An Interview with Mr. Clarke on Santa Clarke
Jesuit Photography
Santa Clarke at the Food Drive Assembly
In light of the beginning of the Food Drive and holiday season, I had the opportunity to talk with Campus Minister Don Clarke on Jesuit High School’s favorite holiday figure, Santa Clarke. Although the Jesuit student body will not be able to experience Santa Clarke’s joyous presence in person through the traditional Food Drive assembly, Clarke speaks on how his close friend, Santa Clarke, will continue spreading the spirit of giving and love this December.
Crespo: What is Santa Clarke’s daily routine?
Clarke: Everyday he gets up, comes out his hair and his beard, practices his “ho, ho, ho’s” for a while, then he practices carrying a bag around and works on going down chimneys. He checks in with toys being made, and then looks in on different people as they are collecting food for the Food Drive.
Crespo: How is Santa Clarke going to spread the holiday spirit to the student body this December despite not being able to see them in person?
Clarke: I hope we get to see the student body on Dec. 12 when it’s the drive-by for the Christmas lights. I think Santa Clarke will be there. I talk to him regularly, everyday. I heard that he was on the video for the Food Drive assembly. He also does a couple of other things. He helps with a couple of different parishes around the area and different groups that need a Santa Claus, so he shows up there as well. His most favorite thing is seeing the students. I think when he broke into the Knight Center [in the assembly video] and there were no students there, that was very, very disheartening for Santa Clarke.
Crespo: What does Santa Clarke love about the holiday season?
Clarke: [He] loves the generosity of people. I think it just kinda goes in the back of their brain like, “I gotta do the Food Drive stuff, I gotta do the food drive stuff,” and then when they finally bring in stuff…they see what the whole community can do. The smiles are usually a little bit deeper than usual when people see what happens when the Food Drive shows up.
Crespo: What are your thoughts on Dr. Fauci’s statement that Santa Clarke is immune to the Coronavirus?
Clarke: I think that it is pretty self-evident that he is immune to the coronavirus and therefore can go to all different kinds of places. But as you saw in the video, Santa Clarke has his own specially designed face mask by Mrs. Claus that is candy cane-ish and everything. He won’t catch it because he will wear a face mask all the time and after every house, he cleans his hands and makes sure everything is all antiseptic. I appreciate that Dr. Fauci said that you don’t have to worry about Santa Clarke this year.
Crespo: What is your favorite type of Christmas cookie?
Clarke: There is a former principal, her name is Mrs. Satterberg, and she heard one time that I like shortbread cookies, so every year, even after she retired, she still makes me shortbread cookies. So it would be Mrs. Satterberg’s shortbread cookies that are my favorite Christmas cookies. (Mr. Clarke speaks for Santa Clarke in this regard too, obviously.)
Crespo: What spirited and uplifting message do you want to send to the student body during the holidays?
Clarke: There are so many different things that talk about what the real meaning of Christmas is, and I will say that up at the North pole [Santa Clarke] watches Hallmark Christmas movies. They always talk about Christmas as love, and I think the greatest love that we as humanity have been able to experience, is the gift of God’s presence in the world, certainly, through the presence of Jesus Christ, but through the beliefs of so many faithful [people] that want to be good, and that’s faiths of all different kinds. I think that is where the meaning of Christmas is. And I think that if we want to have a Christmas that goes a long time, then we figure out exactly what it means to love and show acts of kindness and to cherish one another. When that happens, Christmas is unbelievable.
Crespo: Thank you so much for meeting with me Mr. Clarke.
Clarke: Thank you for asking.
Isabel Crespo is an editor for the Jesuit Chronicle. She is a Junior at Jesuit High School and is excited to pursue her passion for writing on a deeper...
Can teachers maintain the same relationships with students over Zoom?
Word web describes roles teachers play in students’ lives, something difficult to maintain through online learning.
Teachers have been trying numerous methods to maintain relationships with their students over Zoom, despite the challenges hindering them. With both students and teachers adjusting to the online learning environment, class connections have been established between both students and teachers. However, connections between those in the classroom have been altered, and forming relationships takes an entirely different form over Zoom.
This is especially challenging for the Freshman class. Teachers of the Freshman class have taken extra care to engage their students, helping them to establish connections with their peers in any way possible.
“Certainly try to make things more lighthearted,” Freshman Theology teacher Mr. Lantz said. “A lot more small talk and personal conversation. [I] try to create that personal connection where you would normally just be able to be in the same room with the person.”
The primary differences between in-person classes and Zoom classes are not only the deep connections formed between peers, but also the small interactions between teachers and students in class or during passing periods.
“It’s harder because it’s all of the tiny little things that just don’t happen,” Theology teacher Ms. Barry said. “It’s when you walk into the classroom; it’s that whole beginning of class and it’s that whole walking out of the classroom. There’s moments where they walk by you or you walk by them and you have these tiny interactions.”
Along with small interactions, teachers have been trying numerous different methods to engage their students as a whole, establishing a sense of community within a virtual classroom. These methods include small discussions before class, bonding activities in breakout rooms, and much more.
“I’ve watched other teachers’ classrooms and sat in on Zooms, so I saw one teacher who let students tell her how they’re doing in a private message on Zoom chat which I really like because it’s kind of intimidating to talk on Zoom when there are 30 people in the class,” Mr. Lantz said.
In addition to teachers creating new methods of connecting with their students, students also have the opportunity to take initiative and maintain relationships with their teachers. This can be in the form of small actions, such as staying after class to provide feedback or even simply speaking up during class.
