News
2
Teachers
w
on't
return
for
second
semester
Meg Courtnage
Math
a
E mmalie C ox _______________
Staff Reporter
Meg Courtnage, math
teacher, will be leaving at
the end of first semester to
pursue her dream job. After
five years of teaching she
has resigned in order to take
a position in an education-
related field of curriculum
development.
Courtnage began teaching
Meg Courtnage
File photo
in 2005 after working at
a combination of public
schools and private
education companies. W hat
began as a part time job with
Inspiration Software evolved
into a full time position.
Courtnage will be
working to design
curriculum to accompany a
new software program for
data, statistics and algebra.
She will also get to work
with teachers to help them
integrate the program into
their existing curriculum.
"I knew that this was
something I was interested
in doing in the long run
because teaching taught me
so much about curriculum,"
Courtnage said. "My
agreement to take this job
hinged upon their ability
to work within my contract
at West Linn and honor my
students' needs."
Because of this, she did
not begin full time right
away and will remain part
time until the end of the
semester. Replacing her will
be Marv Walker, a teacher
who retired from West Linn.
"This is an amazing
opportunity. I will miss
the students and staff very
much," Courtnage said. She
plans to come back and visit
every now and then.
Aprill Sarkisian
Health/PE
m
L auren L evine _____________
co-Editor-in-Chief
With the end of this
semester comes the end of
Aprill Sarkisian's teaching
career to pursue a position
in pharmaceutical sales.
Sarkisian, who enjoys clinical
studies and was interested
in a more clinical career, had
considered pharmaceutical
sales after moving to Oregon
three years ago.
"A few of my friends were
in the career and they loved
it," Sarkisian said. After a lot
of thought, she finally came
to the decision that it was
time to make a career change.
"A fter much soul searching
and networking with people
in the field, I decided that a
job in pharmaceutical sales
was for m e."
At her new job she will
be teaching health care
providers about the best new
medicines to help patients
live better lives. "I am most
excited to make a difference
and challenge myself. It
should be interesting and
dynamic," Sarkisian said.
Taking her place will be
Stephanie d 'Agostino, a
recent graduate of Lewis
and Clark who has spent the
last six months teaching at a
private school in the area.
"W LH S is lucky to have
her," Sarkisian said. "She
seems like a wonderful
person who is passionate
about students and the
subject area."
W hile she is excited about
her new career, Sarkisian will
not forget her time at WLHS
and especially her students.
"I will miss almost every
aspect of WLHS; it is a great
Aprill Sarkisian
Fife photo
place to w ork," Sarkisian
said. "On a daily basis I will
miss those students who
brought smiles to the faces of
their classmates."
She also comes away
having gained other life
lessons. "I have gained a
great understanding of the
value of communication and
patience. I am quite a high
energy person but quite a
bit of the time I was forced
to slow down and listen,"
Sarkisian said.
Green Team proposes paper conservation project
m
S imon K irsch ____________
Staff Reporter
Paper is used every day,
and often, this resource is
used rapidly, carelessly and
usually w ithout a thought
to how m uch is wasted.
Green Team has decided
that this problem needs to be
addressed.
Students and staff
rem em ber w ell the
headaches caused in the
days before Thanksgiving
break w hen all the netw ork
printers w ent down for
several days. Projects were
late, and hom ew ork was left
unfinished. Since there was
no printer use, there w as no
paper use. The school saved
hundreds of sheets and
boxes of paper.
"It w as unbelievable how
m uch was saved," Angie
Ham m ond, Inform ation
Technology Specialist, said.
"Each year we purchase
approxim ately 600 cases of
paper costing $3,000 per 100
cases," Julie Kahle, Secretary
to the Principal, said. As
there are 500 sheets per ream
and ten reams per case,
about three m illion sheets
of paper are used each year
costing the school $18,000.
During the printer-less
w eek, close to 15 cases were
saved, saving the school
about 70,000 sheets of paper.
The Green Team took
that w eek seriously. With
the help of H am m ond,
Jim H artm ann and Geoff
Bingham , advisers, led the
group in brainstorm ing
w ays to conserve and to get
students and staff involved.
They will begin by educating
students and teachers.
