Smoky Hill Express, Volume 32, Issue 5 by Carrie Faust

EXPRESS

Smoky Hill High School -- 16100 E. Smoky Hill Rd. Aurora, CO 80015 Volume 32 Issue 5 -- April 19, 2010

Carrie Faust

EXPRESS

INDEX

Editor-In-Chief -Bethanie Pack

News Editor -Daniel Jennings Opinions Editor -Bethanie Pack Clubs Editor -Hannah Kim Feature Editor -Bethanie Pack

Kimberly Clark

NEWS Pro Start knowledge team places first at competition ........................p.5

CLUBS Rap club evaluates options for getting recording equipment ..............p.11 OPINIONS Catholic school denys student admission because of gay parents SPORTS Boys swim team joins up with ..............................................................p. 7 Eaglecrest High School......................p.15 Kendra Jones

A&E Footloose review: an entertaining dissapointment................................p.14 FEATURE Improving study habits could help students get better grades on tests and finals ..........................................p. 8-9

WE APOLOGIZE...

The Express would like to apologize for publishing a misleading quote last issue. Freshman Dan Riven said, “it was really stupid; that’s just Catholicism trying to take over the world. I think it’s the marketing of religion.” Pat Robertson is Baptist and has no affiliation with the Catholic Church.

APRIL - MAY

Arts and Entertainment Editor -Mariah Hayes

APRIL 23-24:

Sports Editor -Tyler Blair

- Spring Play: “Noise is Off”

APRIL 28: Advertising Manager -Nick Bancroft Copy

MAY 1:

Editors -Paul Stahlke -Tara Jenkins -Claire Gillette

Reporters/Staff -Nick Bancroft -Tyler Blair -Claire Gillette -Gabe Roldan -Paul Stahlke -Pernille Tornbjerg -Auzjarae Wheeler -Mariah Hayes -Tara Jenkins -Daniel Jennings -Hannah Kim -Bethanie Pack Adviser -Carrie Faust

02 THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

-ACT Testing

-Prom

MAY 14:

-Senior Celebration

MAY 21:

-Senior Exit Assembly

MAY 28:

-Graduation

Carrie Faust

Policy The Smoky Hill Express is an open forum for free expression by the Smoky Hill High School community. The Express is a student-run publication produced in the state of Colorado, and is therefore not subject to prior review except by its own staff. All final design, reporting and content decisions are the responsibilty of the student journalists of Smoky Hill High School under the guidance of their adviser. It is the responsibiltiy of the staff to uphold the journalistic standards of truth, accuracy and objectivity in its reporting, while operating without fear in taking calculated risks, facing controversy and expressing unpopular opinion. The views articulated in The Express do not neccesarily represent the views

of the entire staff, Smoky Hill High School, or Cherry Creek School District. Cost Single copies free. Additional copies of The Express are available for purchase for 50 cents each in the Smoky Hill Newsroom (Room I-219) or where available. Taking more than one copy of this paper with the intent to prevent other individulas frrom readily accesing any information in this publication is prohibited by law (C.R.S. 18-4-419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty under C.R.S. 13-21-123, will be prosecuted. Letters to the Editor The Express will print all letters to the editor for which

space will allow, and reserves the right to return letters to the writer for editing. All letters to the editor must be signed and include contact information of the writer. Letters to the Editor must be recieved one week prior to press week. Letters can be dropped off at the Smoky Hill Newsroom (Room I-219) or sent to shhnewspaper@cherrycreeknewspaper.org Contact Smoky Hill High School 16100 E. Smoky Hill Rd. Aurora, CO 80015 P: 720-886-5329 F: 720-886-5690 shhnewspaper@cherrycreekschools.org

NEWS

IB students teach importance of water conservation to local youth PAUL STAHLKE

There’s an old Colorado settlers’ quote, “Whiskey is for Drinking, and Water is for fighting.” It appears on the first slide of the powerpoint shown to fourth graders around the community, setting the tone for the presentation. A number of IB students have been touring local elementary schools and giving presentations about water conservation, specifically to 4th graders. Douglas County Water Authority found that high school students were preferable to adults when presenting the information. “[They] found that the fourth graders were able to think more critically and respond better to high school presenters rather than adults,” Community, Action, and Service Project Sponsor Mary Bartholomew said. The project gives students like junior Raka Sen a chance to work with children on water conservation. The children have been enthusiastic about the project. “They were so excited about trying to fix things,” Sen said. “I’ve never seen a group more excited about helping the community.” Senior Priya Chacko also became involved with the project to work with children. The presentations aren’t entirely new to Chacko, as she remembers Bethanie Pack

watching the presentations herself as a fourth grader. “I [watched] it when I was in fourth grade, so I thought it would be cool to do it again,” Chacko said. Project Leader senior Kevin Wong first began the project as a part of the ‘green’ movement. “I like the way the world is going green and conserving resources,” Wong said. “Conserving water and educating students was just one way to do it.” Although the project has focused primarily on local elementary schools, its message has been recycled at a state level. “A lot of elementary schools are working to pass [state] legislation for water conservation,” Wong said. “We’ve helped them take the extra step with additional information to help present their proposal to the state legislature.”

Bethanie Pack

Above: Junior Susie Kim uses a model to show fourth graders how water in Colorado is obtained from underground deposits. The presentations and demonstrations had been given on Mar. 17 at Independence Elementary School. Left: Senior Luan Bui and juniors Crystal Murillo and Rachael Frank teach fourth graders about water conservation. Students used the project to help fulfill their IB CAS requirements.

Prospective IB students no longer automatically qualify for School of Choice HANNAH KIM Students who are accepted into the International Bacclaureate (IB) Program from out of district next year will now have to apply to School of Choice along with all the other students who wish to enter Smoky Hill. The old School of Choice automatically accepted IB applicants and other students who applied for school of choice before the deadline. Now, the new rule for Cherry Creek School District’s School of Choice is that students will be selected on a first come first serve basis and also a 92% capacity. The idea is that schools that are under the 92% capacity will be able accept more students, while schools over the capacity will accept fewer students. The exceptions to the first come, first serve system are for employees’ children and for siblings of students already attending that school. Students who have been accepted into their school in past years will be allowed to continue to attend their present schools without applying again, and students who have moved out of district will be allowed to continue their education at their present schools. The change was made to be more efficient with the school budget. Because of open school of choice, some high schools were over-populated, thus increasing the number of mobile buildings and the amount of money spent.

