17-18 The Whirlwind - Issue 5

How the stress of school sports can lead to a decrease in participation

BURNOUT

The debate regarding gun control and regulation in America

ALBANY

GUN ISSUE

WEST

How Google tools are changing the way we learn

GOOGLE

UNDER THE GUN

SPECIAL REPORT

Take a look at some non-traditional dancers

MOVES

The Feb. 14 tragedy in Parkland, Fla. was just one of several that have occurred around the nation this year, raising new questions about free speech, gun control, and keeping kids safe at school.

SPARKED

INSIDE

CONTENTS

SPORTS The athletes participating recreationally in spring sports PAGE 21

OPINION Discover the non-traditional jobs amongst the WAHS student body PAGE 18

SPECIAL REPORT Movements 9 Gun Control Debate 10 How Safe Is Our School 12 Mental Health 13 Desensitization 14 Senator Q&A 15

CONTACT US C or r ect ion s and L e tt er s t o t h e Ed i to rs P lease sen d c orrec ti ons or c om m en ts on thi s i ssu e to: w a h swh irlwind@gmai l .c om

NEWS

3 Editors’ Letter 4 Graduation & Testing 6 Speech Duo Profile 7 Googlification

OPINION

ON THE COVER Recent gun violence issue sparks debate across the country

16 Gun Control Debate 18 Non Traditional Jobs 19 Google Editorial 20 Features

2 THE WHIRLWIND/ APRIL 2018

NEWS Recent changes to statewide graduation requirements PAGE 4 & 5

SPORTS

21 Spring Sports for Fun 22 Burnout 24 E-Sports 26 Features

ENTERTAINMENT

27 Non-Traditional Dancers 28 Dating 30 Cheezers Pleazers 31 Shann Ihde Profile 32 Features

SPRING TRANSITIONS A S S P R I N G U N F O L D S and the sun slowly starts to appear, the halls of West Albany have continued to buzz. As the fresh start arrived with the early days of the spring season, outdoor sports were just beginning, numerous deadlines were coming, and newfound emotions were sparked. Now, the home stretch for the warm weather, bright sun, and free days is finally in sight.

Alongside all of Spring’s new LETTER FROM beginnings, a national movement began as well. As school shootings T H E E D I T O R S continue to occur, the controversy over how to protect students grows, along with the ongoing debates regarding gun control and regulation.

These shootings have sparked a fire inside millions of American hearts, CHASE LAPERLE as citizens fight for change and WILL RANDALL project quiet voices onto a national platform. Only time will tell on how these catastrophic events will be stopped, and when adults can send their children to school without fear.

Nevertheless, even in light of these events, life at West Albany kept on going. Students have recently been introduced to a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich stand, Cheezers Pleazers, along with a new set of graduation and testing requirements slated to begin.

The E-sports craze continues to dominate worldwide, while other students pursue recreational pastimes in various spring sports.

The season of transitioning is reaching its end, but the halls of West Albany continue to change everyday.

CORRECTIONS In “Weekends On” (page 8-9) of the March 2018 issue, senior Hannah Engom’s waking and working hours were incorrect.

WHIRLWIND STAFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF OPINION Curtis Allen Mattea Hellman Kate Looney Jonathan Perkins Chase LaPerle SPORTS Will Randall Ruth Nash COPY EDITOR Kane Weekly Megan Carroll ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MANAGERS Jordan Andreas Emily Haarstad Jaden Rodriguez Jordyn Lockwood STAFF ART DIRECTOR Maggie Bedrin Jacqueline LaPlante Hayley-Mae Harlan PHOTO DIRECTORS Hailey James Brianna Graunitz Sydney Morgan Geneva Mellison Braxton Reece DESIGN DIRECTOR Patrick Spence Kaden Strametz Abigail Winter PUBLIC RELATIONS Kailee Young Alizah Bueno NEWS ADVISER Malachi Murphy Michelle Balmeo Vada Shelby CONTACT wahswhirlwind@gmail.com

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APRIL 2018 / THE WHIRLWIND 3

Falling below the bar

The requirements and essential skills you need to graduate, and insider details on its difficulty

by KADEN STRAMETZ, MALACHI MURPHY

A S T H E F I N A L two years of your high school career begin to close, graduation becomes more essential.

Graduation is simply meeting Oregon Essential Skills requirements and receiving all necessary credits. Students who have not reached those goals are placed in an Essen-

Skills class is part of West Albany’s “early-intervention policy,” concerning students who may be falling behind academically. According to the counselors and former students, middle school students with poor grades are invited, before their freshman year, into a transition program

dardized testing, such as the Smarter Balanced test, there are other ways to meet them.

Some include passing or exceeding the minimum score requirements on the ACT or SAT tests or receiving passing scores on work samples.

Senior Jacob Stephen says that he regarded high school

er intervention was important in his success, first becoming prevalent his junior year. “[I] had a close bond with [study skills teacher Jane] Marshall… Without her, I don’t think I’d graduate.” And now, after achieving his goal, he is setting his sights towards the future.

Smarter Balance Test Scores ASSESSMENT

READING

WRITING

MATH

BALANCE

HIGH SCHOOL CLAIM SCORE:2515

HIGH SCHOOL CLAIM SCORE:2583

HIGH SCHOOL COMPOSITE SCORE:2543

tial Skills-focused class, where they work tirelessly to pass in the areas they need. And, as our high graduation rates show — 95 percent, according to The Oregonian, vs. the state average of 76 percent — this process works.

“Oregon Law requires all seniors to meet Essential Skill requirements in reading, writing, and math,” said English teacher Justin Crow, who focuses on teaching writing and reading Essential Skills.

This class represents a clear path to success offered at West Albany; specifically, a clear path to graduation. Like other programs, the Essential

over the summer to start their high school careers off right.

Junior class counselor Jan Rasmussen remembers only two seniors in the class of 2017 who did not graduate simply because “they didn’t want to graduate,” despite the opportunities they were given. He also remarked that no student has failed to pass their Essential Skills by the end of their senior year while he has worked at WAHS. Rasmussen attributes this success to the various routes through which one can meet their Essential Skills requirements.

If students fail to meet these requirements on stan-

as unimportant until he hit junior year, when he realized how crucial graduation is.

“It’s easy to let go. I didn’t have motivation,” he said as he describes how difficult it was to get himself on track. “This year was going well, then I started to fall behind. I got ‘senioritis,’ Motivation was hard. [I thought], ‘I’m a senior. I can have fun.’

That’s what I did... It’s easy to not worry about school.”

Stephen never faced issues with Smarter Balanced testing and never had a problem passing his Essential Skills; he only had problems when it came to his academics. Teach-

“I’m actually taking a gap year then going to LBCC for two years to get my Auto Mechanics degree,” Stephen said, hoping to one day own his own auto shop.

Although he has a goal set for his future now, it wasn’t always like that.

“Until last year, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” until he found inspiration in getting his academics together, and buying his first car.

Graduation is no walk in the park. Students, with a bit of help, can achieve greatness with a helpful push in the right direction.

4 THE WHIRLWIND / MAY 2018

According to the Oregon Department of Education and U.S. Department of Education

NATIONAL, OREGON, AND WEST ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES

84% According to “The Graduation Effect: Alliance for Excellent Education”

“High school graduates are more likely to be employed, make higher taxable income, aid in job generation, and earn a national average of $8,000 more annually compared to high school dropouts.”

95% 77%

National rates

Oregon rates

WAHS rates

Nondegree EMPLOYMENT Award L E V E L S B Y A M O U N T 17.5% OF EDUCATION According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

No formal education

10.5%

College Degree

65.3%

High School Diploma

5.9%

Some College/ No Degree

.8%

NEWS / THE WHIRLWIND 5

Dream Duo Junior Kayla Lesser and Megan Cox dream of winning nationals in the Duo Division

BY Kailee Young

KAYLA LESSER AND MEG A N C O X hope to be dominating yet another speech and debate competition in Florida on June 17-22, this time with a Jurassic-themed routine. They both decided to take the routine to state after beating McMinnville in their last competition.

At the competition in Oregon City on March 30, Cox and Lesser went up against the highest-ranked duo by the National Speech and Debate Association, McMinnville. After winning against their duo, Lesser and Cox decided they were ready to take the routine to nationals.

Cox had two choices when deciding to go to Nationals; she could go in the solo division or choose to continue in her duo.

“I lost a bet,” Cox said. “I bet my partner Kayla Lesser. She said, ‘If we beat them, can we take this to nationals?’”

To prepare their speech for competitions, they have to run the speech through their teacher and then began practicing once a week. As the competition gets closer, they’ll practice even more and work on getting the speech polished.

In the duo division, the girls need

KAILEE YOUNG

a minimum 10 minute speech. In their speech, they are trying to get the most reactions they can from the audience.

Being in the dramatic section, the girls can either do comedy or a serious speech; and while it may be harder, they chose a comedy speech. Even though it is more difficult, the girls have won so many competitions because of their dedication to speech and debate.

“She came back, about a week later, she had written three after-dinner speeches,” says their coach, English teacher Justin Crow. “18 minutes of original material… and they were all pretty high-quality.”

While their hard work and dedication helps, the two win so many competitions together because they aren’t only partners

Junior Kayla Lesser : “Extra, strong, and passionate”

Describe the other person in three words.

“The day we met. It was around first grade, and she threw a book at my face and said ‘you’ve been facebook-ed’ then walked away.”

What is your favorite memory of each other?

“Megan would be a lion because she’s loyal yet independent, and strong and slightly scary.”

If the other was an animal, what would she be?

“At the tournament we were up against Shlevan, and we thought we would lose. So Megan bet me if we won the tournament we could go to nationals. Then we changed our intro to entirely Harry Potter pick-up lines, and delivered them to Shlevan’s face. Then we beat him.”

“Shlegan”

6 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

Do you guys have any inside jokes?

Do you have any nicknames for each other?

but are also really good friends. Before they even started speech and debate, they would hang out together.

“Megan got me into speech and debate,” Lesser said.“She was like, ‘It’s so cool; you should join.’”

