Issue 4

Friday, January 31, 2014

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sHOE STATEMENT

NEW CANNABIS LEGISLATION

mONARCH’s hidden side

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THE HOWLER A student publication of Monarch High School since 1998 Volume 15

Issue 4

A Ukrainian protester tosses a Molotov cocktail over a barricade on Grushevsky Street in downtwon Kiev during clashes with riot police on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. ( Sergei L. Loiko/ Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Understanding ukraine: what’s going on?

A look into the Ukrainian conflict’s causes and effects

by Katie Berohn Living in the US, it is easy to overlook the trials and tribulations of other countries.

On November 21st, the Ukrainian government announced the decision to reject a deal that would tie Ukraine closer to the European Union.

The decision, made by President Viktor Yanukovych, strengthened Ukraine’s ties with Russia.

This decision sparked opposition among many citizens.

One of the major problems that Ukraine has is the polarization of the country. The north

and west parts of Ukraine are closer to Europe, whereas the south and east parts of Ukraine face Russia. This is not just a matter of geography, but also a matter of allegiances.

Massive rallies have popped up in Ukraine after the initial decision made by President Yanukovych. The people of Ukraine are divided against the president. The half of Ukraine closest to Russia voted for Yanukovych, while the side closest to Europe voted in opposition to Yanukovych. This has shown in the protests.

Almost all of the protests in Ukraine are taking place in the side of Ukraine that faces Eu-

rope (the northern and western regions), which includes Kiev, the country’s capital. The protests are much more severe in this part of the country, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that Yanukovych faces no opposition from the half facing Russia.

There is also a language division between the two halves, since the European half speaks Ukrainian, whereas the Russian half speaks predominantly Russian.

The protests in Ukraine have been rough on the entire country, affecting peaceful citizens and protesters alike. President Yanukovych recently

signed a bill into law that curbed anti-government protests. The punishments for protesters include detention, hefty fines, and even a year of corrective labor, which sounds somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s Gulag. These laws passed based on a few government officials raising their hands in agreement, instead of the usual system of electronic voting.

Many have condemned the president for imposing a coup d’etat, or an attempt to take over the government. The US and the EU are deeply concerned, according to the BBC. (continued on page 16)

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Opinions

Confessions of a marxist

The Socialist Club founder and communist critiques capitalism

Guest opinion by Malachi Dray consumed en masse, which they have done so t is clear to any eye that we live in a broken and slavery when profit has absolute sway over world, where oppression rejoices and mercy humanity. In all of these cases, the desire of the poorly for so long. For the sake of music, film, struggles to keep pace. The problems of our rich to profit puts the righteous alternative of theater, and all the arts, capitalism must be abolplanet are so tremendous and so heartbreaking mutual cooperation out of consideration. One ished.

While we live in a democracy, its functionings that we choose to either ignore them or to break in five children in the U.S. live in food insedown in cold cynicism. Some fight the problems cure households, but because of capitalism they are hardly democratic because of the influence that we face, donating their time or money for go unfed while roughly half of food is thrown of private wealth. It is hard to believe that the righteous causes, but every year brings only away. If the profit motive were discarded as the public is fairly represented in a Congress where meager gains and new, daunting problems we barbaric relic of cruel ages past that it is, hunger over half the members are millionaires when only 1% of Americans fit that description. Pofear to even recognize. It is easy, in such a world, would instantly be no more, simple as that.

It is also important to note the destructive litical mechanisms are dominated by the vast to give in and imagine a future of bleak suffering and unsustainable impact of capitalism upon pools of wealth that can only be mustered by for those who will come after us.

That future is not for us, not for our Earth! the environment. The endless crusade for private, capitalistic interests. The Democratic That future is the consequence of apathy and growth and development means the tapping of and Republican parties have the resources to fear of change, both of which our species cannot new lands for increasingly scarce resources. Oil, run for election because they pass legislation afford to maintain any longer. Instead, a bright shale, and rare earth metals (used in electronics) that is favorable to business interests. These industries scratch their repnew age for humanity may be begun, must be are finite resources resentatives’ backs with begun, in which we address the roots and the and we live unposh campaign contrisymptoms of the ailments that society suffers. der a system that butions, and the unholy The root today of these ailments, in a word, is demands infinite alliance between state capitalism, and the exploitive power structure growth over time. and wealth is perpetuatIt is the simple that it establishes, maintains, and expands. ed for another election While many are distrustful of socialism (of- logical conclusion cycle. It is a little-known ten without understanding in the slightest what that capitalism, as fact that the Commisthe word actually means), it is necessary for a model that desion on Presidential Depeople to overcome their suspicions and see that pends upon indefbates, which produces socialism is a means for the liberation of all peo- inite expansion, the debates we watch coexist ple, and can effectively treat many of the issues cannot on television every four of the world today. Socialism is a socio-econom- with an environyears, is jointly owned ic philosophy, based on the collective owner- ment that is limby the Democratic and ship and democratic management of economic ited in its output Republican parties. If structures. When we think of democracy, we capacity. Regardthese two factions are so capitalists think of the people deciding together how the less, vehemently opposed to government will function; socialism is merely continue to praise each other, it is a mirathe application of democracy into economic the vague benevcle that they can team up matters, with the people choosing how and why olence of ‘growth’ on the common ground goods will be produced and distributed. That as if stability were of excluding alternative means that in a socialist country the working the hallmark of perspectives from the people will profit fairly from their labor, instead a dying society. national stage. No, it is of having someone profit off of their labor sim- Growth for the no miracle. There are no sake of growth is ply because they were wealthier to begin with.

Logo of the Socialist International courtesy of two parties. There is one First it is important to understand the the ideology of the Socialist International party: The Business Party. practical implications of the current system cancer cell.

Wars both then and now Capitalists will go to of economic organization, capitalism. As it is, products are made for profit, and so they are great ends to exploit Earth’s resources as long as can be blamed, to varying extents, on capitalunnecessarily expensive. In a fair exchange, a we permit them too, at unfathomable ecologi- ism. After the First World War, the congresconsumer would pay the amount it costs to pro- cal cost. Our modern economy and our ancient sional Nye Committee investigated the role of duce a product, labor included, and then would planet both will be devastated by the oil crisis finance and munitions industry agents in drawreceive that product in turn. However, under that is impending, while capitalists make off like ing the United States into the war. The connections they uncovered between the merchants of capitalism a consumer is robbed of the margin bandits.

The arts also suffer from the anachronism death were infuriating to the public, as our solof profit, and the exchange is uneven. It always that is capitalism. At the movies, on the top-hits diers had died to enrich banker scoundrels who favors the wealthy class of producers.

On the weekends we are exploited as con- charts, we are bombarded with culture that is had begged President Woodrow Wilson to ensumers, because we lack the resources to pro- mass produced for profit alone. There is a for- ter the war. And it is easy to forget the German duce our own goods, and during the weekday mulaic model for producers who are profit-driv- boys, the French boys, the Russian boys, the we are exploited as laborers. The only reason en, and that is that the art that is most profitable English boys, who all paid the ultimate sacrifice businesses hire is because they intend to prof- is the best art. Any artist or critic will tell you for a system that worships the right of the few to it off of their employees’ labor. Employees are that this is not true. Steven Spielberg, while not a dominate our society, our politics, our economy, more valuable than the wages they receive, and Marxist revolutionary, predicts the implosion of our lives.

Vladimir Lenin, while a ruthless man who it is our right to claim the fruits of our labor. The the film industry: as blockbusters are produced surplus that is pocketed from our hours working in greater amounts and at larger budgets, there failed to understand basic Marxist concepts in is used to expand upon the wealth of the upper will inevitably come a time when supply simply his foundation of the Soviet Union, accurately crust, giving them more power to dominate the outstrips demand and the industry collapses. assessed the causes of the First World War in his rest of society. By working for wages, working George Lucas believes that the cost of going to work Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalpeople dig themselves deeper into powerless- the movies will skyrocket, even more than it has ism. In it he argued that when a national econin the past few decades. “Going to the movies is omy has exhausted its ability to grow internally ness, when we are in fact the root of all power.

The issue of production for profit creates a gonna cost you $50, maybe $100, maybe $150,” and has achieved production levels that surpass great many additional problems in our world, he soberingly declares. the demands of the citizenry and the nation’s reIf, as under an uncensored socialistic system, serves of resources, it must expand, by means such as hunger when there are excessive food reserves, sickness when medical supplies are art were produced and evaluated by its content of force, into foreign markets. The inevitable cheap to produce, weariness when labor could alone, then the arts would flourish to a standard consequence of this is strife and bloodshed. The be spread out among more workers, conflict unknown today. No longer would producers 19th century Opium Wars, fought by European and marketers determine what art is to be when weapons sales make warmongers rich, nations for the right to import opium (which

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they had banned internally) to China, are an excellent example of this. And it is doubtless more controversial to assert that the Iraq War also proves Lenin’s thesis, but is unreasonable to question a war which was manufactured in part by a man who stood to profit greatly from it? A man who, immediately prior to holding the vice presidency, was CEO of Halliburton, the oilfield services contractor which received billions of dollars in no-bid contracts from the government during the war? That man is Dick Cheney, and that war was a farce. This is no conspiracy; this is the awful end of 4,486 American soldiers and some 100,000 Iraqi civilians. Blood and oil run through Bagdhad, and one of those was spilt for the other.

The intent of this article is not to cynically depict a hopeless world run by an detestable system in which a doomed species suffers and fails.

It is meant to propose, just maybe, that there is a better way, a better world, a better age to come.

