![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)
*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 105 Issue 4 of our news magazine, Amplifier.
I didn’t want to be on May Court. As each spring came around, friends would ask me if I would want to apply, and I remember thinking, ‘No way, I could never.’ I was intimidated by the celebration, and was convinced that it was just a big popularity contest, like the prom courts we see at other schools or in classic 2000s movies. I could not have been more wrong.
One of my favorite experiences I’ve had in high school was the opportunity to play Ella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” for the fall musical this year. I fell in love with the characters, music, our cast and crew, the story, and especially the dancing. Waltzing at the ball in a beautiful dress with Prince Charming was unbelievably magical; So when the director, Annie Kaiser, shared with me that she was the adviser for May Court and that the woman who choreographed Cinderella’s Waltz was also the May Day choreographer, I decided to reconsider applying for the court.
I was shocked by the creativity and detail necessary for the application. I created a collage of photos that summarized my interests and community, collected letters of recommendation from teachers and West Linn community members, provided a resume, and more. Shortly after submitting my work, each applicant was also invited to an interview where we were asked to explain a formative experience from our lives. Only after all of those steps were completed was a student body vote taken into consideration.
Our May Court this year was made up of students from all kinds of interests: Band members, singers, actors, football players, dancers, cheerleaders, ASB, yearbook and journalism staff, a horseback rider, and even our school mascot. For three hours every Sunday night from mid-February until the performances on May 1, we all worked together to create an incredible and memorable Moonlit May Day in Paris.
With each rehearsal, our court became more united, and I felt the magic I had found while performing in “Cinderella” once again. Even following a breached vote for King and Queen, this year’s May Court remained supportive and kind to one another. I had the greatest time during each rehearsal and performance, and am so grateful that I was able to end my time at West Linn by participating in such an incredible tradition. I hope to see many of my friends who are not yet graduating representing our community in the iconic ball gowns and tiaras in the years to come.
