Issue 6

Thursday, March 20, 2014

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These two students Get a PHOTOSHOP MAKEOVER

what’s in nicole harris’s bag?

Pages 8&9

pAGE 15

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

Issue 6

Steeve Dicesare teaches his ASL class with enthusiasm (Photo by Anna Blanco).

Monarch Teacher Receives Cochlear Implants W

by Anna Blanco hat would it be like to hear for the first time in 40 years? Monarch American Sign Language Teacher Steve Dicesare is currently experiencing the answer to this question. Dicesare received the initial surgery,to receive cochlear implants, in January of this year.

“I decided to get the implant because I really really want to be a rock star. also , I want to hear my children and make communication better at home and in the classroom,” explained Dicesare.

A cochlear implant is a device that is similar to a hearing aid, but instead of simply amplifying sounds, it stimulates the nerve endings in the cochlea (inner ear) that allow a person to hear.

There is both an external and an internal portion to the implant. The external part is a series of microphones and processors, which are connected by a magnet to the internal portion, located underneath the next to the skull. The internal parts send the signals from the microphones and processors to the cochlea and auditory nerve.

He had to wait a few weeks for it to heal, once it was finished healing, the implant was “turned on in February. “It was shocking- all these sounds that I haven’t heard in 40 years, or ever,” explained Dicesare.

He added that it was difficult for him to make sense of all the sound he was hearing. “The sounds are different than what I think I remember, they are electronic right now, weird robotic,” said Dicesare. It is going to be about a year until Dicesare will be seeing functional results. It is

currently difficult for him to understand what all the stimulus means, and therefore he sometimes gets tired, dizzy from the confusing sensory input.

“There is a lot of training programs and auditory programs that I need to do to practice hearing, and to help make sense of the sounds. I do about an hour or so a night.One good training idea is reading a book while listening to the audio book,” said Dicesare.

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Opinions

The Cinematic Misconceptions of School Dances

Have we seen far too many movies, or has romance taken a holiday?

Brody’s Throwback School Dance Playlist *cough cough play this at prom cough cough* Let’s Be Startin’ Somethin’!

by Brody Coronelli

Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark New Order - Love Vigilantes ABC - The Look Of Love Phil Collins - Behind The Lines David Bowie - Sound & Vision Talk Talk - Talk Talk The Replacements - Can’t Hardly Wait The Church - The Unguarded Moment The Romantics - Rhythm Romance Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl The Knack - My Sharona Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen Depeche Mode - I Just Can’t Get Enough Talking Heads - Girlfriend is Better Dirty Dancing may be one of the many films we can thank for creating fantastical versions of school dances. (Photo Courtey of MCT Campus)

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icture it: the late night staff dancing in the picturesque 1980s classic Dirty Dancing.

Imagine the “Under the Sea” dance in Robert Zemeckis’s time warping hit Back to the Future. Envision the prom scene in John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles. Now, take a trip in your head back to the last school dance you’ve been to or seen that wasn’t in a movie or TV show. There’s a discrepancy here, isn’t there?

I’m not the only one who’s been cinematically fooled when it comes to these coming of age nights. I can take part of the blame for being a head in the clouds film geek and a soaring romantic, but when I see the crowded dance floor at Homecoming or Prom, I can’t help but think this new generation of these youthful rites of passage are showcasing a grand emotional inconsistency in romance and affection.

Romance is something with a very thin line between sweet and syrupy- There are only so many happy endings. Too much and you have a Nicholas Sparks novel depicting unhealthy attachment, but too little and, in my eyes, you have the contents of a 2014 school dance. So many elements of how these events are carried out dispel the potential of affection and bring it into a repetitive form of hip swinging and sexual achievement.

I understand this change in motion. It correlates dynamically with the explosion of electronica and hip hop music - Genres with transformational effects on the counter culture similar to the “devilish” emergence of rock and roll. The components of youth are simply moving forward, and my John Hughes clouded mind

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Blondie - Heart Of Glass The Psychedelic Furs - She is Mine

can’t do anything to stop that. However, the seemingly inconsequential yet dreadful lack of a slow dance at Prom demonstrates that this idea of romance has taken a holiday- hopefully not in the past. The fast-paced soundtracks of modern pop, electronica, and hip hop never really allow any breathing room for dates to actually face each other and embrace affection’s towering aptitude.

The question really becomes: “Where did these values go?” I’m not speaking of something wildly cinematic, rather a bit more of an emphasis on affection. Being one of the many unsettled by this aspect of our generation’s taste, I’m left scratching my head, wondering where all the affectionate value went or whether it really ever was abundant; have I and others been fooled by cinema and music into conceiving this romantic dream?

This isn’t specific to school dances - these values appear absent in so many other elements of youth, whether it’s your typical party or date.

I hardly ever hear of guys taking girls out and sweeping them off their feet any more, and this is high school; four years foretold as some of the most spirited, youthful times of our lives.

If that image wants to maintain any shred of truth, some heart needs to re-emerge. Let us live up to all the love songs and romance movies.

What do we have to lose?

Michael Jackson - Streetwalker The Smiths - Ask Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes The Cure - Just Like Heaven Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy Rod Stewart - Young Turks a-ha - Take On Me Hall & Oates - Maneater J. Geils Band - Centerfold

To Slow Things Down…

REO Speedwagon - Can’t Fight This Feeling The Violent Femmes - Good Feeling The Five Satins - (I’ll Remember) In The Still Of The Night Billy Joel - You’re My Home Stevie Wonder - Ribbon In The Sky

Opinions

The healthcare epidemic Why America needs a cure for its failing healthcare system

by Oliver Ullman

Graph shocwcasing the United States healthcare spending compared to other countries. (Courtesy of Commonwealth Fund) .

“I

t could cut your purchase price in half,” I offer to a customer at AMC Theaters.

She rudely tells me, “Stop worrying about it,” and then she walks off to see her movie. As she and her friend leave, I smirk remembering that seconds before, as she was buying popcorn at the concession counter from me, she was complaining about the expenses of going to the movies ar This type of thing happens a lot actually, where I’ll offer an easy, quick way to save customer money without asking them to do anything in return.

Most of the time I’m shot down, and sometimes my offer, which usually saves them more than ten dollars in return for just giving them a different, but slightly better container, are in fact met with anger, as if my offer is an imposition to them.

It may seem like a strange analogy to connect something such as this to the systematic failure of our healthcare system, but when I see angry faces in response to me and others proposing minor changes to American health care, I can’t help but to relate it to the stubbornness I see every day, and over something as small as a better deal on popcorn.

Most people admit that there is a problem when it comes to our health care system, but many Americans strongly reject even meager reforms to the world’s most expensive, yet woefully ineffective healthcare system. Sadly, we are one of the worst countries in the developed world when it comes to efficiency and cost of healthcare as documented by Bloomberg News, ranking a staggering number 46 on a scale of efficiency. The United States just beat out the country of Serbia and ranked just below Iran.

In fact, the American way of dealing with healthcare could easily be attributed to our military which is glutonously bloated. Even now, the military is saying they want less! It saddens me when I see such a developed country like ours, a

leading nation in the grand scale of global prestige spend so little time and effort in helping its sick citizens while it’s perfectly content with spending billions upon billions on military spending, spending’s which could be brought forward towards healthcare and education.

