El Diablo April 2018

Online at ELDIABLONEWS.COM

El Diablo Voice of the Students Durango High School

2390 Main Ave.

Durango CO 81301

Issue Five

Volume Sixty-one April 2018

DHS walkout honors Aztec, Parkland victims

Corbin Miller DHS sophomores Timmy Chamblee and Lily Sturm hold signs during DHS’s walkout.

CORBIN MILLER Reporter Almost every school has believed and stated, “It will never happen to us” in regards to being involved in a school shooting. But even small, innocent towns like Parkland, Florida- not to mention our neighbors in Aztec, New Mexico- can’t hide behind the terrifying inaccuracy of that saying.

On March 14th, more than 300 students at Durango High School walked out of their classes onto the football field at 10:00am for 17 minutes, every minute paying respect to each life that was lost during the Parkland school shooting.

The walkout was completely optional, but many students, like freshman Clarice Hise, believed it was important to participate.

“I think it is wrong that in society today there is still this much violence, especially in schools where students are expecting to be safe,” said Hise.

Students like Clarice partook to voice their concerns about gun violence and to show that they believe the government needs to do something to prevent more lives from being taken at schools.

On February 14th, 2018, Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida experienced one of the deadliest school massacres in history. During the shooting, 17 lives of students and teachers were taken by the use of an AR-15.

Last year, Parkland was named the safest city in the state, making the shooting a huge and devastating surprise.

Directly one month after the shooting occurred, on March 14th, students all around the nation were invited to participate in a school walkout to pay their respects to the 17 lost lives and to bring attention to the gun violence issues that have become the main topic on many people’s minds, whether they’re anti-gun or pro-gun.

A lot of students who participated, such as Jr. Logan Van Lindt, are very passionate about this issue and were excited to see a great deal of the student body participate.

“I care about this and I think it is important to address, I think there needs to be a lot of change,” said Van Lindt.

While participating in the walkout, students were able to sign a giant paper banner that expressed their concerns about gun violence. The banner was sent

to congress to show how many students believe there needs to be change to gun violence issues and to show that they payed respect to those who lost their lives due to the recurring issue.

The walkout was not advertised or promoted by the school. The majority of students learned about the walkout over social media.

“I heard a lot about the walkout from many of my friends and saw an Instagram page promoting it,” said So. Rush Webster.

The DHS Student Council heard about the walkout and worked with a few DHS staff members to help the students express their voice. The student body executive members knew how important it would be to work with the school in keeping this event safe.

“Our principal was in support of us, as students, expressing our first amendment right of freedom of speech and to peacefully protest. The safety of the students was his main concern and wanted to ensure we could continue yet remain safe,” said So. Class President Kaylan Wait.

The school did not encourage students to participate in the walkout, they instead made it safer by moving it from the front of the school to the football field, and required students to check back into the school, showing their student ID’s as they re-entered the building.

While many students shared their voices at the walkout, other students remained inside the school.

“I don’t think that walking out of the school is going to change anything.

I mean the government hasn’t done anything yet to change the laws after the shooting, so why would they change them after some 17 minute school walkout. It just seems like a waste of time, and an excuse to get out of class,” said a student who would like to remain anonymous.

A few students who stayed in their classes did not feel passionate about the issue and felt no use in walking out.

Other students who did not participate knew the walkout was to pay respect to the 17 lives lost and liked that idea, but preferred to go to class instead of being

marked tardy.

The March 14th walkout was only one of many that have been planned and are going to occur due to the Parkland Shooting. The devastation of the shooting has caused many students to rise up in walkouts and share their voice on this issue, in hopes of ending all school shootings forever.

Head Editors Debate: Society’s role in gender disparities

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Animas to DHSwhy are students transferring?

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This year’s must see shows on

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West Virginia teacher strike Dangerous bacteria found on DHS hall passes comes to an end MIA BOUDREAU Reporter

“Take the pass” is the typical response a student will hear from a teacher when they ask permission to leave the classroom. The start of the 2017-2018 school year brought many changes to DHS, including the addition of “clipboard hall passes.”

Students are supposed to take the pass with them every time they leave the classroom for safety purposes, but have they really been beneficial?

The passes provide a way to monitor who is out of the room, and if a student is stopped in the hallway, other teachers have a way to know where they are supposed to be.

“The hall passes are useful in the sense that teachers and security can see who has gotten permission from their teacher to leave, and who is just ditching and wandering the halls,” said Fr. Savannah Bergman.

Although the intended use for the hall passes is clear to both students and teachers alike, they are still proving to be ineffective.

“Some kids don’t take them anyways, because everyone is so strongly against them, and when kids don’t take them it defeats the purpose,” said So. Clara Galbraith.

Most students have never even been stopped in the hallway by a teacher or a security guard. Which raises questions about the effectiveness of the passes.

“I don’t think that hall passes are all that effective because no one is really monitoring the hall to make sure people have passes. If anything, they are making things more complicated and spreading germs,” said Bergman.

Another common concern raised about the hall passes is sanitation. The passes are taken to and from the bathroom and rarely, if ever, get disinfected.

“They’re really disgusting, the fact that everyone uses them and takes them everywhere, you never know who had it last,” said Galbraith.

DHS science teacher Eric Jackson said that most teachers never clean the passes because they don’t ever have to use them, so it never crosses their mind.

As of now, there are mixed responses on whether the current hall passes

SHELBY FINNEGAN Reporter

Petri dishes containing bacteria samples found on different hall passes.

should be altered, eradicated, or just remain the same.

“I would suggest that students should start using the hall passes in our planners to keep sanitary or just eliminate them completely and then have teachers take a second attendance to mark people who may have left,” said Bergman.

While some students think that the hall passes need to go, there are some who are not as bothered.

“I wouldn’t get rid of them at this point, although they are super unsanitary and kind of a hassle, I think it gives teachers a peace of mind as to who is out of the room,” said Sr. Emma Vogel.

An alternate view is to alter the hall passes but keep the same concept.

“If I had the choice I would keep the hall passes but switch them to something cleaner and more sanitary,” said Jr. Colson Parker.

El Diablo conducted an experiment with the support of the DHS Science Department on the hall passes to find out how contaminated they really are. The test was done using a simple bacteria swab kit with agar plates.

Nine passes were swabbed from different departments around the school.

A control clipboard was also swabbed, which was used for academic purposes, but not as a hall pass. After swabbing the clipboards with a sterile cotton swab, the bacteria was then swiped on to agar plates and set up in an incubator for the bacteria to grow.

After the incubation period, the agar

Mia Boudreau

plates showed substantial bacterial growth.

“The plates that had the most widespread growth would be the worst because there is a greater amount of bacteria, followed by the plates with large clumps which indicates that the bacteria was reproducing quickly,” said Jackson.

In comparison to the results from the control clipboard, the results from the hall pass clipboards had much more widespread bacterial growth, while the control clipboard had more concentrated bacterial growth.

There is not a sure way to determine the type of bacteria with the resources we had, but Mr. Jackson was able to analyze the plates.

“I would say based on the results, it is quite obvious that people handling the clipboards are not always washing their hands and/or teachers are not disinfecting their clipboards regularly. Because of this, the clipboards could be carriers for bacteria. As far as the type of bacteria…

I would say it is Escherichia coli also known as e.coli which can make people sick,” said Jackson.

The hall passes proved to be contaminated, and could potentially be getting people sick. Based on student feedback, they don’t seem to be keeping students especially safe, and they are not well regulated. These passes have shown evidence that they could possibly be more detrimental than beneficial to the students of Durango High School.

April 2018

After over a week of the community striking to get teachers the pay raise they deserve, the teacher strike in West Virginia has officially ended with agreement from Gov. Jim Justice that increases state employee pay by five percent.

“I felt encouraged, supported, and strengthened by the outcome of the strike. As a member of the teachers union, AFT, I was part of democracy in action. The support of our Superintendent, Dr. Gibson, along with parents and students, was particularly inspiring,” said John Guiser, a teacher at Shepherdstown Middle School in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

The strike began on February 22, when over 20,000 teachers walked out of schools demanding higher wages and improved benefits. Union leaders informed the public that teachers would not be going back to school unless all of their demands were met by the governor.

“This strike has been months in the making. The teachers and state personnel have been told they were going to receive a pay raise over the past few years,” said Adrianne Uphold, the Managing Editor at the Daily Athenaeum, the student newspaper at West Virginia University.

According to the National Educational Association, in 2016, the average salary for a teacher in West Virginia was $45,622. Ranking the state 48th in the nation, receiving an average of 31% less than any other state in the nation.

“To pay them [the teachers] such a substandard wage is downright insulting when compared to the vitality of their jobs,” said Kameron Duncan, an opinion editor at the Daily Athenaeum.

Having such low pay could lead qualified teachers to leave the state in search of a better salary, decreasing the quality of education in the state of West Virginia.

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News

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ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Following Parkland, DHS reiterates lockdown protocol HANNAH WILLS Reporter

Parents, students, and teachers have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of lockdowns and security.

The DHS administration as well as the district processed these concerns and are deciding on new protocols that ensure the safety of all the students and staff at DHS. But do students really feel safe while they are at school? Are they aware of their part in preventing these emergency situations?

“The innocence of our youth is on the line,” said Kathy Morris, Safety and Security Coordinator for 9R Schools..

Safety and Security Coordinator for the district, Kathy Morris, evaluates all the vulnerable aspects of school security.

All classrooms are provided with Emergency Response Guides, but is everyone actually aware of all the tools that are provided in in them? She created the Emergency Response Guides according to the “I love you guys” website. This website provides the resources to safely defend yourself and inforce preventative measures.

“School safety is everyone’s responsibility and kid’s lives matter,” said Morris. Morris strongly believes that everyone has a part in ensuring the safety of themselves and everyone around them- everyone is a first responder, not just those that are actually certified.

DHS assistant principal Brandon Thurston, attended a school security meeting that DHS sponsored that included law enforcement, emergency responders, school administration, and community stakeholders to discuss what staff and students could expect as a response to an emergency situation.

“It is great to see so many people interested in working together to keep our kids and our schools safe,” said Thurston.

School Safety advocates argue that it is important to make people in the community aware if there is a situation going on at the high school so that we are able to get the help we need. Interagency coordination between all school stakeholders are working together to address this concern and brought new ideas to the table.

9R school district Superintendent, Dan Snowberger, voices that the community has a variety ideas to address the concerns, that we need to share opinions to make those decisions in order to keep the students safe.

“We have a group of parents right

now that would like to close our high school campus, that want metal detectors, that don’t want to have students be able to leave the high school during the day, that have to be checked in like at the airport. We have some people that want our teachers to be armed with weapons,” said Snowberger.

School Board Member Mick Souder, shared that the community has become more concerned since the Sandy Hook, Aztec, and most recently, Parkland shootings. It is forcing people to confront the issue at hand with not only concerns, but new security measures.

“We don’t want to turn our schools into prisons, but we want to keep students safe. What is reasonable? There are different points of view on what reasonable is,” said Souder.

Not only are parents and teachers concerned, but students have also experienced an increase of anxiety while at school. They also have questions that need to be answered.

So. Kaytea Mahan briefly attended school in Aztec and knew many of the people in the shooting which has forced her to rely on her instincts to help keep herself and friends safe. She also has questions about situations that have not been discussed, such as: why teachers don’t discuss protocols in every class and unique situations.

“In third hour I do know where [to go] and the rest of my classes I have no clue where to go. What happens if something happens during lunch, what happens during passing periods, or just before school, or just after school when kids are in the hall?” asked Mahan.

It is crucial that students know that school is a safe place where they can learn and socialize without having to be afraid.

Teachers have also expressed concerns, especially those in the West Wing, where the security guard position has been vacant since the fall semester. Additionally, there is the issue of students propping doors open. Not only are they putting themselves at risk, but they are putting other students at risk as well.

David Weisfeldt, Social Studies teacher at DHS, thinks it is important for everyone to communicate with students so that they are prepared in the case of an emergency situation. All students and staff need to be aware of all the protocols in order to be ready in the case of a situation at DHS. “There is no such thing as ‘it can’t happen here’” said Weisfeldt.

From Ospreys to Demons: students make the switch

DHS and the terrible, no good, very bad flu HAVENS WEBSTER Reporter

LUKE SWIFT Reporter Most students in small towns do not get the luxury of choice when it comes to what high school they attend, but in Durango, students are given that option.

New students enrolling at Animas High School are intrigued by the project based curriculum and their mission statement promising “rigorous academics and an engaging way of learning.”

While this works for some, many students begin to realize which local high school is best for them.

“The main reason I chose to switch was that I thought that Durango High School would be a better fit for me in general,” said So. Rebecca Bowers, who transferred from Animas to DHS her freshman year. “ The classes offered at DHS were more varied and there were fewer classes that were required, so I had a little more freedom in the classes I got to choose.”

However, she does comment that the teachers at Animas were enthusiastic about the subjects they covered in their classes.

“I thought most of the teachers were really great, enthusiastic, and had a new and creative way of thinking about learning and education,” said Bowers.

Some Animas students have contemplated the reasons others decide to switch.

“I think people leave AHS because they are not content with the curriculum,” said Animas So. Quincy Buickerood. “I have heard some people complain about the lack of professional ism that some teachers show.”

Buickerood benefits from the educational standards that Animas has to

Luke Swift

offer. He continues to thrive at Animas and questions as to why some classmates have decided to switch.

“I love the project based learning style at AHS, it is one of the main reasons I went to Animas,” said Buickerood.

Having options in our community is great for our students. This way, students are able to flourish with these options that our community offers.

“I am really glad that we live in a community that has choices for our students, and I say that not just as an educator, but as a parent,” said Libby Cowles, Assistant Head of AHS. Educators from both schools agree that these choices are great for our students.

“I feel like Animas could be a better fit than DHS for some students, and DHS is a better fit than Animas for a lot of students. It just depends on the student,” said Mr. Aspen, DHS Sophomore Counselor.

Some would also agree that due to these school’s differences, it benefits those who are looking for a different experience.

“I think they offer two different experiences, I think it’s great that we have that choice here in a small town like Durango,” said Aspen. “Students that have transferred to DHS like the more traditional model of learning over a collaborative model where your grades are dependent on others in your group.”

Regardless of which schools students choose, a mix of learning styles between DHS and Animas ultimately benefits the youth of our community. The educating community here in Durango agree that having choices is how our students can thrive and continue to enjoy their educational endeavors.

Colorado has had 3,550 flu hospitalizations this season, which is a new high record. The strain of this influenza is very dangerous and affecting many people, and is still ongoing.

The virus, H3N2, has affected many people, especially the children and elderly. Colorado is among the few states in the U.S. that has been hit especially hard by this virus putting many people in the hospital.

“This year there have been 67 flu hospitalizations, and the season isn’t over,” said Penny Hill, an Infection Control/ Health Manager employee of the San Juan Regional Medical Center.

The new strain of the flu virus known as Influenza A, H3N2, is affecting many people, but with the vaccination, it can reduce the severity of the disease. It has hospitalized 3,550 people, with one pediatric death.

