Ashland, Oregon www.roguenews.net Vol. III Issue IV

January 8, 2009

Photos, from left to right: Zach Miller, Maggie Witt and Emily Curty singing in Choir. Dylan Minor working in woodshop. Art, from top down by Sophia Borgias, Emma Harding, Kylie Peterman, Tess McWhorter and Sam Boenke.

The FIRST Robotics competition has of-ficially started! The team returned from the kickoff in Oregon City on Jan 3, where they received their kit of parts and information on this year’s game “Lunacy”. The team is still looking for members to help design and build the robot, which will maneuver in a low-friction environment while pulling a trailer and attempt to score

• points by launching cells into the oppos-ing teams’ trailers. To find out more, visit usfirst.org, or to help out with the team, contact Team Captain Max Parker-Shames at max.parkershames@gmail.com.

The school district’s entire e-mail system was completely erased on December 17, 2008. All e-mails and contacts were de-

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stroyed. The district is currently working on getting the system restored.

Check out the top stories on Rogunews.net: “AIDS dance a success” by Sierra Kistler and “Zooming in on video pro-duction” by Emily Greenblatt.

The short story and poetry contest that was scheduled to be published this issue will be published in Febru-ary.

Scavenger Hunt began Jan 7. Help out the team by looking up the clues at <http://www.sou.edu/youth/competitions/scaven-ger_hs.html>, but be sure to do it before Friday, Jan 9!

Mock Trial is underway. This year’s case is about a student ath-lete who died becuase of steroid use. His father is now suing his son’s coach and the school. To participate, contact Bill Street in the AHS library.

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This issue of the Rogue News is dedicated to the arts, cen-tering on the Winter Fine Arts Festival. Nearly every page is dedicated in one way or another to the arts, whether its drama or fiberarts, painting or photos. The Ashland High School Winter Fine Arts Festival (WFAF) is an annual celebration of the school’s talented art-ists. This years’ event takes place at 7 p.m. on January 13 and 14 at the Mountain Avenue Theater. It is a collaboration of perform-ing and visual arts, com-bining live performances of choir, drama and music with an art show featuring painting, photography and other forms of visual art. The Festival is con-ducted by the Ashland High Arts Advocates (AHAA), an organization of parents, faculty, alumni and community members. The event has been held since 1994. The proceeds go towards funding AHS art programs and sum-mer scholarships for art students. “This is the one time each year when family and community support-ers of the arts at the high school can experience the rich and varied showcase that AHS students and faculty have been creating,” Former AHAA President Heidi Gottleib said. “The event is especially important this year,” current AHAA President DW Wood said. “With the economic downturn and the school’s budget crisis, it’s more important for people to step up and support the arts.” The festival begins at 6 p.m. Food from some of Ash-land’s best restaurants is available at the pre-show café buffet.

The silent auction and student art show are also open. Stu-dent performances start at 7 p.m., with a concession stand during intermission. The silent auction features a variety of items, including various performance tickets, pieces of art and even weekend getaways to vacation homes. The buffet serves food delivered fresh from restaurants

such as Geppetto’s, Pan-gea Grills & Wraps and Bonsai Teriyaki. It is separate from admission and costs $7 for one trip through the buffet. This is the third year that the café will be held, and the previous two have been a big hit. “There’s no need to eat beforehand,” Got-tleib said. Films from the video production class will be aired in the lobby and ex-hibits of art and photog-raphy will be displayed in the hallway outside the lobby. The performances show off Ashland’s tal-ented musicians and thes-pians. Band, choir and orchestra form the musi-cal lineup. The musical performances are inter-spersed with samples of state theatre pieces and the spring musical “Pa-jama Game.” There will also be a slide show that

highlights all sorts of events from the past year. AHAA has also created a Facebook page that shows up-coming events and pictures of past displays and performanc-es. Photos are especially welcome. The ID is Arts Advo-cates. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students and chil-dren. Tickets are available at the AHS Main office and at Tree House Books. If you can’t make it to either night, do-nations made to AHAA are welcome.

