the Talismana student newspaper

Backpage

Prom plays out to be a success once again!Sheldon High School 2455 willakenzie Rd., Eugene, Or 97401 vol. 47 Issue 7 May 11, 2012

pages 3

Born to Run: about an amazing tribe

Battle of the desserts

shstalisman@gmail.com

Danielle Clarkstaff writer

Kelsey Shermanco-features editor

Chasity Barnesco-editor-in-chief

Sheldon junior Miranda Rasmussen received a huge honor earlier this year, winning NASA’s national “Dream Here, Dream Big, Shoot for the Stars” songwriting competition. Her song “Flying” was selected out of hundreds of submissions to represent NASA Kennedy Space Center. Rasmussen got to visit Orlando and will fl y to Nashville in June to record her song. She also has the opportunity to work with country music star Ansel Brown. This is a once-in-a lifetime chance and our community is so proud of Rasmussen for her success. When Rocket21 advertised the competition, hundreds of kids took advantage of the contest, and out of all of these contestants Rasmussen is the grand prize winner. Junior Chelsey Walker said, “I think it is a huge honor.” Walker later added, “It is a national competition, so it is a pretty big deal!” Rasmussen has already visited

New ASB offi cers are anxious to make new changes for the upcoming school year at Sheldon High School

Hundreds of enteries were consid-ered and only one was chosen: Ras-mussen’s song “Flying” is recognized

Orlando, Florida, on her all-expenses-paid trip for the NASA spin off awards. Her mom and two little sisters got to accompany her on this trip of a lifetime. On June 1, Rasmussen will fl y to Nashville, Tennessee, to professionally record her song. Junior Leana Hast shared her opinions on Rasmussen’s big win: “It probably looks great on her college application and I’m really jealous!” Rasmussen’s fellow classmates help to show just how much admiration she is receiving from our community. Being recognized for her accomplishments in this national competition really can boost her scholarship opportunities and colleges look very highly upon students who choose to do these extracurricular activities on their own. Rasmussen said that she loves entering these competitions, and winning this one has given her the initiative to try more. “Writing songs has always been a passion of mine, and it feels so good knowing that one of my songs is being appreciated nationally.” Rasmussen said, “I think that NASA has a great philosophy and they have put so much hard work into creating everything we have today. I have always been interested in writing songs and when I heard about this competition I just thought I would try. I couldn’t believe it when I won. I was so surprised to be chosen

out of so many entrees!” Rasmussen said that she has always loved music and she hopes that her lyrics for “Flying” inspire everyone who hears it to reach for their dreams and to never give up, no matter how hard the situation. This competition has given Rasmussen the chance to fulfi ll one of her dreams and hopefully inspire many more to do the same. Even though there was only a small possibility for success, Rasmussen took the chance and it paid off. Hopefully Rasmussen continues to follow her dreams and inspire others with her music.

Prom was heald at Studio 5 with the very unique theme: Neverland

Sheldon track athletes compete at Oregon Relays

pages 7

Miranda Rasmussen wins national song contest

The 2012 ASB elections went well, with only three different offi ce positions being competed for. The results are now out and next year’s senior ASB leaders include: Hannah Leatham as President, Joe Ricken as Vice President, Leah Nicklason as Secretary, Kaitlyn Penrod as Treasurer, Ellie Combs as Spirit, Kylie Canaday as Publicity, and Emily Stringfi eld as Activities. As the new leaders, they have many new ideas for the school and plan to actively initiate these plans, soon replacing Sheldon’s present ASB offi cers. This very diverse and enthusiastic

group will bring a bright future to Sheldon High School. There is controversy over whether or not the ASB elections were fair this year, as with any year. Some students feel that it is primarily a popularity contest. Senior Angela Witty stated, “I thought that [the staff in charge of ASB] did not allow the candidates to do enough promoting. Candidates were at a real disadvantage because it was literally a popularity contest since speeches weren’t publicized very well at all.” This concept of a popularity contest seems to show consistently among other students. Even though some students may think it is unfair how the candidates were elected, they were still elected and Sheldon has a bright future ahead with this new executive team. Combs stated, “As part of ASB I hope to make leadership a bigger part of the school.” Stringfi eld agreed enthusiastically with this statement. Sheldon can also expect more school spirit, as both Combs and Stringfi eld have plans to bring out the spirit of the school.

Each new ASB member seems to have big plans and ideas for what they would like to do with the school. Hannah Leatham stated, “I would really like to try and unify the student body—increasing a sense of community within the school.” Leatham has a strong sense of what she would like to do as ASB President, and has the determination to make it happen. All the ideas by these new ASB offi cers seem to surround the idea of bringing out more involvement from the student body. This is a great idea because it will hopefully bring the school closer together, whether with sports, clubs, classes, or even just hanging out together. Many students are excited to see these new ASB leaders come into offi ce, and try their hardest to make Sheldon the best school it can be. Sheldon High School students have a lot to look forward to for next year. These ASB leaders have high expectations for themselves, great ideas for the school, and will hopefully prove to follow through with their goals.

The new ASB officers for next year look promising!

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” Was the quote that was on this year’s Prom tickets. What was the theme this year, well Sheldon high schools prom theme for 2012 is the land within Peter Pan, Neverland. A very awesome theme that brings all seniors and juniors back to their childhood when they watched the movie Peter Pan. Rolling up to Studio 5 in various tuxes and dresses and all glammed up juniors and seniors are greeted by many Sheldon staff members waiting to check for tickets and your IDs. Just beyond this checking table awaits a mijectic and fairytale night. As students walk in the lights are dim and the pop music is blaring. To the right there are drinks, snack food, and voting for Prom King and Queen. This year’s prom venue was at a KZEI studio called Studio 5. Senior Jared Awmiller stated, “This year’s prom venue was really nice. I liked that there was lots of space there. Studio 5 was a very big venue and the decorations included a big wooden and painted ship; silhouettes of Peter Pan, Wendy, and Wendy’s two brothers; two big video screens

on either side of the room playing the movie Peter Pan as well as two smaller video screens playing music videos to most of the songs that were being played; and they also had a photo booth where friends and dates could take pictures together for free. New York high school graduate of 2010 Justin Tobin, senior Angela Merfeld’s date, said, “I thought the decorations at prom were cool. They were better than my prom and really went all out.” As more and more students showed up the dance fl oor became more active. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves. And every once in a while the music DJ’s would throw glow sticks into the crowed. Some people decided to collect as many glow sticks as possible. Senior Erick Pearson and junior Garrett Morris had a competition going on seeing who could collect the most. Most of the night was dancing to fast, upbeat music. But they did play three slow songs, which is more than the one slow song they have played in past year. Awmiller said that if he could, he would’ve changed the music. One more thing that makes this night even more special to the people on the prom court is being on the court and getting a chance to win prom King and Queen. Senior Laken Johnson said, “I loved this year’s prom court, Kruska Over Everything!!!”. Senior’s Dale Baker and

Natalie Kruska were the ones to walk away with the King and Queen names. And senior Christian Nilsen has been heard saying, “All hail Dale and keep it Krusk!” Over all, this year’s prom was a mega hit. A great last prom for the senior class to end their fi nal weeks of high school. Being a much better prom over past years many students were very much pleased with this prom.

just how much admiration she is receiving from our community. Being recognized for her accomplishments in this national competition really can boost her scholarship opportunities and colleges look very highly upon students who choose to do these extracurricular activities on their own. Rasmussen said that she loves entering these competitions, and winning this one has given her the

Hopefully Rasmussen continues to follow her dreams and inspire others with her music.

Senior Ami Wick (right) enjoys Neverland prom with friends.Chasity Barnes photo

Miranda Rasmussen singing at the April 26 tolerance assembly organized by José Alonso.