While other partnerships may be paired randomly or may choose controversial topics, the girls prefer to keep their speeches light-hearted and unified.

When going through edits, the girls keep their spirits up by remembering their speech is on a lighthearted topic. The girls hope to win Nationals by practicing feverishly and keeping their spirits up all throughout the process.

“My duo is without a doubt my favorite speech I’ve ever given,” Cox said.

Junior Megan Cox : “Suave, super duper” “When we were in fourth grade we used to take over a four square court and pretend it was a stage...We didn’t have a lot of friends in elementary school, but we had each other.”

“Kayla’s a ferret because at first glance you’re like ‘Whoa what a cool, sleek ferret’ but the more you think about it you’re like ‘...ferrets are actually kind of awkward and gawky.’”

“Our script had a lot of cheesy pick up lines in it and now we can’t stop writing them. So we put pick-up lines in everyday conversation, social media posts, even AP Comp. essays. We just throughly love writing them.”

“Shlayla”

Googlification of our generation How Google has taken over the education system one tool at a time

BY Abigail Winter

CHANCES ARE HIGH THAT within the past week, you have used Google Docs for writing essays, Google Drive for sharing documents with fellow peers or teachers, Google Slides for creating slideshows and presentations, or some other Google tool to fulfill an assignment. After 2010, Google took over the online education system, releasing platforms that revolutionized students’ learning and teachers’ curriculum. Google wasn’t always the main education platform, though.

Before Google Tools, most schools used Microsoft Office for classroom management. But Google took over the market with the advent of real-time collaboration, essentially making Office products useless.

“Everything I work with on a computer is stored in Google Drive,” says Gritter. “I think it makes collaborating with online documents much, much easier.”

Spanish teacher Garrett Lack says the same about Google Tools: “In a language classroom, or any class-

room, it’s a way to bring multi-sensory use of technology to learning. I rely heavily on Google Images and Google Slides so that vocabulary is more engaging in a Spanish Class.”

On the contrary, Word still offers certain services that Docs does not.

“There are still some page layouts and things you can get in Word that are not availpercent of students able in Docs yet,” Grit- surveyed said that they ter explains. pruimarily use Google for homework help “Word has a few more tools that would be nice to have. There’s a couple things you can do in PowerPoint that you can’t do in Slides. [These things] don’t bother me very often, but on rare occasions, I want them, and it’s kind of annoying that they’re not there.”

Gritter has also witnessed a few mishaps

37

with Google in her career. In some instances, the district has lost communication with Google, making files unreachable. “[They] just have to find something else to work on until [Google] comes back,” Gritter said. “It could certainly be a problem if you have time sensitive work that’s locked up.”

Other Google Tools such as Classroomhas changed the way students and teachers communicate and collaborate with one another, with the ability to join different classes and turn in assignments through the site or app. All of this, Google offers to teachers free of charge, unlike major learning management systems.

Google is the most used search engine and software company in the world, with over 2.2 billion users as of November 2017. Despite its widespread use, there is a lot that goes into a district deciding which programs will benefit students the most in the moment and in their future years of education.

NEWS / THE WHIRLWIND 8

AMERICA UNDER FIRE: An in-depth look at the current state of affairs in the debate for American laws regarding gun control, and the individuals that have stepped forward to share their views in an effort to achieve change

8 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

IN THIS SECTION:

9) #Enough and the movent that created it.

10-11) Gun Debate 12) Desensitization of our generation 13) Mental health and the School shooter 14)How safe is our school?

15) Interview with Senator Gelser

n

Voicing a need for change American teenagers are spearheading a movement that aims to enact change in the years to come BY

Will Randall

O N A P R I L 2 0 , 63 students from West Albany walked out for the second time this year, calling for reforms in gun legislation regarding the ability to access assault weapons.

On Valentines day of this year, one teacher, one assistant football coach, and 15 students in Parkland, FLA lost their lives. This tragic event has since spurred action in American lives — action that is stemming from the voices of American youths.

Early on March 14, at 10 a.m., 17 minutes ticked away, and 47 West Albany students stood silently to show solidarity in the face of that very tragedy. Across town, roughly 200 South Albany students walked out to do the same thing. Though it was a silent protest, the message of the cause was heard loud and clear: “Enough is enough.”

In the weeks following the Parkland shooting, hashtags like #Enough, and #NeverAgain took social media by storm,

10 School shootings where 4 or more people have died since Columbine: 1999 Columbine High School Columbine, Colorado 15 2002 University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 4 2005 Red Lake Senior High School, Red Lake, Minnesota 7

with both tags garnering support and attention for the March for Our Lives. The movement was arranged initially by the survivors of the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school. Students across America banded together to show their support for the cause on March 24.

Forty-seven might not seem like much in comparison to the 800,000 individuals in attendance at the March in Washington D.C, but juvenile department resource officer Kyle Kinian said, “Anybody saying anything has an effect on change. I think there are people who didn’t participate due to career day that definitely would have, and I still think it was still on everybody’s mind.”

Individuals in our communities are beginning taking notice.

“I commend the youth for reacting to national issues,” Albany mayor Sharon Konopa remarked. “They got it approved through the school, and it’s just being able to be supportive and getting your voice out there. It was about them going out and respecting and reflecting on the amount

of lives that were lost in that unfortunate event.”

When asked why she believes this protest is gaining so much ground, Konopa said, “ I think this time around people have had enough, especially the youth.”

School shootings are nothing new, Parkland being the most recent in an infamous line of tragedies, such as those at Sandy Hook Elementary and Columbine High.

The outcry of students is what is different this time around.

With events in the past, such as the Thurston High school shooting in May of 1998, where an expelled student killed two students after killing his own parents, not much action was taken. That series of events received a tidal wave of media coverage, but not a lot of action in response.

No marches, no hashtags — nothing that would indicate that anyone was ready to take action.

This time around, there are students who have voiced their opinion and are beginning to take the steps necessary to foster changes in American Schools.

2006 West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania 6

2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School, Marysville, Washington 5

2007 Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia 33

2015 Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon 10

2008 Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois 6

2018 Majority Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida 17

2012 Oikos University, Oakland, California 7

(Left)Oona Eger, attending the walkout on April 20th. (Above) junior Jenna Thomas gives a speech prepared for the walkout. (Right) Keesen Lawson and Desmond Remington after the walkout.

2012 Sandy Hook Elementary, Newtown, Connecticut 27

JORDAN DOUGLAS

SPECIAL REPORT

/ THE WHIRLWIND 9

It isn’t a gun problem; it’s a

people mental health security Trump government education parenting media societal bullying generational

problem.

The list goes on.

A look into students’ thoughts on gun violence and how they feel about arming teachers OREGON RECENTLY PASSED a law which ensures domestic violence abusers and those with restraining orders cannot get a gun. Dick’s Sporting Goods came out with a statement saying they will no longer sell semi-automatic weapons and bump stocks. Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods raised the age to buy a gun from them to 21 years or older. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students have been fighting for more change after the shooting that took place at their school on March 14. Their walkouts have started a conversation among lawmakers to be more strict with gun laws and to introduce new gun control measures.

There have been a lot of proposed laws brought forth by politicians about arming teachers in schools. A bill allowing teachers to be armed was passed in Florida on March 7.The bill also raises the minimum age for gun sales from 18 to 21, it requires a three day waiting period to purchase a gun, it bans the sale of bump stocks, an attachment that makes a gun semi-automatic, giving law enforcement more authority 10 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

BY Megan Carroll & Vada Shelby

to take weapons from mentally unstable civilians, while adding school funding for the guns.

Yet, despite the momentum in Florida that pushed new legislation through quickly, states and school districts all over the nation have recently been considering what, if anything, should be done to regulate guns or improve school safety.

Social studies teacher Todd Zimmermann says he doesn’t think giving teachers guns is a way to fix the problem. “This is a much bigger issue than arming teachers or banning assault rifles,” Zimmermann said.

English teacher Jodi Howell believes something similar: “To me, giving teachers guns is a band-aid.”

“If it was that simple,” health teacher Jennifer Bornheimer said, “we would’ve said, ‘Duh, let’s just do this!’”

Some students are fully aware of the power behind holding a gun and would be uncomfortable with teachers having guns without extensive training. However, if given the proper education and training on how to hold and man a gun, some are completely

comfortable with guns as a safety measure.

“My dad was an FBI agent, and he always talked about how nerve-racking it was to hold a gun,” junior Doogie Crowe said.

“I think forcing teachers to have guns is a terrible idea, but if they want to as a safety measure, I think they should be able to as long as they have the training required for it.”

Even with training, though, some teachers are unsure they would be able to effectively use a gun in an emergency. Howell explained that she is unsure if she would be able to shoot at a past or current student, even if they were threatening her and a class of students.

“If [the shooter] was somebody I knew personally that was the threat,” Howell said, “I don’t know if I could pull the trigger.”

The job of teachers is to teach, says Bornheimer, but she believes most of the job is to help raise well-respected and hard-working citizens. Having to shoot someone they have helped raise would be a challenge, says Howell.

Beyond that, some teachers expressed nior Karalyn Hovey said. We need to take uncertainty that they would have the time action. Although walkouts are nice, it’s not to take action if a situation were to occur getting things done. We need to go to the that required them to access and use a se- school board and high-ranking officials. cured gun.

