, 2009

Local businesses give mock interviews

Business owners give sophomores the opportunity to learn what to expect in real-world job interviews

by Brittney Schooley news editor

This year Sheldon High School had mock interviews for the sophomore class. A mock interview is a practice session where a friend or career advisor takes the part of an interviewer to help a student prepare for real interviews.

This was the first year that mock interviews were performed and they proved to be very successful. Elyse Myers, who coordinates the mock interviews said, “They

School-wide testing day a successful one

were successful. Students were nervous at first but by the time they were done they thought it was a good thing to do and enjoyed it.” These interviews were executed by members of the Human Resources Association and other business community members. Myers said, “The business employers were very impressed with Sheldon students and offered to come back to interview them again in May.” These interviews were done during school hours, but could have been done after hours to prevent teachers from having to change their itineraries to fit them in. Michael Voss said, “It would be better during the school day to get student involvement.” Myers agreed also saying, “Definitely during school since after hours is the time when our business employers are getting off work, going home, and relaxing. If we do them during the school day it’s also during their business hours and they are getting

paid to help us.”

Myers’s tips for preparing for the mock interviews are: “Have a current resume and wear appropriate dress.”

That’s exactly what sophomore Kassie Stevenson did.

Stevenson said, “I found them really helpful and I thought they were fun.” Although some students didn’t find the mock interviews fun, a lot found them useful in some way. . Stevenson said, “It was really useful in the sense that now I have somewhat of an idea of what a real job interview will be like.” The mock interviews are intended to prepare young students for interviews of all kinds; whether it’s for business opportunities like job interviews or an interview with a school recruitment office for a scholarship. These are free, useful tips from professionals that can be used in many types of situations. Since the mock interviews were so successful, be ready for them again in May.

The 44th President of the United States

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors all take standardized tests while seniors attend presentations

by Alicia Luck backpage editor October 15, 2008 was a school-wide testing day for Sheldon High School. As for the rest of the district, they also had testing on October 15. Freshmen took a new standardize test that relates the subject matter for the new graduation requirements that are for the class of 2013. This test was the Explore. It had four sections: English, math, reading, and science.

Sophomores took the PLAN test. The Plan test offered section in math, writing, and science. This test also contained a career exploration component. The test was given by many different teachers and the rooms were organized by last name.

In addition to the Plan test, one hundred and three sophomores also took the PSAT on Saturday in October.

The PSAT had five sections that included math, reading, and writing. As many students have mentioned before, the PSAT is long and somewhat tedious. When students’ scores finally arrived at school, one of the snow days interrupted the distribution of these scores to students.

This was the first year for a district-wide testing day in 4j. Counselor Tia Dube stated, “All of the schools in 4j district are required to offer the standardized tests. These test help students prepare for tests farther in their lives.”

Seniors didn’t have an assigned standardized test requirement. According to senior Hannah Elhers, “Seniors had to listen to a seminar about getting higher scores on the SAT.” Several seniors stated that the seminar was somewhat helpful and provided some useful information.

There was one other seminar offered to the seniors about saving and spending for the college years ahead.

Principal Dr. Bob Bolden said of the voluntary Saturday PSAT testing day for sophomores, “Sheldon has had the lowest participation when it came to the PSAT, so this year we decided to offer it on a better date for students.” He also stated that it isn’t a requirement, but the school highly encourages it. The percentage of sophomores taking the PSAT was greatly improved over last year so it remains to be seen if there is a similar all-school testing day and a voluntary PSAT day next year.

Ashley Admire photo

President Barack Obama, shown at MacArthur Court in March, is the new leader of our nation.

Expectations abundant for 2009 With 2008 a distant memory, 2009 is expected to bring many changes in the lives of everyone

by Kyle Cramer staff writer

HOORAH! It is 2009, so let’s celebrate! This is a year of optimism for the United States. Let us treasure the moments we had in 2008 such as: Obama won the Presidential Election, many great movies were released, and the 2008 Olympics provided great excitement last summer.

Looking forward to 2009, campus supervisor T.J. Johnson said, “I am mostly focused on what Obama will

do about the war.” Campus Supervisor Darin Henry stated, “I expect for the United States to become more humanistic, better respected, and on the road to recovery.”

Although 2008 had its ups and downs, people should focus on the positives and transition into an exciting new year. 2009 promises to bring many new challenges as our country is in the midst of one of the biggest financial crises of all time. We also have many young soldiers overseas and are facing fluctuating fuel costs, so it is going to take positive attitudes as well as everyone’s support and hard work to make this year remembered as a pleasant one.

Multi-culture studies teacher Jose Alonso is prepared to do his part. “I want to keep learning how to become a better teacher and get students involved in making a difference in the world.”

Dr. Bob Bolden is focusing his energy on Sheldon High School. “I want to see more staff and students building an inclusive, respectful learning environment. It’s everyone’s job, staff and students alike.”