“Asking questions during class is a really nice way to engage in class,” senior Savannah Fitts said. “Also talking during breakout rooms or getting to know teachers better by sometimes staying after the Zoom to give them advice…Especially with Environmental Science, Ms. Humm is new, and I’ll sometimes stay after and say, ‘I really like doing this, or I really like this project.’”
While small interactions hold great value, classes involving deep discussions between students find challenges when breaking barriers between students. Connecting through a screen proves especially difficult, as class discussions may require a strong sense of trust between students, something difficult to build virtually.
“I learned early in my teaching career that if you ask people to be vulnerable and do something that makes them raw, you have to support them,” Ms. Barry said. ”So anytime I give them an assignment that makes them be vulnerable or asks them to be vulnerable, I’m going to support them by reading it and responding to them, but I also want them to share with their partner…I tell them to build trust a little bit at a time, and trust as much as you can and a little bit more. That’s actually going so much better than I thought it would because I was worried about that over Zoom.”
While maintaining a strong sense of motivation for school can be difficult for students when learning virtually, teachers also may feel drained from the constrictions placed through online learning, hindering them from fully connecting with their students.
“It’s a lot more emotional energy from me,” Ms. Barry said. “I just have to be very obvious that I love you and I care about you and I want you guys to talk to each other, and I’m trying [to come] up with creative ways of doing [that] over Zoom.”
Scout Jacobs is a managing editor for the Jesuit Chronicles at Jesuit High School. As a senior in high school, this is her third year doing...
Celebrating Ms. Roxann Asp
Dorian Studios
Ms. Roxann Asp
We celebrate the life of sophomore health teacher Roxann Asp (1971-2020), who passed away after a battle with cancer on November 30, 2020. The day after her passing, Jesuit administrators sent an email to the Jesuit community expressing their profound sadness.
“She was a natural teacher—organized, passionate, practical, and incredibly devoted to her students and athletes,” the email said.
A teacher, as well as a coach, Ms. Asp affected the lives of many young students. Ms. Asp came to Jesuit in 1996 to coach basketball, cross-country, and softball. She then joined the faculty as a biology and health teacher. Ms. Asp then left Jesuit in 2007 to teach at NAYA Many Nations Academy for Native American Youth, and returned to Jesuit in 2014.
To pay tribute to Ms. Asp, please attend Jesuit’s prayer service tonight at 6 p.m., where students and staff will take time to pray for Ms. Asp and her family.
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
How Teachers are Re-Designing Learning for an Online Environment
For the past nine months, teachers at Jesuit High School have been challenged with the difficult task of learning how to teach in a virtual fashion. Since digital learning is the new reality for the way education is conducted, teachers have had to redesign their traditional methods of teaching to ones that lend themselves better in an online environment.
Back in the spring, Jesuit implemented an asynchronous learning model and has since moved away from that approach to a primarily synchronous model in the fall of the 2020-2021 school year. Geoffrey Hunnicutt, a US History teacher at Jesuit, approves of the change, saying that under the asynchronous learning model there was too much inconsistency.
“There was a lot of difficulty and everyone was just doing their own thing,” Hunnicutt said. “It was kind of a dynamic period when there was a lot of uncertainty over what to do, and we kept trying to make it better and that was hard to do on the fly because [teachers] had to adapt their curriculum and tests and everything to the new format. Students were having to constantly switch from one platform to another platform.”
Laura Schick, a math teacher at Jesuit, agrees that the asynchronous model wasn’t sustainable, but stresses the point that no method of learning works for all students because some of her students enjoyed asynchronous learning.
“I know a lot of my students said they [were] actually getting more sleep because they [were] able to work at times where [they] have more energy, they [were] able to work around a schedule that works better with [their] life outside of school,” Schick said. “The trade-offs were that until Zoom really became an option, we missed out on a lot of interpersonal connections that we normally would have had. While things were working well, we made some pretty big asks of our students, and it wasn’t a perfect learning mode for everybody.”
To prepare for synchronous learning in the fall, teachers participated in a robust digital learning training program over the summer taught by fellow Jesuit administrators, teachers, and outside professionals with expertise in the virtual world. For Hunnicutt and Schick, what made the training successful was the teachers instructing each other on how to be more dynamic because it made the learning process all the more interactive and collaborative.
“One of things that was most useful for me personally was attending something that Jesuit put together,” Schick said. “We called it a virtual PD (professional development) conference. That is something Ms. Tormala put together. She had some keynote speakers from outside the school and also had a lot of sessions run from inside the school. I helped lead a session with [Jesuit English teacher] Mr. Villareal on how to use Nearpod and we were able to help other teachers because we had both used it, but we had both used it in completely different ways. We got to share our learning with other teachers and help them, and we also got to learn from other teachers, like I learned how to use Zoom from Mr. Flamoe and got a lot of tips.”
“Many teachers, too many to mention, who were skilled at certain aspects of online learning gave classes to the rest of us,” Hunnicutt said. “The training over the summer that was most beneficial was auditing Mr. Flamoe’s online US History class. He is very skillful in the use of Zoom, Edpuzzles, and other tech wizardry, so I learned much from participating in his class as a student and asking him questions. Lots of questions.”
Due to the extensive training teachers went through in the summer, it is safe to say that many of them are more technologically proficient compared to before digital learning became the norm. For Ms. Schick, she considers herself a tech-savvy individual and uses that to her advantage when teaching, but misses the traditional hands-on activities she used to use in her geometry class on campus.
