June 2021

According to a famous newspaper editor, the news is the first draft of history. This remains an apt description of the role of news in society. With our first news blog, Oregon Charter Academy students can now take a role in the driver’s seat of history, contributing to their own legacy by creating a record of the life and times of our school. 

 Our first edition is a pilot of sorts, a test run put together by some of ORCA’s most motivated journalists. They have worked very hard to make this happen. We have a few goals with this edition. One is to test out the infrastructure we have built this spring for delivering school news in a written blog-style format. Another objective is to help our young writers practice the craft they have honed so well in their coursework. Perhaps most importantly, this is a first step towards a regular and larger blog we plan to publish in the fall. If you love writing, love the news or just love ORCA, we want to motivate you to get involved this fall. We need your writing skills to take this effort to the next level!

So take a few minutes with the writing and other content we have prepared for you this spring. Our writers and editors have done an amazing job with this fledgling effort and I am deeply proud to be their club advisor. But surely you can see room for growth. Think about the stories we haven’t covered. Think about all the things you and other ORCA students did this year which we didn’t write about here. We want your help! We want your story ideas, your written submissions and your gears turning! We’ll be back to recruit more club members in the fall. If you want to get involved or slide us a few story ideas, we’d love the opportunity to make this blog even better in the fall. Stay tuned, ORCA, because we are just getting started.

On May 25th, Oregon Charter Academy students in grades 8-11 gathered in Ms. Coleman’s Zoom classroom to elect the 2021-2022 Student Government Executive Board.

Ms. Galvin announced in the June video newsletter that Brady Cruse and Rory Peterson had won the vice president and president positions, respectively.

The meeting was moderated by Student Government advisors Ms. Coleman and Ms. Strocher. Ms. Kudrick and Ms. Vitro were also present. Ms. Vitro will be the Student Government advisor for the upcoming school year. 

Only four candidates were running for the president and vice president positions. For president, the lone candidate was junior Rory Peterson. Three were vying for the vice president role: freshman Isaac Choi and sophomores Sophia Gutierrez and Brady Cruse. 

Other roles in student government, such as senator, secretary, and activities director, are chosen directly through the school administration instead of the student body. 

As explained by Ms. Coleman, the executive board is intended to lead student government, serve as the head of the student body, come up with new ideas, and act as liaisons between the school administration and students. 

Each candidate was given a minute-long time slot to give a short speech, followed by questions from students and teachers. When both sections were over, attending students could vote for their favorite candidates using a Google Form. 

Vice president candidate Isaac Choi gave the first speech, mentioning the difficult school year it had been for many, while also praising the school and its members for making it through the year’s many challenges. He mentioned his leadership experience as a founder and leader of the school’s Speech and Debate Club. He also is currently serving as a 9th grade senator while volunteering at the Red Cross in some of his spare time. 

Isaac said that his goals for the school include creating senator committees to streamline the rulemaking process, as well as help the student government connect with the rest of the student body. He stressed the importance of making it easier for students to connect with each other, adding that he’d like for classes to be more interactive and less like lectures to increase student engagement. While still recognizing the need of the current communication restrictions, he said he plans to ask the school administration for a way for students to message each other, possibly in a system similar to the webmail feature from the school’s earlier interface. 

The next speaker was Brady Cruse, also running for vice president. The current president of the Junior Honors Society, Brady mentioned his extensive involvement with the school, listing increased involvement as the main reason for running for office. Cruse, a current student senator, claimed that his organizational and communication skills would make him a great fit for the position. 

Cruse said his vision for the school is one where all students are engaged and heard. He said he plans to increase student involvement by providing must-see school events for them to attend and become more involved. Similarly to Isaac Choi, Brady also mentioned that he’d like students to have a better way to communicate with each other, while hoping the school could use some type of software to view and censor any problematic messages. 

The final vice president candidate was Sophia Gutierrez. She acknowledged that she didn’t have a lot of leadership experience, but was running for office to have a more active role in the school. 

She mentioned that she hopes to see other students more involved in the school, while also prompting activities that don’t involve screentime. She said she would like to see more communication between the school staff, students, and student government, which could potentially be reached through group Zoom meetings or a social media system. She stressed the importance of keeping it safe.

The lone presidential candidate was junior Rory Peterson. Despite only one year of experience at Oregon Charter Academy, she mentioned her extensive experience in student leadership roles, including student government as well as being a one of the students behind “Students for a Healthy Oregon,” a bill aimed to address mental health issues. 

Peterson expressed an intent to raise awareness for mental health if elected. She also wants to establish a school yearbook and a student government-run social media page. She said it would be a priority to have exciting in-person events next year if at all possible. 

Additionally, Peterson wants to make it easier for students to communicate with each other. She mentioned that social media, emails, or the “Groups” function on Canvas could all be options. 

In fact, all of the candidates at the meeting supported the notion of further increasing student involvement and communication. When asked if balancing their current workload and student government, all were incredibly confident that they could manage it. Each candidate also expressed that they would be willing to collaborate with the student newspaper in the future. 