Let’s show that we care and know what “I’m right by the F hall doors,” Howell we’re talking about.” said. “I don’t think I would have time to “I think raising the age [to get a gun] react.” is not a bad idea. I think limiting the peoHaving to realize what is going on, get ple who can get ARs and stuff like that in to the gun safe, get the gun out of a safe, the future is gonna help. Keeping more of load it, and aim while a person is breaking them out of circulation is definitely [a] betinto her room would be a task which calls ter [idea],” Karo expressed. for an amount time Howell is unsure she Zimmermann, because he has a child would have to react to that kind of situ- at the school this year, says it is a differation. ent feeling knowing something happened Junior Rachael Stephen brought up an somewhere else than knowing something idea similar to this; she claimed in a situa- is happening where someone you love is. tion of crisis, she would be more nervous “I know if my child was in the room, if the teacher in I would fight her classroom any threat back was armed: with force,” CHANGES IN OREGON AND “Teachers have Zimmer mann NATIONWIDE enough resaid, “but in sponsibilities any other situduring a lockation, I’m just • The day after the Parkland shooting, down, let alone not sure how Oregon passed a bill making being responsiI would reit illegal for anyone convicted ble for finding spond.” of domestic violence or with a and killing the He feels like restraining order to possess weapons shooter themhe has become selves.” more aware of However, guns in public • Lawmakers proposed a list of gun senior Tuckplaces because measures, including an assault er Karo stated mass shootings weapons ban he believes he aren’t taken sewould be more riously by the comfortable media or its • Florida Governor Rick Scott called with a teacher consumers anyfor $450 million to be put into new having a gun more. Finally, funding for school security and in class rather Zimmer mann a law enforcement officer to be than no protecsaid he was placed in all public schools tion at all, but it glad students would depend don’t think on how much about guns too • People are demanding more training they much in school extensive background checks on had. “I think because peogun buyers I would feel ple so young more secure shouldn’t have with the right grave concerns people having like that. In his [a gun],” Karo eyes, students said, “because should be worthen there’s at least something instead of ried about math tests and social circles far nothing.” more than getting shot at school.

All in all, teachers and students feel “How about we just set politics aside,” there needs to be a solution: focus on the Stephen proclaimed, “and focus on what’s mental health of students, add security, or best for schools, and keeping children and continue practicing drills. members of the school and community “There’s not a right way to go about it, safe.” but we aren’t doing anything right now,” ju-

Too close to home: A threat to West

How a young man’s plan has, and continuously does, affect West Albany and the Albany community THIS YEAR’S SENIORS W E R E eighth graders. A threat from a student at West was brought to the attention of administration. They were told a student planned to bomb, shoot, and kill himself and any other student in sight.

An investigation began May 23, 2013. The investigation showed the student’s plans included napalm bombs, blaring music, and shooting anyone in sight soon after.

For some who were teaching here at the time, the memory still haunts them.

Jennifer Bornheimer, a Health teacher, said the student had never seemed dangerous in her class, yet some of his written plans still scare her to this day.

“The letter said he would walk in from the parking lot and attack the first classroom he saw, which was mine. My heart just sank when I read that.”

This letter Bornheimer talks of was in a notebook police found under the floorboards in his room. This notebook included multiple plans on how and what he was going to do in order to kill as many students at West as possible.

His purpose in this was to succeed in causing more deaths than the Columbine High School massacre which occurred in 1999. This massacre resulted in the death of 13 people. For the Albany community, this event was surprising and unexpected.

The past of our school and what may have happened had this student not been taken into custody brings the gun control debate close to home for the Albany community.

SPECIAL REPORT / THE WHIRLWIND 11

Fight for the right to speak

BY Jordyn Lockwood

Students exercise First Amendment rights to protest gun violence

“It doesn’t take effort not to kill someone”

Junior Jacie Ames

“I’d hold a building up for all those people that died”

Freshman Gemini Soules

“I don’t like the mentality that guns are more important than children”

Junior Jacie Ames

(Above) Students hold signs reading “enough” in rememberance of the 17 students killed at Stoneman Douglas High School (Right) Junior Trent Shobe pulls in front of the protesters with flag reading “Don’t tread on me” hanging from the tailgate

ON MARCH 14, WALKO U T S occurred across the nation. They took place at 10 a.m. and were meant to last 17 minutes in remembrance of the 17 victims who died in the Parkland, Fla. school shooting. Here at West Albany High School, about five minutes into the silence, two large trucks pulled up in front of the protesters with flags reading, “Don’t tread on me” hanging from their tailgates.

The students in the trucks blared country music and smiled.

Juniors T.J. Snider and Trent Shobe, driver and passenger in one of the trucks, said they were present because they do not agree with what was being protested, and they mentioned that they were protesting 12 THE WHIRLWIND / OCTOBER 2017

against the anti-gun protest. There are better ways to go about protesting, they stated.

Students participating in the walk-out continued to stand in silence for the rest of the 17 minutes. Freshman Gemini Soules held up a sign reading, “enough” for the whole 17 minutes the students stood there, and said afterward that she would be willing to “hold up a building for all those people that died.”

At the second protest on April 20, students gathered outside of the band and choir rooms after a 2:30 p.m. student walkout, and many people shared their thoughts and stories. Again, two black trucks with “Don’t tread on me” flags arrived, closer to the beginning this time and with a larger

crowd of counter-protesters.

One of students participating in the walkout, junior Keesen Lawson, stood on a table and explained to the group that even though the students in the black trucks didn’t agree with what was being said, they were still their own people and have the same amount of rights to the First Amendment. He also went on to mention that these students are not pro-school shooting, but pro-guns.

The school day and protest ended as the bell rang at 3 p.m., and students migrated to their cars or buses to ride home.

The day consisted of peaceful protesting on both sides.

“I would say mental health is a huge component to mass [and] school violence.”

KYLE KINION LINN COUNTY JUVENILE DEPARTMENT

MAGGIE BEDRIN MAGGIE BEDRIN

WHAT SCHOOLS DO TO HELP THE MENTALLY ILL M E N T A L I L L N E S S can make you one in a group, or one and alone. Conducted online surveys by Harvard state violence and mental illness go hand in hand, and go on to explain that mental illness and crimes don’t align. The MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study recognized work with self-reporting criminals and collected information on the matter through family members, case managers, and other familiar with the event. While it has had an impact, mental illness isn’t the only reason people commit unforgivable crimes.

According to a Harvard news article, most people with psychiatric disorders are not violent. Even though crimes like school shootings are committed by the mentally ill, chemical imbalancement isn’t the only thing to blame. Most students with violent intentions have negative thought processes that encourage violence, said Psychology Today.

“I would say mental health is a huge

component to mass [and] school violence,” said Kyle Kinion Juvenile Department Resource Officer. Explaining how the violence is conducted in the person’s mind, and what matters coincide with these thoughts. “Bullying and Home life for sure have an effect on these behaviors,” said Kinion, home life has a great effect on a person’s actions and behaviors.

The question is, what precautions have been taken here here to prevent such events? “Teachers are open to helping [the students],” counselor Jan Rasmussen said. School systems have put in place various structures to help those with mental issues; many precautions are being taken.

If a student is a possible harm to themselves or others, the police will get involved depending on the situation. According to Rasmussen, if their parents cannot take them to a hospital to get help, the police will. When teachers need to deal with a student threat or a student that

is hurting, they informally talk about it.

“The big thing is there is constant communication up here...your well being is always on our mind,” said assistant principal Jessica Smith. Counselor Karen Beattie added that it’s a case by case matter, saying that when a student needs help, they want to hear their side of the story before making any quick judgements or choices.

RESOURCES Linn Benton Mental Health F.A.C.T. (Family and Community Together) Trillium Ophelia’s place.

FUN FACTS One in five American adults has experienced a mental health issue One in 10 young people has experienced a period of major depression One in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression Sources: MetalHealth.gov MAGGIE BEDRIN

SPECIAL REPORT / THE WHIRLWIND 13

Feeling uneasy

Students, teachers discuss how safe they feel at scool after recent events

BY Megan Carroll and Vada Shelby

H A V E R E C E N T E V E N T S impacted how students feeling about coming to school?

Junior Karalyn Hovey said recent school shootings have made her more wary about coming to school and have made her think about what she would do in the case of a shooting. Junior Rachael Stephen relayed, “In class, I find myself worrying about where I would hide if there was a shooter or how I would escape from the school in a shooting scenario. It’s ridiculous that children and teens find themselves thinking about gun violence in a place of learning.”

When it comes to students’ thoughts, there has been a change. Hovey stated she has always tried to maintain a balance between judging others and trusting everyone; however, recent events have made her keep an eye out for anything that comes off as suspicious. Stephen claimed it’s hard not to worry about students in the hall-

ways who may look a little sketchy or have a long coat on: “Everyone has their own style, and there is no limit to who a school shooter can be. Anybody in a school is capable of being a school shooter, not just the more sketchy [students].”

Junior Doogie Crowe had a different outlook on things, though.

“My feelings [about school and students] haven’t changed,” Crowe said. “[School shootings are] tragic, but it’s not something that happens very often. I’m not really nervous about other students.”

Tucker Karo, a senior, transferred to West this year from Marist Catholic High School in Eugene.

“I definitely worry about it less here than when I was going to school in Eugene, but it definitely could happen,” Karo said. “It’s so easy to get in here, and it makes me a little more nervous at West. Marist was an open campus; there’s a lot of open space.

West is all enclosed.”

One thing all these students agreed on

was lack of security in our school. The main point of concern was how many doors are accessible during school hours.

So what should be done to fix this issue?

Hovey and Stephen said a buzz-in system like there is at Liberty Elementary would be good to use at our school. Karo and Crowe both thought more resource officers would prevent potential threats. “I think it’s just, with the amount of kids that are in this school and how many entrances and stuff there are, that’s going to be hard,” Karo claimed.

For English teacher Jodi Howell, recent events haven’t changed how she feels coming to school every morning. However, she said she takes lockdown drills more seriously than she used to and asks the kids to as well.

“The lockdown drills just feel a little bit more real,” says Howell, “there are so many doors and unlocked places here, and people need to be aware of that.”

DEE BRAUSCH PHOTOGRAPHY

DEEBRAUSCHPHOTO.NET 541-971-1298 EMAIL: DBRAUSCHPHOTO@COMCAST.NET FACEBOOK: DEE BRAUSCH PHOTOGRAPHY FOR SENIOR PHOTOS, WEDDINGS, FAMILIES/COUPLES, AND EVENTS 14 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

SENATOR’S VIEW

BY Patrick Spence

The Whirlwind interviewed Senator Sara Gelser, an Oregon legislator whose district includes Albany and Corvallis

Senator Gelser offered her views on gun control in Oregon, claiming she was “impressed with recent laws passed by the state legislature.”