To those who deny that Earth could be salvaged, who believe us to already inhabit the best of all possible worlds, lend a scrap of your heart to hope. It is a simplification to say that socialism will do away with all earthly ills, but it is plain as day that it addresses the overarching cause of the multitude of humanity’s troubles.

There is no uniform theory of how socialism is supposed to come about, and that is entirely acceptable. Karl Marx’s greatest accomplishment was not in depicting a communist world, a subject to which he devoted little time, but rather to critiquing the capitalist world as it exists.

However, what he did have to say was inspiring to say the least. “In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, we shall have an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all,” he declared alongside Friedrich Engels in 1848. This alone is enough foundation for the creation of a new model for humanity. The abolition of class and private property and its replacement with a world in which humans are evaluated based on their accomplishments, their moral character, their work, is wholly desirable. And that transformation is not so unrealistic. If every socialist made one socialist a year for five years, the people would be unstoppable and Earth would lose forever the systemic curse that is capitalism, with its war profiteering, hoarding, exploiting, dividing, conniving, corrupting, ensnaring, and merciless aspects abolished as well.

There is just one question remaining: Do we wish to stay the course we’re on, with its unspeakable injustices and indignations? Or do we wish to resist, to agitate, to discuss, to debate, to explore and theorize, to condemn and create, unite and evolve? That, in the end, must be left to you.

FOR AN UNABRIDGED VERSION OF “CONFESSIONS OF A MARXIST” AS WELL AS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SOCIALIST CLUB, GO TO WWW.MHSHOWLER.COM

Opinions

staff editorIal: Stress and All the Rest Am I just a number?

by The Howler Staff

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he bottom line is: high school can be tough. Once you look past the smiles and carefree manner of most Monarch High School students there can often be a stressed and strained individual. The Howler understands that there are certain challenges to being a student at Monarch and wants to address this culture that is often ignored and rarely talked about.

Grades are important in order to evaluate student performance, but too much of an emphasis in modern education is placed on these grades.

Students today are defined increasingly by numbers, whether it be in terms of standardized tests or a G.P.A. Competition can be healthy but today students constantly measure themselves up against one another in terms of statistics. Furthermore, colleges place serious importance on these numbers when admitting students to their schools.

With an importance placed on attending college from an early age, students themselves see test scores and grade point average as crucial to their success. This, in turn has bred a culture at Monarch High School where students sometimes turn to dishonest means to achieve high grades.

Our administration stresses honesty in the classroom, but the risk of cheating and being caught is often outweighed by the reward of picking up extra points on an assessment. When the reward is seemingly so significant, cheating becomes

Do you need a new friend?

How to start a healthy relationship with stress

by Sophia Cox-Wright

an option for many students. Part of this may come from students not having enough moral discipline, but some is fueled by a school system based around grade-based achievement.

With heavier class loads and extracurricular activities mixed in, the commitment for many students can become too much. A survey by the American Psychological Association found that nearly half of all teens (45 percent) said they were stressed by school pressures. Mary Alvord, a clinical psychologist in Maryland and public education coordinator for the American Psychological Association said, “A little stress is a good thing. It can motivate students to be organized. But too much stress can backfire. For some, stress can even manifest itself in the form of physical sickness.”

School is an overwhelming experience for some, but in many cases, the choice to take advanced classes and be involved in extracurricular is exactly that, a choice. If a workload is too much of a burden, take an easier class. Life is about balance and this should be true in school life as well; challenge yourself but also know your limit. A common conundrum that students fall into at Monarch, however, is the lack of an intermediate option. Often, especially in history and language arts classes a student must choose between an A.P course and a basic course that will not challenge them whatsoever.

As we look to the future of our high school, we hope to see greater integration of technology into the classroom and a better understanding of students learning needs. Countless online resources exist for extension in a certain subject area that could be utilized by students, but are currently not being taken advantage of. Despite our staff ’s best intentions, students may be falling through the cracks. Whether this calls for more options through expanding internet resources or a more flexible program is yet to be seen.

Whichever course you take through life it is important to have the ability to rise above the quantitative elements of high school. Students are more than numbers; you have inherent value to your school and to those who love you. It is a decision to let your test scores and grade point average define you. Find something you are passionate about and pursue it. Many colleges, especially selective colleges, are moving towards more holistic approaches to admission. Develop as a whole person and remember that a number on your transcript is just a number and you can make it mean however much you want for yourself.

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re you currently stressed about your grades? Are your college applications overwhelming you? Do you stay up at night, worried about what your peers think about you? To be perfectly honest, I am stressed just writing about these questions.

What if I told you that if you changed the way you think about stress, you just might be able to make stress your friend?

Now I am not saying that I have a magic way to eliminate all of the stress in your life.

Face it: there will be multiple times throughout high school when you will be completely stressed out, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. What I am saying is that if you change the way that you think about the stress that is being caused, you can change the way stress affects your mind and your body.

Actually, Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, says this in her TED Talk which is highly worth watching. If you don’t know what a TED Talk is, then you are missing out. TED Talks are short videos presented by speakers about ideas that they think are worth sharing. They are eas-

“My number does not define me.” (Photo by David Andrews)

ily found at TED.com. In this particular TED Talk, McGonigal shares about some recent discoveries that have been made in a few science experiments. McGonigal talks about how in this research, the people that were in the best shape physically and mentally were the ones who honestly believed that stress was not harmful for their health. So what if this is true for everyone? What if the way we think about stress can change the way we are affected by stress?

The evidence behind this theory is overwhelming. It has now been scientifically proven that those who think that stress isn’t bad for them will live happier and healthier lives than those who think about their stress negativel.

Abby Robinson, a psychotherapist in Boulder, agrees that stress can be used positively. “I think it will become a big problem if people think that stress is never going to happen in their lives. On the other hand, we can view stress as an informative feeling, that can motivate people to work harder, perform better, and to allow us to eliminate unnecessary commitments in our lives,” said Robinson.

For more background research on this ar-

ticle, I posted a Facebook message asking other students what it is that is currently stressing them out. In the first ten minutes, 14 people had replied. Their answers were a combination of grades, auditions, and some even posted the word ‘everything.’ McGonigal also made this great point in her talk about how talking about the stress that you are experiencing makes you think about your stress in a new light.

When I wrote that Facebook post and so many people responded with similar answers to those that I have, it instantly made me feel good about it. It’s nice to know that there are other people out there in the world that are going through the same things that you are, so I encourage you to talk about it as well.

As I have stated before, stress is unavoidable, and there is nothing you can do to change that.

But what you can do is to realize that this stress your mind and body are currently experiencing is there to prepare you to do your absolute best, and remember, you're not alone.

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Opinions

Mental Illness AND Its Glamorization in Social Media Why the stigma behind mental illness should not be ‘soft grunge’

by Brody Coronelli

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consider myself an individual who knows social media like the back of their hand. The cosmos of the 21st century’s digital expression has taken on more forms than a thousand hands could count, and I’m endlessly excited to see where this will continue to lead. One of the most popular social media outlets, having blown up just a couple years ago, is also one no one will shut up about: Tumblr.

It may be my appreciation for this site’s revolutionary expressive ability which combines blogging and social media along with the creative potential this can foster, or a personal predisposition. However, the culture breeding from this site, a culture suddenly making the romanticization of issues such as mental illness and self harm ‘soft grunge’, a supposedly hardcore and edgy sub genre of blogs and posts, have grown so astoundingly common that the very idea of ‘getting better’ has been lost in a storm of The Smiths’ lyrics written on floral packs of cigarettes and color filtered polaroids of pill capsules.

Now, I’m not typically open about my own day to day disposition with depression with any-

one, but I’ve came to the conclusion that shame free admittance is the first step in improvement, and I like to consider myself as an individual with an upper hand towards this disposition.

What needs to be established is that issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and overall emotional turbulence need to be addressed among those close to you so you don’t slowly manifest into a statistic, and this shouldn’t be done through what you’re reblogging.

Now, if you are an individual with a legitimate mental illness contributing to this trend, this is no way an attack on you, as what you are doing is a justified form of expression. The problem lies within the ideas this style of media perpetuates in others. The new age idea of these interpersonal struggles being considered “beautiful” and unique by a predominant amount of the internet community not only disappoints me, but it worries me as it is fabricating a false view of them and making these emotional difficulties stylish.

If you were to ask any one of the purple haired ‘sad girls’ who smoke in the rain in photos with thousands of notes to identify the common symptoms of depression, they would

such as these are not only bringing people to view mental illness in an unhealthy way and showcasing feeling constantly negative as glamourous to justify alienation, but they cloud the idea of getting better by deforming the symptoms of disorders into a hip form of fashionable teenage angst which idolizes sadness while making it out to look unique.

What really needs to happen, is the removal of the stigma behind these interpersonal problems that much of Tumblr’s community is glorifying. If many of the people lucky enough to wake up smiling every morning stopped running when depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and other mental illnesses came up, those of us struggling and working every day to get better might not feel as alone in their minds. ” The expression and admittance of psyyou that it feels like washed out photos of bruis- chological disorders has found a new, infected es, black and white photos of oceans captioned identity in social media, and in an unhealthy persona at that. Without bringing scorn back with “I hate myself,” and GIFs of kids taking into these problems in the process, the very pills.

With the ‘soft grunge’ ideal and reality’s views cloak mental illness is wearing needs some rehabilitation just as the people struggling with so different, the distortion of disorder practiit do as well. cally (and often literally) bleeds through. Posts tell you that depressed individuals often feel pale, soft grunge, and in severe cases, pastel goth with a side of hipster.

Yet if you were to ask me to describe clinical depression, I would tell you that it can be lonely, suffocating, tiresome, and often emotionless.