2 January 29, 2009

News

the Talisman

EMSAN: a new class for all students Solving the perpetual achievement gap

by Lauren Scott opinions editor There are approximately 150 classes offered here at Sheldon High School, all of which lead students down a variety of career paths. In addition, Sheldon boasts impressive extracurricular programs such as National Honor Society, a wide array of clubs, and over 21 sports teams. Recently, however, a new class has graced the school curriculum sheet: EMSAN, or the Eugene Minority Student Achievement Network.

This is Eugene’s sector of the nationwide Minority Student

Achievement Network. MSAN’s goals include studying the ever-present achievement gap between students of color and their white peers, while also broadening and supporting the school’s overall educational experience (particularly the programs relating to the enrichment of its students of color). When asked why he chose to take MSAN, sophomore Tyler McFarlane said, “Because it gave me a voice and I could change [the school system].”

Spearheading this class is Jose Alonso. “Contrary to the title [of the class],” Alonso said, “this course involves identifying the diverse populations in school who are falling into the achievement gap throughout the country.”

He placed heavy emphasis on the fact that EMSAN is not a class comprised of “failing” students, but incorporates

a wide range of GPA’s, races, ages, and genders.

According to Alonso, there are two main goals to EMSAN. The first is to get students to study what education is and what it needs to do to address the achievement gap. The second is to compare educational experiences and try to create a workable and realistic solution to the problem. “It’s a reflective class,” Alonso added.

District Administrator of EMSAN Johnny Lake said that MSAN helps students in the future by “helping them to learn to improve their academic performance,” and by helping them to build a strong foundation in education and in life.

If one is interested in a future involving teaching, human rights, equity, social justice, and/or leadership, EMSAN is the perfect path to take at the crossroads to those goals.

The Random Acts of Kindness Club hopes to have a positive impact on the community and not just towards those who are part of the club. In fact, they give away cards that say: “You have just received a random act of kindness. If you’ve enjoyed receiving this act, pass it on, along with this card.

Together we can change the world, one person at a time.”

Senior Tricia Olson, who is involved in the club, said, “I think that if everyone continues to pass on the kindness, it will spread like a chain reaction.” As a way to help spread the kindness, the Random Acts of Kindness Club has made days to visit middle schools such as Cascade Middle School. Unfortunately, that visit got cancelled due to the snow days. The Random Acts of Kindness Club is affecting students around the school, even those who aren’t involved.

“I like knowing that there are people in this world, let

alone our school, who care about others so much that they would create a club for it,” said junior Kimberlee Long.

In the past couple months, the Random Acts of Kindness Club has benefited the community. They have done things like a hot chocolate give away, where they gave over 500 cups of hot chocolate away. At the Oregon vs. Arizona football game they gave away free hugs, as well as during lunch at school. For the holidays they gave out Christmas cards to teachers, the homeless, police men, and people in nursing homes. They’ve even improved families by purchasing a bunk bed for two six-year-old boys who were recently homeless, along with clothes, and games for the whole family. They handed Starbucks gift cards to strangers and have left bouquets of flowers on people’s cars. They’ve raked leaves in the community as well as other projects.

February 9-15 is Random Acts of Kindness week and the club is planning on doing a random act of kindness everyday that week. It will include an “Encouraging protest,” (holding up signs that say: “Smile, you’re loved!”) they will also be spending time with elderly people, giving away cards with inspirational quotes, and showing appreciation to people who make little yet big impacts on the lives of people around them.

The Random Acts of Kindness Club A new club hopes to spread the act of kindness to others here at Sheldon

by Samira Lobby staff writer There are many clubs for all types of people here at Sheldon High School. Some popular clubs are the Cupcake Club, Harry Potter Club, ASL Club, and the GSA Club. Each club helps define a person and his or her personal preferences.

The Random Acts of Kindness Club is a good example of caring people who come together to make others happy.

The goal of this club is to have a positive impact on people, the environment, and animals. The club gets together every Friday at lunch; however, they also have cabinet meetings.

Jaywalking

Much truth and fiction about jaywalking exists around school

by Molly Morris centerspread editor

The jaywalking law in Oregon is very unclear for many students at Sheldon High School. There are a few different versions of the law that are known around school, most commonly that there is no jaywalking law in Oregon or that you just have to walk in a straight line across the street if your not in a crosswalk.

Both of these are actually true. Officer Savage stated, “There is no actual law against jaywalking, the tickets that students have been give, are for ‘failure to obey a traffic control device.’ The law allows you to cross the street anywhere you’re able to safely, with or with out a cross walk. You can cross the street between intersections when no cars are coming and you must walk in a straight line.” The law states that you must walk within the lines of the crosswalk, but you might have noticed that the crosswalk by Market of Choice is a little bit different. It doesn’t have lines on each side. So, if you must walk when the hand is showing, Officer Savage also said that the law says, “Anywhere between where the cars have to stop in either direction, you have to obey the crosswalk.”

