Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2008)
2008 Everyone's a critic Forum 3 "I liked the Rejuvena tion Week they planned.. It was relaxing. It was good to see ASB being able to come up with creative ideas for the student body." ASB doesn't deserve negative comments f t * C helsea C allas % Staff Reporter Walking through the front doors of school the first day of Rejuvenation Week prompted me to take a deep breath. Why? Because the sign told me to. Rejuvenation Week was a very stressful week for me, but knowing our Associated Student Body wanted to help was enough to comfort me at least a little. Apparently some students didn't feel the same. Complaints about the lunch period which wasn’t the promised full hour, the scream which was "stupid” and about the week. School can be stresH l, and a week isn't going to make it all go away. That wasn't the point of Rejuvenation Week. The point was to help us handle our stress a little better and have something fun to look forward .to. We should be grateful that we have an active student body that comes up with new ways to make our time in high school a little more enjoyable. I know I complain about my stress a minimum of seven times a week, and I hear my friends complain about stress at least that much, if not more. So what did ASB do? They planned ways to make a week more relaxing and some students did whatever they could to pick it apart. A point of criticism was that a lunch was promised that would be an hour long and that it was cut short. The plan had been to add the 20 minute break to the 40 minute lunch and end up with an hour long lunch. But they didn't factor in that the passing periods for break wouldn't be factored into lunch, thus making lunch shorter than promised. It was a mistake, but it didn't make Rejuvenation Week a failure. Some said that was that the No Homework Day wasn't successful because students had tests or quizzes later in the week that they had to study for so they ended up having work on Wednesday. However, there would have been more homework on top of the studying if it weren't for No Homework Wednesday. Even if teachers did give homework on Wednesday, they were asked by ASB not to, so students shouldn't direct their criticism towards ASB. Complaints about the ten second scream and the nap / reading time, came from people who admittedly didn't participate. Maybe if they had given it a shot, they would have found themselves feeling rejuvenated. There was a legitimate argument that there was no warning for the nap, so maybe next time an intercom announcement would be helpful for everyone to know when the nap starts. I'm not saying Rejuvenation Week was perfect, but it didn't deserve all the criticism it received. It was a great effort. So far this year, our ASB has put on the amazing Harry Potter-themed Spirit Week as well as a successful Canned Food Drive. Even then there were students saying these events were stupid. I suppose there are always going to be critics. I think it's good to question what's going on around you, but having an open mind to change is also very important. Sadly, it seemed as though students refused to give a new idea a chance. I guess you can say I'm a critic of all the critics. So...for the next ASB event, try to keep an open mind and give ASB the respect they deserve. Many hours go into planning and carrying out these school events so spend your time taking advantage of them instead of complaining. — Jennifer Kearns, freshman ■ They definitely amped up the spirit. It seems like there are more events to get everyone involved." — M a tth e w Oh, senior ^Election update: candidates persist in primaries -jm A dam ._ H olmes __________ ________________________________ _________ Staff Reporter The most exciting election since the Gore-Bush election of 2000 is rapidly becoming more intense and important. An election that began in the latter part of 2006 with over 40 eligible candidates, has been shortened to three serious candidates: two Democrats and one Republican. Recently, candidate Mike Huckabee withdrew from the election on Mar. 4, after losing the Texas primary. Huckabee now endorses John McCain, after it became evidently clear that he would not be able to exceed the 209 delegates he won. Arizona senator McCain is the presumptive nominee of the Republican party and continues to win primary after primary. However, as I watch him celebrate these victories, I can't help but notice that this man runs a campaign that is somewhat similar to the race run by George W. Bush. He believes that the Iraq War should continue, is against publicly funded health care, and is for gun control. On the other hand, he does not condone torture of enemy combatants and is more concerned about the environment. It is quite clear that this country is ready for change, and it is unclear if that change will come if McCain is elected president. needs to continue to work and New York senator hard on his campaign if he is Hillary Clinton is running a going to defeat Clinton. very close race with fellow He is positive about Democratic nominee Barack ending the war in Iraq, Obama. Clinton had lost believes in decreasing 11 primaries before the dependence on foreign oil, Mar. 4 primaries, with the and believes global warming defeats threatening to end is a serious problem that her campaign. However, should be confronted. on Mar. 4, Clinton won the Obama seems to be taking Texas, Ohio and Rhode the most flak among his Island primaries. Texas was opponents, especially about especially important state to his middle name being win, and these victories kept Hussein (which actually Clinton in the race. P means "good" or "handsome" Clinton feels strongly . in Arabic) and about a photo about many of the issues that that recently surfaced that shows him in clothing that such as ending the war in is similar to clothing worn Iraq, plans to address by some terrorists (In reality, environmental challenges " it was traditional garb that America faces, and hopes to he wore on a 2006 trip to implement universal health Kenya.) care. I also notice that Obama is spouting the least amount However, it bothers me of trash-talk toward his that she continues to verbally opponents. If a candidate is attack Obama about his so popular among voters and experience or lack thereof. does not spread lies about his The way I see it, if the man opponent, then this speaks has been able to m ake it this volumes about his character. far, there is no question that he is appropriate for the job. By the end of April, we Obama, an Illinois senator, will know whether Clinton seems to be the most popular or Obama is the Democratic choice, and is in a close race nominee. Then, we will with Clinton. With a recent finally be able to get to the win in Wyoming, Obama * real election! D em ocratic nom inee What is the best thing ASB has done this year? "I like how they spend their extra time making it a better place for us to go to school. Rejuvena tion Week gave people more school spirit." — M e lis s a Andre, ju n io r "I liked the long lunch hour. The couches were very com fort able." — Ryan M cO u ire, sophomore MTV influences teens with trashy shows C helsea C allas Staff Reporter MTV stands for Music Television, but the music aspect of the channel is nearly non-existent: they're only in the wee hours of the morning or subtle background to shows with no integrity and no originality. Spring Break is when the channel reveals its worst material of all. MT¥ sets bad example_________ m continued on page 7 Photos by Malia Chong
