by Anne Scheck

Nowhere was this charitable spirit more in evidence than the annual meeting of the Independence City Council at CHS, held a few weeks ago. Every year for the past dozen, students who attend this meeting have asked councilors when they will finally get a “Taco Bell” near the school. But not this year.

Instead, students took to the microphone to ask questions such as when low-cost clothing will become available, noting that free canned goods and other items at the Ellen Curran Food Bank -- and their school pantry – is making a difference in the community. “Even BiMart would be too expensive for some families,” stressed MacKenzie Lynn during the question-and-answer period. When councilors appeared to be ignoring the inquiry, they were asked again about it by CHS student Damian Stage, a non-binary individual.
 
After the meeting, City Councilor Odi Campos said he attributed the advocacy of this group to the fact that they’ve grown up with social media, which exposed them to various online communities, ranging from different gender groups to diverse cultures. Add to that the fact that their friends and neighbors may fall into different ethnic and demographic categories, too.

“Our younger generation is seeing a lot of different faces,” he said. And many have been encouraged to speak up by parents who believe they have the right to do so. “They are not afraid to voice their opinions,” he said.They may be the first seniors at Central High School (CHS) to have done so much, so visibly, so skillfully in such a short time – within a single school year, in fact. What did they accomplish? From a heart-grabbing video for combating teen depression to a school walkout so solemn that their quiet footsteps on grass sounded loud, these students gave new meaning to the term “peer support.” They founded a school-based pantry for fellow panthers and organized a cross-town protest for undocumented classmates. 
           
Meet “Group O.” They see themselves as open-minded, outgoing and oriented to social causes. And, according to national experts, they’re creating a whole new category of generation Z, that last-alphabet-letter cohort of American youths now 13 to 20 years of age. They’ve been dubbed the leaders of today for the nation of tomorrow, in news reports and newspaper headlines.  
           
And if there is a graduating class that seems to exemplify Group O, it appears to be the one at CHS. The reason: CHS is so diverse that kids from varying backgrounds have known each other for years, in a mix that’s a fact of everyday life, said Marie Burgess, a graduating senior. “This is a very different generation," she said.
          
Though today's adolescents may not tune in to the nightly news, their mobile devices and social media outlets are vibrant with discussions about current events (see green-sheet editorial on social media by CHS teacher Van Holstad). From "Black Lives Matter" to the "MeToo" movement, this generation has seen activism surface in ways that can be compared to the 1960s.
           
And, like the Vietnam era, "there has been constant war, even if we don't feel the effects of it as much," Ms. Burgess said. As a result, non-violent advocacy is one characteristic of this generation, too, she noted. 
One of Ms. Burgess’s closest childhood friends, for example, was from a family that used food stamps. As a result, she has been a longtime contributor to local food banks, she said. 
           
“Student voice is imperative -- and becoming more and more prevalent in today's society, a positive for any community,” said School District Superintendent Jennifer Kubista, EdD. “Students educated in an equitable and diverse community make significant impacts and differences in communities and the world today as shown by our students at Central High School.” 
            
“Every day we have the opportunity to learn from them as much as they have to learn from us,” she said.   
          
Just before the start of this past year's holiday season, CHS's  "Peer Mentors" produced and released a video, "Alone," that has racked up thousands of viewer hits on YouTube. The wordless video shows a teenager struggling to get through a day while encountering people who look far more confident than he feels. It ends with him in the counseling office, surrounded by these same people.
           
One reason this class of high school graduates is so confident and outspoken is that they are part of a supportive, tolerant group, explained Angela Simmons, who's headed for Linn-Benton Community College this fall. 
            
"I've got transgender friends," she observed, noting that this wasn't widely possible for many in previous generations -- gender fluidity wasn't accepted as a part of ordinary life until fairly recently. "We have a closely- knit community here. You know so many people. Some of them you grow up with," she pointed out. And, from childhood on, these young adults have had mutual support, "just by knowing each other" and "being who we are without being judged," she explained. "We have grown stronger with each other," she said. 
             
She likes the label of "Generation O" for open-mindedness – a part of the American population less constrained by divisions that held fast in the past along lines of religion, ethnicity or political beliefs. However, there is another way to describe her generation, too, she said. 
           
"I actually think it is very accepting," she said. This past fall, about 100 people participated in a weekend protest march that largely was organized by CHS students, led by senior Julia Wright, to demonstrate against the threatened deportation of undocumented community members. 
       
Then, this past March, CHS students organized a walkout to honor the victims of a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Assistant superintendent Rich McFarland, who viewed it, described the walkout as somber and respectful -- and practically noiseless. When asked about Mr. McFarland’s observation, one student explained that “it’s easy to be silent and still for 17 minutes when you think about what it represents.” 
In a poll taken by the Independence City Council, a majority of the seniors indicated they don’t plan
to stay in their hometown – their intent is to venture out. More than 40% are optimistic about the future. To an overwhelming majority – nearly three-fourths – voting is important. 
           
Even so, "it's important to shape a healthy road for those generations behind us," Ms. Simmons said.
          