For many teenagers, wearing braces is a long and painful journey. But one Ashland High School student got the chance to experience a faster and pain-less way to get a brand new smile. The best part, it was free. Freshman Dana Bogdanove won Girls’ Life Magazine’s “Spoil Yourself Giveaway” in June of last year, and ever since getting her Damon System braces on, it’s been a fast and painless process. “They ached a little the first day, but after that they were fine,” Bag-danove said. Last January, Bagdanove entered the contest after reading about it in Girls’ Life Magazine. Out of 12,000 entrants, Bogdanove was one of ten selected finalists. The finalists all wrote essays about why they deserve better smiles and Bogdanove’s, viewable on rogunews.net, won and earned her the title of “Damon Braces Beauty.” Bog-danove learned the exciting news last summer. “I was totally ecstatic,” she said. The Damon System braces are manufactured by Ormco Orthodon-tics, which sponsored the contest. They straighten teeth faster, around 25 percent faster than normal braces, and with little to no pain. With a different set of braces, the process would take another half year to complete. The Damon braces normally cost $5,000. Bogdanove is thankful for her new braces and her new smile. “I’m really just happy that I got them.”

What is WFAF?

By Zach Kitamura

Dana is all

smilesBy Zach Kitamura

Poster art by Atiana KuriyamaWinter Fine Arts Festival poster

Page 2 Rogue News January 8, 2009

News Wire

Two years ago on a cold Illi-nois morning, Barack Obama an-nounced his candidacy for Presi-dent. The senator who had come onto the scene in 2004 seemed ready to be crushed by Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries. Flash-forward to the present day, and Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States. The little-known Illinois senator who preached hope some-how pulled it off and is now only a few days away from being inau-gurated as the President of the United States. So the question I ask myself is, what should I be ex-pecting him to do? I am 16. To me the Clinton Administration is foggy at best. I’ve essentially lived with George Bush as President for my entire life. Now, I’m not going to say this has been a completely terrible experience. President Bush has done some things right, but during his tenure the in-ternational mistakes he made by invading Iraq and his general approach to world politics has turned even our allies against us, and now the world seems to have be-come anti-American. It’s a common occurrence to hear about ashamed Americans overseas stating that they’re Canadian. I’m interested to see what the man that Time Maga-zine declared “Person of the Year” is going to do as President. While he may not be as talented at dodging shoes as George Bush, he more than makes up for it

elsewhere. I’m really not expecting Obama to get the worlds leaders to sit in a circle and sing ‘Kumbaya’. No, it’s going to be so much harder than that. With America in a recession, we need Obama to fix the economy, in part by creating some mandates for alternative energy. Through alternative energy we could become leaders in the fight against global warm-ing, build a more efficient nation and create a whole new industry at a time when America desperately needs new jobs. Transportation projects could further pre-vent global warming while creating new jobs. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take a train to Portland? Or even

a bus to Medford after seven o clock? On the world front, I be-lieve Obama had it right when he stated that we needed to sit down with nations that dis-agree with us. Rather than hav-ing Fox News play on Ameri-can fears of Iranian weapons, we can actually understand what Iranians want and work together to overcome our dif-ferences. However, Obama is already accomplishing what I’ve been hoping for the most: he has restored American pride. I am now able to go out in the world and say I’m American, without being ridiculed or feeling ashamed. You may or may not be asking, ‘How of-ten do you leave the country Morgan?’ Good question, and the answer is not often. Yet I believe world opinion reflects American opinion. I have been

extremely irritated at the incessant whining about our President and how much America ‘sucks’. I’ve heard countless people stating their desires to move to Can-ada. Now, thanks to President-Elect Obama, I’m hear-ing less negativity, even about Bush. Suddenly, America seems livable again So once Barack Obama is inaugurated as our 44th President, he’ll have a long ‘to-do’ list. He’ll constantly be battling animosity, and might not do everything we want him to do. Yet the changing of the guard has al-ready created some profound effects. Change, finally, has come.

by Morgan Hall

Rogue News-The Rogue News will strive to practice professional journalism at Ashland High School. It will aim to be a voice for the student body, and an important contribution to the school and community. In order to achieve this goal, the Rogue News will attempt to do the following to the best of it’s ability.-Report accurate and objective information-Uphold all journalistic ethics and standards-Provide an outlet for voices within the school through letters editor and editorials. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the staff, all others are signed. Letters to the editor must be signed unless extenuating circumstances warrant a students name being withheld, as decided by the Editor-in-Chiefs or newspaper advisor.-Attempt to cover school events fairly and evenly.