“I would say that I really love to use technology when it can make our classroom experience better, but I try not to use it just to make the experience flashy,” Schick said. “I also will say that this year I really miss out, especially in geometry, doing hands-on labs with shapes. I would say I’m super comfortable with technology and I really like it, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for the overload of technology that is happening right now.’
Not only did teachers have to adapt to teaching their curriculum online, but they had to transition from teaching four 55-minute class periods a week to two 80-minute class periods a week.
“What you lose is the cohesion,” Hunnicutt said. “You’re meeting twice a week instead of four times a week, right, and it’s hard to keep students’ attention in this format, and I understand that completely. It’s very challenging for me and I think it’s frustrating for a lot of teachers in this environment, especially if you have taught for a long time and had success and then you are put in a different environment, and it is completely different and you aren’t having success, and you can’t have success because it takes time to get good.”
For junior Karli Lonquist, a student of Ms. Schick, she much prefers learning math four days a week for 55 minutes, but understands that the schedule put in place is what’s best for the situation she is in.
“I would definitely say that math is best when you have five classes a week, instead of two 80-minute periods,” Lonquist said. “Sometimes in the 80-minute periods I run out of focus and that’s hard to regain. Also, I feel like there’s the same amount of content but more area for understanding [in the 55-minute schedule].
“When it comes to in-person math education, I really much prefer getting to see my students more times in a week,” Schick said. “For example, I was talking to a student and saying, “hey, remember this, it was two lessons ago” and in a normal week it would be literally two days ago, now it’s like a week ago. Especially in math when there is so much skills-based practice. One of things that is better for math education is that daily contact, that daily practice, daily reinforcement, and daily check-ins.”
When questioned about the challenges they are facing with digital learning overall, the common trends were a loss of social interaction, communication issues, and especially Zoom fatigue.
“I am a storyteller and doing it over Zoom is very challenging due to the limited feedback from the audience, though my students have been attentive and hardworking,” Hunnicutt said.
“I am more than ever relying on hearing from my students and hearing their feedback because as any teacher will tell you, you get really good at sort of assessing, taking in a room and people’s responses in a classroom,” Schick said. “Like when you’re rocking a lesson, everybody’s engaged, people are loving it, you can feel it. It’s really hard to tell that through a computer screen because the students may be loving it, I just don’t know. We are really needing that feedback from our students because we are here for you. It is really hard on zoom to tell what is working well and what is not.”
Hunnicutt and Schick have very different lesson plans during their two 80-minute class periods, in part because of the differing subject matter, but also because their personal experimentation throughout their summer training introduced them to different innovative platforms. A common trend, however, is that their classes are a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning.
“We use a really fun tool called Google Jam Board,” Schick said. “It is kind of like google slides but it is shared, and it’s a whiteboard. For math it’s nice because then one person can write and the others can look at the screen.”
“When we are in breakout rooms, we use a lot of the time these things called Jam Boards and each group has a page with warmups on it and they will go through and complete the warmup,” Lonquist said. “Everyone is doing something with their group at that time and Ms. Schick will come by, look at everyone’s board and make little helpful comments. A lot of the time we will come back, and we will have a discussion about it. It gets everybody engaged and participating at the very beginning of class, which I think is good to kind of wake everybody up.”
“I use the whole 80 minutes and it’s a combination of Edpuzzles, which are videos that are reading assignments, that breaks [the class] up a little bit,” Hunnicutt said.
The remaining obstacle that teachers have yet to tackle in respect to digital learning is final exams. In an email on October 20, Principal Paul Hogan announced the cancellation of an official final exam week in January 2021. Instead, Jesuit students will take their final exams online within the limits of their 80-minute class periods.
“There will be some written thing,” Hunnicutt said. “In the past I have always done a combination of objective multiple choice questions and then an essay, just about 50/50, so I will just do the essay.”
When Ms. Schick was questioned about how she will test her students’ knowledge at the end of the semester, she said that she is awaiting to make a decision because she is “still learning” about her students and “where their math abilities are.”
“One thing I have learned about online learning is that nobody has all of the answers yet, so you have to be willing to learn as you go,” Schick said. “My thinking right now is probably a combination of something that asks for them to show me their skills, but also involves some sort of creative synthesis of what they have learned.”
Despite the many challenges online school yields, Ms. Schick managed to find a positive with learning virtually.
“One nice thing about Zoom is that even people who don’t love to unmute and share, can still have a voice and still use the chat function to communicate their ideas,” Schick said.
Similar to Schick, Hunnicuttt was able to find some positivity through this entire digital learning experience in an inspiring message.
“As to what works and what does not, I am still learning that,” Hunnicutt said. “I am having to follow my own mantra that I tell my students: Don’t be afraid to fail because failure is your greatest teacher. I guess I must be learning a great deal.”
Isabel Crespo is an editor for the Jesuit Chronicle. She is a Junior at Jesuit High School and is excited to pursue her passion for writing on a deeper...
Interview: Mr. Hahn on Running for Tigard City Council
tigardlife.com
History teacher Jerry Hahn is pictured next to his opponents who ran for Tigard City Council this year.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, I had the chance to interview history teacher and former veteran Jerry Hahn, who shared with me his experience of running for Tigard City Council this year. Even though the election is over and he did not receive a seat on the council, Hahn is positive that his involvement in the process is full of learning opportunities. Here was his interview:
Clevenger: Why did you decide to run?
