The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

    Cool, collected Camille Collier

    A veteran of the journalism program, Camille Collier is a junior and an Amplifier section editor. She hasn’t missed an opportunity to take the class since participating in Journalism II as a freshman, and doesn’t plan on breaking this streak once she becomes a senior.

    Although born in Hayward, Calif., she moved to West Linn at the age of two, and has grown up an Oregonian at heart.

    “When people say ‘I don’t like Portland’, or ‘I want to get out of Portland’, I don’t understand why,” Collier said. She is a big fan of the city, and thinks it has the classic urban vibe.

    One of Collier’s favorite things about Oregon is the geographical diversity: deserts, mountains, forests and beaches all packed into one state. Collier enjoys West Linn’s cool, crisp autumns, and backpacking out in Eastern Oregon with her family every summer.

    Apart from backpacking, her most notable outdoor activity is running as a member of West Linn High School’s cross country team. She prefers working towards a group goal with others, rather than competition; which isn’t only present in how she runs cross-country, but also in other aspects of her life.

    That unity drives her forward, and is extremely prevalent in her work as a member of the Amplifier staff. Though she first joined journalism just as a class that might look good on a college application, it has quickly grown to be something in which she takes great pride.

    Collier is a co-editor of the Amplifier, and has charge over much of the “Current Events” section. Despite her large role in the Amplifier, she isn’t interested in pursuing a career in journalism, rather opting for a profession in the fields of biology or medicine.

    This year she is ready to have more responsibility and independence as a member of Amplifier. There may not be many newsworthy events in the slow-moving city of West Linn, often the team “feels like not enough happens, but sometimes there is a story right behind our backs,” Collier said.

    However, with Collier as co-editor of the “Current Events” section, it’s easy to have confidence that all of the stories, small or large, will receive their due.

     

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    Brandt Henri, Staff Writer
    Crashed, flipped and submerged into cold water— these three things describe the perilous rafting trip of Brandt Henri, senior, that put himself and his family in danger.  Even though Henri doesn’t have many “irrational fears,” his fear of harm to his family became imminent that day. Around three years ago on the Clackamas River, Henri and his family members found themselves on one of their first rafting trips.  Their raft was suddenly pulled into a strong current, and they headed straight for a pillar-- and as soon as the raft hit the pillar, it flipped and everyone spilled out. Henri’s family members were almost instantly scattered, and although his young sister, Mira, was nowhere in sight, he knew she was literally within an arm’s reach when he lunged under the raft and pulled her up from the water. “I thought that she was just going to come back up naturally ‘cause she had a life jacket on,” Henri said.  “But then as time went on --and it was just seconds at most- she was still down there, so I wasn’t sure what was going on.  I reached down to grab onto something and luckily I caught hold of her life jacket.” It was just their luck that several divers were out ensuring safety that day.  They helped the family gather and find safety. “[The divers] were grabbing people that fell out of their rafts and pulling people out of the water, ‘cause apparently that’s a dangerous spot,” Henri said. Although the Henris were shaken by this experience, things were able to proceed normally, just as they had when they moved from San Jose, Calif., due to Henri’s father’s job as an engineer.  Brandt himself cannot remember the move. “I was three years old,” Henri said.  “I met most of my friends through church, and then in preschool I got some friends too.” One of Henri’s hobbies is recreational soccer, which he’s played since kindergarten or first grade.  He hasn’t felt the need to be too competitive in the sport, as he mostly does it for enjoyment. “Considering you’ve done rec soccer all your life, I don’t think playing classic or anything is necessary,” Henri said. Although Henri doesn’t regret being too competitive in sports at a young age, he wishes he would have picked up an instrument when he was younger, such as piano.  Still, he says he still wouldn’t overextend himself and rehearse for anything more than small gatherings or concerts. When Henri’s father partook in a bike trip from Seattle to Vancouver this summer, Henri was able to go on a similar three-day journey of his own.  He followed the bike trip into Canada to pick up his father, driving himself into Canada, Vancouver and Victoria-- all independently.  His passage across the border was done via ferry; he was surprised at how few complications were involved in the transition.  He was even more impressed with himself when he managed small matters and took responsibility. “I definitely took away more experience, independence and doing things on my own,” Henri said.  “I took away more real-world experiences that I might have to experience later.” While Henri can see himself being a college senior in four years, perhaps at the University of Washington, in ten year’s time he can see himself settled down with a chosen career.  Until then, he concentrates on his studies, concentrates on the soccer ball and watches out for his family.  
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    Cool, collected Camille Collier