The
February 26, 2014
Weber shoots for hockey career
see pg 10
RED Ink 114 Park Ave, Eaton, CO 80615
eatonredink.com
Vol. 6 Ed. 5
winter sports heat up cold season see pg 8-9
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redREPORT
New Response
Protocal adopted averyjones editorincheif
Eaton school district adopted a new Standard Response Protocol (SRP) last month, changing the way Eaton schools will respond to emergency situations. The new policy mandates that every year all schools must practice two lockouts, two lockdowns, six evacuations (four fire, one situational, one off site), and two shelter drills. In the event of a shooting, the new SRP provides teachers and students with two response options: lockdown, flee, or confront—essentially, hide, run, or fight. The previous standard was to lockdown in the event of a shooting. Assistant Principal, Rick Kaufman, who is in charge of school security for the district, encourages teachers to “do what they are comfortable with and what they are capable of doing.” On December 19, the day before Christmas break, rumors spread rapidlythat there had been a bomb threat at Eaton Middle School. Superintendent Randy Miller dispelled such rumors the next day in an email stating there had indeed been an incident at the middle school, but no bomb threat was made. One student made a threat, which was left ambiguous in the official report, which was reported to administration. Upon investigation of the threat, the student was discovered to be in possession of a knife. He was escorted from the school by a police officer for further investigation. The school was not put on lockdown, but the afterschool dance was canceled. Miller said, “We will learn from this incident and make the necessary changes.” However, Kaufman claims that the implementation of the new SRP has nothing to do with the event that occurred at the middle school.
School shootings have risen from nine cases in 2010 to 30 cases in 2013. Kaufman said it is obvious that shootings are occurring more now than in the past, “and that’s why schools have to do the things we’re doing: the vigilance.” Kaufman said he doesn’t know if these incidents can be avoided, so schools should be ready in the case that violence strikes home. “You can’t act like stuff ’s not going to happen.
February 26, 2014
See related stories pg 11 &13
key. His goal, he said, is to educate the student and the family first. “If it’s an honest mistake, then we want to educate the student so it doesn’t happen again,” Kaufman said. “If there is a subsequent event afterward, then it’s game on. Then it’s intentional.” Eaton High School also hosted a police training on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 5 to 9 pm. The police practiced active shooter drills during this time, staging shooter scenarios and practicing their If it’s an honest misresponse. take, then we want to The school has hosted police training educate the student for the local, county so it doesn’t happen and state-level police again. forces. -R. Kaufman Kaufman said their training at the high school is beneficial because then “anyYou don’t anticipate those things,” one who shows up Kaufman said. here has been here already. It’s all In the last year, schools across the about familiarity.” country have tried to crack down Kaufman attributes school vioon school violence using methods lence to two primary sources: many deem as overreacting. bullying and harassment, and bad A few recent incidents have home lives. shown just how stringent schools During the ten years Kaufman are becoming. has served at Eaton High School, In Maryland, seven-year-old Josh there have been no reports of Welch was suspended from school weapon use. for chewing his Pop-Tart into the Kaufman said, “We’ve never had shape of a gun. a weapon drawn in this building— In North Carolina, a five-year- no knife, no gun, no nunchucks, old boy was suspended for making nothing. At least in the time I’ve a gun gesture with his hand on the been here.” playground. Despite his being adamant that In Massachusetts, Morgan school violence could happen anyLaPlaume was suspended for where, Kaufman said he makes a bringing a butter knife to school to conscious effort to lower the risk cut her fruit. at Eaton High School through Kaufman said he shares in the educating the staff, ramping up opinion that overreactions such as drills, unifying the district with a these are not the proper response Standard Response Protocol, and to minor threats. the marriage between the schools He has one question for all of and police department. these cases: “Where’s the common Kaufman said, “When we have sense?” In cases such as the recent students moving in from out of incident at Eaton Middle School, district, I express to them that this Kaufman said not overreacting is is a safe place.”
RE-2 gives late start a try katiebyrne webeditor
For the first time in the history of Eaton High School, a two-hour delayed start occurred on Jan. 31 and Feb. 5. Many students had a bittersweet feeling when showing up to school at 10 in the morning and conforming to the modified schedule. Bridgette Muse, the Director of Student Services, said that “it’s actually something that we’ve talked about for several years, and principals have had plans in place,and we just finally had an instance of weather where it would make sense.”To decide on a delayed start or cancelled school day, many factors are put into consideration. “The procedure…is that the Director of Transportation and Superintendent start driving the roads about 3 or 4 in the morning; they’ll get out there and start driving every route. If they are able to make it through all of the bus routes, then generally they will then decide to look at the longterm forecast to see what it will be like for the rest of the day,” said Muse. Julian Moore (15) said he felt that a delayed start can still function as a
safety hazard for students. “The road conditions were not up to par to be driving to and from school; personally my bus was sliding on the road.” The road conditions do not always improve throughout the day. Moore said, “It continued to snow making the roads worse on the way home, the school should have been closed.” Moore also said the modified schedule on both days shortened the schedule significantly for the teachers. “Two red days are both cut down, those classes have to cram the original content into a half-hour less of class,” Moore said, noting that the delayed start makes it stressful for teachers and students to complete the same amount of work in a shorter time slot. Danae Duran (15) thought otherwise. The delayed starts “gave me time to relax and think about what I was going to do for the day.” She also said that sleeping in was her favorite part about the delayed school days. Regarding the modified schedule, “the schedule threw me off, but they weren’t as bad a Monday schedules.” The delayed starts for EHS are liked by some, but not the entire student body.
Three seniors win lead musical roles lydiabradley staffreporter
Twenty-five musically advanced students stood outside of the band room on Jan. 15, waiting for the results from the auditions for this spring’s musical, Beauty and the Beast. When the results were posted, actors found that the three seniors that will be leading the cast are Mishayla Stephenson will be playing Belle, Michael Cardona will play the role of the Beast, and Estin McGraw will show off his theater skills as he plays Gaston. Senior Mishayla Stephenson, says the hardest thing that she will face is “songs I don’t know and hard accidentals”. Even though Stephenson has never been in a musical, she said that she is most excited for the experience. Since musicals only happen every other year at Eaton High School, students were amped to start practicing their roles, and
to start signing up for an audition time. Band instructor and audition judge, Logan Doddridge, said that he hopes the cast will continue to work hard and give a great performance in the spring. The hard work and dedication paid off for some students. Jayde Contreras (17) she said that she worked very hard as she prepared to audition for the role of Belle. Even though Contreras will not be playing Belle, she did land a part playing the role of the Wardrobe and said her enthusiasum for the musical has not died down. “I auditioned for Belle because she’s my favorite princess,” said Contreras. Avery Jones (14) said she auditioned because, “I love singing and dancing,” and this passion pushed Jones to audition and land the part of Mrs. Potts. Jones said that even though she
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redreport
February 26, 2014
Lydia Bradley
Estin McGraw (14) and Mishayla Stephenson (14) practice lines for their parts as Gaston and Belle in the upcoming spring musical. Over 25 drama and choir students auditioned for the highly coveted roles.
did not get the part that she wanted as the duster, it is still exciting to be apart of the musical. The musical is not until April 24-26, but Doddridge said one of his biggest concerns is the “rehearsal schedule
in March”. According to Doddridge, the cast will be rehearsing long hours in the next coming months and he is concerned about their being tired and that there will be many cast mem-
bers that will be burnt out from the stress and the overall hard work from the long hours. Doddridge said he believes that that opening night in April will be good even though everyone will be nervous.
Admin building to become possible STEM center
lexilapp staffreporter If everything goes as planned, EHS will be gaining more classroom space, after the administrative offices next to the high school are moved downtown. Director of Student Services, Bridgette Muse said, “The move will hopefully be taking place by this summer.” One of the possibilities for the old building would be a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) lab system. Muse said a committee is going out to observe how other districts have incorporated the STEM program into their schooling. A STEM building would become a new home for students in advanced levels of math and science as well as provide training for the potential future jobs. Superintendent Randy Miller said, “The
upstairs space of the current administration building, changed to classroom space, will ensure that the students who are at a higher skill level in math and science will be able to have that individual attention needed to further their learning.” The STEM program is used to help enhance the learning of students in mainly science and math. Most students in high school are not in as high of a level of math and science as others. Principal, Mark Naill said, “The STEM program will enhance our academic curriculum.” This move will not only benefit and affect EHS and its students but also the rest of the district. Naill said, “We are one community and it benefits all to have that potential.” Although plans are not set in stone, the STEM program could
give students, who strive to exceed in math and science, the opportunity to gain more experience. Naill said, “All of the plans for the STEM program are tentative.” Muse said, “The program is still in the beginning planning stage. We haven’t decided if it will be just for high school [students] or if it will be open to the community after school, but we haven’t made that decision yet.” No real set plans have been made for the STEM program, but depending on what the committee brings back, the renovations could be done by next year. Muse said, “It all depends on what we have to do with remodeling and finalizing the program.” If all goes as planned the Eaton community could be witnessing a new program to advance science and mathematics by the end of the summer.