Hahn: I saw the opening this summer, and there were two Tigard City Council seats open this year. I thought about ways in which I could be more civically engaged. I also thought I could learn a lot about the process of local government and how local governments function. Lastly, I wanted something I could model for my students [to show them ways to] be engaged, be community oriented, and be part of the solution.
Clevenger: Can you describe part of that process? What was the first step?
Hahn: The first step is getting on the ballot, and receiving at least 20 signatures from citizens who are registered to vote, mostly neighbors. I had to get enough signatures from people who live in Tigard, and then those signatures had to be validated. I went down to the Washington County Courthouse and paid a filing fee, which was $50. After getting signatures and filing, I was officially on the ballot.
Clevenger: What was the next step after getting on the ballot?
Hahn: People and institutions in the community want to know who’s out there, so my first invitation was from the Tigard Police Union. I got a tour of their station and talked to their union leaders. They asked me a lot of questions about my stance on different [issues]. As a union and an institution, they were trying to find the candidates that were the best suited for them. I didn’t get their endorsement, and I was a little surprised, but they wanted more experience. I was also granted an invitation to be interviewed by the League of Women Voters. The interview was on one of those back cable channels. I was also interviewed by the Tigard Times, which is the local paper.
Clevenger: If you were to be elected, what would your role be in the community?
Hahn: The Tigard City Council has a mayor, who runs the political nature of the city, and four city council members. One is the president, and the other three are council members. I would have been making pretty important decisions that affect the community. One of the bigger decisions for Tigard right now is the light rail system. The question is, ‘Does Tigard seek to have the light rail line extended to Tigard?’ I’m a big supporter [of the light rail]. There’s so much traffic, and I think the light rail helps with congestion.
Clevenger: Would you consider this process was more of a learning venture as opposed to a job application?
Hahn: I did do it to learn about the process, but I was serious: I wanted to be on the council. I’m not disappointed or crushed or sad [that I wasn’t elected], but I thought I could do something for this community.
Clevenger: What was the hardest part of the process?
Hahn: Nothing about it was hard. I thought it was very simple. I got a great deal of help from a woman named Carol Krager from City Hall who helped me through the process. The secretary for the councils, once I was an official candidate, shared with me the minutes of past meetings, and I was invited to get up to speed.
Clevenger: If somebody told you that they were going to run for city council what advice would you give them?
Hahn: Get yourself up to speed on some of the current issues in Tigard so you don’t get caught off guard in a discussion. Also, it costs $100 to put your information in the voter’s pamphlet, and wish I had done that.
Clevenger: What sort of restrictions did you have due to COVID-19?
Hahn: When I was out and about, or if I was going to have somebody sign a petition, I needed multiple pens and cleaning devices. Certainly, I was masked and socially distanced.
Clevenger: Did you receive any endorsements?
Hahn: Yes, from local businesses, but not from any institutions that I’m aware of.
Clevenger: What were the results of the election?
Hahn: Seven people ran for Tigard City, most of whom were from the business world. There was one incumbent (a person who currently holds an office but can run again), who received the most votes. There was also one non-incumbent (a person who does not currently hold office and is eligible to run) who won a seat. I received 1111 votes.
Clevenger: So the big question is, would you run again?
Hahn: I don’t know where I will be in a couple of years in terms of health, interest, etc. There are people I know who said that the next time, if or when I run, they will put up lawn signs or give me money.
Clevenger: What would you do differently next time?
Hahn: I would campaign, and spend some money. I would have lawn signs and make posters, and have businesses put up signs as well because name recognition in small areas is huge. A lot of people vote based on familiarity with a name.
Clevenger: Thank you so much.
Hahn: Thank you.
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
What’s Happening to Charlie Crusader?
Jesuit High School
Jesuit students pose with an early rendition of Charlie Crusader.
In light of recent racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter Movement, sports teams and schools have been more receptive to changing offensive, racially insensitive team mascots to ones less inflammatory. Jesuit High School released an email at the end of July stating their intentions to not only discuss the appropriateness versus inappropriateness of Jesuit’s mascot, Charlie Crusader.
Charlie Crusader was chosen as the school’s mascot in Jesuit High School’s first year by students and administration. Possible mascots could have been the Voyagers, the Knights, or the Pilgrims, among others. On October 11, 1956, the student body voted, and the name Crusaders was chosen.
Vice Principal of Academics and Student Life Khalid Maxie said, “Jesuit’s Board of Trustees has appointed a Mascot Working Group comprised of 14 members of our community to begin seeking feedback from our various constituencies like students, faculty, staff, parents and parents of alums on the appropriateness [and inappropriateness] of the Crusader name and mascot in light of the mission, values, and identity of Jesuit High School.”
Maxie is a member of the Mascot Working Group (MWG), and meets with his team weekly. He says the group means to have open conversations with the Jesuit community and create opportunities for various constituency groups to participate in positive and constructive dialogue on the following question: In what ways do you think that the Crusader name and mascot are appropriate or inappropriate representations of Jesuit High School given our mission, values, and Ignatian principles?
“We plan to facilitate conversation with the Jesuit community about the Crusader name and mascot in a few ways: one would be the release of an online survey, and the other way will be through a series of live online community forums that will more than likely occur via Zoom,” Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs and member of the MWG Erika Tuenge said. “We are in the process, as a working group, of developing what those forums will look like.”
Maxie stated that the group’s role is to educate the Jesuit community about the Crusades and acknowledge their history. The goal, however, is not to redefine the Crusader to fit the values of the school.
