El Diablo - May 2019

EL DIABLO Voice of the Students

The Great Unknown Durango High School Issue 6 Volume 69 May 2019

Contents

2

3 FEATURES

-DHS graduation: May 24

8 SPORTS

-Girls LacrosseHighlight

12 OPINION

-Why Modern Feminism isn’t working

18 ARTS & LIT

-Coachella Music Review

22 LIFESTYLES

-Horoscopes

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Letter from the Editors Dear readers,

It’s been a great year for El Diablo- we made the move to a magazine format, we came out with our first investigative issue, and we won some awards for it! We’ve loved being your head editors, and we’re excited to pass the role on to girls that we know will only make it better. Peace out and happy reading!

Love, Emma Jaber, Caroline Knight, and Haley Szczech

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SENIOR SECTION

-Senior Map! El Diablo

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

Head Editors: Emma Jaber, Caroline Knight, Haley Szczech Managing Editor: Saylor Stottlemyer Feature Head: Maddy Gleason Feature Editors: Irie Sentner, Grace Swanson Sports Head: Bryn Valdez Sports Editors: Bekah Moenning, Mo Murray Arts Head: Gwen Stoddard Arts Editors: Rush Webster Lifestyles Heads: Mia Boudreau, Chloe Ragsdale Photography Head: Cassandra Blau Photography Assistant: Hannah Wills Photography Editors: Joey Mynatt, Alyssa Robertson Online Head: Gillian Holmgren Reporters: Jack Whistler, Austin Swan, Lily Longan, Luke Swift, Georgia Mynatt, Sophia Adamski, Eva Adair, McKenzie Belt, Camirose Hatten-Walker, Layla Apodaca, Isaiah Downing, Ty Mathys, Corbin Miller, Jack Breezley, Stevi Cameron, Ben Ehrig, Emily Fiala, Kendall Floyd, Haleigh Harper, Jamie Hitti, Anthony Hernandez, Abbey Hunt, Todd Murray, Margaux Newby, Elena Parmenter, Natasha Potemkin, Havens Webster, Rush Webster, Leah Wesley, Mia Whistler

Dear readers,

We are so excited to have the opportunity to oversee El Diablo! We can’t wait to take what the previous head editors have done and make it even better for you. We are ready to take on the challenges and we all genuinely love this paper and its staff.

Love, Bryn Valdez, Maddy Gleason, and Chloe Ragsdale Subscriptions... are $15 a 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 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.

Mailing address: 2390 Main Avenue, Durango, Colorado 81301 Phone: 970-259-1630, ext. 2221 Fax: 970-250-3987 Email: eldiablodhs@gmail.com tjolley@durangoschools.org

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

DIVING DEEP:

DHS Scuba Club ventures to Honduras KENDALL FLOYD Reporter “Everywhere you went you could see sea turtles,” said Jr. Stella Griswold, rher recent trip to Roatán, Honduras. Over spring break, six members of Durango High School’s scuba club traveled to Honduras in search of clear water and great scuba diving.

“Two years ago the scuba club traveled to Kona, Hawaii,” said Sr. Quinn Griswold. During that time, the scuba club was inexperienced and Hawaii was a great opportunity for the club to be able to practice in calm and shallow water. However, this year, the scuba club was ready to take on a whole new experience.

Once they begun research on where to travel next, the club realized that Honduras would be a great option because it has “amazing sea life,” said Q. Griswold.

With this in mind, the scuba club decided that Honduras would be a great location for this year’s trip. Soon after, the club began their fundraising efforts.

“We sold beanies as well as Pura Vida bracelets,” said Q. Griswold, describing the club’s method for fundraising. All the money from the beanies went towards paying for the trip. However, some of the money from the bracelets went to an organization called The Ocean Clean Up. “There’s no trash and it’s very environmentally friendly,” said S. Griswold.

During their stay, the club was able to attend classes at a research facility. In these classes, they had the opportunity to learn about dolphins, turtles, and most importantly, how to save the coral in the nearby reefs.

In addition to classes at the research facility, they also “scuba dived twice a day... probably eleven in total,” said S. Griswold. Not only was this great scuba practice, but they were also able to explore in lots of different places. One of their most memorable moments was when they did a night dive.

“I was actually very excited to dive at night, though my fellow members weren’t as excited,” said Q. Griswold. Once they got in the water and turned on their lights, they were able to see that it was a totally different reef than what it was during the day. There was a lot of different marine life that isn’t completely visible during the hours of the day.

“My favorite part of the whole trip was the dolphins,” said S. Griswold.

In addition to sea turtles, the scuba club was also able to snorkel and swim with dolphins. For many, the dolphins were definitely the main highlight of the trip.

“Our first goal as a club is to get everyone certified through Splash Down Diving here in Durango,” said Q. Griswold. You can join the Scuba Club without a certification, but in order to actually travel and dive, you must be certified. Once you are a certified diver, you are certified for life.

“We’d also like to let DHS students and community know about some of the issues surrounding what is happening to the marine environment,” said Dale Garland.

These issues include the use of single-use plastic and straws, the impact of global warming on reef systems, and the threat of lionfish.

“My favorite part of scuba diving is seeing a world that not everyone can see. It is absolutely amazing to see different species that close up,” said Q. Griswold. The

Courtesy of DHS Scuba Club

scuba diving community is also very open and the members are excited to share and listen to the cool experiences they have had while diving.

“After I got certified I wanted to share my excitement with students and expose them to how amazing Scuba diving can be,” said Garland. The scuba club is always looking for students to join, and they welcome anyone who is interested.

Next year, the club will probably “travel to somewhere new,” said Q. Griswold.

The scuba club is relatively new at Durango High School as this is only the club’s fourth year. However, they have already been able to travel to some amazing places and they have more exciting trips planned for the future.

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

GRADUATION DAY:

One Final Goodbye May 24, 2019 @ 6:00 P.M. DHS football field MIA WHISTLER Reporter “Beautiful Colorado-blue skies, a light breeze and sunshine! Everyone smiling in their robes and just excited for what is about to happen, that right there is the ideal graduation,” said head graduation organizer Jessica Bright.

There’s a buzz in the air as our senior class anticipates the day that they’ve been waiting for finally arrives; graduation day. They’re taking their next big steps into the world, so naturally, everything has to be perfect.

“Success is about the student walking across the stage. In terms of the planning process, it’s all about the details. Making sure the chairs are lined up, programs are printed, decorations look great and we stay on schedule,” says Bright.

Obviously, putting together a graduation is no simple task, and it’s no one-man job.

“It is definitely a team effort, not just admin but also the students and getting to know what they want their graduation to look like,” said Garland.

Graduation is a time of celebration, but it also means much more than just that. .It is also the day that seniors open a new chapter of their lives. But that can also mean stepping into a totally new unknown territory.

“I’m just excited about seeing the faces of the seniors as they walk across the stage, and sometimes you see a little fear in their eyes as well,” said Bright.

Many seniors are ready to move into their future and starting fresh. Yet, that doesn’t always mean they are ready to say goodbye.

“I mean, everyone is excited but no one ever talks about how it can be kind of sad, saying goodbye and all,” said Sr. Ruthie Dickson.

Not only is it hard for them to say goodbye, but it can be tough for us to say goodbye to them as well. Many staff and administration have watched these students grow for four years, and seeing them walk across the stage with success can be more than enough to be proud of.

“Graduation is a time of celebration, where we get to celebrate together all the hard work that pays off with a diploma. No matter what path you take after high school, I am honored to be a part of it and can’t wait to see everyone walk across the stage,” said Bright.

As the seniors prepare to leave with high hopes they have high aspirations for their graduation as well. After all, it is their day.

“I think that it’s really fun and cool that we get to be a part of the prep for graduation and all, because that way we get to be a part of planning a day that we will remember for the rest of our lives. It’s something that is really special to a lot of people and we all get to a part in making it that way,” said Dickson.

The staff working on graduation couldn’t be more excited to be working with another class of seniors on making their graduation amazing. They don’t plan on any big surprises.

“It’s always fun working with a new group of students and learn how they want their graduation experience to be, but no surprises this year,” said Bright.

This time of year everyone is in the final push to summer, finishing one more year of high school. But for seniors, it’s one final push to the end of this time if their life.

They’re moving out into their future with one last day to say goodbye.

“Everyone is ready, yet everyone is not. It’s this mix of emotions of wanting to go but not wanting to leave it all behind. And I don’t even think everyone realizes that this is it. It’s over, and time to say goodbye,” said Dickson.

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

Future Freemasons? Juniors Receive

“Best Student of the Year” SAYLOR STOTTLEMYER Managing Editor

Ever seen National Treasure and heard about the Freemasons? Or overheard the dark, mysterious history of Denver International Airport and how it is the Freemason’s secret headquarters? While the group is incredibly enigmatic, Juniors Kalista Peña and Luke Ford are one step closer to becoming Freemasons with their recognition as “Best Students of the Year” on April 14th at the Masonic Lodge. “[I won this award because] I always bring a good attitude into class everyday that allows other students to feel comfortable and allows teachers to better connect with the class” said Jr. Luke Ford.

All Juniors had the possibility of receiving the award, as DHS teachers nominated any students, however Peña and Ford received the most nominations.

“I deserved this award because everything I put my mind to I put forth my best effort and strived to achieve my goals. This is the way that I approach all aspects of my life including academics and extracurriculars. I’ve worked hard for my cumulative GPA and my roles in my extracurriculars” said Peña.

The event was also to recognize teachers and students from other schools as well as First Responders in the area. But a bigger question arose from this celebration: who are the Freemasons?