She was particularly proud of the ‘boyfriend loophole bill’ which seeks to keep domestic abusers from owning firearms, and Oregon’s gun restraining orders, which allow judges to temporarily strip the potentially dangerous

of their weapons. Nevertheless, the senator emphasized firearm laws at the federal level need strengthening.

As for specific gun control measures, Senator Gelser finds firearm licensing to be unnecessary -- emphasizing the effectivity of truly comprehensive background checks at solving the same problem. She considered them “key to any successful gun reform,” in tandem with two week waiting periods -- which allow a full vetting of a prospective gun owner. She felt an assault weapons ban at the state level to be impractical because “if it isn’t federal, guns would just flow across our state lines from Idaho, for example.” However, she strongly supports Oregon raising the age limit for owning a gun to 21, like alcohol and marijuana.

She appreciates “private enterprises like Dick’s [Sporting Goods] raising the age to own a gun, on their own initiative, to 21,” but spoke of how this ran into “age discrimination laws, which must be changed.”

In a similar vein, Senator Gelser was impressed by private individuals and organizations taking up this cause independently, claiming, “They get much further this way than if a politician instructs them to do so.”

The senator was also impressed by the students “taking control of their own narrative” after the Parkland shooting and successfully changing public opinion.

However, she stressed, this is “not the first time survivors of school shootings spoke up,” but their predecessors, often of less affluent backgrounds, were silenced.

She also offered her view on the notion that gun violence is a mental health problem, stating: “As a disability rights advocate, I find the argument that gun violence is a mental health issue to be very offensive. Mental health has such wide scope, and only under rare circumstances is it the cause of gun violence. Furthermore, people with mental health concerns are far more likely to be the victims rather than the perpetrators of this violence.”

Senator Gelser also rebutted the “good guys with guns argument,” noting the frequency at which a “good guy” could actually stop the “bad guy,” due to chaos, or the non presence of bystanders. She instead prioritizes passing legislation to stop these events from happening in the first place.

Senator Gelser finished by speaking of her admiration for the civic engagement of today’s teens and the need for them to keep speaking up.

www.ctx-xerox.com SPECIAL REPORT / THE WHIRLWIND 15

IGNOR

HOW AMERIC THE DEATH O

AMERICAN EXCEPTION EDITORIAL The opinion of The Whirlwind editorial board

BIG GUNS

A F T E R T H E R E C E N T Parkland shooting, students made apparent the outsized influence of firearm manufacturers, dealers, and owners in politics.

With more money at stake than their opposition, this highly motivated coalition of industry, lobbyists, and gun owners has spent the past decade pushing our contemporary debate over gun regulation so far to the right that moderate policies like background checks are considered radical.

As citizens, we must acknowledge this imbalance of power and demand an end.

Parkland students have made our path clear in demanding politicians no longer accept donations from the gun lobby.

Politicians understandably fear losing elections without gun lobby money to fund them, but if they all refuse it, then it would not sway votes any longer.

Furthermore, if as youth and Americans, we make it a political liability to accept gun-lobby donations, then politicians will voluntarily turn them down.

Societal pressure can outweigh special interest money if leveraged correctly, and this is an unprecedented opportunity to use our power.

The gun lobby’s power is extreme, and the gun lobby’s power is unjust, but the gun lobby’s power is not unstoppable.

16 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

A M E R I C A T O D A Y has the highest per-capita firearm death rate of any stable country — higher even than many poorer countries. Indeed, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime claims America has a firearm-homicide rate approximately six times that of Canada, seven times that of Sweden, and 16 times that of Germany. Our gun problem is not an unavoidable misfortune — it is a sad feature of American life directly caused by firearm proliferation.

Firearm ownership correlates positively with firearm related death — meaning, simply — fewer guns means fewer dead people. Indeed, America, with just under

one-twentieth of the world’s population, has about half of civilian-owned guns in the world. Within America, states with more guns have more per-capita gun deaths.

More guns means more opportunities to cause carnage. As such, the counterargument that “good guys with guns” stop “bad guys with guns” is clearly invalid. To change this, Americans must look abroad to places like Australia, where a gun buyback program has decreased gun violence, or the United Kingdom, where each gun owner must justify exactly why they have their gun. Effective policies abroad will work just as well in America.

ARMED FOR CHANGE

OUR CONTEMPORARY EPID E M I C of gun violence is unquestionable. Since the start of the year, there have been at least 17 school shootings, most of which barely register within the 58 mass shootings since January, which in turn led to 4,209 people who died from gun violence this year. Inevitably, that number will climb .

At least this carnage is registering with the American public, who, since the Parkland tragedy, have dramatically swung in polling from prioritizing gun accessibility towards supporting gun control, according to major pollsters like Politico, Quinnipiac, and Gallup. However, America has few institutions to regulate guns and no consensus on how best to do so.

Gun control needs to focus on four

things: making it harder to get a gun, making sure gun owners know what they are doing, banning the most dangerous and unnecessary of guns, and keeping a record of firearms and ammunition. If these are implemented, firearm dealers will have a record of all firearm and, crucially, ammuniton purchases, ensuring guns do not fall into the wrong hands, and law enforcement will be able to solve and prevent crimes more effectively.

Oregon, with its progressive government, has a chance to lead the way on this, but we should demand implementation of these laws nationwide. In our era of successful youth activism, we have a chance to drive public opinion towards these four clear and effective goals.

RANCE IS BLISS

OPINION

CA’S FASCINATION WITH GUNS IS LEADING TO OF THOUSANDS, AND WHAT MUST CHANGE

IT’S (NOT) ALL IN THE GUNS For America to truly end this carnage, it must shed its gun A M E R I C A N S A R E O F T E N profiled as loving guns culture.

Children need to be kept away from guns. more than the safety of the nation’s citizens. With, according The widespread fetishization of guns corresponds with to Johns Hopkins University, more mass shootings and more widespread gun violence.

It’s time to reconsider our priorities. guns per capita than any other nation in the world, countless innocent lives are lost yearly.

IT’S (NOT) IN YOUR HEAD D E B A T E S A B O U T G U N C O N T R O L often invoke mental illness as the true culprit of gun violence. This assumption, however, is not backed by evidence. Indeed, the American Mental Health Counselors Association states the violence (including but not limited to gun violence) directly correlated with mental health is only 3-5 percent, and the mentally ill are 12 times more likely to be victimized themselves. Though America undoubtedly needs more mental health services, gun violence will not be fixed by implementation of such services.

Conversely, being killed by a firearm is, to some extent, a

mental health problem.

While less than 1 percent of all yearly gun-related homicides are perpetrated by people with serious mental health concerns, suicides-which mentally ill people are particularly susceptible to-compose the majority of yearly gun-related deaths. According to “Mass Shootings and Mental Illness,” by doctors James L. Knoll IV and George D. Annas, blaming domestic acts of terrorism, like shootings, on psychological issues has had the opposite effect: it creates a stigma around those struggling with these issues, leading to a higher risk of suicide.

IT’S (NOT) A RACE ISSUE W H E N T H I N K I N G O F A T E R R O R I S T , many of us presume a certain racial or social profile-a jihadist or an immigrant. However, these perceptions are wrong. Alex Nowrasteh, the immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, writes “Of the 3,252,493 refugees admitted from 1975 to the end of 2015, only 20 were terrorists, [amounting] to 0.00062 percent of the total. Of the 20, only three were successful in their attacks, killing a total of three people.”

This trend is further proven by New America, a Washington research center, which claims “Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, anti-government fanatics, and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims. 48 have been killed by extremists who are not Muslim... compared with 26 by self-proclaimed jihadists.”

Our biggest threats of terrorism are not immigrants or ISIS, but domestic citizens who look for scapegoats. As Americans, we must reevaluate our society and eradicate ignorant assumptions that prevent solving the actual problem.

OPINION / THE WHIRLWIND 17

Will Paint For Food!

Unconventional careers

As school comes to an end, many juniors and seniors contemplate what kind of career they will pursue. During this time, some students are considering nontraditional jobs from taking CTE classes at school

BY Jackie LaPlante

W H E N Y O U T H I N K O F someone who is successful, there are many jobs you might presume they have. Maybe they are a top lawyer in Manhattan. Maybe they are a generation business owner, born into a family with a substantial income. Maybe they are a public figure, who gets money just by being famous. There is a definite split in the population when it comes to the way we view someone of success.

There are people who see jobs within traditional fields, such as medical areas, as the only path to a substantial and fortunate life. On the contrary, there are people who branch off from conventional jobs, in hope to find success in alternative ones. Whether you choose to go into a traditional field or choose to do something else, it is your choice and it’s important to pick a career that makes you happy.

It’s apparent in many TV shows, books, and various social media posts that there is the sole underlying question — “What did your parents say?” Any parents, fictional or real, put pressure on their kids to choose a certain profession. In these cases, it’s important to voice what you want for yourself 18 THE WHIRLWIND / OPINION

and your career.

With today’s Career and Technical Education Programs, high schools broaden the opportunities for many students. A study done in 2009 by The Association for Career and Technical Education shows that the percentage of students spreading their CTE credits across multiple career fields.

This gives students the opportunity to further their education through subjects they are interested in.

24% of students said their parents have pushed a certain career path on them “This is due in large part to increased academic coursetaking on the part of all students, pointing to a convergence in academics and CTE”, states the ACTE program.

Programs such as the CTE program allow students to take courses that reflect their interests, from the broad range of

classes available. This is also a great opportunity for students who want to have their own business, but don’t have college in mind. Even students that only come to school for CTE classes, such as culinary art, drawing, or weight training.

CBS News writer Anna Robaton explains in “Why So Many Americans Hate Their Jobs”, in response to the current disengagement in American workers, “Of the country’s approximately 100 million fulltime employees, 51 percent aren’t engaged at work — meaning they feel no real connection to their jobs, and thus they tend to do the bare minimum.”

So many Americans feel obligated to follow a predictable career path, maybe to fulfill someone else’s wish, or maybe to feel safe with a job that is more widely accepted.

Either way, an individual should be able to decide whether or not they want to pursue a career; even if that means having an unconventional job. CTE programs are great for this, since they give students hands on experience while they are in highschool — helping the employment of those who are trying to be successful in smaller fields.