“Our role is not to make a decision or push this process in any way,” Maxie said. “It is our job to make sure that we’re reaching out to all those [constituency] groups, and part of that requires the responsible thing that we’re currently working on: how do we educate our community about the history of Charlie the Crusader and the Crusades, as well as his cultural responsive implications?” Maxie said.
The MWG will gather information from constituency groups and provide the Board of Trustees with this information. Based on what they gather, the Board of Trustees will come to a decision as to what will happen to the Crusader name and mascot. Tuenge believes the Board of Trustees will make their final decision before mid-June.
In addition, members of the MWG must keep their biases to themselves when coming up with educational resources, while still keeping inclusivity in mind. To do this, the MWG will look to experts on the Crusades for facts and information.
“We hope to lean on scholars, professors who teach about the Crusades, to provide us with facts, leaning on the work of Holy Cross University who went through the same process” Maxie said. “They are a Jesuit Institution. The Crusader was and is their mascot. They decided to get rid of all the imagery but kept the Crusader name and redefined what it means to be a Crusader in this day and age.”
Tuenge commented that the diversity of the MWG will help the voices of the community feel heard.
“[The MWG represents] members of our community as far as alums, parents, past parents, faculty, staff, and students [who have a wide array of roles]. Because we are planning, strategizing, and collaborating together as a group, our hope is that we are coming up with a process that we’ll be proud of and that our community will be proud of, and they will want to share their opinions with us” Tuenge said.
Although members of the MWG cannot share their biases, the students of Jesuit High School are not without their own opinions.
For senior Naviya Venkitesh, the Crusader holds many fond memories of a school with an open community and racially diverse student population, however it is also a symbol of pain for her and her family.
“I think that the best option is that we should look into changing [the Crusader name and mascot],” Venkitesh said. “Obviously, that takes years and years. Right now, given our society’s climate around Islamophobia, I think it is necessary, especially for Catholics and Christians and Jesuit as a Catholic School, that we acknowledge the systemic racism and the Islamophobia that comes with having a mascot like Charlie Crusader.”
Venkitesh also believes that Jesuit students come from a place of not only socioeconomic privilege and cultural privilege, but racial privilege, and that our privilege needs to be checked because it is easy to become ignorant of discrimination felt by people of color all over the world.
“If a person is BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and they come from financial privilege, it does not necessarily mean they struggle with the same things [people who are] BIPOC who do not come from financial privilege struggle with,” Venkitesh said. “As a BIPOC woman, I feel safe in society, and that is not the case for a lot of BIPOC women across the globe. That is not the same for a lot of queer people or people in lower income housing.”
In contrast, senior Katya Kurkoski said she represents the population of students who have not been educated about the Crusades and the implications the Crusader name and mascot might give. She says that when the name Crusaders was first chosen to represent the school, it might have been a reflection of the work ethic and competitiveness Jesuit displayed.
“I can’t think of Jesuit as anything other than the Crusaders. It represents something I’ve known for years and years,” Kurkoski said. “I know the Crusades were wars, but when Jesuit was looking for a mascot a long time ago, I think they saw Crusaders as a positive thing, as people who fought for what they believed in.”
Unlike Venkitesh, Kurkoski is unsure as to whether the mascot should be changed or not.
“I don’t know what they would change the mascot to,” Kurkoski said. “The Crusader mascot has been around for years. Most of the student body hasn’t thought much into [the positives and negatives of the Crusader], and I am part of that population of students. I don’t think Jesuit should change the mascot.”
Sarcastic. Artistic. Enthusiastic. These are three words Steele Clevenger would use to describe herself. A senior at Jesuit High School and a veteran journalism...
Jesuit’s New Teachers and Faculty
Jesuit’s New Teachers and Faculty
The start of school at Jesuit this year is anything but normal. Despite the school year not being normal Jesuit has hired two new teachers, one faculty and one long-term substitute teacher. All of them are super bummed to not be at school and meet their students.
Mr. Holowatz – Spanish Department 
Mr. Holowatz grew up in Eugene, Oregon and attended the University of Portland for his undergrad and the University of Oregon for his masters. His mom’s family is from Nicaragua and his dad’s family is from Mexico and Poland. He teaches four periods of Spanish II and teaches a heritage course. He began his teaching career in 2001 and has taught a plethora of subjects, including: adult medical Spanish, Kindergarten Spanish, 4th grade English in Nicaragua. In Mr. Holowatz’s free time, he loves to paint, travel, spend time with his family and friends and play soccer. He loves to challenge himself and right now he is learning Turkish “for fun” Holowatz said.
“I enjoy the community, and I love the values [at Jesuit].”
Ms. Humm – Science Department
Ms. Humm was born in California and moved to Lake Oswego when she was around six years old. She attended High School at Jesuit. When Ms. Humm attended Jesuit. She was taught by Ms. Mahoney and now works alongside her in the Science Department. She attended Oregon State University and studied biology and then went to George Fox University to study teaching. She teaches three periods of biology and two periods of environmental science. Before working at Jesuit, she taught math and science in Colorado for two years and then taught six years of math and science in Wilsonville. In her free time, Ms. Humm enjoys walking with her dog, riding her bike, traveling, spending time with her family and friends and quilting. Normally when there’s not a global pandemic, Ms. Humm would be training for a triathlon.
“I would hope to work to become part of the community as a teacher and maybe coach… and host some clubs.”
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work at the school and go back to the normal routine of masses and retreats.”
