In just a couple of hours, one of Caldera’s student and counselor-led clubs attracted a wave of people, selling out entirely. The club, Cultural Legacy, was started just three years ago by counselor Morgan Davis. As Caldera is a Spanish immersion school, the club was provided to express a great amount of love and acceptance no matter one’s ethnicity, hoping to unite a variety of students to learn and share about themselves through practices and experiences. 

Cultural Legacy’s table was filled with plenty of food and drinks, provided homemade by student members and their families. Daisy Noeli Chavez, a club leader shared, “our table was a complete success thanks to all the hard work and dedication of our advisors, Veronica Trejo, Morgan Davis and Liz Vargas.”

The club’s table stood out with a variety of decorations, representing Latin countries’ traditional colors and symbols. Many attendees returned multiple times to come back for seconds on their favorite dishes and to chat with students about the club and its purpose at Caldera. 

Authentic Hispanic foods such as empanadas, pozole, Fresca con crema, chicharrones and tamales all sold out at the table, with the club raising a total that day of $1,090.

“I was really happy with our results at the end of the day. I am not surprised people purchased so much of our food because the meals were delicious and our students did an extraordinary job making them,” said Morgan Davis, the team’s head advisor. 

“However I was pleasantly surprised by how much money we ended up making as our goal was to make $500 and we exceeded the expectations,” Davis continued.

The vibes brought to the table helped influence a more cultural environment, rather than feeling like a regular school fundraiser. Members that attended the event with their families to help out preparing the food include Noeli Chávez, Ulises Ventura Santos, Samantha Giovanna Roise, Herandy Ramírez Solorio, Hannah Alicia Lopez and Stefany Guadalupe Tello Ruíz. 

The money raised at the event will help club members go on future field trips to colleges, such as Central Oregon Community College, Oregon State University and Portland-area community colleges. The money will also provide more event opportunities at school like Latino family night, uniting those of Hispanic background and creating a welcoming learning environment to those coming from middle school. 

The post Student Vendors at Caldera Make an Impact appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

According to the directive, which bypassed earlier legislative failure in the state senate, policies must be adopted by Oregon schools before Oct. 31, then fully implemented by January. 

“This is more of a surface-level fix rather than a real preventative measure at the root of the problem,” said Matt Fox, a visual design teacher at Bend Senior High School.

Fox and other critics argue that the ban misses the real problems, such as the youths’ addiction to their phones and lack of a solid attention span. They explain that developing digital relationships and media literacy is necessary before the bans are established. 

According to Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, the average person’s attention span has decreased from two and a half minutes to just 47 seconds over the last 20 years. This shift has impacted how students are able to learn, making it harder to understand complex topics or connect ideas. 

Some Oregon schools, like Bend’s Cascade Middle School, have already enacted bans. Fox noted that students with prior exposure to phone-free days struggle less with devices in high school. 

“Freshmen who have had cellphone bans in middle school have less of an issue with phones,” he explained.

Schools that have enacted similar bans have also found positive results, reflected by increasing engagement and social interaction. But educators like Fox are concerned about the lack of students’ involvement in these decisions. 

“I don’t like the idea of kids being on their phones during lunch and passing periods, not interacting and not being human,” said Fox. “But we didn’t ask students about this, there was a real lack of student voice in how this was structured.” 

When students were asked about how this order will impact their upcoming year, they expressed worries surrounding necessary communication with their peers and parents.

“I rely on my phone for communication related to club meetings, sports and other school activities,” said Kira Woodford, a rising senior at Bend Senior High School. “I think it’ll be really difficult to have the same quality in my extracurricular activities without the ability to message my peers.”

While students like Woodford worry about this policy’s practical application, educators like Fox point out that it misses the opportunity to teach students about real life responsibility.

“We’re not preparing students for the real world,” Fox said. “You need a chance to practice cellphone restriction with some guardrails in play, but not like this, where you can’t have phones at all.” 

Even in Fox’s visual design classes, phones are necessary to make calls to organize meetings, send emails and even to download images onto the school’s computers.

Fox also points to a problem beyond the classroom: the need to replace the entertainment and social connection that cellphones give students. He worries that if we suddenly rob them of this support, we will see a rise in mental health-related issues.

“We need to have more time to socialize and play games, like open gym and recess,” said Fox. He strongly recommends that the schools give screen-free alternatives that will drive social connection. 

But others, like Dr. Jared Conney, a neuroscientist and author, applauded Governor Kotek’s bold action. 

