Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2010)
2010 Features 7 Protective patriarch pursues provocatively psychotic poachers M ark P qppert _______________ The unicorn: a specimen of sheer power and unbridled beauty. Never in the history of time has the universe seen such a perfect creation. But this awesome animal lives in constant fear. Humans have poached unicorns to near extinction without concern for their wellbeing. Now, with only a handful left in the wild and fewer still in captivity, the black market trade of unicorn horn is at an all time high— $20 million a horn. Because of this, one unicorn is on a mission to save his home, his family, his freedom. Niles Hugo Alexander steps of Neo, Aragom and the Hebrew Hammer. However, while he was training to protect his kin, his people were being hunted to extinction. The great herds of the world have dwindled to small nomadic groups who move only under the protection of darkness in the deepest woods. When all thought was lost and many of his race resigned themselves to a life of depression and mere survival, Niles appeared; a glorious angel on a metaphorical hill. In 1987 he united the herds, bringing stability to unicorn existence. Training his men into a fighting force, Niles beat put a stop to it. Schmidt struck in the night, taking the clan by surprise. With suppressed assault rifles and flash bang grenades, the attack force plunged into the valley. Startled and disoriented, many of the unicorns were slain where they lay. Only Niles was able to defend himself from the evildoers, using his fighting skills to frag seven of the terrorists. Unbeknownst to Niles, the attack was a mere distraction. While Niles fought off the terrorizing poachers, Schmidt kidnapped Guinevere, Rhianna and Sequoia! Schmit loaded them into a helicopter before Niles could reach them. Fortunately, in the last seconds of the helicopter's earthbound existence, Niles shot a tracking arrow into its side with his trusty bow. After a few days, the tracker stopped moving on a tropical volcanic island in the South Pacific named Atiu. Niles knew where his family was, now he just needed to figure out a way to journey from Germany to Atiu. The epic trek took nearly a year to complete. After crossing three continents and the Indian ocean, Nile reached Atiu. Reaching its white sands was victory in itself. During his quest he met many people At this very moment, Niles is breaking into the super secret base on Atiu, accompanied by 40 Navy Seals. More news will follow this and the press picked up on the story. The plight of the Unicom nation was brought to the public's attention, and activism for Nile's fellow clansmen has made them an international cause. article, but it is expected that Niles will be reunited with his loving and caring children. The whole world is now holding its breath and saying a prayer for Niles, the most epic unicorn to have ever lived. Volunteer opportunities available for summer A ustin C ummins _______________ Lounging around the pool, watching fireworks on Maximilian Phineas Torvald Winston Hrothgar Fitzwilliam MacLeod VII, Lord of the Isles and Chief of the Macdonalds of Equus. Bom into his title as a Scottish lord, Niles has always had responsibility riding on his hoofs. That was nearly 150 years ago, and for a unicorn Niles is still considered young at 200. His sleek black body is uncommon among his kind, where pure white is the norm, and his hom is the largest in the land. Due to this, attempts on his life are a common occurrence. Years of study with the greatest fighting masters from east and west have honed him into a lethal weapon, earning him the name black steel. He was bom to become the champion of his race. The foretold leader of his people, he must walk in the back the poachers for the first time since the downfall of the unicorn empire. In the years of relative peace that followed, Niles met Guinevere. Unicorns mate for life, which can be up to 2,000 years. Because of this, it takes at least a decade to choose a mate. It wasn't until 2003 that Niles and Guinevere eloped. They spawned two foals, Rhianna and Sequoia, who grew up strong and brave. Living happily in the glens and lochs of their homeland, everything seemed perfect. Sadly, nothing lasts forever, especially the best things. When John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, poacher extraordinaire and leader of the Poacher Against Unicorns, discovered this band in its peaceful coexistence, he had to the F o u rth of July, eatin g a dripping ice cream cone in 80 degree weather—with the school year ending, students have to choose how they're going to spend their summer vacation. While most will relax (and there's nothing wrong with that), there are also many opportunities for students to be involved in the community and volunteer at different organizations. Students such as Nathaniel Pow ell, junior, have previously given their free time to volunteer at organizations that aim to help those in need. Powell spent most of last summer helping out at his father's rehabilitation clinic, Laurelhurst Village. "In my experience, I met really interesting people and each had something different to teach me," Powell said. Between performing tasks for the patients and assisting the nurses, Powell has volunteered over 144 hours to community service. Around West Linn and the greater Portland area there are many opportunities to make a difference in the community. There are many events coming up that students can either help out with or join in the experience. On June 26 the National Kidney Foundation will host the Portland Kidney walk. They need volunteers to run the booths and clean up afterward. People can also make donations, sponsor runners or participate in the walk themselves. For more information, check out http:/ / donate.kidney.org. A great source for finding local volunteering opportunities is to talk with Career Center Coordinator Jamie Welle or acessing the WLHS website in the volunteering link in the Academics section, or at html. Besides big, publicized events, there are also small non-profit organizations that rely on the help of giving people in the community. PAWS Animal Shelter in West Linn, run by Sharon Murphy, is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter that has been giving stray pets a home since 1991. Photo by Austin Cummins Peter Santoro, junior, volunteers three days a week at PAWS Animal Shelter in West Linn. Last year, Santaro joined the PAWS team to help against the growing problem of stray pets in the community. http: / / www.wlhs.wlwv.kl2. or.us/swansonj /counseling/ volunteer%20opport.htm. "It's a great opportunity students can learn and grow from," Welle said. "They can give back to the community and it looks great on their resume." The Hands on Greater Portland web site also features projects for specific age groups, making it great for finding work just for students. These openings can be found at http:// www.handsonportland.org/ HomePage/index.php/home. PAWS relies on volunteers and donations to keep the shelter afloat. The animal shelter is open Sunday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., students of any age are welcome to come in and help out as long as they are self-motivated and can cope well with animals. These are only a few examples of opportunities that students can consider this summer. With three months of freedom, the summer is a convenient time for students to help out in their community and make a difference they can feel good about.