Greg Cantwell photo

Born to Run:

amazing tribe

Sheldon track athletes compete at Oregon Relays

pages

May 11, 20122 the TalismanNews

The iPhone 5 will continue the trend of Apple’s most popular productThe world’s iPhone obsession shows no sign of slowing down

Lauren Daviesstaff writer

Does Twitter promote cyber-bullying?Recent written attacks on Sheldon students brings the anonymity Twitter provides for bullies into the light

Chrissy Walterstaff writer

The Eugene Marathon is a test on the bodyThe marathon - a 26-mile race that is a grueling test both of the body and of the will

Kyle Radleyco-news editor

NASA is privatizing its space programThe space agency is allowing private corporations to fl y their own ships into space

Roman Hernandezstaff writer

Remember when the cool phone to have was the LG enV or any phone that could slide or fl ip up with a full-sized keyboard? Well, not anymore. iPhone popularity has gone through the roof with all of its new versions. Apple’s iPhone has surpassed the Android market share with Apple

owning 44.9 percent as compared to Android owning 44.8 percent of the market. Although that may seem like a very close race, Apple’s market share has doubled in the past year. Meanwhile, Android devices have decreased fi ve percent. With Apple coming out with the iPhone 5 in the summer, only time will tell how many more updated versions they can come up with. Although many people feel that the iPhone is the best phone out there, others may think that it has fl aws that

other phones do not. Senior Sam Hannah said, “I feel like people buy iPhones because of the brand name. If they knew that there were other phones that were better, there would be a lot less iPhones.” Apple upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S that includes top end technology. These days, it’s hard to fi nd a student around Sheldon without an iPhone in his or her hand. The iPhone captures entertainment for all ages, from apps like

Over the past few years, Twitter has become a major fad amongst students and adults alike. Not only can you create accounts for your own personal use, but you can also create anonymous accounts. Through these anonymous accounts, Twitter has become a place for some to attack others. Recent accounts have been deleted due to inappropriate tweeting and derogatory comments towards other Sheldon students, and the school has taken action by suspending the culprits responsible for creating the accounts. Many students here at Sheldon have different opinions about Twitter and the negative comments made on the website. Senior Sam Peterson said, “I don’t think these accounts are that bad, because everyone has the right to freedom of speech.” Peterson also went on to say that he doesn’t believe that these accounts are a form of bullying because it’s funny. Some students, such as Peterson, do not feel threatened or personally targeted by these accounts, which may explain why they fi nd them funny. However, others aren’t as fond of the accounts because they make fun of certain types of people and point out their fl aws. Twitter is a social network in which many types of people are discriminated against based on things

people can’t control, such as race or gender. Senior Sean Bellotti said, “I think any type of social media, but especially Twitter, targets every kind of person. For example, there are a ton of racist comedy accounts that make fun of those types of people and a lot of people say mean things that may offend a certain group of people. Basically Twitter allows you to say mean things that you normally wouldn’t say to someone’s face.” The website serves as a barrier between the criticizer and their victims because behind the barrier they feel more powerful. Some students are appalled by the things that they read on these crude Twitter accounts, but others believe that people should pay it no attention. Senior Zoe Duvall said, “I don’t think anyone should look too far into it. If you just ignore it then they won’t get the satisfaction they are looking for. All they want is attention, so don’t give it to them.” Administration did not take the accounts lightly; they immediately shut down the accounts and suspended the girls behind it all. Social networking sites have become widely popular amongst teenagers and the majority of students at Sheldon have an account on at least one, if not more, social websites. These sites, like Twitter, were created with the purpose of being a fun way to interact with peers and friends; however, the issue of people being personally victimized on Twitter has affected students here at Sheldon. Some of the things that people have said about their classmates are cruel and will potentially stay in the victim’s mind forever. Twitter was not made to attack people based on their appearance or any other distinguishing characteristics, therefore, the discrimination and negative comments need to come to an end.

As you already may know NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has stopped sending manned shuttles into space. Now they are allowing private companies such as Spacex to send their own commercial spacecrafts to space. NASA is also allowing them to fl y to the space station. The reason NASA has let private companies get into the rocketry business is because of U.S budget cuts. It is not quite clear if private companies in the U.S rocketry business will help or harm space exploration. One of the biggest problems for the government is how expensive building, launching and maintenance work can be. Commercial rocketry gives the government the power to still control but not have to contribute payment. Sophomore Kylene Mayabech said, “I think that it is cool now that anyone can build their own rockets and complete their own

missions.” Now that commercial space programs are getting more popular the rocketry world will only continue to grow. Now that NASA has taken a step down, new companies like Spacex are changing some of the major ways we are getting to space. Spacex says that they will not fl y shuttles into space but instead rockets. Although shuttles are much more effi cient in that you can relaunch them many times, rockets are much cheaper and take less time to build and that is why Spacex says they are going to build rockets. Sophomore T.J Wright said, “I like space shuttles better” and said that is was because “space shuttles are bigger and cooler and last longer.” Shuttles may start being used again one day, but for now rockets will be in the majority when traveling to space. Another big controversy is whether anyone will try to go to the moon. America has not been to the moon in over 40 years, and a lot of people believe that we never will go back. Now that commercial space exploration companies are growing, there could be some day when they try to reach the moon. Sophomore Megan Melendrez said, “I don’t think that we will be going to the moon anytime soon.” That may be true but it really all depends on the money and resources of theses now commercial space associations.

Most high school students dread the notion of running a mile as do most adults. However, there are those few people who are truly committed to the sport of running. Committed enough to put their bodies and training to the ultimate test: the marathon. With being the ultimate challenge to one’s running career, a marathon also places an immense stress on your body. A marathon is 26.2 miles, varying slightly from course to course, of running. The average marathon time is anywhere from three to four hours. That’s three to four hours of nothing but running. The mental and physical stress upon your body is excruciating. Junior Lane Davis said, “[marathons] are hard on your body because your feet are repeatedly hitting the ground with all of your weight for about four hours.” Davis also added, “That’s why marathoners need to be in shape, so their legs don’t take as much punishment.” The greatest marathon to some people is the one held in Track Town U.S.A., the Eugene Marathon. The Eugene Marathon is hosted here in Eugene and goes through various parts of our great city.The Eugene Marathon is a high class race in and of itself. You don’t run this marathon unless you have a goal to achieve. Nick Hendricks is a man committed to the art of running the marathon. Hendricks also survived the crushing heat of the Boston Marathon and said “[the] Eugene [Marathon] is a well organized, fairly fast Boston qualifi er that has great crowd support. You also get to fi nish on Hayward [Field].” Running a marathon isn’t just a walk in the park. People have reasons for running them. “The reasons are unique and personal,” Hendricks said; “...but the common reasons are the challenge of the event and the long training commitment, peer pressure, etc.” The marathon this year was quite a sight with over 8,000 participants entered. The top fi ve marathoners were under 2:30.00, which is very good. That means that these runners were doing less than six minute miles consecutively. Most high school students are unable to run under six minutes in general for a mile. Senior Jake Roblin was discussing the race and said, “[The marathon] was pretty great. We had about ten or so elite Oregon runners run and watch the race.” The winner of the marathon this year was Michael Wisniewski with a time of 2:20.41. All in all, the Eugene Marathon was a great experience for the runners and for the spectators. The people who ran this race are true champions of the sport of running. All of these heroes of running have conquered this brutal and excruciatingly long race that truly tests your mettle as a runner. Perhaps next year will be as remarkable as this one and perhaps even better.

the famous “Temple Run” for the younger audience, to apps that give you cooking recipes or an app that

tells you where it’s cheapest to buy products like food items. It’s also very popular for its iOS 5 update that includes “iMessaging” which makes texting easier and faster than ever. Senior Jackson Fletcher said, “I guess I could see that people would get the iPhone because everyone else has it, but I think that the iPhone lives up to the greatness that people comment about it.” People do have a reason to be obsessed with iPhones, even if it is just for the brand name. No one is sure when the release date of the iPhone 5 will be, but it will be the hottest phone of its time, with an even sleeker look than the previous models. The future has much in store for us in the iPhone world and without a doubt the popularity will increase amongst others. Sophomore Tanner Davies said, “I have an Android and I’m starting to want the iPhone more and more, and now that Apple is coming out with a new model soon I might have to switch to the iPhone family.” With that said, iPhones are taking over the mobile world more and more every year.

Solan Megerssa photoiPhone 4GS, Apple’s latest iPhone, will soon not be the newest.

May 11, 2012 3the Talisman Entertainment

Hopefully and patiently awaited, The Avengers has promised to be what Marvel fans have been looking forward to since the movies for the individual Avengers fi rst started production. The Avengers are made up of the superheroes known as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury. Together, this band of heroes attempt to defeat the dark forces of Loki who threatens the safety of the world. Loki, with his alien army of Chitauri, tries to gain power over the “inferior” human race by becoming the ruler over Earth and is met with a snag, the snag of the best superheroes from around the globe. As Loki makes his attempt to take over the world, these heroes learn to come together to defeat the evil forces that prey on weak links and chaos. Though many people have been looking forward to The Avengers in movie form, many people can’t deny how the movies that are based on the comics have affected the quality of the superheroes and their stories. Senior Nick Rea said, “In the Green Lantern, the original comic he was black and now in the movie he’s white.” Rea agrees with the people who believe that comics have been negatively affected and altered by the Hollywood movies that take on their stories. Junior Danielle Duhaime is looking forward to the movie and said, “I like movies when separate characters come together and interact.” This seems to be the underlying cause of the hype surrounding this movie because a movie where a group of separate superheroes has never been created before, making this movie not only unique and exciting but the potential beginning in a comic revolution. Movies like Captain America help us to see what defi nes a superhero. Junior Mark Phillips said, “A superhero does awesome stuff that no normal person can.” Through these movies we see what prevents us from becoming the heroes and putting up barriers to the extraordinary that keep us “normal.” Normal and mundane is what Loki sees the human race as and through its extraordinary humor and action The Avengers manage to show us how a few misfi ts can come together and defeat the darkest powers of the world. Looking away from this movie’s inspirational value, director Joss Whedon and his incredible sense of humor keep you laughing throughout the movie and the action, twists and turns keep you guessing on the edge of your seat.

This movie hands down wins my vote for movie of the year. The Avengers, will not be

soon forgotten as revolutionary for comic book based

movies.

