Horse - Issue Three

Trojan Horse

February 2014

Trojan Horse

Source: www.thejakartapost.com

Monika KovacsHead of DesignJunior

Olivia PattonEditor in ChiefSenior

Ellen BerkleyEditor in ChiefSenior

Tana KelleyPhoto EditorJunior

Brian ChatardPrincipal

Keith HigbeeStaff Advisor

No. 3

According to Oregon law, student journalists are responsible for determining the content of this publication, except under limited circumstances. The subject matter, content and views of the news, features and opinion sections in this paper do not reflect the views of Portland Public Schools or Woodrow Wilson High School.

15.

08.

01.

04.

18.

13.

It’s a Hard Rock Life

Teaching History

Game O n

Adelaide

Co ee Survey

Teachers Take a Stand

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TEACHING HIS

ENGLISH TEACHER MANUEL MATEO RECOUNTS HIS FAMILY’S BACKGROUND IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

STORY

Photo: The wedding of Mateo’s mother and father.Contibuted by Manuel Mateo

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Walking into room 126 for the first time, you might notice the red oriental style rug in the center of the room that’s curled at the ends. You also might notice that the walls are covered in art and posters of influential people throughout history. But one thing that might escape your observation is the old family photo that resides in the back corner of the room. In the black and white picture are six people in formal wear. “This is my family. My moth-er is wearing the wedding dress, and this is my fa-ther,” Manuel Mateo said, pointing at the picture.

Mateo’s family came from the Dominican Republic during a hard time. The country was under the harsh dicta-torship of Rafael Trujillo, and Mateo’s family worked against him by organizing meetings and fundraising to overthrow the dictator. They worked to connect to other like-minded people about the political matters.

One famous novel that Mateo teaches in his En-glish classes, In The Time of the Butterflies, recounts these events from the perspective of four sisters, the Mirabal Sisters, and how they work with other rebels to make a change throughout their country. These rebels included Mateo’s uncles, aunts, and parents.

Mateo’s mother, Altagracia, lived in Villa Gonza-lez, a small village near Santiago. The village was founded by Mateo’s grandfather who made many improvements to the village before he passed. The village is known for producing the finest tobacco in the Dominican Republic. Originally, Mateo’s moth-er’s family was from Spain. At the age of 16, she

moved to the Dominican Republic with her mom and two sisters, Gladys and Yolanda. Her mother worked as a milliner, a person who makes hats. By 1943 or 1944, her mother had saved enough money to send her three daughters to America.

“[My mother] knew it was either in 1943 or 1944 because she remembers Roosevelt dying,” Mateo said. “She was on the train on the way to school, and she couldn’t figure out why everyone was crying. She thought Americans didn’t really

show any emotion.” Mateo’s father,

Ricardo, lived in Sabana de la Mar, near the bay Bahía de Samaná. His family was originally from Italy in a town called Calgano. He had married three times in his life, his first two wives having died young. Ricar-do had four brothers and three sisters. While Mateo’s mother and aunts were eco-nomic exiles, Mateo’s father

and uncles--Emilio, Hector, Aquiles, and Piere--were political exiles, resulting from their involvement in the June 14th movement.

The June 14th Movement was a planned inva-sion to attempt to overthrow Trujillo and end his dictatorship of the country. It was staged by the Do-minican Liberation Movement and assisted by Fidel Castro, the Cuban Prime Minister at the time. Trujillo learned of the attack through his spies and ended it quickly. Hector Mateo, one of Mateo’s uncles, was killed during the invasion. Nobody knows for sure when or how.

Mateo’s other uncle, Emilio Mateo, knew he was being chased by the Dominican Republic govern-ment. One day, he shaved his legs and head, put on a dress, and took a boat to Miami. When he got there, he wrote a postcard to the Dominican

“I climbed Pico Duarte once and when I was done,

the only thing that didn’t hurt

were my teeth and hair.”

2

Thoughts? Tweet @WHSTrojanHorse

Adrianne NixJunior

February 2014

Trojan Horse

government, telling them that they would never find him; he was long gone.

When Mateo was about eight or ten, his father took him back to the Dominican Republic for a vacation. “I got to walk around while he caught up with old friends, and his only rule was that I couldn’t swim to the diving platform [at the Bahía de Samaná]. People recognized me, and little old ladies pinched my cheeks.” After Mateo’s dad passed in 1987, he was talking with his mother about why he was never allowed to swim in the bay. “She told me it was because of the sharks!” When Ma-teo’s father was younger, he and his friends cut school one day, got a boat, and caught a shark in the bay.

Mateo has travelled to the Dominican Republic since, going to places like Santo Domingo, Santia-go, Sosua, and Pico Duarte. “I climbed Pico Duarte once, and when I was done, the only things that didn’t hurt were my teeth and hair,” Mateo said. He also went with his family to the expanse of land that once belonged to his grandfather. “My grand-father owned all the land from the road up to the base of the mountain. When he passed, it had to be divided up because there was no money and no one to run it.”