Beginning in the Stone Ages, Stonemasons were apprentices who had worked their way up to stonemasters. The group continued to become more elitist through centuries, and it was introduced into the Americas in 1717. Now, conspiracists have escalated the secrecy of the organization, which has made Freemasons not only an enigmatic marvel, but also a popular trend.

“The Freemasons are a fraternal organization that has two younger groups associated with them called Rainbow Girls and DeMolay. They have rituals and practice that give them an appearance of a cult and have been called that periodically by those who see them as a secret society,” said APUSH teacher Robert Logan The Freemasons tend to be misunderstood, and they are only dramaticized by adventure stories, conspiracies, and even governmental corruption. Several Founding Fathers, World Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Athletes, Writers, Musicians, Actors, and Government Officials are involved in Freemasonry.

In 1995, Denver International Airport was created, and since it was 16 months behind schedule and cost 2 billion over the budget, conspiracists saw an opportunity. The plaque dedicated to the airport sports the Freemason logo, and the murals throughout the airport display WW2 and political sentiments. Did the Freemasons just contribute to the airport construction, or is the secret Masonic headquarters in the tunnel system beneath the feet of travelers?

“The Masons have been around way before America was even discovered. They are regulated through Lodges that are generally controlled by different counties. When a Mason dies, there are, again, several rituals that take place at the burial” said Logan.

Even though this fraternal organization seems incredibly enigmatic, they are also major contributors to different non-profits, and they supply scholarships nationwide.

“The awards can be important when filling out college applications as seniors in order to highlight some of their accomplishments” said Jr. Academic Advisor Robert Aspen, who compiled the teacher surveys and submitted the results to the Masonic Lodge.

Both Peña and Ford are excited about the opportunity to use this award on their College Applications this fall. Even though the Masons have received such publicity through our popular culture, they are still an honorable organization that recognizing promising Juniors at Durango High School.

“The Masonic Lodge is a well known organization through the US. I can put this award on my resume and be recognized for my hard work and persistence” said Peña.

We may never know how cultish the Freemasons are, or if their headquarters is inside Denver International Airport, but we can safely say that Juniors Patricia Peña and Luke Ford have created a bridge between DHS and this mysterious organization.

Junior Kalista Peña

Junior Luke Ford

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

COLLECTING COIN

Students Seek Employment at JIVE Fair

Photo Credit Stevi Cameron STEVI CAMERON Reporter Durango High School students are ready for summer and the freedom, adventures, and warm weather that come with it. However, many are in search of new opportunities to expand their high school experiences as well as their wallets. This summer, Durango businesses and nonprofits have opened their doors to Durango High Schoolers through internships, jobs, and volunteer events.

This year Durango High School administration partnered with Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission (MYAC) to put on a youth JIVE fair. At the fair, jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities, and experiences were all provided for high schoolers

in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade on Monday, May 6th. Students toured the fair, observing the many opportunities for learning experiences in Durango.

Sr. Stella Potemkin is a part of MYAC and has taken on a major role in putting on the event.

“The goal of JIVE is to connect students to businesses and nonprofits in Durango and place them in job positions for the summer,” said Potemkin.

The available opportunities involve jobs at Purgatory, volunteer positions in the Colorado Conservation Corps, and even work at a local hair salon. Though the job fair has been primarily put on by specifically MYAC members, this year Potemkin believes it will be better than ever with the support from administration.

Assistant principal, Mr. Thurston, and his assistant Melinda Wood have taken on the project in addition to the students on MYAC. “The experiences you get in a job are huge and I find that very valuable for students, which is why I’ve taken the time to put this together,” said Thurston.

He is in full support of high schoolers entering the workforce and he explains that it helps build “transferable skills”. These skills include having the ability to communicate with others, being organized and clean, being consistently punctual, and numerous other qualities that can be applied to other aspects of life.

“It doesn’t matter what career you were going into so summer jobs are really nice because they give you a taste of a job. You don’t have to commit forever but you still get the experience,” said Thurston.

So. Aiden Quayle has been on the hunt for a job in the restaurant industry and hopes to be able to buy himself a car. Quayle is ambitious, but realizes that having a summer job is more important than just gas money.

“The benefits to having a job is the work experience because when you leave high school you’re going to have to start paying for yourself and it’s good to have the skills before hand,” said Quayle.

By adjusting to the demands of a job, he believes that it will help to develop a students responsibility. Quayle was eager to attend the JIVE fair.

Starting at 1:00 on May 6th at the fairgrounds, businesses and nonprofits from around our community set up tables and greeted the many high schoolers that flocked through the fair. High schoolers were able to talk with business owners about their openings and pick up applications.

The Nifty Nanny, a day camp that offers tutoring and fun filled activities for young kids on the days they have off of school, had a table set up at JIVE. Vivienne McIntyre, the owner, explains what she loves about hiring young people in the community.

“I love the energy they bring into the classroom and their desire to learn more and always be better,” said McIntyre.

All of the applications she had prepared had been taken by the end of the fair and she is just waiting for students to follow through. She explains that she looks for students with leadership skills and the will to take initiative in every circumstance.

Another important addition to this years JIVE fair is the increase in internship opportunities. This provides students with a chance to be able to experience something that they would want to continue in their lives.

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eldiablonews.com May 2019 “I think that different people are suited for different jobs and you should find what works for you,” said Potemkin.

This can especially help students find an opportunity unique to themselves. However, Thurston encourages students to keep an open mind and see the benefits in any experience.

McIntyre explains that she enjoys connecting students to the community through her business as well as giving them lessons to apply in to their future.

“By working with younger people working in a child care industry my hope is that

they can gain the skills they need to be successful in their next phase in life,” said McIntyre.

Getting a job may seem like a very independent step in life and maybe even a little bit intimidating, but the Durango community of businesses and nonprofits warmly welcome students, even with little to no experience. They express that they are more than willing to help train them and introduce them to the working world.

“We keep hearing over and over that the businesses love our kids and that the want to bring them in and give them those skills,”said Thurston.

HEART OF GOLD

STU-CO Recieves Gold Council of Excellence Award

LUKE SWIFT Reporter

For its ninth year in a row, Durango High School’s Student Council has received the rare Gold Council of Excellence award for its above and beyond actions done for the community. The award allows for a plethora of opportunities for the council to expand the club and the many things they hope to accomplish in the coming years.

To receive the award, the council worked very hard to keep track of everything they have done for the community and went before a national council with 230 other school councils who were also competing for the award. Kaylan Wait, one of the councils’ executives explains what they had to do to obtain the award.

“To receive the award it consists of keeping track of the meetings, different formatting we need to fulfill and the community service events that we have been in charge of. All in all, there are a lot of categories that we need to fulfill throughout the year.” Said Jr. Kaylan Wait When obtaining the award, it allows for a lot of councils to communicate with the other gold council winners and see how they are related. Wait comments on what they can and hope to accomplish with the award.

“It gives us some online resources allowing us to connect with some other gold council members so we can bounce ideas off of each other and they can use ours and we can use theirs.

Said Wait As many students don’t know about the award and what it means to the school, many members hope to raise awareness. Wait comments on how they will use the award to show what a big deal it is.

“This year it was kind of a bummer because only Mr. Hoerl saw our presentation, so now that we have the award the council will like to raise awareness for the award because its a very big deal that relates to the school.” Said Wait Along with the potential of the award, the council is very proud of the rarity of this accomplishment as it is very rare for a council to receive. Senior Siena DiGiacomo comments on the rarity of the award.

“Basically the award just proves that you can meet these really high expectations that a lot of councils and students haven’t been able to meet. In fact, about 11 out of 300 schools in the state received the award so it helps put us on the map and gives a sort of respect that shows what we are doing and are events are pretty well done,” said DiGiacomo.

Overall the award allows for our very hard working STUCO to put themselves on the map and it helps raise awareness for the club, distinguishing themselves from the rest of the schools in both the state and the nation.

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

Boys’ Baseball:

Photo by Abbey Hunt

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Baseball slides into playoffs ABBEY HUNT Reporter The Durango Demons Boy’s Baseball Team is seeing the season out right with their team spirit, dedication, and athleticism on the field. They continue to strive to do their best work while the season continues.

So. Gage Mestas puts all his time and effort into improving on his game. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was three,” he says. “What I love most about the sport is playing with my friends and representing Durango.” After playing for so long, Gage knows what’s his strengths are as an individual and as a team and what’s most important.

“The most important thing to me about baseball is getting better and striving to do my best, and also following my brother’s footsteps. As for team strengths, we’re really positive and we love to compete. We’re motivated to do better game by game and we encourage each other. Teamwork also affects the the whole game because whether or not we execute determines if we win or lose, ” said G. Mestas Fr. Cass Maloney is passionate about the sport and loves to show it. “I’ve been playing baseball since first grade,” he says. “I love the mental part of the game and how keeping a short memory can help you so much. If you make a mistake, you can just forget about it and move on, ” he said.

Although one’s performances independently is important, it isn’t the only thing that makes or breaks the game. “Teamwork and chemistry affects the game because if the team isn’t on the same page, nothing will work out and everything will fall to pieces,” said Maloney, “I think our biggest strength is chemistry because we all love the game and we’re all really good friends who enjoy every second on the baseball field together.” So. Niko Mestas enjoys being a part of the varsity team as well. He enjoys both aspects of the game itself and the people he plays with.

“I’ve been playing for twelve years already. I love how competitive the sport is, it gives us players adrenaline that helps us be energized throughout the game, and I like playing outdoors,” said N. Mestas. Obviously, no baseball team is perfect, and humble players recognize their weaknesses to improve.

