![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-1200x800.jpg)
![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)
Music education extends beyond band students
WLHS band students work to create a unified band
Playing the bongos during the first unified band lesson, Emma Harris, junior, learns the basics of playing music. Harris is a participant of the unified band that meets on Thursdays after school.
From unified soccer to unified basketball, West Linn High School has worked to expand the range of opportunities outside the classroom for students with special needs. Kevin Egan, band director, and Julie Holson, learning specialist, have been working to put together a band for students with special needs-a unified band.
After hearing about United Sound, an organization providing the opportunity for students with special needs to be involved with music, Egan and Holson were immediately inspired to bring a similar program to WLHS.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Why aren’t we doing this?’” Egan said.
This band creates the opportunity to bring the West Linn community together through music. Not everyone can participate in the school band, so expanding the option to other students will benefit those teaching as well as those learning.
Egan and Holson organized the student run program for students with special needs and the idea is to have three band, or orchestra, students working with one learning student. During the fall, students will be learning to play modified parts of songs that WLHS band will be playing at the Dec. concert, and the plan is to hopefully have the unified band students be up on stage with the band.
“The goal is to have them be a part of the band, not separate,” Egan said.
If all goes according to plan, Egan and Holson are hoping to continue the unified band program running throughout the whole school year. In Jan., they’ll introduce the unified band to new music in hopes that they will play with the WLHS band again during their May concert. Although they have thought everything through, they are expecting some issues to occur.
“The biggest problem will probably be lack of organization on our part,” Egan said. “However, once it starts up, it will be in the hands of the band and orchestra students.”
The unified band meets every Thursday after school from 3:30 to 4:30 in the band room. If any band or orchestra students are interested in helping out, they can contact Egan to learn more.
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Going from soccer practice, to softball practice and then finally home to practice her trumpet, Brooke McKelvey, senior, is definitely not a lazy person....
![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-600x400.jpg)
