Vol. 19 - No. 4

THE HOWLER MAY ISSUE 2017

MONARCH HIGH SCHOOL

OUR NEXT ADVENTURE 16-17

MOHI CULTURE 12-13 TOXIC WORDS 14-15 IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS 18-19 THE LOCAL IMPACT OF LAWS 20-21

VOL. 19 - NO. 4

NewHopeSeniors NewHopephotography

970.405.1984

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Senior Photos Should Stand Out From The Crowd www.mhshowler.com 02Your Sessions start at $300 MOHI Students Receive $50 OFF

May 2017 - Issue 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Can You Trust Me? 4 FEATURES The Whats and Hecks of This Thing Called High School 10 To the Top of Colorado 24 Retirements & New Admin 27 Four Reasons Why 22 CULTURE If You Need Me, I’ll Be on My Throne 6 New Kids on the Block 11 Planet Earth II 25 OPINIONS Everyone Should be a Feminist 7 SPORTS I Am Strong, I Am Powerful, But I Still Like My Mascara 8 A Sportsman Across the World 29

The Howler reserves the right to refuse advertising which does not adhere to the publication’s standards, particulary in reference to good taste and to products and/or services that are illegal and/or immoral for the majority of high school readers. Guest contributions sent to The Howler which do not adhere to the publication’s standards may be turned down for publication.

The Howler strives to inform, educate, and entertain the student body of Monarch High School as a student-produced maagazine and open forum for student expression and opinions. Expression made by students in The Howler is not an expression of Boulder Valley School District Board policy and the School District and its employees are immune from any civil or ciminal action based on any expression made or published by students in The Howler.

cover design by andrew patra photo by andrew patra

NEWS A Step Forward 26 A Different Frame of Mind 28 Humor The Last Man in J-Lot 5 GUEST WRITER Let’s Talk About Sex/Abby Adams 23

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CAN YOU TRUST ME? A

s the last issue of this school year, this is a good time to look at what this magazine has accomplished, and to look forward to see what will become of journalism both here and in the world. Some of the staff including myself, will continue on to pursue journalism in college and as a career. Our future is rather uncertain in the light of this new political climate that regards press as an enemy, but also in a technological era where news is transmitted by tweets rather than a paper. Yet, the looming question that has risen is not if there will still be journalists, but rather can you -the reader- trust us? Can you trust me?

The anti-press sentiment held by this administration is dangerous, not to liberals or what-have-you, but to Americans as free people. Our constitutional rights in the First Amendment calls for the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, but this doesn’t seem to be a sentiment shared by the administration. The government should be criticised, and that’s the job of the press.

Criticism ensures that the general population is informed and they can push for a fair government that is beneficial for the people.

But as soon as press is stifled, news turns into a propaganda machine and we become just like the countries that we mock for suppressing free speech.

However, it would be foolish to ignore our own faults. The news cycle, especially in politics,

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has gotten increasingly partisan despite what “good” journalism and all of our classes tell us to do. If we were to find a fault in CNN we’d find that same fault in Breitbart and vice versa, but that doesn’t seem to happen. Modern journalism uses clickbait titles and readers who only read titles, which leads not to “fake news” but to misinterpretations and skewed perceptions. Even this article will have people who glance at the headline, make their own assumptions, and move on, without reading past the first five lines.

As much I’d like to think so, the words I and other journalists write are by no means the only words of truth. Our job is to deliver facts and let you decide for yourself. But we also have to make sure that we are telling the stories of everyone because the press should be the voice of the population and we should represent as many different ideas as we can. That’s what we tried to do this year with The Howler.

And while it would be naive of us to think that we covered every view point, I can say with certainty that we tried our best. The stories that we told not only here but also in the yearbook are your stories.

But the content of a good story is step one. How we tell a story is just as important. Now “citizen journalists” are more and more common with breaking news appearing in Twitter and Stories and text messages. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but this style of reporting allows for discrepancies and for fake news (the literal, not political kind) to run rampant. The line between

rumor and fact is sometimes rubbed away.

The job of journalists by trade is to fact check, research, and make sure that the truth is told. That is what I’d consider journalism: the telling of the real world. Our job is to tell the stories of everything that happens in the real world and bring them to an audience that couldn’t be there themselves. From political scandals to a profile on the local barista, we have to tell the truth for better or for worse because you can’t alter life, and life rarely makes good TV. So as journalists in an era of alternative facts and fake news we need to make sure that news is real, unafraid, and willing to make the next big break. And I’d hope that the readers would be willing to stay along for the ride.

Thank you for reading

- Andrew Patra/Editor-in-Chief

THE LAST MAN IN J-LOT

Humor

The following audio recording is all that was uncovered from the ruins of a burned-out 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, along with an empty box of Tic-Tacs and a makeshift spear cobbled together from a tire iron, a filed down plastic spoon, and a Monarch Coyotes tee shirt. *recording begins* All right, mirrors are aligned, seatbelt is on, car is backed out aaaaaaaand…. Nothing is moving anymore. *sigh* Every. Single. Time.

This recording is for the purpose of telling my parents why it takes me so long to get home and to show them that I’m not exaggerating when I tell them J-Lot has the worst traffic in the world. So, Mom and Dad, ten minutes in the car and I have moved forward about eight inches. *There is mostly silence for the next half hour, barring some light singing along to the radio.

The subject seems most into late 2000s Lady Gaga and most turned off of contemporary Miley Cyrus.* Geez Louise, this is awful. The line in front of me hasn’t even shifted. I feel really bad for the poor dudes behind me. I can see Connor ahead. Boy, he looks cranky. What’s he so mad about? He’s already at the corner.

Oh boy, we’ve stopped. Again. *Mostly silence for the next few hours* Dear God, it is actually getting dark out? I’ve only moved forward a car length! WHAT ARE

WE WAITING ON!? *It is here where the recording stops. It resumes several weeks later* Another sunrise. I’m surprised that I’m getting to see another. The wolves came back last night. They must have outgrown their old den in the wreck of Connor’s car. That’s all anyone does out here: compete. Compete for territory, resources, air conditioning. I’ve noticed fewer gangs. The Children of the Asphalt have all but disappeared and I know for a fact that the Varsity Baseballerz were driven out by the Prius tribe. The groups that remain are getting stronger and butting heads more often. That’s bad news for those of us caught in the middle. I bartered with a trader the other day. I gave him some gum in exchange for the use of his phone charger.

That’s how I finally got this old brick working again. First thing I did was a round of Angry Birds. Those pigs are the true devil out here.

Then I remembered I had a job to do: I had to record what happened here, so the world can know, and my parents can stop nagging me. *Recording stops for a few moments, then resumes* Sorry, had to reply to a text. Anyways, I’ve heard some stories about a map, an ancient piece of paper that tells of a trail that can lead us home, away from this forsaken place. It is apparently in the possession of a mystic, Sarah, who I had 5th period history with, before all of this. The only problem is, I have to cross through the lands of the Toyota Dominion. *Recording stops. When it resumes, subject is out of breath and running* *Pant* *pant* *pant* Barely…. escaped…. jerk in an Avalon. But I've made it. There it is. *Italics represent a new, female voice picked up on recording* Halt, who dares enter the Gravel Pit of Foresight?

Hey Sarah, it's me.

Oh hey, dude, what's up?

Had to fight off some Toyotans to get here, otherwise I'm doing okay. Do you have that magic map thing?

Ah, so it is you who seeks the

Key to Valhalla. Only the mightiest of drivers may claim it.

Ah. So can I have it?

Tales of your heroics have traveled throughout the wasteland. They place the title of Coyote of the West on you. You represent the last hope in this misery of parking. So yeah, go ahead.

Sweet. *Recording stops and picks up with the subject in a ferocious car chase* The Ford Remnant found out I had the map.

They’re not letting up *Bold denotes an angry voice belonging to someone in pursuit of the subject* Yield, Coyote! Your doom is at hand and the Key belongs to the chosen of the Prophet Henry Ford!

Screw you, Chad! You drive an Explorer!

Come on man, it's not as bad as people make fun of it for. *Sounds of vehicular combat ring out* Dude, let me merge.

It's my turn.

Foolish mortal, my hour is at hand! *Light collision is heard* Hey! Oh crap...

Did you hit Sarah's car?

It's just a fender bender *As the mystic and warlord argue about the scope of the damage, subject takes advantage of the chaos and finally escapes. Minus his car, completely destroyed in the battle.* Hey, Nate; can you give me a ride home?

Thanks. *It is here where the recording ends. Subject returned to school the following day, late, parking his car in the back of the lot.* - Treyton Williams/Staff Reporter illustration by mandy matteson

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Culture

IF YOU NEED ME, I’LL BE ON MY THRONE Differing from the Disney Princess Delirium

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here is one story that gets told throughout my household quite a bit.

You know, one of those “aw that was so cute and hilarious” kind of stories. But the thing is, when I look back on it, it was not a cute and hilarious moment. This is basically how the story went. I was five or six and it was literally blizzarding outside, and I fought (adorably, of course) with my dad over his insistence that I wear pants, with the basis of the argument coming from my end. I claimed, “I have to wear a dress or else I won’t be a princess!” Yep, at age five I was already a bit disillusioned by my role models. While Disney princesses have served a key role in society for young girls, it’s important to determine what deserves to be looked up to and what should be avoided.

Not All Bad There are some aspects to the Disney princesses that can be admired and viewed as a plus; after all, they’ve been historic figures, since once upon a time. The movies do teach girls to follow their dreams. Ariel left everything behind to discover what it was like to be human, and Jasmine was willing to abandon her crown in order to find adventure. Disney princesses have also taught us some of the many life lessons that we know today- good, valuable ones. Belle taught us not to judge others based on appearances, Pocahontas taught us to follow our hearts despite the pressure of others, Cinderella taught us that kindness can lead to happiness, and Mulan showed us that true honor comes with being yourself. With so many useful lessons swirled into entertaining stories, it’s no wonder that the disney princess squad has stuck around, but every role model has its faults.

Not So Magical What’s one thing that nearly every princess has in common? I’ll give you a minute.

Ding ding ding! Yes, they are all gorgeous!

The thing that is sad is that we all got the

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answer to that question right- we all assume that princesses are to be beautiful, and that is where one of the major downfalls to the princess hype lies. Almost every Disney princess has an incredibly tiny waist, long flowing hair, and even perfect feet (@cinderella). Disney princesses have taught a lot of lessons, but they have failed to teach one of the most important ones for young girls, especially now a days: that every kind of body is beautiful.

What is a princess without her prince?

Snow White spends her days singing, literally singing, about when she will find prince charming. And Sleeping Beauty? That girl misses out on a lot of life just to be kissed by a prince. While the stories themselves are usually pretty interesting, they generally have the same boring storyline; girl risks everything for a guy, and if she waits long enough being helpless, she’ll get rescued by a prince and live happily ever after. Boy= happiness, right? Wrong. While Disney gives the vibe that love, you know the true kind with a prince charming, is the only true sign of happiness, and low key encourages girls to look pretty and wait around for their prince, it’s important to note that the true royalty of womanhood are those who possess ambition and can grant their own damn wishes. I mean come on, Jasmine totally rocked that pants suit without Aladdin, and Snow White already had seven worthy men who needs a prince?!

