Senior Sagarika Ramachandran’s day begins like any other teenager – with a couple exceptions. She emerges, bleary-eyed, at 7 am from a heavy and untimely slumber, having endured yet another nightmare about the IB diploma program. A cesspool of copyedits clutters her desk, while the sloppy ledes of the articles she is forced to review loom on the screen before her. Stumbling out of the house, she is imbued with purpose and clarity as she sips a mug of hot chocolate. It’s time to do journalism. Or something. She’s still quite tired.

In all seriousness, Ramachandran has had an outsized impact on the Cardinal Times and the Lincoln community during her four years as a high school student. Despite the immense workload of being Lincoln’s primary advocate for student journalism, she has been a passionate and dynamic force in the newsroom, transforming the staff into a strong, assertive and more supportive group of students during her year-long tenure as editor-in-chief.

Since her first experience with journalism her freshman year, the Cardinal Times has had a major impact on Ramachandran.

“It’s given me something that I’ve been really passionate towards, and I’ve also seen it grow,” says Ramachandran.

As a testament to her efforts, Ramachandran was presented with the 2019 Oregon High School Journalist of the Year award by the Journalism Education Association earlier this year.

After joining the staff her sophomore year, Ramachandran became the design editor of the Cardinal Times. At first, she didn’t see herself ascending further into the ranks of the editorial staff.

“I thought a lot of my other peers were going to be the people who would end up becoming editors-in-chief,” said Ramachandran. “The reason I got here was because I really cared, I spoke up, and I just wanted to do the best I could.”

Ramachandran was the deputy editor her junior year, rising to editor-in-chief her senior year.

“I put a lot of myself [into the paper] to make sure that it’s the best it could be. I think the biggest [lesson] was to teach me how to be a good leader,” Ramachandran says.

Ramachandran co-wrote “Abused and Afraid” last year, an exposé on the misconduct of former Lincoln teachers against students. It’s one of many pieces she’s written over the years addressing important and unnoticed issues in the Lincoln community, helping to further inspire her passion for journalism.

Outside of The Cardinal Times, Ramachandran has performed classical Indian dance at the Newmark theater and has been training for over a decade in the ancient dance form Bharatanatyam. She has been awarded with the PPS AllStar Award and recently won the Pearl Rotary Student of the Month Award, each serving as testaments to her effectual presence in and outside of the newsroom.

Ramachandran believes that the LHS community should recognize female leaders more often, citing leaders of clubs like the Native American Student Union and the Pacific Islanders Student Union. When asked about where LHS stands in terms of female leadership, Ramachandran responds “[i]t needs improvement. It will never stop needing improvement.”

This year, Ramachandran has taken steps to improve the Cardinal Times’ diversity of coverage and newsroom structure. She implemented the Cardinal Times’ first Arts and Culture issue in March, while restructuring the staff to give more leadership roles to rising student voices and increasing the Times’ digital output.

“[Sagarika] has been crucial in giving the paper the tools it needs for the future,” says junior Evan Reynolds, next year’s editor-in-chief. “Podcasts, videos, a social media presence, the leadership structure, none of that would have been possible without her stepping in and changing it. There is no future for the paper without the work she’s done here.”

This fall, Ramachandran will be attending American University in Washington, D.C., planning to major in international studies and journalism. Despite her departure, she’s hopeful about the future of the Cardinal Times and excited about next year’s staff. She is grateful for her time on the paper, and her fellow seniors who she has worked with over the past four years.

“The people I’ve come up with since freshman year have been so integral to this paper; I couldn’t have done it on my own,” says Ramachandran. “Even though we all have different roles, it’s a team effort.”

Kayla Rae, a graduating senior of 2019, began at the Cardinal Times in her freshman year with a primary goal to increase readership and to uncover more in-depth and underground stories around Lincoln.

As the managing print editor of the newspaper, she was able to achieve this.

In addition to accomplishing these aspirations, Kayla also established the paper’s first social media outlet on Instagram in her freshman year. The account recently reached over 1,000 followers.

