The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current, March 01, 2007, Page 4, Image 4

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    Student Opinion Matters
Spirit assembly needs work: students unimpressed
M ary W ood
Page Editor
After watching the spirit
assembly on Feb. 1 6 ,1 found
myself wishing I had taken the
option of not attending. While
the assembly was a nice break
from the average school day,
I found the way it was run
to be highly annoying. Bad
spirit assemblies seem to be
a common problem, and this
one was no exception. Maybe
the strange events were a way
to make up for the lack of
other Spirit Week activities,
but it surely didn't work. It
only left me thinking that there
had to be a better way to run
an assembly.
Though Cupid's Court was
necessary because of its female
Homecoming equivalent,
the routine was a little stale.
Hearing an announcer discuss
the contestants' ideal dates
was much less entertaining
the second time around.
Observing the boys thrashing
around on the ground
wrapped in Saran Wrap
was also tiresome. It wasn't
■
5^'
Nick Kemner, Dan Hennelly, Shawn Miller and Spencer Dorway, seniors, lip sync in the Spirit Assembly
on Feb. 16. Each grade had student representatives who performed. The assembly included other events
Photo by Cole Fiala
such as Cupid's Court.
any way intelligent after the
premiere of "Lizzie McGuire."
Thankfully, the junior and
senior performances were
amusing and less horrible to
witness.
There was one redeeming
quality to the assembly
which almost made me forget
about what preceded it: the
basketball game. Though I'm
no sports fan, the game of
seniors against teachers kept
me on the edge of my seat. It
was also nice that both male
and female players were in the
game. If there's a way to fix a
bad assembly, it's definitely
including a game.
An easy solution to
the problem of mundane
assemblies is incorporating
originality and action. Having
sports and small, humorous
touches like the clothing in
Cupid's Court would make
assemblies easier to watch.
Maybe if students were able to
help ASB by suggesting ideas,
the assemblies would be more
enjoyable. Hopefully, ASB
will be able to make the next
assembly better.
com p letely aw fu l, h ow ever.
The uniform of heart-
patterned boxers was cute, as
well as the pink robe that the
winner received.
The most painful parts of
the assembly to watch were
the lip sync performances.
The freshman group's act of
walking out, then turning
around and leaving during
the song, "Walk It Out"
brought shame to its class,
but provided joy to the
upperclassmen who now
have new material for their
frosh jokes. The sophomore
performance of a song from
"High School Musical" was
just as embarrassing because
everyone knows Disney
Channel stopped being in
Get involved: responsibility, education will solve problem
S a ch e H opkins
Page Editor
More and more on the
news we hear of global
warming, violence in the
Middle East and AIDS in
Africa. Everyone seems
to have a cause that they
identify with, but rarely do
we take action to support our
words. Now I'll admit, I have
nevor held a fundraiser, or
written a letter to a person in
Congress, but I do read the
newspaper, because I believe
gmrnt
ifier
♦
A
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street,
(»3) 673-7843 »fax: (503)657-8710 •
vlhs-ampiifier@wlhs.wiwv.kl2.or.us
is published approximately every four weeks by the West
School Advanced Journalism class. Opinions expressed
represent only those of the writer,
opinions of West Linn High School, its
', staff, or student body.
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Photo Editor«: Malia Chong & Megan Butts, Katie Carnahan,
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Peterson, Jessica Shuholm
Contributing writer
Calley Lathrop
Photographers
Sarah Chicoine,
Adviser
Arm Breyne
: : t l
that it all starts with being
educated and aware.
I recently sent out an
email to the student body,
where I asked students
what they felt was the
most important issue
today. People advocated
for everything from clean
water, to the War in Iraq,
to health care. Personally, I
feel education is the most
important issue, both in
the U.S. and abroad. If
we educate people, the
solutions to the other
problems will follow, and
several responses I received
echoed this belief.
There are ways to get
involved, whether it is
through joining a club at
school or outside of school,
through writing letters and
raising money for issues.
Most importantly, though,
is through talking about
the issues and spreading
awareness to others. So,
here are some facts about
the world to chew on, while
you decide how to get
involved:
According to wikipedia.
org the National Debt is
somewhere around $8.6
trillion.
- According to
climatecrisis.net as many as
a million species worldwide
could be pushed to the
brink of extinction by 2050.
-A child dies from malaria
every 30 seconds, according
to UNICEF
-About 44 million people
in the U.S. have no health
insurance, and another 38
million have inadequate
insurance.
When it comes to the
world's problems we all
have a responsibility to be
informed to the best of our
abilities. Our world is facing
many problems, some easily
fixed, others not so much.
Some people do their part,
others much more than is
expected of them, and a few
are a little apathetic. So, if
you think you might be the
latter, take advantage of the
good education that you have
received, find something you
feel passionate about, and let
that passion lead you. Who
knows some good may come
out of it?
I hat is the most important
current event issue today?
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