“I kind of understand because more students means the school must hire more teachers, which uses up the school’s money,” sophomore Josh Hamblin said. Hamblin is an outof-area pre-IB student. “I think it’s unfair if the student gets accepted into IB but doesn’t get accepted into the school.” The students who are denied school of choice this year will return to their area’s high school. Sophomore Alexzandria Ross had applied for school of choice to Grandview High School, but was turned down. “I turned it in the day after it came out. I was really surprised,” Ross said. “I think that [the school board] should meet you personally instead of choosing randomly.” Smoky Hill’s 92% capacity is 2,300 students, but currently the number of enrolled students is over 2,400, putting the school over the 92% capacity. “Last year, we took less than 40 choice students, so I’m anticipating the same amount this year,” principal Randy Karr said. The number of students accepted into Smoky from out of area is small enough to not make a difference on the population. “Right now, there’s no effect at all [on school population],” assistant principal Floyd Cobb said. Middle schools also have a School of Choice system, but some middle schools can take out-of-district and/or out-of-

area students, like Laredo Middle School. “Middle schools are allowed to take intra-district transfers and out of district transfers based on building capacity,” Karr said. “[However,] parents are told right up front that this does not guarantee them a slot at the high school.” The administration is not concerned, however, for the future of Smoky’s IB program in light of the new School of Choice restrictions. With the Middle Years Program (MYP) at Laredo, the feeder school for Smoky Hill, they hope that in-district Smoky students will be able to keep the IB student population constant without relying on out-of-area students. “Hopefully we will more than compensate through Laredo’s MYP program,” Karr said. For other IB applicants and students who apply for School of Choice though, the outcome could go either way. “I feel like you should get into the school first, then the IB program because its pointless if you get into the IB program but not the school,” pre-IB freshman Hershini Gopal said. Gopal went through the new School of Choice system this year and was accepted, unlike some of her friends who had been accepted into IB, but not the school itself. Like last year, the number of students Smoky can accept for School of Choice this year is around 40. “There is only a very small chance you’ll get accepted into your school of choice,” Cobb said.

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

NEWS

Claire Gillette

Choir experiences busy year with upcoming tour, concerts, competition CLAIRE GILLETTE The Smoky Hill choirs entered their busiest time of year at the start of second semester. The choirs have their Bi-Annual Choir Tour April 15-19, the Major Works Concert at Bethany Lutheran Church April 22, Jazz on the Hill, Senior Recital, Jazz choirs at the CHSSA state festival, and the final concert of the year where they honor the graduating class of 2010. The choirs were also chosen to perform at the Colorado Music Educators Association annual conference. “Symphonic Choir and both Mixed Jazz and Women’s Jazz were selected by competitive audition to perform at the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) annual conference at the Broadmoor Resort. Since each director can only have one group perform, Mr.

Techau made the decision to have Women’s Jazz perform...performing at CMEA is a tremendous honor,” Grant said. In early February the choir auditioned for All-State choir, for which they missed two days of school and spent three days rehearsing with conductors from the Denver Convention Center. A total of 23 students from the school were selected to be in All-State choir. “It was exciting to get into All-State,” senior Ellie Armstrong said. Also, approximatly a third of the Symphonic Choir preformed in the musical, “Footloose.” Because of their busy schedules and missed school days for choir events, Grant instituted “study halls” to help students. “Rehearsals started going really late, but I have been doing musical for years so I knew it was coming,” senior Ellie

Armstrong said. Armstrong had a lead role in the musical. “Because of the high amount of lost school days, I became very concerned about their grades falling, so I gave Symphonic Choir two weeks of 30-40 minute study halls per class to help out with their homework/study load,” Grant said. The students took advantage of these study halls to catch up on homework. “I did my math studies,” senior Sean Eichenser said. “It was really beneficial.” The Bi-Annual Choir Tour in April is the next big event for the choir. Students have been fundraising money to attend since the start of the school and have done a variety of things ranging from selling candy bars and frozen goods to the money raised from ticket sales for performances. “I am excited to get to perform in different states and travel with the choir,”

junior John Egland said. “This tour is wonderful because it’s not about the destination as much as it is about the journey. We will drive through a total of 5 states in just 4 days. Every leg of the trip, there is a new bus assignment chart, which helps the students get to know new people even better,” Grant said. The choir will preform at Grant’s alma mater, Nebraska Wesleyan University, on April 16 and then will have a concert in a church near that campus that evening. According to Grant’s email, because the choir spent time studying they are having to learn their new music faster than normal, but the choir is excited to be going on tour. Seniors Kaylee Inhuslen, Jeffrey Odgen, Emily Wyatt, Nathan Durland, and junior Suzanna Champion practice new music. The class starts by warming up with a variety of excercises.

Band classes come together for performance CLAIRE GILLETTE

Gabe Roldan

Sophomore Britney Tanner plays the trumpet for concert band. Every band comes together to perform three to four times a year.

04 THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

While the bands are separate classes, determined by auditions, all of the bands come together for concerts to give the community a chance to experience a variety of programs and skill levels. “In fall we have Marching Band and all three levels play together, but after that they are all classes again so the concerts are the only chances we have to hear other classes,” Band Director Zak Ruffert said. Students watch other bands in order to learn about performing and also to see the work of their peers. “It’s cool to get to see how much work [the other bands] have done,” sophomore Danielle Martinez

said. “It’s a really fun class, there isn’t just one part that I like most.” Each member of the band is expected to practice on their own time to improve and memorize the music for the concerts. “It’s a lot tougher than it looks. It takes a lot of time and dedication from of each band member,” senior Robert Lighthall said. Several students play in more than one band, like junior Peter Ferguson. Ferguson plays the guitar in Jazz Band and the bass clarinet in Wind Symphony. “It was fun to perform,” Ferguson said. “and to see the other band programs.” Jazz on the Hill will be on April 27, and the Senior Farewell concert on May 6.