The administration building will allow for advanced math and science students to get extra focus and education. Students such as Sami Muse (14), Devin Garland (14), and Cynthia Garcia (14) will now be able to advance faster in their math and sciene interests. A possible STEM center will only increase the caliber of Eaton High School and thus enable higher level students to be produced.
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redREPORT
February 26, 2014
Morris to represent EHS at state poetry contest dariusduran staffreporter
Salvadoran poet, Roque Dalton, once said “Poetry, like bread, is for everyone.” His words proved true when over 50 students, staff, and family gathered in the library for Eaton High School’s first Poetry Out Loud Coffee House on February 12. Sixteen students shared their poetry and music with the audience, while everyone was treated to sweet pastries and delicious coffee. Out of the 16 people sharing their poetry, nine people chose to compete in the Poetry Out Loud competition, which allows high schoolers to competitively recite poetry and win awards and also funds their school to purchase poetry literature. The three placers in Eaton’s competition included: Megan Radcliffe (16) in third place,
Lauren Graham (16) taking second, and Jared Morris (16) who won the School’s competition and will advance and compete in the state finals to possibly advance to the national finals, where the he would have the potential to win the $20,000 national prize. Morris said, “I was nervous, I was very surprised [about winning], and I was very excited. Something new, it was a new experience for me to enjoy and get to know.” The volunteer judges who ranked the competitor’s performances included drama teacher, Kendra Hixon, administrative assistant Lori Selby, and school district Superintendent Randy Miller. The EHS Students also got special help from Lisa Zimmerman, UNC Poet Instructor. She said, “Poetry is the language of the heart, and I think It helps kids really know that there is a way to express their feelings about absolutely any-
thing by doing it in poetry or song lyrics.” She said she was ecstatic about the number of kids who were brave enough to recite either their original or memorized poetry or song. The students who recited a song or poem include: Katie Contreras (17), Jasmine Lechuga (17), Fatih Butler (17), Elias Munoz (17), Gauje Schmidt (16), Andrew Nelson (16), Jared Morris (16), Danae Duran (15), and Phil Rininger (14). There were also nine competitors which included: Hannah Bott (16), Hannah Palmer (17), Shelby Naill (17), Danae Duran (15), Kinsey Mawson (17), and Rachel Graham (17). The reaction to the competition and gathering surprised event organizers, English teachers Deirdre Jones and Emily Strait. Strait said, “I was really impressed with the coffee house that we had. We had probably three times the people that I expected to attend.”
or students, based on these minor differences. This year when the OCR came in to review EHS, they found that they had violated two of the requirements. Dr. Miller said, “Our main violation was in the locker rooms because disabled people cannot take a shower.” The showers do not have removable shower heads and are not disability accessible. Principal Mark Naill said that in a couple of weeks the people from OCR will send a letter stating what EHS needs to do to reach these requirements, and Naill will send a letter back saying what their plan of action is to meet these requirements.
Naill said, “We were not in violation. The OCR made suggestions, but because EHS gets federal funds we have to comply with federal law.” Some of the regulations formed are making sure that EHS students who have disabilities have access to ramps, removable shower heads, and doors with automatic control buttons. Although EHS was in violation of the OCR Review, there are already steps being made to get EHS back into regulations. Naill said, “We have to change one shower in the locker rooms to make it handicap accessible.” The changes include putting bars in the showers, hand held shower heads, moving the button (in the
Darius Duran Jared Morris (15) recites his poem “The Kiss” for the coffee house audience on Feb. 12. He will represent Eaton at the State Level.
Adjustments will follow OCR review lexilapp
staffreporter
EHS has been randomly selected by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to make sure that the building is up to code and up to date with district policy. The OCR comes to public schools to review locations around the school such as libraries, cafeterias, resource rooms, counseling and administrative offices, lavatories, parking areas, building entrances, hallways, and any other facilities they see necessary. OCR deals with discrimination against people who have disabilities, race, gender, national origin, and sexual orientation. Students may not be excluded or discriminated against, by staff
shower) so its easier to reach, and lowering the step (in the shower) to 3 ¼ inches. EHS also has to combine bathroom stalls in the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms to make them handicap accessible. The mirrors, towl despensers, and sinks need to be moved down as well. Then, the pipes underneath the sinks have to be covered so a person in a wheel chair does not hurt themselves on it. “Administration has to make sure to place the following notice on announcements, EHS course description guides, staff and student handbooks, and certified substitute teacher applications: “Eaton High School is an equal educational institution and will
not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicap in its activities, programs, or employment practices.” The OCR also found that “All of the school’s work-based agreements with employers will contain a statement of nondiscrimination from the employer that includes all protected classes to the Career Resource Program Application.” In essence this means that if a student works for a company than the employer and/or its employees do not discriminate against the student based on race, color, national origin, sex, or people with disabilities. EHS anticipates to improve the school while meeting these regulations during the summer.
redspotlight
February 26, 2014
“Unstoppable” questions God calebleonard guestreporter
If the God of the Bible exists, then a very question, a question that so many people fear arises. Why does God let bad things happen to good people? If God is strong enough to stop death, or illness, or pain, why does He not do that then? It is this question that has destroyed people’s faith in God, in the Bible, and in Christ. Kirk Cameron grew up to be a professional actor when he was young. Later, he changed both his philosophy and lifestyle when he was 20 and converted to Christianity. Cameron decides to tackle this challenging question in the personal documentary “Unstoppable.” Interestingly, both Facebook and YouTube both blocked his trailer for a period of time as a “system malware mistake.” The movie is directed by Darren Doane, released on Sept. 24, 2013 for one night, and is now available on DVD. The film stars Kirk Cameron as he tells his adventure of challenging this very question that has created some Atheists. This movie receives a four out of five stars, because although it contains deep theology, with very powerful, mind blowing viewpoints, it is moderately boring (especially for a teenager boy like myself). The movie opens up with Cameron pondering the death of a close friend, Matthew Sandgren, who dies of cancer at the age of 15. When Matthew asked his dad, “Can you fix me?” his father could say only one thing, “No. Only God can.” But God didn’t. This dilemma starts Cameron’s journey to find the answer to the challenging question--So why
didn’t God save Matthew? Cameron starts by narrating the Creation story found in Genesis. In the film, he captivates the audience by using dramatizations while Cameron narrates the stories. The dramatizations are well done, however they could have some improvement. Using these dramatizations, Cameron illustrates his interpretation of the Creation story. Although many people did like the dramatizations, one part that was a little iffy was showing Adam coming out of the mud. However, something that was cool was they were clean. According to the Creation story, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed, so there were no clothes. However, the camera angles kept it very clean and casual. Cameron then moves along casually telling different Bible stories such as The Fall of Mankind, Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel, and Noah and the Ark. Along with the narration of Cameron’s voice was the dramatizations. They were very detailed and included lots of action, not shying away from realistic happenings (such as Cain murdering Abel). However, a few minor improvements includes an improvement in the music. The music was okay, but didn’t really match well with the illustrations that happened. However, the lighting, camera angles, and the landscape of the events were very appropriate and matched the script. A nice thing also is that Cameron is very calm, and not inyour-face unlike what his partner who isn’t in the film, Ray Comfort, can be like sometimes. A notable part of the film was when Cameron talked about Noah, and instead of illustrating the Biblical story,
Cameron takes another approach that helps reinforce the very question he was trying to answer. The scene portraying Cameron trying to “sell” the story of Noah to the Hollywood producers, focuses on God--who according to the story destroyed the earth with a worldwide flood--as a hero. But then, Cameron starts to hit the answer that he has found to the challenging question. The turning point of the film hits when it showed Cameron approaches a small town, with 373 residents called Bison, South Dakota. It really strikes the viewer as Cameron casually reveals the answer while the film of Matthew’s death and the funeral roll. The fact that the family was willing to allow Cameron to film the actual funeral, and even show Matthew’s body in the casket was phenomenal, and that alone tells a lot about Matthew’s family. Cameron then unveils the long awaited answer to the question that he has discovered with a new view point. Rather than looking at God’s wrath, Cameron suggests the people look at His mercy. As Cameron discusses all of this while showing the funeral, there is a noticeable “oomph” and weight of seriousness. The music at this point is much better, matching the mood set by the funeral taking place. “Unstoppable” is recommended to anyone who has a close friend or a relative who has died. It also is recommended for anyone who has wrestled with the very faith shattering question, and for Atheists who want to challenge their beliefs against this question that they sometimes are proud to ask. The movie will be available at the Eaton High School Library until the end of the school year.
