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- Savannah Johnson on the playground
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- Savannah Johnson with Jonathan VBS preschooler
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- Savannah Johnson with a VBS preschooler
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- Myself with a VBS preschooler
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- Newell, California
Vacation Bible School
June 14th, 2012Students from Ashland High School are getting a head start on their community service hours. The First Baptist Church of Ashland is holding a Vacation Bible School for nursery, preschool, and elementary children from June 18th to June 22nd this summer and many Ashland High School students are attending as counselors for the program, including several current freshmen that are incoming freshmen next year.
“I’m really excited for this year’s VBS,” says Savannah Johnson, three time counselor at VBS and a Junior at Ashland High School. “I love working with the kids, it’s an amazing experience not only for the kids but the counselors too! I’ve gone to VBS since I was little and it feels good to be able to give back to the program.”
The theme this year at VBS will be “Sky,” where kids imagine what it would be like to bounce among the clouds, soar with eagles, and reach for the stars. The program explores Biblical stories through singing, dancing, and other fun activities to help the kids learn about God and themselves. Counselors have been attending Tuesday meetings at the First Baptist Church of Ashland since May 22nd. The meetings teach the counselors how to appropriately deal with difficult situations that may occur and how to make every child feel welcome and excited to do the activities of the day.
During the day, starting at 8:45am and ending at 12:15pm, students from the middle school and high school will guide the kids to different classrooms throughout the church. The activities of the day include: sing and play, a movie with chadder the chipmunk, snack, craft, story, and Bible review with Dwayne Robinson, a pastor at the First Baptist Church of Ashland. Incoming freshmen are also participating in the production of another Vacation Bible School in Newell, a poverty stricken town in California. While there they will participate in running a food and clothing drive for families as well as doing work projects such as painting houses and doing yard work.
The future and present Ashland Grizzlies have a reputation of making a difference around our community and those of the surrounding valleys. The First Baptist Church of Ashland invites all children to attend Vacation Bible School at the First Baptist Church and encourage Ashland High School student to invite their younger sibling to the fun events. More counselors are always needed for next year. If you want to get involved, contact the First Baptist Church of Ashland.
First Baptist Church
2004 Siskiyou Blvd. • Ashland, OR 97520
Phone: (541) 482-3836
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A Word With The Future ASB Co-Presidents
May 18th, 2012Here are some thoughts from Mckenna O’Dougherty and Sarah Honeywell after winning the ASB Election for Co-Presidents.
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ASB Elections – Who Did You Vote For?
May 4th, 2012Here are some AHS student opinions regarding the recent election for Ashland Student Body Co-Presidents.
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Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April 18th, 2012
About every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. With an average of 207,754 people (age 12 and older) raped or sexually assaulted every year, we have a lot to worry about. During the month of April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), people everywhere are working to educate our communities on sexual violence and how to prevent it. In the spirit of SAAM Ashland High School and Ashland’s community can learn of ways to prevent sexual violence from happening.
First off, only 5% of sexual assaults are reported to authorities. In order for there to be any justice for victims, and in order for the sexual crimes to cease from opressers, it needs to be reported. Reporting a sexual crime can prevent a future sexual crime from ever happening. Know the facts about rape and how they can affect people this way you can protect yourself from sexual assaults.
Approximately 80% of victims know their offender. That’s why it’s important to know the people around you and be on your guard about how they make you feel. If you feel uncomfortable around someone then it’s generally a good idea to distance yourself from that person. You do not have an obligation to be someone’s friend, babysitter, tutor, etc., especially if you feel uncomfortable around them. Be concerned for your own safety before you think about other things. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, safety is second in command. Without safety our brain cannot focus on other things like love/belonging, self esteem, and self actualization.
Some simple every day tips:
- Always travel with a partner (two is better than one)
- Stay in well lite areas where you are easily seen
- Walk confidently, directly and at a steady pace on the side of the street facing traffic.
- If you feel like you are being followed walk quickly to a safer area, walk across the street, or turn on a different street.
- If you are in danger yell loudly and make a scene so that someone will see you.
- If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted get help, and tell a trusted adult or call the National Sexual Assault hotline 1.800.656.HOPE
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The “Striking” Bowling Team
March 14th, 2012We’re used to the hearing the dreaded words “three strikes you’re out,” but what happens when a strike is good? Then you must be on Ashland High School’s bowling team. Senior Chris Sadler and sophomore Cass Christopher gave Rogue News the low down on the bowling team and the extreme effort that they put into the sport.
“We practice every Monday and Thursday at Roxy Ann Lanes. There is actually a lot of hard work that we put into it, and everyone should try out for the team next year. Even if you don’t make varsity it’s really fun and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people,” Sadler said. “The highest score I’ve ever gotten is 269, and I work hard to raise my score every competition!”
“I didn’t realize how serious this sport was until I joined,” Christopher said. “It’s pretty competitive… like any other sport!”