Editorial BoardEditors-in-Chief.........................................Phoebe Parker-Shames, Žena SheltonManaging Editor.......................................................................Ella Riley-AdamsFront Page Editors.......................................Anna Hume, Phoebe Parker-ShamesNews Editors...............................................Zach Kitamura, Michael DeckelmenOpinion Editors....................................................... Morgan Hall, Žena SheltonFeature Editors..........................................................Abbie Deal, Jackson SanteeIn-Depth Editors..............................................Ella Riley-Adams, Hannah SaylesMusic Department Editor...............................................................Sadie SheltonPerformance Arts Editor...................................................Phoebe Parker-ShamesWoodshop Editor............................................................................Žena SheltonPhotography Editors................................Jackson Santee, Phoebe Parker-ShamesSports Editor...............................................................................Trevor HilligossBack Page Editors......................................................Abbie Deal, Jackson SanteeGraphic Designer/Ad Designer...........................................................Jesse SmithAdvertising Managers.......................Anna Hume, Adam Pavlich, Jackson SanteeDistrubution Manager..................................................................Nicholas DakeTechnical Advisor..................................................................Max Parker-Shames

Just as writing is not always written solely for the pleasure of reading, so too art is cre-ated for more than just something attractive to look at. Art can change the world as a polit-ical force. Consider the following examples: Last year at AHS, part of the senior mu-ral was taken down because it featured a mostly naked Harry Potter. The student body was galvanized; art became the cata-lyst for social protest at our own school. The National Parks System that is so important to the west coast as well as the whole United States would not have existed

were it not for the art of John Muir. His photos and drawings captured the beauty of nature and Congress’s consent to protect it. It was fitting that art, which has long inspired change, was a strong force behind Barack Obama in the recent Presidential campaign. Music at his rallies as well as in-dependent music videos on the Internet re-vealed the passionate feelings that Obama’s words inspired in the American public. Art is also an instigator for change in other countries as well. Latin America has a long history of political murals. Diego

Rivera was a political muralist who was born in Guanajuato Mexico, Ashland’s sis-ter city. His huge frescos depicted the cor-ruption of government and stirred feelings of reform. His wife, Frida Khalo, was also a famous painter. While Rivera focused on the political struggles of the world, Khalo focused on her own inner struggles and pain, and showed the strength of a pow-erful woman at a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote in Mexico (they gained that right just seven years before Khalo’s death). Both these painters influ-

enced society and politics in Mexico, and even to some extent in the US. These artists and many others were

inspired by an inner passion to tell the world a message. Some even died to do so. Art is a form of communication and expression that is vitally important to human history. We are immensely fortunate that we live in a town that appreciates this right of expres-sion. The YAAL (Youth Academics and Ac-tivities Levy) supports the future artists of AHS. At a time when our schools are losing money and cutting school days and teachers, we truly value our community’s continued support of such an important part of edu-cation. Please help us celebrate this amaz-ing privilege of expression by attending the Winter Fine Arts Festival this January 13 and 14.

Editorial: the power and influence of art

Reflecting on Obama

Obama speaking in Medford during Oregon Primary.Photo by Amber Lowey, Photo Illustration by Phoebe Parker-Shames

Page 3Rogue NewsJanuary 8, 2009

More than just everyday music The Ashland High School music program is full

of dedicated musicians, but unfortunately these stu-dents aren’t often recognized for their hard work. These musical students not only go to music class every other day but they also practice their instru-ments on top of doing their homework and oth-er daily activities of a regular high school student. “Multiple band members are in many clubs and work as hard as other students in other activities,” Jon Soder-berg-Chase, the band director at AHS, said. These mu-sicians work just as hard as other students and are in-volved in many extracurricular activities and AP classes. They excel in their academics as well as musically. One such student is Amelia Farber, a sophomore at AHS. She is in Treble choir, but also participates Model Unit-

ed Nations, Drama Club, Key Club, and non-school related classes like Teen Theater, Rogue Valley Youth Ensemble, OCPA (Oregon Conservatory of Performing Arts), voice lessons, and ballet classes. She is also taking many advanced classes: Algebra II Honors, Pre-AP English and Chemistry. AHS musicians are not only dedi-cated to their music and school-work, but are also busy playing in concerts. “The band does multi-ple things at once. Some people play at basketball games and concerts,” Soderberg-Chase said. These students are always perform-ing, whether it be in annual con-certs, sporting events or community

