Meet the new team: Our voice of the younger generation for '07-'08.

Byline: Mark Johnson Features editor, The Register-Guard

The signs of fall are all around - school's back in session, leaves are turning colors and The Register-Guard's 20Below Team is ready to get back to work.

Eleven writers and artists have been selected for the 2007-08 team. Their mission is to give young people a voice in the community, through columns and illustrations published each week in the Personal Life section. In addition, their work also will be posted on The Register-Guard's Web site, www.registerguard.com.

Their first columns will be ready for publication beginning next week.

Emerging from a deep pool of talented applicants are seven new members and four veterans returning from last year. It's probably the most mature 20Below Team we've had, with four college students. Here's the team for 2007-08:

Chris Bradley, a junior at the University of Oregon, is the elder statesman of the team at the ripe old age of 20. He spent a year studying in Italy, following in the footsteps of James Joyce while aspiring to be a writer. "I failed to complete my masterwork while I was in Italy, but my time there did open new doors for me into the writing world," he told us. "I am a born and bred son of Eugene, but I am also a citizen of the world, and I would love nothing more than to use 20Below to merge our culture with the majesty of the Colosseum, the elegance of the Grand Canal, and, yes, the mystery of the infamous bidet." How could we pass?

Shelby Davis Cooper is a sophomore at Willamette High and one of four members returning this year. She earned a second tour of duty after showing off her wide range of interests last year. She had no problem writing about both serious issues (genocide in Darfur and global warming to mention a couple of stories) and lighter subjects (such as spending spring break with her grandmother). Her first assignment this fall is to write about her experiences with Link Camp this summer and Willamette High's Link program, which helps incoming freshmen adjust to high school.

Jordan Eddy, a senior at Sheldon High, strayed from the application instructions by writing an essay that revealed plenty of personality yet little about himself. He won the judges over with a story (published this summer) about the Eugene Marathon: "Before the race, I thought it would be embarrassing to have everyone calling out my name, but as tens of steps turned to thousands, I was suddenly glad to have complete strangers cheering for me. I began to feel a wonderful sense of community as I jogged past hundreds of bystanders, each with an encouraging word for little old me."

Cameron Giblin is entering his first year at the University of Oregon and his third year as an artist on the 20Below team. In the past year he's illustrated stories about such subjects as cross-country skiing, the difficulty of waking up, lessons from grandparents, violence embraced by teen boys, college students leaving the nest and the yin and yang of finding happiness. He's also become known for his snarky responses to survey questions and the weekly Bites question.

Shannon Herzog, a senior at Churchill High, plans to pursue a career in art and is looking forward to attending the University of Oregon, the Art Institute of Portland or the Art Institute of San Francisco. We're looking forward to seeing how well Shannon's style meshes with the work required for 20Below (we think she'll be excellent) because, in her words, "I can express the author's idea and translate it into an image that I believe will get the attention of the readers." Her work certainly captured our attention.

Allison Kratka is beginning her second go-round on the 20Below Team. She is a junior at South Eugene High. Allison's enthusiasm for writing, and for the 20Below experience, made it easy to ask her to return this year. Some of her work during the past year included stories about the importance of food in her family, teen budgets, young drivers, her love of audiobooks and an encounter with unfamiliar food during a foreign exchange to France. One of her first columns this fall will be about the responsibility of car ownership.

Leah Reis-Dennis, a South Eugene High junior, impressed us with her writing, her perspective on being a teen and her focus on taking 20Below to new heights. "I'm convinced there are fresh voices and lots more to say, by and about the younger generation here. I think 20Below can be bigger and better, entertaining and informing readers above and below 20 with news, features and commentary that go beyond cliches." We've already published a story about leadership that Leah submitted with her application, and her next story this fall will be about her decision to become a vegan.

Lily Robertson, beginning her sophomore year at the University of Oregon and third year with 20Below, has proven to be one of the strongest illustrators we've had on 20Below. She has an uncanny ability to turn a writer's words into a vivid picture - sometimes on a moment's notice (an important attribute in the deadline-filled newspaper world). Her images can be subtle or powerful. In the past year, she has illustrated stories about the high cost of modern gadgets, attributes of a great teacher, junk food, the influence of religion and the love of photography.

Haley Songchild, a sophomore at Lane Community College, is someone who admits to looking at life in a different way than most folks. She quit high school after her sophomore year and jumped right into college. She wrote about her decision in a story we published this past summer: "I found my cup of tea. Not chamomile, which puts me to sleep, but raspberry zinger. Whoo! I feel like I'm alive. ... Now, I'm not saying that high school is all bad. There are some people who like chamomile, and that's fine. But I know there are more people like me who prefer the raspberry zinger." That desire for the raspberry zinger, and her penchant for writing, is why Haley landed a spot on 20Below.

Stephen Staszewski is the youngest member of 20Below this year, a freshman at Churchill High who just turned 15 on Sunday. Yet, it was his mature attitude that impressed 20Below editors: "I am not afriad of being controversial," he wrote in his application. "When we wrote persuasive essays (in middle school), I never took the easy way out by writing about cafeteria food or school uniforms. Instead, I wrote about things like abortion, the Israel-Palestine conflict and I even took a devil's advocate position on child labor. I've learned that when you use your mind, you get a lot back."

Ellen Wang is a sophomore at South Eugene High who aspires to be a professional artist. Samples she submitted with her applcation revealed a flair for drawing. "Ever since I've been old enough to hold a crayon in my hand, I've been drawing," she said. She earned a spot on the team after she slam-dunked her assignment during the application process. We used that illustration this summer to accompany Haley Songchild's story about choosing to jump early to college.