In fact, countries like Israel, which ended up spending as little as $2,000 dollars per person per year on healthcare coverage, less than a fourth of what we spend, ended up with significantely higher rates of life expectancy than the US. The key difference between the US and many of these other countries is that while the US relies on private companies to keep prices down through competition other countries allow for government to have a greater role in healthcare.

America is a country built on the need to have competition. There is a drive that compels us to be the best that we can be, and competition is needed, but to what extent? Do we need privatized competition to generate massive revenues for a select few at the cost of thousands of lives?

This is when the few benefit from the backs of the many, and that should not be in the mix when it comes to our individual health.

And over the years, Americans have embraced this mantra of manliness and avoidance towards trusting their government and handling their healthcare thanks to years of propaganda led in large part by the conservative right which glorifies the simple, every man when in fact, those “glory days” of the America that once was never existed. Americans need to better trust their government in the right hands to almost selfishly benefit themselves and their own healthcare, improve their lives and their lifespans. This mantra couldn’t be truer when conservative hero and President Ronald Reagan asserted that, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.”

This is just absolutely not true. In fact, a large

number of countries have switched to single-payer, where government handles insurance and healthcare stays in private hands, and have had some of the most successful programs to ever in the world. It’s estimated that over 95 percent of American households would save money from this system as reported by Physicians for a National Health Program.

But when pragmatic government measures like overseeing price negotiations between hospitals and insurance companies have a strong proven track record in many parts of the world in bringing prices down significantly, I’m hard pressed to see why these would hurt our system at all. Is it purely based around the embedded American belief that we cannot trust the government no matter what? A large number of countries have switched to a single-payer healthcare system, where government handles insurance and healthcare stays in private hands. Imagine how much the average American, the simple, every man type caricature that the conservatives glorify, could save each year and in fact, with less government interference. The entire argument is extraordinarily hypocritical when you think about it.

Still, our country clings to the misguided ideology that in the hands of private companies, competition will cause prices to go down. This is simply not true. Prices will naturally rise, not fall, in a system where for-profit companies strive for fat profit margins where twenty cents of every dollar goes to advertising and profits (which could be going to better health care).

Another terrible tactic that is used in the American health care system is that the gluttonous pharmaceutical companies actually give “commissions” to doctors who prescribe their patients the most expensive medicine possible, even if a cheaper one would be more effective, as reported by NBC Washington in 2012. The most disgusting part about this is that it is completely legal in the beloved U.S. of A. This system of doctors receiving under the ta-

ble monies to benefit themselves over the patients is one of the many factors attributed to the terrible healthcare we have in this country.

It is simply ridiculous. It drives up healthcare cost, without helping the patient. These laws are direct examples of lobbying due to our flawed method of private focused healthcare.

Can anybody think of an actual reason why laws like this should be allowed?

In Layman’s terms, many doctors and hospitals have been given a free pass to steal.

There is a silver lining, a small one but it is steadily growing across the horizon. I realize that reforms like the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) are not perfect, but they’re a step in the right direction. The Affordable Care Act has been repeatedly been analyzed by non-partisan institutions and has been found to reduce healthcare costs and cover more people. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that unless costs are brought under control in the next decade, the United States will be spending all of its tax revenues on health care, interest on the debt and defense, Social Security, but mostly health care.

It would be nice to say that this system could work, but it can’t. Still, despite its flaws, it is a small step in the right direction. People just need to understand that much. We are making progress and the government can in fact help. Just like the woman who treated me poorly at the concession stand, to those who do not wish to hear about possible savings and benefits based on possible negative preconceived notions, I would like to say, take a chance, and embrace some change for the better.

This graph showcases the United States’ average life expectancy compaared to it’s health spending per capita. Doesn’t seem to be working all that well for us at the moment. (Photo Courtesy of Incedential Economist).

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Opinions

Sex! Now that I have your attention The taboo and glorification of sex

by Dalton Valette

“E

verything is about sex.” True words, Oscar Wilde! Everything is in fact about sex. Walk down the street, turn on the TV, or open up a book and nearly everything has at the bare minimum sexual undertones to it. Which, I think, is normal. Sex and death are universals, something that every single person eventually has experience with one way or another. Everyone on earth is formed through the act of sex itself, obviously. So why is it that with sex everywhere and sex being such a part of our lives, some form of sexual activity had to occur to create life, that sex still shocks and even horrifies people?

Let’s look at movies. Anyone who has seen last year’s Oscar nominated film The Wolf of Wall Street knows that there is a lot of sex and a lot of nudity in the film. Around 99% of the nudity is frontal nudity of women. It becomes so common in Wolf that near the end seeing a completely nude woman stops shocking the audience. The film was rated R, largely in part to its nudity.

In 2003, the romantic drama film The Cooler was released and was initially given an NC-17 rating. With some editing, the films rating was reduced to an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The edited scene? A single sex scene, in fact a single frame of a sex scene, that shows a woman's pubic hair.

What irks me so much about this is that today it is perfectly alright to glorify sex and sex appeal through women especially, but when it comes to the actual act of sex, people become squeamish. The difference between Wolf and The Cooler is that in Wolf women are shown merely as objects of lust and desire, rag dolls to be tossed to the curb when finished with so that men can move onto their next meal. Sex, as depicted in Wolf, is bad but deeply mystical and almost fantastical in depiction.

“God forbid people actually like having sex!”

In The Cooler the leads, who have fallen in love over the course of the movie, have sex for the first time and it is romantic and one can almost feel the passion oozing from the screen, but at the same time the way that the movie presents sex is how it would present a grocery list, simply something people do and use in their daily lives, nothing elaborate or over the top or perverse, just normal. Apparently, that can’t happen because God forbid people actually like having sex!

In high school too, sex is everywhere. Sorry to say this concerned parents out there, your child is bombarded (at the very least) with sex.

Every high schooler thinks about sex, it’s just

normal. But adults think about it too. If adults didn’t think about sex then there wouldn't be any people to read this story. The steryotype that high schoolers are nothing but sex crazed maniacs is true, but that doesn’t exempt adults from that as well. In addition, there is no way that by not having sex education and by promoting abstinence is going to reduce the chance of high schoolers having sex. We need to promote safe sex instead of avoiding it entirely because sex is going to happen, it is simply in our psychological programming.

To me, there is almost a teeter totter style relationship people generally have towards sex.

Sex is controversial, but on the other side we are immersed in the world of sex. It’s a taboo and yet it is glamorised at every turn. In movies there can be hundreds of nude women strutting the screen and no one bats an eye, but the moment sex is revealed as something ordinary that people deeply in love do just as an act in and of itself, then it becomes controversial. I want to live in a world where these ridiculous conceptions of sex do not exist, where sex is just seemingly normal, not held to a pedestal type level that seems to ooze with curiosity and intrigue that only promotes the sexualization of women, the pressure to have sex at younger and younger ages, and glorifying it, the danger and allure of it, so much that normal acts of sex are frowned upon in society.

Woman behind bars. (Image by Terran Fox).

Ups and downs for March

by Will Bangs Images by Will Bangs and Natalie Forman The Colorado Department of Revenue announced that during the state’s first month of legal recreational marijuana sales, it collected $2 million in taxes from about $14 million in total sales. (Who knew selling drugs could be so lucrative?)

A new study from researchers at the University of California-San Francisco, found that middle and high school students who use electronic cigarettes are more likely to smoke real cigarettes and be heavier smokers in the future than those who don’t. (I told my kid they were bad for him, but did he listen? No, he just kept blowing not-smoke in my face).