The standard rate of a jaywalking ticket is $90.

When asked if police are harsher around school zones than other areas in Eugene, Campus Supervisor Tj Johnson said, “I think they definitely are. They use students that are jaywalking as an example so that other students may be more hesitant to jaywalk.”

Johnson also went on to say that school intersections are very dangerous with inexperienced drivers and the heavy traffic in the morning, at lunch, and after school. Teacher Les Phillipo believes “tickets should be the last straw. There should be some education about what is expected when you cross the street.”

Some students may be wondering why there are policemen on motorcycles out by Market of Choice some days, and not others. This is based on the number of complaints that are made against students walking into traffic when it is dangerous, or if cars have to wait five minutes at a green light for students to stop walking across the street. So, as a safety issue, it may be a good idea to wait.

However, no one wants to have the local policemen handing out tickets left and right to be back.

Features

the Talisman

January 29, 2009

3

The history of Valentine’s Day It’s mid-winter and love is in the air.

But just how did it get there?

by Anthony Rhoads ads manager Every February fourteenth, across the United States, people receive candy, flowers, and other gifts from loved ones, sometimes going out for romantic dinners. Mr. Sanderson said, “The best Valentine’s Day gift is chocolate addressed to Mr. Sanderson.”

But what is all this celebration about, other than love?

It is all because of a man named St. Valentine. Who is this man which we have a holiday named after? There are three Catholic saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One

of the stories to explain Valentine’s Dayis that in the third century, a priest with the name of Valentine married young people secretly like in Romeo and Juliet. He was later put to death by the ruler during the time, Claudius. Another story is that Valentine may have sent the first valentine.

When he was in prison they say he fell in love with a young girl, maybe even his jail keeper’s daughter. The letter was signed “Love Your Valentine,” which is still used in cards today. Some believe that the day is celebrated on either the day he died or was buried; most likely around 270 A.D. Sanderson also said, “I think Valentines Day began when Hallmark decided to market the old Roman holiday.”

The holiday became popular in Britain around the seventeenth century. As the eighteenth century rolled around, it was very common for people to give out gifts

of affection or written letters. Freshman Nicole Miller said, “I think the most popular gift for Valentine’s Day is a rose.” In the 1840s, a business man by the name of Esther A. Howland began to sell mass numbers of Valentine’s Day cards in America. An estimated one billion Valentines are sent each year making Valentine’s the second largest card-sending holiday next to Christmas.

Eighty-five percent of the cards are bought by women.

Freshman Kelsey Bartlett said, “I celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving by friends and family gifts.” Valentine’s is also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, The United Kingdom, France and Australia. But Febuary fourteenth is not only Valentine’s Day, it is also Oregon’s birthday.

This year Oregon will be one hundred and fifty years old, so happy birthday Oregon, and enjoy Valentine’s Day.

The Harry Potter Club Hogwarts has found it’s way to Sheldon High

by Johnnie Ramirez staff writer Throughout the past decade, the Harry Potter series has been spreading and becoming increasingly popular around the world since the release of the first book on September 1, 1998. From that point on, more books were released, followed by movies based on the books. Thanks to the fans, the first movie made 120 million dollars and soon people all over the world began forming clubs, like the one we have here at Sheldon.

Freshman Tilar Lepp said, “I think the club is a good idea because it gives fans a good place to talk about the books.”

Club supervisor Ms. Fitz said, “The purpose of the club is so fans can connect with other Harry Potter fans and to discuss the literature.”

“I’ve watched the movies and read the books. I think the books are better because they have more detail,” Lepp said.

The series of Harry Potter is about a boy who attends a school of witchcraft and wizardry and how he deals with the adventures and challenges of being in the school.

At one of the first meetings the members of the Harry Potter club met and held a sorting hat ceremony, which is where the new members are put into houses that are sorted by a hat, similar to what occurs in the book and in the movie.

The Harry Potter club recently had a movie night on Friday, January 23, at 7 p.m. Some members got all dressed up and met in the multicultural room to watch the first movie. The club also has other events like battles and dancing balls. Students interested may join the Harry Potter on Tuesdays at lunch in the lecture hall.

George Bush death-count sign Bush death-count sign has held for nearly a year and will stay standing

by Adam Green features editor Many people, when driving down Royal Avenue, have seen the large wooden “Bush Death Count” sign.

It is quite eye-catching and does bear some interesting statistics. But what exactly is the story behind the sign?

Vietnam War veteran Jim Dupre decided to put up this sign over a year ago to inform people of some ugly statistics they would not otherwise know about. Dupre said, “I put up the sign because of people not paying any attention to the news and media.” Since then, because of the sign, Dupre has had both his house and the sign bombarded with eggs, paintballs and spray paint. On the other hand,

Adam Green photo

Dupre’s death-count sign stands tall bearing up-to-date casualty statistics.

