Opinion

April 23 is National Take a Chance Day. This holiday provides great motivation to get outside of your comfort zone and try something new.

There are many ways to get involved in the school community and put yourself out there. It may just be participating more in live classes or turning on your camera once a week. Small steps will eventually get you to your destination. It doesn’t take a grand experience that takes you far out of your comfort zone to have an impact on your life. 

In the month of April, members of Student Government decided to take the first step by turning on their cameras in their Zoom classes. If you see a member of Student Government taking initiative to be on camera, join them if you can. It’s a lot less scary than you might think to turn on your camera and show your face. People at ORCA will notice your bravery and that courage can spread quickly. Seeing the faces pop up after being the first to turn on your camera is an amazing feeling. 

If you want to be more involved at ORCA, one of the best opportunities is all the clubs you can take part in. Joining a club means learning more about your interests and meeting new peers and club advisors. ORCA clubs are welcoming communities and one of the best ways to make new friends.

Attending school events is a great way to build your confidence and interact with peers. If you’re in high school, you should go to ORCA’s prom on May 6. You never know what new things you’ll experience or who you’ll meet. Everyone has at least a small amount of social awkwardness, and ORCA events like prom are an opportune way to get out of the house and have a good time with your classmates.

For those who want more opportunities to get their writing noticed, ORCA is launching a new literary magazine this spring called The Waves. This is a great chance for high school students who like to write poetry or fiction to get their first piece published. Participating in student-run publications is a way to get your voice heard and have a positive impact on the ORCA community. Check out this article for more information on how to get your work showcased in the next issue of the magazine. 

Another great opportunity to get involved is by joining the Broadcasting Club. The group of students in this club organize and film videos for the monthly video newsletters. A few of them also run ORCA’s first student-run podcast called The Whalepod. By joining this club, you can get your ideas out there and participate in schoolwide outreach. It’s a great platform for ORCA’s community to hear your unique voice.

Putting yourself out there can definitely be a hard task, but it pays off in the long run as you learn more about yourself and those around you. ORCA is a great place to “take a chance.”

If you’ve recently clicked on The Current – and if you’re reading this you probably have – you’d know that ORCA recently opened up student-to-student communication for the first time since the 2019-20 school year. 

The Current’s Kenna S. interviewed ORCA principal Matt Lacy regarding the announcement of the news. Mr. Lacy provided the rundown of the new system, stating that all messages sent would have to be school-appropriate and generally school-related, and although the new privilege is designed as a permanent feature, it can still be taken away. 

“We have plans of it remaining permanent. If it becomes a problem, then we will look at shutting it down, so we want to use it responsibly,” the principal stated. 

It’s clear that the responsibility lies on the shoulders of ORCA students on whether the new Gmail communication becomes a staple of the school community or is taken away entirely. A few mistakes or misuses here and there may not spell the end entirely for the student body’s Gmail access, but repeated infractions may result in it being shut down for good – and perhaps justifiably so. 

Preventing cyberbullying and maintaining internet privacy are both priorities of ORCA, and both issues should not be taken lightly. Abusing the Gmail system could jeopardize that. It’s paramount that ORCA students take this new opportunity seriously and use it responsibly, sending school-appropriate and school-centered messages.  

That isn’t to say that the social aspect isn’t meant to be enjoyed. 

“I mean, if you’re going to talk about the cool show on Disney Plus that’s coming out, that’s fine, ‘cause who doesn’t want to talk about Moon Knight,” joked Mr. Lacy, “but it needs to be primarily for school.” 

In short, the new system should be used similarly to the chat in the first few minutes of any live class at ORCA: largely focused, certainly cordial, and in compliance with school guidelines. Using it correctly will improve school culture and result in the feature remaining a permanent fixture of ORCA’s infrastructure. 

But wrongful use could result in the system – which countless deserving students, teachers, and parents have requested for over a year – being taken away for good. 

To reference another superhero, a timeless Spider-Man quote should ring true for ORCA students: "With great power comes great responsibility."   

Spirit Week is coming February 14th, and ORCA is one online charter school with plenty of spirit.

But with school spirit, there’s always room for improvement. And one simple change could greatly increase the ORCA experience that week and beyond. 

It starts with the “Inbox” icon in Canvas, a widely-used tool for students and teachers to communicate. It’s the heartbeat of the school. To refer to it, many different phrases have been used, from “webmail,” to “email,” and even the lengthy “Canvas Messaging System.” 

But webmail is outdated and from an older system. Email? That’s far too generic -- for all your reader knows you’re referring to that old AOL account you forgot about. And “Canvas Messaging System?” It’s accurate, sure. But three entire words? We can do better. 

