Talking Sunset With Principal Schorr [April Edition]
Written by Olivia Lu, Edited by Gordon Chen
Interview Audio: Principal Interview | April.m4a
Sunset High School — May 8th — From IB testing to spring sports, to Prom, as we approach the end of the year, our journalists Gordon and Riley sat down with Principal Schorr to discuss the 2023–24 school year, and what we can look forward to in our final month.
Wrapping up the Year
This year has been exciting, with so many events and achievements, but it’s not over yet. Prom is right around the corner, and takes place at the McMenamins Crystal Ball, Saturday, May 18th, from 8:00–10:30 p.m. Tickets just went on sale, so don’t forget to purchase them this week if you haven’t already! Additionally, Art Fest, a showcase for the art department, is taking place on May 25th, 4:30–7:00, in T-Building. Apollos Art T-shirts are available until May 16th and can be purchased in the business office. Spring sports are also wrapping up these next few weeks, with state meets and competitions for many of our teams. Be sure to show up to support your Apollos!
Looking Forward to Next Year
As many of us know, high school start times next year will be moved from 7:45 to 8:45, with dismissal at 3:30 instead of 2:30. One of the main obstacles for the Beaverton School District this year is building a new bell schedule. Principal Schorr shared that the calendar for next year has already been created. A big part of building a new year’s schedule is hiring. With new students and staff to consider, the next step will be to find dates for dances, assemblies, and other big events.
Shortcomings
As always, we can’t look back at this year without discussing its shortcomings. At Sunset, one of the biggest challenges was the use of Artificial Intelligence in student work. A.I. is a tool and can be used beneficially in an upright way. However, the challenge lies in where it can be incorporated helpfully into the curriculum, and where it is harmful to a student’s learning. Encapsulating this, Mrs. Schorr states “the ‘grade’ in the project should be about the learning, and not about the [actual] grade.” On the topic of A.I., another major drawback this year was the use of phones, more specifically, determining when it is appropriate to use them. At the end of the day, phones are something we use in our daily lives and often depend on for certain necessities. However, it’s important to recognize appropriate times to use them and make sure they don’t cause distraction. “It’s a when and where situation,” Schorr states, “when is it okay to use them? When is it not? How do we teach rightful judgment?”
Decision-Making as Principal
This year, especially with the new bell schedule, one of the biggest obstacles faced by Sunset faculty and student body is staffing. Last year, the interview panel consisted of students as well as faculty, to decide which candidates were a good fit for Sunset. The reasoning behind this, as stated by Mrs. Schorr, “Students are the ones that work with teachers day to day, this is one of the most important things that we do.”
Besides new hires, Schorr is also focused on development with current staff, and building school climate, culture, and instruction. This year, specific school goals included identity and equity, and how these appear in the classroom. Staff development was centered around these goals this year, “to make school a place that is academically challenging and a place where people feel they belong.” Mrs. Schorr shared how at their last meeting, they got to hear students’ experiences with identity in their own writing. Although many of us view staff development days as just an extended weekend, during this time, staff and faculty get to receive coaching, and professional learning, and engage with other teachers. “We want to continue academic discourse, and how we are talking about learning.”
New TVs & Modernization Bond
Okay, so… what’s with the T.V.s? And why in the middle of April? The implementation of T.V.s at Sunset comes from a new Modernization Bond from the Beaverton School District, passed in May 2022. The bond approved $723 mil. to upgrade and modernize schools across the district and completely rebuild Beaverton High School and Raleigh Hills. As part of the technology maintenance portion of the bond, all schools received T.V.s to replace older projectors. The idea behind the implementation is to make it easier for substitute teachers to navigate technological aspects of the lessons, as well as to allow for easier sharing of student work. Unfortunately, the change came almost overnight to a lot of us, and it will take time to adapt to technological changes.
Addressing the elephant in the room: if we can install T.V.s, can we also replace Sunset’s outdated A.C. system? Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether or not we can replace the A.C. system with funds from the Modernization Bond. Many of us have noticed the air purification system in classrooms is from leftover COVID money and not indicators of a new A.C. installation. On the bright side, Principal Schorr confirmed there is still a chunk of money from the bond that can go into a variety of different projects, including potential video monitors in the gym, more flexible seating in the cafeteria, and other small upgrades to help modernize Sunset. To learn more about the new T.V., read the article by Tia, Riley, and Wafiya here.
That’s it for this Principal Interview. Thank you so much for reading, Apollos! Don’t forget to tune into our final June interview, and as always, if you have any questions you’d like to ask Mrs. Schorr, please reach out to us at scrollshs@gmail.com.