Mateo has a very large extended family, reach-ing up to 500 people at a family reunion. “There was a family tree [on the wall at the reunion] that was as big as this wall,” he said, pointing to the side of the classroom, “and it dated back to the early 1800s.”

Our family history makes us who we are, and

Mateo’s has shaped him into the man he is today. To Mateo, teaching In The Time of the Butterflies to his students is more of a personal experience.

“Two of the characters were classmates of my aunt,” Mateo said. “I’ve been to the locations they talk about in the book, and the events of the story have impacted my family directly.”

These events have shaped Mateo’s family, and in turn have impact-ed his thinking as well.

“It has helped me ap-preciate the advantages I have [by] considering how difficult my parents’ lives were during that time,” Mateo said. “It made me think more deeply about the books I teach and how the sto-ries reflect the lives of the authors who wrote them.”Mateo also said that

his way of teaching has changed because of the realization that these books were written by “real” people, whose experiences may have colored their vision and those of their protagonists.

“Everyone has a story, whether it is shared or not, and deserves some level of respect,” Mateo said. “Same as my students’ lives, even if they believe they have led lives that are not special or impactful. Unless people take the time to think deeply and speak clearly, then important information that may impact others’ lives are lost.”

Photo by Vincent Hand

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Spending nearly his entire childhood in the Pacific Northwest, it was almost as if Zak Sur-ma was born to live life on the rocks. At the ripe young age of 7 years old, after years of ignoring his mother’s pleas of not climbing on furniture like a monkey in the forest, a day on the boardwalk of Huntington Beach changed his life forever.

Surma had never been one to turn down an adventure, and on that day on the boardwalk he encountered a portable rock wall. “Oh what a wonderful opportunity it was for him!” his mother, Emmy, thought. After a little prodding and coax-ing from Emmy, Surma built up the courage to walk up and take this rock wall head on. Little

did he know what kind of an impact this one little adventure would have on him.

He had never gone climbing before and had never even thought about it as a fun activity, but with his knowledge of traversing furniture, he figured he could take on the challenge. They latched him up, and his journey began. Even though he was a 7-year old beginner, his move-ments were strong, swift, and confident. “I heard it a lot when I was younger, that I had all these special things about my climbing,” Surma said. “Back then, I didn’t understand what they meant, but now, watching old videos of my climbing, it resembles a lot of what I do now. And that was 9

ZAK SUR-MAA JUNIOR GIRL GOES THE EXTRA MILE

IT’S A HARD ROCK LIFEZAK SURMA CLIMBS TO THE PEAK OF GLORY

4

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Gym in Oregon. Johnson is a competing professional in the sport, and quickly became one of Surma’s best climbing part-ners and his biggest inspiration.

“She was another coach for me. Someone I was more comfortable around. Someone

I could talk to. I also have the biggest crush on her,” Surma said.

The second person was Matt Slayton. Slayton was an opposing coach when he first saw Surma climb. Realizing the potential he had, Slayton took him under his wing and pre-pared him for his first national competition.

“It was one of those things where I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His movements were elegant, but he also had some minor flaws I saw I could fix.

years ago!”If you are to watch a profes-

sional climber climb during a tournament, they climb without hesitation. They keep a steady pace, and when they reach a difficult spot, they don’t freak out or do anything they are uncom-fortable with. Professionals take a second to look at it, and go back to climb-ing with the confidence that they can overcome the challenge. They take each grapple and step seriously and keep a calm composure even when they are struggling. This is how 7-year old Surma climbed, and how he continues to climb today.

After this day, he demanded that his mom take him to rock climbing lessons immediately. She had no idea what her en-couragement of climbing had done to his mind, but it was something great.

Years went by with Surma practicing every day. In all these days of practices and clinics, Surma met some of the most important people in his life, the first being Alex Johnson. He met Johnson at a rock-climbing clinic at the Circuit Bouldering

Even though he was a 7-year old

beginner, his movements were strong, swift, and

confident.

This was why I had to take him with me and work with him,” Slayton said.

Slayton spent the next six months working with Surma in preparation for Nationals. He kept telling his friends that he was witnessing something

great, and that led to him inviting friends to Surma’s workout ses-sions. This didn’t make Surma nervous like it would some people; rather, it gave him the fire he needed to climb harder. He wanted to give the people a show!

Surma was excit-ed for Nationals. As

it crept closer and closer, the anticipation began to run free. He would be bouncing off the walls even at the thought of the tournament. Come tournament time, Surma was more pre-pared than he’d ever been. He was ready to implement some new techniques to his climb-ing, such as going for a more conservative route. Instead of trying to beat his nervousness by climbing as fast as he could and take it recklessly, he would think out his approach more carefully, and reason out his

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best path. This was meant to limit as many mistakes as possi-ble, and it worked. Surma took 7th place and got his name recognized as one of the best junior climbers in the nation.