Looking Better...

Times are changing, and while Disney still has a ways to go before they completely correct the messages that their Disney princesses are giving off to the youth, there have been a few new developments to the princess family that show things are looking up. Moana, the newest addition to the squad, possesses a slightly less unattainable body type, and more importantly has no male love interest in the entire film. Moana is a headstrong “princess” who is willing to make sacrifices to help her people. Another more recent Disney princess that portrays some hope is Tiana, from The Princess and the

Frog. While she possesses the typical body shape of the princesses and does end up with a prince, she was the first African-American princess and hasd a lot to say about putting in hard work and seeing results in return- which goes against the general idea that princesses just “wait to be rescued.”

The Disney princesses have served as role models to young girls for, well, ever, and while it is important to have things to look up to, we must differentiate between the real, good, things that we should be looking at, not the unattainable stereotypical aspects.

Princesses are daughters of kings, so if we really want to get technical, half of the princess squad aren’t even real-life princesses.

What makes them respectable is their encouragements to dream big and act with kindness, not their men and tiny waists. If I could go back and confront my little self, I would say, “Suck it up. You’re a freaking princess because of who you are, not because of your dress.”

That’s the thing, the true role models“princesses” are those who are good people, not good looking. So if you need ME, I’ll be on MY throne with all the other real princesses who are princesses simply because they are very real girls who know that they are worth the title.

- Mikayla Dudek/Web Editor-in-Chief

EVERYONE SHOULD BE A FEMINIST

Opinions

Breaking Down Misconceptions About the Feminist Movement

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veryone, man or woman, is impacted by non-feminist ideals that have been ingrained into our society. However, spreading the meaning and importance of the movement is difficult because sometimes in our society, the word feminist is rejected. It has come to a point where calling someone a feminist can be used as an insult. But since when is supporting, uplifting, and empowering women bad? We need to take back the negative connotation associated with the word “feminist.” That starts with education.

A big reason why some people don’t want to associate themselves with the feminist movement is because they have a faulty or definition of feminism. According to MerriamWebster, feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” In short, feminism means equal rights and equal respect for all genders. Anything else is not feminist and just as sexist as female oppression.

Things get messy when people confuse feminism with truly sexist ideas. It is true that men and women are different. We all know men and women have different sexual organs, and different hormones. For most of us, that means we act differently. Feminism honors that fact. Feminism only says that, despite these biological and socialized differences, men, women and those who do not conform to a gender deserve to be treated with equal respect.

Some people think that feminism means female superiority or man-hating, which simply is not true. After countless years of oppression, there are indeed some women who hate men. But, they are not feminists.

Female empowerment is often misunderstood as overpowering. The feminist movement only wants to raise women up to the same place men have stood for centuries. It’s never about elevating women to a higher social level than men; it’s about being equal.

Feminists aren’t just sad women, upset with the world around them and demanding change. Women aren’t ungrateful for the privileges we have thanks to the women in the past who fought for us. Oftentimes women are in fact treated like equals and with equal respect and opportunities. However, there are still women around the world today who

constantly face oppression because of their gender. Feminists fight for them, too.

It’s easy to say that feminism isn’t necessary when you don’t look at the global picture. Yes, women have achieved expanded rights in America, but it isn’t the same story in developing countries. According to the UN Population Fund, women are two-thirds of all illiterate adults and 60% of the poorest worldwide. Women and girls like Malala Yousafzai shouldn’t be forced to risk their lives for education.

Feminism also stands up against all the oppressive restraints society has put on women.

In our society, women are expected to shave, tweeze, and wax most of their body hair. In some work places, women are expected to wear a dress or high heels, or both.

Many people who take part in the feminist movement boycott the removal of body hair, dresses, high heels, etc. to highlight how these expectations ingrained in society oppress women.

On the other hand, feminism doesn’t mean burning bras and abandoning makeup and razors. It means taking another look at the motives behind a woman’s actions. Why is she curling her hair and wearing a mini skirt?

Is it because she wants to impress the men (or even women) in her life? Or is it because those beauty rituals make her happy and feel pretty? If a woman feels pressured by the people in her life and community to look or act a certain way, she is oppressed. If she is wearing high heels and shaves her legs for herself, she’s just fine. Feminism means letting women and men do what they want and still be respected in society, regardless of what their gender roles expect from them.

Feminism means that a woman can work or stay at home, shave or not, have children or not, and live the same quality of life that a

man would if he made the same life choices.

Though we’ve come far, there’s still a lot more to accomplish. The wage gap in the U. S. still exists: it’s estimated that women currently make 77 cents compared to their male counterparts (according to the National Organization for Women -- this has increased by half a penny for every year after 2004).

And the debate over abortion ensues and is more heated than ever.

Men are expected in society to associate themselves with certain gender norms, as well. The definition of masculinity has implied that one needed to be strong, resilient, and go to war. The phrase “boys don’t cry” is a result of such stereotypes. This can be as damaging to a man as female stereotypes are to a woman. The feminist movement strives to eliminate the idea that boys and girls must conform to specific gender roles, or that one of them is inferior to the other.

So what can you do?

If you are born female and are alert to your surroundings, you can automatically understand why the feminist movement is necessary. However, by no means do you have to BE a woman to accept feminism and be a part of the movement.

Supporting equal rights and anti-oppression among genders makes you a feminist and leads the world closer to equality.

“Feminism means letting women and men do what they want and still be respected in society, regardless of what their gender roles expect from them.”

- Rachael Jacobs/Features Editor & Sneha Varanasi/Staff Reporter

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Sports

I AM STRONG I AM POWERFUL

BUT I STILL LIKE MY MASCARA

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emale athletes aren’t treated the same as their male counterparts: they have to work harder, they have to train harder, and then they are often still treated like they are less than true athletes.

They also face something male athletes often don’t: every day women athletes face the trial of looking the role for their sports but also facing the pressure to look how society expects them to.

Junior Sydney Atkinson a former basketball player faces this almost every day, “When I played basketball, I felt that when we would lift or when we would do conditioning, it was always about [being able to] run faster or [be] stronger. It was never about looking like a girl,” junior Sydney Atkinson said.

For Atkinson, training was always about getting her body to perform at an optimum level, which is often seen as striving toward the same performance level as men.

While this might be the best thing for athletic performance, it has consequences for women outside of sports. Women are often sexualized in their sports performance; people frequently comment on how short a woman’s uniform shorts are, rather than how hard she plays.

Elena Delle Donne, two time MVP of the WNBA, faces sexism everyday. Delle Donne told The Cut, a web magazine, that she’s a two time MVP and was also rookie of the year in 2013, while being one of four athletes (male or female) to hit 95% of her free-throws. People compare her to male basketball players like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Lebron James, some of the best of the best in the NBA. Although Delle Donne strives to be a great athlete in the WNBA, spectators still make constant sexist remarks towards her.

People say things like that they only watch her play because she’s “hot” or that she “should be in the kitchen and not on the court.” Delle Donne told The Cut: “I just can’t wait for the day where people

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want to talk about your skills on the court and not your looks. I wonder how many times a Tom Brady is asked about how handsome he is, or a J.J. Watt,” she said. “It’s something that us female athletes have to deal with all the time.”

Off the court or field, people like to judge a female athlete for not dressing to society’s expectations. What they don’t know is, that athlete had four hours of practice, two hours of homework, and just barely got five hours of sleep.

She was so exhausted that she just put on some sweats and a t-shirt, no makeup, and her hair was in the world’s messiest bun.

Sydney Morgenstein, a swimmer and rugby player at Monarch notes that the pressure even occurs at the Olympics.

“If you watched the Olympics, there was a lot of debate about what women should wear, like makeup and shorter uniforms” Morgenstein said.

“But, that shouldn’t happen. These are the best athletes in the world; their sport is entertaining enough you don’t need to be entertained by [their bodies]”.

It’s not just Olympic female athletes who are judged for their appearance in a way that steals attention from athleticism. It happens to everyday high school athletes, including Sophia Chen, who will be a collegiate soccer player next year.

“This isn’t with all girl soccer players, but I notice sometimes they wear a lot of makeup. And I think it’s because they feel the pressure from the spectators to look perfect,” Sophia Chen said. ”From the college athletes that I know, they don’t really worry about how they look because no one is watching you, But for the pros who are being televised they have to braid her[their] hair a certain way and make sure they have some type of makeup on” Chen said.

Female athletes don’t worry about their makeup, but when they do so, people are

automatically judging them. But does Kobe Bryant have to powder his face before he plays? Or does Odell Beckham have to make sure his hair looks perfect? Do male athletes get judged on their appearance, or will they get judged on their performance?

Being a female athlete is hard enough really: they get fewer fans, less recognition, and for the professionals, less pay. A female athlete really has to love playing to actually continue at any level.

Training for your sport isn’t easy; everyone wants to be the best, so you have to put in the hours to get results. And that doesn’t just include the hours of practice. You have to include the time these women put in outside of their practice. With school added in, it’s almost impossible to get a full night of sleep. Often sleep trumps beauty routinue. Does that make a girl less beautiful just because she doesn’t dress a certain way? Does that make her ugly? Or does that make society ugly for setting that standard? It should always be her choice and no one else’s. She doesn’t have to dress up to please anyone; she should dress up because it is something that makes her happy.

Strong and powerful is beautiful, too.

- Jasmine Jeffcoat/Sports Editor photo by andrew patra

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occer is played in the spring, basketball in winter, tennis in fall, and so on. But what happens when school gets out and the halls are empty? For student athletes, their hard work for the next school year is just starting. Even when they are not wearing “Monarch” on their chest, they are preparing for the school season. The summer is a time for pushing harder and developing skills for the next year. Student athletes committed to their sport are always pushing themselves to work harder, faster, and longer.

Do the students involved think that practices take away from the fun and leisure of break? “It definitely takes up a lot of it,” said Elizabeth Deitsch, a freshman soccer player. A major part of summer sports is practice, practice, and even more practice. “I can’t really go on trips anywhere because you have to be there for the practices,” Deitsch said.

Junior Tayelin Jones has been playing basketball since he was twelve years old and started playing summer club basketball at Monarch.

Summer basketball requires hours of vigorous practice and endurance.

“You play a lot more games. You play anywhere from 5-8 games a weekend for the whole summer,” Jones said To some athletes, a summer sports commitment and its intense practice doesn’t take away much summer fun at all. “I enjoy doing it. If I get sunburnt then that obviously takes away from it or if I hurt myself, but that doesn’t usually happen,” said junior Marin Konopelski, a tennis player. “I have something to do, I get to see all of my friends.

It’s really great.”