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12 Years A Slave, took home the Best Picture Oscar but, Gravity seemed to be the real winner of the night, taking home 7 Acadamy Awards. (Now between Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Gravity, I will not be traveling to space any time soon, especially since in space, no one can hear me scream!)

Researchers at the University of Alabama, reported that the average obese American gets fewer than 4 hours of “vigorous exercise” per year, with obese women getting barely an hour and obese men averaging 3.6 hours of exercise per year. (Thank god I'm a lean, mean, 6-hours-of-exercise-peryear machine).

According to a new study, playing Tetris can help curb cravings for food, cigarettes, alcohol, and other temptations by as much as 25 percent because the visual stimulation provided by the game gives users an “essential boost in willpower.” (So that’s why gamers always look so fit and healthy).

In an effort to compete with McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants offering breakfast, Taco Bell has announced that it will begin serving a breakfast menu starting on March 27 with items such as the “A.M. CrunchWrap” and the “Waffle Taco” (I just don’t know if they’ll be able to pull off that authentic waffle taco flavor you find in Mexico).

News

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surviving syria Six questions you were too embarassed to ask about the Syrian civil war

by Oliver Ullman

T

he Civil War in Syria, now in its third year, has killed over 130,000 and has displaced millions, and the entire world is polarized on what to do next.

Though it’s arguably one of the most important crises of today’s world, many Americans still don’t know the basic facts of the situation. So, if you’re just hearing about this, or simply need to be refreshed on what’s going on, here are the six questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask.

What is syria?

Syria is a Middle-Eastern country located on the Mediterranean coast next to Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan. Though large empires like the Persians existed there thousands of years ago, Syria itself is a relatively small country, and had its borders drawn in the 1920’s by European colonial powers. With a population of about 22 million, most Syrians are ethnic Arabs who follow the Sunni branch of Islam, though there are many other religions and ethnicities in Syria like Sunni Arabs, Christians, Kurds, Druze and others.

Why is there conflict in syria?

Remember the Arab Spring, when people in the Arab world angry with their government in the middle east started protesting? Though the Arab Spring had many important successes, its bloodiest and arguably worst consequence was the civil war in Syria. In mid-2011 protesters took to the streets in demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The government responded with extreme and violent measures, such as kidnapping, torturing, and killing protesters. These have only furthered the destructive nature of the situation, outraging many in Syria and even inspiring people from neighboring countries to join their cause.

A United Nations photograph showing a sea of hungry Palestinians awaiting emergency food amid the detritus of their bomb-ravaged neighborhood near Damascus. (UN Photo by UNRWA Photo Archives)

Why hasnt the Us intervened?

Unfortunately there are no great options. Shipping arms to the rebels would ultimately worsen in-rebel fighting, possibly leading to a second civil war; we’ve made this mistake before in Afghanistan. Assassinating Assad would leave a dangerous power vacuum, which also could make the situation a lot worse. If the U.S. initiated a no-fly-zone, which could stop Assad’s forces in the skies, but it would likely suck us in for years and not do very much. The other options either would have the just as bad or worse outcomes. However, The US is working with the UN to peacefully end the conflict, and they are having some success, especially in disabling Assad’s chemical weapons.

By the numbers 100,000

9.5 million

people have been killed so far in the civil war.

Syrians have been driven from their homes, almost twice the population of Colorado.

why should i care? Who is assad?

Syria is in the middle of an extremely violent civil war. Fighting between government forces and rebels has killed more 130,000 according to the UNHCR and is set to create almost four million refugees by the end of the year, half of them children. On top of that, many say it’s the United States’ moral duty to intervene in Syria.

Nur Dhagestani is a junior at Monarch who has many family members from her mom’s side in Syria. “People can’t ignore what’s going on in the world. [Syrians] are dying and they’re innocent,” she said. Even if the United States doesn’t intervene, the civil war has important ramifications as it severely affects the entire region economically.

2.5 million

10,000

Refugees are currently living in Syria.

Syrian children have been killed during the Civil War.

Assad was a westernized leader. In his inaugural speech he emphasized capitalist and liberal policies to modernize his country, upsetting many Syrians.

In addition these policies exaggerated the inequality between the lower and middle classes compared to the upper classes. This, tied with uprisings in other countries, led to a chaotic situation in Syria.

Though the protests against Assad started out relatively peacefully, government actions such as killing activists, kidnapping and even rape, turned the protests into an all-out civil war. Thousands of those now fighting against Assad are even from other countries, mostly fighting for either freedom or democracy, or fighting against Assad’s secular government.

What’s going to happen now?

No one is quite sure. If the rebels win there could be chaos, and a new dictator could rise up. If Assad overpowers the rebels, then many will view the fighting and lives lost in vain, and a brutal, terrible dictator will stay in power. Peace talks with Assad were making progress, but have now stalled. The Syrian Government troops took the rebel stronghold of Yabroud on March 16, helping the government regain considerable power and threatening to draw Lebanon into the conflict.

Facts and statistics above are from CNN, BBC, UNHCR, ABC News, and Israeli National News

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News

Preparing for a cultural immersion Monarch getting ready to host German exchange students

by Daisy Fuchs

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here are numerous challenges when anyone has to move to a new school, so imagine when visiting a different country the cultural and linguistic struggles to overcome.

These are some of the challenges that the 16 German exchange students coming to Monarch from April 5th to April 25th will face. Twenty Monarch students and their families that are preparing to have a new member in their household for 20 days.

These exchange students are coming with the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) and some of the host students will be going to Germany over the summer. Monarch has participated in the GAPP program since it opened.

“I know that I am going to have to brush up my German if I am going to speak to [the exchange student],” said junior Mira Guha. Along with reviewing the language, Guha has gotten to know her exchange student a little. “I’ve been communicating with her via Facebook and email and she seems like a really fun person,” Guha said.

Sophomore Matt Scott’s family previously hosted a German exchange student and he is very excited because the exchange student coming this April is the brother of the previous exchange student that they hosted. “It was awkward for the first week more or less because it is someone living in your house and you don’t expect it. And it’s a whole new experience. But once you get used to it you develop more of a

contact with them and it’s fun,” said Scott.

Along with personally preparing, the host students and families are planning activities. As a group the host students are planning to go on a tour of the Google offices in Boulder and to go to a Rockies game.

Families are also planning to create their own activities. “There is a four day weekend when the Germans are here and a lot of people are going to Rocky Mountain National Park or take mini-vacations,” said German teacher Emily Stanley. Guha said that she is planning to take her exchange student to Mesa Verde and a few other landmarks in Colorado.

However, the exchange students are really coming to Monarch to get a taste of everyday life in the United States. “I am even encouraging families to do normal things like go to the grocery store with your German because American grocery stores are totally different than German grocery stores, so even that is going to be an experience,” said Stanley.

The Germans will be following their host students to their classes throughout the day so they will be going to all of the normal classes that American students go to.

American class structure is something that German exchange student Julia Pereira Schmidt has noticed is very differnt from Germany. “We don’t have algebra and calc, we have all just math class,” said Pereira Schmidt.

Pereira Schmidt said that she thinks that coming to Monarch will be a really good experience

for the exchange students. “I thinks that it’s cool for them because it’s a nice experience, people are nice, and it’s pretty different from Germany,” Pereira Schmidt said.