As for Ms. Burgess, she is charting a similar path at the University of Oregon. Ms. Burgess, a former Rotary Club-sponsored exchange student in Japan, discovered behavior she considered ordinary, like sitting in a relaxed way at a dance studio, was perceived as rude in that country. "The dance teacher told me 'you have to sit up' to show respect for (the dancers) hard work," she recalled. Ms. Burgess was grateful for the insight -- and assumed the correct posture. 
Next year, as a freshman at the University of Oregon, Ms. Burgess hopes to be living in an "arc" -- an academic residential community -- with a focus on volunteerism, she said. If she’s accepted as a resident in this arc, she will participate every semester in an internship-like program that's aimed at meeting a specific social need. It’s going to remain part of her life, she predicted -- long after she dons the cap-and-gown of CHS, and long after she puts on the same academic garb at graduation from U of O.

How did so many CHS students safely cross Monmouth Avenue this year in a daily quest to grab fast-food lunches? The car-darting, hungry high-schoolers were targeted by the Independence Police Department in a way that proved positive – in more ways than one. Illegal crossers got a warning, but those who used the crosswalk appropriately received gift certificates – and praise from officers. Pedestrian safety around CHS is a priority issue, said Independence Police Chief Robert Mason. The school district helped, too, by hiring an extra crossing guard for assisting on the busy thoroughfare. It’s all part of ongoing efforts to boost pedestrian safety in Independence, the chief said.

Recently, the master-plan for the greenway improvements to Riverview Park were unveiled to the community – billed by the city as “The Big Reveal.” The rendering showed nature-play areas, new picnic grounds, bike paths and a place for watercraft staging, all with safety provisions ensuring a family-friendly environment … but wait! There seemed to be no protections against Bigfoot or the famed Willamette River Monster. How can such hazards be avoided in this beautiful setting? “Well, I met with Bigfoot during the planning of this, and he’s onboard,” said Matthew Crampton, of the Greenworks consulting group, which was responsible for the design of the future riverside park. “He was just such a gentleman about it.” As for the Willamette River Monster, the city’s economic development director, Shawn Irvine, said he’d love to see the big white fish show up by Independence Landing. The city could boast its own brand of the Loch Ness monster. “I’d love it,” Mr. Irvine said. “It would increase tourism.”  Alas, neither Bigfoot nor the Willamette River Monster have been confirmed as actually existing. Though there have been reported sightings of Bigfoot, the fleeting glimpses have been in deep woods. As for the Willamette River Monster investigations … closer inspections have shown they are just big sturgeon getting the best of local fishermen. 

 Guest Editorial
 by Van Holstad
 Social Studies teacher
 Central High School
 
Many of us reminisce about our high school days and how carefree we were, but we need to realize that the world and high schools of today are very different, and that it is pretty difficult to be a high school student now.  Students have been reporting high levels of anxiety related to high-stakes testing and social media, among other things.  They face significant distractions and manipulation from media. 

In the last 2 or 3 decades, our world has become smaller and smaller with ever evolving smartphone technology.  We have seen the expansion of media match the introduction of new technologies to the point that we have significantly more media than ever.  The most significant media affecting our students is social media -- outlets like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. 

Even though the jury is still out on the impact of social media in the 2016 presidential election, we can recognize that social media can, has, and will continue to manipulate people.  That manipulation has the most impact on our students who are still trying to find themselves.  In a recent study conducted by San Diego State University, researchers found that increased time on smartphones by teens not only increased anxiety levels, but also made teens feel more socially isolated leading to increased toughs of suicide from our teens.

Have we seen the limits of the amount of media in today’s world?  Is there a threshold of social media, or will we continue to see new forms of social media pop up?  I did an informal survey of my students and they reported that they use two or three different forms of social media throughout the day.  Students also said that they would not use more than 2 or 3 and that if new social media was introduced, they would get rid of others that have become unpopular.  To me, this is a good sign that students recognize that there is a limit to the different types of social media and they are starting to manage the information introduced to them, but there is still work to be done.

One of the things we try to instill in our students is to be careful with their contributions to social media.  In other words, what they post on social media will have consequences.  Many students say things to others on social media that they would never say face to face.  Mean posts with the shield of technology are, unfortunately, commonplace and contribute to the isolation and thoughts of suicide that we see increasing today.  We also help students realize that once a picture is sent to social media, it is out there and will spread, and you can’t “un-send” it.  Employers are now accessing social media and using information to hire and or fire prospective employees adding to the importance of monitoring contributions to social media.

So…what is the solution?  To what extent do we protect our young adults? Do we get rid of smartphones?  Do we outlaw social media? Not a chance.  Smart phone technology will not be going away, in fact, I think this technology has and will continue to be a major tool in the workforce.  Think about it.  Most of the jobs that today’s high school students will have 5 years from now do not exist yet and will be based on the ability to develop, use and manipulate smart technology.  Our constitution will not allow the elimination of social media as an avenue of our 1st amendment right to free speech, so we must adapt. 

We have to make sure that people are responsible in their interactions with media, especially social media.
With student anxiety at an all-time high, students still face some the same issues long associated with high school , however.  As they get closer and closer to graduation, many catch the disease of “Senioritus” (lack of motivation and drive and the desire to “get out of here”).  As the symptoms of “Senioritus” start to impact the seniors in high schools around the country, teachers will constantly remind them that they will need to stay focused and finish high school strong. 

As graduating students enter the next stage of their lives, it is my hope that their education has given them the tools they need to be responsible consumers of media – to recognize the fact that they are bombarded with media all day every day and that all media is connected to some type of agenda.  I also hope that, as my former students wade through the media, that they consider multiple of issues and realize that the messages that they contribute have an effect on others as well.  Lastly, it is my hope that, as responsible consumers of media, they also can recognize when they just need to put their phone down and go outside and play as we did when we were kids.