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
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"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
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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.