Dupre says he has also received letters of gratitude, personal gratitude, and even money to help keep the sign up. One time a neighbor went as far as to use his own mailbox to support the sign when one of the legs gave way.

Jim Dupre is fifty-three years old with a twenty-year-old son serving in Iraq. He is not affiliated with any political party and claims he would’ve put up the same sign if even president Barack Obama were responsible for this war.

This goes to show his motives were less of a personal dislike for George Bush and more of a disagreement with the decisions the former president had made.

In Dupre’s opinion, people don’t pay enough attention to the media. Some students, however, consciously decide not to keep up with current events. Junior Brenden Prentiss said, “I don’t really pay much attention to the media because the news is biased.”

Every person has a different opinion on just how important keeping current with the media is.

While some say the news is biased, others argue the importance of paying attention to the media.

Freshman Chasity Barnes said, “I think it is very important for students to take interest in the news.

We only have a few years left [until adulthood] and keeping updated will help us to better understand things when we’re out on our own in the real world.”

At least for some, Dupre’s sign is achieving his goal for teens to pay more attention to the media. He just hopes to reach out to those who don’t take notice of the statistics. Dupre said, “All I’ve got to say is make sure you know all the facts before making a decision on anything.”

Adam Green photo

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.

Talisman Staff

Coeditor-in-Chief Coeditor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Copy Editor Ads Manager Frontpage Editor News Editor Features Editor Centerspread Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Backpage Editor Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Advisor

Michael Chase Jeff Toreson Lauren Scott Bethany Jordan Anthony Rhoads Michael Chase Brittany Schooley Adam Green Molly Morris Lauren Scott Jeff Toreson Alicia Luck Jordan Belcher Kyle Cramer Samira Lobby Chelsea LaFlam Johnnie Ramirez Hayden Randall Michael Zimmerman Greg Cantwell

Best of 2008!

Music Kanye West Love Lockdown

Singing in an auto-tuned monotone voice with little regard for melody, West sounds ghostly as he recounts his romantic failures in brutal detail.

It’s easily the most interesting pop experiment this year, and if you grant its premise and stick with it, also the best.

T.I.Whatever You Like Ida Maria Oh My God Lil Wayne A Milli Beyonce Single Ladies

Movies

Sports Moment

Wall-E

Tiger/Rocco 18-Hole Playoff

Andrew Stanton, the director and cowriter of the Pixar animated feature WALL-E, experimented with what talking pictures could plausibly do without. Talking, for example.

Yet with all the limitations he imposed on himself and his robot stars, Stanton still connected with a huge audience.

Milk The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Slumdog Millionaire Iron Man

The unlikely pair of Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate (Mediate was ranked 158th in the world) went shot-for-shot on Monday of the U.S. Open. Rocco, down three strokes after 10 holes, roared back to take a one-stroke lead going into 18. But Tiger birdied the last hole to force overtime, and he clinched the championship in sudden death - and he won his 14th major on a broken left leg.

WimbledonNadal/Federer Super Bowl XLII Patriots/Giants NBA Finals Celtics/Lakers Michael phelps wins 8 swimming gold medals

Political

Scandal

Barack Obama Elected AIG’s Post Bailout 44th President Spa Retreat Obama’s election celebration was a scene of overflowing joy after the grueling presidential campaign that ended with the upstart (and first African-American) on top. A different scene played out on stage, however, where the new President-elect cancelled fireworks in favor of a weighty speech warning of a steep climb ahead for the country.

McCains Graceful Exit

In September, a week after American International Group received an $85 billion bailout from the federal government, they enjoyed a lavish, weeklong retreat at the Tuscan-inspired St. Regis Resort. A retreat which cost more than $400,000, featured banquets, golf outings and spa treatments.

Governor Sarah Palin RNC Speech

Quote

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.” ~Barack Obama on winning the 2008 Presidential Election

Awkward Moment

John Edwards’ Extramarital affair

Craig Haymes vs. Les Gara, Anchorage Miley Cyrus’ democrat Vanity Fair Photos Hal Kvisle and the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline

Random

Teenage pregnancies in Glouchester Ted Stevens’ felony convictions

President Bush dances while waiting for McCain

Gadget

Optima Pico PK-101 $399

Scientific Discovery

Large Hadron Collider

Oddball News Story The Pregnant Man All images from http://www.time.com/ time/specials/2008/top10/

6 January 29, 2009

Opinions

the Talisman

120 decibels too loud for some students’ ears Is it necessary for the fire alarms to be so loud, or is it a bit excessive?

by Jordan Belcher staff writer

are at about 120 compared to a rustling leaf at about 1.0. It is also possible to have permanent damage to your hearing when exposed to 85 decibels for a long period of time.

As most of us know, Sheldon is in very close proximity to a fire station. It is important that people hear the fire alarms and get out, but the reaction time from when a fire

starts to when the fire department gets here is most likely pretty fast. And with reaction statements like this maybe Sheldon should consider turning down the volume a little bit: “It would be nice if the fire alarms were just turned down a few notches so my ears wouldn’t hurt so badly,” said freshman Thomas Woods.