NEWS

Pro Start: Knowledge team takes first place at Johnson and Wales PERNILLE TORNBJERG Pro-start students took first place in the Knowledge Bowl, and fourth place in the Culinary Competition at the 11th annual Prostart Invitational & Sysco Denver Hospitality Cup Competition. at the Johnson and Wales University in Denver March 16. “It was so shocking to win,” Management/Knowledge team captain senior Brittanie Braun said. “But we did work hard for it, so we deserved it.” The Management/Knowledge Bowl had two parts. A case study and a quiz bowl. “I honestly didn’t think we were going to win,” Senior Megan Saunders said. “We didn’t do too well on the second half of the competition, so I thought we’d be lucky if we even placed.” The team consist of four girls, Seniors Brittanie Braun, Megan Saunders, Cambria Miller and Chloe Neumann. “We work together well,” Cambria Miller said. “Brittanie is an awesome captain, she’s a large part of why we did so well on our case study I think. We all knew what had to be done, and between all four of us, we know our stuff.” After competing in both parts of the competition, the team waited for the results. “The hardest part was waiting to hear who won, I swear. It was absolutely nervewracking,” Saunders said. “It was amazing to win, partly because I really didn’t think we were going to. I’ve never screamed that loudly in my life.” Two teams competed at the competition, a Knowledge Team and a Culinary Team. The placing of both teams meant that they also took first place in the combined Culinary/ Hospitality Cup. The Culinary Team had to create an appetizer, main dish, side dish, and a dessert in an hour. They were provided with two cooking stoves, but everything else they had to bring themselves.

Pernille Tornbjerg

“I’m kind of pumped for the meet. It should be fun,” culinary team member junior Anthony Pucciarelli said before the competition. The team’s final menu, which they came up with together, consisted of seared tuna with Asian slaw as the starter, grilled venison with Thai salad and rice as the entrée, and achocolate mousse tower with raspberry coulis as the dessert. “I think we did really well; we had a pretty good theme and the dishes really came together,” Culinary Team member junior Patrick Murray said. “I feel pretty good about it.” After the team finished, they presented their menu, and family and friends could admire their work.

“I think we did the best we could do, and I think it is the best we have ever done,” Culinary Team captain junior Amy Hartman said. “I’m confident in what we did.” Class sponsor Lorraine Cortese has been preparing with the teams for months, and at the invitational she was there to support them. “I think they did great,” Cortese said after the Culinary Team finished. “They followed all their procedures and planning.” The students on the knowledge team all won $4000 scholarships to Johnson and Wales University, and a trip to the National Restaurant Association Trade show in Chicago May 20-23. “I knew they would place very high; we practiced a lot,” Cortese said.

Pernille Tornbjerg

Juniors Amy Hartman and Alexandria Sterling (dominant) and junior Tony Puccereli (above) prepare food for the culinary competition. The culinary team received fourth place overall.

Future of library A/V center currently “up in the air” DANIEL JENNINGS

Daniel Jennings

Senior Jessica Applebaum uses a machine in the A/V center to carve designs in paper. The A/V center is available to students during their lunch periods as it is now only open third period.

This year the library’s A/V center is only open during third period. The library staff was cut from three clerks to two last year, so the jobs of running the library got divided up between two people, including running the A/V center. Budget cuts are going to impact the A/V center negatively even more next year, so the possibility of it closing may exist. “The new schedule is inconvenient but I’m glad it’s still open,” senior Katie Ryan said. “It is helpful for preparing any type of project you need. I really hope they’re able to keep it open because I can’t imagine not being able to access the resources it provides.” Last year the A/V center was open periods 1-3, but with the position being cut to part time, the

library staff had to cut corners. “I think it’s awkward. I don’t think its really working well,” head librarian Dottie Byer said. “Our original thought was that since every student has lunch during third period, having it open then would make it the most accessible.” The library staff doesn’t know what the future of the A/V center is going to be. With the current staff size, Byer “can’t think of any other solutions right now.” After talking to principal Randy Karr it was decided that the situation would be discussed at the steering committe to reevaluate what worked and what didn’t. The steering committee decides what direction the school will go with curriculum and other issues. The committee will discuss what they think should become of the A/V center, but the ultimate decision is

Byer’s. “We don’t know what is going to happen yet. Everything is up in the air,” Byer said. “I haven’t done a cost analysis yet [for the A/V center] to see if it is self supporting, so I don’t know anything about how budget cuts will affect it either.” Some students find the A/V center very helpful and hope that it will stay open. “The A/V center is a great place to work on big art projects,” junior Julianne Hong said. “It is also helpful to have it available as a storage area.” Others think that the resources could be used elsewhere. “I rarely use the A/V center,” senior Luan Bui said. “I think that the materials and tools in it are useful, but they would be just as useful in the art rooms, or other appropriate places.”

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

OPINIONS

I have always loved the movie “The Breakfast Club” from the eighties, but for me detention and Saturday school were concepts that only existed in movies and books. We don’t have detention or any other form of school punishment in Denmark, so I decided to attend to my first detention ever. It sounds crazy that you would go to detention without any reason whatsoever, but I did. Because if I want to experience high school, then I need to experience it all: the good things, the bad things, and when it comes to detention, the boring things. Detention was nothing like the movie, but nothing ever is. Even though it was boring, it still made me appreciate that we don’t have detention in Denmark. Sitting in a room with fifty other kids, and security guards who are trying to make the students be quiet when the student would rather sing and talk, is not exactly how you want to spend your Monday afternoon. In Denmark, you can go late to class every other day, without ever feeling the consequences. There was a boy in my class last year, and he was late all the time. The teacher didn’t mind, she even waited 15 minutes before taking role, to be sure that everyone was there. Being a teenager means that you have a bunch of rules and laws to follow in school as well as outside of school. The curfew in America is something that I’m really not used to. My parents gave me specific times to be home but there weren’t laws about it in Denmark. Here you have to be home before 11 p.m. on the weekdays and by midnight on the weekends. In addition to the curfew for teenagers, you can’t go to recreational lakes and parks after 10 p.m., which is very different from in Denmark. No one really cared what you did in the night. We used to have parties in the parks back home with music, and as long as the neighbors didn’t mind, which they rarely did, there wouldn’t be any problems. Even though there is a curfew in America, you still have the freedom of being able to drive when you are sixteen. I really envy that. In Denmark we can’t get a license before we are eighteen and it costs around $2000. It costs so much because we have to pay instructors for driving lessons; our parents can’t teach us like they do in America. While it’s nice to have friends that can drive us around town instead of having to wait for buses and lightrails, I like Danish night-life better. Going to parties and clubs was fun but it’s something I can live without and don’t miss that much.

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

to get the new

iPad

CLAIRE GILLETTE In the east lies a land inhabited by a tribe of Amazonian women called the Applradians. In the caves surrounding their village, a rare and precious mineral lies in deep veins within the granite rock. A young geologist, named Shmeve Sobs stumbled upon the village with his team of jubilant explorers.

