October
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District purchases lunch tables; they remain unused
C hrisann K im ______________
It's lunchtime and students
flood the hallways, desperate
to eat. The two commons are
full of students gorging food.
The new lunch counters sit
deserted—white, clean and
shiny new.
With recent budget cuts,
there have been reductions
such as losing teachers and
additions, such as the brand
new lunch counters that
have been placed in the Old
Commons. When I passed by
on the first day of school, I
noticed the tables and found
them highly unnecessary.
With 1,550 students, the
two lunch rooms together
can accommodate around
275 students. With optional
classrooms to eat lunch in and
upperclassmen driving to local
restaurants, students have
enough space during lunch. So,
why the new tables?
"Since the weather has been
turning really cold and rainy,
we wanted to provide more
eating places. The tables are
for standing," Rob Holstrom,
assistant principal, said. "There
aren't any stools yet because
we want to see how the tables
play out before purchasing any
stools. If stools were put in, we
would have to take out tables
because they would not fit. The
possibility still exists, we just
haven't done it yet."
These tables are not
round, moveable, or even
attractive. They are long,
white and resemble bar-like
countertops. Moreover, there
aren't chairs high enough to
sit at them comfortably—or at
all. Students who have fully
loaded backpacks probably
will not want to stand up and
eat lunch.
Lunchtime is used to eat
and rest after three hours of
Photo by Rachaei Wooiiey
During lunch, students eat at the round tables in the Old Com m ons. The
countertop tables that w ere recently added are not used by students.
learning and walking around
between classes with a heavy
backpack. The original tables
in the Old Commons serve that
purpose; the taller ones do not.
Budget cuts are self-
explanatory. When there are
budget cuts, a lot of things are
sacrificed such as teachers,
classes and school days. Many
people ask why, with our recent
budget cuts, we refurbished
the main gym and added new
lunch tables. The money for
this and the new tables derived
from the capital construction
bond, which is entirely separate
from the money used to fund
operations.
If our standard lunch chairs
can't reach the table tops or if
standing to eat at them does
not seem to work for people,
are the tables even necessary?
"I don't like them because
they're long and you can’t see
all your friends," Tiffany Lee,
freshman, said. "And they
give you side cramps." Highly
agreed.
Every time I pass the Old
Commons, there are students
everywhere EXCEPT at
the new tables. No student
uses them, not even to place
backpacks on top of them.
Those tables remain clean and
unused each day.
If there was an actual benefit
of the tables for students, the
tables would be filled every
day at lunch. If students don't
like them, they should go
ahead and just use the round
tables. Or, perhaps stools
would go along nicely with the
new tables.
*
li
John Kovash was elected
West Linn Mayor on Sept.
21 after serving as interim
m ayor since April. 1 think
K athy Lairson would have
been the best choice. Her
record and her reputation
make her more than qualified
to run the city. Even though
she lost the mayoral election
this year, she still deserves a
powerful role in West Linn's
leadership like she's had in
the past.
Lairson was already mayor
on the City Council as its
president. On her watch, from
1981 to 1989, a new library, a
new recycling system and a
water tower came to fruition.
She was even on the first
team that designed West
Jllflll
Linn's Comprehensive Plan,
which have plans for housing,
land use and transportation.
As a mayor and a councilor,
—Lairson w as p rod u ctive and
responsive to the citizens of
her city. We need that again.
Remember why we
had a special election
in the first place: our
previous mayor was
not the leader she
was elected to be.
Before her term as
mayor, according
to a 2008 editorial
for the West Linn
Tidings by Mark Buser, Patti
Galle was a community
organizer who helped get the
local police more funding.
As a mayor, she was much
different.
: ■ :
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wlhs-amplifier@wlhs.wlwv.kl2.or.us
The Amplifier is published approximately every four weeks by the West
Linn High School Advanced Journalism class. Opinions expressed in
commentaries and editorials represent only those of the writer, and are
not necessarily the opinions of West Linn High School, its administration,
faculty, staff, or student body.
