February 29, 2012

Vol. VII Issue #VI

Creating the world’s greatest vocal track...

Composing a vocal track is something many dream about but few actually man-age to accomplish because of the hard work and dedication it requires. For his senior project, Evan Smith is creating his own al-bum; an impressive achievement for an 18 year old artist. “I’ve been singing for six years, but only performing for four”, Smith said. Smith has managed to find a usable stu-dio where he learned the basics of editing and recording. Smith’s project is partially motivated by his aspirations for after high school, “I want to have a few shows, maybe try to sell a CD,” Smith said. Smith would like to make a shout-out to all AHS stu-dents to keep their eyes open for his album once his project is completed.

Make-up day (if necessary)

Mentor Evaluation

Speech Outline & Overview (1st draft)

April 4

Learning Log / Journal (w/mentor checks)

Senior Project Presentation (early bird)

April 19

EquipmEnt REquEstsMay 2

Presentation PracticeMay 10, 14, 16

Final Single Page Speech Overview

May 16Senior Project Presentation

(1/2 day)May 18TBA

It’s safe to say that Parker Massie won’t be driving to Utah when he leaves to start his freshman year of college this fall; he will be flying. Massie, a senior at AHS, earned his Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Pilots License in July of 2011. This enabled Massie to fly an airplane so long as when the weather conditions are relatively clear with good visibility. However, for his Senior Project, Mass-ie wanted to take the next step and earn his Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Pilots License. An IFR will allow him to fly in

any weather conditions. This achieve-ment takes 40 hours to earn, 30 of which Massie has completed. “I chose to get my IFR Pilots License for my Se-nior Project because I hope to become a commercial pilot when I’m done with college,” Massie said. Although he has already flown to Portland alone, Massie wants to eventually be able to fly any-where he desires.

Parker Massie

For her senior project, Marissa Ginsberg chose to take part in the Dress a Girl Around the World organization. Ginsberg is sew-ing five dresses for the project, and plans on sending them to the program once they are completed. The Dress a Girl Around the World foundation has teams that send the dresses to impoverished countries to give to girls in need. “I wanted to do something that would help other people and myself at the same time. Not only fulfilling my Senior Project, but also making someone else’s life better,” Ginsberg said.

Marissa Ginsberg

Skyping with J.K. Rowling by Halie Haynes

by Maya Terry-Shindelman

“I chose to get my IFR Pi-lots License for my Senior Project because I hope to become a commercial pilot when I’m done with college.”

Imagine sitting down in front of your computer and having a one-on-one interview with one of the most influential and recognized authors of the 21st cen-tury. This is exactly seniors Garret Ewing and Mar-ley Zachariasen’s goal for their senior project. The two co-presenters plan to Skype with J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. Although they haven’t been able to contact Rowling yet, Ewing and Zachariasen have started filming a video that gives an explanation about why they want to interview the famous author. Ewing and Zachariasen are persistent in getting ahold of Rowling so that they can enter the world of magic and Hogwartz for themselves.

photo submitted by Evan Smith

photo by Willa Lineberger-Scholl

Ginsberg displays her sew

ing skills.

Photo by Anja HarrissCheesing with their Potter books.

Garrett Ewing & Marley Zachariasen

1. Brainstorm your interests

2. Find a project that fits this interest

3. Find a mentor you can rely on throughout the project and have them sign the appropriate paperwork which can be found on the high school website

4. Get your project approved by an administrator such as Russ Johnson, Mi-chelle Zundel or Don Valentini

5. Plan! Breakdown your project and spread out the work so you can com-plete your project in a timely manner

6. Start your project. Don’t forget to journal your time and what you have completed!

7. Prepare your 20 minute presentation, 10 of which will be about your proj-ect and the other 10 will be a summary of your high school experience

by Dylan Molnar

by Halie Haynes

Evan Smith

photo submitted by Parker Massie

Getting started...

by Maya Terry-Shindelman

First Friday

art walk by Hanna Greenberg

On the first Friday of every month, from five to eight p.m., the art galleries of downtown Ashland and the Railroad Districts host an intimate music and art festival. The First Friday Art Walk provides opportu-nity for the finest galleries in town to display the art-work and creations from many community members. On March 2, many of Ashland High School’s stu-dent’s artwork will be shown in various shops and galleries. For the locations of the student’s artwork, please refer to the following chart. The amount of time that the artwork will be presented to the public is determined by each gallery so don’t be late!