When the team discovered the minerals, Sobs tripped and his cell phone slipped out of his pocket onto the mineral. A brilliant light exploded from his phone and after it diminished, a new technology was born. The mineral had absorbed the souls of the deceased women in the tribe for hundreds of years, and developed magical powers. When the magical minerals came into contact with the iPod, the phone grew into a tablet-like device. The perfect combination of magic, technology, and feminism was created. All of the men in the team were suddenly overcome with a feeling of euphoria. Their eyes rolled out of their skulls, and drool cascaded out of their mouths. “This device,” they claimed, “will revolutionize the world!” Tears flowed freely, and shouts of joy resonated. The Applradians heard the commotion and walked up the cave. Shmeve Sobs ran up to them, leaping like a child on Christmas morning with the magical tablet firmly in his grasp. “It is the new iPad!” he shouted. The Applradians turned to each other and snickered because they all already had ‘iPads’ they used once a month. They had already harnessed the power of the minerals to help with the woes of being a woman. This device however, was not the iPad they had come to know. The iPad that they knew was an absorbent cotton strip with flexie wings and leak guard. “I am confused,” the shortest woman said. “Why is this called the iPad now?”

Used with permission from Apple.com

“Because, it is like a legal pad of paper. It is about the same size and weight, and you hold it in your lap or on a table!” Shmeve Sobs explained, displaying the device. “So, you named it iPad? After a pad of paper?” she asked. “Yes!” They became silent and looked at each other. Several of them broke out laughing while others looked skeptical. “I guess there wasn’t a woman within fifty yards when they named this device!” one of them said, falling onto the floor in laughter. Shmeve Sobs and his crew of men looked at the women, not understanding their seemingly bizarre reactions to their new god-like product. Thousands of miles away, the news of the iPad’s existence reached civilization. While electronics fans drooled over the reveal, women sat back and scratched their heads. Advertisements for the iPad littered the internet, with cool apps and the different storage capacities. The iPad will come in light, moderate and heavy flow models: the 16, 32, and 64 GB respectively. It also comes with complimentary apps like ‘Cramp Solutions’ and a calendar that alerts you when the next ‘period’ of time will start. And that is the story of how the iPad came into the world. Sort of.

Satire

Smoky Hill construction photos: before and after

“

PERNILLE TORNBJERG

The time of the month has come

The renovations are a good thing because we’ll stay more focused. Nick Meinke, Freshman

I think that more light the school looks more inviting.

“

Falling into Smoky Hill: Re-living ‘The Breakfast Club’

Megan Willbanks, Sophomore

OPINIONS

Bethanie Pack

Catholic school makes hypocritical decision, loses opportunity BETHANIE PACK A person is guided and shaped into who he is by the ones that raise him, but he is not defined by his parent’s decisions, successes or failures. A student at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School was denied re-enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year because his or her parents are homosexual. Because the school is private instead of public, the administration holds the right to deny any student to the school; however, this does not excuse this morally wrong and unjust decision. It is outright hypocritical. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School’s mission statement says, “to bring the Heart of Jesus Christ to life within our parish, school, and the Boulder area. Each of us seeks to honor and serve God by sharing our faith with a spirit of generosity and forgiveness.” Judging a student by the parent’s sexual orientation instead of the individual’s pursuit for God and academic success is far less than generous and forgiving. Jesus was sent to save the world, not to condemn the world, and this school has failed to recognize the “sacred heart of Jesus” through this decision. A well-known scripture from the Bible states, “For God so loved the world that he

gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16 NIV). Furthermore, in The Message translation by Eugene H. Peterson, it says, “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” As a follower of Jesus, it infuriates me to see other Christians with so much judgement and hatred in their eyes. Any human, whether they are gay, straight, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgendered is capable of receiving God’s unforced rhythms of grace through love. It is true that having homosexual

relations is a sin, but it is also a sin to lie. No one will go straight to Hell for lying, and no one will go straight to Hell for being homosexual. The wonderful thing about God is that he is quick to forgive and will not drag His children through the mud of their sins. Jesus already paid that price. We have all fallen short, and will continue to fall, most of the time without even realizing it. But only when we sit with God in the end telling Him about all the adventures we lived and asking Him all the questions we had in the midst of pain and suffering, will we know depth and value to our mistakes and successes. Only then will we understand the depth of His love and judgement.

But for now, Christians are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that means to love one another. Jesus clearly states, “This is my command: Love each other,” (John 15:17 NIV). Denying a student an education and a pathway to God due to their parent’s sexual orientation is not an act of love. It is the exact opposite. They condemned this child with his or her parent’s burdens. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School may as well have destroyed the student’s faith altogether. Parents do not define their children’s future walk of faith, and my story is just one example of this. As a child my family rarely, if at all, went to church, but as I became a young adult I yearned for more. Around the age of twelve I decided to commit my life to God. I started attending church regularly by myself, and still do. I developed a passion about my relationship with Jesus, because I am an individal and my decisions do not automatically mirror my parents. I took a step toward Jesus on my own, and the student that was denied re-enrollment deserves that chance too. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School placed a burden on this child’s heart, and spread the disgusting concept of a prideful, judgmental and unforgiving God with the family and community. I can only hope that they have not scarred the community of a broken faith, and pray that another door will be opened to the student.

Bethanie Pack

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

FEATURE

Improve Your Study Habits...

What

are your

study habits

Nathan Martinez Freshman

“

I read notes and look over material that the teacher gives me.

Lauren McDonald Sophomore

“

I usually go to the library. I get a desk to myself and study.

“

Donaji Ivarra Junior

I take Cornell notes during class and highlight important information to study it.

“

Tamara Gaffney Math Teacher

I’ve always been a note taker and I always used my notes to study for tests.

FINALS SCHEDULE

SENIORS:

MONDAY MAY 17 - THURSDAY MAY 20 FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS: THURSDAY JUNE 3 - MONDAY JUNE 7

08 THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

FEATURE

And Your Grades Before Finals The end of the school year is around the corner, and while that means summer is quickly approaching it also means that Finals are coming. Now is the time to get those grades up, and here are a few helpful hints that will improve your study time and make it well worth it.

Study over several sessions. You will remember the material better if you study three or four times instead of having a cram session because the information will get stored in the longterm memory.

2. Place

information into seven chunks. If you can’t study over several sessions, put the information into five to nine categories. The short-term memory holds about seven chunks of information before it is stored or forgotten.