Ashland High School students usually attend common sports like basketball and football, but we shouldn’t leave the others in the dust. Supporting our peers is an important part of high school and we should all try to attend multiple sports events like bowling. To support the team, everyone should try to attend one of their tournaments that take place every Sunday at places like Roxy Ann Lanes and Lava Lanes. Let’s root them on to a good season!
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The Mexico Mission Trip
March 12th, 2012
An orphanage containing over 30 children will soon get a taste of Ashland. During Spring Break ’12 Ashland High School students accompanied by chaperones from the First Baptist Church of Ashland are traveling to Mexico for a mission trip, myself included, involving several work projects.
“I’m excited,” Nick Mathews, a junior at Ashland High School says, “I can’t wait! It will be my first time out of the country, and it’s nice that there’s a purpose to all of this and I actually get to help people.” It’s Nick’s first time on the trip, and as someone who’s been on the trip for two years, I know he’s in for a fun, thrilling, and heart opening trip.
“I think it’s amazing,” Ken Baker said, the youth Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Ashland and the director of the Mexico trip. “It’s one thing when adults care for students, but students caring for other students, that’s almost better. The kids down at the orphanage love to just be able to hang out with the youth on the mission trip. Not only do we get to gain friendships with the kids at the orphanage, we get to build friendships with each other.”
The Mexico mission trip has been an annual tradition for the First Baptist Church for 27 years. The children at the orphanage range from infants to 17 years old. Because of the amount of children at the orphanage, we work hard every year to give them what they need. Each year my youth group takes on work projects at the orphanage to fix any problems they might have. Last year we ripped out flooring and retiled 3 rooms, we built bookshelves, installed gutters, painted, and worked on the pipes for their grey water system.
Our church believes that every child should have the opportunity to live a happy life despite their past. Every kid has a story. I remember my the first year at the orphanage and the story of a child who moved me. At the age of eight he had moved to the orphanage after his father murdered his younger sister. What was amazing about this kid was his hope. Everyone at the orphanage considers the other their family even though they all have different pasts.
“It’s awesome how thankful people at the Orphanage are,” Kasey Baker, a sophomore going on the trip for her second time with the youth group trip, said. “They rely on what God and others give them, because they have to support so many, and it’s just nice to be able to give to others.”
Whether or not you’re going to anther country to make a difference doesn’t matter, small things that someone says or does towards another person is what holds us together as a society, as a nation, as humanity. Every person can make a difference, in a big or small way, and I think it’s time that we stop sitting back and watching opportunities pass us by.
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We Defy Gravity
March 12th, 2012
Gianna Cammarota flyes a "toe touch basket toss" while Chris Sadler, Yahira Padilla, Maritza Paddilla, and Katie Mallory stand ready to catch.
In sports, there’s a certain amount of faith you put in your teammates. Whether you’re throwing to a receiver, setting a volleyball into the air for your teammate to spike, kicking the ball to an open teammate in the hopes they will score a goal, or swimming a relay. But what happens when your life is literally in the hands of your teammates? There is only one sport in this category: cheerleading. The object of the game is to suspend a girl in the air for long periods of time, launch her into the air just like a ball, and successfully catch her without error. This is an attempt to defy gravity. As of April 8th, 2011, statistics research from The United States Sports Academy showed that cheerleading was ranked No. 1 as the female sport that had the most catastrophic injuries. It was ranked No. 2 for all sports, in the same category, second only to American football. The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina reports that 65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries in youth sports occur in cheerleading, and falling from gymnastics-like stunts have been reported to have a greater impact than getting tackled by a professional football player. With such a risk, who will be the ones to defy the odds?
“I love it!” Ashland High School senior cheerleader, Yahira Padilla said. “It’s the adrenaline rush, and the thrill of the crowd.” When told the statistics she replied, “I think that there is a chance that something could go wrong, but my teammates are really good at taking the safety precautions needed to succeed. We all trust each other to do our own part and I think that we all hold ourselves accountable for the mistakes we make and we learn from them to do better the next time.”
“I’m so used to the safety of my teammates always making sure that I’m the last thing to hit the ground, that when I see news features about cheerleading accidents or watch another team drop their top girl on the ground it’s almost unreal,” Natasha Pinney, freshmen “top girl” on the cheer and dance team, marveled. “I don’t think the statistics should make anyone shy away from wanting to become a cheerleader, because they would never get to experience, in my opinion, the most exciting sport! Our coach and teammates work really hard to make sure safety is always first!”
To show people what it’s really like to be flipped and thrown in the air I wore a head cam to practice and performed a series of stunts and recorded what it’s like in the point of view of the “top girl.” Check out the video below, be prepared to be dizzy, and try not to hold your breath!
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Is Your Backpack too Heavy?
February 22nd, 2012Students backpacks weigh too much. According to experts, this could be a major problem. Ever wonder just how much your backpack weighs? The average backpack of an AHS student weighs about 20 lbs. (average collected by weighing 3 random student’s backpacks). However, when I wake up in the morning and attempt to pack the contents of what is necessary for my classes in one bag, mine weighs 25 lbs. This means that, in total, Ashland High School’s student body of 1,030 people totes around 20,600 lbs, more weight than a male elephant.