Ashland Art Works 291 Oak St., Ashland Jorge Ramierez – woodworkLogan McKelvey – woodworkMarley Fuller – stained glass

Ashland Art Center 357 E. Main St., AshlandWilliam Crowley – abstract paintings

Enoteca by Eden Vale Wine Bar & Bistro17 N. Main St., AshlandRaven Borgilt – drawings, paintingsMia O’Dougherty – paintings

Family Massage Education Center1081 East Main St., AshlandLillian Thomas – paintings Jacqueline Sennhausen – paintings

Illahe Studios & Gallery 215 Fourth St., AshlandAngelique Brownlie – paintings, drawingKyriana Bolles – drawings, paintings JEGA Gallery & Sculpture Garden 625 A St., AshlandKendra Farber – figure drawingsNalani Theil – figure drawings

Nimbus 25 E. Main St., AshlandMelissa Lamore, drawings, watercolor paintingJoy Harpham – woodworkChristina Chow – woodworkKenzie Jackson – woodwork

by Olivia Knox

February 29, 2012Page 2 Rogue News

This fall, credit proficiency in physical activity is an option instead of Physical Education at Ashland High School. Students will have to create a portfolio of evidence showing their physi-cal activity, and work with the Health and P.E. department to create a unique plan. If a student shows the state required skills in P.E., then they can earn a credit by playing a sport, participating in extracur-ricular opportunities or any other physical activity. Requirements from the state include evidence of physical fitness, knowledge of sport/activity rules, ability to fol-

low directions and get along with other participants. “Students can’t replace P.E. with a school sport; they must meet the state requirements in all sections.” Michelle Zundel, AHS principal, said. “There is no need for students living an active, healthy life to take P.E. in order to learn lifelong skills. For students who want to open up their schedule to more electives, this will be an effective option.” “I am very interested in this opportunity because I play vol-leyball and I am very active. I would love to have more options for electives,” sophomore Maddy

Wallace said. Grace Geisslinger, sopho-more, said “I would still take P.E. even though I do swim and play volleyball because I enjoy it. I think it is a great opportunity for those who won’t take advantage of it.” The Health and P.E. depart-ments met to discuss credit proficiency on January 1. They came to the conclusion that AHS would benefit from this program’s activation this fall. Additional information will be released to the school on March 1 so scheduling changes can be considered.

What will it take forto graduate?

YOU As the world advances, it is important that schools pre-pare students for success in life. In order to create a high-er level of skills and maintain status in today’s global econ-omy, the Oregon State Board of Education has recently introduced new requirements that high school students must complete in order to re-ceive a high school diploma. The new Oregon Diploma standards will better prepare students for work, college

and life in general. To earn a diploma, one must com-plete the credit requirements, demonstrate proficiency in essential skills and meet the personalized learning re-quirements. These essential skills will be demonstrated through state tests. Students will take the tests shown in the tables below. All of these tests must be passed in order to graduate from high school, increasing the difficulty of graduation.

by Kyra McFadden

State proficiency requirements

AHS graduation requirements

illustration by Amelia O’Dougherty

February 29, 2012Page 3 Rogue News

Editorial/Designer BoardEditors-in-Chief............................................Olivia Fidler/ Elias Opgenorth

Front Page........................................................Halie Haynes/ Megan Ganim News Page...................................................Hanna Greenberg/ Bryce Rogan Opinion Page............................................................Grace Rogan/ Ian Wurfl In-Depth page................................................Emily Bestor/ Rhianna Terrien Feature Page..................................................Delaney Swink/ Dylan MolnarSports Page......................................................Emily Odion/ Sofia Harrison Backpage.....................................................Hannah Borgerson/ Ian Smeenk Online Editors..............................................Erin Keoppen/ Jasper Raynolds ............................................................................../Wyler McAninch-Ruenzi Managing Editor.....................................................................Sofia HarrisonBusiness Manager……..….......................................................Christa Tapp

