![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)
An open letter to the class of 2020
To fellow members of the class of 2020,
Graduating is a big deal. No matter what our graduation looks like, when it takes place or who is there, it is a major accomplishment that everyone who walks across the stage has earned and should be extremely proud of. We have all put more than a decade’s worth of work into this very moment, and even though it might not be exactly how we expected it to be, it is our moment. It’s a moment that we are very, very lucky to have.
It’s a moment that was considerably easier for me to get to than some of my peers.
Some of my peers had to face extreme racism, both overt and covert. I never did. Some of my peers had to worry about walking down a hallway or a street alone. I never did. Some of my peers worried about being misgendered every time there was a substitute teacher. I never did.
For the longest time I didn’t want to acknowledge that parts of school were easier for me because of my skin color, or my gender, or my perceived sexuality. It can be hard to accept that the opportunities given to you during your life are there at the hands of years of oppression and suffering, but it is absolutely necessary in order to create change.
Simply acknowledging that privilege exists is not enough, you have to be aware of how it has helped you in your life. Let the 20 seconds it takes to walk across the stage be completely yours, be proud of everything you have done. But before– and especially after– acknowledge that many of us have a privilege that made that journey much easier, and use it post high school to support people who didn’t.
For those of us fortunate enough to receive gifts for graduation, use a portion of that graduation money you got to donate to charities, use that new car you got to carry supplies to people in need, go to college to learn how to make structural change. And keep in mind that it is not the responsibility of less privileged people to change the role that privilege plays in society. It’s our responsibility. But how can something be fixed when the people with the tools don’t acknowledge that something is broken?
Your donation will support the student journalists of West Linn High School. Your contribution will allow us to continue to produce quality content by purchasing equipment, software, and continuing to host our website on School Newspapers Online (SNO). Additionally, donations will go towards paying for the physical editions of our Amplifier. Donations of $20 dollars (as of Oct. 15, 2025) or more will receive a subscription to our Amplifier, which will be mailed to the donator's address (donations made with the intention of purchasing a subscription CANNOT be anonymous).
If you were to walk into the performing arts building, hang a left past the bathrooms into the band room, and then make your way to the practice room hallway,...