Things to Google search tiaramiller featureeditor
We’ve all been bored on the internet randomly Googling (yes, that is a verb) things, and now that Google images has been graciously unblocked by the tech department (in exchange for YouTube, Twitter, Pandora, the Onion, Facebook, Pinterest, iHeartradio, any other live streaming media, or anything fun to do on the internet), here are a few fun things to enjoy about google images.
1. Celebrities without teeth
Instead of looking up celeb. gossip, look up something that will make you laugh while still getting your celebrity fill. Although it is strange, creepy, and hilarious all at the same time, it will provide plenty of entertainment. They all look like weird newborns, and its so odd, but funny. There is also the option of celebs without eyebrows, also creepy, but funny.
2. Baby Mountain Lions
Before they grow up and become vicious, they are little, adorable, and FLUFFY! Their tiny paws and sweet little ears make mountain lions seem a lot less, well, scary... you may even want to take one home to love and cuddle, until it grows up and becomes vicious.
3. Birds with arms
Well, birds are weird and funny to begin with, but when you photoshop hairy man arms and maybe an electric guitar and flames, its hilarious!
4.Shaun White
Caleb Leonard
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He’s hot, and his recent haircut only multiplied his good looks. Sadly there is no longer a flying tomato, but he has his own band (Bad Things-now on iTunes) where he plays guitar and sings (the singing tomato?). As if being in a band and being an attractive snowboarder isn’t enough, he’s the guy that has such good sportsmanship that you feel bad for beating him because of his big, gorgeous
puppy dog eyes. Not only do we get to enjoy Mr. White during the winter, but he’s a champion skater as well. Unfortunately this do-it-all has a girlfriend on top of 17 total gold medals in the X-Games and Olympics.
5. Paula Deen riding things
Paula Deen on anything from a tyrannosaurus rex’s back to Snooki’s pouf will bring hours of entertainment. People of photoshop have found the perfect picture of Paula Dean to make her ride anything and everything.
6. Jennifer Lawrence faces
As if Lawerence isn’t awesome enough for her roles in movies, she makes awesomely funny faces and comments off screen.
7. EatonRedInk.com
Because we put out stories every week about sports and clubs.... so go on there and look for your face.
8. Bad lip reading
Have you ever wanted to put words in someone’s mouth? Well someone has done that, and it is hilarious! Yes, in the most serious scenes of Hunger Games or Twilight, someone has turned off the sound and read their lips to make Bella announce to Edward that she farted.
9. Bunnies with no ears
While some of these are admittedly kind of creepy, bunnies are cute, and bunnies without ears look like chubby, cute versions of their less adorable cousin, the guinea pig.
10. Baby elephants
Anything tiny is instantly cute, especially elephants need no exception. Yes, I am aware that there are two baby animals on here, I’m a girl, I like cute baby animals... leave me alone.
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redspotlight the prime years of free skiing
reecekothe newseditor
Freestyle skiing is an awe-inspiring sport that never ceases to leave the mind in a trance. The level of difficulty and courage these daredevils have is admirable to say the least. The flow and grace they perform their aerial with seems inhuman. Over the past ten years, freestyle skiing has made a dramatic gain in popularity. Finally, with the acceptance of slopestyle and pipe skiing into the Olympics, the sport is getting the publicity and praise it deserves. Young superstars will debut the sport for the first time, on the largest scale freestyle skiing has seen to date, and they are amped to do so. Although the athletes representing the sport are elite, and off-the-charts talented, it wouldn’t have been so if it wasn’t for the true pioneers of the sport. Tom Wallisch and Simon Dumont, are the real heros in this story. Wallisch and Dumont, age 26 and 27 respectively, will not be representing the sport they have dedicated their whole lives to, and it is a shock to many. Plagued by injury and bad judging calls, Wallisch in slopestyle and Dumont in pipe have paved the way for freestyle, and have been denied the right they deserve to showcase it on the highest level. Although this may seem like a sad story, it is quite the contrary. Wallisch and Dumont have done something bigger than any gold medal victory in the Olympics; they have revolutionized skiing. Both selftaught athletes, Dumont and Wallisch redefined what was thought to be possible on skis. Gear has changed dramatically thanks to them as well, with fun and agile twin-tip skis that can do anything, from the rails to backcountry jumps. Most importantly, Wallisch and Dumont have inspired generations of future skiers and non-skiers to pursue their dreams and shoot for the stars. Reining from the city of Pittsburg,
Tom Wallisch built backyard terrain parks and never hit real jumps until he attended the University of Utah. Although he was introduced to the sport later in life, he made every second in Salt lake City count. Pursuing his education as well as skiing, Wallisch soon thrived at both, becoming one of the most talented skiers in the game. A popular and humble athlete, Wallisch has gained respect from all walks of life. Although his story is truly amazing, Simon Dumont’s is equally impressive. Also from the east coast in Bethel, Maine, Dumont pursued his love for the sport at a young age. By age 18 he had already won his first X Games Gold medal in pipe, becoming one of the youngest athletes to do so. All of the hard work and time these two athletes have dedicated to their sport should be motivation for us all. Wallisch and Dumont will not be skiing at Sochi but that is not a loss to them. They simply love what they have been thankful enough to do for over a decade and that will forever fulfill them. As Olympic Bronze medalist Nick Goepper says, “It is our art and we’re dedicated to it.” It is important to not have regrets in life and gravitate toward true loves like Wallisch and Dumon to enable life-long happiness. Whether it is becoming an Olympic athlete or obtaining a successful career in something you’re passionate about life must not be taken for granted and dreams must be followed. We must have trust and faith in God and our destinies may soon be realized. Life can not be predicted or forced but if we gravitate toward our passions and follow the light God will guide us and do the rest. “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray”Rumi.
February 26, 2014
Longwells recover from fire tanneralm opinioneditor
Finals week is always a stressful time for any student, it’s a test that can change a grade or make a person fail a class. But for the Longwell family it was stressful for a whole different reason. Early in the morning at 3am the basement of the Longwell’s house was engulfed in fire and the rest of the house suffered severe smoke damage after the family’s cat knocked over an ash bucket to the wood-burning stove in the basement. “The bottom basement part was damaged by fire and the rest of the house was damaged by smoke.” said Landon Longwell (16). The whole family was in the house when it started to fill with smoke, then they evacuated and waited for authorities to arrive. “We were in the car for like four hours after the fire,” said Brooke Longwell (15). “We were allowed to get like a week’s worth of clothes and things before we left, then the insurance gave us money for more stuff,” said Brooke. With the whole house damaged and unsafe to live in, the Longwells moved to a hotel where they stayed for about a month and a half. The house is uninhabitable, with everything damaged by the smoke and the fire. “We don’t know when the repairs on our house are going to be done,” said Brooke. With only the possessions they could carry and money from insurance, they moved from the hotel and moved into a condominium where they are still
recovering and waiting for the repairs on their house to be finished. “They said the repairs on the house would be done in a month or two,” said Landon. “They did a haircut fundraiser to help us raise money,” said Brooke. Organized by Janelle Greiman, the school gave haircuts to help support the Lon-
gwells in their troubled times. The community also held a food drive to help supply the family with food. The Eaton community has helped the Longwell family in many ways to help them move on and get back on their feet. Landon Longwell said “It helped to know that people cared.”
Courtesy A family photo almost destroyed by the fire hangs in the Longwell house. Sadly, many other priceless items were lost in the fire.