Rogue News is published by the newspaper classes of Ashland High School, 201 South Mountain Ave., Ashland, Oregon 97520. (541) 482-8771 ext. 195. The edito-rials written by the Rogue News express the opinions of the editorial staff on issues relevant to the staff, the school and the community. Personal columns do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff and are written as the opinion of the individual author. Letters to the editor, which should be under 250 words, are encouraged. They can be dropped off outside of Room 202, put in Mr. William Gabriel’s box in the main office or emailed to RogueNews@ashland.k12.or.us. No letters will be printed without a verified signature. Letters received in the second week of production will not appear until the next issue. The Rogue News staff reserves the right to refuse to print any potentially libelous or obscene material, anything that would invade the privacy of others, or anything that could cause a disruption of the school environment.

Rogue NewsWho ever said senior year was fun?

The rat race rages on

Full of final frills and making memo-ries to last a life-time, senior year is meant to be a year for the books. Every senior girl plans to paste the walls of next year’s dorm room with

this year’s favorite moments caught in four-by-six frames. Anyone who has lived through high school can tell you how fun it is to make mem-ories with friends from grade-school; the same friends who you made mud pies with. This is not to be misconstrued, senior year is full of fun, but with college applications and scholarships that hold a tremendous amount of weight, the stress-free moments are lacking. The college essay is often underestimated. One spends countless hours organizing and reor-

ganizing 500 words into a masterpiece showing individuality, ambition and the ability to fit into a college setting. Almost every senior at Ashland High School knows the extensive amount of time that goes into these essays—and for those who have AP classes, jobs, sports and/or other extra-curricular activities to busy their everyday lives, time to write extra essays is hard to come by. There is nothing quite like the feeling of sub-mitting college applications or receiving your first acceptance letter, but after the hugs and tears of joy are shed, the future is cloudy with a chance of showers. Showers of money in the form of fi-nancial aid, that is. But first, one must weather the storm of scholarship essays and applications. The stress doesn’t end until graduation day, so try not to let the senioritis truly kick in. For all of the underclassmen, and their parents, brace yourself for senior year, but make it one to remember.

by Olivia Fidler

by Elias Opgenorth

As the presidential nomination heats up, the ques-tion of whether or not to vote comes up. A common response is “my one vote doesn’t even make a dif-ference.” I say – wrong! Did you know that in 1859, according to onevote.com, Oregon was admitted to the union by the difference of one vote? Or that in 1923 one extra vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi party? I repeat, one vote. Honestly, the only way a vote doesn’t matter is if the voter stays at home and the ballot isn’t mailed in on Election Day. As seniors turn 18, this question becomes promi-nent in their lives. Voting for a candidate that repre-sents one’s beliefs and will make changes that one agrees with will help shape the country, and their fu-ture. The time to elect our next president is inching closer; the media is swamping everyone with mes-sages of who to vote for, as well as exercising one’s right to vote. While juggling college apps, school, work and extra-curricular activities, getting directly involved in political events doesn’t always fit into a high school student’s schedule. However, filling in

bubbles and dropping something off in a drop box takes no time at all. Residents of Oregon are for-tunate to be one of eleven states that use mail-in-ballots. Of course, as a voter, it is necessary to take some time to research the candidates or bills that are up for decision in order to make the correct choice. “Voting is a guaranteed way to voice your opin-ion,” Matthew McKinnon, who hasn’t missed a single election, said. “I encourage all students who will be 18 before the next election to vote and get involved in the political system.” What I’m saying is that inaction doesn’t breed change. Whether citizens are satisfied with the cur-rent local and national government at the moment or not, voicing their opinion through voting is im-portant. In today’s fast-paced world, sometimes the only way one can get their voice heard is through voting. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity, get the younger generations involved, make this country a more representative place of who we are and vote.