All was right in the world for Surma. He met great, influential people, had just participated in his first national competition, and was later invited to Con-tinentals after his performance at Nationals. But 9 years of constant climbing will begin to wear down your bones, and a visit to the doctor threatened to change his climbing life forev-er. Surma would have to have major elbow surgery to prevent his bones from grinding against each other and replace the worn muscle, and he would miss 6 to 8 months for rehabil-itation and recovery. The news fell hard on Surma, and he was sent into a depression that engulfed his regular life.

“My depression furthered with each passing month without climbing, and I had nothing else that excited me like climb-ing did,” Surma said.

The depression sent his attitude, his grades, and his entire life downward. His day, as opposed to goofing off and socializing at school, going to

climbing practice for a hard work out to pump him up for the rest of the day, then head-ing home to hang out with his family, now consisted of avoid-ing conversation at school and heading home, where he tried his best to isolate himself. He started to care less and less about his grades, and slowly started down the slippery slope

of no return. Nothing could bring Surma back up, save for one person: Alex Johnson. She hung out with Surma and worked with him in rehab and physical therapy to help him recover.

“I saw he was in need of help, and it pained me to see him how he was. I did what I could, and I was so glad it had

Surma competing in Northern California during the summer.

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February 2014

Trojan Horse

such a great impact,” Johnson said.

His recovery consisted of constant physical therapy visits and slowly working out more and more in an attempt to rebuild the strength in his mus-cles. He kept up the training, even though it killed him to not be able to climb after a good workout.

“The months flew by so quick-ly, I didn’t even realize that the time was here to keep climb-ing when they told me it was. I was sure I had at least another month,” Surma said.


Photos contributed by Zak Surma

Surma is spotted by coach Matt Slayton.

Finally, on February 7th, his 16th birthday, Surma was cleared to continue climbing. His attitude and his grades skyrocketed to a place no one had seen them before. Before, he was a solid B to C student who took life for granted and lived recklessly. Now, he is an A student who lives life for what it’s worth and is grateful for everything he gets. “It was one of, if not the happiest days of my life.”

Zak has been practicing and training ever since, and is now making a name for himself as

Daniel BrownJunior

someone with the potential to dominate at some major tour-naments this year, including the Open Nationals, and the American Bouldering Series Youth Nationals, both of which take place in late February, two of the biggest tournaments of the year. Expectations for Surma are high because, like Slay-ton put it, “His body of work is looking better than ever! He has his goals truly set out this year, and he will be a name to look out for.”

“I haven’t seen him happi-er than when he is climbing, whether casually with his friends, joking around, or taking it seriously at a major tourna-ment,” Emmy said.

9 years ago, Surma found his silver lining, his peace of mind, his way of life. That day on the boardwalk has taken his life to a place that continues to offer new challenges and opportu-nities.

7

had a love of castles and medieval architecture,

antique cars, and then the Titanic,” Adelaide said.

“I’ve gone through a lot of different phases of be-

ing interested in things. In 6th grade, I got really

into old fashions. I started with small things, some

old lace or some gloves, and it sort of snow-

balled from there. Now I’m a spectacle.”

But Adelaide doesn’t mind being a specta-

cle. “Oh yes, I love seeing people’s reactions,”

Adelaide said. “Some people are like, ‘Oh my

god, that’s so cool!’ Some people just look at me

askance.”

Adelaide’s friends have also noticed public re-

sponses. “There’s definitely a lot of different reac-

Photo by Ellen Berkley

Sitting across from sophomore Adelaide

Beeman-White in a crowded coffee shop is a

surreal experience. At the table to the right of us

two businessmen sit, smartphones out, discussing

a proposal, to the left a woman types on her

Macbook.

And then there’s Adelaide, wearing a ruffled

blouse and tea-length pleated skirt with hair intri-

cately curled and tucked in a manner that clearly

required a lot of time. She sits up straight, making

the usual teenage slouch look especially apish. In

the 21st century, the era of innovation, here sits a

teenage girl straight out of Victorian England.

“It started out when I was really little and I

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ADELAIDETHE STORY BEHIND ONE OF WILSON’S MOST DISTINCT STYLE ICONS

8

tions to how she dresses, and I

personally think it’s great be-

cause she’s just her own unique

person and I really admire that

about her,” sophomore Cassia

McIntyre said. “That’s some-

thing that I know I’m not brave

enough to do, and I really

admire her bravery.”

Meanwhile, Adelaide’s moth-

er sees things a little differently.

“Everybody notices,” Harriet

Beeman said. “Whenever we

go anywhere, everybody is

watching.”

“I’ve grown immune to that,

so I don’t really notice it as

much anymore,” Adelaide

piped in.

