Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
8 Features New F1<i>ccs fo r New races What do you like best about West Linn? "I like the school spirit and the dedication of the students to their classes." —Tina Burdick, math American culture lures foreign E mily R eed & L exi W elp Hom s honking, cars whipping into parking spots and teenagers slamming car doors, laughing and heading to class. For five foreign exchange students this is anything but normal. Unlike America, in most European countries, teenagers are not allowed to try for their drivers licences until they turn 18. Experiencing school differences in cultures is only one of the goals for these students. "The students are hard-working and motivated to be good at things and to be successful." —Michael Glane, science ’"The people, the students and the staff. It's obvious everyone is happy to be here and it's a great place to be." -Jennifer Howe, science Age: 15 Grade: sophomore Host family: Hagan Host Student: Cassidy, freshman Speaks: German, English, French, Latin School differences: "Everything is bigger here; there is a lot of Mexican food. The school system is totally different; teachers come to the classes, students stay. We use buses and trains." Hobbies: "I like to go running, swimming, hanging with friends." Favorite subject: "In Austria it was French. Reason for coming to West Linn: "Learn culture and the language." Verena Nickel "The students and my fellow teachers." —Erin O’Malley, French r m f -fv.% "I like the school spirit and it is a positive place." —Lois Reimer, Japanese "I like all the resources that are available to teachers here, the facilities are amazing. From the first day, all my co-workers have been sweet and inviting." —Mandy Weaver, wellness Octobe .V IfTWJg W v • : J s Age: 16 Grade: junior Host family: Beadle Speaks: French, German, English, learning Japanese School differences: "We don't eat lunch at school." Plus students are allowed to leave for the day at different times depending on the grades and start a half hour earlier then in West Linn, according to Nickel. Hobbies: Likes to go horseback riding and has been on two dance teams in Germany, a hip-hop and a formal team. Nickel runs on the cross country team. Favorite subject: Psychology Reason for coming to West Linn: "To improve my English, but also to leam ' another culture." Linn: "I wanted to improve my English, and not go to school for a year in Germany—maybe try something different." Age: 16 Grade: Senior Host family: Eve Miller and Michael Langley Speaks: French, Spanish, German, English School differencess: "It's pretty much the same, Europeans seem to copy what Americans do." In Germany, according to Ascherfeld, the schools are much smaller, and the students stay in the classroom while the teachers come to them. Hobbies: Plays tennis and soccer. She has been playing soccer on a club team for the past three years in Germany, and now plays on a team at WLHS. Favorite subject: In Germany she liked English; in America her favorite subject is AP Enviromental Science. Reason for coming to West Age: 17 Grade: senior Host family: Swift . Speaks: Italian, English and a little French. School differencess: "Schools are all different, people here are different...friendly." In Italy the students stay in the same class and the teachers come to them. Instead of six classes students have 10-11. Students are not allowed to eat in the school, but the day ends at 1 p.m. Hobbies: Watching movies, swimming, skiing Favorite subject: Trigonometry Reason for coming to West Linn: "When I think to stay a year in another country I Martens, Freeborn face chalk B enjamin M ann Every new job has its challenges and being an administrator can be overwhelming as Mark Martens and Jen Freeborn, new vice principals, leam the culture as well as the responsibilities of their new roles. For Martens, who suffered a stroke in July while playing golf, it has been especially intense. He was in the middle of a golf game when he started feeling dizzy. He felt no pain but ultimately fell down and lost consciousness. He described being in extreme pain when he woke up, calling it "the worst headache of my life." The experience made Martens realize the body's amazing ability to heal itself. He needed a lot of rest, including naps, but has shown an amazing recovery, gaining mobility and feeling better with every week. "My experience (as vice principal) so far has been a little limited," Martens said. He only recently began to work full time in mid-August, when the administration held its first meeting. Martens' responsibilities include teacher evaluations, student supervision and a bit of discipline. Despite being a passionate athlete who has run three marathons, Martens said, "A stroke could happen to anyone." He encourages students to get active and stay in shape. Because of the energy and health he had before the stroke, Martens felt it made his recovery that much quicker. Photo by Mark Poppert Jen Freeborn and Mark Martens, new assistant principals, join the administrative staff. Martens, who formerly worked at Tualatin High School, taught English for 12 years and was an assistant principal for three. Freeborn has been in the district at Athey Creek and Rosemont Ridge middle schools for 16 years.