by Grace Rogan

With the current state of the economy, and approval rat-ings dropping below 50%, Barack Obama and the Demo-crats have entered 2012 on uneasy terms. The upcoming presidential election has become a hot bed for current events, stories and scandals. Coverage of the Republican primary race has almost eclipsed the airtime of 24 hour news networks like CNN and FOX. As the 2012 race for the Republican candidacy bustles along, millions upon millions of dollars are being spent to win over the hearts and minds of the American voters. According to recent es-timates, both Obama and the future Republican candidate will each spend approximately one billion dollars on their campaigns. With so much “mullah” being dropped on campaign expenses, including everything from bourgeois hotel reser-vations and homophobic YouTube ads, to teams of political analysts and pollsters, it’s hard to feel as though your vote is not being bought by groups of clever and conniving full-time politicians. If you wonder why the Republicans have failed to unite behind one strong candidate, and instead have remained divided between four subpar conservatives it’s because the game of politics has changed. Americans no longer vote for the smartest and strongest candidate, instead they look for more superficial qualities. According to recent studies by Princeton and George-town University, approximately 70% of the time, test sub-jects were able to predict the outcome of an election based on a rapid judgment of the competency of a candidate. Many people would argue that electing the most compe-tent candidate is a good thing, however, in this particular study, candidates were evaluated solely on a quick glance at their mug shot. Appearance has become more important than ever in this next election. This is why you have never seen Obama smoking a cigarette. Candidates now require fulltime stylists to ensure that everything from their hairdo to their American flag lapel pin satisfies the American pub-lic. Candidates must always look their best whenever they are portrayed in the news. Believe it or not, the number of no issue content voters is on the rise. Every year, more and more people are voting for the candidate with the hottest wife, the best hair, or the most relatable wardrobe. Since our voters have gotten so superficial, our candi-dates are no longer required to have the same intelligence as they have in the past years. Legitimate candidates remain ignorant to consequential foreign affairs and receive little criticism for referring to Africa as a country. Rather than focusing on the issues at hand, candidates spend their time smiling and looking pretty, while thousands of campaign dollars are spent on stylists and appearance experts. Money is literally being used to brighten up the candidates and make them more appealing. The three qualities that make a strong candidate are no longer relevant to voter: leadership, integrity and…what’s the third one? Uh oh...oops.

Ever wonder how all those fabulous costumes were created for Ashland High School’s productions? Well, make sure to remember one name: Emily Inget. Inget, the head costume designer for West Side Story, began de-signing over ten years ago in San Francisco by accident. She was on a career track for being a stage manager, but was switched to costume designing and happily realized it was something she enjoyed, was good at, and she has been designing ever since. She has worked with many small theaters in the Bay Area and was the resident cos-tume designer for the San Francisco Lyric Opera. In-get was nominated for a Bay Area Critics Circle award for Best Design before moving back home to Ashland

Ashland High School Presents

West Side Story

This spring, Ashland High School’s spring musical will be West Side Story, set in the upper West Side of Man-hattan where the Jets and the Sharks are two rival gangs dancing their way through the streets. The Jets of New York controlled the streets until the Sharks immigrated from Puerto Rico. Then the fighting began over who was the better gang. They cross paths when Tony, a former leader of the Jets, falls in love with the stunning Maria, sister of Bernardo, the Shark’s leader. West Side Story is based on Shake-speare’s Romeo and Juliet; the two gangs represent two families in Ro-

meo and Juliet, the Capulets and Montagues. Tony and Maria meet at a neighborhood dance, similar to Ro-meo and Juliet, and the famous balco-ny scene takes place on the fire escape outside Maria’s apartment. As the two gangs grow more and more violent, the star-crossed lovers fall deeper in love. The Sharks, particularly Maria’s brother, Bernardo, cannot stand to watch Maria be with the American teenager, Tony. The feeling is mu-tual among the Jets who want Tony back in the gang. What better way to solve this problem than to sing, shout and cha-cha themselves to tragedy?