Ms. Cruz – Diversity Office
Ms. Cruz was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old. She grew up in Beaverton Oregon and attended Portland State University. Before coming to Jesuit, Ms. Cruz worked at De La Salle North Catholic High School and for Open School Step Up at Roosevelt High School. Ms. Cruz’s favorite part of her job at Jesuit so far has been conducting virtual check ins with students and connecting with faculty and staff. In her free time, Ms. Cruz loves to watch television. Right now she is watching The Masked Singer. When we as a community come back to school, Ms. Cruz wants to learn more about the Jesuit approach to community building. Ms. Cruz works in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office alongside Ms. Lowery. Make sure to stop by and say hello when we are back at Jesuit.
“My biggest goal is to build community and learn more about Jesuit. Being new, I think there is so much to learn. I would specifically like to learn more about different Jesuit departments and the various student clubs that are supported by those departments.”
Ms. Everson – English Department
Ms. Everson Grew up in Pasadena, California right outside of Los Angeles. She attended a little liberal arts college called Connecticut College in New London. At Jesuit, Ms. Everson teaches three periods of English I. Before coming to Jesuit, Ms. Everson taught in California and New York. In New York she also did educational research for three years. Ms. Everson moved to Portland because she wanted to be closer to her family. Like all of us right now, Ms. Everson is trying to figure out technology and make her classes feel like there in person. In her free time, she loves to bake, hike and play with her dogs.
“I love it. It’s such a great community. It’s gotta be one of the most positive, [and] supportive schools I have ever worked at.”
JJ Gray is a junior and this will be his second year in journalism student, he is excited to be in the class and have a great time. In JJ’s...
First Semester Final Exams: Clarifying Cancellation Misconceptions
In an email on October 20, Principal Paul Hogan announced the cancellation of an official final exam week in January 2021. Due to COVID-19, it would be difficult to ensure a safe environment for all students and teachers on campus to take and proctor exams. Instead, Jesuit students will take their final exams online within the limits of their 80-minute class periods from either before Christmas Break or between Thursday, January 7 and Friday, January 15.
Both Mr. Hogan and Emily Hagelgans, vice principal of academics and student life, want to clarify that student knowledge will still be tested, though it will look a little different this semester.
“Teachers can give a culminating assessment for the semester,” Hagelgans said. “We have eliminated our traditional structure of the exam week because all of the classes now are 80 minutes in length, which would lend more flexibility from what our previous structure is to the type of assessment that could be given.”
Mr. Hogan wrote that a semester one assessment can take the form of a “research project, oral exam, portfolio, test, paper, video, or other assignment.”
When questioned about what led to the consensus on the cancellation of a traditional final exam week, Ms. Hagelgans said it came down to the logistics of the situation and academic integrity.
“We are in communication with a lot of other schools, particularly schools in our province as Jesuit schools, and a number of schools have moved away from a more traditional final exam structure,” Hagelgans said. “I think part of it too is exam integrity. You can’t really see what a student may or may not be doing so how can we create a more accurate situation of what the student’s knowledge is and ability to apply that knowledge?”
The administration asked that teachers’ end-of-semester assessments do not have a weight of more than 15% of the students’ overall semester grade.
Ms. Hagelegans believes that this new approach to conducting final exams for semester one “might be really interesting and cool to see because it could lend itself to more creative forms of assessment.”
Isabel Crespo is an editor for the Jesuit Chronicle. She is a Junior at Jesuit High School and is excited to pursue her passion for writing on a deeper...
Digital Learning: The Difference Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning
A student’s digital learning setup during distance synchronous learning at Jesuit High School.
With digital learning becoming the new reality for students due to COVID-19, administrators and teachers have developed new and innovative ways to conduct learning.
Online learning can be categorized into three learning styles: synchronous, asynchronous, and a hybrid of the two.
At Jesuit High School, digital learning for the 2020-2021 school year is partially synchronous with intermittent periods of asynchronous learning through Zoom calls. In the spring of 2020, however, asynchronous learning was enforced.
“When we talk about synchronous learning we are talking about activities that students are doing in real-time,” Alyssa Tormala, the vice principal of professional development and innovation at Jesuit, said. “It could consist of a class discussion over Zoom or online, as well as group projects as a class or in small groups.”
Asynchronous learning is taught without real-time interaction where assignments and instructions are posted online for students to work through.
According to TheBestSchools.org, asynchronous learning can take the form of pre-recorded videos, self-guided lessons, lecture notes, or online discussions.
Based on the feedback Jesuit collected during the spring, while some students enjoyed the flexibility of self-paced asynchronous work, the majority of students struggled with a lack of structure.
“There were students… struggling because they did not have that specific structure in the day to help them keep track with where they were and what they were doing in any given time,” Tormala said.
Other Portland area institutions, like Lincoln High School, are also online.
For Katlyn Kenney, a senior at Lincoln High School, her teachers’ material didn’t translate well through an online environment, which impacted her ability to retain information.
“I would rather have someone teaching and lecturing me, or showing me math problems to my face then giving me a worksheet to read,” Kenney said. “Watching a video a teacher made or watching a Khan Academy video just doesn’t really click.”
Without face-to-face interaction during asynchronous learning, student morale also decreased because of a lack of connection with peers and teachers.
“We got a lot of feedback from teachers and parents [saying] that they were missing the person-to-person contact,” Tormala said. “Students and parents reported that the lack of personal connection with classmates and teachers made students feel disconnected and isolated. Even though Zoom is not the same as being in-person, it still provides a level of connection that purely asynchronous learning did not.”
