2
News
January
GATA works to raise money for clean water in Sierra Leone
A shley S herqn ___________
awareness and taking action
on global issues, has raised
$500 so far through bracelet
sales.
"We thought about global
projects we could do for this
year. We found a site that had
ideas and we decided to sell
Global Awareness Take
Action club is trying to raise
$4,500 to build a shallow well
that ensures clean drinking
water in Sierra Leone. The
club, which focuses on gaining
bracelets," Kendall Jorgensen,
senior club member, said.
The bracelets were free
from the site so that all the
money made went back to
the site for the project. Water
Week was held the week
before Thanksgiving break.
GATA members set out a table
in the library during lunch
and had club members carry
bracelets around to sell at $1
apiece.
The bracelets which are still
available for sale, are bright
blue and say "I'm Giving
Water" with the website
underneath. Bracelets may be
purchased during lunch on
Wednesdays in the Forum or
Room D201.
"Bracelets are affordable.
When they're worn they're
easy to see, able to be worn
for a long time and they grab
attention," Adam Betzelberger,
club advisor, said.
To continue raising
money, GATA has come up
with more projects such as
selling chocolate from Africa
and hosting a pancake feed.
To donate, visit GATA's
fundraising page at www.
firstgiving.com/gata, or
attend a Wednesday lunch
meeting in Room D201.
Volunteer opportunities with
the club are also available.
WLHS earns Silver Award, recognition on national scale
Sil mt äwanl
continued from page 1
Photo by Libby Kara
Two students display the bracelets they purchased from Global
Awareness Take Action Club. During Water Week, GATA raised $500
for a water project in Sierra Leone. They need $4,500 to build a well.
"U.S. News and World
Report" uses a three step
process to evaluate each
school. Step one judges
is whether or not the
students in each school are
performing higher than
what was expected—by
statistics— for the average
student in the state. Step
two is whether the students
with a smaller advantage—
whether it be money
problems or racial status—
were performing better
than average for students
of similar advantage in the
state. Schools that made it
through the first two steps
are then evaluated nationally
on the last step— college-
readiness performance, using
Advanced Placement and
International Baccalaureate
data as the criteria for
success depending on which
program was largest at the
school.
The other schools in
Oregon that received the
Silver award include: the Arts
and Communication Magnet
Academy, Ashland High
School, Crescent Valley High
School, Glencoe High School,
Lake Oswego High School,
Lakeridge High School,
Lincoln High School and
South Eugene High School.
Located in the basement, through a series of storage rooms and locked doors lies the Vault. The Vault
holds school records going back decades, including Amplifiers from as far back as 1921. Our editors have
sorted through the papers to reprint past articles, bringing you an interesting view of life from students of
another generation.
“From the Vault“ articles will appear in the corresponding section in which they were originally printed.
Check each issue of the Amplifier to find more treasures from the Vault.
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March 18,1983: WLHS Computers serve multiple purposes
Another less obvious use for
computers is in the Learning
This stage in West Linn Center. Some students would be
High School’s development is more interested in work if their
probably one of the most im subjects were taught in the often
portant in its whole history. more attention-holding formatof
Computers are in. We must the computer.
now decide how important
The library already has a
a role computers are going program that allows them to
to play in our educational find any book in a Clackamas
system.
County library, and plans to
"If we allow ourselves to make other major changes in the
fall behind, we will be under near future. The office has been
severe pressure, but it would using computers for attendance
also be unwise to move more and grades for a comparatively
quickly than our knowledge long time,
will allow. That would invite
The one major problem is the
m istakes and w aste. We cost. "For the last two years we
must stay som ewhere in have been spending $5,000 to
the middle," says Principal $10,000 a year." said Sagor.
Richard Sagor.
"We have been buying to fit
Although a few years ago our needs," he said. "Afewyears
people said that computers ago the math department de-
were just a passing fad, it is cided that what we needed was
obvious that they are here to as many computers as we could
stay. This is because they have get so we got quite a few Ohio
so many applications.
Scientific computers, which are
Computers are used ex- not very powerful but relatively
tensively in math and science, inexpensive," Sagor explained,
to show concepts hard to
Now there are many students
grasp with just a book and with much more advanced abili
lectures. Some examples are ties and so we need more pow
three dimensional graphing erful computers. This year we
and kinematics (the study of ¡it bought several Apple computers
which are more powerful and
motion).
Even more than in math more expensive.
Another problem has been
and science, computers are
used for business. Word the lack of a long range purpose
processing, record keeping in buying the computers. So far,
and accounting are just a they have just bought for the
few of the many business immediate needs of the school
without trying to fit it into a
possibilities.
R ichard B loom
solid plan. Sagor explained, "We
felt it would be impossible to
develop a long range plan until
the staff had an opportunity for
exposure to this new field. Our
experience over the last few years
has given us the knowledge base
from which we can now proceed
intelligently."
The cause for this could be not
having a person in charge. There
has been an informal consortium
of interested people including
Terry Woebke, and Don Smith,
math teachers; Dr. Fred Ross,
curriculum coordinator; Judy
Waterbury, business teacher; Bill
Aue, audio visual coordinator;
and several others. This has de
veloped into a district committee
that will soon be giving its recom
mendations to the school board.
"We're committed to com
puters, but there are enormous
problems: who gets them, who
pays for them," said Aue.
On the subject of money,
Sagor added, "If the people
want it (computers), the money
is there."
According to Aue, with the
new computers comes a grow
ing need for one person to take
the job of computer coordina
tor. Aue would probably be the
logical choice but since he will
be retiring soon, the job, if the
decision is made to have it, will
be up for grabs.
The last few years have seen
major changes in computers at
WLHS, and next year will be
no exception. The curriculum
offered will change from one
class, computer math, to three:
beginning programming, data
m anagement, and advanced
languages.
"These changes are not all,"
says math teacher Hartman. "I
would say that in the next two
or three years, it will be changed
completely. What we have now
is a kind of interim."
Hartman isn't satisfied with
the amount of equipment. "Un
less we get more equipment
we won't be able to teach the
advanced languages class, but
the school is coming around."
He also criticizes the lack
of interest around the school.
"There is interest (in computers)
now but not as much as there
should be. In the next five years
there will be a lot more computer
usage."
The students have mixed feel
ings about the new curriculum.
Sophomore Lisa Kendall,
class vice president said,
"I think that it should be
required to take a computer
class." On the other side of
the issue is Helen Siggins,
junior class president, who
expresses no real interest in
computers at WLHS.
Despite many problems,
the school has managed to do
fairly well with their amount
and quality of computers.
Aue said, "As far as high
schools are concerned, a lot
of people don't know it, but
we compare favorably."
In the future, there will be
not only technical advances
in the computer field, but
students coming in from
grade school will have much
more exposure to computers.
Right now WLHS is not ready
for that, and we will have to
work hard to get a really good
computer program going.