A common thing that is said in the halls during fire drills is that the alarms are too loud and hurt people’s ears.

Many believe that the alarms, though important, are way too loud. Some may disagree, such as junior Leslie Lundy who stated, “They aren’t too loud, they are supposed to tell you to get out and they are doing their job.” Some think it seems too excessive to have a fire drill every month and to have the alarms be so loud that they can’t hear anything except their ears ringing. Senior Camilla Eide said, “It just hurts” This reaction has been a very common one among Sheldon students.

An estimate as to how many decibels of sound the alarms

Advisory should not be required Sheldon students are having mixed feelings about the required advisory periods every month

by Chelsea LaFlam staff writer Everyone is in advisory and knows what happens during it. Advisory helps students with graduation requirements.

Some speculation lies in wondering if advisors should be a mandatory class. Junior Leslie Lundy said, “I don’t believe it should be a class because if you don’t want to go to advisors you should not have to go. But if you want to go then you can go, because people skip advisors class if they don’t want to go.”

Most high schools in the 4j district have advisor classes.

For example, Sheldon High School along with Churchill High School have successful advisor programs in their schools.

Students are more likely to skip advisory than a regular class. More and more students find advisory unnecessary and some students don’t even have an advisor. Senior Camila Eide is one of the lucky few that does not have an advisor. She said, “Since I don’t have an advisor, I just sit in the hall while others are in class.” For some people, advisory is much like an assembly. It’s mandatory, but people still make a point not to go. Freshman Nick Smith said, “I think that advisors are pointless. All it does is take up students’ time and we don’t get credits for going to it like class.” Students just feel that advisor class is an unnecessary thing that we have at our school. Students should not have to go to something that they think is pointless, and teachers could have more teaching time if we didn’t have advisory.

Advisory is meant to help students with their school careers but it seems more of a chore than a learning experience. Advisory should be something that students could enroll in, but aren’t forced to be in. We could just turn advisory in to a new program that could be there for students that enjoy it and would help the people that don’t enjoy it. Advisory does help some students out by helping them understand credit requirements and how college requirements work.

Greg Cantwell photo

Sophomore McKayla Carman covers her ears from the noise during the twenty-minute on-again-off-again fire alarm on January 23. The alarm was due to a garbage can fire in one of the girls bathrooms between the A and B halls.

Broadening your musical horizons 541musicscene.com is connecting the Eugene/Springfield area to local musical artists

by Bethany Jordan copy editor To some high school students, one of the hugest pillars of support in their lives is listening to music that provides an escape from the daily struggles that come with being in high school. Attending a live show and experiencing that same music in person can be even more impressionable and therapeutic. Unfortunately, students and other avid music lovers in the Eugene/ Springfield area don’t have the opportunity to attend many shows because of how infrequently, if ever, they occur.

To Danny Broderick and Chris Lucia, two talented Eugene musicians in their early twenties, this is a problem that they are determined to change. After much frustration from watching the lively music scene that they remember from their high school years enter, what they consider, “a dark age” of negativity, fighting, drugs, and elitism, they sat down and brainstormed ways to regenerate it. From this brainstorming, 541musicscene.com was born in October of 2008. “We started the message board on the site to communicate with people about setting up a show for Danny’s birthday in October. It metamorphosized in to people talking about the scene in general,” said Lucia. Though they were first met with cynicism and skepticism about the site, people started catching on and began, as Broderick said, “scraping their minds [on how to change the scene].”

Initially just a white message board, 541musicscene.com soon needed to be remodeled in order to meet the demands of the mass-influx of supporters joining the site. Now the

site boasts an ever-growing user population of 200 likeminded individuals dedicated to what started as an idea between Broderick and Lucia in their bedrooms: connecting the people of Eugene and surrounding areas by discussing all-things music. So far, it’s working. Broderick estimated that “almost every user checks and posts on the forum at least once every single day, at a bare minimum.” There is even a Eugene-native who is living in Madrid, Spain, but is still extremely active in the site, which is exactly the kind of involvement that Broderick and Lucia hoped for.

Still, they’re hoping for more. The site, which is free and easy to use, is open to anyone with a valid email address and positive outlook to share. “I would like to encourage people to check out the website. The fact that some kids have a lot of posts might be intimidating, but the idea is that we’re all open minded and there is no reason to not be a part of it,” stressed Lucia. The message board isn’t limited to just musicians and has sub-forums relating to any creative form of expression, allowing individuals to find their place within the site, regardless of how diverse their interests are.

In just three months, the site is already making a change.