The light at the end of the tunnel becomes shrouded; it sets you down just slow enough to become accustomed to the haze. I would not tell

“The expression and admittance of psychological disorders has found a new, infected identity in social media, and in an unhealthy persona at that.

Ups and downs for January

by Will Bangs Images by Will Bangs and Natalie Forman In his new book Cat Sense, British biologist and animal behavior expert John Bradshaw argues that domestic cats view their owners as large, non-hostile cats, such as a mother cat or an older, larger relative. (Yes, and when humans look at cats, we see tiny, two-foot-tall human beings. This is all common knowledge.)

A new study by the Center for Responsive Politics found that for the first time in the history of the nation, more than half of the current 534 members of Congress have total assets of $1 million or more.

(Finally, the wealthy and entitled have a voice in Washington!)

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A study has found that a group of 16 major food companies including Kraft and Coca-Cola cut a total of 6.4 trillion calories from their products between 2007 and 2012, far exceeding their pledge to slash 1.5 trillion calories by 2015. Food companies can take away my calories, but they can never take away the self-loathing that drives me to overeat.

According to research from a British university, childless couples are happier with their relationships and feel more valued by their partners than couples that have children, with the results holding true for both heterosexual and homosexual couples. (My parents did always tell me I was the source of their unhappiness.)

Researchers found that individuals who viewed a series of images and then consumed 200 mg of caffeine performed better on a memory test the following day compared to subjects who did not take caffeine. Very good, but that still leaves one nagging question: Does drinking coffee improve memory?

A new study by advertising research firm Communicus found that four in five commercials that air during the Super Bowl don't increase sales of the product, an outcome researchers attribute in part to advertisers focusing more on telling a story than promoting a brand. Thank goodness all other television ads are still super effective.

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News

Transforming the kitchen

BVSD school food project works toward healthier school lunches

by Daisy Fuchs

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unch is often a student’s favorite time of day; there is food and time to catch up with friends. What else could a teenager want? The school district also recognizes the importance of lunch, although they are more concerned by how students need to be properly fueled to be able to learn.

In 2008 BVSD started the School Food Project and brought in Chef Ann Cooper to work on meeting the revised USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) standards for school lunches. Previously, BVSD schools had been able to feed students meals of premade chicken nuggets, Hostess pies, and chocolate milk. BVSD wanted to be ahead of the curve of serving kids food that not only tastes great, but are also nutritionally adequate. The new USDA standards that BVSD had been preparing for included requirements for more whole grains, vegetables, and lean protein, as well as better portion control.

“We knew the standards would end up where they are today,” said Cooper. BVSD is currently meeting all of the standards and more. The School Food Project is working on eliminating all high fructose corn syrup, adding in gluten-free options, and using antibiotic free meat. “We are at the leading edge of [antibiotic free meat in school lunches],” said Cooper.

BVSD is also using local food producers including Colorado Tortilla Company, Tamales

by La Casita, and local meat suppliers. “We’ve worked really hard to support the local businesses,” said Cooper. The district wants to use local companies to keep their money in the local economy and to have easier and closer contacts with food suppliers.

Creating healthy foods that students liked was a challenge for Cooper and her team. They did many taste tests with the middle and elementary schoolers, Rainbow Days (where students tried to make “rainbows” on their plates out of fruits and vegetables), Iron Chef competitions, and chef demonstrations with students.

Lunch staff members Barbra Damario, Lexie Kermani, and Natalie Quinn scoop out potatoes to make stuffed potatoes for a school lunch. For this particular lunch the staff made 460 potatoes worth of stuffed potatoes. The filling consisted of cheddar cheese, fresh broccoli, cottage cheese, and potato. (Photo by Daisy Fuchs)

By the numbers 1.3 million

10,000

lunches will be made in the 2014 school year according the recent projections.

meals a day that are served throughout the district, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

2,000

2500-3000

breakfasts and snacks a day are served district-wide.

meals are made at Monarch High School that are distributed throughout the district.

Statistics from Ann Cooper and Natalie Quinn.

The school food project also has had a large impact on Monarch’s kitchen, which is now one of three production kitchens in the district.

The kitchen is now making its products from scratch. “We cooked 750 pounds of ground beef for the nachos and then we make our cheese sauce from scratch for the nachos. The

beef is also from scratch for the nachos,” said Natalie Quinn, a member of the lunch staff.

This is the same beef that is now arriving fresh, unfrozen, and in reusable plastic containers.

The plastic containers allow for the lunch staff to wash the container and then return it to the supplier and be reused making the kitchen much more sustainable. “We try to get in as little plastic and cardboard as possible; and we compost this year too,” said Quinn.

The lunch staff has personally seen many changes come from the School Food Project, including the continuous rise in the amount of kids who eat lunch every day. “It’s fresher, it tastes a lot better and it’s a lot more enjoyable to make; it’s no fun opening plastic bags,” said Quinn.

However, many students are still unsatisfied with the health of the school lunches, Sophomore Jordan McClure thinks that the food is not yet healthy enough.“The pizza is usually covered in tons of grease,” McClure said.

It is not only the health but also general taste that Mclure is not a fan of. “The food is disgusting,” said McClure.

Freshman Michael Miller agreed that the food does not taste as good as he would hope. “I wouldn’t consider the taste to be at the highest quality,” he said. He thinks that they are doing a fairly good job for the funding that they have considering that the school’s main priority is to provide an education.

Some students, like sophomore Max Reinke, like how the lunches taste and thinks that they are healthy enough. “I kinda just eat it cause it’s there,” Reinke said.

The School Food Project is having to work very hard against the stereotypical school lunch.

Considering how hard this is, BVSD is ahead of the curve for what is required by the USDA and is reforming the lunches to better the health

“We cooked 750 pounds of ground beef for the nachos and then we make our cheese sauce from scratch for the nachos. The beef is also from scratch for the nachos.”

-Natalie Quinn Sophomore Nick Hettmansperger serves himself grapefruit at the salad bar. Both the USDA’s and BVSD’s school foods reforms require more fresh fruits and vegetables. (Photo by Daisy Fuchs)

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News

Cannabis control

Marijuana By the numbers

What legalization means for Colorado

by Will Bangs and Oliver Ullman n the past few months Colorado has become famous (or infamous for some people) as the first state to legalize marijuana, turning heads across the nation. Though the stoner stereotype of is often chuckled at in the media, Colorado’s new legislation is currently showing the benefits and problems to the new rollout and taxation of the drug. As marijuan legislation changes it will become important for teens in Colorado to understand the laws and make informed decisions.

The issue of legal marijuana has garnered national attention, since, while it is legal at the state level, it remains illegal at the national level, ranked by the DEA as a schedule I Controlled Substance, meaning it has “no recognized medical purpose and high potential for abuse.” For now, it doesn’t seem like the federal government will interfere, but if things take a turn for the worse, Colorado may begin to experience a local vs national battle on the issue.

Besides Washington, Colorado is the only state to have legalized recreational marijuana usage for people 21 and older, though it is heavily taxed. The owners of the 37 dispensaries around Colorado reported first week retail sales of five million dollars, and has projected 600 million in combined wholesale and retail sales per year, while the state, because of a 25 percent tax (not including local taxes) on retail purchases, expects to rake in nearly 70 million in pot revenue this

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year alone, according to Bloomberg.com. That’s a lot of green from Colorado’s now legal weed.

Now that the drug is legal, many are wary of the implementation, while others hope it will gain a normal place in society, even among the many debates about it’s negative and positive effects on the body.

Ray Lozano is a prevention specialist who has been speaking nationally to teens and parents about drugs such as marijuana and alcohol since 1986. On January 23rd he spoke at Monarch about marijuana’s effects on teens and the pressure many teens can feel with the drug.

“The decriminalization of marijuana has many kids thinking that the laws and effects of smoking pot are much more lenient or more justified, but marijuana is still just as illegal as alcohol to minors and the effect it has on young, developing bodies and minds can be extremely detrimental to teens and any regular marijuana users,” said Lozano.

Lozano also noted how many teens have a misconception that smoking marijuana will help them socially. “Students will say, ‘I need to smoke because all the people I’m with smoke.’

What’s happening is that kids are just smoking with other pot smokers and building a social life based on activities of smoking and people who use marijuana,” he said.

Lozano’s talks cite tested surveys and studies that report on the ills of using marijuana at

600 million

a young age, as well as discussions on THC’s effect on the mind, lungs, and reproductive systems that come from habitual use.

Elijah Ullman isthe head of Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Monarch, which is “the only international network of students dedicated to ending the war on drugs,” according to the club’s website. Ullman was also an activist and volunteer for passing Amendment 64.

“We see children and adults both using, and that can create problems or solutions to some of the problems in our societies,” he said. “In some cases marijuana has a medical benefit…and after a hard day’s work this is a safer alternative than drinking a glass of whiskey.” He also says that, since fewer people will be arrested for marijuana related offenses, “the [Colorado] justice department will save millions of dollars.”

While Ullman is optimistic for the implementation of Amendment 64, he also admits there will be obstacles to overcome. “The nation should keep an open mind.” said Ullman.

“The whole world is watching us,” he said.

“Colorado and Washington need to be extremely careful with what they’re doing…every move we make and every mistake, so we need to make everything [concerning the implementation] positive.”

dollars in sales this year from Colorado dispensaries

70 million

dollars in tax revenue collected from Colorado dispensaries

85

Colorado communities that have banned dispensaries or the opening of new dispensaries including Superior

$40 million raised from Amendment 64 will be directed to the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund.

So what’s changed?