“I notice it! I mean she’s her

own person, so if it doesn’t

bother her, it doesn’t bother me.

But sometimes I ask her to tone

it down a little bit before going

to school.”

“For instance, the pompa-

dour.”

Harriet pulls up a picture on

her iPhone that shows Adelaide

with a solid wall of hair rising

over her head.

But that isn’t the only thing

Harriet has had to veto from her

daughter’s school wardrobe.

“I also tried to wear a crin-

oline, a good Victorian hoop

skirt, to school,” Adelaide said.

“I said no to that,” Harriet

said, the image of the classic

teenager-parent wardrobe de-

bacle rising to the surface. “She

would take out anybody that

passed her in the halls!”

“I’ve never taken out anyone!”

Adelaide objected. “Except a

stool once.”

In addition to the pompadour

and hoop skirt, Harriet has had

to reject certain flashy pieces of

jewelry, and attempts to keep

her daughter from wearing her

corset. Adelaide imitates her

mother’s impression of her in

her corset, hyperventilating and

yelling, “Oh, I can’t breathe! Oh,

I feel faint!”

In jeans and a corduroy

jacket, Harriet’s style drastically

contrasts with her daughter’s.

“The really ironic thing is that I

am so dressed down,” she said,

her tone one of fascination.

“When I was a kid your age,

girls had to wear dresses to

school. We had to. It was not

allowed not to. I fought with my

mother about that all the time.

My mom always wanted me to

tone it up, and I always want

Adelaide to tone it down.”

Being familiar with her

daughter’s self-described “ob-

sessive” nature, Harriett never

thought much of her daughter’s

choice to dress in her own way.

“Since it’s developed over time,

it sort of puzzles me,” she said,

looking at her daughter as if

trying to unravel the enigma.

“You couldn’t pay me enough

to dress like that; it would be

uncomfortable for me.”

“Oh, it’s pretty uncomfortable

for me to!” Adelaide interjected

good-humoredly.

Harriett let out a laugh,

shaking her head. “But her

motto is that beauty knows no

pain!”

Though Adelaide is reluctant

to wear them, she does own

some casual attire. “I have some

normal clothes, but they don’t

really fit anymore,” she said. She

owns a pair of jeans for doing

yard work and a hand-me-

Adelaide and her pompadour.

February 2014

Trojan Horse9

down sweat suit she wears to

use her mother’s rowing ma-

chine. She also tends to dress

down in the summer because

she likes to do yard work and

odd jobs for people.

During the school year,

however, Adelaide is rarely

seen in anything but Victori-

an era clothing. Even when

lounging around on the

weekend she sticks to her

vintage wardrobe. “I have

bed days where I will just

stay in my nightgown all

day, but if I’m leaving the

house at all, I will [dress

up]. Maybe not to this

extent, but I will dress in

an old-fashioned, well, in

a way that I don’t think

is very extreme, but other

people clearly do.”

Because Adelaide has such

an abstract style, it’s often diffi-

cult for her to find clothes. She

shops in vintage and antique

stores, as well as Goodwill

and Buffalo Exchange. “I have

a sparsity of outfits, especially

winter things,” she said. “I only

have about two things that I

can really wear and be com-

fortable, so whenever I see a

piece of clothing I will wear, I

snatch it up immediately.”

Depending on what she

wears, it can take Adelaide up

to an hour to get ready in the

morning. “I can’t tell you how

many times I’ve wanted to come

to school in my nightgown!”

Adelaide describes her style

as “old-fashioned Victorian with

a touch of fantasy.” This sparks

from her love of history. “I just

find history to be fascinating

and I think there is so much we

can learn from it, and so many

fantastic struggles people have

gone through, like the suffrage

struggle just to secure the vote,

the abolition movement, all of

the different wars.”

But Adelaide’s true passion

lies with Queen Elizabeth I of

England. “The reason I was

so interested in Elizabeth I is

because she was the Virgin

Queen, a women who ruled by

herself in a time when women

did not rule by themselves.”

“You are also really con-

cerned about oppression and

tuned into human rights, that

not everyone is treated fairly

and equally,” Harriet reminds

her. “You really get passionate

about that sometimes.”

Sitting up even straight-

er, Adelaide gives a

definitive nod. “I don’t

believe that women are

feeble and need to be

looked after by men.”

“You know how most

girls want to be princess-

es when they were little?

[Adelaide] never wanted

to be a princess, she was

always the queen.” Harri-

ett is reminiscent, smiling

at the memory of little Queen

Adelaide.

“Why not aim for the top?”

Adelaide says as if it’s obvious.

In regards to the fantastic

element of her wardrobe: “I love

fairytales -- the original ones,

not the buttered, sugary Dis-

ney ones. The old ones, where

the evil stepsisters cut off their

feet to fit into the glass slipper,

then birds peck out their eyes.