Editor's note: "Poetry Pals" has since become "Pens & Prose." Please refer to Ezekiel Bruijn's October 2021 article on the new club for updated information.  

Formed in February 2021, Poetry Pals was developed as an outlet for high school students to write, share, and grow in a collaborative environment via poetry writing. The group has about ten members - a fairly small club - but it is interested in further growth for the 2021-2022 school year. Club members have access to the Club page (which resembles a course in Canvas), and this is where students can access poetry-related resources, places to submit their work, and links to Zoom meetings. These meetings are every other Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. with club advisors Mrs. Hand and Mrs. Thew, and they serve as spaces for students to share their work, listen to other poets, and provide constructive criticism. 

Freshman Grace Peterson is credited with submitting the club application, and she is a published poet working under the pen name Gratia Serpento. In regards to how students could gain motivation for writing, she stated, “Poetry is about writing what you feel, and letting go. If you see something, write. Never stop.” 

Themes and poem styles showcased within the club are also meant to embody that freedom, as they alternate to keep the concepts fresh for students. While club members are never required to share their work, Ms. Peterson claims a growing number have opted to present. What results are thirty minutes sessions reminiscent of an English teacher’s writing workshop where a poet presents, peers listen, and then constructive criticism is provided. As Poetry Pal’s Co-Advisor Mrs. Hand summarizes, “Poetry Pals is a safe and fun environment for students to share their work. Constructive, positive feedback is given. We support one another and celebrate our successes. All are welcome!”

Poetry has found a place in mainstream media lately as spoken word poets like Amanda Gorman have brought poetry to new settings. Likewise, poetry is a prevailing element to Oregon Charter’s English curriculum: students are accustomed to analyzing the works of seasoned poets like Shel Silverstein, Shakespeare, and E. E. Cummings. It can be overwhelming understanding poetry’s stanzas, and feel daunting to write powerful pieces at the level of spoken word artists. However, Poetry Pals focuses on the impact of writing regardless of skill level or commitment, all while having fun. In the words of Ms. Peterson, “[Poetry] doesn't have to be weird and ugly, but it can be weird and ugly. It can be whatever you want it to be. Poetry can be so much more in a modern era. We come from a generation of people who see the past and make it better.” 

If you’re a high school student interested in joining the club, you can find the Google Form in the Clubs section of the High School Principal’s Office or ask your Advisory teacher to add you. 

One of highlights of the 2020-2021 school year at Oregon Charter Academy was the school's newly implemented 1:1 user to device ratio, which provided all students with a Chromebook. However, the student laptops have not been free from controversy. 

Some students were dissatisfied the size and functionality of the Chromebooks, but most important was the issue of the many websites and programs blocked by the school on student devices -- the most popular being Youtube. 

The scope of Youtube’s video library is truly massive, from vlogs to music videos, movies, and much more amateur and professional content. Many students and teachers have pointed out the wide variety of educational videos hosted on Youtube as a reasoning for why it should be unblocked on school devices.

One parent brought up the issue at a school board meeting in February, requesting that websites, including Youtube, NASA, and the New York Times, be unblocked on the Chromebooks of high school students. The school’s executive director, Alison Galvin, responded, saying that she would be open to reviewing the school’s technology use guidelines. 

However, Ms. Galvin noted that Youtube was blocked not by the school, but by Google Education, a program which the school uses. It was stated that the “particular restriction will not be reviewed as it is beyond ORCA’s control.”  

Websites such as NASA and the New York Times have since been unblocked on school devices, but Youtube will remain restricted under Google Education. 

To view the full minutes from the February board meeting, and of others, click here. 

Falling behind in school is never fun, but it happens to all of us. What’s important is finding the motivation to get back on track. 

But even that can be difficult if finding missing assignments is a challenge itself. 

The two most obvious ways to check for overdue assignments in Canvas are through the To-do list and the Grades Page. However, these methods aren’t exactly foolproof. The To-do list only lists a fraction of a student’s assignments, and the Grades Page lists each class’ assignments separately and can be hard to navigate. 

But there’s an easy way to check how many assignments you have missing -- and all in one place. 

First, you’ll need to switch your Canvas dashboard to List View. Card view is by far the best option to navigate your classes with, but for this trick you’ll need it set to List View. 

To do so, click the three dots on the upper right corner of your Canvas dashboard to activate the dropdown menu. From there, click List View.

Once you’re on List View, you should see a bell icon next to the three dots. If you have any missing work, a notification will be on the bell icon listing the number of overdue assignments you have. If there’s no notification, that means you are all caught up! 

If there’s a notification on the bell, you can click on it to view a list of all your overdue assignments. If you click on the names of the assignments you’ll be linked to them so you don’t have to find them through the modules section of each course or the weekly starter pages. 

As the end of the school year draws near, it’s important to be on track so you can finish on time. Hopefully this guide will help you catch up and finish the year strong. 

