Sonder Issue No. 1

SONDER

ISSUE No. 1

SONDER

Everyone has a story.

A MINE publication

TABLE OF CONTENTS page three Climate Change page eleven A Rocky Revolution page fourteen Style Guide page twenty four Laps of Struggle page fourty Korean Thunder page fourty four A pen, pad, and patch of dirt

Editors in Chief

Danyka Bratton Paola Lopez Robert Rust

Copy Editor

Chandler Larsen Rosaura Olivo Lira

Feature Editors

Alex Brown Aaron Garcia

News Editors

Jordyn Espy Rhiannon Hoefer

Sports Editor Shianne Easton

Creative Directors Hailey Bonham Ben Park

Designers

Tess Champ Megan Meier Tabitha Sample

Advertising

Lily Wheeler

Social Media Sarai Batista Photographer

Luis Torres-Sanchez

Expedition Planner Carolyn Davies

Reporters

Allyssa Burkett Mikayla Dewey-Buntin Patrick Durbin Ryleiha Hamilton Marissa McDaniel Wilson Tan Jacy Tanner Emma Wright

Sports Desk Ron Lumibao

Magazine Advisor Ivan Miller

Contact Cover photo by Hailey Bonham

Sonder is an magazine for Springfield High School. Inquiries should be addressed to ivan. miller@springfield.k12.or.us

CHALLENGING CLIMATE CHANGE

By Paola Lopez

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY KIMBERT ROBINSON

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I

n the world of climatology, global climate change seems almost apocalyptic. Rising sea levels threaten to submerge entire sections of our coastal cities and islands. Deserts are expanding under intense droughts, taking up land. One of the largest mass extinction events in the history of Earth is still ongoing, destroying incredible biodiversity. Our industrial world is continually pumping almost seven million metric tons of greenhouse gasses warming our planet, with major industrial players massively profiting.

But a startling change is coming.

On November 10, 2016, a landmark climate lawsuit involving 21 young plaintiffs against the fossil fuel industry as well as federal government, including former president Barack Obama and numerous agencies, survived a motion to dismiss the case in the United States District Court in the district of Oregon. On the grounds that the “defendants’ actions violate their... rights to life, liberty, and property, and that defendants have violated their obligation to hold certain natural resources in trust for the people and for future generations,” the youth are suing for recognition of this violation and a plan for CO2 reduction. In willful negligence by government agencies and companies like Exxon who have known about climate issues since the 1950s, the defendants are being held accountable for their inaction and involvement with the climate issue.

This isn’t just one of those distant social movements or legal battles heard about every so often though. This is a push by real people representing their generation with their future at hand. Tia Hatton, a 19 year old student at the University of Oregon, is being affected by all of this. She is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Involved with the outdoors from a young age, Hatton sees the impact first hand. It wasn’t until a seasonal trip to the Nordic ski trails during her senior year that Hatton realized how global

warming affected everyone. She says, “snow levels for my skiing means a lot of other things for other people, it means lack of access to water for the citizens of Bend and also the valley where we live, it means increased chances of drought, wildfires and has so many impacts beyond my ability to ski outside.”

Hatton also recently spent 18 days traversing 150 miles of the Sierra Nevada High Route on a backpacking trip. She not only learned to appreciate wild places the government maintains but also what it would be like for them to disappear. Hatton's uncle, Charlie Wilshire, accompanied her on this trek which is only walkable using topographic maps, GPS devices, and compasses. The route covers three national parks--Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon.

They got lost various times, sometimes only covering a few miles per day, but they learned to love the struggle and appreciate the opportunity.

“In challenging yourself to experience that which is outside of our comfort zone will undoubtedly give somebody an amazing appreciation for how important it is to save what we have. It will also make you realize that it is very fragile and it is being taken away from us very quickly,” Wilshire says.

Our Children’s Trust makes a constitutional argument that young people and unborn generations are being discriminated against because they don’t have the right to vote but will be most affected by runaway warming. They are fighting for the right to have a stable climate and a healthy atmosphere today and for the people of tomorrow. So far, two court hearings have taken place and both sllowed them to move to trial. “We’re trying to get a really quick trial to go through but I think the judges know the timing is of the essence and everyday we pollute more carbon dioxide, we just don’t have anymore time,” says Hatton.

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“

The things that we can see are only the peak of diversity. Meaning, she’s brown, and he’s black, and she’s white. This is the peak of diversity; things that we can see.

But the things that we cannot see are down on the iceberg of diversity.

”

Dr. Juan Carlos Modella Dean of the University of Oregon's School of Jouralism and Communication

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 6

THE ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

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By Rosaura Olivo Lira

r. Juan Carlos Modella is the new Dean at the University of Oregon’s school of Journalism and Communication. Heralding from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Dr. Modella stands tall, his presence immediately demanding attention. The sharp edges of his navy blue blazer compliment his light pink dress shirt, and the softness of the pink emphasizes his facial expressions.

The youngest of six kids, Dr. Modella lost his father when he was 13. “You could have experienced death in another way, in your neighborhood, or somebody else that was not close to you but when somebody dies like your father or your mother, that changes your perspective on life,” says Dr. Modella. “I always learn from my feelings and of course not all of the feelings are positive. So you also learn from the negative feelings and you try not for the negative feelings to be dominating in your life, so I learned a lot about how grief shakes me and shakes my floor.”

At 29 years of age, Dr. Modella knew he needed more education, getting a master’s degree in communication. Tutors and advisors recommended moving to the United States or France to complete his higher degrees.

Dr. Modella ended up in Radford, Virginia, a small, rural college town that borders Tennessee. The transition was drastic, coming from a large city in Venezuela. Being a new student with broken English did not make the transition any smoother. “It was really challenging, but at the same time it was very beautiful because it was a new life, you know. I started being more humble and also working hard, as I always did, but in a different way. I wasn’t working for an organization, I was working for myself, ” says Dr. Modella.

The culture change also impacted Dr. Modella.

“There were two individuals that were classmates that were really close to me. One from India and one from Spain, and that was a very contrasting view of the world; from Spain, from India, and then from Venezuela. We had a great time in sharing our stories and learning from each other, ” he says.

Dr. Modella notices that culture and diversity are important to have in the classroom, although, he sees

diversity as much more than the color of someone’s skin.“The things that we can see are only the peak of diversity. Meaning, she’s brown, and he’s black, and she’s white. This is the peak of diversity; things that we can see. But the things that we cannot see are down on the iceberg of diversity,” he says.

Having a diverse classroom has advantages, and provides an opportunity to explore more of the iceberg metaphor by building meaningful communities. Dr. Modella says, “I think the advantage I have seen in diverse classrooms is when you allow the classroom to speak up, you create an environment in which you are expecting people to really share their ideas and ask questions and comments.”

During his 16 years as a professor at the University of Florida, Dr. Modella formed special bonds with minority students. “They gravitated toward me,” elaborating, “because of the way I carry myself, you know that I don’t consider myself to be a traditional professor.”

Dr. Modella’s interpretation of a traditional professor is one who focuses more on theories and scholastic work as opposed to actual practice. Seeing himself as different, he believes that he incorporates the real world into the classroom, which helps his students better understand what they learn and why.

After 20 years of teaching in the southern and eastern United States, Dr. Modella received an unexpected phone call that would change his life. An executive search firm contacted Dr. Modella and said he had been nominated for Dean at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. Initially, Dr. Modella was apprehensive about taking on a role that would change his life. He wanted to consult with his husband and family before making a decision. In the end, Dr. Modella applied.