Study with a calm state of mind. You have a heightened ability to retrieve information when your mood is the same as when it was encoded. If you had a lot of caffeine in your system when you studied, drink some coffee before the test.

6. Exercise.

8. Eat

Not only will exercise make you feel better, it will also help improve your memory. Belly fat stunts

your memory’s abilities to recall and retrieve information. Drink water, not alcohol. Alcohol plays a major role in the decay of the hippocampus, especially for adolescents. blueberries. Consuming antioxidants is a great way to boost your memory.

Pay extra attention to the middle of a list. The Serial Position Effect proves that we have a tendency to recall the first and last items in a list better than the middle.

4. Make

the material meaningful. It will be easier to retrieve the data if it is personally relevant.

LEFT: Junior Tabetha Moir works on her homework during an off hour. “I can’t think at night so I wake up early and do it in the morning. It works for me but probably not too many others,” Moir said. She believes the best advice to give students struggling with grades should participate in class because it helps her to remember the material better. ABOVE: Sophomore Devin Cotton studies his vocabulary in the library. “I do my homework on my off period because it’s my only one and I usually need peace and quiet to get things done,” Cotton said.

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

CLUBS

Hannah Kim

Literary magazine ‘Expressions’ becomes student-run publication

HANNAH KIM

See, speak, know. That is this year’s theme for the school’s annual literary magazine, Expressions. “[We chose this theme] because we realized as a collective that people had stories that we wanted to hear,” senior Sean Eichensier said. The magazine will also be making itself heard to the public outside of Smoky Hill by turning into a completely student-run publication. “I’m most excited for the lit mag because they are trying to make it a student publication,” club sponsor Carrie Faust said. “Then they will submit the magazine to the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for evaluation just like Newspaper and Yearbook do.” The students are excited to be running their own

magazine as well. “I like [having a student-run publication] because I think the students get to interact and get to take up the role of advisor,” junior Theresa Droege said. “It’s a fun experience.” Literary magazine is divided into two committees: visual art and verbal art. “I’m excited [about publishing] because this is the first time I’ll have some of my creative writing published rather than my more structured newspaper pieces,” junior Rachael Frank said. “It reflects my personality more, which is really important to me.” Even with the submissions from each committee combined, there are not as many as there used to be. “There was a time when we once got double or triple the submissions we have now,” Eichensier said. “The past

couple of years we haven’t gotten many submissions. Advertising isn’t helping; it’s a shame.” Despite the lack of quantity, freshman Amanda Edwards believes the quality has increased. “Based on what was submitted, I think we have gotten the best possible pieces,” Edwards said. The magazine will not be accepting any more submissions but the club is still open to join. The publishing date is still tentative, but the plan is for Expressions to come out sometime in April.

Literary Magazine members juniors (from left to right) Mariah Bucchi, Rachael Frank, and Aimee Scott look through submissions for the magazine and discuss which ones would go into the book. The theme for the magazine, Expressions, is See, speak, know.

Amnesty International plans campaign for World Awareness Week DAVID GARDNER

For World Awareness Week many clubs are doing their own special events or activities. Members from Amnesty International are leading the buck-a-button campaign. “[It’s called] Buck-a-button because it is a $1 per button,” club sponsor Gayle Brown said. The movement aligns with Amnesty International’s advocacy for human rights. “It is a campaign to stop torture and raise awareness in the community,” club president senior Aditi Ramaswami. Club members think the campaign is necessary for many reasons. “I think people need to be aware of the world and community around them and I think the buttons will do that,” senior Raymond Preston said. Sophomore Kyle Ames who is not in Amnesty International believes that the idea not the profitability is important. “The economic impact will probably be limited even if they sold a lot of buttons,” Ames said. “If [Amnesty International] only makes a 25 cent profit it might not be much but getting the message across is still worth it.” THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

When the button campaign is over the the club will decide what the profits will be donated to. “We’re currently trying to figure out what we’ll donate to, but it will certainly deal with issues here at home.” Brown said.

David Gardner

Above: Members of Amnesty International plan the buck-a-button campaign for World Awareness week with club sponsor Gayle Brown. The campaign sold over half of their buttons during the week.

David Gardner

Left: Each button sells for $1. Buttons were made to spread awareness of human rights throughout the community.

CLUBS

CFSO helps Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Hospital PERNILLE TORNBJERG CFSO, the combined class and club sponsored by Lorraine Cortese, has worked to help others in need, especially kids and their families. “Our mission is to focus on our community’s families through community service,” Cortese said. For the months of February and March the class “adopted” the Ronald McDonald House. To “adopt” the House means that they helped the people who live there. They collected items from the kids’ wish lists, made goodie bags for all 46 rooms, played bingo with the residents, and had a banana split bar. “It’s just really nice to see how their faces are glowing; it’s more a gift to me,” senior Mariah Lofton said. “You can’t put a cost on kids’ happiness.” The CFSO class collected household items like paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, and paper plates from people at the school, which they gave to the families at the

Ronald McDonald House March 10. “I just like helping people who really need help,” junior Kourtney Avila said. “It just makes my day.” While helping the Ronald McDonald House, the class also helped the Children’s Hospital. They sold bagels, baked goods, and balloons. They also raised donations from the community. CFSO and Student Government collected $1,123 that they donated to the Children’s Hospital. For the students ,the class shows them the aspects of helping others. “I think the best thing about it was doing all of the community services we did,” Senior Mckenzie Morrison said. “Like how good it makes me feel to know that I worked hard to make another person’s life better, even if it was only something small that I did.” Seniors Mariah Lofton (right) and Rameeka Coleman (left) chop tomatoes to prepare food for the Ronald McDonald House. CFSO adopted the House for the months of February and March.