These cultural differences are what make this program so valuable and unique. “It’s not a tourist, or a sightseeing trip, it really is to see

how normal people live and how everyday life is here in the United States and that is what we will see when we go to Germany, too,” said Stanley.

Scott is also very excited to see all of this when he goes to Germany. “[I am excited for] just exploring [Germany]. I have never been out of the country, personally,” Scott said.

Matt Scott tallies how many people will be at the welcome party for the German exchange students. (Photo by Daisy

Fuchs)

from cookies to careers ILC students learn about workforce through selling and baking cookies

by Tyler Lund

A

fter a long day of school, one thing that helps is delicious cookies. Students at Monarch now have this opportunity to enjoy a delicious cookie after their long day.

Students are all hard at work in the Independent Learning Center baking cookies for the student body. Although it is time consuming, it seems to be fun for all students participating in it.

Channing Jenkins, Truitt Wilson, and Brian Su start to bake cookies under the direction of teacher Stephen Solis for the Coyote Cookies project. The cookies they bake will be sold to raise money for a community field trip at the end of the year.

(Photo by David Andrews)

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The project provides a work like environment. With certain jobs assigned to certain students, they now have the opportunity to learn about the workforce and learn and practice for the real world. These jobs range from baking the cookies, selling the cookies, and delivering the cookies. This helps students learn about skills such as working with others, hygiene, business, and many other things.

“We are doing three things, it’s a students activity to teach a lot of different skills that will hopefully pay off for caring for good work habits. So there are some skills related to hygiene, kitchen, following recipes, obviously we are baking cookies, then there is the interaction with each other to get the jobs done. There are other jobs besides baking cookies like getting supplies to market it,” said ILC lead teacher Scott Doyen.

This unique program allows the students to complete this hard work for a common goal.After all of these students work, hopefully they will be able to save up enough money to go on field trips, after paying off the supplies, of course.

They also are just spreading random acts of kindness throughout Monarch. These students are baking cookies for the student community and putting in their hard work to learn new habits and make delicious foods for the community.

“When the students talk about making cookies in class they’re always super excited about it.

From what I can tell they really enjoy making and selling the cookies,” said Abbi Goodgion, a sophomore student who helps out in the ILC rooms.

Students started selling the cookies that they baked this Monday. With other students and teachers buying cookies it seemed to be going well. Brian Su, who is a student who helps make the cookies, was very enthusiastic and happy to help out.

“These cookies are very good, and nice and warm. I don’t know how, but they are still crunchy. They also have lots of flavor and the chocolate chips are nice and gooey. I would give them a ten out of ten,” said senior Joel Greenstein when buying and trying a cookie made by the students.

With ten students and many teachers and staff working on this project, students can learn work force habits while doing fun activities like baking cookies. Be sure to look out for the next time these students sell their delicious cookies.

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Features

Getting enough zzz’s?

Sleep is important to our bodies, so why don’t we prioritize it?

by Jake Baur and Emma Wolters

S

leep can be more than a large issue for teens all around the world. With school, work, sports, and social lives, it can be surprising that we have time for sleep at all. Some high schoolers get little sleep, averaging four-five hours a night when the recommended is nine. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 15% of teens actually get over eight hours a night.

Despite popular belief, sleep is just as essential as food, water, and air. It’s almost like fuel because without it, we can’t run. Sleep and mood are directly correlated, and not getting enough can cause mood changes and poor performance, in school and out.

The most essential reason your body needs sleep is because this is when it clears out the junk that has accumulated throughout the day. This “junk” is extracellular proteins, which cells excrete throughout the day. Most cells are able to dispose of these through lymphatic circulation. The brain on the other hand, can’t do that. So it has a different garbage disposal, using cerebrospinal fluid to flush these proteins to the liver.

So where does sleep come into play? This system still occurs during the day, but at a very slow pace, not enough to keep up with the amount of waste you need to get out. But while you’re asleep, the neurons in your brain actually shrink by a pretty substantial amount, making the pathway for the fluid and proteins a great deal bigger.

Sleep is clearly an important habit for all people, but some more recent research is saying that teens need more sleep than anyone. One study suggests that adolescents need 9.2 hours of sleep each night versus the

the seven that adults require to function at their fullest potential. Sleep deprivation, especially in adolescents, can cause their nerve cells that are responsible for communication to not develop properly.

But it’s not just the neurons that won’t grow correctly, it’s the entire frontal lobe of the brain. Through your teenage years this part in particular is developing rapidly, and not getting the correct amount can cause major issues in the process and final result. This is also the section of your brain that controls decision making, judgement, and executive thinking.

Teens also have a natural instinct to stay awake late into the night, and it’s not just because they’re on Netflix. According to a study, published by the American Psychological Association melatonin, the chemical that kicks in to tell our brain to go to sleep at night, is released even later in the teenage years.

As one would imagine, all the detrimental effects of sleep loss can cause some extremely serious consequences. Lack of sleep can hinder the ability to learn, pay attention, and remember important things, according to studies by The National Sleep Foundation and The American Psychological Association. It can also lead to weight gain, being prone to acne, and being more susceptible to illness. Teens who sleep less are also more vulnerable to depression, ADHD, and other psychopathologies.

Obviously, sleep is extremely crucial. But why is it that teenagers in particular get so little?

“I have really bad insomnia which takes away from my sleep. But besides that, stress is the largest reason for sleep loss,” said senior Joslin Letorneau.

Letorneau claims to get four to five hours of sleep every night, if any. She believes that sleep is important to teenagers, but schoolwork and homework are more important.

“I definitely think it’s important if you can get sleep, but a lot of people as teenagers are sleep deprived,” said Letorneau.

Getting sleep on school days proves to be a massive challenge for most high schoolers. But on weekends, sleep can have a different schedule. For some, this can be a time to catch up on all of the hours of sleep missed throughout the week, which would explain the stereotype of teens sleeping in until noon.

Many teenagers would agree that sleep is important, but that there are various more important tasks that need to be dealt with.

One of the major culprits is homework. Most students tackle around three to four hours of homework a night, depending on the rigor of the course. This wouldn’t be so much of a time crunch if it weren’t for extracurriculars. Combined, the two can leach around seven hours of after school time, and that’s only if you do only those things. Add in all the daily necessities, like eating and checking our beloved smartphones, and there’s barely any time for sleeping.

By the numbers 50,000 car accidents are caused each year by drowsiness and fatigue among teenagers.

On average, high school students who suffer from failing grades get 25 minutes less sleep and go to bed 40 minutes later than students with A’s and B’s.

Adolescents have a decline from ten hours of sleep per night during their early childhood, to under 7.5 hours of sleep per night as a teenager.

Only 15% of high schoolers sleep for eight or more hours on weekdays.

Source: American Psychological Assosciation Cartoon by Terran Fox

Eight steps to landing a summer job How to successfully get hired in high school

by Arika Rooney

Prepare for your visit to the businesses. Have a copy of your resume with you, if you have aving a job when you are a teenager can never had a job make sure to include school help you learn skills that you will need and club accomplishments. You can find resume for the rest of your life. It will teach you templates online or on Naviance. how to manage your money and time, and learn to work well with others under stressful situaApproach the business and ask to talk to the tions. Jobs can help you to pass the time, save up hiring manager about applying for a job. You for a car or college, or simply to help start your want to make a good impression so make sure resume. Everyone has a different preference and you dress accordingly for the position you are seeksuccess story when it comes to getting a job al- ing. Dress professionally for retail, internships and though these steps will help you in your search restaurant jobs and more casual for coaching and for a summer job. childcare. Make sure to be friendly and confident and leave a good first impression.