Born to Run; The Greatest the World Has Never Seen

Coldplay Live Wally’s Music

Jackson Darlandco-features editor

Gotye’s popularity rises with the hit “Somebody That I Used to Know”

The Avengers Shyanne Church

co-entertainment editor Vanessa Hendricksco-opinions editor

I n August 2011, Micah True, known as Caballo Blanco, from Christopher McDougal’s National Bestseller, Born to Run, came to speak at Eugene’s Cozmic Pizza about his mission to revive and maintain the waning culture of the Tarahuhumara Indians. Up on the stage, surrounded by Eugenians eager to listen to anything he had to say, Caballo was not prepared with some formulated lecture; he began to talk as if in a casual campfi re conversation, weaving in and out of past experiences. He looked exactly like the man described by McDougal: sun stained skin, raw facial features, lean from thousands of miles of running, and a little crazy. Caballo had spent nearly twenty years of his life living in the Copper Canyons of Mexico among the Tarahumara, embracing a transient lifestyle as he ran from village to village. His description of the Tarahumara culture was that of a running people who had an immense capacity for compassion. Interestingly, McDougal alluded to the same ideas in Born to Run. In his pursuit of the recipe to injury-free running and a way to improve one’s ability to run long distance, McDougal found that the main ingredient was not necessarily a specifi c diet, training program, or shoe choice, but rather one’s ability to love and to fi nd joy in all aspects of life. A person’s lifestyle is mirrored in each stride, giving

Singer-song writer Wouter “Wally” De Backer is known worldwide for his interesting approach to an indie-pop style of music. Wouter De Backer is more popularly known for his stage name Gotye, and mostly recognized for his 2011 single “Somebody That I Used to Know” featuring Kimbra, which made it to #1 on Billboard Top 100 (US music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine). Senior Erick Pearson said, “I like the song and Kimbra is a good singer.” Starting at a young age Wouter showed a passion for music. He has learned to play many instruments, but most commonly he plays the piano and the drums. Little did he know his interest in music would lead him to be a successful artist in the future. De Backer fi rst got a taste of the music industry when he started up the band Downstares in his high school years with himself and three off his friends from high school. After high school the band split up, but this was only the beginning of his music career. Wouter had attended high school in Australia but was born in Belgium, and moved to Australia at the age of two. The years he spent performing with his high school band were not in vain. He moved in to a house with two of his friends so he could pursue his studies further; there his neighbor admired the work De Backer did with Downstares and gave De Baker his wife’s old LP collection. This inspired De Backer to keep up his passion for performing and for music in general. That same year De Backer put together a four-track CD using samples. Gotye is De Backer’s own way of spelling the name Gautier: a French variation of the name Wouter, so that is what he named his project. He made fi fty copies and sent them to radio stations and recording industries, some of which came back with positive feedback. With youth radio station Triple J in Australia was interested in his work; he was inspired to make more sample-based recordings. About this time he joined a band named The Basics; he started the band with Kris Schroeder and started performing again. The Basics have been performing alongside De Backer’s independent work, and they released four albums between 2004 and 2010. De Backer kept going to make two more four track CDs with the same style of work as the fi rst album. In 2003 De Backer got a distributing deal for an album with combined songs from his previous three releases; this album was called Boardface. His acknowledgement for his art and his work on the project Gotye started increasing at this point. Though Goyte has had quite a back ground building his career, not a lot of people have heard of him before his hit single “Someone I used to know” aired on the radio. Sophomore Quinn Brotzmen said, “I fi rst heard it when it aired on the radio.” Senior Logan Ellison said, “I don’t know any of his other music.” Now that Goyte has made a name for himself his fame should only increase. Throughout the years Gotye released more albums like Like Drawing Blood, Learnalilgivinanlovin, Hearts a Mess, Eyes Wide Open, and Making Mirrors. He has received a nomination for MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacifi c Act and he has received fi ve Aria Awards (Australian

Recording Industry Association). He has come far from his high school band Downstares and will

keep making more achievements as he continues further

into his career.

The Avengers team up to defeat Loki and his evil army of Chitauri warriors “Clocks,” “Viva laVida,” “Fix You,”- some of Coldplay’s

most widely known songs. If you only know these, you haven’t yet had the full Coldplay experience. Throughout their career, the band’s sound has changed a lot - from chill, mostly acoustic sounds to slightly pop sounding electronic songs. Whether people like their new sound, old sound, or neither, they still have a huge fan base all across the world. Fans here in Oregon recently had an opportunity to see the band play in Portland on April 24. Coldplay’s “classic sound” is expressed most clearly in their fi rst three albums. Their fi rst full length album, Parachutes, is really slow-paced, yet heartfelt. Coldplay drummer Will Champion said, “The lyrics are beautiful and they’re really, really happy, but the music is really, really sad. It’s that kind of thing where you can create differing moods through the music and lyrics.” The band’s second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, still seemed pretty acoustic and chill, but the lyrics took on a new feel in this album. Front man Chris Martin said that the songs were about urgency, and the album name refers to “doing something on impulse.” Coldplay’s third album, X&Y, has a lot of piano-based songs, with some drum and synthesizer undertones. The bands two newest albums stand out the most in terms of sound. Coldplay’s fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, was the album where their sound seemed to start changing most drastically. The songs were infl uenced by many things, from tribal music in “Lost!” to orchestral music in the title song, “Viva la Vida.” The band’s latest album Mylo Xyloto, had another completely new sound for the band. Some of the album has an electric, drum based sound while the rest of the songs hint back to their older sound; more slow-paced acoustic stuff. On April 24, Coldplay came to Portland on their Mylo Xyloto tour, and some Sheldon students were lucky enough to go. The intro to the show was the Back to the Future theme song. When the band started to come out and play the fi rst song of the show, title track “Mylo Xyloto,” bracelets that were handed out before the show lit up all around the arena in different twinkling colors. They played a few oldies, including “Warning Sign” and “In My Place,” both off of A Rush of Blood to the Head. The crowd was at its height when the band played the crowd-favorite live song, “Fix You.” Concert attendee junior Claire Thompson said, “‘Fix You’ was my favorite live song; it was beautiful.” The entire crowd was singing along to this well-known song. Thompson later added, “The ticket price of $100 was totally worth it. It was Coldplay.” Senior Alexander Pierpoint said, “The most magical part for me was at the very beginning when they started playing ‘Mylo Xyloto’ and everyone’s sweet light up bracelets started lighting up all over. It was SICK. It looked like we were in outer space.” The band’s performance in Portland

is best described with one of Pierpoint’s words: magical. The next time Coldplay goes on

tour, we can only hope it will be as incredible as their Mylo

Xyloto Tour.

A hidden tribe of super athletic Tarahuhumara Indians, running as a facsinating life style

Emily Pierpointstaff writer

On April 24, Coldplay came to Port-land to show off their eclectic sound

l ightness to every footfall, but also a great strength and motivation to propel him to the fi nish. After reading Born to Run, senior Kelsey Klotter said, “It made me realize how passionate I am about running.” Having attended the event at Cozmic Pizza, freshman Gracie Todd said, “It made me feel like I wanted to run more—run more for joy.” Explaining how the lifestyle led by Caballo and the Tarahumara has affected her, Todd said, “I was inspired to be freer when I run, and be less concerned with my [race] times and more focused on having a good time.” This seemed to be the case for the huge audience that packed into the space at Cozmic Pizza, everyone reinvigorated by this running icon popularized by Born to Run as he spoke of his own passion for running—not as a sport, but as a way of life. Both Caballo and McDougal have shown how running can not only provide a healthy outlet for people as individuals, but also for entire communities. The Tarahumara community revolves around running, the perfect example,

though it is becoming harder and harder for them to continue their ancient lifestyle as they are pressed further back into the Canyons by the corruption of western culture. Junior Alex Johnston believes that running could greatly improve western society as it has shaped the Tarahumara. He said, “The people that run have a different view of life—a lens that allows them to see the world in a way that would improve society.” This was a large part of Caballo’s speech as he sought to inform Eugene of this magnifi cent culture while creating awareness about its struggle to stay intact.

Chasity Barnes photoJunior Jackson Darland

as he continues further into his career.

; The Greatest the World Has Never Seen

A hidden tribe of super athletic Tarahuhumara Indians, running as a facsinating life style

motivation to propel him to the fi nish. , senior Kelsey

Klotter said, “It made me realize how passionate I am about running.” Having attended the event at Cozmic Pizza, freshman Gracie Todd said, “It made me feel like I wanted to run more—run more for joy.” Explaining how the lifestyle led by Caballo and the Tarahumara has affected her, Todd said, “I was inspired to be freer when I run, and be less concerned with my [race] times and more focused on having a good time.” This seemed to be the case for the huge audience that packed into the space at Cozmic Pizza, everyone reinvigorated by this running

as he spoke of his own passion for running—not as a sport, but as a way of life. Both Caballo and McDougal have shown how running can not only provide a healthy outlet for people as individuals, but also for entire communities. The Tarahumara community revolves around running, the perfect example,

though it is becoming harder and harder for them to continue their ancient lifestyle as they are pressed further back into the Canyons by the corruption of western culture. Junior Alex Johnston believes that running could greatly improve western society as it has shaped the Tarahumara. He said, “The people that run have a different view of life—a lens that allows them to see the world in a way that would improve society.” This was a large part of Caballo’s speech as he sought to inform Eugene of this magnifi cent culture while creating awareness about its struggle to stay intact.