Furthering his education was what brought him to America, and years later it continues to be his locomotive. Education brought him to a different country, and when he thought he was settled, education shook his floor again, moving him across the country. Now, Dr. Modella embraces a new adventure as Dean at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication.

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AFTER THE RIOT A

By Chandler Larsen

pron tied around his waist, Dan Schmid engages in conversation with a customer. In a polite and calm manner, he takes the order without writing it down, walks back to the register, and greets his co-workers with a smile. He knows Plank Town Brewing Co. inside and out.

In his daily life, Schmid is seen as the affable and collected floor manager at Plank Town. Behind the apron though, is the rockstar bassist, and co-founder of popular ska-swing band, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

Schmid moved to Springfield from Aloha, Oregon to study at the University of Oregon (UO). He began majoring in business, switched to English before becoming “unsatisfied with the process.” So in 1984 Schmid and his friends dropped out of college to start a band.

Schmid played in the trio, Jazz Greats, for eight months, then in the band Saint Huck until 1987. In 1988, Schmid brainstormed with his former bandmates on what to do next. Schmid says, “we just wanted to get into something that was a little nastier, add more dancing, get into something more rhythmic.” After recruiting some self-taught musicians at the UO, they formed the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

The Daddies began playing at McKenzie Theater (now the Wildish Theater) in Springfield, and Wild Duck Music Hall in Eugene, Oregon. After finding local popularity, they acquired three more horn players to complete their eight-piece band. They went on to play in New York and Florida.

After experimenting with names such as Big Yank or Mr. Wiggles, they settled on Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

In the 90’s, Eugene was very politically correct. “You cannot stop control, you cannot say anything upsetting to anybody or you will get in trouble,” says Schmid. They were threatened with lawsuits because of the name’s crudeness. In 1994, the band ceased performing in Eugene, until they could play as Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

“We wanted to upset people...which is a real punk rock thing to do, exercise free speech in a way that would cause people to hopefully think and challenge their assumptions

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about free speech,” Schmid says. He says Cherry Poppin’ Daddies was never “about the title, it’s about trying to inspire people to have a good time. It’s supposed to be jive, it’s supposed to be racy, it’s supposed to inspire dialogue.”

The Daddies have recorded songs for movies such as “Swingers” and “BASEketball,” and were nominated for Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 1997 they came out with a swing compilation record that included their hit, Zoot Suit Riot. The song played on popular radio stations, reached platinum sales, becoming number 17 on the Billboard 200.

Schmid says at that level the band needed lawyers, management, booking agents, and stage crew, who are all paid before them. The business behind the Daddies got out of control, so they asked out of their record label’s contract, and toured less. Today they only play around 40 shows a year.

The Daddies have always been involved with real lyrical expression. Schmid says, “it’s a world of ideas and really if you say something unpopular it could be flat out wrong and there’s absolutely nothing in the world that should stop you from saying it.” He explains that a person should stand up for what they think is right, even if their opinion is unpopular.

“We wanted to inspire that sense of freedom amongst the crowd,” says Schmid. “I know people to this day, friends of mine or people that I’ve met along the way that say, ‘I saw you guys play that back then’ or ‘the first time I’ve ever had sex was after a Daddies show’ or during one, and millions of other stories.”

After playing bass on a Daddies tour nowadays, Schmid returns to Springfield as the Plank Town floor manager. With great interest, he listens to different stories that customers share with him, and takes their orders with the same attitude. In 2013 after nine months of hard work, Schmid helped turn an empty building in downtown Springfield into a four-star restaurant and brewery.

“I’m definitely proud of what we’ve accomplished,” says Schmid. He has found success, whether at work, or on stage performing for thousands of people.

Dan Schmid sets tables before opening Plank Town Brewing Company.

PHOTO BY PAOLA LOPEZ

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10

A ROCKY REVOLUTION

By Lily Wheeler

D

roplets of rain patter on the windshield as we turn down another street in Corvallis, Oregon, a city unfamiliar to native Eugenians. Our GPS had long given up on supplying directions, choosing to instead sputter, wildly, that we were headed in the wrong direction.

My partner in crime for this excursion, Gwyneth Wolfe, my best friend since 7th grade, had stopped talking since our bickering about directions had turned into something reminiscent of an old married couple. A few more turns, rain coming down harder with every passing second, we ended up parked downtown, beginning another bout of affectionate argument, feeling hopelessly lost. Then we saw it, our albatross, a man, towering above realistic height in six-inch platform heels, dressed completely in women’s lingerie and a cape. It was a sight so characteristically Rocky Horror Picture Show there was no mistaking his location with our destination. Tickets in hand, we followed our beacon of androgyny to the Majestic Theater's October 22 showing of the cult classic.

Art contributed by Tess Thompson

With a following as dedicated as Star Wars’, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a fan favorite since its start as a stage musical (The Rocky Horror Show) in 1975. In 41 years the popular stage show has been adapted as an award winning movie (the subject of its followings greatest affections), developed its own interactive stage show involving the movie with a “shadow cast,” and a made-for-TV movie remake by FOX recently.

The popularity of this movie is subject to the barriers broken through its content for the time it came out, especially since some of this content is still controversial now such as non-gender normative behavior, sexuality, and open nudity. For those who have never seen the 1976 movie adaptation the plot revolves around a by-the-book, recently engaged, couple, Janet Weiss and Brad Majors (played by Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick), who decide to leave town, hoping to visit Dr. Everette V. Scott, an homage to their meeting in his class a few years prior. Unfortunately, the couple does not make it to Dr. Scott due to their car breaking down, they instead seek refuge

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from a storm in the castle they passed just before their car trouble: the home of Dr. Frank N Furter (nicknamed “Frankie” by fans and played by Tim Curry) a “sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania.” Dr. Furter then shows Brad and Janet his new creation: Rocky, a homemade specimen of male perfection, setting up the first of many references to other movies of this generation and sets the scene for a series of odd events eventually leading to Furter’s death at the end of the movie. Most of the plot derives from some sort of sexual context and when it is not the interactive viewers make it so, adding their own lines to the mix.

The sexuality of the show is the most appealing aspect for most who visit since it differs from anything else allowed on cable TV. Frank N. Furter was one of the first characters in the history of American cinema to openly dress as the opposite sex, coupled with open bisexuality it is a surprise that this movie was not immediately rejected by the public when it was released in the 70s, considering same-sex marriage only becoming legal in all 50 states in 2015. Rocky Horror has garnered its following based on its acceptance of sex and sexuality in a way that is celebrated, made fun of, and expressed through theaters full of fishnets and lingerie.

Entering the Majestic theater Gwen and I were given goodie bags filled with everything we would need for the experience including a newspaper, glow stick, party hat, rubber glove, celebration noise maker, and a tiny piece of toast. A small table off to the right of the theater entry had two eccentric women in full costume asking for virgin sacrifices, a tradition of Rocky Horror. Since neither of us had been to a show before this was our category: virgins, so we sacrificed each other and were branded by means of a red “V” drawn on our left cheeks in lipstick.

With an hour before the show, we completed a Rocky Horror virgin bingo sheet that involved tasks like buying raffle tickets and saying fan-made lines to people in costume. Eventually, the show started and our hosts came onstage introducing the movie, thanking the theater, and explaining the props to

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the audience virgins. The newspaper, for example, was to cover your head just as Janet does when she leaves the car for the cast during the storm, the catch, the theater crew would come around and shower the top our heads with watering cans.