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Make a list of all the businesses in the area you can think of that would hire someone your age. Remember to be reasonable about your skill set and only apply to places where it would be appropriate for you to work.

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Some places will have you pick up an application, some will tell you to apply online and some may interview you on the spot. Make sure (whenever your interview may be) to be prepared for cliche interview questions such as “what makes you a hard worker?” and “how will you contribute to the staff environment here?”

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Know what kind of environment you want to work in and in what area you want to Follow through. If a prospective employee has work. Keep in mind store hours and the disnot gotten back to you about scheduling an tance from your home when you start your job interview, or a second one call them and ask search. about your application status.

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Narrow down your options and decide where you want to apply.

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Don’t get discouraged! The earlier you start and the more businesses you go to the more likely you are to land a job.

(Above) Senior Austin Jensen’s work space at Envysion. “I basically watch video footage for different companies for purposes ranging from loss prevention to quality assurance to streamlined production. I take the information and put it into a report for the companies analysis. I do work for Chipotle, Panera, and Chickfil-a,” said Jensen.

Photo credit Austin Jensen

(Right) Senior Haley Brown rings up a customer at her job at Subway. Jobs in the food industry are very common for high schoolers since it provides flexible hours and the possibility of collecting tips. “I was hired on the spot and have been there ever since, two years strong. I love it!” Photo by Arika Rooney

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by Katie Berohn and Mia Mulvahill

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n today’s technology-adept world, almost anyone can achieve society’s idea of “perfection”, at least through clever photo editing. The use of Photoshop in the media for celebrity images is becoming more and more of an issue--some might even say it is getting out of hand. There are apps available now like Perfect365 that allow anyone to alter their appearance in a photograph from their very own smartphones, from something as simple as whitening their teeth to something as drastic as slimming their face or enlarging their eyes. Almost everyone is familiar with the filters available on Instagram, which can make nearly any picture look good. With these various resources to change appearances, it’s pretty easy for anyone to look airbrushed, flawless, and fresh out of a magazine.

The question is whether or not our society has gone too far with the various tools offered to change the way people look. Celebrities in magazines, particularly women, are often photoshopped to look the way the general public thinks the ideal person should, no matter how unachievable that standard of beauty is. In most photos of celebrities, their waists are cinched, their skin is smoothed over, their curves are enlarged, and their facial features are resculpted. In short, the celebrities many people idolize for having perfect bodies and features do not actually have these features themselves.

This poses a problem for impressionable

members of our culture such as young girls and people with low self esteem. Junior Alyssa Martin thinks that looking at photoshopped images of celebrities can create unrealistic ideas about how people should look.

“It gives false images of what people look like and what we think we should look like,” said Martin.

Junior Amanda Zale and senior Lauren Willis agree. “People have these unrealistic expectations of what celebrities look like and they feel like that’s what they’re supposed to look like when in reality those celebrities don’t even look like that,” said Willis.

When it comes reaching these standards, Zale said, “[People] want to look like [celebrities in magazines] but [celebrities] don’t even look like [celebrities in magazines] so they can never reach that.”

Senior Chay Weaver thinks that Photoshop and related tools alter reality for many people. “It makes you a little less aware of what’s real,” said Weaver. “[Photoshop] pulls kids into thinking that to be successful, you have to look perfect, so it sends a poor message.”

When asked, Monarch students interviewed insisted that they would never use Photoshop or an app like Perfect365 to make themselves look better. Martin said, “It’s better to let people see how you really look and not make yourself look different.”

Zale also believes that editing yourself sends a negative message. “I think it’s important to look how you look and you shouldn’t

make people think you look one way [when you really don’t],” said Zale.

Lately, digital manipulation has become a hot topic of conversation. Many people are starting to realize the reality of many altered celebrity photos. Photosets have been posted on the Internet that show how a model or celebrity looks before alteration as opposed to after alteration. “You see a lot of things now that show people as they truly are and I think once you’re aware of [alterations] it’s easier to feel less threatened by [the images],” said Willis.

“As long as people can understand the difference between a photoshopped person and a non-photoshopped person then I don’t think it should really matter,” said sophomore Ben Hogan. There has been a push lately to show people how extensive alterations in magazines and on websites really are. This illumination helps members of our society understand how truly unattainable their idea of perfection really is.

Many people strive to obtain an image of “perfection” that isn’t necessarily real. It’s hard to look the way Beyonce looks on the cover of a magazine when she herself doesn’t even look like that. With new knowledge behind the use of digital manipulation, hopefully people will start to accept that every person has flaws. Flaws are what make us human, and they are still there underneath the filters we use.

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arget came under a firestorm of criticism in March following the release of some shoddily altered photos on their website. This photo, shown left features a model sporting the recent phenomenon, the “thigh gap” in addition to unhealthily skinny arms. This unrealistic body expectation emphasizing the space between girls’ thighs has become so popular recently that women are going to extreme measure to achieve the coveted gap, despite the fact that they are primarily a product of how an individuals hips are set, not the amount of weight on their bodies. The thigh gap is frequently criticised for promoting an unhealthy body image.

The Target models in these photos have an unnatural looking space between their legs, almost as if their crotches had been cut out. Multiple news sources including E! News retaliated immediately, chastising the company for their unrealistic representations of women. Target took the images off their website quickly and issued an apology. “It was an unfortunate error on our part and we apologize,” Target spokesman Evan Miller said to ABC News.

This mistake draws attention to the unrealistic body expectations of the media. Why does a model missing most of her reproductive organs qualify as beautiful? Unfortunately in today’s society, you don’t have to look too far to find a plethora of other images featuring body modifications that are just as scary.

Target’s swimsuit advertisement. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Freeman)

The Howler sat down with junior Marlo Vernon who is a working model to ask about her personal experiences with and feelings about Photoshop in her profession.

Marlo Vernon: I think the media really shows the most extreme cases of Photoshop errors because obviously it’s bad when they take inches off of your body using photoshop. But really Photoshop is used all the time, on every picture, for touch ups for your skin or flyaway hairs and lighting. For me, it’s not used to alter someone’s body.

MV: No. I did one shoot where I was supposed to be this fairy and they photoshopped my eyebrows out.

It looked funny, but that is what it was supposed to look like and just a few other things like skin. Obviously it’s hard because if you were to go to a photo shoot and just brokeout or something, that’s easy to fix up in Photoshop. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything I didn’t like.

Vernon strikes a pose during a shoot. (Photo courtesy of Marlo Vernon)

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MV: Definitely. I don’t know many male models, but I’m pretty sure that’s standard. I know clients want your untouched photos to see how nice your skin really is because uaing Photoshop costs extra money. It’s just more time and effort. So if you have nice skin and your untouched photos look really good, they might hire you over someone else who doesn’t.

MV: Yeah.

MV: Yes, definitely.

Photos by: Katie Berohn

Katie Berohn, Editor in Chief of The Howler tried her hand at photo enhancements on these photos of seniors Kendall Saunders and Alex Mautz. Despite the fact that she had never tried this type of alteration, it was fairly easy for her to whiten their smiles, trim their waists, and clear away their blemishes. If an inexperienced high school student can do this much with Photoshop, imagine what the experts can do.