Cannabis Questions

What has changed

Is it safe to drive high?

Is marijuana harmful?

No. Not only is driving under the influence of any substance extremely dangerous and illegal. The THC found in marijuana stays in a user’s body far longer than alcohol with the user still feeling the effects long after smoking.

According to a 2012 information sheet by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana over activates the endocannabinoid system, causing the high and other effects that users experience. These include distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and disrupted learning and memory.” All of these being crucial to making smart and safe decisions on the road.

While it is impossible to overdose on Marijuana, medical professionals have reported multiple times that habitual use of marijuana is very bad for brain development which is at its most important stages from birth until a person’s mid-20s.

The decades-long Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health & Development Study (Dunedin Study for short) found that those who smoked cannabis frequently as teens and young adults shaved six points off their IQ scores.

Heavy pot smokers tended to show deficits in memory, concentration, and overall brain power in relation to their peers, especially if they started smoking at a younger age.

-It makes the personal use, possession, and limited home-growing of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age and older.

-It establishes a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.

-It allows for the cultivation, processing, and sale of industrial hemp.

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What has not -It is still currently illegal to drive while impaired by marijuana.

-It does not change the ability of employers to maintain their current employment policies regarding marijuana, nor does it prevent them from creating whatever policies they see fit.

-It does not change existing medical marijuana laws for patients, caregivers, and medical marijuana businesses.

Learn More Students can find more information about Lozano, and general information about marijuana and other drugs in youth culture at his website raylozano.com. More info can be found about Students for Sensible Drug Policy at SSDP.org.

Life

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TO DOWNLOAD OR NOT DOWNLOAD

Fleet feet

Weighing the pros and cons of purchasing vs. downloading

by David Andrews

by Miguel Brache and Jake Baur

W

ith thousands of websites dedicated to it, and with millions of downloads revolving around it, online piracy may be one of the easiest crimes to commit. Websites such as The Pirate Bay or Megaupload are some of the most well known platforms for pirating; the reason is because the two are incredibly easy to use. The only thing that stops these websites from dominating the music industry is people’s morality.

“Pirating is stealing, which is never a good thing. But if it is kept under control and it is not done often, then it should not be too much of an issue,” said Cole English, a freshman at Monarch.

English listens to a lot of music, and for the most part, he is not prone to pirate what he listens to.

“When I find a really cool song that I think is worth the money, I’ll download and pay for it legally,” said English. English agrees that pirating music is not a very good thing to do, but under some circumstances, it can be okay.

“Pirating is stealing, which is never a good thing. But if it is kept under control and it is not done often, then it should not be too much of an issue.”

-Cole English, freshman “In a way I feel a connection to my favorite artists that makes me feel guilty about downloading their music illegally, but most of the time I just am too scared that I’ll get caught so I don’t do it,” said sophomore Lindsay Baer. Baer says that she thinks that downloading music illegally should not be done because it unfairly takes away profits from the artist.

“I love music and I listen to a lot of it, so I don’t think it’s okay to download it without paying for it,” said Baer. Lots of people fear being caught in the crime of downloading music illegally. Baer says that she never illegally downloads music because is scared of the consequences of being caught. She also feels guilt in stealing the songs.

While morality plays a big role in whether or not people pirate music, there are several advantages that illegal downloads exclusively have.

One Monarch freshman, whose name has been omitted from this piece to protect his identity, almost exclusively pirates music, not only because it saves money, but also due to some technical advantages that it provides. “One reason I don’t

Students make a statement from the feet up

P

eople wear shoes. It’s one of the few universal things about people (Hobbits don’t count). People may all wear shoes, but the type of shoe differs greatly from person to person. For some, their footwear represents their personality and is a banner proclaiming to the world, “look at me, I am unique.”

On the other end of the spectrum others treat their shoes as items of utility, serving the purpose of protection and transportation. We take a look at some students’ footwear of choice.

See more students and their shoes online at the newly re-designed mhshowler.com.

Katie Paswaters, senior “They’re my fashion shoes (laughing); they’re not very good in the snow. The real story is that my sister got them in grey and I really liked them so I got them in brown.”

Subi Nair, senior “I always wear these when it’s snowy.

It’s actually pretty easy to lace them up; you just have to do the top bit.”

Amber Weissman, freshman “Once a week I’ll wear these shoes.

If I want to have a good day I’ll wear them. People comment on them all the time, not always good things (laughing).”

Freshman Cole English listens to music on Spotify in the C-hall of Monarch High School, halfway through the school day.

(Photo by: Jake Baur and Miguel Brache)

use [iTunes] is that I download most of my music at a higher bitrate than iTunes does,” he said. iTunes provides songs with a maximum of 256 kilobyte per second rate (kbps), while many illegal websites offer 320 to even 1140kbps music with much clearer sound.

The higher a bitrate is for a song, the higher the quality. In general, 320 kbps music is the most common quality music with the highest quality.

Simple acoustic tunes can be easily heard at a 192 kbps, and simpler pop and folk songs can be heard clearly at a 256 kbps. For complex songs in the genre of electronic or metal, a 320 kbps rate is almost always required. For songs used for remixing or djing at least a 320-480kbps is required, and for hard listening (using audiophile style headphones) the best quality is the highest possible at 1411kbps.

Although illegally downloading music is technically a crime, it is probably one of the most common crimes, especially among high school students. You would be hard pressed to find a Monarch student who owns nothing but legally obtained songs on their iPod, or laptop or whatever vehical they choose to play their music on.

John Bosshard, senior “They’re really warm and have plenty of space for me to wear wool socks. They’re actually water resistant on the bottom too, surprisingly durable for mocassins.”

Emilie Ross, sophomore “I sort of need a new pair, but I just like the style.”

Caleb Minter, freshman “These are small on me, so I wear them loose. Blue’s my favorite color, I’m mostly a Nike guy but I enjoy Jordans, too.”

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for me, I didn’t do well with my grades and didn’t know what was going on…..I pushed those closest to me away. To see not passing grades on my tests was a really hard thing for me,” said Jane.

Another factor is the difficulty of some classes at Monarch, especially when families pressure their children to do well. Stress feeds depression.

“Those classes and the expectations put on to me by my family were a lot. It was unbearable.

I would sit in my room in the dark and just sit.

Nothing else,” said John.

Still, many students, sometimes with aid from others, and sometimes with internal revelations, are able to overcome their depression and lead a normal life. “[I’ve found] the best cure for depression is motion. I ran a lot, I skied a lot. I used my coping mechanisms when I got into a sour mood, so drawing, listening to music, cutting up cardboard and occasionally throwing things at a wall,” said Kate. Students experiencing depression often use coping methods of their own like Kate and Jane, see therapists, or are on antidepressants, which, though they have a mixed track record, have been reported to help in many cases.

Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of the students.

battling depression

by Oliver Ullman

W

hat’s it like to feel utterly deflated? To have hope be completely replaced by despair? To feel dominated by fear and crushed by pressure? These are some of the emotional signs of the disorder that an estimated 20 million Americans face every day: depression.

While the issue is seldom spoken about, five percent of teenage boys and thirteen percent of teenage girls struggle with depression, including many students at Monarch, and depression can often have radical effects.

“I found out [I had depression] a long time ago”, said John, a senior at Monarch. “I think I noticed it in middle school at about 7th grade. I didn’t know what to do and I experimented with fire and then later with cutting.”

Even though there are cases, like John’s, where depression is diagnosed and treated, fewer than one in five out of three million teenagers with depression receive treatment. Left untreated, depression can lead to serious impairment in daily functioning and even suicide.

While the basics of depression are taught in our schools, many don’t empathize when someone claims to have depression. “It’s so easy to write somebody off with depression as being moody, or faking it for attention, or just whining”, said Kate, a senior at Monarch with depression. “I think that Monarch teaches their students fabulously about depression, but sometimes just because you know the facts doesn’t mean you empathize with the people,” said Kate.

So what has Monarch done about depression?

Besides teaching about it in health class, students learn about depression in freshman seminar, and the club No Place for Hate works to support people with depression at Monarch. “No Place for Hate is very welcoming, the counselors are very open and helpful”, said Jane, a senior who spoke about her depression at Diversity Panels, a part of freshman seminar where older students speak to the freshmen about adversity they have faced.

“I wanted the incoming freshmen to know they’re not alone, there are a lot of people like me out there,” said Jane.

While Monarch makes efforts to help students with depression, the pressure associated with getting good grades often makes matters worse, “Part of my depression comes from academics in the long run. My Junior year was the hardest

“I started to cut because I didn’t know what was real and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

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fighting food

by Micaela Marquez, Samantha Malott, and Megan Bellon

A

n eating disorder is an issue that is widely known about, but not too many people know the raw details of one. You might not think that you know somebody with an eating disorder, or perhaps you do.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders over one half of teenage girls and nearly one third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors.

Joyce Beaumont, a teacher at Monarch, has a niece who’s been battling an eating disorder since her sophomore year of high school. She’s now 21. “Jena [Beaumont’s niece] has to eat with a feeding tube; she can’t eat by herself anymore.

My sister has to set a timer and change her position in bed every hour because she can’t be on one side of her body too long and does not have the strength to do it herself.”

An eating disorder isn’t something that affects only the person suffering from it; it affects their loved ones as well, and it isn’t anything to be taken lightly.