Jones agreed. “It’s a way to stay ready for the real basketball season,” he said. “[Basketball’s] part of my summer, it’s what I expect from summer,” Jones said.

Summer sports also brings summer travel. With traveling in state, these athletes venture across the country to compete. “The furthest place I’ve travelled is California,” Deitsch said. “When [we were in California] there were major thunder storms and we had to cancel our game that was supposed to live stream. The fields were completely drowned in water.”

Although constant training may be exhausting at times, these athletes are hard workers dedicated to giving their all to their sport.

No matter how much it takes away from family time, or their social

lives, it always gives that much back.

“I just fell in love with tennis. It’s a great way to get your energy out and hit something,” Marin Konopelski added.

Athletes come back from the hard work and dedication of the summer ready to step out onto the field and give it their all. The work of our stand out Monarch athletes put in during the summer break, bring MoHi glory in black and gold during the school year.

- Sneha Varanasi and Ellie Guanella/Staff Repoters

CHAMPION: Liz Deitsch shows off her team’s win in a summer soccer tournament.

“It’s good for you to have something to do and it gets you in shape, and I just love soccer.” Deitsch said. Photo courtesy of Liz Deitsch HEAD IN THE GAME: A determined Tayelin Jones dodges around opponents in a summer basketball game. Club sports involve frequent rounds of practice, a lot more games, and more people to play against. “You get to play with better competition than you see in high school,” Jones said.

Photo courtesy of Tayelin Jones

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Features

THE WHATS AND HECKS OF THIS THING CALLED HIGH SCHOOL My Reflection

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ere I am, a senior and days away from graduating. High school has been a blur, but my high school experience has taught me a great deal. Let’s start from the beginning...

FRESHMAN YEAR

Looking back on it now, freshman year was a lot more awkward than I thought at the time, I’m not gonna lie. I realize now that I was pretty intimidated by everyone, and that while I never had any issues with upperclassmen, I was kind of afraid to get in their way. I rocked the really, really long hair that I’m now wishing that I had not, and enjoyed ruining nice outfits with running shoes. Like I said before, I thought I looked real good-- but my old photos tell me otherwise.

Freshman year is the time that all your previous ideas of what high school will be like are corrected and some of these corrections were a bit of a disappointment for me. I quickly learned that no one bedazzles, let alone keeps spare outfits and a light up mirror in, their lockers. In fact, no one even uses lockers! I also discovered that it’s pretty rare to wear wedges and heels to school like I had seen in all the movies. I also discovered that seniority was a real thing, since freshmen always stood in the back of every event.

Where I am today, I can say that freshman year is a year for learning. School was not hard, you were more awkward than you thought, you meet a lot of new people and discover what “Club Mo” is. Learning.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

For me, this was the year where things began to get interesting. Since the timid days of freshman year had passed, this was the time that everyone, including myself, felt ready to try new things and be me “grown up”. The only issue is that I wasn’t actually that grown up yet. I was still caught between that tricky place of not being a little freshman anymore, but also not being up there with the upperclassmen. This was the year I tried pretty hard just about every day to look nice, and now wonder how I ever had that much energy. I also had really, like really, long hair and really wish someone had told me to

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cut it. This was also the year that I got my license- and so did just about everyone elseand this presented a few battles. One, I had to go to the DMV three times to actually obtain the license because of an arm spasm and milk shake-with-no lid incident. Two, there was the “rule” that sophomores could not go off campus or drive other kids for the first six months… but we all had cars? School got a little trickier sophomore year, which made me realize how much of a joke freshman year had been. The PSAT and PARCC are the only major tests of sophomore year, and while the tests weren’t fun, I wish I had known the PSAT’s importance a bit more, for I now know that it can qualify successful test-takers for a National Merit Scholarship.

If I’m being honest this was the year where I felt most confused about the development of my character. Looking back there are quite a few decisions and choices that I made that I wish I hadn’t, and I saw those close to me going through the same trials. Sophomore year, school gets a little more real, but more than anything else, it is the year for experimenting, and it prepares you for your upperclassman-ship.

JUNIOR YEAR

If you thought school was tough the year before, you better brace yourself for junior year. I was finally an upperclassman, but that didn’t come with anything too special, to be honest. This was the year I learned how much J-lot sucks, and I spent days on end trying to leave school from the crowded parking lot. Also, I heard A LOT about the next phase of my life, frankly from a lot of people I didn’t want to hear it from, and next thing I knew, my whole schedule was revolving around that thing, “college.” I was excited to visit so many amazing schools, and the opportunity felt amazing, but HUGE. I found myself crying whenever my parents tried to bring up college, simply because it was an overwhelming idea. This is the time that you realize that your grades really really matter this year, since they are the ones that colleges look at first.

You also understand that your GPA is a combination of all years of high school, and wish that you had tried a little harder in your

easy classes of freshman and sophomore year. ACT and SAT are ever so daunting, and soon practice tests and classes for this tests start popping up all over your schedule, or my schedule at least. The thing is, though, that all I learned in the classes were some bad puns and riddles, and slowly learned to hate the test. How could three little letters “A-C-T” have so much influence on my life?

But I digress, junior year can be categorized as the year for stress, and fun, but mostly stress. Don’t worry, though; things get much brighter the following year.

SENIOR YEAR

Ah, the year of years, the peak of your existence thus far. This is one area where the movies get high school right, for senior year really is the best. You find yourself at the top of everything: you get to stand in the front rows at everything, and you get to park in senior lot. School doesn’t need to be taken as seriously and your schedule opens up for a lot more fun. In just about every area, everything means more and is more exciting, since everything you do this year will be the last time you do it in high school. You attend your last football game, tailgate, winter break, spirit weeks… everything, which encourages you to enjoy all of it that much more.

As I draw close to the end of my high school career, senior year has been the time to reflect on how far I have come as an individual. I recognize my mistakes, but also admire them, for they have all contributed to who I’ve become. I’m aware of the friendships I know will last a lifetime, and am thankful for the memories I will always carry with me.

Senior year may in the end be the year of last chances and goodbyes, but above everything else, it is the year of celebration.

The high school experience is yours to make, and you only get one. I’ve come so far, worn some questionable outfits, pulled a few all-nighters, found a lot of success, and also faced failures, but my high school experience has made me who I am, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

- Mikayla Dudek/Staff Reporter illustrations by mandy matteson

Culture

Q & A WITH ATHENA ANGEL AND DYLAN CRAWFFORD

Keyani Crow in front of the school.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK New Students Share Their Experiences

I

f you have ever been to a place you are unfamiliar with, then you know what it’s like to be new. My choice in writing this article consists of personal experience in struggling as a new student. I have dealt with coming in the middle of a semester and struggling to make friends. I have only been here for a little over a month and have experienced a lot of difficulty. I still sit alone at lunch and walk alone to class, however I have learned to enjoy the time alone. I still have difficulty maintaining my grades and adjusting to Boulder Valley’s system. The students here are definitely different from the charter school in Westminster that I came from.

I’ve noticed quite a few things in my short time being here. Ever since I got here I have noticed that almost every single girl that walks in the bathroom turns the blow dryer on before they walk into the stall. Definitely something I have never seen before, but I have gotten used to it.

I have never seen so many cliques with such little socialization outside of their own group. Nobody is really looking for any new friends in the middle of the semester, as everyone already has a group they belong in.

I have noticed that I do get a lot of unusual looks from other people as I walk by. I am not sure if it’s the clothes I wear or if there has been something on my face for a month.

I am not really sure, but I have never tried so hard in my life to fit in and not been able to.

I am a very social person, but a lot of people

think of me as quiet and shy. What do I say to everyone without making a fool out of myself?

There are a few other students who also came in the middle of the year and have struggled. Athena Angel, who came from New Mexico, also had a hard time transitioning into making new friends throughout the year. She explained that she did not make any friends until she joined soccer and got herself involved in the school.

She is transitioning better and is doing better in her social and academic life.

At least I know that I am not alone and there are many students that have experienced being new and not knowing anybody. The students are different here, but a variety of people to choose from. There are some things I have seen that students do that I have not seen before, but that’s what makes this school what it is. It has been hard adjusting and getting through it all, but I know I will make it . Being the ‘new girl’ is definitely the biggest challenge I have ever had, but hopefully it won’t have to be my label for very much longer.

- Keyani Crow/ Staff Reporter photo by emma bazuik

What is the hardest part of moving in the middle of the year?

Angel: The hardest part of moving in the middle of the year to a new school/state was making new friends.

Crawford: Work and friends. When you already have a hard time moving does not help.

What is the best part about Monarch?

A: The best part about Monarch is how the staff help you make the transition into a new school.

C: “It’s a big school [with] lots of people to meet.”

What school did you come from?

A: I came from Centennial in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

C: [I went to] Weld Central.

Do you like it better here?

A: I am undecided if I like Monarch better. I miss my old friends a lot and I have a hard time making new ones.

C: I would say yes because of the amounts of people and classes.

What is so different?

A: Monarch has more sports. [I had] never seen lacrosse in my life until I moved here. Lockers and a closed campus [are] also new to me.

C: Talking to people, these are different views than the classes.

What is the biggest difference?

A: The biggest difference is the opportunity Monarch gives you, the opportunities to succeed in many spectrums.

C: School, work, and people. I love to talk and meet, but what to talk about is the big question.

Are the students different here?

A: The students here are very different, almost everybody falls into some sort of clique. Being in the area that Monarch is in, many students take things for granted that teenagers from [the Las Cruces area] don’t have.

C: Yes, exactly my point.

Do you think you’ve changed as a person since you got here?

A: Yes, I do think I have changed as a person since I moved here, not necessarily positive or negativejust how I respond to certain things.

C: A little yes, but in a good way.

Did you have any issues making friends?

A: In my first month, I had no friends, everybody has their groups and aren’t looking for new friends. It wasn’t until soccer where I started making friends.

C: Slightly, not as many interesting conversations.

Did you have any academic issues moving into the year?

A: When I moved here, I had and still do have a hard time adjusting to the school system.

C: Yes I did, moving does not always help.

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MOHI CULTURE Delving Into the Unique Atmosphere That Makes Everyone Say “Sko Yotes”

Q & A WITH HEAD BOY HARRISON WALDMAN

What do you think makes Monarch unique?

Monarch is a very typical high school, but the thing... that’s different is we have a lot of diverse groups, and people that come here. And that’s what I think is kind of special about Monarch because you don’t have some particular group reigning over everything- it’s not all jocks, all band kids, or something like that. It’s a very diverse, very kind of equal groups around everything. I think it’s really cool how we’re not seen as a specific type of school. It’s kind of like we’re seen as just a school that excels at everything.

Do you know how the whole downstairs B thing started?

No I don’t, it’s just kind of like the meeting place for everyone to talk for a bit and then go to class. It started with the seniors when I was a freshmen, they’d always just chill in B hall, and now we can’t even go to B hall anymore.

Do you think people dress a unique way at Monarch?