“About one or two kids a day show up here with symptoms of the flu,” said Adeline Bryant, the school nurse at Durango High School.

We are over the peak in this years flu virus, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over. This years strain was worse than others because scientists tried to predict

The flu sickness comes around every year and affects many people that can’t help being affected. This virus has extensive varieties that are hard to detect and cure. Many people this year haven’t gotten the flu shot, but most of the percentage of affected people are children and the elderly.

“The reason for virus’ getting worse and worse is evolution,” said Nashleanas.

The virus develops new immunities each year from the previous vaccinations, which is why it changes every year into a new hybrid. Scientists are trying to create a vaccine that will be more a a large scale coverage of the virus, which will be more efficient.

According to the Center for Disease Control,“One in 10 Americans who have died in the past week died from flu or pneumonia.”

The flu vaccine is made from a dead strain of the flu virus then mixed with egg whites to get the final product. So far this year, the flu vaccine has only shown about 60% effectiveness at its best, and it’s only reduces and the severity of the symptoms.

“People with the flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away,” according to the CDC.

Havens Webster Durango High School’s School-Based Health Center’s entrance is located in the courtyard.

what the vaccination should be like, but their guesses were unfortunately incorrect.

“This flu influenza hit a lot harder than past ones, and has more variety that the vaccine doesn’t cover,” said DHS biology teacher, Sarah Nashleanas.

El Diablo

For about eight days with the start of the sickness the 7 days after that, you are highly contagious, even if you don’t show symptoms. You spread the virus by touching surfaces and infecting them or coughing/sneezing everywhere, so the best way to prevent this is to stay home and stay clean.

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Move over, Nanny McPhee: DHS to offer early childhood education class HAVENS WEBSTER Reporter

Do you love caring for and being around little kids? DHS will be offering the perfect program for you. The new Early Childhood Education class starting in fall of 2018 will offer knowledge about care for toddlers and infants, CPR certifications, and nutrition and wellness.

This class will help you achieve professions in teaching young children, babysitting skills, and much more.

This course will be centered around basic knowledge of child caretaking, food and nutrition skills, CPR and safety skills, and guidance procedures. The class will be similar tpa daycare/school area that students go into and interact with the children in the program. It will be a real life type scenario so you can experience what this profession would actually be like.

“This will be kind of a lab experience for the kids taking the class in which you can get internship hours and gain experience,” said Brandon Thurston, the DHS assistant Principal.

This classroom will be separated into two parts, one in which infants will

be in, and the other for toddlers. Kids taking the class will get to interact and learn about how to deal with the young children.

Freshman Bailey Freeman expressed her hopes for the class. She is eager to learn about the responsibilities of taking care of children.“It would be good to know how to care for children and understand the responsibilities that come with caring for young children,” said Freeman.

The position for a teacher willing to teach this class is open, and requirements are knowledge about family and consumer sciences, food and nutrition, etc. They will be teaching infants and toddlers, ages 18 months to 36 months.

“There is a need in the community for young child teachers, so this class will give the opportunity for DHS students wanting to go into these professions and give them some of the credentials they need to achieve their goals,” said Thurston.

Since there is a need for more preschool and kindergarten teachers, this class will be combining community need and student interest. You can get your CPR certification and know everything

you need to know if you are even thinking about this class. It works for the short term and long term. In the short term, everything this class gives you will be very helpful in the babysitting business, and in the long term, of course, becoming a preschool or kindergarten teacher.

“I do think this class would be beneficial. It’s a lot easier to work with children when you know how their brains are working, and how to interact with them,” said Eva-Adair Barry, a former DHS sophomore who works at a preschool.

If you have been considering about going into this profession, and love young kids, then this class would be a good choice for you. You will get to hang around little kids and play with them, and also help them learn and teach them skills while you are learning as well.

This will be like a test trial for what your everyday life would be like if you went further than this class into teaching, and if you like doing this, then it can help you make major life decisions.

Please see your counselor if you are interested in this taking Early Childhood Education classes next year.

Havens Webster The Early Childhood Education class will provide many more learning opportunities for students, particularly those who want to be educators.

Update: PCC preps for move to DHS HANNAH WILLS Reporter

It is official- Pueblo Community Colege will be moving into Durango High School at the end of this school year. The recent 9R press conference officially released the college move into DHS. Students can expect a significant change of atmosphere and structure of the school next year. Students will now have access to concurrent enrollment without having to go anywhere. However the safety of students has become a prominent concern for teachers, parents and students themselves.

The West Wing of the High School will be converted by Pueblo Community College to fit their needs and ensure the safety of all DHS students. There will also be significant amounts of security added to the school to help ease the concerns of parents.

9R Superintendent Dan Snowberger, shares that the community is in need of more employees in various specialties.

Having the college move into to the high school will allow students to graduate with an associates degree so they are able to contribute to the community by filling in some of those jobs.

“It allows students to move in that direction [getting degrees before graduating high school]. It is targeting the need and providing opportunities,” said Snowberger.

Snowberger believes that they are matching the needs of the community, but also providing a great convenience to students. The two populations at the high school will also be kept completely separate, unless students are taking college classes.

Patty Erjavec represented PCC at the 9R press conference, elaborated on the security measures that they are taking so far such as: having separate bathrooms, entrances/exits, adding security, having a controlled entrance.

DHS Walkout continued from page 1

This is the largest strike ever in the history of West Virginia’s education system, with just about every public school (approximately fifty-five school districts) joining forces to give teachers what they had been promised by Gov. Justice.

“While West Virginia has had teacher strikes in the past, most recently an 11-day work stoppage in 1990 but this strike is the first to include all 55 counties. This show of solidarity between

“We too are concerned about the safety of our students and our faculty and our staff. We can’t stand up here promise you that a situation like that will never occur, but we can promise you that we are going to take every action possible to make sure that the high school is safe,” said Erjavec.

Can students, parents, and staff help but wonder whether the safety of themselves and their children are being put at risk? Individuals at the press release had similar concerns and many questions. A question that was pretty prominent was the environment of DHS and continuous safety concerns.

“There will be some designated, separate parking for PCC students from DHS students. The entrance to PCC will be on the south end of the building over there by the tennis courts. A Durango High School student that wants to take a class being offered in the PCC section of the campus will exit the front doors of the high school and come in the that entryway. The hallway will be separated by alarmed doors,” said Snowberger.

Todd Jolley, a DHS teacher in the

West Wing, will be having to move his classroom next year when PCC moves.

He was apprehensive when the move was first announced, but after learning the details of the transition and the benefits of having the college on the DHS campus.

“It might be a little rough at the start, but it will be a great partnership. It not only gives our students more opportunities, but the students at PCC, as well.

After all, we’re here to serve students.

This may be inconvenient for some staff members moving and combining classrooms, but teacher comfort is secondary to student success ” said Jolley.

Overall PCC’s move into DHS is going to have many benefits for not only the college students, but also for DHS students. Although change is hard, it does not mean that it is always a bad. *Mr. Jolley is the Journalism Adviser for El Diablo, and therefore is normally not interviewed for stories. However, he was the only available teacher that is going to be moved from the West Wing pod.

Hannah Wills Administrators discussed the safety concerns of the move during the 9-R press conference.

teachers led to every public school in the state being closed over a four-day period,” said Kameron Duncan, an opinion editor at the Daily Athenaeum, informs the public.

Since the protest, school has been back in session. After nine consecutive days of school cancellations, teachers are proud to have voiced their opinions to the Governor, and are looking forward in continuing to give students the education they deserve.

“The best is yet to come, and I plan to keep giving my best,” said Guiser.

Speaking of the students, many from the West Virginia school districts were

involved in the strike, demonstrating how much their education and their teachers matter to them.

“I went to public school in Morgantown so I have witnessed these hard working teachers give everything to their students. WV legislators need to remind them how crucial they are to our society,” said Uphold.

After reaching a compromise with the teachers’ demands, the Governor expressed just how valuable teachers are to the society, tweeting, “I’m an educator, I believe in your purpose, I believe in you, and I love our kids.”

April 2018

News

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New StuCo executives share their thoughts

CARTER REITER Managing Editor

The 2018-2019 Executive Student Body Officer elections took place in midMarch and the next Executive Officers were elected. El Diablo asked the new Officers to tell us a little bit about themselves, their experiences on Student Council, and what they’re looking forward to for next year.

ALEX HISE - Co-President “My name is Alex Hise. I’m a junior and I will be the Student Body Co President next year. I first joined student council my freshman year and didn’t necessarily think much of it and didn’t really become passionate about it until the beginning of my sophomore year. I continue to be a part of Student Council because I want to make a positive impact on our school and Student Council for many years to come. I love the social dynamic of student council and being in a position to change the school for the better.”

EMMA HACKETT - Co-President “I’m Emma Hackett and I’m in 11th grade, currently I am the Junior Class President and next year I’m going to be the Student Body Co-President! I’ve been on council since my freshman year and joined for the family aspect of it. Now, Student Council has become a way for me to help my school be a better place and make people’s days. As an exec, I hope to have a positive impact on our school and make student council a warm and friendly place. I love council because I love all the people who are in it and I love putting on events and seeing how hard work pays off and how much the students enjoy them.”

WILL LAMMONS - Vice President “As of now, I’m the junior class member and next year I will be the student body vice president. My favorite things about student council are putting on events and showing school spirit. I also love the family aspect. I like being able to go into student council every day and see my friends and have fun while also helping the school and the community. Those are the reasons that I wanted to become an exec. I am absolutely stoked for next year! One of the things that I really hope to change for next year is that I hope to create more pep assemblies. My only piece of advice for the students is to try to stay positive and lift each other up, because that’s the only way you’re going to make it through high school.

IAN MATTOX - Secretary Treasurer “I joined StuCo my freshman year because I wanted to leave a lasting impact on DHS. I came back every year because I loved seeing how much I could affect someone else’s life in a positive way through student leadership. The thing I love most about StuCo is everyone involved and all of the life-long friends that you make from working together to better our school. When I first came into high school I wasn’t sure if I could ever be an Exec, but after working hard over the past few years and getting so much support from so many people, I thought that, now it’s my turn to give back to everyone at DHS. Being an Exec is the best way I can imagine go doing that.

I’m sooo stoked for next year and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store!”

Opinion

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ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Battle of the sexes: Is gender a social construct?

Caroline Knight

To dismiss the separation between men and women as evolutionary is to excuse sexism with science. Though there are of course biological differences between men and women, it is societal constructions - not evolutionary adaptations - which have led to a distinct separation between genders and bred a culture in which the ideology behind masculinity often proves harmful to both men and women.

The differences between men and women stem much deeper than the toys they prefer to play with as children (as that has seemingly no impact on who a person will grow up to be).

A data collective by the FBI found that males compromised 88.7 percent of persons arrested for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in 2012. For forcible rape, males accounted for 99.1 percent of arrests.

It is easy to look at these numbers and write all males off as inherently violent, but here are some more relevant numbers: the United States Census Bureau estimates that in that same year, 151,175,000 men were living in the United States. Of those men, 323,489 were arrested for what the FBI considers to be a “violent crime.” In other words, 0.21% of the male population. If men committed crime simply because of evolutionary traits, that percentage would be far higher.

Beyond the numbers, the suggestion that men are naturally aggressive excuses them from inappropriate behavior and perpetrates the “boys will be boys” mentality that men cannot be held responsible for their actions. Such ideology feeds into a culture in which violence against women runs rampant.

A society where women are seen as sexual prizes is harmful for both parties. Most people are aware of the alarming statistics regarding sexual assault on women - one of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and females ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

Assaults on men, however, go largely unnoticed and unreported. There is an undeniable double-standard when it comes to male victims of sexual assault.

As of 1998, 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of attempted or completed rape. Yes, the numbers are higher for women, but it should not be treated as exclusively a women’s issue.

A great example of this can be seen in the number of female teachers having sex with their male students, those of which are often between the ages of 13 and 16. Most recently, a 27-year-old middle school teacher in Arizona was

found to be sexually abusing a 13-yearold student, molesting him and sending him sexually explicit texts. Often, teachers are caught because the abused student is heard bragging about it to friends, and there lies a major societal difference between girls and boys.

Had an adult male teacher been having sex with a 6th grade female student, it would be safe to assume there would be more national outcry. If you have been following the news, you know that stories of female predators in schools are far from uncommon, but they have yet to be treated as a pattern of sexual violence against young boys.

It’s also safe to assume that these boys can be easily manipulated into feeling not as though they are victims, but a partner in a consensual relationship.

Boys are respected among other boys when they are popular among women, thus making them easier targets for the pedophilic school teachers which seem so prevalent today.

That being said, the comparison between violent crime in men and women is staggeringly unbalanced, and here is where societal pressures again play a large role. Masculinity is not inherently bad, but ideology surrounding it creates a culture in which nice guys finish last.

From the time they are very young, boys are taught to “be a man” or “suck it up” when it comes to having feelings. In sports, boys are encouraged not to “play like a girl” or be a “pussy.”

Masculinity can very quickly develop into sentiments that not only objectify and degrade women, but isolate men in dealing with their feelings alone. From 1990 to today, 79 percent of suicides in America were committed by men. It is another statistic in which the separation between men and women is clear, but it cannot simply be explained by biological differences.

Look instead towards the notion-one which has been predominant for the entirety of America’s existence-that men should be the breadwinners for their families. Men should remain tough, men should make a lot of money. In fact, unemployment rates and suicide rates in men have a direct correlation. Research conducted by Christopher Ruhm, a professor at the University of Virginia, found that for every single percentage point increase in a state’s unemployment rate, the number of suicides increases about 1.3 percent.

The argument that differing behavior in men and women is largely evolutionary fails to account for the stay-at-home dads or the rising number of women in the workplace. It fails to explain those in the LGBTQ+ community, those who do not identify with their assigned gender, and men and women who do not otherwise conform to what was, in the 1950’s perhaps, society’s idea of success and normality.

It is abundantly clear that not all men fit the mold of traditionally masculine characteristics, as with women and feminine characteristics. That is irrefutable, and so the only explanation from an evolutionary standpoint is these people are subjects of genetic mutation, which is obviously untrue.

The idea that differences between men and women are mostly biological is not only factually and logically inaccurate, but it dispels any hopes of progress for the future. Ultimately, is excuses sexual violence and disparities between men and women, and acts as a cop out rather than a solution for change.

Paxton Scott

Too many third-wave feminist type thinkers argue that masculinity and femininity are social constructs and only reflect common gender stereotypes. They worry that acknowledging biological behavioral differences in men and women amounts to sexism. Science is not sexist, and ignoring that data on gender leads to harmful misinformation.

It is true that social ideals affect how both men and women act, but gender differences go much deeper than superficial stereotypes. At their base, masculine and feminine behaviors can be traced back to different evolutionary requirements for men and women.

Scientifically, men and women experience different physical development.

When adolescents hit puberty, a size differential emerges; men significantly increase in upper body strength, weight, and body hair while women grow breasts and hips.

