Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2010)
2010 News 3 Nineteen musicians place in top five at TRL competition C lara . A ltemus & N ora H and Nineteen band students placed in the top five at the Three Rivers League event held at Clackamas High School on Feb 6. League champions included Sarah Sonnenfeld, junior, flute; Troy Cornelius, junior, bassoon; Joshua' Grelewicz, junior, low saxophone; Joonas Lemetyinen, sophomore, trombone and Charlie Iwata, senior, tuba. "It gives you an initial goal to work towards," Grelewicz said. "You really know where you stand. The adjudicator also gives useful feedback that you can work on for the month between the two." Students who placed second were Sarah Lord, junior, flute; Carlos Splitstoser, senior, trumpet; Sierra Bangs, junior, French horn; Riley King, senior, baritone horn; Jonathan Macemon, sophomore, orchestral snare drum; Samantha Ing, junior, violin and Georgia Muggli, junior, string bass. The third placed students were Arianna Robin, sophomore, flute and Michelle Virgin, sophomore, clarinet. "If you're a dedicated musician, it’s just something you do," Virgin said. Helen Farrell, senior, bassoon, Sean Campbell, senior, alto saxophone, Keven Krause, sophomore, baritone horn, Cassidy Baskerville, sophomore, orchestral snare drum placed fourth. Finally, Brian Liebeno, junior, clarinet, placed fifth. For a student to participate in the TRL soloist competition, they must be a member of band or orchestra. Once they have number score. After the TRL solo competitions, students can move on to the Oregon Music Education Association District competitions. Students are not required to compete at the league competitions in order to compete at OMEA Districts, however. It is good preparation, though, if a student is planning on going to District according to Kevin Egan, band director. At the OMEA District events on March 6, Emma Davis, junior, flute, Christie Smith, junior, oboe; Campbell, Grelewicz, Iwata and Muggli were crowned District champions. Egan enjoys having his students compete in the TRL competitions because it is a good way to receive feedback and practice performing in front of people. For most of his students, the "formula for success" as Egan calls it, is for students to study privately, choose an advanced solo piece, and start their practicing early. Most perform a college level song that wows the judges according to Egan. Practicing it backwards might also help, Grelewicz said. "Memorize any really chosen a solo piece, they perform in front of judges for ten minutes or less. The judges then critique and evaluate them based on a fast, to u g h p arts. C h o o se a solo that you actually like, because you'll be playing it for a while," Grelewicz said. "Try to convey some of yourself while you are playing, which is to say, play expressively." Photo by Libby Kara Joshua Grelewicz and Troy Cornelius, juniors, practice during their Symphonic Band class. Grelewicz and Cornelius, along with three others, earned League Champion honors at the Three Rivers League band event. Forecasting time for thoughtful decisions, new opportunities P atrìck D ouglas As forecasting week, April 5-9, approaches, students will be planning their schedules for next year, which could very well impact their futures. Mini Arena, the process of changing scheduled classes at the end of the first semester, might be going away this year due to budget cutbacks, according to Kathy Logan, Scheduling and Assessment Assistant. This means that people may not be able to change classes after first semester. "Be very, very thoughtful about what you take; don't overload yourself. Choose your electives wisely because you can't change them," Logan said. She added that someone shouldn't take a class just because their friends are taking it. Only a class that someone is truly interested in is going to be worth it. "We are encouraging students to pick the classes they want, and stick with those classes," Megan Kohl, counselor, said. Both Logan and Kohl have stressed the importance of choosing one's schedule wisely. After students forecast online, administrators look at how many students are interested in a class, which will directly affect the number of periods that class is offered. Classes aren't usually entirely decided until August. Students who have "holes" in their schedules are called in during the summer to make decisions regarding classes for the next year. Logan tries her hardest to schedule students in the classes that they want, but about 20 percent of the time, students receive one of their alternative electives. "It is extremely time consuming. It's difficult, but I love it, and I take what the kids want seriously. I try my hardest to get them what they ask for, and I care," Logan said. The process is being made easier for students according to Kohl, with the biggest piece being better communication. There are counselors available to offer support to students. Students can schedule meetings with their counselor to receive advice on what classes they should take, and what they need to do to earn all the credits that are required, Kohl said. Forecasting has become an online process over the course of the last three years and it has resulted in saving paper and time. Applications for Advanced Placement courses were also offered online for The bulk of the process will be taking place in the office, the auditorium, and at assemblies. The last day of forecasting will be held in the Forum. Course descriptions will be online for parents and students to read and students will be forecasting directly online during the week of forecasting. the first time this year. AP Government and Performing Dance Class will be offered as new classes for next year. Several classes are also coming back on rotation, including Children's Theater and AP Psychology. Other changes include name changes and changes in the math department. Advanced Placement (AP) / Honors English / Honors Humanities / and Selective Electives Application Current Grade: I 9th Last Name: First Name: School ID <6 Digit): WLHS w ill use an online Application process for some courses needing additional requirem entsforthe2010-2011 school year. ALL applications must be submitted electronically by Friday, March 5th, 2010. Students must submit their enrollment ¡¡¡g interest using this system. Enrollment in these courses is based on students completing and/or following through with process for each course. Note: Mac users must use Firefdx to complete this form. This form will not work with Safari. ■ ■ ' ' . " ' ' • ' ■ ■■■: ■ ■■ . " ........ i : ■£ : •; ’;?>/} \ ■■■ :/ : ■:’* [ • . ; ■ : 1. Please select all of the courses for which you are applying. C lick here for AP courjg yg g m m ments. The applications for Advanced Placement classes have moved online as a part of the transition from paper forecasting. This year, forecasting takes place during the week of April 5-9. New classes for next year include AP Government and Performing Dance.