gatherings. “For Treble and Cham-ber choir members there are about ten eve-ning gigs during first semester, but only three or four during sec-ond semester,” Holly Johnson, the AHS choir director, said, who recently organized the choir’s an-nual Songs and Sweets concert on Dec. 5. The orchestra also performed in their fall concert Nov. 21 with their Midnight Pajama Concert and the band in their Winter Concert Dec. 3. These music programs are regularly preparing pieces for their long list of concerts. These students are occupied with con-certs and events during the win-ter season. They are especially busy getting ready for the Win-ter Fine Arts Festival, which is Jan. 13 and 14. At this festival

the band, orchestra and choir all perform. They will all have the opportunity to perform different pieces by a variety of composers to show the Ashland community what goes on behind the AHS music doors. The mu-

sic program plays for “about two thirds or three fourths of the show,” Gerry Pare, the

AHS orchestra director, said. The Winter Fine Arts Festival is some-

thing worth attending because it gives you a chance to see what these students have to offer. This

festival also proves the dedi-cation of AHS students to

the never-ending world of music.

The

AHS music program i s n ’ t well known among many, but it’s a program where high achieving students can create music that will stay with them forever, along with lasting memories.

by Sadie Shelton

Illustration by Brenna Heater

Illustration by Ellie Webb

When someone mentions a composer, what usually comes to mind are names like Beethoven and Bach, not an image of an everyday teenager like Lauren Koppel. Still in high school, she has already had one of her pieces, “Parade of the Rain King,” performed live in front of numerous judges and orchestras all over the valley. Koppel didn’t start out loving music though; in fact, she was forced into playing cello her freshman year. Koppel laughed a little, “I didn’t like it at first, but I grew to enjoy it, no, love it.” Even in the beginning, Koppel wasn’t composing, and it can barely be called a conscious decision, “I just started humming little tunes and began to write them down, and then it snowballed into orchestral,” Koppel said.

While it’s obvious Koppel takes pleasure in composing, it’s also clear she likes what she performs. “It’s really fulfilling to have my music come alive,” Koppel said. The idea of “Parade of the Rain King,” came from a thunderstorm. “It was all the energy, I was trying to represent that,” Koppel said. Sometimes composing music isn’t just a one-person job; Lauren’s sister plays electric guitar, the two of them have come up with a few cello and bass duets. It seems music runs in the family. When asked if she wants to pursue composition in the future, Koppel said, “The college I want to go to is Northwestern Illinois, they have a great music school.”

Whether Lauren decides to continue composing as an adult or not is still up to her. But what people forget is that Beethoven

and Bach didn’t start out as great composers overnight: they started out as normal kids, just like Lauren Koppel.

by Ellie Webb

Lauren Koppel makes her cello sing for the camera. Photo by Phoebe Parker-Shames

Not your ordinary musicianJanuary 8,2009Rogue NewsPage 4

Ell it like it is: dancing through the ages

Winter Formal Although this winter has consisted of heavy snow fall and record low temperatures, nothing will stop AHS from bringing the heat this year at the annual Winter Formal. The National Honor Soci-ety is yet again putting their heads together to bring you the “Winter Wonderland” themed dance. This event will take place at the Britt Ballroom from 8:30 to 11:00 on the night of January 31. Exact prices are undecided, but expect single tickets to be somewhere around $10

and couple tickets in the $20 range. Tickets will be on sale on the quad the week before the dance and can also be purchased at the door. Be prepared to show an administrator your student I.D. card or answer mind boggling questions about your schedule. So whether your going with your friends, a date, or just flying solo, it is about time to stop out of this cold, dull winter and into the daz-zling “Winter Wonderland.” It will be a night of thrills and “chills” that you will be sure to remember.