Pernille Tornbjerg

DECA members compete at State in Colorado Springs; 11 finalists moving on to Nationals in Kentucky DANIEL JENNINGS

Tyler Blair

Improv prepares for shows and auditions DAVID GARDNER Spontaneous Combustion plans to end their season with three shows. “March is an improv extravaganza where other artists, like rappers and other performers, improv in their own field. April is a long form show and May is the senior show,” Improv Sponsor Adrian Holguin said. A long form show is a form of improvised theater with interconnected characters and story lines. Once the three shows are done, graduating seniors leave spots to be filled with undiscovered talent. “Its always funny; each

year, really talented kids always graduate and then fear for a lack of talent, but we always find more people to fill those spots,” Holguin said. The Improv troupe holds auditions in May for aspiring performers. “We do auditions the same way every year,” club president Ryan Fresquez said. “We have a day of workshops where we work on skills, and then we have two-day auditions.” Improv depends on the audience’s ideas and reactions to drive the performances. “I really like the audience, it’s very enthusiastic and helps us keep the performances

going,” senior Jessica Wilbanks said. “They should have quick-witted people who know how to have fun and can think on the spot,” improv fan sophomore Sara Sachs said. If someone has an audition that appeals to the judges they will be accepted on the first day, if not they can be called back for a second audition. “We look for people who are not trying to be funny and can take control of the scene and think on the spot,” Fresquez said. Spontaneous Combustion members senior Justin Roske and sophomore Kyle Moffit improv during a show. Improv has two more shows left in April and May.

Eleven members of the Smoky Hill DECA team won the events they competed in at the state conference and moved on to Nationals. “We felt like it was a good solid year for us,” DECA sponsor Keith McElreath said. “We always go in hoping to set records, so we think we could have done a little better in some areas, but we were pleased overall.” Junior Alexia Hadjinicolau was elected state president for 2010-2011. She is the third student from Smoky Hill to be elected, although the last one was over 15 years ago. “I was shocked when I got elected,” Hadjinicolau said. “I’m very excited and I hope I can represent Colorado DECA well.” There were 92 participants from Smoky Hill and McElreath estimated over 2,000 altogether at the conference. The conference was Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. DECA Members took a 100 point test about the subject area in which they were competing, and participated in one to two role plays depending on their area. Role plays ranged anywhere from a job interview to marketing a product for a group of judges. Junior George Kemp competed in the “principles of business marketing and

administration” category of the tournament and won his role play. “I was really surprised when I won. I couldn’t believe it for a few minutes,” Kemp said. “I am really stoked for Nationals; it’s going to be amazing, even if it’s in Kentucky.” Juniors Tyler Klatt and Camden Snowden competed as a team and got second place in the finals. The top five in each event made it to Nationals. “I was really surprised I made it since this is my first year doing DECA,” Klatt said. “I’m ecstatic that we made it to nationals, but due to the cost and other things that came up, Camden and I won’t be able to go.” DECA members thought that getting to stay at the Broadmoor, a five star hotel, was worth the trip alone. “The Broadmoor was amazing, just waking up and pressing a button by your bed to open the curtains was an experience in itself; the Broadmoor has some amazing architecture and is really a unique place,” Kemp said. The national competition is scheduled to take place in Louisville, Kentucky, from April 24 to April 27. “It’s always difficult to tell at Nationals how we will do; it’s a subjective event, so we hope to get the right judge at the right time,” McElreath said. “The kids are the best we have and we think they are capable of competing with anyone in the country.”

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

A&E Bethanie Pack

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Tyler Blair

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‘Footloose’ musical distracts audience with random scenes and loud music TYLER BLAIR

Combining complex dance numbers and talented singing, the drama club presented “Footloose” as this year’s musical. “Footloose,” based off of the 1984 movie of the same title, made Kevin Bacon a star and became a part of American popular culture. The story revolves around Ren McCormack, played by sophomore Emric Thompson, as he moves from Chicago to the small town of Bomont. Ren is dealt a big surprise when he finds out that dancing, one of his biggest passions, is outlawed in the town. So he teams up with a group of teenagers to overrule the law.

The cast had great chemistry together, and senior Robert Lighthall gave an especially memorable performance as Wade, a hick who befriends Ren. Lighthall, with his southern drawl and perfect comedic timing, sent the audience and myself into fits of laughter. Another amazing aspect of the play was the set, designed by art teacher Steven Bartu. Sets that depicted the Moore house, an auto garage, Bomont High School, and a local diner created a realistic effect for the audience. “Footloose,” however, had its problems. Despite the fact that many of the actors were great singers, I could barely hear them over the blaring music that came from the

Review

Photo Courtesy of Disney

pit. Performances for the songs “Footloose,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” and “I’m Free” were nothing more than mumbles coming from the actors, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t hear Thompson, junior Suzanna Champion (who plays Ariel Moore), or the chorus singing. Many scenes were quite awkward as well, and seemed out of place in the show. Senior Jeffery Ogden appeared out of nowhere as a bar singer when Ren and his friends traveled to a club outside of Bomont. Ogden was seen and heard in this one scene only, and was never seen again or mentioned throughout the rest of the production. This left me asking myself, “was that really necessary?” Footloose was a good production. It

PERFORMING: TOP-BOTTOM, LEFT-RIGHT: 1) “Footloose” performs a song and dance during a gym scene. 2) Sophomore Emric Thompson (Ren) speaks with members of the church council. 3) Juniors Sean Nicely (Chuck) and Suzanna Champion (Ariel) sing to each other in a romantic embrace. 4) Junior Brandi Veatch (Wendy) and senior Jessica Wilbanks (Urleen) perform a song together. 5) Junior Emma Shapiro (Rusty) and Veatch with Wilbanks all perform a song together. 6) Thompson performs a song and dance routine .

New ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie strays from original story and turns out as typical Disney film PAUL STAHLKE Many viewers walked into the theater with the wrong idea, believing Director Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” was a remake. The movie was actually a sequel with an incredible lack of substance, making it unworthy of carrying the same name as the original story by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. The movie contained the typical motifs from Burton’s movies, such as magic, dreams, and darkness. However, as a Disney production, the movie was disappointingly family-

oriented, and was similar to Disney’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” rather than Burton’s dark and somber films like “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” There was a revolution against the ruling monarchy in the story, but it was mostly crowded out by the expected Disney themes of friendship and compassion, which is not typical of Burton’s films. The change of tone was offputting to me as a fan of his older movies. Also, Burton’s movies almost never touched on the metaphor of the original story concerning British

Review

12 THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

wasn’t flat out horrible, but it wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever seen either. I applaud the hard work the drama club put into Footloose, but I couldn’t help but feel a little a dissappointed as i left the auditorium. I give “Footloose” 2.5 out of 4 stars.

aristocracy; the original 1951 animation did that quite well. “Alice in Wonderland” did have a few successes, though. The movie’s method of blending live action and Computer Generated Imagery (C.G.I.) characters worked well and hardly ever distracted from the dialogue or events. The unique and creative combination of live action faces with C.G.I. bodies was most prominent on the Tweedles and the Red Queen; the dispositions of the characters were exceptionally well personified in their appearances. The Red Queen had a huge head, a play on

her self-assurance, and the Tweedle’s small and equal stature to one another signified humility. The movie was cinematically innovative, gratifying, and created a well-structured story that was able to garner appreciation; however, the movie was an incredibly diluted product of American mainstream cinema, and will have increasinglylittle relevance as years pass. I suggest that people who are fans of the original “Alice in Wonderland” story give the film a pass, and people interested in seeing new creative reinterpretations give the movie a spin.