“I think we could work on communication with our team. As an individual, I could work on my mechanics and hitting and pitching and things like that,” said N. Mestas. Baseball is not just a sport to play and win, it has importance to players; behind every game is a the true meaning of playing.

“The most important thing in baseball to me is winning. Teamwork is most important to me. I think it’s more vital that my individual performance because there’s no I in team. I’m planning on playing the rest of my high school years and in college.” The nervous feeling of playing a game balances out with the excitement and adrenaline rush of doing good and impressing everyone watching. “I get most excited about beating higher rank teams. That shows how we’re good.” said N. Mestas, “I do get nervous a lot of times when we play really good teams because we have a chance of getting beat.” No matter his team’s performance, Head coach Eric Baker values his team from their hard work to their ways of working together.

“I grew up with baseball, and I like sharing it with young players. It’s also fun to

be around players who are enthusiastic and dedicated to the game” said Baker.

When it comes to coaching, Baker has his experience. “I’ve been coaching here for 15 years, and five years as head coach. With all high school athletics and baseball in particular, teaching young men to overcome loss and failure is the most important thing to me about coaching. Players may also put in lots of work and practice, but when things fall short they still gotta get up,” said Baker. With several years of coaching comes experience, wisdom, and knowledge about the game, Baker knows how to teach players about working as a team and as an individual.

“Baseball is a beautiful sport that combines different actions, and it’s a team sport, but it’s also an individual effort. Players are out on their own a lot of the times for batting and stuff like that, and that’s what I love about it. Individual performance matters. It’s a team sport, you can’t control who the ball goes to or who’s on the plate, so you have to count on on the team. You play and perform better with more confidence when the whole team works together,” said Baker.

Recognizing weaknesses and working hard to improve them is the most important part of practicing. “I would say our biggest strength is athleticism. We have a lot of kids who are athletic and dedicated. I would say out team could improve on competitiveness. They have to learn how to compete when the game doesn’t go your way and figure out how to fight through the other team to maintain composure and confidence, ” said Baker As for this year’s Boys Baseball Team’s status, they have 8 wins and 11 losses.

They continue to flaunt their hard work through their play as the season continues.

Team Stats Batting Avg.

.287

Home Runs

7

Fielding Percentage

.902

On Base Percentage

.400

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eldiablonews.com May 2019

Thank you Adam Bright; CHSAA hires DHS Athletic Director LEAH WESLEY Reporter

Durango High School’s athletics and activities director of 3 years, Adam Bright, will soon be moving on to greater projects within the near future. Bright intends on moving to Denver for a CHSAA board position will give him more say of what will happen within athletic and activities for schools all across the state of colorado.

Bright plans on moving with his wife Jessica, a fellow DHS teacher, and their 3-yearold son at the end of the school year.

In Denver, Adam Bright has taken a position within the CHSAA board, but he will still be active in the athletics and activities board that take place at DHS. CHSAA, The Colorado High School Activities Association is the governing body for all high school activities throughout the state of Colorado. The association helps oversee events for sixteen sports, involving boys and girls. They also help in addition to music competitions, sportsmanship, and student council.

They help schools all across the state to make better decisions on rules, laws, requirements and coordination of school operations. Rather than keeping track of the sports and activities that take place at DHS, Bright will now be looking over the whole state of Colorado and supervising over 200 high schools and their sports and activities.

“Instead of just overseeing 24 sports or 1200 students here, I’ll get to go and work with 360 high schools instead of just one, so for me it’s the chance to have a bigger impact than just on 1200 students. We can start talking about 12500 students

“

“

It’s a unique opportunity to be able to be a commissioner for CHSAA, there are 250 of those jobs across the country and so when an opportunity comes up to get into that limited circle of 1 of 250, it is something you need to look into. When we did look into it was a great opportunity for us -Adam Bright

and participate and work with them and make decisions that are best for everyone,” said Bright. This job will be very beneficial to the Bright families future and potential impact on the Colorado high school boards.

Bright’s job at DHS as a athletics and activities director is important to the school’s future success within sports and other events. “He puts together the schedules and makes sure that we follow all the rules that it takes to qualify for the post-

season and play and everything else. All the code of conduct or violations are taken care of by him and what they could do to make up for that problem,” said administrative assistant, Ann Duft. Although Bright has only worked at DHS for three years, he has had a major impact on athletics and activities that take place at the school.

While it is little known, Bright has helped reduce the paperwork for registration and red cards and proposed the personalized signs found on athlete’s lockers, making it easier for everyone to work in a more relaxed environment.

“Something that was really close to his heart was all the home game experiences. so, the music that’s playing, the scoreboard that’s out there and the video that’s going on and he had so many more plans for that. It was really important to him and it’s a memorable experience for everyone to be able to come out and have a good time and fun. He worked really hard to make that a good experience for everyone,” said Duft. With that said the Bright family is very excited for the start of a new chapter in their lives that will lead to even greater opportunities. Jessica Bright plans on still being apart of education, and hopes to be involved with building CTE programs.

“It’s exciting, it’s always stressful and we weren’t looking to leave. Durango was going to be home for us and we were looking to build a house but when an opportunity comes I think you really have to look at it and what’s best for the family. It will be hard to say goodbye because he’s done a lot of work with the athletic and activities side while I’ve worked really hard building the culinary program. It will be hard to leave but I’m excited for what will come next and it will be fun to explore that” said Jessica Bright.

The Bright family is overall happy, content and cheerful to start a new journey in their life that will impact many high schools all over the state of Colorado. They look forward to being able to come back and visit many friends and co-workers whilst seeing the success that will grow within DHS.

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Photo Courtesy of Georgia Mynatt

Girls’ soccer reflects on season of growth GEORGIA MYNATT Reporter

The 2018-19 girls soccer season so far has been one to remember. Early mornings, late nights, strenuous training, and consistent hard work are just a few things that have gone into this Durango High School soccer season. Every individual player has sacrificed so much for the success of the team and has so much passion for the sport.

Soccer is more than just a game. It’s something that brings students together, teaches life lessons and prepares kids for their future. The seniors on the team are starting to reflect on what the game means to them.

“To me, soccer is more than just a sport, it is what inspires me to never give up on something you care about. It’s the reason I never quit what I’ve already started,” said Sr. and center mid Charlotte Hale. This is Hale’s last year playing for the Demons. Hale has incredible drive and is essential to the Demon offense.

“You can’t only think of yourself when you play soccer. I always tell myself: play for the name on the front of the shirt and they’ll remember the one on back,” said Krull. As a sophomore, Clara Krull has also done some reflecting on the lessons she’s learned from soccer. Her understanding of the game goes beyond tactics and skill.

“The athleticism on this team is crazy and the dedication and work ethic these kids have is outstanding,” said Berzins. Jonathan Berzins, the Demons head coach, has had a lot of faith in this year’s team. He has high hopes for the playoffs and

believes this team has something special.

DHS has exceptional athletes that will go on to do big things in their future. However, having those special qualities does not come easy. Players endure a very demanding training schedule with the girls practicing everyday after school and traveling every weekend.

“It’s hard to keep up with school sometimes. We have traveled so much this season that it gets overwhelming. But I love soccer, and know that learning how to deal with multiple things on my plate at once is a good thing,” said So. Maddy McManus.

The Lady Demons currently hold a record of five wins and three loses. Their season has already been filled with heartbreaking losses and sweet victories. With a new coach, the girls have had more success than last year and have surprised themselves.

“Our hardest competition this year in just our normal league has been Fruita.

They are very well rounded and have a really good forward that we just can’t stop,” said Berzins. Fruita is ranked 26th in 5A colorado schools. The Lady Demons know that if they make it to the playoffs, they will face many teams at the same level as Fruita, or even better. Durango needs to stay focused and driven in order to beat these talented teams.

In many ways, soccer is just like life. It requires perseverance, self denial, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. The sport provides a healthy, effective learning environment for many kids at Durango High School and exemplifies the Demon way. It allows students to be a part of team working towards a common goal.

12 Sports

eldiablonews.com May 2019 MARGAUX NEWBY Reporter

After Christmas break the girls lacrosse team began their season and the team has competed in 15 games so far this season against Santa Fe Prep, Pueblo West, Rio Rancho, Aspen, Roaring Fork, Telluride, Grand Junction, Summit County, Montrose, Telluride again, Fruita, Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Palmer, and Palmer Ridge. The team won six out of those 15 games.

The team is led by Natalie Mitchell in addition to being supported by the assistant coach, Liz Dillman, an E.L.L teacher at DHS. Under this leadership, they finished the season ranking 30th out of 85 Colorado teams.

Lacrosse is currently the fastest growing sport in America, as well as the fastest growing high school sport. “Lacrosse is different because it’s not as popular in this area of the states,” said Coach Natalie Mitchell.

“Girls lacrosse is a very traditional sport but it is still very new age, if that makes sense,” said Sr. Kayla Willis. Assistant Coach, Liz Dillman has been playing lacrosse since the late 80s when she was in 9th grade. Dillman has a love for the sport and has enjoyed working with Coach Natalie Mitchell for the first time. “[She] is an excellent athlete and teacher of the sport,” said Dillman. She became the assistant coach because she wanted to be involved in the more healthy, active, and fun side of DHS. “Classes are central to my work here, of course, but it is so excellent to also be able to play with these fabulous young ladies,” said Dillman, “I love helping them enjoy lacrosse and being part of our team.” On top of this, many of the teammates think that the girls lacrosse team is different from other team sports at DHS because

they are closer than most.