Because the asynchronous model wasn’t conducive to learning and mentally sustainable for students and teachers alike, Jesuit switched to a mainly synchronous model in the fall, consisting of three to four 80-minute zoom calls a day through a block schedule.
When asked about what led to the consensus on 80-minute Zoom calls, Tormala said it took a lot of research and communication with other schools nationwide and in the local Portland area.
“Most schools seemed to be moving toward that block schedule and 80 minutes appears to be the average,” Tormala said. “If you talk with other Catholic schools in the area, they are all using a similar structure of a block schedule of three to four classes a day somewhere between 65-85 minutes. So are many of our fellow Jesuit schools around the country.”
Throughout the 80 minutes provided for each class, whether or not students are required to stay on Zoom the entire period or break-off asynchronously is dependent on the teacher and subject they are teaching.
“If you as a teacher feel it’s important that students be in a synchronous learning situation, such as learning a new topic…where you want to keep everyone in the same sequence, you can use the 80 minutes for that,” Tormala said. “We trust our teachers to have good professional judgment about what the learning needs to look like at the point that they are in their unit and for a particular content area, and what their students are needing.”
Now six weeks into the school year, Jesuit has been gathering feedback from students, teachers, and parents on the new partially synchronous model.
“We all miss being in school with each other in person,” Tormala said. “But we have received deep gratitude from many of our students and our parents especially. We’ve had a lot of students say that they really like the block schedule as long as their teachers keep it interesting.”
Among the students at Jesuit who are embracing synchronous learning is junior Eli Flamoe.
“It has actually gone a lot smoother than I was expecting it to, and it feels more like real school,” Flamoe said.
Tormala commented that having 80-minute class periods “gives teachers more flexibility” and a “clear structure so they know what is happening on any given day.”
Despite the synchronous model promoting more interactive and structured learning, the challenge that remains is maintaining engagement while spending hours on Zoom.
“It’s just so much harder to pay attention online,” Flamoe said.
“I think everyone is feeling Zoom fatigue which is kind of to be expected and kind of unavoidable,” Tormala said. “Yet we have to encounter each other through this lens. It is the only way we can right now.”
There are many factors determining the success of synchronous or asynchronous learning with the main takeaway being that there will have to have a lot of trial and error before consistency and normalcy is established.
“With anything new it takes a while,” Tormala said. “Learning is a struggle no matter what it is that we are learning and right now we are learning how to engage in this environment on a regular basis. It will get easier because our brains will build new pathways to figure it out.”
Isabel Crespo is an editor for the Jesuit Chronicle. She is a Junior at Jesuit High School and is excited to pursue her passion for writing on a deeper...
Creating lasting change in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department
Miyako Barnett
2020 Jesuit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Logo
In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, many schools and companies have released public statements about their commitments to racial equity. Jesuit, too, has released such a statement and makes a commitment to creating lasting change related to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department has made tremendous progress in the last six years under the guidance of Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Melissa Lowery. The office has extended its outreach with parent affinity groups, student clubs, community conversations, and a new webpage on the Jesuit website. However, Lowery asserts that lasting change is only possible with a shift in culture.
“We are a resource for DEI, but for real change to happen, it requires all hands on deck in the community to do the work,” Lowery said.
The DEI program continues to grow with the addition of a full-time staff member, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Brenda Cruz Jaimes. Cruz aims to support current efforts in DEI and work to implement curriculum changes and community dialogues in the near future.
As a former counselor at De La Salle North Catholic, Cruz has seen an overwhelming number of students working for change.
“All of the clubs that are under the DEI umbrella have really stood out to me,” Cruz said. “Without the support and leadership of our students, we wouldn’t be able to make as much lasting change.”
While the institution is committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community, Lowery argues that a shift in Jesuit culture is needed for lasting change.
“Culture is a big factor in how communities work, feel, and move,” Lowery said. “It affects curriculum, programming, policy, and all the things you can think of.”
In addition, Brenda Cruz emphasizes the importance of dialogue among students, parents, and faculty. While Jesuit has assisted open dialogues with the monthly Community Conversations and Peer-2-Peer conversations, the community needs to continue making genuine efforts to have discussions about race, identity, and culture Cruz says.
From a student perspective, senior Miyako Barnett calls for representation of underrepresented voices. She asserts that a culture change can only be achieved through hearing from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented communities. Barnett also stresses the importance of accountability and awareness.
“We need to hold each other accountable for our actions,” Barnett said. “Avoiding passiveness and actively working together is how we create change.”
Lowery, Cruz, and Barnett are hopeful for the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Jesuit High School. They are committed to working with the Jesuit community to create lasting and sustainable change.
A senior at Jesuit High School, Reet Chatterjee strives to better humanity with his writing. His writing focuses include social justice, politics, reform,...
Math teacher Mr. Skokan to be deployed to Kosovo
Courtesy of Michael Lang
Comparing and contrasting Active Army Duty vs. Army National Guard
Math teacher Mr. Skokan deployed to Kosovo
By Michael Lang
Mr. Skokan, a United States Army National Guardsman, is being deployed to Kosovo in Eastern Europe for a year, beginning in January of 2020.
While Mr. Skokan’s role doesn’t fully entail the aspects of active duty personnel when not deployed, it does include training that occurs at least once a month and two or more continuous weeks a year. However, National Guardsmen complete the same training as active duty Soldiers, and attend the same Army schools as their active duty counterparts.