I think we’re all fashionistas at Monarch- I think we love to dress well and look really cool. And I think actually a lot of kids will judge you on how you dress here, because we like to dress a certain way- very hipster, very modern.

(Top) April 25th was Love Yourself Day and MoHi 360 worked hard to decorate the lockers with kind messages. (Bottom left) One of the messages said “You rock” to help brighten students’ days. (Bottom right) For Love the Planet day The Monarch Activist Club put up posters to encourage taking care of Earth.

MOHI CHECKLIST

Over-the-top pep assemblies

Though pep assemblies aren’t unique to Monarch, some of the pep assembly games couldn’t be found anywhere else. “My favorite pep assembly game was probably the one where we cracked eggs on admins’ head.

That one was funny,” senior Ally Roberts said.

12 www.mhshowler.com

Girls hitting the hairdryer as soon as they enter the bathroom This is likely the most oddly specific custom on this list, though no one seems to be sure how it started. As for why? “I think especially because I know a lot of guys don’t do that, they think it’s kind of weird, I think girls definitely have more insecurities, or whatever it stems from,” Roberts said.

D

o you remember your first day at Monarch? Were you surprised by how no one uses lockers, or did you notice upperclassmen with their keys on lanyards? Monarch has a culture all of its own and new students pick up these unique customs and carry them on as old students leave. These range from widespread, more common customs, such as the high-energy pep assembly games, to more specific habits, like the abundance of mechanical pencils.

(Top) Monarch students do the “MoHi March” during the Prom pep assembly. (Bottom left) Students rarely use their lockers, as pictured below.

(Bottom right) The stairs in downstairs B hall with a sign advertising during a Week Without Hate.

Lanyards for keys

Many upperclassmen keep their all of their keys in one place with a lanyard. “A lot of the older kids walk around with the lanyards...I think it’s just cause the older kids have their cars and they’re like, ‘Oh, I have a car, I’m cool, I want to show it off,” freshman Liv Angel said.

13 www.mhshowler.com

Carrying backpacks to every class

Virtually no one in the school uses lockersmany students don’t even know where their locker is. Likely because of the busy hallways, and the size of the school itself, lockers are largely empty. “I thought that I was going to use my locker when I first came here, but no one uses their locker,” Angel said.

Culture

Q & A WITH HEAD

GIRL ALLY ROBERTS What was the first odd or unusual custom you noticed when you first came to Monarch?

I think it was the hairdryers. When I went to middle school it wasn’t a thing to hit the hairdryers before you went into the bathroom.

Why do you think people do that?

I think especially because I know a lot of guys don’t do that, they think it’s kind of weird, I think girls definitely have more insecurities, or whatever it stems from.

What’s your favorite cultural trend at Monarch?

I think what’s cool about Monarch is I see that it’s more of a culture of care, and a culture of community, rather than really competitive.

Why do you think many upperclassmen use lanyards?

I think people can use it to show what they’re passionate about. Like people use it with sports teams, or if they’re passionate about their high school, they love their school, whether it’s a college or something like that.

I think, especially for senior year, people will start wearing their lanyards for college, and I think that kind of helps people know where people are going; that’s kind of a fun tradition.

Why do you think no one uses lockers?

I don’t know- I used a locker first semester, I think, first semester of freshman year when I was on swim team and I had to store a backpack. But I think now people realize that if you have a class in downstairs C and you have to get to upstairs A it’s hard to stop by your locker.

What’s your favorite (unique to Monarch) pep assembly game?

My favorite pep assembly game was probably the one where we cracked eggs on admins’ head. That one was funny.

Spoon Game

The Spoon Game has been a tradition at Monarch for the seniors for many years. The game is intense, with students chasing each other down the hallways. “The Spoon Game has made me super paranoid all day. It’s like The Hunger Games but with spoons,” said senior Sarah Schemmerling.

- Tori Armitage/ News Editor photos by tori armitage, sneha varanasi, and bryan dumpert

TOXIC WORDS W

Think Before You Speak

hen I walk through the halls of my high school, I feel disturbed by the amount of slurs that I hear. Perhaps some people who are responsible for saying these things are unaware that they are doing anything offensive, because in their minds they are just using insults in “good nature” and it’s just friends teasing each other. However, it’s not all in good nature; they are possibly offending not only the person they are talking to but also the people around them. It isn’t good nature to call something “retarded” just as person who has a disability walks by. I mean, granted, they didn’t call that person retarded right to their face, but that word is toxic.

The slurs don’t just stop there in the hallways. I hear people say things like “that’s so gay, bro” or “I look like a dyke today,” and what

14

people forget is that there may be someone walking down the hall who is actually gay and when they hear people in the hallways saying words like that it will just hit them like a bunch of boulders. Or when someone calls a girl a slut or whore, just because she’s wearing clothes that might be considered revealing. But she felt so confident with herself when she walked out of the house. She thought she looked nice, but hearing those words spewed out of someone’s mouth made her feel so judged.

And what about the time I heard a black teen talking to his friends and they referred to him as the nigger? There aren’t a lot of AfricanAmerican students at our school in the first place--could that person saying the word ever imagine how hard it is to stick out like a sore

thumb somewhere and then have such offensive words thrown out in the air like they don’t mean anything? It’s even hard for me to print the word.

Webster’s Dictionary defines a slur as “an insinuation or allegation that will most likely insult said person or ruin the reputation of said person.” So why do we feel it’s okay to just say these words? And why is this the way we feel we have to talk to our friends? They are our friends. Shouldn’t we be nice and kind with them? With all the hate in this world shouldn’t we be spreading love and kindness?

So take a moment, and think about the first time that you heard someone use the word “retarded.” Did they look proud of what they said, almost boastful? Was it in elementary school, or middle school? Did they even know what that word meant? This word, for example, isn’t okay to use as an insult, nor was it ever okay to use in that way. People with an intellectual disability can’t control how they are, who they are. So why does society give us a sense of assurance for using a word in a joking manner that describes a condition that some people will have to struggle with for the rest of their lives?

As I’ve gotten older I’ve heard more and more slurs in school, although the people using them don’t think they are slurs. They probably think of the words as fun slang, but how can we really consider something fun to say if it makes another person feel like trash? I hear guys talking to each other in the halls saying things like “man, that’s gay” or “dude, don’t be a fag.”

But, it’s not just guys I heard saying these things in the hallways; ladies, we are just as guilty of saying things like “I look like a dyke today.”

Before I even go into how horrific it is to say the words, let me just throw out some stats. According to NObullying.com, 82 percent of LGBT youth have had problems with bullying about their sexual orientation; that’s an alarming percentage. But it doesn’t just stop there: 64 percent have felt unsafe at school, and 32 percent have skipped school because they felt unsafe from bullying So is it okay to say fag or dyke as a mean insult or even casual teasing? Absolutely not. People can try to play around the meaning of a word, and say that they didn’t mean it in a hurtful way, but the words that came out of their mouths were likely to have made someone feel bad. While it might not be intended for the person who they were “joking” about it to to feel bad, someone who was just walking by could have been

hurt.

Reading this so far, you’ve probably felt guilty for saying some of these words, because you should. We should all feel guilty for saying anything that offends or undermines anyone. But what if we are undermining ourselves, which allows kids in the hallway to think it’s okay? So-called “slut-shaming” is something that commonly happens in our hallway, and I hear it from girls just as I hear it from men. Ladies, we hate it when men call us those oh-so-demeaning words. We are so quick to tell guys they have no right to say those things. But how quick are we to stop our friends or ourselves from saying them or even just joking about it? Probably not at all. See, if no one ever stops the problem from within, then the problem goes on. And if they don’t get solved, problems like this are never going to get fixed and people will just continue to think it’s okay to say cruel words.

I’d like to think that my school is a safe zone, where everyone feels like they are accepted into this school. And I can say that most of the time, but when I walk down the halls and hear people throw racial slurs, I can’t imagine anyone feeling safe here when they feel out of place. The n-word is something I hear almost every day in the halls-not one day of my life have I not heard it coming from someone’s mouth at school. This word makes me feel dirty, it makes me feel like an outsider. And I’ve confronted people about using the n-word, and I get the same two defenses from everyone: “I didn’t use the hard R so it doesn’t mean the same thing” or “ I have a lot of black friends and so it’s okay if I say it”.

Doesn’t this sound pretty ludicrous? But no, this is really what people say to me when I confront them about it. I have news for people who say there’s a difference: there isn’t one. Hard R, soft A, negro; it’s all the same. It is all there to put one group of people down. But I don’t blame this completely on other races saying this word. African-American pop culture has so much blame to take; without songs having the n-word in their lyrics, people wouldn’t think it is okay to say it. And black youth, if you don’t want others saying this word, you have to stop saying it yourself. Change has to come from within.

We know that these words are vulgar and that they are hurtful, but we still tend to use them. And I get that there are “playful mean” friendships where you use these words not intending to hurt or offend your friend, or anyone else around you. But you can hurt and offend, and maybe you already have. With the world being such a hateful place already, it’s not necessary to just carelessly throw around these words.

According to Real Life, an English language education site, there are twenty-three different ways someone in the English language can say hello. Twenty-three ways to start a conversation with someone, not including any of the pop culture ways that are not offensive. With so many ways to talk to our friends, without offending them, or other people, there’s no reason to use offensive words.

Are things going to change in one year? Even five? No. We are humans, we are not perfect. But we can start by trying harder to not use language that will kill other people’s spirits. We can try harder to not use words that are offensive to intelligence or gender or race to make people see that it isn’t okay to use those words. And we can always think before we speak.