With the help of co-reporters at the Cardinal Times, Rae has completed many thorough investigative projects that have positively impacted the newspaper and greatly influenced readers. Some of the largest stories she helped uncover included reporting on the sexual misconduct charges against former teacher George ten Eyck, the series of incidents within Lincoln sports that led to the termination of several head coaches, the controversy surrounding the Constitution Team’s switch-off of state championships with Grant High School, and how the IB program can fuel bullying within Lincoln.

Rae is known in the newsroom for being tough but effective while communicating with reporters.

“Though I used to be slightly intimidated by her my freshmen year, I have always looked up to her and her journalism skills. She’s a hard worker, determined and I always know I can count on her,” says Sagarika Ramachandran, Editor-in-Chief of the Cardinal times.

Being the print editor, Rae feels proud that she is able to have the platform to share and implement some of the ideas she started with. She came into the Cardinal Times full of strong ideas and is leaving with the satisfaction of seeing them implemented. One of the things Rae liked most about working for the Cardinal Times is the community. She believes that students and faculty feel very passionate about sharing what’s important in the Lincoln community.

Working for the school newspaper has impacted Rae’s life in a very positive way. She’s now much more comfortable interacting with strangers, and also feels more comfortable asking the harder questions.

“Reporting is all about digging deep and finding good information and I find myself doing that a lot more (with) people I meet, places I go, and in the community I live in,” she said.

Rae, an accomplished racquetball player, placed sixth in the girls’ high school singles “blue” bracket at the USA National Racquetball Championships in St. Louis this winter. She also placed fifth alongside senior Scout Hawkey in the mixed doubles tournament.

Outside of athletics and academics, Rae volunteers at Outdoor School, helping young students develop a passion for nature and the outdoors.

Rae will attend the University of Oregon School of Business once she graduates.

Since his sophomore year, senior Daniel Lewinsohn has been a reporter – and, since the beginning of this year, the first Managing Digital Editor – for The Cardinal Times.

Over the past three years, Lewinsohn has witnessed transformative changes to the paper and its staff.

“The paper’s staff has grown a lot since I joined,” Lewinsohn remarks. “My freshman year there were less than 10 people on the staff. We’ve also had three different advisors throughout my time on the paper, which definitely shaped [it].”

This year, Lewinsohn has overseen The Cardinal Times’ growing digital branch, helping to create several podcasts on topics ranging from sports to art to film while being a frequent contributor to the Times’ website. Daniel’s devotion to journalism, however, extends far beyond the digital.

“I’ll miss [the most] […] having the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and interview people,” says Lewinsohn. “Especially people I normally wouldn’t have the chance to talk to.”

A full-IB student, Lewinsohn’s interests aren’t solely limited to journalism. As a freshman at Colorado College next year, he plans to “explore different areas of the natural sciences” and spend time in the great outdoors skiing, backpacking, and climbing. Earlier in high school, he volunteered at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa to study causes and preventative measures for HIV.

“It was an extremely rewarding experience as I got to work in a professional environment and explore an issue I’m passionate about,” said Daniel.

Lewinsohn is a member of Lincoln’s varsity soccer team and also plays the piano. As described by Cardinal Times editor-in-chief Sagarika Ramachandran, “[Daniel] is quiet, but he has a secret humor to him.”

Although Lewinsohn may be the Cardinal Times’ first digital editor, his interests and his future are grounded in the natural world.

In front of Lincoln High School, students chant and hold signs to protest for gun reform and student safety.

Sydney Laxson captured the whole scene in one picture.

Through her photographs, the Cardinal Times staff have told some of their most significant stories.

Laxson, a senior, began reporting for the Cardinal Times as a freshman, then became visuals editor in her junior year. As the visuals editor, she gathers photos for stories and updates the website.

Laxson’s main focus this year has been on the Cardinal Times’ online edition. She says that the visuals and aesthetics she has contributed to the website have increased views significantly.

Because of the Cardinal Times, Laxson has gained an appreciation for the news and has learned to look outside of her scope.

“Without the Cardinal Times, I would not have known a lot of issues. Just talking to… people who have experienced things that I can never experience has…opened my eyes and taught me more empathy,” Laxson says.

Laxson, who plays varsity soccer, plans to attend the University of San Francisco, where she will major in psy- chology with an emphasis on cognitive and neuroscience.  While she will not be pursuing journalism in college, Laxson says she may end up back in the field in the future.