Editors-in-C hief:
Staff Reporters:
Alison Fieldhouse,
Jennifer Sitton
Clara Altemus, Emily Art, Max
Blumenthal, Michele Bondy,
Elise Brown, Austin
Cummins, Patrick Douglas,
Derek Fieldhouse, Joshua
Kim, Jack Lammers, Kaitlyn
Lathrop, Madison Leek, Daniel
McGarry, Emily Reed, Eta
Santoro, Allesandra Sisca
Jack Lammers
Section Editors:
N ew s: Alison Fieldhouse,
Jennifer Sitton
Forum : Emily McDonald
Features: Mary Earp
Sports: Ty Clarke, Sean Pebler
Entertainm ent: Chrisann Kim
Photo Editor: Alex Houston
Hello, West Linn High
School, I'm Alex Nelson, the
student relations director for
the Associated Student Body.
This year, ASB has a goal that
it's never tried to achieve
before on this level. We want
everyone to get involved in
school events. Everything is
being changed, including the
assemblies. We're making in
volvement in the school easier
than ever!
We want everyone to be a
leader, not just the people who
are in leadership and who have
a title, but every student at the
school. Everyone has potential
to do so, it's just up to you
whether you want to unlock
and use that potential.
I ll be writing this column
Lairson is what this
city needs following that
disgraceful period. She is
willing to listen. She is a
have been a spectacular
choice for occupying that
position again. She has
big ideas which she works
leader— she's even w ritten
hard to m ake reality w ith
a master's thesis on the
subject. Lairson didn't run her
campaign attacking the other
guy. She ran her campaign on
what she plans to do for the
city; on improving what she's
already done.
Gary Eppelsheimer,
photography teacher, noted
that she is a person of
"intellect and integrity. Kathy
is good at listening, which
is something we need right
now," Eppelsheimer said.
Though Kovash was
elected, Lairson would
transparency and experience.
Lairson's ability to listen
and get things done is still
needed in this city. Galle's
term was filled with bickering
and division and prevention
of progress.
Kovash has promised to
keep our water safe, keep
Stafford rural and work
towards a West Linn aquatics
center. Perhaps, if Kovash
needs to fill a position in his
cabinet, Lairson should be his
first choice in order to make
some of these goals happen.
for each issue of Amplifier to help
spread school news and spirit.
For this fine piece of literature,
I'll be explaining a few things
about leadership functions in
which students can get involved.
First, our student senate is where
students come to meet ASB and
give their thoughts on how we
can improve the school. The
student senate was designed to
give a voice to representatives of
groups throughout the school,
whether they be Kaleidoscope
or the football team.
If you want to start a club to
get involved, go see Butch Self,
ASB adviser, in Room A101 to
pick up a form and gain ap
proval.
During our first class as
semblies, Drake Edwards, ASB
historian, introduced a class
point system which is similar
to the class points you would
receive at Hogwarts if you
were a witch or a wizard. Ba
sically, we will add up points
earned by each class and at
the end of the year, the class
with the most points will win
a prize. We will not release
information about the prize
on the account of it being too
epic to comprehend this early
in the year.
Finally, we just had Home
coming and it was a huge suc
cess! Spirit Week, the dance,
as well as the homecoming
football game against the
Oregon City Pioneers brought
out our school spirit. Keep it
up West Linn!
r
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street, West Linn, OR 97068
(503) 673-7843 »fax: (503)657-8710 •
Business M anager:
During her term, Galle
blocked the beginnings of
a solar panel project for
incomplete or fictional
reasons, demanded a recall
of the whole city council,
and eventually revealed
that she lied about her
. education in the Voter's
'amphlet, a class C
felony that led to her
resignation. Even as
a candidate she
was questionable;
she refused to
participate in
the mayoral
debate because she disagreed
with a member of the
board of directors who was
sponsoring it.
Photographers:
Austin Cummins, Patrick
Douglas, Jack Lammers, Eta
Santoro, Rachel Woolley
A dviser: Ann Breyne