“Since we’ve been doing this, bigger bands are coming through Oregon again. Before it was just bohemian dubrock or reggae at the Wow Hall,” said Broderick. Lucia agreed and also added,“You would notice that bands would skip Oregon and from doing this, we’ve hooked up bands with shows from different cities. It’s focused on having shows in 541, but we’re bringing bands from different cities here,” They have also expanded to the point where they are in the works of making buttons, stickers, and have even purchased a screen-press for printing shirts for 541musicscene.com and local bands. It’s this kind of growth that Lucia and Broderick would like to keep having. “I’d like to have someone register and feel like they have something to say. I want it to be a bigger version of how it started. I want it to keep growing exponentially and to keep the positive vibe that it’s had,” said Lucia.

4j School District made a questionable call on snow day Safety was weighed against education in the recent snow days

by Jeff Toreson coeditor-in-chief The Willamette Valley was recently the victim of a record-setting snow storm that proved to be a hassle for many Oregonians. Portland received nineteen inches of snow which was the biggest accumulation in half a decade for the area. With the sudden outbursts of snow came plenty of school closures throughout the state. Although the Eugene/Springfield area didn’t receive the bulk of the snow as Portland did, it still turned the valley white and

caused quite a ruckus.

Sheldon students and teachers profited from the slick conditions by having a two day week before the break as the 4j school district cancelled Monday, Tuesday, and Friday classes. The snow days had some benefits, but also left some burdens on students over the break. The 4j’s rule for snow days is that you get three for free, and then you must take an extra day from the summer to make up for the missed days. “I would rather have a snow day than a summer day because I just love the snow,” said junior Brennan Prentiss. Although some prefer the snow, others such as junior Jamie Burns, “would like to stay caught up on my studies, which is why I would rather have school.”

Even though some people, mainly staff, think students should go to school when there is snow, it is still a very dangerous situation for teenage students. Because we live in Eugene, snow on the roads is not a commonality and

it makes driving very difficult for inexperienced teenage drivers. “I stayed home from school the Wednesday during our little snow week because I didn’t feel comfortable driving to school,” said Junior Chris Straub. This was the case with many students on Wednesday, December 17th when Eugene was still suffering from icy roads and packed snow and 4j called for a regular day of school. “With the conditions as bad as they were, I’m surprised nobody got hurt that day,” added Straub.

With the winter season at its halfway point, no one knows what Mother Nature has in store for the rest of the year.

Local students have enjoyed their free days off and from now on it starts to count. Some people may be praying for more snow days, but they must be willing to make up for the lost days during summer. Let’s just hope that if it does snow again, the 4j school district will make the right decision so that no students or staff get injured.

Sports

the Talisman

January 29, 2009

7

Ducks soar in December affair; Pac-10 goes unbeaten in bowls

Oregon’s 42-31 victory over Oklahoma State helped show the nation that the Pac-10 is for real

by Michael Chase coeditor-in-chief Miraculous catches. Jaw-dropping rushes. Unbelievable endings. And of course, a national champion crowned.

Its’ got to be college football bowl season. And keeping with the tradition of the BCS, the results of this year’s bowls opened more discussion on the effectiveness of the current postseason system, and how it could be improved.

As have happened with previous years, an undefeated team was left out of the national championship conversations and had to settle for a different BCS bowl game other than the FedEx BCS National Championship Game. Utah, who finished the regular season 12-0, with wins over Oregon State (who defeated number one USC), TCU, and BYU, was once again given the shaft in regards to rankings and was never given a chance to compete for a national championship. In perhaps the Ute’s most impressive game in its history, Utah defeated former number one ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, which proved that they should have been given a chance to compete for the national championship.

The Oregon Ducks, who ended the season 10-3, had one of its most successful seasons in recent memory. As the season progressed, little success was expected with tough losses

Michael Chase photo

Oregon’s win in the Holiday Bowl put the Ducks at 10th in the final AP poll and capped off a 10-3 season; UO’s 4th best finish ever. to Boise State, national powerhouse USC, and Cal (with a little help from monsoon-like weather). However, the Ducks bounced back wonderfully and finished out the season on a four game winning streak, defeating Stanford, Arizona, Oregon State, in a game which bumped the Beavers out of the Rose Bowl and the Pac-10 Championship, and finally the Cowboys of Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl.

The bowl game looked bleak in the first half, with Oregon scoring only seven points compared to the Cowboys 17. But on the second half kickoff, Walter Thurmond III returned the ball all the way to the Okie’s 3-yard line, which resulted

in a Jeremiah Masoli touchdown run, his first of three on the night. Add that to a Jairus Byrd interception near his own goal line, another Masoli touchdown run where he barreled through an Oklahoma State safety, and a highlight reel-worthy run by LeGarrette Blount in which he hurdled over a defender then stiff armed two defenders for ten yards before falling into the endzone, and you have one of the most satisfying bowl games for the Ducks in this decade.