By Anna Hume

“While there’s music and moonlight and love and romance, let’s face the music and dance,” Frank Sinatra once sang, and his words still hold relevance today. At Ashland High School we have three major danc-es: Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Prom. For many, dances can be a strenuous marathon of decision mak-ing. The choices range from where to eat and what to wear to the more complex question of who to ask. Back in the day, custom demanded that men always asked women. AHS librarian Bill Street can attest to this: “We (being the guys) always asked the girls. Once a year, we had a dance called Sadie Hawkins where the

girls asked the guys, but that’s the only time it ever hap-pened,” Street said. Now, dance requests aren’t as traditional. Some-times girls ask guys, and sometimes couples are set up via friends. This increased flexibility can create more options for those in-volved and it’s less likely that po-t e n t i a l dance r s will sit at home. But, to some, it means a drop in stan-dards. “A lot of guys are too shy or think it’s stupid,” Sopho-more Nayeon Kim said. Gone are the days when men planned elabo-rate schemes to impress the girl of their choice. Now we’re lucky if we get a face-to-face request; a text message or phone call is more likely. However, it’s not fair to generalize all of the boys at AHS. There are a select few that make a great effort to

uphold the standards of their sex. Last year, an AHS boy took his potential date up to Acid Castles and spelled out the word ‘PROM?’ in candles. She said yes. Another time, a scavenger hunt was set up around Ashland. At the end of the chase, the boy met his date in Lithia Park to pop the question.

Guess what? She said yes. This isn’t to say the

task falls only to the men. In

fact, in our time of f e m i -n i s m , m a y b e t h e b u r d e n

should be split equal-

ly between the sexes. When

asked who should be the dance ‘asker’, Junior

Amanda Bottimore said, “For chiv-alry, men, but in the 21st century it could go

either way. It’s whoever’s brave enough to ask first.” Ballroom dancing and horsedraw carriages have been replaced with grinding and Subarus. Amidst all the transition, let’s not replace chivalry with chauvin-ism.

by Ella Riley-Adams

Page 5 January 8, 2009 Rogue News

It helps that I’m not afraid to mess up when I paint. Sometimes

my mistakes end up being better than anything I could have thought

of myself. I encourage people to be brave.

““You can do whatever you want with art...you can make sense out of things that shouldn’t make sense. - Miles nerenberg

All Photos by Phoebe Parker-Shames

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-Alison VanOlphen

Painting of a peacock on glass with lights behind it by Alison Van Olphen

““You can do whatever you want with art...you can make sense out of things that shouldn’t make sense. - Miles nerenberg

Art lets you describe what you’re thinking.- -Emily Greenblatt

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Painting of Buddha by Emily Greenblatt

Chop, chop, back to work Behind the heavy door of Shop 8, wood-chips spew from wood blocks guided by practiced hands. This is the woodshop room. Many students in this room have taken some version of woodshop, jewelry mak-ing or stained glass before and are back for more. One factor that keeps drawing them back is John Weston, the Woodshop teacher. “Mr. Weston is really great. He is always there to help. He always puts the kids before himself, and he knows what he is doing,” Nicole Rinaldi, a senior in Weston’s Stained Glass, Jewelry and Wood Sculpture, said. She has made a silver ring, a lamp with stained glass panels, and is currently working on a pen. Camelia Mayfield, who is in the Car-pentry Skills class and has made a necklace cabinet and cutting board, said, “Weston’s a really good teacher because he takes the time to deal with all students individually and has the passion for wood-working.” Weston has been teaching at AHS for 24 years. Over this time period he has taught Global Studies, Psychology, Architectur-al Drawing, Stained Glass and Woodshop. Now only a part-time teacher, he teaches Advanced Woodworking; Stained Glass, Jewelry and Wood Sculpture; and Carpentry Skills. Weston attended UC Santa Barbara and went to Ha-waii upon graduation, after majoring in Social Science and History, and built houses for a year. From there he went to Humboldt State University where he ma-jored in Industrial Arts and received his Teaching Cer-tificate. He later moved to Australia where he taught ceramics, metals, and a craft class for two years. From there he taught for one year in a small school in North-ern California, six years at the Junior High School in Eagle Point, and eventually came here to Ashland.