It did not take the two of us very long to catch on to the running jokes of the normal crowd such as yelling “slut” whenever Janet appears, “a**hole” whenever Brad appears, and everybody’s favorite “castles don’t have telephones” every time Brad asks to use a phone (which is often).

The history of these lines and props date back to 1976 when the movie hit theaters in New York.

An audience of followers formed soon after with some members attending the show every Saturday night. Sal Piro, original and current president of the official Rocky Horror fan club, has written several books and articles on the official fan site on the origins of the audience lines and fan props, creating a community of enthusiasts well beyond the societal norm.

According to Piro’s book Creatures of the Night, Louis Farese, a kindergarten teacher from Staten Island was the first person to yell lines back at the screen coining it as “counterpoint dialogue.” He also coined the audience line: “How strange was it?” in answer to the narrator’s first speech, which was even used in the FOX adaptation of the movie, appealing to new audiences.

The live showings of Rocky Horror have become a sanctuary made to celebrate those who do not quite fit in, inclusive of goths, punks, those who identify as homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, and even cisgendered men who dress as women, roles sometimes misunderstood in American society.

In this way Rocky Horror helped pave a way for itself as an open and welcoming cultural space. In the near future these communities of acceptance, like Rocky Horror, will become just as important as they were throughout the last 40 years; safe havens for the mistreated. These are the places that make it so we can stand together through anything, as a community, LGBT and beyond.

After the show, tired, and happily entertained, Gwen and I left our safe haven, back into the rainy and dreary night.

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Style Guide 2017

We all have stories, idiosyncracies and unique quirks that are invisible to strangers’ eyes. Expressing ourselves through fashion allows those to go beyond a whisper into what lies beneath. We have taken the word fashion and redefined it, stripped away the ‘‘rules’’ and created guidelines that suit our lives. To us fashion is art, and we encourage you all to become artists with us.

any D d n a x e l A o x xo

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Funky patterns can spice up any outfit and give you a unique look.

These baggy pants are great if you want to walk along the beach while still looking fancy.

Photos by Hailey Bonham 15

T-shirt dresses are great if you feel like slaying while still looking effortless and casual.

You can dress it up with some chunky high heeled sandals, or embrace a more boyish look by pairing it with some old sneakers.

Styled 16 by Gilt & Gossamer

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Everyone’s social media was blasting with pictures of food, parties, and more food.

Meanwhile, I chewed on a couple carrots.”

Paola Lopez trains for her upcoming race.

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BY JORDYN ESPY

Run I

PARTY ON

've never ran in my life—well not for fun at least. I ran a mile for P.E. class or after my dog when he decides to chase a cat. Basically, I only run out of breath. Now, I suddenly had 28 days to prepare for Eugene’s First Run, a 5K run starting at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. I pitched the idea of writing about the experience of running and I never thought anyone would go for it.

First step: look for workout plans. I could not find a single workout plan that was one month long. To my luck all of them were over a span of three to five months.

So I downloaded a tracker app on my phone to keep mileage, so I could just run on my own accord.

I put on some shorts and a hoodie on and off I went.

It was a slightly cold 34 degrees but the tingle on my legs didn’t bother me. I blasted my inspirational trap music and jogged for what seemed like hours. Suddenly the sky started crying for me and I was soaked within minutes.

I wanted to turn back and give it another shot the next day, but I kept going. It started getting darker and I decided to go back home, 1.93 miles in 18 minutes. Not a bad start. I felt like I was ready to win Eugene’s First Run. The winter days were cold and while people sit in front of a fireplaces drinking hot chocolate, I was off to my second run. It was 36 degrees and this time I decided to wear some pants, a warmer jacket and some gloves.

I focused on my surroundings and less on the fatigue. I ran 2.6 miles in 24 minutes.

At the beginning of my so called “training” I thought it would be a good idea to cut back on the Dutch Bros. morning sugar rush, the cheesy bagels for lunch, and any food I considered bad. But a Latino family during the holiday season basically cooks a buffet everyday.

Another temptation and another challenge to overcome.

Adding to the training I joined weights class during one of my off periods. I walked into a testosterone-filled zoo. All the boys were rowdy teenagers, showing off how much they could bench. Hilarious. I never returned.

By Paola Lopez

The next few days were below freezing, keeping me inside. I knew that cold weather should not keep me from running, but the lack of motivation did.

The 31st came fast and my daily runs had turned into bi-weekly runs. At that point I just wanted to get it over with and say I did it. Everyone’s social media was blasting with pictures of food, parties, and more food.

Meanwhile, I chewed on a couple carrots, afraid that if I ate more I would throw up mid-race. The temperature started dropping and showers were on and off. I prayed for no rain. I had running pants, a windbreaker, rain jacket, beanie, and some gloves and headed off to the signing up area at Valley River Inn. Chandler Larsen, a fellow classmate, waited for me inside to accompany me on the midnight trek. The 5K would run along part of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System that runs along the Willamette River.

The foyer for the sign up was almost packed. Some young, some old, some with dogs, and even some in wheelchairs. I realized that all sorts of people enjoy their first minutes of the new year running. We payed the fee, and grabbed our number and some glow sticks to form into necklaces or bracelets. Everyone waited anxiously, watching the clock tick. Around ten minutes before the race we headed out to the start line. I was nervous because I didn’t want to disappoint myself, but also because I didn’t want to be the last person crossing the finish line. Some might say “three miles is nothing,” but it was a stretch for me.

Clock hit 11:59. Everyone counted down the last 30 seconds of 2016. Three, two, one and 12. I ran and ran and ran for what felt forever. I wanted to stop and walk.

My legs were frozen and I just wanted a break. Larsen yelled, “I’ll race you to the end.” Of course he won but I made it to the finish line, in 37 minutes. And 15 seconds later, the 1st place winner for the 10K crossed the finish line. It might have created a sense of shame for some but at least I did it.

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PLAYING WITHOUT MARGIE

By Shianne Easton

20 PHOTO

BY BEN PARK

D

uring one of the biggest games of the season against Churchill High School, Nic Ah Sam and his team fight frantically to steal a win from a familiar Midwestern League rival.

The fourth quarter rolls around and the Millers are ahead by 3 points, until the Lancers shoot a last second 3-pointer and tie the game. Going into overtime, a worried look covers Ah Sam’s face. Drops of sweat race down his body as he struggles to keep the ball in motion, passing it from one teammate to another. He desperately looks to find an open shot, and not even the screaming crowd can distract him.

With 10 seconds left in the game, Ah Sam maneuvers straight through the key and goes to shoot. The ball bounces off the rim. He misses.

Ah Sam has received several awards from football and basketball. He was a First Team All State Guard and Midwestern Co Player Of The Year in hoops, and the Defensive Player Of The Year in football.

Behind his student athlete success, there were times when his family struggled. His grandfather became well known in the Samoan Polynesian culture, allowing him to give Nic’s mother a house. She lived there for 20 years until his grandfather was forced to sell it. “I remember when my mom had to sell our house that we lived at in Thurston, and we went homeless for 6 months,” Ah Sam says. Fortunately a family member sheltered his family for four of those six months. For the remaining two, their car would be their home.

Leading up to his senior year, Ah Sam enjoyed amazing success in football, but this year the team only won a single game. After losing many seniors and getting a new coach, Ah Sam’s senior year would only get worse.