- Jasmine Jeffcoat/ Sports Editor photos by andrew patra & levi wood

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OUR NEXT ADVENTURE COLORADO

Colorado State University

University of Colorado (Boulder)

Rachael Jacobs, Mikayla Dudek, Andrew Patra, Estelle Silk, Emily Jacobs, Maggie Valdez, Matt Chandler, Buck Guthrie, Olivia Parsons, Ellie Smith, Kaylee Zamastil, Sarah Mautz, Lauren Cooper, Brooklynn Keene, Spencer Hall, Kylee Stewart, Nico Magri, Payton Cloyes, Paige Stockebrand, Viola Burlew, Maddie Johnson, Kenyon Hesker, Katie Sledge, Edward Varney, Brody Guisness, Rita Trick, Sam Batchelor, Brandon Wallace, Ana Pacheco, Maya Jennings, Brian Phan, Delcan StoneMurphy, Grace Van Oort, Hannah Hagens, Emma Dugan, Sarah Cates, Alexis Pring, Sean Pike, Robert Redfern, Spencer Hall, Jessica Nieusma, Bennet Forsyth, Mikail Kraft, Kyler Raley, Emma Seidler, Samuel Prudden, Henry Richards, Francesca Cardinale, Jordan Hoffman, Bryan Dumpart, Madison Risi, Kylee Stewart, Tanner Conklin, Abe Covington, Lauren Cooper, Madison Sinsel, Holden Haun, James Peacock, Steven Kumar, Renata Delgado Flores, Lauren Savage, Laura Macdonald, Alanso Fernandez, Ricardo Lopez-Abadia, Peyton Carter, Caitlin Conroy, Matt Russell, David Peter, Mackenzie Hickey, Maggie Stephens, Jason Dolph, Victoria Suazo, Xingxuan Tang, Ian Lee, Sabrina Hafeez, Ivy Vien, Jack Hermann, Sean Pierce, Kendall Weinberg, Nico Margri, Obaid Ebadi, Thomas Campeau, Carly Remington, Andrew Nony, Sam Raizman, Braden Ezpeleta, Roy Grigsby, Jordon Pace

University of Colorado (Denver)

Eli Chess, Calia McInture, Ana Orduna, Ronan Dowling, Catalina Lozano, Emma Hundsdorfer

United States Air Force Academy

Brooke Bruder

Univeristy of Northern Colorado Lili Dutka, Maddy Wegen, Anastasia Bundy, Grace Palo, Nate Johnson, Lili Dutka

Northeastern Junior College Erin Hersey

University of Denver

Amanda Durbin, Jenny Kelly, McKenzie Ronacher

Western State Colorado University Alison Giese, Warner Wyckoff

Metropolitan State University of Denver Jami Rayburg, Ryan Swan, Rebecca Lutton

Colorado Mesa University Drew Bussanmas, Janelle McBride, Griffin Mathiews, Justin Fristensky

Jensen Fauver, Mackenzie Welch, Holden Cornelli, Shae Porter, Hannah Hacker, Ashley Childre, Zach Alves, Niko Alexenko, Eva Dunlap, Kenzie Nelson, Isabella Martinez, Jessica Filben, Alex Urbach, Jonathan Olavarria, Danielle Reifschneider, Caroline Sawtelle, Annie Irwin, Alyssa Ealy, Lily SmithLehman, Audrey Hesker, Ashley Childre, Logan Fristensky, Millad Hosseini, Teagan Lee, Sam Gambee, Kyle Winchell, Zachary Alves, Evan Sours, Davon Hudiburg, Nick Hoff, Jenna Nguyen, Bailey Matthews, Cole English, Mckenzie Nelson, Caroline Sawtell, Abbie Levis, Evan Williams, Chloe Carlstrom, Ayla Shupe, Trevor Thompson Isaacson, Alexander James Urbach, Trevor Schneider, Logan Phillips, Adam Cabrera, Sarah Danekind

CALIFORNIA

Sarah Holland, Aubrey Samuelson, Julia Rice

Scripps College

Kate DeMarsh

Santa Clara University

Zach Litoff

Point Loma Nazarene University

Sophia Wingert

16

Western Washington University Meagan Ziebold

Seattle Pacific University Izzy Koepping

Spokane Community College Claylish Coldiron

Seattle University Thomas Paluch

Gonzaga University Isaac Goebelbecker Pacor

Univesity of Washington

Isaac Green, Jennifer Scroggs

DigiPen Insitute of Technology Ben Bowden

Front Range Community College Jeremy Hasbruck, Rayann Garcia, Isis Purcell, Hannah Gurule, Max Rosenshein, Kate Sadow, Owen Christie, Gabrielle Clarissa, Brianna San Miguel, Forrest Hudson, Alexis MorderaiKermisch, Adrian Novao, Brycen Edwards, Paul Meany, Elijah Soto, Drake Espinosa, Mark Hambach, Christopher Morelock, Aidin Smith, Caton Wells, Stephen Scruggs, Ayah Baydoun

Univesity of Colorado (Colorado Springs) Briona Schlueter, Jordan Arato

Community College of Denver

Logan Becker

Colorado School of Mines

Ashlyn Orr, Luke Epp, Michael Miller, Garret Beck, Gabby Ferro

Colorado Mountain College Andrew Icenhower, Tyler Deckys, Patrick Rose, Bodhi Harrison

Regis University

Mitchell Trenka, Yael Greene

Colorado Northwestern Community College Cooper Fransen

Colorado College

HAWAII

NEVADA

Adams State University

University of Hawaii

University of Nevada

Aveda Hair School

OREGON

ARIZONA

Sammer Ziady Connor Flynn

Emily Stephenson

California Polytechnic State University

WASHINGTON

California State Universtiy (Monterey Bay) Danni Kendrick

San Diego State Abby Wiley

Claremont Mckenna College Danielle Honan

Cuesta College

Matthew Calo

University of Oregon Emma Goldman

Lewis and Clark University Isabella Ruscitti

Oregon State University Audrey Lookner, Gus Light

Willamette Universtiy Cayce Reese

Western Oregon Univesity

Sawyer Lofstedt

Chloe Nussbaum

Univeristy of California

Pacific University

Nimisha Mekala

Maddie Peskind

Tanner Johnson

Arizona State Universtiy

Sayge Blackstad, Jackson Beck

Grand Canyon Univesrity Greg Hibil

Northern Arizona University Katherine Charlotte Batka

WYOMING

University of Wyoming Bella Quinn

MONTANA

IOWA

Iowa State University

Montana State University (Bozeman)

Sydney Lehman

MICHIGAN Michigan State University

Quinn Noonan, Madison Bohling,Will Sternberg, Jake Baur, Jack Ludtke

University of Iowa Tyler Kretsch

INDIANA

IDAHO Northwest Nazarene University

Drake University

Indiana University

Talley Kyle

Bringham Young Univeristy Alan Ferrera, Byron Staynings

MINNESotA University of Minnesota Kailey Palmen, Andrew Reimann

MISSOURI

VERMONT

Jake Krieter, Melissa Gordon

University of Vermont

Carmen Harris

MASSACHUSETTES

Taylor Ficker, Matt Keenan

Holly Santman

Brandeis University Emma Wolters

ILLINOIS

OHIO

Ohio State University

Capital University

Anna Nickerson

Matt Hoban

Carly Gallant, Porter McQuade

Anna Prior

Babson College

Augustana College

University of Miami

DePaul University

Berklee College of Music

Northwestern University

NEW YORK

Sarah McCauley, Alex Smith

Nolan Levinson Jack Ferry

Pace University

College of Dupage

Megan Carpenter

Sarah Schemmerling

Zach Farrow

University of Missouri (Kansas City)

American Musical and Dramatic Academy

WISCONSIN

Jasmine Jeffcoat

University of Wisconsin

Meghan Hempstead

University of Albany

Zoe Schmanski

Sophia Chen

RHODE ISLAND

PENNSYLVANIA

Bryant University

MISSISSIPPI

Cedar Crest College

Maddy Dupee

Emily Klenk

DELAWARE

University of Mississippi Andrew Leblanc

Delaware Technical Community College

TENNESSEE

Sydney Marchetti

East Tennessee State University

WASHINGTON D.C.

Maegan Sours

GEORGIA

Savannah College of Art and Design

American University Drew Meseck

George Washington Universtiy

Grant Saunders

Jeanette Foxhoven

VIRGINIA

Life University

Roanoke College

Jordan Savage

Design and data collection by Rachael Jacobs illustrations by mandy matteson

University of Louisiana Harrison Waldman

UTAH Univeristy of Utah Ben Powder

TEXAS

University of Houston

Sydney Trimm

Brigham Young University University of Texas Hunter Pape

NEW MEXICO

Natalie Mitchell

University of Miami Florida Katie Johnson

Texas A&M University

Embry-Riddle Areonautical University

Telsa Newton

Patrick Rinker

KANSAS

St. Edwards University Mackenzie Ladouceur

Julie Marcus, Olivia Cole, Rhett Stockebrand

OKLAHOMA

Wichita State University

Marcus Cassar, Meredith Moon

Austin Johnson

FLORIDA

Eckerd College

New Mexico Institue for Mining and Technology

University of Kansas

Tulane

Miguel Brache

Texas Christian University

Kassie Krasniewicz

University of Oklahoma

Tatiana Cherry Santos

LOUISIANA

Virginia Military Service

MILITARY Ethan Franken (U.S. Army), Joe Abrams (U. S. Air Force), Nate Fisher (U. S. Marine Corps), Isaac Kasten (U. S. Coast Guard)

Matt Reimann

NORTH CAROLINA

GAP YEAR

Sydney Morgenstein

Eleanor Sarder

Zachary Bastres

University of Tampa

Frank Dalle-Molle, Jake Schellenberg

University of Florida

Cooper Koepping

JAPAN

Osaka Univesity Kate Nakasato

ROME

American University of Rome Molly Stroup, Kaitlyn Tarlton

Wake Forest University Danny Gallant, Samantha Wexler

SOUTH CARLOINA

Professional Golfers Career College Jack Taylor

TRAVELING TO...

Europe

John Mckenna

Ireland Calvin Mulcahy

Rwanda and Kenya

Madison Davis

France

Clothilde Michelet

IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS An Insider’s Guide to Softball

T

here’s a first time for everything. First time walking, first time learning to ride a bike, first time going to school, and one of the most nerve wracking of all, trying out a new sport for the first time.

Going out on the field at your first practice can be scary no matter if you’re in kindergarten or a freshman in high school.

Going out on a field for the first practice is very nerve wracking.

You don’t know anyone on the team, you don’t know the fundamentals of the game yet, and you don’t know if you’re even going to be good at the sport or not. But every game is worth a shot and even though you might not be good at the sport the first time you go out and play, if you go out and play your best everyday, you

18

will get better.

I’ve tried many sports, such as soccer, track, and tennis and each of them has been scarier than the one before. It has always been hard for me to start something new and even though all different types of sports require a ton of hard work and effort, they are all so different from the other.

I play tennis and one sport that is very similar to tennis is softball.

It requires really good hand-eye coordination and speed to be able to run the bases without getting tagged out. I have always wanted to learn how to play softball and it seems like a fun sport.

Sophomore Ainslee Reese has been playing softball since second

grade and plays on the high school team every fall. Trying out for high school was not as intimidating as she thought it would be.

“I thought it was going to be scary, but when I joined I was really welcomed by everyone on the team,” Reese said.

When I tried playing softball with Reese, it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. She made it look so easy to hit the ball and when she did it flew so far. When I tried I swung and missed a lot of times. Frustratingly, when I would hit, the ball would go straight down. One tip that she gave me when hitting the ball was to keep your eye on the ball at all times. That makes it so that you know exactly where it is at all times, and you won’t swing and miss as much. When hitting the ball, she also mentioned that you step in with your left foot when hitting it, which helps give the ball direction and power.

In the beginning of the practice it was definitely hard, but after a little bit of time and perseverance, I was able to get the hang of it. After finding my groove, the last couple of balls I hit went far and I was able to hit the ball a lot harder. I also didn’t swing and miss as much.

When I picked up the bat for the first time, it was a lot heavier than I expected it to be, which made it harder to hit the ball. I thought it would be a lot easier to aim the ball where I wanted it to go, but I had to use my whole body to direct it.