MV: I don’t know. I think it’s something that everyone should know about. I don’t know how much they use Photoshop for big magazines, but for the most part, I’m pretty sure the models are already skinny and they don’t need that much alteration. When I go to casting calls, tons of the models are really thin, thinner than me, and I feel like that makes me uncomfortable because you’ll go to agencies and they’ll tell you to lose a few inches off of your hips. They don’t hold back. They are really strict about measurements. So sometimes when I go, I go, “Oh, I wish I was as thin as them” because those are the girls that they want, but then I have to remember that that’s not attractive except in pictures. I feel like someone who is more healthy looks just as good in pictures as [someone who is] super thin. mhshowler.com 9

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Arts and Entertainment

Prom on a Budget How to get the best for less

by Claire Green

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or many upperclassmen, Prom is a highlight of the year. The dresses, the tuxes, the flowers, and the food all help contribute to the magic of the night-as well as the cost. Prom does not have to be a spending extravaganza to be a great night! Here are some

solely to department stores when dress shopping! Chances are if you buy your dress at Nordstroms, Macy’s, or Dillards, half the dance will be in your dress. Instead, try hitting up stores like Ross, T.J. Max, and Nordstrom’s Rack. There will be more variety for a better price. If buying a new dress isn’t in the budget, you can always borrow from a friend, or dress up a summer maxi dress with fun jewelry!

you can save money by choosing a more casual restaurant. It’s always fun to go somewhere fancy to enjoy the night, but don’t underestimate how fun a box of pizza at a friend’s place can be. Well, maybe not pizza, but you get the idea. If you’re splurging on a party bus, cut back on dinner.

Lose the Pro

A Tux is Not a Must

Although tuxes are suave and classy, they are also really pricy. Try borrowing from your dad or a friends dad instead of renting, if your heart is set on a monkey suit. But also remember that as long as you make an effort your date is sure to appreciate it. Nice pants, a dress shirt, a tie, and some dress shoes (remember, brown shoes and black pants DO NOT match!) will be enough for your date.

You can look at makeup tutorials on YouTube to perfect your look (photo by Ellie Oliver).

simple money-saving ideas to make Prom unforgettable-without burning a hole in your pocket.

Thrift Shop

Or not necessarily thrift shop, but don’t stick

Flower Power

Corsages and boutonnieres are a fun tradition for many couples at dances, but let’s get real: no one wants to pay fifteen dollars for a rose that falls off within an hour of putting it on. If you want to have one for your date but don’t want to spend the money, make you own!

Finding the right jewelry can compliment any dress (photo by Claire Green).

Websites such as saveoncrafts.com, lovelycrafty home.com and wikihow.com have great tutorials on how to make easy, cheap, and good looking flowers for the dance.

Pick and Choose

Time to get real. For many students the best part of the night is dinner. It’s a great time to chill, forget the nerves, and try to forget all the embarrassing pictures parents took, but it’s also one of the most expensive parts of the night. If your group is planning on a limo or a party bus

It’s fun to go and get your hair and makeup done professionally for the dance, but hair stylists generally charge around $40.00 and makeup artists normally cost around $20.00.

That’s 60 bucks right there! At most get one of these done professionally, and start practicing at home for the other. There are great makeup and hair tutorials online, and if you start planning now, there is plenty of time to master your look before the dance.

Hopefully these tips have convinced you that there is no need to blow your life savings on Prom. Just plan ahead and choose which things you will splurge on and which you will cut back on. Remember, the magic of Prom doesn’t come from your money!

Irish I was Irish

Kathleen Hein recalls her favorite Irish memories

by Ellie Oliver

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aybe St. Patrick’s Day means nothing to you. Maybe it’s been an enormous deal in your family for years before your birth. For math teacher Kathleen Hein and her entire family, St. Patrick’s Day has been a huge tradition since she was just a girl.

“My mother is from Waterford County, Ireland, and I was raised in a very Irish community,” said Hein. “My sister and I Irish danced for years, and actually my sister took over the Irish dance school that we had attended and now her daughter runs the school.”

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Hein and her sister danced each weekend in March, beginning on the first. “At pubs, festivals, nursing homes, schools.” said Hein. “The big event was parade day. We would dance down the streets of Binghamton, New York and end up dancing at five or six different places that day.”

Hein and her family had a traditional Irish meal each year: corned beef and cabbage. “My uncle would put on a corned beef and cabbage meal for all of the relatives in the area on March 17th,” said Hein. “We would all pack into his little house and celebrate together. My mom

would make Irish soda bread and we would bring that to all of our friends.”

Though Hein has moved to Colorado since, she still keeps up these special custom the best she can. “We continue some of these traditions with our family here in Colorado. We always have corned beef and cabbage, and soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day, and have opened it up to our friends and neighbors as well, but it is never quite as good as my uncle’s!”

Dancing is not only what Hein loved to do on this festive holiday. “Another big part of our St.

Patrick’s Day celebrations is singing,” said Hein.

“My father had a beautiful singing voice and we grew up with him singing Irish tunes at every celebration.”

Hein was one of six kids that sang a song for their family. “Everybody would take a turn and we would then all join in,” said Hein. Hein’s father passed away a few years ago and everyone was there singing for him in the hospital to say goodbye.”All six of us were there and sang to him in the hospital. It was the best send off we could have asked for.”

Arts and Entertainment

Seven Spectacular Spring Break Staycation Ideas

by Emma Wolters

1. Skiing at Eldora (or snowboarding or snowshoeing)

Living in Colorado, we have these amazing mountains and all the activities that go along with them right in our backyard. You’d be crazy not to take advantage of it, especially since it’s only about a 45 minute drive and $79 for an all day pass, opposed to Vail, which is $119 for an all day pass and three hours away.

Take your friends, family, or just go to the slopes by yourself.

2. Climbing at The Spot or at Monkey’s Traverse at Flagstaff

If you’re looking for something new and exhilarating to entertain yourself and your friends with over spring break, climbing maybe just the thing. If Colorado’s infamously snowy March weather prevails, you can go to The Spot in Boulder. On Friday the 28th of March, it’s half price all day, and added to the student discount it’s only $7 for a day pass. If you don’t own climbing shoes, you can to rent a pair there for only $5. The only other hindering factor is that you’re required to fill out a waiver that you can find on the website. If you’re under 18, you’ll need a parent to sign it before you go.

On the other hand, if the weather is gorgeous and you’re up for an adventure, you can always take a quick trip to Flagstaff and go to Monkey’s Traverse.

This spot is one of the major attractions on the south side of Flagstaff and is great for new climbers. Since it’s not a gym the climbing is totally free, but you will need some supplies. Shoes and chalk photo by Kelly Walsh are the essentials you’ll need for this beginner climbing area, and places like REI often rent equipment like this. If you’re a newbie the best selling novel premiers Friday the 21st. If to climbing, bringing an experienced friend or you want something a bit more dramatic, Noah family member to show you the ropes is a great premieres a week after on Friday the 28th. This idea, or just stick to The Spot, which offers an film features Emma Watson from Harry Potter orientation before you climb. portraying Ila, Noah’s adopted daughter and the love interest of Noah’s older son Shem. With the 3. Take an art class AMC theater at the Flatiron Mall’s new comfy If you want to improve your artistic skills, a recliners, you may also want to kick back and paint class at Tinker Art Studio in Boulder may enjoy a lighthearted cartoon with friends. Luckily be just what you need. The studio has a teen Mr. Peabody and Sherman premiered on March paint night on Friday the 28th of March from 7th, and if you go to later showing you can miss 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and only costs a total of $35. the heavy crowds of cute but loud children, or It’s perfect if you’re looking for a quirky, fun even take a younger sibling earlier in the day. No thing to do with friends. The class provides a matter what you’re looking for, the theater has bit of structure on painting techniques in the something for everyone. beginning, but then mostly allows you to focus on your own creativity. You can register for the class on their website.

