4
THE GRANTONIAN
March 6, 1970
Cinema Scene
“They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”
Good organization, well planned,
co-operation from all involved. . . .
Seem like a winning combination? It
was. The Shakespeare Department’s
play was a success. Everyone in­
volved was, just that, involved.
Weeks before the play, students
were pelted with ticket offers, and
news of “a great cast,” “good scen­
ery,” and “promising rehearsals.”
Posters were spotted everywhere as
were people practicing their lines. It
all totaled up to a giant success.
This was not quite the same atti-
tude that was projected by many
other activities during recent months.
Disorganization and declining par­
ticipation have seemed to be the
keynotes lately.
Take, for example, the upperclass
bottle drives, where a few people
signed up and even fewer partici­
pated. These projects were termed a
success only because of the great ef­
fort expanded by a few.
Remember the great growl over
Memoirs? Remember how so many
were ready to take over the job and
really give it some punch? No more
than the normal number of applica­
tions were placed.
Or take Spirit Week. What hap­
pened to it? Blue and Gray Day? No
one knew about it or what it was.
Anything that was done was han­
dled almost entirely by the rally.
We do not expect the all-out par­
ticipation for every activity but we
suggest an overview of the tech­
niques now used to be initiated and
the methods in which they are pub­
licized also to be scrutinized.
by Mary Ann Hutton
“People will come and pay their two
bits just to be able to see someone worse
off than themselves.”
This dance-marathon operator’s state­
ment compactly surmises the basis of the
eye-opening drama, “They Shoot Horses,
Don’t They?”
During the 1930’s Depression hungry,
desperate people, old as well as young,
entered “marathons” to stay alive.
These dances lasted months with con­
testants remaining in constant motion,
without sleep, except for ten-minute rest
periods every two hours. But for this
grueling agony they received food (on
the dance-floor) and a chance at $1500
prize money—a slim chance.
As time progressed, the so-called “con­
test” turned into a freak-show to enable
spectators to feel somewhat better off
with their conditions of life.
Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin co-
star with fabulous performances backed
by an entire cast and production of
greatness. “They Shoot Horses, Don’t
They?” well deserves its nine nomina­
tions for Academy Awards.
Except for first and last scenes, the
inside of the Aragon Ballroom is the
solitary setting. Such a staging would
have a tendency towards monotony but
more action and drama is shown there
than could be possible in any poly­
location film.
The despair and closed-door hopeless­
ness is presented thus with occasional
humor which can be greeted with either
laughter or tears. “They Shoot Horses,
Don’t They?” is, truly, an eye-opening
drama that makes you blink.
Exchange program explained; experiences, thoughts related
Yoriko Tanaka, from Tokyo, Ja­
by Yoriko Tanaka
pan, described the difference of the
Walk together, talk together
system between, the U.S. and her
O ye peoples of the earth
country. “Examination, screening
Then and only then
and orientation are done by the
Shall ye have peace
Ministry of Education, and also the
(AFS motto)
government gives AFS-ers financial
“Not only do we come to America, but
aid, so that anyone can apply. Each
we also can live with American families.
student has to pay $300 which in­
We also have opportunities to talk with
cludes monthly allowance and in­
other AFS-ers from all over the world.”
surance.”
This is Wolfgang Warner, from Munich,
The Americans Abroad Programs were
Germany, speaking about American
started in 1950 by the Winter Program
Field Service.
Today it is very popular in every students, who once they had returned
country to go abroad as exchange home, wanted to offer young Americans
students. But all AFS exchange stu­ the kind of opportunity which they had
dents say that there is no greater been provided in the U.S. Americans
exchange program than AFS, and Abroad students participate in either the
they point out that the difference Summer Program or the School Pro­
from other programs is that they gram.
Barbara Chattin, who went to In­
can live with families.
dia last summer on the Summer
AFS stands for American Field Ser­
Program, said, “Sixty-five kids went
vice, which is a private, nonprofit organ­
to India and stayed there for ten
ization. Mrs. Burton Smith, local rep­
weeks. While we were there, the
resentative of the AFS chapters in the
head of the Ministry of Finance re­
Portland area, said, “We don’t expect
signed. Hearing it, we were really
any money for our work. AFS is com­
happy, because he did not want
posed of volunteers.” AFS was founded
Indian students to go to the U.S.
in 1914 as a volunteer ambulance corps
So we did not have Indian students
which served with the Allied forces in
for a couple of years, but hopefully
both World War 1 and World War II.
in the near future we will have
The 4000 volunteer members carried
some.”
more than a million casualties.
School Program participants spend
In 1947, the former AFS volun­
teers initiated the Winter Program from 11 to 13 months abroad, depending
in which students from abroad came on the host country.