photo by Rinchin Thomas

Ashland High School is perform-ing West Side Story with its own little twist on the story. Suzanne Seiber and Christine Williams are the direc-tors of the musical who will make West Side Story an AHS original. Of course, making a classic unique re-quires a lot of hard work. However, this isn’t the first time Williams and Seiber have taken on an AHS play. Before West Side Story, Williams directed Little Shop of Horrors at AHS while Seiber choreographed. Seiber directed the Fantasticks at AHS and although she enjoyed the experience, she didn’t want to be challenged with directing and choreographing a big musical by herself again. For-tunately, she didn’t have to do West Side Story alone. Williams and Seiber became a good team through direct-ing Grease together decided to direct together again for West Side Story. “To be part of the directing team for a big musical is, while ex-hausting, also exciting,” Seiber said. “The collaboration is what it is all about, and that is the beauty of the-atre. It is a collaboration of many talented people coming together to tell a story. Being a director is just a way of allowing the story to come alive, and I feel fortunate to be al-lowed to help bring so many tal-ents together into one focal point.”

West Side Story’s

directors

by Ariel Clark

West side symphony

Best dressed from the west

by Ariel Clark

Synopsis: Sharks & Jetsby Cass Christopher

Technicians prepare the set for West Side Story.

In West Side Story, the actors and the props aren’t the only ones telling the story. Ashland High School’s orchestra will also perform in the play. Although the audience will not see them, given that they are in the orchestra pit, the orchestra will be playing between scenes, under dialogue and while the actors’ sing. “In a musical play, the audience is often only vaguely aware there’s even an orchestra playing, even though we play for most of the

two to two and a half hours of the show,” Holly Johnson, who’ll be helping with the orchestra in the play, said. “Sometimes the orchestra can be felt as an additional un-seen character, making little musical com-ments about what’s going on in the story.” Playing in a musical is different than playing in concert. “I think the main dif-ference is that people come to a concert specifically to hear the music,” Johnson

The story is about two rival gangs, and the music for each gang has a different feel. It’s also a love story, and has some of the most beautiful

music ever written.

“-Holly Johnson ”

“It will be a fantas-tic show,” junior Ma-son McLellan stated in response to West Side Story. McLellan is the stage manager for the West Side Story with the help of his trusty as-sistant stage managers. The role of the stage manager is very impor-tant even though he is not on stage. During the show, he will be on a headset commanding the “techie army” with cues for lighting, sound and set changes. During rehearsal, McLellan is faced with the tasks of keeping the actors and the tech crew focused and quiet. Before re-hearsal, he sets up all of the scenes that they will be working on that day.

Mgmt.

Ever wonder how all those fabulous costumes were created for Ashland High School’s productions? Well, make sure to remember one name: Emily Inget. Inget, the head costume designer for West Side Story, began de-signing over ten years ago in San Francisco by accident. She was on a career track for being a stage manager, but was switched to costume designing and happily realized it was something she enjoyed, was good at, and she has been designing ever since. She has worked with many small theaters in the Bay Area and was the resident cos-tume designer for the San Francisco Lyric Opera. In-get was nominated for a Bay Area Critics Circle award for Best Design before moving back home to Ashland

and working exclusively for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Costume Rentals Manager. “Nothing is better than when you’re sitting in the audience on opening night thinking ‘wow, we did that’,” Inget said.

The Costume Details The look of the show is early 1960s in New York City, but not too fancy as the majority of the characters belong to two teenage street gangs. “I am excited for the Puerto Rican girls’ clothing because I love Latin style skirts,” Claire McBennett, the Costume Mis-tress for West Side Story, said. As a Costume Mistress, McBennett fits clothing, helps with quick changes

for actors, and takes measurements. The play is using different color palettes for the Jets and the Sharks, so immediately the audience will be able to tell the two main groups in the play apart. While Most of the costumes for the show are rented from OSF and Portland Center Stage, some were also purchased new, second hand and vin-tage. Inget is building building a few pieces from scratch as well. There are about 35 actors, most of whom have several looks, therefore around 100 different costume looks exist in the show. The approximate budget for costumes in this show was $5,000.

Ashland High School Presents

West Side Story

“I think that West Side Story will definitely rival Chicago, (AHS’s 2011 win-ter musical),” McLellan said confidently. Despite being swamped with work for the winter pro-duction, McLellan leads the cast and crew with smiles and welcoming support every rehearsal.