His mother (and biggest fan), Margie Ah Sam attended every game. “To be honest, my mom is the reason why I love it, she’d be the first person I’d look for after the game, and I always looked forward to giving her a big hug and kiss,” says Ah Sam. On October 15, Margie was in the stands, cheering on her team, but passed away the next morning. Ah Sam

said he didn’t know what to do. He went to basketball coach Eric Orton’s house. “I remember knocking on his door and when he answered I just hugged him and told him what happened, he just kept telling me that it was going to be okay,” says Ah Sam. Margie supported everyone, whether it was her son, his teammates, or even players on opposing teams. She built relationships with many of the athletes and students at Springfield High School, and she wanted everyone to feel comfortable and loved.

“Me and my friends were actually just talking about how she would constantly be asking if they were okay, and if they stopped talking for even five minutes she would think something was wrong,” Ah Sam says. “So many people, even if they didn’t know her, would call her auntie, and even my friends would call her mom.”

Margie was the heart and soul of the crowd, always the loudest and most enthusiastic. Her energy was contagious. Everyone appreciated the classic Margie cheer: “What time is it? Miller time!” he says.

Athletic director, Audrea Shelley has been close with the Ah Sam family since 2009, and considered Margie one of her best friends. “Margie’s passing has really hit home for everyone. It was definitely a shocker, but the family is very self sufficient and I think that this will make Nic and his sister Yaiyah stronger people,” Shelley says.

Despite her absence, Ah Sam remains inspired by his mother, feeling her presence while signing with the Portland State Vikings on a full football scholarship on February 1.

The 2016-17 basketball season may prove to be his biggest triumph. The boys have ranked as high as second in state. “The team’s goals are to play hard during playoffs and to win a state championship,” says Orton.

The ball bounces off the rim at Churchill on January 20. Ah Sam beats everyone to the ball and swipes the rebound out of mid air. Three people, all taller than him, swarm the paint. Unphased and wasting no time, he repositions himself and fires a shot. With a swoosh, he makes the basket and helps extend the game into a second overtime. With a concluding score of 45-41, the Millers win. With tears in his eyes, and sweat streaming down his face, Ah Sam remembers his mother.

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The Essence Of

Competition

By Ben Park

"The fans are the same as the players, the teams, and the leagues.

They want to carve a slice of what the world has to offer in order to be fulfilled."

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PHOTO BY BEN PARK

T

he audience has come to see a victory, and they make it known. But their enthusiasm hardly comes close to larger games with thousands of attendees.

This might be the image you have of such events: sports fans pouring into a crowded stadium, sometimes running and pushing in their drive.

They bear vibrant, expressive attire in salute to their favored team. They jump and cheer, ready to react to every close call, every tense moment, and every miraculous play. They are notably disappointed when their team loses, and they go wild when their team wins. Organized sports are a phenomenon of such size, and such recurring presence in human society, that they almost require a root in the human psyche. Something about the arrangement of the game, or of games in general, attracts this much attention. Understanding the reason requires a look at animal psychology, the source of competition in all its forms.

All organisms are compelled to compete not only with other organisms in their environment, but also with others of their own species. This is the pressure which drives the process of evolution.

Humans, though they possess tools far beyond what any other organism on Earth can match, tend to operate on basic survival instincts convoluted by their elevated capacity for manipulation and reasoning. We are animals through and through, which should come as no surprise. However, that means understanding of the human condition can begin by reducing its complexity to tooth and nail skirmishes, to DNA injection by bacteria, even to the removal of electrons from one atom by another.

For the white and blue jerseys now poised to chase victory, the bright orange ball becomes a treasure to be seized and carried to safety in the confines of a net. They leap for it, and so begins the first quarter.

Of course, in most animals, competition takes the form of injuring, dissuading, or killing whatever seems to pose a threat. But all through human history, societies have moved towards forms of competition which do not pose a threat to the life of their participants, though they might at times carry almost equivalent stakes.

In great, spacious stadiums, the traditional battle still continues. Their objectives clear, those of

powerful physical statures dance, maneuver, flex, run, endure, hit, and kick to show that they are the strongest, fastest, most skilled animal. But even this old struggle has new rules and complications.

The athletes more often compete as a team than as themselves, belonging to it as a part which drives the whole to success. Their team, and their league, reap the reward of the attention they attract.

The game grows into a back and forth, Churchill trying to break through to the net with increasing desperation. Both teams form a phalanx in front of their net, closing avenues of weakness. The other team probes the outside, with limbs shifting and eyes scanning all directions. The ball is searing hot in that moment, too hot to be kept in the hands.

Players lock eyes for a few seconds and move on, an exchange devoid of sympathy. Neither can mount a perfect defense. both scores rise, but they continue to battle it out. Springfield leaves too many holes, and their opponents are keen to smash like wrecking balls into every one. The phalanx falls apart, becoming a many-handed mass around the net. All for the sake of that radiant orange sphere, the icon of success.

The fans are the same as the players, the teams, and the leagues. They want to carve a slice of what the world has to offer in order to be fulfilled, assured that their life is secure and provides a sense of meaning which is satisfactory to the animal inside. This is the heart of competition, and we as sentient beings possess multiple avenues to arrive at this end. Though they possess extraneous lives, sports fans hold some attachment to the aspects which define a physical game itself, be it the athleticism or the analysis and speculation; be it the food and celebration or the regional connection.

Fandom is an exercise in making something external, something belonging to another, a part of yourself. For a fan of sports, the game is an extension of their own identity and life.

The night ends with one team triumphant.

They knew victory was at hand, they knew it from the first second of play. It was all they could have thought. The team is affirmed as superior, for now, perhaps until a future meeting in the . Time will test them all again as the contest continues ever onward into the future.

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LAPS OF STRUGGLE

By Alex Brown

T

he first time I remember stepping foot into a pool was during 3rd grade swim lessons. From then on it was a love-hate relationship. I hated how the chlorine left my hair and skin feeling void of moisture, how my eyes constantly burned, and how my sinuses and nose ached for several days after. However, when the summer heat began to kiss the earth, I sucked it up and joined my friends in the chemical ridden water for summer fun. So when I was called upon to craft an article on the Springfield High School swimming team, I was once again faced my irrational enemy.

The aroma of wet pavement and pool cleaner blended with the damp air of the Willamalane Swim Center as I strapped an elastic swimming cap over my untamed afro, accompanied by a pair of bright green goggles in an attempt to prepare for two hours of physical abuse. Springfield senior Hayleigh Simon, a captain of the swim team, lead a group of new members through a series of dynamic stretches. As I tried to keep up with the blur of body movements and motions, I heard scattered giggles from others, and couldn’t help but laugh with them, something about a tall, lanky, uncoordinated figure flailing around proves humorous. When the group finished stretching, we hopped into the 25 yard lap pool, beginning what I believed to be hell.

First on the list, 100 yards of freestyle which seemed easy enough until I hit the 50 yard mark and I had to gasp for air every two

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Alex Brown

Alex Brown sits on the edge of Willamalane Pool.

25 PHOTO BY LUIS TORRES-SANCHEZ

Alex joins the SHS swim team for practice.