So I have just tried to incorpo-

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“I don’t believe

that women are

feeble and need

to be looked after

by men.”

10

rate, this hat for example,” she

indicates the small feathered

top hat on her head. “Victorian

people didn’t wear this. It is sort

of my take on the classic style.”

In the middle of our conver-

sation, a woman approached

Adelaide to compliment her on

her blouse.

“Who was that?” her mom

whispered to her.

“I have no idea,” she replied,

beaming.

“Do you get compliments like

that a lot?” we asked.

“Yeah, that’s one thing that

I really like,” she said. “I like to

think that I can bring something

pretty into the world.”

What started out as a style

choice for Adelaide has really

developed into a lifestyle. “She’s

really funny, her reactions to

different situations,” Cassia said.

“One thing, she doesn’t say, ‘Oh

my god!’ She’ll say, ‘Oh, Queen

Victoria!’”

Beyond influencing her

speech, she finds her wardrobe

choice to have impacted her

view of the world as well. “The

way I dress is mostly Victorian,

and the way I think is as well,”

Adelaide said. “I am kind of

a mix between Victorian and

human rights activist. It’s hard

for me to reconcile that. I am all

for rule Britannia, but I’m also

like that kind of colonization is

wrong.”

Because her style has be-

come such an important part of

her identity, Adelaide doesn’t

see it as a phase she will

outgrow. “I’m not very good at

imagining myself in my 40’s, but

I imagine myself in my 70’s and

I still imagine myself dressing

like this,” she said. “If I could

predict the future, I would say I

think I will, maybe not to this ex-

treme, learning moderation as I

get older as most people do.”

Though Adelaide doesn’t

plan to give up her unique style

in the future, she also expects

it to impact her life in the pro-

fessional world. While many

people seeking jobs are facing

prejudice based on piercings

and tattoos, Adelaide has to

overcome her own obstacle. “I

was applying for jobs over the

summer and I had to be sure to

dress way down for that, be-

cause I didn’t want employers

to think that I was insane.”

The reason she’s so attached

to her style is that it represents

who she is as a person. For

Cassia, Adelaide’s outward ap-

pearance never had anything

to do with their friendship. “We

were friends a little bit before

she made that transition,” she

said, “but what really drew me

to her was her personality. She

was… very superior and intelli-

gent.”

So what is it like to hang out

with someone who identifies

with a different era? “A lot of

the time she dresses me up,”

Cassia said. “She has a lot of

fun with that. So now I can say I

have worn a corset and a hoop

skirt. It’s pretty fun actually.”

Adelaide also likes to share

her love of history with her

friends. Cassia recalled a visit to

OMSI’s recent Sherlock Holmes

exhibit. “Her take on it was

really funny. She wasn’t going

there to figure out the mystery; it

wasn’t a game to her. What she

wanted to find out was the his-

Adelaide models her hoopskirt.

February 2014

Trojan Horse11

tory. She spent like 15 minutes

staring at an old stagecoach,

completely absorbed with how

old it was and the history be-

hind it and how it worked.”

Though her interests aren’t

typical, Adelaide is still a teen-

ager in the 21st century. “I do

really like technology,”

she said. “That is some-

thing not many people

would expect.” She is

fascinated by sci-fi and

fantasy, some of her

favorites including Harry

Potter, Lord of the Rings,

and the classic Star

Trek.

To her friends and

family, Adelaide’s de-

cision to adopt a new

style wasn’t a surprise.

“Before she made the transition,

she would just wear pants and

a sweater like anyone else, but

that didn’t really suit her,” Cas-

sia said. “She kind of felt like it

wasn’t really her; she was just

wearing it for everyone else.

When she made the transition,

I was really proud of her. It

wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god! She

totally changed!’ It was like her

exterior finally fit her interior.”

As mystified by her daughter’s

choice as she is, Harriet has


Ellen BerkleySenior

long encouraged Adelaide’s

exploration of history, and now

her decision to dress to express

her interests. “I support her in

being herself. It doesn’t help if

your family brings you down for

being individual and unique.”

Then, to Adelaide, “You’re going

out in the world and you need

support from your people,

even if it wasn’t what I would

choose.”

“I am extremely grateful for

how supportive my friends and

family are,” Adelaide says.

Harriet gives her daughter a

peck on the cheek. “You should

be too or else I would be even

more extreme -- the classic

‘rebellious teenager versus the

Victorian style’ rebellion.”

Harriet chuckles, playfully roll-

Olivia PattonSenior

ing her eyes. “Yes, maybe that’s

why you choose to dress like

that, to rebel against my blue

jeans and sweatshirts!”

“That is a rumor!” Adelaide

said, holding up a finger in a

very matter-of-fact fashion. “That

is one rumor about me which

is not true, as far as I

know.”

