![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
![Main Street said farewell to summer on Aug. 30 through the second annual Chalk Walk Art Festival. Ruth Offer, Chalk Walk organizer, brought this tradition from Wyoming in an attempt to make use of the renovated sidewalks of Willamette Falls Dr. “[This is] a community event for the kids,” Offer said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-12-1200x803.png)
Blood Drive collects 96 units to save 284 lives
After a large turnout, the Red Cross Club falls just short of 98-unit goal
Isaac Wilkinson, senior, and Anna-Maria Hartner, junior and president of WLHS’s Red Cross Club, converse during the blood drive. The drive generated 96 viable units of blood that may save up to 284 lives.
Gurneys, vials, blood bags and red grip tape were dispersed throughout the main gymnasium on Oct. 22 as technicians operated the Red Cross Blood Drive and students lay down to donate blood. Throughout the duration of the effort, which lasted the length of the school day, 110 students donated blood.
“We had a lot of first-time donors this year,” Nikki Coleman, adviser and teacher, said. “I just think it’s really cool that people want to donate, especially at such a young age.”
This exceeded the turnout expectation of the Red Cross Club, according to Coleman. However, because units can become tainted or may not be filled to completion, some were discarded. After the discarding process, 96 total units remained, with the club falling short of its 98-unit goal. The team is looking ahead to Feb. 25, the date of the next West Linn High School Blood Drive. The team plans to promote this blood drive through a campaign involving posters and public announcements.
“I think we’ll do a lot better next [drive],” Coleman said. “Hopefully, we won’t have as many people turned away [from donating].”
Blood donors were impressed with student turnout and administration of the event.
“There were a lot of student volunteers who were very helpful and nice,” Ryan Kelly, senior, said. “Like a lot of volunteers, I wouldn’t have felt okay if I didn’t donate blood. Somebody needs it, and I can give it to them, so why not?”
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