Emily, a student at Monarch, was diagnosed in 7th grade with borderline anorexia. She says

by Mia Mulvahill she feels like “borderline” is an there’s no magic potion that’s Why would someone keep a large part of who they are hidden? In a world where people are quick to judge, many people choose to keep things important point because for as ever gonna make it better. The under wraps in order to protect themselves from the spotlight and harsh scrutiny of others. People feel so much pressure to fit a certain mold pushed hard as she had to go through, thing is, is that when you go on to them by others that they are often reluctant to broadcast the fact that they are different in any way. Men are expected to act like men, teenagers are through something like that, other kids go through stuff supposed to stay clean and sober, and nobody should be anything but average. much worse. there’s no person that’s ever However, people aren’t made that way. And although general acceptance for taboos such as drug use and mental and eating disorders has increased over “You can’t say that it’s one gonna make it better. The only time, there are still a lot of stigmas floating around about these types of things. Issues such as those mentioned above are often easily hidden, and so it thing or another. For every person that can ever make it is easy enough for a person to conceal, for example, a drug problem or bulimia, from even those closest to them. single person it’s so incredibly better is you.”

Problems like these are worldwide and Monarch is no exception. How many students do you know that suffer from depression? How about an different. It started when I was Some names have been changed eating disorder? Chances are, the number of students who are afflicted with these types of things is much, much higher than you know. There are such 8, which is a brutal time to to protect the privacy of the stigmas around those types of issues that it was difficult for our staff to even find students willing to be interviewed, and had to grant several sources have stuff start. I was directly students. anonymity in order to print their stories. called ‘fat’ to my face, by like my best friend. I lost weight when I was 8 years old, and at that point I had calculated out how many calories I needed 25.5% have felt so sad and by Josh Behrens per day.

In 7th grade, I’d come t some point in almost hopeless almost everyday for 2 weeks or more that they had stopped doing usual activities home and weigh myself. I had every guy’s life, he is hit this point where I wanted told to “man up”. This to look like something that seemingly harmless phrase has was not obtainable, that was permeated every facet of our not possible. It got progressociety, from sports to movies sively worse, ‘cause what I to even family and friends, and did. I restricted myself. I ate while the phrase itself is rela1200 calories a day. My body tively innocent, the underlying mass dropped from the 90th messages that come with it are percentile to the 50th in a not. Telling a man to “man up” year. I think that the minimum is telling him to live up to the weight I ever hit was 101 lbs, societal expectations of what a and for someone of my build 25.3%of students though they were overweight or very overweight 37.5% had man should be. It is reiterating that was really skinny...this was and spreading the stereotype of tried to lose weight in the month prior to the survey 31.6% had eaten less food, fewer borderline anorexia. I thought the perfect man, and like any steat the time ‘Oh I’m eating it is both dangerous and calories, or foods low in fat to lose weight or avoid gaining weight in the month prior reotype, really healthy, I’m eating lots of wrong, and can even be deadly. vegetables and fruit’, but what to the survey 6.1% had gone without eating for 24 hours in an effort to lose or maintain weight in Let me be clear, I don’t I didn’t realize was that I was believe men have a harder time the month prior to the survey. starving my body. than anyone else, and I would What I personally did (for even say that they have it much my treatment) is we went in easier in many aspects to women (to the doctor) and they said, and other minority groups.

‘Okay you don’t weigh enough, However, the struggles men go we are going to bring you back through often get passed over, Source: the BVSD 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in in a month and I lost more and it becomes an invisible weight in that month. The way struggle as men can feel like they Anorexia is a mental disorder that has physical effects, is are going through their problems alone. interesting..they would have girls and guys..the people they described it is, is like if how I’d describe it. It’s not something that’s wrong with who were in there would try to put stuff in their pockets you’re on top of a slide and you’re about to go The phrase “man up” has many different your body, it’s something that’s wrong with your head. or wear extra heavy clothes so they would weigh more down, that’s where I was. The bottom of the underlying messages I definitely still deal with it on a day to day basis. I still for the weigh in so they wouldn’t make them keep eating slide is...it’s really difficult to get back up. So I that penetrate deep have issues where it’s kind of like...you look in the more. So I had to go change in the bathroom and I had was at the point into a male’s percepmirror and you’re just like ‘I don’t like the way I look’. to change into one of their dressing where if they tion of society that It feels like a funhouse mirror. Except you don’t really “The people who were in gowns...and I had to weigh myself stopped me there... aren’t quite evident know it’s disoriented, and it’s hard to tell that it’s disoribackwards. I was never allowed to I can get back up at first glance. On there would try to put stuff ented. know my weight..it was about a year out of the eating the surface, the In my case (I don’t know what it is for everyone else) phrase challenges a a half I just was not allowed to disorder and it’s in their pockets or wear extra and but I’ve personally felt the sense of self-loathing and know what I weighed. gonna be okay, but guy to live up to the just hating my body and just hating everything about it So I did all that, and what heavy clothes so they would there are a lot of societal expectations and thinking it was hideous and ugly and I just want to was my parents got total girls--and guys-of a man. Senior weigh more for the weigh in happened have anything but my own body at the moment...I’m control of what I ate. They had that go down that Will Simonson weighing like 105 lbs, when I would be doing this, and so they wouldn’t make them these massive Excel spreadsheets slide… sums this up saying, I would pick at my stomach and find all my fat. Every on the computer..my parents--bless So what we “When someone says to ‘man up’, they are saykeep eating more.” single ounce of fat on my body. I could point it out to their hearts--spent hours on it, and did in 7th grade ing that you are not being how society thinks you you. If it was skin, I would still call it fat. Even now...like should be as a man.” they had to go through and put in I went to Chilif I’m putting on a swimsuit, I don’t really like to look at all the foods I had eaten for the day dren’s Hospital in The ideas of masculinity are evident everymyself in the mirror sometimes. Sometimes I feel really and make sure I’d eaten enough. And so it’s not like, ‘Oh Denver...it’s a little bit weird to be going in to a where in society, and from a young age, many confident, because like I run and I feel really confident I’m not really hungry I don’t really want to eat that right hospital for something like anorexia and have boys feel the need to live up to this stereotype of with my body from that perspective, but some days it’s now it was ‘You had to’. I had to drink 2% milk… like happy frogs on the ground(...)I think that’s the ultraman: someone who is brave and strong, still harder. the most depressing place I have ever been in my While my parents worked with the nutritionists there who can support his family, who has power and It’s not something you can give a medicine for, (at the Children’s Hospital) I worked with a counselor. life though(...) Also with these checkups its very success, and who doesn’t need to ask for help in

50.6% of students got help when feeling sad or hopeless 21% have intentionally self-injured without the intention of dying

12.9% have seriously considered suicide during the 12 months prior to the survey

16.9% had planned a suicide in the year prior to the survey 6.4%had attempted a suicide at least once in the year prior to the survey. 2.6%

attempted suicide that resulted in an injury, poisoning or overdose that required treatment by a doctor or nurse in the year prior to the survey.

4.2% had taken diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor’s advice in the month prior to the survey. 6.2% had vomited or taken

laxatives to lose weight in the month prior to the survey

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anything he does. Being masculine just becomes a necessity for guys growing up as deviating from that norm can lead to criticism and social exile.

Senior Ryan Good stated that being masculine “shouldn’t matter, but a lot of the time I feel the need to give off a more masculine vibe.” The pressure becomes a norm, an ever-present nagging voice in the back of a boy’s head constantly reminding him that he needs to be masculine, be powerful, be successful, and never, ever show that he is struggling.

An even more powerful force than the need to be masculine is the fear of showing emotion.

Simonson explained “There’s this emotional pressure to be stone cold, to not show your emotions, to not even have emotions, but if you do have the emotions, to keep it to yourself.”

To many, a man is seen as someone who can’t have emotions. He needs to be the rock, the stoic figure who is never phased by anything. “That’s the idea it comes down to,” senior George Bangs simply stated, “to man up and deal with it.”

Any emotional turmoil that may come in a guy’s life is expected to be dealt with silently and to be dealt with quickly. Often times, trying to talk to friends to share about emotions can be hard, if not impossible. “There have been times when I wanted to vent, to get it out of my system, and [my friend’s] response was ‘man up’ and just deal with it.” Good shared.

The societal pressure to be unemotional can even infiltrate friendships, leaving “best friends” no more than acquaintances. Any man with some sort of severe emotional problem is looked upon as being wrong. Society tells them that they can just get over it and move on. Getting help is seen as weak, wrong, and unmanly.

This leaves many guys in a tough situation.

They have these emotions that society tells them that men shouldn’t have, and they don’t know what to do with them. Reaching out to anyone, even friends is hard, sometimes impossible, and so the only thing to do is internalize those feelings.

Simonson went through this during his early high school years. “My parents got divorced (during high school) and it was really tough for me to share that with my friends, even my close friends.” He was supposed to be okay with what was going on, and there was “this feeling that you should be able to get through it by yourself.”

Fortunately for Simonson, he did open up to his friends and worked through that pain, but for many other guys in his same situation, that is not the case.

Teenage boys commit suicide at a rate five times greater than their female counterparts. I believe that allowing men to see the options they have in their lives could drastically reduce this rate and allow more guys, especially in high school, to live happier and more healthy lives. Simonson

“Get the help that you need.

It doesn’t have to be something that everyone needs to know about, but the most important thing is to get help.”

shared this piece of advice, “As someone who has gone through that, it’s not good, you feel like [crap], day in and day out and it’s not healthy.

Get the help that you need. It doesn’t have to be something that everyone needs to know about, but the most important thing is to get help.”

I really hope if you are a guy reading this right now, and you have a lot of emotions that you don’t know what to do with, please get help and share what you are feeling with someone.

Whether it be through a friend, a teacher, your parents, counselor, or even a random person on the street, please reach out to someone, anyone.