“Many moms are

not worried about this,”

she gestures towards

her daughter’s outfit,

“for their teen. If this

the worst you can do, I

can live with it.”

Adelaide flashes

her a facetious smile.

“I need to remind you

of that!”

Photos contributed by Harriett Beeman

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“When she made the transition, it

wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god! She totally

changed!’ It was like her exterior finally fit her interior.”

12

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Did You Know?A Starbucks grande coffee has 320

milligrams of caffeine, over four times the amount of caffeine in a Red Bull.

What size do you usually get?

Short Tall Grande Venti

Never

Less than once a week

1-2

3-4

5-6

7+

11%

63%

21%

3%0%

2%

30% Ca

ramel B

rulee

Latte

38% Pe

pperm

int Mo

cha

10% Gin

gerbre

ad

22% Eg

gnog

42% Latte/Espresso

15% Tea

2% Brewed Coffee

12% Iced Coffee/Tea

10% Smoothie

19% Other 30% 50% 18% 2% 0%

Senior25%

Junior35%

Sophomore10%

Freshman30%

Starbucks Survey.

84% Yes

16%No

$20+$3-5 $6-10 $11-19$0

What drink do you usually order?

Since the beginning of the year have you been to Starbucks?

Class?

How much do you think you spend in a week?

What is your favorite holiday drink?

Based on a survey of 71 people.

Created by Moni Kovacs

Tea

7% 53% 29% 11%

58%

Female

38% Male

Yes

Plea

se 4

%

*www.businessinsider.com

FUN FACT: There are over 87,000 possibledrink combinations

at Starbucks.

Did You Know?A Starbucks grande coffee has 320

milligrams of caffeine, over four times the amount of caffeine in a Red Bull.

What size do you usually get?

Short Tall Grande Venti

Never

Less than once a week

1-2

3-4

5-6

7+

11%

63%

21%

3%0%

2%30%

Caram

el Brul

ee Lat

te

38% Pe

pperm

int Mo

cha

10% Gin

gerbre

ad

22% Eg

gnog

42% Latte/Espresso

15% Tea

2% Brewed Coffee

12% Iced Coffee/Tea

10% Smoothie

19% Other 30% 50% 18% 2% 0%

Senior25%

Junior35%

Sophomore10%

Freshman30%

Starbucks Survey.

84% Yes

16%No

$20+$3-5 $6-10 $11-19$0

What drink do you usually order?

Since the beginning of the year have you been to Starbucks?

Class?

How much do you think you spend in a week?

What is your favorite holiday drink?

Based on a survey of 71 people.

Created by Moni Kovacs

Tea

7% 53% 29% 11%

58%

Female

38% Male

Yes

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*www.businessinsider.com

There are many things that make our school what it is. The crowded hallways, the murky water, the friendly students. However, under all of that, what really makes our school special are the amazing, dedicated teachers.

These teachers who have done so much for our school, are no longer happy with the con-ditions that they have to work in. They believe that both they and their students deserve better. Armed with blue buttons and strong opinions, our teachers are fighting a battle to give us the education we deserve.

The looming strike has become a topic every-one is familiar with. Without the teachers, there’s no way for students to come to school. There aren’t enough substitutes to replace the amount of teachers striking. Students are excited about the idea of less school; to many it’s the same as a snow day.

“Some students are supportive because they like their teachers, others don’t really care, and some just want teachers to go on strike because it means less school,” Scott Guthrie, science teacher and union representative said.

One of the reasons for the strike is the district’s proposed contract that would allow the teach-er’s workloads to be increased, which would cut down on the amount of teachers needed and cost the district less money. Putting a cap on the students that a teacher can have in the classroom allows them to give more attention to individual students and spend more time teaching, instead of being forced to work with so many students that they struggle to remember everyone’s name.

The initial contract sent in by the teachers a few months ago asked for a smaller workload and less students in the classroom. This one was rejected, and a second contract was sent in. The

TEACHERS TAKE A STANDTHE FIGHT FOR THE SCHOOLS STUDENTS DESERVE

February 2014

Trojan Horse15

second contract asked for more money to make up for the large amount of work teachers have to do. “The big sticking point, the one that we filed an unfair labor practice on, is about the teacher workload,” Guthrie said.

Though the teachers don’t necessarily want to strike, they may have to if they want a fair contract. “If the current contract that the district is proposing gets implemented on us…we have to decide whether we’ll accept it or not,” Alex Rabchuk, math teacher and head building union representative said.

The new contract that the district is suggesting will hurt both students and teachers. Having more students in the classroom will give teachers even less time to grade papers and help students. They also won’t be able to teach as much in class. Even now, teachers don’t get to teach as many things as they did a few years ago. “I don’t have as much time in class to review some of the con-cepts I used to be able to review or take a little bit slower pace through some of the material,” Rabchuk said.

