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ADONYA OURSHALIMIAN Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Adonya Ourshalimian gets a lift up from his fellow members of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter at Ashland High School. Ourshalimian founded the chapter to address student rights he believed were being violated by such rules as curfew and dress code. In the first row, from left, are Alicia McGuire, Derek McBaine, Brady Brim-DeForest, Matt Haulk and Nate Orf. In the back are Jonah Morningstar, Coco Katzen, Paul Bingham, Ben Carrier, Paris Edwards, Dan Golden and Jonah Keough. Student leads first chapter of ACLU at Oregon school By Don Hunt Adonya Ourshalimian didn�t form a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union at Ashland High School to seek publicity. He did it simply because he didn�t like some of the laws he saw on the books, and sought to change them. With the help of Ashland High American government teacher Matt McKinnon, a couple dozen classmates and the state ACLU branch in Eugene, Ourshalimian created what is believed to be the first ACLU chapter at an Oregon high school. "It seemed to me the Constitution wasn�t being applied to students the way it was to people in the community," says Ourshalimian, chapter president. "Whether it was a curfew, a dress code or some camera watching over our courtyard, it just seemed like our rights were being violated. And I wanted to do something about it." The group�s first mission was to help defeat Measure 9, the anti-gay measure on the November general election ballot. Ourshalimian put together a rally that numbered about 65 people at a city park adjacent to the high school. "We had a lot of adults as well as students in attendance," said Ourshalimian. "It was definitely a success." Ourshalimian � who was born in California and lived in Hawaii for several years before moving to Ashland when he was in the sixth grade � and his crew then set their sights on a city curfew ordinance that mandated people under 18 be off the streets between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The group met with the Ashland City Council, the police chief and mayor and eventually got the ordinance changed to match a state curfew law of midnight to 4 a.m. "This was a law that was rarely enforced, but it singled out young people for no real reason," Ourshalimian said. "The problem is, a law like this gets selectively enforced. A couple of people walking home from a store wouldn�t get hassled, but a group of skateboarders most certainly would." The Ashland group is now taking aim at the state curfew law. At the students� request, state Rep. Alan Bates, an Eagle Point Democrat, has introduced a bill in the Legislature to overturn it. As for the Ashland High dress code, Ourshalimian says it contains contradictory wording and he believes some students are subjected to discrimination. "The cheerleaders wear some of the shortest dresses in school and they never get hassled," he says. "But another girl wearing a dress that short does. "They (administrators) don�t enforce it (the dress code) too much, but I think it needs some clarity." Perhaps the biggest hot-button issue Ourshalimian and his group have tackled is the pledge of allegiance and salute to the American flag at Ashland High. Ourshalimian says students should have the option of not standing during its recital. "I�m not personally against the pledge of allegiance, but I think a person can be respectful towards it by being silent and not standing," he says. "Standing is an expression, and a person should have freedom in that regard. "We have foreign exchange students at Ashland High. Should they be forced to stand?" McKinnon has warned Ourshalimian that taking on such an issue could thrust him into a firestorm of controversy. "I told him nothing gets people fired up like the flag because it�s a symbol of our freedom," McKinnon says. "But Adonya is passionate about all of these issues. "Whether you agree with him or not, he�s a delightful young man. And everything he�s done has been civil and within the law." Ourshalimian has also acted as a lawyer at a mock trial. Ourshalimian could be on his way to becoming a politician, lawyer or judge. But he plans to study genetics when he heads off to college in the fall. After all, that�s his right. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Unsung heroes: To read about more people who quietly make a difference, see Our Valley, special section published today and next Sunday inside the Mail Tribune. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.