“Once phones are gone, schools gain the equivalent of one to six extra hours of instructional time per week,” Conney said. “Students are more focused, teachers are more engaged, and everyone is more connected.”

Time will tell if this research rings true in Oregon schools.

The post Kotek’s Cellphone Ban Raises Concerns appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Sawyer, a dedicated member of the Caldera High School staff, serves alongside two other hall monitors with the primary responsibility of keeping students safe. Her presence is imperative to the school’s security, she said, and she takes her role seriously.

“Me and two other individuals are in charge [of] the safety of every single human being in that school,” said Sawyer, who reported walking around 20,000 steps each day and referred to herself as the “mistress of detention.”

However, over the past several years, Sawyer has found it increasingly difficult to carry out her responsibilities. Since the pandemic, she has noticed a significant rise in behavioral concerns, leading to feelings of burnout among both educators and support staff.

Additionally, underfunding in schools and Bend’s high cost of living have left many employees with financial worries. Sawyer, for example, earns $23.04 an hour compared to an average income of $31.74 in the city of Bend. As a part-time employee, her gross salary is only $23,943 per year.

“It would be a huge morale boost for us to get paid fairly,” Sawyer explained.

Achieving fair pay is a primary objective in the current bargaining process between Bend-La Pine Schools and the Bend Education Association (BEA) and Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA), unions representing local educators and support staff. This spring, school district officials and union representatives have met to discuss a variety of issues in local schools, but salaries have remained at the center of negotiations.

As this process unfolds, many are left wondering why Bend-La Pine Schools would choose to black out the message on Sawyer’s shirt. According to Scott Maben, Director of Communications for Bend-La Pine Schools, the answer lies in the context of the event.

“In our view, the statement detracts from the primary purpose of Excellence in Education, which is to recognize a select group of educators and support staff who go above and beyond in the work they do in our schools,” said Maben.

Sawyer, however, has a very different view on the matter. With concerns regarding compensation and workload hanging over the school district, she felt that a ceremony recognizing incredible employees was the perfect time to draw attention to the common issues faced by the honorees.

“Good people are getting burnt out, truly,” Sawyer emphasized. “And I’m one of them.”

In Sawyer’s eyes, Bend-La Pine Schools’ choice to post the edited — in her opinion, censored — photos shows a refusal to recognize the complex issues faced by public school employees.

“It’s cowardice to [avoid talk of pay inequity] instead of embracing that this is a conversation that we need to have and being bold and trying to make sure that your employees are being taken care of,” Sawyer explained.

While the district’s funding is largely determined at the state level, Sawyer feels that the school district’s decision to erase the message on her shirt demonstrates a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to work alongside school employees in pursuit of a brighter, more equitable future.

The post Bend-La Pine Schools Conceals Call for Increased Pay appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

On Jan. 17 and 18, Bend High Theatre presented a series of 10 minute plays, performed in Summit High School’s black box theatre. Ranging from a comedic and inspiring story about a group of superheroes with untraditional “powers” to a profound commentary on life and death, the short scenes bridged a variety of topics and themes. The seven cast members delivered a high quality show, particularly impressive in light of the extenuating circumstances.

For Bend High’s performing arts programs, this year has been unusual to say the least. Following the destruction of the auditorium and theatre classroom, theatre classes, auditions and rehearsals were held in the choir room, a much smaller space than the students and cast members were accustomed to.

The 2024–25 school year represented a period of change for Bend High Theatre in yet another crucial way: This fall marked the beginning of theatre teacher and director Madeline Williams’s time not only at Bend High, but in the profession. Starting out as an educator and taking over a theatre program would be difficult no matter what, but the lack of performance space presented an unanticipated challenge.

“It’s been really, really weird,” said Maddie Taylor, a junior who played Carol in the production. “We use the auditorium every single day. For class, we would go in there, and obviously for productions and rehearsal.”

However, Taylor and her fellow cast members recognize Williams as a guiding light in these dark times, fostering positivity and making the process as smooth as possible. The students involved in the production came armed with passion and determination, and Williams’s leadership helped them turn this into something extraordinary, regardless of the challenges faced along the way.

“I think it just really shows what we can do and how we can adapt,” said Bend High freshman Avery Brown, who played Wabbit Woman, Jessica and Teddy.

But for the program to grow and improve, continuing without designated performance space is not a viable option. Their latest production was impressive, but much smaller-scale than the plays they could put on prior to the loss of their auditorium.