West side symphony

Best dressed from the westby Sita McGuire

by Grace St. Clair-Bates

illustrations by Amelia O’ Doughtery

Tickets are on sale online at www.show-tix 4u.com and in downtown Ashland at Paddington, Tree House Books and Music Coop.

Reserved: $22 General: $17Student/Senior: $12

Reserved tickets are only sold online. Evening shows play Wednesday through Saturday March 7—17. A $10. preview show will be Wednesday, March 7 at 7:30. Mati-nees will be Sunday, March 11 and Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m. Information: 541-482-8771 x 260

Ticket Information

Backstage, costumes are being fitted and altered in prepara-tion for dress rehearsals. Left, a Shark girl costume. Right, a Jet girl costume.

photo by Anja Harriss

photos by Anja Harriss

Shoes, backstage for the Sharks and the Jets.

two to two and a half hours of the show,” Holly Johnson, who’ll be helping with the orchestra in the play, said. “Sometimes the orchestra can be felt as an additional un-seen character, making little musical com-ments about what’s going on in the story.” Playing in a musical is different than playing in concert. “I think the main dif-ference is that people come to a concert specifically to hear the music,” Johnson

said. “Most concert programs are a series of songs that the director has put together to make a cohesive program with musical vari-ety, but there’s no story linking the songs.” “West Side Story is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the actors and musicians, and they know it,” Johnson said. With that said, instead of just coming to see the story alone, come hear the music the or-chestra carries out throughout the show.

photo by Willa Lineberger-S

choll

Junior Mason McLellan.

Page 6February 29, 2012 Rogue News

Filming a movie

by Haley Petersen

His passion for directing isn’t a new realization; since

he was 10 years old, Harriss was sold on the idea of making movies. In the near future, he plans to pursue directing outside of the Rogue Valley. He has an awaiting internship at Lucas-film, the same company that created “Star Wars,” in Marin County, California, and will be attending a spring term at the Academy of Arts University for directing motion pictures.

Hartrick appreciates his all-around involvement throughout this proj-ect. He had always solely acted in the movies they made, but now he

has been a co-author of the script and had the opportunity to learn digital editing. He has expanded his experience in the field of act-ing by taking workshops with IMD in Medford. His plans for the coming year are to get signed by an agency in Southern Califor-

nia, or to attend the University of Oregon. Either way, his passion for acting remains main focus.

The Plot Wind back to the old west, when murder was commonplace and

rarely judicially punished. The plot revolves around a man who, when his wife is killed, develops a heavy desire to find the person responsible.

He soon realizes that he isn’t alone, and gathers a group of followers who set out to help him achieve the ultimate goal.

Harriss is directing the film, titled “The Unforgotten Death of Abigail Ban-non.” Sources of inspiration for Harriss are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, both popular directors in the film industry. How-ever, his inspiration for this film in particular began with his partner’s talent. “My inspira-

tion comes from the main actor and co-writer of the script, Logan Hartrick, and all the short films we have done together over the years. Lo-gan’s acting itself is incredible and would spark inspiration in anyone,” Harriss explained. Oth-er key actors are Evan Westhelle-Grant, Milo Ylstra and Don Harriss.

Harriss’ Inspiration

Harriss’ Future Plans The film will be presented at the Ashland Street Cinema in May. “It’s for the class of 2012, and for anyone else interested,” Harriss stated. He is curious as to how the film will affect the audience in different ways, for that is his favorite aspect of filmmaking.

The Journey Begins Logan Hartrick and Ryan Harriss’ part-nership began in eighth grade when they made a short film for a health project. They soon became enveloped in the rush they

got out of making movies and started to make many more comical films. As

the years progressed, the pair dipped into the idea of making movies with a more serious outlook.

Hartrick’s Inspiration

Hartrick displayed an undeniable love for acting during his interview with RN. It was during 9th grade that Har-

trick made the decision to persue a ca-reer in the movie industry later in life.

When questioned about his inspiration for acting, he took time to think in depth

about the actors he respected. Some favor-ites of his are Harrison Ford, Shia Labeouf, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. He especially expressed interest in Damon and Affleck, ex-plaining that they began to work in the field of directing as well.