17 EHS students make it in books tiaramiller featureeditor
EHS has sent 17 students to print! All 17 students who were published were in Merri Kirby’s creative writing class last semester. The students published are seniors, Lucas Aguilera, Mishayla Stephenson, Hayley Miller, Caleb Johnson, Phil Rininger, Jordan Adams, Sierra Armstrong, Aarika Bookhammer, Jose Rios, Trent Thompson, Kyle Wagner and Tyler Sims, juniors, Jehna Powell, Jennie Haley, Sam Martinez, Taylor Dorsey, and Karlie Dorland. This is the most Students EHS has ever sent to print. Students were asked to write a poem and submit it to be published. Some students received letters saying they had been published and others were told by Kirby. Bookhammer wrote a poem
about winter called “Frozen” she said, “I thought it was one of my best poems but I’m not very good at writing poetry and I put a few good weeks into working on it and changing things. I was very shocked when Kirby told me I got published because I just wasn’t expecting it.” Aguilera received a letter in the
mail. He was expecting to receive the letter three months from when he submitted it, but he received it after three weeks. He said, “I got a letter saying that I was in the semi-finals and it made the cut and I could win a bunch of prizes. I haven’t got the second letter about the finals but I’m hoping I do.”
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redspotlight
February 26, 2014
Delgado, Dyer prepare for All-State band
Tiara Miller Natalie Dyer (top) and Jose Delgado (right) stay afterschool to practice for their All state performance.
Hard work pays off for juniors as they head off to All-state concert band to play with the best of Colorado katiebyrne staffreporter
Hard work, dedication, and perseverance ensured the best of high school music for band members Jose Delgado (15) and Natalie Dyer (15) who achieved the feat of becoming members of the 2014 Colorado All-State band. The All State Concert Band is open only to students from high schools with 1,100 or fewer students, and who are sophomores, juniors and seniors. They will per-
form April 3-5 in Greeley. Dyer said, “I practiced so much before All-State auditions. Since I had to audition on three different percussion instruments, I had to come in to the band room every day after school until like 5 or 6 pm.” All of her dedication and hard work paid off when she made second chair in concert band. She claims that she has let up with practicing for a few weeks, but plans to continue with the strenuous practicing soon. “I have a rockin’ solo that I haven’t quite locked in yet.” Delgado auditioned in 2012, but didn’t make it into the Concert Band. Delgado explained that he practiced often as well, but “was not very intimidated going into auditions at the UNC Music Hall
because I had already auditioned there once and...had a feel for what it was like.” He is also continuing to practice for the upcoming performance, just like Dyer. Logan Doddridge, the band director, is an alumni of the Colorado All-State Concert band and Symphonic band. He feels “very honored, although I can’t take all the credit; those two students worked very hard to get into this group. I enjoy guiding them through that process and am very proud of them.” Doddridge wants to advise Dyer and Delgado to “practice your music and enjoy every minute of it because it’s an awesome opportunity. I know that I probably wouldn’t have been a music teacher if I didn’t make All-State.” He said that he hopes the best for his two talented students.
Tiara Miller
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redspotlight
“One time, I got a concussion and literally saw stars. My sister was borrowing my helmet, I usually wear it. I was showing off with a grab and knocked my head.”
“At the bottom of a ski run I decided not to turn to catch up with my family. I ended up going too fast over a ramp jump and went 7 feet in the air then flat on my face. I was 7.”
Ken Versoi
February 26, 2014
Merri Kirby
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Colorado is an epicenter of winter sports, and each year it produces numerous world-class winter athletes that go on to compete in major world events and eventually the Olympics. Nineteen gifted athletes represented Colorado at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia this Olympics. Out of the 19 athletes, five gifted teenage athletes experienced competition at the highest level. Nearing the end of their high school careers or just out of them, athletes Arielle Gold age 17, Aaron Blunck age 17, Mikaela Shiffrin age 18, Torin Yater-Wallace age 18, and Lyman Currier age 19, made Colorado proud. While most high schoolers work to just get through school, these five motivated teens have worked their way to the top of a loaded field, and have become renowned throughout the world. The work ethics and motivation behind their stories are all equally amazing and inspiring, to say the least. Fulfilling their Olympic dreams is a true testament of living life to conquer dreams while never giving up. Making it to the Olympics is extremely difficult and requires a special connection, dedication, luck, and multitudes of success. The fact that these five teens have done it so early in their lives is truly amazing. Although these five athletes struggled to succeed as they were expected in the Olympics, the drive behind their passion is inspiring. Arielle Gold, half-pipe snowboarder from Steamboat Springs came into her own in the past two years, landing the podium in nearly every major competition including the X Games. Favored to win
Jacob Augustine
“I was having a good jump day. The jumps were under the lift. There were several jumps in a row, and I was going through and doing tricks. On the fourth jump I did was a tabletop and I didn’t know that, so I was going up and I was flat on my stomach, only inches off the jump. I just ate it. I broke my ribs, my goggles, my nose, and one of my poles was bent. Everything went everywhere.”
gold in Sochi in the sp Gold was met with an in that brought her Olymp Although Gold was no an up-in-coming star th to do well in the future Her positive charis tential and mature grac pipe skier from Crested with his gift, and has exp scene taking Bronze in ter Games. Blunck has life, and even made it to end fell short of the po Easy-going in natu tricks, Blunck will be on Mikaela Shiffrin, a Gian in the Olympics, from lessly during her short t one of the biggest name Her raw talent is as she took gold in Sla collected demeanor sho and determination in th likely dominate one da half-pipe skier from As for his sport’s first ever Due to bad snow well as high nerves, Wa podium appearance. Su of injuries including tw to his Olympic debut, W never gave up. One of t
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“My first time snowboarding as a little kid, I fell and cried. a lot.”
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Lyman C
redspotlight
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“Riley was going through a terrain park and asked me to film him so I was in the process of filming and I ate crap and caught none of his tricks.” Bailey Jones
ers in the game topping heights of 20 feet on multiple trial hits, Wallace is clearly one of the best in the game. Being only 18, Wallace has a lengthy career in front of him, not to mention his hunt for the elusive gold medal in a sport he has helped to put on the world-stage. Lyman Currier, a half-pipe skier from Boulder, also made his debut in Sochi. A strong dedicated skier, Currier is fearless and has landed some of the biggest tricks with ease. When his first run during the semi-finals did not pan out, Currier put it all on the line for his final run. As he attempted his last hit on the skier’s right side of the pipe, Currier was met with devastation. Attempting a large double-cork, Currier landed wrong, tearing his ACL in half. His positive attitude toward the situation shows his love for his sport, and he is long from done. Look for Currier to leave his mark in 2018 in the next Olympics. For many, the Olympics are only about winning a medal. But it is clear that they are so much more. The poise and humbility these teens faced their failures with is inspiring. They have accomplished a tremendous amount in their lives already, and they have made the United States proud. Not in the form of medals but in their strong character. Many of us will never know what it is like to compete in the Olympics, but we can learn to approach life with the same aggression, and grace, that these teens have. For them, “fear does not live in the present.” If fear is disabled, then the limits in life are endless, as these teens have proven.
“When I was teaching Richie, he eventually got good enough that we decided to race. Once we took off I got ahead of him and was going pretty fast, I caught the wrong edge on a patch of ice and went head over heels like halfway down the mountain into a tree.”
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“One time my buddy Colton [Ingram] was fixing his goggles and they fell off the lift and he like flipped out and got them.”
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Currier (19)
Justin Morefield
Eli Grossenbacher
“So this one time I was skiing with my boy Reece Kothe and we were heading down the mountain. In a few minutes I saw two kids lying face down and Reece scrambling as fast as he could to get his detached skis.”
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ports debut for women, njury during a training run pic experience to an end. ot able to compete, she is hat many believe is bound e. sma displays her true poce. Aaron Blunck, a halfd Butte, has worked hard ploded onto the half-pipe the Youth Olympic Wins worked hard his whole o the pipe finals, but in the odium. ure and smooth with his ne to watch in the future. nt Slalom and Slalom skier Vail, has worked relenttime on earth to become es in skiing. apparent when she skis, alom. Shiffrin’s cool and ows her true confidence he sport that she will most ay. Torin Yater-Wallace, a spen, was a heavy favorite showing in the Olympics. conditions in the pipe as allace could not pull out a uffering from a multitude wo collapsed lungs prior Wallace worked hard and the highest flying pipe ski-
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Athlete Photos courtesy: USA Today
Trevor Asche
Page by: Reece Kothe, Tiara Miller, and Haley Cox
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redspotlight
February 26, 2013
Eaton’s Weber shoots for NHL
averyjones editorinchief
When Levi Weber (14) was six years old, he strapped on a pair of roller skates and grabbed a stick. Sure, he was missing the ice and the blades, but Levi had started his hockey career for the first time. Levi first started playing hockey when his older brother, Jay, picked it up. Though it started because of Jay, it soon became Levi’s own game and own passion. Young Levi played roller hockey for two years before transferring onto the ice. His first traveling ice hockey team was the Providence Predators. After that he played for the Greeley Stampede. While there, the head coach for traveling teams of Northern Colorado, the owner of the Mountain State Renegades, found Levi and recruited him. Last year, the owner of the Renegades decided to start a junior team, and the Colorado Eagles, the professional hockey team based out of Loveland, wanted a part. The two worked together to create the Colorado Junior Eagles, the team Levi plays for now. This is the Junior Eagles’ inaugural season, and they are off to a decent start. The Junior Eagles are currently third out of six teams in the Mountain Division. Their record is 23-16-2. Typically when people think of Hockey, the one thing they think is “Fight, Fight, Fight!” Levi, however, said, “I’ve never gotten in a legit fight. I’ve never had that moment where I’m
Avery Jones
Weber (14) takes a hard check as he is slammed against the glass by an opposing player during his game against the Boulder Bison.