M any don't know that
there is a w ay to pass
inform ation back and forth
betw een teacher and pupil,
w ithout ever turning on a-
printer. The Green Team
hopes to have its plan up
and running by early to mid-
February.
With a little
com m unication, Green Team
m em bers feels that there
are easy w ays for students
and teachers to save paper.
School supported e-m ail is
used b y every teacher and
is available to each student.
According to H am m ond,
everyone is trained, but
m any students don't
know how to use this tool
properly.
"It's really easy,"
Hartm ann said. "Just e-
m ailing instead of printing
can save so m uch paper,
w hich prevents harmful
chem icals from entering the
environment."
Along w ith e-mail, every
class has a virtual hard
drive called the "K" drive.
By saving essays and school
w ork to this drive, no paper
is needed, since teachers
can read these on their
computers.
The Green Team proposed
to shut down printers for
Journalism students raise money to
help fund Rwandan boy's education
m G alley L athrop ____________
Staff Reporter
In hope of making his dream
of becoming a journalist come
true, four journalism classes
which include Yearbook and
Amplifier and two sections of
Intro to Publications, collected
$300 in one week to sponsor
August Banamwana, a teen
from Rwanda. In addition to
paying for his education for a
year, the money will provide
Banamwana, his six siblings
and their elderly father with
health care and will provide
other aid.
"I'm really happy that we were
able to help; to look beyond
ourselves," Christina Becker,
Green and Gold staff member,
said.
The country, tom by war and
genocide, has left many chil
dren homeless, orphaned and
struggling. Ann Breyne, jour
nalism teacher, and her family
sponsored a child and when
looking for a second child to
sponsor, noticed the aspiring
journalist. A light went on
and she thought she would
propose helping Banamwana
to her classes.
"The need is overwhelm
ing. If we take it one person
Kelsey Schrader, sophomore,
updates the count that shows
how much money was raised
for a Rwandan boy, August
Banamwana, to help support his
dream of becoming a journalist.
Four journalism classes raised
$300 to sponsor Banamwana
through the Itafari Foundation.
Photo by Cal ley Lathrop
at a time, then we can make a
huge difference," Breyne said.
With that, she hopes to sponsor
more children with the help of
students and faculty.
Breyne began co n trib u t
ing to Itafari in 2006 when
the organization was started
by form er co-w orker Bethe
McChesney and her friend
Karen Freelander. They at
tended a speech given by a
native Rwandan, and realized
the immense need for help
in Rwanda and other war-
torn countries. McChesney
and Freelander began the
non-profit volunteer organi
zation, Itafari, with the aim
to provide help to Rwandan
children and their families.
Itafari em phasizes that
something needs to be done
because there is so m uch
need, but that it happens one
person at a time. To sponsor a
child, one can visit the Itafari's
website, www.Itafari.org. It
costs $300 to sponsor a child
for one year, but any donation
is gladly accepted.
Sponsors select a child
from books that give informa
tion on his or her childhood,
family and dreams. Breyne
stated that trying to select
someone was very difficult
because so many need help. If
you are interested in donating
or sponsoring a child, contact
A nn Breyne at breynea®
wlwv.kl2.or.us.
one day a w eek or a few
days every other week.
"If we could get kids
to print ahead of time or
not print at all, the school
would save lots of paper on
that day," H artm ann said ^ fc.
"Students need to think
about w hether or not they
actually need to print. If
everyone chips in, the school
can make a difference."
The m ain problems
w hich stem from paper
production are the bleaching
chem icals left after paper
is produced, and the
unnecessary deforestation.
Chemicals were spewed
into the W illamette River at
the Blue Heron Paper M ill
in Oregon City, but they no
longer produce new paper,
instead opting for more
environm entally-friendly
recycled paper. This reduces
the chem ical output and the
wasted tree pulp.
Saving the environment
is not the only benefit of
cutting paper use.
"Paper for the school costs
about $18,000 a year. And
that is only the w hite paper...
it doesn't account for large
sized w hite or any colored
paper," Kahle said. "Most
paper is used during finals,
so maybe the teachers could
design on-line finals, or have
kids e-m ail final papers to
them."
"One school saving
paper can't save the rivers,
or remove chemicals
from water, but it gets the
ball rolling," Hartm ann
said. "This could set the
foundation for something
much greater, and in the
long run it helps the school
and the environment."