Don’t just Google it How the availability of information on the internet has resulted in an increased dependence on search engines such as Google

BY Kate Looney

“ O K A Y G O O G L E , what’s the capital of Sweden? Okay Google, who was the 17th president of the United States? Okay Google, what day did Neil Armstrong walk on the moon?” In this age of the internet, we have so much information right at our fingertips. According to data estimated by Worldometers’ algorithm, there are around 3.5 billion things Googled every single day.

It’s easy to take for granted how quickly we can access information nowadays, but is there a downside to this much accessibility?

Having a resource open 24 hours a day that can provide information in a matter of seconds is an incredible asset, but it doesn’t come without drawbacks. Although it may be counterintuitive, the convenience of just being able to Google something is actually one of the things that makes it so dangerous. Why would I get in my car, drive to a library, talk to a librarian, check out a book that I will inevitably pay late fees on, and then get in my car and drive back, when I could just Google it at home in my pajamas? Because it’s so easy, it’s hard to justify doing anything else. Google isn’t just a search engine — it’s a crutch.

Google is undeniably good at finding quick facts, but for anything more in depth than that, it’s pretty useless. A half dozen essays all citing the same top three search results will be essentially identical. It’s enough to drive any teacher insane. Google’s convenience is easy to buy in to, but with just a little more effort, it’s not that hard to find more in depth resources.

In the eyes of the iGeneration, local libraries are a commonly overlooked asset.

Along with thousands of books, libraries also have paid databases and trained professionals able to point students in the right direction when it comes to conducting research. While Google can provide website suggestions based on an algorithm related to words typed into the search en-

where is the library?

gine, librarians can suggest books or other media based on what is being researched as a whole. This can be anything from sources about related topics, to supplementary information, and even personal insight.

Also, books have to be revised, edited, published, and purchased. Anyone can put something up online. It is far easier to trust the information found in books versus information found online. The same goes for articles on library databases. Articles found on databases are written by scholars DID YOU KNOW THAT ON AVERAGE THERE ARE...

40,000 things Googled every second 3.5 billion things Googled every day 1.2 trillion things Googled every year

ACCORDING TO THE WORLDOMETER’S ALGORITHM

and experts in a professional field. If I’m looking for an article about the Kennedy assassination on a database, I know it will have been written by a professional. But if I look on the internet I could be reading “facts” written by a crazy conspiracy theorist who also thinks the moon landing

was faked, without even realizing. Credibility is hardly a question when using sources found at a library.

Books and databases also have another significant benefit — protection of personal privacy. Although it may be easy to forget, Google is a company and its goal is to make money. Unlike a library, which is publicly funded, Google has an ulterior motive, and it doesn’t exist solely to inform the public. And how does Google make that money? Advertisements.

In order to most effectively advertise though, it uses information stored from a user’s past searches. On the other hand, however, I know a library will never keep track of what I check out and then sell that list to a publishing company so the publishing company can send me ads.

So, while Google may be an incredibly convenient tool, it can’t be used alone. It is undoubtedly the best way to find quick answers to simple facts; but that is the only situation where it is the best option. There are other resources readily available if we just use them. When we opt for the easy option, we sacrifice quality of information, credibility, and privacy. It is a useful tool, but it can’t be the only tool in the metaphorical researcher’s toolbox. It only becomes a problem when it is the sole source of information.

OPINION / THE WHIRLWIND 19

Nomophobia

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Phones are changing the way we interact with each other in a negative way

By Jonathan Perkins

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS A R E changing dramatically because of our addiction to technology. We block out the world when we pull out our phones. Some friends are texted more than spoken with.

Talking with people is less common since we become more and more attached to our phones building up walls around us. Walking around the halls, early in the morning, during lunch, after school, finding countless groups of people with each other but instead of talking with each other they’re on their phone doing anything else.

Even when we’re surrounded by people, we barely communicate with anyone besides our friends because we unconsciously decide to pull out our phone when time needs to be killed. Our communication skills are failing because no one knows how to speak with other people. This situation has already spiraled out of control, even to the point where we fear going up to complete strangers and will do anything we can to avoid any contact with them.

Opportunities to meet new people and live in the moment are in-

terrupted with a text and the time spent scrolling through your feed.

Technology is an amazing thing, but we need to realize how robot-like we’re becoming. Constant hours being distracted on the internet, looking at one device for hours at a time. Our survey we did, asking if you pull out your phone automatically without thinking, shows that out of 107 responses, 65 said yes, 42 say no.

We only have so much time on this planet, so why waste it by looking at pointless things that won’t matter in the future? This addiction to our phones doesn’t just pull us away from others, it pulls us away from ourselves. We need the time alone to contemplate, consider our day, figure out what went wrong and what went right. Instead of ignoring our thoughts, we have to embrace what’s happening within us. Giving ourselves time to thing, allows to face the emotions we are feeling deep down. Taking away this only builds up the tension, stress, anger we feel day to day into something worse. Until one day, everything explodes.

Phone obsession Survey responses from 107 students

On average, do you spend 3+ hrs on your phone daily?

Do you shower with your phone?

“The average age for a child getting their first smartphone is now 10.3 years.”

media acYes- 18.9% social count at 11.4 years. got a social Yes- 66.4% No- 81.1% 11% media account when they were No- 33.6% younger than 10.”

“39% of kids get a

ACCORDING TO TECHCRUNCH

18 OPINION / APRIL 2018

MAGGIE BEDRIN

Fresh Love

In response to the March 2018 commentary by sophomore Abigail Winter titled “Fresh Meat”: You have no idea how good the freshmen have it these days. There was a time not so long ago where, during class yell competitions, the entire school — seniors, juniors, sophomores, and even some staff — would boo when it was the freshmen’s turn. It was so loud that you couldn’t even hear them.

Seniors in the top row of their section would stand up, facing the frosh class, and would yell in their faces. We are being nice when we make slight jokes about how quiet you are.

And [Leadership teacher Erik] Ihde making “snide comments” is Ihde being Ihde. They aren’t “snide”; they’re just jokes. If you don’t know Ihde, allow me to fill you in; he is a great teacher that loves to see people happy. Every class, when the bell rings, he tells a “joke of the day.” He makes fun of his students just as much, if not more, as he makes fun of himself. He picks on kids that he cares for, so don’t be mad that he chose you to make a joke because it is an honor. So, freshmen, though you may be annoying, you are a part of our West Albany family, so please don’t take our joking the wrong way. We see you as our past and want to see you succeed.

JUNIOR MIKE RICHARDS

Complaint file

You’re offended, she’s offended, he’s offended, everyone’s offended

BY Jonathan Perkins

P E O P L E A R E B E C O M I N G afraid to tell the truth to someone so as not to hurt their feelings, but because this is applied so often, everything is starting to become a white lie. Shielding people away from reality makes them oversensitive. We as a generation lie to keep others from being hurt, which means nobody is ever exposed to criticism. Instead we are showered with compliments and overprotected from criticism. If no one can recover from small remarks or criticism, and it completely crushes them, how are we going to handle real life problems? While being praised with compliments may make us feel good, they won’t help us to deal with adversity in life. Receiving criticism help us to grow as a person a push on through.

For the fun of it

Many student athletes are ambitious in competition during the spring, while others take a turn and play for pure enjoyment

SPORTS

10.2

percent of student athletes at West Albany play recreationally

BY Ruth Nash

tion called Active For Life, the majority of elementary through middle schoolers say they play sport for fun.

Yet, The Washington Post found after the age of 13, 70 percent of student athletes quit playing because “it isn’t fun anymore.”

Senior Luis Morales decided to play golf this year because he thought he would enjoy it.

Morales had golf coach and math teacher Ian Condron for Calculus, saw his love for the game, and took it on for his senior year. Moralez also claims he joined because he needed another event to get the bulldog achievement cord.

“I did it for the bulldog achievement cord, don’t feel proud of H I T ! Senior Luis Morales yourself,” said Morales jokingly works on his swing, while to Condron at the April 4 pracgetting help from golf tice. coach Ian Condron “I hadn’t touched a club, mayduring the April 4 pracbe at Goodwill just looking, tice. Morales showed his 89.8 enjoyment in being on percent of student thinking, that’s cool,” said the course and spending athletes at West Moralez. extra time spent with Albany play for For a first year memhis coach and math competition acber, Moralez is really teacher. cording to random straying away from the survey of students competitive aspect, in order to appreciate the game itself. During the fall sports season he played on the varsity soccer team havRUTH NASH ing to fight for a spot, but when it came to golf, he adopted a new attitude. Morales A T T H E A P R I L 4 practice, many hasn’t played in a tournament yet, due to golfers prepare to qualify for spots on var- them being varsity only, but has enjoyed sity, but for some it was just another prac- practice and spending time with the team tice on the course, having fun and getting and Condron. better.

“With golf, I’m fine if I get to varsity,” In the midst of the spring season, new Morales said, “but it’s kinda if I get there, I sports arise along with new views on how get there, if I don’t, I don’t.” student athletes play them. Whether an Even through the complex game, coach athletes plays for fun or not, they play for Condron said, “He’s improved so much in some reason, and fun can take a major part. a month. I’m really impressed.”

In a poll done by an organizaThe coaches are very supportive of

the work the athletes perform. No matter if for fun or to get high scores, the coaches reinforce everyone who wants to play should. Morales joined for delight and plans to keep playing recreationally after high school, in hopes of continuing to improve his skills.

In a study done by The Sports & Fitness Industry Association 26 percent of students ages 14 to 15 drop out of organized sports all together due to many reasons, yet it states not having fun as a main one.

Senior Nate Bassett was once a part of the track team during the spring SENIOR LUIS MORALES season, but changed it up for his senior year to golf, something he found more amusing.

Bassett is typically competitive with most of his sports, including football and basketball, but took on golf as a more relaxing, fun way to spend his time.

“I enjoy going out on a peaceful day, not having any stress, and hitting some balls,” said Bassett.