What is the reason for this discrepancy? A 2008 study published by Nature concluded that “due to fights between males for the possession of females, sexual selection has favoured bigger males”.

Gender differences driven by natural and sexual selection go deeper than merely physical appearance.

For instance, studies have shown— and this is apparent even watching an elementary recess—that boys tend to play with more masculine toys such as trucks while girls are more likely to play with dolls or stuffed animals. One argument for this discrepancy is that boys are encouraged by society to conform to male stereotypes—to play with trucks— and girls experience similar pressures to play with dolls.

A study in 2009 from Emory University suggests otherwise. Researchers looked at the 34 Rhesus monkeys and compared their reactions when given a variety of toys. The study found, “Male monkeys, like boys, showed consistent and strong preferences for wheeled toys”.

Since the toys held no gender significance to monkeys, the study concluded the difference in preferences demonstrated that “such preferences can develop without explicit gendered socialization.”

Gerianne Alexander, a Texas A&M psychology professor, explains the study results: “girls have evolved to perceive social stimuli, such as people, as very important” and dolls look like people.

Although toy selection does not have a lot intrinsic importance, the data highlights that males tend to be more interested in objects and females tend to be more interested in people, even when socialization is removed.

After puberty occurs, differences in male and female behavior—physical and behavioral—become even more appar-

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ent.

Multiple independent studies have shown that men score much lower in agreeableness than women. Agreeableness is one of the “Big 5” personality traits psychologist use to analyze personality, and it is associated with empathy, compassion, and kindness.

One biological reason for men being more disagreeable is higher testosterone levels.

As study produced by neuroscientist at UCLA states, “aggression latencies are strongly influenced by the simultaneous action of gonadal hormones and [male] sex chromosomes.”

An example of this is that men on average exhibit more violent tendencies than women—of the mass shootings in the U.S. between 1982 and 2018, 98 percent were perpetrated by men. In addition to killing others, men are overrepresented in suicides despite being underrepresented in depression.

A study by a Finnish behavioral psychologist concludes that women are less violent because “being physically weaker, they simply have to develop other means than physical ones in order to reach successful results.”

Among the “Big 5” traits, women are also overrepresented in neuroticism. People with high neuroticism are more hesitant, anxious, depressed, and lonely. A concrete example of this is that women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression as men.

While not a very useful trait in the 21st century, natural selection likely favored neuroticism in women because it correlates with caution and worry.

Women, historically, have been more vulnerable than men because of their child bearing responsibility.

In connection with personality traits, Dr. Grace J Wang at the University of Pennsylvania found that men and women even respond differently to stress with separate parts of the brains: “stress in men was associated with CBF increase in the right prefrontal cortex [while] stress in women primarily activated the limbic system.”

In a follow up study, Dr. Shelley E. Taylor, a professor of psychology at UCLA, concluded that while males’ response to a social threat is typically “fight or flight”, “females’ are more marked by a pattern of ‘tend-and-befriend’”.

Taylor defined tending as activities aimed at protecting oneself and offspring. Befriending is behavior aimed at creating a social network to aid in that process. Since women are both smaller than men and responsible for small children, “fight or flight” was not an evolutionarily tenable response to stress.

This is not to say that nature is the only factor. Social pressures certainly contribute to behavioral differences as young boys and girls attempt to fit into the expectations of their parents and their peers. However, to describe masculinity and femininity as social constructions is to ignore science and reject common experience.

Of course some individuals identify with a gender different then the one they were born with, and have the clear right to do that. In fact, transgender individuals often take hormones to become more biological and behavioural similar with the gender that they identity with.

When talking about genders, we are talking about biology. The time has passed when we could—in good scientific conscious—write off gender as as a social construction.

Opinion 5

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Guns are the problem, NRA is the enemy

Bryn Valdez

There comes a point after enough people are massacred because of gun violence when hopes and prayers are no longer enough. As of now, guns are so readily available to anyone with a will to own one, or many for that matter is able to attend a gun show and come home that same day with a new military-grade rifle and no background check completed.

In order to prevent yet another tragedy, we need to enact laws that will regulate the availability of weapons capable of mass murder, specifically to those with a criminal background or history of mental illness.

This statement alone seems to strike fear into the 30% of adult Americans who own guns, seemingly because it comes off as an attack on their Second Amendment Rights.

However, responsible gun owners should be able to rest easy, because the American culture we live in right now is in no position to execute extensive gun laws that restrict all ownership. Rather, the more reasonable approach would be to enact smaller gun restrictions in the hopes that they deter people looking to harm other with guns.

A prime example would be the laws that Florida has been passing since the time of the Stoneman-Douglas shooting.

Governor Rick Scott has passed laws that raise the minimum age for buying a gun from 18 to 21, create a waiting period of three days before guns are received to allow time for a possible background check, banning bump stocks that allow rifles to fire faster, and expanded school security and mental health services.

For many, this may seem like a drastic and exaggerated reaction, but in looking at global data the new laws are actually supported. For example, in 1996 a shooter armed with an AR-15, an automatic rifle, opened fire into a crowd in Port Arthur, Australia. Following the deaths and injuries of his 53 victims, Australian lawmaker banned the selling

and import of semi-automatic military grade firearms.

The result has been not a single mass shooting in the country since.

Another popular response that gun supporters have taken up in the wake of the Parkland shooting is that teachers should be armed in the event of a threat.

However, these people fail to realize what a huge responsibility it is to carry a firearm, which is taxing both mentally and physically.

Teachers would have to decide if they are prepared to face the chance that they may have to take a life, which may seem trivial in the moment of undergoing training but has the potential to haunt them forever. Having armed teachers also opens the possibility of a student gaining control of the firearm and turning on their peers.

It is especially hard to imagine in our quaint and friendly town of Durango, arming our own DHS instructors at all times instead of looking into other causes that may be responsible for violence.

It seems as though these responses are a scapegoat to avoid the fact that we need to start addressing the real issue in our society like how we deter boys from showing emotion and address mental illness as a taboo.

The parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had a history of depression tied to the death of his mother, which he was encouraged to conceal, in addition to racist views regarding his fellow students.

From what police have determined to be an unclear motive, a logical explanation would be that Cruz struggled to overcome his dejection and turned to a surface-level rationale for placing the blame on somebody else.

There is a possibility that if America’s culture were not so close-minded to these issues, Nikolas would have chosen another path. According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of the 20% of Americans with mental illness do not seek treatment, Cruz being among them.

With this said, the NRA and other gun-positive organizations still blame gun violence completely on mental illness with no regard for the consequences that have been proven to come from their actions.

The NRA itself is so deeply rooted in our government that when asked point-blank by a Parkland survivor if he would stop accepting donations from the organization in return for loyalty to them, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, refused to agree and even acknowledge that they were part of the problem.

It is clear to see that while the issue of gun violence in America is much more than guns themselves, there has never been a more urgent time to start executing preventative measures.

Respect my second amendment rights

Austin Swan

The second amendment was created by our founding fathers because they believed that all people had a right to self preservation given to them by nature and by God. Self preservation covers defense against threats, foreign and domestic, self defense, hunting for food, and resistance to tyranny.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. - The second amendment The founding fathers understood that it is possible for any government to become tyrannical, and they also knew that an armed populus could serve as a good defense from said tyrannical government.

Foreign threats to American citizens include invasion from another country.

Even though this is quite unlikely, there is little reason to not be prepared. Domestic threats to citizens include gangs, government overreach, unjust upholding of the law, etc.

There are approximately 30,000 gun deaths each year in the United States, and according to the US Department of Justice around 60% of those are suicides.

According to the National Institute of Justice, guns are used to save lives defensively somewhere between 500,000 to 3,000,000 times each year. Guns save

far more lives than they take.

Resistance to tyranny is possibly the most important reason to have the second amendment. The founding fathers had just won a war in which they resisted a tyrannical government when they created the Bill of Rights. They understood how important it was/is for the armed populus to be able to defend itself from government overreach and keep the government from becoming too powerful.

The founding fathers often brought up the need for a “well armed militia”, which is to say an armed populus capable of fending off the government. By this logic, the citizens should have rights to whatever grade of firearm would allow them to defend themselves against the government.

This type of well armed militia is the single greatest deterrent for a potentially tyrannical government.

Many people who are pro gun control legislation will say that the second amendment was made at a time where muskets were the strongest firearm, so the second amendment shouldn’t protect rifles.

This is a fallacy, at the time of the creation of the second amendment, the musket was a military grade weapon.

AR-15’s are several grades below military grade. Relatively speaking, AR-15’s are a less powerful weapon for citizens in use against government malfeasance.

The founders wanted to arm their citizens because they wanted to ensure that the well armed militia would be able to defend itself. If the second amendment only protected muskets, the citizens would not stand a chance against a corrupted government.

Gun control supporters will often throw out the idea that the second amendment was made just for hunting, because at the time of the founding, hunting was the primary way to get food for most families.

By reading the constitution and looking at other works by the founding fathers, it becomes quickly and obviously apparent that this is not the case.

In the second amendment, the founding fathers wrote that a well armed militia is necessary to the security of a free state. A militia, in this case, was not the army but rather the armed population.

What we can learn from the March for Our Lives Sophia Adamski

Attendants at the March for Our Lives touted signs that read ‘Minorities don’t have the same rights as guns in this country.’ ‘I’m tired of watching my friends get slaughtered.’ ‘No more excuses: Vote them out.’ ‘Maybe if we gave AR-15s vaginas,’ one sign snarled, ‘the government would try to regulate them!!!’ Other signs were humorous, more lighthearted in nature than their counterparts; ‘Buns not guns’ was a favorite.

I decided to participate in the march following the Aztec shooting. Gun violence wasn’t just a post I could like out of sympathy on Instagram. I could no longer passively read a headline and forget about it ten minutes later. It became much more personal to me.

The March for Our Lives, one of the largest organized protests in American history, took place on March 24, 2018, with over 800 sister events across the United States and the world. While it’s hard to predict crowd sizes exactly, satellite images show crowds that go above the 500,000 attendance estimate; however, no picture can accurately represent being in the crowd, in a massive gathering of people, ducking between signs and shoulders and the occasional stroller.

El Diablo Voice of the students and official newspaper of Durango High School.

Contact us: Mailing address: 2390 Main Avenue Durango, Colorado 81301 Phone: 970-259-1630, ext. 2221 Fax: 970-375-3987 Email: tjolley@durangoschools.org Editors: Head editors: Paxton Scott and Caroline Knight Managing editor: Carter Reiter News heads: Haley Szczech and Tierney Brennan Feature head: Saylor Stottlemyer Feature editor:

Events this large don’t come without controversy. A fabricated photo showing event organizer and Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez tearing the Constitution apart being circulated widely by conservative Twitter users - the original showed Gonzalez ripping up shooting range targets. Another claim targeting Gonzalez said that she admitted to bullying Nikolas Cruz; the claim was taken out-of-context from a quote that reveals that Marjory-Stoneman Douglas students had alerted school officials to Cruz’s potentially dangerous behavior.

The days leading up to the march were filled with murmuring electricity.

It was nearly impossible to not feel it.

Instagram’s explore page was filled with posts about it. CNN, Fox, MSNBC- every major news network -reported on it on the days leading up to, and on the morning of, the demonstration. Families and organized school trips filled the National Mall, and dozens of people wore shirts advertising the march. One would be hard-pressed to find a room where at least five or ten people weren’t wearing a shirt protesting semi-automatic weapons.

We met an organizer, named simply Jim M., in the food court of the National Portrait Gallery. He walked around slowly, approaching people wearing March for Our Lives paraphernalia. He Maddy Gleason Sports head: Bekah Moenning Sports editor: Mo Murray Arts head: Afton Mann Arts editor: Emma Jaber Specials head: Brianna Brown Specials editor: Irie Sentner Head photographers: Jenna Beckley and Maddie Dearien Photographers: Tatum Behn, Maggie Maloney, Stella Walsh, Cassandra Blau, Joey Mynatt, Autumn Stevens, Lydia Schertz, Alyssa Robertson, and Hailey Voss Advertising editors: Ramon Perez, Gavin Syme Online heads: Gwen Stoddard and Gillian Holmgren Online editors: Tommy Rodgers, Sophie Hughes, and Liana Bygel

made polite small talk with us, asking us where we were from and why we were here. We told him about the Aztec shooting, noting that it didn’t receive the same national coverage as other shootings. He shook his head sadly. “It’s terrible,” he said. “Something has to be done. It’s terrible.” He paused for a moment, then walked away.

“Would you like some literature?”

A girl, no older than seventeen, asked cheerfully on the morning of the march.

She pressed a neatly folded pamphlet into our hands. “Congratulations,” it read, “on participating in the beginning of the revolution.” She, along with hundreds of others handing out flyers, as well selling buttons, shirts, and hoodies, formed a sort of human pathway to the mouth of the rally. As we got closer, the vendors thickened. Food trucks lined 7th Street Northwest, located about six blocks away from the rally. Men yelled and waved shirts. “Two for ten dollars!

Two for ten!”

For three hours, we marched - or, more accurately, trudged - our way through the mass of humanity that brought downtown Washington to a standstill. From the foot of the Capitol to the steps of the White House more than a mile west, Pennsylvania Avenue and its offsets were completely drowned with people. From 30 ft. screens, demonstra-

Reporters: Austin Swan, Jack Whistler, Sophia Adamski, Ramon Perez, Caleb Simons, Bryn Valdez, Catherine Marqua, Chloe Ragsdale, Kate McKinnis, Mia Boudreau, and Grace Swanson.

Subscriptions... are $25 per calendar year; please send a check and mailing address to: El Diablo, 2390 Main Avenue, Durango, CO 81301. Thank you for supporting scholastic journalism.

El Diablo is a public forum for public expression produced by the students of Durango High School’s

Aril 2018

tors could watch as speakers from MSD student David Hogg to celebrities such as Demi Lovato.

The most important thing I learned from the march is a principle that we raise our children on, one that we place on a pedestal our entire lives, but rarely act upon in a manner this large.

I reflected on this as we stood in front of the Newseum. Arguably, the March for Our Lives was more heavily focused on the Second Amendment and how it has failed us in a modern context. In a larger-than-life rendition of the First Amendment displayed on the front of the Newseum, however, brought into focus another important element of the march.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Without those 45 words, the March for Our Lives would be nearly, if not outright, impossible. We are taught to exercise our rights outlined in the First Amendment nearly from the moment we’re born, and to actively participate in a demonstration that will, in time, bring change to this country.

newspaper class under the advisement of Todd Jolley. It is printed by the Durango Herald/Farmington Daily Times. The paper encourages letters to the editor but will not print unsigned or libelous letters; opinions stated are not necessarily those of the administration, staff or school board.

DISCLAIMER: Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Durango High School students or El Diablo staff.

Feature

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ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

A cycle of destructive behavior:

exploring the depths of oppression and bullying

Lily Longan Cyberbullying is a major issue in the technological age, with many detrimental effects to those involved.

LILY LONGAN Reporter Most everyone has seen the cliche movie where the mean girls bully their less popular peer until something happens that gives the victim the upperhand

for revenge. However, the real world of bullying is not nearly as glamorous as the movies make it seem.