Weston not only brings his own ad-vanced skills to class, but he also has several guest speakers come in. War-ren Straus talks about design, Christian Buchard about his world-famous wood projects and Jeff Berman about jewelry. Lucas Edmands, a senior at AHS, is one student who has had the oppor-tunity to work with Christian Burchard. “He is a fantastic wood turner. I really like working with him,” Edmands said. Edmands, who is currently in the Ad-

vanced Woodshop class and has taken five se-mesters of Woodshop, has made many different things including a goblet and several pen and pen-cil sets. Edmands has also had the opportunity to sell his pens at the Taste of Ashland and in the Frank Phillips Gallery in downtown Ashland. Miles Fidler is an-other repeat student of Weston’s and has taken seven semesters of Woodshop. He en-joys taking Advanced Woodworking because he “Likes working with

the other kids in class and choosing what projects to work on and being independent.” Fidler has made an intricate heart-shaped box, cutting boards, pens and a coffee table made out of exotic wood. He has also sold his pens and cutting boards at Taste of Ashland. The Woodshop and Jewelry classes are a time when students can meet other students that they wouldn’t normally. They have the responsibility and freedom to choose what projects they want to work on. “There is an emphasis on developing some piece of fine furniture and quality work [in class],” Weston said. Weston works hard on giving his students op-portunities to show off their fine work at The Taste of Ashland and at the March First Friday Art Walk both in Ashland. “I’m all about getting stu-dent recognition for what they do,” Weston said. Another place to view these incredible wood piec-es is at WFAF in January. Extraordinary works of art are made in the Woodshop and Jewelry classes, and it would be a shame to miss the chance of seeing them.

by Žena Shelton

Wren Purdy finishes his walnut table

Julian Jones works on his electric fiddle.

Page 8 January 8, 2009Rogue News

John Weston (center) helps Bryndon Light (left) with his tea rack and Troy Culy (right) with the lid to his scroll saw box.

Photos by Phoebe Parker-Shames

Photo by Taylor Hartrick

Photo by Michaela Nuss

Photo by Kyle Miller

These photos are from Michael Walsh’s Photog-raphy class. To see more photos, come to the Win-ter Fine Arts Festival on January 13 and 14.

Photo by Karli Pandelidis

Photo by Lily Bright

Photo by Jenna Walsh

Photo by Skye Taylor

Photo by Jamie Amrhein

Page 9Rogue NewsJanuary 8, 2009

Photo by Teagan Neal

Pajama Game

After a treacherous walk across the frozen Siskiyou Boulevard, over 40 students crowd into the Choir room off the upstairs hallway of the former Lincoln Elementary School. While the rooms below sit filled with tem-porarily displaced weightlifting machines, the hallway upstairs is soon filled with song. Rehearsals are already underway for the next AHS musical Pajama Game, which opens February 26. It is the story of a ro-mance that takes place in the midst of an im-pending strike by the workers of the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, who want a seven and a half cent raise for their constant hard work. The actors in this musical can probably relate. “I didn’t know we were going to get right into it,” Sophmore Eileen Wasche said. The cast meets every day after school to rehearse. The show opens seven and a half weeks after Win-ter Break, during which time the cast will be “racing with the clock” to choreograph the en-tire production, and perfect acting and singing. “This is a very large production and we need all the time we can get to make this a fabulous show,” senior and Stage Man-ager Anna Barth said. “There are a lot of social groups coming into the theater.” Rosie Alspach will take the lead as Babe Williams, a factory worker and head of the Union Grievance Committee, who meets the eye of the new factory superintendant Sid, played by Jeffrey Star. Their romance runs

into trouble however, when it becomes clear that Sid sides with Hasler (played by Daniel Burt), the head of the company, who refuses

to grant the seven and a half cent raise. Babe continues to push for the increase in pay, backed by Mae (Chloe Rosenthal), Brenda (Sophie Javna), and the other factory work-ers. Meanwhile, another sideplot is growing between Gladys (Aubry Baur), Hasler’s secre-tary and her boyfriend Hines (Ford Murawski-Brown), the jealous factory timekeeper. “It’s a great role,” Murawski-Brown said about his character. “I get to yell at people, I get to throw knives, I get to be drunk, I even get to take my pants off a couple times.” There are some difficulties because of the time period of the play. “There’s that fifties element, it’s such another time and place,” Betsy Bishop, Drama Teacher, said. This can be difficult for the actors as well. “The way Sid treats Babe is different from the way men treat women now,” said Alspach. “I keep reminding myself that it’s a different time.” While the actors are busy rehearsing, a whole extra cast is busy behind the scenes. “A textbook can’t teach you what you learn in tech,” Barth said. “You learn skills you can use in almost any field.” The techies will be very busy with this musical, complete with over 50 costumes, five sets, at least nine sew-ing machines, and three huge dance numbers. Make sure to see this exciting production from February 26 through March 15.

by Phoebe Parker-Shames

Rosie Alspach and Jeffrey Star, the leads of the new AHS muscial “Pajama Game.” Photos by Phoebe Parker-Shames

Drew Woods, Jazmine Dake, and Sophie Javna during singing rehearsal for “Pajama Game.”