Chasity Barnes photoJunior Jackson Darland

New chess class

FEATURES

Darin Henry working towards enhancing students’ chess skills with a new class

Nick Dunphystaff writer

Swinging their way up to the top rank

Drew Haugenco-sports editor

Sheldon golf looks to continue successful season at state finals

Inside the set of Sweeney Todd

Sheldon High School’s theater department is one of the most renowned in the district. They produce three to four shows every school year and host others as well. Now, the pro-gram has the pleasure of producing yet another great show, called Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A great amount of work goes into producing a show, especially one that is a musical. There are the actors, who have to memorize lines and parts, which can be an ex-tremely hard job, but these actors are generally on crews too. There are various crews who help the production come to life, such as the stage crew, props crew, makeup crew, lights crew, sound crew, hair crew, and costumes crew.

Thailand experience is an eye opener for students

Ginger genes disappearing

Meredy Darland and Rachel Gilescontributing writers

Cya Silvaco-opinions editor

Sam Greenco-entertainment editor

FEATURES

Two Sheldon girls take the opportunity to travel, living in Thailand for a term

Taking a closer look at the work that goes into opening theatrical musicals

Will the ginger gene be extinct by 2060? Or will this recessive gene be able to keep it’s phenotype showing throughout society

FE

ATU

RE

S Checkmate! Believe it or not, the strategy game of chess has been around for almost fifteen-hundred years! Chess has always been a part of Sheldon with its chess tourna-ments and chess club. Now the school can add to it by making a chess class! Sheldon students can learn new tech-niques, get better at the game and learn more about chess. Campus supervisor Darin Henry said, “It’s a great opportu-nity.” Henry has been playing chess for twelve years. Henry added, “I’m an out-of-control intermediate especially when I play against junior Tyler Williams; I always break a sweat when I play him.” Henry hopes that people learn how to play chess in the class. He added, “Every year, chess gets more popular.” Henry continues to play about three times a week. Campus supervision Bret Holden said, “I’ve been playing for six months.” Holden plays chess almost every day. Holden later added, “It’s ok; my favor-ite move is pawn trade.” Holden sometimes plays against Darin Henry, sometimes even against students. Chess team leader Phil Carson said, “There are no spe-cial requirements to go to this class.” Carson later said, “I’ve been playing for over fifty years and it’s the only game I play.” Carson’s favorite strategy is gambit or off-key moves. Carson added, “I hope people learn in this class how to win gracefully, lose with dignity, but most of all think of the consequences of each move they make and learn from them.” Carson plays two days every week. Chess class will be great to be able to learn better moves to improve your game and play against those old rivals of yours. You can also get great tips from Sheldon’s chess team leader and might pick up the hobby of play-ing chess! Plus, it’s during lunch so you and your friends can play against each other while enjoying your meal!

Rupert Grint, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Ball, and Emma Stone are all amazing ginger actor and actresses. So where would the world be without them? Scientists have hypothesized that because the gene for red hair and fair skin is so recessive, eventually it will disappear from the gene pool. National Geographic said that the ginger population will be extinct by 2060 because of this. Imagine a world without these fair-skinned, red-haired beauties. So what do the gingers of Sheldon have to say about this? When asked if she liked her hair color, Se-nior Sally Stender said, “Yes, I think it’s awe-some that it’s so unique, but at the same time it makes it hard to not be noticed. Like if I’m trying to hide from someone.” The term ginger most commonly comes from the ginger plant; known for its brownish red color. When asked if she was offended when people call her a “ginger” Stender replied, “No, I wear the title proudly and accept the fact that I am a ginger.” Discovery Magazine said, “Natural redheads have a higher pain tolerance than others”. When asked if this was true for her, Stender said, “I think so; I haven’t cried because of pain since I was little, and I thought getting my wisdom teeth out was fun.” The controversy between whether gingers will still be around in 2060 is very high. When asked what she thought about this, Stender replied, “It’s possible that there will be few or no redheaded babies in 2060, but I still plan to be

Take it to the next step

Catrina Stecklerstaff writer

Students go beyond academic accomplishment and work to hone life skills outside of the school

In high school it is hard enough to get good grades and participate in extra curricular activities, but it is even more impressive when stu-dents go even further to make ac-complishments outside of school. For those who participate in Project Our Turn, N.H.S, community ac-tivities, or volunteering as tutors, high school becomes even more of a challenge. These students who go the extra mile to help out the com-munity and make it a better place deserve some special attention. A student who has many achieve-ments outside of school is Senior Coleton Johnson. His opinions on extra curricular activities are more of the volunteering type. Johnson said, “My accomplishments outside of school are that I am a Boy Scout, president of my church’s youth group, I was a special-needs tutor, and I am in National Honor Society which requires a certain amount of volunteering, I have to do two hours of volunteering a term and then an extra 2 hour of an individual proj-ect. I have completed all of my volunteering hours.” Some places need more volunteering than oth-

Would you like to go to prom?The Sheldon boys concoct more creative ways to ask girls to the most-anticipated dance of the year

Jenny Forreststaff writer

Prom. For most, it only comes around twice in the four years of high school. The girls may tend to make a bigger deal about this special night, but when April rolls around, all the pres-sure is on the guys. They must creatively think of a way to ask that one lucky girl to Prom, and for most this tends to be a challenge. This year, Sheldon has definitely seen the true cre-ativity of the male population shine through. When the anticipated night finally comes, students can only hope that all the work put into the preparation has been well worth it. Should the girls expect so much of the boys, though? The whole idea of simply asking a girl to Prom should not be all that stressful, but it may have become that way over the years. For some guys, though, it is nothing to worry about. Senior Peter Anderson said, “There really is no pressure because I have a lot of girls that want me to ask them so they will be satisfied by me just asking. But, you could say clever is my middle name, so I thought of something awesome.” If only it was this easy for everyone to be smooth, cre-ative, and confident. It has almost become a competition in the eyes of the girls, but let’s just hope for the sake of the guys that they

The gym walls at Sheldon High School are lined with banners that remind Irish athletes, opponents, and fans, of the school’s sports prowess. Among the many records and titles hangs the banner represent-ing boys’ golf. Eight numbers signify the two most successful seasons in team history, back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006. This sea-son, the team has regained their statewide recogni-tion through strong senior leadership and dedicated freshman talent. Following a second place finish at districts, Sheldon looks towards state, and has op-portunity to secure their sport as one of the best teams to ever take the course in green and white.

ers, Johnson suggested, “Downtown Eugene definitely needs the most help, my favorite places to volun-teer though are at Holt Elementary School and Food for Lane County.” Accomplishments outside of school aren’t just of the volunteering sort; there are also many accomplish-ments inside sports. Sophomore Ben harter does not do any volunteering but has made many accomplishments in his sports. Harter said, “Winning districts in middle school in track was one of my biggest accomplish-ments. Another accomplishment was that I was fifth at state in track as a freshman, and I will do volunteering soon when the time comes that In-ternational High School requires it.” Even with all these accomplishments Harter has done, he still has a goal to win the 10K run in the Olympics. High School is full of drama, aca-demics, social life and sports, but a select few amongst us find a way to make time to help others in our community. These students are the students we should pay more atten-tion to, the ones who go out of their way not to gain any attention for themselves but just to help others.

alive. It makes me sad though; I feel it is my responsibility, to one day, have ginger babies”. Gingers are very unique. They have so much in common but are they friendly, unfriendly or neutral to other gingers? When walking down the hall do gingers see each other and have an automatic connection? When asked Sopho-more Jake Warren replied, “No not really, I don’t really notice a ginger unless someone points them out.” On the other hand Stender replied to this questions with, “Yes all red-heads give each other the ginger head nod. Not many people know about it, my mom also freaks out when we see other redheads.” So I guess it really just depends on the person for their reorganization of other fellow gingers. The list of myths about gingers continues to grow. From “gingers have higher pain toler-ance” to “gingers will be extinct in 2060” we will never completely know if it’s true or not. When asked if he thinks gingers will be ex-tinct in 2060, Sophomore Jordan Dunteman replied, “I don’t really care because I prob-ably won’t be alive then.” When asked if he thinks he has a higher pain tolerance than oth-ers because he’s a ginger Dunteman replied, “Well I broke my foot and it barely hurt.” Yes gingers are unique but they are also people just like us. Will they be extinct in 2060? Maybe. Do they have a higher pain tolerance than non gingers? Maybe. The world will never know.