mad enough to fight.” If you watch Levi, though, he is far from passive. He plays with intensity that would fool any spectator into thinking he is the most aggressive player on the team. There have been times when Levi has almost thrown a few punches, but he has always reigned in his anger, whether out of extreme self-control, or because his coach has told him to stay out of fights. For those who are unfamiliar with the sport, when a player instigates
a fight, he is sent to the penalty box, leaving his team a player short for a designated amount of time. The last place Levi’s coach would want him is sitting in the penalty box instead of on the ice. Why? As Levi put it, “I put the puck in the net.” And indeed he does. Levi leads his team in points scored with 50 points consisting of 29 goals and 21 assists. He also leads his team in game-winning goals, scoring four so far this sea-
son. Levi is currently on an eight-game point streak with seven goals and eight assists in the last eight games, totaling 15 points. In the first 15 games of the season alone, Levi scored 16 points consisting of 11 goals and five assists. He had one hat trick in these 15 games—three goals in one game. Levi also had a five-game streak with goals and assists, consisting of ten points made up of five goals and five assists. Levi said his favorite part of the game is being a part of the team. “We’re with each other every day. We spend weekends together. We pretty much live in the hotel rooms together.” Apart from the bro bonding, Levi said his favorite part of hockey is the adrenaline that goes into each game. However, hockey isn’t all fun and games. It is a very dangerous sport, and Levi knows this. He said what he dislikes most about the game is all the injuries, but “luckily I haven’t had too many.” He has only experienced two serious injuries playing hockey. The first was a broken arm. The second occurred when he took a “cage to the face” and had to get eight stitches. Despite the risk though, Levi plans to pursue hockey for a long time to come. Levi said he hopes to make a living off his game by going pro, but he doesn’t have a preference for which team he will play for. He understands the road may be a difficult one though. The next step for Levi will be trying to play in college
for a Division One school. Levi said, “I’ve had a ton of D3 schools offer me scholarships this year.” But he is not satisfied there. He said he plans Avery Jones to play two Nephew, Mason, more years of watches anxiously juniors and for his “Bubba” to hit hope a D1 the ice. team picks him up. Levi has always had the support of his family behind him. He said his three biggest fans are Jay, his mom, and his nephew, Mason. Levi likes having Jay around because “he knows hockey. I can talk to him about it and always have that support system there.” Levi said his mom has always supported him with money. “It’s not a cheap sport. At all,” Levi said. “And she’s always battled through the expenses.” Mason is Levi’s most adoring fan. Two years old, Mason goes to all of his Levi’s home games to support his “Bubba,” and he loves them. Levi said, “He’s just a little crazy kid that loves hockey.” He said they’ve put Mason on the ice a couple times. “He just wiggles his feet around a little bit,” Levi said.
Avery Jones
redview
February 26, 2014
What ever happened to playful pranks? staffeditorial eatonredink.com
Chickens running amuck throughout the school. Tents strewn across the school’s front lawn. Chairs and desks piled up in the hallways. Sound like chaos? Nah. It’s just that time of the year for senior pranks. We as students are led to believe that senior pranks are going to be the most hilarious and devious accomplishments of our high school lives. How could you blame us? Every great Disney Channel show has included some reference to the great pranks pulled in high school: putting a car on the school’s roof, leading a cow upstairs knowing it can’t come down—you know—the classics. But we couldn’t be more let down. Teachers and administration are cracking the whip on senior pranks nowadays. We’re not allowed to make a mess. We’re not allowed to alter anything in or about the school. We can’t make a scene. We cannot set foot in the principal’s office. Basically if it must be cleaned up or it draws attention, the plan is nixed. How in the world are we supposed to live up to Disney Channel expectations with these kinds of limitations in place? But that is the point of pranking, is it not? The goal is to draw attention. The senior class wants
to be able to pull off a practical joke that will make a statement and be remembered for years and years to come. But the motives aren’t all selfish. Everyone loves senior pranks. They make people laugh and lift some of the tension of the school year. They celebrate the end of the year and the coming of summer. But more than that, they’re meant to celebrate the end of an era—to mark the coming of a new chapter for all these seniors and send them off with a smile. Granted, sometimes the pranking gets out of hand. Putting a car on top of the school might not be the best idea (although if it could be done, it would be epic). There’s a point at which senior pranks should be put in check. When they get destructive, or edge on morally wrong, sure they should be nixed. However, the ones that build camaraderie and bring the class together in good-natured humor—those should be left alone. Senior pranks are some of the most memorable parts of the school year. They’re done in good humor, and they bring joy to the school. So why are they so strictly monitored and restricted? So what if they require a little cleaning up? Isn’t it worth it for a harmless practical joke and a little bit of mischievousness?
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School violence must address mental illness haleycox webeditor
On Jan. 27, a 16-year-old student from Standley Lake High School in Westminster, CO entered his high school cafeteria and lit himself on fire in what would become a successful suicide attempt. The first issue that needs to be addressed is the tragic loss of a young man named Vincent Nett. The second point that must be addressed is this: what could put a young, bright student in so much pain that he chose to forego the rest of his life? Mental illness is surrounded by a certain stigma. People are afraid to talk about it. It’s easy to blame guns when tortured souls shoot up public places, but it’s a lot harder to blame the weaponry when a boy drinks bleach and sets himself on fire. As a society, can we remove all danger and still function? Can we pad the walls of every room, lock up all the sharp objects, and get rid of all the guns? No. The heart of the issue is mental illness. When someone gets heart disease, they’re treated promptly and out in the open. When someone gets breast cancer, others wear pink ribbons and hold rallies to support the victims. However, when someone is diagnosed with clinical depression, they’re treated in silence. There should be no shame about an irregularity in your brain if there’s no shame about an irregularity in your heart. Preventing the tragic loss of life at Standley Lake High School comes down to one thing-- Vin-
cent Nett was suffering, and perhaps without the social stigma that surrounds mental illness and suicide, he would have gotten the help he needed. Nett posted a suicide note on his Facebook page: “This is not someone’s fault, I had this planned for years so shut your face if you think that this was because of something recent or because of someone. There was nothing that anyone could have done.” Not only did Nett shy away from placing any blame on his friends or parents, but NY Daily News reported that he even “apologized for the way the school would smell after he roasted himself in his bid to publicly kill himself.” This was not a violent student who intended to do harm to anyone other than himself. According to friends, Nett had begun acting noticeably different. He had been planning his suicide for years, and nobody got him sufficient help to save his life. It’s reasonable to feel sad for a few days or to have a rough couple of weeks. It is not normal to want to kill yourself. It is not normal to feel as though
Haley Cox
death is a better option than life. Society today sends a message
to the youth; worry about the future. Get a job, go to college, get a degree, get a house, get a bigger house. Stress and anxiety becomes the norm, and depression is brushed aside as a phase. Depression is not a phase, selfharm is not a fashion statement, and suicide attempts are not ploys to get attention. They are genuine medical issues, and until it becomes okay to talk about them, young lives will continue to be lost. If you have a problem, tell someone. If you know someone who is suffering, even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, tell someone. You’re not a bad person because you have to reach out for help; likewise, you’re being a good friend if you get someone the help they need. It’s not taboo to help someone who is suffering- it’s heroic. You’d be surprised how people respond when you’re open, honest, and direct about what’s going on. Coming at this from an inside perspective, as a young person who has been diagnosed with clinical depression, and as someone who knows what it’s like to have a funeral inside my head, it’s safe to say that getting help was the hardest and best decision I ever made. What I’ve learned is that there are people who care. It may not be normal, but it is okay to be depressed, anxious, and sad. You are not broken. If you’re suffering, and if you need help, it is okay to talk about it. Know that there are resources and people out there who will help you. Organizations like To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) and safe2tell.org exist to let you know that you are not alone. We, as a society, cannot let suicide become a standard for youth. We cannot let depression and anxiety become an acceptable way to live. Tell a friend, tell a parent, tell a teacher.