PHOTO BY BEN PARK

seconds. Next was a stroke I had never seen in my life, but consisted of laying on my side with bottom arm stretched to the front as my legs kicked furiously. This gave me the most trouble. I looked like a disabled worm squirming through the water, and every now and then stuck my head back out, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Following this was the same exact stroke but after 12 kicks of the legs, I had to flip back onto my stomach to freestyle for 3 strokes of the arms and then repeat for 100 yards. At first this drill did not seem to give me too much trouble until the muscles in my calf decided to contract, bunching into a ball not

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willing to relax until I scrambled out of the pool, bounding on one leg and gasping for air. As I sat massaging my leg, promising myself that I’d eat more bananas, junior Sahalie Ellickson advised me to lay my cramped leg flat on the ground while stretching my other foot in front. And with no surprise I managed to somehow do it the complete opposite way, earning a barrage of halfway sympathetic laughs from the swimmers in the pool.

Then more pain.

“You ready to race yet Alex?!” exclaimed head coach Josh Jordan.

“Sure, why not!” I replied already accepting the

“What better way to end the day then losing in front of a crowd of people.”

Alex Brown Feature Editor fate that I was going to lose.

“We’ll put ya up against Hayleigh,” he said “Great!” I thought to myself, “What better way to end the day then losing in front of a crowd of people.”

I brushed any negative thoughts away as I stepped up onto the diving platform, preparing to dive elegantly into the water and then torpedo to the other wall and back, but when Jordan’s voice shouted the cadence to begin, my dive was followed up by a rush of chlorine to the eyes and a powerful smack against the water, an ugly reminder of childhood misery.

Keeping my composure I kept my eyes closed and desperately put each arm in front of the other while I kicked my legs at hyper speed. Finally reaching the opposite wall, I pushed back with all the force I had.

I heard shouts and cheers from the other swimmers waiting to declare the victor. As I approached the last quarter of the stretch my movements slowed down, plagued by fatigue and shortness of breath I watched as Hayleigh sprung back out of the water taking the gold. But as I reached my endpoint and crawled back out of the water it didn’t feel much like a loss as the team gathered around, complimenting my efforts and recalling how close it was. I left the pool that day honored to have had the chance to experience the support of the team.

Swimmers on the Springfield swim team are expected to attend at least one practice a day from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. after school or 5:30 to 7:00 a.m. before school for the early birds on the team. Top tier swimmers Tristan James, Bradley Martin, Joelle Otterstedt, Erika Valdez and Chaz Stafford all attend both morning and afternoon practices to gain an edge for state competitions.

“If we want to actually compete in state, coach Jordan wants us at about eight practices a week during season,” says Otterstedt. “It sucks at first but once you see improvement it motivates you more.”

This dedication has manifested itself through

Springfield swimming for almost four years now as they have acquired three straight Midwestern league titles, 2nd place in state in 2016, a girls and boys combined title, and several broken school records.

Their dominance continues however, Springfield’s main goal is not just to beat personal records; their main goal is to win as a team.

The sport of swimming is naturally individual, at least that is what I thought before witnessing Springfield’s swim team. Most students on the team have been swimming together since middle school, a large bunch coming from Briggs Middle School, which has created a chemistry and deeper sense of family.

“When were in the pool we all love to hangout with each other and laugh,” said Simon, “But we all are passionate about the sport so we still get our stuff done for the better of each other.”

Teammates are all in charge of pushing each other to set higher goals and ensuring that people meet them. If they can accomplish this, then they have a better chance at winning more total points meaning they win as a team.

“The combined title is definitely one of our biggest goals this year,” Martin said, “If you only have a person or two winning then we can’t win as a team, that’s why it is so important.”

This sense of community also drifts outside of the pool, a social realm open to anyone, something sometimes hard to find in a high school setting.

“Since swimming is so physically demanding and rigorous. It teaches you discipline, and being on a team teaches you how to be a leader,” said Martin.

The team shares a set of morals which bonded a family, and after witnessing their journey I suddenly had a clearer vision of the pool. The concrete swallow of water no longer seemed as treacherous or harmful as it once did in third grade, but more of a place where success is made.

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PE R DU T E N E S PA Ñ A

By Jordyn Espy

Ben Walsh pictured on Euro-Tour during his exchange CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Contributed Photo

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A

t 4:30 a.m., Ben Walsh climbs out of a sleeping bag and wanders off a man-made trail. After making his way to the cliffside, he stands atop muntanya de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain.

On his jouney for self discovery abroad, Walsh finds himself atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

The crisp morning air envelopes his warm breath. Silhouettes of tree covered hilltops gently contrast the star-speckled sky, the Mediterranean Sea remains invisible in the early hours. The distant laughter from camp is all he hears. As Walsh stands on the cliff, he tries to make sense of his life, wondering if it truly matters.

In his sophomore year his academic counselor introduced him to Rotary Youth Exchange — a program that would change his life.

Walsh was an average American teen, looking for a way to escape the monotonous routine of a high school student, yet completely content to order a pizza and binge watch TV shows any given night. He was a small town, go-with-the-flow type of kid.

In October 2014 a meeting was held after school that discussed opportunities youth exchange would provide for interested students. At 14, Walsh found an escape, a way to outrun all of his responsibilities; he was going on exchange to Spain in search of answers to bigger questions.

For months, Walsh pictured Barcelona as the perfect city.

“I just thought it was going to be this really clean metropolitan area, almost like a cartoon, and I had built that up in my head,” says Walsh. “It would be this classic scene where you come out of the airport and your host family is waiting there for you.”

It was not perfect. His bags got lost, he did not know what his host family looked like, and he was in a new country almost 6,000 miles from home.

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“Everything sucks and life is horrible, “

and it took a lot to get over that.""”

Ben Walsh Exchange Student

“I had a really hard time my first week; there was no honeymoon stage.” says Walsh “It was nothing like I expected, Barcelona was a horrible desert.” The city was not clean, poverty covered the streets.

For Walsh, acclimating to Spain meant acclimating to city life. Students went to school at the same time as they did in Oregon, but they were not on the same schedule. “They don’t give you lunch, they give you a little break in between classes,” says Walsh. Generally, that was not lunch, lunch was after school at 3, and dinner was not until 10 o’clock.

Walsh’s biggest surprise was that his host family let him stay out as late as he wanted.

With the Metro he could go anywhere. “I had complete freedom; I had complete control over myself,” says Walsh.

Yet, his hardest time was in school. This was partly because Spanish was not spoken in school—they spoke Catalán. Because of the unfamiliar language, he could not fully participate in class, making him homesick and unmotivated.

His attendance decreased gradually until he had the worst attendance in his class. He did not receive credit for school, and it was not a priority as he was traveling all the time. “Some would say that’s a mistake but I think I got a lot out of it that I couldn’t have gotten if I was focusing on school,” says Walsh.

School was the hardest part about exchange, but it definitely wasn’t the scariest. Walsh describes the scariest thing as feeling as though

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life did not matter; it did not matter that he was in Spain and it did not matter that he would be going home. It was a feeling that led him to question the validity of his existence.

“Everything sucks, life is horrible. And it took me a lot to get over that. The littlest bumps in the road were huge mountains to me,” says Walsh. “It went away when I was doing stuff, when I was with other kids, or hanging out with friends from school, when I was traveling throughout Europe.”

Walsh had gone with a group of friends to a little town outside Barcelona. They would hike seven miles up to a mountain-top refuge where they would stay overnight. However, when they had gotten to the house, there was no running water. Walsh and a few others hiked back down to get water, and back up again; 21 miles in one day.

