Honoring the sanctity of each grain of sand.

photo: Newport, OR

The students of Newport High School in Newport, Oregon developed a special "for the love of beaches" issue of their student newspaper entitled "Sandtuary" to be distributed up and down the entire Oregon coast during spring break week.

This is the students' manifesto:

We the students of Newport High School...
Have grown up on these beaches
We understand the sanctity of each grain of sand.
We use our sandy playground to swim, surf, and frolic by day,
bonfire and stargaze by night.
We fall in love by the tide pools.
We embrace our tubular waves with passion
We know every inch from Ona to Agate.
The salty waves run through our veins.
We the Students of NHS...
Traded the metal shackles of privatization for sandy socks long ago.
We insist on our right to unharnessed nature, to free beaches.
We grapple at the thought of Californication.
The beaches are in us and of us.
Wo dares to privatize?
Who dares to put a price tag on our catharsis?
We the student of NHS...
Present Sandtuary.
Our manifesto in honor of Tom McCall,
To Oswald West,
And to our great birthright,
Without which we would have no sense of home.

Thanks to Charlie Plybon, Surfrider Foundation's Oregon Field Manager for sharing this with me.