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redview
February 26, 2014 Red Ink Staff Box Editor-in-Chief.............averyjones Sports Editor..............adamschott Opinion Editor.............tanneralm Feature Editor.............tiaramiller News Editor...................reecekothe
Copy Editor...........................jakesell Tech. Support..........calebleonard Photo Editor......................haleycox
Web Editor..........................katiebyrne Staff Reporters
.............................................dariusduran .............................................lydiabradley
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........................................................lexilapp
Adviser........................deirdrejones
The Red Ink is a public forum, school-sponsored and student generated, which encourages the free exchange of ideas and information. All opinions made in the exercise of freedom of speech or press are the sole opinions of the writers and are in no way to be considered the opinions of Eaton High School, administration, Board of Education, or Eaton School District. The Red Ink strictly adheres to School Board Policy JCEA and Colorado Revised Statute 12-1-120. The Red Ink is a member of the Colorado High School Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Quill and Scroll.
Victor Batrez(15) and Katelyn Clem(16) strategize against their opponents, Austin Howes(15) and Fox Holt(16) in a game of Magic. Kids like Batrez and Clem say Magic gives them something fun to do during school and helps them meet new people. Magic has an estimated 6 million fans world-wide.
Magic The Gathering quickly becoming one of Eaton’s favorite card games tanneralm & lexilapp opinioneditor
staffreporter
It may not have cheerleaders, or require a sports physical, but Magic the Gathering might be considered Eaton’s fastest-growing after-school sport. What do wizards, goblins, giants and gods have in common? They are all featured in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a card game that is gaining ground in Colorado. Fox Holt, who has been playing for about a year explained that Magic is a card game where people can create their own deck of magical creatures. The game consists of five different magical creatures and four different colors of decks including, red, green, black, and white. Red and black are vampires, white are gods, and green are giants. “Once you have a card deck then you can go out and battle other people against their decks,” Holt said. Andrew Nelson (16) said math teacher Mark Watikins and sophomore, Jared Morris got him started on the game. “The main objective of the game is to kill your opponent,” Nelson said, one of the main ele-
ments that makes it “fun” for him. The thing he doesn’t like, however, is that “you get only a certain amount of life.” Players get just 20 lives at the beginning of a game, and if they lose all 20--well, it’s game over. This dynamically-changing game is popular with over an estimated 6 million people worldwide. Starting in 1993 and continuing even until today, Magic has spawned tournaments, clubs, and even chains of stores based on selling Magic products. Rapidly changing and growing every year, there is no limit to how big this hobby can grow. Wizards of the Coast, the makers of Magic, releases a set of different cards every three months. Boxes upon boxes of these cards are shipped to Target, Walmart, and even stores that sell exclusively cards and other games like Haunted: Gaming Cafe, in Fort Collins and Greeley. These stores sell and buy cards of value from past sets, which can skyrocket in price for many reasons, new mechanics, strategic necessity, and just plain breaking the game sometimes. Cards can easily cost up to hundreds of dollars. It’s not uncom-
mon for cards to be worth more than the case they’re sitting in. A card called the “Black Lotus” often sells for around $2,000. With supply and demand, anything can grow it’s own economy. Magic is a perfect example of this. Based on characters that change dimensions every few sets, Magic is a game that is able to change its theme and mechanisms fairly easily. Katelyn Clem, who began playing the game this year, (16) said, “There’s just so much I love about it! I think what I like best is that I get to meet new people and learn their strategies.” Clem, who is one of the few girls who plays Magic at the school, said she enjoyes battling with the boys after school. She said it was “a thrill” when she won her first game on Friday, Feb. 21. against Morris. Clem said, “My gender is irrelevant. I wish more girls would play, but really I just like meeting new people and seeing how they play and learn new ways to play.” Jumping from horror, to fantasy, and current Greek mythology, this game can appeal to many players.
But the storyline, however, is very underplayed and almost non-existent at this point. Students all over the school are playing this game and although it has its perks it does have some negative aspects to it as well. Holt said, “The thing that I like least about Magic would probably be how people view it. If they don’t play the game they may view the game as different.” Like any other sport, Magic can
be misunderstood, or even judged harshly, by those who don’t know the rules, but Holt said it gives him something fun to do at the end of the day. Overall Magic is a game that many have taken interest in, companies have grown around it and an economy now runs through it, this shows how popular the game has become. With the way it has been set up and the interest shown in it, this game has potential to thrive for years to come.
Howes(15) and Holt(16) put together their decks consisting of Vampires, gods and giants to take on Batrez(15) and Clem(16) for a battle of Magic.
redview
February 26, 2014
Don’t go numb averyjones editorinchief
averyjones editorinchief
du’-mmy ( n) amock-up set o f pages (as for newspaper or DUH’meepa’-ges: PAY’ges: pages fora the printer magazine) with the position of text and artwork indicated for the printer
In 1999 when two men walked into Columbine High School and shot and killed 13 people, the country went into a tail spin, mourning the tragedy and the horror of what had happened. This school shooting shocked the entire country. Now, 15 years later, it seems that school violence has become much more frequent and much less shocking. In 2013, 25 school shootings took place. Twentyfive. In the year since the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, a school shooting has taken place in America every two weeks on average. One shooting every 14 days— that seems like a commonplace occurrence to me. That’s more frequent than a paycheck comes out or than your monthly subscription to Seventeen Magazine arrives. Something that happens every two weeks is no longer an anomaly; it is a pattern. And in America, school violence has become a pattern. Violence has become such an everyday part of school life that people have come to expect it. Though we still mourn when we hear of a shooter entering a school, we’re no longer shocked. It’s as though we are sitting back between incidences just waiting for the next strike to happen. We don’t know where or when it will happen, but one thing is absolutely certain: there will be another. In times of peace—those average 13 days between shootings— we must mourn, move on, and prepare for the next round of violence. This process is wearing! Grief deserves more time than it is given. It is draining, and when it is cut short like this, it tends to linger. Worse yet, though, is when grief lingers because that is when
we go numb. And so it becomes easier to ignore these incidents rather than to try to live in constant grief. For this reason, school violence has become significantly downplayed in America. Of the 16 cases of shootings on school grounds that have already taken place this year—in just two months—how many of us can say that we have heard of each of these incidents? I certainly cannot. Did anyone hear about the two middle schoolers who were shot by a seventh grader in Roswell, New Mexico on January 14? How about the student who fatally shot himself in a classroom at Bend High School in Oregon on February 7? Sure, in these cases the gunman did not kill 13 people; however, is that any reason for the country to be any less shocked by the outright violence of these acts? The loss of life is cause for indignation, no matter if it is hundreds of lives or only one. Understandably, these tragedies are hard to face. But we need to stop turning a blind eye to the violence that is happening in our country at such an alarming rate. Turning away from the problem is not the answer. Ignoring school violence and training ourselves to not feel the shock and pain of it will not make it any less of a horror. We must find a way mourn properly without getting sucked into the downward spiral of despair it is so easy to fall into in times of tragedy. Only by facing these incidences bravely and with the community’s support can we begin to stare unflinchingly into the face of school violence and decipher a plan of action on how to abate cases of school violence.
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PROPS and FLOPS at EHS averyjones editorinchief
FLOPS to the Rus- FLOPS to Colora-
sian government for putto RE-2 ting so much pressure on for giving everyone Val- a 15-year-old skater that entine’s Day off. The she broke down. single kids didn’t have to to Mothbe subjected to the sick- eningly sweet couples, er Nature for supplying and the couples got the a couple superb days of whole day to hold hands sunshine and warmth in and stare into each oth- the middle of the most dreary, cold month. ers’ eyes. Win, win.
PROPS
PROPS
FLOPS
FLOPS
to the seato Flappy Bird for ruining every- son of “Have you gotten one’s life for approxi- your prom dress yet?!” mately one week. to the to the starting of spring sports wrestling program for for giving all of us hope producing 7 state wres- that winter is almost tlers. That’s pretty sweet. over.
PROPS
PROPS
do Confessions for consuming everyone’s lives with hilarious tweets and then disappearing off the face of the earth.
PROPS to Shaun
White for still being the coolest person alive despite not medaling in the Winter Olympics this year.
FLOPS
to the people who complained about getting late starts instead of snow days. I’ll take a morning of sleeping in on a school day any day of the week!