On the way back up, the sun went down and it started to rain. Walsh says, “I’m carrying this huge thing of water, we aren’t on the trail anymore, we’re going through bushes and climbing down rocks—it’s just crazy. I’m in excruciating pain carrying the water, refusing to give it up to one of the others.”

There was a huge storm that night, and in a house with a tarp door, everyone was getting soaked. Despite the rain, Walsh made a crucial discovery.

“I get up at 4:30 in the morning and I go outside, and I’m standing on the cliff, the stars were still out and you could see faint lights across the mountain,” says Walsh, “I stand out

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Barcelona glows from the roof of the Park Güell, designed by famous architect Antoni Gaudí.

there and look at the stars." This was his first time seeing stars during his exchange because of the light pollution in Barcelona.

“That’s the moment when I realized that life is good. I realized all the existential stuff is just me complicating life,” says Walsh. “Life is simple.”

Walking into his room now, vibrant new flags decorate his bright blue walls. Taking a closer look, remnants of the old Ben Walsh remain, the dusted over Harry Potter series, Game of Thrones, or old Pink Floyd posters.

However, a new Canon camera sits on another shelf alongside books on Catalonia and Barcelona, and Metro cards, while maps of places he’s been scatter around his room. All of these pieces come together to make up his new life.

“Exchange made me realize life is worth living,” says Walsh. “There’s a whole world outside of high school, outside of Springfield, and that in all of its complexity it’s worth experiencing.”

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PHOTO BY PAOLA LOPEZ 32

A

PAZ’S EQUATION FOR PRESERVATION

By Alex Brown

rt Paz’s self-designed home lays nestled in the trees just below Cedar Flat Ridge on 40 acres in the low Cascade range that borders the McKenzie River, a Shangri-La equipped with an organic blueberry farm.

In 2010, this picturesque landscape came under threat. Northwest Timber Company, Weyerhaeuser, planned on spraying herbicides to kill weeds, as well as to clearcut a 34-acre parcel of trees adjacent to Paz’s property. However, Paz did not allow this to happen because it would obliterate a delicate ecosystem and pristine forest.

In reaction, Paz made a homemade barricade, blocking the main road of Cedar Flat Creek. So when two Weyerhaeuser vehicles approached the helpless forest, they were surprised by the competition.

“I said there was no way I was allowing that stuff on my property,” says Paz. Once the sprayers grew tired of arguing, it was time to pack up shop and head back home. After fending off the potential killers, Paz then took action in his community, creating a “No Harm” petition that went on to gain 22 Cedar Flat family signatures.

“After 16-18 months of battle with them, not a single ounce of chemistry touched my

“After 16-18 months of battle with them, not a single ounce of chemistry touched my property.”

property,” says Paz, “and it is still thriving to this day.”

Paz spent a majority of his life in south central Los Art Paz Angeles Architect after moving from New York City. As a junior at Compton High School, Paz had a lifechanging exchange with his counselor.

“I was talking to my counselor at school and she asked me what I wanted to do,” Paz stated. “I didn’t really know, so she asked me what I liked to do, and I said ‘well I like math and I like to draw,’ so she said I was an architect and it just kind of stuck.”

After graduating from Compton High, he then attended the University of Hawaii for two years as an architectural student before leaving to travel through Europe with a notepad and camera, capturing the architectural feats that inspired him. In the early 60’s, Paz made it from London to Istanbul by hitch hiking and riding trains.

When Paz’s trip came to an end, he migrated to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon where he earned a bachelor’s as well as master’s degree in architecture, determined to create his own way of taking on his profession.

After finishing school, Paz settled in Cedar Flat, developing a formula for sustainable architecture. Using the art and science behind design, Paz follows a simple formula.

“You need an ecological consciousness that then further articulates itself into ecological intelligence.”

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Art Paz's self designed home in the low Cascade range.

Variable “A” represents architecture, variable “E” an environmental consciousness, and “C” cultural awareness. Paz’s formula is as follows: A divided by E times C equals success. Meaning a framework of architecture divided by environmental consciousness times cultural awareness will provide a successful project. From this idea he developed a deep knowledge for sustainability, which he used on various projects including the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza and The 5th Street Station Square Building in Eugene.

Paz believes that environmental consciousness is necessary to create sustainability.

“It is a finite planet so you need that deeper insight into how you enhance the well-being of the natural systems that are apart of your environment,” says Paz. “You need an ecological consciousness that then further articulates itself into ecological intelligence.”

It is important for this consciousness to be passed down to the youth because they are the future decision makers for centuries to come, and if certain practices are not taught, then the health and resoures

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PHOTO BY PAOLA LOPEZ of the earth will quickly diminish. There are different requirements that need to be met in order to avoid harming different resources and ecosystems.

For Paz, sustainability means looking at little things like “using wood instead of steel. Instead of carbon intensive concrete, using bamboo, native timber, or stone local to the environment.” Paz also says, “I would also try to minimize steel because the energy extraction process of turning it to rebar is very high and if we put it into a building with a lifespan of 50-60 years, how can I reclaim the steel at the end. You have to design while thinking about the future.” Paz also stresses systems within the structure that can help sustain the environment including solar power, solar heating and cooling, day lighting, and high efficiency HVAC systems.

In the end, Paz’s formula is really based off of two things, looking at architecture environmentally as well as culturally, and how we can blend the two while designing something that is still functional.

We would like to thank our partners

School of Journalism and Communication Environmental Leadership Program Holden Center

The Gray Family Foundation Portland Audubon Society Food for Lane County McKenzie River Trust

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Training 36

Dimitri

By Paola Lopez

PHOTO BY PAOLA LOPEZ

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silver snake ring wraps around her right that keep them from living in the wild, like thumb, gold matted earrings hang from her collisions with vehicles and power lines, tangled ears, and her dark brown eyes boldly sparkle. fishing lines or barbed wire, and various degrees She makes her way down moss covered steps, of destroyed habitats. carrying Dimitri, a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, on her The center is also home to a Wildlife left wrist. Various spectators anxiously wait to Hospital, rehabilitating over 250 birds each see him fly. She bends down in a squat position, year. Her passion for birds has driven her to crossing her hands above her head, signaling learn more about them. She says, “I did a dosive him to fly back. Laura Farah calls him a second training so I could learn more in depth about time, making direct eye contact. Dimitri spreads the raptors and the natural history as well the his brown golden feathers and flies back. individuals that we have there,” she continues, Farah is not your typical girl from Kansas “I also took a class at some point to do basic City. She moved to Eugene, Oregon at a young meds and rehabilitation so I could assist more in age. Farah has since the clinic and help with involved herself in wrapping broken wings, many form of art. doing tube feeding, She works as a baker, giving injections, or enjoys the outdoors, just administering is a licensed massage medications to the birds therapist, and is a that need it.” self taught musician.