Sports can be seen as a chance to go out and win, but many athletes view them as an opportunity to do something new they may not have enjoyed. Aside from the set idea that the reason to play a sport is to win, many athletes choose to play as a way to unwind and gain new skills.

“It’s just you out there with some friends, not too much stress to it at all,” said Bassett.

He, like many of his teammates, enjoys the take away of stress from competitive sports, and is glad to be there. Sports take on the look of having to be competitive, but don’t always need to be this way. Athletes, even at the highschool level, still have fun with it.

“I like the sport a lot. It’s not something I suspected I would like”

SPORTS / THE WHIRLWIND 21

BURNOUT

s i D t c

The recent downturn in multi-sport participation, continues to affect West Albany athletics

BRAXTON REECE

BY Chase LaPerle and Braxton Reece

F O R S E N I O R V A R S I T Y basketball player Trenton Dutcher, there was a specific instance in which he wanted to quit during his final basketball season. For senior volleyball players Lindsay Devenport and Taylor Tribble, they knew their final season would come faster than their liking.

Like these three, many athletes have felt the burned out sensation that continues to work its way through various sporting programs. For many, high school athletics are looked upon as spaces where long lasting memories can be made, and where athletes can hone and show off their skills. Recently, many athletes who have participated in multiple sports throughout the school year have decided to stick with one, single sport to focus on and prepare for. The reason still seems to be unknown, but many believe these athletes are becoming burned out by the strict commitments these sports demand.

According to a poll from the Nation22 SPORTS / APRIL 2018

al Alliance for Youth Sports, around 70 percent of kids in the United States stop playing organized sports by the age of 13 because “it’s just not fun anymore.”

The Sports and Fitness Industry Association also found kids are playing fewer types of sports each year, with the average number of team sports played per participant dropping 5.9 percent for 6-17 year olds. This may not sound very substantial, but this modest change alone accounts for a significant portion of the overall decline.

Although this recent sensation hasn’t been deemed as poor on the outlook of West Albany Athletics, many coaches and staff members have seen a recent turn in opposition towards the multiple sport philosophy. Varsity football coach Cole Pouliot says, they want student athletes to compete in as many sports as they possibly can.

“Lots of athletes are told they need to focus on one sport to have success, but that’s not true,” said Pouliot.

e i t m l

Pouliot also noted some college football coaches have specifically told him they want multi-sport athletes rather than single sport standouts. Overall, Pouliot was not a fan of students getting burnt out by particular sports, and hopes to see a re-growth in the coming years within the West Albany

s t n n a h g

“If we carry on filling up the calendar, we keep on pushing the athlete, we shorten the athlete’s longevity. The risk is to shorten a career that could have lasted 10 years because the athlete is burnt out.” - A l b e r t o J u a n t o r e n a

m

athletic department.

Stemming away from the coaches’ point of view, one of the reasons students are becoming burnt out so quickly with their

56%

of multi sport athletes have contemplated quiting one of them

JACKIE LAPLANTE

What percentage of highschool athletes go on to play in college?

Women: Softball

specific sport is the fact they participate in other extracurricular activities as well.

Devenport claimed the time commitment to a single sport over another troubled her chances of having success in both fields.

When asked if she ever felt like quitting either sport, she responded, “For dance it was more of, like, I was tired of it and the environment, along with time commitment. And for volleyball, it was more of like, I just got burnt out from playing it.”

Also, Tribble felt the burned out sensation and has no regrets in quitting the team. “Right when I told her I quit, I definitely felt like I was going to regret it, but now I don’t regret it. I enjoy my senior year and knew if I was going to play, I wouldn’t have put my 100 percent into it. I don’t regret it.”

The burnt out sensation also affects many athletes during a specific season, not

always from the participation in multiple sports. As for Dutcher, this feeling derived from overall performance and outside criticism.

When asked how noticeable this sensation was, Dutcher explained, “My teammates definitely noticed it. All of the seniors kind of came up to me and told me it’s gonna get better. Duman could tell I wasn’t playing good, and he pulled me aside at times and told me I gotta step it up. He also was positive about it and told me I could get through it.”

These three participants all similarly noted their performance, whether in the studio or on the court, was definitely impacted by the negative feelings they felt when they started getting burnt out.

It seems to be that these feelings will continue to grow in the future as high school sports become more competitive;

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7.1%

3.4%

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but no one will truly know how to stop it.

These three athletes were just a small representation of these sensations, walking away from their respected sports with a image they never wanted to picture.

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eSports, It’s in

BY Kane Weekly & Emily Haarstad

the game

eSports, a fairly new and quickly growing activity, attracting students. Two groups find enjoyment while competing against others who share a similar passion SPORTS ARE PHYSICAL, C O M P E T I T I V E , and performed for entertainment. While eSports isn’t a sport in a traditional sense, and can’t be grouped together with other sports, it is in a category of its own. It has been built up from the same key aspects of communication, competition, and teamwork. eSports have become a staple in an ever changing gaming community since 2010 when there was a massive uptick in popularity. Even those who might not know much about gaming understand just how much of an impact it’s had. eSports is, essentially, a multiplayer video game played in a competitive tournament in front of a crowd. It is usually only performed by professional players and can be played for cash and other prizes.

Many hours a week are spent practicing, planning tactics, and overall improving gameplay with fellow players. The practice can be for a certain competition or tournament they’re preparing for, or just to keep up their skills during an off season. This constant exercise can be similar to that of a regular high school sport or club activity.

Senior Connor Smith has been playing competitively since his junior year. He is currently on the team called Late Arrivals.

He built the computer he uses today from different parts he bought online and put together himself.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is the 24 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

game Smith has been playing since his junior year of high school, and still plays today as part of Late Arrivals—as they are without two of their team members.

“I’ve always been interested in computers ever since I was a kid,” said Smith, “ever since I could hold a controller, move a mouse, or touch a keyboard, I’ve been interested in it.”

“It’s just a brotherhood, you know. You get to play with your friends and make memories while doing it.

SENIOR NICK FLEETWOOD

Smith got really into gaming during middle school, but his interest began during his young years when he would play with his sister and would practice until he was able to beat her.

“In those mornings before school, we used to wake up and play this old game, and that’s probably the earliest memory for me,” said Smith, “of competing against somebody in a video game and that sense of winning.”

Smith shared that he had a rough time during middle school with depression and trying to find a place to fit in, and he turned to gaming as an outlet to help with

that. After playing, he was able to find friends over all parts of the world which he had never met before, but felt a strong connection because they shared this thing that they loved and put time towards.

“It’s like any skill; it’s something you have to devote time towards,” said Smith.

“It’s like throwing a football; it’s muscle memory.”

Being a part of a team is a commitment that takes up a lot of time, having to balance school, work, and still have enough time to practice. Practicing close to two hours a day is almost the same as the time spent practicing for many sports teams, like football, baseball, basketball, all practicing for around two to three hours every weekday.

Video games have earned up to $91.5 billion per year, according to Venturebeat in 2015. There’s no doubt it’s a popular form of media, and growing every year.

A group that started playing the recently booming game of Fortnite has been playing the new battle royale game mode which has been overtaking the casual gaming community with a multitude of battle royale style games being released recently.

Being free to download and play on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and iOS has made it very popular. The group called “Down to Fortnite” has accumulated 192 wins on average since September 2017. The group was founded by Senior Brody Johannesen,

Junior Hayden Huzefka, and Senior Riley Ker. DTF also consists of Junior Hunter Crosswhite, Junior Ben Neilan, Senior Nick Fleetwood, Senior Jalen Handy, Senior Trenton Dutcher, Senior Chase LaPerle, Sophomore Bryant Farnes, and Senior Nate Bassett.

Being a relatively laid back video game, they have been putting forth some of the same demanding hours, playing roughly three to five hours a day during the school week, and close to seven hours on the weekends.

Even though it’s not in the same competitive league with other games, such as League of Legends, or Counter Strike, it is still played with a similar level of precision.

During an average night for DTF there are multiple flat screen tv’s within one living room, and a lot of communicating, usually becoming too loud for anybody else to know what’s going on. While there is not as much pressure to win as in a professional environment, there’s still the competitive aspects that are in any sport.

According to senior Nick Fleetwood, winning feels pretty good. “Getting the final kill in a victory royale is better than winning any football game,” he said.

Like any sport with a starting lineup, there are certain people who work best together, and the groupings can vary from night to night. For a fun internal competition, they will split up into two four person teams and see who can get the most wins by the end of the night. This is similar to a scrimmage in other sports, practicing against each other to improve each other’s skills.

The story of eSports is only increasing as each year goes on, with more viewers,

more gamers, and more interesting games being introduced each year.

There are many similarities and a lot of differences between the two games and the two teams. From the graphics and the gameplay, one thing is common between the two. Both are rooted in the natural desire of any sport — to be the best of the best.

Esports Games Earnings Dota 2: $7,311,315.60 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: $5,880,526.58 League of Legends: $1,743,165.89 Call of Duty: World War II: $1,464,517.43

According to: www.esportsearnings.com

GENRES OF ESPORTS GAMES Multiplayer Online Battle Arena: “A

Fighting: “Two players controlling char-

First Person Shooter: “Players taking

Sports: “Based on traditional sports competitions, such as racing, football,

player controlling a single character in a team that must destroy the opposition team’s main building.”

part in a firefight across a map. This could be for the purpose of gaining as many kills as possible, or to achieve some form of objective”

acters in close combat action, attempting to defeat each other by reducing their opponent’s health to zero.”

basketball, etc.”

Real-Time Strategy: “The player building an army by constructing buildings, and developing units, in order to gain dominance over a map and defeat other player’s armies.”

Melissa StefAn - NESTA Certified

Individual personal training Small Group Training Boot camp spiredfitness.com

(207)807-8922 SPORTS / THE WHIRLWIND 25

TEAM TRADITION

Running toward tradition

BY Hayley-Mae Harlan

IN BETWEEN THEIR P R E P A R A T I O N for meets, the track team makes time for play as well. Coach Bryan Wadlow, who has coached track for nine years, said that his athletes really look forward to bus rides. “Anyone who qualifies for the state meet heads down to Eugene with us in a bus, and I give control of the radio to the students,” he explained. “They make these huge playlists that they’re so excited about.”