The idea for a western film began after their first at-tempted senior project-a feature length film that, after filming a great portion of the movie, was abandoned when they decided to create a western film instead. “This is something I’ve wanted to write for a long time,” Harriss said. With a few months remaining of their senior year the film has yet to be filmed, yet the boys are confident that with persistence and determination they will reach their goal of producing a 30-45 minute long film. The movie is to be filmed by Bri-an Garcia, a well-known cinematog-rapher and will be filmed in Oregon. Hartrick and Harriss plan to travel north to Prospect and ghost towns to get ideas for where to film.

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Illustration by Amelia O’Dougherty

Harriss’ PassionHartrick’s future Plans Ryan Harriss (left) and Logan Har-

trick (right) smile for the camera

About the Movie

Ashland is set far away from the bright lights of Hollywood and starlets worth millions, but Ryan Harriss and Logan Hartrick have brought big dreams to our little town as they direct and act in a film of their own for their Senior Project.

Page 7February 29, 2012 Rogue News

Player of the month: Alex

Kiesling

Congratulations to Alex Kiesling, nordic skiing phenomenon, for being selected as the Rogue News’ athlete of the month. Kiesling has been a state standout in her senior season of nordic skiing and is a major force for the Ashland Nordic Ski Team in the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA). The OISRA includes Mountain View, North Eugene, South Eugene, Summit and Ashland High School. So far Kiesling has competed in a to-tal of five races this season and has not only raced the fastest times for the AHS girls Nordic Ski team, but the AHS boys’ team as well. She has placed in the top five for all of her races this year. She placed second at districts and won the biathlon competition. As a relay team Kiesling, Elana Cooper and Clara Honsinger placed 2nd at the Mt. Bachelor race. Overall she is ranked 3rd in the state of Oregon with a personal record of 13 minutes 40 seconds in a 5 kilometer race. “It’s hard work, it’s fun, and the kids and coaches are great,” Kies-ling reflected on her season so far. The state competition will be held on February 24 and 25 at Mt. Hoodoo in Sisters, Oregon where she will race against 60-70 girls. “I hope to place in the top five at state,” Kiesling said. Best of luck to Alex Kiesling and the AHS girls and boys Nordic Ski Teams!

by Sarah Kasiah

For more stories go to

theroguenews.com

submitted by Garrett Ewing

Swimmers score second in state by Alexander Sukles

From left to right, Staal, Kollar, Simms and Massie. submitted by Kirsten Ericksen

“Exhilarating, mentally challenging, and a total rush,” Kai Staal said about his experience at the state championships for swim-ming. After many hours of stren-uous workouts and cold, hard meets, it seems that it was worth it in the end. “I knew from the beginning of the season that this was going to be special. We swept the 6A conference in Southern Oregon, with the exception of a girl’s nar-row loss to Roseburg. We had a solid showing at the Special District 1 Champi-onships,” swimming coach Steve Mitzel said. After the preliminary qualifications at state, the Girl’s 200 Free Relay, the Boy’s 200 and 400 Free Relays, Gus Simms in the 500 Freestyle and 100 Fly and Staal in the 50 Free-style and 100 Breastroke moved on. All they worked on was being put to the test.

Fighting On Staal fought his way to second place in both of his events. It was a fantas-

tic race to watch as Staal came in second only by 0.06 seconds after Tommy Brewer. He even shared the achievement with Summit swimmer Brewer, who got first in the 50 Freestyle, but both swimmers were able to break the OSAA 5A state record. Staal’s 100 Breaststroke received sec-ond place, gaining his per-

sonnel record of 1 minute and eleven milliseconds. Simms received third place in the 100 Fly, and placed highly in the 500 Freestyle.

Only a junior, Simms plans on returning next year with hopes to come home with gold round his neck.