“We love our time during our season and I personally value it for my friendships on the team,” said So. Tori Raybourn, “I feel like the team has it’s clicks but we can all really pull together and be a great team on the field.”

Mitchell has has seen the team improve a lot so far this season because they are now able to practice outside. “I like coaching lacrosse because I love the sport and sharing it with other people,” said Mitchell, “it is so cool to help introduce lacrosse to this area.”

Mitchell decided to be the girls lacrosse coach because she saw a need for it and likes being a positive influence on the girls. “I love showing people how fun it is to compete [and] we have such a wide range of experience,” said Mitchell.

“Our stick skills and fitness have improved-- the girls can run for about an hour and a half now and are making the majority of their catches and throws with accuracy,” said Dillman, “it’s really inspiring!”

“We have our ups and downs but at the end of the day we are all a team and have to function as one group in order to succeed,” said Willis. In addition to having played football and hockey, Willis has been playing lacrosse since her sophomore year.

“I had never even picked up a lacrosse stick but the coaches and the team helped me and it was very simple to learn,” said Willis, “It offers the fun of being on an all girls team but the competition also seemingly reserved for boys sports,” said Willis.

“I love how aggressive I can be while I’m playing a girls sport,” said Raybourn, “it’s a great and fun way to stay in shape.” The girls on the team and the coaches love the sport and having such a strong and close team.

Girls’ Lacrosse:

gaining traction in Colorado

Photo by Margaux Newby

Sports 13

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Life of a Sports Fan: BEKAH MOENNING Sports Editor Because I am a senior and I am leaving Durango High School for good, I thought I would share something personal with my fellow Demons. The positive part about this is that I stopped caring what people think of me, so if this changes your perception about who I am, I can’t say I’m disappointed.

I have learned that everyone has their thing. The thing that allows them to escape reality for a time being, allows them to remember what it’s like to be okay and allows them to feel completely and utterly themselves. For me, that is running.

To provide you with a little bit of background, I have been writing for the El Diablo since my freshman year and editing with them for two years. However, this year after confronting my mental health issues I realized it was no longer a passion of mine. I wrote pointless stories to receive a grade, and I moved on. The only thing that was important enough to me to keep me going, has been running. To combine the two, I thought I would write this semi-pointless story and I would write it about running.

I began running when I was in sixth grade and I joined a middle school cross country team ran by Chad Maclusky, a teacher at Escalante Middle School. Joining this club allowed me to meet kids that had similar interests as me and it helped me come to the realization that running was going to be a big part of my future. I know a lot of people don’t understand “the point” of running and running sports like cross

How Running Saved My Life

country and track, but all I can say is I feel bad for those types of people.

You see, without running being apart of who I am as a person, I am not sure where I would be today. After battling years of anxiety and depression, the one thing I knew for sure was that running was keeping me alive.

For those of you who don’t know what depression and anxiety feel like, here is an inside look: the biggest aspect about both is how alone you feel. How hopeless and how uncomfortable you are in your own skin. Panic attacks on the daily where you forget how to breathe and every part of you is shaking. Crying yourself to sleep, that is if you sleep that night. Nausea whenever you even think about putting food inside your body. Causing physical harm to yourself because you want to feel something else besides the pain inside your head.

That is all pretty intense stuff, but having running to lean on was a life saver.

When I would run, the physical pain in my lungs and the burning in my muscles would allow me to forget about all of the things I was dealing with outside of that.

Exercise is known to induce good feeling chemicals into the body, but it’s more than that. It’s about finding something that makes you feel invincible and like you can defeat anything that is thrown at you.

Many of us at the high school deal with depression and anxiety and other mental health issues and I want everyone to find that one thing that can be their anchor to this earth. It doesn’t have to be running but look for that one thing that makes breathing a little easier.

14 Opinion

eldiablonews.com May 2019

WHY MODERN FEMINISM ISN’T WORKING BRYN VALDEZ Sports Head

As a feminist myself, I felt it was important for me to point out the wildly overlooked issues with modern feminism. The version of radical social activism that has been branded “feminism” in the modern age is a disgrace to the women and men who have worked for centuries to reform the global arena into a level playing field for all members.

Currently, we’re in the “third wave” of feminism. The first wave would have been considered suffrage in the 1920s and the second wave would focus more on issues of political and economic inequality, such as discrimination in the workforce, to throw out an example.

But, as we know, women were granted the right to vote in the US in 1919, and we’ve since reformed the laws that made it possible to discriminate against women legally. So, what does that leave the third wave to accomplish?

The third wave of feminism seeks to tackle a much more abstract issue within our society. Instead of fighting for tangible laws and protection, modern feminists face the task of revising the social biases that have burdened women since the first settled civilizations.

Now, making our society more accepting of all women and equaling out opportunities for both sexes is not a bad thing in theory. But communism was good in theory too.

In reality, the first issues with feminism arise with the fact that in their quest to open all lanes of free communication and rid women’s voices of the oppressive hand of patriarchy, they have silenced a vast number of people who wish to voice valid concerns with the movement. Obviously, this pattern is a key contradiction of the feminist platform.

And I’ll be honest, I myself have been known to distance myself from the conservative perspective; nearly all my friends share my beliefs when it comes to social and political issues. But there is a big difference between that, and the exclusive club that has become of feminism for radical liberals to use as a platform in order silence everyone who doesn’t agree that male crossing signs are a legitimate issue to be fighting over.

And just to clarify, no, I don’t think that feminism is the same as communism.

My point is, that every organization has the potential to become misled when it is used as a soapbox for a few angry voices to argue with themselves over issues their following don’t really care about.

The issues I am referring to in particular are those such as the aforementioned crossing light debate, in which radical feminists urge lawmakers to change crossing signs to a female character (this is not a joke) to promote “female representation” in public spaces. And it doesn’t stop there; the world of feminism has almost become one giant twitter war over triggers and microaggressions.

Yet, in this endless cycle of rage, it seems as if we’ve forgotten the issues that feminism should be focused on. To name a few, child marriage, human trafficking, more opportunities for women of color.

One of the most relevant issues as of now are the numbers at which indigenous women are missing and murdered in our country. At 10x the rate of the rest of the country, police seldom respond to reports with the same urgency as off reservations and it often will take up to 10 hours before a missing person report or amber alert is issued. Are these issues not as pressing as the colors used at gender reveals?

To me, the largest failure of this type of feminism is its incapacity to gain support.

If anything, people are more hesitant to call themselves feminists now than 50 years ago.

In part, I think this is due to the misconception that feminists hate men. But do I blame everyone for thinking this? Of course not. If hadn’t been raised in the flaming depths of the left-wing, I would think so too.

The thing is, feminism owes a lot to our male supporters. Without it, this school would be 50% smaller and I wouldn’t be writing this article. And yes, when women are enduring rape and oppression among other things at the hands of some men, it’s a feminist’s job to bring it to light, but this doesn’t mean that all men are terrible. In fact, it only takes a few to ruin the whole bunch.

Not only has today’s face of feminism scared away men, but it’s also repelling a valuable asset to the cause; white women. In previous waves, feminism was led by white women, but recently a new development has grown within the movement.

Undoubtedly, POC issues have taken a front seat, which is clearly long overdue.

But it seems as if the struggles of non-POC women are being almost mocked, and thus pushing them out of the organization. And it’s not just white women, any privileged woman is often shamed for their fortunate situation and deemed not oppressed enough to participate.

In the least desperate way possible, this is an issue because feminism needs all the support it can get. Without a following and plenty of connections, no actual change can get done.

So I’ll leave you with this, don’t be tricked into thinking the radical feminist propaganda you see online is really how we all feel. When it comes down to it, real feminists only want to see impactful changes in the lives of all oppressed women, and hope to garner support from everyone sharing this vision.

Opinion 15

eldiablonews.com May 2019

New Zealand’s New Gun Laws

The US should learn from immediate action CHLOE RAGSDALE Head Lifestyles Editor On March 15, 2019, two mosques in New Zealand were brutally attacked by a native gunman, resulting in the deaths of fifty people and leaving fifty people injured.

This mass shooting was the second in New Zealand’s history, and like the first, resulted in immediate changes and a criticism of how other countries like the United States deal with gun violence.

New Zealand has a surprisingly high ratio of guns to people, with one gun per every four people, and this statistic places them in the top twenty countries for civilian gun ownership. This issue became very relevant on November 13, 1990, as a New Zealand resident used semi-automatic and assault rifles to act on his increasing mental instability against his neighbor and thirteen others during the Aramoana Massacre.

This horrific event was met with the Arms Act, whose purpose was to restrict the ownership of military-style semi-automatic weapons, though didn’t ban them completely. However, multiple studies concluded that there was a significant decline in fireman suicides and homicides in New Zealand after the implementation of this act, the lapse of any mass shootings spanning until March 15, 2019.

Unlike most politicians when met with extreme gun violence, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, fought passionately to ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons for every citizen.

“We are ultimately here because 50 people died, and they do not have a voice. We in this house are their voice, and today, we have used that voice wisely,” said Ardern.

Jacinda Ardern is a prime example of how every leader in the entirety of the planet should respond to any form of violence, as her brave actions have already saved hundreds of lives in New Zealand, and have sparked reflections throughout the world.

The US’s approach to violence, particularly gun violence, is devastating, and has contributed to thousands of lives lost to guns every year. Many politicians, including President Donald Trump, respond to these frighteningly frequent outbursts of violence with words of sympathy and the promise for prayers, which does nothing to prevent another fit of brutality to shock the US. The New Zealand shooter cited US President Donald Trump as a source of inspiration to him, highlighting the disastrous effect that the American government’s stance on gun control has brought to the global stage.