Reese also taught me how to throw and catch the ball. The glove goes on your non-dominant hand and you throw with your dominant hand. For me, it definitely felt weird catching the ball with my left hand because I don’t have as much control over that hand. I learned that there is a special way to throw the ball, which is by using your whole arm but also snapping the wrist so the ball travels a lot farther.

- Aidin Velick & Hannah Gross/ Staff Reporters illustration by levi wood

Q&A WITH AINSLEE REESE How are you able to direct exactly where you want the ball to go?

It depends on the pitch. I can guide my feet to drive my body where I want the ball to go. It depends on the game situation but usually depending on how many people are out and what the score is you want to aim it towards the outfield and not super high.

In general, how do you play softball?

You have offense and defense. Defense is when you’re playing on and there’s nine different positions. A pitcher will pitch the ball to the girl that’s batting and then the objective for defense is to get three outs, and you can do that by catching the ball, by striking a girl out, or by tagging her out, or tagging the base and getting her out. And then [for] defense the point is to score, by getting around the bases and hitting home.

Why do you wear eye black under your eyes?

Traditionally athletes wear eye black to attract the sun away from their eyes which is part of it, but we also do it to seem more intimidating and really to bond as a team.

What are some good mental tricks for before and during the game to stay motivated?

A mental trick I learned when I was younger was to think before every pitch what should happen, if the ball is hit to me, where do I go with it.

Another great thing to know is when you’re batting, you have to keep the counts in your head of how many strikes you have.

Best tips for a beginner player?

I’d say the best tip that I ever learned was not to be afraid of the ball, because when it’s being hit really fast at you, your first instinct is to jump away or move away but you have to knock it down and the same with hitting.

Could we make the Monarch Team?

Yes, you both totally would! You’ve got great potential and you learn really quickly.

What’s do you do to have as successful of a game as possible?

I usually have a pep talk before every game with my team about being focused and having fun, and during the games we’re always yelling and keeping our energy up which makes us play better!

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Photo by Bonnie Katzive, Science March - 4/22/17 - Boulder, CO

LOCAL IMPACT

How Federal Laws Affect Colorado Residents With all of the discussion on the recent changes in the White House, many citizens question what laws can and will affect them. Though we may not realize it, many federal decisions have a major local impact. There have been many new executive orders and laws in President Trump’s first 100 days alone. Here are a few potential local impacts.

Anti Planned Parenthood Law On April 13th, Trump signed a bill “behind closed doors” that gives states the choice to defund all organizations that offer abortions.

Many high school students go to Planned Parenthood, as it provides confidential services where a parent does not need to be present. This bill could change the lives of many high schoolers and citizens. Planned Parenthood released a statement saying that most of the federal money they received went to preventative health care, birth control, cervical cancer exams, pregnancy tests, breast cancer screenings, and STD testing. Only 3% of planned parenthood’s services consist of abortions.

This also impacts any families that are on Medicaid, as women going to planned parenthood for a Pap smear (depending on the state) may have trouble receiving this service.

Climate Science and Research

Colorado is a leader in climate research, with NOAA and CU working together.

Colorado has over 51 research facilities that depend on federal funding, meaning that cuts could put 7,800 people out of jobs.

These cuts would halt research on weather

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emergency alerts -- something that the public depends on. Important research being done across the state and country on global warming would also lose the majority of its federal funding especially with the recent decision to end the Clean Power Plan.

CU and CSU CU will be impacted by the proposed budget cuts as $602 of its $924 million came from federal agencies. CSU could also see a huge cut to its research funding-- 70% of the school’s research funds came from federal agencies. Most public research universities across the country will also be impacted through these cuts. CU also recieves $85 million from the National Science Foundation; though the National Science Foundation isn’t mentioned by name in the proposed plan, it could still potentially undergo cuts.

Research funding at the University of Energy and Education will all be seeing a 16%, 6% and 14% cut. A lot of the money goes not only go to research but also to creating jobs at the university which will impact the entire community if they are cut.

Changes to Medicaid With the new administration in office, there were several questions behind the recently promised health care plan. The American Health Care Act is currently being reviewed and changed, but some parts of it have similarities to Obamacare.

For example, any insurance companies can’t deny clients for pre existing conditions, and kids can stay on their parents health care plan till they are 26.

In Colorado alone there are over 1 million residents who are registered on Medicaid.

Medicaid is a state-federal program which provides healthcare to residents of low income.

The change in residents health care policy would put an end to the Medicaid expansion which was set to be done by 2020 under Obamacare, which planned to cover more Americans.

The passing of the proposed American Health Care Act would not end Medicaid, but those that don’t quite fall under the low poverty line who hoped to be covered in the expansion would now no longer become covered.

- Estelle Silk & Chase Standerwick/ Staff Reporters &Tori Armitage/News Editor

Q&A with Bill Sutter, BVSD Chief Financial Officer

News

How will BVSD be impacted by the possibility of the cuts in public education?

The cuts proposed at the federal level are targeted at federal programs. Federal programs tend to target students in poverty (Title I), special education (IDEA), as well as provide resources for teacher training and other programs (Title II).

If federal budgets are not increased, the district could see a loss in purchasing power as costs increase without an increase in funding. This will likely be the case with IDEA special education funding.

Does BVSD have any plans on how to react to these cuts?

In the near term, we have set aside resources in the preliminary 2017-18 district budget to backfill cuts and mitigate the impact as the specific cuts will not be known until after the school year has started.

Because these federal dollars are used to hire staff, we would use the resources set aside and plan during the 2017-18 school year to transition the program design and likely implement the net effect of the cuts in the 2018-19 school year.

Are there any areas of BVSD, and schools in themselves, where these cuts will be most evident?

Title I dollars are focused at the highpoverty elementary schools, Title II dollars are for teacher training and the IDEA special education funds are distributed across the district for special education staff. Most of the resources flow directly to student services, with the exception of the Title II teacher training dollars.

For perspective, the projected amounts at this time, and are based on current enrollments and eligibility (which will absolutely change): Title I: ~12% reduction, or a loss of about $300,000 Title II: ~19% reduction, or loss of about $130,000 IDEA: ~0% reduction, but a loss in purchasing power as costs increase.

Sources: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/15/ american-health-care-act-medicaid-colorado-impact/ http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/03/16/ trump-s-budget-proposal-has-mixed-impact-in.html https://www.cpr.org/news/story/what-the-trumpbudget-proposal-could-mean-for-colorado-education https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/ images/55923

Program Coordinator Bill Murtagh at the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) briefs FEMA Administrators at the David Skaggs Research Center in Boulder. Photo by Will von Dauster/FEMA

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Features

FOUR REASONS WHY

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Media Interpretations of Mental Illness:

The Self-Perceived Stigma:

Social Stigma:

How To Stop The Stigma:

Throughout popular media outlets such as television or web videos there are examples of stereotypes everywhere.In many films, books, and TV shows, we are told that someone who dresses in black is moody or the “crazy one” is comic relief, such as Allison (Ally Sheedy) from The Breakfast Club, who was the ‘basket case’ of the group.

In the news, stories of criminals with unclear motives are blamed on mental illnesses, sometimes without expert verification.

Stereotypes have been proven to not be true, yet these messages prevail and have slowly become a social norm for us all to follow.

It is important as a consumer to understand the content we take in, and although you may not be able to change the way Hollywood perceives mental health, we can talk about it more with those around us to get rid of the stigmatization.

The self stigma is where someone with a mental health concern internalises their perception of discrimination, which can cause feelings of shame and sadness, which can lead to worse outcomes down the road, such as refusal of treatment or denial of having the illness in the first place. This self-perception of how others view their condition as something to hide or be ashamed of only causes the stigma to be continued. If you had a broken foot, you wouldn’t go run on it, right? The same is for mental health issues, and you should care for yourself the same as if you had a physical injury.

Take care of yourself through exercise, talking to friends, or even try meditation. It is okay to acknowledge that you can’t always do it by yourself; talk to a counselor or therapist if needed.

Social stigma develops when people have little to no knowledge of what mental illnesses are and generalize them, which places mental illnesses and people with them in a taboo category where people with mental health concerns can feel isolated. This can then lead to further stigmatization of mental illnesses and less conversation and understanding of mental health. Some things that can help begin the de-stigmatization are talking openly about mental health issues. It may feel hard, though, to reach out to a group of friends, in which case talk to a trusted adult or someone in the counseling office for help.

I believe that to stop and shrink the stigma, people need to be more understanding of one another and be empathetic and caring towards friends struggling with mental health. In addition, if someone you know is in emotional distress and has shared that with you, be understanding, and know that they may have a sense of humor about their illness and joke about it to cope.

Everyone handles mental illnesses differently, and one way that people can cope with their illness would be to joke about it; this happens in specific circumstances and does not grant the right to not have a filter. If a friend wants to talk about their mental health, don’t make fun of it; help them through it, and be a friend they can count on.

...You Should Help Remove Mental Health Stigma

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can contact Karin Dudek or Michael Davidoff via email or in the counseling office. You can also talk to a counselor or other trusted adult at school. It is important to vocalize what you feel to others. Below we have provided hotlines (also listed on the Monarch Counseling website) which you can use to seek guidance.

Colorado Crisis Service: 844-493-8255 Children’s Hospital Nurse Hotline: 720-777-0123 Mental Health Partners 24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-844-493-TALK (8255)

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ental health struggles are common and vary in severity. It is likely that you know someone who has had ongoing or temporary anxiety, depression, or stress. You might even know someone who struggles with more severe conditions like, suicidal thoughts or PTSD. Perhaps influenced by the stigma surrounding mental health, they might not have told you about what they are going through, or what they experience. Here are some thoughts about why we should talk about it.

- Nick Kauza/ Staff Reporter illustration by mandy matteson & levi wood

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX

Opinions

Uncensoring Human Nature

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ex is what we humans sell, judge and flaunt openly, but do not talk about fully. From catcalls to unwanted raunchy Snapchats, we haven’t fully grasped the difference between objectification and safe sexual interactions.

The difference: objectification is is one-sided and occurs when sexual interaction disregards the needs and feelings of the person on the receiving end of attention or desire; safe sexual interactions occur between mutually consenting parties, open to conversation about sex in a safe and respectful way.

Objectification is an issue that teenage girls, especially, deal with on a day to day basis.

Based on my own observations, sexual disrespect is often preceded by the censorship of information and conversation about sex throughout life, such as in families, schools and communities.

By treating sex as dirty and inappropriate, we lose the chance to talk about healthy and respectful ways that intimacy and expressions of attraction may occur. This negative connotation around sex often comes when people are more comfortable talking about the harm sex can cause instead of the benefits and responsibility that may also come with it.

