Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2010)
November 4 Furlough days bring celebration, shorter school weeks n C hrisann K im _______________ It's w hat many students dream of: to start summer sooner than planned. With nine school days officially cut from this year, that dream has come true. W hile m ost rejoice for this wondrous event, the reductions have serious effects on the teachers and staff. Nine student days have been cut from the 2010-2011 school year and most of these days are either before or after holiday w eekends and seasonal breaks. These days include Nov. 12, Jan. 14, Feb. 22, Mar. 18, M ay 27, Jun. 1 3 -1 6 (these days w ill be cut if no snow days are used). For teachers and staff, 15 days were cut. All of the previously planned three-day w eekends have Nine days cut from the year means nine days w orth of learning cut from teachers' curriculums. Rearranging and rethinking the plan for each class is expected, however it's more difficult than it looks. Their pay is also reduced accordingly. "We don't have a choice. The alternatives are limited to solve the predicam ent that we are currently in. I haven't decided on w hat should be included in my curriculum or not," M ario M cKennon, English teacher, said. To step in the shoes of a hardworking teacher is brave enough, but think about how m uch w ork teachers have to put in just to replan their entire curriculum. Students com plain about their daily school lives; Students rush out from the school after the last bell rings. Nine student days were cut from the 2010-2011 year, making summer come sooner than planned. Teachers' curriculums were also shortened due to the cutbacks of 15 teacher and staff days. been turned into four-day w eekends due to the cut days. It's typical for any average student to be excited about a shorter school year, but teachers and staff have it hard. Obviously, the idea of cutting school days is a bad one for the teachers. Issues arise when profanity is used in school, online IN Y 1ÂRRY It used to be if you said H-E- double-hockey sticks around your parents, you would get soap in your mouth regardless of age. But nowadays, kids as young as seven start swearing with their friends and parents ■JTfSy do Hof!Wig abttit it. Should kids really be raised this way? According to studies, students at school swear sometimes (enter gasp from audience). Yes, I know, it's true. I personally don't swear, but almost all of my friends do. I don't really mind. What I do mind is when people drop an f-bomb every other word. I remember in my first week of middle school,. I heard one of the eighth graders say the f-word three times in one sentence. Now I'm not even surprised when it happens. Recently, South Albany High School began suspending kids who swear. According to oregonlive.com, the punishment is based on how horrible the swear word is. For example, a certain French word that begins with "F" will buy you an automatic in-school suspension. I'm not saying we should suspend anybody, but swearing isn't impressive. Facebook, the leading social network site, is always creating some sort of controversy. Whether it be about privacy settings or hindering students from doing their schoolwork, Facebook is one the of the most controversial sites on the internet. But what about kids swearing on Facebook? It seems that they wouldn't say those words in school, but once they get online, they throw out special words. That's why they don't "friend" their moms on Facebook. Swearing on Facebook or any other place on the internet West Linn High School, 5464 West À Street, West Linn, OR 97068 • (503) 673-7843 -fax: (503)657-8710 • 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-Chief: 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 Lath- rop, Madison Leek, Danny McGarry, Emily Reed, Eta Santoro, Alex Sisca Business Manager: Jack hammers Section Editors: News: Alison Fieldhouse, Jennifer Sitton Forum: Emily McDonald Features: Mary Earp Sports: Ty Clarke, Sean Pebler Entertainment: Chrisann Kim Photo Editor: Alex Houston Photo Essay: Clara Altemus Photographers: Mary Earp, Alex Houston, Rachael Woolley Adviser: Ann Breyne ‘ »vhiie chckng Campe m i % *X. Hev mun! mm ¡¡¡¡¡¡ili 1— yea1 today i got \ me: so at that pjjrty last nigh' man what thf was with you and that ' mm. i A._ w .: í W||! í A|::. So was t i j it on my own door when I got home Photo by Alex Houston A chat occurs between two students on one of the many online social networks. The WLHS student handbook addresses the issue of profanity by defining it as "language or behavior that interrupts the educational work of the school." shouldn't be any different. It's like saying "Oh, I can swear in the dining room, but once I get to the living room, I can’t swear." "Certain emotions in a person struggle to be expressed verbally. Sometimes these emotions come out in swear words," Michael Johnson, senior, said. "It doesn't have to be expressed that way." "I swear. I think it's bad when it's every five seconds, but if you really mean it, then I think it's okay," Hansol Lee, freshman, said. Look, I know people like to swear, I understand that. But if there's no reason to swear, why do it? Using appropriate words makes you look politer (girls like that, guys) and more professional (jobs like that, guys and girls). Plus, your mom will be proud of you. having to wake up at 6 a.m. and endure six one- hour classes. Before they even start complaining, they should consider that teachers wake up earlier than 6 a.m. and they teach multiple times a day and sometimes, different classes every day. Glenn Krake teaches English 10, English 11 and Yearbook; all of w hich take place in different porches and during different times of the day. I complain about my life, too, but at least now I know how much work and trouble teachers have to go through due to the cutbacks and the budget cuts; teachers lose a half a month worth of pay. "I think we kind of have to do it, but for the students we get out earlier. But I also sym pathize w ith teachers; I feel bad that they're getting cut," Holly Ashby, senior, said. Education is a valuable thing and not every child in the world can afford it. I feel like the nine days cut from this year is cutting nine days of valuable knowledge— it is, in fact. It's nice to have a few days off from the year to sleep in and m eet with friends, but I'd like to attend school to actually learn a thing or two. It's not the school's fault for losing a large amount of money. Hopefully, the district, the State and the country will devise a plan to deal w ith the economic crisis we're currently in and solve the problem as to how to com pensate for the nine im portant school days lost from the year. Students aren't necessarily powerless; they have the ability to speak up about this issue. Teachers have this ability too, but for now, sticking to apples on desks and everyday hom ew ork will have to suffice. Alex's ASB Hello West Linn High School, we are currently a few days away from our Thanksgiving break and I am sure that you guys can hardly wait. Fd like to thank everyone who came to the Black Out game against Lake Oswego back in October. We almost won and the atmosphere and school spirit really shined, making every student there proud to be a Lion! I would also like to thank everyone on behalf of the ASB for supporting breast cancer awareness during Pink Week by buying a pink bracelet to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We made over $400 from selling the pink bracelets alone, good job West Linn! Powder Tuff was also a suc cess this year. If any of the guys reading this want to win fame and achieve everlasting glory next year, signups will be the same next year. Right now, the canned food drive is currently in progress. We really need to get more canned food to the school, help out fami lies in need this Thanksgiving! One last thing, Mr. WLHS signups opened last month and we have narrowed down the twelve men that will be participating: Drake and War ner Edwards, Jason Francis, Terry Rothgeb, Jefferson Chan dler, Revy Nicholson, Andrew Brown, Andrew Daniels, Thom as Ward, Micah Wiard, Preston Rattle and me! The 12 seniors will be competing for the title of Mr. WLHS. Their winnings will go to a charity of their choice. Come see them perform on Dec. 11 in the auditorium.