The teachers union that has been so active in preparing for the potential strike in support of bet-ter working conditions could also be something that the school board had a problem with. “I think there’s a philosophy out right now that the unions are a problem with school reform,” Rabchuk said. Although this may be how the school board feels, school districts with unions often have higher test scores and graduation rates.

Some of the teachers that are more involved in the union are trying to help the younger teach-ers, as well as students. “When I was a younger teacher, the union helped me out of a couple issues and as a younger teacher I was more fo-cused on just learning how to teach at the time,” Rabchuk said. “Now that I’m an older teacher, I feel like it’s time for me to pay back. One genera-tion helps out another.”

However, even if the strike will help students in the long run, it wouldn’t be good for them at the moment. It will be especially bad for the seniors who will need to have their grades sent into col-leges. Students who are in AP classes will be be-hind in the course material and might not do as

Teachers gather at “the Schnitz” to decide their next move.

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Trojan Horse 16

well on the tests as they could have. Juniors who are planning on taking any standardized tests in the next few months may not be able to take their scheduled tests, or do their best on them. It will also have a negative effect on the school sports teams whose seasons will be interrupted. If the strike lasts too long, there’s also a chance that students will have to make up the missed days in the summer, which no one wants to happen.

While at this point the strike is only hypothetical, according to Rabchuk it’s also very likely to hap-pen. “We’re preparing for a strike, ”Rabchuk said. It may be that a strike is the only way for teachers to get their voices heard.

“Generally a strike forces people to talk in order to end it,” Guthrie said. Teachers hope that the school board and teachers union will be able to reach a resolution for the contract before it comes to that.

Despite their unhappiness with the negotiations, teachers aren’t doing much else to protest in the classroom, though there have been several rallies, including recent ones on the Burnside Bridge and outside the school board building. “In the past when we’ve had rough negotiations I’ve cut down on the hours I’ve worked outside school. I haven’t done anything like that,” Guthrie said. Teachers are trying to help students as much as they can in case they have to strike.

The school board members insist that they also want what’s best for schools and students. Many of them have children in the school system, and they want them to get a good education. “My goal is a negotiated settlement between the district and the union with a new and improved contract that is fair for teachers, fiscally responsi-ble, and most important, works better for students,“

district school board representative Ruth Adkins said.

Although the teachers have the support of many parents who are unhappy with their chil-dren’s education in this battle, they don’t always have the explicit support of administrators at our school. Administrators are often supposed to appear impartial to the issue. If they do support teachers, they might not express that feeling. “I’m sure [the administrative staff] have sympathy for the teachers,” Rabchuk said.

As contract negotiations continue, patience on both sides of the table is wearing thin. Despite uncertainty over the future working conditions, the stress of a looming strike, and all the upheaval that it brings, teachers stay focused on what drew them to their profession in the first place, educat-ing students.

Natalie JenkinsJunior


Photos by Tana Kelley

February 2014

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You’re in the math wing at Wilson, and you hear the muffled cries from a predominantly male crowd. It’s coming from room 28. You crack open the door to see a row of desks in front of a large TV, occupied by two tense E-sports gamers. Behind them are numerous spectators, jeering at the minute mistakes made by the players. Amid the tumult, you hear a voice call everybody’s attention. There is a momentary silence as Gabe Kauffman rises from his seat to announce the players in the next round: “Next up are Nick and Carter.” They take their seats at the front of the room, preparing themselves for the chaos that is an E-sport.

For those who don’t know, an “E-sport” is an electronic sport, more commonly known as a video game.; and senior Gabe Kauffman is at the

head of Wilson’s E-sports program. Many who champion the idea of a video

game becoming a sport believe that the only difference between a sport and an E-sport is the athleticism; and if one could define a sport as an activity that exhibits certain skills and rapid deci-sion making—then there is definitely a place for E-sports within the sporting community.

Gabe is almost exclusively a computer gamer; he prides himself on the PC he built for gaming, the same one he uses today. Most of his days after school are characterized by starting up his PC, and it whirring to life as he thinks of what he will play that day; he often challenges his young-er brother Zach to competitive games. He has cordoned off his room as well as other parts of his house for gaming. “There’s the basement, then

Casey Waker (left) and Will Sims (right) go head to head in a round of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

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Trojan Horse

Game OnWILSON’S E-SPORTS CLUB TAKES GAMING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

18

there is the basement—basement, where only I go,” Gabe said. “I can pretty much sit down there and not be disturbed.” His basement is fitted with a TV, an Xbox 360, a Wii, and his PC.