“I love philosophy and ethics… [they have] definitely made me a better and more well rounded human being,” she said. “I also think more people should take these classes because they are really important in order to understand a wide variety of topics and to be more ethical in the real world.”

Her general guidance for all high school students is “pushing yourself but not pushing yourself to extinction.”

She advises current and future Cardinal Times staff members to “be yourself” and to choose topics that interest them.

“The pieces you create are so much better when your heart is involved,” Laxson says. “The more interested you are in a topic the more you are going to want to pursue it and write about it.”

Wyatt Lincoln has been perfecting his journalism skills for the Cardinal Times since sophomore year and has found a passion for visual design while focusing on layout and digital arts.

Lincoln officially joined the staff as a sophomore and started off as a reporter. His experience as a reporter allowed him to meet people all across our community with different interests and stories to tell. He was later promoted to design editor and used his skills from the graphic arts elective to develop a visually-appealing paper he was proud of.

Lincoln, a varsity soccer player, developed skills on the staff that benefited him both in and outside of the classroom.

“Learning interviewing skills were valuable too, and they helped me to get in-depth results from my sources,” he said.

Lincoln has been praised by his peers for his graphic design skills while in the paper.

“I think [Wyatt] has done a really good job of combining the familiar with the experimental – you can look at a page of any issue with completely different stories, layout, etc. but still immediately recognize that it’s from the Cardinal Times,” said junior Evan Reynolds, the future editor-in-chief, of Lincoln. “In that respect, it’s really well-done work.”

As deadlines became a part of his life, he had to learn to keep up with them, improving upon his time-management skills.

“[Deadlines] forced me to keep up with my work and manage my time because it was easy to let them fly past if I wasn’t careful,” Lincoln continued.

Along with learning new skills and improving on old ones, Lincoln had fun with the staff and wrote enjoyable articles that kept him interested in life at Lincoln. His favorite article he wrote was a profile on history teacher Julie O’Neill.

“She fought forest fires in college and had tons of crazy stories and pictures from that part of her life,” said Lincoln.

Going to San Francisco with the Cardinal Times staff to attend a journalism conference was something he enjoyed doing with his friends he made while working on the paper.

After spending the majority of his high school experience of the paper, Lincoln has decided to attend Chapman University to major in animation, continuing what he knows about graphic art and visual design.

While his career at the Cardinal Times may be ending, Lincoln’s concern for the wellbeing of the newspaper and the quality of his work will never dissipate.

Senior Jack Forman has been an important member of the Lincoln community since his freshman year. During his time at Lincoln, Forman co-created the No Student Eats Alone club, became a staff member for The Cardinal Times, and played on the varsity tennis team along with participating in many more extracurriculars.

A Cardinal Times staff member for all four years, Forman is already a journalistic veteran, taking on a variety of roles such as Sports Editor, Business Manager, and Social Media Manager. As the Business Manager, Forman has been responsible for landing several major advertisement deals, including one with Dutch Bros. He feels that The Cardinal Times has given him a voice to tell other people’s stories and experiences.

“The Cardinal Times has made me more aware of issues that face my peers along with other adults outside of school,” says Forman.

As one of Lincoln’s Flock Leaders, Forman has participated in leadership throughout his high school years. Forman is responsible for defending and growing Lincoln’s school spirit, leading the student body during sporting event  and assemblies. And as a co-creator of No Student Eats Alone, Forman was excited to be given an outlet for creating change.

“Being at the forefront of the anti-bullying club and the No Student Eats Alone club at Lincoln, I think I’ve been able to meet people from all walks of life that have different experiences and backgrounds,” he says. “We often get so involved in our own circle of friends and our bubble, and I think both of these opportunities have given me an ability to branch out and really meet a lot of interesting people.”

Next year, Forman plans on majoring in strategic communications with a focus on advertising or public relations and a minor in sports marketing at The University of Colorado Boulder.

“Strategic Communications is a mixture of marketing, advertising and PR,” says Forman. He believes his time as the business manager has influenced his interest in his major.

“Looking back on my Cardinal Times experience, I have always thought of it as an actual job and not a regular class,” he says. “This has taught me to better manage my time, my schedule and most importantly, prepare me for a successful future.”