The defense mechanism to joke about sex and sexual attraction comes from embarrassment around sex. This can lead to vulgar and disrespectful sexual language, which then sets a psychological stage for harassment and objectification. Sex can then become no longer a privilege, but a joke between friends of which one can “hit that” quicker. I believe by being reluctant to talk frankly about sex in our communities, it may allow more room for rape culture to be more prevalent. Normalizing talking about people we are attracted to in objectifying

ways fosters a the mentality of always believing that someone is a “prize” to win, by whatever means possible, not a person to understand.

Sexually aggressive communication that dehumanizes the person on the receiving end of attraction oftentimes is praised by buddies and accepted by the receiver, and is rarely ever called out. Aggressive terminology such as “hit that,” “score,” “gonna get that,” “being a tease,” etc. is often seen as a normalized expression regarding sexual interest. This use of dehumanizing and objectifying language perpetuates the wellknown story line of women mainly portrayed as the love or sexual interest for a male protagonist, creating the only purpose for women as an object of pleasure. Viewing and treating people merely as sexual objects is a dangerous path and can lead to major violations of others’ boundaries and well-being. The problem evolves into something that isn’t just about safe sexual interactions, but also about consent.

It’s hard to talk about consent without first talking about sex. If we can talk about sex more openly, and without embarrassment, it opens the door to conversation about consent and sexual health.

I believe talking freely about safe sex and how it can be enjoyed, not feared, encourages people to appreciate their own bodies, express love and intimacy in appropriate ways, embrace sexual feelings and practice sexual health in a comfortable way, at a time appropriate for each individual.

Discussions about sex are very important when a child is developing. Except, much of

“By treating sex as dirty and inappropriate, we lose the chance to talk about healthy and respectful ways that sex may occur.”

the time, adults don’t talk to their children about the subject of sex, in hopes that if they do not talk about it, the children will not act upon their desires. This can be harmful. At the early ages of 9-13, children start to go through puberty and develop sexual desires and thoughts. Overall I think that by refusing to speak about these desires, children start to become confused about what they are feeling and how to handle their yearning.

Encouraging discussions of sexuality would benefit society and individuals. By making it safe to talk about desire and sex openly, women will start to become more vocal and unapologetic when they don’t feel comfortable during physical intimacy; being able to explain what they want and how they want it is something that is not always honored in our society.

By opening up the conversation of sex, young people will start to see that sexual intimacy is something that is to be respectfully shared when they are ready to handle the emotions that come along, not begged for or demanded. Together we need to work on breaking down shaming, the structure of predatory attitudes and habits of objectification and replace them with the use of comfortable and shame-free conversations about the subject that we all individually think about daily, but shy away from publicly.

- Abigail Adams/ Guest Writer illustration by mandy matteson & levi wood

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Features

TO THE TOP OF COLORADO A Guide to Some of Boulderites’ Favorite Hikes

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ummer is coming and the weather is getting warmer. In other words, it’s hiking season, and when it comes to being outdoors, Colorado is the place to be.

Colorado has some pretty great hiking destinations, but here are the top places to be this summer

Ouzel Lake

One of the best hikes around, located in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. About a five mile hike and ten miles round trip, don’t be fooled by the short distance because round trip this hike will take a full day to accomplish due to its elevation gains. Don’t let the elevation gains intimidate you, though, because it is a moderate skill level and is accesible to people of all ages.

There are two waterfall destinations and a creek follows through the whole hike. The ending is a completely natural alpine lake, caused from snow melt. Nestled within the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, this hike sure is a worthwhile destination and can even be reserved for nights of backpacking. Around the trail many fish, birds, snakes, elk, and maybe even moose are to be seen. Be sure to have plenty of water and good snacks to stay hydrated and fueled through this hike.

Royal Arch

Nestled within many of the trails at Boulder’s Chautauqua Park, this is another beautiful hike. This is perfect for a quick local trip, as Boulder is super close by and you could even stop down at Pearl Street after for some brunch. Just as any other hike in Boulder, the view all the way to the top is amazing. The arch at the end, as stated in the name of the hike, is beautiful. The hike to the top can be a challenging workout, but it is worth the view.

It is a three and a half mile hike round trip and takes 2-3 hours. Difficulty is considered moderate.

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Mount Sanitas

Mount Sanitas is another one of Boulder’s local hikes, a 3.3 mile loop with a nice high viewpoint about halfway through. This is probably the most family-friendly of the three hikes. It can possibly be difficult to find one of the multiple trailheads, but using a map or GPS will surely get you there. There are two paths you can take to the upper viewing point section of the loop, one is quite wide and open and the other is single tracked. The wide path is less steep and very family friendly for young ones or elderly. The trails along the ridge are more challenging. The wildlife and plants that are sure to be seen are totally worth the hike, not to mention the beautiful city view over the ridge.

Hiking throughout Colorado is an avid and active adventure. Some would call it a lifestyle, not just a hobby. Along with all the hiking Boulder has to offer, refreshing onself in downtown Boulder after is an additional definite plus. So get out there and go for a summer hike.

- Hannah Gross/Staff Reporter photos courtesy of brooke bruder background by andrew patra

PLANET EARTH II

Culture

BBC’s new series brings us closer to the natural world than ever before “It’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.” - Sir David Attenborough

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ver since the early 1960s, the BBC Natural History Unit has been producing high quality nature documentaries such as Blue Planet and Frozen Planet. The original Planet Earth series became one of the most expensive nature documentaries made by the BBC and was the first documentary series to be filmed in the new HD format. A decade after Planet Earth’s release comes its successor, Planet Earth II. The series is narrated by longtime BBC collaborator David Attenborough, with music composed by Jasha Klebe and Jacob Shea (main theme composed

by Hans Zimmer).

With Planet Earth II having been three years in the making, and filmed in over 40 countries, camera crews have traversed the globe in search of the most spectacular landscapes, in order to bring audiences closer to the natural world than ever before.

Advances in camera technology have enabled the filmmakers to capture more dynamic shots using remote recording techniques and aerial drones. Ultra lightweight and portable stabilization technology also allows cameras to be put on drones and carried by cameramen to get the stable shots needed.

Planet Earth II is also the first BBC series to utilize ultra-high-definition 4K recording technology, showing us locations and animals at a higher resolution than ever before.

Planet Earth II consists of six episodes covering various ecosystems, ranging from mountains to jungles to cities (yes, you read that correctly). With the looming effects of humankind on the animal kingdom, cities have become an important part of the natural world. Many species, such as monkeys or falcons, choose to take up residence and raise their young in our urban centers around the world.

In the first episode, some interesting information is provided about islands. Islands account for one sixth of the earth’s land mass and twenty percent of the earth’s animal species. For some species, islands offer sanctuary away from the mainland. An animal, like the pygmy three-toed sloth, only survives due to the peacefulness of its Caribbean home, while chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic have to endure incredible hardship

just to feed their young.

The second episode shifts focus to mountains and manages to bring viewers some truly epic footage. Few animals have what it takes to survive up at these high altitudes and rare close up footage of snow leopards is captured via motion-activated cameras. High resolution 4K footage brings the action to life, especially when two golden eagles are captured battling over a frozen animal carcass.

The third episode explores jungles. Jungles remain one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and cover just six percent of land, from the rainforests of Brazil to the humid climates of Madagascar, we get a unique perspective of life through the jungle canopy.

The jungle is home to over half of the world’s plants and animals, each trying to survive in its own way. Explosive footage showing a jaguar biting through the thick hide of a caiman (a distant relative to the crocodile) shows how harsh the laws of nature can be.

In episodes four, five, and six, the ecosystems of deserts, grasslands, and cities are shown in all their beauty and grandeur. Awe-inspiring footage takes the viewer deeper into their world, whether it be a peregrine falcon nesting within the skyscrapers of New York City or a carmine bee eater swooping down to eat insects in Kenya.

Throughout the entire series, I was simply awestruck at the quality of the images playing on screen and how the filmmakers were able to get so close to the wildlife. Undoubtedly, Planet Earth II is one of the greatest nature documentaries ever made. It will leave you speechless and make you take a step back to look at the overall picture.

Planet Earth II is available to stream on Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play, as well as for purchase on 4K Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD. -Kevin Wu/ Staff Reporter Photos Courtesy of BBC Studios Background Photo: Karen Nyberg/NASA

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News

Q&A with Sophomore Jack Baziuk and Junior Meredith Marshall Q: What’s the point of Nationals?

Jack: When you go to the next stage, you compete to be against everyone around the nation. If you win like most prizes, for second and third, you get really big scholarships for AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) and other music/drama colleges,

A STEP FORWARD Thespians return to Nationals in 2017 On June 19th, under the blazing sun’s heat, students will head to Nationals at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In order to qualify for nationals, thespians compete against other schools, recieving scores from judges based on how well they perform. Only the highest scorers qualify. At Nationals, 200 schools face off. Nationals serves as an opportunity to demonstrate skill and achievement and theater; it also provides performers with valuble feedback on their strengths and weaknesses.

“So we go to Nationals because there’s only a few of us who go and we’re sorta selected by the judges at the inner State Thescon to go to nationals. They thought that we were the best there,” sophomore Wyatt Lowrie said.

For many, Nationals is just the beginning of realizing theater goals and dreams. “So the point of it is really to show how you are as an actor and as a singer. If we’re the best at Nationals then we get a scholarship to the school of our choice,” Lowrie said. This year’s participants are Wyatt Lowrie, Jack Baziuk, Madison Sinsel, Merry Marshall, and Lily Horst.

Beyond scholarship opportunities, Nationals allows thespians to step outside

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Above: (From left to right) 2017 Nationals competitors Wyatt Lowrie, Jack Baziuk, Madison Sinsel, Merry Marshall, and Lily Horst pose for the camera. “It’s a lot of fun, but you have to practice a lot and takes quite a bit of time,” sophomore Wyatt Lowrie said.

of their comfort zone. “It’s a little stressful.

I have stage fright and I don’t know why I’m trying to do theater for the rest of my life.

However it gives me a lot of joy that I try to push through it,” junior Merry Marshall said.

The high-stakes competition attracts a diverse group of people, creating an experience unlike any other. “It’s important to me because it is nothing I ever got to experience before and it’s on a huge national scale. My friend and I are doing it together, so it’s just a really cool opportunity for us to compete against some of the greatest people in the nation,” junior Lily Horst said.

Overall, Nationals provide a rare opportunity to achieve on a new level. “You know what, it’s really how you look at it.

It’s important because we’re making it to Nationals. It’s an amazing experience for the students, it is a great journey if you are getting into theater and to qualify is actually difficult to get into. So if you qualified for Nationals it’s pretty important that you actually got that far,” teacher Gwendolyn Lukas-Doctor said.

- Phil Phronesius/Staff Reporter photo courtesy of Mohi Theater

Q: How do you guys keep on going when you mess up?

Jack: Well, you see with ours it’s fine if we screw up because then we can add it into the community value of our piece cause kinda we’re going back and forth. If you mess up, you make sure the people, judges and anyone don’t know and keep going.

Meredith: If you’re with a partner, you look at them, panic, and silently think, “well, this may go terribly wrong,” and then try to fix your mistake without breaking character.