And better is “Whale Mail.”

The origin of this witty and poetic term remains shrouded in mystery, and despite the genius of the phrase it sadly hasn’t been used to its fullest potential quite yet. But no matter what hero first coined the expression, he or she left the rest of the school with a precious gift. Don’t squander it. 

“Whale Mail” can encompass both the Canvas and Gmail communications systems of the school, with the vocabulary making them unique to ORCA. It rhymes, it’s catchy, and it even relates to the aquatic theme of the school. 

Want to know what’s also a whale? An ORCA. True brilliance indeed. 

But why would referring to the school’s communications system as “Whale Mail” be important? For one, it would help build a distinct ORCA culture -- and beyond that it’s just plain fun. But more importantly, it shows an effort to build a strong, friendly, and unique community here at Oregon Charter Academy. This should be a goal for everyone. 

This Spirit Week, try saying “Whale Mail.” It may take some time to form the habit, but don’t forget how such a small phrase could impact the school for the better. Besides, it’s only one week.

Who knows? Maybe it will stick. 

Not many will admit it, but Google Chrome’s Tyrannosaurus Rex minigame has a special place in all of our hearts. 

Launched in 2014, the Chrome dino game was implemented as an easter egg that would only appear when the browser was offline. 

"There's nothing fun about getting kicked offline—unless you have a friendly T-Rex to keep you company, that is," said Chrome designer Edward Jung per Google’s blog. 

Activated by a press of the spacebar and controlled by the ‘up’ and ‘down’ arrows on the keyboard, the cactus-dodging dinosaur has provided many with something to do while their internet is broken, buffering, or trying to connect to the wrong wi-fi for the hundredth time. At this point, it’s become a crucial part of the internet experience. 

So it’s easy to see why it was shocking and frustrating to find out that everyone’s favorite parkour-loving theropod had been blocked from Oregon Charter Academy’s student chromebooks. When offline, the pixely dino still appears in the browser, but upon a press of the spacebar a message appears noting that the game has been blocked instead of launching into the cactus-hurdling, pterodactyl-dodging fun. 

It’s like it’s just there to mock us. 

It’s understandable why the school would block the dinosaur game -- presumably because of the potential distraction from schoolwork it could provide. 

However, while there are other ways to access the game, it’s designed to only appear when offline, meaning that students wouldn’t be able to access Canvas anyway. And regarding other ways to access the game, searching “Chrome T-Rex Game” online provides countless accessible results, so the initial block will only delay an ambitious dino-gamer for mere seconds. 

And besides, Forbes reports that the average member of Generation Z has an 8-second attention span -- so it’s not like the game will be played for long. 

It’s clear that blocking the Chrome dino game does little besides cause frustration for everyone. When offline, it’s a legitimate way to have some fun while waiting for wi-fi to reboot, and the block doesn’t stop online players from simply playing it elsewhere. 

And while the potential for distraction is a legitimate con, the pros of having some fun during an otherwise stressful internet outage far outweigh the negatives. 

Besides, what else is there to do when the wi-fi is out--read a book?

Pixil Art… it's a program for all artists, good and bad. It's fun and awesome when you get into it, and you can find people just like you with the same interests... ORCA should unblock Pixil Art!

Pixil Art is a program that is used by many different students in Oregon Charter Academy. Children young and old use Pixil Art, and what’s more, it does not require any subscriptions or fees, like so many programs and articles do these days. 

So many students love art. And when avenues for art are taken away, they're left with no hope, and less opportunity to access their passion. Many, many kids put their time, love, and care into their art! So when Pixil Art got locked, many students lost all of that, along with friends and more.

And the school may have reasons for blocking this program, such as it being a distraction from using Chromebooks for schoolwork, which is understandable. But when you’re all done with your homework and you just want to unwind, that’s where Pixil Art comes in. We have not forgotten that we can still use Pixil Art on other devices, but lots of students only have their school computers to use. So they should unlock Pixil Art.

This is a poem shared by our fellow sixth grade student Delilah Mershon:

You’re an artist, no Picasso or Van Gogh, 

You’re an artist, not professional, I know.

You’re the designer of your life,

Mold the clay around your mood.

Paint the picture you choose,

Do the things you want to do.

Be the artist, just be you,

Create the visions in your mind.

Mix the colors life combines,

Be your best friend, just be you.

That's Picasso and Van Gogh.

Now we have a bit more of an insight of how much art means to so many fellow students. We all love Pixil Art, and although not everyone will admit it, it has been very helpful for many students during the lockdown, and even back in “normal” times. Please ORCA, bring back this wonderful program!