Up and down
The sun comes out Suddenly it all seems less quaint Much more to explore Incandescent Here to stay Coming and going Up and down My mind going to and fro Beams of light kiss my skin I am engulfed This salubrious moment Continuing Beyond hardship Moving forward Even if thoughts are backwards Feelings are surely stature Flowing with the breeze Greenery soothes my mind And it’s all okay again, Momentarily, Forever.
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Student Council Notes: Balancing Funds and Community Spirit
At the November Student Council meeting, Casa Musica secured $200 for an accompanist, while Robotics, aiming for $500, had their motion tabled due to budget constraints. In other updates, winter events, like the December pep assembly, will focus on community building, featuring engaging activities and rising participation in the talent show auditions. Efforts to boost meeting attendance were discussed, including roll call voting, while upcoming events like the Secret Snowman gift exchange and the successful Senior Flag Football reflected the school's vibrant spirit. The Student Council remains committed to supporting diverse student interests while fostering a unified school community, a sentiment echoed in their dedication and collaborative approach in these meetings. About the RaceThere is less than one year to go before the 2024 Presidential Election. Some argue that it could be the most influential election of the century. The winner will have the power to change America’s future. The two big parties, the Republicans and Democrats, have already started turning the gears of the campaigning process. Current President Joe Biden looks like the most likely Democratic Nominee. But on the right side, a fray of candidates have thrown themselves into the GOP primary race, hoping to win the hearts and minds of voters. This is important, as only 40% of Americans approve of Biden’s presidency. This gives a republican candidate a chance to take back the white house. But it is not an easy process. The Republican party has to choose one individual, to represent and lead their party into what could be the most tumultuous election ever. As voting for these candidates begins in some states, let’s look at the top candidates and where they stand.
Donald TrumpHe may easily be one of the most famous people alive in the US today. His potential involvement in the historic January 6th Riot and having 4 separate indictments, which no past president has ever had, has vaulted him to the top of American political coverage. But despite this, it hasn’t stopped republican voters from backing the former president, who promises to “Make America Great Again.” His base extends far and deep into the Republican bloc, as more than half of the Republican base supports him. His goal: is to lead our country back to Safety, Prosperity, and Peace. Trump’s extremist views on key republican issues have many Democrats worried. His loud rhetoric on “Crooked Joe Biden” has had many Republicans cheering his name. Trump’s stronghold on the republican party has never been more powerful, with even some people claiming that they’d sacrifice their lives for Trump. But not all Republicans like Trump. There’s a small group of Republicans that could manage to strip the former president of his power and glory. Nikki HaleyBesides Trump, Nikki Haley is the only other candidate who has seen a boost in support. Nikki Haley has proven herself to be a formidable adversary and a strong leader. An Indian American and the only woman in the primary field, she has set herself apart from other candidates. But only polling around 15%, she has a long way to go to overtake Donald Trump. But her support is growing and gaining momentum. With solid debate performances under her belt, many Republicans have been expressing interest in her campaign. Her past experiences in the UN have given her a strong background in dealing with foreign affairs and her unique stance on abortion has appealed to many voters who don’t want Trump. Despite being behind the front-runner, Trump, she has refrained from directly criticizing him. Her background has appealed to many voters, especially women. Ron DesantisOnce thought to be a potential challenger to Trump, Ron Desantis is slowly falling into the shadows. The Florida Governor has been trying to sell himself as a more modern version of Trump without the Trump drama. Unfortunately, his campaign has had a few stumbles as it tries to sway voters back to him. While his landslide win in the 2022 Florida governor’s race showed that he could get the job done, the chances of winning the nomination seem to be diminishing. Donors have been turning towards Nikki Haley. In his time as governor, he has signed controversial bills involving people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Desantis has been part of Trump’s jokes, such as Trump referring to him as “Desanctimonius”. But Desantis could win if he can break the barrier between him and the voters. Vivek Ramaswamy And there’s Vivek, the newcomer to the political world. Like Trump in 2016, Vivek hasn’t held a political office before his candidacy. Out of the candidates, Vivek is the youngest. He claims that he is the next generation of leaders. He’s running with an anti-woke focus and has advocated for more radical measures. Other candidates have shown their disapproval of the 38-year-old, with Haley being the most vocal. His cocky attitude has drawn voters in but has also caused some to leave. His policies mirror Trump and have even praised the former president. As president, he has promised to eradicate several federal agencies, including the Department of Education, build a wall on the US borders of Mexico and Canada, and end Ukrainian support. He also claims that the climate agenda is a hoax and it is the biggest threat to our country. On December 8th and 9th, our city has its very own community Nutcracker performance! The ballet The Nutcracker follows a young girl, Clara, who gets a Nutcracker for Christmas and embarks on an epic trip to the Land of Sweets. A few CV Raiders are in it as well, including Nicole Emry, Laurel Muhly, Clara Roberts, Lucy Van Tress, William Van Tress, Linnea Miller, Kate Hendricks, Cordelia Pryor, Sophia Neff, Isabelle Lei, and Brielle Barlow. This year’s performance is around the 30th anniversary of the Regional School of Ballet’s original performance of the Nutcracker! The origins of The Nutcracker date back to its premier in St. Petersburg in 1892. Czar Alexander III requested it to be performed and choreographed by Marius Pepita and Lev Ivanov. The story of the Nutcracker came from Alexandre Dumas’ interpretation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffman. Piotr Tchaikovsky designed the music for this performance and it can often be heard on radio stations in the winter, in movies, and even in video games!