The Florida Gators, behind the leadership of former Heisman winner Tim Tebow, defeated the Oklahoma Sooners and won their second BCS National Championship in three years. In a game which was expected to be an offensive showcase, both teams were held scoreless after the first quarter. In Tebow’s only game of his career where he threw two interceptions, he brought his team together to battle back and defeat the Sooners ***24-14***. While there may be controversy surrounding who is the true national champion, junior Curtis White, who could be playing in these bowls in less than two years with the Ducks, says the definition of a national champion is, “[The] team holding up the crystal football at the end of the season.”

President Barack Obama had previously stated that he would like to call for a playoff system, but has recently backed off from this claim in order to focus on more important national issues. Campus supervisor Travis Melvin said, “If anyone’s got the pull to make it happen, it’s the President of the United States.” Marques Green also stated, “That statement allows me to know he is just like us.”

Controversy or not, this year’s college football season as a whole was one of the memorable in recent memory. It instilled questions in fans’ minds about what the next season will hold, and just made the hype that much better for the 2009 season.

High hopes for experienced track team Sheldon looks to returning distict medalists in an attempt to win backto-back SWC championships

by Hayden Randall staff writer Football players, cross- country runners, soccer players, basketball players, and many others, all together in one sport, all sharing a common passion of competition and the will to win. All of these different athletes come together in spring to lace up their spikes and toe the line; all come together to compete in track and field. Last year the Sheldon High track and field team had a very successful season by winning the coed and boys district titles. Also, head coach Erin Relagi was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year. This season the Irish are looking for similar successes. Sheldon returns a lot of key athletes with experience. “I am really looking forward to this season,” said junior Brandon Beeman, a state-hopeful

thrower for the Sheldon track team. Beeman also added, “I think our team has a really good chance of repeating what we did last year; we have a lot of experience in each event and have a lot of returning runners and throwers.”

Among Sheldon’s returning throwers is senior Max Faulhaber, who placed third in the javelin and seventh in the shot put at the Southwest Conference district meet.

Sheldon also returns Amy Froechlich who placed first in the shot put at districts as a freshman. The Sheldon boy’s team will look to their jumpers to bring in a lot of points. Returning jumpers include seniors DJ Wright in the long jump and high jump, Barry Peiskee also in the high jump, and sophomore JJ Julifs in the pole vault.

Julifs placed second at the district meet and third at the state championships as a freshman. In the sprints the Irish will have big spots to fill in the 100, 200, and 400 meters; they will rely on senior Anthony Yakovich and Tyrell Jagelski in the 400. Jagelski placed fourth last year in the 400 at districts and Yackovich captured first and also won the 200. Both girls and boys teams will be looking for athletes to step up and fill the holes in the sprints after losing many seniors. The Irish will also be relying on their young but experienced distance runners to bring in points for a repeat of the title-winning season last year.

With the new found talent and athletes stepping up to fill the roles of graduated athletes, Sheldon will be looking to do great things this season. They have great competitors on all sides of the track, ready to do great things, and look forward to another banner year in track and field.

Jeff Toreson photo

A new track surface should help in the Irish attempt for a repeat district title in 2009.

Equestrian team: fun for all types of riders Sheldon’s equestrian team teaches riders about the sport and strides for the goal of a district championship

by Alicia Luck backpage editor The Equestrian team is a club that does not always receive a lot of recognition for their accomplishments.

They are considered a club because equestrian isn’t sanctioned by the Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA). This organization has sanctioned sports and other activities, but not equestrian.

The Sheldon team consists of eight riders and two advisors.

These advisors help the team towards its total goal of making it to district competition. They have weekly practices on Wednesday nights in the winter, and their schedule can be found through the Sheldon High School website.

Advisor Larry Wickland said, “Oregon High States Equestrian Teams (OHSET) is through the school and offers

the novice to the most experienced riders a opportunity to learn and compete. It’s fun because we have a district with 180 riders who get to learn with each other and from each other.” Ditrict South Valley is the district that the Sheldon High School equestrian team competes in. There are eight districts in the state of Oregon and there are many schools that are without a team. The South Valley district consists of fifteen teams, six of which are in the 4j, Springfield, and Bethel districts.

The local schools with teams besides Sheldon are: Churchill, South Eugene, Willamete, Springfield, and Thurston.

The OHSET organization was formed in the summer of 1993 in southern Oregon.

It is offered for students in grades nine through twelve. Over the years, many schools have participated in the program.

Some Washington teams have competed, but only a few are left from the Vancouver area. The districts are split into these areas: Central Oregon, North Valley,

Willamette, Southern Oregon, South Valley, North West, Tri River Valley, and North East. These schools will compete for a champion school and rider at the end of the season.

Backpage Editor sur vives another accident Adam Green has survived a lot in his life including an almost-fatal car crash

by Adam Green features editor Some have said I am disaster prone. I have learned that no matter how I try to get rid of it, disaster is like a clingy ex-girlfriend. I try to play it safe, walk in a different hallway than disaster; it always seems the steps I take to avoid her send me right into her path.