Senior Kimmie King said she likes how

“You might not remember particular games...but you remember the people” BRYAN WADLOW TRACK COACH

THROUGH MY EYES

SENIOR PLAYER

INSPIRED BY

Tennis Chain of Inspiration Senior Tia Bitz is inspired by HAYLEY-MAE HARLAN

Track athletes warm up for practice on April 10. Once they finish laps, they stretch in a circle on the football field.

supportive everyone on her team is of each other.

She explains that after an athlete is done with their event, they go to cheer on their other teammates. The team also holds a movie night in the gym right before state. Coach Wadlow said, “You might not remember particular games or events, but you remember the people that you were in the sport with. You remember bus rides, you remember funny stories, and that builds as much of the long-term memory as anything that you do on the competition field.”

What does baseball look like through the eyes of a player?

VARSITY

BASEBALL

Parker Nicholsen loves to hit.

“When I’m at the plate, it feels like it’s just me and the pitcher,” Nicholsen said. “That’s the only thing I’m focused on: whether he’s gonna beat me or I beat him.” Nicholsen is a first baseman. He’s been playing baseball since elementary school, and joined the team right away his freshman year. He thinks the beginning of a game is the most intense, so the team tries to “hype each other up” in order to do their best on the field. The time he spends with his teammates makes bus rides his favorite part about being on the team. “We love to hang out, listen to music, and help each other with anything we can,” he said.

“We’re all like a band of brothers.”

26 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

Q& ATHLETE

golf?

A Q & A with girls golf freshman Lexi Chido

How long have you been doing

“Since I was ten.”

What’s your favorite part?

“I like being outside and I like golf because it’s a humble sport. Some people don’t consider it a sport, but I do. It’s much more mental strength than it is physical strength.”

What makes playing golf worth it?

“It just feels really good to be able to hit a ball really straight and far.”

What will you remember most?

“Spending time with the team...and the road trips.”

What drives you to work hard?

“Probably [Coach Ian] Condron... he always corrects me on my form and he has high expectations for me.”

“[Senior] Trillium Bristow, she’s kind to everyone she encounters and loves to help the younger girls who aren’t as experienced with tennis.

She’s a great tennis player and always tries her best in practice and during matches.

She’s overall a great person, and the entire team is lucky to have her as a captain.”

Who is inspired by “[Senior] Grace Getsfrid!

She has an amazing talent and works really hard on the court. When I watch her play, it inspires me to be enthusiastic and makes me want to always play to my fullest ability.”

Who is inspired by “Bex [Senior Rebecca Lundgreen] because she always keeps her head up and has really grown throughout this season.”

Who is inspired by “My coach [Justin Crow]. he inspires me to always make the most of each situation I am in. Whether the outcome of a tennis match is good or bad, he has taught me that having a positive attitude is most important. He has also taught me to never forget to have fun.”

Who is inspired by “[Boys tennis coach] Erik Ihde because he’s a good friend and he’s a better tennis player than me.”

ENTERTAINMENT

DANCING OFF THE RECORD

West Albany students who dedicate their free time to dancing outside of the norm

BY Jordan Andreas JUNIOR Karolyn Hovey TAP DANCE

How did you get into tap dance?

It sounds sort of cliche, but I’ve been a dancer since I was four. But, in second grade, I kind of was on a kick of musicals and I was very obsessed with watching various musicals and I loved seeing the different dance numbers...And I saw “Singin’ in The Rain.” I thought, “Wow, that looks so cool! Gene Kelly is such an amazing athlete in every possible way! I have to do this.”

How is tap dancing different compared to the generic type of dancing?

I think it’s kind of cool because there’s sound involved, which sounds kind of obvious but — this sounds so extreme — if you’re a blind person and you go to a dance performance, you can’t necessarily enjoy it. But I’d like to believe that a blind person could also enjoy tap because there’s a lot of rhythm associated with it.

Do you wish to pursue this professionally?

No, but, at the same time, I think it’s going to be something lifelong. I hope anyway...I don’t think that I will be a dancer, but in terms of coming back to this again and again, doing it in college, doing it after that, just performing randomly using these “skills”. Not performing professionally, but for sure — there are people in various classes at certain studios that are in their 80s...and you know what, I hope to do that.

SOPHOMORE AJ Valdez HIP HOP

How did you get into hip hop?

Before the [2016 football] season started, I decided I was going to do football that year, but it was already too late. So my parents told me, “You’re going to have to do something. You’re not going to be a bum on the couch all day long.”

My parents suggested dance and I said, “No, I don’t want to do dance.” Then, eventually, they just forced me to do it and I did it for about a week or a month and it just kind of stuck.

FRESHMAN Tobin Caffarella TAP DANCE

How did you get into tap dance?

So I used to do ballet... “because I’m so graceful.” And I heard it in the other room so I go in the other [studio] room and I’m like, “Woah that’s really cool.”

So I asked my parents if I could take it and they were like, “Sure, may as well try it out,” and I turned out to like it.

How is tap dancing different compared to the generic type of dancing or other styles?

When I’m dancing, it’s like all my stresses and problems go away and it’s just me...

That’s what I usually use dance for. It helps me just clear my mind.

Well, I’m not going to say it’s the hardest because it definitely isn’t. But, it’s very complex; you need to have very good coordination...You need to be able to memorize pretty quickly because the steps are very complicated.

Do you wish to pursue it professionally?

How does tap dancing make you feel?

How does dancing make you feel?

Yes. Now, I’m not professional, but I’m in the agency, so I’m getting paid to do gigs. But it takes time and I don’t have the time yet. But yeah, I hope to go professional.

First of all, tired, because it is very tiring.

It makes me feel kind of just in my own world because I’m paying attention to what’s around me, but, at the same time, I’m not. I’m kind of just secluded — in a good way.

ENTERTAINMENT / THE WHIRLWIND 27

Save the Date

Dating isn’t the same in a world where couples meet on social media, where society bases attraction off of physical beauty and the relevance to current media standards

BY Jaden Rodriguez and Hailey James

A S Y O U W A L K down the halls of WAHS, seeing couples holding hands, and kissing goodbye as they go off to their next class is far from ordinary. A high school expectation; to be wanted by others, begging to be fulfilled by those who have no one to kiss goodbye. And dating being these simple interactions throughout the hall makes that want turn into a need.

The expectations portrayed by the media industry through popular childhood movies such as “High School Musical,” and many other kids’ TV shows and movies, shows teens that in order to fully experience high school and the glory teen years, a serious relationship is a basic necessity.

But reality differs, for being in high school is a path of personal change and hope for a future.

Counselor Ryan Graham explains how without this personal change and growth it’s hard to make relationships last because, “You have no idea how to work through it.”

As times have changed, dating has turned into an exchange of text messages and an agreement of possession. Junior student Madelyn Moyes sees these types of relationships throughout the school.“There are some rather immature relationships that last a month or two,” Moyes said. “It’s kind of a waste in my opinion.”

The foundation a relationship’s communication relies on apps like Snapchat and Instagram, instead of face to face interaction. Dating someone has become a must-have for teens to be socially accepted.

Sophomore Melissa Cadwell believes with

HIGH SCHOOL

SWEETHEARTS

the vanishing of commitment and dedication has resulted in the vanishing of love.

“Love died in our generation. Love in our generation is not how it used to be” Cadwell stated. “Dating in high school now...I don’t think there’s really much of a point.”

Jordan Ruppert, who although met his wife in 5th grade, believes dating in high school is something that students shouldn’t dive into “Don’t take it too seriously. Figure out how to be around people.” He believes that high school is the time to figure out yourself and find out how to be social, and not a time to settle with your possible life-partner, even though that might be what happens.“Sometimes there are fewer decisions that you make in your life that are bigger than who you settle down with.”

Although teens are told by authority all

EXCHANGE STUDENT VIEWS “In Spain when you date someone, you don’t have to have sex, and here if you are in a relationship, you have to have sex. It’s more chill in Spain.”

EXCHANGE STUDENT XENIA BUXO

English teacher Jordan Ruppert and his wife in high school. The two met in fifth grade.

28 THE WHIRLWIND / MAY 2018

Student Counselor Ryan Graham and his wife in high school. They started dating during Graham’s senior year.

“In the US you date first and then you move on and get into a real relationship.

Germany we don’t date like this. You are either in a relationship for love, or not.”

PAST EXCHANGE STUDENT CORVIN HACHMANN

2

l

1

s e

1

e

5

e

2

e i

the time that it’s impossible for a romantic relationship to last outside of high school, and that love in itself is impossible for someone of that age, teens still aspire to pursue the love of another person to keep themselves relative to everyone else.

“A lot of high school relationships don’t last because they started for the wrong reasons,” Health teach Jennifer Bornheimer believes. “A lot of relationships in high school are not ones that the people genuinely want to be in, but they are too saficed to some sort of social standard.”

Teens are influenced by the couples around them to pursue these relationships.

Even though high school relationships last-

“Don’t take it too seriously. Figure out how to be around people.”

ENGLISH TEACHER JORDAN RUPPERT

ing are very rare; we see these high school sweethearts and that gives us the hope to have a high school sweetheart of our own.

High school sweethearts and people who reconnect from their teen years do exist, and “ ...those people have strong value

DATING TO MARRIAGE 2% of high school relationships last until marriage 19% of people who met their spouse in high school attended college 12.8% of Oregon marriages

systems in place from the start, and they have maybe a strong either friendship network or mentor that has made it very clear to them what a healthy relationship looks like and what it should sound like. Some kids I don’t think ever get that.” Bornheimer states.

But perhaps it isn’t as common as the media portrays it. Many modern day relationships, including friendships and romantic ones, can consist of toxicity, physical attraction, and social standards more than true love and admiration. This negative stigma in relationships could be rubbing off on our younger generation, which isn’t giving them a true look on how a healthy relationship should function.

Bornheimer believes, “Dating in high school is sometimes more about finding out what you don’t want in a partner.”

