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Northwest Indians
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UNEXPECTED CHANGE
As I walk out into the bright light of a crisp, newborn day
my image of a nice clean world is instantly shattered like a vase
thrown against a brick wall. For upon opening the front door of
my living quarters, a sickeningly dense smog invades the
privacy of my nostrils. It is so dominating I need to let out a
sputtering cough several times in order just to gasp one measly
breath. Walking to my car is even a complete hassle, in order
just to get to the dang thing I end up tripping and slipping upon
at least a dozen pieces of garbage that lay cluttering what was
one a beautiful green lawn
The engine of my clunky and awkward Pinto sputters to
a start. I don't feel too bad o w in g a junky little car, the money
problems among America are growng by the second, so the
vast majority of my social friends drive them. Only a few Donald
Trump type people are privileged enough to even touch a car
that costs over $5000 I turn slowly onto the four-lane freeway
that runs from Seaside to Astoria. So many cars are smashed
on that it reminds me of a woven blanket. Sounds of honking
horns and obscene vulgarities hover around me and my car
Some gangs from Portland have transferred to our
territory, so I become routinely uneasy as I pass the comer
vtfiere they converse. Their mark is everyvtfiere, like a constant
reminder to all that they are in our presence. They are here to
dominate over those who are not as "tough" as they are, and
wreak havoc.
I am approaching downtown Astoria now. The homeless
problem is also growing like a blob. Driving by the Burger King, I
spot a homeless woman and her young child picking hungrily at
a bag of leftovers some fortunate person just threw out. A sad
feeling overcomes me. The traffic is regularly backed up, I have
now been sitting for at least 15 minutes. One holdup is the
newest road construction project. The men on the roadside
make clinkity, clankity noises with their big boy toys. It is easy to
become annoyed
About a fourth of a mile ahead a herd of workers are
tearing d o w i the old Hunt's Home Furnishings. I imagine they
will be creating either more housing apartments or a mass of
stores. That's all there really is around here. Nothing fun to do.
No amusement parks, ice skating rinks, roller skating rinks, there |
isn't even a bowling alley any more. It is now a mini mall parking
lot.
The worst of all this tragedy is the war on drugs. Our
country is losing terribly. You see them on the comers, in malls,
at the beach, in the parking lot. There is no escape from them.
They seem to multiply, for everyday I notice more and more.
The dealers that is. I view them as predators hunting their prey. I
pull into the parking lot of my work, passing a few possible
dealers. As I walk through the w de double doors, relief washes
over me. Then I realize I still have to make it home.
-KIMM BALZER
Seaside High School
and in supporting new projects. I will also use my knowledge to
serve as an active member of the community.
Of all these contributions, the most important one I can
make will be to raise my family here My future children will be
brought up in an environment full of people who care how they
are. They will learn the important lessons of right and wrong.
Most importantly, they w ll leam to love the place where they
were bom: Clatsop County.
-TREVOR FITCHA
Warrenton High School
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attitude here. I'll work to keep our scenery free from all the
pollution. And most importantly, I'll teach my children what this
county in the Pacific Northwest did for me.
-ELIZABETH BOBEK
Clatsop County, I would go help it the best I could. The people
of Clatsop County would tell the rest of the world about how to
take care of animals because I would teach them the right
things.
Warrenton High School
When I grow up I hope I can make enough money so I
can donate at least $1,000,000.00 to the City of Astoria so that
stairways going up to people's houses can be more like esca
lators and when it starts to rain, the escalator automatically
makes a glass shield. This is so everyone won't get wet because
of the rain.
-CHRIS CROSBY
Star of the Sea School (Astoria)
If I live in Clatsop County, I will be in the Coast Guard
and be the chief of the Coast Guard. I will try to be a good chief
if I become chief of the Coast Guard. I would be in charge of the
Air Station, and the Iris and Venturous, as well as the station
across the river at Cape Disappointment. I w ll help people by
saving them from drowning and keep weapons and drugs out of
Clatsop County. If I don't become chief of the Coast Guard, I will
try to be a firefighter and help put out fires and save people's
lives and homes.
-ALEXANDREA BRANDON
Star of the Sea School
I hope that when I grow up I may be able to make a big
contribution to Astoria. It would be a park where the old mill is
now.The millpond would be turned into a duck pond and it would
have grass and trees and maybe even a playground. There will
be walkways and bushes and little stone bridges and flowers,
lots of flowers: everything that makes a park beautiful. It would
be kind of like a Japanese garden Maybe there would even be a
part-glass and part-metal walkway that went down underneath
the water so you could see things coming past, such as seals,
the bottoms of boats, and other things. Hopefully, there would be
some wild animals, such as otters, geese, a couple of ducks and
fish in the pond I would like to do this so Clatsop County could
become a more beautiful place.
-LUKE YDSTIE
Star of the Sea School
-CHRISTOPHER MclNTOSH
Star of the Sea School
When I grow up, I will be a sailor and I will get a boat
and take it out to go fishing. I will have a great time going fishing
and then I will go and sell my fish. Then I shall earn some
money and then I w ll buy myself a dog and I will have a good
life in Astoria and Clatsop County.
-DENNIS JOHN REYNOLDS
My contribution to Clatsop County in the future directly
relates to its involvement in my past. Therefore, I pondered the
question, what has Clatsop County done for me? Then I realized
it welcomed me.
Four years ago I moved here. I knew no one, nothing.
Coming from a metropolis, I realized that people just didn't
openly address a stranger, but here they did. I understood that
pollution and filth were common occurrences, but here they
weren't. I thought that people were out in the world for
themselves. Here, even that didn't seem so.
Coming to Clatsop County taught me another side to life
that I couldn't have imagined before. That special smile from a
complete stranger, that instant when I looked from the Astor
Column into the beautiful countryside of daybreak, the sound of
laughter as I cruised Seaside for guys on a lonely Friday night -
this is what Clatsop County was.
And so I'll answer the dilemma of what I will do for Clat
sop County in the future. I'll fight to keep the small town "I care"
66
Star of the Sea School
I will be a veterinarian when I grow up. I will take care of
as many animals as I can so they w m 't go hungry again and so
they have good homes. I also hope they stop killing dogs,
rabbits, and cats at the pound. I w>uld take animals in my house
and take care of them and it would be my very own animal
hospital for the sick and injured animals. I would try and get
good homes for them. I would also w ite to the zoos and animal
parks and pounds and talk to them about how to take care of
their animals. If there was an animal that was ill anywhere in
IMPROVE CLATSOP COUNTY
There are things that could be done to make Clatsop
County better. To improve Clatsop County we need to save the
salmon. People are fishing so much salmon in Clatsop County
that the fish are becoming XTINCT. Soon the fish w ll be gone
and the people will have no fish left. If we save the salmon we
might have a lot more salmon in the w ild . We need more rules
about fishing to save the salmon.
We need to plant more trees in Clatsop County. People
that cut down trees should plant the trees back so Clatsop
County has more trees. If we let people cut down trees without
replanting trees there are going to be fewer and fewer trees. We
should plant trees Clatsop County would look a lot better with
more trees.
-TAMI KELLER
Cannon Beach Elementary
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