She took an intensive Farah volunteered at eight-week teleclass on the Cascades Raptor animal behavior. She Center, the same listened to a two-hour amount of time as a lecture and looked part-time job. Not your at slides online. She Laura Farah typical girl at all. does all of this out of Raptor Center volunteer Her love for the personal interest and to outdoors comes from build up her skill level. experiences with After working with family as a little girl. “My parents would take Dimitri, Farah walks back into the clinic to us camping, me and sister every summer, work with an injured bird. It does not take long and we would go to Fall Creek and camp at for her to walk back out after preparing a fiveBedrock Campground,” Farah says. “I grew up star lunch of mice for Padawan, a Barn Owl. in those woods learning how to climb things Reaching into a leather fanny pack with bloodand navigate creek beds.” The environment has covered fingers, she walks into his cage signaling always been a big reason for her interest of the him to fly towards her. Padawan responds and Cascades Raptor Center. is rewarded with his meal. She wipes her fingers The Raptor Center is a non-profit on her green rag, clipped on by a blue carabiner, organization that houses over 50 native raptors, and sends Padawan back to his training branch. one of the largest collections in the Pacific Farah makes it feel like fun, despite the Northwest. Farah has dedicated around 20 hours bloody hands. She says, “I handle birds per week for the past seven years and was just which means I have to start out building recently hired permanently. She feeds and trains relationships…the birds know who their the orphaned birds, all of which have injuries handlers are. They recognize us, they know

“I’m weird.

Not that weird is a bad thing at all.”

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Farah feeds Dimitri for good behavior.

PHOTO BY PAOLA LOPEZ that we’re listening to their body language and making sure that they’re safe.” She trains 15 to 17 birds. “They’re all so different. I don’t like them all the same necessarily, everyone always asks me at some point ‘who is your favorite?’ and I never say because they’re all so different and just so charming, so sweet to work with and they have different personalities,” she says.

With so many seemingly random personality traits and professions, Farah explains how she figures it all out. It has not been easy for her to settle with one path, especially because she is passionate about everything she does. She says, “that’s been a curse and a blessing of mine that all my interests are so widespread. It’s really hard to focus on just one, but I think I’m figuring it out. I think right now it’s the birds, training and stuff.”

Finding her identity has not been easy. With three trips to the Philippines, Farah slowly started to see the world with a different point of view. “I saw all this pollution and people not taking care of their natural spaces and it was also like young, egotistical Laura. Seeing that colonization is how these things happens and how quote un quote third world countries are so behind in their development and the way they take care of their people and places and economy. It was just big seeing it from a different lens.”

Farah has never fit into what society views as a normal person. She has made her own path. With the support of her family, Farah has made herself a community member, a biologist, and someone that deeply cares for the expression of art. She says, “I’m weird. Not that weird is a bad thing at all.”

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Korean

Thunder

Sam Burris dances along an alley in Eugene.

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PHOTO BY LUIS TORRES-SANCHEZ

By Danyka Bratton

S

“

chool fight!” Hoots and hollers echo through the locker bay, mixing with the sweet clang of lockers being slammed shut. Suddenly, mundane school life momentarily shatters as students abandon their lockers to investigate abnormal cheers, and begin to create a circle around the cause. As I creep closer I expect to see fists flying or hair pulling, but as I peek over a shoulder a smile tugs at my face. Not a school fight after all.

Sam Burris stands in the middle of the circle.

Instead of his usual Pokemon hat he has a mask on, indecipherable from where I stand. He dances, his body popping and flowing inside the cage the students have created around him.

The crowd and Burris’ moves seem to reflect one another. The bigger the move the louder the students grow, their sounds bending and moving as his body does, until they are a united force.

“The thing I like about dancing is that there are moves that are almost inhuman in a way, but the way you pop and move your body expresses yourself,” Burris tells me later.

Faces smile as they look at the young boy, the majority of the students happy to forget about the long week at school. “My first impression was that he was a little weird, but then I realized it was just a cool weird,” says Nathan Schiffer, a friend who often plays him in basketball.

There are a lot of students that go to Springfield High School, about 1,400. Many of those students slip into the shadows, or stick to their cliques and close friends. Sam Burris does not fit into any category. At the mention of

“A life goal for me is to, at least once per day, make someone happy or laugh.” Sam Burris Dancer

his nickname, “Korean Thunder” people know Burris.

As I walk the short distance out of the cafeteria to the locker bay with him, a bevy of people call out his many names; KT, Korean Thunder, and Sam escape their mouths and echo of the walls to greet him. He calls back sending smiles, names, and high fives.

“A life goal for me is to, at least once per day, make someone happy or laugh,” says Burris.

The goal seems to make sense, his every move reflecting that aim. I can see it as he opens the door for me with a small bow of his head and gentle wave of a hand, and in his many performances around the school.

“I think it’s really important for me to do this because everybody is like ‘Ah, I really don’t want to go to school’ or ‘I’ve got a test’ so it kinda like distracts them for a little bit and makes them feel better,” Burris says.

Springfield High School students bear constant weights on their shoulders: homework, tests, extra-curricular activities, projects, and preparing for the future. Often stuck in the

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o n o i t n e m At the e r o K “ , e nicknam p o e p ” r Thunde . s i r r u B

PHOTO BY LUIS TORRES-SANCHEZ

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of his ean ple know

seemingly never-ending routines that school creates, Burris is there to break it up and take some of that weight away even if only for a few minutes as he dances. He uses his talent to bring joy to others.

“I think it’s awesome [dancing],” Schiffer says, “I wish I had the confidence to do that.”

Burris’ voice is coated with excitement when he talks about dancing and inspiring others. “I try to be a role model,” he says.

A spark amongst so much dull. “I want them [school mates] to not be afraid to be who they are and express themselves.”

He tells me about a girl he knew when he was in 4th grade.

“If I was upset she was always the very first person to cheer me up,” Burris explains. When he was younger he was shy, not feeling comfortable communicating with others in his class. She then moved to California leaving him with even fewer friends.

Most people have experienced the suffocating feeling of loneliness. “That’s one reason why I made the Pokemon club,” Burris explains. “So that people can just nerd out and talk about Pokemon.” He is not only the creator of the Pokemon club but has also taken part in creating a dance club. Burris has created these clubs to help his peers shed their fears and escape the loneliness he once felt in the fourth grade.

He took ahold of what he did not like about himself, then sliced, sculpted, and colored until he had lots of friends and a smile on his face, but he kept creating, kept sculpting until other people had smiles, too. Sam dances, but it is more than just dancing. Every step of his foot is laced with inspiration, every movement of his wrist fills with intentions, and every lift of his head lifts someone else up.

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A PEN, A PAD,

and patch of dirt.

By Ivan Miller

MINE Director Ivan Miller stops to catch his breath after hauling a 100-pound pack to the top of Kearsarage Pass in the Sierra Nevada.

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PHOTO BY KELSI MILLER

N

ature sustains all life, and it also helps build character. This is true of a pilgrimage I made four years ago to what John Muir called the “Range of Light,” the Sierra Nevada. Though yearning for freedom and solitude I nearly bailed on my traveling buddy Charlie Wilshire the night before, for a back injury severely hampered my ability to move. Yet, grit prevailed. I had a physical therapist elaborately tape my back so I could survive the road trip from Eugene to Sonora, California on my way to the Emigrant Wilderness.

Upon arrival, I quickly shed the tape, threw on an 85-pound pack—equipped with survival nonessentials like expensive tea, chocolate, an inflatable raft, even a mini stereo—and hit the trail, staying at six different mountain lakes over ten days. Nothing really compares to the rejuvenating powers of the Sierra, and before long I was running barefoot through meadows, catching grasshoppers, bouldering up granite inclines, and soaking up an oft forgotten sense of childlike wonder.

As my body healed, I pondered why so few people visit places like the Emigrant Wilderness, where I felt so alive and connected. I first discovered this type of connection not long after graduating from Springfield High School when I took a three-month road trip across the western United States—adventure by day, journal at night.

I learned to record and interpret the world around me, which eventually led to a successful career in journalism. And I reignite my passion for journalism every time I enter the wilderness, pen and notepad stuffed into the top of my pack.