Like Bornheimer explained, high school and relationships themselves are preparation for the outside world. This school consists of 1,459 students. Outside of that, hundreds, thousands, and millions of other people are pursuing the same dream as the rest of the students within WAHS. So why do high schoolers narrow themselves to finding the one within 1,459 student, while they could be discovering their own world?

NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP: NO 46.2%

YES 53.8%

DATING TIPS FROM FACULTY AND STUDENTS:

“Always be open with each other.”

SOPHOMORE BRITTON HELLMAN

“It shouldn’t be serious.

The whole point of high school is to learn how to be around people, not settle.”

ENGLISH TEACHER JORDAN RUPPERT

“Do what makes you happy. Don’t do what your parents want you to do or what your friends want you to do.

Do what makes you happy.”

SOPHOMORE MADISON FRAZIER

end in divorce

50% of marriages in America

end in divorce

25% of men and 14% of wom-

en have committed adultery in a marriage

ACCORDING TO MEL MAGAZINE

FROM A SURVEY OF 107 STUDENTS

“Communication and forgiveness is key.”

JUNIOR KAYLIN COFFEY

ENTERTAINMENT / THE WHIRLWIND 29

Lost in the Cheese Four seniors delved into their business adventure with grilled cheese and support from the community.

BY Jordan Douglas

ON THE LAST BLUE D A Y of the week, students and staff rush to grab a “Grilled Chee” right as the bell rings. Within minutes, all of the sandwiches are sold out. Outside the gym doors, a large crowd of students begin to form, all looking to get some cheese from the Pleazers. They have the option of choosing from three different styles of Grilled Cheese: Regular, Bacon, or the specialty of the week.

Seniors August May, Blake Guerrero, Jacob Nestor, and Ryan Nelson officially started selling their signature sandwiches on Feb. and since then, they have been a huge success. Both returning and new customers come to their booth for a fresh sandwich.

The Pleazers started their food crusade back in Culinary 4 last semester. Nestor loved cooking his favorite snack: a grilled cheese sandwich composed of sourdough bread and a mix of pepper jack and cheddar cheese. After working together for a full semester, they felt like they could make something out of their skills .

“We started this back in October when I was hungry in Bistro one day and we sold them in the Culinary room during lunch time,” said Nestor. “We decided to do it again for our Culinary 4 final, and that’s when we came up with the name.”

Making money is the easy part, but preparing the food is quite a process.

They spend 7th period, their open period, They cook the sandwiches on the panini press to serve some of the highest quality 30 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

Cheezers Pleazers.indd 1

grilled cheese. When the panini press finishes heating up, the first sandwich gets thrown on. The cheese slowly begins to sizzle and melt, sending a glorious scent throughout the room and down the halls.

It’s cut in half, wrapped in foil, and put into the warmer.

Upon exiting the gym doors, the scent of melted cheese and warm bread flows through the air. To the left, the four seniors are ready to serve their Grilled Chee. Prices are low, with a regular Grilled Chee going at $2, a bacon Grilled Chee for $2.50, and the specialty of the week for $3.

All four of the Pleazers are graduating this year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t continue their brand. After they graduate, the seniors have plans to keep selling sandwiches one way or another: “Since both Blake and Jacob are going to Linn Benton Community College next year, and I’ll be dual enrolling,” said May, “we are hoping we can continue it.”

Nestor added, “We don’t have set plans on a [food] truck yet, but we really do want to either get a truck or continue selling from a stand somewhere.”

Due to their growing popularity, they have decided to sell a variety of merchandise including shirts, hats, and posters.

The logos, made by seniors Paris Barton and Gemma Williams, will be featured on their shirt as well as posters.

Remember to support your local Pleazers every blue day and stay cheesy!

Photos By: Jordan Douglas

4/23/2018 11:49:55 AM

Happily in the background West Albany receptionist spends Summer vacation as TV extra

BY Curtis Allen

BETWEEN ANSWERING P H O N E calls, composing emails, and managing an endless barrage of student requests and inquiries, “down time” is simply a foreign concept to West Albany’s Shann Ihde. So, when summer break comes around and the busywork abruptly halts, how does a high school receptionist spend her newly vacated hours?

For Shann, the answer came in an unlikely place — the set of a corporate television series.

Extras, as they are colloquially called, are a unique aspect of film production.

They have no dialogue and seemingly negligible amounts of screen time, yet they are absolutely vital in making any scene look feasible. Simply stated, they’re paid to blend in. For these roles, an unassuming and hardworking receptionist is the perfect fit.

Shann’s daughter Maddie, a freshman at Oregon State University and alumnus of West Albany’s theater program, was actually the first Ihde to give background acting a try. She took only one job and, though she enjoyed it, felt it wasn’t exactly the dream role for her.

Shann, on the other hand, saw nothing but a unique opportunity to get involved in an exciting new hobby: “I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll do it. I have my summers off; it might be kind of fun.’”

Shann spontaneously filled out an online application and was soon called up for her first day of shooting. As she describes it, the filming process for her was long, but very simple: “You literally just walk in the background behind people,” said Shann.

“That’s it. That’s all you do. And you get paid.”

The monetary compensation, however, is minimal; she kept going back entirely

Receptionist Shann Ihde (middle) poses in a pre-historic outfit alongside her fellow background actors. The moment was captured on the set of “Grimm,” one of several TV productions Ihde has appeared in.

to meet a variety of people and be a part of such an engaging project. Her husband Erik, a social studies and leadership teacher at West Albany, quickly noted her fascination with the process: “It’s fun because she goes and does something that’s very outside of normal adult mom life and typically comes back with some great stories,” Ihde said. “And, to be honest, her being on screen every now and then is a bonus.”

Shann has since appeared, however briefly, in five different television productions, portraying everything from a juror to a cavewoman. In her own words, she has loved every second of it, possibly leading some to wonder if a career in acting is her true calling. She is always the first, however, to extinguish such suspicions. She doesn’t consider herself a legitimate actress in the slightest and maintains no interest in fame: “It’s not glamorous. If you’re trying to be an actor, it’s not the way to do it. It’s just if you want to meet new people and just have a little bit of extra spending money.”

She added, “I don’t want people to think it’s a big deal because it’s not. Like, literally, it’s like you’re in the background and anybody can do it.”

Erik concurred, saying, “Her priority isn’t about being some kind of a movie star — dramatic acting was never something she pursued — she just has a real interest in the whole film scene… It’s been very fascinating for her to be able to kind of peek behind the curtain.”

So, with the excitement of the cameras and the costumes, what keeps the wife,

Grimm - S6: E11 (Villager) 2017

The Librarians

- S3: E8 (Retreat Guest) 2017 - S4: E7 (Camper) 2018 - S4: E12 (Citizen) 2018

Portlandia

- S7: E6 (Fair Patron) 2017 - S8: E4 (Community Member) 2018

Everything Sucks!

- S1: E6 (Concert Goer) 2018

Here and Now

- S1: E5 (Bus Rider) 2018

mother of two, and high school receptionist rooted at West Albany?

According to Shann, “This job is way more fun [because] I get to see people all day and I love interacting with the students and stuff, but it’s kind of a nice break…

It’s so different because West is like: I don’t stop going. Whereas, when you’re filming, you’re literally sitting there for hours at a time, waiting to go on. So it’s just a completely opposite pace.”

Shann highly encourages any and all West Albany students to get involved alongside her. After all, how many of them can boast that their own elbow has been featured on a national television network?

ENTERTAINMENT / THE WHIRLWIND 31

THE BIG QUESTION

What is your favorite TV show?

BY Sydney Morgan

Chris Martin

Georgia Vatcoskay

Martin’s initial thought was The Office, saying it’s the obvious choice, but instead he says that his favorite is King of the Hill. Although he didn’t enjoy it at first, he says he can relate to the characters now that he’s older; he appreciates it much more.

Vatcoskay enjoys the show Black Mirror because of its interesting takes on life and her love for the sci-fi and fantasy genres.

She explains, “It’s not only how it portrays life but also makes you think how life would be different if we had the different technology they have.”

English

Marty Johnston Social Studies

Johnston’s current favorite is a show called The Americans. He says he loves the era of history it is set in and he really enjoys the non-fiction genre. It is set during the Cold War and there are Soviet spies disguised as Americans, which is what he says makes it awesome.

Kyle Hall

Freshman

Jazz Lawson Sophomore

Lawson loves the show Breaking Bad because of how suspenseful it is.

He adds, “The slow decline of Walter White from a lovable protagonist to a hates anti hero is very interesting.”

Jayden Cook

Psychology

Hall says his all-time favorite would have to be The Office. He makes the point that the rewatch value is incredible.

Hall says “If I had one show for the rest of my life I would be content with The Office.”

Although, a close second would be Breaking Bad.

Jacqueline Kahler French

Kahler’s favorite show is the post-apocalyptic horror TV show, The Walking Dead. She says she loves the suspense in the show.

Junior

Cook’s number one show is Scandal because it’s about solving government conspiracies.

She also states, “It’s kind of like Criminal Minds but it’s almost like a reality show.”

Diego Casillas Senior

Casillas’ favorite TV show is The Office. Diego enjoys the humor, and the happy nature of the show.

T H E R E I S A R T all

around us, and these individuals capture it through a lens. From nature to animals to people, photographers MY BEST capture WORK all things in life using different settings on their cameras, enhancing the beauty of the settings. These artists work with the world around us, telling their own personal stories.

“I like doing dark creepy pictures because they're mor conceptual and I want people to think when they look at them...I like editing the pictures the most because I can take a picture that's not that good and edit the brightness and colors to make it look completely different.”

32 THE WHIRLWIND / APRIL 2018

“My inspiration is the people like me that I see doing great things with a camera...When I see people I know taking great pictures, I think ‘I can do that’ and think they’re kids just like me. They haven't gone to any prestigious art schools. They’re in high school, just like me, and if they can do it, why can’t I.”

“I love doing art and I just thought photography a cool way to express myself and it’s easy and fun and I like learning about it...when I do portrait photography I like to give the pictures to people because it makes me happy when they see the pretty picture of themselves and see themselves in pretty ways and have them feel good about themselves makes me happy.”