4. Go to the movies

This is probably the most cliche advice for spring break activities, but who doesn’t love having a movie night at the theater with friends?

If you’re looking for a popular premier that everyone will be at, Divergent, the movie based on

5. Sports Games

For sports lovers, a wide variety of games are going on over the break. For soccer fans, the Colorado Rapids play the Portland Timbers on the 22nd at 4pm. The game is at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and tickets start at $29 with no extra fees. You can buy tickets at www.altitudetickets. com. On the other hand if hockey is your thing,

the Avalanche play three games over spring break on the 21st, 27th, and 29th. All of the games are at the Pepsi Center and start at 7pm in exception to the one on the 29th which starts at 1pm. All of the tickets start at $21, but there’s no promise of the absence of additional fees. If basketball is your passion, or you simply like the atmosphere of the games, the Denver Nuggets play three times over spring break, also playing at the Pepsi Center at 7pm, except for the game on the 23rd that begins at 3pm. You can also get tickets for these games on Altitude Tickets.

6. Go to a Concert

If music and concerts are more of your scene, you’re in luck. Two major name concerts are playing over break, including Lorde and Robin Thicke. Lorde is playing at the Filmore Auditorium on the 22nd at 7pm. Tickets start at $116 and are going fast, so book them quickly. The Filmore Auditorium is general admission, so get there early if you want to snag good seats.

Robin Thicke is also playing at the Filmore the following day on March 22nd at 6:30pm with Dj Cassidy as the opener. Tickets are a great deal, starting at $55. If you prefer something a

little more indie, Neutral Milk Hotel plays at the Ogden Theater on Monday, March 31st, at 7pm.

You can get tickets at the door for $45 or buy them now for as cheap as $36. The only other downside than barely missing the break deadline is that you have to be 16 or older to go without a parent.

7. Puppies at the Boulder Humane Society

Because who doesn’t love puppies? At the Human Society in Boulder, they allow anyone to come in and simply look at the adorable puppies and kittens, free of charge. The downside is you’re looking at the animals through a kennel, but if you talk to the staff, you may be able to take them outside to one of their small enclosures and play with them. Hey, you may even be able to convince your parents to adopt one.

Plenty of the animals are in desperate need of a home. But if that’s out of the question, you can always look into volunteering weekly, and get even more hands on experiences with dogs and cats.

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Arts and Entertainment

Techie Tunes

10 websites for discovering music

by Miguel Brache

10. Spotify

The popularity of this website doesn’t make it any less of a music discovering tool. When one hears a band on the radio and really likes it, they probably aren’t going to immediately go out and buy their latest piece of work, they’re going to want to listen to the band’s other music. Where does one go then? Spotify is the place. Spotify is basically a streaming site where you can listen to any artist’s music for free.

Pros: -Lots of content -Easy to navigate Cons: -Music recommendations are not accurate at all (e.g. “You listened to Daft Punk and Radiohead? You would love One Direction!”)

-Ads

music player, but now more than ever radio djs are focusing on finding underground potential hits instead of the usual pop. Shazam utilizes this and transports it to the web.

Pros: -Unique feature -Well made app -Easy to use Cons: -Requires a phone that can download apps

6. Earbits

Earbits is similar to Pandora, but it has a slight advantage. Earbits has a feature that narrows down genres and compares what artists are

9. The Vinyl District

Usually music blogs are home to articles that range anywhere from current social issues to the next big video game. When looking at The Vinyl District, it is easy to see that it is solely intended for music.

Not to mention the fact that it is a pretty well done blog. The album reviews are unbiased, the music coverage is diverse, and the website is easy to navigate.

Pros: -Focuses on music -Well-written reviews -Easy to navigate Cons: -Too small of a site, not enough relevancy in certain areas -Limited music streaming

8. The Music Ninja

The Music Ninja is a big music categorization site. There are several music categories with new songs every week, and that is basically the gist of it. It is just a big website for new music to be featured.

Pros: -Lots of content -Built-in music streaming Cons: -Somewhat hard to navigate, as it is really just a big storage area -Lacks certain music tastes

Shazam is an app as well as a website. The website is a good place to organize songs from the app. The app is used to recognize a song playing over the radio, and then shows the artist and some songs by them. This is fantastic because of two things: It eliminates the whole “tip of my tongue” saying when listening to the radio, and it also broadens the music discovery playing field to the radio. Many people see the radio as an old

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4. The Hype Macine

The Hype Machine keeps track of all of the music that people blog. This may be one of the most genius website ideas. It allows people to listen to new trending music easily. There are three steps to finding trending music for a certain music taste: 1. Go to genres. 2. Click the genre you want. 3. Click the sub-genre on the right. Those are literally the only steps needed to find several hundreds of bands that are being blogged right now.

Pros: -TONS of content -Allows for “real” band choices (no bands that are completely unheard of) Cons: -Hard to find the best blogs for certain music tastes -No other content on the Hype Machine main website other than the music streaming and who -blogged what (other stuff is available, it just isn’t the easiest stuff to get to)

3. Blip.fm

similar to what is being listened to. Earbits also has a very cool feature of “play album next” which does exactly what it says for the band that is playing.

Pros: -Easy to navigate -Easy streaming -Easy finding a prefered genre Cons: -Requires log in to access “play album next” feature -Uses a currency called “Groovies” that are needed to access certain features

5.Bandcamp

7. Shazam

-Lots of content Cons: -Not many other functions

Bandcamp is similar to The Music Ninja in its layout and purpose, except for one big key feature: The ability to support artists directly. Bandcamp allows one to go to a band’s Bandcamp page, a band’s iTunes, or their website in order to pay for music. This website is really just a big area to support musicians and find new ones.

Pros: -Can support musicians easily

Blip.fm is basically a combination of Songza (below) and the Hype Machine (above). Blip.fm has the same “dj” type organization as Songza, but the same layout and trend coverage as The Hype Machine. Basically this website has djs that blip(tweet) songs that other people can then listen to. The only reason that this is below Songza on the list is because it isn’t neatly organized.

Pros: -Almost too much content -A bunch of music tastes Cons: -Hard navigation -Disorganization

2. Songza

Songza is a music website that allows “djs” to create playlists featuring their favorite artists. This may be one of the most underrated features of all time. All of the playlists relate to a certain aspect of music (e.g. the producer, the mood, the tempo, the time period) that are nice to explore. When a band has a fantastic drummer, Songza allows for exploration of similar beats. Songza also has a feature to end all features: The Music Concierge.

The Music Concierge asks for only three things: The day/time, the type of zone the listener is in, and the genre the listener most identifies with. The Music Concierge then shows several playlists that fit

the exact mood/zone/taste of the listener.

Pros: -Music Concierge -Very easy to navigate -Well made playlists -Great music streaming -A TON of content Cons: -No “you would like” section for music recommending -Limit on skipping songs

1. Live Plasma

This may possibly be my favorite website ever.