This seemingly nonchalant attitude toward gun violence is especially prominent throughout the US, with not only the weak air of condolences whispered but by the culture of violence that has been promoted during recent decades.

Violent video games have been deemed by many professionals to promote violent behaviors in countless adolescents, though the real issue stems from the romanization of criminals in US culture. The films endorsing these criminals, such as Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile portraying Ted Bundy by teenage heartthrob Zac Efron, or the many films surrounding the Black Dahlia murder or Charles Manson, reach audiences across America and the rest of the world and contribute to the poetizitation of dignification of these horrific people and their crimes.

Similarly to the relationship between serial killers and the film industry, mass

shooters seem to receive the same aura of fascination and recognition by the American public.

The names of these mass shooters are always released and popularized before any of the victims, and seem to stick in the minds of the public long after any of the victims do.

The New Zealand shooter seemed to recognize this ideal as he cited names of past mass shooters in his white nationalist manifesto posted to social media, including infamous Dylann Roof, who killed nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina to fulfill his white supremacist motives. These names were also written on his gun, which he used to kill the fifty people in the New Zealand mosques.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern combated the threat of romanticization of criminals posed in the US Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand after the atrocious shooting in New Zealand, as she vowed to never speak the name of the shooter.

“Speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them,” said Ardern.

Her actions to preserve the lives that were lost by not giving attention to the shooter is something that should be praised on a global level, as the idea of praising lives and not those who took them is an aspect of positivity and sympathy that the world needs more than ever to combat gun violence.

16 Opinion

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Take a Step Back:

Warren’s college debt forciveness LUKE SWIFT Reporter

On Feb 9th 2019, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that she would run in the 2020 election, sweeping up her liberal supporters with her plans to revamp the “failing” middle class and totally expand college debt forgiveness by taxing the wealthy heavily. If she was elected, according to U.S.A Today, her plan would pay up to $50,000 in tuition to families making less than $100,000 per year.

This, however, would be putting many people not to mention the federal government at a disadvantage, seeing as the plan would cost up to $1.2 trillion dollars within ten years, while also leaving those who make just double the amount of the forgiveness payment in the dust.

The former Harvard law professor’s college debt forgiveness plan would be different from her liberal counterparts’ as she claims it would shift from free public education to simply who pays for it: the individual or the government. She is forgetting a crucial part of her plan, the government will never be the one who pays for the poor man’s education, it would be the hard working, well educated wealthy who have to send their kids to college too. If those who simply make over $100,000 were left behind, it would have devastating effects as those Americans would now have the burden of sending their child to school, getting basically no federal aid and having to worry about paying for someone else's schooling.

The new “socialist” regimes arising in this country is not representing America in a fair light. New socialists like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and the originals like Bernie Sanders and Warren all came from families who struggled financially, this becoming

“Just because you are tired or fed up with living in a poor family your whole life does not give you the right to take from the wealthy, who were probably in their same position but decided to do something about it: work hard and make the money themselves.” the core of their campaigns and allowing them to appeal to the many who feel they are at this same disadvantage.

Many movements all relating to socialism are arising everywhere in the country, such as a minimalist lifestyle. Minimalism is the idea of living with less possessions, debt and unnecessary expenses, or that’s what it’s supposed to be. The other day I was listening to a report conducted by NPR about a man who was living a minimalist lifestyle where he would share anything and everything with the people he was living with, including his income. All this is promoting is zero accountability in America’s

Elizabeth Warren, Massachussettes Senator youth, yes adulting is scary, but trust me you’ll live, one doesn’t have to revert to socialism just because they are afraid to pay bills.

Lately, many students are choosing not to go to college due to many factors, including costs, but also the failure of the public schools system. According to the bureau of labor statistics 69.7% of high school graduates enrolled in college in 2016, reiterating the idea that many students feel going straight into the workforce is more practical especially in U.S states where the level of education is very uneven. Senator Warren wouldn’t know this as Massachusetts, according to U.S.A today has the highest adult bachelor degree rate of 42.7% as compared to the lowest 20.8% more than half that of Massachusetts.

To the college reconstructionists I ask rather than taxing the wealthy so heavily, why don’t we tax the extremely wealthy to better true public education: K-12. If we reconstruct our public school system by focusing on individual student attention, math and reading literacy, as 32 million adults in the nation can’t read, and helping students to apply to college scholarships, we will even out the overall quality of education in the nation, while also making college seem more attainable in the minds of America’s youth.

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Opinion 17

Gone Too Far, Omar?

Congresswoman’s Comments Raise Concerns

JACK BREEZLEY Reporter

Having a diverse house representative is a great thing. However, a line has to be drawn when a representative’s background causes them to be Anti-Semitic.

Ilhan Omar, a representative from Minnesota’s 5th district, is a Muslim Somali Refugee who has made Anti-Semitic tweets and offensive comments about 9/11. Because of this, Omar has entered the media spotlight, and has both united and torn apart the democratic party. Despite all of this media scrutiny, Omar has not faced punishment, though she should have to suffer some consequence for her controversial statement One of the biggest controversies surrounding Omar is her view on 9/11, “Some people did something,” Omar said to the New York Times. As a Muslim woman, it is possible that her religious beliefs may influence and shape her perspective on 9/11. However, this does not imply that all Muslims, including Omar, would be motivated to commit such horrific crimes.

9/11 is perhaps the worst modern event in our nation's history. To refer to such a massacre (resulting in the deaths of 2,996 people in the attacks at the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and United Flight 93) as simply “something” is extremely horrific. Millions of people around the world were affected, making that quote offensive to countless numbers of people.

Personally, it seems as if the reference to the Islamic Extremists as “some people” was in order to eliminate hyper-stereotyping of Muslims in America, like herself. Even more so, controversy arises around Omar when you look at her lack of education when it comes to some religious alliances.

For example Omar said in an interview with CNN, “CAIR was founded after the 9/11 attacks because of them [the 9/11 attacks],”. CAIR was in fact, not founded because of September 11th, but rather five years before it.

Her knowledge about CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) was incorrect and showed her lack of research supporting her arguments. If having an representative in the house who lacks the ability to do proper research and who refers to horrific events in our nation's history as “something” isn’t troubling enough, the same representative making Anti-Semitic accusations should be.

Omar accused AIRPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) of paying politicians to voice opinions that support Israel, according to The Washington Post. This is downright wrong and very offensive.

Omar later apologized for this claim, but continued on to say it didn’t matter whether it was AIRPAC, the NRA, or Fossil Fuel companies who were paying politicians to support Israel, says The Atlantic.

So, how is the Democratic Party handling this? The Democratic party is well known for promoting diversity and welcoming other beliefs, but what about Anti-Semitic beliefs such as Omar’s?

Some democrats of high power like Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, have called on Omar to “reject all forms of anti-semitism,” (The Atlantic). These quotes from high power democrats have definitely helped to shut down Omar’s offensive comments, but have failed to punish her.

Socialist Democrat Bernie Sanders, a jewish politician, also has had mixed feelings on Omar, “I think Omar has to do a better job in speaking to the Jewish Community,” said Sanders (NPR).

Other the other hand, some Democrats, Free Palestine groups, and even David Duke, a former KKK Grand Wizard have also expressed support for Omar’s comments. In this case, White Supremacist beliefs and specific Muslim beliefs have aligned on the topic of anti-semitism.

So what has been done to Omar in response to her offensive remarks?

The short answer is nothing. The most she has experienced is comments from other Democrats, but there are others who have taken it too far. A Florida man was arrested after posting death threats to Omar online.

Due to Omar’s comments, she should be removed from her position as a House Representative or at least be put on leave for a short period of time.

Ilhan Omar, US congresswoman

18 Arts & Literature

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Creativity Festivity EMILY FIALA Reporter

EMILY FIALA Reporter

Artists showcase their talents!

The Creativity Festivity offers students with artistic talents an opportunity to showcase their work to the Durango community. This annual art show gives students a chance to show the public all their hard work and effort they have put into their art pieces throughout the year.

This year was the 25th annual Creativity Festivity in Durango, and the theme for this momentous occasion was A Royal Celebration. This event, organized by the school district, is hosted at the Durango Arts Center and is open for the month of April, since April is the month dedicated towards student art.

“It helps us get our work out in the community so that community members can see the great work that our students make and promote the importance of art programs in our schools, including the importance of funding these programs,” said Roxie Mitchell, an art teacher at DHS. All of the artwork shown is connected to the theme, although there are different kinds of media presented, not just 2-dimensional art. There are sculptures, weavings, paintings, photography, drawings, and much more. There is a wide range of students who participate, from kindergarteners to high school seniors.

“Schools all around Durango participate, including 9R schools such as Durango Montessori, Juniper School, Big Picture, and DHS,” said Mitchell.

Teachers at the schools feel that this event is very important and memorable for students all over Durango and that students should participate in the event.

“There’s a lot of reasons why we want our students to participate in it. It’s an opportunity for them to get the experience of showing their own work in the show. A bigger reason is that its the National Student Art Month and working with other schools and having every grade level represented gives the school district and students the ability to have work presented to the community,” said John Burnite, an art teacher and head of the National Art Honors Society at DHS. Students whose artwork was chosen to be displayed in the show feel like this event helped them branch out and introduce their work into the community.

“I think it gets people out of their comfort zone and gives them a chance to express themselves through their art, which I think is great!” said So. Madison Marshall, a student whose artwork was chosen by an art teachers to be presented at the event.