Co-manager of costumes crew, junior Amy Follet stated, “I love it... [My job is] getting all the costumes ready for people. [It entails] pulling a lot of things from the little theater and matching stuff together… It’s really exciting to see everything come together. One of my proudest moments is to see the costumes on stage, because it really sets the scene for me.” Another fun challenge people face is the task of com-ing up with stage blood that will not stain the costumes, while still making the blood and executions look real. Choir teacher Nancy Anderson explained how they eventually did it: “The makeup crew made a plaster of Paris mold and built up layers of liquid latex. [Then,] with an X-acto knife, they put a slit in the outer layers [and filled it with stage blood], and the whole appliance gets glued on the actor/actress via Spirit Gum…[Then] when the dull razor slides across [said appliance], it will force the stage blood up and cause it to ooze out.” When the actress who plays Johanna, senior McKenzie

Peters, was asked what it takes to make a great show, she replied with, “Dedication to learning it and making the best of it. It has to be a group effort, because if everybody doesn’t do their part, [the musical] doesn’t come together as it should.” Co-hair crew manager junior Madison Baker couldn’t agree more, adding, “It takes a good group of people, where everyone’s willing to invest their time and effort to be fully com-mitted to whatever role they may have—crew or cast. Even if [just] one person is lacking that lev-el of commitment, it can bring everyone down.” Everyone, cast and crew, seems to be so excited to produce the show, and hopes that people will come to see and enjoy the prod-uct of their hard work. The show opens to-day, May 11, and runs May 12, 13, 18, and 19. Tickets sold at the door are seven dol-lars for students and ten dollars for adults.

don’t feel all this supposed outside pressure. Good news for the guys though! Most of the girls care more about who the boy is, rather than his level of creativity. Junior Kylie Cana-day said, “It’s a combination of both who you are and how you ask, but if the date is right how you ask isn’t as important!” So what are some of these creative ways that the guys have surprised the girls with? Well, it seems some may be hard to top; the combination of both surprise and “cuteness” has been impressive this year. There has been an array of every-thing from water balloons to homemade videos and even fortune cookies, making it seem as if there is an endless number of possibilities to display those four important letters: P-R-O-M. With all these cute surprises coming from the guys, it’s hard to believe they are the only ones behind these great ideas. The sad truth is, usually there is at least one or more people helping these guys along the way, and more than not one of these people is a girl. Senior Laken Johnson said, “It’s fun to come up with creative ideas for the guys be-cause they aren’t really capable of doing it on their own, at least not without anything go-ing wrong.” Thankfully, most girls enjoy be-ing the accomplice, whether it’s just to help out a friend, or share all the great ideas they have, at least the ideas they think they have. Prom season is one that is always antici-pated, and year after year it doesn’t fail to disappoint. The month of April may be stress-ful for some, but for others it’s all a game of waiting, and for most lets hope it is fun. With all the talk and effort put into the month or so before, let’s hope that May 5 turned out to be all that it should have been and even more!

Our first week in Thailand has exposed us to so many aspects of this neat culture. Everything from the night ba-zaars, spicy foods, and volunteer opportunities with small children have excited us, not to mention the possibilities of elephant rides, bungee jumping, and Thai cooking classes! The climate here has been a shocking experience for us both. It is absolutely beautiful, however the tempera-tures are extreme and come with humidity. The afternoon temperatures, ranging from 35-43°c (95-110°f), encour-ages us to take advantage of outdoor adventures in the mornings and evenings while we spend the majority of

¡Ven al club and eat delicious food!Ben Green

co-frontpage editor

Come get a taste of Spanish culture on Friday

¡Hola todos los estudiantes de Sheldon! Have you heard of Span-ish Club? Well, if you answered “no” you’ve been deprived of a great experience. At Spanish Club you don’t even have to speak Span-ish; you just have to be open minded to Spanish food, games, and culture. It is held every other Friday during lunch in room B-15. Spanish Club is a student-run club, with the supervi-sion of Spanish teacher Mrs. Albrich. With the help of five students: senior Angela Witty, senior Nik Ruiz Ander-son, senior Erika Phillipo, sophomore Sami Nero, and sophomore Lexus Diama, Spanish Club can run smooth-

FE

ATU

RE

S

The Irish began practice earlier this spring, poised for an exciting season under third year coach Dennis Nakata. Over three months, they have compiled an impressive re-cord in eight tournament appearances. Nakata said, “This year’s team is open to learn and improve… [They] know how to compete as a team.” In all eight events, Sheldon has finished in the top four, including five second place fin-ishes and one first place victory. Their most recent show-ing, a combined score of 322 at Eagle Point Golf Course in Medford, earned them the number two spot on the leader board and an opportunity to compete at the OSAA State Championships next Monday. Nakata continued, “We held off some good teams at districts and competed hard. Every stroke was precious and the team did a nice job of hang-ing on and giving their best until their last putt dropped.” Two key components to Sheldon’s 2012 success have been freshman Ben Wanichek and sophomore Joseph Kue-hn. Both golfers have helped propel the team to new heights while making names for themselves individually. Their coach said, “You have to face challenges and bounce back on the next swing or next hole. Both did that wonderfully this spring.” Wanichek posted his lowest score of the year last month at Eugene Country Club and claimed first place

in a field of fourteen teams. After an unassuming start, the fourteen year old sunk one eagle putt and chipped in for a second to capture his first high school victory. Wanichek said, “It felt great to come out and compete on my home course, and help the team score most importantly.” Kuehn, who also shot a personal best of 75 that day, echoed the same team mentality that has helped shape the Irish this season. “My favorite part about playing golf is the team aspect. We focus on the group rather than individual success.” He later added, “Our goal as a team is to win the state cham-pionship for the first time since 2006.” Other top contend-ers this year include seniors James Thomas and TJ Nees. When the Irish step on the course for the final time at Emerald Valley Golf Club next week, they will have a chance to accomplish something only two teams in Shel-don history have. The Irish will approach their biggest test of the season with the same mindset that has made them one of the top ten teams in Oregon. Nakata concluded, “What I ask the team is to focus only on things you con-trol…The goal is to prepare well, take care of yourself, and give it your best each time you tee it up.” If they can do that, Sheldon golf could very well bring home a coveted blue trophy, a reflection of the progress the team has made.

the hottest time indoors or near the pool. One of our favorite things so far is the night markets. The crowded atmosphere, buzzing with vendors, leads to a thrilling experience. We found our-selves drawn to the inexpensive, colorful Thai goods and the opportunity to try new foods. One of our favorite snacks is mango smoothies (oc-casionally a combo of mango and another deli-cious fruit), which we enjoy at least once a day at a cost less than 50baht (equivalent to $1.50). Another memorable experience for us was the time we were able to spend at Agape. This is home for abandoned Thai children who are, or are at risk of being HIV positive, and have no other options for care. This was an eye-opening experience to the importance of love in a child’s life and so we are already in the process of arranging further chanc-es of working in similar situations. We are both eagerly anticipating what our future here holds.

ly and be a success every time the club hosted. Spanish Club is also a way to socialize with fellow Sheldon students, and compete in various Hispanic fes-tivities that Spanish Club has to offer. Junior Halley Bouwhuis said, “My favorite part of Spanish club is hang-ing out with friends and eating food.” New faces are always welcome, and are encouraged to come to any meet-ing time that the Club has to offer. Spanish Club has been a part of Shel-don’s long list of clubs off and on for years. Spanish Club has always been a laid back way to spend the lunch pe-riod as well as passing the time with a fine group of sociable kids. Junior Ian

FE

ATU

RE

S

Meredy Darland (second from left) and Rachel Giles (right) enjoy fruit smoothies in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Don Williams photo

Holman said, “I liked it when we colored pic-tures of Las Chupacabras.” If you happen to be taking a Spanish class or have in the past, being around such an environment like this can help you hone your skills with Span-ish. Students interested in taking a Spanish class can also get a taste of what speaking Spanish is like. During the most recent Spanish Club meeting, members celebrated Cinco de Mayo, the day before the fourth of May. They celebrated by first going over the history of the occasion and then by making quesadillas. Along with Cinco de Mayo, Spanish Club also celebrates many other Hispanic holidays like Día de los Muertos, and Día de San Valentín with games, festivities, and one of the main attractions: food. Junior Alex Brandenfels said, “I really enjoyed celebrating Cinco de Mayo by making quesadillas in Spanish Club.” Even though Span-

ish Club only has a few more meetings left in the year, there is still time to go to their next meeting during lunch and enjoy your time with friends, festivities, and some Spanish foods.

Kelsey Sherman photo

The Spanish club explores spanish culture fur-ther in depth with las llamas y las piñatas.

May 11, 20126 the TalismanOpinions

Jada Allenderstaff writer

Students recognize horseback riding as a valid sport

Solan Megerssaco-news editor

Election day draws near as Americans take sides

The validity of equestrian team being a sport is questioned. Where do you stand?

AJ Smithco-backpage editor

Which hopeful will be starting quarterback of the Oregon Ducks this fall?

Obama versus Romney, who will win it all?