A little bit of anxiety, a little bit of peace. “Nothing else matters except what you feel in the moment.” This is how Alex Paskill feels when he flies his small aircraft. Paskill has been an aviator since his freshman year, though it’s been his lifelong dream to fly planes.

Though Paskill is well known for having many bylines in the newspaper for his photography and investigative articles his hobbies outside of the newsroom have also shaped him into the person he is today.

On top of being a four-year staff member of the Cardinal Times, Paskill is involved with Cards Cook, a student-run organization which serves food to the homeless.

“Giving back to the less fortunate has been something I’ve done throughout my whole life, and taking the initiative to start something like that in high school has been a gratifying experience.”

Outside of Lincoln, Paskill has many additional interests. He is an award-winning Greek dancer at the Folk Dance Festival, an international Greek dance and heritage competition in California. He is also a member of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

During his time on the paper, he’s witnessed many positive changes in the publication and staff.

Paskill believes that his involvement in the Times has shaped him into the person he is today. “It’s allowed me to meet a lot of people and open my mind to a lot of parts of life I didn’t think about before the class,” he said.

Out of his four years of experience as a reporter, Paskill has done it all. Writing, photography, videography, investigative reporting and running social media, Paskill is well known for his numerous skills on the paper.

“I liked telling a story more than editing and managing people, and I enjoy discovering where a story can go,” Paskill says.

Of all the things he’s learned from his time as a staff member, Paskill’s most memorable learning experience was that he “never realized the amount of debate there could be surrounding how people would react to a story.” For example, when Paskill wrote about Lin- coln’s Constitution Team’s back and forth win against Grant High School, he faced backlash from students and coaches about the matter.

“If people are talking about your article then you know people are reading the paper, and that’s making an impact,” he adds.

Over the span of four years, things are bound to change no matter what it is. About the Cardinal Times, Paskill says “We have been trying to be a lot more conscious of diversity and reporting equally on everybody. It’s critical we only continue to do so and give everyone in the school and community a equal voice.”

Paskill will attend Purdue University next fall to major in aviation management.

Scotty Martin began writing for the Cardinal Times his freshman year with the Intro to Mass Communications class, along with his friend and fellow CT staff member, Alex Paskill.

“As a writer, it taught me a lot about how to connect with your readers, making stories mean more than just words on a page,” says Martin.

“I would say my favorite memory would be when the whole Cardinal Times and Beyond the Flock [magazine] staff went down to San Francisco to the [JEA National] Journalism Convention. We bonded a lot and it was just a great time with great people,” he said.

Martin is very passionate about basketball and football and has played both during his time at Lincoln. He also enjoys outdoor activities, including fishing, sports, and camping.

Martin is also the president of the Christian Students United Club.

Two fun facts about Martin is that he loves bubble tea and drinks it at least twice a week. Occasionally, Martin indulges in poetry writing, a skillset that runs down his family line.

“I believe that I was destined for writing, left behind by my great great grandmother’s cousin, Mark Twain,” adds Martin.

After high school, Martin is planning to attend Colorado State University and will study apparel design and merchandising which includes marketing and entrepreneurship.

Founding an educational nonprofit club for elementary students, reporting for the Cardinal Times, and proving herself to be incredibly hard-working, Rosie Crawford is a senior who serves as a role model to her peers.

Though she joined the Cardinal Times in her senior year, Crawford doesn’t hesitate to emphasize how it has positively impacted her overall high school experience, from meeting new people to developing the essential communication skills needed for journalism.

“I’ve always been into creative writing, and journalism [was] something I never tried before, but I knew that it would allow me to meet people, write stories about them and hear their story,” Crawford says.

Since joining the staff, Crawford had a learning curve, learning to write in a style she was initially unaccustomed to. Despite struggling in the beginning, she says she eventually caught on.

“Writing has always been one of my strengths,” Crawford says, “so [I changed] the way I wrote from… doing creative writing and writing stories [to] writing in journalism which is definitely a lot more straightforward, clear and straight to the point.”

Crawford was praised by staff members about the strength of her writing and how quickly she adapted to news writing techniques.