Students feel like its a good experience for everyone in the community to watch the show, not just artists. It shows the public what is happening inside the art department and what students are learning in their art classes.

“Even if you are not an artist, poet, or actor yourself it is really interesting and fun to see what other people create. This year I went to the poetry slam and I really liked it!” said Sr. Zeely Sawyer, who both had artwork in the show and came to see all the other artwork presented.

Many artists both in the community and in the school find inspiration by going to art shows and the Creativity Festivity is another opportunity for new ideas and creative pieces.

“My favorite part about the Creativity Festivity is getting to see other artists’ beautiful and intricate pieces. I love to see others’ work as it inspires my own. I love that the Creativity Festivity is a wonderful way to show expression and your unique qualities,” said Sawyer.

Overall, the Creativity Festivity has been a great experience for both students and the Durango community. The students get the chance to present their artwork to more people besides just their families and teachers, while the community is able to see what the schools are incorporating into their curriculums and the talents that many students have.

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Arts & Literature 19

20 Arts & Literature

COACHELLA’S BEST: 2019’s Trending Artists

eldiablonews.com May 2019

MARGAUX NEWBY Reporter

Childish Gambino

Donald Glover headlined as his stage name, Childish Gambino at Coachella on April 12 and 19, 2019. The artist has three full albums; Camp (2011), Because the Internet (2013), and his latest, “Awaken, My Love!” (2016) and three EP albums; EP (2011), Kauai (2014), and Summer Pack (2018).

This artist also happens to be an actor, and starred in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. Glover’s 2018 single This is America won four Grammys in 2019 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Music Video. His song, Redbone, from the album, “Awaken, My Love!”, won Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2018.

His performances at Coachella amazed the audience, and surprised everyone when he pulled a stunt in collaboration with Adidas in which he AirDropped a pho-

to to random individuals in the audience, and when they accepted the request, they were offered the chance to pick up a free pair of sneakers during the festival.

Glover also screened his new short film, Guava Island, at Coachella. The 55 minute film features Rihanna as Glover’s character’s girlfriend, and is about a musician (played by Glover) who plans to hold a music festival to offer a reprieve to the oppressed people of the island of Guava.

The genre of Glover’s latest album, “Awaken, My Love!” is described as R&B and hip-hop. Most of Glover’s music in general combines dance genres with sections of heavy rap in a modern sound. Childish Gambino has grown tremendously since the start of his career, with this year experiencing a significant rise in popularity.

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Maggie Rogers

Arts & Literature 21 Maggie Rogers had two outstanding performances at Coachella on April 13 and 20, 2019. The 25 year old’s first major success was when her hit song, Alaska (2016), was recognized by music artist Pharrell Williams after he heard it at a master’s class at NYU. The song was inspired by a trip she took during which she hiked through Alaska one summer.

Rogers has three full albums; The Echo (2012), Blood Ballet (2014), and her latest release, Heard It in a Past Life (2019), as well as two EP albums, Now That the Light is Fading (2017) and The Response (2012). Rogers recorded her first album, Echo (2012), during her senior year of high school.

Spotify describes Rogers’ music as “combining folk, dance, and R&B into an emotional yet crowd-pleasing sound.” Rogers in known for being an optimist and bringing self-positivity to her concerts, a good quality for popular artists to bring to their audiences.

Rogers describes herself as “loud”, “an optimist”, “a hiker and an environmentalist”, and “a feminist”; and many of her songs mirror these qualities in her personality.

Rogers started her world tour for her newest album, Heard It in a Past Life, on April 26, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is ending her tour in Austin, Texas on October 20, 2019.

Although Maggie Rogers is still not very well known yet, she is constantly becoming more popular and her positive attitude could offer a refreshing change in the music industry, with so many popular music artists propagating such negatives and overrated topics.

Tame Impala Tame Impala headlined at Coachella on April 13 and 20, 2019. The band has five members, Dominic Simper (bass), Nick Allbrook (bass guitar), Jay Watson (drum kits), Cam Avery (bass), and leader Kevin Parker, who writes, records, and produces almost all the music by himself.

They currently have three full albums, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism (2012), their most recent album, Currents (2015), along with many EP albums and singles.

Tame Impala has no Grammys yet, but has twice been nominated for Alternative Music Album. The band also recently released two new singles this year, Patience and Borderline, the latter of which they debuted on SNL on March 30, 2019.

Tame Impala was created in 1999 when Simper and Parker were only 13, and the band became professional in 2007. They started their world tour on May 2, 2019, and are ending it on August 24, 2019.

During their performance at Coachella, Tame Impala brought rapper A$AP Rocky on stage and sung two of the rapper’s songs with him, L$D, and Sundress. The band is planned to headline more music festivals this year, including Shaky Knees Festival (Atlanta, GA), Boston Calling (Boston, MA), Primavera Festival (Barcelona, Spain), Glastonbury (Pilton, Somerset, England), and Lollapalooza (Chicago, IL).

The band’s music is described as Australian psych-rock (being from Perth, Australia). Their music is said to combine 60’s and 70’s pop with modern electronic music. The band likes to see themselves as “a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dreamlike melody.”

22 Lifestyle

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Aries (21 March - 20 April): Unfinished projects and untethered inspiration have probably left you with a lack of motivation or direction. Use this season as an opportunity to channel your energy into all tasks, big and small, that you’ve left to gather dust.

Seeing the fruit of your labor will help you feel more powerful, grounded, and complete.

Taurus (21 April - May 20): It’s more than likely that you’ve found yourself spread thin. By instinct, you tirelessly pursue errands to their end, even when this means feeling overworked and burnt out. Spend your time instead focusing singularly on one big project, and you’ll wind up feeling fulfilled and stable rather than irritable and uncertain.

Gemini (21 May - 21 June): There isn’t much that can bother you. You tend to feel comfortable in your own opinions and emotions, and your confidence is quick to present itself. Lately, you may have been feeling increasingly uncertain and annoyed. This season is the perfect opportunity to communicate effectively.

Cancer (22 June - 22 July): With a sunny outlook on things, it’s probable that you feel as if you can overcome anything in life.

The coming months have the potential for conflict, either in your personal life or in academic pursuits. Be careful not to let these hurdles stop you; your intuition and good nature will carry you safely through.

Leo (23 July - 23 August): You may have felt a sense of distance between these important people in recent weeks. You’re also driven by monetary success, and this could have lead to the space you’ve been feeling. Making a concerted effort to spend quality, unfiltered time with those you love most will set a cheery tone for the rest of the season.

Virgo (24 August - 23 September): Punctual and organized are two traits you probably identify with.

This season, however, could have you feeling anxious and touchy.

You will have to make some sort of difficult decision in areas of personal relationships; where they stand and how they function in coming months will be based on the choices you make now.

Libra (24 September - 23 October): You’re generally easygoing and lighthearted, but it’s possible that you’ve experienced some sort of falling out with someone you once held dear. Reestablishing genuine connections with the hobby or person you felt you have lost will strengthen this relationship and, in the process, remind you of your own power.

Scorpio (24 October - 22 November): A large change shifted your life dramatically. Your natural determination cannot shine through if you remain secretive. No matter if this change was positive or negative, your first instinct was to retreat into yourself. Try and create a support system around yourself, and your charisma will follow.

Sagittarius (23 November - 21 December): You’re a hard worker and generally responsible, but you love a good adventure and value freedom above all else.

Trying to balance these two aspects of yourself has surely been a challenge, and your restlessness has reared its’ head as a result.

Put in a few more weeks of authentic work.

Capricorn (22 December - 20 January): You’re systematic and organized, and these traits serve you well, particularly in school and work. Now that those two areas are coming to a close, you may be left feeling unsure. Instead of taking a fatalistic attitude towards this change, embrace it. Stepping out of your comfort zone won’t have catastrophic consequences.

SOPHIA ADAMSKI, Reporter

Aquarius (21 January - 18 February): Despite your natural tendency towards independence, you may have been feeling like you need a support system lately.

To ask for help and attention is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. Your friends and family will appreciate the extra time spent with them, and you’ll be left feeling more complete.

Pisces (19 February - 20 March): You’re naturally sympathetic and selfless, and at times you can be naive. Dodging tough conversations with yourself, as well as those close to you, won’t help bridge this gap. Taking the time to sit down with those you trust with help bridge these gaps and leave you feeling more balanced overall.

Lifestyle 23

eldiablonews.com May 2019

We Love Our Canine Comrades!

MADDY GLEASON, Features Head Editor

Ponga (Maddie Jo Robbins)

Buddy (Lilah Hwuang)

Ophir (Kristen Barth)

Dakota and Petra (Amy Swartz)

Zip (Luke Ford)

Coco (Rebecca Bowers)

24 Lifestyle

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Humans of Durango CHLOE RAGSDALE, Lifestyle Editor

“After I graduate high school, I’m really excited cause I’m going to go to Rice University in Texas, and I’m going to study social policy analysis and water and energy sustainability, so I either want to go into either water and energy law or go into politics.

I feel like at this point in time the world really needs a change, we need people who are smart and educated in politics today and I want to be one of those people who make a change for the better. My advice to high schoolers in general is to try hard, it's very easy to just skate through high school, but the better you do in high school the better prepared you will be to go to college. Work smarter not harder.”

- Sr. Stella Potemkin

“I graduated high school in 2008 from Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I graduated high school, I thought maybe I would be a veterinarian. I really liked English so I ended up taking a lot of English classes after science was to hard in college, and so I gave that up, so I was like what can I do with an English degree?