Internalizing emotions is not going to help and they are only going to get louder and louder. So please get help.

But what about for the rest of us? The rest of us males who aren’t going through extreme distress, but still feel the pressure to man up?

Bangs offers this advice: “Don’t feel the need to man up. Don’t try and fit into a mold. I know it sounds corny, but be yourself.”

Bangs’ idea for the best way to break the mold is to “find something you enjoy and make that your thing and then you don’t need to do anything else to feel like a man.”

Good felt the same way, saying to anyone feeling pressure to be more masculine, “I feel masculinity is a lot more about personal acceptance. You don’t need to have other people tell you you’re a man to feel like a man.”

So men, let’s go out and break that mold. Yes, society is the problem, but we are society. We are the ones that will make the change, so let’s challenge ourselves to bursts the stereotypes of masculinity. Get help, don’t be afraid to show weakness, and encourage others to do the same.

Let’s man up and be our own men.

if you or someone you know is struggling, there are resources available to you: -the monarch counseling dept.

-Eating recovery center in denver: 877-825-8584 -centennial peaks hospital in louisville: 303-673-9990 -children’s hospital in aurora: 720-777-1234 -suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE -boulder county crisis team: 303-413-6388

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Arts and Entertainment

Valentines DAY DIY Cute and easy card ideas

Love Bug Card

by Emma Gooding-Lord

L

ooking for the perfect card for your valentine? Tired of using the same old generic Hallmark card? Try out one of these do-it-yourself projects to make a sweet and memorable card that your valentine is sure to love.

Paint Chip Card

Materials: one paint chip/ paint sample card (reds, pinks, or purples) black marker heart-shaped hole punch Instructions: 1. Take the paint sample card, (which can be picked up for free at a Home Depot or any other home improvement store), and, using the black marker, write a short message to your valentine.

2. Another way to make this card is to use the heart shaped hole punch and punch a few hearts up the side, then use the black marker to add a short message.

This valentine is super easy and really creative. Using a colorful paint sample card is perfect for Valentine’s Day while also making a unique and memorable card.

Fortune Cookie Card Materials: one sheet of red or pink cardstock one sheet of black cardstock googly eyes Elmer’s glue scissors hole punch Instructions: 1. Using the scissors, cut out a heart from the red or pink cardstock. The heart can be any size depending on how big you want your card to be (it is helpful to lightly sketch the outline of the heart instead of cutting it freehand).

2. Using the scissors cut a circle out of the black cardstock (the circle should be approximately one fourth the size of the heart).

3. Glue the black circle to the bottom of the heart where it comes to a point. One third of the circle should be glued to the bottom of the heart and two thirds of the circle should be unattached.

4. Using the hole punch, cut out eight to ten holes from the black cardstock. The punched out holes will become the spots on the ladybug.

5. Glue the punched out holes to the upper part of the heart and space them out evenly so they look like spots on a ladybug.

6. Glue the googly eyes to the middle of the black circle (you can also add a mouth by cutting out a small half circle from the red or pink cardstock).

7. Allow everything to dry for 15 to 20 minutes then flip over and write your message on the back of the card.

This is a fairly easy card that’s really cute. It is a great card to give to younger children or younger siblings and it is a nice way to change up the traditional Valentine’s card.

Materials: hot glue gun scissors plain paper several inches of thin copper wire one sheet of craft foam (red, pink, or white) one spool grosgrain ribbon (⅜ inches wide) Instructions: 1. On the piece of craft foam trace a circle with a diameter of about 4 inches.

Cut out the circle, set aside.

2. Cut the ribbon to a length just under 4 inches (3 ¾ inches works best). Do the same for the wire.

3. Using the hot glue gun trace a line of glue down the center of the foam circle. Carefully place the wire on the glue and make sure that it sticks.

4. Dab a few dots of glue along the top of the wire and place the ribbon on top so it completely covers the wire. Press the ribbon down and allow it to dry for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Place the foam circle so that the side with the wire and ribbon glued on it are facing up. Pick up the foam circle and fold it in half. The fold should be parallel to the piece of wire and ribbon and when folded the ribbon and wire are on the inside (it should look like a taco with only one strip of food at the bottom on the inside).

6. Fold the half circle in half. The fold should be perpendicular to the wire so you will have to bend the wire in half, this second fold should result in the final product- a fortune cookie.

7. Cut out a small piece of paper (one inch by three inches), and write your message on it, and slip it inside the folded foam.

If you are on the crafty side and looking for a card that really stands out, this is the card for you. It may be challenging to make but the end result is a stellar card that looks great.

Candy Flower Card Materials: red or pink cardstock scissors stapler lollipop tape Instructions: 1. Cut out four hearts of equal size, two and a half inches tall by three inches wide works nicely for Tootsie Pops or Bubble Gum Pops. Use slightly smaller dimensions if using Dum Dum Lollipops.

2. Place the hearts in a circle with the pointed ends in the middle and overlap the hearts so that they come together and look like a four leaf clover.

3. Take the stapler and staple each heart to the one next to it. Staple fairly low down so that the lollipop is able to hide the staples but not directly in the center of the flower.

4. Using the hole punch, punch a hole directly in the center of the flower. Place the lollipop you wish to use in the hole and pull the stick through so that the lollipop rests in the center of the flower.

5. Use some tape to secure the lollipop in place. To add a personal touch, write a message on the petals of the flower.

This is a cool way to give your valentine a sweet treat.

and the oscar might go to . . .

With the 78th Annual Academy Awards approaching in March, celebrities are anxious to try for a golden statue of their own. And equally anxious are those ready to make their predictions on who will win at the end of the evening. From high profile journalists to…well…high schoolers, predictions are beginning to roll in, and here to make their predictions in a few of the notable categories are Claire Green, Dalton Valette, and Ellie Oliver.

Best Picture

Claire Green

Dalton Valette

Ellie Oliver

American Hustle 12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

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Best Actress

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Original Song Best Animated Film

Chiwetel Ejiofor Barhad Abdi

Jared Leto Matthew Cate Blanchett McConaughey Judi Dench

Cate Blanchett

Matthew McConaughey

Michael Fassbender

Jennifer Lawrence Lupita Nyong’o

Jennifer Lawrence

Let It Go- Frozen

The Moon SongHer

Frozen

Frozen

Let It Go- Frozen

Frozen

Mon(art) high school winners Monarch High School Art Contest displays deep talent pool

by Charlotte Crist

E

ver since she was a little girl, Heraa Hashmi loved art. Her parents told her that she was always messing with colors and that she always drew a lot. This year, they can be very proud that three of Hashmi’s pieces won in the MHS art contest.

“I loved creating something from my mind and then putting it on paper for other people to see. It was like from my painting, they could see into my mind,” said Hashmi.

For Hashmi, her inspiration doesn’t come from extraordinary places, it just comes from the world around her. “I get it from books or everyday life. Everyday when I’m walking, [I think], ‘oh this could this could be a nice drawing or this could be a nice painting.’”

“I prefer to work at home because that is where I feel the most comfortable,” said Hashmi. Often she goes to workshops, but she hasn’t been able to take art classes at Monarch due to the lack of space in her schedule. This shows that if a person works hard at improving on their own, they can still achieve greatness.

Luke Dahlgren’s photo called “A Fierce Complexion”

es really liked his n] came out of nowhere, but the judg

Librarian Beatrice Gerrish said, “[Dahlgre

“I just want to be a good photographer, that’s my inspiration.”

-Luke Dahlgreen

work.”

Rachel Harris, a senior this year, won for her tw thing about photogra phy is “just being to exp o pieces “Make a Wish” and “Paint Your Ow ress n Colors”. Her favori too long, but one pictur te e can spark so much em the moment in something other than words . Words can sometime otion”. s take

Heraa Hashmi’s painting called “Tears of Color”, which is based off the book A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

g and “It’s really nice when you finish somethin son.

it looks good. It’s good to be proud of

your work,” said junior Jenna PeterJenna Peterson’s painting called “King of Lies”, which is based Marvel’s Thor series

Ostentatious Attire Indie Movie Reviews

by Jack Howard F

by Sophia Cox-Wright

or those who don’t know, independent movies (Indies) are movies produced completely outside of the major film studio system. The majority of the people involved in the making of these movies are in the industry because of creative passion; indie movies deserve so much more credit than they are often given. If you are new to indie movies or are an old timer, here are two of my personal favorites. To put it frankly, these movies changed my life, and they just might change yours too.

Another Earth Do you ever wonder if there is someone out there in the world that is exactly like you in absolutely every way that you can think of but you just haven’t met them yet? In this raw scifi drama, we are introduced to Rhondia(Brit Williams), a bright teen who has just been accepted into to MIT to study astronomy and John (William Mapother), a famous composer with a wife and a baby on the way. While Rhondia is coming home from a party, it is discovered that there is literally another Earth millions of miles away from our own with a perfect duplicate of every single person in the world. On this same night an unspeakable tragedy strikes and the lives of both Rhondia and John are completely shattered. They are left, wondering: on this other Earth, would their lives be different? This movie will stir up questions that you never knew you had, as well as leave you pondering the things in your life that you wish you could change.

Phoebe In Wonderland This ambitious and completely original movie peers inside the life of a family that has an unexpected secret. Phoebe, played

by Elle Fanning, is a girl that has a wicked imagination but has a rather strange behavioral problem that no one can really explain.

As Phoebe goes farther into her personal wonderland, her family is struggling to find out how to bring their child back into the reality that Phoebe desperately is trying to escape. This movie is about how society deals with mental illness in children, and how the strength of family is a power that can overcome even the most grim of circumstances.