The AFS pamphlet says that AFS
to the U.S. to live for a year with
invites students of all racial, reli­
families and study in secondary
gious and economic backgrounds to
schools. An AFS publication says,
apply for the Americans Abroad
“The motivation tor the Winter
Programs. Isn’t there any require­
Program was based on the belief of
ment? Kirsten Boehmer, who is a
these men that close, personal asso­
senior at Grant High School, said,
ciations between individuals of dif­
“I could not apply for the Ameri­
ferent nations foster understanding
cans Abroad Programs, because I
and friendship between people, and
did not have enough years of study­
strengthen the basis for peaceful re­
ing a foreign language at that time.”
lationships between nations.”
Jan Cole, who is also a senior at
There are over 70 countries which are
Grant, said, “I don’t think that lan­
participating in this program. Mrs. Wil­
guage requirement is necessary. As
liam Swett, of Grant High School, com­
in my friend Barbara Chattin’s case:
mented on the participants. “I don’t
know why there are no students from
she takes Russian and went to India.
Communist countries. I assume they
Besides, her Indian family speaks
might be afraid that young people want
English. It does not make sense.”
to be American citizens, they might lose
On the other hand, Barbara said, “I
their young people to us but AFS
was lucky that my Indian family
hopes to have students from Communist
could speak English. But lots of
countries. AFS is a private organization,
other kids had to learn how to speak
and our government does not interfere
Hindi and Telugu. AFS says that
in it.”
current language study makes it
easier for an Americans Abroad stu­
dent to approach learning the lan­
guage of his host country, and I am
sure that helps students.”
Though there are many students who
are interested in these programs, this
year there were only four applicants at
Grant, three at Wilson and also three at
Lincoln. One obvious reason is financial
arrangements. The participation fee for
the Summer Program is $850 and the
School Program is $950. “If we think
that the student, whose family cannot
afford the expense, is really good, we
can send a special recommendation to
AFS New York office, so that he can get
financial aid. But we are not supposed
to tell this to students before screening.
I think that is the reason why so few
students applied,” Mrs. Swett stated.
“There were 800 students from all
over France who applied and 120 stu­
dents came to America. We had to pay
$650,” Veronique Matus, from Paris,
said.
“In Japan, every year there are over
5000 students applying and only about
130 students can come to the United
States. We have really difficult exam­
inations. American kids are lucky that
they don’t have an exam.” Yoriko gave
her impression after she attended AFS
screening at Grant.
Host families are an important part of
these programs. Mrs. John E. Chattin,
whose daughter Barbara went to India
and who is also a host mother of an AFS
exchange student, Yoriko Tanaka, was
asked to help interview host families for
next year. Mrs. Chattin said, “There are
six families who applied for host fam­
ilies. We are going to visit each family
and meet all members and interview
them to find out what the home atmos­
phere is, and why they want a student,
their interest, etc. We will do our best,
but each year around 20% of all stu­
dents make a change of living arrange­
ment. AFS New York tries to match a
student and a family, but they don’t
always know enough details from the
papers.”
After Christmas, Winter Program stu­
dents are asked to give speeches. (They
are not allowed to give speeches before
Christmas.) Veronique said, “Usually we
have three minutes speech, which is too
short to talk about my country, my ex­
periences in America, etc. But I’m sure
there are some people who are inter­
ested in my speech, and so after that we
can talk.”
On January 21, four Winter Program
students and a returnee went to Bishop
Dagwell Hall and St. Helen’s Hall to tell
them what AFS is. They also talked
about their experiences. Louis Kloeck,
from Antwerp, Belgium, said in his
speech, “European girls are much more
feminine than American girls. But I
think it is very nice that American girls
know about football or basketball, so we
can talk. In Belgium, most of the schools
are not coeducational. I went to all boys’
school, and here I attend Benson High,
which is also an all boys’ school. I want
to go to all girls’ school for a change!”
Kiloran Simpson, from Johannesburg,
South Africa, described her feeling very
well, which many AFS students feel.
“When I got the letter and found out
that I would go to Portland, I didn’t
know where Portland was. So I asked
my mother and we looked up the map
and found that Portland is a small city
near Vancouver Island. Once Portland
was a strange city for me, but now it
means all my experiences, my friends
and my American family.”
ZJlie Crantonian
Published weekly by the advanced
journalism class of Ulysses S. Grant
high school, room 203, 2245 N.E. 36th
Avenue, Portland, Ore. 97212. Phone
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cost $2.00 per year.
Vol. 77, No. 5 — March 6, 1970
Editor....................... Margaret Hadden
Page 1 Editor ......... Mary Ann Hutton
Page 2 Editor ................ Martha Ojard'
Page 3 Editor ................... Gary Cogill
Page 4 Editor.......... „.........Jenni Raies
Reporters............... Sue Gottsch, Chris
Hawes, Steve Johnson, Kathi Rob­
inson, Jean Taylor.
Entertainment
Editor...................Mary Ann Hutton
Advertising Manager....... Sue Gottsch
Business Manager............................ Sue Gottsch
Circulation.............. Neil d’Autremont
Advisor...................................... Willard Mohn