“We are the Baker Street Irregulars, and the game is always afoot!”
The words echoed from the stage and seemed to linger even after the cast had taken their bows and the audience had returned to the monotony of daily life. For the students, parents, staff, and wider Corvallis community, Sherlock Holmes: the Baker Street Irregulars certainly left an impression, showcasing not only a whimsical story of adventure and found family but also the capabilities of the talented cast and crew. The play followed Wiggins, an inquisitive street urchin, and his band of London outcasts following the disappearance of Sherlock Holmes. The group quickly found themselves embroiled in all manner of adventures from the mysterious disappearance of one Richard Mayhew, to an exciting chase through a train, to a climactic battle atop a roaring waterfall. Watching this show showed me what CV (and CHS) are capable of theatrically. Not only were the cast enthusiastic and talented, but several scene changes and special effects made it clear that the crew knew what they were doing. Overall, congratulations to all those involved in Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars for leaving everything on that stage and proving that for us Raiders, the game is always af It is impossible to ignore the energy surrounding the winter holidays. Homes and businesses are covered in bright lights, the radio playing holiday songs, and an increased emphasis on giving. Wintertime is often the time of year when many charitable organizations reach out to possible donors who wish to be a part of the season of giving. Many of these organizations rely on December donations to operate for the rest of the year. Those looking to donate should be careful though, and make sure that the charity they wish to support matches their values and is using donations responsibly.
There are many ways to check whether or not a charity is trustworthy before you hit that donate button. The first way is to look at the website of the charity you wish to donate to. Look up the charity in a browser, and be careful not to follow links emailed to you if you do not recognize the charity. Many legitimate charities use calls and emails as a way to reach out to potential donors, but they will always be easy to find by searching for the charity on the internet, and they will still be there even after you hang up. Usually, the ‘about us’ page on the charity’s website will provide information about when the charity was founded, what its goals and values are, and their impact on the people they are trying to help. You can also check for blog postings on their website detailing recent actions by the charity. If anything seems off or you're not sure about the charity’s impact, it might be a good idea to check a charity review website or the IRS Tax Exempt Organization database. Several organizations keep track of charitable organizations and some even provide reviews of the charity. There are several local charities to consider if you want to donate something with a more localized impact. If you are interested in local wildlife and community education, consider donating to the Chintimini Wildlife Center. If you want to support those in poverty in a way specific to the season, look for a Vina Moses Center Giving Tree (like the one in the Senior hallway!), where you can donate Christmas gifts for families in need. If you would like to donate to support refugees in our community, consider checking out Corvallis for Refugees! There are so many ways to help people in need this holiday season, as long as you pay attention to who you are donating to. Give wisely! June of 2022 marks a date that all college football fans, nationwide, will remember. It was the month that two colleges, USC and UCLA, announced they would be leaving the Pac-12, to join the Big Ten, starting in the 24-25 season.
George Kliavkoff, the Pac-12 commissioner, planned to use finances as a bargaining chip to keep UCLA within the alliance. However, UCLA was supposed to make $62 million a year from the Big Ten’s new mega-media rights deal, about double what they would receive from the Pac-12 during the 2024 season. In exchange, the team would have to travel a lot, as most games would be in other states. Travel expenses for UCLA would add up to $10 million a year. If the Pac-12 could somehow match the $62 million UCLA was expected to get from their new deal, they might have a chance of staying together. This would mean paying UCLA significantly more than the other Pac-12 colleges. University of Oregon interim president Patrick Phillips vehemently opposed this idea, saying that he’d “never have the Ducks in a conference where they have to take less money than UCLA.” This effectively killed Kliavkoff’s proposal. This shift represents a major shift in the priorities of colleges. Flying athletes across the country every week would be detrimental to their academics. In addition, it alienates fans who would be unable to watch most games. Colleges are only doing this for one reason: money. Fans and faculty alike are outraged. One OSU professor, who wished to remain anonymous, feels strongly about this. “I think it’s a shame that these sports programs are forgetting why these students are in college.” Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah later left to join colleges like UCLA and USC and other leaving teams to play in the Big 12 for the 24-25 season. The Pac-12 is currently the Pac-2, with only Washington State and Oregon State University (OSU) remaining. What remained of the PAC-2 was furious. On September 9, 2023, WSU and OSU filed a complaint against the ten departing schools. They claimed that each of their announcements qualified as grounds to remove their voting power. The lawsuit claims that this precedent was set when the first two departing colleges (USC and UCLA) lost voting power after their announcements in 2022. WSU and OSU claim that the other eight schools should have lost their voting power too. Surprisingly, the Pac-2 is predicted to be a conference for the 2024-25 season. Although, there perhaps aren’t many other options for WSU and OSU. There are murmurs of a Pac-5, but nothing yet… Whenever there’s cold,
whenever there’s rain, I can’t help myself, I just stay. Doesn’t matter who talks, Doesn’t matter who yells, I’m not getting up till my story has been unveiled. From the beautiful setting, to the way it sounds, I cannot, may not put this book down. When there is rain, there’s nothing better than to read till my eyes close down. Good Girls Die First Kathryn Foxfield - “Eight o’clock. Portgrave Pier. Can you keep a secret?” So reads the mysterious invitation that summons Ava to an abandoned amusement park at dusk - but why? Soon she encounters nine other people, all of whom she is acquainted with, who have been brought to the pier by a similar invitation. Over a night of mind games, deception, and murder, Ava realizes that each of the ten has come to keep a part of their dastardly history hidden… Can she truly trust the people she thought she knew, and how far is she willing to go to survive until morning? Kathryn Foxfield spins an enchanting yarn wrought with dark magic and characters whose faults, fears, and flaws bring them bewitchingly to life. Described as “Stephen King-esque” by The Irish Times, Foxfield’s book is packed with intrigue and makes the supernatural seem just a little more real.