Victims of bullying can experience body and self image issues, as well as questioning the worth of themselves.

Their self esteem, personal life, and mental health can all suffer.

“If the victim has a propensity towards depression, they’re going to be affected greater [by bullying] and if they have more risk factors, including they are more socially isolated, they don’t feel connected to school, or they don’t have a strong family system, that [bullying] is going to affect them more than a student who has a strong family system, supportive friends, and emotional resilience to face adversity,” said DHS counselor Katie Brandau.

If you notice a friend that has been distant, you may want to make sure you and others are treating them with kindness and respect. Victims of bullying may express depressed symptoms. They may even be suicidal.

“It can lead a student to feel more socially withdrawn, and add to depression-like symptoms,” said Brandau.

Bullying can lower a student’s self esteem, and lead or add on to issues with mental health, such as anxiety or depression. Victims of bullying can turn to unhealthy methods of coping, such as drug use or cutting.

“I fell into a very deep depression when I was in sixth grade, I tried to commit suicide seven separate times. I

新的中國語文課

would hurt myself, I would cut my arms and stomach so people wouldn’t see.

I had anorexia. It hurt a lot.” said an anonymous DHS student and victim of bullying.

Those who have been hurt may look for other students as outlets to torment to ease their inner anger, but a victim may also take out their rage onto themselves. Students who have struggled with depression are even more likely to take out their rage onto themselves. In this way, bullying is a reckless cycle of senseless harm.

As for the form that bullying takes, counselors pointed to one main culprit: the online world.

“With cyberbullying, you say things that you normally wouldn’t say in a face to face interaction.” said Brandau.

The easiest way for a bully to get to someone is online. Students expose their personal lives to the world of social media, and it is all too easy for bullies to feel comfortable picking out their insecurities to boost their own egos.

“The two main ways are online, definitely social media, where you have the benefit of anonymity or distance, and I would say the other way is exclusion, like social manipulation,” said DHS counselor Sean Hembree.

Bullies use social media or other online platforms to attack people because it gives them the power to avoid meeting with their victim face to face. This construct of anonymity lets bullies have emotional distance from the harm they

are causing, and it is easier to get away with social manipulation when a victim has no proof that another student is out to harm them.

Bullying is a way for many former victims to gain power in the same unhealthy way someone did to them, by picking on them and their insecurities.

“Almost every bully I have worked with has come from a background that has made them feel very vulnerable and made them feel like a victim, and it becomes very appealing to them to establish your power by dominating someone else” said Hembree.

So what draws the line between someone who is mean and a someone who is a bully?

“Often teasing and being just mean is misconstrued as bullying and they are not the same thing, so bullying has to be reoccuring, there has to be a power differential, which can exist in socioeconomic status, looks, grades, or popularity.” said Brandau.

Bullying is a perpetuating cycle, those who have been put down and hurt by others may want to feel the same power over others. That doesn’t mean bullying is excusable.

“I don’t think they [bullies] understand, and I don’t think that they ever will, because, well maybe they have tough lives, and I get that, but that doesn’t mean you can let your anger out on other people because you never know what’s going on in someone’s life,” said an anonymous student.

DHS to offer new Chinese language class

Emily Fiala The Chinese Language and Culture course will begin in Fall 2018.

EMILY FIALA Reporter Have you ever been interested in the Chinese culture? Have you ever wanted to learn about Chinese customs and traditions?

Starting in the 2018-2019 school year, there will be a new Chinese language class offered at DHS. This course will offer students an opportunity to learn not only how to read, speak, and write Chinese, but Chinese culture and customs.

“I’m sure they’ll do all sorts of things with culture. As language teachers, we always try to bring in culture into our classrooms to get the students interested in the people and cultural celebrations, and cultural differences,” said Zoa Stuntz, French teacher and head of the World Language Department at DHS. DHS has wanted to add a Chinese class for many years. The administration have never been able to find the right person for the job, but they recently found a candidate that has accepted the job.

“We interviewed last year for a Chinese teacher but they weren’t able to come, so we had to put the class on hold,” said Stuntz.

Not only is Chinese another unique language for students to learn, but it will be beneficial in the modern world to know, especially in foreign relations and trade.

“Chinese is spoken by a lot of people around the world. It’s a language that people might be interested in taking, just

to be more employable and to get more jobs where you might use Chinese,” said Stuntz.

Since this is such a new course, it’s not definite that there will be advanced classes offered in the future.

“There’s going to be Chinese 1 and possibly Chinese 2 next year for students who already have taken Chinese.

Hopefully they will add a Chinese 3 and possibly a Chinese 4 the next couple of years. That’s the goal, to push it and to help grow the program,” said Stuntz.

It’s not only Stuntz who is excited for a new language to be offered at DHS. Spanish teachers at DHS are delighted to have a new world language course for students to diversify their linguistic skills.

“I think anything that helps broaden students’ worldview is a positive thing.

Having traveled quite a bit myself, I think it’s great that we have an opportunity to provide another cultural experience for students,” said Kai Kauppi, a Spanish teacher at DHS. Kauppi agrees that in the current world, Chinese is a very important language that would be good to have offered at DHS. “It’s the sign of the times in this modern day with the amount of business that is going on between China and the United States,”said Kauppi.

Overall, this class is an unique and beneficial class to take in the present day world. With all the trade and business that has gone on between the United States and China, along with billions of people fluently speaking Chinese, knowing this language will be an ace up your sleeve.

So if you’re looking into international relations as a potential career or if you are interested in the Chinese culture, don’t hesitate. Sign up for the class!

Sponsored Content

Jenna Beckley Cantera is a new mexican restaurant in Downtown Durango that has been recieved well by locals.

Flavorful Durango New restaurants open up MADDY GLEASON Features Editor

No matter how long you’ve lived here, you can’t deny Durango has great local food. Rice Monkey, Zia Taqueria, and Serious Texas Barbeque are a few of many flavorful restaurants which help Durango shine.

The community of Durango is very open-minded, and many people love to experiment and try new foods. The local business arena is very diverse, with various types of restaurants all around town.

Like any town, pizza has found its place in Durango with the locals and frequent visitors. We also have popular Mexican, Thai and American restaurants. Recently, Durango has expanded its food palette with new restaurants opening up almost every month.

A new Mexican restaurant, Mountain Taco, opened where Fired up Pizzeria used to be, and it’s definitely memorable.

The inside of Mountain Taco has plenty of room for seating large groups, or just for a few friends going out to dinner. The staff is very friendly, and the food comes quickly, is delicious, and is distinguishable from other Mexican restaurants around town.

Cantera, a new Mexican restaurant, opened up where the Lost Dog used to be. So. Olivia Mummery shares her dining experience at the new restaurant.

“Cantera had really good, authentic food as well as great service. What sets them apart is the atmosphere, which was very impressive and unique. I recommend giving Cantera a try; there are many food options and the experience is really inviting and enjoyable,” said Mummery.

It’s very classy on the inside, and according to recent visitors, the fajitas and

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the tacos are a big hit. It was opened by the owners of Macho’s, another popular restaurant in Durango.

New restaurants opened by other owners seem to be popular in Durango.

The locally-loved Rice Monkey owners opened Pop Sushi in the Bread Complex.

“I liked the atmosphere at Pop Sushi.

It was casual, yet really fun and lively. I also like the location of Pop Sushi, and that more restaurants over the last five years have been moving into the Florida neighborhood,” said DHS staff member Katie Brandau.

Not only is the food delicious at these new restaurants, but they also provide numerous benefits for Durango’s growing economy.

“Eating locally helps put money back into the Durango economy. It also provides more jobs for locals, which in turn also enhances our local economy.

New restaurants also give locals more of a variety when they choose to eat out,” said Brandau.

“Restaurants like these, that are different, are very intriguing for people to try and are advantageous to Durango’s local food market,” said Mummery.

Although we have a great variety of restaurants in Durango, it wouldn’t hurt to open up some more that provide more options.

“I think it would be awesome if we opened an Indian food restaurant.

Honestly, we need a good classic deli, and I think Durango is really lacking in sandwiches, and we also need a another bakery/breakfast place,” said Brandau.

Even before opening these new restaurants, our local food business was incredibly successful and the community of Durango was open and welcoming to new businesses. These delicious restaurants, and hopefully more to come, make Durango unique, and our restaurant economy is only getting better.

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Feature 7

Future Farmers of America: Success for FCCLA: inspiring students through new DHS club is state-bound agricultural education LUKE SWIFT Reporter

KELLY FINNEGAN Reporter

All across America, students are receiving different tools to help them succeed in their life after high school and college. The Future Farmers of America, or FFA, gives students the chance at hands-on tasks that supply them with the knowledge to go into the right career path for them.

FFA is both a program and a class at Durango High School.

The teacher and adviser, Gina Baker, has been apart of the FFA for many years. “I’ve been in FFA since I was thirteen, I was in it all the way through high school and all the way through college. I just always wanted to be an Ag. (agriculture) teacher. It always interested me,” said Baker.

The class consists of lessons that pertain to a certain career type. “All of my classes revolve around plants and animal science,” said Baker.

This type of education helps students prepare for careers in real life, and gives them the extra proficiency that they can use in college.

“I wanted to get involved in FFA in the school. I have a huge history with animals so I thought it would be cool to learn a little bit more,” Said DHS sophomore,Joshua Tischendorf said.

DHS 10th grade student, Maddy Mortimer is looking into the Veterinarian career path. “What made me want to join this class was that I thought the whole Veterinarian science was really cool and it is just a really good experience,” said Mortimer.

The class gives students a chance to grasp the different situations they would be involved in during their future careers.

As a program, they participate different competitions. There are two types of the competitions.

The first is LDE: Leadership development events.These include job interviews and preparing students with skills that teach you how to approach careers and job opportunities.

The second competition is the career development event, which goes with hands on events, specific to a certain

Kelly Finnegan The official seal for FFA, pictured above, represents Future Farmers of America nationally and school-wide.

career in the FFA or Agriculture field.

“On a normal day we go through certain procedures in a regular vefice,” said Mortimer. “Going over breeds and stuff like that,” Joshua added. Students receive help from their teacher, Ms. Baker, who shows them what they need through lessons, outside resources, and also hands on work with the animals they take care of within the school.

“We do goof around a lot but we’re all ready to be productive at the same time and we know when we need to get to work,” said Maddy.

Many of the students also find information from their peers in the class.

“We all know each other so it’s not hard to go up and talk to someone about what you need,” said Joshua.

The class requires a lot of dedication from the students, if they are aiming for a career that this class can help them with.

Not many students at DHS take part in the competitions, however.“I have about 20 students actively involved and about 70 in the class,” said Baker.

Not only does FFA create a foundation for young adults, but it also teaches them life lessons and builds them up for life after high school and beyond.

At DHS, there are a wide variety of clubs, all with readily excited students and leaders who provide a rich experience for each other. Recently, the FCCLA club, or Family Career Community Leaders of America, was created, and it’s quickly gaining club members.

FCCLA is in its first year at Durango High School, and will attend state at the beginning of April. One of many new clubs this year, FCCLA will prepare for state throughout the month of March.

Jessica Bright, the adviser and treasurer of the new club comments on how many students are in the club and how many will be participating at state.

“We currently have 13 active members, which all came from first semester of classes and seven will be participating in events at state,” said Bright.

She also describes the different events that students have the opportunities to participate in, and who will be participating in specific events at state.

“We have three people participating in ‘Baking and Pastry’, which they have to follow the recipe of four different baked items like muffins or eclairs. We have one person doing a job interview, one person doing ‘Early Childhood Education’, one person doing ‘Cake Design’

and then two people doing ‘Gourmet Food Presentation’,” said Bright.

She also shares how the club members are beginning to prepare for the big competition.

“We’re starting practices at lunch or after school just depending on group needs. We are getting those scheduled starting this Friday and going two to three times a week just kind of depending on the event until we get there,” said Bright.

Jr. Madeline Meyer, the club’s president, comments on what events she is participating in and how she is trying to prepare for the upcoming event.

“I’ll be doing the ‘Early Childhood Education’ [event]. Mrs. Bright and I will be looking at past case studies and what they’ve done to prepare, and we’ll be talking to early education teachers,” said Meyer.

She also comments on how the state competition will be a great learning opportunity for the club.

“I am confident that we will go in and learn a lot and we will be better next year.”

Overall, the members of the new club are very confident that they will learn a lot, gain new experiences, and they will continue to work hard and prepare for state in order to improve their chances of winning.

Luke Swift Student members of the FCCLA club help out at the Durango Food Bank by cooking and providing meals for the needy.

The Power of Compassion:

how empathy inspires, connects, and changes communities

Catie Marqua El Diablo reporters Jack Whislter, Lily Longan, and Harry Egizio-Hughes hang out with Sunny the ferret in the Agricultural classroom and build relationships through compassion.

CATIE MARQUA Reporter Giving and receiving compassion connects people and with this connectedness, humans have the power to turn around someone’s day, make someone feel recognized, change a life, and even heal an entire community.

Durango High School’s social worker, Teresa Jennings, explains that compassion goes beyond just being kind to someone.

“It’s more than just caring about someone else’s experiences but feeling it with them,” said Jennings.

Humans are able to feel each other’s emotions by relating to their own personal experiences. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor of psychology at Northeastern and a researcher at Harvard Medical School, explains the science behind how humans detect each other’s emotions.

“Emotions are guesses, the way we see emotions in others are deeply rooted in predictions...Your brain is predicting.

It’s using past experience based on similar situations to try and make meaning..

Emotions you seem to detect in others actually come in-part from what’s inside your own head,” said Barrett.

The brain’s disposition to predict other individual’s emotions based off personal experience is one of the ways humans find compassion for one another. Although reading body language can be misleading as it’s only a guess, as Barren points out, it’s still a start nonetheless.

Recognizing visually that someone might be struggling and utilizing that as a tool to initiate a conversation and show compassion can make a world of difference, explains DHS sophomore Anna Fenberg.

“Showing compassion to others is one of the many simple things you can do to improve the lives of people around you. Being kind and showing that you actually care for people makes them happy and helps you feel better too.

From experience, when someone asks me how I’m doing, smiles in the hall, or just show that they care, it makes me feel loved and helps me get through the day,” said Fenberg.

Compassion is crucial for creating a positive environment. Jennings explains why compassion, in school environments especially, is so important.

“Compassion makes you feel safe and seen--more able to be yourself and be honest.

So much of my job is connecting with students, but also trying to connect with staff to help spread awareness about how to support mental health at schools and how to support both social and emotional learning at school. I could not do my job without some level of compassion” said Jennings.

DHS senior, Candace Dellinger, finds Durango High School to be an environment filled with compassion but still thinks there is room for more.

“I believe in this school, people are always friendly and kind, but I also feel that most students are afraid to expand their horizons. I encourage students to go out of their way to show compassion to people they may not even know. It’s important to notice people and show them they are recognized,” said Dellinger.

