Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Drag your braaaaains down Main Street Friday Budget committee members needed Videos of local candidate forums airing now on TV Ashland's Lithia Park named a Great Public Space Figuring out the character can be a bit of a puzzle Education Budget committee members needed Fighting back against hackers SOU wants its students to love Ashland AHS drops homecoming king, queen A busy homecoming week for AHS students Environment Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Annual tour shows how to live green Taking action here, now on global climate change Garden serves up a feast fit for monarchs Business Lashland Pizzeria hopes for Mystic rebound Ski survey gets heavy response John Kalb, Ashland chiropractor The Coffee Window Politics and elections Videos of local candidate forums airing now on TV Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite November elections right around the corner State News Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Charlotte Louise White (Crenshaw) Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Sports Latest Stories In Spruce, Beavers' secondary faces daunting test Arizona likely to key in on Oregon QB Mariota Grizzlies rough up Eagles for fourth win in a row Dodge rewrites NAIA record books Four Raiders pick up weekly honors High school Grizzlies rough up Eagles for fourth win in a row Four Raiders pick up weekly honors Something old, something new and something at the last second Ashland pulls out homecoming thriller Elizabeth Institute donates pink socks to AHS soccer Southern Oregon University In Spruce, Beavers' secondary faces daunting test Arizona likely to key in on Oregon QB Mariota Dodge rewrites NAIA record books Four Raiders pick up weekly honors No. 14 Southern Oregon pulls out rollercoaster win over No. 11 Eastern Oregon Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: A real horror story - Ebola Jim Brock: Time to call off the drones, Mr. President Our View: Our View Letters to the Editor, Oct. 2 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1 Editorial Our View: Our View SOU control shifts downstate Our view: SOU reaches out to downtown Homecoming changes with the times Keep film ordinance simple Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 2 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 29 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 26 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Guest opinions Us versus them Remembering a very prominent local lady Remembering a simpler time in Ashland Fostering a culture of peace in Ashland Stuck on the sands of hesitation Revels Latest Stories Best Bets: Oct. 2-9 Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Community blog: Local poets celebrate with a reading and a chapbook Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Theater Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Southern Oregon hosts its Lunacy Theatre Festival Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Freud v. Lewis: Intellectual heavyweights spar over life's big issues 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Music The Farr Side: Bennett-Gaga collaboration is a cross-generational gem Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Q&A: Nacosta Muscian's career spins back through Ashland Sean Hayes at the Armory Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' 'The Drop' hits all the marks Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Frank Talk: When good passwords go bad Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 3 of 7 'SOU Loves Ashland' Unitarian Universalists welcome the Rev. Nan White Professional care a great help in dealing with dementia Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Drag your braaaaains down Main Street Friday ... Our View: Our View ... Budget committee members needed ... Drag your braaaaains down Main Street Friday ... Our View: Our View ... Budget committee members needed ... ASHLAND HIGH SCHOOL AHS drops homecoming king, queen In effort to promote inclusion, school to crown 'Grizzly Royalty' instead By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 24, 2014 @ 7:28 pm By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 24, 2014 @ 7:28 pm » RELATED CONTENT • Something old, something new and something at the last se... • A Grizzly week of homecoming activity » Social News Brielle Preskenis was too busy to take a step back and consider the full ramifications of the move that, as Ashland High co-student body president, she helped spearhead. It wasn’t until a week later, as she sat in her bedroom writing dialogue for an informational video that would appear on the school’s website, that it hit her. “And I was sincerely like, ‘Whoa, this is actually happening,’” she said. “This is a big deal.” It is, and it is. Bucking a tradition that goes back to the 1950s, Ashland High will not crown a homecoming king and queen this year. Instead, the three seniors out of the 12-member senior court who receive the most votes by their peers will be honored as “Grizzly Royalty." Those three may be all boys, all girls or any combination of the two. The ceremony will still be held at halftime of the football game — Ashland and Ridgeview kick-off at 7 p.m. at Walter A. Phillips Field — but the sashes will be labeled “Grizzly Court” and “Grizzly Royalty” instead of king, queen, prince or princess. The move away from the traditional king and queen designation was made in an effort to avoid exclusion. “It used to be that anyone who was gender neutral or transgender was kind of left in this limbo … and they couldn’t identify,” Preskenis said. “So now it’s open to everyone. Our ultimate goal is more inclusion, but it’s also to change the discussion from being about gender to also being about making a positive impact on Ashland High School.” Preskenis and fellow student body co-president Jackson Richmond — both 17-year-old seniors — came up with the idea together then floated it to the school’s leadership council, a 32-student group which includes representatives from each class and is overseen by art teacher Sam Scharf. Preskenis and Richmond asked for feedback, which led to a long talk about the possibility. After everybody had their say, the co-presidents asked if anybody would be willing to take the next step and make it official. Richmond said the response was a unanimous yes. “People were like, ‘This seems like a good idea and we’ll probably get some dissent from surrounding people, but I think that it’s for the better,’” he said. Preskenis and Richmond then told Ashland High principal Michelle Zundel, who approved. Then came the business of informing the student body, which they did in part through a video, which is available at the school newspaper’s website, theroguenews.com. Preskenis and Richmond also met with student advisors to discus talking points and how best to spread the word. In the video, titled “This is the Start of Something New”, Preskenis and Richmond, taking turns speaking, begin by saying: “Guess what? It’s 2014 and the world is constantly changing and improving. Therefore, it seems only right that as a high school, student body and progressive community that we move forward. For this reason, it is time to improve our previous traditions so that they fit who we want to be as a school.” Preskenis and Richmond go on to explain the new format and titles, emphasizing that the winners will be those who best embody the Grizzly spirit. Near the end of the 3 minute, 16-second video, Richmond attempts to head off the anticipated backlash. “Our ultimate goal is not to cause controversy or strife,” he says, “but instead to promote equality and acceptance in our school and community and give more depth to a long-standing tradition.” The video also includes a few students speaking in support of the changes. Richmond said that most of the students he approached while making the video had only positive things to say about the new homecoming. Critics, too, are coming out of the woodwork, at least through Twitter and Facebook. Both Preskenis and Richmond say nobody has complained to them in person. “People have been very supportive of the change, saying that it’s definitely something that needs to happen,” Richmond said. “And there has been negative feedback, as there will be, because not everyone’s going to be happy with the decision that we’ve made, and most of it has been on social media.” The homecoming week festivities continue today, which is Twin Day at AHS, Friday’s Red/White day, the game and finally the homecoming dance Saturday night. The powderpuff football and volleyball games were held Wednesday, which was Wear Pink Day at AHS. Zundel didn’t sound too concerned about potential controversy surrounding the move prior to homecoming week. Ultimately, she said, the change is a positive one. “One of the things that has been in the deliberations was trying to figure out if this decision was going to hurt anyone,” she said. “Who would be the injured party if we made a change? And we really couldn’t come up with anyone.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 24, 2014 @ 7:28 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501