This gives Mr. Skokan the opportunity to serve part time while still carrying out a civilian career.
Additionally, this is his first deployment anywhere as a National Guardsman.
“Five years ago, we were supposed to go to Afghanistan, but there was a draw down at the time, so our deployment was cancelled,” Mr. Skokan said. “This [mission] is a go.”
As such, the federal government plays a part in allocating soldiers to certain areas where additional support is needed. In the case of Mr. Skokan, Oregon Army National Guardsmen are being sent to Kosovo due to past turmoil in that country.
Following World War II, modern-day Kosovo was established as a province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with Serbs primarily making up the ethnic group of the region. In addition, the predominant religion was Christian Orthodox, which conflicted with the Islamic religion of many Albanians, the former majority ethnic group that resided within the region of Kosovo.
By the 1980s, many Albanians living in Kosovo rioted and called for the independence of the country. Albanian leaders organized a referendum, declaring Kosovo independent in 1991.
Serbia responded with repressive actions and later conducted a campaign that led to massacres and expulsions of ethnic Albanians from their homes, displacing thousands.
This further escalated to the involvement of NATO forces. In 1999, NATO began airstrikes over Serbian forces for 11 weeks until a peace accord was signed in June.
Since then, tensions have begun to ease within Kosovo. However, sporadic violence continued to occur early in the 21st century with riots claiming the lives of several individuals.
NATO forces have been deployed to Kosovo during the country’s recovery since then, including U.S. forces, including the brigade Mr. Skokan is in, the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The entire mission for Mr. Skokan will begin on January 4th and, because of this, a few structural changes to the math department have been made.
Mr. Cowal is now the head of the math department, taking on the former role of Mr. Skokan. Calculus classes have also been shifted to different teachers in the absence of Mr. Skokan.
While Jesuit will miss Mr. Skokan when he leaves, many students continue to respect the duties of teachers at Jesuit that have served.
“I am honored to have teachers that have served us before and are serving us now,” senior Kyle Leglar said.
Michael Lang is going into his senior year at Jesuit High School. Born in Portland, Oregon, Michael has two older siblings at the University...
New Faculty and Staff
New Teachers answer shadow questions
Francisco Hernandez
If you could make a mix of any politician and food, what would you do?: I think I would take Pete Buttigieg and a burrito. I don’t really know why but I feel that he has something about him that makes me think that would be a good combination.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you have entered the Jesuit community?: The thing I am looking forward to most in joining the Jesuit community, is to continue growing. I want to continue growing in my profession as a teacher, as a coach, as a member of the community, and as a Catholic.
Sara Holman
Would you rather have super strength or be able to fly?: I’d rather fly so that I could travel quickly and easily to see places and people I love.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: The community of Jesuit has been so welcoming and so I am very excited to be a part of it and everything it stands for. I look forward to participating in all types of events throughout the year.
Teri Calcagno
Would you rather be able to read minds or fly?: I would rather fly!
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: I haven’t been in high school for a while, so I am excited to be back with students. I am also excited about the campus ministry at Jesuit and the sustainability measures!
Lauren Blumhardt
If you could make a mix of any animal and food, what would you do?: I would mix a puff Cheeto and a giraffe. So a life-size puff Cheeto in the shape of a giraffe.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: I am excited for a tremendous school year with my world history and seminar crews! I love the culture of Jesuit and all of the awesome people who are apart of the Sader family. OH! And I always look forward to lacrosse season. GO CRUSADERS!
Wes Hueston
Do you think cereal is soup?: Yes, if SpaghettiOs are Fruit Loops.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: Getting to spend every day here!
Kim Basatble
Would you rather only eat pineapple pizza forever or pistachio flavored ice cream forever?: Ice cream forever!
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: The most exciting about being at Jesuit is the hope I see in the student population. I see the hope in the way students have reached out to me to welcome me as a new face on campus, empathetically asking me how things are going. If we keep treating each other like that, with respect and love, this world is going to be ok.
Michele Hoover
Is a hotdog a sandwich?: I think a hotdog is a sandwich.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: I am most excited about getting to know the students and being able to support them.
Terry Moore
Would rather fight a chicken sized horse or 100 horse sized chickens?: One chicken-sized horse is the way to go.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you have entered the Jesuit community?: I’m most excited about getting back in the classroom again. It’s a great way to help others and watch students grow!
Austin Salzwedel
Would rather fight a chicken sized horse or 100 horse sized chickens?: One chicken-sized horse is the way to go.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you have entered the Jesuit community?: I’m most excited about getting back in the classroom again. It’s a great way to help others and watch students grow!
Kirk Soule
Would you rather have spoons for arms or forks for legs?: I would rather have forks for legs…as long as they were “full sized” ones and NOT salad forks!
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: I am excited to RETURN to Jesuit this year(I started teaching here 40 years ago but left for a while). It’s wonderful to reconnect with many old friends and coworkers.
Wally Waibel
If you could make a mix of any natural disaster and politician, what would it be?: I don’t like politicians…. So I guess I will lump them all into one group and call them a plague.
What are you the most excited about this year now that you’ve entered the Jesuit community?: I have actually been involved in the Jesuit community ever since I graduated from JHS in 2008 so I guess what I am most excited about is being more deeply involved in the lives and growth of the students. Jesuit helped grow and shape me into the man that I am today… I am also excited for the student/staff basketball game!
Jayla Lowery is a current senior at Jesuit High School. She enjoys biking, reading, swimming, music, daydreaming, watching movies, and writing mediocre...