Note: Assignments submitted externally (such as through Nearpod, Newsela, or Google Docs) may not show up as missing in your gradebook, the to-do list, or in the bell icon. Make sure to keep track of such assignments on your own as they can be easy to forget about. 

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!

“Scaled back and isolated.”

That’s how Twenty One Pilots’ frontman Tyler Joseph described his band’s pandemic-era creative process. A snappy shorthand version became the title of the Ohio duo’s latest album, Scaled and Icy.

But as many fans have noted, the shortened phrase is also an anagram for “Clancy is dead.” The seemingly random anecdote takes on a new meaning due to the deep lore of the band’s prior concept albums, Blurryface and Trench -- in which a main character known as Clancy fights against an evil regime in the fictional city of Dema, a story created by Joseph and his bandmate Josh Dun. 

Scaled and Icy skillfully balances these two themes, weaving in a continuation of the Dema narrative while creating an album that is sonically upbeat and cheerful. This contrasts the darker themes of the past year -- and Joseph’s lyrics. 

Album opener  “Good Day” sets the tone for the entire record in both name and sound. Accompanied by a bouncy Elton John-esque piano riff, Joseph sings about dealing with grief, cheerily adding in the second verse, “Lost my job, my wife, and child,” and later on, “I know it's hard to believe me, it's a good day.” 

Such an upbeat summer sound, contrasted with much darker and introspective lyrics, is a common theme throughout Scaled and Icy’s eleven songs. Similarly, the album’s second track, “Choker,” is reminiscent of the band’s earlier work. Joseph sings and raps over an electronic track while accompanied by a complex beat. Once again, the seemingly happy song sounds much different if the lyrics are taken into account as Joseph ominously sings, “I know it’s over / I’m just a choker / Nobody’s coming for me.” 

Third track and lead single “Shy Away” delivers a dose of reality with a solid alternative rock sound. Showing off his recently learned electric guitar ability, Joseph encourages his brother to break out of a creative shell. The song also marks a notable shift in genre for the band. While “Good Day” and “Choker” were solid Twenty One Pilots fare, a delightfully weird, alternative mix of piano, percussion, bass, and electronic elements, “Shy Away” is firmly in the rock genre -- something the band hadn’t yet explored in its six album discography. 

“The Outside” is one of the strongest songs on the album. It’s a catchy, bass-led tune accompanied by a hip-hop-influenced bridge with some of Joseph’s best rapping on the album. It’s the first of a few new rap flows he experiments with on the album, marking a notable evolution from his previous work. 

The following track, “Saturday,” is hardly as great. It feels like an attempt to recreate a Maroon 5 radio hit, which doesn’t completely land but still results in a solid pop tune. However, Joseph’s lyrics, generally some of the strongest in the industry, fall incredibly short with an underwhelming chorus (“...But on Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, we paint the town”), and some cringe-inducing ad libs (“Ooh, you're good, these are my dancin' shoes”). 

The album recovers with another alternative rock track in “Never Take It.” Notable moments include a first of its kind guitar solo from Joseph and a politically conscious message, uncharted lyrical territory for the band. 

“Mulberry Street,” while similar to “The Outside” in sound, has lyrics more akin to “Good Day.” Joseph sings about living in denial (“Keep your bliss, there’s nothing wrong with this”), perhaps referencing the Dema storyline or simply his own personal issues. 

The eighth track, “Formidable,” is built on a bright guitar riff, with lyrics that seem like a loving letter to a significant person in Joseph's life -- perhaps his wife, child, or even bandmate Josh Dun. It’s another catchy tune, but perhaps the least memorable on the album. 

“Bounce Man” is one of the strangest entries on Scaled and Icy, with a bizarre earworm of a chorus and lyrics inferring that the singer is helping a friend escape to Mexico. It’s classic Twenty One Pilots weirdness -- which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable song. 

There isn’t a true ‘skip’ on the album, but the penultimate song “No Chances” comes the closest. It’s a dark rap track that comes out of nowhere, and an ominous background chant (“We come for you, no chances”) makes it feel even further out of place. However, some fantastic rap verses from Joseph save the track, evoking memories from Trench’s “Levitate” while continuing the Dema storyline.

The final song, “Redecorate,” skillfully combines the record’s bright sound with the somber mood which often permeates the band’s album closers. The slow, emotional track discusses themes such as death and depression, ending the album on a bittersweet note. 

Scaled and Icy wasn’t the album many were expecting from Twenty One Pilots. Nevertheless, their transition to a new sound was much smoother than it could have been. Joseph and Dun manage to shift from the dark, heavy aesthetic of previous eras to a lighter, more upbeat one -- all while keeping the introspective nature of their lyrics unchanged. And while not their best record, this latest entry shows some welcome experimentation from the band. Scaled and Icy should be a definite addition to the summer playlists of new listeners and longtime fans alike. 

Verdict: 8.5/10