Q: How far ahead do you guys plan?

Jack: For regular Thescon we’ve had about a month to prepare. We’ve already planned out songs and stuff. We had it solidly down before the performance, so we could do stuff and right now we’re doing the same piece we did at regular Thescon. We technically have six months ahead on the game. We’re very far ahead, but we need to be working as hard as we can.

Meredith: We plan months in advance for Nationals.There’s transportation to think about, along with outfits for the dances, workshops you want to take, or, if you’re someone like me, which colleges you want to audition for while you’re there.

HARD WORK AND DEDICATION

Sports

Saying Goodbye to Inspiring Teachers

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aking up at 6 a.m every day for school is pretty early. Five o’clock is even earlier. Counselor John Vidulich and French teacher Jane Rivette both wake up at 5:20 a.m. every day to get ready to do their jobs.

But waking up early is necessary when making a difference at school like Vidulich and Rivette, who will both retire at the close of the school year.

After fourteen years, what Vidulich will miss the most is his connection with students.

Vidulich’s role in school is a crucial one, from helping students with their post grad options to social issues students face on a day-to-day basis. However, he will not miss looking at his computer screen for most of the day.

“Twenty-eight years of that, it’s crazy, so I will not miss that at all,” Vidulich said.

The saddest part about retiring for Vidulich is not being able to spend time with the other counselors and teachers as much as he would.

“If you really think about it, we’re here almost eight months, every week [for] eight hours.

[I’m] almost here more than I am actually at home. So our group here is almost like a second family to me, so not seeing

NEW PRINCIPAL The Process of Selection

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ith the announcement of principal Dr. Jerry Anderson moving back to Chicago to become a high school principal there, the process of finding a new principal is anything but simple.

The search for a principal is advertised nationally. The candidates must first submit an application to apply for the position. Once the candidate submits the application to the district, the BVSD Human Resources staff reviews all the candidates’ applications and narrow it down to get the candidates who would most fit in with Monarch’s philosophy, goals, and student body.

“The district [then] looks at the applicants very carefully and looks at the videos they have submitted, they look at resumes they’ve submitted, and they go through a real finetuned search to try and narrow them down to three or four candidates that [the district] wants to bring forward to the interview committee,” explained principal’s assistant Barbara Olsen, who is one of the staff

This painting that Samantha LeBlanc (‘09) gave to John Vidulich is a reminder of Monarch that he will keep after retirement.

them every day is going to be hard for me.”

One memory he will carry on is the paintings former MoHi students gave to him that are in his office, which remind him of the unique personalities of the students who attend Monarch.

“To me it’s amazing how a sixteen, seventeen year old can do that kind of stuff. I mean, I draw stick figures,” Vidulich said. members on the interview committee.

The interview committee consists of 20 people, ranging from Director of Human Resources, Director of Secondary Schools, Special Ed Representative, students, a current high school principal from in state as well as out of state, teachers, parents, etc. to voice concerns and thoughts from different points of view. The students involved are part of the Principal’s Student Advisory Board. The interview committee meets at the district offices to conduct the interviews with the candidates. Each interview happens in a time block of 45 minutes and candidates are asked identical questions. Interviewing three or four candidates takes a total of three hours and happens all in one day.

“My role in this selection process was to be on a panel with some parents from the school, district directors, also some teachers and have some exposures to those candidates and ask them questions from a perspective of the people who are being affected. A lot of the other selection process had been occurring at district level, but this is a way [the candidates] can get a sample of what

French teacher Jane Rivette has been on the staff since before the school was even built. She got the chance to be able to design this building we learn in today.

Rivette will miss the sweet smiles that she gets from her students and coworkers first thing in the morning. However, what she will not miss is the lack of funding suffered

by Monarch and every school in Colorado.

Because of the lack of funding, teachers sometimes have to teach classes under unideal circumstances.

“There were years where I had to put French 2 and French 3 in the same class, which is terrible, and if I were here next year, I would be crying over the classes I won’t get to teach,” Rivette said.

After she retires, Rivette hopes to travel to the Arctic Circle and see the Northern Lights during the winter. However, when she leaves she will be sad to leave her friendships with students and staff. “I won’t get to see them as much [when I leave, but] life changes. I’ve worked with a lot of wonderful people and I have a lot of friends who are kids, [once I leave] I will miss them, too.”

Rivette and Vidulich are more than just staff; they are family and they will truly be missed. And although they will be leaving, they will leave lasting impressions.

- Kanika Hicks/Staff Reporter Monarch is,” said sophomore Elizabeth Eyeson, who is a member of the Principal’s Student Advisory Board.

Once the Interview Committee have discussed their candidate options and share their thoughts with the district, the district makes the final choice of the new principal.

The whole process of finding a principal takes two months in total, from beginning to end.

On April 28, it was announced by Joseph Sleeper, Interim Superintendent, that the new Monarch principal will be Mr. Neil Anderson.

- Claire Clarissa/Staff Reporter

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News

A DIFFERENT FRAME OF MIND

Top: The animal in Rumbach’s painting isn’t a donkey or a horse- it’s an okapi, a lesser-known African animal related to a giraffe.

Middle: Alison Giese’s Gold-Key-winning mug. “My grandma paints, ...so she kind of made me sign up for pottery” said Giese.

Bottom : Madeleine Rumbach’s National Medal winning painting, inspired by her love of Japanese culture.

Scholastic Art Award Honorees Explain their Winning Pieces

Q&A With Alison Giese Honorable Mention in Photography Two Gold Keys in Pottery Q: What pieces did you create?

A: For photography, I did a piece on Trump, and I made it kind of grotesque. It was a girl in her underwear, and she had writing across her- it was like ‘bimbo’ or certain quotes from him Q: What inspired you to do that piece?

A: There’s certain things [Trump has said] that felt insulting. It wasn’t necessarily Trump, it was just how women are viewed.

So I wanted to make it more of a picture, rather than just hearing things that he has said. So I put it onto a body instead.

Q: What made you have a passion for photography?

A: I kind of realized that you start looking at stuff differently than how you would if you’re just looking at things without a camera.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned from art?

A: Definitely self-expression.

Q: Do you plan to continue making art?

A: I do, I’m actually majoring in it in college next year.

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Q&A With Madeleine Rumbach National Medal in Painting Q: What inspired you to create the winning painting?

A: It was a sushi painting I did over the summer. I didn’t really like it at first; I thought it wasn’t that strong, but I guess they really liked it.

Q: How did your passion for art begin?

A: When I was little, I went to a small school, and I was always just the artsy kid in the class. I just always stuck with that, and I really like art, and I’d like to pursue it more. Hopefully I can.

With the award, I’ve been offered a couple scholarships from art schools.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned through art?

A: You can channel so much emotion and feeling through it- like people said that sushi painting made them feel hungry. I think it’s pretty cool that you can show that through a piece of art.

Q: What is your favorite thing that you’ve ever painted?

A: I’m not sure. I do like the sushi painting, but I did this kind of funky animal one. It’s an animal in the desert, and I put all of these different colors with it.

- Tori Armitage/News Editor

www.mhshowler.com

SPORTSMAN ACROSS THE WORLD:

David De Diego Maffrand I

n Superior, Colorado, 5,106 miles away from home, David De Diego, a Spanish foreign exchange student is learning America’s culture in many ways, one of the main ways is through sports. De Diego plays football --American football-- for three years back home in Madrid, Spain. He was one of a few who participated in an established league.

De Diego’s passion did not stop when he reached America; and he was the quarterback for the JV football team. “[My football experience] was great. It was very fun, but it was kind of challenging,” said De Diego on his first and only season playing American football.

American football is no small affair. With over 114 million people in the US tuning into this year’s Super Bowl, De Diego was met with a plethora of people who knew about his beloved sport.

Only a select few in Spain truly understood what this sport was and his reasons for loving it. “Here [football] is a bigger thing. In Spain, no one really knows all the rules or anything about it, and here, everyone knows about it,” De Diego said. In Colorado, after a game people were patting him on the back for a good game.

Football provided not only the physical game that De Diego loves so much, but so many new friends in a country that might otherwise have seemed scary. De Diego said that football truly did help him transition to the United States way of life by giving him something to do with good friends. “It helped me meet lots of people and meet lots of friends, having practices every day, and just having something to do,” De Diego said.

De Diego’s positive experience with the football program was definitely not one-sided. “David is a great kid and a great football player. He picked up our skills and techniques rather quickly,” said head football coach Phil Bravo.

Despite Bravo’s testimony on how rapidly De Diego picked up the skills, hard work on De Diego’s part was an important reason for his success. De Diego said at some points he had trouble picking up the new skills that were being taught. Sadly, towards the end of the season, De Diego was forced to take the bench after breaking his collarbone in a game, but he still kept a smile on his face.

This ended his American football season a few months early.

If you didn’t get the chance to catch David De Diego on the football field this fall, then make sure to head to the track. De Diego is running sprints this year with the track program. “I like it most of the time,” De Diego said with a smile. He runs the even 100 and 200 in hopes that it will help his conditioning stay top notch until football preseason. “And I also think it’s very fun,” De Diego said.

De Diego has been staying with the Ewig Family, including freshman Jack Ewig. “Having David at my house for the school year was a really great experience for me and my whole family. He fit right in and fell custom into our routine. It was a great fit for me because he also played football, so we connected already there,” Ewig said.

As imagined, the cultures are a bit contrasting. “It’s quite different. It’s different in some ways and similar in others. Here all the schools are all different and here you eat dinner much earlier,” De Diego said. Most Americans eat at around 6:00 p.m., while a typical Spanish family eats between 9:00 p.m. and midnight .

De Diego will return to Spain before the start of school next year where he plans to continue playing the sport he loves, leaving behind the Coyotes camaraderie.

“I’m gonna miss it a lot. I’m gonna miss everything that was involved in it. Practices, bus rides, games, my coaches, and especially my teammates and friends, and team dinners,” De Diego said.

- Anna Wexler/Staff Reporter photo by andrew patra & levi wood

29

Culture

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31

STAFF Andrew Patra/Editor-in-Chief Carmen Harris/Culture Editor Rachael Jacobs/Features Editor Levi Wood/Opinions Editor Jasmine Jeffcoat/Sports Editor Tori Armitage/News Editor Mikayla Dudek/Web Editor-inChief

Monarch High School 329 Campus Drive Louisville, CO, 80027

Matt Keenan/Associate Editor Staff Reporters Emma Baziuk Sali Castro Claire Clarissa Keyani Crow Bryan Dumpert Ian Fowles Hannah Gross Ellie Guanella Zikra Hashmi Kanika Hicks Nick Kauza Phil Phronesius Maddie Rumbach Sarah Schemmerling Estelle Silk Chase Standerwick Sneha Varanasi Aidin Velick Anna Wexler Samantha Wexler Treyton Williams Emma Wolters Kevin Wu Advisers Bonnie Katzive Emily Stanley