The suggested weight of your backpack should weigh from 10% – 20% of your body weight, and no student should carry over a 25 lb. backpack whether or not their bodyweight is higher. On red days, I carry a Math, History, and Anatomy textbook. If you add this to the extra weight of my binders and supplies, my backpack weighs 5.4 lbs more than it should. (To see how much your backpack should weigh, and more information click on the link at the foot of this article)
Problems occur when students adjust their posture and stride to their heavy load. This strain on the teenage body is beginning to take its toll. Reports from Montclair education show that more than 10,000 annual visits to the doctor’s office or emergency room by school-aged children are backpack-related.
Florida Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation suggests that you weigh your backpack once a week to make sure that you’re not exceeding the suggested weight for your backpack. In all seriousness, who has time to weigh their backpack every week? If you’re the average Ashland High School student, your academics and extra-curricular activities won’t allow you any extra time to weigh your backpack. What would you do if your backpack exceeded the weight limit anyways? You are surely not going to remove a required textbook for the class you have that day from your backpack, and then say to your teacher, “My backpack was too heavy according experts and their suggested weight of backpacks, so I took it out.” However, There are things you can do to lighten the load.
- Get a two strapped backpack
- Get a backpack with wide straps
- Get a backpack that doesn’t extend below your low back
- Get a backpack that has many compartments so you can evenly distribute your things
- Get a backpack that is made from lightweight material.
- Don’t carry more loose leaf paper than you need for that day
- Try to stand up straight when you walk
- Set you bag down when you can
- Remove unneeded items from your bag everyday when you get home from school.
If you can’t afford a new backpack, there is one simple solution: get a locker! We have a 10 minute passing period in between classes for a reason; you have time to go to your locker, use the bathroom, etc. And for those who are too lazy to walk up a flight of stairs or across the quad to their locker, I see some back problems in your near future.
Click for a suggested backpack weight calculator
Click here to read more about backpack weight from Montclair Education
or here for information from Florida Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
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The iPad Program
January 17th, 2012Ten Ashland High School students are having the opportunity to test out iPads for the upcoming technology program. Since Nov. 15th these responsible young adults of all ages and of different technology experiences report back to Steve Mitzel, the director of information technology for the Ashland School District after every 6 weeks of using the iPad. Their report includes what obstacles have they had with the technology and what went well.
“We are putting the technology in the hands of the students, because they will be the ones using the technology in the future, and can give us the most accurate advice,” Principal Michelle Zundel said. The purpose of this program is to grow closer to the goal made in the School District Technology Plan created in 2009:
“Technology will be directly connected to learning on a daily basis. It’s not about PC or Mac; it’s about access. Access to the computer and the internet are key to the future of education and learning. Web cams and projectors, when tied to the internet, make for amazing opportunities to share teaching and learn from sharing. We no longer need to focus on teaching technology to digital natives but instead on integrating technology into curriculum.
We hope that in Ashland one day soon, a teacher can speak to several classrooms across town or around the globe at the same time about a particular subject. During the presentation, students will be multi-tasking: texting notes (about the presentation to each other), posting Aha! moments without fear of reprisal or ridicule. They will save YouTube-like snippets of their favorite parts and share them with friends and family.
In five years, we will have a laptop-like device per student at the high school level and move that program down through the grades to the third grade as funding allows.” Jim Teece, CEO Project A , summarizes the visions of the project.
“This is supposed to be done by 2014!” Zundel notes, “We have to catch up, and this is exactly what we are doing now.” At this point 35% of students at AHS are on a free or reduced lunch program and won’t be able to buy this technology as some other students can, however, Steve Mitzel and others are working hard to make this goal happen. This includes making a deal with Apple to rent out ten iPads for this trial.
“I think this program will help a lot with communication and education. It will give us access to things that some didn’t have before, and I can see myself taking notes in English class with my iPad in hand!” Bailey Robinson, a sophomore and one of the few to trial the iPads, said. Hopefully in the near future there will be a 1:1 ratio of some sort of laptop-like technology at AHS.
Bailey Robinson with her trial iPad
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A Slitherer MIA
November 17th, 2011If anyone happens to hear a hissing coming through the vents, or discovers a large reptile hiding within a cabinet, do not be alarmed. Mr. Hartman’s class snake has been missing in action since October 28th. The large, non-venomous snake escaped from its cage when the top was left off after his routine feeding.
“He won’t bite… maybe,” said Mr. Miller, teacher at Mr Hartman’s neighboring room. The snake was last sighted in Mr. Miller’s room.
Snakes love warm environments, so the snake is most likely hiding inside someplace, such as one of the many cabinets of the science building. Mr. Miller suspects the snake still resides in Mr. Hartman’s room; however Ireland Reed, a freshmen at AHS and one of Mr. Harman’s students, says otherwise:
“We looked everywhere! It’s nowhere to be found!” she stated emphatically.
Any new information regarding sightings or findings of the snake are helpful. Please talk to Mr. Hartman if you know anything about the missing snake.
Ireland Reed and Maya Moskawitz with the now missing snake.