Finding compassion for other individuals is not always easy. It requires opening up your perspective beyond your own personal experiences.

“Compassion comes from a place of knowing that you don’t fully understand. You may not know what someone else is going through so you have to be compassionate when you don’t know how they are feeling” explains DHS’s Psychiatrist Amanda Rich.

April 2018

In some scenarios, finding compassion or getting someone to be affected by your compassion requires persistence but it is important to start somewhere.

“Just start with simply asking people how they are doing, then you start to hear more about their perspective and their life--making it easier to find compassion” says Jennings.

In some instances, showing compassion has made an astounding difference.

On his NPR Ted Radio hour podcast, Guy Raz explored how humans harshly judge certain behaviors or conditions, making it harder for people to talk honestly about them. Raz interviewed journalist Johann Hari who researched the major drug crisis in Portugal in 2000. Hari reveals how an experiment to de-stigmatize drug addiction led to a large decrease in addicts.

“In the year 2000 Portugal suffered from a major drug crisis...1% of the population was addicted to heroin” says Hari.

In efforts to resolve the drug crisis, Portugal’s government took an alternative approach and spent money on reconnecting addicts with society rather than spending money on criminalizing drug users and disconnecting the adicts from society. “{Portugal invested in} A massive program of drug creation for addicts and micro loans for addicts to start small businesses… the goal was to make sure every addict in Portugal had something to get out of bed for in the morning” explained Hari.

The program was successful in the rehabilitation of the addicts.

“As they discovered purpose, they rediscovered bonds and relationships with the wider society...It will be 15 years this year since the experiment began, and the results are in, injecting drug use is down in Portugal according to the British Journal of Criminology by 15%” said Hari.

As demonstrated by Portugal’s solution to their drug crisis, compassion and making people feel connected to their society has the power to initiate formidable change. Showing compassion makes a difference, whether big or small--it doesn’t matter.

8

Feature

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

AP computer science offers 21st century literacy The importance of computer literacy in the modern age

Maddie Dearien Students work hard on improving literacy and technology skills in the AP Computer science class.

IRIE SENTNER Specials Editor

As technology becomes a central component of contemporary society, skills involving coding and technological literacy are becoming ever-more important. Programming jobs are growing 12% faster than the market average -- the state of Colorado currently has 13,775 open computing jobs. However, when companies seek to fill this demand for

programmers, a deficit is found. In 2015, only 785 college graduates in Colorado had degrees in Computer Science.

In response to the changing employment landscape, Durango High School offers two AP Computer Science classes.

Tara Haller teaches both, and is an advocate for youth computer science education.

“It is important to learn how to code in high school to demystify the technology we use all of the time; to add a skill

set on top of reading, writing, and arithmetic,” said Haller. “Most importantly… coding requires thinking and problem solving -- it makes us use our brains -and that is a good thing.”

Sophomore Logan Moore, who is currently taking Computer Science Principles, agrees.

“Computers will be used for many years and kids should know how to code because it shows how the things they do so easily online every day are created.

It gives them a deeper meaning of how things work,” said Moore.

Jobs in technology are appealing for many reasons. Besides the high demand, programmers in Colorado make an average salary of $98,597 and often have flexible working conditions.

“I think jobs in technology are more flexible than other jobs because you can work in remote locations. For example, I am traveling [to Massachusetts] in a week but I don’t have to put my job on hold because I can work from anywhere,” said Chris Ducker, a local software engineer for Vantiv Integrated Payments.

Computer science classes don’t just prepare students for jobs in technology, but acts as skill of logic and problem

solving.

“Computer Science adds to your high-level reasoning and analytical thinking skill set. It is an opportunity to practice problem solving while learning skills that transfer easily into the workplace,” said Haller.

While technologies continue to evolve, a high school introduction and foundation in computer science can lend the necessary thinking skills to be successful in any market.

“If you learn fundamentals, then those can be the building blocks from which you can learn to maximize the opportunities of the new employment landscape,” said Ducker.

It is for these, and a myriad of additional reasons, that the introduction of Computer Science classes to DHS curriculums is valuable. The world is changing, and it is exciting to see that DHS is responding by increasing student access to programming skill sets.

“I would recommend anybody take the class and I would love to take more classes!” said Moore. “Computer programming is such a highly sought after job and a worthy skill to know and learn.”

The dark truth behind our cell phones MADDY GLEASON Features Editor

In this day and age, phones are the main way we communicate and connect with the rest of the world. Especially at DHS, or any high school, our lives revolve around our phones. In fact, it’s probably in your pocket right now.

Whatever type of phone you have, there’s a truth to where they come from.

And, it’s not just our phones. If you have a tablet, a TV, a computer, or smart speaker product, it was manufactured in a place where safety is an entity.

“The high demand for phones is causing extreme harm to our environment.

The items used in phones are toxic,” said Jr. Kyla Thomas.

All electronics require copper and cobalt to run, among other elements which are often rare. The extraction, production, and utilization of these elements help us get the new iPhone X or Google Pixel 2, but they also negatively affect the environment and worsen conditions for millions of children.

Cobalt is absolutely necessary for the production of our phones, because it makes up more than half of the battery.

Unfortunately, the only place Cobalt is readily available is in the Congo, which is morbidly corrupt due to the invasive mining corporations which position themselves in the middle of the towns and take men, women and children as forced laborers.

In fact, individuals between the ages of 5 and 25 have a 77% chance of dying in their unstable work environment.

Copper is also a necessary component of the production of our favorite electronics. The Pebble mine is located in Bristol Bay, where a salmon run supports an entire Alaskan community.

According to NBC news, “the Pebble deposit may contain as much as 80 billion pounds of copper and 107 ounces of gold, but the fear is that it could poison the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery.”

The environmental effects are deadly, but the effects on the community are devastating as well. For at least 100 years, the people of Bristol Bay have relied on the salmon for income and to support their families. Without this lucrative and important source, the entire community’s economy will twindle as the demand for copper and phones go

up.

One woman who assembled iPads in a Chinese Apple factory, Ms. Chen, was shown one of the completed products for the first time. She was able to communicate with her kids who she only saw once a month due to her economic state.

Just like Ms. Chen, who said that she might want an iPad once she saved enough money, students at DHS feel remorse, but still possess an electronic interest.

“The effects make me sad, but my phone is a big part of my life. I wish the materials used in phones were environmentally friendly. It is depressing to see the Earth decline in quality,” said Thomas.

These problems are not ceasing any time soon, but it’s hard to develop a solid solution without taking away electronics for good, which is nearly impossible for a growing and developing society.

“Recycle your phone after you get a new one or break it. It can be reused and prevent harm from happening,” said Thomas.

Although there are countless benefits to phones, in fact, they allow us to

know, another tiny school participates in the BIG Event: Durango High School.

The BIG Event is an annual event planned by the DHS Student Council that helps students at DHS get community service hours, in addition to getting experience helping out members of our community with chores and projects that the community members may not be able to do themselves. Each year projects requested by community members are a little different; the projects range from fence painting, the window washing, to plant watering, and each project is catered exactly to what the community member needs.

“I participated last year [in the BIG Event]. We painted and stained an older woman’s porch. It was super rewarding to do something like that and help someone who needed help. Although annoying, it was kinda funny how much paint we got all over bodies. Some of us had it on our face,” said So. Leland Heinicke.

Heinicke is the sophomore class

Vice President and is the head of the BIG Event committee, meaning he, and his co-head, So. Saylor Stottlemeyer, are planning the BIG Event in 2018.

Stottlemeyer and Heinicke reach out to the community and request members to send in work order forms of chores or projects they would like students who participate in the BIG Event to complete. “[Planning the event] definitely gives me a new perspective on the event overall. I mostly notice this with the work order forms. We have gotten a lot of work order forms that we can’t do just because we don’t have enough people to do all of them. It really shows how many people need help, and that we can always do more to help our community,” said Heinicke.

Heinicke hopes the the BIG Events will have a lasting, positive impact at DHS and in the community: “I also hope that engaging students will help create special bonds between our community,

Photo under Creative Commons license Mass production of phones has negatively impacted the lives of Congolese children.

communicate with the world around us, there are detrimental to our environment and make many men, women and children’s lives a living hell. If we recycle our phones, only get a new one when it’s absolutely necessary, and remember to donate often to organizations that improve the lives of workers, we can start to make the world a better place.

The BIG EVENT makes strides in community service

Courtesy of Durango High School StuCo The BIG EVENT 2018 is on May 23 from 9:00am-1:00pm.

CARTER REITER Managing Editor If anyone searches “The BIG Event” on Google, results from BIG schools, such as Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, come up. Little does the search engine

and help bring social awareness and responsibility for our community. My main goal for the Big Event is to get as much participation as possible so we can create those bonds, and enhance people’s personal knowledge about our town.”

The BIG Event will take place on April 28th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

If DHS Students are are interested in participating, they need to pick up a permission slip form in the Main Office or on the Durango High School website.

The permissions slips are due the Friday before the event. Those who participate will earn community service hours.

Community service hours are a graduation requirement and the BIG Event is an excellent way to earn the hours.

Heinicke encourages his peers to come to the BIG Event, saying , “It will be a rewarding, self fulfilling process where you can form bonds with your community, and peers. If that’s not enough we will have snacks and pizza!”

Detention strides into the DHS Experience LUKE SWIFT Reporter

In the DHS community, many students are starting to think twice about skipping class, especially when they are told that they have to attend after-school detention.

The new detention policy, which was formed at the end of Christmas break, was created to ensure that students who were caught cutting class would face a more severe form of punishment than the less effective forms of lunch detention or school suspension.

DHS Assistant Principal Darren Tarshis, along with other members of the administration, are trying to find a new way to incorporate a more traditional detention policy that could also benefit the student while serving their punishment.

“We started an after school detention that we run when needed. We don’t run it on Mondays because of PLCs, or professional learning community meetings, and we don’t run it on Fridays. It gives students a chance to catch up on work; they can do homework, they can read” said Tarshis.

However the district administration still wanted to create an environment where the student could continue to feel the traditional detention vibe.

“We run it Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It starts at 3:30 p.m ends at 5:00 p.m. and is supervised by a staff member. What [students] can’t do is sleep, use electronics, or talk, but most students who have detention are using it to catch up,” said Tarshis.

So. Ella Devaux states what it was like during this period of time and what she could do. However, she does comment on how some aspects were inconvenient and how it negatively affected her transportation plans.

“It was basically just a time to catch up, but the simple rules were that couldn’t sleep, you couldn’t be on your phone. It wasn’t too bad, it’s just the most inconvenient part of it was that it ended late. So all of a sudden I had to find another ride home, and it was just an inconvenient time” said Devaux.

She believes that the new policy could be shortened up and her alternative idea to the policy is students could serve a few lunch detentions.

“I would much rather just go in at

Cassandra Blau Detention happens whenever necessary after school from 3:30-5:00. Students cannot be on their phones, sleep, talk, or play games.

lunch and sit it out rather than go after school and completely disrupt my after school schedule,” said Devaux.

When it comes to the introduction of the new policy to students, there is a grey area because students know what it is, but they don’t know the specifics.

So. Shaun Coleman comments on how the new policy should be a little more tailored to fit the student based on the magnitude of the action that has been committed.

El Diablo

“It just depends on the severity of the action. Like if someone ditched often, they aren’t going to care, they’re just not going to show up,” said Coleman.

To conclude, the new detention policy is attempting to replace the less effective lunch detentions or schools suspensions, while continuing to benefit the student. But to some students, its seen as more time consuming than beneficial, when it comes to their busy afternoon schedule.

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Sports

XC & Track deserve more than what they get

BEKAH MOENNING Head Sports Editor Just to clarify, I am not writing this to bash all other sports that are not cross-country or track. I know the talent is overwhelming in our sports programs at Durango High School. However, it has come to my attention that football, as well as basketball, seem to be the priority, and quite honestly, it gets annoying.

It is common knowledge that both these sports, especially football, are a big part of the American Identity, but why are they such a big part of DHS? Everybody knows when the football games are, what time varsity basketball plays, and all the players that participate. I can’t say the same for cross-country and track. I understand the social calling during Friday night football games, but aside from this year when was the last time football made it to state? Basketball? Got a state title? The support from the athletic director and all of DHS is overwhelming for these sports and yet neither have performed as well as DHS’s cross-country and track program.

In 2015, the boys cross-country team won a state title and every year since then the boys have returned to fight for it again and again. The girls cross-country team never fails to make it to state and year after year they keep getting closer to being number one.

As far as track goes, every single year, individual members qualify for state and many of them stand on top of the podium. In 2016, my brother David Moenning won two state titles- one in the 800 and one in the 4x8. Alongside him were his teammates Seamus Millet, Harry Steinberg, and William Chandler.

Watching that kind of talent is inspiring

and makes you feel as if these types of athletes are invincible.

Teagan Garand has been to state every year since her freshman year, has podiumed twice with her 4x4 team, and I don’t doubt she will be going again.

Madeleine Burns, Emma Fitzgerald, Abby Scott, and myself went to state last year for the 4x8 and ended up second.

We plan to return and perhaps win a state title of our own.

Junior Alex Hise podiumed last year for the open 100 meter dash. Cassandra Blau, Lana Razma, and Danielle Lee went for the Sprint Medley and got to experience state for the first time. Aidan Fitzgerald and Harry Steinberg qualified for the mile and ran personal bests, and both boys were joined in the 4x8 by Coltin Gallegos and Aiden Urban.

Should I keep going? The list continues and each person is special in their own way. Every athlete that goes through cross-country and track has unbelievable, unmatchable talent. I can’t seem to grasp why we don’t get the same praise and support from DHS and the athletic program as a whole.

I am not saying we deserve more recognition than that of the other sports at DHS, I’m saying we deserve it to at least be equal. I’ve heard time and time again that “track is so pointless, you just run in circles” or “why would someone choose to run a 5k”, but the people who say and ask these things probably have never seen a track meet, or a cross-country race. Nobody gives us a chance, and nobody understands just how hard these types of athletes work.

The work ethic runners have is something everyone should aspire to gain.

Those are the athletes to be looked up to, to attain inspiration from, to praise.

There aren’t words to express how proud I am to be surrounded every day by these athletes when I go to practice.

How proud I am when I see my friends win races, run personal records, and never giving up.

Football is easy to understand. So is basketball, baseball, tennis etc. Which is probably why it is easy for the support to be so immense from the DHS community. I just wish people could see what I see when I look at cross-country and track athletes, which is a group of kids who have done something meaningful.

Something powerful. Something courageous.

9

The Athletic Trainers and the AT Program

an asset to DHS Athletes EMMA JABER Head Arts Editor With the many sports offered at Durango High School, student athletes are bound to face some sort of injury in their high school sporting careers. The athletic training program at DHS allows student athletes to receive consultations and treatments regarding injuries ranging in seriousness anywhere from ankle taping to broken bones. This asset provided to DHS students allows them to receive most treatments at no cost, understand their own physical boundaries as athletes, and experience another side of athletics; sports medicine.