New Apple device revolutionizes mobile computing DANIEL JENNINGS

There’s a reason netbooks are cheap. They are dumbed-down versions of laptops that do only very basic tasks with a cramped and clunky interfaces. For years people have been hoping Apple would enter the low-end portablecomputing category, but Apple stated many times that they wanted nothing to do with the netbook industry. Instead, they decided to invent something completely new to compete with netbooks. The iPad does everything a netbook does, only in a sleek, iPhone-like interface. This device is going to make netbooks, and perhaps in the future laptops in general, obsolete. First, the iPad is a state-of-the-art internet browsing device. Apple has sculpted a simple, intuitive interface for email, and it is capable of displaying full computer websites, including Google maps, just like the iPhone, that can be navigated around seamlessly using multi-touch. It is much easier to use than the cramped keyboards and tiny trackpads of netbooks. The iPad runs an almost-full version of iTunes for playing music, and movies look beautiful on the 9.7 inch LED backlit IPS display, compared to the conventional LCD screens that netbooks use. The advantage of the iPad’s display is that it is much brighter and more energy efficient than those of netbooks, and it can also be viewed at any angle without looking different. The iPad can run on a single charge for up to ten hours, much longer than a netbook’s battery could last. The iPad also supports iBooks - a completely new way to read eBooks without the crippled and awkward interface that other

devices like the Kindle, Nook, and Sony netbook and MP3 player when this new Reader have. Though the digital ink screens device combines the best of all three into may be better for a person’s eyes than an LCD one? Everything the iPad does is simpler, screen, they take forever to change screens more elegant, and much more intuitive than and of course are in black and a netbook. If people would stop whining white. When scrolling through about the name and look at what the iPad menus on one of the current can do, they would see it as the revolutionary eReaders, one has to wait for the screen to device it is. The iPad will likely make as big refresh every time, which is a slow and an impact on the electronics market as the painful process. The iPad is the first eReader iPhone did back in 2007. that doesn’t have any of these problems, and the display can be dimmed to be easier on the eyes. Users can also buy any .com book they want on the from Apple permission Used with iBook store, which works like the iTunes store, for a price comparable to that of a conventional book. The iPad is attractive on the outside also. It is only half an inch thick and is enclosed in an aluminum unibody with a glass front, similar to the iMacs and MacBook Pros. But the most surprising thing about it is its price. Before it came out, everyone expected a tablet computer from Apple to be in the thousands of dollars range before it came out, but the base model, at 16 gb, is only $499. So why carry around an eReader,

Review

I.B. Senior Art Gallery preview: students prepare projects for show PERNILLE TORNBJERG IB Visual and Digital Art seniors have an open gallery day approaching, to display their portfolios from the two year program. “I’m very excited,”IB Visual Arts teacher Gayle Brown said. “This will be our second year doing a full gallery day to celebrate those seniors. It is exhausting, but I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.” “It’s like I have a secret that I get to reveal to everyone now,” IB Visual Arts senior Jessica Appelbaum said. Although the students worked on art projects of their choice, Brown still guided and advised them. “They are really fantastic,” Brown said. “Around February they came into their own, doing things that I could never anticipate or imagine.” “I like art because it allows me to express my creativity,” IB Digital Arts senior Brent Hebert said. “And the people in [the class] also have really interesting ideas that are fun to work with.” For Hebert, the gallery is not just an opportunity to show his work, but also to see how successful he has become in the class.

“I’m excited for the gallery, but I’m also nervous for the testing part”, Hebert said. The gallery will open April 16 in the Lecture Center. “I have been looking forward to the gallery since my sophomore year to have my own show and to show people what I have done,” IB Visual Arts senior Carlee Kannenberg said.” The students will meet with an

examiner April 14 and 15 with whom they will have a critic about their pieces for the IB exam. Additionally, the students send their sketchbook pages and candidate record booklets with photos of their art pieces to examiners in another country.

Pernille Tornbjerg

A&E

Popular Vampire Literature The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer: The series that made vampires popular again, Twilight is about Bella Swan who moves from her native Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington, and begins a fairytale romance with local vamprie Edward Cullen.

The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead: The Vampire Academy follows the lives of two best friends, one vampire royalty, the other her bodyguard in training, as they struggle with forbidden romances, a vampire war, and the drama that happens at your typical Vampire high school.

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith: A hot and steamy love triangle between a girl and two vampire brothers; one good, and one evil, provides the scene of this dark and brooding book. Most recently, the book was adapted for TV and is now a hit series on The CW. Summary taken from Amazon.com

House of Night Series by Kristin Cast: In a society that accepts vampires, Zoey Redbird, a recently marked teenage, has the chance to enter into the House of Night school. If her body accepts the change from human to vampire, she will be accepted, but if it refuses it, she dies. Summary taken from Amazon.com

The Blue Blood Series by Melissa De La Cruz:

DRAWING: Senior Carlee Kannerberg draws a portrait of her and her brother. Kannerberg has been excited for the gallery since her sophomore year. WORKING: Senior Jessica Appelbaum works with twigs. The gallery will open April 16 in the Lecture Center.

A group of attractive and wealthy teens in New York city attend a private school and are brought together by the trait they share; they’re all vampires. When Blue Bloods start popping up dead, the two rival cliques must band together in order to survive. Summary taken from Amazon.com

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

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SPORTS

Bethanie Pack

Boys swim team combines with Eaglecrest HS, now called SmokyCrest BETHANIE PACK Boys swim and dive combined teams with Eaglecrest High School (EHS) this season as Smoky Crest. “This season is a lot different but it’s benefiting both teams and giving us a change of atmosphere,” senior captain Evan Enix said. “[Smoky Crest] makes it more competative,” junior Garrett Wiess said. “We’re swimming against another school [at practice], so there’s a little bit of competition, even though we’re on the same team.”

