By Xchange,on November 15th,2011  Not many people can say that they have participated at a national competition but for one Gresham High School student,she can say she definitely did. Student Shannon Ernst participated in the National 4-H competition for horse judging in early November. The event was held in Louisville,Kentucky where over 330 people competed in five different events. Each individual went with a team representing their state. Thirty one states were represented including Alaska,Washington,Oregon,Idaho,Wisconsin,Indiana,Florida,Alabama,and many more.
The Oregon team flew out early to experience the extent of the Kentuckian horse country. While there,the team spent two days at the world known Kentucky Horse Park which played host to the World Equestrian Games in 2010,visited stud farms,and enjoyed the southern hospitality of the state. On competition day,the team judged a multitude of horses and disciplines ranging from reining to three-gaited Saddlebreds. In the end,the judging team didn’t take home any awards but each person was ranked nationally,with Ernst coming in 26 out of 88,only missing being in the top twenty five by a point.
With the new season coming up,what is next for this team?
“My team is definitely becoming prepared for next year. We are fully intent on going back and having another go at it,” says Ernst. By Xchange,on September 22nd,2011 Let’s face it,if you are a high achieving student you are going to want to be involved in many programs as possible. Even if you are not a high achieving student,when junior year comes along you know that colleges are watching and it’s time to start putting you back into making the resume look good. You can do this by joining school clubs,school sports,volunteering in school,volunteering outside of school,doing clubs outside of school,doing sports outside of school,church,job,social activities,travels,competition,etc.,etc. You could do everything on that list and more if you don’t value your sanity,sleep,or overall well being. For those of us who can’t get by without sleep or have some other people in our life that prefer us when we have had a good night sleep,then you have to learn how to pick and choose what activities you do and how to manage your time. The first step in this processes is making a list of what you already do before you add anything. If your list is totally blank,great! You can now move on to step two;examining activities you are interested in. If not,then you go to step one-a;how much time does each activity take up daily/weekly/monthly. Once you have calculated how much time you actually have to work with (taking sleep and eating into account as an activity) then you can move on to looking at what activities you can add. When looking at your activities for step two,consider how much time each activity takes up. Order them by time first. Compare it to the list of things you are already doing. If the time the activity takes up is greater then the available time you have,strike it from the list. Then order your list from what you would really like to do,to what you kinda want to do. For the things you really want to do,look up info or attend an informational meeting on the activity. If the informational meeting requests your contact info,go ahead and put it down. Even if you can’t do the activity or don’t join,you still have the first step to joining which takes some hassle out later. Next time:Step 3 –Activities and Social life By Xchange,on September 22nd,2011 At Gresham High School we only have one lunch period. The capacity of our cafeteria cannot fit 1800 students plus tables and places to walk. So students have taken it upon them selves to branch out into the world of the hallways. This segment,we’ll look at three groups whom have chosen the hallway as their watering hole. They have claimed their territory and infringement is largely frowned upon. You have been warned. Name: Speech,Swim,&Co. Location: right outside the College and Career Center Numbers: 6-16 people Summary: This group is mostly composed of juniors and seniors from the Speech and Debate team as well as the Swim Team. They were originally part of another group which divide due to size. The “Co.” portion of the group is a smattering of friends who are not involved in Speech and Debate or Swim but who have been admitted on an honoree bases. Name: The Mancave
Location: History Hallway by the soda machine
Numbers: 8-12 people
Summary: They originally migrated upstairs due to their lunch table being taken over by freshmen. The group was fairly large but then ended up splitting into two. The name was originally thought of by the males in the group at the conception of said group’s migration. Now there are only two or three males that reside in the area leaving the name to often referred to as “The Mancave:lacking the men.” Name: Science Hall Group
Location: (as the name suggests) the Science Hallway
Numbers: 20-40 people
Summary:This large group took over the area once a group of seniors graduated. They describe themselves as mostly nerds and say that when they are not in the Science Hallway they can easily be found all over the school. This group is now composed of mostly seniors meaning that the territory will be susceptible to take over in the following year. However,the group says that they will not worry about it and just enjoy one of the many benefits of being in the hallway:free cinnamon rolls and water.  Speech,Swim,and Co. at their eating area. Next Time:The Drama Department By Xchange,on September 16th,2011  It happens every day,of every school year. School starts and the hallways get crowded. Lately it seems even more so. The fact of the matter is that there are more students going to Gresham High School than in the past. With 1803 students enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year and 436 of them being freshmen,many upper class men are starting to consider traffic control.The place where you feel the most crunch for space is in the stairwells. Advice to the freshmen:don’t use the stairwell if you don’t have to go down stairs. It will not be faster,you’ll just tie up the traffic. Plus you don’t have as much experience with the stairwells so chances of you being accidentally shoved down the stairs is higher. Same advice goes to the upper class men. If you must go up or down stairs,use stairwells that are not used as often. For instance,if you are in the History Hallway and are trying to get to the Science Hallway,instead of going down the stairs by the skybridge,go down the stairs at the very end of the History Hallway. You will make up more time going down hallways that are clear,then you would if you stood waiting for two minutes to go down a crowded stairwell.Next tip,do not be a road block. We see groups of students who loiter in the entrance ways to the cafeteria and the main doors. Don’t do it if you don’t want people to get angry at you. Even if you do want people to get angry at you,don’t do it. Shift down the hall a little so that you are not blocking door ways. A tip for the teachers. The English hallway is narrow and a traffic heavy thoroughfare. It would be very useful to leave your doors fully open so that students are not taken out by doors as they are trying to get to class. It would also be useful for the students coming to your class since they will not have to contend too much with oncoming traffic as they block the halls,trying to make their turn. The final tip to all those that get caught in the hallway rush is move briskly and stay to the right of the hallway. This will keep the traffic moving smoothly throughout the narrow passageways of our school. Furthermore use this opportunity on foot to practice for the real world behind the wheel. Be polite and follow the rules of the hall. By Xchange,on September 14th,2011 This past summer one of Gresham High School’s lovely juniors had the opportunity to travel to Peru for seven days. Of course she took up this offer.Haley Schaeffer is an avid member of the Oregon Zoo’s Zoo Teen program. She is also part of their Leadership Corps. The trip to Peru was designed for teens to be able to greatly expand their ecological awareness. While in Peru,Schaeffer and the team of eighteen teens and two chaperons we  Photo courtesy of Haley Schaeffer. nt on many hikes through the mountains of Peru examining the different ecosystems that they found. They also participated in a service project for a local developing village through the CONAPAC program. Schaeffer says the highlight of her trip was when she and the team went to the Black Lakes to fish for Parana. Her boat wasn’t catching any and so they went down the river a little ways where the chaperon said that,as long as they weren’t bleeding,they could jump into the river. The river held many different creature including electric eels and,of course,Parana. They were all laughing and having a good time in the river and Schaeffer says that it was amazing how many animals exists in the same system. Another trip is on the books in two years and Schaeffer says she will definitely be going. | Disclaimer This is NOT the official site of Gresham High School. See the ABOUT US tab for more info. |