The training facilities employ two athletic trainers, Jeb Davis and Kyle Montgomery. This semester, Montgomery is also teaching an athletic teaching course as an elective for all students. Those who frequent the trainers office have a small insight into what sports medicine can look like but those who want to see a more in depth side to the profession can take Montgomery’s class.

“You get to learn about athletic training but also about medical field opportunities and career paths in the medical field. There’s no other class like that at the high school. It gives me an opportunity to know the kids in a different realm not just in athletics but also in the classroom, it also gives the kid an opportunity to learn what athletic trainers do,” said Kyle Montgomery.

Students appreciate the class because it’s something that’s never been offered before and the information is new.

“We basically learn what athletic trainer does and we go through action plans if someone is hurt and we go through what do in the training room like wrapping ankles and heating pads. I really like the class because he makes it really fun and because I’ve never learned anything like this before,” said Jr. Sierra Martin.

Jeb Davis, in addition to working at DHS, and is the director of the athletic training education program at Fort Lewis College.

“I like being an athletic trainer because it’s dynamic. No day is like any

other and I get to help people and be around sport. I missed being clinically active so there was an opportunity at DHS that was proposed and I jumped at the chance,” said Davis.

Many frequent the trainers for prevention and some student athletes are there daily. Without the supplies and resources available in the athletic training room, students may not be able to receive the help they need which may lead to more serious injuries later.

“I always go to the trainers. It’s not only a place to get help when you’re hurt but it’s also just a really fun place to be and an awesome environment. When I had my concussion they helped make sure that I was back to one hundred percent health,” said Jr. Lexy Unruh.

Even if students have only been to the trainers once or a handful of times, they appreciate the convenience of the facilities and the help.

“I was treated for my foot once during dance season. The trainers are super helpful and it’s super convenient to have it in the school. I go right before practice and then I don’t miss anything,” said So. Karver Mann.

Maddie Dearian Athletic trainer Kyle Montgomery tends to a student athlete who may have a potential injury.

Are some sports reported more in the media? the fight for sports coverage equality in a biased world SAYLOR STOTTLEMYER Head Features Editor The sports section of newspapers and websites has grown in the past 75 years as there is more interest from both genders and more eccentric sports are becoming popular. However, these media sources can unequally represent the sports that they cover, by having larger emphasis on certain sports, and only giving others a simple column or a small, pictureless update.

According to a 2015 study from the University of Southern California, The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, or ESPN, only allotted 2% of its broadcasting time to women’s sports.

This number has not changed in 26 years.

“When Kylie Behn won state for diving in February, it was an incredible feat. When I looked in the newspaper for a huge story, all I saw was a 300 word column and a picture that was taken a year ago. A DHS basketball story took up three quarters of the page with a huge photo, and they lost the game,” said a parent of the DHS Swim & Dive team.

Even if the Durango Heralds’ motive wasn’t sexist, there is still an issue of prioritizing sports over the level of achievement. Does winning a state competition trump losing a basketball game?

On the other hand, Kylie Behn thinks that her performance was covered pretty well throughout Durango, with one article and one editorial. The editorial was about the revived DHS Diving program, and highlighted Kylie Behn for her impressive achievement.

“I think that I was congratulated and and supported a lot from winning the state meet. Even though I may not have gotten all the headlines, I still received praise from my teachers, and friends, which I think matters more than words on a piece of paper,” said Behn.

Some argue that newspaper sports coverage mainly comes from placing well-known and well-received sports as the large articles, because their readership increases. Basketball, Football, Soccer etc. are more likely to be relatable, so media platforms will emphasize those sports.

“It is easier to cover major sports because of a built in national following, and understanding of the sport,” said Daniel Riecks, former advisor of El Diablo Newspaper.

All published media is guilty of placing trademark athletics as the strongest

article, even in the El Diablo Newspaper.

“I was disappointed that El Diablo did not make the 2015 Boy’s Cross Country state championship a front page of the paper story, mainly because it was easily the biggest event of that news cycle. Regardless of section, whenever someone, or some team, from the high school achieves greatness at the state or national level, it should lead the news coverage,” said Riecks.

Apart from published sources, winning a state-level competition in both Diving and Cross-Country wasn’t as received as other close towns. In Bayfield,

when the Wolverines achieved their state title in Football, they were received with a massive parade welcoming back the athletes and coaches.

Unfortunately, there was no community gathering for either of these Durango State Champions.

Is the reason that the Wolverines were welcomed with a parade because the sport was understandable, popular, and well-received, or was it because of the achievement despite the sport? Sports are covered in unequal amounts, but the question is whether or not that inequality is justified through the readership.

Cassandra Blau The males of the DHS track team line up to begin a tough workout on the track. This team is one of the many that is under-represented by the overpowering prescence of “trademark sports.”

April 2018

10 Sports

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

DHS baseball in all of its glory NAOMI MINER Reporter

“If you fail, you pick yourself up, focus again and keep going.”

Coach Eric Baker is preparing his team of 36 student athletes to make this baseball season a great one. Mr. Baker has been coaching at Durango High School for the last 14 years.

“I played a lot. I loved the game.

I just had a great time. that’s why I started coaching, I wanted to pass on that experience,” said Baker.

Passing on his experience doesn’t only mean that there’s is a big time commitment but there’s also a lesson of trial and error.

Elias Fiddler has played club baseball for a very long while. He is a freshman this year and made junior varsity. Being a team member, Fiddler has learned many valuable lessons.

“You fail more than you succeed,” said Fiddler.

Baseball is a game of learning, struggling, then succeeding.

“One of the hardest things about playing baseball is that I am the senior and I have to be a leader,” said Quelan Mestas.

Being a senior means that you have to step up to the plate and playing baseball all four years helps you understand what kind of impression you want to leave for following years.

Al Hurworth, a junior on the varsity team explains how the attitude of the players can change the practice or game.

“The coaches can change the atmosphere of the practice or game but it’s mostly resides in the attitude of the players coming to a game or practice,” said Hurworth.

Being able to bring a good attitude into the team atmosphere, impacts the way the practice or game goes. Attitude is one of the keys to being able to enjoy and be good at playing baseball.

Grifynn Hyson, sophomore varsity

player, reflects on the differences from last year’s baseball seasons to this years season.

“This year we are having more of a calm and fun but competitive year whereas last year was more strict,” said Hyson.

A change within the team structure can change how well the players put effort into their playing. It invites a different mood and attitude among the team.

Gage Mestas, freshman on varsity, reflected on the life skills learned and developed through playing baseball.

“We learn discipline and we learn to be there for one another,” said Gage Mestas.

Learning discipline at a young age helps create better habits in the long term. Learning how to be there for one another improves ability to respect one’s differences.

“Baseball isn’t my number one priority,” said JV player Jack Benner.

Playing baseball and trying to pass all your classes can be difficult. Having to learn how to manage time well is a life skill that the players have to do everyday. It influences their diligence to get

as much done during school so that then they have less to do after practice.

“One of my favorite things about baseball is watching Gus get home runs,” said Hurworth.

Having a good attitude makes great things happen and because great things happen there’s a good attitude.

“Each year it’s a new team and a new experience,” said coach Baker.

Having new players means a new start. You get to start a new, clean season. It brings in new opportunities and new challenges. It helps develop a relationship between the players.

Pictured above is the varsity baseball team of Durango High School ready for another great season.

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Naomi Miner

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Sports 11

DYSA limits practice to two nights a week

Corbin Miller The DYSA Mens U18 team practices at Riverview from October to August. This scrimmage is a glimpse of the 4 hours the team practices throughout the week.

CORBIN MILLER Reporter Living in such an athletic and active community like Durango allows the youth to participate in multiple sports, one of which includes soccer.

Many soccer players at Durango High School participate in Durango Youth Soccer Association (DYSA) during the fall and spring seasons when they are not playing soccer at DHS to keep up their skills and practice.

During the DHS soccer season, the players practice everyday after school, five to six times a week, on the turf field at the school. While playing for DYSA, the teams practice two days a week on fields supplied by the city. Many DHS Soccer players, like sophomore Leland

Heinicke, play on both teams.

“We’re not going to get better only playing two days a week,” said Heinicke.

For players like Leland, it is important to them that they get as much time on the field as they can with a ball at their feet practicing with their team.

Players can easily work on their skills during their own time as well, but they know that it is important to practice with their team to have the ultimate success.

Although many players would like to practice more than two times a week, DYSA is only able to supply a certain amount of fields to their 22 teams, six of which play competitively in Albuquerque.

DYSA Technical Director, Kate Stahlin, has been working with DYSA for a little over 10 years. She oversees all the

operations of DYSA and also works as a coach for the club.

“We struggle to provide adequate facilities for our teams as it is, so adding an extra night would make it difficult to squeeze all out teams into the fields we have,” said Stahlin.

DYSA has teams practicing at Riverview and Smith Sports Complex up at Fort Lewis College. Currently, the club is waiting to release the Smith Fields to teams because those fields current conditions are poor, due to the effects winter has on soccer fields. All the teams have been practicing at the Riverview fields while waiting for the other ones to open.

DYSA supplies every team with a certified coach. Many of the coaches, like Darren McKinnis, who has been coaching with DYSA for around five

years, believes practicing more than two times a week would be great to improve their players, but understands the lack of fields and commitment level to club soccer limits the amount of practices.

“I think that the amount of practices a team has should be based on age level,” said McKinnis.

Many of the older teams in DYSA, like those that are in high school age groups, would prefer to practice at least three times a week.

“It makes sense for older high school teams to practice more than two times week because they are usually playing more competitively. I think that younger age groups are good with practicing two times a week so they don’t burn out and still enjoy the sport,” said McKinnis.

Many parents of DYSA players, such as Lindsey Neiman, whose 12-year-old daughter plays on the Select ‘05 Girls team, prefer the two practices a week schedule for the age group their daughter is playing in.

“At this age, more practices may prohibit a young athlete from participating in other sports. At 12-years-old we feel strongly that kids should participate in several activities. As athletes enter into high school, they can decide which activities they would like to focus on most, and additional practice time would be more appropriate,” said Neiman.

Many soccer players in DYSA are involved in multiple sports. Practicing two times a week helps them balance their various sports.

“Our club has to meet the needs of a lot of different athletes. We support many multi sport athletes, and I think that is what makes our community so special is how not only are many athletes involved in so many activities, but that they are doing their activities at such high levels, ” said Stahlin.

DYSA’s two practices a week schedule works very well for the active and athletic community that Durango provides. It allows many younger athletes to experience multiple sports, so that when they are older and play sports in high school, they will have an understanding of what sport they would like to pursue.

DHS snowboarders given cold shoulder CHSAA has yet to allow high school snowboarding NATALIE DEBELINA Reporter

Snowboarding has been around for the past 58 years. More recently it has spread around to schools everywhere.

All winter activities have been a big part of the culture in Durango, for as long as our ski resort have been open. However, Even with its growing popularity, Durango High School still does not have a Snowboard team.

For the past two years, students have reached out to the activities office to ask them why we don’t have a snowboard team. Their response is that CHSAA, the Colorado High School Activities and Athletics Association, says no.

Durango high school only offers sports that CHSAA sanctions, Snowboarding is not included in that list.

“I think the issue is with the insurance, they don’t like to see kids flying off big jumps and half pipes,” said DHS Athletics Director Adam Bright.

Bright said that insurance companies don’t like the idea of snowboarding being added to the list of CHSAA sanctioned sports because of the potential of it being a dangerous sport where kids are performing extremely dangerous stunts.

The part of snowboarding that CHSAA doesn’t see is the racing aspect.

Much like skiing, snowboarders compete in Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Boardercross.

Without Snowboarding being a CHSAA sanctioned sport, Middle and High School students could miss the opportunity of snowboarding on a team.

Seventh grader Rowen Holiday rides for the Purgatory snowboard team.

“If DHS had a high school snowboard team with a good coach I would definitely want to go to DHS more than any other school in Durango,” said Holiday.

Holiday explained that having a team would further influence his choice of high schools. Having a snowboard team could attract more student athletes that can contribute to our school community.

Purgatory Snowboard Team coach Cody Beaver has been snowboarding for the past 22 years and in all those years, has never seen Durango High School provide opportunities for these athletes to compete as a Demon.

“Some positives of starting this team will be getting more kids involved with it,” said Beaver.

Without a snowboard team at DHS there is no current place for aspiring

Natalie DeBelina The Durango Snowboarding Park & Pipe Team practicing at Purgatory during the Winter Season. These middle and high school students do not have the opportunity to compete in Snowboarding for their school.

snowboarders to go that want to get coaching on their snowboarding skills, whether it be for freestyle snowboarding or not.

“A snowboard team is not an easy program to start at a high school, there are many aspects that have to be considered before starting any team sport,” said Beaver.

Creating team sports is a long and difficult process which involves creating rules and bylaws for the new sport.

Finding kids who are motivated enough by snowboarding to take time out of their day and participate with the team can also prove to be difficult.

Even if there were enough students willing to join a snowboard team here, practices would still be an issue. With no place to practice other than up at purgatory students would most likely have to be willing to drive up to Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) on the weekends and spend hours of their own

time to practice.

Although CHSAA denies snowboarders opportunities to participate in school athletics, there are still currently two ski teams at DHS, a cross-country ski team and an alpine race team. Ski team Coach Leah Lasage coaches the Alpine race team.

“Snowboarders are eligible to race on the ski team, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to teach them though,” said Lasage.

Lasage explains snowboarders are allowed to race with the ski team, however there are few students that do. This could be because they are unaware of the fact that they can join, or just that at this point most snowboarders and not as interested in racing.

“For a Slopestyle team to occur schools have to be easy accessible to what is needed,” Lasage said.

If students want to join a team where they can learn more about doing tricks

April 2018

in the halfpipe, the school would need a halfpipe accessible to them.

“The Venue you would be using is only open until four, even if you got off school 30 minutes early there is still no time for practice, ” said Lasage.

With our current position of using purgatory as a venue for the team’s practice, snowboarders would have to practice on weekends in order to have enough time.

Although snowboarding has been around for so long and has been so popular in our region the high school still chooses to not participate in the snowboarding sport and competitions.

With seven of the US Olympic competitors in snowboarding coming from Colorado, the opportunity of sending DHS students to the olympics decreases. In a town and school with much potential not having a snowboard team only ever hurts us as a school and as a community.

Arts

12

Black Panther: beyond the world of film

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Starving artists nourished by passion CHLOE RAGSDALE Reporter

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios BRYN VALDEZ Reporter By now, following the release of Black Panther, much of the social media hype has expanded from isolated parts of Twitter to all of America. But still, some struggle to see the significance of the movie outside of it’s golden Marvel frame.

“The way that Africa is shown as a rich continent with positive things going on in the movie, is opening people’s eyes,” said So. Epiphany Liggins.

This is so important to many African Americans because it is not commonplace to find have such an abundance of representation in the media, let alone positive representation that changed the stereotypical narrative.

“The movie was on point, and it wasn’t stereotyped. Everyone had their own story, and not everyone was the same,” said Physical Education Teacher Alan Batiste.