Although members of the theatre department hope that a new auditorium will be built quickly, they recognize that this day will likely not come before they depart Bend High. As it stands now, the reconstruction of the auditorium is slated to occur between June 2026 and August 2028, long after Taylor’s graduation this year and potentially after Brown graduates in 2028.

“If [the Bend High Theatre] were to do something well-known, like a musical or a more well-known play, then I would really hope that they would have a proper auditorium for that,” said Brown.

However, as uncertain as Bend High Theatre’s future remains, they are here to stay. Having successfully executed the series of 10 minute plays, Williams hopes to direct another production this spring. Although plans are not yet set in stone, Williams and her students have made it clear that they will continue to make their mark on the local performing arts community, with or without an auditorium.

As Williams put it, “When the time comes that we do have [an auditorium], it’ll be a great celebration of what we’ve accomplished without one.” An auditorium is important of course, but Williams and her cast of actors have proved that it is not what makes or breaks a theatre group. Passion is the heartbeat of the arts, and as long as dedication flows through their veins, Bend High Theatre will remain, stronger than ever.

The post The Show Must Go On appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

According to Summit junior Van Russell, who is playing Damian, “Mean Girls” takes on a greater meaning when performed in a high school. The play is a satirical comedy based around teenage drama and social dynamics, and although it is dramatized, the plot rings true to the experiences of many local students.

“It means a lot to share [“Mean Girls”] with high schoolers, especially when the story that it’s telling is a very real thing,” said Russell. “I think that it also shows the message that we generally echo in theater, which is ‘be you.’”

In addition to the relevant themes, “Mean Girls” will feature guest performances from a variety of Summit staff members, including principal Donna Servignat and social studies teacher Marni Spitz. 

“I have a hard time thinking anyone wouldn’t come in and come and just be completely blown away,” said Spitz, who will play a tap-dancing lunch lady and Mrs. Heron, the main character’s mom.

While the cast is made up entirely of Summit students and staff, all Bendites are encouraged to attend. So clear your calendars—there is no doubt that Summit Theatre Company will turn this show into one worth seeing.

The post ‘Mean Girls’ Comes to Summit appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

As AI infiltrates numerous aspects of many people’s lives, it’s also worked its way into schools. This new tool comes with both benefits and drawbacks, but one of the rising concerns many teachers are facing is the rise of plagiarism.

“I define plagiarism as using anything that isn’t your own idea and claiming it as your own and AI plagiarism is achieving the same thing as the copy-paste technique,” said Sisters High School English teacher Brittney Hilgers.

As AI-based websites such as ChatGPT become more accessible by students through phones or personal computers, the urge to find an “easy” way out of a large homework load increases. Most of this misuse occurs in essays for classes such as English or history, where AI can create a convincing answer to the prompt given.

As a result, this growing pattern has had a considerable effect on the way schoolwork is analyzed by teachers and how classes are carried out. 

“I’m trying to be more creative with my assignments where, yes, you have a thesis but [you] also have something you can’t AI such as personal connections,” said Hilgers.

Teachers at SHS noticed an AI usage peak in the spring of 2024, leading a group of SHS educators to take an AI training course on the risks and benefits of the tool.

“A goal for me is teaching students how to think, not what to think,” says SHS History teacher Gail Greaney, “and AI only works if you have a base level of knowledge, which is where we see it’s only helpful if you evaluate it,” said Greaney.

The idea of AI being helpful if you have a certain quantity of understanding on a topic is vital in weeding out students who plagiarize their work. Teachers describe being able to usually tell when students are using AI because of small mistakes that go unnoticed or the wording used. 

“The difficult part is getting students to confess if the AI detecting system doesn’t flag the work. I’ve had many instances where there were students that weren’t detected and they lie about it when confronted,” said Hilgers.

Looking at this growing dilemma, it’s easy to pick one side to stand by. However, research shows that while AI has many negative effects in the classroom, it can also enhance student experiences.

Artificial intelligence is able to personalize student learning. By analyzing student performance data, AI-powered tools can determine which students need support to improve their learning experience, and the best way to help those students, in a study done by Walden University. 

AI exists as both a powerful tool and a detrimental source of information. Learning how to thoughtfully and morally use Artificial Intelligence can make or break your assignments, and more importantly, how well you learn.

The post What is AI Plagiarism and How is it Impacting Schools? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.