“[Rosie] is truly herself no matter where she goes or what she does…which is a very noble thing,” said Sydney Laxson, a Cardinal Times staff member and a close friend of Crawford’s. “Rosie thrives off of personal connections and relationships, which I feel is something that is sometimes lost to a lot of people in this day and age. She wants to form bridges and make bonds with others and learn from their experiences, which can be translated into her writing and the questions she asks. She is… not afraid to be who she is and say what she needs to say. And that’s why I love her.”

Outside of the Cardinal Times, Crawford started an organization called OWL (Outstanding Writers without Limits) in 2018.

“[OWL is] a creative writing non-profit, partnered with local elementary schools. High schoolers teach creative writing after school in those locations to elementary students, and the goal is to use creative writing as a tool for teach- ing four complex ideas of personal development to the students,” says Crawford.

Writing isn’t her only passion, however. Crawford is also interested in scientific studies and took IB Physics for two years.

“I really like [science] because it allows us the understand the fundamental aspects and nature of the world around us,” she says.

As an active member of the Portland community, Crawford has volunteered at the Oregon Zoo and OMSI. As a ‘Zoo Teen,’ she talks to zoo visitors about issues relating to animal welfare, such as climate change. At OMSI, she gives presentations and performs science experiments for museum guests. Although she will be studying engineering at Willamette University next year, she hopes to pursue her journalism as a hobby in college.

Most people wouldn’t expect one of the best athletes in the state to also be a star in a journalism class.

Then again, not many people have met Jalen Javurek.

Javurek, planning to major in electrical engineering at Western Washington University, started on the Cardinal Times this year with a focus on graphic design.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed the opportunities to make graphics and to get them places that people can see them, which is not something I can do without being in [the Cardinal Times],” said Javurek. “It’s cool to see how that transfers to different mediums.”

Throughout the year, he started to broaden his focus beyond the visual side of media.

“I’ve also enjoyed getting into podcasting, which is not something I’ve done before,” Javurek added. “I really like producing podcasts; kind of just seeing where the vision of the episode is going and planning out what needs to happen next.”

Javurek also spoke on how he stays driven while working for an organization like the Cardinal Times.

“This [class] is all motivation-based, and it should be. In my opinion, you can’t really motivate someone with a grade. I don’t get motivated by grades,” he said.

Javurek is passionate about music, plays guitar, and is an aspiring Soundcloud artist. He enjoys the outdoors, such as hiking, running and climbing. He is a star cross country runner, placing 24th at the 2018 Oregon 6A state meet before a stress fracture sidelined him for the 2019 track season. However, he has remained a part of the track team, even through his injury, and has inspired his teammates to be, in head track coach Eric Dettman’s words, “the best selves that they can be.”

Javurek will run for Western Washington next fall.

The Cardinal Times hasn’t always provided comprehensive coverage of the arts, music, and culture. Oscar Harold, current Arts and Culture editor, has been working to change that.

Harold started on the staff in his sophomore year because he was “put in [the class] randomly, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I discovered that I liked writing and I started getting more into it,” he recalled.

Being a Cardinal Times staffer has made Harold value “storytelling [and] finding things out in my life that people don’t know about and telling other people.”

Harold enjoys sparking conversations through his writing and doesn’t shy away from provocative topics.

“The most interesting things to write about are the controversial and ‘hot topic’ ones. I wrote a story about Xanax (“Movement against use of Xanax gains steam”) last year when there were a bunch of overdoses,” said Harold. This was his favorite article to write because it was “something sensitive.”

In his free time, Harold plays basketball and designs clothing for fun.

“I’ve worked for multiple signed rappers and done their merch,” said Harold. “I’ve sold a few hundred shirts in the past year.”

Harold has encouraged the Cardinal Times to open up their coverage to more culture, arts, music and fashion. While he sometimes does not display it, he is very passionate about social justice issues such as racial justice and bullying.

“I’m planning on going to DePaul university next year in Chicago, and basically my plan is to go to college for now and learn things and experiment,” he said.

Long hours at school don’t come without stress. The STEM-filled schedules common throughout Lincoln students’ days often result in a great deal of pressure. For senior Justin Ching, working as a reporter on the Cardinal Times was a welcome change to his IB classes.

For Ching, the Cardinal Times offered him a place to write freely and to have fun while doing so.