It seems like it was just yesterday when the fi rst African-American was elected as leader of the free world, but, in reality, it has been a long four years and now it is time to hold a new presidential election. In just six months we will decide how the next four years of our lives will pan out, so I think it’s important to start evaluating the candidates and asking the question, “Who do I want to be the President?” With the announcement that Rick Santorum was dropping out of the race, the Republican nominee will almost certainly be Mitt Romney. Romney’s agenda is one of conservatism, although he hasn’t acted so in the past. When he was the governor of Massachusetts, he enacted a state-wide healthcare bill dubbed “Romneycare,” that has many similarities to “Obamacare,” which, if elected, Romney has promised to repeal. Senior Ayantu Megerssa disagreed with his promise to repeal “Obamacare” when she said, “Obamacare is fi ne. Why would [Romney] repeal it?” The other candidate is our incumbent President - Barack Obama. In his time as president, Obama has backed a

Football, baseball, golf, horseback riding, basketball, hockey, track, and swimming – do you think any of these don’t belong? Some believe horseback riding doesn’t belong because they don’t consider it a sport. Do you think horseback riding is a sport? I defi nitely think it’s a sport, but I have met people who disagree. Before you decide, take into consideration that there are equestrian teams all over the world, including one here at Sheldon. Freshman Holly Laughlin is one of many who think

After a successful season last year, the Oregon Ducks plan to do it all again. The only issue is that their quarterback, Darron Thomas, has declared for the NFL draft and is not returning for his senior season. This creates a hole at the quarterback position, which can be fi lled by either sophomore Brian Bennett or redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota. The starter will not be named until the last week of fall camp, but the competition has already started. Some fans believe that an experienced quarterback is the better option. Bennett has a small amount of experience from last year when Thomas was injured. Junior Isaac Klump said, “Bennett looked solid during the last season’s play and he has more experience than Mariota.” Since Mariota sat out last year due to redshirting, he does lack the experience. While some fans think that the experience is good, others think that the fresh talent in Mariota is a better fi t for Oregon. The Ducks need someone who can execute the plays with the time winding down in a crucial game. If Mariota was the quarterback, then the pressure could overwhelm the redshirt freshman and cause him to make mistakes.

Since Bennett has at least had some playing experience and more time with the playbook, the sophomore can make educated plays to win the game. Junior Kevin Castenada said, “Brian Bennett is the obvious choice here. He has more experience with the playbook and has more chemistry with the players.” Although experience is good, pure talent often beats experience when head to head. During the spring game, Mariota made his case for the starting position. He carried his team to a 41-14 win over Bennett’s team, along with an 82 yard rush for a touchdown. Junior Jaden Adams said, “Mariota did awesome in the spring game.” It wasn’t that Bennett did poorly, it is just Mariota looked very promising. Adams added, “I am on the fence about the battle, since Bennett has experience, but Mariota is more talented.” The team still has the summer to make a decision, and the spring game only means so much. The opinions are out and it does not look like there is a clear-cut winner. Mariota may have an edge with the coaches due to his spectacular performance at the spring game. The more experienced Bennett still has a chance to redeem himself from a lackluster spring game with a productive summer. Whichever quarterback the Ducks take, the fi rst three games should be a piece of cake anyway. By the time the Ducks get to the fi rst conference game against Arizona, the quarterback position should be decided.

horseback riding is a sport. She expressed this by saying, “I think that anything is a sport if it requires athletic ability and has competitions, and horseback riding meets those requirements.” Like Laughlin, freshman James Stock and junior Andy Conrad think that horseback riding is a sport because, “it requires a certain skill between the horse and rider that some people don’t have.” Freshman Anna Mastrandrea also thinks horseback riding is a sport because, “you can build muscles from riding and it is good for you. And I think the only reason some people think it’s not a sport is because it involves animals and people think you just sit there and do nothing, but that’s not true.” Unlike Laughlin, Stock, Conrad and Mastrandrea, freshman Tyrique Johnson thinks, “it is not a sport because

controversial healthcare bill, ended the War in Iraq, and has tried to stabilize the economy. His current approval rating is at 50%, but that is a constantly fl uctuating number. Sophomore Calvyn Vilarino is one of the 50% who disapproves of Obama. On Obama’s chance of

getting reelected Vilarino said, “[I don’t think he’ll get reelected] because he doesn’t do anything.” Incumbents generally have a greater chance of being elected than other candidates, so I don’t think Obama should be written off as easily as that. This year’s election will have quite a few big issues. With last year’s Occupy Wall Street movement, the income inequality gap in America has been brought into the limelight. Democrats have pushed for the Buffet Rule to be passed in Congress, which is basically an extra tax on millionaires. The economy, as always, is also one of the big issues this election. When asked what he thought the biggest topic for this election will be, sophomore Jordan Dunteman answered, “the economy,” voicing similar concerns that other Americans have expressed. Gas prices have also proven to be major decision makers; when gas prices are high, the Presidents approval rating is low. This highlights the trivial attitude people take towards politics. 2012 is an exciting year for politics, and this election could prove to be a major one in American history. Hopefully, those out there who can vote will decide to participate in this year’s election, and help shape the future of America.

This year, the NBA has had many great performers competing for the MVP award. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are all front runners for the MVP award. There are also some sleepers, such as Derrick Rose and Kevin Love who could win the award as well. This NBA season has been very entertaining and this is due to the fact that the best of the best have come to play each and every night. Junior Taylor Lamb said, “Kevin Durant defi antly deserves the NBA MVP; he has been a great performer this year. I believe what makes him stand out the most is that he is an all-around player.” Lamb believes a sleeper could win the NBA MVP. He said, “Kevin Love, because I think that he is a very underrated player.” As far as what

Coveted MVP Award creates a close competitionJim Cahill

co-backpage editor

Who is to acquire the MVP title and glory?

Experience versus performance

makes a player worthy of the NBA MVP. Lamb said, “I think a player is worthy when they have lead their team to a great regular season and has great stats.” Junior Taylor Klinko said,”Defi nitely LeBron James, he is such a great player. LeBron James does so much for his team. He can score, pass, rebound and is an elite all-around player.” He also went on to compare Kevin Durant and LeBron James directly saying, “If you took away Durant’s scoring ability, he would be nothing. But if you took away LeBron’s scoring ability; he still would be a great player with passing and rebounding.” Klinko said James’ most impressive stat is, “Points per game.” The prominent candidate for the award is LeBron James and many students believe he will win, including junior Keegan Taylor, who said, “LeBron James, he plays for the best team in the NBA and is the best player in the NBA, hands down.” Keegan went on to say, “He is defi antly worthy of the MVP award; he has played at a high level of

play all year long.”As to who has a chance to win who is not being talked about. Keegan replied, “Kevin Love, he is a great example of a hard worker.” In conclusion, the NBA season has been extremely entertaining. The league has many great performers this year. Personally, I think LeBron James will win the 2012-13 NBA MVP to add another trophy to his collection. I believe Kevin Durant will come in second; he has been a great player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Finally, the NBA playoffs have started great and will hopefully continue to thrive.

Talisman StaffChasity BarnesDrew HaugenChasity BarnesBen GreenSolan MegerssaKyle RadleyShyanne ChurchSam GreenJackson DarlandKelsey ShermanVanessa HendricksCya SilvaDrew HaugenSam SenoJim CahillAJ SmithTim Alley

Ryan LandDylan lewisJoel MontoyaEmily PierpointKyle SchmelingCatrina StecklerTony TokatlyChrissy WalterGreg Cantwell

Editor-in-Chiefs

Frontpage Editors

News Editors

Entertainment EditorsFeatures Editors

Opinions Editor

Sports Editors

Backpage Editors

Copy Editor Staff WritersJada AllenderKatie BrelsfordDanielle ClarkLauren DaviesNick DunphyJenny ForrestRoman HernandezNathan KlumpStaff Advisor

it’s not on TV.” What Johnson obviously doesn’t realize, is that it is on TV. For example, CBS Sports showed an Equestrian event April 29. Similarly to Johnson, freshman Brian Brancato said, “I don’t think horseback riding is a sport because it doesn’t involve a ball.” Obviously Brancato doesn’t think track or swimming are sports, which defi nitely are. Also, freshman Griffi n Wilson doesn’t think horseback riding is a sport because “it is not in the Olympics.” Well, does that mean that football isn’t a sport? Because football is defi nitely a sport. As you can see, the majority of people who don’t think horseback riding is a sport have invalid arguments. After

interviewing numerous people, I have decided that I was right; horseback riding is a sport.

Cya Silva illustration

A message from the TalismanThe Talisman is run by students for students. The views expressed in the Talisman are not necessarily those of the Talisman staff, those of Sheldon High School, or those of the Sheldon community. If you have any letters to the edi-tor, please e-mail the Talisman at shstalisman@gmail.com, or drop a letter in our box located in the offi ce. We kindly

reserve the right to edit all stories we print.