Like Enix and Weiss, many boys on the team enjoy swimming with EHS; however, sophomore Ismael Pacheco admits there are also drawbacks. “I think it’s great because we’re a bigger team, but it’s a bummer because there’s 30 guys in one pool at practices,” Pacheco said. The team drives to EHS every day for practice, due to the construction on the pool. Senior Kevin Wong sees this as an inconvenience. “The drive is a little difficult,” Wong said. On the other hand, Weiss disagrees. “I can get mentally prepared for practice

during the drive,” Weiss said. EHS senior Kyle Reini said the team was skeptical last year when they found out they were going to combine with Smoky, but now looks forward to having Scott Cohen as a coach. “He’s been around for a while and he’s already helped fix my stroke,” Reini said. Enix also appreciates the additional coaches. “I like having the extra coaches around,” he said. “The [EHS] diving coach has really helped our divers improve.” The first two meets of the season were against Grandview High School (GHS) and

Cherry Creek High School (CCHS), who Enix believes are Smoky Crest’s biggest competitors. “We started out with a couple tough teams, but other than that, [the season] will be good,” Enix said. Smoky Crest lost to GHS by four points March 11, and lost to CCHS on March 18. “The season’s looking really great,” said Pacheco. “We have two schools going against everyone else.” Members of the SmokyCrest swim team line up at the blocks to swim. The Buffs combined with Eaglecrest High School due to pool construction.

Despite record turn out previous year, girls golf only gains nine members this year HANNAH KIM Despite a record turnout last year, the girls golf team attracted only nine members this year. “I don’t feel good about [having a small team],” Head Coach Laurie Steenrod said. “I always want more than eight to nine girls.” Throughout the 11 years that Steenrod and Assistant Coach Eric Alwin have been coaching golf, the average number of players has been fourteen girls. “It’s kind of sad [that there are less players] because we had twice as many girls last year,” senior Christine Phillips said. “A lot of the freshman didn’t come back.” Other members of the team are disappointed, but not affected as much. “I don’t really mind; I just wish that more people tried out and the girls from last year would come back,” sophomore Marissa Buck said. Having less golfers will make a difference at the games as well. “It affects how many girls can play at a game,” Steenrod said. For the varsity league, up to five girls can play 18 holes, and three can play nine holes at one game. But because there are also junior varsity and freshman

and sophomores, there are not enough girls to spread throughout the three levels of play. Some players enjoy having a smaller team, because it is easier to interact with everyone. “There’s only like [nine] people in our golf team this year but when we went to practice [Feb. 25], we bonded better because there were less people,” sophomore Euna Chung said. Without as many girls this season, the remaining members will have to make do with what they have. “It makes it a little harder game-wise, but we will make it work,” Phillips said.

Gade Roldan

Above: Junior Susie Kim prepares to tee off during a golf match. Despite a reocrd turn out last year, only nine girls joined the team this year.

Gabe Roldan

Left: Sophomore Euna Chung hits the golf ball out of a sand bar. Due to the size of the team, the game has to be played differently at matches.

THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

SPORTS

Snow delays girls tennis practice, many still excited for season TYLER BLAIR

With recent snowstorms, the girls tennis team had to postpone the start of the season. "We had to practice inside a lot, and instead of playing, we had to shovel and squeegee snow and water off the courts," sophomore Melissa Begun said. The team was not able to begin tryouts immediately, which usually occurs the first week of practice. "March 2 was the first day that we were actually able to get out and hit some balls around. Due to the snow, we lost an entire week of practice," Head Coach Jeremy Williams said. Despite the setbacks of the snow, many of the girls still have a positive outlook for the season. "I'm excited," senior Charlotte Becker said. "I think this year is going to be lots of fun. I'm excited to meet all the new girls on the team." "I hope to learn intergrity and discipline this season and get to know my team," senior Kendra Parker said. Freshman Angela Hudson is also looking forward to the season, and is one of the two singles players on varsity. "I've been playing for a long time," Hudson said. "The different levels of skills are very unique and very cool." The Buffs began the season against Legend High School losing 3 matchs to 4 on March 13, but won against Denver South High School, 6 matches to 1 March 16. On March 18, the Buffs then played against Cherry Creek High School losing 0 to 6 matches, followed by another loss to Cherokee Trail High School 2 to 5 matches. Sophomore Nicole Milligan helps shovel snow off the courts. The Buffs currently have a 1-3 record.

Tyler Blair

Baseball strives to make State

With a current 4-2 record, girls lacrosse still considers this season as a ‘building year’ TARA JENKINS

TARA JENKINS The boys baseball team began the season with a 2-5 record beating Horizon High School 11-9, as well as Mountain Vista High School 4-3, and losing to Regis Jesuit High School 4-8, Arapahoe High School 1020 and Mullen Hih School 4-14. “The team is really close,” junior pitcher Matthew Ogden said. “We’re just a big baseball family.” The team hopes they can continue last year’s success and go as far into the playoffs as possible “Our big goal is to win the State Championships,” senior pitcher Tyler Ehlers said. “Our work ethic has changed from last season through the off season.” The next couple of games will be on, Tuesday, April 13 against Eaglecrest High School, and Thursday, April 15 against Cherry Creek High School, and Staurday, April 17 against Overland High School. “We have three returning players who

16 THE EXPRESS, APRIL 19, 2010

Tara Jenkins

Junior Matthew Ogden prepares to pitch during practice. The team is currently has a 2-3 record.

received All-League Awards last season,” Head Coach Scott Henry said. “I hope we can build off of last year’s success and make it to playoffs again.”

The girls lacrosse team ended last season in the final four round of playoffs, but plans to go farther this season. “We lost nine seniors last year, so it will be a building year,” junior captain Natalie Foerster said. “But we will be fine.” The team hopes to make it to at least the semifinal round. “We’re a lot closer than the team in the past,” senior captain Tayler Lansdown said. “I think we’ll do [well] this year.” “Our season has been good,” senior attack Natalie Johnson said. Currently the team has a record of 4-2. The girls lost their first game 7-18 against Centaurus High School and then beat Douglas County High School 16-3 as well as Liberty High School 17-1, and Cherokee Trail High School 14-6. “We hope to make it pass the semi-finals into finals,” Foerster said. The next few games will be Wednesday, April 14 against Columbine High School and Friday, April 16 against Arapahoe High School, and Tuesday April 20 against Chapparel High School.

Claire Gillette

Senior Sierra Charter sprits down the field towards the goal. The Buffs currently have a 4-2 record.