This website is so good I have entered the first person narrative. I have spent about 5 hours of my life directly on this site. By directly, I mean I’m not using the music for background noise, no. I actively browse this website by itself. Basically what this website does is it tells the reader to search a band, then it comes up with songs by them, a streamer for their songs, and several other bands connected to them. The kick is, though, the other bands are clickable. Clicking another band that branches off of the searched one will bring the reader to that band’s page. So when I browse it, I click a band that branches off of Radiohead, then I click another, then another, and then another, all up until I have found a masterpiece of a band that is not too similar. There is no limit on songs, there is tons of content, and the organization of this site is amazing. I highly recommend using it.

Pros: -Limitless streaming -Navigation is perfect -Related bands are a mixture of well known and unheard of -Several music tastes are perfected -Cool design Cons: -Can’t pick which song to hear from a band -Uses Youtube to find songs by a band

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Sports

running into track season

Junior Marion Steiblen showing perfect form as she’s about to pole vault (Photo by Conner Lund)

Senior Carly Donner finishes up a lap after school during practice (Photo by Conner Lund)

Senior Katie Passwaters and Sophomore Chloe Bernard finish up a lap together to cool down after sprinting (Photo by Conner Lund)

Junior Andrew Barlow in mid air as he practices pole vaulting after school (Photo by Conner Lund)

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getting on track for a great season Track team ready for upcoming spring season

by Conner Lund

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uzzing activity fills the athletic hall, and the stampeding of feet is heard down the hall, as the track team prepares for another practice. The Track team, which is starting to kick off their season, is preparing for a very successful spring.

As the season begins, Coach Kevin Lowe, also a physics teacher, is more than excited. “We always do well in our relays, so we’ll expect boys and girls relays to do well,” said Lowe. “We have an outstanding pole vaulter Andrew Barlow, who is looking to be one of the top few in the state.”

Lowe, who also coaches Cross Country, is excited for the long distance runners who succeeded in the cross country season. “We have several distance runners as well. So overall, we look really strong again, we look to be top ten for state for probably boys and girls, maybe top 15 which is really good in the state.”

Although Lowe is excited for long distance, he is not putting all of his focus on just one event. Instead, he wants to focus more on the overall team dynamic. “[Long distance] will help us, but track is a lot more about our pole vaulters, high jumpers, shot and discus, long jump, triple jump and sprinting, so it;s a part of the track, and I expect that to be outstanding again.”

All of these events explain the variation of Track, and how competition ranges from raw endurance to short bursts of strength. “You can do so many different activities. Especially for relays, you have to be a part of a team to get the handoffs right and make sure your team does well.”

The team structure is quite different from any other sport. Although the team success is measured, a lot of the fervor revolves around individuals as well. “Track seems less team-oriented. The distance people don’t really see the sprinters. You don’t get to spend as much time with people in the other events, but you still cheer them on when you can,” says senior and long distance runner Alyssa Reese.

Junior Andrew Barlow soars with the pole during Track practice on a sunny Monday afternoon. (Photo by Conner Lund)

Although the team is focused on the individual aspect, team members are still concerned about the overall success of the team. “It’s individual because you want to focus on yourself to get better, but you want to focus on the team because you want the team to get better too,” said junior Andrew Barlow, who is hoping to jump 16 feet in pole vault this year.

“I think it is more individual because you do so many different events. Because you have to have practices where pole vaulters do their stuff and hurdlers will do their stuff for a little bit. Sometimes distance and sprinting don’t see eachother much,” said senior Carly Donner, who is hoping to break the school record for 100-meter hurdles this year. “However, having different events does let you cheer on

the rest of the team because you aren’t competing at the same time.”

Moving into the bulk of competition, the track team is ready for success, both for the individual and the team. Basically, the main mindset behind the season can be summed up by Lowe’s simple quote. “I think we are gonna have a well rounded team.”

Evolution of the Baseball Uniform

by Tyler DeBord

B

aseball has been known as America’s pastime since the 1840s. Since the game began, there have been thrilling stories, and wild rides alike to mention in the history of this great game. Highlights, announcements, and stats are all good and fun. However, the game of baseball has changed drastically since the beginning, and this includes the evolution of the baseball uniform.

The first known team to wear a uniform were the New York Knickerbockers in 1849. This uniform consisted of wool pants, flannel shirts, and straw hats for each player on the team.

What most baseball fans don’t know is that the uniform color used to represent the different positions in the game. For example, all nine players would wear a different color to represent their position. In today’s game, there are no different colors for different positions. Each player is supposed to wear the same uniform for each game.

As the game has progressed, home and road

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uniforms have started to become a factor among baseball teams. Most teams wear white in front of their home fans, and on the road, teams wear gray. It has been a custom pattern since the early 1900s, and hardly anything has changed about this since the very beginning of baseball.

In modern times, teams may choose a variety of different uniforms. For example, when at home, the Atlanta Braves wear their custom white jerseys on weekdays, while they sport a red jersey on Friday nights, and a cream colored jersey on Saturdays and Sundays. This is a very different style as opposed to the older days where teams used basic uniforms on any given day.

A common sports fan knows baseball players wear hats. It’s a common custom, and it’s part of every Major League uniform out there today.

However, this was not necessarily the case when baseball first began. Most players chose to wear some sort of cap, whether it be a straw hat, or a cycling cap. And then there are some players that chose not to wear hats at all. It wasn’t a rule back then, so some players just decided it would fit them better not to wear one.

Perhaps the biggest uniform change from the past is the use of a batting helmet when facing a live pitcher. In the early days of baseball legends like Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth, batting helmets were not required. Only in 1905 was the first helmet designed and used for protection of the batter’s head. It’s a useful tool that can possibly protect the life of a player.

Uniforms have changed, and for the better in the eyes of some. Not only are they safer, but in fact, they look better. Their design is more sleek, and in the eyes of a player, if you look good, you play good.

George H. W. Bush standing in front of a “Yale Fence” in his baseball uniform at Yale University, circa 1945-48. (George Bush

Presidential Library/MCT)

Sports

What’s Inside a Tennis Player’s Bag? Varsity player Nicole Harris spills her must-haves

by Mia Mulvahill

E

very tennis player from the pros to the newbies need to carry the basics--a racket, some shoes, a water bottle etc. But everyone is different and some players need a lit-

tle more than the basics to stay on their A-game.

Former NHL star Wayne Gretzky couldn’t start a game or practice without coating his stick in the baby powder he constantly kept in his bag.

Michael Jordan never set a foot on the court on

game day without his lucky college shorts underneath his uniform. The Howler took a look at what senior Nicole Harris keeps tucked in her bag to help her beat the competition.

CLIF Bar

Chapstick

“I have a CLIF bar for a snack because sometimes I just need a little extra energy before a match.”

“My chapstick keeps my lips hydrated, especially on windy days. This one is from EOS, but I honestly have no idea what flavor it is.”

Overgrip

“This is overgrip, which I don’t usually have in my bag but I do today.

You use it to tape over the handle on your racket when it starts to wear down so that you can keep a nice firm grip during practices and matches.”

Sweatshirt

“This is my varsity hoodie from last year when the whole team had matching ones. It has my last name on it, and I always warm up in it.”

Headphones

“I always listen to music before games to help me get pumped up, so I need these.”

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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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