I realize this is no record, and I’m sure many could one-up me with their number of mishaps, but let’s just start from the top. In April of 1995 Timothy McVeigh committed, at the time, the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil, bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City, only a block from where my mom was at work. May 3, 1999, the fastest tornado ever recorded tore apart my church just miles from me.

Only a year and a half ago I unintentionally set fire to my house, something that set my family back for nearly nine months. Lastly, I have experienced more than five car accidents in my life, but somewhat recently I dealt with one that was quite trying.

Sophomore’s experience of the PSATs The struggle through the PSAT was difficult for one Talisman staff writer

by Michael Zimmerman staff writer On a Saturday in October, 103 Sheldon sophomores chose to take the PSAT test here at school. Normally, juniors are the ones who take the PSATs, but this year, a new state law came into effect that requires school district in Oregon to provide sophomores the opportunity to take the PSATs for free to better prepare them for the actual SATs. On that day, when I came to school, I was kind of nervous about this test (so were the rest of my friends ).

But what irritated all of us was that we had no clue what this test was going to be like; the only information we got about it was that it would take about three and a half hours to complete.

We all went to the rooms that we were assigned to test in and were then told where to sit and when to start the test. After a couple of hours of test taking I looked around the room and saw the tired expressions on the students’ faces. In the end, these expressions changed to great excitement when the teachers collected the tests and announced that the test was now over.

Although each story is actually quite interesting, I have decided to only write about one. Early November of last year, only a few months ago, my mother and I were in a car accident. We were the only ones in the car and she was stopped trying to merge into traffic when a vehicle speeding up with a shared intention rear-ended us at about forty to fifty miles per hour. My head was turned as I was looking behind us for an opening when we were hit, so I was able to witness the steadily-increasing speed of the car, when I realized it was not going to slow down.

My seatbelt malfunctioned and flew off me, but in the end I was able to walk away totally unscathed. However, my mom, who was driving, suffered a bad concussion and a shattered face. The impact knocked her out cold leaving us drifting into Beltline rush hour traffic with no conscious driver. Fortunately, I was able to gain control of the car from the passenger seat. I steered it into more of a straight line and brought it to a halt. About two minutes later when my mom had finally come to, she had no clue where she was or why she was in the car. I convinced her to swap seats with me so I could pull off the road until help arrived.

She had to endure facial reconstructive surgery later in November and had to wear a neck brace for a number of weeks because of an impact fracture in her seventh cervical vertebrae (lower neck). She remembers everything up to the accident and started remembering

things again once in the hospital room, but of the entire span of time from the accident to the ER, although she was conscious, she has no memory.

I have to say, the most difficult part of the car accident was keeping a calm and level head, taking control of the vehicle knowing my mom lay limp in her seat, having no clue whether or not she was even alive. Fortunately, I did manage and we both came out of the car breathing.

Every one of us deals with disasters in a different way.

I have been trained to remain composed and deal with difficult situations in an efficient manner, but how does one hold hope while going through life constantly dealing with disastrous occurrences? Personally, I can thank God my fingers and toes are all still mostly in tact, and I know that through all this, I have grown and learned new things. When I was talking to my dad about this article he was reminded of a Bible verse. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” This confirms many often over-quoted sayings like, “That which does not kill you makes you stronger,” and, “Things fall apart so that things may fall together.”

My final word goes to those who feel like they are losing hope or that the trials in their life are just too great.

Bear in mind, a diamond must go through fire before it is made beautiful.

Irish Fortune Shamrock JanuaryFebruary

Leprechaun MarchApril

Rainbow MayJune

Horseshoe JulyAugust

Lucky Charm SeptemberOctober

Gold NovemberDecember

The next months of the new year should bring you luck in love, academics, sports, and life. Watch for the signs in the following weeks for something good to come in your life that will change it forever! Be thankful for everything in your life. No matter what happens, everything is always all right!

The impossible will happen to you if you just believe in it.

This impossible feat will help you through things. As you reach for the impossible and the possible, just remember who you are and who you have been in the past. Your dreams will come true no matter how big they are. Reach for the stars to find yourself.

The things that you want in life might not happen because something grave is coming. You will get through this time of great sadness. There will be sunshine at the end of the tunnel, waiting for you to find something new. Just be patient and you will find a new hobby or activity that will make new dreams for you.

In the next month you will remember what affection means to your heart and mind. Let it guide you through everything in life.

The affection you get from others in your life shall give you strength and courage to fight against the hardships in your life. Those hardships will be overcome in time. Fight to be yourself.

The happiness and adoration that you’ve had in your life will help you believe in faith, life, and love. It may not be the in-love kind of love, but maybe it will remind you of the love you share with a parent, a friend, or a relative you don’t know very well, but will get to know this year. May you believe in everything.

Things come to those who wait.

The following month shall bring something you have been wishing for all of your life or have been waiting for. Watch your surroundings because something or someone will catch your eye.

You might have to wait a while for that one thing that will brighten your world forever.

By Alicia Luck