About

Mr. Yanowitz is an ORCA advisory teacher who also teaches Journalism. He is licensed to teach ELA and Social Studies. He grew up near Boston, attended Beloit College in Wisconsin and has worked at Oregon Charter Academy since 2008, more or less. He enjoys reading, cooking and advising The Current.

You can contact Mr. Yanowitz at dyanowitz@oregoncharter.org

Lily Dixon is a junior in her fifth year at ORCA. In her free time you can find her obsessing over F1 race strategies, traveling the world, and being a dedicated American Football fan. Aside from The Current, she’s Student Government’s Media Coordinator and a writer for DIVEBOMB Motorsport and On Her Team Sports.

You can contact her at 27lidixon@student.oregoncharter.org 

Lily Jacobs is a 10th grader in her third year at ORCA. She works as a teen reporter for The Oregonian and plays violin in her local high school’s concert and symphony orchestras. In her free time, Lily enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and participating in all of her church’s youth group activities.

You can contact her at 28lijacobs@student.oregoncharter.org.

Abbi Dilley-Gumm has been at ORCA for four years and this is her third year at The Current. She is a junior and is the co-leader for ORCA's Pens & Prose club. In her free time, Abbi enjoys writing (well, okay, more like typing on Google Docs), reading, crafting, doll-collecting, and listening to her favorite music on Spotify.

You can contact her at 27abdilleygumm@student.oregoncharter.org.

Grace Choi is a senior and has been attending ORCA since 2nd grade. Aside from The Current, she serves as Student Government President, National Honor Society Officer, HOSA Preceding President, and Speech & Debate President. Outside of school, she spends her time cheering on her favorite baseball team (Tridents Up), hiking trails across the PNW, and working out at the gym.

You can contact her at 26grchoi@student.oregoncharter.org.

Lux Reames is a Senior at ORCA who just started his second and last year at ORCA. He has been an active reader and writer since the early age of 5 years old when he started their education at Clear Lake Elementary school. Where his journey began straight into literacy and leadership; from growing ahead of the average learning every year and being placed into advanced courses, age couldn't stop them from growing far ahead.

This year has brought a lot of responsibility for him as they take on this year with many high stake roles for his final year of high school which includes being Student Government's Public Relations Coordinator, a member of National Honors Society, a writer for The Newspaper club (The Current), a member of Breakfast Club, Poetry Out Loud, and Yearbook Club. 

They can't wait to write more for The Current this year and work towards his goal of reading 10 books alongside every amazing person they've met over the last year. 

For anyone in need of anything or just would like to talk, you can reach him at: 26erreames@student.oregoncharter.org

Taylor Byrne is a senior at ORCA, attending her 8th and final year at the online school. In her spare time, she runs The Waves: Literary Magazine, writes stories and poetry, reads all things fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, and plays video games. Taylor began her writing journey at the ripe age of 7, and ever since then she has expanded from short stories to a yet-to-be-published children's book series and young adult duology. This is her second year with The Current, and she is excited to continue her growth in writing.

To contact Taylor, send her an email at 26tabyrne@student.oregoncharter.org

Zavonna Coppernoll is an 8th grader at ORCA, with 4 years going strong. During her free time she enjoys reading classic novels, playing guitar and learning new things. Mostly she enjoys being a staff writer for The Current and keeping ORCA up to date with the latest news. 

You can contact her at 30zacoppernoll@student.oregoncharter.org.

Felipe Mascorro is a 9th grader at ORCA and has been at orca since 1st grade. In his free time he enjoys reading, watching wrestling, and talking to friends. He collects many things, such as Funko pops, books, trading cards, and action figures. He wants to become a better writer and is excited to be able to see what he is capable of! Contact at: 29femascorro@student.oregoncharter.org 

Tasha is a senior at ORCA who joined the newspaper club last school year to write for "The Current." During her free time she enjoys reading, drawing, playing the violin, and writing lyrics for music. Although she mostly enjoys spending time with her two dogs.

Sarah Voots is in her junior year at ORCA, where she has been proudly attending since the 3rd grade. In her free time, you can find her indulging in one of her many interests, which includes: painting and drawing portraits, baking sweets, watching films, and reading anything from art history to character explorations. She is eager to be a member of The Current and explore her writing abilities to connect and contribute more with her school and peers. 

You can contact Sarah at 27savoots@student.oregoncharter.org

Mo Damtew is a senior at ORCA. He enjoys writing about sports, education, and community issues, and tries to use storytelling to make a positive impact. In his free time, Mo also practices photography, listens to all types of music, and can get lost in a book or two. Mo is excited to be part of The Current and looks forward to exploring new ideas and contributing his voice to the publication.

To contact Mo, please email 26modamtew@student.oregoncharter.org

Noah Johns is a Sophomore at ORCA, having joined in 2020 as a 6th grader. He has always had a large interest in writing, and spends a good portion of his free time reading. He loves Basketball and Baseball, and spending time with his friends. 

As a journalist for The Current, Noah is excited to post relevant and entertaining articles for everyone to enjoy. 

You can get in contact with him at 28nojohns@student.oregoncharter.org

Orion Arbsland is a 7th grader at ORCA and this is his first year at the school. He loves animals and has a dog named star and an elderly cat named smokiki. In his spare time he likes to play Dungeons and Dragons and read fantasy novels

Annalaina Yip (Anna-lay-na) or Aamy is a senior at ORCA who has been inspired by her teachers to keep on writing. Ever since she was inspired by her 7th grade teacher and beyond, she has built a structure of open mindedness and a habit of working hard. As a result, she has pushed herself to the point where she started writing her very first novel based on an idea that surfaced nine years ago. But, her writing career didn't go to a halt there, ever since she joined The Current to strengthen her love of writing. Aside from writing, she also developed a love for music. She is a proud writer and has gotten many inspirations from not only her teachers and her family, but also her special friend. She cares for all issues that are identified in this world as needing to be heard and addressed with a new and confident voice. She hopes that someday this work that she is building up within school will eventually overflow into society.

You can contact Annalaina at 25anyip@student.oregoncharter.org.