After a revitalizing trip to the Emigrant Wilderness, I wanted desperately to share my experience with Springfield students. So I recruited a group of students to help create an outdoor program the next fall. Students learned leadership, harnessed journalism skills, and sought wilderness challenge.

In May of 2015, I took ten students on a 40.6mile expedition in the Wild Rogue Wilderness.

Most people don’t think of blisters, toil, and sweat when thinking of ways to transcend their everyday realities but all ten students wanted something beyond the everyday high school experience. Over the years the results, journalistic

and otherwise, have proven incredible. Miller Integrated Nature Experience (MINE) students have backpacked 13.5 miles in a single day, helped write and earn a $30,000 grant through the Gray Family Foundation, produced an 80-page magazine, helped produce food for the needy in the community, gained support from partners like Northwest Youth Corps and the Willamette National Forest, and participated in conservation projects with the Audubon Society and the McKenzie River Trust.

This past semester the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) studied MINE in a developmental evaluation in search of evidence of promise in regards to journalistic learning.

Their early findings indicate positive outcomes for students in regards to collaboration, critical thinking, and self-directed learning. From EPIC’s observations, students had an opportunity to experience leadership roles in high school, the class contributed to students finding their voice in their respective writing styles, and applying skills that create real world experience in terms of the development of a journalistic publication.

I start with an approach that upends how students typically think of learning. I ask them to sit with pen and pad in hand, quietly for long periods of time, and connect to the natural world.

Eventually they publish their findings in the form of a magazine, the perfect example of student ownership. The kids dream up everything and the product (in this case Sonder) reflects their interests.

They choose their editors-in-chief, pitch ideas, plan the layout, and execute everything. This level of student ownership is key to college and career readiness (motivated and self-directed learner, effective communicator and team player, creative and critical thinker, and persistent).

Eight years ago, the Oregon Board of Education crafted new diploma requirements, requiring proficiency in several Essential Skills. As part of these skills, students are responsible for personal learning, including “Extended Application— students apply knowledge and skills related to their interests and goals by demonstrating critical thinking, problem solving, or inquiry in realworld contexts.” This premise remains important,

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and directly connects to actual college and career success. Very few individual classes could boast that all essential skills were met, however, MINE strives to meet them all through an environmental literacy lens, tying directly to Oregon’s Environmental Literacy Plan (OELP).

In 2009, Oregon passed House Bill 2544. The bill reads: “Time spent outdoors for learning during the school day is critical to the intellectual, emotional and physical health of students and that providing students with quality opportunities to directly experience the natural world can improve students’ overall academic performance, self-esteem, personal responsibility, community involvement, personal health and understanding of nature.” The OELP plan was “designed to ensure that every student in Oregon become a lifelong steward of their environment and community…choosing to interact frequently with the outdoor environment.”

Unfortunately in the United States, students have little connection to the environment. Audubon Medal recipient and author Richard Louv refers to people’s lack of a relationship to the environment as Nature-Deficit Disorder. Louv describes the association as “an atrophied awareness, a diminished ability to find meaning in the life that surrounds us.” But Louv’s research suggests exposing kids to the natural world could increase intelligence and improve ability to pay attention, think clearly, and be more creative. In fact, the OELP provides research proving that “students who were taught using an environmental framework academically outperform their peers in traditional programs.” I think it all starts with a pen, pad, and a nice patch of dirt to sit in.

From there, MINE students begin to form an ecological consciousness and I believe time spent outside sparks innovation. Many philosophers and scholars argue that wilderness is vital to fresh thinking, and the springs of creativity depend on experiences in the natural world. Henry David Thoreau thought that to “the extent a culture, or an individual, lost contact with wildness it became weak and dull.” Outdoor adventure allows for an inward journey, the wilderness offers freedom and solitude from the civilized world, simplifying life to the bare essentials.

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Louv’s Nature Principle holds that the “future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of nature and balance the virtual with the real.” By tapping into the restorative powers of nature, we can boost creativity, promote health, and build smarter communities. MINE students thrive because they learn leadership. I put them in charge inside and out, as a result they learn collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

They might not choose journalism as a career but they’ll use those skills everywhere they go.

In the end, exploring nature builds character and offers perspective. Last year, I took students into the Diamond Peak Wilderness and bushwacked up Mt. Yuran to the Pacific Crest Trail. During a water break, I lounged in a patch of dirt near Mountain Creek underneath an expansive mountain panorama. In that moment, I noticed one student overtaken with joy.

Junior Robert Rust later gathered his sit spots (notes) from the trip, returned to the classroom, and created a truly moving story for the school magazine. Robert shared a tragic anecdote in the beginning—the day his father was hauled off to jail after violently attacking his mother. He explains how the experience made him block out his past for years. Yet, Robert underwent a transformation on the trip. In his conclusion, he shares an epiphany: “I understood how I could let go of my tormented past, and take the next step forward in life; no longer apart from reality, and a part of an adoptive family.”

It’s hard to imagine any other high school outlet that would help Robert gain the courage to find his voice and eloquently share his story. Journalistic learning helps inform people of their freedom, builds community, and celebrates creativity. In MINE, Robert’s story is not unique, by going outside all students gain an integrated experience that teaches leadership, journalistic writing, and opens the door to the natural world. Going outside awakens the senses, and perhaps in the moments in which we settle back to earth we may soak in the wisdom of existence. I can only hope the same for all students.

Editor’s Note

R

egardless of the issue, people will support, rally behind, and bring to life things that they feel they own.

The feeling of ownership elicits a sense of commitment, and responsibility which are necessary for success.

Education is no different. When students feel like they are being “schooled,” or having words forced down their throats, they will resent and rally against the initiative; after all, it is their education being taken, manipulated, and fed to them.

It seems as though the current system of education follows the same philosophy as those that have came before it, a philosophy opposite of that spoken by the Spartan king Agesilaus: what matters in education is that children learn the skills they will use when they grow up. Students seem to intuitively understand this concept, and the Miller Integrated Nature Experience (MINE) students make this idea a reality.

The education model for MINE centers around the production of a physical product as a capstone project to the journalistic skills they have learned over the previous months. This culmination of real world skills into a magazine gives MINE students a sense of ownership over their education.

Ownership in MINE includes the involvement of every student in the program. It is essential that the leadership help each student contribute in the area where they can be most successful.

This naturally leads students who feel, for example, less involved in writing perhaps to contribute via more artistic forms, like photography or design. However, all students must be involved to a deg|ree in every aspect of the program. Photographers are expected to write, writers must pick up a camera, and everyone is involved in the revision of their work. This complete integration of every student into all facets of the program is essential toward involving every student completely, and fostering a sense of ownership for their education.

Still, students must actively seek areas where they can be successful. They cannot rely only on their leaders for support. They must take an active stance in their education. This is, in effect, the full realization of ownership of their education. MINE students understand this, and it shows.

On any given day of class, writers craft quotes and facts into stories. Photographers bend color and shadow into images. The eyes of an editor will pour over their peers’ written words, catching mistakes and revising errors. These three groups work together imperfectly, but nevertheless move forward, organically, toward a better union. When students come together, work together, and succeed together, there can be no doubt of the importance their ownership plays in their education, and no doubt in any program which produces results, like the magazine you hold in your hands.

By Robert Rust

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SONDER n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Miller Integrated Nature Experience 48 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY KIMBERT ROBINSON