It is easy to stick to what we know, living in a small community such as Durango, but it is movies like Black Panther that work to reach even the most isolated of societies. A country such as ours can only start becoming more progressive when the media accurately and consistently reflects the authentic population that has inhabited it for centuries.

“Every culture has to have a point where they experience other people’s beliefs, and I think it was great that this movie did that while also letting people enjoy an action-packed Marvel movie,” said Batiste.

A lot of the excitement surrounding the film’s release also centered around the tribal theme, which led many of its African-American viewers to feel more connected to their roots. Even non-black viewers found the rich culture to add to the plot.

“It showed insight into how we’re all connected and we all came from Africa, which is important because that’s all of our history,” said Liggins.

However, not everyone was

open-minded to the idea of the movie, with many white internet users reporting false claims of being attacked by black viewers when they attempted to attend a showing.

“I think it’s another way people try to bring down a positive thing. Especially black people were very excited for this movie, and these people just felt the need to drag that down in some way by making up these stories,” said Liggins.

With that said, not only was Black Panther a prominent force of black empowerment, but it was wildly successful for its production. Many reviews peg the movie as vibrant and exhilarating.

“It was one of the best Marvel movies I’ve seen because it had both the action and comedy, combined with the cultural aspect,” said Fr. Taylor Shermer.

In less than a month, the movie has drawn in over 1 billion dollars worldwide and counting. In its opening weekend alone, the movie generated $200 million dollars, making it the 5th top grossing movie in its opening weekend.

“The movie’s success just opened doors for other cultures and actors to accomplish something big. Especially in a community like ours, where we can sometimes get caught in a bubble, it opens up conversations to see that there are other people in the world,” said Batiste.

Even more so, many of the successful black actors featured in the film were female as well. Primary characters were portrayed by actresses such as Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright.

“It was incredibly empowering to see the all-black cast as well as so many strong female leads,” said Shermer.

Hopefully, Black Panther’s triumph will influence the future of Hollywood to be more inclined to hire black actors and give them the recognition they deserve.

“We’ll only go up from here and keep uplifting African-Americans and portraying the things shown in that movie as positive,” said Liggins.

Students participate in the creativity festivities

Photo courtesy of Emily Fiala

EMILY FIALA Reporter Attention to all artists in the school!

Do you like to go and see different pieces of student artwork in our community? If you do, here’s an opportunity to do just that.

Starting April 3rd and going through April 14, the 24th annual Creativity Festivity will showcase student artwork from all over the district, including art from DHS. This event, organized by school district teachers and hosted by the Durango Arts Center, will give the Durango community a chance to see a variety of student art.

“It doesn’t just include two- dimensional and three-dimensional art, there’s an acting component that is part of it, along with literacy parts such as poetry slams,” said John Burnite, art teacher and advisor of National Art Honors Society (NAHS) at Durango High School.

DHS has participated in this event for several years. The Durango community has given good feedback about the show, getting to see all the unique pieces.

“Even though the show has a short life-span in it’s venue, it really allows

the community to see all the art. I feel like the people don’t get sick of it,” said Burnite.

Mr. Burnite isn’t the only teacher who has participated in the Creativity Festivity. Other DHS art teachers love to engage in the event, choosing students’ art work they feel is exemplary.

“It’s important that we show how students grow in their talent and skills before they graduate from high school.

What we’re able to get students to produce is amazing and we want to show that off,” said Krista Karpel, Head of Arts Department at DHS. Roxie Mitchell is the art technology teacher at DHS, and she thinks that the show is really fun way to interact with the public.

“The opening is really cool because a lot of people come and there’s snacks.

It’s a fun celebration of the show. Students, families, anyone in the community can come,” said Mitchell.

Students are eager to participate in the Creativity Festivity, including members of NAHS. This show is a good way for students with artistic talents to display their pieces out in the public.

“We have really talented artists at DHS and it’s pretty cool to be able to show that talent for Durango to see, and for other artists to see,” said Jessica Fiala, a junior and president of NAHS at DHS. Since teachers want to give many students a chance to engage in the show, there is be a district wide weaving project that everyone can help with. NAHS has worked on their weaving piece for a long time, and once it is done, they will weave it with other schools’ weavings.

This will create a big woven installation, which is going to represent the theme Pathways to Imagination.

The Creativity Festivity is such a great opportunity to go and see all levels of student art, thanks to the hard work by the students and teachers across the district, along with DAC. The Durango community can go have fun at the show while seeing all sorts of levels of student art.

Art is a universal language in every community around the world, encompassing different issues and emotions to advance society. However, in a field with so many opportunities, many artists find themselves with a struggle to be successful and do what they love at the same time.

“Unfortunately, there was never really a time where I didn’t want to be an artist. I’ve never gotten involved in anything else. Not having that desire, really,” local sculptor, painter, and designer, George Schmidt said about the struggle he shares with most artists.

Not only do they have conflicts with this hyper focused goal, but many artists also battle with the financial hardships that come with the cost of pursuing their dreams.

Similarly to George Schmidt, Fr. Elena Parmenter discovered her love for art through her grandma at a young age and hasn’t lost interest since. She hopes to become a animation or digital artist and is willing to sacrifice certain luxuries in order to do so.

“You have to be good enough or better, because it’s the only thing you can do,” Elena said, underlining the double edged sword of feeling destined to become an artist from a young age.

Most artists use their unflinching drive to reach this goal, with a fear of exploring other opportunities due to lack of experience in different fields.

So how does one become good enough to embody the next Pablo Picasso or Frida Kahlo? With so much disappointment and lack of support from society, artists rarely find the attention and praise they seek unless world famous.

“Nobody really cares what you’re doing. Generally speaking, our society and our government and our institutions do not spend a lot of money promoting the arts; it’s always the first thing on the chopping block and the last thing to get funded,” Schmidt said, highlighting another struggle most artists find while chasing their dreams.

In a society that often overlooks arts, it is essential to fuel the minds of artists in order to preserve this indispensable field. According to the Liberty Classical Academy, studying the arts in school is proven to lead to positive attitudes towards all aspects of life.

“When you have struggled and you keep trying and you don’t give up, there comes a point when this miracle of magic happens in front of you and it’s just this very well thought out, technically skilled, beautiful creation of art. That’s when it pays off,” said Krista Karpel, an art teacher at Durango High School.

She advocates that keeping the arts in

school curriculum not only allows a sort of escape for some students, but teaches them the power of perseverance.

Every artist can agree that talent is only a small part of becoming successful in the field of art; persistence, tenacity, and sometimes a little luck amount to much of the triumph.

“Your passion will drive whatever your successes are,” Mrs. Karpel claimed. To succeed in the field of art where uncertainty of achievement is always a possibility, artists must be willing to fearlessly battle with their struggles and find victory.

Like Elena, many people find creating art a powerful way to relieve stress and mentally recharge, as well as a way to make a living.

“Art is the ability to express all your emotions and feelings and beliefs on a piece of paper, and then show it to the world,” said Elena. In our society, art is frequently used to protest and share opinions about current events, and is simultaneously a path to self improvement.

After creating the Meeting House, a small house-like structure that uses ladders to allow people to converse with each other, George Schmidt says the power of art can be used to show us who we really are, which helps us to connect with one another.

“It’s a medium that fosters dialogue and brings people together,” Schmidt commented. Today, we find ourselves in a culture where disagreements are common, which makes art that much more influential in that it can start discussions and lead to resolved conflicts.

Despite the struggles commonly found in pursuing a career in art, it is essential for these strong, imaginative minds to continue creating, not only for their own pleasure, but to benefit the experiences of those around them.

“The power of art is to enhance our own experience of ourselves, our experience of the world that we inhabit, and to not necessarily explain it, but to illuminate it,” George Schmidt said.

Photo courtesy of Chloe Ragsdale George Schmidt built this “meeting house”.

Podcast delivers fear more than ever two headphones at a time KATE MCKINNIS Reporter

Do you like to be scared? The No Sleep podcast will drive you to be in terror of everything surrounding you. This 60-90 minute podcast brings to life all of your fears. The show garners 2 million unique listeners each month.

NoSleep began as a “subreddit” or forum on Reddit where people would exchange scary stories and frightening experiences. When one reader suggested that these stories be read on a weekly podcast, the idea was taken well and they ran with it. During their first two seasons, David Cummings assumed the role of host and producer, working with volunteer Redditors to help narrate and produce content for the show. The popularity of the show increased monthly and is still on the rise.

The show provides a fright that will induce every emotion a feeling inside of you. Every episode is a new adventure with a scary twist. All of the stories are horror fiction, but because of the way the voice actors tell the stories it makes them feel real.

As of right now the No Sleep podcast is running their tenth season. Each season is composed of a new soundtrack

El Diablo

and new voice actors. This podcast allows any listener to be in touch with a world filled with horror.

My love for horror grew from the second I heard this podcast. Every detail described in each story made me frightened. This podcast is easy to listen to and understand, adding to its appeal.

The podcast has won two Parsec awards over the last few years.

The Parsec Awards are a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels. The No Sleep podcast deserved these for their creativity and love for horror is very present. The entire cast deserves a very big hand for all their work.

Each week has a new and exciting adventure within its episode.

The No Sleep podcast has come a long way from where it started. David Cummings continues to work on the podcast and has hosted many shows across North America.

This last year, in February, the show hosted their Sleepless Live show, where they traveled across the US. The No Sleep podcast will continue to run and share their horror stories until there are no more to share.

Arts

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

13

Spring Edition

Compiled by Afton Mann and Emma Jaber

HAPPY SPRING FOOD

Machos MOVIES

Love, Simon Women’s Fashion

Trashbag Pants Men’s Fashion Ripped Jean Shorts

DHS DEBATE Closed campus lunch HOt Gossip

Channing Tatum Divorce SPORTS

Golf MUSIC My Dear Melancholy

April FUN Lake Nighthorse Opens

Positive

Misc.

Negative

Our Advice

Rating

On a scale of 1-5

It gets soggy really easily.

Super good brekfast, lunch, and dinner food.

It’s a cute romantic comedy that diversifies the world of film in a positive way.

Really comfortable, kind of like wearing pajamas out of the house.

Nice gentle breeze and weird tan lines on.

Might exclude freshman from open campus priviledges (no more driving their sorry butts around!)

Once was called Beto’s, but the company split. They also have a chain restaurant called Cantera.

It’s not being shown at the Durango movie theatre.

Based on a book.

No one pulls them off. Throw them in the trash where they belong.

They are extremely loud we can hear you from a mile away!

Easy DIY that only requires jeans and scissors.

Gross just gross.

Sometimes, they’re too short.

There are too many negatives to fit in this small box.

You might get a sunburn.

Also, not much exercise.

Hates on Selena Gomez the entire time.

Sounds good and it’s fun to listen to!

Super good fishing because the lake hasn’t been touched.

You have to pay to get in...kinda lame!

If you really want to see this movie go view it in Farmington.

Do you work for waste management?

We sure hope not!

Let your girlfriend borrow them for the day!

98% of students and 94% of faculty are agianst it.

Closed campus lunch takes away many things and the only ones who are for it are a group of moms.

They still love eachother very much, apparently.

We have given up on Hollywood and their ruined love stories.

Channing is single Cutest couand I already ple since called Brangelina! dibs!

Come on guys keep it together!

Takes a lot of strat- egy to get the ball in the hole.

You can drive golf carts too!

Get yo self a carne a sada quesadilla and a churro!

You can find the golf girls at Starbucks at any given time.

There’s only six songs on the album.

It’s the closest lake in Durango.

Take up golf if you want to be President someday.

Good listen, but we love Selena too.

Go paddle-boarding with your friends this

The Netflix Original Series worth watching:

JACK WHISTLER Reporter

Stranger Things:

Queer Eye:

If you haven’t heard about this show, you must be living under a rock. When Will Buyers mysteriously goes missing in the small town of Hawkins, things start to turn when a mysterious girl shows up, and a monster escapes from a lab. A true sci-fi adventure, this show is extremely popular for a reason. Great kid actors, nostalgia, and a killer soundtrack make this show not only the most popular Netflix Original show, but a must-watch. Watch Seasons One and Two on Netflix now!

Just released, this show is a reboot of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and follows “The Fab Five” as they travel around Georgia and give seven men a complete makeover. Charming, funny, and even tear-jerking at times, this show is full of positivity, fun, and acceptance. Whether you’re straight, gay, or somewhere in between, anyone can enjoy this show.

Watch Season One on Netflix Now!

End of the F***ing World:

Mindhunter:

A true crime story, Mindhunter dives into the world before serial killers, where the FBI coins the word ‘serial killer’. Set in the 1970s, this show has great acting and production design. Dark and twisty, this show is a psychological thrill ride. This isn’t your grandma’s Netflix Original, this is extremely dark, mature audiences only. Don’t watch this show before bed!

An indie gem, this is the perfect binge-worthy show for anyone likes a quirky, fun, and enjoyable show. This series takes a fun dive into the world of two outcast teenagers and their adventure away from home. Along the journey, the show touches on more serious subject matter while still keeping the dialogue and story witty, humorous, and full of curse words. Watch season one on Netflix now!

Jessica Jones:

This darker side of the Marvel Universe, shows the mysterious Jessica Jones working as an investigator after her short-lived superhero career. Refreshingly dark, smart, and deep, this adult oriented show deals with mental health and doing the right thing. The best part about this show is the female lead, where the character shines with depth and conflict. Watch Seasons One and Two on Netflix now!

April 2018

Altered Carbon:

A sci-fi marvel, Netflix spared no expense when creating this new Netflix Original. The show follows a former mercenary whose mind has been placed in a new body 200 years after he died. We follow along as he tries to solve the murder of a wealthy man. The show isn’t your typical sci-fi adventure, and takes a different perspective on the future of mankind and what makes one human. Watch Season One on Netflix Now.

14

Specials

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Humans of Durango

Looking into the lives of local Durangotangs

CHLOE RAGSDALE Reporter

As humans, our unique lives come together by the one thing that we all share our fears. Fears are what we all strive to overcome, and in that way connect us. This issue, El Diablo asked people from Durango, “What are your greatest fears for now and for the future?” Every answer displayed the power of sharing and overcoming our fears, and how that can improve and better our society.

“Can’t say death, so lets see. That’s a really good question. Hitting a tree, I guess, while skiing. If my dog had some kind of injury or something. Getting hit by a car or something. But, you know, it seems to me like kids are growing up quick and they’re taking charge of things, but you know, they really should since the adults have kind of made a mess of things lately with the current politics. That’s not really a fear, but I think it looks bright.

So probably nuclear war, which we’re steering towards. Just walk through them.

I gotta say, I used to be and still am kind of a breakthrough consultant, so I do just that - help people to walk through their fears. If there’s nothing there when you really look at it and really face it, it’s just something holding you back. If there’s a fear that you can just walk through, there’s less fear that you can have.”

“If I were to lose all my friends and family, and be truly alone. To not be vague, I would say for just social collapse.

Current geopolitical stuff has caused that fear. My fear also would be stemming from recent affairs, unfortunately, since that there’s an increasing ignorance and arrogance and apathy. So just one day at a time. Have hope. Keep your chin up.”