Come see the next AHS musical “Pajama Game” on February 26 through March 15.

Page 10 Rogue News January 8, 2009

s a kid you probably went to a birth-day party down at the local bowling alley, rented your oversized shoes and stumbled onto the shiny wooden floor.

You then sauntered with about as much grace as an intoxicated Michael Jackson to the oddly shaped ma-chine that ferried your bowling ball up from the dark abyss below the floor. As much of a bright memory that may have been,

the 2008-09 bowling team is nothing of the awkward memory you cherish. In fact, they are so good they will be bowling with the professionals in the PBA tour, which will be nationally televised January 17 on ESPN. So how good is so good? Well, as of Decem-ber the Ashland Bowling team touts four top bowl-ers: Taro Shido, Aaron Beckwith, Max Defrisco and Jesse Smith. All this from a team that has only three returning boys and no returning girls from last years’ squad. If everything continues to fall perfectly into place for the Bowlers of A-Town, they will be playing for

districts on February 8 and state on February 27. Ac-cording to team manager Steve Smith, the chances the team’s name will appear in the playoff brackets are looking up. “[We] have had a great beginning to our season, and the kids are playing well.” But as many teams before them know, the be-ginning of the season only sets the tone for articles like this one, written with a lot of hope. It is up to the players themselves to decide how long they want to stay on the lanes when this February comes, and from this reporters’ view, to miss a minute of what’s to come would be a crime.

The Ashland High School Hockey team has been skating on thick ice for a long time now. In fact, they’ve been very comfortably ahead of the compe-tition and even their own expectations. For instance, they have taken top at the dis-trict championship three out of the last five years, and they lead the league in goals scored. They also have the highest win percentage out of the six teams they play against. In addition, individual players such as Casey Skolnik lead the division with points (23), goals(13), and assists(10). But behind the athletes is the coach. Tom Har-rison has been the head of the Grizzly Hockey Team for only one year, but in that time has made a team that was hit hard by graduating seniors into a group of dedicated players desiring one thing: to win. And as of yet it seems the Grizz has found that increas-ingly easier to do. Even though they only have one “on ice” practice each week, Harrison is confident in the Grizzlies’ drive to compete. “We knew coming in we’d have a team of highly skilled, hard working athletes… we don’t have a ton of ice time each week, so land prac-tice and athleticism has had to fill the hole.” And a great job they have done. In the last three games they have trounced their opponents, outscor-

ing them two to one on offense and shutting out a third of the points attempted against them. Although the first games have gone down seem-ingly without a hitch, there remains a long road ahead for the Grizzly machine. “There’s a lot of playing yet to be done,” said Kai White, a senior defensive spe-cialist, “No matter what happens in the beginning

of the season, teams are made and broken with the decisions they come by throughout it.” In the next five games they will be facing tough competition with South Medford, Crater, and South for a second time. Faced with this opposition, the Grizzlies still plan to take conference by storm this year and maybe even make a bid for state.

B owling in the 21st century

In it to win it: Hockey

Go to RoGueNews.Net oR ahshockey.com

FoR moRe...

by Trevor Hilligoss

by Trevor Hilligoss

Left to right: Coach Shawn Espejo, Ian White, Coach John Hardy, Lewis Sebrell, Jeffrey Jensen, Caitlin Williams, Casey Skolnik, Sam Taylor, Kai White, Trevor Perry, Coach Marc Moeglein, Josh McLaughlin, Coach Tom Harrison, Mathias Dean, Second Row: Keegan Healy, Kmii, Daniel Siegrist, Gabe Dean, Ami Cooper, Carlee Santee.

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Rogue News Page 11January 8, 2009

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