Letter to the editor: Snowdays To whom it may concern, What is the purpose of schooling? Ultimately, it is to prepare a student for the trials and tribulations of the real world, hopefully providing the practical skills and experience to not only overcome to problems, but to thrive in spite of them. To facilitate these ends, a school must be a physical and mental location of safety, so that a student can focus on their work and take the knowledge the teacher intended to give in his or hers lessons. That sentence is ultimately the reason for suspensions, expulsions, and yes, even the infamous “no hats” rule. It is confusing then, that in certain instances, the ruling council of our school seeks to move counter to their sacred duty of student protect and place the student body in harm’s way.
I am currently writing this article on January 31, 2014, the first instance in recent memory that the school, instead of closing its doors, decided to merely push back its start time from 8 to 10. The reasoning for this decision is not public to us, and the reason is ultimately forfeit. However, the result of this decision is what ultimately matters. As I walked through these halls, I encountered much anger at the decision, for the normal reasons. They wanted to sleep in, hang with friends, and possible go skiing in the mountains. But there is another group, those who are fearful. Those who almost flew into the ditch on the way to school or could not stop before they slid into an intersection. By not declaring a snow day, the administrators of this school indi-
rectly placed a significant amount of the student body in danger. If a student were to be hurt today, in these horrible conditions, it would be the administrators fault. A fault that could have easily avoided had a snow day been declared. I hope they remember their responsibility to the safety of their students better in the future. -Matthew Sudduth Because the Red Ink is a public forum, it encourages letters to the editor as a way to promote the free exchange of ideas concerning issues relevant to the student body and Eaton community. All letters to the editor must be signed and should be no more than 300 words. The Red Ink reserves the right to shorten letters or correct for grammar. Letters may be submitted to Eatonredink@ gmail.com or to the editor.
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redzone
February 26, 2014
Darius Duran Cole Edens (15) makes a quick bounce pass to Jake Nelson (14) in the Reds’ loss to the Estes Park Bobcats on Feb 21. With this loss, the Reds’ basketball season now comes to a final end.
Boys basketball hits abrupt end
dariusduran staffreporter
The Eaton Reds’ (7-13, 5-5) basketball season came to a devastating end after a 67-70 loss in winor-go-home game against league rival, Estes Park (10-10, 5-5). The game was scheduled on Feb. 21 at Eaton’s home court following a 52-78 loss against Platte Valley (14-5, 9-1), and would determine whether Eaton would advance to the Patriot League District Tournament bracket. The Reds got off to a slow start in the game causing turnover after turnover, effectively allowing Estes Park to take the lead by 3, and slowly shutting down Eaton’s offense. This has been shown all throughout the sesason for the Reds as they struggled to overcome their offensive deficiencies. The Bobcats were able to keep their lead while the Reds still struggled to keep up in the sec-
ond quarter going into halftime only down by four, with confidence to get back into the game. Eaton’s fans never lost hope for the Reds, being as their largest deficit was less than ten. Out of halftime, Eaton finally outscored the Bobcats in the third quarter by one, but wouldn’t be able to recover from the three-point deficit that Estes Park clinged onto. Into the fourth quarter for the Reds, however, the life was stil starting to regenerate. Slowly and fast paced, the Reds began to get back in the game. Coach Dean Grable called several time outs late in the fourth to give the Reds some time to think things over. However, a combination of several three-pointers were not able to end the Estes Park run. This now was the finish, ending the 2014 season for the Eaton Reds boys basketball team. The Reds overcame a lot of struggles, and although they
didn’t accomplish what many of them had hoped for, they grew together and didn’t accept being down.
Gavin Ledall (15) scans the court looking for an open teammate to pass to.
This year the Reds finished the regular season with a league record of 5-4, and an overall record of 7-12. Although the boys unfortunately got off to a bit of a slow start, they were finishing on a great note their last eight games including a three-game win streak to result in a 5-3 run, but ended the season with a bitter taste following two straight losses. Jaxon Hobbs (17) said, “For the team it was a rough season, but we grew together to actually be like brothers out there and we had each others back. Me, I grew just by being a team player and realizing what I needed to do, and how I needed to do it.” Jake Nelson (14) commented about their season saying, “I’m proud of everyone in the program. It was a good year, and everyone worked hard all year long. “We are lucky enough to have the
best coaches in the world, and I’d like to thank them for everything that they have done, especially Coach Grable who has turned into my biggest role model. “He has taught me a lot about the game and even more about being a good person. His impact on my life is deeper and more influential than anyone else’s.” The Reds may have an end to their season, but for many other teams in 3A, the season will continue to keep going. Regionals will now take place at UNC in Greeley. The top teams who win out of the teams will then continue on to go and compete at state. Grable commented on the end of the season and saying, “Well with players, obviously you gotta love the players. I mean I spend more time with them than I do with my own family, so I enjoy being around them.”
redzone
February 26, 2014
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Reds qualify seven state wrestlers at regionals adamschott sportseditor
As the 3A Northern wrestling regionals came to a close on Feb. 15, Eaton High School qualified a total of seven wrestlers to go compete at state. Those from Eaton who qualified for state were Tanner Lewis 113 pounds (16), Erich Russ 120 pounds (16), Rusty Lohr 132 pounds (16), Michael Cardona 160 pounds (14), Danny Thomas 182 pounds (14), Garrett Coalson 195 pounds (15), and Ethan Aleman (14).
The 3A state results of the firstround of play at the Pepsi center were held Feb. 20 were: Lewis of Eaton had a decision win over Cameron Batterton of Lamar, 5-2; Tell Kelley of Alamosa made a technical fall win over Russ of Eaton, 15-0; Austin Shank of Olathe pinned Lohr of Eaton in 1:56; Cardona of Eaton had a major decision win to Joseph Martinez of La Junta, 9-0; Marcus Garcia of Dolores Huerta pinned Thomas
Desi Bradley Michael Cardona(14) sends his Valley oppponent to the floor with brute force showing his strength and determination. Cardona took second place overall at the regional meet, wrestling in at 160 pounds for the Reds.
of Eaton in 1:43; Garrett Coalson of Eaton had a decision win to Landon Eckhart of Cedaredge, 11-5; R.J. Ruybal of Centauri pinned Ethan Aleman of Eaton in 1:10. On Saturday, Coalson was able to finish out strong with his final run, but was one match before placing. Coalson said, “Wrestling at the Pepsi center is just amazing. Everything is huge. It’s such a cool feeling.” The only wrestler for Eaton who was able to compete in the state championship round was Cardona. Ironically enough, Cardona made his final run as a senior against Brendan Gonzales of Valley who had previously beaten him in regionals. The state match, however, came to decision 12-5. Cardona said that his motivation for the whole entire season was his fear. Out of so many thing to fear such as lack of progress, fear of being forgotten, and fear of dying without leaving a mark, Cardona fed off those fears. In a quote Cardona held all season long, it said, “These fears feed me, they nourish my drive. I love my fear.” Valley had many wrestlers who did well, including three state champions. and stole the team 3A state wrestling championship.
Regionals
Previous to state, all of the teams who competed at regionals were Eaton, Brush, Fort Lupton, Strasburg, Holy
Family, University, Estes Park, Valley, Platte Valley, Faith Christian, and Sterling. Out of all of the wrestlers who competed for Eaton, the Red’s top wrestler who had made it into the final round was Cardona once again. Wrestling at 160 pounds, Cardona was at the position to take first against Brenden Gonzalez of Valley. Once the match began both wrestlers felt out the bearings of each other’s strength. With a couple of quick dives at each other, Gonzalez had taken Cardona into a hard spot. This was the repetition throughout the match, but Cardona was able to steal several points back with his escapes. The match came to a stalemate, and Cardona was eventually under the point margin of the decision 8-5. Cardona took second place overall for 160 pounds for Eaton. While the final matches for first place had been decided, there was still life left for a handful of Reds wrestlers in the wrestlebacks. This is exactly where Eaton was able to add a total of three more wrestlers to their arsenal for state. Russ wrestling in at 120 pounds, began his match with some heavy hits from his opponent. However, in the third quarter Russ was able to recover and make his last go. Russ said, “When I went in thinking a way out, all the wrong reasons to stop wrestling hard came up.” Quickly, Russ managed to
muster up his strength with the Eaton crowd behind him for a pin. Russ said, “It’s just a huge feeling you can’t explain.” Lohr had a similar match with his 132 pounds, in the sense that he had not be in total control the entire match. With around a minute left to go, Lohr was in a position where he was at a disadvantage. In frantic jolt of adrenaline, a takedown was in the making. Lohr turned his man and took him to the ground just short of out of bounds to give him the lead as the clock wore out. Thomas on the the other hand had a much more lenient time wrestling at 182 pounds. While laying over the top, Thomas pushed for a pin to clench state qualification.