“Something with spiders. I just hate spiders. They’re just scary, they can crawl around, and get in your eyes and mouth.

Snakes you can step on them, but spiders are fast! And then you’re like trying to knock and it down and then it falls down and you don’t know where it is. I got bit by a spider once, it was like in my bed.

It was on my pillow. My greatest fear for the future is probably some kind of spider takeover. Like planet of the apes but with spiders. They get really big and they come at you with spears. There’s nothing we could do. But to face your fears? Just do it. Just face the fear. Take the bull by the horns.” - Fr. Denzel Farmer “My greatest fear? I really have none.

I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a business owner, and you just live taking risks all the time. I have no fears about my business. The thing is everybody fails, and a lot of people get scared of failure, but the truth is we all hose up. We all make mistakes and 80% of the time, you’re going to just fail or barely get by, and it’s that 5% of the time that you just knock is out of the park and people just go ahhhhh. They’re awesome! They look at that one thing that you did and All photos taken by Chloe Ragsdale forget about 80% of the time you failed.

I have no fears for the future. Well, I have some fears, but they’re manageable. My fears are that I won’t be there for my family because I work a lot. But we home-school our kids, so I spend an insane amount of time with my them, and we home-school them so we can bring them to our work and stuff. So those are really my fears. My fears are that I’m not gonna be authentic. A lot of the time, we have a fear of showing who we really are with other people because we think they’ll mock us or think they don’t like us or something. Forget about those people. I mean, we all have those fears, I have those fears, but the truth is, you gotta be authentic, you gotta put it out there. Here’s the best logical advice I have for you - if end up trying something and you’re afraid of failing, that’s very normal. But the truth is, what’s the chance that you’re going to absolutely fail, on a scale of one to ten? What’s really the chance that you’re gonna totally blow it? Like a one, maybe a two? You’ll at least hit middle of the ground. So your chance of failure is really just a one or two of failing. But what’s the chance of you actually succeeding? Probably a 9. So you’re really risking a ten or twenty percent chance of failing against an eighty or ninety percent chance that you’re going to do awesome. And what’s the real chance that it’s going to totally change your life, give you a great experience? It’s next to guaranteed. The truth is, most people stop about ten feet from the finish line. Don’t worry about it. Just go. You gotta pursue your dreams. Go for it! And then when people look at you, if you fail, realistically, it might take you a couple months to get back on your feet, maybe a year or two tops, but you’re going to be right back where you were. And then everybody goes wow, I wish I could be like that person, I wish I could have their life. And you’re just out there living your dream, putting your integrity out there, putting who you are out there.”

“That I won’t make it to retirement! Actually, wait I have a better answer - that I won’t be able to fund raise enough money for Aerospace to go to Florida this year. We’re just sending out letters to tons and tons of businesses in Durango and Colorado. To conquer your fears, you know, take concrete steps, like the fears tend to be this kind of huge nebulas thing and if you can break it down to a process to get to what you’re trying to get to, whether it be retirement or my fundraising goal, then somehow it seems less overwhelming if you break in down into smaller parts.” - Ms. Furtauer “There’s a lot of things, you know.

Terrorism, North Korea, there’s a lot of corruption. Especially around here, it seems, the people who run things are all corrupt and trying to recall somebody, I heard. My greatest fear is all the corruption and stuff that’s going on. We’re living in a time where right is wrong and wrong is right. I have a fear that things aren’t going to change, and things need to change from how they are now. But really I try not to fear anything in general. I try to have faith and hope, like things are going to get better, you know. I was raised in a Christian family, and it says in the bible that we’re not supposed to fear evil.

There’s a lot of evil in the world that’s trying to mess you up but we;re not supposed to fear it! We should try to stay positive, just like the song I played for you!

Just try to stay positive, no matter how evil people are or how people try to drag you down. You know, when I’m about to perform, sometimes I get butterflies in my stomach, but other than that it’s just all psychological.”

“I guess like getting really sick, a disease or something. Well, immortality, I guess. I want to live a long healthy life.

I don’t really have a fear for the future, I’m looking forward to the future.

Actually, my mom dying, I don’t want my mom to die. To get over your fears, just say what’s on your mind. If you got something really positive to say, say it to someone else. Helps you build character.”

“Right now my greatest fear is the unknown at the end of this year because this is my last year of teaching. I’m done and I’m on my retirement as of June whatever. My wife and I are going to travel, but there’s a lot of unknowns out there which is kind of scary, we pretty much have to figure it out. It’s something I’ve never done before. In my career, I have seen education change a lot, and my biggest fear is for the direction that public education is going and all the things that are influencing that. Some internal things, some external things, just a lot of again unknowns. Like i said, I’ve seen a lot of changes and they don’t always benefit programs like I teach, like the electives classes and things like that.

There’s a lot of emphasis on core, and I understand that. But I don’t want education to move away from things that kids do because they’re passionate about it.

First you have to face them, and I would say you need to, as opposed to being passive, you need to be assertive in a sense that you want to do something as opposed to doing nothing to face them. Whatever that might be. If your fear is spiders, then you need to face that fear and figure out a plan to attack that fear, whatever it might be. People have a tendency to shy away from their fears, and therefore they never get resolved, as opposed to taking charge.”

“I’m too old to be afraid of anything, I’m 76. Well, fear of poverty’s the only one and that’s because I grew up that way. But you get over it eventually. But you know, people hurting you, but I’m like, you live in Durango! I used to live in Albuquerque, where there’s 365 deaths a year, but you still didn’t worry, they only happened in a certain place. But I’m sorry, I’m so upset about this gun control thing. I’m afraid for all of you. It hasn’t been like this. The NRA was once a group for sportsmen; it was about hunting, it was about fishing, it was about good people doing good things.

Now I think they’re a terrorist group. It was 1965 that they changed. Around 1963, my ex husband was in the NRA and I convinced him and he got out. He quit. And that’s my greatest fear, it’s for you kids. I’m not religious, I’m not a bible person, but in the bible it says a child will lead them. And you are. You are the future. The first thing that pops into my head is never give up. Our fears are so much worse than the reality of where we’re at in our situations. And we terrify ourselves with our words.

And I’m as bad as anybody. I’m just terrible at it. But if you fear poverty and you’re not in poverty, then that’s stupid. If you fear somebody murdering you on the street and you’re here, that’s stupid. When you see it on TV and it’s hammered day after day after day, you need to pull your brain into reality. Fear is a driver right now in our society. The more afraid we are, the more guns we buy, the more we hate the other. Hatred comes from fear. So my next thing is read and research. When I was in the seventies and it was the Vietnam War that we were fighting, it was question authority. No matter what somebody tells you, you can’t believe it, you gotta go home and research.”

Demons Advocate: helpful advice from your favorite demon CAROLINE KNIGHT Head Editor

I’m excited for prom, I have my dress and everything, but what if I don’t get a date?

Join the club! I love prom-posals as much as the next lonely teenage girl, but prom is about dressing up and having fun with your friends. If you don’t get a date, who cares! Pull a group together, look hotter than everyone else (except me), and dance your heart out. Alternatively, it’s 2018 and girls can ask people to prom. If you have someone in mind-go for it (see below for some creative ideas).

How do I ask someone to prom?

I’ve never asked someone to prom, but here are a couple things that worked for Mr. Jolley, the journalism adviser: Rowing his potential date across a lake and then writing “Prom?” in the sand. Ripping off a pair of pants, where “Prom?” was revealed to be written on his bare legs. I would say keep it light and funny (maybe one of the only situations puns are acceptable).

If you’ve never listened to anything I’ve ever said before, listen to this: don’t do a super public prom-posal unless you’re like, 100% sure your date is gonna say yes. It’s painful to even think about the alternative. On that note, good luck and happy prom!

Disclaimer: While this column does contain awesome and solid advice, it does not reflect the views of the entire El Diablo Staff nor of the DHS student body, just those of a teenager.

El Diablo

All questions answered are real submissions from DHS students. If you have a question for the Demon’s Advocate to answer, or would like to comment on the column above, please email ELDIABLODHS@GMAIL.COM.

Specials 15

ELDIABLONEWS.COM April 2018

Book Review:

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green MIA BOUDREAU Reporter

Kate McKinnis Sr. Lydia Larson fixes her makeup as she subscribes to modern female beauty standards.

Easy, breezy, beautiful?

Exploring modern beauty standards and self-esteem KATE MCKINNIS Reporter

In the modern era of social media, extreme body modification and age old gender biases, many young girls face self-esteem issues. Many of these issues young teens are faced with affect how a school runs and how the students feel about the school itself. DHS students from all grades share their thoughts on an ever present issue.

How can we help girls who face low self esteem issues?

A: “Show them people who are very successful and not a perfect body. And show them that they can’t be like other girls. We don’t want them to be having ribs removed just so they can be the idealistic social standard.” -Fr. Savannah Bergman What do you think a cause of a low self esteem is?

“I think a lot of it is the way you grew up because I feel if you were like bullied as a kid, that affects your way of life. Also how people act around you and who you hang out. It has a huge impact on your life.” -So. Gwyneth Irwin.

Q: How do you see low self esteem as a girl?

A: “We constantly go through a struggle where girls and women are conflicted inside wondering if what all these people say and think about them is what they should believe and put upon themselves.

I disagree with that, and believe that every woman is perfect the way they are.

Girls and woman should ignore what is out there about themselves and believe in who they truly are and have faith and security in what they know. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others push you around. That’s what I have

QUIZ:

What type of hign school student are you you?

KELLY FINNEGAN Reporter

1. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? a. 10 minutes, no problem.

begun to realize over my years in highschool and it has brought me self love.”

-Sr. Lydia Larson What’s one of the main reasons that girls have low self esteem?

“There’s a lot more pressure to be the smartest and the cutest. It feels like there’s a lot of value put on that and there’s a lot of emphasis on having all these things dialed in throughout high school This was not true years ago.

I think that this amount of pressure makes kids compare themselves to the athletes and the super smart kids. I also think like how kids are communicating now it’s different than it used to be.

Like with social media and posting this and that and who their friends are and how cute they look. It makes people feel inadequate because they’re not doing these cool things or getting invited to do these cool things. Also, kids can talk to each other and can say really mean things now using social media using text or snapchat or whatever. They used to have to say it face to face and now they can say whatever they want. I think that this really breaks down self esteem pretty quickly. I think the guys don’t treat the girls very respectfully now compared to then. There is a big emphasis on what they look like or what they do. This wears away the girls self esteem because that’s what they think they’re worth.”

-Jessica Reed, LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) What do you think the leading cause of low self esteem is?

“The pressures surrounding females and the unreachable goal of perfection.

A woman is not born hating herself but over time the “ideals and expectations” of a society obsessed with perfection can teach a girl to think she is not enough.”Jr. Kayla Willis

b. I get up and I’m out the door. c. An hour, at least! d. Depends on the day.

2. Where do you hang out during lunch? a. My favorite teacher’s room b. The cafeteria c. Off campus. Always. d. The library 3. DETENTION! What are you there for? a. They mixed up my name with

Bestselling, and award winning author, John Green, returns with his first book since the acclaimed The Fault In Our Stars (released in 2012).

His latest YA non-fiction, Turtles All the Way Down, tells the story of a teen in emotional anguish trying to navigate through high school whilst attempting to solve a missing persons case.

While investigating in the disappearance of local runaway, billionaire Russell Pickett, 16-year-old Aza Holmes reconnects with an old childhood friend, Davis Pickett, the the son of the missing billionaire.

Although most of the characters in the novel are unique to this story and very developed, Aza’s best friend, Daisy, is written in a very typical way. A various number of other YA books portray the main character’s best friend as lively, fun, energetic, and in some ways opposite from the main character. While her character depicts all of those common traits, and more, Daisy is, however, more developed than most sidekicks, with conflicts and a story of her own.

Other books of Greens have revolved around large issues like cancer, family dynamics, or death. His most recent book is no exception; Turtles all the Way Down narrates a story of mental illness.

This book gives a refreshing insight and intimate details on what it’s like to live with severe anxiety and mental illness that in most other areas of the media is shied away from and alienated.

The intense internal dialogues that the main character frequently has with herself depict a struggle that for some someone else. I should NOT be here. b. Late to class. c. Texting/on my phone everyday. d. Overdue books 4. What do you never leave home without? a. My Journal b. Extra sneakers, never know when I’d need to go on a run. c. My phone, I could never leave it behind!! d. My precious water bottle 5. If you got asked to go to a party, what would your answer be? a. Never, my parents would kill me. b. Sure. c. Duh, what time?! d. Uh…a p-party? No thanks. I have to study.

6. Got a test tomorrow? How do you study? a. Pace myself. I started studying two weeks ago. b. Speed reading is the best way to go. c. Studying is overrated. d. I’ll be up until 3 AM, sadly.

7. You have a new assignment and get to choose partners, who do you choose? a. The people sitting with me at my table. b. Whoever looks super smart!

April 2018

people is all to real, and for others, a one that they can begin to understand despite personally experiencing it.

The characters in this book are authentic and raw. Teen readers will find themselves being able to relate to the characters and some of the underlying and everyday problems they face.

Aza’s experiences with daily anxiety is so vividly depicted and well written that readers feel immersed in her struggles instead of merely informed of them.

In addition to Aza’s mental health struggle, she is also struggling to support her friend Davis, while trying to uncover the truth about his father’s disappearance.

To balance out the bittersweet, slightly darker theme of the book, small doses of humor are scattered throughout the story, breaking up moments of stress.

This humor comes in the characteristic John Green style that his readers have come to love.

The majority of the story includes a lot of detail and insight, but the end of the book falls a little bit short. The conclusion feels rushed and unexpected, leaving readers wanting to know more.

Turtles All the Way Down is a read for people who like a little bit of mystery, and also the typical YA book content. While including both the experiences of an everyday high school student, Green also implements the element of mystery, and investigation that can keep readers interested, and engaged.

Loyal John Green fans will not find themselves disappointed in his latest work, instead they will feel inspired, and empathetic. c. My best friends, for sure!!! d. I’ll just wait for someone to come up to me.

If you got mostly A’s…

You’re pretty introverted. Academics come naturally to you. You may be laid back, but you also like to stay home a lot. You’re not interested in the big parties, you’d rather be home watching netflix and relaxing in bed.

If you got mostly B’s…

You’re laid back. School is a lot of work, but you’re there to pass and stay eligible. Sports are important to you and it’s what you love to do. It’s pretty easy for you to make friends and high school is easy as long as you have people around you to help you out.

If you got mostly C’s…

You’re outgoing. You like to hangout with your friends in your free time and find high school a fun place to socialize. Your phone can get you in trouble during class but it’s your main source of keeping everything together.

If you got mostly D’s…

You’re responsible. You always get everything done on time. You have many friends and you always are willing to help them out with school work. School may stress you out, but it’s worth it when you see those A’s.

DHS cares The Demon WAy We take care of each other We Support each other we are HOnest With each other WE take pride in each other