This movie has taught me compassion unlike any other movie I have ever seen. I hope that if you see it too; you might end up seeing the world a little differently than you had in the past.

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Rent works to challenge, Inspire Students, audience will tackle mature themes in tragic musical known in the 1980’s, Angel is a shining light.

Mautz said, “In one scene, Mimi and Joanne say, ‘I’d die to have a taste of what Angel had.’ his spring, the theater department will be She’s just a symbol of hope for the characters.” tackling Rent, which follows the lives and Mautz holds no inhibition about portraystruggles of a group of aspiring artists ing the love interest of Angel. “I’m totally and friends in their Bohemian neighborhood in comfortable with my sexuality, so I have no Manhattan, known as Alphabet City, during the problem playing my role. It’s an acting role, it’s tumultuous 1980’s. Brian du Fresne, Monarch a role I got and I’m completely fine with it.” He teacher, and artistic director for the show said, stops to think for a moment and then continues “Whatever spectrum you fall on whether it be with conviction, “I have no problem with what political, social, religious there are certain things, people want to choose, whether they’re straight in this show particularly, that are challenging and or happen to be gay.” eye-opening and are going to raise questions and Du Fresne weighed in as well, saying that make people think.” he has experienced similar circumstances. “I While Rent is at times a lighthearted affair, it happen to be gay, and as an actor I’ve played delves into deeper, more serious social issues of lots of straight men in my acting career.” said the time period such as drug abuse and AIDS. du Fresne At the beginning of the process the departMadi Sinsel, a member of the ensemble who ment had originally planned to perform the said,“I might go all out with the streetwalker musical Anyone Can Whistle. Senior Will Thames, thing.” Sinsel continued, “[My parents] have who plays Roger Davis said, “No one was excitasked me about the musical like ‘What’s the ed for [Anyone Can Whistle]. It’s a good musical stuff in it?’ and I feel like my parents know in its own right but there was a hunger among what Rent is but I’m not sure they’ve seen it so all of the Thespians for something modern and I just say ‘It’s interesting, you’ll find out,” then something we could all relate to.” she continues with a smile and ends, “hopefully Du Fresne upon the requests of cast memyou won’t kill me for bers set out to choose being in this play.” a different show. Du “What we want our audience to Thames plays Roger, Fresne said, “four or experience is a change in their a recovering heroin five kids, leaders of addict and aspiring lead the thespian society, lives a change in their thinking, guitarist who is H.I.V came to me and they not by being forced, but by positive. In reference to gave me some sugRoger’s sexuality, Thames gestions and Rent was experiencing, which is exactly said, “[Roger] is heteroamong them.” what the kids are doing in this sexual and that’s actually Du Fresne production.” something pivotal in ultimately made the Which is one of the decision to perform -Brian du Fresne, artistic director Rent. things I love about [Rent], the school edition of the way that it deals with Rent. While there is a sexuality being integral professional version to character instead of just being gratuitous for of the show available, du Fresne said, “The the sake of it.” school edition we are performing presents the While sexuality is a part of the story that material in a smart and intelligent way without Rent tells, Thames sees larger messages in the having to add so much more of the base, much script. “For me Rent is all about love. The show more aggressive elements from the professional is all about adversity and coping with death, version which are not appropriate for the school but more than that it is about how we turn to environment.” each other in times of need. In this time period “My general feeling is not to do school prowhere it seemed like everything was dying off, ductions. When I first started doing this I told these people could be there for each other and myself, ‘I’m not going to dumb things down for be each other’s rock.” said Thames. students. I’m not going to hide them from real “One can easily say that [Rent] is about love life.’” du Fresne said. and acceptance, but it’s much more than that, However, du Fresne continued, “school it’s about tragedy and dealing with something edition for Rent is different than anything I’ve as scary as AIDS. We go through all of these seen before. I’m not about overprotecting the things and make sure that the kids understand kids, but I am about teaching in a controlled why we’re doing them and that the parents are environment and I think that’s something the supportive.” said du Fresne. school edition of Rent does really well.”

Du Fresne has taken steps to create an open A crucial part of Rent is the personalities and communicative classroom for his crew involved. From the effervescent Angel to the members. “For the first time ever I’ve had every brooding and artistic Roger Davis to the flirty kid who is involved in this production have and confusing character of Maureen Johnson, their parents sign off saying ‘this is what is part the cast will be portraying a wide variety of of the show and we’d love to have your kids be characters. Thames said, “The high school vera part of the production.’” sion does a really good job of not censoring the While the musical did present challenges lifestyles of the characters, because, in the end, to the classroom environment du Fresne sees that’s Rent” serious redeeming qualities for his students in Alex Mautz plays a pivotal character in the experiencing the musical. “Kids find out not production as Tom Collins. Mautz describes only about themselves but how they relate to Collins, saying, “He’s an anarchist, he just runs the world and themes and topics in this show around all crazy.” One of the major plotlines give students an opportunity to grow within of the musical centers around Collin’s love for a themselves and see themselves in the larger picdrag queen and street percussionist named Angel. In a time of despair and sadness in Alphabet ture. Our protected little bubble of Louisville here is part of a much bigger world.”

City, as the neighborhood in New York was Universal themes are present in Rent that du

by David Andrews

T

12 mhshowler.com

Seniors Will Thames and Ellie Oliver sing the musical number “Happy New Year” at music rehearsal on Thursday, January 23rd. Thames plays Roger Davis in the show while Oliver portrays Mimi Marquez. The crew is currently in the early stages of production which involves blocking scenes and rehearsing music separately. While the production for the spring was originally supposed to be Anyone Can Whistle but upon request from crew members it was changed to Rent. (Photo by David Andrews)

Fresne views as crucial to the audience experience, “Everyone has to deal with death, everyone has to deal with people that are sick, everyone has to deal with people who don’t love them anymore, everyone has to deal with people that are different themselves, with people who don’t make as much or ten times more than you make, and how do we bridge these divides.”

“We’re all being changed by [Rent] and our audience is presented with an opportunity either to

learn from and grow, or they can choose, which is perfectly legitimate, to think the exact same about particular issues.”

As he finished his sentence du Fresne turned back to his desk, full of notes and rehearsal schedules as if to signal his return to the journey which is Rent. The jazz band played a lively tune outside of his office window and one could almost feel that the cast would walk right into the room and start belting out ‘La Vie Boheme’.

Rent Essentials When

Where

Rating

February 27, 28 7p.m.

Monarch High School Auditorium 329 Campus Dr. Louisville, CO, 80027

Ages 13 and up

March 1st 2p.m. and 7p.m.

S

Sports

the olympic lifestyle

The sacrifices and discipline it takes to make an Olympic level athlete

Carrie Barry boxing; Barry was the captain of the US women’s boxing team and was at one point ranked as high as fifth in the world. To reach this level Barry had to not only train 20 hours a week, but conform her whole life to help her reach peak performance. (Photo credit: Kirsten Marshall)

by Daisy Fuchs

F

or someone to be able to do something they love, they often have to sacrifice something in return. This is the life of the Olympic level athlete. Intense training regimens and a carefully balanced life style must be constantly maintained if they are ever going to be their very best. It takes so many factors affecting so many aspects of their life to reach the Olympic level.

“It’s so much luck to get there,” said Carrie Barry, an Olympic level boxer who currently teaches boxing in Boulder. For Barry it was all about luck; right before the boxing trials for the 2012 London Olympics, Barry tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and ended up going to London as a training partner for Queen Underwood who went to the Olympics in Barry’s weight class. “It was bittersweet going as a training [partner],” said Barry. Barry had been ranked fifth in the world and had been the captain of the USA women’s boxing team.

That part of her career required more than just luck. During the peak point in her competition she would train about 20 hours a week; this is not a lot of hours, but each hour was very intense. Monday through Friday, Barry would

go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to do exercises like weight lifting or sprint intervals in the morning. After that, two or three days a week she would go to the Air Force Academy to work in the hyperbaric chamber or do vision and reaction training. The hyperbaric chamber simulated sea level allowing Barry to work at a higher intensity. Later, Barry would go back to the army base for her mid day training session. On top of all of this, she would have sparring session in the evening. On Saturdays Barry would have noon training and relax.

“In between all those training sessions during the week I pretty much ate or slept,” said Barry.

The time that an Olympian is not training is just as, if not more, important as the time that they are training. “If you’re not recovering, you’re wasting your time in the other areas. Recovering is the most important piece; recovery and nutrition,” said Barry.

Nutrition is equally crucial to recovery.

Athletes need good food to be able to properly recover and to have energy to perform. “Eat real food,” said Barry. She said that eating organic and nutritious food is a very important part of being at such a high level of competition.

“For me, it’s just about eating healthier,” said

Ralston Valley senior Mariah Bell, an ice skater on Team USA. Bell doesn’t eat fast food and eats lots of fruits, vegetables, and chicken. Healthy food is essential for athletes to be able to reach peak performance.

Even though Bell has a similar view on nutrition to Barry’s, ice skating training is very different from boxing. When Bell does her daily training she starts by warming up with edges and turns for foot work. After that, at this point in the season, she works on her jumps. Bell is currently working on her triple-triple, a type of jump. “What’s separating me right now from the top is that I don’t have a triple-triple,” said Bell.

During her competition season she works on her program during her practices. Along with these practices she does other workout too, such as yoga or pilates. All of this is year-round for Bell. “There’s not really an off-season, because I never really have a period of time for probably more that a week that I am not training,” said Bell.

All of this work is paying off for Bell, too.

This last year she went to Nationals, which are the Olympic Trials for ice skating. At Nationals Bell took 13th in the highest division and she is only 17 years old.