The Prestige Christopher Priest - Andrew Westley is a reporter for the Chronicle, but when he receives a personal request that he should cover a particular story, he comes face to face with the past that he has never cared to investigate. He uncovers the odd circumstances of his heritage, as well as the fraudulent history of his predecessors: two old rivals, two versions of history, one dangerous theatrical apparatus. We follow the parallel accounts of the two magicians’ feud and the tangled web of their legacy, as their descendants attempt to unravel the puzzle left to them. Christopher Priest’s The Prestige challenges the reader to think between the lines: not everything is as it seems - the trick you see performed on stage is not actually a miracle. “A dizzying magic show of a novel… A brilliantly constructed entertainment!” as described by The Washington Post, Priest’s World Fantasy Award-winning novel is “smoothly diabolical” - and not one to miss. Cemetery Boys Aiden Thomas - Yadriel’s family has always had trouble accepting him as a transgender man, and the strict gender roles that his relatives adhere to don’t help. Neither does the fact that Yadriel’s family has the ability to wield the magic of the dead: brujas use their powers to heal the living, while brujos have the ability to summon the dead and help them find peace on the other side. Eager to prove that he is a brujo to everyone including himself, Yadriel decides to perform the ritual of summoning and releasing a spirit unaided - a rite of passage which only brujos are capable of. However, Yadriel’s lack of experience and instruction cause something to go wrong: while he is successful in summoning a ghost, he summons the wrong one - who has he summoned and what other dark forces are at work? Aiden Thomas follows Yadriel’s journey as he delves into the spirit’s past and tries to set things right. As said by TeenVogue.com, “the novel perfectly balances the vibrant, energetic Latinx culture while delving into heavy topics like LGBTQ+ acceptance, deportation, colonization, and racism” and for fans of paranormal romances, Thomas’s story will be utterly captivating. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Benjamin Alire Sáenz - Aristotle feels that he could not be more different from Dante, whose open and unique perspective on life contrasts so starkly with his own. Ari feels that this confident, self-assured boy could never consider him a friend - against all odds, when the two boys meet one hot summer day, they form a stronger relationship than Ari has had with anyone in a long time. He is challenged and baffled by his friendship with Dante as it takes the two of them out of their comfort zones and down their illuminating paths of self-discovery. Sáenz’s novel is profound and introspective, while being narrated from a fifteen-year-old’s point of view. This book will connect with freshmen and seniors alike and wrap them up in the lives of Aristotle and Dante, two young boys struggling with their identities as Mexican Americans in 1987 Texas. The book is the winner of several awards for literary merit and diverse representation - described as a “lyrical novel about family and friendship” by Gissellereads, this heartfelt story is sure to take readers’ breath away. Swimming: The CV Raider swim team kicks off the season with new coach Mackenzie Settelmeyer! Athletes report positively about her and feel hopeful as they prepare for the upcoming season. Both the boys and girls teams aim to reclaim previously held district and state titles. Their meet schedule is as follows. Basketball: The wildly successful girl’s basketball team is hoping to get another shot at the Championship game this season after making the championship game the last two years. The Raiders are a relatively young team, returning only two seniors. One of which, Charlotte Patel, has committed to play basketball at Pomona College. Despite a tough start to the season, the boy's basketball team would like to turn it around and gain momentum. Last year the boy's team put on a show at the playoffs. Coming in ranked as the 15th seed the Raiders ended up bringing home a third-place trophy. Although CV has lost many key seniors there is no doubt they are always a contender come playoff time.
Wrestling: CV wrestling has a new coach this year in Jackson Gillet. Historically the Raiders Wrestling program has had incredible success in recent years with multiple 4x State champions as well as multiple team titles. While the team has lost star seniors Daschle Lamer, DJ Gillet, and Ben Hartman, participation is growing going into the first meet. |
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