And I visited a middle school with my college class and I thought teaching was really cool. Just to remember who they are and what they really want and not to let the rest of what their peers say or parents say or what society says they should do get in the way and to alo try new things if they’re not sure who they are yet and what they want. It's good to get out there and just experience life.” - Mrs. Barth

“I graduated high school in 1977 from Durango High School. First graduating class from this building. I was born here, lived here until I was four, went to Ridgeway, Colorado until I was twelve, moved back here, graduated from high school, left here, was gone for about ten years in the service, in school, in Denver, and then came back. Get out of Durango as quickly as possible. That was the biggest one. And not be stuck here like some of my friends were and still are. I wanted to travel, and the air force was a way for me to travel. I thought I might possibly in the future want to go to college but I was so unmotivated to go to college coming out of high school, I barely survived high school, so that taking a break and being in the military for four years was perfect and then I came back to school.

When I first started school, I was an accounting major. CPA is where I was heading. Straight A’s no problem. I have never gotten Straight A’s in my life. And then I got into an intermediate accounting class and could not understand what was going on at all, and about three weeks in I was like this is crazy I don’t understand it. So I got out of accounting and stayed in business, so I technically have a business degree. Then I went off to Denver and got married. Went to Denver, and went back to school to get my master’s degree and came back here. Good trip around the block. Multiple advices, first one being don’t feel the pressure to have to go to college right after high school. Also don’t lose track of what you need to do to be successful. Had I not gone back to college, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. The doors available to me because of my undergraduate degree were much broader, I had more choices. I’ve always had the opinion that you give yourself as many opportunities to be successful as possible. Go to college when you’re motivated. Don’t stay in college if you’re not motivated. Find the thing that you love to do. Do something that you enjoy. You have to make money. The last piece of advice is you make your choices and your choices make you. My kids have heard that multiple times.”

- Mr. Logan

Lifestyle 25

eldiablonews.com May 2019

TODD MURRAY, Reporter

ate

Do we take our substitutes for granted? Durango High School is made up of many staff, but they can’t always be in the classroom for various reasons. In that desperate time of need, a substitute rises to the occasion and fills the temporary role as a teacher.

Some are new, while others are veterans in the substitute game at DHS, so there are many different perspectives on their roles within the classroom.

Jeff Mannix has been a substitute for 15 years and sees himself and other substitutes as “first responders” for what the job entails.

“What we do is keep order; I try to encourage responsibility. It’s going to usually be a pretty light day, so at least I show the teacher respect to at least do something, or nothing gets done,” said Mannix.

Mannix likes it when students try as hard as if their teacher is there. He believes if a student wants to go to college, then the work they put in any day, including a class with a substitute, counts towards getting there.

Richard Holgate has been a teacher for 43 years and retired three years ago, becoming a substitute for the extra money. He feels that students should be respectful to substitutes because they don’t want to be the “bad guy” and give any sort of punishment.

“Substitutes appreciate it when we get respect from the students and they do what they're supposed to, so I don’t have to deal with a bunch of discipline problems,” said Holgate.

Klint Chandler has been substituting for four years after being a teacher, and he does this because he hopes to retire soon, but he also enjoys helping out the teachers and students in the community.

“I like helping other teachers, and following the lesson plan that they leave,” said Chandler.

Lesson plans that a teacher leaves for a substitute can determine how manageable the classroom is. However, whether fun or monotonous, the students should respect and listen to the substitute as they would respect and listen to the teacher.

Kate Enenbach is new to subbing, as she started at the beginning of this school year. She has been a classroom teacher for five years at Aztec, but with no teaching positions being available at the time, she decided to substitute to get a foot in the door.

“Most people know what they need to do, and they do it for the most part which is really awesome because it’s not like that with younger kids,” said Enenbach.

Some students know that not all substitute run classes are always productive, but it’s promising that she hasn’t had that problem at DHS. Ms. Gonzales had a problem during two periods while she was proctoring the CMAS exam with no substitutes showing up for a whole class period.

“I don’t think we have enough substitutes for the entire district; we're short. On testing days I’ll have four different subs in one day, they don’t know where to go half the time,” said Gonzales.

She also was aware of other teachers with the same problem, but doesn’t believe it’s necessarily any substitutes fault, but a problem with how test days are scheduled and how their scheduling can be hectic to teachers.

A possible solution could be a half day where students not taking tests can be here one part of the day and the testers another half, that way substitutes can be distributed to classrooms easier.

Fr. Amanda Whidden sees substitutes at DHS as beneficial because without them there when a teacher is gone, nothing could get done.

“Substitutes can be beneficial in some ways like being a guide to what needs to be done when the teacher isn’t there,” said Whidden.

Luckily, Gonzales had the assignments posted on google classroom, so her students were able to do them if they wanted to, but a substitute being there would have been crucial to making sure the work was actually done.

As the whole, subs are needed to keep order in the classroom. Substitutes are beneficial to not only to the teacher but to the whole class so appreciation should be accounted for them.

ns A dv o c o m e

D

Salute to Substitutes

CAROLINE KNIGHT, Head Editor The time has come: my last Demon’s Advocate ever of all time. I would like to thank Seth Marvin-Vanderynn for letting me start this sophomore year, my ex-boyfriends for giving me a lot of inspiration, and most of all, my loyal readers (my mom). Here it goes: What if I get a roommate that’s weird next year? How do I deal with that?

Most schools have a roommate finder or Facebook page where you can say that you’re clean and find someone who says they are also clean, but if you were lazy like me you just submitted your housing app and prayed to God that your roommate would be normal.

Hopefully next year I will show this to my roommate and we’ll laugh together, but if not, eventually it will probably make a funny story.

For example, my dad’s freshman roommate was a supergenius who played so much Dungeon and Dragons that he failed all his classes.

Hilarious (but I hope he’s doing well now). If your roommate is cool, they’re someone you can go eat with for the first few weeks, but if they’re not cool, they’re someone you can talk about for years to come. Plus, it might inspire you to get out of your dorm, away from your roommate, and make new friends! Good luck!

How do I keep in touch with my friends when I go to school?

Last year a lot of my best friends went to college and left me behind, and I was very sad and I missed them a lot. But guess what? It’s 2019! And Facetime exists. And so do Snap streaks. And so does Christmas break. For the people you really care about, the phrase “distance makes the heart grow fonder” is actually true, and in some ways we’re closer now than we were when we all lived in the same place. Get excited about meeting new people and having more to talk about with your old friends! Okay that’s it, those were my last words for the high school paper! Goodbye forever El Diablo, I love you but I will not be keeping a Snap streak with you.

26 Senior Section Arizona: University of Arizona:

CU Boulder:

Gavin Deffenbaugh

Josephine Mynatt William Lammons Cole Waddell Kylie Phipps Nicholas Dudley Indigo Farmer Riley Mata Nathan Parker Kyla Thomas Thomas Voiles Claire York Nainoa Umbhau Juan Jimenez

Grand Canyon University:

Colorado Mesa University:

Nina Hollars Lance Kemp Aleksander Hurworth

Northern Arizona University: Taylor Colsman Michalya Anderson Lana Patterson Emma Schroedl

Coconino Community College:

Kaitlyn Noble Zeely Sawyer

California: University of San Diego: Haley Szczech

Pepperdine University: Marcus Flint

Orange Coast College: Morgan Murray

Sierra Nevada College: Logan Fullington

Cabrillo Community College: Cole McKinley

Sierra College: Beau Wickman

University of Redlands: Abigail Gresh

Colorado: Colorado School of Mines: Emily Alsdorf Nicholas Woodward

Colorado State University: Siena Digiacomo Alexander Hise Alexyss Unruh Kade Engle Kiernan McKinnis Abby Schell Aiden Niccum Noah Clements Ruthie Dickson Noah Bodewes Grace Cornett Quin Crist Autumn Ford Alpin Hanson Virginia Herr Aja Nakai Rachel Moranty Caleb Newman Gabriel Parker Zayla Tobin Katelyn Weese Emma Hackett Anna Smagcz

Claire Nickerson Alyssa Robertson Jaylin Mattice Pedro Delgado Natalie Biery Bryce Mestas Devon Nightingale Breann Waddell Julia Peterson

Colorado College: Jack Beattie

UCCS:

Alรกn Bohachevsky Wildon Wright Maxwell Congdon Joshua Johnson

Fort Lewis College: Nerissa Anderson Margaret Bachman Dylan Baken Jacob Behn Benjamin DeBelina Brandon Gallegos Dylan Gaver David Lee Danielle Lee Sally Hong Elizabeth Howell Roland Madrid Carter Marshall Julian Martin Jason Maynes Joshua McAllen Madalen Meier Rowan Morris Cullen Robinette Emilio Robinson Mia Rodri Autumn Rymerson Lawrence Sanchez Joshua Snowberger Victor Tenorio Lance Townsend Kiara Valley Jordan Wiebe Tyshawn Yazzie

Pueblo Community College: Hannah Chiz Jackson Cronister Clay Seibel Shannin Mayberry

eldiablonews.com May 2019 University of Denver:

Berkeley College of Music:

Metropolitan State University:

Michigan: University of Michigan:

Ian Mattox

Keauna Aguilar Rebekah Moenning Yari Moguel Andrea Valdez

CU Denver:

Danielle Fernandez

Colorado Christian University: Makenna Coleman

Regis University: Rachel Flora Sasha Kozack

University of Northern Colorado: Addee Hansen Dylan Ridgway Siena Widen

Western State Colorado University: Stella Hildebrand Sabina Tamburino

Johnson & Wales University: Sierra Martin Mara McCoy

Adams State University: Guenavere Trussel

Connecticut: Wesleyan University: Drew Gessel

Georgia: Georgia Institute of Technology: Kylie Behn

Savannah College of Art & Design: Tierney Brennan

Idaho: College Of Western Idaho: Bryan Elvidge

Kansas: Friends University: Dawson Marcum

Louisiana: Tulane University: Gus Kidd

Massachusetts: Amherst College: Sarah Vierling

Bentley College: Risa Whitehead

Holden Becher

Caroline Knight

Missouri: University of Missouri Kansas City:

Kayla Rubenstein

Pennsylvania: Grove City College: Colson Parker

Pennsylvania State University: Riley Fuchs

Adelaide Birgenheier

South Dakota : South Dakota State University:

St. Louis University: Joe Pope

South Dakota School of Mines:

Montana Montana State University: Kaitlyn Brock Stevie Delio Quin Griswold

University of Montana: Lily Chick Maura Fitzpatrick Shayla Warren

Rocky Mountain College: Taylor Wolf

Morgan Allen

Jarvie Arnoldww

Texas: Houston Community College: Hannah Land

Southwestern University: Gwen Stoddard

Texas Tech: Kayla Willis

Rice University: Stella Potemkin

New Mexico: University of New Mexico:

Blinn College:

San Juan College:

West Texas A&M: Larissa Anderson

Pablo Smagcz

Kylie Bergman Ana Castillo Andrew Coleman William Greco Jessyca Harris Braden Helfrich Marissa Medina Aspen Peterson Annel Rodriguez Tyrell Scott Rosa Suarez Rylie Wonderling Demitry Walcott Cayla Young

New York: Columbia Univesity: Luke Nicholson

The New School: Sophie Hughes

North Carolina Davidson College: Cassandra Blau

Oregon: University of Oregon: Aubrey Hurst Gillian Holmgren

University of Portland: Aidan Fitzgerald

Southern Oregon University:

Foster Dowling

Utah: Utah State University: Ceylon Lyman

Vermont: University of Vermont: Lydia Schertz

Washington: Seattle University: Emma Jaber

Wisconsin: Lawrence University: Teslin Stecher

Online School: Weber State University: Savanna McIntyre Work Force: Manuel Martinez Seth Thornburg Armed Services: John Awe Thomas Choate Cassidy Gage Misael Garcia Grado Gap Year: Campbell Brown Jessica Bowman Caroline McClung Marissa Coumerilh Dawson Garland Charlotte Hale Holly Harris Garland Jones Gabi Smith Guillermo Verduzco

Senior Section 27

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Up, up and away: Class of 2019 prepares for take off!

41% of seniors are attending There are 250 students in the Colorado schools class of 2019

23 states represented for college destinations

29 students are attending Fort Lewis College

28 Senior Section

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Famous last words Class of 2019 Senior Quotes

“‘I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book’s autograph.’-Kanye West” - Marcus Flint

“Life is like a sandwich, no matter what way you flip it the bread comes first.”

- Logan Fullington

“‘The limit does not exist’-Lindsay Lohan” - Emma Jaber

“Overcoming genetics since 2001”- Kade Engle

“The fireworks begin today.

Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.”- Gwen Stoddard “‘Only you can prevent wildfires’-Smokey the Bear”- Stella Hildebrand “Shvatz”- Dylan Gaver

“No comment.”

- Gillian Holmgren “Love it for what it was, and remember it always.”

-Siena Widen “Art is everywhere.”

- Autumn Ford “Sometimes I doubt your commitment to sparkle motion.”

“Hey, hey you! Why aren’t you “‘They do allow some nervous cheering?!”-Alyssa Robertson crying, but you can tell they don’t like it’-Buster Bluth” “I’m not creative.”

- Haley Szczech - Pablo Smagacz

“‘If you want to know what kind of person you are, look at the people who surround you’-Sean Waddell” - Cole Waddell “‘I already told you, I don’t want to join your super secret boy band’-Tony Stark” - Quinn Griswold “RIP Mike Hawk.”

- Kiernan McKinnis “It’s not pink, it’s peach.”

- Nainoa Umbhau “Ravioli, ravioli, give me the diplomioli.”

- Joe Pope

Senior Section 29

eldiablonews.com May 2019

“My thing is that I don’t give no person that much power over my path that I’m walking. Not one person can make or break what I’m doing, except me or god.”- Clay Seibel

“Hey now, you’re an all star...I don’t know, maybe just come up with some super random stuff and throw it in.”

- Colson Parker

“If there’s a will, there’s a way.

If there’s a quizlet, there’s an “What if one day you woke up A.” and you were a chicken nug- Riley Mata get?”- Al Hurworth “Any day could be your last “High school was like riding so go live it and make it last.” a bike. But the ground was - Memo Verduzco on fire, and the bike was on fire, and everything was on “I haven’t even begun to fire because high school was peak.”- Charlotte Hale hell.”

- Eva Adair “‘If you want to be successful, make your bed every morn“How about something ing.’-Admiral McRaven quirky, original, and fun.”- Sam Choate” Ian Mattox “‘Bro, I’m straight up not having a good time’-Johnny, Real Bros of Simi Valley”-Kacey Chen “Skate fast. Eat.” - Kyla Thomas

“The Statue of Liberty’s a narc, she’s wearing a wire.”-Cici Mino “I’m gonna go stand outside.

If anyone asks, I’m outstanding.”

- Kylie Phipps “Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid.”Nicholas Woodward singing All Star, 2019 “‘Kim, people are dying’-Kourtney K” - Will Lammons “‘I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.’-Lucille Bluth”- Luke Nicholson “‘This a big watch, diamonds drippin’ off of the clock’ -Bhad Bhabie” - Tierney Brennan

“‘kowabunga dudettes. I’m so pumped to be on this surfing kick. who else surfs out there? gnarly day in the h2o. ridin’ “Do one thing that scares you waves!’-Kim K” everyday.”

- Caroline Knight - Rowan Morris

30 Senior Section

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Adiós to our senior athletes

As the year comes to an end, so does our time with the seniors. Though we are sad to see the senior athletes of Durango High School leave, we are excited to see where they go next!

Logan Fullington: Sierra Nevada College Soccer

“I’m most excited for being able to continue my soccer career and have opportunities to play on another team with new people and just get better at the sport is my overall goal” “Shout out to my family. They are always there for me and family is always number one. My mom and dad have supported me through this whole thing and hopefully continue to support me.”

Dawson Marcum: Friends University Football

“I’m excited for the friendly environment ironically.”

A big shoutout to “ [my] family, Coach Garcia, Aron Coats, and Coach Varnell” Taylor Dossey: Lamar Community College Basketball “I'm excited to be able to play my favorite sport at the next level and competing at a higher level.”

“Shout out to my mom and dad who were the ones who really helped push me to get better this summer, my coach Fitz for always believing I can do great things. And my friends and teammates for always being there, being supportive, and loving”

Marcus Flint: Pepperdine College Track and Cross Country Senior athletes sign to play their sport in college. Left to right is Dawson Marcum, Logan Fullington, Rebekah Moenning, Aidan Fitzgerald, Marcus Flint, Ceylon Lyman, and Teslin Stecher. Some of our senior athletes are not pictured or quoted.

JAMIE HITTI Reporter

Sierra Martin: Johnson and Wales University Volleyball

“I’m excited for the independence and to meet and play with a lot of more mature players.”

“Shout out to Coleen Vogt for always pushing me to fight hard and be the best I can”

Taylor Wolf: Rocky Mountain College Volleyball

“I’m really excited to first of all continue playing a sport I love and second [for] the friendships that I am going to make and already have made with my teammates!”

“Robin Oliger was my elementary school PE teacher and made me take an oath that i would play volleyball, so a thanks to her for introducing me to the sport. My parents were super supportive with taking me to camps and showcases, my club coach Molly Malarsie helped me get my name out and my teammates, for giving me a reason to work hard.”

“I’m most excited for everything a new place has to offer, and the opportunity to be part of a program building towards success.”

“Shout out to my family and my teammates. They all have supported me and made a lot of the opportunities I’ve had possible”

Aidan Fitzgerald: University of Portland Track and Cross Country

“ The Portland running scene is super prestigious and being a part of that will be pretty thrilling. I am also stoked about being a part of such a committed group of athletes who all share the same collective goal which is to win the D1 national title in XC” “[Shout out] to coach David McMillan (Coach Mac) has been a huge factor in my development as a runner and as a person. He has not only coached me to times I never thought I would reach but he has taught me a lover for distance running and is a huge part of why I will be running at the next level in college. There are so many more but in terms of strictly helping, encouraging and believing in me, he is the first person that comes to mind”

Senior Section 31

eldiablonews.com May 2019

Seniors bid adieu to El Diablo This year’s El Diablo staff included 11 Seniors, all contributing to the overall success of each issue. Many of the Seniors have been involved with El Diablo for almost all of their high school career, and will be strongly missed among the rest of the staff.

Cassandra Blau Head Photographer

Bekah Moenning Sports Editor

Emma Jaber Head Editor

Caroline Knight Head Editor

Haley Szczech Head Editor

Jessica Bowman Reporter

Gillian Holmgren Head Online Editor

Hannah Land Reporter

Alyssa Robertson Photographer

Gwen Stoddard Head Arts Editor

Joey Mynatt Photographer

Bon Voyage Seniors!

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El Diablo thanks our patrons for supporting student journalism. For more information on how to become a patron, please email tjolley@durangoschools.org.

HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF OUR 20182019 PATRONS!