Playing video games has been a part of Gabe’s life for a long time; when he speaks about them there is an air of nostalgia to his voice. “I started out at the age of six with the Nintendo Gamecube and later the Gameboy, I played Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sun-shine. Those were some iconic games of the time, that everybody played.” Gabe started to seriously game at the end of eighth grade and the begin-ning of freshman year. The game that launched Gabe’s E-sports career was Starcraft 2—a game in which the player controls armies to destroy the enemy base for victory. Gabe played Starcraft for two years. During this time he took part in mul-tiple tournaments, where he came in first in one while placing in several others. Gabe practices his favorite video games like Startcraft as if it were his religion—spending 6 to 7 hours a day on them. As he gained skill he also began to coach other players. “I’ve made tons of money from tournaments and coaching people.” Gabe said. He made between $500 and $1000 overall. The gaming scene is big in Portland, where there are tournaments for Starcraft, League of Legends, and others, many of which involve cash prizes.

Gabe saw an opportunity to share his passion when he saw that Wilson didn’t have a club ded-icated to video games. “I wanted to start a com-munity of E-sports fans.” He knew people would follow him in this pursuit, since he was already well known for his gaming prowess. The idea for making the club came to Gabe sophomore year. Unfortunately, he was too late and the due date

for club applications had already passed. How-ever, he was able to create the club in his junior year. E-sports bring many games to the table that are fun and highly social, but also competitive. “What makes the club popular is the competition, the socialization, and how it’s changing how we view sports,” Gabe said.

The biggest game currently being played in E-sports is League of Legends, (LoL). LoL is con-sidered an actual sport by American standards, garnering more viewers at the annual finals, than tennis or hockey annually; Spectators will often at-tend the tournaments where, at local game shops enormous screens are set up so they can watch their favorite players. But most gamers and fans prefer to stay at home and watch “live-streams” on their computers of the LoL spectacle. There is also some talk about it being an Olympic sport, but the jury is still out. Just like football, basketball, or any other team sport, there are national and international competitions composed of revered

Gabe announces the next set of competitors.

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teams on the gaming scene.At Wilson the E-sports club is trying something

similar by hosting their own tournament, playing the club’s favorite game Super Smash Bros Brawl. “Tournaments can be annoying to schedule and coordinate with Erica Meyers,” Gabe said. Find-ing time in between sports and assemblies held in the gym, it can be tough to work out a deal. Despite this however, he still enjoys managing the club. He doesn’t mind staying up that extra hour to improve the quality and enjoyment of the club.

“Managing takes up a lot of time, but I’m pas-sionate about it,” Gabe said. The club is not just a fun place for people to play video games, how-ever; Gabe has plans for the club and a dream for E-sports everywhere. “E-sports is the future of entertainment,” Gabe said. “I have a vision that 10 years from now, people will go out on Friday nights to watch their favorite League of Legends teams, like football.”

He wants to change the way people view sports. By adding things like the Super Smash Bros Tournament, Gabe has increased the pop-ularity of the club, making E-sports more compet-itive, which is what he needs if he wants to make it a serious sport. Gabe would like for people who don’t play sports to have the same feeling of accomplishment that athletes enjoy.

Just as with other club sports, there is desire for competition; but there is no support through the schools system. Funding, scheduling, and orga-nizing people are always up to the club leaders. This requires more commitment and motivation from Gabe and his vice president, George Crary. Gabe will need funding to pay for spaces to accommodate spectators, as well as equipment like projectors and screens. He will also need to

schedule and organize tournaments or games with other schools. Gabe wants to set up inter-scholastic tournaments involving LoL in the near future. “I have a good friend who goes to Cleve-land, and we were thinking of setting up tourna-ments between our clubs.”

When you step into room 28 during an E-sports meeting, you can hear the idle banter about various teams, gaming personalities, and strategies. The guys at an E-sports tournament are as zealous as spectators of a football game. If you were to have no context, these guys would look no different than your average teenage boys chatting about other sports. For people like Gabe, video games like LoL and Smash Bros Brawl are a sport, demanding the attention and dedication that a real sport might require. E-sports is a cul-tural phenomenon, impacting places from South Korea, to here at Wilson in room 28. So next time you see the E-sports club yelling at a television screen, you know that it is fueled by this passion for competition—just like any other sport.

Aidan OrmondFreshman

Cory RootSenior


Photos contributed by Raiden Westerman

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back cover

February 2014

Trojan Horse

LEGAL

LOCAL CIvIL RIGHTS INquIRIES

Brian Chatard, Title VI, IX Coordinator (503) 916-5280

Maude Lamont, 504 Coordinator (503) 916-5280

DISTRICT TITLE vI, Ix, & 504 INquIRIES

Carolyn Leonard, Compliance (503) 916-5280 Room 227 - BESC

AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT CONTACT

Maureen Sloan, HR Legal Counsel(503) 916-3025 Human Resources - BESC

@WHSTrojanHorseFront cover: Zak Surma climbing recreationally in

Central Oregon during the summer.

Back cover: Supporters outside the Schnitz as they await the PPS strike vote verdict.

Photos contributed by Zak Surma & Tana Kelley

Horse - Issue Three

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