Avery Jones Garrett Coalson (15) locks up with a Strasberg opponent during a regional match. Coalson took third overall, wrestling 195 pounds.
Six Reds swimmers qualify for state lydiabradley staffreporter
Eaton competed in the Tri-Valley Swim meet on Feb. 7 and 8, taking second place out of six teams, and qualified 11 girls to compete at State. All 22 girls trained all year for the meet, and 11 the swimmers will be headed to State in their events. Coach Doug Stone, who has finished out his fourth swimming season, said, “This team has been very close and extremely strong.” Stone said he has worked very hard with these girls, and each one of the girls has been working extremely hard in each of their events. Junior Lauryn Schriner had cut .6 of a second
off of her 50 yard freestyle at State. Senior Jazmin Schwark, said she has been extremely happy with the way the team has been coached this year and the team has had great passion for the sport. Schwark said that her confidence has grown from the “harder dives” that her diving coach has been giving her. The team consists of 22 swimmers and many of the girls have been members for multiple years. Swimming her third year as a Junior, Jennifer Haley really stepped up her game this year. Hayley said she was the, “only backstroker, and the pressure was applied” since her team was depending on her. For Haley and Schwark, the meet
Avery Jones Justice Muro (15) flies through the water as the next swimmer in her 200 medley relay. The other Reds in this medley consist of Taylor Dorsey (15), Lauryn Schriener (15), and Jennie Haley (15).
that they will always remember will be the meet at Rampart High School on Jan. 17 since both Schwark and Haley had qualifying times for State in meet. Junior Taylor Dorsey made State in her 100 yard butterfly swim with a time of 1:06.66. Schriner had a qualifying State time in her 50 yard freestyle with a time of 0:26.54 and her 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:13.31. Both Schwark and Haley went as alternatives for the team. State swimmers and alternatives included Kenzi Hall (16), Elise Cozzens(15), Hailee Hernandez (15), Justice Muro (15), Molly Adams (15), Shelby Nelson (14), Rebekah Whitaker (15). Out of the 22 swimmers, 11 made a State time in their events at conference. According to Coach Stone, the best thing for the girls about being at State is that once “they get in the water, the next year they don’t want to stay out of it.” This year at State Dorsey and Schriner made improvements on their individual events but the relay teams moved down in their times. The relays were close to their qualifying times once they had finished their race.
Avery Jones Eaton Reds Swimmers gather around to celebrate all of their qualifications times. The Reds were very lively and energetic after their races.
redzone 16 Girls BB finishes regular season with high hopes
February 26, 2014
The Winter Olympics
jakesell copyeditor
The Girls basketball team (15-4) is nearing the end of regular season after a win of 41-35 to Platte Valley on Feb. 18. This win propels the girls into district playoffs, which began last night at home against the Valley Vikings. Running the floor and taking every scoring opportunity possible, the Reds were able to run the Broncos off of the court and sink their jump shots to clinch the win. By maintaining a lead throughout the entire game, the Reds were able to show their superiority. The key players of the game were Bailey Schumacher (16), who sled the team with 12 points, and Juniors Emily Willier and Bailey Jones with a combined 18 points. This win puts the Reds in a great position for the next couple of games, which may propel the Reds to State after Regionals. The Reds have been able to maintain a rank of 30th in the state, and they have achieved an astounding scoring season. The Reds will now look forward to district play which runs Thursday and Friday of this week. Junior Jayla Jarnagin said, “Coming into districts, I know we are all excited as a team because we are finally peaking, and at the right time. We are excited to possibly have a second chance at Sterling and Strasburg.” The Reds have been able to rack up a 964 point season so far, 348 of which were gained through field goals. Up-and-comers Caiden Rexius (16), Lindy Dixon (16), and Schumacher have been able to run alongside the upperclassmen, by scoring an average of seven points per game. Seniors Morgan Karlberg, Sami Muse, and Morgan Schumacher have given their all for their final season, being ranked fourth in the state class. Junior Bailey Jones said, “We are happy with the way we
adamschott sportseditor
The Flying Tomato (Shaun White)
Jake Sell Bailey Schumacher (16) takes a shot against her defender in a play the Reds were able to set-up. The Reds look to continue their play further on.
have played as a team so far, and we are excited to head into the postseason.” If their reputation precedes them, the girls will travel on from the district tournament to the state quarterfinals on Mar. 13, Semifinals on Mar.14, and finally the State game on Mar. 15. The girls season, so far has left other teams at a loss. In Emily their highest Willer (15) scoring game, storms up the Reds were the sideline able to defeat keeping the ball in the Lyons control. Lions 84-19,
blowing them out of the water. The top players of the Lyons game were Bailey Schumacher, who scored 14 points, Karlberg and Emily Willier (15), who trailed Schumacher with a combined 24 points, and Jones, who had a 75 percent field goal percentage. Regarding her season, Morgan Karlberg said, “I’m proud of the girls, and if we work hard we can continue to do well.” The Reds begin their run at State on Mar. 7, which will decide if the Reds qualify at the regional tournament at UNC. With a combination of many other teams from around the Patriot league as well, the competition will be pretty demanding. Currently the top teams are Pagosa Springs, Lamar, and Holy Family who look to do well.
When I saw Shaun White come rolling into Sochi with his hair cut, I had a feeling there might be some trouble. I mean after all, the cutting of precious hair like White’s flowing red mane has gone down tragic before; just like Samson in the Bible, folks. Like most of America, I was really excited to see the flying tomato soar through the air with his Mctwists and YOLO flip. However, when the time came for White to take his third straight medal, he simply didn’t deliver. This was after Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland, who created the YOLO flip out a flawless run that would eventually earn him the gold. That was it for White; and its not like he’d really been in this position before. Besides all the snowboarding, what I was more impressed with was the way that White carried himself after the loss. When he was being interviewed after his last run, White was very cordial and made no room for an excuse to be made in his favor. This simply made me feel proud. I mean many of the guys were complaining about the conditions of the pipe and slush, which by all means they had a right to because of the warm temperatures. Don’t forget how much hype was involved that wasn’t necessarily White’s fault. White did the right thing by just saying that he didn’t do his best. It may be cliche’ to say “no excuses” in sports, but when does it become cliche’ to do the right thing? I personally enjoyed the way most of the snowboarders acted for that matter. Don’t kid yourself, there is a lot at stake. But most snowboarders seem so chill when they talk. They don’t compare themselves to others and just try to support each other. It would have been cool for White to win, but in the end it was all about having a good run and getting another opportunity on the snow. louri himself said he was happy for Shaun and wished he would have done better. It’s good to see this type of camaraderie within the organization of opposing teams.
The Olympics Good or Bad?
The Olympics are a time where the whole world comes together to gather as one and engage in physi-
cal activities of endurance, strength, and pure determination. Sports have the ability to bring world peace and hope right? Although many of these things have the possibility to be true, not all aspects of the Olympics have a bright and blemish free appearance. The Olympics may breed the best athletes in the world, but the simple fact is that it drains so much money, time, and resources. Parents send their kids into sports and flush thousands to millions of dollars on average. So much money is involved in the Olympics; the payoff is way too big. The dedication can put strains of families and take away from so many other areas. Kids in other countries are forced to spend years of work in fouryear spans to sometimes only have seconds of glory. Some kids make it big, but what about all the other kids who don’t make it and have to find a job like everybody else. Not only do the Olympics become a fear mongering pit of desire, the Olympics put athletes on such a high pedestal above everybody else. The Olympics also give athletes an opportunity to become better than everybody else as if they were immortal figures across the globe. It may be good to have people to look up to and admire, but considering all the glory may be different when it comes to others. Is it really right to have people put on a pedestal of glory over everybody else. Granted they do work hard to do what they do, but aren’t we all human? We come from the same formation and end the same way. So much good comes out of sports with learning to be confident, strong, and a leader, but is it worth the money dilemma? Sochi’s budget plan in 2007 was estimated to cost around 12 billion dollars. Now is has jumped up to $50 billion -- more than four times over budget, making it the most expensive over Beijing. Where could that money be spent elsewhere? After all, I would figure many Russians would rather have a plate of food to eat and a tv to watch it on.
College Basketball
Watit till March for the real action to start taking place. I mean, we all know just what kind of crazy stuff can take place during this time. March Madness is on its way here.