“Writing for the Cardinal Times has been the first time I have written creatively since eighth grade,” said Ching. “Not the academic essay sort of thing. I am most proud of my satire/humor pieces. They were the most fun to write and had the most positive response from other students.”

When Ching isn’t putting in the hours studying for his strenuous classes, he enjoys playing soccer, and was even named 2018 PIL defensive player of the year, and has been on Lincoln’s varsity team for 3 years.

“Soccer is something that I have al- ways enjoyed, and it can definitely help relieve stress from my day. And it’s also just something that can distract me from other things.”

With all that he’s experienced, Ching knows the program well through both its positive and negative aspects and was willing to offer advice.

“The Cardinal Times has made a conscious effort to include more ethnically diverse perspectives and photos. While I can understand pushing diversity in other situations, it seems a bit forced to change media coverage,” he said.

Ching reinforced the importance of proofreading one’s writing.

“I would advise others interested in journalism just to learn how to write. I see grammatical errors even in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, so issues with words aren’t uncommon,” said Ching.

Ching does not yet know how his journalism experience will be used later in life, but the Cardinal Times has broadened the scope of his education.

“That’s really the point of going to school. Eventually, some of the skills or knowledge we gain will end up being useful to us.”

With a click of a button, the microphone starts recording. The room grows quiet and the only thing that can be seen are radiowaves on a computer screen. Reese Nelson has been on the Cardinal Times since his sophomore year. Since joining the staff two years ago, Nelson has worked on a variety of projects.

Nelson, a varsity soccer player, has embraced his love for sports through his podcast, the Cardinal Sports Update.

The podcast, hosted by Nelson, is a quick one-minute seasonal report on Lincoln’s active sports culture. In his most recent podcast, Nelson can be heard discussing the end of the Spring sports season.

“I basically just talk about how all the teams at Lincoln have been doing,” said Nelson. “It’s a pretty short podcast, we have to keep it under a minute to fit in an Instagram post, but I have produced five this year.”

In addition to his podcast, Nelson has also written a variety of articles for the Cardinal Times.

“My favorite article I ever wrote was probably the profile on Frankie Lopez,” he said.

In the article, Nelson describes Lopez’s long soccer career, highlighting his career hardships and accomplishments, especially his decision to join the Seattle Sounders.

Nelson has also been applauded for his sudoku puzzles that can be frequently found in the newspaper. He also enjoys to cook and has been praised by editor-in-chief Sagarika Ramachandran for making amazing salsa.

“I think [Reese] is super positive and has done a great job producing the sports podcast this year,” said Wyatt Lincoln, the Cardinal Times design editor.

For the past three years, the Cardinal Times has been a place of creativity to Nelson.

“Being a part of the publication has led me to better understand the news we see every day, and has taught me the
importance of news,” he said.

Senior Gretchen Rudolph, who has a passion for podcasts, has been on The Cardinal Times staff since her freshman year. She was a content editor as a freshman and sophomore, social media manager during her junior year and a reporter senior year.

“Since I was in middle school I knew that I really wanted to work in journalism or public relations,” Rudolph says, “and just getting to know other people and The Cardinal Times was the perfect place for that.”

Her favorite thing about doing podcasts is editing and producing them. Rudolph has created many episodes of her podcast, Gettin’ Flicky With It, where she discusses movies and media alongside Jack Forman.

“I really like working on podcasts because I feel like you are very free to do what you would like and you get to talk about things that interest you,” she says.

Rudolph was given many learning opportunities that she credits to Cardinal Times adviser Mary Rechner. She was able to learn more about podcasting by interviewing Crystal “Kash” Ligori, a podcaster and producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Throughout her experience on The Cardinal Times, Rudolph found that one of the most important things to do was to “follow your deadlines; you have people counting on you, so just always make sure you’re on time.”

Rudolph was on Lincoln’s Constitution team her sophomore year. While she may have studied the past, she al- ways has her ear on news around the school and doesn’t shy away from pitching bold story ideas in the newsroom.

Rudolph plans to continue with journalism while attending the University of Southern California, where she will major in communications and possibly minor in marketing or the cinematic arts. Although nothing is certain yet, Rudolph sees podcasting as part of her life and possibly as a career.

“Learning about podcasting while I have been at The Cardinal Times and learning how to edit, record, host and produce is something that will really stick with me,” she says.