The Final Round There were twenty one events until the final event came around, the Boy’s 400 Freestyle Relay. Coach Mitzel was wor-

ried but he know that this “was one of the best over-all, well-rounded group of swimmers [he] had ever coached.” The Ash-land Boys 400 Freestyle Relay took first. Staal hit the score board and came up first for Ashland with an AHS record breaking time. “Winning the 4x100 relay was everything we could’ve asked for with our last race of high school.” The Winning team consist-ed of Simms, Massie, Staal and Forrest Kollar. With this win Ashland was able to beat out Pendleton for second place. Coach Steve Mitzel said that “all in all, I couldn’t script a better sea-son, or a better ending. I will truly miss the seniors that are moving on, but I look forward to next year and all of the returning swimmers.”

Spring sports

“[The spring sports season] makes

me think about sunshine and good

weather and watching our kids ac-

complish great things,” Karl Kemper,

AHS Athletic Director

“We will continue to ‘stick our nose in it’ and perform with Ashland pride!”- Hans Voskes, track and field head coach ill

ustra

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by

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Did you know?

Footsteps cross the small, shiny plaques on the quad every day without a second glance or thought. The majority of stu-dents have seen these plaques that grace the quad, yet many don’t know where they came from and why they are there. Former Dean Pete Cislo, the founder of Leave Your Mark Company, an engrav-ing business, recounted several memo-ries of the quad before the plaques were installed. “We used to have music every day at lunch,” Cislo said who described the quad as a gathering place. The idea of the plaques came from a museum in Idaho that gave people the opportunity to donate money for the plaques or honor someone. The plaques are still available today and can be engraved with a name or state-ment. At the current time approximately 3.5% of the plaques are filled, and calcula-tions show that if the rest of the plaques were to be filled it would bring in about $130,000. Donations can be given to dif-ferent organizations such as the drama de-partment, sports, or other areas. If you are interested in giving or receiving a plaque forms are available in the main office.

Marni Bates considered herself an outsider in the 2008 Ashland High School graduating class, until she wrote her first novel, an autobiography, at the age of 19. After her first novel was pub-lished, Bates went to a writer’s conference where she met her current agent who established her with a publishing agency, KTeen, on a four book contract. “Awkward,” her first novel, is about a high school student who is wildly unpopular until an embarrassing video of her surfaces on Youtube, which generates millions of hits. The sequels to “Awkward” take on the story from others’ points of view, such as her best friend and the most popular girl at school. Inspiration to write the series came from Youtube’s ability to make someone famous. Bates’ goal is for people to understand that “it’s okay to be awkward and people will love you even if you don’t love your-self.” After being blessed with her “dream job,” Bates would like to thank Jane Claussen for in-spiring and mentoring her as she wrote her first novel. “I love being able to meet other authors and hope to one day meet Meg Cabot or Julie Andre, two authors who made me fall in love with reading,” Bates said. Currently Bates is living in Ashland and fin-ishing up her college education. She has aspira-tions of moving to LA and doing screen writing and dreams of traveling to Thailand.

Plaques and their story

Mike Titus may just be a name to some, but to his students he is much more than that. Titus has been a part of the AHS community for 43 years, the longest occupancy of any teacher at AHS. When asked about Mike Titus, senior Ryan Allen stated, “Mike is a fun-loving guy. Mike just wants to see people succeed even if they are not going to any other classes. He wants them to like something at school. He hopes that mechanics or metal fab could be the class or classes that they do attend. He always has a smile on his face and a funny story to tell.” Titus started teaching at AHS in the fall of 1969, after graduating from San Jose State University. Titus grew up near San Jose, and attended Cupertino High School.

“During my tenure here, I have taught Mechanical Drawing, Architectural Drawing, Computer Aided Design, Automotive Technology and Metal Fabrication. Every fall I look forward to returning to AHS, the staff and students are exceptional. It is a two way street, the students are fortunate to be here and we as a staff enjoy teaching you and becoming part of your lives.” -Mike Titus

M ke T tus

About theAuthor

One of the greatest Grizzlies EVER!

by Natalie Acheatel

Photo by Anja Harriss

by Allie Halprin

by Natalie Acheatel

Photo by Anja Harriss

Photo by Anja Harriss

Illustration by Amelia O’Dougherty

Marni Bates with “Awkward”

The quad is peppered with these available plaques