May 11, 2012 7the Talisman Sports

Sheldon track battles state’s best at HaywardIrish competitors represent Sheldon in Oregon’s most renowned meet

Sam Senoco-sports editor

Indianapolis Colts get Luck of the draw on draft dayTop picks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin headline 2012 NFL draft class

Nathan Klumpstaff writer

Three weeks ago on April, 26, 27 and 28, hundreds of college athletes waited to hear where their future careers as NFL players would begin. The Indianapolis Colts chose Stanford’s Andrew Luck as the number one pick of the 2012 NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts and the Redskins both had great picks, choosing two quarterbacks who both have a uniquely diverse set of skills. Now the entire nation waits to see how each and every one of these prospects will do with

their exciting new opportunity. This draft was significant with some very shocking decisions and surprising choices. After interviewing multiple people it seemed that Andrew Luck was the obvious first pick and surprised nobody. Sophomore Nigel Mckinnon said, “I think Andrew Luck was definitely the right decision for the Colts because he is a great player with a good work ethic.” Analysts say that Andrew Luck is the pick of the decade because of his pro-style play, ability to call plays, and read the defense. Although he doesn’t possess the athletic ability of Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, he still has all of the necessary skills to be a great pocket passer. Henry Fowler said, “I’m happy Robert Griffin III went to the Redskins.” Many people were excited for the draft with high hopes for the Oregon Duck players and their chances for being selected. When asked about LaMicheal James, junior

Emily Stringfield said, “I think he will be picked in the 2nd round.” Others waited to hear how Darron Thomas would do in the draft with a slightly different attitude. When asked before the draft happened, junior Keegan Taylor said, “I think Darron Thomas will go in like the last round.” Darron Thomas was not even picked up in the draft after making his decision to leave the Ducks for the NFL Draft. Although it seems like a few of the teams such as the Colts, Redskins and Browns got the best picks, we won’t find out until next season who really chose correctly. Every season there are a few no-name rookies who defy the odds and make analysis look like fools. That’s the beauty of the NFL draft, it all comes down to how much work the players are willing to put in and how well they adapt to the big stage. NFL fans can’t wait for the new season with so many young talented players entering the league.

QB Tim Tebow takes center stage in New York CityFormer Denver superstar looks to bring talent and leadership to Jets

Katie Brelsfordstaff writer

Professional quarterback Tim Tebow has become a national phenomenon over the course of his football career. He began his playing days at Nease High School right outside of Jacksonville, Florida, making plays on the gridiron while being homeschooled by his family. After high school Tebow was projected as the country’s top recruit, and joined the Florida Gators where he would become a national icon. Tebow lead the team to two national championships in 2006 and 2008, won the Heisman in 2007, and went on to be drafted 25th overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2010 NFL Draft. After the Broncos turned around their season and finished with a winning record, they picked up future hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning, and left Tebow without a job.

Tebow was signed by the New York Jets this off-season, and looks to make an impact in the Big Apple this fall. The majority of people are skeptical that Tebow will start over three year quarterback Mark Sanchez, but not junior Cooper Stiles. Stiles said, “I think if he works hard enough and really puts his mind to it, he can do it. After all, he is Tim Tebow.” Statistics show that quarterbacks will have to get used to the team before actually clicking and becoming a threat to others, Stiles added, “An appearance at the 2013 Super Bowl is very unlikely because it’s a new team for Tebow, he will have to get adjusted, and make relationships with players before things start flowing.” Throughout Tebow’s career he has built up a strong fan-base by his work ethic, strong faith, and talent on the field. One of those fans, senior Tyler Osborne said, “I am the biggest Tim Tebow fan. Is there any other way?” Up from Tim Tebow’s freshman year in college Osborne has followed Tebow. “I saw his biography on ESPN and he just grew on me even more. Especially the past year with Denver, he really turned things around for them!” If you think Osborne is a huge Tebow fan, get to know junior Ashley Land. She

stated, “I tend to find myself thinking about Tim Tebow often. He has so many great qualities and he is an athlete.”In an early prediction for next season’s outcome,

Osborne stated that, “[The Broncos will] probably go 10-6 maybe 9-7, definitely go to the playoffs, but not far. They have some capable players but a team needs to be strong as a whole to be the Super Bowl Champions. Many people are skeptical about Tebow leaving the Broncos, especially Land, who said, “I am very upset that he is going to New York, Denver is way closer to me.” There are many of females who are simply in love with Tim Tebow and many males who want to be him. Land said, “I definitely idolize him, for many reasons other than football.” What Tebow lacks in statistics, he makes up for in heart and leadership, especially in clutch moments. Tebow will join the Jets this offseason and hopes to

bring new life into an up-and-coming franchise. Through his hard work and dedication he will undoubtedly make a large impact on the field and in the locker room. Fans and teammates alike look forward to seeing number fifteen lead his new team to new heights this year.

Masters playoff provides unforgettable conclusionBubba Watson claims first green jacket following emotional win at Augusta

Tony Tokatlystaff writer

Each year in April, the best golfers in the world gather at Augusta National to participate in the most historic golfing tournament on the tour. With its vibrant colors, clean cut greens, and a great atmosphere, the Masters has become one of sport’s greatest venues. This year, professional golfer Bubba Watson won the event after going head to head in a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa. Bubba Watson made history by becoming only the third left handed golfer to win the Masters and moved himself into fourth place in the world rankings. With incredible shots and an enthusiastic southern crowd, Bubba was able to pull through in the playoffs to capture his first ever Masters victory. Bubba Watson, a 33-year-old from Bagdad, Florida,

captured his fourth win in his career and put his name into the history books with his Masters win. Louis Oosthuizen made one clutch putt after another on the back nine to set himself up for a chance to tie on the final hole. From four feet away, Louis nailed the putt that sent him and Bubba into a thrilling playoff. Regarding Louis’ putt on the 18th hole, junior Connor Strahm said, “It was crazy. Although Tiger Woods wasn’t in the final like I was hoping, it was still exciting to watch.” On the final day of the tournament, Watson and Oosthuizen found themselves tied at 10 under par after 18 holes. With the sun beginning to set on Augusta, the two golfers got ready to go head to head in a playoff. They played the 18th hole over again and both had shots at birdies but missed. Next up was the 10th hole. After Bubba hit his drive that went way right into the trees, there was little hope left for the golfer who had come so far. But right after Bubba hit his bad drive, Oosthuizen also hit a bad shot that added to the commotion. While Watson and his caddie Ted Scott approached his second shot of the hole, they recalled their

credo – “If I have a swing, I’ve got a shot.” Talking about the final hole, junior Spencer Clark said, “I thought Bubba had no chance. With how far he was into the trees and the angle that he was at; talk about an impossible shot.” The rarest shot in golf can happen when Bubba Watson has a golf club in his hands. Bubba was faced with the shot of his life that seemed nearly impossible. With fans and spectators crowding around him, giving him barely enough room to shoot deep in the woods, Bubba took the shot. Launching the ball high out of the trees the crowd began to roar and erupted when the ball landed perfectly on the green. “I can’t believe he made that shot. I remember watching it and saying ‘Oh yeah!’,” said junior Ben Olsson. Watson went on to win the hole along with the Masters championship and the coveted green jacket. When Bubba made his last shot to seal the deal, his family came onto the green to congratulate him. Bubba was embraced by all of them with tears of joy running down his face. It was a great moment for Bubba Watson, and a great moment for golf that capped off a weekend full of excitement at Augusta National.

Every year hundreds of runners from across the United States meet at Hayward Field to battle it out on one of the most historic tracks. The Oregon Relays brings together runners of many ages, from some of the nation’s top high school athletes to some very talented college and professional runners. The Oregon Relays is the pinnacle of high school track meets in the Northwest. It is very difficult to get accepted to compete at the Oregon Relays but a few select Sheldon track and field athletes go the privilege to battle it out with some of the nations best. This year alone the Oregon Relays attracted runners from Washington, California, Idaho, Alaska, Canada, and North Carolina. One of the most anticipated races of the weekend was the men’s 100m dash, because it was Thomas Tyner’s. Tyner is last year’s state 100m champion and the fastest high school runner in the history of Oregon. To the disappointment of many fans the race did not pan out as many expected as Tyner went down

with 50m to go. Tyner tripped and proceeded to attempt to regain his balance before going down hard on his right knee. Sophomore Issai Yamamota said, “It must be very disappointing to go down in one of the biggest meets of the year.” Sheldon had two men in the 100m on Saturday: junior Troy Grove running 11.52, and sophomore Mitch Horning finished second in his heat in 11.27. Another high profile race was the men’s 3000m. It consisted of many of the top distance runners from across the West Coast. Beaverton junior Dan Oekermen went on to win the race with a time of 8:39, the fastest time in the state of Oregon this year. (Oekermon has the fastest time in the nation this year in the 3000m.). Also in the race, junior Jackson Darland posted the seventh fastest time in 6A this year. Also in the same race sophomore Ben Harter ran a time which has him as the 3rd fastest sophomore in the state of Oregon. On the girls side of the 3000m, junior Maggie Schmeadick placed second and posted the fastest 3000m time in 6A this year, just one second ahead of South Eugene’s Erin Clark. Senior Kelsi Kotter ran the 20th fastest time in 6A this year. Sheldon entered three relay teams to compete, a guys distance medley (junior Kyle Radley, junior Alex Johnston, senior Jackson Fletcher, sophomore TJ Wright) which raced in the elite race. The girls sprint medley relay

(sophomore Danielle Girard, junior Hannah Leatham, junior Katelyn Rasmussen, freshman Geneva Lehert) placed 4th in their heat. Sheldon also had a mens 4 by 100 (junior Troy Grove, senior Darby Wright, freshman James Stock, sophomore Mitch Horning) that took 12thoverall. Along with competing in the relay events, Leatham and Lehert competed in the high jump, placing 9th (Leatham) and 15th (Leahert). Along with running in the 4 by 100 and the 100m sophomore Mitch Horning also ran in the 200m in 23.38. On the throwing side of the meet senior Jacob Foutz placed 2nd in the discus (52.01m) and 5th in the shot put (16.38m). Senior Nic Rae took 8th in the shot put, and 5th in the discus, while sophomore Tanner Davies placed 5th in the hammer and 15th in the discus. Junior Henry Asay took 18th in the shot put. In the javelin, freshman Taylor Tharp placed 8th with senior Luke Allender right behind him in 9th. On the girls side of throwing senior Ali Wick placed 14th in the discus, while senior Ami Wick placed 5th in the shot put. Both competed in the hammer, Ali took 6th and Ami placed 5th. Thanks to some very good performances Sheldon was able to place very high in the team rankings. Freshman James Stock said, “Our team did great placing 7th out of 85 teams.” This year’s Oregon relays were very successful for Sheldon and hopefully that success can carry on through the rest of the year.