“Last semester I missed about a month and a half of school while I was away competing,” said Bell. She said that one of the biggest things that she has had to learn is how to balance her time and distribute it between school and skating.

Olympic level athletes not only have to balance their time, they have to balance themselves mentally too. “It’s really easy when you’re at that level to kind of isolate yourself and to become really obsessed with your sport,” said Barry. Being mentally sharp for an athlete of that caliber can make the difference of winning and losing.

“Pretty much your top ten people at Olympic level [are] all gold medal worthy; it’s just who has a perfect show that day,” said Barry.

Even though training is tough and demands a lot out of the athlete, the Olympic level athletes do not give up because they love what they are doing. “You have to be committed mentally and really loving it,” said Barry. “Like anything, it’s going to be hard work,” said Bell.

Carrie Barry has her hands wrapped; there are many injuries for any athlete who is training at the Olympic level.

Barry was not able to compete at the 2012 Olympics, when women’s boxing was included as an Olympic sport for the first time, due to a torn ACL. (Photo credit: Kirsten Marshall)

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Player Profile: Mae Williams Senior looks forward to bright future at Lehigh, looks back on successful high school career

by Mia Mulvahill

E

ven from afar, it is easy to tell that Mae Williams is an athlete. With her natural height and strength, this senior is a key player on the basketball court. Williams has played for Monarch’s JV/Varsity team since her freshman year and is currently enjoying her final season with the team before she graduates and moves on to bigger and better things. “I absolutely love our team at Monarch. Our entire team is like my family and we always have so much fun together,” said Williams of the bond between her teammates and her.

Williams is one of Monarch’s strongest players and her list of achievements is extensive.

Williams has received a Monarch Varsity letter all four years she has attended Monarch, and won the CHSAA All-State Academic award. Her sophomore season, the lady coyotes were State Championship Runner-ups. Williams has also been invited to and competed in the USA Olympic trials. Through her club teams, she has won the Blue-Star All Star Player of the Tournament Award twice, played in a Blue-Star/Hoopgurlz all star game, and played for the runner up team in the Amateur Athletic Union Portland End of the Trail National Championship.

Williams, who has played primarily forward

Williams aggressively fighting to win the ball in the game against #1 ranked Regis on December 9th.

(Photo by Conner Lund)

and post throughout her high school career, recently committed to play as a guard for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “I went and visited several of the schools that were looking at me and Lehigh was just the best fit

I guess,” said Williams. The Lehigh women’s basketball team is currently 7th in the Patriot League. Although William’s search and decision was difficult, she is excited to hit the court for the Mountain Hawks next season. “I loved the

team and the coaches and the academic excellence of the school,” said Williams of her future school.

Although Williams is a powerhouse on the court, it is not her only area of talent. Throughout her high school career, in addition to basketball, Williams has played volleyball, soccer and ran track at Monarch. Despite her talent for other athletics, Williams ultimately chose to pursue basketball over the others. “I picked basketball because it’s the sport I was most passionate in and that I had the most fun playing. I also picked basketball because I was surrounded by a bunch of great coaches that provided me with a lot of opportunity to excel and play,” said Williams.

Williams attributes much of her success to the coaching staff at Monarch, especially coach Gail Hook, a veteran basketball coach who was most recently the USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team Assistant Coach in 2012 and who also celebrated her 400th game as coach this month. “Coach Hook is the best coach I’ve ever had and she’s not only an amazing coach but she’ll always be one of my greatest inspirations and friends,” said Williams. The duo has worked together for three years as of this season following Hook’s return as head coach of Monarch’s varsity team after a taking a year off during the 2012-2013 season.

Despite all the memories and teammates she will leave behind after this season, Williams is eagerly looking forward to her freshman season at Lehigh. “I’m so excited to get to play at the collegiate level and to get to play at a new place that has the same values in a program that I have,” said Williams.

The Offseason

Important training for Monarch athletes several different layers of work to training in the offseason, and all of them are essential. “I try to gain weight in the offseason, I eat about 5,000 eight training, cardio, and off season calories a day,” Rohm added. practices are what makes an athlete.

An athlete’s weight program is another No noise, no crowds, no lights. The layer in the work an athlete pyramid of puts in the offseaoffseason son is what makes training. a true champion.

Rohm said, Training is “In the regimportant to ular season get your body in it’s more shape. Not only light-weight does it put the lifting to athlete in peak keep your performance, muscles but it makes intact and them feel good in shape. throughout In the the day before offseason a big game. it’s about That’s where bulking the offseason up and incomes in. With creasing the the offseason Senior Katie Paswaters bursts from the starting line in a track meet. (Photo courtesy weights and comes intense of Ashley Green) the times weight training, per week along with hardcore conditioning. While they I’m lifting.” may not be the most entertaining part of being Motivation in the offseason can be a little an athlete, these aspects of playing sports are hard to come by for some athletes. It can be very necessary in determining starting positions, hard to have the “want to” if there is no combeing at peak performance in the regular season, petition in the near future. That’s why athletes and even in health in the future. that participate in offseason activities with Off season training is “absolutely” part of their teams are more ready for the season than an athlete’s success in the regular season, said athlete’s who choose not to participate in the freshman baseball player Blake Rohm. There are

by Tyler DeBord

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Freshman baseball player Blake Rohm busts out a set of reps on flat bench press as part of a preseason workout. (Photo by Tyler Debord)

offseason. Rohm added, “I think it’ easier to get motivated in the offseason just so you can prepare yourself mentally for the season.”

Coaches also play a big part in the formula for success in an athlete. Encouragement is key, and staying on players to make sure they’re doing the right things is also essential. Coaches, “start focusing more on weight training and eating and getting bigger, faster, and stronger,” said Rohm.

Offseason training is tough on the athlete’s body. Muscles are constantly being broken down and rebuilt in order to increase strength and endurance. Senior runner Katie Paswaters said, “With running and distance it’s really important to get your milage up so that you can be ready for the season.”

Baseball and track are two totally different sports. Therefore, the athletes participating in these two sports train a little differently. “It’s a little bit more on the downlow, it’s not as intense as the regular season,” said Paswaters. This is a key difference. Intense weights help baseball players prepare for their season, while more

cardio and endurance training helps track runners. Paswaters added, “It’s more to get your muscles prepared and built up.”

An important aspect to realize of training in the offseason is that hardly anything is “full speed”, said Paswaters. She added, “We’ll do ladders and actives, and then progress to doing sprints, but nothing really full speed.”

As their seasons approach, it’s clear that offseason training is incredibly important to athletes.

It increases muscle buildup and endurance, and gets the athlete prepared for the long season ahead of them.

Sports

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team huddles during a timeout with Coach Gail Hook (Photo by Conner Lund)

Senior Lauren Mendicino shoots a free throw a couple minutes into the second period (Photo by Conner Lund)

Seniors Mae Williams and Lauren Mendicino travel down the court with possession of the ball (Photo by Conner Lund)

girls swimming

Sophomore Sydney Morgenstein preps for a dive with teammates ready for a close look (Photo by Anna Blanco) Some of the girls on the Monarch swim team support each other before their dives (Photo

by Anna Blanco)

Monarch girls cheer on a teammate with coach Theodore Romero

Sophomore Sydney Morgenstein makes her dive into the pool (Photo by Anna Blanco)

(Photo by Anna Blanco)

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Howler Staff Print Editor-in-Chief Katie Berohn Online Editor-in-Chief David Andrews Opinions Dalton Valette News Conner Lund Life Mia Mulvahill Arts and Entertainment Ellie Oliver Sports Olivia Coleman Will Petersen Copy Anna Blanco Emma Gooding-Lord Business Manager Tyler DeBord Ad Sales Manager Arika Rooney Subscription Manager Jack Howard Reporters Will Bangs Jake Baur Miguel Brache Brody Coronelli Sophia Cox Wright Charlotte Crist Terran Fox Daisy Fuchs Elaina Funk Emma Gooding-Lord Claire Green Tyler Lund Micaela Marquez Adrian Schoeneshoefer Grace Tallmon Oliver Ullman Emma Wolters Seth Widner Adviser Bonnie Katzive

Understanding ukraine (Continued from page one) Many have condemned the president for imposing a coup d’etat, or an attempt to take over the government. The US and the EU are deeply concerned, according to the BBC. Recently, protesters had occupied the justice ministry. Now, however, the protesters have ended their occupation after the Justice Minister Olena Lukash threatened to put Ukraine into a state of emergency. The protesters said that they left in order to keep peace with the authorities.

More recently, the agitation in Ukraine has escalated. Thousands of people joined the protests and are camping out in Kiev. The conflict has become even more heated with the deaths of four political activists.

Authorities are beginning to wonder if Ukraine has already reached the point of no return. If this is true, it is unclear what may happen to the country. However, as of January 27, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has resigned. In addition to this, parliament has decided to get rid of the anti-protest laws.

Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/world/europe/ukraine-protests/ h t t p : / / w w w. b b c. c o. u k / n e w s / wo r l d - e u rope-25913215 h t t p : / / w w w. b b c. c o. u k / n e w s / wo r l d - e u rope-25771595 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/01/24/this-is-the-one-mapyou-need-to-understand-ukraines-crisis/

Ukrainian protesters raise a national flag over a barricade on Grushevsky Street in downtwon Kiev during clashes with riot police on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. ( Sergei L. Loiko/ Los Angeles Times/MCT)

The Howler strives to inform, educate, and entertain the student body of Monarch High School as a monthly student-produced newspaper and open forum for student free expression and community 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 criminal action based on any expression made or published by students in The Howler.”

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