BackpageFaceoff: Cartoon Network vs. Nickelodeon

I sat and listened to my little sister complain because she did not want to eat frozen yogurt. She was much more into ice cream because she liked the name, and apparently the taste, more then frozen yogurt. This got me thinking, what is the difference between the two frozen delights? I decided to go on a magical journey to discover the answer to this awesome and very intellectual question. Frozen yogurt is made in much the same way as ice cream, and it can be made at home in an ice cream maker. Yogurt replaces the cream of ice cream, but otherwise, similar ingredients are used. Sphomore kylene medenbache said,” I Like frozen yogurt better, because it tastes good in my mouth.” A great deal of

Which childhood television channel do you prefer?

Kyler Schmelingstaff writer

Ryan Landstaff writer

Dylan Lewisstaff writer

Deedee! Get out of my labooooratoory! It’s on again! Me vs. Ryan, but this time it’s a serious subject, and it is time for business. This time it’s Nickelodeon vs. Cartoon Net-work. You may think that Nick has the edge. What people don’t think of is all of the classic cartoons on Cartoon Network. Tom and Jerry could take down Ryan and Nickelodeon on its own. Ryan may think that Nickelodeon has an edge just because of SpongeBob, but that’s his only argument. I could argue at least three shows that are right up there with SpongeBob. First you’ve got The Looney Toons, which in my opinion is the best cartoon ever made. If your not very familiar with that show just know that it includes classic characters like: Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe le Pew, and Porky the Pig. That’s a hard list to compete with and freshman Austin Tharp agrees saying; “I like Cartoon Network better because it’s less annoying and I grew up watching it.” Evan Lytle just approached me after Ryan interviewed him just to tell me Cartoon Network is better. Ryan’s trusting sources are already turning against him. Cartoon Network isn’t just for little kids T.V. shows. It’s even for teens and adults! Cartoon Network has “adult swim” which has shows like King of the Hill, American Dad, and even Family Guy. Now you might argue that Nickelodeon has a late night program and that most adult swim shoes are incredibly weird, but I don’t think it’s as weird as Big Time Rush, Naked Brothers Band, or True Jackson V.P. Junior Mitch Lewis agrees saying, “Yeah, the only good show Nick has now is Sponge-Bob, when you think Cartoon Network you think Looney Toons and all the classics.” This may be one of me and Ryan’s clos-est arguments. Ben Plank stated that he liked Nickelodeon better, but all I had to do was just give Ben a friendly reminder of Cartoon Networks shows and Ben replied, “Oh yeah Dexter’s Laboratory it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Think back to the 90s. Think of waking up in the summer mornings to the brightness of a sunny day, the savory smell of bacon, and the serenading sounds of your favorite TV show. If I had to guess, I would say that that TV show was none other than Spongebob Squarepants. Many of my childhood memories, along with a plethora of other people’s childhood memories, consist of watching Nickel-odeon consistently as a child. The amazing part is that high schoolers are still entertained by the amaz-ing shows that Nickelodeon provides. I can’t say the same for Cartoon Network. Most of the students around Sheldon still watch Nickelodeon from time to time or on a more con-sistent basis. Junior Evan Lytle said, “I still watch Spongebob every day. One of my friends from another school, who is a senior, watches every show on Nickelodeon consistently.” Dylan may say that Evan thinks Cartoon Network is better, but Evan personally told me he just wanted to make Dylan feel better about his article. With shows like Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, Rocket Power, Penguins of Madagascar, Hey Ar-nold, and iCarly, I don’t blame any high schoolers for watching the channel regularly. Cartoon Net-work may have some good shows, but the “Adult Swim” portion of the channel is extremely weird. There are some very strange shows that I choose to not share with you, in fear that you would look those shows up. Nickelodeon, on the other hand, features “Nick at Night” which consists of The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which are great shows that are also family friendly. One of the biggest kids in the school, junior Mike Ralston, admits that he misses watching Nickel-odeon. Ralston said, “I miss Nickelodeon, especially the show Rocket Power. I hope that when I have kids they watch Nickelodeon because then I would have an excuse to watch it again.” It’s tough to go against those passionate words. I highly doubt that anyone can feel that same passion for Cartoon Net-work. With shows like Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, it’s hard to feel passionate towards Cartoon Network. Nickelodeon brings out the inner child in all of us through its fantastic shows, Cartoon Network brings out the inner deviant in those who watch it.

Which do you think is superior?

Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream. Who wins in a head-to-head battle?

Lottery Winners

sugar is usually added like in ice cream, which makes frozen yogurt, although good, not as healthy as regular yogurt. There are also more differences between the 2 frozen delights, such as there being half the fat in frozen yogurt then in ice cream. Sophomore Blake Schaufl er said “I think its cool that frozen yogurt has half the fat as ice cream.” Frozen yogurt blends yogurt with an ice cream base of milk, cream and sweetener. The resulting dessert is sweet and tangy, cold and creamy. If frozen yogurt is made with live bacteria it helps with your digestion. By United States Department of Agriculture standards, a food labeled “ice cream” should have at least 20 percent milk solids and 10 percent milk fat by weight. Premium brands are fattier, typically 14 to 18 percent. Both milk and cream are used. Sweeteners account for another 15 percent or so. I asked sophomore kean sumerfi eld what he thought about the USDA’s standards of

ice cream he said,”Well don’t they have fat free ice cream?” There are a lot of differences between the frozen deserts. There are even more deserts that are similar to ice cream. Such as custard, which is basically ice cream with egg, and gelato, ice cream with less cream and more intense fl avors.

Imagine having access to a large amount of money, being able to travel the world, buy any-thing you wanted, or even being able to buy a spaceship. Well, maybe not, but winning the lottery can get you any of those things if not all of them. Where would you live? Where would you travel? What would you do with the winnings? The fi nal and lucky winners from last month’s historically large $656 million Mega Millions lottery draw have fi nally stepped forward in Illinois. The Irish-Amer-icans Merle and Patricia Butler are a retired couple from Red Bud, Illinois. Coming forward publicly is mandated by the Illinois Lottery, partly to prove that the payouts occur. After they realized they had won the jackpot, the Butlers chose to only tell fewer than fi ve people, all of whom are close family or friends. The fellow citizens of Red Bud, Illinois, were thrilled and excited to see that it was a local who claimed the prize, rather than someone who was passing through town which many unfortunately have, due to the fact that the population of Red Bud is a mere 3,698. Sophomore Jacob Grassauer said, “Winning the lottery would mean a lot. I can’t see how it wouldn’t be one of the most memorable moments in anyone’s life.” Gras-sauer later added, “Merle and Pat Butler should go on vacation and travel the world, and maybe even give some money to charities or foundations in there own town.” After being asked if he would feel that people are getting closer to him for the Mega Millions jackpot Grassauer said, “It wouldn’t necessarily change my point of view on people but you can’t ignore the fact that they could be getting closer to you just for your money.”

Some winners have been an-nounced! See who they are!

Junior Dylan Lewis (Top) and senior Ryan Land (Bottom) continue to prove their points on the better children’s television channel.

Drew Haugen photo

Eugene EyewearWe Have the Latest Fashions in Eyewear

*Gucci *Versace *Juicy Couture *Christian Dior *Dolce & Gabbana *Giorgio Armani *BCBG *Vera Wang *Candies Prada *DKNY *Coach *Nine West *Ray Ban *Kate SpadeWe Bill Most Insurances including: Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Pacifi c Source, VSP, Eyemed, Providence, North West Benefi ts, ODS, OEA Choice, and many more.Dr. Steve Jung, Optometrist207 Coburg Road, Suite 105Eugene, OR 97401Ph:541-388-4844 M-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-3Located next to TJ Maxx and Quiznos

Joel Montoyastaff writer